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Monthly Archives: December 2016

Doctor Who Christmas Special The Return of Doctor Mysterio Review

26 Monday Dec 2016

Posted by Paul Bowler in All

≈ 18 Comments

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Charity Wakefield, comics, Doctor Who Bill, Doctor Who Christmas Special The Return of Doctor Mysterio, Doctor Who Christmas Special The Return of Doctor Mysterio review, Doctor Who Season 10, Doctor Who Series 10 trailer, Justin Catwin, Justin Chatwin, Matt Lucas, Nardole, Pearl Mackie, Peter Capaldi, River Song, Steven Moffat, TARDIS, The Doctor, The Ghost, The Return of Doctor Mysterio

Doctor Who Christmas Special The Return of Doctor Mysterio

Review by Paul Bowler

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Get ready for a festive treat of super-powered adventure in this year’s Doctor Who Christmas Special: The Return of Doctor Mysterio, as the Doctor (Peter Capaldi) returns for Christmas Day and teams-up with a bullet proof comic book superhero, The Ghost, to save New York from menacing brain switching aliens!

When a boy called Grant (Logan Hoffman), is given superpowers, the young comic book fan grows up to be the geeky Clark Kent-esque Grant Gordon, played by Justin Chatwin (Orphan Black, War of the Worlds, and the US version of Shameless), and becomes the caped vigilante know as The Ghost. But he finds balancing life as a superhero and maintaining a secret identity isn’t easy, especially when the Lois Lane of his life investigative journalist Lucy Fletcher (Charity Wakefield from Wolf Hall and The Player) gets caught up in his madcap superhero world, and there’s even the mysterious high-tech Harmony Shoal corporation with a ruthless Lex Luthor style villain fronting an alien invasion for the Doctor to contend with as well!

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The Doctor and his new travelling companion Nardole, played by Matt Lucas (Little Britain), who has inexplicably returned to accompany the Time Lord after literally loosing his head to a despot robot last Christmas, arrive in New York and soon joins forces with Lucy Fletcher and the Ghost to save Manhattan as aliens prepare to attack, but what secrets will be revealed this Christmas when we see behind the Ghost’s mask..?

Doctor Who finally returns to our TV screens for this first time this year with The Return of Doctor Mysterio. This special 60 minute Christmas Special, written by Stephen Moffat and Directed by Ed Bazalgette (Director of Series 9’s The Girl Who Died and The Woman Who Lived), provides a glittering blend of superhero action and Whovian Christmas cheer! Essentially a fond homage to the comic book genre, particularly Richard Donner’s Superman films staring Christopher Reeve, this Doctor Who-Superhero mashup delivers a fittingly exciting and action-packed adventure. Indeed, the Doctor Who Christmas specials have now become something of a major highlight in the TV schedules since the programmes revival in 2005, and given that this is the first chance we’ve had to catch up with the Doctor this year the anticipation levels for this year’s Doctor Who Christmas special has been heightened even further!

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Peter Capaldi is on fine form as the 12th Doctor. His incarnation of the Time Lord dominates every scene, with his stylish and commanding presence, along with a no-nonsense attitude that’s now tempered with a wry dash of humour, he also seems to have gained a taste for sushi now, and acquired a new companion since we last saw him. Yes, Matt Lucas is back reprising his role as Nardole from 2015’s Christmas Special: The Husbands of River Song, and he’s already travelling with the Doctor when we first meet him in this episode. Nardole is also the first non-human companion the Doctor has travelled with for some time. The Return of Doctor Mysterio vaguely explains how the Doctor somehow restored Nardole after he was decapitated and trapped inside Hydroflax in The Husbands of River Song, and why he’s now travelling with the Doctor in the TARDIS, and no doubt Nardole’s story will be explored in greater detail in Series 10 next year.

There is a great supporting cast in The Return of Doctor Mysterio. Justin Chatwin is brilliant as the dorky live-in-nanny Grant Gordon, Charity Wakefield is also excellent as Daily Chronicle reporter Lucy Fletcher, and there’s a delightful Superman movie style – Lois and Clark TV series vibe woven through Moffat’s script that plays out between these two characters which forms the basis of some of this Christmas specials most enjoyable scenes. There are also great roles for Aleksandar Jovanovic as the sinister Dr Sim, who is accompanied by Tomiwa Edun as Mr Brock, and an especially fine performance from Logan Hoffman as the young Grant who has some brilliant scene with the Doctor – especially when they talk about comic books.

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Of course there is a sinister alien plot to take over the world to be stopped in The Return of Doctor Mysterio which the Doctor seemingly stumbles into that just happens by chance to involve the same superhero that he also inadvertently created – which certainly throws some timey-wimey complications into the mix! The monsters that feature in this Christmas Special are themselves fairly new to the series, but we have seen them before. The Brains and Harmony Shoal are in fact the same multi-nucleate organisms akin to The Shoal of Winter Harmony; the head-splitting Aliens we last saw in the Husbands of River Song. The Brains stored in the New York Harmony Shoal building – like those in other key strategic points located around the world – are waiting for compatible host bodies, like Dr Sim and Mr Brock to become “vehicles” for the Brains to use. Indeed, the distinctive diagonal scar down their face, eyes that glow occasionally, along with a tendency to seep blue liquid, is the only thing that gives them away. The scene where a terrified Mr Brock is about to be surgically possessed by one of the Brains is genuinely chilling, and the split-head effect we see employed later is also especially gruesome. These aliens take body horror to a whole new level, its used to great effect throughout this story, and their plan to crash their spaceship into New York so they can possess world leaders as they take refuge in Harmony Shoal’s facilities is a warped stroke of genius when it comes to invasion plans.

Although most of The Return of Doctor Mysterio was filmed Wales, there were also a few days filming in the Nu Boyana Film Studios in Bulgaria, with their magnificent standing New York sets doubling for the Big Apple. The episode features some truly remarkable special effects magic which completes the illusion and brings the iconic New York setting to life for this story. The Ghost, with his classic style superhero costume and art deco chest emblem, and his powers, especially the flying sequences, are all well realized on screen. The Brains with their little eyes and the split-face effects uses for Dr Sim and Mr Brock are also impressive and imaginatively done. However, surprisingly for a Doctor Who Christmas Special The Return of Doctor Mysterio isn’t exactly the most Christmassy looking episode the series has done. Apart from one scene Christmas hardly features at all, but in other, more subtle, and emotional ways this episode with its themes of loss, hope, and new beginnings, actually ends up feeling like the most emotional Christmas episode of all.

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This is also Doctor Who’s first real take on the superhero genre. Peter Capaldi clearly relishes the chance to do something new with the character of the Doctor here. After all, in many ways, the Doctor is a superhero of sorts, like Superman he’s an alien, has tremendous powers, at certain points he has also been tragically the last of his kind, so its perhaps no surprise when the eight year old grant names him as the erstwhile Doctor Mysterio – which is in fact the translated title Doctor Who in Mexico – of this Christmas specials title.

The Return of Doctor Mysterio only really goes off kilter slightly in the last act, with the Doctor and Nardole trapped on a spaceship about to crash into New York, while Grant and Lucy are trapped by Mr Brock and his team of surgeons who have set their sight on acquiring the Ghost’s body for one of the Brains of Harmony Shoal. The conclusion is fittingly heroic and romantic, there’s brilliant closing speech from the Doctor that will melt your heart, and a moving finale scene and story from Nardole that provides a beautiful coda for The Husbands of River Song. Steven Moffat has done a brilliant job with the script for The Return of Doctor Mysterio, its fun, exciting, it also provides some emotional closure for the Doctor concerning River’s death, and it’s peppered with loads of comic book Easter Eggs that are sure to raise a wry smile or two!

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I’ll admit I was extremely sceptical when I heard Matt Lucas was returning as Nardole. River Song’s former helper was fine as a one-off character in The Husbands of River Song, but I couldn’t see how the character really warranted a return in The Return of Doctor Mysterio – let alone as part of the cast for Series 10! Thankfully I couldn’t have been more wrong! Matt Lucas gives a delightfully understated performance as Nardole in The Return of Doctor Mysterio. His banter with the Doctor is fun, but not too over the top. I was surprised that Nardole can fly the TARDIS now, but it certainly came in handy in this episode for the Doctor. Nardole’s reasons for being with the Doctor are especially poignant, he’s far from being just the one-note comedy character we might have envisaged, and Lucas proves to be a revelation in the role.

Final word must go to Peter Capaldi and his magnificent performance as the Doctor. The grouchy rough edges of this incarnation have now significantly mellowed. Capaldi has now undoubtedly made the role his own. His sheer dedication and love for Doctor Who shine though in every scene. The Return of Doctor Mysterio also gave us an insightful trailer for Series 10 to enjoy, it looked amazing, and I’m certainly looking forward to seeing new companion Bill joining the Doctor and Nardole on their new adventures in time and space.

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The Return of Doctor Mysterio sets us on course for Series 10 in Spring 2017, beginning Steven Moffat’s final season as show runner, which will star Peter Capaldi as the Doctor, with Pearl Mackie as new companion Bill, along with Matt Lucas as Nardole. Steven Moffat’s run concludes with next year’s Christmas special, before work begins on Series 11 and Chris Chibnall takes over as Doctor Who’s new show runner. With its excellent cast and extremely high production values The Return of Doctor Mysterio was a great Christmas Special, its one of my favourites now, and I can’t wait to see what adventures Series 10 will bring!

Happy Christmas everyone!

And here’s the trailer for Series 10!

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First trailer for ALIEN: COVENANT released!

25 Sunday Dec 2016

Posted by Paul Bowler in All, Trailers & Posters

≈ 20 Comments

Tags

1st alien covenant trailer, 20th Century Fox, Alexander England, Alien, Alien Covenant, Alien Covenant trailer, Alien films, Aliens, Amy Seimetz, Benjamin Rigby, Billy Crudup, Callie Hernandez, Carmen Ejogo, Danny McBride, Demián Bichir, Jussie Smollett, Katherine Waterston, Michael Fassbender, Nathaniel Dean, new alien covenant trailer, Ridley Scott, Xenomorphs

First trailer for ALIEN: COVENANT released!

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Santa has left a Xenomorph under the tree this year! In this special Christmas present from 20th Century Fox, we get the first trailer from the new Alien: Covenant movie! Ridley Scott returns to the universe he created, with ALIEN: COVENANT, a new chapter in his groundbreaking ALIEN franchise. The crew of the colony ship Covenant, bound for a remote planet on the far side of the galaxy, discovers what they think is an uncharted paradise, but is actually a dark, dangerous world. When they uncover a threat beyond their imagination, they must attempt a harrowing escape!

Directed by: Ridley Scott and staring: Michael Fassbender, Katherine Waterston, Billy Crudup, Danny McBride, Demián Bichir, Carmen Ejogo, Amy Seimetz, Jussie Smollett, Callie Hernandez, Nathaniel Dean, Alexander England, Benjamin Rigby

ALIEN: COVENANT is in Theaters – May 19, 2017

alien-covenant

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Blade Runner 2049 Announcement Trailer Released!

19 Monday Dec 2016

Posted by Paul Bowler in All, Trailers & Posters

≈ 14 Comments

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Ana de Armas, Blade Runner, Blade Runner 2049, Blade Runner 2049 Announcement Trailer, Blade Runner sequel, Carla Juri, Dave Bautista, Denis Villeneuve, Harrison Ford, Jared Leto, Lennie James, Mackenzie Davis, Philip K Dick, Ridley Scott, Robin Wright, Ryan Gosling, Sylvia Hoeks

Blade Runner 2049 Announcement Trailer Released!

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Warner Bros. have just delivered our first look the Blade Runner sequel with this announcement trailer. Entitled, Blade Runner 2049, the film is set 30 years later and it looks like a very different place now…

Thirty years after the events of the first film, a new blade runner, LAPD Officer K (Ryan Gosling), unearths a long-buried secret that has the potential to plunge what’s left of society into chaos. K’s discovery leads him on a quest to find Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), a former LAPD blade runner who has been missing for 30 years.

Blade Runner 2049, starring Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford, Ana de Armas, Sylvia Hoeks, Robin Wright, Mackenzie Davis, Carla Juri, Lennie James, with Dave Bautista and Jared Leto

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Daredevil #14 Review

14 Wednesday Dec 2016

Posted by Paul Bowler in All, Marvel Comics

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Blindspot, Charles Soule, comics, Daredevil, Daredevil #14, Daredevil #14 review, Daredevil Dark Art, Inhumans, Marvel, Marvel Comics, Matt Milla, Matt Murdock, Muse, Ron Garney, The Dark Art, The Dark Art Part 5

Daredevil #14

Review by Paul Bowler

The Dark Art concludes in Daredevil #14 as the Man Without Fear resolves to track down the murderous instillation artist Muse, who has left a gruesome trail of “artwork” across Hell‘s Kitchen. Now, Muse has captured Daredevil’s new protégé, Samuel Chung, A.K.A Blindspot. Matt Murdock’s skill and powers will be tested to the limit, but will it be enough to save his young friend from becoming Muse’s next work of art..?

The fifth and concluding part of The Dark Art from the outstanding creative team of writer Charles Soule, artist Ron Garney, and color artist Matt Milla, delivers a tense and unsettling finale to this exceptional story arc that doesn’t flinch from depicting the drama and graphic horror of Blindspot’s plight. Daredevil’s aguish is almost palpable from the outset as he meets the Inhuman Detective Frank McGee – who wants to arrest Muse for his crimes – at the scene where Blindspot went missing after rescuing Muse’s hostages from the sewers.

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Its what transpires in Muse’s lair where Charles Soule really begins to ramp up the nerve jangling intensity as we, like Blindspot, gradually take in the sights of this dingy studio where Muse hones his craft with macabre inspirations. The uncertainly of what Muse has planned for Blindspot makes these scenes almost unbearable to witness. You know with twisting certainly in your gut that something terrible and horrifying is on the cards, but nothing can prepare you for the shock of that moment of inspiration Muse gets and the subsequent price that Blindspot invariably ends up paying for being so selfless and heroic in his mentor’s eyes.

The fabulous art by Ron Garney perfectly encapsulates the grim and brooding atmosphere that hangs over this issue. Together with Matt Milla’s exquisite and intense use of color, Ron Garney’s depiction of DD’s radar sense as Murdock pushes his uncanny hyper-senses beyond anything we’ve seen before, is truly remarkable. Muse’s lair, come Garret, is both a horrific slaughter house of raw materials and a showcase for his deranged labours. One moment you’ll be wondering what’s hanging on that lamp in the background… the next page you’ll be wishing you hadn’t asked! Some pieces even have ties to previous storylines, and there’s a startling revelation about the “Sanguinity” piece itself from The Dark Art during the final showdown between Daredevil and Muse in which the unseen becomes visible – and in more ways than one.

Daredevil #14 and The Dark Art arc as a whole is, to my mind, comic book storytelling at its finest. It’s a storyline that, while still very much part of the big events unfolding in the Marvel Universe at the moment, has nevertheless remained very much focused at grass roots level. Charles Soule has tapped into powerful themes and dark veins of horror with this arc as Muse’s and Daredevil’s worlds collided with fateful consequences for Blindspot. The characterization in this new Daredevil series has been exemplary from the start, and with this arc the bond between Daredevil and Blindspot as teacher and pupil has been key to its success, and subsequently makes the outcome here all the more tragic. Muse has been a terrific foil for Daredevil, we finally see Muse’s face in this issue but that doesn’t demystify the character, and I certainly hope we see a rematch between them one day.

Publisher: Marvel Comics

Writer: Charles Soule / Art Ron Garney / Colors: Matt Milla

Letters: VC’s Clayton Cowles  / Cover Ron Garney & Matt Milla

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First Trailer for War For the Planet of the Apes!

09 Friday Dec 2016

Posted by Paul Bowler in All, Trailers & Posters

≈ 32 Comments

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Amiah Miller, Andy Serkis, First trailer for War For The Planet of the Apes, Karin Konoval, Matt Reeves, Planet of the Apes, Steve Zahn, War For The Planet of the Apes trailer, Woody Harrelson

First Trailer for War of the Planet of the Apes!

Check out the trailer for War for the Planet of the Apes, the third chapter in the critically acclaimed blockbuster movie franchise, Caesar and his apes are forced into a deadly conflict with an army of humans led by a ruthless Colonel. After the apes suffer unimaginable losses, Caesar wrestles with his darker instincts and begins his own mythic quest to avenge his kind. As the journey finally brings them face to face, Caesar and the Colonel are pitted against each other in an epic battle that will determine the fate of both their species and the future of the planet.

War For The Planer of The Apes, Directed By Matt Reeves, and staring Andy Serkis, Woody Harrelson, Steve Zahn, Amiah Miller, Karin Konoval & Terry Notary, is in Theaters July14, 2017.

Check out the awesome new poster!

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Doctor Who Christmas Special The Return of Doctor Mysterio – Official Trailer Released!

09 Friday Dec 2016

Posted by Paul Bowler in All, Trailers & Posters

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Doctor Who, Doctor Who Christmas Special 2016, Doctor Who Christmas Special 2016 Trailer, Doctor Who Christmas Special The Return of Doctor Mysterio, Doctor Who Christmas Special The Return of Doctor Mysterio Trailer, Doctor Who Season 10, Justin Catwin, Matt Lucas, Nardole, Peter Capaldi, Steven Moffat, TARDIS, The Doctor, The Ghost, The Return of Doctor Mysterio

Doctor Who Christmas Special The Return of Doctor Mysterio

Official Trailer Released!

doctor-who-the-return-of-doctor-mysterio

Check out the trailer the 2016 Doctor Who Christmas Special: The Return of Doctor Mysterio, which has the Doctor teaming up with a comic book superhero! The 60 minute episode, written by Steven Moffat, will broadcast on BBC One on Christmas Day.

The Doctor (Peter Capaldi) will work with a superhero, The Ghost, aka Grant Gordon, played by Justin Chatwin, who previously appeared in Orphan Black, to battle a deadly alien race menacing New York. The Doctor will also be joined on this festive adventure by an investigative journalist, Lucy Fletcher, played by Wolf Hall actress Charity Wakefield, and Matt Lucas will also star in the episode as Nardole.

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Spider-Man Homecoming First Official Teaser Trailer Released!

09 Friday Dec 2016

Posted by Paul Bowler in All, Trailers & Posters

≈ 8 Comments

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Aunt May, Iron Man, Jon Watts, Marisa Tomei, Marvel, Marvel Comics, Michael Keaton, New York, Peter Parker, Robert Downey Jr, Spider-Man, Spider-Man Homecoming, Spider-Man Homecoming Jimmy Kimmel, Spiderman Trailer, Spidey, The Vulture, Tom Holland

Spider-Man Homecoming First Official Teaser Trailer Released!

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Check out the new Spider-Man Homecoming trailer first show on Jimmy Kimmel Live!

THWIPP! THWIPP! Really excited for this movie now!

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Sci-Fi Jubilee My New You Tube Channel Batman Return to Arkham Collection: Arkham City Completed!

07 Wednesday Dec 2016

Posted by Paul Bowler in All, Paul Bowler YouTube Channel

≈ 5 Comments

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Arkham Asylum, Arkham City, Bane, Batman, Batman Return to Arkham Arkham City Walkthrough, Batman: Return to Arkham Collection, Catwoman, Clayface, Gotham, Harley Quinn, Hugo Strange, Killer Croc, Mr Freeze, PS4, PS4Share, Ra's al Ghul, The Joker, The Mad Hatter, The Penguin, The Riddler, Two Face

Sci-Fi Jubilee My New You Tube Channel Batman Return to Arkham

Arkham City Completed!

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Hi, I’d like to say a big thank you to everyone for checking out my YouTube channel while I’ve been playing the Batman Return to Arkham Collection. I’ve completed Arkham City now, well, the main story anyway. Its been great of fun to revisit Arkham City, the storyline is really action packed, there are plenty of side missions to complete, and the game features lots of classic Batman villains including Two Face, Penguin, Solomon Grundy, Bane, The Riddler, Harley Quinn, Mr Freeze, Mad Hatter, Victor Zsasz, Hush, Deadshot, Clayface, Ra’s Al Gul, Talia Al Gul, and of course the Joker! I also played the majority of Arkham City using the Dark Knight Returns version of Batman, so that features in nearly all of the videos I streamed of the game.

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This video features one of my favourite boss fights, the battle with Mr Freeze in the old GCPD building. It was a bit of a tricky battle as you can only use each form of Batman’s attacks once before Mr Freeze adapts to your tactics. Then it was time to save Vicky Vale after the Joker has her helicopter shot down.

Batman takes the fight to Hugo Strange in his tower lair right at the heart of Arkham City for a final showdown! Took me a few goes to get past all the guards, especially the ones at the entrance. Sorry, I’m a bit rubbish at doing the combos with all the Bat-Gadgets, but I got through and defeated Hugo Strange eventually!

Time for the final showdown between Batman and the Joker in Arkham City! I really enjoyed this part, it was a great finale to the game!

 

The remastered graphics in Arkham City were every bit as good as those in Arkham Asylum. I liked the wider scope of Arkham City, the side quests are good too, and it was fun to play the DLC content as well. The Batman Return to Arkham Collection is the first time I’ve streamed games like this on PS4, usually I’ve just done clips or edited the best bits together, so it was interesting to just play through the games and see how things turned out. It seemed to go down well, becoming a really popular feature on Sci-Fi Jubilee.

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Thank you so much for watching and supporting me, its become such a fun addition to Sci-Fi Jubilee as well, especially with all your comments and suggestions. I hope you’ve enjoyed my return to Arkham Asylum and Arkham City as much as I’ve had fun playing these brilliant games again, and please feel free to hit that like button and subscribe if you did. I really appreciate the great feedback you‘ve given me, so keep an eye out for more videos as I might stream more games like this on my YouTube channel in the future.

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New Guardians of the Galaxy VOL.2 Teaser Trailer!

04 Sunday Dec 2016

Posted by Paul Bowler in All, Trailers & Posters

≈ 17 Comments

Tags

Baby Groot, Bradley Cooper, Chris Sullivan, Dave Bautista, Elizabeth Debicki, Groot, Guardians of the Galaxy, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 official sneak peak, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 poster, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol2 Teaser Trailer, James Gunn, Karen Gillan, Kurt Russell, Laura Haddock, Marvel, Michael Rooker, Peter Quill, Pom Klementieff, Rocket, Sean Gunn, Tommy Flanagan, Vin Diesel, Zoe Saldana

 New Guardians of the Galaxy VOL.2 Teaser Trailer!

Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, Rocket and Baby Groot get into some trouble in the the new teaser trailer for Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 – coming to UK cinemas 28th April 2017. Baby Groot is adorable!! The Guardians must fight to keep their newfound family together as they unravel the mystery of Peter Quill’s true parentage.

baby-groot

Starring Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, featuring Vin Diesel as Groot, Bradley Cooper as Rocket, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Elizabeth Debicki, Chris Sullivan, Sean Gunn, Tommy Flanagan, Laura Haddock and Kurt Russell. Directed by JamesGunn.

 

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Batman (2016) Annual #1

01 Thursday Dec 2016

Posted by Paul Bowler in All, DC Comics

≈ 16 Comments

Tags

Batman, Batman #1 Annual, Batman (2016) Annual #1, Batman Annual #1 review, Batman Silent Night, Bilquis Evely, David Finch, DC Comics, DC Comics Rebirth, Gabe Eltaeb, Gotham, Ivan Plascencia, Jordie Bellaire, Mat Lopes, Neal Adams, Paul Dini, Ray Fawkes, Riley Rossomo, Scott Bryan, Scott Snyder, Steve Orlando, Tom King

Batman (2016) Annual #1

Review By Paul Bowler

The hush of winter snowfall settles over Gotham City as Christmas draws near in the Batman (2016) Annual #1, but as we all know, there can never truly be a “Silent Night” in Gotham for the Dark Knight, his allies, or even his enemies, in this quintet of special festive tales from the Bat-Caves finest talent!

So, considering Gotham City can be a bit of a gloomy, crime ridden, place for much of the year, you’ll be pleased to know that this Batman Annual brings some surprise Christmas cheer for Batman and Gothamities alike as the holiday season fast approaches.

First off, we have Good Boy, written by Batman series writer Tom King, with pencils and inks from David Finch, and colors by Gabe Eltaeb. Ok, well, I have to admit the first page of this one freaked me out a little. Ever since I was a kid I’ve always been very, very weary of dogs, so the start of this story put me on edge a bit. Still, its testament to King’s writing and some rather fine art from Finch that I found myself, along with Bruce, being won over by Ace and this story that turned out to be a far more heart warming tale than I first expected.

batman-annual-1

Scott Snyder returns for the next story, together with Ray Fawkes, to bring us Silent Night, a thoughtful and moving Christmas story with Declan Shalvey on pencils and inks, and colors by Jordie Bellaire. Snyder and Fawkes bring an ingeniously techno-themed spin to the Bat-Signal with a new system designed to guide Batman’s actions, and one that ultimately leads into the eponymous silent night of the title itself. Its a lovely story, beautiful rendered by Shalvey and Bellaire, and one that gives us all call to take some time out from all the technological noise and clutter of our haphazard modern world to enjoy those small moments of grace and wonder while they fleetingly last.

Not So Silent Night of the Harley Quinn is actually every bit as festive as its title suggests. The script by Paul Dini throws Batman and Harley Quinn together for a jaunt around Gotham in the Batmobile while Batman patrols. This was easily my favourite story in the Annual, mostly for the distinct style, tone and look of this story because of the pencils, inks, and colors by the brilliant Neal Adams. It was great to see this more classic take on Batman’s costume again, and the Christmas spirit also permeates every aspect of this fun story.

On the flipside, Stag, written by Steve Orlando, with pencils and inks by Riley Rossomo, and colors by Ivan Plascencia, proves an altogether different affair. There’s a sound Christmas message beating at its heart, well-meaning and indeed quite thought provoking, but I felt the coda to this story jarred somewhat. It sets up something for 2017, but it all just seemed a little too grim to me, especially considering the other stories around it.

The Insecurity Diversion rounds of this Batman Annual with a trip to Arkham and an audacious escape attempt by one of the inmates. Scott Bryan Wilson’s script builds a concise and complex narrative as the mystery unfolds, with Batman shadowing the escapee every step of the way until the real villain of the piece – who isn’t really a surprise – is revealed, but it is a journey that is nevertheless a compelling and insightful one. Excellent artwork and inks from Bilquis Evely set the scene perfectly, and Mat Lopes colors nicely complement the festive tone with cool icy tones, before the story closes as Batman turns the tables on his enemies in fine style.

I don’t normally tend to read comic book annuals as a rule, however, considering the great writers and artists involved in this Batman (2016) Annual #1 from DC Comics I simply had to check this one out (especially with its gorgeous cover by David Finch and Brad Anderson), and I’m pleased to say I wasn’t disappointed. It’s a great little anthology of Christmas themed Batman stories, each is uniquely different and brings something new to the table, and while I enjoyed some more than others, overall I thoroughly enjoyed reading this annual.

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Paul Bowler

Paul Bowler

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