(Comic) Nobody is safe...a look at Invincible Vol. 1

While we all know Robert Kirkman thanks to the Walking Dead (both comic and TV series,) his other series are not as common.

One of which, is Invincible.

Mark Grayson is the son of Omni-man and discovers that, like his father, has powers of his own. He can fly, age slower than the average human and is super strong.

Wanting to be like his father, he dons a costume and becomes Invincible.

He joins up with the Teen Team, a minor league superhero group that take down villains in the local area, he and his father go out and perform heroic deeds and he makes a friend in Atom Eve; one of the members of the aforementioned Teen Team. He even stops his science professor from making bombs out of people.

One of the many things I love about this volume is that it's the start of everything. It establishes a world and characters that are likeable, colourful and real. I can imagine meeting the Grayson family and having a meal with them.

In reading the foreword, Kurt Busiek talks about wanting an annual comic on Mark's mother, Debbie. I'm with him. A comic where you witness a conversation about being captured and taken to another dimension and a question about who wants dessert? Heck yes!
#DebbieGraysonisagoddess

The settings don't feel overwhelming in detail and the panels are easy to follow. The art style is nostalgic and down to earth. What I mean by this is that while it looks like a sketch, it feels natural and the style fits the universe we've been introduced to.

The dialogue is filled with dry humour and made me laugh aloud more than once. It's informative without overwhelming you in detail, which I can appreciate. It doesn't play Robin in the whole, "OMIGOD BATMAN! THE OBVIOUS THING IS OBVIOUS!" Never did like that much.

Lastly, my favourite part about this comic is its re-readability. Looking over how much things have changed (I'm hanging out for the latest volume as I write this,) it's nice to relive the moments where Mark is just starting out.

Overall, this comic, particularly this volume, is deceptively simple to follow, easy to immerse yourself and makes you laugh out loud.

While Batman and Iron Man have their tragic backstories, we get to watch and grow with Mark as he learns about his powers and balancing his school life with hero duty.

It feels very real to me and that's why it's worth of the Ravensmark (Picture still pending.). This mark is reserved for those creations that cannot be measured by mere numbers. It holds a special place in this reader's heart.

Thus ends the raven review.

Please feel free to comment, share and retweet this review! I'd love to hear your thoughts and recommendations in the future!

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I'll see you in the next review.

Movie reviews are released every Wednesday and book reviews are released sporadically. Comics are reviewed every Friday. First volumes only. 

(Comic) Furioser and Furioser...a look at Furious Vol. 1

Created by Bryan JL Glass and Victor Santos

Now guys, bear with me. I thought I'd try something different by checking out a few comics and reviewing the first volume of their series.

With Furious, we follow Cadence Lark, a former child star who gains her powers after she tries to kill herself in the same way her father did. 

Her powers stem from her anger, making her invulnerable, capable of flight and super strong.

With these powers, she tries to establish herself as the Beacon; a light that pierces the darkness. Through this persona, Cady tries to do right by the people. As her strength and her rage are intertwined, however, her method is often a lot more brutal than she intends for them to be.

This draws attention from the media, who initially paint her in a malevolent light.

The story is a little tricky to follow, as it jumps from flashback to present often abruptly. That doesn't mean it's a bad one by any means. Though I did find the shift in story on a constant basis of taking in information. I felt a need to sleep in order to process afterwards. 

The art style is something that I absolutely loved. I'm a big fan of Invincible, so seeing characters in colourful costumes that are covered in blood appeal to me greatly. Rather than the dark and gritty streets of say, Sin City, however, it uses the bright lights of a Hollywood-esque style to give off this feel that there is little differentiation between glitz and glamour and blood and brutality. 

It does this in style. 

Overall, Furious' story is a brilliant one; a disgraced child star trying to gain redemption by using her newfound powers for good. 

My only issue was a single line.

Furious is being held hostage by a male abuser and he strikes her.

Her response? "You hit like a girl."

It makes me wonder for whom this comic is for. If it's aimed at young women, then that line alone invalidates their strength because a character they identify with says so. It doesn't even seem like something Cady would even say.

For a former actress, I'm sure she could come up with something better than that. 

i.e: "The dead hit harder."

This line aside, I found the story compelling and inspiring. Taking a new superhero, adding Murphy's Law and throwing her to the media is a fantastic way to test her strength of character.

Furthermore, the main villain of this story is excellent. She's like a polar opposite of Cady, with a dash of (justified) crazy thrown in.

I loved this story and hope to see more. 

Just...no more lines like that, please.

4 and a half stars.

(Movie) Insert size joke here...a look at Ant-Man

I'd heard good things about this movie. Never so far as singing it's praises, but enough that it received relatively positive feedback.

Was the movie worth raving about, though?
Let's see! 

Story/Dialogue: Story goes that Scott Lang, a former con, is recruited by a scientist/soldier named Hank Pym. Pym is the creator of the Pym particle; able to shrink matter while compounding the durability of said matter.

Lang is recruited to steal a piece of tech created by Pym's protege, Darren Cross.

With the help of a variety of ants and Lang's old crew, they perform a heist like no one has ever seen.

I can't remember the last time I saw a superhero heist movie. That's what it is. A superhero heist movie with sci-fi elements.

Paul Rudd plays a lovable rogue who just can't get a break. You can't help but like him and the circumstantial humour that follows him.

The characters that help him, from his ant buddies to his crew are funny and easy to like.

Evangeline Lilly's character is equal parts badass with an element of humility. She feels as though you could meet her on the street or have a laugh with her at a bar. Her character feels real.

I'm told that Steve Buscemi was supposed to be Hank Pym. While I don't doubt his performance would have been excellent, Michael Douglas' performance is a happy accident.

As a comic character, I hated Pym. I, like most out there, figured he was a wife beating crazy person. Mr. Douglas took my initial feelings and showed me a broken man whose anger drove him. He's almost like Stark's darker half, I suppose.

Finally, our villain. In terms of character, I felt that his motivation was lacking, or could have been better explained. He felt like an idiot genius who pretended to not know what was going on. It creates this false sense of tension that made me wonder if he was totally ignorant or if the part of his brain that focuses on profiting from science was the only part that worked.
Don't get me wrong, the performance was great, it was the character's development, or lack thereof, that I had an issue with.
Don't make a villain who is a villain, 'Just because.'

Cinematography: I think this is one of those movies where 3D would have been good. The green screen made it look as though a tiny camera crew was filming it. I thought that was brilliant. I thought the ants were great, though they acted like dogs or wildebeest or something, which I thought was interesting.

There were moments where there was shaky cam and super quick cuts during fight and transition scenes. Like, I can understand that in the midst of a fight, it gets pretty crazy, but if you're going to do that, show it from a first person perspective after establishing it. There's a lot less hassle involved and it doesn't look lazy.

I wish I could talk about the sequence that happens which is totally awesome and mind messingly bedazzling, but spoilers, so I won't.

Audio: I got really excited when it came to writing this section.

You have the horns from a epic superhero tale and the bongo drums and double bass for old school heist movies and I gotta say, it's a helluva combination. You're all excited sitting on the edge of your seats as the music piles on more and more tension and it builds to a crescendo that finally leaves you collapsed in your seat wishing you had something to help you relax.

The sound effects were awesome. The suit making its sounds and the dubbing of the punches is excellent. I could sit here all day and talk about it.

Overall: At the end of the day, Ant-Man never tries to be more than what it is. It's a heist film that increases the gap on a constant basis and eases you back down with a lot of funny moments to break that tension.

Marvel takes its heroes and villains seriously, so it's cool to see them try something a little more experimental with one of their superheroes. I mean, even the promotions were awesome! All of the signs for ants and figurines lifting the poster out of its slot in one of those bus shelters.

Promotional Posters done right.

They handled this character really well. They made him likeable and someone to root for.

That villain kind of spoiled it for me, though. 

So I'm going to give it 3 and a half stars. A solid effort.

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(Book) Getting Deep...a look at the Ocean at the End of the Lane

I read this book a while ago and while many books have come and gone post reading, this book stays fresh in my mind.

For those of you that have yet to read it, this is a love letter in the most subtle and brilliant sense of the phrase.

Story goes that an unnamed narrator has come back to town for a funeral and inadvertently ends up on the farm of her childhood friend, Lettie Hempstock.

Lettie once saved his life by binding a spirit that lodged a coin in his throat. He doesn't remember her, however. He thinks she's in Australia.

This story takes you by the hand and pulls you into a bucket as deep as the ocean. The tide pulls you into its dark and quiet depths, into the unknown.

Not only is it beautiful in its prose, its dialogue and its message (which is NOT FOR YOU!), but its visual imagery takes you on a subtle fantasy journey that is almost Lovecraftian in its execution.

It's one of those books that I've looked at since I've read it, yet have been unable to pick it up.

This isn't because I hated it or it's lost its re-readability, but as I mentioned in the brackets above, it's not for me. Although, if Mr. Gaiman wrote something like that for me, I'd be incredibly flattered. (Given that he's one of my biggest writing inspirations, incredibly is severe understatement.)

One of the things that I also found is that I related to the nameless narrator. The connection he has with Lettie and the strangeness of the universe that comes with discovering it as a kid was both nostalgic and left a weird hole in my chest.

I liken this book to watching a movie like Seven Pounds. I loved it, but I could only watch it once due to its intensity.

This is the only book of Mr. Gaiman's I will review.

That's because if I had my way, they'd all have the Ravensmark.

While this book is not my favourite, it is more than deserving of a Ravensmark (Picture still pending.)

This simply means that the quality of this book is above mere numbers and is reserved for the best of the best.

Thus ends this review.





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(Book) Colours of the Wind...a look at Blue Sun, Yellow Sky

I started reading this book with no idea of what was going on. It's how I start most books I plan to review, unless I'm already aware of the universe they're a part of.

The story in this particular book follows Aubrey Johnson, a Houston, TX native artist who moves to Venice beach after her parents die in a car accident.

She spots Jeff, one of her closest friends in high school at the opening and they catch up the next day.

Together, they go on a last minute journey around the world, taking in vast vistas and beautiful, quirky cultural characters.

Aubrey's reason for the trip is because in eight weeks, she's going to go blind.

As far as she's concerned, painting without seeing is like trying to speak without a tongue.

I found myself absorbed in the description of these bustling places. Beautiful imagery filled my head with colour and warmth, all the while feeling morose for what was to come.

The banter between Aubrey and Jeff never felt forced and they always felt like they had a voice of their own. Watching Aubrey interact with people and her thoughts were the best part of the book for me.

All of the characters, large or small, are likeable for their ability to play their parts. Aubrey's rival Rusty is a loveable rogue and their rivalry is encouraging rather than hostile.

Aubrey's transition into blindness is bittersweet in that she experiences so much colour, history and vibrance in the world. All the beautiful places her and Jeff visit, the things they experience, it makes you feel as though you're travelling with them.

Ms. Hoang doesn't just stop on this incredible journey, but adds even more description when Aubrey goes blind. You can close your eyes and imagine the wonderful images that she has painted with her words.

Like all artworks, this book is a mere fragment in the life of Aubrey Johnson, but it makes you feel welcome and sends you on your way feeling as though you can do so much more.

5 stars.

(Reviewer's note: I did notice a couple of spelling errors, however, I do not feel that it took away from the story. But it was necessary to mention.)

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(Movie) Mambo number V...a look at V for Vendetta

Today I will vent about a vizarded villainous victim carrying out his vindictivolence against a government body. Whatever it takes.

Now that I have gotten that out of my system, I would like to say that I love this movie.

Explosions, wordplay and violence.

Furthermore, you have Hugo Weaving, Natalie Portman, Stephen Fry and a plethora of British actors giving arguably one of their best performances ever.

Now, I could sit here and give it a ravensmark, but I think the why is more important at this stage.

So, let's begin!

Story: This story is an adaptation of the Vertigo comic book series of the same name.
In a futuristic England, the church has taken power and rules with an iron fist. One man, a former subject in a series of experiments, seeks to take down the government dressed in black and wearing a Guy Fawkes mask.

With the help of a young woman by the name of Evie Hammond, V takes down every major political figure and teaches Evie about fearlessness by breaking her psychologically.

It's a powerful story about governments, heroes and justice. The corruption of these three things come under scrutiny and shows that with time, even the most altruistic person will fall.

As Lord Acton once said, "Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely."

We, as an audience, get to witness to destruction of power, which is returned to the people.

Cinematography: Everything from the lush decor of the Shadow Gallery, to the dark bleak rooms of the corrupt governed power, we see intense atmosphere. Lighting, framing, shaky cams...nothing is used unnecessarily.

The movie is framed in such a way that you can see the contrast between the people and the Government. The framing for the government is ordered and centred, with each item within the frame perfectly set out.
Those frames regarding the people that the government are supposed to serve have people standing off centre, and are somewhat cut chaotically.

The lighting is set out to fit the dark style of the comics, with reds standing out heavily against bleak blacks and greys. Red has always been the colour of power, passion, blood and revenge, which are all appropriate for this film.


Audio: Dario Marianelli composed the audio. The music is subtle and atmospheric for the most part, but hearing Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture over the loudspeakers makes it both humourous and awe-inspiring.

I preferred this subtle approach they took as opposed to including Sex Pistols or some other UK punk band during the film. It brought a certain elegance and flair to the entire movie.

Overall: I cannot stress how much I love this movie. From the visuals to V's charismatic visage, to the set design. I just love it all.

On top of this, you also have incredible performances by Hugo Weaving and Natalie Portman, amongst many of the other cast members.

I was immersed and honestly a little frightful of just how real all of this could possibly be.

This movie felt very real for a comic book adaptation.

5 stars.


Author's note: This concludes hero movie month! Movies are reviewed every Wednesday, with books being reviewed by the time I finish them. Some take longer than others.
Please let me know what you'd like me to review next! 


Please feel free to share your thoughts!
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(Book) Real or Faux-nee? A look at the Catcher in the Rye

This is one of the few great American novels I've read.

It's the only one I've read twice.

The story follows Holden Caulfield; a young, brash man who is stuck between protecting the innocent and diving down the dark rabbit hole of adulthood.

This coming of age story is both beautiful and bizarre in its symbolism and dialogue.

Here you have a young man, who calls out all these people, claims that they're 'phony,' or fake. All the while you see him buying hotel rooms, lying to people and embellishing his own stories.

Holden in a lot of ways is considered to be an unreliable narrator. Though this is not a fault of his own.

The book is self narrated, so all we have to go on is Holden's word.

We read about his expulsion from the really good school he was going to and the fights he got into with the boys in his dorm.

For all his faults, however, Holden is well meaning and kind, especially to his sister.

As an Australian, I still can't fully understand the magnitude of this book's status.

For me personally, I understand this book as the pressure and expectation to grow up. This is shown throughout the book by way of Holden's hunting cap. The constant taking off and on of the cap symbolises his desire to grow up and fit in, yet retain his innocence.

This is further illustrated in his desire to protect the innocence of his sister. He puts her on a carousel ride to watch her play and see her happy.

Because in a lot of ways, it feels as though it's too late for him.

For me, I relate a lot to Holden. He is a singularity in his universe; neither fitting in with those his age or those who are older.

He doesn't quite fit anywhere.

I love this book for many reasons. It's a book that, while incredibly misogynistic, revolves around the pressure involved in growing up. The desire to perform greatly while wearing a mask.

To Holden, it is all one big performance.

What he refuses to admit, however, is that he's the lead actor.

There is much tragedy in this irony.

For all its flaws, this book transcends star ratings.

It is forever marked with the ravensmark. (drawing pending.)

This mark is reserved for those books and movies that are too good to be measured by numbers.


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Thus ends this review.
Do you agree? Y/N? Comment below.

Critiques welcome.

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(Movie) Zero to Hero...a look at Kick-Ass

Before Kingsman: The secret service, director/producer/writer Matthew Vaughn adapted a comic book series known for taking average people and asking:

What makes a superhero?

I remember seeing this movie at the cinema and walking away shocked. I'd never come across something that was both inspiring and terrifying at the same time. In retrospect, it was probably because of its plausibility.

While it may not hold its shock factor anymore, has it aged well?

Let's find out!

Story/Dialogue: Dave Lizewski is an average kid who has had enough of being average and getting picked on. He dons a wetsuit and becomes Kick-Ass, a real life superhero.
I love how this movie could have been based on a true story. Like if they had covered Phoenix Jones (Seattle superhero) or someone along those lines.
This story deals a lot with identity (a theme I love) and a desire to protect (a basic human instinct,) so when the ideals of Kick-Ass clash with his super friends Big Daddy and Hit Girl, it changes the status quo.

I think the only thing that really bugged me about the story is that the stakes were at their highest when Kick-Ass is captured by the mob. Having them beat on him was probably the highest point of tension in the story. Everything else from there just kind of went downhill.

The dialogue can only be described as relevant for its time. Mentions of MySpace and celebrities that were big at the time are common for Vaughn to incorporate (See Iggy Azalea comment in Kingsman and use of YouTube, etc.) As for the rest of it, I often found myself cringing at comments like, "I don't care if she's 11 I'd save myself for her." Even as desensitised as I currently am, stuff like that weirds me out.

Dave's internal monologue and references to comic books make the movie worthwhile, as you often find yourself in his shoes asking the same questions. How would you deal with conflict if you came across a mugging or something like that? Could you?


Cinematography: This movie is visually beautiful. Each frame fills your eyes with vivid colours, tight framing and well cut action scenes. The costumes stand out against richly toned backgrounds and make the characters almost feel as though they're a part of a moving comic book as opposed to a movie.
The VFX left much to be desired, such as the scene where Kick-Ass and Hit Girl are flying away. Another instance was seeing them reveal their secret identity to each other and the lighting was more blinding than illuminating.

The camera work was wonderful and I would love to see a behind the scenes to work out whether they used dollies or did it by hand.

Audio: One scene I want to particularly talk about is where Hit Girl is killing everyone while Banana Split by the Dickies plays in the background. Its innocent tune contrasts with the violent scene to the point of it being jarring. Another example would be the rag time music combined with the dark and violent settings of games like Bioshock and Fallout.

Other than that, the music was pretty generic. Nothing really stood out or was overly memorable.

Overall: For all the brow beating I gave this movie, I do enjoy it. Not just for its gratuitous violence or Nicholas Cage being Nicholas Cage (It's like watching Stan Lee act in a movie, if I'm being honest,) but because it asks a lot of questions and challenges the audience.
This movie was a wild ride that ended on a dull note. Like eating a muffin top only to find that the bottom hasn't been fully cooked yet.

3.5 stars.

(Movie) Sunday Drive...a look at Mad Max: Fury Road

Thank you to thefaction0 for this request!

30 years.

It's been 30 years since George Miller last released a Mad Max film.

We'd had the taste of Thunderdome in our mouths for too long. Now we have a mix of Norse Mythology, the Littlest Hobo (look it up, it's important,) Borderlands and Mario Kart.

So, without further ado, let us drive into the post apocalyptic future once more!

Story/Dialogue: Story goes that Max Rockatansky, the Road Warrior, is being chased by the ghosts of his past and the people of the present. He is captured by the War Boys, led by Immortan Joe.
Somehow, he ends up being used as a hood ornament on a car that will have him thrown together with Furiosa; a one armed woman who can hold her own.

Okay, so first and foremost.

Max is not a hero. He is so much more than that.

I've heard a lot of things about how this is essentially Furiosa's story and people are getting angry about Max being a sidekick in his own film.

But you are simply missing the point.

The events in this film would have come to pass regardless of whether or not Max was involved.

Max is our tether to this world that seems foreign to us. Through his eyes, we witness everything that comes to pass. We are so much more immersed when we are thrown into the thick of the action in the same way Max is that the owner of the story is rendered irrelevant.

We feel as he feels.

That's what makes this movie genius.

The dialogue was sparse, as the movie did a lot more showing than telling. While I loved Tom Hardy as Max and Charlize Theron as Furiosa, their inconsistent accents irked me immensely.

I could not have given a damn if Max had suddenly become American. But pick a bloody accent, don't jump between them.


Cinematography: From the grand scale of the VFX, to the hyper colours and almost comic book feel of the visuals, the cinematics were incredible.
I saw pictures where you could swipe the screen and see what parts were real and what parts were VFX and the scale of the VFX is astounding.
I was thoroughly immersed in the rich colours of the desert at both night and day and the framing of the shots to give it that grand scale.

To watch this was to feel as though you were shredding alongside a t-rex who shot lasers from its mouth. That's how epic this movie felt visually.


Audio: THE DRUMS!!!
Watching the war boys play the drums and the guy with the flamethrower guitar just blew me away! I would not be surprised if Slipknot tried to recreate that on a stage somewhere. But listening to the audio added to the emotional response that was elicited from the audience.

Furthermore, the audio effects created and/or modified by the sound engineers is excellent, so massive props to those guys!


Overall: What a wild ride.
This movie never showed signs of slowing down and only amped it up the longer it went on. Seeing them pull a Trojan Horse of sorts made sense and the characters were likeable and crazy.
Mad Max: Fury Road is an excellent movie that takes the high octane revhead and slams it together with the Iliad.
The words that come to mind when I hear this title are: Post Apocalyptic Opera.

5 stars

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That's everything! Thanks for reading and I'll catch you on Wednesday (Tuesday for those on the other side of the world)