If I were going to put together a list of my five favorite episodes, there’s a very strong possibility that “A Necessary Bond” would find its way up there. I liked this episode a lot. It had everything you’d want from classic Star Wars, it had echoes of older episodes of The Clone Wars, it was funny, suspenseful, thrilling, and pulled everything together in a package that brought a smile to my face and the face of my kids. In fact, my son turned to me just after the mid-point of the third act of the episode and said, “This is one of the best episodes ever.”

This episode sees the younglings escaping from the clutches of Hondo Ohnaka, only to find that Floruum has been taken over by Grievous and the Separatists. They’re compelled to join forces and fight off their common enemy.

I loved that there were so many bits of dialogue and situations that echoed the classic trilogy lines. Perhaps easily my favorite moment (and one that should provide David Tennant with untold amounts of joy) is when  Huyang gets knocked off the ship by Artoo, Return of the Jedi style. In fact, every single bit of chase and action sequence in this episode built higher and higher and higher until they truly reached a fevered pitch.

The comedy of the episode was great, too. I love the droids and their terror at the “miniature Jedi,” and I love that they sent Artoo in to bluff the droids. It was a great scene and it had my kids rolling in laughter and me chuckling.

And I love that the Slave I had a part to play in all of this. It makes me confident we’ll see Boba Fett on the show taking back possession of his father’s ship.

The younglings have been one of the single best additions to the show since it began. It’s almost a shame they’ve only lasted four episodes. Over the four episodes, each one was given a personality and a background that by the end of the arc you were rooting for them all individually and together. My two favorites were the Ithorian and the Wookiee. Though that’s not fair to the others, because I liked them, too.

Knowing now that the events of the season premiere happen AFTER this episode make Hondo’s actions over the course of this arc make so much more sense. Why they chose to air the episodes out of order is a bit perplexing because it would have really amped up the stakes through the season as a whole. But I guess bouncing around the chronology is how they do things on The Clone Wars.

The thing I hated most about this episode is that it sees the end of the younglings arc. I want to see all of these younglings in more adventures together, or in pairs, or a few at a time, or assigned to their Jedi masters. I’d love to see a show about Gungi and maybe a couple of these other kids trying to survive with their masters or together during the dark times after Order 66. It would be very cool.

Now that this arc is over though, I can’t wait to see the story started back at the premiere continued on.

Two recent Disney/Pixar Blu-ray releases have come out and I couldn’t have been more satisfied by their acquisition.

First was Pixar’s Brave.

The more I watch this film, the harder it is for me to imagine that anyone ever had a problem with it. They took a classic Disney style-story, put a classic Pixar spin on it. So what if it doesn’t reach the dizzying heights of Wall-E or the stylistic flourishes of The Incredibles? It’s a fantastic film in its own right and seeing it again on Blu-ray makes one realize how important its going to be in the pantheon of Disney Princess films.

The look of this film is stunning, no less so on Blu-ray. The sets and the backgrounds are absolutely gorgeous. But the only thing that works better than the visuals is the story. The story is something that is really worth studying. The wraparound story and fable fitting into the story the way they do is incredibly elegant. And every moment with the three brothers is solid gold.

My only complaint about the film still are a few of the contemporary gags in the witches hut, but it makes enough sense to let it slide.

Other than that, I think Merida is a fantastic addition to the world of Disney Princesses. My daughter certainly agrees and looks up to her quite a bit. In fact, I think the most clever thing this does is take the entire genre of Disney Princesses and the tropes that they’ve been playing up for almost a hundred years (wow, think of that) and sets its sights toward a new, modern era.

Let’s hope we get more like this.

Next on the list is the second Pixar shorts collection.

This is a set that I think needs to be in every animation lover’s collection. The shorts contained in this set, both those I’d seen already and those I hadn’t yet seen were utterly brilliant.

There are so many favorites in this set, it’s hard to pick just one. Presto is certainly a highlight, about the magicians rabbit and his desire to get a carrot. It’s got a classic sense of animated humour and is so disgustingly well paced that it keeps you laughing the entirety of its running time.

Also included is a cartoon I hadn’t previously seen starring Remy from Ratatouille. It was a history of rats and it echoed all the old informational Disney films of past (like Donald in Mathmagic Land) and put a very cool new spin on it, mixing 2D and 3D animation styles. It was informative, funny, and just fantastic all around.

The Up and Toy Story shorts stand up as well as the films they came from, and there are many more films, including student films by some of the Pixar regulars.

This is a disc that will provide lots of enjoyment for a lay-person or a kid, but for an animation nerd it will provide endless amounts of entertainment and information with the bonus features and commentaries. There is no downside to getting this disc and I highly recommend it for any serious fan of animation, Disney, or Pixar.

Last night’s episode was a completely different experience for me: I actually found the camera work to be cliched and predictable, and the writing was intriguing and made me excited for the next episode.

Sister Jude has returned to Briarcliff and her habit, but alas it is not to last. Monsignor Howard and Arden are up to some sort of shenanigans, so Howard decides that Sister Jude’s talents would be best put to use at a home for wayward girls in Philly. The show surprised me in that Howard had previously not been aware of Arden’s human experiments, but it did imply that there is even more naughtiness going on in the asylum than what we have previously seen. Howard discovered the mutilated Shelley in a TB ward and murdered her with his own rosary. Whether he did this out of mercy or self preservation is unclear, but it led him to confront Arden. Arden revealed that he is creating the next step in human evolution by injecting patients with a cocktail of TB and syphilis, ew, but the monsters in the yard remain unseen and seem to have been forgotten by the writers in lieu of focusing on newer monsters.

Jenny was introduced tonight. Jenny is a preteen sociopath, and if she is a recurring character I’m interested to see where this is going, but if she was a one-off, it was a moderately cheap ploy to develop the Demon!Mary Eunice story. Cheap or not, Mary Eunice claimed to be the devil which is by far the most interesting development of the entire season.

Thredsen’s origin story was a large part of the episode, and it leaves me pondering the line between rip-off and homage. It’s reminiscent of the Buffalo Bill character from “Silence of the Lambs” in many ways, but differs in that Thredsen has no gender issues, only Mommy issues. I really would have liked to see a more interesting cause for his illness than “mommy didn’t love me,” but the scenes between Lana and Thredsen were terse and unnerving solely due to the performances. And here, unfortunately, is where my beloved cinematography failed me. The shots were hand held and quivering, and Thredsen constantly shifted in and out of focus. I do not like my metaphors to smack me in the face.

And speaking of, Arden’s Nazi history is no longer questionable, and the phrase “for the greater good” was spoken several times out of its historical context. Yes, American Horror Story, we know that’s what Hitler said. The reference was the opposite of sly. And Demon!Mary Eunice singing “You Don’t Own Me” to a crucifix? Geh.

Despite my complaints, this episode has actually established conflicts that are relevant to a central plot instead of gasp moments that seem to have no purpose. Sister Jude appears to be backed in a corner, Arden and Mary Eunice have the asylum, and Lana’s fate with Thredsen has not yet hit hopeless. For the first time this season I am excited to see how events unfold – and based on the sneak peek for next week’s installment we are in for some of the best imagery of the season.

Photo’s Courtesy of Sony

With Skyfall blasting into theaters, it would only make sense that Sony would launch a phone to utilize their product placement. I truthfully don’t see a Bond movie without seeing 2-3 Sony products flaunted on screen. So here’s the real question, is the Bond phone good enough for 007, or would he pick up a different device.

Why is it called, the Bond phone

The Xperia TL comes loaded with exclusive content for Skyfall, it has a 007 background, 007 text tone, and the gallery is loaded with onset footage from the film. It also comes packed with an Xperia smart tag that will play the theme song and load the website, ooh fancy!

Daily Use

The day to day use of the phone was easy and seamless. The battery life was comparable to any of the Xperia’s counterparts, and it held up against my rigorous rhythm of texting, groupme, email and phone calls like a champ.

The phone in hand feels pretty decent. The textured body takes away from how truly sleek the design is, and the buttons along the side feel more like they’re jutting out, than being a part of the phone. Even though the Xperia is only packing a dual core processor and 1 gig of ram it still has plenty of power to handle your daily business. The 4.5″ display looks crisp and clean, once again not competing with the current Samsung stuff, but it comes so close!

Audio integration worked really well, even though I ended up avoiding the Walkman settings altogether and just using Spotify instead. Audio sounded good, and my Skull Candy head phones worked perfect for phone calls and anything else. Audio played through my Jambox just as easily as well.

Love:
The overall size, feel, and weight, as well as the super crisp camera. The consistent questions from people, “which phone is that?” “I haven’t seen that one yet”, etc.

Not So Love:

It’s a bond phone, so give be bond content. I don’t mean video diaries, but for hells sake I would’ve loved a flashy little 007 logo, or a gun on the back or something. It’s called the Bond phone, it’s in the movie and they’re pushing for it heavily, why isn’t it branded a little stronger.
Summary:
As a whole the Xperia TL is a great phone, and it runs extremely well. The only thing holding it back is a few small design pains and lack of massive marketing. Releasing in a market where literally 5-10 new devices with the same operating system will launch within the same week you need something to set you apart aside from being held by Daniel Craig. For the price it is enjoyable, fun, and the bond content is an added bonus. For $100.00 you won’t be upset with this android dream, if a Camera is important, this is your phone.

Score:

• Feel-Size : 8
• Display: 8
• Battery: 8
• Use: 7
• Price: 9
• Overall: 8

The story throughout this installment in the series is very easy to follow and makes sense. There is a twist at the beginning which throws many players off as it is unexpected and not a norm of the series. The game looks very good – the graphics are superb and help to create a sense of presence especially with the weather. Snowfall leads to slower movement, less animal activity for hunting and it is harder to see. Rain soaks through your clothing and it feels heavier, it is also difficult to see where you are climbing. Sunny days are the easiest weather to maneuver through as nightfall brings shadows and doesn’t allow you to see every possible path to take. The controls are easy to use and rather simple to learn. Players that are new to the series may need to read up on some of the controls because the tutorial does not explain everything. This is very surprising given that the first 30% of the game feels like a tutorial.

Assassins Creed III starts off gruelingly slow by adding a twist at the beginning, explaining Connor’s childhood and then preventing the use of the assassin outfit until Connor has proved himself. All of these tasks take a long time to complete and you won’t feel like the assassin Connor is until 1/3 of the game has past. Once you do get past that frustrating tidbit, the rest of the game is immersive and exciting. Boston and New York are the two cities that need liberation from British rule – and Connor is the man to do it. By liberating each area, a man or woman will join Connor on his quest to overtake the Templars. These become your assassins in-training which can be sent to any of the colonies to help liberate them. Living on the Davenport Homestead, Connor is in charge of bringing artisans to his community to help grow the homestead. With each artisan new crafts can be made, which can be sent on convoys to nearby stores and traders. Recipes for new crafts are also found in chests. Another collectible throughout the frontier are feathers, although an exact use for them in-game has yet to be discovered. Now, in my opinion, the best addition to the Assassins Creed series is the naval portion. Connor helps a man names Faulkner to rebuild a ship. This ship Connor uses on a couple of story missions to destroy Templar ships. Connor steers the ship away from rocks and debris while giving orders to fire cannons on either side of the ship, fire swivel guns, ducking for cover or simply ramming other ships head on. By ramming a ship that ship will take damage but will also provide the opportunity to board an enemy ship. Boarding ships are also exciting in that a battle ensues and treasure can be found. The wind dictates how the ship moves, so sailing with the wind at full sail is the fastest, but sailing at an angle into the wind at half sail will also move swiftly. As long as you don’t sail into the wind or take your sails completely down, you should sail quite easily. Connor’s new ship also allows him to visit new areas, aside from the colonies we come familiar with throughout the game. These new areas are similar to the tombs from Ezio’s games, where treasures are sought in ancient, sometimes underground, areas. The naval component of the game was truly the most entertaining addition to the series – and it has nothing to do with assassination.





Assassins Creed III should be classified as an action-adventure game as it rarely uses the stealthy aspects. Open conflict – fighting and killing guards in the middle of the street – is easier than running away and hiding the majority of the time. I do not fault the game for it, it is simply too easy to kill multiple guards at once when an assassin would normally run and take foes one by one. This is my perception of an assassin, however, so I won’t let it dictate how I feel about the game’s performance.

Connor’s character follows a plot that is easy to follow and understand. His childhood sets up the path he follows as an adult and the future (Desmond’s story) has a major impact on Connor’s conclusion. The player can return to Desmond from the animus at any point during the story, however there are only 3 times when it is necessary to play as Desmond. These levels, in my opinion, were what Assassins Creed followers have been waiting for in terms of a modern assassin game. Not only did Desmond’s levels take place in a modern setting, they were also very entertaining. Desmond’s story was cut extremely short in favor of Connor’s story, and the culmination of both was a bit disappointing.

The controls are easy to pick up, similar to the predecessors of the series. Free running still has issues now and again – running or jumping a different direction than what you are telling it to. Action buttons can also be frustrating when you have to be looking at the person or object from a certain distance before you can press the action button. Other than these few flaws, the game operates and controls smoothly.

The game is easy to play, but difficult to 100%. In order to reach full synchronization on most levels, there are specific constraints that must be met all in one playthrough – this means if you snuck past the guards safely but did not make it out in less than 3 minutes, you would have to play the level again sneaking past the guards AND under 3 minutes. This is only if you want full synchronization, however, and these levels can be replayed at any time. Additionally, there are cheats that can be unlocked by solving puzzles, however you can only get to these puzzles by completing the game. The puzzles require you to be online to solve them and are randomly placed – which means a walkthrough showing exactly where the pivots located is not going to help at all.

Overall, Assassins Creed III is a lot of fun, once you can get past the numbingly slow start. To finish the story, with minimal side missions, the game takes between 15 and 20 hours. There are lots of collectible items and entertaining side missions (crafting, training assassins, naval battles) that will keep you playing for hours on end, however. Word is upwards of 70 hours to find all collectibles – I am at 66% full synchronization and am currently at 25 hours. By including the thrilling naval side missions, assassination training and the crafting and trading of items, Assassins Creed III has a lot of replayability. Full synchronization also encourages players to replay, not just the epilogue, but the story missions as well. The naval missions alone serve as a reason to buy this game. For those who have rented Assassins Creed installments in the past should do so again, especially if achieving 100% in a game is not your style.

Assassins Creed III uses an autosave system, as do all of the games in the series. It is frustrating when going for 100% synchronization because levels have to be restarted at the last checkpoint determined by the game.

Multiplayer matches consist of eliminating a specific target before someone else does. There are also spins on this concept where you work as a team to eliminate the targets, steal an artifact from the opposing team and bring it back to base or free for all. New abilities have also been introduced including throwing money and wearing a disguise.

When taking a stealthy approach, the game is not very violent. However, whenever battles do take hold, deaths are gruesome and bloody. Since some battles cannot be avoided, the game is rated Mature for these scenes.

Assassins Creed III introduces some new abilities thanks to the new engine. The biggest abilities present are climbing up trees and free running across branches. Two of the major areas of the game are almost entirely forest, allow the chance to familiarize the new abilities.  In these new forest areas there are some wild animals that can be hunted in a manner similar to Red Dead Redemption. Animals killed with the hidden blade give pelts in perfect condition among other items (fangs, antlers, etc.). The animals sounds make up ambient background noises while the majority of noises heard are of Connor running and jumping. When open conflict is triggered, an upbeat and fast music plays until Connor can successfully escape or hide.





In the end, this installment in the series ended up being one of my favorites. It introduced the new concept of naval side missions that were thrilling to play and it continued telling the story of Desmond (albeit, not nearly as much as I would have liked). The beginning of the game is slow, its biggest flaw, but once you get past it the game shines. The conclusion of the story was disappointing, but the replay value due to collectibles and full synchronization is high.

As a Jet Set Radio Future fan, I anticipated the release of Jet Set Radio HD in September as a chance to visit the original game in the series. While there are a few significant differences between the two games, Jet Set Radio HD provides an easy to follow, entertaining and upbeat game with a similar universe to that produced in JSRF.

Jet Set Radio follows the story of the GG’s, a roller-skating gang in Tokyo-To. The narrator is Professor K, a DJ of the local pirate radio station. Tokyo-To is under a power struggle between Captain Onishima & the police, Rokakku Gouji & his Golden Rhino assassins and rival graffiti gangs.

It all starts with Beat, the rudie who decides to start his own graffiti gang. He quickly recruits Gum and Tab, and they begin the story by covering up enemy gang graffiti in Shibuya-Cho. Although the plot does not boast depth, it is easy to follow and allows for a pick-up-and-play type of game. There is no character development, yet the game supplies you with an excessive amount of characters. Each can be experimented with since they all have varying levels of health, graffiti talent and technique skill.

Gameplay consists of choosing a player and skating around one of four different areas of the city earning points based on grinding technique, spraying graffiti and completing a level within the time limit. Characters are able to jump, grind on rails, use a quick boost and skitch on the back of cars. Ratings are given based on your performance from best to worst: Jet – Nitro – Turbo – Engine – Motor – Pedal.  Better ratings lead to unlocking characters; better grinding and tricks lead to unlocking graffiti art.

Spraying graffiti is the most important element of the game. It requires players to pick up scattered spray cans across the map and use them to paint over rival gang graffiti. Medium and large size graffiti’s require the player to use the analog stick in a series of specific directions – as if the player is actually creating the graffiti right then and there. Sometimes this graffiti action gets tedious, especially when being hunted down by the Golden Rhinos or policemen.





Each level is given a specific time limit. Certain levels require your character to race against a rival to a specific spot and tag it before your rival. Other areas require the player to cover the city in graffiti before time runs out, or before the police catch up to you. Game overs result from running out of time or depleting your characters health bar – you can lose health from gunfire or from falling from too high. Health is recovered by picking up a red health spray can.

The game will auto-save following the completion of each level, however you cannot save mid-level or even in between levels. This is unfortunate for anyone trying to earn Jet rankings – replaying through the entire game is necessary if you didn’t get a high score on a particular story mission.

Accompanying each level in Jet Set Radio is an upbeat soundtrack of original songs. Musical genres include hip-hop, funk, electronica dance, rock and even some metal. Each song set accompanies the level effectively and allows for anyone just watching to be interested in the game.

Jet Set Radio boasts cel-shading graphics that compliment the game style and attitude flawlessly. The game looks and feels upbeat with bright colors, sharp contrasts and an electrifying flair.

Jet Set Radio HD creates a unique world filled with exciting gameplay and tons of unlockables. HD cel-shaded graphics look great and upbeat tunes offer a gameplay experience that is fun and memorable. Although it has no multiplayer component, Jet Set Radio entices both those who watch and those who play. It is a game that can be picked up and played any time while also providing a fun gameplay experience. Since it can be returned to easily and often, this game is definitely worth the buy, especially for those who have not experienced the Jet Set Radio universe yet. Jet Set Radio is available for purchase on XBLA, PSN or Steam for $10.

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If you’re a fan of online, competitive, team-based First-Person Shooter games but you’ve become a little bored with the oversaturation of the same basic formulas, Natural Selection 2 from Unknown Worlds Entertainment might be a welcome change of pace for you. Even more so if you’re a fan of Sci-Fi, and the Alien Quadrilogy in particular. Natural Selection 2’s aliens, the Kharaa, are not exactly xenomorphs, but the overall atmosphere seems heavily inspired by those films. And I mean that in the best possible way. Playing as a Marine, you feel like you’re clearing out the colony on LV-426. On the Kharaa side, you spend much of your time creeping around, trying to catch Marines out of position, and feeling very xenomorphy.

Hybridizing FPS & RTS

The Real-Time Strategy elements add another, unique aspect to the experience. If you ever played the original Natural Selection (a Half-Life mod), or the recent online FPS/RTS hybrid Nuclear Dawn, the theory is basically the same. One member of your team takes the role of Commander, directing the flow of battle, building structures, and researching upgrades for your team to make use of. For example, a Marine commander can up his soldiers’ armor and weapons, and eventually provide jetpacks and hulking, Avatar-style exosuits loaded with gatling guns. On the Kharaa, the Commander researches abilities for the different alien forms, and ubiquitous skills which allow each player to customize their little monster based on their playstyle. For instance, one they’re both researched you can choose between Celerity to move faster, or Adrenaline to increase your energy pool for extended ability use, but not both. It probably goes without saying that your Commander can make or break any given round.

Marines in the Dark

On the Marine side, you will frequently find yourself in pitch black rooms with nothing but a flashlight–and maybe a few more erratic flashlight beams from your freaked-the-hell-out teammates–to light your way. Then a skittering form creeps along the wall just outside your beam, but you lose it and its gone. You call out to your teammates, “We’re not alone in here,” and all hell breaks loose. A pack of quadrupedal, zergling-like Skulks drop off the ceiling, they start biting at your ankles and scurrying around faster than you can track; a pterodactyl-esque flying Lerk swoops through the room dropping poisonous gas on you and your squad. You try to fall back, but when you turn to flee, a bipedal Fade with blades for arms appears out of a cloud of mist and cuts down your last remaining squadmate. The last thing you see is an elephant-sized Onos charging toward you.

“That’s it! Game over, man! Game over!”

Hopefully you can use your imagination to see that scenario from the other side, too. (The Kharaa have a toggle to switch between normal and a pseudo-infrared/thermal vision, which means zero-light conditions are beneficial for them.) You should know, going into this game, there is a bit of a learning curve for the aliens. It’s a different type of gameplay than you’re probably used to (unless you played a lot of Aliens vs. Predator back in the day). Once you’ve gotten the hang of it though, playing the Kharaa skillfully can be an extraordinarily rewarding experience–not to mention exciting to the point of adrenaline-pumping. Marine-side, things are pretty straight-forward but still very enjoyable and occasionally terrifying: shoot guns, follow orders, build the structures your Commander throws down, and try not to die.

Commanding an Army of Monsters! Or Marines.

There is a lot for a Commander to keep track of, and unlike normal RTS games, if you screw up in this one, your units will probably start trash-talking you. So it’s a bit of a stressful position for someone without a fairly deep understanding of the game on both the ground- and meta-level. I wouldn’t advise hopping into the Commander seat for a while, since there is a surprising amount of depth to this game which only reveals itself to you over time. Luckily, all these elements are pretty well streamlined for the Commander. Instead of name-specific hotkeys–like “A” for “[A]rmory”–all the Commander hotkeys are arrayed in a consistent, four-wide/three-tall grid on the left side of your keyboard (from “QWER” down). So once you get the hang of each building or ability’s location in the menu, your left hand will barely move, allowing you focus on the battle.

Graphics, Sound, and Level Design

Besides being fun as hell, the game is very nice to look at too. The Kharaa models are unique and just the right blend of kinda-gross and fully-rad. Overall, the player models are good but nothing you’re going to be raving about. The real shine here is in the level designs. These are some incredible maps: strategically interesting and well-designed; beautiful and atmospheric; very complex, but each room is memorable enough that you’ll learn them well after you put some time in. Adding to the impressiveness, the levels also work really well in multiple states, such as: infested and non-infested, full-light, low-light, and pitch-black/powered-down. Map knowledge is a big part of the skill curve here–and its even harder to get a really good feel for the levels when you are sprinting through them as a Celerity-enhanced Skulk. But each significant room on the mini-map is clearly named and labeled, and there is a HUD element that keeps you informed of what room you are in at all times.

Sound plays a big part in the strategy and skill here, so it’s to Unknown Worlds Entertainment’s credit that the sound design is superb. Marine boots make an easily identifiable, metal-on-metal marching noise that echos around corners, and Skulks’ skittering, blade-like feet are equally recognizable. Marine welders produce a satisfying sizzle, while their structures and exo-suits make clangy, wonderfully metallic noises. Alien growls are fun and Zerg-like, their structures and skills make sickeningly organic little squeals and splashes and spits.

The Source be Open

As a final note for those interested in game development: Unknown Worlds Entertainment provides their entire game source for your use or perusal. They’re calling it the “Spark Engine.” There is a file in your Natural Selection 2 directory called “LaunchPad.exe” which opens up a link-bar with all the tools currently provided by UWE, as well as a couple guides and tutorial links. Of particular interest to budding level designers, the “Mapping Guidelines” lays out some really interesting tips on how the UWE crew thinks about their level design process. There is a 3D modeling program provided, but it is currently in pre-alpha state, and at present can’t hold a candle to the free-to-use Blender 3D, which has been in development for ages. Luckily you can import models from other 3D programs. They also included Decoda, a Lua code editor, a model-viewer (similar to Source’s Hammer tools), and a Cinematic creator. UWE has promised that they will continue working on these secondary products going forward.

Conclusion

Natural Selection 2 is an entertaining, novel experience with a rewarding skill curve, excellent level design, surprising depth, and an open source development model. All those things add up to a definite-buy if any of the above sounds appealing to you–especially since its only $25 USD, available on Steam.

There were a googly amount of comics this week. A few of the new Marvel NOW! #1’s came out, there was a veritable Joker-fest in the bat-books. Meanwhile, Amazing Spider-Man starts it’s road to #700 and the wrap-up to that series, and DC’s Teen books continue to be well… interesting to say the least. So, let’s get in depth (or as in depth as off the cuff/snarky gut reactions tend to be) with this week’s comics, shall we?

All New X-Men #1: This book has an incredibly interesting set-up. Pull the original X-Men to today’s time to hopefully fix how &^%*-up Cyclops has become. It has the potential to go all pear shaped, but I’ll keep picking it up for a while, and from a non X-fan like me, that’s glowing praise.

Fantastic Four #1:  The jury is still out for me on this one. It doesn’t feel like a #1 issue, and so far, it just feels like Matt Fraction is continuing Hickman’s FF run. This is probably just a transitional thing. Also, there is a giant gaffe in this issue. The FF’s uniforms are made of unstable molecules, not the FF themselves.

Thor God of Thunder #1: I never thought that you’d be able to weave a whodunnit story into a Thor tale.  Also, Gorr the God Butcher is a fantastic name for a character. I’m not usually into Asgardian stuff, but I’m going to continue to pick this up.

Batman #14: I don’t think the Joker looks intimidating with his flesh mask at all. The Joker doesn’t tend to copy other people’s shtick, so that doesn’t work for me. However, the kidnapping of Alfred and subsequent revelation as to why he kidnapped Alfred is very compelling.

Batman and Robin #14: I love that this books shows that even though Damien is a vicious and petulant little 10-year-old, he also loves and cares about his Bat-dad. The Joker stuff isn’t as blatantly obvious in other books this week, but that works to its favor, I think.

Batgirl #14: This issue doesn’t make total sense to me. With the revelations in Batman #14, and the fact that Batgirl has such a sordid history with the Joker, why the heck does he want to be her “bride”? I guess things will become clearer, but I just dunno about this book.

Suicide Squad #14: If you bought this issue for the Harley stuff, prepare to be disappointed.  The main focus of the issue is the fallout from the previous arc. Other than that, not much going on this issue.

Amazing Spider-Man #697: More Hobgoblin hubbub ensues this issue. I don’t know what the future will bring when Spidey gets relaunched, but I hope we don’t lose great supporting characters like Max Modell. Also, Doc Ock is coming back… again. At this point he’s nearly a dessicated husk. I hope Marvel NOW! restores him to his former bowl-cut glory.

The Walking Dead #104: Carl is a sneaky, possibly homicidal bastard, but he fights for what he believes in, and that makes him our sneaky, possibly homicidal bastard!

Green Lantern Corps #14: The Guardians aare super-manipulative and pretty much trick Guy Gardner into giving up his ring. It’s like all the time that people over the years that the Guardians are unrepentant dicks is pretty much culminating here.

Demon Knights #14: Still one of my favorite New 52 books. I especially like this version of Etrigan/Jason Blood. The twists and turns this book makes always keeps me coming back, and this issue is no exception.

Venom #27: Ugh. I used to really enjoy this book, it was an intriguing look at an old character and the least annoying version of a symbiote ever. Now, we’re in the microverse against a million Carnages, the most annoying symbiote ever. Um, way to go, comic.

Superboy #14: I hate stories where stuff happens to the main character that we’re supposed to know and those stories haven’t been published yet. Still, this is a fresh take on the Bizarro concept, even if it only goes as far as a backwards S. Also, at this point, wouldn’t Superman want to investigate someone raising hell while wearing his symbol?

Legion Lost #14: Oh, so this is the story that fills in the blanks of Superboy. The old-schooler in me like the concept of Superboy & the Legion, but this is just an insane mish mash of never-to-be answered secrets and waaaaay too many characters. I love the Legion, but I won’t miss this (now canceled) book.

Frankenstein Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #14: Speaking of canceled books, this one I will miss. Even though it’s tying in with Rotworld, which I haven’t been reading, it’s still an issue full of Franeknstein’s monster fighting giant monsters with cool gadgets all over the world! Going to miss this book.

Invincible #97: I found the reactions of Zandale/Bulletproof’s heartfelt confession to his parents to be completely unrealistic, but not as much as what happens after. Then we get an interlude with a character that represents comic writers every where, and it was just an odd non sequitur.  But hey, at least Invincible can have zero-G sex again!

Star Trek TNG Doctor Who Assimilation #7: This issue was pretty much the Doctor’s show. The TARDIS arrives at the battle of Wolf 359 and… nothing happens. Then, we run into a whole mess of Cybermen. This is definitely a book for fan of both series, I don’t think it’d appeal to anyone else.

Atomic Robo – Flying She-Devils of the Pacific #4: A group of post-WWII Japanese soliders conspire to use an earthuaake bomb inspired by Nikola Tesla to get revenge on the US until a group of female pilots in jetpacks swoop in to save the day. What. Is. Not. To. Like!?

Arrow #6 (digital exclusive): Arrow teams up with Dig to break up a child prostitution ring. This comic feels like the show in a good way, and Mike Grell never disappoints on art. Why did it take me so long to start buying this?

Episodes are always better when something is at stake and the heroes are on the run from a threat they can’t handle. Sending the younglings to rescue Ahsoka from Hondo as Obi-wan is forced to abandon ship after an ill-timed siege by General Grievous is a perfect recipe for “battles I do not think that we can win.”

It’s great to see General Grievous back on the show, I feel like he’s been underutilized since almost season 2 (though his business at the beginning of last season was fantastic, too). I would love to see him marauding the Jedi in a way that makes him lethal once again instead of almost a joke. This episode certainly went a long way in bolstering that reputation.

With the younglings and their rescue of Ahsoka there are a lot of classic cinema motifs present with the travelling circus. For one, it’s instantly reminiscent of Ingmar Bergman films, though this is presented in a much more lighthearted fashion than The Seventh Seal. My kids told me it felt like A Bug’s Life (itself a remake of Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai), but I felt it was the most similar to Octopussy. In the 13th official EON Productions James Bond, both the bad guys and Bond have to infiltrate the circus to both enact and foil plans. And it’s funny, there are no less than three Star Wars alums in Octopussy, including General Riekan, Admiral Motti, and Boba Fett.

Overall, I felt this episode was very good. The lighting of the circus and their masks through the performance was so dynamic and, despite the colors, had the soft filters and lights you’d expect out of that Bergman sort film.

My one problem with this entire arc is Hondo. He’s acting completely out of character from every other time we’ve seen him, both in this season and in others. I don’t think he’d cross the Jedi so lightly, especially not Anakin Skywalker. I feel like the writers know it, too, otherwise they wouldn’t continue giving him lines explaining, “I change my mind a lot when profit is involved.”

There’s two explanations for this: one, this is how they’ve decided to shoehorn his involvement to fit the rest of the story, or two, there’s someone or something pulling his strings forcing him to act in this manor. I think the second is the much more compelling story, but we’ll see if that actually plays out.

This episode leaves us hanging in the middle of the rescue and there are still plenty of things that can go wrong before Ahsoka and the younglings are in the clear, and Hondo is certainly going to be forced to answer for what he’s done.

Until next week!

Oooooooh, American Horror Story. You should probably go ahead and calm down. You still have eight more episodes to get through.

On last night’s episode, we learned that Anne Frank wasn’t Anne Frank (or IS she), Kit’s wife Alma is still alive on a spaceship and very very pregnant, and – here there be a GIANT spoiler just in case you don’t want to read any further – Dr. Thredsen is Bloody Face. Insert long Peter Griffin sigh here.

I am 99% done with the writing on this show. That little 1% remains hesitantly optimistic for a big, wonderful reveal like we got last season, but still. I have deduced the “twist” thus far in every episode (and I promise you I am not one of those people that always says “meh, I saw that comin’ a mile away,” because I usually don’t see it coming), and in fact I even took a picture of my note that said “oh Jesus wept Thredsen is the killer” next to my computer clock. But it didn’t turn out very well.

Now that that’s out of the way, let’s talk about the things I love. I’m still on this coded cinematography kick. Whereas last week was all about angles, last night was a study in curves. Central-set 360 shots while Sister Jude met with “Anne Frank’s” husband. Characters framed by Gothic door arches and lighting used to single out a spotlight or cause a halo from behind. None of the sets were square, all were polygonal. There was even a close up of the grip on Arden’s cane, and it all culminated in Sister Jude rejecting her habit, donning a slinky red number, and marching her curves out of the asylum. Speaking of, if I look that good when I’m 63, somebody better peel me a grape.

The scenes of “Anne” and her family were an interesting new texture. Colors were much more muted and the quality looked like 8mm. The score switched up for those moments and everything felt like a doomed sitcom family. If last night’s ending is any clue, we are not done with “Anne’s” story.

And finally, I’d like to ask the readers to call me out on something I might have missed. An earlier comment made mention of homages to classic horror, and tonight I noticed it for the very first time: There was a blatant tribute to “Nosferatu,” and Shelly clawing her poor hobbled self up the steps to a playground was awfully reminiscent of the Exorcist stairs on F Street. What else have I missed? Because quite frankly, I’m just a big sucker for that.