Op/Ed: Casual vs Hardcore Gaming

It's somewhat funny, really. It really doesn't feel like it's all that long ago that the landscape of gaming was different. The talking points of "casual and hardcore gaming" barely existed. Then Nintendo pulled a fast one, put the Wii out and captured lightning in a bottle. Now everyone's scrambling to get a piece of the "casual gaming" market, despite the fact that there really isn't that much of a market at all. All the while, arguments over it seem to break out on message boards; people who are righteously frustrated clashing with people who don't accept that the current path leads down a darker road.

Make no mistake, there are a lot of apologists for casual gaming. Especially among Nintendo loyalists. Say word one bad about Nintendo's casual gaming focus and you're probably going to hear an expletive laden defense of the approach and how good it supposedly is for gaming and to shut up because it's successful so you clearly don't know what you're talking about. In a lot of ways, it's an outgrowth of the system wars that have been around as long as I have; as previously mentioned, a lot of the folks who defend it tend to be partial to a particular system that pretty much focuses on it.

A lot of these people really don't understand the problem with casual gaming or at least conveniently ignore the points against it. Really, the gaming industry has suffered a lot of dumbing down over the past decade. The Halo effect is probably the most notorious example; the game came out and was really a very mediocre effort, but it caught on like wildfire among console gamers because of the halfway decent online play, something PC gamers had enjoyed constant advancements on.

The effect isn't hard to see; progress in the FPS genre basically stopped as everyone moved back to the dumbed down formula Halo encapsulated trying to catch a piece of that wildfire. It's taken the better part of the decade for it to crawl out of it's slump. We're only just now starting to get back to where we were with FPS games ten years ago. It's way too apparent that something went horribly wrong thanks to Halo when you consider things introduced in First Person Shooters ten years ago are only now becoming standard, as though they were new, genius advances.

Does the basic framework sound familiar? It should. It's what's happening with casual gaming right now.

It's strange to see Sony and Microsoft scrambling so hard to whip up devices to catch that market. Sony was the undisputed champion of the last console generation with the workhorse Playstation 2 and it's constant stream of great entertainment. Microsoft themselves have rebounded this generation after the outright pitiful X-Box; sure, they have had a lot of technical failings that are deplorable for a consumer product, but the gaming offerings are much better this generation to the point where they're a contender. Now they're all racing to get a piece of that pie Nintendo grab; and make no mistake, it's a rather scary proposition, because there's the distinct chance of a backslide as far as games go.

The trouble starts when you realize that there really isn't much of a casual gaming market. When you look squarely at the Wii's success, it falls mostly upon the hardware itself. With the motion technology, Nintendo captured lightning in a bottle with the hardware; the freaking thing has sold ungodly amounts of units and made Nintendo richer than they've been in a long time. But the software is another story entirely.

Literally, games don't sell on the Wii. Most third party titles sell horribly to the point where most major third party publishers have pulled out of making almost any Wii exclusives at all. Anything M rated? Despite the past insistence by Nintendo loyalists that the system would do better if M rated games were on the system, it hasn't worked out that way. M rated games have come and gone, selling a pittance that probably didn't even make the developers their money back. Even former Wii exclusive No More Heroes is suddenly going multiplatform. If it's not a Nintendo product, it doesn't sell on the system and developers seem to have realized that. So the hardware sells a great deal, but it's software doesn't.

Basically, the Wii has turned out to be the next Tamagochi; a new shiny toy for the masses to buy and obsess over before they realize they've more or less been ripped off. And boy oh boy does America ever love it's shiny toys. Dangle something in front of them that makes them ooh and aah and you've pretty much got it made.

In effect, you can't really blame Nintendo for this. It's not like they didn't warn us this kind of thing was coming. Ever since the infamous SNES days when they were in the midst of the console wars, Sega being their primary competitor, they've lost their edge, in a sense. Over the years, they started mentioning that they didn't really want to compete anymore, but carve out their own niche. Between this and their admittedly anal attempts to curtail piracy even before it was an issue, they started to be perpetually one step behind their competitors and they were surprisingly a-okay with that. Their system offerings started going downhill, hitting a valley with the Gamecube. They were looking for what they got with the Wii; they wanted a system outside the major channels of gaming that would reap them loads of cash, because they didn't want to compete in the console wars anymore. Most of us stupidly thought this meant they wanted to blaze a path of innovation, but it's become all the more apparent that they just wanted the easy money. We all fell for it, hook, line and sinker with the Wii and we've probably got our own misguided perceptions about Nintendo to blame.

But hey, that's what they wanted; they've been spit shining their public image for as far back as the SNES days when they started censoring games so as not to ruin their family friendly image. In essence, Nintendo has always been the king of spoonfeeding consumers their branded line of bullshit and getting them to swallow it happily. Most of it's shadier dealings and practices in the past have been hidden behind their family friendly image which has typically managed to blind the consumer to what's going on behind the curtain. It's admittedly fantastic first party offerings and lovable mascots have certainly helped gain that general trust. Kind of reminds me of a certain company with a mouse as it's mascot, really.

It all comes back to Sony and Microsoft, really. They want a piece of that pie desperately. Sony's trying it's own motion controller to try and get this market. Why I'm not sure; I guess they want to be able to say they can do the same thing the Wii can while serving more hardcore gaming, but it's worrisome that they're trying it in the first place. Microsoft, meanwhile, is trying it's own shiny toy with Natal looking for that piece of the casual pie; the difference with them being that their shiny toy doesn't even work right, with the gadgets creators not even able to get it to work right. They seem to be missing that it's not the games that bring in the customers, but the gadget itself; they're not going to be selling whole systems with the gadgets, so they're not going to make the kind of money Nintendo did. But still they try.

In todays gaming age, things have already gotten tough. Less risks are being taken and more safe bets are flooding the market. Just ask Activision, who flooded the market last year with six or seven products from their "Hero" line, most of them abysmal but still selling. Or look at the number of similar First Person Shooters saturating the market to the breaking point. While we have franchises that deliver and games still moving forward, things feel like they're starting to stagnate. The "me too" nature of upcoming casual additions to the system looks to make that only worse. It's scary, in a way; the console makers are starting to lose sight of the things that matter in favor of chasing that dollar sign, which almost never leads to good things in any medium. The chase for that casual dollar is even starting to bleed into the games themselves, considering the changes wrought with Final Fantasy XIII.

Are we headed in the direction of stagnation, like PC shooters hit so long ago? Are we headed towards a direction that slowly bleeds the good qualities of gaming? Is the casual gaming focus stifling things? Who knows, really. Everyone's got an opinion. In mine, we may soon be in trouble; when and if that time comes, we can probably point to casual gaming as the reason.

I sincerely hope I'm wrong. But really, most of us are sheep. Easily herded once the right things have been dangled. The scary part? I think they're starting to realize it.

Dead Space: Extraction (video game)

Platform: Nintendo Wii
Developers: Visceral Games
Genres: Survival Horror, Rail Shooter
ESRB Rating: M
Release Date: September 29th, 2009

The general franchise that's sprung up around the first Dead Space is quite interesting, I think. Part of it is because several video game properties that look to franchise outside games do it wrong - I'm looking directly at you Halo - and part of it is because they run the gamut of media but the quality is generally consistent. Several of the projects have their flaws, but most all of them are interesting and at the least decent. It's a franchise done right; the core experience stands alone and will tell a complete narrative without relying on side stories, but those side stories may expand on things the main narrative never saw fit to detail. So many franchises sprung from video games seem to miss the basic rule of giving all the information necessary within the story.

Of all the expansions on the events of the first game announced, however, this game was the one I found the most puzzling. The prequel aspect is fine. But a rail shooter on the Wii? Not only is a rail shooter not exactly something you picture fitting in with the brand of horror the original Dead Space excelled at, but the Wii has been notorious not only for having third party titles sell abysmally but for it's much tamer graphic capabilities. A game on a next generation system optimized for HD getting a direct prequel on a system with the horsepower of a last generation system that simply can't sell third party games sounds like a recipe for disaster (which, saleswise, the game was a complete disaster). But pre-release impressions and actually playing the game are often in stark contrast, so does the game sit as a good addition to the franchise?

The answer is yes, but make no mistake, the game has flaws.

Plotwise the game takes place from the direct extraction of the marker - the artifact that causes the destruction wrought in the first game - right up to the opening moments of the original Dead Space. You start on the colony that the trouble began on and end it trying to escape the Ishimura. In this sense, the game presents a unique perspective from the other media. The comics and animated film that expanded on the fall of the colony and Ishimura all focused on one or the other, never giving a truly complete picture of the chaos that brought down the settlement. This is rectified in this prequel, as you witness the first moments of colony madness, fight to escape the colony as it tears itself apart, find yourself in the midst of the Ishimura's downfall and then must fight your way off.

The "chapter" structure is carried from the original Dead Space, but this time it's used to unique effect. The game switches things up sometimes, having you take the perspective of different characters during different chapters. This brings a sense of the unpredictable in a way the original Dead Space couldn't; no one is safe in the course of this games events. A character you control one chapter may very well be dead by the end of it, switching your perspective to someone else. The first time through, you don't know who is going to survive because while there is a core group of characters, there's no one "main character" you take the role of all the way through. It's an admirable trick and most of the time it's used it works; in some cases you know a character is dead and in others the fate of a character is a question mark.

But while the story isn't a problem, the graphics are to a degree. The locals are at times more varied than in Dead Space and in color, but on the same token the visual downgrade on things is evident. One look at several familiar enemies and you can tell the difference; they don't look anywhere near are clear or grotesque as they did in the original. It's something I expected - again, a Wii prequel to an HD game isn't an idea that screams "brilliant" - but it was still disappointing to note. Going simply by Wii games, the game looks good; just not Dead Space good.

The sound works well enough, with good music direction kicking in at the right moments. Like the original game, however, the music is minimalistic and/or unable to really stick out. Voice acting is pretty good as well, though there is still some iffy voice acting on the audio logs. Speaking of which, the presentation of the audio logs in this game leaves a hell of a lot to be desired. When you pick up one of the audio versions - text and video appear as well, but the video type is rarely seen - the sound comes out of the Wiimotes built in speaker. It's hard as hell to hear to the point where you need to lift the Wiimote to your ear just to understand what's being said. But this is a rail shooter; taking your remote off the screen for even a moment can spell disaster. To top it off, as far as I could tell there was no way to review previously collected logs, meaning if something happened to make you miss what was said or you need to hear it again, you're out of luck. It's all an odd choice on the developers part that could have been done without; sure, many of the logs in the game are recycled from Dead Space, but it's kind of hard to tell that when you can't hear what's going on.

The controls that are there are pretty tight. Obviously you're not going to worry about moving - this is a rail shooter, after all - so what's left is pretty much aiming and shooting. In this regard, the games responsive; I didn't have any troubles I can think of aiming at specific places, which is key in a game where you kill enemies by shooting their limbs off. The alt fire function each weapon had in Dead Space returns, cleverly activated by turning the Wiimote to the side. Some are noticably different this go around - the Pulse Rifle doesn't do it's 360 shot here - and sadly some of them are relatively useless, but they are there. The only iffy thing I can think of is the short periods you're allowed to look around your surroundings. The nunchuck stick is used for weapon selection, so you're left to look around by pointing at the edge of the screen of the desired direction. It feels awkward, especially if it's necessary right in the heat of combat.

One thing the game definitely has going against is is length. The game is just way too short. There are a paltry ten chapters to the game; that's three less than the main Dead Space game, but in that game you did things at your own pace and explored the entire ship. Considering the constantly moving nature of Extraction, it isn't exactly all that long before the game wraps; perhaps an afternoons worth of gameplay before your socked with the end of the ride.

When you get to that end, it's surprising. The last level is basically a gauntlet against waves of the beasties you've been fighting for most of the game before the game pretty much just abruptly ends. There is no end boss - hell, there are maybe three bosses total throughout the game - and you barely even see much of the ship before you're blasting off it. It feels like there should have been more content here, especially for a rail shooter.

On a positive note, however, it must be said that what you see of the ship is definitely recognizable. When you get to the Ishimura, places you've been too in the main game will race by your eyes. There's no doubt that it's the ship from the game - albeit not as pretty - and I was pleased to see the layout stick so close to the original games. This may seem like a stupid thing to single out, but some of the franchises non-game expansions have had some glitches in regards to scenery and such, so seeing the attention giving to matching things up here is worth noting, as it helps the games story feel like a seamless prequel to the main Dead Space game.

Also, an added bonus is on the disc in the form of the "motion comic" version of the original Dead Space prequel comic. Complete with voice acting and everything. It's not necessary - hell, if you have an X-Box 360 you can pick up all six segments for free there - but still, it's a nice little bonus that gives you another piece of the franchises media on top of the game itself. Plus, it details events alluded to in the games opening levels, such as the mass suicide that preceeded the all out chaos. It's not necessary viewing, but it's still worth watching.

The Score: Dramatic Thumbs Up

Dead Space: Extraction feels like a good prequel story to Dead Space and there's enjoyment to be had, but the game definitely has it's flaws. I have to say that I personally think the choice to take the story and make it a rail shooter for the Wii was a mistake; they didn't need to use the same design as the original if they wanted variety, but the overt linearity of the game ensures the game has little replay value beyond just wanting to experience the story again. Still, it holds very true to the game and is a worthy addition to the expanding franchise. Whether it's worth a buy depends largely on the person, but I think it's worth a rental at the very, very least.

Random Trains of Thought - 3/4/2010

- So apparently Nick Simmons actually responded to the plagiarism allegations that have been all over the interwebs for the past week or two. It seems like somewhat stock comments. Can't tell if he's actually sorry or not either way; hard to gauge reaction from just text and all that.

I've got to say that I am kind of surprised he said anything at all. I honestly expected he'd either hide out of public sight until the heat died down or ignore the controversy entirely. So there's that. One has to wonder if he's ever going to be able to work in comics again though. "You'll never work in this town again" seems appropriate.

In all the furor, the biggest question of all seems to have been overlooked though: Why Bleach? So-so art. Rarely any background detail in a given panel. If you're going to pull a no-no and rip a dude off, shouldn't it be work that's... you know, really good?

- So... a dude goes to prison over buying lolicon manga? They'd better get out the riot gear and the shotguns then, because they need to immediately head over to their nearest manga convention and start ruining folks shit. No worries, it would be for the best; those guys had it coming.

Seriously though, this is kind of disturbing. Pedophelia is an awful crime, but that's not what's going on here. Dude's going to prison for reading a pedo comic. Lines on a paper. What would that be classified as? A thought crime? Going to prison for something you've not even done, basically. That's kind of scary, really; it reminds me of "Minority Report" in a way, only without the psychic mutants.

I suspect this might lead to a future where Tom Cruise bursts in your house to arrest you for thinking about illegally downloading Scientology pamphlets for shiggles.

- I really wish I knew what the hype was all about when it comes to Grand Theft Auto IV. The game felt like a step down from San Andreas in the wrong ways. It's a good game, but what exactly has been prompting people to call it "perfect"? Because it really isn't.

- Confession time. I'm not really looking forward to "Teen Titans: Games". This seems almost blasphemous considering what a Titans mark I am, but I just can't muster up any excitement for it, George Perez art or not. Part of the problem is that I really don't feel like revisiting an era DC can't even be bothered to give proper, comprehensive trade collections to; it sucks as it is that I can't easily delve into that era, so a new story from that era is more like a cocktease than anything else. Another part is because I know the damn thing's not going to see softcover for about a year, if at all; those OGN projects don't seem to me to be the kind of thing that has a softcover ramped into production.

But really, a large part of it is that I think I'm just burnt on the Titans right now. I honestly don't care. I keep up with the teen team largely to see what's going on with Beast Boy and Raven - as well as whether anything's happening between the two - but otherwise I could really just care less about the franchise right now. The Teen title is in the hand of a novice writer, the roster aside from Gar and Rae is pretty much shit, Wonder Girl irritates me to no end, the Titans book is going into a "villains for hire" era - which, to my chagrin, seems like it will include Jericho - and DC just really does not seem to know just what the hell to do with the books. So really, I'm not all that interested in, well, anything Titans related right now.

Can we just get Geoff Johns back on Teen Titans please? I'd love to feel excited about the book again. But you're not exactly giving me any reason to be, DC.

- I'm really getting tired of all the silence surrounding the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles property. We're closing on five months since Peter Laird sold the franchise lock, stock and barrel to Nickelodean and we've heard little more than that Nick plans on immediately working on a new show and feature film. I really want to know what is up with the comic section already; I'm nervous enough already that we may not see any more reprints or Turtles comics. Nick remains silent.

Would it kill them to make a statement at least saying if they plan to do anything with the comic rights or not?

- Reread the first Predator omnibus from Dark Horse recently, or at least some of it so far. Some pretty good stories, all things considered. But it's also bittersweet; the three Mark Vierhieden mini's end on a cliffhanger with few of the running plot threads resolved. It wouldn't be so bad if the chief mystery of the stories - just what happened to Dutch Shaefer after Predator - had been given even a remotely satisfactory wrap-up, but it's left unresolved at the end of the third. I don't see any mention of a conclusion being made down the line. Why leave it so damn unresolved? Dark Horse could easily have done a one issue special to wrap the plots up; hell, they did done in one's with Aliens all the time.

- Finally got around to playing Shadow Complex. Games totally bitchin'. And hey, it sold really well too. Proof positive that if Nintendo were smart it would actually, you know, put effort into a 2.5D Metroid title. But of course, the key words here are Nintendo and smart, which considering Nintendo's track record with the franchise, just does not apply to Metroid.

Thankfully Metroid: Other M looks cool, but it's looking like there's no 2D gameplay to be found; I loved the Prime games, but sweet jesus what is it going to take to get a new 2D Metroid?

- It's always nice to know there's still justice in the world. After Infinity Ward recently made piles upon piles of cash for them, Activision turned around and did the logical, sensible thing to do... mainly firing the head guys of developer Infinity Ward. The perfect way to show your appreciation.

If nothing else, it pretty much solidifies that Activision simply doesn't give a damn. Infinity Ward is just an arm to them that they can wrestle to the ground; Activision knows the Call of Duty name is going to sell no matter how many interwebs cry boycott, which is probably the saddest part of all. Truthfully, I don't even play Call of Duty so it doesn't bother me at all, but I think about it and mention it mainly because I find it very sad. This is exactly the kind of crap Activision has been pulling a lot lately, but gamers talk a big game and that's about it; when it comes time to vote with their wallets they still buy Activision products. So when it comes down to it, I'm not sure who the real villains are here.

- Hoo boy... Justice League: Cry for Justice. Thanks a lot. Not only did you needlessly slaughter a supporting character I liked in #7, but now I'm going to have to listen to people across the comics internet bitch about DC Comics and how terrible it is and OMG they're dropping everything forevah for the next month (same thing happens with Marvel when they stumble and it pisses me off almost as much). I'm not sure which is worse; I hold contempt for comics fandom as it is, but every time this happens the reactions make me wish most comic message boards would be nuked by fatal errors just that much more.

- On the other hand, Cry for Justice seems to have gotten Green Arrow back into his "Longbow Hunters" MO of killing baddies. Which is probably a long time in coming. Time will tell if anyone makes anything of it - I highly doubt it will be Robinson - but that one bit is interesting at the least, I guess. Still, the whole thing pretty much solidifies that DC really has no clue what to do with Green Arrow, similar to the current state of the Titans franchise. But unlike the latter mentioned, I can understand why Green Arrow might be a bit difficult to do anything with.

- So I recently discovered the existence of Arnold Schwarzenegger tribute band Austrian Death Machine through a friend. If you like heavy thrash, they're well worth giving at least a listen to. The vocals can be a bit too death-metal-growly for my taste, but it's not bad enough to detract from some hilarious - and talented - music.

- Where's my Prey sequel dammit?

- I really don't get why some people would prefer Dick Grayson stay under the Batman cowl. Most of his story deals with trying to live up to Bruce's legacy and not even wanting the job, really. Once that exhausts itself, what's really left? Better to let Morrison tell and end his story with Dick under the cowl than drag it out until the quality taints said era like other replacement era's I could mention. Besides which, most other writers don't seem to know how to write Dick different from Bruce like Grant Morrison does, which makes having him under the cowl in the first place entirely pointless.

Speaking of Bruce, do want Return of Bruce Wayne.

Transformers: All Hail Megatron volume 1 (comics)

Writer: Shane McCarthy
Artist: Guido Guidi
Collects: Transformers: All Hail Megatron #1-6

Everyone loves a good villain, right? They're an important part of almost any fiction and a good villain is important to establishing a good hero. Just look at Batman; the character's one of the richest in fiction, but his villains are also some of the best and help make his mythos as interesting as they are.

Transformers aren't exactly lacking for good villains. Either major Megatron (G1 or Beast Wars, for those unfamiliar) rank among memorable villains and the rest of their squads aren't slouches either. But let's face it; they don't exactly come out on top much. For the most part, like many 80's cartoons, the villains didn't get that many victories and the franchise has followed suit.

But what if that was different? What if Megatron and the Decepticons came out on top, just this once? That's the premise of All Hail Megatron; and honestly, so far it's pretty interesting.

The series doesn't really waste time with any Autobot versus Decepticon battle to show the villains winning. It effectively starts after that battle, right when the action begins. With the Autobots nowhere to be seen, Megatron arrives and swiftly takes over New York City as his base of operations, showing up the US military as a bunch of chumps. The resistance fails miserably and soon the other countries of the world are forced to consider other options. Meanwhile, the Autobots have survived, but they've been ravaged; stranded on Cybertron, they've lost definitively with no way off the planet and Optimus Prime down, forcing Jazz to take the lead.

The story essentially shifts between three real plots and sets of characters; the humans, the Decepticons and the remnants of the Autobots. The human portion is the one with the least concrete direction. You follow a central human for a while, but before you know it he's gone and it shifts to a general snapshot of the military as it deals with the sudden attack. The other two are a bit more straightforward; the Decepticons are wiping out any humans they can and the Autobots are stranded on Cybertron and trying to get their crap together. It's effective, if nothing else; the general mystery of what happened to bring this about is unfolded slowly, the pieces are put into play and the story builds.

It's something of a slow burn, really. Much of this volume sets up the situation and advances the pieces in a slow but steady manner, bringing them to interesting places by the end. If nothing else, you could say that this volume consists of the first real act of the story. But it works, as we get time to see the Decepticons in victory and are teased the possibility of mutiny thanks to the notion that what held the disparate Decepticons together was the hope of victory, leaving the question of where they go once they achieve it. It allows Jazz to show some leadership chops as well, reminding you just why the character was always one of the coolest of the franchise. It feels like one of those stories that benefits from decompression, giving the story enough time to breath before the fireworks start.

Aside from some cheesy dialogue for the humans in the early issues, there's only one thing that really bugs me about the story in this volume, which would be the fact that Optimus Prime is, once again, near death in this story. If you're a fan of the Transformers franchise at all, you've definitely seen this before, because they never let the cliche go. Optimus has died or been near death at least once in, well, pretty much every damn Transformers continuity ever made. We can all thank the original G1 movie for that; kids cried, it left an impression and suddenly no writer can resist the urge to mine that well. Personally, I'm beyond sick of it and could go without seeing Optimus die or on the brink of death ever again. It needs to be put to bed, badly.

The art is very good for the volume. Solid, consistant and colorful. Everyone looks like they should, their G1 forms brought to life on the comic page. It's nothing spectacular, but it's the kind of art that can tell a story and not stick out. For a property like Transformers, it hits the proper notes, so while you're not going to see anything defining, it does it's job.

There is one thing that's a major standout about the art though. The covers. They're simply fantastic, evoking old Soviet propaganda posters with the colors and the simplicity. Very eye-catching and evocative. I loved them.

The Verdict: Dramatic Thumbs Up

Definitely worth a read. The volume is a lot of setup, but it's the good kind. If nothing else, the premise alone makes it worth a read for a Transformers fan, as it's not often you see the Decepticons actually, you know, winning. I just hope the second volume is as good and pushes things into gear. But as far as this volume goes, it's an interesting and enjoyable read. If you're a Transformers fan, it's worth a look at the least.

Uncanny X-Men: Rise and Fall of the Shi'Ar Empire (comics)

Writer: Ed Brubaker
Artist: Billy Tan
Contains: Uncanny X-Men #475-486

Picking up where X-Men: Deadly Genesis left off, the third Summers Brother known as Vulcan has flown off into space to get revenge on the Shi'Ar for what they did to his mother and the circumstances of his birth. Professor X, now all but banished from the team he created, is no longer welcome at the X Mansion because of his mistake and choices. But with Vulcan headed for the Shi'Ar, where his ex-wife rules, he cannot let it stand. He rounds up the few X-Men still loyal to him and heads off into space, looking to stop Vulcan and fix his mistakes.

This is one of those volumes that depends largely on what kind of X-Men reader you are. Or more to the point, what kind of X-Men story you prefer. This is of the X-Men space epic variety of story without a shadow of a doubt and about ninety percent of the twelve issues comprising the storyline take place in space. If the space adventures of Marvels mutants were never your thing, this story probably isn't going to change your mind. If you like them in any fashion, however, this will probably go over quite well with you.

The story is quite long, clocking in at the aforementioned twelve issues, but collected as it is it doesn't feel overly so. Ed Brubaker is great at plotting stories and space adventures with the X-Men are a perfect fit for his usual tropes, considering much of the Shi'Ar are embroiled in politics and attempted coup's. He uses the large amount of space allotted to him well, juggling different plotlines and bringing in many of the disparate elements that populated past space stories. Hell, even the Skrull are involved to a very minor extent. The story is a slow build, but an engaging one that never lost me as a reader. On top of that, the story does bring about changes to the typical status quo of the Shi'Ar, which was welcome (these changes play out in other books once this story wraps, I understand).

The group of X-Men chosen for the story are interesting, to say the least. The highest profile character of the entire group is Nightcrawler, the rest of the crew otherwise made of C to D list X-Men. On the one hand, it might be somewhat off-putting, but personally I grew attached to several of the characters over the course of the story, so Bru seems to do well with them. It also serves a good story purpose as well; the Professor is not the most popular guy around the mansion of late, so for him to only be able to get so many makes sense. Plus, for some reason I really liked that despite everything, Nightcrawler was the one who never lost faith or affinity for the Professor.

The art by Billy Tan is very solid and colorful. Nothing I saw really sticks out as offensive or out of place and the colors are well suited. It's hard to describe the feeling I got from the artwork, but the best way I can put it is that the art in the book feels comfortable. It's not going to absolutely wow you, but it tells the story well and looks solid the entire way through. In other words, it's the kind of art that feels natural to modern comics and the kind I have something of a preference for.

If there's any real problem with the art, it's that there are a couple of pages extremely late in the book - say, the climax - that look somewhat iffy. It's nothing in an action scene, but it might still be noticeable as off. Also, a character death late in the book doesn't really come off as such. I'm glad it was a low-gore death - which is contrary to ninety percent of comic deaths these days - but the body looked almost untouched aside from some spots of blood. For that matter, the attack didn't even look lethal; I wasn't even sure the character was dead until the last few pages, simply from the lack of real indication from the art. Considering what you might see in the midst of a battle like that, he looked relatively unscathed. But these are all minor points on an otherwise solid job throughout the story.

The Score: Dramatic Thumbs Up

If you don't like space stories with the X-Men, you can certainly skip this volume as I very highly doubt it's going to change your mind. But if you don't mind a good space story or outright love them, this is a good read. I wasn't quite sure about Ed Brubaker on X-Men - it just never seemed like a franchise that would suit his style and preferences - but this wasn't your typical mutant adventure and I found myself pleasantly surprised. Recommended if you're into this sort of thing.

Joker (comics)

Writer: Brian Azzarello
Artist: Lee Bermejo
Contains: Original Graphic Novel

You'll notice right away that the word "Batman" is nowhere to be found in the title of this. It's very fitting. This is really Jokers story through and through.

The comic's story isn't straightforward in a strict sense. This is the Batman universe if you'd bathed it in noir pathos and dried it with grime. The Joker is released from Arkham without even the loosest explanation of how or why; a fitting omission, because in truth it really does not matter. The Joker is loose, he's mad and he wants to rule Gotham. We see his insanity through his henchman, Jonny Frost; a two bit thug with aspirations as high as the sky. A man who at one point wanted the sort of thing the Joker takes in the story until he slowly realizes just who and what the Joker is. This is not a crime story or a Batman story; in truth, this book is more a character study of the Joker than anything else.

In that manner, things just happen without a lot of resolution. You'll see several Batman rogues over the course of the tale and Joker will trade things, shoot people and threaten others, but we don't always get all the details. Why Joker calls Penguin "Abner", why Penguin is running a boxing gig, what Joker bought from the Riddler; all of these and some more are unresolved and given no explanation, but when you boil it down, they don't really matter either. In truth, the story itself is a ride with the Joker, diving within the depths of his madness. Little of what happens really matters; you know right from the beginning and all through Jonny acclimating to the new lifestyle that there's only one place the story can go to, but the journey there is a whirlwind and that knowledge builds the tension until the inevitable happens.

In a lot of ways, it's very fitting that this was released partially as a tie-in of sorts to "The Dark Knight". To be honest, the story feels like it could well take place down the line in that universe, sharing several similarities without ever meaning to. The Jokers look is a spot on interpretation of the Joker of the film - though this was not intentional, apparently - and the Joker here is in some ways like the Joker there. He just does things, being the tornado of chaos and insanity that he is. But this time, he's mad and focused; he takes on almost a mobster mentality in trying to take over Gotham, unwilling to let it go to the Batman. Gotham itself is less the gothic wonderland it always seems to be in most adaptions, but more the sprawling traditional city of the movie universe. The villains we see carry a similar realistic bent.

It's some measure of fun in seeing the Batman universe filtered through such dense noir pathos. Killer Croc is a black thug. The alleys are shadowed and rain slicked. Harley Quinn herself even shows up as a stripper in Jokers club, never saying a word throughout the tale while being his stalwart lackey. It's also implied she and Jokers relationship is heavily sexual. Drugs, pills and alcohol are all over. Everything carries a dark edge. It's fantastic.

As for Batman himself, he's wisely kept out of the story, for the most part. But that's not to say he's completely unmentioned. In a way, his shadow seems almost perched right outside the proceedings - in a fit of paranoia, the Joker vaguely refers to him, thinking he's watching throughout all the events that transpire - and that shadow builds until it looms large. Small hints of his presence in Gotham throughout the story culminate in the final sequence, or the point you knew the story had to reach.

Then, on top of all that is the artwork; it's simply mouth wateringly gorgeous. Everything is awash in grit and shadow, thick with atmosphere. It's simply stunning. I do not exaggerate when I say that the art is worth the price alone. It's great work that I cannot give enough praise to. In truth, it elevates the book to an even higher level than it was before.

My Opinion: Buy It

The Strange Deaths of Batman (comics)

Writers: Various
Artists: Various
Collects: Detective Comics #347, Worlds Finest Comics #184, Brave and the Bold #115, Batman #291-294, Worlds Finest Comics #269, Batman Chronicles #8 and material from Nightwing #52

This one really should have been called "The Strange Close Calls of Batman", but I suppose that doesn't sound as punchy; doesn't serve this volumes premise as a theme collection brought about by Batman RIP either.

That's the funny thing about this collection. Once you read it, you quickly realize that despite the name, there really isn't a whole lot of Batman dying going on. Out of the eight or so stories presented, he actually dies maybe twice - not counting a dream Catwoman has - and one of those are in a "what if" scenario after the main story is done. It does carry a very loose theme of death, but I find the disconnect kind of funny.

There are quite a few stories in this trade from era's past, but they were clearly picked by theme. As such, it won't surprise you to hear the quality varies from issue to issue. The story I may have enjoyed the most is the issue of "Brave and the Bold" included. In it, Batman's brain is fried by electrocution and the Atom has to shrink down, take control of Batmans dying body through stimulation of the brain and complete his last mission. The very idea is almost insane and that's what makes it fun. It feels very "seventies comic", but it's well crafted and holds up as an interesting read.

It's a bit dicier from there. The bulk of the trade (I'd estimate about half) is taken up by a tale called "Where Were You the Night Batman Died". It's from the seventies and features most of Batmans villains holding a mock trial to determine who really killed Batman, since everyone and their grandmother took credit. People familiar with Batman: The Animated Series will feel a sense of familiarity; a couple episodes seemed to take inspiration from this one. It holds up okay, though it does suffer somewhat from the dated writing style of the day.

After that, it's more a matter of personal taste. A few of the stories are from Batman's relatively forgettable Silver Age; they're alright, but not something you'll remember. There's a pretty decent 90's tale with Talia, wrestling with her fathers command to kill Batman; it's a nice enough, even if that particular thing had been done to death by then. The most modern thing in it is probably a short vignette at the end from an issue of Nightwing, where Catwoman dreams about marrying Batman and ends up killing him.

The production of this trade is pretty bad. It feels incomplete, for one thing; the covers for the given issues are nowhere to be found, which is basic trade composition in this day and age. On top of that, the trade is done on the old kind of paper that I've never been fond of. Details are missing as well; when I went to write this review, I realized that I had no idea whatsoever if the closing Catwoman six pager was a backup, part of the issue or what. To be blunt, the collection feels somewhat rushed; pushed through so it coincided with Batman RIP, a landmark story featuring the "death" of Batman. Damn shame too.

These kind of theme collections are always a crapshoot. Considering stories are often pulled from different eras, there's almost never any consistency and you don't really know what you're going to get beyond the basic theme. This wasn't one of the better efforts. Still, there's enjoyment to be had. If your interest is piqued, it might be worth a read.

My Opinion: Try It