Category: Amish Otaku

All the stuff I published when I ran a nerd blog

Amish Otaku, Comics, Marvel

Mutant X 8-13: All Hail the Goblin Queen

Guest Post

When we last left our favorite Summers brother, Alex, he was on the run from his wife, Maddie, who had fully embraced the Goblin Queen persona. Is this Inferno all over again in this strange new world? Or could it be something much more sinister?

As the saga of the Goblin Queen unfolds, Alex finds himself up against his former teammates, now under the nefarious control of Alex’s wife who is poised to take over the U.S. Hope rests in the combined might of Havok, Magneto’s X-Men and the U.N. forces led by Dr. Doom. Havok leads the charge on the Empire State Building, where the Goblin Queen is being held up. With impending doom, Havok and his son Scotty eventually defeat the Goblin Queen in what I consider the cop-out of the century (or at least the series thus far). Still, the ending does make me believe in the power of a child’s love for his mother. Yeah, I just puked a bit too. Issue 13 is a filler issue detailing the background of Bloodstorm. Personally, I would have preferred a Fallen centric issue, but oh well. We can’t always get what we want. Continue reading “Mutant X 8-13: All Hail the Goblin Queen”

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Amish Otaku, Comics, Features, Marvel

Bubonic Comics: Nikki Doyle: Wild Thing

Guest Post

This debut issue of Wild Thing is bad, seriously bad. I’m not sure how many issues it lasted; but since the Marvel UK imprint folded in America about a year later, I can imagine it didn’t run too long. The cover promises the appearance of Venom and Carnage so, of course, it’s a must-buy.

But before you track it down, let me explain this is the furthest thing from a must-buy. Venom and Carnage (who only appears in three panels) are only virtual-reality bad guys. Yes, Ms. Doyle fights virtual-reality bad guys. Actually, she fights illegal virtual-reality programs that are more addictive than heroin. It seems that in an effort to capitalize off the somewhat success of virtual-reality programs, Marvel created a virtual-reality warrior.

Being a former VR junkie, Doyle has cleaned up her act and is working with the NYPD to bust these underground video game dens. The concept is laughable (especially looking back from over a decade later) and the execution is rather terrible. Doyle has acute knowledge of the VR world, and as Wild Thing she is able to navigate this world and save those addicts.

Why can’t they just unplug the game machines? Because in a move much like The Matrix, anyone jacked into the other world can also die because of the virtual world. If the junkie is unplugged, he’s a goner. Thankfully, Wild Thing is their savior. The whole issue follows this set-up; it includes her busting a den and then plugging in to a particularly devious program to save one of the addicts.

Continue reading “Bubonic Comics: Nikki Doyle: Wild Thing”

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Amish Otaku, Anime

Bakumatsu Kikansetsu Irohanihoheto

Bakumatsu, as I will affectionately term this series for the rest of the review, is not really that bad a show. Indeed, it has (almost) all the elements of an excellent show.

Well, except for likeable, identifiable protagonists. … Or a sense of continuity. … Or a good sense of dramatic tension.

Ok, so maybe it’s lacking in a few departments. However, I really do need to stress that this show isn’t as bad as I’m about to make it sound. I thoroughly enjoyed the vast majority of this show, even if it was lacking in a few areas. So I feel I really should mention, right now, that it is worth watching, if you have some free time. Honest. Continue reading “Bakumatsu Kikansetsu Irohanihoheto”

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Amish Otaku, Comics, DC

Batman and the Monster Men 1-6

Guest Post

I like Batman. I really do. I just don’t read any of his monthly titles. In these books, I feel he’s too weighed down by his eighty-plus years of continuity. He’s just better in smaller doses. So, when I learned that one of my favorite comic guys, Matt Wagner, wrote and drew the miniseries Batman and the Monster Men, I decided to pick it up.

I was not disappointed. Continue reading “Batman and the Monster Men 1-6”

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Amish Otaku, Comics, Features, Interviews

Interview: Steve Niles on 30 Days, Clive Barker and Rob Zombie

Q:
Early in your carreer you adapted a fair number of books to the comic medium. What has it been like to now take your original work and adapt that into books and movies like the upcoming 30 Days of Night?

A:
I feel bad that I practiced on guys like Matheson, Barker and Ellison! But seriously, all those adaptations taught me a lot about breaking down and/or expanding a story from one medium to another, and I certainly utilized those lessons while writing 30 Days in all its various forms. Learning to be true to source material can be tricky, but as the better comics-to-films have proven, the more accurate to the original material, the better the films seem to be. I mean there are very good reasons why people have loved Spiderman all these years, but it took Raimi following the comics to prove it. Continue reading “Interview: Steve Niles on 30 Days, Clive Barker and Rob Zombie”

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Amish Otaku, Comics, Marvel

Mutant X 1-7

Guest Post

If there’s one thing I love in life, it’s checklists. But when it comes to comics, their serial nature tends to clash with the finite simplicity of a title, an issue number and a check box. So, when I decided to start collecting comics again, I set my sights on a series no longer being printed by the House of Ideas Mutant X.

No…not that crappy live-action TV show. We’re talking about the series starring Alex Summers, a.k.a. Havok, the lesser-known brother of twice-adulterous boy scout Cyclops of X-Men fame.

At the climactic end of X-Factor 149, Havok was seemingly blown to bits by a time/space distortion device. That’s where Mutant X picks up, showing a disembodied Havok floating against a star field, saying he remembers dying. Continue reading “Mutant X 1-7”

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Amish Otaku, PC, Video Games

World in Conflict: Brain in Conflict

Guest Post

When I first picked up World in Conflict, I really felt it even before I installed it. With the plethora of really good RTS games already on the market and soon to come – such as Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts and Age of Empires III: Asian Dynasty – it was going to be tough to give an accurate review of yet another game in the long line of games that:

1. Are based on killin’ things, and
2. Have tanks shooting other tanks.

To tell you the truth, I didn’t like the game much when I first tried it out. The units moved in an incredibly unrealistic way, the graphics weren’t as good as I thought they should be and damage was just weird. But I’ll come to that later. First, let me give you the premise. Continue reading “World in Conflict: Brain in Conflict”

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Amish Otaku, PC, Video Games

Everquest 2

Guest Post

Several months ago, shortly after the release of the World of Warcraft (WoW) expansion, The Burning Crusade, I had already leveled my rogue to 70, was keyed for every heroic instance, and was, quite frankly, bored out of my mind. I seemed to be faced with only two choices – go out and kill monsters to grind reputation, or run through a dungeon I had already completed twenty times. I was definitely ready for something new. Around that time, an e-mail arrived in my inbox advertising EverQuest 2’s new free trial, called “Play the Fae.” They had introduced a new fairy race in their latest expansion, and were offering seven free days to try them out.

I had tried EverQuest 2 (EQ2) when it was first released, but had been unable to get into the game before I got sucked into World of Warcraft with my friends. My old computer could barely handle the graphics load of EQ2, and now-gone concepts such as group experience debt (an entire group being penalized when one member died) caused frustration.

Nevertheless, I was intrigued by the idea of a fairy race (Could they really fly?), and decided to download the trial and give the game another shot. It was free, right?!? Continue reading “Everquest 2”

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Amish Otaku, DS, Nintendo, Video Games

Touch the Dead: Camp Attack on the DS

Eidos’s Touch the Dead is the best shooter on rails for the DS. It’s also the only one I can think of. In concept, the game is as brilliant as Snakes on a Plane, but much like the movie, Touch the Dead doesn’t live up to its hype.

Putting the game on rails – that is, not allowing the player the freedom of movement – was a good first step as it keeps the DS from working too hard on the 3D environments. It also doesn’t allow you to get lost; you’re simply dragged along until the zombies get you or you escape.

Of course, being locked into your movements also means you’re locked into your view as well. This is especially frustrating when you’re trying to shoot a box or a crate for health or ammo and you’re only offered a brief glimpse of your target. Typically, bonuses and power-ups like these are only shown once and if you miss it, that’s just too bad – you’ll have to do without it. Continue reading “Touch the Dead: Camp Attack on the DS”

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