Pitch This!: X-Men Part 1

The X-Men reached their peak in the 90s and easily became Marvel Comic’s premiere media darling right alongside Spider-Man. The classic Kirby/Lee creation set forth a team of evolved humans facing social prejudice which in turn made them a tool for social commentary on the treatment of minorities in the United States. During the 90’s Jim Lee and Chris Clairemont had their glorious run with the characters that had them grow while dealing with new challenges from within and other wordly.

Today is a different story. With Distopia X, Second Coming, and mutants facing vampires the X-Men universe has put mutants in their own corner of the Marvel Universe and has had them take no part in any of the company wide crossovers except for Marvel whore Wolverine. The last time X-Men had overall success with the fans came with Joss Whedon handling the team on Astonishing X-Men and prior to that Grant Morrison’s critically renowned run on New X-Men. The problem was that current writers and editorial mandate have retconned many of the changes that many of the writers have made that allowed the characters to grow in order to return them to their “classic” form.

After numerous rants by Jeff and I regarding Marvel’s treatment of one of comic’s greatest franchises we decided to bring to you a Pitch This! that is bigger than our previous attempts. We’ve grown tired of the regression game that editors and writers have played with the mutants. It has hindered the potential of the characters and the franchise by having the characters in the same vicious story cycle they have been in since the 90’s.

It is time for a new direction that is in tune and consistent with the characters. The X-Men should not be their own nation as one of the primary themes of the franchises has always been the integration and treatment of the characters in society. Making them an endangered species is a novel idea but at the same time not consistent with the themes of the franchise. Mutants are the next step in human evolution. The sense of fear, power and change are heavy themes and have unlimited story potential. So now where do we begin…

After Second Coming mounting tensions between the newly formed mutant Nation and anti-mutant groups and nations worldwide have come to ahead. Amongst the mutant safe haven dividing idealogies split the recently united mutant nation. One side believing that mutants have a right to live on their own in peace, another believing instead of segregation of homosuperior and homosapien races that both should come to a resolution and learn to live together in peace, and one side believing mutantkind should show dominance over the “inferior” species through military force.

Cyclops, the leader of the mutant nation comes to a crossroad as he is unable to keep the now fractured nation together and Magneto under the banner of of nationalism gathers both human hating mutants and the prideful nation factions and creates a reckless chaotic mutant army. While Magneto and his new Brotherhood army ready to mount a full assault on any and all nations that threaten his regime Professor X reappears to the X-Men with an familiar threat on the horizon that threatens both humanity and mutantkind. Professor X warns that the Shadow King returns but he cannot defeat him alone and needs the X-Men’s help.

Magneto leads his forces in a full scale attack on a joint forces from all around the world. The battle raises the stakes as the Sentinel program re-emerges with newer Sentinels with the ability to adapt to abilities. The upgraded machines cut through Magneto’s forces. A X-Men team lead by Wolverine is caught in the middle between Magneto’s forces and the anti-mutant army. As Magneto sees his army become decimated and the X-Men become the target of the Sentinel attacks he redeems himself by destroying the Sentinel forces ending the conflict but at the price of his life.

Professor X and the remnants Xavier’s first class (Cyclops, Beast, Angel, and Iceman) confront the Shadow King in his attempt to enslave the world. The X-Men combat his physical form while Professor X attacks the Shadow King in the Astral Plane. With The fate of the world’s free will at hand Professor X sacrifices himself and destroys the Shadow King from existence.


With Magneto and Professor Xavier, the most influential leaders in mutant history gone and the mutant nation a failure mutant kind finds itself without a direction. Cyclops abandons the destroyed nation with guilt and sense of failure over his leadership. Mutants integrate back into society all over the world with mixed results. The X-Men return to the United States but due to the Heroic Age they, along with other mutants, receive a pardon. Seeing the recklessness of the young untrained mutants and the destruction of battle, Beast (serving on Steve Rogers Secret Avengers covertly), Emma Frost, Colossus, and Storm have given up the fight and instead reopen the Xavier Institute of Higher Learning in order to help mutants understand and control their abilities. Cyclops on the other hand is on a different path. He believes to take a pro-active approach to Xavier’s idea. By taking action and showing that mutants are on the side of justice Cyclops recruits a core group of mutants not only to redeem himself but redeem mutantkind by taking on threats to all forms of mankind.

With that said here are some teasers for the upcoming installments of Pitch This!: X-Men! Next week in part 2 we will introduce Academy X and the following week in part 3 we will finally reveal the remaining roster of our X-Men. Let your speculation begin!
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Posted by Nerd Boy Wonder 26 May Permalink

Reasons Why You Should See Iron Man 2 For Other Than ScarJo

Lets just get this out of the way. Ryan Reynolds is a lucky vampire killing, 4th wall breaking, cosmic ring wielding jerkface mcgee to be married to Scarlett Johansson. Best. Honeymoon. Ever. Oh yeah this is supposed to be about Iron Man 2.


Robert Downy Jr. returns to the suit, both designer and armor, in Iron Man 2, breathing life into the often dull comic character Tony Stark. This time around, Tony Stark faces self-destruction, the U.S. government, a rival military defense contractor, and death. Throughout the film, RD Jr.s portrayal of Tony Stark manages to capture the charming douchebag, but manage to make him sympathetic by bringing forth Tony Stark’s personal belief of a better tomorrow. The Marvel movie universe’s Tony Stark could give the comics’ Deadpool and Spider-Man a run for their money for the biggest smart ass award.


Mickey Rourke’s character, being a combination of Whiplash and Crimson Dynamo, is introduced immediately at the beginning of the film and completely sets the tone for the film. As Ivan Vanko, Rourke makes the character a legitimate threat and takes a rather dull and often leather clad dominatrix character into someone you should be fearful of. Physically, Rouke is intimidating but also shows off his range with the character’s tech savy that made the character not only a physical villain, but also a mastermind. My only complaint about the film would probably be about how the final confrontation between Crimson Dynamo/Whiplash and Iron Man felt forced and a bit of retread. It seemed like the same fight in the first film and there was no need to go back. Without going into spoilers, the mastermind angle they began to play with would have been better suited with a non-physical solution.



Rounding out the villains is Justin Hammer played by Sam Rockwell. While Tony Stark is the charming douchebag that can get away with anything, Justin Hammer felt like a cheap suited used car salesman. The thing is, it worked so well. Sam Rockwell had Justin Hammer be this slimy underhanded businessman. If Tony Stark is a sleek sexy iPod, Justin Hammer is a cheap MP3 only playing devices that has been dropped so many times that the backing is taped so the battery won’t fall out.

The film would not be as good without its supporting cast. Don Cheadle steps in for Terrance Howard as James Rhodes and also dons the War Machine armor. Cheadle is not really allowed to show off his acting chops in the film. He does not steal the show as War Machine, but he still manages to be a major bad ass either way. Speaking of asses…

Scarlett Johansson. She is complete eye candy. Her role as Black Widow in the film was much like the War Machine role. Not there to steal the show, but still present. It also helps that she will make the entire male audience think dirty, dirty things. As the Black Widow, she is there to set up the interconnected Marvel movie universe as well as the Avengers movie. If anything, they should get ScarJo to take up the role again for the Avengers movie. Part of the eye candy brigade, Gwenyth Paltrow returns as Pepper Potts with her role as the love interest intact. This time around though, the love story takes a back seat so it may seem her importance in the film was shortened. She still manages to successfully play Pepper Potts as the one that tries to reign in Tony Stark.

The film is cameo heavy. Garry Shandling as a U.S. senator are some of the most entertaining scenes in the film. Equally entertaining and fanboy heavy is Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury. It is not so much that Samuel L. Jackson is acting as Nick Fury. It’s more like Samuel L. Jackson is acting like Nick Fury acting like Samuel L. Jackson. It’s okay though. He can do that. He’s Samuel L. Jackson.



The film as a whole has two weak spots that can be looked over, but also could have been changed or expanded upon. The final physical encounter between Iron Man and Rourke’s character could have been resolved differently. As said before, it was a major retread from the first film. Superhero slugfests are cool, but not always necessary. The second would be the sudden daddy issues that sprung up mid-film. This is something that should have either been present from the first film or immediately introduced in the beginning of the film. It is nothing major but the whole daddy issue element to Tony Stark. It sort of just happened and was resolved rather quickly. Yes, that’s what she said.

All in all, the film is entertaining and quite possibly brings justice to a character better than the original source material. The sequel manages to maintain and continue the same rock star attitude the first film had. It is like the film was someone who walked into the room, knew it had the biggest dick there, and had no problems showing it off. Definitely go watch the film. With the amount of cameos, you and your friends can possibly make a drinking game out of it. Stay after the credits. You won’t be disappointed.

Posted by Nerd Boy Wonder 7 May Permalink

Clash of the Titans - Review

Consistent cinematography, exemplary believable acting, a strong cast, and dialog that makes Quentin Tarantino go back to his roots and restudy… These are all the things you WILL NOT find in this rendition of Clash of the Titans.
There is really no way around it, this film is a snore fest sponsored by Tylenol PM. The problem isn’t a lack of action; it’s a lack of great or even commendable execution. It’s a reel of mediocrity at its most mediocre. The film does have it’s moments but they are not nearly enough to bring this homage to the 1981 classic back from the depths of Hades.

So, what went wrong? Let us start with the cinematography. It doesn’t have a look that is by any means outstanding or captivating. At times it can be compared to watching ’ Xena: Warrior Princess‘, or ‘Hercules: The legendary Journey’ reruns on UPN. The cinematic inconsistencies take you out of the film more often than not. The heavens have a cool unique look, but are limited to one Olympian room, giving it a not so grand feel in the long run. It comes to a point where it just looks like a handful of Gods being cranky with each other in a studio apartment decorated with divinity and everything is glowing; on Mount Olympus, everything is glowey! It’s in the history books.

Earth is limited to Argos; as far as this film is concerned Argos is the only city in the entire world that matters. Because of this, the sense of grand adventure is lost. There is nothing special about the way Earth is portrayed. Man is dull and pale in comparison to the majestic beauty of the Gods. Though that may be true, it just does not convey well on the big screen. Watching the action sequences only to be brought back down to the story driven sequences, which move the film along, can be akin to watching an amalgamation of mismatched movies copy and pasted together. One moment you’re watching ‘The Scorpion King‘, a scene later it’s something in the style of ‘Legend of the Seeker‘.

The casting seems to fall victim to the same issue as the cinematography, capriciousness. No one but Hades (Ralph Finnies) and the computer generated monsters executed their roles in a believable manner. The cast of the film struggle to come off as warriors, and men and women of ancient Greece. Instead all we see are actors trying to be. Not being. There is a chemistry lost between the performers. The love, the hate, the lust- None of it comes off as plausible. Sam Worthington as the young vengeful  demi-god, Perseus, seemed to be about as far a stretch as the “Gomu no Bazooka” of Monkey D. Luffy (Google it!). His performance comes off as a stale emotional grind. Though it may not be completely possible to blame Sam for his performance, maybe more so the script. He never really had any moments to show off or explore his range, as an actor [in this film]. Zeus also did not come off as convincible. Liam Neeson as the King of Gods was far from outstanding in a normal sense of film. If this were a good movie with a strong cast, he would have fallen under the table. This could also be faulted to the casting director not giving the people what they believe they want. In our collective minds, Zeus farts thunder and defecates lightening. When he burps, typhoons of epic proportions form across the globe! Neeson’s performance just didn’t bring that to the screen. Yes, He kicked all the ass in the film “Taken”, but a God, that did not make him. It could be possible the costuming just didn’t bring that out in him, as well. Instead of looking like Zeus, ruler of the skies and heavens, he came off as Charlie, commander of that spot in front of Subway who only needs fifty more cents. The rest of the cast hit a wall of forgettable, apart from Gemma Arterton. Her role as Io, the ageless Pedophilic boy watching former priestess of Hera, wasn’t so forgettable, Not so much because of Liv Tyler like performance, but more because of the unique beauty she brings, and that thing they did with her at the end that could be seen coming from a mile away. Be ready to moan in agony.

What the Nerds of the world may find some kind of cool? At times the film does come off like an RPG adventure. Random encounters, setting out on an adventure, finding anomalous & powerful new weapons, and new party members with incomparable sets of talents.

Clash of the Titans fails to bring you to a point of caring for any of the characters involved in the story. It has moments where it is trying way too hard to be funny. It works out about as well as that friend you have with horrible timing and swears he’s funny, but in the end no one is laughs except that friend. If you don’t know who that friend is, it is probably you. The CG isn’t horrible, but it isn’t great, and it is also inconsistent. The music score is subpar. It lacks that defining tune you hear through out the film that pulls you back in to the universe. The music comes off as an afterthought. It feels as it is there because it has to be. It may have been better if they just revisited different forms of the song they used in the trailer, “The Bird and the Worm” by the Used. Faulty pacing, and scenery that feels compressed and stuffy, a shoddy script; Clash of the Titans is one you should skip on your box office trip as it is whole heartedly nondescript. Did you see what was done there? :)

Posted by Nerd Boy Wonder 3 April Permalink

The LV. Cap: Heavy Rain Review

By Roger Gaw
Heavy Rain was made to blur the line between movies and video games. The player will take control of 4 different characters and the choices made will decide who lives and who dies. The developers coined the phrase “Interactive Drama.” Read on to see whether the games lives up to the hype and treads into cinematic territory.


Heavy Rain
Playstation 3
1 Player Story Mode
Developer: Quantic Dream
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
ESRB Rating: Rated M for Mature
Price $59.99

Pros:
Effort: This game tries what many other games do not and I have to respect that. It does a lot of things very well but it also does a lot of things sub-par. Certain decisions can affect the life of each of the 4 characters but some decisions really don’t matter that much. I give Quantic Dream credit for trying new things in terms of video games.

Dark Story: Normally video games stories never tread into these waters. The story does shock at certain points with the choices given to the player and the twists of the plot itself. That being said, movies have done it before, and they have executed it much better.


Cons:
Controls: You don’t physically control the character very much in the game but when you do get to take control, it’s atrocious. I have never played a game with worse character control than this. Moving the character from point A to point B was either underdeveloped because the developers didn’t care or they didn’t realize how important good controls are even for “Interactive Drama.” Navigating through a crowd of people is one of the most frustrating things I have ever experienced. You only get 2 camera angles and most of the time neither one was very good. Also some of the time the character would walk in the exact opposite direction I was moving the analog stick.

Voice Acting: It’s bad. It’s really bad. This is one of the major detractors from the story. It’s really hard as an audience member to buy the emotion of this story with no emotion coming from the characters in the story.

Graphics: Some of the time the graphics really please me, but most of the time I was noticing the lackluster. Most evident were the corded phones with cords and the corded power tools with cords. I can not see how those things got past by the developers. Also during the cutscenes the character movement is very awkward.



Verdict: This game tries to succeed as a game and a movie and it’s really disappointing as both. It’s plagued by horrible voice acting and terrible gameplay mechanics. I think most people who found this game favorable either got caught up in the hype or just have very low expectations for a story and a game. That being said perhaps someone can build on what the game ATTEMPTED to do. The attempts to set video game precedent and that is it’s only saving grace. I suggest renting the game if you have to play it but most of you will not find it enjoyable.

Posted by Nerd Boy Wonder 25 February Permalink

Comic Book Splash!: Print Advertisement

By Amra “Flitz” Ricketts
Imagine if you will, A world where Super-heroes actually exist. A world where these meta’s reach celebrity status. Their images grace our magazines, televisions, and billboards… [Though they already do that]. Some heroes endorse products we all know so well, others have products all their own. Can you imagine a world like that? If you have a difficult time grasping this concept throw your concerns of your shoddy skill of mental conception to the wind- Strap your self in and enjoy a stint in the world of Super-hero endorsement and advertisement. This is Comic Book Splash: Print Advertisement.


Let’s start off with one of the worlds most powerful corporations and two of the comics most powerful beings. The slogan is the topper with a very “Nuff said” feel. There are three more heroes I wanted to add; The Sentry, Invincible, and American (from the comic book “Cla$$ war”. In the end I decided to keep the image simple like Google’s page lay-out and the slogan I chose to tack on.

I have a thing for history and if the Marvel’s civil war event wasn’t historic enough, pitting a beloved American hero against a drunken billionaire, right at the end writer Ed Brubaker decided to off Captain America. Those Crafty Russians finally created their own anti-super-soldier serum; it just needed to go through the wright persons blood stream. GJ Stark!


Anyone else ever wonder how Sinestro’s banana worshiping corn cob eating lemon fresh spraying staring in to the sun butter spreading ass keeps his Mustachio so damn fresh? The answer lies in a wax in a lil’ ol’ tin.


I’d drink it. We all need a little piece of Galactus inside of us, right? There would also be a black cherry-grape flavor called “Fill the Void”. This is great marketing, people!


What kind of dog food would Krpyto the super dog eat? Honestly he could eat whatever he wanted to. Though his owner, Superman, would probably go for something a long the lines of a Raw diet I.E. Primal, or Stella and Chewy’s, but Kryptos super digestive track could handle all the bad by-product and corn in Purina products.

There is really nothing I can say to make this anymore bad ass. This pic was posted on /co/ and I got a vision in my head to make it even more awesome;  it is actually what inspired me to start Comic Book Splash. FUCK YEAH!


Honestly this one was a toss up between Peter Parker and Olsen. Olsen has live an amazing life for a mere human and won him self a Pulitzer prize. It’s amazing the ginger was never kill off ( that I can remember). Honestly the boy should be rich, a sponsorship and endorsment contract from Olympus should get him there.


Nerds around the world would love to get in to this green babes jeans. She is hot and amazonian like… keep this in mind, She has slept with The Juggernaut and the Asgradian Demi-God, Hercules, during these copulation sessions they left the room in shambles. Do you really think you could handle DAT ASS? I don’t think so. leave the green vagoo handling to the super strengthened big boys.


Logically speaking any shoe the Flash wears would decenter-grate under the speed of  a man who can move faster than the speed of light.  Those yellow rain boots just wouldn’t cut it. I’d imagine in the real world one of the worlds top sneaker companies could team up with one of the worlds top tire companies and come up with a solution. The result, The Flash and the whole Flash family’s feet would be decked out in Adidas-Goodyear Gear. Honestly if they did this in actually reality, I would rock the hell out of  those shows. Who cares if I looked like I were walking in hollowed out smiley-face corpses- lolwat???


In Philly and the South New Jersey area’s we have a place that is opened in the spring and summer seasons called “Rita’s”. In this world the Rita’s chain was hostilely  taken over by the likes of Captain Cold, Icicle, and Mr. Freeze. They renamed the chain to Villain’s took the business national and began to make major bank. They put any competition out of business with aggressive fear tactics, it is also how their  clientele numbers continue to grow. With a balls out gung-ho street team they will only continue to grow with their tasty cold treats which can be bought at reasonable affordable prices. They soon change the logo and come up with a friendlier Villain’s mascot. His name is “Brain Freeze”.


THE END OF THE BEGINNING!

Posted by Nerd Boy Wonder 3 February Permalink

Top 10 Most Badass Bad Guys

By Roger Gaw
There have been some despicable character’s in film. I mean downright nasty bastards with no morals or conscience at all. Well here is my list of the best of the bad. If you think I missed one or you think I’m wrong post in the comments below. Just know that I’m still always right and you’re always wrong.

#10- Michael Myers: Halloween(1978) may in fact be my favorite movie of all time. It is definitely my favorite horror movie. Michael Myers was the first unstoppable killing machine to grace the silver screen. Without Michael, there would probably be no Jason or Freddy. Some of you will say Psycho or The Texas Chainsaw Massacre was the first “slasher” movie but Michael was different. Michael was more than just a mere murderer. He was more than just human. He had the blackest eyes. The Devil’s eyes.



#9- Vic Vega aka Mr. Blonde from Reservoir Dogs: Most of you probably didn’t even know his name or that he is in fact the brother of Vincent Vega from Pulp Fiction. What you did know is that he was a complete psychopath. Every time I hear Stuck in the Middle, I remember the torture scene with the cop. The guy cuts the cop’s ear off and then mocks him by talking into the severed body part. But he’s not done there. Oh no. He pours gasoline over the open wound and just as he was about to set him alight, he gets shot. Probably nobody would have died if it weren’t for Mr. Blonde’s actions during the heist but instead, everyone dies.



#8- Hans Gruber from Die Hard: Considering some of the people on this list, Hans might not be so evil but I just generally don’t like him for some reason. It might be his smug attitude or accent. It might be his cheesy smile. But whatever the reason, people everywhere remember him and his death. Yippie Ky Ay motherf*cker.


#7- Max Cady from Cape Fear(1991): This is the worst kind of psychopath, an educated psychopath. Robert Deniro educates himself in prison after a rape conviction and learns that he was purposely represented poorly by his lawyer, Sam Bowden. He then spends the rest of the movie exacting his revenge. He kills the family dog. He rapes and assaults one of Sam’s co-workers. He even almost seduces Sam’s daughter. Max traps the family on a boat and is about to rape Sam’s daughter and wife as he is set ablaze. That doesn’t stop Max, though. He traps Sam and exacts his own trial on him. Eventually, the two fight with Max being handcuffed to the sinking boat.



#6- Norman “Stan” Stansfield from Leon The Professional: Gary Oldman plays a great bad guy. This is my favorite of all his characters. As a corrupt DEA agent, he murders a little girl’s entire family including her 6 year old brother and becomes hellbent on murdering her as well. He is a law enforcement agent who uses drugs and kills kids.



#5- John Doe from SE7EN: This is another one of those educated psychopaths. John bases his victims upon the seven deadly sins. John force feeds an obese man spaghetti so much that he is able to kick the man in the stomach and cause it to explode. At gunpoint, he forces a lawyer to cut off a pound of his own flesh to atone for his greed. He ties a man to a bed for a year but keeps him barely alive to account for sloth. He forces a man to rape a prostitute with a dildo fitted with a blade to account for lust. He cuts off a model’s nose and gives her the option of living with the scars or suicide. To cap things off, he envies his investigator’s wife so he tries to “play husband” with her but she refuses. To atone for his own sin of envy he cuts off her head and has it sent to where he and the investigator are. Thus provoking the investigator to wrath and killing him. So in the end, the bad guy won in this film. All seven sins were accounted for.



#4- Scorpio Killer from Dirty Harry: I have never hated a character more than I have hated this bastard. And my good friend, Clint Eastwood, feels exactly the same. He is a murderer and a rapist. He rapes a teenage girl and then buries her alive. All the while, the justice system at the time makes him seemingly untouchable. His face just makes you want to hit him with a nail riddled 2x4. The actor did such a good job portraying the killer that he actually received death threats following the movie. But in the end, the punk just wasn’t “lucky.”



#3- The Joker from The Dark Knight: Heath Ledger’s portrayal of the maniacal Joker is simply one of the best performances in the history of cinema. The Joker is by far the most insane person this list. Ledger described his character as a “psychopathic, mass murdering, schizophrenic clown with zero empathy.” And in this movie, that’s exactly what comes across. He has no compassion. He kills for fun and laughs while he does it. He forces Batman to choose between saving the love of his life or by saving the face of Gotham’s new hero, Harvey Dent. The choice backfires on Batman and further causes conflict. It’s really hard for words to describe this performance. This is just one of those movies you have to see.



#2- Hannibal Lecter: Hannibal is the most intelligent psychopath in the history of cinema. The Silence of the Lambs is one of the greatest movies I’ve seen. And although he was on screen for only sixteen minutes during the entire film, Anthony Hopkins won the Academy Award for Best Actor. He is the epitome of absolute evil in every way. Sometimes, he doesn’t even have to use his own hands to murder someone. He can just talk you into killing yourself. He not only feeds a man his own brain, but feeds the brain to a child. Twice. That is what makes him so bad. It’s the evil corrupting the innocent.



#1- The Bad from The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: His f***ing name is The Bad. How could I not make him number one? Actually, they call him Angel Eyes in the movie but that doesn’t take away from his badass badness. Lee Van Cleef was frequently typecast in westerns as the villain because of his cowling face and he portrayed them wonderfully. As The Bad, he beats women. He murders for money and for fun. He beats prisoners of war and he is just downright rotten to core until the very end. Did I mention he killed a child? He helped make The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly into the greatest western of all time and the greatest man movie of all time.

Posted by Nerd Boy Wonder 28 January Permalink

Pitch This!: Aquaman

Aside from perhaps Martian Manhunter, Aquaman is quite possibly the most maligned member of the big 7 Justice League. The reason being has been given many a time, his power set, his costume, his personality. The truth is there is never a bad character, just writers who cannot make that character exciting. Jeff and I are done with hearing “Aquaman sucks.” It’s time we made him as epic as Superman and Batman. So, we give you Pitch This: Aquaman. The incestual Wonder Twins have more street cred compared to Aquaman. Not only do we want to make Aquaman viable to today’s readers but also create a franchise that the character deserves. We work him how DC recently did Hal Jordan. Restructure his comic series, then a direct to DVD animated feature and then maybe, a live action movie. Why in that order? Because the comics need to have a streamlined origin and characters so people can easily, pardon the pun, dive into the ocean of awesome that is Aquaman.

Lets start with the fact that Aquaman is not Namor, Marvel’s Sub-Mariner. He is his own person, a man of two worlds. He was raised by humans, but is quite proud of his Atlantean heritage. Arthur has an innate honor and nobility that are key to him one day being almost an ambassador between Atlantis and the surface world. Sure, he can sometimes be arrogant, but he does love both races. His arrogance comes from being also a bit of an outsider to both races. Humans see him as an alien, Atlanteans see him as their personal anti-Christ. His arrogance is pure frustration that two species that he loves cannot get along. It’s the frustration some outsiders have to the Middle East. If you want realism with a dash of fantasy, that’s your parallel.

The primary power that he gets ridiculed for in pop culture and amongst fanboys is the “ability to talk to fish.” The ability is much more than this. In fact, the ability is telepathy with all aquatic life. That means mind control, empathy, memory access, and communication with all aquatic life. That’s all sea life, but mostly the animals, Atlanteans, even an affinity to plant life. He can survive to the deepest depths of the ocean, therefore he is plenty strong and invulnerable. Finally, lets talk about how he works on the surface. Arthur is quite literally adept at breathing air as water, as both worlds are his home. Nuff said.

Briefly, lets talk about Atlantis. Atlantis has always been somewhat alien and unrelatable to the reader. In order to create some sort of relatability, the magic system of Atlantis has been lost to science except for a select few priests and those that can delve into the background. True magic is lost in Atlantis but much of the old ways are a basis of religion. Atlantis is a modern society, but the look is distinctly underwater. Everything is in bright colors and their main source of energy is the magma of the Earth.

How exactly do you reconstruct the franchise? Following Geoff John’s suit, I suggest launching a Rebirth and Secret Origins mini-series. Lets start with the beginning. Secret Origins would reintroduce the reader to Aquaman as well as clear up any continuity issues that would arise with the relaunch. Aquaman is one of DC Comic’s bigger characters that no one would really care for if there were changes in his origin as long as the story was good. Secret Origins would simplify and retell Aquaman’s origin in a 5 issue run. Themes that would need to be explored? His connection to the surface world as well as Atlantean heritage, his surface world life, his rise to power in Atlantis, and his introduction as a superhero to the DC Universe.

This brings us to Aquaman Rebirth. A 5 issue mini-series that would bring back Aquaman from the dead. Many may know now that Aquaman appeared as a Black Lantern in Blackest Night and raised a bunch of undead sharks to wipe out Atlantean military forces. Rebirth would take place after Blackest Night with the fallen King resurrected. What has happen to Atlantis since the King has been gone? Who has come to the kingdom in his image claiming to be the fallen king? Rebirth would show not only Aquaman’s place in the DC Universe but where Atlantis fits into the larger universe. What would Rebirth build that would allow a relaunch of a full fledged title? Political and religious themes galore.

What exactly what a full fledged Aquaman title do for the character? Solidify his importance to DC Comics. The first arc would have to pick up right where Rebirth left off. Following the first arc, reintroducing Aquaman’s rogues gallery as well as building newer threats that are essential to the character. Taking him on a Batman: Hush style story arc that would pit him against foes and team him up with friends. Re-establishing Aquaman’s place in the DC Universe is key to creating a franchise that would allow TV and movie spin offs.

Aquaman is a character that is far from being lame. Often tied down by fantasy lore and magic if often makes most newer comic readers and even regulars shy away. Modernizing Atlantis, creating a real society with parallels to our own, political and religious themes wrapped up in a superhero world would get Aquaman passed the “Superfriends” phase. What do you guys think? Would you read Aquaman now? Still think he sucks? Let us know! By the way, Jeff and I have Aquaman Secret Origins and Rebirth all plotted out. If you guys are interested in reading that, let us know!

Posted by Nerd Boy Wonder 25 January Permalink

Femininity in Gaming

By Alyx Asakawa
As a companion to last week’s “Masculinity in Gaming,” I bring you a brief overview of femininity in nerd culture!

Most video games feature one of two types of characters: either a customizable avatar, or an idealized persona. In the case of customizable avatars, most games will feature the option to change genders. Many gamers will choose to make personas reflecting their own physical appearance, potentially allowing women to immerse their own likenesses into the amazing worlds of gaming.
 
On the other hand, we have the idealized persona. As previously noted, many of gaming’s most iconic figures are hyper-masculine men. However, we also see strong women in Claire Redfield and Jill Valentine (Resident Evil), Samus Aran (Metroid), Zelda (The Legend of Zelda), Bastila (Knights of the Old Republic), Yuna (Final Fantasy X), Lara Croft (Tomb Raider), and so on. While many of these characters may be sexualized in an effort to still appeal to men, who still represent the majority of gamers, the fact remains that all of these characters are strong in their own right. They are more than men’s objects of desire, they are ideals for women as well. Most of them exhibit universally positive traits such as strength, intelligence, resourcefulness, and strong will, while retaining beauty and femininity.
 
These strong female characters are emerging proportionately to the rising amount of female gamers to enjoy them. However, we have been seeing strong women (and not just the ass-kicking type) in more universal media, like movies, for decades. This is simply due to the presence of the female audience who needed to be appeased.
 
But why is it that these are our empowered women? We must first face the fact that nearly any leading video game character, male or female, is going to be somehow over the top. Any leading character is ultimately an extension of our desires to be greater than we are. Quite simply, there isn’t much of a market for average characters because we already know what it is to be average. Some may say that the blatant sexuality of many female characters is to be considered degrading, but many women feel that one large aspect of a woman’s power is the control she has over her own sexuality. Of course some of those skimpy little outfits may be a been obscene, but there are men to be appealed to as well!
 
 
I believe most women can find aspects of themselves embodied in modern female game characters. From Zelda’s wisdom and elegance to The Boss’ influential nature and ass-kicking abilities, exaggerated though they may be, these are all pieces of ourselves that we can relate to. An ever-increasing number of women feel that the traditional image of femininity - a silent and servile little wife - to be more degrading than any outfit of Lara Croft’s. Girl gamers gravitate to these characters because they can actually see themselves within them. I don’t know about you, but I find it hard to picture myself in the role of Kratos, and yet one of the best aspects of gaming is the immersion factor.

The traditional muscle-bound, gun-toting man is still all well and good for a character, but sometimes I, as a woman, just want to put myself into Yuna’s little shoes. As video games hit the mainstream market more and more, expect to see more of these bombshell girls gracing your screens.

Posted by Nerd Boy Wonder 28 December Permalink

Pitch This!: The Avengers

Pitch This! is a new article that we are doing here on the site that enables the staff to display our fanboy desires and show off our creativity for our favorite franchises throughout nerd culture. In this inaugural column, Senior Staff Editor Jeff Adams and I are pitching our version of the comic book series The Avengers. The Avengers are a team that has to earn the title “Earth’s Mightiest Heroes” and they have to prove it. It doesn’t matter if the biggest threats whether cosmic or terrestrial with a group of individuals who embody the ideal of the best. The current comic are not about that, they are about realistic heroes who banter about their lives. They don’t fight the biggest threats, they fight villains that are more appropriate for the New Warriors or the X-Men. So who is part of our Avenger team?


The Roster:

Captain America - Steve Rogers: The Avenger who defines what the team is supposed to be at least in ideals, Steve Rogers is what superheroes look up to when they start out. He is the ultimate soldier, who doesn’t kill simply because he knows how people would follow that example. He is the exemplar of the field and the true tactical leader. His focus is bringing the team together again and managing the massive egos. Steve Rogers is a no brainer to be not only a member but a leader of our pitch of The Avengers because he is the defining symbol of the team as well as what a hero is in the Marvel Universe.

Iron Man: Tony Stark has been through his own personal hell and is now on his path of redemption. Though his relationship with Steve is strained, both want the opportunity to mend fences with each other and the world. Tony still feels a massive sense of responsibility for the actions that resulted in Cap’s death. Not only is he one part of the iconic Avengers trinity but, the financial backer of the current team.

Spider-Man: When Bendis brought one of his pet characters and one of Marvel’s iconic characters onto the team, I had many reservations. I am a long time Spider-Man fanboy and after I got over my own personal nerd rage, it donned on me. Spider-Man really does make a great Avenger. If you want to talk responsibility, Peter Parker knows it. His purpose on the team is two fold. He manages to make things lighter even when they are at their darkest. He is also the everyman of the team. If you want a street perspective, you talk to Peter Parker. Even with the “rape” of his continuity as of late Spider-Man is the epitome of the nerd turned hero archtype that many of us look to.

Wolverine: The most iconic mutant in popular culture. Not only does he define the X-Men but, Bendis put this ferocious fur ball on his Avengers team. It’s undeniable that Wolverine’s and Spidey’s interactions are magic. In our take on the Avengers though, Logan would have to do the one thing Marvel editors and X-Men fanboys would hate… leave the X-Men. Don’t get me wrong, the idea seems ridiculous at first but hear us out. Logan leaves the X-Men to do what he never thought he would want to do. Be responsible for the public image of the mutant race. Though Cyclops is leading the X-Men, it’s Wolverine that people have the hardest time feeling as a hero. He has tried to kill so many, so being on the premiere team is a way to mend fences, help his own kind and help the dream he has fought for. Cap sees Logan as the ultimate special forces character.

Hawkeye - Kate Bishop: Young Avengers was one of the most entertaining books put out by Marvel within the last few years but let’s face it. The long hiatus not only hurt the potential of these characters but, left them in limbo. This is why Jeff and I believe the untapped potential of those characters would be ripe for our incarnation of The Avengers. More specifically, Kate Bishop would fit perfectly on the team as the new Hawkeye. Given the name by Captain America, Kate has proved herself a worthy successor of Clint and now wants to prove that she can make it on a team filled with Clint’s mentor, Steve. Steve is reluctant to have her on the team because he is adamant against the idea of young heroes but he can’t fault her loyalty or her desire to truly be a part of the world’s mightiest heroes.

Moondragon: Believed to have died during the Annihilation War, Heather Douglas survived. Her energies manifesting back in her birthplace on Earth. Her teachings from the Eternals had prepared her for death. She is ideal for the team as she was once an Avenger, is practically a blank slate for new readers, and can tie the team to cosmic level threats. While the fun and smart ass antics of Spidey and Wolverine light up the team, her ego and bitchiness provides another monkey wrench into the team dynamic.

Songbird: She has been a rogue, a member of the Thunderbolts, reformed herself and now wants to be the hero she feels she is meant to be. Though the road has been rough, Songbird follows the path of many former Avengers going from rogue to hero. She feels a bit out of place on the team filled with living legends and people she has fought. Her powers truly set her apart and her longing for redemption mirrors the need of the team.

Every hero needs great villains to make make them look great. Here are a few choices Jeff and I feel that would define this team of Avengers…

The Villains:
MODOK: A giant head with stub appendages sitting in a floating chair. One word. Awesome. Not only does this villain look ridiculous but he has a whole scientific based terrorist organization at his command. Perfect for a sci-fi heavy post 9/11 military action.

U-Foes: An evil version of the Fantastic Four? Check! Treated as lackeys for A-list villains? Check! A need for a reinvention? Check! A C-list villain team wanting to make a name for themselves and join the big leagues.

The Stark: An obscure alien race built around the technology of Tony Stark? What happens if they search for their “creator?” Militaristic in nature what happens when they find out that their “creator” is just a man?

Kang: The ultimate Avengers villain. A time traveling mastermind that regardless of what he does to change the past, present, or future the Avengers always win. Kang is tired of losing. He won’t only want revenge, he wants to win.

Now that you’ve seen our idea of who should be on The Avengers, what do you guys think? Agree, disagree, or opinion? Let us know below!

Posted by Nerd Boy Wonder 22 December Permalink

The Gospel: Solid Snake Part 3

This is the Gospel according to Roger,continued from the second, the witness of the greatest story ever told and devout follower of all words spoken by the great Hideo Kojima.

In 2009, Snake returned this time under the name of Iroquois Pliskin to infiltrate the Big Shell decontamination facility. It was believed that a new Metal Gear known as Arsenal Gear was being developed there. While investigating Big Shell, Snake met Raiden and saved him from Vamp. Snake also found the Patriot AI of GW on Big Shell where he used a computer virus to attack it. GW was thought to have been destroyed totally by the virus but this was proved to be untrue. Raiden also ended up killing Solidus Snake during the Big Shell incident but Liquid Ocelot managed to escape in a Metal Gear Ray. Snake would vanish for another 5 years.

In 2014, Snake was approached by Colonel Campbell while visiting the supposed gravesite of Big Boss for one last mission. Campbell had received information that Liquid Ocelot had been spotted somewhere in the Middle East. Snake at this time was suffering from unexplained accelerated aging. His window for life was given as a year at best. Snake decided to take on one last fight.

Snake’s first order of business was to meet up with the members of Rat Patrol Team 01 which turned out to be commanded by none other than Meryl Silverburgh herself. On his way to meet the team Snake ran into a gun launderer calling himself Drebin. Drebin took guns that only responded to certain nanomachines in soldiers and made them so that Snake could use them. After meeting with the members of the team and getting Liquid’s whereabouts, Snake set out to kill Liquid once and for all. As Snake was approaching him, Liquid activated a machine that turned off the nanomachines in the all of the soldiers surrounding him. Nanomachines were standard in all soldiers. The nanomachines controlled the release of hormones and linked the soldiers of a particular unit together. They also help suppress the mental strains of battle. Therefore without the nanomachines, the soldiers would experience all the emotions of battle for the first time at once and as a result went crazy. Snake was also apparently affected by Liquid’s machine but not nearly to the extent of everyone else. As Snake was on the ground he was approached by Naomi Hunter who was working with Liquid.

Snake awoke to find himself on his airborne base again with Otacon. They had received an encrypted message from Naomi begging to be rescued in South America. Snake departed to save Naomi as that was his only lead. After making his way through Liquid’s compound, Snake found Naomi in a cabin. After examining Snake she found that the FOXDIE in him was mutating and she explained that eventually it would lose it’s ability to choose targets and would become a worldwide pandemic. She also explained that the accelerated aging was not because of FOXDIE but because of his own genes being programmed to die early. The Patriots had programmed the genes during the Les Enfants Terribles because they did not want the genes of Big Boss to fall into enemy hands. Snake was also given a nanomachine suppressor by Naomi. As Snake was about to leave he was confronted by Laughing Octopus.

Laughing Octopus was a member of the Beauty and the Beast Unit. The unit was comprised of incredibly beautiful female soldiers with each one having been through a very horrible experience. Each member also had a very powerful armored suit that could be used for both attacking and defense. Laughing Octopus had the ability to create the illusion of being something or someone else thanks to her special camouflage which could blend in with her surroundings as well as being changed into whatever she desired. Laughing Octopus was raised in small Scandinavian town known as the Devil’s Village. The village’s primary source of food was octopus. One night a cult attacked the village and massacred the entire population except for her. They forced her to help in the massacring and torture of her family and friends under the threat of death. The cult also demanded that she laugh the entire time. She began to hallucinate that the blood on her hands turned black like the ink of an octopus. Thus she took up the name Laughing Octopus. Snake was able to defeat Octopus and in her defeat she finally accepted what she had done and came to peace with herself.

Snake then went about tracking Naomi and found her about to be taken away by Vamp in a helicopter. Drebin suddenly appeared in his Stryker and rescued Snake and Naomi. The three were then surrounded by Gekko in a small town after the Stryker they were aboard crashed. Gekko are unmanned bipedal tanks equipped with machine guns. Just as the machines were about to close in they was saved by Raiden who had become a cyborg ninja himself. The three of them escaped along with a heavily injured Raiden.

Once inside the Nomad, Raiden informed Snake of what he needed to do next. The task was to contact Big Mama. Big Mama was the leader of Paradise Lost. Paradise Lost was a resistance army devoted to the destruction of the Patriots. After trailing one of Paradise Lost resistance members, Snake discovered her hideout. Big Mama explained that she was in fact EVA. The same EVA who assisted Big Boss in the Snake Eater mission and the same EVA who gave birth to both Solid and Liquid Snake. She told Snake the Patriots were formed by Major Zero, Big Boss, Ocelot, Sigint, Para-Medic and herself with the sole mission to carry out the final wish of The Boss. She told Snake how that Major Zero turned Big Boss into a legend and that eventually there was falling out between the two. Big Boss and Zero had two different views of what The Boss would have wanted. When Zero had Big Boss cloned without his permission, he finally left to form Outer Heaven which was his version of what The Boss wanted. Ocelot and EVA were loyal to Big Boss but Ocelot stayed behind for whatever reason. Zero then created four different AI’s with one more to head up the four to carry out his final vision. He believed that the next generation would not be able to handle this task. EVA then revealed that Big Boss was in fact still alive and that his mind was being kept at bay with nanomachines. As they were talking they were discovered by Liquid’s dwarf Gekko. Snake and EVA escaped on EVA’s motorcycle to protect the van which contained the supposed body of Big Boss. After a chase the two crashed and Snake climbed a tower to face off against Raging Raven.

Raging Raven was the second member of the Beauty and the Beast Unit. Raven had the ability of flight thanks to her armored suit and the ability to control several unmanned flying drones that resembled her suit. Raging Raven was born in a territory of Indonesia. Her homeland was war torn long before she was born. As a young child she was kidnapped by soldiers along with other children and beaten. When the children tried to cling to hope and encourage each other, the soldiers beat them harder and called them disgusting ravens. Then the soldiers up and left with the children still tied up, to be eaten by ravens that inhabited her homeland. She watched in horror as the ravens picked apart her friends one by one until they came for her. But instead of eating her they cut her bonds. When she was freed she, she became filled with an uncontrollable rage. She killed the ravens and tracked down the soldiers. Once nightfall came she went into the camp and slaughtered everyone, soldiers and prisoners alike. After Snake defeated her, she came to terms with had happened and what she had done.

After the fight, Snake went back down the tower and helped EVA to a boat that was waiting to take the two of them along with Big Boss to safety. As the two were making their way to the boat they were confronted by Liquid Ocelot. Liquid had obtained Big Boss’s DNA from the boat and had used it to hack into the Patriots system. Since Liquid had Big Boss’s DNA he no longer needed the body of Big Boss that he had been after for years. Ocelot shuts down the nanomachines in all the soldiers so none of their weapons worked and slaughtered them. He also destroyed the boat that Big Boss was on and killed EVA in the process. The only success of the mission was the boarding of the Mk. II Metal Gear that was able to board Liquid’s boat and obtain information about his plan.

From the information gathered by the Mk. II Metal Gear, Otacon and Snake were able to deduce that Liquid was planning to destroy the main satellite of JD to destroy the patriots once and for all. Snake and Otacon figured out that Liquid planned to return to Shadow Moses Island to commandeer Metal Gear REX’s rail gun that was used to launch nuclear weapons. The two set a course for the island that they had left ten years ago.

Shadow Moses had laid dormant since the incident ten years before. As Snake infiltrated the island for the second time he found that all of obstacles he faced before were gone and replaced by unmanned dwarf Gekko. As Snake was making his way to REX’s lair through the snowfield for the second time he was confronted by the third member of the Beauty and Beast Unit, Crying Wolf.

Crying Wolf, the third member of the B&B corps, was a sniping expert. She was born in war-ravaged Africa. Her village was destroyed and her parents were killed in the name of ethnic cleansing. She left the village with her only surviving relative, her infant brother. She traveled with her brother until one day she was noticed by a platoon of enemy soldiers approaching. She took her brother and hid in an abandoned shack. While they were hiding in the shack her brother began to cry. Fearing for both their lives, Wolf covered her brother’s mouth to muffle his screams. After the soldiers passed she removed her hand now covered with snot, saliva and sweat to discover the horrible she had done. She had smothered her own infant brother and her last surviving relative. She carried her infant brother in shock all the way to a refugee camp. As she journeyed she began to hallucinate about a lone wolf walking beside her. While inside the camp she was tormented by the screams of infant children which constantly reminded her of her little brother. She hallucinated about the wolf waiting just outside the camp. She wished only for the crying to stop. The wolf granted her wish. The wolf went from child to child silencing their screams. Since the wolf was just a figment of her imagination it was actually her going from infant to infant, one by one, snuffing out their little lives. Snake was again able to out snipe and defeat this enemy and as a result she came to terms with what had happened and was finally able to rest in peace.

Snake had defeated the third member of the B&B corps., he made his way to REX’s hanger. Once inside he was confronted by Vamp. Vamp was filled with nanomachines that accelerated his healing tremendously and made him near invincible. Snake’s first order of business was to inject Vamp with his nano suppressing syringe and make him mortal. Snake accomplished this task and as the two were about to fight they were interrupted by suicide Gekko designed to destroy Shadow Moses. Raiden now healed showed up and took on Vamp while Snake fended off the Gekko. After Vamp was killed, Snake boarded Metal Gear REX and attempted to escape through the hanger door. Naomi was also killed in the process as she turned off the nanomachines in her body and allowing a terminal cancer she had been living with to take her life. Snake drove REX out of the base safely before it was destroyed. Just as he thought the threat was over he was attacked by Liquid piloting a Metal Gear RAY. RAY was designed to be a REX killer but with Otacon’s help Snake was able to destroy RAY. Ocelot escaped however and injured Raiden heavily in the process.

Solid Snake now joined by Rat Patrol Team 01 had one last chance to stop Liquid. They took a WWII battleship to where Liquid was planning to launch a nuclear warhead using the railgun he had stolen from Metal Gear REX. Snake mission was to infiltrate the Arsenal Gear that Liquid was aboard and plant a virus that Naomi had created to destroy the AI GW once and for all. By doing this, Liquid would no longer be able to use GW to hack the Patriots system. Snake battled his way through the the ship and found himself in the ships belly along with Meryl who was knocked unconscious. After killing many of Liquid’s personal soldier’s, Snake was taken on by the last member of the Beauty and Beast Unit Screaming Mantis.

Screaming Mantis was a psychic and was controlling the other members of the B&B corps. She was born in South America. Her village was attacked and burned to the ground when she was still young. She was hunted day and night by death squads but was unable to escape so she took refuge in a basement. She stayed in the basement while being tormented by the screams of tortured villagers. She drank the dirty murky water and eventually began to hallucinate. She imagined a preying mantis who taught her how to block out the screams and would eat the corpses of males. Screaming Mantis had turned to cannibalism. Like a preying mantis she ate only male corpses. The fight between Snake and Screaming Mantis had striking similarities to the fight he had 10 years ago against Psycho Mantis. Screaming Mantis could manipulate anyone with nanomachines in them and would force the bodies of dead soldiers and Meryl to attack Snake. Snake incapacitated Meryl and defeated Screaming Mantis. Once again through defeat Mantis was able to deal with her past and was finally at peace. After she died however the spirit of Psycho Mantis himself took over her armor and demonstrated his powerful attacks. However before a fight could commence the spirit of the Sorrow banished him forever.

Snake having defeated everyone else had one last thing to do. He traveled down a corridor that was filled with microwaves to prevent people from attacking GW that laid at the end of the hallway. Snake had a death wish at this point because of his accelerated aging and the fact that he believed he would become a walking biological weapon based upon what Naomi had told him. He loaded in the virus and was shocked to see that virus not only destroyed GW but went on the destroy the entire Patriots system. Snake thought his mission was over but he had one last fight. He had to kill Liquid Ocelot once and for all.

On the very top of Arsenal Gear which Liquid had named Outer Haven the two fought hand-to-hand in what would be likened to their fight atop Metal Gear REX ten years earlier. The two fought to the death with Snake becoming the victor. In his dying breath Ocelot returned to his former self and told Snake that this was his plan all along and that JD and the Patriots had finally been destroyed.

Now that the Patriots along with Liquid had been destroyed Snake’s fight was finally over. Everyone moved on with their lives. Meryl and her father, Colonel Campbell, reunited at her wedding. Raiden and his girlfriend Rosemary joined together once again after she introduced his son to him. Snake had one thing left to do though. Believing that he was about to become a biological weapon he had to take his own life. Just as he was about to carry this out on Big Boss’s supposed grave, Snake was stopped by none other than Big Boss himself.

Big Boss approached Snake and disarmed him and forced him into a hug. Big Boss explained that the body destroyed by Liquid on the boat was actually that of Solidus. He explained that Revolver Ocelot had actually formed himself into Liquid Snake’s doppelganger to complete his mission of carrying out what he believed to be Big Boss’s final mission. Big Boss went on to say that he had been kept in a state of suspension by nanomachines and that after JD was destroyed he gained his consciousness back. He told Snake that he would not in fact become a biological weapon and that the FOXDIE in him would only live as long as he did. Big Boss explained that FOXDIE would only kill one more person and that would be himself. Big Boss became increasingly ill during the conversation and had Snake carry him to The Boss’s grave and saluted it once more as he had done 50 years ago. Big Boss then collapsed and died on The Boss’s grave. Before he died though he told Snake to live out his final days not as a snake but as a man. Snake then leaves the gravesite to live out his last few days in peace along with Otacon and Sunny.

Solid Snake is without a doubt the greatest hero in video games. It’s hard to imagine that this character who was created in 1987 for the MSX2 would still be relevant today. His staying power is almost unrivaled. Solid Snake is also the main character in what is, in my opinion, the greatest and most intricate story ever told. To grasp what this character has been through and what he has done is a task in and of itself. Solid Snake is an American hero to his very core.

Posted by Nerd Boy Wonder 10 December Permalink