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https://blacknerdproblems.com/hulk-1-review-2/

Writer: Donny Cates / Artist: Ryan Ottley / Marvel

It’s an understatement to say that any follow-up to Al Ewing’s immaculate Immortal Hulk series has a tall task. Still, the job needs to be done and if anyone can bring wild ideas to a comic book, it’s usually in good hands with Donny Cates. Cates and Ryan Ottley lead this new run on Hulk, offering up some pretty interesting ideas and nonstop action. Hulk #1 is promising. This new start to the Hulk sets up an intriguing look at the dynamic between Banner and Hulk’s relationship and his place in the Marvel universe. Let me tell you, it’s a hell of a concept.

We’ve seen many versions of the Hulk – as a hero, with Banner’s intelligence, as an agent of vengeance, and so on and so forth. But what about Banner? He’s usually the tortured soul trapped in his own body. His condition as the Hulk often overshadows that he’s one of the top minds in Marvel. Now, we’re seeing Banner that’s just as angry as the Hulk and in full control. He’s using that intelligence to trap the Hulk in his mind and use the Hulk’s body as he sees fit.

It’s a story that asks the question – What if Bruce Banner was the villain? This book is all rage and fury and Banner like we haven’t really seen before. I like it. Sure, Banner has been determined before and used the Hulk as a weapon but now, he’s angry in a way that he’s lashing out. A sharp contrast to the meek version of the character who just wants his nightmare to end. Cates and Ottley have made Banner downright ruthless, and it’s scary. 

So scary that the rest of the Marvel heroes have taken notice. The worst part is that nobody knows what he wants. One thing that I’ll say that this issue makes apparent is that Bruce Banner can do anything on this Earth without the Avengers questioning his every action. It’s sad how little faith or trust they are willing to have in Bruce and the Hulk. I hope that distrust is addressed sometime down the line.

Hulk #1 is a winner. Cates is looking to explore a side of Bruce Banner we haven’t seen before. Meanwhile, Ottley delivers with bombastic visuals and a detailed look at the new state of Bruce Banner’s mind. I’m looking forward to seeing how Ottley illustrates what the inside of Bruce’s mind palace looks like. This might sound strange but what works best about Cates and Ottley’s opening Hulk issue is that it largely ignores what’s come before. It doesn’t pretend that the events of Immortal Hulk didn’t happen, but it moves on from them, not letting its narrative be shackled to it. There’s no point. Instead, it focuses on setting up the new status quo of Banner and the Hulk, giving readers something they want to come back to. 

8.5 Broken Hulk Busters out of 10

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https://blacknerdproblems.com/magic-master-of-metal-1-review/

Writer: Mairghread Scott / Artist: French Carlomango, Jorge Coelho, Jacques Salomon, Francesco Segala / Boom! Studios

One of the first long pieces of fiction I ever read was the novelization of Magic: The Gathering’s Ice Age. It centered around Jodah, Archmage Eternal, a character who didn’t make it into cardboard until many years later, but the point stands that I do owe a nontrivial part of my love of speculative fiction to Magic, and I’ve been digging the recent comic additions to the universe. As such, the latest Master of Metal one-shot definitely spoke to me.

Tezzeret, the planeswalker artificer from Esper, is mechanically and thematically one of my favorite characters. Ambitious and adept at both social and actual engineering, he is a brilliant antagonist who has met his foes directly and indirectly, and any sort of insight into his character is always welcome in my book.

Master of Metal is a collection of four, interconnected one-shots that showcase different aspects of the character. Mairghread Scott does a fantastic job of writing a perfectly sinister and charming tone for Tezzeret and puts him through a veritable gamut of situations. We get a little bit of backstory, a little bit of long-term scheming, a little tinkering, and a little bit of a lot of the future conflicts to come. It’s a fun read that covers a lot ground in the 40-pages, maybe to the point where I would have enjoyed having it to be a two-parter to give it a little room to breathe, but regardless, Scott captured what makes the character and the universe so interesting.

Big props need to allocated to Francesco Segala, who helped unified the coloring of the three artists. All of the illustrations from Carlomango, Coelho, and Salomon were visually delightful, but it was Segala who helped ensure a standardized style that welded the story together. Like with the other Magic comic, the artists have a lot of fascinating set pieces to work with, and they make use of the different fantasy elements in the sandbox.

Master of Metal manages to walk a fine line of being an independent story that also has clear ties to the mainline universe. It is a fun and welcome read and makes for a great villainous story that vest our interest in the world. If you like the character, you can pick this up and enjoy getting some glimpses into Tezzeret being Tezzeret, and if you like the world, you’ll be very happy with all the different elements and callbacks in play. Magic comics continue to fill a neat little niche in my week to week reading, and I hope if you have a passing interest, you support the multiverse.

8.8 “Simulacrums” out of 10

Enjoying Magic? Check out BNP’s other reviews here.

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The post ‘Magic: Master of Metal #1’ Review appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.

http://geekbabyclothes.com/best-toddler-ride-on-toys/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=best-toddler-ride-on-toys

Looking for cool, unique toys? Check out our list of the best toddler ride-ons!

In case you hadn’t noticed, toddlers are constantly moving. They never stop. So give them access to toys that let them drive, scoot, ride, and otherwise get their zoomies out through play with ride-on toys! Now, I’m sure you’ve seen some of the ho-hum ride-on options available in every store. But did you know that there are some crazy cool ride-ons available? I mean, a ride-on AT-AT from Star Wars?! A “Mini-Farthing” version of a Penny Farthing bike (all the rage in the 1870s)? Marvel, DC Comics, and Disney? Plus, replicas of real world vehicles? There are so many options to geek out over!

Check out the list below, where we round up 16 of the coolest, most unique ride-ons toys for toddlers!

Pop Culture

Replicas

Unique

The post Best Toddler Ride-On Toys appeared first on Geek Baby Clothes.

https://blacknerdproblems.com/the-summit-of-the-gods-review/

summit

(n) – the highest point of a hill or mountain

(v) – to reach the summit of (a hill or mountain)

What does it take to reach the top? What does it take to be the best? What part of you drives you to attempt what many think is impossible? What cost are you willing to pay? Is it worth it?

The Summit of the Gods (originally Le Sommet des Dieux) is the animated adaptation of the graphic novel of the same name by Jiro Taniguchi (itself, based on a 1998 novel by Baku Yumemakura) that details the intertwined stories of Makoto Fukamachi and Habu Joji as they attempt to answer the above questions and also the entire history of climbing as a whole.

The movie opens up with a short introduction to George Mallory and Andrew Irvine, who were actual climbers who attempted to summit Mt. Everest in 1924 but mysteriously vanished. As the film goes on to explain, the first documented ascent didn’t happen until 1953; however, rumors in the climbing community say that Mallory’s lost camera could contain proof that Mallory was indeed the first to achieve the ascent. And while the camera kicks off the story as Makoto Fukamachi is offered a chance to purchase the supposed legendary item only to see it reacquired by its owner, the reclusive climber Habu Joji who then fades into a back alley.

And thus starts the two tales proper. One of the investigative journalist has a passive interest in climbing that becomes an outright obsession, and the other is an ambitious climber whose entire life has been devoted to the mountains. The Summit of the Gods combines two of my favorite types of stories: sports anime and stylized documentary. While The Summit of the Gods is not based on true events, it does contain a breadth of knowledge about climbing and provides a brilliant character study of its dual protagonists.

Right off the jump, the first thing you’ll notice is that The Summit of the Gods is beautifully animated and scored. Director and co-writer Patrick Imbert did a wonderful job of guiding the team to create an enthralling experience. The gorgeous set pieces of various mountains are absolutely breathtaking, and the music truly captures the majesty and emotions of the climbers, in both success and failure. As we bounce between the present of 1994 and the preceding decade of Habu Joji’s climbing career, we are treated to a visually enthralling feature. Fukamachi’s old school brick laptop and ancient browsers help solidify it as a brilliant period piece, and Joji’s different climbing efforts take us to a variety of mountains.

One thing I appreciate is that The Summit of the Gods tells the viewer enough to appreciate what is going on but never goes overboard with the exposition. We get lots of exposition about the nature of climbing sports but not a lot of explanation of the mechanics of climbing per se. Terminology and jargon like specific knots or what exactly a bivouac are thrown around casually, but it makes sense given that both of the protagonists are well versed in the climbing and wouldn’t spend time explaining the apparent. It leads an authenticity to the work, and I’m sure actual climbers will be able to appreciate their sport getting such a spotlight.

The vocal performances of the cast were stellar in both French and English, although given that this is a Netflix production, the subtitles for the English dub are comically incorrect. This complaint is true of any dub on the platform, but it’s one I won’t hold against the film. With a ninety-minute runtime, the movie progresses at a reasonable speed although there are occasions where the pace drags ever so slightly as it gets a little meditative. For the most part though, switching gears between the journalist looking for the truth and the climber making daring attempts and pushing past his limits is exceedingly entertaining and makes for a very satisfactory moment when the two characters inevitably meet. 

Don’t let The Summit of the Gods slip under your radar. It is a moving story that captures the grandeur of climbing and holds a deep reverence for history and nature and one that will captivate you.

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