Digital Library Reads | The Goddess of Thunder

When it was originally published as single issues the anticipation for the new Thor was shrouded in mystery that was behind the mask. At the age of modern heroes hiding identities are not the thing nowadays, but Jason Aaron made sure the readers would stick around to find out who was the ‘New’ Thor. It only took a few issues but most of the longtime readers were sticking to their guns and trying to wrap around their head in this endeavor that the new Thor was a woman and fans were on board guessing who she really was until the revelation that it was none other than Jane Foster. It was also a series that put Thor Odinson in his difficult time as the unworthy Thunder God, but it puts him further down to the path that changes are coming for the character not that he has experienced the most challenging moment of his life. Stan Lee and Jack Kirby have the most powerful Marvel character for its time originally appearing first in Journey into Mystery. But Jason Aaron puts a spin on the Thor series that new readers would catch their curiosity with the changes on the character and its mythology. Though not everyone was onboard with the concept there are those are not impressed, but it had one of the longest runs in modern comics history that not only tells the narrative of the ever evolving characters and developments of all that made the series refreshing. But this time around it focuses on the life journey of Jane Foster whose battling cancer despite being worthy of the power of Mjolnir that made her the Goddess of Thunder.

Digital Library Reads | The Immortal Hulk

A monster creature that comes out and terrorizes the night is a recipe for a horror genre. When you talk about The Hulk it takes you back how popular character based from the creation of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, which first appeared in its landmark issue back in 1962. For so many years the jade giant is both hero and menace at the same time a founding member of the Avengers. There have been many depictions and stories about Dr Bruce Banner and the ginormous creature that was created from a Gamma Bomb accident. There’s too many iterations and representation about the character, but one thing that takes me back to my childhood was the TV series that featured Bill Bixby as Banner and when ‘he gets angry’ turns into Lou Ferrigno as The Hulk. Similar stories in the classic television series inspired the movies and even the comicbooks. But Al Ewing who wrote the Immortal Hulk series certainly grew up watching the show adapts the concept of Bruce Banner being on the run to new heights while adding horror story elements that propelled this series to new heights of refreshing take why Banner is The Immortal Hulk and defines the character’s refreshing status quo not a superhero element, but also brings back the nostalgic creatures from the old comicbook anthologies of the past.

Digital Library Reads | Black Widow (2016)

If you’re now branded as S.H.I.E.LD.’s Most Wanted what are you gonna do? Black Widow gets a series of her own published in 2016 with the Eisner Award-winning team of Mark Waid and Chris Samnee that wowed readers during their run on Daredevil followed up with their collaboration with this series. Natasha Romanova takes front and center going up against SHIELD and Iron Man while trying to track down the Weeping Lion and her past connections to the Red Room is no easy feat as going up against anything that throws at her in this action packed six-issue story arc that you’re watching a live-action film full of no dialogues and features how Chris Samnee elevate his artistry with an impressive visual narrative of what he continues to do since Daredevil and now with Black Widow. There are some serious repercussions for Natasha to face and as they say “you reap what you sow” that delves into her past as well as dealing with being chased, blown, and knife through the got in the awesome spread pages of action that define super spy genres for the modern times. Truly, it can be adapted into film, but as a graphic novel there’s nothing like great art, impressive silent issues, and a good narrative to boot!

Digital Library Reads | Doctor Strange (2015)

In the past years prior to Marvel producing a live-action film adaptation of Doctor Strange (2016) most of the roles Stephen Strange has been reduced to a background character or supporting roles to heavy hitters like the Avengers or changing the roster of Defenders where he was a founding member along with Silver Surfer, The Hulk, and Namor in the original comicbooks. But after Marvel announced that they have finally bringing the character to the cinematic universe they revive the comicbook series in 2015 that has a new creative team with Jason Aaron and Chris Bachalo. Of the two artists I’ve only knew of Bachalo from his previous works highlighting Death: A High Cost of Living that was written by Neil Gaiman. It is there I’ve known the artist for his fantasy and supernatural elements as his art style can be part of Doctor Strange’s aesthetics. For someone who reads well-grounded and realistic graphic novel genre the only supernatural comicbook I’ve ever followed was Ghost Rider and it is not even Johnny Blaze, but it was Dan Ketch and basically that’s how fantastically supernatural I can get with this genre. But Doctor Strange got me into appreciating the character through Chris Bachalo and going back to seeing how progressive the concept of his abilities was first seen through Stan Lee and Steve Ditko’s earlier works and introduction.

Digital Library Reads | Captain Marvel

Before Captain Marvel presented herself in the big screen as portrayed by Brie Larson in the 2019 film she was first introduced six year before through a new series by Kelly Sue DeConnick and Dexter Soy’s debut as its newest artist that was discovered by CB Cebulski on social media. At that time everything was new and refreshing that Carol Danvers is taking the mantle of what would be a plethora of stories to come that would also launch a new artist’s career. 2012 was like yesterday but that was almost eight years ago and Captain Marvel is still soaring from what could be a genesis that began with DeConnick and Soy’s collaboration with its first six issues collected into a trade paperback titled “Pursuit of Flight.” These days Dexter Soy is the regular writer for DC Comics’ Batman and the Outsiders while Kelly Sue DeConnick recent work was the regular writer for Aquaman where she started in issue #43 back in 2018. But both creative artists re-branded Captain Marvel to what everyone has known today. If that wasn’t enough to take the pursuit of flight a reality some elements of the book made it to the films. “Pursuit of Flight” may be a little dated but this is where it all began. Carol Danvers takes centered stage and owning the mantle was a game changer eight years ago rebranding the character and bringing forward what she meant to be.

Dr. Strange #19 | A Matter of "The Choice"

Doctor Strange is quite an oddball character for a superhero comicbook, but Marvel seemed to get everyone on board for someone who wields magic and sorcery. Honestly, I’m not a fan even though I’ve seen the live-action film starring Benedict Cumberbatch as I’m more into the street level type of superhero. But the oddness of Doctor Strange still draws curiosity since it also covers supernatural. Recently I picked up a copy of the latest series with Dr. Strange: Surgeon Supreme as the status quo of the character has changed more aptly a perfect storm for new stories due to the change on the dynamic as his hands were finally healed that was told in the previous series. This got me more curious on that story as I went to hunt down that back issue and finally found one at Comic Odyssey in Robinsons Galleria. Actually, it was the very last one that I have to get it. Though numerous online outlets has finally reviewed the comicbook sometime last year it is worth noting this issue is sort of a ‘game changer’ for the character since Stephen Strange’s origin in becoming the Sorcerer Supreme was the result of a car accident that destroyed both his hands to seek a cure for it, which ended in becoming the protector and the last line of defence against all manner of dark sorcery.

Dr Strange: Surgeon Supreme | No More Jazz Hands

01.03.2020 - There have been so many great graphic novels out there it is challenging pick the best ones and invest in its first story arc. Of course, there also the pitfalls of missing out what happened in the previous story that you tend to backtrack and sometimes there’s no way to get them back unless a trade paperback gets released. But oddly enough big publications like Marvel and DC try their best to keep old readers still like to read at the same time welcome new readers to the fold with a starting point. Both have contradicting ways to make it happen Marvel starts all over again with an issue #1 like what they did with Dr Strange for its new narrative.

When Art Toy Meets Spider-Verse

12.14.2018 – The new Happy Meal toys for the month December 2018 in the Australia and the Philippines is promoting the release of “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse”, which is one of the best feature-length animated films to come out in 2018 that is breaking new grounds with the concept. Integrating and breaking traditional animation style has greatly changed with how you appreciate them now that it’s now possible to produce superhero films in the live action medium. This is also the same way how McDonald’s trying to find ways making their toys relevant to this generation of video games.

Deadpool 2 | Final Trailers Released

04.21.2018 – Ryan Reynolds has made the Deadpool character his own. The original film made him more of a popular actor to portray the Merc with the Mouth. There’s no one like Reynolds and as the film continues to unravel through trailers expect some more off the wall comments. Now that the sequel is getting more reveals this one doesn’t stop from making comments at the same time his usual break of the fourth wall can’t be stopped. Surely, you’ll never get tired of Wade Wilson when he does go and strut his stuff as 20th Century Fox has finally revealed its Final Trailer!

Deadpool 2 | Red & Green Band Trailers

03.22.2018 – Hot in the heels of Marvel’s major film with Avengers: Infinity War a little known film called Deadpool 2 has just recently released a new trailer featuring not only Wade Wilson, but the characters that would become X-Force. The new trailer features two variations (namely Red & Green Band) and 20th Century Fox made sure you’ll have your eye on senyor Wade and his colorful crew that also feature the time travelling Cable as his main baddie for this long awaited sequel to the 2016 original.

Press Film Review: Fantastic 4!

08.05.2015 – Fantastic 4 is the series that put Marvel on the map during the 1960s and it’s the series that jumpstarted the silver age comics. It is the first super team and at the same time reinvigorated the superhero genre from the house of ideas. It’s more popular than the Avengers and an iconic superhero team second only to the X-Men. Now 20th Century Fox has rebooted this franchise for its third film that has been discussed when the studio announced to produce it seven years ago…

Reel Review: Ant-Man!

07.15.2015 – Every comic book fan has their favorite hero and mostly it’s the popular ones that take the spotlight and the secondary ones gets left out. For Marvel their winning formula is not the about taking popular characters. This was one takes you back to the first “Iron-Man” film that before was relatively unknown when they sold the rights to the “Fantastic Four”, “Spider-Man” & “X-Men.” Marvel is doing this again after “Guardians of the Galaxy” with “Ant-Man!”

Marvelous: New Toys for the Summer

03.16.2012 – I rarely share about my toy collections or what I got today here and mostly the general stuff that goes out here is unrelated to my other blog. But I have previously shared to you the stuff I get from close friends based outside the country. Some of them where unexpected since I never asked for them and out of friendship they just surprise me. I stopped buying toys in a long time and I can only get them when I’m willing and able to afford them. I get them through the gift checks that I receive as a token from previous blog events but rarely buy as I have enough.

Toy Photography: A Productive Inspiration!

10.02.2011 - How do you give a good impression? There are a lot of ways to be inspired and sometimes I top myself in one category I truly enjoy. Toy Photography is one of the areas where I don’t compete with anyone but myself alone. In my own little way of getting myself doing something out of the ordinary it makes me slow down for a bit and admire the view. Currently a few people already had their “thumbs up” on the subject. I love Toy Photography that I don’t mind seeing myself competing. I look at it now as an art form rather than boasting on how topping the others.

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The Great Saturday Saver

05.23.2010 - Sometimes when you're out of cash, and you only get some perks from the past blog events unexpected becoming a Gift Cheque. For some, it's a cach alternative than getting the pay you'd expect from all that going in and around the events that you're invited to. If your tight and trying to save money, the gift cheues would be considred your alternative from being on a budget, which comes handy in a speciific kind of 'splurge' from actually pulling out your wallet. It is definitely the next best thing to not having actual cash or even own a credit/debit card, which is a simple story to share for today's adventure...