Cowa-Sequential

    Last year saw the passing of acclaimed comic book writer Denny O'Neill. O'Neill had a long history with many DC Comics superheroes as a writer and editor and is best known for revitalizing the character of Batman among others starting in the 1970s. I decided to pick up a copy of one of the more famous Batman issues of this era, Joker's Five Way Revenge which was written by O'Neill and drawn by Neal Adams. The story featured in Batman # 251, was released in November, 1973. While I am gaining a better appreciation for 1990s comics, I largely avoided avidly reading 1970s issues due to their seemingly dated nature and tropes. After reading this issue, I had some thoughts on both how the character and mythos of Batman has evolved over time and a greater appreciation for a more grounded Dark Knight. In Joker's Five Way Revenge, the Joker is seeking revenge for a presumed betrayal by killing members of his former gang and Batman is striving to stop him. By the time t...

Between the time the guns of August roared in 1914 until the signing of the Armistice in November, 1918, nations rose, empires fell, millions died, & the course of the 20 th Century was forever altered. World War I or the Great War is often called the forgotten war as it gets overshadowed by the subsequent World War II in American history and in popular culture. However the Academy Award nominated film ‘1917’ seeks to remind us all of this terrible conflict. While retellings of World War I can get entangled in the tales of kings, emperors, & statesmen, war must always be remembered as the story of ordinary soldiers. ‘1917’ focuses on two ordinary British soldiers who are tasked with a straightforward but crucial mission in the Western Front in northern France but through short conversations these two soldiers reveal quite intriguing conflicting on the so-called ‘War to End all Wars’ and war in general. In ‘1917’ William Schofield and Tom Blake are two soldiers and fri...

There's something oddly relaxing about going to an art museum. For me personally, it offers me a moment to both unwind and focus on the intricacies of the art on the wall. I feel that paintings greatly benefit from being seen in person as opposed to viewing on a computer screen or on a print. I can see and follow the brushwork and ultimately come away with a greater appreciation of the artist's skill and creativity. Last Friday, I went to the Barnes Foundation as a part of Philadelphia's 100 year celebration of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. It has long been on my list of museums to visit and while I have visited the Philadelphia Museum of Art,  I have never visited the Barnes before. Now on a cool September night, I decided to take that plunge. The Barnes Foundation building houses the art collection of  Philadelphia native Dr. Albert C. Barnes a chemist, physician, and businessman who lived in late 19th through the first half of the 20th Century. The collecti...

Hail Caesar The Planet of the Apes remake trilogy has been the most underrated film series of the past decade and it reaches its poignant conclusion in War for the Planet of the Apes. A lab created simian flu has wiped out most of humanity and given rise to a race of super intelligent apes. In what remains of the United States, Caesar the original super-intelligent ape, leads a colony of apes that are trying to escape guerrilla warfare orchestrated by a cra z ed colonel and his soldiers. War is part revenge story, and part prison escape, wrapped in the Moses Exodus story. War for the Planet of the Apes is an impactful film that humanizes apes and dehumanizes man in more ways that one and I heartily recommend it. I picked seeing this film over Spider-Man: Homecoming as I was growing tired of superhero films and felt that I needed to see something meatier. Having enjoyed both Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes , seeing...

Three movies in, DC's cinematic universe was in trouble. While the box office proceeds were high (if slightly beneath expectations), public reception of Man of Steel, Batman V. Superman, and Suicide Squad was mixed at best. Warner Brothers and DC needed a hit to simply save their troubled movie line let alone compete with Disney's ever expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe. Having finally seen DC's newest film Wonder Woman , I can say that overall the film was a giant step in the right direction. My exposure to Wonder Woman as a character is primarily from my exposure to the Justice League Animated Series as I never saw Lynda Carter's live action portrayal. Outside of some television backstory, she was literally a blank slate. I was intrigued by her Greek mythical background but never followed her comics either. Compared to prior films, I went into DC's Wonder Woman just expecting a good time. Wonder Woman starring Israeli actress Gal Gadot as the title cha...

Marvel's 2015 summer season ended with the release of Antman starring Paul Rudd. Antman was a film that I waffled on whether or not I was going to see it. I know little of the source material other than his name being Hank Pym and being an Avenger who has the power that can shrink himself. Outside of that, the character is pretty much a blank slate. I've always heard good things about Paul Rudd and Marvel is usually an entertaining time so I've decided to give this film a shot. Paul Rudd stars as Scott an idealistic thief who once released from prison tries to reconcile with his family and rebuild his life. However having trouble to find a job, Scott meets up with some old friends who convince him to rob the house of an old rich businessman named Hank Pym. Pym is estranged from both his daughter (Evangeline Lily) and his former company now controlled my his old protege Darren Cross (Corey Stoll). After cracking Pym's safe, Scott discovers and puts on the Antman s...

For millennials of a certain age Dragon Ball Z was a significant part of our lates 90s and early 2000s experience.The franchise was everywhere from the anime show to video games to the monsoon of related merchandise. Goku and friends return in the sequel to 2013's Battle of Gods film. The Z warriors must contend with the return of Frieza, one of their deadliest ones in  Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection F. The anime film had a limited edition run in select theaters in North America and I knew I had to go out of my way to give it a look. Let me start by saying I have loved Dragon Ball Z for years have several volumes of its manga, making a critical review quite difficult. I watched the film in a packed theater on the last night of its limited run with with a big smile on my face. The environment could not be beat with ages ranging from kids to 20-somethings like myself. The movie starts with Frieza's former minions using the wish-granting DragonBalls to bring their master back ...

Animated films have always held a certain place in my heart and while my interest mostly peaked in the 1990s and early 2000s I still keep an eye on certain films. When I saw Despicable Me a few years ago at a free outdoor screening and I was pleasantly surprised at how enjoyable it was. Gru was funny, the kids were charming, and the minions were fun side characters. In the time since their 2010 debut, Gru's yellow pill-shaped minions have taken a life of their own. Minions is the first feature length spin-off of the Despicable Me franchise showing the history of the Minions and briefly, how they met Gru. The film takes place in the 1960s and involves three Minions Bob, Kevin, and Stuart who are  looking for a new boss. The Minion horde has wander through decades of boss-less leadership to the point where their very existence is at stake. Bob, Kevin, and Stuart leave their home at the North Pole and eventually find their way to a Super-villain convention in Florida where t...

The summer movie season is here and once again I am struggling to catch up. However that has not kept me from seeing Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson's newest film San Andreas . The Rock has had an interesting transition from football player to professional wrestler and now to headline action star. He stars as a rescue helicopter pilot who's mission has him trying to save his family from a major earthquake along the San Andreas fault in California. I feel that the disaster movie genre has fell on hard times despite advancing CGI technologies and ballooning movie budgets. Following the disappointment that was Cloverfield and the over the top destruction of 2009's 2012 apocalypse, I felt my own interest in the genre waning. Will  Mr. Johnson be able to save his family and keep my interest for the film's entire run time? The movie begins with Ray (The Rock) and his helicopter rescue crew rescuing a young woman tho was trapped in a car on a cliff.  He is estranged fr...

Over the last decade, the bicycle riding scene in Philadelphia has been growing leaps and bounds. This has paralleled the rise of neighborhoods such as Fishtown that are near adjacent to Center City Philadelphia. Philadelphia tight grid street layout and system of bike lanes makes bicycling a rather convenient mode of travel. Last April, Philadelphia deepened its relationship with biking culture with the launch of its bike share program called Indego . Indego is the newest bike share program created by a partnership between the City of  Philadelphia and Independence Blue Cross. The program features many stations spread across Central Philadelphia where riders can rent out bikes using either cash or credit cards. When I was in Washington, DC I was sorely attempted to test their bike share program but could not due to time constraints. When IndeGo Bike Share opened Philadelphia I jumped at the chance to give it a go. The ride itself was rather smooth but it was hard t...

Another Christmas holiday, another Hobbit movie. However this isn't just any film about Shire-folk with hairy feet, The Hobbit: Battle of Five Armies brings both Peter Jackson's Hobbit trilogy and larger six film Middle Earth Saga to a close. The film serves as a climatic conclusion of Bilbo and company's quest to reclaim the Dwarf Kingdom at the Lonely Mountain and acts a bridge to the Fellowship of the Ring in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. The Hobbit trilogy has been criticized as being a poor man's LOTR and while I somewhat echo that sentiment for I found this new trilogy very enjoyable. Does Battle of Five Armies reach the heights found in the original films or does it still lie the shadow of its more epic predecessors. Battle of Five Armies begins as Desolation of Smaug ends with Smaug laying waste to Laketown ans after a bit of time and burning Bard dispatches Smaug by piercing  the hole in the dragon's armor-like hide with a black arrow. Following th...

Sony is one of those companies while not exactly a trainwreck, is prone to have soap opera-esque public relations nightmares. From the lackluster launches of the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita to the bungling of the Spider-Man film franchise and the Network data breaches, they seem to have an ideal mix of hubris and clueless-ness which makes The Interview debacle all the more fascinating. The Interview of course is the Seth Rogen, James Franco comedy vehicle where they are sent on a mission by the US government to interview then assassinate the North Korean leader Kim Jung Un. In response to the film, the North Korean government hacked Sony Pictures's confidential data and released them to the public. There were also threats of 9/11 type terrorist attacks against theaters that showed the film. Sony pulled the film from its Christmas release date though ultimately released the film digitally and at the movies. Sony is currently being sued for the breach and faced criticism f...

Super Smash Brothers is back and now portable with Super Smash Bros. 4 3DS. Super Smash Bros. 3DS is the portable version of the Wii U console game that has just been released. Not having yet taken the plunge on Nintendo's newest console, I am left with the 3DS version. If what you wanted was Super Smash Bros. Brawl on the go, Mashiro Sakurai and Nintendo have delivered exactly what you have ordered. I can't help be impressed by the sheer amount of content that has been put into this game. The character  roster is expansive as is the stage count with special attention to the F-Zero Super Nintendo themed stage. In actual overall content, I would place it between Melee and Brawl. While the game is lacking Brawl's expansive adventure mode, Smash Run, Classic, and All-Star modes provide a quick but familiar burst of fun. The graphics are among the most fluid I've seen during my limited experience with the console and the 3D effect does provide some added depth. H...

Besides Guardians of the Galaxy, Marvel's other great success in 2014 was the launch of  the new Ms. Marvel comic series. Ms. Marvel, the newest incarnation of the titular hero stars Pakistani-American Kamala Khan. Kamala Khan is a Muslim high-schooler from Jersey City who gains superpowers upon encountering a mysterious gas. While I am weary of Marvel's other attempts at 'diversity', Ms. Marvel is an interesting series in both tone and art style. In a medium often accused of one-dimensional characterization, and gender objectification, Ms. Marvel oozes personality, and creates a world which feels far more real than the rather cardboard Gotham City. The comic art is drawn in a way that gives the comic a somewhat grungy feel that one can reach out and touch it. The cartoonish style matches a hero who's primary power is shape shifting.   The series has also been a critical and financial success for Marvel and Kamala Khan proves to be a worthy entry into Marvel...

T he Legend of Zelda is one of gaming's oldest and most esteemed franchises. Originally appearing on the NES in 1987, the series has appeared on every Nintendo console and portable machine with entries such as 1998's Ocarina of Time be lauded as one of the greatest games of all time. I have played the majority of the series and am a solid fan of franchise, however lately something seems amiss. My most recently completed Zelda games are The Minish Cap for the Game Boy Advance and Twilight Princess on the GameCube released in 2005 and 2006 respectively. The Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks for the Nintendo DS remain unfinished as does Wii's motion controlled entry Skyward Sword. Is the Legend of Zelda series losing its spark or did I just lose the motivation to complete these titles? P hantom Hourglass is the touch screen controlled sequel to 2003's Wind Waker. Sailing remains a key element in this film however instead of controlling the ship directly, players c...

Scarlet Johanson has enjoyed an impressive string of success thanks in part to her role as Black Widow in the Avengers movie franchise.In her newest film Lucy , she stars as a woman who is implanted with a drug that allows her to access up to 100% of her brain. Lucy is a French film starring Johanson, Morgan Freeman, Mar Waked, and Choi Min-Sik. Lucy is kidnapped by ruthless Korean gangsters who operate a human trafficking ring that uses tourists as drug mules. During a fight with her captors, the drug pouch implanted inside her ruptures and she is inundated with the potent pills. As explained by Morgan Freeman, this allows her to manipulated objects with her mind, learn information rapidly and even travel through time. The film revolves around Lucy gradually unlocking greater portions of her brain while hunting down the Korean gangsters that kidnapped her. The main theme of Lucy is the passing down of knowledge to the next generation. The cycle of lif...

Not a Selfie When all is said and  done about the Millennial generation, it is my sincere and honest hope that we are not defined by the word selfie. It is unfortunate that selfie is now even a word according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Selfies are narcissistic but then one can say the same for other forms of self portraiture. However  I feel that smartphones have made the an individual selfie picture worthless due to the sheer volume of pictures taken. They are taken to be looked at for a moment and then cast aside for the next one. Artistically rendered self-portraits take more time and care and are ultimately more valuable than a photo file that is lost among the millions online or stuck on a forgotten hard-drive. According to Google's spell-check, the word selfie auto-corrects to both self and selfish and I feel that this is particularly telling. I look forward to the day when this selfie craze dies down as a feel that the word is reaching its saturation point. ...

Guardians of the Galaxy is one of Marvel's more out there properties that I could not believe would reach the big screen certainly not before a Justice League film. However it is 2014 and here we are. Guardians of the Galaxy stars Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, David Bautisa, Bradley Cooper, and Vin Diesel though Diesel and Cooper are voicing CGI characters. The story is simple. A band of outlaws must work together to stop a fanatic from using the ultimate power to destroy a planet. However unlike other films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the plot is loosely connected excluding brief cameos from The Collector and Thanos.  Chrus Pratt starrs as Peter Quill, a human thief  who comes across a mystical orbof unfathomable power. Soon he is joined by Groot and Rocket Raccoon voiced by Disell and Cooper who are bounty hunters attempting to capture him and Gamora an alien assassin who is trying to kill him and recover the orb. Pratt is great in his role but...

The Purge was one of 2013's biggest surprise movie successes. While it didn't draw the box office numbers of The Avengers, it did recoup its budget many times over. Unsurprisingly a sequel, The Purge: Anarchy is releasing this month and due to that, I decided to give the The Purge a try to see what they hype was about. In The Purge, the crime and unemployment rates in the United States have plummeted in a seemingly perfect society, however once a year for 12 hours all crime is legal and all emergency response is suspended. People are allowed to take  out their violence, anger, and hate on whoever they want during this period and suffer no legal consequences. In the film it is explained to be a release and a way to cleanse themselves of their sins however in actually is cleansing society of the sick, weak, and poor.  In an affluent Los Angeles suburb a security systems salesman played by Ethan Hawke and his family must survive an assault by crazed bands of 1%ers. Hawke work...

The Sonic the Hedgehog franchise has gone through many changes over its two decade existence. From its birth on the SEGA Genesis and transition to 3-D on the SEGA  Dreamcast to its struggles throughout the last decades, many wondered if Sonic would ever be good again. Since Sonic Adventure  2, I have played several newer Sonic games including Sonic Heroes and Sonic and the Secret Rings however theses titles were mediocre at best. A new game would be announced raising fan expectations and the final product would be a disappointing mess and this same cycle continued for years. Sonic Colors for the Wii and along with Sonic Generations for the Xbox 360 and PS3 helped change this perception. Sonic Colors' plot is fairly basic, Sonic and Tails visit Dr. Robotnik's interstellar amusement part and have to rescue the aliens that the doctor has captured there. The overall tone of the game is similar to those of Saturday morning cartoon shows with voice acting that fits. Unli...