Comic Book Reviews for July 12, 2017
It was another big week of comics. DC delivered another critical prelude to Dark Nights: Metal, brought back fan-favorite series The American Way and welcomed a new creative team on board Wonder Woman. Marvel continued to flesh out the Secret Empire conflict with various tie-in books and kicked off the long-awaited Spider-Men II.
Scroll down to check out our reviews for these and various other new releases, and be sure to let us know your favorite books of the week in the comments below.
DC COMICS
Explaining the Multiverse of the Planet of the Apes
I love Apes. No, not apes per se, but Apes. The entire crazy, convoluted chronology of those damn dirty Apes and how they ascended to dominance over the Earth, then fell in an explosive cataclysm, then rose again (sort of), then proliferated into a pop culture phenomenon with films, TV shows, books, comics, toys, and ephemera of all kinds. I love Apes!
But even as the latest film in the saga, War for the Planet of the Apes, arrives, we must face one fact, Apemaniacs: There’s a gorilla in the room and it’s called “continuity.” While other fandoms bang their heads against countless inconsistencies, desperately trying to reconcile bits of dialogue here and references there so their beloved saga maintains a pristine order of events (which is always impossible), we’ve had to resign ourselves to the fact that the Apes saga is not a single strand but a glorious multi-threaded wonder of many timelines and branched events sequences. And that’s fine! But for the sake of conversation, just how confusing is it? Let’s take a look!
Original Power Rangers Team Reveal Coming
It turns out that Jason, Zack, Kimberly, Billy, and Trini weren’t the original team of Power Rangers. That revelation will be the subject of a standalone tale in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #20 by Kyle Higgins and artist Daniele Di Nicuolo from publisher BOOM! Studios, which takes us back to 1969 to meet the original squad.
While we don’t have an image of this new team, we are able to exclusively provide he official names and character descriptions for each member. Check them out:
- Igor – 21, male, Soviet KGB agent
- Jamie – 24, female, British singer/songwriter
- Terona – 21, male, war veteran
- Daniel – 18, male, student/protestor
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Smite Card Game Moves to Open Beta
Hi-Rez Studios' collectible card game Hand of the Gods: Smite Tactics has left closed-beta.
To mark the occasion, Hi-Rez announced the Venus Competitor’s Pack to "bolster the decks of new players and veterans alike," with 70 cards, a "Venus skin for Aphrodite in Smite," and other bonuses.
In addition to the open beta announcement, Hi-Rez announced Project Olympus, "a new initiative intended to improve core game features" in Smite.
Smite Executive Producer Chris Larson said the update is "full of big changes that Smite fans have wanted for a long time." The first phase of Project Olympus is scheduled to roll out "over the next three Smite patches."
Some improvements coming to Smite in the Project Olympus updates include a 64-bit client, improvements to the HUD and controller support, and a "knowledge bank" to help novice and veteran players alike improve their game.
Batman Director Matt Reeves Isn’t Using Script by Ben Affleck, Geoff Johns
Director Matt Reeves has revealed he’s not working with the previous script for The Batman, opting instead for a new story. Reeves explained the shift on MTV's Happy Sad Confused podcast (via Batman News).
When asked if he was going to be using the script originally put together by Ben Affleck and DC’s Geoff Johns, Reeves replied, “No, it’s a new story. It’s just starting again. I’m excited about it. I think it’s going to be really cool.”
Reeves went on to qualify that, despite signing on to helm The Batman after Ben Affleck stepped down from directing duties, he’s been otherwise focused purely on his work on War for the Planet of the Apes and there’s nothing further to report on The Batman at this stage.
Star Wars: Why the Rey Piece Is Still Missing From Monopoly
Toy and board game-maker Hasbro has come forward to address why Star Wars: Monopoly still doesn't include a Rey player piece.
Despite Hasbro's announcement back in January 2016 that a new version of the game that includes a Rey piece would be available before year's end, consumers still haven't been able to find this revised version in stores. When asked about the situation by The Associated Press, spokeswoman Julie Duffy said via email that the Rey piece has been made but the sets that include the piece are not yet available for purchase in the United States.
Steam Is Getting a Revamped Recommendation System
Valve is working on a new recommendation system for Steam.
During a talk at Unite Europe 2017, Valve product designer Alden Kroll outlined how the company plans to change the Steam Store in a way that benefits developers by improving discoverability and providing better game recommendations.
As reported by Gamasutra, Kroll said that instead of having a group from within Valve decide which games are shown to Steam users, the company is taking an approach that provides "customers the tools they need to be able to customize and personalize their store." In order to accomplish this, Valve will provide users with the ability to directly sort and filter the content they are and aren't interested in.
Who Is Marvel’s Second Miles Morales?
Marvel's Spider-Men II mini-series has begun, and a five-year-long mystery is finally being addressed.
Warning: this article contains spoilers for Spider-Men II #1!
When the original Spider-Men series unfolded in 2012, Peter Parker and Miles Morales were still living in different universes. That book ended with Peter returning home and deciding to look up whether a version of Miles existed in his universe. The answer apparently shocked him.
The Best Third-Party Controllers for Xbox One
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Having the right controller in your hands can be a critical step towards gaming domination. Microsoft’s own Xbox One controllers are excellent and always a safe purchase, but the days of all third party controllers being cheapy monstrosities only fit for your little brother are over. Compared to the stock units some of these controllers offer a bit more panache, more features and customization, and other niceties and customization options. They're often cost a little less, too.