If ever there was a movie that was basically review proof, it’s Conan The Barbarian. The title spells out the concept very clearly. Either it appeals to you or it does not. And if it does, then I promise you that Marcus Nispel’s Conan film pulls no punches and delivers some hardcore barbarian action complete with countless beheadings and (as they’re credited on IMDB) plenty of “topless wenches.”

The film’s opening moments are slightly awkward as we experience a series of prologues including a voice over that introduces us to some of the sinister history of Hyboria, followed by Conan’s birth in the midst of battle, and finally his emergence as a warrior as a young teen and the murder of his father. From that moment forward, the film places a laser tight focus on the adult Conan, played by Jason Momoa (Game of Thrones), and his quest for revenge against his father’s killer.

Read more of this article »

reddit/r/comicbooks

Every week I’m part of a group that shares their comic book pull lists over at reddit.com/r/comicbooks. It’s a great way to discuss what you’re reading and sharing it with the MLD community seemed natural. Also, I won’t get my books until Saturday this week and talking about them helps temper the anticipation.

Read more of this article »

DC Comics’ War of the Green Lanterns crossover spanning their entire Green Lantern line of titles wrapped up this week. Not only did the crossover come to an end, but Part Ten (Green Lantern #67) was also the final issue of Geoff Johns’ Green Lantern series that launched in 2005 following Green Lantern: Rebirth. This is the title that reintroduced Hal Jordan into the DC Universe and spawned a number of events including the very popular Blackest Night. The status quo was definitely shaken up in the wake of the latest threat to the DC cosmos and it will be interesting to see how this translates to DC’s line-wide relaunch in September.

Spoilers for War of the Green Lanterns, the current and forthcoming Green Lantern series, rainbows and what’s on the other side will follow.

Read more of this article »

Marvel’s X-Men: Schism series begins tomorrow touted as the “X-Men event of the decade.” That’s a bold claim considering recent X-events like House of M, Messiah Complex and Second Coming, but as the title suggests Schism does promise to divide the mutant community and shake up the X-Men’s current status quo. The publication of the X-line will also be altered by the on-page effects of Schism as a new volume of Uncanny X-Men along with a new book titled Wolverine and the X-Men will spin out of this series. In preparation for the debut of Schism, Marvel shipped a weekly, four issue Prelude to Schism miniseries by Paul Jenkins throughout June.

Spoilers for Prelude to Schism will follow along with a lot of speculation about what will drive the X-Men apart this Summer.

Read more of this article »

We’re at the midway point of both Marvel’s Fear Itself and DC Comics’s Flashpoint. Each series has its share of strengths and weaknesses, but after four issues of Fear Itself it’s becoming difficult to envision a satisfying conclusion. We’ve seen a lot of worldwide carnage and destruction. Heroes like the Hulk and the Thing were corrupted by the Serpent, and Bucky Barnes, the current Captain America, was killed. Much of the impact of these events is just missing however. The series has an incredible number of tie-ins and mini-series telling different aspects of the story, but without having read them, the main series has at times seemed like a set of recap pages. Fear Itself #4 is an improvement, but where things have gone and how they have developed leaves something to be desired.

Spoilers for the issue and series will follow.

Read more of this article »