Spider-Gwen Comic Book Series Review 001

Three Problems With Spider-Gwen; or, “Your Waifu a Shit”! By Hugo Guzman

Well, the first issue of Spider-Gwen Vol. 2 is out.  And it’s worse than I feared. Radioactive Spider-Gwen #1 showed that the authors have to take a serious look at where they want to take their erstwhile heroine. While the issue was a fun read and it wasn’t outright shit, there are a few serious problems  — problems that have plagued Spider-Gwen since Edge of The Spiderverse #2….

Change for the Sake of Change

First, I have to tackle a pet peeve of mine:

WHY IS HARRY OSBORNE BLACK NOW?

And then there’s…

WHY DID THE WASP BUILD THE SHOOTERS?

Changes like these have already been teased, by which I mean shoved down our throats like a glass of Drano. Felicia Hardy was made a black Frenchwoman (or Cajun?) in Spider-Gwen #6, and Matt Murdock now works for Kingpin. Even changes I really liked, such as Frank Castle still working with NYPD, left me scratching my head.

The webshooters in particular really hit me hard. There’s no reason Peter Parker (who knew about Gwen’s powers, if certain panels are to be believed) couldn’t build the shooters anyway, this time for Gwen instead of himself. In fact, this plot-point works even better — the point is frequently made that Gwen feels responsible for Peter’s death. Having Gwen’s signature weapon/transport double as her last connection to Peter would serve for a touching point — even after his death, Peter is still there for his best friend/waifu! Instead, we got the Wasp involved for… what reason, exactly?  No doubt this will be made clear in later issues, but I’m confident that it was a poor move.

Why is stuff like this necessary?  It’s almost like….

They Don’t Want You to Realize There’s No Story!

I’m just gonna say it.  Every issue of Spider-Gwen has been about stuff being thrown at Gwen, followed by her reactions. Sometimes, it’s literally stuff, like when Frank Castle just started chucking grenades. Other times, it’s a situation — Gwen is thrown into a conflict with her band, or Gwen is thrown into a conflict with her police officer dad. Gwen usually then thinks about it, then reacts.

This wouldn’t be such a problem if Gwen also did things. But as I’m writing this, I’m having a seriously tough time thinking of a time Spider-Gwen acted, rather than just reacted. She’s not an agent — she doesn’t do things because she wants to. She does them because something has happened, and she’s reacting to it. I want to believe that if no one were throwing stuff at her, Gwen would just stay in bed all day long.

Well, stay on her couch.

This also leads to an interesting problem — the people who are doing the acting in Spider-Gwen have no business doing the acting. Case in point: Spider-Gwen #6. What was not!Felicia Hardy trying to accomplish, besides giving Spider-Gwen something to react to? Why does Kingpin want Spider-Gwen on his side, except so that Spider-Gwen can fight off his goons? And as to what the Vulture even doing here — the comic outright calls him senile at one point! Since Gwen isn’t doing anything but reacting, other characters have no motivations besides give her things to react to. And that’s a problem because it leaves us acting...

Who the Fuck is Gwen Stacy?

Alright, now here’s the BIG issue. There are so far EIGHT issues of Spider-Gwen out there. One for the original Spiderverse one-shot, six from the short run before Secret Wars, and Radioactive Spider-Gwen #1. So how sad is it that THIS INFOBOX….

…. has told me more about Gwen Stacy than any of those comics? All I knew before this back-page primer on our heroine is that:

1. She felt guilty over getting Peter killed.
2. Her dad was a cool guy.
3. She makes jokes and stuff, like Peter Parker.
4. Oh, and she likes drumming.

Now it makes sense why there’s no story. Spider-Gwen #6 makes sense now. The issue with these issues is that they are exposition dumps — we’re not just being introduced to Gwen STacy as Spider-Woman. She’s being shoved down our throats in such a way that this bio is a better source of information than eight freaking comics. This one page does a better job at explaining who Gwen Stacy is than 30-40 dollars worth of painted paper.

But how do we fix it…?

How to Fix It…

Origin Story!

As I mentioned earlier, the lack of story really hurts Spider-Gwen. No story means I can’t see how Gwen operates, except as she reacts to stuff. There’s one really concrete story-thread, though:

The Death of Peter Parker.

I’m not really a fan of the origin story, especially when thrown on the big screen. But Spider-Gwen would benefit from an origin story in that it would really highlight how she’s different from Peter Parker — different in ways besides “She’s Gwen Stacy!”

For example, when she’s not webslinging, Gwen is pretty introverted. Let’s see if she was like that before the powers. A huge point is also made about Gwen’s drumming, and that handy infobox told us that’s a big deal for her. An origin story would let us see why it’s a big deal, what it does for her.

Three Problems With Spider-Gwen; or, “Your Waifu a Shit”!

By Hugo Guzman

Well, the first issue of Spider-Gwen Vol. 2 is out.  And it’s worse than I feared. Radioactive Spider-Gwen #1 showed that the authors have to take a serious look at where they want to take their erstwhile heroine. While the issue was a fun read and it wasn’t outright shit, there are a few serious problems  — problems that have plagued Spider-Gwen since Edge of The Spiderverse #2….

Change for the Sake of Change

First, I have to tackle a pet peeve of mine:

WHY IS HARRY OSBORNE BLACK NOW?

And then there’s…

WHY DID THE WASP BUILD THE SHOOTERS?

Changes like these have already been teased, by which I mean shoved down our throats like a glass of Drano. Felicia Hardy was made a black Frenchwoman (or Cajun?) in Spider-Gwen #6, and Matt Murdock now works for Kingpin. Even changes I really liked, such as Frank Castle still working with NYPD, left me scratching my head.

The webshooters in particular really hit me hard. There’s no reason Peter Parker (who knew about Gwen’s powers, if certain panels are to be believed) couldn’t build the shooters anyway, this time for Gwen instead of himself. In fact, this plot-point works even better — the point is frequently made that Gwen feels responsible for Peter’s death. Having Gwen’s signature weapon/transport double as her last connection to Peter would serve for a touching point — even after his death, Peter is still there for his best friend/waifu! Instead, we got the Wasp involved for… what reason, exactly?  No doubt this will be made clear in later issues, but I’m confident that it was a poor move.

Why is stuff like this necessary?  It’s almost like….

They Don’t Want You to Realize There’s No Story!

I’m just gonna say it.  Every issue of Spider-Gwen has been about stuff being thrown at Gwen, followed by her reactions. Sometimes, it’s literally stuff, like when Frank Castle just started chucking grenades. Other times, it’s a situation — Gwen is thrown into a conflict with her band, or Gwen is thrown into a conflict with her police officer dad. Gwen usually then thinks about it, then reacts.

This wouldn’t be such a problem if Gwen also did things. But as I’m writing this, I’m having a seriously tough time thinking of a time Spider-Gwen acted, rather than just reacted. She’s not an agent — she doesn’t do things because she wants to. She does them because something has happened, and she’s reacting to it. I want to believe that if no one were throwing stuff at her, Gwen would just stay in bed all day long.

Well, stay on her couch.

This also leads to an interesting problem — the people who are doing the acting in Spider-Gwen have no business doing the acting. Case in point: Spider-Gwen #6. What was not!Felicia Hardy trying to accomplish, besides giving Spider-Gwen something to react to? Why does Kingpin want Spider-Gwen on his side, except so that Spider-Gwen can fight off his goons? And as to what the Vulture even doing here — the comic outright calls him senile at one point! Since Gwen isn’t doing anything but reacting, other characters have no motivations besides give her things to react to. And that’s a problem because it leaves us acting...

Who the Fuck is Gwen Stacy?

Alright, now here’s the BIG issue. There are so far EIGHT issues of Spider-Gwen out there. One for the original Spiderverse one-shot, six from the short run before Secret Wars, and Radioactive Spider-Gwen #1. So how sad is it that THIS INFOBOX….

…. has told me more about Gwen Stacy than any of those comics? All I knew before this back-page primer on our heroine is that:

1. She felt guilty over getting Peter killed.
2. Her dad was a cool guy.
3. She makes jokes and stuff, like Peter Parker.
4. Oh, and she likes drumming.

Now it makes sense why there’s no story. Spider-Gwen #6 makes sense now. The issue with these issues is that they are exposition dumps — we’re not just being introduced to Gwen STacy as Spider-Woman. She’s being shoved down our throats in such a way that this bio is a better source of information than eight freaking comics. This one page does a better job at explaining who Gwen Stacy is than 30-40 dollars worth of painted paper.

But how do we fix it…?

How to Fix It…

Origin Story!

As I mentioned earlier, the lack of story really hurts Spider-Gwen. No story means I can’t see how Gwen operates, except as she reacts to stuff. There’s one really concrete story-thread, though:

The Death of Peter Parker.

I’m not really a fan of the origin story, especially when thrown on the big screen. But Spider-Gwen would benefit from an origin story in that it would really highlight how she’s different from Peter Parker — different in ways besides “She’s Gwen Stacy!”

For example, when she’s not webslinging, Gwen is pretty introverted. Let’s see if she was like that before the powers. A huge point is also made about Gwen’s drumming, and that handy infobox told us that’s a big deal for her. An origin story would let us see why it’s a big deal, what it does for her.

Basically, having an origin story would help the reader nail down Gwen Stacy as a character who is more than just “Peter Parker’s waifu” or “Female Spider-man #32”. The pieces are already there, in fact!  Her drumming skills, her family life and general personality are just begging to be explored — but throwing stuff at Gwen is NOT the way to do it!

The Black Capes are Coming

Article by: Joey Barrios

The first time I saw the Batman with my own eyes was when I was watching my first episode of 1996’s Batman the Animated Series..  This episode, “The Laughing Fish”, involved the Joker releasing a toxin in Gotham City Harbor that only affected fish resulting in ...  [Jokers’s plan was that since all the fish in Gotham harbor now bear an uncanny likeness, he is entitled to royalties].   explaining the premise of the first iteration I’ve seen of Batman.  This episode ends with a shark seemingly devouring the Joker.  Jim Gordon, commissioner of the Gotham City Police Department, asks Batman if he believes the Joker is gone for good.  Batman looks out to the sea, and bluntly responds that as much as he wishes it were true, he doubts it deep inside.

Looking back on that episode, it was such a ridiculous set up, but it made me reflect on how the world of Batman has played a part in my imagination as a child.  That was the start of the dynamic relationship that Batman and Joker would share for me, as two forces in a never ending war.  Batman has always been my favorite as a kid— he has grown up with me all these years.  As Batman gone through trials and errors he has demonstrated that through hard work and determination, dreams and goals can be accomplished.  Taking this simple advice to heart I have been endeavoring in my academic learning, illustration skills, and broadening my horizons during my youth to my adolescence.  I loved him in the Animated Series, where his world is occupied by compelling characters such as Robin, Joker, Alfred, Batgirl, and Jim Gordon.  A few years later, I loved the gothic and theatrical atmosphere of Tim Burton’s The Batman Returns.  As I grew up, I enjoyed the light hearted series, Justice League, and the gritty but edgy world of Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy.  Then the dark yet magnificent world of the Batman was brought to life in Rocksteady’s Arkham videogame series.  The animated series was really the first iteration of Batman that I have witnessed and I highly praise the show based on its animation quality, thought-out stories, and influences on the Batman mythos.  It was not until when Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight (2008) was released that my adoration for Batman was cemented, watching that film captivated me by utilizing what is to love about the Batman mythos and adapting it to the big screen.  Only recently have I gotten into comics, and reading Frank Miller’s early work on the caped crusader was the epitome of Batman’s lore.  Writers such as Scott Snyder and Grant Morrison have made conclusive iterations of Bruce Wayne and have never been more appealing.  The point is, as I grew up, Batman has always been there for me to fall back on, a story that spoke to me, and one that makes me want to illustrate his world.  It’s still happening to this day with the recent films, video games, and comics.  I hold a lot of value in Batman because he’s a character with ideals and morals I hold close, a resourceful archetype that fans love, and when he is written well it makes for amazing literature.

            Batman has been my favorite character in fiction since I first discovered the character.  He is a character that simply inspires us to be the very best we can, given our human limitations.  Scott Snyder, current writer of the solo-titled Batman comic book series says,

“He represents the hero in all of us – the hero we can all be, if we commit ourselves to a cause we believe in.  He has no superpowers; he’s just a man – a man on an unshakable mission to do what he thinks is right, despite the odds, despite the punishment, the sacrifices, the pain… And yet through sheer act of will, through his own dedication to justice – he has transformed himself into the most formidable hero of all time” (Wallace).

 Snyder illustrates why so many fans look up to the Dark Knight.  Bruce is a character with an undying sense of willpower  to construct himself as the solution to every problem with a plan for every scenario (which can be regarded as a superpower on its own merit).   He’s always prepared and keeps his guard up, always several steps ahead of others.  Bruce is an average guy besides the amount of wealth he has, extensive physical combat training, and knowledge in detective work, an average guy nonetheless.  Yet, he wages a war on the crime world that has lasted for almost his entire career and has fought alongside with DC’s most powerful characters against invasions, calamity, and gods.  For example, during Final Crisis (a DC universal event) Darkseid the evil god finally acquires the anti-life equation that allows him to take control of all sentient beings.  Escaping from confinement, Batman fires a radiation bullet mortally wounding Darkseid before the dark god seemingly kills off the Batman with his omega beams.  

            He also has demonstrated that family is not restricted only to blood but to the bonds you share with others.  Bruce is accompanied by people who care for him unconditionally and loves all those he takes under his wing like a son or daughter  Bruce’s long standing butler; Alfred Pennyworth has been with Bruce through the thin and thick of it all.  Alfred has supported Bruce on his endeavor of a campaign despite the hardships Bruce has to face and many times has cured his illnesses and mended his broken body back to fighting shape. We all are simply human, but when we put all that behind us, when you strip all that down, we strive to be better. It’s what makes  Batman an enduring character.  That simple trait of what it means to be human – that inner voice that tells us to never give in, to never stop trying no matter what given the impossible odds, to do what it is we think is right – is what makes us a force to reckon with.  Batman is respected and feared in the superhero community by being the best of the best when it comes to humans, which elevates him to an almost god-like status.  Bruce lives in a world where the impossible is possible so when the superheroes of the DC universe have exhausted all other options they turn to the world’s greatest detective.

            Secondly, another reason why fans adore Batman is because they understand his archetype.  A typical mythos contains a limited set of models or ideal characters called “archetypes” that are told by storytellers throughout various settings and situations.  This limited set of ideal characters which are known as a “pantheon”,  is the staple for which new characters are based off of.  The concept of the pantheon has been around as long as humans have told stories to describe the forces around us, much like Greek mythology.  That doesn’t mean Batman is society’s god or that he holds any religious significance.  For some of us, he seems like a god, so we invest our hopes and fears into the character, and we ask a lot out of Batman.

Not just anyone can wear the cowl.  Timothy Callahan, a comic book reviewer has said, “The Dark Knight detective aspect is something that comes out of Batman’s roots; he’s more like the god of problem solving.  Batman is a ‘trickster’ hero, one that can certainly use brute force, but relies on his intelligence and wit to get him out of scrapes and save the day.  He plays the ‘god of retribution’ role because it implies the human need for justice in an unjust universe – and for hope in an otherwise hopeless place” (Comic Book Resources).  Humans fight in the madness that spawns darkness within us; we struggle to make our own light.  Heroes fight for justice, a sense of hope.  Bruce will never stop his crusade; he holds hope and confidence in his own decisions and actions.  He holds no faith in a savior up above because he himself has the power to change things.

            People could argue that there are better superheroes than Batman and are capable of greater abilities.  Take Superman for example, he has super-strength, the ability of flight, superhuman-endurance; speed, reflexes, invulnerability, breath, x-ray and heat vision, solar energy absorption.  Superman is everything Batman is not; an overpowered superhero.  Bruce is aware of his allies’ strengths and weaknesses so he always has a plan for every scenario if things take a turn for the worse.  Batman has admitted, “If Clark wanted to, he could use his superspeed and squish me into the cement.  But I know how he thinks.  Even more than the kryptonite, he’s got one big weakness.  Deep down, Clark’s essentially a good person… and deep down, I’m not” (Loeb).  Superman is practically a god amongst men, and Batman is just that, a mere mortal.  Superman’s archetype is a character that can solve any problem almost instantly, he does not have any problems but he manufactures his own.  While Batman deals with problems head on, Superman creates for himself to become human.  Batman’s preparations and contingency plans can only work to an extent when the tremendous odds are against him.  He is only human, and humans experience fatigue, pain, trauma, and finally death.  However, this reason is why Batman is the most favored comic book character over all others. Explaining why batman is adored because he’s relatable as opposed to superman.  superman is a god whereas batman is mortal like all of us.  it’s in that relatable weakness that people can find purpose and a drive to push them, superman has no limits in the first place. Superman is the dream that people aspire to be, the righteous boy-scout that uses his powers only for good.  Superman above all things is lawful, kind, courteous, helpful, friendly, brave, a true believer.  He will verbally question Batman's methods of apprehending criminals, Superman is just that square.  Although when superman will put himself at risk to save innocents his boy-scout actions are commendable.  Batman represents the reality of the best and worst that people can become a monument to all of their sins, a real formidable product of commitment and determination.  In the future, Batman’s archetype will be a staple in the comic book mythos new characters will be modeled after.

            Moreover, Batman is only as great as a writer can make him out to be.  Given an incredible writer, Batman’s stories read like epic literature, rather than a typical comic book story.  Joey Esposito, an article writer for IGN explains,

“The sentiment boils down to that he’s just a man – the optimum man as Grant Morrison has pointed out again and again in his epic six-year run with the character – with the resources to do what’s necessary to dish out justice.  He doesn’t have superpowers simply the motivation to construct himself as the solution to every problem with a plan for every scenario, no matter how dire”. 

This is the idea for Morrison’s run starts with the DC event Final Crisis up until Batman Incorporated when after being stranded in the past Bruce is back in the present day and franchises a global team of heroes that will answer to Batman. The vision that Morrison holds is what is central to our love for the dark knight.  He subjects Batman in the supernatural which is most suited for him.  Morrison’s best work, Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth, depicts the idea of Bruce Wayne’s sanity, showing the fine line between him and the villains he has put away.  For example, Ra’s al Ghul strives to purge the world of its corruption which places him in conflict with Batman many times.  Ra’s believes to have the purest intentions to save the Earth but only a madman would think genocide is at one’s own best interest.   The theme of contrast between Batman and his rogues is often explored throughout much iteration.  This is one of the complex reasons why Batman is so interesting.  Batman is able to unlock his fullest potential and has done his best feats and accomplishments under Morrison’s guide.  Batman has the best lines and is smarter and tougher than he usually is; he has all the epicenes of Frank Miller’s Batman but none of the mental problems.  For a while, the definite stories of Batman were Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns, where Batman is much older and battle-worn; and Batman: Year One explains the dark knight’s origins.  Now, Scott Snyder’s current run on the Batman mythos is the most definitive take on the character.

            Currently, Batman is written by Scott Snyder with a five-year run under his belt.  Snyder’s approach to Batman takes a mythological and almost poetic perspective to where it is hauntingly true.  When he writes, he capitalizes and reinforces the aspects of Batman and his world.  Gotham City itself is written like a living breathing thing that challenges Batman, always giving him something worse like a tragedy.  He can choose to escape and live another way but instead he chooses to die like everyone else.  That is his flaw but also his greatest strength, and the very thing that makes him immortal.  He says that we all are in this together, to live bravely in the time there is and stare into the abyss without it staring into you.  This is the most important reason why Batman has been relevant throughout his 75 years of history.

             Batman had a legacy to follow since Superman started the golden age of superheroes.  Despite Superman being one the most recognizable symbols behind the crucifix, Batman is the most popular in the superhero community.  Beyond the realm of comics, he makes for the most appealing fictional character in multi-media franchises and literature.  Recently, comic fans have celebrated the Dark Knight’s 75^th birthday and will continue to appraise his presence.  His impact on many people will stand the test of time, continuing to influence for generations of comic book readers to follow.  It has never been a perfect time to be a Batman fan.

Abandon All Hope: Fear The Walking Dead (TV Review)

Fear The Walking Dead EP.03 Review By Bryan Quevedo

Fear the Walking Dead has no fear at all in following the same formula, and it doesn’t show that it cares that people have figured it out.  The show has given us character development in the first episode and outbreak cause in the second, so it would follow that they would deliver some aftermath of the outbreak within the third to start moving the plot forward right? Fortunately this was the case which gave the show a much needed plot boost but with it came the loss of much of the character development that the first episode helped establish.

The episode begins with Travis and his family trapped in the barber shop they were left off in the last episode.  An escape must be made when his son finds out that the room next door catches on fire and for the first time, viewers get a clear view of the mayhem going on in the streets of LA, walkers and all.  Problems develop as the barber’s wife gets her leg smashed on a building scaffold that causes the rest of the gang to find a hospital.  This only makes them realize that even a place of health has been overrun as military begin to shoot at a walker exiting the building.  Cue Madison and her family’s scene, as we see that they try and take their mind off the situation by playing Monopoly only to be interrupted by a stray dog.  Blackout occurs and they see that their neighbor begins to drag himself to their house which prompts Nick to suggest getting a shot gun.  The situation gets worse as soon as Travis gets home and sees his neighbor eating the stray dog on his carpet.  He is convinced for some odd reason that he is only sick and tries to talk him out of his “sickness” only to be saved by the barber who shoots him twice in the face.  Their other neighbor Susan who has become a walker herself becomes the next center piece of the plot as Travis and Madison argue over the fact that this isn’t a sickness but rather reanimated dead humans.  As they awake the next morning and leave, Madison sees Susan’s husband walk into his house, unaware that his wife becoming a walker.  Within the last minute military come in to save him after shooting Susan in the head and it is quickly assumed by the viewers that they also killed him for being exposed to the blood.  The episode ends with Travis claiming it only gets better from here now that the military has arrived but then denied by the barber who claims that the help came to late.

Credit should be given to the show since the wait for some action came as expected and it came with some satisfaction.  It was pleasant to see a couple walkers instead of a whole horde, helping the characters develop their personalities within the situation and helping viewers see it rather than giving people buckets of gore and blood to enjoy.  Unfortunately, this character development ruined what the first episode did by increasing negative aspects of certain characters or completely overwriting some aspects and ignoring aspects that made viewers support them.  The most obvious person to have his characteristics overwritten is Travis, who made us believe he had the common knowledge to handle the situation.  His failed attempts to snap his neighbor out of the “sickness” created a problem that was not necessarily needed at all and a fight that seemed almost childish when looked at a second time.  Nick, who needs the narcotics to apparently survive, somehow became the character with the “know hows” but developed a more arrogant personality that helps no one in the group.  Aside from downgrading character personalities, the show has created an unpleasant atmosphere.  Like The Walking Dead, Fear the Walking Dead have made humanity look completely stupid.  None of the decisions or actions look like something that would happen in these sorts of situations.  Assuming that this world is unaware of zombies in pop culture and somehow has undeveloped CDC (which we all know isn’t the case because of the first season of The Walking Dead), it is almost confusing to accept the fact such an outbreak would occur this quickly.  Needless to say, none of these events can actually happen in real life, but when a show tries to grasp its viewers into its made up world and making them think of what they would do in these situations, it is impossible to not be frustrating.

EP03 “The Dog” did a great job at delivering what the audience wanted, action in a slowly deteriorating world.  It is not as much dramatic as it is humorous seeing what seems to be the entire population of LA rioting the streets all while ignoring the fact that the dead are eating others alive on the same streets.  The conflicting personalities of characters is still seen and much of what was built in the first episode is quickly ruined within a few scenes of this episode.  Score: 5/10  

Apple’s Smallest Bomb Drop Yet: Apple IPhone 6S Reveal

Apple Press Conference Analysis By: Bryan Quevedo

            It is that beautiful time of year where Pappa Apple comes running through your door to announce his latest and greatest innovation pieces of tech you just have to buy.  Cue the lights, prepare the tech and begin the conference because like every other Apple event, no one will ever leave disappointed… or so they thought this year.  This conference, unlike most other years, had much to reveal but little to make audiences of all likes to get excited for.  With the reveal of the IPhone 6S, there also came news of a new Apple TV, styles for the Apple Watch, a newer bigger laptop killing IPad and a bunch of other specs people would never understand unless you break it down in simple English.  As the title claims, it felt lackluster and almost pointless but nevertheless there were quite a few interesting announcements that made this conference worth listening.  For this reason, I will list the positives and negative highlights of the conference to avoid any confusion on what was good and what was dull.

Positives:  People will always come into these conferences awaiting what sort of new features Apple will come up next.  For years Apple has been the face of innovation and I would be lying if I said it still isn’t.  Beginning with the IPhone 6S and 6S Plus, we do see some new features being shown through the phones new 3D Touch.  This allows users to apply different pressures to the screen to quickly access their media.  Want a quick look at your messages?  Simply add slight pressure over the icon and you will see your most recent messages.  It is a great new feature that the phone needed alongside its multitasking program thanks to the new 64-bit A9 chip found in the phone.  This allows for a 70% faster CPU (in simplest this is the brain of the computer that allows for faster processing of programs) and a 90% faster GPU (the part of the phone that allows for rapid mathematical calculations that help render images faster) meaning graphic intense apps will now render smoothly, or so they say.  You do of course get faster Wi-Fi and LTE network, which has been standard for every upgrade for a while, but more importantly and fascinating is the addition of a 12- megapixel “iSight” rear camera.  Photos are said to come out clearer than ever before and allows for videos to be shot in 4K, a resolution that is 4 times greater than 1080p.  No other phone has ever matched IPhones phone technology and now thanks to Apple, people will be able to carry around a portable 4K video camera.  Alongside the IPhone, we also got smaller announcements of interest such as Apple’s new payment plan, allowing consumers to pay monthly for their devices through Apple.  This is a program very similar to Verizon’s Edge program or Sprint’s program.  Not new, but a great addition allowing new users to come in and not feel completely intimidated about Apple’s prices.  The new IPad Pro and Apple Pencil made strong appearance, showing off that the laptop/tablet market was never off the table for Apple.  The IPad Pro will come in at almost a 13 in diagonal screen running with an A9X mobile processor claiming it to be 80% faster than most other portable PCs.  It’s CPU performance will supposedly run faster than the IPad Air 2 and have a greater resolution than a MacBook Pro with Retina display.  Its companion, the Apple Pencil, could potentially be the digital artist new friend.  This new device caters to the artist by allowing smooth and practically flawless editing to be done by letting users alter or create an image by just one pixel.  Besides the humorous attempts and reactions to Apple’s failed attempt to photoshop a smile onto a woman, this was essentially it for the positives of Apple’s conference. 

Negatives:  Paying more than you should for something that hasn’t really changed much is never a good thing.  It makes people uncomfortable and Apple is better off asking people to pay for their things with kidney’s and livers than an arm or a leg.  The biggest turn off of this year’s conferences, as well as the others beforehand are the prices of their hardware.  Apple has made it “easier” to pay for their IPhones with the monthly payment plans that start at $32 but the starting prices of the IPad Pro and new Apple Watch styles are a letdown for any hard middle class Apple user.  Starting at a base price of $800, the IPad Pro offers itself at 32GB. 64GB and a staggering 128GB with 4G LTE that is priced at $1080 that wouldn’t be a problem if its accessories weren’t all sold separately.  In total, many people are reporting that a top of the line experience with an Apple IPad Pro, someone would have to spend around $1400 or more depending on the warranty plans offered.  Apple is known for innovation but this conference felt very much like a copy paste of others.  As interesting as Apple TV sounds, it is a piece of tech that has existed elsewhere. With a newly integrated iOS software which now includes Siri, this felt more like an advancement for current Apple TV users than someone new.  The addition of gaming seems like an excellent idea (especially if users get to see Infinity Blade on the big screen) but it is something that has been attempted by several others and if the trend follows, it won’t be the big feature as Apple claims it to be. 

The conference felt lackluster and it was mainly due to the fact that nothing besides the new payment plan was aimed to attract new users.  The phone reveals always seem to be the highlight and yet truly changed from its predecessor.  If this conference has shown us anything, it is that Apple can sell audiences anything they want, simply by adding "Apple" to anything they create. (Apple Pencil...really?)

The Dawn of a New Hype: Video Game Analysis

Until Dawn Analysis By Bryan Quevedo

            In this day and age, it is almost impossible for a development studio to create an original IP without it being criticized for some sort of poor mechanics or being a copy and paste of an already existing game.  The market for creativity seems to be slowly diminishing as big publishers release sequels to popular titles that change very little from its predecessors; not just seen within the graphics of a video game but also within how the game is played. That is not the case for development studio, Supermassive Games, and a massive game they recently released called Until Dawn.

            What makes this game unique isn’t its cheesy title and cliché set ups, but the way the game is played and how players watch this game unfold. Until Dawn plays much like a movie where the choices you make affect the outcomes of the game and how you proceed throughout the main story of the game.  Unless you watch a play through or actually play this game for yourself, comparing this movie style game to others like Beyond Two Souls or Heavy Rain would diminish what this game has tried to do; it has done a lot to perhaps change the way games can be played.  This is in no way a review article, rather a look at how the direction this game took will possibly open doors for future games. 

As mentioned before, Until Dawn revolves around the choice a player makes, and each move affects the relationships between characters, their personalities which affects choices and what outcome you will end up with at the end of the game.  It sets up like any typical slasher movie, with a group of young teenagers vacationing somewhere far from society only to be attacked by an unknown antagonist.  Each character will either develop differently according to choices made and will either have good relationships with the rest of the cast or bad ones that could lead to death.  You as a player, must pick these choices (or sometimes not choose any option at all) and follow through some quick time events which leads to some surprisingly intense moments that could test your real life choices if you were put within a similar situation.  Until Dawn goes even further, giving you the feel of a psychological analysis in between scenes where your morals and fears are questioned.  Jump scares and proper character development lead to an immersing experience that fulfill a suspenseful horror atmosphere. 

Much of the game’s success is due to its Butterfly Effect mechanic that allows players to explore various options that the games have to offer.  Did you decide to bring up a sensitive topic or hide instead of run?  Every choice leads to something different, a mechanic tried in many other games but never as immersive as seen in Until Dawn.  Graphically the game looks amazing and the amount of dialogue and story lines this game contains, on the surface, looks to be vast.  Which is a surprisingly in depth game mechanic that other games have not yet attempted to explore as much as they should.  Games like Mass Effect and Dragon Age, give players the illusion of choice with choices that are either good or bad and can affect what dialogue or what characters are left alive at the end.  No matter what route the player decides to take, the outcomes come out to be very similar.  This isn’t the case for Until Dawn and the reason lies in how players make the irreversible choices.  The butterfly effect game mechanic is by far one of the biggest illusions of choice seen in video up to date, and one that I personally believe can change the way choice based games can be created.  Developers can learn from Until Dawn; allowing players to choose the way they want to play the game allows for both a more in depth experience and lets players feel as if the outcome is more in line with themselves rather than a community as a whole.  Not to say that all games, such as Metal Gear and Assassin’s Creed, should be developed this way, but developing individual properties could be more successful if this were the case.  This can be an extremely successful mechanic that could be implemented in newer IPs, and Until Dawn has shown us that expanding the mechanics of a game does not come at a cost.

The Dead are Finally Arising: Fear the Walking Dead (TV Review)

Fear the Walking Dead EP 02 Review By Bryan Quevedo

You can finally say that the dead are rising in the newest episode of Fear the Walking Dead and with it, tons more excitement that was definitely needed in the last episode.  Let me begin with this, last episode of FTWD was not completely terrible in set up.  It gave us a simplistic understanding of what each character’s roles will be for the remainder of the show.  This still does not excuse it for creating bland characters that failed to capture attention as a whole, and repeating the same formula as its mother show.  As predicted, episode 2 of Fear the Walking Dead explained how humanity poorly handled the outbreak leading the apocalypse into fifth gear with no possible way of maintaining order. 

            Beginning with the plot of the second episode, we see the main cast being separated because of priorities (well damn, who would have thought a horror drama wasn’t going to split the party in half).  Travis goes to his second family to make sure they are all safe, while Madison tries to convince the annoyingly incompetent daughter to stay home after seeing her loving boyfriend dying of this mysterious disease.  Tension begins to build, but still, nothing is being reported, all the while, LA is going up in turmoil for multiple reasons. These lead into the most surprisingly satisfying parts of the episode.  We see the Travis’s son crowding around with other people as they protest the death of a homeless man who was shot in the head by LAPD.  This is, by far, the highlight of this episode; it finally showcases a true to life scenario that could happen in situations such as this.  Not defined, but shown through their attitudes, these social justice warriors are one of the key reasons the outbreak begins to take place.  Prevention of authority over social beliefs and rioting, leads the dad and his second family to take shelter in a small shop with another encountered family as they wait out the riots and future zombie infestation.  The audience gets their first close up look at a walker as the mom meets up with Thaddeus, the kid from the first episode who, for some reason, knows more about this than others. It ends as expected, yet with a feel of suspense with us almost losing a character.  The episode ends with the main cast at home, witnessing a walker attack a neighbor as the mom pushes the daughter away, keeping her from seeing a tragic and bloody scene. 

            What the last episode lacked in explanation was picked up by this episode, as audiences finally get to see the disease progress into modern society.  Even when we do get these moments of explanation and action, Fear the Walking Dead fails to deliver satisfaction and horror. As I watched this episode, I was led back to my old habits that I had watching The Walking Dead; yelling at the screen as characters stupidly made decisions or just ignored the fact that something was going on when it was right in front of it.  The continuous problem that, for some reason, the show refuses to fix are the self-inflicting problems that every character creates.  Even when I have to keep reminding myself that in this world, the knowledge of zombies is non-existent, I kept getting frustrated that the easiest solutions were always ignored.  This episode almost brought about the end of one character because of ignorance and then had two people split for reasons that were confusing to say the least.  There is no reason for some of these actions to happen, and I completely understand that suspense needs to build up to progress the story. If this show’s purpose is to make me hate humanity, then it is succeeding.

            Overall, episode two was an almost enjoyable experience.  Many of the supporting characters kill off the good nature of the main cast, and even when given the chance to shine, the main cast fails to grab the spot light.  So far, Fear the Walking Dead feels like a copy and paste of The Walking Dead with its characters, expect that they are all different races.  Travis has been the only main character to take hold of smart opportunities and seems to be the only one among the 4 main characters to understand the gravity of the situation.  Fear the Walking Dead’s biggest concern isn’t the situation at hand, but its failing cast of characters who don’t help one another out and much rather hurt the development and chance of a hopeful resolution.

Fear the Walking Dead Episode 02 “So Close, Yet so Far” delivers the same atmosphere the show is known for and properly explains the developing situation with close to life explanations.  It did not linger on explaining the characters any further but made it clear that for the rest of the episode, the main cast will suffer from avoidable problems created by themselves or the people they trust, just like in The Walking Dead.  Score: 5/10

A Dead Intro: Fear The Walking Dead (TV Review)

Fear The Walking Dead EP.01 Review By Bryan Quevedo

I will start by saying this; The Walking Dead at its core has created an amazingly immersing world where the eventual extinction of mankind is inevitable.  Through its now 5 season run, the zombie outbreak looks to be the clear winner, with every episode having the survivors escaping troubles that once brought sanctuary to their group.  It is an interesting drama and one that captures viewers with a dark atmosphere that with no doubt, wants you to care about the characters more than you should.  Although this formula has proven effective in increasing viewership every year, it is also becoming very tiring.  This has shown to be Fear the Walking Dead’s weakness in this episode.

 The pilot episode was meant to create alias for each character within this family.  You have the dad who is a teacher that is invested in giving the kids the benefit of the doubt, a mom who wants concrete evidence about literally everything, a daughter with a “caring” boyfriend and lastly the drug addicted son that we all know will eventually create more problems for everyone.  That’s basically it.  The rest of the episode was filled with self-conflicting problems that I personally thought could have been avoided that added nothing to progress how the zombie outbreak will eventually reach LA.  The show simply brushed it aside with the one witness of the occurrence denying his allegations within a couple minutes.  It made people look stupid and ill-informed.  The show felt like it wanted to scream “ZOMBIE OUTBREAK INCOMING” but it was never allowed to do so.  Even the one scene with the student who brought the knife was a missed opportunity to push the plot forward; it was just awkward to see the student failing to explain what news he had found on the epidemic.  The evidence of something strange was clearly there and was shown to us several times.  The dad seeing the blood on the church floor, his son’s weird behavior and the missing person signs popping around town are all massive hints that something strange is going on.  It isn’t until the very end of the episode that they finally discover what was going on, and they find out using a tool accessible from the very beginning.  This was the biggest let down of the entire episode because our first walker outside the church was presented to us on TV, and one that attacked the public.  It didn’t fit the flow of the episode and it felt more like the show didn’t realize what it was until the very end of the episode.  Denial seems to be a very big key component of the how the epidemic will reach LA, and it just seems that humanity is too stupid to accept abnormal situations.

Not that real life humanity is smart enough to prevent a massive zombie epidemic but the show suffered from making these simplistic problems bigger than what it should have been.  It brushed aside the main idea of the show too early to make way for character development.  None of the main characters in the show seemed to show heroism but seemed to foreshadow that they will all eventually create problems in later episodes.  It is a growing problem in The Walking Dead and it is one that I hope not to see in this spin off. 

Overall, EP01 “Pilot” does create the famous and well created atmosphere that The Walking Dead is known for and attempting to develop characters for future episodes by taking its time; however, it suffers from missed opportunities explaining the zombie epidemic, unnecessary scenes of character development, problematic and uninteresting character development and the same tiring formula The Walking Dead has had for the last couple of years.  Score: 6/10

ElemenTerra VR Demo Experience

There are many words I can use to describe my experience with modern virtual reality.  From trying Team Fortress Two on Oculus DK2, to using the theater experience on the Samsung Gear VR headset, my experiences have varied from vomit inducing motion sickness to mind blowing impressive.  This is a new format that no one can deny, will someday be how future entertainment will be experienced.  There is no doubt that this format of technology can expand one form of entertainment that has had a hard time evolving, video gaming.  

Oculus VR headsets have been one of the most popular devices over the past couple of years that have had many developers create demos that can potentially be in mass production very soon.  We can all see these demos being played by famous YouTubers such as Markiplier and Pewdiepie with all claiming that their experiences are deep, almost real immersion.  On screen, most of these games seem lack luster and graphically could use some work, but it isn’t until a person who actually experiences the new developed kit Oculus, it is realized the virtual reality potential this motion sensing technology, offered by Sixense, has.

So we have the tech, all that is left is the game, correct?  Out of the many demos out there, I have had the privilege of testing out a newly in production game created by a group of highly talented students, talented volunteers and USC alums at USC’s Advanced Gaming Program called ElemenTerra.  Led by a Max Pittsley (Project Lead, Co-Producer and System Architect), Camille Kanengiser (Co-Producer, Art Director), Luke Patterson (Engineering Lead) and Xander Morgan (Usability Lead), ElemenTerra is a sandbox game playable on Oculus that allows players to create a world as you see fit, using natural resources and anything the world has to offer as tools to create what your limitless imagination can produce at that moment.  Using in game mechanics, that can only be described for now as completely innovating for a sandbox game, and in game movements that don’t trigger the brain’s vomit inducing senses, the vertical slice that both Max and Camille led their team into creating was intended to be a 5 minute demo.  In reality, this demo had me occupied for 14 recorded minutes with no end in sight.

What makes ElemenTerra a much more immersive and entertaining game than dare I say, Minecraft, is its beautifully animated art design and in game mechanics.  Beginning with the art design, ElemenTerra is nothing less than brightly and beautifully pleasing.  Smooth textures and natural color schemes on the surfaces of land and plant life give this game an almost comforting animation not seen in many other games.  Personally, I see it not being comparable to many other games and when experienced, the surface of this world plays around like clay and is pleasant to look at with many different smooth colors that match the tone of what is not only around on the surface, but also atmosphere of the sky.  Players will occasionally look up to see a magnificently colored bird flying over or shooting stars soaring above like fireworks.  As explained by Max, what is seen in the animation and art style now in this short section is what they hope to polish up when the finish product is on its way.   Ignoring small visual effects like unpolished water animations and depth means play testers will see an art style for a VR game that can immerse players into a virtual 3D coloring book that is pleasing to the eyes and a nice change in animation within a sandbox game that is not “blocky” or stale in color.

Mechanically, this demo offered me something many other demos failed to offer.  In game mechanics, it included new ways of altering the world around you that has not yet been seen other sandbox games (unless you have demoed the game you will know, so for those that haven’t yet, trust when I say this new game mechanic is pretty fascinating).  You are allowed to roam as you please and alter the world around you by creating tunnels and landscapes with luscious vegetation and fly over your creations to examine the top down perspective of your planet.  Easy to understand mechanics make ElemenTerra a very natural game play but what makes this game unique from most other demos and ports for the Oculus is the way players are allowed to move in world.  For those that have not yet experience VR headsets, it is important to note that a player’s mind may sometimes fail to interpret in game movement as movement that their body is not doing which can lead to very nauseating feelings afterwards.  Ports like Half Life 2 are known to have this effect because of the rapid movements done through joysticks.  What Elementerra does to negate motion sickness is create natural movement scheme that the motion sensing technology can pick up.  All in game mechanics come naturally, nothing feels out of place when moving around Elementerra and this is all thanks to the Sixense motion tech the developers are working around, making this one of the most naturally moving and immersive VR demos I have had the pleasure of play testing.

When putting all this into consideration, ElemenTerra can be seen as a VR game with much potential.  It immersed me completely and made me forget about the real world around me and instead focus on what more I can add to my planet I was allowed to create.  Anyone can easily spend a lot of time in this game to create whatever they can imagine and as a sandbox game it is on a different level of gameplay.  From the play test, there was very little similarities to other sandbox games, for example Minecraft.  Both games allow you to explore a vast unknown world and alter it as you see fit, and after spending many countless hours on Minecraft, it can easily be said that ElemenTerra will not be a direct competition to Minecraft.  This is because of what each game tries to sell to its players.  Minecraft sells adventure and exploration as key features to its players with creation as a side option for those that want to create scale replicas or dream homes.  From the very beginning, if you are playing on “survival mode”, players must quickly explore and gather supplies in a completely destructive universe.  What ElemenTerra sells to its players from the very beginning is creation.  From the in game tools, to what you see within your world you are given full freedom to alter as you please and experiment with nature itself.  It is a natural, free and potentially feels like a true sandbox. This is the cup of tea anyone would enjoy after a long day of harsh labor with no urgency, no worries and because of this, both of these sandbox games are on completely different levels.  Similar to what we see between Star Wars and Star Trek, both the same genre but selling audiences different taste of the genre. 

This is saying a lot about a game in early development, but the team of USC students who have added 8,000 plus hours to develop this game, in a span of around 15 months, have breathed new life into the sandbox genre within virtual reality.  For these developers there is still much work to be done, but the potential of this game shines brightly in this demo.  For those interested in experiencing this demo, you can catch them at VRLA Expo on August 29th.