Review: Mass Effect: Invasion #1

In the Mass Effect universe, Omega space station is a lawless, de facto haven for fugitives, criminals, and outlaws in the Terminus System. And Aria T'Loak is the queen of them all.

The conclusion of Mass Effect 2 saw Commander Shepherd successfully navigating the fabled Omega-4 Relay into Reaper space in order to take on the Collectors. Now that the path is open, The Illusive Man takes the opportunity to send his pro-human Cerberus troops to study the universe behind the Relay. Not letting an significant money making opportunity pass her up, Aria T'Loak graciously allows Cerberus to resupply their ships on Omega.

This is where Mass Effect: Invasion begins, and it begins with a bang. Bursting forth from a Cerberus vessel that just landed on Omega, ferocious creatures called Adjutants attack the unsuspecting victims waiting for the ship on the landing bay. Omar Francia's art really comes through here, capturing both the action and the fear caused by the Adjutants (despite their reminiscence of anthropomorphic shrimp.) Aria's first appearance, in particular, showcasing her rather potent Asari biotic abilities against an unlucky Adjutant is captured superbly.

Later, Cerberus ship Elbrus comes to the aid of Omega, destroying the ships commandeered by the Adjutants. Reluctantly, Aria joins forces with the Illusive Man and Cerberus General Petrovsky for the sake of defending her station from the creatures beyond the Omega-4 relay.

Writer Mac Walters does a great job of capturing the personalities of Aria, the Illusive Man, and the other characters to whom we've been introduced in the game. (This is refreshing, but unsurprising, as Walters is the lead writer for Mass Effect 2 and the upcoming Mass Effect 3.)  Walters appropriately portrays Aria as a no-nonsense badass right from her first frame, barking orders at her people and Cerberus forces alike, with fallen Adjutants at her feet.

While there are some lines that might be forgivingly labeled "cheesy" ("Together, we'll lift the siege of Omega and strike back. Starting now, the battle for Omega begins!"), overall, the story is very well paced and tightly knit. The twist on the last frame is, in particular, enough to make the mind reel with possibilities and keep you coming back for more.

Ultimately, Mass Effect: Invasion #1 is a great start to what could be a great series. As long Walters consistently portrays the Illusive Man as the calculating, mysterious SOB he's meant to be, there will no doubt be plenty to work with to make a great four issue run. I highly recommend you pick it up with your stack of New 52s.

Zombies Beware! The Goon gets a Teaser!

Eric Powell's The Goon has been gearing up for a movie adaptation for a few years now. So far, all we have had to feast our eyes on were a few screens and nothing else. Well our eyes can now jump for joy as they get two scrumptious Goon courses in one pre SDCC meal! Thanks to io9, we have ourselves a poster and a teaser trailer!

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

The Goon is going to star Paul Giamatti as the scheming Franky and Clancy Brown as the bruisn' Goon. There is no release date yet, but I suspect more news will come out of SDCC!

Hellboy in Mexico (Or, a Drunken Blur)

What do you get when you combine a hefty dose of tequila, monster hunting luchadors, a demon turkey, and Hellboy? Aside from what I think happened at my bachelor party, you get one amazing Hellboy one-shot. Mike Mignola and Richard Corben team up once again to bring us a great piece from Hellboy's past.

Hellboy in Mexico serves as an appetizer on the eve of The Storm, the conclusion to the latest Hellboy arc. Mignola and Corben paint us a picture from Hellyboy's younger years. Big Red teams up with a band of monster hunting luchadors as they go on a drunken monster hunting spree. The zany concept aside, Mignola and Corben take what should be a chunk of comic relief and deliver us a surprisingly emotional story.

Though I will always prefer Mignola's art, Richard Corben does a fantastic job painting this story. Every frame is dripping with detail and atmosphere. There is a particular image of a demon turkey, I'm not kidding, that will probably haunt me for the rest of my life.

Hellboy has always been the quintessential everyman, except that he is a big red man with hooves, ground down horns, and a tail. It is always a joy to see how Mignola pens Hellboy's reaction to the insane stuff that gets thrown at him. But at the same time, it is also amazing to see just how much Hellboy has weighing on his heart. There is a rarely a happy ending for Hellboy and Mignola does a wonderful job at showing how a guy like Hellboy just rolls with it the best he can.

Do yourselves a favor, go grab a shot glass, some bad tequila, salt, a lime, and this issue of Hellboy. You would be doing yourselves a disservice if you didn't.