MonsterFest - Red Knight by Justin Cristelli

And we're back. For the next installment of our local talent spotlight that I encountered at MonsterFest, I'd like to introduce you to the newest hero on the block...Red Knight!

Red Knight is a comic written by Justin Cristelli, drawn by JC Grande, and published by Primal Paper Comics. All three are local to the area and I was fortunate enough to meet Justin at MonsterFest, talk with him briefly, and buy the first two issues of Red Knight.

Having finally read them, I can honestly say that I'll make a concerted effort in attempting to buy the future issues (issue #3 should be coming out sometime in the near future). 

One of the things I really enjoy about this comic, thus far, both in and out of the storyline, is the local flavor of the whole experience. As I stated previously, the comic itself is produced by the local Cristelli and Grande and published by the local Primal Paper Comics. Currently, it's circulation includes all local comic stores that have a brain. If you have a local Hampton Roads comic store that doesn't carry Red Knight, you should definitely inform them of their error. 

Within the story, however, is where the real magic happens. The setting itself is local Norfolk, Virginia. I have to admit that it's a VERY cool feeling to be reading a comic where the heroes are stomping around your own area. On top of that, the experience isn't the same as it is for, say, New York City citizens with the many comics being set there, considering that Norfolk and Hampton Roads are small enough that it makes the experience much more...personal for local readers.

The setting of Norfolk also plays a role within the plot. Many of the characters reference how Norfolk, being a much smaller city than the more major ones in the country, doesn't seem worth having its own superhero/villain. Several characters even mention how super criminals that get trashed in Washington D.C. only show up to Norfolk to lick their wounds. 

The entire premise revolves around the two parties involved, the superhero trio (including Red Knight, of course) and the super villains basically proclaiming that, since Norfolk has not warranted its own super-community yet, that they'll take it as theirs, whether for good or ill.

This brings an entirely different bend on the superhero angle considering many readers of mainstream comics forget that small towns DO exist in the world of superheroes despite the fact that the heroes themselves are stationed in the major metropolises.

 

Anyway, the story revolves around Todd McClain, the titular Red Knight, who only wants to be a superhero and fight crime. However, he lives in a world where vigilantism is not only illegal, but a serious offense, and superheroes have to register to do any sort of do-gooding. Ignoring these, however, he does his best to fend off drug dealers and thieves with the help of his two friends, Fireball and Nonstop. 

I won't go into too much detail about the initial story, considering it's only two issues long and telling you ANYTHING would ruin the better bits, but I highly recommend finding it and picking it up for yourself. Cristelli was telling me how Red Knight has a good mixture of Batman and Spider-Man in him, and it shows in the humor and nature of the character.

All in all, a very enjoyable read thus far. I DEFINITELY will be picking up issue three when it comes out and you should check all of them out if you haven't yet.

Oh, did I also mention you can get a chibi Red Knight plushie too?

Why Spider-Man Kicks Ass

Let's take a moment to talk about the amazing...the astonishing...your friendly neighborhood...Spider-Man!

I flippin' LOVE Spider-Man. He is, without any doubt, my all-time favorite superhero (if you didn't already know). I collect Spider-Man comic books, watched the Spider-Man movies (no matter how bad they got...), got up every Saturday to watch the 90s Spider-Man cartoon, have Spider-Man posters and action figures...I just can't get enough of the ol' webhead!

Now, I'm aware that good ol' Spidey has had his ups and downs throughout the decades. But, y'know what? I stick by him no matter what! I've stuck by him through the Clone Saga. I've stuck by him through One More Day (burr...did it just get colder in here?). I've even stuck by him through the SpiderMobile! Nothing can deter my rampant adoration of the wall-crawler and here, in this article, I'll explain why he's better than other, popular heroes.

First on the block is...

 ...none other than Big Blue, himself: Superman!

Y'know...I never was fond of the big Boy Scout. I always found the concept of an invincible superhero to be...lame? I mean, come on! The big bastard is TOO perfect for his own good! There's NOTHING to relate to with this guy! He's an alien. He's got crazy superpowers that make him nigh godlike. He's got a moral code that would make Ghandi jealous. He's TOO. DAMN. PERFECT.

Now, let's look at Spidey. He's got flaws. REAL flaws...not some crazy green hunk of stone that gives regular humans cancer from being too close to it. He's human. He makes mistakes. He loses his cool. He gets scared. He can be RELATED to! It's that bit humanity that gives Spidey the edge against Supes any day of the week. Honestly, anyone that is a hardcore fan of something PERFECT needs to grow up or get their head out of their ass.

And before any Superman fans go calling shenanigans and tidal waving me with comments and messages about how Supes has "lost his cool" and "been scared" and blah blah blah, I have a rebuttal. Yes, there have been very fleeting moments of humanity in Superman's history. But not enough to make me feel like he's flawed. Deal.

Next against the web-head will be...

 ...the ol' stars and stripes himself, Captain America!

Now, I have more respect for Captain America than I do for Supes. Captain America fought in a REAL WAR. He's more of a symbol for this country than Supes is, even when fighting against that same country for something he knew to be wrong. However, I still don't find him better than my wall-crawler buddy!

Why, you ask? Well, it's simple. Captain America, within the realm of the Marvel universe, is LIKED. People recognize and like Cap. He doesn't have to deal with the burden of being thought of as a menace daily like Spidey does. Cap doesn't have a newspaper dedicating itself to smearing his name regularly. Despite all of this, Spidey continues to fight and do what's right...even without the fanfare.

And next up against Spidey, it's a twofer...

It's the legendary Caped Crusader, Batman, and the Tin Can Man himself, Iron Man!

Again, here comes the disclaimer. I have great respect for these two as superheroes. Batman especially. Batman is, LITERALLY, the closest thing to a perfect, non-powered human being. Iron Man, even with his many flaws (arrogance, alcohol abuse, womanizing...), is also an amazing hero in his own right, being, among other things, a technical genius. The reason Spidey is, in my eyes, better than these two is *har har* twofold. 

First and foremost...money. Batman and Iron Man are millionaires. MILLIONAIRES. They can pretty much do anything that can be done with money. Their superhero alter egos are proof of this, considering both funded their personal arsenals for crime fighting. However, Spidey fights crime with barely any money to help himself LIVE, let alone even less to fund his web-fluid, costume repairs, etc. The very fact that Spidey continually does what he does without the assistance of vast wealth is inspiring. 

The second reason is also simple...brainpower. WAIT! Batman fans hold it RIGHT THERE. I'm not saying Spidey is smarter or more clever than Bats. No no no. I AM saying that Spidey's mental acuity is greatly underestimated and underplayed! Bats and Iron Man are KNOWN for their smarts, but people often forget that Spidey outwitted Tony Stark WITH ARMOR TONY BUILT. It just amazes me how often people overlook the fact that Peter Parker is a scientist AS WELL as a superhero. 

All right...next up....

...the Canuck himself, Wolverine!

A lot of people are drawn to Wolverine for his no-nonsense personality and anti-hero qualities. He smokes, he drinks, he kills people with his horrible horrible claws, but why would I say my favorite web-slinger is better than him? 

Well, first and foremost, Wolverine's backstory is a muddled mess of jumbled memories (screw you recent comics! Wolvy was that way for DECADES), he barely has a sense of humor, he smells bad...whatever. You get the idea. I can see why people enjoy Wolverine (he's not my cup of tea, personally), but I honestly think that Spidey would win in a one-on-one fight against this guy. Not KILL Wolverine...lord knows writers have enough trouble thinking of creative ways to take Wolverine down...but knock him out. And that's the truth, bub.

And overall, what's the biggest problem I have against ALL these superheroes? They get the recognition. Every time they save the world, or a city, or mutant-kind, or the universe, or the multiverse, the people know THEY did it and praise them for it. Spidey has saved and helped save all of those things countless times and is he ever treated with any laud or praise? Is he ever treated better for his life-risking efforts? Do the people regard him as the hero he is and always has been?

No. They don't. 

But what sets Spidey above the rest is that, even without the praise and recognition, the money or the invincibility, the bad boy attitude or anything else...he still saves lives. He does it IN SPITE of not having those things...and why? Because with great power comes great responsibility. 

That's enough for me.

Green Lantern Movie Trailer

Green Lantern trailer
Well there it is, folks. The much anticipated Green Lantern movie. I've, personally, been waiting for this movie for a long time and now it's almost upon us.

I have a few thoughts, however, on the trailer and what it's telling us.

Clearly, it seems Ryan Reynolds is portraying a much looser and carefree Hal Jordan than what's been presented in the comic books. Honestly, I assume the movie producers/directors/writers/whoevers did this because they felt a carefree Hal Jordan would be much more entertaining to watch than the clean-cut Boy Scout Hal Jordan we all know.

I can't say I agree with this, but I'm willing to give it a shot and see if it works.

The CG looks pretty all right. I can't say it's the most spectacular CG I've seen (literally everything in outer space, including the people, is CG), but again, trailers are usually created before last minute cleaning up so maybe it'll look nicer in the actual film.

Otherwise, I have to say that this movie looks AMAZING. I can't wait to see one of my top five superheroes finally on the big screen!

And speaking of my top five superheroes on the big screen, the Deadpool movie trailer should be coming out soon, so whenever that rears its ugly, cancerous head, I'll get back to you guys about my thoughts.

Top 6 Alternative Spider-Man Costumes

Spider-Man. He's my all-time favorite superhero. Period. The end.

No amount of bad stories, poor writing decisions, ridiculous artwork, or terrible movies will make my love of the ol' webhead diminish. He's also one of the most recognizable superheroes in today's media (following, more than likely, Batman and *cough*Superman*cough*).

I mean, EVERYONE recognizes the red and blue tights! The web design! The huge eyes! No one would look at Spidey and think "Hey, it's (insert name of some OTHER hero here)" because it just doesn't happen.

However, Spidey (and others with the Spider persona) have donned various other costumes throughout the Spider-Man history. Several were....pretty horrible. A good handful were, however, very very cool and a, in my opinion, a welcome change from the traditional duds.

And here, I'll countdown the top 6 alternative costumes that Spidey (and Spidey people) have worn.

#6: The Amazing/Bombastic Bag-Man

Only seen once each, Bag-Man has become almost synonymous with Spidey forgetting/not having his costume. Improvisation is the key to success, as some say, and the web-head is not a stranger to this tactic.

The first instance was when he left his symbiotic black costume with the Fantastic Four to study and forgot to bring a spare to wear home. The FF was nice enough to lend him a spare suit and a handy paper bag for his face (not to mention a nice "Kick Me" sign provided by the Human Torch).

The second instant was when he was caught in a criminal situation, again, without his suit. Not willing to let the bad guys go, he donned another trusty paper bag (as well as stripping off his shirt) and going to town on them.

The Bag-Man persona shows us not only that Spidey refuses to let the lack of a costume stop him from doing what's right, but also that he has a sense of humor about himself. Willing to lampoon himself (sometimes begrudgingly or unknowingly, but still), Spidey gave us all laughs when he donned those bags.


#5: Blood Spider

Blood Spider is just a BADASS name. His costume, though having some slight design flaws and color scheme issues, is equally badass.

In one of Spidey's stories, the Red Skull and Taskmaster made a copy of Spider-Man (everyone was doing it, so why not them?) and gave him a costume similar to the black symbiote costume. Add in a web tank on the back and suction cups on the hands and feet, and you suddenly have your own web-head copy (not that there weren't enough running around, am I right guys?)

Now, the loose wires going from the tank to the shooters on the hands were a rather...er...poor aesthetic choice and I'm not crazy about the yellow color scheme (more a fan of the red and dark blue/black, really), but what better way to strike fear into your enemy than to send a clone of himself (there's that word...).


#4: Cosmic Spider-Man

What happens when you give our favorite wall-crawler incredible, godlike power? He changes his clothes, of course!

During a lab accident, Spidey was temporarily granted the Uni-Power (the powers of Captain Universe, for you unenlightened out there). The Uni-Power granted him advanced senses, even greater strength, telekinesis, and a kick ass costume!

I mean, seriously, if I was a villain and saw Spider-Man show up in THAT costume, I'd shit my pants and expect to have my insides turned into my outsides. It's intimidating to say the least. Unfortunately, power trips like this usually don't last long, and Spidey lost the super godlike crazy powers not long after receiving them. However, he did have both the powers and costume long enough to leave a lasting impression that if you give Spidey a scary costume AND superior powers, it'll be something special.


#3: Ben Reilly's Spider-Man costume

Good ol' Ben Reilly. Y'know, I honestly liked Ben. I know he was introduced as part of that horrible, messy clone saga debacle, but I really did like him. He wanted so much to have a normal life without having to worry about being a clone. But...Spider-fans know how that all turned out.

Ben started out his Spider-career as the Scarlet Spider, sporting a costume a little similar to Spider-Man's but ultimately different in a tacky way (really, dude, a sweatshirt?). Eventually, he switched over to using a design more closely-resembling Peter's costume and thus we have the Ben Reilly costume.

I like this costume because it says one thing to me: no matter who it is behind the mask, it's still Spider-Man as long as they do what's right. Though Reilly's costume was mildly different from Peter's he still sported the traditional red and blue, the web design, the spider emblem, and everyone knew it was Spider-Man they were looking at. Taking the name of Spider-Man and merely putting a minor spin on the appearance simply said to fans "Yeah...I may be a different guy, but I'm still your Spider-Man, and I'm still going to do what you guys love to see me do"


#2: Iron Spider

Now, before I get into it, I want to say that I LOVE this costume. It is, personally, my favorite alternative costume. But it isn't the BEST alternative costume. That aside, let's dive in.

Right before Marvel's "Civil War" event hit and following Spidey's "The Other" storyline, Tony Stark took it upon himself to craft our friendly neighborhood you-know-who a brand new costume using the latest of Stark technology. A fully integrated, technologically enhanced super spider suit akin to the Iron Man tech. This suit provided Peter with a wide variety of tech gadgets, like radio, varying vision settings, bio-monitoring equipment, and other things. The COOLEST feature, of course, had to be the retractable arms that were controlled by Spidey mentally.

The reason I like this suit so much is because Spider-Man, while wearing the suit, went toe-to-toe with Captain America. During the fight, Spidey knew full-well he stood no chance against his (at the time) former ally since Cap was familiar with all of Spidey's moves. Except...Spidey had gained a few new "moves" thanks to the suit. With it, the webhead was able to draw first blood on Cap before the fight was abruptly ended.

Now, his time in the suit was brief, but memorable, and unfortunately he had to ditch it thanks to some betrayals from the suit's creator, but nonetheless it was really really really cool seeing Spidey in a spider-like suit. Even if it was gold and red.


#1: The Black Suit

 

Who honestly didn't see this choice coming? 

Originally an alien symbiote picked up from an alien world (and eventually becoming one of his greatest villains, Venom), the black suit was a drastic, yet fan-favored, change from the traditional duds. After ridding himself of the symbiote version of the suit, Spidey frequently returned to a normal cloth version of the black suit on numerous occasions (including right after the "Civil War" storyline). 

The black suit is cool because it's representative of so many things for the wall-crawler. On most occasions, it's used to show his dark side...the angry, violent, edgy Spider-Man that was typically associated with the Venom-driven tendencies. And why shouldn't it? It's downright SCARY. Comparatively, the red and blue threads are positively warm and inviting when put against the black suit.

However, other times the black suit has been used to show a sense of deep emotion and mourning. Specifically, following the "Civil War" storyline, Spidey adopted the threads to express his sorrow at the loss of some comrades and the regret he had for having to battle against what were once his allies. 

Though it may be a bit lacking in subtlety for the purpose of expressing it, the black suit shows us that even our favorite joke-slinging webhead can have a dark side.