On rating comics and movies

If you follow me on Twitter (@psarascomics), you've probably seen me rating comics and mostly comic-book movies on a scale of 10, among with words like wathcable, re-watchable, masterpiece, etc. You might also notice that most of my ratings range from 4 to 7, whereas most people's ratings have an equal number of movies for each rating, except the perfect 10. People that have studied basic statistics will recognize a Gaussian (normal) distribution with a mean of +5 and a variance close to 2.
There's a reason most of my ratings range from 4 to 7, based not only on the normal distribution, but also on the comic-book and movie industry. Products that will end up drawing ratings lower than 3 are scrapped before they are finished, and seldom reach the consumer. On the other hand, stepping up from a 5 to a 6 is more difficult than stepping up from a 4 to a 5, and it gets even more difficult for higher ratings. That's why the ratings curve has an obvious tilt, with more movies or comics on the 8 and 9 than on the 1 and 2. What's more, re-watching and re-reading stuff of high ratings in order to compare them to each other, is much more intriguing than doing the same for lower ratings.

To be more specific, let's get to shortly describing each rating and giving a few popular examples from the comic-book movie industry.

1-3: Not-watchable / Not-readable
As I've said before, it's really hard comparing stuff of lower rating. I'd say only Elektra and Ghost Rider are that bad to be a 3, and Hollywood hasn't done anything so bad to be lower than that.

4: Curiosity only
This rating is for stuff you didn't like when you first watched/read it, but if they're part of a bigger trend or an extended universe, you do it every once in a while to remind yourself what bad is. Excessive negative heat at the time of the release or a later time can play its part, too. Here you can find good adaptations that are bad movies, like Daredevil, but mostly bad adaptations that are otherwise watchable movies, like X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Superman IV and Batman & Robin.

5: Watchable
If you paid to watch this movie in a theater, or even organised a special night with pizzas and pop-corn before renting the DVD, you've probably regretted it afterwards. Nevertheless, there's nothing wrong with them, it's just that you could have spent your money and time in something better. If there's one of them on TV and nothing better airing on a different channel, you're never tempted to turn it off like you would be with a 4. Spawn and Iron-Man 3, are some of the movies that are watchable but nothing more. I've rated many MCU movies with a 5, especially after watching them for the second time, but I'm trying to give popular examples here.

6. Re-watchable
This is as simple as watchable. Movies that you will choose to watch, perhaps because they're part of an extended universe or because you are a fan of the genre, but have nothing more to offer besides being just good. They might also serve the purpose of watching a good movie that doesn't need too much of your attention when you're tired, but there are also prequels, mid-quels and spin-offs that do the exact opposite. Batman Forever and Hulk (2003), but also X-Men: First Class, are some good examples.

7: Very good
From here and above, these are movies you would use to introduce someone to the genre. The distinction between their ratings also gets harder and personally biased, but time sifts 7's from 8's. A good director's cut can also transcend a movie from a 7 to an 8. I'd say Batman Returns and Iron-Man 2 are two certain 7's.

8: Great
As I just said, a great movie needs to stand the test of time. Unlike its sequel, Batman (1989) could fit here. The Richard Donner's cut of Superman II also does what I've previously said on a movie otherwise rated 7 or even 6. I also believe Avengers: Age Of Ultron is the most recent movie that could stand out as an 8.

9: Exceptional
Comic-book movies are adaptations, and it's my opinion that it makes it harder for them to be rated that high. However, they're becoming such a trend the last 15 years, that they're taken more seriously by both studios and fans. Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Returns as a trilogy could be here, although I would rate the first two parts with an 8. And of course, there's Watchmen, for which I'll talk about in the next paragraph.

10: Masterpiece
I'm afraid there's no example from the comic-book movie genre that can fit here. And even from the comic-book and graphic novels world, there's only Watchmen. It takes centuries to create masterpieces, and neither graphic novels nor movies have been around for that long. Specifically the comic book and graphic novel industry is lucky to have Watchmen so early in its history, and so many 9's like Maus, V for Vendetta and The Dark Knight Returns.

That's my opinion on rating movies and comic-books, which I believe extends to rating anything that can be rated. I'm annoyed by people so lenient on mediocrity, who create a disturbance in the force a certain imbalance by rating almost everything from 7 to 9. I hope this article will help avoid arguments in the future, and also give a more balanced image to personal ratings in the future.

"Superman: Truth" Reading Order

I binge-read Superman:Truth today, but a reading order was nowhere to be found on the internet. So, I checked out first and last pages of each issue, and here's the reading order for anyone interested:

1. Superman #41-44
2. Action Comics #41-44
3. Batman/Superman #21-24
4. Superman/Wonder Woman #18-21

I have just three things to say about this storyline:

First, the Batman/Superman story arc is taking place before the Superman/Wonder Woman one. You can tell this at least one time during Batman/Superman, and at the final pages of both stories. Nevertheless, they are interchangeable in the reading order.

Second, there was a prologue to the Superman: Truth storyline in Divergence #1. Because Superman #41-44 acts as a prequel/flashback, you could either read the prologue either between Superman and Action Comics, or at the beginning. But I wouldn't recommend reading the whole Superman story arc after Action Comics.

Last, make sure you read Superman/Wonder Woman. There is a confrontation between Superman and Steve Trevor about superheroes not wearing masks. Heroes with public identities are becoming more and more popular since the '90s, but a war between single and dual identities is yet to come. This could be the start of it.

Batman: Endgame Review

IWhile Convergence has already started, one of the most, if not the most popular DC comic book has just come to an end of a long awaited storyline featuring the Joker. I'm talking, of course, about Batman: Endgame, the six-part return of the man who laughs in Gotham City. I have just finished reading all the main storyline, and only one of not so many tie-ins, so let's get on with a spoiler-free review. Or at least a major-spoiler-free one.

From the cover on the first Endgame comic book, we can see Batman punching Cyborg, with the Justice League being unable to restraint the caped crusader, and Superman just watching. Part 2 has Superman on the cover, and then we don't get any more Justice League covers at all. This choice of covers screams "Well, you think a Batman-fights-the-Justice-League-by-himself storyline would be great? This is just the beginning, wait till you see how awesome the rest of our story will be". The action on the first issue is actually Batman fighting the Justice League, and it leads to the second issue where the fight with Superman is again, just the beginning. For this fight montage (which isn't actually a montage, just the action happening fast), Deadpool recommends the reader cranking "Five Minutes Alone" by Pantera.

There are also some extra pages at the end of each issue, telling us a tie-in story written by James Tynion IV. Tynion also wrote Batman Annual #3, which I read before Part 3 of Endgame. I can't say it's mandatory to read this or any other Endgame tie-in, but Batman Annual #3 is great and the ending of Endgame Part 2 offers a pause in the storyline where you can read it. Since we're talking about Tynion, the first pages of Endgame make clear that the storyline is taking place after Batman: Eternal, which he also wrote, but I personally haven't read and probably won't if my hands are full with other titles after Convergence; and hopefully the will. Again, Scott Snyder has the last word in Endgame, and perhaps letting Tynion in is another statement from DC: Did you like Batman Eternal? Just wait and see how awesome Snyder's run will be after I finish this storyline. The Tynion tie-in on the last pages of each issue gets a bit dull as it progresses, but the stories converge (pun intended) during the grand finale.

Let's go back to the Justice League for a moment; Part 2 of Endgame not only justifies why there are no other superheroes helping Batman while Gotham is a war zone, it also cements the fact that Joker believes he will succeed where the Justice League fails: Killing Batman.

Now, I've talked too much about the first two parts, but what about the rest of Endgame. We all know it's the return of the Joker, and that he has the ultimate plan to finally kill the Dark Knight. I'm afraid the storyline is so unique after Part 3, that I can't make a spoiler-free review, so just take my word for it being an awesome storyline and read it, while I just on my favorite part of a review: The plus and the minus.

+ Batman has a... Hulkbuster?

+ There is an owl in Bruce's place, meaning he has no fear of death and perhaps no weaknesses (owls prey on bats).

+ This is finally the real deal in Joker fights. He's not having fun, he's trying to end Batman.

+ There is a Tim Burton's Joker parade, with balloons and gas.

- Bruce performing a fastball special. (Grow up, man)

+ Dick performing a fastball special. (You can't grow up anyway)

+ The word you're looking for is... *SPOILER* (Don't visit @PsarasComics for the next few days if you don't want to get a spoiler, it's too great a moment not to tweet)

- Endgame is bound to become non-canon, because of Convergence. It doesn't fit well before Convergence, and it definitely doesn't fit after it. But perhaps this will be explained in the next issues.

+ The absence of other superheroes is explained, and so are the actions of other Gotham-based villains.

Green Lantern: Godhead

Green Lantern Godhead, a crossover between all the Lantern publications, is over. Despite it spanned over 17 issues (15 monthly, 1 one-shot and 1 annual), and also spawned three tie-ins (Infinity Man and the Forever People #4-6), it took less than three months for the whole story to be out on the shelves.
Reading it all at once, it just made me think it was a waste of time expanding a mediocre-to-moderate story over all those issues. Then again, at least three out of five Lantern titles are bound to cross over more often than so (namely Green Lantern, Green Lantern Corps and Red Lanterns), which means many stories are going to expand this much for a while.

There were no flaws to be found in the story, but neither were any exciting moments, so I'm just going to make a pros-and-cons list for it because it took time to read it and it would be a waste of time not to.

Merry Christmas from Psaras Comics... or whatever

Thoughts on Superior Iron Man - #BeSuperior

I got my hands on Superior Iron Man #001 the first day it became available online, but I haven't read the issue until today. My thoughts on this new beginning are written bellow.

I really thought something was going really wrong with Marvel the last year. The Man Without Fear was becoming more of a "Daredevil: The animated series for pre-school children - The Comic Book" and Tony Stark was not eligible for the title of "The Smartest Pure-Human Alive", because he was supposed to be enhanced by alien technology inside his mother's wound (he was still second to Bruce Wayne, but that's another story).

1. Going into Superior Iron Man #001, we know Tony Stark is indeed a pure human, adopted by Howard A. Stark and his wife, Maria. We read on the prologue that after the fight with the Red Skull, a "more sinister Tony Stark evaded changing back", and we see on the first pages that he is back to alcohol drinking. Yet, he doesn't seem prone to alcoholism like every other time this has happened. Plus, he now has an all-new, symbiote-based armor, which is not actually a live organism, but it just works much like a symbiote. This could be not only an upgrade to the Extremis-based armors he could even store inside his bones and neural system, but also another proof that Tony Stark is now smarter and more of a master of himself than ever.

2. Daredevil is out to protect San Fransisco from the villain Tony Stark, and he is not a superhero from a children's TV show. Of course, it's not Bendis or Brubaker Daredevil, but it's way better than the current ongoing series. The story on Daredevil Vol.4 might be getting darker issue after issue, but the pencils and inks are still like a Saturday morning children's show. Tom Taylor needs many more pages to prove this story will be a good one (and I'm counting on him to do it), but Yildiray Cinar only needs one issue; this one.

3. Tony Stark has not become an anti-hero. He's a villain. A drug-lord. And he's much more of a threat to Daredevil (and the rest of the world) than Kingpin.

Superior Iron Man might become one of the best Marvel stories of the 21st century. For me, and not according to my earlier plans, this is the series I will read with every new issue, alongside the new Batman & Robin (and maybe Green Lantern after Godhead ends and I read it all at once). So, please God, don't let them be another clone/impostor/Skrull/Hush stories.

"I let them all feel perfection. Do you have any idea what they'll do to get that back? I want to watch."

- Tony Stark