Tag Archives: Robin

Boy Wonder: The 10 Greatest Traits of Dick Grayson

As a die-hard fan of comics, I am constantly asked who my favorite character is, which I usually have to think about for a while. Any given day my answer may change, depending on my mood or what I’ve been reading, but most days the answer ends up the same; my favorite hero is Dick Grayson AKA Nightwing AKA Agent 37.

I may have started my obsession for comics with Spider-Man, and then tentatively graduated over to Superman, but once I discovered Batman, and by extension Dick Grayson, I was hooked. I became a staunch supporter of all things Robin, and as Grayson’s role changed over the years from sidekick to solo hero, I continued to follow and enjoy the ongoing adventure.

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Batman: Arkham Origins Reveals ‘Invisible Predator’ Asymmetrical Multiplayer Mode

Today Warner Bros. Montreal revealed their new multiplayer mode for Batman: Arkham Origins, ‘Invisible Predator’. A brand new addition to the series which until now has been a single-player only affair.

Competitive multiplayer sounds like a bad fit for a franchise like Batman, who may be the world’s most famous solitarian. But keep in mind that more recent games like Assassin’s Creed and The Last of Us have, with varying success, managed to tweak the typical online experience with gameplay mechanics unique to their respective series. Check out the trailer below:

Origins is trying something a little more ambitious than team deathmatch; in the new ‘Invisible Predator’ mode, players are divided into two teams of opposing thugs – three working for Joker, and three working for Bane – who will fight over territory in what is more or less a conventional King of the Hill type of match. However at the same time two players will take the role of Batman and Robin and silently try to pick off members of both teams.

Batman and Robin in Arkham Origins

This 3-v-3-v-2 style competition should change things up nicely. It sounds like the result will be something like a mash-up of conventional CoD style run-and-gun fare and The Last of Us‘s constant, on-your-toes tension. That is, only if it works of course, and Destructoid‘s Casey Baker has played a few minutes of ‘Invisible Predator’ and says it works quite well:

[box_dark]”…it only took a short matter of time before I was leaping from ledge to ledge, observing rival gangs at war, and swooping down to pick off members before their buddies were alerted. Even though I didn’t get nearly as much time with the multiplayer in general as I would have liked, the time I did have with it was thoroughly enthralling and I could already imagine the intense matches with players who have had enough practice playing both sides […] My overall impressions of the Invisible Predator mode for Batman: Arkham Origins are quite high after only a couple hours of hands-on time, and it’s something I’m looking forward to now.”[/box_dark]

Bane and thugs in Arkham Origins

I’m not much of a multiplayer guy. I prefer to play video games the way Batman does everything: Alone and in the dark. But this may be an interesting spin on things to try for a week or two. Hopefully it’s replacing the Challenge Mode from the previous Arkham games, which I found incredibly frustrating and monotonous. I only have two concerns about this new feature:

1. Dying as Batman has got to be the worst: The World’s Greatest Detective was taken out by a nameless grunt with a shotgun? What a n00b!

2. Voice chat: The only way this will work is if player mics get muted as soon as Bats or Robin takes down an enemy. Otherwise the downed player will just immediately reveal their position. But it wouldn’t just even out the playing field – It would also be one of the most immersive ways to feel like Batman. Imagine a squad of teammates talking over chat and all of a sudden mid-sentence a guy gets cut off – OH NO. THE BATMAN. Makes me giddy just thinking about it.

Joker and thugs in Arkham Origin

How do you feel about multiplayer in a Batman game? Sound off in the comments section below!

SDCC 2013: A Look at Comic Con Cosplay

Although Comic-Con is all about news and previews and sneak peeks, let’s be honest, the cosplay is a pretty big draw as well.

Everything from sci-fi movies to video games to cartoons, cosplay is the perfect way for everyday fans to have their moment in the sun, even if that moment involves shaving your chest hair into the Batman symbol.

We’ve scoured the internet for some of the best examples of Comic Con cosplay so far and you can check them out in the gallery below.

Remember to follow Grizzly Bomb on tumblr to check out Brian and Chris’ experiences in San Diego including this great Jack Skellington cosplay!Comic Con Jack Skellington Cosplay

Stay tuned here to Grizzly Bomb for all your Comic-Con news updates!

SDCC 2013: Best of Instagram, Preview Night, & First Look at ‘Days of Future Past’ Sentinel!

Well Comic-Con is upon us, finally! While not all of us can go to San Diego, thanks to social media platforms like Instagram we can live vicariously through those that do. I’ve gathered up some of my favorite Instagram photos from yesterday’s Preview Night (and day). If you want to keep up with Grizzly Bomb’s Comic-Con coverage, be sure to follow us on Instagram as well as Twitter.

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Put the Hero Back in the Superhero: Max Landis Talks ‘Man of Steel’

Man of Steel has now been out for over a week, and did pretty well at the box office. This pretty much ensures not only a sequel from Zack Snyder and his crew, but the beginning of a DC Cinematic Universe along the same lines as Marvel’s highly successful MCU. This is all very exciting, but before we get ahead of ourselves, it’s important to take a look at the beginning of the DCCU.

Max Landis Talks Man of SteelWhere Iron Man hit it out of the park and wowed audiences across the world while setting the foundation of the MCU, Man of Steel has divided the movie going crowd for a number of reasons. The controversial ending, massive body count and destruction of a few cities has opened up the fiery gates of internet commentators from all walks of life. Whether you are a fan of the comics, the movies, or have never heard of this Superguy or whatever he’s called, chances are you have your own opinion of Man of Steel.

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Bomb Droppers Rise! Let’s Talk ‘The Dark Knight Rises’

The Dark Knight Rises is obviously one of the, if not the most, anticipated movies to come out this summer. Everyone is talking about their thoughts on it, and similar to what we did with the group Avengers review, we here at Grizzly Bomb wanted to give this movie the same justice and have a bunch of us review it. Of course, if you haven’t seen the movie, *SPOILER ALERT* so don’t say we did not warn you. You should have watched it anyways so shame on you. If you have not read my review, you can of course click here to check it out, but let’s see what the other authors of the site think of this flick:

Dr. Kronner:

Upon initial viewing I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed. As it turns out though, it’s only because The Dark Knight Rises was not the single greatest film of all time like I expected, but simply just ‘great’. Upon my second viewing I found myself amazed at how much more enjoyable it seemed. It was the same movie I’d seen just 2 nights prior, but without the weight of my lofty expectations heaped on it, the film just seemed more fluid. The issues I had the first time though (Alfred coming off cheesy, Gordon being underused, an unnatural progression between Selina and Bruce) all melted away as I was able to simply enjoy the film.

Perhaps the biggest surprise for me was just how much I liked JGL and how they handled the boy wonder. He seemed an amalgam of all the Robins. Tim Drake’s detective work, Jason Todd’s aggressiveness, and the wisecracking wisdom of a Dick Grayson. And while he never traveled with the circus, he was an orphan, and he proved us all wrong – Robin, when done correctly, can exist in Nolan’s Gotham. The other thing I really enjoyed that most people disagree with me on is Bane’s voice. I thought it added to his inherent creepiness and really cemented him as a great villain.

The movie on a whole, while still not as strong as The Dark Knight, ultimately did not disappoint, and I have a third trip to the theater planned tomorrow. In hindsight, I’d say this probably edges out The Avengers as my favorite movie of the summer.

SupaScoot:

The Dark Knight Rises was good. But it wasn’t great. Let me rephrase that. TDKR wasn’t the best Batman movie, but it was a hell of great Christopher Nolan film. While I have a few complaints and feel like there were just a few too many leaps of the imagination intended for the audience to take, it was a beautifully filmed and epic undertaking that Nolan pulled off.

Weaving in a ton of different plot points from not only the previous movies but TDKR itself was a monstrous task that required a keen eye and an open mind, but it didn’t pan out fully at the conclusion. However, the one thing I can say about the film without any doubt is that it IS a definite conclusion. A conclusion to the trilogy, to Nolan’s bat-verse, and to Bale’s Bruce Wayne.

Are there things I would change? Absolutely. Are there things I didn’t quite get after my first viewing that were more evident after the second? Absolutely. Is The Dark Knight still the better Batman movie? ABSOLUTELY. Walking out of the theater after both movies were two entirely different feelings of awe. TDK was an excited and passionate victory dance for any Batman fan, while TDKR was a contemplative and cerebral appreciation for a great filmmaker.

Watch TDKR twice. That is my ultimate advice/review. Because everything changes that second time when you realize just exactly what the movie is about, who it’s about, and what The Dark Knight Rises really means.

The Wozz:

Christopher Nolan stepped away from 2008’s insurmountable The Dark Knight for the finale of his Batman saga, and in doing so The Dark Knight Rises feels a lot more like a sequel to Batman Begins than anything else. It’s a wise move because while much focus will be laid on Bane and a handful of contentious twists and plot points, this shift is the necessary fulcrum that bridges two very disparate films into a fluid trilogy. It also brings the story around full circle – The Joker nearly dismantled the idea of ‘the batman’ when he terrorized Gotham eight years ago, and Rises is all about reaffirming the ideals that led to Bruce Wayne’s creation of the batman.

In short, The Dark Knight Rises serves a very precise, mechanical function for Nolan’s Batman legend. It’s just all the more impressive that Nolan layers such a thrilling finale on top of it.

joey123mo:

It all started with Batman Begins, a film that, while not an instant classic, was the beginning of what is now the most significant comic book trilogy in film history. Begins was followed by the now legendary The Dark Knight, which featured a life-altering performance by the late, great Heath Ledger.

What started in 2005 is now finishing in 2012 with The Dark Knight Rises, a film that improves on both of its predecessors that ends up being director Christopher Nolan’s true epic masterpiece. The entire cast returns with an entirely new set of faces including the fantastic Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle (Catwoman), and Joseph Gordon-Levitt as John Blake, one of the last wholly pure cops in Gotham City.

The villain here is Bane, played perfectly by Tom Hardy, utilizing his eyes and his voice as strengths. The constricting facial mask may be a problem for some, but I thought he was as menacing and terrific as he was in the previews. On top of all that, The Dark Knight Rises is an emotionally resonating story that ends up being the most perfect conclusion to an already near perfect trilogy. There will probably be no superhero trilogy as absolutely amazing as this one. The Dark Knight Rises is the high-point in a trilogy that defied expectations in every way possible.

Tim the Film Guy:

Christopher Nolan really doesn’t make bad films. The Dark Knight Rises was a great film to end the epic trilogy Nolan started with Batman Begins and then made better with The Dark Knight. This film really brings the old school epics such as Ben-Hur with thousands of extras running around on giant sets to the modern era of films. But sadly it was the last of this superhero trilogy and possibly the best adaptation of a comic hero we will ever see.

What I liked about the way Nolan made this film was that it felt like he created a great new story but then merged the tone and feel of Batman Begins and The Dark Knight so that it would feel very much connected with those films which worked as the finale to a great trilogy (If you didn’t get that I liked the Nolan trilogy yet). I will like to see how Nolan’s involvement in the new superman film Man of Steel will impact its realism and more modern retelling of the superman story. Might just go on about Bane’s amazing ability to take control of a room just with the way he stands with confidence, nah you’ll just have to see the film. Finally I would like to say that even though I am sure we will miss Nolan’s Batman I think that it’s great that a superhero franchise can start off as strong as it finishes where so many have failed before and for that I thank Christopher Nolan for his dedication to making all the films himself with such detailed film making.

Woman Friday:

My brain is still trying to wrap around the story, as usual with most of Nolan’s films. I’m either less intelligent than I thought, or he really is that good at weaving together multiple peoples’ stories in one film. On the whole, I quite enjoyed it, but I cannot say it was my favorite out of his trilogy. It didn’t seem quite Batman-y like before. However, I will say this was the first time in quite a while that a film actually caught me off guard (SPOILER!); Miranda Tate’s character development blew my mind, and when I looked at my husband during the final scenes, I realized the same thing was happening in his (and he is a hard one to surprise). Overall, cheers again to Nolan and the ENTIRE film crew and cast for a valid and appreciated interpretation of the Batman legacy.

Cheesebadger:

Christopher Nolan has permanently changed the face of Superhero films forever. While Batman Begins was the start of a trend of reboots, it has more or less been beneficial to the superhero movie genre, reaching it’s apex with 2008’s The Dark Knight. The Dark Knight was the first time we got to see a beloved comic character in a movie that was GREAT on its own merit, without any added buffer or forgiveness for its comic book pedigree.

This theme is continued with The Dark Knight Rises, however trying to follow such a dramatic change in quality from The Dark Knight’s prequel to sequel jump, inevitably will lead some to find Dark Knight Rises to be disappointing. That being said, DKR is a very good wrap up of the themes from all the other Nolan Batman movies. By no means as mindblowing as Dark Knight, mostly because of some pacing issues, and the lack of a seminal, game changing character interpretation such as Ledger’s Joker, DKR is nonetheless, a very fitting end for the Nolanverse Batman character.

How anyone will attempt to replicate the fascinating, consistently entertaining, and most of all cerebral and intriguing story told throughout this trilogy of movies is baffling. Whoever reboots the new Batman best find a wholly new direction to go in, because the bar is set impossibly high. This is how you end a trilogy, all other Threequels take notice.

Jason.Da.Psycho:

I ain’t no film critic. I don’t judge cinema techniques or shit like that. All I care about is whether if I’m entertained by a movie, and I can gladly report that I was thoroughly entertained.

For TDKR, you get a few action sequences and absolutely phenomenal character developments. Some lines are indeed corny, but 99% of them are great. The twists are there and they can be shocking (though not uncalled for). If there’s any complaint, the story isn’t so “Batman-ish”. Rather, it feels like a conclusion to Nolan’s trilogy. Don’t get me wrong. It’s fantastic, and since I am not a comic book fan in the first place, I don’t really care for that flaw.

It’s not better than the second one, but TDKR is undoubtedly one of the best threequels out there. (Note to Bioware: That’s how you setup a potentially depressing and ambiguous ending.)

93 Grizzly Bombs explode out of the 100 possible.

So there you have it. It seems like we all really enjoyed this movie and have a consensus that it was an excellent end. Granted, most, if not all, thought that The Dark Knight was the best of the trilogy, but that should not take away how great this film truly was. Of course we want to know what you guys thought so feel free to comment below your thoughts on whether this film cements this trilogy as one of the best ever or not.

Yet Another ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ Robin Rumor

Speculation about whether or not Robin will appear in The Dark Knight Rises has been going on for a long time now. Nolan has made it clear that there is no place for Robin in his Bat-world, which you think would end it all right there. But not us fanboys, no sir. We have to keep looking, keep hoping, keep pining for that little bit extra out of a film. Let’s take a look at some of the other Robin/Nightwing rumors that have shown up over the course of the film’s production.

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Hero Express: Iron Man 3 Casting, Thor 2 Finds a Villain, & The Dark Knight Returns First Images!

Welcome back to the Hero Express, your one-stop sometimes SPOILER filled shop through the top five stories in comic based Film & TV news!

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Harley Quinn Takes Revenge in ‘Arkham City’ DLC

Gamers will soon have the opportunity to jump back into one of the best games of 2011 with Harley Quinn’s Revenge, a DLC mission that serves as a two-hour epilogue to the award-winning game Batman: Arkham City. As the title indicates, the DLC will focus on fan favourite villain Harley Quinn, and her retaliation for Batman’s actions at the end of the game’s original campaign. And here’s the kicker: You’re not playing as Bats. The Dark Knight has mysteriously gone missing, and it’s up to Robin to find out what’s going on.

The Boy Wonder was notably absent from the main game (minus a laughably brief cameo), but players will actually take control of him as the protagonist in this latest chapter. It makes sense given his recent addition to the challenge map roster, where he boasts a unique and robust move-set. He’s a character that begs to be used in the more expansive environments of Arkham City. For players like myself, who don’t care much for the challenge maps, the sheer badassery of Robin’s redesign and combat abilities was being squandered outside the main story.

IGN makes it seem as if Harley Quinn’s Revenge will be just as deep and character-rich as the full game, citing Batman’s psychological symptoms following the events of Arkham City as one example. If it can maintain the level of atmosphere they featured in their two full games, this could well be one of the best DLC opportunities yet.

Harley Quinn’s Revenge will be available for download May 29th (for $9.99 or 800 Microsoft Points), or, if for some reason you don’t already own Arkham City, the Game of the Year edition will feature the DLC, along with all previous ones, and comes out the same date in North America.

Geeking Out: ‘Young Justice Invasion’

Welcome to Geeking Out. This is me, geeking out. It’s pretty self explanatory.

The second season of Young Justice (subtitled Invasion) premiered this morning, and it pretty much blew my mind to useless bits of nerdy gray stuff. I thought nothing could get better than the already stellar first season, where we were introduced to the Team, a group of former sidekicks running special ops missions for the Justice League. Now that already sounds pretty bad ass right? The original team consisted of Robin (Dick Grayson), Aqualad, Kid Flash, and Superboy, with new members Artemis and Miss Martian joining shortly after.

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