Life is (very) Strange

When I first started playing Life is Strange, I found the story weird and I was unsure if I would enjoy it. As I played on, however, the story became more compelling and I couldn’t deny how interesting it was.

The concept of the main character having the ability to reverse time is a really intriguing idea that I think was executed in a cool way. I think that being able to change your mind on where the story is going is cool and gives you the opportunity to see how people react before giving your final decision. The concept of time travelling/time manipulation in any story is always interesting and I think that being able to use it in a story like this is really enjoyable.

The story itself was really interesting and there was never a moment where I wasn’t interesting. Well, maybe at first I was a little bored, but it pulled me in quite quickly. I think that the way the story is told, by hearing Max’s thoughts and feelings on whatever is happening in the world around her makes it feel as if you’re actually the one experiencing the events.

I think that Max is a superhero, even if she’s simply a troubled girl trying to find her place. I think that, by having Max as the character with the life-altering powers, it gives her a chance to find a purpose in a life that she’s just sort of going through the motions in. I really enjoyed this game and I think that I would enjoy seeing more games like this one.

Ghost World and Hawkeye

Ghost World and Hawkeye were both strange comics, but Ghost world was definitely more bizarre. With Hawkeye, it was simply of question of understanding what was being said through the ASL and following the story through each frame. The story was clear and I knew just from the short bits of broken dialogue and the images that Clint had lost his ability to hear and that he, once again, felt helpless. I liked how, even if I hadn’t read the issues that came before this, that there was an enemy and that Clint was determined to keep them away from his building. Even within the issue itself, there was information that was being given that allowed me to understand and not be confused.

With Ghost World, however, I found the comic sort of confusing. To me, there was no clear direction, besides Enid’s attempting to get into College. The entire comic consists of Enid and her best friend,  insulting people and reminiscing on all of the people they knew whilst trying to figure out what those people were doing with their lives. I’m not exactly sure what the goal of the comic was, nor what the point was, but it was definitely intriguing. Despite the fact that everything was a bit strange, I found myself compelled to finish the comic and am still unsure of what I read, even as I write this. One thing that I can say that I found interesting was the use of blue when Enid was alone. The way that they used it to isolate her from the rest of the world was really interesting to me and I think that it shows how different she is.

 

Doom Patrol

When I started reading Doom Patrol, I immediately knew that it was going to be a strange. From the way a lot of it rhymes to the strange characters, I found the comic very interesting.

Something that sets Doom Patrol apart from the others we’ve read is the way that it doesn’t seem to care if it follows the same ‘rules’. While others ‘obey’ the laws of reality and such, Doom Patrol sticks an entire world inside a burrito, which is definitely awesome. I think that they way Doom Patrol was written allowed it to be open to endless possibilities. Another thing that I liked was the way they’ve written the self-acceptance arcs the  characters have to go through. Although their issues are bizarre, the basic premise of each of their problems are based in some sort of reality that many people face.

I think that the way the reader is thrown into the aftermath of a big event is a cool way of starting the series. Instead of starting with the origin story of the team or something of the sort, it shows how the members have been killed or injured so severely that they will never be the same. In doing this, I think that it gives a different tone to the comics that we haven’t really seen before. While we did have Planetary as an already-assembled team, it they were finding their balance with Snow as the story progressed, and in the others, we saw how the hero came to be a hero or something of the sort. In this one, it’s characters that have been beaten down or have become recluses because of their past experiences.

-Emily

 

Planetary

Planetary was a very interesting comic that left me questioning pretty much everything at the end. After reading each issue, I had to sit there and think about what I just read. Although there is an overall story arch of the team developing, I found it very interesting that each ‘case’ was a self-contained issue. Instead of needing to know the background of the people and everything else, like in the other comics we’ve read, you can jump right into the issue.

I think the most interesting thing about Planetary is how little you learn about the characters right off the bat. It takes time for the details to come through and for them to reveal their motivations. Unlike other comic series, Planetary is more of a slow-burn that seems daunting at first, but very quickly pulls you in and makes you very invested in what is going on.

Something that I found quite interesting about the series was the wide variety of creatures that are introduced. In each issue there’s a different problem or creature, and I found that refreshing. In most comics, there’s one central bad guy that continuously comes after the main character. But in Planetary, there’s a different ‘villain’ each week. It’s an interesting concept to have in a comic series, but I think that it works quite well for this particular concept.

Finally, I think that the main three characters, Elijah Snow, Jakita, and The Drummer, are an interesting team that work well together. Although they are all very different and have very different abilities, they are able to pull together – for the most part – and deal with any issues that occur.

– Emily

Black Panther

Although I had only ever seen Black Panther in the MCU before reading the comics, I found his character intriguing. I thought it was interesting that although he’s a king, he decided that personal revenge was somehow more important. Although I can understand the need to protect your family and go up against whomever has harmed them, I thought that T’Challa’s use of the Black Panther identity made everything worse. Instead of dealing with the issues of his nation as the king, he went about it like a vigilante, which made the situation somewhat… unfortunate.

Throughout the story, T’Challa wears the suit when he’s around his people, which distances him from them and makes the relationship between them even worse. It’s obvious that, as king, T’Challa wants to make the issues in his country go away and make peace, but he isn’t completely in the fight for his kingdom. From his actions, it’s clear that he will choose his blood over his nation every time, which is his weakness.

While also dealing with his nation falling into chaos, T’Challa also struggles with his identity. He’s a scientist at heart, but must put that aside to be king. Although he is king, he only really performs his duties as king when he is in the Black Panther costume. When he’s in the clothing of his people, T’Challa sort of puts his duties to the side.

What I found interesting about this story line was how whilst he was fighting or something of the sort, his inner monologue shows his internal struggle. Although he wants peace for his nation, he also wants to be himself. He wants to be T’Challa, but he also wants to save the world.