Nemesis Get's a "G" for Graphic

Blood, blood and more blood cover the pages of the newest comic by duo Mark Millar and Steve McNiven. Though they have toned down the storyline to pump up the violence, their latest comic series "Nemesis" definitely shines light on their darker sides.

From the opening scene to the last page, blood splatters are not hard to come by and, if the Joker is the one of the most despicable comic book villains of all time, Nemesis has proved himself to be a close second.

Nemesis, the main and only villain in this comic book series, decides to go on a killing frenzy and his victims of choice are cops. He targets cops all over Asia and finally made his way to America when readers are finally introduced to him. Decked out in white, he makes it very obvious he wants to be known for what he does and wishes nothing but pain and suffering to those he is out to get. Nemesis' next target is Chief Blake Morrow, located in Washington D.C., a man as tough as Nemesis.

Both certainly give off a great good-versus-evil collaboration, but this comic simply takes it to a different level. With quick witty dialogue and a chuckle on every page, the comic definitely keeps its readers hooked. From issue to issue, Nemesis' plots and shenanigans seem to top themselves, becoming more disgusting and elaborate throughout the course of the series making it sure to keep readers guessing until the very last page.

Nemesis is a rich man with fast cars, endless resources and a sleek costume. If Batman had decided to be the Joker, Nemesis would be the end-result. Nemesis is just as smart and cunning as Batman, which is why he has been able to get away with his crimes for as long as he has. The level of sadism and remorselessness Nemesis possesses rival the Joker's, if not topping it. It would be easy to let a concept like this get away from you, but Millar and McNiven are able to center it and focus on what is going on behind the victims, allowing readers to peek into the past.

This comic book uses no effect bubbles, which is hard to even notice due to the amount of detail put into each effect. At one point, a plane is crashed into a gasoline truck and, after getting past the devastating event taking place, the readers can view the artwork and really see how gorgeous the comic really is. From time to time, it would have been nice if McNiven would have lightened up on the wrinkles on some of the older men's faces though. Sometimes it comes off as if he was thinking "they might not know this man is older than the Earth itself, let me add a few more wrinkles."

The story itself has a few good twists and is filled with obscenities, and even double obscenities that had to have been thrown in for a chuckle. The twist ending is so quick it may take a re-read and a Wikipedia search to understand the entire concept. Trying to understand how Millar comes up with some of the strange and sick ways Nemesis thinks is one of the reasons this comic is such a page turner. From the first page, readers are pulled in trying to figure out what his deal is and why he is so incredibly insane.

While the comic is attractive enough with beautiful detailing and amazing scenery, the story is put on a backburner and pulled out at the last minute. Thankfully, Nemesis' antics help carry the story along, allowing for the readers to become engrossed, overall making for such a memorable character who really makes this piece incredibly interesting and worth reading. 

"Nemesis" receives a 7 out of 10.  

"Insidious" Loses Audiences

 Providing more thrills than shock, "Insidious" leaves audiences behind, as it never fully delivers on the screams it could produce.  The director of "Saw," James Wan, and the producer of "Paranormal Activity," Leigh Whannell, teamed up to create what could be a bone-chilling thriller but results in a lukewarm fright fest filled with creepy quick cuts and loud noises.

As the movie begins, the audience is introduced to the Lambert family, consisting of Patrick Wilson ("Watchmen") playing the father Josh Lambert, and Rose Byrne ("Damages") playing the mother Renai. The family seems like a pretty average family who moved into a brand new house, but right from the get-go something seems to be a little off. After one of their sons, Dalton, falls into a coma, the couple is put through extremely tough times, dealing with a comatose kid and strange appearances from ghosts. Renai finally convinces Josh there is something wrong with their house, but after they make a quick move she discovers the appearances are getting worse and more frequent. They soon find out that the house was not haunted at all, rather for some reason these ghosts are attaching themselves to the family.

The strong atmosphere of the movie is created from the beginning and never drops. The audience is always left tense, waiting anxiously for whatever will jump out or flash on the screen to scare them. The lingering feeling of something not being told or the fear of something terrible happening helps the audience connect and care for the outcome of the characters journey through this mess.

Wilson and Byrne definitely help in this film, putting their best into the characters, allowing them to become real when they could have come off as one-dimensional. Although the atmosphere is strong, the shocks are not, and after awhile the film becomes predictable and drawn out.

Ghosts can be scary, but if they are constantly being thrown in front of the camera and explored further than they need to be it starts to become routine and dull. At one point Josh interacts with some of the ghosts and it starts to get annoying as none of the ghosts seem to have any attributes besides blinking, smiling and staring.

When a movie is approaching two hours in length, predictable plotlines and smiling ghosts grow more aggravating than frightful. However, once the movie becomes predictable, it is as if the filmmakers realize this and quickly toss in another twist in an attempt to top the previous one.

The last half of the story reeked of "Poltergeist," but it would not have been such a bad thing if the first half matched up with the ending. It is as if Whannell wrote a story about possession and another about astral projection, then decided to mash them together instead of creating two different movies with it. The scares in the beginning are cheap but almost each one got someone in the audience, so that goal was achieved. Unfortunately, the ending spirals out of control with weak encounters and ghosts who start strong, but end up goofy and laugh-inducing.

"Insidious" lacks the attachment most thrillers or horrors have to audiences. Those movies make it hard for viewers to be by themselves at night, or walk past a dark room, but this film does neither.

Although the very end saved the movie from being absolutely terrible, it also sealed the fate of this film not being a memorable one.

"Insidious" receives a 6 out of 10.

Ferrell Replaces Carrell

              Last Thursday “The Office” presented one of its very few sneak peeks to next week and it revealed and familiar comrade of Steve Carrell’s, Will Ferrel. Will Ferrel stated to Entertainment Weekly that he will be taking over.  Fans immediately tweeted, blogged and updated their statuses with surprise wondering if he was definitely staying but behind the scenes different words have been said. “Will was likely joking, but time will tell.” says cast member Rainn Wilson to EW, “He’s got other fish to fry.”

Edited by yours truly. Photo courtesy of Google.

                Whether or not this rumor is true will be seen in due time but will Will Ferrel truly is able to bring a different style to the plate. Carrell’s entire shtick is being extremely uncomfortable, oblivious and over the top in all the wrong ways. It is hilarious and it works. But what is the point of switching him out with Will Ferrel who initially does the same thing. Each character from Ron Burgundy from “Anchorman” to Brennan Huff in “Step Brothers” is the same. An extremely immature grown man who has no idea the effect he has on those around him until the last 30 minutes of the film. This too works and it is hilarious. Although it really gets no one anywhere, seeing as half of the country loves Ferrel and the other half cannot stand to even see his face without imagining him streaking and cringing in annoyance.

               There has been talk of other people such as Will Arnett or Ricky Gervais  ,who was the creator of the earlier British version of “The Office,” to take Carrel’s place. Will Arnett would be a perfect edition if he took an evil and vindictive attempt at being the head of the office, but obviously in a funny way. After “Arrested Development” he has shown that his comedic talents are definitely off the charts and extremely underrated seeing as he hasn’t been afterwards. Although he has been a recurring character on “30 Rock” it could call for some scheduling conflicts so he might not be a possible candidate for Michael’s spot. Gervais filling Micheal’s spot would be a pleasure to watch, but he has a show of his own running at the moment called “The Ricky Gervais Show” so that could put a damper on things on his behalf. It is probably safe to say that neither of these amazing picks will make a permanent move into the workplace.