All-Star Western #0 Review

All-Star Western #1 dropped us into the action with little explanation of who Jonah Hex is and where he came from. For those who first encountered Hex in that issue, All-Star Western #0 will serve as a bare-bones but helpful reference concerning Hex’s origin story. Readers who have been following him since the beginning are likely to be a bit more frustrated by the recapitulation.

Hex veterans Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray guide the story from Jonah’s youth to the modern day, but the task proves too large for just one issue. The book gets off to a great story, with all of the heart-wrenching details of Hex’s family life coming through. As soon as he strikes off as a young man, things begin to fall apart. The story feels like it’s in fast-forward, with major life junctures coming almost every page. The narrative is interesting, but it becomes annoying to read because space limitations leave it so fragmented. In retrospect, it might have been better to tell half of his origin and leave the rest for another time.

The artwork for this book is, once again, in the capable hands of Moritat, the regular artist for the series. The emotions of Moritat’s characters are eminently apparent through their expressions and posture, especially when the story has a bit of room at its opening; however, the abbreviated nature of the story causes problems for the art direction. The amount of action necessitates more panels than there is room for, leading to pages that are frequently overcrowded and a disorienting sense akin to a movie camera crossing over the action line (were there enough panels to establish an action line to begin with).

This month’s issue fulfills its obligation to tell Jonah Hex’s origin, but it’s not the smoothest process. I’ll give points for cramming so many of Hex’s formative moments into such a small space; however, the experience is hampered greatly by the project’s ambition. I do look forward to Moritat’s inks every month, and the team of Palmiotti and Gray once again put together some of the most natural dialog in monthly comics. Verdict: green light for interested newcomers and fans of the creators, yellow light for everyone else.

Poet is a freelance writer, mid-core gamer, and frequent IGN contributor. Follow Poet on Twitter, or post a message on his IGN profile.

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The Flash #0 Review

I’ll say this much: you won’t find a poorly drawn issue of The Flash. Francis Manapul never ceases to deliver impressive layouts to tell his and Brian Buccellato’s story. The page showing how Flash designed his costume looks incredible with the way the panels seem to spring from his costume-springing ring. It looks great, but the lack of a compelling narrative that matches the quality of the art continues to leave this series in the dust.

An origin story in every sense of the word, The Flash #0 details how Barry Allen got his powers and his motivation for becoming a hero. While the tender subject of Barry’s relationship to his parents and the life-changing impact of his mother’s murder attempts to form the heart of this story, the superhero aspect gets glazed over. The result winds up being a story that fails to connect on a deeper emotional level or infuse the reader with the same inspiration that Barry supposedly felt that made him put on the red and yellow duds.

The dialogue sounds generic, the character motivations are cookie cutter, and the mystery feels more confusing than compelling. The narrative structure features a lot of flashbacks put in at add points here and there, but they never amount to anything worth the effort it takes to read them in such a way. If you want a kick ass story told in fragmented flashbacks, then check out Matt Fraction and David Aja’s outstanding new Hawkeye series.

Joshua is a writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter or IGN, but only if you are prepared to hear more about Darth Maul, Green Lantern, and Doop than you would ever care to know.

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Winter Soldier #11 Review

Some how, each issue of Winter Soldier gets better and better. This is consistently one of Marvel's best books. No contest. It showcases everything that made Ed Brubaker's run with the Captain America universe so fantastic. The only problem with this series is that every month, we get a little bit closer to its end and a little bit closer to Brubaker's departure from the world of Marvel. That's actually more than a problem, that's downright depressing.

In this issue, Bucky joins forces with Hawkeye (and his ridiculous sunglasses) to hunt down the brainwashed Black Widow. There's some detective work, a few twists and turns, and a brief throw down with AIM. The dialogue is great; the story is dark and compelling. The mystery just keeps growing. It's typical Brubaker and typical Brubaker is a very, very good thing.

Butch Guice does his usual magic with his pencil work. There's a dark, muddy quality to the book, like this is corner of the Marvel Universe where few superheroes would dare to tread. The killer look of this issue is enhance by the awesome talent of Bettie Breitweiser. Her color art is seriously mind blowing. The reds and oranges look like fire, burning up the darkness on every page. And yet, the book still feels dark, like it's drenched in shadows. Everything about the Winter Soldier is brilliant. This series is so freaking good, it'll make you weep.

Benjamin Bailey is an anagram for Awesome McStudly. Seriously, if you squint, it works. Maybe not. What's an anagram?  Follow Benjamin on Twitter, or find him on IGN.

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Wii U Will Be Region-Locked

Though it comes as little surprise, it appears as though Nintendo's Wii U console will be region locked. The latest issue of Famitsu reports that Nintendo plans to prevent its new console from playing software outside of specified territories. A direct quote as translated on Twitter: "What can be played on the Wii U is restricted by a region-lock feature; software not sold in the same region cannot be played."

This is hardly the first time Nintendo has applied this policy. Wii and the 3DS were locked, as were some models of the Nintendo DS. Earlier Nintendo hardware featured physical differences in carts as a means for region locking.

So... anyone planning to import a Japanese Wii U now? If Nintendo of America's strange localization timetables continue, we're not sure how long we'll be able to resist. Stay tuned to IGN for the latest details on Wii U as the system's launch approaches.

Rich is an Executive Editor of IGN.com and the leader of IGN's Nintendo team. He also watches over all things WWE, Resident Evil, Assassin's Creed and much more. Follow him on Twitter, if you dare!

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Uncanny X-Force #31 Review

If last issue felt like it was missing something, then you will enjoy the developments in Uncanny X-Force #31. The villains get fleshed out, the heroes reappear, and we finally get to hear Evan’s inner monologue now that he’s been psychologically tormented by a group of Marvel’s baddest baddies.

It was a surprising twist when Daken was revealed as the head of the new Brotherhood, but Rick Remender has done surprisingly little with the character since then. If anyone feels like they have a game plan and proper motivation, it’s Sabretooth. He spends so much time in the spotlight this issue that it’s not a stretch to wonder if he’s really the one pulling all of the strings.

Funny as it seems, Apocalypse has been a main character of Uncanny X-Force since the beginning. The team went after him on their first mission, Deathlok showed up to prevent the clone from growing up, and now a war wages for his soul. Where other writers might dedicate a single arc to a villain and move on, Remender makes Apocalypse into a fascinating allegory for good and evil, nature versus nurture, and choice against fate. While Apocalypse was not in every issue, the ramifications of dealing with him were always hanging over the team. Most impressive, by keeping Evan around for an extended period and letting him attend the Jean Grey School over in Jason Aaron’s Wolverine and the X-Men series, Remender has crafted him into a truly likable character that I earnestly do not want to see become a monster. Given what he’s done to my other favorites Angel and Fantomex, I don’t like Evan’s chances.

As for the heroes, they have returned and are headed in a direction that mirrors their first mission in more than a few unsettling ways. However, this time the characters have been through a lot of hell and bring with them new resolves on how to handle the situation. Rarely do the Big Two’s superheroes truly change, but here these characters are entirely different people than the ones we met in Uncanny X-Force #1. I was surprised by one character’s brash decision, but looking back, it makes total sense.

Phil Noto’s excellent artwork matches the high quality of the story. He plays up the obscurity of the character’s looks -- Deahtlok’s noseless face, Blob’s disgusting girth -- while keeping them all toned down to the grave level of the story. My single point of contention comes on page two. It seems as though the character ought to look impressively imposing, but there’s a softness to his look that robs him of that. On the other hand, the character has not yet reached that level of power yet, so perhaps it was intentional. Either way, given the rapid escalation of the story, he will get his chance to show off soon.

The Dark Angel saga was a huge event in scope and cast, but Final Execution looks to be the more personal story arc. Everyone has an agenda and a grudge -- even the heroes -- and the story feels as though it could twist into an unexpected direction at any time. Given that Remender’s run on this series will end come December, there’s never a better time for him to tell this violent and transformative tale.

Joshua is a writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter or IGN, but only if you are prepared to hear more about Darth Maul, Green Lantern, and Doop than you would ever care to know.

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Superboy #0 Review

Fans of exposition and recapitulation get ready. This book is chock full of it. If you’ve followed the series, you will learn next to nothing. Superboy #0 is a filler issue if ever there was one.

Yes, Tom DeFalco’s script does add a bit of backstory, strange as it is. Sadly, the greater part of the book is a rehash of the first few issues of the series. Worse, there is an epic, grating voiceover/monologue by Harvest that lasts almost the entire issue. It does explain how Harvest fits into the whole convoluted scheme, but it fails to register as interesting.

RB Silva and Rob Lean try to inject some energy into the story, but the final product remains relatively low key. There are some good moments of suddenness in a few of the action scenes, but the familiarity of the story limits their impact. The character design for Kon is unimpressive, as the character resembles the average post-apocalyptic revolutionary a bit too much.

There’s not much reason to pick up this issue. It’s dull and lacks significant insight into Superboy’s backstory. Like so many of these #0 issues, this story doesn’t need its own issue. The class warfare and climate change themes percolating below the surface are interesting and preachy, respectively, but they don’t have much to do with the story. This is definitely a book to skip.

Poet is a freelance writer, mid-core gamer, and frequent IGN contributor. Follow Poet on Twitter, or post a message on his IGN profile.

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Scalped Artist to Draw Django Unchained Comic

Back at San Diego Comic-Con, Quentin Tarantino crashed a DC Comics panel to announce that he'd be releasing a 6-issue comic book mini-series based on his screenplay for Django Unchained, which might include some scenes that will be left on the cutting room floor for the movie. Not much was known at the time other than "it's coming," but now DC has revealed via AICN that the artist on the project will be R.M. Guera, co-creator of the recently concluded Vertigo crime epic, Scalped.

In addition, Jim Lee will be providing a variant cover to to issue #1, which releases in December.

Joey is IGN's Comics Editor and a comic book creator himself. Follow Joey on Twitter, or find him on IGN. He loves superhero pets so hard.

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Remender Confirms Exit from Uncanny X-Force, Secret Avengers

Though it's been suspected since the announcement of Uncanny Avengers, Rick Remender confirmed today via Twitter that he'll be leaving Uncanny X-Force and Secret Avengers. Remender's final issue of X-Force will be the conclusion to Final Execution in issue #35 -- which will also serve as the series finale.

As for Secret Avengers, he'll be wrapping his run with issue #37, but seemed to give no indication that the series itself was ending. Presumably a new team will be revealed soon.

Remender tweeted:

Yes, unfortunately my time on UXF is coming to an end. It's like a friend told me, "Know when to get off the stage."

— Rick Remender (@Remender) September 10, 2012

Lots of the UXF story threads I set up are moving to Uncanny Avengers. And the people involved in the series moving forward are ACES.

— Rick Remender (@Remender) September 10, 2012

Yes, my SECRET AVENGERS ends at issue 37. But we still have the best to come in the finales of SA and UXF. We're going out loudly on both.

— Rick Remender (@Remender) September 10, 2012

Though his tweet mentions that there are people involved in the series after he leaves, I assume he's referencing the rumored X-Force relaunch for Marvel NOW!.

The writer also told CBR in an interview, "Hopefully, I'll be able to stick a nice landing with Final Execution and people will really enjoy it, so the series will never have that part where it tapered and stopped being as good. That's the upshot. You do your best work -- and we all have -- and then you wrap things up and walk away from it."

But hey, it's nice knowing that a lot of the threads will be continuing on into Uncanny Avengers. Until then, strap in for the ride of your life on the road to Uncanny X-Force's end.

Joey is IGN's Comics Editor and a comic book creator himself. Follow Joey on Twitter, or find him on IGN. He loves superhero pets so hard.

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Halo 4 Promethean Enemies and Weapons Revealed

Images of eight Promethean enemies and seven of their weapons from 343 Industries' upcoming shooter Halo 4 have surfaced.

Taken from a forthcoming issue of Game Informer and hosted by All Games Beta, the images are accompanied by a little bit of information about who our victims will be come November.

Minor spoilers follow for Halo 4 in terms of enemies and weapons, but there's also minor references to the plot of Halo 4 that leaked last week.

The Promethean enemies will live on Requiem which, as we discovered last week, is where the ancient Forerunner called Didact is hidden. In terms of enemies, there seem to be three basic types, though these then further diversify through attack methods and armour designs.

First up are the Crawlers, which are apparently common, agile and hunt in packs. They come in Alpha, Snipe and normal flavours, with each one sporting different weapons that they can utilise from a distance.

Alongside the Crawlers are the Knights. These are the captains of the Promethean forces, and can appear as Lancers, Battlewagons or Commanders in addition to their normal version. The special versions can deploy turrets and fire through walls, so it sounds like we'll have to utilise all our skills to best them in combat.

And finally there are the Watchers. These will apparently fight shoulder to shoulder with Knights, but will ominously be equipped with resurrection powers and the ability to summon Crawlers. So they're the ones we'll be taking out first, then.

Alongside the already intimidating range of abilities referenced, the Prometheans will be decked out with some pretty full on weaponry, details of which you can see below.

Halo 4 is due out on Xbox 360 on November 6.

Luke Karmali is IGN's UK Editorial Assistant. You too can revel in mediocrity by following him on IGN and on Twitter.

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