All-New Ultimates #2 Review
A bit late, but here’s my review of All-New Ultimates #2.
The story starts with the battle still underway and the New Ultimates are in their first dust-up gone wrong and turned into a mess. It quickly turn into the Serpent Skulls versus everyone else and they’ve got numbers on their side. I see a lot of issues in the fight alone, namely Miles getting hit by an opponent who isn’t faster than him while he has Spider-Sense. He shouldn’t be touched at all in this fight, although he’s still inexperienced, neither should Jessica have gotten jabbed by a needle. They been in goddamn war and came out better than this.
Anyway, the fight ends abruptly when SWAT shows up. Diamondback, who seems to have a thing for younger men in spider outfits kisses Miles goodbye as Cloak pulls the rest of the group out of there and back to their base in Hell’s Kitchen, where Cloak is down for the count because of Styx’s touch while Lana flat-out quits because apparently her powers weren’t working during the fight properly and she nearly got killed. They seemed fine to me, but she knows her body better I guess.
Back with the police in the alley, they’re summing up the situation with the only causalities being Styx and the police he grabbed, while someone wearing a hobo mask kills Stone out of what they claimed was justice. Given his experiments led to this, the guy is probably another victim. The Serpent Skulls themselves also note just how big a mess that brawl was and decide to move things faster and quicker since the police and the super kids are working at different angles, but because some other gang is knocking off their own they‘ve decided to just kill all the other gangs to show them what a kill sweep is.
We then go through a series of panels showing that Jessica was poisoned and tells Kitty, who decided she would join in, to call someone for help as she passes out, Miles is recovering from his own ass-whipping with an ice-pack while Cloak seems to be having trouble with his powers, Dagger is stretching, the guy who killed Stone is killing more people in the name of justice, the cop who got hit by Styx died and Lana’s boyfriend stood her up… again, didn’t her boyfriend get crushed by a car?
The comic ends there.
Okay, review time.
I’m not going to lie. This comic isn’t meeting my expectations, but since it’s the first arc I’m giving them the benefit of the doubt. But, while Miles is technically still a rookie, Jessica shouldn’t have gotten her ass-kicked like that. Kitty joining the team felt forced.
Issue gets a 3 out of 5.
Miles Morales: The Ultimate Spider-Man #1 Review
Okay, Miles has been around for a bit so it’s time he got a series named after him. So in this continuation of his life upon donning the Spider-Man mask again I’ll be reading and reviewing it to give you my biased opinion of what I think of it. This is the first review of Miles Morales: The Ultimate Spider-Man and it already contains swearing so beware!
The story begins at a top-secret SHIELD containment facility. Since Cataclysm ended the way it did, SHIELD has been disbanded and that means all their prisoners get transferred to a federal prison. That includes one special bastard who by all rights should be dead:
Norman-fucking-Osborn, aka the Green Goblin, aka the man who killed Peter Parker. Apparently he didn’t die and Fury thought to keep his ass locked up since nothing seems to finish the damn job. The guard, no longer assigned to watch him, knocks his teeth in for killing Peter and tell them to keep an eye on the bastard…it doesn’t take a genius to figure out how that’s going to end.
Meanwhile, in Brooklyn, two guys are discussing whether or not Captain America is dead. Let’s face it, they didn’t find the body so he’ll probably pop up later on. But this meta-discussion gets ended when some spider-man dressed douche-bags decide to make with the robbing of an armored truck. This is not what Miles needs.
Speaking of his needs, he’s making out with Katie Bishop when she’s asking where he was last night. Considering the shot of the All New Ultimates I would say he’s busy, but since he can’t explain that because she’s not in the loop she incorrectly assumes it was because Jefferson had came home. Apparently his Dad decided to simply abandon him…see my end notes about that. Either way the discussion comes to a close when a teacher tells him to get to class and we get an angsty teen shot.
We then skip to Long Island Expressway where Norman turns into the Green Goblin and escapes, shocker, and then back to Miles and Ganke. Miles is once again debating with Ganke on telling Katie his secret identity and Ganke argues against while now crushing on Dagger instead of Gwen. He’s got a thing for older women since puberty kicked in I guess….I can respect that.
Miles reminds him that she’s taken and out of his league and then goes pouty face when Ganke mentions he helped him be Spider-Man. He then decides to call up Mary Jane and gets some advice. She tells him that yeah it’s good to tell the girl because she shouldn’t have to find out after his death makes the front page of the news. But she also warns him that it’s like being married, you tell her then you’re connected for life, so make sure she’s not a villain or decides to go the woman-scorned route if something goes down.
Miles stress-level continues to rise as he learns about the fake spider-men and knows that he’s going to probably be framed for a crime he didn’t commit soon enough. As he enters his home he finds someone ransacking the place looking for something and when they turn around it’s…wait for it…wait for it…wait for it….
It’s Peter Parker!
Okay, review time.
Really, Peter’s back…yeah, I’m not buying it. Last time I checked, Scorpion and Jessica were the only clones still running around so I say it’s him. Actually, did those two Chameleons twins get killed off or not, because that would explain so much…
The debate about telling girlfriend or not doesn’t really interest me because it’s been done before and they have us another shot of Miles being angsty, probably because he resents being Spider-Man again now that it cost him his last family member. His life was so much better before he put it on…
Speaking of which, was the Marvel staff smoking something hard when they thought that up. Jefferson abandoning his son and Miles going angsty? You’re having the African-American father, who was reasonable up until the mask came off, abandon his son? Just to make him a troubled teen rather than the chipper kid he was like ten issues ago? Really?
This…is not the type of controversy they should be trying to stir up. It’d be one thing if Jefferson was shown as abusive before, rather than just one stress-induced incident that they could both sit down and talk about after the end of the world. I mean, he was a semi-bigot with grievances against Spider-Man, but seriously they pulled that out of their asses over the course of ten pages rather than ten issues like Jefferson one day finding his spider-suit and then stewing it over.
I shouldn’t have expected better. I blame myself…no, wait, I blame Marvel. C’mon now, having Jefferson abandon him is just fucking cheap and plays into negative stereotypes on top of Miles going angst over it. The only excuse that I’d accept is that he died and they’re hiding the body. I don’t fucking want broody Miles because his Daddy left him, that daddy issue shit gets old.
You don’t see Cloak bitching about his circumstances…just saying…and for fuck’s sake, stop taking off your mask Miles!
Anyway, I can’t give this a perfect score because of the above and we know that Peter is either a clone or a shape-shifter who appears after SHIELD is closed down. Really, sending super-villains to federal prisons just begs for it. Given that in 616 Mystique breaks in and out of SHIELD for a hobby it’s fairly obvious. In fact I’d like to be proven wrong…
It gets a 3 out of 5. Clean it up, Marvel.
All-New Ultimates #1 Review
All New Ultimates has arrived, the series that takes the teen heroes from the Ultimates line and makes them into a unit of ass-kicking vigilantes. Here’s hoping they aren’t as dysfunctional as their predecessors as I review the first issue.
Our story begins with a group shot as they discuss their units name shortly after the end of the Cataclysm: Survive and, immediately after, we go to Hell’s Kitchen in the morning. This place is a nightmare in the regular continuity, so it should come as no surprise Ganke Lee is promptly mugged by some gangbangers with superpowers until Cloak and Dagger pop up to save him. It seems like they’ve been doing this for a bit since this is the third time this week they’ve had to kick ass and take names according to them. They try to get him to go to a hospital, but he declines so they take him to their home.
Like their counterparts they reside in an abandoned church and are soon joined by Miles, the new Spider-man, since Ganke is his BFF (their caption, not mine). It turns out Ganke came to get some Legos, which leads me to think that his obsession is unhealthy, but Miles claims not to judge so why should I? Anyway, they leave as we skip to the Lower East Side, where some cops have busted into a Poor Man’s Roxxon-lab only to find a half-melted corpse as the two suspects have run away.
Back in the Church Lana has arrived after talking to her parole officer and immediately bags on Cloak and Dagger’s home and they exchange phone numbers using SHIELD tech since the organization has been scrapped for failing to stop Galactus. Then they get down to business. Since Roxxon was no longer under SHIELD’s protection, for the reasons listed above, a local gang seized one of their labs and has been giving out what amounts to untested Mutant Growth Hormone. Naturally this ends with a high rate of fatalities and they want to resolve this. So they go the vigilante route, although I think Lana’s parole officer might have something to say about that.
In Chelsea Kitty Pryde is staying in Jessica’s place. She’s having second thoughts about everything. First she was hated as the leader of the mutants, now everyone loves her for punching out Galactus while hopped up on Giant Man Serum until Thor tossed his ass into the Negative Zone. She doesn’t want to be in the spotlight and doesn’t want to go back to Utopia for some reason, so she crashes with Jessica who asks her for a haircut.
Lana makes it to her government housing just as the two suspects from the lab, Stone and Styx, try to break into an old Roxxon outpost. The Serpent Skulls are already there and Lana hears the resulting squabble and gets her new team involved…and gets their butts kicked by Styx and Stone until the cops show up and decide to try and arrest them all. So it’s back to people getting ready to shoot at Miles already.
Things go pear shape as Styx melts the skin off one of the cops trying to get Miles and the other cop shoots him dead. Then the Serpent Skulls pop out of the lab intent on beating the hell out of everyone without a tattoo. The comic ends with the leader of the game, Diamondback, telling them to get started.
Okay, review time.
I’ve got to say this isn’t exactly a strong start for their new series. Leaving aside the artwork being inferior to the Ultimate Comics Spider-Man and the characters looking awkward at time, some of their dialogue seems out of character and there seems to be some continuity errors.
For example, Poey was the nickname of Lana’s boyfriend, Sid. He was crushed to death in Cataclysm by a random car to spur her into the hero scene. Now, while I’m all for retconning that meaningless death, I need some sign prior to this that he made it.
Then Jessica’s combat abilities seem to have been downplayed. Let’s be frank, she has training and Spider-Sense (and it’s not the weak version Miles has). She shouldn’t get hit by someone without super powers or extreme circumstances like war.
All in all, I can’t give this more than a 3 out of 5 and hope they do better next issue.
Ultimate Spider-Man #200 Review
It’s been a long time coming, but Ultimate Spider-Man #200 is here, making way for Miles’ own series alongside the All-New Ultimates. I’ll probably review them both when the time comes, but until then you’ll get this one.
It begins with Ganke and Miles making their way to Aunt May’s home by Bus, which Ganke complains about since if they took the webbing they could have been their sooner. Miles points out that’s not what it’s for and it’s expensive to make, before asking why Ganke bought a gift possibly made of Legos. He reveals that it’s for Gwen Stacy, who he’s crushing on hard. We can’t blame him for it since she’s hot and older than him. But Miles tells him not to get his hopes up as they arrive.
Mary Jane arrives after them, but her boyfriend ducks out because he figures it would be all kinds of awkward. She tells him not to get hit by a car as he leaves and he nearly does get run over by Lana and Jessica who were also on the way. We then cut to Bobby, Johnny Storm, and Liz Allen, having a moment before we gaze upon the gathering inside May’s home.
To everyone’s surprise, Gwen likes whatever Ganke got her and gives him a kiss that leaves him probably the happiest geek in the world. Way to go for chubby lego geeks everywhere! We then get a visit from Tony Stark’s Girl Friday, Pepper Potts. He couldn’t make it so he sent over a gourmet meal that will last for days judging by the amount.
Kitty Pryde arrives after that and gets warm greetings all around. She gives Miles a hug as thanks for helping her during Cataclysm and received a medal from the President for her actions during that event. Kong shows up, who apparently ran away with her sometime before and it didn’t work out considering how close she is with Wolverine Jr. Jameson is there as well, but decides to go back to the city since there’s nothing he can do there after Peter’s loss.
Once they’d all eaten, they start discussing their dreams about what it would be like if Peter grew up (note that they’ve met an adult version of him from Earth-616). MJ saw him as the leader of the Ultimates in the future, possibly the greatest hero of all time, while May saw him combining being a hero with advance tech to make the Spider Corps, and Gwen saw him as a reporter…which is pretty much what his 616 counterpart was before going the scientist route. Miles wishes that he had gone to see Peter when he first gained his powers and imagines being a team, as a side-kick or partner. Kitty saw them being married and forming a team with the X-Men, while Bobby just ripped off the cartoon loosely based off the series.
In the end they all feel like doing something good in Peter’s name and goes to the Mission to give to those in need and there is a lot of people after Galactus showed up and ate New Jersey. When they get done the group parts, with Ganke getting another kiss (go Ganke!), Kitty being escorted by Kong, Jessica taking Lana home, Liz, Bobby, and Johnny taking flight, and it ends with Gwen and MJ hugging while a mysterious person watches from the shadows.
Okay, review time.
This…this is a damn good issue, a tribute to Peter Parker even after his death. The art, the story, all of it was perfect. For once I have no complaints and can’t wait for the first issue in Miles’ new series.
It’s not a 5 out of 5, it’s a damn 10 out of 5, 200% and a must buy.
Cataclysm: Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #3 Review
The end is nigh?
Okay, the winter break is over and comics have returned to being their usual selves, so I’m back with my review of the end of the current Ultimate Universe. That’s right, they’re relaunching it in the spring. But more on that after the review of Cataclysm: Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #3.
So it starts with two pilots attempting to land a plane, ignoring when the military tells them that they need to break off since there isn’t a New Jersey anymore. It goes poorly and they pass by Galactus. This goes about as well as you expect.
It then skips back to Miles being a dunderhead and revealing himself to his father. Jefferson take it poorly, although it is somewhat understandable since he believes Miles killed his Uncle and led to the death of his Mother. Now, Miles could make several arguments in his case, like his Uncle being the reason he gained his powers and used him before trying to kill him, but there isn’t enough time.
You see, that plane got swatted out of the sky and came down right in their neighborhood so Miles had to go be a hero, leaving his father behind to cry over everything. At the scene of the wreck Jessica tells him to put his mask back on and they get to rescuing the survivors. Guess who’s inside that plane?
None other than John J. Jameson, who Miles manages to get him to safety just as the thing goes up in a fireball. They need to evacuate everyone as soon as possible before the whole place goes up, when Cloak and Dagger pop in to help with his teleporting thing. After the first wave of people are gone, the plane blows up a little more and the tail wing comes crashing down to crush hem, but Bombshell swoops in and blows it to ashes.
The team is all together and JJJ tells them all that when this is over, he’s going to change their lives. Hopefully in a good way, considering they’re saving him like he saw Peter doing during Ultimatum. With that taken care of, Miles goes home to find his dad missing and looks upset about it for a second before Captain America tells him they’re coming to get him, ending the Cataclysm version of Ultimate Comics Spider-Man.
So now it ends where Ultimate’s Last Stand #2 did, with Miles heading off to the 616 Universe in hopes of finding the Reed Richards of that universe and getting him to stop Galactus. Now, I want to say Jefferson is a douchebag for spurring his son away, but it’s mostly the circumstances. Miles springs this on him during the end of the world, so you could understand he’s a little stressed.
Therefore, I’m waiting until things pick up after the relaunch to see what’s going on. If they sit down and talk about it, without him kicking the boy out of the house, then I’ll keep my opinion of him high. Otherwise, another shitty parent.
Issue gets a #5 out 5 for heroes being heroes.
Now, on the subject of the relaunch. They’re ending Ultimate Comics Spider-Man this year and no other Ultimate series has a solicitation in March except one called ‘Survive’, which is the aftermath of Cataclysm. However, it became made clear that they are relaunching in April, as they did after Ultimatum, according Comic Book Cast 2.
Better than nothing I suppose, but since I only review the Spider-Man right now it remains to be seen if I’ll cover it. Chances are good if its a team book with the kids and Jessica, but if its the Ultimates then screw that. They’re dysfunctional as hell.
Edit: Apparently they are releasing the new team book under All-New Ultimates…way to be original, Marvel. Oh well, at least Kitty might be in it.
Fanfic Recommendations 19
Fanfics I have wrote that have been updated:
Summary: Due to a chance meeting with Kariya before the events of Fate/Zero, Shinji strives to follow in his uncle’s footsteps and save Sakura from damnation of the Matou Clan. To do so, he must make many sacrifices and will endure pain like no other to compete in the next Holy Grail War, including becoming a Spellcaster—all for Sakura’s sake. An AU Fate Stay Night story.
Fanfics that I have found interesting and have recently been updated:
A Pokemon Fanfic
Summary: In a different life Ash Ketchum looks upon his world from an unique perspective.
The Trinity: The Twilight 35-36 (Book 7)
A Harry Potter/FSN Fanfic
Summary: The series is a retelling of Harry Potter books with the titular character, alongside two other ones readers didn’t really care about, being replaced by three characters (Emiya Shirou, now known as Shirou von Einzbern; Aozaki Takara, with her name unchanged; Jester, with his name becoming Galen Salvatore) from one of his earlier works. With Neville Longbottom being the one of whom the prophecy speaks after Harry Potter’s death at the hands of Lord Voldemort, they are trying to fix what is left of the world they knew from books and movies, to have a place to live.
A Fate Stay Night/Sword Art Online Fanfic
Summary: Ilya likes to play video games, and in the time she has remaining, Shirou is more than willing to play the new VR game with her. But when they are trapped inside the game, [Sword Art Online], they determine something even more distressing: Kayaba Akihiko is definitely a Magus.
Harry Potter: Junior Inquisitor 20-21
A Harry Potter Fanfic
Summary:Before the start of fifth year, Dumbledore changes the plans. Unfortunately he didn’t bother to inform Harry. At his trial, Harry realizes that it is down to him to save his own skin. To do so, his Slytherin side must come out to play, and once it’s out, it sticks around. Now Dumbledore and the Ministry alike must watch their backs…
A Nanoha Fanfic
Summary: There’s no such thing as happily ever after. Life goes on – even dearly bought. All Precia’s plans may come to nought as shadowy actors take to the stage. But nothing unmasks a man like his use of power. Second of the Gamesverse series.
A Sword Art Online Fanfic
Summary: What if Akihiko Kayaba had created the Death Game of Alfheim Online rather than the floating castle of Aincrad—a world in which the nine player races are in competition to escape the game, and player killing was not a crime but rather a predictable product of human nature and tribalism in the face of mutually exclusive goals? AU reboot of the SAO universe. **SPOILERS IN REVIEWS**
A Fate Stay Night Fanfic
Summary: “With swords that aren’t yours, with skills that aren’t yours, for dreams that aren’t yours. Your entire existence is a lie!” – “Then I’ll show you that even fake dreams can become reality.” A different choice, a different path, a different FATE. Shirou/Multi
A Fate Stay Night Fanfic
Summary: How does the Grail choose a Master or a Servant? Fact of the matter is, it knows the difference between want and need. Masters of the Fourth Holy Grail War know they want a strong Servant, but the Grail knows the Servants they need.
A Naruto Fanfic
Summary: What do you get when you cross several interdimensional god like beings, raw boredom, a world of Naruto that went wrong, several years worth of off screen training, common sense, insanity, humor, sarcasm, the Log, explosions, plot, and overall chaos? Apparently a lot of headache medicine for Tsunade. May the Games Begin. Sequel to Yet Again With A Little Extra Help.
A To Aru Majutsu Fanfic
Summary:AU/Rewrite. In a city where science has made the impossible mundane, a young man meets a very strange girl, who speaks to him of things yet stranger. Meanwhile, four friends stumble into a conspiracy that threatens to overturn everything they thought they knew about their home.
A Fate Stay Night / Sekirei Fanfic
Summary: Honestly, Shirou was beginning to think that he should be used to this; being unwittingly selected to take part in brutal tournament that he had no idea existed until he found himself in the middle of it. Then again, second times the charm, right?
A Naruto Fanfic
Summary: Danzo’s plan for the assassination of the Hokage was almost flawless. To bad he didn’t take six neglected children who ran away the night of the murder into account.
Cataclysm: Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #2 Review
They’re missing one.
Well, continuing on as the Devourer of Worlds ravages the Ultimate Universe, we’re picking up right where we left off from Cataclysm: Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #1.
We begin with a flashback to two years ago, when Ultimatum killed off the majority of characters who should by all means have survived. It was not well received to say the least. Turns out Tandy was at ground zero with her bigoted mother and wanted to help as she watched Spider-Man doing something since he actually had the power to, but her mother stated they had to help themselves first.
Now, she had a point. They couldn’t do anything because they were powerless. Now Tandy feels different since she has the power to make a difference, and she wants to use it by punching Galactus out. Ty thinks she out of it, but he takes her there and she tries to hit him in the eyes. It did nothing but annoy him.
With Miles with the Ultimates saving people, he comes across some kids abandoned by a teacher and one of them calls for their father, reminding him of what he was doing two years ago. He and his father and mother were trying to escape and the man made a comment that clearly showed he wouldn’t have liked it if Miles was born a mutant. This right here is the reason he hasn’t told his dad about his powers and why his mother told him to never let him find out.
With Lana, she runs into her boyfriend that she broke up a few issues ago. He dies, crushed in front of her, just for the shock value. Now, that’s just senseless death right there, but it motivates her to move and join with the Ultimates in doing something.
Said something comes from some dumbasses robbing people as the fucking world is ending. Really, what the hell are they going to do with it if Galactus eats them? Bombshell puts an end to that and Jessica compliments her on it as Miles helps the kid finds his dad, who tells him nothing is more important than family, and Ty and Tandy, who just barely avoid getting an eyebeam to the face, take a moment to help out some injured people, but realize there isn’t much they can do to get more out in time.
At the end we have Miles seeing his father looking for him and drops down in front of him to take him to safety. Naturally, he doesn’t take the costume well because of his bias and the fact that Spider-Man is technically part of the reason his wife bit the bullet. Spurred on by the moment, Miles takes his masks off and tells his father to come with him to safety.
And the bastards end it on a cliffhanger.
I originally thought the issue would end where Ultimate’s Last Stand #2 did, with Miles heading off to the 616 Universe in hopes of finding the Reed Richards of that universe and getting him to stop Galactus, but I suppose that’s the next chapter. Instead, with the world ending, Miles decides to drop the bombshell on his father. If there was ever a damn death flag that was it.
Normally I would give this issue a full perfect score since this issue was heroes being heroes and actually helping out. They’re outmatched by Galactus and the Ultimate Universe is severely ill-prepared so that’s all they can do, but how often do you see good guys like this instead of them punching out some other superpowered thug? But, Sid’s sudden death was just poorly done and there was no build up, which takes marks off.
So the issue gets a 4.5 out of 5.
Fanfic Recommendations 18
Fanfics I have wrote that have been updated:
Harry Potter and the Path of Indifference #9
Summary: Harry Potter may be the brother of the Boy-Who-Lived and his parents may still be alive, but that doesn’t mean everything is perfect. While he may not want anything to do with the upcoming war between Light and Dark, he’ll end up walking between them. An AU fanfic involving Harry Potter as a Ravenclaw and based off Neither Light nor Dark: Steelclaws & Gray Coats.
Summary: Being Spider-Man cost him his uncle, mother, and crippled his father, leaving Miles a broken young man still putting together the pieces. But the city needs him, so he reluctantly dons the mask for a second time, and join hands with a few others to become what the city needed, but not without a price as they would learn in their journey to be heroes.
Fanfics that I have found interesting and have recently been updated:
A Fate Stay Night Fanfic
Summary: Emiya Kiritsugu was happy living the rest of his short days. He had put his past behind him… until he began to dream of futures that had yet to be. Let it be known that the Magus Killer was not dangerous simply because he was dying and had no plans to fight.
The Trinity: The Twilight 31-34 (Book 7)
A Harry Potter/FSN Fanfic
Summary: The series is a retelling of Harry Potter books with the titular character, alongside two other ones readers didn’t really care about, being replaced by three characters (Emiya Shirou, now known as Shirou von Einzbern; Aozaki Takara, with her name unchanged; Jester, with his name becoming Galen Salvatore) from one of his earlier works. With Neville Longbottom being the one of whom the prophecy speaks after Harry Potter’s death at the hands of Lord Voldemort, they are trying to fix what is left of the world they knew from books and movies, to have a place to live.
A Fate Stay Night/Sword Art Online Fanfic
Summary: Before the start of fifth year, Dumbledore changes the plans. Unfortunately he didn’t bother to inform Harry. At his trial, Harry realises that it is down to him to save his own skin. To do so, his Slytherin side must come out to play, and once it’s out, it sticks around. Now Dumbledore and the Ministry alike must watch their backs…
A To Aru Majutsu Fanfic
Summary:AU/Rewrite. In a city where science has made the impossible mundane, a young man meets a very strange girl, who speaks to him of things yet stranger. Meanwhile, four friends stumble into a conspiracy that threatens to overturn everything they thought they knew about their home.
A Naruto Fanfic
Summary: What do you get when you cross several interdimensional god like beings, raw boredom, a world of Naruto that went wrong, several years worth of off screen training, common sense, insanity, humor, sarcasm, the Log, explosions, plot, and overall chaos? Apparently a lot of headache medicine for Tsunade. May the Games Begin. Sequel to Yet Again With A Little Extra Help.
A Naruto Fanfic
Summary: Being ignored and gazed at with hatred can lead someone to become a boisterous and loud orange-wearing shinobi, but it can also drive him to become a silent and invisible introvert. Of the two, Naruto takes the logical choice for a future in the Ninja World. Team Sai-Naruto-Sakura. No pairings. Future of bloodshed and grittiness assured.
A Sword Art Online Fanfic
Summary: What if Akihiko Kayaba had created the Death Game of Alfheim Online rather than the floating castle of Aincrad—a world in which the nine player races are in competition to escape the game, and player killing was not a crime but rather a predictable product of human nature and tribalism in the face of mutually exclusive goals? AU reboot of the SAO universe. **SPOILERS IN REVIEWS**
A Fate Stay Night Fanfic
Summary: “With swords that aren’t yours, with skills that aren’t yours, for dreams that aren’t yours. Your entire existence is a lie!” – “Then I’ll show you that even fake dreams can become reality.” A different choice, a different path, a different FATE. Shirou/Multi
A Naruto Fanfic
Summary: Kakashi made a mistake. Shikamaru is smart. Shino is skilled. Naruto is strong. Maybe something amazing could happen, with the right …motivation.
Cataclysm: Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #1 Review
They’re screwed.
Well, the end is nigh in the Ultimate Universe. At least that’s what some people think anyway and I can’t blame them. As Galactus from the 616 Universe runs rampant on the extremely under-prepared world, I’ll be covering what’s happening in Miles’ corner of the event rather than the Ultimates’ Last Stand or the X-Men. With that said, let’s get into Cataclysm: Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #1, shall we?
It starts out with Jessica Drew asking if she was fired for the raid on Roxxon with the Ultimates, who just now learns she’s a clone of Peter Parker since it was apparently classified. Whoops. Captain America thinks she just did her job bringing in bad people doing bad things, while the director states that they had defense contracts with them and says this wasn’t her doing, but Nick Fury’s since she inherited it from him. The discussion comes full circle with Jessica wanting to lead an investigation into Roxxon.
We then skip to Miles sleeping in class, angering the teacher who asks him the usual question that he should only know the answer to if he wasn’t sleeping or she would call his father. He actually gets it right and saves himself. We then skip to Lana, who broke parole by using her powers before she turned eighteen. She states she didn’t want to follow her mother’s footsteps but being a hero felt good, before she runs away from the parole office.
Back to Miles in costume, he ends up breaking up a fight when he gets hit by a beer bottle. Apparently people doubted it was him, claiming the costume was still in bad taste until he webs up the entrance. Webs are the ultimate proof. The police show up and actually hugs him, claiming it was good to have him back. Miles is as confused as we are since the last time he saw them they were shooting at him, but I guess a year off the clock made them fond of the costume.
Tandy and Tyrone are alone in the meantime, with him telling her that their parents gave up on them. She insists he takes her home, where they discover that it was abandoned. Heartbroken, and with no where else to go, we have another case of them discovering that heroics feels good and wondering how they go full time. It’s then that Galactus shows up and the issue ends.
Okay, so great art as usual. That goes without saying, and the plot is moving along nicely.
We’ve learned a bit more about Lana since her absence from the series, namely that she was on a super-power parole and she wasn’t raised to know that being good feels good. Given her mother’s lengthy jail sentence prior to her birth and after it should come as no surprise. And she’s cleaned up her language a lot.
Tandy and Tyrone have come to terms with the fact that their parents abandoned them, at least at the moment, and have decided to make the hero thing a part of their life. Great timing, since the end of the world is upon them. Here’s hoping for the best.
Issue gets a 4 out of 5.
Fanfic Recommendations 17
Fanfics I have wrote that have been updated:
Harry Potter and the Path of Indifference #7-8
Summary: Harry Potter may be the brother of the Boy-Who-Lived and his parents may still be alive, but that doesn’t mean everything is perfect. While he may not want anything to do with the upcoming war between Light and Dark, he’ll end up walking between them. An AU fanfic involving Harry Potter as a Ravenclaw and based off Neither Light nor Dark: Steelclaws & Gray Coats.
Summary: Being Spider-Man cost him his uncle, mother, and crippled his father, leaving Miles a broken young man still putting together the pieces. But the city needs him, so he reluctantly dons the mask for a second time, and join hands with a few others to become what the city needed, but not without a price as they would learn in their journey to be heroes.
Fanfics that I have found interesting and have recently been updated:
Harry Potter and the Puppet of Time #17
A Harry Potter Fanfic
Summary: Time travel. It’s always about Potter. Draco Malfoy doesn’t like that fact, but there is no one else who has the power to change the world. Sending his memories to his younger self he hopes to create a better future. Intelligent Grey Draco. No slash.
The Trinity: The Twilight 30 (Book 7)
A Harry Potter/FSN Fanfic
Summary: The series is a retelling of Harry Potter books with the titular character, alongside two other ones readers didn’t really care about, being replaced by three characters (Emiya Shirou, now known as Shirou von Einzbern; Aozaki Takara, with her name unchanged; Jester, with his name becoming Galen Salvatore) from one of his earlier works. With Neville Longbottom being the one of whom the prophecy speaks after Harry Potter’s death at the hands of Lord Voldemort, they are trying to fix what is left of the world they knew from books and movies, to have a place to live.
Harry Potter Junior Inquisitor #19
A Harry Potter Fanfic
Summary: Before the start of fifth year, Dumbledore changes the plans. Unfortunately he didn’t bother to inform Harry. At his trial, Harry realises that it is down to him to save his own skin. To do so, his Slytherin side must come out to play, and once it’s out, it sticks around. Now Dumbledore and the Ministry alike must watch their backs…
Fate Stay Night: Ultimate Master #5
A Fate Stay Night/ Ben 10 Fanfic
Summary: For centuries the Holy Grail War has operated in secret with no outside interferance, using the spirits of ancient heroes as Servants. Now a new definition of the word Hero enters the Grail War and will bring great change to everything. No Slash.
A Naruto Fanfic
Summary: Being ignored and gazed at with hatred can lead someone to become a boisterous and loud orange-wearing shinobi, but it can also drive him to become a silent and invisible introvert. Of the two, Naruto takes the logical choice for a future in the Ninja World. Team Sai-Naruto-Sakura. No pairings. Future of bloodshed and grittiness assured.
A Code Geass Fanfic
Summary: Lelouch had been quite happy with his life. Sure they were living in obscurity, but he and Nunnally were safe. All of that changes however, when his identity is revealed and Lelouch is forced back into the fold of the Imperial family.
A Fate Stay Night Fanfic
Summary: Sometimes, the tiniest of changes can have the greatest impact on the world. One chance encounter goes in a new direction, and the course of the Holy Grail War is irrevocably changed…
A Fate Stay Night Fanfic
Summary: Emiya Kiritsugu was happy living the rest of his short days. He had put his past behind him… until he began to dream of futures that had yet to be. Let it be known that the Magus Killer was not dangerous simply because he was dying and had no plans to fight.
Ultimate Comics All-New Spiderman #28 Review
Roxxon, creating superheroes since Ozcorp went belly under…
It’s been a long time coming, but the 28th issue of Miles’ story is out for us to enjoy.
It begins with Mr. Roxxon being alerted by his security team that they’re about to have a little problem. Said little problem is about five superpowered individuals who have a bone to pick up with him. Just as well, he tells them to get his Brain Trust and asks them on whose authority they are arresting them under, revealing he knows all of their identities and insults Miles by bringing up his mother and the boy has to be restrained by Jessica.
This douche is so damn confident that they can’t touch him he goes onto to say that they should be thanking him for their gifts, cue pissing off Dagger who takes out his guards. Jessica then tells him to cool it before she sics the kids on him, but the asshole goes around claiming she’s fake and he created her in a petri-dish. At this point Miles decides to do a Batman Interrogation and tosses his ass out of the the window and webs him up by his feet.
Roxxon goes on a rant revealing that he was the one who hired Prowler to break into Ozcorp and ended up creating the next Spider-Man. He also reveals that he discovered his identity in three days and knows about Miles’ father’s past. He talks so much shit that when the police get there he thinks he untouchable, but Jessica has her contacts with SHIELD make the NYPD leave. Bombshell is impressed and they’re about to leave with the douche when the Brain Trust shows up.
Doctor Miller has some device that cripples the rest, but Miles webs the device out of her grasp and kicks her in the face. Dagger approves. Then the goblin wannabe hulks out, but Cloak takes care of him. Then they beat on the rest and SHIELD shows up, which is when they split after talking about doing this more. Miles then goes back to Vision Academy and makes up with Ganke and then goes to see his father.
The issue then ends with Jessica having a talk with Monica Chang about the kids. What can I say, I like how this ended and the arc itself ends on a decent note. Once again, perfect score all around!
Edit: Also, I updated my Fanfic for the series here.
Fanfic Recommendations 16
Fanfics I have wrote that have been updated:
Harry Potter and the Path of Indifference #6
Summary: Harry Potter may be the brother of the Boy-Who-Lived and his parents may still be alive, but that doesn’t mean everything is perfect. While he may not want anything to do with the upcoming war between Light and Dark, he’ll end up walking between them. An AU fanfic involving Harry Potter as a Ravenclaw and based off Neither Light nor Dark: Steelclaws & Gray Coats.
Fanfics that I have found interesting and have recently been updated:
Harry Potter and the Temporal Beacon
A Harry Potter Fanfic
Summary: At the end of 3rd year, Hermione asks Harry for some help with starting an interesting project. If a dark lord’s got a 50-year head start on you, maybe what you need is a little more time to even the playing field. AU, Timetravel, HHr, mild Ron bashing. Minimizing new powers, just making good use of existing ones.
A Harry Potter/FSN Fanfic
Summary: The series is a retelling of Harry Potter books with the titular character, alongside two other ones readers didn’t really care about, being replaced by three characters (Emiya Shirou, now known as Shirou von Einzbern; Aozaki Takara, with her name unchanged; Jester, with his name becoming Galen Salvatore) from one of his earlier works. With Neville Longbottom being the one of whom the prophecy speaks after Harry Potter’s death at the hands of Lord Voldemort, they are trying to fix what is left of the world they knew from books and movies, to have a place to live.
Poké Wars: The Defervescence 7
A Pokemon Fanfic
Summary: Humanity’s genocide is at hand, but the road to utopia won’t be an easy one. Unforeseen consequences have forced me to remove those unfit for my paradise. By the end of the day the world will never be the same, and those remaining exist because I will it. Sequel to Poké Wars: The Incipience.
A Naruto Fanfic
Summary: What if Naruto had been selected for a different team? What if he’d had a different mentor? Who would guess the consequences would be so large?
A Naruto Fanfic
Summary: Being ignored and gazed at with hatred can lead someone to become a boisterous and loud orange-wearing shinobi, but it can also drive him to become a silent and invisible introvert. Of the two, Naruto takes the logical choice for a future in the Ninja World. Team Sai-Naruto-Sakura. No pairings. Future of bloodshed and grittiness assured.
A Nanoha Fanfic
Summary: There’s no such thing as happily ever after. Life goes on – even dearly bought. All Precia’s plans may come to nought as shadowy actors take to the stage. But nothing unmasks a man like his use of power.
A Fate Stay Night Fanfic
Summary: When the Einzberns summon a different Servant for the 5th War, Shirou Emiya winds up summoning the Red Saber from Fate/Extra. With this Servant by his side, Shirou’s in for a Grail War unlike any other. Done as a response to The Infamous Man’s challenge.
A Fate Stay Night Fanfic
Summary: Emiya Kiritsugu was happy living the rest of his short days. He had put his past behind him… until he began to dream of futures that had yet to be. Let it be known that the Magus Killer was not dangerous simply because he was dying and had no plans to fight.
Ultimate Comics All-New Spiderman #27 Review
It’ll be funny if the glass is reinforced…
It’s that time again folks, where I review a comic in depth so you don’t have to, so let’s jump right into it shall we?
Issue #27 opens with Cloak and Dagger realizing they are way over their heads and are still coming to terms with what they’ve become. Being a teenager is hard enough, but being one who gained superpowers without consent is another story entirely. See the Chronicle Movie for just how bad that can go. Then explosions happen in the distance and they leave to check it out.
About eight minutes prior we go back to Taskmaster manhandling the group using some illegal Hydra technology to paralyze them. When he tries to remove Miles’ mask like any decent villain should, despite the fact that he’s never met the guy and probably won’t be able to pick a single African-American teenage boy in New York out of the thousands there. However, Miles takes the Batman approach and, like a mook touching the cowl, the man gets tasered.
But it isn’t enough to take him out and he tosses Miles off the side of the bridge. This fortunately puts Miles outside the range of the device paralyzing him, so he can save himself and web-swings around to save Jessica before she gets a bullet to the head. She gets rid of the device and reads him his rights, telling him that he’s just tried to kill the equivalent of a super-cop (she’s an agent of SHIELD) while Bombshell runs away. She hammers him hard, but the Taskmaster no-sells the hits and gets ready to slit her throat.
Bombshell watches in the distance as Miles jumps on the man and Venom Blasts him, only for him to no-sell that too and reveal he’s a power-absorber of some kind. He then fries Jessica with Miles’ attack and throws her off the roof for him to catch while he preps a rocket launcher. Bombshell then decides to blast him, causing the explosion that we saw at the beginning, meaning this guy has been wailing on the good guys for like eight minutes.
Unfortunately for her, he absorbs her power and gets ready to nail her with it. Fortunately for her, that when the Spider-Pair webs his hands and makes him blow himself up. He comes out okay, but Cloak and Dagger show up and Cloak settles it by swallowing the man into his body, which tends to have the adverse effect of draining life-force if Dagger isn’t there with whoever else is, and then spits him out.
Jessica then finds his phone that conveniently has the fact that Roxxon took out a killing contract on them. Then she says screw it and decides to take him down vigilante style, rather than an agent of SHIELD or the Ultimates, and asks who’s in as the Police arrive. They all decide to join her.
Roxxon is going down!
The new team has been assembled and they had their first super-powered fight, which I enjoyed. The art is amazing as always too, and we are reaching the end of the Spider-Man No More Arc. Perfect score all around!
Ultimate Comics All-New Spider-man #26 Review
First day back in the mask and already captured.
Okay, this review follows the latest issue of Miles journey as Spider-Man and he’s back in the black outfit.
The issue starts with a flashback of Lana’s mother, which is Lori and somehow they mixed up the names, being taken from prison in exchange for being a lab rat for Roxxon. Lana herself has escaped from the two who captured her somehow and looks for her boyfriend (Poey, according to the phone) to take her in, but my guess is that she hasn’t been guarding her secret identity well since he knows about her power and essentially cuts her off. Time to update the facebook status.
Miles and Jessica come to offer her some help, but considering that Spider-Man and Spider-Woman put her and her mother in a jail cell, you can imagine her first instinct was to flee. Miles tries to web her, but he’s out of practice and gets teased by Jessica and later Lana. Back in the past we have the Roxxon Scientist insulting Lori’s intelligence at being a High-School dropout as they give her a superhuman drug, before we skip to Cloak and Dagger, who have no one they can turn to and believe that their parents sold them out. They have some kind of list that has the names of people Roxxon has screwed over and decide to make sure they can’t do it ever again.
At Roxxon, one guy is flipping out because he fears this can be traced back to him, while the scientists tell him that they did what he wanted and made super-humans that they really should retrieve. To that end, they hire a guy called the Taskmaster. We then flashback to when Lori found out about her powers and the fact that she was pregnant. How exactly that happened when she was in either prison or a lab leaves a lot of questions unanswered, unless Lana is a baby born from her power somehow…anyway, she promptly escapes like Cloak and Dagger did, proving that they needed better security back then and now.
In the present Lana is being questioned about being a mutant but denies it, saying she got her powers from her mother. Technically speaking, Lana is a mutant as she was born with altered DNA that allows her to use her powers. Even if her mother had been the one altered by an experiment, she’s a mutant. Anyway, their Spider-Sense goes off and rather than move they stand there and get taken out by a shock puck or something and Taskmaster got all three of them.
I like the issue and the art was gorgeous as always, but I feel that the ending was pathetic as we’ve seen all of them take far more damage than a little taser disk should have put out and react far more quickly when under fire. The flashbacks were okay, but Roxxon is shaping up to be behind everything. The next thing you know it’ll be them who created the mutants and not the U.S. Government.
Now, if you’ve followed the latest news on the series, you’ll know that Miles is scheduled for a trip to the 616 universe soon and that they may end the Ultimate Universe. I doubt it, since there is money to be made, but here’s hoping Marvel doesn’t do anything stupid.
This issue gets a 3.5 out of 5.
Fanfic Recommendations 14
Fanfics that I have found interesting and have recently been updated:
A FSN Fanfic
Summary: “With swords that aren’t yours, with skills that aren’t yours, for dreams that aren’t yours. Your entire existence is a lie!” – “Then I’ll show you that even fake dreams can become reality.” A different choice, a different path, a different FATE. Shirou/Multi
A Naruto Fanfic
Summary: What do you get when you cross several interdimensional god like beings, raw boredom, a world of Naruto that went wrong, several years worth of off screen training, common sense, insanity, humor, sarcasm, the Log, explosions, plot, and overall chaos? Apparently a lot of headache medicine for Tsunade. May the Games Begin. Sequel to Yet Again With A Little Extra Help.
A Naruto Fanfic
Summary: “Zest to over-achieve” marks Team 7’s entry into the Ninja world. Kakashi teaches lessons better than he imagines.
A FSN Fanfic
Summary: Sometimes, the tiniest of changes can have the greatest impact on the world. One chance encounter goes in a new direction, and the course of the Holy Grail War is irrevocably changed…
A Naruto Fanfic
Summary: Being ignored and gazed at with hatred can lead someone to become a boisterous and loud orange-wearing shinobi, but it can also drive him to become a silent and invisible introvert. Of the two, Naruto takes the logical choice for a future in the Ninja World. Team Sai-Naruto-Sakura. No pairings. Future of bloodshed and grittiness assured.
A FSN x Sekirei Fanfic
Summary: Honestly, Shirou was beginning to think that he should be used to this; being unwittingly selected to take part in brutal tournament that he had no idea existed until he found himself in the middle of it. Then again, second times the charm, right?
A SAO Fanfic
Summary: What if Akihiko Kayaba had created the Death Game of Alfheim Online rather than the floating castle of Aincrad—a world in which the nine player races are in competition to escape the game, and player killing was not a crime but rather a predictable product of human nature and tribalism in the face of mutually exclusive goals? AU reboot of the SAO universe.
Ultimate Comics All-New Spider-man #25 Review
This issue is mostly Identity Crisises in a Nutshell
Hello all,
Now, I’ve only recently gotten into American Comics this year due to…well, I don’t remember. I think it was learning that Doc Ock stole Peter’s body in Superior Spider-man. But the important thing is I decided to give this reviewing thing a shot and I’ll start with the one from the series I’ve fallen in love with in the Ultimate Marvel Universe and based this fanfic off of.
In this quick review of Ultimate Comics All-New Spider-Man, which will simply be Ultimate Spider-Man from here on to save time, we cover Issue #25.
In this issue we have the aftermath of Cloak, Dagger, and Bombshell’s little tussle that ended up wrecking Gwen Stacy’s workplace. Now, this is New York post-ultimatum so that sort of thing is nothing new, but the issue that presents itself here is that there are conflicting opinions amongst the majority.
Gwen Stacy feels that Miles needs to take on the mantle of Spider-Man once more. She feels betrayed since she and May Parker opened their hearts to him and passed the mantle of Spider-Man to Miles personally. She knows a bit of what he’s going through since her father, and her technically, both died because of Spider-Man’s enemies.
May feels differently in the fact that he should decide for himself the path he takes. In addition, she has always been vocal about not letting little children (which Miles counts as in her eyes) fight against the types of enemies heroes do. She witnessed her nephew die in front of her eyes facing off against six superpowered enemies with a bullet in his gut. It’s natural that she wouldn’t want the cycle to repeat.
Katie Bishop, Mile’s girlfriend, knows something is off since he’s broody. There’s a bit of humor in the issue in that she thinks Miles and Ganke had a fight about Ganke having a crush on him. The fact that this is the second time it has been brought up and by his girlfriend this tiime only serves to amuse me as so far Ganke has only showed extreme interest in Legos and getting Miles in the black and red spandex…okay, that’s too easy. I’m not going to crack a joke about that.
Ganke points out that he’s saved so many people because he acted, but Miles doesn’t want to be pushed by everyone to get into the role of the webslinger again. The issue Miles has is that he’s lost his mother. It’s understandable as his greatest fear was that being Spider-Man would endanger his loved ones.
He was completely right.
His father was crippled when Venom came to his door based on a lousy reporter making a guess that labeled his father as Spider-Man. His doting uncle became an abusive asshole who tried to push him into crime and threatened to out him to his parents. His mother was shot because Venom went after his father again (and she plugged the symbiote with several rounds to save her son), and the police have a hard-on for trying to shoot at anyone in a costume or with powers post-ultimatum, despite he was a 13-year old runt at the time.
He feels the weight of a mantle that wasn’t originally his and the deaths of his loved ones on his shoulders.
We then skip back to Dagger and Cloak’s transformation and how they escaped. Naturally, they don’t exactly feel comfortable about what they’ve become, the literal physical manifestations of light and darkness. Given that in the earlier volumes Tandy had issues with mutants, its rather karmic but they still didn’t deserve to be turned into human guinea pigs and had their deaths faked.
Eventually the one who drives Miles to act is Jessica Drew, Spider-Woman, and clone of Peter Parker.
She admits she’s got some identity issues that come from cloning, but she’s doing what she can to be her own woman. She and Miles are the result of people fucking with the natural order in an attempt to recreate Captain America and got it right to an extent. She points out that SHIELD won’t do a damn thing since they’re in deep and it’s for reasons like that Spider-Man is needed, so that what happens to them doesn’t happen to others.
So that innocent people don’t suffer at the hands of Roxxon’s tampering.
Jessica doesn’t force him to do anything, not after she brought up his mother the first time they met after the time skip. She doesn’t try to force him into the mask like the others do, not by slapping him like Gwen or calling him a coward like Ganke. Out of everyone else, she comes off as the most sincere.
The result?
He’s Back
Overall this issue was…drama-heavy. I’m an action junkie, I need action, but this tugged at my heartstrings and the angst was understandable. The art was lovely and without a doubt that last page is beautiful.
My Rating is a 4/5.
Fanfic Recommendations 13
Fanfics that I have found interesting and have recently been updated:
Ultimate Vanguards Chronicles 1-2
An Ultimate Spider-Man Fanfic
Summary: Being Spider-Man cost him his uncle, mother, and crippled his father, leaving Miles a broken young man still putting together the pieces. But the city needs him, so he reluctantly dons the mask for a second time, and join hands with a few others to become what the city needed, but not without a price as they would learn in their journey to be heroes. An AU Ultimate Spider-Man story.
A Harry Potter Fanfic
Summary: Harry Potter may be the brother of the Boy-Who-Lived and his parents may still be alive, but that doesn’t mean everything is perfect. While he may not want anything to do with the upcoming war between Light and Dark, he’ll end up walking between them. An AU fanfic involving Harry Potter as a Ravenclaw and based off Neither Light nor Dark: Steelclaws & Gray Coats.
A Naruto Fanfic
Summary:What do you get when you cross several interdimensional god like beings, raw boredom, a world of Naruto that went wrong, several years worth of off screen training, common sense, insanity, humor, sarcasm, the Log, explosions, plot, and overall chaos? Apparently a lot of headache medicine for Tsunade. May the Games Begin. Sequel to Yet Again With A Little Extra Help.
A Bleach Fanfic
Summary: The aftermath of a successful attempt at time-travel. Aizen is dead, but there are still plenty of upcoming challenges that Ichigo and his companions must face. Sequel to Hogyoku ex Machina; does not fully comply with Bleach canon after the Deicide arc.
A Naruto Fanfic
Summary: Being ignored and gazed at with hatred can lead someone to become a boisterous and loud orange-wearing shinobi, but it can also drive him to become a silent and invisible introvert. Of the two, Naruto takes the logical choice for a future in the Ninja World. Team Sai-Naruto-Sakura. No pairings. Future of bloodshed and grittiness assured.
A FSN Fanfic
Summary: How does the Grail choose a Master or a Servant? Fact of the matter is, it knows the difference between want and need. Masters of the Fourth Holy Grail War know they want a strong Servant, but the Grail knows the Servants they need.
A Nanoha Fanfic
Summary: There’s no such thing as happily ever after. Life goes on – even dearly bought. All Precia’s plans may come to nought as shadowy actors take to the stage. But nothing unmasks a man like his use of power.
Twilit Dreams Circle 