"The Secret Origin of Finn Smulders:" Felicia Day's amazing web series about a group of gamers has started a group of comics, detailing the lives of each character in the group, usually as a prequel to the show's events. This time, we get to know Simon, better known as Bladezz, the youngest member.
Summary: We open to the team performing a quest dealing with picking up poop. I'm going to have to check with my MMORPG guy to see if this is a legit quest... seems like it. Bladezz doesn't help much and just attacks Vork. Cutting to the real world, Simon and his sister, Dena, are fighting in the den over computer use. We also discover that their divorced mother is on a date with a new guy, Collin (Yes, with two L's), which of course is a huge issue. Collin is a photographer and in need of a model for a new meat ad campaign, and thinks it would be a good chance for he and Simon to bond. I'll jump the gun here and say that Dena is the best character in this whole thing: "When you say 'photographer' do you mean in the style of Leibovitz, Maplethorpe, or Value-mart Photo Center?" The next day at the studio, Simon could not be more miserable, but we do get some brilliant dialogue:
So its got that going for it. A bright flash from the camera and Simon passes out, waking up an hour later at home. Apparently, while being recited "Ozymandias" by his sister, another side of him took over and he is a natural model. Once looking upon his works, and despairing, Simon is grabbed by his mom that he has landed more modeling jobs. After Collin begins taking all the credit for the shots, and wanting anonymity, Simon comes up with a new name: Pseudonym Twain. This is called stupid and rightly so. So, then he finds his actual modeling name: Finn Smulders. Soon after, Collin decides to move in, leading Simon to leave the house with his computer and move into the garage. Hopping online at 3 in the morning, he only finds Vork online, who is being a bit more active and friendly, boasting that Vork is doing fantastic in looting dungeons and killing skeletons. We can clearly see that this might be the birth of the Vork that we know in the series, and as funny as the comic is attempting to be, it has a moment of clarity:
Vork is about to tell Bladezz about this experience when Bladezz cuts him off and they fight skeletons until dawn. Waking the next day to find his sister messing with him, he begins to fight her and the fight is broken up by Collin who then attempts to ground the two of them. Taking Vork's advice at the next photoshoot, Simon becomes Finn Smulders completely, and fires Collin, which makes the executives walk out, but upon showing some pictures his sister took of him, they change their minds and hire him personally. Dena drops a Game of Thrones line, and then Collin goes off on Simon, telling him that he couldn't wait to get rid of the kids and send them to live with their father. Cue mom's entrance and harsh breakup with Collin. The three of them head off into the sunset to get some Cheesybeard's. That's a lot better than dinner time at Lil' Batman's house:
High Points: Of course the writer of the show "gets" the characters here, and its no surprise how it all ends. The arts pretty good in most places. Great dialogue.
Low Points: Its really predicatable, and there are places it seems like were just there for filler
Verdict: A-. Its a good read and if you're a fan of the Guild then you will thoroughly enjoy this piece.
Summary: This comic is wall to wall gore. There are mutilated animals everywhere and its actually rough to get through at times. Grodd hates his life, and wants to kill himself. Its actually depressing to see how not having someone to contend with can actually make you hate everything, especially yourself. Grodd challenges gorillas to death matches everyday, hoping one of them will give him the fight he needs. This day, he challenges Congorilla (who was a human who swapped bodies with a golden gorilla), who he defeats without any trouble, in a rare unjawing/decapitation combo. Its messy. Bored in his kingdom, Grodd decides to travel to Cape Town to kill the human leader there. His car runs into enemy fire as four African kids step out and murder Grodd's entourage. Grodd uses his telepathic powers to make one of them kill the others. He is about to kill the child, when he plants the idea that, one day, years of training from now, the child will return and will finally kill Grodd in a way he deserves. Grodd makes his way to Cape Town and the imprisoned human leader there who is none other than Catman. Grodd quickly dispatches him by ripping out his spine and skull. Like I said.. this stuff is graphic. Grodd returns to his castle and decides that they will attack Europe and kill Aquaman. A suicide mission, which could not make Grodd happier.
The superheroes arrive and take out the villains. Obligatory shot of Aquaman sucking at life:
That sandwich was in the water for a solid ten minutes. If this thing was bad on purpose, its the best piece of work ever.
Summary: Keeping much of her history the same, the WW of this world is still a rebel, wanting to reach out to the rest of the world. On a routine swim around the island, a thorned, tentacled creature rises and attacks the princess. Aquaman quickly appears and kills the creature, saving Diana from its attack, but its poison is getting to her. Quickly pulling her underwater and into Atlantis, she is treated there and one month later, they return and a wedding is set to occur. Diana's "sisters" Penthiselia and Artemis and Aquaman's brother Orm, and ward, Garth are none too happy with this event. A couple months later, now one year ago in terms of the Flashpoint timeline, at the wedding, Garth and Artemis are nowhere to be found, neither wanting to be a part of a sham wedding that was based in business rather than love. The wedding celebrations begin and during the ceremony, an Atlantean warrior is preparing to "snipe" Diana with a trident. Aquaman moves her behind him to take the shot but Queen Hippolyta takes the trident's blow, killing her nearly instantly. 
