Batman or Spider-man? - The Webbed Batarang (Pt. 1)

Since the very early days, there have been two real power houses in the comic book world. Yes, there have been others and they have their own great titles, but DC and Marvel have been the two spotlight franchises. There have been two characters that are proven to be their most marketable names and those are the targets of today's article. Batman has been the outsider of the Justice League as a dark entity that excels in taking down mysterious and powerful criminals. Spider-man has been an every man since he was young and was bitten by a spider, joining forces with many heroes across the Marvel Universe. He has officially been considered an Avenger, an X-man, part of the Fantastic 4, and this isn't even going into the one-off teams he has formed. Spider-man guest starred in the one-off NFL character in his debut appearance! While Batman and Spider-man are polar opposites, they found their way at the top ranking of their respective sides of the comics. 

First off, I am not talking about who would win in a fight. There are all kinds of controversies with which would win the fight. Death Battle says that Spider-man would win a fight if Batman doesn't prepare but I'm going to be siding with Stan Lee on this front. Any fight between two characters is based on the writer. Whoever the writer wants to win will win and everyone can come up with every excuse. Batman could win against Spider-man and the webster can most certainly win against the Dark Knight. None of that matters and it is not being discussed. 

This is more on which one you would prefer as a character. The choice says a lot about you, but not really. Your choice is more prone one way or another based on personal bias and it may come from one medium or another. The way we're doing this is there will be a deep look across their franchises. These two properties represent their companies as flagships and they have been buried in toys, electronics, video games, TV shows, movies, posters, clothing, breakfast cereal, and bubble blowers. There is a lot to look at and let's make it interesting by giving it a subjective rating system. 

By the end of this series of articles, we can add up their scores and see which one comes out on top when all is said and done. I'm no expert on the comic books, nor have I kept up with current storylines as they've all come and gone in the blink of an eye. I have kept up with a lot of their TV shows, movies, and I can pick and choose among their best and worst storylines in the comic books. They've had some epic adventures in every medium and this seems like a good time to see how they add up together. We're not going to be looking at everything, but if you wish for me to consider some sort of game changing element in their favor or detriment, leave a comment or a message and let me know. I will take a look. 

Since this is primarily a video game blog, we may as well start with a comparison of their greatest video games. Both of these heroes have had successful runs on games, but both have also had some of the worst and blandest outings on both consoles and PC. If we kept going at each and every single video game, we'd be here all day. 

Batman Arkham City

Arguably the best video game outing Batman has ever had. While Arkham Knight wasn't a flop, it was far more devisive than the second installment. Arkham City was still fresh, it was coming off the success of Arkham Asylum with all new mechanics and far more room to move around. The best thing about this game is its boss battles. Fighting the likes of Penguin, Solomon Grundy and Clayface are awesome enough, but the star of the entire show was the fight with Mr. Freeze. I will admit, if I didn't have the info that shows you which parts of the level to use, it probably would have taken me far more than two tries. The game as a whole is rather long and beating it required several fights with multiple groups of gangsters. 

The Joker plot and the twist at the end is something to behold, and it's fun to take down the big baddies while also following along with a very well crafted plot. This was when Batman was seen at his best with a ticking time clock for an illness he needs to cure and several criminals coming after him because of what Hugo Strange did with an entire section of Gotham City. That is one unbelieveable element in this game. Who on Earth would possibly sign off on Arkham City? That sounds like political suicide to someone's approval rating. 

One of the best mechanics of this game is the gadgets, some returning from the original game. Some of them are brand new. One of Arkham's signature device is the explosive gel you spray in the form of the bat. Now you can put it in the way of an unsuspecting thug and knock them out with a controlled explosion. Even the puzzle-solving device known as the "hypnografter" is a fun little device to use with your PS3/PS4 controller. 

Still, there are a lot of things to see with this game, both in its DLC sidestories featuring Harley Quinn and Red Hood and in its collectibles. Going to be honest, I never really cared much for the Riddler's question marks. The extra content is appreciated, though, and some of them actually were good in their own right.

Spider-man PS4

Spider-man has never looked and felt so good as he did when they released his game for the Playstation 4. Yes, they basically reused the fighting mechanics from the Arkham Series while changing a couple of the buttons, but they fully put the Spider-man spin on it, while adding a very different array of gadgets to help. You're taking down small-time thugs and big baddies all over again, only they're a rogue gallery that is arguably equal to Batman's. Going against the likes of the Sinister Six was just so well pulled off with this game. You don't have to outright fight them yourself, outside of a cutscene, but you also have to go through an entire plotline with Aunt May, trying to find Harry Osborn, and all of the things with Peter's relationship to Mary Jane is just a wonderful part of the story. 

The thing this game has up on Arkham City is the controls. All of the greatness in a sandbox superhero game are seen through this game's mechanics and its very sunny disposition. It really is the best webswinging mechanics in any game. You can get used to it within moments of giving it a try, there is a lot of room to practice. New York is gigantic and exploring it is a joy with the collectibles and the extra stuff that even out does the Arkham Series, which had much of its own. For some reason, though, for Spider-man, I wanted to find the backpacks for the Spider Suits and I wanted to collect all of the throwback items as well, because I recognized a lot of them. 

The thing Arkham City has over Spider-man, the stealth sections. That's right, I'm saying it. I did not like the stealth sections when you're Miles and Mary Jane. Of course I would rather be Batman! Spider-man is great with stealth, as seen with his own stealth sections when he's taking down snipers or large groups of thugs all at once. However, Spider-man just feels the need to make us powerless and the side character sections seem to last forever. 

For me, the one that takes it is Spider-man for the PS4. It was a close call, but the design of New York City is just flat out better than Arkham City. Both games have a lot to offer, but it's the boss battles in Spider-man have more main villains to contend with. This is even true when being compared to Arkham Asylum. The Sinister Six wins Spider-man a lot of points. It's not often you see a video game actually pull that off with a sufficient storyline to go with it. Arkham City is no slouch, but we're comparing gold and silver at this point. At the end of the day, it's all just more of a good thing. 

When you look at the video game library as a whole, it all adds up to apples and oranges. The Arkham Series won Batman a ridiculous amount of points with fans, and even had some decent exploits in the 8-bit scene with the Batman movie tie-in Nintendo game and Batman: Return of the Joker. While Spider-man's NES outing with Sinister Six didn't pan out so well, his really good games didn't start coming out until his PS1/N64 excursion. This is nothing to say about Spider-man 2 for the Gamecube and PS2, but then we were treated with Spider-man 3 and Spider-man: Web of Shadow, both for the PS3 and Xbox 360. That's kind of what I mean, they'd had such a huge spectrum of good and bad games that it's very difficult to determine who would win outside of their greatest titles. 

Spider-man gets 5 points for being awesome! Next, we'll take a look at something else in their vast library of media. We'll be looking at the good and the bad, the Batty and the Spidery. Keep an eye out for that and make your own choice.

Top 10 Best Marvel Villains

The rogue gallery that Marvel possesses has some very recognizable faces. This is thanks, in part, to the MCU, which brought several villains to light that may have been formerly overlooked. Loki has always been a favorite among people thanks to Tom Hiddleston's iconic performance, and he's pretty awesome. This list sides a bit more with the comics. It has many influences but the comics represent a lot of the better aspects for several of these villains. Thanos may be more the exception rather than the rule in this claim, his comic counterpart made some questionable decisions. Either way, feel free to express your own favorites from Marvel's baddies and check these out.

Magneto

In a way, Magneto has been pretty spot on about human nature and how they panic at the mere sight of something different. He began the Brotherhood of Mutants and you really can't blame him when all is said and done. He saw that mutants were being hunted by humans simply for being different and he went the opposite direction as Charles Xavier. The real genius is that both of them are right and that there really is no easy answer to their feud over the rights of humans and mutants. Magneto's power is very immense, being able to lift gigantic metal structures with seemingly little effort. He's used this ability in some very controversial ways, and he's also been the subject of many fan theories on how what his magnetic powers can truly do. 

Dark Phoenix

Phoenix is not a villain, and Dark Phoenix is more her rendition when she takes over Jean Grey and starts action scenes full of pure power! The storyline behind this series of comics is very moving, because we've come to grow closer to Jean and seeing her like this weighs heavily on the characters and the audience. The Hellfire Club is a highlight in this series and their strange powers bring an edge to the battles with the X-men as they fight for a loved one they may lose.

Sabretooth

When you have a great hero, or anti-hero, you need to give him an awesome villain. Wolverine's arch nemesis has always been Sabretooth. Their battles are hardcore and their storylines reach way back because of their near immortality and longevity of life. The two of them really hate each other and there is usually a lot of blood when the two of them get together. They are both victims of the Weapon X program, but Sabretooth was much more apt to kill than Logan. Now, Sabretooth just wants to get rid of anyone in his way, especially when he gets the scent of his friendly neighborhood Wolverine.

Carnage

When Venom just isn't enough of a villain for Spider-man, now there needs to be an enemy of Spider-man and Venom. Carnage is exactly what his name implies. He will kill his victims without a care, and his storyline through Maximum Carnage is probably one of the best in Spider-man's history. While some of his teamups have worked for a while, it's really only a matter of time before he decides he's going to go his own way, and just kill his way out of any situation. The symbiote that covers Cassidy is an offspring of Venom's. When Venom found out that he didn't care who he killed, the two of them met in battle and it did not end well for Eddie Brock.

Doctor Doom

The most recognizable villain of the Fantastic Four, mostly because he is also a villain for Spider-man and Hulk. Doom is very powerful, both in energy projection and the fact that he rules an entire country. Ladveria looks up to him like a King, and he has used this power to make a play for more power over the world. He can use outlandish technology, magic, military might, and experimental science in order to gain what he wants, though it is often that he is thwarted by the many enemies he has made along the way. 

Omega Red

One of the craziest weapons in the Russian arsenal. He uses his tentacles to absorb the life essence from any of his victims, and he was used during the Cold War against Russia's enemies until he was no longer of use. Omega Red also has ties to the Weapon X project, and Wolverine is even hesitant to face this opponent, knowing that his abilities and strength are not to be underestimated. His weakness is extremely cold temperatures, and this has often forced him into ice encasements.

Juggernaut 

One of the most foul mouthed strong men in Marvel, throwing out quips as he knocks down walls and buildings as he wishes. Juggernaut is nigh invulnerable, gaining his strength from a magical stone, which encased him in armor, his helmet also invulnerable to psychic attack. He is often locked in combat with Colossus, though he has also fought the Incredible Hulk. The Hulk was one of the most fierce opponents he ever faced. Even though no living force can stop the Juggernaut when he gains up forward momentum, the Hulk has proven to be able to twist him into redirecting his charge. 

Venom

Spider-man's arch nemesis is Eddie Brock, failed photographer for the Daily Bugle. JJ Jameson charged him with getting guilty pictures of Spidey, and he was fired when Eddie failed. He grew a bitter hatred for him and Eddie suddenly found that hatred amplified as an alien symbiote covered his entire body. The suit gave him power and the ability to mimic Spider-man's abilities. His battles with Spider-man are legendary and his storylines are always so personal because he knows Peter Parker's secret identity. What I really like about Venom is that he will not harm the innocent, he will only use his powers for personal spite or what he believes is the greater good.

Thanos

Thanos is the most dangerous opponent the Avengers and the heroes of the Earth have ever faced. He is ruthless in his agenda and he has the power to back up his authority. He has galactic amounts of strength, and a fighting ability from years of combat and conquest. Thanos's thirst for the Infinity Stones was one of the best storylines in Marvel Comics, and the fight was on a universal scale. Both movie version and comic version are amazing to witness for yourself. While his power is dulled down a little bit for the movies, they are no less awesome to watch on the screen. Thanos remains a deadly force to reckon with in Marvel, and whoever survives a run-in with him should feel very fortunate.

Apocalypse

The ultimate villain in the X-men storylines. His strength is otherworldly, and his powers make him seemingly invulnerable, along with his vast longevity of life. He is one of the first mutants in history, and once he woke up from his sleeping lazerus pit, he decided he wanted to gather his four horsemen, and then rule the Earth, both mutants and humans. He and his horsemen are often seen as a force to take on an army, as Angel (or Archangel), Storm and Rogue have found themselves among the four. Apocalypse is often opposed by Cable, who stops at nothing in order to finally kill Apocalypse and bring an end to his reign.

Top 10 Favorite Marvel Superheroes

 Stan Lee left behind a legacy that no other comic book creators can boast, outside of maybe Akira Toriyama. Not only did he bring about some of the most iconic superheroes, he also aided their comic book franchise by becoming the face of Marvel. He was like an old friend or a grandfather that was extremely enthusiastic about comic book heroes. Calling us all True Believers and telling us to believe in something more incredible than ourselves, he was there to make sure we made it a real experience where we lived the story along with the characters. These were the characters I truly grew up with and collected their merchandise by the truckload. 

Deadpool

Generally overhyped, but striking up some good storylines, Deadpool is probably one of the best examples of perfection through parody. He is wacky, fun to watch, and actually had a very good run of comic books. He is far from the best and can may belong on some anti-hero list, but he qualifies well enough. He can be very funny, but he can also go a little overboard and sour the punchline. He may have started out as a parody villain, but he has devolved well enough to become one of the more memorable of the Marvel heroes.

Cable

Whether he be with the X-men or the X-Force, Cable has proven to be one of the most interesting characters with motives that sometimes borders along obsession. The best work with him is when he is out to defeat Apocalypse. He exploits every weakness and goes to ridiculous heights with which to destroy a nigh invulnerable villain. He has some of the best high tech gear and he is resourceful to no end. He kind of had a lame period when they gave him god-like powers and he teamed up with Deadpool, but he has always created a badass foil to his wacky antics.

Colossus 

It sometimes happens that the strong man of a team comes out on top. Colossus is just an all around nice guy and comes from a different culture back in old Russia. His battles with Juggernaut are legendary and unfortunately he joins the Brotherhood of Mutants for a little while after his team up with the X-men. It's really a shame they didn't feature him more in the live action X-men movies, though it is understandable since his power is quite the CGI undertaking. They made up for it in the Deadpool movies thankfully.

Rogue

One of the most versatile characters in the Marvel roster. She also started out as a villain with the Brotherhood of Mutants, but ended up being one of the most valued X-men characters. Rogue absorbing Miss Marvel's powers and growing powerful like Supergirl made her confident and also looking awesome when beating a Sentinel's metallic brains in. Misrepresented by the movies, but given true love with Gambit in the comics, Rogue has had some ups and downs. The best iteration will always be from X-men the 1992 animated series.

She-Hulk

One of the best characters to come out of the Incredible Hulk and get her own series. Jennifer knows she's in a comic and she knows how ridiculous the concept is, so she just goes with it. She is smart mouthed, brilliant as a lawyer, and is among the best looking superheroes of the bunch. While she is not as strong as her cousin, Bruce Banner, in his green form, she has become a great hero in her own right. The best version is through the late 80's and through the 90's. You know, the one that was actually funny and cool.

Spider-Gwen

A character that came at the right time and had a great nostalgic flare to mix with spider powers. Gwen Stacy becoming Spider-Woman and then Ghost Spider was one of the best examples of bringing a character back the right way. She is one of the best things to come out of the Spider-verse, along with the initial storyline itself. Since then, she's teamed up with the Spider-verse team in something called the Web Warriors. While her recent exploits haven't been all that enthralling and they kind of ruined her story for a while by taking away her powers. Gwenom is still one of her best iterations. This character is awesome and she's even a drummer!

Hulk

The story of Bruce Banner getting nuked by gamma radiation is one that will live in the strong man tropes forever. The Incredible Hulk's battles with Abomination are classic, along with several of his other battles with giants and brutal beasts. This series has shown just how dangerous the Hulk really is, all through his comics. Nevermind those storylines where he's just Bruce Banner, it's all about transforming and bashing things! He's even beaten The Thing easily. His movies have had some ups and downs, but he also had a great TV series with Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno. This is one of the front runners for great superheroes and he will continue to be.

Wolverine

Once the frontrunner for the X-men as their best and most resourceful fighter, Wolverine has been all over and had his own very successful run of comic series. Introduced in the Incredible Hulk series, Wolverine went on to team up with pretty much everyone in the Marvel universe. His best comics come from his fights with Sabertooth, team ups with Spider-man and his origin story in the super violent Weapon X series. He is best when he is slicing and dicing. He's had so many parts in movies, animations and TV series like the multiple X-men series.

Thunderstrike

That's right, you read that correctly. Thunderstrike turned into a hidden gem of the Marvel series with a compelling and interesting series. His battles with Blood Axe and even Juggernaut are awesome. He was meant as a stand-in for Thor, and eventually joined him in Thor Corps for a brief stint. Eric Masterson had a lot of very good storylines dealing with new villains while also trying to discover who is behind the red skull mask of his arch nemesis wielding a magical double bladed axe. The conclusion is quite the twist and sadly, Thunderstrike has never had a real revival beyond someone else taking up his mantle for a small role. If there was ever a story to put in a graphic novel form, it's this series! Will it happen? Probably not.

Spider-man

You really can't beat the traditional sometimes. Spidey barely needs any introduction. The trope of being bit by a radioactive spider is etched into comic book history and Spider-man is literally the most profitable toy seller on the market. His storylines like Spider-verse, Spider Island, Maximum Carnage and his stint with the X-men are among the greatest in the industry. Spider-man is universally loved and Peter Parker has been through the ringer when it comes to tragic backstories and tragic stories in general. Battling the Sinister Six and the symbiotes have to be some of the best times with the web head, and he remains a hero with one of the best rogue galleries! He's often immitated, but never duplicated, Spider-man remains the best of the best.

Top 10 Best DC Villains

Klarion Bleak 

Only appearing in limited comic books and even more limited animated television, Klarion Bleak is just memorable enough to stand out among many other villains. His mannerisms are just hilarious. He acts like a snooty child, but when it comes to doing what he needs to, he has enough power to get it done. When a hero comes in his path and tries to stop him, he will turn up the heat with even more power! Klarion is just a fun character to watch how he reacts to situations, especially when someone actually rivals his magical prowess. I just wish he made more appearances. 

Mr. Freeze

Given a very deep backstory thanks to the Batman Animated Series, Mr. Freeze took on a much more sympathetic persona. He's still freezing people left and right for materials, money or even control over something, it's all while he is trying to bring his wife back to consciousness and back into his life. His appearances in comic books and other medias really took away from his appearance in the 1992 series, and that's a very good thing, even if we got Batman and Robin out of the deal.

The Joker

The only reason he is not ranked higher on this list is because of the beating his character has taken over the past decade. He went from a chaos-loving laugh machine to an abusive maniac who had his face cut off because... honestly I don't care, that was dumb. Joker was always at his best when he had a plan to make some money but also cause some chaos and confusion for both the public and Batman himself. Even when Batman caught up to him, he had a surprise ready for him in some form or another. It was always up to the caped crusader to think his way through Joker's many traps and weapons. Once they thought darkening him to such psychotic levels was a good idea, his part in the comics became hard to read. Still, Jack Nicholson and Heath Ledger are both real points in Joker's favor.  

Bizarro

The Bizarro version of Superman has always been an odd addition to any show he has been a part of. He's either a clone of Superman that went wrong or he's from a Bizarro dimension where everything in our world is backwards. Of course, the "backwards" theme is never really consistent, so asking why he's still super strong like his non-bizarro counterpart is pointless. Either way, my favorite appearance in the comics has to be the Superman and Batman series where he appears with Batzarro. It's a little dark, but it's a fun read. 

Darkseid

One of the most reviled villains among Superman's rogue gallery. This new god has killed more characters than I care to count, including, unfortunately, Batman. He is very powerful, not only in his ability to use Omega Beams through his eyes, but also in his army of followers that worship him as a deity. He is always hungering for power, and for the Anti-Life Equation, which grants him ridiculous amounts of world breaking power. To be honest, he was a lot more fun before he obtained the equation. It was a lot better when Darkseid actually had weaknesses and a physical form. After he obtained ultimate power, he just lost all of his flavor. 

Doomsday

From his first appearance imprisoned on a space rock, to his second battle with Superman, this was a powerhouse of villainy that had no remorse for anything. He is powerful enough to match Superman literally blow for blow. He is the villain famous for killing him in battle, even though he also met his end. Both of them resurrected from the grave and both of them met in battle once again. The sequel battle, I feel, was better and more structured than the first one. Not only did it have a more definitive end to a very awesome concept, but it made an already terrible menace grow even more horrific in his strength. They had to move Heaven and Earth to finally defeat Doomsday, and for me, that was the end of it. He was never given a proper translation to screen outside the Death of Superman animated movie.

Superboy Prime

Crisis on Infinite Earths was a mixed bag of a storyline, but one thing that shined out was the strength and utter brutality of Superboy Prime. One thing I hate about this character is that he killed Connor Kent, one of my favorite super heroes. However, the story of defeating this ridiculously powerful being was harrowing and forced the heroes to sacrifice a lot. Superboy Prime's real tragedy comes from the fact that he was just wanting to be real and wanting to do the right thing, he just didn't know how to do that. He was also selfish, arrogant and overly angry. I'm torn on this villain, but I have to admit that it was one of the best graphic novels I've ever read.

Mister Mxyzptlk

Who doesn't love a supernatural being that exists outside of time and space in a 5th dimension? Every single time this guy is one the page, something crazy happens and something random always comes out of it. Sometimes his plans make a little sense, sometimes they're just as a crazy as he is. Bat Mite may be a bit much like him as a Batman villain, but Mxyzptlk always had the market cornered when it came to rare but very fun appearances. His character was voiced by Gilbert Gottfried in the Superman Animated Series and it's a perfect representation.

Harley Quinn

One of the greatest characters to come out of Batman the Animated Series. Though, she may be a little over exposed at this point, we can still bask in her humble beginnings as just another Joker thug that pushed a cake into the police ceremony. Her wacky antics are a lot of fun, but when it comes to the more abusive moments in her and Joker's relationship, there comes a bit of a gray area that I tend to stay away from. This character is still a lot of fun when paired with Poison Ivy, but they sort of made her lose something when she went out on her own. Not only is she hardly considered a villain anymore, but now she seems to lack some sort of direction. She's both trying to get rid of the Joker theme, but really can't escape it when all is said and done. I'm not a fan of how this whole story progressed. It was a lot more fun when there wasn't so much deep lore and they just made quips at Batmans while robbing jewelry stores.

Lobo

The man himself! The bounty hunter who will stop at nothing to take down his prey. The best thing about him is his not care attitude. He's strong enough to take on Superman and has technology along with a hefty arsenal of firearms. Lobo rides around space on a motorcycle and looks badass while doing it. I'm not going to say I love all of his comic book storylines, but there are a great many of them that still remain my favorites to this day. This goes along with his amazing appearance in the Superman Animated Series, where he is after Superman as a bounty. Lobo isn't always the best character and some of his lore is a bit irksome, but overall, he's the most badass DC villain there is. When you need trouble, you know who to call. Virtua Rev!

Top 10 Favorite DC Superheroes

While I have always preferred Marvel, DC has always been another great fancy of mine. Superman, Wonder Woman and the Justice League has never been out of my scope when it comes to new media. Even if they aren't on this list, there have been a great number of examples where they have grown even better than Marvel. That may not be true in many live action renditions, but sometimes their comic books, animated shows, movies, and video games have been some of the best in the industry. There are great amounts of characters that stand out among all of the superheroes, as there are many. Some people told me that my Mortal Kombat character list was rather boring, hopefully this will prove to have more variety. 

Phantom Girl

A lot of you probably don't read or watch the Legion of Superheroes. Phantom Girl and grow intangible while also making others intangible. She is the youngest on the team and that always makes her question herself while also trying to make her own way on the team. Out of all of the team, she was one of the less serious members of the team and was far more down-to-Earth (relatively) member of the team. Ghosts have always been awesome in my book, and Tinya is just one of those elements that made the comics and the TV show more fun to watch.

Brainiac 5

On the other side of the spectrum, Brainiac 5 is the least "down-to-Earth" member of the Legion of Superheroes. He brings about complicated equations to solve problems, making split brilliant estimations even during times of high distress. It's just comical how much Brainiac 5 tries to understand terran and biological life behavior while he is mostly made up of computers. It's also interesting to see how he interact and battles with the original Brainiac, who is a distant ancestor. He is just a very interesting hero all around and he brings about a great edge of intelligence to a ridiculous galaxy.

Flash

Before you ask, it's Barry Allen. Everything good about the Flash has been based on Barry, even most of what you see from Wally West in the Justice League series. He had the most interesting comics for the most powerful speedster. Yes, he can become overpowered with some of his powers, especially when he reaches the speed fast enough to travel through time. Sometimes the writers tend to forget to use all of his available abilities, much like Superman. Beyond that, the character, Flash is just a fun addition to many of the iterations in both the comics and TV shows for both his solo act and when he's with the league. 

Raven

This is mostly from the TV show, but Teen Titans were good as comics, especially in their fights with Deathstroke. Raven is the magical daughter of a very powerful demon, and her shadows are useful in many forms. Her plots tended to be the most impactful, given her background, and she always brought more urgency given her introverted disposition. Her personal feelings for her team, especially Beast Boy, were interwoven throughout the series and it was fun to explore when they tried to get her to open up. Her gloomy demeanor and her contrary position to the norm were some of the best parts of the Teen Titans.

Batgirl

The Bat Family has a very colorful array of characters and among them, Batgirl had some of the best insight as well as bringing a bright spot in dark storylines. Barbara Gordan was one of the family who had light hearted quips and a quiet dignity about her. She would always try to bring down the tension when there came the many occasions where the other Robins start ragging on each other. It always seemed like she worked best with Dick Grayson when it came to partnering up with the other sidekicks. Of course, her excursions with Batman are legendary.

Damian Wayne

The son of Bruce Wayne has had some very large shoes to fill. Coming from a completely different background, being trained by the Legion of Shadow and his grandfather, Ra's Al Ghul. With the first part of his life being raised by Talia Al Ghul, starting as a sidekick to Batman was extremely hard to adapt to. He was taught that killing his opponent was the best way to make sure they were fully dealt with, and that he should live life for himself and only himself. However, the training inadvertantly caused him to become one of the most skilled Robins in combat. Watching Damian grow into a more compassionate character was a lot of fun, especially when he had lapses in judgement and fought his own father. Though he had a good run with Dick Grayson as Batman, his time with his father was the best among his storylines.

Rorschach

Whether you believe he should be on this list is up to you, but I believe he belongs here. Rorschach has no money and has had it hard as a superhero. He has witnessed some of the worst acts man has to offer and it drove him mad to the point of killing the criminals he fought. Rorschach has no powers, but he can use the objects around him in order to improvise weapons against opponents. He has a dark view on life and takes it upon himself to fight crime and wrong doings with no sense of compromise, so long as the criminal ultimately receives their justice. He was the first to theorize that the death of the Comedian was a sign that something much larger was afoot.  

Superboy

Connor Kent was one of the best, most shortlived superheroes in the DC Universe. It's really a shame that they didn't delve deeper into this character with pop culture. There were many iterations of clones when it comes to Superman, and Superboy has also had many versions. Connor was supposed to replace Superman after his death, but was named an honorary superhero in his own right, even when Kal El returned. Superman called him Superboy, even though he was wanting the name "The Metropolis Kid" but that never stuck. Connor was best when he was teamed with Dick Grayson and the two of them fought crime as a duo. Another good callback to this is Damian Wayne teaming up with the new Superboy, Jon Kent.

Supergirl

When it comes to the Super Family, Supergirl is unique in the fact that she is a real born Kryptonian like Kal El. She, however, was never raised by humans, instead having been raised on Krypton. She never felt at home on Earth, unlike Clark. Kara El has had many iterations, like other popular superheroes, but the best one was more in the mid 90's, when she was more comfortable in her human form while also being dissolutioned with the human race itself. She's always treated herself as an outsider, given her Kryptonian roots. While she was ruined in her own live action series and movie, she's had a great run in animation and of course the comics.

Batman

The one and only. Batman, even before I could read, was shown to me through the Tim Burton movie starring Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson. I've read almost all of his silver age comics, a good number of his golden age, but focused on him in the 90's and 2000's. Even when he came back against the Court of Owls in New 52, he was blazing trails for that entire DC Reboot that ultimately collapsed on itself. Batman has had a very long run and a lot of different media. TV shows, movies, video games, novels, and many different other things came out along with an extensive and highly popular comic book run that has gone on ever since. Batman is a symbol of humanity and is considered a superhero even without any super human physical traits. He is an investigator, a fighter and a hero that fights crime because he feels that he has to. He is an icon among superheroes and that says something when he measures up to beings of nigh godhood.  

Layers of Fear - Play the Scary Pictures

Happy Halloween, Virtua Ghosts! The Ghostly Month of Virtua SPOOOOOOOOOOOOOKIES!!! nears its end, but it's been a fun ride thus far. We're looking at horror in its rawest form today so let's SPOOK OUT!

 If there was ever an influence to first person survival horror, it was PT in all of its cancelled glory. The Playable Teaser for Silent Hills, which Konami seems to regret bumping off now, brought us into an actual world of creepy terror and showed us that games did not need to be especially long in order to get under your skin. While we lament its passing, we have been gifted with many in its wake. Layers of Fear took that premise and put it to some good use. Here, you're looking over a mansion that seems to have belonged to a painter, and as you find clues around this very creepy mannor, you begin to uncover just how obsessive one can get in order to create art. 

Layers of Fear brings you into those hallways with a sense of dubious caution, but there is a refreshing hesitance to it at first. This starts out as a slow burn horror game, making it to where the truly horrific things don't occur until you unfurl the painting that you will be putting together. Every single item on the list has something to do with creating the painting. There is skin with which to make the canvas and there is blood with which to create the red. 

It doesn't just go for jump scares, although there are a good number of instances as such. There are also burning and rotting rooms that you watch decay in front of you, sounds in the many crevices of the house, pictures that suddenly move and puzzles. Yes, this is a puzzler, but they don't get out of control with how to solve them. Usually it just takes walking around the room to find the instructions or it's just a common sense puzzle that brings you one step closer to the next item for the painting. 

The story behind the painting is interesting, but it does kind of out stay its welcome after a while. After about the seventh or eighth instance of someone being drawn to misery or killed in some horrible way it's basically "we get it, he was crazy, get on with it." The third act of the game is where this game starts to take a dip. The atmosphere has already reached its many peaks and valleys by the time you make it to the end. Some of the puzzles get monotonous in that they're not hard to solve, it just takes up precious game time in order to move on. One good example of this is when you're walking around one of the upper levels and phones keep ringing. The creep factor is hindered a bit by the fact that the same thing keeps happening over and over again until you start predicting the sudden scares of the game.

There are some brilliant instances of scares, like when hallways suddenly disappear behind you and now there's a wall with a tiny painting on it. The room with the record player that you need to play backwards is also a memorable addition to some of the better parts of the game, the earlier levels. It's also a lot better when you don't know what the painting is at first. As you bring colors to the canvas, the artwork begins to paint itself and you're left guessing what it could be. These are the better aspects of the game and the ones that work well with the story and scares. 

The DLC, however, only gets worse. You've already done the painting and gotten through the house, and now it wants you to complete a story book. These are some of the most mind numbingly boring segments of the game. By now, Layers of Fear has given you its best in the ways of survival horror, and these on-going scares and cinematic puzzles just stop doing it after a while. 

Layers of Fear is worth playing through to completion, but dealing with everything after that is a bit of a chore. It's worth revisiting the earlier levels to get the game's full effect, but after a while, you'll figure out which parts of the game are your favorites. There's still a lot of good horror material here and it successfully can be considered one of the better haunted house survival horror. That is much trickier than it sounds because many have attempted it. Give Layers of Fear a try, especially in the Virtua Month of Ghostly SPOOOOOOOOOOOKIES!!! Hope you all have a safe holiday and are ready for some of the colder temperatures. Remember to visit haunted houses responsibly and bring holy water.