Tuesday, July 30, 2013

What The Wolverine Movie Poster Tells Us About The Film

The idea of “social media”, like it or not, has etched itself in our brains and engraved itself in our culture. It affects our everyday actions and even consumption habits. With good reason, social media has been a driving force for marketers as of late like vine, twitter and YouTube, but does that make it the most effective form of communication out there? I think not.

Although there has been some great online marketing like this awesome motion poster, it has not been my absolute favorite.

One of the lost arts in this fast paced world of social is print advertising. In my opinion, minimalism can speak volumes (if you use it the right way).The most effective form of print communication is that with an image so powerful that it requires no copy or vice versa.

This is why I love this specific poster so much for The Wolverine movie. The only copy seen is the release date of the movie in the bottom and what I must assume is the Japanese version of the date to the left. As soon as I see this image I am drawn in. This image alone tells a story of sadness, anger revenge and rebirth.

The subtle choices in text, color and brush strokes imply that this is a story from Japan. The background is meant to look like Hanshi; the paper used for calligraphy. The ink colors, black and red are those primarily used in Japanese calligraphy. Even Wolverine’s stance has a samurai-like appearance.

For those who do not know, Wolverine has a deep history in the country of Japan. His emotions are tied there, his skill derives from there and in this movie we will hopefully find out what other connections Wolverine has to the country.

Be sure to stay tuned for my review of the movie itself. Don’t let that stop you from watching it on your own! 

Saturday, July 27, 2013

Metta-X: The Origin

So before I start dropping POWs and KABOOMs left and right on all of you, let me tell you a little bit about myself and how I ended up here. My Super Hero Origin story if you will...

As far back as I can remember, I have always loved Super Heroes. Not only for their extraordinary abilities that one can only dream of having, their awesome gadgets and outfits comparable to their strengths, but especially for their very human qualities that we all strive to obtain. Qualities as cliche as they may sound like honor, truth, selflessness and justice. Without these qualities, they would simply not be heroes.

There is an undeniable shadow of hope that they cast over the minds of aficionados of all ages, backgrounds and locations. Whether it was Superman subliminally fighting for the "American Way" during the World War II era, or The X-Men's relentless message of equality: We should accept ourselves and each other as we are, despite differences in race, ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation.

This is the power of Super Heroes to me. Like music it is a universal language.

Interlude: Who is my favorite Super Hero, you ask? I'll give you my top 3.

Drum Roll 
1.Batman (aka The Dark Night, The Detective, Bruce Wayne)

What is not to like about a man who chooses to defy all odds, fight crime against an entire city and become one of the most respected heroes out there...without any powers?

He relies on nothing but raw martial arts skills, intelligence, research, training, and oh yeah, he's stinking rich. Not even Superman can take this guy on. Too tough and too smart.








2. Spider-Man (aka Web Head, Spidey, Peter Parker)

The guy freakin' swings through the streets of New York City with home made web shooters! I mean, how cool is that?

I am sucker for underdog stories. This guy went from being the biggest nerd in school to having super strength, spider-senses and a super cool costume and despite that...he is still the biggest nerd and a bit of a clown. In many ways, he reminds me of myself which is why I have a soft spot for him.








3. Wolverine: Official X-Men Member (aka Logan, James Howlett)

Wolverine is just a straight up bad ass, but he is still a good guy. Animal like senses, healing abilities, skilled martial artist and he has claws coming out of his knuckles!

The dude is seriously messed up, suffering from post-traumatic stress, being experimented on by the government, anger issues, memory loss and not to mention, something always happens to the woman he loves. Somehow he always finds a way to put that aside and do what is right.

So why The Metta-X Review?
Just a little background: The Metagene according to the DC Universe is a rare human gene which gives humans the ability to potentially become super-powered beings. Similarly, in the Marvel Universe, specifically X-Men, the X-Gene described by Charles Xavier is the result of genetic mutation granting humans the ability to become super powered mutants. 

Essentially they are one in the same. If you have not noticed already, we will be covering both DC and Marvel. The best of both worlds...errr universes.

I would like to give a special thank you to my friend Nick which has always pushed me to do what I love and consequently made me start The Metta-X Review.