My Monthly Anticipation | February 2023

Posted on by Lashaan Balasingam @ Roars and Echoes

Hello everyone,

Who doesn’t love the anticipation of new releases and things that they plan on doing? Every month there seems to be something new and exciting ready to hit the market for our consumption.

Being ready to embrace them with open arms is all we can really do.

To showcase this, I’ll be sharing my top 3 (or up to 3) for each category of things that I look forward to this month right here, right now!

BOOK RELEASES.

My thoughts: Luckily for me, there are no book releases this month that really caught my attention. I can now blissfully focus on what I’ve got queued up for the month!

COMIC BOOK RELEASES.

Issue #1 will be released by Marvel Comics on February 8th, 2023.
THE NEWEST—AND DEADLIEST—RED GOBLIN! SPINNING OUT OF THE PAGES OF VENOM! Normie Osborn receives his own symbiote at last! As a new Red Goblin, will Normie fulfill his destiny as an Osborn—or will he and his symbiote be able to make a difference for the better?

My thoughts: With that cover, don’t you also want to have your own symbiote and do some evil? 😉

Issue #1 will be released by DC Comics on February 21st, 2023.
IT’S THE DAWN OF DC! Superman has returned to Metropolis and his greatest enemy Lex Luthor is finally behind bars. The future of the Superman family has never been brighter! As Clark Kent settles back into his life, iconic and new enemies erupt from the shadows to strike down the Man of Steel! But waiting in the wings to back up Big Blue is…Supercorp?! What secret project has Lex given to Superman?! “A hero is only as good as their villains” will be put to the test in this brand-new oversize #1 featuring comics’ greatest superhero by DC Comics architect Joshua Williamson and award-winning superstar artist Jamal Campbell!

My thoughts: And so begins the new era of DC Comics! While writer Joshua Williamson has yet to really deliver any amazing stories, I do hope this next phase will turn out well.

Issue #1 will be released by DC Comics on February 21st, 2023.
All Basil Karlo ever wanted to be was an actor…no…one of the greatest actors there’s ever been. However, his life went off course when he became the shape-shifting monster known as Clayface. After years of doing battle with Batman in Gotham City and distancing himself from his dream, Clayface goes out west to Los Angeles. Creating a new identity, he pursues his dream of acting only to find that Gotham City isn’t the only place with an overwhelming sense of dread to it, and that he might not have what it takes to make it in the City of Angels. So he’ll reshape the city to fit his needs in a deadly pursuit of stardom. From the rising-star creative team of Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing (Batman Beyond: Neo-Year, Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty) and Xermanico (Flashpoint Beyond), this is an epic tragedy not to be missed!

My thoughts: Like previous one-shot issues in the Batman: One Bad Day series, the focus is now on Clayface! I hope once it’s all collected in some kind of anthology, that most of these stories will actually be pretty good.

TV SHOW RELEASES.

Season 9 premieres on February 8th, 2023.

My thoughts: I gave up on this series at the end of season 6 and am quite glad that they’re putting an end to the series with this final season. I have hope that future DC TV series projects will be… more to my liking.

MOVIE RELEASES.

Out on February 3rd, 2023.

My thoughts: You should know already that with Night Shyamalan, it’s literally a hit-or-miss with each new movie he dishes out. I really hope this latest movie will be a hit for his sake.

Out on February 10th, 2023.

My thoughts: While it’s not new, it’s still a nice remaster of a beloved classic that we all get to rewatch in cinemas!

Out on February 17th, 2023.

My thoughts: The next big step for Marvel’s cinematic universe as Kang the Conqueror is finally out in the open. Let’s see where this goes.

VIDEO GAME RELEASES.

Out on February 10th, 2023.

My thoughts: When this was announced, I was pretty curious. Now, I’m skeptical. It might be the biggest triple-A Harry Potter title in video game history but I can see how it can flop. I just hope it doesn’t!

Out on February 17th, 2023.

My thoughts: The Monster Hunter franchise has been dishing out some great games lately and this new IP does scream Monster Hunter but I hope its unique mechanics will allow it to have its own identity within the business!

Out on February 21st, 2023.

My thoughts: I’m loving the concept and premises behind this game. I just hope that it delivers and gets the attention of gamers.

PERSONAL LIFE.

It might be the shortest month of the year but I’m hoping to maintain the balance achieved so far and even try to do a bit more. After all, once you really find yourself in the zone, it’s best to capitalize on it and do what you can before things crash and you have to work your way up to that goal of yours.

Taking inspiration from how I did things in January, I’m looking forward to repeating it this month for all my hobbies. My Tolkien fever is still very much strong, with the first 50 pages confirming how enamoured I am of this universe. My girlfriend and I also plan on doing a Lord of the Rings movie marathon (the extended cuts!!!) this weekend and that alone is super exciting. I’ve seen the theatrical cuts back in high school, before having ever read the books, and I look forward to finally noticing and understanding all the differences. This month will also be filled with some Oscar-nominated movies as I prepare my annual predictions for Best Picture. I’ve already seen more than half of them anyway so that should be pretty easy.

As for the random country of the month, we ended up getting Cyprus. In all honesty, I wouldn’t have been able to point it on a map and barely know anything about the place. I guess that’s the whole purpose of this side-self-education project. 😀

Thank you all for checking out my monthly anticipation post!

Now tell me what you’re looking forward to this month! Any new releases? Anything exciting you plan on doing?

Yours truly,

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Published by Lashaan Balasingam @ Roars and Echoes

Reader. Reviewer. Researcher. Criminology Ph.D. Candidate. Montreal, Quebec (Canada). Want to know more? Connect with him!

44 thoughts on “My Monthly Anticipation | February 2023”

  3. I’m curious about Knock at the Cabin too… but it’s Shyamalan. The previews always trick me.
    I’m excited for Hogwarts Legacy too. I’ll wait for your review of it though. It’s been hard to find the time to use the PS, so I’m hoping this game will help motivate me.

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  5. I’ve been on holiday to Cyprus a while back and although the holiday accommodation was superb, the area that we stayed in was a bit boring. Really interested to see what you find out about. I’m really looking forward to the new Ant-man film, I really enjoy the humour in them. enjoy February Lashaan especially that LOTR marathon! 😂

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  7. It’s been ages since I’ve seen anything by Shyamalan, but I enjoyed many of those so I’d be up for at least trying Knock at the Cabin. Keep that pace going in February, absolutely take advantage of any roll you find yourself on. And I hope you enjoy the LotR movie marathon, that’s always fun. Of course with the extended cuts that does make for a LONG movie watching session. I hope you’ve stocked up on popcorn! And maybe a little Tim Hortons. 🙂

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    1. I too enjoy his originality, he can be ambitious at times, but it’s a welcome distraction here and then to check out what he’s got to offer. However… his Last Airbender movie is horrible… One of the worse movies ever created. Not recommended. 😉 Hahahah you’re right about the lengths! We look forward to seeing how we endure the experience tomorrow. 😀

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  9. Lots to look forward to there. I’ll be checking out that Clayface one-shot for sure, he’s always been my favourite Batman villain. Looking forward to Ant Man 3 as well, and I’m intrigued by Hogwarts, don’t know much about Harry Potter tbh, but looks a good game.

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    1. I’d love to hear your thoughts on it. I haven’t tried any of them but ever since the first one was announced with King doing Riddler, I was convinced I needed to check it out at some point. Hope you enjoy Ant-Man! I’ll be checking it out in theaters for sure to get the whole 3D experience of Kang’s terror. Yep, Hogwarts looks like a fantastic fantasy game, even when we don’t look at it as a Harry Potter title. I just hope they got it right and release it without too many issues.

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      1. Yeah, going to be awesome to see this in the cinema. Kang is a great villain so will be fun to see him brought to life on the big screen. I might see what early reviews of Hogwarts is like before I try it, just in case. Atm, I’m still being scared silly playing the Dead Space Remake LOL. Did get Deliver Us Mars as well this week, but not had a chance to play it yet.

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      3. Yeah, I think the hype for the Dead Space remake kind of gazumped Calypso Protocol. I’ve not played that but will probably give it a try when it’s in a sale or something. I played some of Deliver Us Mars at the weekend. It’s a very different style of game, more narrative / puzzle driven, but the storyline is really good. Well worth checking out. Been having a blast playing the Dead Space remake, mind you it still makes me jump out of my skin at times LOL! 🙂

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  11. Cannot blame you one bit for leaving The Flash. It should have wrapped a couple of seasons ago for sure. However, Mrs. Chess and I have stayed the course, and we also are looking forward to this final season. The guest stars alone should be worth it. Sorry to see the new ownership at the CW bringing the Arrowverse to an end with all of the recent cancelations. I heard someone mentioning M. Night is the greatest director of trailers in movie history. We’re going to see this when it opens, and am really hoping it will be good. As for Ant-Man, as you know I am more than impatient with Marvel right now so if this movie starts to at least give us some “bread crumbs” towards the next Big Bad, multi-Avengers epic let’s go! We’ll be there when it opens as well. I saw Clayface was in the Batman’s One Bad Day series, but admittedly had not heard of the character before so I learned a lot from your summary here. I’m still thinking about getting a couple from that series. Happy February, Lashaan!

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    1. I really wanted to keep going just to finish it like I did for Arrow but man, it got rough, cringe, and nonsensical… I still wonder today if I should pick it up again just to finish it once and for all.

      The trailers for his movies can be sooooo captivating and intriguing. I do hope this one pulls it off better than Old, which I haven’t seen because of how poorly it was received by critics. If you have and did enjoy it, let me know!

      I’m with you. Marvel has been trying to “rebuild” and “tease” for too long and I hope Ant-Man 3 will be what it needs for the future of the MCU.

      Clayface is quite a unique character and in comic books and animated series, he can be truly terrifying.

      I hope you have a fantastic month of February too, Bruce! Take care! 😀

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      1. I saw Knock At The Cabin earlier today. It is a straightforward film where M. Night doesn’t employ his often unfortunate “twist” move, and I think it turned out to be one of his better efforts. He settled on creating and building tension and suspense, not going for some “big swing.” From a technical standpoint, one of his best efforts. Solid acting all around. I’m not singing its praises from the mountain top or anything, but I was glad I saw it. Let me know if you see it, Lashaan. I’d love to know what you think. Take care! 😀

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      2. Interesting that he didn’t go for final twist. It does sound like it maintained a nice tension throughout the movie and it must’ve been fun to watch the cast struggle through that predicament (strangers invading your personal/family space). I’ll eventually give it a shot, most likely once it’s released on a streaming platform hahah Thanks for sharing your thoughts with me, Bruce! 😀

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      1. I loved Season 1 and I thought Seasons 2 and 3 were pretty good. But the ensemble continued to get bigger and bigger and Barry’s story really stalled. Most of the Arrowverse shows on the CW had similar problems, unfortunately.

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  14. I know Cyprus is in the Mediterranean near Greece, I think? I have seen Titanic many times and I still love it. I am going into my second month in Florida and loving the wonderful weather, especially the sunshine. Have a great February, Lashaan.

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    1. Yep, it’s around there! I would’ve assumed it was a Greek island too! Titanic was such a wonderful movie. I wouldn’t mind rewatching this remastered version of it in theaters. 😀 It’s so cool that you get to enjoy Florida’s weather for that long! Enjoy it for all of us who continue to endure this insane cold! 😀 Have an awesome month of February too, Carla.

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  15. Damn Kate and leo were so young! And me too come to think of it LOL I wish I was able to watch Flash but I don’t think it’s airing in my country unfortunately! And my son went on holiday in Cyprus LOL

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  16. I didn’t know that remastered (?) Titanic and if it goes out in the cinemas here in Belgium too I’ll definitely go and watch it as I’m not sure that I’ve already seen it..? I hope you manage to keep the balance you found and to watch loads of amazing movies! Have a great month of February, Lashaan!

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  17. At least Red Goblin doesn’t get pregnant, contrary to certain DC characters 😉 TBH, the new releases side of the month doesn’t look too promising, but Cyprus, on the other hand, sure does! Enjoy!

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  18. Everything I’ve seen about Hogwarts Legacy makes it look like it’ll be really good. Watched a stream of it for a few hours yesterday, and at the least, the world is huge, and the school of Hogwarts itself is highly detailed.

    As for Ant-Man, I haven’t exactly enjoyed any of the post Endgame MCU movies all that much, besides the Spider-Man ones, but I’m at least cautiously looking forward to Ant-Man 3. The second stood out among phase 3 as a small scale, fun action-comedy when most of the other movies tried to be these giant blockbuster epics. The focus on the family dynamic also worked quite well. If they manage to keep that family drama dynamic for this movie, it has potential.

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    1. Yep, I wanted to wait for critics to have their say on it and now even gamers are having a blast with it. I’ll definitely check it out in the near future.

      I’m actually one of those that found the comedy in the Ant-Man movies not exactly what I enjoy personally but can definitely appreciate them as family-gathering movies but this new chapter has me quite curious, especially with Kang. I’d be surprised and disappointed if they infuse too much comedy in this movie…

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