New Girl: "Re-Launch" Review

Warning: Full spoilers from the episode to follow.

It didn't take long for New Girl to get back in the swing of things for Season 2. In a matter of minutes, I felt right back at home as Jess and Nick shared some quippy bathroom banter and Schmidt begged Winston to scratch the inside of his crotch cast. ("And before you ask, yes, I have been able to reach completion with some very precise and vigorous nipple play.") But after a long and seemingly uneventful summer, it was time to kick things back into high gear with Schmidt's DANGER-themed "rebranding" party, at which Jess, recently laid off from her job, volunteered to be one of the shot girls.

I must admit, I actually really like the idea of Jess's unemployment as an overarching plot device. Much in the same way that she had to cope with losing her boyfriend in the pilot, here we got to see how she handles another loss, this time with her teaching position. It was also fun to see the hilariously awkward support from the guys once they got the news (a la Nick's winking and Schmidt's disoriented sense of direction).

Jess's turn as a cocktail waitress was also pretty classic and -- what's that word again? -- "adorkable." Parker Posey's guest spot as Jess's "26-year-old" competition made it all the sweeter, too; her appearance was definitely one of the highlights. It's almost a shame we didn't get to see more of her, but then again, that almost made it funnier. Nick's comments comparing Jess to other shot girls were also pretty great. ("You're the nurse that I want to wake up to after I've had my stomach pumped. Different kind of hot -- but still hot!") And reintroducing the tiny silver hat from the lost and found was a nice touch.

We also learned that, not only are Schmidt and Cece are still broken up, but Cece now has a new boyfriend, Robbie (played by Franklin Nelson). Of course, that left the door open for Schmidt to continue his usual parade of shenanigans. His spinning flails of fire -- "the most dangerous element of all the elements!" -- was perhaps the most delightfully ridiculous, although I also enjoyed Robbie's nonchalant responses to Schmidt's interrogation. ("I don't like music. 'What's up with me,' you know?")

True to form, this episode also had a couple of really sweet moments, too. Schmidt and Cece's final conversation seemed to hint at a future reunion at some point, which would be preferable. Meanwhile, Nick and Jess's heart-to-heart outside was exactly what the episode needed to round things out. Indeed, "Re-Launch had just about all the makings of an exceptional episode of New Girl. Unfortunately -- as always, it seems -- Winston got the short end of the stick here. He never can seem to find his place, even when he's loosely attached to another character's storyline. While his drunken schtick was certainly not without its laughs, it felt like his character was kind of on the outskirts this time around. Having said that, Jess's storyline was the real draw this week, and it should be interesting to see how her unemployment pans out in future episodes.

Max Nicholson is a writer for IGN, and he desperately seeks your approval. Show him some love on Twitter and IGN.

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X-O Manowar Expands the Valiant Universe

With the relaunched Valiant Universe now in full swing, it's time for the publisher to start growing it out even bigger. The first step comes in X-O Manowar #5, which will introduce the fan-favorite assassin Ninjak, who is on the hunt for Aric and, more importantly, the Manowar armor he sports.

We caught up with writer Robert Venditti to talk about Ninjak's big debut and what the future holds for the Valiant Universe.

IGN Comics: First, as a writer that’s mainly done OGNs and minis, how have you settled into the routine of being on a monthly book?

Robert Venditti: I’ve only been at this for a little over year, and only five issues have made it to the stands, but from my perspective, the only routine thing about writing a monthly book is that a new one comes out every month. Everything is so fluid, so you have to be nimble and adapt. But that’s the challenge and the fun of it.

IGN: With Aric moving into the modern era, how does his role within the story change if at all? How does he approach these new threats as opposed to how he approached the Romans of his time?

Venditti: That’s all part of his learning curve. In a way, though, the modern world is as unprepared for Aric as he is for it. He’s a Visigoth with a fighting style that has long been extinct, and he commands a sentient suit of armor that far surpasses the destructive potential of anything the world has ever seen. I find that flip side of the book’s core concept to be very compelling.

IGN: How does Ninjak tie into Aric’s story? Is this a one-off battle or will their lives be more intertwined?

Venditti: It seems to me that in a storytelling landscape where you have Aric of Dacia in possession of the X-O Manowar armor—the universe’s most powerful weapon—and you also have Ninjak—the world’s foremost weapons specialist—the two characters’ stories would have to be intertwined. As for the nature of their confrontation, it’s so much more than a one-off battle. By the end of the four-issue arc, Ninjak will have cemented his place in the new Valiant Universe.

IGN: Do you think Ninjak has spin-off potential for his own series?

Venditti: Without a doubt. Aside from the fact there’s a huge cache of storytelling potential with the character, there’s also a large and extremely passionate fanbase for him. He doesn’t just have the potential for his own series. He deserves one.

IGN: It sounds like Aric’s going to be keeping pretty busy, but will you be exploring any of the more personal dramatic potential of Aric realizing that he’s in a time long past his own?

Venditti: As a writer, those personal character moments are my favorite parts of a story. Aric of Dacia is a hero, but he’s also a great tragic figure. He’s sixteen centuries removed from his own time, and there’s a tremendous amount of loneliness and alienation that comes with that. We tap into that a lot in the opening of the fifth issue, and it’s certainly something we’ll be coming back to throughout the series.

IGN: X-O seems to be acting somewhat as the hub for the Valiant Universe. Are there any other characters on the horizon that you’ll be introducing?

Venditti: A large part of my original pitch was dedicated to how other characters from the Valiant Universe could cross over with X-O Manowar and vice versa, so that’s definitely part of the grand plan. It won’t ever be something we do for the sake of a crossover itself, though. Whenever X-O Manowar meets another Valiant hero or villain, there will be a definite purpose behind it. That’s certainly our intention with the introduction of Ninjak in the second story arc.

IGN: How far ahead are you working on the book?

Venditti: I’m scripting issue #9 right now, with the story plotted out through issue #14. After that, the series can go in a number of different directions, and we haven’t decided which one we want to do yet.

IGN: You guys have been tweeting about a “secret summit” all week. Any hints as to what’s being discussed?

Venditti: I’d never been a part of something like that, and it was a great experience. For me, one of the most attractive aspects of joining Valiant has always been the idea that there would be these summits where creators and editors could be in a room together and bounce ideas off each other. I’ve been looking forward to it, and it was everything I hoped it would be.

Writing can be such an insular experience, and I learned so much listening to how others do things, what their processes are like, and so on. As far as the specifics of what we discussed regarding the future of the Valiant Universe, if I divulged any of that, I think it’d move me to the top of more than a few people’s hit lists.

X-O Manowar #5 goes on sale tomorrow.

Joey is IGN's Comics Editor and a comic book creator himself. Follow Joey on Twitter, or find him on IGN. He loves superhero pets so hard.

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