Terminator: Dark Fate – 5 Terminator Stories To Check Out

Originally published on Set The Tape

The Terminator franchise has had some rocky moments, with some films that really tested people’s love for the series (we’re looking at you Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines). However, there is more to the franchise than just the films. Here’s a short list of other Terminator content that’s definitely worth checking out.

Terminator 2: Cybernetic Dawn (Comic Book – Dan Abnett & Rod Whigham)

Set immediately after the events of the second movie, Terminator 2: Cybernetic Dawn picks up after the destruction of the T-1000 and T-800, and sees John and Sarah Connor nursing their wounds following their long battle against the machines. Unfortunately, it turns out that they may not have actually prevented Judgement Day as not one, but three new Terminators arrive in the past to kill them both, two T-800’s, and a T-1000.

Terminator 2: Cybernetic Dawn is a pretty bold book, doing something that hasn’t even really been done in the films and having more than one Terminator sent back in time to kill a single target. Add in the fact that no one has been sent back to protect the Connors and this makes for a pretty stand out story. It also expanded upon the world created in the first two films, by revealing that the government already has pieces of several other Terminators in their possession, dating back further than Sarah Connor, teasing the idea that the machines have been manipulating time for much longer than initially thought.

Terminator 3: Redemption (Video Game – Xbox, PS2, GameCube)

Released shortly after the abysmal movie tie in game, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, this game tried to make up for some of the awfulness that players had to put up with. This game shifted the action away from the film, and instead of making gamers play through the events of the film, actually told a story. The game expanded upon the film, having players take control of the T-800 before he’s sent back in time to protect John.

The game managed to be a lot more fun than the film it ties into, and featured a variety of missions, including vehicle based combat, on rails shooting sections, and standard combat through a variety of future settings. Possibly the best thing to come out of the third film, the game knew that it had to do something different to try and win over fans, and succeeded for the most part, receiving some generous reviews.

Terminator Salvation: From The Ashes (Novel – Timothy Zahn)

Written by award winning author Timothy Zahn, (best known for his work on Star Wars and for creating the character of Grand Admiral Thrawn), this novel tells a tale of John Connor set in the apocalyptic future of the war against the machines, and helps to set up for the Terminator: Salvation movie. Set during a period where John Connor is still seen as nothing more than an average resistance fighter by the larger resistance movement, Terminator Salvation: From The Ashes sees John leading his resistance cell in a daring mission to capture a Terminator facility in an attempt to not just hurt the machines, but to prove himself to Command.

Whilst most stories focus on John Connor as either a young man before the war with Skynet, or as the leader of the resistance, it’s good to see him at an in-between stage. He’s proven himself to his group of fighters, and commands their respect, but is still seen as just a small cog in a larger machine. He has to prove that he’s the leader he’s been training to be his entire life.

Zahn is a great author, and is able to craft an engaging and dynamic story filled with interesting character moments, as well as intense action sequences, giving readers one of the better Terminator novels to date.

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (Television – 2008-2009)

A lot of people looked down on the Terminator television series and didn’t give it much of a chance. And that’s somewhat understandable, as the first season was a touch slow to begin with. However, once the series entered its second season it really began to find its feet and started to tell a very good, and different Terminator story.

The series showed a John (Thomas Dekker) and Sarah (Lena Headey) who had jumped forward in time from the 1990s to 2008 to escape a new Terminator, this time protected by the female terminator Cameron (Summer Glau). The series explored new ideas: that Terminators have been sent back to secure important materials and tech and protect them from Judgment Day, that resistance cells have been sent back to hinder Skynet’s creation, and that there’s even a faction of Terminators that want to stop Skynet too.

The series took bold moves with the franchise, and had some absolutely amazing moments before it was cancelled on a stunning cliffhanger ending. With the ability now to be able to binge watch, it would likely be much better received, especially thanks to how popular Lena Headey has since become.

Robocop vs Terminator (Comic – Frank Miller and Walt Simonson)

Though probably best known as a video game, the comic began this fan favourite crossover. When a resistance fighter is sent back in time to kill Robocop, he is rescued by a group of Terminators who were sent to protect him. Learning that some of his technology would go on to be used to create Skynet, and ultimately destroy humanity, Robocop begins a mission to stop Skynet from coming into existence.

Written by Frank Miller, who wrote the second film, the book manages to capture a lot of the gritty and grimy feel of both universes, whilst telling an interesting story. It takes the character of Robocop, who already deals with issues of identity and what makes you human, and examines it in detail by making him a main part of the rise of the machines.


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Marvel Action: Black Panther #4 – Comic Review

Originally published on Set The Tape

The fourth issue of Marvel Action: Black Panther takes a break from the established pattern of the Marvel Action series, and instead of starting a new story line that will go across three issues, acts as a stand alone piece.

The main plot for issue four centres around T’Challa taking part in Exchange Day, an event that comes around every 10 years in which the king of Wakanda secretly trades places with an average worker so that they can get a feel for what life is like within the nation. It’s basically Black Panther Undercover Boss.

T’Challa goes to work in the vibranium refinery, one of the more important industries in the whole country. Unfortunately, his visit there takes a turn for the worse when he discovers that one of the foremen is corrupt, and abusing his position to both torment the workers, and to steal vibranium.

There isn’t a huge amount of action in this issue, and the one fight that does ensue when T’Challa confronts the corrupt refinery workers is over pretty quickly. But then this isn’t really a story about a superhero. Instead, issue four focuses on the fact that T’Challa is first and foremost the ruler of a nation, and as such has bigger things to focus on than costumed crime-fighting.

However, the issue also makes T’Challa seem like something of a foolish king. He assumes that because he is living well then the rest of the country is. Yes, he knows that not everyone is living in a palace surrounded by wealth the way he and his family are, but he still believes that everyone has a good life. The refinery visit acts as something of a wake-up call for him, and makes him realise that there’s actually a lot more for him to learn and to be aware of.

There’s not much more that can really be said about the issue, as there’s nothing here that feels like it’s going to be playing into any kind of larger story, or be part of any kind of long term character growth. The end of the issue seems to neatly wrap a bow around T’Challa having learnt from his experience, so it doesn’t seem that his continued change as a king will really come up again. It could be that the next story line will deal with social upheaval and the poorer classes rising up in protest against their ruler – but it just doesn’t feel like that’s the route the writer is going down.

This is the first issue to feature a new creative team, with Vita Ayala replacing Kyle Baker as writer, and Ariana Florean taking over art duties. Ayala has written for the character of Shuri in the past, so has some experience in the Black Panther toy box. And even though this issue didn’t excite me greatly, I’m very eager to see a black woman getting the chance to write these amazing black characters.


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Alien: Prototype by Tim Waggoner - Book Review

'When an industrial spy steals a Xenomorph egg, former Colonial Marine Zula Hendricks must prevent an alien from killing everyone on an isolated colony planet. Venture, a direct rival to the Weyland-Yutani corporation, will accept any risk to crush the competition. Thus, when a corporate spy "acquires" a bizarre, leathery egg from a hijacked vessel, she takes it directly to the Venture testing facility on Jericho 3.

'Though unaware of the danger it poses, the scientists there recognize their prize's immeasurable value. Early tests reveal little, however, and they come to an inevitable conclusion. They need a human test subject...

'ENTER ZULA HENDRICKS. A member of the Jericho 3 security staff, Colonial Marines veteran Zula Hendricks has been tasked with training personnel to deal with anything the treacherous planet can throw their way. Yet nothing can prepare them for the horror that appears--a creature more hideous than any Zula has encountered before. Unless stopped, it will kill every human being on the planet.'

Alien: Prototype is the latest entry in the ever expanding Titan Books Alien universe, and much like those that has come before it, it brings an excellent level of quality and creativity to the story. I imagine it can sometimes be hard to come up with an Alien story that would manage to feel new and interesting, after-all, the nature of the titular monsters means that it's hard to add agency or character to the antagonists, and a lot of Alien stories are variations on monster loose on a ship/station/colony. Tim Waggoner, however, has managed to create one of the most interesting and uniquely creative variations of the Xenomorph I've ever seen.

Tying in to Dark Horse Comic stories such as Aliens: Defiance and Aliens:Resistance, as well as previous Titan Books novel Alien: Isolation, the story here follows the character of Zula Hendricks, a former Colonial Marine who has made it her mission to destroy every Xenomorph in existence.

Set between the events of the Dark Horse Comics, before Zula eventually reunites with Amanda Ripley, Alien: Prototype sees Zula taking a break from her mission to kill aliens, having taken a job with Venture, a rival company to Weyland-Yutani. She's taken on the job of training up the security personnel at The Lodge, a research and development facility on the planet Jericho 3. Chiefly designed to develop new colonisation tech, the The Lodge also has a biological research facility, where one of their scientists has just received an alien egg.

The initial set up of the story, of a shady corporation having received an alien specimen to study is fairly standard fare in the Alien universe, but it's what happens to the Xenomorph from that point that makes this story truly stand out. The scientist in charge of studying the Xenomorph uses a colonist that's had a history of agreeing to medical trials to play host to the creature. This is a slight difference already, as these kinds of stories usually involve the corporations kidnapping people and implanting them against their will, so the idea of having someone agree to a 'medical trial' without knowing what that means for them is actually kind of a fun twist. However, it also adds a wrinkle to the alien's development.

The man who signs up to the experiment has previously been infected with cellular necrosis, a highly infectious disease that eats away at the victims body. Thankfully, the trial led to a cure for the disease and the man survived. But, this means that the virus is still in his system, and this ends up incorporated into the Xenomorphs biology. We've seen that the hosts can affect how the Xenomorph develops in the past, the dog/ox alien in Alien 3 being a prime example, but this might be one of the most unique and creative variations. The Xenomorph has the cellular necrosis as a major part of its biology, giving it a diseased look, and covering it in large barnacle like pustules that are able to shoot out acidic black goo that infect people with the disease. The alien is also able to cough out clouds of spoors from its inner mouth that are able to transmit the necrosis in an airborne manner. This alteration of the Xenomorph leads to the characters dubbing it the Necromorph.

As I said earlier, it can be hard to make the alien stand out as different in these stories, and it's often the setting or human characters that add variation, but that's not the case here. Here, Waggoner has created one of the most stand out aliens I can think of. This isn't the same kind of creature but with a funny shaped head, or that runs around on all fours instead of two legs; this is a Xenomorph that has entirely new instincts, that struggles between its desire to create more of itself and use humans as hosts, and its desire to spread the virus. It's one of the most daring and creative changes to the alien I think I've ever seen. And I absolutely love it.

It's not just the new Necromorph that's great, however, as the human cast of the book is brilliant too. Zula is, as always, a great lead character. A former Colonial Marine who ended up severely wounded on her first mission, she's a woman that has had to not only fight the Xenomorphs, but her own disability too. As someone who is disabled, and lives in near constant pain, I really appreciated having a character who has to deal with similar issues as the main focus. Yes, Zula has had operations to help repair the trauma she suffered, and gone through physiotherapy, but she's still living with the pain left over from her injuries, as well as the psychological scars it left her. Add onto that that she's also a woman of colour and she might be one of the best protagonists in the entire Alien universe.

Of course, not everyone in the Alien universe can be as good and noble as Zula, otherwise there'd be no evil corporations looking to exploit the Xenomorphs. Here we get three characters that really capture the despicable and self centred nature of the mega corporations in the Alien universe. Tamar Prather is a corporate spy who's responsible for getting Venture the alien egg to begin with, but her own greed leads her to get herself killed. Aleta Fuentes is the woman who runs The Lodge, agreeing to allow illegal and unethical experimentation, and tries to lie and manipulate her way out of any blame that could come from higher up in the company. And Millard Gagnon is the scientist who is willing to do anything it takes to get the results he wants, even if it means sacrificing innocent people in the name of 'science'. All three of them are horrible people, though for different reasons, and you'll find yourself routing for them to end up getting killed during the course of the book.

Alien: Prototype is not only a great addition to the Titan Books Alien series, but a bold and unique addition to the whole Alien franchise. It does something with the alien creature that hasn't been done before, and is brilliantly creative. It has great human characters at the centre of the story that you'll be rooting to see live, and some who you'll be eager to see meet a horrible end. This is the perfect novel for any Alien fans.

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Terminator: Dark Fate – Ranking the Terminator films

Originally published on Set The Tape

The latest Terminator film is hitting cinemas soon, bringing series veterans Arnold Schwarzeneggar and Linda Hamilton together once again to fight a whole new host of robotic baddies. But before jumping into this new entry, we thought that we’d go back and rank the rest of the series!

5. Terminator Genisys (2015)

Terminator Genisys was supposed to be the start of a whole new trilogy of films, but thanks to some awful reviews it failed to be what it wanted to be, despite being the second highest grossing entry in the franchise.

It sees the Terminator timeline that fans are familiar with get messed up when more Terminators travel back in time and alter Sarah Connor’s (Emilia Clarke) past. Instead of having a normal life she was raised by a T-800, and is already being hunted by a T-1000 when Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney) travels back to help her.

Thanks to messing with the preexisting mythology of the series, some casting that fans didn’t find particularly great, and major plot twists being shown in trailers, fans found very little to enjoy about the film.

4. Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003)

Following the events of the second film, John Connor (Nick Stahl) has been living off the grid in Los Angeles following his mother’s death. Because he’s left no trace of his whereabouts for Skynet to be able to trace. the machines send a new, female Terminator (Kristana Loken) back in time to eliminate people key to his future resistance cell. John ends up getting dragged back into the fight and must find a way to survive the coming Judgement Day.

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines had a hard time being seen to be a good film thanks to trying to appeal to a broader audience, incorporating comedic moments into the narrative and going for splashy spectacle over horror. The result is a Terminator film that feels like it’s aimed more towards a teen audience than adults, where it struggles to create an identity for itself. Though not a bad film it does feel like a distinct drop in quality when compared to others in the franchise.

3. Terminator: Salvation (2009)

Terminator: Salvation has its good points, even though a lot of people seem to hate on it. It took the bold step of setting the story within the apocalyptic future of the Terminator-dominated world – the only film in the franchise to do so. It showed a John Connor (Christian Bale) who was still rising up the ranks of the Resistance to become the leader we know he’s destined to become. And it made the Terminators scary again.

Other than the first film in the series the Terminators had become less frightening over the course of the films, thanks in large part to having good Terminators standing up against them. This film showed audiences how scary the machines could be. We had bigger, bulkier Terminators stalking the wasteland, covered in bad rubber skin. They made loud mechanical noises when they moved, and they were really, really hard to kill. This made them so scary.

The film also gave us the scene when John Connor had to go up against a T-800 that looked like a young Arnold Schwarzenegger, a fight that reinforced how bad the humans in the future have it when a single Terminator is so difficult to combat. Unfortunately, there are some plot elements that let the film down a little, and prevent it from being higher on this list.

2. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

Terminator 2: Judgment Day is a hell of a movie. It flipped things on their head by making Arnie a good guy (something people really didn’t see coming), upped the ante in both action and special effects, and gave us an amazing female action lead in Linda Hamilton’s Sarah Connor.

The story explored the future war with the machines in ways that the original film didn’t, and introduced some new elements to the mythology – the most obvious being the liquid metal Terminators. The T-1000’s would become a firm fan favourite, and a staple enemy that the franchise would come back to again and again, as well as pushing the technology available at the time to its limits and helping to pioneer new special effects.

1. The Terminator (1984)

The original, and still the best in the franchise for one simple reason: horror. Where the other films in the series became sci-fi action films, the first film was very much entrenched in the realms of horror. The unstoppable killing machine that will always be hunting you and can’t be hurt is absolutely terrifying. The film manages to capture this tone and keeps the pressure on throughout, giving audiences an intense and suspenseful movie that doesn’t let up.

The film also helped to make Arnold Schwarzenegger a star, and to establish James Cameron as a director to watch out for. Without The Terminator, not only would we not have the entire franchise, but we might have missed out on James Cameron’s other movies, Arnie might have struggled further to become a star, and special effects technology mightn’t have been pushed. Not only the best film in the series, but a hugely important piece of cinema.


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Titans Season One – 5 Teen Titans Stories To Check Out

Originally published on Set The Tape

The first season of Warner Bros television series Titans has just been released on DVD and Blu-ray, meaning a whole host of new fans get to experience the exciting live action version of the Teen Titans. The series has some great stories, but the characters have been around for decades in the comics, and there are loads more stories that fans can experience. Here are five of the best.

Teen Titans: A Kid’s Game

Geoff Johns is a legend in comic books, and one of his stand out series was his 2003 Teen Titans run. The first big relaunch of the book since the Wolfman and Perez run, the book brought back series mainstays such as Starfire, Beast Boy, Raven, and Cyborg in new modernised versions, as well as bringing new additions like Tim Drake’s Robin, Cassie Sandmark’s Wonder Girl, Super Boy, and Bart Allen’s Kid Flash.

The first volume of the Johns run, Teen Titans: A Kid’s Game, tells how the team comes together for the first time, the dissolution of the Young Justice team, and how the older Titans fit in with their new teammates. A brilliant introduction to a run that would last for years, with Johns working on more than 50 issues.

Teen Titans: Titans of Tomorrow

Another great entry from the Johns era Teen Titans: Titans of Tomorrow pits the young heroes against older versions of themselves. After travelling to the distant future to help the Legion of Super Heroes the Titans accidentally end up 10 years in their future, where they encounter more violent versions of themselves. In this timeline Connor has become Super Man, Tim is the new gun-wielding Batman, Cassie is Wonder Woman, and Bart has become Reverse Flash, just to name a few of the changes.

It’s always fun to pit heroes against different versions of themselves, and ‘what if’ futures are great scenarios that let writers explore strange new territory, and Teen Titans: Titans of Tomorrow is a great example of both. The characters get to see where their actions could lead them in the future, and it moves their story forward in important and meaningful ways. Plus, the future versions of our heroes are brilliantly entertaining.

Teen Titans: The Judas Contract

Taken from the classic Marv Wolfman and George Perez run on the book Teen Titans: The Judas Contract was a four part story that was extremely significant for a number of reasons. The book revealed the secret origins of the Titans villain Deathstroke, a villain that would go on to become an icon of the DC Universe. The Judas Contract also revealed the shocking revelation that the teams new member, Terra was actually working for Deathstroke to bring down the team from within. It also marked the first appearance of Dick Grayson as Nightwing.

Teen Titans: The Judas Contract was a huge turning point for the series. It was full of content that was considerably more adult in tone than things that had come before, and made big changes to the book going forward. Adapted a number of times over the years in both tv and film animation, and revisited in future comic stories, it remains on of the most important Teen Titans stories of all times.

The New Titans: Who Is Donna Troy?

The original Wonder Girl, Donna Troy was a founding member of the original Teen Titans line-up in the 1960’s, and originally Wonder Woman’s younger sister. Over the years, thanks to various revisions and new writers Donna’s origins became less defined. Who Is Donna Troy? sought to shed some answers on her past.

A sci-fi epic that’s full of world building, noir detective stories, and interpersonal conflict all designed to bring Donna to the fore and make her a character with a solid back story. With Donna Troy proving to be on of DC’s more popular recurring characters, and her character’s inclusion in the series, Who Is Donna Troy? may be one of the more important Teen Titans stories around.

Teen Titans: Earth One

A standalone graphic novel, Teen Titans: Earth One takes readers to a world where there are no super heroes. No Batman, no Superman, no Wonder Woman, and no Teen Titans. In this world a group of teens suddenly develop strange new powers, and are drawn together to help save a strange alien princess. Featuring brand new versions of Cyborg, Raven, Beast Boy, Terra, Jericho, and Starfire, writer Jeff Lemire creates a Teen Titans that couldn’t exist in the regular DC Universe.

With a second volume that expanded upon this initial concept, and introduced even more re-imagined Titans, Teen Titans: Earth One is a bold new direction for the super hero team. Fans who liked the television series revamp of the team will love this other reinterpretation.


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Shades of Magic: The Steel Prince – Night of Knives by V. E. Schwab – Book Review

Originally published on Set The Tape

Shades of Magic: The Steel Prince – Night of Knives returns readers to the amazing world of the Shades of Magic series, once again exploring the past of King Maxim, and shedding light upon some of his greatest exploits.

Having already defeated the Pirate Queen of the Blood Coast in the previous volume of the series, Maxim is trying to turn the royal guard of Verose into a group of ‘real’ soldiers. He’s fed up with their lax attitudes and wants to further prove himself to his father, King Nokil, by making them into a guard worthy of honour and recognition.

Unfortunately, many of the royal guard in the city still don’t feel like Maxim belongs there. They see him as something of a spoiled brat, given his position because of his birth, not because he’s actually earned it. Whilst Maxim believed that slaying the Pirate Queen would have won him some respect with his men it seems like it’s not enough to make him the leader he wants to be.

When Maxim learns about the mysterious Night of Knives, a series of trials that prove the bravery and power of those who survive, he believes that he’s found his way of gaining the respect of his men and earning his place as their leader.

The Night of Knives is a great concept. Pitting Maxim against a series of trials that are designed to test him to his limits is a brilliant way of putting the character on a path of self discovery, which seems to ultimately be what the series is about. Yes, we’re learning more about the character and how he became a legend, but ultimately it seems to be about him learning to become a real leader, discovering the qualities that he’ll need in order to be a good king one day.

The trials themselves are pretty fun and inventive. The first trial requires Maxim to use his magic to navigate a death trap, whilst the second is purely about survival whilst stripped of powers. The third trial is something of a classic story trope, the hero having to face a manifestation of their own fears. Schwab herself acknowledges it’s a trope in the included interview, but she’s managed to avoid making it feel too cliched or done before, instead making it feel like a natural progression of the trials rather than something thrown in because it’s expected.

The final trial is something that’s a little unexpected, and in all honesty is a slight twist in the story. I’m not going to say much about it as I don’t want to ruin the ending, but I will say that it was really good and set up possible things to come in the future. I’m also a little angry at myself for not seeing part of it coming. If you know the rules of the Shades of Magic universe then there’s something that happens you can pick up on if you’re paying enough attention; but then V.E. Schwab is clever enough to not make it too obvious and telegraph what’s going to come.

There’s been a change of artists between volume one and this book, with Budi Setiawan joining in the art duties with Andrea Olimpieri. Honestly, even with the book telling you which artist worked on which issue it’s hard to notice much of a difference between the two of them. Sometimes when a comic changes artists mid-story it can be a really jarring art style shift, and it can draw you out of the narrative, but here the two artists work brilliantly together to produce a book that feels like one cohesive whole.

The designs they make for the new characters introduced in the book, such as the ‘psychotic magic blade for hire’ Rio, are great, and fit into the already established aesthetic whilst managing to look fresh and distinct. The trials also have brilliant designs and whilst the notion of magical trials isn’t a new one they’re presented here in a way that feels unique.

Shades of Magic: The Steel Prince – Night of Knives is the perfect continuation of the story of the Steel Prince, and manages to not just be as entertaining as the first volume, but ups the ante on character development, universe building, and interesting antagonists. Fans of the Shades of Magic universe will of course love the book, and even those new to the story will be able to entertained throughout.

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October Faction: Open Season – Book Review

Originally published on Set The Tape

October Faction is a new series coming to Netflix, that follows the adventures of a globetrotting family of monster hunters. The series is based on a comic book written by Steve Niles, and drawn by Damien Worm. With the series on the way IDW have put together a new bumper book containing the first twelve issues of the series, October Faction: Open Season.

October Faction: Open Season introduces readers to the Allen family. There’s the college professor Fred, his wife Deloris, and their teenage kids Geoff and Viv. Fred used to be a monster hunter, but has since left that life behind for his family, but this has led to a less than perfect family life. His wife has become somewhat distant from him and the two of them hardly speak, and his children want desperately to follow in his footsteps and become monster hunters; something that he is dead set against.

This boring life gets thrown out of balance, however, when an old enemy of Fred’s, Merle Cope, arrives in town and meets with Deloris. This sets off a series of events that makes Fred and his family the target of a number of supernatural threats, brings them closer together as a family, and even brings some strange new additions into their ‘October Faction’.

Despite being a hefty twelve issues long the book is really an introduction to the world and the Allen family. It’s not until the end of the 12th issue that it actually feels like they’ve all finally come together as a team and descided to make hunting monsters their mission. And you know what? It’s actually really good.

A lot of comics, especially ones that have a team, tend to have the set-up happen quite quickly. Normally by the end of issue six a team comes together and has set out on their mission to do good. October Faction: Open Season takes its time with setting up the characters and the world. It knows that this isn’t an established universe that fans already know, with recognisable characters, so it doesn’t rush laying the groundwork. We get to know the characters, their motivations, their back stories, and the narrative is better for it.

The characters are a varied and interesting group, and the members that come from outside the family to join them are actually some of the more interesting; though I don’t want to say much about them as I wouldn’t want to spoil any of the surprises. The story also touches upon a much larger world, making it bigger than just Gristlewood, and giving hints to readers about the kind of creatures and adventures the heroes might have to face in further volumes.

The artwork helps a lot with this too, with Damien Worm taking on a much more muted look through many of these early parts of the book. He doesn’t go for big splashy backgrounds that the characters get lost in, instead making the people the focus of panels. He creates artwork that captures the look and feel of the world, often full of atmosphere, but a lot of the time there’s actually nothing in the panel except the characters. But, unlike some artists this doesn’t stand out in a bad way.

October Faction: Open Season is a great introduction to the comic series, and I’m certainly going to be checking out more of it now. Plus, I’m really interested to see what the Netflix adaptation is going to be like and what things they change. A great horror comic chock full of interesting characters, fun creatures, and some great writing and artwork.

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Sherlock Holmes & The Christmas Demon by James Lovegrove - Book Review

'It is 1890, and in the days before Christmas Sherlock Holmes and Dr John Watson are visited at Baker Street by a new client. Eve Allerthorpe - eldest daughter of a grand but somewhat eccentric Yorkshire-based dynasty - is greatly distressed, as she believes she is being haunted by a demonic Christmas spirit.

'Her late mother told her terrifying tales of the sinister Black Thurrick, and Eve is sure that she has seen the creature from her bedroom window. What is more, she has begun to receive mysterious parcels of birch twigs, the Black Thurrick's calling card...

'Eve stands to inherit a fortune if she is sound in mind, but it seems that something - or someone - is threatening her sanity. Holmes and Watson travel to the Allerthorpe family seat at Fellscar Keep to investigate, but soon discover that there is more to the case than at first appeared. There is another spirit haunting the family, and when a member of the household is found dead, the companions realise that no one is beyond suspicion.'

I'm a bit of a sucker for Sherlock Holmes, and will always be up for reading stories that involve the world's best detective. So when Titan Books asked if I wanted to read their new release, Sherlock Holmes & The Christmas Demon I said yes just because of the name. Then I read the blurb and saw that Holmes and Watson would be investigating a series of events attributed to a Kramus like creature I was even happier. Then I saw the first line of the book was Holmes yelling 'Father Christmas! Halt right there!' and I think I was already in love with the book.

After apprehending a jewel thief posing as Father Christmas Homes and Watson are approached by Eve Allerthorpe, a young woman who had travelled to London to get away from her Yorkshire home, fleeing what she describes as a supernatural Christmas demon. She explains to Holmes and Watson that she is soon to inherit a large fortune, on the condition that she be sane come her 21st birthday; however, following the recent death of her mother, a supposed haunting within the walls of her castle home, and now the appearance of the demonic Black Thurrick she is close to wits end. Agreeing to take on the case, the two detectives head into the snow covered landscape of remote Yorkshire and the imposing Allerthorpe home to try to get to the bottom of the mystery.

Sherlock Holmes & The Christmas Demon is, as the name would suggest, a very festive book, set within the week leading up to Christmas. Fellscar Keep, the Allerthorpe home, is a huge castle sat on a small island in the middle of a frozen lake in the snow covered countryside, and the hall is soon host to a large family gathering to celebrate the holiday. Almost immediately the reader is thrust into this time of year, and it quickly becomes apparent that a cold, snowy day would be the best time to read the book. It conjures feelings that are associated with winter, and you can almost feel the chill of the snow creeping in on you as you read. As I was sick when I read the book I was wrapped in a blanket with a hot up of tea at the time, and this actually enhanced the experience somewhat, especially as if I tried to get out from the blanket I'd be wracked with chills. I'm not saying that people should go out and give themselves the flu before reading the book, but if you're already suffering with it this could be a great way to pass the time.

The central mystery of the story is, thankfully, complex enough that it will keep you guessing throughout. Whilst there were times that I thought I might have figured out some small part of the larger mystery, and was even then wrong a lot of those times, there's no way that a reader will be able to put together everything the way that Holmes manages to here. There are small hints throughout that indicate how a few of these mysteries will pan out, but James Lovegrove manages to keep back enough that you'll be surprised by the revelation. But that's not to say that the author hides important information, there are small clues hidden throughout the book, and Holmes always makes some kind of small comment, or pays attention to things that will later be shown to be a part of the mystery; it's just up to the reader to be able to pick up on these subtle moments and to figure out how they play into the mystery.

James Lovegrove is no stranger to writing Sherlock Holmes books, and has a good few in his bibliography, including some great sounding crossovers with Cthulhu that I really want to read, and his experience with writing the character really shows here. There are some writers who seem to think that Sherlock Holmes can just be written as an unpleasantly grumpy person who makes clever deductions seemingly out of nothing (I'm looking at you BBC's Sherlock), but seem to forget that he's actually a very pleasant person beneath that exterior. James Lovegrove sidesteps this trap completely, and crafts a Holmes who is incredibly endearing and at times absolutely lovely. There is something that happens towards the very end of the book that I won't talk about to avoid spoilers, but it might be one of my favourite Sherlock Holmes moments of all time.

This great characterisation isn't just reserved for the leads, however, as James Lovegrove is able to create an interesting and impressively layered group of supporting characters for our detectives to interact with. Many of them seem one dimensional to begin with, and you'll think that you've got a good handle on what they're like fairly early on, but James Lovegrove manages to surprise, and you'll come to see that there's a lot more to all of the characters than you first think. You'll come to dislike people who at first seem to be kind and open, and you'll find characters that seemed like horrid people when you first meet them turn out to be very kind and even a little lovable.

If it's not clear yet, I absolutely loved Sherlock Holmes & The Christmas Demon. It has quickly become one of my favourite books of the year, and I struggled to put it down so that I could do other things. But even so, I managed to read the whole book in a single day. This isn't because it's a quick or easy read by any description, but because the quality was that good that I kept wanting to come back to it, kept picking it up, and didn't want to stop reading it. Whether you read it at Christmas time or not, this is an absolutely perfect book for any fans of Sherlock Holmes, or people who love a great mystery.

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Marvel Action: Spider-Man #9 – Comic Review

Originally published on Set The Tape

Issue nine of Marvel Action: Spider-Man sees the team having to work through their differences as they come up with a plan to stop the bad luck-inducing Black Cat.

Marvel Action: Spider-Man continues to be my favourite book in the Marvel Action line. The way that Delilah S. Dawson writes the three spider-heroes is easily the best part of the book, and they have such fun chemistry that an issue of just the three of them hanging out, not having to fight villains, would still be an awesome book.

In this issue the three heroes kind of have it our with each other following the interpersonal drama that started a few issues ago, in part thanks to the way Black Cat has been messing things up for them. Peter admits that he feels that he deserves to be the leader because he’s older and has been a hero for longer, and that he views Miles as ‘Spider-Man 2’ because that was his name first, but he comes to see that whilst he might have more experience they’re a team together, and others feelings matter a lot too.

Gwen thinks that the boys don’t like her assertiveness and wanting to rush into situations because she’s a girl, thinking that she’d be listened to more and liked if she was a guy. Miles explains that he feels like he’s often overlooked, and that the others discount what he has to say and brings to the team because he’s not the first Spider-Man, or different enough from him like Ghost-Spider.

Despite having a big chunk of the story given over to three teens arguing with each other, the book doesn’t make it annoying or un-entertaining, and you really actually want the three of them to have this conversation so that they can move past this. The characterisation is that compelling that even when they’re having a silly fight you’re engaged and want a good outcome for them.

Thankfully, the three of them are able to put most of these issues to bed and come together as a team to stop Black Cat from breaking her dad out of prison. It’s good to see the three of them working together so well, and using their smarts to beat her despite her bad luck powers still affecting them.

Throughout the time we see Black Cat in this issue too she mentions Kingpin a lot, and I genuinely thought that this was slowly being used to set up for the villain for the next story arc. However, come the final panels there was no hint of the Kingpin being around or that he would appear anytime soon. The preview cover for the next issue actually makes it definitively clear that he won’t be the next focus, however, as Venom is front and centre. Whilst I’d have loved to have seen what Dawson would have done with the character I have to be honest, I’m a little more excited for Vemon.

Fico Ossio continues to provide artwork on the book, and as per usual it’s beautiful. The fight scenes between the spider-heroes and Black Cat are full of dynamic movement and action that helps to make this book stand out from some of the other Marvel Action titles. Even the ‘boring’ scenes where there are no superheroes are so full of energy and fun that every panel is a joy to behold.

Marvel Action: Spider-Man is a great example of how good the Marvel Action line is, and showcases some of the best work that IDW and Marvel are bringing readers.


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Titans (Season One) – Who’s Who and their Comic Counterparts

Originally published on Set The Tape

The popular television series Titans hits homes with the release of the season one on DVD and Blu-ray. Based upon the popular DC Comics series Teen Titans, the show has a huge array of characters to draw upon, but who are they, and what are their comic book counterparts like?

Dick Grayson/Robin (Brenton Thwaites)

A former circus acrobat who was taken in by Batman following the death of his parents and trained to become the crime fighter Robin, Dick is now a detective for the Detroit Police Department, following a falling out with his former mentor. Trying to step out of the shadow of Batman, he finds himself the leader of a new group of heroes.

The comic book version of Dick shares a similar origin to the series, and spent years as Robin, as well as the leader of the Teen Titans. Following a disagreement with Batman he gave up the title of Robin, becoming the hero Nightwing instead. Over the years Dick has been a member of the Titans, Teen Titans, The Outsiders, and The Justice League, as well as briefly taking on the mantle of Batman for a time. One of the most respected heroes in the DC Universe, Dick commands the respect of dozens of heroes.

Koriand’r/Starfire (Anna Diop)

A woman with strange powers and no memory of her past, she learns that she is the princess of the alien world of Tamaran, sent to earth to stop the destruction of the planet by dark forces.

Koriand’r ascended to the throne over her elder sister, Komand’r, when her sister developed a disease that robbed her of her powers. Angry at losing her position Komand’r helped an alien race to invade Tamaran, and put Koriand’r into slavery. Eventually escaping and fleeing to earth she encountered Dick Grayson and the Teen Titans. Joining the team, she took on the title of Starfire. Over the years Starfire fought alongside the heroes of earth against dozens of threats, including her own sister. She and Dick also developed a romantic relationship, and were even close to becoming married.

Rachel Roth/Raven (Teagan Croft)

A young empath with mysterious powers, on the run from a strange cult, Rachel learns that her father is the demon Trigon, and that his followers want to use her to create a portal to allow Trigon a path to earth.

In the comics Raven is the daughter of the demon Trigon, taught to keep her emotions in control so that she does not become possessed by her father. Raised by mystics, Raven possesses an array of magical abilities. She initially approached the Justice League to help her stop her father coming to Earth, but was refused when Zatana sensed her demonic heritage. Knowing that she would need heroes to aid her, she actually formed the second incarnation of the Teen Titans, and has been an active member of the team across various incarnations since.

Garfield ‘Gar’ Logan/Beast Boy (Ryan Potter)

Living in the Congo basin, Gar contracted a mysterious disease and we left for dead by doctors. Discovered by Niles Caulder, leader of the Doom Patrol, Gar was cured, but was left with green hair and the ability to transform into any animal.

In the comics Gar lived in Africa with his scientist parents who were trying to develop reverse evolution to bring back extinct creatures. When he contracted a rare disease called Sakutia his father managed to cure him with serum, though it caused his skin, hair, and eyes to turn green. It also granted him the ability to transform into any animal. Folowing the death of his parents Gar was rescued by the Doom Patrol, and joined the team until their deaths. Brought into the Teen Titans by Raven, Gar finds a home with the other teens and remains an active member of the team for years to come, coming to think of them as his new family.

Hank Hall/Hawk (Alan Ritchson)

A vigilante who targets paedophiles, following his own molestation as a child, Hank Hall took on the name Hawk, whilst his brother Don took the name Dove. The two of them became local heroes for helping to break up a paedophile ring, until Don was killed in a hit and run.

Whilst Hawk in the series is a regular human, his comic counterpart possesses multiple powers, including super strength, enhanced speed, and a healing factor, thanks to powers granted to him by the Lord of Chaos, T’Charr. Over the years Hank has had to battle his inner rage, though he eventually became the villain Extant for a short while before his death. Following the Black Lantern invasion of Earth Hank was raised from the dead as a zombie, and was eventually restored to life as Hawk by the White Light of Life.

Dawn Granger/Dove (Minka Kelly)

The girlfriend of Hank Hall, Dawn took on the mantle of Dove following the death of Don Hall, and joined Hank in his mission to fight crime.

In the comics Dawn was granted the powers of flight, superhuman agility, and durability by the Lord of Order, Terataya, in order to replace Don Hall, the original Dove who died during the Crisis on Infinite Earths. Believed to have been killed by the villain Monarch, Dawn was actually saved by magic and placed into a coma until she could heal. She eventually awoke and her sister Holly became the new Hawk until her death during Blackest Night. Following the events of the Blackest Night, Dawn was reunited with Hank, and the two of them became heroes once again.


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Captain America: Dark Designs by Stefan Petrucha - Book Review

'Steve Rogers knows the art of survival better than most. Decades under ice will do that to a man. But the Avengers chipped more than rock-hard morality and super-strength out from under that permafrost. When Cap takes out a terrorist cell threatening to poison the world, he'll discover a threat far more deadly. An incurable virus has hidden in his body for years - and now it's come to the surface. To save the world, he'll have to return to his own personal hell: deep freeze.

'And he'll have to take an old friend with him. Having survived his own death by inhabiting a clone of Steve Rogers, the Red Skull has inherited the virus - and he's a little less willing to play martyr. As the deadly disease shifts and evolves, new patterns emerge. Can Captain America contain the Red Skull before the virus runs rampant?'

Captain America: Dark Designs is the latest Marvel prose book from Titan Books and author Stefan Petrucha, who has previously brought comic book characters to the world of prose having written Spider-Man: Forever Young, and Deadpool: Paws.

Captain America: Dark Designs sees the iconic super soldier having to face an enemy that he's no equipped to beat, a virus. After a routine mission to stop the launch of a deadly pathogen Cap is examined on board the S.H.I.E.L.D. hellicarrier, where it's discovered that he is playing host to a virus that could wipe out all of humanity.

To make matters worse, the Red Skull, who is living inside a cloned body of Captain America, also has the virus; though his has activated. The Red Skull launches an assault on Cap using a series of Nazi robots. Now Captain America must try to find a way to stop these deadly machines whilst not triggering an extinction level event.

One of the biggest draws to comics is the artwork, and they way that it's used in super hero comics to create a level of action and spectacle that sometimes the written word can find difficult. Action scenes in books are great, but can sometimes feel like the weaker part of a story as the author tries to describe the amazing feats their characters are making. This is something that comics can sidestep, displaying amazing scenes across splash pages and dynamic panels. The problem when you take characters that we're used to reading in this one format and moving it to another is that you run the risk of the action becoming the weaker part of the story.

Whilst Stefan Petrucha is able to tell great action scenes, and there are some great moments of action to be found in this book, it does feel a little like he's fallen into this pitfall here. The succession of different robot foes, and eventually the Red Skull meant that towards the end of the novel I started to find myself becoming a little tired of the action scenes and just wanted to skip over them. This isn't the best thing when writing action stories.

However, this doesn't ruin the story in any way. yes, it means that there are duller moments every now and then, but the core story was so engaging that I was able to forgive these dips in my engagement. Seeing Captain America stuck within isolation was such an interesting take on the character, especially when he was faced with the possibility of having to go into cryogenic suspension in order to stop the virus. We get to see the internal struggle he has with this idea, of having to be frozen once again and potentially lose everything and everyone he knows and loves a second time.

Captain America lost out on having his life once already, of seeing family and friends, the woman he loved. He missed out on settling down and having a life with Peggy Carter because of becoming frozen, and it still haunts him. Seeing him knowing that he will have to go through that all over again, but volunteering to do so to save other lives shows how admirable and good a character he is.

This is one of the benefits of telling this kind of story in prose form over a regular comic, as we're allowed to have these scenes of personal introspection and deeper conversations as the writer isn't trying to write to a pre-set comic issue page length. It also means that some of the side characters get more of a spotlight too. Doctor Nia N'Tomo is one of these characters, a disease specialist who is working to cure Cap. We get to see a very real and somewhat sweet relationship develop between her and Cap across the novel, and I was often finding myself wanting to see more of the two of them together in scenes.

The standout character of the book, however, was doctor Winston Kade. A much older and more seasoned disease specialist than N'Tomo, he;s the man who first discovers the virus inside Cap and predicts that it's possible for it to destroy the human race. Initially just seeming to be a bit of a brash and grumpy man there turns out to be a lot more layers to the character than initially expected, and the more I learnt about him and his past over the course of the book the more I found him to be fascinating. He's a character that definitely sits within the grey between good and bad, who has only the noblest of intentions but will go to extremes to meet them, his arc was by far my favourite part of the story.

Captain America: Dark Designs is an interesting Captain America story, one that I don't think would have worked as well in comic form as it does here. The longer time with the characters and their inner minds were a highlight, and helped to keep me interested between the action scenes. A great read for any Marvel fan, and a must for anyone who loves Captain America.

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X-Men: Dark Phoenix – 5 X-Men Books To Check Out

Originally published on Set The Tape

X-Men: Dark Phoenix might be the swansong for the Fox era of X-Men on the big screen, trying once again to adapt one of the most popular X-Men stories. Whilst the X-Men films have been a very popular series they’ve often avoided some of the bigger stories from the comics, with the exception of X-Men: Days of Future Past. With it potentially being a long while until we have more X-Men in a live action film, here’s a list with some of the best X-Men books to go check out.

Days of Future Past

As already mentioned, this story was the basis for the popular film of the same name, and tells the story of a future world where the mechanical Sentinels have taken over, killing thousands of mutants and herding others into internment camps. The few surviving members of the X-Men, which include Wolverine and Shadowcat, form a plan to send the mind of Kitty Pryde back into her younger body in order to stop a mutant from assassinating a US Senator, thereby preventing the rise of the Sentinels.

Though a short story, originally published across just two issues, Days of Future Past is widely considered one of the all time classics, and has been adapted across many different incarnations including the live action film, the 90’s animated series, Wolverine and the X-Men, Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H., and Ultimate Spider-Man. Differing a lot from the film version, even those who are familiar with the story will find new and interesting things in the original version.

Astonishing X-Men

Written by Joss Whedon, Astonishing X-Men was an ongoing series that told a number of important stories. It dealt with the fallout of the death of Jean Grey (which would remain in place for many years), the blossoming romance between Cyclops and Emma Frost, and the return of Colossus after his death years. The series slimmed down the number of ‘core’ characters, focusing on a small team so that it could tell more personal stories. Despite this, Whedon also crafted an unfolding narrative that put the fate of the entire earth on the line.

The Whedon run introduced a number of characters that would go on to remain a part of the X-Men universe, such as Blindfold, Danger, Armour, and Dr Kavita Rao. The first story arc, dealing with a potential cure for mutants, not only won the 2006 Will Eisner Award, but was also part of the basis of X-Men: The Last Stand cure subplot.

Second Coming

Second Coming is the culmination of years of storytelling that began with the near extinction of mutantkind. Forced to band together, less than 200 mutants came to live and fight against the outside world under the leadership of Cyclops. Even former villains such as Namor and Magneto would go on to follow Cyclops, serving as trusted advisors. Second Coming tells the story of Hope Summers, the only new mutant since the events of House of M, and her adoptive father Cable, returning from the future.

Hope’s return brings a number of villains out of hiding, including Bastion, the Purifiers, William Stryker, and Bolivar Trask to name but a few, all intent on killing her to prevent the return of the mutant race. Every mutant must come together and fight to the death in order to secure their future in this event that involved every X-book. Villains fight alongside heroes, long time fan favourite characters die, and the very future of the mutant race is put on the line in the dramatic conclusion to one of the darkest and most dynamic eras in the X-Men history.

New X-Men

Written by Grant Morrison, New X-Men ran for a number of years and encompassed several story arcs, where it shifted the focus away from the X-Men as a superhero group, instead taking a look at the running of the Xaviers School. The series would introduce a number of characters that would remain part of the X-Men series for years, including Cassandra Nova, Beak, Quentin Quire, and Fantomex.

The series dealt with a number of important storylines, including the outing of Professor Xavier as a mutant, the destruction of Genosha, Emma Frost joining the team, and the return of Magneto. The series also took a different look in art style, taking the team out of their iconic costumes and adopting a look that was similar to their movie counterparts.

Mutant Massacre

The X-Men would become used to death and disaster over the course of their run, probably more than any other Marvel book. Mutant Massacre is a prime example of a story where even when the heroes stop the villains, they don’t really win.

When the villainous Marauders attack the mutant community of the Morlocks, the X-Men and X-Factor teams rush to their aid. Whilst they manage to stop the Marauders many Morlocks are killed, and a number of heroes severely wounded as a result. Colossus is left as a quadriplegic thanks to injuries sustained to his metal form; Kitty Pryde is trapped in her phased form which almost kills her; Nightcralwer is put into a coma; and Angel is literally crucified, which eventually leads to him losing his wings and becoming the villain Archangel.

A sobering look at the X-Men universe, and one that would play into a lot of future stories, this darker tone would become something of a staple for the X-Men books during several of their big events, and many X-Men have ended up severely wounded or killed over the years, probably more so than any other superhero team.


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