Dark Souls: Age of Fire #4 – Comic Review

Originally published on Set The Tape

Dark Souls: Age of Fire promised to give details on the past of the Dark Souls universe, to show readers insights into characters and places from the games. Despite a few issues showing promise towards this end by the time the final issue concludes it feels like a very hollow end product.

The artwork is, as ever, amazing with Anton Kokarev delivering stellar visuals. I’ve said it in previous reviews for the book, but Kokarev’s work could easily be turned into poster sized art, with any panel from the book worthy of being a framed piece of artwork.

Unfortunately, the writing in this issue feels like the weakest link. The finale should feel big and dramatic, yet this is one of the dullest of the series. Instead of the characters coming together to fight a giant foe, or even each other the majority of the book is people in suits of armour talking.

The series has given the readers great moments of story and lore exploration but book hasn’t gone into any real depth. The series touches on important events, yet doesn’t give them the time they need. Sadly, the final issue continues with this trend, focusing more on the characters than the world or the events. Whilst I’m never one to complain about getting more characterisation this isn’t really what people came to read the series for.

I don’t think that this is a choice that writer Ryan O’Sullivan has done intentionally, rather an editorial decision to try and maintain enough mystique around these big moments that they can be explored in future comics, novels, or games, depending on the company’s decision.

The final moments of the book reflect this, with no satisfying conclusion to end with. We’ve not had a huge amount of time with the characters of Dark Souls: Age of Fire but it would have still been nice to have had some kind of wrap up to their stories.

Dark Souls: Age of Fire is a story that promised to delve into some of the most iconic characters and events in the series history, but only really touches upon them. It feels like the company wants to expand their reach into comics, yet don’t want to commit to creating solid cannon, wanting instead the opportunity to tell these stories in more detail at another time. As such, the story lacks any real depth or weight.

Whilst fans of the series are sure to enjoy it the casual reader may feel dissatisfied with the conclusion.


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Vengeful – Book Review

Originally published on Set The Tape

'Magneto and Professor X. Superman and Lex Luthor. Victor Vale and Eli Ever. Sydney and Serena Clarke. Great partnerships, now soured on the vine.

But Marcella Riggins needs no one. Flush from her brush with death, she's finally gained the control she's always sought--and will use her new-found power to bring the city of Merit to its knees. She'll do whatever it takes, collecting her own sidekicks, and leveraging the two most infamous EOs, Victor Vale and Eli Ever, against each other.

With Marcella's rise, new enmities create opportunity--and the stage of Merit City will once again be set for a final, terrible reckoning.'

Coming into Vengeful having not read the first book, it is easy to purely be attracted by the interesting description and a wonderful cover – I know, you shouldn’t judge a book by it’s cover but this one is absolutely gorgeous. Normally I’ve found that jumping in half way through a story can be disastrous, especially when the writer assumes that you’ll have already read the first book, but V.E. Schwab seems to have kept this in mind and has written a book designed to draw you in straight away.

Telling the story of Victor Vale, an EO (Extra Ordinary) with the ability to manipulate both his nerves and pain receptors, and those in others, and his small group as they attempt to find a way of stopping his brief bouts of death. Victor is joined by an ex-con, a former soldier, and a young woman with the ability to revive the dead. This group, and the situation that Victor is facing, are a huge part of the carryover from the first book in the series, Vicious, but are explained in such a way that it’s easily accessible for new readers.

Schwab spends a good portion of the start of the book exploring these characters, their motivations, their histories. It makes it so that you can come into this story with no knowledge of the past events but still feel engaged and invested in what happens. I even had to go online and check which characters were actually part of the first book and which were new because everyone was given the same time and effort in their introductions and execution.

Also returning is Eli Ever, the ying to Victor’s yang. A character that would be easy to make absolutely evil, Eli is made much more sympathetic, especially when he’s being dissected whilst still alive over and over again.

The new characters added to the mix are very interesting too. There’s June, a young woman with the ability to copy people’s appearances. What makes her interesting, however, over other shape-shifting characters is that not only does she gain some of their knowledge and memories when she becomes them, but any injury that she receives when in another form happen to the original person rather than her.

Marcella is the other big addition to the universe, a woman whose mob husband beats her and leaves her to die in a burning building, but survives and develops her own EO powers. I really like her ability, able to cause things to rapidly break down, and her motivations are more than just simple vengeance.

Vengeful is a book about people with varying motivations and desires that occupy the area of grey between good and evil. The book doesn’t have any real heroes, and most of the bad guys are understandable in some way. The characters are complex and layered, rather than being two dimensional archetypes.

Schwab writes in short chapters, ranging from a handful of pages in length to a dozen at most, and they don’t follow a standard narrative structure, jumping between time and location. Instead of being off-putting or disruptive to the story it allows for deeper insights into characters, and means that Schwab is able to manipulate the way the story unfolds or how a reader will feel by messing with the standard narrative structure.


Vengeful is my first dip into the world of The Villains universe, and V.E. Schwab as a writer, and both have been much better than I was expecting. I not only enjoyed the book, but would highly recommend it to others. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to track down the first book because I’m excited to read more of this universe.


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Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 1×10 – ‘The Bridge’ – TV Rewind

Originally published on Set The Tape

After a number of episodes that felt stand alone and unconnected, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. finally begins to show just what the series is capable of. This could be down to the fact that this was originally the mid-season finale and the show wanted to go into its break with a bang, but it’s more likely due to it actually starting to embrace more serialised sense of story, rather than an outdated ‘adventure of the week’ structure.

Centipede rears its head once again as Raina (Ruth Negga) returns with a mission to assist sinister scientist Edison Po (Cullen Douglas) in finding a way to stabilise their soldiers. In order for Coulson (Clark Gregg) and the team to stop them, they call upon the help of one of the newest agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., the super-powered Mike Peterson (J. August Richards).

The return of Mike Peterson is one of the best things that the series did. He’s the first character to work with the heroes that actually has powers, which is something that a series set within the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been sorely missing. He’s also a better example of a regular person becoming a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent then Skye (Chloe Bennet). The two of them joined the organisation at pretty much the same time, yet where Skye has found it difficult to become a member of her team or know what her role should be, Mike has embraced his new life. He seems relatively happy, eager to be the best agent he can be and even aspires to become a hero like Captain America.

With how pleasant Mike comes across and his interactions with Coulson being some of the best in the season so far, it’s a shame that he didn’t the team in a full time capacity. Unfortunately, this was not to be as Mike is forced into betraying Coulson and the team in order to protect his son.

In what has to be one of the most dramatic moments in the series to date, ‘The Bridge’ ends with Coulson captured by the villains and Mike appearing to die in a huge explosion. Whilst this isn’t be biggest of twists (even by latter Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. standards) it is a bold choice going into the show’s first break.

This is the point the series really begins to change, where it starts to connect with the wider Marvel Universe, revealing that previous story threads were connected all along; and it introduces several exciting supporting characters. Suddenly the show has heard the complaints of its audience and has started to take things seriously.

The performances are all solid, though J. August Richards easily stands out. Skye will go on to become an amazing character as the show progresses, but at this point it really does feel like a shame that she was chosen as the entry character rather than Mike. Why not use Skye and Mike? If he was around as a regular for the first 10 episodes, the moment of his apparent death would have held much greater impact. As it is, the shock not as effective as it could have been.

The episode is far from perfect, but after some of the previous entries, it feels like a huge jump in quality. Sadly for many of those watching week by week when the show was first airing, many had already given up by this point.


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Dusty And Me – Film Review

Originally published on Set The Tape

Dusty and Me is the kind of film that you’d expect to find playing on a Sunday afternoon. It’s the tale of a misfit trying to find their place in the world, an animal sidekick, some bumbling bad guys, and nothing too offensive.

Derek ‘Dusty’ Springfield (Luke Newberry) is a young man returning home to Yorkshire after attending private school, waiting to hear if he’ll be accepted into Oxford University. Dusty is portrayed as something of a black sheep of the family, though this is less because of anything he’s done that could be considered particularly bad, but because he’s smarter than his family.

His mother Lil (Lesley Sharp) and big brother Little Eddie (Ben Batt) offer him support and encouragement, but he struggles to connect with his father Big Eddie (Ian Hart) or make new friends. However, this all changes when he takes on a disowned greyhound named Slapper.

This is where the film struggles to decide on the tone that it wants. At times it’s trying to be a comedy – and isn’t too bad at it – whilst also bombarding viewers with Dusty lamenting Slapper as his only friend. It seems to want to be a family-friendly comedy, but also wants to be something deeper and resonating. Unfortunately Dusty and Me isn’t original enough to be able to succeed at this. The awkward outsider finding their only friend in an animal has been done a number of times before.

The plot expands in expected ways when Slapper helps Dusty to become noticed by local girl Chrissie (Genevieve Gaunt), leading to a slightly awkward romantic sub-plot. When something bad happens to Slapper (in this case getting stolen) the rest of the cast come together to help rescue her.

Sadly, despite good intentions, Dusty and Me feels like it lacks any real originality and substance. Dusty feels less like an outsider and more an arrogant young man who believes that his intelligence makes him better than other people. He lacks any real development and the acceptance he receives later in the film comes more from people wanting to help Slapper than anything he’s earned.

The supporting cast are good, with some recognisable and likeable actors in the mix, but many are underused. Iain Glen in particular is one of the strongest actors in the cast, yet never feels like he’s being used to his full potential.

Dusty and Me has good intentions; it wants to tell an inspiring and uplifting story, yet lacks any real nuance, drama or real character growth.

The production design works well, recreating the 1970s pretty well. Where some films and television shows set within the period often feel drab and dull, with East is East and Life on Mars springing to mind as prime examples, Dusty and Me manages to be both colourful and bright. These design choices inject life into a time and setting that other projects often portray as somewhat depressing.


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Star Wars Resistance 1×03 – ‘Triple Dark’ – TV Review

Originally published on Set The Tape

Star Wars Resistance took it’s time setting up the world in its two-part season premier, spending a good portion of the episode introducing the new characters and the Colossus, but the third episode shifts the focus to Kaz (Christopher Sean) as he attempts to figure out just who he wants to be.

With it still being very early on in the season, and all of the regular characters being new creations for the show, the audience doesn’t have a good grasp on who people are yet, why they’re on the Colsus, what their motivations are, or how they feel about the Resistance and First Order. Triple Dark keeps the focus squarely on Kaz, with the other main cast members being featured very little, yet despite this it’s hard to get a feel of who Kaz might be.

This is in large part down to the fact that he doesn’t seem to know who he is himself. He wants to be a pilot and racer, he’s trying to be a mechanic, and he’s desperate to prove himself as a spy. Sadly, he doesn’t seem to be particularly good at any of these three things. It’s clear that the series is going to tackle this during the course of it’s run, and as with previous Star Wars television shows will give it’s characters room to grow and evolve but I couldn’t help but feel frustrated with Kaz in this episode.

He has no mechanical skills at all, but instead of informing Yeager (Scott Lawrence) of this and finding a work around or a way of him learning some skills he tries to guess his way through, with disastrous results. He’s not much better when he’s trying to be a spy either, if he’s not sneaking around the station like a loony tunes character and crashing into things he’s loudly talking about being on a secret spy mission in front of people.

Fortunately the episode picks up in its second half when the titular triple dark storm hits the station, allowing a fleet of pirate ships to attack. The pirates are a great bunch of characters with some brilliant designs. Led by the vicious looking Quarren Kragen Gorr (Gary Anthony Williams) the pirates include a Trandoshan, and someone wearing looted original trilogy Stormtrooper armour. The group is visually exciting and make for an interesting group of antagonists for the series. The revelation that they’re working for the First Order in an plan to make the citizens of the Colossus willing to let the First Order take over the station to stop the pirates is an interesting plan, one that feels very much in the vein of Palpatine working both sides of the Clone Wars.

The pirate assault gives the audience some fun action as the ace pilots engage in a dog fight in order to stop them, revealing that the racers are more than just recreational pilots, but also the main defence for the station. The attack also gives Kaz the opportunity to shine and save the day. Rather than going for the obvious choice of having him get in a ship and join the fight the writers have him use his intelligence to force the pirates to break off their assault, all while keeping his involvement a secret. The first real indication that he might actually be cut out as a spy.

Triple Dark feels more like an episode of two half than the double length premier, with the first half of the episode unsure of the tone that it wants to capture and offering little in the way of story or character development. Thankfully the second part of the episode picks up in quality and delivers an interesting and engaging story, as well as introducing a brand new faction.


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PlayStation Classic – The other 15 games we’d like to see

Originally published on Set The Tape

It’s an exciting time for fans of the original Sony console with this week’s announcement of the PlayStation Classic. We know it will have 20 pre-loaded games accompanying it, but only five have so far been revealed: Final Fantasy VII, Ridge Racer Type 4, Tekken 3, Jumping Flash and Wild Arms.

There are hundreds of games that Sony could potentially pick from for the remaining 15 titles, many of which are amazing games. Here’s the 15 that we would love to see.

Metal Gear Solid

Not just one of the best games on the Playstation, but perhaps one of the greatest of any console ever. It introduced thousands of fans to the Metal Gear universe and Solid Snake. A game that, at times, feels more like watching a movie, with so much dialogue it could fill a novel; it’s packed with great characters, over-the-top action, epic boss fights, and a story that will keep you entertained for hours.

Resident Evil

The mother of all survival horror games, Resident Evil is still an entertaining play, despite the clunky controls and awful dialogue. With the series still going strong today, two series of movies, novels and manga, this is a universe that is far from being done. Not only is this game worth including as an all time great, but there are still a lot of younger gamers who haven’t experienced the original. This would be the perfect opportunity for them to see where it all began.

Crash Team Racing

Sony’s attempt at Mario Kart, Crash Team Racing was never big enough to warrant a sequel, but it’s still one of the most popular racing games on the console. Whilst I would usually include Crash Bandicoot itself on this list, I’m not going to because of the recent remaster (same for Spyro), but as Crash Team Racing wasn’t a part of that remaster, I think it’s about time the game got another shot in the spotlight.

Final Fantasy VIII

I get why Final Fantasy VII is on the console, it’s the one in the series that is supposed to be the best (I personally disagree). With Nintendo having just announced a whole host of Final Fantasy content coming to the Switch, including VII and IX, the only main Final Fantasy game from the PlayStation not getting a new release is Final Fantasy VIII, and this is unacceptable. With the much improved graphics over VII, the cast of interesting characters, a more complex story that still has fans debating two decades later, and a much more enjoyable gameplay experience, it’s the perfect choice to be part of this package.

Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver

Not the first game in the Legacy of Kain series, but it is probably the most well known. The game that revitalised and relaunched the sprawling and complex game series, as well as introducing new protagonist Raziel, Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver is one of the darker, more complex action adventure games on the PlayStation.

Vagrant Story

One of the most popular Role Playing Games on the console, Vagrant Story is often also cited as one of the best. With its shift in focus from traditional RPG elements such as NPC interaction and buying supplies from shops and traders to puzzle solving and weapon creation, Vagrant Story presents what was a fairly unique PlayStation experience. With copies of the game costing around £30 second hand, this new console could be the first chance for a lot of people to play it, if included.

Dino Crisis

Dino Crisis wasn’t a long lived franchise (existing between 1999 and 2003) but whilst it was around, it was damn good. Taking a lot of elements from Resident Evil, but shifting the focus from mutant monsters and zombies to dinosaurs, the game added a whole new dimension to the survival horror experience. The series may have shot itself in the foot with Dino Crisis 3 but there’s still a lot to love about the original.

Silent Hill

Other survival horror games rely on deadly enemies and jump scares to keep people frightened. Silent Hill went for atmosphere and psychological horror instead. Set within the fog-shrouded mountain town of Silent Hill, the game puts players in the shoes of a desperate father looking for his lost daughter, a story that will send you into Hell itself and spawn one of the most popular game series around.

Tony Hawks Pro Skater 2

I was never really into skating as a teenager, it didn’t really appeal to me, but I loved Tony Hawks Pro Skater 2. It was fun and challenging, offering new players an engaging experience, whilst allowing the more experienced experts further challenges. Its ability to appeal to players from a broad range of skills, its variety of courses, and the challenge of trying to unlock Spider-Man as a skater made it one of the best sports games on the console.

Resident Evil 2

Resident Evil 2 proved that a sequel can improve upon the original in every way. It shifted the action from a confined mansion to an entire city, brought in new monsters, new characters, and an expanded story, all whilst improving the controls and gameplay. With the added bonus of an A and B scenario for both main characters, plus two additional unlockable modes, Resident Evil 2 would add hours of gameplay to the new console. The fact that the remake is fast approaching would also mean that a lot of gamers would get the chance to re-experience the original before the update.

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

A bold reinvention of a series already a decade old upon its release, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night changed a lot of the series staples, shifting the protagonist from the vampire hunting Belmont’s to Alucard, son of Dracula, adding a new loot system, non-linear exploration and a whole host of new enemies. Often cited as one of the high points of the franchise, it’s still an incredibly enjoyable and challenging game.

Wipeout 2097

Swapping cars for super fast flying vehicles of the future, the Wipeout series is still one of the best racing games around. Making what can often be a repetitive and boring genre into something fresh and exciting, Wipeout 2097 upped the ante on previous entries in the series, adding a new interface, weapons and stages, all accompanied by a techno soundtrack. It’s a racing game guaranteed to appeal, even to those who don’t usually enjoy the genre.

Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee

A puzzle solving platform game set within its own uniquely bizarre world, Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee put players in control of Abe, a Mudukon slave worker escaping captivity when he discovers his people are about to be used as food. A strange game, with some weird gameplay, it nevertheless offers a fun and different platforming experience.

Parasite Eve II

Based upon a popular Japanese novel of the same name, Parasite Eve was a genre hybrid that blended together action RPG and survival horror. Following New York City cop Aya Brea as she tries to stop an entity named Eve from destroying humanity, the game added interesting new features such as real-time battles and the ability to target particular body parts. Clearly having inspired other games with its infusion of RPG progression systems into a survival horror framework, Parasite Eve II is an often overlooked classic.

Tomb Raider II

Whilst the first Tomb Raider game is the one that sparked the entire franchise, it’s not the best one on the PlayStation with that title instead falling to the sequel. Tomb Raider II expanded on different aspects of the original, but managed to refine many of the issues. Controls were made smoother, combat enhanced, better puzzle solving was added, exploration and environments were improved, and both the story and characters were better. A peak in the series for many years, it deserves its place on the new console.


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Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 1×09 – ‘Repairs’ – TV Rewind

Originally published on Set The Tape

With the first season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. close to its midway point the show should have found its feet by now and should really know what kind of show it wants to be. Sadly, ‘Repairs’ continues to be a fairly lacklustre adventure of the week that fails to impress.

The main problem with this episode is that the tone feels skewed, trying to mix together the humour of Fitz (Iain De Caestecker) and Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge) deciding to prank Skye (Chloe Bennet) as the new girl on the team with the past trauma that Agent May (Ming-Na Wen) has experienced. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has always done a good job of combining together humour and more serious elements, but this particular episode feels like a large misstep.

Whilst we have yet to be told, or shown, what exactly happened to May in her past, we know that it was traumatic enough to make her give up on field work and shut herself off from other people. The event must have been something traumatic to have this kind of effect, yet Fitz and Simmons seem to find it something appropriate to joke about. It’s bad enough that they’re making up stories at the expense of someone else, but to do so with something that was deeply damaging to someone they regard as a friend just makes them look like jerks.

The main mystery of the week isn’t too inspiring either, with the focus being on a young woman named Hannah (Laura Seay) that appears to be displaying telekinetic powers. As the episode unfolds we learn that she is actually being stalked by Tobias Beckett (Robert Baker), a man that was obsessed with Hannah before being caught in an experimental explosion that has caused him to become trapped between dimensions. Shifting between this world and an alien reality, Tobias acts somewhat like a ghost, able to disappear and reappear at will.

The concept isn’t bad, but it’s not especially well executed. Instead of making the most of the concept the episode appears to have been reduced to a bottle episode, with all of the major action beats and plot points taking place within the confines of the S.H.I.E.L.D. plane. With power out on the ship the team are reduced to sneaking their way through darkened corridors with very little sense of where they actually are within the structure. For a set that’s used so often it’s hard to get a real sense of the layout or scale of The Bus.

‘Repairs’ also doesn’t seem to know what to do with Skye or Coulson (Clark Gregg). The team leader is pushed to the side, stuck at being reactive rather than proactive. The show also seems to have admitted that it doesn’t know what it’s doing with Skye, reducing her role on the team to being nice to people. There are a few moments that are quite good in the episode despite the many flaws it seems to be suffering from, while Iain De Caestecker and his terrified scream at his own mop prank is quite amusing.

It’s easy to see why the early days of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. had trouble keeping viewers when it was producing episodes that misfired as much as this one. Sadly, it took the first season a long while to find not just its tone, but its overarching narrative. Things do get better, especially when the series falls into line with the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier but at this point the show is very much treading water.


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Deep Rising – Throwback 20

Originally published on Set The Tape

Before his success with The Mummy, the Stephen Sommers written and directed Deep Rising hit screens in an unashamed tribute to cheesy monster movies that should be terrible, but ends up being enjoyable because it doesn’t take itself too seriously.

The film follows ship captain John Finnegan (Treat Williams), who has been hired by a group of shifty mercenaries headed up by the ever sinister Hanover (Wes Studi) to transport them to the state of the art cruise-liner Argonautica. The mercenaries are working for the ship owner Simon Canton (Anthony Heald) and plan to rob the ship and sink it for the insurance money.

Unfortunately, before they are able to arrive at the Argonautica, something rises up from the deep of the ocean and attacks the ship. By the time the bad guys turn up, none but a small group of survivors are left alive, including the international jewel thief Trillian St. James (Famke Janssen).

Whilst looking for a way off the Argonautica and for the supplies needed to repair their ship, the group discovers a deadly sea creature that is hunting down the humans and devouring them.

Deep Rising is an unusual film in the sense that there are no heroes for you to root for. Yes, Finnegan is fairly heroic and the nicest of a group of nasty people, but every survivor on the Argonautica is a villain. There’s a gang of killers, a corrupt businessman, and a thief. Despite this, you find yourself wanting certain members of the group to survive, whilst you actively hope for others to get eaten. Though how you feel about certain characters will shift from time to time.

The real star of the film, however, isn’t any of the human characters, but the giant sea monster come to kill them all. Described by Canton as probably being an extremely mutated version of an Ottoia, a type of prehistoric sea worm, the monster is like an octopus from hell. With a central body that looks like a giant demonic baby, it has dozens of tentacles coming off it that each have their own vicious mouths on the ends, capable of swallowing people whole, where they are then dissolved whilst still alive.

The monster is a unique design, one that I’ve not really seen repeated in other films, and the setting makes prime use of it. The tentacles spread throughout the ship, working their way through pipes, under floors, and through portholes. Due to the way the ship is built there’s not a single place that’s safe from them suddenly appearing, and this means that the film doesn’t have a chance to take a break. The pace is fast as the characters run for their lives; which is a good thing really, because it stops you from having a chance to think about how cheesy the film actually is.

Deep Rising clearly takes inspiration from disaster films and B-monster movies, and wears these proudly. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, and this makes the whole experience better. The story is too ridiculous to be anything other than tongue in cheek, and the film would definitely have suffered if it had tried to be anything else. It’s easy to see the style that would go on to become recognisable in Sommers later works such as The Mummy films, and Van Helsing developing here.

A fun little film for fans of the monster genre, with a unique design and some fun performances, but don’t come into it expecting a cinematic great or you might be a little disappointed.


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Road To The Predator – Alien vs Predator: Armageddon (The Rage War Book 3) – Book Review

Originally published on Set The Tape

‘The Rage launch the ultimate assault on the Human Sphere. Their greatest weapons are the most fearsome creatures in the galaxy – the Xenomorphs. Having fled centuries before, the Rage return to take revenge and claim the planet for their own. Now, through a deal struck with the unlikeliest of allies, the human race may rely on the Predators to ensure mankind’s ultimate freedom. Yet even the combined might of the two races may not be enough. The fate of the Earth may rest with a single android – Liliya of the Rage.’

The final entry in the Rage War trilogy brings humanity and the Yautja together to fight against their greatest enemy, the Xenomorphs. After two books of build-up, the war that readers were promised finally comes to a head as the Rage invade human space, launching vicious assaults on human worlds and space stations with deadly effect.

Where in previous entries of the series, and Predator literature as a whole, humans have been fighting against the alien hunters, here an alliance is formed in a way that’s not really been seen before. Yes, the Yautja and humans have worked together before, such as Machiko Noguchi in the original Alien vs. Predator comic, or Lex Woods in the Paul Anderson film of the same name, but here we see an alliance in a much grander scope.

Yautja ships engage in space battles to protect human fleets, and dozens of their warriors fight alongside colonial marines on planets overrun with thousands of xenomorphs. These scenes are some of the best in the whole series, watching humanity fighting alongside creatures that in normal circumstances would hunt them like animals.

A new Yautja character called Yaquita is also introduced in the final volume of the trilogy, a female scientist with a mechanical lower body. As the films have only ever shown hunters and chieftains/elders (as far as we know anyway), it’s nice to explore a different side of the Predator universe. Yaquita is quiet and reserved, interested in understanding how the universe works, and more than willing to work alongside her human allies.

Whilst the Rage target human colonies with the aim to cause as much death and destruction as possible in order to draw out Marine forces, the main ship travels to the sol system to target earth itself. The assault on the sol system and the Colonial Marine command should feel like an epic battle. It involves ships, a space station, xenomorphs, and marines in spacesuits flying around, but instead it’s a tough thing to read. There’s a sense of hopelessness throughout as the human forces slowly lose, and characters we’ve come to know die.

It would be impossible to write a story about war and not have characters die, and we’ve already lost a lot in the first two books, but the final chapters of The Rage War Book 3: Alien vs Predator Armageddon feel especially grim. You know that you’re coming close to the end, and you’re desperately willing characters to survive just a bit longer. Despite a human and Yautja victory, the book doesn’t end on a happy note. Characters that the reader will care about will have died, humanity is left in tatters, and there’s no real answer as to what might happen next.

The Rage War trilogy is a great reinvention of the Alien and Predator universes, one that crafts its own version of the shared universe, yet feels true to what has come before. It combines the things that we know and love from the films and books of the past, whilst taking the story in bold and dynamic new directions. Tim Lebbon has written an engaging and dramatic tale, one filled with wonder, action, and horror, that is sure to stick with readers.


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Road to The Predator – Predator: Concrete Jungle Comic Review

Originally published on Set The Tape

‘The Predators are back, only this time their hunting ground isn’t the tropical jungles of South America — it’s the concrete and street jungles of New York City! It’s the hottest summer on record, and Detective Schaefer suspects that his brother’s disappearance is somehow tied to the wave of gruesome murders plaguing New York!’

Following the success of the original Predator film Dark Horse were quick to try and cash in on the popularity and created a comic that would become an unofficial sequel before Danny Glover took the spotlight in Predator 2.

Set in New York City, the story was originally set to focus on Alan ‘Dutch’ Schaefer, Schwarzeneggar’s character from the first film, who had gone on to become a cop. The lead character was altered to Detective Schaefer, Dutch’s brother.

Fighting against gangs during the worst heatwave the city has ever seen, Schaefer comes up against the deadly alien hunter, and finds himself drawn into the secrets behind his brothers disappearance years earlier.

It’s easy to see the similarities between this book and the second Predator film; the shift from the jungles of South America to a US city, focusing on a police officer, setting the story amid gang wars in a heatwave, it’s all here. Where Predator 2 had a completely new cast and almost no connection to the first film outside of some nods in dialogue, Predator: Concrete Jungle feels like a true sequel.

Detective Schaefer (we never learn his first name) has a drive and desire to find his brother, something that even takes him to the jungles of Val Verde to see the aftermath of Dutch’s fight with the Yautja hunter. It’s this desire to find out what happened to his brother that drives the main plot, that keeps bringing him into contact with the Yautja, as well as butting heads with Dutch’s old commander General Phillips (also from the first film).

The book combines the personal story with a number of action set pieces, mixing together gun fights, fist fights with the Yautja in the jungle and an all out war with an alien army in the streets of New York. Writer Mark Verheiden manages these multiple set pieces well, keeping a balance between character and story development with the expected level of action.

The art by Chris Warner and Ron Randall is superb throughout, capturing the grim and gritty feel of the Predator universe whilst staying bright and colourful enough not to feel too depressing or drab. Dark Horse have some great artists on their payroll, and Predator: Concrete Jungle was big book with some of its best artist working on it; and it really shows even close to 30 years later.

The only real part of the book that lets it down is the conclusion, where the Yautja army appears to be defeated by some summer rain. It’s a misstep, but one that doesn’t take too much away from the overall quality of the book.

Predator: Concrete Jungle was the first comic set within the Predator universe, and shows how to go about creating a sequel in such a way that it’s clear Predator 2 took a lot of inspiration from the book. A must read for any Predator fan, the original sequel is still a great read.


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