Pokemon: Detective Pikachu – 2019 Preview

Originally published on Set The Tape

Pokemon has been around for over 20 years now and is the third biggest selling video-game franchise behind Super Mario and Sonic The Hedgehog. The series is so popular and so open to adaptation (there is no shortage of the kind of stories that can be told within its universe) and yet there hasn’t been a live action release of a Pokemon movie. Until now.

Maybe this has been down to the fact that there have been animated movies almost every year since the inception of the franchise, or maybe it’s because technology wasn’t good enough to be able to bring the titular creatures to life in a believable way? Whatever the reason, fans are finally getting the (mostly) live-action film they’ve been longing for in the form of quirky crime-comedy Pokemon: Detective Pikachu.

Loosely inspired by the spin-off game of the same name, Pokemon: Detective Pikachu sees Justice Smith playing the role of Tim Goodman, a young man with no interest in being a Pokemon trainer, who must unravel the mystery of his missing Private Investigator Father. Luckily for Tim, his father’s former partner, an experienced detective, will help him in his search. The only thing is, his father’s partner is a Pikachu.

However, making things a little more interesting is that it would appear Tim can understand this particular yellow electric mouse (who speaks with the voice of Ryan Reynolds), just as his father could, despite everyone else just hearing the normal adorable Pikachu noises.

In the face of many misgivings from lots of Pokemon fans and the general public when it was announced that Legendary were producing a film based on the Nintendo 3DS game of the same name, the first trailer for director Rob Letterman and writer Nicole Perlman’s caper seems to have really nailed things. The world looks like a very grounded and well thought out with humans and Pokemon living together. It’s not a world filled with just Pokemon trainers like in the games; people are using Charmanders to help them cook, herds of Bulbasaur wander the forests, and Charizards compete in underground cage-fights. The backgrounds of scenes are filled with posters and signs that show that Pokemon are just an everyday part of this world, part of entertainment, business, and home life.

The trailer did a good job at setting the world up, but it still left a lot unanswered as to the plot of the film. There’s little here to hint at what might have happened to Tim’s father, whether it’s a simple disappearance or if there’s some kind of conspiracy going on. Instead of frustrating, this lack of information seems to be working to the film’s advantage. It has really grabbed people’s attention, shifting from a film that was flying under the radar to one of the most anticipated films of 2019.

Whatever is going to be revealed next is sure to garner much more excitement now that the hype has begun; and any story details they give out will mean so much more than if they’d been given up front. With Pokemon continuing to be one of the most popular franchises in the world, the audience for Pokemon: Detective Pikachu is guaranteed to be big, but it’s going to have a lot that it needs to deliver on to meet expectations.


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Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 1×19 – ‘The Only Light in the Darkness’ – TV Rewind

Originally published on Set The Tape

‘The Only Light in the Darkness’ is a strange episode to have at this point in the first season. On one hand it continues to tell the story of the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the machinations of the villainous John Garrett (Bill Paxton), and on the other it feels very adventure of the week as Coulson (Clark Gregg) must revisit a piece of his past.

We’ll deal with the more out of place plot first, the mysterious cellist that who was mentioned as a romantic interest for Coulson way back in Avengers when he recruited Iron-Man onto the team. Whilst this may seem like a very small thing, and something most people wouldn’t even have remembered, it would appear that there was a small and dedicated Coulson fan-base online who wanted to know more about this woman he was romantically attached to before his death.

The series Executive Producer Jeffrey Bell spoke about this plot point, saying that “It’s so funny how one line in a movie… it tells you the power of Clark, and the power of the character, that there’s that one line and suddenly it’s who is this person? And what is this person? And when are we going to see this person? And we talked about it a number of times over the season, and we had different versions and different ideas how to get there. But when the Fridge was emptied, suddenly we had a real legitimate reason to go there and bring him back. At a time when he’s at his most vulnerable, it seemed to be a good choice for us.”

Despite initially seeming like the kind of story that would be better suited in the early part of the series, before things became as dire for the team as they are right now the fact that Coulson is having to revisit a painful piece of his personal past whilst his whole world is falling apart actually makes this a great time to do so.

The cellist herself is a woman named Audrey (Amy Acker), who Coulson saved from a deranged powered individual, Marcus Daniels (Patrick Brennan) months before the events of Avengers. Now that Garrett has released a load of prisoners from The Fridge Daniels is once again focused on Audrey.

It’s a touching little side story, one that explores the impact that dying and secretly coming back to life had on Coulson from a personal perspective, something the show hasn’t really done before. It shows that his life outside of S.H.I.E.L.D. is pretty much non-existent now, that the one piece of happiness he had outside of work is long in his past. It actually shines a light on just how much our hero has had to give up.

The other main story in the episode is the return of the evil Grant Ward (Brett Dalton) to the team. Unable to access encrypted information thanks to Skye (Chloe Bennett) Ward has been sent back into his old team in order to get her to help him. Now that we know Ward is Hydra it’s interesting to see him interacting with a team who has no idea, how things that wouldn’t have been out of place for him before are now clearly his being a bad guy.

His complex feelings for Skye become a big point in the episode as Ward almost has his cover blown when being questioned. His declaration that he came back for Skye, because he has feelings for her might be a clever cover in order to hide his true intentions, but feels a lot more genuine. How these apparent emotions will play in once his true allegiance is revealed is anyone’s guess, but thanks to the dark turn of events at the end of the episode it’s looking harder and harder to see any kind of redemption for the character.

‘The Only Light in the Darkness’ is definitely an episode of two halves, with stories that don’t really feel connected, but have a similar theme in regards to characters having to hide who they really are as they give up on an important piece of their past.


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Marvel Action: Spider-Man #1 – Comic Review

Originally published on Set The Tape

There’s a reason why Spider-Man is one of the most popular comic book heroes ever made, it’s because he’s a normal kid. Peter Parker isn’t a billionaire, he isn’t a super-soldier, or an alien refugee, or any of the amazing origins people expect from a hero. He’s an every-person, he’s a character that almost all readers can identify with on some level, and a hero that readers could picture themselves being.

Over the years the character has become a lot more complex, and numerous people have take up a ‘spider’ mantle of their own, meaning that despite his popularity it can be difficult for new readers to know where to being with the character. This is where Marvel Action: Spider-Man comes in.

The new series, written by long-time Spider-Man fan Delilah S. Dawson, brings together three of the most iconic spider heroes, Peter Parker’s Spider-Man, Miles Morales’ Spider-Man, and Gwen Stacy’s Spider-Woman (known as Spider-Gwen among fans). The book is designed as a jumping on point for readers, one that isn’t ‘focusing on origin or history’, but telling it’s own story.

This first issue introduces us to a young Peter Parker, aged only 16. Much like his original comics and the new Tom Holland movies this Peter is still in school, balancing his nerdy school life with the pressures and adventure of being Spider-Man. Instead of focusing on his school life, however, which has been done so many times in numerous versions of the Spider-Man story, this series follows Peter as he enters an internship programme at the Daily Bugle, where he ends up in a group with Miles and Gwen.

Whilst there’s initially not much indication that there is more than one spider hero in this universe when huge mutant dogs start attacking the city Peter, as Spider-Man, soon discovers that Miles also has incredible powers much like his own. The issue ends with Peter figuring out that Miles is like himself, and determined to learn more about his new friend. Throughout this first issue there’s nothing that shows Gwen has powers too, but considering that Spider-Gwen is featured both on this cover and the cover for issue two it’s a pretty solid conclusion that she does.

The first issue doesn’t have huge amounts of action, nor does it introduce any kind of villain or big-bad for Spidey to fight, because it’s chosen to focus on the characters instead. This immediately makes me think about some of the earlier Spider-Man comics, and the start of the Ultimate Spider-Man series, which built a solid foundation for itself with strong central characters.

The artwork, provided by Fico Ossio, is absolutely gorgeous, and immediately evokes the same sense of style that Ultimate Spider-Man had at the beginning of it’s run, especially in some of the ways the young Peter is drawn. Miles doesn’t stand out too much in this first issue, mainly thanks to him wearing a plain grey hoodie, he’s well drawn and instantly recognisable as the character. Gwen, on the other hand, stands out as the best looking of the three, with her civilian look combining her traditional comic book look, whilst also making nods to her super-hero alter-ego with her hooded coat and pink in her hair.

What really stands out in this issue is Spider-Man’s suit. Whilst not making a huge leap away from the classic design it has little touches that make it different enough to stand out, without looking too strange. He has very clear soles on the bottom of his boots, which have been changed from the traditional red to blue, he’s got blue wrist pieces that presumably hold his webshooters that break up the red along his arms, along with a few other small changes. The overall effect is one where it’s clearly Spider-Man, yet he’s distinct enough to not be mistaken for the regular Spidey.

With issue one being a tiny introduction to this new universe there’s still a lot left unanswered, but the book doesn’t feel lacking in any way. We’re going to learn more about these new versions of the characters soon, and we’re going to get to see this awesome spider team in action. I can’t wait until issue two to get more.


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Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 1×18 – ‘Providence’ – TV Rewind

Originally published on Set The Tape

Following the complete game changing events of the previous episode ‘Providence’ continues to apply pressure to the S.H.I.E.L.D. team, whilst also giving the evil Agent Ward (Brett Dalton) a chance to finally shine after nearly a season of being one of the blandest characters in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Carrying on from the shock reveal in the final moments of the last episode that Ward has actually been a Hydra agent since the beginning of the show, the episode makes it clear that this isn’t a ploy, a triple-cross, or even Hydra brainwashing. This is who Ward is, a cold blooded killer.

Assisting the series villain John Garrett (Bill Paxton) to attack a S.H.I.E.L.D. facility called The Fridge, where he uses his status as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent to willingly kill the staff stationed there. Whilst he doesn’t seem to take any joy in killing people he clearly doesn’t feel any kind of compunction in doing so. It’s interesting to see him opening up about his time in with Coulson (Clark Gregg) and his team, where he reveals that he jumped out of a plane to save Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge) simply because it’s what his cover would do, and that he started a sexual relationship with Melinda May (Ming-Na Wen) because she was the biggest threat.

These explanations go a long way to explaining some of his character. He was bland because he wasn’t trying to stand out or draw attention to himself. He never made big moves to form strong friendships where he opened up because these were people that he was prepared to kill. The revelation that his feelings for Skye (Chloe Bennet) are genuine is a little surprising, and makes me wonder what about her has drawn him to her other than her looks, as there’s not much that I remember from the season that stands out as a real bonding moment between the two.

Whilst the episode showcases the villains coming together, including the return of Raina (Ruth Negga) the rest of the episode showcases Coulson and his team on the run as the worlds government move to arrest any remaining S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. Now joined by Garrett’s former right hand man Agent Triplett (B.J. Britt) the team head out for a set of mysterious coordinates found within Coulson’s S.H.I.E.L.D. badge to discover an off-the-books facility manned by the odd Agent Koenig (Patton Oswalt).

Koenig is a great new addition to the show, bringing a sense of fun and humour to events that have become quite dark compared to the start of the season. He has an air about him that reminds me of Coulson way back in Iron Man, when he was the deadpan guy there to give exposition in a way that made him instantly charming.

The episode also introduced us to another new character, Glenn Talbot (Adrian Pasdar) a military officer tasked with capturing Coulson and his team. He’s a great addition to the series, with an over-the-top bravado and swagger to him. The fact that it’s another new character to the MCU from the comics, this time the Incredible Hulk, is just a great little bonus.

Not a huge amount of action happens in this episode, but it does a lot for the world building of the new status-quo of S.H.I.E.L.D. on the run, considered criminals and terrorists by the government whilst they try to combat Hydra. It’s a bold new time era for the series, and it’s already off to a strong start.


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The Dark Vault – Book Review

Originally published on Set The Tape

I’d only discovered V.E. Schwab a few months ago when I had the opportunity to review a copy of her new novel Vengeful, so when the chance came to review another of her books I jumped at it. I began The Dark Vault without having even read the blurb on the back of the book, simply eager to read more from an author that I’d fallen in love with.

Not knowing what to expect from the book I was surprised to discover that it was actually two books in one, collecting together The Archived and The Unbound, complete with an extra story, meaning that at only £9.99 for a book containing two novels the new release is an absolute bargain.

The Dark Vault tells the story of Mackenzie Bishop, a teenage girl whose family moves to a new city following the tragic death of her little brother. Moving into a converted hotel Mackenzie’s mother opens a coffee shop in the building, with Mackenzie helping to get it ready before school starts. But little do her parents know that Mackenzie has a job to do herself.

She’s a Keeper, a gifted person who is employed by the mysterious Archive to track down and capture Histories in the space between the real world and afterlife, called the Narrows. Histories, we learn, are the collected memories of people who have died, a reservoir of all of their thoughts, feelings, and experiences. Whenever a History wakes up and tries to escape it’s up to people like Mackenzie to get them back to the Archive before they finds a way into the real world.

The book throws a lot of new terms and concepts at the reader as we’re introduced to Mackenzie and her world, but V.E. Schwab doesn’t drop you in the deep end, instead choosing to allow the reader to get to know Mackenzie first. By the time the reader takes their first step into the Narrows we’ve already become invested in Mackenzie and the situation that she’s in.

Whilst the first book could easily spend its time just focusing on the impact of Mackenzie losing her little brother, moving to a new city, hunting down Histories it instead plunges the reader into a mystery that delves deep into the heart of the Archive, and Mackenzie’s new home. Whilst the mystery starts small, with the clues being given out long before you’re even aware that there’s a mystery going on, by the end the stakes have become huge, with the fate of the Archive, and Mackenzie’s life hanging in the balance.

The book also gives Mackenzie a number of romantic options, as many Young Adult fiction tends to do, yet subverts the almost cliched love triangle dynamic in a surprising yet refreshing way. The Archived feels like it should be a standard ‘paint-by-numbers’ teen fiction story, yet is so much more than that. It deals with loss and depression, it has a nuanced and believable lead, it subverts expectations, and it introduces readers to a strange new world that’s incredibly well thought out and cleverly built.

The Unbound is the sequel to The Archived, and continues the story of Mackenzie and the Archive, exploring the fallout from the first book. Set only a few weeks after the events of the first book Mackenzie is still incredibly damaged from the events, not only physically, but emotionally. The exploration of Mackenzie’s emotional state is one of the most interesting parts of the sequel, and at times it’s hard to know what’s real and what’s part of the psychological damage she’s suffered.

Moving Mackenzie into school is a great way of adding new characters and expanding the world in entertaining ways. The school setting should be cliched and I was expecting it to go a certain direction, yet V.E. Schwab once again subverted my expectations and made these scenes some of my favourite in the book.

What struck me most about The Unbound, however, is how much it feels like a continuation of the first book than a sequel. Whilst the two books work perfectly well on their own presented as one huge novel it feels more like one big story. Yes, there’s a break of a few weeks between the two stories, but it isn’t jarring like in some books, instead flowing easily from one to another.

The book is big, close to 700 pages, but thanks to interesting and realistic characters, a story with great twists and turns, emotion and action, and a brand new fantasy world to delve into The Dark Vault is an amazing book that never feels slow or boring, that keeps introducing new and interesting things, and makes you feel emotionally invested in the characters.

Whether you’ve read the books before or never experienced the series this collection is the perfect opportunity to own this amazing series.


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Ghostbusters: Spectral Shenanigans, Vol 1 – Comic Review

Originally published on Set The Tape

The IDW run on Ghostbusters has been a great series, introducing many new elements to the mythology, from new and diverse characters and a deeper exploration of the characters’ backgrounds, to new villains that expand the world. If you’ve not read any of the IDW run before, Ghostbusters: Spectral Shenanigans is a good place to jump into it. It might not be the first things that IDW have done with the characters or the universe, but it is the start of their ‘Volume 1’ series, written by Erik Burnham.

The book collects together the first 12 issues of the series and sets the Ghostbusters off on their next big series of events. Things begin with the team having to go up against their first big villain once again, Gozer the Gozerian. Enraged that they were forced to take on the form of the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man when it came to destroy the world, Gozer has come back for a second attempt, this time sending a new minion, Idulnas, to force Ray to pick a new form for Gozer to take.

This story adds some interesting new tweaks to the mythology, and it’s good to start the series by bringing back something that people will be familiar with from the films. It’s also a nice explanation of why Ray wasn’t to blame because he couldn’t clear his mind whilst the others could, but that he was always the one who was going to pick Gozer’s form due to a closer connection to the world of the paranormal. This also explains why Ray was the one possessed by the villain in the second movie, as more than just ‘this keeps happening to Ray’.

From this initial story we discover that the Ghostbusters have also become contractors for the city, and that a side-effect of this is that the city is sending them outside of New York in order to help on other big cases, partially because the city can charge people for this. Thus begins a cross-country road-trip that sees the gang fighting ghosts across America.

It’s a great new addition to the series, one that means the action can easily shift outside of the New York setting without having to have clients come in to hire them; they can just be somewhere else and we know it’s because the city have hired them out. It means that the book has a lot more variety to it, and can even make use of some regional ghost stories. For example, in one of the issues they travel to Roswell and come up against what appears to be alien ghosts, complete with an alien obsessed FBI agent that looks like David Duchovny; whilst in another they delve into the real life ghost story of New Orleans Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau.

Despite showcasing a series of great one-off adventures, the book contains an ongoing mystery that is seeded throughout: a huge increase in paranormal activity. Egon investigates this and believes that he comes up with an answer – an old friend of his from college who should be dead but is somehow still alive. When it turns out that the guy trapped death in a bag when he came to reap his soul, Egon believes this is the reason why there are so many spirits in the world now.

Whilst this situation isn’t resolved by the end of the book, with Egon’s friend demanding proof that him still being alive is causing something bad, before letting death free, it’s sure to be a plot thread that will continue on into further volumes of the series. The companion issue that expands upon this concept by using diary entries from an expedition into Siberia in 1912 is one of the best in the book, with a really creepy tale and dark art-style that makes it stand out from everything else.

A great collection that brings together a year’s worth of adventures from the Ghostbusters team, Ghostbusters: Spectral Shenanigans is a great book for those who have already been reading the IDW series, as well as a perfect entry point for new fans.


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Back To The Future: The Heavy Collection – Comic Review

Originally published on Set The Tape

Collecting together the first 12 issues of the Back To The Future comic book series Back To The Future: The Heavy Collection tells a sprawling tale that fills in some of the gaps from the films that you weren’t even aware were there.

The book mainly follows Doc Brown in 1893 after the events of Back To The Future 3 after Marty is sent back to the future, but before Doc and his family develop the Time Train. Whilst Doc works on building the Time Train he tells his sons stories about his adventures in the future, giving the readers a series on ‘one-shot’ type stories with a loose connected narrative.

They give a lot of background detail to both the Doc and Marty, showing us how they first met, how the Doc got the Delorean, and Doc’s journey to develop time travel during the decades. Whilst the stories involving Marty and his parents are interesting enough, the best of these shorter stories is the one where Doc Brown has the US government visit him asking him to develop time travel for them in order to prevent the Cuban Missile crisis. It’s fun to see the Doc put into a difficult situation like this, where he comes to realise the bigger impact that his developing time travel could have on the world. It’s interesting to see Doc Brown trying to figure out how to make the technology work and the missteps along the way, especially as he is doing so knowing that he will one day succeed because of his encounter with Marty in the 1950s.

However, the book really picks up once the Doc tries to make the maiden voyage in the Time Train, where the story drops the ‘one-shot’ model for a more traditional comic book adventure where the Doc ends up travelling all across the future in an effort to find the parts he needs to finalise the train.

This particular story acts as both a gap filler for events we’ve already seen, taking place for the Doc before the last scene of Back To The Future 3, and a sequel for Marty and Jennifer as it takes place after the film for them. This is part of the beauty of the Back To The Future comic series, it goes out of the way to explain things like how Doc Brown was able to get the hover tech for the Time Train, when did he have the opportunity to collect Einstein, and what was powering his time machine. The story answers all of these questions, yet never feels like it’s ticking things off a list just to fill in gaps; it comes naturally and feels like a series of events that would actually happen to the characters.

Most of this comes from the fact that the stories are all co-written by Bob Gale, one of the original creators of the Back To The Future films. A lot of comics based on film franchises are written by fans who love the movies, yet they often feel more like fan fiction than a continuation of the source material. But this is never the case with the Back To The Future books. They fit the franchise perfectly because they’re written by the person who wrote them back in the day. They’re a companion piece, a continuation, and a celebration of the Back To The Future films all in one.


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Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 1×17 – ‘Turn, Turn, Turn’ – TV Rewind

Originally published on Set The Tape

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. began with a very simple premise: that the audience would follow the adventures of Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) and his team as they participate in covert missions for the global organisation S.H.I.E.L.D.. Outside of some minor team changes or a big guest star or two there seemed to be little that would alter the show in any major ways outside of the initial setup. Then Captain America: The Winter Soldier came along and destroyed everything.

‘Turn, Turn, Turn’ is the episode that coincides with the second Captain America film, where it’s revealed that S.H.I.E.L.D. has been infiltrated by the evil organisation Hydra since it was founded. It’s no exaggeration to say that from this point onward nothing about this show will ever be the same again.

The episode begins with the ‘surprise’ reveal that a Hydra message has been sent out over every S.H.I.E.L.D. frequency, initiating sleeper agents across the organisation to attack and kill those loyal to S.H.I.E.L.D.. This makes the sudden turn of Victoria Hand (Saffron Burrows) wanting Coulson captured and his team dead at the end of the last episode make a lot more sense. It also puts Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge) in a lot of danger, her being stuck in The Hub with the somewhat unknown Agent Triplett (B.J. Britt) and dozens of Hydra soldiers.

The Simmons story is handled pretty well, with a number of points where Triplett comes across as quite sinister; by the end it’s clear that he’s not Hydra, preferring to die an Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. than defect to the enemy, but it’s a small mystery that could have gone either way. The double reveal that both Trip and Victoria Hand are actually S.H.I.E.L.D. is a great scene, and one that showcases just how much of a great character Hand is.

With one major S.H.I.E.L.D. operative confirmed as being loyal, it’s no surprise that another is actually Hydra, Coulson’s good friend John Garrett (Bill Paxton). By then, the fact that he’s actually a bad guy is not so much of a surprise. His sudden urge to kill Victoria Hand is too much of a turn for him not to be a villain. The revelation that he’s also the Clairvoyant is a shock though, and a plot that the series will hopefully explore in greater detail as the series progresses.

The biggest shock of the episode – that one of the core team has been Hydra since the very beginning of the series – comes when Agent Ward (Brett Dalton) murders Victoria Hand. Considering how great she was in this episode, it’s a huge shame to lose her, but she certainly went out in a memorable way.

It’s not a surprise that one of the main characters would turn out to be Hydra, but that it’s Ward was not easy to see coming, mainly because he’s been so dull and lacklustre up to now. Perhaps this is the only way that the writers could think to make the character more interesting, a character whose only major thing was being attracted to Skye (Chloe Bennet). Whatever the motivations for making him Hydra it certainly makes things more exciting going forward, especially after he admits his feelings for Skye before saving her life.

The changes to the series are incredibly bold and mean that nothing will ever, or can ever, be the same again. It also changes everything that came before, especially with the knowledge that Ward has been a bad guy since the start. With S.H.I.E.L.D. now gone the team are left with no resources, no back-up, Garrett on the loose, and a snake within their midst things have never been more dire for Coulson and his team.


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Harley Quinn: Mad Love – Book Review

Originally published on Set The Tape

When Harley Quinn was first made for the Batman Animated Series episode ‘Joker’s Favour’, in what was supposed to be a one-off role, her creators Paul Dini and Bruce Timm couldn’t predict the impact that she would have, now being one of DC’s most beloved and recognisable characters.

Originally designed as a side-kick for the Joker, her origin story was heavily expanded in the graphic novel Mad Love, which was then made into an episode of the series, where it was revealed that she was in fact once the Jokers psychiatrist before he sent her mad. This is the story that the new novel Harley Quinn: Mad Love tells, albeit in a much more expansive and deeper way. Writers Paul Dini and Pat Cadigan work together to craft a tale that’s more about the deeper emotional journey of Harleen Quinzel rather than a focus on her time as the costumed villain.

Beginning during her childhood, the book explores Harleen’s early years, a time when she comes to believe that police and law enforcement officials are corrupt, evil men out to punish ‘good’ people like her father, and where the seeds of her future madness are sown when she witnesses the murder of two gangland thugs. This is an area that has never really been explored in the past, but is a welcome addition to the Harley Quinn mythos.

It’s always seemed something of a leap that the Joker was so manipulative that he could turn a well educated and intelligent doctor into someone as mad as Harley, so making it clear that she herself suffered through childhood trauma, that she was suffering from mental health issues before she ever heard the name Joker, makes her eventual psychological break much more realistic.

Harleen’s time in Arkham before she eventually becomes a patient there herself is also expanded upon, not only showing her as a competent young doctor trying new and innovative treatments, but also her first meetings with other Batman villains such as Poison Ivy and Killer Croc.

And yes, the book does cover the events of ‘Mad Love’, though these don’t fill a huge amount of the book. The initial meetings between Harleen and the Joker are heavily expanded upon, not just giving us more interactions between the two of them, but a deeper insight into the emotional journey Harleen is going through. The more memorable moments from the story, the Death of a Hundred Smiles for example, is very brief and feels a little out of place mainly due to trying to mix together a very real world and the events of a children’s TV episode, yet still works well.

Harley Quinn: Mad Love gives readers the best insight into the history and mental state of Harley Quinn to date, making use of the novel format to spend time delving into her inner thought processes that a comic just couldn’t do with its limited space and restrictions of the format. The book lets you see Harley more as a real person than just a costumed crazy: a deeply flawed and damaged person yes, but a person nonetheless.

It’s strange to read about comic book characters in a prose book, a format where they’re hardly used. Comic books are such a visual medium and form of story telling that it can translate to television, film, and video games with little difficulty, but the written word can at times be difficult. Thankfully, the focus on character here means that it never feels like the story doesn’t belong in a book, or that the world is too fantastical to work in this format.

If you’re a fan of Batman, Harley Quinn, or even just comics in general, then Harley Quinn: Mad Love is a great read, one that makes the world of Gotham City and Arkham Asylum feel real, and the inhabitants less like colourful caricatures or stereotypes. Whether it’s major players like Harley and the Joker, or more minor characters that appear only briefly and are created just for the book, everyone is given the time and effort to be made into a realistic and rounded character. A great book for fans of comics, and an absolute must for those who love Harley Quinn.


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Phantoms: Haunting Tales From Masters of the Genre – Book Review

Originally published on Set The Tape

Collected together by British Fantasy Award nominated author Marie O’Regan, Phantoms: Haunting Tales From Masters of the Genre presents readers with an anthology collection of eighteen ghost stories from a host of writers.

Ghost stories can often be focused on the sinister hauntings that befall families when they move into a new home, or receive some cursed object. Many modern horror films follow these very basic set-ups with varying degrees of success, but whilst this works well for the visual medium something different is often needed for the written word, and Phantoms presents an older form of ghost stories, one where the story is about the person rather than the ghosts.

In many of the stories presented in this collection the haunting takes a back seat for a focus on the human reactions to these extraordinary and often horrifying scenarios. ’20th Century Ghost’ by Joe Hill focuses on the haunting of an old fashioned movie theatre and the obsession that forms for the ageing owner as he desperately wants to encounter the young woman that died there decades before. Instead of ghastly encounters with moviegoers the story tells a tale of unrequited love, and ultimately obsession, that becomes the sole focus of this man’s life.

In contrast to this, ‘One New Follower’ by Mark A. Nathan manages to be a hugely creepy tale involving murder, cults, mysteries from beyond the grave, and dark isolation that chills the reader from early on. Along with ‘The Adjoining Room’ by A.K. Benedict, which has an otherworldly, almost Hellraiser quality to it, these stories puts their characters through hell in some truly nightmarish scenarios.

One of the boldest stories within the collection has to be ‘A Haunted House Is A Wheel Upon Which Some Are Broken’ where the story is presented as a choose your own adventure style book, where the reader gets to choose what happens next and how the tale will unfold. Despite Paul Tremblay appearing to present the reader with a number of choices it actually becomes impossible for the protagonist and the reader to leave the house early, forcing both to go through the the whole house.

Often anthology collections can be a mixed bag of elements, with varying quality, but Phantoms manages to present a broad range of stories, tales of revenge, betrayal, love, and loss, without any of the stories standing out as particularly poor. Marie O’Regan has made some wonderful choices in the stories and writers that she has collected together, giving readers a great range of tales that showcases how versatile and varied ghost stories and horror can be.


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