Resident Evil Voice Actor Paul Haddad Passes Away

Voice actor Paul Haddad, who played Leon Kennedy in the original Resident Evil 2 in 1998, has passed away aged 56.

Haddad voiced the original version of Leon Kennedy, and was for many the definitive version of the character. His voice acting career included many other credits, including Quicksilver in the 90's X-Men animated series, the Wolfman in Monster Force, and Willy in the Free Willy series. He has also provided voices for series such as The Adventures of Tintin, Rupert, and Barbar.

Haddad had recently worked on the video game Daymare: 1998 from Invader Studios, a third-person survival horror game that's influenced by Resident Evil, and hopes to recreate the mood of the original games. Invader Studios confirmed his passing in a recent Twitter post, where they shared a small tribute to him.

Nick Apostolides, who voiced Leon in the recent Resident Evil 2 Remake released an emotional video on his social media shortly after hearing the news of Paul's passing, where he talked about his friendship with the man who was his introduction to the world of Resident Evil.

The exact details surrounding Haddad's passing are still unclear, however, he had been sick for a while, battling throat cancer and a neurological disorder. He had a GoFundMe set up to help assist with his health bills, and was scheduled to receive neurosurgery, though this was delayed due to the current pandemic health crisis.

Despite having played the original Resident Evil first, Resident Evil 2 was the first game in the series I completed, and the first that I spent any real time on during the early years of the franchise. Leon Kennedy was a character that stood out, even amongst other great heroes in the Resident Evil series. Whilst Leon would go on to become even more popular over the coming years, espeically thanks to Resident Evil 4, I'm sure that many will agree with me that it was Resident Evil 2 and Paul's performance in that role that made the character iconic for us.

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Resident Evil 3 Remake – Game Review

Originally posted on Set The Tape

I’ve already spoken a little about the Resident Evil 3 remake, giving my first impressions of the game from the great demo released a few weeks ago. However, now that I’ve had the game for a few days, and sunk more hours into it than I’m willing to admit, it’s time to give it a proper review.

In my previous article I said that the game seems to be quite different from the original it’s based on; however, I wasn’t expecting just how different it would end up being. Where the remake of Resident Evil 2 stuck fairly close to the original, this game sticks to the feel of the original, but changes things up quite a bit. For example, the original game had you work your way through the back alleys of Raccoon City from Jill’s apartment to the police station, where you meet Nemesis for the first time. In this game not only does Jill not go to the police station (a section that Carlos gets instead), but Nemesis is the very first monster you see in the game, breaking his way into Jill’s apartment.

Within minutes it’s clear that Capcom aren’t afraid to make big changes, and whilst there are certain things that I miss from the original game that haven’t made the cut, I loved the fact that the Resident Evil 3 remake kept me on my toes in ways that Resident Evil 2 didn’t. Some of the new locations made for some great set pieces, with the zombie-filled streets of the city feeling like the remnants of a real city in ways previous games never did, and some locations like the construction site being made purely to show how big and scary Nemesis is.

These parts also have a drawback though, as it shows how Resident Evil 3 is much more of an action game than it is a survival horror one. Now this isn’t something that’s new to the remake, as the original had much more guns, explosions, and bombastic moments than any Resident Evil game had had to that point. It’s not as action heavy as some of the other games in the series such as Resident Evil 4, or Resident Evil 5, and certainly not anything like 2012’s Resident Evil 6, which played more like a rejected Call of Duty game. However, in comparison to the remakes of the first and second game it does stand out. Whether this is something that puts you off or not will largely depend on how you like your action to horror balance, and if you were a fan of the original Resident Evil 3.

As a fan of the original these differences in tone weren’t too much of a sticking point for me, and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. My biggest annoyances were the loss of the Clocktower location, this time relegated to a single boss fight, and that we didn’t have longer with the first stage Nemesis before he mutated into a new monster. These are just my personal opinions though, and the game still flows extremely well despite the loss of this old location.

Before the game came out people were already complaining about the length of it. Whilst it doesn’t take as long to fully finish compared to the first two games this is in part because there’s just the one story here, rather than two to choose from. Instead of this being a downside I found it to actually work to the game’s benefit. It’s much easier to go back and play through it again thanks to its length and fast pace.

This is especially true if you enjoy trying to earn achievements/trophies, as you’ll have to replay the game with some interesting caveats involved. Not only is there the standard achievements for beating the game on higher difficulties, but you can even attempt to earn rewards for beating the game without using any health items, or in under two hours. So far I’ve managed both of those and will be trying to beat the game without using the item chests later this week. I can easily see myself playing through the game several more times at least before taking a break from it.

The game is, like Resident Evil 2, absolutely gorgeous to look at, with amazing graphics and visuals that stand out as some of the best in the franchise. Along with the much improved voice-acting it helps to make Resident Evil 3 into a truly cinematic experience. Jill is by far at her best in this game, and cements why she’s one of the best characters in the series, and the improvements to Carlos elevate him from a somewhat forgettable character into a hero I’d love to see more of.

There are probably some people who’d say that this isn’t as good as Resident Evil 2, but it’s not really fair to compare the two as they’re very different types of Resident Evil games. One is slower and more claustrophobic, whilst the other is more fast paced and action oriented. These differences don’t make for anything of a lesser game, and anyone who’s a fan of the series is sure to enjoy this entry.

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Resident Evil: The Umbrella Conspiracy by S. D. Perry - Book Review

'Raccoon City: a remote mountain community suddenly besieged by a rash of grisly murders encroaching upon it from the surrounding forest. Bizarre reports start to spread, describing attacks from vicious creatures, some human...some not. Victims are apparently eaten. At the epicenter of these deaths is a dark, secluded mansion belonging to the mysterious Umbrella Corporation. For years umbrella has labored within the mansion, unwatched, ostensibly conducting benign genetic research.

'Deployed to investigate the strange goings-on is the Special Tactics and Rescue Squad (S.T.A.R.S.), an unusual paramilitary response unit boasting an eclectic assortment of mission specialists: roguish Chris Redfield, former cat burglar Jill Valentine, dead-eye Barry Burton, and the enigmatic team leader, Albert Wesker. Together with the other S.T.A.R.S. operatives, they have a good reason to believe they're ready for anything. But what unfolds as the S.T.A.R.S. penetrate the mansion's long-locked doors is terror beyond their worst nightmares: creatures that defy the laws of life and death-the result of forbidden experiments gone disastrously wrong. Behind it all is a conspiracy so vast in its scope and so insidious in its agenda that the S.T.A.R.S. will be betrayed from within to ensure that the world never learns Umbrella's secret. And if any survive...they may well come to envy those who did not.'

Resident Evil: The Umbrella Conspiracy is the retelling of the story of the very first Resident Evil game, with veteran 'geek' writer Stephani Perry stepping in to try and make the game work as a novel.

The book was originally published in 1998, the same year as the second game in the series. It's quite clear early on in the book that despite being written as official novelisations of the games, the books that Perry would write can no longer be seen as accurate parts of the Resident Evil lore, as new elements introduced to the narrative, and decisions made regarding what characters do around the events of the game contradict things that would eventually happen in the rest of the Resident Evil franchise. Despite this, if taken as a separate entity, ones that create a new branch of the franchise universe the series of novels are incredibly entertaining and enjoyable.

This first book begins before the events of the game, giving readers a small insight into STARS member Jill Valentine, as she tries to rush from her home in the sleepy suburbs to the police station in the centre of the city to attend the latest briefing about the 'cannibal killers' that are causing woe for the people of Raccoon. We get to learn a little about her past, that she was trained as a cat burglar by her father, but chose to switch from a life of crime to law enforcement following her fathers arrest and him being sent to prison. This insight is something of a surprise as there's no indication in the games that Jill has a criminal past, but I guess it's how Perry chose to expand upon the 'master of unlocking' line in the original game.

We also learn that Jill has something of a personal connection to the case, as two of the missing children, Priscilla and Becky McGee, lived close to her, and that the two girls had befriended her in that way that children do when they discover a cool adult. Having known the girls, having let them play in her front yard more than once, we see that Jill has a determination and drive to find them and bring those responsible for the deaths to justice.

Despite the main narrative being split between Jill and Chris, the other playable character from the game, we don't really get to know Chris in the way that we do with Jill here. There's not a huge amount of background information given about him, and I can't help but wonder if their might have been more in the book that was cut at a late stage due to his sister being featured in the second game released the same year.

Once the STARS arrive at the mansion setting of the game things become much more interesting, and we begin to see how difficult a translation the story must have been for Perry. Unlike Resident Evil 2, which does offer players a narrative where both playable scenarios work together, the first game did not. It was either Jill's story or Chris' story. This just wouldn't work for the novelisation, however, and Perry has the difficult job of not only translating repetitive hallway walking into an engaging narrative, but also has to figure out how to two leads stories can play out without the two characters meeting, and with them both getting to be heroes.

For the most part, this actually works very well. Both characters get the chance to shine, and iconic moments from each of their scenarios play out on the page as they did in the game. The age of the books does show here a few times, as like in the original game there's no mention or hint that Rebecca went through her own separate adventure before those of this book. The end of the book also seemingly kills off Albert Wesker for good, although this also happened in the games and was later retconned away, but these are small quibbles that only the most die hard fan will care about, and even then most will just let it go and enjoy the story.

The biggest chance in the narrative is the introduction of the mysterious Trent, a man that appears before the team leaves for the Raccoon forest to give Jill information on the mansion. There's not much explanation given here as to who Trent is, or why he's helping Jill, but this is the beginning of a new plot element that Perry would work into the rest of the series as her story progressed, especially in those entries that don't rely on existing source material to tell their story.

There are times that Resident Evil: The Umbrella Conspiracy feels a little shaky, when it seems schlocky and a bit stupid, but it's a twenty year old adaptation of a cheesy horror game that wasn't made with the level of love and affection that the series has now. It's good for what it is, though, and if you want a fun little book to fill some time with and you're a fan of the franchise you're sure to get some enjoyment out of it, even if its just chuckling as you remember of cheesy and bad that first game actually was. Plus the series was reprinted with some gorgeous new covers by Titan Books, so the collection looks absolutely gorgeous on a shelf together.

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Eden by Tim Lebbon - Book Review

'In a time of global warming and spiralling damage to the environment, the Virgin Zones were established to help combat the change.  Abandoned by humanity and given back to nature, these vast areas in a dozen remote locations across the planet were intended to become the lungs of the world. 

'But there are always those drawn to such places.  Extreme sports enthusiasts and adventure racing teams target the dangerous, sometimes deadly zones for illicit races.  Only the hardiest and most experienced dare undertake these expeditions. When one such team enters the oldest Zone, Eden, they aren't prepared for what confronts them.  Nature has returned to Eden in an elemental, primeval way.  And here, nature is no longer humanity's friend.'

Climate change is one of the deadliest things humanity has had to face, the changes that we have made to our planet will invariably go on to lead to the extinction of the human race if we don't take action. Eden is set in a world where action has been taken, bold action. Several large areas across the globe have been completely abandoned by humanity, having been handed back to nature in a desperate attempt to repair some of the damage we have done.

These Virgin Zones have become mythical places, shrouded in secrecy. People have tried to get inside in the past, and have lost their lives in the attempts as security forces that defend the do so with deadly force. Despite this, there are still people who try to get inside the zones; including extreme sports fanatics.

Eden follows one of these extreme racing groups, several people who infiltrate Eden, the oldest Virgin Zone, in order to become the first people to travel through the extreme wilderness. However, there are things deep inside Eden that don't want humanity there anymore, that will kill anyone who invades its borders.

Despite being a horror book, Eden spends a good portion of the book establishing its world, and gives a lot of time over to the central cast of characters that the reader follows. Readers are slowly eased into this future world where the planet is fighting back against the damage humanity has caused. The idea of the Virgin Zones are set up as the group travels to Eden, having to avoid security forces and advanced tech in order to get inside the borders. It's clear even without huge amounts of information about the Zones themselves that the feat the group are attempting is by no means an easy one, thanks to the way that Lebbon portrays their journey into Eden. The tension on this journey is palpable; unfortunately for readers, this is one of the least tense parts of the book as things get even worse when the group gets into Eden.

Lebbon manages to make the early parts of the journey, where there's nothing overtly wrong or threatening around the group, feel incredibly tense. Every step further into Eden builds tension as the reader begins to understand that these people aren't just breaking the law, but are entering a world where humans don't belong anymore.

The group gets built up well during these early stages of the book too, with each of them having very different and distinct characters and personalities. They feel unique, with each one bringing their own speciality to the group, as well as their own reasons for being there. There are the older extreme racers who want to tick Eden off their list as 'the big one', the scientist who wants to see what it's like inside, the ambitious youth who wants fame and fortune, and the young woman searching for something deeply personal and important. Despite these differences the group works well together, and Lebbon makes their friendships believable and realistic, and it's easy to see how some of these characters have known each other for years.

The sad part of having such well made characters, however, is that when danger finally reaches the group you don't want anything bad to happen to any of them. Unfortunately, Eden wants to destroy they all. Once the action starts, in a shocking, bloody way, it doesn't stop. The slow, tension building journey into Eden becomes a desperate, non-stop battle for survival. The groups fight to survive becomes the biggest hook of the book, and you'll find it hard to put down once the terror really begins; if you're like me you'll be desperate to see what happens next and if your favourite characters will survive.

Eden reads like a great horror film, a story that knows how to pace itself, how to draw you into the amazing environment and interesting characters before it all goes horribly wrong. Lebbon has had his work made into film before with The Silence, and Eden feels like another story that is ideal for an adaptation, and practically leaps off the page into epic, cinematic visuals as you read it.

Tim Lebbon is a great horror writer, and manages to make all of his stories scary, even those that you wouldn't at first think would be. But what I've found he's the best at is crafting characters that you come to care for a lot, even when you know that not everyone is going to make it out alive. There wasn't a chance that every character was going to survive Eden, but that would have been the only scenario that would have made me the happiest as I loved all of them. Alas, he broke my heart more than once reading this book; but then that's the sign of not just a good writer, but a great writer. If you've never experienced a Tim Lebbon book before Eden is a great place to start, one that will blow you away; and if you have read his work you'll know that you're guaranteed an amazing read.

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Are Snakes Necessary? by Brian De Palma and Susan Lehman - Book Review

'When the beautiful young videographer offered to join his campaign, Senator Lee Rogers should've known better. But saying no would have taken a stronger man than Rogers, with his ailing wife and his robust libido. Enter Barton Brock, the senator's fixer. He's already gotten rid of one troublesome young woman -- how hard could this new one turn out to be?

'Pursued from Washington D.C. to the streets of Paris, 18-year-old Fanny Cours knows her reputation and budding career are on the line. But what she doesn't realize is that her life might be as well...'

Are Snakes Necessary? is the latest novel in the Hard Case Crime series, a series of crime thrillers that try to recreate the pulpy thrill of the 1950's, complete with beautifully painted, sometimes schlocky, covers. This new novel sees the legendary film director Brian De Palma, famous for films such as Carrie, Scarface, and Mission Impossible, in his debut as an author.

You only need to look at De Palma's filmography to see that he's no stranger to telling stories about gangsters, criminals, murder, and corruption; so a book about such things seems to be completely in his wheelhouse. However, if you're expecting a story that's as in your face as something like Scarface you might be a little disappointing, as Are Snakes Necessary? takes a much slower approach to storytelling.

The story follows Lee Rogers, a Senator that's running for re-election and needs to keep his public image squeaky clean. This is easier said than done as it turns out the 'moral, upstanding' senator is well known within his inner circle as something of a womaniser. As such, it's down to his right hand man, Barton Brock, to keep things running smoothly.

At the start of the book we get to see how Brock comes to work for Rogers, that he grabbed the senators attention when he tried to ruin his career whilst working for one of his opponents. Very early on its made clear to the readers that Brock, and Rogers, are despicable people, who have no qualms about hurting others if it gets them what they want; they completely destroy the life of one young woman, Elizabeth, and don't even seem to care about it.

During the course of the book we keep checking in on Elizabeth, seeing how her life changed thanks to Brock and Rogers. Through her we also get introduced to a boyfriend of hers, a budding young photographer. Both of these characters keep skirting the fringes of the story, to the point that you begin to question why so much time is given over to them, before the authors manage to weave them both into the conclusion of Brock and Rogers' stories in ways that were honestly quite surprising.

The main story, however, sees Rogers slowly begin to form an intense relationship with a teenage intern on his campaign. What starts off as a young woman wanting to prove her skills and worth as a documentary maker, quickly turns into her obsessive love for a man she really, really shouldn't be involved with.

This relationship is incredibly creepy, and feels uncomfortable throughout. Here's a man who is more than twice her age, knowingly seducing and manipulating a young girl to get her into bed. He promises her the world, knowing full well that he's never going to deliver, and as soon as he gets tired having sex with her he'll move on to someone else; all while his faithful wife is suffering through illness and disability.

Now, the thing that makes this worse, and this is a spoiler so skip to the next paragraph if you don't want things ruined, is that it turns out that Rogers is actually her father. This became obvious moments before the revelation, but it didn't stop it feeling awful when it happened. I'm not sure why the choice to have this was made, as neither person finds out the truth, but it pushed things a little too far on the gross factor for me. It was already bad enough that he was sleeping with someone young enough to be his daughter, they didn't actually have to make her his daughter.

Are Snakes Necessary? seemed to be a story about how powerful men can do whatever they want, how women tend to be at the mercy of their whims and if what they want destroys your whole life then that's just what's going to happen. We see this at the start of the book, but get to see their victim put their life back together, though the events have clearly damaged her and left her with severe mental and emotional trauma; but we also see this slowly over the rest of the book, watching a slow and steady destruction of a kind and caring young woman, with deadly consequences.

The book is really depressing because of this. It's billed as a thriller, but the thrills are too few and far between for it to feel much more than a sad story, and possibly a warning not to trust the rich and powerful, especially politicians.

Whilst the book does move at a pace thanks to the short and punchy sentences and quick chapters a lot of time is given over to establishing characters early on that by the time things start to move forward with the plot they happen very quickly. Characters seem to make big, sudden leaps in motivation and logic because we don't get to see their decision making like we did early on, and it becomes hard to know where they are mentally or what they think is going to happen when they do some pretty stupid things. It felt like the book could have done with being a bit longer so that we could have had more time towards the latter stages of the story.

As it is, the book feels like it was perhaps envisioned as a film first, maybe a script that had been re-purposed into a novel. As such we get these long character introductions, but little of substance to them later in the story. I couldn't help but feel that the book might have worked better as a film, as it's an experience that was definitely stronger in the first half.

That being said, I did read the thing in a single sitting, and it was incredibly easy to read. There was a desire to find out what happened next at the end of every chapter to the point where thinking 'just one more chapter before bed' ends up with you reading the whole book into the early hours of the morning. It might not be the most thrilling thriller I've ever read, but it was a reading experience that stood out as very different to what I'm normally used to, and it was great to see Brian De Palma dip his toes into the world of prose novels.

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Resident Evil 3 Remake – First Impressions

Originally published on Set The Tape

I’m a fan of the Resident Evil series, have been since the very first game on the original Playstation. I’ve got multiple copies of some of the games spread across various different platforms (thank you Nintendo Switch for making me rebuy all my games so I can play them on the go). Resident Evil 3 has always been something of a favourite of mine, and is probably the one I like the most on the Playstation, so when it was announced that a remake was coming I was more than excited.

Friday April 3rd sees the release of the Resident Evil 3 remake. Thanks to the Resident Evil 2 remake hitting homes a year ago, and some impressive trailers, fans had a pretty good idea of what to expect. However, those expectations have shifted somewhat with the release of the demo last week.

Dropping you some way into the game, the demo has lead hero Jill Valentine meeting up with some members of the UBCS (the Umbrella Biohazard Countermeasure Service) who are trying to restore power to the subway to get survivors to safety.

It’s already clear from the first few minutes that this is going to be a very different game to the original. The characters are already quite different, with Jill being much more assertive and sure of herself than in the original. She doesn’t take crap from the guys in the UBCS, and it’s great. Jill’s always been one of my favourite Resident Evil characters, and I love whenever you get the chance to play as her, but she never really had much of a personality during her early appearances. This looks to be the first time that she’s really given the spotlight and the chance to shine.

Outside of this brief look at the characters, players get to experience a small part of the apocalyptic Raccoon City. One of the best things about the Resident Evil 2 remake was how it updated the environments and made them new and dynamic, but other than the police station you really didn’t get a chance to see much of the city, with large sections of the game set in the sewers and underground labs. This seems to have changed with this game, with the streets and shops.

The demo really surprised me by how it expanded Raccoon City. It’s not just the fact that you can run around the streets, but that you can enter almost every building you come across. Raided shops, ruined pharmacies, and abandoned cafes litter the broken and ruined city. Some of these places have important items you need, like a fire hose that you’ll use to get past a burning alley, but some just hold a few supplies and zombies.

You’ll also find that there’s a lot more zombies littering the streets too. This means that action is more of a focus than last year’s remake. Whilst there are more enemies around, and more ammo to fight them, as well as Resident Evil 3‘s ammo creation system, it’s not a gun heavy game by any means. The enemies are tough, and can move and sway in a way that often makes hitting them harder than you think. Combat is definitely going to be something of a challenge in the game, one that will require you to think through your tactics.

The biggest thing in the demo, however, is Nemesis. Arguably the second biggest star in the game after Jill, he’s one of the most memorable boss monsters in the entire franchise. What always made him great was his ability to show up at unexpected times, and his near invulnerability made fighting him a hell of a challenge. Well, old Nemesis was a joy compared to this one.

This version is fast, really fast. He can run what looks like three times your speed. He can jump around the environment, landing in front of you and blocking your escape. He’s tough as hell and can knock you to the ground with one hit. He’s got tentacles that can grab you and trip you up. And it looks like he can change zombies into even worse enemies. Seeing Nemesis was both the best and worst part of the demo. It was great to see him in action, but made me seriously worried about having to fight him multiple times in the actual game.

The demo was short, basically getting you down one street and past one obstacle, but it gives you a good taste of what the game is about. It highlights how Capcom have taken what was in the last remake and really built on it. Just from first impressions Resident Evil 3‘s remake is set to be one of the biggest and best Resident Evil games in years.

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Marvel Action: Avengers #2.1 – Comic Review

Originally published on Set The Tape

The first issue in the new series of Marvel Action: Avengers takes on a tone different to what has come before as Katie Cook takes over writing responsibilities. The series has always read as a children’s book; it’s always been clear that its been designed for younger readers, but it’s still felt somewhat similar to Marvel’s regular superhero books. This issue, by comparison, feels a lot more like a story aimed at youngsters, and in some ways reminded me of the weird kookiness of comics from the 1950s and 60s.

The issue begins with Black Widow calling the Avenger together to tell them that H.R. has ordered them all to take the day off. Yes, apparently the team have a Human Resources department that wants to make sure they get time off and don’t end up having a mental breakdown. How is this not something that comics address more?

Several members of the team clearly don’t know what to do with themselves when told they can’t run around saving the world, but eventually the team heads out to do their own things, leaving Thor alone in Avengers Tower to read his fantasy book ‘Storm Well’. Except, he’s not as alone as he thinks. A miniaturised Ant-Man pops up out of nowhere, causing Thor a fright that ends up with him accidentally breaking one of Black Widow’s porcelain figurines she got for her birthday.

When the two heroes decide that the only way to deal with this crisis is to try and replace the figure before Black Widow finds out they head out to a local flea market to buy a new one. Unfortunately, they’re spotted at the market by Loki, who’s enjoying a cup of coffee and a newspaper, and he decides to make things difficult for his brother.

Now, already this doesn’t sound like the typical set-up for a super-hero comic, and the fact that the villain is not only just chilling out and about in public, but only causes a mild annoyance before being let go really makes it stand out. This is why I was saying it feels like something from decades past. The story feels more like something these characters would get up to on a quiet Sunday afternoon.

None of the characters seem to have any motivation beyond chill and have fun, even the bad guy, whose main motivation behind his actions seems to be ‘this’d be funny’. But you know what? I kind of enjoyed it. There were no world ending stakes, no real danger, and the biggest issue the characters faced was finding the right porcelain doll so they don’t get a disapproving look from Black Widow. The whole thing felt as overly sweet and kitsch as the doll they were trying to find – but in a good way.

It’s not clear if every issue of this new run is going to be similar, with a series of wacky and laid back one-shots instead of arching stories where the heroes have to save the world, but maybe something like this would be fun for a change. Why have another story about costumed heroes beating up the villains to save the world when you can have something that makes you feel relaxed and brings the occasional chuckle? Perhaps this new approach can help Marvel Action: Avengers to stand out from the pack. The fact that the cover for the next issue shows Captain America teaming up with Squirrel Girl has me a little excited to see some wacky high-jinks speaks a lot to how fun this new volume of the book might be.


A great subversion of expectations for an Avengers book, one that is accessible and enjoyable for readers of all ages, but clearly aimed at the younger reader. It draws upon much older comics and recreates the fun and weirdness of titles that came before.

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Marvel Action: Spider-Man #2.2 - Comic Review

Originally published on Set The Tape

The latest issue of Marvel Action: Spider-Man picks up immediately where the last left off, seeing the spider heroes dealing with the aftermath of the Shocker’s attack. The trio have to jump in to prevent the destruction of an apartment building. Whilst this is fairly standard superhero fare it does have a little bit of a surprise when a few of the residents who hadn’t had time to run fall out. Gwen swings in and saves one and I thought to myself ‘Huh, that guy’s hair looks like an updated version of Harry Osborne’s, that’s cool’. Well, surprise surprise – on the next page he introduces himself as Harry Osborne.

If I was going to predict things that would happen in this issue Harry Osborne being introduced would not have been on my list. But this is something that I really like about the Marvel Action: Spider-Man series, the fact that they set things up way in advance, slip unexpected characters in, and talk about big name characters even before we’ve met them, such as the Kingpin being talked about a lot in the last run of the series.

I also like how the series sets up the potential of their being something romantic between Gwen and Harry, with Harry flirting with her superhero persona, and Gwen seeming to not only enjoying it but being distracted thinking about it after. There’s always been a thing about Peter and Harry getting into something of a competition over a woman in the history of Spider-Man, and whilst there’s not been any kind of hint that this version of Peter and Gwen have any kind of attraction perhaps this is indicating that maybe this classic story could be revisited in the future.

The rest of the issue is given over to the furthering of the Miles plot and his growing relationship with Mr Schultz (who is totally and completely still going to turn out to be the Shocker). It was nice to see the two of them getting to know each other a little more, and it was good to see Miles treat the revelation about him being a former convict as nothing that really bothers him. With him being the son of a police officer, and a super-hero, it could have been easy to paint him as being flatly against people with criminal pasts, but the fact that he acknowledges that people can make mistakes in their past and learn from them shows a welcome level of maturity and wisdom.

Issue #2 also manages to fit in a fun fight sequence with a big spider-like robot that takes the heroes through Columbus Circle and down into the subway system. Whilst it’s nothing that is going to wow you or strike you as new and innovative it’s a fun use of different environments taking the fight below the streets, and the drone has a great design that reminded me of the Tachikoma walker robots from Ghost In The Shell.


A great middle issue for a story-line that is giving a much needed spotlight to Miles, and reinventing one of Spider-Man’s more ‘joke’ villains.

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Trollslayer by William King - Book Review

'After fleeing the authorities in the Imperial city of Altdorf, Felix Jaeger swears a drunken oath to dour dwarf Gotrek Gurnisson to record his death saga. In the cold light of day, Felix's worst fears are confirmed as he learns that Gotrek is a Trollslayer - a dwarf doomed to seek out a heroic death in battle to atone for an unknown personal disgrace. Their travels throw them into a string of extraordinary adventures as Felix tries to survive his companion's destiny.'

Trollslayer by William King is the first entry in the popular Gotrek & Felix series, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary.

This book reminds a little of The Witcher series, in that it's a sprawling fantasy epic, where the first book is actually a series of short stories rather than a novel. The stories here were originally penned separate to each other, not really intending to be collected together into a book; Gotrek was even supposed to die at the end of the first story before King fell too much in love with the character to kill him off.

The fact that Trollslayer is a collection of smaller stories than a full novel also means that it's a lot easier to get into, especially if you're not familiar with the Warhammer universe, or not used to reading fantasy fiction. Each one reveals a little more about the lead characters, and helps readers to understand their motivations, especially in the case of Felix.

Probably one of the best stories in the book for Felix is 'Wolf Riders', which sees the reluctant human hero and his Dwarf companion join the von Diehl caravan, a large group from a former noble house, as well as their servants and families, who have been forced from their homeland. The caravan is making its way to the Border Lands to set up a new home for themselves, and Gotre and Felix decide to go along as they're heading that way too. Over the course of weeks together the heroes help to defend the caravan from a number of threats, including Goblin Wolf Riders.

It's also during this time that Felix finds himself falling in love with Kirsten, an assistant to the groups sorceress. Felix develops such strong feelings for the girl that he's willing to break his blood oath to Gotrek in order to stay with her. I won't say what happens, but the fact that Felix clearly continues on with the mad Dwarf indicates that things don't go well for the young couple. Not only is this something of a tragic story, but it seems to help define Felix's character fairly early on, and it might even be something that reinforces staying with Gotrek in the future; after-all, he may fear awful things happening again if he tries to give up on his oath.

'Blood and Darkness' is the longest story in the collection, and reads more like a novella than a short story. It sees the duo come across the remains of a town that has been completely destroyed by an army of beast men, leaving a single child as the sole survivor. The two of them take the girl in and try to get to the next town before the roving band of mutants can attack there too.

What makes this story stand out compared to some of the others is that it spends a lot of time with the villains too, giving over portions of the narrative to Justine, a chaos warrior leading the beast men. This is one of the few times that focus is given to a character other than Gotrek and Felix, and the only time a villain is given the spotlight for extended periods. This would go on to be something that would happen more as the series goes on and begins to feature Grey Seer Thanquol. It's also the first appearance of a character that would go on to return several books later and after many years in the story.

The final story in the book, 'Ulric's Children' is a great story that hardly features Gotrek at all, having him become separated from Felix for the vast majority of it. Instead, we have to follow Felix as he's put into a very scary situation, in a story that plays out more like a horror tale than anything else. It's a chilling story, and leaves the book on a very dark note.

Trollslayer is a really good introduction to both Gotrek and Felix, and the world of Warhammer Fantasy itself. It gives both characters a chance to shine, and lets readers know early on that despite Gotrek being the one to run headlong into danger Felix is no less a capable and valiant hero, even if he hasn't realised that himself yet. The only problem with the book is that it'll leave you wanting to start reading the next one in the series straight away.

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Prophet's Journey by Matthew S. Cox - Book Review

'Althea struggles to adapt to an unexpected twist in her life—not being kidnapped in six whole months. The strange police from the faraway city claim the abilities she thought of as magic are really ‘psionics,’ and say she is far stronger than anyone they have ever seen. Despite their curiosity, they let her remain in the Badlands to protect her from an evil they call corporations.

'Of course, Althea knows all too well how powerful her healing gift is. For most of her life, she’d been a prize taken in raids. Tribes have killed to own her, and she let them. But the Prophet is done being passive. Having a family changes everything. No longer afraid to use her powers to protect herself, Althea refuses to be taken again… even when corporate mercenaries find her.'

Prophet's Journey was something of a difficult book for me to review. When I was offered it it was marketed as the first book in a series, one set in a post-apocalyptic future. It all sounded interesting, and I thought that I was set to delve into this new world. The thing that I found tripping me up several times whilst reading the book, however, was the fact that whilst this is the first of a new series, it's a series that spins out of an existing six book set.

I'm not sure how much of The Awakened series you have to read to get to know Althea and her history, from what I gather the series has multiple protagonists so it's possible that she is only one small part of that series. The biggest issue I found wasn't not knowing about Althea's past or the set-up to her world, as much of this is easily explained during the book; no, what kept drawing me out of the story was when she mentions specific events or people. These were often in relation to something that was happening their and then in the book, something simple, but something that reminded her of a past event. Whilst this kind of thing isn't usually an issue for me, Althea was coming out with names of characters I didn't know so often I felt like I was a little ill-equipped to be reading Prophet's Journey.

Now, I want to make this clear that this isn't a criticism of the book or Matthew S. Cox and his style of writing, but was something that I personally had trouble with. If you've read the other books of his set in this world then I'm sure these references and callbacks would not only be fine, but probably enjoyable. And even if you haven't read the previous books, you might not have the same trouble that I did. I think this is purely down to me. That aside, the book is really good, and tells a good story about a super powered young girl in something of a nightmare future well.

The book begins with Althea living with an adoptive family in a relatively peaceful settlement, and the troubles of her past seemingly over. She's no longer being hunted by various tribal groups or gangs who want to worship her or keep her prisoner for her powers, and in some cases both. She's still getting used to this new way of life, and it very quickly becomes clear how much she's missed out on because of her troubled past when you see how innocent and simple she is. She's not had the education that a lot of people have, and struggles to understand reading and writing, and whilst she's been exposed to some awful things, seems to be completely lost with simple, basic life.

This makes Althea something of an innocent and sheltered narrator, and we see several times over the course of the book that this can lead to some strange results. She can appear naive and dare i say 'stupid' to some people who think that they know better than her simply because they understand the world a bit better, whilst other times her wide eyed innocence can help to melt the hearts of some who wouldn't usually want much to do with her. There are even a few moments where her way of being adds some small humour into what could otherwise be a quite dark and depressing world.

Along her journey Althea meets several interesting characters, some of whom stay with her for longer than others. These include former bandits, subway dwellers who worship old companies and their logos, synthetic people, and even a ghost. Each of these people brings something new into the mix, and helps Althea learn a little more about not just the world around her, but what it means to be a person.

Despite this being a story about a girl trying to get back to her family it's also a story about growth. It shows a young girl who's barely more than a child, and exposes her to new dangers and new ways of thinking. It shows her how other people live and survive in this big, frightening world and helps to inform her own way of thinking, without needing her to give up on her innocence and willingness to try and help people.

Prophet's Journey is an interesting post-apocalypse world, one that seems to merge science fiction and fantasy well, and gives readers a fun and lovable protagonist to show it to us through.

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