Full Alert (1997) – Blu-ray Review

 

Originally published on Set The Tape

Two of Hong Kong’s best actors go up against each other in this intense crime action thriller that saw director Ringo Lam returning to his home to create one of his most beloved movies.

Ringo Lam had a successful career directing movies in Hong Kong before travelling to the US to direct the 1996 Jean-Claude Van Damme action film Maximum Risk in 1996. Maximum Risk did not do well; it’s one of those films that was quickly forgotten by film-goers, and it failed to launch Lam into a Hollywood career. But this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as it would end up giving us Lam’s big ‘come-back’ movie in Hong Kong, Full Alert.

Full Alert tells the story of overworked and over stressed police inspector Pao (Ching Wan Lau), who gets called in to an apartment building where people suddenly fell sick, and contaminated, filthy water is coming out of the taps. A quick investigation of the water tank reveals a murdered man inside. Upon investigating the obvious murder, Pao arrests Mak Kwan (Francis Ng) and his girlfriend, whose home is filled with parts to make explosives and plans to an unidentified vault. Pao believes that the murder was a part of a bigger plot, and that Kwan is planning a major robbery.

Kwan refuses to talk about the possible robbery, but agrees to admit to the murder charge if the police release his girlfriend. This leads to the police following the woman, hoping that she will lead them to whatever gang of criminals Kwan is working with. Over the course of their investigation they will uncover a secret plot, engage in gun fights and high speed chases, and be forced to make impossible choices as Pao is pushed to his breaking point to put the case to bed.

Full Alert is a film that definitely plays like a cat and mouse story, with Kwan and Pao quickly forming an antagonistic relationship with each other. It’s clear from early on that the two of them are set up to be equals on opposing sides, each with their own groups around them, with their own goals in mind, and each driven by a desperate desire to win no matter what the cost. This gives the story an intensity that you don’t always get in crime films; it’s not just business to them, it gets incredibly personal and drives them both to do extreme things. However, it’s Pao who is the one pushed closest to breaking point and who often goes too far.

The film isn’t afraid to show the ‘hero’ of the film as a man close to stepping over the line and doing bad things in order to get what he wants. He yells at his people, he gets in fights, his home life suffers, and an innocent bystander gets shot because he was quick to pull his weapon. In contrast, Kwan is incredibly reserved. Despite being arrested at the start of the film, something he clearly didn’t plan for, he always seems to be laid back about things. He has plans, and seems confident in his own abilities to pull off the impossible. He doesn’t let himself get rattled, and manages to use his unnerving calmness to push Pao even further. It’s a great dynamic, and the two leads are excellent in their roles, and their performances add a lot to the film.

There are some cliches and plot inconsistencies that will feel like things the audience will have seen before, or leave you questioning things for a while before you simply settle back into the movie to enjoy the performances. These moments aren’t deal breakers by any means, and don’t detract from the overall quality of the movie, but it does at times feel like it could be Lam trying to find his feet in Hong Kong cinema again after his brief time in Hollywood.

The new Blu-ray release from Eureka Entertainment is pretty limited on extras. There’s a slip-case featuring some lovely new artwork, and a Limited Edition collector’s booklet that features new writing about the film by Davide West from NEO Magazine (no copy was provided for review, so the content cannot be judged), as well as two feature length commentaries. One of these commentaries is provided by Asian film expert Frank Djeng, who has recorded a lot of commentaries for Eureka in the past, and brings his usual excellent level of insight to the film. The other features a commentary with the film’s director Ringo Lam, recorded before his death in 2018. The disc also includes an interview with the film’s composer Peter Lam, however, the interview clocks in at an impressive length, and is played over the film itself, so it feels more like a third commentary track than a traditional interview.

Full Alert is an intense crime thriller, one with an impressive core cast that really elevates the script with some stellar performances. Ringo Lam may not have had a great time directing in the US, but this film shows why he was such a powerhouse in Hong Kong.

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Ghosts of Mars – Throwback 20

 

Originally published on Set The Tape

If I were to ask you to name some John Carpenter films you’d probably give me titles like Halloween, The Thing, or Big Trouble in Little China, perhaps even some of his less successful but still well regarded films like The Fog, or Escape From New York. But one that you’d probably not bring up would be Ghosts of Mars, his penultimate movie, and the last one he’d make for almost a decade. And I wouldn’t blame you for not thinking about it straight away, because it’s pretty shit. But boy is it the kind of shit that I found really enjoyable when it first came out, and that I’ve got a lot of time for.

Set in the latter half of the 22nd century, we find a Mars that has been mostly terraformed. The air on Mars is breathable now, and whilst you might occasionally need a breather mask to help with the dust and the thinner than normal atmosphere, you don’t have to don a space suit to take a stroll on the red planet. Not only that, but society has shifted away from men being in charge, and has been replaced with a matriarchy. Sounds pretty good to me. Unfortunately, on a trip to pick up a criminal from a remote outpost, things begin to go bad on Mars.

We follow Lt Melanie Ballard (Natasha Henstridge), a police officer with a secret drug addiction, who’s travelling to a mining outpost with her commanding officer, played by Pam Grier, the cocky Sergeant Butler (Jason Statham) and a couple of rookies. When they arrive at the outpost to collect the wanted criminal James ‘Desolation’ Williams (Ice Cube) they find the outpost deserted, and signs of something awful having happened. Williams is still in his cell, along with a motley collection of other prisoners, but everyone else has vanished.

The team soon discover that the population of the town have been taken over by a strange force, spirits of the long dead martian race that cause their hosts to self mutilate, and kill anything that isn’t one of them. When the Commander is killed it’s down to Ballard to take over, teaming up with Williams and his crew to try and find a way of escaping the town and killing the martian ghosts once and for all.

Ghosts of Mars is a silly film. The entire concept, of an archaeological dig unearthing the buried ghosts of aliens that possess people and turn them into crazed killers is wild to say the least, and whilst there is the basis for a pretty cool horror story of never knowing who might be harbouring one of these ghosts, or that every possessed you kill unleashes another spirit into the air ready to take you over, this never really gets played upon with this movie. Instead, it’s a film of style over substance, and one where John Carpenter seems to be enjoying making a sci-fi story where people get to dress cool and shoot things up with shiny guns.

And I think that because of this attitude, because it’s not trying to take itself very seriously or trying to do anything spectacular, it can be a lot of fun. It has a cockiness to itself that doesn’t feel earned, but you have to smile at. It’s like the film took its approach from the character Jack Burton. The characters aren’t particularly well developed, they all approach things as if they’re the biggest and baddest in the room with a cheesy one-liner and smile. The costumes are designed for their look over any real kind of functionality, especially the martian police; and the weapons are either big shiny guns, or something thrown together in the midst of battle. It’s silly, but I enjoy watching this film.

The cast are, on the whole, are really good too, and well placed in their roles. Henstridge became famous through her role in Species, so was a recognisable face for horror and sci-fi fans, and her recent foray into comedy is perfect for the silly tone of this movie. Equally, Ice Cube is a great foil for her, and the two of them have pretty good chemistry, and he proves to be a charming and funny criminal with a heart. Statham had had success with his work with Guy Ritchie, but hadn’t yet hit it big as a Hollywood action hero, but this film shows that he’s got the ability to shoot some guns and deliver some cheesy dialogue. Even the supporting cast are made up of competent character actors who manage to make what are little more than extras feel charming and enjoyable.

Ghosts of Mars is a silly, cheesy film that is never going to be held up as one of Carpenter’s best. It’s not going to wow anyone with its story, with its dialogue that feels like its two decades late, and it’s not going to impress with its effects that are a bit janky at times. But if you like 80’s action films that don’t take themselves very seriously this will probably keep you entertained. It might not be perfect, but it’s not a bad way to spend an hour and a half.

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Cult of the Spider Queen: An Arkham Horror Novel by S. A. Sidor - Book Review

 

'An ancient horror deep in the Amazon jungle spins a web of nightmares to ensnare adventurers, explorers, and their souls, in this skin-crawling Arkham Horror novel of cosmic dread.

'When Arkham Advertiser reporter Andy van Nortwick receives a mysterious film reel in the mail, with a simple note: “Maude Brion is very much alive!”, he steps onto a path which will lead him to the brink of madness. Brion, the famous actress and film director, vanished a year ago on an ill-fated expedition into the Amazon rain-forest, delving into the legend of the Spider Queen. Thrilled by the prospect of his big break, Nortwick swings the funds to launch a rescue mission. He gathers a team of explorers and a keen folklorist to bring back Brion and cement his reputation. But deep in the Amazon jungle, the boundaries between intrepid adventurers, dreamers, and deranged fanatics blur inside a web of terror.'

I absolutely adore the Arkham Horror books that Aconyte have been producing. Despite being based on the same game, which is based on the literary world created by one person, each and every one of them has brought something new and unique to the table; and none more obviously so than their latest offering, Cult of the Spider Queen by S. A. Sidor.

As the name of the series suggest, the vast majority of the Arkham Horror stories take place in and around the city of Arkham. We've had a few tales that expand that a bit, spreading out into the surrounding area, and even a few short stories that have features snippets in France during World War One, or ancient Greece. But for the most part these are small excursions whilst the majority of the story takes place in a setting we know. This book, on the other hand, plays things very differently, with only the first handful of chapters set in Arkham before the action moves to the heart of the Amazon rain-forest. 

As the story begins we follow Andy van Nortwick, a young reporter working at the Arkham Adviser who's looking for his big break to get him noticed. He thought that he'd found it in the past when he brought a story of strange cults and mysterious disappearances to his editor (a fantastic nod to the fact that Andy briefly appeared in Sidor's previous Arkham Horror title, The Last Ritual) but was laughed out of the room. He needs something big, something that will make him stand out, and that won't end up with him being ridiculed once again.

When Andy spots a strange looking package in the Adviser's mail room, a package sent from the Amazon, he sneakily scribbles his name onto it; sure that whatever is inside is a good story. What he gets is an roll of film, one that documents part of a lost film crew's journey into the rain-forest in search for the fabled Spider Queen. Along with the film is a note telling Andy that the film's director, a famous actress named Maude Brion, is alive. Having been lost for a year, Andy knows that if he's able to find Maude and bring her home it'll make him famous; and if he finds evidence of this fabled Spider Queen too he'll be able to make money off the story.

Andy sets out across Arkham to find funding for his expedition to the Amazon, and convinces a wealthy businessman to fund the trip with the promise of gold on the horizon. Along the way he picks up a mysterious anthropologist who knows about the Spider Queen, and seems to have an agenda of her own; as well as a pair of adventurers and archaeologists who can lead him through the jungle. With the team all set, they head out to the Amazon, hoping to use the information in the film to lead them to Maude. However, they didn't expect to find strange visions, giant monsters, men from other worlds, and a strange cult waiting for them. Now they've ended up simply fighting to stay alive as they try to find their own way home again.

I'm going to say straight away that I absolutely loved the set-up for this story. The missing film crew, the footage sent in the mail, the journey to the Amazon. It felt so different and so fun and I was so down for it. The beginning of the film felt like the set-up of a found footage movie, where the mysterious film reveals something spooky happening deep in the rain-forest and a team gets together to go and find out what's happened; whilst the story being set in a harsh, unforgiving environment felt like a throwback to old adventure horror films like The Creature From the Black Lagoon and The Mummy. I don't know how this book discovered all the boxes I liked ticked, but it absolutely nailed it.

As most of the book is set in the rain-forest it quickly becomes apparent that the book won't be relying on the dark and brooding nature of Arkham, and instead goes for a very different kind of horror. The story doesn't rely on the bizarre and the unsettling creeping into familiar environments to make the reader feel on edge, but uses the alien like nature of the jungle to do it. Most of us won't be familiar with the Amazon; we won't have been there or travelled on those waters, but we know how it's supposed to work. As such when the jungle falls eerily quiet we know that that's wrong, and it makes things feel even scarier and unsettling.

But Sidor doesn't just rely on the strange setting to ramp up the tension. There are some scenes in this book that are easily some of the most bizarre, disturbing, and unsettling things I've read in this series. When the team head out from their boat in canoes things start to go wrong for them. They lose track of each other, get lost, time doesn't flow right, and they encounter strange things waiting for them in the trees. It's like they get stuck in nightmares, drawn into a warping, ever changing reality. It makes for some unsettling moments, ones that begin to introduce some of the bolder story beats, and also means that you're never quite sure if you can trust what you're reading to be real or not. Sidor seems to know how to mess with the reader, to give them just enough doubt and unease to feel like everything they know is wrong, and that they can't trust what's going on.

But Sidor is also great at creating some compelling characters too, and our core cast are wonderful to follow. With most of the Arkham Horror books there tends to be one of two lead characters, with perhaps a third coming into the story for a short while. On a whole they keep the attention on just one or two people in order to tell their stories. As such, Cult of the Spider Queen ends up feeling a lot bigger with its focus on four principal leads; as well as some chapters told from other points of view too. It adds a sense of scope to the tale, reminds readers that this isn't just a story with one central lead, but an ensemble piece.

The characters are really likeable too. Andy is a eager young man, one who desperately wants to prove himself and show the world that he has what it takes to be a good writer. Whilst his mission to find Maude is motivated by a desire to find a good story he does care about bringing her home too. He isn't just using her disappearance for his own ends, and is willing to put his own life on the line to help others around him. Ursula and Jake, the two experienced explorers of the group are a great duo, are two people who clearly care a lot about each other and will try to put the other first. However, each of them acknowledges that the other can take care of themselves, and puts protecting those less experienced than them first. And then there's Iris, a woman who clearly has more going on than first meets the eye, and is hiding things from the others; but despite this seems to be a pretty decent person, one who doesn't always put her wants first if it means endangering the other members of the group.

They're a bit of a rag-tag bunch, and there are times that they butt heads and come to disagreements, but it's clear that they're all pretty decent people, and when things start to go wrong they all look out for each other and try and help where they can. This adds to the story feeling like one of those classic adventure movies, where the team has to come together in order to make it home again, learning to step-up and take risks to save the team, or having to give up on their destructive goals lest it end in tragedy.

One of the things that Sidor does really well too is the segments of the book that are written as if you're watching the small snippets of film that have been recorded. Translating exactly how the camera moves, what is seen on screen, can be difficult, and making sure that the reader sees exactly what you want them to isn't always guaranteed. But the moments where we got to see through the eye of the film were incredibly well done. It felt like watching the film, rather than just getting a description of what it was showing. It really helped to put me in the moment, as well as making me feel the tension of the scenes.

Cult of the Spider Queen is the kind of book that I wasn't expecting to get in the Arkham Horror series. It gave readers bold, new ways to bring the Lovecraftian horror to an interesting and unique environment without it feeling like it was another project all together. It might only begin in Arkham, but this is unmistakably in the same universe as the other other stories; just one that feels a lot bigger now. I really hope that we get more titles like this, one that take big chances and try bold things, because this was absolutely fantastic.

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Aconyte Announces Summer 2022 Books

 

Publisher Aconyte Books, home to fiction set in a number of famous worlds such as Marvel, Arkham Horror, Legend of the Five Rings, and Zombicide to name but a few, have revealed a host of exciting new titles coming to readers in summer 2022. And I'm very excited by the books that are on offer!

Coming in May 2022, Legend of the Five Rings: The Great Clans of Rokugan - The Selected Novella's volume 2 brings together some wonderful stories by some top names. The book will feature 'Deathseeker' by Robert Denton III, 'The Eternal Knot' by Marie Brennan, and 'Trial of Shadows' by D G Laderoute.

In addition, the book will also include a series of spooky stories from the Legend of the Five Rings Halloween tales; which have never been in print before.

The new book features a beautiful cover by Mauro Del Bo.

Also releasing in May 2022 is the latest Marvel novel, the first in the new School of X series; School of X: The Siege of X-41 by Tristan Palmgren.

Spinning out of the pages of Palmgren's recent Marvel Heroines novel, Outlaw: Relentless, this new story follows Joshua 'Josh' Foley, also known as Elixir. An Omega-level mutant, Elixir must learn to come to terms with his anti-mutant upbringing, all whilst fighting off vampiric mermen, and an ancient leviathan in a story being descried as an 'intense survival adventure'.

The book features cover art from Christina Myrvold.

The final book releasing in May 2022 is the third, and final, entry in the epic Twilight Imperium series, Twilight Imperium: The Veiled Masters by Tim Pratt.

This trilogy comes to a close as the galaxy stands on the brink of war. But hope yet remains that the vast web of schemes that has led to this point can be exposed before it's too late to stop disaster. The final part of this sprawling space opera has been tipped to be an astounding conclusion.

The cover for Twilight Imperium: The Veiled Masters is provided by Scott Schomburg, and fits together with the previous two books to make one huge piece of art!

June 2022 kicks off with some more zombie slaying action in the latest Zombicide entry. After fighting zombies in the modern day, as well as travelling to the future and space, this novel brings the action to a new fantasy setting in Zombicide: Age of the Undead by C. L. Werner.

Set in a fantasy world whose peace has been shattered by the zombie apocalypse, a bold knight must enlist the help of a band of unlikely allies in order to track down the source of the undead corruption sweeping across the land.

Zombicide: Age of the Undead is based upon the Black Plague edition of Zombicide, and is set to be a fun horror adventure packed with humour.

The cover art has been provided by Daniele Orizio.

The next entry in the Watchdogs Legion series comes in June 2022 with the release of Watchdogs Legion: Daybreak Legacy by Stewart Hotston; which sees the return of the resistance group from Watchdogs Legion: Day Zero!

Set right after the events of the game, this novel sees our past heroes return to take on an emergent AI and an authoritarian state in this gritty, high tech thriller. Project Daybreak isn't as dead as they thought, and neither are those who died with it.

The cover for this book has yet to be revealed; make sure to keep an eye on Acontye Books for the announcement! 

The Legend of the Five Rings, A Daidoji Shin Mystery: The Flower Path by Josh Reynolds also hits shelves July 2022, and sees the extraordinary detective Daidoji Shin investigating a wonderfully complex and intriguing locked room mystery.

This third entry in the Legends of the Five Rings series follows on from Legends of the Five Rings: Poison River, which received the People's Choice award at the 2021 UK Games Expo.

The cover art for the book has been provided by Grant Griffin.

The second entry in the Terraforming Mars series comes in July 2022 as readers return to the red planet in Terraforming Mars: Edge of Catastrophe.

In this sweeping science fiction thriller set in the 26th century Mars is a thriving world; the huge crater left by the crashing moon in Terraforming Mars: In The Shadow of Deimos is now a domed city filled with industry and a burgeoning Martian-born workforce.

The cover art has been provided by René Aigner.

Also arriving July 2022 is Descent Legends of the Dark: The Raiders of Bloodwood by Davide Mana.

A non-stop sword and sorcery action adventure set in the world of Descent: Legends of the Dark, the book sees a terrible invasion of Terrinoth. A handful of heroes is all that stands in between a monstrous horde and the total destruction of the heart of Terrinoth.

The stunning cover art is by Asur Misoa.

A new entry in the chilling Arkham Horror series comes in August 2022 with Arkham Horror: Coils of the Labrinth by David Annandale.

The first novel in the series to be written by Annandale, the book sees an unnatural horror penetrating our reality to prey on the dreams of its victims. Something sinister is lurking at the heart of a labyrinthine nightmare, something longing to be set free.

This gorgeous cover art has been provided by John Coulthart.

The next entry in the popular Assassin's Creed novel series comes in August 2022 with Assassin's Creed: The Magus Conspiracy by Kate Heartfield, the Aurora-award winning historical fantasy author.

The war between the Assassin's and the Templars causes havoc in the Victorian era when Pierette, a daring acrobat performing at the Great Exhibition, comes to the rescue of mathematician Ada Lovelace; saving her from a gag of thugs.

This breakneck thriller is set to open a new chapter in the Assassin's Creed universe. Keep an eye open for the cover reveal!

The final announcement for summer 2022 sees Squirrel Girl arriving on the scene in August. Squirrel Girl: Universe will be written by Tristan Palmgren, and will see the titular hero setting out in an adventure to save the galaxy.

Squirrel Girl is in a pickle and a jam, a metaphor that mixes about as well as it tastes. She and her friends are lost in outer space, where there is a conspicuous absence of oxygen and, even more troubling, a shortage of squirrels. What’s a girl to do?

Stay tuned for the reveal of the cover.

To keep up with the exciting announcements, as well as information on all of Aconyte's  upcoming and previous releases, make sure to head over to their website. I don't know about you, but I'm excited for a lot of these new releases, and look forward to seeing what other things they announce soon.

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Something More Than Night by Kim Newman - Book Review

 

'Dulwich College, England 1904. A young Raymond Chandler meets an enthusiastic cricketer named Billy Pratt (later Boris Karloff). Sharing a sense of being outsiders at school, the two young men become friends and Chandler encourages Pratt to help him uncover the mystery of the housemaster's strange wife and various disappearing objects. What the boys uncover will haunt them their whole lives...

'Hollywood, USA, 1944. When a young actress names Eliza Dane, also Chandler's mistress, turns up dead, in an apparent suicide having jumped from the Hollywood sign, Chandler realises he cannot escape his past. He seeks out his old friend and together they confront the terrible creature who entered their lives all those years ago.'

Kim Newman books are strange creatures. They're filled with plots that have more twists and turns in them than you'd find in a ball of string, characters that come to life in unexpected ways, and nods to other books and films that will have you smiling at the references. Having previously read and enjoyed his exploration of the Sherlock Holmes mythos in Moriarty: The Hound of the D'Urbervilles I was interested to see what he'd do with a book that not only celebrated the film and fiction of Hollywood in the 1940's, but featured two real life icons of that era.

Something More Than Night follows Raymond Chandler, who's only just just began his career as a writer and is waiting for his first book, The Big Sleep, to be published. He gets a call one night from his long time friend Billy Pratt, more famously known as Boris Karloff, who needs him to come to help identify a body. Chandler's been called in because the body resembles a victim from one of his magazine stories, and the police want to get his opinion on it.

Arriving at the scene, Chandler and Karloff watch as a car is pulled from the sea, the car of a friend of theirs. A body sits in the drivers seat, his head blown off with a shotgun. Stranger still, the police also find a woman in the trunk, a woman who is still alive after hours in the water. The woman is also known to Chandler and Karloff, as she was there years ago when their lives went through a strange ordeal; one that showed them the existence of monsters and strange abilities.

From here the story takes on a somewhat disjointed and complex narrative as we jump around in time, exploring the history these characters have together, the journey they went on, and what ultimately led to one of them dead in the sea with another locked in the trunk of their car. We get the story narrated by Chandler, who is able to give us his perspective on much of the events, as well as being able to relay to us the things he learnt where he wasn't present for things. As such, the book takes a much more personal approach to the story. This isn't just a series of events we're watching unfold, instead we see how the strange happenings alter how Chandler look at the world, how they push him to breaking point, and how much it effects him in a much more intimate way.

But perhaps the best thing about the book being written from Chandler's perspective is the fact that he talks like one of this characters, describing things like he himself is some kind of hard boiled detective. There are times when this seems to happen just naturally, giving the impression that perhaps there was a lot of Chandler's mannerisms and way of speech in his books; but other times he'll make a point of saying something like 'Marlowe would say..' before saying something very cliched and tongue-in-cheek. It's actually quite wonderfully done, as the times where it supposed to be natural feel natural, whilst the fact that Newman is hanging a lantern on those more ridiculous moments means that he's got the leeway to get away with it.

Due to the nature of the first person perspective we don't get to spend as much time with Boris Karloff as we do Chandler, and as a result of this I felt that I didn't know him as well by the end of the book. That being said, I really enjoyed how Newman did this. He came across as a man deeply guarded, somewhat shy, and a little embarrassed by his fame and recognition. He was quiet and thoughtful for much of the time he's in the book, and acts as a good foil to the more hotheaded Chandler.

I have to be honest, for a good portion of the start of the book I was a little unsure where things were going to be heading, due in part to the shifting narrative style that Newman employs. There's a big sense of mystery to things, and I wasn't quite sure why I was having certain events revealed, and what parts would become relevant later on. I really had to pay attention to everything that was happening. However, there came a point where I realised that despite this slow building start I'd become deeply hooked.

By the time the strangeness really starts and you realise that this isn't just a historical novel, but it's a story set in a world where the fantastical exists it's too late; you're already engrossed in things. By starting things more grounded, and slowly introducing weirder and odder elements Newman had ensured that I, like the characters, was completely thrown when my idea of what kind of world this was set in was thrown out the window. It was very well done; and lead to me staying up late reading.

Something More Than Night is a book that I'd be hard pressed to describe. It doesn't really feel like anything else I've read, but is also so unmistakably a Kim Newman novel. It has his sense of style, strangeness, and love of fiction that makes his work feel so unique. I think this is the kind of book that fans of 1940's detective stories and Hollywood movies will love for how much it clearly revels in that era, whilst those who might only have a passing familiarity with this part of pop culture will be drawn in by the central mystery plot and the great character work. Whatever your reason might be for picking the book up, it's sure to be an interesting ride.

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Star Wars Adventures: Tales of Villainy #12 – Comic Review

 

Originally published on Set The Tape

The previous issue of Star Wars Adventures: Tales of Villainy was definitely an issue of two halves, with one really good story and one that felt a little lacklustre. With the second half of the Rogue Squadron story taking place here, the second story in this issue was going to need to be something really good to compete with it. Luckily, we got a couple of great stories this month.

The first story, ‘Squad Goals’ part two by Cavan Scott, picks up where it left off last time, with Rogue Squadron coming across an Imperial ambush, whilst their grounded pilot, Ibti Myrak, discovers that they’ve fallen into a trap. As the issue starts, Rogue Squardon, down two pilots now due to Ibti being grounded and Lyle Kullan, the pilot they came to rescue, being missing, find themselves in hot water as they deal with Imperial fighters and a Star Destroyer.

The ship to ship action is really well done, and there’s always a sense of dynamic movement going on; something that isn’t always easy to portray in still images. It really feels like the pilots are having to think on their feet and react quickly, coming up with desperate plans and manoeuvres as they try to survive against overwhelming odds.

Meanwhile, Ibti has to find a way to help her teammates: something easier said than done. This is only the second issue that we’ve had Ibti, and as far as I’m aware its the only time she’s been used in a story, but thanks to how well written this is we get a really good sense of the kind of person that she is, and the lengths that she’s willing to go to to help her team, even if they’ve lost their faith in her. My one criticism would be that for a story that includes Admiral Ackbar and features a trap, it doesn’t include the phrase ‘It’s a trap!’ being yelled.

Manuel Bracchi and Bracardi Curry provide the art for this story, and it’s lovely work. The art is wonderfully detailed, and everything feels like it’s jumped straight out of the movies into the comic. The ships are packed with small details, like where the panels on the metal comes together, and the characters all look unique and dynamic, meaning that you’re never left confused about who you’re seeing. It’s still one of the best looking and best written stories in the series so far.

The second story, ‘Give and Take’, written and drawn by Andrew Lee Griffith, takes place in a much earlier time period during the early days of the Clone Wars. We follow Jedi Knight Aayla Secura as she and her droid, QT-KT, infiltrate a secret Separatist base where Geonosian scientists have been working on some kind of highly classified plans. Tasked with getting the information and bringing it back to the Jedi, Aayla and QT get to Mission Impossible their way through the facility. Unfortunately, things don’t go quite as planned as their escape is blocked by Asajj Ventress.

As a big fan of Star Wars: The Clone Wars it’s always good to get a story in the era, especially one that features Ventress, as she’s a firm favourite of mine. What makes this appearance of the character quite interesting too is that its one of the few times that she wields her twin sabers together as one, creating a double ended light saber with an odd curve in the middle of the handle. It’s a unique look, and one that makes for some interesting combat in this issue.

Perhaps the thing that I loved most in this story, however, was the inclusion of QT-KT, Aayla’s droid. For those who might not be aware, QT-KT appeared in a four episode arc in the animated series as part of D-Squad, an all droid team that included R2-D2. However, the team wasn’t going to include the pink astromech droid, but was supposed to include a pink R2 unit called R2-KT. To avoid confusion the name was changed slightly before the episode, and QT-KT was made. The thing about QT, and the original droid she’s based upon, R2-K2, that makes her so special though, is her origin.

Albin Johnson is one of the founders of the charity costume group The 501st Legion. This group have done a lot of good work over the years, helped children, attended conventions, and were even used on screen in The Mandalorian. Albin’s daughter, Katie, was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer when she was six-years-old. A fan of Star Wars, Katie wanted an R2 droid to watch over her when she was sick. With the help of some amazingly kind people Albin created a droid for her, painted her favourite colour, pink, called R2-KT.

Whilst Katie passed away at the age of seven, she got to spend time with her own little droid before she did. Since then the real life R2-KT has been used to visit children’s hospitals and raise both awareness of child illness, and money to help good causes. R2-KT eventually became part of canon, but QT-KT is still connected to her, and to Katie, so her inclusion always makes me think of that wonderful little girl and her love for Star Wars. Which means that this story will instantly get a place in my heart.

Star Wars Adventures: Tales of Villainy #12 is my favourite issue of the series to date. It has some great stories in it, some fantastic artwork, and for those in the know, a nod to a wonderful kid. What more can you ask for?

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Exposure by Louis Greenberg – Book Review

 

Originally published on Set The Tape

'In a Britain akin to this one, Vincent Rice falls off a ladder, literally at Petra Orff's feet. They introduce themselves, and he offers to take her to Metamuse, an alternative theatre experience like no other that he won tickets to in a competition he doesn’t remember entering.

'Vincent has a complex sense of home, and immigrant Petra senses a kindred spirit in him. As time goes on, inexplicable occurrences pile on top of one another, connected to Metamuse: certainly more than just a theatre experience. Unquiet dead seem to be reaching into the world to protest injustices both past and present.'

It’s interesting how over the last several years British fiction has started to change, how certain genres have started to feature more ‘alternative’ versions of Britain, ones where the government has become corrupt, health services are hard to access, and people’s rights have been clamped down on. As things continue to change in the UK and we slide further into fascism, these stories begin to seem less and less ‘alternative’ and more predicting the future (at the time of writing it had just been announced that the Home Office are trying to write into law the ability to strip people of their British citizenship whenever they want).

Exposure is one of these books, set in a UK where the National Health Service is a thing of the past, and huge corporations control people’s access to life saving care and important operations. Apart from this, the book doesn’t seem too far removed from our reality; and I’m sure as with other works that become more realistic with each passing day Exposure might not seem too imaginative in its depiction of Britain for very long.

The story follows Petra Orff, a woman who has lived in Britain since her university days, but is originally from South Africa. Feeling in many ways still an immigrant to the country, Petra does her best to fit in and to avoid drawing attention to the fact that she’s not from Britain; even going so far as being careful about the words that she uses when talking, and trying to keep her often loud mother from engaging with people she thinks might not take to immigrants. Her life is altered one day when a man literally falls out of the sky at her feet.

This is how she meets Vincent Rice, a second generation Black British man with Malawi and Jamaican family, who’s having to dismantle his recently deceased grandfather’s recording studio in order sell it on. The two of them hit it off, though somewhat awkwardly, and after having dinner together Vincent invites Petra to join him at a show. A world famous art troupe called Metamuse have decided to have their latest season of shows in quiet little Leamington Spa; something that seems strange in itself. Stranger still, however, is that Vincent won the tickets in a competition he doesn’t even remember entering.

Attending the first show, Vincent and Petra form a quick relationship, and become swept up in each other. But when they attend the second show things begin to go wrong; the show leaves them feeling disturbed, and Petra begins to experience strange things in her regular life. Convinced that there’s something sinister going on with Metamuse, and that it could be putting her and Vincent in danger, Petra becomes determined to get to the bottom of things.

One of the things that I really liked about Exposure was how for the longest time I wasn’t really sure what genre is was going to fit into. Obviously there are some romance elements thanks to the relationship between Petra and Vincent being a central focus, as well as the mystery elements when Petra begins her investigation into Metamuse, but it was clear that there was something else going on too, some kind of strange series of events that was altering Petra’s perception of the world. There are moments throughout the book where she sees disturbing images in people’s faces; where the sun hits them just right, or she catches their reflections, she sees monsters in place of people. There are also moments where she seems to have no memory of people that she’s supposed to know, or remembers people clearly that others have no memory of.

These strange moments, these odd happenings that begin to make you question the reality around Petra could be chalked up to someone dealing with a lot of emotional distress, whose mind might be having difficulty processing things; but it felt like it was more than that, and as such my mind started to come up with theories. Whilst I was completely off in what I was expecting things to be, there is something in this book that explains everything, that will have you going ‘of course it was that’, and might even leave you wanting to go back and reread the entire thing now knowing this revelation, so that you can experience the story in a whole new way.

The characters of Exposure are interesting too, especially the central duo. Petra is a strange mixture of unsure of herself, always wanting to be careful and not rock the boat, but also really headstrong and impulsive. There are times where she seems to want to just go with the flow and almost disappears into the background, whilst others she’s confrontational and brash. There are times where these traits can be good, but often she seems to choose to be the wrong thing in the wrong moment, and often causes herself to be her own worst enemy. But one thing about her I really liked was how passionate and caring she is. Especially towards Vincent, a man she’s just met and hardly knows anything about, yet is willing to put herself in danger for.

Vincent is a little more complex than Petra, mostly because we don’t spend as much time with him, and he plays his cards much closer to his chest. For a lot of the book we don’t know much about him, and it’s clear that he’s keeping big parts of  his life secret from Petra, dodging her questions and avoiding certain subjects. But on the whole he seems to be a decent man, though perhaps one who has lost his focus in life; though when you learn more about his history this becomes a lot more understandable.

Exposure is an interesting and twisting narrative filled with mystery, one that gets you thinking and will keep you reading long after you should probably have put the book down to take a break. It’s got some complex and flawed characters who feel like real people, and you genuinely want to see them do well and get through the events unscathed; though it soon becomes clear that this isn’t a story where that’s guaranteed. Perfect for fans of fiction like Black Mirror, this is a book that will stick with you after it’s done.

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School of X: A Marvel: Xavier's Institute Anthology - Book Review

 

'The next generation of the astonishing X-Men grow into true super heroes against their deadliest enemies, in this wide-ranging Marvel anthology?.

'The New Charles Xavier School for Gifted Mutants isn’t all it’s cracked up to be: The food is so-so, and it’s cold eleven out of twelve months, not to mention the creepy bunker vibes with mysterious tech popping up all over the place. But for the latest mutants to take on the mantle of X-Men, it’s home. Under the stewardship of Emma Frost, Cyclops, and Magneto, these new recruits learn to control their powers and defeat villainy. Yet danger lurks within the academy, and it isn’t just monsters or evil geniuses. Now, these fresh X-Men must take what they’ve learned and put their unique powers to the test against unexpected adversaries – from cyborgs and the undead to temporal chaos, and even alternate versions of themselves.'

I've struggled to keep up with the Marvel Universe over the years. There are so many books to read, so many big events, and so many moments that seem designed to shift the status quo that I never felt like I had a good grasp on things. There were certain books I tried to read, to check in with some of my favourite characters, but half the time they felt like stories written to tell big action stories, with a few character moments tacked onto them. 

Since Aconyte books started producing Marvel novels, however, I've found myself able to spend some time with characters again, to get to know them, and to read stories that are more about the people that these heroes are, rather than some big flashy action story. I have to be honest, I've been enjoying Marvel more as novels than I have as comics, and books like School of X: A Marvel: Xavier's Institute Anthology only cement this feeling, as this is one of the best collection of X-Men stories I've had the pleasure to read.

The collection brings together a number of authors who fans of Aconyte's work will be familiar with, as some of them have already written some Marvel titles for the publisher; as well as featuring a few new names too. It really does feel like the company have brought together their best people to work on this book.

The first story in the collection is 'Fifteen Minutes' by Jaleigh Johnson, who previously wrote Triptych which featured Fantomex and the X-Men. The story begins with a number of the young students at the school hanging out in their downtime, watching movies and hanging out. It's nice to see these characters outside of their super hero time, and to see that whilst they're still not as close as some of the teams we've seen over the years they're definitely forming into something of a family. The story focuses on Fabio Medina, the mutant known as Goldballs. This is before Fabio became part of The Five, and still didn't know the full extent of his powers, and thinks of himself as something of a joke.

When one of the Stepford Cuckoos, Celeste, suggests a karaoke night to break up the movies she gets shot down by the others, and Fabio notices how much this seems to hurt her. When he goes to sleep that night be begins to dream that he's inside various movies, detective noir films, a zombie movie, an action film, and so on. In each of these films the Cuckoos makes an appearance. Fabio begins to realise that they're a part of why he's trapped in these odd dreams, and has to figure out a way to break them out, and help Celeste if he can.

I really liked this story, not just for showing us what it's like for the young students when they're not learning or being heroes, but also for giving us some insight into some characters that don't always get the spotlight. Fabio has gone on to become an important figure in the X-Men books, but I still don't feel like I really know him, especially from this point in time; so getting to get inside his mind, seeing how he works, what he fears and desires, is very interesting. It also gives Celeste a chance to shine as an individual, rather than as a part of the Cuckoos as a whole. This is something that I don't think happens enough in the comics, so it was wonderful to see more of what she's like as an individual person.

The second story is 'Call of the Dark' by Robbie MacNiven, who gave us the wonderful First Team earlier this year. This story focuses on a character that made an appearance in First Team, but wasn't given a huge focus, Graymalkin. Having been born more than 300 years ago, buried alive by his homophobic father, and found himself in a time far beyond his own Graymalkin is an incredibly interesting character, not least because his power is given to him by the dark, the one thing he's most afraid of.

The story follows Jonas as he explores the dark and lonely halls of the former Weapon X facility late at night, going to places where he really shouldn't be. Along the way he discovers something lurking down in the dark underbelly of the school; a dark doppelganger that torments him, tries to get inside his mind, and who haunts his every moment. This story explores that fear, and Graymalkin's complicated relationship with the darkness. It's a dive into the inner workings of the character, one that reveals more about him than any other story featuring him that I've read. And it's written like a horror story too; which is just fantastic. 

The next story, 'Uncatchabe' by Cath Lauria, who wrote the Marvel novel Elsa Bloodstone: Bequest, is more of a traditional X-Men story, in the sense that it sees a couple of our students chasing bad guys and saving the day. It follows David Bond, also known as Hijack, the oldest student in the school. Whilst everyone else in in their teens or early twenties David is in his thirties, and as a result feels kind of detached from everyone else. He's not like the rest of his classmates, and has trouble fitting in. So he burns off steam by sneaking out of the school at night to take part in illegal street races in the nearby town.

Unfortunately for David, he's got a stowaway in the car with him, Alisa Tager, aka Cipher. Thanks to her ability to become invisible and intangible she was able to sneak along with him, and is interested in finding out what David gets up to at night. Whilst at first he's against the idea of her tagging along he relents and agrees to let her stay. However, when Alisa discovers that the street races are being used as a front for gun runners she and David set out to catch the criminals.

This was a really fun story, one that showed that you can still deliver exciting action moments whilst giving good character development. Lauria managed to breathe a lot of life into the two trainee X-Men in this story, particularly David, whom I knew very little about before this. It was nice to have a dynamic where one of the students is closer in age to the teachers, someone who doesn't really fit into either camp, and to get to see him learning to deal with that and find a place for himself.

'Eye of the Storm' isn't the first time that writer Amanda Bridgeman has worked with Aconyte, having written Pandemic: Patient Zero earlier this year, but it is the first time that she has worked with the Marvel characters; but it's clear through her story that she's more than capable of handling these wild and wonderful characters.

This story follows a trio of students who are busy trying to levee a river close to the school before a huge storm causes too much damage, hoping that they can prevent too much attention from being drawn to the area. There's Santo 'Rockslide' Vaccarro, who is a long time student at the school, and two newcomers who recently transferred in from Wolverine's school, Sooraya 'Dust' Qadir, and Iara 'Shark-Girl' Dos Santos. Together, the three of them work to try and get their task finished on time, but when they start vanishing one by one they realise something sinister is going on.

'Eye of the Storm' is similar to the previous story, in the sense that it does have a more action and adventure feel to it as it sees the three young heroes having to fight for their lives against the foe that's set their sights on capturing them. However, what I found most interesting about it was the dynamic between the three of them. Dust and Shark-Girl know each other, have fought together before, and have a camaraderie, but they don't really have this with Rockslide. They don't know him, and they're new to the Xavier Institute and their way of doing things, and feel a little angry that they've been sent away from their own school. There's a sense of antagonism and distrust that's simmering between the group, and it makes them having to work together more interesting.

'Of Dirt and Bones' by Pat Shand comes next, and is one of my favourite stories in the book. Shand hasn't worked with Aconyte before this, but it a name that might be familiar to comic readers as he's worked on titles such as Grimm Fairy Tales: Robyn Hood and a number of Charmed novels in the past. Having worked on titles that focus on powered women it's no surprise that his story does a similar thing, as we get a spooky, magical tale that focuses on Phoebe of the Stepford Cuckoos.

The story begins with Phoebe waking from a strange dream in her diamond form, resulting in some light teasing from her sisters. During a training session that puts the students through a particularly brutal psychic assault that sees Phoebe using her telekinesis to break her way out, though she accidentally kills a goose flying by when she does so. After burying the goose in the woods because she feels guilty for taking its life strange things begin to happen, and soon the school is surrounded by awful zombie animals that have been walking out of the woods. Surrounded by the dead creatures, Phoebe believes that it's her fault, and that the school might end up in danger if she doesn't do something about it.

This story was absolutely delightful. The atmosphere drips off the page in this story, and it feels like a creepy horror/fairy tale mash-up that puts our lone Cuckoo in the centre of things. Whilst I mentioned the first story in this collection giving us an insight into one of this trio I think this one did so in a much bigger way, really showing us what it's like for Phoebe as she feels lost and alone in the world, hounded by guilt and feelings of loneliness. I could have read an entire book like this, and really hope that this won't be the last time Shand plays with these characters.

Neil Kleid is another name that's new to the Aconyte team, but has a history with writing Marvel characters. His story, 'Kid Omega Faces The Music' is, as the name suggests, a story that focuses on the most narcissistic omega-level mutant, Kid Omega. The story follows him as he tells the story of how he snuck out of the school in order to go to a convention with the goal of stealing Wonder Man's glasses. The plan seems to be going fine until Kang the Conqueror turns up and tries to blast Wonder Man with an energy pulse that will send him through time. When Kid Omega is hit instead he finds himself being thrown through different periods of X-Men history, always around Magneto.

Kid Omega has always been something of a dick; it's one of the reasons why we love him. He sees mutants as being superior, and himself as being superior even within the mutant world. This is something that he seems to have in common with Magneto, a figure who has always battled for mutant rights and freedoms, sometimes violently. As Quentin bops through time he sees a young Magneto, fighting to wipe out humanity and put mutants on top, a Magneto who puts himself in the line of fire to save humans, a Magneto troubled by his path in life, and many others. Over the course of his travels Quentin begins to realise that his views, like the young Magneto's aren't quite as simple as he thinks, and begins to suspect that there is a way for humans and mutants to live together if they tried.

This is a really good story, one that forces a character who hardly ever thinks of anyone but himself, and always thinks his view is the right one, to reevaluate his stance on a number of things. It forces him to see that others like him have come before and failed, and that the lessons they've learned are ones that he should pay attention to. He begins to grow as a person, even if only a little. I very much appreciated getting a chance to see how Quentin ticks through this story, and loved how different the writing style of this story was. It was also cool to get a hint of Krakoa here too, events that are happening in the comics now, but would have been the future for the Quentin we're following here.

The final story in the book, the biggest of all of them, is 'Depowered' by Carrie Harris, who wrote the first Xaviers Institute book, Liberty and Justice For All. This story follows the young students when their teachers head out on an important mission, leaving them alone in the school. All's fine until a jet arrives unannounced, bringing with it Dani Moonstar, who's powers were lost on M-Day, and Polaris, the daughter of Magneto, whose own magnetic powers are on the fritz. The two of them have come to the school hoping to find help for their lost and damaged powers. Unfortunately, not long after they arrive a squad of Sentinels follows, forcing the young students to have to work as a team in order to defend their home. 

There's a lot of action in this story, and a lot of characters get moments to shine, but if there are two characters in particular who get the focus it's Eva Bell and Christopher Muse, the two leads from Harris' other X-Men book. This story sees the two of them having to step up and become leaders, taking charge of the students when certain death looms on the horizon. It feels like a continuation of Liberty and Justice For All in the sense that these are characters that have clearly continued to grow from that point, and who are drawing from their experiences in that book to help deal with the Sentinels. But it's also a story that's seeing Eva having to deal with one of the most heartbreaking and tragic things in her life, as none of the other students are aware that this comes shortly after Eva's powers pushed her into the future, where she spent a decade making a new life and with her husband and child; a life now lost to her. A life she has to mourn losing without anyone knowing.

I really enjoyed this story, and it gave a lot of character a chance to show why they're not only great characters, but amazing additions to the X-Men line-up. It was also nice to see two familiar faces make a prose appearance in the form of Polaris and Dani Moonstar. They brought some interesting new energy into the mix, and gave the two leaders some wildcards with which to play with when they took charge.

There's a great mixture of stories in School of X, stories that feature a broad range of characters from across the X-Men titles and gives them a chance to lead their own stories. The stories delve into what makes these people tick, their hopes, their fears, their dreams. It showcases how them learning to become super heroes is more than just figuring out their powers, but learning and growing as people and finding their places in the world. An excellent addition to the X-Men mythos.

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Valley of the Shadow: The Spiritual Value of Horror – Documentary Review

 

Originally published on Set The Tape

Religion often plays a part in horror. Whether it’s a demon from Christian mythology trying to break its way out of hell, or some kind of ancient and wicked cult whose faith compels them to perform awful deeds, it’s a facet of the horror genre that many will take for granted.  Because Christian faith is often used in horror, with some of the most famous films in the genre such as The Omen, Rosemary’s Baby, and The Exorcist all being heavily steeped in faith, it’s easy to see how some people who hold religion to be important to them could have a hard time connecting with horror.

This is something that video essayist and podcaster Tyler Smith is trying to tackle in his latest documentary film, Valley of the Shadow: The Spiritual Value of Horror. The film is hosted by Bill Oberst Jr., himself a man of faith who is also an actor with almost 200 acting credits to his name, the vast majority of which are horror. Oberst takes the viewer through an expansive evaluation of the various different sub-genres of horror, going into detail about the more famous films and how these particular projects handle their horror content, before finally talking about Christian faith, and how the two are tied together.

The film clocks in at a long two hours and twenty minutes, and the majority of this is dedicated to looking at the different aspects of the horror genre. There are sections that look at how animals and nature play a part in horror, but rather than bundling it all in together it takes the time to look at horror films about sharks, spiders, and alligators each on their own, reminding the viewer that there are actually a lot of horror films just for these select animals. It also talks about snakes, and brings up how a serpent was the first monster in the Bible, when the snake in Eden tempted Eve. This is the first real connection to faith for the first part of the film, and one of the few times the film will do this.

From here Oberst will take us through films about infection and replacement, talking about the paranoia of The Thing and Invasion of the Body Snatchers. The film discusses how the evolution of zombies has changed over the years, not just in the genre as a whole, but even specifically in the George A Romero films, and how they’ve been used to discuss certain themes like the civil rights movement in Night of the Living Dead, consumerism in Dawn of the Dead, militarisation in Day of the Dead, and the increase in online life and voyeurism in Diary of the Dead.

The film also spends a decent amount of time looking at two of the most popular creatures in horror: the vampire, and the werewolf. These are areas where I expected a more religious viewpoint to be discussed, especially in regards to the vampire and is connection to the religious imagery of the crucifix. But that doesn’t really happen here. Instead we’re given an examination of how eternal life can at first be seen as a wondrous thing for the vampire, before transforming over time into a curse; as well as how the opposite can be true for the werewolf, where at first people are terrified of the curse put upon them, but can eventually come to embrace the animalistic nature of the werewolf.

Throughout these sections we get a selection of films from across the years, with some of the earliest horrors being featured being The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari and Nosferatu, whilst also getting discussion of films from just last year. However, whilst this selection does show that writers Tyler Smith and Reed Lackey obviously have a broad knowledge of the horror genre they have a very westernised interest in or view of it.. The only films that the documentary references or talks about that aren’t English language movies are old German films, and there’s not a solitary mention of a single Asian horror, despite these being some of the most popular horror films in the world. Perhaps this is because of the low levels of Christianity in Asian countries, or at least the fact that Christiainity isn’t informing horror films there. But as the film references other horror films that have no real connection to Christiainity, other than being made in countries where it’s a majority religion, it’s disappointing that more care wasn’t given to include these films too.

After spending the first two hours talking about the various parts of the horror genre, the film then turns its sights to Christianity. We get clips from films such as The Last Temptation of Christ, The King of Kings, and Passion of the Christ, and the discussion finally turns to talking about how horror and faith intersect, and how they believe that many of the morals that horror tries to impart on the audience, of striving to do better, of sticking together and helping each other, are all good Christian values. And whilst this section of the film is certainly interesting, the fact that this discussion, the main topic of the film, doesn’t happen until two hours have gone by meant that it felt in some ways almost tacked on at the end.

I’m no stranger to long video essays, I’ve watched hours long breakdowns on franchises I’ve never even seen because I find analysis interesting, and HBomberGuy’s ‘Sherlock is Garbage, And Here’s Why’ is a video I’ve watched multiple times, despite it clocking in at almost two hours itself. But the thing with these YouTube video essays that I enjoy, and that keep bringing me back, is that they analyse their topics well, they make their points across the entire essays, and they keep me entertained. In contrast, Valley of the Shadow: The Spiritual Value of Horror failed to keep my attention. It was interesting to examine horror as a genre, but looking at the genre separately to the point the film was trying to make, then coming back round at the end to outline the views, made it feel like a two hour introduction to a twenty minute essay.

I really wanted to like this film. It seemed like it was going to try to look at horror from an interesting perspective; that it would examine the way that faith and Christianity have been used in horror, and how horror isn’t necessarily bad just because of the subject matter it includes. But it ended up being an overview of horror with a short message at the end that having good values is nice, and that horror does well with faith. I’m sure some will enjoy this message, but it felt like it was delivered in a very long, not completely entertaining way.

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Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures – The Monster of Temple Peak #4 – Comic Review

 

Originally published on Set The Tape

It’s bittersweet whenever a comic series that you’re loving comes to an end. On one hand you get the conclusion to a story that you’re enjoying and get to see how things resolve, but on the other it means that you’re not going to get any more issues. This is honestly how I’m feeling now that Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures – The Monster of Temple Peak has come to a close – though this might not be the end for Ty Yorrick and her adventures.

With Ty coming face to face with the Gretalax last issue, but choosing not to destroy the creature, it wasn’t entirely clear where this issue would be focused. This issue lets the reader in on the revelations that Ty had made in the previous issue, the discovery of the origin and the motivations of the Gretalax pretty early on, revealing that most of what we’d been led to believe across the course of the series has been an elaborate web of lies.

Despite having given up being a Jedi it’s clear that many of their teachings and their morals have stuck with Ty, and the fact that she chooses to right a wrong, to confront the real villain of the story rather than just finishing the job and collecting the money proves this. It shows that despite her protestations Ty isn’t just just a simple monster hunter, that she won’t just take a job for the coin and kill whatever she’s been asked to. Justice and injustice means something to her, and that’s clearly the most important thing that she took away from the Jedi Order.

Speaking of the Jedi, we finally get an answer as to why she left the Order, even though there is clearly more story there to tell. We have seen the catalyst, the event that leads to her split from them, but we still don’t know if leaving was a choice she made, or a punishment placed upon her. I suspect that this is very deliberate, as the final moments of the book seem to make it clear that this won’t be the last that we see of Ty, and I suspect that there’s still a lot about her back story to discover whenever we next get to see her.

It’s sometimes hard to talk about an issue that’s so plot heavy like this one because you don’t want to spoil any of the details or revelations, and whilst that’s the case here I do feel confident in saying that readers are going to enjoy what happens. Cavan Scott has been excellent throughout this series, but this is the issue where his writing shines the most. Now that we get to see everything come together it just reinforces what I’ve been thinking throughout, that he’s one of the best writers working on The High Republic right now, and his comic work is excellent.

The artwork on this issue is incredibly well done too, with Rachael Stott, Vita Efremova, and Nicola Righi producing some of the best work on the series yet. The action sequences feel full of energy and move with a great pace; we get more characters than we’ve had elsewhere, and they all look good; and the work on the various monsters that appear here are brilliant. Everything about this issue looks good, and I think that this creative team might be producing some of the best looking stuff in any of the Star Wars Adventures titles.

Whilst I’m sad to see this series come to an end I’m happy with how it came to an end. The story concludes well, having answered many of the mysteries set up, but leaving things open for the future. I’m very excited to see where and when Ty will appear again, but until then I’m glad I’ve got this story to tide me over.

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