Star Wars: Hyperspace Stories #4 – Comic Review

 

Originally published on Set The Tape

There’s been a very small thread running through the first few issues of Star Wars: Hyperspace Stories that has been quite subtle, to the point where it could be easy to miss. Since appearing in the first issue, a small Wookie doll has been making its way across the galaxy, meeting up with various heroes from the Skywalker Saga. And now, it finally returns home to Kashyyyk in what ends up being a delightful end to these first four issues that feels like poetry; to use the words of George Lucas himself: “It’s like poetry, they rhyme.”

After a couple of issues by Cecil Castellucci, this one sees the return of writer Amanda Deitbert. Out of the previous three issues, the first was the one that I found to be the weakest, and as such I was slightly worried when I saw that Deitbert was returning to the book. However, not only was that fear unwarranted, but this ended up being the most enjoyable book of the series to date.

This issue sees Rey and Chewbacca travelling to the Wookie home-world of Kashyyyk, where the annual celebration Life Day is happening. Chewie wants to bring Rey with him so that she can meet him family, and take part in the celebration with them. However, a bounty hunter is following close behind them, and intends to try and take the Jedi into custody; even if it means wrecking the Wookie holiday in order to do it.

Life Day is one of those things that has become a pretty firm fan favourite over the years. Originally beginning life as part of the frankly horrifying Star Wars Holiday Special it first became popular because of how awful the Holiday Special was. But since the change in leadership behind the scenes and the introduction of the new canon, Life Day has been incorporated into Star Wars once again. Having first appeared in new canon in Star Wars Adventures: Tales of Villainy issue three, it’s since featured in its own special Life Day issue, as well as having been mentioned in the High Republic books, the kids’ game show Star Wars: Jedi Temple Challenge, and even the very first episode of The Mandalorian.

Here, Life Day is being used as an excuse to further develop the relationship between Rey and Chewie, and it works perfectly for that. In the sequel movies Rey very quickly starts to ingratiate herself with the Falcon crew, striking up a decent relationship with Han Solo, and over the other two movies she and Chewie start to become good friends; to the point where you can easily see the two of them going off and having adventures together. Here, Chewie is bringing her to his home, he’s introducing her to his family, and bringing her into an important part of her life. It’s lovely to see their relationship develop in this way, and it feels like the perfect next step for them.

But this issue isn’t all about them, as two other Wookie characters also get some of the spotlight. The first if Lumpawaroo, Chewbacca’s son. Like Life Day itself, Lumpy first appeared in the Holiday Special, and would have several EU appearances. This is one of the first times we’ve seen him since he was brought into canon with Star Wars Aftermath: Empire’s End, and he’s grown up a lot since then, appearing to be almost an adult himself now. We also see another Wookie who’s done a lot of growing up: Viiveenn. Viiveenn appeared in the first issue of the series, and was the little girl whose Wookie doll has been appearing throughout the series. This Viiveenn has matured a lot, and rather than being the scared child she was then, gets to be involved in the plot, and even has a moment that mirrors her father’s actions in that first issue (poetry, they rhyme).

The fact that this issue has brought things full circle, that these four issues, which make up the first volume of the graphic novels, begin and end with Wookies, that they’re about family, sacrifice, kindness, and bravery, makes it all feel planned out and worth it. The four unconnected stories weren’t completely unconnected, as they shared a lot of themes in common, and they all come to the forefront here.

This issue has art by Lucas Marangon, and Michael Atiyeh, and the book looks absolutely fantastic. Much like with previous issues, the book has a wonderfully cartoonish look to it that makes things easy to read and understand, and brings the characters to life in lovely ways. Rey and Chewie are instantly recognisable, and feel true to their established characters. The Wookies and their home all look amazing, and it’s brilliant to get to see a lot of different style and variety in the Wookie, with different shapes and sizes, and different decorations to their hair, rather than just being coloured differently.

Easily the best issue of the series yet, and the perfect end to this first run focusing on the heroes of the franchise. With the next four issues focusing on the bad guys, labelled as ‘Scum and Villainy’, I’ll be interested to see if it does the same thing again, with small pieces running throughout, culminating in one cleverly constructed tale.

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Tomb Raider (2013) – Throwback 10

 

Originally published on Set The Tape

The Tomb Raider series has been around for a long while. Having been first introduced way back in 1996 on the Sega Saturn, it might not feel like Lara Croft is that much of an old character for ancient gamers like myself, but she has been around for almost thirty years now (writing that hurt a little). And as with any media franchise that’s been around for that long there comes a time when things start to feel a bit too bloated, a bit too convoluted, and a clean sweep is needed. That came in 2013, when Crystal Dynamics and Square Enix rebooted the franchise with the unimaginatively named Tomb Raider.

The tenth game in the franchise, by the time Tomb Raider went into production Lara Croft had fought dinosaurs, discovered the ancient kingdom of Atlantis, and has wielded both Excalibur and Mjolnir. Trying to keep track of all of the people she know, has worked with, and been betrayed by, along with shady organisations, evil cults, and ancient entities, requires a huge board and a lot of string. As such, starting from the beginning was one of the smartest moves that the team behind Tomb Raider could have made. and makes this a perfect jumping on point for new fans, and those who haven’t played a Tomb Raider game in years.

Tomb Raider sees the young Lara Croft (Camilla Luddington) setting out on her first ever expedition to the remote and mysterious island of Yamatai. The home to huge storms that have caused dozens of shipwrecks over the years, Lara hopes to find proof of the rumoured lost civilisation that’s said to exist there. Unsurprisingly, the expeditions ship is caught in one of these powerful storms and wrecked. Lara and a handful of the crew are able to make their way to the island, where they’re forced to try and survive.

However, Lara soon discovers that they’re not alone on Yamatai, as the island is also home to the Solarii, a dangerous cult that worships queen Hamiko, an ancient figure of myth that once ruled the island and is said to have mystical powers to control the storms. With the Solarii out for blood, Lara has to pick up a weapon and fight for her survival, leading to her discovering that she’s more than just an archaeology student, and that she has the ability to become a hero.

Tomb Raider opens strong, with the wrecking of the Endurance and Lara’s subsequent arrival on Yamatai being cinematic in scope with big moments, and breakneck sequences that throws the character from one peril to another. Before long Lara, and by extension the player, has very quickly learned that the island is not a safe place, and that you’re going to be battling the environment as much as you are the cultists that call it home. Luckily, the game manages to create an incredibly enjoyable and easy to use exploration and combat system, that makes clambering around obstacles whilst fighting for your life a joy to do rather than a chore.

One of the complaints about the earliest entries in the franchise was that Lara at times controlled like a tank. You’d think you were aiming at the place you wanted her to jump to, but your subsequent button press would see her leaping the wrong way and plummeting down a huge drop to her death, forcing you to replay several minutes in order to try the tricky leap another time. In comparison, this game is an absolute delight. Lara handles brilliantly, and there’s a ton of places to explore across Yamatai, so that you end up looking forward to finding the next area, and discovering hidden ledges to clamber up to.

The action was also vastly improved, with the clunky shooting of previous entries thrown aside for a more fluid approach. A big part of Tomb Raider is having Lara scavenge for supplies and weapons. Building a bow to start hunting for animals, and for silently dealing with cultists, is a huge amount of fun (and makes for one of the best weapons in the game). From there you’re able to take weapons from your enemies, giving you access to pistols, shotguns and more as you dash around the island, becoming a one woman army in your mission to free your friends and find a way home.

The game also takes some inspiration from the Uncharted series, and sees some big set pieces that Lara has to scale her way through in order to survive. Buildings burn around you as you climb your way to freedom, or you find yourself thrown off a cliff and sliding down a watery slope, dodging rocky outcrops. These moments are huge in scope, and are often used as transitions to new areas, such as Lara sliding down tunnels and finding herself trapped underground. These moments work well in the story, and help to further show the personal growth that Lara is going through, transforming from the scared young woman at the start of the game into the hardened heroine we all know her as.

These changes proved to be popular, and upon the game’s release it received a number of strong reviews and critical acclaim. The game was praised for its visual style that put Lara into more realistic settings, as well as giving her character enough attention that she actually felt like a well rounded and engaging person. The game did receive some criticism for how Lara in the story struggled with having to fight and kill, with her having a breakdown after the first time she kills a person, and the fact that the game allows players to engage in a number of killings. This is fair criticism, as this aspect of her character is sometimes at odds with the game-play, though it doesn’t detract too much from the overall quality.

After ten games, and more than fifteen years, Lara Croft was overdue a refresh, and Tomb Raider handled that in spectacular fashion. Not only was the game incredibly well received, but it would go on to spawn two more games as direct sequels, as well as heavily inspiring the next Lara Croft film outing. Tomb Raider was the revamp that the franchise needed, and will be well remembered by fans for a long time to come.

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Lazarus Planet: Revenge of the Gods #1 - Comic Review

 

It looks like Lazarus Planet: Revenge of the Gods, a spin-off of the recent Lazarus Planet event, is set to be bigger than the event it's a part of, both in number of issues and the length of time that it's going to be taking place over. Lazarus Planet ended up being two actual issues, with several one-shot tie-in's over a two month period that didn't effect the story, or really take much part in it, at all. The event didn't really feel like it did much, or even really mattered. However, this title seems to be doing some pretty big things, and could lead to some big shifts in the status quo; especially for the Amazons.

Our story begins when the gods start messing with humanity. It starts benignly enough, as Apollo fires magical arrow at people, giving them the gift of foresight. We see people coming to the realisation that their partners are about to have affairs, winning lottery numbers, and the time and method of their deaths. Elsewhere, other gods seem more focused on fear. In Egypt Sekhmet sends legions of cats after people, a giant god creates a massive wave to destroy Tokyo, and in Iceland the goddess Skaldi chases anything that moves, hunting them down with her bow.

Travelling to Mt Olympus, we see why this is happening, as the goddess Hera has allied herself with the wizard Shazam, and has deposed her husband; having killed Zeus in the process. Hera has told all of the gods that their time is coming to an end, that without the worship of the humans they're going to die; and as such the gods have decided to make humanity worship them the quickest way they know how, out of fear.

On Earth, Wonder Woman, Wonder Girl, and Cheetah discuss options for tackling the rise in disasters around the world that the gods are causing. Whilst Cheetah proposes the idea of humanity fighting back against the gods, Diana volunteers to head to Olympus to talk to her mother, who recently ascended to godhood. Arriving there, Diana is confronted by Hera, who tells her that when the gods die the Amazons go with them, the two being so closely linked. Hera then gives Diana a powerful gift, transforming her into a god herself.

In the back-up feature a pair of video bloggers, both guys, travel to Themyscira, which has lost its magical protection thanks to the Lazarus rain. Queen Nubia discusses options with her council as the best course of action for dealing with the men, but when they arrive on the beach they find that they've already been killed by a mysterious hooded figure. The figure, who we saw stealing the severed hand of a god in the main story, tells the Amazons that they're in danger, and claims to be their ally.

Lazarus Planet: Revenge of the Gods is actually already much better than the main Lazarus Planet title, and is much more interesting. It's clearly trying to do something a bit different, and it introduces a lot of cool concepts in this opening issue. There are elements that will have required readers to not only have read the Lazarus Planet: We Once Were Gods one-shot, but also several issues of Wonder Woman. This book is tied heavily to the Wonder Woman mythology, and it very much a continuation of what's been happening with the Amazons for the last couple of years. However, it doesn't feel like the book is written in a way that people are going to be lost if this is the first thing they've read in regards to Wonder Woman.

Those that picked this title up for Shazam stuff though, might be feeling a bit disappointed so far. The wizard in in a few scenes, but only has a couple of lines of dialogue, and Billy Batson is relegated to being background character in the opening pages. However, it's likely that the Sazam family will be making a larger appearance later on if the solicitations are to be believed (though DC can be pretty deceptive with their covers, featuring characters and situations that never appear in the book on occasion).

This really feels like the first issue of an event book, where there's a lot of set-up going on. Because of this G Willow Wilson keeps the story moving at a really brisk pace. There's just enough time to get quieter moments with some of the main characters, whilst also featuring some big scenes of the gods causing havoc, as well as moments of intrigue. Perhaps the biggest mystery so far is who the hooded figure is. In the main story they're pretty gender neutral for most of it, with their face covered or in shadows to keep the features out of sight, and baggy clothing that could hide any figure. The final panel of their face we see does look pretty masculine however. But in the back-up story they absolutely look feminine, plus the Amazons aren't immediately throwing them off the island, hinting that it's probably a woman. With even their gender being kept on the downlow, there's not really any indication of who this is going to be, and any guess right now is as good as another. 

Overall, this was a great start to the new series, one that does some interesting things, and could take the Amazons in a bold new direction.

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The Last of Us - TV Review

 

The Last of Us is one of those titles where if you're even vaguely into gaming you'll have heard of it. The hugely popular pair of games has been consistently talked about, recommended, and re-released ten years ago. Despite the popularity of it, and the constant talk about it, it's a game I've yet to play (mainly because I've not even turned my Playstation of for the last four years, let alone play any of the exclusive games it has). So when it was announced that the game was being adapted into a television show I was happy that I'd finally get to experience this story without having to dust off the console and wait a week for all of the updates to install.

As more news of the impending series was released I have to admit, it went from a show that I thought I might check out to one that I knew I was going to have to watch. The casting of Pedro Pascal as Joel felt perfect. He looked like the grizzled survivor, and having seen him in several other roles I knew that he had the range to be able to play a character who you're kind of supposed to love, but also think is a bit of an awful person too. When it was announced that Bella Ramsey was playing Ellie I was very intrigued. Having mostly experienced her as Mildred Hubble in the new adaptation of The Worst Witch I knew that she could bring child-like, playful energy to the role; and her small appearances in Game of Thrones showed that she could bring some maturity and anger when needed. I began to hope that the show would do well as soon as the casting was announced due in large part to the 'fans' of the game who began to complain at the casting. The complaints that Bella wasn't 'pretty' enough to play Ellie (a character who is literally a 14-year-old girl), and all of the horrible comments about her physical appearance made me determined to watch the series to give it some extra ratings just to piss off the man-babies who were getting all creepy and pedo about a fictional teenage girl.

Then the show arrived, and with the very first scene I knew that I was going to be hooked. The opening moments of the first episode bear no relevance on the plot of the show, it doesn't feature characters that have an impact on what's to come, it doesn't get mentioned again, or referenced. It's throw-away. But, listening to scientists on a talk show discuss what a cordyceps outbreak would mean, how it would be an unwinnable situation perfectly set up the tone of the series. The moment of stunned silence from the audience, the weight that John Hannah brings with his delivery absolutely sells the moment too. And this isn't the only time we get a moment like this. The second episode jumps forward in time with its opening flashback, to the days just before the outbreak. The reaction from the scientist there, who sees the cordyeps in a human, who knows what that means, and tells the military to bomb everyone and everything including them prepares you perfectly for what's to come.

And what's to come is some of the best television in a long while. The first half of the first episode deals with the chaos of the outbreak, but told through the eyes of one family. It's here that we meet Joel for the first time, as a happy single father doing his best for his teenage daughter. Even those who don't know the story of the game, but know the basic premise of the show being a Lone Wolf and Cub style series have to feel that this is not going to end well, that the family unit we're spending time with is doomed in some way. But even so, the tragic end of this family still hits hard, and is the first of many moments in this series where your heart is going to be broken.

That's perhaps the biggest take away I have from this series. Pain. This show spent a good portion of its episodes breaking the hearts of the audience. It drew you in time and time again, and hurt the characters on the screen that by the time it was doing it for the third or fourth time I was left watching it in a state of heightened tension knowing that something awful was to come. The episode in which we get the flashback to how Ellie was infected is the perfect example to this. When it begins we don't know that this is when Ellie gets infected, we're not told that, but as she and Riley spend more time together, as they have fun, as you can see the love that the two of them have for each other you know with absolute certainty that this is going to end in tragedy because the show has done it so many times before. I spent half of that episode loving seeing them together, but the other half on the edge of my seat because I was waiting for the hammer to drop, for the horror to come crashing in and take that happiness away.

It's impossible to talk about The Last of Us and heartbreak without talking about the episode that did that the most; the other episode that put a queer romance front and centre. The third episode of the season introduced us to the character of Bill, played by Nick Offerman, way back when the outbreak begins. Being a doomsday prepper who has no trust in the government, Bill avoids the evacuation, and turns his small neighbourhood into a safe haven complete with running water and electricity. He builds a decent life for himself. But it's not until he meets Frank that it becomes a perfect life. Frank, played by Murray Bartlet, literally falls into Bill's life, ending up in one of his traps. After a somewhat tense and unusual first encounter, the two men realise that there's an attraction between the two of them, and Frank is allowed to stay.

The episode checks us in with the two of them at various points throughout the next twenty years, letting us watch their love develop, seeing them become friends with Joel, and even fending off raiders. Eventually we arrive with them in the present, where Frank is suffering from an unnamed illness or degenerative condition. Telling Bill that he wants one last, perfect day, we watch as the two men get married, share a last meal together, then fall asleep never to wake up thanks to the drugs in their wine. I've seen some people complain that this episode falls into the 'bury your gays' trope because the two men die come the end. But that's not what this episode does. This episode centres a queer relationship completely. It tells a touching, well written, and beautifully acted love story that just so happen to be about two men.

This episode pissed off a lot of homophobes, people who complained that the show was 'pushing an agenda' or saying that it was unnecessary, or that it ruined the source material because now we miss out on Bill and Ellie making snarky comments at each other. Those complaints are frankly ridiculous. The Last of Us is a very queer story, Bill was gay in the game, Ellie is gay, and the sequel features more queer and trans characters. The series, rather than just having this be a background thing, chose to put this wonderful, heartbreaking love story front and centre. And what made it so amazing, what made it so wonderful and heartbreaking at the same time is that Bill and Frank won. They won the apocalypse. They got to live in relative peace, they got to love deeply, and they got to end it on their terms. When the apocalypse hit queer rights weren't great in the US (not that they're doing well right now), and Bill had to hide who he was, but in the apocalypse that didn't matter. They weren't judged, they weren't abused or degraded for who they were, they just got to love openly. If there is one episode from this series that I'd be willing to show people as an example of why this series is so good, of why its worthy of attention it's this one. In one episode the show made one of the best queer love stories put to film. And yes, it's a heartbreaking one, one that even now writing about it is making me want to cry all over again, but it's still an amazing one. 

That is far from the only amazing episode, or the only award worthy performance that the series has. The episodes that deal with the revolution in Kansas City makes you have to look at right and wrong, on how good and bad aren't clear distinct things. Do you side with the government that acts like fascist, or the rebels who perform public lynchings of their enemies when they win? Is Henry a bad person for turning in a man because it helped him to save his brother? The episode where Ellie is captured by David delivers the best performance from Bella Ramsey, and in my opinion shuts down any complaint or gripe about them being cast in the role. Ramsey delivers a performance that would be stunning from any actor, but from one who's only nineteen, it's becomes phenomenal. Ramsey is an actor that is going to get a lot of work after this series, and I can't wait to see what she does next and the kind of roles she gets, because this episode knocked it out of the park. And then there's the finale, the episode that already seems to have divided those watching it who didn't know where the story was going to go.

The series had been telling us, over and over, that Joel wasn't a good person. He'd done bad things in his past, he'd killed people, not all of them 'bad' people. But we'd grown close to him, we'd come to see him as a hero, we came to care about him because we were seeing him through Ellie's eyes. Then he goes on a rampage. I massively commend the decision to film it as they did, to muffle the sound, to drop the score, to not focus on the killings. It put us into Joel's head in that moment, into the tunnel vision he had when he went to save Ellie. I've already seen the debates and the discussions online, was Joel right to do that? Did he condemn the world in order to save one girl, and did he need to brutally slaughter everyone there to do it? There's no real answer to these questions. The show knows that this is a grey area, that Joel wasn't the hero in that moment. But his reaction is also one of those that I think many of us would have. If saving the world meant losing your world, the person you loved most, could you allow that, or would you burn the world down to save them? Pedro Pascal's performance in that episode was perfect for that moral quandary because he didn't go in angry, he didn't rage, he didn't act like he was the hero or the villain. He did what he did, and he seems to both regret it, and believe that it was the only course of action. People are going to be arguing over that episode for a long time to come.

The Last of Us wasn't just a show that was wonderfully written and acted though, it was also incredibly well shot. The series was able to make you believe that the world had fallen, and the visual effects of the ruined, ravaged cities reclaimed by nature sold you on the idea that the world we knew was gone. As the show progressed we were treated to different environments, with the snowbound episodes in particular looking wonderful. The cinematography of the series never let the audience down, and even the most awful, brutal locations ended up strangely beautiful.

The effects for the infected are also worth noting. The standard infected look different from what one would expect from a zombie; which is good, because despite being called a zombie story this isn't zombies at all. The fungus growing beneath the skin, the pieces sprouting through the flesh, looked fantastic, and made the infected look wonderfully disgusting. The ones that stand out though are the 'special' infected. The clickers, creatures whose heads are covered in fungal growth and can't see are absolutely horrific. It also helped that these were some of the first infected we get to interact with in the modern day, after it had been established how awful they were. The way they moved through the environment, hunting our heroes, was so creepy, and when they burst out of the shadows to throw themselves at their victims they look fantastic. The bloater who makes an appearance towards the end of the Kansas City arc is an incredible sight too, and if you can go check out the behind the scenes pictures of the suit, because it looks amazing when you can see the whole thing. I've seen some people complain that there's not enough infected in the series, but they sparse use of them, and the way that they are used in the story, makes them all the scarier for me. Having them as a looming horror rather than a constant threat makes them feel a lot more dangerous.

Despite not having played the game before watching the series I had a fantastic time with The Last of Us. The show very quickly draws you in thanks to the strong writing and the fantastic acting, and before you know it you'll be invested in these characters and their journey. I'm incredibly glad that the show has been renewed for a second season already, and can't wait to see what it does with the story of the sequel game. It's also given me the push to finally try out the first game, now that I've become a fan of the show. I expect that the series is going to be nominated for a lot of awards, and may well win some too, and that it's going to become a series that people talk about and recommend for years to come.

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Moriarty: Clockwork Empire #1 – Comic Review

 

Originally published on Set The Tape

Moriarty: Clockwork Empire is the new series from Titan Comics, that takes the legendary detective Sherlock Holmes and places him into an ever-so-slightly steampunk-inspired London at the turn of the century, in order to investigate gambling automatons, and Doctor Henry Jekyll.

The book begins by setting up both of the stories well enough. In one we see the monstrous Mr Hyde being gunned down by police after he erupts into violence in a London opium den, whilst the other has Holmes breaking a gambling automaton that’s being used to fleece London high society of their money. As the book has been labelled a steampunk story, it comes as something of a surprise when in the very same scene that Holmes unmasks a spectacular poker player as being a secret clockwork robot everyone acts incredibly shocked by this thing’s existence. With so many stories that go in on the steampunk aesthetic, leaning hard into the genre, complete with mechanised servants and clockwork cyborgs everywhere, it’s something of a surprise that this title is kind of light on that front.

The machine that Holmes and Watson come across seems to be almost completely unheard of. This is a steampunk London that doesn’t have robots and automatons everywhere, where people aren’t covering their outfits in cog motifs, or using devices that seem a few steps away from magic. In fact, most of the book reads as no different from your average Sherlock Holmes tale set in a regular London, until the last few pages, where we see a few zeppelins in the air, and Watson rides in an automated steam-powered carriage.

Because of this, the setting feels kind of undefined. It’s not clear what kind of world the book is set in, if the spectacular is to be expected, and if so, just how common or normalised it is. So far nothing in this first issue would have been changed if this was set within the real world, so I’m left wondering why it’s gone for the steampunk genre other than to have readers not be surprised when the single, lone clockwork man arrives on page.

The book also incorporates Doctor Jekyll and his famous alter-ego, Mr Hyde, and this seems to be the main focus of the book. A friend of Jekyll is concerned that the doctor is being manipulated and coerced by his new acquaintance, and seeks out Holmes’ help to get to the bottom of things. This results in the beginnings of a mystery that seems to connect to the opium trade.

One of the things that this comic does, which almost every other version of Hyde does, is to get the character completely wrong. In the original novella, Robert Louis Stevenson described the man as “pale and dwarfish, he gave an impression of deformity without any nameable malformation, he had a displeasing smile…'”. The Hyde described in the original book is close to a normal man; a man who has something slightly off about him that makes people feel strange, but still very human. The Hyde here is a hulking monster of a man. He’s at least seven feet tall, is made of muscle, and has large tusk-like teeth. Not the pale and dwarfish man as originally written. The back page of the book seems to be depicting Hyde in an upcoming issue, as a huge, Hulk-like monster battling a giant mecha. Moriarty: Clockwork Empire isn’t the first adaptation to get the character completely wrong, but that doesn’t lessen how bad it is.

The two mysteries that we’re presented with in this first issue begin interestingly enough, but quickly begin to peter out. There’s not a huge amount here to grab the reader, and much of the book is given over to long conversations that seem to go on for far too long to be really that entertaining. The story has very little energy to it, and this is somewhat reflected in the art, which is fine, but that’s about it really. There’s nothing in the book that particularly stands out, nothing that makes you pause whilst reading to spend time looking at the page, and nothing that feels very noteworthy. The drab and dull colours don’t help with this either, and by halfway through you’ll be looking away from the page to just try and experience something vivid for a moment.

Moriarty: Clockwork Empire might be a good story, it might do some interesting things and go to some unusual places, but we don’t really get to see any of that this issue. There’s nothing here that really excites, the characters feel kind of dull, and the story just kind of fizzles out at the end with nothing that makes you excited to pick up the next issue. Even hardcore fans of Sherlock Holmes might find it hard to get through this one.

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Batgirls #15 - Comic Review

 

Originally published on Patreon

In the previous, silent, issue of Batgirls Cass set out to find a way of tracking down Stephanie and her father, using a few clues left behind in police records, and Steph's letters. After having a run in with the League of Assassins, Cass is finally on the way to the remote cabin where Cluemaster has his daughter held prisoner.

Unfortunately for Steph, her father seems to have lost it a bit since he came back from the dead, and has an elaborate game set up to torment her with. Forcing her to confront her feelings about him, about her past, and the path that she's on, he starts to torture her if she doesn't.

This story began with some fun as both of the Batgirls swapped bodies, allowing for the characters and the audience to get to know them in new and different ways. Since then we've had a focus on Cassandra, and now Stephanie is getting the spotlight. It's been a really well crafted and interesting journey to get to this point; and it's brought something new to the series that we've not really had so far.

The focus on Stephanie this issue is trying to deal with the abuse of her past, the cruelty that her father put upon her, and the effect that it may have had. Her father takes the viewpoint that the path that she's on is because of him, that his decisions and actions brought her here; whilst Stephanie feels the opposite, that she's doing everything in spite of him, to be better than he was and forge her own path. It's an interesting argument that forms between them, and shows how people can have radically different views on the same thing based upon their preexisting expectations.

This is one of my only real experiences actually reading a book with Cluemaster in it. I've read a lot of Steph's stories, but not really any that feature her father. As such, I was excited to see what he'd actually be like. And the book did a good job at presenting him as very broken and twisted. The writing makes it clear that his death and return have left him mentally damaged and confused, whilst the art often has him with a crazed, almost manic look upon his face. The ever shifting way he acts, his changes between violent, angry outbursts, and this desperate attempt to be proven right make him a character that's both frightening and fascinating.

Perhaps the worst part of this issue for me, however, was in the big shocking death of Stephanie Brown. Gunned down by her father, she dies in Cassandra's arms. For a page. Then, via the use of Lazarus Resin she's brought back. The moment of her death was shocking, and I was genuinely worried that she might have been gone; but her resurrection happened so quick with so little fanfare or care that it felt kind of nothing. If this is going to be explored in later issues, if Steph is going to go through some kind of emotional journey because of dying and coming back than I might be able to get back on board; but if this ends up being nothing big, if it's kind of forgotten and never brought up it feels like a cheap trick to try and shock the audience without having to commit to it.

This issue was almost brilliant, but thanks to the strange ending, the way it wanted to have the 'oh no she died!' moment, yet undid it within a few panels, led to a conclusion that feels kind of a let down.

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Resident Evil 4 Remake Chainsaw Demo - First Impressions

 

This previous weekend fans of Resident Evil were treated to a small look at the upcoming Resident Evil 4 Remake, which releases later this month. Taking the lead from their past demo releases, this new demo copies the original preview disc for Resident Evil 4, released way back in 2004, and puts you in control of Leon for the first several minutes of the game, from the opening cinematic to the iconic confrontation in the village.

As someone who has played through the original game countless times (and is replaying it right now on my Switch in preparation for the remake) I was pleasantly surprised to find that almost immediately, as soon as Leon stepped out of the car at the start, things felt both familiar and completely different. I'm sure that there will be some who are a bit disappointing by this, who might be wanting something more akin to a remaster than a remake, but just within a few minutes I was incredibly happy to find that my past experiences will not necessarily help me when playing this game.

The demo begins much in the same way that Resident Evil 7 began, with your character making their way through the environment, pushing past overgrown trees, ducking under sinisterly placed barbed wire, and discovering local wildlife that's met a terrible end. You even come across a spooky, rundown house at the end of the trail. It's here that Leon meets his first villager, and discovers that whilst he's not going to be dealing with zombies, these people are far from the average humans. The scene in which you get to experience your first Ganado is a pretty creepy one, with the broken and twisted body shambling towards you, the parasite within able to be heard as it screeches and writhes.

This new form of enemy is encountered a couple of times across the demo, and is an interesting twist on what has come before. In the original game there are times when destroying the head of an infected leads to large, whip-like appendages, or bloated biting worm creatures, sprouting from the wound as the parasite grows and evolves. This feels like a more toned down version of that in some ways, yet manages to be incredibly creepy at the same time. The body is broken, yet this thing inside it is making it jerk around, stumbling towards the player. The weird movements are pretty unnerving, and make them harder to hit with your weapons. The fact that even at the very beginning of the game you're going to have to be careful when taking out foes, lest they evolve into something deadlier, is an interesting addition.

One of the more surprising, and upsetting, changes to this early stage of the game is the wolf. In the original you're able to find a wold whose leg is trapped inside a bear trap placed by one of the Ganado's. You have a couple of choices in that moment, kill the animal, leave it to its fate, or free it from the trap. If you're not a complete monster you'll release it from the trap and it'll run off into the woods; and will reappear later on in the game to help you with one of the bigger (literally) boss fights of the early stages of the story. However, along the way to the village the demo presents you with a wolf in a trap that has already died. Does this mean that this is the same wolf and you don't have the chance to save it, or has it simply moved and will be somewhere else? I hope it's the latter, as seeing this good doggo meet this fate was genuinely sad; plus, it makes me wonder how much harder the boss fight will be without their help. It also seems to be sending the message to the player that this game is going to be less forgiving than the original. It did killed the dog after all.

The village itself is a great set-piece, and is the area of the demo that feels the most the same. There are some slight differences, such as a few new trails put in that lead to new places around the map, and a couple of surprises as what were safer areas in the past are taken away from you; but for the most part this is the village that fans will know well. It's here that the demo really comes to life, and offers the players the first opportunity to really cut loose and have some fun. With the option to dash into one of the buildings and grab some grenades and a shotgun, you're able to start taking out the Ganados in bigger numbers. However, this is where the demo's titular chainsaw comes into play.

The showcase part of this demo is definitely Dr Salvador, the bag wearing, chainsaw wielding opponent who will absolutely have you running for your life. On his own Salvador would be a touch opponent, but when you're also having do deal with a dozen or more Ganados, dodging their attacks, fending them off, and healing the wounds they inflict, he becomes an absolute nightmare. However, he isn't unkillable, and if you're good enough, or lucky enough, you can take him down before the timer runs out, and the demo ends.

There are a couple of hidden things in the demo that players can try out on additional run throughs that makes this more than just a one and done experience. First up is the one that people have probably heard about, Mad Chainsaw Mode. This ultra-hard difficulty setting is reportedly exclusive to the demo, and is the only way that players will get to experience it. This new mode adds extra enemies to the game, makes them take more damage to kill, makes them deal more damage, and most terrifyingly of all, it gives Salvador a suped up chainsaw that sparks and is red hot. It also makes him even tougher; so nightmare scenario. Mad Chainsaw Mode is triggered randomly upon starting a new game, or can be forced with a secret code.

You can also find a secret area that has an SMG, which is actually a lot of fun to use. In order to get hold of this weapon you have to completely empty your inventory before opening the gates to the village. From here you're able to access an underground area behind the cow shed that contains the weapon. I did this on my second play-through, and it definitely changed the dynamic of the end fight quite a bit. However, I found that the best tactic is to sneak your way to the weapon, then continue to stealth your way through the village, collecting items and taking out Ganados with sneak attacks before instigating the big fight.

Speaking of sneaking, the new stealth mechanic the game has added is incredibly enjoyable. You're not stuck having to run or walk your way around environments, hoping that the enemies don't spot you, and can instead crouch and move around pretty unseen. You're also able to sneak up behind enemies and take them out with silent knife kills, letting you thin out the numbers before you have to break out your guns. The stealth definitely opens up some options for players, and you can decide how you want to tackle different scenarios. Do you want to run in all guns blazing, or do you want to sneak around like some unseen assassin? It seems like the game will let you do both; and is perhaps the feature I'm most excited to see in the rest of the game.

I was hugely impressed with the demo, and it has absolutely increased my excitement for the game. I was already looking forward to getting my hands on this, having full confidence that it was going to be good following the remakes of Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3, but after getting this small taste the wait is even worse. The 24th better get here soon.

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Project Wolf Hunting – Film Review

 

Originally published on Set The Tape

If there was one word I had to pick for Project Wolf Hunting, the latest science fiction/action epic from director Kim Hong-seon, it would be ‘blood-bath’. It’s ironic that the movie takes place on a ship, as by the end there’s more blood pooling in the rooms and halls than we actually see water surrounding the vessel. So if blood, guts, dismemberment, and ultra-violence aren’t your cup of tea, then you should probably best avoid it, but if you’re up for some wild action you should definitely put this movie on your radar.

Project Wolf Hunting begins simply enough, with the transfer of a huge number of some of the most dangerous criminals in custody between the Philippines and South Korea. However, when a family member of one of their victims blows themselves up at the airport, killing several others, the authorities decide on a new plan to get the criminals out of the country. Thus, thirty-plus of the worst murderers, rapists, and violent offenders are loaded onto a huge cargo container vessel and transported via sea.

However, the crew has been infiltrated by members of the criminal empire of prisoner Jong-doo (Soe In-guk), and plan to take over the ship in the bloodiest way possible. As the prisoners break out of their shackles, and the cops are forced to fight for their lives, it seems like this might not be too different from a mash-up between Con-Air and Under Siege. However, when a super-soldier-like creature is unleashed from deep within the ship, everyone becomes a target, as it stalks the halls, mercilessly tearing apart anyone it finds.

Much like when watching the trailer for Project Wolf Hunting, the film has a moment of tonal whiplash. You’re buying into the concept of the prisoner transport, the escape attempt, the fight between criminals and police, and then a scary zombie man who sees via Predator vision shows up and you’re reminded that this is a sci-fi movie too. Having somewhat forgotten the trailer when first watching the film, it did take me by surprise when the creature was introduced, and when he finally broke free from his confines and entered the already ultra-violent story I was genuinely shocked by how much more brutal the film became.

The film doesn’t shy away from its action, and you’re not going to find a movie where characters trade blows that seem to not do much, or get grazed by bullets as they rush at their foes. Every hit, every knife cut, and every gunshot in Project Wolf Hunting feels visceral. When the criminals descend on the cops and the ship crew, a single blow around the head with the butt of a gun results in a shattered skull, a spray of blood, and the person hitting the floor.

The follow-up hits seem like overkill, as you’re already pretty sure the victim is dead, but the bad guys continue to shatter the head to pieces just to make sure. Action films have a tendency to make people feel invincible, able to shrug off wounds that would seriously injure or kill; Project Wolf Hunting goes the opposite way, and everyone is a walking bag of blood and guts waiting for the slightest blow to explode over everything.

The film also plays with conventions when it comes to its characters. There were a number of times when watching the film that I found myself expecting it to fall into familiar patterns and tropes. I thought that once the monster was loose on the ship the cops and the bad guys would have to work together; I thought that certain characters would make it close to the end, if not survive the entire thing, based upon how other films would treat those kinds of characters. But the film is willing to kill anyone, is prepared to get you to like a character, to root for their survival, before killing them brutally. My best piece of advice for going into the movie is do not get attached to anyone.

Whilst the action and gore are very much in your face, the plot can sometimes take a bit of a back seat, and there are elements of the story that don’t absolutely make sense or work, and there are a couple of times that scenes get interrupted with flashbacks because the characters aren’t going to tell us in the moment why things are happening, so the film has to do it for us. Some viewers might not enjoy the lack of detailed explanations, but for those looking for extreme action and something that will have them yelling ‘What?!’ at their screen that’s not going to be an issue.

Project Wolf Hunting is a wild, ballsy mashing of different genres that barely work, yet thanks to some extreme and shocking action, some ridiculous moments, and some great performances, it ends up being a really enjoyable movie. If you can’t go into this unaware of the weirdness the film contains, at least try to make sure anyone you’re watching it with doesn’t know. That way you can watch their jaw fall open when the monster bursts onto screen.

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The Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing #5 - Comic Review

 

Originally published on Patreon

After spending a couple of issues in hospital, where the pace slowed to a crawl, The Joker is finally out and about in Gotham city once again, and is still trying to get some answers as to why this second Joker is pretending to be him. Luckily for him this Joker (we'll call him Fancy Joker) is in town looking for the other Joker (we'll call him Scruffy Joker).

The Scruffy Joker, who's been through a lot already this series, goes to confront the Fancy Joker, and the two of them end up finally coming face to face in a warehouse where the Scruffy Joker gets trapped in a cage. No one to take such things lightly, Scruffy Joker sets the entire building on fire (with them trapped inside), and sprays acid in the Fancy Joker's face.

After their fight spills out into the street, then under it, Scruffy Joker confronts his duplicate in the sewers and shoots him in the head. Which explodes into clay. Yes, Fancy Joker, who shot the Scruffy Joker in issue one, and has been sowing chaos across the US, has been Clayface the entire time! Except he's not. One of the Jokers being Clayface has been a popular theory, and this is Matthew Rosenberg shutting this theory down; as shortly after its revealed Fancy Joker is Clayface, he heads off to make a call to the real Fancy Joker who's still in LA.

Turns out that it was a trick, that the Fancy Joker had Clayface pretend to be him to take on the Scruffy Joker. So, this means that we still don't have an explanation for what's going on, and it seems like one of them being Clayface has been removed from the table. I know there are more than one Clayface, so it could still be the explanation, but it would be sneaky as hell to pull that move twice.

The rest of the issue sees Jason continuing his hunt for Joker, and meeting up with Steph, who tries to talk him down. I don't really like what's being done with Jason here. Him being the guy to go after The Joker is fine, it makes sense, but the way he's doing it here, throwing himself into bad situations, making poor choices, trying to kill The Joker, it all feels like a regression for the character in a lot of ways. It feels like his relationship with the Bat Family and his character growth are being thrown out the window because Rosenberg wanted someone to be gunning for The Joker.

The back-up feature for this issue one again sees The Joker lusting after another female character; Giganta this time. He tries to make himself into a better man to win her over, even going so far as to summon a demon for help (Etrigan). I'm struggling to get much out of these back-ups, and they're feeling weirder and weirder with each one.

Overall, this was kind of a mixed issue. It felt like things were moving forward with the mystery, that we were finally getting some answers, but ended up back where we started by the end of it. In some ways it feels like perhaps the series is being stretched out, and things are being thrown in to add extra issues and lengthen the pace because with the two issues in the hospital, and now this one, it kind of feels like the series is just treading water.

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The Flash #792 - Comic Review

 

Originally published on Patreon

The One Minute War continues on in the latest issue of The Flash, as our heroes come into direct conflict with The Fraction for the first time as they try to figure out what to do against a foe that seems designed to combat all of their abilities.

Whilst the three Flashes and the other adult speedsters try to figure out the best course of action Impulse and Kid Flash take off to try and take matters into their own hands. Having overheard the others saying how getting one of the high-tech battle tanks would help them to figure out the kind of tech The Fraction are using, Bart rushes off to get one, with Wallace taking off after him to keep an eye on him and lend a hand. 

Bart being the one to rush headlong into an incredibly dangerous situation like this is wildly irresponsible, but 100% fits with his code name of Impulse. He's a character who often acts before thinking, and this issue really takes advantage of that trait. However, things work out pretty well for the young speedsters, as they're able to not only get hold of one of the vehicles to be studied, but they also manage to infiltrate The Fraction too. 

They get to learn a lot more about the new villains because of this, including the fact that they seem to be using captured speedsters from the universes that they invade to power their tech, because of this. They also come fact to face with the new speedster villain sent out by The Fraction to hunt them down.

This issue really gives the spotlight over to two of the younger members of the Flash Family, and it feels like a pretty good decision. Chances are that whilst every member of the group is going to be playing a part in beating the bad guys, by the end it'll be Barry and Wally who get the spotlight and the main focus. As such, giving some of the other characters chances to do things earlier in the story means that everyone will get the chance to do something meaningful, and they all get a chance to shine if even for just a single issue.

The art on the issue, by Roger Cruz, Wellington Dias, and Luis Guerrero is really great, and the moments of action are absolute stand outs. Everything is full of energy and has a sense of flair that makes even the moments when not much is happening feel engaging and pretty to look at. The art team also do a great job at keeping Barry and Wally visually distinct throughout (something that isn't always done very well), and I never once was unsure which Flash was which.

Between this issue and the special that just came out it feels like we're getting to know a lot more about The Fraction, and it's helping to solidify them as a very real threat for the Flash Family. Hopefully they'll be able to make it through without losing too many more of them.

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