Nightwing #101 - Comic Review

 

The current run of Nightwing is doing a good job at juggling lots of characters and plots. In issue 98 we got introduced to Olivia, the young daughter of the now dead Blockbuster, whose soul was sold to the demon Neron to give her father power. Nightwing helped to save her with the assistance of his dog (she had powers at the time and was amazing!) and then Olivia kind of got put to the side for a bit. But, Taylor keeps proving that everything in his series is done for a reason, and nothing is throwaway, as this new arc seems to focus squarely on Olivia, as Neron puts a plan into place to claim her soul.

Fortunately for her, she's not just protected by Nightwing, as the Titans have moved to Bludhaven now, and they're all on the case. With the Justice League stepping down for a bit and Dick having been asked to lead the worlds heroes it makes sense that the first thing he'd do is work with a team that he knows, and is comfortable with. Some readers seem disappointed that he didn't jump straight into making a new League, but until he does having the Titans step up feels right to me.

And because the team is now a big part of the series they're not just background characters, as both Raven and Starfire get given as much focus and attention in the story that Dick does. Raven is clearly going to be important dealing with Neron, and it makes sense to give her a bigger part to play in this story. And Starfire gets some attention due to the fallout of Dark Crisis and the loss of the Titans Academy. It's actually really nice that we're getting some things that seem to have been directly effected by Dark Crisis, as not many of the books out at the moment are even acknowledging it.

Speaking of acknowledging other events, Amanda Waller makes an appearance here, despite having moved to Earth-3 after a small war she started that involved some of the characters in this book. Yet no one questions why she's there, why she's back, or anything. Perhaps I missed something somewhere, but it took me by surprise that she just seems to be back home now and no one is acknowledging what came before.

The main story is an interesting one though, and it feels more like a Titans story than a Nightwing one; but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. This is a great team. There's a reason why they keep coming back, why their books are popular and keep selling. More Titans please!

The back-up feature also sees Nightwing teaming up, this time with Jon Kent. This seems to be taking place when Dick was training Jon in previous issues, though might be happening concurrently (it's not clear), but either way, it's nice to see Dick continuing in a mentorship role for Jon. The two of them work well together, and make for a decent pairing. 

In this story the two of them save a young trapeze performer from falling to their death when their circus act is sabotaged. Unfortunately, soon after a bomb detonates, and seems to do some serious damage and possibly kills a lot of civilians (though Superman is there, so it'll probably be revealed to be fine next issue). There's not really much given away here as to what the story is going to be, but the instant connection to Dick Grayson's own past makes it easy to connect with, and you can understand why Dick is a little thrown off by what's happening. It'll be interesting to see where it goes.

This is a new era for Nightwing, and it seems to be off to a good start. Dick is still very much front and centre, but is sharing the spotlight with his friends now. We get some great moments from the Titans, and some nods back to Dark Crisis that come with some character development. I can't wait to see what comes next.

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Catwoman #53 - Comic Review

 

Catwoman has gone through some changes recently, mainly due to the face that Selina Kyle is no longer behind the cowl. Having been sent to prison for murder, Selina seems content to stay inside to earn atonement for her actions, whilst her friend Eiko takes over the role of Catwoman to keep dealing with the organised crime in Gotham.

Personally, I've kind of like this change to the series. Seeing Selina deal with one gangster after another over and over again was becoming a bit stale. Even with the introduction of Dario, the gay son of a mob boss who's had to flee the mob life because of his queerness, failed to change the formula. Don't get me wrong, I like Dario and enjoy hos presence in the series, but he was little more than a tech guy there to help Selina from time to time. However, the new status quo finally feels like the series is trying to be different at least.

The action for this issue is split across two stories. In one we follow Eiko and Dario (who's now also a vigilante called Tom Cat) as they mess up shit in the Gotham underworld, with Eiko juggling her role as a masked vigilante and a crime lord. The other takes us into prison, where we see what Selina is up to. The previous issue had a pretty big focus on Selina, and we get to see her working her way up from being the new woman on everyone's radar, to using her experience and outside connections to make herself liked and respected inside by ferrying in supplies and contraband. She even began to train up several of the inmate in thief skills and tactics in order to better their time inside.

However, Selina's carefully set up system is disrupted right away this issue as the prison seals up the vents in her cell that she was using to get her stuff in and out. This does, however, allow her the opportunity to swipe a burner phone from one of the workmen. It does feel kind of convenient that the workman had a phone on him that he forgot he had, and wouldn't want to report as missing (it's his phone for cheating on his wife with multiple women), but it does fit into the theme of the book of women punishing cruel men.

This issue may indicate that Selina's life inside might be coming to an end sooner than expected though, as she decides that she can't actually stay inside to atone for her wrongdoings, and needs to break out. This feels kind of quick for me. It was only a few issues ago that Bruce was telling her that she can do more good, and atone in meaningful ways out on the street as Catwoman. At the time she was adamant that she needed to be in prison, but now it seems that at the first slight hurdle (the loss of her vent access for supplies) she's decided to nope out of there because it's slightly more inconvenient than she wanted. 

Perhaps the one saving grace for her sudden change of heart on the whole issue is that she wants to take her new friends with her. She makes the offer to break out of prison to the women that she's begun to form a bond with, even offering to help train them up to be thieves (on the condition that their thievery doesn't lead to anyone getting hurt and that a portion of their heists goes to charity) so that they don't have to go back to petty crimes or rejoin criminal gangs.

Whilst all of this is happening Eiko has to deal with part of the Royal Flush Gang, as she comes under attack from Queen of Hearts and her Crazy Eights. The action scene is pretty good, and the art team on this issue, Nico Leon and Veronica Gandini, does a great job at making the fights look really dynamic and entertaining. The action feels fluid, and Eiko always feels like she's in control of everything that's going on around her. Just through the art she seems to bring a different kind of energy to things than Selina did.

Unfortunately for Selina, she's no sooner decided that prison isn't for her than some new inmates turn up, Queen of Hearts and her thugs. Seems like Eiko taking them down might be making Selina's life a little harder.

Personally, I'm hoping that Selina's decision to break out of prison is only the start of things for her, and that it's going to take her a while to do so. It's been really interesting to see her navigating prison life, to see this new side of her. The supporting characters she's gathered around her are fun, and I like their relationships. Plus, I want to see more of Eiko as Catwoman, and don't want Selina taking the role back just yet. I even think Eiko's costume looks a bit cooler than Selina's, so want more of that too. Maybe we can end up with two Catwoman's/Catwomen; I wouldn't be against that at all.

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Lazarus Planet: Omega #1 - Comic Review

 

Originally published on Patreon

And with that Lazarus Planet pretty much comes to an end (yes, there's still a four issue spin-off to go, but the main story is done). And I'm left wondering was there really much of a point to any of this? It's a strange one, as there have been some big changes and developments for certain characters because of this, such as Power Girl becoming psychic, Flatline getting resurrection powers, and Mercy Graves becoming  even more of a killer cyborg; and there have been introductions for brand new characters. But all of these are things that have little impact upon Lazarus Planet itself, and will need to be paid off in the future to see if it was worth paying attention to.

As it stands, the two issues that actually make up Lazarus Planet feel odd, as the first issue was decently paced, had some interesting moments, and was really enjoyable; but this final part felt very rushed. A lot happens in Lazarus Planet: Omega, and it feels like the book should have been longer, or just had an extra issue, in order for things to really breathe. You're never given a chance to slow down and take in what's going on before the next thing hits you, and there isn't really much chance for characters to shine because there's just no time for it.

That being said, there are still some decent moments to be found here; particularly with Black Alice. The focus of the first issue seemed to be split across a few key players, one of them being Black Alice. And here she really gets the spotlight, putting Damian into a supporting role, and Monkey Prince into a guy who's 'just there'. Whilst the boys do get a bit sidelined it's great to see Alice get the chance to really bring the story to a close and to be the hero. She has a moment in the book where she's essentially able to give a speech about the shit she's been through and how used she's been, and she turns it into a really empowering and bad ass moment. I hope that we end up seeing more from her in the future, and the idea of a young Justice League Dark with her on the team is a great one.

Come the end though, it does feel like there wasn't a huge amount to the main story here to really be worth justifying the 'event'. The tie-ins and one shots have been interesting, but depend on future books to mean something (if none of these characters or changes are used it's not really been used well). I enjoyed Lazarus Planet, but the quality definitely decreased over time.

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Godzilla Rivals: Mothra vs Titanosaurus – Comic Review

 

Originally published on Set The Tape

One of the best things about IDW Publishing‘s comic series Godzilla Rivals is that it’s giving a revolving creative team the chance to showcase different Kaiju, allowing some monsters who’ve had very few outings in the Godzilla films to stretch their legs a little.

The latest issue, Godzilla Rivals: Mothra vs Titanosaurus does just that with the inclusion of Titanosaurus, a monster that made its debut in Terror of Mechagodzilla, and hasn’t really been in any films since. The book goes the extra mile though, it doesn’t even include Godzilla, and instead allows the other monsters to carry the story.

Godzilla Rivals: Mothra vs Titanosaurus begins on the coast of a San Diego golf course when a giant, 40 metre long egg washes up on the beach. A pair of scientists who specialise in Kaiju biology, Dr Andreas Luna, and Dr Ruobin Carpenter, arrive on the scene from the local university, to help the military figure out if the egg is dangerous or not. After some quick investigating it’s confirmed that the egg is a Mothra egg, and likely ended up on the beach as it would have been washed away from its original site thanks to heavy storms and rainfall.

Using the egg’s presence as the perfect excuse to help their research, Andreas and Ruobin are able to use a device that they’ve been working on to prove that Kaiju are putting out magnetic fields that tie into magneto-reception. Their device allows them to see the fields, to see how the presence of the egg affects those fields, proving much of their research and theories are correct. However, whilst examining the fields Andreas sees that the egg’s field is interfering with one that already exists, and the creature making it is heading their way. With Titanosaurus seeing the egg as a challenger to its territory, the massive monster begins making its way towards human civilisation, intent on destruction.

One of the things that people who’ve not watched a whole lot of Kaiju movies think about them is that they are just constant monster fights and destruction. This is a fairly common misconception, and most Kaiju films only feature one or two big set pieces, with a more human-centric story carrying most of the film. Comics allow for more freedom, and you don’t need a huge budget or weeks of filming to create as many monster brawls as you like, thus leading to some fairly action-packed Godzilla comics. This issue, however, takes a more film-like approach, and doesn’t really focus too much on the monsters.

The monsters absolutely drive the story forward, and there are some moments of destruction as Tiitanosaurus makes their way towards the egg, but it’s what’s happening with the people that matters here. Most of the comic is told from a human perspective, with the advancing creature a looming threat in the background instead of the focus. We follow our two scientists as they try to deal with the problem, seeing how they work things out, how they create various plans, and get to watch as their lives begin to change forever when they realise their creations could help to change the world. There might be some who dislike this issue because there aren’t really any monster fights, because humans get the focus, and because Godzilla never shows up, but for those looking for a decent story set with this universe it absolutely delivers.

The art for this issue is provided by Feriowind, who gives the book a kind of light, almost dreamlike quality. Thanks to the light line work, the softer colours, and the stylised manga-like characters, the book takes a less gritty approach to the genre. The artwork really helps to sell the strange, ethereal nature of the odd fields that the monsters put out, and it also works wonderfully with the subtle love story that seems to be going on between the two scientists.

This may not be the typical example of a Godzilla story you’d expect to find in comics, but it’s a lot of fun. I think that it will appeal to Mothra fans, and the inclusion of a more obscure member of the monsters that make up this universe will please long-time fans.

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DCeased: War of the Undead Gods #7 - Comic Review

 

The last issue of DCeased: War of the Undead Gods is one that I think readers of the series are going to remember for a while; because it was pretty wild. We've had our heroes have to adapt over the course of the DCeased franchise run, changing into new versions of themselves or taking on new identities. Black Canary became a Green Lantern and is now Green Canary, Damian Wayne became Batman, Cassandra Cain gained the powers of Shazam. Things have taken some wild turns from the Earth-1 universe we all know and love. But perhaps the most unforeseen, and most surprising change came at the end of the last issue, where Alfred Pennyworth became the human host for the spirit of God's vengeance. Yes, Alfred became the Spectre!

This issue picks up where that one left off, with Earth-2 (the planet, not the universe) under attack from the assembled forces of Erebos and its infection. The New Gods, Thanagarians, the Sinestro Corps, and the Forces of Apocalypse, along with anyone else infected along the way, are laying siege to the human colony world. Things aren't going well, heroes are dying, allies are being lost, and it looks like the planet is about to fall. You'd think that this would be the moment when Alfred, now infused with the power of the Spectre, would lay the hurt down on the monsters coming for the people he loves. But no, after a plea from Damian, who's just lost his mind to the infection, to find another way, Alfred flies off into space; seemingly running away.

Following this, Jon Kent and Brainiac try to take down Darkseid, but the anti-life infection manages to get inside the Coluan and turn one of the best allies the heroes have against them. Rather than attacking the planet, however, he heads back to his ship, where he plans to destroy all of the bottle cities held within. This is where Cyborg is able to confront him, and overwhelms his systems. Cyborg takes the Brainiac powers and abilities into himself; giving us another new version of a hero. Using the knowledge that Cyborg has now gained, he heads to Earth-2, where he frees the inhabitants of the bottle city of Kandor, unleashing an army of Kryptonians to help fight against the forces of evil.

This is when Alfred returns, with masses of the cure in tow. The heroes begin to administer the cure to the infected, including Darkseid. Upon learning that he was being used as a puppet by an even more evil entity Darkseid joins out heroes in their mission to destroy Erebos. 

So, a lot happens this issue. This is perhaps one of my biggest concerns about this book. It feels like a lot of stuff is being crammed into a relatively short space. With only one issue left it seems like our heroes and their new allies are going to be taking the fight to the entity behind everything. But can that really be done in one issue? And on top of all that there's the fact that Darkseid is back, and how that's all going to work going forward. Things are either going to be hugely rushed in the final issue in order to put everything to bed, or this isn't going to get ended. 

I wouldn't be surprised if the final issue of this series is just setting the stage for another series in the DCeased franchise, one where it will deal with Erebos directly. I'm not against that idea, and if anything I'm more for that than the book trying to wrap everything up in one issue. I'd like the series to try to take its time rather than rushing for a conclusion that will probably not feel all that satisfying. Make the last issue of this series this new group forming their plan, have them dealing with the losses they've suffered, the changes some of these characters have gone through, and the forming of an uneasy alliance with Darkseid; but have the Erebos stuff happen in a new series please.

DCeased has always done wild stuff, and a big part of the appeal of the series is that fact that it can do things like kill Bruce Wayne, make Alfred the Spectre, and annihilate the Green Lantern Corps and it have consequences because it's not part of the main continuity. It doesn't matter if the events of this book break the world, because it's not our world. Tom Taylor seems to do really well with these out of continuity books, and his best stuff comes when he's told 'go wild, do whatever'. Hopefully the sales have been high enough that DC will continue to let this happen, and that we won't have to try and end it all in the next issue.

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Batman Incorporated #6 - Comic Review

 

Now that the first arc of Batman Incorporated has come to a close it feels like the series can settle in and start to have some fun; especially as Ghost Maker seems to have put to bed the majority of the issues the team has with him being a leader.

The second arc of the series begins by bringing the international team back to Gotham, a move that feels a bit odd as I thought the entire point was for them to be off in the world going places Batman normally doesn't, but it does mean that we get a few familiar faces turn up in this issue. Perhaps most exciting of all, however, it means we get to utilise one of Batman's scarier rogues as the main villain of this arc; Professor Pyg.

Pyg is one of the relatively newer villains in the Batman mythos, and one who's still largely unknown to casual comic fans who don't read a lot of books. That being said, he has been slowly introduced into the public consciousness through appearances in other media such as Arkham Kinght, Beware the Batman, and Gotham. Because there's been little done with Pyg since his first introduction there's still a lot of stories that can be told with the character, and a lot of things about him that still feel very fresh. Add on to this the fact that he's one of the creepier, more disturbing enemies that Batman has, and his inclusion in this series feels like it's a fantastic idea. 

Pyg is on the rampage in Gotham because someone has stolen something from him, and he's grabbing up every boss and costumed criminal he can to try and find out who has the item. We see this in the opening moments of the comic where he has Riddler tied up and is threatening him with a chainsaw. He later tells a room of captured criminals, including Killer Croc, Mr Freeze, Clayface, and even poor Kite Man that the person who tells him where his treasure is gets to live, whilst the others will be experimented on. He even threatens to make one of them his 'greatest work of art yet' (possibly hinting at some horrific dollotron version of a known character at some point maybe?).

Because of his rampage the Batman Inc team are being sent to deal with it and bring Pyg to justice. To be fair, with the amount of dollotrons that Pyg usually has going around with him a larger team isn't necessarily a bad idea. There is some internal issues going on in Batman Inc, however, as Clownhunter still doesn't seem to be quite cool with Ghostmaker, and is unwilling to follow his orders. We also get some background into Red Wing, and get to see a bit of his personal life too.

The scenes with the various team members are really enjoyable this issue, and it's cool to see them various interactions that take place as they split off to tackle various missions. Ghostmaker and El Gaucho seem to have put most of their differences to bed, and El Gaucho appears to be giving Ghostmaker more of a chance here, listening to him explain why he does what he does, and talking to him more as an equal rather than an authority figure to rebel against. Knight and Grey Wolf talk about being the newer members of the team, and how it's going for both of them. And we get a fun moment where Clownhunter calls Jiro and Red Wing, the two younger guys on the team, geezers; resulting in the line 'Wait, how old does he think we are?'

After the turbulence of the opening arc it's really nice to see a team actually beginning to form now, rather than just a collection of characters working together. Things aren't perfect yet, you can still see the cracks and the places where they still need to work their issues out, but for the most part they seem to have started to come together. This is more of what I wanted from this book, a team of odd characters that probably wouldn't be able to support a book of their own, but make for a really entertaining group book. The fact that that's also married with one of the creepier villains that they could have gone up against makes this, for me, the best issue of the series to date.

This issue also saw a change in artist, with Michele Bandini as artist, and Rex Lokus as colourist. The new art looks really nice, and it fits the story well. There's a ton of details on all of the characters, and the art really makes Pyg and his minions look creepy and disturbing on any page they're on. The change in art at this point also helps with the fact that the characters are changing and evolving into a team too. The personal changes feel like they have a visual indicator thanks to the new art.

This was a fantastic issue of Batman Incorporated, one that is bringing the team back to Gotham, yes, but doing so in a story that feels like it justifies it. I'm super excited to see what the book does with these characters now that they've finally become a team, and anything that it does with Pyg is sure to be a wonderfully disturbing time. 

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The House That Screamed (1969) – Blu-ray Review

 

Originally published on Set The Tape

When you think of the European Horror film industry, the chances are that you’ll consider things such as the Hammer Horror series, and the Italian supernatural horror and Giallo movies of directors like Dario Argento, or Mario Bava.

Spanish horror tends to be overlooked, despite it having produced some hugely influential pieces of cinema, such as [REC] in the early 2000s. One name that is less well known in Europe, but who helped to define the horror genre in the 1960s and 70s is Narciso Ibáñez Serrador.

Serrador would have a prolific career in television, producing an anthology horror series that has been brought back in recent years, as well as creating the gameshow Un, dos, tres… which ran on Spanish TV from 1972 to 2004 (the UK stole the format in the 80s and turned it into the show 3-2-1). But along with this, Serrador would also write and direct a pair of hugely popular horror films. And now Arrow Video are bringing Serrafor’s first film, The House That Screamed, to Blu-ray.

The House That Screamed is a Gothic horror tale set in a girls’ finishing school in the south of France during the late 19th century. The school is a home for ‘wayward’ girls; teens who have ‘brought shame’ upon their families by being disobedient, by having sex outside of marriage, or who are the children of ‘undesirable’ people. It’s here that Teresa (Cristina Galbó) finds herself being sent when her mother, a sex worker in Avignon, can no longer take care of her. Teresa is shown around the school by the headmistress, Señora Fourneau (Lilli Palmer), and all seems well at first.

However, Teresa soon learns that the beautiful building and well mannered young women are but a veneer hiding a darker underbelly. Fourneau rules the school with an iron fist, looking down upon her charges as dirty, wasteful, and irredeemable girls that she needs to keep from the outside world. With the help of Irene (Mary Maude), the head girl, and her small group of enforcers, Fourneau delivers swift punishment to anyone who disobeys her, including brutal whippings. Irene and her girls run the school under Fourneau, using their power to control the girls, deciding who gets in trouble, and who gets rewarded with sexual encounters with the local delivery man. Teresa is left to try and navigate all of the intricate webs of lies, power-plays, and deceptions within the school. But when a number of girls start to go missing it seems like something even more sinister might be happening.

For much of its run time The House That Screamed is not a horror film, and falls more into the realms of drama and mystery than anything else. Much of the film deals with the inner workings of the school, and the various characters that inhabit it. Even before we’ve been introduced to our principal lead, Teresa, we get a taste of what the school is like when Fourneau has to deal with a rebellious student in one of her classes. From here things only become more complex as the film introduces more layers, more characters, and more plots.

Despite this, it’s all pretty easy to follow. Each of the various characters have pretty easy to understand goals and desires. Fourneau wants to control the young women that she sees as evil and corrupted. She wants to remove them from a decent society because she sees them as lesser, and there are a number of times throughout the film where she makes it clear that despite running a school that’s supposed to make them better girls she really doesn’t see that as a possibility. A large part of her hate seems to come from the fact that she’s worried that her teenage son, Luis (John Moulder-Brown), will fall in with them, that he will be led astray by them and corrupted. There’s also an element of incestuousness to their relationship that makes her overbearing protectiveness take on a twisted and uncomfortable tone.

With the film being so focused on the inner workings of this prison-like school, and with the adult lead having a creepy, almost romantic relationship with her son, you’d think that The House That Screamed would be a lot more sexual, tantalising, or risque. But it’s not. Serrador, in part to appease the stringent censors that would not allow it, keeps the film quite chaste, only hinting at sexual moments via editing and the use of characters in other scenes to imply things.

Even the scene where the girls take their weekly shower, with Luis peeping on them from the vents, is kept quite de-sexualised, with the girls wearing their nightgowns whilst washing. This helps to further portray Fourneau’s hate of the girls and only seeing them as sexual beings, but also stops the scene from becoming used for titillation’s sake. The one girl who does remove her clothing does so as an act of defiance against Fourneau, and keeps her back to the audience; a back covered in the scars left there by Fourneau’s beatings. Instead of being a sexual moment it becomes an empowering one, that shows the cruelty of the headmistress, and the brave defiance the girls are capable of.

But the film doesn’t just stick in the realms of personal dramas and the inner workings of this school. There is a killer about. The moments of murder that happen on screen are kept mostly to a minimum, and Serrador plays with the audience in these moments. A scene where a girl thinks she’s sneaking out of the dormitory to meet her lover is accompanied by sweet music until the killer grabs her from behind and kills her, at which point the music drops completely, leaving you with silence. The viewer is left alone with the awful visual, having been lied to as to what was coming, or perhaps even having been inside the head of the young victim, hearing the music because that’s what she was hoping for; music that ends abruptly when her life is taken and her thoughts cease. Serrador uses trickery like this several times throughout the film, and it becomes very apparent that he’s using editing, camera angles, and music to tell a bigger story than is on display, expanding the moments we’re seeing into something else.

The film falls into horror in its final moments when the identity of the killer, and their motivations, are revealed to the audience. I won’t reveal who it is or why so as to keep the film unspoiled for you (good for you if you’ve avoided spoilers for 54 years), but it’s a shocking moment, one that leaves the film feeling a lot more twisted, gruesome, and horrific than the preceding ninety plus minutes would have you expect. The ending also leaves you wanting to go back and watch the film again, if only to see if there were hints that could have been missed along the way that would have revealed who the killer was. As well as to re-examine certain scenes from a new perspective now that we know the motivations of the killer.

Despite the age of the film, as well as the rather small following it’s had over the decades, the new release does manage to get quite a few extras together. There’s a new audio commentary by film critic and podcaster Anna Bogutskaya, who goes into the creation of the movie, as well as the broader historical context behind both the making of the movie and Spanish horror cinema of the time. There are also several interviews, including an interview with John Moulder-Brown, a segment of a talk with Mary Maude where she spoke about working on the film, and a new interview with the author of the book the film was based upon. 

The House That Screamed is a wonderfully different piece of European horror, one that you seems to draw from several other sources and inspirations, yet manages to be unique and interesting in its execution. It’s easy to see how Serrador would go on to be seen as a hugely influential figure (even dubbed the Hitchcock of Spain), and why the movie is held in such high regards. The new release is the perfect addition to the collection of long time fans, as well as the perfect gateway for new ones.

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Hel's Eight by Stark Holborn - Book Review

 

'Who controls the future, controls it all…

'Ten 'Doc' Low is a medic with a dark past, riding the wastes of the desert moon Factus, dispensing medicine to the needy and death to those who cross the laws of the mysterious Seekers. Cursed by otherworldly forces, she stays alone to keep herself safe, and to keep others safe from her… But when she experiences a terrifying vision of conflict, and foresees the deaths of those she once called friends, she must drag herself back to the land of living to stop a war before it begins.

'With a rebellion brewing, the Accord’s grip on the Outer Moons weakening and a sinister tycoon buying up all the land in sight, Ten must find allies where she can and face the past, in order to save the future. Even if the cost might be greater than she could ever have imagined…'

Ten Low was one of my favourite reads of 2021. It blended together dystopia, science fiction, western aesthetics, gritty action, and mystery into this wonderful creation that left you wanting more. Luckily, we now get more, as Stark Holborn takes readers back to the desolate moon of Factus as war is about to break out. 

It's been several years since the events of the first book, and Ten Low has been living away from society, on the Edge, where she can avoid people and try to make up for the things that she's done in her past. However, when a nearby settlement she's visiting comes under attack from a roving gang that is being backed by Lutho-Plex, a huge off-world corporation that's trying to take over the satellite. Having to give up on staying out of things, and taking several lives, Ten realises that she's not going to be able to wait out what's happening on Factus.

Meeting up with several of her friends from the first book, she takes part in the mission to try to save Factus from falling into the hands of the villainous Lutho Xoon. However, she soon starts to learn that there's more going on than she first realises, and that the Ifs are a big part of it. Delving into the history of Factus, Ten will learn ore than she ever imagined about the true nature of the Ifs, and the path that she will have to take.

Ten Low was a wonderful sci-fi western story with a grizzled older lead protecting a kid as they fought to get them through a dangerous area to a place of safety. It's a popular genre, and the book did it extremely well. It crafted an incredibly interesting setting in the form of Factus; and a large part of that was down to the otherworldly elements that it included. Factus isn't just a desert moon home to raiders, gangs, and outposts. It also holds a dark, unknowable form of life. The Ifs.

The Ifs weren't explained in any great detail in the first novel. They were this ghostly presence that almost bordered on cosmic horror. They were this thing that existed on the edges of the story, with rules that the reader would learn along the way, but we never found out much about them. Hel's Eight is the book where the spotlight very much shifts to focus on the Ifs. And it makes it such a good follow-up.

Holborn could have easily copied the style of the first book, could have focused on the human elements of Factus, the warring clans, the struggle to survive; and the book would have been great. But, rather than doing that, this time round we get a deep dive into the history of the moon, the first people that came to call it home, and those people's connections to the Ifs.  This shift away from the more grounded elements in order to lean into the fantastical makes this feel like more than just a simple sequel. Holborn isn't just retreading the same ground, but is instead creating whole new ground. This includes going backwards in time, and providing us with interesting and at times really creepy, history as we get diary entries from one of the moons first inhabitants, Esterhazy.

Hel's Eight manages to weave the stories from these two time periods very well, and both move at a decent pace, encouraging you to keep reading. The book has plenty of mystery, action, and character moments in each time period that both feel like fully realised, fleshed out stories in their own rights. Speaking of characters, the sections in the present does introduce a new character into the narrative that was particularly enjoyable to read. Rouf Cinque is a gang member that Ten picks up along the way. At first they're something of an antagonist, forced to work with our protagonist against their will; but over time they slowly start to integrate into the main team, and eventually feel like a part of it. They're also referred to with they/them pronouns, so it's great to have a gender non-conforming character as part of the core group.

I had a really good time with Hel's Eight, and it's a fantastic follow-up to the first novel. I'm excited to go back and read both of them again, and can't wait to see how well they work going straight from one to the other. Much like the first book, the ending does feel like an end. In a lot of ways it feels like Ten's character has been put to bed; but, I thought that come the end of book one, and then she came back in a new and exciting way. So, I guess I'm hoping that happens again, that perhaps we might get a trilogy or more out of this character and her story. But, if this is the end then it's a fantastic end.

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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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