A Market of Dreams and Destiny by Trip Galey – Book Review

 

Originally published on Set The Tape

'Below Covent Garden lies the Untermarkt, where anything and everything has a price: a lover’s first blush, a month of honesty, a wisp of fortune. As a child, Deri was sold to one of the Market’s most powerful merchants. Now, after years of watchful servitude, Deri finally spots a chance to buy not only his freedom but also his place amongst the Market’s elite when he stumbles into the path of a runaway princess desperate to sell her royal destiny.

'But news of the missing princess and her wayward destiny spreads. Royal enforcers and Master Merchants alike are after it. Outmanoeuvring them all would all be hard enough had Deri not just also met the love of his life, a young man called Owain, whose employers are using the Market for their own nefarious schemes.

'Deri soon finds that the price of selling the royal destiny, making a name for himself, and saving the man he loves is dear. The cost of it all might just change the destiny of London forever.'

Hidden below the streets of Covent Garden you’ll find the Untermarket, a bizarre bazaar home to the fey and fairy, where anything you wish is possible; for a price.

A Market of Dreams and Destiny takes readers to an alternate Victorian age, one where magic and the supernatural lives alongside ordinary humans. The London above is much like that which we are familiar with, but in the Untermarket you find fey creatures, goblins, and talking animals all plying their trade, all eager to make their deals. It’s here that readers are introduced to Deri, a human boy delivered into the world by a goblin midwife, who’s grown up as the indentured servant of one of the Untermarket’s greatest merchants, the twisted Maurlocke.

Deri is under a mystical contract, one that leaves him as little more than a slave, but with the possibility that he might one day be able to work out his time (as long as Maurlocke doesn’t add more), or that he can buy out his contract early. To this end, Deri has been working side deals within the Untermarket, slowly building his own wealth, making connections, and readying himself to buy his freedom. However, when a runaway princess from London comes to the Untermarket, Deri is able to help her by getting rid of her destiny for her. Now Deri has the most valuable and dangerous piece of merchandise in the Untermarket, something that he has to find a way to unload for enough profit to buy his freedom before Maurlocke learns what he has.

His plans, however, hit a number of snags. The first is that no one wants the item, despite its vast wealth, forcing Deri to have to get creative and form an even more complex scheme. The other is that he meets Owain, a young indentured servant from a London workhouse. The two of them grow close, and a romance starts to bloom between them, something forbidden in their contracts. Now Deri not only wants to free himself, but Owain and all of his fellow workhouse children too.

It doesn’t take long into A Market of Dreams and Destiny for Trip Galey to grab your attention. The Untermarket is a strange and unusual world, one that feels like it sticks to a strict set of rules, yet is ready to trick you and twist things at a moment’s notice. It’s a place where you have to be constantly on your guard, a place you should probably never go to, yet one that demands your attention. Every time that Deri delves into the Untermarket, every merchant and patron that he meets is a delight, as it continues to build this fascinating world, this place both beautiful and horrifying in equal measures.

But there’s also a hugely entertaining human story at the heart of the book, one where love and freedom, things that most of us would take for granted, are not only rare, but the goal for our heroes. The relationship between Deri and Owain is incredibly sweet, and it’s a delight to watch the two of them go from nervously waiting to see if the other has feelings for them, to being so deeply in love that they’re both willing to give everything for the other. There are several moments throughout the book where the romance between these two young men feels so genuine and so real that you can’t help but get swept along with them, and when that love is put in jeopardy it feels horrible.

The book is over four hundred pages long, but thanks to the amount that Galey packs into the pages, and the way in which he unfolds the narrative it feels both wonderfully full of things, and impossibly short at the same time. There are much shorter books that feel like long slogs to read, but A Market of Dreams and Destiny felt like reading a book barely half its length. Part of this is down to the fact that it’s hard to put down, and that you’ll be reading it wanting desperately to know what happens next, constantly telling yourself ‘just one more chapter’. This was a book that almost felt like a fey deal in itself, one that’s a wonderful read, but so cursed that it means you will stay up way too late trying to finish it.

With a wonderfully creative world filled with characters that you’ll come to care for, mystery and secrets that you’ll want to know more about, and a narrative that showcases the beauty of queer love stories, A Market of Dreams and Destiny is very much in contention for my best book of 2023. This is not something you’re going to want to miss out on.

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Predator Vs. Wolverine #1 - Comic Review

 

Back when Dark Horse Comics were making Aliens and Predator comics the two franchises would cross over with other properties a lot. The most famous one being the two of them combining together, a marriage that felt so perfect it's just become an accepted thing that the two creatures live in the same universe; and will probably do so forever going forward. Another group that would often find itself going up against them were the DC heroes. Batman would famously kick these crossovers off when a Yautja came to Gotham looking for a hunt, and was bested by the Dark Knight. He would go on to have two more crossovers with the Predator, as would Superman, and Superman and Batman together, and the Justice League. These crossovers varied in quality quite a bit, but when they were good they were a ton of fun.

When Disney acquired Fox, and got the publishing rights to the franchises, it seemed like it was inevitable that they would cross over with Marvel characters at some point. The fact that both Aliens and Predator have had multiple series published by Marvel and have only just now made their way into the 616 books has shown a remarkable level of constraint. But, finally, the Yautja have come to the Marvel Universe, to hunt one of Earth's deadliest killers, Wolverine.

Predator Vs. Wolverine begins in the modern day, where Wolverine has been badly injured. He's beaten, cut all over, and it looks like pieces of him have been blasted away from the Yautja's plasma caster weapons. Trying desperately to escape the creature hunting him, he's making his way through the remote Canadian wilderness. As the creature hunts him, he remembers back to a time in his younger days, when he first encountered the creature.

The bulk of the book deals with this encounter, taking readers back to 1900 Alaska, where a young Logan is surviving out in the frozen wilderness. Living off the land, he's found a level of peace for himself. However, when a prospector named Tucker comes to him for help in a local settlement, telling Logan that a gang of bandit have kidnapped his son, he agrees to help bring the child home. Meanwhile, a lone Yautja hunter has comes to Alaska, looking into the vanishing of one of his kind. Finding the body frozen in the ice, killed with weapons from the local Athabascan people, it decides to try hunting in the area itself.

As Logan travels with Tucker, we see the Yautja making its way through the territory, killing more and more dangerous prey (including a Killer Whale!) until it finally comes to the Athabascan settlement. As Logan and Tucker reach the area, they find the Yautja's den, filled with animal corpses, and the mutilated remains of the Athabascans. Logan assumes that the bandits are responsible for the deaths of the Athabascans, and attacks their lodge with extreme prejudice, killing all inside. It's then that Tucker shoots Logan, revealing that he was the gangs leader, and that Logan killed them so that he could claim all the loot for himself.

It's then, however, that the Yautja attacks, and a deadly battle between Logan and the alien begins. The creature is clearly more powerful than the young Logan, but thanks to some trickery and a friendly bear, he's able to defeat the creature. Or so he thinks. The issue then jumps forwards in time to closer to the present, when Logan was part of Team X. As he and his team travel into the South American rain forest on a mission, little do they know that the Yautja from Logan's past is there to hunt them; and he brought some friends along with him.

One of the things that this book seems to be doing well is using the long lifespans of both of the titular characters in order to create one of the longest running Predator narratives that we have. Most of the time when a Yautja goes up against a foe you have perhaps a day or two at most for things to play out. Here, however, we're getting a story that's spanning decades, more than a century, as what could have been a simple Yautja vs mutant fight gets to become a generations long vendetta between these two fighters. With the Yautja appearing in the present day segment its clear that Logan will manage to keep besting the creature, so it's going to be interesting to see how that alters the monster, makes him use different tactics and weapons, and likely see a fierce vendetta form. It's something that I don't think we've really seen before.

The fact that Logan has lived so long also means that we're able to go to a lot of different places in this series. Whilst the first issue only briefly touches upon the second time and place, we do get two very different biomes for the action as we go from the frozen Alaska to the hot, lush jungles of South America. Again, this is something we've never really seen before, as most Predator stories tend to stick to one place. Now we're going to get a story that's set across multiple locations, allowing the creative team to keep things fresh and interesting from issue to issue. 

The book has multiple artists working on it, with each era of the story having its own artistic team. Initially, when I saw that the book had such a big art team on it I was a bit nervous about picking up the book, as often shifting art style can lead to a bit of a disconnect when reading for me. However, the choice to split them up in the way that the book does means that it's not really much of an issue, and that each segment has its own flavour, despite not shifting art style in any ways where things look jarringly different. 

Greg Land is a name that I've heard grumblings about online in regards to his art, mainly due to accusations of tracing in his work. I don't know enough about that to really comment on it, but will say that his segment of the book at least didn't look too bad. The Yautja looked kind of off in places, with him being portrayed as much thinner and taller than most I'm used to, having a very lanky appearance; though that could have been the intention for that character. If Land if tracing his work for the book it's at least a million miles better than Salvador Larroca, who makes it incredibly obvious that his work is barely disguised tracing; and who puts himself in most books he works on. The fact that he worked on the first Alien series from Marvel does make for an amusing thought that Marvel seems to put their tracers on their Alien and Predator IPs. 

Despite not minding Land's work on this book I much preferred Andrea Di Vito's work on the Team X part at the end. With it looking like that time period will be the main focus of the second issue I'm looking forward to seeing what they're able to do with that segment of the story. The fact that most of Team X that appear in these flashbacks are alive in the future and thus, survive their encounter with the Yautja doesn't feel like it diminishes the possibility for some brutal and bloody moments as most of them have healing abilities of some kind, and thus can still end up being messed up pretty badly by the alien hunters. 

With a strong first issue this series looks set to be an interesting and well put together crossover for these two popular franchises. Wolverine is perhaps one of the best characters to do this with, but I doubt he'll be the last if this proves to be a popular series.

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Godzilla: Here There Be Dragons #3 – Comic Review

 

Originally published by Set The Tape

With the last two issues of Godzilla: Here There Be Dragons we have been introduced to a time of pirates, swashbuckling adventure, and giant monsters, and it’s been an absolute delight to see these two worlds collide this way. But the third issue gives us something even better than this: a whole hidden history of Kaiju!

Things looked grim for Mr Hull, a condemned pirate, at the end of the last issue as he was led to the gallows for his long promised execution. How is the series going to go on without him there driving the narrative forward? Well, the book kind of did a fake out on us, as the very first panel of this issue reveals that Hull was spared from his fate at the last possible second thanks to the arrival of Sir Francis Walsingham, the principal secretary to Queen Elizabeth.

This new introduction changes things slightly for the story, but not to a huge amount. Walsingham has come to listen to Hull’s story, as part of his investigation into larger issues. This means that Hull will continue his story about his time on Monster Island, but he won’t be under constant threat from his captors, and we’ve done away with the back and forth with his jailers from the first two issues. Which isn’t a bad change. It doesn’t really alter much in how the story is being given to us, but manages to expand the world in interesting ways.

The most interesting thing that this third issue does is that it reveals that it’s not just the people of this time and this culture who have experienced Kaiju before the modern era. A wonderful splash page shows us Godzilla in Feudal Japan, King Ghidorah fighting Roman soldiers, Mothra worshipped in ancient Egypt, Rodan being offered sacrifices in Central America, and Hedorah alongside a Viking long-ship. It turns out that these creatures are known throughout the world and history, but that their existence is a closely guarded secret; one kept by a Kaiju worshipping secret society called The Sons of Giants.

These few pages, especially the one that showed robed cultists wearing amazing Kaiju masks, are perhaps my favourite images in the series so far. Words cannot express how much I want each of those cultist masks. This gives us the reason for Walsingham having arrived in the book, and why Hull is so important. His story may hint at a connection between The Sons of Giants and the Queen of England (please god have Queen Elizabeth be wearing the lobster mask!). A whole new dimension has been added to this story now, and it’s no longer just pirates and giant monsters, but conspiracies and cults.

The issue isn’t just focused on the present, however, as we continue Hull’s story of his time on Monster Island, introducing a human antagonist for the members of his crew to deal with, along with showcasing Ebirah, Horror of the Deep. For a story focusing on seafaring and pirates it feels right that the giant lobster monster makes an appearance here, and seeing him crash through the jungle was a genuine delight. Frank Tieri not only knows how to pace a story and when to throw something big and bombastic at the reader, but it also seems like he’s hitting my all time Kaiju wish list with this story too.

Art on this series has never been anything but wonderful, and Inaki Miranda and Eva de la Cruz continue to to impress each issue. The already mentioned pages where we see the Kaiju scattered across the globe interacting with different cultures is amazing, and the panel showing the secret cult was a jaw dropping moment thanks to the way that the art team execute the visuals. They manage to make it both wonderfully silly and goofy looking, but also so fantastic that you want to see it in real life, which is a hard line to walk on such things.

We’re over the halfway point in the series so far, and it is genuinely not just a delight to read, but a wonderful celebration of the entire Godzilla universe. The only complaint is that there are only two more issues to go, as this is a series that more than deserves to be an ongoing tale.

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Alligator Loki #1 - Comic Review

 

There were a lot of great moments in the Loki television series, with some surprisingly great guest stars thrown in too (Richard E. Grant as Classic Loki was fantastic), but something that just grabbed everyone's attention and became a fast favourite was the adorable Alligator Loki. Just a regular alligator with a cute set of golden Loki horns on his head, this reptile stood out the second he appeared on screen. As such, it was only a matter of time until he got his own solo series.

Written by Alyssa Wong, this one-shot issue is fun, simple to read, and enjoyable throughout. The book has no dialogue, and instead features short, silent stories focused on the tricky reptile as he gets into all kinds of hi-jinks and trouble. He breaks out of the zoo thanks to some help from the Young Avengers, goes to a theme park with Thor and rides the roller coaster, and even tries to help his brother take down Doctor Doom at one point.

The stories are quick and fun, and stand on their own, but there does feel like there's a longer interconnecting narrative here too, so that the entire book becomes one long story about the reptilian alternate version of Loki. And he is another version of Loki here, not just Loki changing his shape, as we get regular Loki and Alligator Loki together for a couple of the adventures.

With the book being silent, the art has to do a bit more heavy lifting than you'd normally expect. Thankfully, Bob Quinn, and Pete Pantazis do a fantastic job, and the book is super easy to read. The pages are bold and bright, with tons of small jokes and silly references hidden throughout. The art team manage to put a ton of personality into the tiny green troublemaker, and some of the best moments of the book are when Alligator Loki's initial plans fail, and you can see him plotting his next move with a shady look on his face. The book also recreates the woman yelling at cat meme with Thor and Alligator Loki, and its a genuine laugh out loud moment that delighted.

A simple, yet fun book, one that will appeal to readers of all ages and is super accessible. Hopefully, with the popularity of Alligator Loki this won't be the last time we get a book like this, as it was a lot of fun to read.

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Schrader's Chord by Scott Leeds - Book Review

 

'I told you they were real. After his estranged father’s mysterious death, Charlie Remick returns to Seattle to help with the funeral. There, he discovers his father left him two parting the keys to the family record store and a strange black case containing four antique records that, according to legend, can open a gate to the land of the dead.

'When Charlie, his sister, and their two friends play the records, they unwittingly open a floodgate of unspeakable horror. As the darkness descends, they are stalked by a relentless, malevolent force and see the dead everywhere they turn.

'With time running out, the only person who can help them is Charlie’s resurrected father, who knows firsthand the awesome power the records have unleashed. But can they close the gate and silence Schrader’s Chord before it’s too late?'

Charlie Remick is living a quiet life, wells, as quiet as a life in the music industry gets at least. Dubbed 'the man with the magic ear' Charlie has been finding hit new musicians for the record company he's working for, and has signed success after success. He's a hot shot in the industry, and he's enjoying living and working in New York; even if he is living paycheck to paycheck. Things change for him, however, when he gets a message from his older sister, Susan, telling him that his father has died. Faced with the prospect of returning home after years away, Charlie is reluctant to go, but knows that he has to face the ghosts of his past.

Arriving in Seattle, he's reunited with Susan, and his twin sister Ellie. The three of them are left to deal with their father's estate after his grim death, a death by suicide. As they're trying to deal with everything that this tragedy brings, the employees at their fathers record store, Ana and Dale, worry about what Raymond's death might mean for them, and if they're out of a job. As the people in Raymond's life come together because of his death, strange things begin to happen. A crazed man dies in a horrific accident at the wake, and Charlie is left a case containing four mysterious records and the cryptic message 'I told you they were real'.

Charlie reveals that the records are part of a ghost story that their father would tell them growing up. Forged by the composer Ivan Schrader, the four records, when played together, would open a doorway to the world of the dead. Not quite believing in the myth, but curious to see what might happen, Charlie, Ellie, Ana, and Dale decide to play the records. What follows is a frightening experience, on that will see the four of them having to fight for their very survival as supernatural forces set their sights on them.

Schrader's Chord is a slow burn horror novel that puts character and story first before scares, one that ends up sucking you in and makes you forget that you're supposed to be reading a horror story. The first third of the book almost forgoes all horror, and instead focuses on the Remick family and the staff at Raymond's record store. It becomes a very real, very well crafted story about relationships, human nature, and the way that people intersect in ways that they don't expect. The main focus is on Charlie and Ana, who get the most time in the book split between the two of them, and explore the death of Raymond in different ways.

Despite being his son, Charlie isn't hugely affected by his fathers passing, due in large parts to how their relationship deteriorated over the last few years. He almost resents having to travel across the country to deal with his fathers death, and his initial reaction to inheriting the record store is one of dismissal, wanting to sell it immediately so as to be done with it, little thinking about what that might mean for those who work their and rely on the place. Ana, however, is the opposite to this. She's not related to Raymond, but has come to see him as a father figure and his presence had ended up changing her life for the better. She's mourning his passing, feeling like the world has lost a kind and caring individual. It's great to see these two almost opposing perspectives, in examining the different ways in which the same person can change peoples lives in completely different ways.

However, this isn't just a book about family relationships and mourning; though it would be fine if it were. This is a horror book, and as such things need to get scary. When Charlie and the others end up playing the cursed records things very much get scary, and from here on out the book becomes this delightfully creepy race against time to survive the horrors that the group unleash. Thanks to the records, the four of them are able to see the dead, to interact with the spirit world that exists around us, unseen by the living. This leads to some delightfully frightening and messed up moments when the group realises that they're in the presence of a ghost, and the dead people start doing some frankly fucked up stuff.

Even when the frights start the book still puts the human characters first. The focus is always on the people, how these events affect them, and how it brings them closer together; Charlie and Ana in particular. The ability to see the dead also leads to some interesting moments as Raymond, who lost his life at the family home, gets to make a reappearance, and he and Charlie are finally able to air their dirty laundry, and deal with the issues that kept them apart in life. It makes for an interesting thing to see a character dealing with the loss of an estranged parent, to have to recon with the issues they had never being resolved, for them to then have the chance to speak to that person again and get to put those demons to bed. As with everything in this book, it's the characters that come first.

Schrader's Chord is Scott Leeds debut novel, and it's astonishing how well crafted it is. A lot of the time with debut authors you tend to see the cracks as it were, the areas where they're not quite as strong, and the places where you know they're going to get better as their career continues. With this book, however, it feels like it's been written by someone who's been crafting books for decades. The character work is fantastic, the world feels full and lived in, the horror is chilling, and the creativity is wonderful. If this is the first book that Leeds has released I can't wait to see what they come up with in the future.

Whether you're into your music or not (if you are you're going to get a lot more out of the book!) there's something phenomenal to discover with Schrader's Chord. This is the kind of book that only comes along every once in a while, a debut that feels like a tour de force, that you hate having to put down because it's so engrossing, one that you can easily see being adapted into a horror film that would take the world by storm. Horror fans looking for something new and interesting need look no further than this.

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Werewolf By Night #1 - Comic Review

 

I'm going to be a bit honest before starting this review; I absolutely love the work of Derek Landy. His Skulduggery Pleasant series is one of my all time favourite book series, and when I got to meet him a few years ago it was one of the best author/celebrity experiences I've had. The guy is just lovely. That being said, I didn't pick the book because his name was attached to it. I didn't even see his name to begin with. No, I picked this book up because I loved last years Werewolf By Night TV special that was released, and wanted to see more of that.

In some ways this new one-shot does have some similarities with that show; namely the black and white art style that follows our titular protagonist, Jack Russell. Most of the book is presented in a beautiful, almost Gothic looking black and white art style with a few splashes of colour here and there. What tends to bring the colour, however, is his co-star, the ever wild and bombastic Elsa Bloodstone.

The book begins with Jack tracking down the evil Doctor Nekromantik, who has kidnapped a young woman from a village near his ancient castle. Jack has promised to find Nekromantik, stop him, and bring the girl home to her family. Unfortunately, there's a horde of undead between him and his goal, and Jack is forced to fight his way through them. Fortunately for him, he's not in this mission alone. High above the forest, inside a private plane, Elsa Bloodstone is making ready to launch her own assault upon Nekromatik.

Having stolen the plane from some vampires, who she gets to kill whilst in the air, Elsa blasts her way out of the plane and parachutes into the castle; making as flashy an entrance as she's able to. As the two monster hunters battle their way through Nekromatik's forces, they end up discovering each other, and team up; creating an unstoppable duo.

The first thing that needs saying about this book is that it's ridiculously fun. For those who've read Landy's Skulduggery Pleasant series a lot of the banter and jokey dialogue that's in the book will feel instantly familiar. There's a snappy quality to everything, and it moves at a wonderful pace. Elsa is, in a lot of ways, very similar to Valkyrie Cain here, and that absolutely suits her to a tee. It seems like Landy is at his best when writing snarky, bad-ass women and their sullen, monsterish partners.

The second thing that needs praising is the art. Fran Galan provides both the art and the colours on the book, and it's amazing to flip through and stare at. The book has this very gloomy, almost hand drawn and pencil shaded look to things, where the lack of colour and the simplicity of the art makes it feel like an old black and white monster movie of the 1930's and 40's. When Elsa turns up, however, she's bright and colourful, with gorgeous colouring work that pops on the page. Some of the best moments are when she's a splash of colour on an otherwise gloomy looking page, such as when she's falling through the sky towards the castle in the pouring rain.

Werewolf By Night is a fantastic comic. It has a simple, easy to follow narrative, yet manages to throw in some twists and surprises. The characters are fantastically written, and their interactions are great. And the art is just perfect for this. It's a shame that this is just a one-shot, as I can't help but feel an ongoing with this creative team and character pairing would do fantastically well; and would likely end up being one of my best comics of the year. As it stands, this is a near perfect one-shot that you're not going to want to miss out on.

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Medusa's Sisters by Lauren J.A. Bear - Book Review

 

'The end of the story is only the beginning… Even before they were transformed into Gorgons, Medusa and her sisters, Stheno and Euryale, were unique among immortals. Curious about mortals and their lives, Medusa and her sisters entered the human world in search of a place to belong, yet quickly found themselves at the perilous centre of a dangerous Olympian rivalry and learned—too late—that a god's love is a violent one.

'Forgotten by history and diminished by poets, the other two Gorgons have never been more than horrifying hags, damned and doomed. But they were sisters first, and their journey from sea-born origins to the outskirts of the Parthenon is a journey that rests, hidden, underneath their scales.

'Monsters, but not monstrous, Stheno and Euryale will step into the light for the first time to tell the story of how all three sisters lived and were changed by each other, as they struggle against the inherent conflict between sisterhood and individuality, myth and truth, vengeance and peace.'

Chances are, even if you're not familiar with the myths, you'd have heard of Medusa. The character has become so famous over the generations that she has appeared in multiple retellings, stories that are only tangentially connected to her original myths, and in media that has no connection at all. The woman with snakes for hair that can kill a man just by being looked upon has grown beyond her origins into something that is likely to last forever in some form or another. And whilst that's true for her, her sisters have had a much more difficult journey. Before this book came along, I didn't even know Medusa had sisters.

Medusa's Sisters, as the title would suggest, is less about Medusa herself (though her story is central to the plot of the book), and instead focuses on those figures who are often left out of the stories, the women who have been left by the wayside over the generations since their inception; Stheno and Euryale. For myself, this was the first time I'd heard these names, and before picking up the book I was only passingly aware of the the origin story for the Gorgons. This is perhaps the best point of view to come into this story from. I came at it with no preconceptions, no expectations, ready to be taken on what would feel like a wholly new journey. And Lauren J.A. Bear did not disappoint in that regards.

The story begins with the birth of three sisters, Stheno, the eldest, Euryale, the middle child, and Medusa, the youngest. These triplet sisters are birthed to Ceto, the goddess of sea monsters. Whilst her other children have all been monstrous in some form or another, these three daughters are birthed beautiful, normal. Looking like humans, the three of them have nothing to them that sets them as special amongst their monstrous family. Except Medusa, who, unlike all others in her family, is born mortal. She will have a long, youthful life like the rest of her siblings, but Medusa is able to be killed, prompting her eldest sister Stheno to dote on her and spend her time protecting her mortal life.

As the three sisters grow, they soon begin to become bored with their existence under the sea. Having been exposed briefly to the world outside their home, and the world of the Olympian gods, the three sisters are determined to see more of the world. The three of them head to Thebes, the kingdom of the monster killer Cadmus, where they are welcomed into his palace with open arms, and soon make friends with his most beloved daughter, Semele. Their time in Thebes shows them much of the beauty of the human world, and the sisters begin to discover their own interests and passions. However, it also teaches them the dangers of the Olympians, as they see the tragedy that can befall young women who try to romance the gods.

Soon after leaving Thebes, the sisters travel to Athens, where they grow further apart. Stheno learns music, and discovers a create outlet for herself. Medusa becomes enraptured by the temples, and starts to spend more and more time there. And Euryale discovers a local brothel, and starts to learn about the pleasures of the flesh. All the while, each sister is drawing closer to the tragic event that will leave them cursed, unable to look upon mortal men, and with monstrous features that will lead to them being known as the Gorgons.

The Greek myths have received hundreds, if not thousands, of retellings over the years. Their stories have lasted so long, and influenced so many others, that it feels like there are too many versions of the same characters to keep up with them. One character that often gets painted very differently from her origins is Medusa. Medusa was punished by Athena, transformed into the snake-haired Gorgon that we think of when we hear that name. She is then killed by a travelling hero who needs her powers to transform those who look upon her, taking her head as a gruesome weapon to be wielded. And at this part of the story Medusa is often made into a villain. The most famous version of her, that from Clash of the Titans sees her as a dangerous killer that Perseus is right to kill. This book never once paints Medusa as anything but kind and gentle, and for that it deserves attention.

The characters of Medusa, Stheno, and Euryale are just that, they're characters. They're regular people for the most part. They're looking to find their place in the world, they're relationships evolve and change, they find things that they're passionate about, they're creative. They're people birthed from the goddess of monsters, but that doesn't make them monsters themselves. And this is the main focus of the book, to show the humanity in these characters. The first two thirds of the book is just that, an exploration of their lives before the tragedy that will befall them, and it's something that I wasn't sure that I'd normally enjoy; yet proved to be deeply absorbing.

Bear does a wonderful job at making the three sisters feel like regular people, with evolving and deeply emotional connections that shape their lives. It's interesting to see how they interact with each other, how their relationships change, and to watch them discover the world outside of the one they knew growing up. Them being almost unaware of how the surface world works becomes a great introduction to that world ourselves for the reader. We get to learn along with them, to discover what this time and place was like, and to learn of the dangers of the gods as they do.

The book also does something wonderfully interesting, it makes the curse that befalls the sisters make sense. In the original myth, Medusa had an affair with Poseidon, and when she learned of this Athena became so enraged that she cursed Medusa, transforming her and her sisters into the Gorgons. But why would Athena care this much? She's not Poseidon's wife, so why would yet another example of an Olympian not being able to keep it in his trousers (there were a lot!) enrage her so much? Bear gives us a reason for this, one that's incredibly tragic and heartbreaking, and so far the only one I've seen that makes perfect sense. I'm sure many will call this a 'twist' on the story, but I think of it more as a deepening of the myth, a correction that would make the myth make more sense, and would further the tragedy of Medusa's tale. It's also something that I think those who read the book will long remember, and will use as a reason to encourage others to pick the book up.

As mentioned earlier in the review, the book isn't just about Medusa, however, and it's real focus is on Stheno and Euryale. As such, the story continues on past the point where most people would expect it to end; the murder of Medusa. Bear makes some changes to established myths, alters some origins and plays around with characters in much more obvious ways in this segment of the book, but does so in a way that transforms the narrative into something else that you don't expect, and it almost feels like you're getting to read a whole second story. The ways in which Bear weaves these narratives together, and keeps taking you on these journeys is delightfully done, and makes me instantly willing to read any other mythological retelling that she writes. 

Medusa's Sisters is a wonderfully crafted and deeply engaging narrative, one that grabs you early on and doesn't let up. It takes stories that are thousands of years old and does something new and interesting with them, whilst also remaining true and faithful to what they were when they were first created. 

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It Follows (2014) – 4K UHD Review

 

Originally published on Set The Tape

A large part of horror is the unknown; being at the mercy of forces that you can’t understand. As such, it’s always a little sad to see a horror film do well, and go on to spawn a series of sequels, side-stories and prequels that go on to explain almost everything, and take away a large portion of that magic. It’s very surprising then to find a horror film that was a critical and financial success, that’s beloved by audiences, that chose not to do that, and remained a singular piece that refuses to allow its audience those insights and answers. It Follows breaks a lot of horror moulds, and it’s now available in a gorgeous new 4K Ultra-HD release.

It Follows tells the story of Jay (Maika Monroe), a college girl from Michigan who lives with her mother and sister, Kelly (Lili Sepe), and spends her time hanging out with her friends, Paul (Keir Gilchrist) and Yara (Olivia Luccardi). Her quiet life goes through some changes when she starts dating Hugh (Jake Weary), a new guy in town. After a couple of dates Jay and Hugh sleep together, but shortly after having sex, Hugh drugs her. Jay wakes up tied to a chair in an abandoned building, with Hugh looking panicked whilst looking around the building.

Hugh tells Jay that he’s passed something onto her, that an invisible entity will now be coming for her. Only her, and the people infected before her, can see it, and it can take on any human form. The creature will be following her, always walking towards her, and that she needs to be on the lookout for anyone who’s following her. He explains that if it catches up with her it will kill her, and then come after him again. The only thing she can do is to sleep with someone else to pass it on. Shortly after explaining this, the entity appears, and Jay realises that Hugh was telling the truth.

Thus begins Jay’s fight for survival, as the entity begins its relentless pursuit of her. With Jay having seemed to have been sexually assaulted by Hugh after he leaves her at home in her underwear, and her in a state of fear and anxiety, her friends and family assume that she’s simply going through trauma. Now she has to convince those around her that she’s not crazy, and that her life is in danger.

It Follows is the creation of writer/director David Robert Mitchell, and it’s clear very early on that he has a very specific look and feel for the movie, one that will draw you in and interest you as much as the actual story and characters. The film exists in a time out of time, almost in its own world. There are scenes where you see modern cars and phones, and others where cars are from the 70s and 80s. Fashions are mixed, with people in the same room wearing clothing styles from varying decades. Most modern appliances and electronics are absent, with older TVs appearing throughout, showing movies from the 1950s. One of the characters has a e-reader/phone that’s inside a literal clamshell, a compact mirror having been repurposed for this use. The result is a film that is hard to pin down, one that at times feels like a period piece, and others a modern day tale.

Part of this was done due to the director wanting the film to feel timeless, but it was also done to give the narrative an almost dream-like quality, where the small details don’t quite make sense. This absolutely helps the movie, as the central story has a nightmarish quality to it. I’m sure most of us have had a nightmare where something is chasing us, at least once. The slow moving camera shots, the use of wide angle lenses, and the choice to often keep characters isolated in the middle of the frame, small and vulnerable in a wider world, add to this, and give the film a feel unique all to itself.

In some ways, the central antagonist of the film (the titular It) takes some ideas from other places. The themes of sex and horror have been used numerous times over the years, and being cursed because you have sex isn’t a new one. A monster that only you can see, that makes your claims that your life is in danger seem false, fits very much into the cliches of the Gothic, especially when a woman is placed at the centre of it. And the relentless pursuer that never stops, that seemingly can’t be killed, and that cannot be reasoned with, immediately conjures connections to The Terminator. Whilst the film seems to borrow from these other areas, the end result feels very original, and the concept of the creature and the way it works is a novel one.

The creature is also a big part of the enjoyment of the movie. Once you’ve been informed of the rules, the movie almost becomes like a game, albeit a tense one. Once you know that this thing is constantly coming you start to examine every scene, looking for someone in the background who could be the entity. You start to question every person walking towards Jay, trying to figure out if they’re real or not, and you begin to experience a little of the fear and horror that the characters are going through.

The cast sell this fear well, with Maika Monroe doing a wonderful job at showing this slow descent into desperation and fear. Her character goes through a lot in the film, feeling like her boyfriend assaulted her, not knowing if she’s going crazy or not, trying to show her friends that she’s not imagining things, and then dealing with the idea that she’s in danger for the rest of her life unless she places another person in danger. Monroe manages to convey this journey in a subtle way, never descending into screaming and shouting, with a more internalised journey going on. A lot of her scenes almost have a sense of defeat to them, of a young woman pushed so far to the edge that she has nowhere left to go, and is ready to give up. It’s a decent contrast to Weary’s performance, who injects Hugh with a manic desperation and frayed nerves that puts his own trauma on the surface.

The music is another aspect of the film that stands out, and the film’s composer, Disasterpeace, is as integral to the success of the film as the cast and director. Having previously worked on video game scores, this is the composer’s first film work, and it’s hard to believe as the score for It Follows is one of the best horror scores in decades. Like with the other aspects of the film, the score feels weirdly out of time, though its heavy use of synths gives the film a very 80’s feel, and reminds one of John Carpenter in the best ways. The music elevates the film thanks to the ominous moods that it brings to scenes that would otherwise feel normal and benign, and it’s often the shift in sound that will set you on edge. Disasterpeace enhances every moment of the film with his music, and the recurring motifs and themes end up getting stuck in your head.

There have been many essays and dissections of It Follows over the years, and a quick search online will bring up dozens of deep dives into the film’s themes, its meanings and interpretations. Modern horror tends to play things quite straight, with things being either easily understandable, or with explanations given in the narrative. It Follows bucked that trend, and because of that it grabbed viewers’ attention. Not knowing what the creature is, where it came from, or why it does what it does makes the movie get under your skin a little bit more. You end up thinking about it after it’s done, you create theories, you discuss it with others, and you end up going back and revisiting it hoping that you can glean some further insight. This is why the film made more than 20 times its budget, and often features on ‘best horror’ lists.

This new release not only comes with a new 4K master of the film that looks gorgeous, but also a host of interesting extra features that those who want to know more about the movie will enjoy. There are new interviews with several members of the cast and crew who recount their time working on the movie, a video essay about the film, and two audio commentaries that go in depth into the making of the movie. The Limited Edition version also comes with a 150-page hardback book filled with essays about the film. The review copy we received did not include the book, but it’s something that I’d love to read, and is sure to further satisfy those wanting to deep dive on the film.

It Follows has been described as an instant modern classic, and having revisited it again for the first time since its release it’s hard to disagree. The film feels different, and has a style all to itself, and it doesn’t talk down to the audience or feel the need to hold your hand. The fact that it didn’t spawn a slew of sequels, and that the creator knew it could stand on its own, only makes it stand out further, and once you watch it it’s sure to stick around in your brain for a long while after.

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Avengers Inc #1 - Comic Review

 

The Avengers have been many things over the years, a flagship hero team, a group of characters that can't sell their own books, street level heroes, warriors for cosmic scale battles, secret agent teams. They've been able to turn their hands at most things given to them, showing the versatility of some of Marvels bigger characters. Now Al Ewing is steering the Avengers in a wholly new direction with Avengers Inc, crime procedural.

The cover of the book gives hints at this new theme, with a discarded weapon, crime scene markers, and chalk outlines covering the page. It also puts our series leads in slick suits that are reminiscent of detectives and government agents. The cover does also seem to be taking a bit of a lead from The Human Target over at DC, but the story at least seems to be different enough to not just be trying to do the same.

Avengers Inc focuses on Janet Van Dyne, The Wasp. A founding member of the Avengers, and the person to give the team their name, Janet has been a mainstay of the Marvel Universe ever since, though doesn't always get given the chance to really shine. This book, however, seems to be giving her something new and different to try out.

The story begins with a series of murders taking place on The Raft, a high tech super villain prison. Six inmates have been shot in the head by a mysterious, unseen assailant. One of the victims is Whirlwind, a long time adversary of the Wasp. Mayor Cage comes to Janet and asks her to look into what's happened; though with one caveat, no costumes.

Heading to The Raft, Janet examines the six bodies, but is shocked when they all get up, seemingly back to life. They now sport diamond shaped crystals in their foreheads where they were shot. Unusually, whilst the others seem to be themselves, Whirlwind has a complete change of personality. Not only does he help Janet against the others, but he's using the name Victor Shade. Victor Shade, for those in the know, was once an alias used by Vision; and the diamond in the forehead is a bit Vision-like for sure.

Whilst the warden isn't quick to believe that Shade is on the up and up, Janet fully believes that he's another man completely, stating that he moves, acts, and talks differently to Whirlwind in every way. Getting him released into her custody, the two of them head out to further look into what's going on. The final pages of the book hint at what (or who) might be behind everything; though I won't be spoiling that twist here.

Avengers Inc is an okay book. That's about all I can say for it at this point. The story has some interesting pieces to it, the mystery feels like it could be quite fun, and the end page reveal definitely piques my interest. But there are large parts of the book that move at a very slow pace; to the point where I was checking how many pages were left of the book. This feels like a series that could get really interesting, and I have faith in Al Ewing to do that after reading all of Immortal Hulk in one week, but it also feels like it could go the complete opposite way and end up being a book I quickly drop.

The artwork on the book, by Leonard Kirk, and Alex Sinclair, is decent for the most part. The characters are all neat and clean looking, and the action scene is clear and easy to follow. However, the books lack of costumes and big spectacle does mean that there are times when it feels like the art hasn't been given enough room to wow me. It's people in smart, dull coloured suits having conversations in regular rooms for the most part. And whilst that isn't a bad thing and I'm not saying that I need bright colours or flashy things to keep me engaged, it does mean that I don't really feel like I've seen everything this art team can do yet. I want to see them wow me on the page, and that just hasn't happened yet. 

Avengers Inc is an interesting start to a series that's definitely doing its own thing. Whether or not it manages to be a book that people will talk about for a long while after the fact, or if it'll end up forgotten is yet to be seen, as it feels like either option is a possibility right now.

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Kamen Rider Zero-One - Graphic Novel Review

 

I remember the very first time I was exposed to a tokusatsu show. Like many kids of my generation, it was Power Rangers. The US made series that took the Japanese footage from Super Sentai series and spliced in their own actors to create a new series that was so mismatched and broken at times that you had to see the delightfully weird and absurd side to the show. From then on, however, I was hooked on the format, and found myself watching anything Japanese made that I could, Kaiju movies, anime series, movies, whatever I could. And whilst my horizons for Japanese media were broadened, my love for tokusatsu was still at the core. As the years progressed I was able to get my hands on English translations for various Super Sentai shows, and some Ultraman, but one show that always seemed to elude me was Kamen Rider.

For some reason I've never been able to find English translations of the series, despite knowing that they are out there somewhere. As a result I've seen other people getting into the series but have never been able to do so myself. Every time I see a new, awesome looking Rider suit I know that it's something that I'm likely going to miss out on. But when Titan Comics announced that it was creating a brand new story set in the Kamen Rider Zero-One universe I was hugely excited, as it meant that I could finally get a taste of this beloved franchise.

Kamen Rider Zero-One focuses on Aruto Hiden, a failing stand-up comic who became the head of a mega corporation when his grandfather passed away and left it to him in his will. As the CEO of Hiden Intelligence, Aruto has been thrown into a world that he knows next to nothing about, and is trying to do the best he can. This isn't the only thing that he's been left by his grandfather, however, as he has also become the latest wearer of the Kamen Rider Zero-One armour, and has been trying to be a hero by fighting against rogue Humagears.

As the book begins Aruto is defending himself and his actions to A.I.M.S., a military organisation with a couple of their own Kamen Riders. Aruto feels like he's doing a poor job as a Rider, and that his comedy career isn't going so well either. He begins the book at rock bottom. Unfortunately, he doesn't get much of a chance to pick himself up before things get a little worse for him, and he comes under attack from a mysterious new Kamen Rider calling himself Ragnarok. Ragnarok arrives on the scene and quickly overpowers Aruto, proving to be more powerful, and more brutal in his approach. He's there to kill any Kamen Rider he finds, and Aruto is squarely in his sights.

Following the initial confrontation with Ragnarok the book becomes one long mission to stop the monstrous new foe, one that sees Aruto being put down more and more, even being threatened with arrest for his actions, and having to learn to become the hero that's hidden deep inside himself. As someone who's not seen the show, I don't know how this fits into the character arc of the series, if it contradicts anything, or if it works perfectly; but as a book on its own it's a decent arc for the lead character to have to go through, and feels like the kind of journey a hero would go through pretty early on in their career.

The fact that the book seems to sideline most of the ongoing series stories and creates its own antagonist for Aruto to have to deal with feels like a smart move too. Before the story begins we get a nice breakdown of the main characters and the world they're in so that new readers aren't completely lost, but then the book does its own stuff, letting those new readers learn as they go alongside longtime fans. 

I did also enjoy the character of Ragnarok. Once his true identity and origin were revealed the story suddenly made a lot more sense, and his relentless pursuit of Aruto suddenly felt more natural. For those who've read Chip Zdarsky's Batman: Failsafe there will be a sense of familiarity to this story.  The fact that both stories were originally published in individual issues within six months of each other makes for one of those amusing cases of writers having similar ideas around the same time. Luckily, the two are still very distinct from each other, but it's cool to see a tokusatsu spin on that kind of tale.

The art on the book is decent throughout, with some fantastic splash pages and big action panels that really showcase how cool these kinds of characters look. Tokusatsu heroes have a unique feel to them. Whilst these characters live on the screen and the people involved in the shows produce some amazing content there are times where it feels that the comics can push further and harder. You're not constrained by budget or safety concerns, so you're able to throw these characters into situations and fights that the series just couldn't do; and this book does that in spades with fights and gags that you know the show couldn't replicate.

Perhaps the only complaint with the art is that there are times where the action on the page feels a bit choppy, and things seem to be happening either between the panels, or in ways that are not always easy to understand. I don't know if this is down to a scripting issue, or how the artist put the script to page, but there were a few times where the action did feel a little disjointed.  But this wasn't a big enough issue to detract from the overall quality.

As someone who loves tokusatsu style stuff I had a lot of fun reading this book, it gave me a fun insight into the Kamen Rider Zero-One series, as well as being an enjoyable story that felt like it stood on its own feet. I can't judge it based on the feelings of a fan of the series, but I dare say those who love Kamen Rider will get a big kick out the book too,

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