Delve into the Metro

Unfortunately not many people that I know have played the Metro games, or even heard of them which is a huge shame as Metro 2033 and its recent sequel Metro: Last Light are two of the better games available on Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.  Based o the novels written by Dimitry Glukhovsky Metro offers a great mixture of first person shooting, stealth, story and supernatural intrigue.

Metro 2033

 

Metro 2033 follows the story of the young Metro dweller Artyom as he is drawn into a battle to protect his home station, and by further extent the whole of the Metro, from the sinister forces of the Dark Ones.  Forced to travel through the Metro on a mission to save the last of humanity we see Artyom grow from an inexperienced young man into a hardened warrior.

The game is going to have a number of people complaining about it, and to be fair straight from the start the shooting element in the game isn’t really that great.  The weapons can sometimes feel underpowered and enemies can soak up round after round without reacting, but the game isn’t designed to be a hardcore shooter.

Metro isn’t supposed to be played as a running and gunning type of game.  You need to take your time and being stealthy, watching your enemies movements and planning your assault appropriately.  When played this way Metro changes from a mediocre shooter into a well crafted adventure.

Fight for survival against hideous mutants and monsters.

Add to this great stealth and action element monsters and the supernatural the game really stands out from the rest of the crowd.  With sections of the game dedicated to traversing the wasteland on the surface, avoiding traps and mutated nasties and Metro tunnels filled with the tormented spirits of those that have died there. 

In addition to the unique type of game play and story are some really very beautiful visuals and excellent level designs that create a truly unique atmosphere and location.  There are a lot of other games set in a post nuclear apocalypse or in abandoned locations, such as Bioshock and Fallout, but Metro stands above these as a truly believable location.  A lot of this comes from the Metro inhabitants, who go about their day and have their own conversations that you can listen in on that goes a long way to going towards making a believable world.

The Metro becomes a very real place.

Metro 2033 crafts its story amazingly well, letting the events unfold slowly over the course of the game, leading you in a certain direction but all the while giving you just enough intrigue to question the actions of Artyom and his companions.  Following these clues and performing certain specific actions can reveal a hidden second ending referred to as the ‘good ending’.  It takes a lot of time and effort to uncover this ending but is worth the effort as it reveals some unique plot points that gives hints to the direction that the sequel, Metro Last Light, will explore. 

A great game that plays wonderfully well despite its faults and dares to try and give us something other than a generic first person shooter.  8/10

 

Metro Last Light

Set almost a year after the events of 2033, Last Light sees the return of series hero Artyom who is now a Ranger of the Metro.  The game follows Artyom as he attempts to find the last surviving Dark One and repair the damage that he wrought at the end of 2033, whilst also exploring the results of the discovery of the military outpost D6, found in the latter parts of 2033.

A fully self contained military bunker filled with supplies and weapons D6 has become the home of the Metro Rangers, it's become the Metro system's most coveted station city.  This forces Artyom into direct conflict with several human factions within the Metro as each tries to find and conquer the fabled D6.

This allows Last Light to build upon the world established in 2033 and explore how the humans that have survived the nuclear apocalypse govern themselves and interact with each other.  It sheds light on some of the worst parts of human nature and our love of warfare and self destruction, yet doesn’t get preachy or overly melancholy when doing so.

The Metro is home to many monsters, some human.

Last Light manages to continue on the story of 2033 and improve upon the previous game in every way.  We are treated to completely new environments, with the only repeat visit to a past location being the D6 station, and each new place both above and bellow ground is given a unique look and feel.  For a game set within an underground rail system the game designers are able to offer us a vast wealth of spectacle and wonder to explore.

New and interesting enemies prowl these strange new surroundings, as well as classic monsters making a return, and with the savage winter above ground making way to spring the surface world has been transformed from rocks and ice to watery marshlands.

The game also introduces lots of little game play changes that go a long way to making for a much more enjoyable and immersive experience, from customisable weaponry to having to clean your gas mask visor when dirty.  Last Light feels like a completely fresh experience rather than a quick and easy sequel where the developers really have put in a lot of work and effort to make the best experience they could.

The surface takes on a strange beauty as winter passes.

One of the biggest improvements made over the original is the gunplay element.  In the first game entering into a gunfight could very quickly lead to Artyom becoming overwhelmed by the enemy followed by a nasty death. 

This time round the combat is one of the more enjoyable elements of the game, making stealthing an optional way of playing the game rather than a necessity.  The stealth element has also improved greatly, with neat little additions such as being able to unscrew light bulbs and cut power in areas to assist you move unnoticed. 

Explore a unique and engaging story.

Last Light has improved upon everything 2033 did wrong and everything it did right to create one of the best action adventure games around.  Though it could be played on its own and still enjoyed for the great game it is it’s definitely worth playing together with 2033 to give the gamer a fantastic experience.  9/10

Amy.
xx

Amy Walker Facebook
Trans Girl Writer Facebook Fan Page
Amy Walker Twitter

Doctor Who 'The Name of the Doctor' Review

So far series seven of Doctor Who has been a series of ups and downs, with some of the shakiest episodes since the show returned.  However, the final episode ‘The Name of the Doctor’ comes along and delivers what was one of the most amazing episodes to watch in a very, very long time.  An episode that makes it feel like a celebration of the 50^th Anniversary already and stunningly sets the stage for the 50^th Anniversary Special in November.

‘The Name of the Doctor’, whilst an amazing episode in its own right, is nothing more than set up for the special, but when the quality was that good who cares?  So full of nostalgic look backs on the history of the show giving us clips and sound bites of previous Doctors and references galore it services long term fans in such without alienating the new.

Right back to the beginning.

Okay, the episode wasn’t perfect, their were things that didn’t quite make sense and a couple of Strax lines that ended up feeling forced and detrimental to what was happening but these faults couldn’t take away from those other moments that made this the best episode since the show returned with Christopher Eccleston way back in 2005.

The episode begins with an amazing pre-credits scene that goes a little towards explaining who and what Clara is without revealing all too early and is sure to make the hairs on the back of the neck stand on end.  After that it takes us a while before we see the Doctor, but the slow build to his arrival, the set up of the central mystery and threat and ramping of tension makes this first section jump out of the screen with energy.  It also provides us with what is only the first of many moments of heartbreak as poor Jenny Flint comes to the realisation that she’s been killed during the groups ‘psychic call’.

The Great Intelligence and the creepy Whispermen.

From here on out the heartache doesn’t stop and we get to see some of the absolute best acting that Matt Smith has ever been given during his tenure on the show.  The moment he realises what Trenzalore is and that he has to go there is one of the most frightening, not because of any kind of monster or threat but because we see the Doctor afraid, truly terrified to the point of tears.

River Song is also used wonderfully well throughout the episode, unable to interact with anyone but Clara she’s reduced to a ghost, which is appropriate as this is the River from after her death in ‘Silence in the Library’.  The moment when the Doctor and her say goodbye is so tender and so sad that it will guarantee to make even the hardest of fans cry.  We get to see that despite their strange start the Doctor and River really do love each other, and that her loss has deeply affected the Doctor.  With her final line in the episode ‘Goodbye sweetie’ and this being the latest version of River leads me to think that this is probably the last time that we will be seeing her.  It is a shame if that is true as I love her character, but this feels like the perfect ending to her and the Doctors story.

A goodbye to River?

After all of the spectacle and wonder of the rest of the episode Moffat had a hell of a task giving us the spectacular ending he promised, boy did he deliver.  The slow reveal of Doctor we had not yet seen, the man whose actions mean he does not deserve to use the name Doctor was so stunning and sets up so perfectly for the upcoming special.  

Roll on November!

Despite not revealing the Doctors name (something which I am grateful for) Moffat has set up such an intriguing mystery that the wait to November is going to be one of the toughest six months.  An amazing episode that made up for the fairly lack lustre series so far and left me shocked, stunned and in tears.  10/10.

Amy.

xx

Amy Walker Facebook
Trans Girl Writer Facebook Fan Page
Amy Walker Twitter

Iron Man 3 Review

WARNING - This review will contain spoilers - WARNING

Iron Man 3 is the first film in Marvel Studios ‘Phase Two’ following hot on the heels of last years massive hit Avengers.  Unfortunately Iron Man 3 feels like a misstep rather than the run away hit they needed at this stage.  The first film of ‘Phase Two’ will go a long way to shape the style of this second batch of movies, and unfortunately it feels like Thor 2 is going to have to pick up the pieces that Iron Man 3 let slip through its fingers.

The plot focuses on Tony Stark as he deals with the aftermath of the alien invasion in New York whilst combating the threat posed by the international terrorist known as The Mandarin.

Tony is initially on the periphery of the Mandarin and his campaign of terror, but when his friend Happy Hogan is injured in one of the terrorist attacks Tony issues a challenge to the Mandarin, one that is very quickly accepted with dire consequences.

On the run, with failing equipment and a shattered psyche Tony is forced to confront The Mandarin head on, and instead finds a much deeper web of intrigue.

 

Iron Man faces the Extremis enhances soldiers.

Iron Man 3 takes a lot of inspiration from the comic book story line Extremis and takes the ideas from the book in their own direction, pushing the character of Aldrich Killian to the fore as the films main antagonist. 

Taking a page from other Marvel stories the team behind Iron Man 3 also give don Cheadle’s Rhodey a make over, upgrading his armour from the classic War Machine to the much more colourful Iron Patriot.  Despite being a whole other character completely Rhodey’s transformation makes complete sense within the film and gives him a stunning look.

Despite the film feeling like something of a missed opportunity the change of directors from Jon Favreau to Shane Black gives the film a completely new feel and prevents the franchise from becoming stale, especially when Black is able to work some of his Lethal Weapon style magic by having Tony and Rhodey taking on the bad guys out of their armour.

 

War Machine upgrades to the Iron Patroit.

The main fault with the film, however, has to be the portrayal of The Mandarin.  Iron Mans most iconic villain, bringing him to life on screen was bound to be something of a challenge.  Instead of stepping up to the challenge the team behind the film don’t actually deliver The Mandarin, but instead give us a ‘fake’ villain who is simply a front man for the films real puppet master.  For the casual viewers this probably won’t be a problem, but for comic book fans it feels like we were promised one thing and given another.  No matter how good the rest of the film might be having spent several months waiting to see The Mandarin and being given nothing is a major, major let down and has me doubting the future Marvel movies.

An entertaining film with some great action sequences and character moments that the casual viewer will enjoy but the hardcore comic fans will be disappointed with.  6/10.

Amy.

xx

  
Amy Walker Facebook
Trans Girl Writer Facebook Fan Page
Amy Walker Twitter

The Daily Mail Does it Again

It completely astounds me that the Daily Mail have once again produced an article that targets transgender people.  With their previous articles receiving many negative responses, and having led to the death of one of the people they wrote about, you’d think that perhaps they would shy away from doing it once again.  Yet here we are, reading yet another article where it appears they have learnt nothing.

Writing about a young trans girl in America whom is undergoing hormone blocking treatment the article is filled with misgendering and sensationalism.  Personally I don’t see where the story is in this article, yes there is a trans girl who’s going through this situation but that’s not very different from hundreds, if not thousands, of trans girls across the planet. 

However, the ‘hook’ that the Daily Mail seems to have latched onto is the fact that Tammy has two mothers.  The article seems to view this not as a loving family, but as two women who are forcing their son to become a girl.  They even mention the fact that her parents are lesbians in the title, for no other apparent reason than pure sensationalism. 

Worse still is the fact that each and every time they talk about Tammy they refer to her as him.  They seem to refuse to acknowledge the fact that she is a girl and that she should be referred to with female pronouns. 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2043345/The-California-boy-11-undergoing-hormone-blocking-treatment.html 

I’m simply astonished that the Daily Mail has produced another article like this.  It just makes me believe that they have some kind of mission against transgender people, that despite whatever criticism they receive they will continue to write these kinds of negative articles. 

Something worth noting about the article is that the comments section has been disabled, most probably in order to ensure that they do not start another incident like the Burchill article at the Observer.  They know that they are playing with fire here, but rather than stand up and take criticism they simply shut down their comment section, refusing to face up to the fall out of what they have written.

I simply cannot understand the logic behind articles such as this and question exactly what their aims are.  I know that there is not much that can be done about articles such as this, we can complain and protest but the simple fact is that they will keep on writing such tripe.  The best thing we can do is to continue to make others aware of what they are doing and make sure that people know that they are targeting groups in negative ways simply to sell papers.

Amy.

xx

Amy Walker Facebook
Trans Girl Writer Facebook Fan Page
Amy Walker Twitter

Doctor Who 'The Rings of Akhaten' Review

On their first proper trip together in the Tardis the Doctor takes Clara to see the Rings of Akhaten, where several planetoids circle an asteroid with a great golden pyramid and a giant star.  The duo visit a large alien market on the planet closest to the pyramid where dozens of species have gathered for a ceremony that only occurs once every thousand years.

Whilst exploring Clara meets a young girl named Merry Gejelh, the Queen of Years who has an important part to play in the ceremony.  Initially afraid of taking part because she might go wrong Clara convinces her to go ahead.

The Doctor and Clara attend the ceremony, where The Doctor explains that since the Rings were settled there has been a constant song sung to keep an angry god asleep. The people fear that the god, which they call Grandfather, will awaken and consume the entire universe if the song is ever interrupted.  Merry begins her song, but during the ceremony the mummy within the pyramid awakens and Merry is pulled into it.

The Doctor and Clara race after her to save her from the mummy and prevent the angry god from awakening. 

The Doctor and Clara see Akhaten for the first time.

‘The Rings of Akhaten’ is an interesting episode filled with marvels and massive scope, unfortunately it suffers from the modern series format.  Crammed into a scant 45 minutes the episode feels incredibly rushed and half told.  The plot would have felt more at home as a classic series serial, with several episodes in which to fully explore the plot and characters. 

As it is the Vigil and the Mummy appear briefly and play very little actual threat and the resolution comes so soon that it feels almost easy.  Yes, there are some great character moments and the episode is filled with visual spectacle but these cannot help to save the episode from its glaring faults. 

The Doctor confronts the 'Angry God'.

A very rushed episode that doesn’t have enough time to fully explore the story or characters.  Could very well have been a great episode, but as it is may be remembered as something of a misstep.  4/10.

Amy.

xx

Amy Walker Facebook
Trans Girl Writer Facebook Fan Page
Amy Walker Twitter

A Letter of Concern to MP Results

Some of my regular readers might remember that a number of weeks ago I wrote to my local MP following the tragic events of Lucy Meadows death after the invasion of her privacy of the Daily Mail and Richard Littlejohn.  Unfortunately this was not a single isolated incident but just another of a long list of examples of the press feeling like they’re free to discriminate against transgender people with little to no consequences.

I thought that it was time that the trans community took matters into their own hands and take our concerns to the government as things clearly aren’t going to get better with the current systems in place.  I urged my readers to write to their MP’s and express their anger and sadness at theses events.  I’m not sure how many of you did this, but I did.  And I seem to have had something of a result.

After emailing my local MP I received a response from him, expressing his support for my concerns and reassured me that he would take the matter further.  At the time I thought ‘that’s nice, but it’s probably just a standard response to letters like this’.  Yesterday, however, it became clear that it wasn’t but that Mr Hollobone, my local MP, had in fact meant what he said.

I received a copy of the letter that Mr Hollobone had sent to the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State.  He includes my original letter within and asks that she carry my concerns further and hopefully reaches some kind of result.

I’m unsure as to how far this will go, and doubt that things will change just because I have sent my letter.  However, it has found itself into the hands of someone with some degree of power that can bring these concerns to others that may be able to make positive changes.

I think it is important that the trans community realise that we can make a difference, that our voices can be heard if we speak out.  If you haven’t done so already I urge you to follow my example.  One letter of concern can make someone take notice, hundreds possibly thousands can make a very real difference.  Don’t stay silent, things won’t get better for trans people unless we’re willing to stand up and do something about it.

Amy.

xx

Amy Walker Facebook
Trans Girl Writer Facebook Fan Page
Amy Walker Twitter

Doctor Who 'The Bells of Saint John' Review

 

‘The Bells of Saint John’ is the first episode of the second half of series seven of Doctor Who.  Following on from the 2012 Christmas special ‘The Snowmen’ we continue with the mystery of Clara Oswald, who is she and why does she keep appearing throughout time?  

The episode begins with a man on a computer screen warning people about some strange threat inside the Wi-Fi, that will drain the minds from those who become exposed to it.

We then find ourselves in 1207, where the Doctor has retreated to a monastery to contemplate the mystery of Clara.  The Doctor is disturbed from his contemplation when one of the monks informs him that ‘the bells of saint john are ringing’.  Travelling to a cavern where he has hidden the Tardis we discover that the ‘bells of saint john’ refers to the telephone within the Tardis, which bears the Saint Johns Ambulance logo.

The Doctor answers the phone and enters into a conversation with Clara, whom he does not initially recognise, who is having problems with her internet connection.  The Doctor is about to hang up the phone when Clara says the phrase ‘run you clever boy and remember’ as a mnemonic for her password.  Realising who he is talking to the Doctor sets out to find her.

Beware the Wi-Fi.

The Doctor arrives at Clara’s home in time to find her being attacked ‘uploaded’ to the mysterious Wi-Fi signal by a robotic mobile server.  Preventing the upload the Doctor manages to save Clara this time, the pervious two versions of her he had previously came across having died. 

Clara learns the truth about the Doctor being a time travelling alien and agrees to help him to stop the threat from the Wi-Fi, though little do them know that there are much greater forces at work in the shadows.

Clara and the Doctor race to save the day.

‘The Bells of Saint John’ is by no means the most exciting episode on which to start the second half of series seven, but it’s still a competently engaging episode with a number of over the top set pieces and gorgeous visuals.

The reintroduction of Clara into the Doctors life feels a little more chance than anything else, though her comment about being given his number by ‘the woman in the shop’ who tells her it’s the ‘best helpline in the universe’ has me believing that their was a definite hand played in getting these two together again.  River song jump to mind for anyone else?

Clara and the Doctor play off each other wonderfully, the quickness of banter between the two of them feels fresh and exciting, and lets face it introducing new companions is all about making the show special again. 

Miss Kizlet and the Doctor come face to face.

The threat of the Wi-Fi and the ‘Spoonheads’ could have been something silly and dull, but the fact that the people behind it are able to use something that is almost everywhere in modern life to track the Doctor and toy with him gives the bad guys some added power.

A good episode that sets up a great new dynamic between the Doctor and Clara and even hints at some long term set up for baddie The Great Intelligence ‘The Bells of Saint John’ is a neat little reintroduction to the show and will hopefully draw in a number of new fans.  7/10

Amy.
xx

Amy Walker Facebook
Trans Girl Writer Facebook Fan Page
Amy Walker Twitter

A Letter of Concern to MP's

Following on from the ridiculous response I received and yet more incidents of anti-trans sentiment in the media I have written a letter of complaint and concern about the increasingly common occurrences to my local MP in hopes of some kind of action.

I am aware, however that such concerns may fall on deaf ears.  As such I am asking any who read this post and share the same concerns to do the same.  There is also no reason to simply stop at MP’s, but also voice our concerns to other individuals that may be in place to help promote change.

Below is the letter I sent out, please feel free to copy it or simply draw inspiration from it to join in the fight against the anti-trans press.

Dear Mr Hollobone,

I was recently reading about the apparent suicide of transgender teacher Lucy Meadows following the negative attention and public ridicule she faced at the hands of journalist Richard Littlejohn and the Daily Mail.

I am a firm believer in freedom of speech, however, it is becoming clearer and clearer through articles run through various newspapers and magazines that a handful of journalists are using freedom of speech as a way of justifying what can only be described as harassment and hate speech towards transgender individuals. 

A recent example is the much talked about case of Joe Burchill and the Observer, a piece so filled with negative sentiment and prejudice that is was removed from the Observers website.  I joined the scores of people that wrote a complaint to the Press Complaints Commission about the article. The response I received, however, was shocking. 

The Press Complaints Commission admitted that the article did contain negative views and opinions towards transgender people and used false information to insult and degrade them, yet claimed that as she was attacking trans people as a whole and not any individual person than there was nothing they could do about the article in question.

Now we have another incident where a member of the British press has attacked a transgender individual in what can only be viewed as an attempt at ruining the poor woman’s career and personal life.  The fact that Miss Meadows took her own life soon after must be due in some part to this article.

I want to be able to complain about the incident, to approach the right people and make my case heard in order to avoid any further incidents like this and the Burchill article.  Unfortunately I feel that any complaints raised about anti-trans sentiment will swiftly fall on deaf ears.

As a transgender woman myself I can assure you that such articles are upsetting and damaging to the trans community.  Due to negative stereotyping and prejudice we are not given the respect and understanding we deserve. 

Something needs to be done in order to correct these mistakes and ensure that transgender people are taken seriously and given the respect we deserve.  I cannot believe that any other group of people would be allowed to be openly mocked and bullied in this way.

I hope that you will be able to raise this issue in Parliament and ensure that such incidents don’t happen again in the future.

Thank you for taking the time to read this letter.

Yours sincerely,

Amy Walker.

 

Amy.

xx

Amy Walker Facebook
Trans Girl Writer Facebook Fan Page
Amy Walker Twitter

Were We Even Taken Seriously?

Some of you may remember that a few months ago I wrote a piece about the comments made by Joe Burchill in The Guardian about her distaste towards the Trans community.  Her article was filled with disgusting hate speech and inaccurate views on transgender people.  The Observer and the Press Complains Commission were flooded with complaints over the piece and the article was eventually removed from their website.

I myself joined the hundreds of other who filed a complaint about the piece as today I received a response from the Press Complaints Commission regarding their decision regarding the article.  Here is the e-mail I received;

Commission’s decision in the case of

Two Complainants v The Observer / The Daily Telegraph

The complainants were concerned about a comment article which responded to criticism of another columnist on social networking sites. The article had first been published by The Observer. Following The Observer’s decision to remove the article from its website, it had been republished on the website of The Daily Telegraph. The Commission received over 800 complaints about the article, which it investigated in correspondence with two lead complainants, one for each newspaper.

The complainants considered that the article contained a number of prejudicial and pejorative references to transgender people in breach of Clause 12 (Discrimination) of the Editors’ Code of Practice. They also raised concerns under Clause 1 (Accuracy) that language used by the columnist was inaccurate as well as offensive, and, furthermore that the article misleadingly suggested that the term “cis-gendered” was insulting. Additionally, concerns had been raised that the repeated use of terms of offence had breached Clause 4 (Harassment) of the Code.

The Commission first considered the complaints, framed under Clause 12, that the article had contained a number of remarks about transgender people that were pejorative and discriminatory. It noted that the Observer had accepted that these remarks were offensive, and that it had made the decision to remove the article on the basis that the language used fell outside the scope of what it considered reasonable; however, the Observer denied a breach of Clause 12 because the article had not made reference to any specific individual. Clause 12 states that newspapers “must avoid prejudicial or pejorative reference to an individual’s race, colour, religion, gender, sexual orientation or to any physical or mental illness or disability”. However, the clause does not cover references to groups or categories of people. The language used in the article did not refer to any identifiable individual, but to transgender people generally. While the Commission acknowledged the depth of the complainants’ concerns about the terminology used, in the absence of reference to a particular individual, there was no breach of Clause 12.

The Commission also considered the complaint under the terms of Clause 1, which states that “the press must take care not to publish inaccurate, misleading or distorted information, including pictures”. Complainants had suggested that the terms used in the article to refer to transgender people were inaccurate or misleading. Whilst the Commission acknowledged this concern, it was clear from the tone of the article that these terms were being used to express an opinion. Whilst many people had found this opinion deeply distasteful and upsetting, the columnist was entitled to express her views under the terms of Clause 1(iii), so long as the statements were clearly distinguished from fact. The same was true in relation to the columnist’s assertion that the term “cis-gendered” is offensive. Viewed in the context of the article as a whole, particularly in light of the fact that the article had been deliberately identified as a comment piece, this was clearly distinguishable as an expression of her opinion about the term rather than a statement of fact about how it is perceived more broadly. This did not constitute a failure to take care over the accuracy of the article, for the purposes of Clause 1(i), and neither was there any significant inaccuracy requiring correction under the terms of Clause 1(ii). There was no breach of Clause 1.

The Commission turned to consider those concerns raised under Clause 4, which states that “journalists must not engage in intimidation, harassment or persistent pursuit”. It made clear, however, that the publication of a single comment piece was not conduct which would engage the terms of Clause 4. There was no breach of the Code.

The Commission acknowledged that the complainants found much of the article offensive. Nonetheless, the terms of the Editors’ Code of Practice do not address issues of taste and offence. The Code is designed to address the potentially competing rights of freedom of expression and other rights of individuals, such as privacy. Newspapers and magazines have editorial freedom to publish what they consider to be appropriate provided that the rights of individuals – enshrined in the terms of the Code which specifically defines and protects these rights – are not compromised.  It could not, therefore, comment on this aspect of the complaint further.

Now I might have misunderstood what was written here, but it seems to me that the Press Complaints Commission has turned around and said that ‘yes it is filled with hate speech, but because it’s directed at a group rather than an individual and it’s the authors own opinion then its okay.’

I just cannot help but find this decision baffling.  How is what was written not considered to have breached the clauses stated in the email?  Is it okay to be bigoted and hateful if it’s a general hatred?

I find myself wondering if they have found these apparent ‘loop-holes’ if the comments in the article had been made about people of a different ethnicity or religion of the author.  Do you think they would have given the same response if it was a hate piece about an ethnic group?  I doubt it.

This looks to me like yet another case of trans people being ignored, of people thinking that it’s okay for trans people to be mocked and hated because in their minds we’re not a legitimate group of people, that we’re trans because of a lifestyle choice rather than because it’s something that we have no control over.

It’s disgusting that the Trans community is still treated this way, that our views and opinions are just considered a joke.  I have never had very much faith in the press and this whole sorry affair has given me even less.  I am truly disappointed and sickened by this result.

Amy.

xx

Amy Walker Facebook
Trans Girl Writer Facebook Fan Page
Amy Walker Twitter

Green Lanterns Light Part Three

Green Lantern: Revenge of the Green Lanterns

‘Revenge of the Green Lanterns’ has three main story arcs.  The first story deals with Hal Jordan and Green Arrow Oliver Queen going up against the villain Mongul.  Despite being the son of the original Mongul, Hal finds himself facing someone who looks just like the man that set him down the road to the worst period of his life.  With Ollie along as backup the two of them fight the alien powerhouse until they are eventually overpowered and put under the control of his Black Mercy plants.

Hal and Ollie find themselves in their apparent ideal lives until their fantasies turn sour and they are forced to live their worst nightmares.  Finally able to break their way out of the control of the Black Mercy the two of them fight Mongul into submission and fore him to leave earth.  The experience leaves the two of them battered and bruised but with a new outlook on their lives and re-evaluate what is really important to them.

Hal and Ollie fall victim to the Black Mercy.

The second story sees Hal and Batman team up to fight the villain The Tattooed Man.  The two of them have a rocky relationship playing over from Green Lantern: Rebirth but manage to co-operate long enough to bring the villain to justice.  The main heart of the story, however, is Hal and Bruce learning to become friends again.  The story even features a scene where Bruce uses Hal's ring to conjure a construct of his parents.  The experience and the fact that the two of them both witnessed loved ones die when they were young helps to mend the bridges between the two of them.

The third story picks up on story threads left hanging at the end of the previous book when the Green Lantern Tomar Tu rash lands on Earth, something that disturbs Hal to the core as Tomar Tu was one of the Green Lanterns Hal murdered when possessed by Parallax.

Batman uses Hal's ring, briefly becoming a Green Lantern.

Tracing Tomar Tu’s point of origin to the Manhunter controlled sector of space Hal pleads with the Guardians to let him investigate, but they refuse his request.  As a result Hal and Guy Gardner disregard orders and go in search of other Lanterns that might be held captive by the Manhunters.

Travelling to the Manhunter planet the two of them find several long thought dead Green Lanterns held captive by the Manhunters and their master, Cyborg Superman.  Cyborg Superman and he Manhunters have been using the captured Lanterns to power their latest form of Manhunter machines and Hal and Guy must find a way of freeing their comrades.

The ‘Lost Lanterns’ have to work alongside the man that once tried to kill them in order to defeat Cyborg Superman and his Manhunters, something which is hard on both sides especially as they are unaware that Hal was not in control of his actions when they last aced him.  Hal and Guy eventualy manage return the ‘Lost Lanterns’ to Oa where they are welcomed back into the corps.

The Lost Lanterns strike out at Hal.

‘Green Lantern: Revenge of the Green Lanterns’ is definitely a book of two halves, with the first two stories focusing on Hal teaming up with other earthbound heroes in the form of his best friend Green Arrow and Batman.  The two stories take the time to have a closer look at Hal’s relationships and how they have changed since he returned from the dead and how people treat him now that his actions have been vindicated.

The second half of the book takes us in a very different direction by making Hal face up to what Parallax did whilst in possession of his body.  Despite being forgiven by many of his peers the ‘Lost Lanterns’ only view him with contempt as from their point of view he recently tried to kill them.  Not only does this allow Johns to re-introduce a number of the classic Green Lantern Corps, but also gives added depth and conflict within the Green Lantern Corps as a whole.

The book also returns the Green Lantern villains Mongul and Cyborg Superman to the front lines, two characters that have many negative connotations for Hal Jordan and have caused some of the worst events of his life.  Initially Superman villains the two of them are now firmly amongst Green Lanterns greatest foes.  Along with the returning threat of two of the worst villains Hal has ever faced we are given a brief look at the formation of the Sinestro Corps and the first appearance of Arkillo, who will go on to become one of the main Lanterns in the Sinestro Corps and the Lantern universe as a whole.

Green Lantern Corps: To Be a Lantern

‘To Be a Lantern’ follows suit from ‘Revenge of the Green Lanterns’ and contains three stories.  The first story follows Soranik Natu and her sector partner Myrrt as they travel to the planet Betrassus and become involved in a plot to assassinate the royal family.  However, when Lantern Myrrt is killed Guy Gardner joins Soranik to get to the bottom of things.

Together the two of them discover a plot by one of the princes of Betrassus to try and become a Green Lantern, even if that means killing his family and any Green Lanterns that stand in his way.  Once brought to justice and facing execution Soranik presents Myrrts ring to Princess Iolande, making her Soraniks new sector partner.

'To Be a Lantern' marks the first appearance of Princess Iolande.

The Second, short story follows Guy Gardner as he takes some shore leave on the holiday planet Restoria.   Long time Lantern villain Bolphunga arrives on Restoria looking to end his grudge against Gardner.  What ensues is a brilliantly fun, sometimes over the top, run around Restoria as Guy searches desperately for his stolen Power Ring whilst battling Bolphunga.

The third story follows Guy and a Lantern called Thos as they investigate a kidnapping plot that leads them to Ranx, the sentient city.  The two of them must contend with various criminals, the Children of the White Lobe and Ranx itself to save the young woman from a terrible fate.

Bolphunga returns to ruin Guys holiday.

Three interesting and engaging stories that offers a wide variety of Lantern adventures intermixed with some great character elements, we also get to see how Soranik is dealing with being a Green Lantern, something her people hate, and how it has effected her life as a surgeon on her home world of Korugar.  There is also a subplot throughout all three stories that follows Vath Sarn and Isamot Kol as the two of them have to learn to work together and trust each other after years of fighting each other in planetary war.

A great first volume to the ongoing Green Lantern Corps series that continues to build upon the characters introduced in ‘Green Lantern Corps: Recharge’ as well as introducing more new characters and bringing back older elements from the Green Lantern mythos.

Green Lantern: Wanted: Hal Jordan

‘Wanted: Hal Jordan’ follows Hal as he attempts to bring the justice of the Guardians of the Universe to Earth, specifically to the Chechnya rebels that recently held him and his friends hostage.  However, the world does not see him as the intergalactic police officer he actually is but rather just another costumed hero and applies their own laws to him.  When Hal enters restricted airspace in his pursuit of justice and is subsequently framed for murder Hal becomes a fugitive from the Global Guardians and the Justice League of America.

As Hal battles to prove his innocence it is revealed that it has all been a plot by the crazed Amon Sur, son of Hals predecessor Abin Sur, to take Hals ring and follow in his fathers footsteps as a Green Lantern. 

Amon Sur joins the Sinestro Corps.

During the battle against Amon one of Sinestros yellow power rings arrives on Earth searching for a wearer.  Initially choosing Batman to become a member of the Corps Batman rejects the ring, sending it searching for another bearer, which it finds in the form of Amon Sur.  Hal battles the newly powered Amon Sur until the ring transports him away, leaving Hal to wonder about the implications of what has just happened.

In the second story the Star Sapphire gem returns to Earth searching for a host to possess that Hal Jordan will desire, leading to it taking control of both Carol Farris and Cowgirl.  As Hal fights to survive against the Star Sapphire and free his friends from its grip the leaders of the Star Sapphires, the Zamarons, come to realise that things cannot carry on as they are.

The Star Sapphire possesses Hal's friend Cowgirl.

Taking the gem back to Zamaron they forge their own power battery and power rings, deciding instead to form their own Star Sapphire Corps to save love within the universe.

‘Wanted: Hal Jordan’ takes the time to look at how Hal differs from a number of other super heroes by taking the time to look at the fact that he does not do what he does as a ‘choice’ but because it’s his job.  At his core he is a police officer, though with a precinct that covers dozens of planets.  This is where much of the conflict comes from in this story, where Hal has to fight against local law in order to do his job.

The Zamarons collect the various powers, hinting at more to come.

The second story also takes the time to examine the history of the Star Sapphires, of how the gem possessed its host compared to the power rings of the Green Lantern Corps.  Changing the Star Sapphires to reflect the Green Lantern Corps, changing them to ring wearers instead of people possessed by the Star Sapphire gem allows the writers the free reign to create more interesting characters and engaging stories.

Green Lantern Corps: The Dark Side of Green

In the first story ac of ‘The Dark Side of Green’ Guy Gardner and new recruit R’Amey Holl are sent to assist the veteran Lantern Von Daggle to perform what can only be described as a black-ops mission.  Leaving behind their Power Rings and their uniforms the trio don all black and use powered discs that they must swallow in order to complete their mission.

The three of them travel to the Dominion home world in order to stop a deadly new threat that will destroy not only the Dominators but threaten life though out the galaxy.  Forced to wok in the shadows and employ tactics that even Guy hesitates to do the three of them enter a deadly battle that tests each of them to their limits.

The beautiful R'Amey Holl teams up with Guy Gardner.

In the second story the Corps comes under apparent attack from within as Lanterns that visit the Lantern planet Mogo start to act out of character and even become murderous. 

When Guy Gardner is believed to be guilty of murdering fellow Corps members he heads to Mogo for help but finds more trouble when he is pursued by Soranik, Iolande, Vath and Isamot and further attacked by the mysterious force that is targeting Lanterns that visit Mogo.  Realising that a greater threat is present the other Lanterns trust Guy Gardner enough to believe his innocence long enough to combat the menace.

Mogo's partner, the amazing Bzzd.

‘The Dark Side of Green’ gives us two amazing stories that, as the title suggests, shows us a darker side to life in the Green Lantern Corps.  The first story is filled with action an intrigue whilst the second shows us what can happen when the Lanterns themselves come under attack from within.

The best part of the book, however, has to be the introduction of Mogo’s sector partner Bzzd.  A sentient talking fly Bzzd is a great match to the planet Lantern Mogo and quickly went on to become one of the breakout characters of the new Green Lantern era.

Amy.
xx

Amy Walker Facebook
Trans Girl Writer Facebook Fan Page
Amy Walker Twitter