The Archive of the Forgotten by A.J. Hackwith – Book Review

 

Originally published on Set The Tape

The Archive of the Forgotten returns readers to ‘Hell’s Library’, a series that began with last year’s release of Library of the Unwritten. Following the events of the last book, Claire, the former librarian of the Unwritten Wing of the Library, a place where all the unwritten, unfinished books that never were sit on shelves for all eternity, has now been placed in charge of the Arcane Wing, a place filled with dangerous magical artefacts.

Luckily for Claire, she’s not alone, as Ramiel, the angel who was something of a thorn in her side in the first book, has moved into the wing with her, acting as her assistant, whilst her former assistant, the muse Brevity, has taken over for Claire in the Unwritten Wing. Hero, the escaped literary character, has also stuck around, and is working as Brevity’s assistant. Whilst this should mean that the group of unlikely friends and allies who came together to save Hell in the last book are still together there’s been some division amongst them since the events of the first book, with the new dynamic between Claire and Brevity leading to a crack in their relationship.

Unfortunately, these relationships get put under further strain when Probity, another muse and old friend of Brevity’s, turns up on the scene. Not only does she seem to want to drive a wedge between Claire and Brevity, but she has her eyes set on getting hold of the pool of mysterious ink that has appeared in the Arcane Wing, ink from destroyed unwritten books that not only puts everyone’s lives at risk, but hints at ancient secrets that could change Hell’s Library forever.

One of the things that I loved about the first book in this series was that it felt grand. It reminded me of stories like Good Omens, where a small band of heroes are forced into an adventure that they don’t really want as they try to prevent apocalyptic forces falling into the wrong hands. We got to see the machinations of Heaven and Hell, saw Angels and Demons pulling strings to try and gain power, and there were high stakes throughout. This book, however, takes on a much smaller scale story, and puts our four leads into the limelight.

Where the first book was about the fate of the universe and trying to contain a powerful artefact this story is more about the people who populate Hell’s Library, and their relationships with each other. Yes, there is the mystery of this strange pool of ink that has appeared, seemingly as a result of the events of the first book, but that’s just something that drives the action forward, a mystery that needs to be solved. The heart of the book is the people involved. Over the course of the book we see how the previous events have changed the dynamic within the group, how the decades long friendship between Claire and Brevity has been pushed to a breaking point. Not only that, but now that Ramiel is joined them proper, and is working alongside them in the library that raises questions about how the dynamic between the four leads has changed.

There is so much that happens during the book where you just think if they’d have talked to each other better things wouldn’t have been so bad, that the events that spiral out of control are because of the mistrust and misunderstandings that form in this group. Whilst I just wanted to bang the characters’ heads together and get them to just talk to each other their stubbornness meant that more often than not things only got worse, and it isn’t until people’s lives are at risk that they’re able to get past their petty squabbles and realise that their love for each other is what matters the most to them.

I loved the journey that I went on with these characters in the first book, but this story just felt so much more satisfying because it put the focus on them. It made their struggles the central part of the book, and it meant that I came to understand all of them so much better by the time it was done. The characters no longer felt like simple characters, but deeply flawed people, even those of them who are ancient beings from religious myth. It made them feel all the more human, and all the more relatable because of it, and because of that, I can’t help but love this book more than the first.

I don’t know if there’s more to come with these characters, if this is the last book in this series or not. If not, this is the perfect place for things to carry on from, as these characters have finally had to address their issues and formed a closer, and stronger, unit because of that. If this is the last time we get to see them, it at least means that we know they’re going to be okay, that they all have each other and that their love will get them through whatever else they have to face.

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Excalibur #18 - Comic Review

 

Okay, I'm going to be really honest, Tini Howard really got me with this one. I, like I suspect most people, read the end of the last issue and assumed that the Betys that came out of the sea at the end was our version of Betsy, and that the team was all back together again following X of Swords, but it looks like things aren't as simple as we all first thought.

The issue picks up with Rogue and Rachel Summers talking about Betsy, who since coming back seems to have retreated into herself somewhat, becoming distant from her friends. Where Rachel and the others think that this is due to stress and trauma, and that Betsy just needs time to come around, Rogue isn't completely convinced that Betsy is who she appears to be. With the multiverse in play, and the Captain Britain Corps showing that there are multiple versions of Betsy out there, this seems like a pretty fair worry for the team; they did speak to a dozen different versions of Betsy a while ago.

This worry about Betsy leads to the team doing some investigating, with the group splitting off into smaller units that are quite interesting. To be honest, this was a team line-up that I was excited to see from the very beginning; having grown up watching the 90's X-Men cartoon Rogue, Gambit, and Jubilee have always had a soft spot in my heart, and Betsy has always been something of an interesting character, even though she's been through some changes over the years. That being said, I never expected to enjoy the interplay and character focus as much as I have, especially with characters I didn't really know before, like Rictor and the extended Braddock family; but it's these interactions that really make this issue a lot of fun, especially when we get to see Gambit and Jamie interacting.

Things at the start of the run felt a little bit big for me to fully understand, possibly because it was dealing with Otherworld and the Captain Britain mantle, but now that things seem to have settled into a new status quo and we're able to focus on the characters a lot more the series has definitely improved. Not that it wasn't really good to begin with, it's just gotten better.

The most exciting part of the issue, however, comes shortly after the revelation that this is probably not really Betsy, or if it is there's something very wrong with her, when she attacks Rogue and Rictor in Apocalypse's old workshop on Krakoa. Taking the two of them by surprise this evil Betsy seems to have the upper hand, until Psylocke turns up on the scene to step in. 

I said in the last issue review how good it was to see Betsy having to deal with some of the issues between her and Kwannon when she had to work with her in the other reality, but this seems like we could hopefully get the two of them having to come face to face in the 616 universe. It's a meeting that I've been wanting since the series began, and if Psylocke can help Excalibur deal with this fake Betsy, maybe she'll get to be there when the real one finally returns home.

Excalibur continues to get better with each issue, and this ending has me pumped to find out what happens next.

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Radiant Black #1 - Comic Review

 

Creating new comics isn't an easy job. It's a medium that's filled with iconic characters and easy to recognise series, especially when it comes to super heroes. You can go across the world to a place where people don't speak your language and show them the Superman S and they'll probably know what it means, who it represents. So trying to create a whole new hero amongst that kind of industry heavyweights is a really tough test of a writer; luckily Kyle Higgins seems to know just what to bring to the table to make something new and exciting in a world full of heroes.

It's pretty clear, just from the cover, that Higgins is bringing some of his experience o writing Mighty Morphin Power Rangers for Boom Studios to this new comic, and that the lead of Radiant Black is very much inspired by Tokusatsu characters like the Super Sentai heroes and Ultra-Man (another comic that Higgins is writing over at Marvel). As someone who really enjoys this kind of aestetic and those heroes, I'm honestly digging it.

Radiant Black follows the story of Nathan, a thirty something guy who's steeped in debt and is desperately working his way through two jobs whilst trying to make it as a writer. Sadly, he's forced to move back to his small home town and live with his parents in order to get back on his feet. He's the kind of person a lot of us can identify with, someone who's doing their best but just keeps getting knocked back by the world and feels like they can't win. I mean, isn't this what life is like for a lot of people around that age, going from one depressing event to another?

Fortunately for Nathan, he seems to discover something that could change his life forever. When out drinking with his friend Marshall when they see something strange floating in the middle of the railway tracks. A small, strange, miniature black hole like thing, that when touched seems to transform Nathan into a super powered hero.

Much of the issue isn't focused on the super heroing though, with very little of the page count even dealing with the new powers that Nathan has, instead it makes his journey the focus. Higgins doesn't seem to want to make a new super hero, he wants to make a relatable, real, character, and because of that the book works so much better. There are a lot of comics that want to make 'cool' heroes straight out the gate, that are so focused on style over substance that they jump straight into the action and the spectacle, letting the character development come later. Whilst this might look flash, it always leaves the comics feeling flat and dull, with little more than just surface value. By making this first issue about Nathan, by focusing on him rather than the suit or the powers, it's sending the message that this series is going to have something to say, and that it's going to have more to offer than just flashy fight scenes.

That being said, when the powers and the spectacle do happen it looks spectacular, thanks in large part to the wonderful art from Marcelo Costa, who manages to make every single panel a thing of beauty. The powers look stunning, outlined in this beautiful glowing blue that makes everything pop; but it's not just these moments that look great, with even the everyday moments looking something special. Art can really enhance a story, and this book is a prime example of it, where it enhances the quiet moments, and the spectacular ones too.

The first issue of Radiant Black sets up a lot of promise, without giving away too much of what's to come. The book leaves so many possibilities about what could happen next, and they're all incredibly exciting. With so many superhero books on the shelves it's wonderful to see a new entry that doesn't just hold up besides decades old mainstays like Spider-Man or Batman, but has me more excited to see what happens to them than those with the big publishers.

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First Blush – Film Review

 

Originally published on Set The Tape

First Blush is the first film from Victor Neumark, and seeks to tackle an often overlooked area of the romance genre: polyamorous relationships. Queer films have been getting more and more mainstream attention over the years thanks to the increasing acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community, and it’s not unusual to see more films that feature less ‘traditional’ types of relationships and families. But polyamory is still one that doesn’t really get covered much, and there’s still a lot of misinformation and misunderstanding about it.

In the most basic sense, a polyamorous relationship is one that features more than two people. There are various forms this can take, from one person in the relationship having two partners who aren’t involved with each other, to three or more people all in a relationship together. But the one thing that’s always a part of these kinds of relationships is that everyone knows about it, and everyone consents; it’s not about cheating.

This film takes a look at the second kind of polyamorous relationship, and follows married couple Drew (Ryan Caraway) and Nena (Rachel Alig) as their relationship goes through some changes. It all begins when Nena is given a surprise birthday party, where her friend has invited her new coworker Olivia (Kate Beercroft) along to pad out the numbers a little. Nena instantly notices Olivia, and the two of them clearly have a lot of chemistry.

It’s not until Olivia goes camping with the two of them, and has to share a tent with them, that things start to get more complicated as she and Nena kiss. This would probably be the part of most films where things begin to go wrong for the married couple, where Nena would have to question which relationship she wants, of who she wants to be with, but First Blush shows a very different scenario, one where Drew is okay with Nena’s feelings. Instead of arguing about things he supports his wife, and is okay to see where this might lead. And it turns out where it leads is the three of them developing feelings for each other and entering a relationship.

Obviously, thing’s aren’t completely smooth sailing from there, mainly because there wouldn’t be much for the film to do if it was, but it’s also because this is a kind of relationship that’s new to all three members of it, and they have to navigate things like their feelings for each other, how the relationship works, jealousy, and the way other people react to them. This is the real heart of the movie, as we get to see Nena, Drew, and Olivia figure things out, examine their shifting emotions, and decide if this is the best kind of relationship for them. This is also the part of the film that I think is the most realistic, most heartfelt, and the most important.

I’m in a polyamorous relationship. It’s why I wanted to watch this film, to see if it was going to be something that sensationalised this kind of relationship, made it about titillation and scandal, or if it would take a more human approach. I’m pleased to say that all of the worries I had going into it, of all the things the film could have done wrong, turned out to be for nothing, as this is one of the most honest depictions of my kind of relationship I’ve ever seen.

There are differences. I was lucky enough to not have to go through the drama and jealousy of figuring out the dynamic of my relationship as my partners and I just naturally settled into an equal and happy relationship, but I do recognise a lot of what the characters went through, even if it is a more heightened version. I’ve seen friends and family react the way they do in this film, thinking it’s outrageous that you love more than one person at the same time, and I’ve seen the love and joy that being with two people who love you can bring.

First Blush doesn’t try to make a mockery of people who have these kinds of relationships. It doesn’t sensationalise or ridicule, it simply shows another way of loving people in an honest and open way. The cast don’t treat the material any differently to any other kind of romance film, and they put everything into their performances, giving some truly moving moments, as well as some that will have you laughing out loud. Whether you’ve been in a polyamorous relationship or not, or even never heard of polyamory before, this is a film that simply shows love, and how wonderful it can be; and there’s nothing bad about that.

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Star Trek: Lower Decks (Season One) – TV Review

 

Originally published on Set The Tape

The Star Trek franchise has been through some changes over the last decade. We’ve had three films set in an alternate timeline from JJ Abrams, Star Trek: Discovery doing new and interesting things with both the past and future of the franchise, and Star Trek: Picard bringing back one of the franchise’s most popular figures – and through it all fans have been divided over the quality of it and what’s ‘real’ Star Trek.

The most interesting of these new shows, however, is probably Star Trek: Lower Decks, which not only marks the first time since 1974 that the franchise has gone animated, but is also the first Star Trek series that will ignore the command crew, instead focusing on low level crew members. There are no big decisions being made by these characters, no battle strategy or diplomatic meetings, instead it’s a bunch of everyday people doing repair work and cleaning out the holodecks.

Now, if that kind of description makes you wonder if this kind of show could really work then you’re not alone; I was really unsure of Star Trek: Lower Decks before it aired, especially when it was revealed that the show would also be a comedy. Yes, the franchise has done some great comedic episodes in the past, just look at ‘The Magnificent Ferengi’ from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, but those have been the odd episode in a larger, serious whole. However, Star Trek: Lower Decks always uses its love of the franchise and its tropes to inform its comedy, never poking fun at Star Trek, and really wins you over quickly.

The series follows Brad Boimler (Jack Quaid), a human ensign aboard the Cerritos, a ship specialising in second contact missions. A stickler for the rules and doing whatever it takes to win over the captain, he’s distraught when he’s made to work with Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome), a slacker, and rule breaker who is constantly getting in trouble with command. Alongside them are D’Vana Tendi (Noel Wells), an Orion medical trainee who’s always excited to get involved in anything and loves being in Starfleet, and Sam Rutherford (Eugene Cordero), a cybernetically augmented human who works in engineering and is still trying to learn life on board a starship. The four of them could make one competent officer if they were mashed together, and their good points are some of the best ideals in the franchise, but they’re all dragged down by their flaws and get stuck working on the lower decks.

Over the course of the season we get to see these characters, and the command crew who feature as secondary characters, get into some familiar scrapes as the show draws upon the more recognisable tropes of the franchise. Whether it’s away teams getting locked up by alien races and forced to fight for their freedom, or strange lifeforms getting onto the ship and causing havoc, these are stories that fans have seen before, but they never feel stale as they’re given a more ridiculous edge that’s more akin to shows like Rick and Morty or Archer than Star Trek. But it’s the sheer amount of love that the creatorsclearly have that prevents it from going into pure parody. Whether it’s background details and throwaway lines, or races and characters from other series, there are so many references to the live action series that it still feels like Star Trek, even if it is pushing things to the edge of parody.

The downside to how many references and in-jokes that the show has is that if you’re not completely familiar with the franchise you might not get every joke, and could occasionally be asking what someone’s talking about, but even then I still think that you’re going to like it. You don’t need to know that there was a dog that was like The Thing in one episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation to start laughing when Tendi’s genetically enhanced dog starts crawling on the ceiling with its head on backwards; it’s still funny. I can only come at this as someone who’s seen every episode of Star Trek, so gets all of the references, laughing at throwaway lines or cheering at the Chief O’Brien reference, but I honestly think people who’ve never experienced Star Trek before will still enjoy it, though perhaps not as much.

With ten episodes, the first season was a lot of fun, but felt a bit too short, and come the final episode I found myself disappointed that it had come to a close so soon. Fortunately a second season has already been confirmed, so hopefully we won’t have to wait too long to see what bizarre adventures the crew of the Cerritos get into next.

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Future State: Robin Eternal #2 - Comic Review

 

Poor Tim Drake just can't seem to catch a break, even in Future State. The events of the previous issue saw our intrepid hero putting together a plan to infiltrate a Magistrate convoy so that he can destroy the dangerous new Lazarus Resin, a chemical derived from the Lazarus pits that will make the Magistrate's new mechanical soldiers even stronger. Unfortunately, the issue ended with Tim being killed by the Magistrate, but being covered in Lazarus Resin in the process; resulting in Tim literally rising from the dead.

This issue picks up where that left off, with the newly resurrected Tim fighting against the Magistrate whilst Spoiler and Darcy try to find a way to stop the convoy. Despite being an issue that focuses a lot more on the action than the first one, there's a surprising amount of time given over to characterisation as Tim begins to hallucinate because of the Resin, giving readers something of an insight into his mind. Sadly, it doesn't seem to be a great place right now.

despite having seemed to have done pretty well in the Future State, having remained a hero and fighting on for his home of Gotham Tim seems to be full of doubts, second guessing himself and not thinking that he's good enough to stand against Bruce's legacy. Considering how close Tim is to being like Bruce it's ridiculous that he'd be filled with these kinds of fears, that he'd consider himself a failure, but this is a future where Bruce is dead, Dick is up in Arkham, Damian is gone, and Jason is working for the villains; this isn't the Tim that we all know and love. With the rest of the Bat-family fallen apart would he still see what he's doing as the right thing?

It's hard to know how much of this is really what's going through his mind, or if the negative effects of the Lazarus Resin are warping his thoughts. We've seen across the decades since its introduction that the Lazarus pits have a poor effect on the minds of the people who use them, often twisting them into violent versions of themselves, and now there's a version of those chemicals that are no longer compatible with humans, so who knows what it could be doing to Tim's mind? 

On the plus side, the resin seems to have had some positive effects physically, turning Tim into something of a one man army, letting him beat down dozens of the heavily armed and armoured soldiers without injury. It seems to have transformed Tim into an even more impressive fighter than he's ever been before, but it doesn't look like this is something that's going to last.

The issue ends with Tim seeming to sacrifice himself to stop the Magistrate and their plans, saving Darcy in the process, but the final moments of the issue shows that he manages to survive the event; probably in thanks to the resin. There were hints that this wouldn't have been the end for the character anyway thanks to Future State: Justice League #2 showing him alive and well and being considered for Justice League membership, but I think it's a shame the issue ended with the reveal of him being alive, rather than showing a bit more of what kind of state this experience leaves him in. Does he still have enhanced abilities, is his mind still affected, is he back to normal? Sadly, it seems we won't know unless he happens to turn up in the ongoing Future State: Gotham series and this story still counts.

As it is, this is a pretty entertaining story that centres on Tim Drake, with some great action, some good character insight, and includes some good characters in Spoiler and Darcy. Hopefully Tim will continue to get some good stories once Future State comes to a close.

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Star Wars Adventures: Smuggler’s Run #2 – Comic Review

 

Originally published on Set The Tape

The second, and sadly final, issue of Star Wars Adventures: Smuggler’s Run picks up where the last one left off, with Han Solo and Chewbacca trying to extract a rebel officer from the planet Cyrkon before he falls into the hands of Imperial forces.

The issue begins with the bounty hunters after Han for Jabba the Hutt torturing his allies Delia and Curtis, trying to get information on where the smuggler’s might have gone off to. Meanwhile, Han and Chewie have managed to locate Lieutenant Ematt. Unfortunately, before they’re able to get out of his hotel the bounty hunters have caught up to them. This begins a chase that never really lets up, and leads to a good portion of the book being Han, Chewie, and Ematt running from bounty hunters, before then having to run from the Empire.              

However, these scenes still manage to be engaging and full of character development for Han, despite him being in the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon for most of it. There’s a moment where Han is able to get away, to complete his mission and escape the Empire, but he sticks around to help out Delia, despite her having given up information on him earlier in the issue. He puts his life on the line to do the right thing, something I’m not even sure he would have done before the events of A New Hope. I think this is one of the things that this comic shows well, a Han Solo who’s still closer to his scoundrel ways, but beginning to learn to do the right thing instead of the easy thing.

We also get some good insight into the way the minds of the Imperial officers work when Han sends the Falcon back into the atmosphere, and the only way for the Empire to catch him would to be to cause thousands, perhaps millions, of deaths in the city below. Rather than seeing the Empire doing the right thing, putting the lives of the civilians before their mission to capture a lone rebel spy, they back down because they’re afraid if they kill civilians it could galvanise support for the rebellion, and even turn survivors into rebels themselves. They’ve been killing their own pilots to get the Falcon, but it’s the fear of a bigger insurrection that’s what drives them back.

This really shows how the minds of the Empire work, and how they’re very often motivated by fear over any sense of right or wrong. They’re driven by fear of the recriminations and punishments from their commanders, or from figures like the Emperor and Vader, and they’re driven by fear of having to fight an even bigger rebellion. The Star Wars stories have made it clear on numerous occasions that the rebellion is driven by hope, but I think this book also make it clear that it’s fear that does the same for the Empire, and is ultimately why it was doomed to failure. The book might not add a huge amount to the narrative of the Star Wars saga, but it does make for an interesting analysis of the Empire.

As with the first issue the book has some excellent artwork provide by Ingo Romling, and the action sequences are given a lot of energy and life, especially the space scenes. Moments that could have been boring, seeing Han and Chewie sitting inside the Falcon, are given a lot of flare and energy thanks to the way Romling draws these scenes. He also makes Chewbacca look great in every panel, particularly when they’re dealing with the bounty hunters, and they draw the character with a lot of expression in both his face and his fur that adds energy to the action moments.

Overall this proves to be a good conclusion to the Smuggler’s Run story, and a pretty decent adaptation of the book. With the writer, Alec Worley, having previously adapted another of the novellas released as part of the build up to The Force Awakens I’m hoping that this won’t be the last time they get the chance to do this, and we’ll see more book adaptations in the future.

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Mighty Morphin #4 - Comic Review

 

Well, readers certainly got a lot for their money with this issue eh? There's a lot to go through with this one, and let's be fair, it was all really really good stuff.

As with the previous issues, this one begins more than 10,000 years ago on the planet of Eltar as we get another slice of Zordon's backstory. After having seen him as a solider, and studying alien civilisations here we see the moment when the Supreme Guardain chooses Zordon to be his successor, a role that Zordon never set out to pursue. It's fun to see a Zordon who's not only unsure of themselves, but can't even see the qualities in himself that are needed for such a role, qualities that would come to define him in the era where we know him best.

Not only do these segments show us insight into Zordon's past, and give us information that will come into play with Candice/Zelya, but it also shows a Zordon who's trying to do his best but makes mistakes. He makes poor choices even though he's trying to do the right thing, something that really seems to apply to Billy at the moment, with his involvement in the new Green Ranger. I think that these looks into Zordon's past are going to become more important when it finally comes time for Billy and Zordon to talk about what's happened, and could play a big part in helping their friendship from falling apart.

After this brief flashback the story carries on with the Rangers having to fight against Zedd's new Chaos Putty, that's now grown to giant size and is terrorising the city. It turns out that these new Putties aren't just a challenge for the Rangers in regular fights, but prove to be a challenge for the Zords too. Luckily, the Rangers have some back-up in the form of the newly upgraded Dragon Zord. I've always had a soft spot for this particular Zord, especially as it's the Power Rangers version of Godzilla, so to see it back, with a fresh new design is a true joy. Sadly, it seems that even with him on their side it's not enough and the Rangers are quickly overwhelmed.

I love that Zedd just keeps racking up the wins here. After being sidelined somewhat in the Necessary Evil story it's great to see this guy turn around and remind everyone why he's a bad guy to be feared, and actually get some victories under his belt. It also puts the team in some new situations that they've not had to face before; one of my favourite ones being Rocky going outside the Megazord to buy the team time, fighting a literal wave of Putties to do so. It's the kind of scenario the television series just couldn't give us.

Luckily, the team are rescued by Zelya, who's able to transport them out of danger and back to the command centre, where she reveals her true identity to everyone, and reveals that a 'third Eltarian war' is coming. Sadly, we don't really get much details on what this means here, as the issue is already having to do so much else, but it certainly sets up for some interesting stuff to come once the Rangers are able to beat Zedd. Sadly, that looks like it's going to be more of a challenge as Zedd traps Angel Grove beneath an energy dome, one that's trapped the Rangers outside.

Fortunately for the citizens of Angel Grove there is one Ranger still inside the dome with them. Going on live television the new Green Ranger reassures the citizens of the city that they'll get through things, that everything is going to be okay. They tell people that they know this because they're one of them too, and to prove this removes their helmet, revealing their identity to the world. And yeah, that was something that I wasn't expecting. I knew the reveal was coming this issue, and that the person beneath the helmet was probably going to be this person, but I was not expecting them to make their identity public knowledge.

Not only does this person being the Green Ranger add some wrinkles into the team dynamic just because of who they are and their relationship with the Rangers, but it also changes things so dramatically that they're open about it. How will this change the way the public see the Power Rangers? Will this cause the team to question their reasons for staying hidden? Will the public be trying to figure out the Rangers identities now that they know who the Green Ranger is? It's all exciting possibilities going forward.

As usual Ryan Parrott has managed to not only deliver an action packed issue filled with character development and awesome moments, but has done something that could change the Power Rangers comics forever. Whatever you think of the reveal, whatever you think of the pick for the new Ranger, you have to admit, this is all very, very exciting.

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Ray Gunn & Starburst Series One - Podcast Review

 

Ray Gunn & Starburst is a British made audio drama that follows the adventures of a pair of 'heroes' travelling across the galaxy and righting wrongs.

I don't normally review podcasts, and when I have in the past I've found it to be a difficult thing to do. You're able to talk about the tone of a show, the people who host it, and the kind of thing that they do, but you can't ever really delve too deep into it as they tend to be ongoing things that are always evolving and doing new things. Ray Gunn & Starburst proves to be different from these other shows, however, by presenting an audio drama, rather than a standard podcast.

The series tells the story of Ray Gunn, a man who begins the tale down on his luck, having just lost his wife in a surprise divorce, left with barely anything to his name. Ray deccides to buy himself a ship and travel out into space to find a new life for himself, and whilst he does achieve thins, I don't think it's in the way he really imagined it going. Getting into a bar fight by mistake, he finds a teenage girl, Starburrst, latching onto him, getting him into all kinds of trouble. The two of them are forced to flee together, and find even more trouble waiting for them.

Aided by Starburst's AI, S.U.I.T., the two of them manage to get from one adventure to another, slowly building a name for themselves as an eminent heroing duo. Whilst this fame and fortune might be good for business, and for making friends, it also attracts the attention of Castelan Lar, the head of Darkley Empire, a mega corporation that wants to rule the galaxy. Despite the Castelan being something of a strange man-child, he proves to be a dangerous foe, and set his sights on doing away with the two heroes.

One of the things that became pretty apparent when listening to this show is that it doesn't take itself too seriously. It uses sci-fi tropes, but isn't afraid to poke fun at them. It will highlight how ridiculous certain scenarios are, it'll start down expected paths before suddenly subverting your expectations, and it's not afraid to make its cast look a little silly. It's not an out and out farce, it never mocks things or goes too far, instead it has a sense of whimsy; one that reminded me a lot of the world of Douglas Adams, especially the old Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy radio drama, and Adams' work on Doctor Who in the 80's. I think part of that is also because the show is very clearly British, filled with the weird irreverent humour that Britain does so well, that other countries fail to really emulate.

The cast also help to make the series an enjoyable listening experience, and whilst you do get the sense that these are not professional voice actors, they're people who are really enjoying what they're doing and bring a sense of energy to proceedings. These aren't people here to record lines because they're being paid to, they're people who care about the project, who bring that love for the material and that sense of passion to their performances and really elevate things.

The two stand out stars of the production for myself were Dominic Westerland and Georgia Humphrey, who play the two leads. Over the course of this first series they both seem to get more comfortable in their roles, and by the end they're great characters that have been brought to life really well, thanks in large part to the chemistry the two of them have developed over the course of the series. Even at the start, when it's still clearly new to them and they're not quite at their best they manage to breath a lot of life and character into the roles.

Whilst the voice acting is a big part of the success of the show I can't not mention the writing, done by Holly Rose, who also lends their voice acting talent to S.U.I.T.. I've seen a lot of people try and emulate the weird and wonderful science fiction of Douglas Adams over the years, to try and bring a level of humour and strangeness to a genre that is more often than not taken very seriously. This seems to be something that is easier said than done, as there are a lot of sci-fi comedies that kind of fall flat and never go anywhere; yet Rose is able to make it work here. Yes, there are some jokes that work better than others, and I prefer those moments where they've allowed the humour to fall by the wayside to focus on the characters and their emotional journey's, but it's never bad. There's always something that's making you smile, or grabbing your attention and keeping you hooked to find out what happens next.

In a world where podcasting is becoming the home to big name stars, where celebrities are coming into a space that was made popular by regular folk trying to share their passions and have fun, it's nice to find something that's good, quality listening that isn't relying on big names or ready made fan-bases to gain attention. Instead, it's relying on talent and real quality work from a small group of creators who believe in their project, and only want to make people happy.

If you like your science fiction but haven't really listened to many audio dramas before I'd definitely say that Ray Gunn & Starburst is a show that will help you get into the medium, that will make you realise that there's another way to get your fun story fix. And if you have but have never heard of this show why not go out of your way and give it a try? It might just prove to be your new favourite. 

Review of series two of Ray Gunn & Starburst coming soon!

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Future State: Justice League #2 - Comic Review

 

The first issue of Future State: Justice League set up some interesting challenges for both the regular League and their compatriots in the Justice League Dark, and issue two attempts to put these stories to bed in a satisfying way.

The first story picks up where the last one left off, with the new Justice League having been captured by White Martians and replaced by the group known as the Hyper Clan. The team discover that they've been transported to a world full of fire, one that will kill them within a few days if they don't find a way back to Earth. Meanwhile, the Martians are assembling a device designed to let them take control of humanity, using their mental powers to enslave the population.

The second issue of Future State: Justice League has a lot more action than the first issue, actually letting the readers see this new team in action for the first time. But the book isn't really about the action, and more about the personal relationships between the team as they come to realise their strict rules about not getting to know each other have led them to this point, where they weren't able to tell that their team mates were impostors; and that by learning to open up to each other more is the only way that they'll beat the bad guys.

It's a shame that it's taken until the final issue to see the group actually acting like friends, and the hints of the relationships that could be forming here between them are things that actually interested me and made me want to read more. I'd have enjoyed a few more issues after this one, getting to see them opening up and learning to be friends as well as colleagues; especially given the final page of the issue where they're looking at potential new recruits for their league. The list offered up is a pretty good one, and I think that any of these potential recruits would have added something interesting into the mix. It's just a shame that we won't get to see what happens next.

Not getting to see what happens next is something that plays a part in the finale of the Justice League Dark story too, as Ram V brings this magical post apocalypse story to a close. With the forces of Merlin assaulting the team, Etrigan is forced to confront his own fears and trauma in order to step up and fight alongside his friends.

Considering Etrigan is normally treated as one of the big guns, a being who's never afraid to jump into the battle and help save the day it's strange to see him actually having to need to be coaxed into joining the fight. But then we see that in this future Etrigan has not only lost his former host, Jason Blood, but has come to realise his time with Blood has changed him, now that he's gone, and is unsure what that means for him. 

With the rest of the team left fighting Merlin's army this really does feel like Etrigan's issue now, and the focus on him makes it stand out as very different from the first issue. But what makes it really stand out, what makes this feel different from most super hero comics, is that the good guys don't actually get to win. 

Now that Doctor Fate's powers have been enhanced and altered thanks to Hauhet, he's able to see all possible versions of the future, all possible fates. He's seen all of the futures where they lose, and there's only one where the team get to win, but this isn't that one. The sudden twist on the formula of being in the one timeline where things work out to actually being in one of the ones that fails is a real twist, and one that I genuinely didn't see coming. Comics have trained me to always expect the heroes to win, so for them to just suddenly lose here is really shocking.

Doctor Fate leaves Etrigan with a message about how he can use his demonic abilities to influence past actions, possibly setting up for a JLD story where the team will be able to avert this fate thanks to the events here, but them leave his friends to go join with Merlin. Ultimately the good guys lose, and we don't get to see what happens to them next, though their fates are probably pretty bad ones.

Future State: Justice League gives two very different types of story, one with a happy ending and hope, one with a grim finale that leaves the readers feeling a little down; but in both cases we get to see the teams at their very best, fighting for their lives and never giving up.

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