Dark Crisis: Young Justice #2 - Comic Review

 

Originally published on Patreon

Where the first issue of Dark Crisis: Young Justice felt a little disjointed, and a little strange in places, the story seems to have found its footing with the second issue, and has become an enjoyable examination at not only the lives of the characters, but comic history too.

There are two main stories taking place across this issue. The first if Cassie trying to find out what happened to her friends and former teammates. She goes to Cissie, former the hero Arrowette, to ask for her help; and kind of gets her eyes opened a little to what it's like being a female hero.

Cissie points out how Cassie's own life is being dictated by the boys, yet again. Cissie tells her how much harder it is to be a female hero than a male one, how you're always a supporting character, always there to pick the pieces up for the guys, how you'll always been seen and judged differently to them. And it also seems like this is a part of why she quit being a hero to begin with.

These themes, of reexamining the past with a more critical and objective eye is reflected in the other main story, where the three guys find themselves in what appears to be their past (90's and 2000's comics). Initially this starts when the team, having been joined by a Cassie who claims to be the one they know from the rel world, finish their fight with Well Endowed, and go off to fight Tora. The guys begin to question what they're doing as a team of young heroes by fighting women, they start to talk about how their villains tended to be jokes, and ones made at the expense of women, and foreigners, and they talk about how cartoonish it all felt. 

Like with the talk from Cissie, this feels like a great acknowledgement that yeah, comics from twenty years ago were often quite cartoonish (as they can be today), and were also sexist, and kind of racist. But the moment that really brings it home to the trio, especially Tim, that this world isn't right, is when Batman talks to him about how he's destined to end up with Stephanie Brown one day. Tim tells him no, pointing out that he's dating Bernard, and Bruce says 'She's your destiny. Once you're out of this phase.'

Fucking goddamn homophobic Batman. This is the moment where we know this isn't time travel shenanigans or anything like that, because Bruce would never say that, and whoever this fake Batman is deserved to get his teeth kicked in. And boy is Tim done with this shit now. But again, like elsewhere in the book, this talks to the casual homophobia that used to be in comics. DC has come on a long way since those days, and has a superb roster of queer heroes and has normalised treating queer people like people. I especially liked when Cissie was introducing Cassie to a friend of hers and she included pronouns. This is great, this is showing how much better things are now, but this homophobic Batman is showing us how they used to be. I've never hated Batman as much as I did in this one panel.

The issue ends with the guys trying to find a way out of whatever this all is, but reality changing and warping around them, throwing obstacles in their way; with the final page presenting them with three pretty big obstacles in the form of Deathstroke, Lex Luthor, and Captain Boomerang.

It's still not clear exactly what's happening in this series, or where everything is going to be heading, but this issue was a huge improvement over the first, and presented the readers with some interesting and fun stuff for sure. Hopefully this trend will continue over the course of the series.

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Frankenstein: New World #1 – Comic Review

 

Originally published on Set The Tape

There’s a chance that even if you’ve never read any of the comics you’ve heard of the character Hellboy. Created almost three decades ago, the demonic hero starred in multiple titles as he battled the forces of darkness with his friends and allies, doing what they can to protect the Earth. However, in 2019 the final Hellboy story, B.P.R.D.: The Devil You Know – Ragna Rok came to a close, and saw not only all of the beloved series heroes die, but the world come to an end. Fortunately, a small group of people were saved by hiding deep inside the Hollow Earth, where they could hope for a future.

Frankenstein: New World is a continuation of this story, where we find the last of the human race many generations later. Humanity has regressed somewhat, choosing to live a fairly simple life in their new home. The people have also formed a new kind of religion, one where a select group of monks listen to the whispers of the oracle, a being who welcomed them into the Hollow Earth centuries before, gave them a sun, and has watched over them ever since: Frankenstein.

Frankenstein, or more accurately his creation, was last seen in the 2015 mini-series Frankenstein Underground, where he travelled into the Earth and found a civilisation living deep beneath the surface. It would appear that this is the same place that the last of humanity call home, though since changed and transformed. Since bringing humanity to their new home Frankenstein has fallen into an almost sleep state, waiting for the right time to wake up.

Our main human character for this story is Lilja, a young girl who, unlike many of her friends, holds a deep respect for the oracle. Whilst her friends joke about his ancient form, and make predictions that he’s actually dead, she holds true to the belief that he’s going to wake up one day. She believes in him so strongly that she sneaks out of her home in the middle of the night and breaks into the temple just so she can talk to him, to tell him about the strange dreams she’s been having.

When the monks try to remove her from the temple Frankenstein awakens, and tells them that he’s seen Lilja’s dream, and must leave them to return to the surface. Refusing to be left behind, Lilja sneaks off after Frankenstein, and together the two of them will emerge on the surface to discover what new world awaits them, and what dangers the woman in Lilja’s dreams are warning them about.

As someone who hasn’t read the most recent B.P.R.D. comics, but was aware of how it ended, I was curious to have a look at what could come next for the series. Ragna Rok very much felt like a definitive ending, with much of what Mike Mignola having created being wrapped up, so I was left with the question of ‘what else is there left to tell?’, and by the end of this issue I’m still not completely sure. There’s a lot of mystery here, and it feels like we’ve only been given the first small pieces of it. But, that’s a big part of the fun of this issue.

There are hints here, and I think that fans will start to put the pieces together and will begin to form theories at least. For example the woman sending Lilja dreams, who appears to be stuck in some kind of crystal is seen wearing a crucifix around her neck. Now, there is a very big character in the series who kind of fits that description, so could it be her? Getting to see what happened to those main characters after the B.P.R.D. series came to a close wasn’t what I was expecting the series to do, but it seems like it’s going to be throwing those hints and nods into the story too. We also get to discover the final fate of another member of the B.P.R.D. this issue too.

But it’s not just about the older stuff, and we get to see what the new world is like, what happened after the rebirth, and what kinds of creatures call Earth home now. It’s the chance to be creative, and the trio of writers on the series, Mike Mignola, Christopher Golden, and Thomas Sniegoski, seem to be coming up with some weird and wonderful things for the readers.

The art on the book, provided by Peter Berting and Michelle Madsen, fits what one would expect from something that’s part of the Hellboy universe. It fits the look established by Mignola when he created the characters, and whilst it does have a style that’s it’s own, it fits into the tone and look of the series well. The characters and environments look great, and it seems like the art team went to a lot of trouble to fill the new Earth scenes with some amazing creations.

If you’re a fan of Hellboy and his extended universe, and if you were left reeling by how his story came to an end, then Dark Horse‘s Frankenstein: New World seems to be the book you’ll want to check out. This first issue has laid the groundwork nicely, and left enough hints and teases for readers to expect big things to come.

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DC vs Vampires: All Out War #1 - Comic Review

 

Originally published on Patreon

The DC vs Vampires event expands with a new companion series that's going to be running for six issues. The events of this series have already been referenced in issue seven of the main series, and as such we kind of already know how things are going to go here; not very well.

The book opens with Deathstroke leading a small team of heroes into a remote location to find the last Lazarus Pit, the only one that the vampires haven't fully destroyed. We discover that the vampires have been ruling Earth for the last year, and that humanity is down to the last few hundred survivors.

With things this dire the survivors are going to need a pretty good plan, and Slade thinks he has it; the resurrection of Batman. Not only is Batman a hero that people would rally behind, but he's also a tactical genius, and was the mentor and father figure to the vampire king, Dick Grayson. Bringing him back makes a lot of sense. Unfortunately, some vampires are waiting for them at the Lazarus Pit.

The vamps are being lead by Azrael, who gets knocked into the pit during the fight, and is reverted back into a human. Forced to run for their lives, Slade and Azrael are the only survivors, and head to one of the few human strongholds left. Whilst Azrael gets to see how the place runs, and Slade gets a dressing down from those in charge for his rogue actions, one of his team who was turned into a vampire gets into the compound and launches an attack.

We know from the other book that this place is going to fall, and that pretty much everyone there is going to die. This isn't a big shock, and even if we didn't know this it's probably something that we'd have expected from the series anyway as its just so, so grim. However, the fun comes from finding out how it happens, to see how the characters we have here eventually meet their ends.

And there is an interesting mixture of characters here, and if any of them survived Captain Atom exploding it'll be interesting to see them fight some vampires. I imagine it's going to take a lot of them to take Bane down, and I'd love to see Booster Gold fighting some monsters.

The artwork on the book, provided by Pasqual Qualano, reminds me of the art on Future State: Gotham, because it's presented in very simple black and white form. There are times when this does hinder the book slightly, and it sometimes feels like it's hard to see exactly what's going on or who background characters are supposed to be. Colour can be an important thing in comics, even just to tell characters apart at times, especially when they're fighting in close quarters. But when it's all colourless it can feel chaotic at times.

The book has a back-up feature, starring Batgirl as she takes on a group of GCPD officers, and Commissioner Gordon, who have been turned into vampires and set a trap for her. I guess we know what happened to Gordon after DC vs Vampires: Killers now. It's not absolutely clear which Batgirl this is, as she's never named, but we know it's not Barbara based on what she says here, and the fact that she's got other things going on. It could be Cass, though she feels too talkative for that. I think it's Steph, based on her behaviour and the long, light coloured ponytail, and I don't remember really seeing her in the series so far, so it feels like this is her. It's a decent story, and it shows the ultimate sad end to another beloved character.

DC vs Vampires continues to be one of the darkest, most depressing and shocking things DC has done, and it's pretty great.

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Godzilla Rivals: vs. Battra – Comic Review

 

Originally published on Set The Tape

It’s been a few months since IDW Publishing graced us with another issue of the Kaiju sized Godzilla Rivals series, but after a long wait we get a real treat in Godzilla Rivals: vs Battra.

All good protagonists have a dark version of themselves. We’re not talking about their biggest villains, but those characters who can do everything the hero can, but use that for evil. Superman has General Zod, Spider-Man has Venom, Mario has Wario, and Mothra has Battra. Only appearing in the one film, 1992’s Godzilla vs. Mothra, (I’m not counting the archive footage reused in Godzilla vs. Space Godzilla) this dark version of the Queen of the Monsters has had very few appearances, and is one of the more overlooked entries in Godzilla’s rogues’ gallery. However, the monster makes for an interesting choice for the story being told here.

Godzilla Rivals: vs. Battra, written by Rosie Knight, shifts the action away from Japan, and takes readers to the quiet British sea-side town of Hackney-On-Sea in the year 2027. We discover a world where humanity has been suffering from the effects of pollution and climate damage, and people have created robot helpers to clean the environment, pick up waste, and help humanity where they can.

Robbie, a young woman with an obsession with monsters and the unexplained, calls Worthing-On-Sea home, and lives in the Babbling Book bookshop (the name alone makes it a winner), and spends her days trying to solve the mystery of the strange earthquakes and tremors that have been plaguing the town. Her young friend Kemi has been playing around with their old radio, and has found something strange on one of the old frequencies: a warning about the monster Battra.

Believing that Battra may have a connection with her small town, Robbie uses the tools at her disposal to track down the origin of the disturbances, and finds Battra. However, the giant moth creature takes a liking to Robbie and her home, and doesn’t seem to pose a threat at all. But when other monsters begin to close in on the small English town it looks like disaster may be looming on the horizon.

Godzilla Rivals: vs. Battra feels like a different kind of story from the other entries in the series. In each book so far readers have been treated to a big story, set on a grand scale with huge destruction and big battles. In the case of the last issue the fate of two different planets were on the line! But here we have a story that feels like it’s being told on a much smaller scale, with much fewer stakes. There’s actually very little monster on monster action here compared to some other Godzilla stories.

But rather than that being a bad thing it works to the advantage of the story. It makes this issue stand out, and makes it a great contrast to the last issue that opened with all out global war and just escalated. Much of this story takes place in a small, sleepy English town with gloomy weather and simple people. It feels very grounded and real, and it shows a different side to one of these kinds of stories. Even when Battra emerges and takes to the skies he’s not raining death and destruction. The book has a different approach, and it felt incredibly refreshing.

That being said, this is a Godzilla comic, and so there is Kaiju fighting at least once. And this book does it really well. The monsters get to engage with each other in creative ways, in an environment that we don’t normally get to see them in, and I think that it gives all of the monsters that feature here a decent enough spotlight, and doesn’t favour any particular one, allowing fans of all of the monsters to come away satisfied with their performance.

The artwork on this issue, by Oliver Ono, is my favourite on the series so far, and doesn’t really fit with what you expect from these kinds of comics. Ono’s work is very neat, with thin, delicate line-work, and is packed full of tiny details. Some of their art has a very cyberpunk kind of feel to it, and the mechs look great, but they’ve also able to create characters and environments that feel very reminiscent of Studio Ghibli at times. It’s beautiful work, and I’d definitely recommend checking out more of Ono’s work if you like the look of it.

Godzilla Rivals: vs. Battra delivers a very different experience than what we’ve had before, but remains entertaining and delightful throughout.

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Black Adam #2 - Comic Review

 

Originally published on Patreon

I'm still not sure what I think about the new Black Adam series, I don't really know what writer Christopher Priest is aiming to do with the book. There are some interesting moments in this issue, though they seem to get glossed over very quickly, and come the end of the second issue it kind of feels like whatever is going to happen is going to have little impact on the large landscape of DC, or Black Adam.

Part of this feeling comes from the fact that, spoiler alert, Black Adam dies by the end of this issue; yet it's been stated that this series takes place before the events of Dark Crisis, in which he is alive and well. So, his death isn't going to stick (which isn't too unusual in comics). However, he also seems to have the same personality he always has in Dark Crisis, which seems to indicate that Adam is not going to have any big moments of growth or personal change in this series; despite it seeming like it being something that Priest wants to address.

This all seems to point to the new character, Malik, being the main focus, and indeed him receiving Adam's powers this issue points towards that. However, the same problems as above come into play here, as Adam very much has his powers in Dark Crisis, and there is no sign of Malik. So is anything here actually going to mean anything.

There are some good moments here though, such as Malik rejecting the name White Adam as the 'good' version of Black Adam, and bringing up the cliche's of black = bad, white = good. It's a great call out, and one that needs to be done in many forms of fiction. But I'm still waiting to connect with Malik. I don't really know what kind of a person he is, though I did like him much better than in the first issue. 

With there still being ten issues left of the series I'm hoping that I grow to like things more, and that this is just a case of a shaky start. I love Black Adam, and really want this series to go well.

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Survival Street #1 – Comic Review

 

Originally published on Set The Tape

What if puppets went bad is a question that we’ve seen in media a few times, with films like Puppet Master, or the episode of Angel ‘Smile Time’. It’s a fun joke, making the cute, fuzzy Muppet-like creations into actual monsters. But Survival Street asks a different question: what if puppets were the only good guys left?

The first issue of Survival Street begins with an important history lesson, telling readers how the future of the United States was forever changed when corporations were given the same freedoms as people. Soon, the rich and powerful were buying their way into positions of greater power, and the nation found itself in a corporate controlled land of greed and hatred, where only the cruellest can survive.

It’s in this dark future that a small group of puppets have been trying to stay true to their values, and have been making Salutation Street, a show for kids that teaches fair play (yes, it’s basically Sesame Street). However, the show is raided by armed ICE officials, and pulled off the air. So, what’s an out of work puppet who gets treated like a second class citizen going to do? They band together to take on the corrupt and powerful, even if it means blowing some shit up and killing some people along the way.

The first issue of Survival Street is a ridiculous and delightful introduction to this new story, where these out of work puppets have become a mercenary team who’ve made it their mission to make the world a better place. And they’re not afraid of crossing some lines to do it. This issue sees them infiltrating a swanky celebration where the rich are auctioning off children under the pretence that they’re being given up for adoption; but in reality they’re going to be harvesting their organs. The puppets are determined to save the kids, and go to some extreme lengths to do so.

The world that writers James Asmus and Jim Festante have created here is pretty dark, and kind of believable too (although perhaps not the living puppet part). It’s easy to see our own world sliding further into a capitalist hellscape run by the mega rich, and if it weren’t for the puppets this would be kind of a depressing read. However, because the big action heroes of the book are puppets it ends up being silly and ridiculous in just the right way. The book is a delight to read, and each new twist and turn in the story was delivered with such humour that I couldn’t help but be completely won over come the end.

The art on the book is provided by Abylay Kussainov and Ellie Wright, and it’s a wonderful amalgam of the realistic and the unbelievable. The humans and the environments look very down-to-earth, but the puppets give it a visual flair and level of fun that makes it jump off the page. The puppets all look wonderful, and their designs instantly make you think about the characters from Sesame Street The book wears its influence on its sleeve, and the art does this wonderful job of marrying together cute and fuzzy puppets and violence in a way that shouldn’t work, but just does.

This might not be the kind of title that grabs your attention straight away because the cover looks kind of weird, and the concept is very strange, but it’s executed in such a way that it becomes a hugely fun read. I’m certainly looking forward to seeing what these puppet revolutionaries plan for their next adventure.

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Artemis Wanted #1 - Comic Review

 

Originally published on Patreon

The Trial of the Amazons has come to a close, Nubia is travelling the world as the new Queen of the Amazons, and Diana is having her adventures as Wonder Woman. So there's only really one thread left to clear up from the huge Wonder Woman cross-over event; what happened to Artemis?

When we last saw her Artemis had murdered Queen Hippolyta by poisoning her, and was released from jail to help the Amazons fight Chaos; but she managed to sneak away in the confusion after the battle.

The Artemis Wanted one-shot picks up with the rogue warrior travelling through America, trying to find somewhere where she can hide and lay low, whilst Donna Troy and Cassie Sandsmark are on her tail. Artemis finds herself in a small town, where a mysterious girl asks her for help, knowing who she is. Whilst Artemis at first ignores it as not being her problem, she's shocked to learn that the townspeople change into monsters at night.

Investigating further, she learns that a former member of the Ban-Mighdall who left years before is living in the town, and that her daughter is the girl Artemis has been seeing. The only thing is, the girl is in a magical coma. Artemis agrees to help, but when Donna and Cassie catch up to her she gives herself over to them for judgement; but when a new god appears before the Amazons, the truth about what Artemis has done is finally revealed.

I have to be honest, I did not like the fact that Artemis was the one who murdered Hippolyta. It felt out of character, especially because of the method of the killing. This issue corrects a lot of that. It gives a reason that not only makes sense, but changes the way you're going to look at the events of the previous event book. So, spoiler time, Artemis killed Hippolyta because she was ordered to do so, by Hippolya. It seems like the former queen hatched a plan to get herself elevated to godhood so that she could give her people some hep from the heavens, but in order to do so she needed to have someone kill her, and the reasons had to be kept quite.

Artemis was quite literally doing what she was told by her queen, in an attempt to help her people. Now this fits with her character a whole lot more. The build up to the reveal is great, with Cassie begging Donna not to kill Artemis, whilst Artemis quietly accepted her fate. All three characters were displaying some of their best qualities, and this book actually ended up being a great showing for all of them. When Hipployta visited from Olympus she even she goes on to tell the three of them how they're exemplars of the Amazon people and their best qualities.

The rest of the issue includes some flashbacks to Artemis' background as a girl, which gives us an insight into why she's so dedicated to duty and honour. We also get some cool action as the trio stop the curse that's afflicting the town, and a lovely wrap-up as Artemis is forgiven by her queen and reinstated to her place amongst them.

Whilst this issue seems to have put this matter to bed the only thing that feels missing is Diana, and her reaction to this revelation. I'm hoping this is something we see at some point in the future, as I feel its an important piece that needs to be seen.

Overall, I really enjoyed this issue. It took one of the last hanging threads from the cross-over and neatly ties it off, centring characters whilst doing so. I've really been enjoying all of the Amazon focus recently, and find it more entertaining that Wonder Woman's solo adventures. Hopefully, we'll see more of these characters in the future.

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Plainer Jane #6 – Comic Review

 

Originally published on Set The Tape

Issue six of Plainer Jane marks the beginning of the end of the series, as this penultimate instalment starts to wrap up the story, and brings our protagonist into danger as the final pieces move into place. But when all is said and done, will our heroine manage to make it out alive, or will she herself meet a brutal and bloody end?

The previous two issues gave us a bigger view of the world that the titular Jane, a teen contract killer, lives in. We got to see the impact that her murders were having upon the world of organised crime, and discovered who was paying her to take out these gangsters and killers, and why. This continues on here, as we watch the bosses of the gangs come together to discuss what to do next as their fragile alliance begins to fall apart around them.

It’s interesting to see these aspects of the story, and it’s a bold choice for writer and series creator David Wilburn to take focus away from the protagonist for as long as they have. But by now it feels like the story has grown beyond a simple tale of a young woman looking to make a name for herself as an assassin. That kind of story couldn’t focus solely on one person and be entertaining for long. You have to see the ripples from her decision to perform these actions; and that’s what we get this issue.

We get to see the effect that her actions have on the criminals, but also check in again with the police. As readers of the series know, Tyler is more than just a simple police officer, and the series has become as much his story as Jane’s. The time spent with him here is important, and gives us an insight into how he’s dealing with things after the tragic events of the previous issue. Unfortunately, his story is intrinsically linked with Jane’s, and when the bad guys decide to get information from him it means that it’s going to put Jane in danger too.

And whilst by the end of the issue Jane finds herself in a situation that’s more dangerous than any she’s faced before she does get a chance to get out earlier in the issue. Her best friend comes to her, wanting to talk to her, wanting to know what’s been going on with her, and giving her the chance to talk about things. It’s kind of tragic that Jane has this opportunity here, right before the end of everything, and doesn’t take that shot. She could open up, probably be talked out of going on with what she’s doing, and avoid whatever awful things are coming next. But as we’ve seen over the course of the previous issues, Jane has kind of lost her way, has given up on most of her old life, and is now at a point where her fate is let in jeopardy.

The preview, or tease really, for the final issue asks ‘Who will live? Who will die?’ going into the final issue. In most comic series you’d feel pretty certain that the hero will beat the villains and walk away, either to carry on with their life, or retire and find peace. But honestly, I’m not sure that’s something that we’re going to get here. Plainer Jane hasn’t been afraid to buck trends, to do things its own way, and to tell its story the way they want to rather than the way a reader might expect. I honestly don’t know if Jane is going to survive the final issue, and can easily see the series ending with her own brutal demise, and it’s really exciting to have a story where you’re not confident in the ending, and know anything can happen.

The art for this issue is once again provided by Samir Simáo, who has been working on the book since taking over for Wayne Lowden after the first three issues. The art continues the established style for the book, with the black and white images with the occasional splash of colour. The start of the book, with the meeting between crime bosses, feels very dark and oppressive compared to the rest of the book, and sets the tone quite nicely, but some of the best work on the book comes in the final pages, set in the pouring rain. These panels feel full of energy and movement, and stands out from the rest of the book.

With just one issue left of the series the book is really ramping up the tension and building to what promises to be an explosive, and likely bloody, end. However it ends, whatever fate Jane finds for herself, I’m very much looking forward to seeing the conclusion.

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Baymax Episodes 1-6 - TV Review

 

Originally published on Patreon

I liked Big Hero 6 when it first came out. It's an often overlooked comic book movie (as a lot of folks don;t know its based off a Marvel Comic), and it dealt with some tough issues like grief and death in a great way. And Baymax was a wonderfully sweet character.

The new series, Baymax, focuses on the soft, inflatable healthcare robot as he wanders around town getting into little adventures where he can help people out. The conceit of the show is basically Baymax actually doing what he was designed and built to do. And it's kind of refreshing and sweet.

Across the six episodes he helps out in Cass' coffee shop when she had a trip and sprains her ankle. Que some silly moments of Baymax making the slowest cups of coffee ever, spending minutes trying to get the lid on to-go orders, and generally being a sweetie. He also helps an older lady who has hip trouble, trying to help her get over her fear of water so that she can exercise in the pool. He finds a teen girl having her first period and searches out some menstrual products for her. He tries to help out a food van operator who has suddenly developed an allergy to the food he exclusively makes. And he finds a stray cat who has swallowed a wireless headphone.

However, these stories aren't about these issues. The focus isn't actually Baymax helping them with their issues. It's about what else they've got going on. It's Cass' inability to take a day off and let go of the stress and responsibility she puts on herself. It's about the old woman overcoming the grief of the loss of her husband. It's about the girl suddenly fearing the pressure of 'becoming a woman' now that she's started her period, and how people will treat her differently. It's about the man who feels obligated to follow in the footsteps of his family. It's about the stray cat learning that not everyone is out to hurt them, and that they can find happiness.

Baymax is filled with positive messages, of stories of this bug, squishy robot helping people not just with their physical health, but their mental health. He helps them with their problems, show them that they're not on their own. It's amazingly sweet at times, and it deals with some issues that often don't get addressed on TV, let alone in kids media. The period episode in particular is wonderful for this.

I learnt about this show because bigots and conservative weirdos went wild online because of the period episode, because it talked openly about menstruation, and because it acknowledged that trans guys exist, and use period products. They were heralding it as the end of civilisation, as moral degeneracy run riot. Instead, I found a rather sweet, decent little show with some positive messages that will help kids, and a lot of adults if they listen, become better, healthier people. 

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What Josiah Saw – Film Review

 

Originally published on Set The Tape

What Josiah Saw, the latest film from director Vincent Grashaw, is not an easy film to describe, and this trouble to pin down exactly what the film wants to be, seems to have extended to the trailer, which sells the film as something very different.

What Josiah Saw, at first, seems to be billed as a Southern Gothic horror story. We begin by meeting Tommy Graham (Scott Haze), who lives in a remote old farm house with his stern, drunk, and overbearing father Josiah (Robert Patrick). Tommy has a developmental disorder of some kind, and is played as a man with a much younger mind. He seems very kind and caring, but it’s clear that his father looks down upon him because of his condition, reminding him that the other people in town think of him as ‘simple’, and other less savoury comments. We also learn in a brief scene where the local major is talking to some oil company executives that want to buy up various plots of land, that Josiah’s wife hung herself in the tree outside the home decades before, and that Tommy was the one who found her. The locals now believe that the farm is haunted by her spirit.

Despite Josiah denying the idea that his wife’s ghost has stuck around, he awakens one night in an apparent panic, and reveals to Tommy that he saw his wife, and that she has important work for them both in order to free her from the hell she’s in for taking her own life. This spurs Tommy into working to improve the farm.

The film then shifts to a second ‘episode’, where we meet Eli Graham (Nick Stahl), Josiah’s eldest son who ran away years before. Eli is in deep with local gangsters, and owes thousands of dollars. In order to avoid being killed, Eli agrees to help a couple of the boss’s henchmen to infiltrate a gypsy carnival to steal their supply of Nazi gold that was taken from the teeth of concentration camp victims. The movie follows Eli through this odd side story, before he decides to head back to the family home.

The third ‘episode’ introduces us to the final Graham family member, Eli’s twin sister Mary (Kelli Garner), who is trying to adopt a baby. Having been sterilised years before, she and her husband are having to fight to be seen as worthy of becoming parents. It’s clear that Mary is dealing with some severe trauma, and is haunted by things from her past. When Eli arrives on her doorstep and asks her to come back home with him to convince Tommy to sell his share of the farm to the oil company, Mary agrees to go with him, leading us into the explosive final part of the movie, where everything all comes together.

What Josiah Saw is an incredibly disjointed movie, and has multiple narratives spread out across the film that come together at the end. Whilst this approach can work, and has done well with certain movies, it feels poorly executed here. The biggest problem is the Eli section, which goes on much longer than the others, and has almost no bearing on the rest of the movie. In this part of the film we get hints that there’s something dark and evil awaiting Eli in the future, when he gets his fortune read by a slightly sinister old gypsy woman, but most of it is centred on the theft of the Nazi gold.

This part of the film just doesn’t really work. It’s like someone has taken a piece of a gangster movie and dropped it into the middle of this horror story hoping that it would work. The entire sub-plot about stolen Nazi gold bears no significance on the main plot at all, and none of the characters here other than Eli matter. We don’t need a half hour side story of his awful life in the middle of the film to justify his return home. It feels superfluous, self indulgent, and almost destroys the pace of the movie. It goes in such a completely different direction for so long I actually began to question if this was perhaps some kind of strange anthology film instead.

In reality, the second and third sections of the film are mostly surplus, and a handful of scenes lasting a few minutes would have been all that was needed to tell us about Eli and Mary, their lives away from the family farm, and their reasons for returning. As it is, by the time the film returns to the Graham home you’ve almost forgotten that it even started there. Luckily, there’s some decent acting to keep you interested, especially from Robert Patrick, though perhaps not enough to keep you hooked.

There is a sense of mystery to the film throughout, and that will probably be the main reason viewers stick with it. There are hints scattered through the other sections as to something more than we know going on; some kind of awful secret that looms over the Graham family. Waiting to get to that final segment to find out may annoy some viewers, however, and the strange, often dream-like hints that you get before then may leave some frustrated with the wait. Whether or not the execution of the reveal, and the results of it, will satisfy will be down to individual taste, but I did find the final segment of the film to be the strongest and most enjoyable because of it.

What Josiah Saw isn’t necessarily a bad film, but it’s not a great one either. The interesting visuals and strong acting are let down by a script that feels too bloated and too all-over-the-place. A few more drafts, and the removal of stuff that really wasn’t needed, would have helped the film a lot.

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