Godzilla Rivals: vs. Mothra – Comic Review

 

Originally published on Set The Tape

The latest entry in the Godzilla Rivals series sees the titular king of monsters taking on the queen, Mothra. Whilst it made sense for the series to begin with Hedorah, what with it being the 50th anniversary of the film on the month of release, it was only a matter of time before Godzilla and Mothra ended up together in this series of one-shot comics.

The issue follows investigative photo journalist Mima Kinjo, who’s been stationed with the Japanese Self-Defence Forces at Kanoya Air Force base. Whilst sitting in on a meeting she hears a report about a mysterious giant glow beneath the waters of Lake Ikea. Whilst several of the soldiers laugh this off as a drunk sailor telling stories, the Admiral swiftly orders them them to sink charges into the lake and destroy whatever’s inside.

His eagerness to bomb the area catches Mima’s attention, and she decides that she’s going to have to find out what’s in the lake before the JSDF destroys it. Thanks to her history with diving she’s more than able to head into the depths of the lake, but she’s unprepared for what she finds. Shackled to the bottom of the lake is the giant monster known as Mothra, wrapped in chains stamped with the JSDF insignia. Returning to the base to confront the Admiral, her plans are disrupted when Godzilla arrives on the scene, heading towards a populated area. Knowing that Mothra might be the only thing that can stop the giant lizard, Mima heads back into the lake to free her – but will her actions save the day, or cause even more destruction?

The main focus of this story isn’t the monsters. It’s the people. And it’s especially Mima who matters here. In fact, she’s the only character in the story who even gets a name. Even the Admiral, a major figure in this tale, only ever goes by his rank. Because of this we get a good sense of who Mima is, we learn about her past, we see what motivates and drives her, and we come to understand why she’s willing to risk unleashing another monster in the hopes that it could save the day. She’s a surprisingly strong and well defined character for one that we only get to know for this one issue, and it really speaks to the strengths of Mary Kenney’s writing. Even the unnamed admiral gets a good showing, with the two of them getting ample room to grow and develop over the relatively short forty pages.

Despite the big focus on people there’s also a lot of action across the issue. When Godzilla finally arrives on the scene there are some great moments of him fighting against the military. We get to see him destroying naval vessels as well as aircraft as he storms his way through populated areas. A lot of these sections are delivered without dialogue or narration, and they work really well because of this. The reader is left to take in the carnage and the destruction that this creature causes without the distractions of words getting in your way. And by the time that Mothra arrives on the scene to combat Godzilla you’re worked up to the point where you’re desperate to see the titular creatures clash.

The art on the issue is provided by SL Gallant, Maria Keane, and Adam Guzowski, who provide the pencils, inks, and colours respectively. The team work well together, and deliver a worn and lived in feeling world. It feels like regular people in the regular world, without over the top designs or bright colours making it feel fantastical in any way. This really helps to convey the human elements of the story, and allow it to feel grounded. Though this does change once the monsters arrive on the scene and things take on a more spectacular feel. The colours are bolder and more vivid, and the panels feel tight and up close as the action takes place, putting you right into the thick of things. The team are also wonderful at capturing the spirit of both the monsters, and they look absolutely fantastic throughout.

Godzilla Rivals: vs. Mothra is a great love letter to giant monster movies, as well as the titular monsters. It feels like a ton of care and attention have gone into the project to ensure that it feels like part of that universe, and I’m sure any fan will have a blast reading it.

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X-Men Destiny – Throwback 10

 

Originally published in Set The Tape

The X-Men have been one of the most popular parts of the Marvel Universe since their creation, and over the decades that popularity has continued to grow. At one point Marvel was running the risk of going under completely, and it was thanks to the dozens of X-Men books printed per month that the company was able to continue. With how popular this slice of the comics are it’s kind of shocking that there has never been a really great X-Men game. This was something that developer Silicon Knights tried to rectify in 2011 with X-Men Destiny, but sadly fell far short.

The game, originally released on Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Wii, and the Nintendo DS, doesn’t have you play as any established X-Men character. Instead, players take on the role of one of three characters that begin the game attending a peace rally/memorial to Professor Xavier, who was recently killed. There’s Japanese school-girl Aimi, who is the closest Jubilee fans will get to play as her; Adrian, who’s part of an anti-mutant hate group; and Grant, who plays football. If these character descriptions seem vague don’t worry, they don’t get the chance to develop at all.

Whichever character you choose they find their latent mutant powers activating when the rally comes under attack from the anti-mutant cult The Purifiers. This is where you get another choice, of which powers you want to take on. There’s super strength, speed, or energy projection to pick from, each of which can be upgraded and altered over time as you play and unlock different upgrades. From here you have to fight your way to safety, meeting a handful of characters from both the X-Men and the Brotherhood of Mutants. Come the end of this first mission you get to choose which faction you want to join up with.

Before the game’s release there was a lot of talk about how player choice will matter in X-Men Destiny, how your choices affect the game, and how each player would be able to craft their own experiences. Whilst I suppose it’s true that which character you pick, which power you go for, which upgrades you use, and which side you join do add a lot of variables, it by no means makes for big moments of player choice that alter the game in any real way. In fact, most of the game is very similar no matter what you choose.

You get sent to the same places, get given the same mission objectives, and the story advances in the same way no matter what choices you make, with the only real difference being who gives you your orders, and some tiny dialogue changes that don’t mean anything come the end. Perhaps Silicon Knights were trying to be too ambitious in their story, penned by comic writer Mike Carey, but at least they could make the game play good to make up for it, right?

Sadly, no. The game ends up being nothing more than a button masher, with players having to engage in uninspired and dull combat over and over again against waves of ever more pointless enemies. There are a few boss fights thrown into the mix, with a few of them actually being quite enjoyable – but then I’m not sure if they were really any good, or just good in comparison to the rest of the game.

The graphics of the game were also something of a letdown, with many outlets at the time comparing it unfavourably to games from the previous generation. There are blocky character models, badly made animations that make everything look stiff, dull and flat environments, and explosion effects that could have come from the PS1.

It’s a shame that the game was as bad as it was, not just because as a fan of the X-Men I was hoping that the game would meet the hype that was being built around it, and that we’d actually get a decent X-Men game. The biggest part of the disappointment was that this was yet another failure for Silicon Knights, a company that had shot to acclaim with titles like Eternal Darkness and Metal Gear Solid: Twin Snakes, two absolutely amazing games. But thanks to this and the huge failure that was Too Human, it seemed like Silicon Knights’ time had come to an end.

And it seemed like others felt this way too, as thanks to a lawsuit with Epic Games, Silicon Knights were made to destroy all games they’d produced using code from the Unreal 3 Engine, meaning that Too Human and X-Men Destiny were removed from digital storefronts, and all unsold copies recalled and destroyed. Because of this, both games have become something of rare finds on the pre-owned markets thanks to the destruction of the unsold units and the initial low sales. As such, if you come across a copy on your travels it’s going to be a rarer find, though probably not one you’d want to pick up to try out.

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Lakesedge by Lyndall Clipstone - Book Review

 

'There are monsters in the world. When Violeta Graceling arrives at haunted Lakesedge estate, she expects to find a monster. She knows the terrifying rumours about Rowan Sylvanan, who drowned his entire family when he was a boy. But neither the estate nor the monster are what they seem.

'There are monsters in the woods. As Leta falls for Rowan, she discovers he is bound to the Lord Under, the sinister death god lurking in the black waters of the lake. A creature to whom Leta is inexplicably drawn…

'There’s a monster in the shadows, and now it knows my name. Now, to save Rowan—and herself—Leta must confront the darkness in her past, including unravelling the mystery of her connection to the Lord Under.'

Lakesedge is a darkly Gothic fantasy romance filled with queer characters and strange magics, making it a good read for the Halloween season.

The story follows Violeta Graceling, a young woman who has been living with a surrogate mother, along with her younger brother Arien, since her parents died when she and her brother were young. Whilst it's great that she and her brother have a roof over their heads rather than having to survive on the streets it's not perfect for them, especially because of the strange magic that Arien seems to control. Whenever Arien has nightmares, which seems to be a common thing, dark shadowy magic flows from him. His surrogate mother being a good godly woman sees this as a connection to Lord Under, the god of darkness and death, so hurts Arien whenever this happens.

Violeta has spent years trying to prevent her mothers anger from causing serious harm to her brother, as well as trying to keep it hidden from the rest of the village. Everything seems to change, however, during the most recent tithe when the local lord, Rowan Sylvanan, comes to town. The young Lord is a figure of fear for the locals, due to rumours of him having drowned his entire family in the lake beside his stately home. Rowan sees the magic that Arien has, and decides that he wants to take him back to his estate with him.

Trying her best to prevent this, Violeta finally has to accept that she can't keep Arien at home; but she can still try to keep him safe. As such, she makes Rowan agree to take her along too. Arriving at the estate, Violeta and Arien discover a dark corruption has overtaken the lake, turning its waters black. With the corruption threatening to spread and harm more of the world Rowan wants to try and use Arien's magics to help combat it; but they don't have much time left before the corruption becomes unstoppable.

From pretty early on in the book there's a lot of set up for stuff to come, promises of big stakes, frightening confrontations, and world building; but after Violeta and Arien reach Rowans estate things slow down a lot; which is odd considering how quickly the book moves. In the early parts of the book the story is being set up to be a very dark story, something closer to horror than anything else, and Rowan is a big part of this too. He's described as being a monster, and Violeta absolutely hates him when they first meet. And whilst he does come across as grumpy and rather uncaring it quickly becomes apparent that he's actually a decent guy; albeit one who doesn't like to explain himself much, which leads to more than one occasion where Violeta storms ahead and makes a fool of herself.

I was expecting Rowan to be a figure that took a long time to figure out, that he was going to be closer to an anti-hero more than anything else, but at some point all of the parts that made him seem like a much darker and more mature figure just fell away. What was left after this was a love story between him and Violeta that should have resulted in the two of them ending up together a lot sooner than it did. 

The reason there were issues with the two of them, and the book on a whole for me, was Violeta. Violeta is a hot headed character. She thinks she knows best and doesn't expect that anyone else can do as well as she can, even when its a situation where she has little knowledge or expertise. For example, when she believes that she's found a solution to solving the corruption she goes ahead and acts without talking to anyone else, despite all those around her having more knowledge and experience, and her actions putting herself at serious risk. This tends to be what keeps her and Rowan apart a lot off the time, as every time they come close to getting together she ends up doing something impulsive and reckless. I know that we're supposed to have characters that are confident, even if they're not competent, but there were times when Violeta went beyond reckless into plain foolish.

I also think the pacing of the book didn't help with my struggle to connect with Violeta too, as there are large sections of the book where we skim over days and weeks of time to jump to the next major event. Whilst I know we can't follow every single moment of these characters lives and have to focus on the important parts it did feel like we were missing out on a lot of development, especially in the interpersonal relationships. In one chapter Violeta would be somewhat guarded towards another character, keeping them at arms length because they didn't quite trust them, whilst the next they were good friends who spent time together and confided in each other. The little moments between these two states, where we could have seen these bonds forming were missing, and as such I felt little connection to the characters beyond being pieces of the story.

It's a shame, as there was a lot in the early parts of the book that I liked, things that are present throughout the entire novel yes, but that felt only half done by the end. I enjoyed the story for what it was, but I didn't feel much for the characters that inhabited it, and think that if we'd have been given more time with them, more time to see relationships grow and develop, I might have come to love the book.

As it is, I enjoyed Lakesedge, and found it to be a perfectly fine fantasy story with some interesting ideas and some great queer representation, but it just failed to grab me and excite me in big ways. Hopefully this will be something that changes in the second book, and I'll end up coming to like the series more.

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Silent Hill 2 – Throwback 20

 

Originally published on Set The Tape

Whilst Resident Evil has come out on top of the survival horror genre there is another game that has long been a close competitor, a series that might not be as big, and might not feature as much action and adventure, but in many ways is a lot more frightening, and pushes the horror part of survival horror: the Silent Hill series.

Following the critical success of the first game, as well as the fact that it sold enough units to enter the ‘Playstation Greatest Hits’ line, a sequel was quickly put into the works for the new horror series. With Konami having little information about the upcoming Xbox and GameCube they decided to focus their attention on crafting the game for the new Playstation 2; this allowed them to bring new graphics and flare to the series, allowing for the team to create a more dynamic and disturbing environment than the first game.

The story of the game had almost no connections to the first, something that was something of a surprise at the time of its release, as many were expecting it to return to the story of Harry Mason. Instead, the game centres on James Sunderland, a man who receives a letter from his dead wife, Mary, claiming that she is alive and well and waiting for him in the town of Silent Hill, where the two of them holidayed together in the past. James heads to Silent Hill looking for answers, but finds a deserted, fog covered town filled with bizarre, nightmarish monsters.

Not long after arriving in Silent Hill James comes across a woman named Maria, who looks exactly like Mary. Maria claims she has no knowledge of who James is, and the two of them work together to get through the town. Unfortunately, a monstrous entity called Pyramid head appears and kills Maria. Despite watching her die at the hands of the monster James later finds Maria alive and well, until she is once again killed by more of the monsters. James soon comes to the realisation that he’s being punished for killing Mary years before, smothering her as she lay dying in hospital, and that the creatures of the town are aspects of his broken psyche come to torment him for his crime.

Whilst the first game in the series dealt with supernatural forces, and delved into the history of the town and explained some of what was going on, Silent Hill 2 takes a very different approach to its story. It’s not concerned with some grand narrative related to the town and the creatures that make it their home; instead focusing on one man’s journey and his guilt over what he’s done in his past. This not only makes the game feel a lot more focused, but it also leads to some interesting development choices too.

There are clues scattered throughout the game thanks to other people that James meets in Silent Hill, also apparently being punished for crimes in their past, whilst the creatures that follow him and try to kill him were all designed to reflect parts of Jame’s subconscious, as well as an element of humanity. One of the most obvious examples of this is the creature that would become the most iconic monster of the entire franchise, Pyramid Head. This tall, hulking creature was designed to evoke ideas of an executioner, one who has come to punish James for his crime and bring justice for Mary. The creature was also, according to artist Masahiro Ito, designed with a rusted, jagged metal head to evoke ideas of pain, as well as sexual frustration that James felt towards his wife as she was dying.

This focus, this care in the design and functions of the monsters was definitely an improvement over the first game, and led to a much more visceral reaction to the scares. And the scares in this game work so well, allowing for the slow build of atmosphere, with disturbing sound effects and strange music creating an ever pervading sense of unease, unlike other horror games that rely on jumps and big moments to frighten the player.

Upon its release the game was very well received, with high review scores from critics and excellent sales figures. The game went on to become one of the most beloved of the series, and was ported to other consoles, as well as receiving a HD re-release a decade later. Possibly one of the best examples of the Silent Hill series, Silent Hill 2 is a game every horror fan should make time to try out.

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Cold War Creatures: Four Films From Sam Katzman – Blu-ray Review

 

Originally published on Set The Tape

The 1950s was a decade that saw a big shift in horror films. Before this ghosts and ghouls were the predominant fare, with vampires and monsters and other such creatures being tied to the world of the supernatural and the spiritual. However, with the advent of the 1950s, and following the horrific attacks on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, a new breed of horror began to emerge; films where science was the cause of the things that frighten us. Cold War Creatures gathers together four such films, all produced by Sam Katzman, that took traditional monsters and added a science twist.

The first film in this collection, Creature With The Atom Brain, took the concept of zombies and added in an element of gangster movies, and a big dose of ‘atomic’ science. Beginning with a lumbering man breaking into a casino to kill the owner and escaping with the money, the film follows a police scientist and his partner as they try to get to the bottom of the case. With witnesses claiming the assailant kept walking after being shot, signs that they possessed super human strength, and traces of radiation left behind, the police come to the conclusion that atomic science is behind things.

The plot of Creature With The Atomic Brain (1955) is pretty laughable. A criminal using a mad German scientist to reanimate corpses with atomic science in order to get revenge on the men who betrayed him is somewhat farcical; yet the film plays it completely straight, and you  have to give it a lot of credit for that. The super strong walking dead are also quite enjoyable, resulting in some spectacular scenes of carnage and destruction as they terrorise the city.

Next up in the set is The Werewolf (1956), a new take on the classic monster. Whilst the Universal Monsters had helped to shoot the werewolf into popular culture over the years it had become something of a joke; due in large part to it appearing in films such as Abbot and Costello Meet The Wolfman (1948). This film, in contrast, treats the titular monster as a figure to feel sorry for. Rather than being a monster out to harm people the werewolf is a victim of science; a man in a car accident who is experimented on by scientists trying to find ways for humans to survive a nuclear holocaust.

The werewolf is left to be hunted by the frightened townspeople, as well as the scientist who experimented on him. This poor amnesiac man is hunted like the animal people think he is, and is driven to transform into a monster because he’s not given the chance to do anything else. It’s a pretty sad story, one that puts unscrupulous science as the villain. The werewolf effects are pretty well done in this film too, and whilst it doesn’t have some of the great miniature work that other films in this set have, there are some great set pieces for viewers to enjoy,  especially the final moments of the film.

The Zombies of Mora Tau (1957) is probably the most traditional of the films presented in this set, and doesn’t really feature any science gone bad. The story is set in Africa, where a ship carrying a fortune in diamonds has long since sunk into lake Mora Tau. Over the years various treasure hunters have come to try and claim the fortune, but have all met violent deaths at the hands of the zombies that protect the prize. We follow the latest group of treasure hunters as they come to try and claim the fortune for themselves.

The zombies in this film very much follow the traditional zombies of old, undead workers who have been raised through some form of voodoo or dark magics. Unlike other films in this genre, however, there isn’t anyone controlling the zombies, and instead they’re more of a force of nature, appearing whenever they need to protect the diamonds. This feels like a fun old adventure movie, and the scenes set underwater are a lot of fun, especially when the seaweed-clad zombies stalking their way across the bottom of the lake as divers attempt to secure their prize.

The final film in the set might be one of the best, though not because it’s of better quality. The Giant Claw (1957) is the Sam Katzman take on a giant monster movie, and thanks to some goofy, low budget effects it’s an absolute delight. When a mysterious, huge UFO begins destroying aircraft, a team is set up to look into the phenomenon. However, they soon discover that this isn’t some form of aircraft, or enemy missiles, but instead a giant alien bird. Protected by a force-field of antimatter, the creature is invulnerable to all kinds of conventional attack, leading our heroes to have to turn to science to try and find a solution.

The titular Giant Claw monster is, if I’m totally honest, absolutely awful looking. Instead of looking like a deadly, alien bird it looks like crazed, googly eyed half plucked chicken, flying through the with a wobbly neck and a rubber beak that never stays the right shape. It’s so ridiculously bad that it’s enjoyable, and helps to make this a more memorable film than if it had better effects. There is a lot of fun model work in this movie though, with the creature ripping apart buildings in New York being a particular highlight.

Each one of the films comes with an introduction by author and film historian Kim Newman, who gives insight into the film and the world in which it was created, as well as full feature length commentaries by a variety of film critics, who go into detail about the film, the way it was received, and the impact it had on cinema. Each movie also comes the Super 8mm version of the movie, a condensed 20 minute version of the films that were released for home viewing. In addition to this, each disc has a visual essay, exploring different aspects of Sam Katzman’s work; which come together to give a very detailed and informative look at the prolific filmmaker.

Cold War Creatures is a box set with a lot of content, yet it feels like it’s only scratching the surface of a genre and era of film that’s absolutely fascinating. Anyone who’s a fan of kitschy, schlocky monster movies is going to find something they’re going to enjoy in this set, whether it’s the more serious movies, or the absolutely goofy ones, this set has something that’s sure to satisfy.

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Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures – The Monster of Temple Peak #2 – Comic Review

 

Originally published on Set The Tape

The second issue of Star Wars :The High Republic Adventures – The Monster of Temple Peak starts off with some bold action as former Jedi padawan Ty Yorrick is forced to fight for her life against a vicious Rock Weaver high on Temple Peak mountain.

Picking up right where the last issue left off, our hero Ty has discovered someone else on the mountain with her, some invisible being that has been following her trail. Before she’s able to question them, however, they fall afoul of a huge spider-like creature, leaving it down to Ty to save them both from being killed. Thanks to her experience fighting monsters, and a little help from KL-03, she’s able to beat the monster.

It’s here that we’re introduced to Drewen, a member of the rabbit-like Segredo species, who’s been following Ty on her mission up the mountain. Wanting to learn how to become a Jedi, Drewen has been following Ty hoping that he can convince her to train him; something she refuses to do. As the two of them have to spend the night together to wait out snow something else is stalking the two of them…

The second issue of Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures – The Monster of Temple Peak doesn’t feel as big as the first one. It’s introducing less, and not as much of the story happens; however, it does feel like we get the chance to know Ty a little better. There are a number of times in the issue that we get to see how her mind works, where she’s confronted with something that relies on her having to make a hard decision. These choices not only give us a good insight into what makes her tick, but also encourages the character to reflect on her past, which gives the reader the opportunity to see some flashbacks to her backstory. A backstory that’s incredibly interesting, and that I hope we get more of as the series progresses.

Despite not having as much happen as the first issue, as issue one packed in a lot of monster hunting and planet hopping, there’s still a decent amount of action packed into the pages. Ty’s battle against the Rock Weaver is an impressive way to open the issue. It’s the kind of foe that we don’t often see Jedi going up against, and she’s forced to have to think fast on her feet in order to get through the encounter unscathed. Much like the rest of this issue I felt like this battle gave us a good insight into the character, especially the abilities and methods she’s picked up in hunting various creatures across the galaxy.

The art in the issue is provided by Rachael Stott, Vita Efremova, and Nicola Righi, and it’s some of the best Star Wars comics art at the moment. The art is beautifully detailed and crisp, with every panel filled with detail. Whether it’s Ty herself, who’s always drawn looking dynamic and strikingly beautiful, or the cold and unforgiving environment she’s travelling through, everything looks fantastic. And the colours, provided by Efremova and Righi, are a big part of this too. The team know when to lave the artwork looking colder and more muted to push home the nature of the mountain, and when to add striking colours to enhance the action scenes and to bring warmth to the characters.

It’s still early days for this series, and it very much feels like Cavan Scott is still setting up all of the important characters for us to follow; yet it’s one of the more entertaining Star Wars comics around, and one of the most intriguing entries in The High Republic we’ve had so far. This issue adds new mysteries to the story, and leaves me wanting to read the next one as soon as I can.

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Death Screams (1982) – Blu-ray Review

 

Originally published on Set The Tape

Death Screams is the latest old-school horror movie to get a new Blu-ray release from Arrow Video, but don’t feel too bad if you’ve never heard of this little known 80’s schlock horror.

Set in a small town in the US, the local population are celebrating the end of the summer, with a group of teenage protagonists preparing to head off to college and ending their summer with a bang by attending the local carnival. Whilst at the carnival these very horny teens come up with a plan to head up to the river come nightfall, to drink, smoke weed, and generally have a fun time. But little do they know that the river was the location for the brutal murder of two other teens, and that their killer has set his sights on them.

The plot for Death Screams is generic at best, and when you learn in the special features for the film that it was written in just a single week it will come as no surprise. The film follows many of the 80’s slasher tropes, and seems to be a paint by numbers approach to film-making. You could put together a bingo card for 80’s horror cliches and pretty much all of them would get ticked off watching this movie.

The characters are given very little time on screen, and other than one or two people who actually get some scenes to build up their characters before the killing starts, most of them seem to be bland caricatures of teen slasher movie stereotypes. There’s the shy one, the jokey one, the slutty one (though most everyone in the film comes across as very horny so that doesn’t mean much), the sporty one, and the disabled one. Okay, that last one isn’t exactly a big stereotype for horror films, but this film does include a mentally disabled teen, although only as something of a plot device.

As for the killer and their motivations, it’s all a bit nebulous really. I actually had to rewind the end and watch it through again to understand who the killer was, and even after going back to look, their reasoning why wasn’t exactly clear. It’s not until you watch the extras that you discover their actual motivations, and this is kind of crappy writing really.

Whilst the writing is pretty uninspired,the killings at least try to be a bit creative, with some very dodgy effects work coming into play to show decapitated teens and people getting limbs cut off. You can tell that the filmmakers were trying their best with what is clearly a very limited budget, and the low quality effects actually help the film in some regards. It adds to the low budget, friends getting together to make a film over a week feel of the film, and whilst you won’t be scared or grossed out by any of the kills you might find yourself having a laugh or two.

Despite the film itself being something of a let down the disc is still pretty well put together. In addition to the newly improved film there’s a decent half hour ‘making of’ documentary that gets some of the cast and crew together to talk about the film, as well as a couple of audio commentaries. These commentaries were actually the more enjoyable way to watch Death Screams.

One of the commentaries features producer Charles Ison, special effects artist Worth Keeter, and filmmaker Phil Smoot; the three of them go into the film in surprising detail, giving titbits of information about the people in front of and behind the camera. The second commentary features the hosts of The Hysteria Continues podcast, who bring their love of the genre and this film to the table; they offer insight into the film, as well as other horror of the time, and really show the love they have for these types of movies.

Overall, Death Screams is not a film that will be on many people’s list of great movies, and I’m sure even those who enjoy it will admit it’s pretty flawed. However, there’s a lot of fun to be found on this new release, mainly in the extras over the actual film itself. If this film is one of your guilty pleasures then this is an absolute must have for you, but if not you might find some aspects a little disappointing.

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Godzilla: World of Monsters - Book Review

 

'Monsters rule the world in this compendium collecting three graphic novels--Gangsters & Goliaths, Cataclysm, and Oblivion!

'In Gangsters & Goliaths by John Layman and Alberto Ponticelli, Detective Makoto Sato is on a quest to bring down the Takahashi crime syndicate but Sato's efforts earn him a one-way trip to a tropical getaway, courtesy of the Tokyo criminal underworld--MONSTER ISLAND! Alone and facing death at the hands of both gangsters and goliaths, Sato must use his wits to survive--and enlist the aid of some unusual friends.

'In Cataclysm by Cullen Bunn and Dave Wachter, years have passed since a monster apocalypse nearly destroyed mankind. Now it is merely a distant, nightmarish memory for Hiroshi, an elder in one of the few remaining tribes of humans. Little does Hiroshi know that the apocalypse is not over, and that his memories of the past may yet save the future!

'In Oblivion by Joshua Fialkov and Brian Churilla, a scientist has created a portal to another dimension--one where monsters rule supreme! An expedition begins into a world where hope has died and Godzilla is the unrivaled King of the Monsters. But what happens when a baby kaiju hitches a ride back to the original, monster-less dimension?'

Godzilla: World of Monsters is the latest graphic novel release from IDW Publishing that collects together three of their Godzilla series into one bumper, Kaiju sized collection.

The first story in the book, 'Gangsters & Goliaths' is written by John Laymon with art by Alberto Ponticelli and Jay Fotos is the more traditional of the three stories presented in this volume, as it's set in a much more recognisable world to ours; and feels very much like the kind of stories that appear in the classic films.

The plot follows Detective Makoto Sato, a member of the Tokyo police working to bring down the head of the Takashi crime family; who's been busy taking over much of the city's organised crime. After being warned off the case by his captain, Sato and his partner continue on their mission to take Takashi down, leading them to walk into a trap on the docks. Takashi murders Sato's partner, and takes SAto prisoner on board his ship. Sailing out to Monster Island, Sato is brutally beaten and abused by the criminals before he's able to make an escape, swimming to shore.

Not wanting to leave it up to the giant monsters that inhabit the island to finish the job, the criminals pursue him but are quickly dispatched by Godzilla; who also injures Sato. Sato wakes up inside a small hut on the island, where a monk has taken him to recover. He learns that this is the home of the twin fairies that communicate with Mothra. Knowing that he can't stay on the island, Sato kidnaps the fairies and returns to Tokyo, where he will use them to summon Mothra to help him destroy Takashi. Unfortunately, this leads to other monsters following her to the city, and carnage out of control.

'Gangsters & Goliaths' is a really fun story, and was easily my favourite in this collection. It was nice how it felt familiar in a lot of ways to existing Kaiju stories, but still did something new. Some of the best Kaiju stories are the ones that have a compelling and engaging human story to go along with the big scale monster destruction, and this certainly fit that bill. Sato proved to be an incredibly flawed protagonist, one that was bordering on cruelty at times as he was willing to go to extreme measures to reach his goals.

Over the course of the story Sato comes to realise that his methods do not justify the end goal; even before the other monsters arrive in the city to reign destruction down on everything. It was at this part of the story that the character felt like he could have gone in very different directions, that he could have easily just walked away from what was happening and leave the city to the fate he'd brought it; but in the end he stepped up and decided to try and set things right. It was a great moment of growth, and one that led to a conclusion on the final page that actually felt quite earned.

The story also had a lot of cameos and appearances from other familiar monsters and things from the series. Whether it was seeing well known creatures like Rodan and King Ghidorah storming across Monster Island, lesser used monsters like Kumonga and Battra trashing the city, or fan favourite Mecha-Godzilla being deployed by G-Force to help save the day; there's something here for fans of the franchise to get excited about in every issue.

Ponticelli and Fotos do great on the art too, being able to make the smaller, more intimate character driven moments feel dynamic and engaging, as well as the scenes of giant monster carnage being spectacular, especially as they demolish recognisable landmarks in their rampage. The monster, the real stars of the book, also looked brilliant, with a ton of attention going into the details.

'Cataclysm', written by Cullen Bunn with art by Dave Wachter, takes a very different approach to the first story, instead focusing on a world where the monsters have already destroyed everything, leaving humanity behind to try and survive in the ruins left behind. A quick flashback at the start of the issue shows a huge fight between Godzilla, King Ghidorah, Mothra, Manda, and Anguirus, fighting amongst the ruins of a city, setting up the idea that the fight between the monsters continued across the globe; destroying all in their path.

After this the story picks up in the ruins of Japan, where an old man is the only member of his community who really remembers what life was like before the Kaiju destroyed everything. Everyone else was too young to remember, or has been born into this ruined world. Their small shanty town is built from pieces they've scavenged from the ruins, and life in this new world is hard; they're forced to hunt for food, as well as searching for anything useful in the ruins of the old world, whilst always in fear that the monsters could return one day.

We meet two young members of the community, Arata and Shiori, who are scouts for the village. When venturing into the ruined city one day they come across strange plant-like growths that have started to spread everywhere. Whilst investigating their group comes under attack by a swarm of Kamacuras, large mantis like creatures. When the monsters are suddenly attacked and torn apart by the plants growing around them they discover that the plants are part of Biollante. If this wasn't enough, Godzialla arrives on the scene and starts fighting the giant plant monster, destroying the majority of it. However, Shiori manages to save a small part of the creature.

Now with the Kaiju having returned, and the restorative properties of Biollante being the answer to the devastation around them, the community must band together to try and find a way to survive, whilst the eldest member faces the ghosts of his past and the part he played in the destruction of the world.

As far as Kaiju stories go 'Cataclysm' feels really different. This isn't a story where giant monsters show up to trash a city whilst humanity tries to fight back as best they can; in this story that fight has been and gone a long time ago, and humanity lost. In a lot of ways the story feels more like a mash-up of giant monster movies and a zombie apocalypse style story where a small community has come together to try and survive post apocalypse. But instead of having to worry about zombies it's giant insects and living plant monsters.

Talking about living plant monster, it was great to essentially see Biollante as the good monster here, as the force that will ultimately be able to bring humanity back from the brink of extinction. She's always been presented as something of an anti-villain, but her being a full on force for good is a great move in this setting. It's also interesting to see Godzilla being made a lot more evil than usual here, as he's a character that has definitely fallen more on the side of good over the decades. There is a good reason for his apparent shift, however, and the slow reveal of this information across the story is played well, with just enough given early on that you can come to your own conclusions before all of the blanks are filled in.

The book also makes some good use of monsters that don't often get a lot of time. As well as Biollante, Mothra makes a few appearances across the story, but the biggest surprises outside of the flashback scenes are monsters like the Kamacuras, as well as Megaguirus, and Destoryah; who makes a big showing in the conclusion of the story. Some of these monsters are used more often than others, but some of them are ones that I've not really seen utilised too many times, and it's nice to see them here; especially as there seems to be a big bug theme going on.

It's fun to see a Kaiju version of a post apocalypse story, one that showcases a lot of action and adventure, whilst also putting people squarely at the centre.

Dave Wachter's art is a great fit for the story, and he's able to make the ruined remains of the world look incredibly interesting and detailed, and it feels like you could spend a load of time examining the panels, looking for small details and clues hidden around in the background. His monsters also look great, with the more insect-like creatures looking particularly vicious and spiny.

The final story collected in this volume is 'Oblivion', written by Joshua Fialkov, with art by Brian Churilla and Jay Fotos, is probably the strangest story of the three. Set on a world where Kaiju don't exist, we follow a group of scientist as they build an interdimensional portal. Powering on the device for the first time, the scientists and their financial backer are able to travel to another version of Earth.

Upon arriving on this other earth, however, they're shocked to discover that it's in ruins thanks to constant attacks from giant monsters. After learning that the humans of this world are barely surviving and fighting back from a group of soldiers, the scientists try to make their way back to the portal and their own earth before something awful happens. Unfortunately, they're not quite fast enough, and one of the monsters, King Ghidorah, manages to follow them through the portal.

Ghidorah is left to run rampant across this new earth and the people of that world struggle for a way to fight back against the giant monster. After a handful of weeks the scientists responsible for letting him loose on the world as tasked with recreating the portal and travelling back to the other world to try and find some kind of weapon or technology there that can help them in their fight. They learn that the only thing that has been able to stand up against Ghidorah is Godzilla, so come up with the wild plan of bringing him across to fight the monster.

The plan works, and with Godzilla's help they're able to destroy Ghidorah. Unfortunately, they now have an enraged Godzilla on their hands to deal with. Their solution to this is a squadron of miniature Mecha-Godzilla, as well as transforming the remains of Ghidorah into Mecha-Ghidora. It's definitely an odd plan, and one that keeps seeming to make things worse and worse as humanity are left constantly having to escalate things as every solution they come up with makes things even more difficult.

This is definitely the weirdest story in the lot, and I think it's a lot of the jumps in logic that make it a lot less enjoyable to read than the other two. The people of the first earth choose to unleash Godzilla in order to fight Ghidorah, but as soon as Ghidorah's down and they're left to fight Godzilla they deploy a squad of Mecha-Godzilla. So why not just use the Mecha-Godzilla to begin with, especially as out of the two Ghidorah seems like the much easier monster to have to deal with. 

In a few ways the way the story keeps escalating and things keep getting worse because of ill thought out decisions makes me think of that joke from The Simpsons where the town is overrun by lizards, so they plan to release snakes to eat the lizards, then gorillas to eat the snakes, then allow winter to kill the gorillas. The plans in this story seem to very much be 'lets make things worse in the long term for quick solutions'. This might be an intentional thing, some kind of distant commentary on how the development of nuclear weapons was used to force Japan to surrender was an ill thought out solution to World War Two that made the world infinitely worse, especially in the world of Godzilla where it was these weapons that brought the monsters. But is that's the case it's so thin commentary that it's one that I didn't think of until days after reading it and whilst trying to work out my thought on the story for this review. As a casual reader I wouldn't have thought that deeply about it and would have just dismissed it as odd writing.

Sadly, I didn't really like the art on this story much either. Whilst Jay Fotos provided the colours on the issue and I can't fault their work on this the line work by Brian Churilla felt a bit too stylised and cartoonish for me to really enjoy. People looked like odd caricatures of real people, who sometimes looked different from panel to panel, whilst the monsters themselves were at times very basic depictions. In the other stories in the book Ghidorah, for example, was drawn in great detail, with the scales covering his body lovingly recreated, whilst here he just has lines drawn across him in a grid pattern, hinting at scales but being incredibly basic. It felt like the art on the issue was being produced in a rush; and this really detracted from the experience.

Overall Godzilla: World of Monsters offers a bit of a mixed bag of stories, three tales that all feel quite different from each other and offer the reader a different experience. The beauty of this is that there should be something in this book for everyone; the downside is that you may not like each story equally, and may be left feeling bored by some parts of the book. that being said, despite a few issues here and there with small parts I generally had a really good time reading this collection, and think that a lot of Kaiju fans will too.

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1 Million Hits - Thank You All!

 

I honestly never thought that I'd be having to say thank you to everyone who has visited my blog for getting me to the point where I can say that I've had over a million hits. It's something that feels so wildly impossible for what is essentially a single person working away on stuff just for fun and to keep myself from feeling bored. I didn't start my blog for any sort of acclaim or wealth, and it's just been the enjoyment it brings me that has kept it going for so long; but seeing that others are enjoying what I do, that they keep coming back is a bigger reward than I ever thought.

To my subscribers, to those that visit on and off, and those that have only clicked on my blog the once, I would like to say a huge thank you. Your continued support has meant a lot. Doing this blog has given me a ton of amazing opportunities over the years, from getting to work with other websites, to now working with some publishers that I've respected for years. Whilst these achievements have been down to the work I've been putting into it, it's also down to the support and encouragement you've all given me.

Let's see how quickly we can all get to 2 million.

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Stolen Earth by J.T. Nicholas - Book Review

 

Originally published on Set The Tape

'Environmental disasters and uncontrolled AI armies have caused the human population of Earth to flee. They lie scattered across innumerable space stations and colonies, overcrowded and suffering. The Earth is cut off by the Interdiction Zone: a network of satellites to prevent anything getting into or out of the planet. The incredible cost of maintaining it has crippled humanity, who struggle under the totalitarian yoke of the Sol Commonwealth government, whose rich grow richer while the poor are on the brink of starvation.

'Many have been driven to the edge of society, yearning for freedom and taking any work offered, criminal and otherwise, in order to survive. The crew of the Arcus are just such people.

'A client has come to the table claiming to have the codes necessary to penetrate the Interdiction Zone. Once through, a world of priceless artifacts awaits, provided anyone crazy enough to make the run can be found. They've all heard the rumors - ships that have set down, pilfered the ruins of a museum or private collection, and escaped with enough priceless works to retire. Arcus Captain Lynch knows better - he's been on-world before, a brief and harrowing experience that he's in no hurry to relive. But fuel is running low and cred accounts even lower, and the Arcus' survival might depend on taking the job.

'Yet on arrival on Earth, the crew discovers that what remains on their world is not as they have been told, and the secrets they find are big enough to bring the entire Sol Commonwealth tumbling down... '

Stolen Earth is the latest science fiction book from published Titan Books, a novel that transports readers to a future where humanity has fled the planet, forced to eek out a life on run down ships, remote space stations, and struggling colonies. However, when the captain of a small pirate vessel is hired for a dangerous mission, it soon becomes clear that nothing is as anyone has been led to believe.

The book focuses on the Arcus, a small ship with a crew of five misfits and outlaws who've come together on the fringes of society to try and survive the best they can in extreme circumstances. Set over hundred years after humanity were forced to flee earth thanks to a war that quickly escalated beyond their control. After a series of AI's were put in charge of the military across the continents the battlefield soon span out of control. With nanite viruses and ecology changing weaponry sweeping across the planet those that could fled to the stars, taken in by those already living out in space. But the majority of humanity were left behind to their fate.

Generations later the crew of the Arcus, led by the former navy captain Grayson Lynch, is hired to sneak their way through the Interdiction Zone, an array of satellite weapons surrounding Earth to keep the AI's contained within, so that they can land on the planet and collect relics of the old world. Knowing that the mission is incredibly dangerous, but also highly profitable, the five of them decide to go through with the task; but soon discover secrets that could forever change the lives of every human in the entire solar system.

One of the things that's great about Stolen Earth is how it very quickly sets up its universe, thanks to a first chapter flashback to Grayson in school having to learn the history of Earth, but then begins to subvert and twist what you've just learned; allowing the reader to discover that most of what we've learnt might actually be a lie. Even before the crew of the Arcus head to Earth we see this in action, as we're told the Sol Commonwealth are there to help all of its citizens, and that life is better with them, before then seeing that many people live in squalor, barely able to survive thanks to tightly controlled resources.

One of the main themes of the book is learning that the information we're given by those in power is often a lie. They'll spin the narrative to make themselves look better, even making themselves the heroes. They'll also act like those who don't follow their specific ways are in the wrong, that they're making a stupid choice to walk away from all the great things that they can do for them, just because they value their freedoms over slavery. This theme is reinforced time and time again when across the course of the book the people you expect to be enemies turn out to be potential allies, decent, reasonable people who are just trying to do their best.

Titan have marketed the book as 'Firefly meets The Expanse', and that's actually a really good way of looking at it. We've got a ship full of misfits and outlaws, people who are fighting against the status quo because they can see that things the way they are aren't great, that the innocent are often left to suffer whilst the corrupt get wealthier and more powerful. And I think that if you're a fan of those shows this book will definitely appeal.

Stolen Earth is the second science fiction book I've read from J.T. Nicholas and Titan Books, and so far both books have been incredibly inventive, immensely engaging, and absolutely riveting novels filled with wonderful characters, a layered and complex narrative, and a central mystery that has grabbed me. Nicholas writes in a way that really draws you in, a way where you can't help but become engrossed in the characters ad the world that he's created. I was genuinely sad to see this book end, as I'd have been more than happy to see this extend beyond the bounds of this book into a series of its own. Perhaps that will happen one day, and J.T. Nicholas will come back to this universe in the future; but until then, and even if that never happens, this is an absolutely phenomenal stand alone novel.

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