Aquaman & The Flash: Voidsong #1 - Comic Review

 

Originally published on Patreon

Certain characters get teamed-up a lot in comics. Batman and Superman. Green Lantern and Green Arrow. Blue Beetle and Booster Gold. These duos are so much a part of the characters that we don't even blink at them happening now. But two characters that I'm not sure I've ever seen leading a book are Flash and Aquaman.

To be honest, there's not really any characters that really come to mind as working with Aquaman a lot other than Mera or Jackson, and the Flash certainly wouldn't be on the list of ones that I'd think of. Arthur and Barry are quite different people, and their powers set them apart further. So teaming them up feels like a bit of a gamble for sure.

Writers Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly have a plan to make this gamble work, however, in Aquaman & The Flash: Voidsong, which sees the two of them as the only people left when strange alien ships appear in orbit around the world.

The first issue begins by giving us some solo time with each of the heroes, giving us insight into their personal lives and their heroic deeds. They both have confrontations with their wives, and get to fight some of their more iconic villains. It's a nice parallel that shows that despite being vastly different, each man shares a lot with the other.

After arguing with his wife, and looking like a bit of a dick in the process, Flash goes out for a run to blow off steam, and heads into the speed force. Deep below the surface of the ocean, Aquaman has been drawn into a fight with Black Manta, who manages to hurt the hero, which makes him sink deep into the Mariana Trench.

When Flash comes out of the speed force he's shocked to find everyone standing around, frozen, singing this strange alien song. Deep in the ocean, Aquaman regains consciousness, and finds Black Manta frozen. Coming to the surface, he finds the Flash (who's been running around the world looking for anyone unaffected). The two of them learn that everyone on Earth has fallen under this strange alien spell, that objects have become frozen, and that huge alien ships hover sinisterly over the surface of the planet. With everyone else under this strange control, it's down to the two of them to find a way to save the day.

Aquaman & The Flash: Voidsong has a pretty inventive way of making sure that only the Flash and Aquaman are left conscious when the aliens arrive, especially with the Flash being in the speed force at the time. I'm not sure on Aquaman though, as he was apparently deep enough to not get affected by the signal, but the folks on the JLA Watchtower were. I'm guessing he must have gotten very lucky, as it feels like he should have been caught in it too.

Once the two characters meet up there's a bit of tension between them, and this is my only real criticism in the book. Arthur blames Barry initially, and even when he sees that it's nothing to do with the Flash he still butts heads with him a lot. There's a level of aggression around the character that feels a bit forced at times. These two are friends and teammates, and I'd have expected them to work together a bit more smoothly than this if I'm honest.

There's not a huge amount more that happens this issue, as this is very much setting the stage. We don't learn anything about the strange alien invaders, their technology, or why everyone's singing; but this is only the first entry in the series, so that's definitely something that will come in time.

The artwork by Vasco Georgiev looks really nice, and there are some fantastic moments, particularly when the Flash is fighting his rogues, or running around the world. My one criticism of the art is that Barry's eye holes on his mask are big enough to see his eyebrows. I guess it probably makes it easier to draw his expressions as eyebrows are used for that a lot, but it looks kind of weird seeing these blonde brows poking out all the time. 

Overall, I enjoyed Aquaman & The Flash: Voidsong and am looking forward to getting some answers to this mystery over the coming issues.

This article, and many others, can be read a month early on my Patreon for as little as $3 a month!

Support Amy on Patreon

Buy Amy A Coffee

Go to Amy's Blog

Follow Amy on Twitter

Add Amy on Instagram

Universal Terror: Karloff – Blu-ray Review

 

Originally published on Set The Tape

Boris Karloff is a name that many film fans will know. Even if you’ve never seen one of his films, there’s a good change that you will know of him, due in large part to his iconic performance in Frankenstein. Karloff’s version of the creature was so iconic that the green skin, flat head, and bolts in the neck that was introduced in that version would go on to become better known than the original novel’s description. Karloff not only left a mark on cinema, but on pop culture as a whole, that will probably never go away. But Boris Karloff was more than just Frankenstein, and Eureka Entertainment has presented here three films from across Karloff’s career to show off some of his other work.

The first in this trio is 1937’s Night Key. Karloff plays the elderly inventor David Mallory, whose work was stolen from him decades before by the unscrupulous businessman Stephen Ranger (Samuel S. Hinds), who used the technology as the basis for his security company. When Mallory presents Ranger with a new technology that he’s hoping to sell, he gets swindled in a new contract, whereby the technology can’t be used and Mallory is left with nothing. Wanting revenge against Ranger, Mallory teams up with small-time crook Petty Louie (Hobart Cavanaugh), and they use Mallory’s technology to break into various businesses under Ranger’s protection in order to embarrass Ranger and lose him business. However, when a local gangster learns of Mallory’s tech he wants it for his own evil ends.

Night Key is a fun and enjoyable movie, but one that doesn’t really fit with the title of Universal Terror. Less a horror film, and more of a crime comedy bordering on science fiction, it proves to be a rather entertaining tale of this elderly inventor. Having been swindled twice by the same man, he sets out to get revenge, yet never wants to cause any real harm or damage. He’s a sympathetic character throughout, and this is in large part to the way Karloff plays him. The film has some good comedic moments too, and manages to have some decent tension when the real gangsters get involved.

The second film in the collection is 1944’s The Climax. Originally conceived as a sequel to Universal’s hugely popular Phantom of the Opera, it tells the story of the Vienna Royal Theatre, and the dark deeds of their physician, Dr. Friedrich Hohner (Karloff). Right away we get a handy flashback that gives us the most important information: that ten years before Hohner was obsessed with the theatre’s prima donna, Marcellina (June Vincent), but killed her in a jealous rage. Hohner was able to cover up the crime, and secreted her body away. Now, when Hohner hears a young singer named Angella (Susanna Foster) singing it sounds exactly like Marcellina. Hohner’s obsession starts once again, and he sets his sinister, murderous sights on this young performer.

It’s easy to see how The Climax was related to Phantom of the Opera, and a few viewers will make  that connection even before finding out that there was a connection to that story. But, The Climax stands by itself as its own project, and does so surprisingly well. Karloff is perfect in the role of the sinister doctor, and many of the scenes with him in it are some of the best in the movie. The film also spends a decent amount of time with the rest of the cast, and has full musical numbers, lavish set and costume design, and character drama all separate from the main story, as we get to see the workings of this theatre house. This is the only film of the three here that’s in colour, and it really does help the bright costumes and huge sets pop on screen. It’s easy to see why it was nominated for an Academy Award for its art design.

The third and final film in the set is The Black Castle, a Gothic horror from 1953 that doesn’t actually feature much of Karloff at all. It tells the story of Sir Ronald Burton (Richard Greene), a powerful British gentleman who’s investigating the disappearance of two of his friends. Burton suspects that his friends were killed by Count Carl von Bruno (Stephen McNally), a evil Austrian lord who was driven out of Africa by Burton, his friends, and the native people. Having gone missing near Bruno’s castle, Burton takes on an alias, and heads there to investigate. Infiltrating the Count’s castle, he sets out to find proof of his friends’ murders, but begins to fall for the Count’s wife. Realising that the Count knows who he his, and that he’s in a trap, he has to find a way to save himself and the Countess before it’s too late.

Black Castle might be my favourite of the three films on offer here, and it feels like a Gothic swashbuckling horror story. There’s a large, foreboding castle, secret passages, a dungeon filled with traps and a pit of crocodiles, sword fights, and a villain with an eye-patch. It’s a bit arch, and a bit on the nose at times, but it manages to be thoroughly entertaining whilst doing it. It feels similar to a lot of the Edgar Allan Poe films of the 1940s and 50s. Karloff has a relatively small part in the film, playing the Count’s doctor; but still gives a decent performance as a man stuck in a tough position, but trying to do the right thing. The Black Castle has a lot about it to like, and is easily the one I’d most likely go back to of the three.

Each of the three films comes with a feature length commentary track, with Kevin Lyons and Jonathan Rigby providing decent behind the scenes information and extra insight into Night Key and The Climax, and Stephen Jones and Kim Newman doing so for The Black Castle. The commentaries are pretty decent, and give a good insight into the Universal films of the era, the making of the movies, the careers of the stars, and the historical impact of the movies. If you’re interested in film history, these three commentaries make for some good, informative insight.

As someone who has heard a lot about Boris Karloff over the years, but watched relatively little of his films, this set provided a great opportunity to do so, and it gave a decent sampling of the different types of roles Karloff has played over the years. So whether you’re new to his work, or a long time fan, this set makes for a good experience.

Support Amy on Patreon

Buy Amy A Coffee

Go to Amy's Blog

Follow Amy on Twitter

Add Amy on Instagram

Moon Knight Episodes 1 & 2 - TV Review

 

Originally published on Patreon

I knew very little about Moon Knight going into this series, other than the ridiculous memes that are shared around the internet about the character. I knew he has a connection to the Egyptian gods, and the he's not the most 'normal' of people, but that was it; so once the first episode of the Moon Knight series began to unfold I found it to be a really fascinating premise.

I loved that we're dropped into the story part of the way through, and that this is not an origin story. Yes, we get an inexperienced audience vehicle in the form of Steven as out gateway into this bizarre story, but you kind of feel like you're on the back-foot a lot during this first episode. There's a big sense of mystery here, and it's a great way to draw you in.

Luckily, by the second episode we've been given a lot of the important answers. We know what Moon Knight is, we understand his reason for being and how he relates to Khonshu, and we learn why the villain of the series is targeting him. There are still a few things left unanswered, such as why or how Mark and Steven are two personalities in the same body; but it does seem like the show isn't playing it too tight with answers, and that we'll find these out at some point too.

Oscar Isaac is very good, in both of his roles. We don't get much of Mark, but he seems to be the competent action type of role that we've seen Isaac in before. His most impressive acting comes in the form of Steven, however. This perpetually tired, confused, and kind of sad man who's just trying to get through life, who suddenly finds everything he thinks he knows thrown completely on its head. He sells it really well, and this is very much a story where casting the lead would make or break the series. 

When the series first started and it became clear that we were following a personality that was not the competent hero I was a bit worried, I didn't know how well that would work across multiple episodes. But even before the first episode had ended I found myself really liking Steven. He was fun to spend time with, and had a lovely charm to him. I hope as the series progresses we don't lose him to the more competent and cold Mark.

Ethan Hawke was really good in the role of series villain Arthur Harrow, and makes for one of the more interesting antagonists yet. A former avatar for Khonshu, he's found a different approach to fighting injustice and whole-heatedly believes he's doing the right thing. The whole argument of whether or not it's right to condemn someone for something they haven't even done yet is an interesting one.

On one hand Harrow has a point, that by stopping someone after they've committed a crime doesn't do much, you can't bring back a murder victim after all; but, to condemn someone for something they could do decades in the future is also a terrible thing. If this remains to be the main 'villain' of the series, this slightly different stances on the same subject, I think that this has the potential to be one of the more interesting and grown-up stories in the MCU.

Overall, I really enjoyed the first two episodes of Moon Knight and think that the show has a lot of promise. Here's hoping it continues on like this. 

This article, and many others, can be read a month early on my Patreon for as little as $3 a month!

Support Amy on Patreon

Buy Amy A Coffee

Go to Amy's Blog

Follow Amy on Twitter

Add Amy on Instagram

The Road to Prey - Predator: Concrete Jungle

 

Predator: Concrete Jungle is a third-person action game that puts you in the shoes of the Yautja hunter ‘Scarface’ on his mission for redemption. Beginning in the 1930’s, the Yautja hunter stalks and kills mobsters across New Way City. When the hunt goes wrong, leaving the hunter badly scarred, and some of his technology in human hands, he’s exiled by the rest of his clan. However, 100 years later, his clan give him the chance to redeem himself as he returns to Earth to retrieve his technology.

The story of Predator: Concrete Jungle is fairly basic, and is easily one of the strongest aspects of the experience. It uses some of the established lore from the Predator books and comics and delves into the idea of the hunters honour system as it’s core plot. Sadly, this is probably the highlight of the game, as the actual game-play and level design lets the whole experience down.

The game progression is mission based, with 27 in total, each of them having multiple objective which you will need to accomplish. The mission objectives for each level aren’t always the clearest either, with you having to go into the menu in order to find out what you need to do. Added to that, they sometimes feel quite disjointed and make little sense within the context of the universe. For example, in the middle of your quest to undo your past mistakes you have to interrupt a mugging, then take refuge in a church. Why? Well, the game never really explains why.

The game also doesn’t move from one mission to the next, instead returning you to the main menu after finishing one, making you select the next mission rather than just taking you to it. Scarface is fairly well equipped during the game, armed with a variety of combat spears, explosives, plasma caster, vision modes, and stealth camouflage.

Whilst you do have the iconic stealth camouflage the game’s stealth mechanics are not the best, sometimes you will be hidden, yet other times the enemy will suddenly be able to see you, with little warning that this is happening. There seems to be no clear rule as to when you are and aren’t visible, and coupled with some unexpected difficulty spikes leads to a game that can often be unforgiving. Poor camera controls and a lack of mission checkpoints, meaning that if you fail you have to replay the entire level again, round out a game that should have been good on paper, but thanks to some poor mechanics lets the whole experience down.

Predator: Concrete Jungle is a great concept, and the story itself is fairly good, but you have to work your way through a lot of difficult and poor game-play in order to experience it.

Support Amy on Patreon

Buy Amy A Coffee

Go to Amy's Blog

Follow Amy on Twitter

Add Amy on Instagram

The Raiders of Bloodwood: A Descent Legends of the Dark Novel by Davide Mana - Book Review

 

'A handful of heroes stand between a monstrous horde and the destruction of the mystical heart of Terrinoth, in this nonstop fantasy novel from the world of Descent: Legends of the Dark 

'The invasion of Terrinoth has begun. Brutal Uthuk Y’llan hordes swarm across the land, ravaging everything in their path. A great champion has arisen in the Darklands: Beastmaster Th’Uk Tar, bent on destroying the wild and mystical Bloodwood as his first step in conquering the great forests of the Aymhelin and annihilating the elves who call it home. If the Amyhelin burns, so will Terrinoth. Trapped between his army and the forest are a misfit band of elven, orcish, catfolk, and human refugees. To repel the murderous Beastmaster, they must overcome their differences, embrace their skills, and learn the secrets of the Bloodwood. They are the realm’s only hope.'

Before reading this novel my only experience with Descent Legends of the Dark was the recently released Zachareth book. I was given a taste of this fantasy world, and the kinds of people and creatures that inhabited it, but The Raiders of Bloodwood really expanded that into new, exciting directions as Davide Mana introduced a lot of new things.

The story begins as all dire fantasy stories do, with the forces of darkness having risen to threaten the world. In this case, it's in the form of the vicious Uthuk Y'llan, a horde of monstrous people who have begun to slaughter their way cross the land of Terrinoth. Many have been killed, and those that want to survive have had to flee their homes and lives in order to escape the oncoming threat.

We meet our main group of 'heroes' as part of a refugee caravan, trying to reach what they hope will be the safety of a walled city before the Uthuk Y'llan can catch up with them. The half catfolk, Brixida, is fleeing the home she's been working in as a governess for a rich family, travelling with the family and their closest servants in their carriage. One of these servants is the elderly human scholar Arnost Emery, the children's teacher. The two of them get on well enough, but it's in seeing the casual cruelty of their employers when the carriage breaks own and they abandon them, that really brings the two of them together.

Left on the side of the road, Brix and Emery end up befriending Grimald of Guyot, a merchant forced to pack up what he could salvage from his shop into a small cart. Travelling together along the road, the three of them hep to defend each other when the caravan comes under attack from a group of Uthuk Y'llan raiders. Luckily, they receive some aid in the form of a militiaman orc named Tharadax Tanner, and a mysterious elven ranger called Laurel. After the attack is repelled the survivors agree to continue on along the road to what they hope will be safety; but not everyone thinks its a good idea. Brix, Emery, Grim, and Tanner, decide to go with Lauurel, who's heading to the elven controlled Bloodwood. But little to they know that a vicious Uthuk Y'llan warlord and his small army are heading the same way, and that this small, motley band of survivors will find themselves all that stands between him and total destruction.

The Raiders of Bloodwood is a story that doesn't feel like your normal tale about a group of heroes fighting to stop some kind of apocalypse. The group of heroes for this story aren't warriors for the most part. One of them is a highly trained warrior, yes, but the others are fairly normal people. They have a smattering of training in their pasts, or sometimes none at all, and have simply found themselves thrown into this situation beyond their control. And this makes for a really engaging story. These aren't big, heroic archetypes, they're tired old men, and young women grappling with the pressures her parents put on her. Before this they had normal jobs, and worried about getting their next meal.

The central group of The Raiders of Bloodwood are a lovely bunch though, and the fact that they're mostly just normal people makes their interactions and their journey the real highlight of the story. The small moments when they're travelling together, telling stories around the campfire at night, or helping each other down a steep hill without falling down, make for some of the best moments. Mana gives you a chance to get to know them, to see them as regular people so that you come to like them and care about them; and so that you begin to worry about them when their lives come into danger.

And there is a lot of danger in this book. There's a constant looming threat hanging over our heroes the entire book, and you never really feel that they're safe. There are a few times where you think that they've reached a place that should be safe, where the horde have already been, or where you believe they couldn't possibly reach, so you begin to let your guard down; but these are the moments when it's its most dangerous. When the characters begin to let their guard down is when the worst happens, and they end up fighting for their lives. Mana does a fantastic job at never letting you feel like you can take it easy, or expect safety, but never lets it feel too oppressive or tense.

When things do go badly though, our heroes have to take up arms and defend themselves; and the action scenes are very well done. The descriptions of what's happening are always clear and precise, allowing you to keep track of where everyone is and what's happening. And there are a fair few moments where you find yourself holding your breath for a moment because you become so sucked in to what's happening that you're on the edge of your seat.

The Raiders of Bloodwood has a lot in it to enjoy. Whether you're looking for big, epic fantasy action, scary monsters, awe inspiring sight, or fun, character driven moments, they're all here in spades. It's a book that has a lot of offer, and that can be picked up and enjoyed by someone completely new to the franchise, or a long time fan.

Support Amy on Patreon

Buy Amy A Coffee

Go to Amy's Blog

Follow Amy on Twitter

Add Amy on Instagram

Nightwing #93 - Comic Review

 

Originally published on Patreon

My god, Nightwing might be one of my favourite comic series ever. This book is so consistently, ridiculously good every month. I need more of it!

This issue picks up where the last left off, with Heartless having attacked Blockbuster's offices. Rather than fighting the villain, however, Heartless makes the criminal businessman an offer. He wants to buy out his stake in Bludhaven. Unfortunately for him, Blockbuster isn't ready to quit this city yet.

The fight that ensues between the two of them is great, and really sells Blockbuster as a figure not to underestimate in a fight. So far this series we've seen him prove to be an effect villain behind the scenes, but I think this might be the first time we've seen him get physical; and it's very impressive. I think it's an easy comparison to say he's the DC version of Kingpin, but I don't think that's entirely inaccurate either. He's huge, powerful, and can either crush you physically, or with his power and influence. 

Elsewhere in the issue Dick is trying to remove the graffiti that was put on Alfred's statue in Haven last issue, and gets attacked by some crooked cops. This gives us a nice bit of a chase, where we get to see Dick don an awesome Nightwing leather jacket that I absolutely need. 

Following this, it seems like the police, who are in Blockbusters pocket, are stepping up their harassment of Haven, having their officers harass anyone there in the guise of 'protection'. Part of the set-up is the Police Commissioner turning up and giving an impromptu press conference, where he tries to use the unrest in Haven as an excuse for shutting it down, even blaming those Dick is helping as 'biting the hand that feeds them'.

Thankfully, Dick has Barbara and Haley on hand to fuck up this mans day, as they upload footage of the criminals who vandalised Haven; several off-duty police officers. The press conference ends up with the Commissioner having to defend himself from accusations of police corruption, and Dick walking away with a smile on his face.

Honestly, having Dick win not by throwing punches or doing any heroics, but by revealing a corrupt police force in a public and highly embarrassing way like this was one of the most fulfilling moments I've ever read in comics. Cops are corrupt and evil as a whole. and seeing them get the punishment they deserve, even if only in a fictional setting like this is just sublime. The fact that Haley got to release the footage with a tiny 'boop' of the keyboard was the cherry on this exquisite cake.

The artwork on this series, by Bruno Redondo, is just lovely. Everything is neat and clean and clear. You're never lost, or left wondering what' going on. There are tons of detail and things to look out for. It's a genuine pleasure to pick this book up and just stare at the artwork every month.

This is a series that is doing so well, and Tom Taylor is a huge part of that success. This book, along with his Superman: Son of Kal-El are some of the best books that DC has put out in years; and should be read by everyone.

This article, and many others, can be read a month early on my Patreon for as little as $3 a month!

Support Amy on Patreon

Buy Amy A Coffee

Go to Amy's Blog

Follow Amy on Twitter

Add Amy on Instagram

Hooked by A.C. Wise – Book Review

 

Originally published on Set The Tape

Hooked is the new sequel novel to last year’s Wendy, Darling, which told the tale of an adult Wendy Darling and her life after Neverland, and what happened when Peter Pan kidnaps her daughter. Now we catch up with infamous pirate Captain James Hook, who managed to escape the clutches of Neverland decades before.

Hooked tells the story of James Hook, the man who fought against Peter Pan for decades in the mystical world of Neverland. Whilst other stories would have you believe that Hook was nothing but a villain, this story takes a different approach. We discovered in the first book in this series that Pan was more than simply a boy who couldn’t grow up, and was in fact a monster himself; and here we discover more of his monstrous acts as we meet an older James Hook living in 1930’s London.

Hook is an old, broken man. He walks with a limp, using a cane to get around, his missing hand has been replaced by a wooden prosthesis (his famous hook long since gone), and he scrapes by where he can, living in poor conditions and fighting the nightmares of his past with opium. He has escaped from Neverland, but Neverland hasn’t let him live in peace since. He’s a man with too many ghosts in his closet, too much pain to carry on his own. He’s not the monster that Pan made him out to be, but another victim of the real monster behind Neverland.

When something terrible escapes from Neverland and starts stalking Hook, the bodies begin to mount up across London, including the roommate of Jane, Wendy’s daughter. It appears that anyone who has been to Neverland may be being stalked by this monster, and only by working together can they hope to find a solution. Now, Wendy and her daughter have to put their misgivings aside and work with the infamous Hook in order to survive.

I really enjoyed Wendy, Darling, and thought that its dive into what happened to the character after leaving Neverland was interesting and at times heartbreaking, and as such, I was intrigued to see that same treatment be given the Captain Hook. And it very much does feel like a similar treatment, as this book follows some similar patterns and themes as the previous novel in the series.

The book begins by introducing us to our protagonist after they have left Neverland, showing us the life that they’ve managed to build for themselves. We get flashbacks to previous times in their life, showing both their time in Neverland, and their past after leaving before this point in time. The two characters who get this focus across the two books, Wendy and Hook, go through some ordeals after leaving Neverland. Wendy was locked in a mental asylum, Hook goes through drug withdrawal and addiction. Both of them have a queer romance in their lives. Both of them struggle to get over their time in Neverland. And both of them end up facing the prospect of returning in order to face their past.

I’m not entirely sure if I like this repeat of the formula or not. There are aspects to Hook’s story that I really like, particularly his romance with the man who helped him escape Neverland, but it does feel as if A.C. Wise is following a similar story pattern even if the details have been altered. And whilst that’s fine for the first half of the book because we’re getting to spend time with Hook and get to know him better, by the latter half of the novel it felt like too similar a retread. Some slight spoilers, but when the characters end up going to Neverland the quality really seemed to drop for me. I was really enjoying seeing this small group having to work on this strange, magical problem in the real world, but going back to Neverland to beat the villain felt like a retread of the first book in a less entertaining way.

That being said, there are things that I enjoyed about the book. It was nice to catch up with Wendy and Jane again almost a decade after the last book, getting to see how things had changed for them over the years. Jane had clearly been affected by her experience, and grown into a headstrong and independent woman, and seeing how the events of the previous book had shaped her was a nice touch. Though there is one character that was an important part of Wendy’s life who seems to have disappeared with no mention here, that I was sightly disappointed in.

There’s some good queer representation here, like with the first book. James Hook has a same sex romantic relationship before the events of this book, and is clearly still deeply in love with the man years later. Considering that Hook was more than a hundred years old, thanks to his time in Neverland, and that he was living in the 1930s once he escaped, it’s a pleasant surprise to see gay romance in a book set in that period. With queer romance often being removed from historic tales, it’s wonderful to see this series embracing these stories and putting them at the forefront.

A.C. Wise has delivered a decent sequel to the last novel, but one that falls a bit short of being quite as enjoyable. Thanks to an ending that I felt dropped in quality and became quite repetitive of the first book, Hooked ended up feeling like two very different stories combined together, and not always with the best results.

Support Amy on Patreon

Buy Amy A Coffee

Go to Amy's Blog

Follow Amy on Twitter

Add Amy on Instagram

Black Adam #1 - Comic Review

 

Originally published on Patreon

I was really looking forward to this book. I've been a fan of Black Adam since he was a part of the Justice Society run written by Geoff Johns, and have enjoyed the character across multiple books for years. As such, him getting his own limited series is something that had me excited. Unfortunately, this first issue left a poor taste in my mouth.

The book opens with Adam in his mortal form sitting in a meeting with the US government, answering questions. And it doesn't take many panels for things to feel a bit iffy, as we're bombarded by tech speak and acronyms galore so that we're left lost as to what's happening. But, perhaps this is a deliberate choice, telling us that Adam himself isn't really following what's happening.

The meeting is inter-cut with flashbacks to Adam fighting Darkseid, and killing him. It's them revealed that it was some sort of construct created by Desaad, and that it has infected Adam with some kind of deadly necrosis and burns. Back in the meeting, Adam eventually gets tired and just walks out. 

The action then cuts to a body of a Kanhdaki man in Washinton, who it's revealed was the head of the rival political movement against Adam. hiss death could look bad for Adam, so he has his people find out his last movements, which leads Adam to meet Malik Adam White, a junior doctor who is one of the most insufferable people around. 

His initial introduction is quite good, breaking the news to a white supremacist that his life is being saved by a Black man, but he quickly turns into someone who's constantly quoting movie lines, making bad jokes, and ending sentences halfway through and jumping onto completely unconnected points. Half of his dialogue felt broken and disjointed, and completely off-putting. He came across like a film where the audio track was having issues and kept jumping around and jumbling everything. That, coupled with him seemingly trying to pressure his best friend into being a sexual partner despite her telling him no repeatedly ended up with me hating him by the end of the issue.

And here's the big problem, he's the guy this book looks to be centring around, as Black Adam is dying, and he plans to pass his powers on to Malik because he's a descendant of his. Great.

This story isn't necessarily bad, and sounds interesting, but the execution of pretty much everything in this first issue put me off. I hated the dialogue because it was either technobabble, half sentences, or bad one-liners. The character of Adam felt like it was someone else, and not the Black Adam I'd come to know. The new character of Malik was just terrible. Unless there's a drastic shift next issue this is going to end up being a painful twelve issues to read.

The artwork, provided by Rafa Sandoval looks decent, and the action scenes are very well drawn. Adam looks great here, and you can see the pain and stress he's under whilst fighting the fake Darkseid, and can see the toll its taking on him. But, decent artwork can't save a series if the writing just isn't there; and I don't think Christopher Priest did anywhere near a good enough job.

Maybe I'm judging too harshly, and I'm hoping this is a first issue jitters and that things will improve. If they don't, though, I'm not sure how I'm going to make it through another eleven of these.

This article, and many others, can be read a month early on my Patreon for as little as $3 a month!

Support Amy on Patreon

Buy Amy A Coffee

Go to Amy's Blog

Follow Amy on Twitter

Add Amy on Instagram

Together We Burn by Isabel Ibañez – Book Review

 

Originally published on Set The Tape

'Eighteen-year-old Zarela Zalvidar is a talented flamenco dancer and daughter of the most famous Dragonador in Hispalia. People come for miles to see her father fight in their arena, which will one day be hers.

'But disaster strikes during their five hundredth anniversary show, and in the carnage, Zarela’s father is horribly injured. Facing punishment from the Dragon Guild, Zarela must keep the arena—her ancestral home and inheritance —safe from their greedy hands. She has no choice but to take her father’s place as the next Dragonador. When the infuriatingly handsome dragon hunter, Arturo Díaz de Montserrat, withholds his help, she refuses to take no for an answer.

'But even if he agrees, there’s someone out to ruin the Zalvidar family, and Zarela will have to do whatever it takes in order to prevent the Dragon Guild from taking away her birthright.'

One of the things that puts a lot of folks off fantasy stories is that they can often feel very similar. Thanks to the proliferation of European and especially British inspired fantasy there are a huge number of fantasy tales that take place in old castles, have armoured knights, and are filled with other stereotypes. But in recent years there’s been an increase in fantasy stories inspired by the histories, cultures, and myths of other places and people, and Titan Books’ latest release does this wonderfully.

Together We Burn takes readers to Hispalia, where we meet Zarela Zalvidar. Zarela is the daughter of one of the most beloved flamenco dancers in the city, and her father is a famous dragonador. At the start of the book we witness Zarela lose her mother when one of the dragons breaks free during a performance, burning her mother to death. Years later, another disaster hits her family’s dragon fighting arena. Several dragons break free, killing members of the audience. Some are killed, but others flee. Sadly, one of the dragons injures her father, leaving Zarela alone to take responsibility.

With the arena in need of repairs, the leaders of the city demanding that she provide compensation to the families of those lost, her father fighting for his life, and next to no money left, Zarela makes a bold decision: she will fight dragons in her family arena. With the help of the handsome but aloof dragon hunter Arturo, Zarela is determined to become the best dragon fighter she can be, restore her family legacy, and find those responsible for the disaster.

Together We Burn is a delightful fantasy story inspired by Spanish culture that feels fresh, original, and incredibly inventive. The world that Ibañez has created feels very similar to our own in a lot of ways. This isn’t a high fantasy novel with people of various races, wizards fighting with magic, or end of the world doom. Instead, it seems to ask a simple question: ‘How would society be different if dragons existed?’ And it turns out, not hugely. I loved that a lot of the time reading Together We Burn it felt like I was reading a historical novel. With a few slight changes it could have easily been a book set within the real world, and I think that’s a huge strength here, as it allows readers an easy access.

Hispalia is very similar to what people know about Spain, with similar architecture, culture, food, and language. There are parts of the book where the dialogue shifts into Spanish, when characters sit down to eat its recognisable food, and you can feel Ibañez’s love for the culture and history bleeding off the page. There are so many fantasy books where it feels like the setting comes as a secondary thought, but in Together We Burn the world around the characters feels so alive, so well thought out that it becomes a delight to read.

The characters are also a wonderful part of the story, and Zarela is a really good protagonist. She’s young, only eighteen, and falls into the category of ‘young female heroine’ that is very popular in YA books, but she reads as so much older. She feels mature in ways that a lot of teen characters don’t. She’s had a life where she’s had to grow up quickly, and the events of the book are a big part of that too. So many of the criticisms you see about YA heroines, that they don’t think things through, that they’re too emotional, or that they make bad mistakes, don’t apply here. Zarela has a level head on her shoulders, she isn’t impulsive, she doesn’t really make too many mistakes, and she makes for a great lead.

The other characters around Zarela are great too, and there’s a wonderful collection of folks in this book. Whether it’s her best friend, or her father, I was so pleasantly surprised with how well thought out and layered everyone was. A lot of the characters began feeling like they were going to fall into traditional, tropey roles, but Ibañez throws some wonderful curve-balls at readers and ended up subverting my expectations more than once. So many of the interactions and story beats took surprising turns and went in directions that I wasn’t expecting.

I can’t talk about the book without talking about one of the stand-out parts, however. The dragons. The world of Together We Burn has one of the more unique relationships with dragons that I’ve ever seen. Yes, there are wild dragons that stalk the wilderness between towns, and sometimes attack the city, but the main interactions that people in Hispalia have come from the dragon fighting. As the name dragonador implies, the dragons in this book take the place of bulls, and the dragon fighting copies the patterns and cultural place of bull fighting. The dragons become more than just monster, they become a part of this world, a part of their history and culture. It’s unique, fascinating, and always amazing when you see one of the characters step into the ring with one of these monsters.

Together We Burn is a wonderfully unique kind of fantasy book. It builds a stunningly well thought out and layered world, inhabited by characters that subvert expectations, go against convention, and prove to be delightful throughout. The book is filled with lore, mystery, drama, and romance, and is sure to tick a lot of boxes for folks. Whether you’re looking for strong female protagonists, unique fantasy worlds, or tense monster scenes, Together We Burn will provide it.

Support Amy on Patreon

Buy Amy A Coffee

Go to Amy's Blog

Follow Amy on Twitter

Add Amy on Instagram

The Flash #783 - Comic Review

 

Originally published on Patreon

Okay, after the disappointment of Dark Crisis: Young Justice #1, this is how you do a decent tie-in comic.

Following he deaths of the Justice League, the rest of the heroes are trying their best to keep things together, and even find answers as to what might have happened to their friends. The Flash Family in particular have set themselves a very specific mission, find Barry Allen and bring him home.

If you've been reading the stuff leading up to Dark Crisis you'll know that Barry is being held inside some kind of strange pocket dimension where he's living out his dream life (which I'm 99.9% certain is what's happened to the members of the League who 'died'), and as such, a speedster might be able to break their way through and get him back.

With the help of Mister Terrific, the speedsters have managed to find a handful of signals that match Barry's cosmic signature. However, some of them might be other versions of Barry, and as such they're going to have to check them all out and hope that they find their Barry. Terrific has made some special wrist devices that will allow him to bring them back through the speed force when they've found Barry.

Unfortunately, before the team can set out on their mission Jai and Irey grab one of the devices and speed through the portal, desperate to prove that they're capable of being heroes. Jay Garrick goes after them, leaving Wally, Wallace, Max Mercury, and Jessie Quick to split the other two signals between them.

The twins, and Jay, find themselves in a version of Gotham with big billboards with the Allen name on it, and some strange Batman/Flash type figure lurking in the shadows. Max and Jessie land in what appears to be Mad Max, with a bearded Barry Allen driving a muscle-car at the head of a wild convoy. And the two Wallys end up in what very much appears to be the same dream world that our Barry is stuck in.

I really enjoyed this tie-in. Whilst it was informed by Dark Crisis, with the entire drive and focus of this story coming out of it, it still told a story that fit in The Flash book. We get to see more of the inner workings of the Flash Family, particularly the young twins. The stuff that happened here felt perfectly in character for this book, and could easily have happened without the Dark Crisis connection; and that's one of the best kinds of tie-ins for me.

The artwork on the issue, provided by Amancay Nahuelpan, looks great, and I really enjoyed how the different worlds that the characters found themselves in felt different from each other in their style. The most obvious one is the dream world that the Wally's go to, as it looks and feels like a classic silver age comic, but even the Mad Max world and the alternate Gotham feel different enough from the rest of the issue to be clearly another world.

I've been enjoying The Flash series for a while now, and love getting to spend time with Wally West (he's the Flash I knew growing up), and getting to have more of him and his family is always a lot of fun.  The new worlds we get introduced to have a lot of promise, and I can't wait to see what trouble the twins are going to get into, and just who's lurking in the shadows behind them.

Next issue looks set to be a lot of fun.

This article, and many others, can be read a month early on my Patreon for as little as $3 a month!

Support Amy on Patreon

Buy Amy A Coffee

Go to Amy's Blog

Follow Amy on Twitter

Add Amy on Instagram