Road of Bones by Christopher Golden - Book Review

 

'Kolyma Highway, otherwise known as the Road of Bones, is a 1200 mile stretch of Siberian road where winter temperatures can drop as low as sixty degrees below zero. Under Stalin, at least eighty Soviet gulags were built along the route to supply the USSR with a readily available workforce, and over time hundreds of thousands of prisoners died in the midst of their labors. Their bodies were buried where they fell, plowed under the permafrost, underneath the road.

'Felix Teigland, or "Teig," is a documentary producer, and when he learns about the Road of Bones, he realizes he's stumbled upon untapped potential. Accompanied by his camera operator, Teig hires a local Yakut guide to take them to Oymyakon, the coldest settlement on Earth. Teig is fascinated by the culture along the Road of Bones, and encounters strange characters on the way to the Oymyakon, but when the team arrives, they find the village mysteriously abandoned apart from a mysterious 9-year-old girl. Then, chaos ensues.

'A malignant, animistic shaman and the forest spirits he commands pursues them as they flee the abandoned town and barrel across miles of deserted permafrost. As the chase continues along this road paved with the suffering of angry ghosts, what form will the echoes of their anguish take? Teig and the others will have to find the answers if they want to survive the Road of Bones.'

There are some locations that just seem tailor made for horror stories, places in the world that when you hear of them you go 'yeah, that's haunted'; even if you don't really believe in ghosts. The Kolyma Highway is absolutely one of those places, and whilst I'd not heard of it before reading this book it's one that I've ended up reading up on now; and have been chilled by the history connected to it. With anywhere between 250,000 and 1,000,000 people having died during its construction, with their bodies most often just left where they fell, it's one of the most eerie sounding things ever built, and has more than earned its name of the Road of Bones. A name that this book uses.

Whilst the road itself is real this book isn't a history of its construction, or a telling of the real life ghost stories connected to it. Instead, Christopher Golden has crafted his own frightening tale set on this lonely, deadly road.

Road of Bones tells the story of Teig, a documentary filmmaker who's going through something of a dry spell in terms of creativity. Having worked on a few fairly well received shows in the past, he's trying to find the next big thing that will land him a hit series and make him some money. Thus, he sets out on his latest venture, to create a demo reel for a show about the Kolyma Highway, one of the most dangerous roads in the world. Joining him on this trip is one of his closest friends, Prentiss, who's there to help film their adventure, and to make sure that Teig finally pays him back the money he owes.

Their adventure starts off normally enough, with the two of them taking shifts to drive along the miles of ahead of them, in an environment where if they even just turn off their engine they could end up trapped and frozen to death. They pick up a local guide to help them communicate with the locals, and to add some flavour to their footage. The trio spend some time getting used to each other, and even stop off at a local roadhouse for drinks and burgers. Everything seems fine, if not a little extremely cold. However, it's after they pick up a woman in a broken down car and take her to the nearest small village that things begin to go wrong for the group.

They find every building in town deserted, the doors open, with barefoot tracks leading from the homes to the nearby forest. Before they can investigate far, however, strange figures emerge from the trees, dark shadows, weird amalgams of animal and humans, and large, viscous wolves that make the visitors their targets. The group are forced to flee, heading down the long, winding highway to try and find shelter and help; but the dark things from the frozen forests are coming after them, and won't stop until they're dead.

Road of Bones is something of a chase story. It starts normally enough, introducing readers to the characters and the setting, and we get some small build-up of tension as they realise that something is wrong in the isolated village; but most of the book's focus, and the tension, comes once the strange creatures come after our characters and start chasing them. This essentially begins a huge chase sequence, where the characters spend their time moving from one location to another, trying their best to avoid dangers, whilst driving in their truck. 

Whilst this does add a great deal of tension, as there's almost never a moment to stop and relax for the characters or the readers, it does make the book feel incredibly oppressive at times. There's always tension, there's always danger, the threat is never really gone. The result is a book that feels quite dense, despite it's relatively short length. This made it harder to read at times, because you wanted something to happen, you wanted the bad thing that was just out of sight to finally attack because the wait for it was getting too much. Compared to a lot of horror books, where things can take place over multiple days, slowly building and using a slight increase in fear, Road of Bones felt much more cinematic in tone and style; it'd be easy to see the book be made into a film thanks to how Golden has crafted it. I do also wonder if his history with writing TV and film adaptations has helped with this, and if that kind of faster, more intense style has come across to this book because of that.

Despite the fast paced moments and the characters constantly being on the run there's still time to get to know the people involved, and Golden does a good job at building booth Teig and Prentiss into characters with a decent amount of depth. Teig gets the lions share of this, and thanks to the dives into his past and the way that he thinks he ends up being a bit of a flawed hero; someone who I at times kind of hated because he seemed like a bit of a flake, a bit of a chancer. Despite that, he ended up being a decent and likeable protagonist for us to follow.

Road of Bones is a decent horror story with some interesting ideas and a location that instantly stands out as different. Even if you come away not one hundred percent liking the story or the characters the location, an the way Golden makes it come to life on the page will make this a book that you'll remember.

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Star Wars: Master & Apprentice by Claudia Gray - Audio Book Review

 

'A Jedi must be a fearless warrior, a guardian of justice, and a scholar in the ways of the Force. But perhaps a Jedi’s most essential duty is to pass on what they have learned. Master Yoda trained Dooku; Dooku trained Qui-Gon Jinn; and now Qui-Gon has a Padawan of his own. But while Qui-Gon has faced all manner of threats and danger as a Jedi, nothing has ever scared him like the thought of failing his apprentice.

'Obi-Wan Kenobi has deep respect for his Master, but struggles to understand him. Why must Qui-Gon so often disregard the laws that bind the Jedi? Why is Qui-Gon drawn to ancient Jedi prophecies instead of more practical concerns? And why wasn’t Obi-Wan told that Qui-Gon is considering an invitation to join the Jedi Council—knowing it would mean the end of their partnership? The simple answer scares him: Obi-Wan has failed his Master.

'When Jedi Rael Averross, another former student of Dooku, requests their assistance with a political dispute, Jinn and Kenobi travel to the royal court of Pijal for what may be their final mission together. What should be a simple assignment quickly becomes clouded by deceit, and by visions of violent disaster that take hold in Qui-Gon’s mind. As Qui-Gon’s faith in prophecy grows, Obi-Wan’s faith in him is tested—just as a threat surfaces that will demand that Master and apprentice come together as never before, or be divided forever.'

The prequel era was explored quite heavily in the Legends canon, with many books covering the early years of Obi-Wan Kenobi, and his time training with his master, Qui-Gon Jinn. So when it was relegated to Legends with the Disney acquisition fans were left waiting for the new timeline to cover the same era, to go back and tell us what really happened in that time. Star Wars: Master & Apprentice is one of the first real looks into a young Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan, as it explores a difficult time in their past, gives them both a dangerous mission, and even tells us more about the lost Jedi Knight, Dooku.

The main bulk of the story is set around a decade before the events of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, with Obi-Wan being in his early to mid teens. At this point in time he doesn't really get on well with his master. The two of them aren't the well oiled machine we see them as in the first film, and Obi-Wan feels like his training isn't really going anywhere. Similarly, Qui-Gon is trying his best to make things work with his student, but doesn't really seem to be able to connect with him. But, this difficulty might be coming to an end, as the Jedi Council has extended an invitation to Qui-Gon to join them. If he accepted, he'd be able to give Obi-Wan over to another Jedi, allowing the two of them to part ways without either party feeling like they've failed.

However, before Qui-Gon is able to make a decision as to whether this is the right path for him, the two of them get assigned to a special mission. Their presence has been requested by the regent of the planet Pijal, a world where their future queen is still too young to take the throne, and the planets rule falls under her tutor and protector; Jedi Knight Rael Averross. Another former student of Dooku, Rael and Qui-Gon know each other well, and he specifically asks for Qui-Gon's presence to help with mounting rebel attacks and unease as the planet gets closer to signing an agreement with a powerful company that could alter Pijal's fate forever.

Star Wars: Master & Apprentice is a book that probably isn't going to heavily appeal to those who like a lot of action in their Star Wars books. If that's what you're after try Star Wars: Lords of the Sith or Star Wars Battlefront: Twilight Company instead. It's also probably not going to be a ton of fun for those odd people who hate the prequel era. But, if you like the prequel times, and enjoy learning more about the Jedi and seeing characters interact in interesting ways, this book is one that you're going to love.

The mission that Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan get sent on isn't really that important, it's more of a vehicle for them to explore their relationship and the way that they interact with each other; as well as an excuse for introducing us to an important new character for Qui-Gon's past. Up to this point we've been left to assume that Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan have always gotten on well, that Obi's training was pretty smooth, and that they'd always been the well oiled machine we see in the film. But this book adds some wrinkles to that, as we begin the story by seeing two people who just can't connect. The two of them don't know how to communicate, Obi doesn't know what his mast wants from him or how to work with him in the field. It's rough to see, and if it wasn't for the fact that we know that the two of them are still master and apprentice by the time of Episode One you'd be expecting them to part ways in this book.

Personally, I really like the idea that they were kind of a terrible match to begin with. It makes sense considering what we see in the movie with a Padawan that wants to follow rules and regulations, and a master whose whole deal seems to be 'fuck it, I'll do what I think the Force wants'. Getting to see the two of them realise that they're not perfect together, and choosing to work through that instead of giving up is a genuine delight. I also loved the fact that the Jedi knew that Obi-Wan was something of a rebel (hard to believe, I know!) and chose to put him with someone who flouts the rules and regulations and does what he wants so that the only way Obi could rebel against that would be to become the most by the book, perfect Jedi possible. The moment they both realise that they'd been played that way by the council was a delightful moment, and made their relationship click perfectly into place.

The book also explored Qui-Gon's past with the prophecies, and important part of his character, and the entire reason why Anakin is brought into the Jedi. We get to see more about the prophecies, actually hearing a few of them; and we see where they come from. The ancient holocron of prophecy is an interesting thing, and something that I'd genuinely like to see more of in future stories. The fact that Dooku was also interested in it hopefully means that it's something that could be explored with more of his backstory too. I really enjoyed getting to hear a couple of the prophecies, and seeing how they could be interpreted in different ways. The one about the birth of darkness, 'She who will be born to darkness will give birth to darkness.' is a good example of this, as Qui-Gon gave one possibility, but t could also perhaps be interpreted as referring to Shmi Sywalker, or perhaps Leia. It demonstrates how dangerous the prophecies are, and how Qui-Gon needs to be careful when holding a belief in them.

Also from Qui-Gon's past is Rael, Dooku's first apprentice, and a kind of big brother figure for Qui-Gon. Rael is one of the more interesting and unique Jedi around. Not only is his assignment to be the ruler of a planet until the true queen comes of age, but he's also messy, dirty, like to drink, has sex, and generally acts more like a scoundrel than a Jedi. He feels like the polar opposite to both Dooku and Qui-Gon, and injecting him into their past makes for some interesting new additions to their histories. What we see of him makes him one of the more unique Jedi, and there were times where I was left wondering if perhaps he was being built up as being so different and so un-Jedi-like because he was going to be set up as an antagonist. Thankfully, Gray didn't go down the more obvious path, and didn't have him turn to the dark side or anything like that. That being said, the scene in which he and Qui-Gon spar is one of the better lightsaber fights in a Star Wars book.

There are some great moments to be found in this book, with some interesting developments for the histories of characters we know quite well, as well as several new characters that are very enjoyable additions to the canon. There are several connections to other books, and the films, that feel very natural and help to flesh out the universe a little more. The final scene, which takes place further in the future at the funeral of Qui-Gon, is worth the admission alone, and fans of these characters will find it difficult not to end the book with a tear or two in their eyes. 

The audio book is read really well, and Jonathan Davis does a great job at capturing the feel of the characters that we know. He does a decent Qui-Gon impression, and his young Obi-Wan is really good too. Rael is perhaps the best character here, and part of that is down to the way that Davis plays him and brings him to life.

If you like the prequel era and want to see more of the Jedi from that time, Star Wars: Master & Apprentice is a fantastic way to do that.

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Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla – Throwback 20

Originally published on Set The Tape

There’s a trend for protagonists to get villains that are twisted reflections of themselves. Superman has Bizarro, Spider-Man has Venom, and Godzilla has Mechagodzilla. Over the years the mechanical version of the giant lizard has gone through a number of redesigns and re-imaginings to fit with each revamped origin, but none stand out as being as interesting as 2002’s Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla.

Despite having appeared in a number of films before, Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla represents the first appearance of the mechanical monstrosity in the new Millennium continuity; a series that covers the Godzilla films released between 1999 and 2004.

This new continuity counted some of the older films, such as the original Godzilla film, but discounted much of the rest, and used this to craft its own tale. The film begins in 1999, 45 years after the appearance of the first Godzilla creature that was eventually killed. During an attack from a new Godzilla, members of the Anti-Special Creature Self Defence Forces are killed in the attack, due in part to the actions of Lieutenant Akane Yashiro (Yumiko Shaku).

After the disastrous attack it’s decided that conventional weapons are no longer a viable defence against the giant monster, and a special project is begun. Using the remains of the original Godzilla creature, scientists create a mechanised creature capable of going toe to toe with Godzilla. With the remains of the former creature inside the machine, this cyborg monstrosity, named Kiryu, can be piloted by humans and taken into battle. Given a new chance at fighting Godzilla, Akane is assigned to pilot Kiryu. Years later, when Godzilla re-emerges, Kiryu is deployed against it.

One of the things that immediately makes this version of Mechagodzilla different to those that came before it is that this isn’t a machine. Or at least, not a purely robotic machine. Instead, this new weapon is a cyborg creation, a suit of armour built around the skeleton of a defeated Godzilla. This is Godzilla given the RoboCop treatment, or Godzilla if the Cybermen got hold of him. The film’s opening title even reflects the fact that this is a different version of the creature, as it begins with the words ‘Godzilla vs Godzilla’ before ‘Mecha’ fades onto the screen, changing the name.

And this wasn’t done just to give the monster a new origin, as it also impacts the story when during the first fight with the living Godzilla its roar somehow triggers off some kind of genetic sense memory within the remains, sending the un-dead cyborg off on a rampage. This entire set-up would go on to be used again, with a slight tweak, in the Monsterverse movie Godzilla vs Kong, where that version of Mechagodzilla is made using one of the skulls from King Ghidorah, and latent memories and psychic powers allow the dead creature to take over its new, metal body. But when you’ve got a great idea, why not use it again?

Mechagodzilla didn’t just get a revamped origin, however, as the monster also got an updated design. Less chunky and clunky looking than previous versions, and sporting massive canons on his shoulders, this version more closely resembled the creature that he was supposed to be fighting. And speaking of fighting, the monster scenes in this film make for some amazing moments. The opening sequence features Godzilla in a typhoon, coming out of the rain, stalking towards his enemy in a moment that looks truly phenomenal, and might be his best entrance in any movie. The final fight of the movie manages to land well too, and has some fast paced action aided by some pretty decent CGI work that complements the suit effects and miniature work nicely.

Whilst the film was released in Japan in December, where it did well in the box office, it also had a one night only screening in the US in November in select theatres. Despite not receiving much advertisement, the movie managed to pull $335,000 for the single day. The film ended up being received well, with many Godzilla fans claiming it as one of the best entries in the Millennium series.

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Nubia & The Justice League Special #1 - Comic Review

 

Originally published on Patreon

I've become a fan of Nubia since she started getting a push in Infinite Frontier. She's ha a couple of mini-series of her own now, and has appeared frequently in the other books focused on the Amazons since she rose to become the new Queen. And as such I was excited to see her get another book focusing on her. But I don't think this issue is really designed for people who've already been reading the character; and instead it seems to be there to introduce her to those who might not have read her before.

It seems strange to be talking about introducing a character that's been around for 50 years, but she's often been under used and pushed into background roles that you can't really blame people for not having heard of her. But, by putting her alongside the Justice League, people may just discover her now.

The issue sees Nubia visiting the Hall of Justice in order to see Wonder Woman, but getting caught up in a series of adventures as she helps out various members of the League as calls for help come in whist she's waiting for Diana. We get her teaming up with Green Arrow and Black Canary in Gotham, and Martian Manhunter and Black Adam in Metropolis, as well as her bonding with Aquaman, and catching up with Hawgirl (who she came to know well in her previous mini-series).

The book gives the character a chance to bond and work with most of the League, and shows why she'd make a good addition to the team; something that is brought up here. Nubia doesn't give a solid answer as to if she'd join the tea or not; and I can't help but feel like perhaps she's being set up to replace Diana as the team's Amazon with what we know is coming with Wonder Woman next year (something I'm not sure I like if I'm honest as it feels like a rehash of what was just done over the last couple of years).

Outside of this, there's not really too much here. If you've been reading Nubia's various appearances and comics over the last couple of years there won't be anything new or surprising here, but if you've never come across her before it might just impress enough to get you to want to learn more.

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Lair of the Crystal Fang by S. A. Sidor - Book Review

 

'In the swirling sewers beneath Arkham, excavators uncover a crystalline formation that hints at dark events from the city’s past. As the discovery makes headlines, so too does a series of bizarre murders. With no leads, the Arkham police are always one step behind. Acting on a hunch, down-on-his luck former journalist Andy Van Nortwick reunites with adventurer Jake Williams and struggling filmmaker Maude Brion to unearth the truth. The trio know of the supernatural horrors that lurk beyond this world, and the reality haunts them. But time is running out and between them they must face their nightmares before the city of Arkham is lost to blood and chaos.'

Cult of the Spider Queen was one of my favourite books of last year, and it's still on top of the pile as my favourite entry in the Arkham Horror line; so when I saw that several of the characters from the book were going to be reuniting for another adventure I was very excited. Instead of the long and winding waters of the Amazon river and the dense forests that surround it, this book returns readers to Arkham, and takes you beneath the surface into the sewers beneath the city, where a mysterious artefact has been discovered, and a killer has the city on edge.

One of the things that really made Cult of the Spider Queen stand out amongst the other Arkham Horror titles was that it was set in a very different location, and that the book took on the feel of the old pulp adventure films like Creature From The Black Lagoon more than it did it's actual source material. With Sidor shifting the focus back to the streets of Arkham this book needed something to make it feel different. Luckily, by placing the vast majority of the action beneath the city streets it manages to not feel repetitive.

The story focuses on a strange crystal structure that's found beneath Arkham City when work is being done to expand and update the city's sewer systems. The crystal, which resembles a fang, isn't the only thing lurking in the sewers, as a mysterious killer has been using them to get around Arkham, dumping the bodies of their victims. Rex, one of the local reporters, has been looking into the case, but ends up getting arrested as the killer when he's caught underground near the fang.

When Rex is eventually released he runs into Andy Van Nortwick, who used to work at the same paper but was fired after a failed expedition to the Amazon, and a story about giant spider monsters.Andy convinces Rex to let him help, and the two of them set out to try and figure out where the strange crystal structure came from, and why it seems to be connected to the person performing the killings. Along the way they'll end up getting help from explorer Jake Williams, former film star Maude Brion, as well as a couple of smart street kids with a history of running up against the supernatural.

Lair of the Crystal Fang brings together a number of characters, some of whom appeared in Sidor's previous book, others who have appeared in a story in The Devourer Below, as well as some more characters fans of the games will recognise. It's kind of great to get to see these characters again, with most of them being stars in the previous Sidor book. We get to find out what happened to Andy when he got home (thrown out of his job as a laughing stock), what happened to Jake (lost his leg but is still healing), and what happened to Maud (got shut away in an asylum). It doesn't feel like many of them got a happy ending after their last adventure, and as such you don't really feel bad that they're getting drawn into something else, and that they might be in danger once again. Instead, you kind of see this as a second chance for them; one where they might finally come out on top.

The new characters that they get to team up with and work with compliment them well, with Wendy in particular bringing a lot of great energy into the mix. The new situation also feels like a fun evolution to what the characters went through before. The tightly confined waterways of the Amazon are replaces with the dark tunnels of the Arkham sewers, with them once again travelling along dangerous waters to find a deadly killer; though this time it's sewer water and a much more human killer.

The book also introduces a lot of new mysteries and gives readers some interesting new history for the city, as well as the various cults and supernatural groups that call it home. There are some really interesting moments where the cults, the criminals, and the politics of Arkham get to take centre stage and make it ends up making the city feel more alive and real than in many of the previous books. There's a sense that it isn't just a background for these spooky adventures, but a living, evolving city where all these different stories are happening in their own intersecting circles.

Lair of the Crystal Fang is going to be different to the previous Sidor entry in the series, just as that was different to the first. It gives readers a different perspective on Arkham, a different type of adventure, and different scares. Go into it knowing that you're going to get something new and you're going to have a great time with it.

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Bertie and the Alien Chicken by Jenny Pearson - Book Review

 

'Bertie is NOT looking forward to spending the summer holidays on stinky Long Bottom Farm. But things take an interesting turn when he encounters Nugget, the alien chicken. Nugget's mission is to find the Earth's most valuable resource and transport it back to Nurgle-7, and he needs Bertie's help. But what could the Earth's most valuable resource be, and can they find it in time to stop the Nurgles exterminating the Earth?!'

Bertie and the Alien Chicken is the new release from Barrington Stoke, and is a book that doesn't take itself too seriously, and sets out to just have some silly fun. The story follows Bertie, a young boy who has been told that he's going to have to spend the summer holidays with his uncle Brian, who runs a farm in the middle of the countryside. Bertie's mother is having to travel to America on business, and his father left a few years ago and can't take Bertie in because of his newborn baby. The problem is, Bertie really doesn't want to spend time on his uncles farm.

However, soon after arriving Bertie accidentally discovers that one of the chickens on the farm can talk. Thinking he might be going mad, Bertie is surprised to discover that the chicken is actually an alien called Nugget, and that he's come to Earth to find out what the most valuable resource is. And if he doesn't get it, the planet gets blown up.

Bertie and the Alien Chicken is a book that has a lot of humour to it. From the very first pages it's clear that this is a book where jokes and silliness is high on the list of priorities. And thankfully, it pretty much lands perfect every single time. Yes, this is a children's book and the humour is designed for younger readers, but many of the jokes actually had me chuckling too. Jenny Pearson clearly knows that parents are going to be reading books to their kids, or reading along with them, so the book needs to be funny in a way that isn't going to be getting the adults reading it rolling their eyes. And the book manages to do that. There are some things that are a bit too silly, but kids will love, but for the most part it was enjoyable and amusing to read as an adult.

This is something that I think helps this book a lot too, that it's not treated too seriously or too realistically. There are many Barrington Stoke books that are much more serious in tone and feel quite realistic; this is not one of them. It forgoes the desire to be realistic in order to be fun; and it certainly manages to be that.

The book comes with a number of illustrations, by Aleksei Bitskoff, and the artwork works really well with the tone of the book. Everything is a bit cartoonish, a bit exaggerated, and the artworks puts me in mind of some fun kids shows. The art is used to help kids get a good visual idea for the story and characters, but there are a few times that the art is also used for some visual gags. Much like the written ones, these are fun moments that are sure to make kids laugh aloud, and the adults smile along with it.

Overall Bertie and the Alien Chicken was a lot of fun. It's a nice story about making friends, and about personal introspection at times too, and it's a genuinely entertaining and enjoyable experience. 

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Superman: Kal-El Returns Special #1 - Comic Review

 

Originally published on Patreon

Kal-El returning from space and his long adventure on Warworld has been a big story for a while now, and even though his return in Action Comics and Superman: Son of Kal-El is still going on, DC have given us yet another book that explores the characters return to Earth.

There are four short stories in this issue, each one exploring a different aspect of his return. The first (and best) shows him catching up with Batman, coming in to help his friend on a case to take down a Doom Patrol villain. The story is a lot of fun, and really shows the two of them being friends, and finding joy in being around each other, better than a lot of books do. The two of them are strong friends, and they get on, so it's nice to see a comic remember that, rather than putting them at odds with each other for no reason.

The second story has Clark catching up with Jimmy Olsen, who wants to snap the perfect picture of Superman to show that he's back. Despite taking a load of photos with him Jimmy starts to have something of a crisis as there's nothing there that's new or exciting. This story is kind of fine, and is mostly let down by really ugly looking art that makes the characters look ridiculous most of the time. It makes it hard to take most of the worry that Jimmy has seriously, and the resolution felt a bit flat and bland.

The third story didn't really feel like one that was about Clark at all, as he mostly hung round in the background as Jon had some dealings with Lex. Lex is clearly up to something, but is using misdirection to mess with Jon. Come the end though Jon has figured out how to push Lex's buttons, and get inside his head. It's a fine story, and one that goes well with the various things that have been happening in Superman: Son of Kal-El, but as Clark is hardly part of it it feels slightly out of place in this issue.

The final story sees Superman heading to the Hall of Justice to see his friends, where he ends up having lunch with J'onn, Wally, and Naomi. Naomi, who is a serving member of the League, spends most of the story acting like she's a teen fan meeting a movie star whenever she interacts with Superman, and the whole vibe seems to be him showing her 'no, we're just regular people too you know' type stuff. Considering the relationship they already have, the adventures they've been on, and Naomi being on the League, this doesn't feel right at all. I've struggled to really like Naomi, and this story does not help.

The four stories on offer here vary in quality pretty wildly from great, to fine, to feeling quite bad. If you're a huge Superman fan and are loving this story line and want to see everything that's connected to it then this issue is for you, but if you're looking for some cool short Superman stories put the book down after the first one.

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Plainer Jane #7 – Comic Review

 

Originally published on Set The Tape

The independently produced comic series Plainer Jane, which follows a student nurse turned contract killer, comes to a close this month as its final issue receives its release and Jane’s story comes to an end. But how does the end stack up, and will this be the last that we get to see of Jane?

It’s been almost two years since the first issue of Plainer Jane was released, and in that time we’ve seen the series go through a number of changes. At the start Jane was a schoolgirl unsure about what to do with her future, harbouring dark thoughts about murder and killing. She wanted a way to indulge those compulsions, to channel her desire to kill into something useful, and decided that contract killing would be the way to go. But her first kills were pretty poorly executed, and pathetic things like being hired to kill a dog.

Over the course of the series, however, Jane has grown as a person. She’s out of school and working as a student nurse, and we’ve seen her kill several people. She’s gone from being unsure how to commit the crime to scoping out locations, figuring out routines, and striking from the shadows with brutal efficiency. She’s changed a lot, and has become a legitimately dangerous person. But that kind of life is hard to sustain, and it has to end at some point. Especially when you’ve pissed off the local crime lords and ended up on their radar.

In the penultimate issue Jane’s identity was revealed to the criminals, her contact was killed, and she’d come under attack from a nasty crime boss who came close to killing her. It seems like her life is falling apart, and this final issue very much focuses on that. We see Jane trying to grasp at whatever pieces that she thinks that she might be able to control, hoping against hope that she might be able to salvage her life; but it’s a pretty vain hope, and come the end she realises that her only option is to run.

Whilst this makes sense, I couldn’t help but feel like it made the ending feel a bit deflated. The big final confrontation for Jane doesn’t come this issue, it was in the last issue, and this final part effectively spends its time wrapping things up. The police learn who she is and she loses her home life, the criminals are coming for her and she can’t stop them, and she loses her one friend. Things do end and get wrapped up in a way, but it also feels like there could be more to come. I like that there’s a possibility of more, that Jane’s story could continue on again later, but it does kind of feel like it comes at the expense of a real emotional resolution.

Another part of the book that gave me pause – and if you don’t want spoilers jump to the next paragraph – was Kat. Jane knows that the villains are watching her, that they’re out to get her, and so she seems to rope Kat in to help her out by going to the storage locker and getting her money for her. The problem is, the killers are waiting for her there, and it gets Kat killed. And for a moment I thought that this was her plan, that she wanted Kat to get killed in her place so that the bad guys think that she’s off the board and free to do whatever she wants. But she seems genuinely sad about her friend’s death, and even swears revenge (a set up for the next series perhaps?). I was left wondering if perhaps I’d interpreted it wrong, that Jane never intended for something bad to happen to Kat. I’d have liked the idea that she led her one friend to her death for her own gains, but perhaps that’s a bit too dark.

As with previous issues, the bulk of the art is provided by Samir Simao, and the artwork is the lovely black and white style that we’ve come to know. However, there are a few pages in the issue that have a completely different style, and come in colour. Drawn by Ralf Singh, these pages are used when the book starts taking us to places that don’t exist within the narrative, times when we’re being told stories. It not only breaks up the bulk of the book being black and white, but also helps to illustrate (no pun intended) that these segments are something a little different. The book looks great, and I can’t complain about the art at all. All of the characters are clear and distinct, and the action and moments of violence are clear and easy to understand.

On the whole this was a decent conclusion to the series. I went into it wanting certain things, wanting it to end with Jane going up against the villains in a big, violent sequence where she wins the day or goes down swinging. But that’s not really what the story is about. It’s about this girl; this damaged, disturbed young woman who is really no more than a serial killer. Her story wouldn’t be best served that way, and it needed an issue like this to end on. For those who’ve been reading since the start, it’s great to finally see it concluded; and we can always hope that there could be more to come some day.

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Justice Society of America #1 - Comic Review

 

Originally published on Patreon

The Justice Society haven't gotten much love over the last few years. Between being erased from the main DC universe and relegated to another world where they got younger 'edgier' versions of themselves, and just not really appearing much when they are returned to the way they're supposed to be, they've not had a good ride of things lately. Hopefully, this new series by Geoff Johns, who made them fantastic when he worked on them decades ago, will be able to give them the love that they need.

That being said, those expecting the JSA they know might be a bit thrown off with this first issue, especially if they didn't read the book building up to this; as we begin in the future, where the Justice Society looks very different. 

Set in a future where Batman has been killed, and his daughter Helena Wayne, the new Huntress, is searching for the killer, the book features an almost completely different version of the team. Huntress is a new version of this character, but a reinvention of one fans know, and the team does still have Power Girl; but after that it's quite different. Helena has filled the team with reformed, and reforming, villains, and its lineup features the Gentleman Ghost, Solomon Grundy, Icicle, the Harlequin's Son, The Mist, and the daughter of Red Lantern, Ruby Sokov.

I'm sure that there'll be people who hate this team, and the entire concept of villains making up a JSA team; but I kind of like it. We've seen villains reform into heroes in the past; Black Adam has been on the JSA before and is currently in the Justice League for example. It makes sense that this is a trend that would continue over the years; and if Helena is looking to find the person who killed her father, and might be targeting JSA members, she'd maybe want some people who don't mind going a bit further than a pure hero would. It also doesn't hurt that they're characters who have a strong history with the team.

But, if you do hate it you don't have to worry as they don't stick around very long as the time travelling villain Per Degaton kills them all. Thankfully, Catwoman arrives in time to save her daughter, and Helena is thrown backwards through time, arriving at the JSA headquarters in 1940. WE knew that some time travel was going to be involved in this series, but I was assuming Helena would come back to the present straight away; guess there's going to be more to it than that.

This issue is very much a set-up issue, with Helena's story being laid out for those that didn't read The New Golden Age comic. The book gives us a clear understanding about her mission, and insight into the kind of person she is. With her being the focus, and the rest of her team being killed before the issue is done, it makes a lot of sense that she's the only character who really gets built up here, and that everyone else feels less fleshed out.

There's certainly a good sense of mystery set up already, and the added complications of her being sent back to the very early years of the team makes for an interesting situation going forward. It seems like the book isn't just going to be about making the JSA relevant and interesting again (they've always been that to those that love them), but looks like its going to be a celebration of the entire history of the group. If that's true, I'm incredibly excited to see what comes next.

The artwork on the book looks really good throughout, and I loved the way each of the main characters looked distinct amongst the others. There was never a moment where you were left wondering who people were. Who's that silhouette in the background? Well that's clearly Catwoman. Who's Helena talking to here? That must be Power Girl even though I've not see the costume yet. The book is giving us versions of characters ever so slightly different to the ones we're used to, but not only are they instantly recognisable, but they're believable as future versions of themselves too.

Overall this was a strong start to this new series. It's clear that Johns has a lot of love for the JSA and the characters that make it up, and that he wants to make them an important part of DC again. But he's not just doing what he did the firs time he wrote them; he's trying something new and different, and that's really exciting.

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Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II – Throwback 30

 

Originally published on Set The Tape

Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II, the fifth film in the Heisei series of Godzilla films, was envisioned to be its last, and the creators knew that they wanted to make something special because of this. Whilst their initial plan was to remake Godzilla vs King Kong, they were unable to secure the rights to Kong, and had to come up with something else. This was when the decision was made to have Godzilla fight against one of his most iconic monster foes, Mechagodzilla. The previous films in the series had brought back iconic monsters like King Ghidorah and Mothra, so now it was time for his mechanical nemesis to make a return.

Unlike many of the Godzilla films in previous eras, the Heisei era followed a pretty decent chronology, and events from one film would directly influence and track into another. As such, elements from the previous movies would make small appearances here, in part to continue the continuity, but also in the expectation that this would be the final film in the series.

Following the events of Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah, the United Nations have established the United Nations Godzilla Countermeasures Center (the UNGCC) to combat any further incidents involving the kaiju. The military branch of the UNGCC, called G-Force, travel to the remains of Mecha-King Ghidorah and their scientists reverse engineer the technology to create two powerful weapons: a flying gunship called Garuda, and a giant robot modelled after Godzilla himself, Mechagodzilla.

Years later, a team of scientists on a remote island come across what appears to be a giant Pteranodon egg. The egg is giving off strange telepathic signals which brings both Godzilla and Rodan to the island, where the two creatures end up fighting. Whilst the monsters battle, the scientists make away with the egg. Godzilla defeats Rodan, but finds the egg has gone. The scientists bring the egg to Kyoto, where it hatches to reveal that it was actually a baby Godzilla creature inside. The adult Godzilla is heading towards the facility, drawn by the baby’s psychic call.

Mechagodzilla intercepts the monster en route and the two of them battle; a fight in which Godzilla emerges victorious. Despite this, the scientists have been given enough time to figure out that the baby Godzilla has a secondary brain, and are able to use this knowledge to come up with a new battle strategy that they believe can be used to finally kill Godzilla once and for all.

And this was the plan for a while. Godzilla was going to die at the end of this film. There was a version of the script in which Godzilla overcomes the flying weapon Garuda, but is ultimately killed by Mechagodzilla. Another draft saw Mechagodzilla killing the monster, and his escaping life force energy travelling to the baby and mutating it into an adult monster (something that was later used in Godzilla vs. Destroyah). But Godzilla had lost the final two battles in the last two films that he’d been in, and if this was to be his last film then surely he should come out on top? The decision was made to have Godzilla emerge victorious, and the result was the first film in a while where Godzilla wasn’t portrayed as the antagonist, with the previous four films having done so.

Whilst the plan for this to be the final film didn’t stick, the decisions made here did have something of an effect, and the way Godzilla was portrayed here would go on to influence the films that would come next, with many considering this to be the ‘gold standard’ of the Heisei era.

When the film was released, it was marketed as being the final one, and a big push was made to hammer that fact home. It was also announced that this would be the final time that Akira Ifukube, the original Godzilla composer, would work on the series; a fact that would be proven wrong as he would return another half dozen times. The film was marketed with a children’s programme called Adventure Godzilla-land, which had the two rival monsters as news anchors, as well as dance routines. Toho also opened a Godzilla-themed simulation ride called Monster Planet Godzilla.

With its change in formula to make Godzilla into the hero, the return of iconic monsters, and new power-ups and transformations for the monsters, Godzilla vs. Mechadozilla II became an instant hit. Thanks to that, and the delays in the US made Godzilla movie, the franchise was guaranteed to continue on.

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