Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance – Throwback 10

 

Originally published on Set The Tape

The Metal Gear series is one that will conjure certain strong images in people’s heads. The grizzled soldier Solid Snake, sneaking around in boxes, and lengthy cut-scenes that cover plots that are one part gritty deconstruction of war and the military industrial complex, and one part batshit crazy concepts. The games follow fairly similar themes and styles even when they evolve from entry to entry. But the spin-off game Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance throws most of that out of the window for fast-paced, high octane melee combat that often leaves the player amazed at what they’re witnessing. And it’s just turned ten years old.

Set four years after the events of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, the game leaves Solid Snake to one side, and instead puts players in control of Raiden (Quinton Flynn), a character who was first introduced in Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty.

In that game he was a stand-in for Snake, a young soldier that players were unaware they’d spend most of the game playing. As such, he became quite unpopular, and went through some changes following the game. Appearing in the fourth game, he’d been transformed into a cyborg ninja, similar to the original one in Metal Gear Solid. Able to run up walls, flip through the air, move at incredible speed, and slice through enemies like butter with his sword, he became a character not to mess with. And now players finally got to play as him, shifting the focus of the series away from stealth infiltration to all out balls to the wall action and spectacle.

Following the defeat of the titular Patriots in the fourth Metal Gear Solid game, the world’s private military companies (PMC’s) have shifted away from nanotechnology and have instead embraced cybernetics, leading to the creation of many more cyborg soldiers across the globe. When the game opens, Raiden is working for Maverick Security Consulting, and is tasked with protecting the prime minister of an unnamed African nation. When they come under attack by the rogue PMC group Desperado, Raiden is injured and the prime minister is killed. Weeks later, Raiden heads out into the world to track down the cyborg warriors of Desperado, and eliminate them, uncovering a conspiracy along the way.

Even in the first level of Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance it’s clear that this game is not following the formula, as you speed your way through a city, fighting soldiers, destroying tanks, and even taking on a Metal Gear Ray in hand to hand combat that sees you grabbing the giant robot by one of its arms, throwing it across the city, and slicing it in half by running down its back. And that’s probably the most boring level in the game. The lengthy cut-scenes and long conversations that are a staple of the franchise are gone, with all of the cool stuff that you normally have to watch being the stuff that you get to do this time round.

The game goes a good job at leading you through the levels at a fast pace, rushing from one enemy combatant to another, slicing them apart as you dash to the next objective marker. You get rewarded with a boss fight every hour or so, which are usually some of the best moments in the game thanks to the ludicrous enemy design, the music playing, and the fluidity of the combat moves that you have to employ in order to win. All of Raiden’s attacks feel powerful, even the lighter ones, and the game manages to avoid the pitfalls that some hack and slash games fall into when new enemies come along and make you feel under-powered. New enemy types force you to employ new strategies, but you never once feel like the character has lost his deadly edge.

One of the more entertaining aspects of the game, and something that was promoted a lot at the time, is Blade Mode. Building up your energy allows Raiden to enter a state where time is slowed down around him, and he’s able to execute precision strikes with his sword. By lining up your attacks with your control sticks you’re able to choose where his sword hits, allowing you to cut off specific limbs, slice through weapons, or dispatch enemies by slicing the tops of their heads off, or bisecting them down the middle. And you don’t have to stick with just one strike. As long as the timer is still up you can keep going, dicing your foes into tiny pieces; allowing you to extract their cyborg power core to help heal yourself.

When the game was released it quickly received a lot of acclaim, mainly for daring to break away from the Metal Gear formula. Fans loved that they were finally able to take control of one of the much beloved cyborg ninjas, and the large scale fights, fast-paced electronic rock music, and the ability to play through combat that felt like it would be at home in an action movie, made players come away feeling like the badass warriors the character had been portrayed as. The fear that finally playing as the character would somehow lessen his coolness, or make him weaker proved to be a false one, and instead gamers got to experience a game that can only be described as an endorphin rush.

It’s easy to overlook Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance if you’re not a fan of the series and the game-play style. It’s easy to forget it exists because it’s a spin-off title and some people never expect them to be any good. But the end product is a game that feels like it fits perfectly into that universe, yet does its own thing every step of the way. If you’ve ignored the Metal Gear franchise because long cut-scenes aren’t your thing, you may have missed out on one of the best action games in recent years. If you’re unsure of whether or not to try it out just head over to YouTube and check out some of the boss fights, because you’ll probably come away wanting to play it yourself.

Whether you’re a fan of the game, or it’s a title you might have missed, the tenth anniversary is the perfect time to play through one of the wildest entries in the Metal Gear franchise; an action game that will leave you with a smile on your face every time you pick it up. Now, where’s the sequel? Because this game absolutely needs a follow up!

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Masters of the Universe: Masterverse #1 – Comic Review

 

Originally published on Set The Tape

Multiverses have become big things in recent year. Franchises like Marvel and DC Comics have always used the ideas of multiple universes to justify continuity changes, alternate versions, and radically different stories all existing together. And it’s in part down to the growing popularity of these two companies’ content beyond comic books that have helped to push the idea of multiverses with the general population.

More and more stories featuring multiverses have begun to crop up, with the multiverse being used in film and TV such as The Flash, Star Trek, Everything Everywhere All At Once, Rick and Morty, and Supernatural. Everything seems to have one now, and fans will talk about upcoming shows and franchises needing them (please no more talk about the Disney/BBC team up for Doctor Who meaning we can have a Doctor Who multiverse). And now Masters of the Universe are getting in on it too!

The new comic series from Dark Horse sees the popular 80’s toy franchise getting in on the action when Zodac, the cosmic enforcer, arrives at Castle Grayskull and witnesses He-Man repel an attack from Skeletor and his evil forces. Unsure whether or not Prince Adam is a good choice to wield the powers, he tells the sorceress about his doubts. To convince him that Adam is a worthy bearer, she takes him to the Nexus of All Realities, where they’re able to look through magical doorways at other universes, to see what the Adams in those worlds are like.

The first of these worlds takes readers to a very dark version of Eternia, where Skeletor and his minions have plunged the land into eternal darkness, and horrors stalk the shadows. When the caravan carrying Prince Adam falls under attack he flees into some nearby ruins to try and draw the monsters away from the others. There he dispatches a number of the more horror-themed enemies from the list of villains, but without accessing his powers. This Adam is reluctant to do so, and when he finally does transform it might be one of the most shocking reveals in the book.

This section, with art by Kelley Jones, Brennan Wagner, and Deron Bennett, is my favourite of the three presented in this issue. It leans into the horror elements that are present in Masters of the Universe, but that are never really given centre stage. This is a universe where it’s not a sci-fi fantasy adventure, but a horror story. The shift is very well done, and whilst there is a big departure from the normal universe to justify it, most of it is done without much difference, and really goes to show that the series can work as a horror story. The art helps to sell this too, with the environments and the monsters made to look very spooky.

The second universe we get to look at is, sadly, completely different, and ends up being quite unenjoyable. The art, by Sergio Aragnones, Rico Renzi, and Deron Bennett, is kind of messy and rough. Much of it looks more like quick doodles, and it has the feel of the kind of comics you’d get in the back of the newspaper. The tone is very, very different too, and takes on a kind of silly, farcical style that feels like it could have been a story that a child made up on the spot. The fact that it’s written by the same writer as the horror based story, Tim Seeley, is a big shock.

The two featured universes couldn’t be more different from each other, and whilst this does show the versatility of this comics set-up, it also worked to the book’s detriment. I really enjoyed the framing story, I absolutely loved the horror story, but I hated the third story. Something about it just felt too silly, too boring, and like it was almost trying too hard to be different. I’m glad that the horror story came first, because if the other one did I’m not sure that I’d have continued through the book. As such, this leaves me in a strange position where I really enjoyed part of the book and hated another.

With the series looking set to continue presenting different version of these characters and worlds, and with it now clear that not just art style, but tone can vary drastically, it leaves me wondering just how this series is going to end up going. This could be a series that ends up being really entertaining, or it could quickly wear out its welcome. Only time will tell.

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Power Rangers: Ninja Storm – Throwback 20

 

Originally published on Set The Tape

Ten years into production, after becoming a global phenomenon, selling millions in toys and receiving two feature films, the Power Rangers franchise was coming to a close.

Disney purchased Power Rangers in 2002, as part of their buy out of the Fox Kids franchise. Power Rangers: Wild Force was still airing, and the executives at Disney decided that that season would be the last, and that once it finished airing Power Rangers would be relegated to history. The final Power Rangers: Wild Force episodes were even named ‘The End of the Power Rangers’ because of this expectation.

According to behind the scenes stories that have come out over the years, someone working at Disney who liked Power Rangers saw that the company had acquired the show and was planning on scrapping it. Taking a look at the numbers, they presented Disney with a way of producing the show for a fraction of the cost of previous seasons. Cost cutting measures, along with the amount that the show made each year on merchandising and toys, could potentially land Disney with a goldmine. As such, it was decided that Power Rangers would get one more chance, and another season would be made – Power Rangers: Ninja Storm.

Based upon the Super Sentai season Ninpu Sentai Hurricaneger, the show shifted the focus away from animals to ninjas, and became much more action focused. The season also featured a pretty unique team build; one that wouldn’t really get emulated again in any other subsequent season. Instead of the usual five members this season would start with just three. Skateboarder Shane (Pua Magasiva), surfer Tori (Sally Martin), and dirt biker Dustin (Glenn McMillan), who would be the Red, Blue, and Yellow Rangers respectively.

At the start of the season the three teens would be students at the hidden Wind Ninja Academy. Three of the worst students. They’re constantly late, are always off pursuing their hobbies rather than training, and can’t really work well as a team. However, when Lothor (Grant McFarland), an evil ninja that was banished and went to space to recruit an army of monsters (just go with it), arrives to take revenge against the Wind Ninja school he captures every student but Shane, Tori, and Dustin. With no other choice, their Sensei, who has been transformed into a talking guinea pig (again, just go with it), grants the three of them the ability to transform into Power Rangers.

Much like with previous season of the show the team would fight a new monster each week that Lothor would dispatch to try and destroy them. However, the new series very quickly did things a little differently, by introducing a pair of evil Power Rangers just a few episodes in.

These two, the Crimson Thunder Ranger (Adam Touminen), and the Navy Thunder Ranger (Jorgito Vargas Jr.) would eventually join the team, giving them a second Red and Blue Ranger, though darker in tone. Later on in the season the team’s tech support Cameron (Jason Chan) would become the Green Samuarai Ranger, bringing the total up to six. This type of team, starting with just the three, and ending up with duplicate colours, and three different types of Rangers (Wind, Thunder, and Samurai) makes this one of the most eclectic and unique teams around.

The Rangers got the chance to stand out by being different from normal, but the villain of the show, Lothor, also managed to become a firm fan favourite of the franchise. There have been some great Power Rangers villains over the years, with those that are more human in appearance often taking the top spot over people inside thick monster suit.

Despite having most of his face covered by a weird luchador type mask, Lothor managed to be one of the more memorable thanks to the way that Grant McFarland played him. Lothor was genuinely quite funny in pretty much every episode he was in, with McFarland delivering his lines in ways that made the audience forgive the goofiness and camp. McFarland knew he was playing a ridiculous role in a ridiculous show, and very much leant into it. His performance is arch, over the top, and often silly, and it’s an absolute joy to watch.

A lot of the success for Power Rangers: Ninja Storm can be laid with the crew. With most of the people who’d been making Power Rangers in recent years having been let go when Disney took over, several seasoned members of the crew were brought back. Doug Sloan, who’d worked on the franchise from its launch until Power Rangers: Turbo, was brought back as Executive Producer, along with Ann Austen who’d worked on several seasons of the show. A number of writers would also make a return, including Jackie Marchand, who’d written a number of fan favourite episodes, including the majority of Power Rangers: Lightspeed Rescue and Power Rangers: Time Force. These returning crew brought with them an understanding of the franchise, as well as a passion for the series that helped to boost Power Rangers: Ninja Storm.

The series ended up being a huge success for Disney, thanks in large part to the more complex storytelling, the new look of the show (the production having moved to New Zealand), the interesting action that incorporated ninja themes, and some cool new merchandise. Disney nearly threw the franchise away, but with just one more year to prove there was life still left in it, Power Rangers: Ninja Storm showed that it could be a hit, and it secured the franchise for years to come, with the show not having been off air since.

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The Curio Collectors by Eloise Williams - Book Review

 

'Lily and Tom travel the county with Ma Hawker, enthralling crowds with their amazing collection of curios. Always on the lookout for new wonders, Lily is tricked into buying a worthless bag of rubbish. But hidden within is a special piece of scrimshaw. A young woman called Flora Meriweather is desperate to buy the scrimshaw, hoping it can help her solve a mystery surrounding her late mother. But someone else also wants to get his hands on the scrimshaw and ensure that secrets stay hidden in the past. Can the Curio Collectors help the truth come to light?'

The Curio Collectors opens on a warm summers day in 1896, where we meet 12-year-old Lily and her younger brother Tom, who are searching though the waters of a small stream, looking for interesting pieces and junk. The two of them live with Ma Hawker, an elderly woman who took the two children in years ago, and has been raising them to help her with her curio collection. The three of them find interesting objects and travel around the country, telling made up stories about their pieces, raising money from interested locals; and hopefully selling the odd piece or two to rich folk looking for interesting objects to brag about owning.

The three of them have a fairly simple, but meagre life, and are usually always struggling to make money. Because of this they've had to learn to become resourceful, fixing up broken items, scavenging for supplies, and moving on before the locals turn on them. As the three of them head towards London, the kids meet a boy trying to sell a case filled with what he calls curios, claiming to own a part of a mummy amongst other rare objects. Lily and Tom trade the last of the money for the case, but learn that all they've bought is some old junk. The only piece that Ma Hawker picks out is an old shell with some carvings made into it.

When they arrive in London and start to wow the crowds with their collection they're approached by not one, but two people to buy the shell. One is a young maid who can barely afford the asking price, whilst the other is a sinister gentleman who's very rich. When the man tries to break into their caravan one night the kids know that he's up to no good, and so set out to get to the bottom of the mystery of why the shell is so important.

The Curio Collectors is an interesting historical mystery story that I think a lot of kids are going to enjoy. One of the best things about the book is that its lead characters are very different people than you'd usually get in this kind of story. Lily and Tom are travellers, and they, along with Ma Hawker, face issues like having to find places to stay, of having locals turn on them and demand money from them with the threat of violence, and having to struggle to get by in a system that's designed to hurt people like them. There's no real evidence in the book to say outright that they're gypsy or Roma people, but the artwork of their caravan, and their lifestyle do hint that they may be; and if they're not the book is still touching on issues faced by the GRT community to this day. With so little focus given over to GRT communities, and with almost no stories with them as the protagonists and heroes, it's absolutely wonderful to see this book going in that direction.

The mystery of the book itself is also a pretty interesting one, and it went in some places that I wasn't expecting. Eloise Williams has put a lot of twists and turns into the story, and keeps the reader guessing as to what might come next. I had a wonderful time with the story, and wish that the book had been longer so that more time could have been given over to the mystery and adventure elements, which were introduced towards the latter part of the book.

Despite the short length, the book was still very engaging and engrossing, and a large part of this was down to the lead characters. Lily and Tom were both great protagonists, and it was lovely to see Lily getting to break expectations of how girls are normally portrayed in a historical setting such as this. She's very proactive, she rushes into danger, she climbs trees and gets into things. She's given a lot of agency; which is something that I've noticed with a lot of Barrington Stoke's younger female protagonists, and is delightful to see.

The book also features illustrations by Anna Shepeta, who provides the art for the cover of the book. The interior art is, unlike the cover, presented in black and white, yet still manage to be vibrant and engaging. The artwork is lovely to see, and helps to make it clearer for younger readers who might not be fully aware of the kinds of clothing people wore in this time period, or what places looked like. The illustrations means that the text doesn't have to spend its limited time describing all of the tiny details. 

The Curio Collectors was a fun read, and one that I was sad to see come to an end. Lily and Tom were great protagonists, and I'd love to see them come back again in the future. The good thing about the way they travel around, discovering interesting things, is that I can easily see them coming back for more adventures. Hopefully this will be something that Williams will be able to bring us in the future.

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Justice Society of America #2 - Comic Review

 

Originally published on Patreon

The first issue of Justice Society of America introduced readers to a new version of the Society featuring some familiar villains turned heroes; led by the daughter of Batman and Catwoman. This future team was an interesting idea, and it looked like the series might be about to take some established characters in a new direction. However, all the team, bar Huntress, as killed, and Helena is sent backwards in time to the 1940's.

This series, much like Flashpoint Beyond and Stargirl: The Lost Children is playing around with the timeline, having characters removed from continuity being returned (allowing for the intro of 'forgotten' new characters) and is muddling things around. The result is interesting; but also somewhat confusing.

For example, this issue takes place mostly in one time period, but doesn't stick there, jumping backwards and forwards a bit between two dates in the 40's; before finally bringing Helena into the present. And at the moment it kind of feels disjointed and, dare I say, pointless. Now, I'm sure that when the whole thing is done it'll make sense, and perhaps reading this series as one collected trade will make it easier to digest, but as a month to month release it's a book I was hugely excited for that is failing to really grab me.

Part of this is that this doesn't feel like a JSA book right now. It's a story for a brand new version of what's really an old Earth-2 character. This new Huntress is taking the original Huntress' background and identity and integrating it into the main DC universe by making her from the future. And so far almost every part of the book has focused on her and her time jumping, and the titular team this book is supposed to be about has barely featured; and when we've had the team from four different time periods when they do, making it hard to really feel like they're a part of things. 

I'm hoping that as the series progresses it improves in its execution, as a series I was super excited for has become one that is doing little to keep me invested. Whatever Johns is up to better end up being good to justify this quite slow start.

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Dragonracers by Peter Bunzl - Book Review

 

'Twins Kitty and Harris Hawk have grown up at the airfield where their father works as an engineer. Kitty in particular is obsessed with the idea of becoming an aeronaut but her father thinks children should stay firmly on the ground. When the twins discover a strange and unusually large egg from which a dragon hatches, little do they imagine that this is the first step on a journey that will see them taking to the skies and competing in the first long-distance air race. Can they win the huge prize that’s at stake and will their daring adventure lead their father to change his mind about Kitty’s future?'

Dragonracers takes readers back in time to the early days of aviation to meet Kitty and Harris Hawk, a pair of children whose father works on a small airfield as an aviation engineer. Having grown up on an airfield, the two kids have a deep love of flying, and Kitty dreams that she might one day be a pilot herself. But, her father doesn't think that the air is place for a girl, and doesn't want her to train. And with an upcoming long distance flying race coming up, he's forbidden her from taking part.

However, when she and Harris find a strange egg at the bottom of the pond it opens a world of possibilities for them, especially when Harris tells her that it's a dragon egg. Using Harris' expertise on dragons, the two of them manage to get the egg to hatch and become parents to a baby dragon. As the dragon begins to grow at an incredibly fast rate the two of them must find a way to keep it hidden from everyone else; but then a plan begins to form in their heads. If they can teach the dragon to fly, why can't they enter the race?

One of the more surprising aspects of Dragonracers is that there's a lot more to this than first appears. On the surface it's a child focused adventure story about these two siblings who find a baby dragon and get to take part in this big event, achieving fame and fortune for themselves. But there's also other stuff going on. The story incorporates messages about not giving up chasing your dreams, and to fight against those voices who tell you that you can't do certain things because of your gender (Kitty's father makes it clear he doesn't think girls can be pilots). This message about misogyny and societal expectations also incorporates plot about parents learning and growing thanks to their children; with Kitty's father accepting that he was wrong and improving as a person because of it.

The book also takes some real historical people and events and plays with them a little. The race that happens in the book actually happened, and the people involved in the book were there at the time racing their planes. Though there wasn't actually a dragon in the race as far as historical documents tell us (unless it's being kept very under wraps). Whilst the book changes these events, their inclusion means that any child reading the book who finds it interesting has a starting point in which to explore the subject. They can look into the 1910 London to Manchester air race, or Claude Grahame-White, or Louis Paulhan. This may be a fantastical retelling, but it's also a great starting point for kids with an interest in history or flying.

Best of all though, the book is really easy to get on with. Both Kitty and Harris are really engaging protagonists, and Bunzl very quickly brings them to life and fills them with character. The two of them are lovely to read about, and their relationship feels warm and genuine. Kitty is the more open of the two, but as the book goes on and the dragon is introduced the more reserved dragon obsessed Harris really gets to come out of his shell. I think that young readers will find it easy to connect with both of the siblings, and will very quickly get sucked into their story.

The book also comes with some great illustrations by Lia Visirin, who helps to bring the story to life by illustrating key points. These illustrations help to make certain moments feel more action packed and filled with energy, such as the dragon soaring through the air, but also help with the historical context, giving young readers pretty clear images of the planes used at the time to better help them understand what they were like.

Dragonracers is an enjoyable read that blends together historical events with high fantasy, resulting in a delightful story about two siblings getting to do the impossible.

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Harley Quinn #26 - Comic Review

 

Originally published on Patreon

One of the things that I find can sometimes happen when comics comes up with a good villain is that they can get a bit overused, and can end up losing some of what makes them special. The Batman Who Laughs is one of these characters. Since his first appearance people were grabbed by his design, and latched onto him as being a character that they wanted more of. And he's appeared a few times since his initial story, but now his design is becoming replicated in other characters. The Flash has a speedster from a dark dimension that has the same headpiece as him (though we don't know if she's connected to him yet), and now we have a Harley Who Laughs too. Is it getting a bit too much?

Part of me wants to say yes, and especially so with the speedster character who could have just been anything; but I'm kind of okay with it being done with Harley. It feels like a more natural fit with Harley Quinn than any other character that they could do it with. It also helps that an evil Harley travelling from dimension to dimension in the multiverse trying to kill off every other version of herself is a fun concept.

This issue has expanded upon this though, by bringing multiple versions of Harley to Earth-0 at the same time. The result is a city being overrun by Harley's, most of whom aren't as reformed as ours and are just out to cause chaos. But, this does lead to a situation that can be used to help find and stop the Harley Who Laughs, as our team of heroes sets out to round up all of the variants and bring them to one spot in order to lure the evil Harley to them.

This is a pretty fun issue, especially as it allows the creative team to play around a bit and throw in some Easter Eggs. There are more than a few Harley's in this book that people will recognise, including one that looks like classic Harley, the Injustice Harley, one from the Arkham games, and even Birds of Prey. It's fun to see these different versions all together; though those that are created specifically for the book are a bit less creative, and just seem to be slightly different outfit changes and various styles of punk. Some of them look like they could be Tank Girl if given a slight colour change. With this drawing upon the multiverse it would have been nice to have seen some more Harley's from old Elseworlds stories, or even things like Dark Knights of Steel or DC vs Vampires.

We get some time this issue to dive a bit into Harley's emotional state too, and how she's struggling to walk the line of being a more heroic character. It's something that's interesting to see, as I like that she didn't just decide to be good now and it's working fine, but something that she struggles with. I also appreciated how Kevin lost his shit with her and called her out on her behaviour and self pity, as it was something that she needed in the moment.

The next issue will be the final one with this creative team, so it'll be interesting to see how this story, and this writers time on the book, will come to a close; and where things end up for the next stages in Harley's life. But overall, this was a decent issue in what might be one of the better arcs of the series.

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The Legend of Vox Machina (Season Two) – TV Review

 

Originally published on Set The Tape

Fans of Critical Role, the Dungeons & Dragons home game between a group of voice actor friends that spilled onto the Internet, have been eagerly anticipating the latest season of the animated adaptation of their first campaign, The Legend of Vox Machina.

Even before the first season came to a close, those in the know about what was to come were getting excited for what the second season would bring. Early hints of an alliance between dragons paid off in the final moments of the series as four immense, ancient dragons flew towards the city of Emon. The powerful but weird heroes of Vox Machina had managed to take down a vampire lord and his necromancer wife, but how would they fare against this foe?

Not very well as it turns out, with the opening scenes of this season making it clear that our brave heroes were well and truly out of their depth. Forced to run for their lives, as the city they’d fought for is destroyed around them, thousands of innocent civilians killed by fire, acid, ice, and poison that the four dragons unleashed. With monsters that our heroes couldn’t even touch to deal with, what does that mean for Vox Machina? A epic fetch quest of course! Given a mission by an ancient and powerful entity, the seven heroes learn of artefacts forged by the gods themselves that could help them in their mission to stop the dragon invasion, and save the world. Thus begins the biggest storyline yet; one that is going to take longer than a single season to tell, and may even keep us going for two or three more.

One of the most obvious things about this season of The Legend of Vox Machina is that the stakes are much, much higher this time, and the scale is bigger. In the first season we had a couple of episodes dealing with a dragon (in hindsight a much weaker one), but the majority of the season was a personal story; a character-focused narrative that put Percy (Taliesin Jaffe) at the centre of things. Whilst it had moments that were big in scale, such as the heroes of Vox Machina leading a town full of people against an undead army, it really does pale in comparison to this season. As noted earlier, the opening scenes make it clear that things are different now, and whilst there are quieter momenta along the way, that sense of larger scale never really leaves. Giant creatures of myth battle the group, they travel to alternate planes of existence, they fight armies, they gain immense power, and they have to tangle with a monster so iconic, its name is in the title of the game these folks were playing.

Fans of the original stream will find a lot here that they recognise, and some of the best moments of the game have made their way well to the screen. It’s easy to surprise existing fans with new twists and turns in the tale, but The Legend of Vox Machina also manages to make the expected feel shocking and awe inspiring. Whether it’s a fight that you know is about to kick off, a deadly trap that’s about to be activated, or a personal revelation that’s moments away, the series manages to keep existing fans invested. It also adds a lot of new content to the story that will keep those fans on their toes.

One of the best things about Dungeons & Dragons is that it’s co-operative storytelling. The DM creates a world and comes up with a story, but the players shape that story just as much. A DM can prepare certain scenarios for the players to find themselves in, and can try to anticipate what might happen, but you can never fully prepare (the amount of times my players have surprised me with things I never expected are numerous). And whilst this can lead to some incredibly interesting stories, they might not translate well to another medium. As such The Legend of Vox Machina shifts things around, gives some characters some slightly different motivations, and alters some complex back story to make more sense in the moment. I’m sure that there are some Critical Role purists out there that will look at what the show has done and complain that the story isn’t exactly the same, or that it cut some things out, but as it is this story works, it’s entertaining, and it’s accessible to people who’ve never seen the original streams.

The jump from playing a game to making a series also allows for the inclusion of a lot more actors and guests. Matt Mercer gets to take a break from voicing every character and does a select few here and there, including one of the new dragon antagonists. The main cast of the series return, with Laura Bailey as the bow-wielding Vex’ahlia, Marisha Ray as the druid Keylith, Ashley Johnson as Pike the gnome cleric, Travis Willingham as half-giant barbarian Grog, Sam Riegel as the musically inclined Scanlan, Liam O’Brien as the roguish Vax’ildan, and Taliesin Jaffe as gunslinger and inventor Percy. Joining them this season include fan favourite guests from the stream Will Friedle and Mary Elizabeth McGlynn, who reprise their characters from the game. Other actors who have appeared in the game’s later campaigns, such as Felicia Day, Robbie Daymond, and Aimee Carrero, make cameo appearances. This season also brings in some superb new actors for Critical Role, such as Ralph Ineson, Cree Summer, and Lance Reddick, to take on some antagonistic roles.

The series isn’t just content to impress with the voice cast, however, as this season seems to improve upon the animation too. Despite no visible change in presentation, with the new season looking like it did last time, it does feel like perhaps the team behind it have settled into this story and universe. We get some incredibly cool designs for locations and creatures that take the original descriptions cooked up by Matt Mercer and turns them into something truly stunning. And the action sequences feel like the animators are having a lot of fun with things, trying to find the best ways to make the moments really pop on screen. There are a number of scenes scattered throughout the season that will leave you laughing at how ridiculously cool they are, and you might find yourself hard pressed to pick out a single favourite thanks to the overall impressive quality.

The Legend of Vox Machina was something of a gamble when it first began. The show was paid for by the fans, who happily threw their money at the Kickstarter campaign so that their favourite gaming stream could find life in a new form. But the gamble paid off. It turns out that the story of these characters and this world appeal to a whole lot more people than just those who watched the original. It ended up being the quickest funded Kickstarter in history, and the most funded film and TV project. And whilst a third season has yet to be announced it would be an incredibly smart move for Amazon to continue the series on. Since the season started airing it has been announced that the second Critical Role game, The Meighty Nein, is also coming to TV as an animated series. With that one not being fan funded, and Amazon a part of the deal, it looks likely that there’s still a lot of life left in the franchise, and hopefully more of the story of Vox Machina yet to come.

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Sgt. Rock Vs The Army of the Dead #5 - Comic Review

 

Originally published on Patreon

One of the best things about having Bruce Campbell attached to this comic is that, like with his films, you know that this is a book that doesn't take itself too seriously, and is just meant to be schlocky fun. And with a blur that reads 'They’ve blasted their way through impossible scenarios and burned their way through throngs of undead soldiers. But now Sgt. Rock and Easy Company find themselves hot on the trail of an enemy even they may not be able to handle: an über-upgraded, rejuvenation serum-addicted Adolf Hitler.' how could it not be clear that this is a book designed with sheer, unabashed enjoyment over anything else.

The series feels like it's been slowly building up to this point the last four issues, and whilst the story could have gone in another direction having Easy Company having to fight Super Hitler feels like the only way it could have unfolded. But first, they need to get to the man.

Much of the issue deals with the build up to the assault, and shows a pretty interesting behind the scenes peak at what war was like. It's not big heroics and action all of the time, it's also meticulous planning, careful timing, and hoping for luck to go your way.

That being said, come the end of the issue it's not clear if Sgt Rock's luck is going to hold out. Compared to the other undead soldiers that the team have faced across the book, Hitler is something else entirely. He's the first entity in the book that feels like he could be a substantial threat to our heroes, and by the final pages of the issue you begin to doubt if Rock is going to make it out of the series alive. 

Books like this always feel like they exist in this weird grey area where their status in continuity is up for question. If this is its own self contained story that doesn't have to stick to any rules it's absolutely possible that Rock is going to die ending Hitler's threat. It could even end up with Rock becoming the next undead threat, or Hitler coming out on top and leading an army of the dead to conquer the world. And this level of uncertainty definitely adds to the fun of things. It stops you getting complacent as the reader, and gets you questioning what might be coming next.

As with previous issues, the art is a perfect fit to the feel of the book. The quieter scenes of the team preparing their assault, and coming in for an airdrop feel interesting and dynamic even when its folks sitting around a map or hanging out in the back of a vehicle. The art team manage to make these moments come to life on the page in ways that you wouldn't expect. And when the action actually begin, then it enters a whole new level. Hitler looks monstrous, even though very little is done to make him look that different. But thanks to the subtle shifts away from what you expect into something else the book manages to make him look creepy in ways the other undead just aren't.

There's one issue of the series left, and it's going to be interesting to see if the book ends in a conventional way, or if things get really weird by the end. Either way, this has been a decently enjoyable series, and hopefully not the last one that will be given to Bruce to create. 

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Lazarus Planet: We Once Were Gods #1 - Comic Review

 

Originally published on Patreon

First thing first, whilst I'm enjoying the Lazarus Planet event for what it is, I'm starting to get a bit annoyed at how the series seems to have somewhat misrepresented stuff. Some of this is promo material, others are covers, but in these cases the series seems to be promising certain things and then either barley delivering, or not at all. For example, Yara Flor is on this cover, but she doesn't appear in this book. Jon Kent's new Superman Blue powers were shown on the cover of Lazarus Planet: Assault on Krypton and on promo material, yet didn't feature beyond sparks of electricity coming off him. And here we have J'onn transformed into a big, Doomsday-like creature, as was also on promo material, and it lasts all of three panels. Not to mention, variant covers featuring characters and situations not in any books. I get that they're trying to build hype and sell their books, but I'm getting tired of waiting and hoping for certain things based on the material DC puts out, only to be disappointed. 

But, on to this actual issue. As with the last Lazarus Planet tie-in, this book features a couple of short stories that are using the Lazarus Rain to set up some new things for the future; some of which will be coming in later series, others in other parts of the event.

First up is a pretty well crafted and creepy story that sees a group of regular folks walking through the green fog of the Lazarus Rain on the beach, where they find a couple of people laying in the water. They take the one that's alive to a house, tie him up, and wait to see if he wakes up. When he does he goes a little crazy, and manages to escape the home with the family dog after hurting one of the men. Chasing after him, they find him on the beach where Aquaman protects him. Turns out, he's one of the Trench, who've been transformed into a more human-like form; and there are a lot more than just him.

The story has decent tension and atmosphere thanks to the slow build up, the focus on regular people rather than super heroes, and the wonderfully spooky artwork. This also sets up an interesting new drama for Arthur and the other Atlanteans, as a vicious enemy of theirs ends up needing help. But, as this issue makes clear, there is something a bit more Trench-like hiding underneath. I'm looking forward to seeing where this story might go.

The next story is the Doomsday one. J'onn uses his psychic abilities to monitor the Earth during Lazarus Planet and comes across a human who has developed his own psychic powers through that. He's using his abilities to draw the negative and harmful emotions out of people, leaving them feeling peace instead. The issue is, he's in Metropolis, where the psychic stain of the fight against Doomsday as lingered. Doomsdays memory gets inside the man and starts to transform him. J'onn tries to take it off him, nearly becomes the big monster from the cover, but the man takes it back from him before that happens, and transforms himself into a crystal to stop Doomsday.

This is the one story where I was left kind of going 'huh?' because I'm not sure what the point of this one is. Could this be setting J'onn up on a new quest to revert that guy back to human? Could the Doomsday psychic virus thing still be lingering inside him ready to turn him into a monster? Maybe. The book doesn't make it clear what, if anything, could come from this, and if we should be keeping an eye open for anything in the future. As someone who loves the Martian Manhunter I was looking forward to this story, and was left thoroughly let down.

The third and fourth stories are definitely the most important in this book, as they not only tie together, but lead into its own Lazarus Planet mini-series.

The first takes us Themyscira, where the dead that surround the island have risen, and are assaulting the Amazons. Warriors from multiple eras are walking out of the ocean and assaulting the shores of the island whilst spirits claw their way out of the Well of Souls, and Dooms Doorway is attacked from the other side. Whilst the dead aren't the deadliest of enemies for the warrior women, their sheer numbers pose a problem for the Amazon.

The second follows Shazam and Malik as they team up to try and find Billy Batson, who's trapped inside the Rock of Eternity. It's nice to see Malik getting to interact with a nicer member of the Shazam dynasty, and the story here is quite good. The two characters work well together with Mary being the more experienced hero and Malik being the new guy. They manage to find a way to free Billy from the Rock that doesn't rely on fists and screaming a magic work until something breaks, so it felt like it offered a decent conclusion. 

Both of these stories are building towards the four part mini that's coming soon, and looks set to be one of the better parts of the event. I also thoroughly enjoyed having Hoppy there, and really hope he continues to stick around as Shazam's new companion. I feel like the writer on this story understands bunnies well to thanks to the exchange they have that reveals Hoppy keeps chewing power cables and refers to them as delicious 'long candy', which as someone with house bunnies I can say absolutely lines up with reality. Bunnies are little buggers for loving eating cables.

These one-shot tie ins are proving to be a little bit of a mixed bag thanks to not every story seeming to really do anything or matter, and the expectations not meeting reality. That being said, they're still decently enjoyable, and it's nice to see how this event is affecting different corners of the DC universe, even if they're not directly involved. 

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