New Beginnings - The Wicked and The Divine #1

by Matt Puddy

On a reasonably regular occurrence the old adage of 'never judge a book by its cover' certainly comes into its own. For me, this week's review is one of those weeks.

The Wicked and The Divine gives absolutely nothing away with its cover. A female figure staring straight ahead with an almost Warhol-esque colouring to it. So far I’m drawing a blank on what it could be.

From the cover I can take some solace in that I know it’s a collaboration between Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie. I’ve really liked Gillen’s work on Iron Man and how he built it up, so there’s promise there. Equally McKelvie’s artwork is akin to the styles I prefer to see, so all looking positive.

So what’s it all about? Opening at the close of 1923, a shadowy gathering of individuals and skulls are preparing to part ways. For one of them the road continues, but for everyone else their fate is sealed in a large explosion. Resuming at the dawn of 2014 we are given a hint at what this could all be about with the name dropping of another Shinto godess, Amaterasu, and shortly after Luci(fer). This is all about gods and goddesses walking amongst us.

Taking the form of teenagers, we meet several deities from different cultures all interacting with human society. They’re very restrained though and miracles are kept to a minimum, but because of this there has bred a large degree of scepticism. It’s only the pivotal moment of the scene that changes this and sets up what I believe to be a central moment for the series. When two snipers try to kill the occupants of the room they are in, Lucifer - with the snap of her fingers - makes their heads explode.

This leads to a court case that  creates a surreal situation. The court is asked to find Luci guilty, but with no weapon and only the snap of her fingers presumed as the cause, what could really be done? It’s only when the judge's head somehow also spreads itself all over the courtroom that things go awry for a multitude of reasons. The obvious one is that Luci says she didn’t do it, but it does point an exceedingly large amount of guilt on her. The bigger question is if it wasn’t her, then who did it? There is dissent amongst the godly ranks.

I want to say that this is a completely original idea, but regardless of how impressed with the story I was, I always had a nagging memory of Neil Gaiman’s American Gods in my head which has a similar 'they walk among us' theme. That said this is still a great idea - although we are not alone they aren’t omnipotent and fall foul of human emotions, as well as the restrictions inherent in possessing a human body, for though they are immortal, they are not invincible. They are also fallible giving a different side to them as well. Even the personalities of the individual gods, born from their respective mythologies, come through to add to their appearance and demeanour, which I liked.

The artwork plays a large part in expressing these characters. This isn’t a cluttered or heavy comic to read, thanks to McKelvie’s strong, clean pencils. I did have to chuckle when Sakhmet, a highly animalistic and sexual god from Egyptian mythology, looked a lot like Rihanna...

Matt Wilsons' colouring is light meaning although it has a simplistic look to it the comic is actually full of information for the reader to absorb.

On the whole I found this a very interesting little comic to add to the Image stable and one I would be interested to see where it goes and how it develops as it runs the risk of slipping into precarious territory. I feel there is a lot more to see and have develop and if Gillen’s current run is anything to go by there will be good things to come.

Matt Puddy is a rock and roll legend in these parts.

New Beginning - Dream Police #1

by Matt Puddy

This week we have another new title in the already growing stable of Joe’s Comics – Dream Police. Well, I say new, but actually Dream Police originally debuted in 2005 under Marvel's Icon imprint. A single issue by J. Michael Straczynski with art from Mike Deodato Jr. then nothing else. Until now.

On this occasion the artist joining him is Sid Kotian. Kotian is also the artist on Apocalypse Al so the artwork is certainly familiar.

Dream Police is pretty much exactly as it sounds. In the opening we meet Joe Thursday and his partner Frank, who have been partners on the force since as far back as they can both remember. Bickering like an old married couple, every day they head out from the station to various calls in response to dreams and situations going awry. These range from a dragon that didn’t want to go away, to a thespian cat who felt that dying in a dream instead of living the happy ending he was due to provide his dreamer, fit more with his “style!” Joe and Frank are there to make sure that things work out right and prevent the nightmares getting involved.  This is maybe not as easy as it sounds when a dapper gentleman dressed top to toe in black, sporting a white half face mask arrives even though he's not required.

It’s a delicate balancing act it seems which Joe enjoys because part of it means he can see the false realities that the dreamers inhabit, as well as the truth of the landscape around them as welll. Even the random elements are enjoyable such as the creatively made restaurant that changes the pocket reality that it resides in, changing the decor and food to match.

This issue also explores the dangers that Joe can face such as lucid dreamers who realise the power they can hold during a waking dream state, but also the much more serious threat of what the nightmares can actually do. Something lies beneath the polite exterior and mask, and the reveal of their secret faces is enough to avert the situation. One that has gotten Joe shot several times, but as an officer he has the luxury of not dying.

A visit to the regular haunt for refreshment leads to the most interesting changes to it all, as Joe’s partner changes from Frank to Katie and even Joe doesn’t notice. Just like he was in a dream himself...

After the last title on Joe’s Comics didn’t really catch my eye I was at least a little wary of this one. Kotian as well isn’t a bad artist too but not one of my favourites either, so his style of using some quite heavy shadowing with a lot of fine small details isn’t completely lost on me, but still didn’t stop me from wondering what I was about to get into.

The combination of the landscape of dreams and the story did pleasantly surprise me. It has a real feel of a Dragnet-style cop drama through its narration, but with lucid and fluid surroundings (complete with dwarf builders) that adds a different dimension to it all. Literally. For my reservations about what this could be, I was happy to be reading a new and innovative tale with an even bigger twist in the end of it all.

If you’re looking for something new and off the wall, I don’t think you can go wrong with this lighthearted jaunt into some dream time mystery.

Matt Puddy is ready to tackle Marvel latest big event.

New Beginnings - Undertow #1

Atlantis is a place which has been written about often. Fictional or not, Atlantis has been a place of interest to many. Image are now revisiting a new vision of how things could have been with Steve Orlando at the helm.

Undertow is set in our past with what could be considered an alien race of water-breathing humanoids. Life is comparable to our standards on some levels, which makes the opening narrative of a young man born and bred into privilege quite relatable, but it is only a short precursor to the story. As a way to strike out and break away from the social norms expected of him, he enlists into military service. A way to see new places and people that hadn’t been vetted by his parents, but also a way that thrust him into harms way. Into the sight of Redum Anshargal, a person who supposedly didn’t exist.

Redum has been built up to be somewhat of an urban myth, an individual who brings fear to the hearts of Atlanteans for being a rebel or to some degree a terrorist. But is this really the case? The story follows how Redum is more of a scientist than a warrior, searching for the next step that allows his species to walk the Earth without the need for a water breathing suit. Along the way, they observe early man first starting to become organised, as they hunt for an amphibian that could potentially unlock the key to the next step in their evolution. 

Visually the comic’s cover immediately struck me as having similarities to Scott Snyder and Sean Murphy's “The Wake” with dark, detailed imagery and contrasting colours. Inside this is carried over further, but it also had me thinking of other titles like Jeff Lemire’s Trillium, although that is admittedly due to the face shapes and types that artist Artyom Trakhanov has used for the characters. Having to imagine a reversed world where in water is the natural state can’t be easy but Trakhanov has managed it. His is quite a heavy style, though I did start to find it got quite tough on the eye especially with such a dim palette used for the colouring, but it does give a certain sense of gravity to it all. This isn’t a jovial light-hearted comic and the main characters have differing levels of sombreness, so the dialogue and depictions work together well.

As a story I found this issue a bit slow as it took two thirds of the book to get to the actual main target. This is more about the history of the team and getting them established as a unit in the reader's mind. The amount of time spent on just a couple of the characters did seem a little unbalanced, but they did go on to be the main focus for this issue.

This is quite a brave piece in my mind as there are a lot of similarities and potential nods to other titles. It also is set in a time period which gives quite a free rein to the creative team. As such I think this could be a bit of a Marmite title, which those who love vehemently love and those who don’t, really don’t.

Matt Puddy now understands why people were raving about Cabin In The Woods - great film!

New Beginnings - Legenderry #1

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls! Welcome to Legenderry. More specifically, come delve into The Big City, a modern marvel of steam-powered society. But beware! As with every city there are darker corners that some of the less salubrious and morally flexible residents will visit or reside, places such as The Scarlet Club. 

Issue #1 of Dynamite’s new steampunk adventure is set right here, and focuses on their licensed characters brought together into a new shared world. These aren't the original characters transplanted into another universe, instead we find Green Hornet, Vampirella, Red Sonja, the Bionic Man and The Phantom all re-imagined within a glorious steampunk setting.

Bill Willingham’s story centres on the events of one evening as a way to introduce us to this world. It’s refined, overflowing with money and luxuries, but behind all the entrapments there is also a hint of debauchery slyly threaded throughout. What goes on behind these doors clearly stays there, or are at least not spoken about. Its clientele are anonymous and prefer to stay that way, so when a band of identically-dressed, weapon-wielding assassins burst in whilst in pursuit of Magna Spadarossa, it causes quite a commotion. Magna has gotten herself into a little bit of trouble by searching for answers over the disappearance of her older sister Sonja. Questions that are obviously unwelcome.

Upon their arrival the would-be killers are torn limb from limb by an enraged Vampirella who takes umbrage against their rude injection into her private world, which although personally satisfying does open the potential of revealing her secret to the police, I mean how can the heavily-armed staff at the club allegedly take down all the attackers without a single bullet hole?

Whilst the story has plenty of action I found it a little slow to build and get started. It spent a good amount of time introducing the world and the characters. It’s a weird dichotomy as on one hand I wasn’t overwhelmed by the story and it’s development in this issue, but in the longer term you can see so much more potential. The crossover factor of the different characters is an intriguing one too but the playing field is levelled by setting it all with a steampunk backdrop rather than pandering to any one character's existing environment.

The artwork is a similar affair for me too. Initially there was a feeling of elation when I saw the Joe Benitez cover. Benitez being the author artist on another steampunk title, Lady Mechanika (which is honestly continuing… hopefully… I’ve heard) which is great. Inside Sergio Davila takes over and adds the touch of refinement I spoke of earlier. The detail is elegant, but lacking the mechanical look I associate with this genre, making it more a hint of said style rather than forcing it upon the reader. If anything it reminds me more of Mad Moxie from the Borderlands games or certain interpretations of Harley Quinn.

For a first issue I felt it focussed heavily on one character as part of the story development meaning that the second issue is likely to be a similar affair looking at the Green Hornet and Kato. The direction this takes us in looks to be fairly obvious to begin with but the positives are that this would be an easy thread to follow for new readers looking to try something new from a slightly alternative publisher. It may come across as a little confusing if they enjoyed the characters and then had to follow them back to their real worlds, but it’s still a good way for Dynamite to get new readers.

Will it set the world on fire? I’m not sure but equally I don’t think that this will disappoint. Willingham has a huge following of fans from his work on Fables, and I'm certain fans of that will not be disappointed if they decide to give this seven-issue miniseries a try.

Matt Puddy was bracing himself for another argument as to the definition of the steampunk genre

New Beginnings: Sword Of Sorcery #0

This week we have a new revival of the short lived (five issue) 1973 comic Sword of Sorcery. With such a minimal run it has meant that the new comic as written by Christy Marx is essentially a blank slate from which to begin.

Christy comes from a background of animation having written scripts for classic kids TV programmes such as Gem and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, a style which is quite evident in this comic as well. What we are given here is quite a generic teenage origin story, reintroducing a character first seen in the Eighties. Amethyst first appeared in a freebie bundled with Legion of Super Heroes, before moving onto several short lived titles of her own then resurfacing for Infinite Crisis a few years ago.

Amy Winston is an outcast no longer even trying to fit in. She’s moved from place to place through necessity and driven by a mother who is training her and pushing her for an unknown reason. All Amy has to hang onto is that she knows she will be allowed to see her home when she turns 17, and today is her birthday.

The story quickly then turns to a very pink land of Nilaa and there - cue matriarchal villain - we met Lady Mordiel, who instantly becomes obvious in her role. In the vein of King Herod she is on a quest to rid the land of all blonde girls and women who pose a threat to her. We discover why later.

After being taken “home” Amy is thrust into the beginnings of a civil war and one where she will play a significant part as well. She is in fact the niece of Lady Mordiel and the only one who can take her power.

Most frustratingly is that the title is Sword of Sorcery featuring Amethyst, yet the entire issue doesn’t even mention any sword or magic at all. But then it is a zero issue and it’s a plot setting backdrop for Amy.

As I said it’s all very 80’s Saturday morning cartoon and for me the most interesting thing was Constantine in the very last frame, collecting an intriguing and most likely useful crystal. As always, the man clearly has an agenda.

Completely aside from the main story there is also the addition of Tony Beddard’s reimagining of Beowulf. When I read the cover (and I will come on to this in a minute) I was settled by seeing his name on there and this little story was the only attractive feature for me.

The cover is drawn by Josh Middleton and frankly it put me off. I think that the moment I saw the cover whilst at Proud Lion the first thought that came to mind was, “DC have done Bunty!” - which isn’t an attractive look to me.

The artwork inside the comic is by Aaron Lopresti, who has a prestigious portfolio with both Marvel and DC. I have to admit that I didn’t think it was bad, but it somehow felt dragged down by a fairly basic storyline. The colouring is bright to the point of being garish rather than vibrant, and it sadly overpowers Lopresti's pencils.

Whilst it is good to see DC continuing to try new ideas with the New 52, this title falls short of the mark  and is likely to struggle to find an audience even within it's target demographic. Without wishing to sound sexist or stereotypically male, the format and portrayal of Amethyst and the land of Nilaa really made me think that this was aimed at an incredibly niche market of comic-loving, pre-teen girls.

By all means if you have a daughter or niece who loves a little adventure then go for it, but as a mainstream title I can’t see it lasting much longer than the original miniseries back in the Eighties. This is the New 52's Mr Terrific for girls.

Matt Puddy is looking forward to next week's Talon debut issue. It's got to be better than this!

Big Game Hunting - Gateway Games: Small World

There are not many board games that I would be willing to buy my own physical copy of after playing just one game. Small World is one of those lucky few that was in my hands and on its way home with me within days of discovering it was within my reach. It borrows from many other games in its genre, with a generous dose of fantasy to pull it all together.

In Small World, players try to gain as many territories as possible. Players first select one of fourteen different races, randomly paired with one of twenty special powers, to get race units. These units allow them to conquer territories on the board. A territory requires two units to conquer, plus one extra unit for every token already present (enemy units, mountain tokens, lost tribe units, and so on), so managing your resources is vital. You may choose to redeploy your units after expanding your empire, making your territories more difficult for others to conquer. Every territory you occupy earns you one point at the end of your turn.

However, losing territories to other players weakens your race by reducing the number of units available to you in the next round. Eventually you will reach the point where your race becomes stretched too thin to maintain control of your territories. This is when you put your race into decline. You are no longer able to attack and conquer other lands with that race – but one declined unit stays in each territory, earning you points until they are conquered. You also then get to pick a new “active” race and special power combination, and start again. The player who has the most points at the end of ten rounds is the winner.

This is a game that has just the right amount of strategy. Winning a game is a challenge, especially if you're playing against a more seasoned player, but not so difficult to be off-putting. The unique bonuses of each race and special power guarantee a different experience every time you play. No single race or ability is singularly better than any other, and there is a large element of luck in getting a good combination. One of the best benefits of this is the multiple ways to win – there is no guaranteed way to beat your opponents.

Even the way the game is put together is incredibly well thought out. There are four different board configurations, and which one you use depends on how many players are in the game. There are individual sized sections in the box designed specifically for all the pieces, making organisation a breeze – an essential for a game with a lot of bits and bobs to keep track of.

In fact, that seems to be one of the game's greatest drawbacks. There are literally hundreds of pieces, many of which may not even be used in a single game. Essential as they are, keeping all those tiny bits together and within easy reach of the board is not an easy task once it's all out on the table.

The only other issue I can see with this game is in the race and power combinations. In most games, the combinations are random enough to make the races relatively equal, giving no player an extreme advantage over the others. Occasionally, though, a combination will pop up that is incredibly powerful, such as the Spirit Ghouls, or pathetically worthless, like the Merchant Dwarves. This could be helped by having more possible races to play, making the likelihood of those particular pairings more rare. The expansions to Small World help with that, adding more races to the pool of possibilities.

If you haven't played Small World, you haven't experienced what I consider to be one of the most finely crafted board games I've played in recent months. If you'd rather give it a go digitally, there is a limited iOS version available for iPad.

For more from guest blogger Rae, please check out her website

Big Game Hunting - The One Ring RPG

One RPG to rule them all…

I’ve always been a bit leery of games that are set in huge franchises. I’ve seen them go amazingly (I quite like Babylon 5 for example) and go horribly (the less said about most of the D20 games, the better) but there’s an element of ‘oh now, come on, there’s a board game, computer game, war-game and now a new RPG based Lord Of The Rings to contend with. And I went into it expecting to hate it.

This isn’t an actual play look – in fact, I didn’t get to run it once since I received the review copy – that’ll come later in one of my actual play articles for Big Game Hunting, but what I did do was look at the mechanics from a GM's point of view, and what I saw was really nice.

I’ve played both previous incarnations of an LOTR RPG, and while they were solid, the One Ring wasn’t exactly coming in handicapped – each had its flaws, and neither really made the most of the most extensive and influential (some might argue) property in fantasy. It’s kind of like they’d bought up the prime beach property then let weeds grow in some ways. Along comes ‘The One Ring,’ and holy cow, it’s good.

It’s not set in the times of the War of the Ring.  It’s long before the tales of the Shire that everyone knows from LOTR/the Hobbit. There are decades before the world goes pear-shaped like that.

Due to the review copy I had, I didn’t have the special D12 that came with the box set (mine is a PDF) but it didn’t stop me from understanding the instructions and getting enough of a feel for it that I want my full copy now. I thought all of the mechanics were laid out well, and have touches of other games about them, but is blended enough to be unique. The PDF is nice and clear and renders well on my eReader and iPad, which is one of the more important things for me when looking at rules issues in PDFs.

One of the problems though with reviewing like this, is that I didn’t actually get to play – which is why we’re going to get a full copy soon and do a play through and offer an actual play game at some point.  With strong background and rules that are integrated rather than bent to fit the world this is a fitting and strong homage to Tolkien’s universe, without becoming too heavy or difficult to manage.  There’s plenty of scope for adventure and fun, or building into disasters that start small and end the continent, including leading your characters – eventually into the events surrounding the books that fans love and cherish.

Next week, Kai’s going to be reviewing Dragon Age and its expansion - while staunchly ignoring the EA nonsense brewing over the Mass Effect DLC.

The Watcher - A Game Of Thrones, season two, episode one

WARNING: SPOILERS for the first episode of season two lie beyond, plus spoilers for season one as well.

OK, let's get this out of the way. I don't like George R. R. Martin's prose style and thus I couldn't get into the books. Great plot and some fascinating characters, but the constant shifting narrators was pretentious and detracted from the whole - often creating a frustrating elipsis of time as events were covered by more than one side with little benefit. In the seminal Japanese film, Rashomon, different narrators were used to weave four accounts of a murder, before a final version of the story reveals the truth. This has been mimicked many times since in both films and TV, and of course you can trace its roots throughout storytelling. However, Martin rarely seems to use his changing of the point of view to add to the story.

Thankfully, the TV series benefits from a move to third person narration, presenting us with the interesting plot without the pretentious prose style, reminiscent of a 15 year old boy convinced he'll be the next big thing in fantasy fiction. The characters are brought to life with compelling actors - an international cast that is a credit to HBO's dedication to the series. I loved the first series, pleased to see a television series with the scope of a feature film - and a rare example of an adaptation that surpasses the source material.

And so to the second season of A Game Of Thrones, eagerly awaited both here and in the US (as parodied by Funny Or Die below).

Sunday Is Coming - watch more funny videos

This opening episode is a compelling example of why this series is such a triumph, expertly weaving the introduction of new characters, whilst re-establishing the existing characters. A huge cast, with armies raising in all four corners of Westeros and beyond - juggling that is now small feat, not to mention all the intrigue and petty machinations in the court of King's Landing.

Joffrey has grown into a full blown horror - a malicious and vindictive King who delights in torturing his subjects and tormenting Sansa Stark. Jack Gleeson continues to portray a character I love to hate and I eagerly await his inevitable downfall. Sophie Turner's Sansa is believably hollow and broken after the execution of her father. Thankfully, Tyrion sweeps into the court - newly appointed to the role as Hand of the King - bringing with him better manners, a touch of courtesy and a light humour. All of which belie the towering intellect that resides within this short man. Peter Dinklage continues to deserve every award he receives and has become my favourite character on the show. His knowing banter with Cersei is superb.

Other returning characters find themselves in a variety of new situations. With his brother away to war, young Bran Stark is now Lord of Winterfell in the wake of his father's death. At night he dreams of running through forests as his dire wolf and seeks to visit the same spot the next day. The portentous comet he spots in the sky can be seen across the land, even as far as the Red Waste where Daenerys and her people are suffering from the effects of starvation on their long journey. Even her newborn dragons are refusing to eat the meet they are offered. Through it all, Emilia Clarke's character remains the strong, fiery young leader she matured into during the first season.

In the North, beyond the Wall, Lord Commander Jeor Mormont's party make came with a disgusting new character called Craster - an aging man who makes his daughters into his wives, in order to have more wives. Jon Snow rightly finds this foul man offensive, though he fails to hide his feelings. While this opening episode has very little of the sexposition that the first series became known for, the harsh words from Craster to Jon were a sharp reminder that this is an HBO show and will not pull its punches. It also seems there is a man who has declared himself King-Beyond-The-Wall and is amassing an army. Winter is indeed coming.

The other major host of new characters are another army rising to challenge the Lannister rule. In season one, Ned Stark sent word of Joffrey's true lineage to the late King Robert's eldest brother, Stannis Baratheon, the Lord of Dragonstone. He has pledged himself to a new God, The Lord Of Light and has had all remnants of the older Gods destroyed. A clever and seemingly capable man, Stannis sends ravens to all corners of Westeros, laying claim to the throne and exposing the incest between the Lannister siblings. The Red Priestess who has his ear, Melisandre, is a dangerous new addition to the cast. I look forward to seeing what developments the court of Dragonstone will bring to the series. The island is certainly an intriguing new element in the title sequence.

The episode really is a pleasing balance between the old and new, even stopping in on Robb Stark and his captive, Jamie. A tense exchange that once again showcases just how large the dire wolves have grown. The episode ends with Joffrey's outrage at the message from Stannis. Growing beyond even his manipulative mother's control, the vicious young King orders his guards to murder all of King Robert's illegitimate children. Only one son eludes them - the blacksmith's apprentice Gendry - currently travelling North to the Wall in a caravan with a disguised Arya Stark.

It's triumphant return for the fantasy series, once again blending a variety of locations and a multinational cast to create a TV series that is a true feast, elevating the story above the clumsy prose style and exposition of the source material. Another nine episodes of murder, war, intrigue, manipulation, camaraderie, tragedy and of course, sexposition await are coming. I can't wait.

Ben Fardon is bracing himself for the flamemail from enrage George R. R. Martin fans...

New Beginnings - Conan The Barbarian #1

It would be fair to say that Robert E Howard’s character Conan the Cimmerian, also known as Conan the Barbarian, is one that pretty much everyone knows. Whether it is through the medium of book, film, game or indeed comic. When mentioning the name many people will also bring up various Arnie impersonations which feels almost fitting considering that 30 years after his first film in the role, Dark Horse have launched a new chapter in their ownership of the comic book rights.

Marvel had originally penned stories but in 2003 Dark Horse took over with an unrelated story line which worked as a reinterpretation of the original tales by Howard. This new story sticks true to the same ethos.

Conan The Barbarian starts with a story called the Queen of the Black Coast - a new adaptation which works well in the bigger mythology of the man but opens in a way that welcomes even the newest of readers. Written by Brian Wood, it takes the original approach of using a well known figure but not treating him as such. It’s nice as a reader to not require an intimate knowledge or complete history to be able to comfortably read.

The story sees Conan fleeing Argos after a “dispute” with the local authority and befriending the master steersman of a humble trading vessel. This in itself is a vehicle (excuse the pun) to the main idea behind the story. The introduction of Bêlit, a feared female pirate and head of The Tigress. For those in the know, Bêlit is actually one of Conan’s first serious lovers and the dialogue portraying how his view is wildly different due to his perspective brought a smile to my face.

There is also an underlying feeling that to Conan all of this is a game, with fights to be won and prizes to be taken. There's an unbelievably innocent playful feel to it all regardless of the actual severity and tension. Even with a completely opposing nature to the situation it all works and you can feel your testosterone rising to meet the manliness of it all.

Becky Cloonan has provided the artwork for the comic, it’s not the most technically minded artwork but what it does do is convey the jovial feeling that Conan exudes. This is something that I think, as a whole, Cloonan has managed to do throughout the cast. Visually they all wear their hearts on their sleeves and this is occasionally a prettier aspect too! With all the focus on the characters it does draw your eye away from the background which have an amount of levelling throughout them with detail fading away the further you look into the frame. The distant backgrounds are little more that washes of colour in some cases. This does mean that as a reader you are directed to the important features as well enhancing the ease of read.

I’ve found this comic to be a very amusing and fun read on multiple levels. It has a wide appeal potential although it is aimed at a teen or mature audience. This isn’t even steered towards one particular audience and its light approach is one that I greatly welcome. Given its almost historic foundations as well I think Dark Horse has struck on a good little story to produce and I would encourage anyone looking for something new, but grounded, and without the need for anything else to certainly give this a try.

A very welcome read.

For more on Brian Wood and Becky Cloonan's Conan, do check out this wonderful interview at Comic Book Resources. Next week Matt Puddy travels to a galaxy far, far away...

The Watcher - The Legend of Conan

If you have seen the trailers for this week’s big release, chances are you know what to expect. In a summer dominated by shiny super-heroics, ‘Conan the Barbarian’ promises swords, sandals, sorcery and violence galore. But can Jason Momoa (Games of Thrones, Stargate: Atlantis) as the titular barbarian, not only beat the superheroes at their own game but also steal the crown of the original big screen Conan, Arnold Schwarzenegger? The Austrian Oak casts a mighty big shadow, but whether or not you consider Arnie’s breakout performance in 1982’s ‘Conan the Barbarian’ as a classic, hopefully the new film is more than just another cynical remake.

For starters, the legend of Conan is bigger than any one man, having proved to be an enduring pop culture hero who counts iconic fantasy figures such as John Carter, Tarzan and Buck Rogers among his contemporaries. In the nearly 80 years since the publication of creator Robert E. Howard’s first Conan adventure ‘The Phoenix on the Sword’ (1932) in the pages of Weird Tales magazine, the world of Conan has amassed a vast mythology through countless books, comics, television series as well as three big screen adventures.

Despite seeing only 17 original Conan stories in print before his suicide 1936, Howard had laid the foundations for an epic fantasy that would inspire generations of writers and artists to come. On reading the original stories, the secret of the character’s longevity becomes clear. Conan is a classic hero in the vein of Arthurian romance - as intelligent as he is strong - who strides through the ancient world in countless guises as thief, mercenary, swordsman, lover and eventually King. Moreover, the mythical ‘Hyborian Age’ in which Conan dwells is also more than simply a setting for violent fantasy, a world as vast and timeless as Tolkien’s Middle Earth and equally as rich in storytelling possibilities. Intriguingly, thanks to Howard’s friendship with Weird Tales stable-mate H.P. Lovecraft, there were even several hints that Conan inhabited the ancient world of Lovecraft’s own ‘Cthulu Mythos’, adding a further dimension to the original stories.

In the decades that followed, countless writers added dozens of new stories to the Conan library, but surprisingly, it was not until 1970 that the stories were first adapted for other media, with the publication of Marvel Comics’ long running comic series also known as ‘Conan the Barbarian’. The title is described as very faithful to Howard’s original stories and featured many notable writers and artists including John Buscema, Doug Moench and Chuck Dixon. In what be one of the longest running comic titles outside of the superhero genre, Marvel’s series and its related titles including acclaimed ‘Savage Sword of Conan’ ran for over thirty years and have recently seen a collection of reprints thanks to current licence holders Dark Horse Comics.

In many ways, comics had provided the ideal outlet for an expansion of Howard’s tales where the perceived gratuitous violence and daunting backstory had long precluded the possibility of a film adaptation. Inevitably however, the Eighties provided the ideal wealth of vision and talent to visualise the epic story of Conan. Produced under the auspices of Dino De Laurentiis and adapted by none other than Oliver Stone and director John Milius, ‘Conan the Barbarian’ (1982) is an epic fantasy tale that encompasses the many guises of Conan in its vast sweep.

The story sees Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Conan struggle from boyhood slavery in an epic journey of revenge in search of the aptly named Thulsa Doom, in an understated performance from James Earl Jones. Despite the overly serious tone, the film is vintage Arnie in many ways - providing early hints of the actor’s knack for self parody with drunken camel fisticuffs, ending a prayer to his deity Crom with the words, “to Hell with you!”, and proving that gyms are a waste of money by gaining a Mr Universe physique through a lifetime of slavery powering a giant coffee grinder. Violent and very long, the film is nevertheless regarded as a cult classic, with only an inferior (i.e. boring) sequel sullying its mighty reputation.

Perhaps however the sign that Conan had truly earned his iconic status was the bestowing of the ultimate honour in the form of Saturday morning cartoon ‘Conan The Adventurer’ (1992). Playing like a mix of Ulysses and He-Man and featuring a high fantasty content and typical Saturday morning sense of fun in place of gratuitous violence, the series proved a hit - and if the clip below doesn’t show you why, you obviously had no childhood!

So can Momoa conquer all this Summer? You decide!

Robert Barton-Ancliffe once punched a bloke in the face once for saying "Hawk the Slayer" was rubbish...

Interludes…

This week, if you’ll indulge me a little, we’re going to have a brief float around an entirely liminal state. The Reluctant Geek in its previous incarnation is finished (boo!), but your new (and fingers crossed improved) Saturday morning read is on its way.

In the meantime we’re in a rather lovely no man’s* land. Let’s imagine tiny fluffy clouds, and beautiful stars, and maybe the soothing sound of running water or whale song or something in the background.

Actually, I could really do with some soothing sounds currently, not least because I am recently returned from the Proud Lion Blog Night Out. I’d very much like to talk to you about motorboating, Thundercat slash and the excessive sassiness of some of my fellow bloggers, but it’s all a little bit like Fight Club - The first rule of Blog night out is that you do not talk about Blog night out. Sufficeth to say there were a few drinks involved...

Anyway, all of this floaty, inbetweeny stuff means that I am even more prone to wandering off track than usual, so let’s drag ourselves back to business. I would like you to imagine for a moment that you have a friend. (There’s more, don’t worry, this isn’t some carte blanche attack on your social skills…) This friend has never picked up a comic, switches the channel when anything vaguely sci-fi comes on to the television and thinks that ‘roleplaying’ is best confined to the bedroom. Perhaps they had a bad experience dressed as Batman as a child, involving paddling pools and public humiliation. Perhaps an air of carefully cultivated ‘cool’ prevents them from showing any kind of interest when you start discussing the relative merits of the tenth and eleventh doctors. Whatever the reason, you would be afraid to take this friend into Proud Lion for fear of triggering a fully blown panic attack.

Still with me on the whole visualisation thing? Excellent! Now I would like you to imagine that you awake one morning filled with evangelical zeal. You *will* convert your friend or else die trying! And rather than some kind of namby pamby, incremental , starting-off-with-the-soft-stuff approach you’re going straight in at the deep end.

The question then, is what comic/graphic novel/tv show or movie would you offer to aforementioned ignoramus to change their mind? If you had to pick just one thing that encapsulates everything you love about the world of comics and sci fi and fantasy, what would it be?

Now I don’t want you to think that all of my questions involve ulterior motives. There may come a point in the future where we all close our eyes and imagine ourselves in beautiful, flower filled gardens just for the hell of it. But I’ll ‘fess up now that this is not one of those occasions. Leave a comment detailing your own personal favourite, or pop into the shop in the next week or so and chat to Ben about those seminal, defining pieces of art, and I promise I’ll be gentle with your selections...

Unless of course they really need a firm hand. In which case all bets are off.

*Note: No man’s land. Even though a part of me still wants to say person’s, I’m too afraid of the combined wrath of Ben Fardon and Robert Barton-Ancliffe!

This week, Kate is fantasising about log cabins in the woods, swimming in the sea and Captain Jack Harkness. Not necessarily simultaneously.

The Reluctant Geek - Incest, prostitution and dragons' eggs

As it turns out, moving house can be a bit of a faff. All of that putting things in boxes, and taking things out of boxes. It just isn’t fun, unless you’re using the boxes in some elaborate game of ‘Hide the shoe’. And no-one wants to play that with me after last time...

This somewhat off topic pre-amble readers, is partially my attempt to illicit your sympathy (‘Oh that poor Reluctant Geek! Bravely soldiering on with her column while chaos reigns around her!’) and partially because the other unfortunate thing about moving is that you find yourself temporarily lacking access to life’s essentials.

Several hours into actually hanging out at the new house I was practically rocking and twitching with the strain of internet withdrawal symptoms. How could I catch up with news as it happened? What if some crucial email was awaiting my attention? Even worse, what if someone had posted what they’d had for lunch on Facebook and I’d missed it? Clearly social death loomed. I had become the weird kid at school whose parents believe that hours of TV might not be the best thing for a developing mind, and who can’t therefore discuss the finer points of Neighbours versus Home and Away.

Of course, I still had the Blackberry, which went some way towards calming my addled mind. But no amount of shiny mobile technology could compensate for the sudden and alarming lack of access to a squillion or so TV channels. Regular readers will know that I’m not a ‘watch the Antiques roadshow just cos it’s on kind of girl’ but I do tend to devote myself to certain shows with all the passionate devotion of a novitiate nun. And there was one particular show that I was unreconcilled to missing.

I’ve raved about the Song of Ice and Fire series here before, so it may not surprise you to learn that I have been anticipating the Game of Thrones TV show with a fair amount of high pitched enthusiasm. And LARP/moving/work complications meant that in the end I was forced to throw myself upon the mercy of a friend, watching all of the first three episodes in some kind of orgiastic frenzy of fantasy TV appreciation.

And as it turns out, ‘orgiastic’ is a strangely apposite adjective, since one of Game of Thrones defining features is its ‘adult’ content. I was worried that they might have been tempted to go with the fantasy TV = kids TV precedent and just cut out vast swathes of the sex and violence. But then, there wouldn’t be much of a show left. So even if I was slightly alarmed by the fact that ‘boob count’ had made it into double figures by the end of episode one, I was vaguely relieved as well.

Naked ladies aside, did I like Game of Thrones? Do LARPers like plastic weapons?! The answer is yes, yes, a thousand times yes.

For starters, it’s gorgeous to look at. The Wall is awe inspiring, and the gritty Northern vistas of Winterfell strike perfect chords of melancholy beauty. The books are epic in scale, and the TV show is really managing to capture some of that dynastic immensity, particularly in the jumps from location to location, Winterfell to Kings Landing to the Free Cities.

More than this though, Game of Thrones also encapsulates that dichotomy of ‘real’ fantasy that the books handle so well. Yes there are dragons, and Dire wolves, but there are also petty squabbles, characters with their own unique insecurities, and the practical minutiae of life to be contended with. This immediacy is striking and compelling. The misery of Catelyn’s haggard bedside vigil, in a cold and cheerless room, as wolves howl at her door is difficult and thus brilliant, to watch.

It helps that for the most part the characterisation is spot on. Dwarf or not, Tyrion Lannister is so witty and clever that he may just count as my new ‘weird crush’ (I’m really sorry Noel Fielding). Cersei is brilliantly, languorously resentful, with a sense of entitlement that is practically palpable. And Daenerys has all of the regal vulnerability that you could hope for.

With any luck, Game of Thrones will turn out to be a bit of a landmark for television, proving that there really is a market for ‘grown up’ fantasy. I want to watch TV that transports me to a different world, without any patronizingly pesky moral message getting in the way of the story. The bottom line is, it doesn’t always have to be about talking lions and magic boxes. Sometimes it’s about incest, prostitution and dragons' eggs too.

This week, Kate is off to stay in a Mongolian Yurt for a few days. Just call me Genghis.

Saffron Threads - Who am I, again?

I may have mentioned before that I'm a bit of an escapism addict. It's certainly part of the reason I enjoy tabletop RPGs and LARP, but it does have its downsides, namely keeping all those personalities straight and in-check.

I have a few past RPG characters that are not memorable, mostly from my early days of gaming or from a first attempt at a new system. I have two I'm very attached to but who don't get out to play because the games are on indefinite hiatus. Finally, I have two currently in play and am ready to roll up a third, all in different systems. I try to make the characters different from each other in a bid to make it easier for me to remember who I'm supposed to be being today: I don't always succeed, although I have yet to confuse anyone else in this way. I prefer to think that this is because I catch myself, rather than because I'm a rubbish roleplayer...

The first of the two on hiatus is a young, naive and somewhat flighty werewolf in a new World Of Darkness campaign, but with house-rules to the old WoD rules when the GM prefers them. She started out as a twenty-something living it up in London while working as a Parliamentary Researcher but after almost two years of play she's a scarily powerful werewolf with no paying job, sharing a ramshackle house with two mages, hanging out in the spirit world and a bar guarded by Wraiths and trying to avoid any responsibility in the decimated local pack. Oh and she has a wraith in her head: the only way she could escape the Deadlands as a werewolf after dying during her first Change was to agree to allow a wraith to guide her back. In return, he overtly and covertly pushes her to fulfil his own ends, and when he achieved them he will leave her. Allegedly...

The other hiatus character is for a post-apocalyptic free-form system run by Proud Lion's very own Ben called Cactus Land. This one was a rebellious adrenaline junkie, caring for almost nothing and no one. I have to admit, I loved this game. Because it was systemless, if there wasn't a reason in your backstory for you to be able to do something, you couldn't do it. End of. Backstory and character development is the key reason I roleplay, and the main reason I didn't get on with D&D v4 at all. As a social board game, it's good. As a roleplaying game, it sucked, and not in the good way. Back to Cactus Land: as an ex-Nascar driver and jillaroo, Lisa had many skills I do not, and her independence and nihilism meant there was no falling around persuading the party to cooperate! She still hasn't forgiven herself for almost escaping from a prison camp and hesitating when the rest of the party seemed to be in trouble, and then all being recaptured together. Really, who needs a spark of humanity with experiences like that?

Of my two current characters, Gudrun is a half-elf sorceress in a Norse setting of D&D v3.5. It's the first system I ever played but I've had mixed results on the roleplaying side of the game. I'm struggling to inhabit this character, and while there are things she will do, such as taking the dawn watch (because she follows Dellingr, father of Day and god of Dawn) and weaving in the evenings and walking with a staff (because that's what the Volva did), she doesn't have a unique personality for me. Yet...

I've mentioned Lady G before, my Curious Pastimes alchemist. She's a lovely roleplaying challenge because although she considers herself a lady "by accident of birth rather than character" she's unwilling to give up the status it brings or intentionally behave like a common peasant. So, I get to spend a weekend trying to avoid making a single smutty comment (something I have yet to achieve!) and influencing people by diplomacy rather than outright leadership, or shirking duties entirely – it's always Gin O'Clock for some players! I have a very clear sense of who she is and how she reacts, but even so, maintaining it unscripted for 16hours a day is another challenge. As a non-combatant alchemist, there's an awful lot roleplay involved in being her, so it's refreshing to take time out on a monster slot to just mindlessly hit things as the third gribbly from the left.

I'm trying out Maelstrom LARP later this year, which will see me attached to the pleasure cult, providing services in return for personal gain. And she will utterly detest nature, thus being a complete change from every other character I've played, and definitely involve me playing against my own preferences. Escapism, here I come...

This weekend, Saffron is running around being Lady G, then skipping off into the Mediterranean sunset for a well-deserved rest and cocktails on a beach, followed by some gentle sightseeing.

The Reluctant Geek - Baby Dolls and other toys...

It’s no secret that I am not the biggest fan of Cheltenham’s rather soulless Cineworld. I’m hoping I can say this without fear of legal ramification, but if next week there is a free the Gloucestershire one notice here instead of the blog, you’ll know I’ve been needlessly incarcerated for my anti-corporate radicalism. Whilst under normal circumstances I would try to vote with my feet on this kind of issue, I do occasionally bow to peer pressure and turn up there anyway. They have cookie dough ice cream so it’s never an entirely wasted trip.

Thus this Tuesday I found myself shifting uncomfortably in my seat, cherry picking chunks of uncooked biscuity goodness out of my tiny cardboard tub and resisting the urge to give the chattering morons behind us a good slap. And all this for the sake of a little movie called Sucker Punch.

Let’s get this out of the way upfront. Yes, Sucker Punch has had almost universally negative reviews. Yes, it contains an awful lot of gratuitous shots of girls in tiny outfits. Yes, as a feminist I’m supposed to immediately dismiss it as misogynistic, fetishistic crap.

However, this week I have decided to wear my controversial hat (it’s stylish too y’know) and ‘fess up to the fact that actually, I didn’t hate it. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m totally not buying director Zack Snyder’s self-deluding suggestion that the movie is actually some kind of critique on geek culture’s attitude to women in general. You don’t get to condemn the drooling, objectifying wank fest that is porn culture at the same time as pandering to it. But there was some interesting stuff in there, amidst the school girl outfits and the gyrating dancing girls. (I’m not even against the idea in principle that the gyrating dancing girls were pretty damn interesting in themselves).

In brief, Sucker Punch centres around the too-pretty-to-look-at Babydoll. Falsely committed to a mental institution and facing the prospect of lobotomy, she escapes inside not one but two fantasy worlds, (ever since Inception, single-layered fantasies are so passé). The first is almost as grim as reality, a brothel in which she is an imprisoned virgin, bonding with the other girls against the Dickensianly grotesque men who control their existences. The second, more authentically escapist level is a hyper-real, post-modern dystopia in which she and her fellow patients are kick-ass, Whedonesque models of empowerment who fight dragons, resist Steampunk Nazis and destroy cyborgs.

A lot of the criticism focused around Sucker Punch accuses it of a certain level of simplicity. The girls jump around in their outfits for our titillation, Babydoll as the central figure is all pink cheeks, and long lashes and lightening blond hair and the fight scenes lack any real tension. Subtle it most certainly ain’t, yet I can’t help but feel that this particular line of reasoning slightly misses the point.

Because Babydoll *is* an archetype. She is every blond virgin ever to get lost in the woods and run about defending her honour and fleeing from wolves. It is surely no coincidence that despite being thrown around like, well, a doll, in repeated scenes, she always emerges without a scratch or blood-spot or smudge on her. Her innocence has all of the unassailable power of symbolism. This is immensely frustrating if you go into the movie looking for compelling, well rounded characters but for the most part Sucker Punch isn’t a character driven film.

What it is, is a fable; a dark fairytale with all the signs of such, including the comforting, repetitive frame of the quest on which Babydoll embarks. Just like Goldilocks tries out three different chairs and Snow White evades the Wicked Queen’s tricks twice before she falls for them, Sucker Punch’s heroine plays out her own pre-ordained path, returning thrice to her fantasy world to retrieve the magically embued items that will enable her escape.

Apologies… it all got a little bit literary there for a moment. But love it or hate it, there actually is a fair amount to say about Sucker Punch, and for me that makes it at the very least cosmetically worthwhile. One of the most effective elements was the contrast between the relatively emotionally detached fantasy world of the third layer, and the closer to reality setting of the second layer. A character who suffers whilst the girls fight futuristic robots is relatively un-affecting, but when the action snaps back to the brothel chef with a kitchen knife the stakes change. In the real world, innocence is no defence against greed or lechery or violence. In the real world, girls bleed.

It’s this dichotomy that lies at the heart of Sucker Punch and ultimately, in this that it packs the emotional impact its title promises. At the very end of the film, when both of the fantasy layers once more fall away there is literally nothing left of the film’s protagonist. Snyder dangles those escape fantasies in front of us, but ultimately he snatches them back. The possibility of hope exists, but not for everyone.

The bottom line is that Sucker Punch is flawed and massively problematic. But if I’m going to put up with the indignities of chain cinemas, then I want to see a film that makes me think, and it did. It ends with a call to arms, advising us all to "Fight" as Babydoll does. And every day, life demands that we all have to. But like the majority of humanity, Sucker Punch hasn’t quite figured out which battles it wants to win yet.

This week Kate has been inhaling the smell of leather