Civilian Reader

Editor Amanda Rutter talks Strange Chemistry

2012-01-28T13:11:00.000Z

Earlier this year, Angry Robot Books announced their new Young Adult fiction imprint, Strange Chemistry (they have also announced a new crime fiction imprint). To find out a little more about the new imprint, I got in touch with Amanda Rutter, Strange Chemistry editor and former blogger on Floor to Ceiling Books.

So. Let’s start things off easy. Launching in September 2012, what is Strange Chemistry all about?

Hi Stefan, thanks for having me!

Strange Chemistry is the new YA imprint introduced by Angry Robot Books. It aims to bring you the very best in unique and wonderfully-written YA novels, under the general banner of SF/F. As you’ve come to expect from Angry Robot, you’ll get some weird and wonderful books that really stretch the boundaries of your imagination.

Any authors we should be looking out for?

As it happens, we have very recently announced the first two signings from the imprint! We’re thrilled to say that we’ll be publishing Kim Curran’s SHIFT and Sean Cummings’ POLTERGEEKS. Both fabulous novels, but very different – the former is a taut SF thriller involving the idea of ‘shifting’ decisions, while the latter is a teen urban fantasy featuring a rather snarky apprentice witch.

As you can see, we really want to represent the full spectrum of SF/F ideas and the YA arena is perfectly placed to host these novels, with its progressive and inclusive approach to ideas.

For aspiring authors thinking of approaching Strange Chemistry, what sort of novels are you most interested in?

For us, the sort of novels that will appeal the most are those with a fully rounded and believable protagonist. Good world-building will thrill us (we are currently considering a novel that has a truly wonderful far future setting, for instance), but, without that powerful central protagonist, novels will feel a little flat.

In terms of SF/F/Horror – well, we’re willing to look at any and all of these (and any combination of them as well!)

Other than Strange Chemistry authors, who are your top picks for 2012?

YA has opened with a truly astounding January and only looks to get stronger! We’ve already had Cinder by Marissa Meyer and a new novel by the always brilliant John Green, The Fault in our Stars. Over the rest of the year Veronica Roth is bringing out the impatiently-awaited sequel to Divergent – Insurgent – and we have the start of a new series by Julie Kagawa, called The Immortal Rules.

In terms of adult SF/F we’re looking forward to Throne of the Crescent Moon by Saladin Ahmed, 2312 by Kim Stanley Robinson and Whispers Underground by Ben Aaronovitch (three very different novels, but which demonstrate the vitality of what can be achieved in SF/F).

How does it feel to be the editor of a new imprint, after being an avid reader and blogger for so long?

Well, I don’t think anyone is going to be surprised to hear that, personally, it is an utter dream to be working as an editor! In the first two months, I have already chosen novels that will be published later this year and started the editing process. I have experienced the art of negotiating contracts with agents and enjoyed the publicity planning to accompany the releases from Strange Chemistry.

Every day has been so different – and, unquestioningly, I am excited to face every new day.

Anything else you’d like to share with readers?

Well... you might have heard by now that Angry Robot is running another Open Door period for unagented submissions. Having seen the success achieved last year, we have decided that Strange Chemistry would also get involved – we’re absolutely sure that there is talent out there just waiting to be spotted! So that is happening very soon.

As the SC editor, I’ve also been invited to be involved in a slush pile challenge for the British SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators). More news on that will be on their website. I’m certainly being kept busy, that's for sure!

Oh, and of course there will be a mass attendance of the SFX Weekender in the UK by Angry Robot and Strange Chemistry, so do come and find us to say hello.

Thanks so much for hosting the interview.

Guest Post: “Influences & Inspirations” by Claire McGowan

2012-01-27T08:00:00.000Z

Claire McGowan grew up in a small village in Northern Ireland. After a gaining a degree from Oxford University and “spells in exciting places” including France, Oxford, and China, McGowan moved to London, where she lives with a very cute beagle (check out her website for more on that) and is the Director of the Crime Writers’ Association. The Fall is her first novel, and to celebrate its release I asked her if she’d be interested to write a short piece about some inspirations and influences.

Some places seem to lend themselves to dark deeds – the creaking old house, the sinister woods, the mysterious island. When the main character in a novel sets off in the dark, during the storm, when the murderer’s on the loose, we just know something bad is about to happen. It’s like watching a bad horror film where the victims decide to split up and look for help in the disused fairground/mine shaft/home of the supposedly dead killer – clearly, it’s not going to end well. The setting tells us everything we need to know, so we can settle back and look forward to being scared, shocked, and gripped.

I’ve always loved reading crime novels with a strong sense of place, whether Agatha Christie’s Orient Express, the dark side of Colin Dexter’s Oxford, or the bleak seaside setting of what may be the first crime novel – Wilkie Collins’ The Moonstone. One writer I hugely admire is Barbara Vine, who makes brilliant use of both setting and period in her books. I read The House of Stairs long before I ever visited west London, but it perfectly captured for me both the atmosphere of Notting Hill, and the feel of the city in the sixties. Period is also part of setting – there’s an extra thrill to be had reading about the dark history (real or fictional) of a street you’ve actually walked down.

I myself come from what should be a fertile setting for crime: a small village on the Northern Ireland border. The North is a place of contradictions – stunning scenery, a dark history, isolated villages where everyone knows your business, distrust and resentment, warmth and humour. Being Irish is a real gift for a crime writer.

However, when I started to write my first novel, The Fall, I wanted to set it on streets I’d known more recently – north London, specifically Camden and Hampstead. I first moved to London in 2007, when I rented a flat on Kentish Town Road. After that I lived round Hampstead and Belsize Park for a few years. I was fascinated by the different people I saw living there, and how I could move in ten minutes from the estates of Gospel Oak, to the well-heeled houses round the heath. In the book I’ve tried to reconcile the London I know, of office jobs and Soho bars, with the one that abuts it, of homeless shelters, laundrettes, and violent crime.

I found that, as I wrote, the setting became bound up in the theme of the book – how a violent act can bring us into contact with strangers, and link us to them in ways we can’t control. In my London, I might sit next to anyone on the bus or stand behind them in the supermarket queue, but most of the people I got to know were just like me, with similar backgrounds and interests. The Fall is about what happens when very different people have to work together in the aftermath of a crime, to rebuild their lives and discover what really happened that night. And although I love books where the past returns in sinister ways, I was very clear that this book was rooted in contemporary London, the one I’d lived in.

Setting is a key aspect of a good crime novel, I think. Used well, it can become almost another character in the book. The best type of setting will seep into the book, driving the plot, defining character – what happens when this person is placed in a difficult or isolated place, or a situation of violence? A change of setting is the classic catalyst for a plot – the protagonist may go to a new place (often to escape a personal trauma), or someone new may arrive, upsetting the order of things. I’ve said that some places are classic crime settings – dark, spooky, and sinister -but the truth is crime can happen anywhere. It would be an even greater challenge to make an innocuous place deeply frightening – a playground, say, or a beautiful house (something Sophie Hannah often does), or somewhere unusual like a train or a boat, or even a plane (I’ll have that one if no one’s done it yet). After all, it’s not really the setting that’s dangerous – it’s the characters we put into it that you have to watch out for.

Upcoming: “Magic: An Anthology of the Esoteric and Arcane” (Solaris)

2012-01-26T12:32:00.001Z

Forthcoming anthology draws big name authors

Following in the wake of two other critically-acclaimed Solaris themed anthologies, The End of the Line (set on the London Underground) and House of Fear (haunted house stories), Solaris Books will be publishing Magic: An Anthology of the Esoteric and Arcane in November 2012 in both the US and UK.

Before I get into who’s contributing pieces for the anthology (it’s a great line up, so just bear with me) – how cool is that cover? Really like it.

Anyway, back to the content. There are a couple of genre-fiction big-name authors taking part in the anthology – for example, Civilian Reader favourite (and New York Times bestseller) Dan Abnett, and also Sophia McDougall and Will Hill. There will also be contributions by some newcomers, such as Lou Morgan, who had this to say about working on the anthology:

“I’m thrilled to be part of a line-up which includes so many authors I respect and admire, as well as to be working with Solaris again. There’s such a great mix that I’m really looking forward to seeing what everyone comes up with! My own story revolves around a man who can never quite get away from his past – and for whom magic is far more of a curse than it is a blessing...”

Lou is on my list of Authors To Watch in 2012, and her debut novel – Blood & Feathers – will be published this year in July. I will also be posting and interview with Lou on February 15th, so be sure to check back for that.

Sophia McDougall, author of the Romanitas trilogy (Romanitas, Rome Burning, Savage City), says:

“Surely everyone has at some point tried to do magic. Wishing on birthday cake candles, or willing an exam hall clock to turn back, or quietly trying to levitate a pencil with your brain – if you have not, I suggest you give it a go right now – 0r how are we to know you are not the wizard we have been waiting for? The concept of a source of incredible power that humans might be able to access, is deeply seductive.

“Magic makes the world amenable to human patterns – willing to bargain, tameable. Yet magic is frightening, because it also does the opposite. Even before you give up your soul or your firstborn, the price of magic is accepting we might have fundamentally misunderstood the way the universe works. Magic means you don’t know what’s going on under your nose: it means threats could lurk in the seemingly harmless and you might not be able to make yourself safe. And while, outside fiction, we can probably be pretty sure that magic does not exist, it remains a good lens for looking at our relationship with the unknown and with our limits. Magic works in the overlap between our strongest desires to control the world and our worst fears it will control us. ”

But, the name that has topped every press release and other blog post about the coming book, is Audrey Niffenegger – mega-selling author of The Time-Traveller’s Wife, who is writing her first short story for a commercial trade anthology. Here’s what she had to say about the anthology:

“I'm delighted to be involved in this project… My story is called The Wrong Fairie and is about Charles Altamont Doyle. He was a Victorian artist who was institutionalized for alcoholism. He was also the father of Arthur Conan Doyle, and he believed in fairies.”

As far as I can tell, the full line-up has not been finalised, but here are the names already announced: Alison Littlewood, Dan Abnett, Christopher Fowler, Storm Constantine, Robert Shearman, Paul Meloy, Sophia McDougall, Will Hill, Gemma Files, Sarah Lotz, Lou Morgan, Thana Niveau, and more.

“Goliath” by Scott Westerfeld (Simon & Schuster)

2012-01-26T08:00:00.000Z

Reviewed by Alyssa

The exciting conclusion to the Leviathan Trilogy

Alek and Deryn are aboard the Leviathan when the ship is ordered to pick up an unusual passenger. This brilliant/maniacal inventor claims to have a weapon called Goliath that can end the war. But whose side is he really on?

While on their top-secret mission, Alek finally discovers Deryn’s deeply kept secret. Two, actually. Not only is Deryn a girl disguised as a guy... she has feelings for Alek.

The crown, true love with a commoner, and the destruction of a great city all hang on Alek’s next-and final-move.

I am a big fan of Scott Westerfeld, and have particularly enjoyed the Leviathan Trilogy (see my review of Behemoth, the second book in the trilogy, here). Goliath delivers on all of the promise of the first two books. It is a fast-paced adventure that takes us around the globe, filled with fantastic creatures and machines. The rest of the review will contain minor spoilers for the first two books, so if you haven’t already started this series, stop reading now, track down Leviathan and start there – the Leviathan Trilogy is well worth your time.

Goliath begins with Alek and Deryn newly returned to the Leviathan and re-adjusting to the structures and routines of the ship after the independence of Istanbul. Alek is becoming increasingly frustrated with the limitations he encounters as a foreign civilian on a military ship, and firmly believes he is destined to end the war, while Deryn struggles with her feelings for Alek and her fear of discovery, which could ruin her friendship with Alek, destroy her career, and disgrace the airship she considers her home. When the Leviathan picks up Nikola Tesla in what can only be described as mysterious circumstances, the stakes are raised for both characters.

Westerfeld does a masterful job of constructing his story: the pace is fast, with personal revelations and risks interweaving with events of broader import. He does not give us time to get bored. While I don’t know that I had an idea of how it would happen, the manner and timing of Alek’s discovery of Deryn’s secret surprised me in the best possible way, and worked very well to further the plot. Both Alek and Deryn have grown over the trilogy, and continue to do so: in order to get what they want, and even to survive, they will have to give up some of their illusions, and to consider new and different ways to pursue their dreams.

One of the great achievements of these novels is that they broaden our understanding of our own history, even as they create a new one: Alek and Deryn’s journey around the world shows them the hand of the war beyond the European fronts that readers are familiar with – this war is at work in Japan, Mexico, and the United States as well as Germany, France, and Russia, and Westerfeld enables us to reflect on its imperialist underpinnings as we marvel at the Darwinist beasties and Clanker machines. Westerfeld also reveals a dark side to all of these fascinating technological developments: a weapon of large-scale destruction becomes a realistic possibility thirty years earlier.

Goliath sees the return of most of the secondary characters from the first two novels, all of whom I love to read: Dr. Nora Barlow and Count Volger are great, as is Eddie Malone. Bovril and his fellow perspicacious lorises (is that the plural of ‘loris’?) remain some of the most endearing and delightful creatures I’ve encountered in fiction, and we get to see a lot more of them in this book. They bring humour and energy to every scene in which they appear, and Westerfeld distils wit and incisive observation into the very few words they speak. The lorises are mysterious beasties, and even at the end of the novel, I felt like there was much more to them than what I had seen. They are a brilliant creation on Westerfeld’s part. We also get appearances from William Hearst and Pancho Villa, which are a lot of fun.

Goliath also introduces us to some of the more unsettling fabrications of Westerfeld’s world. Through the Leviathan’s encounters with the other countries involved in the war, we see more of the Darwinist militaries. Up until this point, most of the fabrications we’ve encountered have tended towards gentle, even cute – such is not the case in this novel. The attack on an Austrian warship by Japanese Kappa is really unnerving, both for the reader and for Deryn and Alek. The Russian fighting bears are another of the scarier additions to this world’s menagerie, and provide a chilling example of what happens when humans lose control of fabricated creatures. Westerfeld’s imaginative work continues to impress – this world is detailed, nuanced, and completely immersive.

Keith Thompson’s art is particularly good in this volume of the trilogy, capturing the tone of scenes and characters perfectly, by turns playful, dramatic, and creepy. The two-page spread of the fighting bears gone feral in particular is beautiful and striking, and Thompson’s drawing of Bovril playing with Eddie Malone’s fake moustache is just delightful. The illustrations work perfectly to enhance and complement Westerfeld’s story.

This is a fantastic conclusion the Leviathan Trilogy. Westerfeld has given his readers a brilliantly-imagined world and a story that lives up to it – this was a treat to read.

Highly recommended.

Leviathan Trilogy: Leviathan, Behemoth, Goliath

Upcoming: SUPERBIA (Boom Studios)

2012-01-25T16:38:00.001Z

What goes down when the capes come off?

There is a new series debuting this March from BOOM! Studios (easily one of my favourite comic publishers), which has piqued my interest, because it sounds like it could be a lot of fun: SUPURBIA.

Written by Grace Randolph (Marvel’s Nation X, HER-OES) and drawn by Russell Dauterman, the new series focuses on the secret lives of the world’s greatest heroes’ spouses. After all, behind every great hero is the woman or man who makes their world run. The series is only going to run for four issues, but it will give readers a Desperate Housewives-esque look at the private lives of superheroes and the drama, conflict and outrageous behaviour of their everyday lives.

Here’s what Randolph had to say about the series:

“So often in superhero comics, the girlfriend or boyfriend is left totally in the dark and unable to participate in their loved one's heroic activities. But in the real world, significant others not only know what their other half is up to, but they have an opinion! These couples have a fabulous and fascinating mix of ordinary problems seen through the superhero lens, and superhero problems seen through the ordinary lens. However, what really makes this book soar is that with BOOM! I’m able to push these characters in directions that the bigger publishers simply can’t or won’t [allow]. See your favorite archetypes explored as you only wish they could be and should be.”

And here’s a synopsis for the mini-series:

Meet the Real Housewives of Earth's greatest super-team, the Meta Legion! It’s the egos, the tantrums, and the betrayals of the super set. Find out what happens behind the masks as superhero families are faced with the sordid problems of everyday life – and then some! This series takes the familiar super-team and turns it on its head with a scandalous, TMZ-fueled look at what it’s like to live with a superhero! Let the battle for the neighborhood begin!

SUPURBIA #1 by writer Grace Randolph and artist Russell Dauterman will ship in March, with an Alè Garza cover and 32 pages of story for $3.99 carrying a Diamond Order Code of JAN120927 .

Introducing JOHN R. FULTZ

2012-01-25T08:00:00.000Z

John Fultz and Seven Princes, his debut fantasy, were all over the Orbit Books blog a few weeks ago (articles, wallpapers, and the like). Naturally, this publicity push made me even more curious about the novel. So, as I am wont to do, I got in touch with the author and asked if he’d be interested in an interview. Luckily, he was, so here we go…

As a debut novelist, I thought I’d start off this interview with something easy: Who is John R Fultz?

Well, I’m a storyteller first and foremost. I’m also a teacher, writer, guitar player, music lover, and general all-around humanist. I was raised in Kentucky but have lived happily in California since 1998. I also spent a stint in Chicago, an amazing town that I still love.

Your debut novel, Seven Princes, was just recently published by Orbit, so I was wondering if you could tell us a bit about the novel and what we can expect from the trilogy as a whole?

Seven Princes is about blood. Both the literal and metaphorical kind. Human blood, Giant blood, it’s all the same in the end. The main characters are the descendants of royalty, seven princes and a single princess. It’s about how they deal with the immense pressures of living up to their family’s expectation, the demands of their royal lineage, and the threat of ancient horrors that arises out of the distant past. Seven Princes is an epic fantasy with a dark fantasy flavor; an excursion into sorcery. The trilogy, Books of the Shaper, will consist of two more books: Seven Kings and Seven Sorcerers. There is also a mysterious figure known as Iardu the Shaper, who has many guises in many different kingdoms, and who may be secretly “shaping” the world into a vision of his own design; or he may have given up on this vision after so many centuries. Seven Princes delivers its share of swashbuckling action, but it also explores the metaphysical nature of the universe and the immense power of creative consciousness (which most people call “magic” or “sorcery”). Sorcery itself is a huge part of the novel and the series. And like anything else, it can be used for noble purposes or nefarious schemes.

Where did the inspiration for the story come from? And where do you draw your inspiration from in general?

Well, literally everything inspires me. Everything I’ve ever done, seen, heard, or experienced. Writers train themselves to reflect EVERYTHING in their work in some way. But, to be more direct, my biggest influences in the fantasy genre are probably my favorite fantasy writers: Tanith Lee, Lord Dunsany, Clark Ashton Smith, Robert E. Howard, H.P. Lovecraft, and more recently George R.R. Martin and R. Scott Bakker. And there are many, many other writers I could mention, but I’ll just say that anything I’ve ever read is an influence. Seven Princes began with the story of Vod the Giant-King, “the Man who was a Giant, and the Giant who was a Man.” Vod’s story serves as the backdrop for Seven Princes – three of the princes and their sister are Vod’s offspring. Vod’s story eventually comes out during the first book. However, someday I’d like to go back and tell Vod’s story in more detail as a graphic novel. I’m a huge comics fan and have written several of them already, so I think the Vod of the Storms is a legend that would be perfect for the comics page. Yet everything you need to know about Vod to enjoy Seven Princes is contained in that novel. Diving into a fantasy world is like jumping down the legendary rabbit-hole: There are always more twists, turns, and wrinkles to discover as you continue to examine the world you’ve built. It’s part of the fun of fantasy fiction – exploring a whole new world of possibilities.

How were you introduced to genre fiction?

Through comic books. I was born in 1969, so I grew up reading comics in the 70s – my favorite classic era of the medium. I used to read comics before I could actually read – I’d make up my own pictures. Later, when I actually learned to read for real, I enjoyed going back and reading all the comics I hadn’t been able to read earlier. Comics eventually led me to paperbacks – I was an insatiable reader of Conan, John Carter, Lord Of The Rings, Elric, and whatever other fantasy-adventure books I could get ahold of. I always loved going to the local used book store and finding some abandoned treasure – I still do! In college I discovered amazing writers like Darrell Schweitzer, Robert Silverberg, Harlan Ellison, William Gibson, Thomas Ligotti, and the granddaddy of fantasy, Lord Dunsany. My ongoing goal as a young writer was to get published in Weird Tales. It took me fifteen years but I finally did it. My first professional sale was “The Persecution of Artifice the Quill”, which appeared in Weird Tales #340, back in 2005. This set me on the path to many more short stories, and then to novels. Although I had written a novel (longhand!) in college, it was more to see if I could actually DO it than out of any hope of getting published. After you do short stories with some success, the next logical step in today’s world is moving to novels.

How do you enjoy being a writer and working within the publishing industry? Do you have any specific working, writing, researching practices?

I love being a writer, and I love being a published author even more. For years I sold a short story here, a short story there, did some comics, even drew my own graphic novel (took me two years). But when I decided to make the “leap” to prose novels, I decided to write MY version of everything I wanted to see in a fantasy. I called it my “Big Fantasy Novel”. My first effort was a misfire – but I ended up with the great story of Vod the Giant-King. It just wasn’t a proper novel. Instead of rewriting the whole manuscript, I decided to start over and, this time, tell the story of Vod’s descendants (among others). It worked; I found a great agent who believed in the novel, and the rest is history. Being a writer is something I’ve wanted to do my whole life... and the things we really want, well, we never give up on them. As for my writing practices, well I often like to create playlists that set a “mood” while I write. I do loose outlines for the books, but I don’t plan everything in too much detail. Basically, I have “tentpoles” that I want to reach as I go along, but I listen to my characters and follow where they lead me. Everything, for me, comes from character.

When did you realize you wanted to be an author, and what was your first foray into writing? Do you still look back on it fondly?

It must have been 6th grade when I first tried to be an author. There was a contest for elementary school writers – we created our own books and they were judged. I didn’t win, but looking back I realize it was probably because I copied all my drawings from the John Buscema/Ernie Chan Conan The Barbarian comic. I created a new story called “Garth the Wanderer”, but it was thinly disguised Conan. Then in 7th grade I wrote an original short story about a knight who goes out to fight a dragon against advice and gets annihilated. I’ll never forget my 7th grade teacher, Mrs. Kimberlaine, who not only gave me an “A”, she also read my story aloud to the whole class. That was an important day in my life. It definitely gave me the confidence to keep writing, and it also got me into a Gifted and Talented Class for a few years. I already mentioned the sci-fi novel I wrote during college – it filled about five spiralbound notebooks. It wasn’t very good, but I have this theory that everything you write makes you a better writer, so it was a necessary part of the journey.

What’s your opinion of the genre today, and where do you see your work fitting into it?

I think the fantasy genre today is in great shape. There are so many different sub-genres and so many great writers, it’s amazing to me. I have no idea where my work fits into the scene; others will have to make that determination. Some people call Seven Princes “sword-and-sorcery”, but nobody can define exactly what that is. John Joseph Adams is doing some great fantasy anthologies, like Way Of The Wizard and Under The Moons Of Mars, as well as his great Lightspeed online magazine (which recently merged with Fantasy to combine genres). Marvin Kaye is getting ready to relaunch Weird Tales in yet another new incarnation. Fantasy films are invading the mainstream consciousness, and the crown jewel in the fantasy genre right now is Martin’s A Song Of Ice And Fire, which gave birth to the amazing HBO series A Game Of Thrones. You can’t get a better advocate for the power and worth of fantasy fiction than Martin’s achievement (both on the page and on the screen). Fantasy is definitely a major force in both literary and cinematic culture. That makes me smile.

What projects are you working on, and what do you have currently in the pipeline?

I’ve finished the Second Book of the Shaper, Seven Kings, and I’m currently working on the third, Seven Sorcerers. I’ve got short stories popping up here and there – most notably, in an issue of Space And Time coming sometime soon, I’ve got a great story about gnomes. There should also be a piece from me in Weird Tales sometime this year, and I’ve heard that Archaia is finally releasing the long-awaited hardcover collection of PRIMORDIA. It’s a 96-page tale of a savage world where the Sun Lord and Moon Lord battle one another in a cycle of primal conflict; it’s also a love story. Absolutely gorgeous artwork by the great Roel Weilinga (PRIMORDIA’s co-creator) makes it a fantastic creation. The hardcover includes tons of extras, such as a new short story from me and a gallery of guest artists.

What are you reading at the moment (fiction and/or non-fiction)?

Between teaching and writing, I never have enough time to read as much as I’d like. But thanks to the holiday break I’ve been able to dive into George Martin’s A Dance With Dragons. Sitting beside that massive tome is a pile of other Can’t-Wait-To-Reads including Tanith Lee’s The Birthgrave recent hardcover re-issue, the last two Thunder Moon novels from Max Brand, Patricia McKillip’s classic The Harpist In The Wind (third book of her Riddle Master trilogy), and several short-story collections by Laird Barron, Robert Silverberg, Manly Wade Wellman, and a bunch more. I’m also re-reading one of my all-time favorite series, Tanith Lee’s Tales From The Flat Earth novels, as they are re-released one at a time in superb hardcover versions from Norilana Books’ TaLeKa imprint.

What’s something readers might be surprised to learn about you?

I have a tremendous love of the crime/noir genre. Sometimes writers get pigeon-holed as “fantasy”, or “horror”, or “sci-fi” writers, but I think most writers want to explore new ground and try new challenges. As much as I love the fantasy genre, I will eventually find an outlet for my crime/noir ideas as well. Comics would be ideal for this type of thing, since the play of light and shadow in noir is so very visual. Yet I also enjoy the tightly-woven crime/noir novel. I enjoy a lot of the Hard Case Crime novels, as well as Ed Brubaker’s Criminal and Jason Aaron’s Scalped comics.

What are you most looking forward to in 2012?

Finishing the Third Book of the Shaper. Seeing people enjoy Seven Princes. The next World Fantasy Con. Finding my one true love and making her mine. All the usual boring stuff.

Guest Post: “The Lure of the Stacks”

2012-01-24T15:57:00.001Z

by Mieneke van der Salm

As some of you may know, I'm an academic librarian. This actually doesn't mean I spend my day surrounded by books, even though the building I work at is assuredly filled with books, since the focus of my work is mainly on Information Services and Information Literacy instruction. However, it does mean that whenever I read an interesting historical fiction or non-fiction book, it's very easy for me to find further information on the subject of said books. And this is a terrible, terrible trap I can tell you.

There is nothing quite like the lure of the stacks. I'm sure you've all encountered this lure before, maybe when walking into your favourite book store or your local library, when all you want to do is spend time among those books and pick out which ones you want to read, ending up with loads and loads of books, which you then have to whittle down to a manageable number. The first time I encountered it, was when our neighbour took me to my local library for the first time when I was eight and I saw how many books there were to choose from. I could spend hours just wandering around and selecting that week’s reads. Later on, when I really got into Fantasy, the library became less important, as being Dutch, there weren't that many English language fantasy works to be borrowed. In fact, I first read David Eddings’ Belgariad and Malloreon in Dutch and after comparing those to the English editions I bought myself, I decided to never do that to myself again. So while my love affair with the library dwindled fiction-wise – in the end, I only borrowed books I had to read for my language classes in school – in non-fiction it kept going. I read historical biographies voraciously and loved looking stuff up about the background of the historical fiction I read from my parents’ bookcases.

After a bit of a dry spell at university, where I had to read so much for classes, that in my free time I just wanted to read SFF and escape from the dry reading of the more classical works, my enticement by the stacks returned when I started as a lending counter librarian at the Social Sciences library. Being an English Lit BA myself, this certainly wasn’t my field of expertise, but all too often as I was lending out or taking in books I’d run across titles that looked super interesting, or I’d wander the stacks retrieving books to be sent out as part of the interlibrary loans program and stumble across a book that was just fascinating. And sometimes these books would find their way home with me, if they weren’t already on the way out with a patron and I had almost finished my current read. Most of the time though, I’d write them down on a list: the “one day I will read these books”-list. And it got longer and longer... and then I switched jobs and in the process lost my list. In hindsight, this may have been best for my sanity!

But my new job is even more enabling: I now work at the main library, which houses the humanities collection. So any time I read a fascinating historical novel I can go into our catalogue and see whether we have something on the era it’s set in or about the person it’s about. Sure enough, we almost always do. And mostly, these books get added to a new list, as I’m forever in the middle of a book I need to read for review and reviewing non-fiction is not my forte, nor do I think the people who read my blog would enjoy too much of it. Right now, I have about thirty books on there, a mixture of academic works on the SFF genre and history books about different era’s and persons. And still, sometimes I wander by the new acquisitions cases and go: “ooh, I’d like to read that and that looks interesting as well and I’d like to know more about that topic.” And yes, I keep promising myself that one day I’ll read these books... I just hope that when I do get around to them, the list won’t have grown so big it’ll smother me.

So how about you? Do you recognise this siren call of the stacks? Have you ever wandered around a library to get one book and gone home with a completely different, non-fiction title? Or is this just my librarian’s quirk?

* * *

Mieneke is another great book-blogger, and I highly recommend her blog – A Fantastical Librarian – from which I have learned of many new and old novels I would not otherwise have tried or stumbled across. Also, follow her on twitter! (That’s an order…)

Comics Round-Up (Jan.25)

2012-01-24T08:00:00.000Z

Another varied selection, with a couple of continuing series as well as the starts of a few more. I must admit that I’m really starting to miss my DC and Marvel fixes every week. I’ll make sure to do a couple of catch-up reviews when I get back to New York, but in lieu of being able to review any DC, Marvel, Dark Horse, Image and Dynamite titles that might have caught my eye, this week also sees a new section to these Comics Round-Ups, and that’s a simple addendum that’s going to appear at the end, “Also Released This Week”.

Reviewed Herein: Incorruptible #26, Incorruptible Volume 5 (TPB), Infestation: G.I.Joe #1.1-2, Infestation #2.1, Cobra Volume 1, Key of Z #4, Witchblade #1

Incorruptible #26 (Boom)

Writer: Mark Waid | Artist: Marcio Takara

Don’t miss the final issue of the crossover event answering the question that’s been teased since the beginning of IRREDEEMBLE and INCORRUPTIBLE… how did The Plutonian and Max Damage become sworn enemies?

I love this series, just as I love Irredeemable, the other Waid title set in this world. In this issue, we see how Max got his powers (apparently, an inappropriately-dressed sexy nurse is part of every evil doctor’s staff…). It’s interesting to see how Max was perhaps the only person who thought something was off about the Plutonian – even taking Max’s sociopathic tendencies into account, his inability to believe anyone could be as good or self-controlled as the Plutonian proved ultimately, tragically correct. This was a very good issue, and shows Max had a little more depth even when he was a criminal. Really good. Highly recommended.

Incorruptible Volume 5 is also now available, and is another highly recommended collection. Here’s the synopsis:

A savage array of supervillains has overrun the barely-recovering Coalville and Max Damage struggles to find a way to rally the city. Meanwhile, his shaky alliances have become even more unstable, as Alana Patel, the Plutonian’s ex-girlfriend, continues her backdoor dealings with a shady businessman and Police Lt. Armadale finds that enforcing law in a post-Plutonian world can drive a man to the edge of sanity. Can Max find the last good man in Coalville to be the inspiration the city needs? Or will his past return to destroy the city’s last hope?

In this collection, we see Max’s working-relationship with Alana Patel, the Plutonian’s ex-girlfriend grow, as they attempt to get a handle on the situation in Coalville. The delicate state of affairs in the city are made worse by the arrival of a group of super-villains, who decide to make sport in the wounded city. We learn of one of Max’s unforgiveable crimes from his past, which causes more immediate problems as he tries to work with the powers in the city to appoint a moral leader to put the pieces of the city back together. Little does he know, certain forces have discovered his secret weakness; and a person from his past makes a short appearance to help out. On top of this, the women in his life continue to give Max a variety of headaches.

We also meet a new character who is going to play a bigger part in the story for a little while, Safeword – a woman with a great, very useful power, who seems to undergo a moral change much like Max’s.

Infestation: G.I.Joe #1-2 (IDW)

Writer: Mark Raicht | Artist: Giovanni Timpano

In a different dimension, a zombie hive-mind takes over the body of a covert vampiric soldier code-named Britt. Aiming to spread the zombie apocalypse to all dimensions using magically enhanced technology, Britt is able to open portals to four different dimensions before she is stopped. To what extent, and in what form, the Infestation has spread to these four dimensions

remains to be seen...

With the release this week of the introductory issue to IDW’s second Infestation event, I thought I’d get a little caught up with these. The G.I.Joe strand of this series seems to be a little different – rather than gribbly beasties, the Baroness, some Cobra Vipers and scientists, along with a captured Joe scientist, are confronted with a sentient, homicidal computer virus that takes over a Cobra installation and proceeds to kill… well, everybody it can. It’s an interesting conceit, and it’s nicely put together. I prefer the main G.I.Joe titles, but this was a pretty interesting diversion.

Infestation Vol.2#1 (IDW)

Writer: Duane Swierczynski | Artist: David Messina

Last year’s ground-breaking Infestation series, IDW’s first-ever event, saw many teams from multiple universes fight off a zombie invasion. Now, an even bigger threat has risen to threaten the growing IDW multiverse: Lovecraftian demons threaten to reach across time and space and destroy everyone everywhere and everywhen! Also featuring Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, this framing issue presents a threat that perhaps not even TRANSFORMERS, G.I. JOEs, Danger Girl, and others can surmount!

So in this introductory issue, we get a broad-brush approach to this new infestation. There’s a rapid-fire round-robin through some of the characters that are going to feature in the cross-over Event, and see just how large the infestation is. And some wonderfully gribbly Lovecraftian monsters, so that’s an extra slice of awesome right there.

One thing this issue did do for me, however, was inform me of another of IDW’s comic series: CVO: Covert Vampire Operations, as some of their characters feature quite prominently in this issue. I haven’t been able to figure out if it’s still on-going, or if it’s sporadic, but I rather liked the idea. The characters presented here, I thought, were pretty interesting, so I’m going to see if I can get hold of the start of the series and find out if my interest is justified. I’m also a sucker for a lot of vampire-related things, and this seemed to have a bit of an Underworld vibe to it. Suits me. I shall hunt some of the issues or trade paperbacks down.

Cobra Volume 1 (IDW)

Writer: Mike Costa & Christos Gage | Artist: Antonio Fuso & Lovern Kindzierski

His name is Chuckles. He's the Joes' top undercover agent. And he's just infiltrated a top secret, highly organized terrorist organization... one the Joes aren't familiar with... one with a snake motif. As Chuckles is pulled deeper and deeper into the dark underbelly of Cobra, where one misstep means death, can he pull off the ultimate deception and bring them down from within?

So here I go with more G.I.Joe-related comics. Ever since I read the Cobra Civil War stuff, I’ve found my love of this franchise reawakened in a big way. I can’t seem to get enough of the Joes and their terrorist nemeses. So, after seeing this mini-series going cheap on Comixology (the first issue’s free!), I zipped through them. The series is darker than G.I.Joe, as Chuckles has to deal with having to whole-heartedly assume the persona of amoral mercenary. He’s put in some morally ambiguous situations, as well forced to make a couple of horrific choices. I think Costa and Gage have written a superb story, while Fuso and Kindzierski’s art and colouring is gritty and atmospheric – it really matches the tone of the story and enhances it in many ways. The four-part series ended on an interesting note, as I couldn’t figure out how they went from there to Chuckles’s ultimate victory which kicks of the latest round of G.I.Joe titles (Cobra Civil War and then Cobra Command). I guess I’ll just have to keep reading, won’t I?

The next in the story continuity is the first Cobra Special.

If you’ve ever liked the G.I.Joe franchise, you need to be reading the various comic titles. If you haven’t tried anything Joe-related, then I highly recommend you do. Great military/action stories, filled with great characters and solid storylines.

Key of Z #4 (Boom)

Writer: Chondra Echert & Claudio Sanchez| Artist: Aaron Kuder

An epic, jaw-dropping finale! With the one man holding the key buried in chains, the two remaining human factions in zombie-filled New York City are ready for war. Will Ewing be able to escape his shackles and exact his revenge… or will a triumphant Lavoe finish what he started? All this in the pulse-pounding conclusion that redefines the zombie genre!

I really enjoyed the first three issues in this series, and have been eagerly awaiting this final issue. We rejoin Ewing in lock-up, after his ploy in issue three didn’t quite work out as he’d hoped. Eddie Alvarez, his young protégé (for want of a better word), makes the decision to join a side he believes in, rather than the side foisted on him by fate. As the tempers and tensions between the various criminal organisations now in charge of the New York Boroughs boils over, Ewing and Alvarez make their way to Rikers Island, to execute Ewing’s grand plan.

Echert and Sanchez bring the series to a great close, with some intense action, and some touching moments as well. Kuder’s artwork and Charlie Kirchoff’s colouring are great – very expressive and atmospheric, they bring the story to vivid life on the page. This is a great creative team, and I’m hoping they continue producing such good comics and stories. I’ll have to check out the Amory Wars series. Very highly recommended.

Witchblade #1 (Top Cow)

Writers: David Wohl, Brian Haberlin & Michael Turner | Artists: Michael Turner & D-Tron

New York Police Officer Sara Pezzini is the bearer of the Witchblade, a mysterious artifact that takes the form of a deadly and powerful gauntlet. This is the story of how she came to be the bearer.

This was an interesting read. I’ve seen Witchblade comics and collections on numerous occasions, but despite picking up the first trade paperback (which is only $4.99), I never got around to reading it. After seeing this first issue going for free on Comixology, I figured I really didn’t have any excuse to not give it a try. And, despite a few cliché cop thriller tropes, I really enjoyed this.

The first issue focuses on introducing us to the main character, the future wielder of the Witchblade: Sara Pezzini is a rule-breaking, gung-ho, and head-strong female cop of the NYPD. We get to know all about her character and skills when she goes after a drug dealer who is responsible for the death of a friend, and has somehow managed to beat the courts. She wasn’t invited to the operation, so she gets chewed-out by the precinct captain (who is basically her father-figure). Afterwards, her recklessness leads her to crash the Tournament, a competition held by one of New York’s crime bosses – the possessor of the Witchblade, but not its master (it won’t bond with him). Through the tournament, he hopes to discover the next wielder of the gauntlet, and then control that person. Little does he know, things aren’t going to turn out like he wanted.

This is a great intro to the series. I knew nothing about Witchblade except that it recently hit a milestone (issue #150), and that it was meant to be pretty good. As I said, I’ve already got the first collection, so I’ll be reviewing it pretty soon. If you fancy a taste of the series, check out this free issue on Comixology.

Also Released This Week

As mentioned in the introduction, this is the first time I’m including this feature. There are so many comics released each week, and for one reason or another I am not able to feature them all (much to my chagrin). I thought this feature might at least inform readers of some of the other titles being published that I think they may find of interest, especially new or “young” series and collected editions that it wouldn’t be too difficult (or expensive) to catch up on.

DC Comics: All Star Western #5, Aquaman #5, The Dark Knight #5, I Vampire #5, Justice League #5, Justice League Dark #5, Superman #5, Teen Titans #5, Absolute Kingdom Come (HC), Resurrection Man (TPB)

Marvel: Daredevil by Mark Waid Vol.1 (HC – really interested in trying this out, given how great I consider Waid’s writing to be)

Dark Horse: Angel & Faith #6,

Dynamite: Game of Thrones #5

Image: Marksman #5 (I’ll be putting together a review of all five issues currently available very soon)

Zenescope: Alice #1

“Babylon Steel” by Gaie Sebold (Solaris)

2012-01-23T07:22:00.000Z

The debut of a different kind of heroine

Babylon Steel, ex-sword-for-hire, ex-other things, runs the best brothel in Scalentine; city of many portals, two moons, and a wide variety of races, were-creatures, and religions, not to mention the occasional insane warlock.

She’s not having a good week. The Vessels of Purity are protesting against brothels, women in the trade are being attacked, it’s tax time, and there’s not enough money to pay the bill. So when the mysterious Darask Fain offers her a job finding a missing girl, Babylon decides to take it. But the missing girl is not what she seems, and neither is Darask Fain. In the meantime, twomoon is approaching, and more than just a few night’s takings are at risk when Babylon’s hidden past reaches out to grab her by the throat.

Babylon Steel: a heroine who gets really up close and personal.

I had no idea what to expect from Babylon Steel. I’d read the synopsis and thought the premise sounded interesting. What I found was a novel that has a strong central character, and a fun and well-constructed plot, which was a blend of fantasy and thriller with a dash of humour. There’s also some pretty good social commentary. This is a very good debut, and I really hope we see more of Babylon Steel, and certainly more from Gaie Sebold.

Babylon Steel is an interesting novel. There are three distinct acts, but also an additional, ‘historical’ thread of chapters that alternate with the main story set in the ‘present’. It’s a little difficult to go into too much detail, but the search for the missing girl is only part of the overall story, as Babylon and her companions (also her employees) find themselves mixed up in some local politics, and Babylon’s own past catches up with her.

The setting is an interesting one. In Sebold’s reality, there are multiple “planes”, connected by various portals (some stable, some not), and Babylon’s home is on a plane situated on an intersection between a number of them. As a result, the place is populated by a large number of intelligent and morphologically different species. I’m not sure if this would technically make the novel Sci-Fi or still fantasy... I suppose both? The technology levels remain low – for example, people still fight with swords and not guns.

Usually, I find the alternating-time-periods structural device frustrating, but the way Sebold has written the novel, I found myself getting invested in both threads equally. The importance of events in the historical chapters becomes clear relatively early on (not explicitly, but it’s easy to figure out where the story’s probably going), and informs the final act of the novel.

The historical chapters also gave Sebold the space to add layers and complexity to Babylon, to explain her evolution from orphan to tough-as-nails warrior-madam. The young Babylon (not yet going by that name) was selected to join a religious order by an Avatar of one of her plane’s gods. She is one of a few chosen, and through her eyes and the other initiates’ experiences, we get an examination of the predatory, manipulative nature of relationships between the “low-born” and members of an elite. Sebold gives voice to teenage frustrations, confusion and emotions very well, in a way that I think anyone can relate to: it’s written from a female character’s perspective, but I imagine only the most confident and arrogant teen male has never had similar insecurities. I thought it was handled very well, without any pretension or gloss. Babylon of this time is so tragically naïve. Ultimately, I really liked the way the two threads wove together, allowing us to get to know Babylon on a deeper level. It offers a great contrast between the older and younger heroine.

Sebold’s writing is very good, with fluid prose and a steady pace to the story. Her sense of humour lacks the frenetic “look, I’m being funny!” feel that some debut authors seem to suffer (even Terry Pratchett’s first few novels were a bit much), and instead Sebold deploys it when necessary and to maximum effect. It’s calm and observational, more than quippy (though there are some good quips, too). The levity peters out about a third of the way into the novel, as the story takes on a more serious tone to match events. The humour in Babylon Steel is more likely to make you chuckle or smirk than laugh out loud, but I thought that was perfect, and therefore liked it a hell of a lot. Also, given my rather more conservative tastes when it comes to sex scenes in fiction, I was glad that Sebold keeps them short and restrained, never descending into over-description or exaggeration.

Along with her superb writing style, Sebold has a gift for characterisation. For example, each of the employees at Babylon’s brothel – be they entertainers, security or the cook – is colourful, realistic and often good fun. They have quirky names (the bondage twins, for example, are called Cruel and Unusual; one of the guards is called Previous; and the cook is called Flower, because he’s big and green). More minor characters are equally well-conceived and realised on the page.

Babylon Steel ends on a relatively upbeat note, which suggests there may be more adventures to come for the eponymous heroine. Given how much I enjoyed this, I really hope there are more novels.

Highly recommended, Babylon Steel is a fun novel, from a very talented debut author.

For Fans of: Amanda Downum, Gail Z. Martin, Kate Elliot, Karen Miller, Terry Pratchett (sort of), Will King, Michael Sullivan, Anne Lyle, Scott Lynch, Juliet McKenna

Music Review: “Post Mortem” by Black Tide

2012-01-22T11:18:00.001Z

Black Tide are a band I missed completely when they released their debut album, Light From Above (2008). At the time, I wasn’t following the scene as much as I had before, and tended to focus on the bands I already knew, who have released a slew of amazing albums in recent years. I only learned of them when YouTube threw up “That Fire” as a recommendation for a video playlist I’d been putting together. And I quite liked it. So off I went to get the album.

I’m not entirely sure which genre or sub-genre of rock they belong in, if I’m perfectly honest. I suppose the best place to put them would be “neo-thrash”, seeing as they blend some of the best elements of thrash, while also bringing a more modern pop-sheen. Really, this is pretty light metal, and purists will sneer at it (as they are wont to do at almost anything), but I think it’s a pretty great album. And it’s criminal how young the band members are…

You can find hints of so many other bands in Black Tide’s sound, but they don’t come across as rip-offs; they pay homage to their influences, but this outfit manages to take all these elements and make them distinctive from most, if not all, of their peers. Most impressive of all is that vocalist Garcia was only sixteen when their debut album was released: he has a great set of pipes, able to switch from a roar to a more melodic tone easily.

[I’ve since investigated their debut, which seems to have a sound much more indebted to Guns ‘n’ Roses and Bon Jovi than anything on this album, while retaining the Metallica and Megadeth homage but it’s also worth a listen. Post Mortem forges a path and sound far more their own.]

“Ashes”, which features guest vocals from Matt Tuck (Bullet For My Valentine) is a great opening track, blending chugging, driving riffery. True, this doesn’t really set them apart from many new, young metal bands, but they do it very well. Where they stand out is in the vocals, which are always one of the first things I look for in an album.

“Bury Me” maintains the up-tempo momentum, giving us another mosh-happy track with a soaring chorus, which should get anyone with a pulse at least nodding along or tapping their foot.

“Bury Me” and especially “Let It Out” were strongly reminiscent of a little-known band From Zero (who released albums in 2001 and 2003), with sweeping melodies and a higher, slightly nasal melody to the vocals. “Honest Eyes” brings the tempo back up, sprinkling a few background screams in for extra metal chops, and then “That Fire” hits the listener over the head again. (Watch the music video, below.) This song is indicative of much of the music on the album.

The second half of the album is interesting, and sees the band stretching their skills and sound a little more. For example, “Fight To The Bitter End” was almost Linkin Park-esque if you stripped away the hip-hop/rap stylings (and still retained an uncanny similarity to From Zero); and “Take It Easy” has a glorious pop-sheen to the sub-punk vocals – it won’t impress the hardcore kids or metal heads, but it’s a good (if a tad soft) song. “Into the Sky” is an almost symphonic ballad, with sweeping and layered melodies. It took my completely by surprise, coming after “Walking Dead Man” – a song I can’t help but sing along to, which morphs from a Trivium-lite roaring start to a more diverse rock anthem, complete with widdly guitar solos. “Alone”, the penultimate song on the album, has hints of early Incubus. “Give Hope” closes the album on a more straightforward, rocking number.

The album’s not perfect, but it is certainly polished and GGGarth Richardson’s done a superb job with production. Black Tide are not reinventing the wheel, but they write and play this music extremely well. I’ve grown to like this album with every successive listen.

Ultimately, this is a pretty safe, rather inoffensive rock-metal hybrid album. It won’t impressive metal purists (it’s too commercial), but it’s easy to mosh along to, and there are plenty of hooks and melodies to get you humming or singing along.

“That Fire”

“Walking Dead Man”

For Fans Of: From Zero, Lostprophets, Bullet For My Valentine, AFI, Trivium, Linkin Park, Black Veil Brides, Rev Theory, Dope, and no doubt a few other young bands I’ve not yet heard of.

Tracklist:

“Ashes”

“Bury Me”

“Let It Out”

“Honest Eyes”

“That Fire”

“Fight Til The End”

“Take It Easy”

“Lost In The Sound”

“Walking Dead Man”

“Into The Sky”

“Alone”

“Give Hope”

Band Members:

Vocals & Lead Guitar: Gabriel Garcia | Guitar & Backing Vocals: Austin Diaz | Bass & Backing Vocals: Zakk Sandler | Drums: Steven Spence

Producer: GGGarth Richardson (one of my favourite rock/metal producers, actually)

“The Traveler” Vol.1 (Boom)

2012-01-21T08:00:00.000Z

Writer: Mark Waid | Artist: Chad Hardin | Grand Poobah: Stan Lee

A mysterious band of super-powered assassins, the Split-Second Men, have begun terrorizing seemingly random victims. The only one powerful enough to stop them is THE TRAVELER, an equally unknown masked crusader who knows just when they will strike. But where did THE TRAVELER come from? Whose agenda does he serve? And will his actions cause an even greater cataclysm of time and space?

In my quest to read everything I can by Mark Waid, I stumbled across this title (co-created with Stan Lee, the man behind many of Marvel’s greatest heroes). It’s an interesting title, certainly, with plenty going for it (Hardin’s excellent artwork, for example) but it didn’t quite live up to my expectations.

This comic is filled with a lot of interesting uses of time, time-travel and time-bending. Couldn’t comment on the soundness of the theoretical physics, but it’s pretty good fun and offers some original spins on popular superhero tropes.

The Traveler is a very good character, and we only slowly become aware of his mission and motivation. When we do, things start falling into place and certain actions by characters start to make sense. What seem like strange, random occurrences, prove to be very important and sometimes poignant.

If the series has one weakness, it’s to be found in some of the dialogue and interactions between a couple of the characters. Overall, these weren’t as well-written as in Waid’s other work – particularly Irredeemable and Incorruptible (which are now basically the standard to which I hold most, if not all, comics against). There are times when it just doesn’t feel as natural as it could. And a couple of the characters lacked the realism one would expect from such a talented writer, and one villain comes across as an adult going through the teenage angst of a psychopath (can’t name which, as it would spoil things).

That being said, there are a couple of good surprises that crop up, which make the series even more fresh, and also plenty of amusing quips and asides throughout the book. There’s even a cameo by a Stan Lee-esque old man (just like in the Marvel movies).

So, a comic with some strengths, and plenty of imagination and originality, but also one that lacks consistency, I feel. While it didn’t meet my expectations, it’s still worth checking out if you want some time-travelling fun rendered in some great artwork. It also ends on a strong note, which bodes well for Volume Two, which I will read and review soon.

Guest Post: Inspiration – by Brad Griffith

2012-01-20T14:59:00.001Z

A few days ago, I got an email from author and small-press owner Brad Griffith, asking me if I might be interested in having a look at his latest novel, Blue Fall. It sounded pretty interesting, with a premise that ticked a few boxes in the ‘Of Interest’ column: it draws on the historical notion of wars or international conflict being fought between chosen champions; only in this time, it is underground and probably illegal (I’ll have to report back after I’ve read the novel). I hope to get to it in the near future, but in the meantime, I asked Brad if he’s be interested in writing a short piece on the nature of inspiration. He agreed, so here it is…

Where have all the Muses gone?

Old timers in the writing industry have a saying, it goes something like this: “A writer without inspiration is just a sack of meat with a pen.”

Ever heard that before? No? That’s because I just made it up. One might say I was inspired. Rest assured that when I’m an old timer I will be repeating it to anyone who will listen, when I’m not busy scowling at the ducks in City Park, that is.

Inspiration is a funny thing. It comes at strange times, and it disguises itself in many forms. Not unlike the common cold, or indigestion, although it is a good deal more beneficial. So beneficial, in fact, that it is the lifeblood of writing. So let’s break it down.

The Nature of Inspiration:

What is inspiration, really? Is it just a “great idea”? Not quite. I get a lot of great ideas. Just the other day I had this idea to modify my windshield washer to shoot directly over my car and right onto anyone that might be tailgating me, something like a car-powered squirt gun. Now that is a great idea, but it is hardly inspired. I heard of this other idea, too, which I wish I had thought of myself: you go out and get a parrot, and the only thing you train the parrot to say is “Help! They’ve turned me into a parrot!” Now that is a great idea. But is it really inspired? Nope.

Inspiration is deeper. Inspiration is less the unearthing of a new way of thinking than it is a breakthrough in the way of viewing the things we see every day. A hard truth of life, and of writing in particular, is that it’s all been done before. Whatever you’re thinking about, whatever plot idea is circling around your head, has already been hashed out before in some form or another. Hundreds of thousands of books are written yearly, so if you’re looking to write a totally untouched, completely original book, you’re out of luck. The good news is, there’s always a better way to tell a story.

How about this story line: An orphaned child with a mysterious background finds that they have special abilities and are destined to take on an evil power. Heard that one before? Only a million times. It’s the basic plot of Star Wars and Harry Potter and the Mistborn series and the His Dark Materials trilogy, and countless others. But nobody would call these books copies of each other. It’s because they are inspired. They take the old and make us see it in completely new ways.

The Timing of Inspiration:

Whenever someone is hit by inspiration they often say something like, “It came out of nowhere!” As if it was one of those strange, errant drops of moisture that falls on you while you walk around downtown. It’s commonly believed that inspiration comes randomly, willy-nilly. That your muse walks around with a blindfold on looking to pin the tail on the donkey, and if you’re lucky enough to get stuck in the ass then voila! You’ve got a novel now, buddy!

This is not true.

Think about the times most people get inspired: those hazy minutes before you go to sleep, for instance, or while sitting outside, or while taking a walk. A lot of people get inspired in the shower, and, yes, even when sitting on the toilet. All of these places have two common themes:

1.) You’re alone.

Although inspiration and creativity can hit in group settings, specifically in workshops and the like that are tailored for it, I’ve noticed it most often comes to me when nobody else is around. Other people have the habit of focusing your thoughts elsewhere, usually on them. But when you are alone, you don’t need to focus on anything, and that’s when the muse will stick you.

2.) It’s quiet.

Music can be inspiring, yes, and so can other works of art like movies and plays [and books like Blue Fall, written by a handsome devil named B. B. Griffith, details below – end plug], but I’ve found that, in general, things come to me when all of the distractions of the world shut up for a bit. Perhaps this is why inspiration is so fleeting and can be rare; we’re bombarded with so much data all of the time that our lives have become big white noise machines. How are we expected to become inspired when we can’t hear ourselves think? Try unplugging for a bit. It does the body good.

So next time you need inspiration, why not take a walk, sit on a bench, and ponder your story. Then flip your story on its head and walk around it and try to catch it from a different angle. That muse will be tiptoeing your way in no time.

- Brad Griffith

Brad Griffith runs Griffith Publishing, a small press based out of Denver, Colorado. He is also the author of Blue Fall, a conspiracy thriller with a strong sci-fi backbone, out now in both ebook and paperback from Griffith Publishing. More information on Blue Fall can be found on their website.

For further ramblings about writing and publishing, check out the Griffith Publishing blog.

“G.I.Joe” Season 2, #1-8 (IDW)

2012-01-20T06:32:00.000Z

Writer: Chuck Dixon | Artist: Javier Saltares & Will Rosado

COBRA has lost its Commander. Fallen in battle to a G.I. JOE operative. Now, COBRA is out for blood. For JOE blood. Seven COBRA agents are now competing for the Commander spot by doing the most damage to G.I. JOE.

A COBRA agent infiltrated The Pit – G.I. JOE’s headquarters – disguised as General Hawk. A second COBRA agent – Storm Shadow – also infiltrated the The Pit. As the Joes tumbled to the infiltration, Zartan finished his mission, killing a captured Cobra Viper, but was caught himself during his escape. Storm Shadow remains on the loose, being tracked by Flint.

Meanwhile, in Washington, D.C., General Hawk and Dial-Tone are caught off from their G.I. JOE teammates and are on the run from a Cobra hit squad out to get them. Who ordered the hit is not yet known...

Here I review the third G.I. Joe series of comics that covered the Cobra Civil War. As far as I can tell, the story rotated through the three titles, but I was only just able to get hold of all of these issues. To summarise, this is another great title! It was also great to get the final pieces of the contest to become the new Cobra Commander. Really enjoyable.

It’s a difficult review to write, without offering loads of spoilers. Which is quite frustrating. Each issue is packed with story, and plenty of surprising events, and the pace is maintained throughout. After all, it’s open season on the Joes, and Cobra is far from a squeamish organisation. And the competition starts with quite the bang, as Cobra target the Joes’ headquarters, to devastating effect. G.I.Joe covers many of the Cobra candidates, without focussing too much on any specific character. It also features some of the more interesting Cobra operatives – the ninja Storm Shadow, and master infiltrator Zartan. One of the most important things, though, is that the G.I.Joe forces don’t know why Cobra has stepped up its attacks, and are left to scramble for safety. The contest for a new Commander is secret, much like Cobra itself – the Joes’ leadership comes up against official surprise and raised-eyebrows at their insistence that there is such a thing as an international terrorist, mega-crime-syndicate.

The Baroness seems to have an interesting role in the Cobra organisation, and therefore across the G.I.Joe-related series – she seems far more informed about the wider operations of the terrorist group than anyone else, and acts as administrator far better than any of the other candidates. She’s also the most interesting Cobra character, so I’m glad she crossed over into both this title and Cobra. She’s also involved in one of the many beatings the G.I.Joe forces receive from their enemies. Cobra seem to be one step ahead of General Hawk and his forces, at almost every stop along the way.

One thing I found quite interesting, was the fact that this title, and not Cobra, covered the victory of the eventual winner of the contest. Storm Shadow also plays a bigger part in this series, which I thought would have made more sense in Snake Eyes, given their shared history and obvious animosity for each other.

If I had one criticism, it’s in the characters of the G.I.Joes. They’re almost all too perfectly “good”, and therefore lack some much-needed nuance. They rarely bicker between themselves, and they are all so damned noble. Thankfully, Cobra’s in the picture, and they are all – with the exception of Snake Eyes’ team and Scarlett – far more interesting than the Joes. They are Machiavellian, they are ruthless, arrogant, and diverse. It would be nice if the Joes were made just that little bit less ‘good’ – if they had a little more of the less noble human qualities, I suppose.

The artwork is pretty strong throughout, with a high level of detail and sharpness for the most part, but still at times exhibiting a sketch-like approach, which ensures a not-too-polished visual – it’s also pretty good for portraying momentum. It really suits the story and tone of the comic very well. I also liked some of the artistic tricks Saltares and Rosado use to convey events without spelling them out. For example, in one scene, Beachhead drops a few grenades before taking cover with Roadblock behind a bank’s safe door. To indicate that the grenades have gone off, instead of some cartoon sound-effect written in comically large lettering, the focus of the frame is tweaked:

Overall, as with Cobra and Snake Eyes, I thought this was another entertaining and engaging comic title. Recommended for any fans of action, military and espionage fiction and comics, and if you can swing it, get all three of these series. In fact, I would go so far as to say that this should only be read with the other two titles as well – otherwise, there’s the chance it’ll appear as if the leadership contest was rather short.

“Irredeemable” Vol.7 (Boom)

2012-01-19T08:00:00.000Z

Writer: Mark Waid | Artist: Peter Krause & Diego Barreto

Plutonian has been banished by the Paradigm to an off-world insane asylum… but it’s proving too weak to hold him. Meanwhile, upon seeing a darker side of Survivor, Qubit has entered into an uneasy alliance with Modeus, the Plutonian’s arch-nemesis and one of Earth’s most feared supervillains to figure out how to stop the Plutonian once and for all. But what will happen when the Mad God returns to Earth?

This collection brings me up to date on the Irredeemable trade paperback volumes currently available. It’s another great addition to the series, but it was not the strongest of the bunch.

[As with all of my recent Irredeemable reviews, here is your Minor Spoiler Alert.]

Well this is interesting… I think I’ve found the first thing I didn’t love about the series. In the first Chapter of this collection, Qubit and Modeus are discussing Plutonian’s powers and where they come from. While interesting and very well thought-out, I thought by giving the reader such a long explanation some of the magic disappeared. The alliance between Modeus and Qubit has a lot of potential for future conflict, but for the moment it’s also fun to see them attempting to one-up each other on their knowledge of and theorising about the Plutonian’s nature and how to beat him.

The chapters of this collection focus more on the Plutonian, who still stuck in the intergalactic insane asylum. We see how, with the help of another, mysterious inmate, he plots his escape. Along the way, they collect a band of super-powered nutcases who they use to further their ends. The most interesting character for me? The suicidal cutter with a telekinetic problem, who suffers from a very cleverly-conceived problem: when she cuts herself, she remains unharmed, but others receive the wounds. The Plutonian manipulates her (and the other members of their little group) expertly. It’s a dangerous road, through multiple levels of progressively dangerous foes, and the Plutonian’s and his companions’ powers are tested to the limits. In addition, we get some more, interesting flashbacks to the days of Plutonian as a hero (including his superhero debut), which further expand our understanding of his past. Throughout the series, these flashbacks help make the story more satisfying and complete. Waid has integrated them very well into the story.

Survivor’s ego continues to grow, as well as his anger at Qubit’s and other original Paradigm members’ concern about his shift in character. He doesn’t feature much in this collection, however, although I’m assuming, given how this book ends, he will be more central in the next few issues. It’s been a while since we spent any time with a number of Paradigm members, actually. Those we do visit with continue to be interesting, but we only see small bits of how their stories are developing. Kaidan is a central component of Qubit and Modeus’s alliance, but there’s not a whole lot of movement there. It’s a pity, as I think this is the first collection that felt a tiny bit like it was treading water, taking its time to get somewhere. It’s interesting, and there’s lots of great artwork throughout, but I felt the story didn’t move forward as much as it could have.

The artwork throughout is brilliant – both Krause and Barreto have great styles that suit the story and are visually pleasing. They are two of my favourite comic artists, and their work complements Waid’s writing and story perfectly.

As always, a very well-put-together comic, even if this wasn’t my favourite collection. I would still highly recommend the series to all, though.

Introducing ANNE LYLE

2012-01-18T08:00:00.000Z

The first in what I hope to be a string of interviews with 2012 Debut authors, today Anne Lyle tells us a little bit about her highly anticipated upcoming Elizabethan fantasy, The Alchemist of Souls, her writing practices, and confesses to a history of impersonating a snowflake…

As a debut novelist, I thought I’d start off this interview with something easy: Who is Anne Lyle?

Hmm – not sure that is an easy one! I’m a zoology graduate and former non-fiction production editor turned web developer; a technophile and all-round Mac geek who also loves history and languages. I’m an England cricket fan, a tolerably good cook and partial to a glass of single malt. None of this, apart from the love of history and languages, has anything to do with my fiction. Oh, well maybe the zoology, too. I love creating interesting non-humans for my stories.

Your first novel, The Alchemist of Souls, will be published by Angry Robot Books in April. It’s one of my most anticipated novels of 2012, but for those who haven’t heard of it, how would you introduce it to a new reader?

The Alchemist of Souls is the first instalment in an alternate history fantasy trilogy, set in an Elizabethan England where the Age of Discovery hasn’t turned out quite the way it did in our world. The conquistadors have been turned back by an alliance between the Native Americans and a powerful magical race known as skraylings, and the latter have recently formed an alliance with England against Spain. The hero of the series, Mal Catlyn, is a down-at-heel swordsman who is plucked almost literally from the gutter to act as bodyguard to the skrayling ambassador, and finds himself drawn into a conspiracy that could cost England her powerful new ally – and Mal his soul.

Where did the inspiration for the story come from? And where do you draw your inspiration from in general?

The inspiration comes from the depths of my twisted imagination – but also from extensive non-fiction reading. I’d read Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs and Steel and was inspired to come up with a scenario that would have made it much harder for Europeans to conquer the New World, so that’s basically where the skraylings come from. The choice of Elizabethan London for the setting was based on my love of the period in general, and in particular my fascination with the Elizabethan secret service.

How were you introduced to genre fiction?

I guess through teachers at school. I remember one teacher reading The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis to the class (in the equivalent of third grade, I think), and then when I was a bit older I started gravitating towards the science fiction shelves in the local public library. Andre Norton was an early favourite, and James White’s Sector General stories - anything to do with aliens and xenobiology!

How do you enjoy being a writer and working within the publishing industry? Do you have any specific working, writing, researching practices?

Well, it’s very enjoyable – I get to go to conventions and have a fun time with all my writer friends, and charge it as a business expense. :) As for specific working practices, I just write regularly. Not necessarily every day – sometimes life gets in the way - but it’s my number one priority after the basics like eating and sleeping!

When did you realize you wanted to be an author, and what was your first foray into writing? Do you still look back on it fondly?

I don’t recall having some great epiphany about “being an author” – I just always liked writing stories and gradually came to realise that I wanted to get published. My first foray was probably the script my best friend and I wrote for our favourite kids SF show – we got a lovely letter back from the production team, with signed photos of the cast. Best. Rejection. Ever.

What’s your opinion of the genre today, and where do you see your work fitting into it?

I think there’s a lot of exciting stuff going on in fantasy in the 21st century. We’ve moved on a lot from the days when it was mostly love letters to Tolkien, and now the genre is a lot more varied – for one thing, it’s not all straight white guys any more!

I see my writing as fitting somewhere between the grim ‘n’ gritty fantasy of Martin, Abercrombie et al, and the more (for want of a better word) elegant historical fantasies of Ellen Kushner, Guy Gavriel Kay and Tim Powers. My publishers like to describe my book as “GRRM meets Shakespeare”, which is a hell of a comparison to live up to, but at the same time I can see where they’re coming from.

What projects are you working on, and what do you have currently in the pipeline?

I’m currently working on the sequel, The Merchant of Dreams, and I have a third book, The Prince of Lies, in the pipeline. After that, who knows? I have a few ideas on the backburner, but nothing solid planned.

What are you reading at the moment (fiction and/or non-fiction)?

I’m reading The White Road by Lynn Flewelling. No non-fiction on the go at the moment (apart from snippets of research).

What’s something readers might be surprised to learn about you?

I once appeared in pantomime as a snowflake (I was about eight or nine).

What are you most looking forward to in 2012?

My book coming out, obviously! Apart from that, the two big UK conventions of the year: Eastercon, which is the weekend after my book is published, and FantasyCon, because last year’s was brilliant.

Find out more on Anne’s website, blog, Facebook, and Twitter.

The Alchemist of Souls is published by Angry Robot Books at the beginning of April 2012.

Two Awesome Upcoming DC New 52 Covers

2012-01-17T19:45:00.001Z

A simple artwork post, this, but many of the great covers for the eighth issues of DC’s New 52 titles were unveiled today on DC’s blog. There were two in particular that stood out for me (not just because they’re series I’ve been enjoying), so I thought I’d share them on here.

First up, Batwoman:

Cover: Amy Reeder | Writers: J.H. Williams III & W. Haden Blackman | Artist: Amy Reeder & Rob Hunter

Second, Resurrection Man:

Cover: Rafael Albuquerque | Writers: Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning | Artist: Fernando Dagnino

“Dracula: Company of Monsters” Volumes 1-3 (Boom)

2012-01-17T14:30:00.000Z

If you resurrect a Vampire King, you should expect to get bitten…

Writer: Daryl Gregory & Kurt Busiek | Artists: Scott Godlewski & Damian Couceiro

A powerful, predatory corporation acquires a valuable asset – Dracula! They think they own him, but no one can own the Son of the Dragon. There’s a monster in their midst that puts Hannibal Lecter to shame – and he plans to gain his freedom in blood.

Evan, a scion of the corporation finds himself caught in between his crazy uncle and his schemes, and Dracula’s calculating cruelty. As the forces of the corporation and Dracula draw battle-lines and face off against each other, Evan must enter into an unlikely alliance. Can Evan work to rally a rebellion that will be able to withstand the onslaught…?

It’s bloodsuckers vs. bloodsucker.

Just a quick review of this series, which I stumbled across by accident. Regular readers will know I’m a fan of vampire fiction, and the premise for this series just really appealed to me. The books bring the Dracula myth kicking, screaming and biting into the modern day. It blends activist corporate agendas with the supernatural and undead, and examines man’s obsession with power, our tendency to greed, and the age-old quest for immortality.

The artwork is mostly clean and detailed, although on occasion it becomes sparse and rougher (depending on the artist handling the issue/chapter in question). The change in style is nicely deployed, and the transition was never jarring. In fact, I often didn’t notice a change in artist while reading – this had a lot to do with the writing and pacing, of course, but the two styles were also seamlessly integrated. I really like the way each of the characters has been realised – both main and peripheral members of the cast – and the colouring is superb, with the different palettes well chosen to match the mood and atmosphere of the scenes. It’s a very good looking series, although I admit that the artwork doesn’t have anything about it to make it particularly distinctive.

The story was really good – I sat down, started reading the first volume, and didn’t stop until I’d read all three collected editions (with only a break in the middle to eat). The story has a steady pace, and the dialogue is very fluid and natural. Evan and a few of the other core characters have good story arcs of their own, and develop nicely over the course of the series. It hooked me, for sure. There are shades of Supernatural and Buffy/Angel, but they are in the region of things that feature in a number of Dracula-/vampire-related literature, TV and movies.

Recommended for anyone who wants something a little different, and a new spin on one of the all-time classic mythologies.

Comics Round-Up (Jan.18)

2012-01-17T08:00:00.000Z

A very nice and varied selection of new titles again this week. International terrorist syndicates, thrill-seeking female agents, a lost young lady in a bizarre world, frightfully British spies, and robots in disguise. I also catch up this week with a review I’ve keep forgetting to include – Josh Fialkov’s excellent Last of the Greats (issues one and two).

Reviewed Herein: Cobra #9, Danger Girl:Revolver #1, Last of the Greats #1-2, Memorial #2, Steed & Mrs Peel #1, Transformers: Autocracy #1, Y The Last Man #1

[Warning: There are some minor spoilers for G.I.Joe & Cobra readers.]

Cobra #9 (IDW)

Writer: Mike Costa | Artist: Alex Cal

The new Cobra Commander has made his first move — all-out invasion of the Southeast Asian nation of Nanzhao, a center of the worldwide drug trade. As the media’s eyes turn toward the attack, G.I. Joe — already gutted by Cobra forces during the Commander’s ascendency — move in to try and stop the invasion and determine Cobra’s goals.

Helix, Iceberg, Alpine and Snake Eyes board the transport along with Flint’s team, under special orders from carlett. They discover a Cobra base, hidden by a jamming signal, emanating from a transmitter tower. Snake Eyes moves in to destroy the tower, and Helix follows. They elect to take the direct route.

“Combra Command” is shaping up to be quite an interesting new ‘event’ in the G.I.Joe storyline. The new leader of the international paramilitary crime syndicate is playing quite a long game, and it’s still not clear where his plans are leading – for Nanzhao and for the region at large. He is keep both the reader and the Joes guessing, as events throw up more confusion and curveballs.

The artwork is very eye-catching, with characters rendered more like portraits that comic-characters. It’s difficult to describe. Snake Eyes’ participation in story allows for some great images and action scenes. He seems to be casually walking away from quite a number of explosions he’s caused, in this issue… Major Bludd poses an excellent question:

Overall, my affection for the G.I.Joe brand and various series just keeps growing with each new issue I read. Highly recommended.

Also on CR: Cobra Civil War Review

Danger Girl: Revolver #1 (IDW)

Writer: Andy Hartnell | Artist: Chris Madden

For the first time ever, creators J. Scott Campbell and Andy Hartnell introduce a new Danger Girl to the team! Who is she? What are her skills? Where is she from? What are her measurements? You'll find those answers and more as she joins the world's sexiest spy agency in their most explosive adventure yet! And not only that, but we also up the action and thrills by welcoming soon-to-be-superstar, artist Chris Madden to his first-ever Danger Girl epic! Consider yourself debriefed!

This was a blast to read. It’s a little silly, mixing James Bond, Charlie’s Angels and some great, humorous action. After a quick introductory mission, the Danger Girl team receive their new orders. Their destination? Peru! The issue is very much a laying-the-groundworks affair, but it does it with enough tongue-in-cheek and insouciant humour that it’s over before you have time to care about that sort of thing. There’s a bit of a bombshell at the end, too.

One thing, though: The new member of the team is not introduced in this issue. Seems a bit of a red-herring promoting the new member on the cover and in the synopsis, only for her not to appear…

The artwork is very colourful and bright, reminiscent of modern-day Disney, with a slight manga-inflection. A nice alternative.

A bit early to tell how this is going to shape up in the short-, medium- or long-term, but I’ll keep my eye out for issue two and report back.

Last of the Greats #1-2 (Image)

Writer: Josh Fialkov | Artist: Brent Peeples

There were seven, possessing the power of gods, and representing all that could be right with the world. But now... he is the Last. As humanity stands on the brink of annihilation, he is our only hope. And he hates us for what we’ve done…

The apocalypse is stopped before it can start, and the Last has taken his place as ruler of Earth. His beneficent rule may not be all that it seems when his siblings’ sins begin to surface.

Fialkov throws us in at the beginning of the end – the Greats are all dead, save one. We join the story when a delegation has been sent to the Last’s stronghold, and he confronts them about his siblings, about the failures and weaknesses of humanity. The representatives – former guides of the now-dead greats – strike a bargain with the Last for help against an imminent threat to humanity’s existence. There are plenty of surprises along the way (some of them unpleasant). The Last is far more ruthless, callous and contemptuous of humanity than one would expect from a race of “saviours”, and his agenda is only slowly revealed to the reader.

This is a great title. It’s full of cynicism about humanity, concerned with how far we as a race are willing to go to survive, and how duplicitous we can be – but, instead of just preaching to the reader, the Last turns our worst traits back on us: a hunger for power, capacity for betrayal, and so forth. It’s a very well-written, intelligent comic.

Last of the Greats reminds me a little bit of Irredeemable, and if given time, it could easily come to rival Mark Waid’s series in stature and quality. Very highly recommended. [Issues 3 and 4 are already available.]

Also on CR: Interview with Josh Fialkov

Memorial #2 (IDW)

Writer: Chris Roberson | Artist: Rich Ellis

A year ago, Em found herself at a hospital with no memory, her mind a complete blank. After spending a year rebuilding her life, she is thrust into the middle of a supernatural conflict between immortal beings representing fundamental aspects of the universe itself when she is given the key to a magical shop, the kind that appears in an alley one instant and disappears the next. With nothing but a talking cat to guide her, she finds herself targeted by living statues, an evil ventriloquist’s doll, and the mysterious Court of Shadows…

I really liked the first issue of this series, so was very eager to read more. In issue two, we are still getting to know the worlds in which the story is set, as Em gets caught up by Schrodinger, the talking cat. We’re introduced to the different worlds (the Lands of Is, Was and Maybe). There’s a surreal, Alice In Wonderland-feel to some of this story, but it is – as far as I can tell – highly original as well, spinning a new approach to some of the more esoteric fairy tales and fantasies.

This is a wonderfully well-conceived and highly imaginative comic, with a strong flavour all its own. I really like the writing and art (which is clean and clear – and suits the story perfectly). I would really recommend this to fans of Locke & Key, Neil Gaiman, and Grimm Fairy Tales (the original stories and also Zenescope’s take on them).

Steed & Mrs. Peel #2 (Boom)

Writer: Grant Morrison | Artist: Ian Gibson

THE GOLDEN GAME Part One: “Crown and Anchor!”

Your favorite Avengers finally return! When Tara King is kidnapped by a mysterious organization, John Steed and Emma Peel must reunite to solve this new mystery.

The original British TV series The Avengers helped define the “Spy-Fi” genre: from January 1961 to May 1969, for 161 episodes, The Avengers was a staple of fandom; one of the longest-running hit espionage series alongside Mission: Impossible, and a small screen counterpart to that other famous United Kingdom spy, James Bond! A science-fiction/ spy fiction mash-up from Grant Morrison and two of TV’s most iconic heroes!

I should state right off the bat that I’ve never seen any of The Avengers TV show, and the 1998 movie was the first I ever walked out of. So, this series is starting from a pretty shaky position from the get-go. Nevertheless, I thought it was quite fun. The story has potential, and the artwork has something of a vintage feel to it. It took me a while to place Gibson’s style, but after a quick Googling, I realised it’s because he’s been involved with 2000AD for 35 years(!), including working on many titles that I enjoyed when I read the comic.

Steed & Mrs Peel is not my preferred type or genre of comic, but I think this could still have broad appeal for people looking for something a little different. And, of course, I have no doubt that fans of Grant Morrison will lap it up.

There’s mystery, espionage, a hidden antagonist, and some good fun thrown in. It’s also pleasantly British. A title to watch, this could shape up to be pretty cool.

Transformers: Autocracy #1 (IDW)

Writer: Chris Metzen & Flint Dille | Artist: Livio Ramondelli

[I couldn’t find a publisher synopsis for this, which I thought was rather strange]

This is an interesting title. This first issue is a very short (eight pages) digital only comic, and it paints a harsher, grittier picture of the Transformer franchise.

The story follows a squad of Autobots on Cybertron, patrolling a region of the city Nyon, looking for a Decepticon arms dealer. All of the characters are recognisable: Bumblebee, Ironhide, for example, who alongside Prowl and Hound make up the unit. The leader of the unit, however, is “Orion Pax”, an Autobot who is identical to Optimus Prime… I’m not well-versed enough in the comics franchise to know what this means, or if this is pre-Prime days, but this character is far more ruthless and violent than the Optimus Prime I’m familiar with. It was an interesting change in dynamic.

The artwork is darker, and also some of the best I’ve seen connected to the Transformers’ franchise. It matches the different tone, and it quite striking. I’d be interested to see how this series shapes up. I certainly like what I’ve seen of this more than Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye. One to watch.

Y The Last Man #1 (Vertigo)

Writer: Brian K. Vaughan | Artist: Pia Guerra & Jose Marzan

This is the saga of Yorick Brown – the only human survivor of a planet-wide plague that instantly kills every mammal with a Y-chromosome. Accompanied by his pet monkey, Yorick searches for his lost love… and the answer to why he’s the last man on Earth.

I tried this out because the first issue was free through Comixology, and after starting it I didn’t stop until I turned the final page. I was hooked. It’s a relatively gentle pace for this first issue, as we’re given the events of the 29 minutes before the event that killed off all-but-one male. I was hooked! This is expertly written, complemented by great, clear artwork. I have to find out what happens next!

Interestingly, there’s a mention of the Culper Ring, which also featured in Brad Meltzer’s The Inner Circle.

I know it’s a bit early to do so, but based on just this one issue, I would highly recommend this series to everyone looking for something different.

Music Video for Fantasy/Sci-Fi Fans

2012-01-17T03:38:00.001Z

Is this a band who like their genre or what?

“Warriors of Time” by Black Tide

I’ve actually got an album review for the band’s second album, Post Mortem, in the works at the moment. It was while checking out their other work that I stumbled across this, and thought it was (somewhat) relevant to the rest of the content of the blog. The album review will go live in the next couple of days.

“Age of Legends” edited by Christian Dunn (Black Library)

2012-01-16T07:21:00.000Z

A collection of dark fantasy fiction

The dark origins of the Warhammer World are soaked in blood. Epic wars between kindred races reshaped continents, vast civilisations rose and fell, the dead walked the earth in legions. This is an age of mighty heroes whose like will never be seen again, such as the mangod Sigmar and Caledor, the Phoenix King of the elves. It is also an era of dread villains like the Witch-King Malekith and Nagash, the Lord of the undead. In these troubled times, dragons still flock the skies and magic exists that can doom or save the world.

It used to be that all Warhammer fiction came in the form of short stories, so it’s nice that Black Library are maintaining output of shorter slices of Warhammer (and WH40k) action and adventure. In Age of Legends, we have ten stories from a number of established masters of the world, as well as some new blood. Overall, this is another great anthology of dark, engaging fantasy fiction, with some particularly enjoyable contributions from newer authors.

“A Small Victory” by Paul S. Kemp

The great temple-cities of Nehekhara are in turmoil. As the undead forces of Nagash the Usurper sweep across the deserts, the armies of the priest-kings fall before them, every death a double loss as another soldier is added to the Usurper’s unliving horde. Refugees flee the city of Bhagar, among them the betrothed of the merchant Masud. Determined to find and protect his love, Masud escapes from the city and takes to the desert, but Nagash’s reach is long, and no one is safe from the curse of unlife...

This is a solid start to the anthology. Kemp has a gift for evoking the horrific aspects of the Warhammer world. Masud’s fight against the undead is nicely done – it’s tense and atmospheric, and the enemy is grotesque and creepy. Kemp also manages to give the story a tragic ending, which was very well written. His prose style is tight and well-paced. The only problem is that it was maybe too short for Kemp to really show us what he’s capable of. A very good start – this also bodes very well for his next fantasy novel, The Hammer and the Blade (coming soon from Angry Robot Books).

“Bloodraven” by Sarah Cawkwell

For many long years, the remote dwarf hold of Karak Ghulg has stood against the attacks of Chaos-touched human marauders. But now the last assault is coming. With the women and children sent to safety, King Skaldi Ironjaw and his stalwart warriors prepare to sell their lives dearly to stop the crazed killers, led by the greatest of Khorne’s champions, Valkia the Bloody.

This is another great story, and just goes to show why Cawkwell is one of the more popular of Black Library’s new authors. She has a real gift for writing Chaotic characters and battle scenes. In this story, though, I also really liked the way she wrote the dwarfs – evoking their doughty pride and stubbornness very well. I’d certainly be interested in reading a Dwarf-centric novel from her in the future. But, of course, we’re reading for the Chaos side of the story, and here, Cawkwell is very good. She manages to keep the Chaos host realistic (relatively speaking, of course) and brutal, without making them too over-the-top or turning them into cartoon monsters. Valkia is an excellently conceived daemon princess, and her otherness is horrific and frightening to behold (or imagine, really), so I’m very glad she’ll feature in a full-length novel (to be published in July 2012).

I do have one issue with the story, though, and that it Cawkwell’s tendency to over-describe. Not by much, just adding occasional, extraneous adverbs or adjectives that aren’t necessary. This leads me to privately nitpick about some descriptive inconsistencies. If Cawkwell can reign in this tendency, then she will definitely deserve to be considered one of BL’s best authors.

Also on CR: “Influences & Inspirations” Guest Post

“City of Dead Jewels” by Nick Kyme

The dwarf hold of Karak Azgal, once the glittering City of Jewels, is now a dead city, a warren of tunnels and ruins infested by foul creatures. Hidden in the depths is a powerful beast of an unknown nature, the killer of King Durik’s son. A band of dwarfs form an uneasy alliance to seek it out, revenge in their hearts, but the creature is more powerful than they can imagine...

This story has a bit of a slow start, but when the combat kicks off things really start to get going. Kyme has a great prose style (with only a couple of florid sentences), and this story has a great pace. Kyme, who has written novels focusing on the Dwarfs, has a great way of writing them, and manages to make all the characters individuals as well. This story is, basically, a very nicely put-together dungeon quest: we have a beast-slaying goal, a great beastie to slay, tragedy along the road, and a weary victory. I really enjoyed this.

I really don’t know why I haven’t read any of Kyme’s novels. I’ll remedy that this year for sure (probably starting with Salamander).

Also on CR: Author Interview

“The Last Charge” by Andy Hoare

The city of Brionne, the jewel of Bretonnia, is under siege, the latest victim of the rapacious dark elf warlord Rakarth, the Beastmaster. As the dark elves and their monstrous hordes surround the city, the defenders turn to Duke Corentin for leadership. Rallying his troops to meet the attack, Corentin prepares to defend the city, even as he knows that in this place, at this time, he and his knights will make their last charge.

Be careful what you wish for – that is the message of this story. Hoare has a great writing style, and a great eye for description. Despite this, though, the story feels a little thin. One of the shortest in the anthology, the first half of the story seems to be deal with deployment and a bit of posturing on the part of the Dark Elves. It feels a little more like a roll-call of Druchii regiments and rare units. A pity, as Hoare is a great writer. Maybe if he’d had a larger wordcount to play with? Still, it’s well written and there are some good combat scenes.

“The Ninth Book” by Gav Thorpe

Norse mercenaries, heading south to fight in the civil war that divides the Empire, take shelter from a storm in an ancient Kislev fortress. Drawing the attention of nearby enemies, they find themselves under siege. But the greater threat may come from within. Deep in the bowels of the fort, the mercenaries find a tomb with the name ‘Von Carstein’ engraved upon it. And it is empty...

This story is filled with good tension and atmosphere, with a little mystery towards the beginning. A watching nobleman wants something in the tower, something he needs the Norse mercenaries’ help to get. Fortuitously for him, but unluckily for the Norsemen, a Chaos warband lays siege to the tower, and he offers his help in return for the item he covets. Thorpe gives us a mixture of Chaotic and Undead combat. The story is tightly written, and the characters are nicely constructed and portrayed. This is one of the strongest stories in the collection, and Thorpe continues to impress with his writing.

The story has an interesting ending, and offers a perspective we don’t often read from a Warhammer vampire, but one that should make perfect sense: the idea that an apocalypse or widespread Chaos taint is not good for a vampire’s food supply. (Which reminded me of Chuck Wendig’s Double Dead.)

Also on CR: Author Interview

“The Gods Demand” by Josh Reynolds

For twenty-two days, the city of Hergig has stood strong against the beastman horde that has laid waste to Hochland. But now the gates have broken, and the beasts have entered the city. Elector Count Mikael Ludendorf leads the defence, his runefang in hand and his stalwart personal guard at his side. As the beasts rampage through the city, the count seeks out his foe, intent on killing the leader of the horde, the Beastlord Gorthor. The result of their combat will decide the fate of Hergig.

This story was probably the biggest surprise of the bunch. It’s awesome. Elector Count Ludendorf’s got some giant-sized brass balls, which is a polite way of saying he’s nuts. He is ruthless, and slightly unhinged from reality, unable to back down in the face of overwhelming odds. It is his eventual undoing, but he is not alone. There’s also an interesting parallel to be drawn between the human and beastmen forces. Where Ludendorf ignores his advisors’ call for caution, Gorthor ignores his own sense of caution to placate his near-mutinous horde of bloodthirsty beasts. I liked that Reynold’s characters, as well as being very well written, also broke the mould of what you might expect from them.

The author has a superb writing style, that pulled me through the tale, and I was engrossed. I bought his latest – Knight of the Blazing Sun – based solely on the strength of this story (and I’ll review it pretty soon, hopefully).

The battle scenes are no-holds-barred, intense and ferocious. The final confrontation between Ludendorf and Gorthor is brutal and gripping. This was excellent..

“Plague Doktor” by C.L. Werner

As the black death sweeps across the Empire, indiscriminately killing rich and poor alike, the people cling to any hope of deliverance. When a ragged group of scavengers, on the run from Imperial authorities, enter the town of Amorbach, one of them is mistaken for a plague doktor – a sinister figure, but one who brings hope. Can he maintain the deception long enough to escape from the town, or will the truth be discovered?

This is another solid contribution from Werner. His characters have suitably questionable morals and worldviews, particularly Grau. He is offset by his idealistic former-knight companion and guard, Kahlenberg, who provides disapproving commentary on Grau’s broken moral compass and attempts – successful and not – to maintain a level of honesty that his employer does not appreciate. Grau, posing as the plague doktor, gleefully takes advantage of desperate townspeople’s need for hope and salvation, any potential cure for the plague is welcomed, regardless of how ridiculous it might seem. Kahlenberg resists only as much as necessity will allow. As they stay longer in Amorbach, they slowly come to realise that this plague may not be natural at all, and come face-to-face with some deadly, scuttling fiends…

Deliciously sinister and cynical, this is a great, short and dark story that sets things up nicely for Werner’s upcoming novel, Dead Winter (to be published in May 2012).

“The City is Theirs” by Philip Athans

The army of Gorbad Ironclaw is at the gates of Nuln. The defence is over, the walls are about to fall and all hope is lost. Count Brutus Leitdorf oversees the evacuation of the city’s remaining citizens when an advisor comes to him with an audacious – and dangerous – plan that might just help them survive – if they can find someone desperate enough to carry out the suicidal endeavour.

This is the first time I’ve heard of Philip Athans, and I must say this is a very promising first read. Despite a slow start, the story builds to a well-executed, tragic ending. His characters are interesting and well-drawn, as well as diverse; Athans avoids cliché and looks beyond the more predictable cast of characters. Dr. Isaak Meitler is a delightful curmudgeon, an alchemist utterly incapable of observing social niceties when in the presence of the ruler of Nuln. The characters are all good, and I found myself zipping through the story. It’s one of the longer ones in the anthology, but it didn’t feel like it.

Great writing, an original story, and fun. I look forward to reading more by Athans in the future, and would certainly be very interested to see what Athans can do with something novel-length.

“The Second Sun” by Ben Counter

In the bowels of the Bright College in Altdorf, Associate Comprehender Mohr investigates an ancient and mysterious artefact that tells the story of a long-dead wizard and his search for a spell of incalculable power – the Second Sun. As he reads the tale, Mohr finds himself drawn into a dark mystery that threatens to claim his soul as it did that of the wizard Malofex many hundreds of years before.

This is a pretty interesting story. It focuses on the Bright Wizards of the Empire, whose aesthetic and power are both linked to fire. We get a lot of interesting and detailed insight into their College, and some of their secrets and methods. There remains an unsolved mystery at the end, which makes me wonder if there’s either something I missed (not knowing much about them prior to reading this), or if this is the start of something bigger – a novel or more short stories yet unpublished, perhaps?

It’s well-written, with a confident and relatively clipped prose style. I think it could have been longer, though, as I didn’t feel like I’d got the whole story, and would have liked a little more closure.

“Aenarion” by Gav Thorpe

The Sword of Khaine resides upon the Blighted Isle, veiled in mystery and guarded by forces both living and dead. Despite the warnings, Aenarion rides out upon his dragon Indraugnir to seek the prize in order to save his homeland of Ulthuan. The journey is fraught with danger, and Aenarion must confront daemons, spirits and the elemental forces of nature itself if he is to succeed. But in drawing the blade from the Black Anvil, he will unleash the ancient and malevolent force that will tear the elven race apart…

This story was originally released as an audiobook of the same name, and it’s an interesting way to close off the anthology. Focused on one of the greatest Warhammer heroes ever, it is an account of the first Phoenix King of the High Elves’ battle against the hordes of Chaos. It’s presented in an interesting style – almost like a saga, or grand historical re-telling of the age. At times, this makes some of the language a little too arch, perhaps. Compared to Thorpe’s other story in the anthology, this is not as strong. It’s still good, enjoyable and well-written, it just provides a bit of a flat ending to this otherwise very strong anthology.

If you’d like to read more High Elf fiction, I’d recommend Gav Thorpe’s The Sundering series (Malekith, Shadow King, and Caledor), Will King’s superb Blood of Aenarion and Graham McNeill’s Defenders of Ulthuan and Sons of Ellyrion.

“Incorruptible” Vol.4 (Boom)

2012-01-15T08:00:00.000Z

Writer: Mark Waid | Artist: Marcio Takara

The Plutonian has been defeated, leaving the world’s most notorious supervillain-turned-superhero, Max Damage, adrift. But Max's work is never done, and being a superhero in a post-Plutonian world is far more difficult than he imagined... especially with a mentally unstable new sidekick and a new team of reluctant allies... the superhero team the Paradigm!

Tying in with the events of Irredeemable Volume Six, these Chapters in Max Damage’s story take a look at how the former villain takes the news of the Plutonian’s incarceration, and where he’ll go and what he’ll do next.

In quick summary, I’m enjoying Incorruptible almost as much as Irredeemable, and I really think people should read them both. Waid shows us how comics can be at their absolute best: enjoyable, entertaining, brilliantly written, and thought-provoking.

[Be warned: Minor Spoilers after the break…]

The story picks up right where Volume Three left off, with the Plutonian’s ex-girlfriend, Alana, defending her decision to ally with the newly-good Max Damage, and insisting that their relationship is purely platonic.

Alana’s a good partner for Max as, in her words, he lacks the inner compass that keeps other people on the straight and narrow. His guide to being a hero is to just do the opposite of what he would do when he was still a villain. She’s having a little difficulty adjusting to his eccentricities and mannerisms. In the meantime, they both have to keep an eye on Headcase, Max’s new sidekick, as she seems determined to make their lives difficult – she’s completely escaped into the masked-hero role, taking reckless risks. Max really doesn’t have a lot of luck with sidekicks… I really like how Waid has developed these characters and relationships – taking them down interesting and original routes.

Once again, Waid manages to pack in a hell of a lot of story into this collection, and it’s very nicely illustrated by Takara. The cross-over with the Paradigm (the Plutonian’s former teammates from Irredeemable) is nicely done, and should help draw a few more people across to the other title – assuming, of course, that they’re not reading it already.

Perfect companion to Irredeemable, and a great comic in its own right. Highly recommended.

G.I.Joe: Cobra Civil War (IDW)

2012-01-15T06:11:00.001Z

IDW’s line of G.I.Joe comics went through quite an important ‘event’ last year – the Cobra Civil War – and after reading the Cobra Annual 2012, I had catch up with the story.

I seem to have a knack for joining the continuity when something big happens involving Cobra Commander (my first comic was G.I.Joe Real American Hero #100, when he comes back from the dead).

Reviewed Herein: Death of Cobra Commander, Cobra Civil War #0-8, Snake Eyes #1-9, G.I. Joe #9

[Huge thank you to Lorelei at IDW for providing me with the issues I was missing!]

I thought I’d break this review up into a loose chronological order, starting with the Death of Cobra Commander, followed by Cobra: Civil War, then Snake Eyes, and finally a couple of issues that focus on the aftermath, and the next story arc “Cobra Command”. The story rotates through the three G.I.Joe titles, but I haven’t managed to get hold of all the G.I.Joe series, so that will have to be reviewed at a later date.

The Death of Cobra Commander

Writers: Mike Costa, Christos N. Gage, Chuck Dixon, Larry Hama | Artists: Antonio Fuso, Neal Adams, Rod Whigham, Marshall Rogers, M.D. Bright

This issue is a 100 page commemorative issue that takes a look back at Cobra Commander through the ages. It starts off with his death, a story that perfectly portrays Cobra as a ruthless organisation built on and riddled with treachery, distrust, and paranoia, staffed by not a few sociopaths. And, hidden amongst them, is a “rogue” G.I.Joe officer, who’s been biding his time.

I thought this was a very nicely put together book – there’s a great story leading off, and a wealth of bonus material to please long-time fans of the franchise and also newcomers. For example, it includes a biography of Cobra Commander (in the form of a newspaper article); written responses from members of Cobra and G.I.Joe to news of Cobra Commanders death (most dry and serious, but a couple were funny). I particularly liked the reprints of the old comics (including the first G.I.Joe comic I ever read). The art and colouring style are simpler, a bit more garish, and hasn’t quite aged as well as hoped, but the old issues are still enjoyable to read and nicely composed.

Cobra: Civil War #0-8

Writer: Mike Costa | Artists: Antonio Fuso, Arianna Florean, Chee, Werther Dell’Edera

Cobra Commander is dead! Long live… Cobra Commander?! But the question is, who will be the next Cobra Commander? The role of Commander must be filled — now the most lethal and cunning Cobra
operatives will compete to reign supreme. The winner? Whoever kills the most G.I. JOES.

It’s quite engaging, watching the command candidates attack each other and compete for the top spot. It shines a light on the dysfunctions of Cobra as a paramilitary organisation. As mentioned in the Death of Cobra Commander review, above, this is an organisation populated by sociopaths and psychopaths – each an accomplished Machiavellian operator, attempting to twist every opportunity in their favour. We’re introduced to all the main candidates as the issues rotate in perspective, and see how their particular style might lead Cobra – from blunt violence, to subtlety and even economics. Certain candidates are aware that they have no chance whatsoever, so are just working for themselves, strengthening their positions in general in the organisation. They also exhibit an equal mix of arrogance and insecurity. In the meantime, Serpentor (a type of intelligence priest), is pulling strings in the background – manipulating Cobra candidates and also controlling a mole inside G.I.Joe. But other covert operatives are also in place, and starting to work at cross-purposes.

The Cobra characters offer a stark contrast to the G.I.Joes, who have a strong sense of brotherhood and trust cementing their ranks together. Knowledge of a Cobra plant amongst them leads them to a radical solution: task a former Cobra operative to root out the traitor. This forms a fair bit of the story, and is nicely done. That being said, some of the key “good” characters are not without their insecurities – as the Cobra-centric narratives start with “I’ll never be Cobra Commander…”, so too do the G.I.Joe-focused narratives start with “I’ll never be G.I.Joe…”. It’s a nice way to offer further parallels and similarities between these two otherwise diametrically opposite groups.

As mentioned above, the story also features in G.I.Joe (review to come at a later date) and Snake Eyes (reviewed below), and there are a fair number of references to what’s going on in the other titles. However, there’s no necessity to read all three, as important information is conveyed as and when needed. Costa has a very interesting writing style and approach – he is very good at striking a balance between levels of information: sometimes he’ll give us a lot, through dialogue, while at other times he utilises minimal-to-no dialogue for a page or more, allowing Fuso and Florean’s artwork to show us everything we need. I liked the balance, and thought it helped strengthen the story – giving it nuance and atmosphere. The more I read, the more invested I became in the fates of these characters (good and bad), even though I already knew who wins the contest ahead of time.

The artwork throughout is varied, given the number of artists who worked on the title. Some of it is not the sharpest – at times blocky – but with strong colouring and good shading, and some sketch-like qualities, it is nevertheless eye-catching, clear and distinctive.

If I had one complaint, it’s that the winner of the contest doesn’t actually feature in the Cobra title, except for the prequel #0 issue, and in #8 as Cobra Commander – we know nothing of who he is (although, the new focus he gives Cobra should be a clue). Therefore, I don’t know how or why he won over the others. I’ll really have to read G.I.Joe #1-8 to get the full story.

Snake Eyes #0-8

Writer: Chuck Dixon | Artist: Robert Atkins, Augustin Padilla, Alberto Muriel & Casey Maloney

In the prequel issue, we learn that someone has decimated the Joe’s best fighters – members of Snake Eyes’ squad of warrior students. We then follow Snake Eyes as he hunts down the man who ordered his team killed. And that man is part of the Cobra Commander contest. The hunt takes Snake Eyes and his team to the Himalayas, and a hidden base cut into the side of a mountain. But Snake Eyes’ quiet thirst for vengeance gets the better of him, and things don’t go well for the team. We also come face to face with some long-time favourite bad-guys (who I actually remembered from almost twenty years ago). After the Himalayas, we move on to another mission, this one featuring a corrupt pharmaceuticals corporation with Cobra affiliations, who are spreading a virus that turns ordinary people into vicious, near-mindless psychopaths. The arc finishes with some rather poetic justice.

The tone is slightly different for this title, more thoughtful, with far more sneaking about, and plenty of ninja-action. So, naturally, I absolutely loved it. At the same time, there are a few amusing asides about Snake Eyes’ silence, as well as generally good banter between characters.

Right off the bat, I can say I much prefer the art style for Snake Eyes over Cobra. The art for the first four issues is much cleaner, with a very high level of detail. Each panel and frame looks meticulously drawn, coloured and inked, and the artists who have worked on these issues have given the story a very attractive, cinematic feel. There are some really great full-page pieces, too. The artist changes for the following four issues, but the style remains clean and detailed.

Overall, I would say this is a great comic.

Cobra Command: G.I.Joe #9 & Snake Eyes #9

Writer: Chuck Dixon | Artist: Alex Cal

When Cobra Commander was killed by an undercover G.I. Joe agent, the Cobra council began a contest to find a new Commander. The rules were simple: whichever member of Cobra High Command caused the most damage to G.I. Joe would be elected the new leader of Cobra. At the end of the contest, the victor ascended to the role of Cobra Commander.

Meanwhile, G.I. Joe has been hit hard: they lost the Pit and had to find a new base of operations, their Washington, D.C. installation was
infiltrated by a Cobra double-agent, and Duke was almost eliminated by a deadly virus developed by a member of Cobra High Command. Now, Hawk must answer to his superiors in Washington in order to justify the catastrophic losses... but Cobra isn’t done yet.

The new Cobra Commander is asserting his position, moving forward aggressively with his plans. In the meantime, G.I.Joe commander Hawk comes up against Washington bureaucracy, who struggle to accept that Cobra exists – until Cobra Commander’s plan is executed. It’s an ingenious plan, really, one guaranteed to benefit Cobra while the Joes and the world scramble to figure out how (or even whether) they should react. There’s also an appearance from a character I’m surprised has featured in neither Snake Eyes or Cobra: Snake Eyes’ nemesis, Stormshadow!

The issue has great artwork – strong colouring, detail, and nice composition throughout.

Writer: Chuck Dixon | Artist: Alex Cal

The new Cobra Commander has made his first move—an all-out invasion of the Southeast Asian nation of Nanzhao, a center of the worldwide drug trade. As the media’s eyes turn toward the attack, G.I. Joe — already gutted by Cobra forces during the Commander’s ascendency — move in to try and stop the invasion and determine Cobra’s goals.

Helix, Iceberg, Alpine and Snake Eyes board the transport along with Flint’s team, under special orders from Scarlett. Meanwhile, Cobra forces begin devastating Nanzhao’s opium fields, moving through the jungles with impunity…

This issue picks up right where G.I.Joe #9 finishes, as Snake Eyes and his team deploy to Nanzhao. They cut a bloody swathe through the cocky Cobra forces, in their attempt to figure out Cobra’s endgame. Like the other Snake Eyes issues, it’s very nicely composed and coloured, but I felt there wasn’t as much story in this issue as there was in past issues. Maybe it’s because the story now rotates through the three G.I.Joe titles properly that it might take a little while to get used to the new rhythm.

The story of Cobra’s Civil war also featured in the on-going G.I.Joe series, but I wasn’t able to get hold of two issues (#2 and #8) in time to do this review, so I will have to revisit that side of the story in a future post.

* * *

The first of these issues have now been collected into trade paperback editions:

“Irredeemable” Vol.6 (Boom)

2012-01-14T08:00:00.001Z

Writer: Mark Waid | Artist: Peter Krause & Diego Barreto

The Plutonian, once Earth’s most powerful hero, now Earth's most feared villain, has finally been captured. A ruthless alien race now holds Plutonian as their captive in a distant galaxy. But are they prepared to hold one of the universe's most dangerous men? And now that Plutonian is off-world, how will his former teammates, the Paradigm, deal with the worldwide clean-up?

Regular readers will know how much I’ve been loving the Irredeemable collections – it’s a great comic series, with a superb premise, that sets a very high standard. This volume finishes with Chapter 23, and even after two years, Irredeemable maintains a very high quality and remains gripping. If you’ve been following the series, you won’t be disappointed. Check out my review of the Definitive Collection (collecting volumes one to three) for more on the start of the series.

[Before I get on with the review – which contains minor spoilers: how cool is that cover? Well done Scott Clark & Dave Beaty!]

Cary, the powerful member of the Paradigm also known as “Survivor”, gets rather carried away after the news of the Plutonian’s capture goes public. He’s an interesting character, having become far more arrogant and assertive since the death of his twin brother. This is an interesting development – the most powerful remaining member of the Paradigm seems to be going bad as well – resorting to blackmail, threats, etc., to get his way – but unlike the Plutonian, who fell due to relentless disappointment, Survivor seems to be falling due to hubris. He’s a lot more aggressive in pursuing his newfound agenda of reconstruction, and isn’t afraid of twisting arms to get his way – and to bring super-powered villains into the fold to help with the clean-up. As a result, Survivor looks to be on a collision course with Qubit, who remains strangely reserved in the face of their victory, and above all disappointed that he wasn’t able to save the Plutonian.

In the meantime, the Plutonian was put in a fugue state for transport to a prison mine facility, but despite efforts to snap him out of it, he stubbornly refuses to do so. In his state, he has created an ideal reality for himself, but events in the real world start effecting his dreams, and threaten to knock him back into reality. Which could have dire consequences for his captors. A lot happens in his story in this volume, and it’s pretty varied (and at times a little odd), so I don’t want to spoil things. The collection finishes with a couple of very exciting cliffhangers and revelations about the Plutonian’s location, too. I’ll have to get to Volume Seven (the last collected book thus far) as soon as I can.

Yet again, this is a great collection. Mark Waid is a master, and Krause and Barreto do a wonderful job of illustrating and realising his story. Twenty-three issues in, Irredeemable is still engaging, entertaining, and superb.

DC Comics New 52 Shake-Up

2012-01-13T14:34:00.001Z

Announced today in a USA Today exclusive, DC Comics will be releasing six new titles this May. (I’ve borrowed some quotes and information from DC’s own announcement and the USA Today piece.) In order to make room for these new comics, six of the New 52 titles will be cancelled. Thankfully, and rather selfishly, I’m happy to report that none of the six titles to be cancelled were on my preferred list of comics.

Long-time readers will know that I’ve developed a bit of a passion for the DC New 52, having read, reviewed and loved rather a lot of them. For a full list, as well as links to my reviews, scroll down to the lower part of the blog’s Review Index.

The six new series will replace Blackhawks, Hawk & Dove, Men Of War, Mister Terrific, O.M.A.C. and Static Shock, all of which will conclude with their eighth issues, to be published in April. Of these, I’ve only read the first issue of Blackhawks (didn’t love it), and have read the first four issues of Men of War (again, didn’t love it). Apparently some of the characters from these cancelled titles will apparently make appearances in other, continuing New 52.

Here’s information and some thoughts on the second wave titles that will be starting in May:

BATMAN INCORPORATED – Writer: Grant Morrison. Artist: Chris Burnham.

The acclaimed ongoing writer of ACTION COMICS, Grant Morrison, presents a fresh take on BATMAN INCORPORATED, in which the Batman brand is franchised globally in preparation for a major international threat.

I’m actually really looking forward to this. I am already reading all of the Batman-related New 52 titles, so one more – while it could be considered overkill – is automatically going to pique my interest. This one will pick up where the previous Batman Incorporated and Leviathan Strikes one-shot left off. There’s already an element of Batman Inc. apparent in the New 52, in that Batwing focuses on an African-based franchise. It’ll be interesting to see how it’s expanded in this new title.

For USA Today, Grant Morrison described this as a “big emotional story”, and focuses on Batman’s fight against Leviathan, and organisation led by Talia al Ghul, who – as I discovered in the New 52’s Batman & Robin – is Robin’s mother (a development I quite like, as this incarnation of Robin, also known as Damian, is a bit of a sociopath). One thing that wasn’t clear was how long this title was meant to go on for, but Grant told the paper that he has a number of issues planned with which he’ll finish his Batman story, assuming “we survive the Mayan apocalypse”.

Batman Incorporated Vol.1 will be released as a deluxe edition hardcover (which will include the Leviathan one-shot) on April 11th 2012 – just in time for people to catch up with the story before the new series begins. I’ll do my best to review the book in as timely a fashion as possible.

EARTH 2 – Writer: James Robinson. Artist: Nicola Scott.

The greatest heroes on a parallel Earth, the Justice Society combats threats that will set them on a collision course with other worlds.

Hmm… Parallel worlds… I must admit I’m not particularly keen on that type of premise, so I tend to take a very wary view of books that feature it. (This is, in part, because of All-Star Superman, which came across like a mess of dimension- and time-hopping that left this inexperienced and uneducated reader utterly confused, frustrated and uninterested.) Nevertheless, I’ll try out at least issue one – that way, I may understand roughly what’s going on, and be able to develop an appreciation for the plot device.

WORLDS’ FINEST – Writer: Paul Levitz. Artists: George Perez and Kevin Maguire.

Stranded on our world from a parallel reality, Huntress and Power Girl struggle to find their way back to Earth 2. Perez and Maguire will be the artists on alternating story arcs.

Huntress is currently enjoying a limited-run series (six issues – see image, right), so I’m not really sure why they want to re-boot her story again in this title – I’m waiting for the collected edition of that series, so maybe they’re going to end it in a way that doesn’t bring the Huntress’s story to a conclusion? I’ve never read any Power Girl, but it was recommended to me by someone whose opinion I trust, so I will probably give this a try.

With reference to Earth 2 and Worlds’ Finest, and the alternate-dimensional angle, DC Editor-in-Chief Bob Harass said “We thought it’d be a nice thing to bring this concept back and to really, as we did with the 52 initially, reconceive it and freshen it up.” I am, as has been made clear, on the fence about this…

DIAL H – Writer: China Miéville. Artist: Mateus Santoluoco.

The first ongoing series from acclaimed novelist China Miéville, this is a bold new take on a cult classic concept about the psychological effects on an everyman who accidentally gains powers to become a hero.

It’s written by China Miéville: at the very least, the first issue’s going to have a massive number of interested buyers – I admit, myself included. (I will not, however, camp outside a comic store or rush to one in order to pick up a copy – I’m far too dignified for that.)

There were some very quick posts about this news around the genre blogosphere (e.g. Mad Hatter and Gavreads), which wasn’t at all surprising. It certainly caught my attention as well. But, while I count The Scar as one of my favourite books ever, I have not been particularly floored by or fond of Miéville’s more recent novels, so tend to lack the exuberant anticipation that usually surrounds the announcement of a new Miéville novel. That’s not an indictment on his writing style (which is superb), I just tend not to like London-based fantasies, so The City & The City and Kraken didn’t appeal. His next novel, Railsea, could be interesting, though. I’ll have to give Embassytown a try at some point, too.

Back to the comic, though: I like the concept, so I’ll definitely want to pick up issue one, and I’m sure I’ll give it at least the Three Issue Test, if nothing else. In his interview with USA Today, Miéville said of his attachment to the series:

“I cannot believe that I get to just make up superheroes. It’s what you did as a kid… The whole point of Dial is that the roster of capes is changing every single month, often two or three times.”

Miéville has promised a darker series than in the past, with “horror, sci-fi and lots of psychological ramifications for its dialing protagonist”, and that some of the situations our protagonist will find himself in are “going to mess with [his] head”, which he would like to explore further. This does sound like a very interesting comic.

G.I. COMBAT – Writer: J.T. Krul. Artist: Ariel Olivetti.

Featuring the return of a classic DC Comics series, THE WAR THAT TIME FORGOT, along with rotating back-up stories and creative teams – including THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER, with writers Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti and artist Dan Panosian; and THE HAUNTED TANK, with writer John Arcudi and artist Scott Kolins.

I couldn’t find out much more information on this title other than the synopsis, above. To me, this sounds rather like DC wanted to get a slice of the G.I.Joe market, but considering it will be bringing back a number of older titles, that’s probably an unfair comment. Without knowing more, and without being familiar with the older titles it’s reviving, I don’t think I can comment any more on this. I might give it a try, though.

THE RAVAGERS – Writer: Howard Mackie. Artist: Ian Churchill.

Spinning off from TEEN TITANS and SUPERBOY, this series finds four superpowered teens on the run and fighting against the organization that wants to turn them into supervillains.

Not really sure why this title is necessary. I’m not overly familiar with Teen Titans, having only read the first three in the New 52 series, and I’ve not read any of Superboy (I’m still not really sure of the wisdom of having Superboy a main character in Teen Titans at the same time as giving him his own series). This series will focus on four meta-human teens, attempting to avoid the attention of N.O.W.H.E.R.E. Which is the same premise as Teen Titans… The title suggests it might focus on less “good” teen superheroes, but I wouldn’t put money on it. If I’m honest, I’m not really that fussed about getting this one. Maybe if I could find a little more information on this one (and G.I. Combat, while I’m at it), I’d be able to make a more informed decision.

Overall, it seems like there are a couple here I’d be interested in trying, and since I’ve already given up on the two of the titles they're axing I’ve tried, this means I’ll have a couple more fun shiny comics to try out! I’m optimistic about a couple of them, cautiously so about a couple others. I will probably end up getting the first issue of all six new titles, just to give them a fair shake.

There are a few more new DC titles coming up (for example, Dan Abnett’s eight-part The New Deadwardians, coming in March 2012), and when I have some time and enough information, I’ll put together a post highlighting some of the most interesting and intriguing ones.

“The Buntline Special” by Mike Resnick (Pyr)

2012-01-13T08:00:00.000Z

The OK Corral! Gunfights! Zombies!

The year is 1881. The United States of America ends at the Mississippi River. Beyond lies the Indian nations, where the magic of powerful Medicine Men has halted the advance of the Americans east of the river.

An American government desperate to expand its territory sends Thomas Alva Edison out West to the town of Tombstone, Arizona, on a mission to discover a scientific means of counteracting magic. Hired to protect this great genius, Wyatt Earp and his brothers.

But there are plenty who would like to see the Earps and Edison dead. Riding to their aid are old friends Doc Holliday and Bat Masterson. Against them stand the Apache wizard Geronimo and the Clanton gang. Battle lines are drawn, and the Clanton gang, which has its own reasons for wanting Edison dead, sends for Johnny Ringo, the one man who might be Doc Holliday's equal in a gunfight. But what shows up instead is The Thing That Was Once Johnny Ringo, returned from the dead and come to Tombstone looking for a fight.

This is the Wild West like you’ve never read before. The undead drink in saloons, electric lights shine on the streets of Tombstone, and horseless stagecoaches protect passengers from the angry natives. It took me quite a while to get to this novel, for some reason. I’m a big fan of westerns, and Doc Holliday and Wyatt Earp are particular favourites. A Steampunk reimagining of the US Western Expansion era and the gunfight at the OK Corral? This was great fun.

Despite thoroughly enjoying this novel, it remains a difficult review to write. The story of the OK Corral is well-known, and Resnick does an exceptional job of weaving his new, Steampunk elements into the tale. They’re well-conceived, and it really does feels very seamless and natural that Edison and Buntline were in Tombstone, inventing cyborg prostitutes and other fantastical contraptions.

The characters – famous, infamous, and new – are very well drawn, and I particularly liked Doc Holliday. The banter between all of the characters is excellent and feels natural, and Resnick doesn’t resort to cliché or pulpy dialogue once. (It would have been nice to see at least one use of “varmint”, though…) The relationship and camaraderie between the Earp brothers, Doc and a couple of extra characters that are brought along for the ride, is very natural – there’s a tight bond, there, but it goes unspoken. They are taciturn bros, their friendship, trust, and loyalty do not need to be explicitly stated or reaffirmed. They take it as fact, and carry on.

I read The Buntline Special very quickly, and stayed up well into the night on two occasions. My quick reading notwithstanding, it should be stated that the novel has an overall gentle pace – not unlike what you imagine the characters to live at, given the Tombstone sun... It’s not lethargic, but nor is it in a rush to get to the end. It is a ‘comfortable’ read, but in the best way.

Some of the more fantastical additions to the story are interesting – for example, the way Native American/Apache curses and magic work in this Weird West. It’s particularly important when discussing Bat Masterson and Johnny Ringo, but I won’t say any more about them because I don’t want to spoil it for you.

One way to describe this novel would be “plenty of flair, but not much fanfare”. Resnick’s writing is tight and sparse – it really feels like there is no padding whatsoever to this story, and he writes in a stripped-down prose style. Along with the steady pace, the gunfights aren’t drawn out – they are over in seconds (or lines, if you will), which keeps things realistic and very well-paced. The steampunk stylings do not dominate the story, nor do they detract from the source material overly much.

Overall, this is a very fun and well-written novel. I look forward to diving into the second book in the series, Doctor & the Kid.

I read this book on my Kindle and I must say, Pyr have done another great job making it a top-quality product. Indeed, Pyr eBooks are usually some of the best-quality available on the market, with plenty of nice touches throughout, and maintaining any graphics from the physical books over into the electronic format. Here are a couple of the nice touches from Buntline Special. First, an example of the chapter headers:

The book also a few full-page illustrations, of which this is an example (and the least spoilerific):

“Incorruptible” Vol.3 (Boom)

2012-01-12T08:30:00.000Z

Max & Jailbait search for the Plutonian’s ex-girlfriend

Writer: Mark Waid | Artist: Horatio Domingues & Marcio Takara

Reformed supervillain Max Damage, and his sidekick Jailbait, travel to the ruins of Sky City. A vicious gang of Plutonian-worshipping white supremacists are wreaking havoc on the survivors and ruling with no mercy. But there’s one thing they didn't count on... Max Damage. The key to victory may lie in the hands of Alana Patel, Plutonian’s ex-girlfriend. But how will Max ally himself with Alana when she hasn’t come close to forgetting about Max kidnapping and torturing her in his days as a villain?

This collection delves a little more into Max’s past as a villain, and some of the evil stuff he did in his fight against the Plutonian. In this story, that past comes back to bite him, as his action unintentionally revealed his weaknesses, which have made their way into the wrong hands. Another great book in the series, I can’t recommend it – or anything by Mark Waid, actually – enough.

[NB: A few minor spoilers feature after the break, but if you want to know more about the book, then keep reading.]

There’s a whole new dynamic, now, between Max and Jailbait – the original Jailbait, who was sixteen, has been replaced by an equally troubled young lady, Annie. Annie, however, is not coming from a life of crime, but one destroyed by crime. This fits better with Max’s reformed character, but she’s still a burden for him – due to a promise he made after she saved his life, he now has someone else he must look after.

The look back at Max’s past also reveals more of the original Jailbait’s devotion to Max, as well as the lengths she would go to please him and help him. It’s pretty dark stuff, and makes this a far more complicated read than one might expect from a ‘standard’ reformed-villain story. Normally, the new hero tends to not have been quite that bad – a minor hoodlum or something – but Max was 100% bad, and in some instances evil. It makes our connection with him as a hero a little tenuous, as revelations from his past can set back any sympathy or respect we might be developing for him. It does also lead to some pretty funny lines, which are delightfully twisted and subversive.

There are a few surprises for Max and Jailbait. They discover the true scope of the Plutonian-worshipping white supremacist group, and their insane plan (just wait ‘til you finish Chapter 10…). It’s quite ingenious, and again Max’s past comes back to haunt him. Max makes some more progress towards figuring out how to be a good guy, gaining another member for his motley team. All his new friends and allies are great, and it’s easy to grow very fond of them (particularly “Headcase”, as his sidekick is re-christened).

In this volume, the artwork is split between two artists – Chapters 9 and 10 were drawn by Horatio Domingues, who also handled the art for Volume Two; Chapters 11 and 12 were drawn by Marcio Takara. They’re both talented artists, with distinctive styles that complement Waid’s writing very well. We get more full-page set-pieces, and the variety adds to the reading experience. It’s a book that is pleasing on the eye as well as the imagination. Again, a great book.

I really like this series. Highly recommended. Waid is a genius.

An Interview with LINDA POITEVIN

2012-01-11T07:45:00.000Z

Canadian author Linda Poitevin has only recently come onto my radar, but after looking some more at her work, I think she has something new and interesting to offer Urban Fantasy readers. Self-described as a “wife, mother, friend, gardener, coffee snob, freelance writer, and zookeeper of too many pets”, I was most interested in the writing aspect (although, I could get on board with the “coffee snob”, too), and so got in touch with Linda and asked her some questions about her work.

Your first novel, Sins of the Angels was released in 2011. The next novel in the Grigori Legacy series, Sins of the Son, will be published in 2012. How would you introduce the series to a new reader?

One reviewer called it “a different kind of angel story” and I would have to agree. The series doesn’t follow your standard angels are good and fallen angels are bad theme, but instead explores the very fine dividing lines that sometimes exist between good and evil. Part police procedural, part angel mythology, and part thriller, the series crosses a number of genre lines. I like to call it a supernatural thriller, but because there’s no such category in bookstores, we had to go with urban fantasy.

Where did the inspiration for the series come from? And where do you draw your inspiration from in general?

The seed for the idea came from a song by Sarah McLachlan, Angel. One line in the song, “You’re in the arms of the angel, may you find some comfort here,” had me wondering what if the arms of an angel didn’t hold comfort, but were instead a dangerous and forbidden place to be? To be honest, when I started writing the initial story, I planned it as a paranormal romance. Then I had a brainstorming session with a good friend who is well versed in angel lore. The more I found out, the more I wanted to know and the bigger the possibilities became for the story. Next thing I knew, I had an entire series on my hands!

In more general terms, I draw inspiration from everywhere. Books, movies, television, news stories, conversations I overhear (me, an eavesdropper? Never!), people I observe, places I visit... the world is filled with story ideas. Granted, most of those ideas will never make it onto paper, but they’re still great fuel for my imagination.

How were you introduced to genre fiction?

My parents were both avid readers, particularly my father (I grew up in the 60s and 70s and suspect he had more disposable time than my mother!). He read a lot of science fiction and I would read whatever was lying around the house. SF led me to fantasy, a bagful of books from a neighbor led me to romance, my husband introduced me to thrillers, and I’ve never really looked back. I read a LOT in my teens and 20s (before kids!), often going through a book a day even when I was working full time. I don’t read nearly as much now as I’d like, but my tastes are still pretty broad.

How do you enjoy being a writer and working within the publishing industry? Do you have any specific working, writing, researching practices?

I love, love, LOVE being a writer. What isn’t to love about getting to make up stories for a living? Well, okay, maybe not a living yet, but I’m hopeful! Seriously, though, being able to escape into an alternate reality over which I have absolute power... bwhahahaha! Oops... sorry... let’s try that serious thing again!

I do love writing. I love the creativity of making up a story, the discipline of the craft, the challenge of getting the details just right... and the enormous satisfaction of the entire process (and I say this despite the many, many times I question my abilities when I’m in the middle of a story!). Working within the publishing industry has been a much greater learning curve than I had anticipated, but I’ve been blessed with a fabulous – and very patient! – editor and agent, both of whom have taken me under their wings.

As for practices, I’d like to say that I’m very disciplined and organized, but I’m afraid I’m a constant work-in-progress. When I’m in the research stage, I do a lot of reading but very little note-taking. This tends to result in a mad search through mountains of books when I need a particular detail later, so I’m working on that... sigh.

When did you realize you wanted to be an author, and what was your first foray into writing? Do you still look back on it fondly?

I always wanted to be a writer but never thought it achievable until my husband read one of my stories and began pushing me towards publication. My very first foray into writing was having a poem published in my high school newspaper... and yes, I have very fond memories of that, because it gave a certain young gentleman the nudge he needed to finally ask me out!

What’s your opinion of the genre today, and where do you see your work fitting into it?

I think the urban fantasy sub-genre is filled with potential. There is so much room for creativity – the retelling of myths and fairy tales in a real world setting, the twisting of mythologies and legends, the creation of new and fantastical creatures... the possibilities are endless. For books like mine, which have a supernatural element to them but cross genre lines, UF seems the perfect home.

What projects are you working on, and what do you have currently in the pipeline?

I’m currently working on book 3 of The Grigori Legacy series, SINS OF THE RIGHTEOUS, and book 4, SINS OF THE FORSAKEN, is in the pipeline. Those should occupy the next year or so of my life, after which I have a possible new series in mind as well.

What are you reading at the moment (fiction and/or non-fiction)?

Fiction: Shadow Fall by Erin Kellison

Non-Fiction: The Lightness Of Being: Mass, Ether and the Unification of Forces by Frank Wilczek.

What’s something readers might be surprised to learn about you?

I may be able to write gritty, suspenseful scenes, but when it comes to watching them, I’m the world’s biggest wuss. My husband is forever laughing at me for hiding behind a cushion/blanket during the scary parts of TV shows and movies!

What are you most looking forward to in 2012?

December 22nd, when everyone realizes we’re still here and the world didn’t end after all!

If you’d like to know more about Linda’s writing and novels, visit her website and her blog. She can also be found on Twitter and Facebook.

Comics Round-Up (Jan.11)

2012-01-10T07:04:00.001Z

Another varied selection of titles this week – a retelling of a classic story, the history of an iconic villain, three beginnings revisited, World War II action, 6th Century Amazons, and sentient robots!

As an aside, before I get into the reviews themselves; when I was a kid, my two favourite toys were G.I.Joe figures and Transformers, so two of this week’s titles have a pretty strong nostalgic draw.

Reviewed Herein: Alice #1, Cobra Annual 2012: Origin of Cobra Commander, Dungeons & Dragons 100-Page Special, Operation: Broken Wings 1936 #3, Seven Warriors #3, Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye #1

Alice #1 (Zenescope)

Writer: Raven Gregory | Artist: Robert Gill & Jason Embury

Decades ago, a girl named Alice was sacrificed into the horror-filled realm of Wonderland but her terrifying and awe-inspiring experiences there have been shrouded in mystery. The one thing known is that her time spent in a world full of insanity left her a broken adult. However, her courageous will to survive is what ultimately saved humanity. Now the story of Alice’s visit into Wonderland is fully revealed and the truth of the terror will be told in full.

This is delightfully twisted. Alice is trapped after going through the tree. Rather than escaping into the world of Wonderland with the White Rabbit, she is kept prisoner by the Jabberwocky. Until the White Rabbit returns, years later to free her, and finally take her into Wonderland… But this is not the story we’re familiar with, and things are far from safe – the Cheshire Cat is a vicious, hungry predator, for example – and Alice’s late introduction to the world begins with a frantic run for her life.

The artwork is great – from the mind-bending weirdness of Wonderland itself and its denizens, to the less surreal moments, the images are crisp and clean, and of the distinctive Zenescope style.

I really enjoyed this, and look forward to seeing how the series develops. I think I’ll have to get hold of Tales From Wonderland Volume 1, as well. This is a great idea, expertly and vividly executed.

I’ve now read a couple Zenescope titles, and I must say I really like them – the art style, the general approach of what they’re doing with myths, legends and fairy tales really appeals to my tastes. Expect to see a lot more coverage on the blog in the future.

Cobra Annual 2012: The Origin of Cobra Commander (IDW)

Writer: Chuck Dixon | Artist: S.L Gallant

Cobra Commander Lives… But who is he? Following the astonishing events of Cobra Civil War, a new Commander has been chosen. Now witness the chain of events that led him to become the leader of the most powerful criminal organization the world has ever seen. What demons drive him to commit the acts of terror in COBRA COMMAND?

G.I.Joe was the first comic series I ever read (not counting Peanuts and Garfield), so I was quite interested to read this – the story of how the new Cobra Commander became the master villain of the series. IDW published a mini-series covering the rise of the new Cobra leader from the ashes of a mini-civil war, as well as the death of the previous Commander (all of which I’ll review soon, in a single post).

In order to not provide any spoilers for the Cobra Civil War series, I’ll keep this very short: The comic throws a harsh spot-light on the brutality of life in some of the regions in the Golden Triangle (the largest source of drugs), and the underground crime syndicates of Asia. It’s an interesting story – I’m not sure what my 10yr-old self would have thought of this if I’d read it then. I certainly would have missed a lot of the nuance and background. Now, however, I can say I found this is a very satisfying read on a number of levels. Intelligent, grounded in good understanding of the darker parts of the world, and also human nature borne from horrific and brutal circumstances. If I had one complaint, it’s that the new Cobra Commander is a little too “perfectly sociopathic”, if you get my meaning? He’s a psychopath, with no feelings, which makes him a little one-dimensional. I’ll have to see how he’s depicted in the mini-series to get a better idea of how he comes across.

Definitely recommend this, but I’d recommend reading the Cobra Civil War mini-series first. The story then continues in G.I.Joe #9: Cobra Command.

Dungeons & Dragons 100-Page Special (IDW)

Writers: R.A. Salvatore, Andrew Daab, Michael Fleisher & Jeff Grubb | Artists: Tim Seeley, Jan Duursema & Rags Morales

Discover the beginnings of three sagas in this 100-page collection! First, learn the truth about the dark elf Drizzt do’urden’s origins adapted from R.A. Salvatore’s New York Times bestselling novel Homeland. Follow that up with the first issues of the classic Advanced Dungeons & Dragons and Forgotten Realms series.

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons #1: If I’m honest, this hasn’t aged too well. I’ll get to the artwork below, but beyond a sense of nostalgia for the simpler times of comics, I didn’t really get much out of this first included issue. I can see what the appeal was – the writers ticket a lot of boxes with regards to game elements. It has the feel of an enthusiastic homage to the game. Also, “Churlish pup”? That was kinda funny. Much the same can be said for Forgotten Realms #1, in that reading it today seems more like an exercise in indulging nostalgia. There’s a better story to this one, but I wasn’t particularly hooked. With both of these issues, I have to confess that I’m not really a fan of the earlier comic art-style – the bright, solid colours gave the books a rather garish appearance.

The Legend of Drizzt – Homeland #1: Drizzt has been a character I’ve wanted to read about for a long time. While I’ve failed utterly to pick up any of the novels, this special issue offered a great opportunity to get to know a little bit about the character – it chronicles his birth and early years, as well as what makes him different to the rest of his race. The artwork is more modern and therefore more to my taste. It draws from an good assortment of “dark elf” colours (greys, purples, greens, deep blues, etc.), and is visually distinctive from most other comics I’ve read. It’s piqued my interest to read more about the dark elfs, so I may have to pick up a couple of Salvatore’s novels in the near future.

Overall, an interesting special issue, with some varied content. For me, though, it was the final part that was of most interest and most satisfying.

Operation: Broken Wings 1936 #3 (Boom)

Writer: Herik Hanna | Artist: Trevor Hairsine

The epic conclusion! Major’s luck has run out as the German army has uncovered his intricate sabotage plot and imprisoned him in the dungeons of one of the Führer’s monstrous castles. Little do they know, everything is going according to plan, as Major’s ultimate goal lies at the heart of Castle Stolditz...

The first few pages are filled with various torture techniques Major’s subjected to at Castle Stolditz. All in the name of reaching his ultimate goal – the man in charge of the Castle. This issue brings the story to a brutal and bloody end, and it’s very nicely done. There’s not a whole lot of story in the issue, but it moves at a decent clip and you should zip through it.

The artwork is dark and gritty, and very nicely composed. The final page is a great piece of art in itself. This is a very good, three-issue series, set in a time not usually featured in comics. If you want some Second World War espionage and assassination, then this is a great option.

Seven Warriors #3 (Boom)

Writer: Michaël Le Galli | Artist: Francis Manapul

In 6th century Libya, the capitol of an ancient nation is surrounded by the Persian and Byzantine armies. Seven are chosen to save the heir to the kingdom.

This short series finishes on an interesting note, as we learn the full extent of the Libyan King and Queen’s plan to ensure their bloodline lives on. As it turns out, the plan (which is highly objectionable and repugnant) was prescient, given what befalls the remaining members of our heroes. I’m not sure if the ending was entirely satisfying, actually. It was rather sudden and perhaps a little flat.

The writing’s good, and the artwork is vivid and colourful. The detail is not overly intricate, and many panels are pretty low-res, but it’s a visually nice comic nevertheless. If you read it altogether, you’ll get more out of the series, so now that all three issues are available I’d recommend checking it out.

Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye #1 (IDW)

Writer: James Roberts | Artist: Nick Roche

An all-new, on-going Transformers title reunites the fan-favorite creative team behind Last Stand of the Wreckers and sends the Transformers on an epic quest to the farthest reaches of the Transformers Universe and beyond! The adventure starts here!

As I mentioned above, I loved Transformers as a kid. However, save for the movies, I haven’t kept up with the franchise at all. I was therefore very interested to get back to it with this new title. There are a lot of references to previous Transformers’ titles, so I was a little adrift at times (which, being the OCD reader I am, always leaves me slightly annoyed). There are some characters who are clearly mad or suffering from some kind of stress or PTSD or something, which wasn’t explained. Nevertheless, this is a pretty good comic – the story seems to have promise, and I imagine fans of previous series will enjoy this. I like the idea of a mystery from Cybertron’s past featuring in the story – it has lots of potential.

There’s a nice, gentle sense of humour running through the issue, which bodes well for its future. I really like the phrase “rigor morphis” – that made me chuckle. It’s interesting to see the Transformers even more anthropomorphised than they are in the movies, too. Some readers might find the issue a little too wordy – it takes its time getting going and setting the story in place – but it wasn’t really a problem for me (I seem to rather like the “talkie” comics).

The artwork is interesting – it’s reminiscent of the early Transformers cartoons. Straightforward, rather than stylised, slightly less polished than some titles. It’s quite good, and adds to the nostalgic feel for the whole title.

As a complete newcomer to Transformers comics, I think it’s too soon to tell whether this is a keeper. Certainly it warrants checking out, and I’ll give it the Three Issue treatment to see how things develop.

Upcoming: WOMANTHOLOGY (IDW)

2012-01-10T00:50:00.001Z

I don’t know a huge amount about this project, but I’ve seen it mentioned a couple of times, recently, so thought I’d give it a shout-out here. According to The Hathor Legacy, the project is a 300-page, full-colour, hardcover graphic novel written, drawn and designed solely by female comics creators. According to their Kickstarter page, the pitch is:

The purpose of the book is to show support for female creators in comics and media. There will be multiple short stories, “how to”s & interviews with professionals, and features showcasing iconic female comic creators that have passed, such as Nell Brinkley and Tarpe Mills. A Kids & Teens section will also be included, showcasing their work, and offering tips & tricks to help them prepare themselves for their future careers in comics. Overall, this is pretty much a huge book showcasing what women in comics have accomplished, and what we are capable of. :) We are also hoping that by doing this book, it will encourage a new generation of women to pick up the pencil and create!

New artists and authors will be paired up with established, big-names to help boost their profiles and promote their art and/or writing. More information about the artists and writers who are involved in the project can be found on the Womanthology website.

They managed to smash their funding target of $25,000, and have managed to raise a whopping $109,301! What’s doubly impressive is that many of the big-dollar pledge rewards were snapped up (where, for example, a donation of $65 will get you drawn into a panel, or $100 will get you a comic script review from a leading editor – that sort of thing). It shows a huge amount of support for the project, and raises the possibility of other projects like things being equally attractive and popular.

Here’s a screen-capture from the Womanthology Kickstarter page:

I think the idea of a crowd-funded comic project is pretty interesting, and when you factor in that the profits go to charity, this is a very worthy cause. In fact, it looks like 2012 might end up being the Year of Kickstarter (I first heard of it through Matt Forbeck’s “12 for ’12” challenge), as I’m hearing it mentioned ever more on blogs, Facebook and Twitter.

I’m not sure if this is still the case, given the amount of funds they managed to raise, but the original plan was to print 1,500 copies of the book – when the goal was $25,000. With four times that amount, I wonder if they’ll expand the print-run? Anyone know the answer to this? Couldn’t spot anything on either website.

Here’s the advert that you’ll find in some IDW comic books:

“Cross Fire” by James Patterson (Century)

2012-01-09T08:00:00.000Z

Snipers, Killers, and the Cop stuck in the middle

Detective Alex Cross is planning his wedding to the woman he loves, Brianna Stone. But this blissful existence begins to unravel when Cross is called to the scene of the perfectly executed assassination of two of Washington DC’s most corrupt and publically hated political figures. As more crooked politicians are picked off with similar long-range shots, public opinion is divided – is the marksman a vigilante or a hero?

Media coverage of the case explodes, and the FBI assigns agent Max Siegel to the investigation. As Cross and Siegel battle over jurisdiction, Alex receives a call from his deadliest adversary, Kyle Craig. The Mastermind is in DC and will not stop until he has eliminated Cross, and his family, for good.

James Patterson’s Violets Are Blue was the first thriller I read and devoured. I was living in Japan at the time, so getting more of his novels was a little difficult, but I managed to find a couple of them. In some ways, Patterson deserves the blame for getting me back into reading in a big way (him and Bernard Cornwell, actually, as I was also working through all the Sharpe book at the time). After getting back to the UK, I read everything by Patterson that was available at the time, and for the most part loved them (there were a couple of duffs). Then he started farming titles out to other authors, and the quality took a dive. The main Alex Cross series, however, remains his and his alone and is still his best. There have been wobbles along the way, and not every instalment has gripped me, but they all – Cross Fire included – give me exactly what I’m expecting and want: a quick, entertaining thriller fix.

Cross Fire is the 17th novel in the Alex Cross series, and can be counted among the better recent novels (I still think the best all came before Four Blind Mice). It draws some of its inspiration from the 2002 Washington Sniper, but instead of random killings, the sniper team in this novel is far, far more targeted and calculated. They are working to a specific goal:

“And what’s the mission, Mitchie?”

“Clean up this mess in Washington, just like the politicians always say.”

“That’s right. They talk about it—”

“But we gonna do something about it.”

We spend a fair amount of time with the snipers, and the more we do the more we realise that there’s something else going on in the background. Their motives may not be entirely their own: are they just angry vigilantes, going after bad eggs from the headlines, or is it something more? It’s an interesting premise, and given the ending I hope Kill Alex Cross (the next and 18th novel in the series) builds on the shadowy-puppetmasters angle.

The idea of a killer going after corrupt politicians and lobbyists from the headlines is not a new one, but it does offer some interesting considerations for both the narrator and the characters:

“Unless we got very, very lucky, someone else was going to die before this was over. And it was most likely somebody who many people wouldn’t mind seeing dead. That was the beauty of this terrifying game.”

I think the best novel that focused on disgruntled Americans going after corrupt politicians was Vince Flynn’s excellent Term Limits, which I very highly recommend to all thriller fans (in fact, just read everything by Flynn – his thrillers and characters are superb). In Cross Fire Patterson does a good job as well, but the strength of Patterson’s books lies is in his bad guys – they are frequently some of the most interesting and twisted, coldly evil. They are also, creepily, all too believable. These villains are not cartoons, they are not over-the-top. They are just downright evil.

Take Kyle Craig, for example: former colleague of Alex Cross, but now the “Mastermind”, criminal extraordinaire. Recently escaped from prison, he has carried his grudge towards Cross with him all the time, plaguing the detective on a number of occasions. In Cross Fire, though, they are on a collision course, and by the end of the novel, Cross may be able to close the book on the Mastermind for good.

Throughout Cross Fire, Kyle Craig’s working in the background, playing out his own long-game against Cross, twisting events to suit his needs. Some random-seeming murders are used by Cross’s nemesis to send a message, with some strange consequences – Craig helps Cross catch another killer. Craig’s playing his games, and Cross is forced to take part. It’s very interesting to have read about how their strange relationship has developed over the course of the novels (since Roses Are Red, when the Mastermind’s identity was finally revealed).

The extra cases that were thrown in to add colour and more options for Kyle Craig, were not as seamlessly integrated as Patterson’s managed in the past, but they’re still done reasonably well.

The novel’s pacing is, as expected, extremely brisk. Patterson’s prose is tight and clipped throughout. I can’t imagine anyone expects anything else from this author, as he is so famous for his massive chapter count for ever book (this one, for example, has 117 chapters, but is still only 384 pages long in hardback). Cross Fire is well-written, but still doesn’t come near to matching the quality of Violets Are Blue and the six novels that came before that. I blitzed through this novel, and there’s plenty to keep people reading until the end. There aren’t too many surprises, though, which was a disappointment.

I found the an abundance of schmaltz and soppiness rather excessive – all of it related to Alex Cross’s home life and relationship with his fiancée – and really detracted from the thriller and crime-solving elements of the novel. I don’t know why Patterson thinks this is so necessary for the series – but it’s on the rise, and in my opinion weakens the novels. He’s dangerously close to crossing the line into “fluff” territory (some of his other series have well and truly crossed that line, and show no signs of redeeming themselves).

There are plenty of better authors of more intelligent or cerebral thrillers out there (Flynn, Kyle Mills, David Baldacci, and John Sandford are my favourites), but you can’t beat Patterson for a quick thriller fix.

“Irredeemable” Vol.5 (Boom)

2012-01-08T08:30:00.001Z

A desperate gamble, an old debt, the possibility of victory…?

Writer: Mark Waid | Artist: Peter Krause

The secret history of Hornet, who died at the hands of Plutonian, is finally revealed. The fallen Paradigm member had a plan – a fail safe – that puts all of Earth and the Plutonian in danger. And when Modeus’ plans reach critical mass, the few remaining heroes of Earth are the only thing standing between civilization and ultimate chaos. There’s a mad God backed up against a wall, and nobody is safe.

As the Paradigm get to grips with their ever-worsening situation, the Plutonian’s rage only intensifies. It’s strange for the synopsis to focus on the history of Hornet, as that doesn’t feature for the first half of this book. Instead, we see more cracks forming between the remaining members of the Paradigm, and we learn that yet another teammate has been keeping secrets.

Continuing the story in fine form, this collection upped the ante and added yet more backstory to one of the best comics available today. The artwork is great, the writing is gripping, and the characters are engaging and three-dimensional. Is there much more you can ask for from a comic?

[NB: As always, there are some spoilers after the break. The series has now been going on long enough that to review it is to offer some spoilers. Apologies for this.]

Dealing with the death of a team member, the Paradigm struggle to carry on with their fight against the Plutonian. Cary and Qubit are at each other’s throats about the failed attempt on Plutonian’s life (Qubit instead chose to take the life of Orian, a demon hunter who had been planning on leading an invasion force to earth).

Modeus, the mysterious nemesis who has never evinced a reason for hating the Plutonian and making his life as difficult and tragic as he possibly can, features at the centre of much of this book, as we start to understand a little more about his motivations.

Hornet’s story is pretty interesting. For one, he predicted that the Plutonian would snap and go insane. The plans he put in place, though, are both inspired and horrific in their scope. After Qubit explains Hornet’s plan to the others, the ‘failsafe’ comes into effect, and the book ends on a totally unexpected note.

Waid’s writing continues to satisfy, even if the Irredeemable story has not managed to repeat the emotional impact of the first four collections. There was a scene in Volume 3 that remains one of the most powerful I’ve ever read. It’s perhaps good that Waid isn’t dealing those sorts of scenes out every issue or so, because otherwise this would be a truly heart-wrenching title. The author has managed to establish the Plutonian’s grievance and his new character very well in the past, and has maintained that throughout. The former hero has not been continuously exaggerated, so the tension has been steadily maintained for maximum impact. He is a smouldering villain, prone to extreme cruelty and emotional coldness, which makes him unpredictable and chilling.

Peter Krause, who was the artist for the Definitive Volume, is back working on the series, and it’s a welcome return. I really like his artwork, and I think he brings out the best in the characters, complements Waid’s writing and story superbly, and overall makes Irredeemable one of the most interesting comics, visually.

The series continues to be highly recommended. I’m eager to find out where this goes next.

[Includes a 14-page preview of Stan Lee’s The Traveller.]

“Incorruptible” Vol.2 (Boom)

2012-01-07T08:00:00.000Z

Max Damage’s journey towards redemption continues

Writer: Mark Waid | Artist: Horatio Domingues

Meet Max Damage, the world’s most notorious super-powered criminal and enemy #1 on the FBI’s most-wanted list. Known for everything from manslaughter to terrorism, no one could match Max’s appetite for chaos. But that was before the Plutonian, the world’s most beloved superhero, turned his back on humanity and slaughtered millions in front of Max’s eyes, leaving Max a changed man. Now, as the world spirals into chaos, Max continues his inflexible quest toward enforcing absolute law. But when so many need him, can he be there to protect the few who depend on him… or will he be forced to learn the deadly cost of justice?

In the second volume of this series, Max Damage continues to prove to others that he’s reformed – he must convince those he saves that he’s not working some other angle; he must convince the cops that he’s working for the greater good. He is not, however, above taking advantage of his bad reputation, and in the chaos that has followed in the wake of the Plutonian’s personality flip, works towards shutting down some of the city’s worst criminal operations. This series is a perfect companion to Irredeemable, and is a great series in its own right, and one that keeps getting better.

[NB: Some spoilers follow, as it’s sadly unavoidable.]

At the end of the previous volume, Max’s sidekick, Jailbait, leaves him, and this volume finds Max still trying to adjust to her departure. The relationship between Max and Jailbait is oddly, inappropriately touching. The FBI's most-wanted criminal and his 16yr-old girlfriend, called Jailbait, whom he rescued from a brothel that caters to super-villains... Not the stuff Disney movies are made of, but Waid’s written it in an interesting way with nuance and heart. Max is trying desperately to change their dynamic, guilty for how they were in the past, determined to ‘save’ her. With the help of Detective Armadale, Max-appointed liason with the police force, he tracks Jailbait – real name Terri – down, and they work together on a rescue plan, and things don’t turn out exactly as he hoped or could have predicted.

In addition to his personal troubles, Max must also confront some of the unintended consequences of the Plutonian’s new madness: criminal inspiration. There are white supremacist groups who claim to be “doing the Plutonian’s bidding”, by murdering a bloody swathe through the city. Not only that, these groups have discovered how Max’s powers work, which can only be bad news…

Waid’s writing continues to be great, with realistic dialogue and a pleasant lack of cliché or tired tropes. The pacing is great, and it feels like a satisfying and substantial read – like we’re getting a hell of a lot of story each chapter.

The series has a different artist from the previous volume. I’m kinda torn about this, because I really liked the art in Volume One, but I also rather like Domingues’s work. It’s really good, but distinctly different from Jean Diaz’s. It’s a tiny bit more cartoon-like or possibly manga-inflected. I really like the way Domingues portrays motion, too – not through the normal “motion lines”, but the artwork is sometimes blurred, like movement might be on a camera. Really nicely done. This book has a good number of great, eye-catching full-page or double-page pieces, too (like the one early on when Max stops a car from underneath…).

Overall? This is a solid continuation of the series, and ends on a very promising note. I really enjoyed it, and I’m glad there’s still a fair bit for me to read and catch up on. I’ll review volume three next week.

[This volume also includes an 11-page preview of The Unknown, another of Mark Waid’s series.]

Upcoming: “Jane Carver of Waar” by Nathan Long (Night Shade)

2012-01-06T18:28:00.001Z

Just a quick artwork post. This time, I want to cast the spotlight on Nathan Long’s next novel, Jane Carver of Waar (one of my 2012 Most Anticipated). Here’s the finished cover:

Here’s the novel’s synopsis:

Jane Carver is nobody’s idea of a space princess.

A hard-ridin’, hard-lovin’ biker chick and ex-Airborne Ranger, Jane is as surprised as anyone else when, on the run from the law, she ducks into the wrong cave at the wrong time-and wakes up butt-naked on an exotic alien planet light-years away from everything she’s ever known.

Waar is a savage world of four-armed tiger-men, sky-pirates, slaves, gladiators, and purple-skinned warriors in thrall to a bloodthirsty code of honor and chivalry. Caught up in a disgraced nobleman’s quest to win back the hand of a sexy alien princess, Jane encounters bizarre wonders and dangers unlike anything she ever ran into back home.

Then again, Waar has never seen anyone like Jane before...

The novel has been described as both “a loving tribute and scathing parody of the swashbuckling space fantasies of yore”. I’m a fan of Long’s Warhammer fiction (which just keeps getting better and better), so I’m really looking forward to reading this. The novel will be published in March 2012 by Night Shade Books. As an extra bonus, here’s the artwork by Dave Dorman in its entirety, stripped of the book cover elements:

Out Now: BABYLON STEEL by Gaie Sebold (Solaris)

2012-01-06T15:07:00.001Z

Ex-sword-for-hire Babylon Steel runs the best brothel in the city. She’s got elves using sex magic upstairs, S&M in the basement, a green troll cooking breakfast in the kitchen, and she’d love you to visit, except…

She’s not having a good week. The Vessels of Purity are protesting against brothels, her girls are disappearing, and if she can’t pay her taxes she’s going to lose her business. Despite giving up the mercenary life, when the mysterious Darask Fain pays her to find a missing heiress, she has to take the job. And then her past starts to catch up with her in other, more dangerous ways.

I’ve been looking forward to this for a while, now, ever since I saw it mentioned on Solaris’s website. It sounds like something a little different, which is always welcome. Hopefully I’ll get to it in the next couple of weeks.

Babylon Steel is out now in paperback and eBook.

“Rise of Empire” by Michael Sullivan (Orbit)

2012-01-06T07:14:00.000Z

Fortune favours the thief, in the second Riyria Revelations omnibus

The birth of the Nyphron Empire has brought war to Melengar. To save her kingdom, Princess Arista runs a desperate gamble when she defies her brother and hires Royce and Hadrian to perform a dangerous mission behind the enemy’s lines. As the power of the Nyphron Empire grows, so does Royce’s suspicion that the wizard Esrahaddon is using the thieves as pawns in his own shadowy struggle for power. To find the truth, he must unravel the secret of Hadrian’s past. What he discovers leads the thieves to the ends of the world on a journey amid treachery and betrayals, forcing Hadrian to face a past he hoped never to see again.

The adventures of Hadrian and Royce continue, and Sullivan ups the ante across the board. The Empire is flexing its muscles more, and have sent out an agent to spread dissent and discord in areas of resistance. In Rise of Empire, which contains Nyphron Rising and The Emerald Storm, this series just gets better and better. It met my high expectations and, despite the shift in tone, maintains Sullivan’s position as one of my favourite new authors. This is definitely a must-read series.

Royce and Hadrian are in difficult place at the start of this book, especially Hadrian, who has started drinking heavily. Royce has to come up with a way to break him out of his funk: a new mission. As Hadrian learns the secret of what his amulet means, our two heroes find themselves with a new quest. Arista, through her own actions, winds up tied to Riyria once more, and joins them as they travel to first Hadrian’s and then Royce’s childhood homes. From there, events quickly spiral out of control, and our heroes find themselves entwined in the future of the nationalist opposition to the rising Empire.

Thrace, who won the contest to become Empress at the end of Theft of Swords is, as expected, a puppet figure, actually kept locked up in the dungeon. Renamed Modina, she is in shock, almost catatonic. But, thanks to the kindness of a stranger thrust into an awkward situation, she starts to come back to herself. Amilia, the kitchen maid who is pressganged into imperial service, is a great character. She has none of the airs and graces of the nobles she used to wait on or clean up after, and adds a very down-to-earth and above all kind element to the otherwise depressing life of the new Empress. As the story progresses, she grows into her role admirably and even gains the respect of some high-ranking members of the church.

There’s a new surprise for our intrepid heroes in this volume, in the form of an old acquaintance of Royce’s. Working for the Empire, Merrick Marius may not be a match for Royce in most skills, but he certainly is when it comes to ingenuity and overall sneakiness. In fact, Royce’s past and lineage seem to cause Riyria quite a lot of trouble actually, which I can’t imagine Hadrian is too pleased about. Merrick’s fiendishly clever plan frustrates Hadrian and Royce throughout, as he seems to have predicted their every move.

One of the best things about Sullivan’s writing is the genuine feel he gives Hadrian and Royce’s friendship. Their banter and so forth feels very natural, and in this second pair of novels Arista’s part in the group also grows and comes to feel equally comfortable. The more we read about these characters, the more we see how they develop and how events shape them. It’s really great stuff.

Arista’s role in the series develops and changes as her character does, and her role in the fight against the risen empire becomes ever more important. She’s more feisty in these two novels, which is a very welcome development. She comes up with some pretty ingenious plans, utilising her growing understanding of and skill with the Art, but she is not always as lucky as Royce and Hadrian. Speaking of the Art, I like that Sullivan has her experimenting with it, and learning how it works by trial and error, rather than suddenly morphing from neophyte to sorcerer extraordinaire. I had only one problem with Arista’s storyline, and that was with her love-interests. Her affections for certain characters didn’t feel as convincing as characters’ other relations and interactions. It’s not a problem with the characters themselves, it’s just that her falling for them felt a tad contrived, especially when it’s pretty obvious who she’s meant to end up with.

On a related note, Gwen (Royce’s love interest) undergoes a bit of a change at the start of part two, which I thought was a little strange: she’s discussing marriage and she just sounds… off, switching entirely from driven and slightly intimidating, strong madam to talking about being like a family of squirrels and having a Hallmark-esque life. It’s the only thing about the book that didn’t sit well with me.

One thing that was very quickly clear: the Riyria Revelations have moved away from the humour of The Crown Conspiracy (part one), and the tone set in Avempartha (part two) appears to now be the norm for the series. There’s nothing at all wrong with this, but it’s an interesting decision, given how good Sullivan’s humour was in part one. Rise of Empire has a more serious tone, as our heroes are put through the wringer a few times. There are triumphs, but they come with losses on the side. By no means does the series suffer from the change in tone, and there are a few moments of wry humour sprinkled across the two novels that make up this omnibus. That being said, some of the debut’s magic creeps back into the second half of this book, and Hadrian and Royce seem more like their first book selves in the final 20% of the omnibus, which I must admit I very much enjoyed.

I preferred Royce and Hadrian’s story in Nyphron Rising (part one), but Arista’s and Thrace/Modina’s was more interesting in much of The Emerald Storm (part two) – until the last few chapters, as the tension ratchets up. Hadrian and Royce spend some time as shipmates, following up on clues about Merrick’s plans. The maritime chapters were rather detail-heavy about the workings of the ship and its crew (perhaps more so than necessary). Sadly, it did not dissuade me of my general disinterest in maritime fiction, but this is not the fault of Sullivan’s writing – I’m just not that interested in fiction set on ships. The story improves considerably after the ship sinks and they head into the jungle. More attempted betrayals follow, but our heroes’ luck holds out. In the jungle, the shit really hits the fan again, as the pair must deal with mystics, self-loathing religious fanatics, and a crazy king and his inhuman horde. Among other things. This part of the novel, as well as being brilliant, kind of reminded me of Sam Sykes’s jungle scenes in Black Halo, only minus the hallucinated monkeys and abominable fishmen...

Rise of Empire is a pretty large book, which is fantastic as there is all the more fantasy fun for us to enjoy. The book confirms Sullivan’s skill as an author, and shows how it has grown. There seemed to be fewer issues with the plot progression, fewer “fortuitous moments” or deus ex machina events. These weren’t exactly a problem in the first omnibus, but I didn’t find myself muttering “Huh, that was handy” at all while reading Rise of Empire like I did a couple times during Theft of Swords.

The first novel that comprises this book ended rather abruptly, I thought. The second ends on a really good note (wouldn’t say “high” note, as things aren’t going so well for our heroes...). Despite being the middle volume of the series, Rise of Empire felt like the story was moving forward at a decent pace – the novels didn’t feel like filler at all, and were very satisfying.

I really enjoyed this, and it definitely lived up to my high expectations. There were some surprises, and a change in tone that suited the story. I really can’t wait to get my hands on the final volume. This book has definitely left me wanting more. Much more. If this doesn’t become a classic, I’ll be amazed (and disappointed).

If you like fantasy – epic and sword-n-sorcery, in particular, but really all (sub-)genres – then the Riyria Revelations are for you.

Also on CR: Reviews of The Viscount and the Witch & Theft of Swords, Interview with Michael Sullivan, “Gritty vs. Heroic” (Guest Post by Michael Sullivan)

For Fans of: Nathan Long, Paul S Kemp, David Tallerman, William King, Darius Hinks, David Gemmell, Gav Thorpe, Dan Abraham, Ari Marmell, Fritz Leiber, Scott Lync‘

The Original Novels’ Artwork

“American Capitalist” by Five Finger Death Punch

2012-01-06T04:52:00.001Z

I started my reviewing ‘career’ (for want of a better word) with music – rock and metal, to be exact. It is my other passion alongside reading, but after a few years of reviewing albums that progressively started sounding ever-more like cookie-cutter bands, one day I just decided to shut it all down. Record labels were informed that I would no longer accept review copies, and after catching up on what I’d already received, I would simply stop.

Roll on a couple years, and I find myself toying with the idea of getting back into it a little bit. There are fewer bands who come close to exciting my musical tastes, but 2011 proved to be a pretty stellar year for rock and metal music. Sure, the trend remains “heavier is better and hang the melody”, but there are a few bands still waving the standard for blending technical skill, melody, heaviness and originality.

So, I offer a rare, short music review, if you’ll indulge me…

Five Finger Death Punch (5FDP) are an American hard rock-metal band, and with their third album, American Capitalist, they have hit their stride. The album’s an absolute beast! The band’s sound is muscular, polished, confident, and has a superb mix of melody and brutality.

Vocalist Ivan Moody I’m familiar with from his days in the short-lived Motograter (who I rather liked), but in 5FDP he’s found his place, and the band have grown into a superb metal act. With this third album, they are also finally displaying some of the huge potential they showed on also great Way of the Fist (2009) and War is the Answer (2010). The songs are better and tighter written, and much more focussed, and all of the band members have pulled off their best work to date, in my opinion.

Almost every song on this album could be a single – the band have penned 12 great cuts of crunchy, down-tuned guitars; pounding drums; throbbing bass; hooks aplenty; and powerful, harsh and clean vocals. It passed the goosebump test, certainly.

For me, guitars and vocals are very important (I always wanted to be both a guitar player and a vocalist, but sadly my abundance of enthusiasm was never sufficient to make up for my lack of skill). Guitarists Zoltan Bathory and Jason Hook provide some great, heavy riffs as well as intricate, clean solos, and are certainly among the better metal guitarists out there who do not subscribe to the need for excessive solos. But, for me, what really makes the album are Moody’s vocals, which are amazing. Able to belt it out with the best of them (in a strange, breathy roar) and provide smooth, passionate and deep melodies; he has a very distinctive singing voice.

The first single, “Under And Over It” (video below) is a good song, but it’s not my favourite on the album. It does form the middle of a great opening three-pronged gut-punch, bookended by the title track and “The Pride”. For me, though, the best section comes near the end of the record, when we get the three-song movement of “Remember Everything”, “Wicked Ways” and “If I Fall” – huge melodies, soaring choruses… they just really hit the spot.

The perfect amount of heavy, melody and get-up-and-mosh. If you’re a fan of heavy music with muscle, but prefer it with a little bit of commercial pop sheen, then American Capitalist could meet your needs.

Track Listing:

“American Capitalist”

“Under And Over It”

“The Pride”

“Coming Down”

“Menace”

“Generation Dead”

“Back For More”

“Remember Everything”

“Wicked Ways”

“If I Fall”

“100 Ways to Hate”

“The Tragic Truth”

Band Members:

Vocals: Ivan Moody | Guitars: Jason Hook & Zoltan Bathory | Bass: Chris Kael | Drums: Jeremy Spencer

“Irredeemable” Vol.4 (Boom)

2012-01-05T08:30:00.002Z

The fourth collected edition of Mark Waid’s awesome series

Writer: Mark Waid | Artist: Diego Barreto

The world’s most powerful hero, Plutonian, has levelled entire countries and continues to systemically destroy the allies he once called friends. How can the world defend itself against a vengeful god? The Plutonian’s former teammates, the Paradigm, have been forced to turn toward a savage former enemy and a slim chance for survival. When the dust settles on the climactic battle to destroy the Plutonian and save the world, these struggling superheroes will never be the same. Volume 4 presents the stunning resolution to the series' explosive first year.

After reading the Irredeemable Definitive Collection, I had to find out more, so quickly got my hands on the rest of the series. After reading this fourth collection, I can tell you that Irredeemable just keeps getting better, as the Paradigm continue to search for a way to put down the Plutonian’s new reign of terror and destruction.

[NB: There are some minor spoilers in this review. They were inevitable and unavoidable.]

This volume starts with the Irredeemable Special, featuring origin stories for Hornet, Kaidan and Max Damage’s side-kick, Jailbait. They were included in the Irredeemable Definitive Collection, but in case you didn’t catch that review (or read the book) – they’re great intros to three important characters from Irredeemable and Incorruptible. I’m not sure why the Max Damage-Jailbait story was included as an Irredeemable special, and not in the Incorruptible collections.

This volume adds more detail of the early days of the Plutonian’s change. Chapter 13 takes a look at Bette’s continued angst over keeping secret her affair with the Plutonian. Chapter 14 sees Orian and Cary return from the hunter’s dimension (in a rather grisly fashion), and we also learn more about Gilgamos’s past and a plan forms for taking out the Plutonian. In Chapter 15, the last in this book, the Plutonian catches up with the Paradigm, and he is in an uncontrollable rage. Also, a friend thought lost returns.

The Plutonian’s former colleagues from the Paradigm are still coming to terms with both their leader’s betrayal and also a number of other, smaller yet still momentous betrayals. Distrust and suspicion (not to mention a little hatred) is spreading and taking firm root within the group, and it’s anybody’s guess how this is going to turn out. The demon Orian’s presence isn’t helping matters, and he seems to be enjoying the tension altogether too much. I find Cary an interesting character – he shared his powers with his (now dead) naturally-powerless twin, and is now super-charged like never before. He seems to be the only possible threat to the Plutonian but, like his enemy, is driven more by rage than intelligence.

I really like the way each issue gives us more pieces of the puzzle – either from the characters’ past or the ‘present’ state of the world. The whole comic is very well plotted. I wonder how long the series can keep going, though. It’s still a monthly series, so there must still be plenty of story left – and, given Waid’s gift for surprising and taking us in directions we hadn’t expected, I imagine it’s still very strong. I hope to catch up, certainly, and I’ll bring you reviews of each collection before single issues.

This is fast becoming my favourite comic series. Very highly recommended.

Comics Round-Up (Jan.4)

2012-01-05T01:23:00.001Z

For the first week of 2012, we get quite a nice mix of new comics. I’ve gone for some superheroes, an undead king, a British Cold War spy, a creepy theatre, and some horror. All in all, a pretty good selection.

While I have your attention: expect lots more comic and graphic novel reviews to appear on the blog in 2012 – I keep finding more and more titles that are interesting and worth mentioning, so I’ll try to feature as many as I possibly can. Especially after I get back to New York, when I’m going to have a lot of DC titles to catch up on as well.

Reviewed Herein: Cold War #4, Irredeemable #33, Monocyte #1-2, The Theatre #4, Valen the Outcast #2 [For some reason, I seem to have reviewed them in reverse alphabetical order…]

Valen the Outcast #2 (Boom)

Writer: Michael Alan Nelson | Artist: Matteo Scalera

The King is dead – long live the DEAD KING! King Valen Brand was a just king and a great warrior until he was killed by a Necromancer in battle and resurrected as one of the walking dead. Now he’s considered an abomination in his own realm, an outcast with only one purpose: to restore his lost soul...

I really enjoyed the first issue of Valen the Outcast, so I had very high hopes for the second. Luckily, I was not at all disappointed. Valen and his two companions – the witch Zjanna and the warrior Cordovan – are traveling north, and find their way barred by the warring armies of two squabbling nobles. They are press-ganged into fighting for one side, and Valen puts his strategic skills to excellent use. A desperate decision and the appearance of another foe mid-battle leaves our heroes in a precarious position at the end, and a mystery is revealed…

The writing is great, and Nelson once again manages to get a lot of story packed into such a relatively short space. There’s action, character development, and solid dialogue. I really like this series, and will most definitely continue to read it. The vivid art style only improves the reading experience – it’s eye-catching, and complements the story very well. There’s something about the style that reminds me, at times, of World Of Warcraft, only less cartoony. Really good.

This is a great fantasy, sword-n-sorcery title. Highly recommended for fans of Demon Knights, Red Sonja, Game of Thrones and Conan.

The Theater #4 (Zenescope)

Writer: Raven Gregory | Artist: Robert Gill & Novo Malgapo

Two best friends find a monster living in their midst and the means by which they attempt to rid of it may very well turn them into monsters themselves. Meanwhile, the body count at the theater continues to rise as more is revealed about the horror within.

As with previous issues, we are treated to someone introducing a movie and then ‘watching’ it along with the characters in the comic. This time, it’s an interesting story of neighbourhood vengeance, when a couple of family men decide to take things into their own hands under the guise of protecting their families. We get a little bit more about the Theater itself, and what might be going on in the background, including some comments at the end that address a couple of weaknesses of the ‘movie’ we watch in this issue.

This remains an interesting concept, but there’s something about the very small tidbits of information about the Theater that make it a little difficult to figure out where we’re going in the future. It’s still well written and the concept is interesting enough that I’ll be coming back for issue five next month.

Monocyte #1-2 (IDW)

Writer: menton3 & Kasra Ghanbari| Artist: menton3

Two warring immortal races rule a scarred world where time has no meaning. Death (Azrael) sits impotent, quietly planning his restoration. He summons Monocyte, a forgotten immortal necromancer who long ago chose sleep in his failed quest to die. With a fatal pact sealed, Monoctye strikes out as Azrael’s vicious proxy.

This is a really interesting series. It’s a cross between a comic and prose fiction – there are a couple of pages of text, explaining who each of the races are, for example. The “bestiary” style explanations of the two races are good and interesting. However, the one for the “Olignostics” was a little techno-jargon heavy, which meant I had to re-read it to make sure I followed (I’m still not 100% sure I did…). I’m not sure how else they could have done this without wasting pages, so at least we should be thankful that the writers did it quickly and with minimal fuss. The story’s good, but not as accessible as I would have liked. I’m sad to say that it occasionally tends to lean towards style over substance, but there is an interesting technology-vs.-nature element to the story and the on-going war of this dystopian far future. There are some elements that could have been incorporated a little more seamlessly, but for the main this is a very well put-together and intriguing title. A couple of short, bonus stories are included in the first book – one about the Olignostics’ “Shepherd” (it’s two pages long, doesn’t really explain anything) and the other about the Antedeluvians’ Messenger (which was longer and more interesting).

There’s a frustrating typo on page one of the first issue… At least, I think it’s a typo – “reign” instead of “rain”, so unless it’s some obscure reference, it’s definitely a mistake. Another example is “divineness”, which isn’t a word – it should be “divinity”. This, to be fair, is not a failing of just Monocyte – I’ve noticed a lot of comics have issues with malapropisms.

The artwork, on the other hand… Well, it’s stunning. Wonderfully dark and gothic, but unlike anything else I’ve seen. It reminds me a little of John Blanche’s (who did a lot of early artwork for Games Workshop’s fantasy and sci-fi settings). The esoterically-named “menton3” has a great style for this genre (or any, really, but it’s particularly suited to darker, more horror-inflected stories), and it’s worth checking this comic out just for the art, even if you don’t like horror at all. I’d love to have a print of the second and third page spread (issue one) to put on my wall. Here’s a part of it:

What’s really impressive is that the artwork in the second issue is even better.

A beautifully dark title, I’d recommend checking it out. It’s an interesting take on some common themes, not perfectly executed, but beautifully illustrated.

Irredeemable #33 (Boom)

Writer: Mark Waid | Artist: Diego Barreto

The Irredeemable/Incorruptible crossover continues toward an explosive conclusion! This is third part of this crossover event. The Plutonian and Max Damage have always been epic adversaries… but why? The superhero epic that tells the story of their first face-off continues!

This was great. As with many issues of Irredeemable, Waid delves a little deeper into the Plutonian’s history, and we see how the young boy with improbably powers actually became the Plutonian – where he got the strict moral code when he was still a superhero, who inspired him and, really, trained him to be good, and to think of others before himself. It’s always interesting to find out more about a superhero’s heritage and origin, and thus far Waid has managed it in an engaging, intelligent and original way.

And the ending? Well, now I’m utterly impatient for Incorruptible #25, which will finish off this cross-over event. May have to read some more of the Irredeemable collected volumes to tide me over.

I’m starting to wonder if reviews of Irredeemable are becoming redundant, given that I don’t want to spoil the story, and seem to always just want to announce how great it is… Which is absolutely true. So what the hell. Irredeemable is brilliant. You should be reading it.

Cold War #4 (IDW)

Writer: John Byrne | Artist: John Byrne

Former MI-6 agent Michael Swann is in Russia, working against time to prevent the Soviets from gaining nuclear dominion over the planet. But what he doesn't know is that he may already be too late!

Hopefully Swann survives to fight another day, but that remains to be seen...

This is the final issue in the Damocles Contract. After very quick first page catch-up, we are thrown right back into the story. Swann has taken a dive off the Soviet train, and his pursuers must make sure he’s been eliminated. Eventually, he is recaptured and taken to a secret Soviet nuclear facility, where he is tortured while they try to ascertain the veracity of the scientist’s defection. But Swann always has some tricks up his sleeves…

This was a very enjoyable four-part series, with an ending that I hadn’t expected, but was nevertheless satisfying and well-written. The whole series has been very well-written, in fact – with an obvious love for classic war stories, but updated for the modern-day reader, Byrne packs in a lot of story into relatively few pages.

If you’re after some Cold War espionage action, I’d definitely recommend this title. Let’s hope it does well enough to warrant some more contracts in the future.

Interview with ROB SANDERS

2012-01-04T07:30:00.000Z

Rob Sanders has been writing Black Library fiction for a little while, from short stories to novels. I particularly liked his debut novel, Redemption Corps, and have since been reading everything by him that I can find. With the upcoming release of his anticipated Legion of the Damned novel, I thought it would be a great time to ask him some questions about his latest novels, his writing practices, background and more.

Your first novel for Black Library was Redemption Corps. How would you describe it to a prospective reader, and how did you conceive of the premise and plot?

Redemption Corps is an Imperial Guard novel following the death-defying missions of a Storm Trooper outfit, led by Major Zane Mortensen. Mortensen is a respectably tough son-of-a-bitch. His homeworld of Gomorrah had been struck by a comet and decimated. The major had been burned from temple to toes in the apocalyptic fires that followed resulting in some seriously ugly scarring but also desensitisation of the flesh. He’s not invulnerable or anything, but he can certainly take a pounding. Mortensen and his ‘Redemption Corps’ storm troopers are a mixed group of specialists recruited from the Imperium’s Schola Progenium facilities that specialise in deep strike assaults, infiltration and rescue operations. They are a mobile unit making use of Valkyrie Assault Carriers and Vulture Gunships who have built their reputation on the inventive and bloody accomplishment of missions other Imperial Guard contingents wouldn’t even consider.

Redemption Corps started life as a short story for Inferno! Magazine – the print precursor of Hammer and Bolter. My Warhammer short story ‘The Cold Light of Day’ had been picked up off the slush pile by Christian Dunn and has the honour of appearing in the same issue as Nick Kyme’s first fiction. With Christian I arranged to work on a sequence of Imperial Guard stories for Inferno! and it was within these that the Storm Trooper ‘Redemption Corps’ outfit was born. Inferno! Magazine was benched about that time but BL liked the characters and premise and asked me to work on a title for their Imperial Guard series.

I liked the idea of working on a Storm Trooper novel. Storm Troopers are the elite of the Imperial Guard and operate at the peak of (un-engineered) human combat perfection. Ordinary regiments of the Imperial Guard all recruit from the same world and share a similar culture. Storm Troopers are unusual in as much as they all come from different worlds and bring specialised skills and natural abilities. This made working with different characters within the unit interesting and fun. The position of the Storm Troopers within Imperial Guard hierarchy also made them an appealing choice. They are the 40K equivalent of Special Forces and so can bring it when encountering the enemies of the Imperium. They also, however, have an uneasy relationship with other Guardsmen, that under certain circumstances they might be called to act against. This earns them little camaraderie with the other regiments who regard the Storm Troopers as ‘Glory Boys’ and ‘Tin Soldiers’. For the premise, I wanted to do something unusual. I don’t want to go into it too deeply because it will simply ruin the story for people who haven’t read the novel. The Redemption Corps are called to the Kaligari Cradle to brutally put down tech heretics on an Adeptus Mechanicus Fabricator moon, but events turn out to be a great deal more complex than the Imperial forces in the sector believe. Before they know it, heresy blooms into open rebellion of Imperial worlds in the area which in turn heralds an unstoppable xenos invasion.

Atlas Infernal, your second novel, takes a different approach, focusing on the exploits of a radical inquisitor. What sparked the idea for this novel, and what do you see as the main attraction to writing novels about the inquisition?

I feel very at home with the Inquisition. Their novels combine investigation with the grim action of the 40K universe. They are satisfying in so much as they provide answers to questions rather than the more straightforward overcoming-obstacles plots that dominate Space Marine and Imperial Guard fiction. The idea for Atlas Infernal came from several different sources.

Firstly, I am a big fan of Dan Abnett’s Eisenhorn – although I was sure that I didn’t want to write a book like it. Secondly, I found the way in which quotations from Czevak can be found in various rulebooks and codexes, both old and new, intriguing. This character seemed to have been ghosting around for decades in the background. Examining the material a little closer it became apparent that he was involved in some fairly significant events in the 40K universe. Thirdly, I wanted to write a slightly different kind of BL novel. The Warhammer 40k universe background is a boon to a writer but it also presents limitations. Travel is one such issue. Characters in 40K novels don’t tend to move about their universe with any great speed or efficiency. This is part of the grim darkness of that setting – the isolation of mankind in a large and hostile galaxy. I love that aspect too but, without serious point of view changes and skipping ahead in time, human characters can’t move from world to world with narrative ease. Czevak’s possession of the Atlas Infernal – a living map of the ancient Eldar webway – and his invitation to the Black Library of Chaos, meant that he not only had the tools to travel great distances in a short period of time but also the knowledge to cope with whatever he encountered there. Setting the novel amongst the myriad worlds of the Eye of Terror then sealed the deal for me because this is where the limits of the Warhammer 40K universe can really be tested: a location where the rules of reality, let alone physics, don’t apply. It is an inquisition novel but whacked up to eleven.

Will there be more novels featuring Inquisitor Czevak? Can you share some of the potential ideas you’re currently mulling for him?

I’d love to write more Inquisitor Czevak novels. Ultimately though, that’s down to readership and demand. As an author I wanted to make sure that everything was nicely wrapped up at the end of the novel with the ready promise of further adventures. This should satisfy readers who want to dip their toe into Inquisitorial fiction and those that want to commit to a series. Atlas Infernal deals largely with Inquisitor Bronislaw Czevak, his history and how it catches up with his present. It explores Czevak’s mind games, played out on a galactic scale, against the Chaos Lord and sorcerer Ahzek Ahriman of the Thousand Sons. Czevak is largely alone during his webway travels, but comes to inherit a retinue of radicals from amongst the ranks of heretics and madmen engaged in a quest to locate him. Chief among these is Raimus Klute, an Inquisitor in his own right, and former interrogator of Czevak’s. Klute has falsely hired the services of Rogue Trader Reinette Torres and her vessel the Malescaythe with his Inquisitorial rosette. Some muscle is provided by Saul Torqhuil, a Techmarine of the excommunicate Relictors Chapter, who like Czevak is a hunter of ancient artefacts and weapons of Chaos. Czevak and Klute are guided in their travels by Ephiphani Mallerstang, a blind warp seer and prognostic – who not only helps to navigate the Rogue Trader vessel through the Eye of Terror when no navigator could, but also helps warn the group of impending disasters. The retinue is complete with Hessian, a daemonhost. Hessian is a malevolent spirit trapped in the body of a comely youth and enslaved to Klute through runes and incantations. Epiphani treats him very much like a childhood pet but in reality Hessian revels in the desperate situations in which the group find themselves. The creature hopes that situations might necessitate the loosening of his bonds and that he will be allowed to unleash the havoc he exists for.

The great thing about BL novels, and Czevak’s story particularly, is that they really allow the imagination to run wild. This is science fiction, after all. Readers are different, obviously, and some prefer a rather more straightforward interpretation of alien worlds and infernal dimensions. On the other hand, many readers of Warhammer fiction are players – whether tabletop strategists, games masters and roleplayers, or computer gamers – and they are used to investing in their vision of the bleak 40k universe. I would encourage them to share their visions with others by submitting their work through great publishing opportunities like Hammer and Bolter or on forums like the Black Library Bolthole. Other readers come to the novels and short stories in a more traditional literary way, simply wanting to immerse themselves in the fictional world of an imaginative author. Black Library understands this and produces a range that has a little of everything, bringing authors and readers together who share particular galaxy-views (as opposed to world-views) of the Warhammer 40K milieu. I hope that my little corner of that universe stretches boundaries and pushes the imaginative envelope.

Subsequent adventures for Czevak would concentrate on his galactic cat and mouse game with Ahzek Ahriman and the race for damned artefacts across the raging insanity of the Eye of Terror. One such chase can be read in Necessary Evil, one of the stories for the Black Library Live 2011 Chapbook. Ahriman intends to use these powerful artefacts to exalt him to Chaos godhood and has the resources of a Traitor Legion and innumerable cultist followers at his disposal. Czevak, on the other hand, wishes to get ahead of Ahriman and destroy these abominations before the sorcerer has chance to acquire them. Czevak can’t compete with the number and reach of Ahriman’s followers – in fact, Czevak’s own Inquisition want to hunt him down for his heretical transgressions – but he does have the extensive knowledge of the Black Library of Chaos to aid him and the Atlas Infernal itself, allowing him to cross great distances in short periods of time. With these advantages, Czevak just manages to stay ahead of the Thousand Sons and the nefarious schemes of Ahriman. It is a situation that lends itself to countless future adventures.

Your next novel is Legion of the Damned, part of the Space Marine Battles series, which I’m very much looking forward to. What can readers expect from the book? Also, could you tell us about how you approached writing about this mysterious Legion, and again what’s the most attractive thing about writing about them?

The Legion of the Damned are a galactic enigma: spectral warriors who appear on the battlefield where and when they are most needed. When the forces of the Imperium are in peril, when defeat seems certain and enemy victory assured, these accursed crusaders manifest and fight at their brothers’ side. It would be unsporting of me as a Black Library author to demystify and explain away the Legion of the Damned. The mystery surrounding them is their most enduring and fascinating quality. So, while retaining the macabre darkness of the Damned Legionnaires, I wanted to explore their dynamic: the Imperium in danger; Space Marines out of their depth; the supernatural nature of an intervention that seems neither alien nor Ruinous but still unsettling and threatening. I knew early on that as a phenomenon, they would struggle to function as point-of-view characters: I’m also pretty sure that Black Library would have asked me to think again. We need to experience the Legion of the Damned through the eyes of others. Since it was part of the Space Marines Battles series, it made sense that these characters should be Space Marines. Naturally I read all the material, both old and new, on them and wanted to reflect their character in the background. The Legion of the Damned feature all the way through the novel but once again, staying true to their nature, they are expected to come to the party late.

In regard of what readers can expect from the book: an Ordo Obsuletus investigation into manifestations of the God-Emperor’s divine will, a Space Marine Chapter called the Excoriators facing their darkest days garrisoning the Eye of Terror, the Feast of Blades, an Adeptus Ministorum cemetery world besieged, a Khornate Blood Crusade of cultists, daemons and crazed World Eaters Traitor Space Marines on the path of a crimson comet that is blasting its way towards Ancient Terra and of course, spectral warriors from beyond the grave that are standing in their way. That enough for you?

[Legion of the Damned is published in April 2012, but Black Library has already made the eBook available for download.]

What projects have you got in the works at the moment?

Unfortunately, I’m sworn to secrecy on some of the works in the pipeline at the moment. In terms of what I can tell you, I was due to be part of a Horus Heresy anthology part way through the year but due to a scheduling conflict I created with Legion of the Damned, I swapped with another BL author and took his place on a Heresy Anthology coming out a few months later. I’m looking at returning to Warhammer Fantasy in the near future and also reacquainting myself with the Alpha Legion.

Are there any other areas, armies, or topics you’d like to tackle from the Warhammer/Warhammer 40k universes?

Both Warhammer and Warhammer 40k have such rich settings that I can honestly say that there are innumerable topics and areas that I’d like to cover. If you selected a random army or topic from either setting and give me five minutes, I’m pretty sure I could come up with the germ of a good idea for a short story or novel that does that aspect of the settings justice. This probably says more about the fertile possibilities presented by these fictional universes, however, than my abilities as a writer.

My first fiction for Black Library was set in the Warhammer universe, so I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t want to return there. I’m actually looking at the possibility of doing just that with my editor Laurie Goulding now, so stay tuned. In terms of Warhammer 40k, I’ve really grown to like Space Marines and would like to work with them more. This wasn’t always the case, but after writing the short story The Long Games at Carcharias (for the anthology Victories of the Space Marines), in which I got to build a full Adeptus Astartes chapter from scratch and then do some absolutely terrible things to them, I was hooked. I always understood how Space Marines could be at the heart of some of the most exciting and action-driven fiction in the Black Library range, but The Long Games... helped me become aware of the possibilities different chapter cultures and characters offered. I suppose that I discovered a subtlety and complexity that I had formerly not appreciated.

A particular ambition, like many Black Library authors, is to write a Horus Heresy novel. I look forward to the opportunity, but recognise the need to be patient and wait my turn. There are many thrilling stories left to tell. I am proud to be part of the Horus Heresy team, however, and this started with my contribution to the short story anthology Age of Darkness. My story was called The Iron Within and it deals with the galaxy-wide war that envelops the Imperium on the run up to the Battle of Terra, and sheds some light on some of the darkest days of the Horus Heresy. Since I had not contributed toward the HH series before and had been really honoured to be asked, I really wanted to hit it out of the park. I wanted to put the magnifying glass on a Legion that had received little attention up to that point in the series and decided upon the Iron Warriors. I loved the Iron Warriors’ pride and skill in fortification construction and how they were both experts at garrisoning strategic objectives as well as laying siege to enemy positions. It was contemplation of their pride – one of their Primarch’s deepest flaws – that led me to consider how Loyalist Iron Warrior garrisons, away from the heat of the Heresy, might take the news of Horus’ betrayal and the reality that they were going to have to turn traitor. Iron Warrior against Iron Warrior: siege layers against the besieged. This put siegecraft and fortification right at the centre of the story and so I decided to have the Iron Warrior defend a fortress the likes the Imperium had never seen before... I was really happy with the way Iron Within played out and even more thrilled when Black Library decided to market the Age of Darkness with Iron Within in terms of early extracts and taster appearances in Hammer and Bolter. The experience has made me admittedly hungry for HH success on a larger scale. I was, at first, a little intimidated by the 30K setting and reader expectations, but after Iron Within feel that I could bring yet another exciting voice to the series.

What’s your opinion of the genre today, and where do you see your work fitting into it?

I think that Fantasy has been on the ascendant for a while now. Publishers are really taking it seriously: you can see this in the way that new imprints are springing up. Science Fiction is following the same path and so I have high hopes for the both of them. Developments in reading trends – like the impact of e-book readers and eBooks will further fuel this. It is an exciting time to be an author in these fields. In terms of where I feel I fit in, I always wanted to be a signature author. Readers demand variety. I have my own style and approach to fiction and this will continue to develop – but I’d like to believe that I offer something a little different within the field, regardless of what I’m working on.

When did you first realise you wanted to be an author, and what was your first foray into writing? Do you still look back on it fondly?

It is fair to say that I always wanted to be a writer. Many people have the freedom and opportunity – whether they become successful or not – to jump straight into writing and give it a try. I didn’t have that opportunity. I originally come from a very deprived background in which education, let alone creativity, wasn’t encouraged. When you come from such a place you don’t just ‘try your hand’ at writing for fun. Not if you want the guarantee of food on your table and clothes on your back. It is quite ironic, but school was a complete wash-out for me. I worked with some inspirational teachers but I simply wasn’t there enough to benefit and so much of what I learned I taught myself. Without backing, university was a financial challenge, but I made every minute count and achieved as highly as was possible to do so. This in turn led into a career in teaching English and Literature. I explain this because it is important to understand that during this time, I desperately wanted to write and be an author. I simply did not have the luxury of the set-up and support required to make that early leap.

With the security of a mainstream career, I started experimenting with a bit of poetry and fiction. Any writer who juggles the demands of a job (and teaching is extremely demanding), the responsibility of a family and the commitment of being either an author or aspiring author will know the fortitude and belief that this requires. It is not the same as simply sitting in front of a laptop after breakfast and deciding what you are going to create today. For writers like myself, you can sometimes only get to that same moment at ten o’clock at night after a busy day. It can be frustrating, but it also tempers within you an unbreakable desire to write, write well and keep writing until you achieve the success you envisage for yourself and your future.

I was looking for writing opportunities when I came across Inferno! Magazine – Black Library’s print precursor to Hammer and Bolter. I had played Warhammer and Warhammer 40K when I was younger and was well acquainted with the setting. I’d had a love of early Warhammer fiction also – particularly William King and Jack Yeovil/Kim Newman. Yeovil’s The Ignorant Armies is one of my all time favourites. [Mine too! - Stefan]

Inferno! Magazine was open to submissions, so I decided to try my luck. I sent in a Warhammer short story called The Cold Light of Day about a Kislevite Whaling vessel hunting a Chaos-corrupted whale across the freezing seas of the North. The story was picked up by the magazine’s editor, Christian Dunn and published. As you can imagine, I was made up. Beating the tall odds of the slush pile was extremely gratifying. I took an instant liking to Christian and was really pleased to be working within the Warhammer setting.

While looking for writing opportunities, I came across a BBC Writing competition called End of Story. The competition involved famous published authors writing the first half of a short story and competition entrants writing the second half and completion of the story. Harper Collins handled the selection of competition finalists and the BBC produced a series based upon the competition to then judge the finalists’ entries. Ian Rankin is Britain’s most popular crime writer and he wrote the first half of a story set in his native Scotland. I had read a few of Rankin’s novels and decided to write the second half of the story and send it in. A few months later, I was contacted by the BBC. They told me that Harper Collins had selected my ending to Rankin’s story as one of the six finalists. They also told me that the competition had been huge. End of Story had officially become the UK’s biggest new fiction writing competition and my entry had been selected from amongst 17,000 others. Naturally, I was blown away. It was great to be involved with the television series. It was weird having BBC camera crews around to your house, interview your friends, family and work colleagues. I then spent a couple of days in London with the other finalists and a judging panel of publishing industry experts. Literary Agent Carol Blake had some particularly nice things to say about my writing style and ideas. Ultimately it came down to a vote and one of the other entrants beat me. It was a great experience and I’ll never forget it. I’m fairly pragmatic about the competition result. The real win for me was getting through the slush pile. It encouraged me to keep trying.

Following this I entered a further competition called The First Twin run by Literary Agent Peter Cox. Mr Cox is famous for securing first time author Michelle Paver a £3 million publishing deal for her book Wolf Brother, including film rights that were sold to director Ridley Scott. Mr Cox asked for short stories based simply upon the title The First Twin. I entered the competition and sent in my entry. A few weeks later Mr Cox was kind enough to announce that I had seen off the hot competition and won the contest. As a Literary Agent he runs a weekly podcast on developments in the publishing industry and was kind enough to read out my story and give it a thirty minute critique. It was a real thrill to hear so many nice things about my writing from Mr Cox and I really enjoyed writing the story. Ultimately, these were my first forays into writing and I look upon them very fondly.

Where do you draw your inspiration from in general?

My mind is always busy, translating inspiration into the possibility of a future project. I get inspiration from everywhere. I might be watching a film, catching a bit of a cartoon that one of my sons is watching on television, teaching a text for the umpteenth time, doing historical research for another project, reading something for pleasure, listening to the news: anything, really. Among other things, I teach Literary Theory. A critical movement called New Historicism claims that there are no works of isolated genius: there are only creative products of time and place. All authors, whether they are aware of it or not, create texts that are a result of their personal histories and the times in which they are living. I am no different. It seems uncharitable to say that there are no new ideas in fiction, but there is certainly an element of truth in the statement. There are, however, endless new twists and explorations of old ideas. I’m really passionate about this and feel that some of my skill as a writer derives from my ability to juxtapose two ideas or concepts that previously no-one else had combined. This in turn creates a new experience for readers. All texts can be reverse-engineered to their constituent elements in this way and it would take a foolish author to claim that their novel or story was completely original and free from influence.

When it comes to this process, I don’t mind admitting that I am an absolute machine. I can’t help myself. Some ideas seem to have promise but then are discounted, after a little mulling, but those that ‘have legs’ get stored in the back of my mind and allowed to percolate while I’m working on other projects. In this way, I’m always buzzing with new ideas competing for attention. My only issue is having the time to make them a reality. Some of these are ideas for fiction set in either the Warhammer 40k or Warhammer Fantasy universes, respectively. Many are for projects in a whole range of different genres and sub-genres.

I believe that writers intrinsically know they’re writers because creativity is a reflex action within them. They can’t stop creating. It is part of the way their mind naturally works. Inspiration fuels this process and inspiration is everywhere.

How do you enjoy being an author while maintaining a day job? Any specific working and/or research practices?

I try to get up early and put in some time on my writing before leaving for work each morning. I’m probably at my creative best during that period. Everything seems clearer. All the ideas that have been percolating away in my head during the night seem to have got themselves into some sense of order. Most of my time writing tends to be done in the evenings, however. A lot gets done during the school holidays, when I – like full-time authors – can give my all to the process during an uninterrupted day. My wife and children are extremely supportive and, although I don’t shut myself away or go off to a shed at the bottom of the garden, I do use music, particularly soundtracks, for both inspiration and isolation. My sons both like Warhammer and therefore understand and appreciate what I’m trying to achieve. We all sacrifice a little time to the process, however. My wife is an English teacher also and is an essential sounding board for my creative output. Although not a follower of the genre, she’ll point out technical errors and has a good ear for extricating wonky prose.

In terms of the future, teaching has been a very rewarding profession for me but it is time to move on. I have taken steps to reduce my commitment to teaching bit by bit over the next few years and put more and more of my creative energies into writing opportunities. Teaching provided me with a secure past. The future for everyone is a scary unknown, but I hope that my future – in whatever form – will be dominated by my work as an author.

What are you reading at the moment (fiction and/or non-fiction)?

On my shelf currently are books from Mark Charan Newton’s Legends of the Red Sun and Gav Thorpe’s Crown of Blood series. I’m also further indulging my love of Jonathan Green’s excellent Pax Britannia books. Among the classics, HG Wells’ The Time Machine is getting a well-deserved re-read and as far as non-fiction is concerned, Bill Bryson’s A Short History of Nearly Everything is very enjoyable.

Any plans for fiction outside of the Black Library settings?

This really relates back to some of what I was saying in my previous answer. The competition successes detailed above happened just before I started working for Black Library. I love working with BL and am very passionate about the setting. I’m building a following there and naturally I want to continue my commitment to both the company and the readers. During this time – as well as holding down a pretty demanding full time job – I haven’t had time to capitalise on these earlier successes. I suppose I should get my finger out and start approaching agents with my other fiction. In truth, my head is bursting with projects that I believe have ‘legs’ for a variety of different genres: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Young Adult Fiction, Literary and I have an absolutely killer (if you’ll excuse the pun) plan for a Crime novel.

What’re you most looking forward to in 2012?

I think it would have to be working more on the Horus Heresy series. I loved writing The Iron Within and feel quite at home in the 31st millennium. Really, though, I’d like to be cheeky and say further success with Black Library and beyond.

What’s something readers might be surprised to learn about you?

Hopefully, I’ve included a number of things that readers might be surprised to learn about me in my earlier answers. Perhaps too many – I’ve run on a little. Something readers might not know is that as well as being an author I am also a regular blogger. Naturally I blog about my creative work, events and fiction releases but I also like to expand my focus to interesting developments in the genre and related fields. Check it out at: http://rob-sanders.blogspot.com/

Thanks for reading. I’d also like so say a big thanks to Stefan at Civilian Reader. Civilian Reader is such an excellent site – a great platform for reviews and insights. It does a great service to the genre and I hope it continues to go on from strength to strength.

“Control Point” by Myke Cole (AceRoc)

2012-01-03T07:16:00.000Z

Guns ‘n’ Sorcery is born…

Army Officer. Fugitive. Sorcerer.

Across the country and in every nation, people are waking up with magical talents. Untrained and panicked, they summon storms, raise the dead, and set everything they touch ablaze.

Army officer Oscar Britton sees the worst of it. A lieutenant attached to the military’s Supernatural Operations Corps, his mission is to bring order to a world gone mad. Then he abruptly manifests a rare and prohibited magical power, transforming him overnight from government agent to public enemy number one.

The SOC knows how to handle this kind of situation: hunt him down – and take him out. Driven into an underground shadow world, Britton is about to learn that magic has changed all the rules he’s ever known, and that his life isn’t the only thing he’s fighting for.

There are occasions when you hear of a novel long before you get the chance to read it. Based on interviews with the author, endorsements from other authors, any synopsis you might read, your expectation builds. Then, when you finally have the book in your hands, you start reading it and it just blows your expectations out of the water. Those are rare books that come along maybe once or twice a year, if you’re lucky, and rarely from debut authors. Whatever the cause, the book will just work for you on every level – plot, pacing, prose, and characters. For me, Control Point is one of those books. It sees the beginning of something new and awesome: guns ‘n’ sorcery. Blending military fiction with Urban Fantasy, this novel was an absolute blast to read – action-packed, tightly written and plotted, intense and utterly gripping. I loved this.

When Britton discovers his new power, he thinks he’s doomed to a speedy death at the hands of his comrades or a lifetime on the run. Then, he is introduced to a part of the military he never knew existed, one that is hidden from the American population and the world at large in the parallel realm, the Source. Introduced to a new organisation populated with interesting and diverse characters, he must navigate this new reality and its myriad social and political strata in order to make a new place for himself. He is not the only one with prohibited powers, and when he is attached to Shadow Coven, he must learn to use his abilities for the greater good.

Myke Cole served in the military, so it should come as no surprise that the military elements of the novel are extremely well-written. Everything from the training regime, the jargon, the dynamic between different groups in the military, to the feel of the action and battle scenes – it’s all brilliantly written and Cole has done a great job of making it accessible. There are many great snippets of banter and dialogue throughout the novel, giving everything a very authentic and natural feel. I particularly liked drill sergeant Fitzy’s explanation of his goal, to ensure new recruits “are properly trained to put warheads on foreheads when called to do so.”

The magical part of this world is pretty interesting, with a lot of elements involved, but at the same time accessible – we’re thrown in immediately with a brutal, fast-paced raid on a school being terrorised by two “selfers” (unregistered and untrained magic users). Some of the terminology is easily figured out, but Cole keeps us in the dark about some terms, in order to not ruin the momentum of the start. What he does with the various magics is also great – some of the types are utilised in ways I never would have expected. Britton’s Portomancy, his ability to open portals between our world and the Source, which I originally thought wasn’t the coolest (apparently, I like flashy powers…), quickly becomes awesome as he learns the various different ways he can use it to his advantage.

It was nice that the characters need training to use their powers, and that Britton causes a fair amount of damage when his power manifests and he’s on his own for a bit. This may sound like a strange thing to pick up on, but all too often in fantasy a character will manifest abilities and in very short order become a master. The Dampener, a drug that helps to control magic users’ emotions (and therefore their powers), could have come across as an oh-so-convenient deus ex machina, but it forms the core of a new complaint of Oscar’s, based on a governmental/military need to control things – “so obsessed with controlling magic that they failed to do real good with it”.

Britton chafes against the training, his situation, and pretty much everything about his new life – unsurprising, really, given the rumours, the way he got there, and so forth. But, he comes to accept it, and to see the good that could be done. It’s a blend of hoo-rah pride and satisfaction at the job, and being part of a unit who care for each other as well as work well together, but also disappointment at how the Probes are treated by their handlers and trainers. They remain possessors of prohibited gifts, legally condemned to death. The only lives they can have are in service to the Shadow Ops Division and the covert base in the Source. Cole offers a deft examination of the pros and cons of military life.

Control Point taps into themes of prejudice towards the “other”, and also the damaging effects of excessive governmental control. There’s a strained dynamic between the various ’mancers and “ordinary” army personnel. Anyone with powers is viewed with caution and suspicion, but those with the prohibited powers are shunned even more. Perhaps most important of all, is the family aspect of the Shadow Coven and others they meet at the base – they share insecurities and outsider status. As they spend more time together, their bond grows along with their skills. The characters are all well-drawn and complex, and we really start to feel for all of Britton’s colleagues. Early on, we get a glimpse of Britton’s family life, and it becomes clearer why he was maybe attracted to the army – for the sense of belonging that he didn’t experience at home.

This is tight, very streamlined writing. Cole avoids info-dumps, filtering information through action and dialogue, and using his chapter epigraphs to fill in some blanks. The epigraphs add a good deal more colour and depth to Cole’s world. The novel has a superb, relentless pace, but doesn’t feel remotely rushed. I couldn’t put this down, and ended up reading well into the night on a couple of occasions. Cole’s writing is brilliant. The dialogue is realistic. His characters are all three-dimensional and nuanced. The action is intense. Everything from the new world this is set in – the various magics and how they work, the relationships and interactions between characters, and so much more – is brilliantly evoked on the page.

The first time we see Britton use his talents in combat after he’s had training... Damn, but it was awesome – intense, on-the-edge-of-your-seat thrilling (and devious as hell). All of the action and combat in the novel is superb, and better than any I’ve read before – yes, even Dan Abnett’s. There are frequent surprises, too, which kept me on my toes. There’s a great pay-off at the end, leaving things open for the sequel (Fortress Frontier).

It’s always difficult to review novels you really like. There’s the need to provide objectivity and balance, when all you want to do is type (in very big letters), “Buy this damned book: it’s awesome!” Control Point won’t be for everyone, but even if it doesn’t sound like your cup-of-tea, I urge you to give it a chance – I had such a blast reading it, and I think you will too. A novel not to be missed if you like magic, Urban Fantasy, action, and military fiction. There’s a lot on offer here, and it should appeal to a great swathe of genre fans.

Very highly recommended. I loved this.

Also on CR: Interview with Myke Cole, “Influences & Inspirations” Guest Post