Geek Syndicate Magazine 011 by Geek Syndicate

September 2014

Cover story Maleficent cosplay with jess hawke

GEEK

SYNDICATE

The Year of the Turtle THE TMNT RETURN

Doctor Who FAVE ADVENTURES WITH DOCTOR NO. 7

Reviews Galore Outlander Half a King The Fuse Seconds

Collector Editions ARE THEY WORTH IT?

JAMIE MCKELLER OF REDSHIRT FILMS TALKS TO GS www.geeksyndicate.co.uk

CONTENTS GEEK SYNDICATE September 2014

FEATURES

REVIEWS

THE GEEKLIST

PITCHES

5 The year of the Turtle

81 Only Ever Yours

18 Rum Row

108 Agents of Shield

11 Time travel in movies Part 1

83 Outlander

41 The Red Mask From Mars

109 Lego Bat Tumbler

22 Why are weekly all age comics so important?

87 Habitat

77 Escape From Zombie Earth

110 Alien Isolation

90 The Fuse

103 Freak Out Squares

111 Rat Queens

28 Red Shirt Films Interview 34 Cover Story: Maleficent cosplay 45 SHJ Interview

94 Calavera: The Undead

112 Walking Dead

96 Half a King

113 Worry Wart

101 Seconds

52 The Doctorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s greatest hits - Seven 61 The Bluffers Guide to Zombies 70 Collectors Editions - Are they worth it?

111 94

GS Issue 11 Credits

Welcome to this special edition of

Editor-in-Chief: Barry Nugent

the Geek Syndicate magazine.

Deputy Editor: Antony McGarry-Thickitt Cover Design Antony McGarry-Thickitt/Barry Nugent Designers: Antony McGarry-Thickitt/Barry Nugent Proof Reader: James Sims

Why is this issue special? Well because the Geek Syndicate Podcast is eight years old this month. To celebrate our 8th birthday I

Contributors: Antony McGarry-Thickitt,Barry Nugent,Casey Douglass,Jess Hawk,Luke Halsall,Wendy Sims,Matt Farr,Stacey Taylor,Ronald Singh,Jamie Smart,Sharlene Mousfar,Ian J Simpson,Dion WintonPolak, Tom T

decided to roll up my sleeves and handle the design of this issue, hence the not so subtle changes to the layout. I hope you enjoy the magazine as the team have worked hard to make it a corker! Barry Nugent Editor-in-chief

geeksyndicate.co.uk

twitter.com/geeksyndicate

facebook.com/geeksyndicate

thegeeks@geeksyndicate.co.uk

Previously on the Geek Syndicate Podcast Network

Episode 266 Join Dave aka Monts and Barry aka Nuge as they once again set out to bring the sass back to geekdom in the latest episode Geek Syndicate.

School’s Out Special This time Matt and Keehar are sent back to school with a special on all things educational. What is the attraction in the school setting? What gets it right and wrong?

Episode 66 Amaechi and Ant round up some of the news that emerged from this year’s Cologne based Gamescom convention.

Episode 20 We return after a bit of an absence to talk about X-Men issue 27 (December 1966) ‘ReEnter The Mimic’. We also chat about the Guardians of the Galaxy film and the first season of Penny Dreadful. iii

The Year of the Turtle?

icture, if you will, a somewhat chubby, buck-toothed, braces-wearing, poofy-

haired, boffin-type kid. She's short, quiet and bookish. She doesn't have many friends and spends most of her free time doing homework, reading novels or watching cartoons. She is, in other words, a bully's dream. Got that image in your head? What you're looking at there is me, in primary school. It's no surprise then, that when engrossing myself in the absolute escapist joy that was Saturday morning cartoons, I should find a kindred spirit in the bō staff-wielding, self-professed nerd Turtle, Donatello.

By Stacey Taylor

GEEK SYNDICATE F EATURE It sounds daft to say, but Donnie was a

currently an almost-shrine to the

character that taught me that it was

greatest four brothers ever to grace any

Okay to like the stuﬀ no-one else seemed

medium. My name is Stacey … and I'm a

to like, to be interested in science and the

T u r t l e - h o l i c .

inner workings of things and to actually

want to learn. He taught me that I wasn't

Imagine my excitement then, when a

so weird after all (I mean, at least I

new live action movie is announced. Now,

wasn't mostly turtle...) and that being

I absolutely adore the nineties live action

smart was not something to be ashamed

movies (yes, all three of them!), but even

of. In fact, it can be downright useful.

I can see that they're a little dated

Suﬃce to say, Teenage Mutant Ninja

(though don't even try to argue with me

Turtles (or Hero Turtles here in the UK)

about those Turtle costumes; those

became part of my essential viewing

things are amazing). The latest two

schedule as a child, and I grew up (to a

feature

respectable 5' 7", dontcha know)

“The Turtles are a

consuming whatever Turtles stuﬀ I could get my hands on.

”

massive part of my life

TV shows, ﬁlms, comics; you name it, I wanted it in my eyes. I watched the ﬁrst

length ﬁlms (TMNT (CGI) and Turtles

live action movie so much that I ruined

Forever (animated)) were both absolutely

the VHS copy I had. (Never fear; I now

wonderful, but a shiny new Turtle feature

have that bad boy on DVD and I am not

is always a good thing in my book.

exaggerating when I say I watch it at

least once every year. That scene with

This, of course, doesn't mean that I

Leo and Raph in the bathroom still gets

wasn't nervous following the

me every time...). To say I am a Turtles

announcement. The Turtles are a massive

fan is the world's largest

part of my life; I've made friends through

understatement; my mantelpiece is

the TMNT, interviewed a voice acting idol 6

GEEK SYNDICATE F EATURE of mine because of my love for the Turtles and even started going back to read the original comic stories, when I can get hold of them. Whilst I realise that if the new movie is terrible it won't erase all the awesome Turtle-y stuﬀ I already own and have experienced, it will, however, ﬁll me with disappointment. And that is the worst of all feelings (ask any child what's

“Turtles are a little bulky”

worse; your Mum being angry, or your Mum being disappointed?). Having been burned by the Transformers movies prior to this (I'm sorry guys, but they really fell flat for me), Michael Bay's attachment to this project immediately put me on edge. The sneaky peek photos didn't inspire me with confidence (why on Earth is Ralph wearing a loin cloth?!) and some casting choices seemed bizarre to me. I started to worry; is this going to be the first Turtle-based media that I don't like?

One trailer later and I can already tell you; no, no it isn't. Holy cow, have you seen this thing?! It looks BRILLIANT. Action, laughs, experiments, stealth, ninja-badassery; basically everything I'm looking for in a TMNT movie. From the opening shots of guys stomping around with guns and getting thrown around what looks like a subway station, to the closing joke of Mikey's mask removal;

everything about the ﬁrst trailer had me excited for more. Add to that some bits of buildings falling over, a bonkers-looking snowy action sequence and a voiceover talking about the creation of h e r o e s a n d I ' m s o l d , y o u g u y s . S O L D .    One of my biggest concerns prior to the release of the trailers was

GEEK SYNDICATE F EATURE

the Turtles themselves; I can forgive peculiar design choices and

brought to life for a new generation. I am so on board, and I for

casting decisions if the Turtles personalities are true to form.

one can't wait for Donnie, Raph, Mikey and Leo to grace the big

Whilst there hasn't been nearly enough Donnie in the trailers

screen once more.

released so far for my liking, the snippets of a stoic, leader-type Leo and the laidback, jokey Mikey are very reassuring. I adore

Cowabunga, dudes!

Donnie's glasses/goggles Science-Nerd look, and the Shredder...hot damn! You wouldn't want to meet him down a dark alley, that's for sure! Don't get me wrong, this ďŹ lm has a lot to live up to; the current Nickelodeon show is absolutely fantastic, 2007's CGI 'TMNT' feature contains one of the greatest ďŹ ght scenes ever, if you ask me, and IDW's current comics series is consistently kicking me in the face with how downright amazing it is. But with what we've seen from the trailers so far (TCRI, ooze, crazy snowy-mountain freefall action sliding, Mikey being so quintessentially Mikey, stealthy Foot Ninja business, something that looks like it might be some awesome sort of fuel-powered skateboard, Splinter wielding katana and much, much more), I have very high hopes. Am I still not a fan of Megan Fox? Yeah; I think she's an alright actress, but there are several far better ones out there. Do I think the Turtles are a little bulky, and decidedly adult-looking? Yes, and I think their noses will take some getting used to, too. But do I think that this movie looks like it has the right idea? Yes, yes I do, and I will no doubt be at my local cinema on opening night, clutching my ticket in my hot little hands, buzzing with child-like excitement at getting to see my favourite childhood characters 8

To say I am a Turtles fan is the world's largest understatement...

The city needs heroes. Darkness has settled over New York City as Shredder and his evil Foot Clan have an iron grip on everything from the police to the politicians. The future is grim until four unlikely outcast brothers rise from the sewers and discover their destiny as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

As always, there are a couple of rules. In this case, we’re not

Time Travel in Movies Part 1

including any ﬁlms where: • The protagonist can see into the past or present but does not travel in time e.g. It's A Wonderful Life, A Christmas Carol. • Time travel is not the main focal point of the storyline. e.g. Harry Potter & Prisoner of Azkaban.

By Ronald Singh

ollowing the successful release of

So here is ﬁrst half of our bucket list of must-see, timeless, time travel ﬁlms, in no particular order.

the brilliant Edge of Tomorrow I thought I

would take a good look at the use of time-travel in the movies. I have given with some speciﬁc consideration to the methods of time travel and any underlying paradoxes.

GEEK SYNDICATE F EATURE

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1949) As the title suggests, an American from the 1940’s is transported back to the Court of King Arthur. The ﬁlm severely deviates from Mark Twain’s source material, to give us a Bing Crosby busy doing nothing apart from musical numbers – and introducing a little twentieth century know-how to Camelot.

Time Travel Method of Choice Well, the jury is still out on whether it’s a dream or not – there is some magic at the end which suggests not – but we’ll credit this as a bump on the head with a dash of Arthurian magic!

Butterfly Effect (2004) Ashton Kutcher grows up suffering from memory blackouts, which eventually disappear when he goes to college; there he reads one of his old diaries and finds himself transported to flashbacks that he had blocked out to avoid mental trauma. He soon discovers that trying to change these pivotal moments in his life come at a price .

Comment Without doubt the most light-hearted feel-good ﬁlm on the list… but how did Bing move back a few centuries AND from the USS Camelot to ﬁctional Camelot?

Time Travel Method of Choice An old diary from when he was seven years old.

Comment A wonderful story with very little paradox as the whole point of the story is that each “jump” has future consequences.

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986) To save the Earth from an eco-disaster of its own making, and with no USS Enterprise Kirk must take his crew back in time and bring back a pair of hump-back whales in order to communicate with a long lost ancient civilization.

Time Travel Method of Choice A slingshot around the sun which gives you enough speed to travel in time… you all know how that one works right?

Comment The one just pips Star Trek: First Contact to the post for for so many reasons. We get the spectacle of the Original Series crew wandering around modern-day San Francisco: Bones aghast at what he considers medieval medical practices, Scotty using a computer via a “quaint” keyboard, and Chekov asking US military personnel where they keep their “nuclear wessels”. All these moments are complimented by some of the best on screen chemistry between the team. The story is such a departure from the usual alien protagonist narrative, not a phaser is ﬁred in anger – instead we a get a poignant reminder of the consequences of our environmental damage. This is wrapped up in some wonderful humour and a memorable ending. Still arguably the best Star Trek ﬁlm… ever… 13

GEEK SYNDICATE F EATURE

“This is still the finest time travel story ever written...”

The Time Machine (1960) The classic original telling (forget the Guy Pearce version) of the HG Wells novel, stars Australian Rod Taylor as the Time Traveller, who leaves twentieth century London and travels tens of thousands of years into the future, to discover that the human race has split and evolved into two symbiotic races.

Time Travel Method of Choice The one and only true Time Machine, the one that everyone pictures when you say the words!

Comment I still enjoy this as much today as I did when I was nine. George Pal produced a work of genius, with so many stand out moments: the shop window mannequin across the street who served as an indicator to passage of time as the fashions change, the soldier who Taylor meets as a young man during the Second World War, and then as an old man at the beginning of the next World War, the contrast of the innocence and naivety of the Eloi with the ferociousness and ingenuity of the Morlocks (who gave me nightmares for years as a child). This is still the ﬁnest time travel story ever written, and this ﬁlm still does it justice.

GEEK SYNDICATE F EATURE

The Final Countdown (1980) Out on manoeuvres, the modern-day USS Nimitz sails into an unknown phenomenon and is transported back in time just a few hours before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour. Captain Kirk Douglas is faced with the ultimate dilemma: stand by and watch history play out as it is written, or use nineteen eighties military might and technology to repel the advancing attack, thus irrevocably changing the history of the modern post-war world forever.

Time Travel Method of Choice A natural phenomenon or alien technology? We never fully understand the origins of this wormhole at sea, and although this is all located outside of Hawaii, there are shades of the Bermuda Triangle mythology to it.

Comment Quite simply one of the finest time travel films ever made with a fantastic cast include the legendary Kirk Douglas and Martin Sheen. The bringing together of the two worlds is expertly handled, from when the US survivors of a small boat attacked at sea are faced with the sheer size of a modern aircraft carrier, to the reaction of the Japanese fighter pilot who attacked them is confronted with an F-14. There is a great paradox right at the end, but I just can’t spoil it for you!!

Deja Vu (2006) To stop a serial bomber Denzel joins an experimental FBI surveillance unit, using space-folding technology to directly look back a little over four days into the past.

Time Travel Method of Choice The Feds have a machine – it folds time and space – enough said!

Comment Although the plot line is all about trying to change timelines, Denzel breaks the cardinal rule and becomes involved with a soon-to-be-dead girl, thus driven to save her life, at any cost. This is one of the best time travel thrillers ever made, and one of the many brilliant Washington / Scott team-ups!

GEEK SYNDICATE F EATURE

Evil Dead 3 – Army of Darkness (1992) The ﬁnal instalment of the Evil Dead trilogy sees our hero, Ash, sans one of his hands, transported back to medieval times to do battle with an army of deadites, whilst trying to ﬁgure out what magic to use to get back home…

Time Travel Method of Choice Pure Book of the Dead evil magic

Comment Okay, so this second sequel is in quite a different vein to the first two films: very tongue in cheek, with Bruce Campbell clearly having a whale of time, tooled up with shotgun and chainsaw (replacing his severed hand) with some brilliant one-liners, swapping the quite hideous & frightful creatures of the first two films for skeletons with swords and witches with attitude. Make sure you check out the two very different endings.

GEEK SYNDICATE F EATURE

12 Monkeys (1995) Terry Gilliam’s masterpiece sees Bruce Willis, a convict in a not-too-distant apocalyptic future, sent back in time to discover (and stop), the biological plague that wiped out most of humanity. However, there are a few attempts to get the time travel process right, which all take their toll on Willis. However, with the help of a psychiatrist and an inmate from an asylum, Willis sets about tracking down the Army of 12 Monkeys, the group whom he believes is responsible for the virus outbreak.

Time Travel Method of Choice The mechanics of the method are pretty indeterminate, but it’s painful and prone to miscalculation.

Comment Gritty and visceral – the two best words to describe this well written tale. Willis is brilliant in this, probably t h e b e s t t h i n g o u t s i d e o f D i e Hard or Unbreakable. Apart from the brilliant storyline and terriﬁc fullcircle ending, the ﬁlm showed us that Brad Pitt could actually act.

elevator pitch

Rum Row Writer: Andrew Maxwell Artist: Michelle Bandini Publisher: Grenade Fight Inc. Available: Kickstarter for pre-order

GEEK SYNDICATE E LEVATOR P ITCH What is Rum Row? Mixing elements of Jules Verne and The Untouchables, Rum Row is a prohibition themed aerial crime adventure. The story is set in New York during the 1920’s. A whole drunken subculture ﬂoats above the city, as the police try to contain and control these dirigible speakeasies. We’ll watch it all unfold through our main character Jack Tinson, as he takes passage this New Year’s Eve on the most famous dirigible - The Duchess.

Why Should We Pick This Up? If you’re a fan of gangster ﬁlms, alternate history story lines, steam punk, or aerial action, then count this comic as the bee’s knees! Plus Rum Row is a one-shot, so you’ll get a complete story. A perfect introduction to the world, and a great jumping on point. Michele’s artwork perfectly captures the time period, and is driven home by Derek Dow’s beautiful colors. All in all, an interesting take on the traditional prohibition style gangster and speakeasy stories that we think you’ll enjoy.

Why Are All Ages Weekly Comics so important? By Jamie Smart (Guest writer)

omics appear to really be going through a resurgence at the moment, especially here in the UK. Aside from the big superhero

movies and the endless perpetuation/ dilution of geek culture, comic books and graphic novels are ﬁnally gaining respectability, standing shoulder to shoulder with their fellow book genres in awards, reviews and beyond. It’s obviously been long overdue. Those of us who enjoy comics have been well aware of their literary worth for a long time, but it’s nice to see the general public start to remember about comics. However, some comics are being woefully forgotten about. Most children who grew up in the ﬁfties,

“embarrassing wealth of riches catering for every taste.”

sixties, seventies or eighties had a bounty of weekly, easily-accessible comics to sail them through childhood. From the more weighty Valiant and Eagle, to the gleeful silliness of

GEEK SYNDICATE F EATURE The Dandy and The Beano, not to mention Bunty, Mandy, Whizzer And Chips and the like. There was an almost embarrassing wealth

and humour from the country’s best artists, were ﬁghting a losing battle.

of riches, all for sale in your local newsagent, catering for every

Weekly comics had one weapon in their arsenal – the cover-

taste.

mount. The cheap plastic toys they could tape to the front cover,

And yet, something went wrong. When the children who read those comics grew up, they left them behind. They had kids of their own, and didn’t introduce them to comics. They got proper jobs and could pick Bart Simpson out of a line-up but that’s as far as their interest in cartoons, let alone comics, could go.

because when you’re a kid, supposedly, a comic is great, but a comic with a toy is amazing. Or, give away three toys, you’ll have to plastic bag the comic along with them so no-one can actually see what’s inside, but that doesn’t matter so much since it’s the toys kids will be after. And it’s easy to snort at this idea, that comics weren’t being judged on their content anymore, instead

As a result, comics faded

on the very breakable toy they

away like Marty McFly in a

came with, but this became

Polaroid. Titles which once

reality, any major title will tell

sold millions now reduced to

you. You stick a toy on, you’ve a

merging with each other be-

better chance of selling.

fore sinking. Licensed titles began to take over, big name brands with serious ﬁnancial sway behind them began to buy premium shelf space in Tesco and Sainsbury, guaranteeing their comic/ magazines prime position to grab a child’s attention. Don’t get me wrong, I love licensed titles, they’re the natural progression of a brand or character, but the balance was lost. The original content titles, the weekly comics bringing you ﬁerce imagination

GEEK SYNDICATE F EATURE As a result of this struggle to compete, it came to a point where only The Beano and The Dandy survived as original content weekly comics. Two years ago, The Dandy died too, after seventy-ﬁve years in print. The Beano currently holds its own, in a sea of Peppa Pig magazines and One Direction specials.

“

The problem is not that kids don’t like comics, it’s that kids can’t get them

”

GEEK SYNDICATE F EATURE It’s certainly not a lost cause though, there are still

It was these efforts to keep the flag flying, along with other great

original titles out there (such as Mega and Toxic),

all-ages comics from across the seas such as the Nickelodeon

but they’re slightly more magazine-y than comic-y.

Magazine and Heeby Jeeby Comix , which inspired me to start up

One almighty eﬀort to revive children’s comics is being made by The Phoenix, who have been producing original content weekly comics for the last two and a half years, as well as doing a ton of workshops and even collected book editions, all to reignite a ﬁre for children’s comics. Their distribution is through Waitrose, comic shops and online, but what they’ve achieved so far is nothing short of incredible.

Moose Kid Comics Perhaps now the balance was changing, the rise of the webcomic and self-publishing had proven that the artists can take the reigns and prove their point by themselves, and that’s exactly what we set out to do. Nearly forty artists joined in, creating thirty-six pages of full-colour children’s comic goodness, the kind of children’s comic we wished still existed. And then we released it online, for free. Just a one-oﬀ, for now, but looking for ways to make it more regular. It is a statement. A declaration that while comics may be ﬁnding new audiences, children’s comics need to too. Otherwise, we will be a nation of comic-reading adults, with no next generation inspired enough to come through and create the next comics.

Now, when this discussion comes up, it’s often argued that ‘kids

I would argue that the weekly children’s comic, ﬁlled with original

have moved on’ from comics. With iPads and the internet and

content, whether digital or in print, is essential for our industry.

channels with twenty-four hours of cartoons, comics have just

And losing it would be a real tragedy for the children who never

had their day when it comes to the next generation. It’s a ﬂawed

even knew it existed.

argument. The problem is not that kids don’t like comics, it’s that kids can’t get them. Ask any comic artist who has done a workshop, or gone into schools to teach picture book making, they’ll tell you – as soon as kids get hold of comics, they’re all over them. Comics are a natural medium for storytelling, fantastically direct and requiring perhaps less eﬀort to read than novels. They’re a gateway for literacy, an engaging and exciting revelation for kids who haven’t been exposed to them before. 25

ALL AGES ACCESS

Here are a few all ages weekly to start your reeducation with

MOOSE KID COMICS

THE PHOENIX

HEEBY JEEBY COMIX

moosekidcomics.com

thephoenixcomic.co.uk

heebyjeebycomix.blogspot.co.uk

This all ages comic has only one issue out at the moment but it’s a corker. 40 Artists with one goal - to blow our minds.

According to the maker of this comic it’s readers are promised ‘thrilling adventures, rib-cracking comedies, boggling true stories and deviously difficult puzzles’ all for a mere £2.50

This all ages comic has only 1 issue out at the moment but it’s a corker. 40 Artists with one goal - to blow our minds. 26

With the UK web series community on the rise RedShirt Films Producer Jamie Mckeller could not be happier... By Barry Nugent

GEEK SYNDICATE I NTERVIEW

“YOU’RE IN CONTROL OF YOU’RE STORY FOR BETTER OR WORSE”

So how did Redshirt Films come about? We started filming projects in 2010, but back then we didn’t have a name for ourselves. We were just a bunch of people making a web series called I Am Tim, which is why the YouTube channel is named after that series rather than the film company. W i t h i n t h e s e r i e s t h e re ’ s a fictional production house called “RedShirt Productions”, and we liked the name so much it stuck.

GEEK SYNDICATE I NTERVIEW Back when we ﬁrst started we had three

new viewer, but when you consider that

crew members, Lloyd on camera and

a whole series rests around the ninety

sound, Simon running special eﬀects

minute mark that’s a bag of popcorn

and make up and myself herding it all

and the viewing for a night sorted out.

along and trying to appear as if I knew

Nights at the Round Table has seven

what I was doing. Leap forwards four

episodes online, with three more rolling

years, and we have around twenty

out later this year. We also have a

people who come and go from various

playlist dedicated to the “RedShorts”, a

projects as well as people scattered

series of sketches, short ﬁlms and fake

across the country who work on VFX, mu-

trailers. Much more suited to the typical

sic, foley and sound mixing.

style of YouTube videos, short and shareable!

If you could recommend one ﬁlm as a starting point on the Redshirt Films

channel what would it be?

Where does the funding come from for the ﬁlms?

Go for the trailer ﬁrst, it oﬀers up a smorgasbord of visual treats and gives

Nowhere. There isn’t any! One thing I’ve

you an idea of what you’ll be into. We

become very, very good at is making the

have two web series on the channel

pennies stretch ridiculously far. We’ve

which are wildly diﬀerent in nature. I Am

ran a handful of Indiegogo campaigns

Tim is a monster hunting comedy docu-

but only for small amounts when we’ve

mentary with a lot of fake blood, guts and people taking a punch to the face… Nights at the Round Table is a romantic comedy set around a gaming table that never really seems to play games. At present there are thirty three episodes of I Am Tim, which can seem daunting to a

Above: File Clerk turned Vampire Hunter Tim Helsing is the last descendant of Van Helsing.

hit a real obstacle. For NATRT we need to invest in our own sound recording kit, for I Am Tim we wanted to film a brutal finale filled with dozens of vampires and a stupid amount of effects and the fans of the shows were brilliant. I think what helped us there was that we weren’t just 29

GEEK SYNDICATE I NTERVIEW Below: Just another night at the round table holding out our hats and saying “I want to make this thing, here I am talking about this thing.” We already had a fan base and a fair amount of episodes online to show what we could do. The rest comes from our own pockets, but it’s what we want to do more than anything in the world so there’s never

“PATIENCE, DEDICATION AND THE ABILITY TO SURVIVE ON VERY LITTLE SLEEP”

Who are you ﬁlmmaking heroes/heroines?

a hesitation to invest. I love the work of Edgar Wright, Sam Mendes, Kathryn Bigelow. What is the appeal of doing a web series?

Early John Carpenter rocks my world, and 1980s James Cameron

The format is so versatile, and for a new ﬁlmmaker it will teach

was a genius. Aliens remains one of my all time favourite ﬁlms,

you lessons that you can’t learn anywhere else. You’re crafting

not only for the action and ﬁst eating pace but for the attention

episodic content in a feature length framework, so you get to

to detail and design.

practice telling a story in a way that a short ﬁlm or feature won’t allow. It teaches how to grab people by the cheeks and hold their attention (or not to as we’ve also learned). The UK web series

A lot of your content is comedy based. Have you ever thought of making anything serious?

community is blossoming, ﬁnally. The feedback from the viewers

I have a new series in pre-production to be released early next

is instant, and you’re in control of your story for better or for

year which is a romantic comedy with a slight lean towards more

worse.

serious stuﬀ but I don’t think I’ll ever step fully over into total drama. Comedy is a key to great storytelling, and I think it’s essential to mix emotions when it comes to ﬁlmmaking. Probably one of the most heart wrenching scenes in recent cinema is from 30

GEEK SYNDICATE I NTERVIEW Shaun of the Dead, the moment our hero has to kill his own mum is

What new projects are you working on at the moment for

devastating, but surrounded by laughs. Would that scene have the

Redshirt Films?

same weight if stuck in a bleak, dystopian zombie ﬁlm? Probably not! I Am Tim has a few serious chords hidden in there, particularly in some of the later episodes of the series, but for YouTube drama doesn’t ﬂoat as well.

The Away Mission (working title!) is h a l f w a y t h ro u g h shooting. It’s a sciﬁ

If you could take the web series to a TV channel who would be

show about two low

you choice to pitch it to?

level crewmen who

I think NATRT would work really well as a show on Channel 4. We’d have to expand the story a fair bit, move the location away from just the table but I reckon they’d do great things. After all, it’s the home of SPACED and Black Books! If you got a studio interesting in your web films but you could only pick one which one would you pick and why? As a film, I think I Am Tim would work best. We actually cut the first season into a feature just as an exercise and people really enjoyed it when Owen (who plays Timmons in the show) screened it at the Rio in Vancouver. We showed it in our home town of York, as well as London and Edinburgh. It’s on YouTube now for anyone who fancies watching a feature film made for around £500… http://youtu.be/WihU4te0Vjk

are forgotten and left behind while on a m i s s i o n . Ve r y short, snappy episodes around 2-3 minutes long, more like sketches than a series. That’s coming out in Winter this year. Last Man Standing is the rom-com

mentioned earlier, which follows a man who ﬁnds himself the last singleton in his circle of friends and embarks on a weekend of madness. We have a few more series that exist on paper, but there a little too large in scope to make right now. The idea behind our online presence is to provide a multi series channel experience, expanding the fan base as we gear up to make our ﬁrst feature. 31

GEEK SYNDICATE I NTERVIEW What would you say are the three essential qualities if someone wants to get into the web film making business? Patience, dedication and the ability to survive on very little sleep. Besides yourselves what web shows should folks be watching? I know a lot of friends who make web series, friends I made through making my own web series so it’s hard to pick. I’m going to be diplomatic and choose three that I have no connection to at all, but anyone who is interested in discovering more UK based shows should visit http://britishwebseries.blogspot.co.uk to find some great shows. I’m going to go with… Bloody Cuts, which is an amazing horror series. More a collection of short films than a series, but it reminds me of the old Tales From The Crypt series, but with a LOT more gore. The Power Inside is a fantastic example of story telling on the web, and although the budget is massive it’s clear that the same techniques could be employed to tell a similar story on a much smaller budget. STILL is a very well made horror series that does a crazy good job of making your brain itch. Find out more about Redshirt Films here. 32

MALEFICENT COSPLAY By Jess Hawke Photos: Becky Stothert, Pinterest Check out Jess’s video log for behind the scenes cosplay footage.

“Evil is the new Black.”

GEEK SYNDICATE F EATURE

The magnificent original Maleficent ay 2014’s MCM Expo was

fast

approaching and I needed a costume. I’d been cosplaying various versions of Wonder Woman for a while by this point, so I decided to mix things up a bit. I went for the complete opposite and decided on the greatest Disney villain ever: Maleﬁcent. The ﬁlm

I wanted my Maleficent to have a floor length skirt and sleek black corset as a starting point. This would (hopefully) give me a nice silhouette and a base I could build the rest of the costume onto. I found some gorgeous stone-washed silk for the skirt - it had a kind of brushed effect to it, which meant it could show up either black or charcoal coloured, depending on the light. Four meters of silk and a lot of sewing later, I had a skirt. Score! I’ve only had a very small amount of training in corsetry, so I decided to buy one rather than chance it and make one. Corset Story UK has a butt load of ah-mazing corsets of all designs and colours, most of which are perfect for cosplay. If you’re ever looking for a certain type of corset for a costume, it’s well worth checking their website or their Facebook page for great offers. Have your eye on one, but think it’s too pricey? Leave it a bit. Chances are it’ll be in the sale soon!

was being released soon, so I assumed there’d be a bit of hype at

I was already going to be really tall with ridiculous horns on my

the con, but I wanted to stick with the original animated design,

head, so why not make myself even taller, so it would be harder

rather than the new Angelina Jolie take on her. Maleﬁcent is pure

for me to ﬁt through door frames as well? I found myself the

evil, instantly recognisable and totally badass.

cheapest pair of seventies platforms on eBay and bought them.

In terms of costume design, I wanted to stay true to the original as much as possible, but also wanted to do my own interpretation of it. I decided the props would remain the same (horns and staﬀ), as well as the tall, imposing silhouette. I did a couple of quick sketches and had a good think about what I could do with the limited time/money I had.

They’re not great quality, but they are surprisingly easy to walk in and can be made more comfortable with a pair of fancy insoles I’m sure. In my complete costume, I’m well over six foot tall. Travelling on the underground to conventions is a mission and a half… My original design for MCM Expo had a cape, complete with large collar and a purple under collar, referencing the original animated 35

GEEK SYNDICATE F EATURE design. Think Dracula style. I managed to scrape together some scraps of Duchess satin I had in my fabric box and had enough to make a curved knee length cape. I misjudged the collar size (late night sewing for you) and it came up a bit too small… But I improvised and found a couple of silver buttons, chain and clasps and made a little fastening for the front. If people asked or commented on it I’d say that it was totally what I was going for and it looks EXACTLY like the original design I’d done. In fashion, if something doesn’t work right or you have to change it so it looks entirely different, call it a “design feature”. I liked the final cape, but I felt it didn’t fit with the rest of the costume as well as it could’ve done. It was all black fabric on black fabric and all kind of mashed into the cape shape. Not very imposing/scary/badass Disney villain-like… London Film and Comic Con was my next con and I’d had a bit of time to think about the changes I could make to the cape. I decided to completely scratch the idea and go for a bolero style jacket instead. Cropped in the body and with really long flow sleeves and large collar, it was much more in the style of Maleficent. It had the basic shape of the corset and skirt (which looked way better

A New Cape for a New Con

without the cape), but with added awesomeness and power with these crazy oversized sleeves that kept getting in my pasta salad during lunch. In costume at MCM Expo

“In fashion, if something doesn’t work right or you have to change it so it looks entirely different, call it a design feature” 36

GEEK SYNDICATE F EATURE

All The Horns The biggest and most recognisable part of Maleﬁcent! After

I rounded up my ﬂatmates and asked

watching a couple of tutorials on how to make horns, I had a

them to clingﬁlm my entire head, then

rough idea of how I was going to make them. I had no idea if it’d

Modroc over the top. They sort of man-

work, or any other plan should it go horribly wrong. I bought

aged to do it, but did also Modroc

some modelling clay (the kind of stuﬀ that doesn’t set) and

beyond where the clingﬁlm ﬁnished…

sculpted it into two horns. I was

Peeling Modroc

partially guessing with scale, but I

from skin really

ﬁgured the bigger the better. Using

hurts. Sat in my

watered down PVA glue, I stuck strips

Modroc bubble,

of kitchen roll around each one, build-

unable to hear

ing up to about four or ﬁve layers on

anything, I

each horn. I was having so much fun

waited for it to dry for a couple of hours.

that I forgot to let each layer dry before adding a new one, so they ended up taking a few days to completely dry out. Silly. After making sure they looked roughly the same shape as each other, I cut each horn from top to bottom so I was left with two halves for each. I PVA and kitchen rolled the halves back together and allowed them to dry for another day or so. Next came the fun part - making a helmet thing for the horns to sit on. I had debated whether to just papier maché the whole thing, but was worried it might be a bit fragile. So I decided to use Modroc, which I’d used on my Atomic Wonder Woman cosplay (Which you can see by picking up Issue 8 of this magazine! – ed). It sets like plaster and is much more robust.

Moulding horns

After a ﬁnal blast with a hairdryer, I was able to eventually (if a bit painfully) get the thing oﬀ my head. After leaving it for

an extra day to dry out completely, I shaved off the sides a bit so I could get my head back in it comfortably. Next I got my flatmates to help me position the horns onto the helmet thing, while I was wearing it. While holding each horn in place, they Modrocked them into place. They stuck them on slightly wonky, but I’ve forgiven them! Last off was smoothing everything out, making sure there were no lumps and bumps. Once they’d dried out a bit, I took them off and left them for another few days. After cutting down the edges again so they matched my hairline, I hot glued a pointy piece of cardboard to 37

GEEK SYNDICATE F EATURE

After piling on the eye shadow before LFCC

the inside of the top, to replicate the piece

issue! – ed), but as gorgeous as they are, they

that sits on Maleﬁcent’s forehead.

were all too glittery!

The ﬁnal big job for the horns was cutting

High street stores did not have any of the

strips of leather from an old leather jacket I

shades I wanted so I looked to more fancy

had and sticking them all over the headpiece

fashion brands. I’d heard good things about

with hot glue. I tried to do this on some sort of

Urban Decay and found they’d just released

pattern that wove up and around the horns. It

their new Electric palette. As the name

turned out pretty well, apart from the stray

suggests, the colours were bloody bright. And

blob of hot glue that hung about. After peeling

they had the purples, pinks and greens I was

oﬀ the bits I could, the horns were ﬁnished!

looking for.

Face Goop

Success! The colours weren’t available separately, so it was a little pricey, but it

Maleﬁcent’s make up in the

worked out around £3.50 per eye shadow,

original animation is very

which isn’t bad for a fancy brand and I have

bold: a pale greenish face,

some awesome new colours to try out! After

with purple eye shadow and

the eyes were sorted, I tried out some dark

arching eyebrows. I wanted

c o l o u r s f o r c re a t i n g c h e e k b o n e s a n d

to go for a more demure

experimented with diﬀerent lip colours. After

look, but with the same

many a makeup trial and scaring members of

crazy colours. No costume

the public when I answered the door, I had a ‘look’. This would be

style stuﬀ, just slap some

my Maleﬁcent ‘look’. I shall wear this ‘look’ when I dress as

foundation on and add a lot

Maleﬁcent and feel awesome.

more eye shadow than I’d usually dare to wear in public. I had a look around for bright colours on Shiro Cosmetics (reviewed last Adding the leather

GEEK SYNDICATE F EATURE

Props

•

Broomstick: £2.99

The staﬀ Maleﬁcent has is pretty simple. I

•

Scrap fabric (cape/horns/cane): FREE

had thought about trying out some circuitry with LED lights, but in the end I took the easy option. I bought a large light bulb, spray painted it lime green and then found a broom and chopped the head off. Duct tape the two together and you have one Maleficent staff. I then made some leaf shapes from scrap

Just over £100. Not too horriﬁc, but the main culprit was the corset. However, I can wear it with other cosplays/clothing so I won’t be using it just for Maleﬁcent. I like to make as much of a costume as I can. It feels great when people compliment you on it! I can say THANK YOU I MADE IT AND AM SUPER PROUD OF IT.

The good and the bad

leather and hot glued then around the base of the light bulb, covering all of the

I’m rubbish with time management and didn’t make the jacket

tape. A few extra strips to hide the join

until the night before LFCC. However, I now know that should I

between the leaves and broom and I was

ever have to make a jacket again in a short amount of time, I

all done! I’m really happy with the way it

can! The horns are slightly wonky, but it’s not too obvious. I’m

turned out. The spray paint I used on the broomstick could’ve

still really chuﬀed with them considering how I’d never used

been a bit less patchy, but I don’t mind.

Modroc on a scale like this before. I’m also super happy with the

Duct tape. Duct tape everywhere.

The cost of cosplay So just how much did this costume cost? Here’s a rough guide to

staﬀ. It’s a great example of a really simple but eﬀective prop that anyone can make!

MCM & LFCC

how much each item was: At MCM, I was the only Maleﬁcent there on the Sunday. I found •

Fabrics (skirt and jacket): £50

•

Corset (www.corsets-uk.com): £55

•

Modroc: £7.50

•

Lightbulb: £5

this really weird, as the ﬁlm was being released around the same time as the con. I wasn’t complaining. Between saying “lets get lunch” and us actually eating lunch took about half an hour, because it was hard to get to the other side of the hall without being stopped every ﬁve steps to have a photo! But I didn’t mind. 39

GEEK SYNDICATE F EATURE

People noticed my costume, which meant a lot! Also the fact that I was taller than most people there meant it was more noticeable… LFCC had a lot more Maleﬁcents, but mainly the new one. I’m glad people were able to see that mine was based on the original. There were a lot more kids

“it was hard to get to the other side of the hall without being stopped every five steps to have a photo!”

who wanted photos with me there than there were at MCM, which was adorable! One kid dressed as the Joker was going around to all the cosplayers

Casting spells

asking for their character’s autograph. He was so sweet! I met another Maleﬁcent at LFCC:

Becky Stothert was the new Maleficent and she nailed it. The horns were unbelievable, her staff was really fancy and she even had a raven that sat on her hand. Becky entered into the cosplay masquerade at the last minute and won. She definitely deserved it! We had chatted on Facebook previously and she said she could photograph my Maleficent cosplay on the Sunday. It was lovely meeting her and I’m so grateful for and happy with the finished photos! Trying to look evil

elevator pitch

The Red Mask From Mars Writer/Artist/Letters: Vincent Hunt Colourist: Shaun Dobie Publisher: Raw Edge Comics

GEEK SYNDICATE E LEVATOR P ITCH What is The Red Mask From Mars? The Red Mask from Mars is the story of Doug Stewart, a former astronaut who gets an alien parasite stuck to his face, but instead of killing him it gives extraordinary powers, which he uses to help the agency known as Xenosphere defend the country from hostile alien threats. This normally involves him hitting things really hard in the face. Which is nice.

Why Should We Pick this Up? "It's non stop. The pacing is fast and fun - perfect for this sort of madcap action book. The dialogue is sharp and funny and it's a rattling great read." beardrock.com "This book has it all. comedy, action, sharp wit and beautiful artwork. so why not grab yourself a copy and get involved!." in2thereview.com "If you could distill the energy found in a young teenager, who's just had a meal of skittles, cookies and pop-tarts then washed it all down with coﬀee, into a comic book, you may create something akin to The Red Mask From Mars." A Place to Hang Your Cape THE UK'S NEWEST HERO IS HERE, SO GET INVOLVED! The ﬁrst issue (in print or digital) and FREE 'origin issue' are currently available at www.theredmaskfrommars.com

GEEK SYNDICATE I NTERVIEW

Director-Producer Jack Bowman and Writer Robert Valentine of the Wireless Theatre Company spill the beans on their awarding audio drama. By Barry Nugent

“he's a fantastic MacGuffin you can change with the times...”  45

GEEK SYNDICATE I NTERVIEW So for people who don't know about Springheel'd Jack, can

Robert: I think most - if not all -

you give your sales pitch on it?

of the actors we worked with had

Jack: The Springheel Saga is the story of one man's lifelong pursuit of London's most enigmatic bogeyman, spanning the entire reign of Queen Victoria - and beyond.

done voice acting before, but not necessarily in the way they encountered on SHJ.

Jack: Basically for radio drama this

Given all the nefarious characters from Victorian London you

complex and ambitious, we had to

could have tackled, why did you opt for SHJ?

rethink the way we would produce

Robert: Of all Victorian London's sinister and spooky denizens, Springheel Jack has it all. Not only did he exist as a solid, ﬂeshand-blood, fancy-dress attacker, from the outset he was associated with the supernatural. Unlike other London ghosts, however, he went on to become a media sensation, and then was

“we're aiming to create a bigbudget feature film that just happens to lack the visual”

a radio drama - in a way, the scheduling ended up being closer to a feature ﬁlm or television production, which surprised everyone.

taken up in the popular culture and over time became almost a

Robert: The most actors you'll

superhero. After a few ﬁnal appearances in the early years of the

probably get on a BBC Radio

twentieth century, he faded away for a while, only to be

drama, for example, is about

resuscitated in Ufology circles where it was theorised he'd been a

eight, but on series one over thirty

stranded extra-terrestrial. So for a couple of guys wanting to tell

actors turn up to record dialogue

a decades-spanning adventure serial, he's a fantastic MacGuﬃn

for us in one day. Julian Glover had a

you can change with the times.

great time on the serial but he didn't

think we'd get all three episodes done

You have had several well known actors/actresses in SHJ have

in one day. Luckily, we did!

any of them never done voice acting before and if not how did they ﬁnd the experience?

Jack: Julian thought it would take two and half days - he was ﬁ n i s h e d h i s m a t e r i a l w i t h i n t w o a n d a h a l f h o u r s .

GEEK SYNDICATE I NTERVIEW How long does it take to write, record and edit a single episode

Where is SHJ recorded and can you give us a brief overview of a

of SHJ?

typical recording session?

Robert: Writing the ﬁrst series probably took over a year, and

Jack: We've formally used six studios over the entire series -

writing series two and three took a year as well, but

Borough Studios, Meringue Studios (both of which no

by then we'd worked out the SHJ formula and had established our house style. We recorded series one in a day, and we recorded the next two series across two days with a few pickups later on. Editing takes as much time as our editors can give us, to be honest, and I'm not sure I have a straight answer for that one. The process has certainly sped up as we've gone on!

longer exist, sadly), Unity Studios, Alchemia, Nomadic

“it's all between your ears, and your imagination plays a key part in creating the visuals”

Studios, Quince Studios - plus we've used a mixture of mobile recording techniques to get additional material down all across London in places like RADA and LOST Theatre, as well as other parts of the UK. And that's also not including when our sound designers - Andrew Swann, Benjamin Osborn and Joe Richardson - have all got incredibly enthusiastic and gone oﬀ and recorded their own Foley (live sound eﬀects) to add to the mix.

Jack: Post-production tends to be the most

Robert: As I mentioned before, in writing a very

demanding part of it all, simply because we're not

ambitious and large cast production (Series One used

aiming to simply create a radio drama; we're aiming to create a

thirty-four actors, Series Two used twenty-nine, and Series Three

big-budget feature ﬁlm that just happens to lack the visuals. It's

used seventeen; your average radio drama uses a cast of eight to

literally analysed second-by-second to get every moment as right

eleven), we had to rethink the way we recorded it. Normally with

as it can be. When everyone's home entertainment systems have

radio you rehearse in the morning and record in the afternoon,

gone from VHS to BluRay in less than ﬁfteen years, I ﬁrmly

working through scene by scene - with this, we took ever actor's

believe this project is one of several leading the way to do the

availability and created a schedule that meant we recorded out-

same for audio in terms of "HD-ing radio".

of-sequence. After that was set in stone, it was mostly one, two

takes and move on - which is a style and speed very similar to how soap operas are recorded.

GEEK SYNDICATE I NTERVIEW     With visual eﬀects in ﬁlm and TV

Jack: It also took a while to get

getting bigger, bolder and more

some trumpets that just per-

expensive what do you think is the

form two simple notes right. Of

enduring appeal of audio drama?

all the things...

Robert: The enduring appeal of audio

Are there any of the current

drama for audiences, I think, is that

properties either in ﬁlm or TV

it's all between your ears, and your

that you would love to adapt

imagination plays a key part in

to an audio drama format?

creating the visuals. It's also the only recorded medium you can fully

Robert: Now you come to

engage in whilst pottering, and you

mention it, I've never felt the

can listen anywhere you like. For

tone of the Harry Potter ﬁlms

writers and producers, the appeal of

matched the books.

Maybe

audio drama is that you can create an epic story on a vast canvas

give it ten or ﬁfteen years for the ﬁlms to fade away a bit more,

at no extra cost than it would take to set it in a bedsit. Plus, you

then doing a full-cast audio adaptation of the Harry Potter series

can record the whole thing in a matter of hours, in comfy clothes,

might be fun.

in a nice, warm studio; and for modest productions like ours, hiring a big-name actor to play a key role for a couple of hours or less is something you can't really do in any other medium.     What has been the most diﬃcult sound eﬀect that you have had to produce for the drama? Robert: In the script for series two we described the sound of a

Jack: I'm curious to recently hear that they're bringing Terrahawks to audio - I'd love to be involved with that. How you'd do that on audio will be fascinating... Also, this will sound very left-ﬁeld, but I'd love to see the 1980's BBC series StarCops on audio - a really well-written, brilliantly acted series, let down by the lack of budget for the visuals.

pair of spring-boots bouncing along as a 'sinister boinging jump'. It's pretty tough making a 'boing' sound sinister, but we pulled it oﬀ.

GEEK SYNDICATE I NTERVIEW What can you tell us, without giving too much away, about the

Jack: 2. It's a technical medium, so always listen for, and learn,

plotline of the third series of The Springheel Saga, entitled

the techniques used by everyone involved (actors, editors, direc-

'The Secret of Springheel'd Jack'?

tors, designers). And get as much of that technique down into

Robert: The third series brings the curtain down on Jonah Smith's pursuit of Springheel Jack. I wouldn't want to spoil it for anyone,

the script before you even start recording - think in terms of space, sound and remember reality has three dimensions.

but if you know your SHJ history, you know the events we've al-

Jack: 3. Ask yourself - why would this story work on audio? Why

ready covered in the ﬁrst two series; in series three we cover the

not ﬁlm, or stage, instead? And if the reasons are practical or

rest! Jack: Aldershot. Disraeli. A clash of Empires.     What three do's and three don'ts would you give to anyone thinking about doing their own audio drama? Here are my Do's: Robert: 1. Do it. The alternative is not doing it, and where's the fun in that? Robert: 2. Do spend most of your energy on making the scripts as good as they can be. In comparison, the rest is easy. Robert: 3. Do work with the best people you can, and sort the rest out in post. Jack: 1. Listen to as much of it as you can - and pay attention to what you work what you think works, and what doesn't work. What's diﬀerent and what's similar between say, The Springheel Saga, Dirk Magg's Neverwhere, a Big Finish Doctor Who and the Radio 4 Saturday play? 49

GEEK SYNDICATE I NTERVIEW budgetary, then that's okay, but make the story work for the

Jack: Don't leave things to chance - plan everything and for

medium and your resources. A good example of this was Dead

everyone.

London - we pitched it as a SF recorded on location (not in a studio) - so we incorporated all the possible negatives of using that technique and made it work for the story.     Here are OUR Don'ts:

Jack: There are some standard rules out there - everything from punctuality to eating cheese the night before (no, really) - don't assume you can ignore even one of them. They are there for a reason!

Robert: 1. Don't listen to people who tell you that chase scenes

Are you working on any audio dramas beside SHJ at the mo-

don't work in audio.

ment?

Robert: 2. Don't underestimate who might be willing to give you

Jack: Anyone who attended our recent WorldCon panel (The

an afternoon of their acting talent.

Springheel Saga - Adventures In Sound) will know that we are,

Robert: 3. Don't expect an audience. Hunt them. Find them.     Jack: Don't assume it's easy to do (or that it's a 'lesser' or 'poorer' medium) - great radio can be as hard to make as a feature ﬁlm or a TV series.

post-Springheel radio series, at moving the The Springheel Saga property into the graphic novel world, which is exciting... and maybe other visual media too. We're also developing a new fulllength commercial theatre piece called The Demonstration - a SF/horror play which will be performed at the LOST Theatre,

GEEK SYNDICATE I NTERVIEW London between 27th October - 1st November. And there's a few more ideas on the horizon we're looking at... Robert: We've got quite a few projects at various stages of development, but whether any of them are destined for audio is a little hard to say at present. I like to think that some stories are

“I like to think that some stories are too much fun to only tell in one medium...”

too much fun to only tell in one medium...    What are some of your favourite audio dramas of all time?   Robert: I love the BBC's 1981 adaptation of The Lord of the Rings, and often tend to relisten when the nights start drawing in. It's got great old actors like Michael Hordern, Robert Stephens and James Grout in it, and its always a giggle to hear the credit '...and William Nighy as Sam Gamgee.' Then when the Beeb brought out The Complete Smiley, that was me happy for about eighteen months; in my opinion, Simon Russell Beale is the best George Smiley of them all - even better than Alec Guinness. It's probably against the law not to mention The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and I've got to say it's to the beneﬁt of all mankind that Dirk Maggs and co. brought the rest of the quintessentialogy to the radio. I also bloody love The Scarifyers! The Springheel Jack Series One Team

Jack: Most of the above too - but also the Jeﬀ Wayne War of the Worlds - that may not count as it's a musical, but it's brilliant - as is the Orson Welles version; the old Basil Rathbone's Sherlock Holmes he did for CBS Radio with Nigel Bruce around the same time as the feature ﬁlms; and Journey Into Space. However, a lot of the radio I enjoy tends to be the comedy - you cannot beat Round the Horne, even all these years down the line. 51

The Doctor’s Greatest hits Luke and Ant continue their journey through the doctor’s regenerations and cherry picking some of their fave adventures. This issue it’s the turn of Doctor number seven... By Luke Halsall and Antony Mcgarry-Thickitt

Seventh Doctor: Luke’s Choice: Dragonﬁre Synopsis (from bbc website): The trading post, Iceworld, is a planet with one side permanently facing the cold, dark of space. Beneath the shops and cafes lives Kane, seeking the secret of the dragonﬁre...

he Seventh Doctor never got what he deserved. He could have been so much more if he had not been cancelled and I believe that the series’ cancellation was no fault of this Doctor at all. Yes Dragonﬁre looks a bit

dated and it contains the best (for all the wrong reasons) cliffhanger ever but Dragonfire brought so much to Doctor Who and was by far the best serial of this series. Firstly it was really the start of what is known in Doctor Who fandom as “the Cartmel Masterplan”. Andrew Cartmel (then script editor) had taken the job at the beginning of the Seventh Doctor’s first series. Some of that year’s stories had already been commissioned by the time he got the job as script editor and it was clear that the creative team had Colin Baker in mind. There was little Cartmel could do apart from make these stories work for incoming Sylvester McCoy. Dragonfire arrived at the end of this series - the twenty-fourth of the program - and saw the twists and turns in the 53

GEEK SYNDICATE F EATURE

“The Doctor was so much more than just another Time Lord...” characterisation of the Time Lord start to emerge. Cartmel wanted to do so much with The Doctor. He wanted to put the layers of intrigue back onto him. He felt we knew too much about this character and that damaged the mystique that the character had back in nineteen sixty-three. I tend to agree with his opinion.

Without Cartmel and his Masterplan I honestly believe that we would never have had Davies introduce the Time War and he may have never so cleverly tell the new audience so little about The Ninth Doctor.

Later stories commissioned by Cartmel would hint that The

Would Moﬀatt have ever had The Doctor have the great secret

Doctor was so much more than just another Time Lord, going so

and the ﬁrst question? I doubt it. All of these things build intrigue

far as to give the impression that our hero might have been

in The Doctor’s character which is exactly what Cartmel wanted.

around at the dawning of Time Lord society on Gallifrey. If you have read any of the New Adventures novels published by Virgin books after the show was cancelled, you can see just how far Cartmel was going to take this direction.

Secondly Dragonﬁre saw the introduction of Ace. Ace added so much depth to the companion role. Again in a foreshadowing of what we would get without Ace we would never have got Rose.

GEEK SYNDICATE F EATURE

Ace was a smart, street tough kid who had enough explosives in

Lately the cringe worthy cliﬀhanger has been ﬁxed to a thing of

her rucksack to destroy a small Dalek army. The Doctor also ﬁnds

beauty. In Dragonﬁre we see The Doctor literally lower himself

her on a space station in deep space with no real explanation as

down a cliﬀ till he is hanging from his umbrella. In the script it

to what happened. This already creates intrigue in this character.

apparently played out diﬀerently but the way you see it, it looks

Ace was like night and day when compared to The Doctor’s

like The Doctor is almost breaking the fourth wall and is aware

current companion Mel. I don’t hate Mel like a lot of people but

that a cliﬀhanger is needed. Well he is at a cliﬀ so why not use it.

she really was a one dimensional character who was obsessed

Until last year this was seen as a quirky silly thing that made next

with exercise. If Mel showed the eighties love of gyms, Ace

to no sense along with the time wimey wobbly sets. But after The

showed the disenfranchised youth: the perfect companion for

Name of The Doctor we now know that The Great Intelligence

The Doctor. Also Ace was one of the ﬁrst female companions

made him do this. Yes it ﬁnally makes sense!

who you felt didn’t need The Doctor to help her out. As I stated earlier she carried explosives around with her. You didn’t mess with Ace and in fact often The Doctor would need her help.

So check out Dragonﬁre to see the real birth of the Seventh Doctor’s era that has far better episodes and stories than people give it credit. 55

Antony’s Choice: The Curse of Fenric Synopsis (from bbc website) : The dead are coming back to life during the latter days of the Second World War and the Doctor realises an old enemy, Fenric, is seeking revenge. But Ace is one of his weapons... The final season of Doctor Who in its original run contained four very strong stories. Okay, so Battlefield was plagued with bad design and effects and was stretched from its original three-part premise. Survival suffered from cuddly teddy-bear villains. But both those stories had great potential and when read (via target novelisations) or watched with a less critical eye, they stand up. My favourite story from this period was written by the same writer who wrote Luke’s choice – which has to say something about the quality of a man’s scripting ability. Ian Briggs was one of the new wave of writers that Andrew Cartmel was keen to bring on board to give Doctor Who a fresh lease of life. Seasons twenty-five and twenty-six of the program really showed the value of this idea and while it was perhaps time for a break, it was also a shame that these young writers weren’t given more chances and better budgets. The Curse Of Fenric suffers from nothing. In my opinion it is one of the very best Doctor Who stories ever written and not just because to this day I hate walking alone in heavy fog as a direct result of this story.

The story is set in a British World War Two base towards the end of the conﬂict. It was one of the stories that was ﬁlmed entirely on location rather than being studio bound and the authenticity of the locations really help the mood and tone that Briggs was aiming for. Added to this was a genuinely creepy take on the Vampire myth and some fantastic prosthetics that helped sell the piece.

Added to this an

amazing performance by all involved (including the stunt-casting of the week in the form of Nicholas Parsons) and added to THAT was probably the best performance that Sylvester McCoy and Sophie Aldred turned in. This story is one of those that refers to past Doctor Who adventures. But these are either probably known to the viewer (Ace’s introduction and a Chess set) or were adventures that were never televised. I spent some time ﬂicking through “The Programme Guide” when I re-watched this on VHS in the midnineties trying to ﬁnd the original Fenric adventure. Allow me to save you some time: It does not exist. I love this added layer and it’s one that Briggs expands further upon in the novelisation of the story that was published by Target. The plot is complex without ever being over complicated and there is a real feel that perhaps a plan of the Doctor’s has gone a bit awry. Pitted

“probably the best performance that Sylvester McCoy and Sophie Aldred turned in.”

against a primal force who also loves 57

“The story really plays with the Time Lord’s relationship with Ace”

to play strategy games, has the Doctor not seen the full game plan? This is one of those situations The Doctor knew he was getting into. A job unfinished. This is apparent from the outset as Ace is dressed in forties garb on exiting the TARDIS and even the Doctor has thrown on a duffel coat. Heck, never has a duffel coat looked so good on anyone!

as an innocent baby. We see him rip her

Added to that are his knowledge of some of

to shreds by removing her belief. We see

the events – particularly of the old Viking curse that permeates

them begin to heal a rift. It’s a shame that the programme didn’t

the events.

allow for more time for this rift to be healed, but the nature of the television show meant that each story had to stand on its own

The story really plays with the Time Lord’s relationship with Ace –

and it would be confusing for new viewers joining in the following

we see him toy with her by bringing her to see her hated mother

story to see two protagonists at odds. 58

GEEK SYNDICATE F EATURE The cast of characters are

costume drama. From there, subtle choices to show possession

also memorable. There’s a

and two levels of “vampire” – one with creepy make up and

crotchety, previously-abled

accoutrements and the other being full on prosthetics allow the

scientist. A slightly

correct costumes to have the money spent. The location shoot in

disillusioned based com-

an old military base helps inordinately.

mander obsessed with the enemy. A squad of Russian Commandos led by a genuine and patriotic young man. A

The atmosphere is enhanced by some creepy incidental music and some underwater ﬁlmography of a sunken Viking ship thrown in at key moments in the episodes.

vicar who tries to see the

To conclude, this is a complex, character driven story that can in

good in the world through

no way be said to have dodgy eﬀects and costumes. If you only

war time. Even the more

ever watch one story from the “classic” era, I would probably

secondary characters such as

recommend this one.

the two evacuated young women and the overbearing

Next Issue it’s time for Doctor

a n d d i s a p p ro v i n g o l d e r

Number 8!

woman in who’s house they ﬁnd themselves. Oh and the Ancient One. The Curse of Fenric is ﬁlled with atmosphere and it’s one that the crew manage to put on screen by spending their budget in exactly the right places. Being a “recent historical” helps of course – if there’s one thing the BBC has always succeeded at it is

The Bluffers Guide to Zombies By Matt Farr

The Bluﬀers Guide to Zombies Braaaaaiiiiinnnnns! Er, what? Braaaaiiiiiinnnnnnsssss? Oh god, is it Halloween already? Um, no? Should it be? Well you’re doing the Zombie thing,

Ever wondered what all those geeks in the corner were talking about? Sick of missing out of the sly references and obscure injokes?

so it must be Halloween. I mean, why else would you be dressed like that? Surely every day can be Zombie day! They’re everywhere!

Never Fear! The Bluffers Guide is here to help!

You have a point actually. I guess it’s appropriate that they’ve spread like a devouring plague into every corner of geekdom. You got it! Raaaaar! Stop that now. Sorry. Spoilsport.

GEEK SYNDICATE F EATURE Maybe I’m just a little burnt

I don’t recall any version of

on them. Over exposure,

Frankenstein demanding

perhaps?

brains!

Could be worse, could be

Exactly. There really aren’t

Vampires!

any established tropes for reanimated dead and each

Modern Zombies are newer

a p p e a ra n c e i s s l i ght l y

though, but they have really caught on. It

diﬀerent. Lovecraft uses

really only goes back as far

them in Herbert West

as 1968 and George Romero.

Reanimator (1921)

Cool Air (1926) and Richard Matheson has very

Are you seriously telling me that there were no zombies before 1968? Wellllllll…. So that’s a yes then? It’s a yes and no. The idea of reanimated corpses dates back to a host of mythologies, and Haitian folklore (and related ideas) feature necromancy and servile undead that turned up in some pre-Romero movies. Hell, the famously terrible Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959) uses corpses reanimated by aliens. You could even stretch to Frankenstein as a precursor, but the sad, vengeful and erudite Monster hardly ﬁts the modern trope.

and

“zombie-like” Vampires in I am Legend (1954), so much so that Romero cites him as an influence. OK hold on a minute. Who is this Romero chap again? George A Romero is the Patient Zero of the modern Zombie infection. In 1968 he made the low budget, black and white flick Night of the Living Dead, and pretty much created a genre. A compact and brutal movie featuring a group isolated in a farmhouse as the dead rise from the grave around them. Its stark, effective, and nihilistic, pulls very few punches as its cast turn on each other or are devoured by the undead. Sounds familiar. 62

GEEK SYNDICATE F EATURE Yep. This idea that the true threat isn’t the monsters, but the weaknesses of the humans themselves, is a theme of Zombie fiction in general - and Romero in particular - and his follow up, Dawn of the Dead, widens the scope and themes of the film. Its set in a shopping mall, for a start and its victims are literally consumed amongst the trappings of a society being swept away. The Zombie is here to stay. But that’s a while back now, right? Sure, Dawn of the Dead was released in 1978, but it was remade in 2004. Some of this twenty-first century resurgence owes a lot of video games, and their rise after the turn of the century. We’re blaming video games? Excellent. I’ll get popcorn. Not like that. It’s quite common in games to have waves of cannon fodder for the main character to smack down, and early favourites such as Orcs, Demons or Nazis, all pretty much a “morality free zone” as far as being targets. Zombies fit right into this idiom. On top of that, they are pretty icky and horrific. Games like Resident Evil and House of the Dead really popularised this wave of zombie-led horror action games, and these days it seems like no self-respecting shooter can exist without a Zombie level. Or a Demon Possessed Nazi Zombie level?

GEEK SYNDICATE F EATURE

Yep. A lot of these are bolt-ons or expansions

Ah now I’ve heard of that. Comic Book to TV show, right?

- Red Dead Redemption (2010), for instance, released a zombie expansion for its main

That’s right. Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead is

game, as did several of the Call of Battle-

probably the biggest thing in Zombies right now.

Honour shooters. They all blur together, to be

First published in 2003 with Tony Moore as artist

honest.

(soon replaced by Charlie Adlard), it follows Kentucky Police Oﬃcer Rick Grimes though a Zom-

But there must be proper Zombie games? Sure! One of the best co-op experiences around, Left4Dead (2008), features a team of four survivors for an ongoing Zombie Apocalypse shooting their way out of various set pieces inspired

bie Apocalypse. As you might expect, it’s a series that pulls no punches and is rightly famous for its brutal dispatch of its revolving door cast. I guess Zombie Apocalypses aren’t known for being good for you.

by famous Zombie ﬁctions, including of course a deserted Shopping Mall. Dead Island (2011) is set on a

Well true. The Walking Dead follows a fairly consistent cycle the

tropical paradise, and Day Z (2013) is an open-world survival

survivors ﬁnding more survivors and a place to stay, then that

simulator. There has also been a lauded adaptation of comic

place becoming compromised, and then hey! Zombie chow!

series The Walking Dead.

although true the established genre pattern other survivors are

Farmhouse and

just as guilty of thinning out the cast. It does highlight one of the problems of the genre through - the need to keep killing 64

GEEK SYNDICATE F EATURE characters, and the lack of any tradition of endings other than

aren’t going to scare anyone. There are several low-age-range

bad ones, can lead to Zombie Fatigue, and a need to out-horror

board games that feature cartoon-style undead ready chow

the last thing that was tried.

down on their victims in the safest, child-friendliest way possible.

But that’s what its all about! The end of civilisation! Human Nature laid

And even stuﬀ for adults, there have been a fair few Zombie comedies.

bare! Red in Tooth and Claw! There are no happy endings in Zombie Fiction! I dunno, it’s pretty happy for the Zombies. They get to chill out, be with their zombie mates, and all the brains they can catch. I don’t think you’re taking this seriously. Not everyone does. The rise of the twenty-ﬁrst century Zombie hasn’t been short a few laughs along the way. People getting their brains eaten is hilarious!

You’re about to say Shaun of the Dead, aren’t you?

It certainly can be. Look, the horror genre has always had a

Of course I am. Shaun of the Dead (2004) is both a loving hom-

strange relationship with slapstick, just look at the evolution of

age to the Zombie genre and a steady spoof of it. It’s got some

the Evil Dead series. One way we deal with things we fear is to re-

proper moments of horror and loss, but also features scenes

duce them to objects we can laugh at, and lurching undead

where they try to ﬁght oﬀ a Zombie with someone’s record collec-

certainly can have that eﬀect. There are a lot of “tame” Zombie

tion. It’s a pitch-perfect walking of that tightrope.

images around, even toys marketed at kids. Pretty unique though? Zombie toys! Yeah! Not really. I already mentioned the Evil Dead (1981) and especially Yes but not just for delayed adolescents like yourself. Cuddly

Army of Darkness (1992), a wonderful showcase for the sort of

zombies star in popular games like Plants vs Zombies, which

physical comedy that Bruce Campbell excels at. There is also 65

GEEK SYNDICATE F EATURE Zombieland (2009), a sort of US companion piece to Shaun of the Dead, and recent brit ﬂick Cockneys vs Zombies (2012), which is about as serious as its title suggests. Do they have shooters and Red Double Decker buses? Of course they do. Sold! Thought so. The more comedic movies feature a lot of homage to the classic Zombie ﬂicks, which does mean that they come very strongly down on the “slow zombie” side of the Great Zombie Speed Debate. ...go on.

…”Rage Virus”...

Right, so traditionally, Zombies are really slow.

It does what it says on the tin. Highly infections

They lurch around, groan, and so on. But in many

through ﬂuid contact, fast acting and over-

ways that’s really not too much of a threat, so a

whelming, even an individual zombie becomes a

lot of more modern movies have gone for “Fast

threat, and hordes them running and tearing

Zombies”, which ﬁrst comes to prominence with

and leaping...well its a whole new evolution for

Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later (2002). Rather than

them.

being the living dead, here Zombies are victims of B u t t h e y ’ r e n o t u n d e a d a n y m o r e ?

a “rage virus” that turns them into mindless killing machines.

GEEK SYNDICATE F EATURE Well, technically no. In fairness most modern zombies for some sort of non-supernatural factor like a virus or environmental pollution or some such. The Last of Us (2013) uses a fungal infection as a vector, giving the zombies a striking physical design as well as a justification for some gamefriendly special powers. Mostly these days they’re afflicted humans rather than walking corpses, although I guess its much the same if they’re chowing down on your squishy parts. So all modern zombies are Fast Zombies? Actually a lot of modern zombies tend to be both, especially on the gaming front; lumbering around until alerted and then accelerated for effect. This probably reaches it peak with the movie adaption of World War Z (2013) which portrays the undead as almost insect-like swarms sweeping all before them. That said, much like most of the rest of the film, it’s not got a lot of basis in the books. Oh - Book-to-Film rant incoming? If you insist! A lot of the criticism of the film is founded on the fact it has very little in common with Max Brooks’ original novel. World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War (2006) is set in the aftermath of a Zombie Apocalypse, and is structured as a series of interviews with survivors. Rather than tell a single story, it attempts to stitch together a sweeping narrative from dozens of smaller stories from across the globe, some extremely grim… 67

GEEK SYNDICATE F EATURE ...as you’d expect… ...and others infused with a sense of humanity, endurance and hope that you rarely find in Zombie Fiction. It’s also extremely faithful to the long tradition of zombie fiction that it is homage to. In fact I’d go so far to say that if you read World War Z you’ll probably come across nearly everything the genre has to offer. OK, so what does it have to offer? What is the attraction? Well you are the one dressed as a Zombie. You tell me. I suppose its fun, right? You’re either destroying civilisation or being a hardened survivor. Either way you get to see everything that annoys you about modern civilisation torn down. Yeah I think you put your finger on it. In some ways its the idea of all the artifice of life torn away, all the truth of who we are exposed as the world crumbles. Its also a great allegory for the ills of society, as the vectors for infection are usually exacerbated by the things we expect to protect us - governments, militaries, and the like - failing in their jobs as we all fear that they will. And in the end, its kill or be killed. Exactly… …and I can feast on your brains!! Argh! Where’s that shotgun?! 68

Collectorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Editions: Are They Worth It? By Casey Douglass

f you are into a particular game, it’s natural that

The ﬁrst category above the regular

you might enjoy buying into its world in any way

version of a game is usually the limited

possible. For some, this might entail picking up a

edition. This might take the form of a

copy of the book/comic/ﬁlm that it might be

steel-box instead of the usual plastic

based on or has caused to be created. For others, the lure of

kind. It sometimes will include extra

the limited or collector’s edition might be another road taken.

knick-knacks such as art-books, post-

Limited and collector’s editions have been around for long enough that it seems a little strange when a big game is released and is only available in one ﬂavour. As a general rule, the limited edition can be picked up for around 25% more than the cost of the standard version. Collector’s editions are usually aimed at the super fans and are usually at least double the price

cards or proper printed game maps. Some only include a little bit of DLC. This all sounds quite reasonable until you open the box and ﬁsh out some tacky piece of tat that is so cheaply made you might wonder where the extra premium you spent has gone.

of the regular edition. As in so many areas of life though, not all

Some games only come with

are created the same. Some are amazing and very desirable.

digital extras. The limited

Some are crazy and probably manufactured to simply generate a

edition (called Tier 1 in

bit of news. Others are a down right rip-oﬀ and can cause a huge

Europe) of 2010’s Medal of

amount of buyers remorse. I’m taking a look at some of the best, worst and most loony editions to see just what is going on and whether spending out on these extravagant editions over the

H o n o r c a m e w i t h s o m e weapon unlocks, the ability

plain standard release is worth it. I have also asked members of

to download Medal of Honor:

the Geek Syndicate team for their opinions and information

Frontline (on PS3 only so

about their own buying experiences.

tough luck X360 owners) and

Antony: I'll get the "limited edition" or "collector's edition" of a

an invite for the Battleﬁeld

game that I am 90% sure I will enjoy. Usually there's some Day

3 beta. That might be enough

One DLC in them (Which is a subject for a whole other article!)

for many fans of the game

and I like to get the most out of them. Additionally, I miss the

but to me it seems pretty

whole "open the box, read the book, play the game" element that

weak. I’m always a bit

used to be key in games - especially RPG and Strategy games.

dubious when a game 71

bundles the beta for another, usually

Barry: As a rule I don't tend to buy collector/

more anticipated game. It seems to me

limited editions because I feel they are a bit of

that the publisher is hopeful that the

a rip oﬀ. They never really feel that exclusive to

stronger franchise will boost sales of

be honest but the real reason is the only thing I

the lesser one. I certainly know of a

am really interested in, these days, is the game

good few people who bought Medal of

itself.

Honor just for the Battleﬁeld 3 beta in-

Of course, you can also end up in the situation

vite contained inside. Of course it is

where the collectables in the box turn out to

totally their choice, but these beta in-

be better or more desirable than the game

vites seem to be happening more and

they came with:

more frequently. The recent WolfenAntony : The Elder Scrolls Online collector's

stein: The New Order has a beta invite for the

edition had some really great extras - a nice

new Doom game inside its box, along with some very

looking (if slightly plasticy) statue, an old

cheap feeling postcards, a thin travel guide and a card holder. Again, the beta seems the main draw with this one. The next step up the ladder are those limited and collector’s editions that contain things beyond paper based extras. I own The Sims Medieval Collector’s Edition. It was picked up on a whim as

school bound book detailing the world and so on. Really nice. Shame the game didn't achieve what it tried to be. Vichus: I, for whatever reason, learned about a game called Devil Summoner 2: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon. Yes, that is a

I’m partial to some of the more laid back and light hearted game

mouthful. I haven't even played the game yet, because the game

play of The Sims games. It was also reduced to a silly price and

wasn't what I desired. All I wanted from it is the plush Jack Frost

thank goodness for that! In the box, you get the game, some bits

doll. Why? Does man or woman need a good reason to own a

of DLC, some printed stuﬀ like an art-book and poster...and a

Jack Frost doll? He's even dressed as one of the game's

wax seal. I mustn’t be overly harsh as some of the stuﬀ in the box

characters! That frosty scamp!

isn’t too bad, but the wax seal...cheaper plastic you will not ﬁnd. I’m not saying everything in a collector’s edition needs to feel expensive but beyond the art-book, where did the extra money go? The other stuﬀ just lets it all down. 72

In my opinion, an example of a well done premium edition is

Grand Theft Auto IV game, which came with a map, duﬀel bag,

the Dark Souls Limited Edition. It only comes with a few physical

lock box, an "Art of GTA IV" book , "The music of GTA IV" and a

extras but you can just feel the quality in the small hardback art-

(very poky when you put it in your pocket) GTA IV key chain. I

book and the way the soundtrack CDs slot so neatly inside.

like GTA, but what made me purchase this special edition is that

Other games might feature statues or larger props in their special editions. These can range from the very nicely made, like the Assassins Creed 2 White Edition which features an

the lock box and gym bag are reusable, so I felt that I was getting my money's worth on an item. Some companies do collector’s editions very well.

Ezio Statue, an art-book

Ta k e

and other goodies, to

e x a m p l e S i e r-

ones in which the objects

ra ’ s Wo r l d i n

just leave you feeling

Conﬂict. The

cold.

collector’s

Barry: I pre-ordered a collectors edition of Batman Arkham Asylum. My sole reason for doing this was because I wanted the Batarang that came with the

for

edition came with a gaming headset, a history channel DVD, and a genuine piece of the Berlin Wall. That just feels so right and ﬁtting to me and I think it shows that bundled extras can be relevant beyond ﬁgurines and soundtracks.

edition. I was gutted when said edition arrived and I realised that the Batarang was ﬁxed to the stand so I could not take it, as planned, to the darkened streets of Northampton to become its feared and shadowy protector. Sometimes the included goodies do prove useful though: Vichus: I bought the special edition of the 73

Another example is Bungie’s Halo Reach. The game comes in a

Antony: I always remember the ﬁrst "collector edition" I got. It

large hexagonal cornered box. Inside are a few badges and such-

was Ultima 9 on the PC. At the time, games still came with proper

like but the thing that really steals the show, for me at least, is

manuals but I saw it on oﬀer in Game and couldn't resist. It came

the artifact bag containing Dr Halsey’s personal journal. It was

with a cloth map, a coin (I think), spell book and a deck of Tarot

one of the most satisfying and premium unboxing experiences

cards (not a full deck - unlike Dishonored!). The cloth map I really

I’ve ever had, and I’m not someone who usually gets excited

liked as it added something to the experience of playing the

about the whole ‘unboxing’ issue. The texture of the bag, the feel

game.

of the book, everything just made it feel lovely to do.

As with anything though, there are the extreme outliers, those

There are lovely editions to buy and cynical ones that seem more

collector’s editions that cost silly money and are more marketing

bent on swindling the gamer out of their hard earned money. All

ploy than genuine.

you can do is stop and take a deep breath when you next see an

Take Codemasters’ Grid 2: Mono Edition. Not only do you get the game for your £125,000, but you also get a proper BAC Mono

advert for the premium edition of a game you think you just have to get. Sometimes you do just have to treat yourself though!

Supercar and all sorts of driving gear/experience days to boot. Cool on one level but marketing muscle on another. If that wasn’t incredible enough, how about Deep Silver’s Saints Row IV Super Dangerous Wad Wad Edition? This gives you not one but two cars: a Toyota Prius and a Lamborghini Gallardo. Nice to think that they considered everyday practicality and so offer the sensible and sensational at the same time. But in typical info-mercial style, ‘Wait! That’s not all!’ Along with the two cars, you get various stays in luxury hotels around the world, plastic surgery, spy and hostage rescue experience days, and...a flight into space! All for the bargain price of one million dollars! All of this ruminating on the good, the bad and the insane of special editions leads us to the question of if they are worth the extra money. It’s clear that many gamers love what the collector's and limited editions give them or there wouldn’t really be the market for them. Are they sometimes a let down? Sure. Are some worthy of a place on the shelf where you display your other collectibles? Of course. If nothing else, the above piece shows that all you can do is judge them on a case by case basis, using all of the tools at your disposal to see if they are worth it, for you! One person’s tacky figurine is another’s object of adoration and of course, this alters the amount each person is willing to pay. 75

THE MOST EXPENSIVE GAME EVER MADE?

GRID 2: Mono Edition Price: £125,000 Contents As well your own BAC Mono supercar in exclusive GRID 2 livery, there’s a branded Bell Racing helmet, suit and boots. A day at the BAC factory is also part of the pricey package....oh and I think you get the game as well. And yes I was being sarcastic... 76

elevator pitch

Escape From Zombie Earth Writer/Artist: Scotty Richard Publisher: Self Published

GEEK SYNDICATE E LEVATOR P ITCH What is Escape From Zombie Earth? Gillian Gordon and her ﬂight crew are thrown into a parallel universe in which the writings of H.P. Lovecraft have occurred as real historical events and is currently in the midst of a zombie apocalypse. Created, written and illustrated by Scotty Richard.

Why Should We Pick this Up? Scotty Richard: "I want to oﬀer a fun and intriguing gateway into the world of Lovecraft and some of the other great horror lore of old. This in combination with many concepts and characters that I created years ago has led to a story far more layered and compelling than I had thought possible. Readers will ﬁnd a story that moves in a wild and surprising direction." Available from: Amazon, Drivethru Comics, IndyPlanet and coming soon to ComiXology

Reviews 81 Only Ever Yours 83 Outlander 87 Habitat 90 The Fuse 94 Calavera: The Undead 96 Half a King 101 Seconds

B OOK R EVIEW - O NLY E VER Y OURS Freida and Isabel have been best friends their

always room for improvement'. Their one goal is

whole lives. Now, aged sixteen and in their ﬁnal

to be the best so they can be selected as

year at the School, they expect to be selected as

companions - wives to powerful men and to bare

companions – wives to wealthy and powerful

them lots of sons. However if the worst happens

men.

and they fail at that, then they will instead be

The alternative – life as a concubine – is too horrible to contemplate. But as the intensity of the ﬁnal year takes hold,

AUTHOR: Louise O'Neill  PUBLISHER: Quercus

the pressure to be perfect mounts. Isabel starts to self-destruct, putting her beauty – her only asset – in peril.

Beauty and perfection is something that modern women strive for these days. In 'Only Ever Yours' however it is a way of life as girls are taught that not only is perfection everything, but that there is always room for improvement.

GEEK SYNDICATE R EVIEW

And then into this sealed female environment, the boys arrive, eager to choose a bride.

chosen to be a concubine to many men instead. The novel follows Freida who is in her ﬁnal year and working hard to be chosen. All seems to be going ok until the boys arrive to choose their companions, the pressure of being beautiful and picked slowly causes Freida to unravel and threatens her entire future. This book taps into the beauty conscious photoshopped world in which we live today. The girls

Freida must ﬁght for her future – even if it

are constantly trying to better themselves, they

means betraying the only friend, the only love,

are belittled if they fall anywhere less than

she has ever known…

perfect. The premise of only the perfect being able to be wives and the less so to be concubines

Only Ever Yours is set in a dystopian future where

also put me in mind of the brilliant 'The Hand-

the over use of fertility drugs to conceive boys

maids Tale' by Margaret Atwood. Whilst the

has resulted in girls no longer being born.

story of the book may come across as sexist, this

Females are second class citizens and are now

is satire at its best.

not only artiﬁcially made, but made to be beautiful with no imperfections. Girls attend the

Freida is initially an annoying person, only ever

School, where they strive to be better as 'There is

worried about her beauty and being popular, but 81

as her world starts to fall apart around her I really found myself feeling sorry for her, and hoping for a happy future. I obviously won't say if that happens, but O'Neill keeps you drawn in right until the very last sentence. A brilliant if depressing novel that makes you take a good look at the society which we live in today. Read it now!

Rating:

4.5/5

Reviewer: darkphoenix1701

TV R EVIEW - O UTLANDER , S1, E1: S ASSENACH (S ERIES P REMIERE ) Before we begin our journey into Claire's story, I wanted to give the heads up that I was introduced to Diana Gabaldon's novels over 10 years ago by a good friend of mine and I've been a big fan ever since, so I while I will do my very best not to mention any happenings from future books, I can't promise anything (but will put a book spoiler alert in place if I do). I'll also attempt to keep the Jamie swooning to a minimum but again, no promises! There are two things you immediately notice about Outlander's opening prologue - the scenery and the music. Bear McCreary's theme paired

Developed by Ronald D. Moore Starring Caitriona Balfe Sam Heughan Tobias Menzies

with Raya Yarbrough's vocals set atop the rolling glens, stone circles and valleys of the Scottish Highlands make for two of the most important characters on the show next to Claire and Jamie. If the show had been unable to ﬁlm there, I'm not sure it would have had the same impact.

Outlander is centered aroundClaire Randall, a married combat nurse from the 40’s ends up back in 1743.

The show is beautifully shot - with large sweeping views of Glencoe, Edinburgh and other locations in Scotland. Another note is the casting: in my mind, Claire was a bit curvier with more of a "jugbutt"

The TV show has been adapted from the novels by Diana Gabaldon.

but Balfe and Heughan are pretty perfect as Claire and Jamie, so I'm happy to throw that image out the window. 83

GEEK SYNDICATE R EVIEW THE BEGINNING AND SECOND CHANCES A voiceover opens the episode describing how people can disappear at any time, the ways they can do so and that they're found, "usually". We soon ﬁnd out the voice is that of Claire Randall, our

trip is pretty focused on Frank & Claire's new hobbies and their marriage but it is Claire's agency, her directness and tak-

protagonist and fiercely independent World War II nurse who doesn't quite fit back into civilian life when it's all over. Flashbacks to the combat are shown - a blood and gore-soaked Claire is trying to help save a soldier's leg and soon finds out that the war is over, taking a large swig of champagne. In present day 1942, we found out that Claire and her husband, Frank Randall, are in the Highlands on a trip to reconnect (disguised as a second honeymoon) after only seeing each other for ten days in five years. Ten days?! It's like meeting a stranger, getting married in Vegas, going your separate ways, realizing you're still married and don't know each other all that well so decide to figure it out anyway. I don't know that I'd make the same choice but there you have it. I love how Frank is portrayed onscreen - in the first book, he's not there much at all, which makes sense given the plot. Here, courtesy of Tobias Menzies' portrayal and the producers, we're shown more of why Claire will miss her husband so much once she's in the past. Something else to note is that modern-day is shot in muted sepia and blue tones while the past is much more vibrant - a reflection on where Claire's memories and thoughts are in each time. Their

ing charge that sets Outlander as a series apart from other book-to-television adaptations like Game of Thrones. A woman in charge of herself without apology and without being seen as aggressive? Fancy that happening! In fact, the scene in Castle Leoch where Frank - ahem services Claire, is one that brought hushed giggles to the 84

Spreckles Theatre at the premiere, but also applause as it's

gone back in time. I liked that he essentially showed us what the

usually the other way around on most premium cable shows. Up

book laid out. I understood the feeling that Claire experienced

until her trip through the stones, Claire and Frank get reac-

without needing to really see how it happened.

quainted in multiple ways, tracing Frank's genealogy or Claire's interest in botany, but usually ﬁnd themselves in the bedroom. Both avoid talking about their time in the war, where he was an intelligence agent, and use sex as a method of avoiding the larger issues facing their marriage.

A TRIP THROUGH TIME Instead of enjoying the afterglow of their night together, Frank wants to get up to see a pagan ritual at dawn. How romantic - or

GOODBYE

1942

, H E L L O 1 7 4 3

Claire wakes up in the same spot that she fell, but in 18th Century Scotland. Knowing something has occurred but not what, she goes to search for her & Frank's car, which is gone. (Did it bother anyone else that she left her shawl behind?) Still bewildered, she states that her mind is trying to rationalize what's happening, but when British redcoats start shooting at her with live ammunition, she can't fool herself for long.

not so much to Claire. However, they watch from behind some

She does what anyone would do - run - and runs right into Jona-

large stones as the Wiccan women carry glowing torches and

than Wolverton "Black Jack" Randall aka Frank's direct descen-

dance around the stone circle of Craigh na Dun, which book read-

dant. While she knows of him from overhearing Rev. Wakeﬁeld

ers will know is the place where Claire begins her journey to the

and her husband's discussions, she's confused because he looks,

past - and to Jamie. It's a beautiful sequence with a magical qual-

well just like Frank (Tobias Menzies plays the dual role) and she

ity to it only enhanced by Bear McCreary's score. They depart but

calls out to him with that name. When she doesn't give Black

Claire later returns to try to identify some ﬂowers she saw on

Jack the answers he wants, he declares her a whore and tries to

their ﬁrst visit. But as the music becomes more ominous, we know what's coming. Unable to ignore the buzzing sounds from the center stone (a difference from the split-stone in the book), she touches it with both palms - her world gone black. This was a pivotal moment for me in how Ron D. Moore was going to show time travel. Too fantastical and it would pull the viewer completely out of the slow but satisfying fall into the world of Outlander. The same goes for the reverse - too logical and you wouldn't quite believe Claire had 85

rape her before being saved by a Highlander. How-

hide but it's not that! The group arrives at Castle Leoch -

ever, said Highlander knocks her out before she

where Claire and Frank had just been two days before in

can cause more trouble catching the redcoats at-

Claire's new past. What awaits her inside is anyone's

tention.

guess, but it's likely not a good thing for our favorite Sassenach.

She wakes up having been brought to a cottage where a group of men are gathered - lead by

I really love the interpretation of this series thus far and

Dougal MacKenzie. Cold, afraid and looked upon

I HIGHLY recommend you re-watch the episode (if you

with suspicion, she is unable to keep her mouth

haven't seen it 20 times already like me...) while

shut and tells the viewer so. We get our ﬁrst

listening to Executive Producer Ron D. Moore's podcast.

glimpse of Jamie Fraser (not that this is the name

He reveals a lot of interesting behind-the-scenes

he goes by at the moment) in pain with a dislo-

insights into why certain shots looked they way they did,

cated shoulder. When they try to ﬁx his arm - she shouts at them

decisions on music, lighting etc. It's fascinating and I hope it

and sets about doing what she knows best (the sound of that is

keeps up for each week! Download the podcast for Ep 101 here.

not a pleasant one. Ouch!). Chuckle-worthy moment here when she tells Jamie her profession - he looks at her breasts and she quickly bites out that she's not a wet-nurse. Oh boys!

ON THE WAY TO CASTLE LEOCH

Rating:

5/5

Reviewer: Sharlene Mousfar

There are a few skirmishes with the British and doctoring of Jamie's wounds but the best moment here is ﬁrst time that Jamie calls Claire "Sassenach". It's after she's patched him up again - he gazes at her with wonder after a multitude of curses & biting remarks ﬂy from her mouth (something men of the time are not used to hearing from a lady). This is the moment where he starts to fall for Claire - even if she doesn't know it yet. But he may be one of the only ones who are kind to the poor lass at the moment - Dougal thinks she's got something to hide, that she's possibly a spy and treats her as such. She has something to 86

G AME R EVIEW H ABITAT : A T HOUSAND G ENERATIONS IN O RBIT “...something silly that has now gone haywire”

have always felt that habitat was a pleasing word. I admit that I only really ever heard about it in relation to the natural dwellings of birds and animals; it conjures up pleasant natural images. 4gency’s Habitat however, is a tale of hu-

Publisher:Versus Evil Format(s): PC Mac & Linux via steam early access

mans dispossessed of their natural home and scrapping for sur-

In Habitat players must assume the role of ‘Commander’ and lead a team of engineers to gather a variety of debris found in Earth’s orbit, turning it into habitable space stations that can support human life.

orbit around the Earth. What’s wrong with Earth you ask? That’s

vival in space. Your task in Habitat is to create a new habitat for humans in high something you have to ﬁnd out yourself too. You will be attacked by various enemies whilst going about the business of survival so it’s probably safe to assume humanity either annoyed some other race or built something silly that has now gone haywire. Silly humans. The game is billed as a ‘real-time, physics-driven orbital strategy game’ and that is a very good description. It is controlled with a mixture of keyboard and mouse, the keys mainly used to control the camera, the mouse to issue instructions or activate things by clicking on them. You start out with a space shuttle and a couple of ﬂoating engineers. Around you is various debris, from 87

mundane things like a school bus to the more bizarre like a weaponized T-Rex head. Clicking on the desired bit of ﬂotsam gives you a brightly coloured approximation which you can rotate

this costs you fuel. Habitat is in the Steam Early Access section, which means it is still under ongoing development. As a

and place on any free

consequence, some features that we

anchor point on your

might all take for granted in our

shuttle. Once clicked to

games are not included yet. Principle

conﬁrm, one of your

among them at the moment is the

engineers will move

lack of a save game option. What

out and retrieve the ob-

you do get is a procedurally gener-

ject, attaching it when

ated playground to explore, ﬁght and

it is positioned prop-

build in. I also did not experience any

erly. You have now ex-

crashes or horrendous glitches, save

panded your habitat.

for a few quirks in the game mechan-

Various objects take

ics that will no doubt be sorted in

the form of weapons

due course.

which can be attached to your habitat and activated by left-clicking. Highlights are the buzz-saw and the Mass Accelerator (which enables you to launch junk and anything else that enters its ﬁeld of inﬂuence). The combat itself entails manoeuvring your ship via whatever thrusters you have installed, with the aim of lining up your desired weapon with the approaching enemy. This in itself can be hard work as the physics-driven controls

Would I recommend buying Habitat in the state it’s in now? If you view it as a creative zany playground with some interesting things to use and manipulate, I think it is probably worth the low asking price now. If you are unsure, or like your games to have a bit more scope, I would wait a while and see how development progresses. Habitat is out now on Steam for PC, Mac and Linux. The ﬁnal game will also be on Xbox One.

encourage your ship to carry on drifting after a thruster burn. You can tap the space bar for an all stop, but

R a t i n g :

3/5

Reviewer: Casey Douglass 88

C OMIC R EVIEW : T HE F USE

ome science ﬁction is about grand ideas or warnings about humanity’s current path. Some science ﬁction features other types of story simply set in the future (or alternative universe).

Take The Fuse for example. Essentially, it’s a crime thriller – almost noir-ish – set on the titular space-station. But is it more than a crossgenre story? Certainly, the premise set up by writer Antony Johnston and artist Justin Greenwood is one to pique the interest.

Publisher: Image Comics Writer: Antony Johnston Artist: Justin Greenwood

The future (as it tends to be in these things, or there’d be no story) is a bit grim. Dystopian even. Despite the obvious cultural and

"THE RUSSIA SHIFT," Part One Working homicide 22,000 miles up on an orbiting energy platform, in a five-mile-long juryrigged steel city stuffed with a half million people, with no help from your so-called colleagues back on Earth, is more than tough...it's murder!

technological advances, social nightmares such

Rated Mature

but not old Klem Ristovych. She’s not like any

as crime, poverty and homelessness still prevail. Hence the need for our police protagonists. Dietrich get’s himself transferred to Midway City within The Fuse, from Germany, which none of his new colleagues can quite believe. But before he can settle, a body turns up and he’s thrust into the mystery with a new partner; the aging female detective you’ve come across before, which probably hints at a world of closer gender equality. The Fuse is very good at hinting about the future it inhabits as opposed to putting 90

GEEK SYNDICATE R EVIEW

panels of narrative exposition across the book. The worldbuilding

However, come the ﬁnale, I wasn’t quite sure I believed the

takes place slowly, both as Dietrich learns more about life in the

motivations of the main characters. As mentioned clues are laid

space-bound city and the detectives put together the pieces of

along the way, but not all lead to the unexpected ending. This

the crime. Homeless are described as cablers early on, but it is

means that the storytelling wasn’t clear enough, it doesn’t make

quite a while before the reader ﬁnds out why. This is a standard

the sense the author intended, or it just isn’t quite good enough. I

crime technique – the reader ﬁnding out the plot alongside the

can’t ﬁgure about which. I suspect that Antony Johnston’s script

detectives – but in the case of introducing a new universe, it adds

does indeed follow a coherent path, but I wasn’t gripped enough

a welcome dimension.

either by the stories or the characters to follow closely enough.

Politics hasn’t changed much however, and this is the key to the story. While it’s dressed up as a crime or noir thriller and looks like a bleak neo-noir futurescape, it is a human story about power and family. The mayor is a major character, somehow linked to the murder, and when the reveals come towards the end, even though the clues are laid out, it doesn’t seem overly obvious.

Both lead detectives are fairly cliché free with interesting backstories but the rest of the characters (murder victim 1 excepted) are unfortunately on the forgettable side. The narrative is Johnston’s skill, however. He manages to tell the story, with an interesting universe, without bundles of exposition or narration within the panels. The Fuse feels like a believable place to set the future in.

GEEK SYNDICATE R EVIEW The art by Justin Greenwood (along with colourist Shari Chankhamma) is the book’s strength. The visual characterising is a refreshing departure from most science ﬁction (especially the always interesting looking Klem), and the city itself is proper grungy. As something that might be labelled as neo-noir, not seeing Bladerunner in every panel is excellent. The panels have a cinematic feel to them, as if created by a director as opposed to an artist. Maybe the feel of a neon-free future also comes from a combination of muted colours throughout and a propensity in background free panels (in other words, just the gradient). It feels dirty when it needs to and futuristic when it needs to. R a t i n g :

3.5/5

Reviewer: Ian J Simpson

C OMIC R EVIEW : C ALAVERA T HE U NDEAD #1

o back from the dead and none

The mash-up is certainly unique: an

too pleased about it, Hangman

eighties rocker gal (think Return of the

Comics Issue No.1 of Calavera:

Living Dead’s Trash minus the morbid)

The Undead sees its eighties

wakes up in the year 2012 (of all times)

rocker heroine traipsing about

to ﬁnd out that the dead are suddenly ris-

the world of 2012 on a quest to stop an

ing all across town and she and the voice

Story: Nevin Arnold

evil necromancer and his lackey from tak-

inside her head are somehow connected

Art: Nevin Arnold

ing over the world!

to the nefarious events. It’s a smart, hip,

Publisher: Hangman Comics

Sound a little over

Calavera, a fun loving 80's rocker chick, falls to her death in 1989 only to instantaneously awaken in the year 2012. Now essentially a super powered zombie, deteriorating day by day, and sharing her body with a mysterious entity, this most unlikely heroine may be our last hope as dark forces plot to destroy civilization as we know it!

the top? It is.

tongue-in-cheek, slightly at times too meta-comic

But surprising

about a smart, hip,

enough, it works.

tongue-in-cheek strong female hero-

With story and art

ine (who also

by Nevin Arnold,

happens to be a

the cheeky Cana-

risen dead, albeit

dian creates a

for diﬀerent rea-

campy zombierocker rag that fuses good laughs with a

sons) that has a very real and very engaging personality.

deceptively simple but remarkably wicked and dense plot that keeps the

Arnold does an excellent job of penciling

pages turning.

and coloring the story to match the

snarky tone inherent in the character of Calavera (whose name is a Mexican word for a celebratory human skull treat made of candy or sugar) but also knows how to turn on the dark when the story takes a needed twist. It’s a comic whose lead is strong enough to be felt on-panel or off, but Arnold goes out of his way to give enough detail and care to all the characters, making the entire world genuinely likable and engaging. The facial expressions and composition along with the layout of each page is also exceptionally well executed and the style, while certainly given to ones tastes, perfectly matches the flavor (i.e. Muy caliente). Overall there is not a lot missing from this first issue and Calavera is certainly an encouraging addition to the world of female leads. She and Arnold have the potential to become truly memorable figures in the zombie genre if the rest of the series follows the format they’ve laid out in the first issue. Calavera: The Undead No. 1 is definitely a great and deadly read, highly recommended.

Rating:

4/5

Reviewer: Jesse B

B OOK R EVIEW - H ALF

K ING

hen you're at the top of your game the heights must be dizzying, and the briefest glance down will show how far the fall, should a foot stray from the path. Ask Logen Nineﬁngers or Prince Yarvi.

Back in 2006, Joe Abercrombie stirred great excitement up with his debut novel, The Blade Itself. It was a fantasy tale full of grim, gritty and bloody-minded characters who could barely stand themselves, let alone each other, but were forged into something like a force for good. There was a surprising streak of black hilar-

Author: Joe Abercrombie

ity running through the core of the book, and a chill pragmatism

Pubisher:Voyager

that raised it above literary comfort food. It was dark, dangerous,

Prince Yarvi has vowed to regain a throne he never wanted. But first he must survive cruelty, chains, and the bitter waters of the Shattered Sea. And he must do it all with only one good hand.

funny and unpredictable stuff. Logen Ninefingers swiftly became a fantasy icon while, in the real world, Abercrombie sauntered on-stage at fan events and became something of a celebrity himself. If his rapid ascent phased him at all, he masked it well, but the first true indication he was brave came with the publication of his fourth book, Best Served Cold - a small-scale story that unceremoniously dumped his established heroes in favour of bit-part players. Each follow-up felt deeper, more important; and the fans realised that the author didn't have to rely on his star (though he wouldn't deprive us of him entirely.) He was just that good. If it took courage to leave Logen on the shelf that long, it must have taken balls of steel to leave the world of The First Law 96

behind entirely, yet that's exactly what Abercrombie has done

when it comes to charisma but he’s a likeable young underdog

now. Read on to see if his footing remains true...

nevertheless. Underestimated and alone, the boy is constantly

Half A King is the ﬁrst of a trilogy that targets a new readership. As with his earlier tales, this book wears the loose trappings of

forced to seek 'the lesser evil and weigh the greater good' as he strives to bring down his usurper.

fantasy but keeps the focus squarely on character and plot rather

It's gratifying to see that Abercrombie still refuses to paint any of

than elaborate world-building. Our protagonist is no warrior

his characters as wholly good or evil, despite his audience. If the

though, no seasoned soldier or embittered bandit; he is a Prince,

point of being a child is to learn how to become an adult, then YA

and a young one at that. He may be mocked and despised for his

ﬁction is there to help navigate that diﬃcult path. Sure, there are

peaceful nature and malformed hand, but his is still a life of privi-

missteps along Yarvi’s journey, and some of his choices will taint

lege and power. Or it would have been had fate not twisted to

his soul, but the world is always more complicated than children

make him a King, then toss him to the sharks.

imagine.

Betrayed and enslaved, Yarvi must grasp every opportunity, use

YA can be patronising at times, but Abercrombie is having none

every ally he can ﬁnd if he is to survive to fulﬁll his oath and re-

of that. The adult cast are depicted as adults, with history, foi-

claim his birthright. It takes a few pages for the faithful reader to

bles, bad(ish) language and hypocrisy. They are not deﬁned

realise (with something between horror and wonder) that this

wholly by their relationship to the hero, but become fearsome ene-

book marks Joe Abercrombie's entry into the Young Adult mar-

mies or staunch allies in response to him. I particularly appreci-

ket. You wouldn't know it from the cover and the marketing has

ated the unfolding arcs of Ankran and Odem, but I can comforta-

not been explicit. Now, if you ﬁnd yourself wavering at this point,

bly say that every character feels vivid and vulnerable in their own

let me add a reassuring note. I think Joe’s done a brilliant job of

ways.

balancing the expectations of his fan-base with the diﬀering needs of the Young Adult readership. If his previous work helped redeﬁne where modern fantasy is now, then these books act as signposts to point the way for new readers. It might just do the same for new writers. Yarvi is an easy character for bookworms to empathise with. He is intelligent, but belittled; loving, but unloved; strong of purpose yet weak in body. He is no Tyrion Lannister or Nicomo Cosca 97

There is a classical bent to the plot which makes it feel familiar, comfortable even, like the folk-tales you come across as a child. Repetition is a part of it, the usurped throne another. I confess to a slight curl of the lip whenever Elves are mentioned, but thankfully they seem to be a dead relic rather than an active force. I do wonder how much Joe tried to ﬁt his story into a perceived mould before deciding to 'sod it' and write what he wanted. His prose feels a little too artfully constructed in the set-up, but I’m glad to say that the style settles down quickly once the new king falls from grace. It’s a pretty paced read with a very real sense of danger and, importantly, it never talks down to the audience. It’s a shorter, lighter read than any of his previous books, but it does not lack for substance. This is a story of brains over brawn, of hard knocks, harsh choices and learning to play the long game. Aside from the physical danger, Yarvi faces his own sense of inadequacy and the hardest challenge of all, making enemies into friends. Still wondering whether the grimdark king of charisma has kept his footing? I'd have to say yes. He may be straddled between two mountains now but from where I'm standing he looks pretty comfortable. Rating:

4/5

Reviewer: Dion Winton-Polak

R EVIEW - S ECONDS

econds is the new book from Bryan Lee O’Malley whose distinctive art and writing were most recently seen in the storming success of his Scott

Pilgrim series. Seconds is his next major work and is due for a UK release on 14th August through SelfSeconds is a book about choice and consequence. Katie is a chef, balanced on the precipice of thirty. She has accumulated a

Creator: Bryan Lee O’ Malley Publisher: Self Made Hero Katie's got it pretty good. She's a talented young chef, she runs a successful restaurant, A c and d o she l o rhasa c amet big plans to openadipiscing an even better b i b ethins n d ustart m ntou lone.Then, all at once, lam, massa lago wrong and Katie finds herself in cus molestie ut need of a secondlibero chance.nec, diam et, pharetra sodales eget, feugiat

life; some good; some bad. She has hopes and dreams, plans and schemes. Turning thirty gives her the perfect opportunity for some serious introspection – is this the best is could have

down the choice to be changed, chomp down a mushroom, and *pow* wake up on a whole diﬀerent life-path. The book is about the power of our decisions and whether we really know what’s best for ourselves.

been? Turning thirty is like that, I speak

Bryan Lee O’Malley has created another

from gin-teared experience. The ﬂow-

beautiful manga inﬂuenced comic full

chart of life which has led you to your

of longing, regret, hope, nice dinners,

current point needs to be examined in

exes, friends, and intrusions of the fan-

pornographic detail. What if? Could I

tastic. As with his previous works

have? Maybe I should? Katie however

people are at the heart of the book.

is given a chance to loop the ﬂowchart

O’Malley’s gorgeous smooth lines ren-

back around. To take a diﬀerent path.

der a staggering array of shapes and

She discovers a notebook and a stash of mushrooms. She just needs to write

sizes of people – creators of identikit burly man-dudes and lady-dudes take 99

note. This is how you bring a

Beyond just the words and the art in this

cast of individuals to life.

book is the dazzling power of the two skip-

They don’t dress alike, they

ping hand in hand into your brain. Music is

don’t stand alike, they don’t

a recurring theme in the O’Malley-verse,

act alike. They feel like beauti-

not just in terms of content but in the

ful, unique, messed-up, real

very structure of stories. Rapid-ﬁre, loud

people – even the ones who

choruses of emotion and turmoil and

are almost certainly make-

speed - elastic ﬁgures caught in their

believe.

panels, ﬁghting against the constraint.

Colourist Nathan Fairbairn is the book’s secret weapon, giving O’Malley’s art greater depths and vibrancy. The colours allow O’Malley’s soft, ﬂuid line work to shine even brighter, the changes in pallet help drive the books changing moods. Throughout the book O’Malley lets his

These moments are followed by wide, quiet, verses, unbound by panels with characters observing, thinking and being. Bryan Lee O’Malley creates worlds with music as the fundamental building block. Less a godparticle and more a god-chord.

inner Chirs Ware hang out. Expansive single and double page

Seconds could so easily have been the diﬃcult post-

spreads make buildings, scenery and places as integral to the

breakthrough album. Instead it is a testament to Bryan Lee

book’s stunning look as it’s cast. I particularly loved a two page

O’Malley’s continuing drive to create better, harder and stronger.

comparison of Katie’s dream for a restaurant and the current

It’s a book unafraid to dance between the profound and the ﬂip-

harsh reality of the building site, and the double page cutaway of

pant. It’s a charming, funny, odd ball of greatness.

the titular restaurant’s basement innards.

It’s hard to score this book, after all what is a review? A cold dis-

As ever dialogue zings oﬀ the page, crammed with quotables,

section of a work, calmly balancing its pros and cons to reach a

non-sequiturs and misunderstandings. O’Malley’s words are un-

clean, rational score? A vitriolic scouring of a piece’s rough edges

mistakeable. No-one writes dialogue like he does, capturing the

desperately trying to smooth out the medium’s imperfections

cadence and dialect of genuine human interactions. Allowing his

one bad example at a time? A personal tale of the reviewer’s own

characters to make terrible jokes, brain-fart, and witter away

narrative ﬁltered through their response to the art? [Too reﬂex-

gives ever more power to their moments of clarity and realisa-

ive, too high level –Mushroom]...

tion. 100

I read Scott Pilgrim as an angsty twenty something coming to terms with what I was and what I could be. I read Seconds as an angsty thirty year old coming to terms with what I am and what I could be. Moreso than any other comic creator, Bryan Lee O’Malley cuts together humanity and the fantastic. For me his works are part of me becoming an adult. They are growth rings, old scars, saved texts from a lover. [Too personal, not sure if ‘moreso’ is a word – Mushroom]... Seconds is a good book. [Too short, not sure that stealing the book’s premise to end review is too gimmicky – Mushroom]... I’ve been chewing Seconds over in my mind since I ﬁnished it. For me, right now, I think I like it more than Scott Pilgrim. I don’t know if the me who read Scott Pilgrim would have liked it as much, but then he’s the one whose poor life choices have led to me insulting him in the next sentence. The better hair-line having idiot. Anyhow, Seconds is another extraordinary work from Bryan Lee O’Malley. He continues to outdo himself in both style and substance. Buy this book, it’s easily the most un-mushroomable Graphic Novel choice of the year.

5/5

Rating:

Reviewer: Tom T

101

elevator pitch

Freak Out Squares #1 (of 4) Writer: Harry French Artist : Garry Mac Colourist: Harry Saxon Letters & Production: Colin Bell Publisher: Unthank Comics

GEEK SYNDICATE E LEVATOR P ITCH What is Freak Out Squares? When Harrison Stargazer discovers that his idol – cosmic rock god Johnny Orion – is actually a robotic tool of Governmental suppression, he vows to rid the world of all false idols. Accompanied on his mission by a broken Rap Android in search of his own voice, a ﬁrebrand community activist and the disembodied head of Johnny himself, Harrison intends to lead a crusade against the phonies and the fakers, the corporate cogs and the culture-vultures.

Why Should We Pick this Up? “(Freak Out Squares) rides squarely atop the zeitgeist… it feels like the type of early Vertigo book we might have seen from the likes of Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely. Buy.” – Multiversity Comics “Another brilliantly executed concept from the Unthank Comics crew” – Big Comics Page “ A great opener for the series and it’s deﬁnitely another indie for the “must read” suggestion list” – Comics Anonymous You can buy Freak Out Squares from http://readfrenchcomics.bigcartel.com/

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See you Next Issue!

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