Geek Syndicate Magazine - Issue 10

REVIEWS: MALEFICIENT

Agents of SHIELD Retrospective

FREEDOM CRY

Find out about Comixology Submit

www.geeksyndicate.co.uk

SHIRO COSMETICS

We meet the creators of Genesis

ROBIN THE HOOD

Bluff your way through 2000AD JUNE 2014

GS Issue 010 - Credits Cover Design:

Welcome to the June issue of the Geek Syndicate Magazine!

Antony McGarry-Thickitt Designer: Antony McGarry-Thickitt Editors: Barry Nugent Antony McGarry-Thickitt Proof Reader: James Sims Contributors: Alasdair Stuart Antony McGarry-Thickitt Casey Douglass Jess Hawke Leo Johnson Luke Halsall Matt Farr Ronald Singh Wendy Sims

Typesetting: GS Banner - Copperplate Bold Cover Text - Century Gothic Main Text - Nobile (Open Font Licence)

So as I sit here typing up this editorial I am humming the main theme for Agents of SHIELD. This is significant for the simple reason that I never thought I would see out the first six episodes, let alone end up loving the show. Our Agents of SHIELD retrospective will hopefully make some sense of all of this now the first season is over.

With Comixology throwing a digital spanner in the works with its apple users we decided to sidestep that thorny issue to find out how their indie option - Comixology Submit has been doing since its launch.

On top all geeky goodness our resident Whovians go head to head and reveal their fave tales from Doctors Five and Six.

I could tell you more of the great stuff in this issue but then I would have to scatter your ashes to the solar winds and no one wants that.

Right then I now have to return to a city in need of my help as I play “Person of Interest the game” *coughs* I mean Watch_Dogs. Enjoy the summer films (Guardians of Galaxy - I’m coming!) and I will see you in three months.

B

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N

t n e ug

Geek Syndicate Contents

Features PREVIOUSLY ON THE GEEK SYNDICATE NETWORK ....................................................................... 4 DOCTOR WHO Best Stories: Incarnations Five and Six ................................................................ 5 COMIXOLOGY SUBMIT: Get Your Digital Comic On ...................................................................... 18 A HISTORY OF ... The Mummy! ......................................................................................................... 26 THE BLUFFER’S GUIDE TO ... 2000AD ............................................................................................ 33 MARVEL’S AGENTS OF SHIELD - A Series in Retrospective........................................................ 48

Interviews Nathan Edmondson and Alison Sampson Talk Genesis ............................................................ 22 Eye for an Eye: Talking Vengeance with R.S.A Garcia ................................................................ 30 Antony Johnston on Umbral ............................................................................................................ 40

Reviews Robin The Hood Issue #1 .................................................................................................................... 53 Godzilla ................................................................................................................................................. 58 Space Engineers ................................................................................................................................. 60 Clean ...................................................................................................................................................... 63 Shiro Cosmetics .................................................................................................................................. 65 Maleficent ............................................................................................................................................ 67 Assassin’s Creed - Freedom Cry ...................................................................................................... 69

Previews ELEVATOR PITCH: Skies of Fire ........................................................................................................ 71 ELEVATOR PITCH: MULP: Sceptre of the Sun ............................................................................... 80 ELEVATOR PITCH: Fire on the Mound ............................................................................................ 87

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Geek Syndicate PREVIOUSLY ON THE GEEK SYNDICATE NETWORK ...

Previously on the Geek Syndicate Network ...

Over on our flagship website, our podcasts have been pumping out some top quality content over the last few months. To whet your appetite, here’s the show notes and links to the latest episodes (at time of publication) of the various audio offerings we make available on a regular basis...

Children of the Atom (Episode 19) This episode we’re doing something a little bit different. As listeners are undoubtedly aware, X-Men: Days of Future Past has been released so naturally the Children of the Atom crew rocked up to the cinema to check it out. This episode we’ll be discussing the film and the original two issue story arc that inspired it (The Uncanny X-Men issues 141/142, Jan/Feb 1981). As always, we’d love to hear your thoughts so drop us a line if you have something to say!

Dissecting Worlds (Series 8 Episode 6: Monkey!)

This time a Unholy Trinity of Matt, Kehaar and Kehaar’s nemesis Dion from Scrolls look at eastern and other non-European religion in fantasy, SF and Horror

Geek Syndicate (Episode 221) Join Dave aka Monts and Barry aka Nuge as they once again set the world of geekdom to rights.

The Next Level (Episode 63) Welcome to another episode of The Next Level with latest news, reviews and features from the world of video games. This month Amaechi gets his hands on a Wii in an attempt to tick of his gaming bucket list of never having played a Mario or Zelda game, while Ant swaps his games controller for the lawnmower and mask.

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Geek Syndicate DOCTOR WHO Best Stories: Incarnations Five and Six

BEST STORIES: Incarnations

Five and Six

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Geek Syndicate NOTE: Unless stated otherwise, all images in this article are © BBC Worldwide In this installment of their Doctor Who articles, Luke and Antony present their choices of the best television stories from two more Doctors. We’re approaching the half-way point and enterring the oft-maligned 1980s era of the programme...

THE FIFTH DOCTOR (PETER DAVISON 1981-1984) LUKE’S CHOICE: DOCTOR WHO ...

first example, provided the template for Patrick Troughton’s base under siege format. The Invasion led to the format for Jon Pertwee’s early years with UNIT. Earthshock did the same for Peter Davison: ushering forth a darker, grittier universe where The Doctor would act as he ever had but now, he could lose. Sometimes when he did win out, there was a cost to the victory. Earthshock is scary, shocking, sit-on-the-edge-of your seat stuff that has a real unpredictability.

The story begins on Earth in the twenty-sixth century. An archaeological expedition has mysteriously lost some of its members. A military team is sent down into the caves to determine what has happened. The Doctor and his TARDIS materialise, happy to try and help get to the bottom of the mystery without realising that this time there would be a high price to pay for his involvement.

Synopsis (From tardis.wikia.com): A conference to unite military powers against the Cybermen is taking place and the Cybermen plot to destroy the Earth by crashing a space freighter into it. The Doctor must stop them, whatever the cost...

Like The Daleks, the Cybermen have a very special place in Doctor Who history. Whereas stories featuring the Daleks often see a character leave the program - from Susan and Tegan to The Ninth Doctor’s regeneration, the Cybermen have often been included in the story that defined a Doctor’s era. The Tenth Planet, as the

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Geek Syndicate Earthshock was a very special story that was determined to keep the returning villains a secret.

By this point, the Cybermen had been unseen in Doctor Who for about seven years and the production team wanted their return to be a surprise. You might think that keeping villains a secret is only a difficult phenomenon in the Twitter age but Doctor Who has struggled with this since its earliest days.

The Daleks returned after their initial appearance in 1964 in a story now known as The Dalek Invasion of Earth. At the time, each episode had its own title and so viewers were unaware that next week, the Daleks would return … except that the Radio Times featured an image of a Dalek in London the week before the story began. This lessened the impact of the first part of the story’s conclusion and the sight of a Dalek emerging slowly from the river Thames.

John Nathan-Turner (producer at the time Earthshock was made) had the same opportunity: Doctor Who had not been on the Radio Times cover for quite a while and because an enemy like the Cybermen were coming back, they were eager to feature the cyborgs on their magazine. It could have been huge, providing a big boost in ratings and a shot in the arm for the brilliant new Fifth Doctor. Instead NathanTurner kept the story’s integrity, turning down the cover chance. The first episode of the story is a dark, atmospheric, mystery that pays homage to ham horror. It is Doctor Who at its best: sci-fi horror. The direction beautifully builds the sense of dread and writer Eric Saward really puts fans off the scent by featuring mercenary androids who hide in the shadows as the threat. It is not until the final moments of the episode that we discover the androids are controlled by the Cybermen: and they look better than ever.

Personally I feel the Cybermen from Patrick Troughton’s first three encounters with them look the best: the fact that they look like they are costumes actually add to their menace as these creatures are meant to have added to their bodies over time. But the Earthshock Cybermen are a huge improvement on those used in their only story from the nineteen-seventies, Revenge of the Cybermen. Actor David Banks provides us with an imposing Cyber Leader to serve as the main villain of the piece.

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Geek Syndicate seemed to get in the way onboard the crowded TARDIS. By this point, the Doctor was travelling with three companions again and Adric was presented as obnoxious and arrogant despite being intended as a young viewer’s “in” to the series. Earthshock changed everything, galvanising Adric, making him so important to this incarnation.

You almost feel that everything The Doctor does after this point is in the name of Adric and to try and prevent something like this happening again. The Fifth Doctor’s final word is “Adric”.

Beginning with this story, the Doctor can no longer be the care free adventurer as he starts to realise that the universe is a harsh place.

The second and third episodes build the plot nicely as we discover little details of the Cyber plot. Credit must go to Saward for making the Cybermen feel like a threat again. I feel that later on in his tenure with the programme Saward did go too far, but in this story he has the violence just at the right level.

Peter Davison as The Doctor shines throughout the story. Earthshock is from his first year as the Time Lord and we see the subtle change from the grumpy old man to the youthful adventurer, the petrified traveller to the valiant hero. When he finally confronts the Cyber Leader in the final episode it is a real fist in the air moment as he tries to explain the importance of emotions to the Cyber Leader. There is the rather strange point that viewing a sunset and smelling a new flower are similar to eating a well prepared meal but nevertheless we see Davison as a Doctor who truly cares for every life and the emotions those lives must have.

The depth of care that the Fifth Doctor shows makes everything that happens to him through his era even more heartbreaking. The shattering moment in the final episode where The Doctor explains he can not rescue one of his companions as they steer a space freighter back through time to prevent the success of the cyber plot is heartbreaking. Looking back at this, it was a masterstroke. Before Earthshock, Adric was a horrible, annoying companion who just

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Earthshock is a brilliant story that defines The Fifth Doctor’s era, setting the series down a darker path with Davison’s Doctor providing the moral compass. The story was integral to this version of The Doctor as well as being amongst the best Cyberman stories of all time.

Geek Syndicate ANTONY’S CHOICE: DOCTOR WHO ...

Luke saved me a third of the decision (cheers mate!) by his excellent suggestion. Five Doctors is an odd choice but it’s a personal favourite and succeeds in bringing together different Doctors for an adventure in a fairly believable manner. It has many great elements and is a personal favourite as it’s my earliest memory of Doctor Who. Possibly of any television at all.

Quite frankly, The Caves of Androzani is by far a superior story though when all is said and done, personal nostalgia aside.

I think the element that really makes Caves of Androzani stand out is the direction of the story. At the time, television was filmed almost as if the actors were performing on stage. Most shots have characters lined up together so that everyone is facing the camera / audience.

Three cameras were available to the directors and these were used pretty consistently. Stories were also lit consistently: Flat white light from above to reduce shadows. One of the few Doctor Who stories of Peter Davison’s era that used lighting to great effect was Earthshock.

Caves is another.

Synopsis (From tardis.wikia.com): On the cave-riddled world of Androzani Minor, the Doctor and Peri inadvertently find themselves enmeshed in a war fought between the ruthless General Chellak and the sinister Sharaz Jek and his army of androids.

The duplicitous politician Morgus wants Chellak to execute the time travellers as spies, while the disfigured Jek seeks to keep Peri forever hostage within his stronghold. But the Doctor soon realises an even more gruesome fate awaits them they have been infected with fatal spectrox toxaemia, and there is no cure...

Graeme Harper was a young man, relatively new to directing when he was given The Caves of Androzani. He was full of ideas and wanted to try out new ideas. The result is a story that really stands out amongst its contemporaries as Harper (the only director to have worked on the “classic” series and “new who”) bucked the BBC trend as much as possible. The result is a story that (especially compared to other stories of the era) is dynamic and interesting to watch.

Hunted by both factions and with death just hours away, how far must the Doctor go in order to save his friend’s life?

Honestly, this was a tough one for me to decide on. I deliberated over stories for some time before deciding on Caves. The choice was down to three stories in the end: Earthshock, The Five Doctors and the ultimate winner.

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Geek Syndicate The story is interesting in itself. Robert Holmes wrote a story where the Time Lord really is secondary to the events happening around him.

His sole focus is to discover a cure for his companion and himself. The corporate politics, corporate sabotage, life-like androids, mercenary forces and personal vengeance that drive the other characters and the main plot of the story would quite happily happen in a very similar fashion without The Doctor and his new friend Peri.

The only true influence by the time travellers’ arrival is that Sharaz Jek, the man behind the problems into which our travellers arrive becomes deeply infatuated with Peri. where is this more apparent than in the performance of John Normington as Morgus – the head of the corporation that oversees the distribution of Spectrox across the galaxy. The character has an element of Richard the Third about him and is even given some soliloquies during the course of the four episodes. Normington turns directly to camera at these points as if addressing the viewer at home. It sounds like this would break the suspension of disbelief required to enjoy and become involved in the adventure … but somehow it doesn’t. Indeed, the delivery adds a level of madness to the character that the whole production would suffer without.

In a sub plot that borrows heavily from The Phantom of the Opera, this scar-faced, masked individual decided that he would keep Peri’s beauty alive forever by feeding her the lifeprolonging Spectrox that is mined on the planet. It’s only when it becomes apparent that Peri’s life is at risk that he allows the Doctor to make the attempt at finding the cure. I’m not sure how responsible Caves of Androzani is for this, but almost every story that Peri is in after this features someone falling in love or lust for the poor girl…

The story has a touch of melodrama that in no way takes away from the proceedings. No-

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The cast in this story are superb. Yes, there’s a bit of melodrama in Normington and Christopher Gable (Sharaz Jek) but this balances with the dark tones of the production. I don’t think I’ve ever seen sinister android acting better than that of Maurice Roëves as Mercenary leader Stotz is truly terrifying. Part of this comes from the performance, but Holmes has written (as he so often did) some very clearly defined characters for the actors to work from.

I also think that Harper’s energy infected the cast and crew on this story which really shone through.

I briefly mentioned the lighting above, but the whole design of the episode is a triumph. From the costumes to the sets, Caves of Androzani is

Geek Syndicate a cut above its contemporary stories also set in a futuristic environment. The soldiers outfits are utilitarian but with clear designations. Morgus looks like he belongs in the executive office; as indeed does his … loyal … personal assistant, Timmin. Stotz and his mercenary band of gun runners are suitably rough and grimy. Add to this an underground lair that manages to look like it isn’t a BBC Television Centre studio and a quarry that manages to look alien.

It’s key to remember that Peri is someone that The Doctor barely knows. He met her during his previous misadventure. Yet at the end of the story, our hero has only enough of the antidote for one person. Without thought, he gives it to this young botany student from America and lies down on the floor of the TARDIS, expecting to die from the illness he is suffering from. The writing (and Davison’s performance) makes it clear that The Doctor doesn’t know if he will be able to regenerate this time. As far as he knows, he will die. No more Doctor…

It’s here we really see how arrogant the Tenth Doctor became towards the end. Whereas he, knowing he will die if he saves this one man from doom, rails against the unfairness of the Universe before ultimately sacrificing himself, the humble Fifth Doctor simply goes ahead and saves an insignificant life. For me this moment is truly what The Doctor is about. It’s that willingness to let someone else live because they could become something great. He can get involved and save them and so he does. That’s heroism. For me, that is the single defining moment that shows who the Doctor is. For that reason alone, you should watch this story.

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Geek Syndicate THE SIXTH DOCTOR (COLIN BAKER 1984-1986)

LUKE’S CHOICE: DOCTOR WHO ...

Synopsis (From tardis.wikia.com): Seeking the rare mineral Zeiton-7 to repair his TARDIS, the Doctor arrives on Varos, a world where political prisoners and their guards are all subjected to sadistic tortures and executions which the colony’s inhabitants view and vote on through interactive television. Accused of being alien infiltrators helping the colony’s rebel factions, the Doctor and Peri find themselves the latest unwilling subjects in this most extreme form of reality TV. There is a widespread belief that The Sixth Doctor, played by Colin Baker, suffered from having few if any good scripts and that this was the major factor that lead to his downfall. Personally I think that this is slightly unfair to the writing team – especially when you think that they gave us Vengeance on Varos.

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Something that can be said about the Sixth Doctor era was that it was trying new things.

The format was changed so that instead of having four twenty-five minute episodes, each story now consisted of two forty-five minute episode. Later, in Colin Baker’s final season, the show attempted a season long arc. It is interesting to note that both of these changes became trademarks of the new series. Further, Varos is a story that feels so new and so fresh that watching it in 2014, it could have been written this year not nearly thirty years prior to it.

Varos is one of the first stories to really feel like it uses the new episode length to great effect. Being the second story transmitted in this manner, it does not just feel like two twentyfive minute episodes stuck together as did Attack of the Cybermen. We really get to know this dark, atmospheric world where reality TV has taken over people’s lives. This is sci-fi at its best and ironically it might have something more poignant to say to the 2014 audience than it did in 1985.

Writer Phillip Martin creates believable, beaten down characters who feel that they have no choice but to listen to the delightfully sinister

Geek Syndicate Sil, portrayed by Nabil Shaban. Shaban oozes charisma as Sil cackles away at the various plights of the people of Varos. There are a few iconic villains such as The Rani that emerge from the Sixth Doctor’s reign and Sil would have to be another. It is a pity he has never returned for the new series.

The Doctor’s role is kept to a minimum in this story. Indeed, he has little of consequence to do until the final moments of the first episode.

As I am not a fan of the Sixth Doctor, I think that this really complements the story well because his brash, arrogant persona does not get in the way of Martin being able to weave intricate characters adding layers to the citizens of Varos.

Varos illustrates the dark edge to Script Editor Eric Saward’s vision of Doctor Who brilliantly.

It is a moody, atmospheric affair that feels grimy. We were seeing the seedy side of planets for the first time and the story included quite a controversial scene involving the Time Lord and an acid bath that in my opinion only could work with The Sixth Doctor.

An intriguing premise written with style that doesn’t feel like it has aged a day. Ironically Varos still feels so fresh it arguably is more like a fine malt whisky: it got better with age.

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Geek Syndicate ANTONY’S CHOICE: DOCTOR WHO ...

Synopsis (From tardis.wikia.com): The Doctor and Peri arrive on the planet Necros in a facility called Tranquil Repose, where the wealthy can have their newly-deceased bodies cryogenically until medical science can cure whatever killed them. The Doctor wishes to pay his last respects to his friend, Professor Arthur Stengos, but it turns out this is just a ruse to lure him into a trap. The Great Healer masterminding Tranquil Repose is Davros, using the organic material in cryogenic storage to create a whole new army of Daleks to conquer the universe. The Doctor must foil Davros’ evil plans.

The Sixth Doctor’s tenure on television is oftmaligned by the Whovian population and so choosing a “best adventure” from this time is perhaps a little controversial. While there can be no doubt that this era was fraught with issues, I think it is unfair to actor Colin Baker to level any of the failings at his feet. It seems to me that a series of poor behind the scenes decisions (possibly the enhanced by the growing rift between produced John Nathan-Turn14

er and script editor Eric Saward) produced a somewhat lack-luster time for the show. The idea of taking the Sixth Doctor as far from the Fifth as possible in terms of costume (bright and brash versus cricketing creams) and mannerism (the very humanistic and empathic portrayal replaced by the brash, arrogant and loud Sixth Doctor) with the intention of toning the character down over the years was laudable … if ultimately flawed in its execution. The audio dramas produced by Big Finish have gone a long way to allowing Colin Baker to shine as the Time Lord, and I point any interested readers towards those.

Despite this – possibly deserved – disregard of the stories of this era, there are undoubtedly some gems to be uncovered. Luke’s choice, Vengeance on Varos is excellent television that stands up today. Like that story, many of the Sixth Doctor’s televised adventures were perhaps a bit darker than Doctor Who viewers were used to on an ongoing basis. The Two Doctors dealt explicitly with cannibalism and received quite a bit of criticism for it. The story I have chosen also dealt with that theme. Yet it seemed to slip under the radar at the time – perhaps an indicator of its cleverer approach.

Geek Syndicate Scripted by Eric Saward, Revelation of the Daleks is intended as a direct follow up to his previous Dalek story. The two stories are polar opposites in terms of story – Saward has said in interviews that he wasn’t happy with the battle-filled, convoluted two-pronged plot of Resurrection of the Daleks. The story here is far more low-key. Essentially, Davros survived the previous story as a head in a jar. He found his way to the planet Necros, a world where the rich send their deceased loved ones to be held in “suspended grace” until such time as they could be brought back to life. There he sets himself up as “the great healer” in charge of the facility and also develops a high-protein substitute that is helping to alleviate the galactic famine.

minded Davros. Saward has gone back to roots with Davros, realizing that the Kaled scientist was meant to be both a scientific genius and keen strategist. These facts were lost in the character’s previous two appearances and the writing and performance in Revelation really emphasize what an excellent antagonist the creator of the Daleks could be if given chance.

It’s a chance that Big Finish jumps on with exuberance. I highly recommend the stories that pit Colin Baker against this more cerebral, less shouty, Davros. See the sidebar for examples.

Davros’ primary foil in the story is business partner and head of the company that distributes the food-product, Kara. Actress Eleanor Bron presents a thoroughly shrewd, cutthroat business woman able to turn on the charm exactly when required. Her verbal sparring with Davros and the assassin she has hired to terminate Davros is a joy to behold.

The assassin Orcini and his squire Bostok (William Gaunt and John Ogwen respectively) are a mixed pair beautifully scripted and portrayed.

Orcini is the old knight – bound by rules of chivalry that are perhaps out of place with his new role of mercenary. Bostok is the opposite.

A pragmatic man, Bostok cared not a jot about honor – so long as he was paid, he would get the job done by whatever means necessary.

Of course, Davros has more sinister goals in mind and it transpires he is using the bodies in the facility for two purposes: Firstly to create mutations of a new, loyal, race of Daleks and secondly – you probably saw this one coming – to produce his miracle food. Being Davros, he has managed to rub not only his employees but also his business partners up the wrong way and even before the Time Lord arrives, a number of plots are afoot to eliminate “the great healer” from the operation.

There are some great performances in this story. Terry Molloy returns as Davros and it seems he relishes this more eloquent, business

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Geek Syndicate Away from these superb characters, another sub plot involves a couple of seeming grave robbers. The two are not as well rounded as the trio discussed above, but their story arc is worth following for the gruesome end to their search for the father interned in the facility.

Of course, this being 1980s Doctor Who, there is some stunt casting. The story does suffer from the inclusion of a “DJ” character, obsessed with twentieth century Earth music. Played by comedian Alexi Sayle, the story could do without the character, yet Sayle manages to make the over the top caricature a sympathetic presence in the story.

I mentioned earlier that this story is a bit more subtle in its treatment of cannibalism which could explain how the theme snuck under the radar of the National Viewers and Listeners Association. In The Two Doctors, one of the characters is an alien gourmet chef. This character spends quite a lot of time trying to buy / kill or cook the Time Lord’s companions. This apparent “cannibalism” (though how even a humanoid alien eating a Human can be considered such is beyond me) was primarily a humorous threat / side line in the story but its “in your face” presentation meant it was an easy target.

By contrast, Revelation of the Daleks has the idea of actual Humans eating protein products created from the dead flesh of Humans. Yet be-

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cause the action is only referenced and takes place “off screen”, the practice is easily glossed over. Of course, the story does make the mistake of completely glossing over the source of the food stuff itself.

The visual design of the story is well executed and director Graeme Harper proves he can handle the direction of Daleks. Harper realised that because Daleks are quite squat, one way to enhance their menace is to film them from low down. With the camera looking up at a character, the level of threat is increased.

Harper also attempted to enhance the Daleks “in story” threat. Although it wouldn’t be clear until their next appearance, and despite the fact that The Chase clearly showed Daleks moving at different levels, the general consensus was that Daleks can not move up stairs. In this story, Harper tried to give the effect of two guard Daleks hovering a distance from the ground. A further example of the Daleks ability to hover is seen later in the story as well.

Revelation is by no means a perfect story, suffering from perhaps too many plot lines to provide depth on any of them. For many, the Doctor’s lack of involvement in the story could be seen as a detriment – indeed, like Raiders of the Lost Ark, our hero is more an active observer on events that would probably take ultimately the same course without him being there … but I don’t mind this. The result is a less boisterous Doctor and one shown to care for his friends.

In this story, he is genuinely concerned for Peri (who up until now he has had quite an abrasive relationship with in this incarnation) and indeed has travelled to Necros for an old friend’s funeral. This is an enjoyable tale and one that allows the villain to shine.

Next Issue: Incarnations Seven and Eight Don’t forget to check out previous issues of Geek Syndicate Magazine for more of Luke and Antony’s Doctor Who debate. Next time, the pair move to the end of the “Classic” series, delving into the adventures of the Seventh and Eighth Doctors.

Geek Syndicate

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Geek Syndicate COMIXOLOGY SUBMIT: Get Your Digital Comic On

Get Your Digital Comic On

Since being announced in March of 2013, Comixology’s Submit platform has been a bit of a game changer for self-publishers. The platform allows indie creators of all kinds to get their books in front of Comixology’s large user base and make a little money in the process - all for free.

But that’s not without some catches, however minor they may be. Comixology carefully curates the Submit program, reviewing each and every submission and taking into account various stylistic and formatting choices while evaluating each submission for content as well. While the Submit homepage and FAQ section is, of course, the best place to look into this more, we can skim over a few things that prospective Submitters might need to know.

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Geek Syndicate As has been said, Comixology carefully reviews each submission. This is an approval process that has been bombarded with applicants it currently takes an average of three months or longer for the comic to make it through the process. Naturally, Comixology isn’t looking to approve just anything, as they even state in an FAQ, “Note that our mission isn’t to bring every comic to everyone which means that we won’t automatically accept everything for distribution”.

When you submit your book, it must be a PDF, no larger than 1GB, and meet various resolution and colour settings. All of these details are outlined in the Comixology Submit submission guidelines on the site.

If all goes well and you followed the guidelines appropriately, then you might just be seeing your comic rubbing shoulders with titles from Image, Marvel and more on the Comixology site and app. Note, that until you get your first comic approved, you can only submit one book at a time, so be sure that first one is up to snuff or you’re just making your wait even longer.

So, you got your comic on the app, but how does selling it work? Well, assuming you’re on the site and app and everything is approved and looking good, you can start selling your comic to the legions of people already using Comixology and reading other Submit and big publisher titles alike.

Prices have to be at least $0.99 and have to end in “.99”.

When you start selling, you and Comixology split all sales after fees evenly. With Comixology pulling in-app purchases from iOS devices in late April, this will maximize the amount of money that Submitters and Comixology will split, but might leave some iPhone/iPad users a bit inconvenienced. Once the money starts (hopefully) rolling in, you can expect to get paid 45 days after the end of each quarter, assuming you’ve reached $100 or more in sales.

sites, get a copy of your comic in their hands. See if they’ll do a review and spread the word a bit for you. Then do this a bunch more each and every time your book comes out.

While Comixology does say that they provide Submit titles to reviewers, it seems mostly to be some of the larger sites where your book may get lost in the shuffle if you’ve not yet built a name for yourself. So, be sure to build your relationships, get the word out, and get people to notice your cool new Comixology Submit title!

It’s worth noting, also, that Comixology and their Submit team go to the trouble of converting all the approved Submit books into Guided View capable versions. Guided View is Comixology’s special format where panels transition in a way that mimics natural eye movement, making reading, especially on smaller devices, feel a bit more natural and easy.

Now, all this is coming from someone who is a comic reader and an absolute fan of the Comixology Submit platform, so it may not be the most informed advice as I’ve merely read some things and had a few conversations. But, Tim Gibson, creator of Moth City, one of Comixology Submit’s biggest success stories was kind enough to talk a bit about his own experience with Submit and what he thinks people trying to get on the platform or with books already on the platform might need to do.

So, your book is approved and you’re selling it on the site.

But, how can you make people aware of your book? Get on social media – Facebook, Twitter etc. and spread the word.

Chances are some of your followers are willing to read whatever you’ve been working on.

To go beyond that, if you already have some connections with comic reviewers or comic review

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Geek Syndicate GS: What initially made you decide to put your comic on Comixology through the Submit program?

TG: Being able to sell your comics to a diverse worldwide audience without investing in print runs and convention costs sounded like a winner to me. Plus, I live in New Zealand, so getting attention for a long-form comic series via traditional means adds some extra hurdles. Webcomics are great for short-form stuff, but I think Comixology is an essential tool for people telling longer stories like Moth City.

thing for people to remember is that Submit is not just a web portal that you upload to, but that there’s a group of comic lovers on the other end of the system. I’ve worked hard on building relationships with those people, and I enjoy communicating with them.

GS: You and your comic Moth City have been on Comixology Submit since April of 2013. How has the last year or so been for the book?

TG: I got into Submit the day before the Beta ended via an industry referral, and my experience has been great. I think getting in early helped, but I’ve also been care-

I think they are getting more submissions now, so I’ve heard that things are a bit slower for some newer submitters. I think an important

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For a long time I had issue one at $0.99 vs. $1.99 for the other titles, but I have since shifted that to free. December 2013 is the only month I have data on for that, but looking at review numbers (which are minute to minute, rather than quarterly) I believe that change, along with a January sale and another release in February 2014 have had a good impact.

GS: You and Moth City are arguably one of the “success stories” of Submit, making it into the Top 100 bundle at SXSW. What was the key to that?

GS: How has the support and attention from Comixology been?

ful to plan release dates in advance, find out when I need to get things to them for their lead time, and then stick to those promises.

out, so just like print comics there’s some power to having a series and getting some press on each release.

TG: I suspect sales numbers made a compelling argument on the analytical side, and the fact that Moth City often shows TG: It’s been interesting looking at the graphs. I think the #1 launches are more important than I understood at the time. Since then they have added the subscribe button, which could be very handy if used well on a new release.

The months go up and down, there’s always a good bump when a new issue comes

up in reviews and press features about Submit helped out. It was cool to be included.

I’m not sure how many issues of the hundred that people will genuinely get around to looking at – I for one haven’t read any of the ones in my bundle yet. Bad human.

Geek Syndicate GS: For creators just getting a book onto Submit for the first time, what’s your biggest piece of advice?

TG: This will be harder than it sounds, but if you can get a firm release date, get review PDFs out two weeks before, and get some stuff happening on twitter you’d be doing well. Of course a lot of that relies on reputation and relationships you might not have yet, so that’s tougher. And if it’s a series, I’d go free from day one to really leverage the impact.

I mean, there’s more chance for slow-growth in digital than there is in print anyway (there’s always a copy on the shelf), but yeah, a big start wouldn’t hurt either.

This is by no means an exhaustive guide to Submit, but it may just answer a few questions

for creators maybe looking into getting onto the Submit platform. As a reader, I think it’s a great way for otherwise unknown creators or those who have a hard time getting a physical audience due to location to get their book in front of thousands of potential readers. Again, as a reader it seems that those books that are $0.99 or $1.99 seem to sell best and I’m more apt to buy them, as they’re a bit easier to

justify as impulse buys. Quality, of course, matters so be sure the book looks as professional as possible, which is likely why books like Tim’s Moth City and Fabian Rangel, Jr.’s Doc Unknown, they look like they belong on Comixology. Over 1000 books have been published through the Submit platform already and I know I’m hungry for even more.

Leo Johnson

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Geek Syndicate

Nathan Edmondson and Alison Sampson Talk Genesis

Nathan Edmondson and Alison Sampson Talk Genesis

GENESIS, a new graphic novella from Image Comics by Nathan Edmondson (WHO IS JAKE ELLIS, The Punisher, Black Widow) and new comic book artist Alison Sampson (OUTLAW TERRITORY), pairs sweeping visuals with poignant writing in a story that cannot be missed.

GENESIS is a trippy journey of creation and destruction as one man finds himself with the ability to manifest anything by thinking it—only to learn that with seemingly unlimited power comes unstoppable terror.

After giving Genesis, the new one shot comic from Image, five out of five, we thought we would catch up with the creative team of writer Nathan Edmondson and artist Alison Sampson to find out a little more about the project.

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Geek Syndicate GS: For those who don’t know about it, what’s the general story for Genesis?

NE: A preacher wants to change the world, and at the height of his despair he’s given the opportunity to do just that—but also just as easily to destroy it.

GS: One shots seem to be a pretty rare thing in modern comics.

What made this the proper way to approach telling the story of Genesis?

NE: Some ideas are just conceived that way; with this story I saw the grand story laid out in short form and it wouldn’t have felt right to explore it any other way. Comics is one the few places left where you can still explore ideas like that; no one publishes short stories

anymore for the most part in the prose world and it’s rare to see a show like THE TWILIGHT ZONE or a miniseries of standalone stories. Not that GENESIS would have fit into either of those, it’s something that should be done and left like that apart from anything else.

GS: Alison, you’re an architect in your non-comics time. Does that influence how you approach your art in any way?

AS: Totally! In many ways, from how lines are drawn, to how pages are laid out, to what I can bring to the design. I’ve got views on how space is inhabited, and that does not correlate strictly with how people read a book. So I’m drawing something which hopefully is about working with the reader and describing a world in the

story. We also have a tradition of not using influences, but rather, building up our projects based on what our client wants and what is technically possible, which, followed through in comics, means a couture project every time.

GS: Nathan, Genesis is a bit of a departure from the thrillers that you tend to write. Where did the inspiration for the story come from?

NE: Fantastic sci-fi is where I started in comics with OLYMPUS and I like exploring all sorts of genres.

GS: Obviously, you hope the reaction to Genesis is positive, but what do you want readers to get from the book?

NE: I want a one shot to take them on a long head trip, and I hope readers study the book as closely as they should, looking at every detail in the art.

AS: I’d like people to be picked up and carried along by the story, and to enjoy

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Geek Syndicate where it takes them. This is not a monthly comic, and I didn’t want it to look, or feel, like one. The intention is that people can spend a bit of time with our work.

GS: Is there anything else you’d like to add?

NE: This book probably most directly correlates to my work on GENESIS and THE DREAM MERCHANT as far as genretype, but I think fans of BLACK WIDOW, THE PUNISHER, and THE ACTIVITY will enjoy it just the same. I invite everyone to try it—and if not for the story then because you really need to see Alison Sampson and Jason Wordie’s art. It’s worth the price for that reason alone.

AS: As with any of his other books, Nathan has written an exciting, surprising and interesting story here, and we have ended up with something unique. I don’t know how long our book will be available for in print, but it is best experienced as a landscape. I’d urge readers to pre-order, and get it while you can.

You can pre-order Genesis from your local comic shop, with Diamond code: FEB140504, or get it digitally from the Image Comics web site.

Big thanks to Alison and Nathan for taking the time to talk to Geek Syndicate.

Leo Johnson

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Geek Syndicate

25

Geek Syndicate A HISTORY OF ... The Mummy!

Ah, the Mummy. The thing about the Mummy, is that in the pecking order of established monsters, most people are unsure of exactly where to place him: is he a lurching zombie? A tragic figure whose story of lost love & downfall presumes that he should be pitied? Or is he something far more powerful: an ageless immortal - an indestructible force who can call upon the elements to lay waste to all those in his way?

Cinematically though, “The Mummy� refers to any one of four film franchises about the ancient Egyptian priest resurrected with a powerful curse and the efforts of heroic archaeologists to stop him.

A HISTORY OF ...

The Mummy!

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Geek Syndicate The Universal Mummy The classic b-movie machine, Universal Horror, ran their Mummy franchise during 1932–1955, with a series of six instalments. The first film starred the iconic horror actor Boris Karloff as Im-Ho-Tep – the Mummy of the title. The follow up films starred Tom Tyler and subsequently Lon Chaney Jr. as Kharis. In the final film of the franchise, Eddie Parker played Klaris, a cousin of Kharis.

Film

Year

Actor

The Mummy

1932

Boris Karloff

The Mummy’s Hand

1940 Tom Tyler

The Mummy’s Tomb

1942

Lon Chaney Jr.

The Mummy’s Ghost

1944

Lon Chaney Jr.

The Mummy’s Curse

1944

Lon Chaney Jr.

Abbott and Costello Meet The Mummy

1955

Eddie Parker

The studio couldn’t get Karloff back for the sequel, The Mummy’s Hand. The studio decided to change the tempo to more of an action comedy – a less than successful idea. For the third film, the studio had a brainwave. Tom Tyler was replaced with the legendary Lon Chaney Jr. – by then a household name after starring in the Wolf-Man movies. A second change was the move to take the Mummy to modern day America.

After three excellent films drafting in support talent such as John Carradine, Universal took a ten year break before producing their final Mummy property - Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy, adding the bumbling but brilliant comedy stars into the mythos of the Mummy.

The film was arguably not as good as the earlier Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948), but was actually the last film that Abbott and Costello made for Universal Pictures. Stuntman Eddie Parker played the Mummy - he had previously doubled Lon Chaney Jr. in Universal’s earlier Mummy films.

The Universal offering was classic Black and White horror B-movie fodder of the time and although the studio could be accused of riding on the fame of Karloff’s name from the previous year’s Frankenstein (1931), Karloff put in a classic first turn as the mummy of ancient Egyptian prince Im-Ho-Tep. In the film, the prince is brought to life by the Scroll of Thoth and then attempts to reunite with his lost love: an ancient princess who has been reincarnated into a beautiful young woman in modern day Egypt.

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Geek Syndicate The Hammer Mummy With the post-war UK cinema explosion came the wave of British horror films. These were based around the old classics like Dracula and Frankenstein and Hammer Horror gave us their take on the franchise between 1959-1971. The production company’s first offering was: The Mummy. Set in 1895, the film pits Peter Cushing against Christopher Lee as Kharis. The plot is loosely based on Universal’s The Mummy’s Hand and The Mummy’s Tomb. They followed this with a much more B-movie offering which had a less head-lining cast: The Curse of the Mummy’s Tomb in 1964. This second Hammer film featured Dickie Owen as the Mummy Ra-Antef.

A third film followed in 1966 - The Mummy’s Shroud, which featured Eddie Powell as the Mummy Prem and a fourth film, titled Blood from the Mummy’s Tomb was produced in 1971.

This latter film was based on Bram Stoker’s 1903 novel The Jewel of Seven Stars and starred veteran Hammer vampire Valerie Leon as the Mummy Queen Tera and her reincarnation Margaret Fuchs. Sadly of all of the franchises that Hammer re-imagined their Mummy efforts were generally less than memorable, with the exception of the first offering.

Title

Year

Actor

The Modern Mummy

The Mummy

1959

Christopher Lee

Curse of the Mummy’s Tomb

1964

Dickie Owen

In recent times, the best known franchise has been Stephen Sommers’ re-invention of the franchise which spanned from 1999-2008.

Originally a proposed remake of The Mummy was to have director Clive Barker create a

Eddie Powell

“dark, sexual and filled with mysticism”, that “would have been a great low-budget movie”.

The Mummy’s Shroud Blood from the Mummy’s Tomb

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1966 1971

Valerie Leon

This failed to materialise, but in 1999, Sommers wrote and directed a remake of The Mummy, loosely based on the original film of 1932. Although carrying a horror element, it was more of an adventure movie with elements of comedy. The film concentrated more on action and

Geek Syndicate CGI, mixed in with many references to Egyptian lore. The film was a box office success, making instant stars of Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz, and was succeeded by two sequels, a cancelled fourth film, a spin-off series, and an animated television series.

The first two films were well received critically, while the third film, a wholesale departure from the story line centred on a Chinese legend, received mostly negative reviews. Such was the tone of the movies, it has been mooted that the franchise filled the vacancy left by Indiana Jones, but I think that’s a bit of a stretch.

One other Mummy film is worth mentioning, but only as a warning that it should be avoided at all costs: 1998’s Tale of the Mummy, directed

by Russell Mulcahy and starring Jason Scott Lee. Despite being directed by the Highlander supremo, and having a big name support cast including Christopher Lee, Honor Blackman, Sean Pertwee, Lysette Anthony, Louise Lombard and even a young Gerard Butler, the end product was completely dire.

My personal favourite? If you can find it, check out the fourth episode of the first series of Steven Spielberg’s Amazing Stories, entitled “Mummy Daddy”.

In this story, an actor dressed as a mummy heads off from his location-filming of a horror movie in a Deep South US swamp to get to his wife, who is about to give birth. The local rednecks believe in the eerie legend of Ra-AminKa, who through circumstance also winds up in the same vicinity and when the locals encounter the panicked, bandaged up actor, they are positive he is the real deal and set about trying to kill him, tooled up with torches and pitchforks. Meanwhile the real mummy ends up back at the location-shoot to complete the filming... after Family Dog, this is widely considered to be the best episode of the first season of Amazing Stories and is absolutely hilarious.

Ronald Singh

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Geek Syndicate Eye for an Eye: Talking Vengeance with R.S.A Garcia

Eye for an Eye: Talking Vengeance with R.S.A Garcia

Lex Talionis, out on May 30th from Dragonwell Publishing, is a full throttle science fiction novel that combines a strong female viewpoint with an extended meditation on vengeance and just how far we’re prepared to go for it. I talked to the author, R.S.A Garcia, about the book, her influences and what’s next for her.

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Geek Syndicate GS: How did you get started writing?

RSAG: I was born with a pen in my hand. My mother was very surprised.

Okay, to tell you the truth, reading started me writing. I was a voracious reader from the age of two and by nine I had fallen in love with Louisa May Alcott. I read somewhere that she first published in a newspaper at the age of eight.

I was mortified. Clearly I’d been wasting my time. I resolved to start writing and try to catch up. I finished my first collection of fairytales at ten.

One of them was about a goat afraid to cross the road. I have hidden these gems where you will never, ever find them.

GS: Which authors influenced you?

RSAG: All of them. Every single one I’ve read, whether it was a lesson in what to do, or what not to do, everything I read influenced me in some way. But if you want specific names, I can say I have read and admired all of these writers at one time or another: Philip K. Dick, Ray Bradbury, Stephen King, Octavia E. Butler, William Goldman, Ed McBain, John Steinbeck, Katherine Kerr, Margaret Weis, Anne McCaffrey, Jack Vance, Carl Sagan, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, C.S. Lewis, Louisa May Alcott, Laura Ingalls Wilder, L. Ron Hubbard, Michael Crichton, Roald Dahl, Nalo Hopkinson and many, many more.

GS: This is your first published novel. What was your learning curve?

got the bones of the one that would become the published novel.

RSAG: There’s a curve? Please let me know when I get to the end! In other words, I started putting words together at age ten. In my twenties I realised they were coming out on the page almost like they were in my head. I got excited. I’m still excited. And I’m still waiting for them to come out exactly like they are in my head.

GS: What sort of research did you find yourself doing?

GS: Are there other novels waiting to be revised?

RSAG: There are about eight other novels that will NEVER SEE THE LIGHT OF DAY. GS: Did you write short stories first?

RSAG: Well, I started off with a collection of fairytales, so that’s a yes, probably. However, the next thing I tackled was a novel. And I wrote nothing but novels until I joined the Online Writing Workshop for Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror in 2000. Then I wrote a few shorts in between. I’m very bad at shorts. But I did write one that an editor liked enough to buy, so there’s that.

GS: What was the biggest challenge in writing the novel?

RSAG: The biggest challenge in writing Lex Talionis was the same for all writers working on a novel. Finishing it. It’s the project I kept coming back to over the years, and there were five working drafts before I

RSAG: There was a lot of filling in the little stuff that I didn’t expect. Talking to a practising doctor from the US about how doctors operate in hospitals and how they are expected to treat patients. I had to get my medical technology right as well, so talking to a real doctor gave me a sense of what they wished they could do. There was research into amnesia and how it can affect a person. It was about getting the details if not completely accurate, then close enough so that I can tell the story I want to and credibility isn’t affected.

GS: What didn’t make the cut?

RSAG: I had originally written a few sections set in the three years of Lex’s life that would have showed up in the latter half of the novel. But it didn’t fit with the story that was the focus of Lex Talionis so I left it on the cutting room floor.

GS: Science fiction is known for two things; being a male protagonist heavy genre and sprawling in terms of scale. What were the challenges of writing a female driven piece of SF? RSAG: The same as any other science fiction novel. Telling a compelling story in a realistic future that engages the audience is never easy. And though I love epic stories, I 31

Geek Syndicate do feel like it’s important to keep some intimacy between the reader and the characters, or the readers will just not feel the stakes the same way. I don’t think the gender of the protagonist affects the writer’s ability to do any of that. I do think some people believe it affects some readers’ ability to connect with the main character. Right now, storytelling–whether in film or on paper–has made it less so. Lots of people of both genders are connecting with Katniss Everdeen, and when I was growing up, Carl Sagan’s Ellie in Contact blew my mind. The most important thing for me in writing this was in showing not only a woman, but a woman who challenges certain notions of what a ‘kickass heroine’ should be. And along the way I hopefully showcase some other kick-ass female characters that don’t have to carry a weapon to be seen that way.

GS: Why do you think the genre is perceived as skewing male even though it doesn’t?

RSAG: Because for a very long time mostly men wrote science fiction. It was a genre for and by scientists, and most of those were men. We know there were – and still are – very real barriers to women or people of colour (or both) entering the field of speculative fiction. It’s the same barriers that exist in the study of sciences on the whole. Writers write what they know, to a cer-

32

tain extent. So when a lot of men write in a genre, naturally other men are drawn to it because the genre will focus on concerns they find it easy to sympathize with. The mistake is to think that men can’t be drawn to fiction that reflects on and includes the concerns of women, whether between the pages or behind the pen.

The current make-up of the writers and audience for speculative fiction and science fiction is changing as we speak so let’s hope that perception dies a quick death, along with the barriers that make it easy to accept it.

GS: Is Lex Talionis complete in one novel or are there plans for a sequel?

RSAG: When I started it, it was with the intention of it being a stand-alone. However, halfway through Lex Talionis I realised this was going to be a big story. So yes, there are sequels planned, but whether I get to write them rests on the readers and if they want to see more. *Looks at her readers with soulful puppy-dog eyes* GS: What’s next for you?

RSAG: Only the Fates know. In the meantime, I’m working on the sequel for Lex Talionis, and the first book in a new science fantasy duology set in a matriarchal world where women control ‘real’ magic, and men control illusion. It’s a world

built on the myths and legends of several cultures, chief among them my own Caribbean heritage, with African and East Indian influences as well.

Lex Talionis by R.S.A Garcia is out on May 30th from Dragonwell Publishing

Alasdair Stuart THE LAW OF REVENGE A battered young woman wakes from a coma in a space port hospital with no memories of her past. The only thing she remembers are two words: Lex Talionis—the Law of Revenge. To discover her identity, she must re-live the nightmares of her past, and face the only survivor of a terrible massacre that connects her with her abductors.

Lex Talionis is a fast-paced adventure, a stunning debut from a major new talent.

Geek Syndicate

THE BLUFFER’S GUIDE TO ...

2000AD

Image © 2000AD, 2011

THE BLUFFER’S GUIDE TO ... 2000AD

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

Never Fear! The Bluffers Guide is here to help!

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Geek Syndicate OK, so there is this thing I don’t understand…

Only the one thing?

Funny. So there is this one thing about comics I don’t understand…

I refer you to my earlier answer.

Right then. Do you want the question or not?

OK, tell me what it is that you don’t understand.

Well, we live in a time where American comic icons seem to be everywhere. They’re on TV, at the movies, and with a certain amount of credibility they haven’t always had.

That’s monetary success for you.

Sure. But whilst I get why say, non-English language comics don’t get the same attention, because they’d have to be translated and what not, why aren’t there any big British comics hitting the mainstream in the same way?

Well actually foreign language comics have done pretty well; Asterix and Tintin have been staples for years, at least in the UK. Manga, coming over from Japan is another success.

But I guess you’re really asking about the state of British comics, and its fair to say that there is a fairly diverse and thriving indie scene with one big hitter; 2000AD. Ah now I’d heard of that. Is that still around?

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Very much so.

Did they have to change the name?

Definitely not. But the fact that it was called 2000AD at a time when that was a long way in the future tells you something about its longevity, after so many of it’s contemporaries have fallen away. Well, I say “contemporaries” but that’s a long time ago now.

Before the year 2000, I suppose?

Of course. 2000AD was first published in February 1977, dropping into a British comic landscape dominated by War and Sports stories, and titles such as “Victor” and “Battle”.

That sounds really quaint.

Perhaps, although one of 2000ADs founders, Pat Mills, would later go onto write one of the finest British comic series ever – Charley’s War - for Battle Action Weekly from 1979, and there is nothing quaint about that.

Point taken.

However, the real driver was a desire by many of the comics founding contributors to be free from the sorts of stories that they were writing at the time. They wanted to tell stories that

were more anti-authoritarian, more violent, and generally more “out there”. They also predicted that the next big thing was likely to be more Science-Fiction based than War Story based.

Which was right!

Indeed it was. Probably the biggest name at launch was venerable British action hero Dan Dare, a 1950s character in the square-jawed adventurer mould. The character was owned by IPC Media, 2000AD’s first publisher. In fact, 2000AD’s most famous character doesn’t appear until the second Issue: Judge Dredd.

He quickly became the comic’s star attraction and has pretty remained so ever since.

Geek Syndicate I think everyone has heard of Dredd, right?

Well, most British people perhaps. I’m not sure 2000AD ever travelled well. But looking back it’s amazing how fully formed Judge Dredd is, even in the early strips. The character is intended as the ultimate law-man: a brutal and oppressive authority figure in a post-apocalyptic future. The look of the comic, initially drawn

by Spaniard Carlos Ezquerra endures to this day. There is also a dark and very British, sense of humour to a lot of Dredd’s stories. They are a mix of satire, bloody slapstick and gallows humour.

And all of these are still around?

No. I’ve heard of Neil Gaiman too!

Yes, in fact one of 2000AD’s biggest strengths has been the ability to keep these characters running over a long period. But like its big American cousins it hasn’t always managed to launch new ones. The 1980s were probably the com-

Excellent, because both of them wrote for 2000AD. Moore started in 1980, creating a lot of characters and writing a lot of strips for the book, most famously The Ballad of Halo Jones, intended to be another sprawling epic set over several years, but Moore fell out with the publishing team and it was never finished.

Isn’t he famous for that?

Yes, he is. But in fairness to Moore, creator rights has been an issue for 2000AD and there have been periods where the comic has been pretty chaotically run. Some strips have never been republished, or characters never reused, due to disputes over ownership and royalties.

I Bet kids loved it.

Of course they did, but so did the adults.

As 2000AD moved into the 1980s it started to fill out its roster with the “big hitters” that still fill the pages, on and off, today.

Strontium Dog, a tale of futuristic bounty hunters, launched in 2000AD’s short-lived sister comic, Starlord, in 1978 before appearing in 2000AD, as did Ro-Busters and the slightly more famous ABC Warriors. Nemesis the Warlock first appeared in 1980, and Rogue Trooper in 1981. A character like Slaine is a relative newcomer, dating from 1985.

So money, basically?

Yes, and it’s been a problem for the “Big Two” as well, over the years. ic’s heyday and most of the British comic scene’s biggest names have walked through the publication’s doors.

You’re going to say Alan Moore, aren’t you?

Because he’s the only British comics writer you’ve heard of?

Moore and Gaiman then. Who else?

Well, Grant Morrison, Mark Millar, Bryan Talbot, Dan Abnett, Cam Kennedy, Brian Bolland, Kevin O’Neill, Garth Ennis and pretty much most of the British Comics writers and artists that have gone onto

35

Geek Syndicate

bigger things have contributed over the years. 2000AD has been a great incubator for talent, as well as keeping many of its early contributors writing for it still.

But you seem to be saying it leans more heavily on established characters?

Gosh, that’s a sharp question.

Sorry. It does happen.

No, it’s a good question. It is fair to say that the mainstay of the comic remains its “big names” but many of them have changed and refreshed over the years. In theory, Judge Dredd is one long continuity, allowing them to do interesting things like the fact that he has aged over the years, and there are even some characters who we’ve dropped in on over the years, to see them growing up and living their lives. It’s pretty neat, and contrasts favourably with the ar-

36

tificial stasis that most comics live in.

Right then, so the big question is, where do I start?

So Dredd is going to die of old age at some point?

At the beginning of course!

Possibly, yes. His age has certainly changed his character, and recent stories have had, on occasion, a more thoughtful Dredd more worried about “Justice” than “The Law”. It’s also a sign that the book has aged with its readership; with more mature or introspective stories popping up along the way. But you need to bear in mind that 2000AD is an anthology, so each issue has several stories.

If you don’t like this story, the next one is along in a minute?

Exactly. There is also the monthly Judge Dredd Megazine, launched in 1990, intended to be dedicated to telling more stories set in the Judge Dredd world. It’s more open now, but continues alongside its bigger sibling.

Very funny.

Actually 2000AD is keen to keep bringing in new readers and seems gratifyingly aware that its long-term survival relies on bringing in new blood for creators and readers both.

To this end they regularly do “clean start” issues designed to be jumping on points, with every story in the issue just starting out.

Clever idea.

Yep. Of course, they also do a good line in trade collections of older stories, neatly combined for easier reading.

Do you have any recommendations?

I think that’s a tough one; like I say it’s a very diverse, an-

Geek Syndicate thology series and everyone will find something different to like. So I tell you what, lets through it open to the gallery, and see what they think….

Dean: What got me into 2000AD was the Ten Seconders. I’m one of the minority of relatively new readers. I started reading when I was doing my AS levels way back in 2004.

Dion: One of the first big story lines I read was “Judge Dredd in Oz”. The story followed the escape of Sky Surfer Marlon Shakespeare, aka Chopper, from imprisonment in his quest to enter the World Skysurfing Championships in Australia. I love the epic scope of the journey to Oz, I’m always sucked in by the breathless pace of the storytelling and I get a real kick out of the fact that Dredd and Chopper blur the boundaries between protagonist and antagonist.

I’m no sports fan but this one is well worth a read!

What kept me reading 2000AD, however, was Nikolai Dante.

Dante’s story was a great ride and got pretty intense as it developed towards its conclusion. A swashbuckling bastard son of a powerful house suddenly gets sucked into the intrigues of the upper classes. It was a great series. It had intense action, humour, suspense, a love story and epic scope.

Other favourites are Kingdom and Brass Sun.

Ronald: I was a reader when it first came out and I was only nine years old - I still have the first 100 or so issues (including the cover gifts that came with them: space spinner, biotronic stickers & the red alert wallet!).

Ten years later, I passed the mantle to my brother and next thing I knew we were queuing up outside Forbidden Planet in London for Simon Bisley to autograph our books! Here’s highlights of those first 100 issues: • Judge Dredd - Futuristic Dirty Harry on steroids • Harlem Heroes - Futuristic Harlem Globetrotters playing flying roller-ball on steroids • M.A.C.H. 1 - The Six Million Dollar Man on steroids • Dan Dare – The post war classic British strip reimagined on steroids • Flesh – This is a brilliantly original story about a future starving world travelling back in time to harvest dinosaurs for food • Robo-Hunter – A futuristic Philip Marloweesque detective on steroids

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Geek Syndicate • Invasion – The combined forces of future North Korea and Russia force invade the UK and are confronted by cockney truck on steroids who fights back - Jason Statham built his whole career around this character.

What can I say... there were a lot of steroids around in the 1970’s!

Best defining story - Judge Dredd “The Cursed Earth”, with all the original stuff they got sued for (McDonald’s, Burger King, and the Jolly Green Giant took them to court for using their copyrighted characters without permission AND depicting wars between rival gangs, headed by the Burger King and Ronald McDon-

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ald - including scenes of Ronald executing a gang member who spilled a milkshake. They lost the case and had to publish a half-page retraction and agree never to reprint the offending four part story again).

Barry: I am pretty sure that 2000AD was the first comic I started buying with my own money (thanks newspaper round!) as before that it was my brother’s hand me down Marvel comics. My favourite character switched from issue to issue. Sometimes it was Judge Dredd, sometimes Rogue Trooper, Johnny Alpha or Slaine but my favourite story arc never changed – Judge Dredd’s The Apocalypse War. The storyline just blew my mind back then with some

truly mouth dropping cliff hangers and the lengths that Dredd himself was prepared to go to to fight back...epic stuff.

So hows that for diversity?

There’s a lot there, certainly.

A lot of people took to 2000AD as kids (in whichever that applies) and it acts as both a gateway drug into the comics world, but also it stays with them. It truly is one of the great British institutions now, which is ironic when you consider how counter-cultural it has always set it stall out!

Well, us Brits do love our irony….!

Matt Farr With contributions from the Geek Syndicate team.

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Geek Syndicate Antony Johnston on Umbral

Antony Johnston On

“The young thief called Rascal witnesses the horrific and brutal murder of the royal family— now the world’s dark legends will be relived, and only Rascal even knows it’s happening! Master World builders ANTONY JOHNSTON (Wasteland, Daredevil) and CHRISTOPHER MITTEN (Wasteland, Criminal Macabre) bring you a new fantasy world rich in mythology, history, and blood!”

With the first volume in print on May 28th, Umbral tells the story of Rascal, a young female thief, and the dire, supernatural situation she finds herself in after unwittingly stealing a magical object that invading creatures desperately want. Writer Antony Johnston and artist Chris Mitten weave a story of striking visuals and rich, varied characters, all set against a fantasy world with a vast and rich history. With the first trade on the shelves, writer Antony Johnston was kind enough to talk a bit about female protagonists, world building and what makes a creative team great.

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Geek Syndicate That’s one reason Prince Arthir is in there right at the start — to emphasise to readers that UMBRAL doesn’t follow default patterns. This story is probably not what you’re expecting.

Ironically, making Rascal a young girl opened up so many story opportunities, it’s not even funny. UMBRAL would have been much less interesting with a male protagonist.

And now I can’t picture her any other way.

GS: Umbral and its world have a rich history and mythology, dating back hundreds or even thousands of years. While some of it has been explored in the first volume, can readers expect to delve further into it as the story progresses?

GS: Umbral’s principal character is a young girl named Rascal, who is as good at getting into trouble as she is at getting out of it. Women, and especially young women, are largely underrepresented in comics, so what made Rascal the right sort of character to carry Umbral?

AJ: As you say, female characters are much underrepresented in comics, and I’ve been trying to help change that for years. I write lots of books with female leads, and I’m going to keep on doing it until people stop asking me why.

UMBRAL came about because Chris and I wanted to make something new, and after some discussion, we settled on dark fantasy as a genre we felt we could do well.

Almost immediately, I knew I wanted our main character to be a young thief called Rascal — but at first, that character was a boy.

What triggered the change was realising that I’d imagined him as male just because it’s the default option, especially in the fantasy genre.

And I don’t like defaults.

AJ: We’ll definitely be going deeper into the mythology and legends of Fendin. What’s the point of having a rich history and mythology if you don’t explore it properly? And while we deal with some of it in Book One, there’s still plenty more to tell.

GS: With history as rich as the world in Umbral, how much of it had you planned before writing out the main story and how much of it came along as a natural progression?

I always do a lot of early planning and world building, but for an epic fantasy like this, it was even more vital.

Everything to do with the grand mythology of the Ocu-

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Geek Syndicate lus, Luxan and Tenebros, and the Umbral themselves is already known. If I didn’t have that stuff straight, I wouldn’t have been able to even start writing. It’s important that the mythology and legends hang together properly.

as just knowing their route will give away some of the story.

Suffice to say we’ll visit several different areas of Fendin, as Rascal and her companions flee the Umbral. And yes, we’ll visit at least one other country too.

The overall history of Fendin and the Shadow War is detailed, and I know enough about most of the places Rascal and her companions will be visiting to talk about them.

That’s how we were able to include the map in the first issue, because I already know what’s in those parts of the Kingdom.

Fleshing out the day-to-day

GS: In your recent piece on Multiversity, you talk about some of the dangers of creator-owned books and what helps make them work and be worthwhile. One of your main points was “Make it with good people”. What makes your collaborators Christopher Mitten, John Rauch, Jordan Boyd, and

superb craftsman who’s also unafraid to experiment and try new things.

Honestly, I think this is a really strong team. We all make each other look good!

GS: With the first arc all wrapped up, what can readers expect to be treated to in the second arc?

AJ: Book Two is called THE DARK PATH, and takes our unlikely heroes through the ‘Bulaswode’: a strange, misty forest full of dangers and weird creatures, including the dead-

y d a e r l a e r a h hic w , s t p i r c s y m ven” e l “Chris takes e o t p u t i urns t d n a d l i w y prett

details of all the different regions, though, is an ongoing process.

Some of the smaller details in the mythology did come about because of things Chris did in the first couple of issues. I like to have things planned out, but leave myself just enough room to add detail if something in the art inspires me.

GS: Readers are treated to a map of Fendin in the beginning of the trade. The first arc takes place in Strakhelm, the capital city, but where else can we expect Rascal and her friends to travel in Fendin, or even to other lands?

AJ: I don’t really want to say, 42

Thomas Mauer such great people to work with?

AJ: Individually, they’re all enormously talented creators.

But when we come together to make UMBRAL, it truly is more than the sum of its parts.

Chris takes my scripts, which are already pretty wild, and turns it up to eleven; John took that art and gave us one of the craziest, most unique colour palettes in today’s comics; Jordan picked up John’s baton and absolutely runs with it, bringing the art to life in ways even Chris himself never imagined; and Thomas is hands down one of the best letterers I’ve ever worked with, a

ly Wodelings and their fearsome beasts, the Silvar.

Rascal will have to face her past, and battle against a sense of hopelessness. Dalone’s own past will return to literally haunt his nightmares. As for Shayim and Munty... well, they’ve got their own secrets to worry about.

By the end of it, none of them — especially Rascal — will ever be the same again. Would you expect anything less?

Leo Johnson Umbral is published by Image Comics. Volume 1 (Out of the Shadows) available now.

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Geek Syndicate MARVEL’S AGENTS OF SHIELD - A Series in Retrospective

A Series in Retrospective

NOTE: This article contains spoilers for both the Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD television show and some of the recent Marvel Cinematic Universe films.

It’s been a long year for the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s first foray into TV. Launched to massive anticipation and built around a fan-favourite, breakout character, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. quickly became a lightning rod for disillusionment, before roaring back in its final act into the hearts of many of those of that had dismissed it. That said, there were some who always liked it and some who will never forgive it. It’s been a topsy-turvy ride for both the show, and those who watch and comment on it. So here’s my thoughts on the show – which will be referred to as “MAOS” from now on – over this first year. Other opinions, of course, are available.

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Geek Syndicate I guess I was starting to get a little worried about MAOS when the show runners spent much of the late summer trying to play down expectations for the show. The pilot had played at Comic-Con to a largely positive buzz and the idea of a S.H.I.E.L.D. focussed show set within the existing movie continuity was an excellent one even before you added in Clark Gregg’s scene stealing Phil Coulson’s return from the dead. Then you had the Whedon name attached to it, which although Joss himself wasn’t too directly involved, always adds a new level of geeky anticipation. What are we going to get?

We’re getting a superhero show, on the TV! With heroes and villains and superpowers and movie tie-ins and everything! It’s going to be awesome!

Well no, it was never going to be that awesome.

Here’s the thing: first seasons are tough. For a start the creators are writing in a vacuum, with no real idea how the actors will bed into their characters and no real idea how any given concept will play with the audience. It takes time to find the groove that you can settle into.

Secondly, MAOS was going out on a major network, and needed to find a major audience; a couple of million on a cable channel is great, but is cancellation bait on a prime-time slot.

Finally, this really hadn’t been tried before, and whilst it didn’t appear that way at first, the show was going to tie over to the films in a big way but wasn’t really allowed to show its hand.

We’ll come back to that last point in moment.

All this led to an initial few episodes that felt really, really safe. Personally, I don’t think that they’re bad TV, but they are definitely pretty stock “procedural” format episodes: the team turn up somewhere, do a thing and then go home. They’ve got all the gear and the information you’d expect but this could be any show really, passing an hour without really standing out from the crowd when it really, really should have. The characters suffer from the same problem; a fair bit of potential but slightly too safe and slightly too bland. By the time we reached the Thor: The Dark World crossover, you could sense the critical tide starting to turn.

I’ll pause on this episode a second because it starts to sum up where MAOS was struggling.

This episode - titled The Well - was touted as a big crossover with the films and initially was set in London, after the battle in Greenwich at the films climax. However, it doesn’t look like Greenwich, it looks like a studio backlot, so we don’t get the impression of any globe-trotting.

Add to that the fact that the plot really hasn’t got anything to do with The Dark World, dealing with a different Asgardian and a super weapon that had been left on Earth for decades, and so could really have been used as a story any time in the series. Again, it’s not a bad episode and in retrospect even manages to foreshadow Agent Ward’s storyline, but it’s just sort of... fine. We go back to Asgardian craziness in the series second half in the episode Yes Men. This one actually features a character from the Thor films and a proper villain from the comics. It’s a hell of a lot more fun. It’s a telling contrast.

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Geek Syndicate By the time we reached the festive break you could sense a lot of the fan sites that had probably had a fight over which writers would cover the show were starting to get a little tired of it.

Its ratings had dropped, interest had dropped and you even started to see the bad habit of “hate watching”, where people would watch the show seemingly only with the intent to be mean about it. The show suddenly couldn’t find a defender anywhere, just as it started to turn the corner.

It came back after the holidays with a renewed sense of purpose, a longer commissioned run, and, I suspect, a point to prove. It also had a big ace up its sleeve; Captain America himself.

You see, The Winter Soldier was inbound, and due to change how the Marvel Cinematic Universe worked and how S.H.I.E.L.D. in particular worked within that universe. In the three months run to the film’s opening weekend MAOS steadily built up it. Things started to happen.

The show got a little bit nastier and more paranoid – as befits a spy show – and started to expand on the idea that S.H.I.E.L.D. itself may not be the happy bunch of good guys that it was presented as in the early running. The show steadily became more sure of itself; keeping a fair open and episodic format whilst having running plot lines in the background.

And then they blew up S.H.I.E.L.D. itself.

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The promise of MAOS was always that a television show and a Movie series could co-exist and intertwine and that was going to be a challenge. The episodes set around the time of The Winter Soldier - one before, one during, and one straight after - are the sort of bold and innovative interaction between the two that we wanted to see. Are they perfect? No. But having a character walk off the television show and into the movie as a plot point was pretty cool.

Having the events of a movie utterly change the premise of the television show and then have the shows’ extra time to explore it? That’s pretty cool too. It’s being in the world not by having characters talk about it, but having the characters actually be affected by events in that world.

And so the final run of MAOS is everything I wanted it to be from the start. The characters all work properly, with both internal and external conflict. The loss of S.H.I.E.L.D. itself started to limit the team’s resources, which paradoxically means you get more “Spy-fi” gadgeteering as the team has to improvise on the job. Characters from the movies – and the comics – start to crop up a lot more in the right places, as the show runners start to realise that they can grab existing characters if they need to. Finally, the show starts to widen the Marvel Cinematic Universe itself, bringing up new comic ideas and expanding on things not in the movies. There are hints now, that some of the stranger (or should that be “Strange-er”) powers may have always existed but been hidden away, and are now about to break free.

Geek Syndicate It may have taken up much of the season, but MAOS did get there. Its renewal for a second year gives me hope for the future. I also hope that with Agent Carter, Daredevil, and more on the way from Marvel, a lot of lessons learned the hard way will go to strengthen these shows from the very start.

Let’s wrap up with a few main pointers - five things I liked about I, and five things I didn’t.

We’ll start with the bad, because as the show itself, I want to end on a positive note.

5 Things I Didn’t Like About Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 1. The Pacing. Seriously what was that about?

Watched as a box-set, I think this will be less of an issue, but the show aired an episode with two to three week gaps between them in the early part of 2014, in order to line its Winter Soldier episodes up with the movie’s release. In many ways, the film was a massive boost to the show but at the same time it left it on pause for too much of its run, unable to show it’s hand.

3. Poor World Building. The big missed opportunity early on was that MAOS didn’t feel like it was set in the wider MCU, but really splashing around in the existing shallow waters. For a show that wanted to feel globe-trotting we never really went anywhere exotic; no Latveria, no Wakanda, that sort of thing. Episodes wouldn’t need to use the big characters from those places, but the locations themselves would have made it feel like the world was bigger than just what the films had already shown.

4. Early Mediocrity. It’s hard to defend a show that is just sort of “fine”. It’s easier, as a critic, to get behind a show if it’s good, or mock and deride a show when it’s bad, but much of the criticism of MAOS felt unfair, even in its doldrums. But it’s hard to defend when the show doesn’t give you anything back or much promise of improvement. It came, but too late for some, and it’s hard to argue the point that some of its mistakes were avoidable.

2. Agent Ward (version 1). OK, I get that Grant Ward was really a HYDRA spy and his cornfed white boy persona was a cover, but it was a dreadful one. For his betrayal to really work, the audience should like him, but to be honest I didn’t, because square-jawed male leads with broody pasts are ten a penny on TV and he so really didn’t come across for me at all.

5. The Bus. The plane seems like a good idea, but we spent too much time on it, too dependent on it as a location. Again, it undermines the globetrotting if much of the time you’re in an aircraft set talking about flying over somewhere distant. Yes, I get budgetary constraints, but it felt too much like a location crutch for static, exposition-led scenes, and it’s probably not much of a coincidence that they lose it for much of the later, better episodes.

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Geek Syndicate 5 Things I Did Like About Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 1. “Turn, Turn, Turn”. Or, the big “Wham Episode”, MAOS was already on the up by this point, but episode 17 happens during the events of Winter Soldier in Washington.

Everything spirals out of control for everyone, secrets are revealed, and I sat up on the sofa thinking “Yes! This is what I wanted to see!” Also, they found the money for a dogfight sequence set to the Blue Oyster Cult, so there’s that.

4. Letting the World Burn. Yes, they blew up S.H.I.E.L.D. and cut the team adrift. Suddenly, real stakes, and real propulsion. I don’t think Marvel have had enough credit for this shift in the status quo – S.H.I.E.L.D. has been the glue that ties their continuity together so far and now it’s gone. But it works, it works really well, and it opens all the doors that have previously been closed. Next season we get to start smaller, and I’m really looking forward to that.

5. Bill Paxton. Was Awesome. Will miss him.

2. FitzSimmons. Started out a little too cute, having two scientists written as one character, but the show gradually teased them apart over the run, without breaking up their pretty adorable (other opinions available) double act. Their final scenes in the Cargo Pod were the emotional core of the season finale for me, showing how far the writing on the show has come.

Matt Farr

3. Agent Ward (version 2). As noted above, Ward was really the duff character for me from the main bunch, but once revealed as a traitor he suddenly became cool and interesting. The rest of the cast help to sell the betrayal I personally didn’t care about, and the twisted relationship with Garrett was great fun to watch. Bonus points for not playing the redemption arc early, and letting those he’d wronged kick his ass.

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Geek Syndicate COMIC REVIEW

Robin The Hood Issue #1 is some hidden (and hinted at) back story to the tale and we’re introduced to a Robin who has already begun a life of crime, so it’s not quite an origin story.

Writer: Ken Janssens Artist: Bob Gordon Colours: EScomic Publisher: Bluewater Comics

Before the bow and arrow... before the Merry Men... before the legend, there was just Robin, a young man stealing to survive and support his uncle. And it was all working out smoothly... until he stole from the wrong man and fell for the right woman.

I picked this title up on a whim while browsing through the latest releases on Comixology. I’m something of a Robin Hood fan and, although the cover art didn’t blow me away, the synopsis was intriguing enough to make me pick it up. Essentially, this comic is set up as a prequel to the legend of Robin Hood that the reader may be more familiar with. That said, there

We’re thrown straight into the action here, with our Blonde hero escaping the clutches of a certain noble from whom a ring has been relieved. There is no real setting to the story, so while this is a prequel to the Legends of Robin Hood, I’m still not sure whether the intention of the writer is that this is set in a historical Nottinghamshire or Yorkshire, a semi-historical or even a fantasy equivalent.

A sheriff is referenced, but no jurisdiction mentioned and the village where our hero’s uncle resides is not named. Of course, this is not really a problem and it could well be an intentional choice to have a generic medieval setting.

The character is given a twist (as referenced in the blurb).

This Robin does not use a bow.

The blurb is actually quite misleading, as it becomes apparent that the plucky thief used to shoot with great proficiency but events led to him swearing to never shoot again. An element of guilt drives the thievery that Robin performs and is sure to be explored more thoroughly in future issues. Our tale ends as our hero attempts to hold-up a carriage that turns out to be more than he bargained for.

This first issue serves as a nice little opening of the adventure.

The reader is not spoon fed eve-

ry piece of background to the story but that background does begin to be built here. In this regard, the writing finds a nice balance. I have to admit though that I found the dialogue a little stunted in places. The choice of phrasing sometimes didn’t feel quite right which resulted in me having to re-read some pages to determine the meaning.

Combined with some seemingly sudden scene jumps, I found my enjoyment lessened somewhat.

The artwork is generally solid throughout. If I have a criticism it’s that sometimes the faces of the characters are not consistently drawn and sometimes seem a little two-dimensional.

The art does also feature some over-sized weaponry (massive balled mace, I’m looking chiefly at you), but frankly that’s not a massive issue! The colours are superb – a vibrant pallet that reflects the lush world of the forest setting of the story.

Overall, I enjoyed this comic and will definitely pick up issue two to see how the story continues. The twist applied to Robin (and some other characters) so far is certainly enough to keep the story fresh and I’m intrigued at how long the story will last before the legend truly begins.

Antony McGarry-Thickitt Rating:

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Geek Syndicate FILM REVIEW

Godzilla and even more especially in IMAX. The set pieces – specific bits of a disaster – were pretty well executed. The cast too – both stars and support - suffer for their art. They are rained on, covered in mud (or makeup) and more while still managing to convey the range of emotions and angst that one associates with the kind of “extinction-level event” portrayed in this film.

Starring: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen & Bryan Cranston Writers: Max Borenstein & Dave Callaham Director: Gareth Edwards

The world’s most famous monster is pitted against malevolent creatures who, bolstered by humanity’s scientific arrogance, threaten our very existence.

Godzilla is a film of two halves – one half is a disaster movie in the ilk of Armageddon or 2012, the other is an outright, good old fashioned Giant Monster film.

Of the disaster half, I will say it is done well – there’s attention to detail, great CGI and special effects. Panoramic shots designed to give the scale of damage are showcased to great effect - especially in 3D

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As a monster film, I had mixed feelings: the Muto creature is done brilliantly – I really couldn’t fault it. The creature’s origin story and its raison d’etre … also excellent. Godzilla himself, I was less convinced about. When he first appeared, I nearly laughed – there is still that element of a “man in a suit” in his build and the way he walks. Also, for the “alpha predator” that he is, he has an awfully small mouth relative to his head. But, by the end of the movie, I had taken a bit more of a shine to him.

In terms of the acting, Ken Watanabe and Aaron TaylorJohnson put in great turns as the main protagonists – I almost didn’t recognise Aaron from Kick-Ass – he looks physically bigger and still affects a good American accent (for a Brit)! A shout out should also go to the ensemble of child actors, who all put in credible performances.

It’s worth noting that the plotline, and its accompanying foundation story, is well written and plausible enough. We get a credible story on Godzilla and on the origins of Muto, a timeline covering several decades and roping in famous historical landmarks.

Unfortunately, Godzilla has some less than stellar moments that detract from the enjoyment of the film. Examples include (and these aren’t spoilers): • Having established that there are monsters just outside San Francisco that can level sky-

Geek Syndicate scrapers just by brushing past them, the authorities think nothing of evacuating children in school buses… across the Golden Gate bridge; • Having established that Aaron is in the middle of a quake zone in Tokyo and having watched his wife reassure their son that he’ll make it out alive, Aaron is later unable to call her at home because… she has left her phone on silent (because you’d do that, right?); • Having found a bomb big enough to do damage to the monsters and establishing that these monsters are tearing up the landscape with their football field sized feet, the military decide to move the bomb… on the train, and yes, you guessed it – across a single track bridge over a deep ravine.

Overall, despite these lazy plot mechanisms, the film is enjoyable. If you like disaster films, or monster films – or both, then you can do a lot worse than check out Godzilla.

Oh, and look out for an Easter Egg in the scene where Aaron and his father visit their old house… there’s a good clue as to what monster may appear in the next film, should a sequel be made!

Ronald Singh Rating

G G G GG

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Geek Syndicate VIDEO GAME REVIEW

Space Engineers should be about the machinery you build.

Publisher: Keen Software House Platform: Steam (Windows) Availability: £14.99 in Steam Store

Space Engineers is a sandbox game about engineering, construction and maintenance of space works. Players build space ships and space stations of various sizes and utilization (civil and military), pilot ships and perform asteroid mining.

Space Engineers utilizes a realistic volumetric-based physics engine: all objects can be assembled, disassembled, damaged and destroyed. The game comes with two game modes: creative and survival.

Volumetric objects are structures composed from blocklike modules interlocked in a grid. Volumetric objects behave like real physical objects with mass, inertia and velocity. Individual modules have real volume and storage capacity.

Space Engineers is inspired by reality and by how things work. Think about modernday NASA technology extrapolated 60 years into the fu-

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ture. Space Engineers strives to follow the laws of physics and doesn’t use technologies that wouldn’t be feasible in the near future.

Space Engineers concentrates on construction aspects, but can be played as a tactical shooter as well. We expect players to avoid engaging in direct man-to-man combat and instead use their creativity and engineering skills to build war machines and fortifications. Space Engineers shouldn’t be about troops; it

I enjoy games that give rise to great personal stories. Some sandbox style games can end up with the player losing their way or growing bored with the options available. Keen Software House’s Space Engineers has enough stories, sweary moments and complexity to keep a good majority of players interested long past that point.

Space Engineers is set in space (I know I know, shocking!), specifically in a large asteroid field. The player controls an engineer who can either just build lots of great stuff in Creative Mode or fight for his or her life in Survival Mode.

I’ll talk about the modes as I encountered them. The very first thing I did was watch the game tutorial as there are a few things that might take a long time to work out via trial and error.

Geek Syndicate Creative Mode is a lot of fun.

The drudgery is taken out of building large and impressive structures so it’s a bit like being given a whole heap of building blocks and then being told to make something cool.

My first ship didn’t work but my second was a nippy, svelte thing that I soon realised was uncontrollable because I had forgotten to put some thrusters on certain planes of motion. The result of which was that I could move forward, left and right but couldn’t move in any other direction. I got out to add the missing thrusters, forgetting to turn my reactor off or to slow down and was treated to the sight of my ship zooming off into the cosmos.

large ship with satisfying impacts, in places punching right through the hull. I halted my assault and used my jet-pack to inspect the damage. Using my angle grinder and blow torch, I was able to spend a leisurely ten minutes patching it all up again. The metal pops and bows in a very pleasing way whilst being worked and it gives a small rush of satisfaction to turn around and see that you did a good job making the ship look as good as new.

Of course, being the mature guy that I am, I then hopped back into my death-dealing ship and sliced the larger vessel into thirds with a stream of carefully choreographed missile strikes. I watched the

I then decided to play with the destructibility of objects in the game. On the level I began, you start with a hulking great ship docked to your platform. I gave one of the pre-made smaller ships a missile launcher and had at it. The missiles fizzed off and hit the

large sections gently begin to twist as they lost the effect of the gravity generator and gave them a gentle nudge with my smaller ship to send them drifting into space.

Survival Mode has given me my best story though. This

mode is meant to be more realistic, starting with the need to monitor your spacesuit energy supply to keep death at bay. You replenish energy by using terminals or items on a ship such as the medical room. Other game elements are also tweaked. There is no bottomless inventory nor will the things you are building appear instantly in Survival Mode. You have to mine the asteroids for ore, smelt it, transfer it to the Production Plant, make the components you need and then weld it all into being.

My first contact with Survival Mode was a starting map called Crashed Red Ship. You spawn as a survivor of the crash but your ship only has a tiny amount of power and not much else. You need to dismantle equipment to use the parts in other items that you need more urgently: for example, a method of smelting ore into fuel. My first engineer lasted a little while but was the victim of bad luck.

When you start the game, you can select various settings for the world, the mode, number of asteroids etc. There is also a setting for environment hostility. It defaults to safe but I felt bold and put it to Normal.

This means there is a chance of meteor showers occurring during game play. I was busy building a refinery when an explosion shook the ship. I muttered wondering what it was but carried on ferreting for steel plates for the construction. The next time my suit power got low, I headed 61

Geek Syndicate to the cockpit to use the terminal and recharge. Entering the room, I saw the cockpit and a lot of debris behind it. I looked up and spotted a large ragged tear in the metal roof and then noticed the lack of the power reactor that was previously at the back. My only working reactor with fuel was gone, taken out by a meteor shower. That engineer suffocated shortly after.

The great thing is that if you die, you come back as another engineer on a rescue ship with a few more resources. Yes! I thought, I can do this properly now. Wary of another meteor shower, I tried to land my rescue ship in the crater next to the first stranded ship.

The screen suddenly went red and my engineer was floating dead in some debris. I must have got the approach wrong by going too fast. My engineer re-spawned in medical room on the rescue ship, much to my relief. I thought that I just needed to get the ship parked and then I could carry on. Ex-

cept that I couldn’t seem to find the cockpit. I slowly realised that the front half of my ship was gone! All I had left was the medical room and one power generator. I manoeuvred my engineer outside of the ship and looked down at the scene. My small yellow rescue ship was smashed into the large red one at a fortyfive degree angle, like a little Remora fish stuck to the side of a shark. The rescuer now needed rescuing!

Speaking of large toothed predators, there are some wonderful creations for Space Engineers in the Steam Workshop. Whilst I was playing I was thinking how fun it would be to have a Xenomorph stalking me as I tried to make the ship secure. In the Steam Workshop, there are various ships and designs that have been painstakingly created, including a couple of models of the USS Sulaco from Aliens! Alas, no alien creatures though.

Space Engineers is in the Steam Early Access section, which means that it is undergoing constant development. The developers say that it is in a playable state however, and from my own experiences at least, I would agree. I did not run into a single glitch, crash or performance issue. As far as the overall development of the game, things can certainly change but I think that whatever direction the game goes, to achieve what has already been achieved with it is fantastic and the developers really look like they know what they want to do.

If you have an affinity for the harsher side of space, the survival, threat or just the drudgery of mining, you will find a good amount of enjoyment in Survival Mode. If you just like to build and destroy stuff, you will find plenty to do in Creative Mode. Space Engineers is a game in which you do create your own fun but one that gives you plenty of tools to do it with. You can also play the game in co-operative and Multi-player mode which only expands the capacity for the hijinks you can get up to.

Casey Douglass Rating

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Geek Syndicate BOOK REVIEW

Clean Now the cops don’t trust the telepaths, the Guild doesn’t trust me, a serial killer is stalking the city — and I’m aching for a fix. But I need to solve this case. Fast. I’ve just had a vision of the future: I’m the next to die.

Author: Alex Hughes Publisher: Roc

A RUTHLESS KILLER— OUT OF SIGHT, OUT OF MIND I used to work for the Telepath’s Guild before they kicked me out for a drug habit that wasn’t entirely my fault.

Now I work for the cops, helping Homicide Detective Isabella Cherabino put killers behind bars.

My ability to get inside the twisted minds of suspects makes me the best interrogator in the department. But the normals keep me on a short leash. When the Tech Wars ripped the world apart, the Guild stepped up to save it.

But they had to get scary to do it — real scary.

Clean is the first in Alex Hughes’ Mindspace Investigations novels. It follows our main character who is a telepath actually he is a high level telepath who was kicked out the Telephath’s Guild for being a drug addict. He is still not totally over his drug addiction, but now works for the police helping to interrogate suspects and solve their crimes.

This time he is brought in to help catch a serial killer, and quickly as our telepath seems to be the next on the killers list.

Clean is a novel set in a world where people go about in sky cars (reminiscent of Blade Runner) and where people are still getting over the Tech Wars. It is a different blend of urban fantasy with a hint of science fiction thrown in to keep things interesting.

I found our narrator an interesting character, obviously flawed but seeming wanting to change, yet bitter with his treatment by the guild who is thought of as family (The core is mother, the core is father anyone?!). However the fact that we are never told his name

made it a little hard to try and connect with him, surely with all the interactions he has with his fellow characters at least one of them would have used his name? His partner Detective Cherabino I also found hard to connect with, I wonder if this was due to the fact that we are given very little background on her. This seems to happen a lot within this novel - we are introduced to characters, yet never really given any info about them (except some of the telepath characters) which meant they lacked a lot of depth for me. Also the Tech Wars are mentioned a lot but only the resulting consequences are discussed, we are never told exactly what happened, I hope Hughes explores this more in his subsequent novels.

Overall a really interesting and new idea what worked well. The main plot was well thought out and followed well all the way through to the end.

I think Hughes just needed to spend a bit more time padding out the characters and background information.

A very good first novel and I look forward to seeing where the author will go in his sequel Sharp. Give it a go!

Wendy Sims Rating

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Geek Syndicate FASHION REVIEW

Shiro Cosmetics

Website: Shiro Cosmetics

We’re proud to offer high quality, vegan, crueltyfree makeup which we blend by hand every day in small batches from our lovely little Portland laboratory. Our inspiration comes from the things we’re passionate about (which mostly involves our being giant shameless nerds), which we’ve used to create a wide range of unique, vibrant products and colors. Thank you for visiting, and we hope you’ll find something to love!

Make up is fun, right? Eyeshadows and lip glosses in every colour imaginable. It can be hard, however, to find quality products that are animal cruelty free and vegan friendly. Fear not! Shiro Cosmetics ticks all the right boxes, plus all their products are nerd themed. What’s not to like?

Shiro is a great little indie cosmetics brand based in Portland, Oregon. I first found out about them through a You-

Tube make up review from Chloe Dykstra (all the thank you’s EVER, Chloe). The names of the eye shadows were pretty cool and the colours were incredible. Triforce, Smell Ya Later and TARDIS. Nerd themed make up? YES PLEASE. The coolest thing about indie companies is that because they are small, they include free samples in all their orders.

This usually amounts to two eye-shadows and some American candy. I had Hodor in my last order, which is amazing!

The eye-shadows are neatly sorted into franchise collections, with all colours having a similar property, be it sparkle, matte or colour palette. Each is available in sample size, medium or full pot. Prices range from $1 (Yes, you read that right) to about $6. So they are a very fair price. Fans of the Facebook page suggest names for the Colour of the Month, with a new shade available for that month. Previous names include Still No Oscar for Leo, TARDIS and Nic Cage Raking Leaves on a Brisk October Afternoon. All are produced as a loose pigment so they can be a little messy… You can buy them as individual colours, full collections or the entire Shiro Eye-shadow range, made up of over one hundred full sized eye-shadows. Obviously if you choose this option, there’s a discount. They work out about £2.80 per eye-shadow, which is amazing. A girl can dream…

The Super Effective Collection

The Hobbit Collection

Along with ALL THE EYESHADOWS EVER, they have a great range of lip glosses.

Shiro has just revamped it’s website and added new products, but also sadly discontinued others. Their range of Intertubes was awesome. These were tinted lip balms in all kinds of crazy colours, from blue to coral. They’ve had to make way for new formulas, but only five new colours are available at the moment so it might be worth keeping an eye out to see if new ones are added soon. My favourites from the Intertubes range are Three Wolf Moon, Why Not Zoidberg, Nyan Cat and Team Buffy. I ordered a tonne of them when I found out they were being discontinued!

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Geek Syndicate colours like Sugarpill Cosmetics, but apart from that I can’t fault them. The extra goodies in the order and the handwritten thank you from Caitlin and her team are what make this indie company so wonderful.

Need a gift for a nerdy lady friend? Want to treat yourself?

If you love make up or fun, head over to Shiro Cosmetics and have a look around. I take no responsibility for the stupid amount of time you’ll lose while you’re on there.

Jess Hawke New Tinted Balms

Discontinued Interlubes

Embalming Tubes (Lip Balm)

Nic Cage Posing for a Calendar with Shiny Bright Red Cars

Triforce

The Fourth Be With You

Three Wolf Moon (*SO PRETTY*)

International postage is a flat rate of $7.50, which works out around £4.50. Not too shabby.

It means you can get a fair amount of decent make up without having to pay a ridiculous amount of money! It’d be great for them to introduce some pressed palettes and maybe some more vibrant

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Geek Syndicate FILM REVIEW

Maleficent child grows, Maleficent realizes that Aurora holds the key to peace in the kingdom — and perhaps to Maleficent’s true happiness as well.

If you watched Disney’s ‘Sleeping Beauty’ as a child and Maleficent scared you as did all children who watched it. Then this movie is for you, as you discover what turned her from a happy fairy into the sinister villain that we all remember.

Starring: Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning & Sharlto Copley Write: Linda Woolverton Director: Robert Stromberg

From Disney comes “Maleficent” — the untold story of Disney’s most iconic villain from the 1959 classic “Sleeping Beauty”. A beautiful, pure-hearted young woman, Maleficent has an idyllic life growing up in a peaceable forest kingdom, until one day when an invading army threatens the harmony of the land. Maleficent rises to be the land’s fiercest protector, but she ultimately suffers a ruthless betrayal — an act that begins to turn her pure heart to stone. Bent on revenge, Maleficent faces an epic battle with the invading king’s successor and, as a result, places a curse upon his newborn infant Aurora. As the

Maleficent looks at the life of Disney’s most infamous villain. With the original animated version of Sleeping Beauty now 55 years old, this is the perfect time for this film.

The film starts with Maleficent as a young fairy child who lives in The Moors a magical world full of fae creatures, who are at war with the humans in the nearby realm. Then one day a young hu-

man boy comes into the forest and becomes friends with Maleficent - however this friendship is the start of events that will turn sour and turn Maleficent into the evil woman we all remember from the original story.

I went into this film with a bit of trepidation thinking it was just going to be another kids movie (A bit like ‘Jack the Giant Slayer’), however I was so wrong. Instead what I found myself watching what was a beautiful film, with great authors and a well thought out plot.

The first part of the film follows young Maleficent, her meeting with Stefan and the events that turn her into a bitter and twisted fairy. Then the story falls into the more well know territory with Aurora’s christening, and the following years until Aurora’s fateful meeting with the spindle.

The use of colour is totally amaz-

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Geek Syndicate view point. However there was a brilliant nod to the original, a simple shadow on the wall at Aurora’s christening that sent a chill down my spine.

Disney certainly have hit the jackpot with this film, a beautiful and entrancing film. I barely heard a peep from the vast amount of kids in the audience. Children will love all the different and creative fae (however some very young children may be frightened by some of the scarier fae near the beginning of the film) and there is a decent plot that is acted well to keep the adults interested too.

ing with the fairy land full of bright colours and amazingly thought up and different fae.

Which contrasts brilliantly with the darkness of the castle and the human world. The effects were well there is no other word than magical. The three fairies Knotgrass, Fittle and Thistlewit and the raven Diaval especially. And they have got the look of Maleficent herself just right, it really is like the animated version has come to life.

This is another 3D film, which doesn’t usually do anything for me, but when Maleficent is flying at the beginning you really feel like you are flying with her.

It added depth and relevance to the film, without it distracting you completely, or feeling that it was pointless.

The acting was also top rate, when it could have very easily been pantomime-esk and over the top. Angelina Jolie manages to convey a happy and benign Maleficent, and then flip to show her dark and sinister side convincingly. I think she is even

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better than the original animated version. Also a big mention should go to Sharlto Copley whose portrayal of Stefan as he slowly disintegrates into paranoia was another amazing show of acting.

The story is slightly different from the animated version - but then this is from Maleficent’s

A truly magical film that shows even this most sinister villain was once good. Take the kids, or just go yourself, but go. This is sure to become a future favourite classic.

Wendy Sims Rating

GGGGG

Geek Syndicate VIDEO GAME REVIEW

Assassin’s Creed - Freedom Cry

Publisher: Ubisoft Platform: Standalone: Steam, Playstation 3, Playstation 4. DLC: Steam, Playstation 3, Playstation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One.

Born a slave, Adéwalé found freedom as a pirate aboard the Jackdaw as Captain Edward Kenway’s second-incommand. Fifteen years later, Adéwalé has become a trained assassin and finds himself shipwrecked in SaintDomingue with no weapon nor crew, starting a new adventure of his own.

Assassin’s Creed: Freedom Cry was originally released as downloadable content for those who owned the Black Flag game in Ubisoft’s series of semi-historical games. It has subsequently been released as a standalone title for PC gamers via Steam and for Playstation 3 and 4 owners. I recently played through Black Flag and then went straight into Freedom Cry. Note: I played the XBOX ONE version of this game so some of the bugs I encountered may not occur in other ver-

sions.

The first thing to note about Freedom Cry is that it contains about eight hours of content if you explore the map thoroughly and take part in all the activities that the game offers.

While not as diverse as a main Assassin’s Creed game, there is enough variety to keep the gamer interested for those hours. On Steam, the game is currently priced at £11.99 so I think is a reasonable investment.

The main story has the player taking the role of Adawale – a former slave who has joined the Assassin’s. At the start of the game, our hero is shipwrecked in Saint-Domingue and his only goal is to get a ship to re-join his fellows.

Soon, he becomes embroiled in the plight of the slaves of the region and becomes a significant aid to the Maroon resistance in the area.

I found the story refreshing because it tackles a very bleak period of history and a subject that is rarely, if ever, really focussed on in a video game.

It manages to do so without feeling forced and I think this is the game’s main success.

The story makes sense and it’s interesting to see that former slave Adéwalé at first isn’t interested in becoming mixed up with the plight of the slaves of the area. He’s coerced into helping at the start but as the game proceeds he becomes voluntarily more involved until the game’s climactic fight.

I also thought the two main side activities available in Freedom Cry were better implemented. In the main Black Flag game, players could raid warehouses and board ships for loot. In Freedom Cry, the Warehouse raids have been replaced with plantation raids.

Here, Adéwalé must really remain stealthy as if the guards become aware of his presence, they will start murdering the slaves that he has come to rescue. This adds a level of necessity to Assassin’s Creed stealth that wasn’t present before. As with Warehouses in Black Flag, the plantations will re-set as you play allowing more slaves to be freed. The ship raids too take on new importance as there are now Slave Ships sailing the area. Care must be taken when destroying the ship’s escort vessels to ensure

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Geek Syndicate that the Slave Ship itself is not damaged. Doing so will cause some of the slaves on board to perish. As well as being the right thing to do, freeing slaves unlocks upgrades for Adéwalé and his ship which are available from his Maroon contacts.

Slaves can also be freed in other ways. Adéwalé can interrupt brutal punishments, kill guards chasing down escaped slaves, help injured slaves, free slaves from cages by obtaining the key and dealing with the guards and by either purchasing their freedom at auction or by executing the auctioneers and freeing the slaves that way. These events reset frequently in Saint Domingue – perhaps too frequently.

The other side activities are less important in Freedom Cry. If the player wants, they can hunt, go whaling and explore but honestly, there is no need to do all but the last of these.

Since upgrades come through freeing slaves and recruiting Maroon resistance fighters or by finding them as you explore the map. Money is irrelevant in this game – unless you plan on buying all the slaves at auction rather than taking the bloody vengeance approach that I did.

I found this game to be tougher than Black Flag because it seems Adéwalé is not quite as skilled as Kenway. He wields his machete and blunderbuss with brutal efficiency, but I found it far more likely that my executions would be interrupted by other foes than in the previous game. There are also Jailers around the map who will attack and bring in allies if they spot you – a person of colour – wandering the streets. It’s also true that even upgraded, the ship in Freedom Cry is nowhere near as powerful as the Jackdaw – a fact I kept forgetting when engaging large groups of ships!

On the version I played, there were some notable bugs.

Nothing game breaking but certainly enough to irritate.

At times, the animation of the player’s character would glitch, leaving Adéwalé performing a spasmodic dance in the middle of combat. On one particularly annoying mission, I could not activate the objective as no prompt would appear despite there being no initiated combat. Worst of all – and this is an XBOX ONE specific bug – I couldn’t start the game without disconnecting from the internet. Once in, I could plug back in but it refused to connect otherwise.

This was offset by the XBOX ONE’s facility to just jump right back into a game (bless the console’s three operating systems!) but if I played another game in between sessions, it became very annoying.

Overall, I think Freedom Cry is worth getting hold of as either DLC or the standalone game.

It’s a game that should be applauded for at least pointing out our chequered past and more openly dealing with the more appalling periods of history. The story works and the gameplay suits. My only real criticism is that this could have been a full sized game release.

It’s really that enjoyable.

Antony McGarry-Thickitt Rating

GGGGG 70

Geek Syndicate ELEVATOR PITCHES What’s an Elevator Pitch?

Imagine you have a production that you’ve put a lot of work, life and soul into. You love it.You know others would to. You get into an elevator, maybe in a hotel at a convention. At the same time, in walks a well-known editor. The doors close and you are alone. This is your chance - but you only have a short time to get your work noticed ...

That’s the concept of Elevator Pitches. Provide us with a single sentence summarising your production and another explaining why we should pick it up. Follow this up with a preview and the pitch is done - let the work sell itself.

If you would like to submit a production for this section, email: thegeeks@geeksyndicate.co.uk.

Skies of Fire Writers: Vincenzo Ferriero & Ray Chou Artists: Pablo Peppino & Bryan Valenza & Nic J. Shaw Publisher: Kickstarter / Unpublished Buy It From: Funded on Kickstarter - watch that space!

What is Skies of Fire?

Vince: Skies is an epic dieselpunk adventure that follows a military airship captain as she pursues a notorious criminal through an undying storm known as The Expanse.

Ray: Skies is our first comic book and is about two years in the making. We started out with an idea and learned how to make a comic along the way!

Why should we pick this up?

Ray: We crafted Skies with all the hallmarks of an awesome summer blockbuster -- massive battles, an ensemble cast, and a fantastical new world. That said, the story explores the very human themes of loyalty, ambition, and betrayal. We want to create a satisfying adventure that immediately wows, but also connects on a deeper level.

Vince: The book has a very global influence to it. We have artists from five different continents working on it, and the art has been compared to Moebius and Miyazaki - check it out!

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Geek Syndicate MULP: Sceptre of the Sun Creators: Matt Gibbs & Sara Dunkerton Story: Matt Gibbs Illustrator: Sara Dunkerton Letterer: Jim Campbell Publisher: Creator Owned (Inky Little Paws) Buy It From: Available to order thanks to the support of Gosh! (London), Page 45 (Nottingham) and Travelling Man (Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle, York).

What is MULP: Sceptre of the Sun? “MULP is an anthropomorphic comic book, a Pulp adventure set in a world of mice,

by Matt Gibbs and Sara Dunkerton.

Sceptre of the Sun follows the exploits of Jack Redpath and Vicky Jones as they attempt to unravel a mystery surrounding an ancient stone tablet unearthed during an archaeological excavation in Egypt. This tablet is the first marker on an adventure that sees them racing around the world in search of a legendary treasure.

Suitable for all ages, MULP: Sceptre of the Sun is being published in five parts.

You can discover more at mulpcomic.com”

Why should we pick this up? “…an adventure comic crossing the territory of Indiana Jones, The Mummy, Sherlock Holmes, Allan Quatermain… all that lovely stuff, but with an extra unique feature all the characters are mice! The story is intriguing and exciting, and the artwork is detailed and gorgeous.”

- Garen Ewing (The Adventures of Julius Chancer: The Rainbow Orchid) “Take the best of anthropomorphic comics and mix them with good old fashioned adventuring, a sense of exploration, of intrigue, of adventure, and you get somewhere near the new series from Matt Gibbs and Sara Dunkerton.”

- Richard Bruton (Forbidden Planet International Blog)

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Geek Syndicate Fire on the Mound Writer: William J. Meyer Vocal Artist: Steve Rudolph Music: William Seegers Trailer Concept Artist: Brian Ellis Buy It From: Available for FREE on either: Official Site or iTunes

What is Fire on the Mound?

Part radio-play, part audiobook, Fire on the Mound is a fantasy-adventure novel produced as a weekly podcast. Pekra, a young boy of the deer-like species called the Gaewyn, is expected to succeed his father as the healer of their small village. But Pekra considers purposely failing his trials or running away; anything to avoid the responsibility that will soon be thrust upon him. When Pekra’s father dies from a poison contracted during the last war, Pekra reluctantly befriends his father’s killer, and is swept up in a supernatural struggle to claim the legendary power of the cottonwood tree, the first child of the god Ura.

Why should we pick this up?

William J. Meyer: Against the backdrop of mythological events I wanted to tell the story of a young boy learning to adjust to the death of his father. As Pekra says, “If I wrote the story, my father would not have died.” He questions why a loving god would permit his father to perish. I think Pekra’s frustration and pain is an interesting and valid statement of anger.

Steve Rudolph: It has to do with trying to find out who you are, more spiritually than anything else. Pekra simply has to maneuver his way through this strange maze that is his life, to go from being this little boy at the beginning, to being what is called a Fa. William Seegers: Fire on the Mound is a lot about individual characters having to accept a life that they didn’t initially want. They go through a lot of struggles and are put to the test, and really find out under pressure what it is that they’re really like. They collide head-on with these other cultures, and it causes some very interesting interactions that you don’t get to see in every story.

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CLICK AN IMAGE TO VIEW THE TRAILER (Internet Connection Required)

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