Something Wicked This Way Comes: Authorized Adaptation (2011)

SWTWC: The Authorized Adaptation (2011)

Author: Ray Bradbury | Illustrator: Ron Wimberly | Page Count: 144

'She was blind, yes, but special blind. Just as they felt that balloon sift down like an autumn rain, so she could feel their souls. Each soul, a vast warm fingerprint.'

A comic book adaptation of Ray Bradbury's novel. I reviewed it a decade ago (HERE), so I won't go over the plot again. I'll focus solely on whether or not I feel the adaptation is successful. The short answer is yes, it mostly is. It retains a lot more descriptive language than is normal for a graphic novel, but that's a good thing because that's where the magic really happens in Bradbury's prose. His worldbuilding is often more beautifully realised than his dialogue.

The narrative accentuates the differences in the two boys more than the novel did, but that was necessary so that the second half of the story could do its job properly in a shorter space of time.

The Martian Chronicles: The Authorized Adaptation (2011)

The Martian Chronicles: The Authorized Adaptation (2011)

Author: Ray Bradbury | Illustrators: Dennis Calero / Joe St. Pierre / Josh Adams / James Smith | Page Count: 160

"All the things which had uses. All the mountains which had names. We'll give them new names, but the old names are there, somewhere in time..."

A comic book adaptation of one of Bradbury's most famous works. I'm not going to give a synopsis of story or outline specific themes because I've covered the novel previously. This is about the comic version only, and it'll be brief because I wouldn't recommend a reading to anyone who isn't a huge Bradbury fan.

The book contains an introduction for those that haven't read the source text, from the author himself, detailing the genesis of the original novel, which is vital information if you're to understand the passage of time and the contradictions in some of the stories.

What it neglects to mention, however, is that the adaptation is incomplete. It wouldn't have been possible to fit every story into the limited page count, but some of the exclusions are essential and defining parts of the overall work and their removal weakens it, unquestionably. For those that care, the omissions are listed below the cut:

Supernatural: Season 06 (2011)

Supernatural: Season 06 (2011)

22 episodes, approx 42 mins each.

As mentioned in the Season 05 post, series creator Eric Kripke stepped down as showrunner after the show's fifth year. His successor was Sera Gamble, a long-time writer, story editor, and respected producer of the show. Her history with the Winchesters goes in her favour, but Season 06 is, on balance, a weak continuation.

Each of the three primaries have their role to play in the main story arcs, with each one impacting the others by varying degrees that are equal parts useful and / or contrived.

Without going into spoiler territory, the arcs revolve around a radical change in Sam's personality, Castiel's new plan, and problems for Dean in his newly found 'apple-pie' life.

Torchwood: TV Series (2006-11)

Torchwood (2006-11)

Dirs: various | 4 Seasons | 41 episodes, approx 44-57 mins each.

A Doctor Who offshoot that was targeted at a more mature audience than its parent series. In theory that's an interesting prospect, but in reality the definition of 'mature' seems to have been derived from a yobbish, vulgar, and sex-obsessed teenager's personal diary.

Season 01 is particularly bad in that regard, as if the show's writers believed that profanity and multiple references to casual sex were compensation for a well-written script. [1]

Consequently, most of its episodes are a dismal and joyless slog through predominantly bland storytelling, populated with unlikable characters whose traits are more often than not reprehensible and shameful.

I suspect it's more due to blind luck than any kind of skilful plan that it managed not to turn the group's leader, Doctor Who's Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman), into the same. [2]

The Sarah Jane Adventures: The Complete Fourth Season (2011)

The Sarah Jane Adventures:

The Complete Fourth Season (2011)

Dirs: Various | Episodes: 12 episodes, approx 27 mins each.

Sarah Jane's whiz-kid son Luke (Tommy Knight) features prominently on the cover, but the character is only in the fourth Season occasionally, and mostly it's from the other side of a webcam chat window.

His absence is used to highlight the kind of feelings that a parent experiences when a child leaves the nest, and the sense of abandonment and fear of further separation that a close-knit group can feel when one of their members is no longer present.

In one of the two-part stories, within a dream scenario (the subject's first, incidentally) lurks an Elm Street / Pennywise-esque creature that preys upon self-doubts and anxiety, which is something that the school-age youths have much of at that time. It has a creepy nursery rhyme jingle, too, which is often a plus in that kind of scenario.

Additionally, looking at the same situation from a different angle, it shows also how we can draw courage and strength from trusted friends.

The Unwritten: Volume 04 (2011)

Leviathan (2011)

Author: Mike Carey | Illustrator: Peter Gross | Page Count: 144

‘He had wondered before, who had imagined his world. Now he had a new question. Who was narrating it?’

In some cases Tom's extensive 'literary geography' is just that, a geographical knowledge, he hasn't read the text to which the location pertains. But now, whether he's read it or not, he's living inside someone else's novel and he'll share the ultimate fate of its characters if he doesn't find a way out before the story reaches its end.

But what choice does he have? To discover his truth he must "walk the map" created by his elusive father, Wilson Taylor, a man who turned his son into a living weapon.

The confidence that author Mike Carey has in his work shines through in Volume 04, particularly in the quiet moments, of which there are many this time; too many, perhaps, for some folks, but they serve a purpose.

About halfway through things get kicked up a gear and our understanding of what and why happenings are the way they are for Tom is expanded.

The Unwritten: Volume 03 (2011)

Dead Man's Knock (2011)

Author: Mike Carey | Illustrator: Peter Gross | Page Count: 160

"When you wake up, you talk to me, or you hit the road. Either way, this all has to stop."

With storytelling's power to influence (and divide) the literate population well-established in Volumes 01 and 02, the time is now right to further explore the secretive cabal that wish to use that power for their own ends.

At the same time Tommy Taylor™ fans across the globe are eagerly anticipating the launch of the fourteenth novel in the fantasy book series. A rumour begins to circulate that the book's author, Wilson Taylor, will be in attendance, even though he hasn't been seen in years.

For Tom and his travelling companions, who are desperately trying to keep a low profile lest they draw the attentions of the authorities and/or the cabal, there are hard decisions to be made about their future.

The Quentin Tarantino Collection (2011)

The Quentin Tarantino Collection (2011)

Number of discs: 6  |  Running Time: 625 minutes (combined)

I may get around to rewatching (or in some cases watching for the first time) QT's later films, or I may not, but until then have this, a collection of five features put out by Lions Gate Home Entertainment housed in a cheapo, flimsy cardboard box.

That's the actual box art on the right, with QT looking moody. Perhaps someone accused him of mass plagiarism prior to the photo being taken?

Every time I see it I wonder if it was a conscious decision not to have the cover art for the films in the order they were released or did someone screw up?

Of that order, the first two I'm very pleased to own, and if they weren't included I'd have bought them separately. The next one I'm mostly indifferent to. The final two I don't care for at all, even though I'm a fan of many of the things that inspired them.

Assassin's Creed: The Ezio Trilogy (2009-11)

Assassin's Creed II (2009)  |  Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (2010)  |  Assassin's Creed: Revelations (2011)

Beyond Good and Evil (HD edition) (2011)

Beyond Good and Evil (HD) (2011)

Genre: Action / Adventure | Players: One | Developer: Ubisoft

BG+E was originally released in 2003 for PC and consoles. The 2011 version is an HD release with updated visuals to make it look more attractive on modern TV equipment. Beneath the polish it's the same game with the same aged camera system and inherent game engine limitations.

I played through it multiple times back in the day (on PS2) so am in a good position to judge whether the update is successful or not. It is, but it’s not perfect. I encountered some minor glitches that I didn't fall prey to before. It was mostly due to bad luck and my trying to cut corners, but I had to reload twice because I'd slipped between scenery. Freakish accidents aside, the game has aged beautifully.

Hellraiser Films: V-IX (2000-11)

Hellraiser: Inferno (2000)

Dir. Scott Derrickson

The first instalment in the straight-to-video continuation of the Hellraiser franchise raises a few questions. The most pertinent being why is this even a Hellraiser movie? Having Pinhead in your story for about three minutes in total doesn't make it a Hellraiser story. Putting him on the cover doesn't make it a Hellraiser movie. The same as how my wearing a Batman tee-shirt doesn't swell my bank balance and make me a target for shallow, gold-digging whores.

In truth, it feels like the beginnings of a TV Series; standalone stories that just happen to feature Lemarchand's box and a brief appearance or two from the lead Cenobite. A quick google after viewing confirmed suspicions: it was an existing horror script that had the nailed-one's role subsequently added.

Julia X (2011)

Julia X (2011)

Dir. P.J. Pettiette

What little I'd seen of the promotional material for Julia X seemed to imply a weak teen-slasher flick. From the blatant attempt to appeal to moviegoers who discern with their cock not their brain to the very premise itself, internet dating, summed up in the tagline ‘Sex, Blood, Revenge, and that's just their first date,’ I was turned off.

To make matters worse it was filmed for 3D, which usually means you can expect the first and last twenty minutes to contain things thrusting at the camera lens. Indeed, many of the angles are evidently chosen for that very purpose, they make no sense to the actual story, are visually uneven, existing solely to facilitate thrust.

Despite all of the negative vibes I was getting I watched it anyhow. Why? Because I really wanted the hear the music, which was provided by Japanese musician Akira Yamaoka, composer of the majority of the hugely successful Silent Hill video games. Yamaoka's uncanny ability to pair ambience with unsettling allusions speaks to me on a subliminal level. It gets deep under my skin. He's been known to team up with Mary Elizabeth McGlynn from time to time, on average two tracks per album, and it's the same here, two tracks have Mary Elizabeth performing vocals.

Shadow of the Colossus: Video Game (2005)

Shadow of the Colossus (2005)

Genre: Action / Adventure  |  Players: 1  |  Developer: Team Ico

Team Ico's follow-up to ICO (2001) is a very different kind of game. Nevertheless, there's the feeling that they both exist within the same fictional universe, making Shadow of the Colossus a spiritual sequel.*

It's the story of a boy and his horse. There's also the matter of a dead girl to address. Wander (the boy) will do whatever's required to bring her back from beyond the veil, even kill at the behest of a mysterious voice.

Combat is essentially a series of boss battles. The Colossi are the kind of thing you'd face at the end of a Legend of Zelda dungeon. Many are so large that they need to be climbed so that you can attack their vulnerable spot, but just finding the Colossi can be a challenge in itself because the game world is vast.

ICO: Video Game (2001)

ICO (2001)

Genre: Adventure / Puzzle / 3D Platformer  |  Players: 1  |  Developer: Team Ico

An adventure game unlike any that the PS2 had seen before. You play as the titular character (pronounced Eee-co), a young lad with horns on his head. His adventure begins in a large room inside a larger castle. You'll have a fair idea why he's there, but you won't know why he was chosen. Was it because of the horns or some other reason?

We also don't know why there's a second individual, a caged female, taller and perhaps a little older than Ico, who doesn't speak the same language as the boy.

If the two strangers are to escape before whatever it is they've been offered up to comes for them, they must somehow overcome barriers and work together.

Sorcery and Religion in Ancient Scandinavia (2011)

Sorcery and Religion in Ancient Scandinavia (2011)

Author: Varg Vikernes | Page Count: 128

'[T]he newborn was given the dead person's name and regarded as the same person as the one in the grave.'

Varg Vikernes' personal interpretation of the myths and folklore of his homeland is a short but insightful work.

Its relevance goes beyond just Scandinavia because at heart most creation myths share a common origin and what's true for one is very possibly true for another, so even if you're not of Scandinavian origin there's likely much within its pages to interest a student of lore.

The reason the kinds of stories and legends cited have remained in the human consciousness for centuries is because they've been adapted and changed to fit the society and the times. That change keeps them alive but can warp the original intent and bury the ideas within under so much symbolism that it's impossible for the uneducated mind to see beyond the obvious.

Films based on works by R. E. Howard (1985—)

Red Sonja (1985)

Dir. Richard Fleischer

The She-Devil with a Sword was created by Roy Thomas for Marvel's Conan comic series, but she was based on Red Sonya of Rogatino, a Howard-created character that appeared in a short story titled The Shadow of the Vulture (1934).

Arnold Schwarzenegger co-stars as a tactless barbarian that isn't Conan. My guess is there was some kind of licensing issues behind the scenes, because it's one hell of a missed opportunity, or it would be if the Red Sonja film was better.

The addition of an irritating child character means the sexualised female warrior role is curtailed, but the homophobia remains. Typical.

I can't remember the last time I saw so many polystyrene rocks collected together in one place.

Anastasia Vronski and Ricardo Alrucini: The Groom is... (2011)

Anastasia Vronski and Ricardo Alrucini:

The Groom is Still Waiting for the Bride at the Altar (2011)

One track lasting twenty-three minutes that never once feels like it’s gone on for too long.

It reminds me of music designed to give atmosphere to tabletop RPGs, except it has haunting, creepy spoken word throughout, documenting the opening of the sixth seal from the Revelation of John the Apostle.

The instrumentation is equally as unsettling. There’s rattling chains, creaking protestations from ancient wood and ritualistic drums.

When the sky splits apart and the land moves, it turns to noise. It feels then as if the horrors it’s relating are happening right at your feet and you better not look down unless you want to be a part of them. If you want to experience it for yourself then get over to the Internet Archive where it's available for FREE. Here's a LINK.

Death Note: Manga: Black Edition Vols I-VI (2011)

Death Note: Black Edition (2011)

Author: Tsugumi Ohba  |  Illustrator: Takeshi Obata

Page Count: Approx 400 in each volume (2424 in total)

"We’re both using them as bait to lure each other out...and we’re both well aware of that…"

At its most basic level, Death Note is the story of two determined individuals, each of whom have people that support them in various ways.

The first is Light Yagami, a seventeen-year-old high school student with a high IQ, an elevated sense of superiority and a tendency to get bored easily. He wants to make the world a better place and doesn't care who he has to step on to achieve it.

The second is his nemesis, the mysteriously named L, a young, reclusive detective with a sharp, analytical and overly-suspicious mind. L never fails in anything he does but he's never been up against anyone quite as merciless as Light Yagami before.

What unfolds is a battle of skills, wills and wits between a pair of evenly matched masters of second-guessing and deductive reasoning.