Lone Wolf and Cub: Omnibus Editions (2013-16)

LW+C: Omnibus Editions (2013-16)

Author: Kazuo Koike | Illustrator: Goseki Kojima | Page Count: LOTS! [1]

"Good fortune and ill, twisted together like a rope..."

Doctor Who: Modern Era Davros (2008-15)

Doctor Who: Modern Era Davros (2008-15)

NOTE: there are SPOILERS for a number of Modern Era Dr Who stories below this paragraph. It would be advisable not to read any further if you're not okay with that.

Following on from the Classic Era Davros (1975-88) post, some words on his appearances in the Modern era. He was mentioned a couple of times during Series 01 and 03, but he didn't actually appear until later, in a noteworthy Series 04 adventure.

I won't mention the title of the episode in this introductory paragraph, for anyone that would prefer to enjoy the surprise reveal during a first watch-through. Personally, I feel that's the best way to experience the story, but I'll need to name it if I'm to write about it, so, as already mentioned, SPOLERS below the cut!

De Palma (2015)

De Palma (2015)

Dirs. Noah Baumbach + Jake Paltrow

A documentary about director Brian De Palma. It's a no-frills venture, with the titular subject sat in front of a fireplace for almost two hours sharing his views on both filmmaking, in general, and his own output within that once vibrant medium.

Relevant footage is intercut at opportune times, illustrating what's being discussed or to highlight a specific point. It probably goes without saying that it's aimed squarely at existing fans of his work, but be aware that a large portion of that footage will be spoilery in a very major way for anyone who hasn't seen the film(s) in advance.

It covers his entire career, up to that point in time, from early student works to Passion (2013).

But like De Palma himself acknowledges with a level of insightful acceptance, it's the period that spans the mid-70s to the mid-90s, from Sisters (1972) to Mission: Impossible (1996), that'll likely be of most interest to most people.

Ju-On: Films (2000-15)

Ju-On: Films (2000-15)

Dirs. Various

Ju-On's debut on screen was in 1998 as two short films created, written, and directed by Takashi Shimizu. Together they made up one half of a TV Movie named Gakkō no kaidan G (1998), but I'll be skipping those and going direct to the feature-length movies that followed. (The shorts are titled Katasumi and 4444444444, if you wish to research further.)

It might seem like the wrong approach to take, but it's not necessary to have seen them to enjoy what came after. Furthermore, the order below isn't even the one that I experienced them on first viewing, thanks to how they were released in the UK at the time. [1]

01. Ju-On: The Curse (2000 / Dir. Takashi Shimizu) was the first feature-length entry in the series. A straight-to-video (V-Cinema) release that came out two years before the more successful cinema-released film (#3 below). In general, the setting is a haunted house that makes 112 Ocean Avenue (Amityville) seem about as scary as a Wendy house. [2]

Dead Boy Detectives: Vols 01 and 02 (2014-15)

DBD: Vol 01: Schoolboy Terrors (2014)

Author: Toby Litt | Illustrators: Mark Buckingham / Gary Erskine | Page Count: 160

'He always treats us like royalty, it's just... sometimes it's the red carpet... and sometimes it's the guillotine.'

Of all The Sandman secondary characters that could've been revived for an ongoing series, Dead Boy Detectives wasn't high on my list, but Toby Litt changed that.

The previous incarnation (2001) is acknowledged and respected, but Litt has taken a different approach to the storytelling. He doesn't reinvent what's already in existence - he rejuvenates it, making everything feel more vital and a lot more entertaining.

The two boys, Charles Rowland and Edwin Paine, were born decades apart but share a passion for solving mysteries. And where there's a mystery, it follows that there's often danger; doubly so if the occult is involved.

Constantine: TV Series (2014-15)

Constantine: TV Series (2014-15)

Dirs. Various | Episodes: 13, approx 43 mins each.

A short-lived live action TV series based on the long-running Hellblazer comic book, but named after its main character, a spell-casting exorcist from Liverpool named John Constantine. It's more faithful to the source material than the 2005 US movie of the same name is, but does still do its own thing from time to time.

In addition to being an exorcist he's also a demonologist, an occult detective, and even a bit of a con-man, if the situation requires it.

On the surface he doesn't seem to be the kind of person it would be wise to put any trust in, but he's a humanitarian at heart. If someone is plagued by demons and they really don't deserve such attentions, he'll often go the extra mile to help them resolve the situation.

If he can smite a demon or two in the process, send them back to the hell that they crawled from, then that's all the better for John.

The Scorpion King Movies (2002-18)

The Scorpion King Movies (2002-18)

Dirs. Chuck Russell / Russell Mulcahy / Roel Reiné / Mike Elliott / Don Michael Paul

01. The Scorpion King (2002): The Rock's first real acting job is a prequel story to his piss-poor cameo in The Mummy Returns (2001).

The role of Mathayus is perfect for him, playing to his strengths and his abilities. He gets to do most of what he did in the WWE: throw people about, look manly, charm an audience with ease, and deliver the trademark raised eyebrow that makes him look simultaneously smug and endearing.

Kelly Hu saves the costume department some cash by being half-naked most of the time.

The irritating comic relief sidekick role, played by Grant Heslov, isn't as bad as it could've been, but the character can be easily ignored the majority of the time. Ultimately, it's a good 'bad' movie.

Prey: Series Two (2015)

Prey: Series Two (2015)

Dir. Lewis Arnold | 3 episodes, approx 45 mins each.

Like Series 1 it begins in the thick of it and then skips back (eighteen hours this time) to show how the 'prey' got to be in their current situation. Most of the characters are new, as is the story, so you don't need to have seen the previous miniseries beforehand.

There's some minor continuity, but it's with one cast member only. Not having seen the previous episodes won't have any major impact on your viewing.

Alas, the person in question is DS Susan Reinhart (Rosie Cavaliero), the officer in charge of both cases and who was, for me, the weakest aspect of both. 

Everyone has their strengths — she'd maybe be well-cast as a scullery maid in a BBC period drama — but she's not convincing as a leader and driving force.

The duo she's chasing fare much better. David Murdoch and Jules Hope, played by Philip Glenister and MyAnna Buring, respectively, are on the run together but they aren't friends.

A.D. Kingdom and Empire (2015)

A.D. Kingdom and Empire (2015)

Dirs. Ciaran Donnelly (Eps 01, 02, 03) / Tony Mitchell (Eps 04, 05, 06) / Brian Kelly (Eps 07, 08) / Rob Evans (09, 10) / Paul Wilmshurst (11, 12)  | 12 episodes, approx 45 mins each.

Also known as A.D. The Bible Continues, it's a continuation of The Bible: Miniseries (2013) with the same dramatic stylings as before, but lacks the v/o narration this time.

It begins by retelling the crucifixion story and then moves onto the fifth book of The New Testament, the Acts of the Apostles, showing how the religious message outlives the man who was sent to deliver it.

The vast jumps through differing eras that made up the first half of the previous miniseries aren't an issue this time - it's now one lengthy multi-part story with the same characters in the closing episode as were in the opening one, but it suffers from the same belief system 'promotion' that I feel weakened the latter half of the earlier series.

He-Man and the MotU Minicomic Collection (2015)

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe

Minicomic Collection (2015)

Authors: Various | Illustrators: Various | Page Count: 1232

"He-Man?! Don't you know how to knock?"

Before it was a successful cartoon series, the Masters of the Universe franchise was a toy line, which is the reverse of how such things tend to operate. With no existing media franchise to draw from and no pre-existing visual world for their new creations to have adventures in, toy makers Mattel had to get creative. They approached DC Comics with an idea, and the Masters of the Universe minicomic format was born.

Included with each toy was a small paperback book (approx 4.25 x 5.5 inches), perfect for tiny hands to hold, that gave the characters some much-needed backstory. Their world was fleshed out, too, as a vibrant Conan-esque setting but with vehicles and technology that was pure sci-fiction. As a kid who was enamoured by all things Sword and Sorcery and loved to read, the pairing felt tailor-made for me.

The Unwritten: Volume 11 (2015)

Apocalypse (2016)

Authors: Mike Carey / Bill Willingham | Illustrator: Peter Gross | Page Count: 174

"You walk the path, and at the end the blessing comes."

After 71 issues The Unwritten came to an end; the numbering of the individual monthlies doesn't reflect that figure, but that's how many were published in total. Vol 11: Apocalypse collects the last of them.*

Even though I’ve been posting about the series for eleven months now, I read the volumes themselves in quick succession. It's been a while since I actually finished it all, so I may have forgotten a few things. For example, I don't know if everyone who mattered and/or had a direct influence on events got a worthy resolution, but I know the ones that I personally cared about did.

The ending isn't as monumental as I was hoping for, but it's extremely satisfying and in-keeping with the overall concept, exiting with a thoughtful and lingering aspect.

Acting on information provided by Madame Rausch in Vol 10, Tom and his friends search for what they believe will permanently end Pullman's plans.

Ghost in the Shell: The New Movie (2015)

Ghost in the Shell: The New Movie (2015)

Dir. Kazuya Nomura

It's not stated on the box art, but Dir. Kazuya Nomura's film is a continuation of the Arise version of GitS and a sequel to the Pyrophoric Cult (2015) episode(s), so before viewing it would be beneficial to watch all of Arise.

Set in the year 2029, it begins with a hostage situation that doesn't quite go to plan and the assassination of a very public figure.

Working independently of Public Security Section 9, Motoko and her team investigate further, discovering new and elaborate twists and turns alongside the unfinished story of the Fire-Starter virus that P Cult toyed with.

As any modern computer user will know, progress is happening at an alarming rate, often leaving hardware and software developers playing catch-up. The alternative to keeping up is to abandon the current model and work on a newer, more compatible one; but the new tech will eventually succumb to the same fate and the cycle begins anew.

Ghost in the Shell: Arise: Pyrophoric Cult (2015)

Ghost in the Shell: Arise: Pyrophoric Cult (2015)

Dirs. Kazuchika Kise / Masaki Tachibana | Length: 46 mins (approx)

Pyrophoric Cult serves a dual purpose: it's a continuation of the Arise version of GitS that picks up a few of the loose ends that were left after Border 4, and it leads into GitS: The New Movie. That means it's a bridge narrative, a situation that's very apparent, given that it has no proper ending. It's an enjoyable adventure for the most part, but it feels like half a story.

The 'Fire-Starter' virus that was mentioned a few times in the previous one-hour features but never fully explored is the central threat. It gets pushed to the fore when a group of cyber-brain engineers are murdered. The question of why the killings happened, and more specifically why it was those individuals that were targeted, starts a chain of events that the team must solve. But the operation is to be a joint venture with a foreign power.

Tremors: Films (1990— )

Tremors: Films (1990 - 2018)

Yakuza 0 (2015 / 2017)

Yakuza 0 (JP: 2015 / WW: 2017)

Genre: Action/Adventure | Players: 1 | Developer: Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio (SEGA)

A prequel set in December, 1988, seventeen years before the events of the first game in the long-running Yakuza (Ryū ga Gotoku) series.

It begins with main protagonist Kazuma Kiryu (box art, front right, white suit) on the streets of Kamurocho, Tokyo, having just kicked seven shades of shit out of some guy. But it's not just violence for the sake of it; the act itself is central to the story and to Kiryu's development and decision making, here and in the aforementioned first entry. How a man responds to violence is a measure of his character, and for Kiryu that measure is a large part of what defines him.

The earlier era means Kiryu is younger (and a little more arrogant), but it influences gameplay in other ways, too, such as the technology on offer (e.g. a pager instead of a mobile phone) and the layout of the map. Anyone familiar with the layout of the streets and alleyways of Kamurocho will find it slightly different to how it will look seventeen years hence, with one omission being particularly notable.

Clive Barker's Nightbreed: Complete Collection (2015-17)

Clive Barker's Nightbreed: Vol 01 (2015)

Authors: Clive Barker / Marc Andreyko | Illustrator: Piotr Kowalski | Page Count: 112

"Midian calls to all of her children."

Given the choice, I'd rather have had a sequel novel than a prequel comic book, but a comic version of Nightbreed that's canon is better than nothing at all, I guess.

It's a story set in the present, broken periodically with flashbacks to years before. To confuse matters, the 'present' is the year the film is set (so, yes, you'll need to have viewed the film prior to reading) and the flashbacks are from a number of different perspectives, each one telling the story of how a particular member of the collective lived prior to finding the safety of Midian.

I had a secret hope that the short series would do what the film itself failed to do: flesh out the inner-workings of Midian and deepen the concerns of the creatures, warts and all, beyond just 'we may be ugly on the outside, but humans are morally uglier on the inside'.

Mad Max: Video Game (2015)

Mad Max (2015)

Genre: Action / Adventure / Sandbox | Players: 1 | Developer: Avalanche Studios

An open-world sandbox game with a lot of actual (er... virtual) sand to futz around in. The setting is a similar post-apocalyptic wasteland landscape to that of the Mad Max films; it isn't based on any one feature, instead taking ideas from them all, but draws most heavily from MM: Fury Road (2015).

You play as the titular anti-hero, Max. Again, it's a new but familiar version, not rendered in the likeness of either Mel Gibson or Tom Hardy, but he's just as taciturn and gruff.

He's a standard video game tough guy, the kind that can survive getting hit by a speeding car but can't manage to jump over a foot-high fence that's blocking his way or manage to even walk while aiming his gun/projectile.

Beyond Eyes (2015)

Beyond Eyes (2015)

Genre: Story / Art Game | Players: 1 | Developer: Tiger & Squid (with Team17)

The young girl pictured is named Rae, and she's unusual in a number of ways. Firstly, she has none of the typical video game protagonist powers (run, punch, jump, etc), but in addition to that her connection to her world is defined primarily by what she hears, not what she sees, because Rae is blind - although, it's possible that she can discern shapes when they're very close, it's never explicitly stated. Either way, it's a fascinating and bold premise for a game, a medium that's inherently visual in nature.

The world in which Rae exists is bursting with colour, but she sees little or none of it. Things beyond the girl's hearing and/or limited range of sight aren't even drawn or rendered; they're blank until you move her near them. But rather than being black like a void or an absence of colour, they're bright white like parchment, ready to be written on. As you approach an area it gets filled in, resembling a watercolour painting in real time; I like to think of it as a story book coming to beautiful life in response to Rae's presence.

Junji Ito's Cat Diary: Yon and Mu (2015)

Junji Ito's Cat Diary: Yon and Mu (2015)

Author + Illustrator: Junji Ito  | Page Count: 116

"Hrm. The road to cat wand mastery is long and treacherous indeed!"

An illustrated account of the trials that manga author Junji Ito faced after moving into a new home with his fiancée and her two cats, Yon and Mu. Ito had never before shared a home with cats, and the cats had never before shared theirs with an Ito. Adjustments on both sides would be needed if a happy balance was to be achieved, but anyone who's ever lived with a cat (or cats) will know that they're rarely in a mood to compromise, especially when it involves a stranger.

The natural passing of time is the structure, so don't expect a tightly plotted narrative. And, while it's not a prerequisite, a love of felines is most likely going to help you get the most from the book. The little things, the nuances, the 'I'm judging you!' glances, and the silent 'I'll fucking kill you if you attempt to pet me now!' threats will be more relatable to that audience.

Assassin's Creed Chronicles (2015-16)

Assassin's Creed Chronicles (2015-16)

Genre: Platform / Stealth | Developer: Climax Studios

Considering how much of a spiritual debt the Ass franchise owes to Prince of Persia, it's fitting that it should return to a similar format with the smaller games. Ass Chronicles does just that.

It takes place within a 2.5D environment, a peculiar term that I'm guessing most gamers will already be familiar with. But if not, it's somewhere between a 2D and 3D environment; i.e., you move from left to right or right to left as you would in a traditional 2D side-scrolling video game adventure, but you can move into and out of more than one plane or layer from time to time, giving the illusion of depth. Functionally it enables you to hide or traverse past obstacles or enemies that would otherwise block your path.

To date, there have been three games in the Chronicles series, each with its own unique protagonist. Each one is available to buy separately, or collected together as a Trilogy Pack. However you acquire them, if you play them in the order they were originally released, then your first port of call is China in the year 1526.