What Is Techno Again?

Chocolate, mummies, and guts. A fairly unusual combination, but it makes for a great round of graphic novels. This month’s Showcase at Impulse Creations includes reviews of Sweet Tooth, Atomic Robo, and Berserker.

“Sometimes ruthless, sometimes eerily moving, Sweet Tooth‘s post-apocalyptic vision unfolds through the eyes of its innocent main character.” - Sweet Tooth Vol. 1: Out of the Deep Woods

“The blatantly silly creation, colorfully illustrated by Scott Wegener, pokes fun at comic books, science fiction, and monster movies galore.” - Atomic Robo Vol. 1: Atomic Robo and the Fightin’ Scientists of Tesladyne

“Jeremy Haun dresses airborne body parts with enough visceral pow to make Wolverine look twice.” - Berserker Vol. 1

More Bioshock, please! Check out the star-spangled news (with a teaser trailer and screens) at OneMetal.

Irrational Games promises to return the Bioshock series to red, white, and blue form with Bioshock Infinite. The sea is so three years ago. Come visit the city in the clouds.

2K Marin departed Bioshock from its original creative talent for the lesser praised sequel, but the company is graciously stepping aside for the third installment in the series, a property that Irrational Games has reclaimed. 2K president Christoph Hartmann recently announced, “We believe that Irrational Games will lend their meticulous attention to detail and unique storytelling expertise to make BioShock Infinite an incredible entertainment experience that will immerse new and diehard fans of BioShock alike.”

Jason Rubin struts his creative stuff with the trade release of The Iron Saint (formerly Iron and the Maiden). These spunky characters should be video games bosses!

After reading that Jason Rubin, co-founder of Naughty Dog and the creator of Crash Bandicoot and other successful platforming series, had dipped his creative pen in Top Cow’s ink, my heart was won. Rubin originally produced Iron and the Maiden for Aspen Comics before turning the characters over to the capable publisher Top Cow. Renamed The Iron Saint (an apparently acceptable substitute for the sue-happy Iron Maiden band), the comic’s first volume hit stands today. So does Rubin work his magic for creating iconic, cartoon mascots onto a hundred-plus colored pages illustrated by Joel Gomez and Francis Manapul? You can bet your furry whiskers on it.

Read the full review at OneMetal.

The first generation of Resident Evil helped pave the survival horror road, a genre dripping with dismembered limbs, peeling wallpaper, blood-ruined luxury carpets, and heaps of empty shotgun shells. As members of Raccoon City’s homegrown Special Tactics and Rescue Service (S.T.A.R.S.), Chris Redfield, Jill Valentine, and their surviving teammates escape the slobbering jaws of zombie dogs roaming the Arklay Mountains only to enter a reclusive mansion full of locked doors, instant death traps, and unsightly horrors. The original spawned numerous sequels and spin-offs, both successful and embarrassing, but the GameCube remake of the classic gem stands as one of gaming’s most well-aged, graphically gorgeous wonders. Zombies have never looked so good.

Directing their painstaking attention to finer details, the developers transform the cobwebbed nooks and crannies of the mansion/ultra super secret Umbrella lab into a decor more haunting and clever than before. The spooky atmosphere permeates throughout the mansion interior and the surrounding grounds as new puzzles replace weary ones, and undiscovered locations open their poorly oiled gates. The menus taking a hint from the later REs, maps color “unexplored” rooms, those that still harbor items or herbs, for determined perfectionists and confused stragglers alike. For unknown reasons, though, gamers are still forced to rely on their scrambled memories when determining which key goes to which random red door on their multi-story mansion map.

While the beret-wearing Jill and the slightly less muscular Chris sport a few new moves, including a 180-degree quick turn and fancy stairs running, like in the original, they approach movable objects with an overly sensitive grace. The steep difficulty curve between the initial two modes can intimidate first-timers, as well.

On the other hand, new defensive items make countering unwelcome ambushes a cinch, especially in tight hallways with lots of easily shattered windows. Even the undead receive a complimentary face-lift, bumping up the difficulty a notch or two. Various unlockables, such as costumes and different endings, boost the replay value, and savvy gamers will note the enhanced music and sound.

Although the altered puzzles and extra scares fit neatly into the original’s code of fear, most fall flat in comparison with parts left untouched. The game’s plot, for instance, has been reworked and expanded, and some of long-time fans’ favorite cheesy lines have been removed or somehow made sillier (in a bad way).

Better controls and breathtaking visuals certainly polish the original Resident Evil‘s sparkle, but the storyline, devoid of the humorous and garish flair that made the game endearing in the first place, is guaranteed to bore both veteran S.T.A.R.S. affiliates and newcomers. 9/10

This month’s Pilot feature at Impulse Creations puts the spotlight on the Daredevil: Black and White one-shot. Those interested can read about the comic here.

The Man without Fear falls back to older roots with the recent Daredevil: Black and White, which channels the Mighty Marvel Magazines of past. This one-shot pumps out three black-and-white stories, comprising thirty-two pages altogether, and combines the efforts of six different creators.

Vampires and ghosts, and ghost vampires, and vampire ghosts and séances for vampire ghost … things? That’s just about what you can expect with The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: Séance for a Vampire from Titan Books. Check out my review at OneMetal for more information.

A good mystery always remedies boredom, and adding a deerstalker hat, cape, and pipe makes a good detective story even better. Sherlock Holmes’ wit and talent situated alongside his investigative partner, John H. Watson, makes for a cannon of juicy stories, which span from the late nineteenth century to early twentieth. The uncouth often worm its way between logic and sensibility, but the elementary duo manage to decode the most befuddling whodunits, murders, and nefarious schemes known to Europe … in most instances, anyway.

Ready for three new advanced Marvel comics reviews? (Whew!) Then head over to Impulse Creations and check out my monthly Marvel Meltdown article, this week featuring spotlights on Electric Ant #5, Spider-Man/Fantastic Four #2, and Young Allies #3.

Teasers are below:

“The rich dialogue hooks readers while artists Pascal Alixe and Christopher Sotomayor … dazzle with colorfully painted, glossy illustrations that allow the story to flow into its element as a comic.” - Electric Ant #5

“Gage pens a charming, single-issue read with easygoing dialogue and gentle humor … Not to mention the symbiote’s grimy design puts a little extra pow on the pages.” - Spider-Man/Fantastic Four #2

“Young Allies is a fun though lightweight read …” - Young Allies #3