The Man who Never was

Metro 2033 by Dmitry Glukhovsky My rating: 5 of 5 stars Detailed review pending. View all my reviews A whole lot of things are crammed in Dmitry Glukhovsky’s post apocalyptic, claustrophobic, introspective, yet engrossing underground tunnel opera. From the very first chapter, the author had me hooked, with the detailed dives into the history and lore of how exactly, the remnants of humanity came to live in such existential squalor. How the populace had devolved into tribalistic colonies centered around the metro stations, where only a thin veneer of law and order held sway, just enough that humans don’t devolve into utter barbarity and cannibalism; well, mostly. How, lack of basic necessities we today take for granted, such as clean running water, medicines, and lights, are slowly but surely pushing them ever closer to the edge of annihilation. How, a simple errant spark, a mutated strain, some contaminated water is all that would t...

The Gospel According to Artyom by Dmitry Glukhovsky My rating: 5 of 5 stars Note: This really should've been a review that comes after writing about the main story. But there is much for me to ponder over in regard to Metro 2033 , which requires a detailed discourse. So, here goes. // Spoilers for the main story // This short excerpt, more of an epilogue, is a companion piece to the main story of Metro 2033, added during a later edition, to provide more context as to the mental state of our protagonist Artyom. Following the destruction of the Botanical Gardens, and the Dark Ones' nest that was located in it, the whole metro rose in celebration, at the elimination of a dangerous threat to their existence. Artyom, who played an instrumental role in bringing about this victory, was hailed as a hero. Little do they know that their hero is a broken man, plagued with remorse and guilt. For only he knew, in the literal last minutes before their dem...

I Am Legend by Steve Niles My rating: 4 of 5 stars View all my reviews I Am Legend  by Richard Matheson was one of my earliest forays into Sci-fi. The book, the 1964 & 1971 adaptations as well. (Not the 2008 will smith version which was forgettable). I suppose every dude has, at one point or another, pondered the hypothetical scenario when the world has ended, and they have to survive the fall of civilization much the Ron Swanson way. By building a bunker fortress, stacked with food and other necessities, armed to the teeth, ready to face the unknown from outside, Robinson Crusoe style. That, and which animal they think they can take in a fight. The original 1954 version doesn't hold up when it comes to the origins of the vampiric pandemic, or the science surrounding their hemophilic traits. But the reason it has continued to endure in popular imagination, is not because of the surface level premise, which is shared by most works about the zombie apocalypse. Rather, it's t...

DC vs. Vampires Vol. 1 by James Tynion IV My rating: 4 of 5 stars Rating 4 out of 5 | Grade: A. Let the Darkness prevail Premise There is something sinister lurking in the dark. All around the world, Villains and superpowered beings are being hunter. By the time the League and the other heroes become aware of this threat it's too late. Vampires, of all things, creatures of the dark, have begun to infect, convert and indoctrinate superhumans worldwide, both heroes & villains. Their end goal, world domination while using humans as livestock. Hardly the most inventive plotlines, but it works to a degree. So now, with part of their own forces turned, and the mysterious Vampire King manipulating events from the background, the remainder of the world's heroes must uncover the full extent of the plot and stop them from achieving their goal. (view spoiler) [ (hide spoiler) ] Thoughts I started reading this story right after DCe...

DCeased: A Good Day to Die #1 by Tom Taylor My rating: 3 of 5 stars Rating 3 out of 5 | Grade: C+; Promising, by cut short too early A Good day to Die, might be the first title in the DCeased series that sort of disappointed me. And not because it's not entertaining, it is. But with only one chapter, which is cut short teasing more to come, it sort of leaves the reader in Limbo. The story centers around some of the lesser-known heroes of the League, Mr. Terrific, Blue Beetle, Booster Gold, Big Barda & Scott Free, along with an appearance by John Constantine, as they try to find a cure for the plague wrought by the antilife equation and take back their planet. The final ditch plan they come up with is Booster Gold, and his stolen Time Machine. Which, if you ask post Flashpoint Barry Allen, is never a good Idea. Will their efforts bore fruit, or is it doomed to failure, that is the crux of this (again) too short comic. Which is a shame r...

DCeased: The Unkillables by Tom Taylor My rating: 5 of 5 stars Rating 5 out of 5 |Grade: A ; You've just stopped being a study group. You've now become something unstoppable. I hereby pronounce you a COMMUNITY Review: If you’d told me that someone can take a group of antiheroes & villains, people that years of continuity have conditioned you to portray as the bad guys, and then turn them into likable, empathetic, decent, even heroic individuals, then I’d ask you what you’re smoking, and let me try some. But that is exactly what writer Tom Taylor and co. managed to do, with some of DC’s lesser known baddies. All in a barely 150 pages, spin off limited series no less. So, here’s the skinny. Following the events of DCeased , a corrupted anti life equation, with Cyborg as its patient zero managed to infect, through technology & blood, the majority of the human population, including several of our greatest heroes. What remained of hum...

DCeased by Tom Taylor My rating: 5 of 5 stars Rating 5 out of 5 |Grade: A+; Don’t you get it? We ARE The Walking Dead! Premise Darkseid, in his latest bid to invade earth, is once again thwarted by the Justice League and driven back to apokolips. Undeterred, he kidnaps Victor Stone a.k.a Cyborg, whom he believes to be one part of the vaunted Anti Life equation. The other is the essence from the Black Racer, the embodiment of death itself. But in combining cyborg’s life essence with the Black racer's deathly one, Darkseid gives rise to a catastrophe beyond his calculations, which then promptly kills the New God, and destroys Apokolips. Unfortunately while this was happening, Cyborg was teleported back to earth, and carried with him the corrupted plague that the Anti Life equation had become. It jumps from cyborg, to the world network, enslaving and corrupting anyone who were staring at a screen. The people who were exposed to the equatio...