The Man who Never was

Red Tithe by Robbie MacNiven My rating: 4 of 5 stars Going into this story after reading about the unique lore of the Carcharodon Astra chapter, I had a lot of expectations. Especially after reading about Tyberos the Red wake, who's a veritable beast, even when compared to your standard space marine. After reading it, those expectations were, may be 70-75% met you could say. The space sharks are a chapter whose founding is shrouded in mystery. A fleet-based chapter, they've been wandering the far fringes of the imperium for the past 10000 years, exiled for reasons unknown. There, they wage a silent never-ending war, against the horrors and threats which hide in the shadows, threatening to consume the Imperium. Based on their age, as well as the parts about them being exiled, my head cannon is that they might be the remnants of the legion belonging to one of the lost primarchs. Whatever the offenses of them or their gene father might be, they were condemned ...

Batman Vampire by Doug Moench My rating: 4 of 5 stars *** Content warning: Mature themes, graphic violence, nudity. *** When your favorite comic character dresses like a bat, works during the dark hours, stays in the shadows and instills the ever-living fear of death onto criminal scum, it's only a while before you begin to draw parallels between them and another of pop culture's iconic characters, who share many of the traits, but inhabit moreover of a neutral evil compared to the Lawful Good (maybe Lawful Neutral) of your favorite muse. So many jokes are being made about Count Batman, or the Bat Vampire, it would not be a surprise if there are stories featuring both of them facing off; or him being an actual f***ing Vampire. What surprised me was that it took me this long to come across the story. I had previously encountered a similar character in the DC animated movie 'Justice League: Gods and Monsters' but seeing as how that char...

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...

Lovesickness by Junji Ito My rating: 4 of 5 stars Viewer discretion advised: Warning for graphic violence, acts, and body horror. The master of Japanese Horror, nay, graphic horror worldwide. As usual he has the unique ability to take day to day, mundane aspects of life, and turn them into graphic, disturbing, macabre displays of terror. The premise of these series of interconnected short stories involves our protagonist, who has returned to his childhood home, a childhood which I might add, has some seriously disturbing repressed memories attached to it. Right after his arrival, mysterious incidents begin taking place, ending in a serious of disturbing suicides and deaths. As the body count rises, and bit by bit the townspeople turn to rabid, maniacal, insanity, it's upon him to solve this phenomenon and stop the violence. It seems as if, in every other of his stories, things go bad, and everyone goes mad. But despite a predictable pattern, we s...

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...

Fragments of Horror by Junji Ito My rating: 4 of 5 stars View all my reviews Junji Ito is to Graphical body Horror, what Lovecraft was to cosmic existential horror.  His stories are anthologies, often set in the Japanese countryside, where mysterious things are afoot, and just around the corner one might encounter the paranormal, that can, for no particular reason latch on to you, ruin your life, and oftentimes end up taking it as well.  They often feature a coterie of everyday people, who are afflicted with, or experience the horrors on the other side of the veil. Where malicious, whimsical and mostly evil incarnate entities toy with you for their own perverted amusement. And there is little you can do to combat them.  The characters of Junji Ito rarely try to fight against their oppressors; you won't find wooden stake wielding, silver bullet shooting monster hunters. Just what one would expect if you were to encounter the monster that goes bump in the night. You...

Preacher, Volume 1: Gone to Texas by Garth Ennis   My rating: 4 of 5 stars View all my reviews Well, in case you had any doubt; it's official. Garth Ennis absolutely despises what others hold dear. He has already shat on heaps upon Superhero genre, through his disturbing interpretation of truth, justice and the American way in  The Boys . Now, let us turn our attention to his earlier classic, shitting upon everything religion, specifically Christianity. Nothing is holy, nothing is sacred, everything is depraved. So why would one go about reading Garth's interpretation of the Father, the Son and the Holy spirit, where everything caters to the lowest denomination, and the worst stuff of nightmares you could think is put on screen? Well, the characters are mighty likeable, as well as the rapport the primary trio have with each other. Plus, there is a whole lot of gratuitous violence and fetichism for those who're into all that. Only thing I know is that, de...

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...

The World's Worst Assistant by Sona Movsesian My rating: 4 of 5 stars View all my reviews Going into this, one might wonder, why does this Indian looking guy, sounding guy care about a book, written by the assistant of a semi-retired talk show host, who is, by the viewership at least, not even at the top of the list. That’s because the host is Conan O’Brien, and the assistant is his wing man/ work sibling Sona Movsesian (Sorry Andy).  Now, like most viewers of my pedigree, I came to know of Conan’s particular brand of entertainment through…YouTube, ding, ding. Even back then, what set him apart from his contemporaries was how earnest and organic entertainer, especially when it comes to off the cuff bits and his engaging interaction with fans and strangers. And let’s face it, no one can work a crowd with little or no prep time like Conan, the guy has just that much charisma. And despite being known as having a somewhat risqué ...

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...

Zombies vs. Robots vs. Amazons by Chris Ryall My rating: 3 of 5 stars Rating 3 out of 5 | Grade: B; Sardonic yet morbidly funny robots vs. dull Aliens. Plus, Amazons! I loved the premise of the Zombies Vs. Robots comic by Chris Ryall, with its dark comedy, and sardonic robots with sass equivalent to Marvin, the manic, paranoid, depressed robot from Dougles Adams' brilliantly hilarious The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy . So naturally, I wanted to explore more of this world, and how it came to such a depressing, yet hilarious stalemate between the undead & unfeeling. This collection features a series of standalone stories, some of which detail how (view spoiler) [ humanity, in its arrogance & hubris brought about the zombie plague, while experimenting with a time machine. Hardly the most original concept for the end of times (hide spoiler) ] The other part of the narrative focuses on a hidden population of Amazons, in paradise island, doing a good job at surviv...

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...