Vaesen Starter Kit play review

 

This review is for the Vaesen Starter kit from Free League Publishing. Vaesen is a Nordic horror roleplaying game based off of the artwork of Swedish illustrator and author Johan Egerkrans. It uses the Year Zero Engine that powers many of the Free League products. 

You can pick up the physical starter kit at your friendly local game shop (like the one I work at) and if they participate in the Bits n Mortar program you get the pdf for free.

If not you can pick up the physical copy over on Amazon while the pdf is available for purchase over on DrivethruRPG in the regular version or optimized for Roll 20 VTT . 

This review is based on actual play where I ran the starter set for a game group at my local shop. I was not gifted the kit for review but was actually purchased by myself.

Straight out of the production quality is top of the line. The box is very durable and strong, all the material inside is printed on quality stock. You get a set of ten dice, initiative cards, maps (of the mythic norse, the city and castle) and everything else you really need. Including rules summary hand outs that come in very handy at the table for the players. You get a condensed version of the rules in one booklet that is easy to navigate and the adventure itself in another. To go through this episode you have five pregenerated characters. 

The adventure itself is pretty straightforward. You little group of 'Thursdays Children' (those who can see the Vaesen) are approached to investigate a castle formerly occupied by a group called the society. It has since fallen into massive disrepair and other Thursdays Children have been lured there and gone missing. Given the tools you need in the form of a booklet with information on many of the Vaesen types and a map they set off. 

I will say the pregenerated characters all seem to fit really well. None of them fall into the fifth wheel problem I've seen with other starter kits. Each one has a purpose and comes in very handy at various times. Now a couple of them reference a few things that aren't discussed in this kit but nothing major that would ruin any sense of the game. Just had us flipping pages for a bit. 

With the group I played with they figured out what the encounter was beforehand by using the booklet of Vaesen and grasping a few clues. But they also snagged onto a red herring that could have also been in there. So it's not one of those discover everything at the end kind of stories. The ended is open ended and can lead you straight into regular games using the full corebook.

The mechanics are easy as most Year Zero Engine games are. Roll a number of six sided dice, sixes count as successes. Most checks require only one or two successes. Various rules for pushing the rolls are there to help get you success at a cost. There are no hit points but a more narrative condition system which helps set the tone of the game even more.

Not to mention that the artwork is also immaculate. Every Vaesen product I have looked at has been beautiful and this one is no different. 

In the end I give this starter set two thumbs up and highly recommend it to others.

UPDATE: Here is a Reddit Thread where a person running the starter kit asks a few questions and gets some really answers. 

Daggerheart: 15 Sessions Later, a Post-Mortem Review

A good, solid, honest review of Daggerheart. One that was made after several sessions of play with the system. Been waiting for a review like this of the game. 

Blood! The Roleplaying Game of Modern Horror (Underground Games 1990) | ...

Never heard of this game before I saw this video. Now I really have a big soft spot for late eighties/early nineties games. This has it all, charts, skill lists, blood loss, all sorts of fun stuff. I guess it's never came out in pdf though as I can't find a copy. But damn I wouldn't mind having a print copy in my hands. 

Review: Labyrinths and Secret Chambers for Kult

 

Kult: Labyrinths and Secret Chambers

This is a sourcebook and map pack for Kult: Divinity Lost from Modiphius Games.

As I don’t run or play the latest edition of Kult I was hesitant to pick this one up. However the pictures I had seen of the product really spiked my interest. There are 100 different maps in this thing. Each printed on it’s own sheet with a basic black and white line version on one side and a shaded and more detailed version (furniture and stuff like that added in) on the other side. Then a booklet on how to use the maps and ideas for what they could be used for.

First lets talk about the 100 maps. They are not bound in a book, but loose and shrink wrapped with the book. The cartography is great but they aren’t done with squares for movement or anything since Kult doesn’t use mapped out tactical combat. Done in standard paper quality and very clean each one is numbered for reference. Now I've tossed mine into page sleeves and put them in a three ring binder for easier access and use. But I found out something I wasn’t aware of.

I had bought 100 page sleeves for 100 maps. Three of the maps aren’t one page. So they have the map number followed by a letter to keep them in order. You will need an additional 5 sleeves or, as I did, simply packed the ones with multiple pages into one sleeve. Honestly I don’t see this as a negative at all since I got even more than I thought I was getting.

Variety is the word of the day here. Maps for all kinds of stuff. Apartments, buildings, subway stations, railways, streets, a submarine, all sorts of larger locations and places that really feel like something out of Metropolis (from Kult not Superman). You have got a LOT to work with and you won’t be burning through all of these anytime soon. Plus many could be used multiple times for multiple things, but more about that when I talk about the book.

Second thing is the booklet. Plenty packed into this 64 pages. Starting with a list of the maps. We get a little mini picture, four to a page, of each map and three different things that particular map could be used for. Ranging from normal and everyday to more horror themed. Plenty of inspiration just by reading these.

After that we get a few pages on how the various Death Angels and Archons can have affects on locations. While very Kult lore themed there are still an abundance of ideas here. With several pages after that just covering inspiration names, locations, objects found, etc. So they just try to hand you as much material to get your imagination going as they possibly can.

So two thumbs up, very much worth it for me. Will be using a lot of these maps in my upcoming horror games. But just the resource of maps alone is well worth the price.

You can pick this up at your FLGS and, if they are part of the Bits-and-Mortar program, you can get the pdf for free. If not you can grab a hardcopy over on Amazon easily and the pdf on DrivethruRPG.

If you like this review and want to see more like it check out my Ko-Fi page and maybe show me some support! Thanks for reading.

Review - Uncle Rays Chips

 

Don't eat these. 

Uncle Ray's Sweet Black Pepper Bacon potato chips. Yeah... that doesn't wasn't bacon. There was a smoking flavor there but it wasn't the good kind. There was a sweet flavor there, but again it wasn't the good kind. Black pepper, never tasted that at all. Plus these bad flavors coated your mouth and lingered for much longer than anyone would want. 

These are bad. 

RPG Review - Demon Generator

 

Just a quick fast little review today. The Demon Generator from Piecewise Games over on DrivethruRPG. 

I'll be quite honest here, it's mostly just what it says on the tin. You pick the type of demon you want and then you roll on the charts for some various creative cues and pull them all together. It doesn't all magically lock into place and you have to do some creative thinking to pull it together. But what it comes up with really helps lock you into that flow. 

So like they said, no art, no filler, no bullshit. It's straight forward a list of table used for generating some details.

For only a single solitary dollar (US currency) I'd say it was worth the investment. I'll be using it to pull some odd entities for some of my modern and near modern day horror games I run on occasion. Should be fun. 

If you go through the link above and purchase this (or anything else from Drivethru on that visit) I'll get a little kick back. Which helps support me and this blog allowing me to pick up more stuff to review in the future. You can also show your support through my KoFi page as well. 

Food Review - Super Stack Chili & Lime

 

I should have suspected something. My boss at work asked me if I wanted the rest of his chips that were in a Pringles knock off can. He said they weren't to his liking, but as soon as I said sure he was out the door with a quickness. All it took was eating one to know why he didn't want them anymore.

It's a burst of flavor. Just not the kind you want to have in your mouth. Not so much the chili flavor but the overwhelming level of citric acid and fake lime flavoring that just absolutely should be illegal. Probably is in some countries. I have absolutely no idea how in the hell people can eat these things. These will leave you with a twitching eye and a yearning for the time before you knew these existed.

Do not buy these, do not eat them, don't even make eye contact with the can. 

Food Review - Casey's Taco Pizza Kettle Chips

 

Never, ever, eat these things.

These taste nothing like Taco or Pizza. While there is some familiar taste in there, it's not present in a good way. More like sadness and isolation if they had flavor. Two thumbs way down. Terrible. Not fit for human consumption, not ever for gamers at the gaming table. 

Bullet Dice from Steve Jackson Games

 

Got to play around with a set of the 'Bullet Dice' from Steve Jackson Games. They come six to a package and each one is a six sider generating the numbers using a hexagon shaped end. Very noticeable on the table and quite fitting for my Cyberpunk 2020 and RED games. Now while I've seen a lot of the more snub nosed bullet shaped dice over the last year or two these are more of the longer rifle round style. Which I think is a much better visual appeal at the table. 

For size comparison that's a one inch grid they are laying on top of in the picture. So they'll need a little more room to roll than their normal polyhedron cousins. They are numbered in pips from one to six, although in the picture I rolled pretty craptacular and didn't get anything over a three. These are also plastic which is different than most of the other bullet shaped dice that I mentioned earlier. But for me that's a plus, I prefer the feel of rolling plastic dice, but that's a personal preference. 

These will probably be added to my collection and pulled out when it's time to roll damage from firearms. You can pick them up your FLGS (mine is Aesop's Treasury) or you can also grab a set over on Amazon pretty cheaply as well. 

Happy shopping and may all your bullets find their marks.

Augmented Reality in POD

 

This amazing system agnostic sourcebook for cyberpunk games is now available in print via POD over on DrivethruRPG. I cannot recommend this book enough. So much inspiration that can be gleamed from these pages. An excellent resource when you need a little something to get your brain rolling for an upcoming adventure. Two thumbs up. 

So what are you waiting for? Get over there and pick up a copy today. Also it's dirt cheap in plain old pdf format as well. 

Loki Season 2 finale

 

I have to say that, without a doubt, Loki is the best Marvel series from Disney so far. Just absolutely stunning from the writing to production to the acting. Top notch. 

The finale for season two just simply took that pedestal and raised it even higher into the air. It may be a while before we see Loki again, hell with the way it ended we may never see him even though he will always be there. But I'm fine with that. His character arc has been simply wonderful to watch.

I do hope we see Mobius, B-15, O.B., Sylvie and all the rest again soon. Some of the best supporting characters ever put together for a show. Each with so much depth you just can't get enough. Even with how they left the TVA is a very interesting development. This should affect some of the future movies a great deal. 

So yeah. Two thumbs up. Great series with a great finale. I want to see more, but I'm happy if they end it hear because it feels like a proper ending. Something so many other shows fail at.

AegiSteel issue one - comic book review

 

AegiSteel issue one 

From Outland Entertainment

Available on DrivethruComics.

Set in a fantasy steampunk setting this comic focuses on a small team of heroes trying to protect a town from an invading force. So a pretty straight up typical romp in that type of setting. 

The writing is solid and to the point. Not giving us a huge dump of information on each character that we need to slog through just to keep going. Mainly letting their actions and a little bit of dialogue to most of the work... and it works well. These nineteen pages gives a good beginning and end for the story while leaving us wanting to know a little bit more about the characters and the world they live in. But it's a fast and easy read that keeps you pulled in. 

Also the artwork is done well. A few panels left me wondering what exactly was happening as they appeared more 'pose inspired' than focused on showing us the action that was taking place. But it's very clean and slick looking. Not a lot of excess "noise" that you have to look over to figure out what is going on.

My only problem I really have is this appears to be the only issue so far. I kind of want to find out a bit more about the world and the characters but can't find much else about either. Hopefully Outland picks this up with a few more releases at some point.

Now as a complete aside point. This has also led to me discovering the other comics that Outland Entertainment has released. Elflord, Samuria, DragonRing, even the little known short series Blood n' Guts; all some of my favorite indie comics from a few decades back. So they'll be seeing a few of my dollars soon. 

In the end I'll give the comic a four out of five. Give it a look if you will. But also take a look at the other comics they have to offer. 

Alien RPG review

 

Alien RPG 

from Free League Publishing

Pick it up pdf from DrivethruRPG

Pick it up in print from Amazon

My review is based off of my experiences as a player through a six session long campaign that I was a part of recently. Now that it’s come to it’s end I’m ready to give my thoughts on the game and it’s mechanics.

Overall the book itself is rather well done. Like the descriptions of the various careers and what they had to offer. A nice little slice of gear for the 80’s/90’s gamer in me. Everything was pretty easy to reference and find. With plenty of visuals to go along with it. Gives you a feel of what the game is about and the mood they are trying to put forward.

Character creation is pretty straight forward. Four core attributes with skill under each one that cover pretty much what you’ll need in a game like this. The usual descriptive sections and spots for gear, weapons, etc. They straight up give you a step by step guide on what to do that is probably one of the best I’ve ever seen. Knocked my Roughneck out in maybe fifteen minutes and part of that time was reading the options since I was new to the game.

You may seem like you’re going in light on gear but it makes sense. You’re not the walking pile of gear like so many other games start you off as. Mainly just what you would carry around on your character on their day to day lives. I had a tool belt, bolt gun and things like that.

Talents I didn’t really dig into to much since I only got one at the beginning but later on I saw the importance of them. I’ll get into that just a little bit on down.

The mechanics of the system are surprisingly simple. Add your Attribute and the Skill amounts together. Roll that many six sided dice and count all the 6’s as a success. Every success over one allows you improve the success, increase damage or do stunts. The fun part comes from the Stress Dice. These are extra dice that get added to your dice pool throughout the game. When things start going bad, shit hits the fan and the screaming starts your character starts to freak out a little bit. Whenever you make a roll you add your accumulated Stress dice in as well. Now the six’s still count as a success on them. But the one’s start to become problematic and can lead you to panicking, blowing your success and even running away screaming (something my PC did a few times in the last game).

Some equipment and weapons give you a bonus which slides the necessary number for a success down the slide a bit. So a +2 weapon now means that not only a six is a success but also a five and a four. Damage, armor ratings, all that are kept to relatively small numbers to keep the crunching down. Various ways to relieve stress so you lose those pesky dice. Various modifiers based off of character condition, all the little touches that you would need in a horror space game.

Now one thing I will point out is party balance. This game really benefits from having a good variety of career types mixed together. Especially as the game goes on and you start spending experience points. Some of us noticed that if all the bases are covered there isn’t a lot of good reasoning to spend on building more skills up and go for the talents instead. I mean letting me ignore all one’s rolled on panic dice can be crucial when you have racked up some Panic dice. Even if it’s only once per session. That and shrugging off damage was nice as well. The talents really help give your PC’s more of an edge to survive in the end. Much more than just one point more in a skill.

All in all we had a blast playing the game. So I give it two thumbs up and recommend that folks give it a shot. For those who can’t shell out a lot I would recommend instead of buying the fancy but pricey Standard and Panic dice that you instead just buy some Black and Yellow sets from Chessex. You’ll save quite a bit of money and it’s just as easy to read successes on.

Until next time.

Savage Red Sonja: Queen of the Frozen Wastes - Review

 

Savage Red Sonja: Queen of the Frozen Wastes 

From Dynamite Entertainment and available on Drivethrucomics.

I will start off by saying Red Sonja comics come with certain expectations. Well they do deliver them here. But sometimes the story that those expectations are presented it just really make me shake my head. Right off the bat we get some inner dialogue from Sonja where she is complaining just how much she hates the cold. Then we immediately get to see her wearing nothing but the trademark chainmail bikini, a cloak, boots and gloves. 

Really I get the idea that most Red Sonja stories are drawn for the male gaze but at some points you would think somebody would get the idea that she needs to be at least a bit more dressed for the occasions. Walking through deep snow in the middle of a snow storm seems to be one of those times. But here we are.

That being said the art is very well done. Plenty of what people want to see right off the bat in a comic like this. Blood, violence and skin. They really do approach the 'Savage' part of title very well. 

Eventually we see our main character get knocked out and captured. Then revealed to be in the clutches of a female 'demoness' for the lack of a better description. One that has been living among a tribe of savages for centuries helping them evolve into a more intelligent species and becoming more deadly in the process. 

After seeing Sonja she immediately has plans for her, ones that our fiery red head doesn't approve of. Thus begins the fight back against her captures while trying to rally other fellow slaves to her side in hopes of turning the odds and escaping. 

I want to talk about the writing. What there is of it is decently done, but there just isn't a lot. I blew through this collection of four issues in no time flat. Seems they could have added a bit more meat to the story for the reader but it's simply not there at all. So the 86 pages of actual story feel like a single issue. 

The we get around thirty pages of alternate covers and sketchbook art. Which isn't bad and they have some great artists doing these. But that does seem a bit excessive. 

In the end I'm giving this one three out of four. It really needed a boost from more dialogue and story to be put in there. Along with some common sense with clothing in the first part. But if you're a fan of Red Sonja and love the blood, violence and skin over anything else than this is the book for you. 

You can pick it up on DrivethruComics for $11.99. 

More of my comic book reviews can be found HERE. If you like what you see here please show your support through my Ko-fi page and toss a coin to your reviewer. It's always much appreciated. 

Aberrant: You are not alone - review

 

You can pick this comic up over on DrivethruComics for $1.99. 

This is a one shot comic from Onyx Path Publishing for the Aberrant game line that is contained within the Trinity Continuum game line. It is not part of a series nor was it ever meant to be. 

The basic of the storyline is that of a blogger who is given a chance to interview one of the most sought after folks on the planet. Antaeus from Team Tomorrow, a group that exists to help the world... at least according to their own PR work. Gillian, the blogger, asks a series of questions while making some assumptions of her own only to get equally mysterious and perplexing answers in return. Especially about that the roll of Nova's are in the world around them.

In the end this acts as a quick basic overview for anybody who is ready to dip into the Aberrant game line. By basic I mean very basic. They don't try to cover everything and right at the end they help push what I presume is part of the metaplot that the line will have. 

Art and writing wise everything is perfectly fine. Solid work. It gives just what they need to for what this comic is supposed to be. However unlike the Exalted one shot comic they put out it really doesn't hook me into wanting to know a little bit more. 

So I'll give it four out of five stars. But only recommended for those who are considering trying out the Aberrant tabletop roleplaying game or are fans of it already. 

More of my comic book reviews can be found HERE. If you like what you see here please show your support through my Ko-fi page and toss a coin to your reviewer. It's always much appreciated. 

Mortal Kombat (1995) - Review

 

Mortal Kombat (1995)

You can pick this up on DVD over on Amazon.

Or you can watch it on Amazon Prime. 

I remember it being 1995 and seeing this movie at the theater with some friends. Back then we didn't think it was that bad. Of course our only from of reference for video game movies was Super Mario Brothers so that is an issue. Now upon viewing it again after a few decades my opinion is somewhat different and I find myself wondering what the hell was wrong with me back then.

Let me start off by saying effects wise they didn't do a bad job with what they had at the time. CGI was still much in the experimental and development phase. Terminator 2 had just came out four years prior and all that tech was still pretty expensive and most companies had no idea how well it would turn out on the big screen. So some of it turned out decent like Scorpions “Get over here” attack, but the others like Scorpion unmasking himself or Reptiles non-human form are pretty janky at their best. On the other hand the Goro puppet and animatronics were pretty damn sweet looking and much better than they had any right to be. So the practical effects actually turned out better than any of the CGI.

Then we get to casting. Oh who the fuck cast Christopher Lambert as Raiden? Seriously can we retroactively fire that person and make them pay back everything they earned for this movie. This is probably the thing that really gets me the most here. He can't act outside of a specific parameter to save his life and here he is way out of that. Just simply terrible. They cast folks who don't look like they should be in any sort of fighting competition, much less Mortal Kombat. Bridgette Wilson may have the blonde hair but she is absolutely unbelievable as Sonya Blade. At least a few were actual martial artists but that didn't help much because of... wait for it... because of....

Because the choreography sucked for the most part. The fight scenes had tons of cuts, edits and ended up looking like a jangled mess. Occasionally you would get a few shots that lasted more than a few seconds but that was a rarity. Some actual folks in place training people to do longer lasting scenes in shots that lasted a bit would have been great.

Also we discover the director loves (and I do mean loves) drowning out as many different colors as he can. Flooding a scene with one single color, be it blue, red, yellow or whatever. At first it was noticeable as a simple way to shot a scene for effect, but we get it over and over again. Somebody needs to take the flood lights away from him.

In the writing department they pull off an okay job. Nothing super bad and they do keep the characters constant throughout. Johnny is an ass, Lui is fighting against his destiny, Sonya wants to fuck up Kano. No big departures for no reason, with a nice little dash of “what have we gotten ourselves into” thrown in there. Some of Raiden's lines are pretty laughable but again, coming from a hopelessly miscast Lambert that is no surprise.

Oh I will take a moment to mention the soundtrack is fun. That's about all I can say on that.

Then the entire thing is set up for a sequel. From Jaxx being in the early part of the movie to the final end scene. But oh don't go thinking they stepped it up with part two because they sure as hell did not. One day I may view that movie again for a review, but today will not be that day.

Until next time.

For more of my movie reviews you can find them all HERE. Also if you like what you see on this blog you can show your support by clicking on the links or using my Ko-fi page to toss a coin to your reviewer. Anything is much appreciated.

Such believable martial arts abilities.

Ravine Volume One - Review

 

Ravine Volume One 

from Top Cow and available on DrivethruComics.

This is a fantasy world based comic with dragon riders, kingdom level politics, trapped gods and sentient weapons of great power. Mainly centered around the kingdom of Palladia and the various factions of an alliance that make it up. There is a dark past that is covered at the beginning of the comic that had direct impact on the story taking place in the core part of the comic. But then there are those on the outskirts just trying to make their way through the world.

Evelynn de Corredan, whose real name is Lynn de Luctes, is one of the center points of the story. A young dragon rider who is out to prove her ability and skills while avoiding her ultimate fate that will take it all from her. Hoping to one day wield a weapon of power known as a Grimlas. But with attacks happening along the borders of the kingdom from an unknown threat and the power plays going on behind the throne, she may not be able to avoid that fate for much longer.

The world building here is very well done. With multiple layers of intrigue already built onto a history of the the entire setting. Feeling much like Artesia, with a complete and very believable background that you want to dive into with both feet. There is a lot of terms, jargon and characters introduced but in a bit of brilliance we get a glossary in the back with a break down of all the main players in the story. Plus plenty more history to boot just for those salivating for more.

Once again I'm pleased to see more artwork from one of my current favorites Stjepan Sejic. Here his style really comes to life as each character has their own unique look and feel. There is no confusion who is on the page. The attention to detail is extraordinary, from the style and designs of armor and weapons to the ferocious appearance of the dragons. He's definitely rolling in his element here.

In the end I'll give this one five out of five. Although with a world setting this heavily detailed it's probably not for everyone, especially for those looking for some light reading.

You can pick it up on DrivethruComics for just $8.99.

More of my comic book reviews can be found HERE. If you like what you see here please show your support through my Ko-fi page and toss a coin to your reviewer. It's always much appreciated.  

Exalted: Tale of the Visiting Flare - Review

 

Exalted: Tale of the Visiting Flare

from Onyx Path Publishing and available on DrivethruComics.

This is a quick single issue comic for the tabletop roleplaying game known as Exalted. Which is described as such:

This is the tale of a forgotten age before the seas were bent, when the world was flat and floated atop a sea of chaos. This is the tale of a decadent empire raised up on the bones of the fallen Golden Ate, whose splendor it faintly echoed but could not match. This is a tale of primal frontiers, of the restless dead, of jeweled cities ruled openly by spirits in defiance of Heaven's law. This is a tale of glorious heroes blessed by the gods, and of their passions and the wars they waged in the final era of legends.

It's a setting heavily influenced by eastern culture and beliefs. With a lot of super powered heroes mixed in there to fight the good fight and restore the realm they live in.

The comic itself is a simple tale of one wandering warrior looking for his own path and trying to figure out the mystery of his past. From the mysteries of his dreams to the strange mark on his forehead where he is told he is the reincarnation of a powerful force from the past. It's short but it does convey a nice feeling for the setting and the kind of stories that can be told there.

Art wise they go that extra step and give us something that also fits the anime styled influence that also permeates the game. It's really smooth, I mean really smooth. The color and the line work mix perfectly and there are no wasted lines here. They went the extra mile in their effort.

But here lies the one problem I have with this comic. There is only one issue. It was made as a Kickstarter stretch goal apparently and there are no plans to continue with the story in this form. Which is really a pity because it leaves you wanting more. Not for the roleplaying games so much as you want to read the rest of the story around this one particular character. 

So in the end I'm giving this one four out of five. That one point loss is because it is a tease. Thus making it most likely to attract the interest of those already invested in the game it is based on or those interested in it. There is very little pull for the casual comic collector to come along and pick this solitary issue up..

Available on DrivethruComics for 2.99

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The Darkness: Levels - Review

 

The Darkness: Levels 

from Top Cow and available on DrivethruComics

The Darkness is a character has been around in the Top Cow comics universe since 1996. However this particular story is sort of retelling of the characters origin as they unfolded in the video game that was released in 2007. Giving the story of the character a bit of a brush up and some tweaks.

In a nutshell The Darkness is a cosmic entity that passes from one host to another throughout history. The current person in possession of this power is Jackie Estacado. A mafia hitman who gained his abilities on his twenty first birthday. There was no warning or foretelling about what he was about to inherit, he was just tossed in for the ride.

In this particular series we get see Jackie receive his 'gift' as he fights against the mob boss he used to work for. There is collateral damage as the woman he loves is killed during and he was not allowed to save her. Which leads to his first trip to the other world where the creatures at his command reside. A sort of hell like dimension of constant fighting and wars. But the Darkness doesn't allow him to stay dead for long and he returns to continue his crusade against his former boss. All the way learning new abilities and limitations of the powers he now possesses.

From what I gather each issue is supposed to represent a different level in the video game, telling the story of that part before moving on to the next one. Which does help bridge a bit of a gap between video game players and comic fans which I'm sure they were hoping for a lot of crossover to occur between the two. It actually works pretty well in this format although a few parts seem particularly rushed but nothing deal breaking at all. Also in a couple of spots it begins to feel like a bit of an anvil dropper but again, not to a level where it broke the comic.

Art wise we get the works of several talented folks. Much to my pleasure it has some early Stjepan Sejic work, he has become one of my favorite current artists in the field right now. So seeing some of his stuff not nearly as polished and refined was a treat. There was some significant differences in the styles here but they were all good and quite talented. Plus there is a large collection of covers, alternate covers, sketch work and stuff like that at the end.

In the end I'm giving this one four out of five stars. I enjoyed it and wouldn't mind catching up on some of the earlier material just to see what it was like.

As always it's available over on DrivethruComics and for only $11.99.  

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Stay tuned for another comic book review soon!

The Green Hornet '66 meets The Spirit - review

 

The Green Hornet '66 meets The Spirit 

From Dynamite Entertainment and available on DrivethruComics.

I may be a little biased here. I've always been a fan of the Green Hornet and Will Eisner's The Spirit. I used to chase after Spirit comics and strips while being on the look out for Green Hornet serials, the radio show or even the comics from Now Comics. So I'm kind of happy having both of them here in one story. 

They start with a great set up having The Green Hornet and Kato in Central City laying a trap for Kid Kraken a gang leader who is known as being the henchman of a previous criminal mastermind known as the Octopus who supposedly died fighting the Spirit years earlier. Yeah that's quite a long sentence to sum that all up... but it should work. Anyways their trap not only attracts the attention of Kid Kraken but also that of the Spirit as well. A younger black Spirit that nobody had identified before. The Kid suspected a trap so has henchman in vast quantities with him to feed into the fists and gas gun of our three main characters. 

As the story progresses we get plenty of twists and turns as Kid Kraken then goes on the offensive to discover the identity of his enemies. The story of what really happened between The Spirit and the Octopus is revealed. With plenty of action tossed in there for good measure. 

Writing wise this is a great story. Fred Van Lente captures that pulp feel with not only the dialogue but also with the entire plot. All of the characters feel properly place and not just a cardboard cutout saying a couple of lines. Props to him for pulling this off in the here and now. 

Bob Q does the art duties and doesn't let anyone down. He has a nice smooth style that just flow very well from panel to panel. Some parts of it even remind me a bit of Eisner's style in the Spirit comics. I'm hoping to see more from him, especially on these characters if that can happen, in the future. He's such a solid fit here. 

All in all this is a great idea for a crossover with characters that would interact well with each other. Honestly it's nice seeing Dynamite bringing back some classics like this and blowing the dust off of them. But at the same time keeping them true to their form. 

In the end I am going to give this one five out of five. The only thing I would have liked more is if there had been more pages. 

You can pick it up over on DrivethruComics for $11.99.