Geek Culture Reviews

A classic horror series is rising from beyond the grave in 2024, featuring four brand-new chilling adventures from some of the most terrifyingly talented creators in the comic book industry… “Dare you read it alone?” As revealed earlier today by Rebellion, Misty , the classic horror series for young women, has been resurrected by megastar writer Gail Simone , who is being joined by a murderers’ row of talent for an all-new 48 page anthology special publishing on the 17th July 2024.  First published in 1978, Misty was the brainchild of legendary writer and editor Pat Mills , offering thrills and chills for a generation of young women in the UK and featuring stories from creators including Shirley Bellwood, Jesus Redondo, Jordi Badía Romero , and Mills . Running for over 100 issues in total, each issue was hosted by Misty, who acted as a guiding voice for her young readers - and in this new anthology we’ll be telling stories featuring Misty herself for the first time! This anthology fea

The team over at Sentinel celebrate another milestone with their 15th issue, but does Wolfriders fit in with the pack? Fifteen issues in and Alan Holloway shows no signs of slowing down as he brings another done-in-one tale to Sentinels growing  library. This time the veteran writer has been joined by relative newcomer, Jack Parsons whose artistic talent has given a manger-esque feel to this fantasy adventure. With the full narrative needing to fit into just 64 pages (not including covers and introduction), how does ‘Wolfriders’ fare? We’ll come with me as I find out.  Moving away from the sci-fi comedy that made up Sentinel Issue 14, Holloway turns his steely towards the world of Elves and Goblins. Our central character in this story is Anna, a young Elf who finds herself thrown into a world of mysticism as an age old prophecy threatens to come true. With the help of two elvish wolfriders, Anna will soon have to face her sheltered upbringing, whilst questioning her role in things to c

Freaktown Comics heads to crowdfunding for Hairy Tales and Bald Truths…  Following on from last year’s successful campaign for Hairy Tales , Russell Hillman (script) and Sergio Calvet (everything else) have reunited for a sequel which launched on Kickstarter on 12th March.  In case you missed it, Hairy Tales is an autobiographical comic that tells stories from Russell Hillman’s teenage years, illustrated by Sergio Calvet. The campaign made enough of a splash to suggest to the creative team that a follow-up may be in order. This sequel, Hairy Tales and Bald Truths: 22 Short Stories About Russell Hillman goes through Russell’s life, answering 22 common questions –from What’s Your Earliest Memory? to What’s The Strangest Place You’ve Ever Had Sex ?, and beyond. Designed to be a user’s guide to Russell Hillman, should you ever find yourself in need of one, Hairy Tales and Bald Truths aims to be a fun and funny look at the life of a fairly average person.  Don’t worry if you didn’t read

Things take a surprising turn as MMPR: The Return continues…  Since BOOM! Studios announced the premise to Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Return , questions has been asked as to what happens to the Power Rangers for them to go their separate ways. The answer to this question has to be a monumental one for Kimberly to sever all ties with her friends, and for Jason to go rogue. While Amy Jo Johnson and Matt Hotson briefly touched upon this event during their opening act, it’s here in the second issue that we explore that fateful event on the Moon.  The main bulk of this second outing is acted through flashbacks that catches the reader up on past events. Told via Kimberly’s viewpoint in the present as she speaks to Trini’s daughter we see the climatic battle between the Rangers, Rita, and Lord Zedd. With the big bad’s celebrating over a monumental victory over the Rangers, their party is soon crashed by a vengeful Rangers team looking for payback. As Zack, Jason, Trini, and Billy act a

An arcade for the digital age… As a child of the 1980’s it’s safe to say that I have a soft spot for “retro gaming”. From my misspent childhood diving into my brothers collection of Mega-CD titles, to spending Saturday afternoons under the neon lights of my local arcade, this was MY golden era, and one that brings back a lot of fond memories and nostalgia.  Jumping a few years and I’m now approaching 40, and the games of my childhood have become a thing of the past. For those of us clambering to these fond memories, the retro video game market is a minefield of hard to find games, and scalpers capitalising on our need to relive these gaming masterpieces. While the likes of technology store CeX has somewhat curbed this issue in the UK, the retailer is also seen a one of the markets biggest inflators of driving those prices up. Where the condition of a cartridge, or CD now reigns supreme, the simple premise of a “ good game” has been lost to making a few bucks off of someone’s nostalgia.

Saving Private Ryan meets The Avengers with a splash of Hellboy as Unit 666 takes on the Nazi war machine… Unit 666 is the brainchild of co-creators Noel K. Hannan, Warwick Fraser-Coombe, and Neil ‘Bhuna’ Roche. Set against the grim backdrop of occupied France during the height of World War 2, Unit 666 brings military and the occult together in spectacular fashion. Best described as Saving Private Ryan meets The Avengers with a splash of Hellboy, Unit 666 Volume #1 is an adventure you won’t forget.  The main bulk of this first volume is to introduce us to the gentlemen who make up Unit 666 and to set the tone to the current state of World War 2. With the allies making headway into occupied France, Hitler has called upon his vunderveppen - technological masterpieces that come from realms far from our own. Catching wind of these new weapons, the allies create Unit 666 whose sole purpose is to strike back against the ethereal horrors before Hitler can use them against the wider world. Mad

The classic SEGA Genesis shmup get reinvented for the Nintendo Switch… When it comes to talking about retro shmup’s, Steel Empire isn’t one that initially comes to mind. Nestled behind the likes of Ikaruga, Raiden, Darius, and many more, Steel Empire is the often overlooked retro delight. Originally released on the SEGA Genesis back in 1992, the shoot’em up then received ports for both the Gameboy Advanced in 2004  and the Nintendo 3DS ten years later in 2014. In keeping with their tradition of releasing the game every ten years, Nintendo have brought Steel Empire to the Nintendo Switch in the form of, The Legend of Steel Empire.  Developed by Mebius, The Legend of Steel Empire retains this plot that drove that initial release back in 1992. The basic plot revolves around the war between two steampunk-inspired nations in the year “18XX”, one side is the small Republic of Silverhead, the other the vast spanning Motorhead Empire. Due to the lack of natural resources, steam power reigns s

Carter Burke should have died on LV-426. But what happened if he didn’t? Marvel kicks off a new Alien miniseries this week as the Xenomorph gets the “What If…?” treatment. Focusing on Paul Reiser’s portrayal of Wayland-Yutani “yes man” Carter Burke, this 5-part miniseries deals with a future that sees Burke survive the events as seen in James Cameron’s ‘Aliens’. It’s also a story that’s been developed from an idea created by Reiser and his son Leon.  It’s an interesting concept to focus on, and for the most this opening issue succeeds in making you feel something less than utter contempt towards the Carter Burke character. It also gives writers Hans Rodionoff and Adam F. Goldberg one heck of a sandbox to play in.  The series opens up with a trip down memory lane as we revisit the pivotal moment in Aliens where things start to go pear shaped for Ripley and the Colonial Marines. Burke has just been caught attempting to impregnate Ripley or Newt with a Xenomorph embryo, and as the marines

BOOM! Studios has given us a sneak peek at what to expect in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #118… ‘Reality hits Mistress Vile hard and she does the unthinkable, which puts her in dire straits, to the point where her survival is on the line! As Dark Specter’s relentless assault continues, Mistress Vile finds refuge in a familiar place, but finds unexpected company. But most importantly, where will fate lead a trapped Tommy, desperate to reunite with the other Rangers?’ Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #118 is set to hit comic book shelves in March 2023. 

Marvel gives Alien the “What If…?” treatment this week as they ask the question; What if…Carter Burke Had Lived? “For years, fans of James Cameron’s legendary Aliens questioned whether Carter Burke, a company man more hateable than the Xenos themselves, had actually survived the traumatic events on the terraforming colony Hadley’s Hope. Now the actor behind the beloved villain, Paul Reiser, joins his son Leon and the star-studded team of writers and producers Adam F. Goldberg, Brian Volk-Weiss and Hans Rodionoff for a journey back to Hadley’s Hope and the twisted escape of a man who should have died.” Aliens: What If…?#1 is set to hit comic book shelves this Wednesday, March 6th.