Geek Culture Reviews

There’s more tactical espionage action as Mystique discovers her Destiny…   The first issue of Declan Shalvey’s Mystique mini-series flew out of the starting blocks like a bullet from a gun. Not only did we see what Mystique has been up to post Krakoa, Shalvey added in an espionage angle as Nick Fury Jr is hot on her tail. With Destiny as the focus point of this second issue, it’s becoming clear as to Mystique’s motivation.  Eagle-eyed readers will already clock from the cover who Mystique is dealing with in this issue as she takes the fight to Avalanche. As former member of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, Shalvey taps into this shared past to make their confrontation a personal one. As the duo battle in the snowy wilderness, there are plenty of cameos from other mutants as Mystique utilises everyone in her shape-shifting arsenal to tackle Avalanche. Her battle is also powered by her love for Destiny which is heightened further as Shalvey uses Destiny’s voice to show how dev...

Alison Blaire heads off to Tokyo for some much-needed R&R. However, trouble isn’t far behind… Last time out in Dazzler #2 we saw Alison head to the UK on the next leg of her worldwide tour. Booked to appear on a life television show, Alison found herself being controlled by a telepathic mutant, to then see her wreck uncontrolled havoc across the television studio. Her music is also being branded as “mutant-centric”.  Dazzler #3 starts by exploring the immediate aftermath of that disastrous television interview. Forced to make a public apology to her fans, Alison promises that this isn’t the end, and she takes the safety of all her fans very seriously. This then leads to the appearance of Lila Cheney as it’s revealed that the Dazzler and your team are hiding out within a penthouse uninvited. With security on their way, the group escapes back to their “tour bus” which happens to be one of the last surviving pieces of Krakoan technology.  With the threat of her tour being can...

Now that Black Panther Vs. Predator has reached its finale, it’s time for the alien hunter to target a new prey. This time the Yautja sets its sights on our friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man for its next target in the Marvel Comics universe.  Scheduled for release in 2025, and being written by Benjamin Percy, with art by Marcelo Ferreira Predator Vs. Spider-Man follows Marvel’s recent run of Predator Vs. limited series, and will join the likes of Predator Vs, Wolverine, Predator Vs. Black Panther, and Aliens Vs. Avengers.  Predator Vs. Spider-Man is set for release in April 2025. Be sure to keep an eye on Geek Culture Reviews in the coming months for a sneak peek preview of what to expect

It’s a double helping this week from Tharg and his droids over at 2000 AD. Not only do we get another instalment of the 2000 AD weekly Prog, the monthly Judge Dredd Megazine is here to!  And better yet, we’ve got the official preview for you right here…  2000 AD Prog 2409 & Judge Dredd Megazine 474 are set to go on sale this Wednesday, 20th November.  For more comic book and video game chat why not follow us on  TikTok ,  Facebook , and  Bluesky .

What lurks in the jungles of Vietnam?  The first issue of Declan Shalvey ’s The Terminator series served as a real jolt to the ailing franchise. While Hollywood churns out a lacklustre Terminator film every few years, none have compared to James Cameron ’s original duo, The Terminator and T2: Judgement Day . With the battle between Skynet and the Connor family wearing thin, the Terminator franchise needed a real kick up the metal butt to reinvigorate its fans into taking another trip into its apocalyptic future.  And thankfully this has happened in the past as writer Declan Shalvey takes the infamous T-800 Terminator and throws it into the jungles of 1976 Vietnam.  Aptly named ‘ Apocalypse Then ’, we open to Saigon on the eve of its capture by the Viet Cong. Our focal point in this time zone is the American G.I. Duggan who’s got something hidden within the Vietnamese jungle. With the American forces preparing to depart Saigon, Duggan seemingly abandons his platoon to r...

A collection of horror tales that’ll make a Cenobite scream! As a comic anthology that had flown well below my radar, I was eagerly awaiting to check out the complimentary copies that David Metcalfe sent me along with a Commando Omnibus that I had purchased from him. Who said horror, and classic WW2 comics don’t go together?  Horror comics seem to be making a comeback in recent months with Rebellion reviving the long-dormant Scream! and This Comic is Haunted from The77 being the recent two. Shrieek! is the newest kid on this haunted block, and Metcalfe has brought together a wealth of talent across the indie comic scene to create a horror-filled feast, with a small hint of comedy too!  Across these opening two issues, we get a whole heap of standalone horror stories that range from things that go bump in the night, body shock horror, psychological horrors, serial killers in love, and old-fashioned creature features. There isn’t a single strip here that doesn’t fail to hit...

Forget everything you know about the Power Rangers…  It’s been a few months since BOOM! Studios and Melissa Flores concluded their year-long swan song final arc to Mighty Morphin Power Rangers . While the original Rangers have their well-earned rest, we're back into Power Ranger territory with a whole new series - and if this opening issue is anything to go by, it’s going to get very dark.  Back at the helm is Melissa Flores who’s joined this time by artist Michael Yg . With this opening issue, the duo do a very good job in building their new utopian world, to then start in motion the one simple thing that’s going to make it all crash down. So what makes this new interpretation so different to what we’ve seen before?  With Power Rangers Prime #1 , Flores wastes no time in showing us how this new universe differs from that of what we’ve previously seen. The main thing here is that the Eltarians have seemingly colonised planet Earth. With Zordon’s people bringing a wealt...

2000 AD Prog 2408 heads to newsstands this Wednesday and we’ve got the official preview for you right here…  ‘ The word of the week this week is friendship. While Judge Dredd is busy making some new friends - as ever - in Azimuth we find Dexter and Judge Anderson pinned into an awkward corner, while Syd is still in The Out, where she gets to meet Pride-Alpha Mrrpah of the Slam Imperial 47th Border Patrol. Rogue Trooper continues to walk Nu-Earth with his new ally Marcy, and in Nightmare New York... well, there are no friends in Nightmare New York.’ 2000 AD Prog 2408 is set for release this Wednesday, 13th November 2024

Rob reviews Hot Wheels Monster Trucks: Stunt Mayhem on PlayStation 5…   Quite often when a video game is based upon a children’s toy franchise it boils down to a simple affair that aims to cash in on its namesake. We’ve seen it numerous times before, and any parent reading this will no doubt be able to name a few titles that ultimately didn’t live up to the child’s enthusiasm. Thankfully, Hot Wheels Monster Trucks: Stunt Mayhem isn’t one of these selfless cash-ins, and is instead something that’s a version of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater in a monster truck format.  The world of Hot Wheels miniature cars, and the stunt-filled world of pro skateboarding aren’t two genres that I’d even thought would mash together, yet here with Stunt Mayhem it does so - and very well at that. Imagine any child throwing their cars around in outlandish homemade arenas, and you’ve pretty much nailed on what this game is about. You’ll be crashing through barricades, flaming hoops, jumping ramps, and cra...