Geek Culture Reviews

Odysseus continues to defy the gods as a familiar face makes her presence known… PSY Comics return with another thrilling chapter in their epic saga of gods and mortals. This second issue in the adventures of Odysseus not only delivers more spectacular battles and terrifying monsters, but also serves as a bridge to the publisher’s other series, Circe. With Circe stepping into Odysseus’s path, the stakes rise dramatically. How will the goddess of change influence his crew? More importantly, how will she infiltrate the thoughts and resolve of Odysseus himself? Like PSY Comics’ other projects, Odysseus: In Defiance of the Gods - Book Two was brought to life through Kickstarter. At the time of writing, the campaign has been fully funded with support from 136 backers—easily surpassing its £1,000 target and raising an impressive £3,489. Credit to Neil “Bhuna” Roach and the team for their success. The story picks up directly where the first issue left off. Having escaped the Lotus Eaters and ...

Sentinel heads into its 17th issue and the mini-digest shows no signs of slowing down… One of the things I’ve always appreciated about Sentinel is its simplistic standalone format. From what started as a homage to the classic Starblazer digests, Sentinel has grown into its own entity. Within each issue is a complete self-contained story, that’s driven by big ideas with surprisingly detailed character work. More importantly, with each new addition you never quite know what Alan Holloway is going to throw at you. Issue #17 is no exception. Teaming up with Mal Earl , Holloway delivers ‘ They Call Her Trinity ’ in a way that panders to both his sense of what makes a comic book a worthy read and Earl’s unique art style. It’s a story that offers just the right blend of atmosphere, character, and reflection to leave an impression long after the final panel. And whether you’re a long-time fan of Sentinel , or this is your first issue, ‘ The Call Her Trinity ’ is a worthy addition to anyone...

What happens when the dream is over? That’s the haunting question at the heart of Avengers:  Twiligh t, Marvel’s latest dystopian saga, penned by the always-provocative Chip Zdarsky and gorgeously illustrated by Daniel Acuña . Set in a chilling future where the Avengers have been disbanded, disgraced, or simply disappeared, the six-issue series offers something rarely seen in Marvel canon: a funeral for superhero idealism, played with a mix of sorrow, fury, and uncomfortable introspection. It’s not the first time Marvel has asked what happens after the end. Old Man Loga n, Marvels , and Ruins have all dabbled in similar territory. But where those stories looked outward at the destruction of the world around the heroes, Avengers: Twiligh t turns inward. It’s about what happens when the world keeps going but leaves its champions behind. And more than anything, it’s about Steve Rogers an icon who wakes up not just in the wrong time, but in the wrong truth. This review contains light...

“Circe! Goddess of Transformation: rejected by her Father Helios for her fascination with mortality. Twisting the knife further into her Sun God Father, she saves Prometheus from eternal torture at the hand of the Furies. And now, though her Mother Hecate shields her on the island of Aeae with Dark Magik, how long can she hide from The Sun God’s glare and thirst for annihilation?” Circe is essentially a story about angry Gods with plenty of issues. If Jeremy Kyle was still relevant he would have a field day picking apart the relationship between Circe and her father the Sun god Helios. Basically it all boils down to Helios renouncing Circe as his daughter due to her choosing to not only save fellow god Prometheus, but also due to her affinity with us mere mortals. So in true “angry gods” fashion he sends the rest of the Greek god family after Circe to show her what she’s missing .Thankfully Circe isn’t on her own as she has Slaine wannabe and Son of Zeus  Herakles on her side. Wha...

A Mission Through Time… As the penultimate chapter in what has become one of my favorite Marvel outings of recent years, Cable: Love & Chrome #4 isn’t just good—it’s devastatingly great. With David Pepose on writing duties and Mike Henderson delivering hard-hitting visuals, this issue stands as the most character-driven and heart-wrenching entry in the mini-series yet.  So grab them hankies, it’s time to get emotional!  Due to the storyline of this issue I will be attempting to refrain from any major spoilers. Please read with caution as some minor plot points may be spoilt . The fourth issue finds Cable grappling with a personal and tactical crisis. Avery Ryder—the fierce and determined leader of the Resistance and a key ally (and possible romantic interest)—has been infected with the Techno-Organic virus. This development pushes Cable into a desperate, time-bending mission to save her, forcing him to confront the paradoxes and pitfalls of changing fate. But while Cable...

Swashbuckling Pirates and nefarious necromancy collide as John A. Short brings the legend of Captain Cinnamon Wylde to the Kickstarter tavern…  ‘Year of our Lord 1727... The golden age of piracy! Captain Cinnamon Wylde is the scourge of the waters around Dead Man's Straits... Raiding slaver vessels and freeing their cargo! Along with her clockwork hand (only losers have hooks) and her homunculus sidekick, Erasmus! But she has a deadly rival in the form of Captain Godiva Dunaway who uses black magic and a crew of zombies to rule the seven seas. Dunaway has plans to take Wylde down using an ancient curse and necromancy! She plans to raise the deadly creature known as the Black Reaper from the waves... a headless horror that cannot be killed because it is already dead.’  As descriptions go, the one for Captain Wilde & The Headless Mariner is a good’en. Promising an old-school action and adventure tale on the high seas with a hint of mysticism, you’ll be forgiven if you read i...

The hunt for the Lumia Seal takes Magik and Cal deep into the heart of Tokyo. But who is watching from the shadows? And has Cal teamed up with Earth’s saviour or its prophesied destroyer?  Magik #1 set this standalone series off in spectacular fashion . A series of events has caused Ilya to be thrown into a grand mystery that started with a demon-killing a mutant. With investigating this death, Ilya is now part of a wider conspiracy that centres on the demonic entity Luminal and its attempt to invade Earth by destroying the five seals that are keeping it at bay. With one seal being destroyed at the end of the opening issue, Ilya has now teamed up with the mage - and seal protector - Cal to stop Lumia from wreaking havoc. Now the duo forms themselves deep in the underground of Tokyo, and well let’s just say their journey is about to get a lot tougher.  Needing time to figure out where the next seal is, Magik #2 opens to Ilya and Cal in a cat café weighing up their options. Ca...

Love and rebellion in a cyberpunk world…  Cable: Love and Chrome #1 did a fantastic job in throwing Nathaniel Summers into a future where the Techno-Organic Virus had won and subsequently taken over the world. Across the opening issue writer David Pepose introduced us to the status quo of this world as Nathaniel was introduced to the people of Salvation Bay, their leader - and potential love interest - Avery Ryder, and their enemy; the Prime Conclave. Much like the opening issue, Cable: Love and Chrome #2 continues its spectacular action-centric narrative as Cable battles across the time stream. However, it’s the budding romance between its two central characters that’s the more interesting aspect of this story. It’s been clear since the last issue that there are some romantic feelings between Cable and Avery. The duo enter combat like a fine-tuned machine, and they’re throwing flirtatious insults at each other like it’s a Valentines' Day lovers tiff. As such it’s no surprise th...

Dave Metcalfe-Carr is back with the third issue of his spine-tingling anthology. With interrogations, little dogs, a fabulous T-Rex, demons, and larger-than-life comic book characters, does Shrieek! 3 go bump in the night?  So we’re three issues into Shrieek! And it seems for this issue at least that the pressure of creating an instant impact within the crowded indie market has been reduced. As such Shrieek!3 feels a little different to its sister issues. Where the debut issues focused on old-fashioned body-shock horror, #3 takes on a more psychological role to wow its readers. Much like my reviews for the previous issues I am going to be quite vague when it comes to talking about each strip. With Shrieek! 3 making its way to those who backed the issue on Kickstarter soon, you can safely read this review without any major story spoilers.  Joining Dave Metcalfe-Carr for this issue are the familiar faces of Ed Doyle, Alan Holloway, John H. Short, Christoff RDGZ, and Dan Pollard ...

“An epic set of Myths: Monsters, Madness, War, Betrayal, Redemption, Isolation and Forgiveness all with a deeply psychological steer” Madness & Monsters is a 132-page anthology graphic novel that’s been created by Laurence Alison. Alongside a very talented team of artists, colourists, and letterers, Alison takes us on an epic journey across six tales full of monsters, madness, forgiveness, war, and redemption. As of writing the graphic novel is currently seeking funding via the crowdfunding website Kickstarter. Currently, the campaign sits at 100 % funding with 16 days remaining - so there’s still plenty of time to secure your copy! While I’m now very selective over what I back on Kickstarter, let’s just say that Madness & Monsters impressed me enough to hit that pledge button to add a physical copy to my bookshelf.  Much like my other anthology reviews, I won’t go into too much depth on each strip as I’m doing so will sour the experience. As such this review will almost a...

It’s Wednesday which means that Tharg has once again delivered another zarzaz of thrills as 2000 AD Prog 2415 heads to newsstands and comic book shops. With the publication celebrating 48 years this year, there’s no better time to jump on board and see why the sci-fi anthology is so revered.  It’s straight down to business this week as we get continuations to last week's strips. Dredd and Hernandez lock horns in Judge Dredd: Soft , the cult classic continuation continues in Hawk The Slayer , trouble is brewing in Portals & Black Goo , Constanta heads West in Fiends of the Western Front , and finally, Cyd meets the beast in The Out .  Phew!  Judge Dredd: Soft - Part 2 (Rob Williams, Arthur Wyatt, Henry Flint, Jim Boswell, Annie Parkhouse)  Continuing the threads that we built within the fantastic ‘ A Better World ’, Rob Williams and Arthur Wyatt are now dealing with the aftermath of Maitland’s death. With the dream of changing Mega-City One now dead along with Mai...