Geek Culture Reviews

Dark Horse Comics have given us a preview of what to expect when Skull And Bones: Savage Storm #2 arrives next Wednesday. ‘ Cannons fire and sabers clash in the aftermath of a terrible storm that send ships scattering. Sent by a brutal trading company to hunt pirates, a commodore known as the “Wolf Hunter” is pursuing a fugitive admiral, and is willing to kill anyone who gets in his way. In the path of the Wolf’s fury, pirates and merchants alike may need to set aside their differences in order to survive the onslaught . . .’

Rob reviews The Witcher: The Ballard of Two Wolves #1... When it comes to the worlds of The Witcher and Cyberpunk 2077 , no one knows them better than CD Project Red's Bartosz Sztybor. Across his narrative journeys,  Sztybor brings his unique take on the characters - and their worlds - but remains grounded in what's come before. While the world of Cyberpunk 2077 does give him a little more scope to be expressive, it's his work with The Witcher 's Geralt that deserves some praise.  The Witcher: The Ballard of Two Wolves #1 follows Geralt and Dandelion as they roll into the town of Grimmwald. Getalts gotten word that a werewolf is on the prowl, and Jaskier may get another tale to spin into a song and dance. As they get acquainted with their surroundings, the duo soon falls into the companionship of a local girl named Red. It's through Red that Grimmwald's history is explained, and the town's troubles all seem to stem from the wealthy Hogge siste...

Rob reviews Cyberpunk 2077: Blackout #2... The narrative of  Cyberpunk 2077: Blackout continues to ramp up it's tension as Arturo continues his plan. However with Night City being a literal city of dreams, could our renegade Braindance technician be living out someone else's memories?  It's this question that's been at the back of my mind since Blackout kicked-off its story last month. This all stems from some subtle hints that Bartosz Sztybor has already given us. Not only is Artuo stuck in a dead-end job, but the technology he excels at is also used as a form of incarceration. Could the hook of Blackout be that Artuo is in-fact strapped to a BD suite himself? Or maybe he's being forced to replay his own memories? Anyway, back in the here-and-now and Artuo is continuing to plan his heist. It's a fairly simple one too. Utalising the blackouts that are plaguing Night City, Artuo plans on breaking into one of the cities many banks. With the codes to t...

Rob reviews Cyberpunk 2077: Blackout #1... We're back for another trip to Night City as Bartoz Sztybor delves back into the world of Cyberpunk 2077 . While I'm still waiting for the concluding part of Sztybor 's previous Cyberpunk 2077 outing; You Have My Word. This new outing promises something wildly different from Maria's bloody quest for vengeance , whilst delving into the un-tapped hell-hole of Night City.  That's what makes these Cyberpunk 2077 comics a great read - Night City has so much potential for storytelling. From gang-wars, Cyber-psycho, corporate greed, petty theft, high-flying "Corpo" suits, to low-life scum, Night City has it all. For Blackout Sztybor focuses on the art of Braindance - a way for someone to relive someone else's memories with all the same senses and emotions as the host.  Arturo is a BD (Braindance) technician/repairman. His job revolves around him travelling from place to place repairing defective BD machin...

Previewing The Stone King... Previously released via ComiXolgy, Kel McDonald's ; The Stone King is receiving a print run courtesy of Dark Horse Books. And lucky for you, we've got the full preview below... ' When you become an adult, you have to prove yourself, at least that's how it works for the Stoneport thieves. But what Ave thought would buy her a ticket to adventure and a better life, brings disaster instead. Now her home is in danger and fixing her mistakes is the city's only hope .  The Stone King is an Eisner Award-nominated high-stakes adventure caper from writer Kel McDonald (Sorcery 101, Misfits of Avalon) and artist Tyler Crook (Petrograd, Harrow County) '. The Stone King is heading to comic book stores on May 4th 2022, and book stores on June 7th 2022.  Rob Lake - For more comic book and video game chat why not follo...

Rob reviews Cyberpunk 2077: You Have My Word #3... Ever since her daughter's death, Teresa has been on a mission of revenge. This has subsequently seen a trail of blood seep throughout Night City as she heads closer to the truth. Now as we reach the penultimate part of You Have My Word, Bartosz   Sztybor  adds another twist to this tale.  So far You Have My Word has been a pretty brutal tour through the Night City underworld. We've seen Teresa maim and slaughter her way through this "scum" as she attempts to find out who ordered the hit on her daughter. While initially the finger of blame was laid on Alina - Oriona's partner and Miltech mole. However come the end of this issue, we now know who set it all up, and a little insight into why.  Issue #3 sees this journey continue as Teresa comes perilously close to becoming one of Night Cities victims herself. Ever since Teresa took over as the primary character there's been a sense of mystery around wh...

Rob reviews The Sword of Hyperborea #1... From legendary Hellboy creator, Mike Mignola and 2000 AD and DC Comics writer, Rob Williams comes the history of the Hyperborea Sword and how it shaped both the B.P.R.D and the wider "Hellboyverse". Set over four issues,  The Sword of Hyperborea will focus on a different part of the sword's history as we follow its many different bearers as the sword passes through time, from Gall Dennar, Sir Edward Grey, and right up to its current bearer - B.P.R.D Agent Ted Howards. Kicking off issue #1  Mignola and Williams set us off on a journey of discovery - one that's full of familiar faces, and situations. The titular sword has always had an aura of mystery around it - and it's one that's never been fully explained. While this mini-series plans to uncover this mystery, this opening issue doesn't offer anything new (as such). If you're not familiar with the wider Hellboy world, the narrative here is a ...

Previewing Falconspeare... Mike Mignola and Warwick Johnson-Cadwell 's eerie Victorian-thriller, Falconspeare will soon be heading to comic book shops and bookstores. But before hand the good folks over at Dark Horse have given us a sneak peak of what to expect.  Reuniting the characters Professor J.T. Meinhardt, Mr. Knox, and Ms. Mary Van Sloan. This eerie mystery delivers horror, humor, and the kind of off-kilter, charming twists that fans of Mignola and Johnson-Cadwell ’s previous collaborations have come to expect. ' Monster hunters extraordinaire Professor Meinhardt, Mr. Knox, and Ms. Van Sloan have teamed up to slay spooks and investigate the uncanny before, but now they'll tackle a question that's haunted them for years: What happened to their friend and vampire slayer extraordinaire, James Falconspeare?' “ Evil lurks among dark shadows and in many forms. The vampire, the werewolf, monsters of all kinds,” said Johnson-Cad...

Rob reviews Cyberpunk 2077: You Have My Word #2... It has been a while since our first visit to Night City .   The sprawling neon city had claimed its latest victim - Oriona.  Now her Mother - Teresa - is heading back to Night City after a 30-year absence and is ready to make whoever killed her Daughter pay... Cyberpunk 2077: You Have My Word #2 starts a few hours after the ending of issue #1. Alina has informed Teresa and Aarno of Oriona's death. The official cause was a shot to the head by a rogue MiliTec agent. However, Teresa thinks differently. Aarno laminates over Oriona's decision not to follow him into working for MiliTech, which was probably just as bad as the gang that his late daughter was working for.  Partnering with Alina, Teresa heads back tonight City looking for answers. And writer Bartoz Sztybor makes it clear that not everyone is going to make it out alive. The duo's journey into Night City sets the tempo to the rest of the issu...

Scott Snyder is coming to comiXology Originals in a big way... ComiXology’s exclusive content line, comiXology Originals , and Scott Snyder’s publishing company, Best Jackett Press , announced today that Snyder will be writing eight new titles for comiXology Originals . The titles will be made available as digital first releases exclusively on comiXology and Kindle with all eight titles collected in print and released at a later date by Dark Horse Books.   With these new titles, #1  New York Times  bestselling writer Snyder is returning to his creator-owned roots and collaborating with some of the biggest artists in comics, including Rafael Albuquerque, Greg Capullo, Francesco Francavilla, Jamal Igle, Jock, Tula Lotay, Francis Manapul , and Dan Panosian . Legendary comics editor Will Dennis is overseeing the titles.   “ This historic, multi-title deal with comiXology Originals has enabled us to assemble a murderers’ row of artists and together...