Geek Culture Reviews

“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...

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...

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...

Taming the frontier one railroad at a time… Railroads Online is a sandbox simulation tycoon game that puts you into the role of building a railroad network during the golden age of steam locomotives. Developed by solo developer, Stefan Kelnberger , Railroads Online sees you developing the untamed wilderness one track at a time.  As an avid fan of the more modern Train Simulator title, Railroads Online initially intrigued me. Becoming a titan of the steam industry isn’t a genre that’s covered by the hustle and bustle of commuter travel, and after recently playing Death Stranding I wanted a more casual experience of simply hauling freight from A to B. While Railroads Online does this, it has the added layer of allowing you to build the track and make your connections along the way. However, while you’re given the tools to build and shape this world how you see fit, it’s not very easy for those of us looking for something casual. So while my initial excitement was very high, actua...

Drova: Forsaken Kin, a grim dark pixel ARPG that’s not afraid to see you wander off alone within its unforgiving wasteland… I’m not going to lie, when I first stumbled into the gothic world of Drova: Forsaken Kin I thought I was in for a rough time. From a quick explanation of how to defend yourself, you’re then thrown into the thick of it with zero handholding. Where you go and what you do is completely up to you. All you have to guide you is the fleeting words of your character's companion and your sense of adventure. With no map to guide you, and no waypoints for you to follow, the world of Drova is yours for the taking.  The epic story of Drova takes place within a harsh Celtic/Slavic-gothic land. You’re a stranger within this world as you’ve been pulled into a vast conspiracy that all started when your character witnessed the druids of their village stealing a crystal with magical powers. With the druids dead, you’re then thrown into the world of Drova to reunite the crystal w...

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...

Astlibra Gaiden: Cave of Phantom Mist is the standalone expansion to developer KEIZO’s hit, Astlibra. Taking place during the middle section of the base game, Astlibra Gaiden: Cave of Phantom Mist aims to portray another side of the wider narrative.  I’ll admit now that I’ve never experienced Astlibra , so when I was greeted with a spoiler warning, it did not phase me. I had no emotional attachments to these characters, so finding out the events of the first game didn’t bother me at all. That being said, if you’re currently playing through Astlibra it’s probably best to finish it first before tackling this one. You have been warned. Taking place around the middle portion of the Astlibra Revolution , we’re placed in the role of the nameless daughter of the settlement baker. With the protagonist of the main game away on that adventure, it’s down to you to protect the village from the encroaching darkness. This standalone adventure soon entwines with the original story as you’ll soon...

Ninjas are still cool ,right? It seems to be a recurring theme in this console generation with developers bringing long-forgotten retro titles to modern audiences - Zool , G-Darius , Cotton , and Cyber Citizen Shockman spring to mind. A big part of this retro-revival is to allow current gamers to experience those hits and forgotten gems from the gaming past, and for us older generation to enjoy a slice of our gaming history. Regarding gaming, across the 80s and 90s, a big bulk of video games consisted of side-scrolling beat’em ups. Titles such as Streets of Rage reigned supreme on home consoles, arcades were full of various “side-scrollers” blasting out their 8-bit soundtracks in aid of getting you pocket money. So it comes as no surprise that the side-scrolling beat’em up genre is the one that sees the most ports to modern consoles.  Shadow of the Ninja started its life as an NES (Nintendo Entertainment System) that was first released in Japan back in 1990. As the game aged, it...

And I’m going round in circles, going round in circles… For a lot of people, our working lives are stuck in a mundane job doing mundane tasks day in, and day out. Whether it’s the repetition of scanning items through a checkout counter or staring into the abyss while numerous spreadsheets drop into our inbox, working 9/5 isn’t always fun. Quite a few times I’ve been in my job and fantasised over what I would do if various outrageous - and outlandish- incidents just happened to occur. While none of these are yet to happen to me, the folks who work at Shift 87 ’s NORN Corporation are about to be thrown into a supernatural event.  And it’s one you’re tasked with cleaning up.  Shift 87 throws you into the boots of an employee of the NORN Corporation. You’re a faceless nobody in the sea of employees doing their jobs for the greater good of the corporation. Anyway, after a mysterious event occurred on the corporation's property various anomalies have been reported by various staff....

Alan Holloway and Ed Doyle are back with a glam rock opera-inspired tale of a boy with big dreams… The Story of Johnny Rocket is in part a collaboration with the rock band Cats in Space . Taking inspiration from the song ‘ Johnny Rocket’ from the band's ‘ Day Trip to Narnia ’ album, this comic adaptation is about a young boy whose life takes a very unexpected turn.  Taking place in 1960s America, Johnny Roquet is a young boy with big dreams of heading into space. Teased by his classmates, and supported by his parents, Johnny lives for the day he’s accepted into Space Fleet Academy. When the day finally arrives John ships out for his training and soon graduates with flying colours. Not long after his graduation, John is accepted on to man’s first foray to the Moon. But in true comic book fashion, it’s not quite that simple. As a young boy who once dreamed of space, both The Story of Johnny Rocket and the character resonated a lot with me. While poor grades and life would get in my...