Mezco Earthworm Jim

Ho there!
Today this arrived in my mailbox:




I'm gonna open this sucker and give you a full review asap :)

I'll also publish my review of Brian Woods fabolous comic book "Northlanders"
So check by tomorrow :)

Warhammer 40k novels. Where to begin?

Yesterday i met a friend of mine at the local bookstore. He was wandering confused and aimlessly among the shelves. I could tell he was deeply distressed as he stood there, pretending to check out some DVDs not to look like an idiot.
This guy wanted to get into the Warhammer 40k books, but didn't know where to begin, and what novel to start out with.
My friend has the "must start at the beginning" complex, so i gave him a nudge in the right direction.
Why not share that tip here?

If you are at all familiar with the Warhammer 40k board and pc games, you'll know that humankind has blasted and killed it's way through the universe. Destroying aliens, battling the forces of Chaos, subduing lost human colonies and generally creating mayhem in the name of the Emperor of Man.

"In the grim darkness of the far future, there is only war."

The first book you should read is:
The Horus Heresy - Horus Rising.


The protagonists of this series are the Space Marines. They are  genetically altered elite warriors of humankind, ruthless, intelligent and ever loyal to the Emperor and the Crusade.
The Space Marines are led by the Emperors own sons, immortal and immensely powerful, they are the "Primarchs".
These Primarchs leads the forces of the earth on conquest and the mission to reclaim the lost human colonies. These colonies will be subdued, and forced to accept the Emperor as their leader, or suffer the consequences. Religion is considered heresy and are to be wiped away from the galaxy. The only truth is the Emperor, logic, progress and science. And the only beeing allowed to live, is humankind.

In this story you'll get a good introduction on how the Empire expands, its ideologies and the inner workings among the Marines and the normal men and women of the Crusade. I won't go into any details, because i don't want to spoil anything. But this is the cornerstone to the whole Warhammer 40k epic. Shit hit the fan pretty fast, and by book two, hell is breaking loose among the crusaders.

"Horus Rising" is the first book in a series of 24 novels so far..book #25 is to be released soon, so if you plan on reading all of them, you should be covered for a while.
The books are written by several different authors, so every book offers something new in terms of writing. At the same time you'll discover good authors you probably never would have checked out if it weren't for his name on a Horus Heresy novel.
I'm currently reading the eight book "Mechanicum" and having a blast so far.

Have fun!
PS: If you're planning on reading Star Wars novels, you should check out my starters recommendation here.

Mezco Mars Attacks Action Figure Review

Mars Attacks was originally a line of trading cards drawn by the artist Wally Wood. The alien design was funny and frightening at the same time, well not really that frightening but still...i suppose they where perceived as pretty scary when the trading cards where released in 1962. Most people would recognise this figure from Tim Burton's movie Mars Attacks released in 1996.
So Mezco Toys made a action figure out of these cruel aliens. I got mine yesterday, and this is what i think about it.
(Before i say anything else, i would like to excuse the poor quality pictures. My camera doesn't work right now, so I'm using a crappy HTC cellphone camera.)

Packaging
Just like Mezco's Hellboy, here we have yet another case of feeling fuzzy inside when you open the box it's shipped in. The packaging is terrific. You probably can't spot it in the picture on the right, but behind the figure is a lovely collage of sixties horror scenes, you have your killer spiders, killer robots and of course, killer aliens. It really adds to first impression. On the back you have another picture of the figure, and a short synopsis of the Mars Attacks story.
I'm not one for keeping stuff in the box like some collectors do, but when i opened this i still felt like i destroyed something valuable. Ah well, the figure needs it's freedom.



Sculpt
Mezco nailed the sculpt on these figures. I looked at some stills from the movie and it's pretty damn accurate. The head, with it's exposed brain and skull looks amazing. They haven't spared on any details. The only thing i didn't like was that both hands are sculpted with the "gun" grip. They should have gone with one hand for holding a weapon, and the other one should have been a clenched fist or something like that.
The figure feels sturdy and not likely to break easy. Not that i would EVER try out it's endurance more then necessary :)



Paint
Its main palette is sea green, and probably coated with a black wash to articulate the creases and nooks in the figure. Looks fine, but a bit sloppy some places, especially at the joints. Also, some of the parts has spots of wrong colour, a bit of green on your yellow, some grey spots on your black and so on. These are minor faults though, and doesn't really show unless you properly scrutinise the figure.

Articulation:
You have three points of articulation on the legs, three at arms, and the head moves sideways.
It's you standard knee, elbow and wrist articulation. Nothing more nothing less. And I'm fine with it.

Conclusion:
This is one hell of a figure. It's a must have if your into movie memorabilia and sci fi. Even if you haven't any liking for the Mars Attacks stuff, this is still a pretty nice piece to put on your shelf.
Mezco has continued to impress me and i hope the Earthworm Jim figure which is currently on it's way, will do the same.

Rating
9 out of 10

Mass Effect giveaway is over

Well that's it. It's done, it's over with.
Congratulation to the winner. :)
I'll have on of these every month so pop by once in a while and participate.

Check in tomorrow, i'm gonna review the Mezco Mars Attacks action figure.

Right now i'm gonna open a few beers and enjoy the weekend!

Mass Effect Redemption giveaway\competition

I have an extra copy of the comic book Mass Effect Redemption, so why not give it away? It's been sitting on a shelf and is in pristine condition.
Call it a competition if you will.

Send a mail to bobfett1982@gmail.com with the correct answer to the following question:
What is the name of the female Asari who rules Omega?

I'll select a random winner on Friday the 26th
Don't worry about shipping, i'll cover it :)
Good luck!

You can read my review of the book here.

Mass Effect: Redemption review

Mass Effect: Redemption

Writer: John Jackson Miller

Art: Omar Francia

Collected edition, volumes 1-4

Dark Horse Comics 2010

Paperback, 96 pages

This review contains spoilers, so if your planning on playing Mass Effect 1, continue reading at your own peril!

The story takes place between the first and second Mass Effect game. Shepard is presumed dead, and his remains has become a much sought after commodity. The mysterious alien species called «The Collectors» and the pro human group «Cerberus» are both competing for the price, both for reasons unknown.

In the midst of this, the story’s protagonist Liara T’soni, a close friend and team mate of Shepard, is desperately trying to stop the Collectors from getting Shepards body.

Her quest starts at Omega in the Terminus System, where she’ll meet allies and enemies both.

If this is your first taste of the Mass Effect universe, you will probably be a tad confused as to what’s going on. It follows the lore from the game pretty accurately, and throws in bits and pieces of information that you won't pick up on unless you finished the first game.

The story is well written, it is well paced, exciting and at times funny. Meeting the disillusioned Elcor who wants to become a dancer is a funny throwback to the hilarious encounters with the race back on the Citadel.

But everything isn't well in the ME universe. A major problem i had with the book, was that they changed the personal traits of Liara in a pretty drastic way. The meek scientist you got to know in the game, has now been turned into a proper super hero. She wears a silly tight outfit and acts in a rash, almost suicidal behaviour. She throws herself head on into battles she can’t win, and if it weren't for her Drall companion Farron, she  probably would be dead…This change is not for the better. I did not see the need for her to become more violent and sexualized , It’s bordering on juvenile and doesn't add a single interesting element to her character, rather quite the opposite.

 

Overall the artwork is pretty good, but i don’t like the portrayal of Liara and some of the more important characters. They are constantly strangely posed, and their bodies are way to exaggerated. Pushing for the sex appeal?

But you'll get plenty of well drawn and exciting battles, space stations and aliens.

If you like Mass Effect, there is a pretty good chance of you liking this book too. The story is neither to long or too short and reaches it’s conclusion in a natural way. It fits neatly into the lore of the game series, and complements the plot in a good way. If you manage to overlook some of the silly character artwork, you'll be in for some good sci fi entertainment.

Score: 7 out of 10.

Ragemoor: Review

RAGEMOOR

Writer: Jan Strnad

Artist: Richard Corben

Dark Horse Comics 20 Nov. 2012

Hardcover 112 Pages

An ancient castle, built upon a foundation of terror and human sacrifice.  The building itself a sentient being, bent on imprisoning any soul who dare enter beyond its cold stone walls.

It’s a tale of madness, captivity and sacrifice. A premise that makes for a classic haunted house horror story.

The Story:

Writing a good horror story demands proper pacing. The writer needs to take it slow and build up suspense in layers. Jan Strnad doesn't always succeed at that in this story, mainly because the story it’s too damn short!

The story and writing are good, but the castles immense secrets and horrors are revealed too fast, and too casually. The moments of shock didn't last, and the feeling of unease never really clutched my horror craving mind.

 

When that is said and done, Strnad still does a pretty good job at entertaining. Despite the short and compressed story telling, he presents the madness of Castle Ragemoor in a believable way. 

The characters and dialogues are well written, and the surreal legend of the castle really draws you in.
The story of the current owner of the castle, Herbert, is a lonely and a frightening one. He lives alone with his servant, surrounded by the darkness that dwell within the castle. Guarded by weird creatures who will not tolerate any harm upon the castle.
Should he succumb to its will? Or fight it? Strnad doesn't hide the fact that giving into the castle is to give into madness.
In the end he concludes the story in a manner worthy of any classic horror tale.

But adding a few more pages in the beginning of the story could have made a good story, great.

The Art:

Richard Corben is a master of comic book art. And he proves it, once again, in Ragemoor.

It’s a marvelous piece of work, from the fully colored front cover, to the main characters and the disturbing, weird denizens of castle Ragemoor. It's dark, it's ominous, and it's beautiful.

(If the thought of reading the wrong panel strikes terror in your heart, have no worries. Corben arrange them in the smoothest way possible, giving excellent support to the story.)

Conclusion:

Despite fantastic art, Ragemoor has it flaws, and i wouldn't recommend it to everyone. But if you are i need of something with a classic feel to it, this could be your cup of tea.  I suspect that fans of Robert E. Howard and Lovecraft will eat this one up.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10

  

Heroes of Might & Magic fan? Your gonna need this!

Back in 2009, Russian developer Snowbird Games released a gem of game called Eador: Genesis. A turn-based fantasy strategy game with role playing elements and all the required bells and whistles.
It seems most gamers, including myself, didn't play the game. Probably because of the late translation into English. It think GOG were the first to release it in English, December last year.
I got to try it for a few hours back then, and loved it.

Snowbird unleashes the sequel tomorrow, titled Eador: Masters of the Broken World. I'm definitely gonna play it this weekend, and share some of my first impressions here.

Eador: Masters of the Broken World

And it looks beautiful! Sure, Genesis looked good, but this time around the developers goes all in.
You can buy the game at GOG, and if you pre-order it today, you get Genesis for free.

A Norwegian Lovecraft comic adaption

Do you think nothing happens in Norway? Well, your right...
BUT, today i found something on Facebook that made me pause.

Kim Holm, a local comic book artist, made a version of Lovecraft's short story "Pickman's Model".
It's a really beautiful piece, and you should check it out.
Available for free, right here:

http://archive.org/stream/PickmansModel/PickmansModelArchive#page/n1/mode/2up

 

Buying online, teaches you patience!

My Ragemoor book has been delayed. I really wanted to get it reviewed this week BUT, that won't happen. So instead i started penning a review of the Star Wars Tales comic books. Hopefully I'll get it done by today.

More Star Wars stuff going on now than planned, but there will be more diverse reviews the coming weeks. If anyone like Warhammer, there will be a review of the Time of Legends novel Dead Winter by C.L. Werner.
I read this book last summer on a beach in southern Italy, quite a contrast to the cold, harsh, plague infested Empire :) I'll read through it one more time, in a more proper setting (cold Norway), and share some thoughts on it here.

My interest in comics has blossomed these last months. I'm a bit of a johnny-come-lately to the whole comic collection thing, so I'm making up for lost time by hoarding all the classics.
I got myself used copies of the collected Preacher books last week, and finished "Gone to Texas" yesterday.

The introduction written by Joe R. Lansdale cracked me up. Very funny stuff, and so nicely penned.

Preacher is not for the faint of heart. It's shockingly violent, to the point where you cringe and just want to forget what you just saw. Good times, eh?
I don't plan on doing an advanced review of Preacher, but i'll write a few words when i'm finished with all the books.
"The Boys", also by Garth Ennis, is on my to-do list.



Did you know that Neil Gaiman is working on a new Sandman comic?
Well, now you do. It's apparently old news, but new..eh news to me.

If you can think of anything i should read, send me a mail or comment below.
Thanks for reading!

Guest writers wanted!

Are you into the Sci-Fi and\or fantasy genre?
It would be nice to have some guest writers on my blog. So if you feel that you have something interesting to share, a review of a favorite fantasy book, a comic, a game or whatever, send me an email!

Star Wars books, where to start?

Are you interested in getting into the expanded universe? Well, that can be a scary prospect. 

You have tons of novels, comics, novellas, short stories and everything in between. Some are really good, and some are just plain bad.

When i started delving deeper into the Star Wars lore, i spent a lot of time scratching my head as to where to start, and i kinda just went with my instincts and picked up some titles at my local store. That led to some confusion as some stories mentioned plots and characters that i was supposed to know from previous books. But i got lucky with a few titles.
Some people might not be interested in the old republic or what happened after the battle of Endor, and rather want something more tightly knit to the trilogy.
With that in mind, I`m gonna list three good Star Wars tales from the time of the original Saga. These are all anthologies, edited by the great sci-fi author Kevin J. Anderson:

Tales from Jabba`s palace.

If memory serves, this was the first expanded universe book i read. Being a huge fan of Tatooine, it`s weird creatures, desert scapes and myths, this was the perfect start.

Did you ever wonder about the one guy standing in a shadowy corner of Jabba`s palace? Did you notice the guy running into the Rancor`s pit after Luke slayed the monster, crying and hugging the wounded and dying beast?

Well, these are stories told in this book. You`ll get the back story of all the important characters, from the inquisitive Gamorrean guard on a mission to solve a murder, to the unfortunate Twilek dancer Oola who finally ended her days as food for a monster. The authors delve deeper into Jabba`s dungeon, giving you further knowledge on the inner workings among Jabba`s henchmen.Even the cook has his own story.

The authors brushes into both light comedy and tragedy, and makes for a varied and interesting read.
I recommend refreshing your memory by watching Return of The Jedi before you read the book.

Tales from Mos Eisley Cantina

Mos Eisley cantina, probably the most iconic place ever depicted in a sci-fi film. The crazy music and the weird denizens just makes for a fantastic setting. And i really envy the people who got to see this for the first time back in `77.
In the movie, Greedo, Han Solo, Chewbacca, Obi-Wan and Luke where the only ones who got proper screen time and lines, but there where several others in the cantina, with their own story and motives. Some are hiding from the law, some are ruthless serial killers, and the storm trooper we only know as the guy who said: "Look Sir, Droids!". They all get their own little tale.
This one is probably my favourite among the "Tales". And is a good start.


Tales of the Bounty Hunters

Most fans remember the scene from Vaders flagship The Executor, where Darth Vader assembled the galaxy`s most ruthless bounty hunters on a hunt for Han Solo.
These unsavory, but really cool, characters didn't get much screen time, except for of course, Boba Fett. And lot of fans, including me, really wanted to know more of these characters. And in this book you'll get five short stories starring each of the five hunters on screen in The Empire Strikes Back.

Honorable mentions in this one is the tale of Dengar and the tale of IG-88

So why are these books good ones to get you started? Well, the locations and characters are (somewhat)familiar, they are all fairly easy to read, and the stories compliment the movies in a way that probably will make you appreciate Star Wars even more. A nice gateway to get you hooked on the Expanded Universe of Star Wars.

I`ll review more good starters these coming weeks, so check by once in a while.

Now, go forth, and read!

If you are into comics, read my review of the first Knights Of The Old Republic volume here

The blog so far...

The blog is really progressing nicely, and by the end of my first week, i`v received some good feedback from readers, and almost 600 hits from people all over the world. That's really amazing, and quite frankly, very surprising!
I`m gonna stay consistent, and continue to review comic books, the occasional novel and sideshow collectibles\action figures. Every now and then i`ll share my two cents on my favourite games, Star Wars collecting and gaming news.
I`m just one man doing this, but my goal is to at least post something worthwhile once a day.

Keep reading, and feel free to add me on facebook or Google+

I`ll leave you with some Star Wars making of pics:

A trip down memory lane & my thoughts on Geminie Rue

Adventure games made me into the gamer i am today. I played all the games i could get my hands on, but when i got hold of a Sierra or Lucasarts adventure game, i couldn't be happier. I`ll never forget playing Monkey Island,  Maniac Mansion, Day of the Tentacle and all those classics. (RIP Lucasarts).
Back then it was hard to get hold of these games in my part of Norway. No shops sold games, and the only way to get them was trading, "you get a game from me, i get a game from you". Getting contacts who had games could also be problematic. Most of the times you contacted people who wanted gamer pen pals in comic books or similar (the forums of pre internet age). Sometimes you struck gold and got in contact with a person who had hundreds of games, sometimes you got stuck with the guy who only owned a shareware copy of X-mas Lemmings, which where included in most of the Amiga 600 at that time.
Piracy was of course rampant. Some people might remember Amiga X-Copy...
There weren't really many gamers in my neighbourhood either, so if you got stuck in an adventure game, you risked staying stuck. I remember asking friends about what to do next on Monkey Island. No one could give me the solution, so i read through every game magazine i could get a hold on, with hopes of finding  that one screenshot that could give a hint as to what to do next.
This seems very nice and nostalgic now, but it was a pain in the ass back then.

Adventure gaming had its heydays in the early to mid nineties, and "died" at the turn of the millennium. Nowadays, its roaring back in all its pixelated glory.
A company that deserve a lot of credit for making said genre important again, is Wadjet Eye. Starting out small in New York, using Adventure Game Studio to make their games, they quickly made an impact on the starving market that is retro adventure gaming, capturing the attention of the 30+ niche of gamers, who really wanted something both old school and new.

What really turned me onto Wadjet Eye was the release of Gemini Rue.
They took Cyperpunk, film noir, amazing story telling and mashed it together into the ultimate point n click adventure game. It`s a pretty easy game, but in games like Gemini Rue, it really doesn't matter. What you really want to know in this game is what happens next? Putting in some really difficult puzzle would be counter productive, and just drag you away from the story. I`m not saying that you cant have hard puzzles combined with a good story, but Geminie Rue manages to be easy, keeping the attention firmly on the story, and still give the player a sense of accomplishment each time they progress.

I see some writers using the word "nostalgic" a lot when they review this game. "Time to get nostalgic..." and so on. That isn't really fair to this game. Granted, its classic point n click, but it didn't give me any particular feeling of nostalgia. Instead, it stood on its own as an original adventure and a really damn good one too! In fact, most of Wadjet Eyes games hasn't given me that fussy nostalgic feeling. Only game i can recall right now that managed that was A Vampire Story. Quite a different game in comparison to Wadjet Eyes games.

Geminie Rue starts you off in the Gemini system. You are playing Azriel Odin, a mafia gun for hire, turned intergalactic lawman. In search for his brother, he lands on the planet Barracus, where a former friend and partner supposedly have info on his brothers location, and what happened to him. From the moment the intro ends, you immediately get that noir vibe. Barracus is a dark, rainy place. The people live in fear of a corrupt regime, and the mafia organisation "Boryokudan" pretty much run the place. It`s dark, chaotic and organic. The perfect setting for a conspiracy. Azriel Odin ads to the flavour with his dark voice, cigarette and trench coat.
Pretty early in the game you`ll be introduced to a new character, Delta Six. He is imprisoned in some sort of training facility of unknown location. You don`t know why he`s there, and he doesn't remember anything except for bits and pieces of fragmented memories telling him to get the hell out asap.
In contrast to rainy, dark and filthy Barracus, Delta Six`s facility is clean and runs in a orderly fashion. Everything is scheduled, mechanic and sterile. In some ways, even more scary then Barracus.

Telling you more of the story would be spoiling it. But i can tell you that theres an amazing twist which makes for some replay value. It`s fairly short, which is a drawback, but this isn't really a huge budget game. The puzzles aren't really great, but still better then the pixel hunting you get in some adventure games. I never really got properly used to the clunky interface, and there are some shooting mechanics that really don`t work that well.
Despite these fault, the game is a great one. And maybe the best point n click adventure game since Lucasarts and Sierra made their classics.You can get the game on gog.com , Steam and directly from Wadjet Eye.

I`ll conclude with the words "BUY THIS GAME", and leave you with a few more screenshots: