Comic Review 154 // Janus PSI by 2000 AD

Trying to get back into my 2000 AD reading but as is well documented I am easily distracted. But as my eyes wandered my shelves I spotted my two-part set of Janus PSI and felt it was time to dust these off and give them read. Originally published in this format back in 2014, making this eleven years old! Wow, I have left these on the shelf for way too long. Let's blow of the dust and move on.

Title: Janus, Psi-Division Vol. 1

Author: Mark Millar, Grant Morrison, Maggie Knight.

Illustrator: Paul Johnson

Notes: Originally serialised in 2000 AD Progs 953, 980-984 & 1024-1027.

This series starts with a short tale with PSI-Judge Janus ongoing an initiation Ceremony. It is a bit of a confusing tale to start off the volume with. It has previous PSI's now dead introducing Janus to a PSI toad lol. The toad is testing her and it would seem Judges in the past have failed the test, but Janus ultimately passes and discovers an unshared secret. The tag line of "they'd put us all in the cubes and throw away the key.", heavily hints that the PSI division has some seriously dark secrets they are hiding from everyone...but what!

Then we are treated to the main story, where PSI Judges are being hunted by an ex-classmate, Ashley. Who died during a poltergeist attack. Janus is soon the last survivor of her class and travels to the afterlife in an attempt to stop the attacks by Ashley. Here she discovers her dead friends, Bryce, Kilner and Stryker who team up to end the threat, then together they can guide the lost souls trapped in limbo into an afterlife of peace.

This was truly a great tale. The artwork was beautiful and the villain was scary as fuck! A real dark side of the PSI Division.

The final tale is the opener to Volume 2, where we discover Janus has helped to takedown an almost invincible killer from Brit-Cit. Together with a team of Judges, she is meant to aid in the transportation of the prisoner back to Brit-Cit. But when her craft crashes into the Ocean and the killer is freed shit really starts hitting the fan.

Great opening act to this tale and I am terrified to read the next volume. Love it!

I hope you enjoyed it? Feel free to comment below or seek me out on one of the many social platforms that I hang out on. Here is a quick LINK (Solo bio link) to my details. Cheers to reading this.

Miniature Monday // Cursed Earth Raiders

Oh, look another Warlord Games unboxing! This time it is the turn of The Cursed Earth Raiders (Link to Buy: Tell them I said hi and that they should sponsor me lol). This box contains the more radical Mutie faction. These mutants dream of taking over Mega-City One and take every opportunity to raid the cities themselves, causing destruction and sowing terror. Due to the massive wall defences of the Mega‐Cities, an overland attack is nigh suicidal. Raiders who master the air have had the most success, suddenly swooping over the wall defences on a bewildering array of jet‐packs, skyboards and anti‐grav transports.

Contains 2 infantry figures and 1 vehicle with two crew, in Warlord Resin. 1 Vehicle Card, 2 Unit cards and 2 Big Meg Cards - Friendly Fire and Lemming Syndrome. I hope you enjoy the video and hopefully choose to come to follow me over on Youtube. Cheers!

Book Review 150 // Sharpe's Triumph (Sharpe #2) by Bernard Cornwell

Time to revisit a series that captured my interest, then I failed to find this book in a thrift store for months! But I finally found the second Sharpe title: Triumph. So let us not waste time and just dive in.

Title: Sharpe's Triumph (Sharpe #2)

Author: Bernard Cornwell

Fluff: 

Richard Sharpe and the Battle of Assaye, September 1803

India, 1803. Sergeant Richard Sharpe witnesses a murderous act of treachery by an English officer who has defected from the East India Company to join the mercenary army of the Mahratta Confederation. In the hunt for the renegade Englishman, penetrates deep into the enemy's territory where he faces temptations more subtle than he has ever dreamed of. And behind him, relentlessly stalking him, comes his worst enemy, the baleful, twitching Sergeant Obadiah Hakeswill who is determined to break Sharpe once and for all. The paths of treachery all lead to the small village of Assaye where Sir Arthur Wellesley, with a tiny British army, faces the Mahratta horde. Outnumbered and outgunned, Wellesley decides to fight, and Sharpe is plunged into the white heat of a battle that will make Wellesley's reputation. It will make Sharpe's name to, but only if he can survive the carnage and killing frenzy, for it is at Assaye that he at last realizes his ambition and has a chance to seize it. This major new novel will follow the adventures of Richard Sharpe in India, begun so excitingly in Sharpe's Tiger and culminating in the Battle of Assaye, which Wellington considered his greatest victory.

Get a copy via my Amazon link: Buy Now and I get a sweet kickback

Style: Paperback

Page Count: 368

Review

Well, this reads very much like the old tv show, which is great for me as I loved that Sean Bean series. Set about four years after Tiger we join Sgt. Sharpe as he accompanies General Wellesley in a campaign against the Mahratta. Leading up to the actual battle of Assaye in 1803.

The main plot sees Sharpe teaming up with Colonel McCandless once more, to hunt down a rogue British Officer who earlier in the book slaughters a whole platoon of men with Sharpe being the only survivor. At the same time, we have the foul Sgt. Hakeswill trying to takedown Sharpe by framing him for a crime.

The story is nicely paced and exciting as it leads up to The Battle of Assaye, which we get to experience through Sharpe's eyes, which is something rather horrific and cold and has you watch the callous commanders send their troops in. These chapters really stuck with me which just goes to prove how well written they are by Cornwell.

But it isn't all great, the Sgt. Hakeswill arc felt very unneeded. It seemed like more of a filler plotline rather than something to worried about. I found it a like disappointing overall especially with the fact that it brought to an end Colonel McCandless who deserved a better ending. I am also left knowing that he will be back, though it was heavily hinted he is killed by an elephant. This really is a small complaint as it doesn't hugely impact the amazing story, but Hakeswill's plot armour is too strong. I hope we get a break from him in the next novel.

I am now on the hunt for the next title: Fortress, which hopefully I will find quicker this time.

I hope you enjoyed the review? Feel free to comment below or seek me out on one of the many social platforms I hang out on. Here is a quick LINK (Solo bio link) to my details. Cheers to reading this.

Audio Review 50 // The Damnation of Pythos by Pythos David Annandale

Hopping back into the Horus Heresy verse. Decided to hit up the next story as an audio book, this is mainly due to me enjoying other novels at this time and not being ready to go back to reading the series. I doubt I will miss out on much as I know the audio dramas do an amazing job.

Title: The Damnation of Pythos (The Horus Heresy #30)

Author: David Annandale

Fluff: In the aftermath of the Drop Site Massacre at Isstvan V, a battered and bloodied force of Iron Hands, Raven Guard and Salamanders regroup on a seemingly insignificant death world. Fending off attacks from all manner of monstrous creatures, the fractious allies find hope in the form of human refugees fleeing from the growing war, and cast adrift upon the tides of the warp. But even as the Space Marines carve out a sanctuary for them in the jungles of Pythos, a darkness gathers that threatens to consume them all…

Get a Copy via my Amazon Link: The Damnation of Pythos

Firstly we need to discuss the cover. Space Marines of Iron Hands and Salamander legions, fighting a giant multi-eyed Lizard/dinosaur beast! This has grabbed my attention and I was excited to listen!

This story did something other stories have failed to do, it made me like the Iron Hands. David Annandale achieved something with the characters that others have failed to do, which was to make them relatable. Other authors seem to get stuck to the idea of them being more machine than man, but Annandale managed to make them cold and calculating like a machine but still have humanity in them. He also managed to make the darkness of space scarier, it is easy to get absorbed into the civil war, but at the end of the day, the galaxy was still largely unexplored and more dangers exist out there, more than Horus vs Emperor.

Pythos is one of those worlds, having been corrupted way, way, way back by a force of chaos. Having failed to find a higher intelligence here it lurked and manipulated the live forms, creating plans and scheming for the day that it could be released into the galaxy properly. Here enter our space marines. Beaten, broken and scattered, Captain Atticus of 111th Company of Iron Hands has created a force from the survivors of Isstvan. His goal is to strike back at the enemy and beat them with a thousand cuts, but first, his forces need a rallying point, a base, and Pythos is that key.

The world of Pythos is the villain of the piece, a true death world. Full of Fauna and Flora manipulated to be alpha predators. We get lots of dinosaur-style creatures, ranging from standard sizes up to Imperial knights scale (Godzilla could easily live here), all the way down to waves of roving moss that will suck the blood old of its victims, yep you read that right, vampire moss! This made a world full of life and deeply terrifying. I could happily just read about the planet more. But at the heart of the story was Loyalists vs. Chaos and the warp. This main arc was beautifully played out, leaving you kind of knowing what was going to happen but still amazed and shocked when it hits home.

Overall a beautifully written piece and David Annandale did an amazing job. If you are looking for Space Marine on Space Marine action, you will be disappointed. But, if you want Grim Dark this the book for you.

I hope you enjoyed it? Feel free to comment below or seek me out on one of the many social platforms that I hang out on. Here is a quick LINK (Solo bio link) to my details. Cheers to reading this.

Comic Review 154 // 2000 AD Prog 1322

Welcome to something a little new. I was feeling in need of a little pick me up, so I treated myself to some 2000 AD. As I was looking at my options I felt it may be fun to do some quick and dirty 2000 AD reviews so I purchased the 2003 Digital bundle. The earliest set I could get, hopefully, they will keep releasing more, but the series for me begins with Prog 1322. Hope you are ready let's go!

The cover is pretty epic, showing off Judge Dredd tackling a chestbuster, that can mean only one thing, Aliens vs. Dredd! I have already reviewed this series in the past but I am excited to get a reread of the series over the next few days. With this in mind, the opening tale is of course Judge Dredd Vs. Aliens: Incubus (Part 2), yep that's annoying, Part 1 was in 2002. Set in the Eisenhower hospital, a perps chest rips open revealing a chestbuster that flees into the vent system. Fearing a Cursed Earth pest, Dredd calls in the verminators an elite squad of pest control specialists. These guys seem to be heavily armed and equipped to deal with the Mega-City's pest problems. Sadly for them as they search for the creature they soon realize they have a much bigger problem! I love this tale, I enjoyed it the first time around and Love it more this time around, drawn by Henry Flint this is everything I enjoy about modern Dredd. I'm ready to read more.

Up next is sadly another part 2 tale, titled Caballistics Inc. Going Under. This is a new to me series, but the fact it is written by Gordon Rennie gives me hope. The artwork by Dom Reardon is classic, in stunning black and white, it helps to add a bit of classical horror to the storyline. From what I can gather they are a group who investigate the paranormal and it would seem something is going down in London town. Interested to see where it goes.

Then we get another Part 2 story (damn did I start an issue too early? Was Prog 1321 a jump-on issue?). Slaine Moloch - Part 2. Written of course by Pat Mills and drawn by Clint Langley. Having missed the opening arc, I am left assuming that Slaine's tribal home has been invaded by a hoard of monstrous creatures, that seem to be killing or raping everyone in their path. In this mix is the mutant form of Slaine fighting back. A very standard Slaine strip from my experience, with plenty of gore, body horror and over-the-top violence. Enjoyable for what it is but until I understand what is happening I am on the fence with this.

Finally a Part 1. Sinister Dexter - Relode, written by the fan favourite Dan Abnett and drawn by Ben Willsher. The last time I read a story about this duo was back when Demi Octavo was killed at her wedding (yep remember that far back ha). I have no idea what they have been up to in that period but it would seem a lot has happened. The duo seems to have got involved with a dimension-jumping character who has accidentally dropped the duo 15 years into the past! There is also a Miss Octavo? I would guess it is the younger sister of the ex-crime queen but I am not sure. I am happy to be reading about this duo again. I've missed them and their wit.

The final tale of this issue is Nikolai Dante - Hell and High Water. Once again a part two ( I know how to pick a starting point!). Similar to Sinister Dexter I haven't read a Dante tale in a long while, I think the last story would have been during the revolution series. I have no idea why Dante is on a boat, or who he is fighting, but I am excited to find out.

With that issue, 1322 finished. Sure I made an error not starting at 1321, but damn does it feel good to reading 2000 AD again, it is like welcoming an old friend back into life. Hope you enjoyed this quick and dirty review, expect more real soon.

As always I hope you enjoyed and will support my blog by using the link below.

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Miniature Monday // Iyanden Wraithblades

It feels like an age since I did an Aeldari post. I have to be honest and say my love for GW has waned, but this is not a post-bashing rant. It's entirely the opposite, in fact, I love what they have been selling over the last two years but I am only collecting certain kits at the moment and so far nothing has jumped out at me apart from Jain Zar and the Banshees.

In an attempt to rekindle my love I am attempting to get back into my Iyanden force and dusting off some units. This leads me to today's post, Aeldari Wraithblades.

Here are some of the most feared Aeldari creations. Most Aeldari is repulsed by the idea of Wraith units, believing that the dead should be allowed to rest, but with a never-ending war, more and more spirits are drawn into the conflict. This is creating restless spirits whose anger grows with each recall to the living. It is these spirits that are drawn to the Wraithblades, those who feel the rage of Khaine inside them still.

Few Aeldari uses their true name of Klaivaulch, as it is believed to call down the wrath of Khaine on them. But when the spirit seers awaken these angry souls, it is commented how hot and bright their spirit stones glow, they are so energized that they become the ultimate fury, wanting nothing more than to engage the foe in combat. These units go to war with devasting close combat weapons like the ghost swords shown here. Usually wielded in pairs, they leave glowing traces in the air as they are swung. Like all Ghost Weapons, they can help guide the wielder's blows into the most vulnerable areas of a foe.

This unit has a Waveserpent begging to be painted and I feel now is the time to complete them! Drop me a comment of support and let's see if I can do this! Write me a comment and leave it below. As always I hope you enjoyed and will support my blog by using the link below.

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Comic Review 153 // Marshal Law: Fear and Loathing by Pat Mills

Now I'm sure long-time readers will know I love 2000 AD the British comic. One of the most influential writers from that team has to be Pat Mills, having written Judge Dredd, Slaine, Nemesis and ABC Warriors. Well, I had the opportunity to borrow one of his non-2000 AD stories for a read so I had to pounce on it! I am pleased to introduce Marshal Law.

Title: Marshal Law: Fear and Loathing

Author: Pat Mills

Illustrator: Kevin O'Neill

Fluff:

The big one destroyed San Francisco and the rebuilt city is now called San Futuro. Into this city of genetically altered superheroes comes Marshal Law who is searching for heroes but he hasn't found any yet.

Get a Copy via my Amazon Link: Paperback

Page Count: 192 pages

Review

The story arc is a simple one to follow. It is the anti version of the Super Hero genre, think Watchmen, think The Boys, think a little bit of Batman and think Judge Dredd. The heroes aren't real heroes, they are in fact simply humans with crazy powers and abilities, and when given power, they will ultimately fall to greed, lust, pride.

This is proven in this story, where we see hundreds of people medically altered into Super Soldiers. The reason for this is to fight in a war (of course). Sadly these veterans upon returning to the states, struggle to find work and ultimately become warlords and gang leaders, with most of them gravitating to a post-earthquake San Francisco. Which has a huge no-go area in the city which looks like something from a Mad Max/post-apocalyptic film. These heroes are feared by the average human and prey upon the weak, wanting to highlight their awesome powers.

Into this mess comes Marshal Law, also an ex-super soldier who towards the end of the fighting becomes jaded with it all and with the aid of his girlfriend realizes he has the ability to stop these heroes preying on the weak. Soon Marshal Law is known as the Hero Hunter and works for a covert agency that wishes to police the superhumans. His look is very S&M and he takes down heroes like nobody could ever imagine, but in this tale, his nemesis is Public Spirit (aka Homelander), a much-beloved hero with a Darker Side.

The story is pretty well explored and thought out. Pat Mills has created a very strong theme and world for the characters to live in. This is then brought to life by the talented Kevin O'Neill. But it sadly isn't all good news, at points, it lost me and I found my interest waving and got misted eyes as I auto-piloted some pages. That said the story has a lot of backbone and isn't scared to punch hard at an overdone superhero genre, it has also aged really well. I would highly recommend reading it!

I hope you enjoyed it? Feel free to comment below or seek me out on one of the many social platforms I hang out on. Here is a quick LINK (Solo bio link) to my details. Cheers to reading this.

Sector 102: Dan Abnett Block

It's been ages since I did a building update on the Dan Abnett Block. The original Post is from January 2020. It is real bare-bones and it sadly stayed that way for far too long! COVID hit and work got crazy, eating up more time than it ever had before and absorbed all my free time. Step forward to now as things seem still crazy but a little more organized and I have once again got time to grab a glue stick.

As you can now see, a second floor has appeared, along with an air filtration unit, a memorial fountain to Judge Dredd vs Death, a shop front, along with computer terminals, tables, hedges and billboards. Now to get a slap of paint on it and start gaming!

A very quick update but I hope you enjoy it! Support my blog by using the link below.

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Book Review 149 // Verntropa by E L Clarke

When we dream, where do we go? 

It’s time for my first real #bookreview #ad. I recently joined @lovebookstours #booktour and received my first #gifted book in exchange for an honest review. Hopefully, I will be able to use this new resource to broaden my reading and discover new reads and authors to watch out for. Let me know if you are interested in doing this well and I will tell you how. Enjoy.

Title: Verntropa (The Balance) Part 1.

Author: E L Clarke

Format: Gifted Kindle

Page Count: 426 Pages

Fluff: 

When we dream, where do we go?

Olivia Merton has only ever known Earth after the shift. For fifteen years there has been no sunshine, little rain…and resources are scarce.

A recurring dream provides an escape from her troubled monochrome life and leads her to a vividly coloured landscape, populated by four distinctive societies.

This world is Verntropa.

Her attempts to describe her dream memories are met with distrust and she fears for her grasp on reality - until she discovers that Earth is in danger and a mission on Verntropa awaits her if she is to fulfil her destiny.

Does Olivia have the prophesied power needed to strengthen the balance between her two worlds, or will it, and she, be damaged beyond repair?

As Olivia’s fate unfolds, she is thrown into a fast-paced adventure where she discovers the meaning of trust and true friendship. One thing is certain – her life will never be the same again.

Review

Verntropa is a book that is ideal for those who love gentle fantasy/sci-fi settings. It explores where we go in our dreams and how the two places are linked. The cover is eye-catching and colourful, which is great for the target audience which is young adults. It features the title character Olivia, asleep, heading to the hexagonal city of Verntropa. A simple cover, but it gives the reader all the information needed to understand the setting and the base of the plot.

The pacing of this story was good and about a third of the way in, the story builds and interest is peaked and held on until the end. The main plot of the book simply jumps back and forth between Verntropa and Earth. This is achieved by having each chapter set in a different world. Which also aided to form a clear distinction between, “awake” and “asleep”, making it an easy read.

The actual setting of Verntropa is one described as full of life, colour and activity. This is why I was left a little disappointed that it wasn’t explored in more depth, especially with such a large page count. It wasn’t just the setting that suffers from this, but also the characters, a few of the main cast lacked description, leaving a lot up to the imagination (not always a bad thing). I just hope that the follow-up titles will delve more into the different societies and lifeforms of this new setting.

Overall there was also a lot to like about the title, which was full of political intrigue, spying and a big mystery that was fifteen years in the making. The area in which it fell short, was the actual world-building. This series has a lot of potential and has made me want to see what will happen next. I really would love to see themed books for each of the societies and some more time spent fleshing out the new world. But I am excited to see and read what E L Clarke writes next.

As always I hope you enjoyed and will support my blog by using the link below.

Treat yourself to the story: Amazon Link

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Miniature Monday // Medic Judge

Got a newly painted model everyone! It's the Warlord Game Med-Judge, an under-explored archetype in the Judge Dredd verse. Even on the Fandom pages, there aren't details. Here is what I've found.

MED-JUDGES

Med-Judges are the Department's paramedic wing, brought in to heal both citizens and Street Judges to patch up themselves. They are run out of Med Division.

History

The first appearance of a Med Judge appears to be in prog 534, where a Judge with red cross shoulder pads is examining one of PJ Maybe's victims and then, later, he and a colleague are taking the body away. (Prog 500 had introduced a "Forensic squad" but this was a different uniform again)

The first explicit claim there was an entire division of Judge paramedics was Mega-Special 1989, which placed a Med-Division and Med-Judges (who outrank "civilian med services") as part of the Justice Department rank setup.

Since then, Med-Judges have been a sporadically occuring presence in strips and are presented as predominantly non-combat. An exception was Judge Morinta, who enjoyed modifying weaponry and was first seen involved in a covert raid on a Sov Block gulag; she appeared in several Gordon Rennie stories from 2004-07 and is the only recurring Med-Judge so far.

Exactly what a Med-Judge uniform looks like is completely dependent on the artist (and sometimes the individual artists aren't consistent either).

There you go, short and sweet. This is something I love in lore as it gives me the freedom to do as I pleased. If you watched the video, you will see me struggling with choosing white or yellow for the helmet. It sounds silly now I think about it, but at the time I really felt I had to do white and I was left questioning my decision right up to the end. Now with it finished, I am so happy with the yellow.

I hope you enjoyed the video? Write me a comment and leave it below. As always I hope you enjoyed and will support my blog by using the link below.

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Alien Isolation Playthrough Part 1

Something a little new for me, some gameplay action.

I am also tweaking my new mic so hopefully, this sounds okay (definitely louder, but a strange tinny sound??). Let me know in the comments with any advice as well.

Alien Isolation Walkthrough Gameplay Part 1. This Alien Isolation Gameplay Walkthrough will include a Review, all Story Missions, Scary Moments, Bosses, Weapons, Collectibles, Characters and the Ending of the Single Player. It will also include swearing, me pooping my pants and death, lots of death.

Alien: Isolation is a first-person survival horror stealth game. If you are sensitive do not watch. I have warned you! The game is set in 2137, 15 years after the events of Alien and 42 years prior to Aliens. The game follows Amanda, who is investigating the disappearance of her mother Ellen Ripley. Amanda was transferred to the space station Sevastopol to find the flight recorder of Nostromo. However, an Alien has already infested the station. So of course, shit hits the fans! 

Wish me luck.

Amazon links.

Buy the Game: https://amzn.to/3gIerXL 

Buy the Novel: https://amzn.to/3Bi23Wa 

Book Review 148 // Aliens vs. Predator: Prey

Having finished the first Aliens vs Predator Omnibus, I was super intrigued to see how the book compared. I had to treat myself to the novel Omnibus (Amazon link: https://amzn.to/3h57VdP) to find out. The omnibus is made up of Prey, Hunter's Planet and War. Which in theory is the Machiko Noguchi saga. But let us begin with Prey.

Title: Aliens vs. Predator: Prey

Author: Steve Perry

Fluff: Machiko Noguchi accepted the assignment of supervising the ranching colony on Ryushi as a challenge. Little did she know that not only would she have to run the colony, but she'd also defend it with her life.

First, the carcass of a spiderlike alien is discovered. Then a rancher's family is massacred. Finally, a creature unlike any ever seen before is brought to the colony medical center, near death. It soon becomes clear that not one but two strains of alien life have landed near the settlement of Prosperity Wells. One kind -- beetle black with shells hard as steel -- has been spawned as the prey in a deadly hunt. The other kind -- upright like humans but infinitely stronger and just as smart -- are the Predators. Between them are the human colonists, unarmed and vulnerable. With the entire colony at risk, Machiko Noguchi must choose between death and survival -- and may find her greatest ally in a Predator ready to kill her...

Page Count: 262 pages.

Style: Paperback.

Quick overview of the story, humans colonize the planet Ryushi. Completely unaware that it is actually the hunting groups of the Yautja race a.k.a Predators. Who happens to turn up and seed the world with Xenomorph eggs! Soon chaos reigns supreme and everyone is fucked!

Overall I really enjoyed this title. It is definitely one of the better written in the Aliens / Predator / Prometheus series. Which doesn't surprise me as it is a Perry novel. It does a great job at making the Yautja alien but very human in their ways and plot twists though easy to spot were well written and played out. This should and could have been an amazing 80's movie.

The main character Machiko Noguchi is great and we see a real transformation take place from a cold corporate drone into a lethal killer. I was however left a little underwhelmed by the xenomorphs capabilities as they didn't seem to act in a very lethal manner. Instead of preferring to swarm a target and get killed in quick order, maybe this is due to an abundance of prey?

Overall a surprisingly strong outing from this first story, I am excited for Hunter's Planet. As always I hope you enjoyed and will support my blog by using the link below.

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Comic Review 152 // Brit-Cit Noir by John Smith 2000 AD

Finally diving back into some 2000 AD. I needed a refresher and felt they were the team to do it. So I went and purchased the download of Brit-Cit Noir. As a long-standing Armitage fan, I was excited to revisit the homelands and see what is happening on the shores of the UK. As always I appreciate you all stopping by for a read and those who have started following me on YOUTUBE.

Title: Brit-Cit Noir

Author: John Smith, Leah Moore, John Reppion.

Illustrator: Colin MacNeil, Tom Foster.

Fluff: The British equivalent of Mega-City One, Brit-Cit is a crowded metropolis that sprawls across southern England, the future Scotland of Cal-Hab and the South Welsh Peninsula. Buttressed by its own 'Cursed Earth', it is a bizarre vision of Britain old and new. Even before the Atomic Wars, Britain had more ghosts and ghouls per square miles than anywhere in the world - and now Brit-Cit is the focal point for an abundance of weird, occult occurrences.

Buy using my Amazon Link (I get a kickback): https://amzn.to/3teGnHV

Style: Kindle, 96 pages

Well, that was definitely needed. So great to be back in the worlds of Judge Dredd and 2000 AD. There is just something so wholesome and enjoyable about their comics, it must be the British humour. But back to the comic, this is of course a Brit-Cit-themed comic meaning it is set in Britain (duh), which gives the authors some room to play. The forces of Brit-Cit are closest to normal cops as you will find, they are corruptable, paid, allowed to have relationships and a bit more open to mutants. They also have a system where you can buy your promotions so a lot of the higher-ups are useless (a bit too on the nose there 2000 AD).

The book is actually two short stories combined, to create a more out there book. Following the stranger side of future law enforcement in a Brit-cit world. It followed a similar process of Judge Anderson, showcasing cases not handled by the standard force and instead, needing specialists. The first title tale shows a creepy department headed by the horse-faced Inspector Strange, whose job is to look after the mythological creatures of the world. It was a fun intro story to the team, set in Wales and playing with folklore stories. It was fun if short read and has me hoping two things:

1) 2000 AD has more of them coming?

2) Warlord Games will make the figures for their game.

The 2nd story though longer, didn't hold me as much as the first. Still not a bad tale, but lacked what I wanted after the first. Overall an enjoyable graphic novel, but need more stories!

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Miniature Monday // Warlord Games Street Judges

Welcome to Miniature Monday. This week I am unboxing the Warlord Games Judge Dredd Street Judges. Want to own the kit? Please use this link to purchase and help support my blog: LINK

Street Judges are the product of many years' training and psychological conditioning. Training, which takes place in the Academy of Law, generally begins at age five. The Judges recruit promising children and grow their own clones. Judge Dredd is himself a clone of the Judges' founder, Chief Judge Fargo.

The Judges themselves are not above the law – a violation that would earn a citizen a few months in an Iso[lation]-Cube earns a Judge a twenty-year sentence, of as hard labour on Saturn's moon, Titan, after surgical modification to enable the convict to survive Titan's atmosphere.

The Judges are led by a Chief Judge and a Council of Five. The Judges have their own domestic intelligence division (the Public Surveillance Unit), and their own medical facilities. There are several specialist divisions within the Judges, notably the Psi Division, which consists of psychic judges used to predict the future and read minds, and the Tek Division, made of forensic scientists and engineers. The SJS (Special Judicial Squad) monitors and police the Judges internally.

In Judge Dredd's future history, the Judge System originated in the United States (see History of Mega-City One), but spread around the world. In most of these nations the Judges control all aspects of the government; but differ in customs: the Judges of Ireland, for example, are allowed to drink and smoke, or be married, whereas MC-1 Judges have virtually no private life. Corruption is endemic amongst the Judges of Brit-Cit, and bribery is often essential to progress through the ranks.

Judges also hear civil cases in each City Block, where they try compensation claims, libel, slander, divorce, alimony, and small claims matters.

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Audio Review 49 // Alien: Covenant Origins by Alan Dean Foster

Something a little different for us all today. It's an Alien review ha!

In all seriousness, I get a little obsessed with the series, and currently, I am all about the Alien series. Movies, books, games, I am hooked. I am attempting to pace them so I am not just purely doing the same thing. But I can't resist for long.

Today's title is Alien: Covenant Origins. Cased as a prequel to Covenant and book 0.5 in the series with Covenant being 1. Here are the details:

Title: Alien: Covenant Origins

Author: Alan Dean Foster

Narrator: Tom Taylorson

Fluff: The Covenant mission is the most ambitious endeavour in the history of Weyland-Yutani. A ship bound for Origae-6, carrying two thousand colonists beyond the limits of known space, this is a make-or-break investment for the corporation and for the future of all mankind. Yet some would die to stop the mission. As the colony ship hovers in Earth orbit, several violent events reveal a deadly conspiracy to sabotage the launch. While Captain Jacob Branson and his wife, Daniels, complete their preparations, security chief Daniel Lope recruits the final key member of his team. Together they seek to stop the perpetrators before the ship and its passengers can be destroyed.

An original novel by the acclaimed Alan Dean Foster, author of the groundbreaking Alien novelization, Alien: Covenant Origins is the official chronicle of the events that led up to Alien: Covenant. It also reveals the world the colonists left behind.

Buy via my Amazon code: https://amzn.to/3zBmoW3

Style: Audible Audio

Listen Time: 8h 31min

Review

A strange one is this. What we have here is a well-written, world-building novel to give Alien fans something to buy. It showcases the Earth that everyone wishes to leave, one full of pollution and decay. One lacking hope, one controlled by the corporations. If this interests you (like it does me) then you will enjoy the book. But if you are looking for Xenomorphs and horrors you may as well move on.

I liked the idea of Weyland-Yutani being unpopular due to this new colony mission, I like the idea of corporate sabotage, I disliked the idea of the Prophet. For those who care, I will attempt to withhold spoilers. But basically, the Prophet is having visions of demons and in an attempt to not draw their attention he creates a cult that attempts to stop the launch of the Covenant. This is where I have issues. As we know he is right, xenomorphs, predators, engineers, there are definitely demons out there. But we also know they fail as we have the film. Leaving us with kind of a pointless story would be perfect in a short story collection but as a stand-alone tale, it is lacking.

What we do get is a crime/action/mystery tale. Plenty of criminal activities, a couple of kidnappings and some solid gunfights. It kept me entertained on my walks to and from work and that is all I can ask for from an audible book. It had a lot of space to give us something more but it just fell short. Overall I love this series and I am happy to have it in the collection, but it also would not be missed.

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Book Review 147 //Aliens: Berserker by S.D Perry

Unfortunately, I have struggled to find the Bantam the Book series in order so I have dangerously jumped forward by four books to number nine in the series. Now I have read the comics so I know what is happening and understand that the stories are written to be stand-alone pieces so there are no real spoilers to worry about.

With this in mind let us delve into the horror of Berserker.

Title: Berserker

Author: S.D Perry

Page Count: 230

Style: Paperback

Fluff: It is called a Berserker team - reckless, desperate volunteers recruited by the Company to destroy alien infestations. Based on the spaceship Nemesis, it consists of three brutal ex-cons who do all the grunt work and the Berserker itself, code-named MAX: an armed and armoured exoskeleton powered by the living brain of what was once a human, configured into an unstoppable killing machine.

When the Nemesis is sent to a massive space station, D.S. 949, the team finds an alien hive, the largest in history, with nearly a thousand hapless humans cocooned and incubated. The team mission: to destroy the aliens while leaving the terminal intact. The mission seems like suicide to the bug hunters and their small support staff. And that is perfectly fine for the Company... which wants no witnesses left to the terrifying secret of D.S. 949.

So firstly, let us get the important stuff out the way. Yes, we have seen this story before in comic format. It was a Dark Horse comic called, Aliens: Berserker. It was written by the legendary John Wagner of Judge Dredd and Strontium Dog fame. He was assisted by Paul Mendoza and Andy Mushunsky.

The novel adaptation does the comic proud. In this story, we find out about the Berserker squad. Made up of baiters, people whose job is to be captured by the xenomorph to be taken to the nest. Some specialist weapons experts to assist, and the armoured killing machine named MAX. Once the baiter is captured his suit becomes a tracking device allowing the MAX suit the ability to rapidly find the Queen and kill her. The MAX suit is full-on future tech, anti-acid armour, flamethrowers and a giant-sized pulse rifle, all of which allow it to destroy a nest. But the real twist is the squad being made up of felons who can reduce their sentences in exchange for completing missions. Real dark shit. 

Having completed a mission the team is expecting some RnR when they are forced back into action, following the communication blackout of a research space station near their location. Following a quick detour, the team finds themselves facing a space station overrun by the Xenomorph. Needless to say soon the shit hits the fan and the mission goes awry. Leaving only three members of the team alive at the end.

Perry did a great job bringing the comic to the written page. We bounce between characters in a well-executed manner, that moves the story along in easy to understand way. This was an enjoyable entry to the series and I am so glad to have read it.

Now to get back to finding the other novels. As always I hope you enjoyed and will support my blog by using the link below.

Buy the book (Amazon Link): Kindle Edition - Paperbacks are hard to find

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