Alien Isolation Walk Through Part 6 - Lunchtime for the Xenomorph.

Book Review 170 // Furnaces of Haeleon by Chris Dows
Hitting up another short story this week focused on Khârn the Betrayer. I hope it is as good as last week's Lost King. Here are the details:
Title: Furnaces of Haeleon (Part one of the Red Path Quick Reads series)
Author: Chris Dows
A brand new series begins, focusing on the infamous Khârn the Betrayer and his blood-soaked wars against the Imperium and his fellow Chaos Space Marines.
READ IT BECAUSE
Kill, maim, burn, kill, maim, burn, kill, maim, burn, Blood for the Blood God, skulls for the skull throne of Khorne! (Also, it's free, and it's about one of the 41st millennium's most ruthless and fascinating characters. What have you got to lose?)
THE STORY
Khârn the Betrayer wages bloody war across the Imperium, following the Red Path and leading his Warband of Khorne Berzerkers in greater and greater acts of battle and bloodshed against all-comers. Abaddon desires to yoke Khârn's strength and ferocity for his own ends. Still, the Champion of Khorne will not kneel quickly as his violent crusade brings him into conflict not only with the Imperium but also the Black Legion...
Review
I have been hooked to this character since seeing a 2nd Edition piece of artwork for Kharn in Codex Chaos. Unfortunately for Khârn, his backstory and lore suffered for years as he was viewed as a psycho killer, more dangerous to his own side than the enemy. Then books like the First Heretic and Betrayer came along; they made a character that was interesting, believable and slowly becoming broken by the Heresy. We had a chance to rewrite Kharns story to make him something more than a killer. Then I read this opening short for this series and realized the opportunity had been lost. Seems the author went back to the safe and sound psycho, who cares little for "allies" as long as the blood flows.
Everything reads a little safe, a little uninspiring and completely lacking purpose. It seems Kharn is trapped as a being who just fights and kills and never with a goal. The few characters we are introduced to are left flat and lifeless, maybe this changes later in the series, but I don't see why you would include characters that add nothing to the plot.
I feel disappointed and deflated. I don't see me wanting to read the rest of this series. To sum up, it is dull please avoid it.

Book Review 169 // Rico Dredd: The Titan Years by Michael Carroll
This book has sat for far too long on my bookshelf, which is a real shame. But I am finally righting that wrong and cracking open Rico Dredd: The Titan Years by Michael Carroll, an author who has been producing some great work in the Dreddverse, so I am excited to read this.

Beer Review 177 // Yummy! by Beyond the Pale

Comic review 171 // The Simping Detective by 2000 AD
One of my favourite 2000 AD characters is the focus of this comic, and it fills me with excitement to read this. Hopefully, I still feel the same at the end.
Title: The Simping Detective
Author: Simon Spurrier
Artist: Frazer Irving
Description:
MEGA-CITY ONE, 2129 AD. Simped-up private eye Jack Point is an undercover 'Wally Squad' Judge – ‘cos only a clown would want to walk the streets of Angeltown, the scuzziest part of City Bottom. He's got two friends in this world; one's long and hard and makes your ears ring after every shot; the other's his gun. In fact, Jack's got enemies on both sides of the Law, and he's never far from trouble.
Written by Simon Spurrier (Gutsville) with art by Frazer Irving (Storming Heaven), The Simping Detective is future-noir at its best!
Stories include:
Gumshoe, Crystal Blue, Innocence: A Broad, Playing Futsie, Fifteen, Petty Crimes and No Body, No How.
Review
The Simping detective delivers on the Noir Private Eye. Perfectly produced black and white artwork sucks you in, then with a bit of red, we are made to think of the Sin-City style artwork. I felt the red was unneeded as it neither added nor detracted from the stories.Jack Point is part of the unusual Wally Squad (think Dirty Frank, Lenny Zero etc.); these Judges have quirks and can operate out the normal bounds of the Justice Department. For Point, he uses the ruse of being a Simp to hide in plain sight. Simp is a style of attire that is clown-like and foolish, and in Mega-City One, it is viewed as religion! Pair this clownish attire with a private eye, and Jack Point can blend into the background and investigate a crime at ease. Unfortunately for Judge Point, he has gained the taste for smoking, drinking and relationships (wheres the SJS?).
In these tales, we get to join Point as he delves deeper into Angeltown, one of the more downtrodden and seedier sectors of MC-1. We get to watch Jack Point get set up by corrupt Judges, raise an alien pet, become investigated by the SJS, be framed for murder and fall in love with Gallen Demarco. There is so much happening in one book, and I was thrilled. I loved seeing the return of the Raptaur alien from the 90's Dredd story and seeing this creature's story progress. It reminds me so much of a xenomorph. I also enjoyed the classic framed for a crime I didn't commit arc, which was portrayed perfectly and given the MC-1 twist along the way.
As I mentioned, this book is full of fantastic art, classic Film-Noir plots and dialogue. I loved the stories from start to finish, and if you are a fan of Judge Dredd, I highly recommend it.
You can buy a copy over at www.2000ad.com.
Hope you enjoyed it? Come watch me paint Jack Point over on Youtube: How to Paint Jack Point

2000 AD - How to Paint Jack Point
First fully finished figure of 2022. I started with a Judge Dredd figure, so I went with the most infamous Jack Point of the Wally Squad Division for this first miniature. The How-to video is a quick and easy-to-follow guide of how I went about painting this fantastic model by Warlord Games.
You know how to paint him; it is time for some fluffy background.
The strip name "The Simping Detective" comes from Point's habit of wearing clown accoutrements like a rubber nose and bow tie – in the fictional universe of Judge Dredd, "simping" is slang for dressing like a fool or simpleton. It is also a play on The Singing Detective. The name 'Jack Point' itself comes from the same name from the Gilbert and Sullivan opera The Yeomen of the Guard, who is a wandering jester.
Fictional character biography
Point's first significant case involved investigating the Crystal Blue drug, which led him into a conspiracy involving the corrupt new Sector Chief Daveez, a nun-run school for troubled juves (who were producing the drug), and the vicious alien predators known as the Raptaurs, whom the drug is manufactured from. He just barely managed to destroy all the Raptaurs and adopted the offspring of one - dubbed Cliq - as a pet and backup. He has since been involved in several cases alongside and conflicting with fellow PI Galen DeMarco and investigating a new incarnation of the mass-murdering Hunters Club. He made an ally and crush in the mysterious PVC-clad Miss Ann Thropé, who helped him on several cases; it turned out she was manipulating him to kill Cliq and gain a nest of new Raptaurs as a result, though only one survived and was adopted by Point as a new pet, Larf. She is currently trying to get him to quit the force and join her team of ex-Judge mercenaries.
In 2134, after Angeltown barely survived Chaos Day, Point was drawn into Judge Smiley's conspiracy (in the story Trifecta). After waking up with no memory, he accidentally killed a brainwashed Wally Squad judge who had been carrying a jester doll. Daveez, working with the corrupt Black Ops Division, attempted to blackmail Point by kidnapping DeMarco; Point saved her, preventing her from killing him by claiming he would arrest him "by the book," but then murdered the Sector Chief himself. Escaping Black Ops agents, he found he was now listed as a rogue judge. He turned to Miss Ann Thropé for help, and she steered him to a buyer for the doll, which turned out to contain stolen Justice Department data: Judge Dredd then burst in on the sale, revealing the judge Point had killed was Wally Squad chief Folger, and he was under arrest for treason. Point barely escaped, abandoned Larf to Black Ops, and tried to flee off-world. He eventually discovered that the whole thing had been set up as part of a secret investigation into Black Ops, in which he had been involved, and he rejoined Justice Department.
Here Jack Point's current timeline ends. I seriously hope Point is back soon as I love this character.
I hope you enjoyed this video and the introduction to Jack Point. Return tomorrow when I review his collected comic, The Simping Detective.
Want to learn more about 2000 A.D.? Why not start with the 2000 A.D. Encyclopedia (link is via Amazon, and I get a kickback). Thank you for reading, and if you want to chat more, come find me on Instagram.
Book Review 168 // The lost king by Robbie MacNiven
Title: The Lost King (Legacy of Russ #1)

Audio Review 63 // The Predator by Christopher Golden
Getting through some of the backlogs finally. Starting with the Movie Novelisation of The Predator. I reviewed the prequel about four reviews ago titled: The Predator Hunters and Hunted, I enjoyed that piece, and the movie was an interesting take on the franchise; it didn't blow me away, but I didn't hate it. I hope this title can add to the film and fill out parts.
Title: The Predator (Aliens / Predator / Prometheus)
Author: Christopher Golden
Description: The official novelization of the summer blockbuster The Predator, Shane Black's new movie with a screenplay by Shane Black and Fred Dekker
The official novelization of the summer blockbuster The Predator, Shane Black's new movie set within the universe of the previous films. With a screenplay by Shane Black and Fred Dekker, the film stars Yvonne Strahovski, Boyd Holbrook, Olivia Munn, Alfie Allen, Thomas Jane, Sterling Brown, Keegan-Michael Key, Edward James Olmos, Jake Busey, and more. Author Christopher Golden (Alien: River of Pain) will work closely with James A. Moore, author of the official prequel novel.
From the outer reaches of space to the backwoods of southern Georgia, the hunt comes home in Shane Black's explosive reinvention of the Predator series. Now, the universe's most lethal hunters are stronger, smarter and deadlier than ever before. And only a ragtag crew of ex-soldiers and an evolutionary biology professor can prevent the end of the human race.
Review
The author did an excellent job of converting the movie into a novel. They cover all the critical points with plenty of action, and the whole story moves along quickly. It did have some issues. Firstly it moved quicker than the film, the predator's arrival was fast, the main human villain's death was so quick I missed it and had to go back to find it. It lacked any additional material like you get added to a book like this, but sadly, this book is a straight-up script reading. It even felt like some parts were taken out. The characters came across a bit flat; it was hard to connect with them or care when they died. I would save myself the time and straight-up watch the film only if I could do a do-over.
With this in mind, I will not offer you a link to the novel; instead, go get the movie! Come over to youtube and say hi instead: Subscribe Now

Beer Review 176 // Clean Cut Inspired by Kolsch Unfiltered

Comic Review 170 // Aliens: Resistance by Brian Wood
Here are the details.
Title: Aliens: Resistance
Author: Brian Wood
Page Count: 96 pages
Publisher: Dark Horse Books
Fluff:
An evil corporation's secret bio-weapons program puts all of humanity at risk. Ellen Ripley's daughter must fight the horrific xenomorph threat.
Following Alien: Isolation, Amanda Ripley is kept silent by the Weyland-Yutani Corporation about the xenomorph threat. Enter Zula Hendricks, an Ex-Colonial Marine, in need of Ripley's help to expose a sinister bio-weapons program. The duo teams up against the sinister corporation's upgraded arsenal as they journey through space from the research lab to a test facility designed to keep the darkest atrocities secret!
Critically acclaimed writer Brian Wood (The Massive, DMZ, Briggs Land) returns to Aliens to pen the strenuous efforts of Ripley and Hendricks to bring down the Weyland-Yutani weapons program. With hair-raising art by Robert Carey (Power Rangers, The Phantom).
Collects Aliens: Resistance 1-4 comic series.
Review
This comic series drops in after the Game Alien: Isolation in the grand timeline of things. It, of course, follows Amanda Ripley and reintroduces Zula Hendricks, an Ex-Colonial Marine. They are teaming up to expose Weyland-Yutani's bio-weapon program in this title. Image ragtag team vs the evil corporation.

Alien Isolation Walk-through Part 5 - Seegson Androids Part Two.

Book Review 167 // Alien Isolation by Keith R.A. DeCandido
Hopefully, you have been following my Alien: Isolation gameplay? If not for shame! Head over to Youtube now to watch. Okay, all caught up? This game has me hooked and scared in equal measures. While visiting my local library (support libraries, please), I discovered this title on the shelf and knew I owed it to myself to read. Definitely spoilers to the game in this book.
Title: Alien: Isolation
Author: Keith R.A. DeCandido
Fluff:
The product of troubled and violent youth, Amanda Ripley is hell-bent on discovering what happened to her missing mother, Ellen Ripley. She joins a Weyland-Yutani team sent to retrieve the Nostromo flight recorder, only to find space station Sevastopol in chaos with a Xenomorph aboard. Flashbacks reveal Amanda's history and events that forced her mother to take the assignment aboard the Nostromo.
Amazon CA: Alien Isolation
Page Count: 336 pages
Review
As I already confessed, I am in the process of playing through Alien Isolation, and I have so far been really enjoying it. Such a scary game and sucks you in, so I was really hoping the book would do that too.
Firstly though a game adaptation, it would seem DeCandido was given space to fill out some back story. Allowing him to explain what happened to Amanda Ripley before we met her. Though interesting, they started to become rather annoying as we kept having "flashbacks," which for me ruined the flow of the story. These parts should have been combined to produce a prologue to the main story. That way, we still get the character's background without destroying the horror flow.
Thankfully the representation of the game is well portrayed and can create a lot of atmospheres and capture all the essential parts. He does well to showcase the environment as a critical part of the game; we read about the graffiti and posters that litter the station. We also hear about her creating items from scratch, another critical play point. These were very nice touches to help merge the two in my mind.
Overall I really enjoyed the book. It is an excellent adaptation; the author used the game and brought it to life. Yes, there are issues, but there will always be a computer game adaption. This excellent introduction to the Alien series and has enough horror to keep me hooked.
Well, I hope you enjoyed the review and will come back soon for my next post. Check out more of my Xenomorph adventures here. LINK.

Audio Review 62 // Deathfire by Nick Kyme (The Horus Heresy #32)
Diving into the Horus Heresy series once more, and we are at number 32 in the series. Deathfire by Nick Kyme continues the Salamander Story arc, and damn, is this a long story 15+ hours. Let us see how their role in the war evolves and get into the details:
Title: Deathfire (The Horus Heresy #32)
Author: Nick Kyme
Narrator: Saul Reichlin
Publisher: Black Library
Fluff:
Vulkan lies in state beneath the Fortress of Hera, yet many of his sons still refuse to believe that he is truly dead.
After a seemingly miraculous rescue by the Ultramarines, Artellus Numeon, once captain of the Pyre Guard, urges the other Salamanders on Macragge to leave Imperium Secundus and return their primarch's body to the homeworld of Nocturne - there to be reborn in the flames of Mount Deathfire. But Numeon grapples endlessly with his doubts and fears for the future of the Legion while their foes seek to carve out new destinies of their own...
Amazon link: Buy Now
Review
Well, that was long, worst yet was that it felt twice as long. What is going on with the Salamander arc? I don't think I have truly enjoyed any of them yet. I was initially excited when we had Ruinstorm travel, daemons and a fantastic chase happening, but then it started to fizzle out. We had a lot of "how many unexplained characters" can show up, "Why are some of the characters acting weird or out of character?", or why has this character gone from interesting to lame?
There are parts to enjoy in this book. Unfortunately, these points are buried under the noise, which is a lot. Like I said, the Ruinstorm chase, daemons, aka Sirens, and some of the Word Bearer action stand out for me, while being planetside on Nocturne was also intriguing and new to me as I've not read much on this Legion. Even that enjoyment was marred with downsides; the build-up of travelling through the Ruinstorm made it seem like we were going to have a horror of a time. Instead, they managed to jump in and out with hardly much issue. A lot of the characters were forgettable and played pointless roles. This also leaked into the Deathguard, who for scenes are super deadly, unbreakable wall of death killing all in their path, then they landed on Nocturne and become useless. Almost in a single paragraph, they are wiped out, and one of the main villains is instantly killed mid-sentence by a cheap shot? What the hell, Kyme?
Overall I think the flaws outweighed the pros. As a completionist, I need this title in my life but did it add to the entire arc or war? NOPE
Give this one a miss.

Beer Review 175 // Ball Dropper by Beyond the Pale Brewing Company Ottawa

Comic Review 169 // Alien: The Original Screenplay
I am so excited to review this comic book. I have read a lot of good things about this Aliens Original Screenplay. I really hope it delivers. Here are the details:

Alien Isolation Part 4 - Working Joe Android Update.

Book Review 166 // Silver Skulls: Portents by S.P. Cawkwell

Comic Review 168 // 2000 AD Prog 1330

Beer Review 174 // Lager than Life by Beyond the Pale Brewing Company
Looking for an excellent beer drinker's gift? Check this out: Link to Amazon
Cheers to reading this review.

Comic Review 167 // 2000 AD Prog 1329
First comic review of 2022! I had to start strong, so we are diving straight in with a 2000 A.D. prog. Issue 1329 was released on the 25th of February 2003. The cover doesn't feel me with joy as it references Bec and Kawl, and I am genuinely over them. But let's hope for the best and dive in.
Want to learn more about 2000 A.D.? Why not start with the 2000 A.D. Encyclopedia (link is via Amazon, and I get a kickback). Thank you for reading, and if you want to chat more, come find me on Instagram.

Road to Badab Astral Claws Painting Guide
Fresh year, fresh start. Revisiting an out project of mine but modernizing. I am a big fan of the Badab War, and I enjoy the Forgeworld books. As you will see in the video, I wanted initially to make an Astral Claws force out of Primaris Space Marines. But with the announcement of the new Aeldari, I will not be pushing forwards at this time with that project. Instead, I will be making painting tutorials on the chapters involved in the war and doing up a fluff piece. So, where to begin? Where else than the Astral Claws.

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