This is a stand-alone prose novel, situated right after “Chain of Command” Parts One & Two episodes from ST-TBrilliant idea for a Star Trek novel!
This is a stand-alone prose novel, situated right after “Chain of Command” Parts One & Two episodes from ST-TNG and before “Emissary” from ST-DS9.
Captain’s Log:
The USS Enterprise-D is assigned to arbitrate the negotiations between the Cardassian Union and the Bajoran Provisional Government, after the unexpected annoucement by the Cardassian Civilian Detapa Council ordering to release the planet Bajor and all its population in that world and any other world in the Cardassian Union, along with retiring all military personnel. The diplomatic talks are celebrated at Terok Nor, an uridium ore processing space station orbiting Bajor.
The USS Oceanside, a California-class starship, is assigned to support assistance to the Enterprise-D in the additional mission of giving maintenance to the Terok Nor station and bringing medical help to the Bajoran population at the surface.
Senior Staff:
Capt. Jean-Luc Picard (Commanding Officer) Cmdr. William T. Riker (First Officer) Lt. Cmdr. Data (Operations Manager & Second Officer) Lt. Cmdr. Deanna Troi (Ship’s Counselor) Lt. Worf (Chief Security Officer) Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge (Chief Engineering Officer) Dr. Beverly Crusher (Chief Medical Officer)
Capt. Tamiko Hayashio (Commanding Officer) Dr. Tropp (Chief Medical Officer) Cmdr. Sarah McDougall (Chief Engineering Officer)
Guest Stars:
Constable Odo (Terok Nor Chief Security Officer) Kira Nerys Garak
LOST CHAPTER
This is indeed a “lost chapter” since this prose novel gives a link between ST-TNG and the beginning of ST-DS9 since it’s situated right after Capt. Jean-Luc Picard was tortured by Gul Madred during the events of Chain of Command and before that Terok Nor would become a Starfleet administered station and be called Deep Space Nine, which I think it’s a great idea for a prose novel in the Star Trek universe.
Where you have the introductions of known characters of Deep Space Nine before of taking their roles, along with reading about the decision of Chief O’Brien of leaving the Enterprise-D but also old minor characters of The Next Generation will return doing priceless cameos, and even character from the “future” of expanded universe prose novels.
PEACE SOMETIMES IS MORE COMPLICATED THAN WAR
After the debacle at Minos Korva where a Cardassian fleet was stopped by the strategy of Capt. Edward Jellico (at that moment in command of the Enterprise-D) the Civilian Detapa Council in Cardassian gives a totally unexpected order of retiring all military presence of the Cardassian Union in the Bajoran system and liberating all Bajoran population in any other Cardassian sector…
…however that order isn’t comply as smooth as you could hope, since the Cardassian Central Command gives indications of damaging all possible Bajoran resources and any Cardassian technology left behind…
…but the worse is that there are secret labour camps in other planetary systems where the liberation order will be changed to extermination process.
It’s up to the Enterprise-D and Oceanside crews to do their best in repairing Terok Nor station, finding the source of a provoked decease in Bajor’s surface, but also finding out about one of those secret camps where an old friend of Ro Laren is kept captive along with many other Bajorans.
Capt. Picard will have his hands full not only dealing with Gul Dukat but also with the now Legate Madred, a very uncomfortable reunion right after their previous torturing meeting. I would wish to have more presence in the story by Ro Laren, and while she does pivotal things in the novel, still I’d love to have her in a more relevant role.
Also, while Garak is on the cover along with Picard, they didn't share any scene and Garak isn't doing really much in the story. (I'd prefer a photo art cover instead of this artistic representation that I guess they don't need to pay to the actors to use them in the cover)
This is a The Next Generation novel but you will have the birth of Deep Space Nine too. Highly recommended for fans of both spin-offs of Star Trek....more
This is the first volume of “Tintin” comic book series. Originally published, between 1929 and 1930, in the “Le Petit Vingtième”, Rocky beginning!
This is the first volume of “Tintin” comic book series. Originally published, between 1929 and 1930, in the “Le Petit Vingtième”, a children’s supplement part of “Le Vingtième Siècle” a Belgian newspaper.
Creative Team:
Creator, Writer & Illustrator: Hergé
FRANCO-BELGIAN COMICS
The collaboration between France and Belgium in the genre of comic strips & comic books is monumental, figuring many of the most iconic examples of the genre, not only Asterix, but also The Smurfs, Tin Tin, Lucky Luke, Le Petit Spirou, and many, many, MANY others…
…generating their own inner genre named, obviously, Franco-Belgian comics, considered along with United States & Great Britain comics and Japanese manga, as one of the three most influential and relevant examples of the comic book field.
(I plan to read in the future other titles of this genre, therefore, in the first volume of each title, it will be normal to find this same general introduction.)
STILL FAR FROM GREATNESS
This is the very first comic book of Tintin but it’s not recommended only if you are truly interested about reading Hergé’s full work, since this volume is too crude in its artwork, almost without a proper plotline and not well written at all falling in cliché cartoonish jokes.
Hergé did it as a commision to do an anti-communist satire, and certainly you get that, but Tintin is barely recognizable since Hergé’s artwork here is too amateur in every sense, characters’ designs, scenarios, etc…
Also, Hergé only read a single book, written by a former Belgian ambassador at Russia, as his only info reference to make this story, and while it’s intentionally a satire, it’s obviously not properly researched to portrait a believable view (negative or positive) about the Soviet Union at the moment.
It was odd that Milou (Tintin’s dog) was able to read his thoughts, but I understand that was normal in Hergé’s first publications, eventually Milou began to behave as a more normal dog.
Tintin is a Belgian reporter commisioned to visit Moscow and he traveled along with his dog, Milou, and they have troubles all the way, beginning in East Germany, and later in Russian territory, where Tintin is assaulted by East Berlin Police and the Soviet OGPU (Secret Police), along the way, Tintin is witness of Communist government acts of opression or deceat but all this is portraited in a too childish comedy style so instead of having a smart critique, you are left with a crude satire lack of imagination.
It’s obvious that was Hergé’s first work and done under paid commision but still this is something that you may choose not to read and you won’t miss anything important about Tintin legacy....more
This is the comic book issue #8 of the event “Batman: White Knight”, which it will be a miniseries of 8 issueBatman: White Knight comes to an end!
This is the comic book issue #8 of the event “Batman: White Knight”, which it will be a miniseries of 8 issues.
Creative Team:
Writer & Illustrator: Sean Murphy
Colorist: Matt Hollingsworth
Letterer: Todd Klein
ONE BIG EPILOGUE
Joker might have been responsible for terrorizing Gotham, but you weren’t necessarily making it better.
Due Batman: White Knight has been such a rush during the previous months, I expected something better for the final issue…
…since it was like an “automatic pilot” issue, where everything runs as expected according to how the story was left in the seventh issue…
…also it was dissapointing that the conclussion was forced to get back to the status quo, at least about The Joker…
…but I have to admit that there were some good changes in how the things were being done in Gotham City from now on (in this parallel universe)…
…and certainly, due stuff exposed in previous issues and a key sentence here, you can figure it out about what will be about, the next volume…
…since I am sure that Sean Murphy (the author) will return to his great new Batman universe, that I read that it will be included into the incoming DC Black Label line of stories.
Don’t get me wrong, since Batman: White Knight is without a doubt one of the best things that you can read about Batman.
My complain isn’t about the whole storyline, but about the necessity of this eighth issue that I think it could be fit (with some editing) and making the miniseries in a seven-issue thing.
Merged review:
Batman: White Knight comes to an end!
This is the comic book issue #8 of the event “Batman: White Knight”, which it will be a miniseries of 8 issues.
Creative Team:
Writer & Illustrator: Sean Murphy
Colorist: Matt Hollingsworth
Letterer: Todd Klein
ONE BIG EPILOGUE
Joker might have been responsible for terrorizing Gotham, but you weren’t necessarily making it better.
Due Batman: White Knight has been such a rush during the previous months, I expected something better for the final issue…
…since it was like an “automatic pilot” issue, where everything runs as expected according to how the story was left in the seventh issue…
…also it was dissapointing that the conclussion was forced to get back to the status quo, at least about The Joker…
…but I have to admit that there were some good changes in how the things were being done in Gotham City from now on (in this parallel universe)…
…and certainly, due stuff exposed in previous issues and a key sentence here, you can figure it out about what will be about, the next volume…
…since I am sure that Sean Murphy (the author) will return to his great new Batman universe, that I read that it will be included into the incoming DC Black Label line of stories.
Don’t get me wrong, since Batman: White Knight is without a doubt one of the best things that you can read about Batman.
My complain isn’t about the whole storyline, but about the necessity of this eighth issue that I think it could be fit (with some editing) and making the miniseries in a seven-issue thing....more
This is one-shot comic book title “Hellfire Gala” which is the beginning of a major comic book event about the X-Men univNothing will be the same!
This is one-shot comic book title “Hellfire Gala” which is the beginning of a major comic book event about the X-Men universe called “Fall of X”.
Creative Team:
Writer: Gerry Dugan
Illustrators: Adam Kubert, Luciano Vecchio, Matteo Lolli, Russell Dauterman, Javier Pina, R.B. Silva, Joshua Cassara, Kris Anka & Pepe Larraz
Colorists: Rain Beredo, Ceci De La Cruz, Matthew Wilson, Erick Arciniega & Marte Gracia
Letterer: Virtual Calligraphy
Cover: Phil Noto
LET’S PARTY!
First of all, I can’t remember a single comic with such large group of creative team, in a TPB couldn’t be such unusual but in one single comic book (even one which is a bit longer than your regular comic book issue(78 pages)) is quite…
…astonishing!
Second of all, it’s quite difficult to explain why this comic is so good and so relevant without falling in spoilers, but don’t worry since I won’t tell you any spoiler…
…just trust me that if you’re fan of The X-Men, you need to read this comic book and hopefully without any spoiler that it could ruin you the large bunch of surprises.
The X-Men universe won’t be the same after this single comic book.
The Hellfire Gala is an elegant party set in Krakoa (an island which is the new mutant nation having cutting-edge technology in teleporting, medicine, etc…) where all the VIP guests (X-Men, Avengers, important mutants and non-mutants) assist to vote and to elect the new roster of The X-Men. There has been other Hellfire Galas before and I don’t know how interesting were the previous ones…
…but you won’t want to miss this one!!!
One topic is that Ms. Marvel (Kamala Khan) is revealed as mutant, and since she was already an inhuman, it’s quite unusual to be both (not to mention that she died and due being mutant now, she is able to be ressurrected thanks to the uncanny new mutant technology). Cyclops and Emma Frost are quite interested that Kamala being widely recognized as mutant, while Kamala herself is still dealing with the news (being a mutant and being recently deceased).
This Hellfire Gala is where “The Fall of X” begins and I can’t tell you how, but indeed you can trust me that the X-Men universe won’t be the same and this incoming comic book event will be quite relevant to read.
If you’re gonna read this one, brace yourselves, it will be a bumpy ride. This isn't for the faint of heart.
This book is a tie-in prose novel of “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine”.
CANON OR NOT CANON
Always there is a gray area about the tie-iBajorans clash!
This book is a tie-in prose novel of “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine”.
CANON OR NOT CANON
Always there is a gray area about the tie-in novels in a franchise if those are canon or not, since at best what they do is writing stories that basically don’t contradict anything showed in the films or TV series, however, the problem arises when after being written the novel, something is developed in the films or TV series and it’s impossible to keep valid what was written in the tie-in novel. And even there is the situation when they make canon prose novels (or comics) and something written there complicates the continuity of some past tie-in novel.
AND believe it or not, it can also happen that a new film or TV series leaves some prose canon works, giving back the continuity of a past tie-in novel.
Hard to follow, right?
Well, there is the case of this very tie-in novel, due the situation of using a major guest character to Ro Laren (first introduced in Star Trek: The Next Generation, as a Starfleet officer and later she decides to join the Maquis, a rebel group against the Cardassians) that the initial plans were that the character will pass to then incoming Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and serving as first officer of the space station, but Michelle Forbes (the actress who portrayed the character) didn’t accept the offer and then the character of Kira Nerys was created to substitute her.
But the temptation of having Ro Laren in DS9 was quite a lot and this tie-in novel appears and everything goes well, until the “Relaunch” novels (DS9 novels then accepted as CANON in the future after the ending of the TV series, and there, they eventually put Ro Laren (again a Starfleet officer and now a captain) as commanding officer of DS9, but then it was stated that it was the first time that Ro Laren and Kira Nerys meet, therefore leaving this very novel as totally non-canon…
…BUT!!!…
…in Star Trek: Lower Decks was established that Kira Nerys is still commanding officer of DS9 and in Star Trek: Picard was established that Ro Laren is again a Starfleet officer, so the Relaunch novels were changed to be considered an alternate universe and THIS VERY NOVEL return to the merry gray area of tie-in novels that they aren’t totally canon but nothing there contradicts it… once again.
DESPERATE TIMES MADE UNUSUAL ALLIANCES
Bajor is attacked with a contagious plague that Bajorans soon enough started to call “The Wrath of the Prophets” and Kai Winn ask for help to Captain Sisko and the crew of DS9.
Then, while Dr. Bashir is quite busy trying to find a cure, a couple of unusual alliances are forged to find clues to the origin of the plague (that it was established that came to Bajor through infected generic matter to be used in tampered replicators)…
…Captain Sisko uneasly joins Quark to go to Orion space aboard the Defiant and find the illegal vendor who provides the matter and replicators…
…while Kira Nerys reluctanly joins forces with Ro Laren, on the surface of Bajor through old mates of Kira during the Cardassian occupation, to find the clues of whom bought the so-called compromised matter and tampered replicators which originates the deadly plague on Bajor.
Initially the plague was only affecting Bajorans but Morn (the usual client at Quark’s) is presenting the illness, provoking a new level of threat, one, not only Bajorans are susceptible to the virus, and two, DS9 isn’t quaratined anymore to the plague, leaving no place safe to go.
Ro Laren is one of my favorite Star Trek characters, therefore it was a really cool reading!...more
This is the TPB collecting the issues #1-8 of the comic book event “Batman: Beyond the White Knight” plus the two-parter of “BatmIt’s Beyond Time!
This is the TPB collecting the issues #1-8 of the comic book event “Batman: Beyond the White Knight” plus the two-parter of “Batman: White Knight presents Red Hood”.
Creative Team:
Writer & Illustrator: Sean Murphy
Writer for Red Hood two-parter: Clay McCormack & Sean Murphy
Illustrators for Red Hood two-parter: Simone Di Meo & George Kambadais
Colorist: Dave Stewart
Colorists for Red Hood two-parter: Dave Stewart & Simone Di Meo
Letterer: Andworld Design
STILL A MASTERPIECE BUT…
While this third entry of the White Knight is still a masterpiece compared with many other stuff in the comic book market, and as you could see I gave it a full 5-stars rate, it’s the one that I found more stuff to critize or that I’d like to be handled differently.
This is where Batman Beyond (the Murphyverse version) enters and I was expecting that Terry McGinnis would shine to the top but the story (including the complementary two-parter) keeps wasting time on Jason Todd and frankly that doesn’t add anything of value to the main story, even you can take out Jason Todd of the equation and basically you get the same story.
On the side-story book about Harley Quinn, set between Curse and Beyond, Bruce Wayne shows that not matter he was on prison, he still keeps tabs on anything relevant happening on Gotham City, however, here Bruce Wayne is totally ignorant that Derek Powers took over Wayne Enterprise and even rename it, along with not knowing about how the lives of his “family” were doing all this time, and I felt that it was like a continuity issue, since not matter he asked that nobody would visit him anymore at the prison, he is Batman after all, and Batman always knows what is happening in Gotham City.
Derek Powers is one of the best managed characters in the story, but I didn’t need that he’d become Blight, while logical to the evolution of the character, he was more interesting and intimidating as a ruthless and smart CEO than a radioactive monster.
Duke Thomas took the mantle of Robin and while it was an idea of Sean Murphy since the first book that he didn’t implement then, I think that now in the third book where the character is way old, it’s kinda weird to be a Robin, in my humble opinion and it’s not like he is cooler just because becoming a Robin, since Duke Thomas is a cool character on his own.
And while Jackie, Harley and Jack’s daugher has a prominent role in the story, Bryce is left aside not doing anything relevant here.
WELCOME TO THE FUTURE
Bruce Wayne has been on prison for like 10 years and now the GTO is keeping the peace using police state protocols even causing a separation from the GCPD, putting Commander Dick Grayson and Commisioner Barbara Gordon in opposite sides of how to uphold the law, there wasn’t a Batman for all that time…
…and now Gotham City will have TWO!!!
Terry McGinnis is being manipulated by Derek Powers to find a special Bat-suit, the “Beyond” suit, that Powers need for “The Project”, and once Bruce Wayne found out that what was his company now it’s managed by Powers, he got out from prison using another Bat-suit (one that uses low-tech and not electronics becoming kinda invisible for the city’s futuristic sensors).
However, Bruce Wayne won’t be alone…
…since a microchip on his brain will bring it a holographic Jack Napier!!!
That it will be quite useful in this now high-tech Gotham City, since this new Jack is having one heck of hacking habilities.
In the middle of that, Harley’s daughter, Jackie found out the truth of how Jack died and she goes in a teenage rampage that it will be stopped soon enough by Derek Powers, manipulating her for his own agenda.
And Sean Murphy already set key elements for the fourth entry of this White Knght saga, expanding the Batman universe to the rest of DC universe but in Murphyverse style.
This is the TPB collecting the issues #1-8 of the comic book event “Batman: Curse of the White Knight” plus the one-shot oThe Murphyverse expands!
This is the TPB collecting the issues #1-8 of the comic book event “Batman: Curse of the White Knight” plus the one-shot of “Batman: White Knight presents Von Freeze”.
Creative Team:
Writer & Illustrator: Sean Murphy
Illustrator for Von Freeze one-shot: Klaus Johnson
Colorist: Matt Hollingsworth
Letterer: Andworld Design
THE LIGHTNING STRIKES TWICE!!!
After the huge success of The White Knight by Sean Murphy, opening the path to the new line of DC Black Label and fans talking about a “Murphyverse”, it was only logical to have a sequel and due the first one was so good, it was understandable if the second one wasn’t that good…
…BUT…
…it was the same as good!
Sean Murphy showed in the first White Knight his love for Batman, the Animated Series and Batman ‘89, still keeping that, in this second volume of the saga, he showed his influences of the rest of 90’s Batman films but also the 90’s comic book event of Batman: Knightfall, clearly showing his modern influences about Batman, making him a banner in a new generation of writers/artists for the universe of Batman.
Which one is better? Well, I think that’s losing time and enjoy both stories, since it’s like saying that “Empire Strikes Back” is better than “A New Hope” but you can’t have “Empire” without “New Hope”, you need one for the existence of the other, and while it’s clear that the whole Jack Napier thing in the first White Knight was managed awesome and you could say that the new antagonist isn’t that well psychologically developed, the bets in the second story are higher, Sean Murphy isn’t afraid of doing what’s needed for the whole picture of the story, taking true advantage that he has his own comic book universe, and the status quo in the Murphyverse is shaken so much that you have to recognize that Curse of the White Knight is as enjoyable and well written than the first entry of this modern masterpiece of the comic book industry.
KNIGHTFALL REIMAGINED
The Joker is back in prison and Jack Napier is inside of clown’s mind again, however Jack Napier did so much and exposed so much in the first entry of the story that Gotham City can’t be the same anymore…
…and that’s something that the rich elite can’t afford so The Napier Initiative needs to be stopped and if Batma doesn’t cooperate…
…well, he will need to be stopped too!
ENTER: AZRAEL aka Jean-Paul Valley
However, Sean Murphy reimagined this and offers a better solution to the eternal problem of Knigthfall…
…why Bruce Wayne chose a total stranger like Jean-Paul Valley as his successor over better choices like Dick Grayson?
And Sean Murphy did it quite easy, since the idea of a new Batman isn’t taken by Bruce Wayne but the very rich elite that needed a better pawn to keep Gotham City under their leash.
However, that it will the peak of the iceberh since the very existence of Jean-Paul Valley means to Bruce Wayne more than he ever imagined since in this reimagination, Jean-Paul Valley isn’t a stranger to the legacy of Gotham City!
Bruce Wayne, Harleen Quinzel, Jack Napier, James Gordon, Barbara Gordon and the entire Gotham City won’t be the same after the shaking events of this monumental story.
Also, you’ll get in this TPB a great chapter about the past of Victor Fries’ father under the regime of the Nazi Third Reich.
This is the fifth and final novel of the “Lockwood & Co.” book series
EVERYTHING COMES TO AN END
Lucy Carlyle iThe epic solution to The Problem!
This is the fifth and final novel of the “Lockwood & Co.” book series
EVERYTHING COMES TO AN END
Lucy Carlyle is once again working with Lockwood & Co., along with A.J. Lockwood and George Cubbins, keeping on payroll to Holly Munro and even adding now Quill Kipps.
In the last book, the story leaves a cliffhanger where they need to check out the grave of Marissa Fittes, a legendary heroines of the early days about The Problem, but as the book’s title hints, the Marissa Fittes’ coffin is empty.
However, our heroes now have to deal with Penelope Fittes but she and Marissa’s fate is tighter than they ever suspect.
Therefore, the humble Lockwood & Co. will have to fight against the Fittes Agency and all its resources and influence in London, so they soon will have to look for the possible allies even the unpredictable Whispering Skull.
Easily the darkest novel in the series (that after all, the series is quite dark already) and our heroes will have to be alert because the perils are the highest here!
Everything you wanted to know about how The Problem originated, and the foggy family past of A.J. Lockwood will be revealed here, so definitely, if you were reading the previous entries in the series, you need to read the epic conclusion!
This is the fourth novel of the “Lockwood & Co.” book series
THE COUNTRY, FULL OF FRESH AIR AND… GHOSTS!!!
Lucy Carlyle is no Ghosts everywhere!
This is the fourth novel of the “Lockwood & Co.” book series
THE COUNTRY, FULL OF FRESH AIR AND… GHOSTS!!!
Lucy Carlyle is no more with Lockwood & Co. and she’s trying to pay the rent as a freelancer, even with big companies like Rothwell Agency, but it’s clear that maybe that’s a big company but that doesn’t mean better personnel and she has to emply all her cards to keep herself alive in the job.
Lucy deals with the illegal traffic of Sources that they were supposed to be destroyed but they end in the black market, and in the middle of that, she lost her most valuable paranormal possession, the Whispering Skull!
Lucy is missing her days at Lockwood & Co. but she won’t need to do that anymore since A.J. Lockwood himself presents at her door asking for her freelance services, and while she doesn’t know what to feel to work again with her friends, she accepts the offer.
Lucy then joins A.J. Lockwood, George Cubbins, Holly Munro, along with Quill Kipps, to go to a small town with big ghost troubles, where it’s clear that Rothwell Agency is doing some kind of mischief.
The biggest ghost there is The Creeping Shadow giving title to the novel.
Along with paranormal issues, they will face a nasty corporate war, where some of the leading ones aren’t who they supposed to be.
I won’t get deeper in the story since it would spoil the ending but I can tell you that the fourth book is as good as the previous ones in the series and definitely I recommend it!
This is the first novel of the “Lockwood & Co.” book series
STREAMING STAIRCASE
I already knew about this book seriWho you gonna call…in London?
This is the first novel of the “Lockwood & Co.” book series
STREAMING STAIRCASE
I already knew about this book series before of the streaming TV adaptation by Netflix, but I didn’t start to read the book series until now.
I liked a lot the first season that it’s an adaptation of books 1 and 2. I think that maybe they aren’t sure to reach five seasons, so they merged two books into the first season, and I guess to reach three seasons at least for the entire series, also taking in account that the following books are thicker and therefore harder to adapt two novels in just one TV season.
So, since the book series is already finished and it isn’t so extensive, I think that it was a good idea to engage into the book series while the second season would come out, hopefully soon and hopefully that Netflix would adapt the entire saga and don’t get cancelled before.
From what I read in the first book, it was quite well adapted in the streaming TV series, so both formats are recommendable to engage.
THE PROBLEM
In London, there is a problem that they call… “The Problem” (they didn’t scratch their heads too much, mmh?) that since 50 years ago, ghost began to appear at night and if you are touched by them you die! Soon enough it was discovered that many children had talents to hear, watch and feel ghosts, but when they reached maturity, they lost those talents. Agencies are formed all around England to deal with The Problem, using kids as field agents and adults (usually former kids with talent) as supervisors.
It’s developed a vast arsenal of tools and weapons to deal with the ghosts, like iron chains, iron filings, iron swords, silver nets, salt bombs and magnesium incendiary explosives, where the key tactic to eliminate the ghosts is to find “The Source” some artifact left behind when they were alive and that they remained attached.
The private commercial agencies are supervised by a government agency called DEPRAC (Department of Psychical Research and Control).
GHOSTS ARE JOB FOR KIDS
“Lockwood & Co.” is an unique agency since it’s operated by teenagers without any adult supervision. The first book is told from the perspective of Lucy Carlyle, a teenage girl with the talent of hearing ghosts, but soon enough is discovered that she also can “feel” things while touching objects serving as Sources.
Lucy after having some troubles in her home town, she moved to London and got being hired by Anthony Lockwood (a little older than Lucy) and owner of “Lockwood & Co.” with the talent of seeing ghosts, where the third member of the agency is George Cubbins (also a little older than Lucy but a little younger than Lockwood) where he is expert in researching the necessary info about ghosts before engaging them.
In the first book, you’ll read about an early mission of Lucy and Lockwood where they caused a severe damage to a house and they are in the need to get soon a lot of money to pay the damages or the agency can be shut down by DEPRAC.
Therefore, Lockwood will accept a dangerous job in Combe Carey Hall (the most haunted house in England, that it possess that motto even before of the rising of The Problem!) where there is hidden a “Screaming Staircase” which it gives title to this first novel.
The setting of the saga is awesome, quite well established the rules of how this world works, the characters are well developed and you care for them, and certainly it’s totally recommended. Certainly I will read the rest of the saga, maybe not, one after another, but reading some other stuff in between, but I won't delay them too much.
This book is the second one in the “Coda” trilogy. Each book is written by a different author.
EVERYBODY IS INVITEDThe end of an era… continues!
This book is the second one in the “Coda” trilogy. Each book is written by a different author.
EVERYBODY IS INVITED!
The saga giving a closure to the Star Trek expanded universe continues.
Certainly this trilogy is offering a better way to deal with the “canon” topic of prose novels to the Star Trek franchise than the decision made with Star Wars where they just relegated its prose novels (not all of them) to a status of “legends” leaving them totally non-canon, however in Star Trek cleverly they are using this very saga to explain that they exist in a different parallel universe, at least the books about the 24th century set after the events of the ending of the previous TV series and films, since nowadays with the existence of Star Trek: Picard and Star Trek: Prodigy, even Star Trek: Lower Decks (in the case of Star Trek: Discovery isn´t affecting so far), the lives of characters like Jean-Luc Picard, Kathryn Janeway, Benjamin Sisko and their crews are now totally different in comparison with their adventures during the so-called “expanded universe”.
Another cool thing is that everybody is invited to this closure since in this second novel you get references not only to Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager but also to Star Trek: The Original Series and Star Trek: Enterprise, along with even Star Trek: Lower Decks. Some elements are widely exposed, others are some brief reference, but all of them are there.
THE STAKES IS HIGHER AND HIGHER
The Devidians, villains that appeared in ST:TNG in the two-parter episode “Time’s Arrow” are proving to be one of the most dangerous threats ever faced by any Star Trek crew, since they are putting at risk the very existence of not only this literary universe at hand but also multiple parallel universes, even time-manipulating races like the Krenim aren’t able to stop the Devidians.
Captain Picard and Wesley Crusher aren’t getting the assistance expected from Starfleet Command so they are leaving with not other choice than dealing the menace of the Devidians themselves, becoming renegades, with the support of a small group of friends and allies, including Captain Sisko and his former crew…
…BUT…
…William Riker isn’t one of those friends or allies! Maybe this is the only one thing that I didn’t enjoy in this second book, since while there is an explanation of why Riker is acting that way, still I am not thrilled with the concept of having Riker as an antagonist in the story (not a villain, but certainly a fearsome antagonist).
Since this is the ending of the so-called “expanded universe”, in the first book many characters died, most of them were literary characters created during the expanded universe but there was one truly big and important of the characters from the TV series, and in this second book, the deaths continue, where you have even more characters from TV series dying and not limiting to characters but also iconic elements of the franchise are no more.
The stakes are higher and higher since this the end of a (literary) era!
This is the screenplay of the film of the same title, which is the third entry in the saga.
TO BUY OR NOT TO BUY THE BOOK
I willCould be better!
This is the screenplay of the film of the same title, which is the third entry in the saga.
TO BUY OR NOT TO BUY THE BOOK
I will saying kinda several elements from the movie since after all, this isn’t a novelization of the story but basically the screenplay of the film.
I wasn’t sure to buy the book since the movie didn’t impress me much but since it isn’t clear if Fantastic Beasts will continue as film saga and this could be the last entry of it, well, I already had all the previous books of Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts, it could be odd to miss the very last book. I really do hope that the saga would go on, but if not, at least I have all the books so far.
I had to wait quite a bit to buy it since at least in my country, Costa Rica, the book didn’t arrive until several months after its release, and even so, the Spanish translated edition arrived first, and I had to wait a lot that the English edition would be available here (since I have on English all the previous books).
I am grateful that at least this screeplay includes some additional value having several sketches of costumes, scenarios and props of the movie, along with insight comments from key people of the production like David Heyman, David Yates, Eddie Redmayne, Jude Law, Mads Mikkelsen, etc…
...therefore I am not just reading the dialogues of a movie that I already watched but having interesting information giving some extra context to the story and characters.
ELECTED BY AN ANIMAL?
I think that something that mainly bothers me about the story was that while there is an election with votes by people, at the end, the preference of an animal would be recognized to appoint the new leader of the whole wizarding world community.
It’s illogical that a race that even practice slavery (domestic elves) would respect that an animal would know the kind of leader that he or she would rule over them.
I understand that since this second saga of the Wizarding World is about Fantastic Beasts, J.K. Rowling need to include animals on relevants roles in the story, but having one “electing” the leader of all the magical world is indeed absurd.
Even more absurd if you think that that animal almost “elected” a character that he’s one of the most popular characters in the whole franchise, but hardly I’d think that he is pure of heart, since he has done questionable things here and there, maybe for the good reasons but still I don’t think that he is pure of heart, but…
…I do think that he could be a great world leader, so that helps me to question if a person pure of heart can be the best choice to be a leader, since obviously can’t be a malignant character but the leader of many people will have to make hard choices here and there, so I don’t know if a person of true pure of heart would be able to make those hard choices.
In any case, that “electing system” of the wizarding world doesn’t work, at least from my point of view.
THE SAGA IS ON FREE FALLING
It doesn’t help to the story that Newt Scamander doesn’t have at hand his case, therefore, he only has two fantastic beasts with him (already too exposed in the two previous movies) during the most of the plot.
The first movie was really good but it’s clear that it was like a stand-alone experiment without expecting to be expanded into a multiple entries saga, and while the second one wasn’t that good, at least I was entertained a lot and even I understood that J.K. Rowling needed that second movie to make the foundation to be developed in the rest of the second saga, but here, when I was expecting more content, more evolution, the story is quite simple and even absurd, where…
…isn’t helping the big loss of Tina Goldstein in the story (I don’t know if there was some agenda problem with the actress but I don’t care, I needed Tina in the movie) for not saying the change of casting in Grindelwald (don’t get me wrong, I like Mads Mikkelsen and he did a good job but I didn’t like the re-cast was only because Warner was afraid that the legal problems at the moment with Johnny Depp would alienate the audience (that at the end resulted in positive light to him) (even more illogical since it seems that Warner still plans to premiere The Flash with Ezra Miller who is still a lot more polemic).
However, not matter the recast of someone and the missing of another, still the story isn’t that good and the saga seems to be drowing at the point that there isn’t any clear plans to make a fourth entry, which I found sad and losing the opportunity of watching the wizarding world involved in WWII and the rise of Voldemort, just to mention a couple of cool things to explore…
…for not saying that I was hoping that Jacob Kowalski and Queenie Goldstein could be resulting past relatives of some character of the original saga.
BUT…
…in a positive light I can say that new characters like Lally and having more exposition of Bunty was something that I enjoyed a lot, since certainly J.K. Rowling knows how to create charming characters that helps to balance the lack of a better solid story.
This harcover TPB edition contains “Batman ‘89” #1 - 6.
Creative Team
Writer: Sam Hamm
Illustrator: Roberto Quiñones
BATMANIA
BaBatmania is back!!!
This harcover TPB edition contains “Batman ‘89” #1 - 6.
Creative Team
Writer: Sam Hamm
Illustrator: Roberto Quiñones
BATMANIA
Batman from 1989 was a pop culture revolution that year, people made lines to buy a t-shirt with Batman logo and certainly was the most popular movie then. People read articles in newspapers, months before its premiere, telling about the development of the film.
Polemic risen about if Michael Keaton should portrait Batman…
…and then the movie opened…
…and the polemic died and a pop culture icon was born.
I was lucky to watch that movie at theaters twice in a week. A friend got me from USA, the original soundtrack in cassette (yes, I still have it) and eventually I got the 90s Batman’s film collection first on DVD and later on blu-ray.
When I bought this TPB I thought that it was a following from the first film only, but it resulted that Batman Returns also ocurred, so the graphic novel is set after the events of the first two films giving an alternative continuation keeping Michael Keaton as Batman and Billy Dee Williams as Harvey Dent/Two-Face.
In the case of Pat Hingle’s James Gordon, you’ll find a dramatic change, showing a haircut and moustache to make him to look more like a comic book James Gordon. I would preferred having him to look more like in the live-action films, after all, the whole idea reading this kind of comic book projects is to watch the characters to look like their movie counterparts.
HOLY ROADS NOT TAKEN, BATMAN!
A real treat for this story is having Sam Hamm as writer since he was the screenwriter of precisely the first two Batman films, and he wrote this graphic novel adapting ideas that he discussed with the very Tim Burton and those ideas could be indeed a third movie if Tim Burton would remain as director, so this TPB is a priceless chance to read what may looked like.
In this story is introduced an adult Barbara Gordon who is a GCPD Sergeant Detective (that at least in my opinion she has the lookalike of Sean Young (who was initially casted as Vicky Vale for the first movie but she had to quit due an accident while filming an early scene)) but it seems that the thought model for the character was Winona Ryder. I don’t know, the drawing for me still it looks like more like Sean Young.
Also, you have Robin, but it’s a new character named Drake Winston and drawn to look like a young Marlon Wayans. I think that if they were creating a new Robin, they should think in a whole different name (like Miles Morales in the case of Marvel’s Spider-Man). Tim Drake is the comics’ third Robin and even he was created in 1989. I don’t know, maybe, just maybe, it was initially a joint project, but since Robin didn’t get to appear in the first Tim Burton film at the final cut, the two ideas took different paths.
At the end, this TPB is highly recommend to all fans of Batman films since it’s a priceless opportunity to read an elseworld scenario of how may looked like a third Batman film if Michael Keaton and Tim Burton would remain for a third entry in the film saga.
Since I haven't the time that I used to have, I will comment only in this first collected edition, and The TV series is WAY better than the comic!
Since I haven't the time that I used to have, I will comment only in this first collected edition, and basically since I want to say that while I am huge fan of the TV series adapted from this material, I was disappointed that in my very personal opinion that the comic book isn't nearly as good as the TV adaptation.
Just to avoid confusion, my comments here will be about the entire saga, not only this first collected volume.
I have read many other similar comics like The Authority, Top10, Astro City,Watchmen , etc... and The Boys appeared at the end, once all those mentioned did their own impact in the comic book industry with originality and good taste, but sadly The Boys isn't that original and the few good things there, the author managed to ruin them (don't worry I won't spoil anything) but in my case, I was sad how wrong the comic book turned at the end...
...not to mention that the road wasn't that inspired, since anybody can write profanities and violence, you don't need many talent for that...
...I was honestly excited to read the comic book, and I was expecting something different than the TV series...
...BUT...
...still something good and enjoyable...
...however that wasn't the case.
I am pretty sure that many people love the comic and that's okay, anybody is entitled to an opinion...
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