Rocket Ranger Reloaded

http://rocketrangerreloaded.com/

Work has been its usual insane self these last few weeks, which explains why I pretty much go missing this time of year, every year.

BUT...I had to poke my head out for this.

Way back in the day when I was just a baby ArcLight, I had a Commodore Amiga computer. Fantastic little machine, complete with a Buckaroo Banzai reference in the manual.

Without a doubt, the coolest games I had for it all came from Cinemaware; the World War I flight game WINGS, the 50s-movie style giant ant game IT CAME FROM THE DESERT, and the pulp serial inspired ROCKET RANGER.

Cinemaware is back. They've released Amiga-emulated versions of WINGS and ROCKET RANGER already. They have a great, updated version of WINGS out, and now they're working on supercharging ROCKET RANGER. 

That's where this post (and the above graphic) come in. The Kickstarter campaign is almost over and they still need some help. Hit the link, download the demo, and toss some spare coin their way so they can continue bringing back the old school games in new school style (and releasing emulated versions of the originals for nostalgic types like me).

I know only about four people actually read this (Hi, Mom!) but I figured I'd do what I could to help them out since I love their stuff so much.

Kickstarter link:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/850516062/rocket-ranger-reloaded

THE BIONIC WOMAN: SEASON FOUR #2

THE BIONIC WOMAN: SEASON FOUR #2

Writer: Brandon Jerwa

Artist: David T. Cabrera

Colors: Sandra Molina

Letters: Joshua Cozine

Publication Date: October 2014

Published by Dynamite Entertainment

Well, the real life stuff has been kicking up lately (tis the season and all that claptrap) so I'm behind on blathering on about stuff, but here we go with issue two of Dynamite's Bionic Woman revival.

As you may recall, the first issue had some stuff I wasn't all that thrilled with. Let's see what happens next....

EXISTS

EXISTS (2014)

Directed by Eduardo Sanchez

Written by Jamie Nash

Starring Chris Osborn, Roger Edwards, and Brian Steele

Rated R

So, another week, another bigfoot movie.

Yeah, it's another 'found-footage' movie, and I've already mentioned how tired I am of those, but as long as they keep making them about bigfoot and aliens and the like I guess I'll keep watching.

Luckily, third time seems to be the charm with this run of sasquatch-themed movies.

There are issues, of course. One problem it can't help is that I've seen THE CABIN IN THE WOODS (multiple times) so a group of five twenty-somethings going off to, yes, a cabin in the woods, is always going to remind me of that film and make me wonder who bet on 'sasquatch/wendigo/yeti.'

The other big problem is how much of a cookie-cutter plot most of these movies tend to have. 

This one, however, manages to play with the formula a tiny bit and that really elevates it in my opinion. It's also possible that I wouldn't have liked it so much if I hadn't just sat thru BIGFOOT WARS and WILLOW CREEK recently but I have and by comparison, EXISTS is a big(foot) step up.

Director Eduardo Sanchez - of THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT - gives us a group that includes Brian, played by Chris Osborn, who tags along with the specific intent of shooting video of the trip to post on YouTube. As such, he's prepared with multiple cameras, including a handful of GoPros, to capture the guys doing things like making stunt jumps with their mountain bikes into the local lake and stuff like that. This gives the audience a variety of viewpoints on the events and cuts down a little on the 'why is he still filming/how is he managing to keep things in frame?' issues. 

Another thing that gave this monster-fan a thrill - you get to see the creature! In broad daylight, even! Considering that ninety-nine percent of these movies cut to black just before we ever get a look at whatever is going on, this is a huge and welcome change. The bigfoot outfit was designed by Spectral Motion of the HELLBOY movies and other top films. It was worn by Brian Steele, doing quite the 180 from his turn as Harry in the HARRY AND THE HENDERSONS TV series.

If you're interested in either bigfoot or found-footage films, I'd say give this one a rental.

WILLOW CREEK

WILLOW CREEK (2013)

Written and directed by Bobcat Goldthwait

Starring Bryce Johnson and Alexie Gilmore

Not rated

Netflix got around to sending me Bobcat Goldthwait's WILLOW CREEK.

On the plus side, it was made loads better than BIGFOOT WARS.

On the minus side...it follows the 'found footage' formula to the letter. Lots of setup. Some tension. Some panic. End credits.

And remember how the preview and poster for QUARANTINE (the 2008 US-made remake of REC) ended up showing the final scene of the film?

Don't watch the preview for WILLOW CREEK. Or if you do, cut it off when the title comes up on screen. 

Or watch the whole thing and see a nice, condensed version of the film in two minutes and save yourself the other seventy-five minutes.

Man, that makes it sound like the whole thing sucks. It's really not that bad, it's just nothing particularly special and I had some hopes for this one.

It comes down to weighing how you feel about bigfoot movies versus how you feel about found footage films. I'm about sick to death of found footage films but I keep watching them. They keep coming up with ideas I'm interested in, but without fail they pretty much end right when they get interesting and leave me annoyed more than anything else.

  

BIGFOOT WARS

BIGFOOT WARS

Directed by Brian T. Jaynes

Written by Andrea Doss, Frederic Doss, and Jacob Mauldin

Based on the books by Eric S. Brown

Starring Holt Boggs and C. Thomas Howell

Not rated

So I had nothing else going on the other night and decided to rent BIGFOOT WARS (after seeing that Netflix could send me WILLOW CREEK on disc).

Bad decision.

Aside from kinda-okay-looking-in-a-70s-movie-style sasquatches and C. Thomas Howell chewing scenery as a pot smoking hillbilly survivalist  there's pretty much nothing to recommend this film. (Judd Nelson got roped into it too, somehow.) Okay, there's some decent gore, too, I guess.

If you must see this one, at least try to catch it for free so you only lose five hours of your time. (No, the movie isn't five hours long. IMDb claims it's only 75 minutes. It just seems *much* longer.)

Looking around, I've seen where C. Thomas Howell and one or two others involved in the movie took to Twitter to basically apologize for how it turned out. And Howell has been in Asylum movies, so....

The movie is supposed to be based on a series of novels by Eric S. Brown. I've yet to read any of Brown's original work, so I don't have any idea how close it may have gotten.

The director, Brian T. Jaynes, also directed 2010's BOGGY CREEK, which kinda covered the same territory (and for which Brown wrote the novelization). They could easily be connected. It's also a little bit better. 

NAKED ZOMBIE GIRL

NAKED ZOMBIE GIRL

Written and Directed by Rickey Bird
Starring Meghan Chadeayne
Not Rated

With a title and poster like that, it's pretty easy to get an idea what Naked Zombie Girl (NZG going forward 'cause I'm lazy) from Hectic Films is about. Just to clarify - the 'Girl' of the film is not a 'Zombie' (this isn't another Dawna the Dead), but never fear, she does end up quite 'Naked' before too long.

This short film clocks in at just over twenty-five minutes long. It's been making the rounds at horror conventions and film festivals and as I was settling down to write this, the NZG facebook page announced they'd won Best Horror Short at the Austin Indie Flix Festival. Go, team!

As the film starts, three people are in a car, apparently fleeing from...something. News reports on the radio, as well as one of the car's occupants suffering from a bite wound, make it clear the zombie apocalypse is upon us. In short order, the car craps out and the bitten dude decides to end things by way of a gun in his mouth. The two remaining girls barely have time to react to this before the car is surrounded by zombies.

Our heroine, played by Meghan Chadeayne, escapes, losing her dress in the process (and that's where the 'Naked' part comes in at). She quickly finds her courage and a chainsaw and proceeds to go to town on the zombies.

Overall, the thing is very well done and looks better than a lot of full-length b-movies I've seen. Decent zombies and a fair amount of practical gore effects. There's also some computer generated gore but I'm far more forgiving of CGI in a low budget short that was filmed over the course of just a couple of nights than I am in a big budget feature. And, it's hard to deny the appeal of Meghan Chadeayne kicking zombie butt while baring her own for much of the running time.

NZG is part of the new wave of 'grindhouse' inspired films that have come out lately, so there are film scratches and other grunge effects applied to make it look like a '70s drive-in movie. Personally, I could've done without most of that but better that than the jumpy 'found footage' style that hasn't gone away yet.

I don't know if they're even considering filming a feature-length version of the story, perhaps showing how the characters ended up where the short starts and of course continuing on past the end, but I'd be all for it if they are.

If you get a chance to see a screening, I'd say go. The website for the film indicates that it will be for sale at some point, but if you live in a cultural wasteland and are impatient like myself, there's a GoFundMe campaign for a Naked Zombie Girl comic book that can get you a download of the film for a fifteen-dollar donation. That's how I got to see it. As of this writing, there are still four downloads available.


Naked Zombie Girl website
Hectic Films website
NZG comic GoFundMe page
NZG facebook page

THE BIONIC WOMAN: SEASON FOUR #1

THE BIONIC WOMAN: SEASON FOUR #1

Writer: Brandon Jerwa

Artist: David T. Cabrera

Colors: Sandra Molina

Letters: Joshua Cozine

Publication Date: September 2014

Published by Dynamite Entertainment

Well, after a fantastic, way-too-short run of THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN: SEASON SIX, the fine folks at Dynamite now bring us their continuation of THE BIONIC WOMAN.

I've already praised James Kuhoric's work on the SEASON SIX series. It set a mighty high bar for pretty much any other tie-in/continuation/reboot anyone might attempt. Perhaps inevitably, the new Bionic Woman series doesn't quite reach those heights (but hey, it's a first issue so I'm willing to cut a little slack while everyone is warming up).

THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN: SEASON SIX #6

THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN: SEASON SIX #6


Writer: James Kuhoric
Art: David T. Cabrera
Colors: Fran Gamboa
Letters: Joshua Cozine
Publication Date: September 2014
Published by Dynamite Entertainment

The story so far....

Steve's bionics have been severely damaged by Maskatron, leaving Jaime to go alone to Kennedy Space Center and investigate the alien presence taking over the workers there. Oliver Spencer has given Oscar the means to rebuild Steve despite the Bionics program being shut down, and has a plan to regain control of Maskatron at the risk of his own mind. And the Soviets plan to do some rebuilding of their own with a soldier who was injured during Steve's fight with the B-YAGA armored tank suit.

Now....

ORBIT: ALICE COOPER

ORBIT: ALICE COOPER

Pre-order: 9/10/2014

Writer: Michael L. Frizell

Artist: Jayfri Hashim & D.A Frizell

3 covers: Cover A: $3.99, Cover B $5.99 and cover C $9.99

Digital Price: $3.99

BIASAC: CGN008000, BIO022000,JNF007000, CGN007000, BIO005000,  BIO004001

Alice Cooper is a man, a band, and an idea that took on a life of its own, a voice for shock and glitter rockers whose influence created stars like Marilyn Manson and KISS. Behind the paint, the boa constrictors, and the staged executions is a man whose creative energies gave rise to a legend. Half truth, half fiction, Alice Cooper defines fame.

KISS may have entered my young consciousness first but Alice Cooper wasn't far behind. As much as I'll always be a member of the KISS Army (no matter how much of an ass Gene Simmons continues to make of himself) there's no doubt that Alice Cooper is indeed The Master. His headlining Theatre of Death tour in 2009/2010 was easily the best concert I've ever attended.

Mostly he's been doing opening shots on tours lately (with Iron Maiden in 2012 and currently with Motley Crue on their last tour) which is kind-of unfortunate...for the bands that have to follow him.

I had the great good fortune to catch him yet again just this last week, and the show was as fun as ever. I always say, if you only see one rock concert, it should be KISS, but don't you dare turn down a chance to see The Coop.

Next month, Dynamite should have the first issue of their new Alice Cooper comic out, along with a reprint of 1994's Neil Gaiman written adaption of Cooper's album The Last Temptation.

Along with that, we get Bluewater Comics's biographical comic and in one of the rare instances of fortune smiling on me, they've provided me with a preview PDF. It's part of their Orbit series of biographies. From their site: "Orbit is a line of biographies with a skew towards a more male demographic." Other celebs in the orbit line include Howard Stern, Stephen King, and Keith Richards.

On the surface, it reminds me of the old Rock N' Roll Comics of the early nineties, but with much better production values.

The story opens as a group of children, led by Rhiannon, gather at night around a Ouija board to summon Steven, Cooper's alter-ego from Welcome To My Nightmare (and Goes To Hell, The Last Temptation, and Welcome 2 My Nightmare, I suppose) to help protect her little brother, Drew, from a supernatural evil he's accidentally summoned. But in the group is Suze, a girl with a rather impressive knowledge of the real Vincent Furnier and his journey to become the character of Alice Cooper.

This framing story allows Suze to correct some of the incorrect info that's been spread about (and often by) Cooper over the years. Starting with how the original band didn't really use an Ouija board to conjure up, and eventually take the name of, a witch named Alice Cooper. Along the way, Suze recounts the stories of the band's first meeting with Frank Zappa, the infamous chicken incident, and we even get a bit of his views on family life (he's a romantic who still dates his wife) and religion (he is a minister's son, after all).

As it's just a short comic book, there's no way to get into the details of Cooper's life and career but it is a pretty good overview of the man who wanted to drive "a stake through the heart of the Love Generation."

If you're a fan, I'd say check it out....

SHERWOOD, TX #2 (of 5)

OFFICIAL SOLICITATION:

SHERWOOD, TX #2 (of 5)

Written By: Shane Berryhill
Artist: Daniel Hillyard
Colors: Charlie Kirchoff
Cover: Andrew Robinson

ROB HOOD, shot and left for dead by members of the Nobles Motorcycle Club, has miraculously survived. After a year in hiding, Hood assumes the identity of a mysterious new member of the Jesters MC known only as "Loxley." As 'Bike Week' begins in Nottingham, Texas, the disguised Hood puts his plans for revenge into motion. 

12 Gauge Comics continues their re-imagining of the Robin Hood story in issue two of SHERWOOD, TX.

Rob has survived being shot by the Nobles and has remained in hiding while he recuperated, picking up his father's bow along the way.

Now Bike Week is here and Rob starts his quest for revenge. He helps Much infiltrate the Nobles and steals a truck with supplies the Nobles had brought in for Bike Week, taking it to Padre Tuck at the Sherwood Mission to give back to the people the Nobles have been victimizing. Meanwhile, the Nobles have rounded up another group of young girls to serve as Bike Week 'entertainment.'

I'm really enjoying the twists to the Robin Hood legend here, turning it into a gritty, 70's-esque biker film while keeping the familiar set-pieces from the legends. In this issue, instead of donning a disguise and competing in an archery contest, Rob dons Much's gear to participate in a bike jousting tournament, ensuring Much's place in the Nobles gang.

With the the setup out of the way, things are already kicking in to high gear as we're now two issues in to a five issue mini-series.

I'm generally a fan of more realistic art, but the clean, slightly exaggerated style is working for me on this title; stylized enough to tell the mythic tale of Robin Hood but realistic enough to portray the world of outlaw biker gangs involved in sexual slavery and murder. (Okay, you can tell I'm no art expert, yes?)

Take a look at the nifty motion-comic trailer for a better idea....

Sherwood, Texas : Trailer featuring ‘Answer to No One’ by Colt Ford from M2 on Vimeo.

BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA #3

BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA #3

Story: John Carpenter and Eric Powell
Writer: Eric Powell
Art: Brian Churilla
Colors: Michael Garland
Letters: Ed Dukeshire
Publication Date: August 2014
Published by BOOM! Studios

"Hey! Relax! I'm an expert at not listening to anybody."

                                                                              - Jack Burton 

 

Just a quickie 'cause I'm late on this one....

Eric Powell's BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA series continues, as Jack and Egg arrive at the House of the Seven-Faced Widow to try and retrieve the souls of the three Storms in their effort to save Wang Chi from Qiang Lu.

This series continues the fun of our hero Jack being entirely too dense to realize just how out of his element he really is. Along the way, we get a look at both another ex-wife, and another example of just how oblivious Jack can be about things going on around him. While the events of the film might've been the first time Jack knew he was up against supernatural evil, it looks more and more like it was around him all the time and he was too self-centered to see it.

The series continues to get the feel of the film pretty much dead-on, with a lot of the humor coming from Jack's non-stop commentary and way of twisting everything into some story about him. Watching the villians trying to deal with this guy who isn't giving them anything like the respect/fear they're accustomed to is one of favorite aspects of the book.

If you enjoyed the movie, or even just like your Chinese mysticism served up with a healthy portion of comic irreverence, you should give this book a shot.

THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN: SEASON SIX #5

THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN: SEASON SIX #5


Writer: James Kuhoric
Art: Juan Antonio Ramirez
Colors: Fran Gamboa
Letters: Joshua Cozine
Publication Date: August 2014
Published by Dynamite Entertainment

The story so far….

Oliver Spencer's Maskatron has been a resounding failure - the out of control robot has savagely repossessed Barney 'The Seven Million Dollar Man' Hiller's bionics and is now working on doing the same to Steve Austin. Meanwhile, an alien organism is transforming the NASA crew at the Kennedy Space Center.

Now....

BATMAN BEGINS again

**** NOTE: This post has been pulled back out of the mists of time. Originally posted Saturday, June 18, 2005. ****

Okay...went to see "Batman Begins" today, finally. Work has been an overtime-filled bear lately, so that's what took me so long to get to it.

It was....really, really cool. It was Batman, all the way. I remember going to see the Tim Burton/Michael Keaton "Batman" at a midnight premiere when it first came out. I remember the rush when it started and Batman appeared on screen, scaring the heck out of the baddie. I remember thinking "this is *my* Batman." I also remember, thinking back on it later, that it wasn't such a hot movie. Style over substance and all that. "Batman Returns" was in many ways a better movie, and then...well, the less said about the other two, the better. (except I still think Clooney was a great choice - he just had the misfortune to be in the worst movie of the bunch)

Since then, I've decided that the best Batman movie of them all was "Batman: Mask Of the Phantasm." Yeah, the animated film.

Now, I think it might be the second best.

And now that the setup is largely out of the way, if they make another film (which seems pretty likely) it can be even better.

Random comments - Would've liked less frenzied editing in most of the fights, tho it was perfect for the first full-on Batman fight. Still think the cowl needs work. The score, I'm mixed on. In many ways it was just serviceable...no stirring themes to hum on the way out but at the same time, it served the action perfectly. Adding to, not distracting from the film. The Batmobile didn't thrill me when it was first unveiled months ago. Having seen it in action now, I gotta get me one of those. The casting and performances were nearly perfect.

Yep...this was a good movie. Go see it.

And the preview for "Sky High" looks pretty fun, too.

Original post: http://www.worldwatchonline.com/blog/2005/06/batman-begins-again.htm

Sith Happens. (or "The Sith Hits the Fans" or "What is this Sith?")

**** NOTE: This post has been pulled back out of the mists of time. Originally posted Friday, May 27, 2005. ****

Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith

Way back in May of 1977 some friends of my dad were going to a movie and asked if I wanted to tag along.

I think maybe I'd seen a preview or two for this "Star Wars" thing on TV, but there wasn't a lot of hype about it. For the next several years, 'Star Wars' was constantly in my life. No...I wasn't anywhere near as big of a geek as some people, but I saw them all (by all, I mean the original trilogy, of course) multiple times in the theater. Living on an Air Force base had some advantages. Star Wars didn't hit the base theaters until Empire did, which was probably a year or two after Empire's release. They brought them both in together and ran double-bills for several days, maybe a week. I pretty much lived at the theater then, spending all my allowance to see these films over and over again.

That was then.

Now, nearly 30 years later the 'last' film has come out and, much like with the previous two of this modern trilogy, I'm wondering what the heck happened to my Star Wars.

Once upon a time, George Lucas stated that special effects shouldn't be the story, but rather just one more tool to use to tell a story. That Lucas doesn't exist anymore. 'Sith' continues the lifelessness of the modern trilogy, under-powered by actors who are obviously more concerned with hitting their marks so the special effects crew can do their thing than they are with bringing any sort of personality to their characters. It's so dead that those rare instances when acting or character sneak out, it's jarring to watch.

Sure, they've had some nice lightsaber battles, and 'Sith' takes that and amps it up even more. And after three decades of wondering about the 'final battle' between Obi-Wan and Darth it was nice to see it. But beyond admiring the moves (those that weren't enhanced or faked with CGI) I just didn't care about the outcome. Ewan MacGregor delivers probably the single best bit of acting in the entire prequel trilogy here, and it's one of those jarring moments I mentioned earlier. It not only made me feel what Obi-Wan was feeling, it made me wish I'd felt something during the rest of the movies.

It looked great. The effects team are really gettting it right by now. But Lucas fills the screen with so much junk during the film that I wonder if he's doing it on purpose to distract from the lack of anything of substance in the movies.

So...it was pretty, but dull.

Pretty dull.

(for what it's worth, I saw it several times with three delightful young ladies and despite my lack of enthusiasm for the film I enjoyed their company immensely so if they're reading this - I had fun being with you regardless of my thoughts on the film itself. and they seemed to like it.)

Original post URL: http://www.worldwatchonline.com/blog/2005/05/sith-happens-or-sith-hits-fans-or-what.htm

"Can you imagine what it must have been like then... then... then... then... then... then... then..."

The 10th of August, 1984.

That's when it happened.

That's when THE ADVENTURES OF BUCKAROO BANZAI: ACROSS THE 8TH DIMENSION was originally released (limited - it would go wide - at least, as wide as it got, on the 15th).

I'd say that's the day that changed my life; that's the day I became a fan, but that's not right.

In a lot of ways, I'd become a fan some years earlier when I discovered Doc Savage (first via the Ron Ely film, then the Golden Press hard back reprints and finally the Bantam books reprints) in grade school.

Doc Savage was a physical and mental marvel, the perfect pulp hero of the 1930s, and a character who quickly influenced a few other heroes you may have heard of. Fortress of Solitude? Doc had it before Superman. (His first name was also 'Clark' and he was The Man of Bronze before anyone ever heard of a Man of Steel.) An independently wealthy man who was both a perfect physical specimen and an expert in many mental disciplines who used his fantastic gadgets and vehicles to fight crime? All Bruce Wayne did was add a bat suit to the mix.

Doc also had a crew of adventurers helping him in his quest. Five men, each experts in their own fields of study, who traveled the globe with him, righting wrongs and punishing evildoers.

So yes, by the time THE ADVENTURES OF BUCKAROO BANZAI (or TABB as it's affectionately known to fans) came out, I was ready for it.

Some seriously random musings on my history with Dr. Banzai follows. It's long and a bit rambly but there are some cool websites at the very end if  you want to skip down to those.

DOCTOR WHO: SHADA: The Lost Adventure by Douglas Adams

DOCTOR WHO: SHADA: The Lost Adventure by Douglas Adams

by Gareth Roberts

Ace Books

paperback / January 2014

Book description:

"From the unique mind of Douglas Adams, legendary author of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, comes Shada, a story scripted for the television series Doctor Who but never produced—and now transformed into an original novel...

A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.
Imagine how dangerous a LOT of knowledge is...

The Doctor’s old friend and fellow Time Lord, Professor Chronotis, has retired to Cambridge University, where among the other doddering old professors nobody will notice if he lives for centuries. He took with him a few little souvenirs—harmless things really. But among them, carelessly, he took The Worshipful and Ancient Law of Gallifrey. Even more carelessly, he has loaned this immensely powerful book to clueless graduate student Chris Parsons, who intends to use it to impress girls. The Worshipful and Ancient Law is among the most dangerous artifacts in the universe; it cannot be allowed to fall into the wrong hands.

The hands of the sinister Skagra are unquestionably the wrongest ones possible. Skagra is a sadist and an egomaniac bent on universal domination. Having misguessed the state of fashion on Earth, he also wears terrible platform shoes. He is on his way to Cambridge. He wants the book. And he wants the Doctor..."

Just a quick round of random musings on the latest book I've finished.

DOCTOR WHO: SHADA: The Lost Adventure by Douglas Adams is apparently a novelization of a Doctor Who script originally written by Douglas Adams for the show during the run of Tom Baker as the fourth Doctor. I say apparently, because I'm far from a Who expert and am just going by the info in the book itself. It seems a strike resulted in the story never being completed, tho home video versions using storyboards and narrations to complete the tale have been released.

I picked this up far more for the 'Douglas Adams' part than the 'Doctor Who' part, even tho I have memories of watching some Tom Baker episodes on PBS when I was a kid and have been following the revival since it started.

Douglas Adams, if you don't know (and if you don't....you have my deepest condolences) wrote The Hitchhiker's Guide to Galaxy; the BBC radio series, the BBC television series, and the first five books in the trilogy. (Several years back, Eoin Colfer wrote And Another Thing..., the sixth book, which I just recently started on.) He also wrote two books featuring an eccentric detective named Dirk Gently and other works, all worth checking out. His death in 2001 was a great loss that still makes me sad to this day.

Gareth Roberts took on the unenviable task of transforming Adams's script to a novel and completing it in a way that Adams (who is said to have expressed his displeasure over how the whole affair turned out) maybe would've approved. 

I don't know how Adams would react, but I quite liked it. I don't know specifically which bits are Douglas Adams and which bits are Gareth Roberts and that's a good thing. The whole thing has the general sound of something Adams could've written, with plenty of phrases that definitely sound like the way he wrote, but the tone is consistent throughout. It doesn't come across like person A wrote this bit and person B wrote that bit. The story is a fun Doctor Who tale at its core, and the Adams touches are just icing on the cake. Nothing about it plays against my (hazy, to be sure) memories of Tom Baker's Doctor, and I could hear his voice and see his face while reading it. And K-9 is on the scene, too. K-9 rocks! 

If you're a fan of Adams or the Doctor, I'd say it's worth a read.

G.I .JOE: Luck Be A Lady by Carrie Vaughn

G.I .JOE: Luck Be A Lady 

by Carrie Vaughn

Amazon Kindle Worlds novella

Book description:

"In this episode, Lady Jaye and Cover Girl are in Las Vegas tracking down a secret Cobra bunker. But instead of a secret bunker, they find the Baroness and Dr. Mindbender on the verge of launching a nefarious experiment that could spell doom for the entire city. Parental advisory: this episode contains disguises, trick javelins, mad races across the desert, and explosions. Lots and lots of explosions."

I'm a fan of Carrie Vaughn's work. I found the first novel in her werewolf series, Kitty and the Midnight Hour, on the shelf at the local mallbox bookstore and have been hooked ever since.

G.I. JOE, I have to admit, I'm somewhat less familiar with. Read some of the comics back in the day, had a couple of figures (Snake Eyes and Scarlett), saw some of the cartoons and both the recent movies...that's about it. But I know Vaughn is a fan, so when the Joes were added to Amazon's "Kindle Worlds" program, I was one of the folks to casually point it out to her. Luckily, others did too, and now we have this.

It's a short, fun, action-packed story (with explosions, as noted in the description above) about two Joes in a mad scramble to save Las Vegas from the latest Cobra plot. It's full of self-aware humor but doesn't skimp on the action and, in my humble opinion, is more than worth the two buck asking price.

Pick it up, and if you like it, don't hesitate to check out her other works. I think you'll be glad you did.

Honey West and T.H.E. Cat “A Girl and Her Cat”

Official Solicitation:

When an exotic green-eyed Asian doctor hires Honey to recover a stolen sample of a new influenza vaccine from a rival scientist, the blonde bombshell private eye—suspicious but bored—takes the case. But when she’s attacked not once, but twice, on her way from Long Beach to San Francisco to track downher quarry, she knows there’s more—much more—to her femme fatale client than meets the eye.

Along the way, Honey’s one-time paramour Johnny Doom—ex-bounty hunter and current Company agent—reenters the picture, and the gorgeous doctor’s insidious—and deadly—grandfather deals himself in. But when Honey questions whether Johnny’s playing her game, or just playing her for a patsy, she joins forces—as only Honey can—with the one man in Frisco who can help her recover the stolen vaccine-cum-bioweapon and prevent a worldwide epidemic—former cat burglar-turned-bodyguard Thomas Hewitt Edward Cat: T.H.E Cat!

Join writers Win Scott Eckert and Matthew Baugh, and cover artist Douglas Klauba, for A Girl and Her Cat, a groovy, racy 1960s romp.

I finally made it down the stack (do ebooks wind up in 'stacks'?) to this one.

The two main characters from two of the mid-sixties best 'one season wonder' television shows team up in this novel by Win Scott Eckert and Matthew Baugh.

Honey West is an ocelot-owning, judo using private eye who also happens to be a total knockout. She was played by Anne Francis.

T. Hewitt Edward Cat is a former circus aerialist (who never used a net) and cat burglar who abandoned his life of crime to become a bodyguard. He was played by Robert Loggia.

If you're a fan of either show (I'm much more familiar with Honey West thanks to its runs on MeTV) or sixties spy stories in general, there's a lot to like packed into this book. Along the way there are references to or cameos by several well-known genre characters. If you're familiar with them and like this sort of thing, you're in for a treat. Eckert and Baugh know their stuff when it comes to these classic characters and it shows.

Unfortunately, due to the pesky nature of copyrights, most of these other characters can't be named outright and if you don't know who they are, I can see where it could be a bit frustrating for the reader. That said, the scenes are handled well enough to not mar the flow of the story. It's a small nit to pick and really, it's hard to believe anyone interested in the book wouldn't already have enough of a passing knowledge of other characters from the same time frame to not pick up on who they are.

Moonstone Books published another winner with this one. Their track record with classic characters (they've also published books and comics about Buckaroo Banzai, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, Zorro, the Green Hornet, the Lone Ranger, The Phantom, and many more - quite of few of which have also been written by Eckert and Baugh - like I said, they know their stuff) has been pretty darn good in my eyes and this is no exception.

I think it's too late to get the hardcover, but the ebook is easy enough to come by for both Amazon's Kindle and Barnes and Noble Nook tablets, so do yourself a favor and take a short stroll thru the swinging, sexy, sixties.

POISONED FOR REVENGE- A CASE FOR KITTY MCGEE

Official Synopsis:

"The Hottest Lady Shamus in 1920s Hot Springs returns! Kitty McGee continues to find life harder than she wants it to be. Hired by a bootlegger accused of poisoning his own hooch, Kitty goes head to head with the police, gangsters, and a relentless lady reporter. With enough grit to gum up a tommy gun and her trusty blade, Kitty McGee tears her way through the home away from home for America’s gangsters in the early 20th Century in true lady gumshoe style."

I like pulp adventure. I stumbled across some of the Bantam reprints of Doc Savage pulps, originally published between 1933 and 1949, back when I was in grade school and was hooked. Movies like RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK just served to reinforce that addiction.

In recent years, there's been a bit of a resurgence of the genre, with imprints like Hard Case Crime reprinting hard-boiled, two-fisted tales of adventure by great classic authors like Lester Dent (of Doc Savage fame) and Cornell Woolrich along with new tales by the likes of Stephen King and Christa Faust inspired by those stories of yesteryear. There are even new Doc Savage stories being published today, written by pulp expert Will Murray (using the 'Kenneth Robeson' byline the originals were credited to) and published by Altus Press.

Especially with the advent of digital publishing, others have gotten into the game. One of the leaders of this new wave of pulp is Pro Se Press and one of their most intriguing innovations is the Single Shot line of short stories, available to download for the bargain price of ninety-nine cents from Smashwords and Amazon.

One of their newest offerings is POISONED FOR REVENGE- A CASE FOR KITTY MCGEE by Ashley Mangin.

Kitty McGee is a pulp-era private detective who specializes in helping those who have no other place to turn, because she remembers what it was like to lose everything after the stock market crash.

That's why she's answered the call of Donald Gordon, a small-time bootlegger with a big-time problem; his hooch has been poisoned and the cops are wanting to pin the deaths on him. When she speaks to him, Gordon points his finger at mob boss Big Al Candelari. In short order, Kitty is caught between mobsters and an overenthusiastic rookie reported named Billie Jean Byline, trying to solve the case and not get herself killed in the process.

'Poisoned...' is a quick read, both due to its short length (Amazon estimates it at 20 pages) and the breakneck pace that fits so well with the pulp feel the story is going after. Kitty is a fun character, armed with her knife and riding around on an Indian motorcycle, willing to take on the mob to help someone that the police are perfectly happy to lock up. Gotta love someone who fights for the little people.

If you like pulp stories, especially those with tough female protagonists, or have just been wondering what the whole 'pulp' deal is about, this title is good, inexpensive way to dip into the pool.

Personally, I wouldn't mind see more (and longer) Kitty stories in the future.

SHERWOOD, TX #1 (of 5)

OFFICIAL SOLICITATION:

SHERWOOD, TX #1 (of 5)

Diamond Order Code MAY141623

Written By: Shane Berryhill
Artist: Daniel Hillyard
Colors: Charlie Kirchoff
Covers A and C: Andrew Robinson
Cover B: Eben Matthews

Price: $1.00
24 pages

Synopsis:

Re-imagining the legend of Robin Hood as a modern day Spaghetti Western, SHERWOOD, TX is set inside the world of biker gangs, drug wars, and human trafficking.

After the same biker gang who murdered his father leaves ROB HOOD for dead, he returns seeking his own brand of justice and revenge. Hood is joined on his quest by Padre Elvin Tuck, Will Scarlet, and Little John, as they take on the crooked Sheriff of Nottingham, Texas and his partners in crime, The Nobles biker gang and their leader John Prince.
Don’t miss out on the book Examiner.com calls “one of the most notable” titles of FCBD 2014— jump on board now at the special introductory price of only $1.00!

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Random musings (and spoilers, of course) commencing now....

(originally posted on Tumblr on 6 July 2014)

As the official synopsis states, this is the legend of Robin Hood retold by way of Sons of Anarchy.

Home from the Navy for his dad’s funeral, Rob Hood gets drawn into the conflict between two biker gangs - the Jesters, whose members include Hood’s Native American half-brother Will and local bar owner Little John, and the Nobles, led by John Prince and his second-hand man, Gisburn. Rob also reunites with his girl, Maria, who happens to be the daughter of the Sheriff of Nottingham County, on the Texas/Mexico border.

As a first issue, it’s mainly concerned with giving us the setup for the main characters and world they live in, and as introductions go, it’s got me interested in where things go from here. The familiar Robin Hood elements are getting a nice spin (Rob and Little John get into a bar fight with pool cues) and I like the rival gang setup.

It would have been too expected, I think to make Rob’s men the outlaw gang and kept Prince John and the others more ‘high born’ - say keeping them the Mayor and police force or some such, maybe.

Not sure how “robbing the rich and giving to the poor” will come into play with the gangs fighting. There’s indications that the Nobles are involved with smuggling people across the border (and that Rob’s father, Richie the Lion, was killed for not going along with the plan) so maybe that’s where it will manifest.

Oh, and there’s a ghost.

So, yeah. Looks interesting and I’ll try and keep an eye on this one.

BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA #2

BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA #2

(originally posted on Tumblr on 6 July 2014)

Story: John Carpenter and Eric Powell
Writer: Eric Powell
Art: Brian Churilla
Colors: Michael Garland
Letters: Ed Dukeshire
Publication Date: July 2014
Published by BOOM! Studios

"When some eight-foot tall immortal Chinese warlord magician comes looking for revenge and challenges you to some damn near impossible task to save your pal’s skin…well, you look that sucker right square in the eye and say…

Sister, challenge accepted.”

-Jack Burton

So, in the first issue, Qiang Lu, the eight-foot tall immortal Chinese warlord magician mentioned by Jack above, abducts Wang Chi. He tells Jack he can get his friend back by travelling the Black Road in the Hell of the Seven-Faced Widow and releasing the souls of the three storms - Thunder, Lightning, and Rain.

Issue two picks up with Jack, Egg Shen, and Qiang Lu hashing out the details of the exchange, and then Jack and Egg (and Pete, the demon servant of Lo Pan that’s now following Jack around like a lost puppy) head out.

They travel the Black Road, encountering some bizarre inhabitants of the spirit realm (and triggering a funny flashback to one of Jack’s ex-wives) and the issue end with them arriving at the house of the Seven-Faced Widow.


The title is continuing to impress. Not sure exactly how much involvement John Carpenter has, but Eric Powell’s writing has the characters down pat. Jack’s bluster and Egg’s attempts at getting Jack to understand the situation ring true and Kurt Russell and Victor Wong’s voices echo in my head as I read their lines.

Brian Churilla’s cartoony art is working for me here, making it as easy to recognize the characters visually as Powell’s writing does thru the dialog.

The whole look and feel of the title so far perfectly meshes with the world as portrayed in the film, where the physical world and the spirit realms aren’t so far apart as you might think.

I’m a little curious how close the mythology presented in the world of BTiLC matches actual Chinese mythology, but I’m afraid to look it up because it’s so well done in the film and the comic.

My biggest concern about the series was how to keep the series focused on Jack without making him….well….competent at anything. So far they’re doing a fine job, as Jack continues to bluster his way thru things. Absolutely nothing phases the man, at least in part because he can’t see thru his own ego. The flashback to Jack’s ex is a perfect example of this, as he manages to defeat a supernatural evil that he doesn’t even realize exists.

Yeah…so far, so good. Definitely think that if you’ve any love for the film at all, you’re going to enjoy this comic.

BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA #1

Greetings!

This time I’ll be presenting my random musings on the new Big Trouble in Little China comic from BOOM! Studios.

For those poor unfortunates unfamiliar with Big Trouble in Little China, it’s a 1986 film from John Carpenter (HALLOWEEN, ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK, THE THING) starring Kurt Russell, Kim Cattrall, and James Hong. It’s a hilarious blend of over-the-top 80s neon-lit action and 70s kung-fu movies, with a fair dose of “Chinese black magic.”

Seriously, go watch it. It’s available for streaming from Netflix and everything.

And, before we get into the meat of things, I want to point out that despite persistent internet rumors, the film is NOT in any way, shape, or form a re-tooled version of BUCKAROO BANZAI: AGAINST THE WORLD CRIME LEAGUE.*

On to the comic....

(originally published on Tumblr on 6 June 2014)

BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA #1

Story: John Carpenter and Eric Powell
Writer: Eric Powell
Art: Brian Churilla
Colors: Michael Garland
Letters: Ed Dukeshire
Publication Date: June 2014
Published by BOOM! Studios

At the end of Big Trouble in Little China (BTiLC going forward) hero-trucker Jack Burton hits the road in his big-rig, The Pork Chop Express, after rescuing Miao Yin and Gracie Law from the clutches of the evil Lo Pan. Little does he know, a demon servant has hitched a ride.

The BTiLC comic picks up immediately after the film fades to black as Jack finds out about his uninvited hitchhiker. Fortunately for Jack, the beast turns out to be friendly, acting more like a big puppy. Jack doesn’t know what else to do so he decides to head back to Little China, hoping Chinese sorcerer Egg Chen will know how to handle it.

Egg Chen explains to Jack that the demon was a servant bonded to Lo Pan, and that when Jack killed Lo Pan, the bond transferred to Jack. The only way to remove the bond is for someone to kill Jack, which isn’t exactly the kind of solution that sits well with Jack.

But before they can investigate the problem further, it’s time for the wedding of Jack’s friend Wang Chi and his green-eyed girl, Miao Yin. A wedding which is interrupted by the appearance of Qiang Lu, a warrior sorcerer disciple of Lo Pan.

Qiang Lu takes Wang Chi but offers Jack an opportunity to save him. If Jack travels the Black Road in the Hell of the Seven-Faced Widow and releases the spirits of the three storms (Thunder, Lightning, and Rain - Lo Pan’s right-hand men) within three days, he’ll spare Wang’s life.

Jack’s response: “Sister, challenge accepted.”

So endeth issue one.

Now, I love the movie. It’s a quirky ball of fun with a great cast - Kurt Russell and Jack Burton, Dennis Dun as Wang Chi, Kim Cattrall as Gracie Law, Victor Wong as Egg Chen, and the always awesome James Hong as Lo Pan.

It didn’t do that well in theaters but developed a cult following, especially after it hit home video. Like all the good movies, it seems.

The thing that made me worried about how it would translate to a continuing comic book adventure is that Jack Burton, for all his bluster and swagger, isn’t the hero - he’s the comic relief sidekick. Only he doesn’t know it. Jack bumbles his way thru the movie and if he does actually accomplish something, it’s by accident more often than not.

As an example, in one of my favorite scenes, Jack and Wang Chi are leading a group of prisoners to freedom from Lo Pan’s warehouse. They end up with a group of Lo Pan’s hoods on the other side of a door, ready to attack. As Jack and Wang get ready for the fight, Jack pulls a knife from his boot only for it to slip from his hand and fly across the room. Jack goes after it as the baddies bust in. By the time Jack recovers the blade and jumps back to the fight - it’s over. Wang Chi has dispatched all the bad guys single-handed.

Wang Chi is the hero of the film.

So it’ll be interesting to see how they keep to the essence of this thru the run of the series.

That said, the first issue is off to a promising start. It’s got the action and humor of the film, and Jack acts like Jack. He’s ready for anything, even if he’s not exactly sure what that ‘anything’ might be. A definite ‘leap before he looks - assuming he looks at all’ type.

It’s easy to hear the character’s voices in my head as I read it, which is about the highest praise I can give it.

The art - I have to admit a personal bias against the more cartoony style but for this title it seems to work, and I can recognize the characters.

As it’s a first issue, it has to spend its time setting up the characters and situations, so you can’t really get too deep into it from a review standpoint - not that I’m giving myself enough credit to call these write-ups of mine ‘reviews’ - but I’m a fan of the film and right now I’m a fan of the comic, too.

We’ll have to see where it does from here but I’m more than willing to tag along for the ride.

*No, seriously. Aside from W.D. Richter directing THE ADVENTURES OF BUCKAROO BANZAI and writing BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA, there’s no connection between BTiLC and the promised Buckaroo sequel. BTiLC was based on a previous script - a straight out period western - that Richter was called in to re-write. And as Richter has pointed out several times, even if there was a version of AGAINST THE WORLD CRIME LEAGUE out there, it would be written by Buckaroo’s creator Earl Mac Rauch, not himself.

That said, there is one small connection between the films. In the official Buckaroo Banzai newsletters released after the film, it’s revealed that one of Buckaroo’s men was engaged to marry until his intended ran off with Jack Burton.

THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN: SEASON SIX #4

THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN: SEASON SIX #4

(originally posted on Tumblr on 5 July 2014.)

Writer: James Kuhoric
Art: Juan Antonio Ramirez
Colors: Fran Gamboa
Letters: Joshua Cozine
Publication Date: July 2014
Published by Dynamite Entertainment

The story so far….

The Bionics project has been shut down by Oliver Spencer, who has convinced The Powers That Be to instead support his robotic agent - Maskatron.

Unfortunately, Maskatron has suffered some damage and its onboard programming is over-riding Spencer’s attempts to control it.

Barney Hiller has only barely survived his attack by Maskatron and is in the hospital, sans bionic arms and legs.

Dr. Joan Anderson has been taken over and mutated by the strange alien entity brought back to Earth by the US government’s Venus probe.

Jaime has found out about the closure of the Bionics project.

And Steve, after having been set up to get caught during a mission to the Soviet Union, has defeated the Russian robot-tank and made it back to the US.

Let the random musings commence….

As this issue begins, Spencer is drowning his troubles in drink, upset that things haven’t worked out the way he’d imagined.

Maskatron has been subdued after wiping out a SWAT team and Spencer’s scientists are running diagnostics to determine the origin of the control problem.

What they don’t know is that Maskatron’s internal systems have rebooted and it’s running its own diagnostic of the situation. It decides that its future isn’t looking too rosy and so initiates its own self-preservation protocol.

It scans the OSI’s top secret files (clearance level six and above) and discovers the records concerning the alien ‘Bionic Bigfoot.’ When last encountered (season five - episode five in the fittingly-titled “Bigfoot V”), the Sasquatch was in the process of being transformed from nyosynthetic construction to a purely biological entity. This seems to interest Maskatron.

Steve, meanwhile, is back from Russia and in a bad mood, having obviously been compromised by someone inside the OSI. He blows past Callahan and busts Oscar’s door open only to be surprised by the presence of Jaime Sommers. It’s a pleasant, if quick, reunion for the pair who haven’t seen each other for a year (due to their respective shows being on separate networks in their final seasons).

Oscar already knows there’s a security leak at OSI, but he has something else to talk to Steve about, so they send Jaime down to see Rudy. While she’s there, with Rudy and his assistant Lynda working on packing up the lab, they get an emergency call from NASA. Kennedy Space Center is being overran by mutated alien beings who are transforming the personnel there into more of the creatures.

Oscar takes Steve to the hospital, where he has an emotional scene with Barney. Barney reveals to Steve that when Maskatron attacked, it was wearing a likeness of Steve’s face.

Already mad about the botched Russian mission, this upsets Steve even more. And he’s about to get even more torqued off.

As Steve and Oscar get back to OSI, Maskatron has broken free and is killing its way thru the building to get out. Steve saves Spencer’s life and as Maskatron sees Austin, it recognizes the face it used to have and decides to take it back.

Jaime jumps into the fray but gets knocked aside by the rampaging robot.

And that’s when Steve gets well and truly pissed off. Finally, the moment we’ve been waiting for - Steve and Maskatron in a knock-down, drag-out fight.

The issue ends with Steve and Maskatron locked in a clinch, Maskatron’s saw blade slicing into Steve’s bionic arm.

Another good issue, with things finally coming to a head.

Steve spends most of the episode with a mad-on, for a variety of very good reasons. First betrayal, then seeing his friend who’s been mutilated by Maskatron - a friend who both tells Steve that the thing that did that to him wore Steve’s face and begs Steve to kill him, and then Jaime getting hurt during the fight. I don’t think he’s ever been that angry. It’s good to see him let loose like that.

Maskatron’s study of the OSI files gives us glimpses of Steve fighting the Russian Venus Probe, teen psychic Audrey Moss, and Dr. Franklin’s weather control device. Cameos in this issue include the aforementioned Jaime and Callahan, along with what appears to be National Security Bureau Chief Inspector Jack Hanson (who led the search for Oscar when the OSI chief was kidnapped by Dr. Franklin and replaced by a robot) and, most importantly - the belt buckle! (if you’re a fan, you know)

Hanson is unnamed but it pretty much has to be him from the look, with the dark hair and mustache, and that kind-of leads me to one thing I’m still a bit annoyed about. The artist can convincingly reference a guy who was in one storyline (the three-part “Kill Oscar” crossover episodes) but still can’t give us a better representation of Oscar’s office or his favorite secretary. Sure, I’m picking nits, but I think in the musings on the first issue I pointed out how much of a fan I am. Nits will continue to be picked with this one.

But, that’s kind-of a good thing, because other than the artistic nits (the character consistently drawn to look the least like his on-screen counterpart - Steve Austin, of course) there’s really not much I don’t like about this series. Adjusting for the differences in medium and the time of production, Kuhoric has done a nice job of continuing the bionic legacy and I hope the title has a nice, long run if it stays this good.

Here’s hoping Brandon Jerwa is up to the task when his take on THE BIONIC WOMAN: SEASON FOUR premieres in September.

Bonus useless Bionic Trivia - in the series, Sasquatch was first portrayed by wrestler/actor Andre the Giant. The rest of his appearances featured former ‘Lurch’ of THE ADDAMS FAMILY fame, Ted Cassidy. In the CHARLIE’S ANGELS ‘behind the scenes’ TV movie, a bit of the Steve/Bigfoot fight was recreated. The man in the fur suit for that one? Former ‘Lurch’ of THE NEW ADDAMS FAMILY, John DeSantis.

THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN: SEASON SIX #2

THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN: SEASON SIX #2

(originally posted to Tumblr on 20 April 2014)

Issue two is out. Figured I’d keep this going with some random observations.

The bionics program has been shut down by Oliver Spencer, who is using Maskatron now. They do allow that there will be a small maintenance budget and Jaime’s name is brought up, so that’s nice.

And the Seven Million Dollar Man is back.

To refresh your memory, the Seven Million Dollar Man (played by Monte Markham) was a former racecar driver who had a near-fatal accident not long after Steve. In his case, both his arms and legs were replaced with bionics. Unfortunately, he couldn’t quite adjust to the bionics. He was never able to drive up to his old level again and he had trouble staying in control. In his first appearance, his name was Barney Miller. By his second episode, there was already another quite popular Barney Miller on TV (a captain in New York City’s 12th police precinct, where Richard Castle would later haunt the squadroom while getting inspiration for his Nikki Heat novels) so ‘Miller’ was changed to ‘Hiller.’ I was amused with how the comic addressed this.

Anyway, due to his issues, Barney’s bionics were tuned down to merely peak human efficiency and he was pretty much allowed to live his life. Because of that, Spencer sends Maskatron out after the Seven Million Dollar Man, considering him a security risk.
Meanwhile, more strange things are afoot with the returned Venus probe and the radiation, and now there’s some unusual material found on the satellite.

So Steve goes off to Russia on his next mission (I guess it was already far enough along in the planning phase to not pull the plug just because the bionics program is being phased out?) and the issue ends with him being caught, apparently due to a tip. Possibly Spencer’s way to get rid of another potential security risk? Although delivering him to the enemy seems a strange way to go about it.

Still not totally sold on the art style tho I do seem to see hints of Monte Markham in Barney’s face in a panel or two. I think that’s part of my issue with the art. Random panels of the characters show some likeness to the actors, but it’s not consistent.
They kinda lost me when Steve had to have his memory refreshed on who Oliver Spencer was. I realize the need to explain it to the reader, but I think it could’ve been done a little better.

Jaime’s mentioned twice in the issue, and actually shows up on the cover for issue 4 displayed on Dynamite’s site, so hopefully we’ll see her fairly regularly. Steve and Jaime weren’t allowed to interact during the last season of their respective shows because they were on different networks.

So yeah, overall it’s still working for me more than it’s not.

Still a bit worried about them bringing in all the ‘classic’ characters too soon - covers for upcoming issues also show the Sasquatch (who should be pretty much entirely biological by now based on his last series appearance) popping up in the storyline along with Jaime. Short of bringing back one of Farrah’s characters (I’d vote for con-woman Trish Hollander myself, but if it happens we’ll probably get fellow astronaut Major Kelly Wood) I’m not sure of any more ‘classic’ characters or storylines they could revisit. Not that there’s not plenty I’d like as a fan to see return, of course.