Keith’s PokéJournal

Only wimps who don't appreciate
a challenge choose Cyndaquilas their
starter Pokémon. It's like choosing
to play Easy Mode.

Since I started my blog back in mid-January, I didn’t really have high hopes. I’m now approaching two months of blogging and I’ve already started to settle in a blog writing routine. I write comic, novel and gaming reviews (only one movie review so far) and it’s good. I don’t blog about everything, otherwise there would be no actual time to experience anything blog worthy or I would never sleep. Although I wanted to focus primarily on comics, I have been side tracked by newer versions of an old childhood favourite Pokémon game for my Nintendo DSi.

In fact, my regular PokéJournal posts have become the most popular posts on my blog! When you look at the numbers, it’s not really saying much but it’s still quite clear. None of my friends have taken it upon themselves to read any of the comics I wrote about but two of them have started playing a Pokémon game. It’s been years since either one of them have played one and it’s been fun for all three of us.

Call it strategy if you want,
it's a wimpy move to teach
this guy Thunder Punch.

Keith, a close friend of mine, disagrees with me a great deal when it comes to favourite Pokémon and overall Pokémon strategy. When I first started writing on Shared Universe Reviews, I had given him an open invitation to write a guest post. I extended this same invitation to a few friends who I thought would have something interesting to say and who I thought would complement what I’ve been writing about. About a week ago, Keith said something about writing a guest PokéJournal. I was so thrilled! Finally, a guest post! Well, he’s gone and 1Upped me. The guy’s created his own blog and he’s going to write a Soul Silver PokéJournal.

I recommend you check out Keith’s PokéJournal. I also recommend you ignore all that trash talk he put in his post. The guy has no idea what he’s talking about. Feraligatr for the win, sucker.

All the best, Keith, try not to give up once you realize how much time it takes to write the damn updates. You’ll hit a groove.

PokéJournal: Update 009

-Before I go to the next city, I think I should go home and get some money. Along the way I can train Growlithe and the other Pokémon in my party. I've also realized I defeated half the gym leaders and I still don't have the exp. share item. Don't you normally get that after the first or second gym? I'll explore the houses and talk to the people along the way home. At the same time I'll talk to trainers and have a second fight with the people who exchanged numbers with me. That way I'll make some extra money.

-So it turns out I need to get a Red Scale and bring it to Mr. Pokémon (the same guy who gave me the Togepi egg). In return he will give me the exp. share. That means I can't get it until I go to the Lake of Rage! That's like two gym leaders later! According to Bulbapedia, the only other way to get one is to win second prize at the radio tower in Goldenrod City.

-I've found some good items while travelling all over the map; rare candy, PP up, a nugget which I sold for 5,000! Thanks to HM surf I make some money, woot!

-I received Moon Balls from Kurt. I gave him black apricorns to make some Heavy Balls for me. I figure it could be of use later on.

-I found a big mushroom in Ilex Forest. I'm going to try and sell it!

-On the route towards Goldenrod City there is a patch of water to the west. I surfed south and found three Ace Trainers. They were good battles, I got some money and they have me Power Herb for beating them.

-Sweet! Croconaw evolved into Feraligatr!

-Yes, I found a Nugget on the same route! I love Surf; you get to find so many good items. By selling this Nugget I’ll be able to fill up my bag with Pokémon and potions and status healing items.

-Yeah, I caught a Tentacruel. It’s fun that I got the whole evolution family because I don’t have to evolve Tentacool to fill my Pokédex.

-There are Psyduck right outside Goldenrod City. I’m gonna catch me one of those!

-It's crazy how many water Pokémon you can catch once you're able to use Surf in the field. It's pretty sweet. Is it just me or is there a high percentage of Water type Pokémon? 

-I used the Dowsing Machine and I found another Nugget! Apparently there is gold all over Johto. Forget about catching Pokémon, let’s all get (virtual) rich!

-I sold the Big Mushroom for 2,500! Who buys a mushroom for so much? The Nuggets sold for 5,000 each. Anybody want to go out for supper? I’m stinkin’ rich.

-A friend told me that to get the Exp. Share I need a Red Scale from the Lake of Rage. The storyline wants you to head west but instead I’m going to head east towards the Lake of Rage because I want to get Exp. Share.

-Oo, Red Gyarados, so scary. So scary. Bring it on you shmoe! I send out Flaaffy (level 27) to fight the Red Gyarados who is at level 30. Flaaffy does Thunder Shock and one Thunder Wave before Gyarados defeats him with two Dragon Rage attacks. I send out Feraligatr. I use Crunch. Now that Gyarados is paralyzed and his HP is in the red, I’ll toss a Net Ball. It does the trick, the shiny Pokémon and, more importantly, the Red Scale, is mine!

-Oh look, some guy has a Dragonite. I’m going to ignore him and go to Mr. Pokémon’s house. I want that Exp. Share so badly!

-Yay, I got it! I got the Exp. Share! Mr. Pokémon said he got is from Professor Oak. Why didn’t Professor Oak give it to me? “Hey, Mario, I want you to go on a grand adventure and find and capture all the Pokémon on the continent. Oh, don’t forget to capture all the rare ones, ok? Ok, thanks. By the way, if you’re not going to need this super useful Exp. Share I’m just going to give it to this old guy who sits in his house all day.” Thanks jerks.

-I’m travelling to Olivine City. It’s so nice to use the Exp. Share. Growlithe is going to grow up so strong. There is a Moo Moo farm. I like this place. You can buy Moo Moo Milk which restores 100 HP. It’s better than the Super Potion but not as good as the Hyper Potion. It’s inexpensive and heals quite well without being wasteful (how often to you need to use a Hyper Potion, especially at this point in the game?). The Miltank at the Moo Moo farm is sick though, and they need Oran berries. Instead of growing some themselves I have to provide them. I’ll grow some but its take some time. I guess I’ll stop for today.

-Next time, to Olivine City and whatever may happen there.

Pokémon caught: Poliwag, Poliwhirl, Tentacool, Tentacruel, Psyduck, Red Gyarados, Goldeen, Raticate, and Magnemite.

Pokémon traded: None.

Gym Leader defeated: None.

Fights with Craphat (Rival): None.

Evolutions: Croconaw evolved into Feraligatr. This guy is tough.

Pokémon in party: Feraligatr, Heracross, Sandshrew, Flaaffy, Pidgeotto, and Growlithe.

Highest level in party: Feraligatr, level 30.

Lowest level in party: Sandshrew, level 13.

Pokédex: 49.

Time played: 18:03. 

PokéJournal: Update 008

Craphat tried to defeat me with
this guy. What an idiot.

-I’m in Ecruteak City and I'm going to explore before heading to the gym. I probably can't even go directly there because the game will give me storyline stuff to do I'm sure. I go to the Dancing Theatre first. There's a Team Rocket member harassing a dancer so I battle with him. He only has one Pokémon (Koffing) and Growlithe burns his ass. He's pretty modest about it though, good ol' Growlithe.

-Sweet, a pervy old man in the audience gives me HM surf because I'm a strong trainer. I teach Surf to Croconaw to replace his Water Gun move. It's a nice upgrade.

-I go explore the Burned Tower. Three legendary Pokémon are there! Nice. Growlithe vs. Raticate! Victory for Growlithe of course.

-Oh ho, Craphat is also here. Let's fight wimp!

-He sends out a Ghastly. I hate Ghost Pokémon, they have the strangest attacks and they screw up with your Pokémon’s status so much it's incredibly frustrating. Flaaffy defeats Ghastly but he's also pretty weak now.

-Craphat sends out Bayleef and I send out Croconaw. Let’s test his Ice Fang. One hit did more than fifty percent damage. Bayleef raised its defence and the second Ice Fang came just a couple HP from fainting Bayleef. He used Synthesis and raised his HP until just past half. I hate this guy. Oh sure, poison powder, just what I needed. Croconaw wins despite being poisoned!

-Next its Magnemite vs. Heracross. I used Brick Break and it breaks Magnemite’s Barrier (what does that even mean?) and knocks him out in one blow. It's super effective! Yes! Figther type attack vs. steel type Pokémon for the win.

-Last fight, Pidgeotto vs. Zubat. Zubat uses Supersonic and now my Pokémon is confused. Ah! Somehow Pidgeotto only has two HP left! Switch to Flaaffy, even under Ghastly's curse this should end quickly. Ugh, turns out no, it doesn't. I sent out Croconaw and his Ice Fang won us the battle. Ice Fang rules!

-Huh, there are trainers in here. Isn't dangerous to be hanging out in a burnt down tower? Thrill seekers, man. The trainer has a Growlithe. Man, his sprite makes him look so grumpy.

-Whao, this Firbreather guy has a Charmeleon! He’s pretty bad-ass. Hmm, it’s probably he’s fault this tower burnt down and not because of some legendary Pokémon called Ho-Oh or anything.

-I need to smash some rocks but Geodude is in the PC. I think I’ve come to a realization that Sandshrew is my new HM mule. He already knows Cut and now he knows Rock Smash. Onwards we go, beyond the smashed remains of rocks that used to be and are no longer!

Magmar, you're one of the ugliest First Gen
Pokémon. You've got a butt on fire as a head!

-Magmar appeared! I need to catch this dude. Oh shoot, Flaaffy is knocked out so I can’t use Thunder Wave and I think I’m too poor to use one of my Revives on this. What to do? Too much Smokescreen, my Pokémon can’t see anything. It’s so much more difficult to catch Pokémon than it is to defeat them. I’m guess that’s why they say “Gotta Catch ‘Em All!” instead of “Gotta defeat ‘em all in battle like a pro!”.

-The combination of Croconaw having nearly no more accuracy and suffering from Burn is starting to make this look a little unwise. I guess I’ll revive Flaaffy. I better be careful though, Magmar will burn his wool off and then Flaaffy will be cold. It’s still February after all. I revived Flaaffy but I wanted to use a potion too so that he wouldn’t faint first thing once I send it out. It took two turns and Croconaw fainted. Damn. Ok, Flaaffy, let’s finish this thing. Cotton Spore (reduces speed so I don’t get bombarded with Smokescreen)! Thunder Wave! Magmar is paralyzed and in the red, let’s toss a Great Ball. Success! Wow, ok, let’s get the hell out of Burned Tower.

-So I spooked all three legendary Pokémon and they all ran off. Now I can chase (if I want to) two of them, the fire one and the electric one. I’m not really in the mood but I will eventually. It’s cool that they just run around all over the map.

-Stupid Zubat, go away. Stop bothering me. I need to heal my Pokémon. Wait, hang on. Growlithe knows Roar. I can just scare all the wild Pokémon away. This guy is great.

-Let’s go battle at the gym. Man, it’s dark in here. I guess Morty wants me to battle all his trainers before I fight him. Bring it on, man.

Morty wears a scarf because
his Pokémon are so evil they
chill his very soul! Uwaaaaah!

-Note to self, do not walk off the path. You will fall into nothingness!

-Holy crap, the first trainers has five Pokémon! I’m going to have to leave and heal at some point. Jeez, laying it on a little thick there, Morty. What are you so scared of? Growlithe? Oh, ok.

-Because this is a Ghost gym, I’m probably going to only use Flaaffy and Croconaw. I could use Growlithe but he’s not strong enough yet so I’m not even going to bother with it. I might keep him at the head of the party and give him some experience points.

-Man, freakin’ ghost Pokémon have the most frustrating attacks. Ghastly just reduced Flaaffy’s Thundershock PP by four and then by four again. What the hell, man.

-This gym has a puzzle. It’s a narrow walkway and every time you meet a trainer and defeat them, the lights go out. You have to walk around then, on the path, to continue. Thing is, with the lights out you can’t see where you’re going. It’s not too difficult though, you get to see how you can go around them before you enter the battle. You just have to remember it after you defeat a trainer.

-Croconaw, your Bite attack is going to make this gym kind of breezy. I might not have to go to the Pokémon Center after all. 

-Yeah, scratch that. I fell off and I’m at the entrance again. Might as well go next door and heal. Be right back…

-Oh sweet, the lights are all back on! Haha, take that gym puzzle!

-It’s time for my fight with Morty. First fight: Growlithe level 16 vs. Ghastly level 21. He uses Curse, loses half his HP. Growlithe uses Ember, Ghastly is in the red. Morty uses a Hyper Potion. Seriously, dude? I keep using Ember and Gastly does weird ghost moves. Every turn Growlithe gets Curse damage and he’s now at 1 HP (no foolin’). Ghastly is in the red and so I’ll use Ember. I’m hoping Growlithe is fast enough to attack first.

-He isn’t. Ghastly uses Lick and Growlithe faints. Ya barely had a chance, poor little guy.

-I send out Flaaffy because I want to save Croconaw for the stronger Pokémon that Morty has. Gastly keeps on licking and Flaaffy uses ThunderShock to teach him a lesson.

-Second Fight: Croconaw level 28 vs. Gengar level 25. He uses Sucker Punch, doesn’t do much. Bite knocks out Gengar in one hit. Amaaaaazing. Croconaw also levels up. Bring it on Morty! The hardest thing about your gym was walking on the narrow floor in pitch dark!

This guy was the worst. He kept
putting my Pokémon to sleep.

-Third Fight: Croconaw level 29 (yeah!) vs. Haunter. Nooooo, Haunter uses Hypnosis! That’s rude. I used an item to wake him up because I don’t want Haunter to use those messed up ghost type moves. Hypnosis again? Come on, man! Haunter tried to use Dream Eater but Croconaw is wide awake. Sucker (please don’t put him to sleep again!) Oh. My. God. Stop it! No more Hypnosis! This would be a really good time for Croconaw’s Quick Claw item to kick in. C’mon, gimme first turn. Nope, fourth time sleeping. What’s the PP on Hypnosis? My items are going to run out. I’ll keep trying to attack and hopefully Croconaw will wake up, Bite, and Haunter will faint. Oh great, now the Quick Claw kicks in. Useless, Croconaw is sleeping. Great, now instead of using items to wake Croconaw up, I’m using items to restore his HP. Stupid Dream Eater move. Haunter uses Nightmare. Croconaw has nightmares and wakes up, Bites Haunter in the face (what? He has no body, just a floating face with hands) and wins the fight.

-Fourth Fight: Croconaw vs. Haunter level 23. Haunter uses Night Shade, Croconaw bites him and wins. Man, why couldn’t the third fight have been this simple?

-Thank you for my gym badge and all the money. I have to go buy a gazillions items now. Thanks.

-I went to the PokéMart and bought tons of stuff. Now I’m poor again. Why am I having such a hard time with money? Is it because I’m using a lot of Poké Balls catching Pokémon? Is it because I’m sending too much to my mom? I might have to make a trip home and take some money from her.

-Anyway, I’m done for today. Next time: I’m off to the next town!

Pokémon caught: Magmar.

Pokémon traded: None.

Gym Leader defeated: Morty. I hate his weirdo ghost Pokémon.

Fights with Craphat (Rival): One, I upset him.

Evolutions: None.

Pokémon in party: Croconaw, Flaaffy, Heracross, Pidgeotto, Growlithe, and Sandshrew.

Highest level in party: Croconaw, level 29.

Lowest level in party: Sandshrew, level 13 (new mule).

Pokédex: 39.

Time played: 15:31

Nemo: Heart of Ice review

Alan Moore and Kevin O’Neil’s League of Extraordinary Gentlemen series is some of my favourite work by Moore. It’s also one of the best comics of the last ten years. The series had been marked by a less than conventional publication history, beginning as a two mini-series followed by a hardcover graphic novel and, after that, a third series published in annual 80 page instalments. Moore and O’Neil told the story of the League from the end of the 19^th Century to the first decade of the 21^st Century. Having apparently nowhere else to go, they decided to tell one-off stories focusing on single characters and events from the long history of the League. Nemo: Heart of Ice, is the first of these one-shot stories. It is a story focusing on Janni Dakkar, daughter of Captain Nemo (from Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues under the Sea). I have to say, I enjoyed it a great deal.

The story focuses on Janni and how she deals with her father’s legacy. The story takes place in 1925, fifteen years after reluctantly accepting the mantle of Captain Nemo. For the last fifteen years she has followed in his footsteps, all the while improving on some of his inventions, adding new members to her crew and transforming the island which her father, and now she, calls home. She acts as if she’s her father’s successor, she acts as if she knew the man but it’s all a lie. She knows of his accomplishments, she knows of his inventions, she knows his crew and loved ones but she doesn’t really know him at all. She’s haunted by this and by choosing to undergo his most disastrous expedition, she hopes to put her father’s memory to rest by succeeding where he father could not. She decides to go on this adventure all the while ignoring the needs and desires of her faithful crew.

She’s going on this expedition for herself. Her crew doesn’t wish to go, they’re pirates. All they want to do is take what they need, as well as what they want, and live a relatively peaceful life when they’re not stealing and pillaging. However, in part because they’re faithful to Janni, but also because they feel an obligation to her father, they follow Janni to the ends of the Earth. Along the way some of them will willingly give her their lives and their souls hoping she will be able to find what she so desperately wants.

The story isn’t about the expedition and whether or not it will be a success. The story is more personal than that, it’s the story of Janni and how she deals with her father’s overbearing influence on everything she does. The difficulties of the physical journey through Antarctica parallel the difficulties of her more personally journey taking place within herself. At the beginning of the book she’s constantly asking herself if her father had done this and will she be able to do it better. Towards the end, she stops nearly all mentions of her father. It’s not about him anymore. Her journey to Antarctica has be transformative.

Janni and her crew attacking a port in New York.

In the end, Janni comes to an important realization that the time of great adventurers and super scientists is over. By pursuing that same path and attempting to reach the same heights will only resolve in unnecessary trauma, pain and suffering. Instead, this new generation of adventurers and scientists should concentrate on forging/creating a new path no matter how unimportant and banal it may seem. What’s sad about Janni’s growth as a person is its cyclical nature. Fifteen years before the events of Nemo: Heart of Ice, Janni was refusing to follow in her father’s footsteps. Having always felt rejected by her father for being a girl, she wanted to be her own person. Due to the events in League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Century: 1910 she gave in to her father’s wishes and became Nemo, Pirate Queen for a decade in a have. After years of unnecessary struggles, she can once again be, simply, Janni.

Kevin O’Neil’s art excels with this type of story. His work had lost something important in Century. The tone was very different and the panels where too small and there weren’t enough fantastic and otherworldly things for him to draw. O’Neil is very, very good at drawing otherworldly things and Moore gives him dozens of opportunities to draw such things in this book. It’s some of his best art in many years and I hope Moore continues to write League stories which allow O’Neil to impress me such as he did here.

Nemo: Heart of Ice, is a bit of a throwback to the earlier stories of the League. It’s an adventure story with familiar literary characters and settings based on a few classic stories. This time Moore is influenced by Edgar Allan Poe, Jules Verne and H. P. Lovecraft. Unlike with Black Dossier and Century, Moore seems focused on telling the story more than he is on cramming in as many references and literary allusions as possible. No need to worry, there are still plenty of that sort of things for those who really like it. It just doesn’t get in the way of the actual story and it’s quite nice. In short, Nemo: Heart of Ice, is the story of an adventure, of the anger of an African Queen who’s belongings were stolen, it’s about sons and daughters dealing with the accomplishments of their parents, it’s about super science and lighting guns, giant penguins, aliens, lost and hidden cities and most of all it’s about personal growth. This newest story in the League saga revitalises my enthusiasm for the series and the stories still to come. I look forward to the next instalment by Moore and O’Neil. 

Saga of the Swamp Thing Book Four review

This volume collects issues 43 to 50 which conclude the American Gothic storyline that began in book three. I have to admit the last third of American Gothic is a triumphant finish to the longer Swamp Thing story arc by Moore. I was caught by surprise. The beginning of American Gothic is so difficult to read, not because it’s a challenging comic but simply because it’s not good, so when the momentum builds seemingly out of nowhere I was caught off-guard, not only by the story being told, but how well told it was. Everything culminates in issue #50 and I mean everything. The journey to that anniversary issue wasn’t such a treat though.

The momentum picks up almost from the first issue in this collection. Moore tells an interesting story staring one of the many tubers that grow and fall off of Swamp Thing. A man, Chester Williams, finds one of the tubers while in the swamp and brings it home. The tuber is cut up and sold off as a drug to different people. They all have hallucinogenic experiences but they all differ from one another. The type of person you are and the reason you’re eating the tubers will affect the time of hallucination you will get. It’s a clever, emotional one issue story and although if fits in the context of American Gothic, is works just as well on its own.

After that issue, Moore falls back into a few issues of exploring American horror and that other garbage. We also find out what Constantine has been training Swamp Thing for. We’re introduced to the Parliament of Threes, Swamp Thing continues to develop his powers and there is also the cataclysmic battle between Good and Evil in the concluding issue. Moore deftly interweaves a big philosophical question, magic and horror elements to his recently developed Swamp Thing mythology to tell what is easily one of his top three Swamp Thing issues. He also takes the time to joke around.

Moore ends issue 50 with two jokes. One of the jokes is admittedly dark humour. While Cain thinks over what he has learned from the confrontation of Good and Evil he comes to a realization that neither can nor will ever been defeated, they will continue to exist. However, Good and Evil can be refined and come to signify slightly different aspects of what they used to be. Once done his reminiscing, Cain turns to Abel and murders his brother for the nth time. Everything has changed but just slightly.

Moore also takes the time to take a jab at Steve Bissette. Bissette and John Totleben are considered to have been the primary artists on Moore’s run writing Swamp Thing. It’s not necessarily because they drew the most issues (I’m not even sure if that’s true or not). I think it’s more because they defined the look of Moore’s run more than any of the other artists who collaborated with him. Bissette had an ongoing struggle with deadlines and on the last page of issue #50 there is a tombstone with him name on it. The following is engraved beneath his name: “Here lies S. R. Bissette. He arrived late to his own funeral.” It’s great, I loved it.

This fourth volume of Saga of the Swamp Thing is a return to form for Moore and his team of artists. Not only do many plot elements all come together for a grand finish, but Moore also takes the time to set up the stories to come. It’s a bit unfortunate that not all of the issues are excellent but enough of them are to make this a worthwhile read. Things settle down a little bit in the next volume but only for about an issue or so. Review for book five coming up soon. 

Star Wars: Death Troopers review

Death Troopers is written by horror novelist and Star Wars fan Joe Schreiber. That sentence, the title and the cover of the book should tell you almost exactly what the book is about. Death Troopers is a zombie horror novel set in the Star Wars Expanded Universe and it’s surprisingly enjoyable.

In a world where books such as Pride and Prejudice and Zombies can exist, it’s no surprise that someone decided to mash up two well-loved genres as Star Wars and the Hordes of the Undead together into one gloriously gory book for fans of both genres who, at times, can be just as insatiable as zombies themselves.

The plot of Death Troopers is simple. An imperial prison barge, Purge, is on its way to a prison planet with roughly 500 hardened criminals aboard. The crew and passengers are subjected to a mechanical breakdown. They drift towards an abandoned Star Destroyer and decide to raid it for parts to repair the Purge’s engines. What they encounter on the abandoned Star Destroyer will forever change the lives of the passengers and the crew.  Schreiber takes the time to establish human conflict on the prison barge before introducing the horror elements but he does this with the use of quick characterization which makes some of the later scenes somewhat predictable. It’s a straightforward plot that ends up having a few more twists and turns than expected but nonetheless remains simple for the duration of the novel. All of that is perfectly acceptable, though. Death Troopers isn’t meant to win literary awards. Its purpose is to entertain in delight in gruesome fashion.

Schreiber insure that the book is simple and accessible to new and old readers of the Expanded Universe by keeping the Star Wars elements to a minimal. The whole thing takes place in space and not on a new planet written specifically for the novel. Most of the characters have no appeared in other Star Wars books or movies except for two notable exceptions which I won’t spoil for you (but beware, a quick search on Death Troopers will undoubtedly reveal to you these surprise guest stars). The whole of the action takes place on two ships and there are less than half a dozen alien species. This is very important because any Star Wars fan can pick this up and enjoy it, whether you’ve seen all the movies, read all the books and played all the video games or if you’ve only seen the original trilogy. Some readers may view this as a weakness because the story could take place outside of the Star Wars Universe with just a few small modifications but I argue it wouldn’t be nearly as enjoyable. This book is good because of the genre mash up and not despite the zombie presence in our beloved Star Wars Expanded Universe.

Now that you’ve got a sense of the book, here’s what I liked about it. I really liked the idea of ghost ships, particularly when it’s a very large (nearly 2 kilometre long) ship like a Star Destroyer. These things are so big it’s like a mobile city filled with imperial troops. It also just makes sense that if the rebels can and have (reluctantly) abandoned military bases, why wouldn’t the Empire occasionally do the same with their equivalent of a military base? I like this idea so much I would be interested in reading a story about a ghost space ship that doesn’t have zombies. Quick, something thing of a good story and write it for me, please. 

Related to the idea of abandoned ships is the one about the emotional and psychological effects of working primarily on a space ship. Sartoris, captain of the prison guard on Purge, reflects on the claustrophobic feeling he experiences aboard most space ships. It must be mentally exhausting to work about a self-sustaining space ship for extended periods of time. At that to a cabin fever type feeling and suddenly working in space takes a dark turn. 

I mentioned earlier that the book wouldn’t be as effective if it didn’t combine elements of both genres together, let me explain. It’s an effective mash up because of the strength of existing Star Wars imagery. You all know what a stormtrooper is. Now picture a stormtrooper in uniform with parts of the helmet ripped off to allow for biting and eating and you’ve got a pleasantly horrific image. Not only that, but if you think about the same idea in a more simplified way: it’s a space faring zombie with armor that can protect from laser blasts. How do you fight that? I’ve mentioned the importance of visual elements in the Star Wars universe before and it’s nice to see that Schreiber took that into consideration. 

I would like to point out two more things I liked about Death Troopers. Schreiber, probably due to his horror novelist background, is good at writing gross and squishy scenes. He takes full advantage of the possibilities here by making one of the main characters a medical surgeon. I could easily visualize the sickening creatures, medical procedures and all around nasty horror stuff happening to the characters. The other thing is that Schreiber takes the time to explain the reason why Purge and the drifting Star Destroyer bump into one another in the middle of space. What first seemed like a coincidence later becomes a small, crafty mystery to be explained by events later in the novel. It was a nice touch by Schreiber because it explains the beginning of the book’s as something planned and thought out as opposed to using a coincidental plot hole as the basis of the story while also making it something interesting and clever.

As a whole, Death Troopers does what it sets out to do. Schreiber adds a few unexpected interesting elements. He also allows for the existence of too many coincidental moments but I didn’t let that bother me too much because I was mostly expecting it and it doesn’t matter. The zombies take over a small, small corner of the Expanded Universe and that’s what was advertised. For all intents and purposes it’s mission accomplished for Schreiber and Death Troopers. Now have can we make it better? Maybe Schreiber should write a prequel including a user of the Dark Force, lightsabers and zombies…

Thor: The Mighty Avenger, The Complete Collection review

I’ve been a big fan of Chris Samnee’s work since I read a story arc he drew in Greg Rucka’s Queen & Country as well as the Vertigo Crime graphic novel Area 10 written by Christos Gage. This is the first time I see his art coloured and it’s also the first time I see him draw a superhero comic. The reason I picked this up is mostly because of appreciation for Samnee’s art. It also helps that it was rather well received during its initial monthly publication.

Roger Langridge and Chris Samnee have made a relatively dense comic. At least, if you compare it to other superhero comics published at the time. It’s a very good thing because it allows them to tell an engaging story with a lot of depth but it a way that isn’t overly dense (like an Alan Moore comic, for example). Most pages have roughly 7 or 8 which is just slightly more than what you would normally find in a Marvel comic but it’s enough to make it feel more substantial. There is a lot that happens in these nine issues and it’s a result of an impressive collaborative effort. Langridge's ability to tell single issue stories with an overarching story is what allowed for interesting things for Samnee to draw. From sea monsters to other interesting characters from both Thor's Marvel comics mythology as well as from other corners of the Marvel Universe.

The first few issues the comic seems to be more about Jane and this new visitor in her life but as the story goes on the focus shifts slightly which is perfectly fine. It's called Thor: The Mighty Avenger not Jane: The Museum Curator. This comic is about Thor’s exile from Asgard by his father, Odin. He threw his son off the Rainbow Bridge and onto Earth with the hopes of teaching him humility. Odin denies Thor the knowledge of what he did that resulted in such a punishment. Unfortunately, the series was cancelled before the story could progress to a point where the reason for Thor’s exiled could be revealed. Thus, we are left to think that Thor was a big jerk and Odin may have slightly overreacted by casting his son out of Asgard. As a whole though, it doesn’t really matter. What matters are the lessons Thor learns while on Earth.

Thor’s been on Earth before, many, many years ago. Everything has changed now since a lot of time has passed since his last visit to Earth. He can’t recognize anything and he’s lost. He can’t even interact with modern people because even social interactions have had time to change and evolve. It takes Jane Foster’s eternal patience and compassion to give Thor a chance to interact in anything resembling a normal fashion. Once Langridge is done setting up Thor’s situation, he quickly creates new situations for him and Jane that force Thor to learn new lessons about himself, about humanity and about what it means to be an all-powerful Asgardian. He does this mostly in done-in-one issues, telling a single tale or adventure which sometimes has its beginnings in a previous issue and often has story threads leading into the next issue. This volume collects a total of nine issues and they all tell a single story but they’re also all connected (with the exception of the Free Comic Book Day issue which is a genuine single issue story). It’s impressive that Langridge makes it look so easy because it seems to be one of those many lost comic book talents since we’re increasingly bombarded by overly decompressed story that take several issues to come to any kind of resolution or story progression. 

Roger Langridge's version of Samnee's cover
for issue #6. Yup, he's an artist too.

By choosing to tell a done in one story each single issue, Langridge allows for Thor to develop and grow as a character every issue. Langridge tries to have Thor learn a new lesson each issue and something he fails or something he doesn’t learn his lesson until the next story. Either way, it’s nearly guaranteed character development each issue. Thor learns to make a new friend, learns about what it means to be human, learns to be selfless and leans how and why he should help out. He also learns about love and caring. All of these lessons have their roots in Thor’s relationship with Jane Foster.

Jane Foster was a delightful character. You get a sense that she was well rounded and define individual before Thor popped up in her life. She’s not just a female interest for Thor. In fact, Langridge sets it up the other way around. Jane is the main character in the first and maybe second and third issues as well. It’s not until the Boys Night Out story in issue #4 that Thor really comes to the forefront. More than that, when Langridge has Thor do something Jane is generally also doing something be it something by herself or with Thor. In that same Boys Night Out story, Thor goes on an adventure with his friends, The Warriors Three. Upon his return, we find out Jane also went out with some of her friends. She didn’t sit around at home waiting for Thor to come back home. Her life doesn’t revolve around him. You could argue that Thor’s new life on Earth revolves around Jane. We get a scene where Jane is at work and Thor is bumming at her place sitting on the couch and watching Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Jane is a well-developed character and not just another damsel in distress or a sultry superheroic supermodel in frilly garments mean to be an object of lust and desire for both the male protagonist and the male readership. Well done, Langridge and Samnee.

Thor, hanging out and making friends.

While reading, I was constantly surprised by the choice of having Samnee draw the book. Not because he isn't good, he is, he's excellent, but his art style doesn't make me think he'd be good at drawing fantastical elements. He proves me wrong throughout the entire book. Maybe I feel this way because my introduction to Samnee’s work was in a comic that is more grounded in reality. It was clearly an excellent choice because a big part of my enjoyment of Thor: The Mighty Avenger was due to the art.

You can tell Samnee isn’t used to drawing a comic that is meant to be printed in colour. He shades and texturizes things more than you would expect him to. He seems to like adding a lot of shading on the characters but he also shows restrained, reserving it for scenes that take place in areas with poor lighting. Otherwise he doesn't add any shading on the faces, leaving them open and expressive. Because of his art style, a specific kind of colouring is needed. Matt Wilson uses a lot of flat colours because Samnee's inks tend to be thick. It's a different story for the faces though. Wilson uses gradients to indicate lighting and to add some shading but not always. The use of gradients appear here and there throughout the work, more often than not on some of the more fantastic and superheroic elements.   Still, the use of gradients remains minimal throughout all nine issues.

Samnee is pretty good at drawing faces and facial expression. Some facial expressions are rendered rather cartoony but that's fine by me. I'm just impressed by how expressive some of his characters can be. Expressive faces are a good thing to know how to draw, Langridge writes a fair amount of humorous scenes that really on the art to carry the punch line.

There is a lot that happens in these nine issues and it’s a result of an impressive collaborative effort. Langridge's ability to tell single issue stories with an overarching story is what allowed for interesting things for Samnee to draw. From sea monsters to other interesting characters from both Thor's Marvel comics mythology as well as from other corners of the Marvel Universe. In issue #5, Samnee draws a Jack Kirby sea monster. The Kirby influence is clearly there but he keeps it in check with the overall style of the Thor comic. His lines are thinner than Kirby’s but he still manages to uses dark, inky shadowing for texture and that blocky look associated with Kirby’s art.. It works very well and the sea monster looks awesome. Samnee gets another chance to draw a Kirbyesque monster when Heimdall transforms into a creature that kind of looks like Fin Fang Foom. 

Thor: The Mighty Avenger could and probably should have been one of the few great superhero comic book runs but alas it was cut short due to poor sales and Langridge being unhappy working for Marvel. The sketchbook section at the end of the collection offers a small glimpse of one of the stories that could have been in the works. Samnee draws a sketch of the Hulk. I’m certain Langridge and Samnee would have given us a unique and thrilling encounter between Thor and Hulk but we’ll have to content ourselves with the sketchbook section. If you like accessible, well written and superbly drawn superhero comics with as much brains and heart as there is brawn and creative costumes, do yourself a favour, pick up a copy of Thor: The Mighty Avenger and savour the brief glimpse into a grand story that could have been.

PokéJournal: Update 007

This guy doesn't like water . . .
 because he's made of rock!

-Alright, I have the Squirt Bottle now and I’m off to the next town.

-There are tons of trainers on this route, sweet. I’ll use it as a opportunity to train Croconaw.

-Croconaw vs. Tangela. No problem because Croconaw knows Ice Fang. It does good damage and it can potentially cause flinching or freeze the opponent. It’s a super useful move for a water type like Croconaw. At least, it’s a good move to have until Tangela puts you to sleep. Darn. Oh great, he’s draining Croconaw’s energy now. Finally, he wakes up and the battle is easily won.

-Man, all the trainers here want to exchange numbers. It’ll be good for training later in the game, I hope.

-I just caught a Nidoran♀ and naturally I want to catch a Nidoran♂ to go with it. Only problem is there are far more female Nidoran than there are male ones. It’s taking a long time.

-Sweet. More people to battle in the National Park. You know what, I don’t care. A random lady just gave me a Quick Claw. Here you go, Croconaw, now you can stop being so darn slow in battle. Huh. I just noticed I have a Shell Bell (heals a bit of HP every turn in battle). When did I get that? Who cares, here you go Pidgeotto.

-I just met a guy in the National Park who took a picture of me and all my Pokémon.

-What in the world is the Pokéathlon Dome and why should I care? What’s that you say, there is no reason to care? Ok, moving on. Let’s go catch a Sudowoodo.

-Turns out he’s a pretty tough cookie. I used Croconaw to weaken his HP so much just one more attack by even my weakest Pokémon (Sandshrew in the case at level 11) would have been enough to make him faint. I then sent out Flaaffy planning to cause paralysis with Thunder Wave but Sudowoodo paralyzed himself by using a physical attack on Flaaffy. I then sent out a Great Ball and bam, done. Now I can go to the next city.

-Awesome, this lady from the flower shop in Goldenrod just gave me a Berry Pot and some berries. I guess in Heart Gold you can grow your own berries with you and not have to worry about travelling all over the map just to get status healing berries for free. This is great. 

These guys were born to be in double battles.

-I just clued into the fact that the guy who’s waiting for a Spearow is on Route 31. Problem is Route 31 is back where I already came from and I’m heading towards the next town… U-turn!

-Yay, the guy gave me a TM 44. That‘s another TM to carry around in my bag and never use.

-Hey, didn’t I give Kurt Apricorns to make Poké Balls with? Where does he live again?

-I’m not a really big fan of double battles. It takes too long for a turn to happen. I prefer the more traditional one-on-one battle.

-I bumped into Bill at the Ecruteak City Pokémon Center. He left and I followed him to Goldenrod City. I went to his house and he gave me an Eevee. It’s going to get it on with my Ditto one of these days but not now.

Stantler, what did you do to
deserve to be so ugly?

-Finally, a wild Growlithe. Little Growlithe, I’m going to hurt you until your HP is red. I’m going to send out Flaaffy to bully you around and paralyse you. Then, once you’re caught in the Poké Ball, I will go find you in the PC and love you forever and ever.

-Successfully caught, quick, to the Poké Center!

-Man, Growlithe is fucking adorable following you around. Enough swooning, Growlithe vs. wild Growlithe, go! Well that was disappointing. The wild Growlithe has an ability that makes fire type moves useless against it and my Growlithe only knows one offensive move and it’s Ember. I used Roar and the wild Growlithe ran away. What a little wimp.

-Well, I have a Growlithe and I’m in a new city. I’ve caught several Pokémon and I’ve trained Croconaw quite a bit. I think it’s time to call it a day. Next time, I’ll be exploring Ecruteak City.

Pokémon caught: Nidoran♀, Nidoran♂, Sudowoodo, Stantler, and Growlithe.

Pokémon traded: None.

Gym Leader defeated: None.

Fights with Craphat (Rival): None.

Evolutions: None.

Pokémon in party: Croconaw, Flaaffy, Pidgeotto, Heracross, Growlithe, Sandshrew.

Highest level in party: Croconaw at level 26.

Lowest level in party: Sandshrew at level 13.

Pokédex: 38.

Time played: 13:54.

PokéJournal: Update 006

Gym Leader Whitney. Don't let
those short shorts fool you, she's tough!

-It’s time to train and raise the levels of all my party Pokémon and to catch Pokémon too.

-Sweet, Pidgey evolved into Pidgeotto! That's a great name for a Pokémon. I like that it’s similar to Pidgey but also better. It's nice when the names kind of work together with the evolution family of a Pokémon.

-A wild Rattata used Focus Energy. Isn't that kind of ridiculous? It's a tiny little mouse. How much energy does it even have to focus? Faint ya little bastard, faint!

-Aw sweet. Pidgeotto looks great following you around. He doesn't walk though, nope, this flying Pokémon is too good for walking, he flies!

-What? This random trainer has a Bulbasaur? I'm jealous. How did she get that anyway? We're not in Kanto!

-Sweet, Bulbasaur lady asked to exchange numbers and she said she'll give me random items she picks up. Thanks, Bulbasaur lady.

-I saw my first Abra in the wild. I was expecting it to teleport so I tossed a Poké Ball at it thinking it wouldn't do much but hoping for the best. Anyway, I caught it. Yeah!

-Well hello Drowzee. Man, what's with the psychic Pokémon here? It's all psychics and Rattatas. I hope they don't start to mate together. The last thing the world needs are Rattata focusing their energy and teleporting all over the place using hypnosis on everybody. *shivers*

-A Poké fan wants to test his Pokémon by battling with me. They just came out of day care he says. Silly Poke fan, you don't send Pokémon to daycare to get tough. No, you send them there to get frisky. That's why they charge by the hour! (Note: they don't. They charge by the level).

-I only have one Poké Ball left. I need to buy more. I barely have any money though. I have no idea why. It's not like I use a lot of items or anything. By the way, I found out why Heracross broke out of so many Poké Balls before I caught it. It turns out Heracross has a really low catch rate, something just above 5%. Crazy, eh? Check out more by reading this bulbapedia article.

-Oh my god, a Ditto, yes! Catch, catch, catch! Damn, another Pokémon that's difficult to catch. I don't have enough Poké Balls for this! Ok, he's in the red and he's paralyzed, come oooooon. Woohoo, I have a Ditto and it only took four Poké Balls!

-So much for training, all I'm doing is catching Pokémon. Professors Oak and Elm will be so happy.

-It's a little bit risky but I'm training Heracross by fighting Drowzees in the wild. Bug type is weak to psychic type but if Heracross can defeat one she gets much more experience as compensation. It works rather well and it becomes less risky as Heracross becomes stronger.

-I found some trainers in the hair cutting place. I'm so grateful for having a chance to train and to make some money. I only have one Poké Ball left (again).

-Man, Heracross has a good learn set. She's at level 12 and just learnt Aerial Ace. Pidgeotto doesn't even know it yet and he's at level 17! Awesome.

-Uh oh, Team Rocket is in town. I guess I'll just have to whip some ass.

-Oh goody, a quiz campaign to win a radio card? Hit me! Aw yeah, I got a radio card! All the questions are easy except for the last one which I guessed.

-I have a bicycle, wheeeeee.

-You know Heracross is fast and strong when at level 13 it can one hit KO a level 10 Abra. Heracross is the new Flaaffy.

Imagine having this thing use Pound
 on your over and over. Cut me some
 slack, ok? Miltank is strong.

-Time to go fight the Gym Leader of Goldenrod City. Whitney is a normal type user. I don’t have any fighting Pokémon but I’ll be just fine.

-First fight between Heracross and Clefairy. I’m doing well and then Whitney used a Super Potion. Gym Leaders always use items when they’re losing. Suck it up, dudes. Clefairy used Metronome and it “randomly” selected a psychic attack. It’s super effective against Heracross, coincidence? I think not. A few Horn Attacks later, Heracross defeats Clefairy.

-Whitney sends out Miltank. I keep Heracross but after one attack I realize Miltank’s defence is too strong so I switch to Croconaw. Problem is, Croconaw is paralyzed from an earlier fight with one of the trainers in Whitney’s gym. Damn. I’m such a noob, always checks Pokémon status before entering a fight with a Gym Leader. Croconaw has good HP so I’m hoping the paralysis will wear off. It doesn’t and when his HP gets low enough I decide to heal him of his status and heal his HP. Man, Miltank used Attract and Croconaw isn’t attacking as well as he normally would. Miltank also has surprising speed, well, compared to Croconaw anyway who is pretty slow. That means he gets to attack first and she uses Stomp which makes Croconaw flinch. This is going to be a long battle. I would switch Pokémon but they’re all males except for Heracross. It’s not even worth it. Miltank’s HP finally goes red and right one cue, Whitney uses a super potion, he we go again. I’m sick and tired of getting stomped on so I send in Heracross. Heracross fainted. I sent out Flaaffy and Thunder Shock took us to victory. Finally, another Gym Leader defeated.

-Considering I’ve had trouble with the last two Gym Leader battles, I’m thinking it will be easier with the gyms coming up later on. I’m thinking this because earlier on in the game you’re less flexible on the different types of Pokémon and moves your Pokémon know. Before level twenty all they can do is Growl, Tackle, Bite and Quick Attack (I’m exaggerating but you get the point). With more variety in moves and Pokémon you can more easily adapt to the type of Pokémon the Gym Leaders use. With bug and normal out of the way, the rest should be smooth sailing. I can’t way to be at a gym where I can use Heracross, Croconaw and Flaaffy to their full capabilities.

-Time to leave Goldenrod City. Some guy gave me a Spearow with mail to give to one of his friends. He’s at level 20. Do I get to keep him afterword? If so, I’ll give the guy the mail, evolve Spearow and dump him in the PC.

-Wait a minute, isn’t the weird tree up ahead? I think I need to go get a squirt bottle or something. Oh well, next time. Coming up in PokéJournal Update 007: I go find a squirt bottle, fight that tree and go to the next city.

*****

I have a little frustration to share regarding Totodile’s evolution family. Croconaw has odd and rather awful looking markings on his body that does not match up with the look of Totodile and Feraligatr. Take a look at the picture. Totodile is a blue crocodile or alligator (his name has its roots in crocodile but Feraligatr obviously has his roots in alligator) that walks on its hind legs. It has red dorsal and tail fins. He has the beginning of four fingers and a thumb on each hand and he has a V-shaped pale yellow marking on his chest. He looks pretty awesome.

Now consider Croconaw. Same blue colour and overall body shape but he’s bigger. That works. The red fins are proportionally the same size but he has additional fins, or crest in this case, on his head. That also works. Look at his tail fin though. It’s a different and odd shape. It looks unnatural and I get the feeling it was changed simply so that there was something different about his fin. His mouth is shorter but he jaws look bigger and more powerful. That really works considering his stronger attack strength and his learn set which includes moves such as Bite, Ice Fang and Crunch. His lower jaw is also the same pale yellow colour as Totodile’s chest markings. That also works because it adds more of something Totodile has a little bit of, that’s a pretty common element in Pokémon evolutions. Now here’s the problem, the additional pale yellow markings on Croconaw look absolutely out of place. It looks like he’s wearing a caveman print leotard. It’s like Fred Flintstone had a baby with a crocodile. It’s completely out of place and unnecessary. It doesn’t help that it’s not a continuation of something previously established in Totodile’s look and it’s not an element that continues into Feraligatr’s look either. 

Now take a look at Feraligatr. His crest, dorsal fins and tail fins are all bigger which increased in size from Croconaw. His hands and feet have sharp, pointy nails, another increased on a previously established feature. His mouth is huge and just different enough to give him a different look from his previous two forms which was accomplished by shortening the nose and increasing the size of the mouth. He also continues to share the pale yellow as the colour for his bottom jaw. Now look at his belly, it’s the same marking Totodile had on his chest. Where was that on Croconaw? Why does Feraligatr have a marking more closely resembling that of his first form and completely ignores the markings his second form had? I shouldn’t complain too much because Feraligatr’s design is much better than that of Croconaw. I would like to add that I like that he has longer arms with elbows. He doesn’t just fight by biting, he also fights by hitting and scratching, etc. The protective padding additions to his arms, knees, tail and ribs adds to the element of a very physical fighting Pokémon. He fights so often and with such verve his body developed natural ways of protecting himself.

Would you agree with my assessment of the Totodile family design? Does Croconaw both fit into and stand out of the family? He’s definitively that awkward teenage phase. He tries new things but sticks to some old ones and when he matures and evolves into Feraligatr he settles into something more familiar and elegant. Just to be clear, I think the design for Croconaw works on it’s own, he only looks odd when compared to other evolutionary forms.

Pokémon caught: Abra, Drowzee, Krabby, Ditto, and Pineco.

Pokémon traded: None.

Gym Leader defeated: Whitney.

Fights with Craphat (Rival): None.

Evolutions: Pidgey into Pidgeotto.

Pokémon in party: Croconaw, Heracross, Pidgeotto, Flaaffy, Geodude, Spearow.

Highest level in party: Croconaw level 23.

Lowest level in party: Geodude level 3.  

Pokédex: 32.

Time played: 11:45.

Saga of the Swamp Thing Book Three review

The third volume of Alan Moore’s time as the writer of Swamp Thing collects the first half the American Gothic storyline. Those issues present the first lull in the momentum that Moore and the artists had been building since issue #20. American Gothic is famous for introducing the character of John Constantine who became the poster boy of sorts for Vertigo Comics. Constantine cons Swamp Thing to go on a journey to different parts of America on what appears to be wild goose chases. To the perceptive reader, it is clear that Constantine is forcing Swamp Thing to change and develop as a plant Elemental.

This volume comes off as a slight disappointment compared to the first two volumes. The individual stories presented here aren’t as interesting as the previous issues. More importantly, they are difficult to read because Alan Moore gets preachy with him commentary of various elements of old and present America. I guess he tried to say something about America but I don’t think he was very successful.

The issues are very well executed but they’re simply uninteresting for the most part. It seems strange that the team that gave us a new Swamp Thing, a revamped and terrifying Floronic Man, a monster brawl between Swamp Thing, the Demon and the Monkey King, a frightening Arcane, a trip to hell and back and more than one out of body experiences give us, in this third volume, stories of a radioactive man, underwater vampires, a werewolf and a movie about slavery haunted by the very past it is trying to replicate. It’s pretty boring add to that Moore’s preachy narrative it’s almost enough to make you lose faith in the creative team.

Listed like that it doesn’t seem like this stories have much in common but they do and it’s that very thing that keeps this volume interesting and stops it from being a failure. Two things, actually. Swamp Thing is developing both as a character and as an elemental. His growth is what anchors this journey across America. The second thing keeping my interest in this volume is the introduction of John Constantine. He’s a manipulative jerk who has little remorse for the things he does to others. Swamp Thing is just a tool to him and he’s doing what he can to shape and prepare him for what is yet to come. It’s interesting to see just how much of a jerk John Constantine is in his first year. and the other is John Constantine being a horrible person and manipulating Swamp Thing. John Constantine is a jerk in these pages.

To follow up what I’ve written about Swamp Thing’s more texturized look in Moore’s run, in his introduction, Steve Bissette clarifies that it was John Totleben who wanted to draw Swamp Thing as something actually composed of vegetation and not simply a green man suit with roots. Thanks John Totleben, you and Bissette’s Swamp Thing looks great. There’s just so much texture.

I’d rather not write any more about this third volume, my least favourite of Moore’s run on Swamp Thing, so I’ll stop here. The story gets much, much better next volume. Well, not right away, but the end of American Gothic is a high point not only in Moore’s run but in Swamp Thing’s entire comics history. Review of volume four coming soon.