Category: Features

Amish Otaku, Convention Coverage, Features

Convention Coverage: Video Game Expo 2007

Most video game conventions out there are nearly impossible to get to if you’re on the east coast. All of the big names, like PAX and E3, take place on the west coast. It only makes sense since that’s where the majority of the companies reside. Thankfully, Video Game Expo is there to fill this void on the east coast.

While VGExpo wasn’t as large as the big industry events out west, it still more than held its own in terms of guests, exhibitors and events. Plus there was the opportunity to play a few unreleased games – and a lot of other games besides. Continue reading “Convention Coverage: Video Game Expo 2007”

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Amish Otaku, Comics, Features

Caught My Eye: Thirteen Steps

Guest Post

As promised, this review is over the newly released comic, Thirteen Steps. It is a horror comic at the root, but it’s pretty much unlike any others on the stands today. It follows the story of a man who is a minor league baseball player by day and a werewolf by night. The main hook is that he feels pretty horrible for what he does in his altered state and needs someone who will listen to him and try to understand, but that doesn’t happen until he stumbles on an A.A.-like program called Thirteen Steps, where he can learn to deal with his affliction.

In the last review, I covered a title called GearHead, which was drawn by Kevin Mellon. When I saw this comic in Previews several months ago and noticed it was drawn by the same artist, I was pretty curious. Add to the pot that this is written by one of my favorite artists and is a horror comic and you have a combination that I couldn’t pass up. Continue reading “Caught My Eye: Thirteen Steps”

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Amish Otaku, Comics, Features

Caught My Eye: GearHead

Guest Post

First of all, I’d like to apologize for my absence. Recently, I started a new job, moved across state, and have been living with my in-laws while waiting for my last house to sell. Needless to say, it’s been hectic these last couple of months. Now that I turned in my tardy slip, let’s get on to the comic review, shall we?

The comic that brought me screaming and kicking back to comic reviewing is called GearHead. Basically, the premise is that the world is drastically different from the one that we know and love in that the civilized society lives in the few large cities across the country, and in the outskirts reside the outlaws and undesirables. It kind of resembles a mixture of movies along the line of Mad Max.

The main character is the mechanic daughter of a vigilante named GearHead who gets a dose of reality when she’s thrust into dangers that far exceed that of a cracked block or blown head gasket. Due to extenuating circumstances, she takes up the mantle of her lost father and begins to peel back the mystery of how messed up her world really is. Continue reading “Caught My Eye: GearHead”

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Amish Otaku, Comics, Features, Marvel

Bubonic Comics: Nikki Doyle: Wild Thing

Guest Post

This debut issue of Wild Thing is bad, seriously bad. I’m not sure how many issues it lasted; but since the Marvel UK imprint folded in America about a year later, I can imagine it didn’t run too long. The cover promises the appearance of Venom and Carnage so, of course, it’s a must-buy.

But before you track it down, let me explain this is the furthest thing from a must-buy. Venom and Carnage (who only appears in three panels) are only virtual-reality bad guys. Yes, Ms. Doyle fights virtual-reality bad guys. Actually, she fights illegal virtual-reality programs that are more addictive than heroin. It seems that in an effort to capitalize off the somewhat success of virtual-reality programs, Marvel created a virtual-reality warrior.

Being a former VR junkie, Doyle has cleaned up her act and is working with the NYPD to bust these underground video game dens. The concept is laughable (especially looking back from over a decade later) and the execution is rather terrible. Doyle has acute knowledge of the VR world, and as Wild Thing she is able to navigate this world and save those addicts.

Why can’t they just unplug the game machines? Because in a move much like The Matrix, anyone jacked into the other world can also die because of the virtual world. If the junkie is unplugged, he’s a goner. Thankfully, Wild Thing is their savior. The whole issue follows this set-up; it includes her busting a den and then plugging in to a particularly devious program to save one of the addicts.

Continue reading “Bubonic Comics: Nikki Doyle: Wild Thing”

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Amish Otaku, Comics, Features, Interviews

Interview: Steve Niles on 30 Days, Clive Barker and Rob Zombie

Q:
Early in your carreer you adapted a fair number of books to the comic medium. What has it been like to now take your original work and adapt that into books and movies like the upcoming 30 Days of Night?

A:
I feel bad that I practiced on guys like Matheson, Barker and Ellison! But seriously, all those adaptations taught me a lot about breaking down and/or expanding a story from one medium to another, and I certainly utilized those lessons while writing 30 Days in all its various forms. Learning to be true to source material can be tricky, but as the better comics-to-films have proven, the more accurate to the original material, the better the films seem to be. I mean there are very good reasons why people have loved Spiderman all these years, but it took Raimi following the comics to prove it. Continue reading “Interview: Steve Niles on 30 Days, Clive Barker and Rob Zombie”

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Amish Otaku, Bubonic Comics, Comics, Features, Marvel

Bubonic Comics: The Incredible Hulk #456

Guest Post

It’s been quite a while since I dug through the comic bins, but I’ve decided to share with you a comic that marked my departure from reading Marvel Comics for roughly six years.

Growing up, I had been a huge Marvel Zombie. It had the most popular characters, the coolest adventures and the best artists, but the crapfest that was Onslaught and Heroes Reborn killed my affection for Marvel. I followed a few titles, including The Incredible Hulk, afterward.

The ridiculousness that was The Incredible Hulk #456 sealed the deal, however. And, as you read on, you’ll agree this issue should stay crammed in the back of your collection, never to see daylight again.

Currently, Hulk is receiving tons of well-deserved attention. World War Hulk is perhaps his brightest moment, especially considered how cut off from the rest of the Marvel Universe Hulk was during Bruce Jones’ run on the title. World War Hulk is as exciting as it is destructive. This issue, though, is embarrassing. It revolves around Apocalypse transforming Hulk into the Horseman War. Before we find out how that transpires, though, the issue begins with Rick Jones and his great-granddaughter (she’s from the future…don’t ask) driving around New Orleans. Continue reading “Bubonic Comics: The Incredible Hulk #456”

Charlie Robinson
Amish Otaku, Features, Interviews, Video Games, Xbox 360

Interview: Bryan Lam on Guitar Hero

Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s has less than half the number of tracks as Guitar Hero II for the PS2 yet carries the same price. Why wasn’t a lower price sought at launch?

Well it’s something we definitely took a careful look at. Comparing GHII to GH 80s, there were different timelines, licensing agreements and other logistical parameters to work within, though we strongly feel we put out a title that felt and played just as well as the other GH games. And just to put it into perspective – and from what the media is saying – Rock Band is only going to have forty songs available on the disc, yet it’s going to cost gamers a whopping $200 to play.  As reference, Harmonix worked on both of these titles. What are your thoughts on that?

Although Harmonix’s new game will cost over $200 to play with the full experience, it must be said that it is a richer experience. At best, Guitar Hero allows for two separate instruments at once while Rock Band will allow four inputs simultaneously. It’s like comparing apples and pears: they’re close, but still different fruit.

It’s also important to remember that while GH 80s price per song is about $1.30 compared to the 360 version of GHII, which had a price per song of $0.88, the downloadable content is priced at a whopping $2 per song: double the price per song of the Xbox 360 GHII. Incidentally, at a $200 price point Rock Band comes out to about $5 per song. Continue reading “Interview: Bryan Lam on Guitar Hero”

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Amish Otaku, Features, Kosher Kuts, Manga

Kosher Kuts: Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure

Guest Post

Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure is the manga equivalent of Rodney Dangerfield: it just doesn’t get any respect. It was released in Japan after hits like Fist of the Northstar and Dragonball had captured the attention of Japanese fans several years earlier. Despite its reputation as the second-longest ongoing manga series for Shonen Jump in Japan, Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure just doesn’t seem to garner much attention from American audiences. It was only recently released in the United States and skipped much of the initial storyline. Furthermore, the title is not as easily made kid-friendly as other popular martial arts manga (Believe it!). I finally pursued the series when I heard that several parts of it were skipped in its passage to America. So, is this series derivative of its Shonen Jump predecessors, or does it carry its own distinctive traits?

Unlike most manga titles, Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure manages to summarize itself perfectly. Weird characters and brutal battles are the hallmark of this series and, if you don’t have the stomach for one or the other, this book might turn you off quickly. Continue reading “Kosher Kuts: Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure”

Joshua Goldberg
Amish Otaku, Comics, Features, Interviews, Loaded Barrel

Interview: Jared Barel on Brielle and the Horror

Guest Post

A few months back, I reviewed the first issue of Brielle and the
Horror, which you can check out in our archives. I had the great fortune to find the first issue while at the Wizard World Philly Con a few months back and was blown away by both the uniqueness and the quality of the book. As con season begins to wind down, Jared found some time to speak to me about the genesis of this work, his studio and what comes next…

Jared, you have a background in both film and graphic design. Do you feel they complement each other when it comes to producing a comic book?

My experiences in design and film have definitely proven a complement to each other. Both disciplines are visual mediums, and in their own ways they’re both about telling stories and packaging those stories in a way that is pleasing to the audience. In a sense, it is a marriage of the storytelling abilities of both art forms that allow us to tell the story of Brielle and the Horror in the way that we do. Continue reading “Interview: Jared Barel on Brielle and the Horror”

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