'The Awakening' directed by Nick Murphy

Director: Nick Murphy

Cast: Rebecca Hall, Dominic West and Imelda Staunton

Synopsis:

1921 England is overwhelmed by the loss and grief of World War I and following the Spanish flu, the opening titles tell us “This is a time for ghosts.”

Skeptic and hoax exposer Florence Cathcart is enlisted by Teacher Robert Mallory to investigate a boarding school and explain sightings of a child ghost. Upon arriving however things go awry when everything Florence knows begins to unravels as the dead begin to show themselves and her own past comes back to haunt her.

Review:

There is a tendency to forget that delving's into supernatural haven't always been at the hands of a petrified protagonist out of the lens of a shaky camera. Modern horror's while retaining the mystery have become much more first person affairs or vitriolic shock value bastardisations of their cinematically older cousins.

A resurgence in the supernatural chiller has happened in recent years that has re-acquired the lost gothica through films like The Sixth Sense, The Others, The Devils Backbone, The Orphanage and the sort of low key cinema that isn't afraid to tread in period waters with rounded characters and an affecting story in favour of gratuity and gore.

The Awakening adds to this tradition bringing the period ghost story back with an elegant tale of murder, mystery, terror and revelation. While it's often entertaining enough to have a simple ghost story set in a different era, this tale is something more. Beautifully shot through the gloomy lens of Eduard Grau, Nick Murphy transports us to the purgatory of England in mourning duirng the 1920's.

Stricken by the guilt and the personal isolation of the post war years, the fear encapsulated in the dark halls and unforgiving teachers cum survivors of the haunted boys school seems palpable, crushing almost. Rebecca Hall's Florence Cathcart is an inspiring rendition of a strong willed cynic, really a haunted woman trying to outrun the misery of her blighted past.

Her 20's style ghost hunting gadgetry is more engrossing than any hackneyed modern devices, though I initially struggled with Catcart as a character, trying to imagine such a strong willed protagonist pre-feminism. But Hall's performance wins you over persuading you that her cold and clinical method comes from a darker place, her cynical requirement a self protective barrier that she has erected by necessity.

The pace of the film is played staccato, long silences are interrupted by bursts of mayhem. The moment you feel secure the beautifully gothic score from Daniel Pemberton begins to wail and assures you you are not. The feeling of guilt and sadness weigh heavily amongst the cast and indeed the boys of the school are wrapped in similar isolated and fearful conditions. Add to this the ghost of a boy and the death of another and you have a melting pot of emotional turmoil.

The boys are painted a combination of both cliquish and terrified as subjects not just to a haunting, but to the backlash of a generation of men who were forced to toughen up before their time, resulting in displays of behaviour that today would rank as odious, but then was par for the course. It's this eye for detail that allows you to forget Murphy's questionable 'Ghost Science' and become immersed in the bleakness of the circumstances. Rising discomfort floods through the screen and the suffocating sense of dread is enough to buckle the most hardened supernatural aficionado.

The excellent Dominic West wears survivors guilt behind a stolid exterior, while secretly he's cramped with the post trauma's of war and death. Imelda Staunton similarly hides her emotions behind the poker face of duty, her real motivations a harder nut to crack. The mystery is infused with the raw emotions of the cast and melts perfectly into a study of sadness and of a yearning to be healed. These are the things that will in turn yield the answers to the haunting and the dead, rather than the science that Hall's Cathcart finds is falling short.

The Awakening is a twisty turny film, with a plot that will mislead you and intrigue you as far as the credits. Despite it's short falls in what seemed a slightly rushed final act, it is a truly superb piece of eerie. A tale as much driven by excellent character as it is by a rich plot thick with scares and misdirection.

4.5/5

By: Mark McCann

For film reviews and much more check out Mark's site: Bad Haven

INCREDIBLE HULK #1 Review

Writer: Jason Aaron

Artist/Cover: Marc Silvestri

Synopsis:

Hulk and Banner have seperated once more and Hulk in an effort to find peace has found some form of solace in the caverns of the Subhuman population inhabited by the Mole Man's people. Hulk just wants to be left alone, but as usual he never is.

REVIEW:

Jason Aaron has big shoes to fill taking over from Greg Pak, arguably the best Hulk writer since Peter David penned the Green Goliath nearly a decade ago. Pak's Planet Hulk and World War Hulk rejuvenated the character and made him a palpable menace again as well as a solid part of the Marvel universe, with a character evolution that had not properly been explored since David's heyday at the titles peak in the early 90's. And right from the beginning I was dubious of Aaron's coming on board. Early interviews revealed his decision to split Banner from the Hulk once more (albeit this time at the behest of the Hulk) was a dance that had been done before, in fact repeatedly over the years and it was seriously old. So what else new did the writer have to bring to the title?

Character-wise the Hulk has stayed similar to Pak's interpretation. He's brooding and dangerous; less the man child that he's often been portrayed as over the years, this Hulk is self aware and dangerously so. The opening monolgue gives Aaron the chance to shine in his dialogue but it's the plot where he falls down and this book nose dives. The same old tropes begin to appear and we're suddenly faced with a title relaunch that's giving us absolutely nothing new.

I was initially excited by the addition of 90's superstar artist Marc Silvestri, an Image Founder and the head honcho at Top Cow, but for all his detailed line work his action seems to lack the raw power it's aiming for and seems instead drowned out and overlaid by the colours. While Silvestri captures the characters well, he falls down badly when it comes to the 'SMASH' element that is integral to any Hulk title, and the foreboding cover never seems to deliver the expectations it sets on the insides.

And speaking of the 'SMASH' element: Hulk fights giant monsters, Giant Robots and just generally giant things that prove he's still the strongest one there is. This again highlights the books lack of originality, for while you could forgive these things as elemental to Hulk, whats harder to forgive is the pale characterisation and the slimly defined motivations (although these are hopefully going to be highlighted in later issues) that leave the cast almost palying stereotypes of themselves. This Hulk is just nothing new. Similar to Pak but not as daring, aiming for the psyhoanalysis of David of Bruce Jones but with nothing new to offer this feels more like John Byrnes tired and incredibly lacklustre relaunch in the late 90's than it does a suitable follow up to Pak.

Part of me thinks that Aaron, one of the most promising new writers of the last few years is spreading himself too thin, and is stuck writing new directions for characters that don't necessarily suit them. The writers take on Hulk seems to come from a darker era, a more classic run juxtaposed against the new and what we get is something that just doesn't seem to add up based on all his recent history. Similarly Silvestri has all the artistic chops in the world to draw the character but what we get instead in some very flat looking panels and an almost lack of momentum in what looks more like a canvass panel than a piece of storytelling.

In a nutshell I am not hopeful for this new Hulk. It's writer hasn't quite got a handle on the character yet and nothing about it smacks of a newer bolder direction, while paying attention to the continuity of the old. A lacklustre first issue with serious room for improvement.

2/5

Mark McCann

For more reviews check out Bad Haven.

X-MEN: REGENESIS Review

Writer: Kieron Gillen

Art: Billy Tan

Cover: Chris Bachalo

SYNOPSIS:

The X-Men have been tore in two post Schism and now there will be two separate factions: One led by Wolverine that will move two Westchester, One by Cyclops that will stay on UTOPIA. But who will go and who will stay?

REVIEW:

If I were to describe this issue in a nut shell I would say it is perfunctory. It's a segue issue and nothing else, as it is simply a means of letting the reader know the new status quo for the coming series: Uncanny X-Men (the relaunch) and Wolverine and the X-Men (a really questionable idea). So the point of the issue is to establish who's going where and why, and sadly a lot of this is bereft on any real dramatic conflict or real strong feelings on the issue of Cyclops Militant X-Men realism Vs Wolverines idealistic stance; where kids get to be kids, as they're somehow no longer living in a world where being mutants is likely to get them killed.

I read each panel waiting for something dramatic to light it up, but sadly the members of the various X-Teams reasons for jumping ship or staying often failed to gage the reality of the split, instead it often came down to a convenience move or a change of scenery. Which made it clear that the conflict between their appointed mutant leaders was very much a confined one. For everyone else, it was business as usual with the option of a new place to crash.

Add to this some incredibly bad exposition: Gillen writes a primal battle scene between the cave men versions of Wolverine and Cyclops as an undercurrent to the mainstory, representing the victories scored by each man as they acquire a new recruit. This was absolutely terrible, and seems to be there for the dual reasons of injecting action into an issue where it frankly has no place, and getting the female X-Men lined up in tiny fur g-strings and little else.

It's so terrible as to detract what little enjoyment I could siphon from this incredibly mediocre cash in issue, that was in the grand scheme of things entirely unnecessary (you could have told the same story in the opening panels of throughout the #1 issues of the X relaunches). Billy Tan's artwork adds nothing to the story either, as hit or miss, he spends this issue mostly missing. His scratchy thin and lifeless artwork can really come alive given the right environment, but long panels worth of dullconversation does nothing for his style and left his work flat and uninteresting where a more dynamic artist might at least have made this issue more interesting to look at.#

I can't condemn Regenesis entirely though, as there were some knowing scenes, such as Beast giving Cyclops an honest appraisal of his methods and Magneto's interplay with Rogue that brought a wry smile to my face. They let the steady reader in on the joke and brought a degree of levity to the doldrums, but overall this title was just filler material, and unnecessary filler at that. Add some bad cave man antics crowbarred in as a parallel analogy and you have a boring comic that at times is quite bad.

Again, I am dubious of the direction the X-Books are going, and can't shake the feeling that some characters are suffering some terrible out of character direction in order to facilitate sales and bring in new fans. Time will be the teller as usual, but if Regenesis, off the back of the better written if not similarly dubious Schism event is what we have to look forward to in the X Camp, I'm not sure how much longer I'll be pitching my metaphorical tent.

In short: Lazy, uninteresting and perfunctory with some truly awful split screen parallels.

1.5/5

By: Mark McCann

For more comic reviews check out Bad Haven.

Interview with author Mark McCann + giveaway

Today the ladies of Sheep bring you our latest interview victim *insert evil laugh* Irish author Mark McCann. With his debut novel, Deadfast out now, and a second in the works we had much to discuss. And for all of you he is offering up a copy of his latest book at the end of the interview.

Ireland. Deep within a Castle. 2 Sheep and 1 Irish Hunk meet.

Katie: Mark thanks so much for stopping by to chat with us today, can you start by telling folks about your debut novel Deadfast?

Yeah, well I guess it'd probably be slightly more articulate if I just paste in the blurb as opposed to me rambling on for about three paragraphs lol!! Here it is:

Meet Terry Fennell, Belfast's guiltiest drunk and most unobliging detector. A former soldier for a secret branch of the army, Terry dealt with all the things that go bump in the night, now cut loose and disenfranchised after a secret handshake between the government and the nocturnal element put him out of a job and on to the dole queue.

When a distraught mother seeks Terry out to help find her kids, kidnapped by her back-from-the-dead ex-husband, he can't resist the lure of fast money. However, a simple no hope case turns into a complex web of lies and misdirection as Terry finds himself plunged into a life and death chase where violence is the fastest route to the truth and hard drinking is a hangover cure. It's the sort of life he wishes was somebody elses. It's the sort of life that could get you... Deadfast.

Basically it's a hard boiled supernatural thriller. So if you like pulpy horror stuff with an Irish accent then have a look.

Katie: Deadfast is unapologetic in it's story and dialog what was your reasoning behind creating a novel with such grit?

I love pulp mysteries. I love low down dirty private dick stories, with broken down protagonists with addictive personalities who are hateful, but you can't help rooting for. So I wanted to write something like that but make it supernatural. I loved Mike Careys Felix Castor Novels and James Crumley's gumshoe books and I wanted to do something like that, but base it in Belfast. Which for such a small city is teeming with nut cases, hence character.

Katie: Along with the nut cases Belfast has a rich historic past, how much research did you do for Deadfast?

I actually did a fair bit. More research on places that my characters tread through and just a little bit about an area of the city if they happen to be in it. I spent a lot of time on google maps and actually out at places to make sure I had the details right, but I think I did a hell of a lot more research on the sequel. It was strange finding out things about somewhere you've been your whole life, but I really enjoyed it. Retrospectively you look at the place with different eyes

Sharon: I have been reading pulp graphic novels and I have to admit, I am starting to like this kind of stories. Big change from my normal romance .

Cool. Buy DEADFAST lol!! But also if you like pulp one of my favourite current pulp authors is Christa Faust. Check out her Money Shot and upcoming Choke Hold. That lady writes Pulp the way I like it

Sharon: When and where do you like to write, and how do you inspire yourself?

I write in my man cave (which is basically the combination of my bedroom and the easy chair that composes my office). I know what your thinking, lush! But yeah, that's where I like to write. It’s comfortable and I usually don't get bothered by anyone other than my cats. I inspire myself pretty easily, because I just have this drive to write. I think when your creatively minded you just have something in you that presses on you to get it out. Even when I'm not overly motivated I feel slightly guilty about procrastinating, but I love to write and then get feed back. I'm a fairly overt ego fiend lol

Sharon: And a cat lover. What is your kitty’s name? (completely OT, but you brought up the pet and it would be rude to ignore your desperate plea to have kitty acknowledged )

I have three cats; Mister Malawkus, Henrietta Moan and Nahla Nubbin Teeth. Malawkus is the inspiration for Terry's little pal, because he pretty much is exactly how I write him. A wee fecker with a heart of gold lol

Katie: Your main character Terry was all over the place in regards to emotion including depression, almost a walking mess, will he ever pull it together?

Terry is critically flawed, and that's a very human thing. Sometimes you are just born with character defects. I for instance, will never be able to shut my big mouth no matter how much trouble it gets me in lol. It's nature not nurture. And no matter how much he tries Terry's always going to be at war with what's inherent in him. He's a messed up guy and he's been through a lot. It's the fact that he tries to be better that makes him interesting. It's the fact that he so often fails that makes him sympathetic.

Katie: And that he gets knocked down but comes clawing his way back up. You have to admire that about the guy...

He's stubborn and wont roll over when someone's trying to step on him, which I think comes from my personal experience with people trying to step on me. But it's what I like about Terry, probably because I relate to it; he knows when he's beat, and is totally human when it comes to fearing for his life. But he still has that vengeful mean streak that means in some tight spots he still might just have a go in spite of his crappy odds.

Katie: As I said in my review I love The Saints character, did you base elements of him off anyone?

The Saint is Like Vic Mackie Meets Richard B. Riddick but with an honour code. He's got a dark past, he has a guilt that eats away at him, but he also has this drive to continue doing what he's doing even if it kills him. Hoping it will kill him. He's like a samurai with a Celtic curse. His honour comes from doing what he feels is right and his final redemption will come when he's died for something worthy. Death is the way out for the Saint, but he's just too damn tough to die.

Katie: And will we be getting more of The Saint in coming books?

Sharon: (look Katie! He spoke Irish, he said “honour” )

The Saint is the main character of my sequel: The Generous Dead, and if you have any questions about this reticent, murderous powerhouse, then prepare to have them answered. As you may know; the Saint is an almost unstoppable powerhouse, so I had to create something that was not only his equal as a nemesis, but could kill him stone dead if he plays it wrong. I let you read the book to see how that turns out.

Katie: I'm a die hard vampire lover and for me I MUST know how much more from the creatures of the night will be revealed?

Yeah, there's some interesting takes on Vamps. I'm talking old school mythological bloodsuckers. There's a whole melting pot of Nocturnal creatures I've explored and plan on exploring. Culturally speaking we mostly stick with the conventional, more modernized view of vamps and werewolves and stuff. But if you get into the myths it gets a lot stranger, and for me, more interesting. That's what I love about Mike Mignola's Hellboy stuff. He picks up these obscure myths and makes them very tangible in a modern context. That's what I want to do with my mythology. Make these old legends of monsters and demons and things out of folklore dangerous in a contemporary, realistic sense.

Katie: And sexy! Make them sexy for me…*purrs*

Sharon: Katie, have you no shame! What about shifters? ;)

There's plenty of shifters on the horizon, but I don't want to give too much away.

Sharon: I love the Irish accent. I’ve been practicing “Cheers!” Now your turn. Say something Irish!

Katie: Yes, yes! Say something sexy and Irish. lol

Hey girl, you sound like your up fer the banter now c'mon over here til I get a squazz at ye. That's pure Malojian ;D

Katie: Uhhh….. (Looks to Sharon for help)

Sharon: translate?... what the heck is “squazz”? sounds dirty.

It means 'a look'. Don't ask me how exactly lol

Katie: When did you know you wanted to become a writer?

I always knew I wanted to be something. I just couldn't put my finger on what that was. All the jobs I worked just didn't interest me and I found I was drifting listless into careers that we're slowly draining me and no amount of money seemed to make it any better. When I was about 27 I started writing. I'd always written intermittently, but I was mostly a reviewer. I started with scripts and then my girlfriend at the time suggested I try to convert them into a novel, as she found the scripts a bit dry. So I did, and suddenly I found I was actually writing a book and loving it. I've two books behind me now and I haven't looked back. This feels right as clichéd as that sounds, so I hope I can sell a few books and make it permanent.

Sharon: If you could pick *any pet, real or mythological, what would you pick and why?

I have a load of cats, so I'm gonna stick with cats. I like them, their independent wee creatures and they have tonnes of character. I'd like a dog, but my landlord would lose his mind if I moved any more animals in, so for the moment, it's gonna have to be cats. It'd be pretty cool if my cats could actually talk, like in DEADFAST, but I'm at a point now where we pretty much understand each other anyway. Still it'd be cool if Mister Malawkus could actually ask me to run his belly instead of just implying it

Sharon: He spoke Irish again, he said “wee”.

Katie: What was your favourite series to read as a kid?

As a kid I read a lot of Star Wars books, so probably the Kevin J. Anderson trilogy he wrote (I can't recall the name). It was a really kick ass read and I was a Star Wars obsessive back then. But I was always a bigger comic reader as a kid, so I was reading stuff like Ninja Turtles, Judge Dredd and Slaine in 2000AD, Matt Wagners Grendel, the X-Men, Wolverines solo title, the Incredible Hulk. My favourite read as a kid was a strip called the ABC Warriors by Patt Mills and Simon Bizley; about a bunch of sentient war Robots assembled by chaos lord Nemesis the Warlock to deal with kind of universal catastrophes like time rifts and stuff like that. I could still pick that out now and read it, it was just that damn good!

Sharon: “All around the cobbler’s bench, the monkey chased the weasel. The monkey thought was all in fun, POP goes the weasel” What do they mean by POP?

Yeah, I think that weasel lost his shit with the monkey and bit his ass. I mean, that monkey was probably loving it right up until that weasel was like 'RIGHT!! I'VE HAD IT WITH THIS CHASING SHIT' and went all Jason Statham on the Monkey. Or maybe the monkey accidentally killed the weasel, and the death knell is the weasel going 'POP'.It's a toughie. I mean they left that last bit right open for interpretation to mess with my head lol

Sharon: Wow, I wasn’t expecting such a detailed answer. 10 coolness points for you!

Katie: If you could travel anywhere in the galaxy where would you go and why?

I'd pick a planet with life on it outside our solar system. I'd like to see what else has evolved out there, and into what. That would interest me, and it would also put a dent in the human hubris that 'we're it', the centre of the universe and all that jazz. I think we're quite an arrogant species, and seeing what the rest of the universe has to offer is quite humbling

Katie: Sure would be a waste of space if life didn't exist out there.

Sharon: Wow, he got all philosophical on us . 10 more coolness points!

Sharon: If someone was coming to visit Ireland, where would you tell them they must go?

Home. This place is freezing and freaking rainy all the time LOL!! No seriously, I'd say go check out the Giants Causeway probably. It's one of the wonders of the world and has some interesting mythology attached. It's definitely worth a look.

Katie: Where can folks find you in the coming months?

On my website: http://www.badhaven.com/ where I can be found informing you of all things nerdy and interesting along with my dedicated co-workers, via our own skewered view.

Sharon: Do real men wear jewelry?

Real men wear whatever they want. Because if they are real men, then they'd be secure enough not to give a crap what anybody else thinks

Sharon: Can I get a “Hell, Yeah!”

Hell yeah ya can ;D

Katie: And now we move on to our Rapid Fire round of questions! Sit back, clear your mind and answer with the first thing that pops up. Ready?…Set…Go!

Katie: Cypher or Brother Power the Geek?

Brother Power sounds like more my cup of tea

Sharon: Power or Finesse?

Powerhouse every time. I don't have time to be subtle

Katie: Dick Tracy or Darkman?

Dark Man. Sam Raimi's the daddy

Katie: Silk or Cotton?

Cotton. Silk just feels off to me so cotton

Sharon: I never understood the whole silk thing either

Sharon: Jeans or Shorts?

Jeans

Katie: Hammer or Axe?

Claw Hammer. To see what you can do with one just watch Old Boy

Sharon: Left or Right?

Right

Katie: Coke or Pepsi?

Pepsi

Katie: What?! NOOOOO!!! *drops to knees and starts weeping*

Sharon: BWAHAHAHA!! You don’t know how happy this makes me Mark

Katie: Oh stuff it Sharon. *sticks tongue out*

Sharon: Daisies or Roses?

What Really? Okay Roses at a push

Sharon: Real men, remember?

Yeah, if I was interested in botany, but seriously I ain't lol

Katie: 80's Hair or 90's pants?

I'm a baldy so I guess it's MC Hammer all the way

Katie: 2 Legit 2 Quit!

Sharon: Clint Eastwood or John Wayne?

I grew up on John Wayne and I loved him as a take no crap cowboy, but Clint is just a tall cool glass of snakebite and he could kill you in a sparrows heart beat. It's gotta be Clint

Katie: Ben-Hur or The Hustler?

The Hustler. Paul Newman is one slick daddio

Sharon: Peanuts or Almonds?

Peanuts

Katie: Bust a move or Baby got back?

Bust a move

Katie: Raven or Ms Marvel?

I always liked Carol Danvers and Raven was just a bit too Emo. Ms Marvel

Katie: Now we're getting back on track! lol

Sharon: Hey, Mark? What kind of soda did you prefer? Could you say that again?

Katie: Ben! Take this one away to the dungeons!

BAK: *looks up from book* You know what? No. I've fething had it up to here with your dirty work! You want to take him to your Emperor-forsaken dungeons, you do it. I'm going to be over here. Reading. Or playing with my model trains. Possibly both.

Katie: You see what I have to put up with around here Mark?! Can't find decent slaves anymore!

Sharon: Autobots or Deceptacons?

Decepticons. They had more character

Katie: Vampires or Zombies?

I love Zombie films more, but if I had to choose on a superficial level it would be vampires. They have more fun and live forever. Those kids got it made

Katie: Yup, we do. lol

Sharon: Pancakes or Waffles?

I am Hellboy obsessed with Pancakes. I eat those things like sweets

Sharon: Chocolate chip pancakes at the IHOP!

Katie: Dirty Dancing or Ghost?

Ghost. Whoopi Goldberg's the clincher

Katie: Thanks again for stopping by and letting us harass..erm I mean interview you...lol. Would you like to add anything before we wrap?

Yeah, it was great talking to you two lovely ladies and I had a great time, even though your both pure sass. And as for your readers, I hope you enjoyed this little slice of McCann pie, now go check out my book on Kindle or on Lulu.com and my website: http://www.badhaven.com/ and feel free to say hi. I don't bite (unless you ask nicely ;D)

Sharon: Thanks, it was fun (say something Irish again )

Away ye go ye Hallion ye

Katie: Uhhh…..

Sharon: We did ask him to talk Irish to us ;)

Giveaway: Mark has been kind enough to offer up a copy of Deadfast to one lucky person leaving a comment, and we'll throw in some fun Sheep swag items! Please make sure to do both things for your chance to win!

1. Go to Mark's Facebook page and hit "like".

2. Leave a comment saying "We Sheep are sweet as!"

Contest runs until August 28th at midnight.

Good luck!

X-MEN: SCHISM #1

STORY
Jason Aaron
ART
Carlos Pacheco, Cam Smith
COLORS
Frank D’Armata
LETTERS
Jared K. Fletcher
COVER
Carlos Pacheco, Nick Bradshaw, Frank Cho
PUBLISHER
Marvel Comics

REVIEW

Following off the back of Messiah Complex and Second Coming, Schism is the next big thing to shake the X-Men universe, and in this case the ramifications are more than just changes to the uncanny mutants status quo, but will shift the dynamic of the comic titles with the separation of the group into two unique titles: Uncanny X-Men #1 and Wolverine and the X-MEN.

The outcome of this event is thus a foregone conclusion, but the story isn’t about where we’re going, but how we’re going to get there. The plot operates off the basis that Wolverine, Cyclops’s go to guy for nasty wet works and combat training of the new recruits, is slowly being worn down. His relationship with Cyclops is beginning to degrade, and old grudges are coming back to the fore. Soemthing cataclysmic is coming and it is this Schism that will split the two men ideologically and fracture the X-MEN forever. Yet none of this is overly evident bar the writers intent this issue. There’s a brief flashback to the grudging relationship the pair had pre Messiah Complex (when Jean Grey was still a love to be won between Marvels two most recognisable mutants), but barring that we aren’t immediately supposed to suspect that there’s a problem. This is a slow burner, so anything but.

The issue builds off with a fatigued Logan shoehorned into bodyguard duty for Cyclops on a diplomatic mission to the U.N. during an International Arms Conference to issue a plea for the decommissioning of sentinels globally. The relationship between the pair is painted nicely by Aaron as cooperative if not amiable. They clearly don’t love each other and you can see there’s history. Exactly how it should be.
Some humorous touches lighten the gulf between the two men and you can sense that while Logan will never really like Scott very much, he respects his leadership. Similarly Cyclops sees the uses of having such a deadly asset as Logan on hand, but could never forgive him trying to steal Jean away from him.

The pair arrive at the conference and of course nothing goes to plan, with the formerly imprisoned trouble maker Quentin Quire, a mutant with a penchant for stirring it up (see Grant Morrison’s run on NEW X-MEN), bursting in and unleashing his new mutant revolution in the midst of Cyclops disarmament speech. A third party activates sentinels to gate crash the conference and Scott and Logan are left to battle the machines while Quire escapes.

This whole misfire in front of the U.N. serves as a catalyst for the U.N. leaders to unite against mutants by actively upping their sentinel’s defences in their respective countries and setting the ball rolling for a return to the bad old days for the X-Men and mutant kind in general. The use of Quires powers to disrupt the U.N. is a nice touch and doesn’t hold back on letting people know exactly how Aaron feels about our political representatives, and reaffirms humanity as the inherent bad guy against the underdog mutants.

The best X-MEN stories have always managed to show the inhumanity of amidst humans and can often be seen as moral masterpieces with a love note to tolerance, and Aaron brings in familiar tropes that light the thread for where this story’s going. Of course this is no Ordinary crisis and bigger players have a hand in the background (I’ll not spoil the surprise), but the genius of it is the playing off the tempestuous relationship of the two most recognisable and stalwart X-MEN and watching what happens to their necessary alliance come boiling point.

This is an exciting book and the relationship between Logan and Scott is thoughtfully fleshed out and given the values of old comrades despite their fundamental disagreements. The story is building into a larger arc and there is some nice wide scale ramifications (global sentinel response in various countries) and some touches of humour to balance the scale of what is going on.

Aaron has a particularly decent grip on writing Wolverine, his time on the characters solo title giving him a seasoned handle on the mutant he was born to write. That said Aaron has clearly got the same eye for character amongst the other X-crew and we shouldn’t be surprised, from the calibre of his work on books likes DC’s Scalped. Pacheco’s art is cleaner than usual and I particularly liked his return of Wolverine to a compact killing machine, as opposed to the often more slender variants of the character that we’re never in his original mandate. Overall Schism is a decent read; an in-depth plot, good characterisation and a well laid out action set piece to keep us from getting mired down by the politics. It’ll be interesting to see how this story gets to where it’s going, because it’s all downhill for the mutants from here.

Review by: Mark McCann

Deadfast, unforgiving mayhem!

Deadfast is the debut novel of author Mark McCann. It's gritty, raunchy at times with a plethora of action. This story is NOT for the faint of heart or easily offended by vulgar language as many cuss words fill the pages. BUT it is a story that will grip you and having you turning the pages to find out what the heck could possibly happen next!

Storyline:

Meet Terry Fennell, Belfast's guiltiest drunk and most unobliging detector. A former soldier for a secret branch of the army, Terry dealt with all the things that go bump in the night, now cut loose and disenfranchised after a secret handshake between the government and the nocturnal element put him out of a job and on to the dole queue.
When a distraught mother seeks Terry out to help find her kids, kidnapped by her back-from-the-dead ex-husband, he can't resist the lure of fast money. However, a simple no hope case turns into a complex web of lies and misdirection as Terry finds himself plunged into a life and death chase where violence is the fastest route to the truth and hard drinking is a hangover cure. It's the sort of life he wishes was somebody else's. It's the sort of life that could get you... Deadfast.

The main character Terry is one big mess, he's the type of guy to start a fight then take off when things turn ugly fast. A non-stop drinker who can't seem to get his life on track, and constantly relying on the few friends he has left to cover his back. I did find Terry a bit hard to relate to in the beginning but as the story picks up I found myself rooting for the guy. Time and time again he gets in way over his head and if not for his pal The Saint he would be a goner. The Saint is a scarred man (literally) with fists of steel and the charm to match, but little does The Saint know that all that gruff mixed with his vigilante tendencies was kinda a turn on for me. What can I say? I'm a sucker for the rough neck man that just needs a little love. lol

Deadfast is set in Belfast Ireland and picks up a lot of the local flavor so quite a few of the phrases left me scratching my head, but the overall charm of the dialog filled any missing voids. Mark writes in a way that leaves the reader to fill in the blanks with their own imagination in certain areas, and while I may not usually appreciate this in authors it worked out with this story. For those that like it, Mark also uses a ton of similes throughout the book. The story is so chock-full of twists and turns you literally will not be expecting what happens next, it's a fun ride for folks that like a dirty full grit mystery. By the denouement, some life changing events will make Terry have to take a long hard look at himself and the ever changing world around him.

A BIG amount of smut is severely lacking in this story but my hopes are set high with upcoming books. If you would like to get a copy of Deadfast click on the link here. Looking forward to much more from this new and upcoming author.

Getting 3 and 1/2 Tatty Bread Sheep

KD

Green Lantern- review from Following the Nerd

Our buddies over at Following the Nerd recently went to check out the new DC flick Green Lantern. I'm going to post the review Mark McCann wrote for your reading pleasure, cause really I think it sums it up pretty nicely. Enjoy....

REVIEW
As a fan of comic books I inherently hope every comic book adaptation is going to be something that I can enjoy as a fan, but also as a critic, someone who grades films on their merits and not just my personal preference. Green Lantern looked set to fail me from early trailers and a much need ten million dollar boost to the CGI effects didn’t inspire confidence that this was going to be something to set the bar, if anything it’d be lucky to kiss its underside. But with a second trailer things looked brighter and so with hopes renewed, I walked into GL a tabula rasa of expectation and waited to see what I walked out with.


Hal Jordan looks like this before he gets the suit...The plot briefly explains the Guardians as immortal intergalactic peace keepers who have harnessed the energy of will power to fuel their rings that in turn can generate whatever the wearer wills into existence. When an ancient nemesis, the fear entity Parallax, is awoken and quickly dispatches it’s former defeater, another Green Lantern called Abin Sur (played by Temuera Morrison), a new ring bearer is chosen: enter Ryan Reynolds’ Hal Jordan. Jordan is the sort of a character that isn’t at all a stretch for Reynolds; sardonic, ironic, self deprecating and flawed; he’s the tough guy with issues. A screw up with a heart of gold and a dilemma that he needs to overcome if he’s ever going to beat the bad guy and get the girl. In short, he’s the archetypal hero figure and Reynolds is the perfect choice to play him, with a foot in the superhero genre for some time now, just waiting for his big break as the lead.

Down on his luck and in need of pep, Jordan’s inevitable love interest could have really been anyone with good looks and the ability to play forlorn and disappointed. The almost two dimensional nature of the role is filled out nicely by Blake Lively, but again there is nothing to stretch her or make her Carol Ferris character at all 3D or interesting. Her one promising rant is swiftly glazed over and she’s quickly sidelined to plot device territory as anything other than a sassy love interest/damsel in distress, who could be the key to bringing the troubled, at times moody, Jordan back on track to the hero role he’s been chosen to fulfil.

The film moves pacely enough through the first act, establishing all the key points and staying brainless but linear with some overbearing, but sufferable CGI given the grand nature of the plot. When Jordan is selected as a Green Lantern candidate after a string of bad luck on earth, Peter Sarsgaard is similarly established as his nemesis running parallel on the villainy front, and oddly it’s Sarsgaard who comes up trumps as the more compelling figure; his overbearing father (Tim Robbins) a far more tangible trigger point than ghosts of Jordan’s past.

The second act sees proceeds take on a darkness that piques an interest that intensifies, yet is never properly fulfilled. Character becomes secondary to effects and strangely the best parts in this film seem to have bypassed the leads and went straight to bit characters like Geoffrey Rush and Michael Clarke Duncan as Lanterns Tomar-Re and Kilowog. Mark Strong is excellent as Sinestro and most notable is Peter Sarsgaard as the standout and brilliantly mental baddie: Hector Hammond. Even Temuera Morrison gives a stoic turn as legendary Lantern Abin Sur, while leads Reynolds and Lively seem cardboard going on predictable by comparison.

Begrudgingly, a lot of the naff and script weakness could be overlooked this far into the film. The plot while comforting in its cliché and rushed throughout the second act could have been forgiven to a point, as it remained both entertaining and linear with some nice performances from the second stringers to push it along and make it likeable enough. The premise is ridiculous but buy-able and the CGI (Lantern Home world Oa and the legions of alien lanterns in particular) is at times a massive eye sore but sufferable when you succumb to the scale and interplanetary nature of the film’s design. So when Jordan is pushed through the inevitable training montage and the epic sci-fi cum fantasy back story seems hurried and painfully at odds with his more pedestrian human affairs, you can switch off and forgive it, up to a point.

HERE BE SPOILERS!

That point however, ends come the third act, when any finger hold on coherency is jettisoned in favour of enormous CGI, the complete abandoning of any sense the plot ever had (immortal intergalactic peace keepers with millions of soldiers to spare, who are prepared to let planets get eaten and leave Jordan to face enormous odds alone? Then eventually decide to deal with the problem by using the same method that created it?) and the sinfully timed exiting of Sarsgaard when he could have made things so much more interesting.

HERE ENDETH THE SPOILERS!


.. and like this afterwards. No, honestly...There are some moments of pure CGI splendour, but amidst the wreckage of the, GL’s credibility ground to a screeching halt. With Sarsgaard replaced by an amorphous CG blob and any decent character work out the window, it seems that a decent ending was scrapped in favour of throwing as much special effects at the audience as possible and hoping they enjoyed them. Green Lantern drifts into emotionally tired inevitabilities with no real grab on the audience, desensitised by a complete lack of impending doom and the underdeveloped overly predictable arc that Reynolds’ Hal Jordan motors through with nary a question of outcome. This might have been good if you’d never seen Richard Donner’s original Superman, or any other superhero film for that matter (Raimi’s Spider-man, Nolans’ Dark Knight). But these pre-existing films where well-rounded characters with flaws, dilemmas and sought after love interests; eventually attained through redemption, have already set the bar and told the same story, in their case a million times better.

Warner Bros spent $300Million establishing Green Lantern as a potential superhero franchise to replace Harry Potter when he eventually goes to his grave this July. Taking a leaf out of Marvel’s book there’s no doubt that GL will return, things having been set in motion already for a sequel and potential sidequels using other DC characters.

But while this may be a popcorn no brainer with big effects as its selling point; remove said effects and you’re left with a tired concept, overdone and done better by other directors who have already brought something fresher and better to the genre. GL brought a higher price tag, but as the man says; quality over quantity every time.

Mark McCann
2.5/5