Construed

My probable highlights for the coming month of June.

Prototype is released here in the UK on 12th June.

Out of all the videogame titles released in June, Prototype feels the brightest of the bunch. Gameplay that I have seen looks crisp & fluid but I do hope the storyline will be as entertaining as the action.

There’s no multiplayer gameplay to distract the dev’s from producing a worthy sandbox adventure for the single player. And it’s healthy to see a videogame developer deciding not to include a multiplayer element in the current climate. Let’s just hope there’s enough content in the single player campaign to make Prototype a fully realised game world.

The game diary posts in late June should have some heavy Prototype content & I expect to write a review of the game for Caught in the Crossfire, at a later date.

Terminator Salvation could be a return to form, after a rather disappointing Terminator 3:Rise of the Machines, with a UK release date of the 3rd June. I am unlikely to get to see it on release but it does follow as a close second to the new Star Trek film, as a must see on the big screen.

From what I have read, Christian Bale has had a big part in bringing this movie to life. With hints that there will be far less enthasis on the special effects, this time round, with far more focus on the storyline & characterisation.

The videogame spin-off to the Terminator Salvation movie, is released a few weeks earlier on the 19th May. But I really don’t hold much hope that this title will add anything to the swell of third person shooters.

Terminator Salvation is the fourth movie in the franchise & I am hoping it does a good job of tying the whole Terminator story together. I feel a fifth movie would be overkill.

A new era for the Dectective Comics title comes in June. Not since issue #27 has Batman not been the main character lead, in this long running comic book.

Issue #854 – available on the 24th June – will see the four part “Elegy” story begin. A storyline involving Batwoman as the central character in a Gotham without Batman. The artwork will be penned by JH Williams III whose work I have admired for awhile now. I’m quite excited by the choice of character in Batwoman, as this will be the first storyline, if my memory serves me correctly, that I have read with her as the central character.

Am curious to who will be the future central characters in the Detective Comics title while Batman takes a well earned break – there’s just no way he’ll remain dead for long…surely?

So there you have it – some of my hopes for good entertainment that I’ll be looking to cover in June. I will be highlighting more of my hopes sometime next month, with an eye on the new crop of entertainment that will be due in July.

What are you looking forward to?

DM∞

52 episodes in, Freak Angels is the weekly online comic book from writer Warren Ellis & artist Paul Duffield. Set in a fictional past, Freak Angels unravels a story of 12 children born in England at the same time, 23 years ago – all of whom appear to be rather strange & all of whom are having to deal with the world that has come to an end.

I picked up on Freak Angels from a recent tweet sent out by Warren Ellis, announcing episode 52 was available to read. Online comics may not be a novel idea anymore but what is unusual, is to find such high profile comic book creator doing so.

Each weekly episode comprises of 6 pages illustrated with some very fine artwork by Paul Duffield, who was introduced to Avatar Press after posting some artwork on past Warren Ellis forum. When it comes to the story, well I’m still trying to work my way through it – I’m planning to review the first 52 episodes in a future post, here at Construed. When I hope, by that time, I’ll have worked out what the hell is going on!

If you like your future(or should that read past?) apocalyptic then I recommend giving Freak Angels a spin through – the artwork alone stands head & shoulders above some of the material coming out from the major publishers.

DM∞

Being swamped with ideas, products to review, job opportunities to sift, interviews requested all have gone to make this week one of my busiest of the year, so far.

So I thought to give you all a quick insight into what you can expect to see on Construed & other sites that bare a connection, very soon:

Pete from Dragonchasers hit me with a MEME. I appreciate the words of encouragement in describing my writing:

…his infectious enthusiasm from both games and (sometimes more importantly) other pop culture. It’s good to be reminded that there’s more to life than computer games: there’s comics and movies!

I know who to approach & who not to approach, once I send this MEME on it’s merry way but I feel a word of caution should also be noted when deciding what personal information to put out there, for all to see. Be careful, guys & girls.

I’ll be adding my own flavour to this MEME, later in the week.

The two sites I write for, Caught in the Crossfire & Comic Domain, have both been busy promoting themselves online. Crossfire can now be followed on Twitter while Comic Domain have set up a WordPress blog for comic book news & reviews, so expect to see my future Comic Book Reviews posted there also.

I’ve had to re-arrange the interview with Kate VanDevender, due to both our schedules & we now have a date set for 12th April. The interview itself will be conducted via Google Chat & I have a number of leading questions already worked out. I’d also like to open this out to my readers – so if you have anything you’d like to ask Kate, then feel free to leave a comment here or email me.

Cat from Carocat has asked me to take part in her Twitter based interview series, #TwitLight. I’ll be working through the questions over the next day or two – the current interviewee is @MelissaBianco, Senior Game Designer on City of Heroes. Great idea for a post series, Cat. I hope it takes off!

Game reviews, that you should see me attempting, have begun to pile up. One to add to the list is Godfather II – I recieved the review code in the post today, alongside Spawn#190 & 100 Bullets#99 comic books.

As there’s an online reviews embargo on Godfather II, until 10am on the 7th April, I’ll be posting my thoughts in the Game diary after that time with a review to follow.

How’s your week been?

DM∞

No.84 September 2007

- Comic books kindly supplied for reviewing purposes by Comic Domain.

STORY – Brian Azzarello

ART – Eduardo Risso

with COLOR ART by Patricia Mulvihill

COVER – Dave Johnson

Love makes one do crazy things…break rules…

Now this is what comic books should be about!

After some rather disappointing reads of late, I picked up a number of back issues of 100 Bullets & No.84 is the first from the pile.

I admit, I came late to the 100 Bullets party – have only just read the first two collections(First Shot, Last Call & Split Second Chance) & was mightily impressed by, not only the standard of drama that the story lines produced but by the intensely brooding artwork.

No.84 is a standalone storyline but its impact isn’t belied by that fact. I had to re-read it twice just to get the end scenes from the comic book to sit right with me. I’m still not sure I feel comfortable with how the last few pages made me feel but I love how this has made me think about what I am reading.

I hope to reviewing some of the earlier story lines from 100 Bullets over the coming weeks, just in time for April 15th when 100 Bullets#100 is published – supposedly the final book in this titles 10 year run.

DM∞

No.1 March 2009

- Comic books kindly supplied for reviewing purposes by Comic Domain.

STORY – Rick Sanchez

ART – Kevin Sharpe

with COLOR ART by Milen Parvanov

COVER – Jim Clark & Brandon Badeaux

…you deserve better deaths…

Oh dear…

I had been expecting to read something gritty & involving, to fall in with the Resident Evil 5 videogame release. Instead, Wildstorm have decided to gift the reader a comic book title that’s a pale reflection of the past glories that run through the stories in the Resident Evil videogaming franchise.

The cover(see above image) looks great – it stirs up the right kind of reaction in the Resident Evil fan but sorry, Kevin Sharpe’s artwork just isn’t suited for horror… at least not the horror that is Resident Evil.

Story?

Nah, don’t bother!

Predictable as a wet shower.

Flatly disappointed & am beginning to worry what state the Prototype title will be in over it’s immanent 6 issue run.

DM∞