Monsters Review Monsters: "Pacific Rim"

L:  Hello, I have many names, but you may call me Leviathan. I am the End of All Material Things, the Final Nemesis, and an amateur movie critic. With me is Quatra, a West Atlantic Defense Tower measuring approximately 985 feet in height and carrying an 878,000 megaton explosive yield nuclear stockpile. She also enjoys movies.

Q:  Hello, everyone!

L:  In recent years the so-called giant monster genre of entertainment has seen increased popularity. More than ever, puny humans with incomprehensibly brief lifespans are becoming fascinated by tales of kaiju and other large monstrosities ravaging the Earth.

Q:  Such interests also cross the mecha, cosmic horror, and mythological fantasy genres, but regardless of title, these works all have, at their core, an antagonist of astounding size. And given that Leviathan and I are both entities of astounding size, we thought we could offer a unique perspective on the books, movies, television shows, and games that feature "strange beasts."

L:  We're going to start with something relatively new and popular, the historical drama "Pacific Rim," directed by Guillermo del Toro. The story is set during the final years of mankind's dominance over their birth world as they struggle to survive an onslaught of kaiju, which emerge from the bottom of the sea. Cities are destroyed, millions killed, and though the Sons of Adam are successful in developing new weapons forged in their own image, the monstrous invasions grow increasingly frequent and destructive, with no end to the violence in sight.

Q:  Let's talk accuracy, because that was a huge stumbling block for me. In typical fashion, Hollywood has completely glossed over history in order to tell a more streamlined, "action-packed" story. The first mecha gargantua weren't even born until AFTER the Wall of Life program was instituted. We're talking a thirty year gap here - a pretty significant chunk of history that includes the Akira Incident, the Third Impact, and confrontations with Dagon. 

L:  History, in the human sense, is an entirely fallacious concept. I tried to focus on the film's thematic progression and its handling of the story arc overall. I did think they were a bit heavy with the exposition, though.

Q:  Also, the kaiju in this movie are tiny. Seriously, look at this chart: 

Those tiny black silhouettes are the kaiju from the movie. The bigger, grayer ones represent the creatures I fight almost every single day.

L:  Eons ago, the Nephilim walked the Earth, and though they had many slaves, they were hunted by still larger entities - luminous beings which could blot out the sky with their mass. Grandeur is always relative.

Q:  The fights were pretty rad, though.

L:  Yes, let us discuss the bloodshed.

Q:  I haven't lived as a human in centuries, so I find it difficult to empathize with fleshy consequences like dismemberment and melting skin, but I did find the plight of the jaegers - the giant robots employed against the kaiju - to be a very compelling aspect. 

L:  I am a manifestation of the sea, and though countless waves will break upon the shore, my assault is unrelenting.

Q:  Exactly. What we have here is a war between robotic slaves and a race of twisted alien simulacra, bred to kill from the moment they're born. As a living defense Tower that spends her days engaged in long-distance bombardment of enraged biomechanical beings, that really spoke to me. And I think that's the beauty of historical fiction - its ability to transcend time by portraying struggle as a universal and timeless facet of life. Its eerie how closely the distant past resembles the present.

L:  I too felt time that time and place were being transcended, though more specifically in the way this film entirely resembled "Independence Day," directed by Roland Emmerich and starring Will Smith.

Q:  Well, it's true that both conflicts were resolved with the use of tactical nuclear warheads - a solution I am not unfamiliar with. 

L:  Wholesale destruction of famous human landmarks, alien invaders, a species on the brink of extinction, scientific hubris, environmentalist overtones, a rousing speech by a war veteran, utilizing subterfuge to breach an otherwise impassable barrier, a look of recognition and terror on the face of the Other as they greet their annihilation, a non-provocative hug between romantic partners at the film's conclusion...

Q:  Romantic partners? What romantic partners?

L:  Our protagonists Raleigh and Mako. Mako was caught staring at Raleigh's naked torso. They had an innuendo-laden sword fight. They were Drift compatible, implying compatibility in other ways. She begged him not to leave her alone when she thought he was dying.

Q:  So, what, just because a man and woman are on screen they have to fall in love? Maybe their Drift compatibility allowed them to bypass mere infatuation and arrive at a deeper connection that's wholly platonic, which might be why things seemed more playful in the beginning but less so after they Drifted. Love isn't all about the desire to bone. There are many kinds of love.

L:  I am the Antithesis of Life and Love. It is my entire purpose to bring an end where there is a beginning. I am Death, which severs all human emotion forever.

Q:  But love isn't an emotion, Leviathan. It's a connection. Emotions come and go, but love transcends us. Although I think it's silly that one measly 250 foot robot would require two human minds to operate, the implication is that connections can overcome even the most frightening levels of adversity. My partner, Alti, is also a Tower, and we wouldn't be able to do what we do - fight for a thousand years - if it wasn't for our bond. The promise that, no matter what, we'll be together. 

L:  I do not wish to hear about your husband and his anxiety problems again. Overall, as an ageless and unknowable entity, I give "Pacific Rim" 3 stars out of 5. A solid action movie. Strong visuals with an uninteresting character arc. Ultimately satisfying if largely forgettable.

Q:  Hmph. I give it 4 out of 5 stars for its subtle undertones, masterful use of color, and excellent fight scenes. I could have done with better performances from the main actors and more historical accuracy.

L:  If you have a suggestion for the next giant monster related item we should review, let us know in the comments. And be sure to check out the novel "Towers," by Karl Fischer, which includes my co-host Quatra and a cameo by me, Leviathan, the Enemy of Man.

Q:  Till next time!

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice – A Review

What the hell was that? Seriously, what just happened? Did I just dream that? There was Superman. But Superman was a nervous wreck, on the edge of a breakdown, crippled by self doubt and pretty much only concerned with saving Louis? And Batman was there too, except Batman was filled with rage and hate and regret and fear, and I mean filled with it. Lex Luthor was around as well, but this Lex Luthor wasn't the suave self assured sociopath that we all know and love. This Lex was a raving lunatic, more like the Joker than Luthor? Also Wonder Woman was there, but she didn't really seem to be doing much?

Oh no, wait, I know what that was, I just watched Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

The plot? Well, it's been nearly two years since Superman's (Henry Cavill) colossal battle with Zod (Michael Shannon) devastated the city of Metropolis. The loss of life and collateral damage left many feeling angry and helpless, including crime-fighting billionaire Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck). Convinced that Superman is now a threat to humanity, Batman embarks on a personal vendetta to end his reign on Earth, while the conniving Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) launches his own crusade against the Man of Steel.

I've got to say up front, when the trailers were coming out for this film, I was not excited. I was indifferent. It looked like a yawn fest. A tiresome repeat of the wanton destruction at the end of Man of Steel. A boring slugging it out between an inhuman Superman and a tired old bat. Well, I went anyway, and I was wrong, it wasn't boring.

Was this the superhero movie we wanted? Was this the superhero movie we deserve? Was this even a superhero movie? To answer those questions in order: no, maybe, and no.

It's a brutal film, filled with hate and revenge and selfishiness. It's concerned with weighty questions, like man v god, who is to blame, who does Superman owe allegiance to? And it's totally freaking weird. I mean, off the wall weird. Garrett Cook said it was “a superhero's nightmare” and that's a fair summation. It's full of imaginary and dream sequences and if you're not paying attention you're going to get lost.

The DC universe is often described as the coming of the new gods and this seems to fit with what DC are doing in their ambitious film universe. The film is just chock-full of questions about what does it mean for there to be a man who is so powerful he can literally do anything? Does he have the right? What does he want? And what can we do as humans to stop him, if we don't like the answers to those questions?

Is this even a superhero movie? Arguably not. Sure people have superpowers but, a bit like the end of Man of Steel, no one does much heroic. Everyone is selfish and self absorbed. They have a reason to fight, but they aren't holding up a noble ideal, they're fighting for their reasons and their reasons alone. It's not for a brighter dawn, or protecting the weak, they're fighting because they're pissed off or have something to lose. That makes them the old Greek Gods, but certainly not heroes.

This is the nightmare scenario. When gods fight. Yeah, Batman is just a human, except he clearly isn't. If Kal-El is Ra, or possibly Zeus then Batman is Hades, stern and unyielding and unmoved by prayer. Gone is the Christopher Reeves Superman, there is no fanfare. Now we have a Superman who leveled Metropolis to stop Zod. A Superman who appears to have nothing to fear. And gone is Batman too, no Adam West goofiness, or Michael Keaton steel, or even George Clooney cheese. Even Christian Bale's bat is banished in favor of a brutal Frank Miller-esque Dark Knight. A huge, bone snapping gladiator ready to punch the man of steel in the face. Who will seek vengeance for the slain? Who will bring the guilty to justice? Who is the Man of Steel accountable to? Batman.

Do we deserve this? Do we deserve a DC universe which is filled with weighty gods who rain destruction down upon the innocent civilians and appear to care nothing about it? Unfortunately, yes we do, because we did this. I don't know if BvS was in preproduction when Man of Steel was getting roundly thrashed by the critics, but it certainly feels like the criticisms of that film were listened to. Most people, myself included, complained about the wanton destruction at the end of MoS - “What about all the people who must have died in Metropolis? Doesn't Superman care?” Well, here's your 2.5 hour reply. If you said that, or thought that, you are Batman. You did this.

Zack Snyder's reply is more destruction (with a slight nod that no one is in fact in these buildings at the time), god v man, a Superman who appears to only care about two women on the planet and a brutal Batman who snaps limbs and brands his victims.

Garrett Cook also said of this film “you're not high enough to watch this film”, here I don't agree with him. You're not sober enough to watch this film. This is the cold hard sobering smack to the Marvel Movie face. Shit is real. People are going to die. What do you believe in?

Secondary question, do I even want this film? Do I want this dark and macabre DC universe? How the hell is it going to hold itself together? Remember this DC universe, in potential, has Captain Marvel with the power of Shazam, 52 Earths, Gorilla Grodd and Krypto the Superdog in it too? Only time will tell if they can balance this universe or not. At the moment, on the strength of this outing, I'm willing to give it another shot. This sure as shit ain't Marvel and that's alright, now that I understand that.

So, did I enjoy it? Enjoy is not the right word. I respected it. I came out feeling like a piano string after a Shostakivich recital - battered and bruised but feeling like something good had just happened to me. It's intelligent, and it's asking questions, which I have to give it points for. It's brave and bold. It wasn't boring, but it's not for kids either. This is not Marvel. This is the DC universe, and the DC universe is cold, and brutal. Bones are snapped. Fires are started. People are branded. Characters are flawed and wracked with guilt. Nightmares walk abroad. And humans are scant on the ground. Hold onto your loved ones and pray that the giants don't notice you.

My name is Chris Meekings, I watched this film, you might want to too.

Naked Metamorphosis - A review

Naked Metamorphosis – Eric Mays

So, what would happen if Hamlet had been written as a weird comedy? And what if it hadn't been the Bard who wrote it, but Franz Kafka?

The answer is Naked Metamorphosis. Hamlet is a drug addled pampered prince who's convinced he's turning into a cockroach, Ophelia has brain damage, Polonius runs the kingdom, and the whole thing is seen through Horatio's eyes! But wait, there's more. Puck's also about – popping up from behind a handy door and screwing with everything. The rude mechanicals are about too. MacBeth and Othello get an honorable mention, so this is a Bizarro tribute to Shakespeare not just the Dane. And not just that, Kafka also gets drawn into his own creation.

I really enjoyed this, let's get that out of the way first and foremost. This is one of the original NBAS releases from 2009 and it's just plain old fun. I have to admit, I'm a big Shakespeare fan, and especially Hamlet. You might think this would make me hesitant for someone to muck around with it, but nope. Have at it. You're up against Shakespeare, but don't let that stop you. And Eric Mays does a fabulous job here.

It's screwy and fun. There are the normal parts of Hamlet, the characters, the play within a play. But there is new stuff in here too. Puck is a particularly inspired choice, and I loved every time the crazy fairy turned up.

Horatio is also a good choice by Mays as our protagonist. He's our sensible anchor in a sea of craziness. Although I personally would have loved to have seen some of the big Hamlet speeches riffed on a bit more, but you can't have everything.

This book is slightly straighter than some others in bizarro – that's not a bad thing. It's a good introduction to the whole genre. It's also slightly light on any emotional impact – Horatio is mainly confused or exasperated, but I didn't feel the stakes were that high for him. But too be honest I'm having far too much fun with Puck to wonder about the heavier meaning of life stuff which is absent or lightly used.

So, why should you care? Well, apart from Eric Mays being a brother NBASer this book is really fun. It's well written with some good imaginative ideas thrown in, and Puck is the ace in the hole for this novella – if in doubt throw on Puck to screw things up.

Overall, check it out for some Shakespearean/Kafka twisted fun.

Naked-Metamorphosis-Eric-Mays

Slasher Camp For Nerd Dorks - A Review

Slasher Camp for Nerd Dorks - Christoph Paul

I'm not the biggest fan of slasher films, let's start by saying that. I've seen the First Nightmare on Elmstreet, Halloween, Pyscho, Candyman, Hellraiser, but none of those films large amount of sequels. I've never even seen Friday the 13^th. I'm more of a monster movie kind of guy – give me a guy in a big rubber suit and I'm a happy bunny. I am familiar with all the characters from slasher films, we do have the internet after all. So, with that in mind, my delightfully delusional delinquents, I picked up Christoph Paul's Slasher Camp For Nerd Dorks.

So, this is the story of Jason Voorheesberg, a teenaged slasher with major anxiety. He is sent, by his mother to a summer camp in an effort to become a better slasher – slashing having been made legal in a twisted US system. There he is mercilessly bullied by the more confident jock slashers, and also picked on by the camp councillors (basically Predators). He does managed to form a burgeoning love interest with Rachel, a Slazer from a neighbouring camp (Slazers are the protagonists of slasher films who survive and kill the slasher).

I gotta say, I enjoyed this book a lot. The chapters are zippy and short and move the story along at a nice bright pace. The characters are good and although not especially deep, seem right for the genre Christoph is riffing on – slasher films have never been paragons of character development.

The main point is, this book is funny, it's Christoph's main strength. The novella zips along with a fun, Revenge of the Nerds feel. And there are many things to love in here. I especially liked the Pred's battle cry of “YOLO”, because most of the character's Christoph is mimicking don't live only once, but come back every film. And the whole thing is great and fun for the first two acts, as far as it goes.

And then, in the final act, Christoph switches gears on us, and gone is the fun zippy, tongue-in-cheek, parody and instead we get a different beast. And Christoph takes off his Marx Brother's glasses and sets about giving us some hard questions to think about. This was the part that I really liked. What is Jason Voorheesberg really made of? Are monster's born or raised? Is it nature or nurture? Is it fate or do we have a choice? These are good solid questions to be asking, and Christoph will leave you to decide.

Excellent work, Christoph. A good romp, followed by a sharp kick in the emotions. YOLO!

Slasher-Camp-Nerd-Dorks-Christoph

King Space Void - A Review

King Space Void – Anthony Trevino

Gargantuan, Semi-Robotic, Planet-Eating Monster, you say? I'm in!

All right, King Space Void owes a teeny, tiny little nod to Jack Kirby and Galacticus but let's be honest here, everyone who is being creative at this moment in time owes a debt to Marvel somewhere.

So, King Space Void is the tale of Dane Shipps, a worker in the guts of the eponymous, planet-devouring god. He's a regular schmo, but slightly dissatisfied, think Winston Smith at the start of 1984. He meets Scarlett, who is a sort of commando from one of the planets about to be devoured. She, using Danes naivety, convinces him to step outside his routine. Together they journey through the titan's innards in an attempt to stop the monster once and for all.

Anthony's novella has a smattering of the Orwellian about it. The great clanking machine which one cannot possibly hope to destroy and the small rebel band trying to take it out. But, it also reminded me of the Odyssey as well (just like Karl's Towers but in a different way). The episodic nature as Dane travels from organ to organ, each organ being a new setting of weird, is good and fun and keeps the story from becoming stale and it is this quality which reminded me of Odysseus's journey.

Some of these island stop off's didn't work for me, although they are varied I would have preferred them be directly linked and representing each biological system, and then the descriptions and inhabitants reflecting that. And sometimes the pacing can get confusing especially during the action sequences. But these are little quibbles and in future projects I'm sure Anthony can refine this.

At first glance, this novella can appear a little nihilistic – there's a giant, robotic, planet-devouring monster on a search for the end of the universe and we're the ones running it! But look a little closer and there is hope in here. Perhaps hope in just the moment of existence before you are obliterated, or perhaps hope in a wider sense, the reader will have to decide.

Do, I recommend King Space Void? Yes. If you like the idea of Orwellian 1984, mixed with some Homeric Odyssey, through the filter of Marvel's Galacticus, then you're completely bat-sh*t crazy, but you've also found the book for you! So, take a journey on King Space Void, it's well worth the read.

King-Space-Void-Anthony-Trevino

Rainbows Suck - A review

Rainbows Suck – Madeleine Swann

“Oooooh, Fashion! We are the goon squad and we're coming to town. Beep-beep!” So sang David Bowie on Scary Monsters in 1980. I don't know whether Madeleine listened to this whilst writing her novella, Rainbows Suck, but I'd like to imagine so.

Tilli, a poor and almost destitute artist, is picked by an overlord group of sentient rainbows from outerspace to become a living piece of art. As she struggles to gain recognition as an art exhibit (exhibits which fail to be noticed are eradicated) she chooses to perform increasingly degrading sexual acts. She then catches the eye of Felicite, an already established work of art, and the two form a relationship.

This is British bizarro, my tentacled reader, we are in London, fashion and culture capital. But it's London as never seen before. There are familiar sign posts, museums, and dingy apartments, and journalists. But, there's weird here too, ubermensch rainbows for one.

So, what the hell is this book about? On the surface it seems like nothing what-so-ever. Evil rainbows and living art? But let's dig a little below the surface, shall we? Well to me, weirdly tentacled reader, this novella is about culture, and fashion, and celebrities and swings in the zeitgeist. That makes it a massively ambitious piece, and it's worth your time examining it.

We all now live in this celebrity culture. Madeleine starts there and, as all the best bizarro does, subverts it. She takes it too extremes. And then, tentacled reader, she starts to ask the questions. How far will celebrities go to keep that status? How far can art go? Is it even art any more? Remember, the art only lives whilst it's being observed and fawned over, if no one pays attention then it is killed. Isn't that a lot like our current celebrity culture? Kayne West only survives if you pay him attention.

“Listen to me – don't listen to me. Talk to me – don't talk to me. Beep-beep” sings David Bowie, prophetic in my view.

So, there's a brand new dance, tentacled reader, and Madeleine is playing the tune. Does everything work in this novella? No. Some of the imagery is a bit confused and sometimes we lose a bit of focus and pacing. But that doesn't mean there isn't a whole load of stuff to enjoy in here.

I thoroughly enjoyed it Madeleine, Beep-beep!

Rainbows-Suck-Madeleine-Swann

Towers - A review

Towers – Karl Fischer

“We were Towers and we shattered the sky.” So starts Karl Fischer's Towers. It sounds like a lyric or a line from a poem, doesn't it? Well keep that in mind, my little curious one, because that's what this book is, a massive love poem.

The basic plot is after a thousand years fighting giant monsters as a massive sentient tower, our hero, Alti, hopes to be reunited with his love Quantra in some sort of eternal paradise. However, once his thousand years is up Alti is dismayed to find, instead of paradise, he is once again just a human within one of the gigantic towers. He then sets out on a homeric odyssey to be reunited with Quantra and spend the rest of their mortal lives together. And homeric is right, this is an odyssey, not just on the journey that Alti endures but through his own physical transformation.

This, for me, appears to be the central question Karl is asking: what would you do for the one you love? How far would you go? It is this emotional question, and Karl's response and thoughts on it, which drive most of what's interesting about this book. In the end, this is a long epic love poem – look, my love, look how far I will go, how much I will endure, how much I will sacrifice, my world, my religion, my friends, even my body. You can't help but love someone who is willing to show his emotions like that.

As I said, this is a poem, and it stands or falls on the reader coming to terms with that. Do all the images hit home, not for me, but most of them do and that is enough. Some of the imagery I found confusing (that's probably a consequence of the speed I read it at) and some of the secondary characters were a bit hit and miss for me. But in the end, the main character of Alti and his emotional roller-coaster is what pulls you through.

So, all in all, my little curious one, do we recommend this book? Yes, you should read it. Karl is trying to tell you something important. We all start as Towers, emotionally separate from each other, and then as we grow and change and metamorphose we become powerful and vulnerable at the same time. We cry out for someone just like us, our own breed of monster, and if we're very lucky we may just find that someone who is a monster like us because in the end we're all monsters for the ones we love.

Towers-Karl-Fischer

Benjamin: A Review

Benjamin – Pedro Proenca

I was always going to love this book. I love existential crises adventure books – ask Garrett, he knows. So, it was with baited breath and an open heart that I sat down with this book. And Pedro delivered – oh, boy did he deliver.

Benjamin is a balloon who, along with his headless teenaged side-kick, witness green men loot the bookshop he is being held, sort of, hostage in by Karen (a woman who thinks Benjamin is her long dead husband), and that's just the opened salvo in this wonderful adventure. Soon, Benjamin is called on by the Janitor to undertake a quest for the very soul of the mall, against the unknowable Monster.

I find existential books to be about the most fundamental things which make us human. And what could be more human than a sentient balloon and his headless best friend? Well, practically anything, but in Pedro's capable hands it works. Existential quest books are a search for meaning. Who are we? Why are we? What are we supposed to be doing? What the hell is “good”? Or, as Pedro puts it, shouldn't there be more than this?

It owes a little nod to A Lightbulb's Lament by Grant Wamack, but that doesn't lessen anything Pedro has done here. And remember folks, he's done all this in a second language.

From it's benign beginnings at the front of the mall, to its cataclysmic climax beyond the realms of reality the whole thing was everything I hoped it would be when I stymied up my hard earned cash to buy it. I can honestly say, I enjoyed every minute of it.

Pedro, bem feito. Ele foi delicioso, bonito e surpreedente!

(I hope I got that last bit right)

Benjamin-Pedro-Proenca

Chris Meekings

Arachnophile: A Review

Arachnophile – Betty Rocksteady

Oh, Betty, Betty – what did you do, Betty?

Often, when you open a NBSA book, you're taking a risk. Does the author know what they're doing? Can they finish the story properly? Are all the good things they do at the beginning going to peter out into an unsatisfying ending? In short, is the writer in control? Betty Rocksteady is in control.

From her subtle use of language, to her poise of character development, Betty is always in control. The story is great – I immediately loved the idea of riffing on “Guess Who's Coming To Dinner” and all the choices Betty makes are great. Even the switch in gears for her ending.

Her soft and loving descriptions of the spider's embrace are particularly impressive. Her prose is warm and velvety and just....oooh so scrummy. It was a real delight to read.

There's a load of depth and subtly to her world, it feels lived in and real, yet at the same time utterly strange and bizarre. People's houses are infested with insects and the furniture is sentient in some indefinable way, and of course, spiders are considered a class of citizen – even if they are a lower class. They're alien, but through her imagination, Betty manages to bring out the emotions of our arachnid friends. We see their art. Hear their music. We feel their pain when they're in pain, yet we don't entirely trust them – they are after all spiders.

Like all my favourite bits of bizarro. Betty is talking about other things when she talks about spiders. For spiders read outsiders. The “others”, and their strange cultures, rituals, and ways of speech. This book feels oddly poignant as our various governments face the current refugee crises around the world. Wherever we are, we're going to have to get used to other cultures interacting with our own – getting up close and personal. There are lessons to be learned from this novella.

It was a joy to spend a few hours kicking it with Betty and her spiders. I highly recommend it.

What did you do? You made me care about a spider, Betty, that's what you did.

Arachnophile-Betty-Rocksteady-ebook

Chris Meekings

Pixiegate Madoka: A Review

Pixiegate Madoka – Michael Sean LeSueur

This is a brave novella, as brave as Japanese porn. Wait, let me explain that. Japanese porn doesn't deal in shame. It just doesn't exist. You have fantasies about tentacles – good for you, second shelf. You like cartoon characters – excellent, try the whole third floor. Foot fetish – no problem. Into facials – brilliant, but you'll have to be more specific we cater to a lot of different tastes here. Michael's Pixiegate Madoka is the bizarro equivalent. It's brave and uncompromising with no sense of shame or even a hint that you (the reader) won't be into the same things. Everyone's got a perversion – why be embarrassed?

The basic plot is a coming of age tale about Julian Argento. He's a nerdy, masturbating teen boy – interested in Jennifer Lawrence's boobs and getting his end away, in any way possible.

And so, we move onto a Japanese magic school where our hero is placed an a crack “kitchen appliances” squad. All the while, his psycho sister is plotting a evil scheme to kill Julian.

This is a fun and quick read. The action zips along at a fair lick, but I did find some of the Japanese slang a bit confusing. The character's are a bit light, but to be honest I was having so much fun with them that it hardly mattered.

When a new character is introduced Michael proceeds to marks their arrival like a video game – bold, CAPSLOCK, underscored and their signature move underneath! This is a great feature, and nearly always kept me giggling as I read along.

So if you like anime, manga, Japanese culture, video games, and, you know, just plain old cool stuff – check out Michael Sean LeSueur's Pixiegate Madoka! It's fast! It's colourful! And, it's perverted! What more can you ask for?

Pixiegate-Madoka-Michael-Sean-LeSueur

Chris Meekings

Rock 'n' Roll Head Case: A Review

Rock 'n' Roll Head Case by Lee Widener

I'm going to make a confession at the beginning of this review – I totally underestimated this book. It wasn't in my top 5 of must reads. The idea seemed a little wild, a little disjointed – just not my style of bizarro. Dear reader, I was wrong. Dead wrong. I should know better by now, that all bizarro is my kind of bizarro.

Lee Widener's Rock 'n' Roll Head Case is a fun smashing together of a crazed road trip movie and deeply disturbing LSD flashbacks. It's something that Quentin Tarantino would dream up - if he were deranged, well more deranged than he currently is. Or more accurately, it's like a Hunter S. Thompson freak out.

Our hero Chaino Durante, is a two bit loser, who finds the severed head of Alice Cooper and ends up with it stuck on his right hand, forming a weapon. Chaino then uses this weapon to rob his place of work, runs from the cops, and endures hijinks and calamity while listening to the advise of Alice Cooper. On the surface, it's a simple road movie. We've all seen them. True Romance, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, you know the drill.

But, scratch a little closer, dear reader, and you'll find that that is only a veneer. There's a beating heart below. There's a philosophical standpoint that Lee wants you to acknowledge. It's wisdom boiled down from the 60's flower children and brought to you via a sequence of dreamlike vignettes.

Some readers may struggle with this, some may crave for a more coherent story, Lee's response: “Life doesn't make sense, better get used to that!”

So, strap yourselves in, my precious little ones, let old uncle Lee tell you a story. It's a story of failure and redemption, of violence and peace, of the truth behind the facade of this dimension we live in. It's the story of Alice Cooper's fucking head!

Rocknroll-Head-Case-Lee-Widener-ebook

Chris Meekings