Music of 2023, #100: GUIDED BY VOICES
Saturday, September 30, 2023
THE LINCOLN LAWYER Trailer (2022) Neve Campbell, Series
THE LINCOLN LAWYER, Season One on Netflix: A good courtroom drama
and slice-of-life L.A. style based on the Michael Connelly novels. Like the
scriptwriters on the BOSCH series did, this pulls elements from several Mickey
Haller/Lincoln Lawyer novels and weaves them into the script. Good,
compelling drama with action, humor, and drama. Great to see Neve Campbell
again. I'm looking forward to Season Two. FOUR STARS.
Wednesday, September 27, 2023
PGHHEAD'S 2023 COMICS ODYSSEY, Part Thirty-Two
This marks the third consecutive year that I will attempt to document my comics reading by writing at least a mini-review. The goal is 1200 books read and reviewed in 2023, although I missed the mark in 2022 by 88 books. Still, I like that number as it’s easy enough to track - - - 100 books per month on average. Wish me luck!
# GOAL FOR September 30, 2023. . . 900 comics documented
CURRENT COUNT . . . . . 709 comics documented
#686 - #689 BAD LUCK CHUCK #1 - #4 by Lela Gwenn and Matthew Dow Smith (Dark Horse Comics, March-June 2019) “What’s a girl to do when she has bad luck? . . . . . Preternatural bad? . . . . . Laundromat-burns-down-around-your-head bad? . . . . If that girl is me? . . . . Monetize.”
Cursed at birth (never explained why) with extraordinary bad luck that mainly affects bystanders and/or structures, Charlene “Chuck” Manchester provides “Disaster On Demand” when someone else can profit from her gift. A woman hires her to rescue her daughter from an evangelical cult, which she does in a very funny scene. Chuck later learns that she was duped. The mother is a crime boss and had tried to set Chuck up for the murder of her daughter (stands to inherit $6 million from grandpa) which her henchmen were supposed to complete.
As a result of these events, Chuck has the mob boss, the cult leader, and a determined insurance-fraud investigator all coming after her. Throw in a Tibetan abbey of male nuns for good measure, although their connection and familiarity with Chuck is also not explained.
BAD LUCK CHUCK features a strong premise with a great opening issue, fun and twisty. Then it flounders a bit and delivers a less-than-satisfying but still happy ending. A quick, four-issue mini-series - - even that was a bit longer than necessary. This could have been tighter and a more solid read in three issues. There's really no need to bring on the sequel, although the ending leaves an opening for one (albeit in a little different configuration with more characters involved - - on second thought it could be even funnier.) The choice of artist seems off, and suffers for it in scenes that could have had more impact or even humor with the right illustrator. Matthew Dow Smith's basic simple art style is more suited to his work on the late Topps' Comics X-FILES series. THREE STARS.
#690 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #33 by Zeb Wells and Patrick Gleason (Marvel Worldwide Inc, November 2023) What has gone before: A Kraven The Hunter clone teams with Queen Goblin to mystically capture the sins of Norman Osborn and incorporate them into a spear. But Spider-Man (Peter Parker version) gets hit by the spear instead.
Spider-Man puts the black suit back on, and powered by his new rage and fueled by the conflicting former mindset of Osborn he seeks out Kraven for revenge. The entire issue is taken up with Kraven trying to evade SpiderMan’s pursuit, who stalks him from the shadows, etc. What makes this work is some great art and suspenseful image selection from Patrick Gleason. I’ve never read the Kraven’s Last Hunt storyline, but I suspect this is a homage to it with the roles reversed. THREE STARS.
#691 - #695 INVISIBLE KINGDOM #1 - #5 by G. Willow Wilson and Christian Ward (Dark Horse Comics, March-July 2019) I originally read this in the individual monthly issues, and then returned now for a complete reading. I'm a bit surprised that this didn't earn a higher average rating on Goodreads despite earning some book industry awards. I consider INVISIBLE KINGDOM one of the best science-fiction series in comics for 2019. However, I don't read as much science-fiction as I used to, and what seems fresh to me may be too-familiar tropes to seasoned genre readers.
In a beautifully imagined future world by Wilson that is equally gorgeous in its depiction by Ward there is dangerous collusion occurring between a cruel mega-corporation and the leaders of a disciplined religious order. Simultaneously, the conspiracy is discovered by a freighter pilot sub-contracting to the corporation and the newest apprentice to the religion. They combine forces in order to survive and expose the culprits.
There is plenty of social commentary by Wilson within the story and it's pretty much on-the-nose as regards retailing mega-corporations, politics, religion, consumerism, and social perceptions. When confronted with a uncomfortable truth, the average citizen is too jaded and apathetic to react and respond correctly. The Lux Corporation is a futuristic Amazon, delivering packages between planets and abusing their workforce. The main characters led by female pilot Grix operate a delivery service and the fact that Lux corporation neglected to repair an onboard system on the spaceship is ironically what leads to the discovery of a dark secret between Lux and the Renunciation monastery. I also love the deft touch by Wilson to describe the students of the religious order as "nones", and not nuns. Equally ironic, is that the Mother Proxima decides new recruit Tessa should be the one who consolidates and organizes the monastery's records with "discretion", which leads to her uncovering the connection between corporation and religious order. She does not handle it discretely.
The first story arc ends with a disappointing but not surprising reaction from the public. At least Grix, Tessa and their companions remain free to pursue new adventures, which I'll gladly read. FIVE STARS.
#696 - #697 ETHER #1 - #2 by Matt Kindt and David Rubin (Dark Horse Comics, November-December 2016) The story-telling of Matt Kindt is an acquired taste. Some find his imagination and creativity delicious. Others aren’t won over by the unique flavors and spices and don’t get what others see. I’m somewhere on the fence. Sometimes I’m all in, and sometimes I’m out.
There’s an even greater disparity when it comes to fans of his quirky art style.
I’m kind of on the fence about ETHER. To be fair, I didn’t read the full series. However, I’m very impressed by the art, coloring, and letters of David Rubin. He really brings Kindt’s vision of this weird world to life, and is a talent to watch.
Boone Dias is an inter-dimensional explorer, an Earth scientist who stumbled into the Ether. He acts as if he’s an expert on everything, so the magical creatures that live in the Ether turn to him to solve the tough crimes and problems.
Kindt’s story overlaps several genres: action-adventure, fantasy, science-fiction, magic, fantasy - - and focuses on a murder mystery with a deft touch of humor as icing. If you’re familiar with Kindt then you know that not everything is explained fully but I’m more curious than I am baffled by it. The characters and creatures are weird and fun, and Rubin’s art keeps my eyes glued to the pages. Boone Dias is not a superhuman, and there are limitations to his time in Ether - - he can’t stay indefinitely and has to return to Earth and he can’t eat any food while he’s there so he has to stock up before starting his journey. My favorite character is Glum, a talking simian who punts Boone into the portals and acts as a guide/companion. THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
#698 FRANKENSTEIN: NEW WORLD #1 written by Mike Mignola, Christopher Golden and Thomas Sniegoski with art by Peter Bergting (Dark Horse Comics, August 2022) If you’ve been following my reviews and noticed an abundance of Dark Horse Comics lately - there’s a reason for that. Pure impulse made me go back through the box of Dark Horse Comics in my collection and start pulling out whatever caught my eye. It’s been a fun diversion so far.
This is yet another title with a cover blurb proclaiming “From The World Of Hellboy”. The only connection I see is the name of Mike Mignola. I noticed that several Dark Horse titles carry that designation and Mignola seems to be the only link, with the exception of Abe Sapien, B.P.R.D. and other titles featuring characters from the Hellboy stories. Consumer beware. Perhaps the proper slogan should be “From The Worlds of Mike Mignola” , but I get why the Hellboy reference is more familiar.
This is a sequel to Mignola’s first Frankenstein series, which I didn’t read figuring I could just jump into this one. The only setback is that I didn’t see how Frankenstein’s monster/creation was portrayed in the first series.
In NEW WORLD he’s been sleeping/in hibernation underground and is known as a timeless oracle. After Ragna Rok, humanity survived by living inside the hollow earth. Curious young Lilja is having visions of a dark force developing on the surface. She defies the advice of her elders and wakes up Frankenstein to investigate and explore the new world above.
This is a set-up issue and it’s extremely slow. It failed to garner my interest, which isn’t a bad thing as this was the only issue in the mini-series that I have. Now I don’t have to bother. TWO AND ONE-HALF STARS.
#699 - #701 ALL-NEW MARVEL NOW! POINT ONE Facsimile Edition. Writers: Al Ewing, Dan Slott, James Robinson, Nathan Edmondson, G. Willow Wilson, Nick Spencer. Artists: Lee Garbett, Michael Allred, Steve Pugh, Phil Noto, Adrian Alphona, Rags Morales. (Marvel Worldwide Inc, September 2023) When this was originally published in 2014 it was meant as a preview of several upcoming new series. Now, it’s being reprinted, I suspect, because of renewed interest in Kamala Khan / Ms. Marvel who was recently killed in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN and resurrected five minutes later in an X-MEN title. It’s a mixed bag of decent and ho-hum stories, so I’m going to review them separately . . . . . .
“Before The Truth Has Its Pants On”: Al Ewing tackles Loki, who is collecting five artifacts/keys to create the ancient Sword of Sigurd The First, which he apparently will utilize in LOKI, AGENT OF ASGARD. This serves as the framing device for the entire issue and has some great moments, but suffers a little from being broken up into short segments between the other stories. My favorite was the opening where Loki plays card with some unhappy aliens at the gaming tables of Planet Sin. THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
“Girl On Board” by Slott and Allred is my favorite of the entire book. Norrin Radd/Silver Surfer takes his new girlfriend (Dawn Greenwood) for a tour of Planet Nautikos and ends up punching a shark. It’s funny and full of some great imagery from Allred. I regret that I completely passed over this version of SILVER SURFER back in 2014. FOUR STARS.
“To Tame The Very Gods Themselves” is a preview of the All-New Invaders series but doesn’t feature much of the team. It’s more about the Kree and a new mission that will end up involving the Invaders. THREE STARS.
“Predator” has some nice Russia wintry action scenes, and that red (hair, blood) against a white background produces a nice effect. However, as an introduction to a new series it fails to provide a clear idea of what it will be about and what Natasha’s mission will be. TWO STARS.
“Garden State of Mind” serves as the introductory story to Ms. Marvel/Kamala Khan. I applaud the effort to spotlight a Pakistani character and her culture but the story just doesn’t engage me. It’s a bit too much teenage-angsty for my blood and obviously is intended for a much younger audience than I. TWO AND ONE-QUARTER STARS.
“Short Term Fixes” is the final story and acts as set-up for the AVENGERS WORLD series. Maria Hill of S.H.I.E.L.D. needs Avengers help to keep the agency running and strikes an agreement with Steve Rogers/Captain America. He has dispatched Sunspot and Cannonball on a stealth mission to retrieve the “short-term Hulk” formula that A.I.M. has reverse-engineered from Bruce Banner’s DNA. The story seems to be more about the Hill-Rogers alliance than the mission, which seems inconsequential and even fails to show the final outcome. TWO AND ONE-HALF STARS.
In summary, what’s the takeaway from this collection, which averages out to a 2.88 Star Rating overall. Well, if I was looking through back-issue bargain bins I might pick up some Loki and Silver Surfer issues. Your results may vary.
#702 - #707 THE SIXTH GUN, BOOK 6: GHOST DANCE by Cullen Bunn and Brian Hurtt (Oni Press, February 2014)
Cullen Bunn continues the creative world-building by adding some Native American lore and introducing some intriguing new characters.
This is the most mystical of volumes yet, and really does a bang-up job of showcasing different realities and possibilities all based on the use and/or abuse of the Six Guns, along with a little history of them.
Brian Hurtt's depiction of scenery and atmosphere really enhances the story. The action/battle scenes are gorgeous. Colors pop as always through the great palette choices of Bill Crabtree.
They are a dynamic team and I'm all in for the remaining volumes, especially since things ramp up to a new level based on what happens here. FOUR AND ONE-HALF STARS.
Synopsis on the Goodreads website . . . . .
Our world has not always been this way. And our world may be different yet. Becky Montcrief embarks on a Ghost Dance to witness what the terrifying, reality-shaping power of the Six Guns have wrought... and what they might yet bring about. But she is pursued by a band of fierce Skinwalkers, and in order to survive these supernatural hunters, she must fight side-by-side with the most unexpected of allies - the four horsemen of General Oliander Bedford Hume!
#708 - #709 ETHER: THE COPPER GOLEMS #2, #3 by Matt Kindt and David Rubin (Dark Horse Comics, June-July 2018) More fun weirdness from Kindt and Rubin. These stories are not the kind where every detail is essential, so I was able to jump in without benefit of learning what took place in Issue #1. Main character Boone somehow has a composite map detailing all of the nexus points in Ether from the holes in the Earth. His group of quirky companions head for Latium to locate the portal so they can close it, before the wizard Agrippa can make use of it.
There’s a lot of funny conversations among the various magic practitioners, especially from a fun minotaur ,with Boone in the role of straight man being serious throughout all the mayhem.Rubin’s whimsical style on art is counter-balanced by his imagination and wild panels, especially the staircase scenes that pay tribute to M.C. Escher. Before it’s all over the band of travelers has to combat the copper golems, full of vacuums tubes and manuscripts inside them.
Next stop is an Egyptian themed area where another portal needs closed and they aid a fantasy tribe in Fairyland. Best not to think to much about it and just enjoy the ride. One of the wildest series I”ve enjoyed in spite of the confusion. THREE STARS.
Man In The Wilderness (1971) Official Trailer - Richard Harris, John Hus...
MAN IN THE WILDERNESS on Turner Classic Movies (TCM): This 1971 neo-western still holds up. Very symbolic, lean on dialogue. Worth
sticking around for the unexpected ending. THREE AND ONE-HALF
STARS.
Tuesday, September 26, 2023
Sunday, September 24, 2023
Friday, September 22, 2023
BLACK SNOW Official Trailer (2023)
BLACK SNOW on AMC: An atmospheric brooding crime/mystery that unravels
slowly until the final reveal, which is disturbing and sad. Takes place in
Queensland, Australia and spotlights provincialism, prejudice, and hardships
endured by indigenous people. Worth watching. THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
The synopsis from the Rotten Tomatoes website:
After a time capsule is unearthed at a local high school, a small Far North Queensland town is plunged back into the past, and the secrets of an unsolved murder of one of its students unravels.
PGHHEAD'S 2023 COMICS ODYSSEY, Part Thirty-One
PGHHEAD’S 2023 COMICS ODYSSEY, PART 31
This marks the third consecutive year that I will attempt to document my comics reading by writing at least a mini-review. The goal is 1200 books read and reviewed in 2023, although I missed the mark in 2022 by 88 books. Still, I like that number as it’s easy enough to track - - - 100 books per month on average. Wish me luck!
# GOAL FOR September 30, 2023. . . 900 comics documented
CURRENT COUNT . . . . . 685 comics documented
#666 - #669 PARANORMAL HITMEN #1 - #4 by Brett Murphy and Wilson Gandolpho (Behemoth Comics, 2021-2022) Behemoth later became Sumerian Comics for reasons I’m unaware of. I thought the slogan “All Hail Behemoth” while a bit presumptuous was also kind of catchy.
PUBLISHER’S SYNOPSIS: “The Sopranos meets Ghostbusters in this action comedy starring Gene Rizzo and Devon Grace, two hitmen working for the infamous mobster, Alfonso Carboni. After being recruited into a mysterious Government agency not only will Gene and Devon have to hunt and kill ghosts, they will have to dodge Alfonso Carboni and his men.”
There’s even more to this story than is indicated by that summary. Gene and Devon are valued for their skill at kill shots to the head, which becomes rather important to the storyline. The USPAA (United States Paranormal Activity Agency) is aware of their abilities and ambushes the duo while on an assignment. Because they are sedated and transported via the back seat of a government vehicle, the Carboni gang’s surveillance team spots them and interprets that as two members who have turned on their boss.
Back in 1970, Dr. Ed Mooney created the Specter Cube, a portal between the living and the dead, with the idea of the U.S. using it to talk to deceased soldiers and gain intel on the enemy. The problem was that ghosts (from all timelines as well) could physically pick up objects and attack. So Mooney develops magic bullets to kill the ghosts, which only works when it’s a head shot. Now, because of blabbermouth ghosts everybody knows about this and Specter Cubes are sought after,especially by Al Carboni. It’s also revealed in present time that Mooney didn’t invent this, but stole them from a Russian agency who dispatch the vicious Black Dogs covert team to get revenge and re-obtain the Cubes.
The story is quirky and has some funny scenes. The first half of the story was more entertaining and engaging, while the second half seemed to falter a bit. Things come to an end point in Issue #4, but many plot threads are left hanging - - maybe saved for a second volume. I don’t think that’s going to happen, as this title seems to have been buried among the glut of indie books and didn’t get picked up on. Which doesn’t bother me that much. THREE STARS.
#670 SPECTREMAN HEROES: ELECTROID ZABORGER story, art & colors by Hiroshi Kanatani (Antarctic Press, February 2022) Antarctic Press, in a collaboration with P-Productions and Phase 6, published six one-shot issues of SPECTREMAN HEROES,”a nostalgia-blast of retro Japanese live-action super beings.” Each issue showcased a different hero in a complete story.
Police Agent Yutaka Daimon commands the Electroid Zaborger, a transformer-like robot that he rides in its motorcycle mode to battle the criminal Sigma Gang. The story is forgettable, but the art is stylish and interesting. It’s not done in a manga-style but the influences are there.
TWO AND ONE-HALF STARS.
#671 ARTISTS ELITE PRESENT PRIMER BLUE by various creators (Artists Elite Comics, 2022) As a comics publisher, Artists Elite serve as a type of incubator/workshop for professional creators as well as upcoming talents.
They have published six anthology format comics so far, and both PRIMER BLUE and PRIMER RED were their pre-release previews.
There’s just not enough story in these short 2-5 page previews, sometimes featuring just art and conceptual sketches, but several works caught my eye. “Final Boss” is a street fighter-like video game battle taking place on an island tournament. What stood out is the incredible detailed art (shown in black and white here) by Tyler Kirkham.
“Belong”is a creepy story by Freddie E Williams II about a lonely kid who finds a companion in a demonic creature. “Death Watch” by Chad Hardin and Jared Gifford features a Solomon Kane-like hunter putting vampires in their place via a “death watch” ceremony. “Apotheosis: Collapsing Worlds” by Jordan Gunderson is a sci-fi epic with multiple characters. “Red Ronin” by Dexter Soy looks really cool. All that was provided was his image. “Sandwenches” by Ale Garza features a quartet of female warriors in humorous manga-style space opera. Stories of all of these titles have been presented in the ARTISTS ELITE PRESENTS series. THREE STARS.
#672 - #675 ELEMENTALS Volume Two, #11 by Bill Willingham (writer and cover artist) and Mike Leeke/Mike Chen (pencils and inks) ELEMENTALS #24 by Jack Herman and Mike Leeke/Neil Train. ELEMENTALS #26 by Jack Herman and Antonio Daniel/Pam Eklund. ELEMENTALS Volume Three #1 by Jack Herman and Tony Daniel/Phil Moy (Comico Comics, January 1990 - December 1995)
If you are a fan of Bill Willingham (Fables, etc) and want to see some of his earlier works, seek out the first volumes of ELEMENTALS. Willingham created the series and both wrote and drew the early issues. Also, if you’re feeling nostalgic and want to sample the earlier indie days of comics, check this out. Comico started out in Norristown PA and later transplanted to Chicago before going bankrupt in the mid-1990’s.
The original story began when ancient sorcerer Lord Saker built the Shadowspear machine, which captured the supernatural powers of the world. To counter that, the spirits of the four elements chose a person who had been killed and resurrected him
The issues I read dealt with The Oblivion War a giant battle between heroes and villains in a big crossover saga featuring the Elementals team as well as all of Comico’s characters (Justice Machine, etc). I found it interesting how close the appearance of many of these characters were to iconic Marvel and DC characters. Just look at the cover of #11. That’s Thor (you really can’t copyright that name) wielding his hammer.
Volume Three was a reboot of the team, with a new person replacing Monolith - - which was interesting because he was old enough to be the father of the other team members and struggled to fit in. The team relocates, gets a publicity agent, and seeks to finance their efforts through merchandising etc. This just seemed like a hundred miles away from what Willingham started. Kind of fore-shadowing the eventual Comic collapse. THREE STARS overall.
The new creative team does a good job here with some great art and a new conflict introduced for Fathom to work through. Still, I just can’t get interested. I think my experiment with Aspen is over, although I still have some books that I haven’t read yet.
For some reason most titles featuring underwater characters, regardless of publisher, revert to similar themes. Here’s the elevator pitch for Fathom, courtesy of this issue: “From beneath the tides she was born . . . Above the sea level she was raised . . . On the surface, she is a marine biologist . . . Yet, under the surface she is something far more. She is something . . . ELITE.” Yeah, aside from a few differences, that could stand in as a statement about Aquaman, Namor, etc. Come to think of it, I really don’t have any favorite underwater titles. THREE STARS.
#677 - #679 SAGA OF A DOOMED UNIVERSE Book 1 of 3 by Scott Read (CEX Publishing, October 2022) This looks and reads like a 1980’s superhero team title, with enough of a twisty difference to keep it interesting. It’s a comics story within a comic. The superheroes vs villains conflict is interspersed by overlays of the comics pages from comics writer Burt Colt with white-on-black text boxes revealing the previously undisclosed story of Saga Comics Company and how the government shut them down.
Colt gets visited by the EPA, who take blood samples for testing to detect . . . what? As he reveals, “Just know that this will be my final attempt to bring justice to the dead . . . before I join them.” Another mystery on top of a mystery, hopefully to be revealed within the final two of these three triple-sized issues. THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
Here’s the synopsis from CEX:
“CEX Publishing is proud to present 1984’s most shocking comic book, revealed at last! The heroes have been murdered — all except for Roy Brannon, a costumed loser who could never become the champion that Earth needs. Now, it will be Roy’s chance to prove everyone wrong…. even if he has to destroy the entire Universe to do it!
This is the comic that changed everything, presented in three triple-sized volumes with six covers – including homages to some of the OTHER comics that changed everything!
“Reed nails the design and look of the comic as Saga of a Doomed Universe #1 mixes old-school designs with a bit more “modern” aspects. Deaths have a bit of gore but don’t linger, the characters themselves feel inspired by classic designs of Kirby, Ditko, and more.” — Brett Schenker (Graphic Policy)"
I was excited a few years back when Marvel reacquired the property and began publishing new stories. I enjoyed the initial issues, but they quickly lost the quality as the months went by and I stopped picking them up. When Marvel made the enormous blunder (my opinion, and I’m entitled to it) of sticking Conan in the Savage Avengers that didn’t sit well with me. I felt like they were disrespecting the character. Now Titan Comics gets a crack at this licensed property, and if the first issue is any indication - - - this is more like it.
Jim Zub's version of Conan feels like a return to what made the character so interesting and his adventures so much fun to read. The art harkens back to some of the great work done way back when by the late John Buscema, and De La Torre includes even more intricate detail in his illustrations.
In this first issue, Conan has been hardened by years of travels and adventures beyond his native Cimmeria. Events occur after the battle of Vanarium, and Conan is close enough to his homeland to contemplate a return. He’s tired of hanging with mercenaries and thieves, and things begin with a disagreement that turns into a real barroom brawl. A female Pict warrior rides into town warning of an advancing horde of possessed zombie-like berserkers and Conan partners with her, but not before learning it may already be too late for Cimmeria. FOUR AND ONE-QUARTER STARS.
This new title is intended as a prequel to the story presented in the 1983 FIRE AND ICE movie, a collaboration between illustrator Frank Frazetta and animator Ralph Bashki. But you don’t have to be familiar with that story in order to follow this one. I may have seen that film, but it’s just too long ago for me to remember any details. Note to self: see if it’s streaming on Netflix or Amazon, etc and watch again.
Things take place on a savage prehistoric world, with two kingdoms represented by fire and ice. Willingham engages in some creative world-building here and includes plenty of backstory and details to make this much more than a quick read. Beauty and danger. Good versus evil. Magic and more. Many of the recognizable Frazetta characters from book illustrations and artwork come to life here within the storyline. Manco makes a slight departure from his photo-realistic style and alters his art to more resemble that of Frazetta. His color work is beautiful. FOUR AND ONE-HALF STARS.
The story is told as a flashback in present day as main character Michael, an ageless time traveler nicknamed The Collector, reads the obituary of a companion prisoner and reflects on his time during WWII imprisoned in the Japanese POW camp and how he
The text intro on the contents page of Issue #1caused me to assume that this was a sequel, and a new story arc in the tale of The Collector. That is not the case, and I’m not sure exactly why the writers decided to make the main character a time-traveler unless they wanted to gauge the market for interest in further adventures. The story could just as easily be told by an elderly survivor of the camp without the meager details about The Collector. As a character, Michael is not that interesting. What kept me reading was learning for the first time about Unit 731. Thankfully, the story doesn’t exploit the situation or dwell too long on the atrocities that occurred there. It could have served as a decent piece of historical fiction without the sci-fi extra. THREE STARS.
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