King Conan: The Conqueror #2 - A Review

This eighth chapter of Dark Horse Comics adaptation of The Hour Of The Dragon finds our favorite barbarian in dire straits.  The last issue ended with Conan setting sail after the thief who stole the magical gem he needs to save his kingdom.  As this issue opens, Conan is lost at sea and without provisions.  Salvation of a kind does find Conan but his rescuers see him not as a sailor in need but as another strong back for their slave galley!



As in previous chapters, Tim Truman's script captures the flavor of Robert E. Howard's original writing, for good and for ill.  While this chapter - in which Conan turns the tables on the slavers and leads a rebellion against them - is a grand action sequence, it is still full of unfortunate implications to modern audiences in that the predominantly black slaves didn't have any apparent inclination to try and rebel against their captors until Conan showed up.  Truman mitigates this by making some of the crew more reluctant to jump into the battle, until their fellows - former crewmen of Conan in his pirate days - tell them of Conan's prowess as a leader.  


Every glorious bit of gore and action is perfectly captured by Tomas Giorello and Jose Vilarrubia.  Giorello is one of the finest visual storytellers in the business and Vilarrubia's colors are well-applied throughout, with a wide variety of vibrant shades being used in the backgrounds to contrast the dimmer colors used for most of the events in the foreground.  The final effect is breathtaking!

Raising Steam - A Book Review

The basic principles of steam having power enough to move things are well known to anyone who ever had the lid blow off of a boiling kettle.  But no one on The Discworld had ever thought of trying to harness such power.  Nobody, that is, except for a canny lad by the name of Dick Simnel, who dreams of steam-powered engines and a brave new world.

Unfortunately, there are many in the cowardly old world who take to change as readily as a duck takes to lava.  And even The Patrician of Ankh-Morpork, while not the sort of tyrant to stand in the way of progress, is likewise not the sort of tyrant to allow the status quo to be altered without certain assurances.  Or, at the very least, a suitable amount of taxable revenue.

Enter Moist Von Lipwig - Master of Ankh-Morpork's Post Office, Mint, Royal Bank and Vetinari's top scoundrel.  Moist is all too eager to throw himself into the exciting new business of organizing everything springing up around Simnel's Iron Girder... especially once Vetinari makes it clear that the alternative involves being thrown to the kittens.  Of course Moist is a firm believer that a life without danger is not worth living and he'll find danger aplenty apart from his execution-minded employer trying to keep this new "rail-way" on-track.



Raising Steam - despite nominally being about the discovery of steam-power on the Discworld and the joy of trains - is perhaps the most topical book Sir Terry Pratchett has ever written. No stranger to tackling controversial issues, Pratchett's previous works have explored such heavy topics such as gun control (Men At Arms), the role of women in the military (Monstrous Regiment) the perils of mindless nationalism in a time of war (Jingo) and the battle between organized religion and spirituality (Small Gods).  Even Pratchett's earlier works, more concerned with parodying the cliches of fantasy than in satirizing modern life, took a serious look at sexism and racism.

Raising Steam does not content itself with one topical issue, tackling a whole host of societal ills as the story progresses.   Change vs. Tradition.  Urbanization vs. Ruralization.  Misogyny vs Feminism.  There's even a bit that could be seen as a parable for Transsexual Rights!

Why so much societal commentary?  Maybe the master satirist has become more thoughtful after thirty years of writing?  Or perhaps his diagnosis with Alzheimer's Disease back has spurred Pratchett into action, rushing to get all his serious thoughts out into the world while he is still capable of articulating them?

Whatever the case, it must be said that while Pratchett does tread some new ground with this story, there's a lot of rehashing as well.  There are a lot of bits with various characters realizing that It Is Wrong To Judge Someone By The Color Of Their Skin in relation to their dealings with goblins, who have quickly (i.e. since the end of the last Discworld novel, Snuff) achieved a valued position in Ankh-Morporkian society by proving their worth as telegraph operators.

To Pratchett's credit, this is all written in a fairly broad manner.  Indeed, the villains of the piece - the dwarvish priest/scholars know as grags, who hate everything that might be considered undwarvish - could be compared to any number of real-world organizations from religious fundamentalists to Luddites.  Pratchett preaches not against any one group but against the attitude that all which is new or unknown should immediately be regarded with scorn.

Still, the fact that Pratchett has to preach at all is worrisome.  And the sad fact is that while previous Discworld books have made me laugh so hard I had to put the book down for a moment, I did not laugh-out-loud once while reading Raising Steam.  There are witty lines and puns aplenty but not as much high-level hilarity as in times past.

Does this mean that the book isn't worth reading?  Not on your life!  It is different, yes, but it is not bad.  If nothing else, Pratchett deserves credit for trying to examine how something so revolutionary as steam-power would change nearly every aspect of life on the Discworld and trying to bring as many of his cast of characters into play, however briefly. I should like to have seen The Librarian get a chance at driving the train but I can content myself with the footnote where Rincewind - despite spending his first train ride hiding under the seat - eventually concedes the value the rail way could offer someone seeking to run away from something very quickly.  

In the end, Raising Steam is not a great Discworld novel but it is a good book. Even the worst Discworld books are still good reads.  And while there's little that might make a reader laugh boisterously, there is still much that will make them smile.

T.A.B.L.E. - Tabletop And Boardgame Learning Expo!

I will be running games all weekend at the first annual Tabletop And Boardgame Learning Expo (TABLE). 

It's being held at the Westin Hotel in Irving, Texas -  4545 W. John Carpenter Freeway, Irving, TX 75063.  The fun starts at 4 PM on Friday, March 28th and runs through 7 PM on Sunday, March 30th.

There's a spattering of celebrities including Steve Jackson (if you have to ask, you probably won't care who he is), Keith "Ebberon" Baker and our pal Taffeta Darling among others.  However, should you wish to see me or want to learn the basics of Dungeons and Dragons 3.5 or Pathfinder, here's my official schedule.


SATURDAY

Table 2 - Intro to D&D 3.5 - 11 AM to 3 PM

SUNDAY

Table 1 - Pathfinder RPG (with Keith Earley) - 3 PM to 7 PM.


I hope to see you there!

Arrow Episode Guide: Season 2, Episode 17 - Birds of Prey

For a summary of the episode guide layout & categories, click here.



Plot

When a police raid unearths mob boss Frank Bertinelli, Team Arrow is quick to drop everything and prepare for the inevitable return of The Huntress.  But the team's headache proves to be a boon to Laurel, who is rehired by the district attorney's office to bring Bertinelli to trial.  It seems too good to be true... until The Huntress and an armed gang take the courthouse and the people inside it hostage!

Now, as an increasingly vengeful Roy Harper struggles to end his relationship with Thea Queen, the rest of the team must cope with not only The Huntress but with a trigger-happy SWAT team leader who seems more concerned about bagging a vigilante than saving lives.  And somewhere in the shadows, Slade Wilson is waiting for the opportune moment to strike again...

In the island flashbacks, Slade discovers that the engines of the Amazo were damaged in his attack on the ship.  The one man who can fix them is among those who escaped to the island with Sara.  With Ollie being tortured under the threat of death if the mechanic does not return, how far will Sara go to save the man she loves? 


Influences

Green Arrow: Year One (the island sequences) Mike Grell's Green Arrow (Canary having to make a hard choice as Green Arrow is being tortured) and Gail Simone's run on Birds of Prey (story title and the interactions between the female characters).


Goofs

Kate Spencer has to be the most incompetent district attorney this side of Hamilton Burger and it is a wonder that it took assistant D.A. Adam Donner this long to be fired considering his failure to share evidence with the defense in Moira Queen's murder trial and the whole incident with Count Vertigo.  Ignoring that, it doesn't speak well of D.A. Spencer that her right-hand struck a deal with a noted mob boss to bait a trap for a dangerous vigilante and rehired a disgraced former member of her staff to prosecute the case without her knowing anything about it, given that Laurel's rehiring and appointment to the Bertinelli prosecution was announced on the news and Laurel was given a desk in Spencer's offices!

How can Laurel blackmail Spencer into keeping her job anyway?  Ignoring the difficulty in hiding the real reasons for Donner being fired at this point, Laurel is hardly a credible witness if she does go to the press. 


Artistry

As good as the fight scenes on this show usually are, the opening action scene is particularly good.  The fight scenes between Huntress and Canary are notable for a complete lack of overt fan-service - unlike 95% of the fights between two attractive women in most action series.

Writers Mark Bemesderfer and A.C. Bradley wrote a rich and multilayered script for this episode.  The most noteworthy aspect is that much of the conflict is born between the similarities of the three main female characters.  Helena and Laurel have both been brought low by their inability to cope with the loss of the man they loved, though Helena's rage turned outward while Laurel's anger was largely internalized.  Sara and Helena have both been pushed to extremes by their love and both are willing to kill in the name of love... at least until the of end of the episode.  There's also a nice parallel on that theme between the Sara of today and the Sara of five years ago, as the young Sara discovers how far she'll go to save Ollie.  Finally, there's the conflict between Sara and Laurel - both of whom stop the other from giving into their vices as the episode progresses.


Trivia

The episode title, Birds of Prey, was taken from a comic book focused upon a group of all-female vigilantes.  While the membership has changed over time, two of the most steadfast members were Black Canary and The Huntress.

The gangster the SCPD is moving in on as the episode starts is Hugo Mannheim.  This is close to Bruno Mannheim - a powerful gangster in the Superman comics and the leader of Intergang.

Laurel's phone is traced to the corner of Gail and Simone.  This is a reference to writer Gail Simone, who wrote what many consider to be the definitive run on Birds of Prey.


Technobabble

Ollie makes use of a bola arrow to catch Frank Bertinelli. 

Sara uses the Canary Cry for the first time since 213.  She also uses a voice modulator, to change her voice around Laurel.


Dialogue Triumphs

(Quentin Lance tries to call The Arrow while Oliver Queen stands next to him.)
*Quentin glances at Ollie, as Ollie's phone rings at the exact same instant*
Ollie: (holding up his phone) It's my mom!

Numerous repeated lines, including...

"Show me."

"I am what I need to be,"

"Once you let the darkness inside, it never comes out."

Thea's entire "Why is it so hard for everyone just to tell the truth?" speech.


Continuity

First appearance of The Huntress and Frank Bertinelli since 117.

Roy hasn't been active in the field since 212.  He still has trouble controlling his anger.

The dragon tattoo on Ollie's back is a copy of the one Shado had.  Slade had it put on him as a reminder of his "crime".


Untelevised Adventures

Reference is made to The Huntress having spent the last year killing Mafia members in Italy over the past year.



The Bottom Line

An interesting episode which puts Ollie in shadows for most of the episode in order to focus on three women he's loved and the common ground between them.  Despite some great character work in this regard, the action sequences are also top notch.  Most impressively, it almost redeems Laurel completely.

Invaders #3 - A Review

Invaders #3 opens with one of Steve Pugh's amazing splash-pages and the only real action sequence in the entire issue.  Mind you, it is a great action scene, depicting Namor battling a legion of Kree soldiers.  The whole sequence showcases Pugh's skills as both an artist and a fight choreographer.    



Alas, the rest of the issue gives Pugh little chance to cut loose in this fashion.  Most of the book is devoted towards character-building and set-up for a journey to the Kree homeworld.  This sort of thing is writer James Robinson's bread and butter but it can be an acquired taste.  Action fans will be sorely disappointed but those who enjoy quirky scenes that reveal Captain America makes a damn-fine cup of espresso will be entertained. 


Invaders may not be everyone's cup of tea... or espresso.  Indeed, this issue is more sedate than the first two books in the series.  Thankfully, the conclusion suggests a great deal more action next month, for those who anxiously await more scenes of blue-skinned aliens being punched in the face.