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Marvel 616 Review – Tales of Suspense #42

Tales of Suspense 42 Photo Credit: Marvel Writers: Stan Lee, Robert Bernstein Artist: Don Heck

One of the harsh realities of reading all of Marvel 616 in order is you can come across a really engaging and landmark issue, as with the introduction of The Wasp in Tales to Astonish #44, only to have it be followed up with a rather bland and boring story the next issue. This is the case with Tales of Suspense #42. It stars Tony Stark aka Iron Man doing what Iron Man does. Fighting communists. Over and over and over again. That’s not to say I am not interested in reading those stories but at this point they are getting repetitive and at times seem designed just to fill pages. To be fair, they had to come up with a lot of content at the time on multiple comics so there is no way all of the stories are going to be great.

This issue starts with a page promising we’ll have a shocking surprise coming to us, “as the knight in shining armor walks straight into this, the greatest danger he has ever faced!” It shows Iron Man walking into the lair of someone named The Red Barbarian.

The action begins on a boat where a group of spies is proud of themselves for stealing the latest American atomic bomb. They figure they will be well rewarded by this Red Barbarian but to make sure everything is looking good, they decide to open the crate with the bomb.

But to their surprise, Iron Man is waiting in the crate. Turns out the whole thing was a setup by the F.B.I. Iron Man stops the crooks with the use of some of his patented transistor technology and uses magnets to cause their guns to fire away from him. The overhead magnet is so strong, in fact, that it pulls the bad guys up with the guns. Not sure why they didn’t think to let go of their weapons but we’ll just figure they panicked. Iron Man also explains his armor contains alloys that reject magnetic attraction so he is not affected by the magnet. Glad we got that cleared up!

The F.B.I. do show up to collect their prize but Tony warns them that the Red Barbarian is probably planning some new kind of mischief. This person seems to be news to the F.B.I. and all Tony really knows is the bad guy is known for his brutality and lives somewhere behind the iron curtain. So, not a lot to go on.

We next see Tony changing out of his Iron Man suit and going back to his lab. He is now storing his suit in a suitcase and he is working on what he calls a, “pocket-size disintegrator ray.”

We see his heavily guarded lab as Tony takes comfort in the fact that no spy can get inside. Tony then demonstrates his ray to the U.S. Military. He is able to disintegrate tanks and walls and tells the men how it could be adapted to destroy whole enemy fleets. He does warn them that it is not yet perfected. The military is suitably impressed and everyone realizes how devastating it would be if the technology got into enemy hands.

The scene then shifts to The Red Barbarian’s headquarters where his men tell him of Tony’s new weapon. He demands the plans but his men say Stark’s compound is impenetrable, after which The Red Barbarian throws a ham at the messenger and threatens to shoot his incompetent staff.

As he is in his rage, The Red Barbarian is interrupted by someone who he thinks is Comrade K, a high ranking general in the communist party. This, however, is a ruse. The man is really someone who calls himself The Actor. He is able to mimic the look and manners of anyone he sees and claims to be the ultimate spy. The Actor changes his look to that of Tony Stark and claims he can steal all of Stark’s plans. The Red Barbarian hires him on the spot, promising him anything he wishes. The Red Barbarian also warns of what will happen should The Actor fail.

The Actor is quite bold in his claims as he says he can defeat both Tony Stark and Iron Man. He puts his plan into action by first impersonating a famous actor so he can get into the United States. The Actor then goes to the telegraph office in Washington D.C. and impersonates a senator. Next he finds the communist spies in the area to help him fake an entrance into Stark’s lab while Stark is away.

The Actor shows up at Stark’s lab once he knows Stark is gone. He tells the guards there, who assume he is Tony Stark, that the Pentagon meeting was cancelled and he has returned to his lab to do some work. The guards do try to stop the men with The Actor but he claims they are top men of the Pentagon and his office is open to them.

The ruse works well enough to get The Actor into the office where they go about the task of raiding Stark’s plans. While doing this, The Actor finds parts of Iron Man’s suit and puts the pieces together. He knows Stark is Iron Man. Deciding to keep the information to himself in case his life is threatened, he has the others find the plans for the disintegration ray. The Actor takes the plans and tells his men to wait for Stark and assassinate him when he returns. As Stark, The Actor dismisses all of Tony’s usual guards, telling them the Pentagon men will do the guard duty for the night.

The real Stark, realizing the invitation from the senator to the Pentagon was a fake, returns to his lab. The bad guys try to kill him but luckily he is still wearing his Iron Man chest plate under his clothes. Stark kills the lights and gets into his full armor and makes short work of the bad guys. He gets them to tell him why they are there, where to find The Red Barbarian, and when The Actor is scheduled to meet with his employer. To get there, Stark has to take a missile in order to arrive in time. The missile launch is successful and Stark arrives where he intended.

He stops The Actor who is driving on his way toward the headquarters. Iron Man basically folds up The Actor’s car as a way to keep the guy in place. He gags The Actor and walks right into The Red Barbarian’s headquarters.

Iron Man tells the bad guys he is The Actor and gives The Red Barbarian an attache case with a timed lock on it. He tells the The Red Barbarian the lock is a miniature atom bomb. Tony then leaves and goes back to let The Actor out of his trap. Tony flies away.

The Actor goes to The Red Barbarian to apologize for not giving him the disintegrator ray plans. The Red Barbarian flips out on The Actor and basically ends up shooting the guy (although we never see a body so who knows?).

Tony hears all this as he flies off and the story ends there.

While there are some mildly interesting things here, such as how close Stark is with the government, and how secure his compound is, for the most part this story is a bit of a dud. The bad guys are drawn like crude caricatures and borderline offensive. There are a couple of neat tricks like the suitcase for the Iron Man suit but we don’t learn much new here. It’s a passable story about espionage but it just doesn’t quite grab the reader and it really doesn’t help us understand Tony Stark or Iron Man more than we already do.

There are a couple of non-cannon stories in this issue of Tales of Suspense, one about a haunted house and one about a prisoner in the future who is taken to space. Both are much shorter than the Iron Man story and actually a bit more engaging in this case, although with decidedly less heroics. Those don’t count at all toward the larger story though.

Next up on the reading order we’re catching up once again with the hothead Johnny Storm as we read about him in the pages of Strange Tales #110!

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To Save a Thorn (Aerieti Chronicles of the Fall, Book 2) – Book Review

To Save a Thorn by Electra Nanou

Note: this review was first posted on Reedsy Discovery, an awesome website that pairs independent authors and readers. To see the post there, click here.

If you are a book reviewer and want to contribute reviews on Reedsy Discovery, click here.

(Note: this post contains affiliate links. If you purchase something through this post I will get a small commission at no extra cost to you)

SYNOPSIS

Why escape death by demon just to die at the hands of heroes?’

Taitu Jathaeri, a sixteen-year-old girl with arcane gifts, is impatient to leave her matriarchal home island to train at Mecanta’s Academy of the Arcane Arts.
But when her guardian, a recluse witch, is murdered, Taitu is tasked to go to the dreaded mainland, find a mage in the ruins of Old Anvadore, and give him the artefact Arjanna has hidden for twenty years.
But Arjanna had many secrets. The young Thorn must learn who to trust and whether the murderers who are now pursuing her could be her salvation or her ruin.
Has she unwittingly chosen the wrong side in a war that will release an ancient corrupting evil into the world of Itania?

To Save a Thorn is the second book of the Aerieti Chronicles of the Fall series. It’s largely self-contained and easy to follow without having to read the first book. That being said, reading them both adds context.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Taitu Jathaeri is a bit unusual in her little island community. She is able to cast magic, unlike most of the women who live on her home island of Ilja. The island is mostly comprised of women who live there in a matriarchal society. Due to her magic, Taitu is given to Arjanna, the only other person capable of casting magic on the island, to raise. Although grateful to Arjanna, Taitu still misses her mother and wishes to go to the mainland to learn more about how to wield her magic. Yet, there seems to be more to Arjanna than Taitu knew when a group of strangers attack and Arjanna taks Taitu with keeping a secret artifact safe and getting it to a mysterious stranger far away.

On her journey, Taitu encounters people who want to recover the artifact but are they trying to harm Taitu or save her?

Like the first book in the series, To Save a Thorn has a charming protagonist who you can’t help but cheer for as she makes her way in the world. The story is full of fun and magic and a thoroughly enjoyable read. If you read the first book in the series, it will be a bit easier to pick up on who is trying to help and who is trying to harm Taitu but either way you can read this volume as a stand alone book. This volume brings along some characters from the first book but introduces us to plenty of new ones.

The book fits in well to the larger story and it will be interesting to see where the series goes from this point on.

If you enjoy fun fantasy adventures with lots of different creatures, magic throughout the world, and charming protagonists, this book is for you.

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The Reset (Time Corrector Series Book 3) – Book Review

The Reset by Avi Datta

Note: this review was first posted on Reedsy Discovery, an awesome website that pairs independent authors and readers. To see the post there, click here.

If you are a book reviewer and want to contribute reviews on Reedsy Discovery, click here.

(Note: this post contains affiliate links. If you purchase something through this post I will get a small commission at no extra cost to you)

SYNOPSIS

The Reset is a culmination of worlds colliding, timelines interweaving, and relationships that seemed indestructible, reaching dire breaking points.

Vincent gets in the midst of an international political crisis forged by his adversary, Philip Nardin. As he tirelessly works to offset the impact, Philip kidnaps Nozomi, Vincent’s daughter. In an endgame decision, Vincent relinquishes his time-correcting powers to Philip while the world leaders launch a devastating arms race to weaponize Intreton—the purest energy source that can alter reality if mishandled. The two opponents, Vincent and Philip, unite against political and military forces to save reality from crumbling. Their plan reveals a mind-bending past and the identity of a time-twisted villain Philip calls the Lunatic. Such revelation leads to a dramatic conclusion and opens the possibility of a Reset. As someone close to Vincent shows their true self, Vincent discovers that Nozomi’s complex ties to Emika and Akane may hold the key to the Reset in this time-hopping clash of love, egos, and desires.

A story of love that transcends time and reality, and the sacrifices masquerading as selfish acts, the final book of the award-winning Time Corrector series is a whirlwind of unexpected events—many questions will finally be answered.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Dr. Vincent Abajian is a brilliant man who has a team of brilliant people around him. He’s been able to master Intreton, a substance that allows him to travel through time and even across realities. There are moments in his life we keep revisiting as readers but each time more complexities are revealed and we can see more of what each action means. The story is complex and intricate, much like a fine watch or brilliant piece of classical music can be. The third book in The Time Corrector series manages the nearly impossible by not only tying the first two books together perfectly and concluding in a satisfying manner, it still leaves the reader wishing for more.

If you had the power to change time, to change reality, to move the world in a more peaceful direction, what would you be willing to sacrifice? Would you be able to let go of ones you love in order to protect them? Can a selfish act mask one of kindness and love? These are some of the themes in The Reset. The book continues Avi Datta’s tradition of brilliant storytelling, non-linear plot making, and absolutely beautiful character development. Just when the reader thinks they have everything figured out, Datta will impress him or her with the most incredible twists and turns imaginable.

With each volume, this work becomes more and more brilliant. The intricate plot weaving is equal to the character development and as in the first two books, there are moments that completely change the reader’s perspective without feeling like a gimmick.

If there are any flaws in the series it may be that at times Dr. Abajian can occasionally be portrayed as too good and too brilliant but this is forgivable given the intricacies of the people surrounding him.

This is a series you must read from the beginning in order for it to make sense. If you have not already read The Winding and The Movement, do so before picking up the third volume.

If you enjoy expansive, non-linear storytelling, with a masterful plot and beautiful character development, this book is for you. If you just enjoy great books in general, this is a must read series.

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Marvel 616 Review – Tales to Astonish #44

Tales to Astonish 44, Photo Credit: Marvel Writers: Stan Lee, Ernie Hart, Artist: Jack Kirby

Up to this point in the Marvel 616 comics we’ve had plenty of stories staring Henry Pym, aka Ant-Man. For the most part these have been short stories featuring our hero taking on crime of one kind or another. Quite often he has faced off against communists. We know he is a brilliant scientist who does secretive work for the government but it would be false to say we’ve ever gotten a full understanding of his motivations. There haven’t been any stories which really dive into his background, he’s just kind of there.

This all starts to change when Henry Pym gets his partner in peril in Tales to Astonish 44. This is both his first full length story and introduces The Wasp to the 616 universe.

Technically Tales to Astonish is an anthology series and in this issue there is a backup story after the main story of Ant-Man but as far as I can tell it does not relate to the rest of the 616 continuity. But this is still the most amount of pages dedicated to Ant-Man we have seen in a single issue. And, truth be told, at this point it was Ant-Man who was selling the magazine.

The issue starts with a teaser page that looks a lot like the cover but basically acknowledges that we haven’t really had a back story for Hank Pym up to this point and promises us one here.

The story itself starts with Ant-Man coming back from some heroic mission to his lab where he tells his ants to return to nature and lets them know he will call them again when needed. Pym releases his growth gas and goes back to human size.

Ant-Man takes a break and laments how he must always be alone and can’t reveal his secret identity to anyone. And he mentions someone named Maria for the first time.

It turns out, Maria, was Henry’s wife. We see in flashback panels that Henry and Maria went to Hungary for their honeymoon where Maria and her father had once been political prisoners. Hank has some valid concerns about going there but Maria says they won’t know her since she is now Mrs. Pym rather than Maria Trovaya.

For a brief moment in time the two have a good time together and Hank wishes he could always be on vacation with Maria. She replies that he is becoming a lazy husband and tells him her father always used to say. “go to the ants, thou dullard!” I think that’s supposed to just be a way of saying don’t be lazy but it lays the groundwork for Henry’s future fascination with ants.

The bliss cannot last long as Maria is kidnapped at gunpoint. Although Hank tries to stop the men, he gets pistol whipped and goes to the American embassy. While he is there, the embassy receives a call. Maria’s body was found with a note which said, “This is what happens to those who attempt to escape from behind the iron curtain!”

Now all this communist hunting Ant-Man has done in previous issues makes a heck of a lot more sense. The dude is looking to even the score. But as if that were not bad enough, as they attacked Maria in Hungary, back in the states they also blew up the lab where Maria’s father worked.

Hank storms out of there furious and vowing revenge. But within a few days he ends up in jail,”on the verge of a mental and physical breakdown!”

Henry Pym was unable to track down and find the killers but the American embassy has arranged for him to be set free and sent back to America.

Not knowing what else to do, Hank thinks about the past and about his wife. And then he remembers what she said. The funny part of this is that he actually misquotes her from a few panels before as he quotes her as, “Go to the ants, thou sluggard!”

Henry then works tirelessly to invent his reducing gas, perfect his cybernetic helmet and become Ant-Man. It has a Batman feel to it as Henry is basically vowing to wipe out crime because someone he cared about was a victim of it. The difference though is that Henry takes a decidedly scientific approach to it.

Back in the present, Ant-Man decides doing this himself is not going to be enough. What he wants is a partner who can carry on his mission in the case of his death. But he doesn’t know anyone he can trust with his secret identity and who would have the attitude to take on the task.

Just in case he ever does meet this person, Dr. Pym studies wasps and realizes he can shrink a human and give them wasp-like wings and antennae.

At that very moment, fate steps in as his doorbell rings. A Dr. Vernon Van Dyne has come to see the famous Pym. Dr. Van Dyne is also a scientist and he has brought his daughter Janet with him. Hank lets them in and is struck by how much Janet looks like his dead wife. Although, he admits she is not much more than a child at this point. Janet, for her part thinks Henry is handsome but figures he’s a bore since he is a bookish scientist.

Interestingly, what Dr. Van Dyne wants sounds more like something that would be worked on by Dr. Bruce Banner. he is working on a gamma-ray beam to pierce space and detect signals from other planets. Henry admits he has heard of Van Dyne’s work but says his specialty is in molecular cell transition and cell specialization. Van Dyne wants the beam strengthened but leaves Dr. Pym alone.

Despite the lack of help, Dr. Van Dyne is able to get his beam to work. This turns out to be his demise. Some vast, shapeless, darkness comes at him and starts to take form. This alien thing comes into the lab and Van Dyne asks what it is.

It tells him, “I am from the planet Kosmos deep in space! We of Kosmos are a fluid form of life! I escaped down the path of your ray to this, your planet!”

Dr. Van Dyne keys in on the word escaped and the creature admits it is a criminal who nearly enslaved his whole society. And he figures if he failed there, maybe he can succeed here on Earth.

The alien commands the good doctor to look into its eyes. Van Dyne tries to resist but is unable to. The creature smashes the lab and Janet returns to find an awful mist and her father dead. Not knowing what else to do, Janet calls Henry Pym because she knows her father trusted the man.

At first Henry Pym doesn’t believe Janet and thinks she is just a, “bored society playgirl” who is trying to get her kicks by making up stories. But in short order, ants confirm the situation through Pym’s cybernetic helmet.

He goes into action as Ant-Man and shows up at Dr. Van Dyne’s lab where Janet is understandably upset. Ant-Man tells her he is there to help. She thought he was a myth, which is odd, since there have been literal newspaper stories about him in the past but we’ll let that slide for now. Janet explains the situation and Hank figures out right away it had to be some kind of alien force to have done the type of damage to the lab he sees.

And in what seems to be the first instance of an Avenger wanting to avenge something, Janet Van Dyne knows what she wants to do. She wants to avenge her father.

Hank tells Janet to call the F.B.I. and ask for Lee Kearns and tell him what happened. He then instructs her to go to the lab of Henry Pym. Janet agrees.

Oddly, the ants that accompanied Ant-Man have left him alone. He catches up to them and asks why they left. They tell him that whatever was in there secrets formic acid like the ants do but it is alien and they are afraid. Henry has them take him back to his lab and spread out to look for the monster and go to the F.B.I. headquarters to see what they find out there.

Hank grows back to human size and meets Janet at the door. He asks if Janet really would do anything to avenge her father’s death and risk anything for justice. She says not only that but she wishes she could help track down all criminals.

For the first time ever, Dr. Henry Pym reveals to someone else that he is Ant-Man and tells Janet he needs a partner. It’s quite a fateful moment in the history of the 616 because here we have the foundations for what will one day become The Avengers. We’ve been introduced to Thor, Iron-Man, Ant-Man, The Hulk, and now The Wasp. It will still take some time but these are all founding members of the super group and Janet Van Dyne should not be underestimated here.

Janet agrees to become Hank’s partner and The Wasp. Moments later, Dr. Pym has injected Janet with wasp cells, shrunken her down, given her an outfit which seems to perfectly fit her, and allowed her to grow wings and antennae which is only possible for her to have while she is small.

Meanwhile, Kosmos seems to be tearing up the city. He smashes the Van Dyne lab, destroys the docks and causes a general commotion.

Hank gets word of this from his ants and tells Janet to change into her new costume. We get confirmation for the first time that Ant-Man actually lives in New York as he sees Kosmos head towards the George Washington bridge and clearing out Manhattan.

Ant-Man gives some quick instructions to Janet on how to use the reducing and enlarging gas and how she can communicate with the insect world through her antennae. They launch themselves into the air with Ant-Man’s miniature cannon and immediately Janet is hooked on adventuring.

Not only that, she tells Hank, in case they are killed, that she is falling in love with him. For his part, Hank gives a pretty hard no here, although with his background we all know he can love someone. He says, “No! You mustn’t say that, Janet! You’re only a child! Let’s get this straight… I chose you as my partner simply because I thought you had a reason, as I have to fight for mankind! I never want to love again! I– I couldn’t bear it if I had to lose a loved one– twice!”

This basically sets up the relationship dynamic we’ll see with these two for years to come. It will come to be much worse than this sort of thing but we’ll review that when we get there.

Hank’s rebuke only makes Janet more determined to make him fall in love with her. And Hank realizes if he is not careful, he will fall in love with her.

Ant-Man then introduces his ants to The Wasp and the ants tell Henry they can’t confront Kosmos.

The military comes to try to stop Kosmos but they retreat in fear. Janet decides to tackle the problem head on herself. Janet seems to be drawn to the creature but Hank saves her. He realizes he can defeat this thing through science and the pair go back to the lab. Hank whips up the antidote to formic acid, realizing the creature is mostly made of formic acid. They become Ant-Man and The Wasp once more but this time they have the ants carry shotguns filled with pellets full of the antidote.

They make it up to a rooftop and fire the shotgun at the creature and luckily for humanity this does stop Kosmos. Janet cheers and puts her arm around Hank who tells her, “Er.. we— we’d better get back to the lab! And from now on you must not display such emotion! It– it isn’t proper!”

Janet seems to just be happy she made him blush. Back at the lab Henry calls Lee Kearns at the F.B.I. and tells him everything is okay. Kearns says he wants to meet Ant-Man because they share the same goals and Ant-Man can’t keep going it alone. Looking at Janet, Hank replies, “I’m not going it alone, Kearns… not anymore… not ever again!”

In her mind, Janet vows to always be beside Hank and make him love her but until that day she will be his partner as The Wasp. The issue ends here but we know we have a lot more in store for these two.

This is absolutely a landmark issue for 616. It introduces a backstory for Henry Pym, finally gives him some motivation for what he has been doing, and provides a love interest and important character in her own right. No matter the problematic nature of the relationship between these two, this is the most fleshed out, well rounded, and best Ant-Man story so far. It also starts to feel like the pieces are coming together to tell a much larger story, although at the time readers would not have known this.

This issue also finally puts Ant-Man in the same city as The Fantastic Four and Spider-Man so our heroes are beginning to gather.

Next up on the reading list we’ll be checking in with another character who has it out for communists as we read about Iron Man in the pages of Tales of Suspense #42!

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Flash Fiction Friday – Too Quiet

Photo by Anastasia Lashkevich on Pexels.com

Wishing all of you the happiest of Fridays! I wrote another short little story called Too Quiet. I hope you enjoy it!

Too Quiet by Adam Wright

The sky was an open blue expanse only marred by the occasional wisp of clouds. Brandon wiped the sweat from his brow. He gripped the hilt of his sword automatically, ready to draw at the first sign of trouble. His brother walked next to him, a soldier already tested in battle, James was a slayer of kings and often thirsted for blood.

“Keep your eyes sharp in your head, you never know what’ll come from man or heaven,” James said.

“You expect trouble?”

“Nothing we can’t handle. Still, I don’t like the look of the sky. Not enough there.”

Brandon had no idea what James meant by that so he kept walking. After an hour they crested a hill, the tall grass up to their knees billowing against them. James held his hands up and Brandon halted.

“Listen. Do you hear that?” James asked.

“I hear nothing.” Brandon gripped his sword once more all the same.

“Exactly. It’s too quiet. I don’t like it.”

They continued their march through the day only stopping for short breaks to eat a bit of dried fruit and cheese. Further on Brandon remembered some bread he had stuffed in his bag and ate greedily. James didn’t notice. 

“There’s no wind,” James said.

“What’s your point?”

“Could be nothing. Keep your wits about you.” 

Brandon nodded as if he knew exactly what his brother meant. His hand never left his sword.

They reached a creek bed with the water low and the soft sounds of waves hitting against rocks. 

“Be careful as we cross,” James said.

“Will it be safe?”

“As long as you look out for danger.”

The brothers hiked up their pants, letting the cold water run across their ankles as they waded through. Just as they were about to reach the other side a creature that seemed to be all fangs and bright white fur snarled at them. Brandon had his sword out and made himself look as large as possible to scare the creature away. James was faster than Brandon and had already wrapped his arms around the creature’s neck. 

Just as Brandon was about to leap onto its back and rescue his brother he heard the sound of a voice from behind. The only voice that could bring an end to their battle.

“Boys, what are you doing? Get out of the mud and would you let the dog go? Honestly, I don’t know why we let you run around with those toy swords of yours,” their mother said.

“But ma, we’re just foolin’ around.” James let go of the dog and Brandon did the same.

“Now that you’ve had your fun, it’s time to get inside and wash up for dinner. Get a move on.” She pointed toward the door, a sure sign that she meant business.

As the brothers sat at the table trying to mind their manners Brandon leaned over to his brother.

“I don’t like the looks of this,” he said.

“Me neither. Too quiet.”

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Marvel 616 Review – Strange Tales #109

Strange Tales Issue 109, Photo Credit: Marvel, Writers: Stan Lee & Robert Bernstein, Art: Jack Kirby

What would you do if you had the power of Pandora’s box? If you’re anything like The Sorcerer in Strange Tales #109, you’ll probably run around trying to steal stuff and attacking The Human Torch. The issue gets a bit weird as it dives into magic which is a newer threat for Johnny Storm.

The issue starts with a teaser page showing our hero threatened by a giant tidal wave. A man in a green robe is telling Torch that “Flood is the evil I’ve selected to destroy you!”

So, who is this guy and why does he have it out for ol’ flame head? Basically, it’s a kids get off my lawn story but let’s take a look at it anyway.

The story starts back at the Baxter building where three of the Fantastic Four are all gathered. Johnny flies in through the window and The Thing scolds Johnny for skipping school. But, of course, Johnny has done no such thing. His teachers are just having a conference so he got out early. Johnny was basically bored and missing his family so decided to drop on by. He complains a bit about school and then notices a map in the room and rightly realizes the rest of the team are planning a mission. Johnny wants to join but is told no because it has to happen the next day when Johnny is in school.

We don’t get any real information about the mission, other than the FF plans to “…make life a little tougher for the commies!” Which, yeah sounds about right for these comics at that time. Johnny complains about how boring it is being a full time student at boring Glenville. As Johnny flies off we get a rare glimpse of how Ben Grim actually feels about Johnny. He says he loves the hot-head like a brother.

On his way out, Torch sees a fire in a building and uses his powers to suck in all the flames and saves the people in the upper floors. Then he sees a flash flood which has washed out some train tracks. Luckily for the passengers, Johnny is able to convert the flood water into steam and the train passes by safely.

Yeah, sometimes the powers of The Human Torch are kind of silly and so are the random dangers he flies by. But his powers, especially at this time, are a bit flexible anyway.

The next disturbance Torch hears is some commotion at a place where he knows an “eccentric old hermit known as The Sorcerer lives!”

So what’s the big trouble about? Well, this dude is literally trying to get kids off of his lawn. But this time, with dogs. Dogs which are leashed I should mention. As far as I can tell, this guy isn’t actually breaking any kind of law, even if he is being rather unpleasant.

Not quite sure who voted The Human Torch the head of the neighborhood watch, but he decides to take things into his own hands. He puts a leash of flames around the dogs and basically yells at The Sorcerer for scaring the kids. Johnny tells the guy to put his dogs away or Johnny will take them to the dog pound. The Sorcerer puts the dogs away and asks Johnny to tell the kids to stay away from him and give him privacy. Johnny asks if The Sorcerer knows what he’s called around the neighborhood. The dude says yes and the name is well earned because he has studied black magic for years. Johnny then tells the guy if he wants privacy so bad, he’ll give it to him with a wall of flame around his house. The Sorcerer points out he won’t be able to come and go if there is a wall of flame there. Johnny responds he can’t have it both ways, “If you want freedom of movement, others must have it as well!” The Sorcerer gives in but tells Johnny he won’t forget it.

At this point, let’s sum up here. I’m not one to be on the side of a wealthy property owner or anything but in the last few minutes a guy who lives on private property tried to get kids off his lawn, with pets he legally owns and properly kennels, was called an eccentric by a super powered human, nearly had his dogs burnt by said super human, had his lawn burned by fire and was then told he had to let people just come onto his property. I think rather than threaten this guy, perhaps Johnny should have looked up real estate egress laws because, yeah, now this guy is going to go full villain.

Johnny doesn’t really think the guy has black magic so feels pretty safe leaving and taking the kids back to their home. But what Johnny does not know is that The Sorcerer is about to discover Pandora’s box. You know, the one from the myth where basically all bad things were let out into the world? Yeah that one. Which seems weird because if we believe the myth, the stuff in the box couldn’t be put back so how would owning it help? The only thing left inside was supposedly hope and we already have that too so, I think Pandora’s box is just a box at this point. Also, if we believe the myth it was a jar not a box but whatever.

Ah, but see, these are comics we’re reading so they have a ready excuse. The Sorcerer explains (to himself), “But what other experts on Greek legend don’t know is the Circe, the greatest sorceress of ancient times, used her fantastic magic to force all the evils to return to the box…” Circe then seals the box with a magic incantation. So there you have it, perfectly logically explained and we’re good to continue with the story.

If we are to believe The Sorcerer he got that very box “…unwittingly sent to him in a crate full of Greek artifacts by an expert from Athens!” If it was sent unwittingly, then this expert was not much of an expert. Or maybe they were looking for a jar not a box instead?

Anyway, The Sorcerer continues studying ancient texts and vowing revenge on The Human Torch. He also points out he can unleash and recapture all of the imps which are in the box through his magic.

Two weeks later he shows up at a bank holding a box. He is not taken seriously at first when he demands money from the bank and the security guards want to take him in to have his mental health checked. They don’t put it quite that nicely.

But the Sorcerer is prepared and unleashes the evil of hatred. Before you know it, everyone in the bank is fighting with one another over trivial stuff. The Sorcerer uses the opportunity to grab as much cash as he can and strolls out of the bank. He then recalls the imp of hatred and lets out the imp of… forgetfulness. I guess that’s a kind of evil in some cases? Anyway, it causes everyone there to forget what just happened. Johnny goes to investigate and realizes the people there are not lying, they’ve been manipulated somehow.

The Sorcerer goes on a bit of a crime spree, stealing jewels with the imp of… sleepiness, stealing art from a museum with the imp of… paralysis, and furs with the imp of… cold. And he covers his tracks in the same way after each one.

One night in Glenville the police hold a meeting where Johnny is present and one of the officers says it seems like the crook is some sort of wizard which makes Johnny think of The Sorcerer. The Human Torch rushes off to find the bad guy sorting his ill gotten gains. The Torch has the advantage of surprise but The Sorcerer unleashes disease from the box to sicken Johnny. This works for a moment until Johnny heats himself up enough to burn off any germs. So, instead The Sorcerer lets out the evil of a tidal wave like we were teased in the beginning.

Sure enough, Johnny is soaked and his flame goes out. The cops show up but The Sorcerer unleashes foolishness on the cops. But there are still more cops who are not affected yet and they fire shots at The Sorcerer. Good thing for him magic can apparently ignore the rules of physics completely because The Sorcerer unleashes… laziness… to slow down the bullets. Yeah, not kidding.

Johnny stalls for time by asking about the box, hoping he can dry out enough to flame on. And, as The Sorcerer thinks he has Johnny defeated, Johnny asks if he can choose the manner of his own death. The Sorcerer agrees and unleashes fire which, of course, only powers up our hero. Johnny grabs the box from The Sorcerer and welds it shut, saying he is going to take it to the ocean so it can’t be found again.

The Sorcerer is terrified when Johnny gets back. This is because, just before Johnny left, the imp of fear poked out of the box in the direction of The Sorcerer. This guy is probably going to be permanently scared of everything.

The last panel is Johnny reuniting with the rest of the FF who seem to have heard about Johnny’s exploits and all is well again.

There are a few interesting things about this issue. One, it firmly establishes magic as being a real and regular thing in the world of 616, thus truly paving the way for Dr. Strange to show up soon. Second, it separates Johnny Storm from the FF a bit so there is the possibility of splitting this group up into different adventures at any time.

Also, while I certainly don’t condone the behavior of The Sorcerer once he has Pandora’s box, Johnny sure seems bossy to random people in the neighborhood in this issue. This certainly doesn’t mean Johnny is bad or evil in any way but it would be easy to see how a super powered person could intimidate the heck out of someone for, you know, wanting kids not to hang around their lawn or whatever.

We’ve certainly not seen the last of Johnny Storm, or of magic in the 616 but it’s a long way from being fully explored just yet.

Next time we’re getting small again with Ant-Man but he’s going to bring along a new player in the 616 as we first meet The Wasp in Tales to Astonish #44!

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Marvel 616 Review – The Amazing Spider-Man #3

The Amazing Spider-Man Issue #3 Photo Credit: Marvel Written by Stan Lee, Art by Steve Ditko

Few heroes are as defined by their villains as Spider-Man is. Outside of Batman, Spidey has the most recognizable gallery of rogues in all of super hero comics. Undeniably one of the most infamous of those rogues is the one and only Dr. Octopus. He’ll have a huge and complicated influence on the life of Peter Parker and everyone around him. But he had to appear for the first time somewhere. For him it was the third issue of The Amazing Spider-Man. While his intro establishes a good number of the baselines of what we will come to know about the scientist turned villain, much of his origins will be revised and updated to become more intricate and complicated.

Yet, even at his debut, the cover of the issue promises something special with Dr. Octopus. He seems to be the first villain who can truly claim to have more power than Spider-Man. So who is he, where did he come from, and why does he have it out for Spider-Man? Let’s find out.

The first teaser page of the comic promises Doctor Octopus is the only enemy ever to defeat Spider-Man. This is a bold claim considering Spider-Man has been down a time or two but it does turn out to be the case, as Obi-Wan Kenobi would say, from a certain point of view. And we get the promise of a special appearance by the Human Torch. He’s already wrapped up in Spider-Man’s life but I find it intriguing every time Stan Lee brings on a guest in a comic because it helps to establish the shared universe of heroes each time it happens.

The story begins with a run of the mill bank robbery. The crooks think they’ll have an easy time of it until Spider-Man flashes his Spider signal at them and proceeds to knock the bad guys out with ease.

In fact, it’s so easy it leads Spidey to wish he had an opponent who would give him a run for his money. This kind of wish is a bit of a precursor to a running theme in Peter Parker’s life. Every time he thinks things are going well, or that he’s got his job as a superhero down pat, a huge threat will appear and often times come close to destroying him. As readers, we all know, if a hero is wishing for a bigger challenge, he or she won’t need to wait long.

The scene shifts to the generically named US Atomic Research Center where someone called Doctor Octopus is about to perform an experiment. We get our first glimpse of the doctor wearing his specially designed arms that become the defining physical feature of the bad guy.

What should be a tool of science will soon become the very thing which traps a decent man into doing evil things. The guards in the room observing Dr. Otto Octavius say he is the most brilliant atomic researcher in our country today. I’m not sure, but I would bet if Dr. Bruce Banner heard that, he’d disagree. And speaking of Dr. Bruce Banner, other than being brilliant scientists, they have something else in common. Failed science experiments. There is an accident involving radiation, although this issue doesn’t go into what the cause was, or how it happened. But, the end result is an explosion. Unfortunately, Dr. Octavius is caught in the heart of the blast. He survives but apparently absorbs an immense amount of radiation.

In the real world, an accident like this would without question kill the victim. But, in the world of Marvel comics in the 1960’s? Getting hit by radiation is virtually guaranteed to give you super powers. Quite frequently they turn out to be animal based super powers.

Sure enough, in the hospital the doctors know two things about Dr. Octopus. First, he is brain damaged. In other words, something has altered his mind, so even if he was a good and noble scientist at one time, there is no telling what he’ll be like now. Secondly, they cannot remove his artificial arms. It’s a bit unclear if doing so would actually kill Octavius or if they are simply fused into him and there’s not a clear way to remove them. This is something that will come up a lot in later stories involving Dr. Octopus.

When Dr. Octopus wakes up he insists to the doctor he must return to his work. I’m not sure if this was intentional or not but the doctor who is telling Octavius to stay put sure resembles one Dr. Donald Blake, and the nurse in the background looks a lot like Jane Foster. It’s never officially mentioned but it would be easy to assume Dr. Blake could have been asked to treat Dr. Octavius.

More importantly than who is in the background, this scene establishes how altered Dr. Octavius’ mind is. Rather than assume the medical doctor is acting in his best interest, Otto assumes people are jealous of him and want to keep him away from his work.

The window of the hospital room has bars on it, most likely to prevent accidents from a high floor, but Octavius thinks he is being kept prisoner. With a thought, his mechanical arms move and remove the bars for him and Dr. Otto Octavius officially becomes Dr. Octopus.

The Doc immediately uses his newfound power to intimidate others.

Meanwhile, J. Jonah Jameson wants pictures of the notable scientist at the hospital and one Peter Parker is more than happy to volunteer to be the one to get them. Peter figures that as Spider-Man, this will be as easy as taking out those bank robbers was. The hospital itself, known as Bliss Hospital seems a bit sketchy as it is fenced off and locked up when Spider-Man gets there. Spidey easily climbs the walls and wishes once again for a bit of real competition.

Be careful what you wish for, because as soon as he gets to the window, Spider-Man sees Doctor Octopus for the first time. Octavius has imprisoned the staff at the hospital and demanded they bring him equipment. He is refusing to let them go, even though they have given in to his demands.

When Dr. Octopus dangles someone out of a window, Spider-Man decides he has to launch into action and for the first time he takes on what will become one of his key villains. The artwork in this particular panel is notably exciting and I think one of the main reasons Doctor Octopus keeps coming back.

Peter doesn’t really know what he’s walking into here and Doctor Octopus wallops him with the mechanical arms hard enough to make Spider-Man think twice. Even though Spider-Man manages to web up a couple of the mechanical arms, Dr. Octopus snaps the webbing. This already puts Octavius in a stronger category than any other villain Peter has faced.

I’m not sure if this was a mistake, or a joke, or what but at one point Dr. Octopus refers to Spider-Man as Super-Man. Octavius also says his power is the energy of an atom, born of a nuclear accident. Pretty strong claims here. Dr. Octopus gets the upper hand and essentially tosses Peter right out of the window he came through.

Now, it must be said that although this only the third issue of The Amazing Spider-Man, there have been times when Spider-Man has lost a battle before. The Fantastic Four were able to subdue him, and the Vulture made a pretty good run at Peter. But, I would still say this is the first time Spider-Man was defeated. Why do I say that? Because that’s what Peter himself thinks. And Spider-Man is only truly defeated when he is doubting himself. This is the lowest point we’ve seen him anywhere so far.

Although Spider-Man was defeated here, he did win a small battle. The people who were being kept prisoner escaped during the fight, causing Dr. Octopus to realize he needed to flee.

But Octavius has a new plan and he heads right for the US Atomic Research Center. Dr. Octopus wants to destroy part of the nuclear plant to demonstrate his power and he lowers the lead shielding which was keeping the radiation at bay.

The authorities realize they are up against incredible odds and post sentries to keep anyone from going in or out of the research center.

At home, Peter is feeling pretty down after his defeat. He also has to tell J.J.J. that he can’t get the pictures of Doctor Octopus. But all is not lost. The Governor asks the Fantastic Four for help. Most of them are away on a different mission but the Human Torch has been asked to try and help out. Unfortunately the Torch is flamed out because he’s, “used my flame so much recently, I have to wait a few days to let it get strong again!”

And so, I guess, everyone thinks the best use of the Human Torch’s time is to go do an assembly at Midtown High where Peter Parker happens to be in the audience. Johnny Storm does a few fire based tricks but nothing major. Then he gives a bit of an inspirational speech where he talks about how the Fantastic Four have been discouraged before but it’s important to never give up.

Peter really takes this to heart. I find this super interesting because one of my favorite things about Spider-Man is how he refuses to give up the fight even when the odds are hopeless. Turns out, we have one of his contemporaries, Johnny Storm to thank for that.

After the speech, Peter thanks the Torch for the moving words but Johnny doesn’t seem to think much of it.

So, of course, Peter gets right back in the game and heads back to face Dr. Octopus. He’s able to use his spidey-sense to evade all the traps and security Octavius has set up.

And then, Peter does something else I love about this character. He uses his brains before his muscles. Instead of taking Dr. Octopus head on, he first makes his way to the chem lab.

We don’t know right away what he’s doing but it’s clearly risky and Peter has a plan in mind. He next goes to find Dr. Octopus and we learn that the chemicals Peter was messing around with were a chemical compound he made that would fuse Dr. Octopus’ metal arms together.

There is quite the fight but ultimately, Spider-Man prevails. Peter then decides to find The Human Torch to let him know Dr. Octopus is all taken care of and cryptically thanks him for saving Spider-Man.

The issue ends with Peter back in school watching Johnny do a demonstration in the sky as Flash Thompson tries to get under Peter’s skin.

There is a pin up page in this issue and for everyone who had an issue and cut that page out, well, ouch because this issue has at least once sold for $144,000.

This issue is a landmark issue for both Peter Parker and Dr. Otto Octavius which sets up stories for literally decades to come. It helps that the good Dr. got a full comic book length story for his debut and it sure didn’t hurt that The Human Torch showed up to help sales out a bit.

Next time we’ll be seeing more exploits of the one and only Human Torch as we catch up with him in the pages of Strange Tales #109!

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5 Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Series to Read (or Re-Read) in 2024

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Hello book lovers! It’s 2024 and that means we’ve all got a fresh year full of reading to look forward to. But what is there to read? There’s millions of books out there and tons of blog lists recommending those books. So, I decided to come up with my own list of what I think might be worth reading this year. For the most part these will be fantasy or science fiction books but that’s just my taste. If you read anything this year and you like it, you win your year in reading. I’ll get into why I think the books below are worth reading but a lot of them have been around for a long time so it might be a re-read for you. Anyway, I hope you like the list!

The Dune Series

Dune by Frank Herbert

Dune is one of the most brilliant science fiction books of all time. It has an epic and sweeping story spanning entire planets but it focuses on a small group of characters in a desperate situation. You probably know there was a Dune movie released in 2021 and there will be a part two of that film released this year. Both films are based on the first book in the series. There are a total of 6 books in the series so if you enjoy the first one, there’s still plenty to read after that first book.

The Wheel of Time Series

The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan

No matter how you feel about the adaptation of the Wheel of Time series, the books written by Robert Jordan have been well loved for decades. There is good reason for this as the stories are immersive and sweeping and contain everything you would want in a fantasy series while providing incredible and unexpected twists. The book to start with is The Eye of the World but there are a whopping 14 books to read. The last three were written by Brandon Sanderson who we’ll be talking about later in this list but the rest were written by Jordan himself. If you haven’t started reading this series, 2024 is the perfect year to start. There have been 2 seasons of The Wheel of Time television show released with a third on the way.

The Time Corrector Series

The Winding by Avi Datta

In the past few years one of the most beautiful books I have read was The Winding by Avi Datta. This is the first part in the Time Corrector series. It’s full of interesting time travel concepts but also contains an incredible romance story. A third volume of the series is on the way and I’ll be reviewing that book in February. If you are looking for a great science fiction book, a great romance, or simply an amazing story, I can’t recommend this series enough. With there only being three books so far, it should be pretty quick to catch up and get a bit further on your reading challenges this year.

The Lord of the Rings

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

Okay, I know, I know, every fantasy fan has probably already read this. But, if you are like me, you can never get enough of these books. It’s where a lot of western fantasy comes from and Tolkien’s genius is virtually unmatched in literature. If that weren’t enough, there is a re-release of the Lord of the Rings films in January and, believe it or not, another LOTR related movie is coming out in 2024. It’s called The War of the Rohirrim and is going to be an animated film starring the voice talents of some of the cast from the live action films. That makes 2024 the perfect year to revisit this series. (Well I think every year is the perfect year for that but at least I have an excuse now)

Literally anything by Brandon Sanderson

The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson

Who is the least adapted but most prolific fantasy author alive today? Hands down, Brandon Sanderson. To say he is prolific is truly an understatement, this guy writes volumes of books the way I consume popcorn. My personal favorite series of his is The Stormlight Archives but these books are all huge so I am plodding my way through them. He also has the notable and extremely enjoyable series Mistborn, a great single volume novel called Elantris and a series of Y.A. books called Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians. A lot of his books tie together into a shared universe he calls the Cosmere which leads to plenty of fun and interesting easter eggs. I haven’t come across one of Sanderson’s books I don’t like, however, he writes an incredible amount of books so I have not nearly read them all. 2024 is a good year to start these books because, well, any year is a good year to start his stuff and he’s overdue for an adaptation of his work in film or television so you might as well get on the bandwagon where all the cool kids are now.

Conclusion

This is by no means an exhaustive list of great science fiction and fantasy books. Other great authors to consider include N. K. Jemisin with her Broken Earth series, The Binti series by Nnedi Okorafor, anything by Neil Gaiman, The Earthsea Cycles by Ursula K. Leguin and The Dark Tower series by Stephen King. Put simply, there are too many books out there for me to read so I can’t tell you everything you should read but those are a few of my suggestions for the year.

What are you planning to read this year? I’m always looking for a good book recommendation, especially in sci-fi, fantasy, and horror categories so let me know in the comments!

Literally yours,

Slick Dungeon

(Note: this post contains affiliate links. If you purchase something through this post I will get a small commission at no extra cost to you)

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Slick Dungeon’s 2023 Wrap Up

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Well Happy New Year out there all you dungeon crawlers! It’s officially 2024 but before we start off the new year for real, I thought I would give a little wrap up about what happened here on my blog this year. I’ll also give you a little peek into a few of the things you might see on here in 2024. If you can’t stand this kind of a post, don’t feel like you need to read it, I just like to do a little reflection now and then. I’m just going to be talking about what happened on my blog more or less, not big news stories (for the most part) or anything like that. Let’s see what happened in the categories I covered.

film

I started off the year wanting to review every movie I saw. I failed on that goal because, well, you know, life and stuff. But I started out reviewing one of the oddest movies I have ever seen called Adult Swim Yule Log (AKA The Fireplace). It’s not for everyone but it’s definitely memorable. In January I also reviewed Prey which is best entry the Predator series has had in decades. Horror films in theaters started off fairly strong in the form of M3GAN about an android doll who does what android dolls do and tries to kill everyone. January also had a Friday the 13th in it so I reviewed the last of the Friday the 13th movies I can, Freddy vs. Jason. I’m still hopeful for a 13th movie in the series but we’ll see if that ever actually happens.

In February they rereleased Titanic for a limited time and made me ugly cry as always. On Valentine’s day I watched Picnic at Hanging Rock which is a quiet horror movie with a decidedly creepy vibe which also happens to take place on Valentine’s day. I also watched Tom Hanks be a grumpy old man in A Man Called Otto. February brought with it more Ant-Man in the form of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. It was sort of okay but certainly not Marvel’s best.

In March I watched Idris Elba and Andy Serkis star in Luther: The Fallen Sun. It’s not a bad film at all but it’s definitely got some disturbing stuff in it. Also in March I watched all of the Oscar best picture nominees including All Quiet on the Western Front, Elvis, Top Gun: Maverick, The Fablemans, Avatar: The Way of Water, Everything Everywhere All at Once, The Banshees of Inisherin, Triangle of Sadness, Women Talking, and Tar. Towards the end of March I decided to do a deep dive on the Scream series starting with the movie that saved slasher horror, Scream. I spent the rest of April completing that series of reviews.

In May it was the anniversary of Return of the Jedi so I wanted to give everyone a guide on how to go about watching, reading, playing etc. in the universe of Star Wars. I’ve got a lot left to review on that so stay tuned if you like Star Wars. Also in May I reviewed the entire Fast & Furious franchise starting with the very first movie, The Fast & The Furious. It’s mind boggling how far into ridiculousness these films get.

June saw what was for my money the best animated movie of the year with Spider-Man: Across the Spider-verse.

I didn’t really watch any movies in July actually so nothing to report here.

In August there was a refreshingly independent horror movie called Talk to Me. And a couple of box office juggernauts were launched with Oppenheimer and Barbie. I watched them both but only got around to reviewing the first one. They’re both worth watching though!

In October I reviewed the whole Psycho franchise (excluding the TV series Bates Motel) starting with the first film. I also reviewed the double feature slashers of X and Pearl.

I was a little burned out on movies so didn’t review any others until December when I watched what might have been my favorite film of 2023 and an absolute mastery of storytelling with Godzilla Minus One.

So, what’s coming up on this blog for film for 2024? Well, I can’t say I am overly excited about what is coming to theaters but I’m sure I will review a few things here. I’ll almost certainly review the Oscar picks for best picture. As far as film series to review I think I am going to go with the whole Halloween franchise and the Texas Chainsaw Massacre movies. We’ll see if I end up doing any others.

Books

It was a busy year in books for me. In February I read the second volume of the Time Corrector series, The Movement by Avi Datta. It’s a fantastic series and a beautiful book. And I am very excited that I have the third volume which I will be reviewing in early February. I also started reviewing the Empire series by Tim Goff.

In March I read The Underground by Ty Pape. and continued to review Tim Goff’s series with Empire: Capital.

In August I read Empire: Spiral and The Light of the Jedi which is a great entry point if you don’t know much about Star Wars.

In November I read Illyadra by Adriel Wallaker and Drakomunda by Guy Quarterly.

December I read The Badlander by Tom Golden which has an utterly unforgettable ending. I also read To the Solemn Graves which is a solid ghost story anthology by Kim Idynne.

In 2024 you can expect more reviews of independent author’s books from Reedsy. I’m also hoping to but in a few more Star Wars book reviews and couple of reviews for bigger name authors, especially in fantasy and science fiction. I am a slow reader so we’ll see how far I get.

Marvel

I continue my quest to review every Marvel 616 comic in order and I made some progress this year. There is still a ton to go.

I could link every post I did on these this year but my series of reviews is meant to be read from the beginning so I am going to cheat a little and just link you to that first post here. If you read through it, you can link to the next one at the bottom and go in order.

I love Marvel comics and for 2024 I plan to continue with these reviews. I have to take breaks from it here and there because as much as I do love them, these early issues can seem a bit repetitive. Once you’ve seen Thor beat up a bunch of communists you don’t really need to see it again but that just keeps happening. Anyway, as far as Marvel goes on this blog just watch for more of it!

Star Wars

As far as Star Wars goes, as I mentioned above I have a lot left to review. I did come up with a guide for how to get started here. And I managed to review The Light of the Jedi.

For 2024 I’ll be reviewing Into the Dark which is the next book in phase 1 of the High Republic series. I will also probably start reviewing the movies but those are going to be a super deep dive so I’m not sure if I will complete that this year. I’ll be consuming tons of Star Wars stuff as I always to but how much I review basically remains to be seen.

Role Playing Games

Oh boy did a lot happen in the world of TTRPGs this year! There were too many crazy things to cover but the year did not start off well for Wizards of the Coast who makes Dungeons & Dragons. They had a huge debacle in what came to be knows as the OGL well.. debacle. And a ton of other stuff happened too. At the end of 2023 I basically feel better about TTRPGs as a hobby as a whole but D&D really needs to figure itself out as soon as possible if it wants to stay the most popular TTRPG of all time.

In January I gave my recommendations for the Top 5 TTRPGs to play in 2023. Also in January things started happening with the OGL (Open Gaming License) which allows creators to make third party stuff for D&D. But you know what? There are other rules systems and companies out there and people who want to make stuff for TTRPGs can use them. One of my favorites is the Basic Role Playing system by Chaosium. January just went crazy with the whole OGL thing and another company who I would say proved to be one of the best in 2023 was Paizo who makes Pathfinder. I wrote about that here.

In February I gave my picks for great gifts for any game master here. I know, it’s not romantic or whatever but hey, everyone can use dice and stuff like that. There were also a lot of play tests of new games happening in 2023. In particular in February there was the first play test of what was called Project Black Flag but will be known as Tales of the Valiant. It’s got the potential to be a D&D rival but it remains to be seen how popular it ends up becoming.

One of the things I find most difficult about TTRPGs is just finding a group to play consistently. A great way around that is to play solo TTRPG games which is why I cam up with my list of Top 5 Solo TTRPGs in April.

In August I got my hot little hands on a game I am super excited about which combines my love of Marvel comics with my love of TTRPGs. That’s right, I wrote about everything you need to know about the Marvel Multiverse Tabletop Role Playing Game. I also did a review of the core rulebook here and did a breakdown of the first chapter here. I’ll be doing a lot more with this book and this game in 2024 so if you are into Marvel TTRPGs watch for that.

In October I did one of the two things I am most proud of for 2023. I wrote my first scenario for Call of Cthulhu 7th edition called Fantastic Light Display. I worked for more than a month on it and I’m still just really excited to have published anything TTRPG related. This is definitely not for everyone but I had an absolute blast making it.

Also, because it was October, I couldn’t resist giving my recommendations for the Top 5 Monster TTRPGs to play.

In December, the MCDM TTRPG had a crowdfunding kick off and I have to say this is the game I am most excited for coming out in 2024 so expect a lot more written about it right here on this blog.

I had such a great time making my first Call of Cthulhu 7th edition scenario that I decided to do it again. This one is called Trouble on the Rock and is set on Alcatraz island just as the military prison is about to become a federal penitentiary. This is also just the first part as I intend to do two more in the On the Rock series. In February watch for the second in the series called Terror on the Rock. Just to be clear, these are related but stand alone scenarios so you don’t have to play one to enjoy the other. If you are into TTRPGs and like Call of Cthulhu it would be awesome if you could spread the word about it!

In 2024 you can expect more posts about how to play TTRPGs, more Top 5 lists, and definitely more scenarios, adventures etc written by yours truly!

Stories by Me

I definitely didn’t write as many short stories in 2023 as I intended to but I still got a few out.

In January I wrote Resolutions. Never try to grow tomatoes is my advice.

In February I wrote about Twenty Years of Walking Away and a story called Invasion. I also posted a story called Space Walk. That story actually first appeared in a collection called Flashbang! Volume II featuring a bunch of independent authors. I just wanted everyone to enjoy my story for free as well if they wished to.

In September I had another story featured in a collection called In a Flash. Again, it features a whole lot of independent authors and they are all flash fiction stories so it’s a nice small bite of fiction for when you don’t have a lot of time.

And as I said in the section above, I published my first two Call of Cthulhu 7th edition scenarios. These are not technically stories but they are written by me and I hope people enjoy them. I’m not trying to make anyone spend a dime on anything I write unless they want to but if you do, buying those scenarios is the best way currently to show your support for this blog.

In 2024 I definitely want to bring back my Flash Fiction Friday series and hopefully have a few good stories for you to read. I absolutely am not going to have one for every Friday of the year but I’ll do what I can!

I’m also working on a novel, but I’ll tell you more about that once I get to a point where I think it’s really worth sharing something. I’m not sure what all else I will get up to as far as writing goes this year but you can definitely expect more blog posts!

Heading into 2024

There are a lot of things I am excited for in the coming year and I hope you’ll decide to keep reading some of my posts whether you enjoy my fiction, my reviews of books and movies, my nerding out about Star Wars and Marvel and TTRPGs or all of the above. I hope everyone has an incredible 2024 and I wish all of you a Happy New Year!

Annually yours,

Slick Dungeon

Posted on by slickdungeon · 1 Comment

To the Solemn Graves – Book Review

Note: this review was first posted on Reedsy Discovery, an awesome website that pairs independent authors and readers. To see the post there, click here.

If you are a book reviewer and want to contribute reviews on Reedsy Discovery, click here.

(Note: this post contains affiliate links. If you purchase something through this post I will get a small commission at no extra cost to you)

SYNOPSIS

Feeling shunned in their new neighborhood, a family attributes the cold attitude of the neighbors to prejudice—but a little investigation unearths a more shocking motive. A conniving widower finds a new wife through a foreign dating service, but the bride turns out to know him much more intimately than he imagined. A young man enlists a shaman to exorcise a terrifying spirit from his apartment, and as he learns more about the supposed ghost, he begins to form a strange and tender bond with her. To the Solemn Graves presents thirteen illustrated stories that, while laced with the supernatural, remind us that most horror comes from the all too natural.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

REVIEW

To the Solemn Graves is a book of 13 short stories. They have a diverse cast of characters with diverse viewpoints but all of them have one thing in common. They deal with ghosts in some way. Some of the stories have actual ghosts or ghost like encounters while others are more grounded in the natural world. But most of the stories have a deeper meaning and go beyond just spooks and scares.

From a family adjusting to a new home, to a “mail order bride” who knows more than she is letting on to a creaky staircase where a writer finds inspiration and something sinister, the stories are all fairly entertaining. The illustrations are well made and haunting.

Like any short story collection there are some stories that stand out more than others and much of that is based on the readers taste. In this volume it seems to me the ones that shine brightest are the ones which reveal a more human and often times more evil motive than a ghost might have. My personal favorite was the one titled Consequences which proves to be a good mix of the real, the surreal, and the supernatural.

Another aspect that is often lacking in ghost stories but is present here is diversity. The characters come for a good variety of genders, sexual identities and backgrounds making for a refreshing read. Kim Idynne excels at getting the reading into the head of her characters quickly no matter who they are and where they come from.

If you enjoy ghost stories but are looking for something with a few surprise twists and turns, with engaging characters and a decent payoff in each story, To the Solemn Graves is definitely worth reading. If another collection comes from this author I expect it will also be a refreshing read when it appears.