Warren Ellis, one of my favorite comic writers, has been kicking out a free online comic, and it is full of Warren Ellis-y goodness, set in a post-apocalyptic flooded London filled with psychics and steampunks. When the first 144pages are completed, they will be kicked out in a graphic novel format. check out Freakangels.
My father did the terrible thing of sending me four books by the prolific historical novelist Bernard Cornwell. He’s got four books in a series about a fictional character captured and raised by viking raiders mixed into the real events and characters of Alfred the Great’s campaign for the Unification of England in the late 9th century. These are bone-crunching bloody tales in a very real setting, depicting battle tactics and daily life through the eyes of the just-this-side of good Uhtred of Babbenburg. You’ll have to find enlightenment elsewhere, I’m afraid, but these I’ve chowed down like popcorn. 3 1/2 I’ve read, and only had a hold of em for 2 weeks. Thanks, Dad, thanks a lot. Like I don’t have other shit to do.
Like play The World Ends With You, a great game from monolithical Square Enix, who bring us the Final Fantasy games, quintessential playing for role-playing games (RPG). TWE brings a hip-hop attitude to a group of dead kids who need to pass a series of trials to achieve Reincarnation, or something similar. Square always brings some pretty heady world-blowing content to their games, which I like very much. You know, in the belief that games can be a powerful storytelling medium same as graphic novels, books, and movies. CAN be, I said. The game utilizes the DS’s dual-screen setup to divide gameplay into two frantic simultaneous battles, a touchscreen-based hack & slash against a button-press puzzle, and the more you can synchronize the two, the better off you are. That on top of staying in fashion by staying on top of the brand popularities, leveling up powers, eating the right things… well its a pretty involved thing, as Square games tend to be. Freakin’ Awesome. If you’ve a DS, definite recommendation.
And the best bit of creation is something I made myself: Mr Bennet is quite adapt at moving about on all fours now and pulling himself up and pulling down whatever he can reach once he’s up. His new trick is clapping, and he really cracks himself up with it. Whenever he learns something new, he has such a great joy in it, I know he’s going to have that wonderlust adventure for life, always looking for something new. Just like Papa.
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Jul 12 2008