Book Review: Dinocalypse Now by Chuck Wendig

Dinocalypse Now by Chuck Wendig

Genre: Pulp, Fantasy

Series: Book 1 of Dinocalypse Trilogy

Publisher: Evil Hat

Date of Publication: May 2012

Author Information: Website | Twitter

Mogsy's Rating: 3 of 5 stars - "Pure escapist pulp fiction, very entertaining and fun!"

This book went straight onto my to-read pile earlier this year, for two main reasons: first, because I love Chuck Wendig, and second because...well, I figured I couldn't go wrong with any book with a title like Dinocalypse Now!

It wasn't until I was halfway through reading this book that I started to do some research and found out a little more about its background. Crowd-funded through Kickstarter in 2012, Dinocalypse now is based on Evil Hat Productions' Spirit of the Century role-playing game, which is set in a 1920s/30s-era pulp adventure world. With this information in mind, dare I say, this wild ride featuring jetpacks, talking gorillas, psychic dinosaurs, and ancient Atlanteans finally all came together for me!

It begins when a group of heroes calling themselves the Century Club are brought in to prevent the assassination of FDR, only to find that the president isn't the target -- they are! Though, what comes next is actually a threat to the entire planet as King Khan the ape conqueror storms this world through a dimensional portal, leading his vast army of primates and dinosaurs. Now it's up to the Centurions to stop him and save the world! 

I won't lie, I was very much entertained by this book. It is escapist fiction that captures the pure, unadulterated spirit of pulp. Given how characteristics like bigger-than-life heroes, beautiful women, high adventure/action in exotic places, and evil diabolical villains are the hallmarks of this genre, it wouldn't be wrong to say Dinocalypse Now is all about sensationalism over substance, but I still can't deny I had a lot of fun.

Picture a kid with an overactive imagination in a toy store, and the stories he can come up with in his head if he played an elaborate game of make-believe while surrounded by miniature buildings, animal plushies, plastic dinosaurs, action figures and toy weapons. You'll probably get something like this book. Chuck Wendig probably had a blast writing this.

In a sense, it's likely that the sheer absurdity of this book will also be its greatest appeal. I am completely aghast but also delighted by this its craziness and eccentricity. There is a place in my heart for books that are just completely out there and don't take themselves seriously, and while I didn't enjoy this one as much as Chuck Wendig's other novels, this was still a good one to pick up to pass the time.

3 of 5 stars

Graphic Novel Review: Five Ghosts vol.1: The Haunting of Fabian Gray by Frank J. Barbiere

Five Ghosts, Vol. 1: The Haunting of Fabian Gray by Frank J. Barbiere

Genre: Pulp Fiction, Adventure
Series: Collects Five Ghosts #1-5
Publisher: Image Comics
Publication Date: September 18, 2013

...the story has a lot of potential to go places, with lots of opportunity for exciting adventures.

3 of 5 stars

A tragic turn of events resulted in a Dreamstone embedding itself in adventurer Fabian Gray's chest. On the plus side, he now can call upon the abilities of the five literary ghosts trapped within the Dreamstone to aid him in his treasure hunting.

The comic is written and drawn in a retro pulp fiction style and when Fabian Gray is first introduced, we immediately get to see his ghosts in action, conveniently aiding him in his daring feats. My first real introduction to pulp fiction was A Princess of Mars, where readers are frequently reminded of how awesome the manly main character is. I feared I'd be subjected to the same with Fabian Gray, but after the dashing introduction, we discover Gray might not be so awesome and that his exceptional powers come with a heavy price. Gray's connection to the Dreamstone means that others, including the Nazis, know of him and are now hunting him.

The art took some time to grow on me. I liked the pulp style and layout, though the art itself wasn't as clean as it could have been. Eventually, both story and art settled in to a comfortable groove. I appreciate the depth Barbiere attempts to give to the character, though the lessons Gray learns during his trials do take a bit of a leap. Still, with everything now established in the first volume, I think the story has a lot of potential to go places, with lots of opportunity for exciting adventures. Hopefully we'll learn why these particular ghosts have manifested for Gray and what his personal connection is to them.

With thanks to NetGalley and Image Comics for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this graphic novel in exchange for an honest review.

An All New Red Sonja by Gail Simone

I love the movie Red Sonja. It’s a hunt-through-bargain-bins treasure that has been with me since the ‘80s, yet I’ve never read or even been inspired to read the comics. Until I learned that Gail Simone was going to be penning this issue (Does she have a thing for redheads?). This means no more excuses not to read about the metal bikini adventures of Red Sonja. It’s only fair, after recently checking out the other pulp fiction warrior princess, Dejah Thoris.

The book was introduced this Wednesday with six fantastic covers by female talents in the industry. These are my favourites, by Fiona Staples, Amanda Conner and Jenny Frison:

In a recent ComiXology interview, Gail Simone explained that this reboot presents a Sonja that is no longer the ice queen of the past. She’s still the woman that will kneel to no one, but earn her respect, and she will keep her promises. Save her from a captivity of fighting for her life everyday, then she’ll be willing to train your kingdom to defend themselves against a pending attack from a deadly enemy.

In her re-introduction, the deadly swordswoman is clearly deadly, her sword poking menacingly from the ground, but she is also clearly drunk, something that the previously stodgy Sonja would likely never have allowed. Her stupor is interrupted by would-be thieves and the predictable display of her prowess, in spite of her condition is revealed. It’s a fantastic scene though, perfectly hinted at in the second cover above, by Amanda Conner. At the end of issue one, we also get a look of this scene through the revelation of Gail Simone’s writing process for the first few pages.

Now that I’ve checked out both pulp princesses, the differences between them really are striking to me. Despite the similarities in barely there metal costumes, Red Sonja has always worn hers with far more nobility than Dejah Thoris ever thought she did. The new Dejah Thoris comics seem to have tried to make her more of a warrior woman, but they still rely on the damsel in distress/every male wants to get with her storyline. Sonja has always denied men, believing them unworthy of her time. In the reboot, she seems to be less about the misandry, but she remains a woman that I can respect. As in, metal bikini and deadly sword aside, her demeanour is of a person who takes and gives no quarter, demands respect and expects you to earn hers. Just because she has impressive cleavage (which is praised by her admiring twin acolytes) and is comfortable with her body and blade, doesn’t mean it’s there for anyone else’s purposes but her own.

3.5 of 5 stars

Comic Review: Dejah Thoris vol.4 by Robert Place Napton

Warlord of Mars Dejah Thoris Volume 4: The Vampire Men of Saturn Tp by Robert Place Napton

My husband and I saw the John Carter movie and thought it was reasonably good. I didn’t expect the movie to hold true to the book, but I didn’t expect to dislike the book quite so much. Pulp fiction clearly doesn’t work for me, but apparently I’m as much a sucker for Dejah Thoris’ lovely face and jewel-covered pretty bits as John Carter and every male in her universe.

In fairness, the cover art for this series is really beautiful. Unfortunately, it stops at the cover. If you’re going to have a buxom woman run around in nothing but some carefully placed pieces of metal held up by hope and a smile, I’d have liked the artwork to help me overlook the ridiculous outfit. If I can’t have that, then at least give me an interesting character and story.

Eventually, I resigned myself to ignoring the attire, since no one else in the book noticed that she was almost naked. Even Dejah herself comments on how glad she is to have furry boots and a cape to keep her warm while she traipses through the ice and snow. The only person bothered by her almost nudity is me. The men and women (uh wait a minute… there weren’t any other women except for the three bloodslaves) of the story see beyond her T and A to the strong-willed, brave and noble woman behind them. Even the vampire who falls in love with her is in love with the passion and strength he tasted in her blood. Unlike John Carter in A Princess of Mars, he didn’t merely fall in love with her the moment he saw her boobies.

As the story goes, the Princess of Barsoom is on a self-imposed exile after being forced to commit murder under mind control. The guilt of her sins is mentioned initially, but eventually forgotten when she is kidnapped to Saturn by a race of vampires. At least she was able to get out of the snow. Edgar Rice Burroughs intricate political plotting and world building is sorely missing from this comic. The vampires are just evil creatures who subjugate the race of purple people and put Dejah in chains.

I suppose I was hoping that, in spite of the (lack of) clothing, the comics would take influence from the movie and make Dejah Thoris slightly more than just a trophy princess. Maybe a little more Red Sonja, perhaps. Dejah does get to be a self-rescuing princess, at least, freeing herself from chains that make her pose awkwardly not once, but twice (or was it three times?) in the story. But in the end, when the vampires threaten her kingdom of Helium on Mars, she is forced to unleash her ultimate power:selling herself to a man to save her kingdom.

1 of 5 stars

A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs

A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs

John Carter is awesome. I know this, because John Carter told me so. Everyone is impressed by John Carter. I know this, because John Carter said so. Dejah Thoris is beautiful. I know this, because John Carter said so. Dejah Thoris is incomparable. I know this, because John Carter told me so.

And for these reasons of awesome impressive incomparableness, these two fine specimens of Earthan and Martian perfection fell in love. The fact that they wear very little clothing may also have had something to do with their fated romance.

Oh who am I kidding. I'd totally
fall for this too. Dejah Thoris by Artgerm

To be fair, this is pulp fiction and I assume the “story” told here is standard for the time and genre. Maybe if I read it back then, I’d appreciate it more. Maybe if read the comic version instead, I’d appreciate Dejah Thoris’ jewel covered pretty bits and John Carter’s manly manliness more. For now, I can safely confirm that  this style of writing just doesn’t work for me, though I'll give credit to Burroughs' rich descriptions of the planet and its inhabitants. Plus "Barsoom" (a.k.a. Mars) is really fun to say.

My husband and I watched the movie prior to me reading the book and it wasn’t bad at all. Clearly it suffered from Disney’s poor marketing decision, but otherwise, it was a passable film and thankfully it did not follow the story it originated from too closely, at least in terms of characterization. I don’t think it would have translated very well in our times. Instead, they opted to make the story a bit more interesting and slightly less about John Carter being awesome. Most importantly, Dejah Thoris got to serve a greater purpose than mere trophy princess.

2 out of 5 stars