Tag Archive | "comic books"

Witchblade #127 Comic Review

Posted on May 21, 2009 by

When I said that the “War of the Witchblades” arc might be a good place to start reading Witchblade, I was wrong.

It’s a great place to start reading Witchblade.

Now that we’re in the third issue of the arc, things are really starting to come together. The Angelus Force still hasn’t picked a host, but we see that one of the Angelus is really jonesing to be the one who will become the Angelus incarnate. But while this Angelus is the leader of the Angelus warriors — winged creatures that are similar to humans but with supernatural gifts — she’s not what you’d call a role model for the forces of good. She shows no pity, no mercy, and no patience — instead, she seems so arrogant and certain that she is destined to be the host to the Angelus that it’s certain to pass her by for someone more humble.

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Batman: The Dark Knight Movie Review

Posted on August 5, 2008 by

With sold out shows and talks of an Oscar, if you haven’t seen The Dark Knight you’re probably wondering if it lives up to all of the hype. Even within the body of countless movie reviews for the film there are a few who, believe it or not, don’t like The Dark Knight. Why? You see, the one thing this comic book movie has at its core (that other movies of a similar type don’t) is an atypical visibility to a broader audience. While it’s impossible to find a true statistic, could it be safe to assume that people unfamiliar with the darker Batman franchise went to see the movie just because it was Heath Ledger’s last role?

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Anita Blake: The First Death Graphic Novel Review

Posted on July 9, 2008 by

In this hardcover edition of Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter: The First Death, fans will get both issues in the series, as well as the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter: Guilty Pleasures Handbook. Published by Marvel with a retail price of $19.99, the book is a prequel to Laurell K Hamilton’s best-selling novel Guilty Pleasures, which is the first in the Anita Blake series.

Adapting a comic book from a novel series isn’t an easy thing to do, because of the novel’s rich format, rife with details and setting descriptions. Additionally, the Anita Blake series is told from the first person point-of-view, which can be challenging to display visually in a graphic novel. Stray too far from the point-of-view, and you may encounter oddities–things that the main character (Anita Blake) may be describing but hasn’t seen yet. A nod to the writing team of Laurell K Hamilton and Jonathon Green, each scene was pointed and specific to Anita’s character.

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Ramayan 3392 AD Graphic Novel Review

Posted on June 27, 2008 by

What do you get when you mix an ancient Sanskrit epic that is integral to the Hindu religion with a graphic novel? You get Ramayan 3392 A.D. Created by Deepak Chopra and Shekahr Kapur, the graphic novel attempts to transcend the boundaries of normal storytelling into this visual medium. Is it successful?

To put Ramayan 3392 A.D. into perspective, think about what it must have been like when Marvel Illustrated’s staff put together Homer’s The Iliad into graphic novel form. This particular graphic novel is a re-imagining–not a re-telling–which is an important distinction to make.

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Del Toro & Gaiman…Strange

Posted on February 11, 2008 by

The animated Doctor Strange movie was a lot of fun and I’m hoping Marvel makes more of the same kind of feature. The live-action films based on Marvel characters have been pretty hit-or-miss over the last several years… However, according to IGN, Del Toro Eyes Doctor Strange Hellboy helmer wants Gaiman to script. The buzz […]

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Dabel Brothers and Patricia Briggs

Posted on January 24, 2008 by

Popping up on Newsarama and the DB Forums is a press release about a new novel to comics deal. Here’s a teaser: The Dabel Brothers are already well-known for their comic book and graphic novel adaptations of great paranormal thriller novels such as 2007’s bestselling Laurell K. Hamilton’s Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter in Guilty Pleasures […]

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New Reviews at Flames Rising!

Posted on January 21, 2008 by

We are still working on a few of the details behind-the scenes on the new site. However, here are a bunch of new Reviews to dig into! Neil Gaiman’s “Two Plays for Voices” Audiobook Doctor Strange Animated Movie Changeling: the Lost RPG In the Serpent’s Coils Novel 30 Days of Night Movie Kitty and the […]

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30 Days of Night Movie Review

Posted on November 6, 2007 by

Review by: Jason Thorson

David Slade has provided us genre geeks something to get excited about. 30 Days of Night is quite simply a very solid horror flick. All the ingredients for success are here: good acting, beautiful photography, and great source material. It’s scary, fun, and dramatic, while also giving us a nice example of the potential this genre has to deliver engaging stories. And if a month in the dark shows us anything about modern horror, it’s that David Slade’s future is looking very bright.

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Battle Royale Review

Posted on May 1, 2007 by

A few months ago a friend recommended I read Battle Royale, a magna published by Tokyo Pop. I read the first volume, but did not care for it. Maybe it was the translation, or maybe it was the story, but it did not click with me. I then learned that Battle Royale was a novel, and everything coming after was based on it.

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300 Movie Review

Posted on March 20, 2007 by

300 is adapted from Frank Miller’s graphic novel of the same name about the 480 B.C. battle at Thermopylae between a monolithic and massive invading Persian army led by King Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro) and merely three hundred of the most brave Spartans led by King Leonidas (Gerard Butler). As both history and the laws of probability dictate, our noble Spartans lost, but they did inspire the rest of their fellow Greeks to resist which ultimately preserved the genesis of Western Civilization.

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Lovecraft Graphic Novel Review

Posted on May 14, 2006 by

Most of us who love the horror genre have at least heard of H.P. Lovecraft. His influence spreads out like the tentacles of the beings that populate his stories–into movies, comics and role-playing games, as well as the works of today’s great horror writers.

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Interview with artist Jennifer Rodgers

Posted on January 17, 2006 by

Jennifer tells us about her work on a variety of projects, including RPGs, comic books and more!

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Sin City Movie Review

Posted on August 29, 2005 by

Thematically, the story is based on three pieces that merge into a whole. “That Yellow Bastard” comes to life with Nancy (Jessica Alba), and Hartigan, (Bruce Willis). Hartigan is on the brink of retirement; he struggles through his last hours as a police officer to rescue Nancy from the clutches of a high-powered official’s son, Roark Jr., played by Nick Stahl. This segment propels the film. Even if you know what happens, you want to witness their fates. That Yellow Bastard is the punctuation between Sin City and The Big Fat Kill.

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Interview with Stefan Petrucha

Posted on May 6, 2004 by

Stefan tells us about writing Orpheus fiction, Vampire comic books and Hunter short stories.

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    Reviews Wanted!

    The new Review Guidelines have been posted on the Flames Rising website. We are currently seeking a few good reviewers to help us expand our collection of horror and dark fantasy reviews. RPGs, fiction, movies, video games and more are all welcome on the site...

    What do you get out of it?

    Beyond helping out fellow Flames Rising readers by letting them know what you think of these products, we're giving away some pretty cool stuff. Regular Reviewers can earn free products to review, which is their to keep after the review is submitted to the site.

    Note: We are especially looking for folks interested in reviewing eBooks (both Fiction & Comics). We have lots of great titles in digital format and even get advance copies sometimes.

    Use the Contact Page to submit reviews or let us know if you have any questions.

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