BotTalk Reviews

Novel by Cody Walker Cover by Ben Marra Spoilers! Spoilers!  Since 1962, Atlas Industries (a multi-billion dollar corporation) has been the leading name in Rebirth Engineering. Atlas manufactures new reanimated sentient beings (second-class citizens known as Patchwork people/Patchworks/Patchies) made up of body parts of different corpses stitched together. This is the first election where Patchies are able to vote and Senator Edgar Bates is up for reelection, the Senator hires a Patchie journalist... Ms. Brynn Drew (a Patchwork person made from four different women), he wants to know what goes on behind the scenes in the creation of Patchies at Atlas Industries (one of his big money donors to his campaign) and the struggles that Patchwork voters (who live in slums) experience. During her investigation Brynn will encounter a grave-robbing duo, an in-house Atlas Industries motherly figure that helps new Patchies upon Rebirth (since the process eliminates previous memories), two pleas...

eBook by Gavin G. Smith Cover by E. M. Gist  From Titan Books, Heroic Signatures & Conan Properties International LLC Spoilers! Spoilers!  Ileetha (not Ilyth'la) and Conan flee Shadizar (city in Zamora), Ileetha leaves Conan. The Haft (in Zamora, an homage to Sonia Haft Greene Lovecraft Davis and "The Colour Out of Space" by H. P. Lovecraft). Conan who is wanted in Zamora wakes up kidnapped, shackled and caged in a wagon. We meet the abductors: Xaxix (an alchemist/sorcerer who wears a yellow silken mask aka the High-Priest Not To Be Described from "The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath" and "Celephaïs" by H. P. Lovecraft) Nassas (a moneyed Zamoran with a quarterstaff, vizier to King Hadranor of Zamora) Vulf (a Vanir with a war hammer, Nassas' bodyguard, a Thorgrim/Sven-Ole Thorsen homage) Danai of Shem (an archer from Kush, Nassas' girlfriend) Conan steals the key to his prison from a sleeping Vulf, escapes and grabs Nassas, Nassas explains tha...

This volume collects the Nancy daily newspaper comic strips from 1951-1952.  We actually get 616 timeless, charming and very clever black-and-white Nancy strips by American cartoonist Ernie Bushmiller (1905-1982) in one collection! Don't worry Sluggo aficionados, Nancy's pal is once again very much present in this tome. What is on the agenda for Sluggo this time around? Let's see: Fixing a fence, dealing with snowballs, protecting Nancy's piggybank, refusing to shovel snow, begging for treats, sweeping, refusing a homemade valentine, flirting with girls, appeasing a bully, using a palindrome, tap dancing, enjoying gum, ice cream, watermelon, pop corn & spaghetti, getting hypnotized, riding bicycles and pogo sticks, branching out, getting a cold, pining for winter, walking on air, settling a grudge, encountering "one-punch" Duffy, getting dimples and stung by a bee, dealing with spring fever, not receiving first aid, having a picnic with Nancy, keeping a co...

Marvel Preview Presents: Merlin the Magician, a saga of epic beauty by John Buscema (Conan the Barbarian, Mephisto vs., Weirdworld: Warriors of the Shadow Realm...), Doug Moench (Batman, Weirdworld: The Dragonmaster of Klarn, Master of Kung Fu, Planet of the Apes...), Tom Palmer (The Avengers, Tomb Of Dracula, Star Wars...) and John Tartaglione (The Life of Pope John Paul II). Arturus Rex (King Arthur) Pendragon of Camelot finds a seriously wounded Knight. Arthur tells his traitorous nephew Mordred to notify the castle. King Arthur asks for Merlin's help to heal the youthful Knight (Beliar (not Belial))... who is too handsome to die. Merlin the Sorcerer is suspicious, Beliar is just too good-looking to be good.  Beliar (son of Asmodiar (not Asmodeus), a baron of the "Nether"lands) tells his tall tale: Beliar kills his brother (Asmodiar's eldest son) by mistake. To atone for his blunder, Beliar tries to right wrongs across the land as a Knight-Errant. Beliar kills an e...

Who's tight-lipped like the T-1000 Terminator, more menacing than The Mummy (1959), slicker than Swamp Thing, more indestructible than The Blob (1958), immortal like Caltiki (1959) and obscure like X the Unknown (1956)? It's The Sludge from the pages of Lion (a British weekly boys' comic)!  1965. Radiological pollution contaminates a Sargassum... The Sludge is born! The Sludge (a luminous, sentient jelly-like substance) covers and takes over a large commercial liner, everyone aboard abandons ship. Reporter Bill Hanley (more macho than Clark Kent) and photojournalist Rick Slade (more experienced than Jimmy Olsen) of the Montreal (in the Canadian province of Quebec) Argus (an homage to the Argus camera company? To the Canadair CP-107 Argus built in Montreal?) newspaper are our investigating heroes. The slimy, glowing vessel rams into the Port of Montreal, The Sludge oozes onto a pier, the liner disintegrates. The Sludge gives itself a spooky humanoid form. Photojournalist Ric...

A thrilling manga prequel to the hit anime Grendizer U! Spoilers! Spoilers!  The cosmic league of nations is ruled by the evil Kingdom of Vega. Planet Fleed/Euphor is protected by a formidable weaponized Mech, Grendizer/Goldorak. Seven invasions by the Vega Star Alliance were repelled by Grendizer. We are introduced to: Gau Su Uls (Duke Fleed's best friend, a lycanthrope from Planet Uls, son of King Uls and a Starker Knight academy student, an homage to Morros/Pollux from episode 71 of UFO Robo Grendizer (1975-1977) and TV Magazine (01/1976)) Duke Fleed (the young prince of Planet Fleed/Prince d'Euphor, the most accomplished Knight of the academy) King Fleed (Father of Duke) Queen Fleed (Mother of Duke) Princess Grace Maria Fleed/Phénicia (Younger sister of Duke) Cassado Zeola Whiter (a sadistic Starker Knight, an homage to Whiter/Sogrady from episode 24 of UFO Robo Grendizer (1975-1977)) Only Starker Knights can pilot "Dizer" mechs. Only the mightiest of the Knights ...

Anyway Gang is Canada's coolest Alternative/Indie Rock supergroup quartet ever assembled:  Chris Murphy (Sloan), Dave Monks (Tokyo Police Club), Menno Versteeg (Hollerado) and Sam Roberts (Sam Roberts Band)! Additional guitars by Nixon Boyd (Hollerado). Trevor James Anderson and Gus van Go played some keys and guitars also.  Additional vocals by Alyson McNamara. Produced by Anyway Gang, Trevor James Anderson and Nixon Boyd. Additional production and mixed by Gus van Go and Werner F. Engineered by Nixon Boyd and Trevor James Anderson; Assistant Engineer: Zach Pepe. Additional Engineering by Mike Gnocato. Mastered by João Carvalho. Recorded at Noble Street Studios (Toronto) and at Banquet Sound recording studio (run by Nixon Boyd in Toronto). Cover art by Ben Marra. Band Picture by Calm Elliott-Armstrong.  Layout by Christina Zalec. A project funded in part by the Foundation Assisting Canadian Talent on Recordings (FACTOR), the Government of Canada and Canada's private radi...

Creators : Gabriel Hardman, Matt Hollingsworth Story : Cobra Commander is inducting two new troops into the Crimson Guard when the Joes attack with a massive force.  The Crimson Guardsmen fight through the Joes and out of the base into the swamp, continuously being chased by the Joes and the hazards of the swamp.  They finally are able to make it another base and attempt to escape.   Writing : Another issue in the Cobra "Sssilent Missions" series this month, paying homage to Larry Hama's famous "Silent Issue" way back in Marvel's original run.  Though without dialog, there is a lot going on in this issue, with the troopers trying to get away and them being relentlessly pursued by the Joe team.  It's also hard to tell if this is supposed to set in the standard Joe-verse or its own thing; some individuals are hinted at either being seriously injured or possibly killed. But the story is fun and it's just non-stop action, along with a few "oh yeah, ...

Spoilers! Spoilers!  CHAPTER 16 (book 3 of 18): A Farewell Drink The Bat (aka Kōmori) of Kai (a ninja assassin from the Takeda clan based in Kai Province who was disfigured by Oda Nobunaga (1534-1582) in Azuchi Castle) has arrived in Kanazawa. Hotaru (aka Firefly the female ninja) is now living with Maeda Keiji (inspired by real-life samurai Maeda Toshimasu (1543-1612)).  The Bat of Kai (who is Hotaru's former ninja tutor and an opium addict) drugs Hotaru to make her poison Keiji, she commits suicide via secret Seppuku. Keiji promises to slay ALL Kaga ninjas. CHAPTER 17: High on Rage Keiji cremates Hotaru's body.  Ninja master "Flying (tobi)" Kato (Kato Danzo (1503-1569)) of the Takeda clan (Uesugi Kenshin (1530-1578) wanted Danzo killed because he was too skilled) and the Fuma clan, kills some of Yotsui Shume (leader of the Kaga ninja army of Keiji's uncle. An homage to actor Jack Nicholson)'s men with his Tang sword (Tang Dao). The Bat of Kai challenges Keij...

Sword-brothers, sword-sisters, your local spinner rack is once again brandishing another brand new issue of SSOC!  64 startling pages of barbaric savagery in black-and-white printed on newsprint paper! Inside this gorgeous magazine you will find the following: Terrific art pin-ups: Conan the Barbarian by Ivan Gil (Conan: Scourge of the Serpent) El Borak versus Samiri by Patrick Zircher (Solomon Kane: The Serpent Ring) CONAN: HEART OF DARKNESS by Chris Ryall (Mighty Marvel Calendar Book: A Visual History) and Gabriel Rodriguez (Robert E. Howard: Rattle of Bones & Other Terrifying Tales) Ghulistani Hinterlands A beast of sorceress Er'Bo'A attacks Conan, C'Kaan (a sorcerer and an homage to The Guy aka the mascot of Disturbed), Jorgus and Buterra the Wise (an homage to Heroic Signatures editor Chris Butera). Buterra dies. The dying beast infects Conan with its black magic. An old woman (Hanna, whose daughters (Suna and Suhar) are under the influence of Er'Bo'A) clea...

This volume collects the Nancy daily newspaper comic strips from 1949–1950.  We actually get 620 timeless, charming and very clever black-and-white Nancy strips by American cartoonist Ernie Bushmiller (1905-1982) in one collection! Don't worry Sluggo aficionados, Nancy's pal is very much present in this tome. We get to see Sluggo ice skating, playing in the coal yard, struggling with his weight and lack of hair, losing his bubblegum, growing taller, using his periscope, magnet and handheld mirror, working at the bank, circus and music shop, reading in his attic, ski jumping, dissipating static electricity, going to the most dangerous place in town, tightrope walking, sleeping in a hammock, mowing lawns, walking on stilts, keeping Nancy off the grass, catching a baseball, dressing for tea, painting, playing the trombone and the xylophone, getting a push on a tree swing, slicing some baloney, dancing, golfing, fishing, swimming, paddling his boat, pulling weeds, camping, learning...

Ninkugel the Harvester purloins bars (a currency) from his stingy employer, Tonkfarr. Ninkugel trades his bars for a Schema Beetle sculpture. The sculpture comes to life and gives birth to a brood that devours all of Tonkfarr's crops. Ninkugel is thrown in jail, he escapes and leaves his village that has become abandoned. Ninkugel comes across a talking lizard, Wurl. Wurl gets killed by slavers: Rolden and "Huntsman". A Bog King appears. Rolden and "Huntsman" slaughter the beast, but Ninkugel drops his blade, blade first, on "Huntsman"'s foot. Refusing to be sold into servitude in Arn-Uthyr (An homage to Uther Pendragon?), Ninkugel murders Rolden and "Huntsman". Ninkugel runs into a talking dragon (a "demon"), he kills it. Ninkugel arrives at another village, he introduces himself as a "Demon Slayer" to Arloth. Arloth introduces Ninkugel to Smekland. Smekland introduces Ninkugel to the village council members (includin...

A shōnen manga by Keiichiro Ryu, Tetsuo Hara and Mio Aso (Translation: Andrew Love) Spoilers! Spoilers!  CHAPTER 1 (book 1 of 18): The Sanctioned Kabukimono This is the story of Maeda Keiji (inspired by real-life samurai Maeda Toshimasu (1543-1612)), an eccentric, invincible Kabukimono, the illegitimate son of Takigawa Masuuji (1527-1635?) who was adopted by Maeda Toshihisa (1537-1587), the older brother of Keiji's uncle, Maeda Toshiie (1538-1599). It is the Azuchi-Momoyama period (the late  Sengoku period of feudal Japan). The soldiers of Takigawa Kazumasu (1525-1586. Military commander of Oda Nobunaga (1534-1582)) encounter a gigantic wild horse. Furuya Shichirobei (a General of Hojo Ujikuni (1541-1597). An homage to actor Kyusaku Shimada) failed to domesticate the monster steed. Keiji (who is also a Kōga-ryū ninja) tames the feral stallion in only ten days and christens it Matsukaze. Keiji defeats Furuya Shichirobei, Furuya kills himself to motivate his troops. CHAPTER 2: B...

Robert E. Howard's Solomon Kane, the dour English Puritan Swashbuckler, gets a revised complete collection of his classic Marvel suggested for mature readers sword and sorcery adventures.  The omnibus is available in two versions: with a Mike Mignola dust jacket (available everywhere) or with a direct market Howard Chaykin dust jacket (only available from comic book stores). Inside this magnificent hardcover you will find the following: Stories in full color: Kane versus looter Le Loup (Red Shadows by Robert E. Howard, Roy Thomas and Howard Chaykin) Kane versus looter Le Loup (Red Shadows by Robert E. Howard, Ralph Macchio, Steve Carr and Bret Blevins) Kane versus a werewolf (And Faith, Undying... by Ralph Macchio and Bret Blevins) Kane versus kidnaper Sir George Banway (Blades of the Brotherhood by Robert E. Howard, Ralph Macchio, Bret Blevins and Al Williamson) Kane versus Prince Ali-Ben Ar (The Prophet by Ralph Macchio, Mike Mignola and Al Williamson) Kane versus vampires/zombie...