BotTalk Reviews

Spoilers! Spoilers!  CHAPTER 53 (book 7 of 18): Descendants of Ogres Ofu senses that an ogre is coming for her. Keiji Maeda pays a visit to Naoe Onatsu (sister of Naoe Kanetsugu) and Naoe Kanetsugu ((1559-1620). Military commander of the Yamashiro Province, an homage to Arnold Schwarzenegger). Keiji picks up The Shiji by the historian Sima Qian. Keiji and Sutemaru are attacked by Iwabe (a giant mind reading Ogre from the hidden Nagiri village). CHAPTER 54: The Laughing Ogre! Iwabe follows Keiji into a bathhouse. Keiji pranks six Kabukimono samurai with a bamboo wakizashi, the Kabukimono ruin (by oxidization) their own iron swords by bringing their real swords into the sauna. Iwabe the Ogre and Keiji become friends. CHAPTER 55: The Ill-Fated Damsel Iwabe reveals that he raised Ofu in Nagiri after her mother's death. Ofu doesn't want to leave with Iwabe, so she brings Keiji some persimmons (fruit). Ofu is actually Princess Ofu, her mother (Oyuki) is from Nagiri and her father is ...

Spoilers! Spoilers!  CHAPTER 35 (book 5 of 18): Mighty Spear Formation Kyoto. Tokugawa Ieyasu ((1543-1616). An homage to actor Shintaro Katsu (1931-1997)) looks on as Okumura Suke'emon (Keiji's closest friend) and Maeda Keiji are decimating the 400 Rōnin of Maeda Gen'i ((1539-1602). Magistrate of Kyoto, one of Toyotomi Hideyoshi's five commissioners). Hattori Hanzō ((1542-1597). Leader of the Iga ninjas. The Tokugawa general known for Edo Castle's Hanzōmon gate) stops Tokugawa Ieyasu from participating in the Kabukimono brawl. The Rōnins that are still breathing run for it.  Flashback! Oda Nobunaga (1534-1582) and his men win The Battle of Okehazama. Okumura Sukeemon (son of Okumura Eishin) now runs the castle of Arako, as the tea-server in the tea ceremony, Okumura Sukeemon spills tea on Oda Nobunaga (a former Kabukimono), Keiji defuses the situation. CHAPTER 36: White Camellias Sutemaru tries to kill Maeda Gen'i with a grenade.  Maeda Gen'i challenges an u...

Collects the complete Slaine heroic fantasy saga of prehistoric Britain and Eire (before the flood) scripted by Pat Mills, in order, in multiple large-format volumes!  The 2000 AD Definitive Editions are available in two versions: in paperback (available everywhere) or in gorgeous WEBSHOP EXCLUSIVE limited-edition embossed HARDBACK (only available from shop.2000ad.com). Inside this magnificent tome you will find the following stories: THE BATTLE OF CLONTARF (IN COLOR! art: Massimo Belardinelli. 23 April 1014, near Dublin. Brian Boru (High King of Ireland) and his Celtic soldiers are fighting a Viking (Norsemen) horde which is aided by El World demons summoned by Elfric Serpent-Eye (Viking Wizard King, a Dark El/Dev-El, a macrobe that can take human form, a Cythron agent). Murdach (son of Brian Boru) explains to Liag that he will be reborn, the Ever-Living Ones transfer Slaine's spirit to Murdach's body, Slaine warps-out and enters the fray. Elfric wounds Slaine, Slaine beheads ...

Collects the complete Slaine heroic fantasy saga of prehistoric Britain and Eire (before the flood) scripted by Pat Mills, in order, in multiple large-format volumes!  The 2000 AD Definitive Editions are available in two versions: in paperback (available everywhere) or in gorgeous WEBSHOP EXCLUSIVE limited-edition embossed HARDBACK (only available from shop.2000ad.com). Inside this magnificent tome you will find the following stories: THE TIME MONSTER (art: Angela Kincaid. In the realm of the Drune Lords (evil Priest-Kings of the Southern tribes), Slaine mac Roth (a Celtic berserker, a warped warrior of the Sessair tribe, named after Slaine mac Dela, an homage to Cu Chulainn and the fire axe wielded actor Jack Nicholson) and Ukko (a Karelian dwarf, named after the thunder god in Finnish mythology) commit a sacrilege by killing a time-displaced Tyrannosaur (a reference to Flesh by Pat Mills & Boix), they take its heart to Fand in Gabala (inspired by Bluegate Fields in 1872 by G...

This is the MANGA adaptation of the best-selling Franco-British dark fantasy comic book maxiseries: Requiem Chevalier Vampire (aka Réquiem Cavaleiro Vampiro, Requiem Der Vampirritter, Requiem De Vampierridder) by Valencian writer Victor Santos Montesinos and Bolivian artist Seban. The infernal planet of Resurrection, a dimension where time runs backwards (you do not age, you get younger), a reversed Earth populated by reincarnated earthlings. Resurrected evildoers have become Vampires, evil hypocrites: Ghouls, evil scientists: Archaeologists, fanatics: Werewolves, evil normal people: Zombies, and the victims of evildoers: Lamias. The Killing Fields (the port of entry for the newly resurrected on Resurrection). Grave robbing Zombies make the Resurrectionist patrol aircraft of Captain Otto von Todt (a Vampire Knight who fights for the Masters of Infinity) crash. Shot in the forehead in his previous life on Earth, suffering from partial amnesia, infatuated with his missing girlfriend Rebe...

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...

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, ...