Category Archives: Reviews

Adventure, Fantasy, Reviews

THE HOLLOW REALMS/BOOK 2: ASHES OF NECROPOLIS

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By Jordan Allen

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I walked into Ashes of Necropolis while already being familiar with Book 1 of the Hollow Realms Series. And although not a perfect work, Book 1 overall was pretty good in my opinion.

Book 2 left me with more mixed feelings and overall I thought it to be a step down from the previous story.

What I’m referring to is mainly the overall dialogue, some of the plot lines, and characters we find along the way.

Characters:

Our main character is mercenary Erde who travels to the city of Furcht where his friends have last been seen, to rescue them. Right there I found issue with the fact that Erde shows on several occasions that he is willing to give his own life for his three friends but we never get to see what made his relationship with them so special. We just have to accept the fact that Erde is a very altruistic man. 

Speaking of the main character, I noticed that although Erde is a fearless warrior, he sounds like he must not be the ‘brightest bulb on the Christmas tree’ if you catch my drift. He kinda’ reminds me of the ‘clueless’ Keanu Reeves performances on the big screen, if you know what I’m referring to.

Example: he gets a brand new magic sword branded by a powerful spider/woman hybrid and all he can say is: 

“It looks pretty and shiny,” said Erde, twirling the blade effortlessly, “but what does it do?”

Another thing that I found odd plot-wise is when Erde finds his first friend Troye trapped in a cell, and Troye tells him that the key to the lock of the cell is none other than one of the fingernails belonging to the big Pig Warden outside. How does Troye even know that? No clue.

Cohesion/Craft:

Alrich is another character that has been stuck in this extra-dimensional town for years and he has healing powers. We learn that he was just another knight who wandered into this town so how does he have healing powers? Did he already possess them or somehow gained them in Furcht? No clue.

Lastly, and worth mentioning, I noticed the use of modern terminology that just doesn’t vibe well within the context of the story. Example: Erde needs a great Master Smith in Furcht to forge him a mighty and magical armor to defeat the enemy. But when he shows impatience, the Master Smith’s response is: 

“My time does not revolve around your schedule, human.”

Schedule is not exactly a word an immortal demigod would use…but that’s just me!

To conclude, I still enjoyed some of the elements this book shares with book 1. I like the atmospheric vibes the author builds and surrounds the reader with. At times you really feel like you’re walking in the thick fog with the MC, and the sense of mystery and adventure still makes this a fun read, if you can just turn away in indifference to the points I mentioned above.

🦀

Fantasy, Reviews, TEOTWAWKI

The Witch’s Repentance – a Review

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The Weird Tales of Silas Flint (The Flint Anthologies Book 1)

A Review By

“You used your powers to commit crimes against the laws of man, however, in addition to the laws of God. God will forgive you, but that does not excuse you from the consequences of your criminal activities in this world.”

 

After reviewing the first tale of Book 1 of The Weird Tales of Silas Flint, we were so impressed with this pulp fiction narrative that we decided to jump right into the second tale!

What it’s About:

As the title suggests, this time we find Flint dealing with a witch who claims repentance and seeks forgiveness for her transgressions against God and against the laws of man. And speaking of repentive thoughts, this now seems an ongoing theme in the Silas Flint tales. Witches are evil and corrupt, and yet even they were at one point just normal human beings and thus even they sometimes long for that lost sense of humanity. 

Zelda Fletcher was a woman who was seduced and corrupted by a master of evil sorcery, Francisco. But when she realized that Francisco was aiming at more nefarious deeds than just robbing the local stores by ways of witchcraft, she had enough and left him. Now Flint must decide how to apply the full power of the law to Zelda’s case, while also dealing with a possessed Francisco who is about to hit town with a vengeance!

Reviewer’s Take:

Once again Beckman manages to create the ‘classic’ pulp fiction vibes we fell in love with by reading Solomon Kane, yet creating something NEW. 

Concepts of Truth, Righteousness, Good vs Evil are all valued and taken quite seriously rather than scoffed at (see a lot of mainstream ‘reinterpretations’ of classic characters). The relationship between Flint and his associate, Navarro, breathes just enough lightheartedness into the story in a tasteful and balanced fashion.

The other pattern I noticed in both tale #1 and #2 is that unlike other similar franchises, where bystanders and townsfolk seem just an inconvenience for the hero to keep out of the way, here everybody is welcome to aid Flint in fighting evil. In fact, we see Flint himself oftentimes encourage every able body to pick up a weapon and stand against evil, rather than tell them to get lost. This is a very interesting choice and one that I can appreciate for different reasons.

Needless to say, friends if you haven’t picked up a copy of the Weird Tales yet I strongly suggest to do so, and follow us as we move on to tale #3: Evil Never Rests!

🦀

Reviews, Speculative

Die Stunde X by Shaun Stafford – a Review

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Every now and then, a book ends up in my TBR list that will hit hard and make me ponder the absolute evil that mankind is capable of in ways that go deeper than I could have possibly predicted. Die Stunde X is just that.

Written in 1994 and first published in 1995, when the author Shaun Stafford was only 25, this book was originally conceived as a stand-alone novel but it eventually became the first of the Greater German Reich series.

What It’s About:

The premise of this alternate history drama work of fiction are as follows: It’s 1994 and for about 50 years now Great Britain has become a Nazi state. The Greater German Reich controls all of Europe and there’s a Cold War going on between the Reich and Russia and the US, who have formed a Russo-American Pact against the Nazi regime.

 But the British citizens are far from losing hope, and freedom fighters keep the polizei constantly busy. The best organized British resistance cell at the moment seems to be the Combat UK, and a bloody chess game is being played by both sides.

When the Third Fuhrer decides to visit Great Britain occupied territories, Combat UK sees this as the perfect opportunity to murder the leader of the Reich.

Reviewer’s Take:

What I liked about the plot is that the author leads the reader to assume where the story is going but later on, with an unexpected turn of events, introduces a series of different other possibilities. This move was masterful, in my opinion.

The story also describes five different ‘interrogations by torture’ scenes, which are very graphic. I usually don’t like to read about violence and physical abuse, but in the context of what we’re reading here, it cannot be dismissed or hidden. This is alternate history drama fiction but the vivid realism of the atrocities depicted in it will make you tremble and weep for humanity.

One thing I want to reiterate is that this is not at all violence for violence’s sake. Die Stunde X is brutal, violent, raw, and of very graphic nature. But it’s also beautiful in its absolute truths, providing a mirror for all humanity to stop. And stare. This book shouldn’t make you think “I’m glad I’m not like them!” but rather “All of us carry the seed of potentially committing heinous acts while  believing in a perverse and twisted idea”.

In conclusion, I want to congratulate Shaun on a magnificent job well done. This book was written almost 30 years ago and yet it has not aged a bit. No, I can’t say that I was smiling when I got to the last page, but at the same time I knew in my mind and in my heart that this book must be praised, it must be shared, it must be read, and it must be preserved for generations to come. 

Thank you Shaun, and look forward to book 2!

🦀

Fantasy, Historical, Reviews

THE SPIRIT PHONE by Arthur Shattuck O’Keefe

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A Review by

I’m beginning to notice a pattern with some of our last few guest authors and the source material they are basing their works of fiction literature on. Instead of just trying to emulate other writers, they are tapping into the vast inspiration provided directly by history itself; taking real historical characters/events and applying new and creative ideas to them for innovative storytelling.

The latest gentleman to join this group is A.S. O’Keefe with The Spirit Phone.

What it’s About:

Based on true accounts of Thomas Edison’s attempts to build a phone-like device to communicate with the dead, The Spirit Phone throws the reader into a vortex of the historical, the paranormal, and the technological.

Our two main characters in this dystopian alternate history are none other than Allister Crowley and Nikola Tesla: two individuals far apart in personality, yet with just enough in common to prevent a demonic invasion of our plane of reality–for the spirit phone turns out to be not the tool to speak with the deceased, but rather the key to unlock entry of evil entities called ferox into our world! Only mage A. Crowley and acclaimed scientist N. Tesla stand in the way of doom!

Characters:

Honestly, it doesn’t matter how much you know about Crowley and Tesla, it doesn’t even matter what your opinion of these two historical figures is if you do know of them. The synergy between the two in this alternate historical setting is the stuff of legends! One is the hedonistic occultist with a flair for the extravagant; the other the more pragmatic scientist with a fixation for numbers. Yet, where one lacks in certain skills or knowledge, the other always seems to compensate for it. And that’s how they comprise a complimentary team.

O’Keefe manages to infuse just enough sense of humor into the Crowley/Tesla duo while avoiding the ridiculous or campy. These characters’ personalities and the situations they get into can be hilarious at times, but in ways that feel natural and not at all forced. 

Reviewer’s Take:

Even the paranormal and the technological elements involved in the story always feel quite plausible. Yes this is a work of fiction and yes the author is adding stuff of his own to these historical characters, but none of it ever feels too unlikely to have possibly happened in actuality.

The reason why this alternate history universe works is first and foremost due to the author respecting the source material, which in this case is the historical period of time itself: from the locations, to the people, to the food, restaurants and hotels, to the daily newspapers, everything feels authentic. This is not about taking a historical period and simply changing the gender or the sex of its characters to virtue signal or to highlight the ‘injustices of white westerners’ or the ‘oppression of women’s voices’.

The underlying core theme is MANKIND and his ongoing struggle to deal with his own mortality. An invention that promised to let us communicate with our dead loved ones turned out to be a tool for evil to rule our world. Man, in all his technological advances, still is like a baby just learning how to crawl. This story is much more than just your next fantasy trope on your TBR list. This is the stuff legends are made of. 

I’m very glad to say that Mr O’Keefe deservedly enters our elite group of legendary authors here at Virtual Pulp!

🦀

Action, Crime, Reviews

21 Bridges (Movie) – a Review

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It’s a temptation to say, “Hollywood makes nothing but crap anymore.” Such a temptation that I have said it. But ever so often, when the stars align just right, Tinseltown produces something worth watching. 21 Bridges is one such example.

What It’s About

This is a “police procedural” story with action, mystery, and a “one good cop stands alone” theme. The eponymous 21 bridges lead in and out of Manhattan. They get blocked when the entire urban island is shut down for a manhunt.

The Plot

Two well-armed guys mask up and break into a building with the intent of stealing cocaine from some drug lord’s stash. A few surprises await them:

  1. The stash contains a whole lot more coke than what they expected.
  2. It is undiluted.
  3. Cops show up while the robbery is underway.

One of the thieves is an experienced shooter, and in the ensuing firefight, he greases eight of New York’s Finest.

Now panicking (because, in a matter of minutes, they have become cop killers), they take what drugs they can carry and escape the scene. The shooter, who was so frosty under fire, inexplicably runs a red light, ensuring the police will have the traffic cam photo.

They arrive at the home of a reasonable, accommodating middleman willing to sell the drugs to a dealer, and arrange new IDs for them with an escape plan. But while they’re discussing this, a squad of police show up and immediately open fire, killing the middleman. The thieves/cop killers escape again.

Meanwhile, Characters:

Detective Andre Davis is already on the case, and he smells a rat from the beginning.

It’s established early that Davis’ father was a cop murdered in the line of duty when Andres was a boy; he is taking care of his widowed mother who suffers from dementia; he has shot several perps himself, and been investigated by Internal Affairs because of that.

Some fellow cops treat him as if he is a loose cannon; others are glad he’s been assigned the case to catch the cop killers, assuming he will shoot first and ask questions later.

I would say Detective Davis “steals the show,” but it’s supposed to be the main character’s show, anyway. He’s a clever detective, but it’s his exceptional integrity that makes him shine. His honesty and force of will make him stand out from a force full of dirty and trigger-happy cops. He’s like the Rorschach character from Watchmen, but without the costume, outlaw vigilante status, and hang-ups.

Craft:

The filmmaking isn’t groundbreaking, but is competent–which does set it apart from all the cinematic diarrhea in the Current Year. To paraphrase a famous Prussian strategist: “Perfection is not always required. Sometimes mediocrity is enough.” That’s certainly the case in today’s entertainment landscape, as Top Gun: Maverick proved…though I’m not saying 21 Bridges is mediocre. The screenwriting, direction, and acting are all solid. You’ve seen some of these actors before, and they’re all believable in this movie.

Even if you’re not a fan of the genre, once you start watching, it’s hard to stop. It’s an intense experience worth a couple hours of your time–which can’t be said for most of what is available on streaming services.

Fantasy, Reviews

The Way of Mortals by Blake Carpenter

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A Review by INFAMOUS 🦀

The Way of Mortals was an unexpected and pleasant surprise and quite a fun story. There are a couple of factors that really put this story above your average fantasy novel; in fact I can name two, specifically:

  1. Blend of Western and Indian culture themes
  2. Main characters

Setting:

The story takes place in a fictional but well crafted kingdom called Jaira, where cultural influences mash and mingle to create something new, magical, mysterious, and FUN to explore. A lot of Hindu influences are found in this world, and demons are considered a totally normal thing to deal with. In fact, those who happen to carry a demon within are considered quite the norm, generally speaking.

Along with the ‘spiritual’ side there is also a technological side to this kingdom. In fact, this falls under the fantasy sub-genre known as Gaslamp Fantasy, which is closely related to Steampunk. And so we see strange automobiles, buses, cameras (called photoboxes!) next to your more traditional royal palaces, horse-riding guards, and ancient temples.

Characters:

It’s in this unique and fantastic world that we meet our main character, or should I rather say our FOUR main characters! The story revolves around four sisters, of which the third oldest one, Prem, is really our heroine for all intents and purposes. This creates very interesting dynamics. All four sisters bring something to the table and all four sisters get their time to shine based on their strengths and weaknesses.

Plot Summary:

When a young girl is found murdered, the four royal sisters quickly realize that the life of the new monarch, youngest sister Prya, might be in danger. Immediately our heroine Prem, with the aid of Vati, a demon who lives inside of her, goes on a hunt to bring the murderer to justice. Her relationship with Vati however is complicated and their personal interests don’t always line up! Things can only get crazier from there!

Reviewer Take:

The only minor issues I had were: 

  1. The prime minister: her dialogue came off as too ‘on the nose’ to make sure we know she has bad intentions. The result for me was a less than believable character and a dull villain.
  2. The last action scene during the parade: when a final attempt to murder the young empress takes place, it all felt a little too predictable and rehearsed, and nothing felt surprising or memorable. 

But those are more of MY personal views and in no way should affect the final rating on this book.

To conclude, The Way of Mortals is another example that in order to create something new and original authors need to look at the past (history and traditions) more often, and apply new and fresh concepts to it. Bonsart Bokel (Wrench in the Machine) and Arthur O’Keefe (The Spirit Phone, coming soon!) are doing just that, along with a few other talented and smart writers. Blake Carpenter joins this group of creative authors who are bringing us new content and creating new legends!

🦀

Action, Fantasy, Reviews

THE RUIN OF WITCHES by Kevin G. Beckman

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THE WEIRD TALES OF SILAS FLINT (THE FLINT ANTHOLOGIES BOOK 1)

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I dove into this anthology book with no idea of what it was about. The author simply invited me to give it a read and review it. I was honest with him and told him that I would only commit to review the first tale and then take it from there. Now that I finished reading it I am excited to announce that I plan on reviewing  the remaining tales, and here is why!

The Ruin of Witches finds our main character, Knight Templar Captain Silas Flint, and his associate, Supernumerary Ricardo Navarro, on the road, heading to their Chapterhouse. An unscheduled stop by a small town sees the duo getting involved in some strange affairs which have plagued the town for about 20 years. Flint, being a bona fide witch hunter, can’t just move on without ‘poking his nose where it don’t belong,’ and this is how we get dragged along for one wild ride!

The action takes place over 400 years in the future from present time, in a world that has seen dark magic try to take over the world yet eventually defeated. Witches are still a threat, but seem to be scattered and live in hiding. The Knights Templar are constantly on the hunt, ready to take to trial and even burn the remaining witches or those who still deal with sorcery.

Why do I think this is worth featuring on VP?

  1. The main character: Silas Flint, was highly inspired by R.E. Howard’s Solomon Kane and I for one appreciate that! What that means is that he is not just a man with extraordinary skills and abilities, but also a God-fearing man with unwavering convictions and beliefs. You can’t corrupt or coerce his moral standards, you can’t have him strike deals with the devil, you can’t bribe him or offer him power for he is willing to die while doing the work of the Lord!
  2. The supporting character: unlike iconic pulp fiction character Solomon Kane, Flint has a helping hand in the person of Ricardo Navarro. This very much reminds me of other historical duos: Don Quixote and Sancho Panza; Batman and Robin; Captain America and Bucky. Navarro offers some comedic relief but don’t be fooled! He is game when push comes to shove!
  3. The Witch: she is beautiful, evil, dangerous… But also, she shows signs of her former humanity by trying to spare her husband’s life in a glimpse of desire for a normal life (it is a fact that the happiest women are not the single independent women in charge but those who are in a long-term committed marriage with a godly man).

In addition, the action scenes are explosive (literally!), the prose is captivating, the plot line is direct while avoiding to get too stale or predictable. 

Yes boys and girls, I now want to know about Flint’s next adventure!

🦀

Tale #2: The Witch’s Repentance will be featured next month!

Fantasy, Reviews

FLOWER OF LIGHT: THE ETERNAL STONES 1 by Allison Wade

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A Review by INFAMOUS 🦀

It is apparent that Flower of Light is a labor of love by simply visiting the author’s website where we can get further insights on the lore and various characters (eternalstones.net). I always commend writers who pour their hearts in their work!

What it’s About:

This first book is basically about taking back the Kingdom 10 years after an evil plot of betrayal saw the king and queen slain and their young daughter, princess Isabelle, barely able to flee thanks to outside intervention. Isabelle’s brother, prince Christopher, was strategically put to the throne while being administered mind-numbing potions so that the evil General Zarkon and his wife, with the aid of powerful sorcerer Roman, would rule from ‘behind the curtains’.

This is a story of prophecies fulfilled, of Wardens of Light coming together to reclaim the reign and the ‘Flower of Light’ being ultimately restored.

Characters:

What I found fascinating was how (despite princess Isabelle being the main character) we encounter a large number of very personable and rich characters, each with their own stories to tell. In a way this approach reminded me of Islands of Loar by E. Laurence Jr: lots of characters whose lives will eventually either converge or sometimes come apart. It’s all well structured and the author has good control of the narrative, pace, and plot line and time tables.

Another interesting thing is that this book is an original Italian-to-English translation and I found the grammar and prose quite solid all around! So good job on that front too!

I love the idea of a main character that doesn’t constantly steal the show, if you guys know where I’m coming from. Isabelle would be/could be nothing if it wasn’t for the large group of fascinating characters around her who breath life into the story. We need more stories structured that way in my opinion. 

The ‘magic’ element is always present all throughout but it never overwhelms the personal struggles and human weaknesses that all these characters must face at one point or another. This is something that helps me as a reader to stay emotionally engaged. Magic by itself cannot make for good fantasy reading if P/C/P is not solid (that’s Prose, Characters, Plot).

Worth mentioning is also the gorgeous hardcover! I mean look at that beautiful ‘ancient tom’ style hardcover! Love it!

Now for the not-so-good observations that I must mention: the fight scenes.

Reviewer’s Take:

I felt that the fight scenes could have been better written, particularly the final one when the Wardens face Roman The Demon. This is something I see all the time and I wish young authors were more aware of it. I call it the ‘villain playing with his food’ syndrome:

You have a very powerful evil demon vs. a group of less powerful good heroes. The demon at some point always decides to grab one of the heroes by the throat and suspend him mid-air, yet without killing him; just holding him still! Of course the other heroes will use this moment as an advantage to strike! A demon should snap necks like twigs, and fast,  before moving on to his next victim and repeat! All these villains ‘playing with their food’ is just cringe!

Other than that, I thoroughly enjoyed Flower of Light and I’m glad that despite this being advertised as book 1 it did not end with some clique cliffhanger. The end was quite satisfying and I have to give it 5 well deserved stars!

🦀

Adventure, Fantasy, Reviews

ISLANDS OF LOAR: Causality

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By Ernie Laurence, Jr.

A Review by

If you’ve missed my review of Islands of Loar: Book 1, I strongly recommend you go back and read that before venturing into my review of the second establishment of this ambitious world building.

Though Book 2 picks up right where Book 1 left off, it’s nice to see Mr. Laurence Jr. opening with a thorough summary of the events to bring us up to speed. It helps tremendously due to the gigantic proportions of this universe and all of the characters involved in it! You cannot read this and be distracted or take too long a break in between reading sessions because there is a lot to dig into.

How does Book 2 differ from Book 1, if at all? 

1) We see all the different groups of characters we’ve been following from the beginning  finally coming together: old friends reunited and new acquaintances forming new friendships.

2) We finally get introduced to that group of humanoids who embraced technology and thus we get to witness the ‘golem’ (basically a remote controlled super robot) and a bona fide spaceship! Yes, boys and girls, elves in spaceships!

Speaking of ‘technology’, one of the main themes in this story is the constant attempt of the authorities of Loar to ban the use and embrace of technology, which sets in motion violent persecutions of the bards. Against these persecutions, we find one of our heroes-Doogan-who decides to fight against them, even befriending some of the bards themselves.

Once again, I’m impressed by what the author is accomplishing here, constantly building new paths in the plot line, constantly introducing new characters, but without letting the whole thing collapse under its own weight!

Islands of Loar is exactly what the fantasy genre needs right now. We all loved Lord of The Rings, The Legend of Drizzt, and Dragonlance, but it is time to take it to new grounds while remaining truthful to the essence of the genre.

We are heading for Book 3: Rebellion, and hope you’ll join us!

🦀

Fantasy, Reviews, Steampunk

Journey to Elysium 1: the Remains of Babylon – a Review

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Bonsart Bokel is building an ambitious steampunk narrative via various mediums including prose novels, comic books, and video mockumentaries. The alternate history world-building and extensive esoteric research that must have gone into this effort seems exhaustive.

This is the first comic book entry. I prepared for this review by reading the expository entries on Ream. In the comic itself, there are some vintage newspaper stories and technical documents that are also helpful to the reader (unlike the “Black Freighter” inserts in Watchmen).

In 1791 a gigantic bell-shaped object appeared in space, in a parallel orbit with our moon.

 

Napoleon Bonaparte’s reign in France followed the historical narrative we are familiar with. However, underneath the broad-brush historical developments, the technology of his Empire advanced to levels that (in some fields of science) rival those of the Second and Third Reich’s in the next century. For instance, just as the Germans launched V-1 and V-2s at Great Britain after Hitler’s war machine ground to a halt at the English Channel, Bonaparte’s Rocket Corps also terrorized the Brits with his own retro-Blitz.

In the 1820s, in an attempt to send cosmonauts to the Elysium Object (the massive bell-shaped object that appeared in the previous century), one rocket designed by Ghulam Ali (Bonaparte’s chief rocket scientist) explodes on the launch platform, and another mysteriously disappears after launch.

We come into the story some five decades later. Corporal Maurice Havelaar, late of the Dutch-Indian Army, is assigned a mysterious mission. I say mysterious because even the general thrust of the mission is withheld until the last panel. Never mind specifics.

 

I’m about to mention something that might be considered a spoiler by the author, though he certainly provided enough clues for the reader to figure it out on their own: even though Napoleon died on St. Helena generations ago, he is back, in an influential role. He has been reincarnated (?) as a girl with a spinal condition which has rendered one arm and one leg useless.

Is this the author’s way of incorporating the obligatory gender confusion into the story, or just coincidental with the current year’s obsession with cramming LGBTWTF down the audience’s throat? Not enough evidence yet to determine either way. Perhaps future installments will reveal if this is the typical ticket-taking bounce onto the Troon Bandwagon or not.

This character (the 7th Chairman) is escorted by a zeppelinful of “Elite Airborne Dragoons” to a converted oil rig platform in the Atlantic, where the elderly Ghulam Ali now lives, with an unlaunched third Elysium Rocket.

 

With or without Ali’s help, the 7th Chairman is taking over his abandoned Elysium Program, before a rival space program run by competitor Utter Krapp can launch its own mission.

Then Havelaar arrives at the oceanic platform weeks later, and the implication is that he will be included on the Elysium Rocket Ride.

We’ll have to read Part Two to see where this goes from here.

Part One, honestly, is a teaser. Obviously, it’s not much of a plot. But it does promise a significant and ambitious plot to follow, hopefully with some action and lots of adventure. This setup for the story, mostly establishing the exposition so you won’t be lost on the adventure, succeeds at intriguing the reader enough to keep turning pages.

The artwork has a lot to do with that. The style of the illustration leans to the simplistic side, but it’s drawn with attractive linework and coloring, and striking composition that enhances what storytelling is being done.

There are several NGOs and paramilitary organizations to keep track of in this universe. I’m unwilling, at this point, to put in the homework necessary to keep them all straight. Over time, that might become easier and worthwhile.

The writing is competent, and possibly will prove to be exceptional…it’s hard to say, so far. There were numerous typos. Some of them perhaps intentional, as in the faux newspaper stories and technical documents. The name of the rival company (Utter Krapp) is the only humor I could discern, and as such felt out of place. It reminds me of some of Howard Chaykin’s wink-wink-nudge-nudge verbal humor in a lot of his faux-trademarks in American Flagg–except Chaykin had it spread consistently enough through his comics that the contrast between that and the sober character behavior was also consistent, and seemed intentional.

The bottom line, I suppose, is: do I want to read more of Journey to Elysium? At this point, yes, I do.