August 2018 | Otaku No Culture

Beasts of Burden: Wise Dogs & Eldritch Men, A Review

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)
Due to hit shelves August 22, 2018

Beasts of Burden is one of Dark Horse Comics‘ sweet gems which is very playful in its artistic depictions of the heroes, and cunning with the types of supernatural tales weaved. I became aware of this work by writer Evan Dorkin and artist Jill Thompson when I purchased the anthology collection, Dark Horse’s Book of Hauntings. Here, cats and dogs work together to deal with paranormal threats. Usually, the humans are nowhere to be seen. As they go about their daily life, a dangerous undercurrent takes place. In Burden Hill, these adorable animals are protectors of humanity from the evil that’s afoot.

The latest work teams Dorkin with Benjamin Dewey. Wise Dogs and Eldritch Men sees a different team at work. Canines are investigating why a fire salamander was captured. As innocent as this elemental is, the carnage resulting from him trying to escape his capture has Emrys, a Tibetan Terrier (the leader of the pack) investigate. This tale has all the hallmarks of a terrific detective novel. If the goblins one of these lads accidentally unleashed are any indication, perhaps trolls are next?

As the title implies, human wizards are using the forests around the Pocono Mountains to ferret out supernatural creatures. They manage to capture one, and when Emrys realizes what is going on, the team definitely has to prevent the evil from establishing a foothold in them thar hills. Just how this tale will unfold will take four comics to tell, and I am hooked with issue one, due out in shelves August 22nd.

Continue reading “Beasts of Burden: Wise Dogs & Eldritch Men, A Review”

Ruby Roundup! An Organic Card Game on Kickstarter!

Ruby Roundup Card Game Box Design By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

Dan Spiller is a name in the Downtown Victoria gaming and nerd scene. He has high hopes Ruby Roundup! a game he made will set a new standard for what card games can offer to gamers and it is on Kickstarter for those who want to help bring it to a larger market. He’s the creative mind behind the newly minted, Always Gold Games. It’s one part board game and two parts random draw. It’s been in development for a few years, and the goal is to accumulate treasure to win. It’s kind of like the days of hunting for gold; stake your claim and dig up as much mineral as you can to get a lot of money. This product had been getting test demos at local events, and according to this game designer, it is not like other card games currently in the market.

His experience in development stems from not only his passion for this subculture but also in being a lifelong enthusiast. He is one of the principal operators of Yellowjacket Games and Comics here in this city. This store is one of five hubs in the capital region to host Magic the Gathering events. When the staff is just as enthusiastic playing these games as they are in making them, it’s a good sign anything they like to create will have that passion behind it too!

Continue reading “Ruby Roundup! An Organic Card Game on Kickstarter!”

Theories on the Muppets, Puppets and Pooh-Bear & Beyond

By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

After watching Disney’s Christopher Robin, I could not help but wonder what’s next for CGI, and where can the use of puppetry shine in movie-making. There were times in this film where I believe puppets were used instead of CGI. Parts of the film required Ewan McGregor to have an on set puppet instead of a motion capture performer. Technology can offer wonderful things when it’s advanced enough. I would cuddle an animatronic doll of Winnie, Tigger or Eeyore.

They can be classified as a muppet. Purists will disagree. Folklorists like me see can only imagine the possibility. This film offers a possibility of these “puppets” of being real and interacting with the world. Reactions will be mixed because not everyone is aware of them. When considering the parent company now owns Jim Henson’s creations in addition to having some rights on A.A. Milne’s seminal bear, could a crossover or further expansion of the mythology happen? The idea of putting these creations into our reality has been experimented with.

Continue reading “Theories on the Muppets, Puppets and Pooh-Bear & Beyond”

Finding a Touch of Shakespeare in Disney’s Christopher Robin

By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

After seeing Disney’s Christopher Robin, I have to buy The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh to watch all over again. Part of my youth was spent fondly seeing these cinematic classics of the Silver and Bronze Age. In the live action front, it will forever be TRON. In the animated world, it’s a tie between three works: Winnie the Pooh, The Great Mouse Detective and The Sword in the Stone. The themes behind all these works are nearly the same, and it defines why I enjoy Gargoyles. I followed a significant portion of Disney Afternoon’s programming even as I was older, and the New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh always brought out the child in me. This series did not share the same gravitas as the films, but I still had to watch it. It was food for the brain as I did my homework.

Part of the appeal of this newest entry is the nostalgia invoked. The introduction is also very sentimental. Good ol’ Pooh Bear is given an update. They are stuffed dolls than actual animals and I am sure a massive merchandising revamp is coming. With this franchise completely reimagined, I am wanting to play with them much like Robin once did. Funko POP beware, you now have a worthy challenger to the button-eyed empire. I find these new imaginings just as appealing as the Disney which introduced me to them.

Continue reading “Finding a Touch of Shakespeare in Disney’s Christopher Robin”

Gertrude Chandler Warner’s Boxcar Children Gets Animated on Aug 7th!

Bluray of Boxcar Children — Available for pre-order on Amazon

Small island. Big adventure! The release of the new animated feature film, The Boxcar Children, Surprise Island, is coming August 7th. This direct to home video title comes courtesy Legacy Classics and Shout Kids.

This adaption of the popular children’s book of the same name, stars Golden Globe®-winning actor Martin Sheen (The West Wing) as James Alden, Oscar®-winner J.K. Simmons (Whiplash) as Dr. Moore, Dane DeHaan (Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets) as the mysterious Joe, Joey King (Independence Day: Resurgence) as Jesse Alden, Carter Sand (Frozen) as Benny Alden, Gil Birmingham (Twilight) as Lonan Browning, Griffin Gluck (Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life) as Henry Alden, Stephen Stanton (Star Wars Rebels) as Capt. Daniel and Talitha Bateman (Love, Simon) as Violet.

This work sees these lads spending their entire summer living on their Grandfather’s small, nearly uninhabited island. There they meet Joe, who is friendly and helpful, and inexplicably living on their island. Does their new friend have a secret?

Directed by Dan Chuba and Mark Dippé, this film is the first of three new animated features to be adapted from the “The Boxcar Children” book series. For those who have not yet heard of them, the books by Gertrude Chandler Warner can be found at most bookstores. The collected volumes 1-4 are available as a single package on Amazon and is one of the best-selling children’s book series of all time and has recently marked its 75th anniversary, over 70 million books have sold world-wide. There are 150 books in the series, and over 1 million kids read the books in schools across North America every year.

How’s Gone is Netflix’s Extinction? A Movie Review

Beasts of Burden
By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

One part thriller and two-parts apocalypse, Extinction is a film on Netflix trying to make Michael Peña an action star. He’s not Die Hard material (yet). He’s better known for his comedy and when in his element, he certainly shines. Put him in roles where he’s a second banana like Ant-Man, not so much. His diversity as the lead star just needs the right director to help bring out. Filmmaker Ben Young comes close in this futuristic work about a man just wanting a simple life.

In this film, he’s an engineer by day and troubled soul at night. His family is worried after hearing about his dreams. They seemingly foreshadow an alien invasion. Peter is confused more often than not, (which is perfect for Pēna to play up) but for saving his family in these prolonged “dream sequences,” he’s no Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Continue reading “How’s Gone is Netflix’s Extinction? A Movie Review”