Tag: Cyberpunk

DC’s Scooby Doo Apocalypse is a Mixed Bag

HB01By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

Scooby-Dooby-Doo, Where Are You?
We got some work to do now.
Scooby-Dooby-Doo, Where Are You?
We need some help from you now.
Come on Scooby-Doo, I see you… pretending you got a sliver
But you’re not fooling me, cause I can see, the way you shake and shiver.

And those are still the words I still hum along to whenever I tune into broadcasts of this fond classic cartoon from the 70’s. It had brief comic book runs by different companies putting their own spin on the tale and they were faithful to the animation, like Gold Key. When I discovered this fond cartoon, not a day in my life could go by without me catching a rerun or reading the Harvey Comics reprint. Woe befell me when I heard about DC comics reimagining of this franchise and after picking up the first issue to read, I strangely found myself enjoying this post-apocalyptic look of my favourite canine turned cyber-mutt.

No, Dynomutt has not been replaced but if later issues start affixing this Great Dane’s body with mechanical parts because he’s been hurt after his encounters with monsters (either attempting to run away or otherwise), I will cry foul. He wears a type of Google Glasses with holoprojectors to give him cartoon eyebrows and show how he’s feeling. What it does is to allow him and Shaggy to work together.

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Impressions of Austin Dragon’s Cyberpunk Detective Novel, “Liquid Cool”

I enjoyed finding the undercurrent of dark humor in Liquid Cool, and discovering the way a web of seemingly separate events all comes together in ways I wasn’t able to predict.

Liquid CoolBy Shawn Trommeshauser (Dreaming In Digital)

I’m not usually one for detective novels, but the cyberpunk angle convinced me to give Liquid Cool a read.  The setting brings to mind the scale Judge Dredd’s Megacity, and the colors and flying cars of The Fifth Element’s New York. Here, the city is called Metropolis and it is populated with colourful characters who tend to go by odd nicknames such as Run-Time, and China Doll. They live life alongside the fringe elements in the city because the police don’t have the manpower or resources to properly deal with everything the city throws at them.

“Liquid Cool” is a world of rainy skies and neon lights. Hoodlums are everywhere on the street and crime lords are living large. Even the police, such as Officer Break, are forced to deal with the underground simply to force his superiors to prioritize a young girl’s kidnapping. Here is where we find the eccentric main character, Cruz, a private investigator who drives an old Ford Pony. Not investigating the scene at a business that had just been shot up, but trying to put off meeting his girlfriend’s disapproving parents for the first time.

Liquid_600x800

I enjoyed finding the undercurrent of dark humor in Liquid Cool, and discovering the way a web of seemingly separate events all comes together in ways I wasn’t able to predict. I always appreciate when a narrative can surprise me without going completely off the rails into deus ex machina. If this were adapted into a film or a TV miniseries, I wouldn’t hesitate to spend more time in this world.

If this sounds appealing to you, then I would suggest checking out ‘These Mean Streets, Darkly’ It’s a short prologue to “Liquid Cool” and is freely available. I would recommend it if you’re a fan of either detective or cyberpunk stories.

These Mean Streets, Darkly – http://www.austindragon.com/books/these-mean-streets-darkly-a-liquid-cool-prequel/

Liquid Cool – http://www.austindragon.com/books/liquid-cool-cyberpunk-detective-series/

Cyberpunk Enthusiast Lukas Mariman Dies After Long Illness

By James (I am Lame) Robert Shaw

R.I.P. 1973 – 2016

LukasAvatarIt is with sad hearts that I announce the passing of Lukas Mariman. He was a 43-year-old man from Belgium who founded Cyberpunk Science Fiction and Culture, one of the largest cyberpunk groups on Facebook. He wasn’t a science fiction author, a comic book artist, an actor from a Hollywood blockbuster or a director — the important thing to know about Marimam is that he’s a fellow enthusiast who was truly passionate for all things cyberpunk, particularly Blade Runner and Ghost In the Shell. He was thought of by many as a lovely guy who made a difference in the fan community. He gave people who loved cyberpunk a place to go and a place to belong to.

Users from the Facebook group Marimam founded offered their recollections on hearing of his death:

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[Victoria Film Festival ’14] Just What is The Congress About? An Analysis

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

The Congress Movie Poster

Directed by Ari Folman
Screenplay by Ari Folman

A dystopian future is firmly presented in the movie, The Congress and not everyone, including audiences, will realize it. Here, it weaves both satire and science fiction into one superlative Alice in Wonderland style narrative with elements of Yellow Submarine, Cool World and The Matrix weaved in. Maybe on a second viewing, audiences can fully appreciate this film for what it is.

For most of the first act, this movie superbly pokes fun at the Hollywood system about how it treats its own people. From its producers, stars and cinematographers, they are nothing but cogs in a wheel. Back in the Golden and Silver Age of filmmaking, these products were being developed in a formulaic manner. But in the early days when cinema was fresh out of the womb, filmmakers were allowed to express themselves because the rules were not established. But when the business of making a film became more prominent, it had to follow a system.

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