Tag: Mythology

Neil Gaiman’s Norse Mythology Rides a Dark Horse!

Neil Gaiman\'s Norse Mythology Book CoverToday, Dark Horse Comics is pleased to announce the adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s Norse Mythology into comic book form! Featuring a pantheon of award-winning artists, including Mike Mignola, P. Craig Russell, and Jerry Ordway. Colorists Dave Stewart and Lovern Kindzierski and letterer Galen Showman round out the creative team in this amazing first issue. This new series will feature covers by P. Craig Russell with colors by Lovern Kindzierski and variant covers by David Mack. Subsequent issues of Norse Mythology (18 issues total) will feature a mix of major interior artists to be announced later.

“I fell in love with the Norse gods from reading about them in comics as a boy, so it’s only fitting that they return to the medium that started it,” said Norse Mythology creator Neil Gaiman. “I cannot wait to see P. Craig Russell and his collaborators tell the old stories for a new generation.”

After previously writing about deities in American Gods and The Sandman, Gaiman finally brings readers to follow the northern gods in their own setting in this comic book adaptation of the hit novel! Gaiman and P. Craig Russell breathe new life into the ancient Norse stories by taking readers through the creation of the Nine Worlds to the epic origin and adventures of Thor, Odin, and Loki all the way to the end of life—Ragnarök.

The first issue of Norse Mythology goes on sale May 27, 2020.

25 Years of David Mack’s Kabuki and An Omnibus!

David Mack\'s Kabuki Comic Book Cover
Available for purchase on AmazonDavid Mack\'s Kabuki Omnibus Cover

Publication Date:
December 11, 2019

Released by:
Dark Horse Comics

Sony Picture‘s adaptation of David Mack’s Kabuki is coming to television and anyone not familiar with this cyberpunk treat can easily get updated with the omnibus collection! Not only is this work celebrating 25 years in publication but also the fact it continuing says something. The first volume brings “Circle of Blood” and “Dreams of the Deep” together in a perfect introduction to the seminal character. Ukiko was an innocent girl once, but as an assassin, she’s under a simple moniker.

The stories featured here are about the evolution of “The Warrior,” and no I’m not thinking of the song by Scandal featuring Patty Smyth. This music video may have inspired the artist/writer in its themes, but I feel Roxette’s “Dangerous” serves an equal amount of defining who Kabuki is. The first chapter deals with her training and how not to fail her employers. The South Asian world is dog eat dog, and she must navigate the corridors of deception and deceit if she’s to get by.

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What’s Next for Chimera Theatre after Robber’s Bride?

chimera theatre, chimera logoBy Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

Kamloops based Chimera Theatre takes part of their shows to many a Fringe Festival. Over the past couple of years, the variety they offer range from dance to folklore to history to myth and the list does not necessarily end there. I may have to consider moving to their home base to see the remaining half of what they produce.

Their latest performance is The Robber Bridegroom. This adaptation of the Brothers Grimm take differs from their last tribute from years ago which blended equal parts live action with puppet theatre. This revision is far darker and the spectacle is told with glorious haunting imagery which defines many a piece of Germanic folklore. Writer Andrew G. Cooper injected a lot of wonderful additions which lives up to this company’s name. To see puppets whose only lines which sounds like Beaker from the Muppets is quite often what I recall from my dreams too.

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Chinese Animated Ne Zha Arrives West in Select Cinemas!

Just how different this take of Nezha is when compared to others will depend on what this entry offers as its tale.

Ne Zha Movie Poster
Ne Zha Movie Poster

Well GO USA

The power of myth is strong in China; Nezha is a guardian deity who perhaps rivals the fame of the Monkey King. Both are household names, and the literature they hail from is the most studied. It’s a classical work which teaches prime virtues to which many folks from this country tend to follow.

In Journey to the West, this human fought the primate when he rebelled. They would later become friends. The 3D animated movie about the boy to become a god debuted early this year and it has been making huge waves as it looks to this man’s early days–demonized and not knowing his place in the world–before being the individual he is now.

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[Fantasia 2019] The Moon in the Hidden Woods, A Movie Review

Had The Moon in the Hidden Woods been expanded to a television series, I’m sure more could be done to expand the narrative.

The Moon in the Hidden Woods Movie PosterWhen the The Moon in the Hidden Woods is longer illuminating the night sky, the kingdom around Trade City is thrown into chaos. Elsewhere, just what rises is Muju, the red sky, and what he wants is to destroy the world. On land, his agent, Count Tar is far more dangerous than anyone can realize, and there’s nobody to stop him!

Only the brave dare to cross the desert wasteland to find the Moon, and what we get to see is a truly fantastical tale to marvel at. The title sets the tone of this South Korean animated film, and when it borrows heavily on local folklore to tell its tale, I was hooked!

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Scaring Up the Monsterverse, Godzilla and Ghidorah

This Monsterverse is better off not bringing in divine figureheads into the fore. Hydras and Cerberus yes, but gods from Babylon or Mesoamerican origins, perhaps not.

Godzilla King of the Monsters Hail the MonsterverseSpoiler Alert

The epic showdown I’ve been craving since Legendary Pictures acquired the license to play with Godzilla is here! In part two of maybe a trilogy, the Monsterverse mankind lives in is filled with hidden agendas and a fear for the future. Our time on Earth may well come to an end. The Titans, monsters capable of mass destruction, will reclaim their territory. Can we live side by side in a symbiotic relationship, as Dr. Serizawa (Ken Watanabe) hopes? Or as TOHO Studio’s animated take suggests, will civilization regress to simpler times?

No real continuity exists between these two studio’s works. Legendary’s version is limited. Only a handful of films can be made before the terms of the contract expire. With a bigger budget, fans can see a massively CGI driven apocalyptic take of monsters ravaging each other and the world. Practical effects can only go so far, and motion capture can do a lot more these days. As this sequel takes place five years later, the Monarch organization is ready for the inevitable. In what they know and have uncovered since–humanity better be afraid!

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