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Review of Comic Book: The Movie

Comic Book: The Movie
Written & Directed by Mark Hamill; Performed by a Full Cast
DVD Video Special Feature – 7 Minutes [UNABRIDGED
AUDIO DRAMATIZATION]
Publisher: Miramax
Published: 2004
UPC: 786936230635
Themes: / Superhero / Comics / Fantasy / Humor /

The fictional Golden Age superhero Commander Courage is without doubt the greatest hero in comics for obsessed High School teacher Don Swan (Mark Hamill) in the mockumentary called Comic Book: The Movie. While the movie itself is well worth viewing it is one of the extra features on this 2 disc DVD set that is the most interesting for us: An original radio script supposedly first broadcast in the mid-forties, entitled “The Origin Of Commander Courage”. As most of the cast of Comic Book the movie is made up of animation voice talent they decided to do a dramatic “re-creation” of the script during a panel at the 2002 San Diego Comic Con. This brief origin story tells how Commander courage first got his unique super powers. The voice talent includes: Gary Owens (Roger Ramjet, Space Ghost), Maurice Lamarche (Pinky and the Brain, Futurama), Bob Paulsen (Animaniacs, The Tick) and Jim Cummings (The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Shrek)! Video of the recording session is provided as well but we’re asked to imagine sitting with our families gathered around an old Philco Radio, tuning in to the first ever broadcast of the “Commander Courage Radio Show”‘. The script is ridiculous, but then so were most of the origin stories of 1940s superheroes. The live audience laughs as the casts takes liberties with the script and improvise their own sound effects. Well worth a look and a listen!

Posted by Jesse Willis

Review of Tales of Kirinyaga #1 by Mike Resnick

Tales of Kirinyaga #1
By Mike Resnick; Read by Pat Bottino
1 Cassette – 83 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Infinivox
Published: 1997
ISBN: 1884612237
Themes: / Science Fiction / Orbital Platform / Culture /

This title from Infinivox contains two short stories by Mike Resnick. The first story, “One Perfect Morning, With Jackals”, tells of a Kenyan named Koriba who has decided to leave the Earth for Kirinyaga, an orbiting piece of real estate where he believes that he and others can live in the ancient ways of his own culture, free of the influence of European culture.

“Kirinyaga” is the second story, which takes place on Kirinyaga itself. Again, Koriba is the main character, and is living the culture he wants to live. He witnesses a baby born feet first. Since this is a sure sign of demon possession, he kills the child. “Maintenance” then pays a visit in order to tell him that he can’t be doing such things, and thus the culture clash begins anew. This Hugo Award winning story is very well-written and affecting, leaving you with much to think about.

Pat Bottino is the reader, and I found him a bit wooden, a bit emotionless, but the material is strong enough to shine through. Infinivox has a knack of selecting excellent stories to record – I haven’t heard an Infinivox title yet that I didn’t enjoy.

Posted by Scott D. Danielson

Review of Trailer Trash Savior by Tom Gerencer

Science Fiction Audiobooks - Trailer Trash Savior by Tom Gerencer Trailer Trash Savior
By Tom Gerencer; Read by Tom Gerencer
MP3 Download – 10 Minutes 9 Seconds [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: www.TellTaleWeekly.com
Published: 2004
Themes: / Fantasy / Humor / Demons /

So the millennia have passed, and the time of the reckoning is once more nigh … not to mention that you’ve got a busted velvet-Elvis and the oil heat isn’t working. Find out what happens when the owner of a mullet and a used AMC Gremlin becomes “the chosen one,” and has to battle demons, various and sundry. First published in Brutarian magazine. Read by the author.

An underpaid trailer park resident is all that stands between the Earth and its total obliteration. Told in first person perspective, this odd clash of superhero style violence and the trailer park aesthetic works surprisingly well in this short story. The denizens of hell and worse planes of existence always seem to spring up during mealtime and if that isn’t bad enough our hero is forced to fight the unnamable forces of evil in a tackily decorated mobile home. This reading, by the author Tom Gerencer, isn’t bad at all – there is some backround hiss in the mp3 and the misnaming of a trailer park vehicle are all that mar the experience. Gerencer’s narration works pretty well here, and I think that has to do with it being a first person perspective tale – he isn’t forced to do different character’s voices – something best left to professional readers. This is the kind of story you recommend to a friend who’s in need of a really good laugh. Trailer Trash Savior is a full 4.6 Megabytes of downloadable MP3 for just four bits ($0.50 USD)! If you liked Buffy The Vampire Slayer, but maybe thought it was a little unrealistic for a teenage cheerleader to be the chosen one, and that say Bubbles from Trailer Park Boys would have made a better choice, have no fear the Trailer Trash Savior is here.

Posted by Jesse Willis

Review of Survival: Species Imperative #1 by Juile E. Czerneda

Survival: Species Imperative #1
By Juile E. Czerneda; Read by Christine Marshall and William Dufris
1 MP3-CD, 16hr [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Paperback Digital
Published: 2005
ISBN: 1584390050
Themes: / Science Fiction / Alien Life / Biology /

Survival is the first novel in the planned trilogy entitled Species Imperative. It’s science fiction in the grand tradition – written by a scientist, it contains plenty of science. As I was listening, I likened it to Clarke’s Rendezvous with Rama in the way it is a constant detailed unfolding view of an alien mystery. But the comparison would have to stop there, because in this book the aliens are right there; in Rama we never got to actually see them.

The story’s main character is Dr. Mackenzie Connor, who honestly wants nothing to do with aliens. Her thing is salmon, and we first meet her while she’s studying salmon at a research facility in northwest North America. Then, a Dhryn arrives. A Dhryn is a six armed, blue, intelligent alien who seeks out Dr. Connor specifically to share some archaeological information with her. But shortly after the Dryhn arrives, strange things start to happen at the research facility, which propel Dr. Connor into a partnership with the alien as they unravel an enigma. Event by event and discovery by discovery mysteries unfold.

Christine Marshall and William Dufris turn in excellent performances. The two narrators tell the story seamlessly in a masterfully edited dual narration. The Dhryn’s voice (performed by Dufris) is very effective, and is a great example of how audiobook narration can add depth to an author’s character. Marshall has the bulk of the narrating duties here, and she sets a good pace for the prose, which contains much expositional material.

Overall, this is good hard science fiction that like all good hard science fiction leaves us much to consider; in this case about humanity, nature, and the relationship between the two.

Posted by Scott D. Danielson

Review of The Tragical Comedy or Comical Tragedy of Mr Punch: A Romance

The Tragical Comedy or Comical Tragedy of Mr Punch: A Romance
By Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean; Performed by a Full Cast
STREAMING AUDIO LINK BELOW
1 Hour [AUDIO DRAMA]
Publisher: BBC Radio 3
Published: March 3rd 2005
Themes: / Fantasy / Mythology / Puppetry / England / Memory /

“That’s the way to do it!”

Audio drama is a hit or miss affair, but the BBC knows its stuff, so it is really terrific that they produced this adaptation of a Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean’s graphic novel. The Tragical Comedy or Comical Tragedy of Mr Punch: A Romance is somber reminiscence of a young English boy’s familial experiences and the resonance it had with the seaside Punch and Judy shows. North American audiences probably aren’t familiar with the Punch and Judy so I’ll lay out the basics… Punch and Judy is a popular British puppet show for children, featuring Mr. Punch and his “bit of stuff” Judy. The performances consist of short scenes, each of which depict an interaction between the chaotic trickster Mr. Punch and one other character. The Punch and Judy show is always performed by a single puppeteer, (known in the trade as a Professor), which is why only two characters can be on stage at the same time. Mr. Punch is a hunchback who sports a hideous grin, beady piercing eyes, a giant chin, hooked nose and the dress of a court jester. Mr. Punch usually carries a stick, with which he happily beats the other character on stage. The other character could be Judy, her baby, a crocodile, the devil or even a string of naughty sausages. The plot of this particular audio drama shows us how the particular staging of a Punch and Judy show doesn’t vary the particular impact on the audience except when one has been cast in the play. McKean’s original piano score haunts the production and the actors all play their roles to perfection. While not as engaging as some of Gaiman’s later work this tale is nonetheless very neatly woven. This radio drama will be archived for one month on the BBC Radio 3 website. So listen while you may you naughty little sausages!

STREAMING AUDIO LINK:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/aod/radio3_aod.shtml?radio3/thewire

Narrator …… Richard Dillane
Swatchell …… Alexander Morton
Grandfather …… Hugh Dickson
Morton …… Karl Johnson
Boy …… Jonathan Bee
Mermaid …… Rachel Atkins
Grandmother …… Susan Jameson
Father …… Stuart McLoughlin
Mr Punch …… Geoff Felix
Sister …… Frankie Dean
Music by Dave McKean and Ashley Slater
Directed by Lu Kemp

Posted by Jesse Willis

Review of Star Wars: Labyrinth of Evil By James Luceno

Star Wars: Labyrinth of Evil
By James Luceno; Read by Jonathan Davis
4 CD’s – 5 hours [ABRIDGED]
Publisher: Random House Audio
Publication Date: 2005
ISBN: 0739317350
Themes: / Science Fiction / Star Wars /

Star Wars: Labyrinth of Evil is a prequel to the upcoming Star Wars film Revenge of the Sith. It takes place after Attack of the Clones, the action starting in the thick of a battle in the Clone War. Obi-Wan, Anakin Skywalker, and the rest of the Jedi Council have thrown their resources into finding out who and where Darth Sidious is after finding a very promising lead – a holotransceiver that had been used to contact him. The tale is a very satisfying whodunit featuring Obi-Wan and Anakin following a series of clues that bring them closer and closer to Sidious, while all the time Anakin gets closer and closer to the Dark Side.

I recall watching Episode II after listening to the prequel to that film, Alan Dean Foster’s Star Wars: The Approaching Storm. Early in the movie, Obi-wan and Anakin speak briefly about events that occurred in the prequel novel. It makes the books much more a part of the whole Star Wars saga to know that the movie-makers are paying attention to the novel-writers, and vice versa.

Jonathan Davis is remarkable. He nailed very passable accents for all the characters, including Yoda, Count Dooku, and Obi Wan Kenobi as played by the film actors. The pace is quick, and Davis drives the story perfectly. Sound effects are abundant, effective, and enjoyable.

In all, this audiobook is an action packed adventure full of light saber duels, dark villians, and… in short, it’s Star Wars! And very good Star Wars – it should be a hit with every fan.

Posted by Scott D. Danielson