Magen Cubed's Blog, page 21

Publishing news: The book is called Fleshtrap. Let me tell you about Fleshtrap.

Casey Way by Anna Rose

For twenty years Casey Way dreamt without sleeping. He slipped into the spaces between death and waking where his father still walked the streets and behind Casey’s eyelids. There his father met him, in alleyways between city blocks and in the basement beneath the library, tucked into the corners of his apartment and hiding under tables when he wasn’t of mind. It was his father that woke Casey now, dreaming of David Way’s face as raw meat, lips peeled from straight teeth and nostrils flayed open to the bone. He sat down beside Casey on the three-twenty-five cross-town bus with the squeak of plastic upholstery. From his seat, Casey watched sunlight filter dirty-gray through the sweat-filmed glass, a halo around his father’s missing face. He felt nothing, just the hole his father left there.

Fleshtrap is a horror/mystery novel I wrote between July 2010 and May 2011. It ran as a free-to-read online serial from October 2011 to May 2012, with sixty-two chapters and an epilogue. The book has now been purchased by a fairly well-recognized publishing concern who shall remain nameless until the contracts are signed and I get the okay to start running my mouth all over town. (Got to let the ink dry and all that.) But that’s the boring stuff. Here’s the part I wanted to talk about.

Fleshtrap is about damage. It’s about child abuse. It’s about families and secrets. Mothers and daughters, fathers and sons, and the ugly things we all keep inside of us. Sometimes these things take on other forms; they grow beyond ourselves to manifest in the physical world. These things are dangerous. They are predatory. They are made of flesh and teeth and whispers and lies, and they will kill you if you let them. Fleshtrap is all about holes, you see. The holes we make and the holes we let happen to us, and how they will destroy us if we’re not careful.

Casey Way by Ramiro R.

Casey Way hasn’t slept in twenty years. When he does sleep he sees the ghost of his murdered father in every mirror and passing car window. David Way waits nestled under tables and breathing in the corner of his son’s living room like the shadow of the predator he once was. These nightmares are the only memories Casey has left of his father, who exists now only as whispers of bone and flesh. As the anniversary of his father’s death approaches, his stepsister Mariska takes Casey back to confront the demons sleeping in their childhood home. The old house on Mooreland Street has been waiting for them, long-abandoned since the night of his father’s death at the hands of Mariska’s mother, a cathedral of Venus flytraps and ugly memories.

But something is asleep in their old house, something so terrible that Casey doesn’t see it at first. It’s a trap, wearing stolen skins made of flesh and lies and familiar faces. The trap follows him out of the hungry dark to take root in the physical world, where it begins stalking anything it can latch onto. It knows your secrets, your fears, your dirty little memories. If it catches you, it will kill you, and Casey — even though he doesn’t know it yet — is the only one who can stop it.

This is Fleshtrap, coming to you this October.

Comic book review: X-Men #2

The school is on lockdown…but if the bad guys can’t get out, neither can the X-Men! From Brian Wood and Olivier Coipel.

As seen in last issue, Sublime’s sister Akrea is riding around in Karima’s comatose body and wreaking havoc on the X-Men. After Akrea taps into the school’s computer system, she puts the entire facility into secure lockdown, locking her and Beast together in his lab. Rogue punches her way in to take Akrea out, but she’s eventually overpowered as Kitty phases in to try to stop the attack at its source. Like Rogue, she’s unable to see past the face of their friend Karima to kill the parasite, and Akrea escapes. As Rogue and Kitty pull a wounded Beast out of the rubble, they don’t realize that Akrea left a bomb behind.

Meanwhile, Storm, Rachel and Psylocke prepare to take the Blackbird to track Akrea, Sublime in tow. Jubilee, refusing to be left behind, takes the infant (whom she has named Shogo) and tags along. Onboard Sublime apologizes for frightening Jubilee before, which does little to put her at ease. He then tells her that when Akrea passed through Shogo in the last issue, she left a new person behind, like hitting the reset button on the infant. When Shogo wakes from his long sleep, Sublime tells her, she must be prepared to care for “her son,” an act of near-kindness that, for the time being, calms everyone’s nerves about Sublime. Back at the school, Kitty leads a team of students to help her with debugging and clean-up while the rest of the student body remains confined in their rooms. That’s when Roxy, digging through the debris, discovers the bomb slowly ticking to zero.

Another very strong offering from Wood and Coipel, with a well-paced plot and great character dynamics. Everything about this book works for me, from the organic and developed character voices to the engaging action-adventure plot, peppered with enough humanity and intrigue to keep things well-grounded. Akrea functions so far as a fairly interesting villain, and having Sublime help the X-Men in his cat-and-mouse pursuit of his sister is a nice angle for their power struggle. Seeing Jubilee take on responsibility as a parent, even under these questionable circumstances, brings a lighter touch to her development without coming off as clichéd. And what can I say about Coipel’s artwork that I haven’t already said?

An exciting and engaging read, from start to finish. I highly recommend this book.

Comic book review: FF #8

Field trip…into the heart of the Negative Zone! From Matt Fraction and Mike Allred.

Rising tensions threaten the team as Medusa and She-Hulk butt heads and Ant-Man finds himself caught in the middle. Medusa takes the team to the Himalayas to meet with her Inhuman court to discuss the Wizard’s scheme to manipulate and control her. As the other Inhumans come to Medusa’s defense, She-Hulk airs her misgivings about allowing Medusa near the children again, leading to a dramatic confrontation. The argument ends in a full-scale brawl that only ends when Scott gets between them to remind them all of their priorities back home.

Meanwhile, with the adults fighting, back at the Future Foundation Bentley-23 and Ahura get into a bit of trouble with the rest of the kids. Even more trouble is still brewing elsewhere as Alex Power is revealed as Doom’s mole, forced to spy on the FF while his parents are being held captive in Latveria. Alex returns to the Baxter Building to carry out his orders, putting all the other scuffles on the backburner as Doom continues to put the next leg of his scheme into action. Even Old John makes an appearance, albeit as an excuse for a little robot humor at the expense of Daft Punk, waking from his coma to warn against Doom’s plot.

Another solid issue from Fraction and Allred, this time adding another layer of intrigue with the Doom-Alex connection, posing a greater future danger. Seeing the focus shift to explore the growing tensions between Jennifer and Medusa was a nice departure, as well. As much as I enjoy Scott and Darla’s relationship, so much of the drama has centered on them, and this confrontation really rounded out the team dynamics. I also enjoyed really seeing Bentley-23’s interactions with the rest of the kids as he tried to ease Ahura into the group, as Bentley has abandoned his somewhat villainous attitudes to embrace the others. The inclusion of Tong’s new identity, as well as the kids’ acceptance of that, was probably the best part of the issue. Enjoyable and engaging as ever.

Comic book review: Captain America #8

THE MAIN EVENT! Steve Rogers has one chance to set any of this right! Broken, beaten and near dead he must defeat Zola or all is lost! Plus, the reveal of the year! A character you never expected reemerges. From Rick Remender and John Romita, Jr.

Steve’s battle against time takes a surprising turn in this issue as Zola prepares his legion for the conquest of Earth. Jet keeps her word to free the Phrox and arranges their escape but is found out by Zola. As Jet turns on her father, Steve desperately tries to get through to the brainwashed Ian, bloodied and clinging to life under the boy’s violence. Appealing to Ian’s forgotten humanity, Steve tells him to choose his identity for himself, to choose to be Zola’s weapon or to be Steve’s son. Finally Ian remembers, reaching out to take Steve’s hand, but their reunion ends when a shot suddenly tears through Ian’s neck and he falls off the platform into the fire below. Emerging from the shadows, Sharon reveals herself as the shooter and tells Steve that she’s here to save him.

A dramatic story in three parts, Remender keeps a good pace here as the issue unfolds through numerous narrative fight scenes. Unlike the “cliffhanger” endings we’ve come to expect from this title, Ian does seem pretty dead this time, and I didn’t expect him to take a header into the lava pit. However, I suspect this death, along with Sharon’s sudden appearance, is part of another fake-out or manipulation. In any case, I enjoy the drama and the intrigue this issue offers as Remender continues to completely break Steve down. Romita delivers another solid issue with energetic action sequences, and White’s dark, moody colors enrich the gloomy atmosphere and dire circumstances.

The only critique I have of this issue, as I have with much of Remender’s other work, is the dialogue and narration. Often Steve’s scenes are overwhelmed by repetitive, punctuated captions, and begin to feel like a one-sided conversation. When we’re already well-aware that Steve is physically and emotionally pained, the constant reminders are distracting and redundant. Similarly, the operatic and verbose dialogue just pulls me out of the story. Yes, I get it: It’s a comic book, Zola’s a comic book villain, but it stops being endearing really quickly and starts to feel longwinded and obnoxious. When everything else in the series tries to be inventive and interesting, the dialogue is a bit of a let-down.

Beyond that, it’s another solid read.

Comic book review: Deadpool #12

Concluding the 2nd arc of MARVEL NOW! Deadpool! Can Wade trust hell to keep their side of his contract? Will all of Deadpool’s new friends end up dead because of him? From Brian Posehn and Gerry Duggan with artwork by Mike Hawthorne.

Deadpool’s demon dealings come to a close in this second arc as Deadpool teams up with all his friends to stop Vetis. Armed with the powers of the souls he consumed, Vetis is now a shapeshifter, using a litany of mutations and superpowers in a very public display of aggression across much of Manhattan. Outmatched and outgunned, Deadpool looks to be on his last leg until Michael returns from Hell with Mephisto in tow. The necromancer leveraged Vetis’ soul to enter into a pact with Mephisto for the power to stop the demon, allowing Deadpool to rip Vetis’ heart out for Mephisto to consume.

The day seemingly saved, Mephisto offers to give Preston a new body via hellish intervention. Deadpool supports the idea even as the rest of his companions vehemently disagree, which leaves everybody a little upset. As Mephisto transports the group into Deadpool’s ransacked psyche to speak to Preston face-to-face, they find that his confused and fragmented memories have all been stolen, his mental block opened up. This sudden shift feels a bit rushed as the issue closes on Deadpool left alone in his empty museum, Michael alienated and everyone else leaving him. An abrupt reference to the organ harvesting scene from a few issues back tries to wrap the story up and lead into the next arc, but it all seems random.

Not unlike the finale, the issue itself feels hurried and pointless. Despite a few decent scenes peppered throughout the arc, the entire storyline seems like yet another detour just to alienate all of Deadpool’s friends. The plot was burdened by the same poorly written dialogue and a series of hasty revelations. Jumbled and underwhelming as usual.

Comic book review: Captain Marvel #13

THE ENEMY WITHIN: PART 3 OF 5: A villain revealed! Magnitron’s sinister plans are finally unveiled! What is the link between Captain Marvel and Magnitron? From Kelly Sue DeConnick and Scott Hepburn with Gerardo Sandoval.

Fresh off the latest issue of Avengers Assemble, this book opens with a quick summary of events as Carol and Co. try to find a link between all of the dramatic goings-on. Wendy appears with Bruce Banner in tow, who offers some insight into recent happenings in Kreespace. Meanwhile, Yon-Rogg begins waking Kree sentries all over the world, wreaking havoc for S.W.O.R.D. and Avengers everywhere. As all of Carol’s superpowered (and not-so-superpowered) friends scatter to deal with the crisis, with the help of Wendy and Dakota, Carol is able to put the pieces together and rush back to New York City.

As the middle part of this small crossover event, this issue is probably the one I was least impressed with. It does its job of keeping the plot moving, with some nice dialogue and action to keep things interesting. However, the big recap scene at the beginning felt kind of clunky, especially if you’ve been following the story. Also, now that we know Yon-Rogg is just mucking about Carol’s life, we’re left with watching Carol wander around until she figures it out for herself. Granted, it’s an entertaining action romp with an engaging cast of side characters keeping Carol company during this adventure, and that’s a big check in the plus column.

A must-read for Captain Marvel (and DeConnick) fans, with some solid writing, artwork and enjoyable character scenes. Not my favorite arc, but not a bad one by any stretch.

Comic book review: Avengers #14

All of the Origin Sites go active as the Earth begins to communicate with something much more ancient than human civilizations. The Terror scientists of A.I.M. unveil the S7 program. Prelude to INFINITY: Part One. From Jonathan Hickman and Stefano Caselli.

The fallout of Ex Nihilo’s forced evolution takes a dramatic turn as all the impact sites go active, emitting a signal that disrupts much of the planet’s electrical grids. This worldwide blackout causes chaos as planes fall out of the sky, cities stop and nuclear power plants hit meltdown, and the Avengers scramble to deal with these mounting crises. Bruce Banner tracks the source of the signal to Perth, where the Avengers find a newly evolved race are acting on an imperative to remake the world. Meanwhile, A.I.M. inadvertently wakes the pod they had been studying since the first leg of the series, answering the signal’s call.

As the cover implies, this issue is a prelude to the Infinity event, which looks to be a big deal for Hickman’s books. (I tend to avoid event solicits as to go in with no expectations, so I really have no idea what all they’re planning.) We end up with an intriguing issue with a lot of things happening at once, as many of the threads we’ve been seeing in recent issues intersect, and a dramatic ending complete with ominous alien pods and anxious-looking scientists. A bit by-the-numbers, but Hickman throws out some big ideas and great imagery, especially with the machinations of his cube-headed giants. Caselli’s artwork offers a new approach, and I enjoy his stylized character designs. Overall a solid and interesting issue.

Comic book review: New Avengers #7

The cold war between Atlantis and Wakanda heats up. Who is the secret member of the Illuminati that many of the members do not know about? How does Black Bolt lie? From Jonathan Hickman and Mike Deodato.

As Deodato steps in to take the artistic reins, this issue takes a distinctive shift from the narrative we’ve been following with this series so far. Known for its cold, almost eerie sensibility and non-linear pacing, the book jumps ahead one month since the last incursion as the team cautiously retreats to their respective corners of the universe. Iron Man is tending to business in space while Reed Richards is balancing work at the Necropolis with his family, as Doctor Strange makes himself scarce, Hank McCoy spends more time with Black Swan, and a shroud of secrecy envelopes Black Bolt’s dealings in Attilan.

With Reed and Strange heading to Latveria to address the previous incursion, the backdrop to all of this tension is the growing political conflicts between Wakanda and Atlantis. The escalating violence threatens to upset the uneasy truce between Black Panther and Namor, which poses further obstacles for the team. Namor finally approaches T’Challa with a peaceful solution to propose to his sister, the queen. T’Challa, wanting to avoid a costly and fruitless war between Atlantis and Wakanda, supports Namor’s peace treaty. His sister and their military court, however, still seeking justice for the crimes Namor has committed against Wakanda in the past, declare war.

This widening of the storytelling scope presents an interesting look at the ramifications of the Illuminati, their plans and their egos affecting the world around them. It takes the story out of the very tight, almost claustrophobic vacuum of the previous issues and creates a larger picture for this team to deal with in the coming months. While I miss Epting’s cinematic style, Deodato is a good fit, and keeps things moving along with engaging page layouts and panel compositions. Overall this is a solid new chapter in a solid book.

Comic book review: Uncanny Avengers #9

Ragnarök Now continues! A team divided, the Apocalypse Twins triumphant. Wolverine discovers The Midnight City and soon wishes he hadn’t. From Rick Remender and Daniel Acuna.

An already convoluted storyline takes a turn for the near incomprehensible in this issue, as the the Apocalypse Twins’ bid for power continues. While the Twins are busily awakening their Four Horsemen (who turn out to pose quite a few emotional challenges for this team in the near future), the team continues to splinter despite Havok’s best efforts to keep everyone under one roof. Wolverine has been keeping some damaging secrets from the rest of the team, which puts him directly into Captain America’s war-path, as Thor accepts responsibility for letting his axe fall into Kang’s hands several issues back.

The plot of this arc is getting a little too intricate even for me, as we discover Immortus left the message for Captain America in South Sudan warning him about the Twins’ plans. Kang had failed to destroy their futures and now Uriel and Eimen, disrupting time and space with the help of a tachyon field generator, plan to destroy the Earth and all seven prime timelines. Immortus tells Captain America that if his team manages to destroy the field generators, he will arrive with an army to help stop the Twins. Just how the Twins are going to destroy all known reality is unclear, especially when they appear to simply be on a genocidal quest to establish their birthrights. The converging timelines, multiple versions of Kang, and further mucking about in time and space makes all of this a bit hard to follow right now.

Granted, I have not been following much X-Men continuity prior to NOW, and so a lot of this Apocalypse business is going right over my head. A more seasoned reader might get more out of this arc, but a lot of it is lost on me at the moment. That said, we’re now on the ninth issue and everybody still hates each other, and/or has awkward sexual tension that seems to be going nowhere. It doesn’t help that halfway through the issue everything stops so we can watch the entire team argue fruitlessly about human-mutant relations, only to deepen these divides as everyone stomps off in opposite directions. Once again, Scarlet Witch and Rogue still hate each other, and Rogue still hates everyone else, and Captain America hates Wolverine – do you see a pattern here?

All of that aside, Acuna’s pencils are still the highlight of the book for me. His artwork is dynamic and visually interesting, and keeps things moving at a good clip even for the somewhat lagging plot. Remender has some interesting threads going here, but this issue felt busy and weighed down by clunky pacing. Not bad, but not stellar, either.

How I stumbled back toward horror again: White Bull

I know I said I was probably done with horror for a while. Alright, so. Maybe I was lying. I do that sometimes.

Gemma Malveaux was born like most of us were born, a small and tender thing, defenseless in the dark. She had a mother named Claudia and lived in a little house with rickety stairs. When Gemma was six, Claudia was involved in a car accident that damaged her brain: She could no longer recognize the child she loved so much. Claudia came to believe Gemma was an imposter of her daughter, a pretender beast with a human face. In time, after nights spent under the stairs with an empty belly and bruised ribs, Gemma began to believe it, too.

Then one night the little house caught fire and Claudia died. Gemma, still broken by her mother’s abuse, chose to think she died as well. It was just easier to die like that, a neat little ending to an ugly family history. Gemma became a ghost split between two worlds: Ours, made of sunlight and air, and hers, a twilight wasteland where animals roamed free. But that was just the beginning.

I want to write a story about transformation. I want to write a story about disease. I want to write a story about Hell. I want to write a story about a girl who thinks she died in the house-fire that killed her mother. This story will be about a living ghost in a white bull’s hide, with her skin decorated in ivory paint and with her eyes that glow in the dark. She will be a warrior, a creature made of night and pain and fire that will hunt monsters. She will hunt them because, through the blood that she spills and the trophies that she takes, she will earn back the humanity that was stolen the night her mother died. She will be a product of nightmares.

This story will also be about the builders of dreams, men with slender fingers who shape minds with a touch, a look, a patient smile. These men will be monsters of their own design, made of holes and breath and whispers, with scars on their backs from nights they no longer remember. They will be predators in human suits, hiding behind clever masks. They will make the nightmares the rest of us will inhabit, cages for the animals they conjure up.

This is a story about weapons. Ones that we make, and ones that we become. It will be about directing our pain outwards and turning our bodies into manifestations of our disease. This will turn our hands into blades and our teeth into diamonds. We will never be destroyed, because you cannot kill but is already dead. Because nothing is safe from ghosts, not even flesh.

Welcome to White Bull.