Author: Dr. K

Game Corner: Resident Evil 4: Gold Edition (Xbox Series X)

Dr. K1 Comment

Released: 8 March 2024
Originally Released: 24 March 2023; 11 January 2005
Developer: Capcom
Also Available For: PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S

The Background:
Headed by Shinji Mikami, Resident Evil’s (Capcom, 1996) focus on atmospheric horror and limited resources popularised the “survival-horror” subgenre. Despite its blocky graphics, clunky controls, and cringe-worthy voice acting, Resident Evil was a critical and commercial success, kickstarting an entire franchise that continued to tweak the gameplay mechanics, expand the lore, and prove equally successful. During the sixth-generation of the gaming industry, Mikami (after a lengthy development process) spearheaded Resident Evil 4 (Capcom Production Studio 4, 2005). The game reinvented the series by shifting away from tank controls and restrictive angles to an over-the-shoulder perspective and a greater emphasis on player control and action. Resident Evil 4 became the second best-selling Resident Evil title and is universally regarded as one of the best (if not the best) entries in the franchise. Despite receiving a high-definition port in later years, the success and popularity of the game saw Capcom prioritise a modern remake over other Resident Evil titles, especially as they’d seen considerable success with remakes of previous entries. The project was not one that directors Kazunori Kadoi and Yasuhiro Anpo took lightly. Although they wished to capture the spirit of the original, the developers minimized the use of quick-time events (QTEs), expanded the narrative and capabilities of the notoriously annoying Ashley Graham, and placed greater emphasis on knife attacks and parrying. Like its predecessor, Resident Evil 4 was met with widespread critical acclaim. Reviews praised the updates to the graphics and mechanics, the expanded characterisations, and the brutal gore, though some criticised the retention of some of the original’s weaker moments. Regardless, Resident Evil 4 sold over five million units by July 2023 and was subsequently bolstered by some downloadable content (DLC). “The Mercenaries” mini game was made available for free from April 2023, microtransactions were added to speed up weapon upgrades, and a remake of the “Separate Ways” side story was released to high praise in September 2023. All this DLC was then re-released alongside the base game as this physical Gold Edition in early 2024.

The Plot:
After escaping Raccoon City, Leon S. Kennedy, now a government agent, is sent to rescue Ashley Graham, the daughter of the United States President, from a mysterious cult in a rural Spanish village. There, he encounters hostile villagers pledged to Los Iluminados and infected by a mind-controlling parasite known as Las Plagas.

Gameplay:
Resident Evil 4 is one of the all-time classics not just of the Resident Evil franchise, but in all of gaming. It changed the survival/horror formula into a more action-oriented genre and directly influenced later remakes of similarly classic Resident Evil titles. However, I was disappointed when I heard it was getting the remake treatment, especially as the previous HD version still holds up really well (despite you not being able to move and shoot). I would’ve much preferred to see Resident Evil – Code: Veronica (Capcom Production Studio 4, 2000) brought up to modern standards but I guess I understand the logic behind prioritising one of the most profitable and popular games. Resident Evil 4 offers six different control types and a wealth of modern options to choose from. You can toggle aim assist, the run and crouch functions, the size of the aiming reticle (which largely replaces the laser sight from the original game), various camera settings, and the intensity of the heads-up display and damage indicators. The default controls see you aiming with the Left Trigger, readying your knife with the Left Bumper, shooting or stabbing with the Right Trigger, and running with the Right Bumper or by pressing in the left stick. Y brings up your inventory (still nicely arranged in attaché briefcases), X reloads, A interacts with the environment to pick up weapons, ammo, treasure, and files, and you can crouch through small gaps with B. You can use the left stick in conjunction with RB to perform a quick turn, hold A to pull certain objects (bookcases, filing cabinets, etc) when prompted, and switch weapons using the directional pad. Two weapons can be assigned to each direction this time, which is great for mixing up your attack strategies and conserving ammo, though there’s no quick-heal option here.

Alongside more emphasis on the knife, Leon’s allies have had their roles greatly expanded.

Resident Evil 4’s newest gimmick is placing increased emphasis on the knife. Before, you could cheese the knife to a ridiculous extent, stunning enemies and opening them up for Leon’s over the top melee attacks. While that’s still true here, Leon’s knife also parries certain attacks from the likes of the Chainsaw Ganado and other weapon-wielding enemies with LB. This will wound or stun enemies so you can run in to press A to hit a suplex, but you can also sneak up behind them or finish them off with your knife with a press of RB. Leon’s knife now has a durability meter; eventually, it’ll break and he’ll need to spend his hard-earned pesetas upgrading it at the mysterious Merchant. Weaker, disposable knives are often found dotted around the environment, in addition to stronger ones, and it really makes you think twice about going all gung-ho with your knife like before and opens up interesting ways to battle the likes of Major Jack Krauser since all the previous QTEs have been replaced by these new parry mechanics. In what’s now a franchise tradition, there is also a part where you lose your gear and must stealthily take out enemies to retrieve your stuff. As before, Leon will partner with some allies; suave ladies’ man Luis Sera has an expanded role here, helping you at key points and providing both ammo and extra gunfire when besieged by enemies or battling the troll-like El Gigantes, but your main partner is still Ashley Graham. Now wearing more sensible attire and with her bratty persona toned way down, Ashley is far more capable and useful than before. You command her to wait, hide, and follow you by pressing in the right stick, hiding her in the odd cabinet or cupboard and having her climb over walls to unlock doors or lower ladders. While she can die (and you can accidentally shoot her), you no longer have to worry about wasting your healing items on her and she typically just gets “incapacitated”. You can revive her and get her back on her feet, though you’ll still have to cover her as she helps solve puzzles and shoot enemies that try to spirit her away or else you’ll get a game over.

Purchase new items and upgrades, craft ammo, or just kill time at the shooting range.

I actually felt like Ashley wasn’t even partnered with Leon as much as in the original game and, when she is, it’s so much easier to look after her. Her solo section has also been expanded somewhat, moving from a primarily stealth-based interlude to a more puzzle-based section where you stun Armaduras with her special lantern. Leon also has a few more combat options available to him: he can occasionally dodge bigger attacks with B, has more control over the boat he uses to cross the vast lake, and can again use giant cannons to splatter enemies and shatter doors. As is now the standard in Resident Evil titles, Leon can also craft ammo and health from the inventory screen. By picking up resources, gunpowder, herbs, and purchasing instructions from the Merchant, you can craft ammo and various coloured herbs that will partially, fully, or even extend your health. This has also been expanded to the treasures; you can increase the value of goblets and crowns and other large treasures by inserting coloured gemstones, which is great for earning extra cash. You once again save at typewriters with no fear of running out of ink (though the game has a generous autosave function), can use a limited Item Box when doing so, and can once again take a break from all the killing and horror at the many shooting ranges. Here, you test your marksmanship skills to earn letter grades and tokens to purchase charms for your briefcase that’ll give you certain buffs. The Blue Medallion system has also been expanded to include side missions set by the Merchant. These include shooting hidden Blue Medallions, disposing of rats, and confronting tougher enemies, all for greater treasures.

Classic puzzles and former QTEs have been reworked to offer a new, if familiar, challenge.

While much of Resident Evil 4 is familiar to anyone who’s played the original game, some of the puzzles and sections have been reworked. You’ll no longer run away from a giant stone version of Ramon Salazar or deal with that flame-filled room, for example, but these elements have been reworked into the tower section, meaning you not only have to avoid barrels coming down the spiral staircase but also take out Salazar’s giant stone visage to avoid being roasted alive. The light puzzle in the church is different, I’m pretty sure I don’t remember exploring a bunch of different caves to find shrines in the original, and I believe the dissection lab has a new power reroute puzzle that wasn’t there before. I do recognise some of the puzzles, though; you’ll still be traversing that damn hedge maze, still have to wait for the lift to come while fending off the Verdugo (now pulling levers to temporarily freeze it with liquid nitrogen and parrying it when it destroys these controls), and you’ll still have to watch your step when crossing rickety wooden bridges. You can still save a dog for an assist later on, still shoot lanterns to set enemies on fire, and still use explosive barrels to take out hordes of enemies. You and Ashley will sometimes have to turn wheels or levers or simultaneously pull switches or create new paths or open doors, or you’ll command her to do this while you explore further and protect her. You’ll be finding keys to unlock doors and drawers, taking the long way around to unbolt doors and create shortcuts, upgrading key cards, finding spheres that need to be rotated to form the Los Illuminados’ symbol, shooting gongs, sitting at the right tables as dictated by paintings, completing sword puzzles, and racing along on minecarts at breakneck speed, struggling to stay on the track, take out enemies, and avoid dead ends. If things get too tough for you (and it can get a bit hairy when you’re surrounded by enemies that only become stronger when you defeat them), you can lower the game’s difficulty. “Assisted” mode enables a health regeneration system and lowers the cost of items, but generally you can get by on “Standard” if you conserve ammo and make good use of the melee attacks, knife, and environmental aids dotted around the place.

Graphics and Sound:
While I was sceptical about remaking Resident Evil 4 since the previous version still holds up really well, it can’t be denied that the game has never looked better than here. The remake engine makes fantastic use of lighting and shadows to give everything a far creepier and more horrifying atmosphere. The level of detail at work throughout the game’s environments is astounding, with rain and water effects being a constant standout. Areas feel real and lived in, with blood trails and splatters, damage and debris, and little things like photographs, ticking clocks, and even enemies hiding in toilets and giant ovens all adding to the immersion. Leon, especially, benefits from the graphical upgrade; he can now move and shoot, dynamically reloads, and reacts to his environment, shielding himself from rain, resting against walls when low on health, and crashing through destructible objects with the same gusto as before. Character models, in general, are much improved here; Ashley has a more sensible wardrobe, Luis has never smoked a cigarette better, and even the diminutive Salazar looks far less comical here. Faces are still a bit unnerving at times, appearing a bit plasticky (especially when wet) but the level of detail is greater than ever before, so I can forgive it. This extends to the blood and gore, too; enemies can be blown to pieces, exploding in a splatter of guts and viscera, their bodies writhing on the floor, reanimating with renewed aggression, or their heads bursting open as horrific tentacles parasites writhe about. More of them appear than ever before, too, with their variants and mutations causing serious trouble when you’re low on health and ammo and must survive until the game decides to let you continue.

The graphical upgrade is astounding, making everything darker, grittier, and gorier.

All the key areas from the original game return here, including the main village, a sprawling castle, a network of dank caves and mines, and the fortified island the serves as the finale. You’ll visit graveyards, churches, houses (both abandoned and occupied), forgotten laboratories where bizarre genetic experiments lurk, medieval dungeons and hallways, and a veritable war zone in the end game as you navigate past barricades, narrow corridors, and ransacked areas where enemies lurk around every corner. Everything has a much higher level of detail; you can push obstacles out of the way as well as hop over or through them, files are scattered about to flesh out the local lore, and gameplay is frequently interrupted by exposition dumps from Ingrid Hunnigan or taunts from Saddler and his cohorts. Every cutscene and comms chat can be interrupted, which is great for subsequent playthroughs, and the sheer sense of foreboding atmosphere is unparalleled here as you’re never sure what’s lurking around even the most familiar corridors. Enemies can toss weapons at you, clamber up ladders, and will shout for help when they spot you. Later on, spider-like parasites will scuttle about and attach themselves to regular enemies, making them more formidable, and you’ll be constantly deactivating explosives, avoiding those ever-annoying bear traps, and redirecting gun turrets to clear your path. As ever, music plays a key role in alerting you to when there’s danger present; when it dies down or is more tranquil, you’re safe to explore and regroup. The dialogue and script has also been slightly tweaked; while Leon still has a lot of sass, some of the cheesier lines have been removed. There’s also an additional haunted quality to Leon as he struggles to reconcile the horrors he saw in Raccoon City and make amends for his mistakes with his newfound training.

Enemies and Bosses:
Like in the original game, there are no zombies here. Instead, you primarily fight the cult-like, parasite-infested minions of Los Illuminados. Ganados are far more intelligent than zombies, but no less durable; they can take multiple shots, even to the head, and keep going, utilising weapons like hatchets, pitchforks, and dynamite to cause you headaches. Thankfully, any nearby traps and hazards (and larger enemies) can hurt and kill them, but they are a real pain in the ass when they start wielding crossbows, hiding behind shields, and their heads burst to reveal disgusting tentacles and voracious parasites. The robed summoners will force this transformation and obscure your vision, so be sure to take them out quickly, while flash grenades are your best bet against the naked parasites or the armour-clad Armaduras. You’ll also battle Plagas-infested Novistadors, giant bugs that hover around, spawn from hives and can camouflage into the environment. Later, the Ganados better arm themselves and protect themselves with flak jackets helmets, and other military gear, making it even harder to score a good headshot.

Bosses have been reworked to accommodate the new mechanics and modern graphics.

Larger, more monstrous enemies are also commonplace and act as mini bosses. The first you’ll encounter is the Chainsaw Ganada, a burlap-sack wearing madman who will lop your head clean off if you don’t make good use of the parry system. As if their sporadic appearances aren’t bad enough, you’re also forced to fight the Bella Sisters again, this time in an enclosed room (which actually makes it easier to track them), and the aggravating, claw-handed Garradors. Though brutish, heavily armoured, and extremely dangerous, Garradors are also slightly easier here as you’re not locked in a small cage and have more room to manoeuvre behind them to shoot the parasite on their back, stunning them for a more effective attack. Similarly, sledgehammer-carrying Brutes often show up, though their wild swings can just as easily wipe out nearby lesser enemies, as well as lumbering El Gigantes. This time, when you battle the two of them in the furnace, Luis is there to help; though he’s more of a distraction and hinderance as he needs to get clear before you can drop their asses into the molten steel. As ever, two of the more disturbing enemies-cum-mini bosses are the cackling, slug-like Regenerators and spiky Iron Maidens, two intimidating creatures that shrug off bullets and grenades, rapidly heal even when blasted in two, and pounce on you to try and eat your face and skewer you. The only way to effectively destroy them is by finding and equipping the Bioscope Sensor to your rifle so you can see and shoot the parasites lurking in their bodies, which can be easier said than done thanks to their erratic movements and extendable limbs. Another memorable boss encounter is, of course, the massive, mutated salamander Del Lago. You’ll need to use LB and RT to throw your unlimited supply of harpoons and the beast, avoiding the obstacles floating in the lake and chucking your spiked implements into its mouth when it leaps from the water. Thankfully, your encounters with the Verdugo are much more manageable this time; instead of running around a maze of shipping containers and fighting it in a cave, you must simply freeze it with liquid nitrogen and avoid or parry its lashing tail attacks when prompted.

No matter how big or monstrous the boss, your knife, parry, and dodge abilities will be the deciding factors.

Bitores Mendez once again hounds Leon throughout the story, though you are spared him lumbering after you like a Mr. X or Nemesis figure. He’s still fought in a burning barn, assuming a scorpion-like mutated form where he swipes with his tentacles, requiring you to either dodge or parry his limbs to blast at his big, ugly eye. In the second phase, the fires rage out of control and can really eat away at your health, as can the barrels he tosses at you, but the key is staying in the safest place you can find, parrying when prompted, and hitting RT when he’s stunned to deal big damage. Ramon Salazar’s mutated plant form is more agile than I remember it. He scuttles about on the walls and ceilings, belching corrosive bile and explosive pods, and can eat you in one bite if he gets too close. You need to constantly stay on the move and not miss the opportunity to fire when the pod opens and reveals him, which will eventually stun him to the ground so you can use your knife, but I found this a particularly gruelling boss battle. Krauser is fought twice this time; the first is a straight-up knife fight where you must parry or dodge his attacks, landing slashes and melee attacks until he flees. This repeats in the ruins, but Krauser also fires at you, tosses flash grenades, and mutates a giant arm blade for the finale. The fight isn’t timed this time, but Krauser is extremely agile, so you’ll need to keep him in view, taking shots and using any nearby knives to parry his slashes while also getting around his bio-organic shield. Finally, Osmund Saddler transforms into a rampaging, tumour-filled arachnid monster that stomps about an unstable mining platform. For such a big creature, it’s difficult getting a good shot at the eye-like growths on his limbs but doing so leaves his main weak spot open. Repeat this a few times, watching out for the limited ground, and Ada Wong will eventually toss you a rocket launcher to finish him off after he envelops the entire arena in a mess of putrid limbs.

Power-Ups and Bonuses:
As you explore the game’s environments, you’ll find key items to progress and useful pick-ups to aid you. Small keys, cuboid blocks, medallions, and such access treasures, ammo, or healing items, or resources for crafting. Defeated enemies will invariably drop an assortment of supplies and you can smash open crates to acquire them, too (just watch out for snakes!) First-Aid sprays and herbs will restore your health, as ever, but you can also eat eggs and fish to do the same. You can combine green, red, and yellow herbs to recover more health and extend your health bar, which is always handy. Treasures come in many forms, from various jewels to ornate masks, clocks, and the like. The bigger ones house your smaller jewels to increase their value and you can also sell unwanted ammo, guns, and items to the Merchant for more cash. The Merchant’s stock is constantly changing, allowing access to new ingredients and weapons, so my advice is to wait for the more powerful weapons before you upgrade them to save your money and have stronger weapons later in the game. The Merchant also sells attaché case upgrades, allowing you to carry more and providing specific buffs, and degradable body armour to upgrade your durability. He also trades you special weapons, items, and add-ons for your arsenal if you complete his side missions. Leon uses many different weapons, from grenades and flash bombs to his trusty knife, pistols, and shotguns. You’ll eventually utilise heavier weaponry, like the assortment of submachine guns and assault rifles to single-use rocket launchers, as well as revolvers and magnums, sniper rifles, and a surprisingly handy bolt rifle. This is useful for destroying Blue Medallions, shooting rats, or finishing off enemies as you can recollect the bolts; you can also press the left stick to attach explosives, which is super handy in a tight pinch. These weapons can be upgraded to increase their power, ammo capacity, and reload time. Upgrade them fully (or acquire a special ticket) and you can unlock their special bonus ability, and you’ll also equip add-ons, such as stocks and scopes. Completing the shooting ranges earns you tokens to play for charms to attach to your briefcase; these increase how much ammo you craft, item drop rates, and provide other buffs, though you can only attach three at a time.

Additional Features:
There are thirty-nine Achievements on offer in Resident Evil 4 by default, with many unlocking simply by completing the story chapters, besting the monstrous bosses, and beating the various difficulty modes. While you won’t get an Achievement for aggravating Del Lago or looking up Ashley’s skirt, you will for rescuing her as she’s being carried away, for parrying incoming attacks, destroying all of a Regnerator’s parasites in a single shot, and selling an item for many times its usual value. Achievements also come from fully upgrading weapons, finding and destroying all of the Clockwork Castellan toys scattered throughout the game, escaping certain areas without taking damage, defeating certain bosses in specific ways, and finding every treasure (something greatly aided by purchasing the Merchant’s treasure maps). Not only are you graded on your time and performance at the end of the game, each chapter ends with a rundown of your accomplishments. These are tied to the Achievements and the in-game challenges that earn you Completion Points (CP) to spend in the “Extra Content” section. This is where you’ll unlock character models, concept art, and additional costumes and weapons. Beating the game on different difficulty modes unlocks various rewards, such as a dapper noir outfit for Leon, sunglasses and masks, the even harder “Professional” mode, and all your weapons, charms, and remaining treasures carry over to your next save file. Sadly, however, unlocking Ashley’s super useful suit of armour is much harder this time, requiring at least an A-rank completion of “Hardcore” mode. You’ll also need to destroy sixteen Clockwork Castellans to get an unbreakable knife, clear “Professional” mode for a bad-ass hand cannon, and shell out a whopping 2,000,000 pesetas for the infinite rocket launcher.

Battle for points in “Mercenaries” mode and experience Ada’s story in this revamped nightmare.

You can also play the “Mercenaries” mini game to dispatch as many enemies as possible against a time limit, building up your “Mayhem Meter” to unleash character-specific special moves and playing as either Leon, Luis, Krauser, or the returning HUNK, each with their own weapon loadouts and attributes. DLC packs also contain funky extra costumes, weapons, and even the original game’s soundtrack. Finally, there’s the Separate Ways side story that focuses on what Ada was up to during the main game and comes with seven additional Achievements. Separate Ways has been expanded upon in many ways. Not only does Ada have access to the same weapons, knives, items, crafting, treasure, and abilities as Leon (including the Merchant and her own melee attacks) but her grapnel gun now plays a significant part in her gameplay. You’ll often be prompted to grapple to (or find yourself traversing) the rooftops and upper levels in recycled locations, tapping RB to swing across gaps, launch to ledges, and even remove shields from enemies and fly in for a quick melee attack once upgraded. Separate Ways also expands upon Luis’s story, teaming him with Ada at various points, and she utilises her ocular I.R.I.S. implants to track footprints and reveal fingerprints for keycodes. Separate Ways also adds content back into the game, including the laser hallway sequence (a simple QTE where you tap B a few times and the RB at the end, finishing off a gigantic, toad-like boss at the same time) and U-3 boss fight. This returns as the final form of Ada’s clingy stalker, the gruesome Black Robe, which distorts the environment, teleports and creates duplicates, and is fought numerous times before it transforms into this scorpion-like form for a two-phase showdown in the caverns. Ada also battles Garradors, Regenerators and Iron Maidens (without the benefit of the infrared scope, that I could find), and boar-headed brutes with machine guns strapped to their arms. She also tackles an El Gigante (battling from atop destructible huts) and has a unique showdown with Saddler. This was the most frustrating part of Separate Ways for me. Saddler has a rush attack, bursts tentacles from the ground, fires bullets from his fingers, and can spam-lock you with tentacle combos. You must blast his face until the eyeball appears in his mouth and keep firing until you can melee attack him, but this took me quite a few tries. After that, you must grapple around the final stage as Saddler’s Lovecraftian mass attacks Leon, blasting the eye tumours in its tentacles to reach the rocket launcher and bring the side-game to a close. Separate Ways has the same difficulty settings as the main game and you can unlock additional costumes and accessories to wear in it, and the main game, as well as complete similar challenges when playing.

The Summary:
I love Resident Evil 4. It’s probably my second favourite in the franchise after the second (both/either version) and it was a blast playing through this top-notch modern reimagining of the title. Sure, I don’t think I’ll ever get over Capcom prioritising remaking this title, which has stood the test of time extremely well, over Code: Veronica, which is still stuck in the tank control days of the franchise, but they absolutely delivered with this game, to the point that it almost makes up for them dropping the ball on the remake of the third game. The new graphical overhaul makes the game darker, moodier, and gorier than ever. There’s just so much detail, so much happening in the environment and with lighting and shadows, and Leon and the others have never looked more detailed and human (or inhuman) than here. I think it’s a testament to how well-crafted the original game was that very little has been changed or discarded. A few boss battles and hazardous areas are omitted or heavily altered, sure, but everything from the original game is retained but with a more serious tone, a greater degree of movement, and far more options for you to upgrade your arsenal. I thought I’d hate the degradable knife and parry mechanics, but they were implemented really well, making me think twice whenever I used the knife since I wouldn’t want it to break at a pivotal moment. While I actually enjoyed the quick-time events of the original, I’m glad they were replaced by playable sections; it really added to the immersion of Leon’s bouts against Krauser. Expanding on Leon, Luis, and Ashley to make them more well-rounded characters while still retaining the edge, arrogance, and characteristics that previous defined them was a great idea, as was altering Ashley’s solo section into something more enjoyable and never-wracking. In the end, I’m forced to admit that remaking Resident Evil 4 was a fantastic idea as it resulted in this gorgeous, gore-soaked, super tense and exciting game. I really hope Capcom give the same treatment to Code: Veronica next but it does make me wonder if they can improve upon Resident Evil 4’s sequels just as well later down the line…

My Rating:

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Fantasic

Were you pleased with the remake of Resident Evil 4? Do you think it deserved the remake treatment so soon? What did you think to the new knife-based mechanics and the alterations to certain bosses? Did you like that Luis and Ashley’s roles were expanded and more flesh out? Did you ever find all of those Clockwork Castellans? Which Resident Evil videogame, character, monster, or spin-off is your favourite, and which game would you like to see remade next? Whatever you think, feel free to leave your thoughts down below.

Movie Night: Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance

Dr. K3 Comments

Released: 17 February 2012
Director: Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor
Distributor: Columbia Pictures / Sony Pictures Releasing
Budget: $57 to 75 million
Stars: Nicolas Cage, Johnny Whitworth, Violante Placido, Fergus Riordan, Idris Elba, and Ciarán Hinds

The Plot:
After selling his soul to the Devil, who’s taken mortal form as Roarke (Hinds), and being transformed into the demonic Ghost Rider, Johnny Blaze (Cage) has withdrawn from the world. However, when he’s charged with protecting Nadya and Danny Ketch (Placido and Riordan) from Roarke’s enforcer, Ray Carrigan/Blackout (Whitworth), Blaze discovers a chance to both redeem and rid himself from his nightmarish curse.

The Background:
Gary Friedrich, Roy Thomas, and Mike Ploog’s Ghost Rider first appeared in the pages of Marvel Spotlight #5 and has spearheaded many supernatural Marvel adventures since while invariably appearing in Marvel’s television ventures. After a long period in Development Hell (pun intended) Ghost Rider finally made his live-action debut with noted comic book fan Nicolas Cage portraying a quirky, damaged version of the character that left many critics disappointed. Though labelled as one of the worst films of the decade, Ghost Rider’s (Johnson, 2007) almost $230 million box office was a catalyst for a sequel, with Cage eager to explore a darker side to Blaze’s character. David S. Goyer signed on to pen the sequel, which was strangely framed as a quasi-reboot and lumbered with a far smaller budget than its predecessor. Visual effects studio Creative-Cartel took on the task of bringing the flame-headed spectre to life, producing around 850 visual effects shots and fitting Cage with an LED helmet to help perfect the lighting of Ghost Rider’s flaming skull, which was designed to express the character’s demeanour. Unfortunately, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance failed to match its predecessor’s box office or redeem Ghost Rider’s live-action career. Reviews were scathing, criticising Cage’s wacky performance, slapdash narrative, and dreadful 3D conversion. While it’s since developed a small cult following, Cage’s dissatisfaction with the film and the role scuppered any chance of a sequel and the character was eventually reacquired by Marvel in 2013.

The Review:
Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance is a quasi-sequel, quasi-reboot of the franchise that picks up some years into former stunt rider Johnny Blaze’s cursed life as the titular Spirit of Vengeance. Thankfully, for those unfamiliar with the character and concept, Blaze is on hand to provide an opening narration (and a few narrative interludes) to catch us up on the story. Similar to the first film, Blaze was devastated when his father contracted terminal cancer and, in desperation, made a literal deal with the Devil to save his life. It’s not related what happened after that, just that the Devil (here given the unremarkable mortal name of “Roarke”) twisted the deal, bonding Blaze to an ancient demon that transforms him into a monstrous, flame-headed creature in the presence of evil. Haunted by this decision, and the guilt behind his selfish reasons for making it in the first place (Blaze later emotionally confesses to charismatic priest-cum-wine connoisseur Moreau (Elba) that he made the deal because he couldn’t bare to lose his father), Blaze flees halfway across the world, avoiding all human contact wherever possible. Unlike in the previous movie, where Blaze hid his tortured soul behind wacky eccentricities, Blaze is now withdrawn, socially awkward, and constantly battling against the demon that rages inside of him. Living a simple life in near squalor, he fights nightly to keep the Ghost Rider at bay. Sensitive to the light and with little interest in helping others, Blaze is initially hostile towards Moreau but is convinced to hear the bombastic priest out when he promises to take Blaze to his sacred order and have his curse finally lifted. Still, he’s naturally reluctant since he has little to no control over the Ghost Rider. The demon possesses him, seemingly taking full control of his body, and both cannot distinguish between those who are truly wicked and those who are merely misguided and has no desire to, simply relishing in violence and satiating its never-ending hunger.

Cage is more unhinged than ever as the tortured Blaze and demonic Ghost Rider.

Later, when sheltered by Methodius (Christopher Lambert) and the other monks from Moreau’s order, Blaze learns the origins of the demon possessing him. It’s said to have once been Zarathos, the Spirit of Justice, an angel sent to defend humanity. However, Zarathos was somehow captured, tortured, and driven insane in Hell, transforming it into the unrelenting Spirit of Vengeance that now engulfs Blaze’s body. The Ghost Rider is a bizarre, disappointingly silent creature of vast, near-unlimited power. There’s little physical threat against his awesome Hell powers. He easily reduces every nameless, faceless goon to ash and cinders with his flaming chains and shrugs off bullets, relishing intimidating his prey by swaying about and striking odd poses. Exhibiting superhuman strength and durability, the Ghost Rider can transform any vehicle, no matter how big, into a flaming vessel but, of course, favours a bitchin’ motorcycle. His most powerful technique remains the Penance Stare, here changed to be the flaming demon simply screaming in his victim’s face for an awkward amount of time. Blaze says that the Ghost Rider consumes souls, but we don’t actually see that happen onscreen; his victims simply cower in fear and burst to ash, which is a bit of a disappointment. At one point, he does absorb and regurgitate a full clip of gunfire at one hapless goon, and he’s left unscathed by bazooka fire, though a desperate grenade shot by Carrigan is strangely enough to incapacitate him. Indeed, the only thing that can even stop the Ghost Rider is the word of Hell, a talent exhibited by Roarke’s unwitting son, Danny, who both commands the Ghost Rider to stop and returns his power in the finale. The Ghost Rider’s presence has clearly been infesting Blaze, driving him half mad; when the demon “[scratches] at the door”, Blaze descends into manic insanity trying to hold him at bay. He also seems to gleefully relish the demon’s incredible power as it literally bursts from him, melting his attire and transforming him into a wicked, bizarre creature said to have no conscience or morality.

Moreau recruits Blaze to keep Nadya and Danny safe from Roarke’s evil plot.

This belief is tested when Moreau begs Blaze to help keep Nadya and Danny safe from Carrigan (and, by extension, Roarke). A Gypsy beauty once caught up in Carrigan’s world of violence and drugs, Nadya was left near death after a botched job and, in desperation, made a deal with the Devil to save her life, unaware that his intention was for her to give birth to a “vessel” for his demonic essence, essentially making Danny the Anti-Christ. Living life on the run, forced to swindle horny businessmen out of their wallets and cars, Nadya is reluctant to trust anyone and seeks only to keep Danny safe and maybe one day build a real life for him. Though a snarky teen with a chip on his shoulder, Danny truly loves his mother and actually enjoys their life as outlaws, despite him longing for a normal family life. Still, he struggles with his half-human heritage; he wants to understand the dark power within him, but both fears and is allured by it. The Ghost Rider can sense his presence, drawn to his blood and power, and Blaze tries to impress upon the boy that he doesn’t have to let his dark side define his life (hollow words considering Blaze’s own struggles with that). Devoid of a father figure, Danny quickly bonds with Blaze, seemingly enamoured by his incredible power and his whole stunt biker aesthetic but resents him for giving up the Ghost Rider at the first opportunity. This comes courtesy of Moreau, easily the most enjoyable and appealing character in the film. Also an accomplished rider, Moreau is a man of deep spiritual belief who’s also very handy in a firefight. Verbose and incorrigible, Moreau gleefully leaps head-first into battle, ready to give his life to keep Danny safe (or rescue him) and Elba’s scenery-chewing enthusiasm makes even clunky exposition scenes entertaining to watch. It’s genuinely a shame when he’s killed by Carrigan, especially as he had a lot of potential as a secondary Ghost Rider.

Though weak, Roarke’s power is enough to transform Carrigan into a demonic being.

Speaking of Carrigan, he spends the first act of the movie as little more than an arrogant mercenary. Since Roarke’s human body is slowly dying from the incredible power within it, he contracts Carrigan and his goon squad to do his dirty work. Carrigan has a history with Nadya, resenting her for leaving him, and knows his worth; he demands a bigger payday after barely surviving his first encounter with the Ghost Rider and ups his arsenal for the rematch. However, this leaves all his men dead and him crushed under debris, barely mustering the strength to spit an insult in Roarke’s face before dying. However, death is merely an inconvenience for the Devil and Roarke revives and transforms Carrigan into an adaptation of Blackout, here realised as a zombie-like sadist able to decay anything (unless dramatically convenient) with a touch and rapidly attack foes from a surreal shadow dimension. Unhinged, drunk with demonic power, Carrigan delights in reducing anyone in his path to agonised, decaying husks, leaving them little more than screaming skeletons, slaughtering Methodius and his monks and even killing Moreau. It seems to be the Devil’s modus operandi to birth half-demon creations capable of ending him since, like the Ghost Rider, Carrigan’s demonic power is so strong that even Roarke snaps at him when he goes to touch him, indicating that Carrigan could’ve simply killed the Devil’s mortal form and usurped his position. Lacking the gravitas of Peter Fonda and simply appearing as a broken, half-crippled old man in a suit, the Devil has never been weaker than in this film. His human body is decaying quickly since mortal forms can’t contain his power, so he’s desperate to get his hands on Danny and perform a bizarre ritual that will transfer his essence into the boy’s half-demon body. Still, the Devil exhibits an alluring presence; though he’s still unruly around him, Danny is curious to learn more about the darkness Roarke implanted in him. Roarke also clearly has the power, money, and influence to keep Carrigan and a veritable army of gun-toting minions on hand to be summarily slaughtered by the unstoppable Ghost Rider.

The Nitty-Gritty:
It’s definitely far more accurate to label Ghost Rider: Spriit of Vengeance as a soft reboot, and that really irks me. Blaze’s opening narration uses weird, animated segments to tell a truncated version of his origin when footage from the last movie could’ve easily been supplanted. He also explains how the Devil has taken many forms before, showing Roarke once masqueraded as some of history’s worst dictators (and Jerry Springer…), meaning it would’ve been easy to name-drop Mephistopheles. Instead, the film essentially distances itself from the last movie but remains irrevocably and awkwardly tied to it through Nicolas Cage’s casting. It’s a bit like when Judy Dench stayed on as “M” when Daniel Craig took over as James Bond. Like, it’s obvious it’s a new film continuity but not recasting the lead muddies the water and just has me asking why it wasn’t a straight-up sequel. The movie is also a strangely surreal affair. Whereas Ghost Rider was painfully generic and toothless at times, Spirit of Vengeance is often like an acid trip, skipping frames, using odd camera angles, and utilising a rushed editing style to frame the Ghost Rider as a terrifying, unpredictable figure. In this regard, these techniques are surprisingly effective, but it also results in a confused tone. Sometimes, it wants to be this gritty, gothic horror; other times, it’s got a camp comedic edge (mainly through Moreau’s infectious personality); and at other times, it’s a reluctant meditation on the struggle between good and evil. Nowhere is this more evident, as expected, than in Cage’s crazed performance. I get it when he’s desperately trying to keep the Ghost Rider in check, but that’s no excuse for Cage’s weird mannerisms and line deliveries. It paints Blaze as painfully awkward; he constantly struggles to console Danny and Nadya, and is definitely a man whose actions speak louder than words.

The Ghost Rider effects and action scenes look better than ever, despite his bizarre characterisation.

On the plus side, the Ghost Rider looks absolutely fantastic here! He looked pretty great in the last film, but the effects are way better this time around. His skull is charred and spews black smoke; his leather drips and bubbles from his intense Hellfire; and his flames are more realistic than ever. It’s like Clayton Crain’s gothic, realistic artwork has been brought to life and I loved that we got loads of sequences where the Ghost Rider is in action in broad daylight. It really is top-notch effects work that belongs in a better film and any scenes with the Ghost Rider, even when he’s acting like a complete moron, are a highlight. Of course, it helps that he’s an absolute menace; he’s so overpowered that nothing is a threat to him and he can afford to just knob about, toying with his victims before roaring in their face (…err, I mean, consuming their souls). Given the Ghost Rider’s nature, there are a fair few chase sequences here; the Ghost Rider turns cars and even a construction crane into a burning vehicle, decimating everyone in his way. Since Blaze successfully has Zarathos exorcised from his body at Moreau’s temple, he, Moreau, and Nadya are forced to use more traditional firearms and stealthier techniques to infiltrate the Uzak Gökten in the finale. Moreau acquits himself well here, throwing Roarke’s guards off with his brazen antics and openly firing upon his hooded followers. Like Methodius and the other monks, he tries to fight Carrigan and, like them, is rapidly decayed but not before delivering a defiant headbutt. Carrigan’s action sequences mostly take place in a peculiar dark dimension, where he slips up behind, outmatches, and dispatches his foes as easily as Ghost Rider incinerates them with his chains. Not to be outdone, Nadya has a lot of fight in her, even when overpowered or outmatched. She proves a crack shot with a sniper rifle, covering Blaze and Moreau’s backs, and is smart enough to flee with Danny whenever things start to get hairy for them.

Ultimately, the Ghost Rider triumphs and regains his sanity, bringing some peace to Blaze.

Having successfully dispatched Carrigan and his goons, Blaze brings Nadya and Danny to Moreau’s sanctuary and successfully has his curse lifted. This is a two-stage process that begins with Cage hamming up Blaze’s darkest confession regarding his deal and then being bombarded by strange lights and a cacophony of visuals that, apparently, banish Zarathos from his body. Although Methodius decides it’s better to simply kill Danny to prevent the Devil’s plot, Carrigan shows up and slaughters him and the other monks, kidnapping Danny, and bringing him to Roarke so he can be sedated and forced into a strange ritual. To the chanting of his influential, hooded followers, Roarke comes close to completing the demonic transfer before he’s interrupted by Blaze and Moreau, covered by Nadya and armed with the monks’ impressive arsenal of firearms. Though Moreau is killed by Carrigan and it seems like Danny is ready to embrace his demonic heritage, the boy tricks Roarke and restores the Ghost Rider’s powers to Blaze. Now empowered to exist in daylight, the Ghost Rider aggressively pursues Roarke when he flees with Danny, finally dispatching Carrigan in anticlimactic fashion and violently sending Roarke’s vehicle end over end. His body further damaged by the crash, Roarke is left a helpless wreck before the Ghost Rider’s power. Defiant to the last, Roarke curses the day he made the deal with Blaze but is powerless to avoid being forcefully sent back to Hell by the Ghost Rider’s chain. Nadya is horrified to find that Danny has been…injured? Killed? He’s unconscious, at least…in the crash. However, conveniently, Blaze feels Zarathos’ true nature resurface, changing his flames from red to blue and restoring the angel’s sanity and power as the Spirit of Justice. This allows him to revive Danny and abruptly end the movie with him reaffirming his identity as the Ghost Rider, essentially completing the same character arc we saw in the last movie.

The Summary:
Ghost Rider somehow took one of comicdom’s most visually interesting anti-heroes and delivered a generic action flick that lost momentum halfway through and was bogged down by Nicolas Cage’s bizarre mannerisms. A toothless, impotent affair, it barely scratched the surface of what the character and concept are capable of, disappointing in it squandering its potential. Much of the same criticisms can be lobbied at this awkward re-quel, which is again hampered by too low an age rating to really bring the Ghost Rider to life and Cage is wackier than ever, screaming with a maniac glee or mumbling clumsily through every scene. However, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance has far more positives than its predecessor: the Ghost Rider looks better than ever, tearing through goons with a vicious relish and impressing whenever he’s onscreen, and Idris Elba steals the show as Moreau, clearly enjoying chewing the scenery. It’s a shame, then, that the Ghost Rider is portrayed so unpredictably. On the one hand, he’s pretty terrifying and an unstoppable force of nature; on the other, he’s lollygagging around or awkwardly screaming in people’s faces. I enjoyed Nadya and Danny’s characters; the actors gave good performances and I liked seeing the kid bond with Blaze, though I think this could’ve been emphasised more in the middle portion. Carrigan was just the right level of camp and menace; like Blaze, he’s gifted with incredible demonic power. Unlike Blaze, Carrigan truly embraces it and relishes rotting his victims, whereas Blaze is constantly at odds with his dark half’s power. However, Roarke is a massive step down from Mephistopheles. Ciarán Hinds isn’t bad, but he’s no Peter Fonda and it’s difficult to reconcile the ham-fisted retconning of the previous film. For me, I would’ve much preferred that the film was a standalone sequel that either used footage from the last movie or didn’t outright contradict it. Therefore, it’s better to treat Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance as a straight-up reboot, as nonsensical as that is. Ultimately, I do think it’s the better of the two, but the flaws still keep it from being a significant improvement over the previous film thanks, ultimately, to Nicolas Cage’s ridiculously over the top performance.  

My Rating:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Pretty Good

Do you think Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance surpassed its predecessor? Do you think it’s a stronger adaptation of the source material? What did you think to Nicolas Cage’s performance this time and the retconning of the last movie? Do you agree that the Ghost Rider looks far better here? What did you think to Roarke and Carrigan and the way the Ghost Rider decimated his enemies? What are some of your favourite Ghost Rider stories and moments? Whatever your thoughts on Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, share them below and be sure to check out my other Ghost Rider content on the site.

Screen Time: Batman: “Joker’s Favor” (S1: E22)

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Series 1, Episode 22: “Joker’s Favor”

Air Date: 11 September 1992
Director: Boyd Kirkland
Original Network: Fox Kids
Stars: Mark Hamill, Arleen Sorkin, Ed Begley Jr., and Kevin Conroy 

The Background:
Gotham’s caped crusader is no stranger to adaptation. Around three years after his debut appearance, Bruce Wayne/Batman was brought to life in an oft-forgotten fifteen-chapter cinema serial and made his first appearance in animation in The Batman/Superman Hour (1968 to 1969), courtesy of Filmation. After the critical and commercial success of Tim Burton’s Batman movies, Batman (1989) and Batman Returns (1992), Batman shed the remnants of the camp trappings that had been associated with him since the sixties and was popularised as a dark, brooding vigilante once more. Perhaps no piece of ancillary media was more influential in this, however, than Bruce Timm and Paul Dini’s Batman: The Animated Series (1992 to 1999), which placed the Dark Knight into a distinctly art deco world and pushed the boundaries of what cartoons could get away with. Eventually expanding into an extremely popular animated DC universe, Batman: The Animated Series not only came to influence subsequent Batman media but also introduced new characters to the Bat-world, with none more prominent than Doctor Harleen Quinzel/Harley Quinn. Created by Dini and Timm for this very episode, Harley was initially planned to simply be a one-off character but Dini decided to make her a recurring antagonist, an abused henchwoman whom the Joker (Mark Hamill) could play off. Initially portrayed by the late Arleen Sorkin, Harley quickly became a popular breakout character and was officially woven into the mainstream DC Comics in 1999. She has seen significant growth since then, transitioning from the Joker’s mistreated plaything to a strong, independent – if maniacal – anti-hero and even joining the Bat-Family in later years. Harley Quinn has become so popular that she made the transition to live-action with a pitch-perfect performance by Margot Robbie and a tone deaf outing from Lady Gaga, got her own hilarious animated series, and has consistently cropped up in videogames and animated ventures, to the point where she’s now considered to be as important to DC Comics as heavy-hitters like Batman and the Justice League! 

The Plot:
Mild-mannered accountant Charlie Collins (Begley Jr.) insults the Joker (Hamill), who spares his life in return for aiding him and right-hand woman, Harley Quinn (Sorkin), in their latest plot.

The Review:
This is my first time reviewing an episode of Batman: The Animated Series on my website beyond the feature-length productions, and it’ll come as no surprise how much I love this series. I didn’t watch every single episode as a kid (though I have since) but I really enjoyed the entire DC Animated Universe. It was fun seeing these characters and their stories adapted and tweaked and presented in an engaging and serious way, no more so than Batman, whose mainstream popularity was arguably bolstered by Bruce Timm and Paul Dini’s animated series. The show makes an impact right from the start with its stark, gritty opening sequence that’s completely devoid of any titles or text. It screams “Batman” and really sets the tone for what’s to come. That and the stellar voice cast; it’s impressive how many character, veteran, and big-name actors featured on the show, with Mark Hamill’s turn as the Joker widely regarded as one of the best interpretations of the character, to say nothing of Kevin Conroy’s enduring and timeless take on the Batman himself. All this is to say that Batman: The Animated Series rarely missed; it changed superhero cartoons and adaptations for the better and its impact on the source material is just as significant, with Harley Quinn being just one piece of that puzzle. With the obligatory gushing out of the way, let’s get to the episode, which opens to find Charlie Collins stuck in Gotham City traffic on perhaps the worst day of his life: he’s been turned down for a raise, his kid needs braces, the ball game has been delayed, and his wife Bonnie is making meatloaf! Charlie hits his breaking point when a fellow driver rudely cuts him off; sick of being treated like a punching bag, he barges into the car and hurls insults at the driver, only to find the Joker behind the wheel!

After insulting the Joker, hapless Charlie Collins is coerced into aiding his latest devious scheme.

Despite Charlie’s best efforts to drive along amiably and lose the Joker, his car eventually breaks down, allowing the Clown Prince of Crime to confront him in the woods. Amusingly, the Joker is offended by Charlie’s rude behaviour and chastises him for being so impolite, though his teacherly demeanour quickly turns to a sinister anger, reducing Charlie to begging for mercy. Intrigued by Charlie’s desperation to save his hide, the Joker gleefully agrees to spare him on the proviso that Charlie promises to do him a favour at some point, with even the Joker unsure as to what that favour may be. Charlie readily agrees, relieved to be in one piece, and the episode jumps ahead two years and to the office of police commissioner James “Jim” Gordon (Bob Hastings), who’s due to be honoured for his work, something he finds to be a waste of time. The Batman (Conroy) echoes the sentiments of Detective Harvy Bullock (Robert Costanzo) and many others by stating that Jim deserves credit for keeping Gotham safe around the clock, and Jim begrudgingly agrees to attend the function. Unbeknownst to him, the Joker has also set his sights on gatecrashing the event; as he relates to his enthusiastic cheerleader, Harley Quinn, the Joker insists demands the chance to honour Gordon and picks Charlie’s driving license out of his little black book to call in that favour. Despite changing his name to Don Wallace and moving himself and his family to Ohio, Charlie is terrified when the Joker calls him, having kept tabs on him the entire time, and demands that he return to Gotham in return for keeping his family safe. With no other choice, Charlie makes the flight and is picked up by Harley before he can alert the police. The Joker expertly feigns pleasure at seeing his “old pal” once again and promises to send him home once he’s fulfilled his obligation, asking simply that Charlie opens a door for Harley when she delivers a massive celebration cake to Gordon’s gala under the clever guise of Crazy Clown Catering.

The Joker underestimates Charlie’s resolve and ends up falling for his bluff.

Entering the gala, Charlie desperately tries to alert the authorities – and the Batman – to the Joker’s plot by swinging around a convenient bat-shaped model, catching the attention of Bruce Wayne as he’s leaving to search for the Joker. As Gordon delivers his speech, Charlie opens the doors to the function room and Harley wheels in his cake (much to Bullock’s lustful delight), but finds himself glued to the door by a particularly strong adhesive. Harley delivers a rhyming threat and promptly gases the attendees, paralysing them and leaving them powerless to avoid the bundle of dynamite the Joker delivers as a gift to the long-serving commissioner. Charlie is incensed that the Joker welched on his word, but the Batman makes a timely arrival to toss the dynamite out of the building, destroying the Joker’s getaway van. After freeing Charlie and learning of his plight, the Batman easily subdues Harley and the Joker’s goons, but the Joker covers his escape with a series of boobytraps and an explosion. However, while he’s racing away outside, the Joker is confronted by an angered Charlie, who’s ready to blow them both up with one of the Joker’s own bombs, apparently having lost his mind. Terrified, the Joker screams for the Batman’s intervention and willingly hands over all the documentation he has on Charlie and his family, completely falling for the disgruntled civilian’s bluff. Charlie gratefully leaves, happy to taste his wife’s meatloaf, now that the Joker is in Batman’s custody and his family is safe.

The Summary:
This was a fun little side story in the grand tapestry that was Batman: The Animated Series. As ever, the episode is dark and gritty, sporting a neo-noir styling and expertly using shadows and atmosphere to give its simplistic character designs a surprising amount of nuance and paint the Batman as a terrifying, ethereal figure. The Batman himself features only briefly in this episode, primarily appearing in the last five minutes or so to foil the Joker’s plot, but makes an impression when he’s onscreen thanks to Conroy’s distinctive Bat-voice and the effortless way he deals with the Joker’s minions and traps. Indeed, the wider Batman cast takes a backseat in “Joker’s Favor” so the episode can focus more on the Joker and his recent “hobby”, poor, unlucky Charlie Collins, a balding, middle-aged, underappreciated husband and father who’s frequently horrified and dumbstruck by the duality of the Joker’s insanity and menace. Charlie is an incredibly amusing and sympathetic figure; despite his loving wife and child, he’s beset by bad luck almost to the point of parody and completely helpless to avoid the Joker’s reach. Even changing his name and uprooting his family doesn’t help, and his desire to keep them safe is what drives him to both agree to paying the Joker back and going along with his latest madcap scheme. Even the Joker sees Charlie as worthless and impotent, never once believing he would have the guts to raise the alarm or fight back, which allows Charlie to scupper the Joker’s plan with his makeshift Bat-Signal and even bring the Clown Prince of Crime to the verge of tears by threatening his life. This final showdown between them is especially potent given the Joker’s familiarity with how important “one bad day” can be. He pushed Charlie to the edge, terrorising, manipulating, and threatening him, and can see that the man is ready to have his revenge even if it means his own death. However, in an ironic twist, Charlie actually picked up a few of the Joker’s habits, mainly toying with his victims, and pulled a cruel prank on his tormentor, tricking him into giving up the hold he had over the accountant to save his own hide.

Harley shines as the Joker’s colourful cheerleader who follows his every word without question.

Of course, “Joker’s Favor” is best known for including the first appearance of Harley Quinn. Harley actually briefly appears early in the episode, walking through the police department in her civilian disguise, though this isn’t expanded upon in the episode and is more of an Easter Egg for eagle-eyed viewers. Harley is depicted as a joyful, enthusiastic, devoted follower of the Joker. I described her as his cheerleader earlier and that’s incredibly apt as she claps, celebrates, and encourages every idea, action, and word her “Mistah J” says, no matter how bonkers his scheme may be. Although she only appears in her trademark harlequin outfit once in this episode, Harley is seen to be a master of disguise. She dresses as a chauffeur to pick up Charlie and masquerades as a police officer when infiltrating Gordon’s gala, raising no suspicion either time despite her loud and overly cheerful demeanour. Unfortunately, we don’t get to see Harley in action here; she doesn’t bust out any gymnastics or her signature giant mallet. She does try to distract the Batman with her woe-is-me façade and surprise him with a knife attack, but is handcuffed with little effort from the Dark Knight. Similarly, we know nothing of her backstory, and she primarily exists as a more colourful henchwoman for the Joker, one he both openly confides in for his need for an appreciative audience and demeans with menial tasks like cutting his hair. Still, Harley excels in this role; you can tell that there’s more to her than the dumb, brutish thugs the Joker employs, and she steals every scene with her joyful and bombastic personality. Overall, this was an enjoyable episode for its main plot, but fans of Harley would be better served watching “Mad Love” (Lukic, 1993) or reading the original comic book of the same name (Dini, Timm, et al, 1993) for a more in-depth exploration of Harley Quinn, her relationship with the Joker, and her tragic origin story.

My Rating:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Pretty Good

What did you think to “Joker’s Favor”? Did you enjoy the Joker’s tormenting of hapless Charlie Collins or did the lack of Batman action put you off? What did you think to Harley Quinn at the time, or how do you feel about this being her first appearance? Did she make much of an impression on you at the time and are you a fan of how widespread her popularity has become? What are some of your favourite Harley Quinn stories and moments, or episodes of Batman and the DCAU? There’s a comments section down below, feel free to use it to share your opinions, and be sure to check out my other Batman content across the site.

Back Issues: Ghost Rider #1-3

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Writer: Howard Mackie – Artist: Javier Saltares

Story Title: “Life’s Blood”
Published: 13 March 1990 (cover-date: July 1990)

Story Title: “Do Be Afraid of the Dark”
Published: 10 April 1990 (cover-date: June 1990)

Story Title: “Deathwatch”
Published: 8 May 1990 (cover-date: July 1990)

The Background: 
In 1967, Dick Ayers, Gary Friedrich, and Roy Thomas introduced Marvel Comics readers to Western gunslinger Carter Slade/Ghost Rider, who later became known as the Phantom Rider in the wake of his more popular successor, Johnny Blaze. Initially planned to be a villain, Friedrich lobbied to do more with the character, with artist Mike Ploog asserting that he provided Ghost Rider’s trademark look and the legendary Stan Lee dreaming up his civilian name. After ridding himself of the Ghost Rider curse and the demon who caused it, Zarathos, Blaze and his flame-headed alter ego vanished from Marvel Comics for the better part of seven years. However, the Spirit of Vengeance rose again in this story, which introduced a new host for the demon in teenager Danny Ketch, who would later be revealed to be Blaze’s half-brother. During his tenure as the Ghost Rider, Ketch teamed up with both his half-brother and other supernatural or bloodthirsty Marvel anti-heroes, being a prominent member of the Midnight Suns and even temporarily giving his life to stop Zarathos and vampire queen Lilith from conquering the world with their demonic army. While it’s Blaze who is generally depicted as the go-to Ghost Rider whenever the Spirit of Vengeance appears in other media, many of the character’s most recognisable traits come from his successor. Ketch had a sleeker, more streamlined Hellcycle, employed the Penance Stare, and sported a more fearsome, spiked attire, all of which would later be adopted by Blaze when he resumed the mantle. Still, Ketch has appeared in various Marvel cartoons throughout the nineties, though a planned videogame was cancelled and his sole live-action appearance as of this writing is as a child in the poorly received Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (Neveldine and Taylor, 2011). 

The Review:
Our story begins in Cypress Hills Cemetery, where bickering siblings Danny and Barbara Ketch have come to scope out Harry Houdini’s gravesite…on Halloween Eve, no less…so Barb can take pictures of alleged psychics trying to commune with him. Anxious Danny, not so quick to dismiss the cemetery’s morbid reputation, is spooked when a bunch of kids (the so-called Cypress Hill Jokers) in Halloween masks give them a fright and try to steal Barb’s camera. She sends them packing with a swift kick and forces Danny to investigate sounds of a gunshot and a scream. Peering into Gallagher’s junkyard, they see some of Wilson Fisk/The Kingpin’s goons threatening the mysterious Deathwatch after the masked man shot dead one of their couriers. When the mobsters are executed by the killer’s crossbow-wielding hoodlums, Barb lets out a scream, landing her with an arrow through the chest. While one of the kids, Paulie Stratton, swipes the case Deathwatch killed for, Danny desperately props the bleeding Barb against an abandoned motorcycle; touching it with his bloodstained hands, he undergoes a sudden and dramatic transformation into the Ghost Rider! His body possessed by the Spirit of Vengeance, Danny’s personality gives way to that of the Ghost Rider’s, who takes out the hooded foes using his demonic chains and his signature Penance Stare, which forces his victim to “suffer the pain” they inflicted on others. Paulie slips away as the cops arrive; they fail to apprehend the Ghost Rider, humbled and manhandled when his bitchin’ new Hellcycle blasts him up a wall to safety. Under the light of dawn, Danny regains his senses and his self, eventually collapsing before his terrified mother and Police Captain Arthur Dolan. When he comes to, Danny learns that Barb is stable, but stuck in a coma, and is devastated at having let her down.

The new Ghost Rider on the block is quickly tormented by failure, bad press, and brutes.

Feeling responsible, Danny tests to see if his demonic experience was real or some fantastical dream and soon finds himself possessed by the Ghost Rider again when the resulting turf war between Deathwatch and the Kingpin leaves Paulie’s friend Raphie critically injured. Luckily, the Ghost Rider arrives in time to intervene, easily shrugging off bullets and even a bazooka, retaliating with lethal force and spiriting Ralphie to safety. However, Danny is stunned to find Captain Dolan has pinned everything on the Ghost Rider, a monstrous force that renders Danny a passenger and leaves him tormented at having failed his sister. Regardless, the Ghost Rider continues to defend innocent lives, specifically the Cypress Hill Jokers, who are constantly threatened by both sets of mobsters. Though still using lethal and violent force, the Ghost Rider is sure to interrogate one of the Kingpin’s goons, subjecting him to the Penance Stare but getting no closer to learning what’s in the briefcase the two crime lords are so willing to kill for. His newfound life already taking its toll on him physically and mentally, Danny is as horrified by Captain Dolan’s smear campaign as he is by the terrifying allure of the Ghost Rider. Elsewhere, the sadistic Blackout enters the fray, murdering a cop and his family to learn where the Cypress Hill Jokers hang out and offering to tie up loose ends for Deathwatch, who’s more than pleased by the brute’s cruel methods. Despite a sensitivity to light, Blackout can freely move through shadows, easily slipping into Ralphie’s home, killing his parents, and attempting to defenestrate him in search of the canisters. Once again, the Ghost Rider is on hand to save the boy, and a brief fight ensues between the two superpowers. While Blackout’s attacks are useless against the Ghost Rider’s power, he demonstrates an uncanny deftness and swiftly flees using the shadows, eager to match blows with the Spirit of Vengeance in another time and place.

Though he triumphs as the Ghost Rider, Danny remains conflicted about his violent alter ego.

Strangely unable to recall exactly where she and the Cypress Hill Jokers stashed the briefcase, Paulie is of little help to the cops and even less help when Deathwatch, Blackout, and their goons storm the station, kill everyone, and kidnap her. In response, Captain Dolan steps up the guard around the comatose Barb, leading to Danny returning to the cemetery to try and help. There, he finds Deathwatch and Blackout in the process of murdering Paulie’s friends to try and find the final canister, which contains a mutated biotoxin Deathwatch plans to unleash upon the city. Angered by Deathwatch’s insolence and aptitude, the Kingpin orders his aide, Oswald Silkworth/The Arranger, to intervene and the bureaucrat successfully convinces Deathwatch to hand over the cannisters by surrounding the duo with dozens of armed men. Unfortunately, Blackout isn’t so willing to comply and violently lashes out, taking the cannisters for himself, ordering his men to attack everyone (even Deathwatch), and salivating at the prospect of blanketing the world in a cold, dark nuclear winter. However, the Ghost Rider enters the fray, taking out Blackout’s goons and tackling him before he can open a canister. Though still able to use the Ghost Rider’s strength against him and resist the Penance Stare, Blackout is burned by the demon’s flames, horrifically scarring him and twisting his already warped mind. The next day, the Kingpin muses over his heroic deeds and vows to watch Deathwatch closely. As for Danny, he returns to Barb’s side, still torn between giving up the cursed motorcycle and his dark alter ego and continuing his dual life as a violent (but effective) protector of the innocent.

The Summary:
Although my reading experience with the Ghost Rider is limited, Danny Ketch’s time in the role is the one I’m most drawn to. As a typical 1990s comic anti-hero, Danny ticks all the boxes: he’s a reluctant hero, tormented by his violent powers, rides a bad-ass motorcycle, and transforms into a cackling, flame-skulled demon who shreds baddies with chains! Just in terms of the art and the storytelling, Danny’s debut blows Johnny Blaze’s out of the water; but then, the 1990s was a different time. Interestingly, Danny’s debut issues aren’t as over the top and fantastical as you might first expect; the story is firmly grounded, save for the supernatural elements, quick to return time and again to Danny’s turmoil over his sister. In bringing Danny to life, the creators have drawn from multiple other heroes to set the tone: Danny’s as unsure of himself as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, as ruthless in his superheroics as Frank Castle/The Punisher, and is faced with violent gang wars headed by the Kingpin, much like Matt Murdock/Daredevil. Indeed, the story closely echoes the tone and atmosphere of Frank Miller’s time with the Man Without Fear and definitely veers more towards a grounded, gritty aesthetic than fantastical, supernatural adventures. The city police only reinforce this by adopting a “shoot first, ask questions later” mentality towards the Ghost Rider, one exacerbated by catching him in the middle of breaking a man’s neck. Captain Dolan’s J. Jonah Jameson levels of persecution against who he sees as a dangerous individual also see the entire force’s efforts focused on the Ghost Rider rather than the turf war between the two crime lords.

Deathwatch and Blackout make for an enigmatic and sadistic bad guy duo.

Deathwatch makes for an interesting, enigmatic, and mysterious individual. Unlike the Kingpin, he hides behind a literal mask and employs hooded assassins not unlike the ninjas of the Hand. He also exhibits supernatural abilities, forcefully reading his victim’s mind with a touch, and isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty. While the Kingpin prefers to operate from the shadows as an elusive puppet master, Deathwatch readily joins Blackout and his men in terrorising the Cypress Hill Jokers, though he slips away when the Ghost Rider shows up. How Deathwatch obtained his powers and what his true origin is remains as much of a mystery as Blackout’s backstory, but I assume these villains were further fleshed out in subsequent issues. Blackout makes quite the first impression, threatening a child and murdering his family with relish, and appears quite happy to kill others, even children, to get his hands on the bioweapon. No mere mindless brute, Blackout is eloquent, savvy, and well trained in martial arts, to the point he can use an opponent’s momentum and strength against them and therefore knock even the overpowered Ghost Rider off his feet. He also possesses seemingly supernatural powers, moving through shadows and showcasing a near-superhuman durability…until he tries to mess with the Ghost Rider’s flames. Deathwatch and the Kingpin’s underlings are no less lethal, happily shooting and stabbing kids to threaten their victims, and engaging in all-out firefights in the middle of the street. The Kingpin’s goons even break out heavy-duty ordinance like bazookas, while Deathwatch’s are happy to destroy an entire junkyard to ensure they take care of any witnesses. The Cypress Hill Jokers, in comparison, are less than small fry; they’re just kids trying to be tough who get in way over their heads when they steal Deathwatch’s briefcase. Paulie largely exists to repeat this plot and look dumb when she can’t remember where they stashed the third canister, resulting in her friends being badly hurt or killed. Still, protecting her and the other Jokers becomes the Ghost Rider’s short-term mission as, despite their assumed petty crimes and rebellious ways, they remain “innocent”.

The new Ghost Rider reinvigorates the character with a visual bang.

As for the Ghost Rider himself…well, he steals the show. Sporting what I would argue is his definitive look, the Ghost Rider bursts to life whenever Danny touches the cursed motorcycle (which, I assume, is Johnny Blaze’s) and immediately seeks to avenge the innocent with brutal and efficient force. Commanding sprawling chains and easily flipping police cars, the Ghost Rider is a physics-defying, unstoppable force of Hell-born justice; immune to bullets, blunt weapons, and most attacks, it takes a lot to even get him off his feet let alone injure him. In fact, his only weakness appears to be daylight and Danny’s troubled conscience since barricades, walls, and near-superhuman foes barely slow him down. These issues finally helped shed a little light on the nature of this transformation. Danny’s personality takes a back seat when the Ghost Rider takes over, leaving him in a dark place both alluring and terrifying. He appears to have little to no control over the Ghost Rider, even struggling to resist making the change at one point, while retaining full knowledge of his actions as the Spirit of Vengeance. Yet, for all the Ghost Rider’s power, he cannot help Barb and his abilities are used to punish, not heal. His demonic visage terrifies most people, making it difficult for him to earn the trust of the innocent and get the injured to safety, but he perseveres, even though his lethal methods see him branded a menace and a killer. The Ghost Rider’s primary personality is spouting his sacred mission and he will allow nothing, and no one, to keep him from defending the innocent and punishing the wicked, making him an extremely dangerous and driven anti-hero. The conflict within Danny is palpable; he can see the potential for good in the Ghost Rider but is worried about hurting others or losing himself to the darkness. This dichotomy makes me interested to read more, to learn what happens to him and Barb, and to find out more about Deathwatch and Blackout. Thus, I really enjoyed these three issues, especially as it injected a bit of the macabre and supernatural into the gritty, urban warzone Marvel calls New York.

My Rating:

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Great Stuff

What did you think to Danny Ketch’s debut as the Ghost Rider? Is this the look you most associate with the character? What did you think to Deathwatch and Blackout, especially their ruthless natures? Did you like the more grounded depiction of the fantastical elements? What are some of your favourite Danny Ketch stories or moments? Whatever your thoughts on Ghost Rider, share them below and be sure to check out my other Ghost Rider content.

Movie Night: Event Horizon

Dr. K4 Comments

Click here to listen to my guest spot on the Silver Screen Podcast discussing this film

Released: 15 August 1997
Director: Paul W. S. Anderson
Distributor: Paramount Pictures / United International Pictures
Budget: $60 million
Stars: Laurence Fishburne, Sam Neill, Joely Richardson, Richard T. Jones, Sean Pertwee, and Jason Isaacs

The Plot:
The experimental Event Horizon returns after a mysterious seven-year absence. However, when its designer, Doctor William Weir (Neill), and Captain S.J. Miller’s (Fishburne) crew investigate, they find the ship haunted by a presence from beyond our universe.  

The Background:
It’s not hyperbole to say that Mortal Kombat (Anderson, 1995) made Paul W.S. Anderson’s career. The film’s critical and commercial success saw him bombarded by offers; he turned them all down, even a Mortal Kombat sequel, to make an R-rated horror. Attracted to Philip Esiner’s pitch of a “haunted house in space”, Anderson and producer Jeremy Bolt worked to tweak the script to emphasise these elements and veer away from comparisons to Alien (Scott, 1979), though fans later considered the film a spiritual prequel to Warhammer 40,000 due to similarities between the two. Many effects were done practically, such as constructing moving sets to bring the ominous Gravity Drive to life and harnesses to simulate zero gravity, all on sets said to be oppressive and claustrophobic for the cast. A rushed shooting schedule and pressure from studio executives led to Anderson struggling to deliver a final edit. Test screenings later complained of the extreme gore and subsequent cuts led to the excised footage disappearing, despite fan outcry for a director’s cut. With a box office of just $42 million, Event Horizon was a commercial failure; reviews were equally negative, saved for some praise for the special effects and visuals. However, it has since been re-evaluated and considered a cult classic, inspiring the Dead Space franchise (Various, 2008 to 2023) and getting its due from contemporary reviews, to the point where additional films and even a television series have circled the rumour mill.

The Review:
In the world of Event Horizon, humanity has finally spread its reach beyond our home planet and started to colonise space. First, there was an outpost established on the Moon; then commercial mining began on Mars (where promiscuous women are said to frequent). Then, finally, mankind strived to expand further into the galaxy. To facilitate this, the United States Aerospace Command (U.S.A.C.) first built hyper-fast ion drives and stasis booths to protect their crew from the intense g-forces, then turned to Dr. Weir to develop a prototype for faster-than-light travel. As pilot W. F. Smith/Smitty (Pertwee) and Dr. Weir correctly point out, all the laws of science make light speed unobtainable but, luckily, Dr. Weir found a way around this small hurdle. He developed an elaborate spherical engine, the Gravity Drive, that used focused particles and other complicated pseudo-science to generate an artificial black hole, essentially “folding” space and time and allowing the Event Horizon to instantaneously travel across the galaxy. However, the Event Horizon vanished during its maiden voyage; dubbed the worst disaster in space history, its failure has weighed heavily on Dr. Weir, who focused all his time and attention into the project to the detriment of his marriage. He was so consumed with his work that he failed to notice the failing mental health of his wife, Claire (Holley Chant), until it was too late, and by then she’d already slit her wrists in their bathtub. Haunted by guilt and grief and suffering from constant nightmares of his loss, Dr. Weir is exuberant when the Event Horizon suddenly reappears in Neptune’s orbit transmitting a distress signal and seeks to investigate in hopes of salvaging his life’s work. The true fate of the Event Horizon hasn’t been made public; U.S.A.C. instead concocted a story about it being destroyed due to a power overload. Thus, the rag-tag crew Dr. Weir partners up with to investigate the ship are initially sceptical both of the mission and the Gravity Drive’s ability to tear a hole in the fabric of the universe.

Miller and his crew are roped into a nightmare when Dr. Weir investigates his haunted ship.

Consequently, Dr. Weir is met with a cold reception when he joins the crew of the deep space salvage vessel the Lewis and Clarke. The crew, led by their “skipper”, Captain Miller, are already disgruntled at being recalled from a well-deserved leave and sent to the outer reaches of the galaxy, especially as the last rescue attempt that went that far never returned. They therefore react with hostility when Dr. Weir explains his research to them. Despite also harbouring a resentment towards Dr. Weir, Miller, a by-the-book commander who inspires respect amongst his tight-knit crew, nevertheless chews out some of his more unruly crewmen when they dismiss Dr. Weir’s explanations and is determined to see the mission through as quickly and efficiently as possible. Miller is close to each of his crew, with all of them regarding young engineer Ensign F.M. Justin (Jack Noseworthy) as a surrogate son (they dub him “Baby Bear” and he frequently refers to the ship’s medical technician, Peters (Kathleen Quinlan) as “Mama Bear”). Miller’s served with each of them for a long time and they have a natural rapport based on mutual respect. Miller allows Smitty to light up a cigarette for a job well done and isn’t above joining in with the banter between the crew, ribbing smooth-talking rescue technician T.F. Cooper (Jones) by questioning his contribution to the ship. Like Dr. Weir, however, Miller is carrying a secret pain. He’s wracked by guilt at having left behind a young bosun, Edmund Corrick (Noah Huntley), a decision that has haunted him ever since and driven him to be the efficient commander he is today, expecting nothing less than the highest standard from his crew. As his second-in-command, he expects a lot from communications officer Lieutenant M.L. Starck (Richardson). As their situation worsens, his demands for answers become more forceful, though Miller’s reluctant to entertain her theory that the Event Horizon brought back some lifeforce from wherever it’s been. As Miller is tormented by visions of Corrick and witnesses that suffering of his crew, he directs his grief and anger towards Dr. Weir and the two quickly clash since Dr. Weir comes to be mesmerised and possessed by the ship and Miller’s efforts to escape are constantly thwarted by forces beyond his comprehension. Eventually, Miller’s forced to see that Starck was right and that something has tainted the ship, especially as its influence drives his crew to hysteria and costs him his beloved Lewis and Clarke.

Things go from bad to worse as the ship’s evil influence tortures the crew with visions.

Upon first reaching the Event Horizon, the crew find it to be an ice-cold “tomb” devoid of all life signs (despite driving their scanners crazy) and filled with an ominous dread. When Justin investigates the Gravity Drive, the ship suddenly comes to life; the core (or “gateway”) opens and sucks him in and, though Cooper rescues him, Justin is left catatonic and the Lewis and Clarke is badly damaged. While Smitty works around the clock to repair the damage and the crew risk suffocation aboard the Event Horizon, Peters toils through the ship’s log and is dismayed to find Captain John Kilpack (Peter Marinker) and his crew were driven to a macabre insanity, slaughtering and mutilating ach other in a gore-drenched orgy, the remains of which are still plastered to the ship’s walls. Dr. Weir’s nightmares also come to him while he’s awake. He sees visions of Claire’s eyeless face and hears her voice whispering to him and is enthralled by the Gravity Drive, which slowly influences his decisions and turns him against the crew, dismissing their claims and concerns and causing Smitty to fly at him in a rage. Following a disturbing seizure in which he warns of the impending arrival of “The Dark”, the traumatised Justin is compelled to enter an airlock and kill himself to avoid going back there. To the horror of his crew, Justin is almost killed by decompression, though Miller gets him back in the ship and their resident doctor, the grim-faced D.J. (Isaacs), stabilises him. With Justin sedated in a stasis tank, D.J. is forced to reveal that Kilpack’s distress call, which consisted of Latin, was actually a warning to others to “save [themselves] from Hell”. Though neither Miller or D.J. are the religious type, it seems something evil has latched onto the ship and their situation only worsens when Dr. Weir sabotages their escape plan by blowing up the Lewis and Clarke with an emergency explosive, killing Smitty in the process and trapping the survivors on what is now clearly a very haunted ship.

The ominous Event Horizon transforms Dr. Weir into its demonic agent.

The Event Horizon is the primary antagonist of the film. A needlessly ominous, gothic ship, it looms in space like a haunted cathedral and creates a foreboding presence with its dark, claustrophobic hallways, abundance of spikes and chilling silence, to say nothing of the remnants of Kilpack’s gory orgy the crew eventually find. From the moment the crew step onboard, the ship influences them; not only do Miller and Dr. Weir hear and see their worst fears but Peters is routinely tormented by visions of her infirm son, Denny (Barclay Wright). These are so traumatic that she refuses to work in the medical room, much less alone, and later drive her to a tragic and brutal death when she chases what she thinks is Denny around the Gravity Drive and takes a fatal fall in the process. Of course, the Event Horizon has the greatest influence on Dr. Weir, arguably getting inside his head before he even reaches his beloved ship. Once onboard, his visions intensify; he’s already very protective of the ship and comes up with quasi-logical explanations for the strange events happening, but the crew don’t buy it. Eventually, the ship forces him to relive Claire’s suicide and he’s driven completely off the deep end; he comes to see the ship as “home” and gouges out his eyes, leaving him a half-crazed, demonic figure who coldly destroys the Lewis and Clarke. Miller is deeply affected by Smitty’s death but this explosion also flings Cooper out into space; however, thinking fast, the jovial rescuer blows his air tank and jets back to the Event Horizon. However, he finds Dr. Weir determined to reactivate the Gravity Drive and return to whatever lies beyond. It’s not clear where, exactly the Event Horizon has been; even Dr. Weir doesn’t know where the Gravity Drive leads to. Kilpack dubs the space between dimensions as “Hell”, a name that sticks even for the scarified, possessed Dr. Weir. Rather than jumping from one point in space to another, the Event Horizon punched a hole in reality itself and ventured to “a dimension of pure chaos… pure evil”. While there, the ship was infected by the dimension’s influence and drove its crew mad, apparently gaining a level of sentience and satiating itself on taking their lives (and, presumably, their souls). Accordingly, it delights in torturing Miller and his crew with their worst fears and toying with its prey. It constantly creates roadblocks, forcing them aboard and then trapping them there, intent on dragging the survivors back to Hell to expose them to even more macabre sights and suffering.

The Nitty-Gritty:
Although Anderson may have sought to move away from being compared to Alien, the sci-fi/horror classic’s influence is greatly felt in Event Horizon. For one thing, this is a very gritty, “lived-in” sci-fi world. The controls and technology and aesthetic of the Lewis and Clarke, in particular, are very low-tech, full of buttons and exposed gears, and her crew are very much analogous to the Nostromo’s complement of “truckers in space”. These are working-class space farers, paid a minimum wage and doing the best they can with obsolete technology, and their down-and-dirty attitude makes them very relatable characters who are easy to root for. Miller can be a bit uptight, but he has a great rapport with his crew, even if he gives Starck a hard time more often than not. D.J. is their more sullen crew mate, bluntly introducing himself and even threatening Smitty with a scalpel when he rages at Dr. Weir for perverting the laws of physics. Smitty and Cooper are the most grounded of the crew; however, whereas Cooper is cheerful and fancies himself a ladies’ man, Smitty is more gruff and would rather leave as soon as possible. Honestly, I’m so glad Cooper survived as he’s a fantastic character. He calls Dr. Weir out on his bullshit, earning himself a dressing down from Miller, and brings some infectious levity through his ridiculous return to the ship, which always makes me grin. Peters was perhaps the least interesting for me but she’s given emotional depth through her clear love for her son, while Starck was just trying to be pragmatic and keep her cool. Smitty and Starck immediately sense the bad vibes from the Event Horizon, a ship bathed in a perpetual thunderstorm courtesy of Neptune and constantly seeped in ominous darkness. All too late, Miller turns on the ship, ready to escape and blow it to pieces, only to be scuppered by the cruel-hearted Dr. Weir and his crew picked off one at a time by the ship’s visions or Dr. Weir’s mad designs.

The macabre, gory imagery and effects are especially disturbing, even in brief flashes.

Describing Event Horizon as a haunted house in space is extremely apt, but it’d also be just as fitting to dub it “Hellraiser (Barker, 1987) in space”. In this latter regard, the film performs exceedingly well, offering a far more entertaining and disturbing experience than the actual Hellraiser in space we got. There’s a constant sense of dread as the crew wanders the ship’s dark and claustrophobic corridors. Flashes of lightning reveal disgusting gore on the walls and the frenetic ship logs offer but a taste of the horrors Kilpack and his crew endured while in Hell. The Event Horizon itself is a menacing construction; there’s no reason for it to be as long or intimidating as it is, and yet the Gravity Drive is protected by a “meatgrinder” corridor and full of spikes, creating an unsettling vibe even before the gateway opens. Obviously, there is some dated CGI and green screen effects, most notably in rendering the gateway and when the crew are wandering around the frigid, zero-g interior of the Event Horizon. However, the film makes up for this was some incredible set design (again, everything feels very Alien and suffocating in its aesthetic) and practical effects. Unfortunately, due to studio mangling, we’re denied seeing the full extent of Hell’s wrath and exactly what Dr. Weir does to D.J. but the horror of the unknown lands just as hard. When the scarified Dr. Weir assaults Miller in the finale, he forces Miller to see visions of his crew being raped, tortured, mutilated, and brutalised in Hell. Maggots, scenes of D.J. being strung up in a blood eagle, and flashes of Starck, Justin, and Cooper being flailed and impaled bombard Miller (and the audience) like a fever dream. It’s a disturbing cacophony of frenzied editing, but it works since it forces you to experience Miller’s visions as he’s being shown them. The makeup effects on Dr. Weir are particularly gruesome; first, he tears his eyes out and is left a mutilated, taunting villain obsessed with taking Miller and his crew to Hell. Then, after being blown out of the ship, he’s returned as a completely naked, demonic entity covered in weeping scars, completing his transformation into the personification of the ship’s evil.

Though Miller sacrifices himself to stop Dr. Weir, the ending suggests the nightmare is far from over…

After working tirelessly to repair the Lewis and Clarke, Smitty is dismayed to learn that Dr. Weir has planted an explosive on the ship. Though he frantically searches for it, Smitty’s too late to deactivate it and is blown up with his beloved craft. Angered, Miller arms himself with a harpoon-like nail gun and prepares to make Dr. Weir pay for costing him his ship and his crew. Though he finds Starck alive, he’s left at the scarified Dr. Weir’s mercy, horrified to find the doctor has lost his mind and gouged his eyes out. Now completely consumed by the ship’s influence and determined to defend it at all costs, Dr. Weir activates the Gravity Drive, though he’s seemingly killed when he decompresses the bridge trying to kill Cooper. Miller gets Starck and Cooper to safety and concocts a plan to utilise the Event Horizon’s emergency lifeboat feature. As related by Dr. Weir earlier, the ship was designed to be split in half using explosives placed along its otherwise unreasonably long central corridor. After ordering Starck and Cooper to prepare the foredecks for their departer, leaving them to be assaulted by a very Shining (Kubrick, 1980) inspired torrent of blood, Miller is attacked by Corrick’s enflamed spirit and driven towards the Gravity Drive. There, he sees through the vision and is confronted by the now-demonic Dr. Weir. Subjected to horrifying visions and outmatched by the doctor’s augmented strength, Miller is left with no choice but to set off the explosives to deny Dr. Weir his full victory, sacrificing himself to the Hell dimension to save his crew. Many days later, the wreckage of the Event Horizon is discovered. However, the experience has left Starck traumatised and the film ends with the suggestion that the remains of the ship may be just as haunted as the half that was sucked back to Hell.

The Summary:
I discovered Event Horizon by accident. As a kid, I taped some other movie off the television and accidentally left the VHS running, recording the next movie, which just so happened to be this one. Despite not being into horror back then, I gave it a watch and was immediately enthralled and, to this day, Event Horizon is one of my all-time favourite, go-to horrors. I love the aesthetic of this movie, with its lived-in, gritty, clunky technology and the depiction of Miller and his crew as average Joes caught up in a nightmare they wanted no part of. Laurence Fishburne makes for a great, hard-assed leading man but he’s bolstered by some of Hollywood’s most underrated character actors. Sean Pertwee is always a delight and he’s great as the outspoken Smitty; Jason Isaacs brings a quiet intensity to D.J. who’s just barely keeping his shit together; but the standout was Richard T. Jones as Cooper. He’s just such an infectious and charismatic personality that steals every scene he’s in with his cocksure bravado and blunt honesty. Sam Neill also puts in a great performance as the haunted Dr. Weir; this is a man wracked with guilt who seems on the verge of suicide, and yet who sees the Event Horizon as a second chance. While he’s initially shocked and dismayed by the horrors and death that infest the ship, Dr. Weir is mesmerized by its influence and comes to protect and even love it, willing to butcher Miller’s crew to satisfy his creation’s macabre lust. The horror on offer here is palpable; the Event Horizon is a menacing presence throughout and looms over every scene, seemingly watching and infecting the characters’ every movement. It’s a shame we’ll never see the full extent of the gory visuals but the film works incredibly well despite that. The brief, frantic bombardment of torture and death are enough to hammer home how desolate and wicked Hell is and there’s still plenty of gore on offer. The fantastic use of disturbing practical effects, the unsettling depiction of Justin’s decompression, and Dr. Weir’s transformation into an eloquent and cruel demonic sadistic all make Event Horizon an unnerving and terrifying cult classic. With great performances, some incredible visuals and set design, and a truly frightening premise, Event Horizon will always be highly recommended by me and, if you haven’t seen it or want to see Hellraiser in space done right, now’s the time to change that!

My Rating:

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Great Stuff

Have you ever seen Event Horizon? Do you agree that it’s an under-rated cult horror classic? What did you think to the visuals, the gothic construction of the titular ship, and the foreboding atmosphere? Which member of the crew was your favourite? What did you think to Dr. Weir’s descent into demonic insanity and Miller’s selfless sacrifice? Would you like to see the excised footage full restored to this movie? I’m always happy to talk about Event Horizon so please leave your thoughts below and go check out my other horror content across the site!

Back Issues [Brightest Month]: Showcase #22

Dr. K1 Comment

Although February 2014 was dubbed “Green Lantern Day” (because, by the American calendar, the date read as “2814”, the sector of space assigned to Earth in DC Comics), the significance of this date has passed as the years have changed. Instead, as perhaps the most popular iteration of the character, Hal Jordan, first appeared in October of 1959, I’m choosing to dedicate every Sunday of October to the Green Lantern Corps!

Story Titles: “S.O.S. Green Lantern”, “Secret of the Flaming Spear”, and “Menace of the Runaway Missile”
Published: October 1959
Writer: John Broome
Artist: Gil Kane

The Background:
In July 1940, Martin Nodell and Bill Finger introduced readers of All-American Comics to Alan Scott, the very first Green Lantern. Far from an intergalactic lawman, Alan was a magically empowered railroad engineer who became a regular fixture of the title and DC Comics’ first super team, the Justice Society of America (JSA). However, after Gardner Fox, Harry Lampert, and Julius Schwartz successfully reinvented the Flash in 1956, a new green-hued superhero began operating under the codename Green Lantern in 1956. Re-envisioned as fighter pilot Harold “Hal” Jordan, the Green Lantern concept was drastically reimagined to incorporate a science-fiction slant, and Hal later became he de facto Green Lantern after the universe-shattering Crisis on Infinite Earths (Wolfman, et al, 1985 to 1986) saw Alan Scott and his teammates briefly banished from DC continuity. A hotshot pilot with an eye for the ladies, Hal fully represented the Green Lantern Corps. He opposed tyranny in all its forms, even making an enemy of his tyrannical mentor, Thaal Sinestro, helped found the Justice League of America, and even formed an unlikely partnership with liberal spokesman Oliver Queen/Green Arrow. Widely regarded as the greatest Green Lantern of all time, Hal isn’t without his flaws; his despair at seeing his hometown obliterated by Hank Henshaw/Cyborg-Superman, saw him infested by the malevolent entity Parallax and briefly become a genocidal madman before being redeemed and retaking his place as the premier Green Lantern. This reputation means that Hal is popularly the go-to character whenever Green Lantern appears outside of comics. He’s appeared in numerous videogames and cartoons, even if just to characterise other Green Lanterns, and was the main character of the much maligned live-action adaptation. 

The Review:
If there’s one thing Hal Jordan is known for in his role as the greatest Green Lantern, it’s his ability to overcome great fear and this is emphasised on the first page of his first-ever story, when we’re introduced to “ace test pilot” Jordan who has a reputation for his “remarkable lack of fear”. It’s this quality that fatally wounded Green Lantern Abin Sur seeks after his spacecraft crash-lands in “Southwest U.S.A.”. Summoning the remains of his strength, the dying alien wills his Battery of Power – the titular green lantern – to seek out a worthy successor, one who is without fear, and sends an emerald-hued energy beam across the globe in search of the perfect candidate. Over at the Ferris Aircraft Company, hotshot test pilot Hal Jordan is tinkering with a “flightless trainer” (presumably some kind of simulator to train space pilots) when he and the craft and bathed in a green glow and, to his astonishment, blasted away at high speed to Abin’s crash site. There, Hal is momentarily stunned to behold the purple-skinned alien, who telepathically welcomes him and begs that he listen to his instructions for the green lantern, which is a weapon against injustice utilised by space-patrolmen across the galaxy. Although Hal is eager to help Abin and save his life, the alien waves off his concerns, accepting the inevitability of his death, and confirms that the lantern chose a worthy successor. 

Hotshot test pilot Hal Jordan is bequeathed a dying alien’s ring and becomes Green Lantern.

Abin then uses what little time he has left to share how his ship was unexpectedly battered by Earth’s radiation bands and he was momentarily blinded and left powerless by the flashing yellow lights. He goes on to relate that, for all the green lantern’s great power, it contains an “impurity” that renders it useless against anything tinted yellow, and that the power ring that channels the green lantern’s awesome might must be charged every twenty-four hours. Abin then hands Hal his ring, begs him to carry on the good fight, and promptly dies, much to Hal’s sorrow. On Abin’s instruction, Hal takes the alien’s slick, form-fitting uniform, tests the ring’s power by wiling a nearby cliff into the air, and vows to oppose evil in all its forms as Green Lantern. The issue’s next story, “Secret of the Flaming Spear”, introduces us to Carol Ferris, daughter of Carl Ferris, and Hal’s boss. Although she doesn’t approve of Hal’s tardiness, she’s more than wiling to go on a date with him, but their intimacy is cut short when pilot Frank Nichols suddenly calls in an S.O.S. when the controls of his experimental plane, the titular Flaming Spear, seize up on him. Feeling partially responsible since Frank’s only up there due to him being unavailable, and realising he has the power to intervene, Hal ditches Carol and utters a sacred oath before the green lantern: “In brightest day, in blackest night, no evil shall escape my sight. Let those who worship evil’s might beware my power… Green Lantern’s light!” Fully empowered, Hal takes to the skies as Green Lantern through sheer fore of will (noting how strange it is to fly without a plane) and easily guides Frank to safety using a burst of energy from his power ring. 

For all his power, Green Lantern can’t affect anything yellow or influence Carol’s heart.

However, on closer inspection of the Flaming Spear, Green Lantern realises that the incident was no accident. Radiation caused the controls to freeze, so Green Lantern uses his ring to follow the lingering radiation to its source, a group of saboteurs holed up in a house not far off. Like his predecessor, Green Lantern phases through the wall of their hideout and confronts them, intercepting their bullets in mid-air but being briefly knocked out when the lead saboteur tosses a yellow lamp at his face. His pride hurt more than his body, Green Lantern recovers and chases after them, only to find they’re making a getaway in a yellow car. Although Green Lantern can’t affect the car directly, he does burst the tyres by conjuring hard-light ice picks with his power ring, wrangling the saboteurs with energy lassos so they can be apprehended by the authorities. When Hal returns to Ferris Aircraft, he finds Carl and Carol delighted at Green Lantern’s actions and that Carl is planning to take a two year leave of absence to go travelling, during which time he officially names Carol as his worthy successor. Carol takes the promotion very seriously, immediately shutting down any romantic involvement with Hal and leaving him to ponder the quandary that his ring can perform any miracle…except win the heart of his love interest. This irony continues in the final story, “Menace of the Runaway Missile”, where Hal wows his colleagues with his fearless testing of a rocket-sled. While Hal has the bravery to endure the intense speed and g-force of the sled, he struggles to find the courage to ask Carol out, especially after she knocked him back. He decides the best way to win her over is to invade her personal space, call her “Honey”, and be overly pushy in asking her out to dinner. Carol maintains her cold demeanour, however, and not only rejects him but also states she has a more pressing appointment at the charity ball, an event with an exclusive guest list that doesn’t include a nobody like Hal. 

Green Lantern captures a wayward scientist, but both his personas end up in Carol’s bad books,

However, Carol lets slip that the mysterious Green Lantern is invited to the ball, so Hal decides that Carol is going to go on a date with him whether she’s aware of it or not. He attends the ball as Green Lantern and spends the whole night dancing with Carol, much to her excitement. Ironically, Carol’s thoughts reveal that she did harbour feelings for Hal and thought they would end up together, but the masked enigma has got her heart skipping a beat and, when Green Lantern leans in for a kiss, she responds eagerly, completely smitten. Unfortunately, at that exact moment, a yellow-hued missile comes baring down on Coast City, catching Green Lantern’s eye and forcing him to abandon Carol mid-kiss, much to her outrage. Upon inspecting the titular runaway missile, Green Lantern discovers it’s armed with an atomic warhead, but he’s unable to stop it because his ring is powerless against yellow. Conveniently, however, the missile’s tip is red, so Green Lantern constructs an elaborate net to catch the missile, which an Army Colonel informs him is not U.S. Army property nor does it contain the deadly payload Hal suspected. The two deduce that the missile’s true target was a hydrogen facility, so Green Lantern questions local aircraft spotters to find the source of the attack, an elaborate facility concealed by a forest. Phasing inside, Green Lantern confronts the man responsible, the maniacal Doctor Parris, who’s amazed when the Ring-slinger turns his high-powered battering ram into water and collars him without breaking a sweat. A lengthy interrogation from the Colonel reveals that Dr. Parris allowed ambition to overpower his reason. Desperate to harness the secret of “H-Power” first, he sought to eliminate his competition, only to now be faced with a lengthy jail sentence. Green Lantern’s victory is short lived, however, as Carol spurns him for not “losing himself” to their kiss, accusing him of not being as into the moment as she was, meaning both Hal’s identities are left in the doghouse by the issue’s end! 

The Summary:
Showcase #22 doesn’t waste any time when it comes to telling Hal’s origin. Alan Scott’s origin story was longer than Hal’s, the bulk of which is taken up by exposition from Abin Sur as he delivers a soliloquy about the green lantern, its limitations, and his expectations for his successor. Unlike later revisions of Hal’s origin, there is no lengthy montage of Hal training with the Green Lantern Corps to be found here. Indeed, there’s barely a mention of the peacekeeping space cops to be found here, and Hal’s place in the grand scheme of the universe is largely cast aside the moment Abin Sur dies as Hal commits to defend Earth from evil, rather than the universe. It’s interesting, then, that John Broome and Gil Kane chose to so radically alter the nature of the Green Lantern for this revision. They lean more towards the science-fiction aspects of the character, but don’t commit to it, meaning we get no space-faring action here and everything is very grounded, which is a shame as I think one of these stories could’ve explored that. Thus, it’s fitting that I compared Hal to Alan in their shared methods of entering buildings with their phasing ability as Showcase #22 is essentially a retelling of Alan’s origin but expanded upon and tweaked here and there. Rather than the Green Flame informing Alan of his abilities, it’s Abin Sur telepathically giving Hal a crash course on the lantern; both channel the lantern’s power through a ring, the lantern comes from space, and the power is fuelled by both willpower and a twenty-four-hour charge limit. Hal also tests the ring’s abilities in similar ways, flying and phasing at will, but expands upon this by conjuring hard-light constructs, immediately demonstrating his greater degree of creativity compared to Alan, though Hal also has an equally arbitrary and ridiculous weakness. At least Showcase #22 makes a partial effort to explain the yellow impurity as an inherent flaw in the power battery. This would, of course, be elaborated upon to a dramatic degree decades later, but it’s just as illogical a weakness as Alan’s vulnerability to wood and leads to absurd scenarios where this all-powerful space cop is felled by a lamp or powerless against anything remotely yellow, which I guess is supposed to say something about the infallibility of even great cosmic power and the ingenuity of the Green Lanterns, but it just looks a bit silly, especially here. 

Hal’s relationship with Carol is uncomfortable and detrimental to both characters.

Although Showcase #22 doesn’t include any supervillains, or even Hal’s mentor-turned-villain Sinestro, and little in the way of a physical challenge for Hal, it does introduce many elements that became synonymous with the character. Chief among these are his reputation for being fearless, his vaulted skill as a test pilot and the arrogance and unreliability that comes with this, and his love interest, Carol Ferris. An independent and strong-willed woman, Carol doesn’t make life easy for Hal. She makes him work for her affections, expecting better from him at work and as a man, but immediately puts an end to any inappropriate flirtations once she’s promoted. Hal’s pursuit of Carol seems a bit undercooked here; his interest in her seems purely based on her looks and appeal as an authority figure since he never mentions anything he likes about her personality. Carol seems equally shallow in her reluctant attraction towards him, basically being interested purely because there’s no one better around, especially at work. Just as I was beginning to admire Carol’s no-nonsense attitude, she does a complete turnaround into full lovelorn Lois Lane the moment she’s face-to-face with Green Lantern. Excited by the masked man’s mystery, she melts into his arms and gives in to the allure, only to turn on him because his eyes weren’t closed during their kiss! The romance between the two, and the shaky attempt at a love triangle, feels tacked on and cheap. I definitely think it would’ve been better if Hal simply admired Carol for her strong will, feistiness, and no-nonsense attitude, with him only developing feelings for her during the ball and Carol’s inner monologue revealing that she secretly does want Hal, but is torn between her duty to her father and her heart, and is feeling conflicted since Green Lantern is so enigmatic. 

There’s a surprising lack of space action here and Hal’s a bit of a creep.

As I mentioned, it’s a bit of a shame that Showcase #22 doesn’t do more with its revised concept for Green Lantern. The origin is different, now firmly rooted in space and including aliens, the costume is way better (even with the useless domino mask), and we of course get the iconic Green Lantern oath and more creativity with the ring’s abilities, but it all feels a bit wasted as the stories are stuck on Earth. Hal isn’t facing anything more challenging than saboteurs and jealous scientists, who only cause him troubles because they just happen to utilise yellow in their schemes. If the lamp, car, and missile had been any other colour, Green Lantern would’ve neutralised these threats even faster, meaning the yellow impurity is simply a contrivance that honestly makes Hal look like an idiot as much as it showcases his adaptability. Hal definitely has to think a little outside the box on two occasions to stop the saboteurs getting away and halt the runaway missile, but apprehending Dr. Parris is a cakewalk for him since there’s no yellow involved, meaning Hal’s greatest obstacles in these stories come from his civilian life and his pursuit of Carol. This could be an intriguing aspect, showing that this all-powerful superhero is powerless in matters of the heart, were it not for how down-right creepy Hal acts towards Carol in “Menace of the Runaway Missile”. He’s a pushy, insistent, misogynist who won’t take “no” for an answer, and even plots to mislead Carol into going on a date with him by wooing her as Green Lantern. The worst part is that this works, completely ruining Carol’s formally forth-right character and turning her into another Lois Lane, and really doesn’t make Hal a very appealing protagonist as he’s just so brash and arrogant whenever he puts the “moves” on Carol. I was very surprised by this, and it did spoil the remainder of the issue, which features some bright, colourful art and makes Green Lantern immediately more visually interesting than his predecessor. I’ve never been a fan of Hal Jordan, though, and his debut issue didn’t do much to change that, casting him as a fearless flyboy whose questionable pursuit of Carol clashes with his righteous battle against evil, which was as disappointing to see as the lack of space-based action. 

My Rating:

Rating: 2 out of 5.

Could Be Better

Have you ever read Hal Jordan’s debut issue? What did you think to the revisions made to the Green Lantern mythos? Were you surprised by how pushy Hal was towards Carol? Would you have liked to see at least one of these stories be set in space? What are some of your favourite Hal Jordan stories and where does he rank for you in the Green Lantern hierarchy? How are you celebrating Green Lantern this month? Whatever you think about Hal Jordan, and the Green Lantern Corps, leave them down below  and be sure to check out my other Green Lantern content. 

Mini Game Corner [00-Heaven]: James Bond 007: The Duel (Mega Drive)

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To celebrate the release of Dr. No (Young, 1962), the first of the James Bond movies (Various, 1962 to present), October 5th is known as “Global James Bond Day”. This year, I’m spending every Saturday commemorating cinema’s longest-running franchise, and one of the most recognised and popular movie icons.

Released: December 1992
Developer: The Kremlin
Also Available For: Game Gear and Master System

A Brief Background:
Although videogame tie-ins have a reputation for being rushed, bugged, and unfulfilling titles, James Bond/007 seems to have fared quite well in videogame endeavours. Obviously, everyone knows about the best-selling GoldenEye 007 (Rare, 1997), but Bond’s headlined videogame titles since 1983. He’s featured in racers and adventure games, but is most notable for this third- and first-person escapades. In 1987, Timothy Dalton took over the famous role, starring in two reasonably successful, if polarising, Bond movies. Although Dalton signed a three-picture deal, legal issues stunted his return and he was ultimately replaced in the role, though his likeness was used for this videogame, the first Bond game to feature an original storyline. Developers the Kremlin and publisher Domark actually had previous experience adapting Bond’s adventures, but James Bond 007: The Duel attracted mixed reviews that criticised its short length, repetitive gameplay, and sharp difficulty curve.

My Review:
James Bond 007: The Duel is a 2D, sidescrolling run-and-gun with mild platforming elements. Naturally, players assume the role of the famous super spy and are tasked with journeying across five levels in the battle against Professor Gravemar, a maniacal terrorist who not only threatens the world with his satellites but has built a cloning machine to resurrect Bond’s greatest enemies as his personal guard. After an absolutely awful pixel art rendition of Timothy Dalton, garish title screen, and mildly impressive MIDI recreation of the iconic Bond theme, players can customise their controls, pick from three difficulty levels (“Normal”, “Hard”, and “Manic”), or play the game’s tunes in the sound test. By default, A sees Bond jump (with 007 frequently performing an impressive and wholly uncharacteristic somersault), B sees him shoot his signature Walther PPK, and C tosses any grenades he acquires from Q Cases hidden in each level. Bond’s combat and traversal options are a bit limited; he can climb ladders, shoot diagonally up and down and whilst on ladders or when jumping or crouching (though he can’t shoot straight up or down). Furthermore, he flies backwards comically when shot, takes fall damage and will even die if he falls from a great enough height, and has frames of animation when ducking or picking up ammo and items that leaves him wide open to attack.

Bond’s mission to rescue hostages on a garish ship was too tough for me to beat.

Each mission is preceded by a map screen of the professor’s private, heavily guarded island. After flying in on the Thunderball (Young, 1965) jetpack, Bond must navigate a large ship rescuing hostages. On “Normal”, Bond starts with four lives and must rescue three hostages (all scantily clad babes); he has limited ammo, reloading his gun when he runs out, and his health is measured in hit points. Players can replenish Bond’s health by rescuing hostages, and every goon they gun down and mission they complete will earn them points to increase their standing on the high score table. Unfortunately, there’s no indication of where the hostages are, so you’ll need to search high and low, hopping from platforms and lifeboats and avoiding falls, being shot to death, or being crushed by a falling submersible. Thankfully, there’s no time limit and any hostages you’ve rescued will stay rescued if you lose a life. Unfortunately, while you have unlimited continues and hidden checkpoints in each level, you’ll have to replay the stage from the start if you use a continue. Bond can hide in doorways to avoid enemies and bullets by pressing up and, though his sprite isn’t very detailed and lacks idle animations, Bond does switch his gun between his hands when you turn from left to right. Enemies appear to respawn as you play and, once you rescue all the hostages, you’ll need to find a bomb and then frantically search for the exit against a tight one-minute timer. Sadly, I wasn’t able to achieve this; although I found an optimal route to rescue the hostages and defuse the bomb, I would either slip and fall to my death or be throttled and tossed to my doom by the brutish Jaws before I could even find the exit.

Later levels see Bond braving deadly hazards and battling his most famous foes.

James Bond 007: The Duel has a strange presentation. It’s very bright and colourful, with a jaunty soundtrack, and the backgrounds remind me of James Pond 2: Codename: RoboCod (Vectordean, Intellectual Software, Consultants Limited, 1991), which is a strange fit for Bond. The background scrolls as you move but is otherwise completely static; it also shifts up and down as you hold those directions, which can be quite disorientating. You need be careful not to fall into the water as, while you can grab ladders to climb out, the current will take you towards a frenzy of sharks. I gave the game a good shot, but it can be very unforgiving; if you’re shot, Bond is so slow to get up and often aims diagonally downwards rather than crouching, meaning it’s easy to get stun-locked in a continuous cycle of being shot at until you’re killed. With no passwords or cheat codes to mitigate the difficulty, and the level forcing you to restart from scratch when your lives are exhausted, I was neither able to defeat or bypass Jaws in this playthrough. Looking ahead, it seems more competent players can beat the game in about twenty minutes and Bond will traverse vines, dodge spike pits, battle Baron Samedi (who tosses bones at you) and encounter a massive futuristic tank in the jungle, avoid being roasted alive by lava and fireballs and encounter Mayday (who launches at you with flying kicks) and a claw-machine in a volcano, and gun down scientists, dodge flame bursts and take down Oddjob (who tosses his hat a painfully short distance) and a flame-shooting mech in the shuttle base. The game’s final level is dedicated to a boss battle against Jaws. Yes, rather than take on the mad Professor Gravemar, Bond faced Jaws once more, with the brute now piloting a mech that spits grenades and sports a scorpion-like tail. Defeating Jaws earns you another terrible piece of sprite art and a brief credits sequence, with no story text being included in the game at any point.

I know that James Bond 007: The Duel was only a mediocre title, at best, but I suddenly felt the urge to add it to my Mega Drive library and give it a go. I was hoping it would be a tough, but generally enjoyable platform shooter than I could maybe breeze through using a cheeky infinite health code or abusing the infinite continues, but it sadly didn’t go that way. This is a game that requires a great deal of patience and persistence from the player; I have no doubt that I probably could do better with a little more time, but the lack of passwords means you basically have to complete it in one sitting, which isn’t an appealing prospect. Although the game looks good, it has a very confused presentation; the large pixel art is dreadful, the locations are garish and cartoonish, but Bond and his enemies look pretty good despite their lack of detail. I liked seeing Bond’s enemies pop back up and little Easter Eggs like the jetpack and the map screen changing as you progress, but the gameplay is very clunky and repetitive. Every level requires the same functions from you (rescue hostages, disarm bomb, reach exit, battle bosses) with no variety beyond a greater emphasis on vertical exportation. Perhaps with a little more to do, some additional weapons, and some useful codes, James Bond 007: The Duel could’ve impressed me more but as is, it’s a little too punishing for me to sink my teeth into right now. But perhaps you’ve beaten it. Perhaps you enjoy it as a hidden gem for the Mega Drive. Perhaps you had no difficulty blasting through it and besting Bond’s resurrected baddies. Perhaps you think I should try harder or give the 8-bit version a try. Perhaps you prefer a different Bond game. Whatever you think, drop a comment below.

Game Corner: Resident Evil Village: Gold Edition (Xbox Series X)

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Released: 28 October 2022
Originally Released: 7 May 2021
Developer: Capcom
Also Available For: Nintendo Switch, PC/Mac, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Stadia, Steam, Xbox One, Xbox Series S

The Background:
Helmed by Shinji Mikami, Resident Evil (Capcom, 1996) was a seminal title for the up-and-coming PlayStation, one whose focus on atmospheric horror and resource management popularised the “survival-horror” subgenre. A critical and commercial success, Resident Evil was quickly followed by a numerous sequels that continued to refine the gameplay, add to the lore, and be equally successful. After a troubled development, Mikami re-invented (and once again re-defined) the genre with the ridiculously successful Resident Evil 4 (Capcom Production Studio 4, 2005), though Capcom soon drew heavy criticism for over-relying on an increasingly action-orientated and over the top presentation. Thus, Capcom shook the franchise up again with Resident Evil VII: Biohazard (Capcom, 2017), which took the series in an all-new direction, featured an immersive first-person perspective, and introduced new mechanics and lore that would impact subsequent releases. Although Resident Evil VII was a critical and commercial success, development of an eighth instalment began about a year and a half before VII released. Inspired by Resident Evil 4, the developers purposely focused on a village as the central location and sought to create a balance between combat, exploration, and puzzle-solving. In addition to tying up the story of VII’s protagonist, Ethan Winters, the developers aimed to encourage exploration with an ever-shifting, more open-world environment and drew from gothic horror to design the game’s new werewolf-like enemies. Resident Evil VIII’s marketing heavily focused on Lady Alcina Dimitrescu, a towering, alluring, vampiric figure whose sex appeal helped boost interest in the game, which led to over three million copies being shipped within the first four days alone. The game’s new direction and ties to Resident Evil 4 were praised, as was the gameplay variety and emphasis on exploration, though the bosses and puzzles drew some criticism. Still, the game was a hit, more than justifying the release of additional downloadable content (DLC) within the following year. All of this DLC, which included additional gameplay modes and an epilogue story, was then made available on this Gold Edition release.

The Plot:
Three years after escaping the Baker family, Ethan Winters faces an all-new terror when his infant daughter, Rose, is kidnapped by Mother Miranda, the fanatical leader of a cult-like coven, after being seemingly betrayed by Chris Redfield.

Gameplay:
Like its predecessor, Resident Evil Village (stylised as Resident Evil VII.I.age) is a first-person survival/horror title in which players are again placed into the bland, faceless shoes of Ethan Winters, easily the franchise’s dullest character. Ethan has been fleshed out a little more this time around, though, to be fair. Between games, he and wife Mia have relocated, starting their lives anew with baby Rose; he has much more to say and far more agency this time around since he’s trying to rescue (and restore) his baby daughter; and he’s a little more competent after his experiences in the last game. If it’s been a while since you played Resident Evil VII, you can watch a helpful recap before setting up your subtitle, screen, and sound settings and, thanks to this Gold Edition of the game, you can play in third-person mode, which was my preference. Resident Evil Village offers four control setups, but the default is serviceable enough. You aim with the Left Trigger, guard against enemy attacks with the Left Bumper (with successful timing shoving enemies away), shoot with the Right Trigger, use a recovery item (such as First Aid Med) with the Right Bumper (a godsend in sticky situations), examine points of interest and pick things up with A, reload with X, and open your inventory with Y. By default, B does nothing except perform a quick turn in conjunction with the left stick, which can also be pressed in to break into a run. Pressing in the right stick allows you to crouch behind cover or through tunnels and small gaps, and you can switch weapons using the directional pad, with four different weapons able to be applied to this weapon “wheel”. There are also options to adjust aim assist, the intensity of the damage display, onscreen tutorials, and how much of the heads-up display is visible, allowing you to customise a more cinematic experience if you wish.

Craft health and ammo and purchase new items and upgrades from the Duke.

There are three difficulty settings to choose from at the start of the game, with a fourth, “Village of Shadows”, unlocked after beating the game on any difficulty. Naturally, the harder the difficulty, the tougher the enemies will be, with even basic foes tearing your throat out in a few hits on “Hardcore” difficulty. Unlike in the classic Resident Evil titles, there are no fourth dimensional Item Boxes here. You’ll need to combine and craft items to save inventory space, or spend the Lei dropped by enemies or found in destructible crates to expand your carry capacity. Yes, the crafting system is back; by finding items such as herbs and gunpowder, Ethan can craft recovery items, ammunition, and even explosives like pipe bombs and mines. New “recipes” can be purchased from the game’s rotund merchant, the mysterious Duke, who will happily purchase any treasure you’ve found, sell you ammo, weapons, and healing items, and also tunes up your existing weapons to make them more powerful. If you kill local wildlife, you can bring the meat to the Duke to cook food that increases your movement speed, maximum health, and reduces the damage you take while defending, though the Duke’s prices increase over time and he can even sell out of items, so it’s best to keep an eye out for craftable pickups. I’d also recommend caution with your weapon choices; eventually, better weapons will become available and you can only carry so much, so it’s easy to invest a lot of money tuning up your default handgun only to then have to sell it for the stronger upgrade. You can buy back any weapons you sell, but you can’t remove any charms or attachable tools (such as the scope for the sniper rifle or the extra magazines) from your weapons, so I definitely think it’s better to wait for the W870 TAC shotgun to become available and spend your money upgrading that as opposed to the first shotgun you find.

Alongside some challenging combat, you’ll solve rudimentary puzzles and acquire elaborate keys.

In addition to a decent weapon selection to choose from, Ethan can also use his environment to fight back against the lycan-like enemies that infest the titular village. Explosive barrels will blow enemies away and can hold A to barricade doors with furniture against enemies. You can shoot them off rooftops, sometimes you’ll need to rapidly tap A to escape an enemy’s grasp, and some larger enemies will even attack their smaller cousins. Even on the “Standard” difficulty, Resident Evil VIII is pretty tough. You often have just enough on hand to survive an enemy onslaught, after which you’ll be in dire need of resources to fend off the next enemy encounter, so it’s worth searching every drawer and cupboard, even if many of these are empty. Luckily, your map will indicate any missed items in the local area; it highlights treasures, locked doors, and missed items. You can then backtrack when you have the right keys or the environment has altered to grant you access, and you can still find helpful files that flesh out the game’s lore, Mother Miranda’s connection to the Mold and the Umbrella Corporation, and provide clues or solutions to the game’s puzzles. These may be as simple as finding bolt cutters to break chains, using a key to unlock a door, or finding and entering combination codes, but also become a wild goose chase as you search for masks, examine items for keys or add-ons for existing keys, insert glass eyes into holes, awkwardly swing flaming lanterns, and pull levers to open doors. As ever, you can save your progress at any time using a typewriter. You don’t need to worry about ink ribbons here, and the game also includes an autosave function so you’ll respawn from checkpoints when you die, but I’d recommend making a couple of save files so you can backtrack for missing items or optional side quests as you’ll eventually reach a point where you can’t return to the village that acts as a central hub, of sorts.

While the game peaks early, there’s enough variety and intrigue to keep you hooked throughout.

Resident Evil Village tasks Ethan with venturing to four distinct areas from the titular village, which alters (along with the title screen) as the game progresses, becoming infested with tougher enemies, set on fire, and ransacked by the Mold. Each of these areas presents a unique, but also familiar, challenge; Lady Alcina Dimitrescu’s castle, for example, is very reminiscent of the original game’s ornate mansion, and Lady Dimitrescu herself patrols the hallways, pursuing you throughout the estate like her predecessors, Mr. X and Nemesis. When trapped in House Beneviento, Ethan loses all his gear to the childlike Donna Beneviento and her malevolent puppet, Angie, who force you to complete a series of puzzles, including finding items to investigate a mannequin, rearranging film cells, and searching for fuses, to escape and reclaim your items. The toad-like Salvatore Moreau dwells in a mine, one infested with slime-like pustules, outside a massive lake strewn with wreckage that you must cross, lowering and raising temporary platforms, to power up the generators. Finally, the rebellious Lord Karl Heisenberg dwells in rundown factory populated by horrific cybernetic monstrosities. Here, you’ll use the smelting equipment to craft key items to progress, take a maintenance lift, and battle Heisenberg’s cyborg creations. After defeating Heisenberg, you’ll take control of the far more capable Chris for an all-action infiltration of the village and the catacombs beneath it. Chris has better weapons on hand, utilises ample supply drops, and calls in air strikes by holding down RT,  making short work of Mother Miranda’s Mold defences and the hammer-wielding Uriaș who plagues Ethan so often in the main story.

Graphics and Sound:
It’s almost astounding how good Resident Evil VIII looks; the environments, especially, are moody, dank, and claustrophobic while also being genuinely creepy and unsettling, and the use of ambient noise, distant scratching and screaming, and sporadic music really adds to the tension. The level of detail is incredible at times, with Ethan panting and showing visible pain when low on health, blood splattering on his weapons, snow and frost ransacking the village, bullets and blood alike marking doors, windows, and the environment, and heads sporadically exploding in a shower of gore. Playing in third-person allows you to finally see Ethan’s character model, though he’s still just a guy, one whose face is oddly obscured no matter how much you wriggle the camera. Interestingly, many of the character models (basically anyone who isn’t Chris, who’s been redesigned once again) sport a shiny, uncanny look that makes them seem not quite real. This is fine for the monstrous enemies, but makes human characters a little unsettling to look at in the wrong lighting (though, admittedly, this may be due to the brightness settings I chose). Resident Evil VIII ventures towards the supernatural for many of its enemies, depicting werewolves, witches, and shambling wretches alongside cyborg brutes fitted with drill arms! If these get too close to you, you’re gonna be in for a bad time and treated to some gruesome death scenes, but it’s equally satisfying seeing them be blown to pieces by a well-timed grenade round.

There are some creepy and visually impressive locations beyond the titular, ever-changing village.

As you might’ve guessed from the game’s title, the village plays a prominent role here. It’s your central hub you’ll return to time and again and have to explore and defend throughout the story, housing a church, graveyard, ruins, rivers, and more. Largely barren due to the events taking place, there’s a constant dread hanging in the village that’s mirrored by its adjacent locations. While some areas (stately homes, mostly) are guilty of recycling assets such as ornaments and furniture, others are more visually unique and unsettling, such as the cyborg factory and the creepy doll’s house-like House Beneviento. Resident Evil VIII continues to move away from the futuristic laboratories of Umbrella and takes more cues from Resident Evil 4, bringing an Eastern European flavour back to the franchise. I’m actually surprised it didn’t try to harken back to the backwater locations of the last game. However, these are partially evoked in your encounter with Moreau and when the Mold starts bursting from the ground and overtaking the village, but it’s a tenuous link, at best. The game’s story is engaging enough and mostly related through in-game cutscenes that retain the first-person perspective. You’ll be falling or sent crashing through floors and walls, have your limbs and organs cut off or ripped out, and be constantly interrupted by surprise attacks or jump scares. Everything’s played very seriously here, with very few glib remarks from the increasingly tested Ethan, with the exception of Mother Miranda and her lieutenants, who are almost as over the top as the crazed Baker family from the last game. Sadly, much of their personality is lost when they transform into gigantic, boil-infested monstrosities as per Resident Evil tradition.

Enemies and Bosses:
In place of zombies, bio-organic weapons, parasite-infected villagers, and Mould creations, players battle werewolf-like lycans upon first entering the village. These snarling brutes are nimble and voracious, lunging for you and trying to tear your throat out and taking a fair few shots to be put down. A larger, armour-clad variant is also encountered, one that is better shielded from headshots, and bigger, more monstrous Vârcolacs pose a significant challenge if you’re caught unprepared. The spirit of the classic games is evoked through the shambling, sword-wielding Moroaicǎ, hooded, gaunt figures that rise from shallow water and attack in groups, while bat-like Samcas nest on the rooftops of Castle Dimitrescu. While the mindless Haulers are little more than cannon fodder in Heinsberg’s factory, his cyborg Soldats aren’t to be trifled with. Sporting up to two drill-like appendages and a variety of cybernetic armour, these lumbering walls of muscle can only be put down by blasting the exposed core on their chests, a task easier said than done when they attack in groups and are protected by quasi-mech suits. Most of the game’s more formidable enemies, like the Vârcolacs and Soldats, are introduced as mini bosses, giving you a chance to sample their abilities before they become commonplace and are joined by even stronger variants as the game progresses.

Monstrous and grotesque abominations are the order of the day, however unfitting some of them are.

The first boss you encounter is the aforementioned Uriaș; although it is technically possible to defeat him when he first appears, this isn’t necessary, you just need to survive until the plot progresses. Uriaș shows up as a proper boss twice during the main campaign; first, Ethan fights him in a confined space full of pillars to take cover behind. You’ll need to stay well clear of Uriaș’ giant hammer and leaping attack, and fend off the lycans for resources, preferably blasting him with your shotgun or grenade rounds to put him down. Uriaș also shows up when playing as Chris, but this fight is much easier as you simply need to target him for a few air strikes, surviving until he’s put down once more. As if frantically avoiding Lady Dimitrescu’s appearances isn’t bad enough, her three witch daughters – Bela, Daniela, and Cassandra – also haunt Castle Dimitrescu, appearing as a swarm of bugs that will whittle your health down and then taking physical form to dash at you with scythes. These three can only be made vulnerable by pulling switches or breaking windows to let in a blast of cold wind, with you constantly strafing to keep them in the cold, or pulling levers to keep the pressure on, while blasting at them until they turn to ash. Lady Dimitrescu herself cannot be harmed or killed when she’s pursuing you, but will transform into a massive, dragon-like bat-thing for a boss battle that sadly loses much of her visual appeal. The mutated Dimitrescu will stomp, charge, and try to eat you on the castle rooftop. Luckily, there are lots of resources on hand and her head is wide open for your shotgun blasts. When she flies into the distance, you can use the sniper rifle to shoot her down, repeating this process even as she forces you to take refuge higher up.

There are some unique elements to the bosses, though the later ones lack the iconography of earlier foes.

Donna Beneviento prefers to toy with you than take you on directly; her game of hide and seek will increasingly freak you out as the lights flicker and go out, the environment changes, and a massive, slug-like foetus thing lumbers down the narrow hallways of her doll’s house. To defeat her, you’ll need to track her doll, Angie, three times, ending her threat in a cutscene. This intense, genuinely creepy encounter is juxtaposed by the battle against the mutated Moreau, who transforms into a monstrous aquatic creature that lumbers around a drained lake, spitting and raining acid and thrashing its tail at you. Fortunately, there’s a lot of convenient cover to avoid damage and Moreau pops out to taunt you, allowing you to blast at him, though he’s certainly not an easy target despite his size. In Heinsberg’s factory, you’ll constantly run from Sturm, an armour-clad brute with a propeller mounted to his head! When you eventually battle him, it’s a tense affair as he crashes through walls and shoots flame bursts as you desperately try to hit the vent on his back. Heinsberg proves one of the more formidable of Mother Miranda’s lieutenants purely because of his mental control of metal, which allows him to constantly get the drop on you throughout the game. When Ethan finally reaches him, he’ll construct a massive, spider-like form for himself out of scrap metal, forcing Ethan to man a tank gifted to him by Chris. This made for a fun, action-packed battle where you fire a massive cannon and machine gun at Heinsberg’s glowing weak spots, until Heinsberg destroys your tank. Then, you frantically run around looking for ammo to blast him in the face until he whips you up in a tornado, which allows you to fire one last shot from the tank’s cannon and finish him off.

Alongside also battling Mother Miranda, Rose has her own boss battles to contend with.

With all of her lieutenants defeated, Mother Miranda attacks the village with tentacles and tree-like constructs of Mold, forcing you into a final confrontation that is easily the toughest of the game. Even with the Duke stationed nearby and some resources appearing in the enclosed arena, this is an uphill battle as Mother Miranda causes Mold to burst from the ground, quickly dashes about and swipes at you, traps you in pitch black and attacks in the blink of an eye, and spews lava and fireballs to whittle you down. Your best defense is a good offense; blast at her with everything you have, taking cover when you can and crafting as need be, until a scripted event is triggered, which requires you to hit RT to cut yourself free and finish her off. Well, not entirely, as you’ll fight her again at the conclusion of the “Shadow of Rose” DLC story. Although Mother Miranda has a similar attack pattern, your strategy for defeating her is very different as Rose must absorb her projectiles with LB and then press towards and B to unleash a Mold attack that stuns Mother Miranda long enough for you to blast her. She also goes into a full-blown rampage as a gigantic Mold beast, requiring you to make liberal use of the dodge and a final power boost from Ethan to dispel her for good. Before Rose fights her, though, she’ll have to contend with the troll-like Amalgam, a grotesque beast who relentlessly pursues you before you face it in an enclosed dungeon, where it freely teleports around, summons minions, and spawns weak spots on different parts of its body. Rose has her own terrifying adventure in Beneviento as well, first fleeing from unsettling animated mannequins, then avoiding killer dolls (while shrunk down), before finally facing the vengeful spirit of Eveline in a psychic battle that sees you avoiding being blasted and corrosive Mold, and blasting the embittered wraith when she’s exhausted from hrr enraged attack.

Power-Ups and Bonuses:
As you explore high and low, you’ll find a bunch of treasures, ammo, items, and pick-ups scattered around. In Resident Evil Village, a herb is useless unless combined with chem fluid, so you’ll be relying on the crafting system to restore your health, unless you happen upon ready to use restoring items. Gunpowder is similarly used to craft ammo, though you’ll also find these in crates and drawers and such. You can also purchase these from the Duke, though his prices increase as the game progresses and he can even sell out of ammo and healing items. Generally, you’ll be gifted or will find your main weapons, such as the handgun and shotgun, as well as a few explosives, like throwable pipe bombs or proximity mines you can lay to take out groups of enemies. However, you can buy additional weapons from the Duke; the selection is nothing you haven’t seen in previous Resident Evil titles, including machine guns, a grenade launcher, and a magnum revolver, with upgrades available for most, and a knife for when all else fails. Ethan can utilise Chris’s weapons, and others, when you beat the game on other difficulty settings and accumulate points playing “The Mercenaries”, but things really take a twist when playing the “Shadow of Rose” story. Rose has some additional superhuman abilities that are unlocked as you play. When you find special flasks, Rose gains a meter that allows her to use RB to destroy Mold cores, opening new areas, and briefly freeze enemies, with this meter expanded by flasks and refilled with the new White Sage item. As a trade-off, Rose can’t use healing items with RB and has no need for Lei or the Duke’s services (he takes on a mysterious antagonistic role instead), but she can expend her meter with RB when grabbed to escape an enemy’s attack.  

Additional Features:
There are forty-nine Achievements up for grabs in Resident Evil Village, with a further seven included in the “Winters’ Expansion” DLC that’s included with this Gold Edition, bringing the total to fifty-six. You’ll get Achievements for finishing the game, and “Shadow of Rose”, on each difficulty setting, defeating the game’s bosses and reaching story-specific sections, and for simple stuff like using a lockpick, entering Photo Mode, and killing a wild animal. Other Achievements pop when you defeat three enemies with one attack, take down Uriaș early on, equip add-ons and upgrade your weapons, and far more tedious tasks, such as breaking every window in Castle Dimitrescu and opening every outhouse in the village. As you explore, you may come across little wooden goats that should be destroyed for additional Achievements. You’ll also get another Achievement for having 777, 7,777, or 77,777 Lei, using only a knife, or finishing the game in under three hours and/or with four or less recovery items.

Complete challenges, play Rose’s epilogue, or put your skills to the test in “The Mercenaries”.

Some of the Achievements align with the list of in-game challenges you can work through to earn Completion Points (CP). CP is spent in the ‘Bonuses’ menu to purchase new weapons, infinite ammo, concept art, and character models in the form of figurines. You can also acquire CP by playing “The Mercenaries”, a Resident Evil staple that sees you playing as either Ethan or Chris (plus Lady Dimitrescu and Heinsberg once you unlock them), each with different attributes and weapons, and clearing out all enemies across various maps. You’re working against a time limit here, so you must be quick and accurate and use the hourglasses to extend your time. You can also buff yourself and your weapons with power-up stations found on each map, which offer additional health or greater accuracy with specific weapons. It’s a fun little side-game, though you’ll need to have your wits about you as you’ll only unlock new maps and gain the best awards with an A-rank or more. Finally, you can play tilting ball games, hunt down rare treasure and wild beasts, and find the game’s files to go for 100% completion, which requires additional playthroughs and possibly multiple save files in case you miss stuff you can’t go back for, in addition to the “Shadow of Rose” epilogue. This sees you returning to some of the game’s key areas, now warped and nightmarish, as Rose follows a mysterious disembodied voice to rid herself of her strange powers. It’s a fun extra few hours of gameplay that’s spiced up just enough with her extra abilities, a few new and rearranged areas (including the super creepy mannequin section), and some new bosses and twists on existing enemies.

The Summary:
I put off Resident Evil Village for some time, specifically because I was waiting for this Gold Edition of the game so I could experience the entire thing in one go. Although I didn’t mind the jump to first-person horror, I immediately switched the game to third-person as that’s my preference and I feel this suits the game and its action much more. The immersion felt by first-person is outweighed by the frustration of never being able to see all around you, so the third-person option was a godsend for me. Gameplay-wise, there’s not much you haven’t seen from Resident Evil before here; everything is suitably creepy, tense, and incredibly well put together, with a fantastic level of grimy and gruesome detail given to the game’s environments. I was surprised by how much I came to enjoy revisiting the village; it’s not the most engaging hub world and I sometimes felt the narrative was a little too mission-based at times, but it changed enough to hold my attention and I liked how each area offered different gameplay challenges. It’s true, however, that the game peaks quite early; Castle Dimitrescu and House Beneviento were the most engaging areas of the game for me, and neither Moreau or Heisenberg had the same visual appeal or creep factor as Lady Dimitrescu and Angie, which was a shame. It was equally disappointing how often the antagonists degenerated into monstrous abominations; I know it’s a “thing” in Resident Evil, but I don’t think Lady Dimitrescu or Heisenberg needed transformations to be interesting or scary. Still, there’s a lot to enjoy here; Ethan, while still bland, is far more interesting this time around with his heartfelt desire to rescue his baby girl, and the franchise continues to evolve its story, even if the direction it’s going down is becoming increasingly bizarre. Best of all, there are plenty of reasons to come back to this one for additional playthroughs. The addition of playable antagonists to “The Mercenaries” is a goal to reach for, and the game itself a fun distraction from the main story, which was as gruesome and disgusting as we’ve come to expect from this long-running franchise.

My Rating:

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Great Stuff

What did you think to Resident Evil Village? Did you buy the game upon release, or did you wait for this Gold Edition, like me? Are you a fan of Ethan Winters and, if so, what did you think to his character progression? Which of the game’s areas and bosses was your favourite and what did you think to the new enemies on offer? Did you ever beat the “Village of Shadows” difficulty and find all those goats? Which Resident Evil game is your favourite and where would you like to see the franchise go next? Whatever your thoughts on Resident Evil, drop a comment below and be sure to check out my other Resident Evil content across the site.

Movie Night: Blade II

Dr. K3 Comments

Released: 22 March 2002
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Distributor: New Line Cinema
Budget: $54 million
Stars: Wesley Snipes, Leonor Varela, Luke Goss, Ron Perlman, Norman Reedus, Kris Kristofferson, and Thomas Kretschmann

The Plot:
Half-human, half-vampire vampire hunter Blade (Snipes) is recruited by vampire overlord Eli Damaskinos (Kretschmann) to lead an elite vampire team against the genetically-engineered “Reapers”, led by Jared Nomak (Goss), who threaten the survival of both humans and vampires.

The Background:
Created by Marv Wolfman and Gene Colan, the extremely obscure, culturally problematic vampire hunter Eric Brooks/Blade debuted in the pages of The Tomb of Dracula and, as unlikely as it was, kick-started the modern superhero genre as we know it back in 1998. After years of development and rewrites, Blade (Norrington, 1998) was both a commercial and critical hit and virtually redefined star Wesley Snipes’ position in Hollywood. Plans for a sequel immediately made the rounds, with writer David S. Goyer initially wanting to feature Doctor Michael Morbius as a main villai. Though rights issues prevented that and director Stephen Norrington refused to return, the production scored noted auteur Guillermo del Toro. A noted comic book fan and desiring vampires to be scary once more, del Toro brought a visual language to the film that drew inspiration from various media sources and ensured the film’s visual effects would stand the test of time by incorporating traditional practical effects, bringing in Tippett Studio and XFX to achieve the best of both. Additionally, Snipes was excited to revisit the role, working hard to maintain his physique and given a lot of creative freedom regarding the character’s portrayal. Despite a worldwide box office return of $155 million, Blade II was met with mixed reviews that praised the gory action but questioned the mindless narrative. Of course, this wasn’t the end for Blade. It was followed by a widely–panned third film two years later, a short-lived TV show two years after that, and Snipes even surprisingly reprised the role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe ahead of a complete reboot.

The Review:
Blade II takes place some years after the first film (at least two, it seems) and opens with Blade giving a quick recap of his origins, powers, and mission statement while also clumsily retconning one of the most emotional moments of Blade. Attacked by Deacon Frost (Stephen Dorff) and left mortally wounded, Blade’s gruff mentor and surrogate father, Abraham Whistler (Kristofferson), demanded Blade leave him his gun so he could finish himself off and avoid turning into the thing they both hated, a blood-sucking vampire. However, it turns out that Whistler either didn’t kill himself or was found by another group of vampires or was potentially too late to stop the change or somehow revived and turned after killing himself as he was spirited away all over Europe. Kept alive in stasis and constantly moved around for reasons not explained here (or ever), the now vampiric Whistler eluded Blade during the time gap, but Blade II catches up with the stoic Dhampir finally locating his lost mentor. Once again, Blade can’t bring himself to finish Whistler off and instead chooses to take him back to his base, despite the inherent risk he poses to him and his new mechanic/armourer/lackey, Josh Fromeyer/Scud (Reedus). Yet, Blade isn’t blind to the possibility that Whistler is beyond salvation. He shoots Whistler up with a concentrated dose of his serum (the only thing keeping Blade’s “thirst” for blood at bay) and threatens to burn him to ash if he hasn’t gone “cold turkey” by the morning. Although Whistler appears to fully recover (except for his gammy leg), the question of his trustworthiness is raised multiple times throughout the film, with Scud and Blade’s newfound vampire allies both being aggressively suspicious of the grouchy old man’s true intentions. Yet, Whistler remains one of the few people Blade truly cares for. While I’m not a fan of undoing Whistler’s poignant death, he’s a great foil to the others, barks some amusing lines, and adds a great deal of emotional depth to Blade, a character largely known for hiding his humanity behind a grim-faced façade.

Stoic Blade risks everything to rescue his mentor and join forces with his hated enemies.

Still, Blade II gives the character (and Snipes) more screen time and more of a chance to showcase some emotional range. He says a lot with just a glance or some quick hand gestures but isn’t above mocking Scud’s reluctance to assist in the Reaper autopsy by calling him a “sissy” and seems to enjoy winding up the Bloodpack. In particular, Blade develops a quick rivalry with unashamed sadist Dieter Reinhardt (Perlman), humiliating the outspoken racist in front of his peers and engaging in a constant game of one-upmanship that naturally results in them coming to blows by the film’s end. A quiet, solitary individual, Blade lives only for his mission. He’s still at war with his base instincts, taking his aggression out on the creatures that created him, but embraces his animalistic side when near death to effortlessly dispatch Reinhardt’s goons. Blade’s physical prowess is at its peak here; Snipes excels in fight scenes, which showcase his dexterity and agility, and Blade easily manhandles and outfights multiple foes, even while unarmed. Gifted with all a vampire’s strengths but none of their weaknesses, Blade can afford to be cool and confident in battle, quickly healing from any wounds and taking the lead whenever their mission ventures into sunlight. When approached by Asad (Danny John-Jules) and Nyssa Damaskinos (Varela) and taken to Overlord Damaskinos with the promise of a truce, Blade goes along out of curiosity, his awesome trenchcoat packed full of explosives, and immediately recognises that getting into bed with the vampires to combat the Reapers will inevitable result in them being betrayed. However, he’s eager to delve deeper into the inner world of his enemy and learn more about them to fight them better, and constantly demonstrates that he can take out the Bloodpack, despite them training for two years specifically to fight him, thanks to his superior skills and fancy toys. Although Blade is initially incredulous about Nomak’s threat since the Reapers actively hunt vampires, he recognises their threat to humanity and the vampires must reluctantly defer to his orders since the best method of fighting the Reapers is to use ultraviolet light. While there’s no mention of what happened to Doctor Karen Jenson (N’Bushe Wright), Blade battles Nomak using a variation of the anticoagulant weapon she developed that finished off Frost, though he’s just as dependent on his serum as ever and it doesn’t appear to have been improved between movies.

Blade’s notoriety makes him a feared and hated (but largely respected) bogeyman.

In her place, Blade has a new love interest: Nyssa. Nyssa delivers a unique insight into Blade, revealing that vampires think of him as a bogeyman, and she’s just as interested to see his world as he is to see hers. While most of the Bloodpack is antagonistic towards Blade and his allies, Nyssa respectfully defers to Blade’s orders while warning him not to interfere in vampire business since their mission is to target Reapers. As they encounter the voracious vampire variants, Blade constantly moves to either protect Nyssa or keep her from being burned up by sunlight. He could easily let her run into danger or be vaporised by Scud’s ultraviolet grenades, but time and again holds her back and orders her to seek cover. Indeed, he saves her life and showcases a honourable valour so often, even slitting his wrist to revitalise her after a Reaper attack, that Nyssa comes to greatly respect him as a warrior and equal. Just as Whistler worries Blade’s loyalties are becoming divided by Nyssa’s allure, so too are Nyssa’s loyalties to her family and her kind tested by the conflict she feels over the man painted as her hated enemy. These feelings are only exacerbated when it’s revealed that Damaskinos engineered the Reaper strain, even infecting his own son with it, and cares little for his children, firmly setting her against her father and her dishonourable species by the finale. Blade brushes off Whistler’s concerns, confident that he retains the upper hand, but Scud remains suspicious of Whistler, especially as the old man leaves his post and seems to have recovered unnaturally quickly. Scud, a pot-smoking rebel, appears to have no love for vampires and delights in pimping out Blade’s muscle car and cobbling together new tech for him, including a small bomb Blade implants on Reinhardt’s head and those ultraviolet grenades.

Nomak’s voracious, monstrous Reapers easily overwhelm even the most elite vampires.

Although Asad and Nyssa seem excited (or, at least, intrigued) to be fighting alongside Blade, the same can’t be said for the rest of the Bloodpack. These colourful and largely one-dimensional, leather-clad vampires have spent the last two years training to hunt and kill Blade and, seeing him before them, struggle to not simply jump him. While mute swordsman Snowman (Donnie Yen) seems to at least respect Blade, Reinhardt doesn’t. He accosts Blade right away, comes close to shooting him in the vampire club, and is happy to leave him to fight legions of Reapers alone. Reinhardt’s hatred of Blade is matched by the pugnacious Chupa (Matt Schulze), who transitions his aggression towards Whistler when the old man’s brief desertion leads to the infection and slow, agonising death of his friend, Priest (Tony Curran). Although Priest immediately and painfully begins to mutate into a Reaper shortly after being bitten, the brutish Lighthammer (Daz Crawford) somehow resists turning for about a day. When he does, he blindsides Snowman with his massive battleaxe and ends up being incinerated by his lover, Verlain (Marit Velle Kile), who takes herself along with him. Though well-equipped, the Bloodpack are slow learners; despite seeing first-hand how ineffectual bullets (both regular and silver) and even blades are against the Reapers, they continue to waste ammo, presumably out of fear of roasting each other with their ultraviolet torches. The Reapers prove to be especially vicious and durable foes; essentially grotesque mutations of vampires, not unlike the goblin-esque Damaskinos, their hunger is likened to that of a crack addict, meaning they quickly spawn an aggressive army. Sporting superhuman strength, advanced healing, and a nigh-impenetrable skeletal structure, the Reapers leap at their prey and latch on with their horrifying split jaw, feeding and creating new minions for Nomak’s crusade against his father. Though they’re also destroyed by sunlight, the Reaper’s physiology is incredibly resilient and Nomak easily recovers from broken limbs and even a bullet to the head. Nomak demonstrates a reluctance to fight Blade, believing they have a common enemy and should be on the same side, but Blade vehemently rejects such a notion and chooses the devil he knows in opposing the new threat since, by and large, the Reapers are far more animalistic than the more sophisticated vampire nation.

The Nitty-Gritty:
Retaining the slick, gothic aesthetic of the first film, Blade II continues to marry leather fetish with a gritty, urban vibe, one bolstered by a surprising earworm of a soundtrack. I’m not really a hip-hop kinda guy but I can never get Massive Attack and Mos Def’s “I Against I” out of my head after watching Blade II. Having manipulated or forced their way into positions of political and social power, there are few resources the vampires don’t have, but only those under Damaskinos’ command enjoy these benefits. Indeed, the Bloodpack are disgusted by the ravers in the club since they’re not “Pure Bloods” and Priest would have happily killrf everyone there to weed out the Reapers. Indeed, one reason Blade’s so quick to join the Reaper hunt is to get a closer look at the high-level vampire hierarchy, quickly learning that fear of him has seen them be less open about marking their clubs and safe houses so as to avoid his attention. The juxtaposition between the elite and the lowers is best exhibited in Nomak’s grubby attire. He’s literally dressed like a vagrant, sporting haggard clothing throughout the film, in contrast to Damaskinos’ elaborate robes, the Bloodpack’s form-fitting leather, and Blade’s armoured attire. The Reapers also scurry about on all fours, often naked, appearing like goblins, shrieking and roaring and swarming their prey like wild animals. Though Nomak, as the carrier and progenitor of the virus, is the exception (essentially the reaper equivalent of a “Daywalker”), the Reapers lack the eloquence and sophistication of the vampire nation. For the most part, vampires keep their hunger in check unless angered or feeding, instead assuming a holier-than-thou allure and utilising their own language and writing. As such, even a brute like Lighthammer is disgusted by the Reapers, which are seen as base vermin, despite the creatures only existing because Damaskinos was trying to engineer Blade’s unique physiology to strengthen the vampire race even further.

Monstrous effects and a greater focus on action make this perhaps the best in the trilogy.

Naturally, Blade II is as impressively gory as the first movie, if not more so. The Reapers attack with a ravenous fury, causing arterial blood to splatter across walls and the creatures clutch and bite at their prey with an intensity that puts vampires to shame. The Reapers themselves are horrifically ghoulish creatures; hunched, spindly, and shrieking, they sport this awesomely gruesome split jaw and a probing tongue that rivals that of a Xenomorph. Even when dead, their bodies desperately try to feed; Preist’s severed head even appears to still be alive after he’s roasted, and the creatures think nothing of disembowelling themselves to escape. Vampires are largely ineffectual against Blade, despite their superior numbers and mostly being armed; thanks to his silver-tinted weapons and superior physical skill, Blade easily turns them to flaming ash with his signature sword, boomerang-like blades, and hefty rapid-fire pistol. Blade II ups the fight sequences from the previous film, showcasing Wesley Snipes’ impressive fighting prowess against multiple foes. Though there are a few questionable instances of CGI doubles (and shades!) involved here and there, the fights all have a raw brutality and are enjoyable to watch. The vampires are constantly overwhelmed by the Reapers and backed against the wall and the Reaper physiology means Nomak offers Blade a physical challenge not readily apparent by his dishevelled appearance. While most of the Bloodpack don’t get much character development, they do at least stand out with their signature weapons. Snowman, especially, makes an impression with his effortless swordsmanship, respectful demeanour, and focused intensity. Chuba hefts a massive machine gun and Lighthammer of course has his big-ass, caveman axe/hammer. While Reinhardt favours a simple shotgun, he takes a fascination with Blade’s sword. Avoiding its booby-trapped hilt, he relishes in brandishing the weapon before the captive Whistler and even claims it for himself when he believes Blade is dead, then tries to skewer him with it when he’s revived by the bloodpool and splits his ruthless rival in two with one simply swipe.

Empowered by a bloodbath, Blade triumphs over Novak, but not without suffering a loss.

After wiping out most of the Reapers with Scud’s ultraviolet bomb and saving Nyssa’s life, Blade’s efforts are rewarded with an inevitable betrayal. Although Blade explosively reveals that he was well aware of Scud’s true allegiance to Damaskinos, the Daywalker is stunned by taser batons and taken to Damaskinos’ secret lair/laboratory. There, Blade once again endures having his life’s blood drained by the vampires to help them engineer a sunlight-resistant variant. However, Whistler escapes and frees the weakened Blade, getting him to a bloodpool to revive and empower him, leading to him easily making short work of Reinhardt. Thanks to the Reaper pheromones sampled by Nyssa, Nomak infiltrates the stronghold, intent on avenging himself on his father. Easily slaughtering Damaskinos’ guards, ripping open his blast doors, and penetrating his inner sanctum thanks to Nyssa turning on her father, Nomak confronts his father, seemingly looking for his approval. In desperation, Damaskinos tries to welcome his wayward son back and offer him a place at his side, only for Nomak to see through the deception and rip the ghoul’s throat out. He then attacks Nyssa before battling Blade once more, proving again to be the Daywalker’s physical equal. However, when Blade stabs Nomak through the heart, forcing his blade past his armoured ribs, the cursed deviant chooses to finish himself off, exploding in a burst of blue flame. Already feeling the Reaper strain threatening to destroy her personality, Nyssa requests that Blade allow her to die with dignity, as a vampire, by the rising sun. Out of respect and a genuine affection for her, Blade stoically agrees, embracing her as she turns to cinders. The film then ends with Blade making a special trip to London to track down Rush (Santiago Segura), a cowardly vampire who earlier led him to Whistler, ending the movie on an amusing note as he had previously promised to tie up that loose end.

The Summary:
Blade was a fantastic action/horror flick back in the day; simple, grounded, gory, and gritty, it was only letdown by some dodgy CGI in the finale. Blade II takes a much more action-orientated approach, increasing the threat against Blade, the fight scenes, and the cast of characters to great effect. I loved the twist of the vampires being so threatened by the Reapers that they were forced to turn to Blade for help, and the added swerve that it was all part of an elaborate deception to get their hands on the Daywalker and synthesise his blood. The Bloodpack, though largely underdeveloped, were surprisingly memorable through their aggression towards Blade, their signature weapons, and simply by being an elite vampire team forced to fight alongside their hated enemy. Wesley Snipes was peak Blade here, impressing in his trenchcoat, armour, grim façade, and slick fighting style. He exudes a cool, convincing authority while still being snarky and witty when necessary…or descending into full-blown animal fury. I loved the humanity Blade shows in his continued shame at relying on the serum, his respect and admiration for Nyssa, and his quest to retrieve Whistler and when reunited with him. Though, as I said, I don’t think it was necessary to bring Whistler back, Kris Kristofferson steals every scene he’s in as the cantankerous old man who’s had enough of this shit, but I wonder if the film might’ve been better swerved to have brought him back as or revealed him to be a vampire, just to add to Blade’s emotional journey. Nomak was a surprisingly effective bad guy; eloquent and expressing some relatable grievances, he and his Reaper kin represent a gruesome, monstrous threat that threatens even the all-powerful vampire nation. Honestly, Blade II is my favourite of the Snipes trilogy; it just as this cool allure to it that elevates it above the first film and stands it head-and-shoulders above the third, especially as it ups the obsession action films had with leather and sunglasses and infectious beats throughout the nineties. However, my personal bias isn’t enough to give it a full five stars. Tweaking a few things (the Whistler conundrum and the Bloodpack’s characterisation, as mentioned) would’ve changed that, but that doesn’t diminish my enjoyment of the film or the fact that I regularly choose to watch it over either of the others.

My Rating:

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Great Stuff

Did you enjoy Blade II? Do you think it’s the best of the original three? What did you think to the Bloodpack and Blade’s rivalry with them? Were you annoyed that Whistler’s emotional death was undone? What did you think to the Reapers, and Nomak’s threat? Did you see Scud’s betrayal coming or did it take you by surprise? What Blade storylines do you enjoy? Whatever your thoughts on Blade II, feel free to share them below and go check out my other Blade content on the site.

Back Issues: Detective Comics #475/476

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Writer: Steve Englehart – Artist: Marshall Rogers 

Story Title: “The Laughing Fish!”
Published: February 1978 

Story Title: “Sign of the Joker!”
Published: April 1978 

The Background:
After achieving success with Clark Kent/Superman, National Comics Publications tasked Bob Kane with creating a masked crimefighter to add to their superhero portfolio and, thanks to Bill Finger, the “Bat-Man” went on to become a mainstream cultural icon. Over the decades, the Batman has gone toe-to-toe some of comics’ most recognisable supervillains, though his greatest nemesis is unquestionably the self-styled Clown Prince of Crime, the Joker. Bob Kane, Bill Finger, and Jerry Robinson all claimed to have created the Harlequin of Hate, but it’s widely agreed that the Joker’s trademark visage was heavily influenced by The Man Who Laughs (Leni, 1928). A last-second decision from then-editor Whitney Ellsworth saw the Joker survive his first encounter with the Batman, though the character faded from the spotlight under the direction of editor Julius Schwartz. Dennis O’Neil and Neal Adams reinvigorated the Joker in the 1970s and 1980s with stories such as this classic two-parter that is such a pivotal Joker story that it was adapted for the hugely popular Batman: The Animated Series (1992 to 1995). The stories played a huge part not just in giving the Joker back his edge, but in reviving the character to terrorise Gotham City for years to come as the Batman’s number one antagonist. 

The Review:
This classic two-part Batman story begins, appropriately enough, in the murky dead of night with the Batman prowling across the rooftops of Gotham City, preparing for the greatest confrontation of his vigilante career. At this point in time, billionaire philanthropist Bruce Wayne had been dated wealthy socialite Silver St. Cloud, a gorgeous platinum-haired woman who quickly captured Bruce’s heart. They became so close that Bruce suspected that Silver had figured out his dual identity, so he swings by her apartment in the guise of the Dark Knight to confirm his suspicions. Although Bruce is convinced that Silver is aware of the truth, she denies that she has anything to confess to the Batman and her demeanour convinces him that there’s a shred of doubt in his assumptions. Realising that it’d be foolish of him to simply unmask in front of her if there’s even a one percent chance he’s wrong, the Batman bids her goodnight and leaves, only for Silver’s resolve to falter once he’s gone. Wracked by her knowledge of Bruce’s dual life, Silver makes the difficult decision to take a hiatus from both men, and Gotham City, to get her head straight. The Batman is still mulling over his complicated love life and the dichotomy between his two identities when he’s aroused by local fishermen, who frantically show him that all the fish they’ve caught have been horrifically mutilated to carry the Joker’s signature smile, perplexing both them and the Dark Knight. 

Batman’s personal issues are compounded by the Joker’s latest insane threat.

The phenomenon isn’t limited to Gotham City; over the next few days, reports of “laughing fish” come in from all across the country, shocking the nation. However, it’s G. Carl Francis who gets the biggest shock when the Joker himself, and his goons, storm into his office and demand that he helps to copyright the laughing fish so that the Joker can profit from every one sold. Unfortunately, Francis is duty-bound to inform the Clown Prince of Crime that fish can’t be copyrighted as they’re a natural resource, angering the Joker and causing him to threaten Francis to find a loophole before midnight or face his wrath. The Joker then pays a visit to crime boss Rupert Thorn, who’s already on edge after being seemingly haunted by the ghost of Professor Hugo Strange, whom he murdered tree issues prior. Since Thorn was one of many villains who tried to purchase the knowledge of Batman’s identity from Strange, the Joker warns him to stop trying to expose his rival’s identity as the Joker is eager to match his wits against the Dark Knight and believes unmasking him would rob his game of all its fun. With Thorn left slipping into insanity, Commissioner James “Jim” Gordon calls in the Batman to help with the threat against Francis’s life. After the Joker makes a televised promise to murder Francis, Batman meticulously checks the apartment and places him under lockdown, though he remains frustrated by the Joker’s madcap nature and unpredictable insanity. Still, the Batman acts swiftly when a mysterious gas suddenly floods the apartment. Be fixes a breathing apparatus to Francis’s face, but to no avail; Francis collapses, dead, his face twisted into the hideous smile of the Joker. Although Jim is confused since the gas didn’t harm anyone else, the Batman correctly surmises that the Joker must’ve secretly poisoned Francis at their meeting so the gas would have a lethal effect. 

The Joker outwits Batman, as Silver and Thorn struggle with their literal (and figurative) ghosts.

The Joker boasts of his victory through another pirate broadcast and vows to kill another bureaucrat if his legal claim on the fish isn’t approved by 3am, and the issue ends with the Batman aggravated and Silver skipping town courtesy of Rupert Thorn. The story continues in the next issue, with Batman, Jim, and Officer O’Hara keeping a vigil on the Joker’s next target, Thomas Jackson, lamenting that state laws prohibit them from simply executing the Joker since he’s clinically insane. Despite their best efforts, Jackson’s cat wanders in with a Joker fish in his mouth, which drives him to bite and instantly kill the Batman, leaving him with the pale grin of the Joker! However, Batman had actually switched places with Jackson using a clever disguise, but the cat recognised and attacked his master regardless. After the Joker mocks them through his broadcast, the frustrated Batman flees into the stormy night, momentarily spying Strange’s ghost and stumbling upon a vapor analysis meter. The story briefly jumps over to the Joker’s lair, where he somewhat breaks the fourth wall to chuckle at his wit and having bamboozled his foe, and even plots expanding his food-related antics to other products. Another detour delves into Silver’s troubled mind; she’s overwhelmed by her knowledge, unwilling to destroy the mystery of the Batman but pining for her lost love, while Thorn wrestles with the stress caused by his visions. When the radio mentions Batman, the two get into a heated debate about his presence and Thorn angrily ejects Silver from the car, leaving her by the side of the road. While she quickly finds another ride, Thorn is terrified when Strange’s ghost flies at him from the night and seemingly throttles him to death! 

Batman’s victory is tainted by ambiguity and personal heartache for the Dark Knight,

At dawn, the Batman and Jim prepare for the Joker’s next attack, but Jim is horrified when the vapour analyser drives Batman to suddenly attack one of his officers, who’s quickly revealed to be the Joker in disguise! Though rumbled, the Joker keeps the Dark Knight at bay with an acid-spitting flower and makes a hasty retreat using the fire escape. Arriving in town via a cab, Silver pulls up just in time to witness the Batman in action as he ventures into the rainswept night to apprehend his foe, surprisingly caught off-guard by an errant kick and almost tumbling to the street below. While the Joker gleefully taunts his rival, the Batman ponders his own mental instability since he’s the only one crazy enough to chase after the grinning madman, and their chase takes them to the city rooftops. The two come face-to-face atop a construction site, where the Batman is forced to take a desperate plunge to avoid getting a face full of acid, and the Joker is hit by lightning while laughing on a hanging girder. The Batman watches the Joker plunge into the raging river below and frantically checks for any sign of his foe, but it appears the Joker has finally perished. Batman is then stunned when Silver approaches him, confessing not only her love for him but also that that same love caused her great pain when she watched him in battle and realised that he could die at any moment. Unable to shoulder the loss of the man she loves, or expose his true identity, she tearfully begs him to leave her alone and runs off into the night, leaving him stoic and heartbroken. Even Jim’s news that Thorn was picked up, terrified out of his mind and spilling the beans on all his criminal activities, brings Batman little comfort and he simply swings off as a new dawn rises, his victory bittersweet and emotional. 

The Summary:
These two stories are representative of the kind of Batman stories I grew up with. I had a handful of Batman annuals as a kid, which contained assorted stories from the 1970s and 1980s and featured names like Steve Englehart and Denny O’Neil prominently. Consequently, I have a real fondness for the gritty, dark, neo-pulp art style on show here. Gotham City is seeped in gothic darkness and flooded by incessant rain, making it grimy and claustrophobic and uncomfortable to behold, and characters are rendered with a stark realism. Although I’m not the biggest fan of Batman’s blue-and-grey ensemble, he cuts an intimidating figure here and it’s fun seeing him operate so openly with Jim and others. He’s still regarded as a bit of an urban myth, but also respected as an informed mind and necessary evil to help combat threats such as the Joker. His presence in Gotham City is the subject of much debate at this time. Thanks to Thorn’s influence, the people and council have started to question the Batman’s necessity and his impact on the city, aspects which come to be reflected in Silver’s conflict regarding her knowledge of his identity. Though these stories are all I really know of her, I like Silver and it’s not often Batman gets a love interest who knows of his dual life. I enjoyed the emotional conflict between them both, where they both knew the other knew but didn’t dare say it aloud for what it would entail, and it brings a real humanity to Batman when she has to reluctantly end their relationship to spare herself greater pain and perpetuate his myth. 

Batman’s detective skills and limits are tested by the Joker and his complicated love life.

One aspect I really like about this time in Batman history is how much his detective skills are emphasised. Jim calls the Batman in as an advisor and immediately sets to work meticulously safeguarded each victim’s apartment, checking every inch for possible threats and desperately trying to prepare for every eventuality. Although his thoughts are shown to be completely focused on the task at hand, I think it’s pretty clear his frustration with the Joker’s antics is exacerbated by his personal issues with Silver. The Batman laments time and again that the Joker is nigh-impossible to predict as he just does whatever he wants for seemingly no reason, meaning Batman’s preparation and planning are meaningless as the Joker outwits him each time. Even swapping places with Jackson doesn’t help the Batman, and it’s only by utilising the analyser left for him by Strange’s ghost (or some other unknown ally) that Batman exposes the Joker’s disguise before he kills his last victim. The battle between the Batman and the Joker is depicted as a war of attrition, a game of one-upmanship, rather than a physical confrontation (at least, until the end). Like in his first appearance, the Joker hijacks television broadcasts to make threats and taunt his foe, and employs disguises and subterfuge to bamboozle even the World’s Greatest Detective. One thing I especially enjoyed here was that Bruce Wayne doesn’t appear in these stories. His personal life is of great concern to Batman, but he stays in costume throughout both issues, emphasising his unwavering focus on protecting the Joker’s victims and apprehending him. Another interesting aspect is, like in his first appearance, the Joker surprisingly holds his own against Batman thanks to being a slippery devil and surprising him with his acid flower, wild kicks, and daredevil nature. 

A fantastic return to form for the Joker that emphasises his insanity and menace.

Indeed, this is a fantastic return to form for the Joker after years of being a buffoonish clown or being absent from DC Comics. Drawn as what I would define as the quintessential depiction of the character (tall, gangly, in a purple suit, coat, and fedora, and sporting an elongated jaw), the Joker is a cackling maniac whose newest plot is to spread fear and profit from his laughing fish. His scheme is ludicrous in its simplicity; he’s tainted the water supply with his Joker toxin, killing the fish, poisoning their meat, and leaving them with his signature cheshire grin, all with the intention of profiting from their sale! Obviously, these demands are preposterous but the Joker won’t take no for an answer and mercilessly targets and kills the bureaucrats he believes are denying him his intellectual rights. As mentioned, the story takes hefty influence from the Joker’s first appearance and is, in many ways, an expansion and remake of that first story. The Joker is an elusive, diabolical, and maniacal figure who tests the Batman’s mind as much as his resolve. However, the Joker is also prideful and overzealous. He enjoys toying with Batman so much that he threatens Thorn to stop trying to unmask the vigilante and arrives, in person and in disguise, to finish the job by the end, a decision that proves to be his downfall. However, there’s a clear suggestion that the Joker doesn’t care; he doesn’t care about winning, losing, living, dying, or being locked up. He simply enjoys jousting with Batman and takes glee in their conflict, and the death and terror he spreads, fully aware that the Batman’s moral code keeps him from cross that line. In the end, these are two essential Joker stories; they highlight his outrageous nature, his chilling menace, and his versatility as one of the Batman’s most enduring foes. It’s also a great showcase for the Dark Knight; not only of his detective skills and standing amongst his peers but also the complicated dichotomy of his dual identity. In a nutshell, I’d say this two-parter is a must-read Batman tale, as is most of this run since this really was a great time in the Batman’s publication history. 

My Rating:

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Great Stuff

What did you think to the Joker’s plot to profit off his laughing fish? Did you enjoy this era of Batman’s history? Are you a fan of more cerebral challenges for the Dark Knight or do you prefer it when he’s beating villains up? What did you think to the subplots involving Silver St. Cloud and Rupert Thorn? Do you consider these two stories essential reading for any Batman and Joker fans? What are some other Joker stories you enjoy? Whatever your thoughts, leave a comment below or and be sure to check out my other Batman and Joker content across the site.