Clockwork Watch

Clockwork Watch: A Penny Dreadful Review

            It is difficult to review an immersive multimedia experience. That is the challenge I face in this review. I have purchased two graphic novels and a comic that are but a piece of the world of the Clockwork Watch. I can only convey fragments of the fascinating world at which these works hint.

            I shall begin with The Arrival. Queen Victoria has invited an engineer by the name of Chan Ranbir to come live in England to work on a project. This project is clockwork automatons. The Arrival is told through the eyes of Mr. Ranbir’s young son. It is the beginning of a strange new world.

            The automatons, or Clockworks, multiply. They are servants in every home, workers in every factory. Advanced models think and feel. Some love them. Some hate them. Janav Ranbir, the estranged son of the man who invented this new race of clockwork people, hates them. He joins an agency called the Clockwork Watch, devoted to policing the activities of these Clockworks.

            Each graphic novel contains articles, and flyers, editorials and mini-stories about various denizens of this strange world. These are derived from the blog posts and live role-playing events on the website. YOU, the reader, the consumer, become the creator. This shared experience is kind of incredible. Five gears out of five, all around.

            The graphic novels are brilliant. I love the art of Jennie Gyllblad wherever I see it, and here she’s just brilliant. The story was dreamt up and begun by Yomi Ayeni, and now it is so much more. Visit www.clockworkwatch.com to see where it is now.

Your Correspondent From the Aethernet,

Penny J. Merriweather.

Greaveburn

            Greaveburn: A Penny Dreadful Review

            A death on page two is a good start for a horror novel. Greaveburn, by Craig Hallam, grabs the reader and dives right in. I barely came up for air and tea whilst immersed in Mr. Hallam’s rich, gothic world.

            The city of Greaveburn stands alone in an abandoned world. The Archduke Choler has usurped the throne, and Lady Abrasia, the rightful heir, lives as a hermit in the vast palace in order to stave off assassins. Meanwhile, a scientist named Professor Loosestrife creates disturbing mechanisms in a subterranean lab. With a name like “Loosestrife,” how can he be anything but a villain?

            Mr. Hallam tells this gothic tale with a twist of humor in a series of short, cinematic scenes. It is packed with action and intrigue. The characters who turn out to be the heroes are not all the characters one would expect. I can’t even tell you who, or I might spoil the story!

            I adore Mr. Hallam’s vivid description. He has a brilliant way of evoking the spookiest locales. From the first word, the city of Greaveburn rises, decrepit and dark, in the reader’s mind, full of dim alcoves that could conceal anything.

            Greaveburn is awfully short for the amount of plot and the number of characters it contains. On one hand, it can be devoured in the course of one sleepless night, but on the other hand, I feel like the reader misses some bits of story. It feels like it isn’t long enough to properly explore this strange city.

            I give Greaveburn four gears out of five. On the whole, it is quite satisfying. I highly recommend it. 

            Here’s the link to it on Amazon.com.  http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=greaveburn+

Your Correspondent From The Bookstore,
Penny J. Merriweather

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, A Penny Dreadful Review

            I do love a good mashup. Seth Grahame-Smith is the master of mashups, being the mastermind behind my beloved favourite Pride And Prejudice And Zombies. I found Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter to be an excellent example of this bizarre genre. How could I classify a smashing together of the modern concept of vampires and the life of one of the greatest presidents of the United States as Steampunk? Simple. A good mashup borrows from history and from modern day, combining ingredients until something entirely new is formed. Is this not the very base of Steampunk? A sort of modern nostalgia? A re-imagining of the past? A… mashup of old fashions and new values?

            At any rate, let me proceed with my review. According to this strange biography of President Lincoln, his troubles with vampires started from an early age. He saw the wasting death of his mother, which was caused by a vampire, and vowed revenge on these horrifying and powerful night creatures. His efforts against this scourge fit quite nicely into the biographical gaps in his youth, and provide extra motivation for his learning, log-splitting, and political efforts. For example, at one point, he discovers that vampires in the south are buying and selling slaves as one would buy and sell bacon: that is, with feasting in mind. This gives him extra fire as he runs for president and extra motivation to end the abhorrent slave trade once and for all.

            Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is well-crafted, well-researched, and a rollicking good read. I highly recommend it for any fan of American History. I give it four gears out of five.

Your Correspondent From The Bookstore,

Penny J. Merriweather

Manifest Destiny

Manifest Destiny: A Penny Dreadful Review

            In the early 1800s, the United States of America purchased a giant, mysterious block of land. Tasked with recording and cataloguing this wilderness, Lewis and Clark explored parts of what would become the western United States. Of course, the historical journals we are taught about in school neglect to mention a tribe of enormous bison/human hybrids, parasitic plant zombies, and other unseemly creatures…

            Skybound Entertainment and Image Comics have combined to produce a fascinating take on American history. Behold: Manifest Destiny. The brainchild of Chris Dingess, who must be a very twisted person, this comic is unlike anything you have ever seen. There’s a secret mission, lots of action, and more than a nod to American History. Yes, Sacagawea is a character in the comic, and she is even more badass than her non-fictitious historical counterpart.

            This strange and engrossing story is brought to life by the dynamic art of Matthew Roberts and the vivid, almost tropical, colorwork of Owen Gieni. The dialogue almost isn’t necessary. Each panel is gorgeous, awe-inspiring, terrifying, or all three.

            I give Manifest Destiny four and a half gears out of five. While not exactly a Steampunk title, it is an alternative history worth having. I highly recommend this comic.

Your Correspondent From The Bookstore,

Penny J. Merriweather