Edge of Empire

Edge Of Empire: A Penny Dreadful Review

            High adventure! Magic! Cleavage! These are just some of the wonderful things that await in Rod Espinosa’s Edge of Empire series. Three exceedingly powerful baronesses with odd names and odder abilities rescue their friends from dungeons, undead hordes, gladiators, lecherous captors, and much, much more.

            This series focuses mainly on the adventures and less on character development and differentiation. It is very exciting, but I’d like more backstory on these incredible baronesses. Perhaps in future volumes? I look forward to learning more.

            The settings are lush and gorgeous, the monsters are frightening, and it is a pleasure to watch the baronesses fight, for more than one reason. I definitely recommend Edge of Empires to any with a love of adventure.

            I give Edge of Empire three and a half gears out of five. Very well done, Mr. Espinosa! I demand more!

Your Correspondent From The Bookstore,

Penny J. Merriweather

Steampunk Red Riding Hood

Steampunk Red Riding Hood: A Penny Dreadful Review

            The worst wolves are often human. In Rod Espinosa’s Steampunk Red Riding Hood, he keeps you guessing. If you are looking for a straight re-telling of “Red Riding Hood” with some Steampunk decoration, this isn’t what you want. Mr. Espinosa uses the familiar tale as a jumping off point and presents something new and fun.

            Little Red and her grandmother protect villages from a pack of anthropomorphic talking wolves. There are some really cool fight scenes, and I love Grandmother’s house, which is less of a cabin in the woods and more of a tank/caravan armed with sonic bombs. Upon returning to her home, Little Red encounters the real wolf: her brutish, abusive father. I won’t say anything more about the plot, or I’ll spoil it.

            I love this little comic. It doesn’t go where the reader expects, and I quite enjoy the fantasy world Rod Espinosa created here. I give it four and a half gears out of five. I demand a sequel!

Your Correspondent From The Bookstore,

Penny J. Merriweather

Far West

Far West: A Penny Dreadful Review

It seems to me, as it seemed to Richard Moore, that the land of Faerie must have had a Wild West sort of era. Behold Far West, the adventures of a bounty-hunting duo in a crazy desert full of trolls and shapeshifters.
Meg is a tough spitfire of an elf who dislikes trousers. She plunges into adventures with much less planning than her partner Phil would like.  Phil is a talking and shooting bear. Together, they track down train-robbing, dragon-riding outlaws, duel with water demons in the bathtub (ok, Meg was on her own for that one), flirt with centaurs (also Meg), and cross dress (Phil, for a distraction). Far West is crammed with adventure and humor.
If you are offended by a little bit of cartoon elf bosom or by explicitly male dragons, stay away from this one. There’s a bit of nudity, but nothing X-rated occurs.  I would not recommend this one for children, due to a little adult language and innuendo, not to mention toplessness, but I would allow it into the hands of a young teen with no reservations.  In fact, I would enthusiastically recommend this for any fan of fantasy or Weird West.
I give Far West four and a half gears out of five.  I would say I had a blast reading this, but it would seem a bit gauche considering that the characters have a brush with TNT. Pick up a copy of Far West from Antarctic Press. You will not regret meeting Meg and Phil. Unless you are an outlaw.

Your Correspondent From The Bookstore,
Penny J. Merriweather

Steam Wars

Steam Wars, by Fred Perry: A Penny Dreadful Review

As I hope you know, Gearhearts is not the only Steampunk title from Antarctic Press. Here are my thoughts on Steam Wars, a delightful title from mastermind Fred Perry: I love this thing!
If you have ever wondered what a TIE fighter would look like as a dirigible, you need this comic. It is a fantastic mash up of Star Wars and Steampunk.  One immediately recognizes the opening scene as the start of A New Hope, yet it takes its own direction almost at once, traveling a peculiar parallel to the story of a particular space opera. It is full of clever references and groan-worthy puns, ie: Captain Hansel Lowe, the rogue who makes a habit of rescuing the princess, er, duchess. His companion and copilot is a large, hairy bear named Smokey. Yes, it is quite silly. Yet in classic Fred Perry style, serious and ridiculous share the same panel. On one hand, there is an engineer who is a bear, and on the other, there is an evil Quantum Dragoon who can make heads explode.  It has more of an edge than a pure parody, and I like that.  Steam Wars is quite well-balanced, and a great deal of fun.
I give Steam Wars five gears out of five.  It strikes a perfect balance of originality and homage to the source material. If you like Star Wars and Steampunk, if you’ve ever seen Steampunk Boba Fett and thought, “How cool,” you need to read this comic. I hope to see someone cosplaying a Quantum Dragoon at the next convention I attend with Antarctic Press.

Your Correspondent From The Bookstore,
Penny J. Merriweather