June 2021

Review – Blacksad: Amarillo

30th June 2021

SUMMARY Back on the losing side of life, Blacksad takes a step back from the rough world of PI work and opts for a seemingly harmless job as a valet through the valleys of Route 66. What follows is a travelling circus of criminal chaos with one man leaving his mark in each town, a down on his luck lion with a one hit wonder novel. Even with Blacksad and a stampede of bad decisions on this lion’s tail, everyone deserves a second chance to do one good thing. ART Coincidentally, the colouring throughout this comic is like a brand new coat of paint on a 50s Cadillac; redefiningly classic and exuberantly bright. Brightest of this palette is the condimental combination of red and yellow. While it’s symbolism is tailored more towards carnival cosmetics, there is a fitting air of Summer poetry to the warm and passionate colours of red and yellow. Guarnido demonstrates his artistic ingenuity in designing and engineering intricate watercolours throughout this wanderlusting adventure. In the midst of gorgeous train stations and populated city landscapes are atomic nuances of artistry such as concentrated expressions among 100 different animal civilians at once. WRITING As we reach the final instalment (for now) of the Blacksad series, it seems only fair to take the arcs of the series into consideration here. While Canales’ characterisation is immediately brilliant from the moment we are introduced to a character, the real beauty comes from the friends we made along the way. Or rather, their development as beloved characters. For the short time that we see Weekly in this comic, it is a wholesome time to be had as he and Blacksad have formed a genuine admiration for each other. Despite his external and fowl flaws both moral and physical, his inner talents and personality are a breath of fresh air! Canales strays from the path of his usual storytelling tropes of razor sharp relevant subject materials and instead offers his most unique and deep addition to the series. I’m not entirely sure of the overall theme, the human condition? The larger balance of work and passion? A powerful and gripping message of mental health? Whatever it is, I relate to it way more than the other volumes. There’s an element of self-discovery to be found in Blacksad: Amarillo that is as intriguing as it is daunting. OVERALL In conclusion, Blacksad: Amarillo is a fast paced and fascinating addition to the story of Blacksad. Where previous tales focused on subject matters grounded in scarily relevant realism, Amarillo instead offers a simple but convoluted by the numbers classic detective story with uniquely engaging twists and thrills. Heavily detailed and beautifully consistent in both Guarnido’s artistry and Canales’ writing, this duo when separated are stand-alone virtuosos but together are a real tour de force that are ahead of the curve in the world of comic books. [yasr_multiset setid=1] [yasr_visitor_multiset setid=1] Let us know in the comments your thoughts on Blacksad: Amarillo and be sure to check out my reviews for Blacksad: Somewhere Within The Shadows, Blacksad: Arctic Nation, Blacksad: Red Soul, Blacksad: A Silent Hell & Blacksad: Under The Skin! Buy tickets for BGCP Comic Con in and around Glasgow Scotland – BUY TICKETS Check out all of our Comic, Movie, Television and Videogame Reviews HERE and our Podcasts/Interviews HERE If you want to be part of the BGCP community, Join us on Discord, Twitter, Instagram etc then click HERE

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Review – Rick and Morty Presents: The Hotel Immortal

4th February 2026

Review – Rick and Morty Presents: The Hotel Immortal Writer – Alejandro Arbona Artist – Marc Ellerby Colourist – Leonardo Ito Letterer – Crank! Publisher – Oni Press Release Date – 14th July 2021 Intro The next installment of the Rick and Morty Presents series kicks off with a whodunnit in Rick and Morty Presents: The Hotel Immortal. When Cornvelious Daniels checks in for some R&R at the Hotel Immortal, bodies start dropping—and accusations start flying! A fun Rick and Morty one shot which sees the pair in their own murder mystery story. How can someone die in a Hotel with an immortal dome where no-one can die? It’s a schwifty mystery that only Rick and Morty can solve! Writing Rick and Morty Presents: The Hotel Immortal is the fourteenth instalment of the Rick and Morty Presents series and some might say it’s difficult to keep the material fresh. Whilst the subject matter may not be the most original, writer Alejandro Arbona does bring the Rick and Morty Sci-Fi take on it. It did feel like it struggled to match the pacing of the animation but a good book nonetheless. Artwork I’m a traditionalist and I prefer the artwork to be in keeping with original. Not to detract from some of other variations in any way. But artist Marc Ellerby brings us the art style that is synonymous with Rick and Morty and paired with colourist Leonardo Ito, it’s just as you would expect from the animation. Overall Rick and Morty Presents: The Hotel Immortal. A murder mystery book which has the artwork in keeping with the animation and whilst it loses pace in places it is still a decent read. Fans of Rick and Morty will enjoy what is another fun addition to the ever growing franchise.   If you want to be part of the BGCP community, Join us on Discord, Twitter, Instagram etc then click HERE

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Review – Blacksad: A Silent Hell

25th June 2021

SUMMARY Taking a trip down to New Orleans, Blacksad and his repellent rascal of a reporter Weekly are tasked with finding a beloved missing musician in the mayhem of Mardi Gras. However, the Masquerade of the local music industry has prowled through the poisonous streets of New Orleans longer than any parade. In the hometown of Jazz and voodoo, Blacksad is soon to find out that A Silent Hell awaits those with a Life Everlasting. ART With a loud and proud colour palette party and an intricate gallery of water-coloured storytelling throughout, Guarnido has a field day with this volume of Blacksad. You know you are witnessing something special when even the simple use of colour can tell a dynamic story. With the subject matter dealing with the harsh realities of drug abuse, Guarnido takes the opportunity to show off his abstract chops with some truly trippy compositions that are both moving and menacing all at once. These in their own right could be covers for the comic or installations in a renowned art gallery for kaleidoscopic prowess. WRITING Crossing the line between art and writing, I wasn’t sure how to talk about the English translation of this comic. Unfortunately, it’s shoddily done both in it’s style and translation. Slapped across the original speech bubbles like a tacky elbow patch on a tailored suit is a grammatical nightmare of an English translation from it’s original French text, in a lifeless husk of a font no less. Canales is a genius with his immersive dialogue and sadly there’s enough immersion-breaking mistakes in the translation that really break the flow. I’d happily learn French for Blacksad but I think it’d be easier to re-release the comic with a more collaborative translation. That being said, Canales is a tour de force when it comes to his virtuosic talents for as a writer and not even a poor translation can stop him from creating a riveting tale of fabled realism. Arctic Nation dealt with racism, Red Soul a commentary on political warfare and now with A Silent Hell, a dark descension into the world of drugs and exploitative nature of the music industry. OVERALL In conclusion, Blacksad: A Silent Hell, is a maddening Mardi Gras of mistreatment and music. Just like Jazz, there’s a beauty to the dissonance of Canales’ story coupled with a fun and lively appearance atop an exhausted internal struggle from Guarnido. Despite it’s rough and staggered translation to the English language, this comic is essential reading for anyone attending the Blacksad party! [yasr_multiset setid=1] [yasr_visitor_multiset setid=1] Let us know in the comments your thoughts on Blacksad: A Silent Hell and be sure to check out my reviews for Blacksad: Somewhere Within The Shadows, Blacksad: Arctic Nation, Blacksad: Red Soul & Blacksad: Under The Skin! Buy tickets for BGCP Comic Con in and around Glasgow Scotland – BUY TICKETS Check out all of our Comic, Movie, Television and Videogame Reviews HERE and our Podcasts/Interviews HERE If you want to be part of the BGCP community, Join us on Discord, Twitter, Instagram etc then click HERE

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Review – Spawn’s Universe #1

25th June 2021

Review – Spawn’s Universe #1 SUMMARY Spawn is back with a vengeance! With Omega Spawn vanquished and the dead zones locked, the last remnants of Heaven & Hell on Earth are on the run from Spawn as they race towards the now empty throne of Hell! If a new king is crowned, Hell will go to war with Heaven that is sure to shatter the glass ceiling between good and evil that is Earth. Reluctant as he is to work with others, Spawn will need all the help he can get from all the unlikely allies he encounters. ART McFarlane promised the very best from his new team of illustrators for his beloved characters and they have not disappointed, every iteration of Spawn in this comic looks insane. The virtuosic artists have nailed the various incarnations of McFarlane’s Hellspawns, from their settings to their visual character arcs and designs, each one is unique. If there’s a Hellspawn art gallery universe, I want to be there always and forever. Being the linchpin between Heaven & Hell guarantees a blurred sense of morality. Spawn’s resurrection has boosted the action set pieces with a polished and refined intensity, both for the titular protagonist and his otherworldly antagonists. On top of this, the various artists possess a modern flare for the surgical intricacies of brutality and raw emotion. WRITING The dialogue throughout strikes a perfect balance between gritty convolution and humorous charm. Simplistic enough to follow for new readers while remaining extensive in it’s lore to keep it engaging for die-hard fans. Not to mention, in the modern world of excessive universe building, we need more universes with themes of a gothic persuasion. McFarlane’s narration has that badass nostalgic quality mixed with apocalyptic poetry throughout, you are bound to bounce off of every sentence he writes before you can even begin to fathom Spawn’s Universe but once you do, you’re in for a wicked ride. That being said, if you aren’t familiar with Spawn, McFarlane will bring you up to speed on the history and prowess just through the sheer pride and awesomeness of his commentary for his beloved characters. Like a child playing with his favourite action figures! OVERALL In conclusion, Spawn’s Universe #1 is a bleak but fruitful taste of everyone’s favourite Hellspawn and his return to the world of comic books is grandiose with a mighty blaze of biblically proportionate brooding and satirically dark realism. Comparitive to the likes of Watchmen’s Doomsday Clock, Batman’s The Death of The Family and coincidentally, Marvel’s Loki series, the first issue cements itself as an earth-shattering first step into the year of Spawn! Rate or comment on our Review of Spawn’s Universe #1 below. [yasr_multiset setid=1] [yasr_visitor_multiset setid=1] Let us know in the comments your thoughts on Spawn’s Universe #1, your favourite incarnation of Spawn and how you’ll be celebrating the year of Spawn! Buy tickets for BGCP Comic Con in and around Glasgow Scotland – BUY TICKETS Check out all of our Comic, Movie, Television and Videogame Reviews HERE and our Podcasts/Interviews HERE If you want to be part of the BGCP community, Join us on Discord, Twitter, Instagram etc then click HERE

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Review – Batman: The Long Halloween, Part One

23rd June 2021

SUMMARY Gotham’s annual festivities turn to fearful nights of fright as a mysterious murderer known only as Holiday picks of the Falcone and Roman families one by one on each consecutive holiday. It’s up to Batman, Harvey Dent & Jim Gordon to put the pieces together and save Gotham from a year-long seasonal serial killing spree. VISUALS Firstly, character designs have been sucked clean of Tim Sale’s gorgeously noirish comic style for more generic and oddly unfinished looking appearances. As well as this, characters seem to be suffering from rigor mortis with a slow and jagged stiffness to their animation atop a gloriously smooth looking art deco backdrop. Not unlike the pop art style of the spy comedy series, Archer, but with more visual phrasing.  Joker says it best in this film, “Navy, navy, charcoal, black. Euk! Really Carm, is a splash of colour too much to ask?”. Despite the original comic’s dark and monochromatic appearance, the comic popped with a minimalistic festive colour palette; Halloween oranges, Valentine’s Day reds, New Year yellows, etc. Arguably, this was a large part of the comic’s charm and style. For a story gift wrapped in holiday spirit, the wide spectrum of bright holiday colours amongst the bleak backdrop of Gotham is sorely missing from this film adaptation. It’s very hard to tell what holiday we’re supposed to be celebrating. VOICEWORK & WRITING Let’s talk about the good in this adaptation. The voicecast, while nowhere near as iconic as the longstanding original voices, do a phenomenal job in recreating the beloved characters. Every voice is unique but unmistakably perfect for the variety of personalities throughout. Stand-out performances being Troy Baker’s return as the Joker with darker Hamillisms and David Dastmalchian as Calender Man with an uncomfortable monotone performance. Unfortunately, stellar impressions don’t make for a great performance as the dialogue and acting itself is both tonally inconsistent and awkward throughout, as if the actors had no frame of reference to work off of. Why the brilliant dialogue of the comic couldn’t be brought to life or at least replicated here is baffling to me. Remember in Batman: Mask of Phantasm when you got goosebumps from Shirley Walker’s tremendously grandiose choir filling the Gotham night air on top of an earthshattering orchestral ambience? Listen to it again if you can’t remember it…yeah. Batman: The Long Halloween, Part One is virtually devoid of music aside from a minimalistic pinch of ambience every now and again. There’s an entire chase scene with no music whatsoever and it is SO AWKWARD! Batman has some of the best pieces of music in cinema history and this here is an embarrassing disappointment. Annoyingly, events and details, bar the actual holidays themselves, are all out of place, altered or in some cases just omitted from the script with pointless padding in it’s place. This totally ruins the flow, suspense and drama of the original comic that makes it such a beloved entry in the mythos of Batman, as well as makes the twists painfully obvious. While I can’t say I like that Palmer is writing his own calendar for the monthly mayhem, it is intriguing enough to see where he goes with it and if he opts for an alternative ending to the comic. If the end result is the same however, what was the point in changing key details? OVERALL In conclusion, Batman: The Long Halloween, Part One honestly feels like a bootleg adaptation of the classic comic in every way. I wouldn’t be surprised if it came out that Palmer couldn’t secure the rights to the story so he had to make his own that loosely follows the original. Either that or he hasn’t read the comic! Everything from it’s cardboard cutout look and monotonous animation to it’s first take dialogue and story inconsistencies makes the film feel wholly unfinished. I hate that I have to write this review as it hurts me to my core. I was so excited to see my favourite Batman comic get the feature length animated treatment. There are sparks of the Batman spirit in the cracks of this film but the sheer amount of problems it has eclipse any semblance of hope for the adaptation. The only way I could see redemption for the film is if it leans into it’s askew recollection of the comic in order to produce a whole new take on the Holiday storyline, perhaps giving the adaptation a unique alternate reality edge with different results i.e. cementing it as it’s own story. However, if Batman: The Long Halloween, Part Two continues to stumble it’s way to the original finish line, this will be cemented in my mind as a colossal failure for DC. [yasr_multiset setid=4] [yasr_visitor_multiset setid=4] Let us know in the comments your thoughts on Batman: The Long Halloween, Part One, your thoughts on the original Jeph Loeb comic & be sure to check out Dan’s review of Batman: The Long Halloween comic and my recent comic reviews for Batman: The Detective! Buy tickets for BGCP Comic Con in and around Glasgow Scotland – BUY TICKETS Check out all of our Comic, Movie, Television and Videogame Reviews HERE and our Podcasts/Interviews HERE If you want to be part of the BGCP community, Join us on Discord, Twitter, Instagram etc then click HERE

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Review – Kingdom Come (1996)

21st June 2021

Review – Kingdom Come Publisher: DC Writer: Mark Waid Artist: Alex Ross Letters: Todd Klein Release Date: May – August 1996 When I was asked to write a review for Kingdom Come, I decided that I had to try and ignore its legacy as one of the greatest comics ever written and instead read through it once more and critique the book at face value. That said, 25 years after its initial release, Kingdom Come still cements its place in history as one of the greatest comic book stories ever committed to print. The idea alone of this miniseries is a fascinating one. If superheroes were to ever reveal themselves in real life, it would inevitably change the world forever. Therefore, humanity’s future world look vastly different to how it would otherwise. Once these meta-humans start to appear and breed, with each generation becoming more and more powerful, where does it stop? However, even with a great concept such as this, you still need the talent working on the book to deliver. Thankfully that is the case here. Mark Waid was the perfect choice to pen this epic story, as he clearly understands these characters inside out. To even have a rough idea of what Batman, Superman and the rest of the Justice League would look and think like years down the line, you really need to know these characters as individuals. Fortunately, Mark Waid does. As he weaves this grand and complex story, he keeps all of the characters true to their individually established personalities throughout. This really makes a difference to the reader, as at no point are you taken out of the engrossing story due to an out-of-character decision. We are so used to seeing the Justice League at the top of their game, so to see these bitter, jaded versions of our favourite heroes living in a world that feels like it no longer needs them is captivating. To see the unwavering commitment of some heroes in contrast with those who feel that they no longer owe anything to Earth’s citizens is fascinating. The whole “deconstruction of the superhero genre,” theme was most famously explored in Watchmen, however seeing it play out within the Justice League is utterly fascinating. Seeing these versions of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman is such a departure from how they are usually portrayed and yet it works, because Mark Waid has such a great understanding of these characters. The idea of a younger generation superheroes that deal a much more brutal brand of justice than their predecessors has been depicted across the comic book medium both before and since Kingdom Come. However, Kingdom Come does it exceptionally well in a way that really allows the reader to deeply relate to these fictional God-like beings. Alex Ross’ artwork in this book is possibly the best artwork ever seen in a comic book. Ross is notorious for his strikingly realistic paintings of superheroes, however his work in Kingdom Come is truly exceptional. Every panel on every page is utterly stunning and genuinely beggars belief at just how real these depictions of the Justice League are. Whilst I am sure that Ross could have employed any art style to use in this book and it would have looked phenomenal, the choice to go with gouache is a remarkable one. The opaque, slightly muted look that it gives adds such depth to the already stunning pencils. This book is a prime example of why Alex Ross is considered an artistic genius by so many. The colouring is also impeccable throughout. Even when there are complex aerial hand-to-hand battles unfolding, spread across multiple pages, your eyes are never lost anywhere on the page and the reader is always able to follow exactly what is going on. With how grand and intense several of the sequences in this book are, that is no easy feat. Overall, I am so happy that I got to revisit Kingdom Come for review. I was reminded why this book has cemented itself as a modern classic of the genre and it really is a book that everyone should make a point of reading. Kingdom Come should be a required piece of literature whether you are a comic book fan or not, because it truly is a masterpiece. [yasr_multiset setid=1] [yasr_visitor_multiset setid=1] If you enjoyed Dan’s review for Kingdom Come, you can check out what he thought of Watchmen here. Don’t forget to like us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Discord and join our official Facebook Group. Check out our Podcast and subscribe to the channel on Youtube, Spotify, Apple and Google. Buy tickets for BGCP Comic Con in and around Glasgow Scotland – BUY TICKETS Check out all of our Comic, Movie, Television and Videogame Reviews and News from Glasgow, Scotland, UK and the US, HERE and our Podcasts/Interviews HERE If you want to be part of the BGCP community, Join us on Discord, Twitter, Instagram etc then click HERE

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Is Blue Box Actually Kojima? The Viral Conspiracy Explained

16th February 2026

Before we get into the nitty-gritty of Blue Box Game Studios, Hideo Kojima and Silent Hills, let me take you back to late 2012… Gangnam Style was still in the charts, Django Unchained had just dropped in cinemas and cryptocurrency was still just a weird obscure thing that only sweaty nerds your paranoid uncle cared about. Then, – completely out of nowhere, – a trailer appears on the internet teasing a new trippy-looking game called The Phantom Pain. It is from a developer that nobody has ever heard of called Moby Dick Studios with some weird dude covered in bandages called Joakim Mogren at the helm. The code-cracking began in YouTube comments and on gaming subreddits. The conspiracy unfolded and eventually it turned out to to be a complex hoax that led to the unveiling of Hideo Kojima’s Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. Then, a few years later, Kojima does the same thing again when he releases the red herring that was the P.T demo, which wound up being a “playable teaser” for the much anticipated, (sadly since cancelled,) Silent Hills. Could the same thing be happening once again with the upcoming PS5 exclusive Abandoned from unknown devs, BLUE BOX Game Studios? Could this title actually turn out to be the long-awaited resurrection of Silent Hills? Because it’s either that or a very clever marketing strategy from a small-time developer riding the Silent Hills hype train to promote their title. Either way, there are too many parallels that can be drawn for this whole thing to be a coincidence. Don your tinfoil hat and join me friends as we head down the rabbit hole together. I hope you all have your whiteboards and string at the ready, as I am about to blow your mind. Part 1: Previously unheard of developer BLUE BOX Game Studios announces ‘Abandoned’ On the 7th of April 2021, a post by Hasan Kahraman appears on the PlayStation Blog unveiling a teaser for a PS5 exclusive, first-person survival horror game titled; Abandoned. Kahraman is the Game Director at BLUE BOX Game Studios. The sleuths over on Reddit have since pointed out that if you go to the 49 second mark in the video above, you will see the image below showing writing on an outside wall that reads; “Kill The Trespassers.” A tree blocks a couple of letters of the text. Those letters being blocked just so happen to be “T” and “P,” or PT. Other than that though, upon first glance, the post appeared to be just like any other PlayStation Blog post announcing a new title. These kinds of posts certainly aren’t rare on the blog and initially nobody paid much attention to the post other than some negative reactions criticizing the amateur sounding VO work and the complaining about the poor frame rate. A few months down the line, BLUE BOX Game Studios announce that Abandoned will receive its very own PS5 app which will allow gamers to watch the game’s trailers in real time on their PS5 console. This is a notably odd thing for a studio to implement and it is certainly not something that is normally done by first-party PlayStation Studios whilst promoting their upcoming game. Therefore, this strange announcement left more than a few people wondering why this small, unknown game studio are the first to pioneer this marketing strategy. The app was initially slated to go live this Sunday on the 20th of June. However, another tweet from the developer states that the app will in fact go live on the 22nd of June. This date is probably the correct one as it is a Tuesday, which is normally the day that new games and apps go up on the PlayStation Store. Part 2: Why this could actually be Kojima leading up to the announcement of Silent Hills Shall we go deeper down the rabbit hole? A couple of days ago BLUE BOX Game Studios Twitter account posts a tweet suggesting that “Abandoned” isn’t actually the title of their game. They tease fans to “Guess the name, which begins with an S and ends with an L. This tweet perks up the ears of gaming conspiracy theorists all over the internet rumours start that Gaming’s God Of Mischief himself, Hideo Kojima is in fact behind this account and this title and Abandoned is yet another ruse concocted to lead up to the re-announcement of Silent Hills. The developer panics and quickly back-tracks to shut down any rumours that may have started based on this tweet. This back-pedalling only becomes more frequent over the next day in comment sections etc. This inevitably leads to the Streisand effect taking place and more people across the internet begin to take notice. In a later tweet, the developer refers to “Abandoned” in quotation marks, further suggesting that Abandoned is not the true title of the game. In yet another tweet, they confirm that Abandoned is simply a working title for the project. In another, it is stated that teaser that dropped back in April was only ever intended to be an announcement that the game was in development and that “the game itself has never been shown.” If we look again at the game’s title, the choice to use the word, “Abandoned,” could also be a reference to how Silent Hills and by extension Kojima were abandoned by Konami seven years ago. If this false project is actually an elaborate tease for Kojima Productions to eventually announce that they are in fact returning to work on Silent Hills, then Abandoned would a very apt working title under which to restart development on the game. Are you still with me? Because this is still just the tip of the iceberg. Part 3: You Wanna Get Nuts? Let’s Get Nuts! Strap in Alice, because we are past the point of no return. We shall begin with the logo for BLUE BOX Game Studios. Look familiar? That is because it is pretty much the exact same as the PlayStation Studios logo, right down to the font. Another parallel that can be drawn, is how the

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