Warhorses of Letters, Series 2
by Marie Phillips & Robert Hudson (BBC 4, 2012)
A slighter affair than Series 1, though not objectively all that different (so perhaps just shorn of some novelty value). The historical allusions do seem fewer, the scripts favouring Marengo and Copenhagen’s relationship troubles. Humorous horse names continue to prove a highlight!
Teen Titans Academy Vol. 1: X Marks the Spot
by Tim Sheridan & Robbie Thompson; ill. Rafa Sandoval, Jordi Tarragona, Steve Lieber, et al. (DC Comics, 2022)
Cluttered art, storytelling by narrative collage. Individual characters do eventually emerge from the chaos, but for the most part Teen Titans Academy just throws vignettes at the wall to see what sticks. The mystery element isn’t so much obfuscated as perpetually sidelined.
The Obelisk Gate
by N. K. Jemisin (Orbit, 2016)
audiobook read by Robin Miles (Hachette Audio, 2016)
More accessible than The Fifth Season yet still laudably free from exposition. The big picture does become clearer, but only as a corollary to Essun and Nassun’s smaller, more personal stories. Jemisin has a real knack for pulling readers into her world.
Mr Inbetween, Season 1
by Scott Ryan; dir. Nash Edgerton (Fox, 2018)
Six-part crime drama/comedy done the Australian way. Scott Ryan has unique presence as a no-frills hitman balancing work and family life (although this latter aspect is neglected in the final act, which favours regulation black comedy and somewhat squanders the show’s potential).
Dancing Through the Fire
by Tanith Lee (Fantastic Books, 2015)
Lee’s short stories tend to forsake traditional plot arcs in favour of moody subversion, feminist re-slantings, surrealist tints and dream-laden unrealities. The result can be as affective as effective, moving the reader without proffering a destination. SF tale ‘Medra’ proves a standout.
Alita: Battle Angel
dir. Robert Rodriguez (2019)
Visually engaging SF, especially when focussing on its dystopian setting (Blade Runner vibes) rather than predictable cyberpunk action sequences—which themselves aren’t entirely egregious, though Motorball does take the CGI biscuit. Limited, but not damned, by straightforward storytelling and too-simple character interactions/arcs.
Warhorses of Letters, Series 1
by Marie Phillips & Robert Hudson (BBC 4, 2011)
Radio comedy purporting to present romantic correspondence between the warhorses, respectively, of Napoleon Bonaparte and the Duke of Wellington! The humour is rapid-fire and erudite, based on historical allusions, equine anthropomorphism and Anglo-French disparities. Daniel Rigby and Stephen Fry voice the horses.
L.A.’s Finest, Season 1
(Spectrum, 2019)
Disregarding its Bad Boys connection (thence presumably the negative reviews), L.A.’s Finest ticks all the right boxes as a buddy cop action/drama series. The characters gel, the actors commit. (Some casting surprises, but in a good way.) The humour works. Good stuff.
Shades of Magic: The Steel Prince
by V.E. Schwab; ill. Andrea Olimpieri (Titan Comics, 2019)
The depictions of magic—especially the Pirate Queen’s bone magic—are striking, but the art more generally is murky and the action scenes fragmentary and confused, providing verisimilitude (perhaps) but leaving the reader in a muddle as to who is doing what.
Macanudo: Welcome to Elsewhere
by Liniers (Fantagraphics, 2022)
Hardcover. A scenario-based, full-colour cartoon strip championing the power of imagination (with some social commentary thrown in). Argentine maestro Liniers employs a recurring cast of child, animal and fantasy characters, treating world-weary readers to cathartic flights of fancy, daydreaming, and outright surrealism.