Agustin Guerrero

Comic Review: Wayward

Posted by Agustin Guerrero on August 27, 2014

Posted in: Blog. Tagged: comics, image, image comics, japanese mythology, jim zub, john rauch, new comic wednesday, new comics, review, steve cummings, wayward. 1 Comment

Wayward is the newest book from Image Comics. The creator-owned series by Jim Zub and Steve Cummings has been marketed as ‘Buffy meets Japanese mythology’. That sounds pretty great to me, but I hadn’t heard anything about this book until I walked into my local comic shop. I picked it up because Image has been putting out amazing books and I trusted them to continue. I’m quite glad I did.

I want to start with the single problem I had with the book. On the first page there’s a typo. Rather than starting their descent, they start their decent. It’s a simple mistake to make but it jarred me for just long enough to matter.

Moving away from that, let’s talk about the story. It opens with Rori Lane, an Irish-Japanese teenager leaving her father in Ireland to live with her mom in Tokyo. We join her as she is thrust into an unfamiliar environment with all of her belongings packed into two bags. Cummings’ art captures the essence of a crowded and bustling Tokyo . Everything is in motion around the new immigrant, while she is the only person taking her time. It makes for a nice contrast.

I found Rori to be a likable character immediately. She’s moving into a new country she’s never even visited, but she maintains a quiet optimism about her new home. She is self-assured and even though she may have left Ireland under a dark cloud she’s determined to start anew. She starts the book as a well-developed character and I’m excited to see how she grows.

The description of ‘Buffy meets Japanese Mythology’ is pretty apt. Rori is attacked by Kappas, Japanese water monsters, and discovers she has hidden abilities. I don’t want to spoil more than that, but the story here has a lot of potential. The dialogue is lively and the pacing of the issue is on point. Zub leaves just the right amount of mystery at the end of the first issue to make readers clamor for the next one.

Story is important in comics, but the art is what brings the story to life. Cummings’ artwork in the issue is gorgeous. As mentioned before, his settings evoke the feelings of entering a busy city for the first time. I think the character design is lovely. I want to give credit to the coloring by John Rauch and Jim Zub. The book is vibrant and I think this plays nicely into the tone of the first issue.

Included in the back of the issue is some supplemental material that I found really interesting. There is an essay by Zack Davisson, a scholar of Japanese folklore, detailing the rise of monster stories in Japan. It’s only two pages long but it’s packed with a lot of cool information on the history of monsters. There’s also a Yokai File that teaches readers all about the Kappas.

Wayward #1 does what any good first issue should do. It sets up the world, gives you the first hint of a story, and makes you want to learn more. I’m excited to see where issue #2 goes.

Altered Flight: The Saga Continues

Posted by Agustin Guerrero on August 25, 2014

Posted in: Blog. Tagged: altered carbon, anne mccaffrey, books, brian k vaughan, dragonflight, fantasy, fiction, fiona staples, richard morgan, saga, Science Fiction, scifi. 1 Comment

This week’s post was a little delayed because I wanted to finish Dragonflight before posting. So let’s start there.

Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey is an interesting mix of fantasy and science fiction. It’s marketed as fantasy for obvious reasons. The story follows various dragonriders as they try to bring their weyr back to the prestige dragonriders once held. They’ve fallen on hard times as their usefulness is questioned in Pern. The usefulness of the dragonriders is where the book introduces the science fiction aspects. Pern has been invaded for centuries by something known as Threads. These Threads are an invasion force from a red star that orbits close to Pern that destroy organic matter. It’s up to F’Lar and the new Weyrwoman Lessa to find a way to stop the newest invasion when the weyrs have all but faded into memory.

This book really has a lot to love regardless of if you’re a fan of fantasy, sci-fi, or both. Time travel, dragons, inter-dimensional teleportation, dragons, and a desperate battle to save humanity involving dragons. The beginning can be a little overwhelming as you are thrust into a world without knowing all of the rules, but this is soon rectified. The characters are learning new rules along with the reader and overall this works really well. It provides readers the thrill of discovery without ever feeling like you’re missing something important.

Overall the book is really good. It’s a little short, but this is because it was originally published as separate novellas and put together into a cohesive novel. My only other complaint is that some of the characters read a little flat. Each seems to have one or two characteristics that define all of their actions. Lessa is snappy and overconfident. F’Lar is wise but prone to angry outbursts. There are some moments where these veils fall and we see real characters underneath, but they weren’t quite often enough for me. Still, I really enjoyed the book and will happily be reading the next book in the series.

I also finished up Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan. An amalgam of science fiction and hardboiled, the story follows Takeshi Kovacs as he is paid to investigate an apparent suicide. In the world of Altered Carbon, human personalities have been digitized and are able to be downloaded into new bodies. Death has effectively been erased (unless you’re Catholic) and all punishment is now time served in a digital stack.

Takeshi is an ex UN Envoy and has been trained in wearing different bodies, called sleeves, to infiltrate, investigate, and cause general havoc to UN enemies. He is shot in the beginning of the book and wakes up on Earth in a police officer’s body. A rich man has apparently killed himself, but when he is revived he doesn’t believe he would kill himself. After all, what is the point when he can just be redownloaded from remote storage? The book follows the investigation through some really interesting plot twists and provides a satisfying mystery for the reader.

Altered Carbon takes the two genres and smashes them together more than effectively. I think fans of either genre will enjoy the story told here. If you’re not interested in reading some rather explicit sex scenes, you might want to pass on this one, but otherwise have at it.

Finally, I read the third volume of Saga by Brian K Vaughan and Fiona Staples. What can I say about this series that hasn’t already been said? I keep waiting for the team to slip, to somehow lose this incredible steam they’ve got going. Even to produce a book that falters for just a few pages. I’m very happily surprised that with every issue they somehow get better. Y: The Last Man is one of my favorite series of all time, but Saga might be the pinnacle of what BKV can create. I haven’t read any of the books Fiona Staples has worked on besides Saga, but her work is beautiful and I would happily consume all I can find.

The bottom line is, if you’re not reading Saga please pick up the first volume. Give it a glance in the store, read a few pages, see if you’re into it. That’s all it will take to get its hooks in you.
Anyway, that’s my week in science fiction. If you want to talk about the dragonriders of Pern, hardboiled being the name of a genre, or just fawn over Fiona Staples art, feel free to message me or tweet me @left4turtle.

Guardians of the Lazarus

Posted by Agustin Guerrero on August 14, 2014

Posted in: Blog. Tagged: books, chris pratt, comics, fiction, groot, guardians of the galaxy, lazarus, reading, review, Science Fiction, scifi, star-lord. Leave a comment

Guardians of the Galaxy is an amazing movie. I know I’m not telling you anything new here, but I just want to get this fact out of the way. Marvel has outdone themselves this time. Aside from The Avengers, which was just an incredible feat aside from the content, Guardians of the Galaxy is my favorite Marvel movie. When I walked out of the theater I told my girlfriend that this movie was a 10/10 perfect me-movie. Here are a few non-spoilery reasons why.

The casting here is spot-on. There’s no other way to describe it. Chris Pratt as Star-Lord works almost too well. He’s brought to the screen the most likeable rogue since Han Solo himself. He’s funny and he’s clever, but his backstory is heartfelt and his tragic past echoes through his performance. His interactions with Zoe Saldana’s Gamora are flirtatious at times, but they never cross into a forced romance. In fact, all of the character interactions here are a joy to watch.

Marvel may have set the stage for Rocket to steal the show, but it’s Groot that dominates the screen. It only takes him three words to become a star.

The story is mostly what you’d expect. Each of these miscreants overcome checkered pasts to save the universe from the big bad. It’s a tried and true formula, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be done well. Guardians of the Galaxy does it well. The character’s are given depth through key backstory moments that don’t feel forced at all. The bad guy feels appropriately powered to warrant the creation of such an unexpected team. The story is nicely contained, while still working to expand the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Fans of the comics will love this movie. New readers will love this movie. Fans of science fiction will love this movie. This is the movie of the summer, plain and simple.

A side note: I was seated next to a kid who was probably eight years old. Through the entire film, he was oohing and ahhing, cheering for Star-Lord and his band of scoundrels. Every cool moment made him laugh with joy. He gave the film a standing ovation. I hope this movie was for him what Star Wars was for me. This movie is the perfect gateway into the world of science fiction.

I also had the chance to read the first volume of Greg Rucka and Michael Lark’s Lazarus. This consists of the first four issues of the series and a special prologue for the trade. Focused more on introducing the world and characters, the first volume was a little bit underwhelming from a story perspective. However, it does set up the second volume quite nicely.

Lazarus is the story of a dystopian future where the world is separated into territories controlled by the richest families. They don’t care for most of the people in their lands, treating them as serfs or sheep more than anything. They are obsessed with gaining and protecting their own power. The main character here is Forever Carlyle, the Lazarus for the Carlyle family. A Lazarus is basically an augmented soldier who protects the family from rival families. The story hints at her past, but that will be explored in later volumes. For now, suffice to say she is a badass soldier who is completely loyal to the head of the Carlyle family and nobody else.

Despite the lack of a bigger story, the world that’s been created is sufficiently intriguing to keep readers going on to the second volume. The creators have given readers a promise of things to come, and those things have the potential for incredible storytelling.
Anyway, if you want to share your Guardians experience with me or tell me your opinions on Lazarus, feel free to message me or tweet me @left4turtle

Un Lun Dun: The New Order

Posted by Agustin Guerrero on August 9, 2014

Posted in: Blog. Tagged: books, china mieville, fiction, machine games, reading, review, Science Fiction, scifi, un lun dun, wolfenstein. Leave a comment

Un Lun Dun by China Miéville is one of the most creative books I’ve read. There are moments in the book that are so genius it almost feels painful. The author wields his creativity like a weapon with the intention of destroying conventions and expectations. And it works.

Describing the storyline of Un Lun Dun is bound to give some of the creative twists away. There will be no major spoilers here, but there are some minor ones. So with that being said, if you want a completely unsullied experience get out now. Skip down to the picture of the Wolfenstein cover.

Still here? Well then let me tell you my favorite thing about the book. The chosen one fails in the first fourth of the book and is no longer the main character. I loved that more than any other part of this book. Instead her best friend, barely mentioned in the prophecies, becomes the hero of the story. It was such a refreshing experience. Rather than follow the prophecy, Deeba follows the parts she deems important. She cuts out the middlemen and heads straight for the final dungeon. It’s just so brilliant. Any reader can empathize with her tale. We’ve all had moments where our friends were chosen for something and we were overlooked. We’ve all wanted to prove that we could be the hero of the story, regardless of our delegated roles. It’s a book intended for young adult readers, but the themes are applicable to us all.

The world that the author creates is remarkable. Un Lun Dun (Unlondon) is a world full of things that shouldn’t make any sense. From carnivorous giraffes to flocks of unbrellas, the book is enthusiastically creative. It’s a joy to learn about Unlondon and what makes it unique from London. I don’t want to give too much more away, but the wordplay in the book elicited a few shocked grins. If you like joy, creativity, or wonder, you’d do well to pick up this book. If you have any young readers in your family, ask them to give this a shot. It’s well worth it.

I also completed Wolfenstein: The New Order this week. This is a first-person shooter developed by Machine Games and published by Bethesda. I’m not going to critique the gameplay here, but I wanted to mention this game because it has a surprisingly great scifi story. Wolfenstein follows William “B.J.” Blazkowicz through an alternate history where the nazis won World War II.

The story opens with B.J. attacking the compound of Nazi General Wilhelm “Deathshead” Strasse with a group of special forces soldiers. The attack is a glorious failure and results in a head injury for our hero. When he awakens fourteen years later, the Nazi’s have taken over the world and the moon. They come to the hospital where he has been in a vegetative state and attack those who cared for him over the years. He awakens and murders everyone and goes off to join the resistance.

The game then follows a series of missions where we build up the resistance forces and try to shift the balance of world power. There is a surprisingly genuine love story that blossoms between B.J. and his caretaker from the hospital Anya. The writing is crisp, and the backstory materials hidden throughout the world are actually worth reading. By the end of the game, Machine Games has crafted one of the single best stories in games this year. And that ending credits song may have jerked a few tears.
Anyway, if you want to tell me Un Lun Dun would be a great vacation spot or that you think I’m wrong about Wolfenstein, feel free to send me a message or tweet me @left4turtle.

I Love Saga (Lucy not so much)

Posted by Agustin Guerrero on July 29, 2014

Posted in: Blog. Tagged: brian k vaughan, comics, eisner, fiona staples, luc besson, lucy, reading, review, saga, scarlett johansson, Science Fiction, scifi. Leave a comment

This week I had the pleasure of reading the second volume of Saga, the epic science fiction and fantasy mashup by Brian K Vaughan and Fiona Staples. There’s not much to say about this series that hasn’t already been said a hundred times. The writing is sharp, the art is beautiful, and the story simultaneously tugs at your heart strings and repulses you. The series has won plenty of well-deserved awards and is arguably the best comic series in recent memory. Buy into the hype, this book will change your life.

I don’t want to give too much away, but the story is about two soldiers in opposing armies that fall in love and have a child. Now both sides of the war are desperate to capture them and destroy their child. With the galaxy against them and the deadliest hunters pursuing them, the three live on the run and forge alliances with unlikely allies. As vague as that may be, I wouldn’t want to give a single thing away from this book. It’s a genuine delight to learn about the world as you read, and each issue hits harder than the last. If you’re not reading Saga, you should do yourself the favor of picking up the first volume.

And now on the other end of the spectrum, we have the new Luc Besson film Lucy. Lucy is the story of a woman who, through a new designer drug, is given access to her full mental capacities and develops superhuman abilities. The more of her brain she unlocks, the more powerful and inhuman she becomes. It’s not a new plot, but it’s one that still had potential to be interesting. Unfortunately, Lucy did not deliver on that potential.

From the very beginning, the storytelling in Lucy struck me as odd. The beginning shows Lucy, delivering a package to a mysterious man for a different, shady man. She doesn’t want to be there, but she doesn’t have a choice. Then, spliced in the middle of the scene and ruining any sort of organic tension that could have been built by Scarlett Johansson’s acting abilities, there are scenes from a nature documentary. The director beats you over the head with his metaphor of Lucy being a gazelle and these men being cheetahs on the hunt. It’s as bad as it sounds.

From there the storytelling can best be described as erratic. Lucy ends up immediately seeking revenge with her new found powers, but then stops short of killing the main antagonist. Why? I’m not entirely sure, but the only reason that comes to mind is to give Lucy a foe to face down through the rest of the movie. Then she’s contacting a scientist to study her. Then she calls a Parisian police captain to coordinate a multinational drug bust with seven hours’ notice. Then she’s fighting people again. Then she’s kissing the Parisian police captain. It jumps around through tenuously connected events and shoehorns a weird romantic subtext into the film that just doesn’t belong. The only things that flow properly in the film are the action scenes.

The movie did have some cool action sequences, but that’s about all it has going for it. Scarlett Johansson is a talented actress, but her talents are wasted here. Lucy transforms from the scared gazelle to an emotionless machine and remains that way for the rest of the movie. There’s no life in any of her delivery. I understand that she was emotionless because she had progressed beyond trivial emotions, but there has to be somebody to empathize with in your movie. Unfortunately, the film doesn’t provide even the shadow of a relatable character. I’d recommend passing on this one.

So anyway, if you want to heap praise on Saga or tell me why Lucy was a great movie, feel free to message me or tweet me @left4turte.

An Awesome Discovery

Posted by Agustin Guerrero on July 21, 2014

Posted in: Blog. Tagged: book haul, books, borderlands press, library, little books, straub. Leave a comment

The other day I visited one of my local comic shops on a whim. I was driving home and had no intention of stopping, but something made me pull into the parking lot. I walked in and began browsing the shelves, looking for nothing in particular. Then, randomly on a counter top in the back of the store, I found a set of small hardcover books.

It took all of two seconds for me to decide I needed these in my life. I’d never heard of the ‘Little Books’ series. Some research taught me that there were 15 in all, published by Borderlands Press. When I brought the set home I was a little saddened to find that it was missing the Neil Gaiman book, but the rest were all there. Some were even from the original signed printing.

I stumbled into an awesome set of books. What’s the best thing you’ve ever stumbled across on a random bookstore trip?

Orphan Troopers

Posted by Agustin Guerrero on July 20, 2014

Posted in: Blog, Promotional. Tagged: books, military science fiction, military scifi, orphan black, review, Robert Heinlein, Science Fiction, scifi, starship troopers, tatiana maslany. 9 Comments

This week I finished Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein. While I appreciate the book for what it is and how it has influenced the genre throughout the years, I found that the book still suffered from many of the problems I had with Stranger in a Strange Land.

While I don’t feel like this book was as preachy as Stranger, it still suffered from Heinlein’s habit of stopping the action and explaining his various viewpoints. Heinlein uses the recurring character Lieutenant Colonel Jean V. Dubois as his vehicle for explaining his viewpoints. Because Dubois is a retired officer working as a teacher, Heinlein is able to lecture to the reader through the varying class discussions. The problem is this gets more tedious as the book goes on. It may not have been as often as in Stranger, but the content of this book is generally fast paced military science fiction and thus the multi-page sermons are even more jarring. It doesn’t benefit the story and actually removes readers from the plot.

The ideas are expressed poorly, but that doesn’t make them uninteresting. Heinlein makes his case throughout the story for a limited democracy, a society that will only give you the opportunity to vote if you prove that you have a sense of moral responsibility by putting the group over the individual. You prove that through two years of service in the Terran Military. It’s an interesting idea that would probably never work in reality, but it’s fascinating nonetheless. The book also criticizes the political structure of the time as being rather quixotic. People of the “failed civilizations” would vote for anything that would benefit them, without enduring any of the consequences. Heinlein goes so far as to criticize the Declaration of Independence, stating that the pursuit of happiness is our only right and that life and liberty must be fought for.

Starship Troopers is an interesting book that suffers not from its’ ideas but from its’ presentation. Heinlein wants to make his ideas as clear as possible so that no reader doubts where he stands. The problem is reading an essay within fiction is not the ideal reading experience. Still, as it is a short read, I recommend it to fans of science fiction who want to read the story that lead to the popularization of military sci-fi and created many more of the universal conventions of the genre. In fact, though I didn’t realize it at the time, my novel The Amalgam would never have been possible without Heinlein. His ideas have so thoroughly permeated the genre that I was influenced without ever knowing the source.

I also finished the second season of Orphan Black and the last two episodes of the season really brought me back. After an all-around great first season, the second season sort of stalled in the beginning. The story was growing more convoluted and erratic, jumping from character to character before giving us a chance to learn too much. There were some cool scenes in the first few episodes, but they were marred by the story’s multi-branching path and overall inconsistent presentation. After stumbling through the first few episodes, the show finds its’ stride once more and returns to the fantastic science fiction story we saw in the first season. By the end you’ll have more questions than answers, but you’ll still come away satisfied at the close of the season.

Helena has easily become one of the most interesting characters in the show. While Sarah Manning is still the central character, this season she took more of a back seat and allowed the rest of the characters to grow. I really enjoyed seeing Cosima and her personality continuing to shine even through her battle with a terminal illness. Alison even began to grow on me as she battled addiction, guilt, and the lies that her marriage was built on. Tatiana Maslany’s skills as an actress cannot be overstated. She’s brilliant and perfectly embodies so many individual and unique characters. Plus there’s a clone dance party and what could be better than that?

As a whole, it’s more of what made the first season so interesting. Taken in parts, the season starts off rather poorly but has redeemed itself by the end. I’d say if you really liked the first season try and make it through the rough patches of the beginning. If you weren’t already invested I’d recommend passing on this one.

So that was my week in science fiction. If you want to tell me why a limited democracy is a great idea or gush over Helena and/or Tatiana Maslany, feel free to message me or tweet me @left4turtle.

The Follow Up: A Snowpiercer for Caesar

Posted by Agustin Guerrero on July 14, 2014

Posted in: Blog. Tagged: andy serkis, bong joon-ho, chris evans, dawn of the planet of the apes, movie review, movies, planet of the apes, rise of the planet of the apes, Science Fiction, scifi, snowpiercer. 1 Comment

This weekend was a slow weekend in terms of reading, but I did see two of the big science fiction movies of the summer: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and Snowpiercer.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is the sequel to Rise of the Planet of the Apes, the reboot of the classic franchise. Now, I haven’t seen any of the original movies. The only experience I had with the series prior to Rise was Tim Burton’s less than stellar attempt to reboot the franchise. Rise was a good movie. Dawn is a better movie.

Dawn takes place ten years after the conclusion of Rise, where we find ninety percent of humanity has been decimated by the Simian Flu. Caesar has become the leader of the evolved Apes and has brought them ten years of peace and prosperity. The apes have almost allowed themselves to believe humanity is gone when who should show up but a gun-toting, ape-hating human and his group of well-meaning friends. Needless to say the initial encounter isn’t nice for either side.

The first half of the movie is brilliant. I don’t really have a single complaint. The world is built, the rules of new societies are defined, and the tension grows more palpable by the minute. The buildup is perhaps the best feature of the new movie. Naturally we empathize with the humans at first. But as the movie goes on, there are groups of apes that we can identify with perhaps better than any of the human characters. Caesar just wants to bring peace to his family. Koba, Caesar’s war chief and friend, hates humans for all of the testing they did on him and his kin. He still bears the scars of his torture and his mistrust of the humans grows as the movie progresses. And who can blame him? Humans did some pretty terrible things. So naturally there is a growing tension between Caesars side and Koba’s growing ranks of supporters that peaks in one of the film’s best moments.

If the first half is brilliant, the second half is a little underwhelming. It plays out kind of how you’d expect. I don’t want to spoil anything here, but this criticism is in no way saying the film is bad. It’s still quite good. I just would have liked something a little more unexpected. That being said the very end of the film is powerful and very nicely sets up the next in the series. Also, Andy Serkis did incredible work as always.

Snowpiercer finally came to a theater in my town and I jumped at the chance to see it. Having recently read the graphic novel (and discussing it here), I was itching to see if the film was as good as the internet said. And it was.

Snowpiercer borrows the world from the graphic novel, but it tells its’ own unique story. The snowpiercer is a train that houses the last surviving remnants of humanity. A supposed cure to global warming took a bad turn and froze the world. The only place humanity can survive is on a train that is perpetually circling the globe. The class system is present and the tension between the classes is even higher than in the book. This leads to open rebellion led by Curtis(Chris Evans) to take control of the front of the train.

Evans is a little stiff in the beginning of the movie, but once the action starts rolling he loosens up and really takes control of the role. The film is a great example of action with a purpose. This movie isn’t a mindless action movie. This film uses the action to tell a story of desperation that is mirrored in the brutality of the fight scenes. One of my favorite scenes in the movie pits the low class armed with makeshift clubs against an army of upper class soldiers wielding axes and spears. It’s gruesome, but during this scene we get some of the best character development for Curtis and his comrades.

This movie is smart, action-packed, emotional and just a joy to watch. The ending slows down just a touch too much, but it doesn’t detract from the movie. It may seem like I’m overselling it, but I genuinely think this is one of the best science fiction movies in recent memory. It’s a breath of fresh air in the post-apocalyptic genre and a much needed one at that.

The thing at the end with the polar bear was my one complaint with the movie. I understand that it represents a sustainable ecosystem, but I don’t think it really jives with the established universe. Also, I would be a fool not to mention another favorite of mine also directed by Bong Joon-Ho: The Host. A fantastic monster movie that I recommend to anyone who enjoys monsters or movies.

So anyway, that’s been my science fiction for the weekend. If you want to tell me that Dawn of the Planet of the Apes was the Empire Strikes Back of ape movies, or if you want to gush with me about Snowpiercer, feel free to message me or tweet me @left4turtle.

Lost in Thought

Posted by Agustin Guerrero on July 9, 2014

Posted in: Blog. Tagged: anime, bryan lee o'malley, cats, comics, lost at sea, onipress, sailor moon, sailor moon crystal, scott pilgrim, seconds, souls. Leave a comment

I just finished reading Lost at Sea by Bryan Lee O’Malley. First of all, I love O’Malley’s art style. I could look at his work for days and never get tired of it. This book is much different than the authors more famous Scott Pilgrim series. It has a touch of the quirky humor, but it is lacking the video game references and comedic narrative. This book is on the other end of the spectrum from Scott Pilgrim, and that’s perfectly fine. This is a serious story about an 18 year old girl named Raleigh and her journey home. She has serendipitously ended up in a car with three of her classmates that she barely knows all on their way from California back to Canada. Raleigh is going through some serious life changes right now, not the least of which is the mystery of her soul. She knows that hers is missing and is probably residing in a cat on the route home.

It’s silly, yes, but O’Malley effortlessly weaves this idea into his somber tale of self discovery. This book sees Raleigh through the darkest moments of her young life. It perfectly captures feeling lost as an adolescent and anyone can identify with her turmoil. This book feels important not only to the author but to the readers. I’ve seen a lot of people trashing it for being emo bullshit, but that’s not what I saw. I saw a reflection of the confusion I felt growing up. I could relate to the disjointed way Raleigh told her story. It’s a story that will definitely stick with me for awhile.

Aside from that, I finally watched the first episode of Sailor Moon Crystal. It’s a pretty fun ride. Sailor Moon at one point has to fight a zombie hoard and she defeats them with her tears. It might have been partly (mostly) nostalgia but when she said “In the name of the moon, I will punish you” I felt an urge to pump my fists in victory. If you’ve been missing Sailor Moon, give it a watch sometime.

Anyways, if you want to tell me that you hate joy and thus Sailor Moon or wanna talk about Bryan Lee O’Malley’s work (and how excited you are for Seconds next week) feel free to message me or tweet me @left4turtle.

My Stories

Posted by Agustin Guerrero on July 3, 2014

Posted in: Promotional. Tagged: creative writing, flash fiction, horror, Science Fiction, short story, speculative fiction, writing. Leave a comment

I’ve added a few of my short stories to the blog. Legion is a personal favorite of mine, but if you’re just looking for a quick read Stay is only 500 words. Feedback is always welcome.