Author Archive: Laurence Boyce
Laurence Boyce is a film journalist who likes Bond, Batman and Doctor Who (just to prove the things he enjoys things that don't just start with a 'B'). He is also a film programmer for various film festivals in the UK and abroad.
The Perry Bible Fellowship Almanack – 10th Anniversary Edition by Nicholas Gurewitch (book review).
If long running comic strips like ‘Peanuts’, ‘Doonesbury’, ‘Calvin And Hobbes, et al are akin to sit-coms then one panel cartoons are more the equivalent of sketch shows. While the former will often provide plenty of self-contained laughs, they also rely on recurring characters, their recognisable traits and the occasional long running story. The latter […]
Marvel’s Spider-Man: Script Book by Jess Harrold (book review).
Insomniac Games’ ‘Spider-Man’ has been one of the most well received computer games of the past few years and has gone on to be one of the bestselling ‘super-hero’ titles in history. A vast and sprawling open world game, it gives players the opportunity to take the mantle of Peter Parker, swing through the streets […]
Death’s Head: Freelance Peacekeeping Agent by Simon Furman, Walt Simonson and Ferg Handley (graphic novel review).
Those of a certain age might remember Marvel UK’s late 80s attempt to create a series of ‘American format’ comic franchises. There was ‘Dragon’s Claws’ – a futuristic mash-up of The Dirty Dozen and Rollerball; ‘The Sleeze Brothers’ – two future private detectives with more than a hint of ‘The Blues Brothers’ and ‘The Knights […]
Star Wars Episode IX – The Rise Of Skywalker (film review).
It truly was a long time ago and a galaxy far, far away when ‘Star Wars’ was seen as not much more than a risky venture doomed to box office failure. But, in 1977, Fox executives thought just that. Director George Lucas, seen as someone who was rebelling against the traditional modes of Hollywood film-making, […]
Marvel Platinum: The Definitive Ant Man And The Wasp (graphic novel review).
In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the characters Ant Man and the Wasp have become something of a symbol of light relief. The epic and heavy events of ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ contrasting with the subsequent and relatively comedic and intimate Ant Man and the Wasp. This latest Marvel Platinum collection shows the insect-monikered duo in a […]
Star Wars – A New Hope: The 40th Anniversary by Stuart Immonen, Adi Granov and Kevin Wada (graphic novel review).
Marvel and ‘Star Wars’ have always had a strong relationship. In 1977, a comicbook adaptation was based on ‘A New Hope’ and swiftly followed by a monthly title that continued the adventures of Luke Skywalker and friends. Massively successful, ‘Star Wars’ continued at Marvel until 1986. A popular run for the title followed by the […]
Marvel Platinum: The Definitive Deadpool Reloaded by Fabian Niceieza, Joe Kelly, Daniel Way, et al. (graphic novel review).
‘The Definitive Deadpool Reloaded’, the ‘Reloaded’ part meaning it’s another collection, so even more ‘Definitive’ then before, is something of a cheat. It should really be called ‘the Definitive Cable’. Sadly for the futuristic, time travelling, funny-eyed son of Cyclops, he’s not as famous as the ‘merc with a mouth’. So, unless recent hit film […]
Doctor Who: Land Of The Blind by Scott Gray, Dan Abnett, Lee Sullivan, Martin Geraghty, Graten Roberts & Nick Briggs (graphic novel review).
After being off the air for four years, ‘Doctor Who Monthly’ changed its approach to its traditional comic-strip which, at the time, were continuing the adventures of the Seventh Doctor and often tied into the range of Virgin ‘New Adventures’ stories. With Virgin about to debut the ‘Missing Adventures’, it was time to dip the […]
The Originals – The Essential Edition by Dave Gibbons (graphic novel review).
Dave Gibbons’ has been one of the most prominent names in sequential art history. He was a regular contributor to ‘2000AD’ since Prog 1 (co-creating ‘Rogue Trooper’, 4 years later) and an important part of ‘Doctor Who Weekly/Monthly’ working as its lead artist for many years from the magazine’s inception. Most famously, his aesthetic, which […]
Star Wars: From A Certain Point Of View, by various (book review).
Alan Dean Foster started it all with ‘Splinter In The Mind’s Eye’. After ghost-writing the original Star Wars novelisation and before the idea of a ‘franchise’ was even born, he crafted a follow-on story for Luke Skywalker and co. that involved Darth Vader, mysterious force amplifying crystals and a rather-unfortunate-in-hindsight kiss between Luke and Leia. […]
