October 19, 2022

Falling Out - A Review of Firestoke's New 16-Bit Roguelike

October 19, 2022/ Bob Parks

Written by Bob Parks

“A sharp new title for a long running genre that I enthusiastically avoid”

As a disclaimer, I have to tell you I’m not the biggest fan of roguelikes. I have played my fair share of them, trying to give them a fair shake. While I appreciate them for what they are, I just don’t go out of my way to find them. I don’t think they’re an inherently bad genre but they aren’t what I seek when I look for a game. For the uninitiated, roguelikes are procedurally generated levels, so no two games will run the same, the level complexity and difficulty rising the further you progress.

So with that said, the 1st notch in Firestoke’s 16 bit themed game belt is super charming and equally punishing. You get to play as (and swap between at any time) either Giorgio or Felicie, a misadventurous couple that truly missed… Adventuring. This is portrayed in the short animatic clips that frame the short and sweet backstory and subsequently bookend each area they visit as they get further through the worlds. Very charming design and attention to sprite animation really breathe life into the duo.

***Falling Out*** **- Giorgio** and **Felicie in Egypt.**

You have the ability to bank your “filthy lucre” (depending on your difficulty) as well as buying and upgrading weapons in-between levels via the bumbling Azar, a shopkeeper who seems to enjoy getting just as lost as our lead couple. Speaking of the pair, each character has a special set of moves or abilities which you need in order to progress, access difficult areas and survive the dangers of each area (Giorgio’s double jump is a gas). All the skills put together properly will hopefully get you as much loot as you can handle and get you out of there safely before the timer goes off and the temple floods. And if you’re not playing this with a friend, it gets hairy trying to force these two through the exit at the same time while running out of breath— but I’ll touch on that in a bit. The controls feel tight, but the knock back seems floaty which isn’t enough to fault the game for my performance.

Falling Out is actually very accessible and should be proud for setting itself apart from the crowd with its whimsy and humor. Too bad it’s undercut with the frustrations I have with needing to control two different characters with different abilities(forgetting which button controlled what on who- etc). I spent tens of minutes at one point in a level constantly dying because I was setting off a trap in front of my partner or I was trying to get one of them to exit while the other swam away- or vice versa. I did try playing with another person and while it solved several issues I was having, it opened up even more - specifically friendly fire. To reiterate this isn’t a knock on the game itself. I’m glad to have a challenge and as these games are designed to be progressively challenging it’s not as if they’ve been trying to deceive you this entire time. Perhaps I’ve been playing too many first person shooters, or maybe I need to take the time until I can truly be fulfilled by 16bit headache inducing entertainment. Or maybe I’m definitely not in the mindset for it now, and that’s fine. Or maybe they need to work on there telegraphing during boss fights because it does get messy with all the sprites clogging up the area to see where the fresh hel— I digress. Is it something I can enjoy being mad at for a few hours a week? Sure. Is it the type of game to enchant everyone? No, but it was definitely good looking enough to entice me to ram my head into a metaphorical brick wall repeatedly(which you are actually encouraged to do in game).

***Falling Out*** - swimming in the Alaska level.

***Falling Out*** - swimming in the Maya level.

For what it is, I believe Firestoke did an admirable job with their hugely inviting entry into the roguelike sphere of influence. One that I will continue viewing with admiration while keeping a respectful distance from.

You can purchase Falling Out for yourself on

Steam

Nintendo eShop

PlayStation Store

Microsoft Store

Official Press Release

October 6th, 2022—Take control of two accidental adventurers in FALLING OUT, a light-hearted roguelite platformer out now for PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch. The title from developer PolyCrunch Games and publisher Firestoke benefits from a launch discount of20% across all platforms.

In FALLING OUT you take control of oddball couple Giorgio and Felicie on the holiday from hell.Navigate randomly generated ancient temples while finding treasures, dodging traps, slayingenemies, and crafting weapons. On your adventure you’ll run into the equally lost, but ratherhelpful, shopkeeper, Azar and extremely frightening end of world bosses!

FALLING OUT features a number of inventive game modes designed to appeal to different playstyles and keep the fun flowing. Players can swap between the two main characters in thesingle-player campaign to utilize their unique traits, or choose their favourite and play with afriend in local co-op or versus modes.

No matter how you play, Giorigio and Felicie will have to put theirdifferences aside and work as a team in order to escape before the temple floods!

The title is the first game release for developer PolyCrunch Games and publisher Firestoke.

Upon the release Neville Attard, founder of PolyCrunch commented; “I’m excited that players across the world, and on multiple platforms, can now enjoy the retro inspired, roguelike, platform fun of FALLING OUT.” Paul Farley, CEO of Firestoke added “It’s been a pleasure working with PolyCrunch Games to craft and publish such a lovely game. We know that players are going to love the madcap nature, silly humour and pure joy of FALLING OUT and look forward to sharing that fun with them!“

Features:

●Play with two characters at a time in single player mode, or join with a friend in localco-op and versus modes.

●Easily switch between characters to use their unique abilities.

●Deep metagame-decode blueprints, buy objects and collect scraps to build weaponsand items that will help you overcome the unknown perils ahead.

●Procedurally generated roguelike levels. Each play session is unique.

●Explore, navigate, and survive worlds full of ghastly ancient creatures.

●Challenge yourself to set the global best score in the daily pyramid

●Relive your most hilarious moments with slow motion replay

FALLING OUT is available now with a 20% launch discount on Nintendo Switch™, Xbox One™,Xbox Series™, Playstation 4™, Playstation 5™and PC Steam.

April 29, 2022

A Review of Derf Backderf's Kent State: Four Dead In Ohio

April 29, 2022/ Ross Webster

Written by Ross Webster

By Derf Backderf

Published by: Abrams Books

$24.99

Derf Backderf knows more than most that it is one thing to read about historical events, or to watch them unfold on TV news (and increasingly social media), and another thing to be present for history as it happens. He first made this point clear in his breakthrough graphic novel, My Friend Dahmer, where he reflects on what it was like to go to high school with the troubled teen who would grow up to be one of America’s most notorious serial killers.

In Kent State: Four Dead In Ohio, Backderf returns to his native Buckeye State - but further back in time for this trip to May, 1970 and four catastrophic days at Kent State University that ended in bloodshed. This event, due to contemporary circumstances, feels disturbingly resonant again amid social unrest driven largely by paranoia, conspiracy theories, and a governments with few qualms about subverting democracy. With his latest graphic novel Backderf seeks to set the record straight on the events of the four days in May we think we know so well and to give life back to the four slain students through painstaking research and a historically informed imagination. The result is a far more dynamic, frightening, tragic and infuriating tale than the official record or historical memory has ever given us.

Those across the country that can remember the Kent State Massacre - but were not direct participants - by and large do so vaguely. They mainly remember the infamous photo of a girl screaming over the body of a slain student and all the of the civil disfunction of Nixon’s America that it came to symbolize. Whether younger generations remember Kent State beyond the Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young song, is perhaps an even thornier question. In an interview with The Journal of Graphic Novels and Comics (an excerpt of which was posted on Kent State University’s website to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the massacre), Backderf commented on the inadequacy of photographs (even the most iconic) to convey truth, history and meaning over time. And aside from the most iconic image most fail to capture anything meaningful about the events that transpired.[1] This is in part because the most critical events at Kent State occurred at night which of course was difficult at best to cover with 1970s camera technology. This is where a medium like comics can often fill in the blanks of our collective historical memory and, through a combination of well-informed research and a touch of creative license, can free historical events from the obscurity and aphorism created by both the passage of time and the desire for socio-political actors to dilute and divest historical narratives of their power.[2]

To first drive the atmosphere of the times Backderf begins not at Kent State but in his hometown of Richfield, Ohio where, as a ten-year-old boy, he observed Ohio National Guard soldiers who were called in to quell striking truck workers. It is a grim reminder that much of the true fear, danger and violence of the late Sixties and early Seventies has been diluted both by time and nostalgia. There would be no bloodshed at the picket lines on April 30, 1970 as that evening, President Nixon announced the invasion of Cambodia. The guardsmen were sent to a new domestic battleground.

When readers get to Kent State University for the first time, they are introduced to two narrative threads; the lives of the four slain students, and the historical record counting down to May 4, 1970 like an ominous ticking time bomb. If one of the purposes of “Kent State:…” is to restore life to the four slain students and free them from the obscurity of history, then it is appropriate to get a glimpse at who they were;

Sandy Scheuer - a 20-year-old speech therapy student who, although opposed to the Vietnam War, is reluctant to get involved in the demonstrations stirring up across campus and beyond.

Jeff Miller - also 20, dating Sandy and far more committed to making a stand at his increasingly besieged university.

Alison Krause - a 19-year-old student looking to transfer to the University of Buffalo and away from the engulfing chaos.

Bill Schroeder - a 19-year-old ROTC cadet who, while not partaking in the protests, has increasing doubts about the direction his country is going in.

Backderf pieced their lives together from a combination of interviews from Kent State’s May 4 Collection (many of which are part of the Kent State Truth Tribunal; a project spearheaded by Allison Krause’s sister, Laurel), Interviews he conducted -including friends of Jeff Miller and Sandy Scheuer- and some creative license. When following the goings on of the four students, the reader is granted some brief reprieve from the growing sense of tension and chaos in and around their university. Their stories are a reminder that they were living, breathing people and not mere footnotes of history. You learn that Alison Krause liked to care for stray animals; that Sandy Scheuer and Jeff Miller were in love; and that Bill Shroeder was a fan of The Rolling Stones. You are also reminded that they were all known and loved by others. That they had parents who desperately wished for their safety. We all know that this would be cruelly denied.

The other portions of “Kent State…” could not be more different. Here Backderf maintains a careful balance between stating historical fact and circumstances without compromising the emotional gravity of his artwork (a task I don’t think Backderf always succeeds at in this work). The stark drawings in crisp black-and-white capture horrifying acts of violence (primarily state-sponsored) and abuses of power up the chains of command from the Ohio National Guard all the way to the U.S. intelligence agencies. Any one of the players opposite the students - be they lowly privates or the highest echelons of the U.S. government - are presented as living case studies for the banality of evil (Ironically many of those enlisted did so to avoid being sent to Vietnam).[3] However, Backderf reserves his strongest condemnations for the chief administrators of the Ohio National Guard, namely Brigadier General Robert Canterbury; General Sylvester del Corso; the Mayor of Kent, Leroy Satrom; and Governor of Ohio Jim Rhodes.

All these men are a dangerous cocktail of careerism, authoritarian impulses, and Cold War-fueled paranoia. In practice, this trickles down the chain of command and informs every crucial decision made at Kent State with bloody arrogance, staggering ineptitude, and stupid, horrifying cruelty. There was disregard for the lives and safety of all in their way be they demonstrators or innocent bystanders.[4]

While Backderf pins most of the blame on the forces of law and order (rightfully so) he does not let certain student actors off the hook. Namely the mob of students who on the night of May 1, set fire to the campus ROTC building - which in turn escalated the authoritarian instincts of their antagonists and justified their paranoid delusions in their minds. Backderf goes to great lengths to put their fears into context. It is easy in hindsight to forget that antiwar and civil rights movements in the 1960s and 1970s were in many ways a de facto civil war - with both J. Edgar Hoover’s FBI and CIA (illegally) infiltrating college campuses to root out activist organizations such as Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), the Youth International Movement (Yippies) and the infamous Weather Underground. The real-life rhetoric and antics of the Far-Left domestic terrorist organization served mostly to fuel the fears, delusions and willing ignorance of the authorities who equated all protesters with them.

Backderf notes that a major exception to the conduct of the protests was The Black United Students, who’s tactics exhibited far more restraint than their other left-wing cohorts and declined to participate in the major rallies. The reasoning for this was their leadership sensing the increasing disjunction of the protests and the grim knowledge that the National Guard would be far more willing to shoot black protesters than white ones (given previous experience when the Guard was called on to enforce martial law in black neighborhoods in Cleveland and Akron in the late Sixties).

It’s also from here readers get a glimpse into the career of Terry Norman, an undercover campus cop who serves somewhat as a source of comic relief throughout this tragedy. Tasked with keeping the Kent Campus police informed (and in effect the FBI), Norman didn’t seem to grasp the basic tenets of undercover field work. He was constantly bragging about his work off campus; failing to keep a low profile (let alone a believable cover as a yearbook photographer); and trigger happy with a side pistol whenever under pressure. Again, while these aspects can be seen as comedic they also add to the bewildering incompetence of the higher-ups who sent Norman into the field.

Another tool Backderf uses to convey the weight of historic events are detailed maps of the Kent State University campus. Beginning with the campus in its peacetime default mode, subsequent maps depict the movements of protesters and soldiers throughout the four days and resemble something more akin to war maps. While the purpose of the maps is practical, the historical point is driven hard; this was an assault on civilian life. Every battle movement and every arrow are a stain on the normalcy that the students once enjoyed and should have been able to take for granted.

The final portion of Backderf’s chronicle is obviously the shooting, and no reader is spared from all that entails. From the paths of the bullets through the bodies of the four slain to the horrific injuries to nine other students; the terror felt by the evacuating faculty and student body to the rage inducing unwillingness of all authorities to accept responsibility; and the failure to adequately punish or disgrace them (with the exceptions of Generals del Canto and Canterbury - who effectively saw the end of their military careers). Finally, numbness and sadness as the loved ones of the slain reel from grief and the stains on their memories from the miscarriages of justice and the marginalization of their tragedy by the powers that be. However now, in part thanks to “Kent State…,” their humanity can finally break past the veil of time and obscurity and make us feel.

I first became aware of Derf Backderf in the pages of Chuck Klosterman’s landmark book of cultural essays, Sex, Drugs, and Coco-Puffs. In one essay about serial killers, he mentioned Backderf as one of his co-workers when he worked at the Akron Beacon Journal who just happened to be writing a comic book memoir about going to high school with Jeffrey Dahmer. It was some years later I picked up the completed hardcover edition and was blown away at Backderf’s mastery of balancing moments of hilarity and sadness along with the disturbing details of Dahmer’s childhood. I also admired his ability to portray Dahmer sympathetically without fetishizing his murders, a feat rarely achieved by most true crime novels (this is largely due to the graphic novel being set before Dahmer slayed his first victim).[5]

I also loved Derf’s sense of place and how alive Akron, Ohio in the 1970s felt in his art style. He would repeat this again in Trashed, a hilarious semi-autobiographical tale of the antics of a college dropout and his garbage collector coworkers in small-town Ohio. Trashed also served as a serious study into America’s relationship to waste management and our collective failure to create a more ecologically sustainable method of reducing and disposing our garbage.[6] I have always been drawn to artists and authors (be it comics or prose) whose works are deeply tied to a place - and in that Backderf proves as adept a chronicler of the Rust Belt as his late also Cleveland-based compatriot, Harvey Pekar.[7]

Backderf’s striking irreverent style which is often reminiscent of Robert Crumb makes him an excellent political cartoonist.[8] His copious research backs his art up with substance. However, if there is one area where Kent State… falls short of Backderf’s previous work, it is that the art and text are often overly dependent on the other. There are very few “quiet” moments where characters and scenes are allowed to just be and let the art do the talking. Given the necessity to account for and explain the historical events - as well as the ticking time bomb nature of the pacing of the events between April 30 and May 4, 1970 - it was probably more difficult to include such quiet moments compared to “My Friend Dahmer,” which had the luxury of being paced over several years.

Kent State: Four Dead In Ohio is available from Abram’s Books as a single hardcover graphic novel, as well as in a digital edition. The book was initially slated to be released in 2020, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the Kent State Massacre. However, the onset of the Covid-19 Pandemic delayed publishing for a year. However due to the worst of circumstances, events have unfurled to make the tragedy feel once again resonant. After the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, MN on May 2020, and the subsequent anti-police brutality protests across the nation as well as the heavy handed response of law enforcement in cities like Minneapolis, Louisville, New York, Denver and Portland Oregon, as well as the then-Presidential administration’s attempts to exploit the crisis for political gain, it is impossible not to see parallels between May 1979 and May 2020 (One major difference though was the Nixon administration’s exploitation was largely successful while the Trump administration’s was incompetent and an utter failure).[9] As a result, Kent State: Four Dead in Ohio both meets and transcends its initial purpose of making an account of the events and honoring the victims of the terrible four days in May fifty years ago. In addition, it is now a warning that freedom and civil liberties should not be taken for granted and that it is the duty of citizens to take power to task for its abuses. For this we all should owe Derf Backderf our thanks for reminding us of the potential powers of comics.

[1] A similar example of the inadequacy of uncontextualized photographic record occurred two years prior with the Pulitzer Prize winning photograph “The Summary Execution of Nguyen Van Lem.” Taken during the Tet Offensive by Associated Press photographer Eddie Adams, the infamous photo depicts the summary execution of Viet Cong operative Nguyen Van Lem by South Vietnamese General Nguyen Ngoc Loan for the alleged murder of a South Vietnamese Lt. Colonel and his family. In the public sphere, the photo came to symbolize the worst aspects of America’s dysfunctional conduct of the Vietnam War and galvanized the Anti-War movement back home. Despite the Pulitzer Prize, Adams has long felt regret for taking the photo both for exploiting the victim’s death and for generating the disgrace of General Loan even as a refugee in the United States.

[2] This seems to have been the case ever since Art Spiegelman’s Maus debuted back in 1986. Other prime examples include Joe Sacco’s Footnotes From Gaza & Paying The Land, Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis, Igort’s The Russian & Ukrainian Notebooks, Allison Bechdel’s Fun Home, Frank Smith & Jared Rainmuth’s Big Black: Stand At Attica, Sarah Glidden’s Rolling Blackouts, Thi Bui’s The Best We Could Do, and Keum Suk Gendry Kim’s Grass & The Waiting.

[3] Coined by German-Jewish American political philosopher Hannah Arendt, the “banality of evil” refers to the notion that normal human beings - free of mental illness or ideological motivation - can be conditioned by social advancement or pressures of conformity to normalize and carry out inhuman acts; be they in Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union or even the democratic United States. Arendt arrived at these conclusions while observing the trial of Adolf Eichmann, one of the primary planners of The Holocaust, in Jerusalem in 1961. While her conclusions have substance, Arendt is frequently criticized for taking Eichmann’s “only following orders” defense too much at face value. Given that he was a high ranking implementor of Nazi policy and an avowed antisemite, Eichmann by all available evidence was far from just a cog in the machine.

[4] While many of those in command of the Ohio National Guard served in World War II, almost none of them saw actual combat. While I don’t think Backderf intended to disparage anyone who served primarily as desk jockeys during the war, it seems to drive the point that few in command at Kent State truly understood or appreciated the violence that they were tasked to dispense with.

[5] A film adaptation of My Friend Dahmer was made in 2017 directed by Marc Myers starring Ross Lynch as Dahmer and Alex Wolff as a young Backderf, which received much critical acclaim.

[6] His other graphic novel, “Punk Rock & Trailer Parks” is set amid Akron’s vibrant punk scene in the late 70s and early 80s which included musicians like Devo, Chrissie Hynde, The Pretenders and The Cramps. Unfortunately, I have yet to read it. The same goes for his compilations of political cartoons he did for the Akron Beacon Journal.

[7] Along with Pekar, other graphic novelists and places that I find that meet this criteria include Julia Wurtz’s New York City, Paul Madonna’s San Francisco, Andi Watson’s English Midlands, Alison Bechdel’s rural Pennsylvania, Jack Edward Jackson’s Texas, Jeff Lemire’s Essex County Ontario, Posy Simmonds’ London & South English countryside, Craig Thompson’s rural Wisconsin, Kan Takahama’s Kyushu islands, Dylon Horrocks’ North Island New Zealand, Emi Lennox and Natalie Nourigat’s Oregon and my own city of Denver’s Karl Christian Krumpholz.

[8] Among Crumb’s artistic descendants I’d also include Dan Clowes, Peter Bagge, Evan Dorkin, Lynda Barry (whom Backderf cites as a direct influence), Joe Sacco, Chris Ware, Adian Tomine and Ellen Forney.

[9] Backderf also noted that 11 days after the Kent State Massacre, a similar protest broke out at the historically black Jackson State University in Mississippi which resulted in police fatally shooting two students and injuring twelve others. Unlike Kent State though, the outrage failed to make national headlines.

February 16, 2022

Musician Daniel Johnston's Art To Be Featured On Batman #121 Variant Editions

February 16, 2022/ Neil Greenaway

Written by Neil Greenaway

Fan's of the late Daniel Johnston may want to take note. The outsider-musician experimented with visual art all through his career, and had - at one point - contacted DC's Marie Javins about wishing to get his artwork into comics. This March will finally see that wish granted.

Batman (2016) #121 cover A - by Jorge Molina.

Batman (2016) #121 cover B - by Francesco Mattina.

Batman (2016) #121 cover C - by Lee Bermejo.

Batman (2016) #121 cover D - by Jay Anacleto.

Batman (2016) #121 (releasing on March 1, 2022) has added a few Daniel Johnston variants. The issue already had four announced covers and will now also be available with three separate variant covers featuring the art of Mr. Johnston. The images used for the covers were picked by the artist's representative, Electric Lady Studios. This set of variants will feature a Batman cover, a Superman cover, and a New Gods cover.

Batman (2016) #121 Daniel Johnston Batman Variant.

Batman (2016) #121 Daniel Johnston Superman Variant.

Batman (2016) #121 Daniel Johnston New Gods Variant.

Limited quantities of the Batman cover will be sold individually while Limited Edition folios of all three covers will be sold through four different online retailers. Each retailer will be selling a uniquely colored folio with the variant covers inside. Pre-orders for all covers and folios began on February 14th 2022, so get your orders in!

Retailers, colors, and quantities are listed below.

HiHowAreYou.com

Joker Red

This "Joker" Red Portfolio Edition includes a full set of three comics with covers by Daniel Johnston. It is limited to 450 total production and exclusive to Hi How Are You. The portfolio is a pre-production image. Final product may vary slightly in appearance.

$39.99

Pre-Order Here!

Austin Books & Comics

Joker Purple

This "Joker" Purple Portfolio Edition includes a full set of three comics with covers by Daniel Johnston. It is Limited to 500 total production and exclusive to Austin Books! Portfolio is GF Smith Colorway 130 lb FSC Certified. The portfolio is a pre-production image. Final product may vary slightly in appearance.

$39.99

Pre-Order Here!

Electric Lady Studios

Slate

This "Joker" Slate Portfolio Edition includes a full set of three comics with covers by Daniel Johnston. It is limited to 250 total production and exclusive to Electric Lady Studios. The portfolio is a pre-production image. Final product may vary slightly in appearance.

$39.99

Pre-Order Here!

The Austin Contemporary

Racing Green

This Racing Green Portfolio Edition includes a full set of three comics with covers by Daniel Johnston. It is Limited to 250 total production and exclusive to The Contemporary Austin! Portfolio is GF Smith Colorway 130 lb FSC Certified. The portfolio is a pre-production image. Final product may vary slightly in appearance.

$49.99

Pre-Order Here!

If you have never heard Mr. Johnston’s music (and maybe even if you have) I have included his entire Hi How Are You album from 1983.

Nerd News

Falling Out - A Review of Firestoke's New 16-Bit Roguelike

You can purchase Falling Out for yourself on

Steam

Nintendo eShop

PlayStation Store

Microsoft Store

Official Press Release

A Review of Derf Backderf's Kent State: Four Dead In Ohio

Musician Daniel Johnston's Art To Be Featured On Batman #121 Variant Editions

Nerd Team 30