Biff Bam Pow Comics

Now here’s one of the more interesting comic books that I’ve recently read. Project: Kalki is one of the most sinister comic books that I’ve read in a very long time.

***SPOILER ALERT***

The back page will tell you that “a determined archeologist has discovered the remains of the ancient Indian god Rama”, and that “the joy of this discovery was short lived as a sinister, mysterious party swiftly steals the remains”. But that’s just the beginning. “Now, in a secret lab in India, an ambitious geneticist, determined to successfully clone a human being, has been charged with reincarnating Rama from his mythic DNA”…

So a pretty good setup for a storyline, you might be thinking. And you’d be completely right.

Arjun Gaind has managed to craft an incredibly eerie tale, with some truly shiver inducing moments showcased by Vivek Shinde’s bleak (but brilliant) artwork.

When I picked this book up, I was expecting it to be much like Fire and Brimstone issue one. A good cover (from Mukesh Singh), but lacking in substance. How wrong was I. The cover completely pales in comparison with the comic itself.

Pete’s Score: 4 out of 5
(recommended for all - a very good read)

Damn. I really don’t want this book to end.

I’ve been reading Dan Dare since I was a kid - and he’s always been my favourite British character by a mile.

Yeah, Judge Dredd is good - but he just isn’t Dan Dare.

Dan Dare can take out an entire fleet of Treens, knobble the Mekon and still have time to make breakfast, with perfect toast.

Dredd would probably blow up the kitchen before anyone even had a chance to talk about breakfast.

***SPOILER ALERT***

Issue 6 sees Dan’s escape from the Mekon in true british style - taking out Treens left right and centre with a handful of royal marines.

After his exit, Dan and Lt Christian have a brief moment to gather the navy’s forces before taking the battle to the Mekon…

It truly saddens me to think that this issue is the penultimate book in the series. Garth Ennis and Gary Erskine have both done themselves proud time and again, and I’m now fully invested in the new world Dan and his co-horts inhabit.

Please Virgin - make this an ongoing book - it truly deserves it.

Pete’s Score: 4 out of 5
(an extremely enjoyable comic - filled will nostalgia that fans will enjoy)

So there I was - on the train into Birmingham, off to squander my hard earned cash on the latest comics, when I noticed a pile of papers on a nearby (unoccupied) table.

“Well” thought I, “it would be rude not to read them”, as I sat at the table and claimed the papers as my own. After reading some deeply interesting but deeply disturbing articles (around stem cell research), I meandered across an article within the Financial Times on the art of Dan Dare.

Click on the above picture, or here, to find out about the new ‘Dan Dare and the Birth of Hi-Tech Britain’ exhibition on at the London Science Museum until October 2009.

I know what I’ll be doing the next time I pass nearby London…