Staff Picks of the Week – November 4th, 2016

Staff Picks of the Week – November 4th, 2016

Wow! It’s November already! This year is flying by fast! Stay tuned to the site, we have some exciting things coming up as we get ready to close out 2016. Like every Friday, I am here to give you a quick recap of the week and share with you guys our Staff Picks of the Week!  “No Dave! Please don’t explain it anymore! We know!” Too bad, we get new readers every day, I have to inform them! Each week, a select few of our staff share with you what has been keeping them entertained. Before I move on to the picks, let me tell you what we have up new this week. We closed out the scary month of October with Billy and Amelia’s 31 Spooky Nights. Allison tells us what Universal Monsters would win a fight.  Nicole takes us to school with Vampire 101.  Stephanie Pouliotte writes about Ray Bradbury’s The Halloween Tree. Billy visits Mr Boogedy for his 30th anniversary,and I share my Top 10 Italian horror films of Dario Argento and Michael finishes off his The History of Hammer Horror series with part 5.

You like comics? Check out our exclusive web comic Sunny and Owl Girl, as well as reviews for Battlestar Galactic Gods and Monsters #1, Shade the Changing Girl, and Motor Girl just to name a few.  Stephanie Cooke has never seen Twin Peaks! What? Why? Follow along with her on her journey as she watches! And of course we have our podcasts! Check out the latest Comicsbound, and Scooby Dos or Scooby Don’ts!

Now on to the picks!

Anelise’s Pick of the Week – This month I devoured Leopoldine Core’s When Watched: Stories. I don’t often read short story collections because I have trouble getting through them. I read a story here and there without ever feeling really committed to the collection. That did not happen here. I read story after story in Core’s collection with the same pace in which I work through really good novels. Each story is different–offering new characters, locations, plots–and yet, there is a similar energy: a stark and poignant observation of humanity. While each of the nineteen stories are fantastic, a few of my favorites are “Hog for Sorrow,” “Historic Tree Nurseries,” and “Pleasure Kid.” If you are looking for a read that is both bleak and beautiful, check it out!

John’s Pick of the Week – I’m only halfway through it but my pick this week is definitely Lara Croft GO. I’m about a year late to this party (story of my life over here) but if you are like me and passed on this one when it was released last year because (1) it’s a mobile game and (2) you were too preoccupied with Rise of the Tomb Raider, now is the time to pick it up. It’s certainly not the game that its full-fledged console brethren are, but Lara Croft GO is very reminiscent of smaller Tomb Raider releases like Temple of Osiris or Guardian of Light with an emphasis on puzzles rather than twin-stick shooting mechanics. Each level in Lara Croft GO takes about a minute to five minutes to complete and involves moving around an environment with simple taps of the screen to avoid traps or enemies. The game’s strategy element quickly comes into play as you’re dealing with enemies that move in certain paths or traps that only activate with each of your steps, so you need to work your way through each level with plenty of ingenuity. The game is normally only $.99 (micro-transactions are present but not at all necessary) but as of this writing you can get both Lara Croft GO and Hitman GO for that same $.99 price point. That’s what I call a steal.

Robert’s Pick of the Week – This week I recommend everything Terry Moore has done under his own publishing company Abstract studio. That means, Strangers In Paradise, Echo, Rachael Rising and his newest book Motor Girl. When people talk about supporting indie books and smaller press there are none smaller than what Moore and his wife do to publish his books. For the last 20 years, he has been pumping out issues with high quality stories and high quality story telling. And the art? It’s amazing. In terms of craft and cartooning, there are none better than Terry Moore. The amazing thing about what he does is, he doesn’t have to draw a hypersexualized woman to make her look amazing and full of life. In his newest book, Motor Girl, the protagonist, Sam, is a mechanic. Whenever you get a close up of her you can see the gook and grime under her fingernails. Terry Moore injects true character into his books. They feel so defined that the comic feels like a 22-page snapshot into their life and that they exist before and after you read the book. Terry Moore is doing his own thing at a high level, completely independent of the corporate world of the big two. If you’re looking for a new book to hop on because you’re tired of crossovers and rebirths, Motor Girl is the book for you.

David’s Pick of the Week – I’m revisiting Battlefield 1, my pick from a few weeks ago since the full version is now out.  Battlefield 1 is a first person shooter that is based on World War 1.  I’m a multiplayer guy, so I can’t tell you what the campaign is like, because honestly, I don’t care.  I want to jump into massive 32 vs. 32 multiplayer wars! That is where the true action is! There are four classes: Assault, Medic, Support, and Scout. Assault is your basic ground troop with explosives, Medic is self explanatory, but it is fun watching your character break out this old ass looking syringe to revive fallen soldiers. Support is a heavy gunner that supplies ammo to the team, and the Scout is a sniper. For the first time in a Battlefield game, I have enjoyed playing as all four classes. The maps are unique and I think represent more of a challenge.  The days of running across the map are over.  You will get picked off quick. You have no choice but to be more strategic, but that is what makes the game great! You can’t run and gun like you can do in most first person shooters. If you do that here, you will get your ass handed to you! I haven’t gotten into many of the tanks, they go to slow for my taste, but I have enjoyed jumping on a horse and riding around slicing people up with my sword! If you are a Battlefield fan or first person shooter fan, then you should definitely check out Battlefield 1!