Musical Mayhem: Little Shop of Horrors Review

By. Mick Neeky

Let me begin by saying that Venus fly traps have nothing on Audrey II. Little Shop of Horrors is more than just a mere crossover between an alien plant and a musical. It’s a ride full of laughter, catchy beats, and well-rounded characters.

Alan Menken’s musical comes to life for the second time. The first time Little Shop of Horrors was portrayed in the big screen it was way back in the 60’s. Frank Oz, the director behind The Dark Crystal, takes the helm of this remake and is backed up by big name actors: Rick Moranis (Seymour Krelborn), Levi Stubbs (Audrey II), Ellen Greene (Audrey), Steve Martin (Orin Scrivello), among others. You’ll be impressed by the amount of detail that went into making this musical.

Little Shop of Horrors’ most enjoyable detail is its plot; in which Seymour buys a weird alien plant that is feeds on blood. In any other hands Little Shop of Horrors would’ve been a Horror movie, but it executes a don’t-take-me-serious style that works quite well. Frank Oz shines once more in his approach.

Oz manages to deliver a spectacular Audrey II. It looks beautiful, moves like if it were alive, and sings outstanding. The puppetry behind him is ahead of its time. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I say it.

Now, for the coup de grace: the music. Little Shop of Horrors songs are catchy and entertaining, yet the characters don’t just sing for the sake of it. It’s done as it should be: songs make the story move forward. I kept going back for more of Steve Martin’s character (a psychotic dentist) and one of his most laugh-out-loud scenes. Actors like Rick Moranis blend their acting and singing skills perfectly.  It works like a well-oiled machine. Yet, among all the praise and amazement, I do have one problem: Audrey. Her singing doesn’t sink with her characters squeaky voice. Most of the time it’s so annoying, it becomes a distraction.

That’s all for September’s musical. Little Shop of Horrors is a must see,—despite Audrey’s annoying voice—take my word for it. And remember to suggest your favorite musicals. Till next time!

Keep it Neeky.

Web-comic Review: Supernormal Step

By Temper

Magic, face punching and a robot or two; that is the tagline for this month’s web comic recommendation, Supernormal Step. Written, drawn, and colored by Michael Lee Lunsford; Supernormal Step centers on the misadventures of the blue haired heroine Fiona Dae. The plot starts when she gets transported to an alternate dimension Earth where magic is prevalent and where a man named Henderson is the lifetime leader of the United States.

Fiona doesn't care much about her current situation.  The plot mostly centers on her getting used to life on this new version of Earth while also trying to find a way back to her old life on the “normal” Earth. However, Fiona doesn't have to go on this adventure alone, she will have many allies. They will range from the wandering mage that sort of summoned her into this word, to a man trapped in the body of a stuffed bunny because he was a prick. The world of Supernormal Step has diverse characters from various mythical races along with the wonderful art of Lunsford.  During the evolution of the series, each character is portrayed beautifully.

What first attracted me to Supernormal Step was, believe it or not, Lunsford’s involvement with the Create a Wrestler Community that surrounds VGCW. SNST, as he is known over on Twitch, created some of the best looking wrestlers. So naturally, when he announced that he would no longer be making any more CAWs to concentrate more on his art, my interest was peaked. 

I Googled Supernormal Step and it led me to the web-comic. As I usually do with new web-comics, I read from the number one publication to the most recent page at the time. I thought Lunsford’s art was awesome. Fair Warning! Lunsford is also known as Zet13 and he does draw NSFW material, so Google him at your own risk.

Supernormal Step has a fun story, comedy, action, romance, and one of the most comprehensive portrayals of an asexual character I have ever seen. I won’t spoil who it is, but you can go on over to http://supernormalstep.com/ and find out. I highly

recommend it.

A Plus Sized Cosplayer’s Story

 

By. Marjorie Morningstar of Cosplay +Sz

  This is the story of Kawaii Princess, a plus sized girl who loves manga, anime and video games.  She has been a loyal attendee to the local comic book and anime convention for a few years now, but this is the first time she will be attending in cosplay.  She has spent so many hours re-watching that anime, and re-playing that game, researching online for references to make the costume as close to the original as possible.  She selected that character because of the clumsy and shy traits they have in common.  She is so proud of her costume and she is satisfied with all the practice she has done to resemble that character.

  At last the day has come.  As soon as she enters the convention hall she feels like that character, without even noticing it she is walking and talking like that character.  She is so excited when people start noticing her.  As she walks around, people look at her and start to whisper and point. Suddenly one girl ask for a picture and after taking it says: “Your fat version of that character is real cute”.  Then she realizes that the people weren’t praising her; they were mocking her, saying mean things about her weight.  She realizes that the whispers and remarks were not positive. People were not smiling at her, but rather they were laughing and making fun of her.

  Feeling terrible Princess ended up crying in the bathroom.  Suddenly she heard a sweet voice asking if she was ok.  The sweet voice introduces herself as Night Kitty and she had witnessed the whole situation.  Night Kitty was a cosplayer with some experience and awards under her belt.  They talked for a while and Night Kitty gave her the best advice anyone can give: “Be yourself, respect yourself, and embrace yourself.  Once you have accepted you for who you are, you will be free from the chains of discrimination.”

  The cosplay world is precious, but at the same time it’s real tough.  Most of the people in our community have being victims of bullying and discrimination, just for our hobbies or interests.  I, as a full grown woman, have being criticized for this hobby at work many times, but I do it because I love it and they have learned to accept me as I am.  I believe in myself and only I can set my limits on what I can or cannot do.

  I know that all of us put so much effort and tears into every costume we make.  The cosplay world is filled with wonderful things and many unique, creative and talented people.  We cosplay because we love the process, the characters and we are honored to portray that character in real life.  Let’s work together to break free from unrealistic beauty standards and enjoy what truly matters: YOU!

Tiny Death Star Review

 

 By. Lil' Leia 

  Hey guys! Today we're discussing Tiny Death Star! It’s a Star Wars themed game (obviously, you can tell from its name) for your mobile phone in which you help Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine reconstruct their Death Star. You play it out by building civilian levels on top of Imperial levels. The revenue earned by civilians funds the evil plans of the Empire and the Sith. There are 5 types of different civilian levels: residential, food, retail, recreation, and service. Below them, of course, are the Imperial levels.

  When you first download the app, you are assigned missions to start your Death Star, then you set off on your own. Buying levels and stocking inventory consists of using the coins (or Imperial credits), and using the Imperial Bux will accelerate construction or stocking times, summon supply officers to the Imperial levels (to finish stocking weapons and stuff the Empire would use in a war), or convert them to credits. Then the VIP's start to appear, which is a special person that helps you complete a task. One of these are the recruiting officer, which fills up a residential level and the supply officer that helps an Imperial level produce its inventory of rebel secrets. It has an elevator that you use to transport citizens (civilians), but you start out with a really slow elevator, so save up on Imperial Bux to upgrade it. You can also unlock special characters like Luke Skywalker, Leia, Han Solo, Boba Fett, Yoda, Darth Vader, Wicket the Ewok, and many more!

  I was drawn to the game, mainly, because it was Star Wars themed. My dad helped me realize that I was a geek, and helped me learn almost everything in the Star Wars universe, Marvel universe, DC Comics universe, among other geeky interests. I was already interested in everything science and space, so he didn't have to explain how the universe worked. I am a hard-core Star Wars fan, even though my friends are not, they know what Star Wars is and think it's cool. You would think my dad was the one who drew me into the game, but I saw it on the Google Play Store on my phone, downloaded it, and fell in love. I think Tiny Death Star is awesome, cool, and really fun! I already have 76 levels done! The game is free and available on iOS, Android, the Amazon Appstore, and Windows Phone. My Dad and I are hooked on it!