Reykjavík Grapevine - 25.09.2009, Síða 32

20
the reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 15 — 2009
Like so many readers and writers of
this beloved mag, you're probably a
bleeding heart liberal. You're against
whale hunting and capital punishment.
That's okay, this reviewer is too. Kinda.
On a good day. Well, killing is wrong.
Even killing killers (even killing killer
whales!). But since we're all a single
chromosome away from being chest-
pounding apes, it can be frustrating
to remain that civilized in this twisted
world of molesters and meanies. Thank
Christ then, for Frank Castle, the
Punisher. The comic book that actually
quenches your natural bloodthirst.
The Punisher originally appeared in
The Amazing Spider-Man #129 (didn't
even have to Google that!) and quickly
rose in popularity. Most likely because he
didn't capture criminals, he slaughtered
them. A Batman without the bullshit.*
Through the years, he's had a fruitful
career within the Marvel universe.
Later on, editors realised that the
mainstream Marvel universe was
too spandexy for all of the Castle's
bloodletting. There are kids reading
these things for Kirby's sake! Thus, the
MAX imprint was born. A department
within Marvel headquarters, where
writers have the freedom to remove
classic heroes from their natural
surroundings and write edgy stories
about them. “Edgy” meaning you can
swear and show tits. And thankfully, way
more gore.
The first ten volumes (simply called
The Punisher MAX) were written by
Garth Ennis and remain one of his best
works to date. So filling his shoes would
be a challenge. It doesn't seem like it,
though, for former true-crime novelist
Duane Swierczynski. He manages to
actually make you giggle with glee as
Castle crushes a rapist’s skull. In his
second volume: Six hours to kill, we
follow our anti-hero as he is poisoned
and has six hours to live. Which means
of course six hours to massacre every
square metre of earth-scum he manages
to find. Fun!
Oh, and he accidentally kills a whale
in this book, too. Accidentally!
* That's not a Batman diss. The
sentence just sounded cool.
entertainment | Comix
huGleIkur DaGssoN
Duane Swierczynski
& Michel Lacombe
— by Hugleikur Dagsson
—by Lóa Hjálmtýsdóttir
— by Elo Vázquez and Óttar Norðfjörð
Buy the reviewed comix - and many
more - at Nexus, Hverfisgata.
Yeah!
Note that our former intern Stevie actually works for
Eve online. So no wonder she thinks it's amazing.
Frank Castle, The Punisher:
Six Hours to Kill
Brace yourself for the Eve Online Fanfest
where Icelandic gaming company CCP
opens its doors to hundreds of players
and entertainment press from around
the world. Those unfamiliar with the
popular sci-fi MMORPG (massively
multiplayer on-line role playing game) are
invited to come and discover one of the
more popular of its kind over three days,
culminating in one of the most creative
parties Reykavík’s Laugardalshöll has
ever held.
Eve Online is a popular game in
which people from all over the world fight
each other in a ‘single-shared’ space (one
universe shared by all players). You're
forgiven for thinking that there’s nothing
extraordinary about an online game or its
fan festival, but since CCP announced its
new venture DUST 514 earlier this year,
the gaming industry’s collective gaze
turned to the Reykjavík based gaming
company in anticipation.
So, why go to Fanfest? Essentially it’s
a celebration of a decade of the company's
work, the first major opportunity for
CEO Hilmar Veigar Pétursson to show
players all the work put into developing
EVE Online in the past year, and a chance
to show the world what CCP have been
striving so hard to achieve with their new
project, Dust 514.
here It Is!
“DUST 514 will redefine its genre. Never
before has a first person shooter (FPS)
been directly linked into a massive online
world like Eve Online, offering console
gamers the opportunity to participate in a
momentous war,” says Magnús Bergsson,
CCP's VP of Sales. “CCP is going to
concentrate the gaming and social
experience PC-based MMO gamers enjoy
and allow console gamers to directly take
part in that experience, while at the same
time playing a first class, adrenaline-
fuelled FPS. That is what DUST 514 will
offer, beyond the enjoyment of a perfectly
executed headshot.”
Apart from a sneak peak trailer
released at the Games Developers
Conference earlier this year, Fanfest will
be the first time any information on the
game is released.
the party oN top of the WorlD
Fanfest's program includes lectures and
roundtables on Eve Online’s development
and expansions, interactive agent
missions for guests, huge-scale player
tournaments, a keynote speech, and The
Party On Top Of The World on the 3rd.
Event organizer Oddur Ö. Halldórsson
describes the party as a transformation of
Laugardalshöll “into a sci-fi space station
for a massive concert with Margeir and
his Symphony Orchestra, conducted by
Samúel Samúelsson, Developer Band
Röxör and many, many more surprises.”
Hundreds of people from around
the world will descend on Reykjavík for
Fanfest to celebrate their love of this
one game. That's pretty incredible! The
event highlights the massive community
following that Eve has amassed and
applauds all the hard work that makes Eve
a success. More importantly, it shines a
spotlight on Iceland, as many players stay
for weeks at a time. Finally, it's a positive
example of a creative and passionate
Icelandic enterprise taking the world by
storm.
The Party On Top Of The World
Eve Online opens its doors to Iceland, and the Universe
entertainment | Gaming
What: www.fanfest.eveonline.com
WheN: October 1-3, 2009 Reykjavík
tIckets: Full Tickets cost 5000 KR
steVIe WarD