Batman: Arkham City Soundtrack
Various Artists
CD | MP3
WaterTower Music
Release date: October 4, 2011

As I’ve stated previously, I am huge fan of the soundtracks from all the Batman films. That might have something to do with the fact that I’m a huge Batman fan, which most of you may know by now, but you may not know my love for music. So, when the two are combined, it’s a perfect storm for pure Hunter Camp enjoyment. I mean, Batman-related songs from artists like Prince, Method Man, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, and The Offspring have been featured on various Batman soundtracks. That’s a great thing. So, when the announcement of the Batman: Arkham City soundtrack came out, to say that I was excited would be an understatement. It has literally been 14 years since the last high profile Batman soundtrack filled with popular music has come out. You may have noticed that Christopher Nolan’s Batman movies have only been accompanied by purchasable score audio, and the Arkham Asylum game came with no soundtrack.

BOOM! Studios and Evil Ink! Comics began rolling out their New York Comic-Con schedule this week, and one of the most prominent releases is Chondra Echert and Coheed and Cambria frontman Claudio Sanchez‘s Key of Z comic book series.

The comic stars Nick Ewing, a man who has lost everything as a result of gang warfare in a zombie-infected New York City. Which, yes, we’ve seen a lot of stories about surviving in a post apocalyptic world, and more specifically, stories about surviving the impending Zombie Apocalypse. But one thing that makes this one stand out is that this isn’t a survival story, it’s a revenge story.

The Amory Wars: In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3 #2
Writers: Claudio Sanchez and Peter David
Artist: Chris Burnham
Colorist: Zac Atkinson
Letterer: Johnny Lowe
Published By: Boom! Studios/Evil Ink Comics
Price: $3.99
Release Date: June 23, 2010

The science fiction epic The Amory Wars: In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth 3 really takes off in this second issue of the series. After the introductions to the cast we get a little more back story regarding the characters, and the action starts when we see the characters of Inferno and his children, and get more of a look at the villains of the story, General Mayo Deftinwolf, and the Supreme Tri-Mage Wilhelm Ryan. Claudio Sanchez and Peter David take this issue to set up the conflicts in the story and provide a refresher in the motivations for each of the characters, and they do a fantastic job in doing so.

Issue #2 starts where we left off, with our hero, Claudio Kilgannon, explaining to his former girlfriend’s dog where he has been and all of the reasons for his absence in their lives. Sanchez and David use this conversation as a device to explain more of the history of the series, which is very complex and has previously had an entire series that takes place before In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3. Also, we experience the trials and tribulations of those that oppose the Supreme Tri-Mage, and get a real look at the rebel forces through the descriptions of Kilgannon’s experiences off-planet, and Inferno growing his forces to fight this evil empire.

The Amory Wars: In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3
Creator: Claudio Sanchez
Writers: Claudio Sanchez & Peter David
Artist: Chris Burnham
Boom! Studios
Release date: May 26, 2010

You had me from “Hello Apollo, where should I begin.”

Pardon me while I fanboy…

First, I’d like to state that I am, indeed, a huge fan of Coheed and Cambria, and their album In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3 (henceforth to be referred to as IKSSE:3), so it’s pretty much a given that I will love this comic book if it stays anywhere near what the album did for me.

Coheed and Cambria, the band, has a series of five albums, each telling an integral part to an overall science fiction story about the destruction of these characters’ universe (The Keywork) and the rise of its rightful hero, Claudio Kilgannon. All of this is done through the glory of prog rock. There have been previous interpretations of Coheed’s work including a novel adaptation of the first chapter, Year of the Black Rainbow, and an original graphic novel based on Chapter IV: Good Apollo, I’m Burning Star: IV, which is now considered out of continuity. But IKSSE:3 picks up from the latest comic interpretation of Chapter II: The Second Stage Turbine Blade. I’ve keep up with pretty much all of this, so I was definitely excited for the release of this story.