issue 01 / volume 41 Talk Gaelic to me » ‘Outlander’ TV show review Brittney MacDonald Senior Columnist | istory and romance collide in the premiere of the much-anticipated mini- series Outlander, based on the beloved books by Diana Gabaldon. As a long-time fan of the Outlander literary series, I was both excited and nervous for the debut. However, the premiere’s adherence to the novel and amazing program is shaping up to be just as successful as Gabaldon’s bestselling novels. Claire Randall (Irish actress Caitriona Balfe) is : on her second honeymoon : with her husband in 1945, : recuperating after five years at : war as a combat nurse, when : she is suddenly transported : to 18th-century Scotland : through a circle of druidic : standing stones. Assaulted : by the English and a man : with an eerie resemblance : to her husband, she finds : herself rescued and then held : prisoner by a group of Scottish : highlanders, including an : injured Jamie Fraser (Sam cinematography shows that the : Heughan). The episode ends : with Claire being taken to : Castle Leoch—headquarters : of the powerful Clan : MacKenzie—hoping to get : back to the circle of stones and : : return home in one piece. Naturally, with the : translation of literary work to : television, some changes had : to be made to the narrative. : There are flashbacks of Claire : during the war to show her : profession, which were not : present in the novel until : much later. However, these : changes are key to later plot : developments, and it is actually : avery clever way of visually : communicating information : that is relegated to internal : monologue in the book. I found the pilot episode : very well-done, and will : continue to watch as the series : progresses, arts // 7 Steven's Man-Cave: First Light shines bright » ‘Infamous: First Light’ game review Steven Cayer Senior Columnist urprisingly, my favourite character from Infamous: Second Son was not leading man Delsin Rowe, but Abigail “Fetch” Walker, the neon-wielding girl forced to hide from the DUP in Seattle. She helped Delsin become acclimated to his powers and she is now the focus of a stand-alone game called Infamous: First Light. It takes place two years before the events of Second Son and delves deeper into Fetch’s past, which is a very well-developed story. Fetch and her brother, Brent, run away from home when she has her first neon-related accident. They pick up some dangerous drug habits while living on the streets but eventually get clean. He also teaches her to suppress her powers, but it is only a matter of time before things get out of control. On the night they go out to do one more job to start a new life together, something goes wrong and Brent disappears. You then go ona journey with Fetch in search of her brother. The gameplay is the same as in Second Son, except for some minor changes like the omission of the good/bad path. That gave me the freedom to focus on the linear story and not have to choose a path and stick to it. The combat and traversal of Seattle felt smoother—seamlessly going from attacking someone to fleeing if needed. If you've already played Second Son, you already know what happens. Developer Sucker Punch has done an amazing job detailing the events you thought you knew, especially the finale. I’m really happy they took the time to give fans such a fulfilling character in Fetch. To be clear, you do not need to have Second Son to play First Light. It costs $15 on the PSN for about a third of the experience from Second Son. That’s a great deal in my books. Comic Corner: Lions dont need American ideals » ‘Pride of Baghdad’ review Brittney MacDonald Senior Columnist Loo’ based ona true story, Pride of Baghdad presents the tale of four lions liberated from an Iraqi zoo thanks to an American bombing. Despite an original concept and some rather poignant commentary on the nature of captivity and the life overwhelming American nationalism spoils any positive life lessons that could have been learned. Penned by award-winning fictionalizes the adventures of four real lions that escaped from captivity. The graphic novel follows their journey through a war-torn city, encountering other animals of the care of the zookeepers. Their journey is an allegory for that of the Iraqi people. : is impressive, featuring an : earthy palette that makes the : 4 _, ? otherwise fantastical journey and learning to survive outside : 4¢ four talking lions seem more : organic. The style Henrichon : uses is neither modern nor traditional but a bit : Displaced, and with no home : to return to, they press on : despite not knowing where : to go or what to do. The : characters Vaughan develops : begin to question the nature : of freedom and whether they : should view their previous : captors as benevolent for : caring for them, or oppressive : for imprisoning them. Where the narrative runs : : into trouble is when it attempts : of a refugee, the graphic novel’s : 4, implant American ideals : : of freedom and strength in : subjects that are meant to : represent a foreign people. : In doing so, it disregards . : : any Iraqi national identity, writer Brian Vaughan, the story effectively white-washing the : characters and making them : disingenuous. The art by Niko Henrichon Where the narrative runs into trouble is when it attempts to implant American ideals of freedom and strength in subjects that are meant to represent a foreign people. : cartoony, which helps impart : expression into the anatomy : of the characters’ animal facial : features and body language. Since the American nationalistic attitudes are : subtle it is easy to miss why : they are offensive. Therefore, : Lonly recommend Pride of Baghdad to readers who are : interested in cultural politics, : and not the everyday graphic : novel reader.