Dune: Edge of a Crysknife (2026)

Dune: Edge of a Crysknife (2026)

Authors: Brian Herbert + Kevin J. Anderson | Illustrators: Simone Ragazzoni / Andrea Scalmazzi / Francesco Mazzoli | Page Count: 112

The BOOM! Studios hype department are fucking hilarious. Described as a 'pivotal collection' in the 'expanded Dune universe', Edge of a Crysknife is the most vacuous, stretched-thin canvas of meaningless, desolate comicbook crap that serial franchise-milkers B. Herbert + K. J. Anderson have shat out thus far.

It promises 'two thrilling standalone stories exploring the myth and legacy of Shadout Mapes', at different times in her life. In reality, it's amateurish fanfic, with woeful dialogue that more often than not is just characters stating intentions. None of it has any weight or drama.

For those that don't already know, A Crysknife is the tooth of an Arrakis sandworm fashioned into a combat knife, traditionally wielded by Fremen warriors.

Shadout Mapes, a minor character in Frank Herbert's original DUNE (1965) novel, was of Fremen origin. I think the implication is that she is as deadly as a Crysknife blade's edge. Or mayhap that she lives her life as if on a knife edge?

Big Comic Fortnightly (1988-94)

Big Comic Fortnightly (1988-94)

Published by Fleetway | 167 issues?

Masters of Horror: Banners, etc

Masters of Horror: Banners, etc

Related to the MoH posts on The 7th and Last.

Masters of the Universe Knock-offs (c.1984)

MotU Knock-offs (c.1984)

The only MotU knock-offs I ever owned. I don't know the names of the characters or toy line. It's probably something derivative, like Monarchs of the Universe, or Masters of the Cosmos, etc.

The Dreaming: A Retrospective

-A Tale of Two Houses-

Authors: Various | Illustrators: Various | Issues: 60

'This dark night is full of spirits, bad dreams and old harm dressed up in the deceitful skins of men.'

A Sandman spin-off that lasted an impressive 60 issues (June 1996 to May 2001). It began life as a monthly anthology, telling both single issue and multipart stories that took place either within the Dreaming itself or had the Dreaming play a pivotal role in the telling.

Initially, the various dreamers had little or no connection to each other, but the format changed to an ongoing story arc about a third of the way through its run.

Various secondary characters from The Sandman featured from time to time — most frequently Cain and Abel, Lucien, and Matthew the Raven — but they weren't always the main focus and weren't always named.

It seems to have been assumed that most readers would be able to recognise such characters themselves, and tough shit to anyone that didn't already know. That's the nature of some spin-offs, I suppose.

Masters of the Universe: Night Stalker (1985)

MotU: Night Stalker (1985)

Evil Armored Battle Steed!

King Henry VIII's Pocket Ludo (19??)

King Henry VIII's Pocket Ludo (19??)

by House Martin

Given that Ludo wasn't patented as such in England until 1896, it's unlikely that Henry VIII ever said "Bring the... Ludo," as suggested by the box art. But considering that modern Ludo was based on a game that's believed to have existed from at least the 6th Century in India, it's not wholly improbable that the 16th Century King may have played a version of what inspired it.