Book Review “After Earth: United Ranger Corps Survival Manual”

Author: Robert Greenberger
Hardcover: 144 pages
Publisher: Insight Editions
Release Date: May 21, 2013

Our Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars

When it comes to M. Night Shyamalan, I think we all have had our share of his twist-filled films.  “After Earth” looks original and pretty interesting. It also starts Will Smith and his son Jaden Smith kicking alien ass.  So I am curious to see it.  When I saw that Insight Edition was releasing “United Ranger Corps Survival Manual” as the companion the film, I was very interested since they did a fantastic job with “The Dark Knight Manual” by Brandon T. Snider last year. This book tries to copy the success of that book but comes up a little short. Still though it is a great companion and definitely has peaked my interest more in seeing this film.  I even have a feeling that after seeing this film, I am going to enjoy this film quite a bit more.

Official Premise: Go beyond After Earth with this unique, in-universe journey into the world of the United Ranger Corps. From the history of the Rangers, to humanity’s exodus from Earth, and the ongoing battle against the Skrel, a fearsome alien race, the United Ranger Corps Survival Manual immerses you in the After Earth universe. Study the secrets of ghosting—the art of singlehandedly slaying the vicious Ursa—and complete your mastery of the cutlass, a Ranger’s greatest weapon, as you discover what it takes to be one of Nova Prime’s elite. Filled with interactive elements, including a schematic of the Ranger base, a complete guide to the highly evolved animals of Earth, and even a handwritten journal entry from Cypher Raige, the United Ranger Corps Survival Manual is the essential companion to the After Earth film.

The manual covers doesn’t just cover the film, they cover the world surrounding the film.  Some of the chapter topics range from “A History of Earth’s Last Days, “Ranger Cadet Training”, “Ranger Uniform and Equipment”, including “Mastering the Cutlass”.  The color tone of the manual is a little drab yet the images are sharp and high quality. Like “The Dark Knight Manual”,  this manual has a few pull out and neat little tricks taking this to a different level than most companion books. I feel that they should have consulted Brandon T. Snider for some tips on how to make it perfect like he did with “The Dark Knight” but it still works. The author of the book is Robert Greenberger, who has worked with DC Comics, Marvel, Starlog and knows his sci-fi, especially from his work with the “Star Trek” franchise. I look forward to further books from him and again another hit from Insight Editions.

Read Complete Article
Filed Under: Book Reviews Tagged With: book, corps, earth, manual, ranger, review, ...

Author Brandon T. Snider talks about his book “The Dark Knight Manual”

Brandon T. Snider is the author of best selling “The Dark Knight Manual”, also one of my favorite Batman books. It has recently been featured in Entertainment Weekly, Time, Forbes and Wired. Brandon has also done writing for Comedy Central’s “Come Inside with Amy Schumer” and contributed humor to the Huffington Post. Media Mikes had a chance to ask Brandon a few questions about his new book and his favorite comic characters.

Mike Gencarelli: What was your biggest challenge with your book “The Dark Knight Manual”?
Brandon T. Snider: The deadlines were quite challenging, actually! The turnaround was very quick so I didn’t have a ton of time to second guess myself and the direction we ultimately went in. At first I approached the material with a slightly more personal take but it was decided to make it more cut and dry so I had to rethink how I wanted to do it and plow ahead. I wrote it in about a month which was kind of insane. I usually like writing something, taking a breather and then returning with fresh eyes. In this case I had to finish parts and then get them in quickly while wading through the material for the next part. And somehow it all came together in the end.

MG: The design of the book literally feels like a pop-up manual for the series, why did you decide that route for the book?
BTS: That format was already in place before I signed on. Insight Editions has cornered the market on cool, coffee table-sized booksthat are filled with fold outs and fun stuff. I was approached to write the book based on my previous experiences with my editor Chris Cerasi. As far as the interactive features, I wasn’t as involved in their selection but I did give suggestions based on the material I included. Process-wise we decided early on what weapons and characters to feature and then the designer, Jon Glick, would pull the appropriate artwork and create the beautiful visuals. Christopher Nolan and his team had a true vision for Batman and his world and thankfully we were able to incorporate the best pieces of that vision into the book.

MG: How much research did you have to do in order to complete this book?
BTS: I did a fair amount of research but I never strayed from what was established in the Nolan trilogy. I didn’t use the comic books or any other version of Batman than the one you’ve seen in the recent films. My main resources were Batman Begins and The Dark Knight which I watched more times than I can count. For each viewing I’d look for different things; broad themes, embellishments and sometimes just straight up information. I wanted the entirety of the films to inform my work so it was important for me to absorb as much as I could. I had ancillary resources for the more specific details and incorporated real world factoids to enhance the idea that much of Batman’s arsenal is rooted in established technology.

MG: Based on your work, is it safe to say that you are DC Comics fan over Marvel?
BTS: I don’t think it is safe to say that, my good man! I’ve not yet had a chance to work with many Marvel characters as of yet. Had I the chance, I might just take it as I think they have a great stable ofproperties. Don’t get me wrong, I love DC Comics characters. Hopefully more opportunities will come my way to do stuff with them in the near future but that’s not for me to decide. And, truth be told, I think the Marvel and DC universes are quite different. I know fans love to compare the two but the reason they’ve both been so successful are because they’re not like one another. There are parallels but overall their mythologies are unique. It sounds diplomatic but it’s true.

MG: Who would you say is your favorite superhero/villain?
BTS: I’ve always had a soft spot for Lex Luthor and I love all the versions of him; the mad scientists, the jerk capitalist and everything in between. A man with unlimited money and resources who chooses to pursue the selfish agenda of destroying the one person who he believes is a spotlight-stealing fraud? I mean…that’s pretty great. And the parallels to politics that can be drawn fascinate and scare me.

MG: Who would be your dream character to do a book on?
BTS: I suppose my answer depends on the type of book but in general terms I’d love to write a Justice League story. If we’re talking about a manual-style book I think there’s a lot of potential in Superman’s world for that type of informational ledger.

MG: What do you have planned next after “The Dark Knight Manual”?
BTS: I recently worked as a staff writer on a Comedy Central pilot that just got picked up and stars comedian Amy Schumer. I’m also working on a few books for Harper Collins featuring The Annoying Orange. Everything else is too soon to talk about but I’m lucky to have been given a range of opportunities in my writing career and I hope to continue working on as many diverse projects as I can get my hands on.

 

Related Content

Read Complete Article
Filed Under: Author Interviews, Interviews Tagged With: author, book, brandon, dark, knight, manual, ...

Book Review “The Dark Knight Manual: Tools, Weapons, Vehicles and Documents from the Batcave”

Author: Brandon T. Snider
Hardcover: 112 pages
Publisher: Insight Editions
Release Date: July 10, 2012

Our Score: 5 out of 5 stars

When I receive this book, before reading it, I figured it was just a neat little faux manual for the gadgets from the “Batman” films. Well let me know tell you I got a lot more than I expected. This book plays like a complete dossier to Nolan’s “The Dark Knight” trilogy. I can’t even describe this as a book since it is SOOOO much more. It even has aspects of a pop-up book since it is extremely interactive. This book took me hours to get through and I had trouble even turning each page since I did want to miss an inkling of information. For all those fans that are unable to cope that the final chapter of Nolan’s Batman saga is right around the corner, this is an absolute must and a perfect companion to this amazing trilogy.

This book is really the definitive guide to The Dark Knight’s tools, vehicles, and technologies. This ‘manual’ contains key sketches, diagrams, observations, and even top-secret documents. There is even documentation for Bruce Wayne’s collaborations with Lucius Fox at Wayne Enterprises. If that doesn’t’ sound cool enough this also contains removable documents, including the design and capability of the utility belt and the Batcave, as well as extensive detailed look at Batman’s weapons and gadgets. As a Batman fan, this is the ultimate look into how the Caped Crusader does what he does.

You can tell that this book was a labor of love by author Brandon T. Snider. Even though the book is a mere 112 pages, each page is jam packed with details and even come with sharp Easter eggs scattered throughout. I have a feeling that this book is going to be left on my coffee table for quite sometime to share with friends and family. This is just one of those books that you need to share and show everyone that steps through your door.  If you need something to hold you over until July 20th for “The Dark Knight Rises”, this is the book for you, do not miss this.

Read Complete Article
Filed Under: Book Reviews Tagged With: batcave, book, dark, documents, knight, manual, ...
Page 1 of 1