Ink and Riffs: Epic adventures and honest explorations

Ink and Riffs is a regular review series written by me, Citywide Co-Host Max Bowen, to talk about what I’m reading and listening to and why I think it’s awesome. Feel free to send suggestions to citywidemax@yahoo.com.

Not Your Type (Music)
Having heard her recent single, “Villain 2.0,” I wanted to check out the rest of the music from singer-songwriter Leanne Galatti, and her latest EP is a great listen. “Not Your Type” brings a seasoned sound, a blend of folk, rock and a bit of pop sounds, with Galatti’s powehouse vocals a solid accompaniment.

The aforementioned single is among the four track in the EP, a realistic look at relationships and being honest about your role and what you did. I really liked this take on the love song and feel it as something different to offer.

One cool aspect is the varied instrumentation, with “Villain 2.0” featuring a great piano track and the opening song “Standoff” giving a kickass saxophone player. Definitely something cool to hear.

Outer Lands (Comic)
What begins as a historical epic unexpectedly turns into a post-apocalyptic thriller. When a young prince living in a seemingly Ancient Grecian world is exiled to a prison isle to keep him from assuming the throne, he unintentionally discovers a massive global conspiracy in this science-fiction fantasy mash-up.

This has been such a great comic, and I can safely say I’ll be reading it again. The story by writer Matthew Arnold kept me hooked and I read the whole thing in a couple of hours. It takes a twist that I did not see coming, and the worldbuilding shows a lot of work and research. The art by Davide Gianfelice is incredibly detailed, and adapts well to both daylight and evening scenes, really bringing the tale to life.

Witness Titanic (Podcast)
I’m a huge fan of the history of the Titanic, having read books and visited museums. Following my visit to the Titanic museum in Cobh, Ireland, I knew I wanted to learn more, and this podcast, hosted by Titanic researcher James Penca, has a lot to offer.

The series takes the form of a formal inquiry, with interviews with Titanic researchers and experts, to reading statements made by the survivors of the sinking. It covers a lot, from what it means to see the ship today, to uncovering the truth about what caused this maritime tragedy in 1912.

Citywide Bytes-Joseph Macolino takes us on a tour of the world of Evorath

In the latest live episode of Citywide Bytes, Max talked with author Joseph Macolino for his recently-finished (or is it?) “Evorath Trilogy.” 

He released the third book, “The Battle for Erathal,” and we go into how this wraps up the story, as well as what he has planned next.

This series is years in the making, and Joseph talks about the lengthy world-building he did, which included a lot of education to expand his knowledge and create a more varied Evorath. 

He also shares the character creation process, how he’s seen them grow, and the challenge of deciding when certain ones need to meet a grisly end.