Just finished reading Black Static #21. As always, I can't fault the columns or the reviews. Brilliant stuff.
As for the fiction:
"Ulterior Design" - thoroughly enjoyed this, suitably spooky and effective. I totally empathised with the main character feeling that the girlfriend and baby-to-be were taking over the house, and this being mirrored by the 'effects' of the wallpaper. Bit of a typical 'horror' ending, but forgiveable for that.
"Pins And Needles" - Liked the way this was going, the back story, the set-up etc, but for me the ending pushed too far into the comic and absurd. I guess the realism of the protagonist's situation didn't continue into the ending and quite a lot of time was invested setting up the situation which became a 'prick' gag
Written well, of course.
"Water" - enjoyed what was there, but there wasn't enough.
"Extraneus Invokat" - no idea what the title means, but this was my favourite story. I love the unexplained elements - the 'stranger' referred to in the newspaper article - and there being no apparent reason for the transformations. Again, like the first story, the final moment of horror is a little cliche, but then I'm a slipstreamer and the rest of the story does it for me.
Likewise with "Cushing", another great story. Cooper's dysfunctional family stories are getting familiar, but not to the extent that he doesn't bring anything new to the table on each occasion. Well-told, with the Hammer Horror scenes nicely rendered and fitting perfectly, this tale is a perfect conclusion to another stonking issue of the magazine.
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