Verdant and shadowy alms line the pathway down a grassy lane hidden deeply in foggy and dangerous woods. At the end of aisle a single golden beam of light descends from the entangled finger like branches and lands intently upon an enchanted stone sheathe. Resting in that stone–inscribed with a prophecy from a language so ancient that nary a tome remains to decipher it–is the blade that has been described as the bane of all evil, a weapon that only the destined hero of time, the avatar of courage may claim at the foreseen moment: The Master Sword. Upon that mythical mystical blade is emblazoned the symbol of the Triforce–the corporeal gift from the three goddesses that promises power, wisdom, and courage to the land of Hyrule.

As lovers and providers of all forms of serial–be they written, video game, or hieroglyphic we strive to share these sequential stories with you. In the realm of video games, as is the mandate of Child’s Play here at Eat Your Seria, let us this time take a gander at a true masterwork.. Ah, The Legend of Zelda is another of those landmark serial games from the imagination of Shigeru Miyamoto and the halls of Nintendo. I remember as a young nerd in the late 80s I first experienced these games, uncharacteristically, from the second in the series. The Adventure of Link: Zelda II is something of an odd duck in the series (as sequels on the NES tended to be). It is a strange mix of RPG experience building, top down world maps, and side scrolling 2D action. This game was so amazingly fun for me and so unfathomably difficult that it remained a thrill and thorn in my side until I was 25 years old (when I finally beat it).

Held within a golden cartridge thar was adventure and excitement that would have a life-long impact on me. The towns and townsfolk (from the enigmatic Error, the wise men and their families, the old witches that replenish your magic, and the hookers that heal your life with filiation) to the dungeons and dungeon masters (such as Horse Head, the Skeleton Knight, and of course Shadow Link), this game did not fail to capture the spirit and imagination of the sword and sorcery genre in the tradition of dungeons and dragons. Some may call it the black sheep in the Zelda family–they are often the same ones who hate on SMB2–but some also like the twilight movies and wear jeggings.

I must admit that my exposure to the series was not followed by the original, ground breaking legend of Zelda (alas I would not give that game my fullest attention until my mid-teens) but was instead every Friday on the Super Mario Brothers Super Show. Excuuuuuuuuuuuuse me, princess if you have something bad to say about this cartoon. Sure, it was watered down and aimed at a younger audience than the material could have been, but the use of the actual Nintendo music and sound effects, and at least some adherence to the conventions of the games–and the totally apropos choice of link’s personality being morphed into that of the slacker surfer dude–makes this cartoon one of the fondest memories of my pre-school days.

But then came the Super Nintendo. Lightning struck. Nintendo released the next in the series (and you’ll notice I left out the CDI Zelda as I never played them…and also because by all evidence they are a blight on humanity). The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past is arguably one of the best video games ever made. This is the game all other Zelda games chase, the one they all aspire to be, and is in my opinion the definitive aesthetic and narrative of the series.

LttP is a crystallized moment of perfection for the series, genre, an industry. There is little praise left to give this game that it hasn’t been given 1000 times before except, perhaps, that it may be God’s favorite game (after skeeball on the jersey shore of course). Through the use of a double sized memory chip, and compressing many of the native 16 color pixels to 8, Nintendo was able maximize the capacity of the game cartridge to include a free roaming world–two of them in fact–where you could only be limited by your skill and, in some cases, a necessary item. The game was, for the most part, non-linear (despite some urgings from maps) which was a very liberating option. Certainly the original legend of Zelda provided this, but the world was not as large, or encompassing. A Link to the Past is, additionally because of it cartoony use of 16 bit graphics still pretty and good looking to this day.

Likewise I remember in 9th Grade when I pre-ordered Ocarina of Time. I still have the t-shirt. This was the first video game I ever bought for myself with money I earned from my first job that issued payroll. It was a hell of an experience–while the blocky, choppy, clipping error laden affair may seem somewhat limited now, I assure you at the time the third person 360 degree experience in a game that built a world of different landscapes and races and dangerous dungeons was nothing short of breathtaking, awe inspiring, and a million other trite descriptions. It was amazing. The jump between a child friendly utopian Hyrule and a post-apocalyptic adult one–one that you could affect with your actions via time travel–was unendingly annoying and created a high rate of replay value. Also it had a talking owl in it which is always fun and a chattering fairy (LISTEN!!!!).

There are a whole bunch of games in the legend of Zelda series and honestly they are pretty much all amazing—at least the need that I have played (which is not all of them). There is a lot of hoopla over the order of the games because the series weighs heavily on rehashing the story line and reinterpreting it from platform to platform. It relies heavily on the idea of reincarnation and the eternal struggle between good (pointy eared rock star elf link) and evil (oink oink Gannon). The themes are simple, the visuals always gorgeous and timely, and the characters are classic. While recent years have seen me with less time to play long RPG and RPG adventure style games I always try to at least own the most recent iteration of Zelda. It is a cross section of so much ass kicking nerdy that I cannot stay away. So much so that I have a replica Master Sword hanging in my office. So much so that I have had lengthy discussions about the proper game timeline (a discussion for another day). So much so that I almost want to abandon my toddler in the woods with a sword so that he might one day save us all (not really…probably). So much so that I’m gonna go play Link to the Past right now.

PS Zelda is the name of the princess, not the the main character. His name is Link (or Asshole if you want to have fun with the dialogue)

Starting next week is the stunning new serial “The Anarchist’s Girlfriend” by Susan Weinstein. The ideas are as fresh as Occupy Wall Street, but the book was actually originally written in the 1970s – dealing with art, politics, mystics and megalomaniacs. It’s delightfully retro and powerfully prescient at the same time.

In “The Anarchist’s Girlfriend”, Dostoyevsky’s divine “Idiot” is reimagined as a Brooklyn Go-Go Girl, who’s psychic and makes clothes of the future. She lives with the Anarchist, who silkscreens posters for his organization, Food for Vendettas, and Sandy, a video-veritie artist/nihilist. The story is told through the compassionate yet worldly eyes of Wayne, a deaf mute journalist for the cultish “News World.” 

And as an added bonus, here’s the cover by acclaimed cover artist Cathy Saksa:

See you next week for the exciting first chapter!

Happy New Year from all of us at Eat Your Serial! 2011 was a banner year for us – from Kickstarter, to our launch, to all the great content from our fantastic writers. And really… we owe it all to you and your support.

As 2012 kicks into high gear, there are a whole slew of exciting developments on the horizon. What we’re here to tell you about today is a new partnership that we’re all extremely stoked for. DiscoverLit is a new player on the online serial scene. Together, we’re finally able to offer subscriptions to our content, allowing for easier access and a broader reach for our author’s serials.

All the new content on eatyourserial.com will continue to be free to read, but through DiscoverLit’s platform we will be able to offer paid subscriptions – first through email, and eventually to mobile devices.

But enough out of us, head on over to DiscoverLit and take a peak around. This is just the start of what is sure to be a great partnership, and there will be a lot more great content to come!

After a month of pulling double duty, Mister Mercury is relinquishing its Thursday slot for the latest and greatest serial to date! Author Lorena Gay will weave a tale of love, secrets, and international intrigue that will need to be read to be believed… Keep reading for more about “On the Cusp of the Earth”!

Emma isn’t normal. She’s a highly intelligent engineer who struggles with Bipolar disorder and a dark past. While working at a prominent defense company, she develops the next major weapon of mass destruction, which will redefine warfare for the future. After finally getting a date with her mysterious coworker, Ruel, she realizes they might have more of a connection than just romantic. On a business trip together to Russia, the two take their fledgling relationship to the next level the night before war is declared between Russia and the United States. With Interpol in pursuit, they flee the country amidst the newfound chaos and discover along the way that the other is hiding something, but neither is quite sure what.

Check back tomorrow for the first thrilling chapter!

The blue bomber strikes! Ever since I was a young boy visiting my cousins and friend’s houses I have loved the Mega Man series. Though the side scrolling and jumping action was similar to Super Mario, it wasn’t at all the same. Mega Man was vigilant blue robot created by Dr. Thomas Light to destroy the Robots corrupted by the villainous Dr. Albert Wily. (Mind you Thomas and Albert seem to very clearly be the namesakes of other great scientists, while Wily does look like a demented version of Einstein, Dr. Light looks more like an educated Santa Clause.)

Within the entire original Mega Man series by Capcom, one game always stands out as the ultimate, and best in the entire line…and that game is Mega Man 2. Now someone might insist that just because Mega Man 2 was the first in the series that it has profoundly affected my bias—but I say thee nay! It isn’t true. It just so happens to be the greatest in the series. The game is challenging yet simply controlled, beautifully designed but not distractingly busy, there is a balance yet it can be chaotic, the puzzles are frustrating yet easily mastered by children. It is simply one of the greatest sidescrollers ever coded. Even the music (which is a department in which Capcom never fails to deliver) is both timely to its original date and classic, not to mention wonderfully written and composed in 8-bit midi with those wonderful NES synth-sounds.

From the moment the game starts epic storytelling begins with iconic view of the city, telling the story of the battle of the robots in the far off year of 200X—a year so futuristic they have either combined numbers with letters or roman numerals—climbing in view up the side of the tower to reveal MEGA MAN, without his helmet his robohair flowing in the wind! The story continues without story as Mega Man fights his way through the evil robots of Wily’s design until you have beaten them all only to be shown Wily’s Skull shaped fortress, and the Evil Scientist himself piloting a flying saucer! What could it mean? Enter Wily’s Keep at your own risk and find out—and make sure you write down that grid password or you’ll be screwed! Truly the entire game is a moment of total perfection in both game play and super awesome childhood memories. Ahh 1988, a fine vintage for gaming.

My love for Mega Man ran deep in those days. So deep that the terrible portrayal of the Blue Bomber as a green hued 3-year-old in Captain N: The Game Master that prefixed every sentence and adjective with “mega” couldn’t attack it. Ah yes, Mega Man (or Rockman as I found out he was called in Japan) was a bad mofo.

Fast forward to 1993. I’ve moved on from the NES, my mom has taken it over to master Super Mario 2, Tetris, and Dr. Mario. I’m on the Super NES. Super. Can’t get better than that, can you? Its friggin Super. I’ve got Super Mario World, I’ve got Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, I’ve got Home Alone (which was terrible), and I’ve got Mortal Kombat II. Life if good (except for Home Alone, that is). But then I am introduced to a new game. A side scroll adventure set in the fantastical year 20XX came on the screen. I found out what was more badass than “Super” and that my friends is “X”. Mega Man X hit the scene and brought back fond memories of Mega Man 2 quickly. The music was timely and rockin’ with the 16-bit glory of SNES midi, the game play was fast paced, the villains had attitude, and the master of them all Sigma…he was not to be trifled with.

Mega Man X was another fantastic moment in the series—but wait? It wasn’t part of the series at all. This wasn’t the same Mega Man that I had come to know and love back on the NES. They had made that abundantly clear. While this Blue Machine Beatin’ Machine certainly was created by Thomas Light—his ultimate invention in fact—he was not, by all accounts, the original Mega Man. And with Light long dead how could he ever reach his potential? What of the original Mega Man, or Wily? Or Roll, Rush, or ProtoMan and the entire Mega Man cast of characters? We had Dr. Cain now, and Zero, and Sigma who all seemed to be analogues but there seemed to be a calamity that had occurred!

The game play and its awesomeness did nothing to avail the mystery. Though Dr. Light had had the forethought to have enhancement capsules laid hidden all over the world (and conveniently enough on boss levels. What a guy!)  and he would often tease about X’s ultimate potential and dangerous ability but never would he give any information about the past. Then you start to play the game some more This new Mega Man could climb walls, and dash, and charge his X-Buster (an improvement on the original’s Mega-Buster) and even charge ENEMY WEAPONS once acquired. Whoa. And the cut scenes made you want more.

The worst part is here we are damned near 20 years later and still neither the original Mega Man Series or the X series has reached it’s end. Eventually, one would think that the answers would come but they haven’t. I still want to know what happened. So I keep playing, keep getting awesome Capcom music, keep fighting ridiculously named robots, and keep getting equipped—with awesome. Mega Man and ProtoMan toys stand proudly on my desk with my Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader and my Lantern Corps Rings. I’m waiting for answers on all of those epics—and I don’t think I’ll get them but I’ll be damned if I don’t keep Mega-waiting and mega-buying.

Post Script: Recently Archie Comics launched a new Mega Man comics series based on the original NES video games and following a super hero format. When Eat Your Serial went to New York City Comic Con we were able (and by that I mean I was able to) snag an interview with the inker Rick Bryant. Check out the Comic Con coverage and see that epic interview below!

Eat Your Serial is excited to announce a limited bi-weekly run for one of our most popular serials… Giando Sigurani’s Mister Mercury!

From now through the end of November, new chapters will be coming at you fast and furious – every Tuesday and Thursday! So if you haven’t started yet, this is the perfect time to check out what the buzz has been about in one of the most fun and creative stories of the year.

Starting next Wednesday, Eat Your Serial is proud to present the gritty pulp novella Murdertrain by By C.S. Gibson

Murdertrain is a gritty pulp crime novella that follows Bo “Murdertrain” Hoskins, a wrestler-turned-mob enforcer who’s been given a week by his employers to find his missing brother in Honolulu, Hawaii. With the mysterious Honda brothers at his side, he crawls the sleaziest nightclubs, tiki bars and roach motels, looking for a clue as to his brother’s fate and crossing every would-be gangster, hired muscle and dangerous femme fatale on the island of Oahu. Ultimately, it’s a story about a man looking for peace after nearly 20 years of violence, trying to reconnect with a brother he’s lost touch with and finding out the real brothers are the men he bled with, ending with a last-ditch effort to undo the damage he’s done.

Don’t miss next week’s exciting debut chapter! And as an added bonus, Murdertrain features a cover by Ben Silberstein, the fan favorite artist of the recently concluded Ten Years Gone!

Starting next Friday, Eat Your Serial is proud to present the heart wrenching story Tricks and Stones by By Jesi M. Williams.

Some people are destined to learn things the hard way. Can Ele discover that true loves comes from within, or will a life of abuse, tragedy, prostitution, and death prove to be too much to handle? Tricks and Stones tells the story of one woman’s journey through life, and the hard lessons learned along the way.

Here is a sneak peak at the cover for the book by Kaitlyn McCoy:

Many of us, whether we are just starting out in our writing careers, or if we are published veterans, have fallen into an age-old trap: repetition. This can be an especially common problem when writing a weekly column, or, as is the case for us here at Eat Your Serial, a serial piece of writing.

So how does one escape that monotony, the regression to primary school when stories waltzed along step by step through the tried and true method, “…and then…and then…and then..?”

Our editors have a few tricks up their sleeves that can help spur your creativity

1. Read, read, read

One of the easiest ways to break the repetitive spell is to read something completely different from what you’re working on. Get out of your own head and away from your own writing for a while. If you’re writing an article on the latest gadget, pick up an old mystery novel and read twenty pages. Are you a hundred pages into your new novel about a serial killer terrorizing the streets of Los Angeles? Try reading a gardening magazine. The switch in content will give your brain a break and creativity will be come back to you later.

2. Mix and match

Take a few paragraphs, swap them around, and rework the material to fit the new order. Even if it doesn’t exactly work out like you’d hoped, you’ll force yourself to change up your writing style.

3. The gift of the gab

Another great way to figure out where the bread has gotten stale is to read it out loud. Step back from the writing, make a sandwich, watch the latest Jersey Shore disaster, and then come back and give a reading to whatever audience you can scrounge. The houseplants usually work pretty well. You’ll be amazed how many things you find when you hear it instead of see it. Or speak to yourself in the mirror – maybe you’ll be your best audience.

4. Find an editor

Still talk to your favorite English teacher? Did your roommate edit the college newspaper? Have you gotten as far as you can and now you’re submitting to us? Whatever the case may be, finding someone else to look over your work is one of the best ways to make it better.

Have any tips of your own? Let us know!

When talking serials some debates just get too hot to handle. Recently, thanks to the miracle of Netflix’s instant streaming app on my XBox 360, I’ve been privy to reliving a modern classic of serials (maybe THE modern classic)—Star Trek.

Initially I began by watching the movie series with the original cast and followed that up by revisiting the series of my youth; Star Trek: The Next Generation. Invariably this jump leads to the comparison of the two captains of the series—and rightfully so—but comparisons of the captains require comparisons of the context of the shows, as well as their cast of characters.

Kirk or Picard?

The question as to whether Kirk or Picard is the better captain is justified because they are so dissimilar. Had Picard been a rehashing of Kirk-style captainship the comparison between the two men would have been impotent on arrival. Due to Kirk’s action oriented and Picard’s diplomatic oriented leadership style the comparison has a philosophical foundation that can be applied to real world political situations; when does one use the sword and when the olive branch? It is difficult to come to a conclusion that is mutually fulfilling for the parties in one camp or the other. Though for a strong argument (that leans towards the camp I am not in) can be found here as expressed by prolific comic book writer Peter David.

A Deeper Look

The series themselves were carefully crafted by Gene Roddenburry to reflect the gamut of human emotion, experience, and ethnicity. At the time of The Original Series (TOS)  inception it was quite a novelty to have a character both African-American and female on the bridge, accompanied officers that were Japanese and Russian, serving alongside  Scottish, Midwestern and Southern American and half human-half “Vulcan” with a devilish appearance.

In the 1960s having these crew members in the post-World War II , Cold War, Civil Rights embattled America the crew of the Enterprise reflected a forward movement towards peace on Earth, if not in the galaxy. While preaching about the possibility of peace the series dealt with the Cold War directly via the Klingons who were indubitably analogues for the Russians and with Civil Rights; specifically with the episode “Let That Be Your Last Battlefield” in which the half-black-half-white people battle with the half-white-half-black people. The original cast movies, with the exception of the first, are a continuous story outlining the end of the galactic “Cold War” and the advent of peace with the Klingons. It is therefore easy to assert that Kirk’s “punch him in the face” style is reflective of his position as a wartime captain.

The Next Generation (TNG) was launched on the momentum of TOS film series and reflects the real world events of the fall of the Soviet Union. The cast is reflective of a true peacetime mission. The TNG cast truly set out to find new life and in doing so, found one of its own. Picard is a thinker while, as David points out, Kirk is a doer. The cast is larger and is more focused on exploring humanity than the original show is on exploring the man. It has often been argued that the Kirk-McCoy-Spock dynamic is reflective of the ego, superego, and id and, largely, I believe that this assertion holds water. The dynamic of Captain, First/Science Officer, and Chief Physician in TOS really represents the burning questions revolving around how a man makes his decisions—with especial regard to Kirk balking regulation for the greater good. TOS is more about character interaction and race relations, policy and philosophy, and above all character growth. While development did occur with TOS the pathways are remarkably broader in TNG.

In TOS Spock is Science Officer and XO—his half human side is subdued in favor of his logical and cool, calculated Vulcan heritage; barring the occasional seeping of human emotion Spock towed the line as the classic Greek stoic. The complexity of Spock is broken in different directions for TNG for further exploration. Data is logical yet strives to be and understand humans—the stoic who wishes to be emotional. Warf is a battle brilliant tactician, steeped in the culture of his heritage but tempered with the culture of his rearing (a Klingon raised by humans). Riker is a brilliant tactician as well but is a markedly different XO (NUMBER ONE!) in his jovial, gregarious, and lighthearted style—he may be the embodiment and spirit of Spock’s humorous observations. All these characters in TNG along with the rest of the crew provide for dynamics of exploration of the facets of mankind and humanity and not just the mind of the man.

The battles held in TNG are more about guile than bravado—though there is a time for both—and the quandaries are the manifestation of interpersonal vs. intrapersonal. Therein lies the rub of the Picard vs. Kirk, Kirk vs. Picard debate.

Now some of you may prefer Captain Janeway or Commander Sisko…and someone out there may ever prefer Captain Archer for some reason…so have at it!

Which is your favorite Trek serial? Who’s your favorite captain or character? Why?