I just finished reading Y: The Last Man #58, and I had to blog about it, if only just to say "AAAARGH!" in a manner that will avoid waking up my wife. I won't spoil anything for anybody who hasn't read it, but the ending literally left me aghast. I can't believe he would do something so drastic, so mean, so...upsetting. Damn you, Vaughan!
Really, it's a testament to his skill at building characters and making readers like me like them so much. When something like this happens, it has a real emotional impact. But still...damn. I think I'll go cry myself to sleep now.
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And that's enough emo from me, I think. I'll be out of town this weekend, so no blogging until Sunday night, I expect. See you then!
Friday, September 7, 2007
Thursday, September 6, 2007
Smuggling Spirits: Whoa, double meaning
Here's another one from Ambrosia Publishing, whom I had never heard of before they asked me to review some of their books. I'm glad they did; they seem to want to publish interesting works.
Smuggling Spirits, Book One
Written by Ben Fisher
Art by Mark Henderson
This book certainly has an interesting concept, which could be described as The Road to Perdition meets Hellboy. It imagines a prohibition-era scenario in which monsters called "darklings" roam the land preying on people. The main characters are Nathan, an orphaned boy, and Al, a tough alcohol smuggler. For some reason, Al can't see any of the darklings, and he won't even acknowledge their existence. It's like he's willfully blind, and his mind filters out any information about the supernatural. I'm sure we'll eventually find out the reason for this, but for now it serves mostly to frustrate Nathan when Al shrugs off monster attacks nonchalantly, saying they were just snakes or vultures. The pair of them seem to want to stick to rum-running, but by the end of this volume of the series, they've become caught up in events beyond their control.
The story is interesting enough, but the art is the real draw. While Henderson could use some work on his faces, the backgrounds and depictions of monsters are quite impressive. At times, he seems to be influenced by Frank Miller, using white-on-black silhouettes and emphasizing details like folds in clothing or torrential rain:
Other times, he uses soft edges to create spooky-looking creatures that are actually quite detailed:
It's beautiful stuff, and it certainly has me intrigued. It's an interesting concept for the story, and with a little improvement, I think the art has the potential to be really striking. I'll certainly be watching out for future issues of this series.
The book is 54 pages long, and it's supposed to come out in October. However, you can read a preview on Ambrosia's website, and even purchase an electronic copy right away. I recommend it!
This review was based on an electronic copy provided by the publisher.
Smuggling Spirits, Book One
Written by Ben Fisher
Art by Mark Henderson
This book certainly has an interesting concept, which could be described as The Road to Perdition meets Hellboy. It imagines a prohibition-era scenario in which monsters called "darklings" roam the land preying on people. The main characters are Nathan, an orphaned boy, and Al, a tough alcohol smuggler. For some reason, Al can't see any of the darklings, and he won't even acknowledge their existence. It's like he's willfully blind, and his mind filters out any information about the supernatural. I'm sure we'll eventually find out the reason for this, but for now it serves mostly to frustrate Nathan when Al shrugs off monster attacks nonchalantly, saying they were just snakes or vultures. The pair of them seem to want to stick to rum-running, but by the end of this volume of the series, they've become caught up in events beyond their control.
The story is interesting enough, but the art is the real draw. While Henderson could use some work on his faces, the backgrounds and depictions of monsters are quite impressive. At times, he seems to be influenced by Frank Miller, using white-on-black silhouettes and emphasizing details like folds in clothing or torrential rain:
Other times, he uses soft edges to create spooky-looking creatures that are actually quite detailed:
It's beautiful stuff, and it certainly has me intrigued. It's an interesting concept for the story, and with a little improvement, I think the art has the potential to be really striking. I'll certainly be watching out for future issues of this series.
The book is 54 pages long, and it's supposed to come out in October. However, you can read a preview on Ambrosia's website, and even purchase an electronic copy right away. I recommend it!
This review was based on an electronic copy provided by the publisher.
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Optic Nerve: Ben Tanaka needs a punch in the face
I've had these issues for a while now, but I only just now finally got around to reading them. I would have scanned the covers, but I figured I would go with the cover of the upcoming collection, titled Shortcomings.
Optic Nerve #9-11
By Adrian Tomine
In the most recent issue of Local, Brian Wood wrote about how he is mystified that people seem to hate his main character, with some even going so far as to say they wanted to punch her in the face (a discussion of the issue between Wood and Local artist Ryan Kelly can be found here). It brings up some interesting issues, such as the fact that the writing must be pretty skilled to evoke such strong reactions, or the idea that flawed characters who make mistakes can be so hated by readers. As for me, I tend to like characters that aren't perfect; it makes them seem more identifiable and human. That said, I disliked the main character of this Optic Nerve story so much that I wanted to punch him (but not necessarily in the face).
Okay, that's a bit strong, but Ben Tanaka is a bit of an asshole. Adrian Tomine really crafted a reprehensible guy here; he's of Japanese descent, but seems to be pretty self-loathing, disliking Asians who get caught up in their cultural issues. He's dating a Japanese girl named Miko, but he harbors a desire to fuck white women. At the same time, he's incredibly assholish to her, and he gets in huge arguments whenever she brings up the subject of his desires. She's studying film and organizes an Asian-American film festival, but he belittles everything she does. It's pretty pathetic, and you feel happy for her when she gets an internship in New York and has to move away from their home in Berkeley.
That, along with the antics of Ben's lesbian Korean friend (a nice inversion of the stereotypical chick-flick gay friend), comprises the first chapter. The second chapter involves Ben's dalliances with white girls while he and Miko are "on a break", and the third sees him go to New York to try to find her and confront her about possibly "cheating" on him (double standard ahoy!). It's all pretty entertaining to watch, like a big train wreck. Like I said, Ben is not a nice fellow, and it's almost gratifying to see him get his comeuppance.
[SPOILERS from here on out, I suppose]
In this story, Tomine reminds me of Daniel Clowes, with his harsh view of hipsters and artsy types, although Tomine is less cartoonish and probably a little bit gentler in his ribbing. But it's still hilarious to see Ben go to an interpretive dance performance while trying to bed a girl he's interested in. The dance consists of ugly hippies prancing around naked, trying to be politically relevant by giving their dances titles like "Fallujah". Later, Ben goes home with the girl and sees her art project: a collage of photographs taken each morning documenting the results of emptying her bladder. In the final chapter, Ben finds out that Miko is dating a white guy (actually, he's half Jewish, half Native American), and he freaks out, spouting all kinds of arguments about how a white guy and an Asian girl dating brings up all sorts of racial issues. But him wanting to screw a white girl is completely different, of course. But then we find that the guy Miko is with is something of a douche anyway; he constantly speaks to her in Japanese, has an apartment filled with Oriental decorations, and tries to use karate when confronted by Ben. It's pretty hilarious.
There are a lot of interesting issues that Tomine addresses in this story, and he makes it quite entertaining to boot. We look at the Asian-American experience, grad school, adult relationships, gay and lesbian promiscuousness, and just general assholery. A good read all around, and one that I'll be pondering for some time to come. Just don't expect to like the main character very much.
Optic Nerve #9-11
By Adrian Tomine
In the most recent issue of Local, Brian Wood wrote about how he is mystified that people seem to hate his main character, with some even going so far as to say they wanted to punch her in the face (a discussion of the issue between Wood and Local artist Ryan Kelly can be found here). It brings up some interesting issues, such as the fact that the writing must be pretty skilled to evoke such strong reactions, or the idea that flawed characters who make mistakes can be so hated by readers. As for me, I tend to like characters that aren't perfect; it makes them seem more identifiable and human. That said, I disliked the main character of this Optic Nerve story so much that I wanted to punch him (but not necessarily in the face).
Okay, that's a bit strong, but Ben Tanaka is a bit of an asshole. Adrian Tomine really crafted a reprehensible guy here; he's of Japanese descent, but seems to be pretty self-loathing, disliking Asians who get caught up in their cultural issues. He's dating a Japanese girl named Miko, but he harbors a desire to fuck white women. At the same time, he's incredibly assholish to her, and he gets in huge arguments whenever she brings up the subject of his desires. She's studying film and organizes an Asian-American film festival, but he belittles everything she does. It's pretty pathetic, and you feel happy for her when she gets an internship in New York and has to move away from their home in Berkeley.
That, along with the antics of Ben's lesbian Korean friend (a nice inversion of the stereotypical chick-flick gay friend), comprises the first chapter. The second chapter involves Ben's dalliances with white girls while he and Miko are "on a break", and the third sees him go to New York to try to find her and confront her about possibly "cheating" on him (double standard ahoy!). It's all pretty entertaining to watch, like a big train wreck. Like I said, Ben is not a nice fellow, and it's almost gratifying to see him get his comeuppance.
[SPOILERS from here on out, I suppose]
In this story, Tomine reminds me of Daniel Clowes, with his harsh view of hipsters and artsy types, although Tomine is less cartoonish and probably a little bit gentler in his ribbing. But it's still hilarious to see Ben go to an interpretive dance performance while trying to bed a girl he's interested in. The dance consists of ugly hippies prancing around naked, trying to be politically relevant by giving their dances titles like "Fallujah". Later, Ben goes home with the girl and sees her art project: a collage of photographs taken each morning documenting the results of emptying her bladder. In the final chapter, Ben finds out that Miko is dating a white guy (actually, he's half Jewish, half Native American), and he freaks out, spouting all kinds of arguments about how a white guy and an Asian girl dating brings up all sorts of racial issues. But him wanting to screw a white girl is completely different, of course. But then we find that the guy Miko is with is something of a douche anyway; he constantly speaks to her in Japanese, has an apartment filled with Oriental decorations, and tries to use karate when confronted by Ben. It's pretty hilarious.
There are a lot of interesting issues that Tomine addresses in this story, and he makes it quite entertaining to boot. We look at the Asian-American experience, grad school, adult relationships, gay and lesbian promiscuousness, and just general assholery. A good read all around, and one that I'll be pondering for some time to come. Just don't expect to like the main character very much.
Beautiful Killer: Like Killing Girl, but not nearly as good
My friend Franck DeVita sent me these comics, so I hope he doesn't mind the critical drubbing I'm about to give them.
Beautiful Killer #1-3
Written by Jimmy Palmiotti
Art by Phil Noto
I'm sure Phil Noto was the main draw for this 2002 miniseries from the now-defunct Black Bull Entertainment (which I just found out was an imprint of Wizard magazine. Huh). Either that, or the impossible to resist the allure of Adam Hughes covers that promise action-packed tales of a sexy assassin. Who knows, maybe Jimmy Palmiotti was a big seller; I've never found his writing to be anything other than workmanlike, and it's easily the worst aspect of this particular work, dragging down what could have been an enjoyable action-movie plot with unending exposition and clunky dialogue.
The minimal plot concerns one Brigit Cole, a young girl whose parents have been killed, leading her to swear vengeance and track down their murderers. The first issue makes for a fairly promising beginning; we see her efficiently take down a spy who was revealed to have betrayed her father in flashbacks. She gets information about her next target, a beautiful Russian agent, and sets off to kill her as well, ending the issue. Unfortunately, the next two issues consist of endless flashbacks and backstory; Brigit's parents were spies, and her mother was also a scientist working on some sort of regenerative serum. When her father was injured, the evil spy corporation/government used him as a guinea pig for the serum, prompting the two of them to escape and flee to a life of hiding on a Mediterranean island, where they raised Brigit, training her in all their superspy skills so she would be able to survive come the inevitable day that their past caught up with them, etc., etc. Oh, and Brigit inherited some properties from the serum, so she's albino and has a Wolverine-like healing factor.
We get all this information in scene after scene of Brigit's parents or other people explaining things to her in word balloons that clutter up Noto's gorgeous artwork. Here's an example, in which the parents are sending Brigit to escape the island:
It's too bad; if Palmiotti had left more of this information up to the reader to interpret, the story could have been a sleek, fast-moving spy adventure. Instead, it moves at a snail's pace while we read the unwieldy text. And it's not even well-written text; the near-constant run-on sentences and lack of contractions make it sound like it was poorly translated from some other language than English.
As I mentioned, Noto's art is often very good, alternating roughly-sketched drawings with finely-detailed work. He makes really good use of painted colors:
And the sense of movement is often quite dynamic, not to mention his skill in portraying pretty girls (although I could have done without the scene in which the evil Russian spy enters a boardroom meeting naked, daintily hiding her naughty bits from the reader with strands of hair). And this scene of Brigit watching the attack on her parents' island from underwater is simply breathtaking:
But some pretty art doesn't make up for a bad story, so I gotta give this a thumbs down. If I was going by the Savage Critics scale, it would be somewhere between Awful and Eh, probably leaning toward the former. One of these days, Noto will do something better and get recognized as a pretty damn good comics artist (I think he's intermittently working with Palmiotti on Jonah Hex at the moment), but until then he'll be stuck doing covers or whatever. Oh well.
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By the way, this is nothing new for regular readers, but my review of Gilbert Hernandez's Chance in Hell has been reposted on Silver Bullet Comics, so you can check it out there (or scroll down to check it out here) if you're interested.
Beautiful Killer #1-3
Written by Jimmy Palmiotti
Art by Phil Noto
I'm sure Phil Noto was the main draw for this 2002 miniseries from the now-defunct Black Bull Entertainment (which I just found out was an imprint of Wizard magazine. Huh). Either that, or the impossible to resist the allure of Adam Hughes covers that promise action-packed tales of a sexy assassin. Who knows, maybe Jimmy Palmiotti was a big seller; I've never found his writing to be anything other than workmanlike, and it's easily the worst aspect of this particular work, dragging down what could have been an enjoyable action-movie plot with unending exposition and clunky dialogue.
The minimal plot concerns one Brigit Cole, a young girl whose parents have been killed, leading her to swear vengeance and track down their murderers. The first issue makes for a fairly promising beginning; we see her efficiently take down a spy who was revealed to have betrayed her father in flashbacks. She gets information about her next target, a beautiful Russian agent, and sets off to kill her as well, ending the issue. Unfortunately, the next two issues consist of endless flashbacks and backstory; Brigit's parents were spies, and her mother was also a scientist working on some sort of regenerative serum. When her father was injured, the evil spy corporation/government used him as a guinea pig for the serum, prompting the two of them to escape and flee to a life of hiding on a Mediterranean island, where they raised Brigit, training her in all their superspy skills so she would be able to survive come the inevitable day that their past caught up with them, etc., etc. Oh, and Brigit inherited some properties from the serum, so she's albino and has a Wolverine-like healing factor.
We get all this information in scene after scene of Brigit's parents or other people explaining things to her in word balloons that clutter up Noto's gorgeous artwork. Here's an example, in which the parents are sending Brigit to escape the island:
It's too bad; if Palmiotti had left more of this information up to the reader to interpret, the story could have been a sleek, fast-moving spy adventure. Instead, it moves at a snail's pace while we read the unwieldy text. And it's not even well-written text; the near-constant run-on sentences and lack of contractions make it sound like it was poorly translated from some other language than English.
As I mentioned, Noto's art is often very good, alternating roughly-sketched drawings with finely-detailed work. He makes really good use of painted colors:
And the sense of movement is often quite dynamic, not to mention his skill in portraying pretty girls (although I could have done without the scene in which the evil Russian spy enters a boardroom meeting naked, daintily hiding her naughty bits from the reader with strands of hair). And this scene of Brigit watching the attack on her parents' island from underwater is simply breathtaking:
But some pretty art doesn't make up for a bad story, so I gotta give this a thumbs down. If I was going by the Savage Critics scale, it would be somewhere between Awful and Eh, probably leaning toward the former. One of these days, Noto will do something better and get recognized as a pretty damn good comics artist (I think he's intermittently working with Palmiotti on Jonah Hex at the moment), but until then he'll be stuck doing covers or whatever. Oh well.
-----
By the way, this is nothing new for regular readers, but my review of Gilbert Hernandez's Chance in Hell has been reposted on Silver Bullet Comics, so you can check it out there (or scroll down to check it out here) if you're interested.
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
The Annotated Mantooth: Matt Fraction has come a long way
The Annotated Mantooth
Written by Matt Fraction
Art by Andy Kuhn and Tim Fisher
These days, Matt Fraction is the highly regarded genius behind Casanova, Punisher War Journal, Iron Fist, and The Order. But he wasn't always so infamous. What was he working on before he broke through and became an internet darling? Well, I'll tell you: it was Mantooth, part of Ait/PlanetLar's Double Take, along with Joe Casey and Charlie Adlard's Codeflesh. It was the story of a superspy gorilla named Rex Mantooth, and his over-the-top world-saving adventures that can usually be summed up with the phrase "Kick! 'Splode!".
It's a fun book, but it certainly shows as an early work, containing a lot of the crazy ideas and frenetic action of Fraction's later work (especially Casanova), but none of the heart. There's some damn funny writing, with lines like "Those robo-dicks had jetboots. I wish I had jetboots." Or "I took ass-whup as an extracurricular at finishing school." Not to mention the good use of profanity, like "Sweet Mary, mother of fuck!" or "Hoppin' he-cunts!" There's also lots of ridiculous action, with silly stuff like ninja robots, exploding tuxedos, rabid ducklings, a giant killer robot named "World's Greatest Grandpa" (Fraction always has to work in a giant robot), Adolf Hitler, an evil Oprah Winfrey-knockoff who trains lesbian assassins, and zombie Stephen Hawking:
That panel always cracks me up. Really, the book this probably reminds me of most is Nextwave, except it's missing two bit things that contributed to that masterpiece: the depth of the Marvel Universe, and Stuart Immonen's amazing artwork. Andy Kuhn certainly isn't bad, but he's just not at Immonen's level. Or Gabriel Ba and Fabio Moon, for that matter. But Kuhn does the best he can, giving us wild scenes packed with detail:
This annotated version of the series contains the full script for each issue printed opposite the corresponding comics page, along with Fraction's notes, which try very hard to be funny, alluding to media controversies that the book supposedly stirred up or bragging about his accomplishments. There are also introductions by Warren Ellis, Joe Casey, and Greg Rucka, text pieces by Fraction about making the comic and meeting the "real" Rex Mantooth, and an afterword from publisher Larry Young. It's all entertaining enough, but it definitely seems to be padding, considering the three actual stories are each only thirteen pages long.
So it's a fun book, especially if you're interested in Matt Fraction's earlier career. You can see the seeds of his future greatness, and have a good time too. I don't know if it's worth full price though; it's worth it if you can buy it used. Now I just have to find Last of the Independents...
Written by Matt Fraction
Art by Andy Kuhn and Tim Fisher
These days, Matt Fraction is the highly regarded genius behind Casanova, Punisher War Journal, Iron Fist, and The Order. But he wasn't always so infamous. What was he working on before he broke through and became an internet darling? Well, I'll tell you: it was Mantooth, part of Ait/PlanetLar's Double Take, along with Joe Casey and Charlie Adlard's Codeflesh. It was the story of a superspy gorilla named Rex Mantooth, and his over-the-top world-saving adventures that can usually be summed up with the phrase "Kick! 'Splode!".
It's a fun book, but it certainly shows as an early work, containing a lot of the crazy ideas and frenetic action of Fraction's later work (especially Casanova), but none of the heart. There's some damn funny writing, with lines like "Those robo-dicks had jetboots. I wish I had jetboots." Or "I took ass-whup as an extracurricular at finishing school." Not to mention the good use of profanity, like "Sweet Mary, mother of fuck!" or "Hoppin' he-cunts!" There's also lots of ridiculous action, with silly stuff like ninja robots, exploding tuxedos, rabid ducklings, a giant killer robot named "World's Greatest Grandpa" (Fraction always has to work in a giant robot), Adolf Hitler, an evil Oprah Winfrey-knockoff who trains lesbian assassins, and zombie Stephen Hawking:
That panel always cracks me up. Really, the book this probably reminds me of most is Nextwave, except it's missing two bit things that contributed to that masterpiece: the depth of the Marvel Universe, and Stuart Immonen's amazing artwork. Andy Kuhn certainly isn't bad, but he's just not at Immonen's level. Or Gabriel Ba and Fabio Moon, for that matter. But Kuhn does the best he can, giving us wild scenes packed with detail:
This annotated version of the series contains the full script for each issue printed opposite the corresponding comics page, along with Fraction's notes, which try very hard to be funny, alluding to media controversies that the book supposedly stirred up or bragging about his accomplishments. There are also introductions by Warren Ellis, Joe Casey, and Greg Rucka, text pieces by Fraction about making the comic and meeting the "real" Rex Mantooth, and an afterword from publisher Larry Young. It's all entertaining enough, but it definitely seems to be padding, considering the three actual stories are each only thirteen pages long.
So it's a fun book, especially if you're interested in Matt Fraction's earlier career. You can see the seeds of his future greatness, and have a good time too. I don't know if it's worth full price though; it's worth it if you can buy it used. Now I just have to find Last of the Independents...
Damn you, Labor Day, making me wait until Thursday for my precious comics!
Actually, it's not that big of a tragedy. But it's fun to work oneself into a furor over something silly.
New comics this week (THURSDAY, 9/6/07):
Iron Man Enter the Mandarin #1
A new miniseries by Joe Casey and Eric Canete. It looks interesting (although I don't like the "secret history" type of story), but I'll wait for the trade if I get it at all.
She Hulk #21
I was wrong about the last issue. This is the one that supposedly solves any Marvel continuity errors. It's also Dan Slott's last issue on the book before Peter David takes over.
Infinity Inc Vol 2 #1
I probably won't get this, but it's notable because Peter Milligan is writing it. It could be all right, but I'm really not interested in Steel and his daughter (niece?) leading a celebrity superteam. Maybe I'll be proven wrong, but I can always wait for the trade.
Y The Last Man #58
Getting closer to the end, which makes each new issue both exciting and sad.
Boys #10
This might be my last issue of the series; I wasn't very amused by the floor-pooping antics of the previous installment, and since this ends the storyline, I might drop the book and wait for future trades in hopes that it gets better. It's a nice premise, and there have been glimmers of greatness, but I'm just not feeling it right now.
Doktor Sleepless #2
I liked the first issue, for the most part. I'm hoping Ellis starts to show us some twists on his futurescience formula soon, or I might start to wonder what's the point.
Lobster Johnson the Iron Prometheus #1
The latest Hellboy spinoff, I think. It's another maybe for me. It'll probably be fun though.
Lucha Libre #1
A cartoony, possibly toy-based series from Image. I'll probably look at it, at least, but no guarantees.
DMZ vol. 3 Public Works
This is good comics. I recommend.
Jack Kirby’s Fourth World Omnibus vol. 2 HC
Who knows if this will actually show this week. I'll definitely get it at some point, but probably from Amazon, or using a gift card or something. Great comics, but slightly too expensive.
The Pro (new Print)
See any comments about The Boys. This is a fun book, with nice art by Amanda Conner, but it's very mean-spirited, and probably what leads everyone to assume that Garth Ennis hates superheroes. I don't actually own a copy, so I suppose I could pick it up. It's only $7.99.
Spider-Man Family Back in Black Digest
This collects the first three issues of Spider-Man Family, a fun anthology book featuring a variety of offbeat Spidey tales. I'll have to see if all of the contents are included, especially the reprints and manga stories. That's a good part of what makes the book so fun.
Punisher Max vol. 8 Widowmaker
One day, I will buy all the various Punisher MAX trades and get caught up in what I always hear is a damn good comic.
Punisher War Journal vol. 1
As for the Matt Fraction-written mainstream Marvel Universe Punisher, I might or might not be interested in getting it. I hear it's fun, but this first volume is a Civil War tie-in, and I'm not as interested in that sort of thing as I once was. But I do like Fraction. Yet another maybe.
Sentences Life of MF Grimm HC
A Vertigo graphic novel, by "underground rap icon Percy Carey". It's supposed to be autobiographical, I guess. Art by Ronald Wimberly, with whom I'm not familiar. A different sort of thing for Vertigo, but I suppose it might be worth checking out.
MPD Psycho vol. 2
I ordered the first volume of this, so I'm finally going to get to read it, just in time to miss the second volume. Looks like this might be another entry in the "manga series I'm not caught up on" club.
Laika HC
From First Second, a comic about the Russian cosmonaut dog. I've heard it's decent, and makes an interesting counterpoint to First in Space, the book about the American monkey astronaut. Someday I might read both of them.
Thorn In The Side GN
I doubt my shop will get this, but it looks interesting. It's a historical book about a World War II French resistance fighter/concentration camp prisoner. I'll have to check it out if I ever see it.
Process Recess 2
The new James Jean art book. I doubt I'll get it, since I already splurged on the Paul Pope art book, but man, it will certainly be tempting.
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And that's everything. Probably a not-very-expensive week. As for the blog, I'll probably have a review up tonight, and maybe more tomorrow or whenever. I'm very lackluster today.
New comics this week (THURSDAY, 9/6/07):
Iron Man Enter the Mandarin #1
A new miniseries by Joe Casey and Eric Canete. It looks interesting (although I don't like the "secret history" type of story), but I'll wait for the trade if I get it at all.
She Hulk #21
I was wrong about the last issue. This is the one that supposedly solves any Marvel continuity errors. It's also Dan Slott's last issue on the book before Peter David takes over.
Infinity Inc Vol 2 #1
I probably won't get this, but it's notable because Peter Milligan is writing it. It could be all right, but I'm really not interested in Steel and his daughter (niece?) leading a celebrity superteam. Maybe I'll be proven wrong, but I can always wait for the trade.
Y The Last Man #58
Getting closer to the end, which makes each new issue both exciting and sad.
Boys #10
This might be my last issue of the series; I wasn't very amused by the floor-pooping antics of the previous installment, and since this ends the storyline, I might drop the book and wait for future trades in hopes that it gets better. It's a nice premise, and there have been glimmers of greatness, but I'm just not feeling it right now.
Doktor Sleepless #2
I liked the first issue, for the most part. I'm hoping Ellis starts to show us some twists on his futurescience formula soon, or I might start to wonder what's the point.
Lobster Johnson the Iron Prometheus #1
The latest Hellboy spinoff, I think. It's another maybe for me. It'll probably be fun though.
Lucha Libre #1
A cartoony, possibly toy-based series from Image. I'll probably look at it, at least, but no guarantees.
DMZ vol. 3 Public Works
This is good comics. I recommend.
Jack Kirby’s Fourth World Omnibus vol. 2 HC
Who knows if this will actually show this week. I'll definitely get it at some point, but probably from Amazon, or using a gift card or something. Great comics, but slightly too expensive.
The Pro (new Print)
See any comments about The Boys. This is a fun book, with nice art by Amanda Conner, but it's very mean-spirited, and probably what leads everyone to assume that Garth Ennis hates superheroes. I don't actually own a copy, so I suppose I could pick it up. It's only $7.99.
Spider-Man Family Back in Black Digest
This collects the first three issues of Spider-Man Family, a fun anthology book featuring a variety of offbeat Spidey tales. I'll have to see if all of the contents are included, especially the reprints and manga stories. That's a good part of what makes the book so fun.
Punisher Max vol. 8 Widowmaker
One day, I will buy all the various Punisher MAX trades and get caught up in what I always hear is a damn good comic.
Punisher War Journal vol. 1
As for the Matt Fraction-written mainstream Marvel Universe Punisher, I might or might not be interested in getting it. I hear it's fun, but this first volume is a Civil War tie-in, and I'm not as interested in that sort of thing as I once was. But I do like Fraction. Yet another maybe.
Sentences Life of MF Grimm HC
A Vertigo graphic novel, by "underground rap icon Percy Carey". It's supposed to be autobiographical, I guess. Art by Ronald Wimberly, with whom I'm not familiar. A different sort of thing for Vertigo, but I suppose it might be worth checking out.
MPD Psycho vol. 2
I ordered the first volume of this, so I'm finally going to get to read it, just in time to miss the second volume. Looks like this might be another entry in the "manga series I'm not caught up on" club.
Laika HC
From First Second, a comic about the Russian cosmonaut dog. I've heard it's decent, and makes an interesting counterpoint to First in Space, the book about the American monkey astronaut. Someday I might read both of them.
Thorn In The Side GN
I doubt my shop will get this, but it looks interesting. It's a historical book about a World War II French resistance fighter/concentration camp prisoner. I'll have to check it out if I ever see it.
Process Recess 2
The new James Jean art book. I doubt I'll get it, since I already splurged on the Paul Pope art book, but man, it will certainly be tempting.
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And that's everything. Probably a not-very-expensive week. As for the blog, I'll probably have a review up tonight, and maybe more tomorrow or whenever. I'm very lackluster today.
Sunday, September 2, 2007
Chance in Hell: That's the likelihood that this won't be good
Does that make sense? I'm trying to say that a Gilbert Hernandez graphic novel can pretty much be assumed to be awesome.
Chance in Hell
By Gilbert Hernandez
Gilbert Hernandez is one of those old comics pros who seems to work on instinct, churning out surreal masterpieces seemingly in his sleep. Actually, that might explain the dreamlike nature of works like Chance in Hell or his recent Vertigo graphic novel Sloth. So while I might not be able to fully understand these crazy stories, they remain so arresting that once I start reading them, they're near-impossible to put down. Everybody says it, but it's true: after twenty-five years of making comics, he's a master of the form.
This comic occupies an odd place in Gilbert's oeuvre; it's meant to be a movie in the "universe" of his regular Love and Rockets stories, featuring one of his regular characters as a member of the cast. He hints at the possibility of more of these movies/graphic novels in a collage of movie posters on the inside front and back covers of the book. In fact, one of them, Speak of the Devil, is currently coming out as a miniseries from Dark Horse. But none of that knowledge is really necessary to enjoy this book; it's not even indicated anywhere on or in the book itself.
The store here is divided into three parts, each following a part of the life of a girl named Empress [caution: mild SPOILERS ahead]. In the first part, she is only a little girl, living in a junkyard/landfill/wasteland called "the Pit" outside of an unnamed city. We never learn how she ended up there, but there are several other children there also, and they all seem to have been abandoned. We also see some adults, notably some workers who are always repairing some strange machinery and the soldiers protecting them. Other adults seem to be sightseeing, including a man who claims to be from the Pit originally, before he escaped to the city. And then there are the child predators, from whom an older boy has taken upon himself to protect Empress. And well he should, since she seems incredibly trusting, calling every older male she meets "my daddy". It's all rather strange (like the rest of the book), but still emotional and moving, featuring poignant panels like this one:
Gilbert might be making a point about how those of us in "civilized" parts of the world can often ignore the circumstances of those less fortunate, even if they're right in our back yard. But that's obviously all there is to the story, as unfortunate events occur, and Empress is "rescued" from the Pit and taken to live in the city with a benefactor.
Thus begins the second part of the book, in which Empress is a pre-teen, living with her guardian and trying to fit in to the more civilized world. But the only person she can relate to is a young pimp and his stable of "hearts of gold". The kid seems to be about the same age as her, and while he's nice to her, he's a typical pimp, beating his whores with a rubber hose if they get out of line, or taking an iron bar to his competition. It's a look at how even the more "civilized" world is still savage and brutal, and while people can try to escape their ugly origins, they still have ugliness and violence inside them.
There's also an interesting look at the supposed benefits of civilization in Empress's "sugar daddy". He has tried to immerse himself in high culture, probably to get far away from his origins in the Pit. He works as an editor of poetry, but as the story progresses, he starts to get more and more sick of it, until it loses any meaning for him, and he can't tell good poetry from bad. Art can have a cathartic nature, but when you use it as a blunt tool to show that you are civilized, it's only an empty substitute for real feeling, and you have to search elsewhere for release.
That search leads to tragedy, and Empress gets sent to a "Safe Haven for Girls". We catch up with her as an adult in the third part, and she's married to a young hotshot attorney who prosecutes infamous criminals like a "babykiller" who has been in the news. She works at the Safe Haven, trying to help out girls like herself who came from unfortunate situations, but she still seems to feel guilt that she can't do more. The story gets especially surreal here, with a strange old man appearing to her, talking about surviving the electric chair. There's also quicksand in their backyard, and Empress and her husband are not able to save a woman and her daughter from drowning in it. The husband takes pride in punishing wrongdoers, but he can't actually help somebody in need (sounds like a certain country that most of the people on earth love to hate). This final part seems to be all about survivor's guilt; Empress may be able to save herself, but how many are going to die that she can't help? Eventually, she overcomes this guilt and goes on to live a full life. Or does she?
So I'm not sure what it all means; it's a visceral experience, striking directly at the subconscious. It will probably haunt my dreams, and I'll be unable to interpret them. But it's a great experience, due in large part to Gilbert's beautiful art. He seems to have pared his detail levels to near-minimum, but he's still able to convey mood and emotion wonderfully, as in this panel full of ominous clouds and indistinct buildings:
Or the simple lines making up these obscured facial expressions:
And his sense of movement is always impeccable, with characters giving us as much information through body language as through dialogue. And the violence is shocking and gruesome, in keeping with the atmosphere of an exploitation film.
All in all, it's a really good book, but it might turn people off through its obtuse nature. Everything seems to be based in mood and feeling, and the story is up to interpretation, with any one of many readings being valid. For those who like their stories concrete and simple, this is not the book to read. But if you like haunting imagery and a story that doesn't explain itself, this should be right up your alley.
Chance in Hell
By Gilbert Hernandez
Gilbert Hernandez is one of those old comics pros who seems to work on instinct, churning out surreal masterpieces seemingly in his sleep. Actually, that might explain the dreamlike nature of works like Chance in Hell or his recent Vertigo graphic novel Sloth. So while I might not be able to fully understand these crazy stories, they remain so arresting that once I start reading them, they're near-impossible to put down. Everybody says it, but it's true: after twenty-five years of making comics, he's a master of the form.
This comic occupies an odd place in Gilbert's oeuvre; it's meant to be a movie in the "universe" of his regular Love and Rockets stories, featuring one of his regular characters as a member of the cast. He hints at the possibility of more of these movies/graphic novels in a collage of movie posters on the inside front and back covers of the book. In fact, one of them, Speak of the Devil, is currently coming out as a miniseries from Dark Horse. But none of that knowledge is really necessary to enjoy this book; it's not even indicated anywhere on or in the book itself.
The store here is divided into three parts, each following a part of the life of a girl named Empress [caution: mild SPOILERS ahead]. In the first part, she is only a little girl, living in a junkyard/landfill/wasteland called "the Pit" outside of an unnamed city. We never learn how she ended up there, but there are several other children there also, and they all seem to have been abandoned. We also see some adults, notably some workers who are always repairing some strange machinery and the soldiers protecting them. Other adults seem to be sightseeing, including a man who claims to be from the Pit originally, before he escaped to the city. And then there are the child predators, from whom an older boy has taken upon himself to protect Empress. And well he should, since she seems incredibly trusting, calling every older male she meets "my daddy". It's all rather strange (like the rest of the book), but still emotional and moving, featuring poignant panels like this one:
Gilbert might be making a point about how those of us in "civilized" parts of the world can often ignore the circumstances of those less fortunate, even if they're right in our back yard. But that's obviously all there is to the story, as unfortunate events occur, and Empress is "rescued" from the Pit and taken to live in the city with a benefactor.
Thus begins the second part of the book, in which Empress is a pre-teen, living with her guardian and trying to fit in to the more civilized world. But the only person she can relate to is a young pimp and his stable of "hearts of gold". The kid seems to be about the same age as her, and while he's nice to her, he's a typical pimp, beating his whores with a rubber hose if they get out of line, or taking an iron bar to his competition. It's a look at how even the more "civilized" world is still savage and brutal, and while people can try to escape their ugly origins, they still have ugliness and violence inside them.
There's also an interesting look at the supposed benefits of civilization in Empress's "sugar daddy". He has tried to immerse himself in high culture, probably to get far away from his origins in the Pit. He works as an editor of poetry, but as the story progresses, he starts to get more and more sick of it, until it loses any meaning for him, and he can't tell good poetry from bad. Art can have a cathartic nature, but when you use it as a blunt tool to show that you are civilized, it's only an empty substitute for real feeling, and you have to search elsewhere for release.
That search leads to tragedy, and Empress gets sent to a "Safe Haven for Girls". We catch up with her as an adult in the third part, and she's married to a young hotshot attorney who prosecutes infamous criminals like a "babykiller" who has been in the news. She works at the Safe Haven, trying to help out girls like herself who came from unfortunate situations, but she still seems to feel guilt that she can't do more. The story gets especially surreal here, with a strange old man appearing to her, talking about surviving the electric chair. There's also quicksand in their backyard, and Empress and her husband are not able to save a woman and her daughter from drowning in it. The husband takes pride in punishing wrongdoers, but he can't actually help somebody in need (sounds like a certain country that most of the people on earth love to hate). This final part seems to be all about survivor's guilt; Empress may be able to save herself, but how many are going to die that she can't help? Eventually, she overcomes this guilt and goes on to live a full life. Or does she?
So I'm not sure what it all means; it's a visceral experience, striking directly at the subconscious. It will probably haunt my dreams, and I'll be unable to interpret them. But it's a great experience, due in large part to Gilbert's beautiful art. He seems to have pared his detail levels to near-minimum, but he's still able to convey mood and emotion wonderfully, as in this panel full of ominous clouds and indistinct buildings:
Or the simple lines making up these obscured facial expressions:
And his sense of movement is always impeccable, with characters giving us as much information through body language as through dialogue. And the violence is shocking and gruesome, in keeping with the atmosphere of an exploitation film.
All in all, it's a really good book, but it might turn people off through its obtuse nature. Everything seems to be based in mood and feeling, and the story is up to interpretation, with any one of many readings being valid. For those who like their stories concrete and simple, this is not the book to read. But if you like haunting imagery and a story that doesn't explain itself, this should be right up your alley.
Saturday, September 1, 2007
Behold! I grow in prominence!
A bit of personal news: I've joined the review staff at Mangalife and its sister site, Silver Bullet Comics, so I'll start having my reviews showing up over there. I'll keep posting here though, so don't worry about my usual schtick going away anytime soon. My first review went up today; it's a repost of my look at Eden volume 1. So, keep watching for my stuff in multiple locations. Soon I will conquer the Interblogowebs!
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