Taft is Reading

Y: The Last Man Vol. 4 - Safeword

2010-05-17T09:18:00.000-07:00

Y: The Last Man Vol. 4 - Safeword
By Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra

My first time through Y: The Last Man, I was disappointed in this story arc. It seemed a needless distraction. A brief stall in the forward momentum the story had built over the course of the three previous volumes.

In re-reading it, my opinion hasn't changed much, expect that this time around I have a much greater appreciation for this volume's strong character development, and one aspect of this so-called "distraction" actually leads to a pretty significant character moment in the final installment of the series.

Volume 4 actually collects two short story arcs. The first deals with the world's last man, Yorick Brown, being captured by an S&M crazed woman, tortured to sexual frustration, insulted, and degraded. Only it's not what it seems. The second has our protagonists dealing with a small militia blocking supplies from reaching the west coast, with tragic results for all involved.

Neither does much to advance the core narrative. That might be a slight frustration, since we're eager to discover the causes of the plague that killed all men and to see if it can be reversed. However, both end up being vital to our understanding of who these people are, especially Yorick himself, whose devotion to a woman he hasn't seen in years (and who might not even been alive) seems selfish and short-sighted given the state of the world. The first story gets us inside his head, the second is a turning point for how he handles the insanity he faces in a world where every living male but him has died. These insights are pretty valuable in a grand scheme kind of way, even if they do interrupt the momentum of the overall story.

And they do.

Safeword is a lesser installment in a fantastic series. One that arguably can be skipped (though I wouldn't recommend it) despite what it delivers for the characters. Yet one that is still better than 90 percent of the comics out there.

And that's good.

Read my regular, everything-and-anything (usually on writing and music) blog right over here.

Y: The Last Man Vol. 3 - One Small Step

2010-05-14T08:23:00.000-07:00

Y: The Last Man Vol. 3 - One Small Step
By Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra

The awesome. There is so much of it!

So. Much. Awesome.

Like, all the dudes are dead and society as we know it is on the verge of collapse, women are doing their best to hold things together but there are crazy violent cults, rogue governments, and all sorts of Bad Stuff taking place, so it's all pretty horrible and stuff, right?

Then crazy and hilarious and sexy (and did I mention hilarious?) Russian woman is on the scene, and she says, hey, International Space Station, right? Two men are alive up there. They're on their way down. Men. Real men. And in a world where all the men have died but one, this is a Good Thing.

But these rogue Israeli agents don't like that. A living man, you see, would be a vital political and military resource. They can't be allowed to fall into the wrong hands, especially not a rival nation. So these men must be either taken into custody or destroyed.

Cue a race against time with guns and shootings and astronauts and funny Russian chicks and a really emotional ending.

First time I read Y: The Last Man, this ranked among my favorite arcs. It still does. It's the high point of the first half of the 60-issue, 10-volume series, bringing to fruition a few stories built up since the first issue while also spinning off new story arcs and new concerns for the people living in a post-man world. Great stuff. If you've read to this point and still aren't hooked, just bail out.

Also, hang your head in shame.

Read my regular, everything-and-anything (usually on writing and music) blog right over here.

Y: The Last Man Vol. 2 - Cycles

2010-05-11T07:33:00.000-07:00

Y: The Last Man Vol. 2 - Cycles
By Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra

So we've got Yorick Brown, the last living male on Earth (if you don't count his monkey, Ampersand). He's train-hopping across the country with "355," government secret agent tasked with protecting him, and Dr. Allison Mann, who has data in San Fransisco that might hold the key to why all males died and maybe, just maybe, to re-starting the human race.

Thing is, it wouldn't be much of a story if their travels were easy. And they're not. Being tailed by Israeli agents is pretty. Worse are the man-hating "Amazons," which include Yorick's sister, Hero. But first is an unexpected stop in Marrisville, Ohio, where a group of secretive women seem to have carved out a small utopia for themselves.

Even at this early juncture, writer Brian K. Vaughan walks a delicate tightrope by presenting stories that seem to meander away from the overall narrative -- finding the cause of the man-killing plague and some way to begin rebuilding the human race -- while also providing key milestones in both story and character development. The stop in Marrisville makes for a good drama, but how vital is it to the overall story?

Pretty damn vital, actually. Even aside from getting to know Yorick and his neuroses a little better, it marks a major turning point for his sister, Hero, and cements the Amazons into place as a bunch of cult crazies everyone despises.

Plus, you know, it's just a damn good story. The action doesn't stray into silly action movie territory, the drama is tense, the writing is smart and funny, and Pia Guerra's art is near perfect. The second in the brilliant trilogy of collections that open this series is a winner.

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Y: The Last Man Vol. 1 - Unmanned

2010-05-07T07:10:00.000-07:00

Y: The Last Man Vol. 1 - Unmanned
By Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra

I'll confess up front that I'm a little biased going into this post. First, I've already read Y: The Last Man in its entirety. I followed the series as it was first released in collected editions. Hung on every new chapter. Loved it.

So yeah, I'm going into this series of posts already a huge fan.

But a week or two ago when I sat down to reread Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra's epic saga about a world in which all men die from a mysterious plague -- all but one, that is; wise-cracking, sexually dysfunctional escape artist Yorick Brown is the lone male on a planet full of females -- I figured it might be a kick to reassess my love for the story and see how well it holds together a little more than two years after it wrapped up.

So far, so good. So very, very good.

I forgot how rapidly Vaughn jumps into it. He wastes no time with needless buildup. On page one, BOOM, men are dying. Just a few pages in and half the population of the globe is dead. We meet Yorick, get to know what an unusual yet likable guy he is; see his wants, needs, and desires; then we're off and running. In no time at all we're seeing crumbling governments, post-apocalyptic anti-man cults, and glimpses of how life goes on without men in the picture. (How? Uneasily. But it does.) Yorick is out on the road trying (and failing) to keep his gender a secret. Conspiracies abound. Plot lines that take 50 or 60 issues to unwind are seeded. The crumbling pieces of a society in ruins struggle to put themselves back together.

It's heady stuff.

It's also terrifically fun and funny. Despite the rather grim and provocative subject matter, Vaughn takes a humorous and entertaining approach whenever possible, but without sacrificing the seriousness of the book's conceit. Even when the thematic material veers towards the heavy-handed, it's tempered with the kind of self-aware humor a story like this NEEDS if it's going to last. Maybe it was this ability to balance heavy themes, wild science fiction premises and sharp humor that lead to his being drafted as a writer for the television show Lost.

Bottom line is this: Y gets off to a rousing start, one so damn good that if you're not hooked with this first collection, you have no soul. Because damn, what a bloody brilliant ride this is.

Read my regular, everything-and-anything (usually on writing and music) blog right over here.

Lucifer Vol. 11 - Evensong

2009-12-10T08:50:00.000-08:00

Lucifer Vol. 11 - Evensong
By Mike Carey, Peter Gross, & Ryan Kelly

And so Mike Carey's acclaimed series comes to a close. Please allow me to cut to the chase: No, Lucifer is not the second coming of Sandman (though to Carey's credit, I'm sure that was never his intention; he forged his own path). Yes, it may have been overpraised. No, it's not at all bad, though at times it's disappointing. Yes, it is good, and at times very good indeed.

Lucifer was an uneven experience, burdened by storytelling problems noted in other posts and a clear case of filler-itis. Between this and Volume 10, however, it ends on a strong note. As expected, this was an extended coda. Character arcs come to a close, the story reaches an end -- yet one that feels like a beginning -- and all that stuff set into motion so long ago is wrapped up nice and tight, turning Lucifer into a neat little package.

I liked it. With caveats.

The inclusion of a 48-page one-shot at the end of the volume does feel out of place, though. It's an okay story, nothing special, but that's not the problem here. It's the placement. Being placed after the final issue feels wrong somehow. The series' grand saga ends on a great note and then, oops, one more thing to read. It takes away from the power of the saga's end.

Overall, though, I find myself forgetting my earlier misgivings and walking away from Lucifer very satisfied. This last volume has some fine little stories and does a good job of closing the door on the series.

Sure, Lucifer wasn't quite the foray into brilliance many have said -- it was an inconsistent reading experience, its excellent highs often marred by muddy, boring lows -- but looking at the big picture, the total package is worth praising thanks in large part to an excellent close. Carey pulled it together in the end. Had the last two volumes not done such a good job of retroactively making all that came before relevant and worthwhile, I'd suggest a pass on this series. Instead, I'd say this is worth reading if you like the magic/religious/mythology wing of the Vertigo Building (which I do), just as long as you know it's at times inconsistent.

And none of this is to suggest that Mike Carey is anything less than a real talent, because let me tell you, when this guy is on, he's ON.

An earlier version of this review was originally posted at IMWAN.com.

Read my regular, everything-and-anything (usually on writing and music) blog right over here.

Lucifer Vol. 10 - Morningstar

2009-12-08T08:50:00.000-08:00

Lucifer Vol. 10 - Morningstar
By Mike Carey, Peter Gross, & Ryan Kelly

Oh, how you frustrate me, Mike Carey. This wasn’t supposed to be brilliant. It wasn’t supposed to be good. It wasn't supposed to be wonderful. But it was.

How you frustrate me.

I was ready to stop reading this series. Bored, uninterested, no longer “feeling it.” Its uneven pacing and the holding pattern that was Crux finally pushed me near the bailing point. And then Morningstar comes along and I find myself in love with all things Lucifer. How did this happen? How can you have turned around something that was spinning off the rails into Overpraisedville? How can you have rescued it and made it great? Yes, GREAT.

This, the tenth volume in Carey’s Sandman spinoff, is a brisk, involving look at the climactic clash between heaven, hell, the Lilim, and various other factions. God is gone. The universe is dying. And Lucifer, the Fallen Son, the Lightbringer, the Morningstar, wants to save it. Thing is, a dozen other factions have their own aims in mind. A slew of other stories are ready to intersect. Amazingly, Carey managed to weave all these threads together into a functioning whole.

No, more than a functioning whole. A dynamic, dramatic, damned good whole.

If Crux was an unmoving bore and little more than an extended setup, this was an extended climax. Characters fight and die. Stories set into motion 40, 50, 60 issues prior come to a head. Stuff you hated earlier suddenly seems worthwhile. And the resolution to things … it actually makes sense! Not only do you buy it, looking back it appears as if it was part of the plan all along. It’s the natural end to the stories Carey was telling.

Damn. I was not expecting this.

So, one more volume to go. I expect it will be an extended coda wrapping up a few character arcs and stuff. But for now ...

Sheesh. Against all hope, he pulled it together in the end. He really did! This was awesome.

An earlier version of this review was originally posted at IMWAN.com.

Read my regular, everything-and-anything (usually on writing and music) blog right over here.

Lucifer Vol. 9 - Crux

2009-12-03T08:50:00.000-08:00

Lucifer Vol. 9 - Crux
By Mike Carey, Peter Gross, & Ryan Kelly

I wanted to sit down and write this post about as much as I want to finish this series at the moment. Which is to say, not at all.

Crux, one of the final arcs of Mike Carey’s acclaimed Lucifer, is hardly an arc at all. It’s an extended setup and little more, putting in place the pieces of the puzzle necessary for the final showdown between the forces of Heaven, the Lilim, and whatever other baddies Carey wants to throw into the mix, but doing little else more.

So yeah, I feel like I don’t have a damn thing to say about it. It ends at pretty much the same place it began. God is gone. Lucifer is gone. The Silver City is under siege. It started there. A few chess pieces were shuffled. It ended there.

That’s about it. Booooo-ring.

I’d honestly like to offer at least some intelligent commentary, but Crux offers very little to comment upon. It left me with no impression, good, bad or indifferent. It was just sort of there. Lifeless. Forgettable. Uninteresting.

:yawn:

An earlier version of this review was originally posted at IMWAN.com.

Read my regular, everything-and-anything (usually on writing and music) blog right over here.

Lucifer Vol. 8 - The Wolf Beneath the Tree

2009-12-01T08:50:00.000-08:00

Lucifer Vol. 8 - The Wolf Beneath the Tree
By Mike Carey, Peter Gross, & Ryan Kelly

God is gone, gone, gone, so Fenris, the wolf of Norse mythology, decides now is a good time to end the world. Such is the core story of the eighth volume of Mike Carey's epic Sandman spinoff, Lucifer. This volume also features two one-shot stories.

'is all right, though it felt kind of like a retread of the last arc. Monsters from mythology see an opening in God's absence and try to take advantage of it. Lucifer, for reasons that are his own, forms an uneasy alliance with the angels (in this case his brother archangel, Michael), and races to stop them. Big Event happens at the end, one I'm sure will impact the last three volumes of this book. The end.

There is also a weird and off-putting subplot about a schizo who bludgeons his wife and young son to death with a hammer. It's part of the main story, but it feels forced, it doesn't quite fit, and it's kind of ugly.

However, the opening story, a standalone called "Lilith," is pretty damn good. It's a double-sized for the book's 50th issue and serves as an origin of sorts for both Lilth and Lucifer. Fantastic stuff.

The other standalone story is moody and interesting, but pointless. It's about ... ahhh, who cares what it's about? When you're this deep into a series-long saga, tossing in one-shots is risky unless you've got Neil Gaimain-like short story chops. Carey is good -- at times really damn good -- but I feel like this energy would have been better spent getting the core series in order.

At this point I'm looking forward to finishing this series, not because I'm eating it up, but because I'd like to see how things resolve and get it behind me.

An earlier version of this review was originally posted at IMWAN.com.

Read my regular, everything-and-anything (usually on writing and music) blog right over here.

Lucifer Vol. 7 - Exodus

2009-11-26T08:50:00.000-08:00

Lucifer Vol. 7 - Exodus
By Mike Carey, Peter Gross, & Ryan Kelly

By now, it’s clear to me that Mike Carey’s critically-acclaimed Lucifer series is something of an uneven experience. When it’s a good, it’s quite good indeed and surely worthy of praise. And when it’s not, it’s a well-intentioned mess.

Exodus, at least, falls into the former category. It’s a fairly focused work with a clear tale to tell – two, actually – and a clear arc that doesn’t leave you scratching your head.

So that’s good.

Though Exodus is made up of two separate stories, they’re connected in theme. God, you see, has left heaven. We don’t know where he went. He’s God. I guess he can go wherever the hell he wants. But anyway, he’s gone, and that’s Bad, because it means that his creation (as in the whole damn universe and everything connected to it) will slowly start to fall apart and die. Lucifer doesn’t want this to happen. Why? He has his reasons.

In the first story, ancient immortal creatures steal God’s power and try to take the throne of heaven. They can’t handle all that power, of course, giving Lucifer an opportunity to join ranks with the angles and stop them. For reasons that are his own.

It’s a decent little tale, especially fun for the uneasy tension between the always arrogant Lucifer and the even more arrogant angels.

In the second story, Lucifer decides that all immortal beings need to get the heck out of the realm he created (which won’t be affected when God’s realm dies, natch). He gathers up the folks who went on that magic boat ride from Mansions of the Silence, and instructs them to start kicking folks out. This arc is presented as a series of quirky fairy tales, seemingly unrelated at first but eventually merging into a larger story. There are some really swell high points here, especially the Puppet Show Of Gruesome Evil (my title). Essential to the overall narrative? Maybe not. But very enjoyable nonetheless.

This series continues to baffle the hell out of me. It has moments of pure excellence, then stretches of directionless blah, and then comes back to brilliant.

Yet I keep reading.

An earlier version of this review was originally posted at IMWAN.com.

Read my regular, everything-and-anything (usually on writing and music) blog right over here.

Lucifer Vol. 6 - Mansions of the Silence

2009-11-24T08:50:00.000-08:00

Lucifer Vol. 6 - Mansions of the Silence
By Mike Carey, Peter Gross, & Ryan Kelly

Mansions of the Silence is a volume-long saga that pretty much amounts to an epic journey through strange and bizarre sights in, like, a totally epic and strange and bizarre dimension. It's writer Mike Carey's chance to pull out a dozen odd ideas and toss them onto the page. There are no rules, just do anything. Show anything. Make it a wild and crazy trip.

Well, it was indeed a wild and crazy trip. Did the story work? For the most part. At the core of the quest is an effort to bring back a character we grew to like in earlier volumes, so that at least helps draw us in. She's one of the few characters we ever really care about in Lucifer; I wanted to see her come back. You will, too.

On the other hand, this whole volume is almost all supporting cast. The titular fallen angel is the driving force of the story in spirit only; he's almost never on screen. He's busy with other stuff. You know, bugging angels or whatever. What a bastard.

It all wraps up with a I Have No Idea What Just Happened, which is frustrating because the ship on the cover? Cool. Some of what happens to our VERY awesome supporting cast? Cool. But the villains? Don't know, don't care. And the resolution? Don't know, don't care.

This is a repeated problem in the series. Carey has good ideas and at times his prose can really sing, but too often his stories are scattered, murky and indirect. Stuff seems to just happen, and it's hard to tell why or what it all means.

And it's not a matter of trusting the reader. I like writers who trust their readers. I admire the trait. This is not that. this is a pure storytelling issue.

Mansions of the Silence serves as a bridge between the initial major arc, concerning the Basanos, and the second major arc, concerning God's abandonment of heaven. It's the halfway point of the series and the link between the first half (a saga of its own) and the second half (a saga of its own). So yeah, you kind of have to get through it.

Decent enough stuff, but certainly not a high point in the series.

An earlier version of this review was originally posted at IMWAN.com.

Read my regular, everything-and-anything (usually on writing and music) blog right over here.

Lucifer Vol. 5 - Inferno

2009-11-19T08:50:00.000-08:00

Lucifer Vol. 5 - Inferno
By Mike Carey, Peter Gross, & Ryan Kelly

The rise and fall in quality of this series ... it gets frustrating. It does. Just when you think writer Mike Carey is hitting his stride, just when you think you're going to understand all the accolades thrown his way because he just gave you a heaping helping of AWESOME, you get a mixed bag of great ideas and adequate execution. Such is the case with Inferno, which seems to slap together the end of Vol. 4 and the start of Vol. 6. By all rights, it shouldn't exist as its own volume.

Inferno picks up where The Divine Comedy left off, plunging Lucifer into Hell so he can confront a rival angel. It's a fine enough four-part story with some solid plot surprises, but the pacing stinks and the art is pretty bland. What is it about Vertigo fill-in artists that makes them so often wrong? Sad that the fantastic tale started in the previous volume ends like this.

(As a side note, I'm coming to find that uneven pacing is a repeated quirk of this series. When it's good, it's fine, but sometimes Carey gets into spurts where he is changing scenes on every page and can't quite nail down a satisfying flow.)

A one-shot sits in the middle of this volume, and it. Is. Outstanding. Absolutely outstanding. One of the best issues of the series. Dean Ormston does the art, and it rocks. Carey tells a nifty side story, and it rocks. The issue rocks. The whole thing rocks.

Did I mention it rocks?

Then it's into a two-party that is really just a prologue to Vol. 6 (Mansions of the Silence). The art is back up to speed, there is some very clever stuff happening, and Carey picks up a few storylines set aside prior to this volume. By the look of things, the next volume will be great, delving into Norse mythology and bringing the full supporting cast together for an epic journey.

But that's next volume. Infernoone is what we're dealing with here, and it is, sadly, a mixed bag.

An earlier version of this review was originally posted at IMWAN.com.

Read my regular, everything-and-anything (usually on writing and music) blog right over here.

Lucifer Vol. 4 - The Divine Comedy

2009-11-17T08:50:00.000-08:00

Lucifer Vol. 4 - The Divine Comedy
By Mike Carey, Peter Gross, & Ryan Kelly

Outstanding.

Mike Carey's grand epic about the fallen angel Lucifer finally lives up to its potential, delivering a gripping story about Lucifer's Creation, a bold attempt to take it from him, and another Fall.

What's not to like about this? The art is sharp, the storytelling crisp and clear, and the story itself is nothing short of dynamite.

Carey uses the conceit of Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy in reverse, opening with the three-part Paradiso, which depicts the grandness of Lucifer's rebellious creation, then steering into the three-part Purgatorio, during which Lucifer's own folly comes back to haunt him and he is cut off from that which he created. Standalone stories bridge the gaps between each section. (Inferno gets its own volume in Vol. 5 of this series.) Much of what previously laid groundwork explodes in this set of story arcs, including stuff going way back to the first few issues. Important supporting characters see some major action here, some of them changed in big ways.

But most impressive here is how much Carey's writing -- the raw prose -- has improved from the first volume or two. Finally he's able to tangle with Neil Gaiman, from whose Sandman series Lucifer leapt. The writing is rich, at times beautiful, but never shows off. It's always in the right voice, depending on viewpoint, and very well done.

Epic and wonderful, this is the stuff that made me want to read this series in the first place.

An earlier version of this review was originally posted at IMWAN.com.

Read my regular, everything-and-anything (usually on writing and music) blog right over here.

Lucifer Vol. 3 -- A Dalliance with the Damned

2009-11-12T08:50:00.000-08:00

Lucifer Vol. 3 -- A Dalliance with the Damned
By Mike Carey, Peter Gross, & Ryan Kelly

Spotty and uneven. Missed opportunities. Flashes of excellence. Inconsistent. That's A Dalliance with the Damned.

For this volume to have a story as strong and interesting as the one in which Lucifer creates his own Garden of Eden and his own Adam and Eve is a shame, because the rest of it just doesn't rise to that story's level of excellence.

A few semi-standalones, such as the aforementioned Eden story, open up the volume, and they are, as noted, uneven at best. When they are good, they're outstanding, and when they're not they are entirely forgettable. (I can't even remember them now, and I only read them a few days ago.)

A three-parter set in hell feels like a space-filling diversion. Sure, the idea of a demon of hell taking a fancy to one of the damned is interesting, but we really don't care about the human character, and we certainly don't care about the political drama of the demons. Worse still, when Lucifer finally shows up in his own book, it's bland. About the only redeeming quality of this tale is that the human character may end up being interesting when all is said and done. Time will tell.

The final story is ... eh. What the hell was the point of the two human characters introduced here? Is it so we could see that Lucifer is a bastard? So that we don't get to like him too much? Whatever.

At least it ended on a nice cliffhanger that will hopefully set up some decent stories going forward.

An earlier version of this review was originally posted at IMWAN.com.

Read my regular, everything-and-anything (usually on writing and music) blog right over here.

Lucifer Vol. 2 - Children and Monsters

2009-11-10T08:50:00.000-08:00

Lucifer Vol. 2 - Children and Monsters
By Mike Carey, Peter Gross, & Ryan Kelly

As with the first volume in Mike Carey's epic Lucifer series, the second volume contains two story arcs (2.5?) between its covers. They pick up where the first left off. Lucifer, as a reward for completing a task for God, has been given a gateway to an untouched void; a brand new realm in which there is nothingness; a place outside of creation.

This is, I guess, a big, big deal, because everyone wants it. And by everyone I mean EVERYONE, including the angels of Heaven, who are ready to mass an attack on Lucifer in order to get control of the gateway.

So Lucifer has some problems.

First we get Lucifer trying to regain his wings, which were torn off at his request in the pages of Sandman. This chapter has a nice Asian influence, cracking art and some good twists. It feels like a divergence, but it's an important step in building Lucifer back to the character he was before he left Hell.

Later we get some muddy stuff about an immortal girl and some such, a tangent that had me backtracking once or twice to be sure I was following the story. (As I will come to discovered later, this is not unusual for this series.)

And finally, we get the angels' attack on Lucifer's LA club, Lux, an attack that manages to take all that came prior (including in the first volume) and bring it full circle. Nifty stuff, and ultimately some very smart storytelling by Carey. He uses a number of elements introduced earlier, including some that seemed mere throwaways, and brings them into play for a rousing story.

All in all, Carey's writing is very good, at times excellent, and his plots are relatively strong. I have an issue with clarity, though. Maybe it's just me, but I at times find myself flipping back to double check on details from earlier stories or reminding myself who and what certain characters are. The art is fine, nothing to write home about, but it gets the job done.

Is this up to Sandman's level? Not after the first two volumes, no, not really. But then, what is? If the series improves for the third volume, it will be well on its way to excellence on its own terms. And really, that's the best thing a good comic can aspire to.

An earlier version of this review was originally posted at IMWAN.com.

Read my regular, everything-and-anything (usually on writing and music) blog right over here.

Lucifer Vol. 1 - Devil in the Gateway

2009-11-05T08:50:00.000-08:00

Lucifer Vol. 1 - Devil in the Gateway
By Mike Carey

It goes without saying that most efforts to match Neil Gaiman's now legendary Sandman are destined to fall short of the mark. It also goes without saying that in writing a spinoff to Sandman, Mike Carey ended up in the unfortunate (and at times unfair) position of having his comic be relentlessly compared to Gaiman's landmark series.

And yes, I am going to further poke at the wound in this series of blog posts.

Two arcs (one from a miniseries) and a single issue make up the opening trade in the 11-volume Lucifer series, which is based on the portrait of Lucifer painted in the Sandman arc Season of Mists. Are the stories collected here any good?

Yes, they are good. Not great, but certainly good.

In the opening arc, Lucifer, who abandoned hell in aforementioned Sandman arc, is given a task to do. A task from God. The big guy has a problem, you see -- elder gods mucking with humanity in a bad way, and this will cause Big Problems -- so he goes to Lucifer to take care of the matter. An odd choice. Wonder what God is up to?

The watercoloured art in this first arc is great. The concepts are interesting, if vague, and the dialogue largely rings true. The resolution falls a bit flat, however, though it does feel as if it sets up future events. (As of this reading, I don't know if that's the case, but I assume so.) All in all, s solid start.

The second arc sort of picks up where the first left off, and involves a deck of cards filled with ... I dunno, spirits or demons or something. Carey obviously had some neat ideas he wanted to play around with, but I felt like this arc was unrefined and unfocused. You could see where he wanted to go, the themes with which he wanted to play and the ideas he wanted to seed, but it didn't quite click. A noble effort, to be sure, and certainly not bad, but clearly too early for Carey to start hitting his stride.

Not a bad start. I look forward to Vol. 2, in which (I'm pretty sure) the series' regular artist comes on board.

An earlier version of this review was originally posted at IMWAN.com.

Read my regular, everything-and-anything (usually on writing and music) blog right over here.

The Essential Fantastic Four - Vol. 1

2009-08-10T07:55:00.000-07:00

Essential Fantastic Four – Vol. 1
By Stan Lee and Jack Kirby

(covering issues 1-20, Annual 1)

It wouldn’t be entirely true to say the Fantastic Four hit the ground running. In fact, the opposite is true. Unlike the Amazing Spider-Man, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby were clearly trying to find their way in the first days of this legendary book. The concept and characters were works in progress. Ideas were being tweaked right there on the page. What we have here is a book in an embryonic state, with some characterization – the Thing especially – a far cry from what would later be established as “real.”

But flawed as they are (and they are), they’re sure a heck of a lot of fun to read.

Stan and Jack took a good 10 issues or more to really hammer into place what would be the core of the book. It wasn't even clear at first that they had something decent on their hands. Lots of adventure and imaginative ideas right off the bat, yes, but some of them were laughable -- The Thing as the historical Blackbeard the Pirate made me groan -– plus ugly inks and an unrefined Kirby make the silly stories visually unappealing. It’s not until the end of this volume that you begin to see Kirby’s strengths show themselves (though his storytelling skills are strong from the start) and the book itself to begin to gel.

But even with the uneven quality of the initial stories, he and Stan tossed out some terrifically fun ideas, mixing pulp science fiction with the early 1960s version of “realistic” superheroes. These early FF books exist in a nice place where they can be unabashedly pulp, with a dose of the grandiose, and plenty of good-natured fun. Sure, some of the stuff is downright goofy but taken in context and with a grain of salt, you could also argue that they’re a hoot.

Some things to note: Ben Grimm betrays Reed and Johnny, casting them into the sea to drift away and die, and the Thing uses a nuke – a NUKE! – to destroy a giant monster right in the middle of a populated city!

If it sounds like the Thing is different than the one you know, it's true. He is. And what a jerk! One of my favorite Marvel characters, so boy was it eye-opening to see how different he is here. Scheming, plotting, and full of honest to god disdain for his teammates. I was pretty surprised at how humorless and mean he was in his first appearances. A totally different character. Not even likable in the slightest. Rather than being the huggable curmudgeon we know and love, he was ... well, a creep.

It's hard to call the very first stretch of Fantastic Four essential reading. I had fun with them. As a historic curiosity they're certainly of interest. But if the truth be told, Stan and Jack don't starting hitting their legendary stride until partway through the second volume of these black and white reprints.

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The Essential Amazing Spider-Man – Vol. 1

2009-08-05T13:16:00.000-07:00

The Essential Amazing Spider-Man – Vol. 1
By Stan Lee and Steve Ditko

(covering Amazing Fantasy #15, Amazing Spider-Man #1-20, Annual #1)

The Amazing Spider-man is one of the world's most recognizable characters, matched in comics books only by the likes of Superman and Batman. He is an icon. An icon that has lasted for over 45 years and shows no sign of losing popularity. But was he cool even when he was introduced way back in 1962? The Essential Amazing Spider-Man – Vol. 1, which collects the original issues in an affordable black and white volume, is a great way to find out.

The answer? It was genius from the start. I wasn’t sure how well this would hold up, but it’s a home run, plain and simple. There is nothing not to like. (Except the Enforcers.)

Unlike the Fantastic Four, which in 1961 got off to an awkward and unsteady beginning, the Amazing Spider-Man hit the ground running and was a fun read from the very first issue. Sure, Peter Parker is kind of a jerk in the first two issues (his fight with the Vulture in issue #2 happened because Peter was trying to snag some money), but that’s part of what I like. From the start, Spider-Man and Peter Parker were evolving as characters, and they evolved in a very natural way.

It’s interesting to see this embryonic version of Spider-Man, having previously read only the origin and first issue, maybe a few others. Some core elements, like Flash Thompson and J. Jonah Jameson, are in place from the start, but other stuff we now consider essential – Gwen Stacy, Mary Jane, the Osbornes, etc. – are absent. Nifty, that. Goes to show you that Spider-Man is a character built upon an ever-changing status quo. Much more so than any other Marvel title at this time, Spider-Man was built as an ongoing saga that continued from issue to issue. Such is the case even today.

Though out of date by today's standards, Stan Lee’s writing is whimsical and fun. As much as I want to groan at it, I get a real kick out of the constant “the Marvel Age of Comics!” hype. Rather than off-putting, it's charming and endearing.

Adding to this is Steve Ditko’s art, which was a delight. I hadn't taken real notice of his work before, so this was eye opening. His quirky figures and expressive characters make Spider-Man stand out from the cookie-cutter comics of the era.

The steady stream of classic villains helps this collection reach great heights of totally awesomeness. So many iconic characters in just the first batch of issues! (Well, okay, there was a dud or two. I could do without ever seeing the Enforcers again. GOOFY!)

Aside from some really silly diversions, like the awful “Living Brain” issue, this stuff holds up remarkably well. It’s easy to see why readers were so excited by it and why Spider-Man was (allegedly) an instant hit. I LOVE the way Ditko lets the action unfold, and LOVE the way Lee gets us right into Peter's head.

It's a multi-generational hit, too. I gave my copy to my son after I was finished reading it, and he devoured the stories – in random order, of course, just like a kid should – and has since read it two or three times.

Even forty-five years later, this is top shelf fun.

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Planetary Vol. 3 - Leaving the Twentieth Century

2009-07-14T08:34:00.000-07:00

Planetary Vol. 3 - Leaving the Twentieth Century
By Warren Ellis and John Cassaday

Sign that you're reading something that will stand the test of time: It just keeps getting better as you go on.

On the surface, Leaving the Twentieth Century isn't all that different from the two volumes that came before it, All Over the World and The Fourth Man. This is a collection of six stories, each a standalone foray into Warren Ellis' giddy blend of 1950s science fiction, 1990s superheroes, Twilight Zone episodes, 1980s Alan Mooreisms, and 1940s pulp.

We've got a visit with an ancient Sherlock Holmes. A wicked science fiction twist on Marvel's Thor mythology. Explosions of Asian and Australian aboriginal fable. A new take on Captain Marvel aka Shazam. And the works of Edgar Rice Burroughs and Jules Verne contorted into something entirely new.

Clearly, Ellis delights in showings us the familiar dressed in new clothes.

The clothes look better than ever, too. John Cassaday's art has improved dramatically since the first volume. Not sure if it's the inking or coloring or a new approach or a heavier hand with Photoshop or what, but things look just outstanding here. His knack for laying out a page and offering dramatic visuals just EXPLODES here with awesome landscapes and big, expansive shots that could have been pulled out of a David Lean film. Great stuff.

And naturally, these six stories continue to inject small dozes of larger mythology into the series. Things are clearly leading up to some larger confrontation. Some bit o' finality. Yet Ellis never succumbs to the lure of continuity, that great and burdensome beast at whose throne so many comic writers (and fans) worship. Despite having such a deep, rich backstory and mythology, Planetary is a surprisingly light read. You can read any single Planetary story and enjoy it on its own terms. You don't need to unravel a web of who what when where how whys. You don't need to know what happens in issue #312 (second series, not the 1960s original) of the spinoff title featuring the supporting character who now leads his own team, only it's not really him it's the clone featured in last year's epic crossover event. He avoids that trap, and by doing so makes Planetary like a little more awesome than it already is.

Modern comic writers should be taking notes.

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Planetary Vol. 2 - The Fourth Man

2009-07-02T11:20:00.001-07:00

Planetary Vol. 2 - The Fourth Man
By Warren Ellis and John Cassaday

When I first settled in to read Planetary Vol. 1, I did not know what to expect, I only knew that my expectations weren't high. Though I liked a good deal of the Warren Ellis work I had read, his work on the edgy-and-epic The Authority left me cold. For whatever reason, I had the impression that Planetary was a kindred spirit to The Authority.

Turns out they're nothing alike. For one, Planetary is awesome whereas The Authority isn't.

But I digress.

After reading volume one, the reader gets the distinct impression that there is a larger story at work here. Sure, each of the six issues in that collection was a standalone, but each also dropped a little hint at a broader tapestry. Secret histories. Character backgrounds. Conspiracies. A bigger story. It was not unlike Hellboy in that respect.

Though again dishing out an array of six unique standalone stories, The Fourth Man makes clear that Planetary absolutely has a larger narrative, and that if we keep reading we're going to peel back all sorts of interesting layers from this big, tasty onion. Even moreso than the superb quality of these tales -- these six almost all knock it out of the park and to a story are better than the first volume's -- it is the idea that something larger is at work that has me eager to keep reading.

Which isn't to say the stories wouldn't still be awesome as a series of one-shots, because damn are they good. Ellis takes all sorts of geeky cool stuff like '50s sci-fi movies and classic superhero comics and more, shoves handfuls of magic mushrooms down their throat, and turns them into something familiar yet alien. It's like an bad dream, only it's an awesome bad dream from which you never want to wake. A killer twist on those giant insect movies, complete with Red Scare secret government projects. What would really happen to the Justice League arose in a dark and sinister world of conspiracies. Snow coming to realize who and what he is.

This is wall to wall great.

Consciously or not, word of mouth that is too good often results in me scoffing, sometimes even hoping to dislike Flavor of the Moment. All that gushing and fawning and "you've got to read this!" makes me a bit ill, like when you drink too much and then have a five-egg omelet and then try to swim the English Channel. And with the final issue of Planetary announced just before I started reading this, the buzz was building. I was ready to break out the Pepto. Sickness time approached.

But it passed. I get it. Planetary is, like, really good and stuff. So, like, I totally get it. 'Cause it's awesome.

Read my regular, everything-and-anything (usually on writing and music) blog right over here.

Planetary Vol. 1 - All Over the World

2009-06-24T07:32:00.000-07:00

Planetary Vol. 1 - All Over the World
By Warren Ellis and John Cassaday

Warren Ellis is something of a polarizing figure in the world of comics. A writer who doesn't hide his disdain for traditional superhero stories and who has cultivated an online community is, to put it mildly, a bit prickly, Ellis has nonetheless built a resume that ought to earn respect from all but the most old school, it's-got-to-have-tights-or-it-ain't-comics readers. He has worked in classic science fiction (a genre too infrequently seen in modern comics), risque political and social commentary, horror, action/adventure, and more -- and it's almost always been worth reading. His least interesting work tends to be his traditional superhero stories.

His most acclaimed achievement in comics might be the four-time Eisner Award nominated Planetary, his long-running collaboration with artist John Cassaday. Tough to tell, though, since it's been so s l o w to come out. Though it began way back in 1999, it took them 10 years to release a mere 26 issues. (The 27th and final issue is due out in October 2009).

But with all the accolades this series has received, one has to ask, has Planetary been worth the wait? Is it time for me to take the plunge?

Having only just started to read it, I'm prepared to answer with a solid YES.

Planetary is kind of a superhero book, but only just barely. In fact, I'd be hesitant to categorize it that way, though many people do. Sure, it features people with amazing abilities doing amazing things, and often doing so while where tight and/or colorful costumes, but at heart it's a modern version of pulp science fiction through and through.

Oh yeah, the premise. Yeah, I guess you need to know that. "Planetary" is a secretive organization devoted to investigating amazing events and "the secret history of the 20th Century." The three investigators, funded by a mysterious "fourth man," trot around the globe (or dimensions, or universes) and pretty much do interviews and take notes. Once in a while they save the world.

This volume brings together six stories that give you a good idea of what they do, but even more importantly, provide a window into all the amazing worlds Ellis and Cassaday are going to show us. It probably wouldn't be far fetched to suggest that Ellis conceived of Planetary in part as an excuse to do whatever the hell he wanted to do in a comic, because this thing is all over the map. Even in just these first six issues we get Twilight Zone sci-fi, monster movie mysteries, superhero romps, and more. Whatever pops into his head that day.

Though each story stands on its own just fine, they each take subtle steps forward in uncovering a larger mythology, too. That might be what's most exciting about Planetary. The individual stories here are imaginative and wonderful (often not-so-veiled homages to characters and concepts Ellis clearly loves, such as Godzilla or 1960s superhero origin stories), but they each serve as a tiny part of a jigsaw puzzle. Minuscule piece by minuscule piece, we get the sense that something bigger is at work. A conspiracy, and a mystery, and maybe a threat to the planet. Something that may end up unfolding over the course of the entire series. And that's pretty awesome.

Heck, this whole damn thing was pretty awesome. Not super awesome like I'm Ready To Tell The World That This Is The Best Thing Ever awesome, but certainly This Made For A Good Night Of Reading Imaginative Comics awesome.

Though I could be wrong, I get the sense that a wild ride is ahead.

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Hellblazer - Rake At The Gates of Hell (Ennis Vol. 6)

2009-04-24T12:03:00.000-07:00

Hellblazer - Rake At The Gates of Hell
By Garth Ennis, Steve Dillon

Not with a bang, but with a whimper.

Throughout Garth Ennis' stellar run on Hellblazer, he spent a lot of time building up a solid, ever-evolving story. Threw together many elements and made them work. Built towards what looked to be a remarkable confrontation with the devil himself. How would Constantine get out of the jam he was in? What amazing plan would he hatch? Could he once again pull the figurative rabbit out of the hat? It was thrilling to imagine the ways in which this could have played out.

Reading the finished product was less thrilling than the imagining.

Rake At The Gates Of Hell is a solid, if unremarkable, final story arc, bringing to a close Ennis' (usually) fantastic Hellblazer run. I only wish it could have finished as strongly as it started, because when this run was good, it was OUTSTANDING. This, though, was just pretty good ... and that's it.

Sure, the writing remained crisp and lively. Yes, Steve Dillon's art continued to be beautiful in its simplicity and top-shelf in its storytelling.

Just didn't have the rousing finish a reader would hope to see, is all.

Oh yeah, and whose idea was it to cap things off with a lengthy, tedious double issue of talk, talk, talk, none of which had anything to do with Constantine or the core story? Stupid, stupid, stupid to place this special issue at the end of this volume. Bad call by DC's graphic novel editorial type people.

An earlier version of this review was originally posted at IMWAN.com.

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Hellblazer - Damnation's Flame (Ennis Vol. 5)

2009-04-22T12:03:00.000-07:00

Hellblazer - Damnation's Flame
By Garth Ennis, Steve Dillon

So, Damnation's Flame. Or Damn Nation's Flame. Clever, huh? Little bit of subtle commentary, right? Goes right along with the whipsmart political and social commentary of the story, yeah?

No.

No, not clever, or subtle, or smart, or any such thing. It's not that Ennis' political commentary is offensive or wrong or anything like that. That's not the issue. The issue is that it's clunky and heavy-handed and so blindly obvious as to be insulting to the reader.

Look, JFK has a hole in his head! Look, Uncle Sam is an evil Devil guy! Look, people are eating one another in the streets! Yada yada yada and blah blah blah.

Whatever.

Again, it's got nothing to do with what Ennis is saying or the message he's delivering, it's got everything to do with how he's saying it. And how is "not very well." Clumsy and ham-fisted does not make for good political commentary.

I love Ennis' run on this title, I really do, but Damnation's Flame was a misstep from the word go. It was an adequate, and nothing better than adequate, step away from the overarching narrative Ennis had until this point been telling. Not necessary, and in retrospect not overly enjoyable, either.

An earlier version of this review was originally posted at IMWAN.com.

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Hellblazer - Tainted Love (Ennis Vol. 4)

2009-04-20T12:03:00.000-07:00

Hellblazer - Tainted Love
By Garth Ennis, Steve Dillon

This collection is a fine example of why Garth Ennis' run on Hellblazer is held in such high esteem. This does not collect an epic arc or grand story or any such thing. Rather, Ennis takes little bits of what came before and spins a handful of standalone-yet-connected stories that center on John Constantine and the people he knows.

And it's fantastic.

In a two-parter, we revisit the King of the Vampires from the Bloodlines collection in a surprisingly gruesome story. But gruesome isn't the point. The point is the broken state of Constantine's heart and mind. That the story springs from seeds planted much earlier only serves to make it better. Solid stuff.

In another story the focus is almost entirely on Constantine's lover, Kit. This is a great example of what Ennis does best -- build character. Sure, sure, he curses a lot and has scenes of graphic sex and violence, but at their core the best Ennis stories are about people, not shocking content. THAT'S why people loved Preacher so much. Not because of the sex and violence, but because we liked those characters so much. When he's on his game, few people do better "talking heads" comics.

"Finest Hour" is a decent little one-shot that has very little to do with Constantine, yet somehow manages to symbolize his struggle to overcome the despair he wallows in throughout most of this volume. It's a diversion, but one that resonates. A side story, yet one that works for the ongoing saga.

There is also a dark, disturbing one-shot from the Hellblazer Special featuring a madman priest, the devil, child abuse, and other friendly fellows. This one will make you shudder. A lot. Dire and wonderful stuff, this is.

This is, alas, Ennis' peak on Hellblazer.

Oh yeah, and did I mention it's fantastic?

An earlier version of this review was originally posted at IMWAN.com.

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Hellblazer - Fear and Loathing (Ennis Vol. 3)

2009-04-17T12:03:00.000-07:00

Hellblazer - Fear and Loathing
By Garth Ennis, Steve Dillon

Garth Ennis' run on Hellblazer is respected for a reason. Because it's good. But it's no knock on Ennis to offer much of the credit to artist Steve Dillon, who jumps on board with this volume, and in doing so launches the book into the stratosphere. Ennis and Dillon would go on to have some great collaborations -- the beloved Preacher and Ennis' under-read Punisher run the two best -- but I'll always have a warm place in my heart for this one.

Dillon's entry into the Hellblazer fray is a Good Thing. Nay, this is a Great Thing, because his art is fantastic. Not fantastic in the big, bombastic way of glitzy comic artists and loud superhero books. His is a more controlled look. More focused. It's a bit busy and sketchy in these early issues (he loses the sketchy look partway through this run), but right out of the gate his main strength is apparent: He's a great, great storyteller.

And THAT, my friends, is a huge part of what makes him so great. Sure, his lines are attractive and he draws some of the most expressive faces in the business. A good thing, that, considering how talking Ennis-penned books can be. But the real key to his work is that he's a damn good storyteller, quite a rare thing these days. One can eliminate all the text from the page and yet still have a great sense for what's happening. His panels are clear. Never cluttered. Always direct.

Modern artists could learn a thing or two from Steve Dillon.

That artwork is attached to Ennis' best Hellblazer story to date. Here we've got Constantine making life very, very difficult for the angel Gabriel - and is there anything better than seeing this sour-pussed Englishman make like difficult for a snooty angel? I think not. Excellent stuff. Very well executed.

This volume also contains one of my favorite stories, John Constantine's 40th birthday party, which is warm and funny and features some fantastic guest appearances. Anyone up for smoking the Swamp Thing?

It's all being done with a purpose, too. One nice thing about Ennis' run is that everything seems to be built upon which came before, yet it rarely feels forced or as if Ennis is pushing around pawns for his plot. Instead, the overall tale builds in a very natural, character-driven way. I like that.

Great stuff.

An earlier version of this review was originally posted at IMWAN.com and was also featured at PopThought.com.

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Hellblazer - Bloodlines (Ennis Vol. 2)

2009-04-15T12:03:00.000-07:00

Hellblazer - Bloodlines
By Garth Ennis

A bit of filler, a bit of brilliance, and a bit of missed opportunity, Bloodlines offers up the very best and the very worst Garth Ennis’ run on Hellblazer has to offer. We get three story arcs in this hefty 300-page volume, plus a standalone story or two. They’re a mixed bag; when they’re good, they’re very good, and when they’re not, they’re largely disappointing because of what they could have been.

But overall, a solid thumbs up for this collection.

We open with “The Pub Where I Was Born,” a two-parter that starts wonderfully but finishes a bit so/so. Ennis offers the kind of romantic view of drinking that only those fond of downing beers with their buddies can offer, and as one of those people, yeah, it rings true. Ennis knows this territory inside and out and mines it to perfection. Made me want to meet up with some friends at the bar right then and there. But the story then descends into a gory ghost romp and kind of peters out. Too bad, as it began very human and wonderful.

A couple of just fine standalones follow (a Lord of the freakin' Dance story is “meh,” a vampire story was excellent despite my disdain for vampire stories) before we launch into the four-part “Royal Blood,” a story that would have been cool if Ennis wasn’t trying so damn hard to show us the depraved excesses of the rich and powerful. Great idea, great premise, cool demons, yada yada yada. Too bad about the ugly art and heavy-handed commentary, though. Still, the gore – both visually and in text – is delightfully unsettling.

“Guys And Dolls,” on the other, was excellent through and through. Angels and demons screwing, heaven versus hell, and all sorts of fun stuff. Some might call it “slow,” but Ennis is good at slow. He is at his best when he lingers in character moments, so as far as I'm concerned slow is not an issue. I enjoyed this arc. Great lead into artist Steve Dillon joining the book, at which point the title jumps into the stratosphere.

Is Bloodlines essential? No, probably not. It’s an uneven collection of stories the folks at DC couldn’t collect individually; sometimes excellent, sometimes “eh.” But if you’re going to read the Ennis run, it’s got a few tales (the two standalones and “Guys and Dolls”) that pay off later, so you’ll want to dip in. Even on the worst of this bunch, Ennis’ writing is strong and well worth reading.

An earlier version of this review was originally posted at IMWAN.com and was also featured at Popthought.com.

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Hellblazer - Dangerous Habits (Ennis Vol. 1)

2009-04-13T16:03:00.000-07:00

Hellblazer - Dangerous Habits
By Garth Ennis

Let’s make this clear up front: Everything I know about John Constantine I know about from the Garth Ennis run. I hadn’t followed the series at the time I began to pick up these issues. Still don’t follow it. Hadn't yet read his initial appearances in Alan Moore's Swamp Thing run, either. Hell, Ennis, best known for his beloved Preacher series, might write Constantine way off character. I just don't know. All I know is, for me this is John Constantine. So take that into consideration as you read this.

Great as this run was -- and we'll get into why when I write about later volumes -- it doesn't start very strong. Dangerous Habits is a solid first arc marred by awful artwork. Here, Ennis sets up pieces he’ll play with for the duration of his run, most notably a bit of trickery with the Devil himself. Constantine finds out he has lung cancer. (Big surprise there, considering he's a bloody chain smoker.) He’s dying. He drinks, searches for a way out of it, drinks, comes to grips with dying, drinks, and makes a deal with the Devil. Sort of.

Despite Constantine already having a dense history in place by the time this starts, Ennis’ first arc is easy to dive into. You don’t need to know all sorts of back story. Who and what Constantine is is readily apparent. He's a grumpy Englishman who knows a thing or two about the supernatural. Easy. From the start you’re up to speed and following along without a hitch. This is a big plus for new readers. Good introductory volume.

The art is rotten, though. I’m sure the fine Will Simpson is well suited for a great many books, but this is not one of them. His storytelling chops are good, dare I say excellent compared to some of today's pretty-but-incoherent art, but his figure work is ugly through and through. I mean, honestly, this stuff is uglu.

Good, solid story, though. A classic? Maybe not. Compared to what comes later it a bit uneven. Weak spots and unsteady pacing keep it from being the gripping, tense read it could have been. It doesn't help that a bit near the end with a fellow cancer patient rings rather false.

Still, Ennis hits most of the right notes and gives us a plausible (for a title rooted in magic) out for the problems he sets up. Good start to what develops into an excellent run. Even better, this bookends nicely with the final volume in Ennis’ run. But more on that in a later post. Fine reading, this.

An earlier version of this review was originally posted at IMWAN.com and was also featured at Popthought.com.

Read my regular, everything-and-anything (usually on writing and music) blog right over here.

DMZ Vol. 4 – Friendly Fire

2009-04-03T07:18:00.000-07:00

DMZ Vol. 4 - Friendly Fire
By Brian Wood, Riccardo Burchielli

And so we come to the fourth volume of Brian Wood’s critically-acclaimed series set in a New York City torn apart by the second American Civil War.

As I mentioned when I started the series, DMZ is a concept rife with unrealized potential, a fantastic premise marred by little niggles that add up.

But it gets better. Stories like this one are a part of the reason why.

This volume deals with what appears to be an unprovoked massacre of civilians by U.S. soldiers. But was it?

Wood seems to be hitting his stride here. Strong story well told, some good characterization, and delving into politics without being heavy-handed about X belief being Wrong and Y belief being Right. That last part is pretty huge, because this entire SERIES is really just an excuse for him to explore political issues and offer entertainment-based commentary on America's adventures overseas. That's a tough tightrope to walk. Too heavy-handed and you run the risk of alienating readers and letting your message get in the way of the story, too soft a touch and you sap the impact from the hot-button issues you're tackling.

Here, he strikes a great balance.

The cause of the civilian massacre at the root of the story is left ambiguous, and while we don't root for the military figures (no surprise there, given the tone of this book), we're not entirely sure they weren't justified in seeing danger. Wood trusts the reader to fill in the blanks. Presented this way, our own biases can allow different people to see the story in markedly different ways. That is, in my opinion, a positive.

The art is a big step up here, too ... of course, I'm talking about a fill-in artist rather than the series regular, so maybe saying the art took a step up is an insult. But it's true, I like the fill-in artist far more than the main artist. Like, a lot more.

The truth is, I began to grow weary of DMZ by the third volume. I though about bailing out on the series, about cutting my losses and walking away, but you know what? This won me over. I'll stick around. I'll keep reading. Maybe -- hopefully -- things continue on their upward path and we see DMZ become what I think it can be. Something awesome.

An earlier version of this review was originally posted at IMWAN.com and was also featured at Popthought.com.

Read my regular, everything-and-anything (usually on writing and music) blog right over here.

DMZ Vol. 3 - Public Works

2009-04-02T07:11:00.000-07:00

DMZ Vol. 3 - Public Works
By Brian Wood, Riccardo Burchielli

Let's cut right to the chase: DMZ continues to improve. Public Works gives us a more focused story than anything that has come before, much more clear and direct than the somewhat scattered, uneven initial arcs of this filled-with-potential series. The story focuses on a (very, very, very) thinly veiled Halliburton + Blackwater corporation that is, of course, mustache-twirling eeeeeeevil.

Somehow, though, Wood manages to not come across as too heavy-handed. Quite the feat.

Our protagonist, Matty, continues to be barely likable, which is usually death for a lead character, and I continue to long for a more meaningful exploration of the people living in the DMZ, but Public Works offers a solid story and the best sense of place I've seen so far in this series. It grapples with questions of corruption and terrorism, and puts the main character in some tough situations that struggle with issues of morality, and right and wrong.

Yes, yes, all obvious questions and themes from a series blatantly trying to offer commentary on America's recent "adventures" in the Middle East, but I'm not going to knock the guy for exploring such thematic material as long as the end result is a quality read. And this one was.

An earlier version of this review was originally posted at IMWAN.com and was also featured at Popthought.com.

Read my regular, everything-and-anything (usually on writing and music) blog right over here.

DMZ Vol. 2 - Body of a Journalist

2009-03-24T08:33:00.000-07:00

DMZ Vol. 2 - Body of a Journalist
By Brian Wood, Riccardo Burchielli

Though still not living up to the promise of the premise, Volume 2 of the Brian Wood/Riccardo Burchielli Vertigo series DMZ is a step up from the first, offering a clearer focus, better stories and a stronger exploration of the series’ cool hook.

But I’m not yet totally sold. I still can’t help but feel that Wood & Co aren’t quite there. The characters are shallower than an inflatable kiddie pool – I’ve spent 12 issues with Matty Roth and Zee, and feel like I barely know them – and the dialogue lacks life and punch. Matty is frustrated with the war, but I don’t feel any real humanity or emotion there, just F bombs. Our window into who these people are is a string of profanities without character or personality. Sorry, but “fuck!” and “aww fuck!” and “fuck this shit!” does not make for good characterization. Fine if you’re playing a Grand Theft Auto game, not so fine if you’re reading a work that attempts to say something larger than, “Fuck!”

Speaking of that profanity, it struck me while reading this volume that the profanity and occasional graphic violence is the only reason this is a Vertigo title – and neither are necessarily vital to the story. Well, the graphic violence is, arguably, but that’s assuming Wood wants to highlight the plight of civilians caught in the hell of war. Ostensibly that’s what he wants to do, but that rarely comes across in the story. When it does, great, but things are spotty in that regard. Wood needs to give his world room to breath. The segments that feature Matty’s first person narration or the newsreel segments are all too brief, because they are exactly what we need. They strike a great tone and give us the insight into the world and characters of DMZ. They set mood and atmosphere, offer context, and get us into the heads of the people in the story. We need MORE of that! As for the profanity, I feel like it’s there for its own sake. Unlike the incredibly witty-yet-profane dialogue of Brian K. Vaughn’s Y: The Last Man or the character-heavy-yet-profane language of Brian Azzarello’s 100 Bullets, the F bombs add very little to this book.

Hey, great, it’s Vertigo, which means you can get away with this stuff ... but if it’s not adding anything to the characters or story, drop it.

And it’s not adding anything to the characters or story.

Still, if I’m bitching, don’t let that be an indication that I didn’t enjoy this. I did. The second volume of DMZ was a big step up from the first. There is a good story arc here centering on corruption, propaganda, and manipulating the media to influence public opinion. Some very solid themes that could have used more exploitation, but nonetheless were enjoyable to read. We’ve got some new characters, political intrigue, betrayals and double-crossings, and the sense that something larger is at work. We're starting to tap into the series’ potential.

I like that. I like that especially because I hate to see great potential go to waste.

An earlier version of this review was originally posted at IMWAN.com and was also featured at Popthought.com.

Read my regular, everything-and-anything (usually on writing and music) blog right over here.

DMZ Vol. 1 - On The Ground

2009-03-23T07:04:00.000-07:00

DMZ Vol. 1 - On The Ground
By Brian Wood, Riccardo Burchielli

You know when all the parts of a machine look great, but when you put them together something just doesn't click? For me that was the first volume of Brian Wood's cult favorite DMZ . I think I was supposed to like this more than I did.

After all, what’s not to like? The premise is right up my alley. America at war with itself. New York an island in the midst of the war. The survivors, isolated in the city, have hacked out bits and pieces of a society – though anarchy all too often still reigns supreme. A young journalist is in the middle of it all, documenting the war in the midst of New York City and what that conflict is doing to the civilians there.

That's the stuff right there, folks. Exactly the sort of thing I’d like to read. So why did the first volume leave me wondering if I wanted to keep reading?

Because it failed to deliver on all that promise.

For all the praise Wood gets for this supposed love letter to New York City, I rarely got the sense of place I should have felt. One should be immersed in the city, living it and breathing it and feeling it, yet that sense of being there was inconsistent. When they nail it, they nail it – but they don’t always nail it. That's a pretty huge failing for a series of this type, seeing as it leans so heavily on location.

Maybe it’s the art. Riccardo Burchielli’s style does not appeal to me, but that’s something I can live with (even if all the characters are as ugly as sin). What I can’t live with is rough storytelling. Burchielli draws a great cityscape, but his panel-to-panel work just isn’t as clear and direct as it should be. It’s not that I felt lost, it’s just that it’s very, very uneven; a spotty sense of composition, totally arbitrary use of unusual angles, and so on. A case of style over substance doing the story a disservice.

It doesn’t help that the coloring is so damn muddy. Everything is washed out in a murky reddish hue, so few things really pop from the page. I understand the color choices and why they were made, but this book really could have used more contrast in that regard. Even if you want a bleak, war-torn near future, in order for it to really have impact you've got to have something cleaner to set next to it. Maybe this is why the issue set in Central Park during the winter looked best. It offered an excellent contract with the overall look of the series.

So what we're left with is the writing carrying the load. Well, it does what it needs to do, but not much more. Wood’s writing was fine. Not extraordinary, a bit problematic here and there, at times very good, but overall it didn’t grab my bag. Quick dialogue and an attempt at a "hip" and "edgy" tone that doesn't always ring true.

I’m hoping this stuff improves, because there is a lot of potential in the premise of this series.

Which is what it boils down to for me. The premise. The single strongest thing about this book, and the one thing that will get me to read the second volume.

An earlier version of this review was originally posted at IMWAN.com and was also featured at Popthought.com.

Read my regular, everything-and-anything (usually on writing and music) blog right over here.

Secret Wars

2009-03-12T09:12:00.000-07:00

Secret Wars
By Jim Shooter

What a bunch of painfully written fanboy drivel.

And what a walloping good time.

Wait, what? How can it be both? Easy. It just is. I mean, gather a bunch of the coolest heroes and coolest villains, stick them on a planet and have they fight for twelve issues? Awesome! A hoot and a half! In theory, at least. But couple the sheer overkill of having so many characters vying for the spotlight with the terribly one-dimensional writing and you’ve got something as awful as it is awesome.

I liked the trip down memory lane (like most comic geeks my age, I first read this back when it came out). Seeing the Wrecking Crew smash stuff up and the Absorbing Man slinging his ball and chain around was a blast. Remembering how this series briefly changed things in regular Marvel titles was nifty; X-Men, Fantastic Four, and Spider-Man were all impacted by the events of this story. Lots of great moments; the Hulk under the mountain, the initial battle, anything Galactus. Following the twists and turns of the plot – which might not be much, but it did the job – was a lot of fun. Bad guys attack, good guys attack back, and on and on and on. You’ll get no arguments from me. An old school slugfest is what I wanted from Secret Wars and an old school slugfest is what I got.

Not quite an old school slugfest, though. Much as I like the modern style superhero comic, one thing I find many newer comics lack is coherency when it comes to action and fights. Read a title like New Avengers, for instance, and you find that battles are simply a series of formless pinups with banter here and there. Such is the case with many newer comics. The plot and dialogue shines; the action does not. For all the sometimes stuff characterization and awkward dialogue, old school comics did action right. There was an ebb and a flow you just don’t see now, a coherency to the way fights unfolded. Battles actually had a beginning, middle and end. They were tiny stories within the story.

Well, Secret Wars’ battles were modern before their time, because more often than not they are a series of chaotic panels with little rhyme or reason. Trying to juggle too many characters will result in that sort of thing, I s’pose. Sometimes they hit the right notes, but just as often they were a mess. A dozen heroes and a dozen villains in a panel, with some crap dialogue stringing it together, ending with some contrived plot device to stop the battle until next issue.

Oh, and that writing. The plotting was fine. It was really freakin' cool, in fact. I like the way everything here played out. But damn were Shooter’s characters a bunch of one-note, lifeless mannequins. Reading his Wasp was especially painful. His X-Men were less recognizable than Grant Morrison’s. Spider-Man served no purpose at all. And all Captain America ever said was, “Hit ‘em hard and hit ‘em fast!”

Ugh. Dreadful.

But those criticisms don’t mean I didn’t enjoy the ride, because I did. How can you not like Doctor Doom stealing a god’s power, Molecule Man dropping mountain ranges on people, Spider-Man beating up the X-Men (though when Wasp did the same I choked), and Ultron zapping Kang? It was all good fun! Total fanboy wank written kind of poorly, sure, but good fun nonetheless.

This series is more of a landmark than it's often given credit for -– maybe because people consider it a bad landmark that helped kickstart unwelcome trends -– and, if you can get past the dodgy writing and contrived plot, is a fun blast from the past.

An earlier version of this review was originally posted at IMWAN.com.

Read my regular, everything-and-anything (usually on writing and music) blog right over here.

Akira - Volume 6

2009-03-06T06:37:00.000-08:00

Akira - Volume 6
By Katsuhiro Otomo

As we learned in the long, drawn-out lead up to Volume 2's climax, Katsuhiro Otomo, visionary creator of Akira (both the manga and the film), has no qualms about stretching his dramatic moments out to the breaking point, so the fact that the final volume of the saga is one gigantic climax should come as no surprise.

Those who have seen the film will recognize elements of how the story comes to a head. Tetsuo finds his incredible power increasingly difficult to control, resulting in a grotesque transformation into a gelatinous mass of veined, bloated flesh. His body tries to adsorb whatever is around it in order to contain the power. He can't control it. The result is a nightmarish baby run amok.

Meanwhile, Kei, under control by the shriveled little peers of Akira, attempts to square off with Tetsuo and put an end to him. While all this is happening, the American military, the Colonel (who is now a lone wolf), Kaneda and Joker and others, all converge on the Olympic Stadium where the followers of Akira and Tetsuo have taken refuge.

It's pretty huge, ultimately sprawls over several key locations, and contains enough plot twists to keep you interested. Lady Miyako, for instance, ends up being far shrewder than we imagined, orchestrating the one plan that might finally put an end to both Akira and Tetsuo.

But her plan is risky, and the cost just might be the destruction of, well, EVERYTHING.

The resolution? Very similar to the film's. (Though the manga came first, the film was made while the manga was still in progress.) Not as vague, though. A little more direct, a little easier to digest, a little easier to wrap your head around.

Except, of course, for the somewhat bizarre epilogue.

After the mass destruction that closes out the book, the military arrives to bring aid to the survivors. In a scene closely mirroring the one that opens Volume 3, the survivors drive them away, take the supplies, and claim they are now a sovereign nation. With the military standing in shock, the survivors then cruise away through the rubble of Neo Tokyo, off to live their life amid the ruins. The final shot shows the ruins parting to reveal a huge, shining city even more polished and beautiful than the original Neo Tokyo.

A glimpse of the future? A sign of hope for tomorrow? A signal that better days are to come and that a utopia will be born from the corpse of Neo Tokyo? Maybe.

But why did the survivors turn away the chance at aid? Why did they declare themselves a sovereign nation? They seemed to have no motivation to do so. No reasoning behind it. Nothing up until this point even suggested it was in the cards, so it feels completely out of the blue. Otomo laid no groundwork for this ending, and the result is a certain degree of, "What?"

Still, it doesn't detract from the awesome epic that is Akira. As one of the crowning achievements of comics, I don't care if you love manga or hate it, Akira is essential reading for anyone who loves the comics medium.

Read my regular, everything-and-anything (usually on writing and music) blog right over here.

Akira - Volume 5

2009-03-05T08:56:00.000-08:00

Akira - Volume 5
By Katsuhiro Otomo

Katsuhiro Otomo's beloved manga sprawls out into its fifth volume, and with it comes sights far more extraordinary than anything we've seen to date, stuff that makes Akira's destruction at the end of Volume 3 look positively tame by comparison. Things that not a single person on planet Earth could miss.

See, by this point Tetsuo's powers are surging beyond belief. He is now capable of feats the likes of which only gods should be capable. This seems to be changing him. His brief encounters with Lady Miyako may or may not be helping him control his power -- it remains an open question whether she is helping him or using him -- but at the very least this savage character has undergone a change. There is an almost angelic air about him through a long stretch of this volume. His hair is light and short, his demeanor no longer menacing, his approach almost gentle. This is not the Tetsuo we knew.

A real change or the calm before the storm?

What we've got here is a shifting of the powers, the chess pieces being moved into place for the epic, volume-long climax to come. Once again, there is more substance here than in the first part of the saga. Previously one-dimensional characters continue to develop flesh and bones, and, most interesting of all, the Neo Tokyo situation becomes an international issue. And how could it not? When you see what Tetsuo does about midway through this book ...

Wow.

It ought to be outlandish, Tetsuo's insane abilities at this point, but Otomo's art and fantastic sense of composition have you too busy picking your jaw up off the floor to bother questioning the extent to which Tetsuo has developed. Does this kid need to breath anymore? Can he travel at the near light speed? It doesn't matter. There is simply too much awesome to fuss with such questions.

The penultimate volume of Akira is every bit as packed with action as the previous four, only now we sense the endgame is near. Things are drawing to a close. The storm has one last burst of fury to unleash.

And now we haven't a clue how these two super powerful kids can ever be stopped.

Read my regular, everything-and-anything (usually on writing and music) blog right over here.

Akira - Volume 4

2009-03-04T06:24:00.000-08:00

Akira - Volume 4
By Katsuhiro Otomo

Yo, shit just got real.

At the end of Volume 3, Akira, the little boy for whom the story is named, wigs out and blows Neo Tokyo to kingdom come. Buildings topple, places flood, civilization is thrown into ruins, and the whole place generally looks like a bunch of dominoes in mid-topple. Yeah, you just spent 1,000 pages hearing about Akira, Akira, Akira ... and now you know why this kid was feared.

So Volume 4 picks up an unspecified amount of time after that major turning point. From this point forward, Katsuhiro Otomo's saga becomes a much different beast. This is clear from the very start. Otomo does a great job of introducing us to this new Neo Toyko when a helicopter bearing aid is taken by marauders. The chopper flies in over the jaw-dropping destruction below and lands amid the rubble, but the people who were there to help are turned on and killed. BOOM. We're in an all new world.

This volume is different than the earlier volumes in other ways beyond setting, too. Rather than action being the sole thing that pushes the still somewhat vague story forward we suddenly have an actual look at Tetsuo as a person, warring factions that are more than unexplained names and notions, and real character development for some who had until this point been fairly two-dimensional. It feels like there is a lot more meat on these bones. A lot more substance.

Oh, and for those fans of the movie who have not read the comic, this material is all exclusive to the comic. It extends the story in a major way and will have you looking at Akira in an all new light.

The kind of themes that also helped make Akira relevant also start to come into play. The nature of power and responsibility, cults of personality, humanity and morals, survival of the fittest, and the nature of the universe. It's not painted with a Big Message banner, but it's all there, making the action feel less wasteful and mindless than the early motorcycle gang sequences. A more satisfying read is the result.

And that action remains high energy and badass, only now it's in an even cooler setting. Otomo must have been nuts to pack his world with such detail. At least when Neo Toyko was still whole he could break out the ruler and draft nice, clean cityscapes. Here it's a mass of twisted wreckage and rubble, skyscrapers jutting up from the torn Earth like rotten teeth. Between those broken pearly whites run a HUGE cast of characters with guns, powers, bombs and other means of killing one another dead. The cast was already fairly large, but here it gets even bigger, with loads of instantly recognizable (albeit nameless) side characters slamming through shootouts, chases, and eventually an all out war.

Though Otomo's storytelling stretches itself out like a lazy cat, it's never less than brisk. It moves, and as such there is a lot to digest here. Lots of twists, turns and happenings. The plot essentially begins anew, and once it starts moving it doesn't slow down.

Plus -- and this is the big one -- here we finally see the origin of Akira and the other super powered children! Woot! You can put some of the pieces together earlier in the series, but here is where it's spelled out in an explicit way. The who, the how, the why. Puts it all in a clear context, and helps to set up some military-related stuff that will come later.

That's right, yo, shit just go real.

This is awesome.

An earlier version of this review was originally posted at IMWAN.com.

Read my regular, everything-and-anything (usually on writing and music) blog right over here.

Akira - Volume 3

2009-03-03T06:54:00.000-08:00

Akira - Volume 3
By Katsuhiro Otomo

A 300-page chase scene. That’s pretty much what the third volume of Akira is. Nearly 300 pages of a little boy getting kidnapped again and again, passed back and forth by several factions competing for control of him.

And then a dozen or more pages of savage, epic destruction.

Thing is, despite the scope of the third volume being so limited, it packs in almost as much information as the first two volumes combined. Fractures in the government, an attempted coup, rebellion, a bizarre religious leader, the military enforcing a police state. There is a lot happening and a lot of people to track. Much of it happens off-panel. The coup, for instance. We hear about it and see some of the fallout from it, but only a small fraction of the fallout, and we never fully see it take place. We know the entire city is under siege, that the whole of Neo Tokyo is in turmoil, but we see it only through the lens of our specific story. All Katsuhiro Otomo shows us is the lengthy (in pages, not in time elapsed) struggle to have control over the little boy, Akira.

Of course, you can’t control Akira. Not really. So when his power is triggered near the end, WATCH OUT. The destruction is awesome to behold. They’ve hinted and hinted and hinted that Akira is like nothing we’ve ever seen, but it’s hard to believe he could have surpassed the level of power we’ve seen from Tetsuo. But he can. By a long, long way.

This volume is the most intriguing thus far because it broadens the world of Akira -- just before completely turning it on its head. We finally get a sense for some of the factions involved in the vast backstory and a sense of their history, even if only in passing. I liked that. This is the stuff I want to know. Sure, the action is great and Otomo makes it exciting -- by now this should come as no surprise -- but I want to know more about these people and this world. This is FAR more engaging than the largely empty motorcycle gang stuff at the start of this epic.

Speaking of the motorcycle gang stuff, I wonder if Otomo really knew where he was going with things at that point? It’s such a pointless diversion in many ways. Yeah, we see Tetsuo’s spiral into insanity, but damn it took a long while (500 pages), and those particular gangs are largely irrelevant after that point in the story. Joker's return later in the saga doesn't really add all that much to the narrative, after all. At least here the relentless action matters.

Even better, the action is more focused on characters we like and can root for.

Like Chiyoko. She’s awesome! At first she looks like a big, soft, matronly woman. How wrong that assessment is! She’s the badass to end all badasses, as tough as they come and able to smash noses and blast apart enemies without breaking a sweat. You really grow to love her throughout all the chasing and fighting here, a love that pays off well in the next volume. She’s great.

Anyway, this is the climactic volume of the saga’s first half, ending in a HUGE HUGE HUGE HUGE event that completely changes not just the face of Neo Tokyo, but also the tone of the entire series. From this point forward Akira will have more to say than it has thus far. The story becomes better. The politics more intriguing. The drama more compelling.

Really, Akira has only just gotten started.

An earlier version of this review was originally posted at IMWAN.com.

Read my regular, everything-and-anything (usually on writing and music) blog right over here.

Akira - Volume 2

2009-03-02T06:28:00.000-08:00

Akira - Volume 2
By Katsuhiro Otomo

The second volume of Dark Horse's massive reprint of Katsuhiro Otomo's manga classic, Akira, closes the door on the story's first act and takes the first major step towards the climactic change this story will see at its midway point, a change that is a major, major divergence from the better-known film.

The pacing of this volume is relentless, but not in the highly compressed way of early American comics. Golden and Silver Age American comics moved along at a breakneck pace, too, but they did so with major jumps in time between each panel. Superman hears trouble in one panel, and is on the moon socking an alien bank robber in the next. Not in Akira. While the action never stops, the way it's presented is stretched out like silly putty. Tetsuo taking an elevator ride for 100 pages? Yep. Oh, sure, the ride is filled with action and cuts back and forth to at least three other intertwined storylines, but still, jeez! Yet Otomo manages to make it work.

The artwork remains magnificent (though the faces are probably even more cartoonish than before). In one late scene in which we first meet a key character, Otomo manages to convey a remarkably chilling, almost otherworldly sense of power in a relatively small, innocuous figure. Very impressive.

The story, however, isn't undeserving of some knocks.

For instance, Tetsuo kind of annoys me. He's a punk kid who now realizes he can do whatever he wants to do. Got it. Understood. It'd be nice to have some sympathy for or understanding of him, though. It's clear he's drifting into madness, that he is being consumed with the power at his beck and call, but a little touch of humanity sure wouldn't have hurt. It's absolutely impossible to like this character. Too bad, since he plays such a central role in the story.

Oh, and despite being about 400 pages, some American readers might be turned off by the lack of density here. A lot happens and the action never stops and the plot surges forward like a tsunami, boom boom boom fast and furious, but it's easy to feel like there isn't a lot of meat on these bones. As mentioned earlier, Akira is presented with sparse text, sparse dialogue, no captions, almost nothing in the way of exposition, and the small character moments are few and far between.

So why do I like this so much? Because it's like an endless cliffhanger. It never lets up. Otomo puts carrot after carrot in front of us and before we know it we're slamming through pages. Fity at a clip. One hundred at a clip. Two hundred at a clip. You want to know more about what Akira is and how they will finally stop Tetsuo and just plain what's going to happen. It's engrossing. It's a great thrill ride.

Amazingly enough, though, we're still about 400 pages away from it getting really awesome.

An earlier version of this review was originally posted at IMWAN.com.

Read my regular, everything-and-anything (usually on writing and music) blog right over here.

Akira - Volume 1

2009-02-27T09:41:00.000-08:00

Akira - Volume 1
By Katsuhiro Otomo

I first read the complete Akira saga maybe about six years ago, just as Dark Horse completed their six-volume reprint of Katsuhiro Otomo's 2,000-page masterpiece. Previously I had only read one volume of the colorized Epic reprints (Akira was originally presented in black and white), and watched the film adaptation a load of times.

As was the case for many Americans, the film was my introduction to this world. It was awesome. I had never before seen animation like that, and the story was a heady mix of Big Concepts and Awesome Action. Loved it enough that when I learned it was a comic, too, I wanted to check out the full original manga. The film adaption was written and directed by Otomo himself, so it reflects his vision, but I knew from that one Epic collection I read that there was a lot more to the Akira story than what we saw on film.

And oh BOY is there a lot more in the comic, and it's super awesome.

For instance, this first volume has but one scene that will be familiar to people who saw the movie, maybe two (and even the second is quite different than the film). Some 500 pages -- and it's practically all new if you've only ever seen the film!

Yeah, there is a lot going on here.

The characters tend towards the unlikeable in this first volume, so the reader interest is mostly wanting to know what the deal is with these Big Secrets. It's the mystery that pulls you along initially, not the engaging story because to be frank, the story in these first stretches isn't very engaging. We get a load of kind of boneheaded motorcycle gang fights; lots of bang and clamor, little substance. From here the ride just gets bigger, crazier, and more involving than you can imagine. Initially, though, Otomo takes his sweet time letting the core story unfold. Most of these 500 or so pages deal with the motorcycle crash seen early in the film, and Tetsuo falling in with a rival motorcycle gang, which is not seen in the film. It finishes with a climactic standoff that shows Tetsuo for the uber power that he is.

If the truth be told, as magnificent as this epic is the early stages feel burdened with directionless filler that never really pays off. Sure, Joker, head of the Clown gang, has an enjoyable return late in the saga, and the issue of Tetsuo's drug use is also dealt with, but some of this still feels stretched out far beyond its welcome.

Stretched out, yet still frantic. This thing moves as a breakneck speed. You've got to force yourself to slow down or you'll miss much of the amazing detail Otomo painstakingly gives his Neo Tokyo. His art on inanimate objects and landscapes and cityscapes is astonishing.

Wait, inanimate objects? Well, yes. His people look great and distinctive and exude a sense of motion -- no complaints here -- but his faces veer towards the cartoony (in the Japanese style), which is at odds with the hyper-realistic environments he draws. It's not bad, it's just that you've got to get used to this seeming clash of styles.

The storytelling takes some getting used to, too. The text is relatively sparse compared to American comics -- there are no captions and very little exposition -- and the transitions between scenes are sudden and jarring and often done mid-page. I don't have enough experience with Japanese comics to know if this is common. Could be.

None of these are bad things by any means, they're just things you have to get used to. But no worries, because by 40 or 50 pages into this volume you're into the story and zooming along with motorcycle gangs and the military and watching a mystery unfold involving people with powers and a world that survived WWIII and, and, and ...

And the amazing thing is, though this is pretty good, it's still the weakest of the six volumes. Things only gets better from here. Like, a LOT better.

An earlier version of this review was originally posted at IMWAN.com.

Read my regular, everything-and-anything (usually on writing and music) blog right over here.

Swamp Thing Vol. 6 - Reunion

2009-02-24T12:20:00.000-08:00

Swamp Thing Vol. 6 - Reunion
By Alan Moore, Stephen R. Bissette, John Totleben and Rick Veitch

The end of the sixth volume of Alan Moore's legendary Swamp Thing run is, in fact, The End.

Oh, the series went on. There was critically acclaimed work that followed, including by the excellent Rick Veitch (Can't Get No), but this truly feels like the end of a saga.

Volume six caps off everything Moore built and created starting with volume one, and it does so with as much inventiveness and experimentation as when he started. Swamp Thing is in deep space, coming in contact with an array of unusual cultures on his journey back to Earth. The tales here may not be as strong as what came before -- I did not find the stories here as engaging -- but I appreciated Moore's continued willingness to experiment even as he neared the end of his time on the book. A spaced out psychedelic text story told from the point of view of a massive organic machine, for instance, did not engage me as a reader, but I admire the fact that this team took chances even at this late stage of the game. It would have been easy to coast at this point, to take it easy and finish out their run, but they weren't content to do so. That's the mark of a great creator.

Through these space tales Moore messes around with viewpoint and style again and again. When it works, it works. Really liked the Adam Strange story and REALLY liked the Green Lantern tale on the world with sentient plants. What a disturbing mess that incarnation of Swamp Thing was! Thousands of lifeforms fused into one massive, crazed Swamp Thing!

There are two non-Moore stories here. Normally that might be a knock against a collected edition, but not here. Stephen Bissette and Rick Veitch each turn in a tale, and both are excellent efforts that fit nicely with the tone set by Moore. If you removed the credits many readers wouldn't notice (though some would). They're not quite as effortless as Moore's work, not as graceful or refined, but geez, whose is? Both are excellent and well worth inclusion here.

Alan Moore has been criticized by some as being bad at endings, but that's not an issue here. This is a great, entirely appropriate end to his run. It feels like an end, THE end; like the saga he began several years prior had reached its natural finish and that this character's story had come to a close for good. An easy place for other writers to pick up with their own stories, yes, but really ...

This is The End.

Overall this run was amazing. I wasn't as drawn into this final batch of stories as the earlier stuff (nothing to do with the space theme, either, which I liked), but that's not because they were bad, it's because the other stuff was so extraordinarily good. Reading this only solidifies my view that Alan Moore is the greatest writer in comics.

An earlier version of this review was originally posted at IMWAN.com.

Read my regular, everything-and-anything (usually on writing and music) blog right over here.

Swamp Thing Vol. 5 - Earth to Earth

2009-02-20T08:08:00.000-08:00

Swamp Thing Vol. 5 - Earth to Earth
By Alan Moore, Stephen R. Bissette, John Totleben and Rick Veitch

The start of the third duology in what amounts to a trilogy of them -- Volume 5 works as a pair with Volume 6; Volumes 3 and 4 also stand together as a whole, as do 1 and 2 -- Earth to Earth is in some ways one of the most enjoyable stretches of the series for me. Maybe because Alan Moore wasn't content to keep hammering at that Gothic horror nail and instead wanted to keep experimenting. Maybe because the idea of Gotham being turned into a primordial forest fascinated me.

Maybe a lot of things, but the bottom line was, I really enjoyed this.

So Abby's (admittedly creepy) love affair with the Swamp Thing is revealed, and she is charged and held for crimes against humanity. I can buy that. Interesting how traditional the way in which this story is built up. Moore introduced the plot strands setting this up quite a few issues back, taking it slow until his epic American Gothic arc was finished. The moment that story wrapped up the seeds of this one germinated and flowered into the most serious display of Swamp Thing's power to date.

The very idea of this arc fascinates me. It is the fruit of seeds (there I go with seed references again) planted waaaaay back at the start of Moore's run, when he first began to toy with the idea of Swamp Thing and Abby's love. See, you can't have a love story without tearing it down. Basic rule of fiction, right? So here we get a wedge driven between them. She is taken away. Swamp Thing is driven to rage and brings Gotham City to a halt by overgrowing the entire city with vegetation. It's an awesome display of power that could have felt comic booky had Moore not handled it with a kind of lyrical meditation on the way in which urban settings asphyxiate us. (Interestingly enough, just days prior to reading this I read a news story indicating that scientific research supports the idea that people who live on tree-lined streets live happier, healthier, safer lives. Here is that story.)

If we're in Gotham that means the Dark Knight. Moore's handling of Batman here was excellent. Moore and Batman are not necessarily a combo that fills me with glee -- I feel that The Killing Joke is Moore's most overrated work -- but you wouldn't know it here. I like this Batman. Tough, relentless, unwilling to give in, but also reasonable, noble, and fiercely loyal to his city.

It doesn't all click, though. Why couldn't Swamp Thing just free Abby and take her away? The explanation we get is half-hearted at best, as if Moore knew he had to address the question but didn't feel like fully thinking it out. Building a statue to this creature after he paralyzed your city? I didn't buy it. An excuse for some long speeches looking back at who Swamp Thing was. (I did like the melodrama of Abby's mourning, though. Absolutely lovely, stirring writing.)

And though I really loved the build up -- if you're willing to go along for the ride the core of this arc is outstanding -- the way in which Swamp Thing is "killed" is a wee bit hokey, laced with Star Trek gobblygook that didn't really ring true to me. Swamp Thing is an elemental, essentially a god, and they're talking "frequencies" and all that? Pseudo science jargon? Didn't click. But I guess Moore needed a way to have Swamp Thing defeated. See, while I can't say for sure that by this point Moore wrote himself into a corner, it was becoming clear that he had a supremely powerful being on his hands, a creature closer to a god than a mere horror. The only things he could throw at him were purely supernatural in nature, and as we know now Moore rarely treads in the same territory for long.

So, he figured out a way to shoot Swamp Thing into space.

This is one of those stories that shouldn't work, yet does in spite of itself. Swamp Thing is on some distance planet, manipulating plants and fungus to recreate the comforting world he once knew, but it's all empty and hollow and eventually falls apart. The false love he creates for himself. The comforting home. All of it a lie, and so he casts it aside before he falls into madness. Quite tragic, really, and handled well. A perfect setup for further adventures in space because it showed the potential behind such a seemingly outlandish idea. I mean, this is a swamp guy. What the hell is he doing in space?

And why the hell does it work?

Because it's in the hands of a writer arguably at the peek of his powers, in the midst of a period during which almost everything he wrote was pure gold. This is just more of the same.

Which is to say, another big pile of gold.

An earlier version of this review was originally posted at IMWAN.com.

Read my regular, everything-and-anything (usually on writing and music) blog right over here.

Swamp Thing Vol. 4 - A Murder of Crows

2009-02-19T06:01:00.000-08:00

Swamp Thing Vol. 4 - A Murder of Crows
By Alan Moore, Stephen R. Bissette, John Totleben and Rick Veitch

So Vol. 4 of Alan Moore's legendary Swamp Thing run is very much a companion to Vol. 3 -- not surprising, I suppose, as these are collections from an ongoing series, not a series of graphic novels -- and continues the American Gothic tale started there. John Constantine (of Hellblazer fame) is still leading Swamp thing here, there and everywhere, forcing him to confront the ugliest sides of mankind. We do horrible things to one another, you see (a stunning revelation, that), and Swampie needs to see it. It's all in preparation for some vague Great Big Evil that is going to be dropped on the world. It's like Creeping Death, only not the Metallica song, and it has nothing to do with flatulence.

Anyway, as with the previous volume, the building sense of dread and foreboding is well executed and highly effective. Each story stands on its own two feet as a great piece of dark fiction, yet when read together each seems to be bringing us closer to an awful end. Long before collected editions were the norm (or even on the radar, for that matter), Moore was creating stories that managed to be both effective serial fiction and fantastic long-form stories. That kind of work is a balancing act. Even today, decades after these comics first hit the shelves and years after these trails were blazed, it's a trick very few comic writers manage to pull off.

Know what else? This volume has a Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover!

Ahhh, the crossover, crutch of publishers and bane of the reader who just wants a good, self-contained story. Worse still that this was a crossover with the famous (infamous?) Crisis, a landmark moment in continuity wank that prompted lots more continuity wank. Continuity wank that continues to this day. (I am very much on record as someone who despises obsessive comic book continuity.) Kudos to Moore for not making Crisis come across like the massive masturbatory effort it was. A crossover like this is the sort of thing that really should have seemed out of place in this book, especially coming in the midst of a dense storyline about the end of the world, yet he made it work.

Know what else he made work? A bunch of trees with faces. That's right, trees with faces.

This whole SERIES is full of stuff that has no business being good yet manages to be good anyway. I mean, at one point Abby, Swamp Thing's lover -- right there is something that shouldn't work -- eats a chunk of plant off him. Eats a chunk of plant off him! And this is supposed to be sensual! That should not work. Not even a little. Yet it does. It does come across as sensual and erotic. Okay, maybe kinda a touch goofy, but Moore and company play it so straight that ultimately, it works.

A Murder of Crows culminates in an extended climax featuring a burning hot seance kinda thing, Swamp Thing and a whole slew of quasi-mystical guests fighting a giant tower of black goo in Hell, and a vague ending right out of anime. This sounds scattered and strange, I know, but trust me, it's full of teh awezomes.

Some 25 years after the fact, this remains some of the strongest periodical comic work I've ever read. Highly impressive and essential reading for any lover of the craft.

An earlier version of this review was originally posted at IMWAN.com.

Read my regular, everything-and-anything (usually on writing and music) blog right over here.

Swamp Thing Vol. 3 - The Curse

2009-02-18T06:14:00.000-08:00

Swamp Thing Vol. 3 - The Curse
By Alan Moore, Stephen R. Bissette and John Totleben

It's a good thing Alan Moore and company do what they do well, because the heavy-handed politics on display in the first portion of this volume are the kind of thing that usually sours me on a story. But it was handled well. Obvious and in your face, yes, but well written and illustrated, and enhanced with newspaper clippings tossed around on the pages like so much litter, a presentation so strong that it's easy to forget that the politics are clunkier than the Moore of legend would give us.

At this point Moore started to use Swamp Thing as a platform to talk about Important Issues, from environmental issues to guns to racism and more. It's all a bit in your face, lacking the more refined approach he'd later develop, but he was probably able to develop that more subtle approach in part because he cut his teeth here. Besides, as far as I'm concerned it's hard to find fault with someone who is aspiring to do something great, and that is certainly what Moore was attempting. He was aiming high.

Like in "The Curse," for instance, a story centering on the societal abuse and subjugation of women. Moore takes the ancient tradition of "menstruation huts" and turns it into a tragic werewolf-on-the-loose story. A standard story with a shot of social commentary thrown in the mix. It's a good tale, but what really stands out is the way in which he uses repeated words, phrases and symbolism to underscore the thematic material he's dealing with. Moore would go on to use techniques like this in landmark works such as Watchmen.

The most notable thing in this volume, of course, is the introduction of John Constantine, star of the popular Hellblazer series, central character of a Keanu Reeves film, and the tie that binds so many of DC/Vertigo's magical/supernatural worlds together. It's interesting to see how fully formed he was from the start. This isn't an embryonic version of the character, it's him in all his surly, mysterious glory. He's great.

Also great is the way in which Alan Moore begins building a huge mystery, as if the end of the world is coming. Most of these stories are standalone tales or two-parters, yet this entire volume holds together as a unified whole because Moore injects this mounting dread into every story. They call it the "American Gothic" arc (which continues into Volume 4), and it's pretty great. The narrative jumps from place to place, dealing with the uglier aspects of Americana as he does. It's all over the map, but again, it stands together as a unified whole.

Reading this stuff makes me scratch my head at the people who dismiss Alan Moore as overrated. Here it becomes clear that he was dead brilliant even before he became Alan Moore Creator of Watchmen.

This is essential reading by any measure.

An earlier version of this review was originally posted at IMWAN.com.

Read my regular, everything-and-anything (usually on writing and music) blog right over here.

Swamp Thing Vol. 2 - Love and Death

2009-02-16T20:24:00.000-08:00

Swamp Thing Vol. 2 - Love and Death
By Alan Moore, Stephen R. Bissette and John Totleben

"Hey, that's Matthew the Raven!"

Pretty much my thought while reading the initial arc of this Swamp Thing volume. It was my thought because I am an ass. I never put two-and-two together and realized this Matt was Matthew the Raven from Neil Gaiman's The Sandman. Maybe it was obvious the whole time, maybe it was discussed in interviews and the like, but up until recently I hadn't read many Gaiman interviews and don't recall reading about this connection until seeing it mentioned in, I think, an Absolute Sandman edition.

So right away I had a small joy while re-reading these stories.

Anyway, Love and Death picks up right where The Saga of the Swamp Thing left off, which is to say it continues to make most mainstream comics look not only like work for children, but the work of children. This second collection of Alan Moore's legendary run picks up threads of a story that only existed in the background of that first volume and expands them into a story that is about as horrifying a thing as I've read. I'm talking specifically about Abby and Matthew and, and ....

bugs ...

For all the flack Moore gets for going too far with comics -- misguided critics claim he relies on cheap, easy shock -- stories like this one show that he does indeed know how to use restraint. His restraint is, in fact, what makes the horror here so damn HORRIBLE. He doesn't outright show us or even tell us of the terrible thing that leaves Abby a shaking, quaking mess, but we know what it is. Oh yes, we know. And holy hell does it ever leave you itchy and squirmy and grotesquely unsettled.

Deliciously well done arc, quite disturbing in every way.

Also in this volume, Moore dabbles a bit in the mythology of the afterlife, a bit of DC's world that is not quite consistent between this and Hellblazer and Lucifer and Sandman, all spinoffs of Swamp Thing in one way or another. Moore was among the first (the first?) to really start fleshing out the idea of what DC's heaven and hell are like. Here we get it in an embryonic form only, and it doesn't always jive with what came later. But whatever. It works despite that.

There is also a homage to Walt Kelly's Pogo near the end of this collection, one that has garnered a good deal of praise, and you know what? I don't care for it. It didn't grab me the first time I read it and didn't grab me this time, either. Mind you, it's an astonishing piece of writing. I marvel at Moore's amazing wordsmithing. He forges dozens of brand new, perfectly understandable nonsense words that actually have layered, nuanced meanings. From a writing perspective it's an stunning achievement.

But I just didn't enjoy reading it. I found it a chore to slog through the otherwise impressive wordcraft here. Was terribly heartbroken at the tragic ending made all the more tear-jerking for its mix of light cartoonishness and dark happenings, but overall this story just doesn't win me over the way it wins over many critics.

The final story in this volume is "Rites of Spring," which is the semi-infamous "Swamp Thing sex issue," only it really isn't that at all. That's a dumb tag thrown onto the story by dumb people who probably need to get out of their dumb house for a few hours or something. Anything to make them less dumb. This is more of a drug trip issue, which, let's be honest, almost nobody has ever done well.

I'm not enamored with the trippy part of this issue -- "psychedelic" stuff often seems like a good idea in theory, but in execution it rarely is -- but thankfully it's not the bulk of what makes it special. What makes it special is the mature way in which it explores its thematic material. "Rites of Spring" is a rather stirring look at the consummation of love between two people. It is the culmination of the courtship began in the first volume. When it gets into the stretch of pages with all sorts of crazy I find it loses me, but Moore's examination of the spiritual side of love is moving and ends on a gloriously upbeat note.

Most impressive about Love and Death is Moore's refusal to keep things easy for himself. Far from being content to find a good approach and milk it, he relentlessly challenged himself. He refused to tread the same ground and pushed himself to experiment every chance he got.

I still can't imagine what people were thinking as this was coming out. Must have been mind-blowing.

An earlier version of this review was originally posted at IMWAN.com.

Read my regular, everything-and-anything (usually on writing and music) blog right over here.

Swamp Thing Vol. 1 - Saga of the Swamp Thing

2009-02-16T08:56:00.000-08:00

Swamp Thing Vol. 1 - Saga of the Swamp Thing
By Alan Moore, Stephen R. Bissette and John Totleben

I was not among the lucky ones who first encountered Alan Moore's now legendary run on Swamp Thing while it was first being published. At that time I was still immersed in the world of standard superhero fare, blissfully unaware that comics could be more than one guy in tights beating up another guy in tights. It wasn't until I had dropped out of comics and then returned again years later that I discovered these books. I first read them as presented in DC's collected editions, and it is those collected editions that I read here.

We begin with The Saga of the Swamp Thing, within which legendary writer Alan Moore, with the help of artists Stephen R. Bissette and John Totleben, reinvented a swamp creature, and in the process helped change the world's understanding of what comics could be. Landmark series like Sandman, Hellblazer and Lucifer, all of which I'll be reading for this blog, sprang from what began here.

So how is it? A better question would be, how many different kinds of awesome is this collection? About 17 or so, I'd say. It's pretty astonishing that these stories hit the shelves in 1984. Think about that. These tales are already 25 years old! The writing is just so far ahead of virtually everything else that was on the shelf during that time, I can only imagine the shock people must have felt when they first read them. It must have been a terrible blow for established comic writers of the time. "Oh shit, guys, look at this. This guy ... he can actually write. We're doomed."

I mean, boom, right out of the gate Moore reinvents Swamp Thing with a stirring, chilling tale about as well crafted as they come. "The Anatomy Lesson" is probably in the top 10 single issues Moore has ever written. He dismantles everything we knew about Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson's creation, replacing their man-turned-into-monster with a creature of nature, a beast birthed of the Earth itself. And he did it in a gloomy, heavy, dark fantasy story that sends chills up the bone. What a wakeup call!

And then he keeps going with two superb storylines (the first better than the second) that manage a nightmarish sort of brooding without feeling overly melodramatic or purple. It shouldn't have worked. He uses an obscure B-grade villain called the Florian Man as the main nemesis. This should have been goofy as hell, but instead it becomes magically delicious horror.

Really, if you can't see the awesome in this, you're dead and filled with bugs inside.

Mind you, the art takes a little getting used to. Even upon rereading, Bissette's art is vague and distorted, ugly as often as it's beautiful and often looking like a first draft. But that's what makes it WORK, I think. The art and Moore's writing were a perfect marriage. Closeups of bloated faces and intricately drawn swampland and humans who sometimes barely look human. Perfect. Anywhere else you wonder what this guy is drawing, yet here you wouldn't ask for anything different.

I do hate Moore's Etrigan, though. Maybe it's because I hate verse in general. I've an aversion to rhymes not unlike my aversion to mayonnaise. I know people like it and I'm glad for them, but keep it away from me, please. Whenever Etrigan was on the page I wanted to rush through things.

That's how good this is. It's so good that I'm forced to resort to lousy nitpicks like that just to avoid gushing the entire time. This volume is solid gold. Solid freakin' gold. Anyone who hasn't it read it SHOULD. Like, NOW.

An earlier version of this review was originally posted at IMWAN.com.

Read my regular, everything-and-anything (usually on writing and music) blog right over here.

Hellboy Vol. 7 - The Troll Witch and Other Stories

2009-02-13T07:02:00.000-08:00

Hellboy Vol. 7 - The Troll Witch and Other Stories
By Mike Mignola & others

So I sat down with the first seven Hellboy collections (I believe that as of this writing there are now eight) in an effort to get caught up and wrap my head around the cult phenomenon that is this big-fisted, cigar-chewing, red devil guy. That's what you've been reading the last week or two. Me churning my way through Mike Mignola's Little Franchise That Could.

It just sort of crept up on me, this Hellboy thing. One day it was this little book by some guy who was pretty good but far from a superstar, the next it's this whole Thing, with movies and cartoons and devoted fans. Word was, it was awesome. When my buddy Bill pushed, pushed, pushed for me to read it, I could not refuse. The collected editions landed at my door (thanks, Bill!) and I dove right in.

And now I’m done! The Troll Witch and Other Stories caps off my reading of this series (for now), and I've got to say, this was a satisfying finish. I've mentioned before that I think Hellboy shines in the short story format, and that continues to hold true throughout this volume. Here we've got short entries in the Hellboy mythology that get us in, show us something wild, and get us out again. Cool. I love that.

Following the events of Strange Places, Hellboy is now wandering the globe, searching for who he is, what he is, his purpose, answers, and so on and so forth. Yada yada yada, big mystical journey, you get the picture. But really what he's doing is allowing Mignola to toss him into all sorts of wild situations.

And toss him into wild situations he does.

The title story might have been the weakest one here. The standout for me was "Makoma," lifted from African fables and lovingly drawn by Richard Corben. Absolutely gorgeous in every way and bizarre in the way ancient fables are, this was a GEM. Lovely landscapes and happenings that leave you scratching your head, it's a great example of the sheer, limitless possibility inherent in Mignola's creation.

The other stories are a mixed bag, some better than others but largely solid stuff. This volume isn't as consistently strong as The Chained Coffin or The Right Hand of Doom, but it's well worth a dip even if only to see Mignola make world mythology his own.

This series has been a delight to read. Thanks to Bill Johnson and his monkey for making it possible.

An earlier version of this review was originally posted at IMWAN.com and was also featured at Popthought.com.

Read my regular, everything-and-anything (usually on writing and music) blog right over here.

Hellboy Vol. 6 - Strange Places

2009-02-12T07:18:00.000-08:00

Hellboy Vol. 6 - Strange Places
By Mike Mignola

Near the end of "The Island," the second of two stories contained in Strange Places, Hellboy says, "Well, that was something."

And Hellboy is right. That was something.

Strange Places brings together two two-issue miniseries, but they might as well be one longer tale since they flow directly into one another. In one, Hellboy goes undersea (we later learn he's down there for years) and romps about in watery kingdoms. In the other, he goes ... well, I don't know where he goes, exactly. A ship graveyard and a weird old inn and to Hell, I guess. Something like that. Creator Mike Mignola doesn't exactly hold the reader by the hand. Chris Claremont he is not.

Both stories are connected with Hellboy's journey to find out why everyone expects him to destroy the world. (Was that a spoiler? Oops.) Both stories, especially the latter, reveal a lot about Hellboy's nature and the forces lined up against him. So, cool stuff, right?

Pretty much.

The first tale, "The Third Wish," is the better of the two. It's got mermaids and an undersea witch and an African dude and a bell that I don't quite understand. That's right, a bell. So that's neat. I still don't understand it, but it's neat.

The second story delves more into Hellboy's nature, but it's also kind of confused and all over the place. Mignola throws out ideas and concepts and creatures and places willy nilly. The reader's job is to take all this raw information and try to get it. There were times when I had to backtrack and reread what came before just to be sure I was still following things okay. I think I wrapped my head around it all, but this story is so impressionistic I may well have missed lots. As noted in another post (I think), Hellboy seems like a series that will reward rereading, in part because you'll get a lot of stuff you missed the first time around.

In the notes for this volume, Mignola says these stories close the door on the first chapter of Hellboy's life. What does that mean for the future? I don't know. What I do know is, I'm in. I'm on board. I'll follow along. I can call you Betty, and Betty you can call me fan.

An earlier version of this review was originally posted at IMWAN.com and was also featured at Popthought.com.

Read my regular, everything-and-anything (usually on writing and music) blog right over here.

Hellboy Vol. 5 - Conqueror Worm

2009-02-11T05:49:00.000-08:00

Hellboy Vol. 5 - Conqueror Worm
By Mike Mignola

In the previous two collections, The Chained Coffin and Others and The Right Hand of Doom, Hellboy creator Mike Mignola indulged in an array of short stories. They ranged from quirky fun to dark mythology. And most importantly, they were awesome.

With Conqueror Worm, Mignola tosses aside the short stories and works in the long form. Well, four issues isn't exactly "long form" in these days of 12-issue story arcs and massive 60-issue crossovers, but for Hellboy it is.

And this is the best long Hellboy story to date. It's got pretty much everything you could want: Great art, cool action, excellent supporting characters, a deeper glimpse into the workings of the Bureau, an exploration of Hellboy's true nature and a FREAKIN' AWESOME look at the dark universe Mignola has created. In short, this kicked ass. I guess that's why it won an Eisner in 2002 for Best Limited Series.

The homunculus from the colossus story returns (thanks in part to a short not collected here, damnit). He's now called Roger, and he's probably my favorite supporting character to date. I love this guy. Despite his inhumanity, in many ways he's the most human character in all of Hellboy. A thoughtful being with a lot of heart and a desire to improve himself as a person ... or thing ... Roger gives the cast a sympathetic hero. This was sorely needed. We also get Lobster Johnson, who is sort of like a Golden Age hero in Hellboy's world, but with a twist. Great character.

As for the story, well, it's like a nightmarish version of Jack Kirby's wildest flights of fancy. Dark space gods intent on returning to Earth and killing all. A really strange and twisted cosmic mythology. Nazi space programs. All sorts of borderline nonsensical stuff that manages to work despite being so nonsensical. I liked it!

And the worm mentioned in the title? Awesome. Huge and gruesome and evil and amazing to behold. A very satisfying conclusion to the whole thing, too, one that makes me want to see what happens with Hellboy next. No question about it, Conqueror Worm is twisted and strange and totally rad, as the kids say. Or used to say. Or something.

Oh yeah, did I mention Nazi space programs? Yeah. Awesome.

An earlier version of this review was originally posted at IMWAN.com and was also featured at Popthought.com.

Read my regular, everything-and-anything (usually on writing and music) blog right over here.

Hellboy Vol. 4 - The Right Hand of Doom

2009-02-10T07:56:00.000-08:00

Hellboy Vol. 4 - The Right Hand of Doom
By Mike Mignola

First things first: "Pancakes" is the greatest story in the history of comic books. It's two pages long and the greatest story ever.

Okay, with that out of the way ... If I raved about The Chained Coffin, I must do the same about The Right Hand of Doom, another collection of shorter stories and another home run for Hellboy creator Mike Mignola. From start to finish, from the brief but brilliant "Pancakes" to the shocking "Box Full of Evil," this fourth volume of Hellboy stories was nothing short of a kickass treat. This is how Hellboy is meant to be read. In short bursts of awesome; bits of mythologies and stray ideas plucked from the crusty cracks of Mignola's mind; bite-sized nuggets of excellent.

There is lots to recommend here. "Pancakes" is just two pages, but I defy anyone to read this and not fall instantly in love. I read it over and over (and over and over). HILARIOUS! Hellboy as a kid is as cute as they come. "King Vold" is a very strong short that plays with some familiar European myths and some very traditional thematic ground. Nothing wrong with that, as Mignola knows how to twist those old tales in interesting ways. Really stunning art here, too. "Heads" was among my favorites. It's short and to the point, but it also features some of Mignola's best visuals and has a wicked sense of dark humor. How can you not love a swarm of angry, biting heads? This has to be seen to be believed.

But the real core of this collection are the title story and "Box Full of Evil," both of which offer insight into Hellboy's origins ... including telling us pretty much exactly what Hellboy truly is. And what he is ain't pretty. The truth had been hinted at before, but this just lays it out for all the world to see. Quite a bold character concept, and one that sank me into Hellboy's world for good.

With every story I read, Hellboy's unique blend of superheroic sensibilities, Gothic horror, myth, and small doses of noir grows more appealing. Mignola races through his tales at a brisk pace, utterly relentless in the flow of information. His art is as unique and stylized as anything else out there, yet his storytelling is generally clear and punchy and as good as anyone's. The writing is sparse but suits the tales being told.

In short, Hellboy rocks. I now get what the accolades are all about. I'm glad to call myself a fan.

An earlier version of this review was originally posted at IMWAN.com and was also featured at Popthought.com.

Read my regular, everything-and-anything (usually on writing and music) blog right over here.

Hellboy Vol. 3 - The Chained Coffin and Others

2009-02-09T08:12:00.000-08:00

This review was originally posted at IMWAN.com and was also featured at Popthought.com.

Hellboy Vol. 3 - The Chained Coffin and Others
By Mike Mignola

When I dipped into The Chained Coffin, the third collection of Mike Mignola's brilliant Hellboy, this one a collection of short stories, my reaction was immediate: Oh yes. Yes, yes, yes. Yes, yes, YES, as in the "yes" of great, great pleasure.

What I'm trying to say is, the third Hellboy collection is nothing short of pure, distilled AWESOME. Utterly, completely and totally awesome. Mignola completely ditches the Epic Story Arc approach so common in collected editions. Instead, this is a collection of short stories, and wow does Hellboy shine in the short format. And this is coming from a guy who reeeeaaaallly likes his epics.

Mignola gets in, gives us a dose of dark fable-laden adventure, and gets back out with the unpredictable grace of a drunken vampire bat, sometimes coasting on a current of moody visuals, at other times darting and swooping through bizarre characters and landscapes. Every story here is a winner, but each in a different way. From the wickedly funny "The Corpse" to "The Chained Coffin" and all it reveals about Hellboy's origins to the dark and ugly "The Wolves of Saint August" to the imaginative follow up to "Wake the Devil", "Almost Colossus", this volume is chock full o' reading goodness. Picking a favorite is difficult. The story of the sentient constructs in "Almost Colossus" was quite compelling, while Mignola's ability to get across tense, lurking horror in "The Wolves of Saint August" really grabbed me. WAY too much good stuff for one slim volume.

Hellboy + short stories = teh winz!

The list of things to like is extensive. Bits of humor help keep the Gothic horror from getting too suffocating. The highly stylized art is a real treat, Kirbyesque in its visual power, dark and brooding like Colan at his best, yet unlike either of them in execution and approach. The writing is just right, neither overbearing nor too sparse. Mignola carries his end of the bargain just fine. All in all, a rock solid bit o' dark adventure. I really, really liked this.

No, that's not correct. I LOVED this.

Read my regular, everything-and-anything (usually on writing and music) blog right over here.

Hellboy Vol. 2 - Wake the Devil

2009-02-06T06:23:00.000-08:00

This review was originally posted at IMWAN.com and was also featured at Popthought.com.

Hellboy Vol. 2 - Wake the Devil
By Mike Mignola

Mike Mignola, who hand-built a nice little empire for himself with his fan favorite Hellboy, continues the Big Red Dude's saga in this second volume, Wake The Devil.

What an interesting, sometimes confusing, sometimes compelling story. Even more hints at who and what Hellboy really is? Check. More Nazis? Check. Vampires and strange creatures? Check. Suggestions something much larger is at work? Check.

Cool.

Mignola's unique, wild style is, as the kids say these days, wicked as hell. (Actually, I don't think the kids say that.) Strange angles and swaths of shadow and rough-hewn edges abound. It's dark, exciting art, as if Gene Colan's horror work were merged with Jack Kirby's wildest 1970s imaginings, and then tossed into a Frank Miller blender for good measure. He uses this style to great effect, giving us a story about vampires and talking heads and mysterious elder gods. Hellboy was maybe sent here to destroy the Earth or something, and Rasputin never really died and is conspiring to release some cosmic dragon or something, and it's all tied together into some big end of the world thing.

What?

Got to admit, there is a lot to swallow here, and it's thrown at you without hand-holding. There were brief moments when I had to pause in order to wrap my head around what I was reading. See, Mignola is sparse with his text and forces the reader to pay close attention to his rapid shifts in perspective. He doesn't litter his stories with captions, either. He just go, go, goes, leaving me sometimes scratching my head and saying, "What's going on here?"

But part of that is because he's clearly not playing his entire hand. He's got more to show you, but is in no rush to do so. Keeps you guessing. Keeps you interested. And that's cool with me.

The parts you do get are really interesting. Mignola seems to have taken a bunch of real mythologies and mixed them up and dished them back out as something new. It's a big fat blender filled with stuff nicked from here, there and everywhere. I love stuff like that. I like the bits he's playing with, how he's reinventing stuff, how he's re-imagining old myths as modern stories. Makes me curious to see more, to see exactly what he's got up his sleeve.

Seeing this, it's pretty to understand how Hellboy went from being the little book that could to a mini empire all its own.

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Hellboy Vol. 1 - Seed of Destruction

2009-02-05T08:07:00.000-08:00

This review was originally posted at IMWAN.com and was also featured at Popthought.com.

Hellboy Vol. 1 - Seed of Destruction
By Mike Mignola and John Byrne

Mike Mignola is pretty awesome. Here's a guy who was doing mainstream comics and making a living from it, then once day he decided to toss all that out the window and go do his own thing. He wanted to pursue his own interests - mythology, monsters, magic, pulp and fantasy - and forge his own path. I can get behind that.

The result was Hellboy, a big red demon with sawed off horns and a giant freakin' fist and a bus driver's attitude. I kind of missed the boat when Hellboy first came on the scene, though, but with a little help from my buddy Bill I've been able to get myself up to speed by tearing through the collected editions at a rate not unlike the rate at which Michael Phelps inhales. Which is to say, fast.

So I began at the beginning.

Seed of Destruction is a very interesting start to this cult favorite. Mike Mignola (with some help from John Byrne) doesn't hold your hand or serve you with massive infodumps. Instead, he just launches you into the world he's created and trusts that you'll keep up. I like that.

Lots of good stuff to wrap your head around, too. I'm fascinated by the Bureau and intrigued by Hellboy's origins. There is a nice teasing element there, akin to the days when Wolverine was still a good, mysterious character. Hints, tidbits, but little more than that. I get the sense that there will be a lot to explore as this goes on.

The bad guys are neat. I mean, Nazis, right? Nazis always make cool villains. Tossing together Nazis and horror has been done before (Return of Castle Wolfenstein, for instance), but this is handled well. I like that the horror isn't the standard kind of Gothic horror. It's non-traditional. A bit of magic, a bit of superhero, a bit of myth, all mixed up in a blender and poured back out in a delicious shake. Very cool.

The writing was okay, but pretty flawed. It rarely felt as if different people were narrating/talking. The characters often had the same voice, making it a bit difficult to differentiate between them. This is no surprise coming from John Byrne, though, a once great artist with a spectacular ability to write dialogue even more lifeless than his waning career.

Speaking of narrating, the lettering was off. Three times I read things in the wrong order and it wasn't my fault! I swear it wasn't! But both of those are minor faults; not deal breakers by any means.

Oh, and the art? Yes, the art. The art was AWESOME. Just awesome. Loved it, loved it, loved it. Moody use of (mostly) flat colors, GREAT stylization by Mignola, good storytelling. Superb visuals all around. This doesn't surprise me, of course, because once Mignola broke out of the standard comic book style and pursued his own vision his work took a leap into orbit. He's a fabulous visual stylist with a unique look you either get or you don't.

I really enjoyed this. It didn't blow my mind and won't have me singing from the mountaintops, but I can see there will be lots of fun stuff to chew on, and can't wait to get to it. This was a good start. Looking forward to the rest of this series.

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Can't Get No - Rick Veitch

2009-02-04T12:27:00.000-08:00

This review was originally published at DVDinmyPants.com. Read it in full here.

Can't Get No
By Rick Veitch
(Swamp Thing, 1963, Abraxas And The Earthman)

As an artist and writer, Rick Veitch has paid his dues in the world of comics. While probably best known for his work on Swamp Thing (first as an artist with writer Alan Moore, then taking on full duties with his own acclaimed run) and Heavy Metal magazine, as well as other Moore collaborations, including 1963 and co-creating ABC Comics' Greyshirt character, he has in recent years built up an impressive library of graphic novels, including The One, Brat Pack, and Abraxas And The Earthman.

The most recent addition and one worthy of inclusion on your bookshelf – if you're up for a challenging read, that is – is his latest work, Can't Get No. Billed by some as a post 9-11 work, it's far more than that.

Chad Roe, a businessman who is down on his luck, gets terribly plastered one evening and against his will is tattooed from head to toe by two women. This sends his life into a downward spiral, a spiral accelerated when he is witness to the attacks of September 11, 2001. What follows is a journey of introspection and self-discovery.

First and foremost, and the hardest thing to avoid when talking about Can’t Get No, is the presentation. Not as much the sizing of the pages – it is presented in a “widescreen” 7.25” x 5.75” format, which made for some attractive layouts - but rather the mix of image-driven storytelling overlaid with a twisting, druggy poem of epic length. The images crispy, clearly and dynamically tell a story, while the text is a book length, sometimes pretentious poem that ostensibly has nothing to do with the narrative, yet more often than not intertwines with and comments on that narrative. I really enjoyed this device. While from time to time the two would drift a bit too far apart, when they two came together they really impacted one another in a big way, the verse adding weight and heft to the story, and vice versa. When we see the markers that will disrupt Roe's life in several ways, and the text speaks of a “suffocating self-embrace,” the two separate works become one. Very effective technique. It moves along at such a smooth and rapid clip that the moments when the text gets jarring or clunky or pretentious (and there are a few, most especially the latter) are put behind you swiftly. Far from being a gimmick, it’s truly an essential part of the experience.

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