Books: Wolverine: Enemy of the State

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Wolverine: Enemy of the State
Vol 1
Written by Mark Millar
Art by John Romita, Jr.
2005



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Wolverine: Enemy of the State
Vol 2
Written by Mark Millar
Art by John Romita, Jr.
2005



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Simple, uncomplicated sugary pleasure from the creators of the infamous Kick-Ass (and the writer of Old Man Logan) comes this hard-hitting gut punch of a comic starring everyone's favourite short-ass, foul-mouthed, bad-tempted Canadian with adamantium retractable claws and (always-handy) mutant healing power. Starting off in Japan where Logan's called in to help out an old friend but eventually spanning the entire globe (causing untold destruction along the way)- and featuring such Marvel favourites as Elektra, Nick Fury, not to mention top level bad guys like Hydra and The Hand - this is an all-out explosion of cool one-liners, shocking twists and over-the-top superhero action. I don't want to say too much because it would ruin the fun: but let's just say you've never seen Wolverine in this much trouble before (which seeing how he's Marvels favourite bad boy anti-hero is really saying something). Enjoy.

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Links: The M0vie Blog Review.

Further reading: Spider-Man: Down Among The Dead Men / Venomous / The Last Stand, Kick-Ass, Wolverine: Old Man Logan, The Ultimates, X-Men: Astonishing X-Men, Wolverine: The Best There Is.

Profiles: Mark Millar.

All comments welcome.

Books: Kiki de Montparnasse

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Kiki de Montparnasse
Written by Jose-Luis Bocquet
Art by Catel Muller
2011




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A biography of wild-girl Alice Prin: a big-nosed, French, free-spirit - born in poverty - whose constant search for her next meal and bottle of wine led her to collide with the crazy hedonist delights of Paris in the early 20th century; vaulting from obscurity to notoriety to full-blown legendhood through a series of affairs, modelling work and sheer Persian rambunctious. Spanning the entirety of life and her meetings with such greats as Cocteau, Hemingway and Picasso (who all seem dim and dull in comparison) and drawn with a light carefree touch that recalls the artwork of Marjane Satrapi (and be forewarned: this is a book full of boob, bums and naked bits)- this is a comic that's less concerned with getting bogged down by the details and more in love with than in capturing the energy of the moment - and then jumping forward to the next wild scene and party. It doesn't breaks any boundaries: but if you've ever wanted to hang out in the roaring twenties and discover the ins-and-outs of the people that made it sing - then grab on.

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Links: TCG Review, Guardian Review.

Further reading: Embroideries, Alan's War: The Memories of GI Cope, The Rabbi's Cat, Gemma Bovery, Berlin.

All comments welcome.

Books: A Small Killing

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A Small Killing
Written by Alan Moore
Art by Oscar Zarate
1991




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One of Alan Moore's less-known works - probably because it doesn't feature anything as sensational as superheroes or serial killers - this is a paranoid little comic that focuses in on the slow unravelling of ad company executive whose repressed past is catching up with him. With bright and slightly gaudy art by the Argentine artist Oscar Zarate (that with it's sharp colours and harsh lines reminded me of paintings by schizophrenics) this is a comic full of tense moments, mounting dread and a dark hidden underbelly that - as things progress - is reluctantly dug up and brought into the light. Not as showy as other Alan Moore books and with few of his renowned crazy tricks - this is a slow-building, twitchy read from someone that knows how a comic works - but doesn't feel the need to show off. "Grown-up" is the best description that fits.

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Further reading: Violent Cases, The Tale of One Bad Rat, Stray Toasters.

Profiles: Alan Moore.

All comments welcome.

Books: The Sandman: Death: The High Cost of Living

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The Sandman: Death: The High Cost of Living
Written by Neil Gaiman
Art by Chris Bachalo and Mark Buckingham
1993




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Deities from beyond time and space meet up with everyday messed people and go out to get hot dogs: in this joyous comic that expertly mingles the mythic and ordinary - (the field that Neil Gaiman has pretty much made his own). Starring sullen New York teen Sexton Furnival (whose zany name I'm guessing was inspired by growing up with the surname "Gaiman") who decided that everything is rubbish and life isn't worth living - until a random encounter brings him into orbit with a strange woman who says she's the personification of Death and - thus - he spends a day and a night learning to lighten up. With a lightness of touch that's positively gleeful ("is this guy bothering you?"), a strong sense of good comics (the use of the cigarette to mark the passing of time is pretty nifty) and great characters (Death being the best): it's just like hanging out with a really great friend and feels over much too soon. This is the point where I should mention that it's a spin-off from epic Sandman series (especially A Game of You) - but you don't need to have read that to appreciate this (and in some sense - this would be a good, nice, easy place to start). With an introduction by Tori Amos (which probably says more than I can say) and an bonus hard-to-find public service announcement AIDS-awareness 8-page comic Death Talks about Life strip (art by Dave McKean - also starring John Constantine and a banana). If you're looking for your heart - this may be the best place to start, or to put it another way: Peachy keen!

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Further reading: The Sandman, The Sandman: Death: The Time of Your Life, The Sandman: The Dream Hunters, I Kill Giants, Shortcomings, The Unwritten.

Profiles: Neil Gaiman.

All comments welcome.

Books: Battlefields

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Battlefields
Vol 1: Night Witches
Written by Garth Ennis
Art by Russell Braun
2009



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Battlefields
Vol 2: Dear Billy
Written by Garth Ennis
Art by Peter Snejbjerg
2009



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Battlefields
Vol 3: Tankies
Written by Garth Ennis
Art by Carlos Esquerra
2009



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Battlefields
Vol 4: Happy Valley
Written by Garth Ennis
Art by PJ Holden and Garry Leach
2010



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Battlefields
Vol 5: The Firefly and His Majesty
Written by Garth Ennis
Art by Carlos Esquerra
2010



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Battlefields
Vol 6: Motherland
Written by Garth Ennis
Art by Russ Braun
2011



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Garth Ennis shows off his mature, softer side in these series of stories from the Second World War - "softness" obviously being a relative term when dealing with bloody death and murder. With writing full of interesting historical details (the Russian female bomber pilots of Night Witches), snappy character work (Sergeant Stiles in Tankies) and big emotional hooks (the sweeping romance in Dear Billy). With little of the juvenile high-jinks of his other books - this shows that when he puts away the gross-out humour and broad crazy slapstick - guy knows how to write a story that will make you care. With each volume telling a stand-alone unconnected story (apart from Vol 5: The Firefly and His Majesty which is a sequel to Vol 3: Tankies and Vol 6: Motherland which is a sequel to Vol 1: Night Witches) you can pick it up from any point: and they're all very much worth reading.

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Links: Newsarama Garth Ennis Interview.

Further reading: War Stories, The Shadow, Alan's War, Last Day in Vietnam, 303, Arrowsmith: So Smart in Their Fine Uniforms.

Profiles: Garth Ennis.

All comments welcome.

Books: Fell

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Fell
Vol 1: Snowtown
Written by Warren Ellis
Art by Ben Templesmith
2007



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"Fell" - a nice description of the tone (hopeless, despairing and bleak) and the name of the main character: a homicide detective with a murky past and new posting in the permanently down-on-it's-luck city of Snowtown: where murder, voodoo and mannequin-deviancy are all commonplace. In the same cold vein as: Cracker, Touch of Frost, Taggart, etc - the cases all come in bite-sized instalments - even if the don't always work out in the way you would expect. The writing from Warren Ellis is predictably sharp (the interrogation issue is pretty nifty) and slightly off kilter (suicide bombers appearing in the last place you would expect) and compliments Ben Templesmith's very dark, smokyartwork. So far there's only one volume (it's been "on hiatus" since 2008 - something to do with Ellis' computer dying on him) - but what there is so far is well worth trying out and getting lost in if you're looking for something to make you shiver down to your bones. Modern noir with several twists of gruesomeness and horror.

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Links: Comics Worth Reading Review, Focused Totality Review of #3.

Further reading: Desolation Jones, 30 Days of Night, Transmetropolitan, Violent Cases, Chew.

Profiles: Warren Ellis.

All comments welcome.

Books: Heavy Liquid

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Heavy Liquid
By Paul Pope
2009





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Set in a world only slightly different to our own (in small strange ways) Heavy Liquid is a tripped-out adventure starring an anti-hero (who's tired of anti-heroes) known only as "S." Dealing with a strange, unknown substance people call "heavy liquid" whose effects are wild and unpredictable - this is a globe-trotting thriller full of evil men in masks, vicious girl gangs, shadowy billionaires and disappearing artists. With a very distinct art-style that provides tilting buildings, bendy lines and lots of smouldering faces - this is a comic that is as much about it's druggy style as it is about content - and although I found it a bit of a slog and the colour palette doesn't really extend much beyond blue and pink - it's very individual and atmospheric and happy in it's own unique orbit: far-out ideas, cheesy dialogue, studied poses and all. (If you want my advice: I'd say start with the much more fun Batman: Year 100 by the same author).

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Further reading: Batman: Year 100, The Adventures of Luther Arkwright, I Kill Giants, Rasl, Hector Umbra.

All comments welcome.

Books: Lost at Sea

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Lost at Sea
By Bryan Lee O'Malley
2003





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Before Scott Pilgrim came this - Lost at Sea: a minor-key, bite-sized classic starring the despondent and withdrawn Raleigh - an eighteen year old waifish dreamer - seeking solace, friendship and her lost soul (stolen by cats) on a fumbling, road trip up America. Set in the melancholy phase at the end of the teenage years where you're still trying to suss out your life, your friends and yourself, and drawn in a crude but effective sub-manga style this is little nugget of happy/sadness that will make your insides feel soft, warm and fuzzy. Like reading someone's diary - it's full of stray thoughts, muddled feelings and guilty confessions ("Grass just looks nicer from the other side, you know? Grass where you're standing looks like dirt with green hair."). And while it's not as epic or accomplished as what came after - it's still gorgeous, tender and rings totally true.

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Links: Focused Totality Review, NY Times Review.

Further reading: Scott Pilgrim, Blankets, Ghost World, Summer Blonde, Blue Pills, The New York Four.

All comments welcome.

Books: xkcd

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xkcd
Volume 0
By Randall Munroe
2010




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xkcd is a webcomic that you can read for free on the internet (www.xkcd.com). Self-contained funny little strips populated by little stick figures doing funny, absurd and little soft-hearted romantic things if you're a geek into maths, science and the internet - then you've probably already a fan. If so - this book offers little that you haven't already seen - there's a brief introduction by Randall Munroe talking about how his funny little doodles have now become his life (via something he calls "The Pratchett Point") - and there's a few addendums in red ink in the margins (most of which I should admit are lost on me - "772A3A35 DEF88CA7" anyone?). For those of you that have never had the pleasure - this book is an excellent place to join his adorable, happy little world. A compelling blend of your mom jokes, chesscoasters, Venn diagrams, velociraptors, google results, sweet ass-cars, and shout-outs to the all the important things in life ("SCIENCE. It works, bitches."). File under: awesome.

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Links: The Atlantic Interview with Randall Munroe.

Further reading: The Perry Bible Fellowship, You Really Don't Look 50 Charlie Brown, The Dilbert Principle, Goliath, Scott Pilgrim, Meanwhile, Science Tales: Lies, Hoaxes and Scams.

All comments welcome.

Books: Tom Strong

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Tom Strong
Book 1
Written by Alan Moore
Art by Chris Sprouse
2001



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Tom Strong
Book 2
Written by Alan Moore
Art by Chris Sprouse
2003



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Tom Strong
Book 3
Written by Alan Moore
Art by Chris Sprouse
2004



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Tom Strong
Book 4
Written by Alan Moore
Art by Chris Sprouse
2006



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Tom Strong
Book 5
Written by Mark Schultz, Steve Aylett, Brian K. Vaughan and Ed Brubaker
Art by Pasqual Ferry, Shawn McManus, Peter Snejberg and Duncan Fegredo
2006



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Tom Strong
Book 6
Written by Alan Moore, Michael Moorcock, Joe Casey, Peter Hogan and Steve Moore
Art by Jerry Ordway, Ben Oliver, Paul Gulacy, Chris Sprouse
2006


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Tom Strong is Alan Moore's own version of Superman. He's nobel, brave, principled, idealistic and very much "the good guy." His stories are all free-fights of fancy with pulptastic dressing: a gorilla with a genius-level human brain; Swastika Girls; giant evil ants from outer space and alternate versions of Earth. Half the fun is seeing which adventure cliche Tom Strong is going to take on next and the other half is seeing what kind of fresh of spin it's going to get. It's also quite nice how all the stories sit on top of each other and connect backwards and forwards as the series goes on. So even tho it might not seem like it - worth reading in order. What's also interesting is how in Book 5 and 6 - new writers and artists are brought in (including Brian K. Vaughan, Michael Moorcock, Ed Brubaker and Steve Aylett amongst others) and while the results vary (the Moorcock isn't very good but the Brubaker is amazing): it does offer lots of fresh spins.

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Links: Grovel Review of Vol 1, The Comics Cube! Article, Jog The Blog Article, Todd Klein on doing the Tom Strong Lettering, Science Fiction World Deluxe Edition Book 1 Review, Science Fiction World Deluxe Edition Book 2 Review, Salon Alan Moore Interview.

Further reading: Promethea, Ultimate Fantastic Four, DC Universe: The Stories of Alan Moore, Elephantmen, Top 10, Top 10: The Forty-Niners, Supreme.

Profiles: Alan Moore.

All comments welcome.

Books: The War at Ellsmere

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The War At Ellsmere
By Faith Erin Hicks
2008





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Juniper is a schoolgirl starting her first term at the elite Ellsmere Academy. A scholarship student from the poor side of the tracks she's laid-back but quick witted in a Daria Morgendorffer-kinda way: and she's going to need all her resources to survive the onslaughts of mean girl Emily. With a blocky art-style that's reminiscent of Bryan Lee O'Malley this is a predictable by-the-numbers tale of bullies and growing up with everything working out in just the sort of way you would expect and every character fitting into an easily defined box: the bad girl seems to be bad because that's what the story demands which makes it hard to care when it feels like people are dealing with plot mechanics instead of human beings. With no real surprises and twists you can see coming from miles off there's not much to recommend this. If it was a tv show it would be on channel 5. Must do better.

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Further reading: Mercury, Anya's Ghost, The New York Four, Scott Pilgrim, I Kill Giants, Hicksville.

All comments welcome.

Books: Grant Morrison's 18 Days

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Grant Morrison's 18 Days
Written by Grant Morrison
Art by Mukesh Singh
2010







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Well... this is a strange one. Not quite a comic book - and not quite a screenplay: but skulking somewhere in the murky in-between: this is a collection of notes, scripts, character design and artworks for an as-yet unproduced animation/webthingie/something series called "Grant Morrison's 18 Days." Pitched as "Jack Kirby doing Hindu gods" it's a western-style re-telling the story of the Mahābhārata (a Sanskrit epic of ancient India): featuring LOTR-style battles, futuristic weaponry (militarized UFOs, atomic god weapons, engraved chrome cyborgs etc) and a brief digest of the four ages of time ( Golden, Silver Age, Bronze and Iron apparently). Utilizing a "Holographic" structure (which I think is just a fancy way of saying it's going to have flashbacks and flashforwards) that - in the book at least - never really has a chance to get going (it only features 3 of a projected 18 episode run): it's sounds like it could really be something very awesome (even if it does have a tinge of the Matrix sequels to it): but - sad face - the book itself feels like someone describing a film they've seen in every exact detail - which isn't really my idea of a good time. Not that it's bad at all: There loads of beautifully rendered, highly detailed scrumptious concept art by the wicked-cool Mukesh Singh and extracts of script (really liked the sound of the fly eye perspective shot): but however ambitious and complex it is/may be - the book in-itself it's not a satisfying beginning-to-end reading experience: more something to oooooooh over and dip in-and-out of.

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Links: Heavy Interview.

Further reading: Vimanarama, 300.

Profiles: Grant Morrison.

All comments welcome.