Vol 1: Captain Trips
Written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
Art by Mike Perkins
2010
Available now from Islington Libraries
You can reserve this item for free here:
http://www.library.islington.gov.uk/TalisPrism/
Vol 2: American Nightmares
Written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
Art by Mike Perkins
2010
Available now from Islington Libraries
You can reserve this item for free here:
http://www.library.islington.gov.uk/TalisPrism/
I'm a little bit of a workoholic (it's true) so even tho I spent the weekend (and Monday) being sick I thought that - seeing how I was well enough to cycle into work - I was well enough to be in work (go me). For lunch I thought I'd treat myself and pop into the local greasy spoon and scarf myself down some hot wholesome food. And in that situation - just between you and me - this is perfect reading material.
I've not read The Stand [1] (the proper book version) but I saw the TV series with - Rob Lowe? - (checks google: yeah - this is the one - omg: Molly Ringwald was it??): and I really liked the first part when - basically - the whole world falls apart (if you don't know by now - let me just state it outright: my whole heart gets all squidgy over depictions of societal collapse be it by zombies, alien invaders or - as in this case - inadvertent biological warfare (oops). But - yeah - the bit after all that: with the magical old black grandma (or is just me or does Stephen King have a strange relationship with black people? See also: Green Mile (The)): that bit wasn't so good. So: yeah: a comic book of just the first part (Islington hasn't got the next parts yet) with all the cool bits and no worry about having to read further? And a story that I already vaguely know? And it's all about being ill anyway? Excellent: I don't know if I could have made up something better to read for that situation.
By nowhere near the best comic I've ever read: but the perfect compliment to feeling a little sickly whilst scoffing down toast and eggs and beans - the artwork is all clear and to the point - the writing only slightly giving away the fact that it was based on a book (which probably can't be helped all that much because - hey - it was based on a book). For anyone else reading it in any other space and time with varying levels of healthyness - I don't know if I would go so far to recommend it: and if you want to read The Stand - hell - maybe you should just watch The Stand (don't watch the TV series tho - the ending is really flat).
Also: what's the deal with Stephen King specifying that his big bad evil bad guy reads R. Crumb comic books?? I mean - I know that back in the day Crumb was subversive and counter-cultural: but didn't know that reading them was akin to branding yourself with the mark of the devil. What gives? Or is that just an insight to King's slight right-wing tendencies? Or what? I dunno. But it confused me.
......................................................................................................................................................
[1] The big reason for that (I guess) is because back when I was a teenager I read It from cover-to-cover (Wikipedia says it's got 1090 pages - which sounds about right) and although it had lots and lots of good bits (and even gave me a Pennywise related nightmare - which is the first and only time that a book has managed to creep into my subconscious) the end was so very very disappointing that ever since I've had an aversion to committing to any big Stephen King book (I think 400 pages is my limit).
......................................................................................................................................................
Further reading: The Dark Tower, Stephen King's N, Locke and Key, Y: The Last Man.
All comments welcome.
No comments:
Post a Comment