Books: Tank Girl: Tank Girl One

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Tank Girl
One
Written by Alan Martin
Art by Jamie Hewlett
2009



Available now from Islington Libraries
You can reserve this item for free here:
http://www.library.islington.gov.uk/TalisPrism/

Tank Girl is punk rock (three chords and you're away!) . Unfortunately for her - I'm more of a post-rock kinda guy. I like devastating noise: but I like it in carefully targeted in controlled bursts. Punk (and - hey - I'm making a general point here - so none of you take it too personally please) always seemed too over the place. Too sloppy. Too unfocused. Too senseless. And well that's why this is a comic that I've always found kinda hard to enjoy (and that's not good). To be clear tho: Tank Girl herself is great (see the Bad Reputation link below for a full run down of her majesty) and - speaking personally - one that I've always been slightly (ever so) in love with back when she was propping up Time Out covers. But (damn it) no matter how awesome a character is they've gotta have good stories to contain them - but then Tank Girl is too punk rock for that (damn her). The artwork has cool moments and well-observed touches (there's the page where Tank Girl berating/celebrating people's way with their clothes and she's standing with the soles of her feet slightly touching - and it's just seems so well observed and life-like that it makes my nerve ends sing). But - well: it's comics that probably looks better as a poster than as something you'd (as in: I'd) really want to read. But hey - acquired tastes and all that - and I would strongly urge you (if you've never sampled her delights before) to at least reading it once to see if it's something that appeals.

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Links: Bad Reputation Article: Tank Girl vs My Enemies, Grovel Review, The Hooded Utilitarian Article: Wow, We Just Don’t Care, Do We?: The Inanity of Tank Girl, ...and this made me laugh.

Further reading: Tank Girl: The Gifting, Hewligan's Haircut, Orc Stain, I Kill Giants, The Ballad of Halo Jones, Judge Dredd: The Cursed Earth Saga, Chew.

All comments welcome.

Books: Hewligan's Haircut

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Hewligan's Haircut
Art by Peter Milligan
Written by Jamie Hewlett
1991




Available now from Islington Libraries
You can reserve this item for free here:
http://www.library.islington.gov.uk/TalisPrism/

What noise is an explosion supposed to make? How exactly can you tell if you've gone insane? And - most importantly of all - can a haircut destroy the world?

According to one of our regular members Steve (hi Steve!): he was in a pub with Peter Milligan when he first came up with the idea for this book (and in fact according to Steve - it was all pretty much his idea seeing how he was the one planning on getting the haircut - altho I guess "Steve's Haircut" doesn't have quite the same ring to it - but whatever:). The idea that this book first came together in a pub makes good sense in that the whole narrative (such as it is) lumbers from place to place just like a drunk person trying to explain an alien abduction (or something).  

From the pages of 2000AD and drawn in a free-wheeling go-for-broke style by Jamie Hewlett (co-creator of Gorillaz - but you knew that already right?) Hewligan's [1] Haircut is a madcap anarchic comic full of cheap gags and zany happenings. Infused with that uniquely British sensibility mined from everyone from The Goon Show to Vic and Bob: whose main aim is to produce giggles and head-scratching. There's a threadbare story just about holding it together - but really it's just an excuse for surrealist japery and jokes about London transport. For ages 3 and up. (Also contains a bonus Judge Dredd story tucked away at the end).

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[1] It's actually pronounced "hooligan." I think. (note to everyone: I am totally totally totally rubbish when it comes to saying words out aloud that I have only ever seen written down.

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Links: Multiversity Comics Review.

Further reading: Seaguy, Tank Girl: Tank Girl One, Green Lantern: Willworld, Chew, Vimanarama.

All comments welcome.