Books: The Sandman

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The Sandman
Vol 1: Preludes and Nocturnes
Written by Neil Gaiman
Art by Sam Kieth, Mike Dringenberg, and Malcolm Jones III
1989



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The Sandman
Vol 2: The Doll's House
Written by Neil Gaiman
Art by Mike Dringenberg, Malcolm Jones III, Chris Bachalo, Michael Zulli and Steve Parkhouse
1990


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The Sandman
Vol 3: Dream Country
Written by Neil Gaiman
Art by Kelley Jones, Charles Vess, Colleen Doran and Malcolm Jones III
1990



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The Sandman
Vol 4: Season of Mists
Written by Neil Gaiman
Art by Kelley Jones, Mike Dringenberg, Matt Wagner
1991



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The Sandman
Vol 5: A Game of You
Written by Neil Gaiman
Art by Shawn McManus, Colleen Doran, Bryan Talbot, George Pratt, Stan Woch, and Dick Giordano
1992


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The Sandman
Vol 6: Fables and Reflections
Written by Neil Gaiman
Art by P. Craig Russell, Bryan Talbot, Shawn McManus, Jill Thompson
1992



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The Sandman
Vol 7: Brief Lives
Written by Neil Gaiman
Art by Jill Thompson and Vince Locke
1993



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The Sandman
Vol 8: World's End
Written by Neil Gaiman
Art by Michael Allred, Gary Amaro, Mark Buckingham, Dick Giordano
1993



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The Sandman
Vol 9: The Kindly Ones
Written by Neil Gaiman
Art by Marc Hempel, Richard Case, d'Israeli, Teddy Kristiansen, Glyn Dillon, Charles Vess, Dean Ormston, and Kevin Nowlan
1995


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The Sandman
Vol 10: The Wake
Written by Neil Gaiman
Art by Michael Zulli, Jon J. Muth, and Charles Vess
1996



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Watchmen and Batman: The Dark Knight Returns both broke new ground by showing mainstream western readers that comic books could be "taken seriously" and hit the same sorts of artistic sweet spots as other mediums (and find a few new sweet spots of it's very own) - but - ultimately both (by necessity) were still in thrall to superheroes - and however much deconstructing they did - they were still both about guys in costumes running around fighting evil. Neil Gaiman's The Sandman (and however great some of the artists who worked on this title may have been - The Sandman is very much Neil Gaiman's thing - hell - just compare and contrast his author photo to the main character) was the first and most notable major and successful series to show readers everywhere that comics could be "grown up" without the need for superheroes/superpowers/superstuff and that there was an audience out there ready and waiting for it. That's why it's "important."

But forget all that - and let me try and explain why it's very much worth reading: Firstly it's the first comic I read as a teenager with the "suggested for mature readers" tag which didn't leave me feeling bored and listless. And while maybe that's more about me than about The Sandman I'm going to use it to make the following point: it has got lots of 'clever-clever' stuff going on and plenty of hardcore references to classic tomes and legends and myths of old to send shivers of delight up the shine of English Literature students (which is a cool - and something I learnt to appreciate as I grew up): but it's still got enough drama and interest and - hell - cool things (off the top of the head: Gods bidding against each other for the key to Hell, a 14th Century solider who decides that he's not going to die and the (mostly true) history of Joshua Abraham Norton, first, last and only Emperor of the United States of America) to keep people unaware of all that stuff hooked on reading it (ie my sullen teenage self) - which is a roundabout way of saying that the one thing that The Sandman is and the thing it does best: is stories and the stories are good.

Which brings us to the second point - which is: not only are the stories good - but they're also wide and far-reaching. So you get stories from Africa, Arabia, The Far East, Legends, Shakespeare, Faerie, The World of The Dead, Cats, Cities, etc and so on - all combining together to form a patchwork that covers pretty much as much as you could hope for. With enough variety to make sure you're always freshly entranced and never giving you a chance to be - well - bored.

The third thing is what ties it altogether: as I realise that I haven't really said what The Sandman is 'about.' The central character, the Sandman himself: Dream, Lord Morpheus, Oneiroi etc - the (mostly) human personification of dreams and - yep - stories. Presiding over each instalment - sometimes as the guy leading the action and sometimes as a shadowy presence hovering at the edges. He's the one - along with his equally momentous brothers and sisters - who gives the series it's constant personality and while individual humans might flitter in and out and grab some time in the spotlight in the stories within The Sandman - the story of The Sandman is his. But it's only revealed slowly and in a way that means that - unlike most long-running comic series - there are plenty of books you can start from. If you want to be proper - you can start from the start and 'Preludes and Nocturnes.' You should know however that' it's the Pablo Honey of The Sandman books - in that it takes it's while to find it's feet - and features distracting cameos from some of the superbeings from the rest of the DC Universe (although that doesn't last for long). It does have some breakthrough hits in the shape of - "24 Hours" and "The Sound of Her Wings" (which is the point when the book finally comes into it's own). Better places to start - if you just want to try it out - are the anthology volumes: Dream Country, Fables and Reflections and Worlds' End. These books - whilst in some small subtle ways contribute to the overall arc - serve as short story collections that can be easily picked up and dipped into and feature the wide range of styles, moods and tones mentioned above. Then there are the Sandman stories that comprise the main meat of the epic: The Doll's House, Seasons of Mist and A Game of You. Each of these books contain their own big story - which can be enjoyed by themselves without any reference to the rest of the series - and can be pretty much read in any order (although they do have some tangential links). Brief Lives, The Kindly Ones and The Wake are the final stretch and really should be read in order (with World's End fitting in-between). Compulsory mention of the art (although the writing is really what it's about): it does vary quite a bit and the best thing to say about most of it is that it's functional. (Sorry people).

Summing up: I don't want to go overboard with the hyperbole because otherwises - if you're one of the ones approaching it for the first time - there's a risk it won't be able to live up to it. But - well - The Sandman is a magical series in all the best senses - it's heartfelt, wise and moving with a light touch that will slowly but surely break your heart and then fix it back together again. Recommended as much as I possibly can. The kind of book that (somehow) makes your life better just by the mere virtue of reading it. And (rubbish final sentence alert): it reads like a dream.

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Links: Grand Hotel Abyss Essay on The Sandman, Too Busy Thinking About My Comics Article Part 1 / Part 2, Comics Girl Revisiting The Sandman, NPR Dream Country Book Club Talk Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4, Weird Tales Sandman Article / Weird Tales Review Vol 1 / Vol 2 / Vol 3 / Vol 4 / Vol 5 / Vol 6 / Vol 7 / Vol 8 / Vol 9 / Vol 10, The M0vie Blog Review of Absolute Sandman Vol 1 / Vol 2 / Vol 3 / Vol 4, The Oncoming Hope: Re-Blogging The Sandman, The Hooded Utilitarian Sandman Articles, AV Club Back Issues Vol 1 / Vol 2 / Vol 3 / Vol 4 / Vol 5 / Vol 6 / Vol 7 / Vol 8 / Vol 9 / Vol 10.

Further reading: Death: The High Cost of Living, Death: The Time of Your Life, The Sandman: The Dream Hunters, The Sandman: Endless Nights, Cages, Habibi, Swamp Thing, Lucifer, Fables, Hellboy, I Kill Giants, Planetary, Watchmen, Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere. 

Profiles: Neil Gaiman, Bryan Talbot.

All comments welcome.

Books: Last Day in Vietnam

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Last Day in Vietnam
By Will Eisner
2000





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Made up from several short stories that give you small snatches of action (and inaction) in the American wars in Vietnam and Korea - this is a moving and darkly humorous take on the ins and outs of army life that runs the full gauntlet of emotion from cowardice to heroism from lust to friendship. Most of the stories may only last a few pages - but that's just testimony to how skilled Eisner can be in getting his point across whilst locking you straight into the heart of the characters. Drawn in an inviting sepia-tone that gives the art a warm feeling that is then expertly under-cut by the dangers and craziness within - this is a comic resists the urges of more gung-ho war books and instead puts forward it's reality in a way that's always clear, concise and to the point.

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Links: The Comics Get Serious Review

Further reading: Alex's War, Battlefields, A Contract with God: and Other Tenement Stories.

All comments welcome.

Books: Civil War

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The Road To Civil War
Written by Brian Michael Bendis and J. Michael Straczynski
Art by Alex Maleev, Mike McKone, Ron Garney and Tyler Kirkham
2007




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Civil War
Written by Mark Millar
Art by Steve McNiven
2007




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Superheroes spend their time fighting bad guys. That's how it works. That's what they do. Fighting each other? The only time they tend to do that is when one of them is tricked by something or brainwashed or something: so the only reason Spider-Man is fighting Captain America is because he's been taken over by an evil space hamster or whatever: but in those cases - even tho they both look like good guys - one of them is secretly bad (clue: that's the one being controlled by the evil space hamster). But what if? What if there was something that made all the superheroes turn against each other that didn't mean that one side was in the wrong? That had good guy squaring up against good guy over a cause where the answer wasn't certain and everyone had just as much as a point as everyone else? Civil War was Marvel's 2006-2007 crossover storyline that turned things on their heads and friend against friend in a way that - for once - made things feel weighted because the conflicts all came from stuff that you already knew was imbedded within each character. Iron Man believes in the government. Captain America believes in moral absolutes. Spider-Man believes in his friends and family. And The Punisher believes in punishing (duh). Don't expect anykind of intellectual political intrigue or anything like that - it's still just people in costumes beating each other up: but it's one of those rare times that you might actually find yourself wanting both sides to win/both sides to lose. Which definitely counts as somesort of achievement.

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Links: GraphiContent Review, The M0vie Blog Review, Freedom versus Security: The Basic Human Dilemma from 9/11 to Marvel’s Civil War, Daily Skew Review, Film Fodder Review, NY Times Article.

Further reading: House of M, Secret Invasion, Dark Reign, Seige, The Avengers, Thunderbolts: Faith in Monsters / Caged Monsters, Iron Man: The Invincible Iron Man, Kingdom Come.

Profiles: Brian Michael Bendis, Mark Millar.

All comments welcome.

Books: American Splendor: The Best of American Splendor

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American Splendor: The Best of American Splendor
Written by Harvey Pekar
Art by Robert Crumb, Kevin Brown, Greg Budgett, Sean Carroll, Sue Cavey, Gary Dumm, Val Mayerik and Gerry Shamray
2005



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Harvey Pekar was one of the first people to seriously approach comic books as a medium for expressing not the fantastical or the childlike - but the mundane and the everyday - and all the countless unremarked moments of adult life ("ah, fresh bread!"). Using his own life as inspiration Pekar constructed stories that - if you're being nice: resisted easy answers and pat resolutions / or if you're being mean: don't go anywhere or do anything. If you're searching for a book that is full of immediate slice of life tales that take pleasure from being lost in their own thoughts - then you should give Harvey a try. He's an acquired taste - but one that a great many people have taken a liking to and seeing how most of the stories in this collection only last a few pages at most - it's perfect for dipping into and finding out for yourself if he's your thing.

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Links: Guy.com Article on Harvey Peker, AV Club Article on Harvey Peker, Review Graveyard Review.

Further reading: The Quitter, The Beats: A Graphic History, American Splendor presents: Bob and Harv's Comics, American Splendor: Another Dollar, Wilson, Make Me A Woman, Breakdowns.

All comments welcome.

Authors/Artists: Brian Michael Bendis

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Brian Michael Bendis
August 18, 1967
Cleveland, Ohio









"Prolific" doesn't quite sum it up. This guy writes a lot. And (damn him) he's very, very good - especially in his dialogue writings which far surpasses pretty much everyone else out there (the only people I can think of who has such an attuned ear to modern speech cadences is Joss Whedon and Andrew Sorkin). Although he dabbled in being an artist at the start of his career (check out Goldfish) he soon graduated to being a full time writer steadily working his way up the graphic novel food-chain until reaching the highest heights working as Marvel's head writer and over-seeing all of the big tent-pole summer events including: House of M, Secret Invasion, Dark Reign and Siege. But if the thought of bright-coloured spandex comics leaves you cold - then I'd recommend you try his earlier stuff - like the dark and moody Goldfish. Or (even better) - there's the amazingly excellent Powers (which straddles the line between the two extremes)with it's melding of police procedural and superheros constantly shifting into fresh and exciting new shapes.

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Links: Comics Journal Article, Comics Journal Interview, AV Club Interview.

Selected works: Goldfish, Powers, Daredevil (2001 - 2006), Ultimate Fantastic Four, Ultimate X-Men, Ultimate Spider-Man, Road to Civil War, The Avengers: The New Avengers (2005 - 2010), House of M, Spider-Woman: Origin, The Avengers: The New Avengers: Illuminati, Secret Invasion, Spider-Woman: Agent of S.W.O.R.D., Dark Reign, Siege, Takio, Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man (2010 - 2011), Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man: Death of Spider-Man, The Avengers: The Avengers (2011 - 2012), Ultimate Comics: Doomsday, Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man (2012).

All comments welcome.

Books: Alice in Sunderland

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Alice in Sunderland
By Bryan Talbot
2007





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"What is the use of a book, without pictures or conversations?" Indeed. Well... This is a book that's ambitious, accomplished and astounding in all sorts of clever ways - although it won't be everyone's cup of tea. But for Mackems, history buffs, fans of Iain Sinclair style "psycho-geography," Alice in Wonderland devotes (obviously) - and people curious to see just how far you can expand the limits of the kinds of things you do with comics - you're going to find plenty to fall in love with. Taking the form of a lecture delivered from the stage of Sunderland’s Empire Theatre it's a book without any sort of story - but more a lazy (but nonetheless immensely informative) dreamy amble around tit-bits of information about the life of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, the gestation of the most famous children's story of all time and how it all relates to the magical city of Sunderland. Packed full to bursting with tit-bits of interesting facts and startling connections and the uniformly stunning artwork which is and utilizes a cut up effect that mixes black and white with colour reproductions of old documents and photos. I should say that for me - the effects were similar to climbing a mountain - which left me feeling like the whole thing was a chore - and the not the giddy delight that I was expecting (which maybe makes it my fault more than the book): but for those willing to scale it's daunting heights then there are lots of playful jokes and twisty diversions that will appeal to those with more cultured brains than my own (my poor head).

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Links: Down the Tubes Interview with Bryan Talbot, Gad, Sir! Comics! Review, Guardian Review, Boing Boing Review, Vector Review, Jog The Blog Review.

Further reading: Logicomix, The Adventures of Luther Arkwright, Don Quixote, The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy Gentleman, The Tale of One Bat Rat.

Profiles: Bryan Talbot.

All comments welcome

Books: The Authority

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The Authority
Vol 1: Relentless
Written by Warren Ellis
Art by Bryan Hitch and Paul Neary
2000



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The Authority
Vol 2: Under New Management
Written by Warren Ellis and Mark Millar
Art by Bryan Hitch, Paul Neary, Frank Quietly and Trevor Scott
2001



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The Authority
Vol 3: Earth Inferno and Other Stories
Written by Mark Millar
Art by Frank Quietly and Chris Weston
2002



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The Authority
Vol 4: Transfer of Power
Written by Mark Millar and Tom Peyer
Art by Frank Quietly, Dustin Nguyen, Arthur Adams, Gary Erskine, Trevor Scott, Richard Friend, Jason Martin, Derek Fridolfs, and Tim Townsend
2002


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Led by Jenny Sparks - the spirit of the Twentieth Century (who bears a striking resemblance to Kate Moss) and flaked by Apollo and the Midnighter (who bear a striking resemblance to that guy with the cape and that other guy in the cowl) plus a woman made of liquid metal, the shaman of the Earth and the God of cities oh - and a woman has wings (is that all?) The Authority are the Britpop of superhero teams: taking lots of well-worn moves and replaying them (in a quintessentially nineties way), with more attitude, bigger and way louder than everyone else. Using an impressive bunch of tricks to stimulate that feeling you get watching a big budget, over-blown Hollywood blockbuster (dubbed "widescreen" comics by those who know) this is a book that reveals completely in making things explode and - with Warren Ellis writing it as least - it always wants you to know just how much all the characters love being superheroes and doing wild and crazy things ("I love this!" being the most frequent line of dialogue). Although the first time you read it all feels "new" - the character relationships are the same thing you get with every other superhero team out there (and everyone always has a snazzy one liners etc) what makes The Authority different is that unlike other books of the same ilk - it really likes taking it's time with it's action sequences - and it really likes blowing them up to ever more absurd scales. It starts off small - with blowing up cities - and then starts zooming out until they're travelling through the veins of God. Then - with the writing duties handed over to Mark Millar - things take a turn for the political (or - as political as a mainstream superhero comic can get) when they start to realise that after they save the world - they don't actually have to restore things to the way they were before ("Because traditional superheroes always put the flag back on top of the White House, don’t they?"). And with the help of the ever reliable Frank Quitely (who's probably the best artist out there for detailed superhero artwork that never skimps on energy or legibility). Probably the best action comic out there. If you haven't already - it's well worth having a try.

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Links: Wicker Man Studios Mark Millar Interview, Bleeding Cool: Unexpurgated Gay Times Mark Millar Interview, The M0vie Blog Review of Absolute Authority Vol 1 / The M0vie Blog Review of Absolute Authority Vol 2, Zubon Review of Vol 1, Ninth Art Review of Vol 2, Mindless Ones Article: TALES FROM THE MILLARDROME: Monument to a Forgotten Future.

Further reading: The Boys, Black Summer, Planetary, The Ultimates, Nemesis, No Hero, Thunderbolts: Faith in Monsters / Caged Angels, Marvel Boy, The Avengers: The New Avengers: Illuminati.

Profiles: Warren Ellis, Mark Millar, Chris Weston, Frank Quitely. 

All comments welcome.

Books: Supermarket

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Supermarket
Written by Brian Wood
Art by Kristian Donaldson
2006




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With brightly coloured artwork that will dazzle your eyes with it's rich tones of pinks, oranges, greens and purples - this is a lovely-looking comic that unfortunately falls down slightly on the writing side: Brian Wood (the man responsible for DMZ and Demo) spins a story that at first seemed to be mounting some-sort of clever take on the experience of living in a world where everything is for sale (life is like a supermarket? or something?) - but it's over-reliance on standard gangster clichés and action scenes that look very nice - but go nowhere - means that it's ends up feeling like a fast food meal: tastes great - but full of empty calories. Oh well.

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Links: Graphic Novel Review, Comic Book Resources Article.

Further reading: Demo, DMZ.

All comments welcome.

Books: Nikolai Dante: The Romanov Dynasty

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Nikolai Dante: The Romanov Dynasty
Written by Robbie Morrison
Art by Simon Fraser
2004




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Bojemoi! Welcome to the year 2666 - home to Nikolai Dante (thief, ladies man and general all round scoundrel) and the settings of some of the most rip-roaring, action-packed, swashbuckling space opera around. From the pages 2000AD (the must read for every British teenager) this a comic with no pretensions and no scruples: there's Abraxian Shapeshifters, gene-scans, triune armour, bio-weapons, nanotechnology and lots and lots of fighting. The artwork is very cool - drawn with plenty of lines that gives it a strange digital edge and all the Russian stylings give it a unique feel that you don't much get elsewhere - and as for Dante himself: well - everyone loves a lovable rouge and even if he's not the most three-dimensional character out there - at least he's got plenty of good lines to make up for it: ("I'm too cool to kill." being my particular favourite). If you're curious and want to join the fray this is the book where it all starts - so you don't have any excuses.

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Links: Tearoom of Despair Article: The Adventures of Nikolai Dante.

Further reading: Judge Dredd: The Complete Case Files 03, Just a Pilgrim, Saga, Sláine: The Horned God, Prophet, Thor: The Mighty Avenger.

All comments welcome.

Events: Islington Comic Forum 2011/08

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The next Islington Comic Forum is on:
Tuesday the 30th of August.
6:00pm to 7:30pm.
Upstairs Hall at North Library Manor Gardens N7 6JX
Here is a map.

Meet and talk with other members. Hear recommendations. Tell us what you think. And a selection of over 100 hand-picked titles for you to borrow and take home.

The Book of the Month is:
Death Note Vol 1: Boredom
Written by Tsugumi Ohba. Art by Takeshi Obata.
If you get a chance please read it. You can reserve yourself a copy here. (For those of you that don't get the chance - don't worry - you can still come and join in with the discussions).

You can find us on facebook here.
And join in with the discussions here.
For more information (or if you have any questions) you can email us here .
Come and join us. All welcome.
Hope to see you there.

All comments welcome. 

Books: Iron Man: Extremis

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Iron Man: Extremis
Written by Warren Ellis
Art by Adi Granov
2007




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"DMT interests me because it gets to a place beyond your memory stores. You know something like sixty percent of people have the same hallucinations on DMT? Terence McKenna, rest his soul, called them "self-transforming machine elves." Yes. This is an Iron Man comic that has Tony Stark go up against 21st Century terrorists every bit as powerful as he is - with car crashing action, fiery fights to the death and lots of cool gadgets and nano-technology stuff and - but because it's written by Warren Ellis you also get trippy dialogue that deals with the relationships between drugs, human potential and the shape of the future - plus an interview conducted by a left-wing journalist called "John Pillinger." All this - plus a retelling of his origin story which it then overwrites - updating and redefining the Iron Man concept in exciting new ways as well as probing into Tony Stark's psyche and showing just what he has to do to be able to look at himself in the mirror. The artwork does have a peculiar computer-generated sheen - that at the start is a little off-putting - but it's a good match for the voltaic story and helps it stand apart from it's superhero contemporaries and helps to place it in new places in your head. The best Iron Man story out there (as consistently voted for by the fans) and the ideal place for new readers to start.

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Links: Comics Bulletin Review, The M0vie Blog Review.

Further reading: Iron Man: The Invincible Iron Man, The Ultimates, Ultimate Comics: Iron Man: Armor Wars, Ultimate Galactus Trilogy.

Profiles: Warren Ellis.

All comments welcome.

Books: Animal Man

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Animal Man
Vol 1
Written by Grant Morrison
Art by Chas Truog, Tom Grummett and Doug Hazlewood






Sorry. This item is currently unavailable from Islington Libraries.

Animal Man
Vol 2: Origin of the Species
Written by Grant Morrison
Art by Chas Truog, Tom Grummett, Doug Hazlewood, Steve Montano, and Mark McKenna



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Animal Man
Vol 3: Deus Ex Machina
Written by Grant Morrison
Art by Chas Truog, Tom Grummett, Doug Hazlewood, Steve Montano, and Mark McKenna



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No offence to Animal Man - but when you first hear the premise - it's pretty goofy. Buddy Baker is an ordinary guy until the day he gets exploded on by an extraterrestrial spaceship - which - duh - grants him the power of animals (Eyes of the Hawk, Ears of the Wolf, Strength of the Bear, Speed of the Puma etc). Obviously he decides to wear a bright orange suit with a blue "A" on his chest and fight crime - because hey - it was the sixties and that's what people do in superhero comics. Unsurprisingly he never managed to reach the popular heights of Batman and Superman and all that lot and instead ended up as member of the "Forgotten Heroes" (who also included such has-beens as: Resurrection Man, Calvin "Cave" Carson and Congo Bill). In case you couldn't tell from that - the original creators weren't exactly aiming for subtly or philosophical deepness - just an excuse for adventures, fights and empty-headed mayhem but that all changed following DCs Crisis on Infinite Earths event (which once you get past it's epic storytelling nonsense was basically just an excuse to clean house and reboot it's titles) - when they decided to give the storytelling reins to the fresh-faced, head-full-of-hair, animal rights champion Grant Morrison. At first given a limited four issue run Morrison decided to try to bring out the human side of Animal Man and show the strange stresses and unremarked upon consequences that can result when someone with magical powers decides to put a mask and fight for what they believe is right and then with an ever-expanding readership and increased run - he started to cut loose and go down some pretty freaky tunnels (as well as the usual "animal rights" angles). The Brian Bolland cover to the second volume sums it up beautifully without the need for words but - well: this is a careful unpicking and unravelling of the underpinnings of the superhero comic - but garnished with enough mysteries and thrills to keep it away from being a dry and dull academic exercise: it's deconstruction with the juicy bits left in. There's also this small moment in the third volume with an empty chair that kind of blew my mind (watch out for it) plus "I can see you."

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Links: Blog Critics Article: A Fine Pyrrhonism; or, (Put Your) Faith in Crisis, Fourth Age of Comics Review of Animal Man #5, For The Birds Analysis, Comic Addicts Review of Vol 1 / Comic Addicts Review of Vol 2 / Comic Addicts Review of Vol 3, Fourth Age of Comics Animal Man Retrospective: Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3.

Further reading: Doom Patrol, Swamp Thing, Promethea, The Boys, Justice League: A New Beginning.

Profiles: Grant Morrison.

All comments welcome.

Books: American Born Chinese

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American Born Chinese
by Gene Luen Yang
2006





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Finalist in the National Book Awards. Winner of the Michael L. Printz Award. Winner of the Eisner Award for Best Graphic Album: New. First graphic novel recognized by the National Book Foundation. This is certainly a comic that has gained a lot of love from a lot of people - and it's easy to see why: The artwork and presentation (lots of white spaces) is bold, clear and easy to get to grips with (kinda reminded me of the Cartoon Network: Powerpuff Girls, Dexter's Laboratory etc) - but it's simplicity contains a lot of storytelling nuance. Cleverly combining old school Chinese mythology with being the new kid at school tribulations and taking in universal themes of being "different," trying to fit in, being yourself, friendship, racism, romance etc in a lots of unexpected ways and couching lots of painful emotions with lots of nice little jokes that cut deep ("What do you want to be when you grow up?" "A Transformer.") this is a comic that can be enjoyed by the young and old alike with a winning formula for mixing the old with the new: like being told a story by a favourite wise old grandfather who also knows how to beat all your computer game high scores and plenty of top secret Kung Fu moves.

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Links: The Comics Journal Review, Read About Comics Review.

Further reading: Anya's Ghost, Buddha, Lost at Sea, Blankets, Blue Pills, Solanin.

All comments welcome.

Books: Batman: All Star Batman and Robin

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Batman: All Star Batman and Robin
Written by Frank Miller
Art by Jim Lee
2008




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Ok. First came - in 1986 - The Dark Knight Returns - surpassingly the last Batman story: Bruce Wayne comes out of retirement to do battle with his foes one last time, it's amazing, it changes the industry, wins loads of awards etc. Then in 1987 there was Batman: Year One - the first Batman story: how Bruce Wayne became Batman and how it all got started, very moody, artwork by David Mazzucchelli (now famous for Asterios Polyp) one of the supposed inspiration for Christopher Nolan's Batman films, also very good (if a little short). Then: in 2001 we have the Dark Knight Returns sequel - The Dark Knight Strikes Again - which is the last, last Batman story - and introduces for the first time Dick Grayson (who it's fair to say seems to have some issues with Bruce Wayne): it sales well - but lots of people complain and say it's not enough like The Dark Knight Returns (oh well). Which brings us to this: All Star Batman and Robin. The prequel to Dark Knight Returns/Strikes Back and the sequel to Batman: Year One: and the story of how Dick Grayson got started. You don't have to read all of them other books to get into this (and the tone's vary wildly between them): but they do all refer to each other in lots of nice little ways and they're all well worth getting into. But anyway: what I wanted to say: judging from the shrill voices on the internet lots of people hate this book (even more so than The Dark Knight Strikes Again) and a lot of that can be reduced to one line of dialogue: "I'm the Goddamn Batman." (see: knowyourmeme): although the negative response that greeted that one line apparently just inspired Miller to use it in every subsequent issue (God bless him).

I know it's lazy to just cut and paste from other people's reviews but what the hey: "absurdly bad, faux-noir dialogue," "one of the biggest train wrecks in comics history," "a comic series that just spirals deeper and deeper into the abyss of unreadable. I understand Miller's need to re-invent, but this is just badly done and in poor taste... Frank Miller has stripped Batman of all of his dignity, class, and honour. This isn't the Dark Knight; this is Dirty Harry in a cowl. The worst part is that this is exactly what Batman isn't about.. "In one fell swoop, Miller has erased all the good he did for Batman with The Dark Knight Returns and Batman: Year One. All of that is just gone." Maybe these people have a point and it sure sounds like they had an awful time reading this book: but I loved it. I thought that Batman was supposed to be Dirty Harry in cowl. I thought part of the fun was watching him doing insane things and laughing his head off. And I thought that everyone already knew that he's ruthless, mean with a malicious fascist-streak running through the inside. (no? oh well). Like Batman: Year One the artwork isn't Frank Miller but instead is handled by superstar artist Jim Lee (one of the founders of Image Comics) and proponent of an art-style that was everywhere in 1990s and I like to think of as "American Manga": it's very in-your-face, arty and stylized and makes an ideal match to Miller's hard boiled and excessive writing style. Also - you should know that this was originally intended to be two volumes long - but - apparently because Jim Lee had problems sticking to the deadline - so it was put on "hiatus" - and well hopefully be concluded under the new name "Dark Knight: Boy Wonder."

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Links: 4th Letter Posts on how "Frank Miller Owns Batman", Comics Alliance Article: The Grand Unified Theory of Frank Miller's Batman: Will, Hope and Tenderness, Jog The Blog Review, Atop The Fourth Wall Review of #1 and #2, Comic Book Resources Review, Sean T Collins Review.

Further reading: Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again, Batman: Year One, Superman: All Star Superman.

Profiles: Frank Miller.

All comments welcome.

Books: Phonogram

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Phonogram
Volume 1: Rue Britannia
Written by Kieron Gillen
Art by Jamie McKelvie
2007



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Phonogram
Volume 2: The Singles Club
Written by Kieron Gillen
Art by Jamie McKelvie
2009



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Raised on a diet of broken biscuits: Combining the world of Britpop with the world of Magic or ("phonomancy" as they call it here) Phonogram recreates the feel of a late-night in Camden listening to jangly guitar music, whilst supping on a pint and trying to decide once and for all who was better - Blur or Oasis? Split across two volumes that each can be read in any order - volume 1 (in sulky black and white) dealing with the adventures of David Kohl - trying his best to find out what happened to the Mod-Goddess of Britpop whilst at the same time doing his best deal with his murky past and retain his cool, while volume 2 (in playful colour) views a night called "Never On A Sunday" from multiple angles: from a dancing queen to a fanzine writer. For me it's all a little bit too indie and anoraky and slightly on the wrong side of twee (it makes perfect sense that Eddie Argos is a fan) - but if you've been looking for a comic that captures those first few seconds of your favourite song, along with a few good jokes about Echobelly and "4 Real" written on it's arm (albeit in biro): then this one's for you.

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Links: Comics Alliance Interview with Kieron Gillen, The Hooded Utilitarian Article: Phonogram: Journey to the Past.

Further reading: Suburban Glamor, Lost at Sea, Chew, Xombi. 

All comments welcome.

Books: Solanin

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Solanin
By Inio Asano
2008





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I've always had a bit of an idealised view of Anime and Manga stuff (or really - to call it more what it actually is: cultural envy). Back when I was still wee - BBC 2 showed Akira at like midnight o'clock (or something) and I swear after it was finished and I was lying in bed trying to fall back asleep I could feel my scalp crackling with electricity and the insides of my brain swimming around with - you know - thoughts of the infinite and stuff like that. And since that point - I dunno: I always thought that Japan was were where things were at - culturally speaking: so while we tend to get rehashes of one good cop going up against a broken system or reluctant heros in the wrong place at the wrong time - on the other side of the world there's generations of people being entertained by widescreen epic space adventures and giant robots being piloted by wise-cracking kids.

Of course now I've grown up (a little) I realise that maybe that's not quite true. I mean - I guess it's like if a Japanese teen saw 2001: A Space Odyssey and assumed that all western films were about the evolution of mankind mixed together with smooth-talking sociopathic computers but still - there were quite a few days when I would go the big HMV on Oxford Street and walk through the Anime section wishing that I could watch it all [1].

But - like with all things - 90% of Manga just aren't - well - that good. Upstairs in the children's library that I'm based at there's a whole wall of pocket-sized manga books: Fruits Basket, Dragon Ball, Beet the Vandel Buster, Bleach and stuff like that [3]. And - ok - out of those the only one I've ever really tried was Fruits Basket (I wanted to read them all and put up an entry on this blog - but I just couldn't deal with it - the art was too simple for me or the humour was sailing over my head or something) but - well - (I'll try not to sound too condescending when I say this) - they're more like stuff for kids (and I realise that it doesn't make any sense (at all) to judge a whole medium just by the stuff that's on the shelf in one children's library in London but it's more like I'm using it as a specific example to stand in for years of disappointment on not being able to find something that manages to touch my insides in the same way as Akira did all those years ago [4]).

But the point I'm trying to get to is this: every time I pick up any type of Manga - my exceptions are always just a little bit higher than where they would be if it was just an American comic book. Like - it's not just enough that it tells me a somekind of story: it's like I'm also expecting something that's going to take me to the edge of the sublime (or something).

And so then: Solanin.

Meiko Inoue ("I'm just not cut out to be a productive member of society.") is a young, despondent, twenty-something living in Tokyo - doing her best to get by - and trying not to think too hard about the expiry date on her freedom (there's a nice touch near the start where she talks how the sky looked when she first arrived in Tokyo and how it looks a year later). Growing up and slowly moving forward with herself and her frazzled boyfriend Taneda while trying to find some sort of sweet spot between "slaving for the man" (and losing your humanity) and - well - having enough money in order to buy enough food to eat - this self-described "creature of a consumer society" spends her days waiting for an epiphany (sorry - "her epiphany") and wishing death on everyone she sees on the morning commute (yep - I know that feeling). Like her friend says: "Wow... You're scary... You're almost 24, but you really have no idea." Which in comics terms I guess puts her halfway between Halo Jones and Ghost World's Enid Coleslaw and Rebecca Doppelmeyer: that is to say: the whole world (and the rest of her life) is out there waiting for her - the only problem is - she hasn't decided yet what she wants to do with it.

(I don't wanna sound too much (or really - at all) like some kind of clueless cultural tourist who only enjoy something if it's "authentically real" or whatever ("Yeah dude: this is the exactly way that the ancient Aztecs used to jet-ski"): but seeing how I know it's an issue from trying to recommend to someone at the Comic Forum ("You have to read it right to left? Oh man - no thanks!") I feel I have to mention that - yes - you have to start at the "back" of the book and read it in a kinda counter-intuitive back-to-front sort of way. But also: hey - that's how it was written and once you start reading it won't be long until the story draws you in so completely that you'll forget all about it and (damn it) it's nice knowing that you are reading something that's authentically different and I like how i sorta rejigs your brain so that it's reprocessing information in a new way [5]).

Made up from several interwoven vignettes - that float weightlessly between character to character - until they slowly join forces and bloom this is a top-notch book perfectly capturing the strange stumbling transition into the adulthood and the mixed feelings and emotions that can hit you along the way. When it starts there are a few bumps as it seems to flirt around different genres before it decides what it wants to be - is it going to go down the horror route ("There is a demon lurking in Tokyo") or will it opt instead for somesort of board comedy thing (see the toupées literally flying off the top of people's heads)? Don't fret - just relax and let it find it's groove: it knows what it's doing - trust me.

Yes - some of the characters can be a little bit too earnest at points ("This flat, boring, ambiguous world can't inspire any real songs... Just over-produced crap that has no meaning.") but then that's how people tend to speak when they're too young to know any better (to which I'd guess Meiko would respond: "Ugh! Grown-ups are so gross!"). But - whatever - it's all so exquisitely drawn and effortlessly flipping from the abstract (well you know maybe "abstract" is the wrong word - I guess I mean whatever the right word to describe the semi-cartoony faces like the one on the cover above: "not quite real" maybe) to the photorealistic (check out the gorgeously rendered pictures of living rooms, bridges and cityscapes [6]). Light on it's feet and miraculous in it's effects (I like the way that when someone is talking the panels won't feel the need to stick with just their faces but will float around to stare at the ceiling and things like that): basically - it's a must-read for anyone who's ever been unsure about how to decide what shape they wanted their life to take (I mean - come on - every human alive has spent too much time worrying about all the paths they didn't take - right?) or ever believed in - you know - the power of music to reach some small semblance of - well - grace. (Grace is a good word) [8]

I mean - it feels like I'm just spilling out words from a thesaurus here but (damn it) Solanin is potent, fervent and - yeah - magical in how it reaches further inside and cuts deeper than most all of the other books out there (comic or no): building up to a climax that - altho it doesn't manage to level any cities or restart the Universe in the same way as Akira did - is equally as powerful and equally as memorable.

Any yeah - by the end: I didn't even care it was Manga and I didn't care where it came from. I just knew that it was good and I loved it.

You owe it to yourself to give it a try.

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[1] The problem being that back before the internet was really a thing - all I really had to go on was gut instinct and isolated recommendations - which is how I ended up spending - oh my god I think it was twenty quid? - on Casshern (which admittedly did have a really cool cover - although the fact that it praises itself as being "better than both Matrix sequels put together" should have tipped me off a little): which is a film that I took home - invited a whole bunch of my friends around to watch and then the next week tossed in the bin. (Interestingly it says on the wikipedia page that: "The subtitles are almost universally criticized by fans for being enormously incomplete. On several occasions they are lacking entirely; when they do appear they often completely differ from the dialogue or oversimplify it to such a degree that key plot elements and the overall force of the story are diminished." - so maybe it was the subtitle people that were at fault? I dunno - all I know is that I never want to watch it again) [2].

[2] And that thing about the subtitles makes me wonder how accurate the words are in Solanin and just how they managed to sneak in the small (yet delightful) bits of word play here and there ("You gotta say 'Forgive Me'!!" "Give me.")?

[3] Also: Death Note which I'm not including in that list because - erm - actually: Death Note is really good and I would recommend it to just about anyone. So - it doesn't really fit in with the point I'm trying to make. So... Yeah.

[4] Apart from - yeah - all those Studio Ghibli films like: Laputa: Castle in the Sky, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Spirited Away and stuff like that. Also: Neon Genesis Evangelion. Plus (you know) Perfect Blue. Oh: and Steamboy and a few of the shorts in that Animatrix collection. Apart from all of those - nothing.

[5] And yeah - I know that for those of you that have grown up reading Manga since you were little (and there is a reason that there's so many Manga books in the children's library - some kids really seem to have a thirst for it in the same way that - well - they don't have for superhero books...) that I sound hopelessly square making any kind of deal about the way you have to read it ("Did you know that you can get the internet on computers now?"): but what the hey: better to admit it rather than just pretend it's not there? (Although the question is: why didn't I mention this with the other books on the blog that read from right to left?  Hmmmmm. Ok then - so maybe let's just cut things off here...)

[6] I mean I know that pretty much all Manga does this [7] - but still - it does it better than most.

[7] Oh: and can someone please tell me how it is exactly that so many Manga books are able to render backgrounds in such a realistic way? Is it because they're all amazing artists? Or do they just trace them from photographs? Or they have bigger teams of people working on their comics? I mean I know it just says "Inio Asano" on the cover but maybe there's a whole bunch of uncredited artists working behind the scenes like with Damien Hirst and Antony Gormley and people like that? Or maybe "Inio Asano" is the name of a collective and not just one person? Or what? I need to know the reason why particularly every other page I have to stop and utter a sigh at the total coolness of the intricate detail of the artwork....

[8] And it's always a good trick to write a comic (or hell - even a book) about people playing music. As long as you get the pictures right (and I'd say that Solanin beats any other comic book out there (yes - even Scott Pilgrim even) for having the best pictures of people playing music) your head will always rush in to fill the gap and promise you that it's best song you've never heard (will never hear): which is both kinda cool and kinda frustrating - I just want to hear what it sounds like! (Altho - seeing how there's a film based on the comic (trailer here) it would actually be possible to get at least - well - one person's interpretation of what the music in the comic sounds like: but (grrr) for now I'm gonna try and resist the urge to find out...).

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Links: Equisite Things Review, Full Stop Review.

Further reading: Scott Pilgrim, I Kill Giants, A Distant Neighbourhood, 7 Billion Needles, Buddha, Uzumaki, Joe The Barbarian, Death Note, Black Hole, Anya's Ghost, American Born Chinese, The Ballad of Halo Jones, Ghost World.

All comments welcome.

Books: The Photographer

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The Photographer
By Emmanuel Guibert
2009





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With a laudatory quote on the cover from UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie ("A breathtaking journey through the best and worst humanity has to offer in times of war.") and even more praise from dignified luminaries on the back (everyone from Khaled Hosseini to Boing Boing) I was expecting a worthy, boring, stagnant book with nothing much to offer beyond obvious platitudes and trite "circle-of-life" type stuff. I was wrong. Following the journey of Didier Lefevre a naive French photojournalist who joins a group from Doctors without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (or the "MSF" as they're referred to in the book) on an eventful trip into Afghanistan - 1986 at the height of the Soviet occupation this is a comic that is inventive, informative (but not in any kind of preachy way) and - especially in the last third - as exciting and heart-pounding as anything else out there. With a unique style that stitches together the hundreds and hundreds of photos that Didier took during his trip with Guibert's clean, simple artwork (that looks like real life posterized) that and - strangely enough recalls the work of Tintin (who gets a shout-out! woo!) - this memoir brings you closer to the reality of the story than any other comic out there. It feels a bit like watching an animation when you have the photos taken in close succession following one after each other: and even better is when the good photos explode in size and fill the page. Like Guibert's previous book Alan's War there's also loads of good advice: from the right way to pee and poo in the desert and what to do if an enemy helicopter spots you (hide those thumbs). For anyone into serious comic books (and even for those that think they aren't) this is a beautiful, powerful book that is totally worth sticking with and guaranteed to reward you back tenfold.

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Links: New York Times Review, Boing Boing Review.

Further reading: Alan's War, Palestine, Maus, Tintin: Seven Crystal Balls / Prisoners of the Sun, Logicomix.

All comments welcome

Books: Ultimate Comics: Avengers

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Ultimate Comics: Avengers
Vol 1: The Next Generation
Written by Mark Millar
Art by Carlos Pacheco
2010



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Ultimate Comics: Avengers
Vol 2: Crime and Punishment
Written by Mark Miller
Art by Leinil Francis Yu
2011



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Ultimate Comics: Avengers
Vol 3: Blade Versus the Avengers
Written by Mark Miller
Art by Steve Dillon
2011



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Cue: awesome squealing guitar solo.

Mark Millar's sequel to his Ultimates series: this is more of the same only louder and more intense. By now you really should have decided whether of not his in-no-way subtle blend of machismo and bravado is your cup of tea (full disclosure - I've gotta admit that this is a fun fun read) because the action movie formula of fights, explosions and quipping is all still exactly the same.

Vol 1 (my favourite) sees Captain America takes on a new, re-booted 21st Century version of the Red Skull, while Vol 2 brings The Punisher, Ghost Rider into the fold and introduces The First Hulk (who it turns out - is from Hackney). Defying death at every turn - and coming up smelling of roses and victory just before the final page: it's Michael Bay with a bigger budget and more imagination / Team America: World Police with no qualms and no mercy. Even tho Vol 2 does start to flag a bit - it's still pretty much the best mindless superhero comic out there. And then there's Vol 3 with artwork by Preacher artist Steve Dillon: that pushes the concept even further and feels so far adrift from typical Marvel shenanigans (whilst still having the look and personalities of most of it's main characters) that - thrilling for once in a superhero comic - you feel like anything could happen: and it pretty much does. Rock on.

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Links: The M0vie Blog Review, Page 45 Review of Vol 1 / Vol 2 / Vol 3, Comic Book Resources Review of Vol 1 #1 / #2 / #3, Comic Book Resources Review of Vol 2 #1 / #2 / #3 / #4 / #6, Too Busy Thinking About My Comics Review of Vol 3, The Coreburner Review of Vol 3 #1, Mark Millar Newsarama Interview, Newsarama The "Ultimate" Mark Millar Interview Part 1 / Part 2, Comic Book Resources Review of Vol 3 #1 / #2 / #5 / #6, Sean T Collins Review of Ultimate Comics Avengers #1.

Preceded by: The Ultimates, The Ultimates 2.

Followed by: Ultimate Comics: Avengers vs New Ultimates: Death of Spider-Man, Ultimate Comics: The Ultimates.

Further reading: The Ultimates, Ultimate Comics: Avengers vs New Ultimates: Death of Spider-Man, The Avengers: The Avengers (2011 - 2012), Ultimate Comics: Iron Man: Armor Wars, Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man, Superior, Nemesis, Preacher.

Profiles: Mark Millar.

All comments welcome.

Books: Years of The Elephant

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Years Of The Elephant
By Willy Linthout
2010





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A comic written by a father attempting to deal with the what happens after his son commits suicide. With an emotional charge comparable to touching an exposed heart Years of The Elephant is one of the saddest books I have ever read. Drawn with pencil artwork which gives everything a grey, fuzzy, washed-out look this is a surreal and strange comic with a deceptively light surface hiding an undertow that will pull you under and churn you into pieces. With a narrative that brings you fully inside a mind full of slowly rubbed raw by the effects of grief - it's no fun but powerful and gut wrenching nonetheless.

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Further reading: Breakdowns, Fun Home, Blue Pills.

All comments welcome.

Books: The Sword

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The Sword
Vol 1: Fire
Written by Joshua Luna
Art by Jonathan Luna
2008



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The Sword
Vol 2: Water
Written by Joshua Luna
Art by Jonathan Luna
2009



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The Sword
Vol 3: Earth
Written by Joshua Luna
Art by Jonathan Luna
2009



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The Sword
Vol 4: Air
Written by Joshua Luna
Art by Jonathan Luna
2010



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Do you like airport bestseller fantasy thriller cliff-hanger stuff? Or rather: is there anyone out there who doesn't? Sometimes all you ever want is some fast-moving frantic adventure that has nothing more on it's mind that keeping you hooked on reading to the next staggering revelation/impossible situation/cool climax. The Sword (written and drawn by The Luna Brothers - Joshua and Jonathan) is a comic that knows exactly how to fasten itself into your inside of your head and what sort of things to pump in there in order to keep you coming back for more. Breezy, light-footed and with snazzy fight scenes that would make even Neo go "whoa" it doesn't stop pulsing forward until the very last page. Yeah - A week after you've finished reading it you probably won't be able to remember a thing: the characters are two-dimensional, the dialogue perfunctory and it's as cheesy as several tons of gorgonzola but the artwork is precise and clean-cut and all it wants to do is show you sometime exciting and fun with lots of epic passion and bloodthirsty action.
 
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Links: Comic Book Resources Article.

Further reading: Echo, Ultra, Y: The Last Man, Preacher.

All comments welcome.