Comics for the week of October 28, 2009

Daredevil #501
Fables #89
FVZA #1
Teen Titans #76
Fantastic Four #572
Jack of Fables #39
Justice League of America #38
Queen Sonja #1
Nova #30
Wolverine Art Appreciation
Pilot Season: Declassified

Review - Castle Waiting

Castle Waiting
by Linda Medley
Fantagraphics Books

Fantasy stories usually start with a humble character who through circumstances has to go through a quest and save the entire realm from Evil. Castle Waiting isn't like that. With the first issues of the comic self published, it was recognized as being outstanding and was picked up Fantagraphics Books. With 400+ pages, this hardcover graphic novel is wonderful and would appeal to fans of Bill Willingham's Fables or the books by Gregory Maguire.

The story starts with a retelling of the Sleeping Beauty story, the castle after the princess is awoken after 100 years becomes Castle Waiting. This is where anyone can find sanctuary and protection. A pregnant Lady Jain is travelling to the castle and meets many interesting characters along the way to her destination. Once at the castle, its residents tell their stories with extended flashback sequences. Like Sister Peaceful, who tells Lady Jain her whole story of how she became a member of a society of bearded nuns. This story in flashback takes up about the entire second half the book, which is ok since it's done so well.

The story is told in little black and white panels, with thick dark lines almost like a woodcut print. The characters are expressive and distinctive. And some of the architectural drawings almost remind me if the drawings in the David Macaulay books. Medley populates her fantasy universe with characters which have unique personalities. Each have their quirks, but all of them stay true to themselves as the story progresses.

This book is a good fit in our library since it covers many areas. It makes a great fantasy story tweens and teens since the story is mostly character driven. There isn't even a single sword fight in this book. Like many fairy tale retelling, there elements of the original stories with a modern twist. And unlike Fables, it doesn't have the mature situations that might concern some parents.

Comics for the week of October 21, 2009

Chew #5
Wolverine: Origins #41
Dominic Fortune #3
Spider-Woman #2
Dark Wolverine #79
Power Girl #6
Mighty Avengers #30

Review - Jenny Finn: Doom Messiah

Jenny Finn: Doom Messiah

Written by Mike Mignola and Troy Nixey
Art by Troy Nixey and Farel Dalrymple
Publish By Boom! Studios

The story of Jenny Finn starts out by introducing the reader to Joe, a confident strong man who is new to the seaside town set in Victorian times. Within the first couple pages, fish whisper the word "doom" to no one in particular. A prostitutes client morphs into a twisted tangle of tentacles. And Jenny Finn wanders around the bad end of town and though Joe tries to help her, she refuses saying that she is wicked and belongs there. As the story progresses, Joe tries to gain the attention of Jenny Finn and Jenny Finn grows fond of Joe and tries to protect him from the strange things happening in the town.

Mike Mignola is a master in the comic world. His artwork and storytelling are unique. And with this story which would fit well in a collection of Lovecraft stories, Jenny Finn: Doom Messiah pulls on the same tools used in the good Cthulhu tales. Joe blunders into deep secrets that people shouldn't try to uncover, but he follows the path to the end. The story alludes to inconceivable powers that should not manifest on Earth. And unlike Lovecrafts stories, there is a little bit of steampunk elements added into the story.

The first three chapters art was done by Troy Nixley while Farl Dalrymple did the art for the fourth chapter. The entire book is black and white, which almost makes it seem like an illustrated story from an old newspaper. Nixley's art is more flowing that Dalrymple, but the change is style, which are similar, didn't detract from the story as a whole. I found the characters faces were the most interesting. The expression were often twisted and contorted to a point where the normal people often looked as grotesque as the monsters. Perfect for a story like this one.

This book appeared on one of our monthly selection lists and I picked up this book for the library based on Mike Mignola being the writer. I'm glad I did. Though the story would be considered PG-13 in the movie world, it is shelved in the Teen Graphic Novel area. And though I have, this one seems to be the least popular circulating only 3 times. Perhaps to promote circulation, I'll ask to create a Lovecraft display just prior to Halloween and more people will find and appreciate this book.

Comics for the week of October 14, 2009

Batman #691
Web of Spider-Man #1
Uncanny X-Men #516
The Marvels Project #3
Liberty Comics #2
Deadppol #900
Anna Mercury 2 #2
Batgirl #3

Review - Good-Bye

Review - Good-Bye

by Yoshihiro Tatsumi
Drawn and Quarterly

Not all manga is about magical schoolgirls, hyperactive ninja orphans, or half human/half dog demons. An example of a work that doesn't fit the mold is a book called Good-Bye by Yoshihiro Tatsumi. Originally published between 1971 and 1972, this book contains 9 stories that are set between the end of World War II and then. Though the stories are not interrelated, they are mostly about the bottom of society. Tatsumi tells small tales about prostitutes, sexually repressed loners, closeted cross dressers and other members of society many would consider fringe elements.

Tatsumi doesn't really put any moral values on his sad characters. Instead, he relates their tale without any comment, though we know that the characters often feel shame themselves. The tales end ambiguously with no clear resolution. Unlike morality tales where the bad guy has to get it in the end, the stories in Good-Bye, though often depicting reprehensible people, conclude before any clear resolution.

I guess Japan in the early seventies an interesting place. While World War II was still in peoples memory, it was far enough away in the past where young people didn't have direct memory of the war. Also, the county was about to boom economically. So these stories by Tatsumi are almost a warning not to fall into a decadent lifestyle or loose. In an interview with Tatsumi in the back of this volume, he describes his condition at the time. "As an alienated manga artist working away in a cramped room, I couldn't help but feel disconsolate."

This book is something libraries should carry, but not in the teen section. The subjects are certainly something young teens should be wary of reading. But there are many older teens and adults I've meet here in the library who are really into Japanese history and culture. These people usually have read most of the manga in the library, but haven't seen works like this before.

Comics for the week of October 7, 2009

Batman and Robin  #5
Deadpool #16
Astonishing X-Men #31
Wonder Woman #36
New Mutants #5
Planetary #27
Irredeemable #7
G.I. Joe: Cobra Special #1
Sweet Tooth #2
Spin Angels #2
Marvel Divas #3
Haunt #1

Review - Marvel Divas

Review - Marvel Divas
Written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
Art by Tonci Zonjic
Marvel Comics

Mini-series are very interesting to me. In some ways, I expect them to be really well done. There is no ongoing story or continuum to maintain. But I also expect some of the more creative elements of comic book writing and art in these stories since they are not the regular ongoing stories. So when Marvel Divas came out, I decided to pick it up. After all, its only 4 issues. And though not a hugely groundbreaking story, I think I do see where Marvel was going with this series.

Marvel Divas is the story of four of the lesser known female heroes from the Marvel universe, Hellcat, Ms. Marvel, Black Cat and Firestar. These four get together regularly for dinner and drinks and gossip about their boyfriends, shopping, other heroes and the like. It is very much like Sex in the City. But the end of the first issue is where the major drama is announced for the series. It turns out that Firestar has been diagnosed with breast cancer. The three other members of the group then throw their full support behind Firestar and her upcoming battle.

There are side stories with each of the characters. Ms. Marvel is having an on again/off again relationship with Brother Voodoo. Black Cat is trying to open up a detective agency without the help of her boyfriend. And Hellcat is being propositioned by her former boyfriend Son of Satan to help out with Firestars treatment. But with any favor from anyone from Hell, there are always conditions.

I found this story to be very interesting and different than most of the Marvel recent stories. There is absolutely no big tie in to the Marvel Universe altering stories like Dark Reign and War of Kings. And though they did do a very good story a long time ago on the Death of Captain Marvel (1982) where he gets cancer and all the Marvel uber-brains can not find a cure for him, there is no magical Marvel cure for Firestar either. Firestar must go through normal treatment like any normal person would. But I am glad to see that, unlike the Death of Captain Marvel story, this story is primarily of hope and survival. Cancer research and treatment has changed since 1982 and I believe the tone of the story reflects the advancement in medicine since then.

The artwork it interesting. It is not very "marvel" in its style. There is no dynamic poses or dramatic angles to heighten the action. With no real battles or fights, there isn't any reason to have the hugely kinetic pages other superhero comics have. Rather it is very subdued style. The figures are more angular and simple than the covers. The colors are muted and the backgrounds simple.

When this series gets collected into a trade paperback, libraries should consider picking this up. Though its getting better, there is still less girl oriented superhero comics available, and this one is different than the regular fare. With the plot focused on a character with cancer and the fact that it stands alone away from the ongoing stories from the Marvel Universe, I think that would make it a little more accessible to people picking this up without any real background knowledge.