Dark Wolverine #80
Madame Xanadu #17
Guardians of the Galaxy #20
Detective Comics #859
Chew #6
Gotham City Sirens #5 and #6
Dominic Fortune #4
Uncanny X-Men #517
Immortal Weapons #5
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Review - Ball Peen Hammer
Ball Peen Hammer
Written by Adam Rapp
Art by George O'Connor
Publish By First Second
Ball Peen Hammer is about a society suffering from an unknown disease which affects 96% of the population and is fatal. Told through a hand full of characters which initially seem unrelated, the reader gets glimpses into how society has changed with many of its inhabitants suffering from this modern day plague.
There are four main characters. Two men, Welton, a musician, and Aaron, a writer are holed up in a basement while a woman named Exley is helping a teenage boy named Horlick atop clock tower. All of them are trying to figure out how to survive in this broken, dangerous world. It seems there is a group that assigns individuals gruesome tasks which they must complete. But no one knows who this group is or why they these tasks are required. And tension in the story grows as we learn more about the characters discuss their situations and responsibilities.
Adam Rapp is actually a novelist, playwright, screenwriter, filmmaker, and musician and this is his first time writing a graphic novel. I didn't know he was so versatile when I picked this up for the library. But on contemplation after reading, it's easy to see how this could be set as a play. With just a couple settings and limited characters, there is depth to the story that isn't present in most comics.
What's interesting is that the two groups each emphasize a different aspect of this broken society. Welton and Aaron discuss the tasks individuals are given, art, and the reason why they ended up sitting in a basement. While Exley and Horlick are growing emotionally closer to each other with little thought about why they are in the terrible situation society seems to be in. Rapp is able to use these two groups to look at the same situation from two different angles giving the reader a more nuanced look at the world he has created for this book.
The art by George O'Connor is a little cartoony, but very well done for this work. The color palettes change between the pages concerning Welton and Aaron or Exley and Horlick. The characters are all very unique and have great expressions. The backgrounds are somewhat sparse, but in a post-apocalyptic work, it is very appropriate.
The blurb on the back cover is from Booklist magazine and says "Not for gentle readers". I am putting this in the adult non-fiction area of our collection because there are some harsh language and graphic violence. I can see a school librarians in Kentucky would be nervous ordering this.
Written by Adam Rapp
Art by George O'Connor
Publish By First Second
There are four main characters. Two men, Welton, a musician, and Aaron, a writer are holed up in a basement while a woman named Exley is helping a teenage boy named Horlick atop clock tower. All of them are trying to figure out how to survive in this broken, dangerous world. It seems there is a group that assigns individuals gruesome tasks which they must complete. But no one knows who this group is or why they these tasks are required. And tension in the story grows as we learn more about the characters discuss their situations and responsibilities.
Adam Rapp is actually a novelist, playwright, screenwriter, filmmaker, and musician and this is his first time writing a graphic novel. I didn't know he was so versatile when I picked this up for the library. But on contemplation after reading, it's easy to see how this could be set as a play. With just a couple settings and limited characters, there is depth to the story that isn't present in most comics.
What's interesting is that the two groups each emphasize a different aspect of this broken society. Welton and Aaron discuss the tasks individuals are given, art, and the reason why they ended up sitting in a basement. While Exley and Horlick are growing emotionally closer to each other with little thought about why they are in the terrible situation society seems to be in. Rapp is able to use these two groups to look at the same situation from two different angles giving the reader a more nuanced look at the world he has created for this book.
The art by George O'Connor is a little cartoony, but very well done for this work. The color palettes change between the pages concerning Welton and Aaron or Exley and Horlick. The characters are all very unique and have great expressions. The backgrounds are somewhat sparse, but in a post-apocalyptic work, it is very appropriate.
The blurb on the back cover is from Booklist magazine and says "Not for gentle readers". I am putting this in the adult non-fiction area of our collection because there are some harsh language and graphic violence. I can see a school librarians in Kentucky would be nervous ordering this.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Comics for the week of November 18, 2009
Irredeemable #8
Kookaburra K #1
Spider-Woman #3
Deadpool: Merc with a Mouth #5
Wolverine: Origins #42
Victorian Undead #1
Mighty Avengers #31
Haunt #2
Kookaburra K #1
Spider-Woman #3
Deadpool: Merc with a Mouth #5
Wolverine: Origins #42
Victorian Undead #1
Mighty Avengers #31
Haunt #2
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Comics for the week of November 4, 2009
Sweet Tooth #3
Detective Comics #858
Madame Xanadu #16
Psylock #1
Batman #692
Cinderella #1
Wonder Woman #37
Guardians of the Galaxy #19
Black Widow: Deadly Origin #1
Detective Comics #858
Madame Xanadu #16
Psylock #1
Batman #692
Cinderella #1
Wonder Woman #37
Guardians of the Galaxy #19
Black Widow: Deadly Origin #1
Monday, November 2, 2009
Review - Gregory
Gregory
by Mark Hempel
Piranha Press
Twenty years ago a silly little graphic novel came out of the Piranha Press imprint from DC. Called Gregory, I found the story very funny and sometimes deeply poignant. Created by Marc Hempel, it's the story of Gregory. A big headed kid in a straitjacket who lives in an asylum with his friend, a talking rat named Herman Vermen. Gregory usually talks in monosyllabic grunts and enjoys running around, but the action is what happens around him. Sometimes a therapy cat is brought in to help. Other times he escapes from his straitjacket and flails his arms around. But Gregory just exists happily in his own little cell.
When this book came out in 1989, I passed it around to all my friends. They all fell in love with Gregory. Unfortunately, since I added this book to the library collection in 2004, it has only checked out 4 times. I think this book is lost in the shuffle of the graphic novel shelf. It's not thick and it doesn't have a steroid pumped superhero on the cover. Perhaps the Library of Congress is deterring people from borrowing this book with the very offputting subject heading "Institutional care -- Comic books, strips, etc." Whatever the reason, I do try and suggest this book whenever a somewhat curious person comes in looking for a graphic novel.
Gregory is labeled "for mature readers" I suspect primarily for the language. If our library had an older teen and younger teen areas, it would definitely go into the former. But it's audience is definitely for teens and young adults. Gregory is able to be content within himself and his environment (a cell with a drain, window, door and light bulb) without any need to be more that what he is. People come and go, trying to help, hurt, fix or change Gregory in some way, but he stays true to himself.
by Mark Hempel
Piranha Press
When this book came out in 1989, I passed it around to all my friends. They all fell in love with Gregory. Unfortunately, since I added this book to the library collection in 2004, it has only checked out 4 times. I think this book is lost in the shuffle of the graphic novel shelf. It's not thick and it doesn't have a steroid pumped superhero on the cover. Perhaps the Library of Congress is deterring people from borrowing this book with the very offputting subject heading "Institutional care -- Comic books, strips, etc." Whatever the reason, I do try and suggest this book whenever a somewhat curious person comes in looking for a graphic novel.
Gregory is labeled "for mature readers" I suspect primarily for the language. If our library had an older teen and younger teen areas, it would definitely go into the former. But it's audience is definitely for teens and young adults. Gregory is able to be content within himself and his environment (a cell with a drain, window, door and light bulb) without any need to be more that what he is. People come and go, trying to help, hurt, fix or change Gregory in some way, but he stays true to himself.
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