Comics for the week of June 30, 2010

Battlefields #7
Secret Avengers #2
Sky Doll Space Ship #2
Gotham City Sirens #13
American Vampire #4
Incorruptible #7
Wolverine Origins #49
Detective Comics #866
Wonder Woman #600
Deadpool: Wade Wilsons War #2
Madame Xanadu #24
Joe the Barbarian #6
The Return of Bruce Wayne #3

Review - Peacemaker

Peacemaker
24 Episodes
SECTION23 FILMS (ADV Films)

Set in Japans past, Peacemaker centers around a 15 year old boy named Tetsunosuke Ichimura. When his parents are murdered in front of his eyes by a gang called the Choshuu, Tetsunosuke vows revenge. Small for his age, his older brother looks out for him until Tetsunosuke in an effort to become stronger joins a samurai group called the Shinsengumi. Once accepted only as a page of a vice-commander, he learns that to gain the true power to inflict revenge requires that he loose his humanity and become a demon. The main plot revolves around this tension within Tetsunosuke.

I picked up this series for myself when it first was released in 2004. That's when the anime club here in the library was in full swing and I was looking for new programs to show. But this one, produced by Gonzo, was a little too violent for me to show. Not as violent as some anime and on finishing the series recently, I didn't find the bloodshed gratuitous. Instead it was necessary to the story to show Tetsunosuke the ugly truth about the life of vengeance.

The series, I found, a little confusing initially. It took me a while to get all the characters straight. But after a dozen episodes thing became clearer. The animation is very good. The fights and action are fluid. The voice acting is good with good actors working back back in the anime heyday of a couple years ago. And there are many moral issues brought up in the course of the series. Does Tetsunosuke need to turn into a cold blooded murderer to become strong? Does his older brother need to be so restrictive in Tetsunosuke upbringing? Is the Shinsenguni more moral or compassionate than the Choshuu? Many dilemmas are raised and many are left unanswered, which always makes for an interesting show.

And though I praise this show, I'm not sure this series is good for most public libraries. As I mention, there is quite a bit of violence. But unlike samurai films and such, this anime might be misconstrued as something good for children. I suspect parents of people under the age of 14 or so might find it a little too rough. There is much to recommend, but there is many other anime series available which might be easier to justify for sensitive parents.

Review - Wednesday Comics

Wednesday Comics
Batman - story by Brian Azzarello with art by Eduardo Risso
Kamandi - story by Dave Gibbons with art by Ryan Sook
Superman - story by John Arcudi with art by Lee Bermejo
Deadman - story by Dave Bullock/Vinton Heuck with art by Dave Bullock
Green Lantern - story by Kurt Busiek with art by Joe Quiñones
Metamorpho - story by Neil Gaiman with art by Michael Allred
Teen Titans - story by Eddie Berganza with art by Sean Galloway
Strange Adventures - story and art by Paul Pope and José Villarrubia
Supergirl - story by Jimmy Palmiotti with art by Amanda Conner
Metal Men - story by Dan DiDio with art by José Luis García-López and Kevin Nowlan
Wonder Woman - story and art by Ben Caldwell
Sgt. Rock - story by Adam Kubert with art by Joe Kubert
The Flash - story by Karl Kerschl and Brenden Fletcher with art by Karl Kerschl
The Demon and Catwoman - story by Walt Simonson with art by Brian Stelfreeze
Hawkman - story and art by Kyle Baker

Imagine the old days when newspapers could print full page comic strips. I wrote a little while ago about the books we have for the Popeye, Krazy Kat, and Prince Valiant reprints I've picked up for the library. But last year DC Comics created a brand new comic anthology in this large format. Printed weekly on newsprint, 15 stories were told over the next 3 months. Called Wednesday Comics because every Wednesday new comic books are released, these pages were something different on the racks of new issues. It was retro. It was cool. It was something no one picked up. But thankfully they released it in a hard back book and I could purchase it for the library.

The stories in the book use the following characters: Batman, Kamandi, Superman, Deadman, Green Lantern, Metamorpho, Teen Titans, Adam Strange, Supergirl, Metal Men, Wonder Woman, Sgt. Rock, The Flash, The Demon & Catwoman, Hawkman. And it is some of the most interesting artwork I've seen recently in comics. With the large format, its easy to see the artists stepping up to fill a space 3 time that of a normal comic book page. Some of the stories have a completely retro look. The Adam Strange section by Paul Pope and Kamandi story by Dave Gibbons and Ryan Sook could be straight from the pens of Alex Raymond or Milton Caniff. Others parts are more innovative in their presentation. Usually, these oversize comic pages have about 10 to 12 panels. But Caldwell puts about 50 or 60 panels on his Wonder Woman pages.

As far as the stories go, they are all stand alone tales. The Batman and Superman chapters stand outside the normal "DC Universe" of the monthly comics. So like the freedom the artists have with the larger format, writers can let their imagination run wild and as long as they end up as the iconic character at the end, everything is as it should be. All the stories are very episodic with often with each page ending a huge cliffhanger leaving the reader waiting for the following week. But luckily with this book, there is no waiting. Just turning the page will continue the adventure.

I would certainly recommend this book for any library, but it is very optional. As a work of art I think its fantastic. But it is expensive ($50) and not format friendly (17 inches tall). So for limited budgets, there are more popular graphic novels out there. But there is nothing objectionable about the content. Nothing a youngster's parents would find objectionable. But for my library, I decided that since the book is so large, it had to go into the Adult Non-fiction Oversize collection.

Review - Amelia Rules!

Vol. 1 The Whole World’s Crazy
Vol. 2 What Makes You Happy
Vol. 3 Superheroes

Vol. 4 When the Past is a Present

by Jimmy Gownley

 

I don't remember why I initially picked up the first Amelia Rules book back in 2004, but I'm glad I did. And keeping up with the series has been a good thing. However, the books haven't checked out too much. Perhaps they are too young for the YA graphic novel area.

Amelia is a 10 year old whose parents have divorced shortly before the start of the series. Moving with her mom to the suburbs from New York is a drastic change in her life. Amelia's aunt Tanner shares her house with Amelia and her mom. She meets up with some other kids and forms quick friendships. Reggie, Pajamaman and Rhonda make up her immediate clique. Rhonda likes Reggie. Amelia isn't sure about Reggie, but she still hangs out with him. Even when he dresses up as the superhero Captain Amazing and makes his other friends join his superhero group G.A.S.P. (the Gathering of Awesome Super Pals).

Gownley is very clever with these books. He discusses heavy topics in a humorous way and doesn't get too preachy. Topics covered in these volumes include divorce, terminal illnesses, and parents shipping out on military rotation. But there are many great comic interludes like "The Great Sneeze/Barf Incident" and ongoing Superhero Ninja rivalry.

I'm reminded of the Peanuts strip while reading Amelia. Each child has a unique personality and voice. There are inside jokes that run throughout the series. And Gownley's art is reminiscent of Charles Schulz.

Every library should have this in their collection. Our copies haven't checked out much, but I've clued in a couple of our Children's staff into pimping them out. Hopefully they will get greater circulation. But if they don't, I might have to reclassify them into the Children's Graphic Novel area.

Comics for the week of June 16, 2010

Amazing Spider-Man #633
Black Cat #1
Dragon Guard #3
Sky-Doll Space Ship #1
Magdalena #2
Shuddertown #3
Kato #1
Kato #2
New Mutants #14
Ultimate Comics X #3
New Avengers #1
Deadpool #24
Black Widow #3

Comics for the week of June 9, 2010

Millar & McNiven's Nemesis #2

S.H.I.E.L.D. #2

Daytripper #7

Chew #11

Uncanny X-Men #525

Batman #700

Astonishing X-Men: Xenogenesis #2

Sweet Tooth #10

Review - Wilson

Wilson
by Daniel Clowes
Drawn and Quarterly

Wilson is a social misfit who isn't very nice. In the graphic novel by Daniel Clowes, the titular character Wilson, though self centered, abrasive and lacking any understanding of societal rules, is looking for something beyond his life and perhaps something that might justify his existence in the world. I know, that sounds deep. But that's the best part of the works by Daniel Clowes. They are funny with their very black humor. But they are also poignant if you want to read deeper into the story.

The book starts with Wilson commenting on people and situations around him. Talking to strangers in the coffee house about their job. Or berating people while he walks his dog Pepper. But when his father dies, Wilson is thrown for an existential look looking for love and the meaning of life. This leads to his finding his ex-wife, and the teenage daughter she put up for adoption after she was born. With surprises and plot twists that lead Wilson in unexpected ways, he remains true to his principles, however misguided they may be.

The art style Daniel Clowes uses changes from page to page. Sometimes cartoony, others times more realistic, the effect on the story is that each page is like a little vignette from Wilsons life. Each page has 6 or 7 panels. And though there is an over reaching story that ties all the pages together, the brilliance of each page keeps the reader interested.

I would definetly add this book to any public library making sure it was not in the children's or teen area. Wilson does like to swear. And he has very little filtering his mouth. So younger readers might not appreciate his as much as adults.