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 - The Eternal Smile

This is an older review I wrote June 2nd, 2009.

The Eternal Smile : Three Stories
by Gene Luen Yang and Derek Kirk Kim
First Second

This is a book I ordered for the library since I really enjoyed American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang. (which the library also owns) The Eternal Smile is actually three stories, each with their own style. But each of the stories are related thematically, about awareness and acceptance of your surroundings and yourself. I know. This describes just about every story ever written, but these stories are different enough where the reader is basically led to the same feeling, but by very different paths.

The first story, "Duncan's Kingdom", is about a young man who must kill the monster to marry the princess. But the lines are blurred between reality and imagination. The second story was my favorite. Basically set in the world of Disney's Uncle Scrooge, but with frogs instead of ducks. Entitled "Gran'pa Greenbax and The Eternal Smile", this story is a parody of the Carl Barks Duckville stories. But as Gran'pa Greenbax tries to make more money, he realizes that there is more than just the town he lives in and his money pond. The final story, called "Urgent Request" is about a shy, lonely office worker who asks for a raise. After being rejected, she finds solace emailing a Nigerian prince. She dreams of being swept away to Africa and becoming a princess.

After reading this book, it wasn't obvious to me that there were thematic elements consistent between the three stories. But as I pondered them while sitting on the reference desk, I realized that all of them had placed the characters into positions where they were forced to ask the deep questions concerning their identity and their need to use imagination to go beyond their lives. And the different art styles help convey the feelings of each story. With the fantasy, almost manga, style of "Duncan's Kingdom" and the practically monochrome, cartoon look of "Urgent Request", the artists have integrated the art into the feelings of the stories in a dramatic manner.

So, this graphic novel is one of the better ones the library received and is a definite read for everyone.