Review - The Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite

The Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite
Written by Gerald Way
Art by Gabriel Bá
Dark Horse Comics
 
Published by Dark Horse, The Umbrella Academy garnered some buzz when it first came out because it was written by a guy named Gerard Way. What makes him special is that he is a musician in the rock band My Chemical Romance. But I picked up the trade paperback which contains 6 comic issues based on the good words I was hearing about the book from various sources.

The story starts with with a bit where at the exact same instant in time, 47 babies were unexpectedly born. Of all of these special babies, seven of them were adopted by millionaire inventor Reginald Hargreeves. With these children he created The Umbrella Academy is a group of 7 children who all (except for number 00.07) have extraordinary powers. And when asked why he adopted these special children, his response was "to save the world." From this point, the story jumps to the future where Hargreeves has died and the children get together for his funeral. It turn out that the children grow up to form a dysfunctional family of super heroes. And that's where the fun of the story lies.

It's been a decade or so since I read the Grant Morrison run on Doom Patrol, but I get the same type of vibe. I mentioned in the review for Seaguy (also by Grant Morrison) that strange is good, and this makes a valiant attempt to reach that surreal level of strangeness. Quirky things just appear in the story without any explanation. For instance, there are talking chimpanzees living and working alongside humans. But it all works in the continuity of the story. The artist Gabriel Bá has a blocky hard style in this book which also fits well with the narrative. The character designs are most striking and the backgrounds are full of detail of this unique world they have created.

I would recommend this book for any library. There is some graphic violence and some mature themes. But again, nothing more that one can see on a primetime drama show on television. This book is best placed in the teen areas of libraries, but could easily be of interest an older audience.

Comic Books by "Real" Authors

Recently, several authors who are more noted to writing novels have written comic books. Sometimes its their own works that get turned into a graphic format, or they write a comic storyline with an already established character. Whenever this happens, there is a little buzz in the comic book world that a new, previously untapped audience might be reached. And usually, I try and get these works for the library.

Wonder Woman: Love and Murder by bookclub favorite author Jodi Picoult
Identity Crisis by best selling suspense writer Brad Meltzer.
Welcome to Lovecraft by horror writer Joe Hill.
Ultimate Iron Man by Orson Scott Card, the scifi writer of all the Enders books.
Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter by paranormal fantasy author Laurell K. Hamilton.
In Odd We Trust by all time best seller Dean Koontz.

And yesterday, I picked up for myself a new John Constantine graphic novel called Dark Entries by Ian Rankin who is famous for writing the Rebus mysteries. I'll get it for the library if the budget allows...

Comic Con Odds and Ends - Part 4

There is a section on the exhibit floor of the Comic Con called artists alley. This is where artists can rent a table and setup shop to sell sketches, books or whatever. When I wandered this area I saw a book that I have reviewed previously and liked a lot titles The Eternal Smile. So I went over and met Derek Kirk Kim. I told him how much I liked the book and how I picked it up for the library and try to get people to check it out all the time. He seemed flatted and humble with my fanboy ramblings. I bought his comic Lowbright #1 and read it that evening when I got home from the Con.

Lowbright is a collection of Dereks comic strips and sketches that he has made over the last couple years. It was a small comic book that was self published. (Looks like it was color photocopied) The book is mostly one page comic gags about his virginity and how he can't meet the right girl. But the first story is about 5 pages long and its about the 10 reasons he has not had sex yet. It made me laugh out loud, but also made me feel for him. This was an unexpected gem that I found at the Comic Con this year.

Comic for the week of August 26, 2009

Thick week. Too many book...

Detective Comics 856
Wolverine Origins 39
Deadpool 14
Wonder Woman 35
Batman and Robin 3
Dark Wolverine 77
Batgirl 1
Madame Xanadu 14
New Mutants 4
Deadpool: Suicide Kings 5
Guardians of the Galaxy 17
Doktor Sleepless 13
Power Girl 4
Gotham City Sirens 3
Mighty Avengers 28

Review - Satsuma Gishiden 1-3

Satsuma Gishiden Vols 1-3

Created by Hiroshi Hirata

Dark Horse Comics

I wish I had time to read more manga. Usually there is 30 or 40 volumes to the story lines and it's hard enough to keep up with everything else. I don't know how some of the kids can read a manga book in about 15 minutes. But there is some manga I pick up because it looks interesting or I really liked the anime. And when there was a Dark Horse manga sale on, I picked up the 3 volumes of a period samurai saga called Satsuma Gishiden.

These amazing books tell the tale of a samurai clan who during peace time has to lower themselves and do common labor. Eventually, the clan called upon by the shogun to work on a huge undertaking of making levies on three rivers to protect the surrounding villages. However, the clan feels this is an indirect attack on them which will keep the warriors away for years and bankrupt their savings. But due to the samurai code, the must obey the shogun and go on the journey.

Instead of following a single character, Satsuma Gishiden tells stories which focus on the ethics and principles of samurai, usually with someone committing hara-kiri at the end. The tension in the books arises when samurai who live by a strict code of honor with the reality of lowering themselves to do the shoguns bidding. The main theme of the stories relate to how a highly rigid society has to deal with a forced change.

The art is for the most part is astonishing in these books. The black ink work looks like a storyboard for a good black and white samurai movie. The action is very strong and the blood and guts are all over. One interesting thing that I haven't seen before is that some of the dialog is written in a more artistic calligraphy, and the editors did not remove this. Instead they put the translations next to the balloon with the original calligraphy.

I'm not sure if this set is necessary for libraries to own. Though the themes of honor and change are certainly not a problem, the level of violence might be a concern for some readers. Dark Horse has rated these books for ages 18+, which I think that's a little too excessive. But having these manga volumes in the adult area shouldn't raise any issues.

Autobiographies in Graphic Format

I mentioned earlier that Maus was one of the best graphic novels produced. And it is a biographical look at the authors fathers experiences. But there is much of the work that is autobiographical. Art Spiegleman examines his relationship with his father in view of the horrendous experiences his father had prior to moving the the United States. Other works are autobiographical and touch on extremely sensitive issues. Here are some others that are worth reading that are in the library:

Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison

Bechdel

Alison comes to terms with her family life as she confronts her own sexuality. By discussing her father's closeted gay life and suicide and her growing up in what appears on the surface a traditional family.

Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi

Growing up in Iran, Marjane was a child when the Islamic Revolution kicked the Shah out of power. Moving from a war torn country to Europe by herself in her early teens, this story combines both the political events of Iran with the individual struggles of a young woman.

The Photographer: Into War-torn Afghanistan with Doctors Without Borders by Emmanuel Guibert

Set during the Soviet invasion, Didier Lefevre is a photographer hired by Doctors Without Borders and tells his story of a single expedition into the mountains of Afghanistan to provide medical help the mujahadeen. Told with his photographs and drawings by Emmanuel Guibert, the reader is given an on the ground view of the conflict.

French Milk by Lucy Knisley

Lucy moves to France with her mother for a month for her 22nd birthday. This is her journal/sketchbook of here observations about and experiences in Paris.

Must Read Graphic Novels in my Library

If you're new to graphic novels and comic books, the library has many highly regarded works that have been around for years. These are some of the best, most acclaimed titles to read if your not familiar with the graphic novel format.

Maus by Art Spiegelman
Published in two volumes, this work was awarded a special Pulitzer Prize. It tell the story of the artists father who was a Polish Jew both before and after the Nazi invasion of his home land. Very personal storytelling makes this one of the best graphic novels created.

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller, Klaus Janson, Lynn Varley
Frank Miller created this four issue re-imagining of Batman in 1986 where Bruce Wayne comes out of a ten year retirement to clean up Gotham City. Batman was redefined completely with this book and Frank Millers dark vision of Batman is still used today for the current comics and movies. But at the time in the mid 1980s, this type of portrayal of any iconic hero was brand new to comic book readers.

Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons
Released the same year as The Dark Knight Returns this work is a brand new vision of the psychology of super heroes. With the recent movie, this comic series has checked out a bit more than usual. I've had a copy of the Watchmen in the library since it opened.

Sandman by Neil Gaiman and tons of fantastic artists
There are 10 volumes and is one of the first long form comic books produced. Not to say that other superhero books haven't been out longer, but Gaiman had a clear story arc in mind and ended the series after 75 issues. Reprinted in 10 volumes, the library has all of these for you to enjoy. (except someone lost the first volume that I'll have to replace soon)

Bone by Jeff Smith
This is a fantasy book about a white blob looking critters who were transported to a world of dragons, princesses and other fun monsters. Originally released as comic books and eventually picked up by the huge children's book publisher Scholastic, there are nine volumes to the series.

Black Jack by Osamu Tezuka
I've put this on the list because Tezuka is considered the father of Japanese comics (or as it is commonly know manga), and Black Jack is one of his better known characters. Black Jack is the greatest surgeon in the world and is ask to cure the most dificult medical problems, but often the price is more than the patient expects to pay. Though the library has only a single volume of Black Jack, there is tons more that's currently being released.

Comic for the week of August 19, 2009

Echo 14
Daredevil 500
Fables 87
Jack of Fables 37
Justice League of America 36

Comic Con Odds and Ends - Part 3

Sometimes something just catches your eye and you have to stop and look. While walking by the Arcana booth, I saw a comic cover that was mostly black with a little white and just a splash of red. I thought it looked like some Frank Miller Sin City thing. And then I noticed the title, Helen Killer, and I knew I had to pick it up.

Helen Killer 1-4

Written by Andrew Kreisber

Art by Matthew JLD Rice

Arcana Comics

Helen Keller was tough by Anne Sullivan at the age of 6 how to communicate feeling sign language. But who knew that later on, Alexander Graham Bell created special glasses called the omnicle, which when used give Helen both sight and hearing. But there is also a couple side effects. Helen can see the aura of people, and the more evil they are, the blacker the aura. She gains super strength and agility. But also, the more she uses the omnicle, the greater the feelings of rage and murder well up inside her. Neat invention, huh?

Helen is approached by the secret service to protect President McKinley at the 1901 Pan American Exposition. But true to history, the assassin Leon Czolgosz is successful in shooting the President in a receiving line, despite Helen's best efforts. But there is a more mysterious plot in the works by Alexander Grahams Bells arch rival.

This comic is a fun romp through history. Kreisber uses many real historical figures to tell this story. But once you realize that it's pretty cool to see Helen Keller break into some sweet ninja action kicking henchmen ass, the realization that there is not much else to the characters becomes clear. Anne Sullivan just seems to complain that Helen shouldn't be out on missions. Alexander Graham Bell is like a melding of M and Q from the James Bond stories. Like any historical work of historical fiction, the writer needs to add more depth to the characters to make them interesting. Otherwise, the story just isn't interesting after a while.

The Sunny Side of the Street

I was thinking about the the content of my site and realized that there is a flaw. I'm hoping to provide guidance to readers on comics and graphic novels and what is good and bad. But I'm limited to what I either buy for myself or for the library, and I don't want to waste money on purchasing crummy comics. So all the reviews I most likely will do will be positive in some manner. As a result, if you read my blog and see that I like everything, that means I'm spending my and the libraries money for good reading. But I'll definitely let you know when I get the stinker.

Comic Con Odds and Ends - Part 2

The Bean - Riddles and Shrooms by Travis Hanson

As I was walking along a less crowded aisle, a guy asks me if I want to have a sketch. Dumbfounded, I said "sure" but had no idea what I wanted him to draw. After fumbling around a little, I said "how about a dragon?". After about a minute, he hands me a really cool line drawing of a dragon. wow.

With this marketing strategy, I had to buy his book, the Bean. It's a story about a boy named Bean who has been left as payment to the Silver Dagger Inn as payment by his apparently deadbeat dad. Bean is then made to do all the grunt work by the ogre owner Gort. But the other workers in the inn treat Bean with compassion and look out for his well being. Bean is sent out to get some more shrooms and goldenberries by the cook Groggle (who is also an ogre) and is told not to dawdle.

This book has great potential. It was basically the introduction of all the characters and the action ramps up at the end leaving the reader waiting for the next issue. The art is very clean and the style, while cartoon like, suits the story well. Some of the pages have very detailed backgrounds that sometimes seems a little too much for a black and white comic, but the character designs and facial expressions are strong enough not to get lost. But it is clear that Travis is a very talented cartoonist and artists.

I'm looking forward to reading the next book in this series to see what happens to poor Bean and his workmates at the inn.

Comic Con Odds and Ends - Part 1

I attended the San Diego Comic Con last month and had a ball walking around the small presses and self published books and picking up some of the works they were selling. Here is the first posting of some of the books and my thoughts on them.

North Country by Shane White

This autobiographical graphic novel is told in a series of flash backs as an adult Shane returns home for a visit. Starting with his "first life" as a bird who dies when he falls out of his nest, the rest of the story are is told in snippets of mostly bad memories from his dysfunctional family life. The abusive, alcoholic father is the focal point of the book as Shane relates stories on how he tried to win his approval ultimately come to terms within himself of understanding, accepting and perhaps even loving his family.

The art in this book is really interesting. Shane changes styles for each memory vignette he relates. This gives the book a dreamlike quality that works well. When young Shane is given a Superman cape, the art is changed to look like old comic book newsprint. The color palettes change as good and bad memories often using more muted, less vibrant colors to emphasize the drama of the situations.

When I met Shane at the Comic Con, he was working in his sketchbook at the NBM Publishers booth. He was promoting an upcoming book he did called Things Undone. Its about a young man who slowly changes into a zombie. And he says, like North County it is also autobiographical. I'll be sure to pick it up in the near future.

Comic for the week of August 12, 2009

Batman 689

Chew 3

Dominic Fortune 1

Uncanny X-Men 514

Deadpool 13

Marvel Divas 2

The Marvels Project 1

Sourge of the Gods: The Fall 1

Sourge of the Gods: The Fall 2

Review - Tyrese Gibson's Mayhem! #1

Tyrese Gibson's Mayhem! #1
Written by Tyrese Gibson, Mike Le and William Wilson
Art by Tone Rodriguez
Image Comics

Have I read this before? A masked vigilante is out to exact revenge against an unreachable mob boss named Big X. The book starts out in a Chinese restaurant, straight out of a John Woo film, where the hero charges in with the help of his accomplice and slashes, gashes, shoots and deep fries bad guys to find out where the shipment is to be dropped off. Next we find the hero (going by the name of Dante) praying that he can exact his revenge on Big X and not, as the priest suggests, for his own forgiveness. The final part of the book is where Dante breaks up the shipment and we finally see Big X who tells his henchmen "first one to bring me his bleeding head gets ten million."

I don't really know who Tyrese Gibson is. I did look him up on IMDB and saw that he appeared in a bunch of movies. But I think that someone should have gave him some comic books to read before letting him write one. The plot is so standard and uninspired that the twist/cliffhanger at the end is not that surprising. But it reads like a standard action film that I loved to watch in the 1980s.

The art by Tone Rodriguez is ok. There is nothing hugely striking as being fantastic with a uniquely visible style. Nor is there any panel that shouts out as being done in a half assed manner. There is violence, but it doesn't make me wince. There are explosions, but I didn't really feel the force of them. Competent but not spectacular.

So if you pass on this title on the shelf, don't worry about it. There are many better books out there for us to read.

Review - House of Mystery vol. 2

House of Mystery : Love Stories for Dead People
Written by Matthew Sturges and Bill Willingham
Art by Luca Rossi, Tony Akins, David Petersen, Henry Flint, Bernie Wrightson and Kyle Baker
Cover by Esao Andrews
Vertigo

This is the second volume of the Vertigo fantasy/horror series consisting of issues 6 though 10 of the ongoing comic series. This story continues where the main character, named Fig, and her companions of the house, looking for an escape from the house, go into the basement to see if they can find a way out. More mysteries are discovered and more stories are told as the reader tries to figure out exactly what might be going on.

This book borrows from the Sandman story lines by using Able (the original owner of the House of Mystery) as part of the back story for this series. The house also doubles as a bar where beings meet and tell stories (kind of like the Inn at Worlds End, also from Sandman) And there is a forward motion to the convoluted main plot line. Fig learns a little about her background and we learn a little more about the other members of the house.

I find this series interesting because it really doesn't answer all the questions it raises. There are many things left unanswered that actually bother me that its left hanging without any resolution or explanation. Hopefully, as the story progresses, all these loose ends will be addressed, but somehow I don't think that's what the creators were thinking of with this series. After all, it is The House of Mystery.

As for the art, what's really cool about this series is the side stories that are interjected periodically in the main story line. Usually these are stories within stories that a patron of the tavern tells to pay their tab. These stories are done by a different artist. And with a a completely different art style, these little gems interspersed through the story break up the strangeness. And with phenomenal talents like Bernie Wrightson, and Kyle Baker, these little interludes are a great way to break up the story.

I purchased this for the library but it will not go into the Teen area. There is some profanity and sexual situations that might be off putting for more sensitive parents. I would not let the mature nature of the title deter any library from selecting this book, but if money is a little tight in the budget this book is certainly not a necessary classic for a well stocked library collection.

Comic for the week of August 5, 2009

Here's this weeks list ranked by the order I'll most likely read them...

Detective Comics 855
Irredeemable 5
Wolverine Origins 38
Madame Xanadu 13
Deadpool: Merc with a Mouth 2
Wonder Woman 34
Captain Britain and MI13 15
Dark Wolverine 76
Power Girl 3
North 40 2
Guardians of the Galaxy 16
Deadpool Suicide Kings 4
Wolverine Noir 4

Review - Negima!? Season 1 and 2

This is an older review I wrote July 15th, 2009.

Title: Negima!?
Volume: 1 and 2
Running time: 650 min
Distributor: FUNimation

Professor Negi is a young wizard sent to a girls school where he must, for part of his training, teach a class of 31 girls. This is the second version of Negima that has been animated, and though I only read the first 4 volumes of the manga, it veers away from the original story. But the art and design of the animation is far more stylish than the first animated series.

The story is pretty good, where Negi must keep his magic identity hidden from everyone, and fails miserably. And to keep from being reprimanded from the Magic Council, he needs to make a pact with the girl who discovers his secret. And of course, to form the pact, the two must kiss (which is the most dramatic thing anyone could ever do in any anime story). The first part of the series (13 episodes) is mostly Negi making pacts with the entire class. The second part of the story happens when the class is transported to another parallel realm and must try to find their way home. And through the series, the running gags keep cropping up. Chupacabras. Bad ramen. Failure (in a good way)...

The story moves along and a pretty quick pace, with many quick cuts to unrelated jokes. After a couple episodes, I was surprised with the similarities to the other anime series Pani Poni Dash. Or for the more Anglo minded, like the way Family Guy cuts away to a non sequitur jokes throughout their episodes. However the jokes in Negima aren't as off color. Also, each girl has a character which is basically a one joke note. But there are 31 of them, so the tune doesn't get too stale.

I had fun with this series. I didn't have to think too deeply to understand the story. And the animation in this second series is far better than the first series. If you're into the girls school/magic thing, it's definitely worth watching. But if you're looking for something serious, try elsewhere.

Review - GI Joe: Cobra 1 - 4

This is an older review I wrote June 29th, 2009.

story by Christos Gage and Mike Costa
art by Antonio Fuso
covers by Howard Chaykin
IDW

I never was into the new GI Joe as a kid. It was a little after my time. Instead I had the old school tall talking beaded supercool GI Joe as a boy. But there were two main reasons I picked up this limited series from IDW. First off, IDW will be attending the library readers festival in September and also the covers were done by Howard Chaykin.

Now that I've finished reading all four issues, I thought they were well done. The story involves a malcontent GI Joe soldier, with the code name Chuckles, who is taken out of regular training and sent into deep cover to try to infiltrate Cobra. Unlike the GI Joe that I remember, there is no camp or super improbable technology in this story. Something must of happened to the "Yo! Joe!" early 1990s version to today because this story, by Christos Gage and Mike Costa was a gritty spy story with blood and sex that would make any espionage fan happy. But if you're familiar with any of the deep undercover types stories, many of the same tropes are used. How to maintain cover. That point where the agent decides to do something rash to go deeper. And ultimately, how to get out. And this story has all these elements.

The artwork by Antonio Fuso is good. Dark and thick, its almost expressionistic, and portrays the dark story well. The characters are easy to recognize and the action is easy to follow. There is a starkness to the frames that, though doesn't distract from the story, is different than the "marvel" style of everyone flexing. And the backgrounds a muted and clean, without too much added detail to distract from the action. The only drawback is that seems to be little movement in the figures.

So this GI Joe book I picked up because I felt I should, I actually enjoyed. The espionage and intrigue was well done and there was no hint of any of the old, cheesy Joe I remember as a kid. I might need to look at the other GI Joe titles when I have a chance.

Review - Seaguy: Slaves of Mickey Eye 1-3

This is an older review I wrote June 9th, 2009.

Writer: Grant Morrison
Art: Cameron Stewart
Vertigo

"Oh, for weirdness' sakes, Junior! Why all the blubberin'?" is how issue #3 of Seaguy: Slaves of Mickey Eye starts. And I can sympathise with Junior.

This is the second Seaguy series, and though I picked up the first one when it came out, I could not remember anything about it other than it being very strange. And a handful of years later, Grant Morrison has hit us with the next chapter of Seaguy. And after I started reading it, most of the characters came back to me. Seaguys love interest, She-Beard. His mentor Seadog. His (dead) best friend Chubby the Tuna. And even The Gondolier, who Seaguy, when he has the time, wagers his life by playing chess.

This story is a surreal dystopian tale about a society run by Mickey Eye. Mickey Eye has pleasure zone amusement parks, cartoons on television and toys for everyone to buy. But Seaguy, who really has shown no exceptional abilities, craves adventure of a superhero and despite Mickey Eye and his followers, sets out to end the tyrannical rule of Mickey.

The art work by Cameron Stewart is surprisingly normal for such a strange story. His lines and colors are clean and bold. There is no problems following the story through the art. She-Beard actually looks pretty hot (though she would kick anyones ass who says so) and there are some exceptional work done on the autosaur skeletons.

I can't recommend this book to everyone. A person must have a sense of the absurd to appreciate this. Often, as I was reading, I would just have to suspend any thought and just say "ok, that's how things are done in the world of Seaguy." Not that there is anything wrong with that. After all, if there is no logic in the world of comic books, what do we have?

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.