MONDOmagazine

The Alpha Review

By Andrew Uys

I’ve heard that trade paperbacks — a run of comic issues collected into a graphic novel — are all the rage today. But which ones are worth your time? This column aims to put the spotlight on the spectacular trades — at least according to this writer. And just for fun, we will start with the letter “A,” and each subsequent review will follow with the next letter of the alphabet. While you might object to my taste or my opinion, I hope that this column will help save you time and money when you are next buying a trade paperback, as well as effort in alphabetizing.

Batman: The Long Halloween
Written by Jeph Loeb
Art by Tim Sale
DC Comics, 1998

Having started this column with Superman (All-Star Superman, to be exact), it is only natural that Batman would be next. As with any popular and long running comic hero, there are a number of Batman trades, and it took awhile for me to choose which Batman collection to review. Batman: The Long Halloween falls between the two groups that I mentioned in my last article — continuity and Elseworlds. This trade is not derived from a regular Batman title and explores Batman’s early history, retelling the origin of Harvey Dent’s transformation into the villain Two-Face. This story has been done before, and from what I understand, a version of it will be included in the upcoming Batman movie The Dark Knight. The beauty of this particular account is the masterful weaving of existing Batman mythos with a new and very entertaining story — the Holiday killings. Originally published as thirteen issues, this is one huge collection, running nearly 400 pages. That being said, I must have read it in a day after I first picked it up — the story is just too gripping to be put down. Personally, I think this is Jeph Loeb’s best work, and the Loeb/Sale team has produced a lot of excellent material (you might know them best from thier work on Heroes).The Long Halloween follows a series of killings that plague Gotham for nearly a year, and involves many of Batman’s classic villains. When the story begins Harvey Dent is still the district attorney and Commisioner Gordon is still only a captain in the police department. Carmine “The Roman” Falcone rules the underworld, and the three protagonists are fighting valiantly to bring down his crime family. Into this mix arrives the Holiday Killer who starts striking at the various organized crime elements in Gotham. The killer’s motive remains as mysterious as does their identity, but the result is a brewing war between the crime families with the innocent people of Gotham suffering. Each chapter of the story focuses on a particular holiday, and the murder timed to coincide with it. Many of the individual chapters highlight one of Batman’s villains — such as Joker, Scarecrow, Poison Ivy, and Solomon Grundy — who add to the mayhem and complicate Batman’s attempts to stop the Holiday Killer. Catwoman also plays a prominent role in this story, as both an ally and opponent to Batman. As I have already mentioned, this trade weaves Harvey Dent’s metamorphosis into Two-Face into the plot, though I only realized this much later into the story. This particular telling of Two-Face’s origin doesn’t depict the Dent/Two-Face shift as being a singular psychotic break. Rather, it paints a picture of a man tortured by trying to achieve order and justice in a violent and malicious city, and the moral sacrifices that he makes along the way. Two-Face, when he is created by the all well too known splash of acid, seems like the natural progression of where Dent was heading, and I feel this adds a very human element to this familiar Batman villain.

It took me a long time to pick up this trade, even though it was recommended by a number of well-read friends. My initial problem with this collection was the art. I am not the biggest fan of Tim Sale’s style of illustration, even though I have enjoyed other work by this team (Superman For All Seasons). I find it too scratchy, and once the inks and colour have been added, too dark. Well, for Batman this would seem to be ideal, but when I used to flip through this book at the store I would always put it back, buying something else with cleaner lines and brighter art. After reading this story, I have partially changed my mind. I still don’t rate Sale as one my favourite artists of all time, but his style certainly works very well for the mood and atmosphere of this collection. That, and the story rocks so much you can’t help but enjoy this book. Personally, I think this is better than The Dark Knight Returns, which everyone claims is the best Batman story out there. If you enjoy this trade paperback, you should look into picking up the sequel Batman: Dark Victory. Grab Batman: The Long Halloween when you get the chance, as it sells out of my local comic shop whenever they get the trade in, and it is well worth the read, whether you are a Batman fan, or just enjoy comics in general (if you’re really hardcore you’ll buy the “absolute” edition with the oversized art and slipcase).

Zombies Calling
Written and illustrated by Faith Erin Hicks
SLG Publishing, 2007

By Owen K. Craig

It’s hard to resist a book with a cover that features its heroine brandishing a spork. What’s even more appealing is finding out that what’s inside the book is every bit as fun. Taking a self-aware approach to zombie fiction, Zombies Calling reads like a book written by a true fan of the genre who knows how thoroughly ridiculous zombie movies are, and, more importantly, that that’s what makes them great.

As Joss, the book’s heroine, finds herself in the midst of both University and a zombie outbreak, she uses her extensive knowledge of the “rules” of zombie movies to get herself and her friends through this horror-movie-come-to-life. These “rules” include, “never leave the mall” and “characters in a zombie movie will transform from ordinary folk into shotgun wielding, zombie-ass-kicking ninjas.” No “killing vampires with garlic”-esque solutions to be found here, these zombies are fought with a spork. What makes the book work so well is that Faith Erin Hicks fully understands both zombie movies and University life. Her little nods to such things as the creation of the modern “fast zombie” or a jar Joss has to drop money into every time she bitches about her student loan. She combines those two elements seamlessly with her effortless humour and excellent pacing.

The art is as funny and appealing as the writing; the characters are drawn with so much life and personality that one look at them will tell you most of what you need to know.

Zombies Calling is hilarious, fun, and a blast to read from beginning to end. I had a ton of fun reading this book and can only hope for more work from Hicks. Soon.

The Alpha Review

By Andrew Uys

I’ve heard that trade paperbacks — a run of comic issues collected into a graphic novel — are all the rage today. But which ones are worth your time? This column aims to put the spotlight on the spectacular trades — at least according to this writer. And just for fun, we will start with the letter “A,” and each subsequent review will follow with the next letter of the alphabet. While you might object to my taste or my opinion, I hope that this column will help save you time and money when you are next buying a trade paperback, as well as effort in alphabetizing.

A is for All-Star Superman Vol. 1
Written by Grant Morrison
Art by Frank Quitely
DC Comics, 2007

Read the rest of this entry »

Eternals
Written by Neil Gaiman
Art by John Romita Jr.
Marvel Comics, 2007

By Sam Linton

I have a particular love of all the untidy corners of the Marvel universe; the things that occasionally work their way into the main canon, but don’t really fit outside their own specific spot. I just love it when they “bleed” outside their proper place. Any story involving Asgard that takes place outside a Thor comic. Any time aliens from Fantastic Four or The Silver Surfer drop in on, say, Daredevil. Anything at all having remotely to do with the Mojoverse. I just can’t get enough. Still, even amidst all this beloved chaos and clutter of the sidelines, one group of characters stands out as one of the most strangely idiosyncratic of all: the Eternals, along with their brothers, the Deviants, and their parents, the spacefaring titan-gods known as the Celestials. The product of a Jack Kirby fever dream involving both his recently stopped Fourth World projects at DC and reading too much Chariots of the Gods?, the Eternals were conceived as a race of superior humans created by Celestial space gods to live forever and safeguard the globe, while their Deviant brother species was created to… to… well, it wasn’t really clear what the motives of those inscrutable space guards were in that. They were inscrutable, after all. Anyways, long story short, the title had a relatively brief run, but the Eternals (and all their background baggage) managed to hinge onto the main Marvel canon and affect it in unexpected ways. By way of example, the Silver Surfer’s prominent baddie Thanos turned out to be an Eternal, off the branch of the species that had relocated to Titan. The Avenger Sersi — remember her? She’s fairly major in this new thing — was one, too. Longtime Fantastic Four aliens the Skrulls were revealed to be descendants of the Deviant branch of the Celestials’ tamperings with their own planet. And in 1989, all the summer annuals tied together a global plot by the Deviants to sacrifice the Atlantians to their elder god, Set. Absolutely everyone in the Marvel universe got a piece of this pie. Even the Silver Surfer, who wasn’t even in the same solar system. It was awful. I have every issue (the backup features were pretty solid, though).

And this is what so thoroughly impresses me with Neil Gaiman’s recent work on the newly revamped miniseries, now available in trade hardback. Despite all of this baggage, there is no major redressing of the Marvel canon going on. Oh, all the characters begin with amnesia, but everything they did before still stands. They still live in a secret city in Antarctica, they’re still engaged in a secret underground war with the Deviants (another species humankind doesn’t know it shares a planet with), and some of them are still rostered Avengers. Most importantly, though, the plausibility-bankrupt premise of titanic space gods, one of whom is entombed in a mountain not 100 meters outside of San Francisco, is retained intact. Frankly, in a Marvelverse where the political ramifications of superheroing are constantly being weighed, “Ultimate” incarnations question the primary nature of each individual hero’s identity, and Captain America can be gunned down in the street like a dog, titanic space gods tampering with mankind’s evolution is just damned refreshing. It’s so… so classic. The plot, art, and characterization are just bonuses, really. If you like Gaiman, you’ll like this, and John Romita Jr.’s art puts a fresh spin on Kirby’s classic design without robbing it of its essential Kirby-ness, but I can’t say anything on them you haven’t heard before. Of course they’re good, they’re John “Son-of-John-Romita-Sr.” Romita Jr. and Neil “Not-only-did-I-write-the-Sandman-and-American-Gods-I-also-translated-Princess-Fucking-Mononoke“ Gaiman! But really, it’s not about the plot, or the art, or the characterization, or anything like that. It’s just about taking something crazy, peripheral, and frankly, fairly disposable, and giving it the total star treatment. Now let’s do the same thing with the Mojoverse, eh?

Postscript
Hmmn. Marvel, if you aren’t doing anything with them, I’d be glad to try my hand at taking on some of your more neglected characters. Like anyone you’ve killed off, but could bring back with little fanfare. Like Doug Ramsey. I could do a great Doug Ramsey comic. Seriously. Email me. We’ll get a dialogue going on this. I have script ideas.

The Blot
Writing and art by Tom Neely
I Will Destroy You, 2007

By Miles Baker

I’m not sure what I’d do if a giant black cloud were either following me around or spewing from all my facial orifices. I probably wouldn’t think too hard about what it metaphysically meant, but that’s what I did when I read The Blot.

I’m hesitant to say what The Blot is about or what my interpretation of it is. The dream-like story is about a mute character and an ominous black form that follows him around. But it doesn’t just follow him around; it eventually consumes and later emanates from him. He’s taught to control the blot by a female character that has the only speaking role. What the blot represents is artfully open to multiple interpretations. It has some obvious meanings, but subtleties are apparent and the book proves more compelling on re-readings.

But an interesting, ambiguous metaphor aren’t the only thing working for The Blot. Neely’s art is incredible and fits the story very well. His style is almost nostalgic, influenced by cartoonists from another time — Walt Disney or Chuck Jones — and so is the content, but in a different way. The lines are confident and full of motion. It all looks effortless, which I’m assuming means that the exact opposite is true of the process. My favourite parts are when his classic style slams into more modern content, like full-frontal nudity. That odd juxtaposition is natural and, again, works with the story. While the book is largely black and white, the sparse use of colour is effective and — more importantly — beautiful.

It all drips with meaning.

For more about this book, or to purchase it, visit iwilldestroyyou.com.

Red Eye, Black Eye
Written and Drawn by K. Thor Jensen
Alternative Comics, 2007

By Miles Baker

“A joyously bleak handbook for the post-9/11 generation.”
— Rodney Anonymous (The Dead Milkmen) excerpted review from publisher’s website.

When I was looking up other reviews of Red Eye, Black Eye several critics complimented it as a great example of post 9/11 literature. True, there is a panel of the twin towers burning, but I don’t think that’s what Jensen was going for. I think 9/11 may be one reason that Jensen sets out on his road trip, but losing his job, his house or his girlfriend are reasons just as important. His proximity to the horrific events aren’t what give this story credibility, it’s Jensen’s ability to capture moments of kindness, frustration, and humour in a human way.

Red Eye, Black Eye is an autobiographical account of Jensen’s one-man road trip starting from New York at the end of September 2001 and ending 60 days later back in New York, having traveled 10,000 miles. On his trip across the country Jensen stays with various friends, the majority of whom he’s only met over the internet and never in real life. In that way the book is almost a testament to the kindness of strangers: city after city people drink, laugh and tell Jensen stories.

One thing I appreciate about Red Eye, Black Eye is that we never really see Jenson drawing or sketching the story. In too many autobiographical works, the act of cartooning is an overriding current in the story. However, while this isn’t self-congratulatory cartooning, I do wish that Jensen had been a little less forceful towards the end when he starts looking harder and harder for some meaning in it all. Even though I imagine that on the final legs of his journey he did really keep asking the questions “What have I learned from this?” and “Why am I going back at all?” he ends up pushing a little too hard into post-modern autobiography territory.

I can look over this quibble, however, because I enjoy the final message, or at least my interpretation of it. Also the little moments are what really make my day when reading this book (like his jokes about being a hobo). I love Jensen’s frustrations with long-distance banking — the emotional highs and lows that can be caused because of your bank statement. I like that he basically drinks his way through the first half of the book, only to be much more sober for the last half, though I imagine that was partly due to lack of funds (we’ve all been there).

Jensen’s visual style is simple but effective. The characters all look very charming and his style allows for a lot of expression. His women do start to look the same after a while. But given the incredible amount of characters, he can’t be faulted. And honestly, white people all look the same anyway.

Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall
Written by Bill Willingham
Art by Esao Andrews, Brian Bolland, John Bolton, Mark Buckingham, James Jean, Michael Wm. Kaluta, Derek Dirk Kim, Tara McPherson, Jill Thompson, Charles Vess and Mark Wheatley
Vertigo, 2006

By Owen K. Craig

I’ve noticed lately that many people my age — or at least the people I know — have been suffering from severe nostalgia. I don’t know why people in their twenties feel a yearning to recapture a childhood that is barely ten tears past, but it is unequivocally so. However, finding the warmth that appealed to your inner child is a tricky business. Simply indulging in childish delights often is not as gratifying as it once was — not everything remains as amusing as Super Mario Bros. 3. I find the best solution is to find something with all of the wonder, whimsy, and imagination that our favourite childhood diversions had but with an adult twist.

Leaving aside Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall’s parent title (the compelling, layered, and brilliant series Fables) for now, Bill Willingham has created an amazing book in its own right. Fables is set in a world inhabited by fairytale characters from Snow White to Old King Cole but in modern times. The book begins with Snow White embarking on a diplomatic mission to forge an alliance with the Arabian Sultan against the “Adversary” who has conquered the lands of the European fables. The background of the conquered homelands is merely backdrop for this story (and covered more extensively in Fables), this book focuses on Snow White telling story after story to the Sultan to stave off a rather unpleasant morning spent with the Headsman. The idea of taking Scheherazade’s story and twisting it as the framing device sets up the perverse tales that will delight the adult mind nicely.

Without ruining the stories contained in this gorgeous hardcover volume, I will say that the sinister aspects of the stories we heard as kids are truly spotlighted. Questions are answered: what was Snow White doing in the cabin with seven dwarfs, how did the gingerbread witch survive being put in the oven, and how did the Big Bad Wolf get to be so big and bad? Tone is played with a lot, too. The stories range from mystery to tragedy to light diversion as fast as you can turn the page. Each of the different artists also helps change the tone, and it pays off. Every one of them surprises me with their uniqueness in style and is well chosen to fit the story it’s paired with. If I had to choose a standout I’d go with Mark Buckingham. In this book he shows off some work I wasn’t aware he was capable of. His painted art conveys a lightness of tone making Reynard’s plan for eluding the Adversary’s minions hilarious rather than silly — a perfect fit and a great-looking story.

If you’ve already been exposed to the Fables world than chances are you’re already a fan. If you haven’t, then this would be a great chance for you to test the waters and see if it’s for you. Expect familiar faces from your childhood, but faces now have potholes and crows feet.

Nostalgia cravings, meet Fables.

Pride of Baghdad
Written by Brian K. Vaughan
Art by Niko Henrichon
Vertigo, 2006

By Owen K. Craig

Some books just feel important. While reading them you can’t help but think “this is a book that could be studied years down the road.” Whether it’s good, bad, entertaining, or dull, you can’t shake that feeling. Pride of Baghdad, a book tackling the heavy and very fresh subject of the war in Iraq is one of those books. Books like this are difficult to review, because sometimes they feel bigger than the reviewer. It is for such reasons that I feel it necessary to break it down into more manageable pieces.

Does it look good? Niko Henrichon has put together some of the most beautiful pages I have seen in comics all year with this book. The characters, despite being realistically depicted animals, demonstrate more personality in their faces than many humans drawn in comics in recent months. There are many splash-pages in there that are jaw-dropping, depicting the wild animals alongside American mobilization.

Is the story compelling? Absolutely. Leaving aside the greater meaning of the book, the simple story of the escaped lions trying to survive in this world is wonderful and touching. I grew to care about the characters and wanted to see what happened to them. Brian K. Vaughan has created characters that are fully developed and interesting in their own right, aside from the grander message of a story set in present-day Iraq.

Does the book make me think? This is often how I separate a good book from a great book. If I enjoy myself but the book is all but forgotten one hour later, it was merely a good book. However, if I enjoyed the read and then the book lingers in my head all day, then that’s a sign that the book is something more. This is the sign of a great book to me. Pride of Baghdad is definitely a book that stuck around for me. It doesn’t spell out its message; it presents many sides of the argument and lets you work it out for yourself. There’s vocal characters expressing their thoughts on freedoms, and there’s intense symbolism. There’s a lot to be found upon multiple reads. This is a book well worth thinking about.

So is this book actually important? It’s a bit early for that, only time will tell. Did I like it? Absolutely.

Supermarket
Written by Brian Wood
Art by Kristian
IDW Publishing, 2006

By David Razi Dryburgh

When this story first came out as a four-piece monthly, I didn’t buy it. I knew it’d be a trade paperback one day. It is, after all, Brian Wood. He isn’t exactly as “indie” as some would claim; he did the art for GTA3 for God’s sake. And so, I waited intently. I waited like a kid who knew where his parents had hidden the Christmas presents but wasn’t going to go snooping, well aware that being surprised in earnest was worth it. I saw a one-page preview online and thought “God damn. That’s gonna be good.” I would not be disappointed.

Supermarket is about young Pella Suzuki and her fight to dodge mobsters from the Yakuza and Porno Swedes (there is a name that earns you street cred). She pissed them off somehow, but Beta, the Far East stud-gone-syndicate with a heart of gold, is there to try and help her out. The whole thing takes place in the future. The near future, actually. So near, in fact, that we may as well just call it the present; that seems to be what Wood is hinting at. Don’t get me wrong, with more than 92 pages to flesh things out, the world in Supermarket could really come to life, but as it is, it seems that only real difference between this future and the present is that all crime syndicates will wear matching outfits. I didn’t even know that it was set in the future until thirty pages in, when she started wearing VR goggles. Similarly, like most of Wood’s protagonists, Pella is a product of her environment, not really having earned her angst, which was a bit distracting. As a satire however, this book works nicely, as is Wood’s tendency. He’s all “Look in the mirror, WORLD!” He goes there.

The art in this book, and a gorgeous colour palette, come courtesy of Kristian. I’d never heard of this guy before, but it really is superb stuff. The whole thing feels like Jet Set Radio Future only a lot less cheerful. Most of all, I love his infrequent use of black. The words I’d most use to describe the art are “immersive” and “energetic.”

I’ve long been a follower of Wood’s work, and I don’t really know why. There’s always fantastic potential in his stories, but they almost inevitably seem to be ruined by the page count. Most of his stories are relatively short, and seem to just stop (with the exception of Demo, which seemed to flourish on the limited page count of each tale). Supermarket’s ending is premature and underdeveloped,which, given the strong potential for so much else to happen, was bothersome. That said, I still find myself awaiting his work, often intently. I strongly recommend this book for anyone looking for the fun of an action movie, or art with sleek style and grit. If Supermarket 2 came out, I’d buy it in a heartbeat. For the art, the action, and most importantly, to see if Wood takes advantage of the myriad possibilities of the world he created.