Month: October 2007

By David Petersen (Archaia Studios Press/Titan Books)
ISBN: 1-932386-57- 2 (Archaia edition) ISBN: 1-84576-660-1 (Titan edition)

This is a superb anthropomorphic fantasy tale already favourably compared to such classics as Lord of the Rings and the Chronicles of Narnia, although a fairer, more accurate – not to say obvious – comparison would be Robert C. O’Brien’s wonderful novel Mrs Brisby and the Rats of Nimh. Set in a feudal world, it follows the fortunes and travails of Lieam, Saxon and Kenzie, members of the fabled Mouse Guard.

In a world that generally views mice as vermin and victims, cooperation is vital and accurate Intelligence is fundamental to the survival of their society. The Guard was formed as a force of warriors, Border Guards, scouts, policemen, guides and messengers. They are the glue that binds the scattered cities, enclaves and outposts of mouse civilisation.

Whilst on patrol and destroying dangerous predators, our three heroes stumble on to a plot that threatens the existence of their home city Lockhaven and perhaps all mice everywhere. Worse still, there is a traitor within their own ranks…

What follows is a classic adventure of heroes and villains, full of valiant deeds, glorious battles and spellbinding spectacle. Charming and brilliantly paced, illustrated with achingly beautiful painted panels and clear, forthright storytelling, this book will captivate children and adults alike. Also included are charming extras such as maps, sketches, an illustrated glossary of Mouse occupations and the covers of the original comic issues.

It’s not too soon to put Mouse Guard on your kids’ Christmas present list. Destined to become a children’s classic, it’s a book all story lovers will come to adore.

© 2005, 2007 David Petersen. All Rights Reserved.

By Baru, with colour by Daniel Ledran (Drawn & Quarterly Publications)
ISBN 10: 1896597521
ISBN 13: 978-1896597522

Sport, despite being a world obsession, has oddly dropped out of the remit of most comics storytellers these days which is both odd and a shame. The Road to America, by Baru, uses the fervour of the immigrant’s dream and the fierce metaphor of struggle as depicted in the boxing ring to create a compelling tale of adversity against a true historical backdrop.

Set in Algeria in the 1950s, when the country was struggling to achieve independence from France, it is the story of the bloody rise of an impoverished street kid, Said Boudiaf. Becoming a boxer, he literally smashes his way out of the slums to the glittering lights of Paris, whilst his brother turns to bombs and a more permanent form of bloodletting as a freedom fighter determined to overthrow French Colonial rule.

Said is an unstoppable force in the ring, becoming a sporting hero, but in the real world he’s a leaf in the wind. The French despise his ethnicity whilst capitalising on his achievements, and he’s regarded as a puppet by the Algerian resistance forces. However, both sides want him for his propaganda value.

Said wants nothing more than personal freedom. His fights are non-political as is all Sport, but when his successes mount, and his unstoppable rise culminates in winning the French Championship, politics claims him anyway as a race riot between native Algerian and French spectators erupts in the stadium.

The tragic culmination occurs when Said makes it to America, and qualifies for the World Championship, but on returning to Paris to train for the bout he is sucked into the events of October17th 1961 – the day when a protest march against anti-Algerian policies and heavy-handed Police Suppression led to a bloody riot and a terrible massacre.

This beautifully executed tale is both blunt and subtle: weaving threads of ambition, morality, freedom, sacrifice and prejudice, both personal and social, into a compelling if sometimes chaotic narrative that is a joy to behold but often a bitter pill to swallow.

© 2002 Baru. All Rights Reserved.

By Steve Lafler (Top Shelf Productions)
ISBN: 1-891830-13-9

This is an anthropomorphic allegory using cartoon insects as variously and vaguely disguised icons from the world of popular jazz music.

Jimmy Watts is just your average Catholic kid: horny, self-absorbed, rebellious, and plagued by unnecessary and largely unearned guilt. Then his folks get him a saxophone and his life takes a whole new turn, even to the point of having music-induced semi-mystical visions. He has a destiny now. He’s going to be a Musician.

Winning a scholarship to the City Music College, he meets young pianist Slim Watkins and they discover shared tastes for fine, loose women, getting out of their heads and Jazz. Their rise in the boozy, druggy, sleazy world of popular music reflects their slow, seemingly inevitable, descent into drug addiction, which in turn mirrors their meteoric success with their band ‘Bughouse’.

This tale draws heavily on the history and legends of America’s almost-mythic Jazz Age; it also tellingly comments on the deadly pressures of creativity, the dumb things talented people do to cope with it, and ultimately, how some survive and others simply don’t.

Steve Lafler has crafted a deceptively compelling little gem whose strength lies in fresh, earnest characterisation laid over an archetypical plot. Originally a five-issue mini-series from Cat-Head Comics (1995-96), the series has been collected twice but with substantial revisions both times.

The 1996 edition reprints issues 1-4 with supplemental pages and a 20-page prequel, whilst the 2000 edition reviewed here expands that to 192 pages with substantially more new material. In either case though, the spiritually downbeat issue #5, which dealt with the aftermath of the drug-related death of a major character and how his surviving friends cope, is omitted and replaced with a different ending. Perhaps one day we’ll see a definitive edition of this wonderful modern fable.

© 2000 Steve Lafler.