Category: Graphic Novels

By Vittorio Giardino (NBM)
ISBN: 978-1-56163-184-1

Born on Christmas Eve 1946 Vittorio Giardino was an electrician who switched careers at age 30. He worked for a number of comics magazines initially and his first collection Pax Romana was released in 1978. He worked, slowly but consistently, on feature characters such as detective Sam Pezzo, the saucy Winsor McKay homage Little Ego and the cold-war drama Jonas Fink as well as general fiction tales, producing over 35 albums to date.

In 1982 he began the occasional saga of a quiet, bearded fellow recalled by the Deuxieme Bureau (the French Secret Service) to investigate the slaughter of almost every agent in the cosmopolitan paradise of Budapest. The series ran in the magazine Orient Express before being collected as Rhapsodie Hongroise or Hungarian Rhapsody (ISBN: 0-87416-033-2). Within three years he had returned to the subtly addictive pre-war drama with the follow-up La Porta d’Oriente or Orient Gateway to you and me.

Summer 1938: All the espionage agencies in the world know that war is coming. Frantically jockeying for the most favourable position, they’re all seeking every advantage for when the balloon goes up. Soviet engineer Mr. Stern has become just such a preferred asset of too many rival organisations, so he runs, losing himself in the teeming, mysterious city of Istanbul.

Once again reluctant, canny Max Friedman is drawn into the murky “Great Game”, but alongside the exotic, bewitching Magda Witnitz, is he the only one to ask why so many dangerous people want to acquire Stern? And why are they so willing to kill for him?

Subtle, entrancing and magnificently illustrated, this is a superb thriller with all the nostalgic panache of Casablanca and labyrinthine twists and turns of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and no fan of the genre, let alone comics aficionado, can afford to miss this beguiling adventure.

Giardino is a smart and confidant writer who makes tone and nuance carry a tale and his art – a semi-representational derivation of Hergé’s ligne claire (clean line) – makes the lovingly rendered locations as much a character as any of the stylishly operatives in a dark, doomed world on the brink of holocaust.

After ten years, Giardino recently completed a trilogy of albums featuring this unassuming spy which reveals much of his early years during the Spanish Civil War, and with the earlier tales they form an archive of spy-fiction that rivals the best of Le Carré, Hammett, Buchan or Fleming.

Max Friedman is one of the form’s greatest characters and Giardino’s work is like honey for the eyes and mind. This is another graphic novel every fan of comics or the Intelligence Game should know.

© 1986 Vittorio Giardino. All Rights Reserved.

By Andreas (Michel Deligne Publishing Co)
ISBN: 2-87135-022-1

To me the perfect comic strip begins with the humble line. The greatest drawing is always the versatility of black against white. Colour enhances but it doesn’t create.

Andreas Martens is a versatile East German artist (from a time when that meant another country not different location) whose work has appeared in Le 9e Rêve, and Tintin for which last he produced Udolfo and Rork (from 1978).

Andreas has adapted the works of Francois Rivière (collected as Révélations Posthumes in 1980) and produced a graphic edition of Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre for Je Bouquine. Among his many original efforts are Raffington Detective, Cyrrus, Arq and a host of others. All his works are steeped in classical style and rich in visual tension. Many are thematically linked.

In 1982 he crafted a chilling, moody pastiche of the fantasy works of August Derleth, William Hope Hodgson and H. P. Lovecraft that related the tale of a survivor of a mysterious maritime tragedy.

Years ago a mutiny aboard the ‘Leviticus’ led to thirteen survivors being abandoned in a lifeboat on the High Seas. Against all odds they reached land safely. Every year they hold a reunion, and every year there has been one less survivor at the table…

Now the last three are to meet again and Cromwell Stone feels that the mystery is coming to an end. He arrives in the small seaside town to prepare but is sucked into a swirling maelstrom of unease and anxiety…

And the horrors of an unimaginable world are waiting for him to misstep…

The art is a stark blend of early Berni Wrightson and classical woodcut prints in this suspenseful tale of the unknown. Compelling beyond belief this is a superb horror story from a criminally under-regarded creator. Hopefully some enterprising publisher will get the English language rights and bring this and all his other works to a greater public.

© 1985 Editions Michel Deligne S.A. and Andreas. All Rights Reserved.

By Dan Jurgens, Jerry Ordway and various (DC Comics)
ISBN13: 978-1-5638-9184-7

Feeling a little like a rushed and rather desperate publishing stunt by DC in an attempt to rationalise some of the dafter choices made during a fairly tough time in the publishing market, this volume collects issues #4-0 (’cause it’s a countdown, right?) of the miniseries plus a two part prequel from Showcase ’94 #8-9. The saga was designed to re-retool the DC universe a decade after Crisis on Infinite Earths, but it’s just the tip of a veritable iceberg of crossovers, none of which can be seen here. At least the tale can be read with little loss of narrative flow (but then why bother with all those other storylines, at all?).

Monarch, the villain from Armageddon 2001, steals the power of the time-traveling energy-being Waverider and evolves into the devilish Extant, thus beginning a plan to unmake Time. As history catastrophically unravels from both ends, a small team of late 20th century champions struggles to save some semblance of reality. Prominently featured are the deaths of many favourite characters and by the time the shooting’s all done, most characters have a new and less contradictory history.

Jaded cynicism aside there’s plenty of fun to be had as the heroes fight bravely, and some genuinely moving choices to be made by the lead actors in the drama. Added menace is provided by the secret mastermind behind it all, (I’m not telling – buy the book) and a lot of very good comics did come about as a result of this conceptual spring-cleaning.

Not a classic, nor particularly relevant in the wake of the Infinite and/or Final Crises, this book still provides a solid hit of action, angst and sacrifice and the superb art by Jurgens and Jerry Ordway on the main book, and even the slightly more dated prequel segments by Frank Fosco and Ken Branch, make the end of the universe a treat for the eyes.

Not for the casual reader, perhaps but a worth a few precious moments of most fans’ time…

© 1994 DC Comics. All Rights Reserved.

By Kevin Rubio, Lucas Marangon & Howard M. Shum (Dark Horse Books)
ISBN 1-84576-370-X

One of the greatest strengths of an all-encompassing franchise such as Star Wars is the ability to accept and of course profit from some occasional fun at its expense. This winning little tome plays with the movies’ magic and stills makes me laugh on the fourth re-reading but do be warned; you’ll need some passing familiarity with Star Wars IV-VI: A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi not to mention the lesser, newer films to fully appreciate the in-jokes and general jocularity.

In the original two issue miniseries ‘Tag and Bink are Dead’, the eponymous zeroes are two shiftless slacker crewmen (think Dude, Where’s My Car? or Clerks in Space) on Princess Leia’s cruiser at the beginning of A New Hope. When Darth Vader attacks they take the place of two Storm Troopers and get sucked into the events of the grand storyline in a classic comedy of errors.

Skillful researcher (for which read “watched the movies over and over”) Rubio manages to insert the hapless duo into key scenes from the films to such effect that it’s safe to assume that whenever you see two faceless guards, troopers or characters keeping still or marching in the background it’s Tag and Bink, and their hapless participation is what actually saved the galaxy, too!,

The miniseries was followed by ‘The Return of Tag and Bink Special Edition’, which embroiled them much more fully in the events of Return of the Jedi, as their hidden interference is instrumental in defeating Jabba the Hutt and costing Luke Skywalker his hand when they undertake a mission for the Rebel Alliance. They’re also there when the Emperor get his final comeuppance.

‘Star Wars: Tag and Bink Episode One’ reveals the origin of the characters in a truly hilarious outing during the last days of Old Republic, where they were the worst Younglings at the Jedi School. The absolute highpoint is when young Tag gives the sullen Anakin Skywalker tips on how to score with hot chick Padmé Amidala…

Irreverent, fast-paced and genuinely funny beyond the films’ broad-based slapstick, this is a book to read over and again, especially with the captivating artwork of Lucas Marangon and Howard M. Shum, reminiscent of the great Ernie Colon, which handles action and expression with equal aplomb. Only the saddest fanatic could fail to be amused by this terrific tome. Sing along now “♫We’re off on the Road to Dantooine… ♫”

Star Wars © 2006 Lucasfilm Ltd. & ™. All Rights Reserved.

By Danny Bilson, Paul DeMeo, Marc Guggenheim, Mark Waid & various (DC Comics)
ISBN13: 978-1-4012-1567-5

Collecting issues #7-13 of The Flash – Fastest Man Alive, and portions of All-Flash #1 and DCU Infinite Holiday Special, this volume concludes the super-hero career (at least for the moment) of Bart Allen, grandson of the Silver Age Scarlet Speedster. Carrying directly on from The Flash – the Fastest Man Alive: Lightning in a Bottle (ISBN13: 978-1-4012-1229-2).

The book starts with a heartwarming vignette from the Christmas special entitled ‘Father Christmas’, by Ian Boothby, Giuseppe Camuncoli and Lorenzo Ruggiero before returning to the scheduled hi-jinx from writers Danny Bilson, Paul DeMeo in the two-part ‘Speedquest’.

Bart is adapting to his role as super-hero in Los Angeles, and studying to be a cop/forensic scientist like his grandpa with a procession of old rogues and new villains complicating matters unaware that his evil clone Inertia (no, seriously) is assembling an army of enemies for an all-out attack.

The art is by an impressive assembly line including Ron Adrian, Alex Lei, Rob Lea and Art Thibert, who are joined by Andy Kuhn, Paco Diaz, Tony Daniel, Jonathan Glapion and Marlo Alquiza for the eponymous ‘Full Throttle’, written by Marc Guggenheim. I won’t be too specific about this tense and shocking five part mini-epic as the whole point of these reviews is to get people reading new stuff, but suffice to say that this preliminary to the return of Wally West and tie-in to Countdown to Final Crisis delivers all that it promised and if you’re a fan of super-hero stories you’ll want to see this one.

The book closes with a tale of the returned Mr. West from All-Flash #1 as he tracks down Inertia, written by Mark Waid and illustrated by Karl Kerschl, Ian Churchill, Norm Rapmund, Manuel Garcia, Joe Bennett, Ruy Jose and Daniel Acuña.

The figure of the Flash has ever been associated with triumph and tragedy and always with heroism. This is a good solid addition to a tradition that reaches back to the earliest days of comic-books, and may well come to be seen as a singular highpoint.

© 2006, 2007 DC Comics. All Rights Reserved.