Category: Graphic Novels

By Steve Ditko and various
No ISBN

Steve Ditko is one of the most unique stylists in an artform literally brimming with diversity and innovation. By using a set of stylisations that reduce the universe to cartoon simplicity he has made the most fantastic premises realer than real, and thus created a hyper-reality that can denote good or evil, happy or sad hopeful or damned with the merest flick of a brush.

In his earliest days he worked for shoe-string publisher Charlton Comics, who throughout his career gave him the editorial latitude he craved but never the remuneration he deserved. No company has ever given him the acclaim he is due.

Between 1957 and 1959 he produced an unbelievable number of short mystery and science-fiction stories for Charlton’s genre anthology comics – by far the backbone of the industry in the days before super-heroes re-emerged as the dominant form – and this book collects a sampling from one of those titles. Culled from Out of This World issues #3-12, and decently printed on good quality paper rather than the appalling pulp stock Charlton utilised, the glorious chiaroscuric black and white is undiluted by poor colouring hastily applied.

This little volume has episodes that terrify, amaze, amuse and enthral. They are an utter delight, with lean, stripped down plots and simple dialogue that let the art set the tone, tug the heartstrings and tell the tale, of times when a story could end sadly as well as happily and only wonderment was on the agenda, hidden or otherwise.

Isn’t it time this marvellous creator’s work was rediscovered and put into the kind of permanent graphic packages that all our giants deserve?

© 1989 Robyn Snyder. All Rights Reserved.

By Alison Marek (Piranha Press — an imprint of DC Comics)
No ISBN:

This is a lyrical and moving fable about loss and acceptance told in a faux niavist style. Or if you wanted to be less poncey, Alison Marek constructs a simple tale that has the feel of augmented semi-autobiography.

Miriam is the beautiful child of a world famous if emotionally troubled model. Her earliest memories are of being a model herself, or at the very least, a fashion accessory. When her mother marries an ugly but wealthy publishing tycoon she is packed off to boarding school but actually prefers it to her previous life.

When her mother dies and her step-father remarries, rather than discard or ignore her, the newlyweds want keep Miriam with them, but still she is unhappy. All her life something has been missing, and the little girl can’t even define what it is.

Drawn in a child-like series of black and white images, this reductionist quest for fulfilment is a stark yet sentimental tale tinged with bittersweet longing and a little regret. When comics are nearly all about big action, belly-laughs or shock and awe, it’s gratifying to see something of subtlety and reverie captured in a medium that can so effectively depict it.

Not a weepie, nor surreal, this is contemplative and rewarding work.

© 1989 Alison Marek. All Rights Reserved.

By Camilla d’Errico & Joshua Dysart (Titan Books)
ISBN: 1-84576- 684-9

The concluding volume of the tale of Hana, a young girl who accepts five wishes from a demon to improve her life, picks up with the lonely child still waiting to become popular at school. The boy she likes now talks to her but the situation with her parents hasn’t really improved, and what happened to Mr Weston was horrible.

Her life isn’t really any better and now only one wish remains. And Avril Lavigne – or at least her imaginary analogue – still won’t talk to her. But then the demon’s machinations finally bear fruit, and as every instinct warned she gets what she wants only to eternally regret it.

Despite a seeming predictability this story still has surprises in store for the reader, and a terrific payoff for the comic aficionado prepared to give it a chance. And hopefully the celebrity connection will create a few new fans for the medium, especially when the work is as well produced as that of Camilla d’Errico and Joshua Dysart in this lovely little tome.

© 2006, 2007 House of Parlance Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

By Various (Titan Books)
ISBN: 1-84023-058-4

The Simpsons seem unable to generate poor product no matter what medium they assault, so here’s another collection of strips which originally saw print in their own monthly comic – specifically issues #28-31, which were cobbled together by this creative crowd: Karen Bates, Tim Bavington, Jeanine Black, Chris Clements, Scott M. Gimple, Stephanie Gladden, Gary Glasberg, Tim Harkins, Carl Harmon, Nathan Kane, Jim Lincoln, Bill Morrison, Julius Preite, Phil Ortiz, Jeff Rosenthal, Steve Steere Jr., Mary Trainor, Dan Studney, Chris Ungar, Cindy and Steve Vance and Rob Walton as well the inevitable Matt Groening.

‘Krustonia’ is a piece of inspired madness as Krusty the Clown establishes his own country to avoid paying Income Tax, which is followed by the wordy but engaging ‘Flanders’ Big Score – A Ned Flanders Mystery’. Homer returns to the world of showbiz combat as a wrestler in ‘Let’s Get Ready to Bumble’ and young Maggie Simpson gets her own adventure in ‘Bringing Down Baby’.

Highlight of the book is the insanely dystopian warning to science when Mr, Burn’s simpering yes-man is cloned and cloned again in ‘Smitherses!’ Bart and Milhouse star in ‘Bore Us –the Movie – Gruel’ and we also get to see the floor-plans of Lisa’s Dream house, before a comic fanboy assault begins with ‘Radioactive Homer’, when the man of the house becomes a super-hero – of sorts – and the volume concludes with the Bongo Comics ‘Comic Conventions Survival Guide’. I regret that sad but true fact that every fan will find him/herself in at least one of the damning categories listed here.

Always funny, always great entertainment, and always a wonderful antidote to too much angst and pomposity.

© 1999, 2005 Bongo Entertainment, Inc. All rights reserved.

By Camilla d’Errico & Joshua Dysart (Titan Books)
ISBN: 1-84576- 683-0

I’m not quite sure of the extent of Avril Lavigne’s creative input in this compelling and enthralling tale of a little girl, isolated and confused in the modern world, but don’t let that deter you from enjoying it.

Hana is not happy or popular. She gets picked on at school, the boy she likes doesn’t know she exists, and her parents are always fighting. She spends too much time on her own, and makes mischief in internet chat rooms. She only has one person she can talk to, and that’s an imaginary version of the pop-star Avril Lavigne.

Then one day she finds the “Make5wishes” website, and eventually succumbs to its seductive offer. In response she receives a diminutive demon who promises to change her life, but constantly warns her that there will be consequences. At first she is content just to have somebody – or rather something – to talk to, but the lure of those wishes just grows and grows…

Of course she succumbs. And the first wish seems to be all gain, no pain. So then she tries another and another. Sometimes the wishes are not instantaneously granted but she’s prepared to wait. She’s still pretty lonely though, and imaginary Avril doesn’t talk to her so much now. She doesn’t approve of the demon or his offer.

Big magic takes time. But soon she gets what she wished for, and even if it all goes bad she still has one wish in reserve… But it does go wrong, and as the delayed requests begin to materialise Hana realises the depth of her folly.

Although ostensibly a fairly derivative tale, with echoes (acknowledged throughout) of Faust and The Monkey’s Paw this is a subtle and chillingly contemporary tale beautifully illustrated. With a haunting tone of predestined tragedy this grips and enchants the reader. The biggest problem will be overcoming the prejudice the celebrity component of the package is likely to engender in casual readers. If you are one such please try to judge this story on its merits, because it is very, very good.

© 2006, 2007 House of Parlance Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

By Gene Luen Yang (First Second – an imprint of Roaring Book Press)
ISBN: 1-59643-152-0

Hugely entertaining retelling of the stories of the Monkey King of Chinese classical fiction, flawlessly blended with a parallel storyline about Chinese Americans attempting to fit into American culture. The result of such attempts is of course always something new and different, but why does getting there always have to be such a titanic struggle?

Jin Jang spent his formative years in the cosmopolitan safe enclave of San Francisco’s Chinatown before his family moved to the woefully provincial suburbs. He is only the second ever Asiatic kid in his elementary school. His experiences growing in this environment form a counterpoint to bright, vibrant reinterpretations of Monkey’s greatest exploits. A third story strand features Danny, an all-American White boy who is perpetually embarrassed by the grotesque racial stereotype that is his cousin Chin-Kee (sound it out… get it?).

How these three elements seamlessly blend into a modern fantasy that pitilessly explores the experience of growing up foreign in your own country makes for a captivating reading experience that can be enjoyed by all ages, although you should be aware that racial issues are dealt with head-on and some images might appear offensive unless you’re actually paying attention.

The book was nominated a National Book Award finalist, won the Michael L. Printz Award 2006 and was the Amazon.com Best Graphic Novel/Comic of the Year as well as garnering a host of other prizes.

© 2006 Gene Yang. All Rights Reserved.

 

By Joss Whedon & John Cassaday (Marvel/Panini UK)
ISBN 0-7851-1531-5

Joss Whedon turned his inimitable skills with choreographing ensemble casts to the ultimate team-book when he started writing the high-profile Astonishing X-Men (the first six issues of which are collected in this volume). With the supremely talented John Cassaday as artist the comic was always going to look great and sell well, but the ease with which Whedon slips into the characters and lifts them out of the mire of decades of convoluted cliché and continuity is a joy to behold.

You’re either aware or not of mutant continuity, so I’ll forego the usual précis and simply state that new readers can jump on with the minimum of confusion, and aided by the skilful use of banter be brought up to speed as the team of Cyclops, Emma “White Queen” Frost, Wolverine, Kitty Pryde and the Beast re-unite as a team of mutant do-gooders, but with a new mission statement.

In a world that hates and fears mutants, these heroes have traditionally fought secretive, furtive battles to save the day, with humanity despising them all the while. The new agenda is simple. Do the battling and saving, but in a public-relations savvy society, do it in such a way that the world knows who to thank. They will become public heroes and change public opinion by doing good, publicly.

The plan to alter those perceptions begins by ending a hostage situation where anti-mutant terrorists led by an alien named Ord of the Breakworld crash a Society function. Even as the hungry press are mobbing the victorious heroes, however, word comes that the media blitz may be unnecessary. An announcement has been made that scientists have found a cure for the mutant gene…

The news divides not just the mutant community, but even the team itself. Is “mutant-ness” even a disease? Is it better to conform or be unique? Where did the cure come from and who actually benefits? What role does Ord play in these earth-shattering events and is he working alone? None of these deep issues get in the way of a rollercoaster-ride of action and genuine suspense that’s been missing since the earliest days of these characters.

Combining stunning action and superb characterisation in a mystery/conspiracy tale is a Whedon trademark. Adding the alienation metaphors that have been such a strong part of the X-Men mystique and the fan psychology makes this a powerful yet entertaining read that will appeal to almost everybody.

© 2004 Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved

 

By Megan Rose Gedris (Rosalarian Productions)
ISBN: 0-9794007-0-8

The Worldwide web is becoming an increasingly important factor in the production of comic strips, and a growing number of strips that appear online are eventually making it back into the realm of physical artefacts as trade paperback collections. One such is the award winning Yu+Me Dream which won creator Megan Rose Gedris the 2006 Prism Comics Press Grant – which is how I can be staring at black and white pages instead of peering myopically at a screen

Fiona Thompson is a good Catholic schoolgirl (eighteen years old), although a bit of a class misfit. Consequently, she’d much rather spend her time asleep and dreaming, rather than have to face hostile classmates, her nasty step-mom and Nuns.

Her fantasy world becomes less enticing when a new girl moves in next door and she finds a soul-mate and ally. Lia Riolo plays an increasingly large part in both her real and dream-life and slowly Fiona must deal with the suspicion that she might be Gay and falling in love. Does Lia suspect? Could she possibly ever share these feelings?

Gently funny and sad by turns this charmingly stylish cartoon tale deals with the topic of gender identity in a forthright but non-exploitative way that never forgets the First Rule: “Be Entertaining”. This first volume also contains fan art, a cover gallery, behind the scenes commentary, a mini-comic dream sequence and that most beloved staple of girl’s comics, Cut-out-and-dress paper dolls. Good stuff well done.

© 2007 Megan Rose Gedris. All Rights Reserved
YU+ME: dream contains materials originally published online at http://yume-comic.com.