Now Read This!

March 21, 2008March 19, 2008

Babar and Father Christmas

By Jean de Brunhoff (Egmont)
ISBN: 978-1-4052-3822-9

In this final translation – to date – of Jean de Brunhoff’s immortal and so very urbane elephant (released in 1941 as Babar et le pÃ¨re NoÃ«l), the patient parent undertakes an arduous expedition to bring joy to his children and his people.

One day Zephir the monkey tells Babar’s children Pom, Flora and Alexander, and of course Cousin Arthur, about the fabulous Father Christmas who brings presents to children in the world of Men. Captivated, they decide to invite the venerable gentleman to visit them, but after a very long time with no reply, they become despondent. Devoted Babar decides to find Father Christmas and personally invite him to the Land of the Elephantsâ€¦

Produced at a time when the World desperately needed something bright, cheerful and filled with hope, this last tale from de Brunhoff (the franchise was revived after WWII by his son Laurent, who produced ten more books between 1948 and 1966) is a fabulously inventive and escapist adventure brimming with simple charm and clever, enchanting artwork. Europhiles will also be delighted to discover that the North Pole is merely a forwarding address and his real home is where it’s always been – in the cold, snowy mountains of Bohemia.

Great Children’s Books are at once plentiful and scarce. There are many, but definitely never enough. This deceptively engaging series has weathered the test of time and has earned a place on your shelves and in your hearts.

March 21, 2008March 19, 2008

JLA: The Hypothetical Woman

By Gail Simone & JosÃ© Luis Garcia-LÃ³pez (DC Comics)
ISBN13: 978-1-84576-732-7

Gail Simone once again proves her sheer class as mainstream comics writer in this compellingly effective epic which was originally serialised in issues #16-21 of JLA: Classified. With the legendary JosÃ© Luis Garcia LÃ³pez providing his customary magnificent artwork, as always, this tale examines the deadly ramifications when the World’s Greatest Heroes are deputised by the United Nations to remove a despotic General from power in a Third World nation.

By stepping beyond their usual police role the League are susceptible to politics’ oldest power-play. The defrocked dictator uses their actions against them to create a coalition among many equally-dubious regimes. Fearful that the superheroes may be turned upon them next, these nations put the vengeful General Tuzic in charge of all their metahuman and Special Resources.

What follows is a charged and telling drama as the counter-attack of the General threatens the entire world with plague and conquest and that even before his deployment of the uniquely powerful Hypothetical Womanâ€¦

Simone has a superb grasp of the dynamics of superhero storytelling and a wonderful ear for dialogue. Coupled with Garcia LÃ³pez’s astounding drawing the result is an old-fashioned â€œgoodies-and baddiesâ€ delight. Fans of the form can take comfort that the Good Old Days aren’t quite over yet!

March 20, 2008March 19, 2008

A Sailor’s Story II: Wind, Dreams and Dragons

A MARVEL GRAPHIC NOVEL

Â A Sailor's Story II: Wind, Dreams and Dragons

By Sam Glanzman (Marvel)
ISBN: 0- 87135-556-6

Sam Glanzman produced comic magic for decades in an underplayed, effective and matter-of-fact manner. For many years this hugely neglected talent has been making great narrative art without flash or dazzle, gaining fans among the cognoscenti yet largely unnoticed by the mainstream fans, but in 1987 he produced an autobiographical graphic novel that made quite a few waves.

A Sailor’s Story (ISBN: 0- 87135-298-2) captivatingly related his experiences as a young man aboard the American Destroyer U.S.S. Stevens in a no-nonsense, highly entertaining tale, and broke new ground in the progress of the graphic novel as a medium for artistic expression. It also reached a lot of buyers who wouldn’t be caught dead with a copy of Spider-Man or Conanâ€¦

This sequel returns to the Pacific at the height of World War II, and by clever use of narrative devices such as Ship’s Travel Logs incorporated into the page designs, and diagrams and cutaways as part of the text, manages to instil an even more documentary atmosphere into this wonderfully human-scale drama. This is used to create a foreboding sense of dread as the crew encounters and learns to live with the then-unknown terror weapon of suicide-pilots who would become a household name to us: Kamikaze!

Combining the folksy, informative charm of the first volume with the â€œhurry-up-and-waitâ€ tension of modern warfare, and delivered in an increasingly bold and innovative graphic style, Wind, Dreams and Dragons is one of the best explorations ever produced of sea-combat as seen through the eyes of the ordinary seaman. I pray some right-thinking publisher re-releases this – and its companion predecessor – as soon as possibleâ€¦

March 20, 2008March 19, 2008

A Sailor’s Story

A MARVEL GRAPHIC NOVEL

Â A Sailor's Story

By Sam Glanzman (Marvel)
ISBN: 0- 87135-298-2

Inexplicably, many superb creators who dedicate a lifetime to producing a volume of work are never rewarded for their efforts. Probably the most shamefully neglected of these hidden stars – at least in the American comicbook industry – is Sam Glanzman. With a solid, unique and rough-hewn style he has worked since the 1940s on a variety of titles for a number of companies, mostly on anthology material for fantasy, mystery, war and adventure anthologies, but also on the occasional serial characters such as Willy Schulz, Hercules and Tarzan for Charlton, Kona for Dell, and The Haunted Tank and U.S.S. Stevens for DC.

It is this last series of guardedly-autobiographical tales, derived from his tour of duty on that eponymous American Destroyer in World War II, which formed the precedent for the superb pictorial autobiography I’m discussing here. And if anybody from DC is reading this, those U.S.S. Stevens strips are so-very-long overdue for the trade paperback treatment, too!

In 1987 editor Larry Hama made the bold decision to publish Glanzman’s simple, matter-of-fact account of his days as a young man aboard a Pacific Fleet Destroyer as part of Marvel’s original Graphic Novel imprint. The spectacular result was a high point in American sequential narrative and even spawned a second volume (A Sailor’s Story II: Wind, Dreams and Dragons: ISBN: 0- 87135-556-6).

Glanzman is a natural storyteller, with the ability to make dry fact entrancing and everyday events compelling. With his gritty art style and powerful sense of colour he weaves memory into magic. His depiction of ship-board life is informative and authentic, and his decision to down-play action and concentrate on character is brave and tremendously effective. He also knows how to make a reader laugh and cry, and when.

A Sailor’s Story is a moving and obviously heartfelt paean to lost days and lost people, a war story that glorifies life, not death, by a creator who loved the experience and loves his art-form. When you read this superb book you will too.

March 19, 2008March 19, 2008

52 Vol 3

By various (DC Comics)
ISBN13: 978-1-84576-604-7

Recap: After Infinite Crisis DC re-set the time-line of all their publications to begin One Year Later: This allowed them to retool their characters as necessary, provided a jumping on point for new converts and also give themselves lots of narrative wiggle-room.

And DC created an ambitious weekly miniseries to tell much of the story of that â€œLost Yearâ€, initially through the exploits of their minor players. It also proved a means of setting up an even more ambitious crossover event at its end. As with the previous books (52: Volumes 1 & 2 – ISBN: 1-84576-552-4 and ISBN: 978-1-84576-553-8 respectively), I’m going to encapsulate the myriad plot strands in broad terms as this is a series you really should see for yourselves.

Six months after the Infinite Crisis the World has generally moved on, but small stories are occurring that will bring the planet into another global catastrophe. Wonder Woman, Superman, Flash and many other heroes are still missing but new heroes such as Supernova, and Everyman Project graduates Infinity Incorporated have moved into the gap they left. Meanwhile Renee Montoya and The Question have undergone a life-altering journey and now she must make one final desperate trip back to the mystical Shangri La called Nanda Parbat.

Black Adam has a new family and is well on the way to becoming a force for good, but an unforgiving American Agency uses the Suicide Squad to bring tragedy and disaster back into his life just as Ralph Dibney is nearing the end of his supernatural pilgrimage with the disembodied Helmet of Fate. He is now closer than ever to his dead wife Sue.

Batman, Robin and Nightwing finally resurface far from home, and in Metropolis John Henry Irons (formerly the armoured hero Steel) has been unable to prove the sinister nature of the Everyman Project. On New Years Eve that Project reaches a grim and bloody conclusionâ€¦

Light-years from anywhere Starfire and blind Adam Strange are fighting the diabolical Lady Styx with the dubious assistance of Lobo, the Deadliest Bounty Hunter in the Universe. Their total victory is marred by the tragic, heroic death of their compatriot Animal Man. His burial in deep space is quite moving, but as the survivors head for Earth so is Animal Manâ€¦ moving, that is!

In Gotham City, as everywhere, the Bible of Crime is converting thugs into zealots. Nightwing’s first meeting with Batwoman is amidst a tidal wave of fanatics and monsters, but does it presage a new partnership? Elsewhere, other heroes are also slowly reappearingâ€¦

The assembled Mad Scientists of Oolong Island in the China Seas have created unbelievably dangerous weapons. Just what kind of maniac lets such people keep them, though? And all the while Booster Gold and Rip Hunter are searching time and space for the mastermind behind the incipient end of the universe, and are very close to discovering the ultimate secret of â€œ52â€.

This volume collects issues #27-39 of the weekly serial and the ongoing storylines are racing towards a mighty conclusion, picking up speed and losing characters. This is where the body-count starts to hit home as new favourites and old begin their final adventures.

Jointly written by Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka and Mark Waid, with breakdowns by Keith Giffen, 52 volume 3 is drawn by Chris Batista, Joe Bennett, Tom Derenick, Jamal Igle, Phil Jimenez, Drew Johnson, Dan Jurgens, Shawn Moll, Patrick Olliffe, Joe Prado and Andy Smith, with inks by Mariah Benes, Joe Bennett, Keith Champagne, Drew Geraci, Dan Green, Jack Jadson, Ruy JosÃ©, Andy Lanning, Jay Leisten, Dave Meikis, Nelson, Rodney Ramos, Norm Rapmund, Prentis Rollins and Ray Snyder. The colouring is by David Baron, Hi-Fi, Pete Pantazis and Alex Sinclair, lettering by Phil Balsman, Pat Brosseau, Jared K. Fletcher, Rob Leigh and Travis Lanham, and the amazing original covers are by J. G. Jones and Sinclair.

By this third volume the sheer bravado of the thing is finally paying off. The result is a qualitative success that truly shows that at least somebody in modern comics is prepared to take a few risks and push a few envelopes.

March 19, 2008March 16, 2008

Tintin and the Lake of Sharks

A TINTIN FILM BOOK
By Greg, translated by Leslie Lonsdale-Cooper & Michael Turner (Egmont)
ISBN13: 978-1-4052-0634-1

Although this tale is not strictly canonical, fans of HergÃ©’s intrepid boy reporter and his picturesque associates can always console themselves with this high-quality graphic adaptation of the animated feature-film Tintin et la Lac aux Requins which was originally released in 1972. Although not directly created by HergÃ© – who did have a supervisory role – the film was a classy piece of adventure fiction directed by publisher Raymond LeBlanc and written by Michel Regnier, who as ‘Greg’ is probably best known for his comedic anti-hero Achille Talon (translated into English both in animated cartoons and comic albums as Walter Melon).

Although lacking the satirical edge of HergÃ©’s comedy, action and slapstick are still well represented in this tale which turns animation stills into sequential narrative, with admittedly mixed results. Purists who love the artist’s landmark and legendary Ligne Claire style will be deterred that is laid over and across fully-rendered, moulded and painted backgrounds, but although it is initially jarring, the story does swiftly carry the reader beyond such quibbles.

Ligne Claire or the Democracy of Lines as it is sometimes called (in case you were wondering), is the term given to the dramatically simplified drawing style developed by HergÃ© which has influenced so very many creators. With it clear, clean lines of equal strength, thickness and importance are use to impart an almost diagrammatic value to subjects. This is in contrast to styles which might emphasise foreground or background with varying line-weights. Line-shading, hatching, feathering and the use of shadows are also ignored or down-played. It is the perfect base for bold simple colour and imparts an impressive solidity and immediacy to pictures. When combined with a stripped-down but accurate character or object design, the effect of hyper or even meta-reality is astoundingly convincing. The term was first used by creator, fan and devotee Joost Swarte in the late 1970s.

In The Lake of Sharks a series of art and gem robberies coincide with a trip by Tintin, Captain Haddock and the detectives Thompson and Thomson to visit Professor Calculus. He is sequestered at a villa on the shores of Lake Pollishoff, a huge body of water in the mountains of Syldavia, artificially created by building a dam and flooding a village. The locals believe the area is haunted. And no sooner do they arrive than attempts to kill them begin!

Calculus is in seclusion to perfect his latest invention – a 3-D duplicating machine – but a series of strange events leads Tintin to believe that sinister forces have targeted the eccentric genius once again. Spies, intruders and weird occurrences seem to be a daily threat at the Villa Sprog! Our heroes are not easily cowed, however, and with the help of two peasant children, Niko and Nushka (and their dog Gustav) a dastardly plot by their greatest enemy is revealed. This mastermind now calls himself King Shark…

This magical, fast-paced romp does the canonical adventures proud and can hold its head high even amidst the incredible legacy of one of the true Masters of the Comic Strip. And besides, your collection is incomplete without itâ€¦

March 18, 2008March 16, 2008

Lucifer’s Garden of Verses, Volume 2: Darlin’ Niki

Lucifer's Garden of Verses, Volume 2: Darlin' Niki

By Lance Tooks (NBM/Comics Lit)
ISBN: 978-1-56163-430-9

Lance Tooks is a story-teller with a mainstream comics pedigree and a fascination with many media and mediums. Darlin’ Niki is the second in a quartet of stand-alone stories dedicated to exploring the relationship between Humanity and the Devil (the others being The Devil on Fever Street, The Student and Between the Devil & Miles Davis) in sharp, subversive, satirical and sometimes polemical terms.

Sixteen year-old Niki has been thrown out of her comfy home by her dad. Henry Gojira is the World’s Greatest Capitalist, with nations hanging on his every word. Since her birth Niki has been the company figurehead and logo, with her face as on Apparel, Food, Entertainment, Merchandise, and even the company’s personal religion, Gojiranetics. But the boss is not your typical bread-head. He is also the World’s Greatest Philanthropist – as long as you do things his wayâ€¦

When Niki rebels, desperate for freedom and the chance to make her own decisions, she discovers that even with like-minded friends to help her it’s not that easy to escape, forgive or forgetâ€¦ So what is a parent to do?

This allegory is compelling and breezily told, if occasionally a little heavy-handed, and the simplistic black-and-white cartooning, cannily blended with collage and computer enhancements, make this a very fresh-looking book, with a good-old fashioned mission to make the reader think. A great example of the power words and pictures can wield.

March 18, 2008January 15, 2009

Marvel Masters: The Tales of Kurt Busiek

By Kurt Busiek & various (Marvel/Panini UK)
ISBN: 978-1-905239-74-0

Here’s another compilation dedicated to the career of a star Marvel creator, but this time it’s a writer, not an artist. Kurt Busiek has a twenty-five year history with the House of Ideas, and in that time he’s written some remarkable and memorable tales. Sadly very few of them are reprinted in this current compendiumâ€¦

From 1983 come three issues of Powerman and Iron Fist (#98-100) illustrated by Ernie Chan, Andy Mushynski and Mike Mignola; a rambling fight-fest against evil wizard Master Khan that is tolerable action fare, but fatally disadvantaged here by being the conclusion of a much longer tale. Surely it’s in nobody’s interest to commemorate a writer’s achievements but only by presenting incomplete snippets of his work?

Immediately following is the origin of the Golden Age Human Torch as first seen in the landmark miniseries Marvels (actually the contents of issue #0) and painted by the then blossoming Alex Ross. This at least is not harmed by appearing as a stand-alone tale. 1997 saw Busiek writing Untold Tales of Spider-Man – a series designed to tell stories set chronologically during the early Lee/Ditko days of the character, and represented here by â€œMenace!â€ from #21, and featuring Spidey’s first meeting with The X-Men. This solid piece of fun and games is drawn by Pat Olliffe and inked by the great Al Williamson.

â€œLooking Forwardâ€ is from Iron Man, volume 3, #1 and illustrated by Sean Chen and Eric Cannon. In it the Golden Avenger returns to the Marvel Universe after more than a year away as part of the Onslaught/Heroes Reborn/Heroes Return publishing events. Although in many ways a competent recap of the character, it might present a few problems for any first time readers unfamiliar with the Marvel Universe.

Another extended epic follows, this time from Thunderbolts #10-12, and illustrated by Mark Bagley with Vince Russell, Scott Hanna, Larry Mahlstadt and Greg Adams. The Thunderbolts were a team of heroes that formed after the Fantastic Four and Avengers were seemingly destroyed (but actually went to another dimension in the aforementioned Onslaught/Heroes Reborn/Heroes Return brouhaha). This fast-paced and competent thriller is the culmination of a year’s storylines as the World and those freshly returned heroes discover that the replacement champions are in fact the villainous criminal gang The Masters of Evil.

The volume ends with a true delight and a familiar complaint. From The Mighty Thor: Godstorm #1 comes 32 magnificent pages of nostalgic magic illustrated by Steve Rude and Mike Royer in the style of Jack Kirby. In this story a sentient Thunderstorm battles the heroic Norse God through the ages. I won’t say any more as this tale (the first of a three part miniseries) remains uncompleted in this book. Why the most approachable, best written and drawn story in the volume should be afforded such treatment whilst a frankly inferior tale is granted 84 pages is simply beyond me. Perhaps the Editors assume we’ll all buy a Godstorm volume to finish the tale but would not be tempted by a Powerman and Iron Fist collection of any sort. If so that’s a very cynical way to treat fans let alone a creator you’re honouring with a Masterwork Edition.

Even with all my kvetching however, there’s still a hefty amount of quality entertainment to be found here if you can get past the appalling attitude of the publishers. Buy it, enjoy what you can and then send them a stroppy letter. I’m sure somebody’s listeningâ€¦

March 17, 2008March 16, 2008

I, Paparazzi

By Pat McGreal, Stephen John Phillips & Steven Parke (DC Comics)
Hardback ISBN: 1-56389-752-0 Softcover ISBN: 1-56389-863-2

When it was hived off from DC’s mainstream continuity the adult-oriented Vertigo imprint was quick to embrace not only the innovative but also the classical in its efforts to advance the medium. Although eschewing the formulas of superhero and science-fiction genres it welcomed other favourites of popular fiction.

I, Paparazzi is an old-fashioned Noir thriller with heavy Conspiracy Theory underpinnings. Jaded Jake McGowran is a sleazebag photographer, part of the pack that chases celebrities for the big bucks exclusives. But he used to be something more, and even by his own lights, something better. He is big, hulking, relentless. He doesn’t stop until he gets what he’s after. His fellow scavengers call him â€œMonsterâ€.

When he decides to go after Media darling Jeremy Zinn, though, he is completely unprepared for the kind of trouble that this celebrity can make for himâ€¦

Dark, moody and deeply paranoid, this slight modern fable blends the world of the Glitterati with the seamy urban underbelly and sweetens the mix with outrageous fantasyâ€¦ or perhaps not. What is the exact nature of Reality when even the Camera is happy to lie to us?

Taking the old fumetti process (strips constructed from sequential photographs) to new heights, this drama is told with computer enhanced photographs and typography, for a gritty and surreal experience that will stand up well against a lot of movies and a fair few comic books too.

March 17, 2008March 16, 2008

JSA Presents Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. vol 2

By Geoff Johns, Lee Moder, Scott Kolins, Dan Davis & various (DC Comics)
ISBN: 978-1-84576-734-1

Geoff Johns started his DC career by revamping the Star Spangled Kid for the 21st century. The original Kid and sidekick Stripesy fought crime in the 1940’s both as a duo and as part of the original Seven Soldiers of Victory. Their gimmick was that Stripesy was an adult whilst the Kid gave the orders. It seemed like a natural development to thrill the children who bought comics and that idea hasn’t been lost here.

Pat Dugan was Stripesy. He’s just remarried and his new wife has a teen-aged daughter, Courtney. She’s a little resentful that the family has moved out of Beverly Hills to Blue Valley, Nebraska. That attitude changes somewhat when she finds a belt and costume that give her superpowers. At first intending to tick off her new dad she soon discovers she enjoys being a hero, entering into a tenuous partnership with Dugan who has built a robotic battle suit to carry on crime-fighting.

A good thing too, as Blue Valley is literally infested with aliens, monsters and super-villains, most notably the insidious Dragon King who fought Pat in his WWII days. This second volume collects issues #9-14 plus an issue #0 and features the remaining bright, breezy, undemanding adventures with overtones of rebel-teen, coming-of-age family bonding from the regrettably short-lived comicbook (see JSA Presents Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E.: vol. 1, ISBN: 1-84576-595-8).

It all kicks off with a behind the scenes tale depicting how the original Star Spangled Kid passed on the torch – and the super-belt, guest-starring the JSA and featuring sections drawn by the superb Chris Weston and inked by John Stokes. Scott Kolins pencils the next few tales as the 1940s The Seven Soldiers of Victory appear in a tale that reveals just how they all got lost in time. Moder returns as the craziness at Blue Valley High shifts into high gear with the reappearance of cybernetic-killer and Valley Girl Shiv, who is desperate to please her Super-Mastermind dad and eviscerate young Courtney.

Time-lost hero The Shining Knight joins the cast as the pace increases and the Dragon King’s evil plans near completion. When the mind-controlled populace goes on a rampage rebel Courtney finds herself fighting alongside some of the greatest – and oldest – heroes of all time to save the world!

Fast, frantic and funny, this is a delightfully easy book to like, that doesn’t take itself seriously and remembers what kids – as well as fanboys – want.

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: