en-US Fri, 16 Feb 2024 03:32:22 -0800 60 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg 36163750 Graphic Novel 78 ˛Ń˛Ő˛úľ±łÜ˛ő 3551028400 Jan 5 4.00 1994
author: ˛Ń˛Ő˛úľ±łÜ˛ő
name: Jan
average rating: 4.00
book published: 1994
rating: 5
read at: 2018/07/14
date added: 2024/02/16
shelves: adventure, drugs-alcohol, european, fantasy, gender, illness-disease, mental-disorder, religion, romance, schreiber-leser, sci-fi, traveling, trippy
review:

]]> 13528705
COLLECTING: ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN (2011) 1-5]]> 136 Brian Michael Bendis 0785157131 Jan 4
Merged review:

Whoa... this is FUN!! I am no Marvel expert and have absolutely no idea how this fits into Marvel continuity or anything like that, but I am definitely enjoying myself. As far as updated origin stories go, I don't think it gets much better than this. I mean, Miles Morales must be one of the greatest teen characters in superhero history: his attitudes, the way he talks, his facial expressions - it's all spot-on. Bendis took a close look at Lee's original run, shuffled things around a bit, turned a few screws... and voila, we have a Spider-Man story that feels contemporary, relevant, fresh, lively, sweet, and works for all ages - no easy feat! I already ordered volumes 2 and 3 in my library.]]> 4.27 2011
author: Brian Michael Bendis
name: Jan
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2015/11/06
date added: 2023/04/11
shelves: comedy, crime, family, friendship, marvel, pop-culture, school, superhero, surveillance, youth, civil-rights, gender
review:
Whoa... this is FUN!! I am no Marvel expert and have absolutely no idea how this fits into Marvel continuity or anything like that, but I am definitely enjoying myself. As far as updated origin stories go, I don't think it gets much better than this. I mean, Miles Morales must be one of the greatest teen characters in superhero history: his attitudes, the way he talks, his facial expressions - it's all spot-on. Bendis took a close look at Lee's original run, shuffled things around a bit, turned a few screws... and voila, we have a Spider-Man story that feels contemporary, relevant, fresh, lively, sweet, and works for all ages - no easy feat! I already ordered volumes 2 and 3 in my library.

Merged review:

Whoa... this is FUN!! I am no Marvel expert and have absolutely no idea how this fits into Marvel continuity or anything like that, but I am definitely enjoying myself. As far as updated origin stories go, I don't think it gets much better than this. I mean, Miles Morales must be one of the greatest teen characters in superhero history: his attitudes, the way he talks, his facial expressions - it's all spot-on. Bendis took a close look at Lee's original run, shuffled things around a bit, turned a few screws... and voila, we have a Spider-Man story that feels contemporary, relevant, fresh, lively, sweet, and works for all ages - no easy feat! I already ordered volumes 2 and 3 in my library.
]]> 56268
The Incal is the world-renowned tale from creators Moebius and Alexandro Jodorowsky. The tale begins with a young John Difool, as he tries to survive riots and poverty in the days before the Presidential Cloning. It is here that John must learn to be his own man, as he is slowly drawn into events of cosmic proportions. It is fitting that Janjetov, who studied under Moebius, will illustrate the first two trade paperback collections. The Incal series of books will reprint the COMPLETE story, including a masterful computer re-coloring of every page.]]> 152 Alejandro Jodorowsky 1930652852 Jan 3 3.94 1990
author: Alejandro Jodorowsky
name: Jan
average rating: 3.94
book published: 1990
rating: 3
read at: 2014/07/25
date added: 2022/04/02
shelves: activism, addiction-obsession, humanoids, mass-media, sci-fi, surveillance, european, drugs-alcohol, mystery, politics, latin-american
review:

]]> 25862145
Change is coming to Riverdale in this can't-miss kick-off to Archie's new ongoing series! Familiar faces return in new and unexpected ways in this must-read #1 issue! As the new school year approaches, you'd think Archie Andrews would be looking forward to classes and fun -- but nothing is as it seems in the little town of Riverdale. But is this a one-off or a sign of bigger changes awaiting for America's favorite teens -- and the entire town? Find out in this exciting and remarkable first issue!]]> 32 Mark Waid Jan 4 4.03 2015
author: Mark Waid
name: Jan
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2016/05/17
date added: 2019/07/25
shelves: archie, comedy, family, friendship, gender, pop-culture, romance, school, youth
review:
It's not easy to update a character like Archie who is outdated almost by definition, but Waid & Staples somehow pull it off by delivering just the right level of cheesiness - it's fun and feels (more or less) contemporary, you know, but it's still Archie. Well done!
]]> 20726481
It's the year 3797, and botanist Nika Temsmith is researching a strange species on a remote science station near the outermost rim of colonized space.

It's the year 1921, and renowned English explorer William Pike leads an expedition into the dense jungles of Peru in search of the fabled "Lost Temple of the Incas," an elusive sanctuary said to have strange healing properties.

Two disparate souls separated by thousands of years and hundreds of millions of miles. Yet they will fall in love and, as a result, bring about the end of the universe. Even though reality is unraveling all around them, nothing can pull them apart. This isn't just a love story, it's the LAST love story ever told.

Collects TRILLIUM #1-8.]]> 192 Jeff Lemire 1401249000 Jan 4 Trillium such a uniquely transcendental reading experience is the way in which the comic-book format itself participates in the deconstruction process.

Trillium is one of Lemire’s most ambitious projects to date, yet its trip to the stars is anchored in very real, relatable human emotions. Lemire himself puts it this way: “With Trillium, I am trying to tell a really small, really human love story, but set against a big cosmic backdrop.� He succeeds admirably. Here’s hoping he will continue to reach for the stars!]]> 3.83 2014
author: Jeff Lemire
name: Jan
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2014/10/18
date added: 2018/08/24
shelves: vertigo, sci-fi, romance, war, adventure, mental-disorder, trippy
review:
High-concept science fiction meets pulpy explorer adventure in this creator-owned effort by Jeff Lemire, and as the narrative progresses, the boundary between highbrow and lowbrow entertainment gradually dissolves - as do many other boundaries: the ones between us and them, now and then, here and there... I generally tend to enjoy the deconstruction of concepts such as genre, time and identity, but what makes Trillium such a uniquely transcendental reading experience is the way in which the comic-book format itself participates in the deconstruction process.

Trillium is one of Lemire’s most ambitious projects to date, yet its trip to the stars is anchored in very real, relatable human emotions. Lemire himself puts it this way: “With Trillium, I am trying to tell a really small, really human love story, but set against a big cosmic backdrop.� He succeeds admirably. Here’s hoping he will continue to reach for the stars!
]]> 21281229 478 Pat Mills 1401248780 Jan 0 currently-reading 4.12 2013
author: Pat Mills
name: Jan
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2018/08/22
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 3111796 128 Kate Worley 1560971614 Jan 0 currently-reading 3.71 1987
author: Kate Worley
name: Jan
average rating: 3.71
book published: 1987
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2018/08/22
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 109244 Swamp Thing shouldn't be underestimated in the history of comics and, specifically, the history of horror comics. The modern comics landscape has been changed by the Vertigo line of books--an imprint that traces its roots back to this version of Swamp Thing. By taking a horror character fully entrenched in a superhero world (as silly as that might seem), this creative team put a new face on horror comics and on horror in general. Swamp Thing: Love and Death is the second collection of the team's work on the series, presented here in full color. Don't let the mediocre Swamp Thing movies fool you, this book is filled with sophisticated suspense and terror.

Collects issues #28�34 and Annual #2.]]> 207 Alan Moore 0930289544 Jan 0 currently-reading 4.39 1985
author: Alan Moore
name: Jan
average rating: 4.39
book published: 1985
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2018/08/22
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 6314697
In this volume, Jerusalem targets three of society's most worshipped and warped politics, religion, and television. When Spider tries to shed light on the atrocities of these institutions, he finds himself fleeing a group of hitmen/kidnappers in possession of his ex-wife's frozen head, a distorted creature alleging to be his son, and a vicious talking police dog.]]> 144 Warren Ellis 1401222617 Jan 4 4.37 1999
author: Warren Ellis
name: Jan
average rating: 4.37
book published: 1999
rating: 4
read at: 2018/08/20
date added: 2018/08/20
shelves: activism, civil-rights, comedy, dc, drugs-alcohol, illness-disease, mass-media, politics, pop-culture, punk-goth, religion, sci-fi, sex, work
review:
This second volume delivers some of the most memorable short stories of the series (feat. nanotech consciousness downloads; human culture reservations; people awaking from cryogenic freezing to a hostile future: “Fuck off back to your freezers!�), as Ellis and Robertson are firing on all cylinders. It may not be perfect, but it’s the kind of wild ride that doesn’t have to be. The one thing that actually bothers me is the story’s underlying macho ethos: “How do you know I can’t kill you by staring hard?� Then again, this macho ethos probably allowed the series to succeed in an industry obsessed with superheroes.
]]> 23983504
"SEXCASTLE is a perfect mix of homage and comedy, action and irony, loving tribute and hilarious send-up of the great, good, and ungodly-bad action movies of the '80s. I don't remember the last time a debut book hit me this hard. Literally, this book punched me in the face. It's THAT mean." - Matt Fraction]]> 204 Kyle Starks 1632153009 Jan 3
If you are looking for a more politically relevant (and still more ridiculous) pastiche of 80s action schlock, I recommend you check out the terrifyingly heroic world of Benjamin Marra:
/review/show...]]> 3.99 2015
author: Kyle Starks
name: Jan
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2015
rating: 3
read at: 2018/08/18
date added: 2018/08/18
shelves: action, comedy, crime, family, gender, parody, pop-culture, romance, sex, image
review:
Mildly entertaining homage to / parody of the hypermasculine-redeemer archetype, America's favorite hero concept from the pulps to superhero comics to western movies (our hero's name is Shane) to the worst 80s action flicks to your typical video fighting game... Not bad but I feel this book could use more bite, especially considering our planet currently does not fare all that well with hypermasculine-redeemer types.

If you are looking for a more politically relevant (and still more ridiculous) pastiche of 80s action schlock, I recommend you check out the terrifyingly heroic world of Benjamin Marra:
/review/show...
]]> 35133048 How does one survive when all hope is lost?

In the middle of the night in 1997, Doctors Without Borders administrator Christophe André was kidnapped by armed men and taken away to an unknown destination in the Caucasus region. For three months, André was kept handcuffed in solitary confinement, with little to survive on and almost no contact with the outside world. Close to twenty years later, award-winning cartoonist Guy Delisle (Pyongyang, Jerusalem, Shenzhen, Burma Chronicles) recounts André's harrowing experience in Hostage, a book that attests to the power of one man's determination in the face of a hopeless situation.

Marking a departure from the author's celebrated first-person travelogues, Delisle tells the story through the perspective of the titular captive, who strives to keep his mind alert as desperation starts to set in. Working in a pared down style with muted colour washes, Delisle conveys the psychological effects of solitary confinement, compelling us to ask ourselves some difficult questions regarding the repercussions of negotiating with kidnappers and what it really means to be free. Thoughtful, intense, and moving, Hostage takes a profound look at what drives our will to survive in the darkest of moments.]]> 432 Guy Delisle 147355778X Jan 0 to-read 4.08 2016
author: Guy Delisle
name: Jan
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2018/08/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 29584611
Collecting: Velvet 11-15]]> 136 Ed Brubaker 1632157276 Jan 3 4.07 2016
author: Ed Brubaker
name: Jan
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2016
rating: 3
read at: 2018/08/15
date added: 2018/08/15
shelves: crime, espionage, feminism, friendship, historical, image, noir, politics, pulpy, romance, surveillance, work
review:
Lots of style and intrigue, though I could not really get into the characters - which is unusual for a Brubaker story.
]]> 22823536 Captain America: The Winter Soldier is back!
Everything Velvet Templeton ever believed about the worst night of her life has turned out to be a lie, and now she's coming back to London, taking the hunt back to the hunters, to find the truth or die trying.
Don't miss the second volume in the adventures of comics' favorite new super-spy!

Collecting: Velvet 6-10]]> 128 Ed Brubaker 1632152347 Jan 4 4.24 2015
author: Ed Brubaker
name: Jan
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2018/08/14
date added: 2018/08/14
shelves: crime, drugs-alcohol, espionage, feminism, friendship, gender, historical, image, noir, old-age-death, politics, pop-culture, pulpy, romance, surveillance, work
review:
Not as deep as I've come to expect from Brubaker, but too sharp and compelling as a genre exercise for anything less than 3.5 stars.
]]> 27833494
The conventional answer is that a popular uprising against “big government� led to the ascendancy of a broad-based conservative movement. But as Jane Mayer shows in this powerful, meticulously reported history, a network of exceedingly wealthy people with extreme libertarian views bankrolled a systematic, step-by-step plan to fundamentally alter the American political system.

The network has brought together some of the richest people on the planet. Their core beliefs—that taxes are a form of tyranny; that government oversight of business is an assault on freedom—are sincerely held. But these beliefs also advance their personal and corporate interests: Many of their companies have run afoul of federal pollution, worker safety, securities, and tax laws.

The chief figures in the network are Charles and David Koch, whose father made his fortune in part by building oil refineries in Stalin’s Russia and Hitler’s Germany. The patriarch later was a founding member of the John Birch Society, whose politics were so radical it believed Dwight Eisenhower was a communist. The brothers were schooled in a political philosophy that asserted the only role of government is to provide security and to enforce property rights.

When libertarian ideas proved decidedly unpopular with voters, the Koch brothers and their allies chose another path. If they pooled their vast resources, they could fund an interlocking array of organizations that could work in tandem to influence and ultimately control academic institutions, think tanks, the courts, statehouses, Congress, and, they hoped, the presidency. Richard Mellon Scaife, the mercurial heir to banking and oil fortunes, had the brilliant insight that most of their political activities could be written off as tax-deductible “philanthropy.�

These organizations were given innocuous names such as Americans for Prosperity. Funding sources were hidden whenever possible. This process reached its apotheosis with the allegedly populist Tea Party movement, abetted mightily by the Citizens United decision—a case conceived of by legal advocates funded by the network.

The political operatives the network employs are disciplined, smart, and at times ruthless. Mayer documents instances in which people affiliated with these groups hired private detectives to impugn whistle-blowers, journalists, and even government investigators. And their efforts have been remarkably successful. Libertarian views on taxes and regulation, once far outside the mainstream and still rejected by most Americans, are ascendant in the majority of state governments, the Supreme Court, and Congress. Meaningful environmental, labor, finance, and tax reforms have been stymied.

Jane Mayer spent five years conducting hundreds of interviews-including with several sources within the network-and scoured public records, private papers, and court proceedings in reporting this book. In a taut and utterly convincing narrative, she traces the byzantine trail of the billions of dollars spent by the network and provides vivid portraits of the colorful figures behind the new American oligarchy.

Dark Money is a book that must be read by anyone who cares about the future of American democracy.]]> 464 Jane Mayer Jan 5 4.28 2016
author: Jane Mayer
name: Jan
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2018/08/08
shelves: crime, documentary, globalization, historical, mass-media, politics, poverty, surveillance
review:
Investigative journalism at its best! Jane Mayer's meticulously researched book takes a close look at a crucially important topic that is largely being ignored by the mainstream media: the fact that a few rather secretive (American, not Russian) billionaires are in the process of hijacking American democracy for their own selfish ends. Essential reading for anybody who has been wondering what the FUCK is going on.
]]> 34671882
COLLECTING: MOON KNIGHT 10-14]]> 112 Jeff Lemire 1302902881 Jan 3 4.19 2017
author: Jeff Lemire
name: Jan
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2017
rating: 3
read at: 2018/08/07
date added: 2018/08/07
shelves: action, comedy, drugs-alcohol, marvel, mental-disorder, superhero, trippy
review:
Lemire and Smallwood make the most of what Marvel's "Moon Man" has to offer, exploring complex topics such as identity and mental illness while still playing by the rules of the genre. The story ultimately isn't all that deep, but it manages to make a few valid points ("Is this real? All I know for sure is that the rain feels real as it hits our face. Real enough, anyway. And that's good enough for us.") and is generally well-conceived and -executed. Not essential Lemire, perhaps, but pretty darn good superhero fare!
]]> 35758538
Collecting: Kill or Be Killed 11-14]]> 120 Ed Brubaker 1534304711 Jan 4 4.31 2018
author: Ed Brubaker
name: Jan
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2018/08/07
date added: 2018/08/07
shelves: crime, demonic-possession, drugs-alcohol, family, fantasy, friendship, image, mental-disorder, noir, pop-culture, pulpy, romance, school, sex, superhero, surveillance, youth
review:
Brubaker and Phillips continue their merciless in-depth examination of the good ol' vigilante concept, and the result is an increasingly twisted little page-turner of a comic book that walks the line between idealism and madness to more and more absorbing effect. Can't wait until my library gets the next volume!
]]> 2282464
Publisher � : � Comix Zone; Primeira edição (7 Julho 2022)
Capa dura � : � 48 pages
ISBN-10 � : � 6500459342
ISBN-13 � : � 978-6500459340
Dimensões � : � 28.5 x 20.5 x 1 cm]]> 54 Marc-Antoine Mathieu 2840550113 Jan 5 4.35 1993
author: Marc-Antoine Mathieu
name: Jan
average rating: 4.35
book published: 1993
rating: 5
read at: 2018/07/26
date added: 2018/08/07
shelves: carlsen, comedy, european, fantasy, favorites, surveillance, trippy, work
review:
I've read this trippy, absurdist, Kafkaesque, meta-fictional nightmare of a graphic novel many times (the German edition), and I still love it. It's one of those comics that first got me hooked on the medium back in the 90s. Highly recommended to anybody interested in comic-book art!
]]> 35758537
What happens when you're young, poor, angry, and get superpowers you never asked for? Multiple trips to the sun, weird black goo, a breakup fight inside a nuclear factory, love, hate, anger, loss -- and a struggle for survival.

The first chapter of the SF action epic by ALES KOT and ANDRE LIMA ARAUJO.

Collects issues 1 through 5.
]]> 176 Aleš Kot 1534304703 Jan 2 3.32 2018
author: Aleš Kot
name: Jan
average rating: 3.32
book published: 2018
rating: 2
read at: 2018/08/06
date added: 2018/08/06
shelves: addiction-obsession, friendship, illness-disease, image, mass-media, mental-disorder, old-age-death, family, politics, romance, sci-fi, superhero, surveillance, work, youth
review:
"What happens when you're young, angry, and get superpowers you never asked for?" Another attempt to breathe new life into the superhero genre. Vaguely intriguing, but it all feels a bit half-baked and clunky to me.
]]> 34849021 Throne of the Crescent Moon) crafts a story as trippy as it is action-packed, with truly mind-bending art from the one-and-only Christian Ward (ODY-C)!

COLLECTING: BLACK BOLT 1-6]]> 136 Saladin Ahmed 1302907328 Jan 1 marvel, superhero 3.90 2017
author: Saladin Ahmed
name: Jan
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2017
rating: 1
read at: 2018/07/24
date added: 2018/07/24
shelves: marvel, superhero
review:

]]> 25546167 160 Jeff Lemire 1632154269 Jan 4 Star Wars and A.I. Artificial Intelligence, but he infuses it with his own brand of storytelling... and I am a sucker for Lemire's brand of storytelling! To the point that I probably would have enjoyed the story even more if Lemire himself had also done the artwork - which is almost absurd to say, as Dustin Nguyen's beautiful watercolors bring the story to life very convincingly. And yet, I don't know, there is just something about Lemire's writing that seems to call for his own, idiosyncratic, delicate, sweet, melancholic, humanistic, slightly awkward yet very expressive drawing style, and Nguyen's style in that context occasionally feels almost too smooth or slick or pretty. Then again, the surprisingly epic Descender is going for more of a mainstream appeal than most of Lemire's work, so a little slickness probably can't hurt.

PS: I just reread this first volume to get back on track for the rest of the series, and it was even better the second time - I may eventually have to bump it up to five stars. Nguyen's artwork is fantastic! He sketches, paints and colors it all by himself, and it beautifully compliments Lemire's effort to give the story a heart underneath all the cold metal and artificial intelligence. Next to Essex County and Sweet Tooth, this must be the most fully realized Lemire story I've read.]]> 4.08 2015
author: Jeff Lemire
name: Jan
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2018/07/22
date added: 2018/07/23
shelves: family, friendship, globalization, image, politics, sci-fi, war
review:
Space opera with an edge as well as a heart - I love it! Lemire explores territory here that immediately brings to mind Star Wars and A.I. Artificial Intelligence, but he infuses it with his own brand of storytelling... and I am a sucker for Lemire's brand of storytelling! To the point that I probably would have enjoyed the story even more if Lemire himself had also done the artwork - which is almost absurd to say, as Dustin Nguyen's beautiful watercolors bring the story to life very convincingly. And yet, I don't know, there is just something about Lemire's writing that seems to call for his own, idiosyncratic, delicate, sweet, melancholic, humanistic, slightly awkward yet very expressive drawing style, and Nguyen's style in that context occasionally feels almost too smooth or slick or pretty. Then again, the surprisingly epic Descender is going for more of a mainstream appeal than most of Lemire's work, so a little slickness probably can't hurt.

PS: I just reread this first volume to get back on track for the rest of the series, and it was even better the second time - I may eventually have to bump it up to five stars. Nguyen's artwork is fantastic! He sketches, paints and colors it all by himself, and it beautifully compliments Lemire's effort to give the story a heart underneath all the cold metal and artificial intelligence. Next to Essex County and Sweet Tooth, this must be the most fully realized Lemire story I've read.
]]> 12477413 205 Alan Moore 1401220835 Jan 5
By the way, as I am reading this series in its single-issue form, I found myself enjoying the letter pages quite a bit. In a letter written months prior to the arrival of Alan Moore (published half a year later in #22: those were slower times...), for example, Roger Myers from Berkshire, England, warns American readers still unfamiliar with then-2000 AD writer Moore that they "are in for a real treat," because "that man is nothing short of absolutely brilliant." And then the enthusiastic responses to Moore's first issue, of course: "destined for stardom," Paul Harrison from Shropshire wisely predicted. Letter pages, sigh...]]> 4.27 1983
author: Alan Moore
name: Jan
average rating: 4.27
book published: 1983
rating: 5
read at: 2018/07/20
date added: 2018/07/23
shelves: childhood, drugs-alcohol, fantasy, friendship, horror, dc, mental-disorder, politics, pop-culture, pulpy, romance, sex, superhero, vertigo, work
review:
So good. Like the great EC horror comics from the 1950s, Alan Moore’s Swamp Thing stories from the mid-1980s do not exploit our fear of the Other, but instead force us to face the dark, downright nasty underpinnings of our own modern world, the frailty and absurdity of our own bodies. These are psychological, often philosophical horror stories, sharp and subversive, lyrical and hypnotic, brought to life by artists Steve Bissette and John Totleben in wonderfully creepy fashion.

By the way, as I am reading this series in its single-issue form, I found myself enjoying the letter pages quite a bit. In a letter written months prior to the arrival of Alan Moore (published half a year later in #22: those were slower times...), for example, Roger Myers from Berkshire, England, warns American readers still unfamiliar with then-2000 AD writer Moore that they "are in for a real treat," because "that man is nothing short of absolutely brilliant." And then the enthusiastic responses to Moore's first issue, of course: "destined for stardom," Paul Harrison from Shropshire wisely predicted. Letter pages, sigh...
]]> 30027125 128 Nick Spencer 1632159120 Jan 4 The Fix is a crime comedy centered on two crooked cops and a drug-sniffing beagle named Pretzels - you can admire the trio in all its glory on the cover. Deep The Fix ain’t, but Spencer and Lieber have a neck for memorable characters and the silly, sloppy, fast-paced, slightly naughty and subversive yet still mainstream-friendly kind of humor. It all feels a lot like Spencer & Lieber’s well-received earlier collaboration on Superior Foes of Spider-Man - minus the capes, of course. And� you know, naughtier. Bottom line: get your Fix - pronto!]]> 3.89 2016
author: Nick Spencer
name: Jan
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2018/07/21
shelves: comedy, crime, drugs-alcohol, friendship, gender, image, illness-disease, mass-media, old-age-death, parody, politics, pop-culture, romance, school, sex, work, family, surveillance
review:
The Fix is a crime comedy centered on two crooked cops and a drug-sniffing beagle named Pretzels - you can admire the trio in all its glory on the cover. Deep The Fix ain’t, but Spencer and Lieber have a neck for memorable characters and the silly, sloppy, fast-paced, slightly naughty and subversive yet still mainstream-friendly kind of humor. It all feels a lot like Spencer & Lieber’s well-received earlier collaboration on Superior Foes of Spider-Man - minus the capes, of course. And� you know, naughtier. Bottom line: get your Fix - pronto!
]]> 31808197 ]]> 104 Nick Spencer 1534300481 Jan 3 Still silly fun. 4.00 2017
author: Nick Spencer
name: Jan
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2017
rating: 3
read at: 2018/07/20
date added: 2018/07/21
shelves: addiction-obsession, comedy, crime, drugs-alcohol, friendship, image, mass-media, parody, politics, pop-culture, religion, romance, sex, surveillance, work
review:
Still silly fun.
]]> 32856146 Moon Knight: The Movie be a blockbuster? And Jake Lockley is under arrest for murder! With the world calling on him to protect those who travel at night, Marc is losing control. The muddled mind of Moon Knight is reaching its limit!

Collecting: Moon Knight 6-9, Moon Knight (1980) 2]]> 112 Jeff Lemire 0785199543 Jan 2 4.00 2017
author: Jeff Lemire
name: Jan
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2017
rating: 2
read at: 2018/07/19
date added: 2018/07/20
shelves: action, comedy, drugs-alcohol, marvel, mental-disorder, superhero, trippy
review:
This second volume jumps frantically from one of our hero's various personalities to the next, but it all feels a bit shallow to me - which is rare for a Lemire book. Not as sharp and inventive as the first volume.
]]> 34504726
Collecting: Kill or Be Killed 5-10]]> 160 Ed Brubaker 153430228X Jan 4 4.21 2017
author: Ed Brubaker
name: Jan
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2018/07/18
date added: 2018/07/18
shelves: crime, demonic-possession, drugs-alcohol, family, fantasy, friendship, image, mental-disorder, noir, pop-culture, pulpy, romance, school, sex, superhero, surveillance, youth
review:

]]> 31247173 The Fade Out, Criminal, Fatale) return with Kill or Be Killed, Volume One, the twisted story of a young man forced to kill bad people, and how he struggles to keep his secret from destroying his life.

Both a thriller and a deconstruction of vigilantism, Kill or Be Killed is unlike anything Brubaker and Phillips have ever done.

Collecting: Kill or Be Killed 1-4]]> 128 Ed Brubaker 1534300287 Jan 4 4.11 2017
author: Ed Brubaker
name: Jan
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2018/07/12
date added: 2018/07/18
shelves: crime, drugs-alcohol, family, fantasy, horror, illness-disease, image, mental-disorder, noir, pop-culture, pulpy, romance, school, sex, surveillance, superhero, youth, demonic-possession
review:

]]> 22064685
Jedes Kind weiĂź das. Bis es ein Teenager wird!

Faulheit, Aufsässigkeit, Renitenz, Gewalttätigkeit � Zack und Archer Goodwoody haben den Bogen überspannt. Seit dem Tod ihrer Eltern vor acht Jahren haben die Brüder sich im städtischen Waisenhaus gegenseitig den Rücken freigehalten. Dabei haben sie es sich jedoch mit den Autoritäten gründlich verscherzt.
In einer Gesellschaft, die ums Überleben kämpft, hat man für Typen wie sie nicht viel übrig. Doch wegen ihrer Jugend erhalten sie noch eine letzte Chance. Sie werden in eines der Siedlungsprojekte mitten in der Gefahrenzone verschickt. Siedlung Nr. 16, auch Fort Apache genannt.
Passen sie sich hier nicht an, setzt man sie vor den Mauern der Siedlung aus. Und diese Mauern werden von zahllosen, gierigen Augen beobachtet. Ständig.

Zack möchte diese letzte Chance nutzen, Freunde finden, sich unter den Augen der strengen Leiterin Miss Kingsten in der Siedlung ein Leben aufbauen. Doch für den lebenshungrigen Archer gelten Regeln höchstens für andere. Er nimmt sich, was er will, denn morgen könnte er schon tot sein.

Zack muss sich entscheiden.
Möchte er Teil des Problems oder Teil der Lösung sein?
Loyalität oder Vernunft?
Das Schicksal der gesamten Siedlung hängt davon ab.

Traumatisierte Teenager, strenge Regeln, doppelzĂĽngige Erwachsene, Waffen und die weiĂźe Plage vor den Mauern.
Eine explosive Mischung. Als dann noch die Hormone ins Spiel kommen, ist die kritische Masse erreicht, und die Katastrophe nimmt ihren Lauf, in diesem heiĂźen Sommer, irgendwo in Europa...

Mit GUNG HO bringt das bestens aufeinander abgestimmte Comickünstler-Duo Benjamin von Eckartsberg und Thomas von Kummant ein Werk heraus, das eine explosive "Genre-Mischung aus Teenager-Drama und Action-Abenteuer-Survival-Story" bietet. Das auf fünf Bände angelegte Projekt ist bereits die dritte Koproduktion der bayrischen Comickünstler, die zuvor mit der Hohlbein-Adaption DIE CHRONIK DER UNSTERBLICHEN in In- und Ausland große Erfolge feiern konnten.]]> 80 Benjamin von Eckartsberg 3864253853 Jan 3 4.02
author: Benjamin von Eckartsberg
name: Jan
average rating: 4.02
book published:
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2018/07/18
shelves: apocalyptic, european, cross-cult, fantasy, friendship, horror, crime, mystery, sex, youth
review:

]]> 22214749 296 Mawil 3943143902 Jan 3 4.06 2014
author: Mawil
name: Jan
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2014
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2018/07/18
shelves: childhood, european, family, sports, friendship, historical, memoir, politics, pop-culture, reprodukt, school, surveillance, youth
review:

]]> 34118347 144 Catherine Meurisse Jan 3 4.02 2016
author: Catherine Meurisse
name: Jan
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2016
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2018/07/18
shelves: carlsen, censorship, comedy, crime, european, mass-media, memoir, mental-disorder, pop-culture, traveling, work
review:

]]> 34727903 Berlin 1929: politische StraĂźenschlachten, illegale Nachtclubs - ein Tanz auf dem Vulkan. In den Zwanzigerjahren ist die Berliner Kriminalpolizei fĂĽr ihre modernen Ermittlungsmethoden berĂĽhmt. Als der ehrgeizige, junge Kommissar Rath auf eigen Faust in einem Mordfall ermittelt, bringt er alle Seiten gegen sich auf.

Der Comiczeichner Arne Jysch adaptiert nicht nur den gleichnamigen Kriminalroman von Volker Kutscher, sondern zeichnet ein genaues Bild des Glamours und der Modernität der Großstadt wie auch de gesellschaftlichen und politischen Spannung der Weimarer Republik.]]> 212 Arne Jysch 3551782482 Jan 4 3.97 2017
author: Arne Jysch
name: Jan
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2018/07/18
shelves: carlsen, crime, european, family, friendship, historical, politics, romance, sex, surveillance, work
review:

]]> 9924360 176 Peer Meter 3551791074 Jan 4 3.95 2010
author: Peer Meter
name: Jan
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2010
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2018/07/18
shelves: addiction-obsession, biography, crime, documentary, european, carlsen, historical, mental-disorder, politics, sex, surveillance, work
review:

]]> 8047581 100 François Schuiten 3893431527 Jan 5 4.38 1987
author: François Schuiten
name: Jan
average rating: 4.38
book published: 1987
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2018/07/18
shelves: addiction-obsession, european, fantasy, mystery, romance, sex, surveillance, trippy, work, schreiber-leser, favorites
review:

]]> 8823041 48 Benoît Peeters 3893431586 Jan 5 3.75 1983
author: Benoît Peeters
name: Jan
average rating: 3.75
book published: 1983
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2018/07/18
shelves: addiction-obsession, censorship, european, fantasy, mental-disorder, mystery, romance, schreiber-leser, trippy, work
review:

]]> 34975030 In a return to the literary and thematic territory of Lemire's breakthrough graphic novel ESSEX COUNTY, ROYAL CITY follows Patrick Pike, a fading literary star who reluctantly returns to the once-thriving factory town where he grew up. Patrick is quickly drawn back into the dramas of his two adult siblings, his overbearing Mother and his brow beaten Father, all of whom are still haunted by different versions of his youngest brother, Tommy, who drowned decades ago.
As each member of the family struggles to keep themselves above water, it quickly becomes clear that Tommy's death isn't the only dark secret tearing the town, and this family, apart at the seams. Can each member of the Pike family come to terms with their own guilt over Tommy's death, and make peace with the many versions of Tommy that still haunt them, or will they all be dragged down below the river along with his lingering ghost?
ROYAL CITY promises to be a sprawling, serialized graphic novel that will chart the lives, loves and losses of a troubled family and a vanishing town, across three decades.
Jeff Lemire is the creator of DESCENDER (with DUSTIN NGUYEN), AD: AFTER DEATH (with SCOTT SNYDER), ROUGHNECK, SECRET PATH (with Gord Downie), PLUTONA (with EMI LENNOX), ESSEX COUNTY, SWEET TOOTH, TRILLIUM, and THE UNDERWATER WELDER. He had also written celebrated stories featuring Green Arrow, Animal Man, Bloodshot, Wolverine, Hawkeye, Teen Titans, the Valiant, the X-Men and Inhumans for the major comic book publishers.
Collecting issues 1 through 5.
]]> 160 Jeff Lemire 153430262X Jan 4 4.14 2017
author: Jeff Lemire
name: Jan
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2018/07/17
date added: 2018/07/17
shelves: addiction-obsession, drugs-alcohol, family, globalization, illness-disease, poverty, romance, work, image
review:

]]> 23397501 96 Ben Haggarty 1608866998 Jan 4 Mezolith by Ben Haggarty and Adam Brockbank realistically depicts tribal life as it existed 10,000 years ago, exploring one tribe's inner workings and struggles for survival, and then seamlessly combining the realism of these explorations with the characters' mythical worldviews. The result is some fascinating stone-age magical realism that steers clear of the hyper-masculine exploitation you might expect from the premise. It's a book that deserves a wider audience, so do yourself a favor and check it out!]]> 4.10 2010
author: Ben Haggarty
name: Jan
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2010
rating: 4
read at: 2018/07/16
date added: 2018/07/17
shelves: archaia, european, family, fantasy, illness-disease, historical, religion, childhood
review:
This one really grew on me. Mezolith by Ben Haggarty and Adam Brockbank realistically depicts tribal life as it existed 10,000 years ago, exploring one tribe's inner workings and struggles for survival, and then seamlessly combining the realism of these explorations with the characters' mythical worldviews. The result is some fascinating stone-age magical realism that steers clear of the hyper-masculine exploitation you might expect from the premise. It's a book that deserves a wider audience, so do yourself a favor and check it out!
]]> 20638245 Captain America: The Winter Soldier comes this smash-hit spy thriller with a unique new twist!

When the world's greatest secret agent is killed, all evidence points to Velvet Templeton, the personal secretary to the Director of the Agency. But Velvet's got a dark secret buried in her past... because she's also the most dangerous woman alive!

Collecting: Velvet 1-5]]> 128 Ed Brubaker 1607069644 Jan 3 4.11 2014
author: Ed Brubaker
name: Jan
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2014
rating: 3
read at: 2018/07/15
date added: 2018/07/16
shelves: crime, drugs-alcohol, espionage, feminism, friendship, gender, historical, image, noir, old-age-death, politics, pop-culture, pulpy, romance, sex, surveillance, work, war
review:
What if Miss Moneypenny was more than just the agency's secretary? What if she used to be a super-spy in her own right? You know, without anybody being aware of it, the most secret of all secret agents... Okay, it may not be the most original or convincing premise in the world, and the execution also tends to be a bit on the generic side. And yet, this being a Brubaker book, it’s all stylish enough to make it worth your while.
]]> 91714 Whose side... are you on?

The Marvel Universe is changing.

In the wake of a tragedy, Capitol Hill proposes the Super Hero Registration Act, requiring all costumed heroes to unmask themselves before the government. Divided, the nation's greatest champions must each decide how to react—A decision that will alter the course of their lives forever.

It's time to choose and take a side. This conflict has been brewing from more than a year, threatening to pit friend against friend, brother against brother... and all it will take is a single misstep to cost thousands their lives and ignite the fuse.

Collecting: Civil War #1-7, written by Mark Millar ('The Ultimates' (2006)) and illustrated by Steve McNiven ('New Avengers' (2006)).

Age Rating: 13�18+ Years Old / Eighth Grade+
Edition MSRP: $24�� US / $27�� CAN (ISBN 978-0-7851-2179-4)
Printed in the USA]]> 208 Mark Millar 078512179X Jan 3 Civil War, writer Mark Millar came up with the following premise (quoted from an interview reprinted in the back of the hardcover edition):

“Civil War is about what happens when the Marvel heroes are forced to grow up. It’s as simple as that. The public need and want the heroes. They couldn’t survive without them in a world filled with super villains and alien invasions. However, the wild west fantasy these guys have been having, where they put on a mask and fight whoever they like just doesn’t cut it in the modern world. Real people are getting hurt here and, for the first time, the heroes are being asked to come over onto the side of law and order in an official capacity so these guys can be properly regulated. Some are happy about this and others feel it’s compromising everything they stand for.�

Disagreement on the role of the superhero quickly turns into conflict, and voilà, we got ourselves a superhero fight big and spectacular enough to be marketed as a full-fledged “war,� that is, a bona fide crossover event—mission accomplished. According to Millar, though, Civil War does more than just set the stage for battle; it also provides meta-commentary on the genre from a contemporary perspective by raising the question: Is it really okay for superheroes to place themselves above the law and “fight whoever they like�?

Unfortunately, the story turns out to be far too busy with its battle scenes to actually explore this question in any depth—not sure to what degree it is explored in the flood of tie-in issues I have not read (in The Road to Civil War or Civil War: Captain America/Iron Man, for example). Based on the event’s core mini-series alone, I have no idea why any of these characters are either for or against government control, and Millar himself doesn’t seem to have given the issue much thought: “It just kind of evolved naturally... Cap is a natural, of course, because he’s all about freedom and civil liberties and Iron Man just seemed like the only guy with the weight and the authority to disagree with him.� Disagreement for disagreement’s sake, which makes the whole story a bit of a contrived, shallow affair.

Still, Civil War certainly delivers what is expected from this kind of story. As much as Millar’s writing fails to develop its own themes and characters, it is surprisingly sharp and effective when it comes to the battle and its immediate context, and McNiven's detailed widescreen artwork, realistic and spectacular at once, perfectly compliments a story that claims to confront the Marvel Universe with real-life concerns. Bottom line: Civil War isn’t really the revisionary text it purports to be, but as an event-type spectacle it works quite well.]]> 4.10 2006
author: Mark Millar
name: Jan
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2006
rating: 3
read at: 2016/09/03
date added: 2018/07/16
shelves: action, censorship, civil-rights, crime, espionage, friendship, marvel, politics, poverty, superhero, surveillance, war, theory
review:
I guess the idea behind a superhero crossover event is to bring a wide range of characters together in a single story—characters that usually feature in their own, individual titles. What superheroes do best is fight, of course, so a good crossover event must provide them with a convincing reason to fight side by side or against each other or both. For Marvel’s popular 2006-07 crossover event Civil War, writer Mark Millar came up with the following premise (quoted from an interview reprinted in the back of the hardcover edition):

“Civil War is about what happens when the Marvel heroes are forced to grow up. It’s as simple as that. The public need and want the heroes. They couldn’t survive without them in a world filled with super villains and alien invasions. However, the wild west fantasy these guys have been having, where they put on a mask and fight whoever they like just doesn’t cut it in the modern world. Real people are getting hurt here and, for the first time, the heroes are being asked to come over onto the side of law and order in an official capacity so these guys can be properly regulated. Some are happy about this and others feel it’s compromising everything they stand for.�

Disagreement on the role of the superhero quickly turns into conflict, and voilà, we got ourselves a superhero fight big and spectacular enough to be marketed as a full-fledged “war,� that is, a bona fide crossover event—mission accomplished. According to Millar, though, Civil War does more than just set the stage for battle; it also provides meta-commentary on the genre from a contemporary perspective by raising the question: Is it really okay for superheroes to place themselves above the law and “fight whoever they like�?

Unfortunately, the story turns out to be far too busy with its battle scenes to actually explore this question in any depth—not sure to what degree it is explored in the flood of tie-in issues I have not read (in The Road to Civil War or Civil War: Captain America/Iron Man, for example). Based on the event’s core mini-series alone, I have no idea why any of these characters are either for or against government control, and Millar himself doesn’t seem to have given the issue much thought: “It just kind of evolved naturally... Cap is a natural, of course, because he’s all about freedom and civil liberties and Iron Man just seemed like the only guy with the weight and the authority to disagree with him.� Disagreement for disagreement’s sake, which makes the whole story a bit of a contrived, shallow affair.

Still, Civil War certainly delivers what is expected from this kind of story. As much as Millar’s writing fails to develop its own themes and characters, it is surprisingly sharp and effective when it comes to the battle and its immediate context, and McNiven's detailed widescreen artwork, realistic and spectacular at once, perfectly compliments a story that claims to confront the Marvel Universe with real-life concerns. Bottom line: Civil War isn’t really the revisionary text it purports to be, but as an event-type spectacle it works quite well.
]]> 34975026
Creator Daniel Warren Johnson (Space Mullet) and colorist Mike Spicer present a bold new vision, where the beauty and imagination of Studio Ghibli meet the intensity of Mad Max, in this all-new Skybound Original.

Collects EXTREMITY #1-6.]]> 136 Daniel Warren Johnson 1534302425 Jan 2 4.05 2017
author: Daniel Warren Johnson
name: Jan
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2017
rating: 2
read at: 2018/07/16
date added: 2018/07/16
shelves: action, apocalyptic, family, fantasy, image, sci-fi, war
review:

]]> 28963358 Extraordinary X-Men) and rising star Greg Smallwood are calling everything you know about Moon Knight into question.

Collecting: Moon Knight 1-5]]> 120 Jeff Lemire 0785199535 Jan 4 4.03 2016
author: Jeff Lemire
name: Jan
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2018/07/14
date added: 2018/07/14
shelves: comedy, drugs-alcohol, marvel, mental-disorder, superhero
review:
One of Lemire's more charming superhero efforts: lively yet devoid of fight scenes, bonkers yet all too relatable
]]> 35989504

Inspired by the strange complexities of real world politics and crime, the characters of Redlands play victim and villain, attempting to understand themselves and others, through murder, magic and mayhem.



Collects issues 1 through 6.
]]> 144 Jordie Bellaire 1534305009 Jan 1 3.43 2018
author: Jordie Bellaire
name: Jan
average rating: 3.43
book published: 2018
rating: 1
read at: 2018/07/14
date added: 2018/07/14
shelves: crime, horror, image, pulpy, sex
review:

]]> 23206074 64 ˛Ń˛Ő˛úľ±łÜ˛ő 8582860668 Jan 5 3.67 2001
author: ˛Ń˛Ő˛úľ±łÜ˛ő
name: Jan
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2001
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2018/07/14
shelves: adventure, drugs-alcohol, european, fantasy, gender, illness-disease, mental-disorder, romance, religion, schreiber-leser, sci-fi, traveling, trippy
review:

]]> 160511 368 Mark Waid 0785114866 Jan 0 to-read 4.15 2004
author: Mark Waid
name: Jan
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2004
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2018/07/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 30647860 aus Mosambik in der DDR beschäftigt.
Ihr auf vier Jahre befristeter Aufenthalt sollte
dazu dienen, ihnen eine Ausbildung zu ermöglichen
und Berufserfahrung zu sammeln, um nach
ihrer Rückkehr zum Aufbau eines unabhängigen
sozialistischen Mosambiks beizutragen.
Die Realität sah anders aus. Die „Madgermanes�,
wie sie in Mosambik genannt werden, eine Wortschöpfung
aus „Verrückte Deutsche� und „Made
in Germany�, kehrten in ein vom Bürgerkrieg
völlig zerstörtes Land zurück. Für ihre Berufsausbildung
gab es keine Verwendung, und der
von der Regierung treuhänderisch einbehaltene
Lohn wurde nie ausgezahlt �
Birgit Weyhe recherchiert diese kaum bekannte
FuĂźnote deutsch-mosambikanischer Geschichte,
indem sie die Betroffenen selbst zu Wort kommen
lässt. Sie dreht die übliche Perspektive eines
deutschen Blicks auf die Welt um und porträtiert
zugleich einen Staat vor dessen Untergang.
Durch subtiles EinfĂĽgen von Erinnerungsobjekten
und mit allegorischen Motiven angereichert
entstand ein Comic, der in seiner Bild- und Erzählsprache
selbst die Grenzen zwischen afrikanischer
und europäischer Kultur überschreitet.]]> 240 Birgit Weyhe 3945034426 Jan 4 4.33 2016
author: Birgit Weyhe
name: Jan
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2018/07/14
date added: 2018/07/14
shelves: avant-verlag, drugs-alcohol, european, friendship, globalization, historical, immigration, politics, pop-culture, poverty, romance, school, sex, work
review:

]]> 31944812
Jesse Jacobs was born in Moncton, NB, and now draws comics and things from his home in Hamilton, ON. In 2009, his books Small Victories and Blue Winter were short listed at the Doug Wright Awards for Canadian Cartooning. He received the Gene Day Award for Canadian Comic Book Self-Publisher of 2008. Even the Giants (AdHouse, 2011) marked his major publishing debut after several award-winning, self-published titles, and his work has appeared in the acclaimed Latvian comics anthology š!, as well as the 2012 edition The Best American Comics edited by Françoise Mouly and published Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. He made his debut with Koyama Press in 2012 with the psychedelic creation myth By This Shall You Know Him, which was followed by the trippy take on nature versus nurture, Safari Honeymoon in 2014.]]> 96 Jesse Jacobs 1927668417 Jan 4 4.14 2017
author: Jesse Jacobs
name: Jan
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2018/07/13
date added: 2018/07/13
shelves: addiction-obsession, drugs-alcohol, friendship, koyama, trippy, school, youth
review:
4.5 stars. Experimental yet strangely touching graphic novel about... uh... the more mind-bending explorations of youth. By Jesse Jacobs, one of the most exciting alternative cartoonists working today.
]]> 6131796 ˛Ń˛Ő˛úľ±łÜ˛ő 3937102159 Jan 5 5.00 1990
author: ˛Ń˛Ő˛úľ±łÜ˛ő
name: Jan
average rating: 5.00
book published: 1990
rating: 5
read at: 2018/07/12
date added: 2018/07/12
shelves: adventure, drugs-alcohol, european, fantasy, gender, illness-disease, mental-disorder, religion, romance, schreiber-leser, sci-fi, traveling, trippy
review:

]]> 25154111
„Wir werden entweder unser Verhalten und unsere Ăśberzeugungen ändern oder umkommenâ€�, lautet das Motto des Autors. Die sechs Bände des Zyklus sind eine heitere Hommage an die Selbstheilungskräfte der Menschheit.]]> 62 ˛Ń˛Ő˛úľ±łÜ˛ő 3943808149 Jan 5 3.69 1983
author: ˛Ń˛Ő˛úľ±łÜ˛ő
name: Jan
average rating: 3.69
book published: 1983
rating: 5
read at: 2018/07/05
date added: 2018/07/12
shelves: schreiber-leser, adventure, drugs-alcohol, european, fantasy, gender, illness-disease, mental-disorder, religion, romance, sci-fi, trippy, traveling, favorites
review:

]]> 31855861 Doom Patrol is captured in this debut series starring the cult-favorite misfits as a part of Gerard Way's new Young Animal imprint.
Flex Mentallo, Robotman, Rebis, Crazy Jane, and more are back to twist minds and take control. This new take on a classic embraces and reimagines the Morrison run's signature surrealism and irreverence. Incorporating bold, experimental art and a brash tone to match a new generation of readers, Gerard Way's Doom Patrol establishes radical new beginnings, breaks new ground, and honors the warped team dynamic of the world's strangest heroes.
This abstract and unexpected ensemble series nods at the Doom Patrol's roots by continuing to break the barriers of the traditional superhero genre.

Collecting Doom Patrol 1-6]]> 176 Gerard Way 1401269796 Jan 2 3.87 2017
author: Gerard Way
name: Jan
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2017
rating: 2
read at: 2018/07/12
date added: 2018/07/12
shelves: dc, mental-disorder, superhero
review:

]]> 9278954 0 ˛Ń˛Ő˛úľ±łÜ˛ő 3551028389 Jan 5 4.20 1988
author: ˛Ń˛Ő˛úľ±łÜ˛ő
name: Jan
average rating: 4.20
book published: 1988
rating: 5
read at: 2018/07/12
date added: 2018/07/12
shelves: adventure, drugs-alcohol, european, fantasy, gender, illness-disease, mental-disorder, religion, romance, schreiber-leser, sci-fi, traveling, trippy
review:

]]> 31217834
But what happens if Gotham’s new guardians go bad? What if they blame the Dark Knight for the darkness that threatens to drown their city?

When sinister forces are unleashed that can warp the minds of men and make heroes into monsters, the time will come for Batman and his allies to decide once and for all: Is Gotham a force for good…or an engine of evil?

From the blockbuster DC Universe Rebirth event comes Batman Vol. 1: I Am Gotham—the beginning of an all-new saga in the life of the Dark Knight from superstars Tom King (Grayson) and David Finch (Wonder Woman), featuring an all-star cast of creators such as Scott Snyder (Batman: The Court Of Owls), Ivan Reis (Justice League) and Mikel Janín (Justice League Dark)! This great starting-point graphic novel collects Batman: Rebirth #1 and Batman #1-6.]]> 192 Tom King 1401267777 Jan 1 3.66 2017
author: Tom King
name: Jan
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2017
rating: 1
read at: 2018/07/05
date added: 2018/07/05
shelves: action, dc, family, mental-disorder, superhero, youth
review:

]]> 6371553
Now, readers of every persuasion can gain astonishing new insights from these stories. Crumb's Book of Genesis reintroduces us to the bountiful tree-lined garden of Adam and Eve, the massive ark of Noah with beasts of every kind, the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah destroyed by brimstone and fire, and the Egypt of the Pharaoh. Using clues from the text and peeling away the theological and scholarly interpretations that have often obscured the Bible's most dramatic stories, Crumb fleshes out a parade of biblical originals: from the serpent in Eden, the humanoid reptile appearing like an alien out of a science fiction movie, to Jacob, a 'kind of depressed guy who doesn't strike you as physically courageous', and his bother, Esau, 'a rough and kick-ass guy', to God himself, 'a standard Charlton Heston-like figure with long white hair and a flowing beard'.

Crumb's Book of Genesis, the culmination of five years of painstaking work, is a tapestry of masterly detail and storytelling that celebrates the astonishing diversity of one of our greatest artistic geniuses.]]> 224 Robert Crumb 0393061027 Jan 4 4.04 2009
author: Robert Crumb
name: Jan
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2009
rating: 4
read at: 2017/06/04
date added: 2018/07/04
shelves: norton-and-company, family, gender, friendship, historical, immigration, religion, sex
review:

]]> 29246432
COLLECTING: Black Panther 1-4, Fantastic Four (1961) 52]]> 144 Ta-Nehisi Coates 1302900536 Jan 2 Black Panther: A Nation under Our Feet might have worked as an academic essay. As the superhero title it is, however, the book makes for a rather difficult, frustrating, slow and ultimately boring read. 1.5 stars, I’d say.]]> 3.72 2016
author: Ta-Nehisi Coates
name: Jan
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2016
rating: 2
read at: 2016/12/28
date added: 2018/03/01
shelves: activism, civil-rights, family, feminism, gender, jungle, marvel, politics, religion, sci-fi, surveillance, superhero, theory, war
review:
With its critical, abstract, ambitious reflections on the history and ideology of Black Panther comics, Black Panther: A Nation under Our Feet might have worked as an academic essay. As the superhero title it is, however, the book makes for a rather difficult, frustrating, slow and ultimately boring read. 1.5 stars, I’d say.
]]> 21500588 They are loved. They are hated. They are brilliant.
Within two years, they’re dead.]]> 144 Kieron Gillen Jan 2 4.00 2014
author: Kieron Gillen
name: Jan
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2014
rating: 2
read at: 2014/08/28
date added: 2018/01/04
shelves: fandom, fantasy, image, music, pop-culture, youth
review:

]]> 22733332 32 Kieron Gillen Jan 1 3.99 2014
author: Kieron Gillen
name: Jan
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2014
rating: 1
read at: 2014/08/30
date added: 2017/11/29
shelves: fandom, fantasy, image, music, pop-culture, youth
review:

]]> 26779820 136 Brian Buccellato 1632155524 Jan 3 Rosemary's Baby), Brian Buccellato and Toni Infante’s Sons of the Devil is shaping up to become one of the more exciting Image titles on the shelves. The plot itself isn’t terribly original, mind you, but it provides a solid hook and is brought to life very effectively by believable characters and realistic dialogue. Everything feels raw and urgent and lively � thanks in part also to Infante’s sketchy, blunt, dynamic visual style, as it turns out.]]> 3.48 2015
author: Brian Buccellato
name: Jan
average rating: 3.48
book published: 2015
rating: 3
read at: 2016/02/28
date added: 2017/07/12
shelves: crime, family, friendship, horror, image, mental-disorder, noir, poverty, pulpy, romance, youth
review:
This one did not exactly beg to be read when I first flipped through it in the library: it looked more than a little sketchy and rough around the edges. Somehow it ended up in my bag anyway, and I’m glad it did. Combining gritty personal drama from the margins of society (along the lines of Truffaut's Antoine Doinel movies) with a healthy dose of twisted, suspenseful, metaphysical horror (think Polanski's Rosemary's Baby), Brian Buccellato and Toni Infante’s Sons of the Devil is shaping up to become one of the more exciting Image titles on the shelves. The plot itself isn’t terribly original, mind you, but it provides a solid hook and is brought to life very effectively by believable characters and realistic dialogue. Everything feels raw and urgent and lively � thanks in part also to Infante’s sketchy, blunt, dynamic visual style, as it turns out.
]]> 6488140
Joe Daly brings a refreshingly original—and utterly hilarious—voice to the comics medium, a dry, deadpan wit anchored in everyday reality combined with unnervingly deranged plots, rendered with a hyper-detailed, half-realistic and half-cartoony Tintin-style crispness.]]> 120 Joe Daly 1606991639 Jan 3 Where the People Drive Fast and Talk Slow

Joe Daly's storytelling feels very relaxed and spontaneous to me, almost unstructured. It takes unexpected turns, puts the spotlight on details that are not essential to the plot, skips seemingly important parts, rambles, wastes time and space without second thought. This narrative style works brilliantly in Daly's wacky Dungeon Quest, a book David Katzman accurately describes as "Dungeons & Dragons meets Twin Peaks meets Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure meets soft gay porn while stoned out of its mind."

The two stories collected in The Red Monkey Double Happiness Book are far more realistic (despite the occasional surreal moment), though, and here Daly's idiosyncratic storytelling occasionally comes across a bit odd, uneven, or even inadequate. Then again, this oddness is a big part of the stories' considerable charm, as it reflects the protagonists� unconventional lifestyles and attitudes. You see, Dave and Paul are very likable dudes living in sun-drenched Cape Town, a place Dave describes as "a beautiful, dirty, dangerous laid-back port town on the tip of Southern Africa where the people drive fast and talk slow." Oh, and there is excellent weed in Cape Town, too.]]> 3.54 2009
author: Joe Daly
name: Jan
average rating: 3.54
book published: 2009
rating: 3
read at: 2014/11/12
date added: 2017/06/10
shelves: activism, comedy, crime, fantagraphics, friendship, work, african, drugs-alcohol, trippy
review:
Where the People Drive Fast and Talk Slow

Joe Daly's storytelling feels very relaxed and spontaneous to me, almost unstructured. It takes unexpected turns, puts the spotlight on details that are not essential to the plot, skips seemingly important parts, rambles, wastes time and space without second thought. This narrative style works brilliantly in Daly's wacky Dungeon Quest, a book David Katzman accurately describes as "Dungeons & Dragons meets Twin Peaks meets Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure meets soft gay porn while stoned out of its mind."

The two stories collected in The Red Monkey Double Happiness Book are far more realistic (despite the occasional surreal moment), though, and here Daly's idiosyncratic storytelling occasionally comes across a bit odd, uneven, or even inadequate. Then again, this oddness is a big part of the stories' considerable charm, as it reflects the protagonists� unconventional lifestyles and attitudes. You see, Dave and Paul are very likable dudes living in sun-drenched Cape Town, a place Dave describes as "a beautiful, dirty, dangerous laid-back port town on the tip of Southern Africa where the people drive fast and talk slow." Oh, and there is excellent weed in Cape Town, too.
]]> 16123326 The beginning of the all-new Valiant Universe starts here!
Aric of Dacia is a brash warrior and heir to the throne of the Visigoth people. He has lived his life under the heel of the Roman Empire, but now a far more terrible enemy has come to subjugate him. Taken from his home and family, Aric is enslaved aboard a starship belonging to a brutal race of alien colonizers known as The Vine. If he is to have any hope of escaping and returning to Earth, he will have to steal the Vine’s most powerful weapon � a sentient suit of indestructible armor � and become X-O Manowar!

This volume of the acclaimed, breakout series by New York Times best-selling author Robert Venditti (The Surrogates, The Homeland Directive) and Eisner Award-winning artist Cary Nord (Conan)!

Collecting: X-O Manowar 1-4]]> 112 Robert Venditti 0979640946 Jan 3 3.85 2012
author: Robert Venditti
name: Jan
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2012
rating: 3
read at: 2017/05/04
date added: 2017/05/04
shelves: action, adventure, comedy, fantasy, gender, historical, pulpy, romance, sci-fi, superhero, valiant, war, youth
review:
A wild ride, albeit a rather generic one: 2.5 stars for this barbarian in space.
]]> 26872190 168 Brian K. Vaughan 1632157020 Jan 3 3.63 2016
author: Brian K. Vaughan
name: Jan
average rating: 3.63
book published: 2016
rating: 3
read at: 2017/05/01
date added: 2017/05/01
shelves: action, activism, family, exploitation, image, sci-fi, surveillance, war
review:

]]> 26889696 180 Matt Furie 1606999192 Jan 4 3.13 2016
author: Matt Furie
name: Jan
average rating: 3.13
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2017/04/28
date added: 2017/04/28
shelves: comedy, drugs-alcohol, fantagraphics, friendship, pop-culture, trippy, youth
review:

]]> 25614801 176 David F. Walker 1606907573 Jan 4 4.04 2015
author: David F. Walker
name: Jan
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2017/04/11
date added: 2017/04/11
shelves: civil-rights, crime, dynamite, friendship, gender, historical, noir, pop-culture, poverty, pulpy, romance, sex, surveillance, war, exploitation, politics
review:

]]> 3437807
“Amateur Comics� creates a wordless lyric of body, chairs, and space. “Martha Gregory� delves into the rhyming psyches of a young woman and an old man. “Jazz� charts a single day through the lens of the unconscious. Also included are the visually abstract “The Kimball House,� the autobiographical “Westmont Is Next,� the elliptically humorous “Dance� (printed in black and red), and several other ineffable pieces.

At once perplexing and moving, disturbing and playful, Asthma explores the formal and emotional reaches of the comics medium.]]> 104 John Hankiewicz 0974271551 Jan 2 3.96 2006
author: John Hankiewicz
name: Jan
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2006
rating: 2
read at: 2017/04/01
date added: 2017/04/04
shelves: sparkplug-books, pop-culture, theory
review:

]]> 26779816
Quite literally. Because Airboy himself appears to set the two depraved comic book creators on the straight and narrow. But no one in this story has their life go according to plan. Read the entire series in one hardcover collected volume, which features a brand new story dealing with the reaction to the comic's initial publication that doesn't turn out the way anyone expects...least of all Robinson and Hinkle. A satirical look into the comic book industry paired with the debauchery of Hunter S. Thompson's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.]]> 120 James Robinson 1632155435 Jan 4 3.96 2016
author: James Robinson
name: Jan
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2017/04/02
date added: 2017/04/04
shelves: comedy, creative-process, drugs-alcohol, family, fandom, fantasy, friendship, gender, historical, image, memoir, parody, pop-culture, pulpy, sex, superhero, trippy, war, work
review:

]]> 27414436
When his body is killed, Jimmy simply takes over the body of the person in closest proximity to him. Simple, right? Not once Jimmy gets started. His mind is sharp and highly analytical, and he cares about nothing but his own survival and the survival of his adorable daughter. To avoid the shadowy government agency on his tail, Jimmy will do anything, even if it means tearing the world down around him.

From the brilliant and profane mind of Jason Shiga, known for his high-concept comics, comes a magnum opus: a four-volume mystery adventure about the shocking chaos (and astronomical body count) one highly rational and utterly unscrupulous man can create in the world, given a single simple supernatural power.]]> 166 Jason Shiga 1626724520 Jan 3 3.82 2016
author: Jason Shiga
name: Jan
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2016
rating: 3
read at: 2017/03/31
date added: 2017/04/04
shelves: first-second, mystery, comedy, crime, fantasy, horror, adventure, old-age-death, pulpy, trippy
review:

]]> 2326295
Wolin portrays a country where citizens are politically uninterested and submissive--and where elites are eager to keep them that way. At best the nation has become a "managed democracy" where the public is shepherded, not sovereign. At worst it is a place where corporate power no longer answers to state controls. Wolin makes clear that today's America is in no way morally or politically comparable to totalitarian states like Nazi Germany, yet he warns that unchecked economic power risks verging on total power and has its own unnerving pathologies. Wolin examines the myths and mythmaking that justify today's politics, the quest for an ever-expanding economy, and the perverse attractions of an endless war on terror. He argues passionately that democracy's best hope lies in citizens themselves learning anew to exercise power at the local level.

"Democracy Incorporated" is one of the most worrying diagnoses of America's political ills to emerge in decades. It is sure to be a lightning rod for political debate for years to come."]]> 376 Sheldon S. Wolin 0691135665 Jan 0 to-read 4.19 2006
author: Sheldon S. Wolin
name: Jan
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2006
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2017/03/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 28508620 256 Raina Telgemeier 0545540623 Jan 4 4.17 2016
author: Raina Telgemeier
name: Jan
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2017/02/15
date added: 2017/03/12
shelves: scholastic-graphix, childhood, family, fantasy, horror, illness-disease, mystery, romance, youth, school, friendship
review:
I like Raina Telgemeier's fluid, spunky, unpretentious cartooning a lot, and it is beautifully matched here by a very timely story that is all about embracing the Other. You know, rather than "bombing the shit out of" it.
]]> 28186169
Welcome to Soft City. Now don’t be late for work.

This NYRC edition is a giant-sized hardcover extra-thick paper and spot-color throughout.]]> 160 Hariton Pushwagner 1681370468 Jan 4 4.16 2009
author: Hariton Pushwagner
name: Jan
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2009
rating: 4
read at: 2017/03/08
date added: 2017/03/08
shelves: new-york-review-comics, civil-rights, family, globalization, parody, surveillance, work, european
review:

]]> 28953137 When one of Henry's trainees is found dead, he's forced to align himself with Nassir, the last policeman in Baghdad to try to unravel the bloody mystery that's already claimed one life. While Henry and Nassir search for answers there are forces in the shadows pulling strings that these men don't even know they're tied to.
With a wonderfully brutal script by Tom King (Grayson, Omega Men) devastatingly beautiful art by Mitch Gerads (The Punisher, The Activity), this wartime crime crama takes you deep into the underworld of the city of Baghdad in one of the most tumultuous times in modern history.

Collecting: Sheriff of Babylon 1-6]]> 160 Tom King 1401264662 Jan 4 The Sheriff of Babylon: Bang Bang Bang definitely falls into the depressing category: it is every bit as disturbing and frustrating as any good war story must be. It feels so real, in fact, you pretty much know from the start that writer Tom King must have spent time in post-invasion Iraq, must have witnessed the violence and the absurdity of the situation first-hand.

Make no mistake, The Sheriff of Babylon: Bang Bang Bang does not deliver another action spectacle of the bang-bang variety. What it does deliver is a well-observed, detailed, patient, nuanced, complex, sun-drenched yet appropriately dark, downright noirish depiction of life in and around Baghdad’s US-controlled Green Zone after the invasion—nothing more and nothing less. Recommended!]]> 4.08 2016
author: Tom King
name: Jan
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2016/09/06
date added: 2017/03/03
shelves: vertigo, civil-rights, crime, drugs-alcohol, family, friendship, gender, mass-media, noir, politics, pop-culture, poverty, religion, sex, surveillance, war, work
review:
War stories aren’t my favorite stories in the world, probably because they are necessarily either depressing or bad. The Sheriff of Babylon: Bang Bang Bang definitely falls into the depressing category: it is every bit as disturbing and frustrating as any good war story must be. It feels so real, in fact, you pretty much know from the start that writer Tom King must have spent time in post-invasion Iraq, must have witnessed the violence and the absurdity of the situation first-hand.

Make no mistake, The Sheriff of Babylon: Bang Bang Bang does not deliver another action spectacle of the bang-bang variety. What it does deliver is a well-observed, detailed, patient, nuanced, complex, sun-drenched yet appropriately dark, downright noirish depiction of life in and around Baghdad’s US-controlled Green Zone after the invasion—nothing more and nothing less. Recommended!
]]> 33653798 27 Donny Cates Jan 4
That's how this first issue ends, and it sums things up pretty well. The story combines family drama with fantasy, superhero, horror and western elements, and so far it works: well executed all around. First it reminded me of Pretty Deadly, then of Thor -- we'll see where the story goes. 3.5 stars.]]> 3.95 2017
author: Donny Cates
name: Jan
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2017/02/12
date added: 2017/02/12
shelves: family, fantasy, horror, mental-disorder, mystery, old-age-death, superhero, western
review:
"This story... Like I said, it's been passed down from generation to generation... Damned if it don't get a little longer every time. Don't make it any less true, though. And it began here. With a storm, an old man, his family, a demon... an ancient, indestructible, enchanted twelve-foot sword... and the God who wanted it back."

That's how this first issue ends, and it sums things up pretty well. The story combines family drama with fantasy, superhero, horror and western elements, and so far it works: well executed all around. First it reminded me of Pretty Deadly, then of Thor -- we'll see where the story goes. 3.5 stars.
]]> 33985558 34 Eric Zawadzki Jan 3 3.88 2017
author: Eric Zawadzki
name: Jan
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2017
rating: 3
read at: 2017/02/08
date added: 2017/02/08
shelves: addiction-obsession, activism, civil-rights, crime, drugs-alcohol, black-mask-studios, friendship, globalization, horror, illness-disease, mental-disorder, mystery, noir, poverty, politics, pop-culture
review:

]]> 28116830
The lunar colony is slowly winding down, like a small town circumvented by a new super highway. As our hero, the Mooncop, makes his daily rounds, his beat grows ever smaller, the population dwindles. A young girl runs away, a dog breaks off his leash, an automaton wanders off from the Museum of the Moon.]]> 94 Tom Gauld 1770462546 Jan 4 3.90 2016
author: Tom Gauld
name: Jan
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2017/02/08
shelves: comedy, crime, drawn-and-quarterly, european, mental-disorder, sci-fi, surveillance, work, romance
review:
Sparse, subdued, existentialist, melancholy, wryly humorous, and maybe even a tad romantic: I liked it quite a bit. 3.5 stars, I’d say.
]]> 9359546
In the passing shadow of the Civil War, defiant Confederate General Oleander Hume waits to be let loose, too evil and warped to die, too mad with bloodlust to let go of his black magic.

He hungers for his lost and most precious possession, an ancient weapon of foreboding doom. Having fallen into the hands of an innocent girl, this last and most powerful of six revolvers is the key to unlocking unstoppable power.

But before General Hume, with his wicked bride and four twisted horsemen, can summon an army of undead to claim what is his, in his path stands Drake Sinclair--a gunslinger playing with cards close to his chest.

However, Sinclair is no white knight and is himself on the hunt for the six guns...]]> 170 Cullen Bunn 1934964603 Jan 3 The Sixth Gun combines the western genre with fantasy and horror elements, and with a few too many Lord of the Rings overtones. What the story lacks in originality and subtlety (if that’s what you’re looking for, you may want to go with Bunn’s more recent Harrow County instead), it tries to make up for with bullets and old-school action � and it succeeds up to a point, I guess. These days, though, it isn’t easy for fiction to compete with the apocalyptic, surreal, darkly humorous crime-spy-horror thriller that is unfolding in the real world� ]]> 4.01 2011
author: Cullen Bunn
name: Jan
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2011
rating: 3
read at: 2017/02/06
date added: 2017/02/06
shelves: action, fantasy, horror, old-age-death, oni-press, pulpy, war, western
review:
The Sixth Gun combines the western genre with fantasy and horror elements, and with a few too many Lord of the Rings overtones. What the story lacks in originality and subtlety (if that’s what you’re looking for, you may want to go with Bunn’s more recent Harrow County instead), it tries to make up for with bullets and old-school action � and it succeeds up to a point, I guess. These days, though, it isn’t easy for fiction to compete with the apocalyptic, surreal, darkly humorous crime-spy-horror thriller that is unfolding in the real world�
]]> 13482575
1916. A man haunts the roads; a man with sharp teeth and a hunger for flesh. When 12 year-old Jack Garron runs away from home, he'll see how quickly the American Dream becomes a nightmare.

Collecting all 7 issues of the critically acclaimed series, and featuring never-before-seen bonus material, this hardcover deluxe version is sure to be a classic.]]> 192 Scott Snyder 1607065290 Jan 2 Severed, Snyder’s stand-alone horror-suspense story set in 1916, and it is even complimented with appropriately dark, realistically rendered artwork by Attila Futaki.

And yet Severed turns out to be a major disappointment. Despite the creators� considerable abilities, the story never comes to life. Part of the problem is its lack of originality, that is, the degree to which it has been constructed around well-worn movie formulas. Anybody who has not been living under a rock for the last fifteen years is all too familiar with the book's torture-porn-style depictions of sadism (meat hooks, etc.), for example.

More importantly, though, the creators fail to deliver the kind of suspense their story relies on. Severed tries so hard to be a movie that it hardly ever takes advantage of the comic-book medium’s unique language, the only notable exception being a blade that appears to slice not only the skin of a character but also the page it is printed on. Of course, comic books can ultimately never be movies, and the narrative just ends up feeling dull and lifeless, almost like an abandoned storyboard.

I enjoyed the experimental playfulness of Snyder's The Wake and the diligent craftsmanship of American Vampire and Batman, but the rigid by-the-numbers suspense of Severed can’t hold a candle to the movies it tries to emulate - not to contemporary torture-porn of the Martyrs or Inside variety, and certainly not to suspense classics such as Hitchcock’s Shadow of a Doubt, Laughton’s The Night of the Hunter or Thompson’s Cape Fear. In fact, I cannot think of a single reason why anybody would want to read Severed with those movies around.]]> 3.77 2011
author: Scott Snyder
name: Jan
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2011
rating: 2
read at: 2015/02/18
date added: 2017/02/04
shelves: crime, family, historical, horror, image, youth, traveling
review:
Scott Snyder is no hack. His stories are carefully mapped out, his characters developed with purpose and patience, his dialogues competently written (if a bit clichéd in places). He generally knows how to set a mood, how to transition from one scene to the next, how to create effective cliffhangers. All this is evident in Severed, Snyder’s stand-alone horror-suspense story set in 1916, and it is even complimented with appropriately dark, realistically rendered artwork by Attila Futaki.

And yet Severed turns out to be a major disappointment. Despite the creators� considerable abilities, the story never comes to life. Part of the problem is its lack of originality, that is, the degree to which it has been constructed around well-worn movie formulas. Anybody who has not been living under a rock for the last fifteen years is all too familiar with the book's torture-porn-style depictions of sadism (meat hooks, etc.), for example.

More importantly, though, the creators fail to deliver the kind of suspense their story relies on. Severed tries so hard to be a movie that it hardly ever takes advantage of the comic-book medium’s unique language, the only notable exception being a blade that appears to slice not only the skin of a character but also the page it is printed on. Of course, comic books can ultimately never be movies, and the narrative just ends up feeling dull and lifeless, almost like an abandoned storyboard.

I enjoyed the experimental playfulness of Snyder's The Wake and the diligent craftsmanship of American Vampire and Batman, but the rigid by-the-numbers suspense of Severed can’t hold a candle to the movies it tries to emulate - not to contemporary torture-porn of the Martyrs or Inside variety, and certainly not to suspense classics such as Hitchcock’s Shadow of a Doubt, Laughton’s The Night of the Hunter or Thompson’s Cape Fear. In fact, I cannot think of a single reason why anybody would want to read Severed with those movies around.
]]> 27753938
Collecting: Tokyo Ghost 1-5]]> 136 Rick Remender 1632156636 Jan 1 4.02 2016
author: Rick Remender
name: Jan
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2016
rating: 1
read at: 2017/01/29
date added: 2017/01/29
shelves: action, addiction-obsession, comedy, crime, drugs-alcohol, exploitation, fantasy, gender, globalization, image, mass-media, noir, pop-culture, poverty, pulpy, romance, sci-fi, surveillance, work
review:

]]> 25241698
Steeped in the mythology of this iconic character's original conception, WONDER WOMAN: THE TRUE AMAZON is designed to appeal to a wide range of readers. It's a fresh, stand alone interpretation of the most famous and iconic female super-hero of all time and the fulfillment of a dream project by one of contemporary comics' most acclaimed creators.

Collects WONDER WOMAN: THE TRUE AMAZON digital chapters #1-12.]]> 128 Jill Thompson 1401249019 Jan 2 The Traumatization of Wonder Woman

With its focus on narration rather than dialogue and its fully painted, lush yet neatly structured artwork, Jill Thompson’s Wonder Woman: The True Amazon does not exactly feel like your typical contemporary comic book. In fact, it hardly feels like a comic book at all, more like an illustrated old-school storybook. It’s an effect that works well in the context, as it somewhat removes Wonder Woman from the other heroes of the DC Universe, highlighting the Amazon’s ancient roots in Greek mythology.

So what is Wonder Woman: The True Amazon all about? Well, it basically re-imagines the origin of Wonder Woman, specifically her childhood and youth on the mysterious, paradisiacal island of Themyscira. As the island’s only child, Thompson’s Diana grows up spoiled and develops a self-important, vain, irresponsible personality. It is not until her personality flaws cause a major tragedy that she finally becomes aware of them, takes the opposite path, and ultimately evolves into the hero we know today.

At its core, then, Wonder Woman: The True Amazon aims to provide the protagonist’s legendary devotion to peace and harmony with a concrete psychological foundation, something along the lines of Spider-Man’s Uncle Ben trauma: hubris breeds tragedy breeds heroism. And in psychological terms it kinda makes sense, doesn’t it?

At the same time, I am not convinced trauma as motivation works as well for the demigoddess Wonder Woman as it does for more vulnerable street-level characters like Spider-Man or Batman. I guess I've always enjoyed the idea that Wonder Woman's devotion to peace and harmony does not call for an explanation. That it just comes with growing up in a more functional, caring world.]]> 3.68 2015
author: Jill Thompson
name: Jan
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2015
rating: 2
read at: 2016/12/20
date added: 2017/01/29
shelves: childhood, crime, dc, family, friendship, feminism, gender, superhero, war, youth
review:
The Traumatization of Wonder Woman

With its focus on narration rather than dialogue and its fully painted, lush yet neatly structured artwork, Jill Thompson’s Wonder Woman: The True Amazon does not exactly feel like your typical contemporary comic book. In fact, it hardly feels like a comic book at all, more like an illustrated old-school storybook. It’s an effect that works well in the context, as it somewhat removes Wonder Woman from the other heroes of the DC Universe, highlighting the Amazon’s ancient roots in Greek mythology.

So what is Wonder Woman: The True Amazon all about? Well, it basically re-imagines the origin of Wonder Woman, specifically her childhood and youth on the mysterious, paradisiacal island of Themyscira. As the island’s only child, Thompson’s Diana grows up spoiled and develops a self-important, vain, irresponsible personality. It is not until her personality flaws cause a major tragedy that she finally becomes aware of them, takes the opposite path, and ultimately evolves into the hero we know today.

At its core, then, Wonder Woman: The True Amazon aims to provide the protagonist’s legendary devotion to peace and harmony with a concrete psychological foundation, something along the lines of Spider-Man’s Uncle Ben trauma: hubris breeds tragedy breeds heroism. And in psychological terms it kinda makes sense, doesn’t it?

At the same time, I am not convinced trauma as motivation works as well for the demigoddess Wonder Woman as it does for more vulnerable street-level characters like Spider-Man or Batman. I guess I've always enjoyed the idea that Wonder Woman's devotion to peace and harmony does not call for an explanation. That it just comes with growing up in a more functional, caring world.
]]> 25066786
COLLECTING: EDGE OF SPIDER-VERSE #2, SPIDER-GWEN 1-5]]> 136 Jason Latour 0785197737 Jan 1 3.82 2015
author: Jason Latour
name: Jan
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2015
rating: 1
read at: 2017/01/27
date added: 2017/01/27
shelves: civil-rights, family, gender, friendship, marvel, pop-culture, superhero, surveillance
review:

]]> 20898019
COLLECTING: MS. MARVEL 1-5, MATERIAL FROM ALL-NEW MARVEL NOW! POINT ONE]]> 120 G. Willow Wilson 078519021X Jan 4 4.10 2014
author: G. Willow Wilson
name: Jan
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2017/01/15
date added: 2017/01/15
shelves: civil-rights, comedy, family, drugs-alcohol, feminism, friendship, gender, globalization, marvel, religion, romance, superhero, surveillance, youth, pop-culture
review:

]]> 431274
Shaun Tan evokes universal aspects of an immigrant's experience through a singular work of the imagination. He does so using brilliantly clear and mesmerizing images. Because the main character can't communicate in words, the book forgoes them too. But while the reader experiences the main character's isolation, he also shares his ultimate joy.]]> 128 Shaun Tan 0439895294 Jan 5 Shaun Tan`s Universal Masterpiece

Shaun Tan's graphic novel The Arrival tells the story of the refugee experience, depicting its sense of deprivation, danger, loneliness, discovery, and wonder.

Rooted in the picture-story tradition that predates modern comics, the book's wordless language mirrors the protagonist's inability to communicate though words in his new environment; the surreal images provide the story with universal relevance.

Brilliantly conceived and masterfully realized, The Arrival is the rare case of a graphic novel that can be recommended to just about anyone, regardless of age or cultural background.

]]> 4.46 2007
author: Shaun Tan
name: Jan
average rating: 4.46
book published: 2007
rating: 5
read at: 2014/07/04
date added: 2017/01/12
shelves: wordless, immigration, levine-books, family, friendship, australasian
review:
Shaun Tan`s Universal Masterpiece

Shaun Tan's graphic novel The Arrival tells the story of the refugee experience, depicting its sense of deprivation, danger, loneliness, discovery, and wonder.

Rooted in the picture-story tradition that predates modern comics, the book's wordless language mirrors the protagonist's inability to communicate though words in his new environment; the surreal images provide the story with universal relevance.

Brilliantly conceived and masterfully realized, The Arrival is the rare case of a graphic novel that can be recommended to just about anyone, regardless of age or cultural background.


]]> 25664494
Lorsque la jeune Christine rentre de l'école, son père lui annonce que le vétérinaire a dû euthanasier Patchouli, son petit chat. Seule dans sa chambre bleue, elle pleure, peut-être aussi parce que sa mère qui a quitté la maison lui manque. Panthère, le prince héritier du royaume de Panthésia, jaillit tel un djinn du tiroir de la commode et emplit la pièce de toute sa majesté. Commence alors un étrange jeu de séduction entre le beau félin, dandy protéiforme, et sa proie.

Un «Calvin et Hobbes »au féminin, façon Brecht Evens, qui nous plonge dans un monde de l'enfance, troublant et dérangeant.]]> 120 Brecht Evens 1770462260 Jan 5 Panther by Belgian cartoonist Brecht Evens tells the wildly imaginative yet subtly poetic, beautifully crafted yet strangely disturbing story of a young girl trying to come to terms with various painful experiences. There is the tabooed disappearance of her mother, the death of her beloved cat, and the trauma of what could have been an eerie hospital stay or, as most have suggested, a case of sexual abuse. It's the best graphic novel I've read in a while, certainly my favorite from 2016, most likely a new all-time favorite. Highly recommended to fans of alternative comics!]]> 4.14 2014
author: Brecht Evens
name: Jan
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at: 2017/01/07
date added: 2017/01/08
shelves: childhood, drawn-and-quarterly, european, family, fantasy, favorites, mental-disorder, school
review:
Panther by Belgian cartoonist Brecht Evens tells the wildly imaginative yet subtly poetic, beautifully crafted yet strangely disturbing story of a young girl trying to come to terms with various painful experiences. There is the tabooed disappearance of her mother, the death of her beloved cat, and the trauma of what could have been an eerie hospital stay or, as most have suggested, a case of sexual abuse. It's the best graphic novel I've read in a while, certainly my favorite from 2016, most likely a new all-time favorite. Highly recommended to fans of alternative comics!
]]> 23093359 176 Kieron Gillen 1632150190 Jan 2 3.81 2014
author: Kieron Gillen
name: Jan
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2014
rating: 2
read at: 2017/01/04
date added: 2017/01/04
shelves: addiction-obsession, comedy, creative-process, drugs-alcohol, fandom, fantasy, gender, globalization, image, mass-media, mental-disorder, music, pop-culture, punk-goth, religion, romance, sex, superhero, youth
review:
Slick but shallow, self-congratulatory, sterile, ultimately pointless pop-stars-as-gods fantasy, as far as I can tell. I tried twice, but I just can't get into this one. 1.5 stars.
]]> 29810099 Alan Moore Jan 4 3.77
author: Alan Moore
name: Jan
average rating: 3.77
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2016/12/30
date added: 2016/12/30
shelves: anthology, apocalyptic, avatar-press, comedy, fantasy, friendship, gender, historical, horror, parody, pop-culture, poverty, pulpy, sci-fi, sex, war, youth, western
review:

]]> 33232571 2016 on Ĺ·±¦ÓéŔÖ should make an interesting and varied catalogue of books to inspire other readers in 2017.

For those of you who don't like to add titles you haven't actually 'read', you can place 2016 on Ĺ·±¦ÓéŔÖ on an 'exclusive' shelf. Exclusive shelves don't have to be listed under 'to read', 'currently reading' or 'read'. To create one, go to 'edit bookshelves' on your 'My Books' page, create a shelf name such as 'review-of-the year' and tick the 'exclusive' box. Your previous and future 'reviews of the year' can be collected together on this dedicated shelf.

Concept created by Fionnuala Lirsdottir.
Cover choice and graphics by Kalliope and Matt.
Cover painting by CĂ©zanne.]]> Various Jan 4
1. MIND MGMT Vol. 1-6 by Matt Kindt (2012-15)
2. Like a Velvet Glove Cast in Iron by Dan Clowes (1989-93)
3. The Fade Out Vol.1-3 by Brubaker & Phillips (2014-16)
4. Alpha by Jens Harder (2010)
5. Big Baby by Charles Burns (1986)
6. Fran by Jim Woodring (2013)
7. The Arab of the Future Vol.1 by Riad Sattouf (2015)
8. Miracleman Vol.1 by Moore & Leach (1982)
9. Harrow County Vol.1-3 by Bunn & Crook (2015-16)
10. Jessica Jones: Alias Vol.1 by Bendis & Gaydos (2001)
11. Ripples: A Predilection for Tina by Dave Cooper (2003)
12. FreakAngels Vol.1-6 by Ellis & Duffield (2008-11)
13. The Vision Vol.1 by King & Walta (2016)
14. Becoming Unbecoming by Una (2015)
15. Beverly by Nick Drnaso (2016)
16. Patience by Dan Clowes (2016)
17. Injection Vol.1 by Ellis & Shalvey (2015)
18. Conditions on the Ground by Kevin Hooyman (2015)
19. Runaways Vol.1 by Vaughan & Alphona (2003-04)
20. Woody Guthrie and the Dust Bowl Ballads by Nick Hayes (2016)
21. Highbone Theater by Joe Daly (2016)
22. The Private Eye by Vaughan & Martin (2015)
23. UR by Eric Haven (2015)
24. Big Kids by Michael DeForge (2016)
25. Disquiet by Noah Van Sciver (2016)
26. The Furry Trap by Josh Simmons (2012)
27. Black Magick Vol.1 by Rucka & Scott (2016)
28. Paper Girls Vol.1 by Vaughan & Chiang (2016)
29. Archie Vol.1 by Waid & Staples (2016)
30. Pretty Deadly Vol.1 by DeConnick & Rios (2014)]]> 4.23 2016
author: Various
name: Jan
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2016/12/30
shelves:
review:
My favorite comic-book reads of 2016:

1. MIND MGMT Vol. 1-6 by Matt Kindt (2012-15)
2. Like a Velvet Glove Cast in Iron by Dan Clowes (1989-93)
3. The Fade Out Vol.1-3 by Brubaker & Phillips (2014-16)
4. Alpha by Jens Harder (2010)
5. Big Baby by Charles Burns (1986)
6. Fran by Jim Woodring (2013)
7. The Arab of the Future Vol.1 by Riad Sattouf (2015)
8. Miracleman Vol.1 by Moore & Leach (1982)
9. Harrow County Vol.1-3 by Bunn & Crook (2015-16)
10. Jessica Jones: Alias Vol.1 by Bendis & Gaydos (2001)
11. Ripples: A Predilection for Tina by Dave Cooper (2003)
12. FreakAngels Vol.1-6 by Ellis & Duffield (2008-11)
13. The Vision Vol.1 by King & Walta (2016)
14. Becoming Unbecoming by Una (2015)
15. Beverly by Nick Drnaso (2016)
16. Patience by Dan Clowes (2016)
17. Injection Vol.1 by Ellis & Shalvey (2015)
18. Conditions on the Ground by Kevin Hooyman (2015)
19. Runaways Vol.1 by Vaughan & Alphona (2003-04)
20. Woody Guthrie and the Dust Bowl Ballads by Nick Hayes (2016)
21. Highbone Theater by Joe Daly (2016)
22. The Private Eye by Vaughan & Martin (2015)
23. UR by Eric Haven (2015)
24. Big Kids by Michael DeForge (2016)
25. Disquiet by Noah Van Sciver (2016)
26. The Furry Trap by Josh Simmons (2012)
27. Black Magick Vol.1 by Rucka & Scott (2016)
28. Paper Girls Vol.1 by Vaughan & Chiang (2016)
29. Archie Vol.1 by Waid & Staples (2016)
30. Pretty Deadly Vol.1 by DeConnick & Rios (2014)
]]> 154542
When Wonder Woman partakes in an ancient ritual called the Hiketeia, she is honor bound to eternally protect and care for a young girl named Danielle Wellys. But when the Amazon Princess learns that Danielle has killed the drug dealers who murdered her sister, she suddenly finds herself in battle with Batman, who is searching for the female fugitive.

Caught in a no-win situation, Wonder Woman must choose between breaking a sacred oath and turning her back on justice.]]> 96 Greg Rucka 1563899140 Jan 2 Wonder Woman: The Hiketeia tackles serious topics such as sexual assault, sexual slavery, drug abuse and suicide felt formulaic, cheesy, exploitative, and ultimately inadequate to me. ]]> 4.04 2002
author: Greg Rucka
name: Jan
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2002
rating: 2
read at: 2016/12/29
date added: 2016/12/29
shelves: crime, drugs-alcohol, dc, family, fandom, feminism, gender, poverty, religion, sex, superhero, surveillance, youth, exploitation
review:
I realize I am in the minority here, but the ways in which Wonder Woman: The Hiketeia tackles serious topics such as sexual assault, sexual slavery, drug abuse and suicide felt formulaic, cheesy, exploitative, and ultimately inadequate to me.
]]> 28943211
CINEMA PURGATORIO is an unholy resurrection of the backstreet bug-hutches and fleapits practicing their eerie silver mesmerism on our post-war predecessors, drenched in atmosphere and other less identifiable decoctions. The threadbare arenas to a generation’s adolescent fumblings and upholstery-slashing rage alike, these peeling Deco temples were the haunted, flickering spaces where were bred the dreads and the desires of those Macmillan days; Eisenhower nights. Varnished with blood and Brylcreem, in our razor-collared cutting edge collection we restore the broken-bulb emporiums where, in the creaking backseats, modern terror and monstrosity were shamelessly conceived. In our worn aisles and glossy pages the most individual and inventive talents in contemporary comics are delivering a landmark midnight matinee in monochrome, intent on pushing both the genre and the medium beyond their stagnant formulas and into shapes that suit the unique shadows and disquiets of our present moment.
Take your curling ticket from the withered and embittered woman in the booth, regard uneasily the lobby cards for movies recalled vaguely from a clammy dream, then, if you dare, follow the failing flashlight-puddle of the usherette on down into a different kind of dark.
- Alan Moore]]> 52 Alan Moore Jan 3 3.57
author: Alan Moore
name: Jan
average rating: 3.57
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2016/12/28
date added: 2016/12/28
shelves: avatar-press, apocalyptic, anthology, comedy, horror, fantasy, historical, war
review:

]]> 32995086 32 Brian Azzarello Jan 4 100 Bullets fame are the ones providing the style, though, it’s hard to complain. Plus I’m pretty sure Azzarello still has a few things up his sleeve. Bottom line: I’d recommended Moonshine to the more patient, aesthetically-inclined fan of comic-book genre mash-ups!]]> 3.86
author: Brian Azzarello
name: Jan
average rating: 3.86
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2016/12/25
date added: 2016/12/25
shelves: crime, demonic-possession, drugs-alcohol, historical, horror, image, noir
review:
Style over content? So far that seems to be the case, as the 1929 setting with its gangsters and hillbillies looks gorgeous but does not exactly break new ground, and the story’s more unusual horror twist is only starting to come into the limelight. When Azzarello & Risso of 100 Bullets fame are the ones providing the style, though, it’s hard to complain. Plus I’m pretty sure Azzarello still has a few things up his sleeve. Bottom line: I’d recommended Moonshine to the more patient, aesthetically-inclined fan of comic-book genre mash-ups!
]]> 32454488 32 Brian Azzarello Jan 4 Moonshine #1 is the nuanced, moody, stylish as hell first chapter of what is shaping up to be a crime drama with a voodoo and/or werewolf twist. 4.5 stars, I'd say--highly recommended to fans of noirish crime and horror comics, especially to anybody with a weak spot for 100 Bullets (also by Azzarello & Risso) or the genre mash-ups by Brubaker & Phillips!]]> 3.51 2016
author: Brian Azzarello
name: Jan
average rating: 3.51
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2016/11/10
date added: 2016/12/25
shelves: censorship, crime, drugs-alcohol, historical, horror, mental-disorder, noir, image, pulpy, traveling, work
review:
Oooh, that was good... Set during Prohibition, Moonshine #1 is the nuanced, moody, stylish as hell first chapter of what is shaping up to be a crime drama with a voodoo and/or werewolf twist. 4.5 stars, I'd say--highly recommended to fans of noirish crime and horror comics, especially to anybody with a weak spot for 100 Bullets (also by Azzarello & Risso) or the genre mash-ups by Brubaker & Phillips!
]]> 28333411 160 Jason Aaron 1632156105 Jan 4 Bastards under the Christmas Tree

Jason Aaron excels at writing two kinds of stories: bombastic and gritty ones. The beginning of his Thor: God of Thunder run is Aaron at his bombastic best, I’d say, Scalped is Aaron at his gritty best. As the title suggests, Southern Bastards falls squarely into the gritty category.

The first two volumes of Southern Bastards were good, but also quite a bit on the stagy, clichéd, predictable side. This third volume is where the story really comes to life for me, as the bigger picture is starting to emerge. Most characters are still southern-fried archetypes taken to the extreme, but the story feels more fleshed out than before, and thus ultimately even more brutal and devastating. In fact, it increasingly reminds me of Preacher by Ennis and Dillon.

After the football-heavy second volume, I had my doubts whether the series was really for me; now I’m officially hooked! The relevance of Southern Bastards has also been enhanced by the sad fact that the mentality it depicts, a vicious cocktail of desperation, ruthlessness and ignorance, has by now turned Trump into the most powerful person on the planet. Hell, considering what Trump & Co have in store for us, I’m afraid Southern Bastards even makes for a perfectly appropriate Christmas read these days.]]> 4.22 2016
author: Jason Aaron
name: Jan
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2016/12/24
date added: 2016/12/24
shelves: civil-rights, crime, drugs-alcohol, family, gender, image, mass-media, mental-disorder, noir, old-age-death, politics, pop-culture, poverty, globalization, pulpy, religion, work
review:
Bastards under the Christmas Tree

Jason Aaron excels at writing two kinds of stories: bombastic and gritty ones. The beginning of his Thor: God of Thunder run is Aaron at his bombastic best, I’d say, Scalped is Aaron at his gritty best. As the title suggests, Southern Bastards falls squarely into the gritty category.

The first two volumes of Southern Bastards were good, but also quite a bit on the stagy, clichéd, predictable side. This third volume is where the story really comes to life for me, as the bigger picture is starting to emerge. Most characters are still southern-fried archetypes taken to the extreme, but the story feels more fleshed out than before, and thus ultimately even more brutal and devastating. In fact, it increasingly reminds me of Preacher by Ennis and Dillon.

After the football-heavy second volume, I had my doubts whether the series was really for me; now I’m officially hooked! The relevance of Southern Bastards has also been enhanced by the sad fact that the mentality it depicts, a vicious cocktail of desperation, ruthlessness and ignorance, has by now turned Trump into the most powerful person on the planet. Hell, considering what Trump & Co have in store for us, I’m afraid Southern Bastards even makes for a perfectly appropriate Christmas read these days.
]]> 22358444 128 Jason Aaron 1632150166 Jan 4 4.12 2014
author: Jason Aaron
name: Jan
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2014/12/23
date added: 2016/12/24
shelves: crime, family, friendship, gender, image, noir, politics, religion, pulpy
review:
This Southern-fried pulper comes complete with beer-drinking rednecks, trucker caps, lots of bullying and corruption, a powerful and ruthless football coach, his successful high-school team turned private death squad, sweet tea and barbecue, nasty Church-going sneaks, and an angry old man bent on cleaning up the place with his very big stick. As you can tell, the story is not terribly original. Then again, neither is the American South, so I guess it is a good fit. The two Jason's - both hailing from the South - manage to bring their dirty old town to life with many memorable images and gritty details, successfully walking the line between authenticity and cliche.
]]> 32756605
A science-minded adventurer gets mixed up in the mysteries of a fantasy world in this charming new adventure from an award-winning creative team. Boone Dias is an interdimensional explorer, a scientist from Earth who has stumbled into great responsibility. He’s got an explanation for everything, so of course the Ether’s magical residents turn to him to solve their toughest crimes. But maybe keeping the real and the abstract separate is too big a job for just one man.

* From New York Times best-selling author Matt Kindt (MIND MGMT, Past Aways, Super Spy, Dept. H).

* Stunning artwork from David RubĂ­n!

* Variant cover by Jeff Lemire!

“Kindt has developed into one of the most exciting and original talents in the business.”—The LA Times]]> 32 Matt Kindt Jan 4 Aama (/review/show...), Ether by Matt Kindt and David Rubin is shaping up to be a trippy, surprisingly light-hearted, often funny fantasy title, one that is located somewhere along the border "between Earth and the magical realm of the Ether." It's fun, colorful stuff - recommended to fans of the sillier, more playful kind of alternative comic!]]> 4.02 2016
author: Matt Kindt
name: Jan
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2016/12/22
date added: 2016/12/22
shelves: addiction-obsession, comedy, crime, dark-horse, drugs-alcohol, fantasy, mystery, sci-fi, surveillance, trippy, traveling, censorship
review:
Strongly influenced by Frederik Peeters' recent Euro-sci-fi stunner Aama (/review/show...), Ether by Matt Kindt and David Rubin is shaping up to be a trippy, surprisingly light-hearted, often funny fantasy title, one that is located somewhere along the border "between Earth and the magical realm of the Ether." It's fun, colorful stuff - recommended to fans of the sillier, more playful kind of alternative comic!
]]> 32994380 39 Ed Brubaker Jan 4 You Talking to Me?

Well, another month down, so another corpse is due. Simple as that. “Research is the key,� our friend Dylan informs us. If you want to make sure you really kill a BAD guy, that is. Admittedly, the bits and pieces of information Dylan gathers from newspapers and the police blotter are hardly conclusive, but hey, a tough-looking fella with a Russian accent who drives foreign-sounding, suspiciously healthy-looking strippers home at 4 AM? Duh. I mean, that guy is evil, right? …Right?! “This guy’s death would free these women at least� And make life difficult for the people he worked for, right? Hell, maybe I’d get lucky and the cops would use this as a way to blow their whole operation up� But even as I’m thinking that, I’m laughing at myself.� Anyway, a corpse is due, there is no time to waste...

In this issue, Dylan started to remind me of Travis Bickle from Taxi Driver: similar moral delusions, similar self pep talk, same deadly results. Taxi Driver is one of my all-time favorite movies, by the way, so I ain’t complaining. In fact, I have really been enjoying Kill or Be Killed. It may not be the most original story in the world, but here and there it explores familiar themes from new perspectives, finding fascinating new angles—and I’m a sucker for this kind of geeky genre reflexivity.

The plot may sound generic when summarized, but it is so carefully and beautifully realized that I never really cared—which won’t surprise fans of crime comics� dynamic duo: HOORAY for Brubaker & Phillips! I highly recommend Kill or Be Killed to anybody with an interest in slightly self-aware genre mash-ups at the boundary of superhero and crime/horror comics. To those, and to *YOU* as well� that’s right, I’m talking straight to you through this screen now, dear reader, and there is absolutely nothing you can do about it, is there? He, nice try... See what I mean? I'm still here. I’m still talkin' to you. You talkin' to me? Then who the hell else are you talking... you talking to me? Well I'm the only one here. Who the fuck do you think you're talking to? Oh yeah?]]> 4.20
author: Ed Brubaker
name: Jan
average rating: 4.20
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2016/12/21
date added: 2016/12/22
shelves: crime, drugs-alcohol, friendship, gender, horror, image, mental-disorder, noir, poverty, pulpy, romance, school, sex, superhero, surveillance, youth, work
review:
You Talking to Me?

Well, another month down, so another corpse is due. Simple as that. “Research is the key,� our friend Dylan informs us. If you want to make sure you really kill a BAD guy, that is. Admittedly, the bits and pieces of information Dylan gathers from newspapers and the police blotter are hardly conclusive, but hey, a tough-looking fella with a Russian accent who drives foreign-sounding, suspiciously healthy-looking strippers home at 4 AM? Duh. I mean, that guy is evil, right? …Right?! “This guy’s death would free these women at least� And make life difficult for the people he worked for, right? Hell, maybe I’d get lucky and the cops would use this as a way to blow their whole operation up� But even as I’m thinking that, I’m laughing at myself.� Anyway, a corpse is due, there is no time to waste...

In this issue, Dylan started to remind me of Travis Bickle from Taxi Driver: similar moral delusions, similar self pep talk, same deadly results. Taxi Driver is one of my all-time favorite movies, by the way, so I ain’t complaining. In fact, I have really been enjoying Kill or Be Killed. It may not be the most original story in the world, but here and there it explores familiar themes from new perspectives, finding fascinating new angles—and I’m a sucker for this kind of geeky genre reflexivity.

The plot may sound generic when summarized, but it is so carefully and beautifully realized that I never really cared—which won’t surprise fans of crime comics� dynamic duo: HOORAY for Brubaker & Phillips! I highly recommend Kill or Be Killed to anybody with an interest in slightly self-aware genre mash-ups at the boundary of superhero and crime/horror comics. To those, and to *YOU* as well� that’s right, I’m talking straight to you through this screen now, dear reader, and there is absolutely nothing you can do about it, is there? He, nice try... See what I mean? I'm still here. I’m still talkin' to you. You talkin' to me? Then who the hell else are you talking... you talking to me? Well I'm the only one here. Who the fuck do you think you're talking to? Oh yeah?
]]> 27753929 Plutona, laying dead among the mud and grass. This discovery sends them on a journey that will threaten to tear apart their friendship and their lives.

A dark and heartbreaking coming-of-age tale exploring friendship and loss from master storyteller Jeff Lemire (Descender, Sweet Tooth) and critically-acclaimed artist Emi Lenox (EmiTown).]]> 152 Jeff Lemire 1632156016 Jan 3 Astro City, Jeff Lemire’s Plutona looks at superheroes through the eyes of regular folks, people like you and me. In the case of Plutona, those regular folks are teenagers and children. The story as a whole appears to be targeted at a young adult audience, slightly younger than that of the similarly-themed 2012 movie Chronicle.

As you would expect from a Lemire title, the characters feel real and complex, and the story generally avoids cheap young-adult formulas and cheesy moral lessons. On the downside, I felt things could have been wrapped up in more satisfying fashion, and the artwork by Emi Lenox looked a bit rushed and basic to my eyes.

Bottom line: mildly recommended to fans of young adult comics!
]]> 3.47 2016
author: Jeff Lemire
name: Jan
average rating: 3.47
book published: 2016
rating: 3
read at: 2016/12/19
date added: 2016/12/21
shelves: addiction-obsession, childhood, censorship, comedy, drugs-alcohol, family, friendship, gender, image, illness-disease, mass-media, mystery, pop-culture, punk-goth, fandom, school, superhero, surveillance, youth
review:
Like Kurt Busiek’s Astro City, Jeff Lemire’s Plutona looks at superheroes through the eyes of regular folks, people like you and me. In the case of Plutona, those regular folks are teenagers and children. The story as a whole appears to be targeted at a young adult audience, slightly younger than that of the similarly-themed 2012 movie Chronicle.

As you would expect from a Lemire title, the characters feel real and complex, and the story generally avoids cheap young-adult formulas and cheesy moral lessons. On the downside, I felt things could have been wrapped up in more satisfying fashion, and the artwork by Emi Lenox looked a bit rushed and basic to my eyes.

Bottom line: mildly recommended to fans of young adult comics!

]]> 30357924 131 Paul Dini 1401269516 Jan 3 4.12 2016
author: Paul Dini
name: Jan
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2016
rating: 3
read at: 2016/12/17
date added: 2016/12/17
shelves: childhood, censorship, creative-process, crime, drugs-alcohol, family, fandom, fantasy, gender, illness-disease, mass-media, memoir, mental-disorder, pop-culture, romance, superhero, surveillance, vertigo, work
review:

]]> 28862529 120 Ed Brisson 1632157144 Jan 4 The Violent: Blood Like Tar isn’t subtle or poetic or groundbreaking, but it sure has what a gritty little crime drama needs: desperately flawed yet likable, psychologically sound characters who make bad choices; things that spiral out of control; crisp, realistic dialogue that doesn’t get in the way; and a merciless no-nonsense approach that feels bleak but never exploitative. It’s a real page-turner, this new comic-book series by Ed Brisson and Adam Gorham, albeit a bit on the raw and bloody side. Looking forward to the second volume!]]> 3.76 2016
author: Ed Brisson
name: Jan
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2016/12/13
date added: 2016/12/15
shelves: addiction-obsession, crime, drugs-alcohol, family, friendship, gender, image, noir, poverty, pulpy, romance, surveillance, work, youth
review:
The Violent: Blood Like Tar isn’t subtle or poetic or groundbreaking, but it sure has what a gritty little crime drama needs: desperately flawed yet likable, psychologically sound characters who make bad choices; things that spiral out of control; crisp, realistic dialogue that doesn’t get in the way; and a merciless no-nonsense approach that feels bleak but never exploitative. It’s a real page-turner, this new comic-book series by Ed Brisson and Adam Gorham, albeit a bit on the raw and bloody side. Looking forward to the second volume!
]]> 11817105 48 Matt Furie 1936365561 Jan 3 4.22 2011
author: Matt Furie
name: Jan
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2011
rating: 3
read at: 2016/12/14
date added: 2016/12/14
shelves: mcsweeney-s, adventure, childhood, fantasy, friendship, traveling, trippy, wordless
review:
Pretty trippy (both, actually) adventure picture book for kids.
]]> 26025656
Collecting: Harrow County 5-8]]> 120 Cullen Bunn 1616559004 Jan 5 4.04 2016
author: Cullen Bunn
name: Jan
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2016/10/10
date added: 2016/12/14
shelves: dark-horse, demonic-possession, family, feminism, horror, youth
review:

]]> 25486101 A southern gothic fairy tale from the creator of smash hit The Sixth Gun, beautifully and hauntingly realized by B.P.R.D.'s Tyler Crook!

Collecting: Harrow County 1-4]]> 144 Cullen Bunn 161655780X Jan 5 Welcome to the Witchcraze!

Seriously, where do all those comic-book witches come from all of a sudden? Brubaker’s Fatale, Kirkman’s Outcast, Snyder’s Wytches, now Bunn’s Harrow County - is it just that the market demands more horror and can no longer absorb zombies, vampires, and werewolves? Or is there more to the seemingly outdated notion of demonic possession than meets the eye? Is there something about the subgenre that increasingly resonates with us these days?

Come to think of it, I guess the henchmen of the capitalist juggernaut - non-autonomous and alienated people like you and me - should be able to find some kind of relevance in stories about evil forces taking control of people for destructive purposes.

The overall quality of all those demonic-possession comics has been surprisingly good so far: maybe the subgenre naturally lends itself to a more traditional, restrained, thoughtful approach than, say, the zombie or the slasher subgenres? In any case, Harrow County: Countless Haints by Cullen Bunn and Tyler Crook is a refreshingly unhip, well-conceived, sincere, patient, subtle, character-driven southern gothic fairy tale, one that can be truly creepy and disturbing in its low-key approach.

Harrow County works so well in no small part because Crook’s fully painted artwork beautifully captures both the rural, more traditional setting and even the most subtle of facial expressions, making us care deeply about this strange world and its protagonists. And to top it all off, Bunn and Crook even find a way to reduce to absurdity the sexist implications of the concept of the usually female so-called witch, arguably succeeding where Brubaker and Phillips' Fatale failed.

I highly recommend this graphic novel to fans of the more restrained and thoughtful, truly spooky kind of horror. It works well as a self-contained story, though the series will continue - and I can't wait!]]> 4.04 2015
author: Cullen Bunn
name: Jan
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at: 2016/01/12
date added: 2016/12/14
shelves: crime, dark-horse, family, friendship, horror, youth, demonic-possession, pop-culture, gender, feminism
review:
Welcome to the Witchcraze!

Seriously, where do all those comic-book witches come from all of a sudden? Brubaker’s Fatale, Kirkman’s Outcast, Snyder’s Wytches, now Bunn’s Harrow County - is it just that the market demands more horror and can no longer absorb zombies, vampires, and werewolves? Or is there more to the seemingly outdated notion of demonic possession than meets the eye? Is there something about the subgenre that increasingly resonates with us these days?

Come to think of it, I guess the henchmen of the capitalist juggernaut - non-autonomous and alienated people like you and me - should be able to find some kind of relevance in stories about evil forces taking control of people for destructive purposes.

The overall quality of all those demonic-possession comics has been surprisingly good so far: maybe the subgenre naturally lends itself to a more traditional, restrained, thoughtful approach than, say, the zombie or the slasher subgenres? In any case, Harrow County: Countless Haints by Cullen Bunn and Tyler Crook is a refreshingly unhip, well-conceived, sincere, patient, subtle, character-driven southern gothic fairy tale, one that can be truly creepy and disturbing in its low-key approach.

Harrow County works so well in no small part because Crook’s fully painted artwork beautifully captures both the rural, more traditional setting and even the most subtle of facial expressions, making us care deeply about this strange world and its protagonists. And to top it all off, Bunn and Crook even find a way to reduce to absurdity the sexist implications of the concept of the usually female so-called witch, arguably succeeding where Brubaker and Phillips' Fatale failed.

I highly recommend this graphic novel to fans of the more restrained and thoughtful, truly spooky kind of horror. It works well as a self-contained story, though the series will continue - and I can't wait!
]]> 22358457 128 Ed Brisson 1632151065 Jan 4 Sheltered, so when I came across his earlier book The Field in my library, I decided to give it a try. Hmmm, the title sounds a bit artsy, I thought, is this gonna be any good? Well, turns out the story is far from artsy. It is pulpy as hell, darkly funny, wild, intense, nutty, and - needless to say - highly enjoyable.

A lanky man wakes in a corn field wearing nothing but his tighty-whities. He’s got no idea who he is or how he got there. Some shady people are looking for him, but ex-Bible salesman Christian comes to the rescue: “Get that sweet can of yours into my mother lovin� car!� Christian is the crazy, cocaine-snorting, gun-toting type, but beggars can't be choosers - he's all that stands between our amnesiac and even bigger threats, namely a vicious biker gang and a group of deadly cosplayers from the future�

Does the time-travel mumbo jumbo add up to much? Not really, but that’s beside the point. This one is all about a clueless dude on the run from crazy shit - everything else is decoration. What gets the job done is the chemistry between writer Ed Brisson, artist Simon Roy, and colorist Simon Gough, as their amazingly organic collaboration feels like the nightmare you’ll have after an evening of reading too many Preacher comics, watching all the Mad Max movies, and finally staring at a bunch of Richard Corben covers before passing out around 3am.
]]> 3.17 2014
author: Ed Brisson
name: Jan
average rating: 3.17
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2015/03/29
date added: 2016/12/13
shelves: comedy, horror, image, mystery, pulpy, sci-fi, trippy
review:
Whoa� I still have wrinkly toes - had to finish this before getting out of the bathtub. What a ride! I have been enjoying Ed Brisson's Sheltered, so when I came across his earlier book The Field in my library, I decided to give it a try. Hmmm, the title sounds a bit artsy, I thought, is this gonna be any good? Well, turns out the story is far from artsy. It is pulpy as hell, darkly funny, wild, intense, nutty, and - needless to say - highly enjoyable.

A lanky man wakes in a corn field wearing nothing but his tighty-whities. He’s got no idea who he is or how he got there. Some shady people are looking for him, but ex-Bible salesman Christian comes to the rescue: “Get that sweet can of yours into my mother lovin� car!� Christian is the crazy, cocaine-snorting, gun-toting type, but beggars can't be choosers - he's all that stands between our amnesiac and even bigger threats, namely a vicious biker gang and a group of deadly cosplayers from the future�

Does the time-travel mumbo jumbo add up to much? Not really, but that’s beside the point. This one is all about a clueless dude on the run from crazy shit - everything else is decoration. What gets the job done is the chemistry between writer Ed Brisson, artist Simon Roy, and colorist Simon Gough, as their amazingly organic collaboration feels like the nightmare you’ll have after an evening of reading too many Preacher comics, watching all the Mad Max movies, and finally staring at a bunch of Richard Corben covers before passing out around 3am.

]]> 18765951
Collects SHELTERED #1-5]]> 128 Ed Brisson 1607068419 Jan 3 Far-Fetched But Entertaining

Somewhere in the middle of nowhere, a group of survivalist nuts have spent the last few years secretly preparing for the end of the world. They have trained, built underground bunkers, stashed supplies and weapons. The teenage son of one of the hidden community's founders, however, takes the survival-of-the-fittest attitude he has grown up with to the next level - with deadly consequences: he manipulates the community's other children into killing all its grown-ups. A necessary sacrifice, he argues:
"Soon, we have to go underground. For three years. During that time, about ninety percent of North America is going to die. Bunkering down is the only way we can survive. There's only enough supplies to last 18 months, at best. To survive we [have] to half our population..."

While this premise makes for an interesting twist on your typical end-of-the-world narrative, it is arguably also the story's weakest point: the reader is expected to believe that the above-quoted argument somehow manages to convince almost all the community's children and teenagers that their own parents must die... Maybe a few more trips to the supermarket would have been a feasible alternative?!? Hard to swallow, to say the least.

If you are willing to accept this unlikely premise, though, you are rewarded with a surprisingly realistic, well-crafted, subtle, psychologically sound portrayal of the further developments. If you want, you can even read the story as a clever commentary on the psychopathic and ultimately self-destructive tendencies of our increasingly individualized and competitive dog-eat-dog world.]]> 3.58 2013
author: Ed Brisson
name: Jan
average rating: 3.58
book published: 2013
rating: 3
read at: 2014/12/06
date added: 2016/12/13
shelves: apocalyptic, childhood, crime, family, friendship, image, youth
review:
Far-Fetched But Entertaining

Somewhere in the middle of nowhere, a group of survivalist nuts have spent the last few years secretly preparing for the end of the world. They have trained, built underground bunkers, stashed supplies and weapons. The teenage son of one of the hidden community's founders, however, takes the survival-of-the-fittest attitude he has grown up with to the next level - with deadly consequences: he manipulates the community's other children into killing all its grown-ups. A necessary sacrifice, he argues:
"Soon, we have to go underground. For three years. During that time, about ninety percent of North America is going to die. Bunkering down is the only way we can survive. There's only enough supplies to last 18 months, at best. To survive we [have] to half our population..."

While this premise makes for an interesting twist on your typical end-of-the-world narrative, it is arguably also the story's weakest point: the reader is expected to believe that the above-quoted argument somehow manages to convince almost all the community's children and teenagers that their own parents must die... Maybe a few more trips to the supermarket would have been a feasible alternative?!? Hard to swallow, to say the least.

If you are willing to accept this unlikely premise, though, you are rewarded with a surprisingly realistic, well-crafted, subtle, psychologically sound portrayal of the further developments. If you want, you can even read the story as a clever commentary on the psychopathic and ultimately self-destructive tendencies of our increasingly individualized and competitive dog-eat-dog world.
]]> 234225 Dune is the story of the boy Paul Atreides, heir to a noble family tasked with ruling an inhospitable world where the only thing of value is the "spice" melange, a drug capable of extending life and enhancing consciousness. Coveted across the known universe, melange is a prize worth killing for...

When House Atreides is betrayed, the destruction of Paul's family will set the boy on a journey toward a destiny greater than he could ever have imagined. And as he evolves into the mysterious man known as Muad'Dib, he will bring to fruition humankind's most ancient and unattainable dream.

A stunning blend of adventure and mysticism, environmentalism and politics, Dune won the first Nebula Award, shared the Hugo Award, and formed the basis of what is undoubtedly the grandest epic in science fiction.]]> 604 Frank Herbert 0340839937 Jan 5 4.21 1965
author: Frank Herbert
name: Jan
average rating: 4.21
book published: 1965
rating: 5
read at: 2016/01/20
date added: 2016/12/10
shelves: activism, addiction-obsession, civil-rights, drugs-alcohol, espionage, family, friendship, illness-disease, politics, poverty, pregnancy-infancy, religion, sci-fi, surveillance, words-only-novel, work, war, censorship, fantasy, immigration, romance, youth, favorites
review:
Familiar yet strange, realistic yet fantastic, prosaic yet poetic, crystal clear yet mysterious, stiff yet graceful, cold yet passionate, detailed yet abstract, rational yet delirious, disciplined yet boundless, conservative yet progressive, obsessive yet sublime � aaah, I think the spice melange is starting to kick in...
]]> 611140
Meet Katchoo and Francine and learn how they deal with everyday issues in their own special way! Francine is unable to hold a meaningful and loving relationship with Freddy (who only wants to get into her pants). When Freddy breaks up with Francine, all hell breaks loose as Francine's roommate and longtime friend, Katchoo, decides to exact her revenge.

Included in this edition are the entire contents of the three-issue mini-series (Antarctic Press, 1993), the five-page story from Negative Burn #13(Caliber Press, 1993), plus additional artwork and pinups detailing the evolution of the story and characters.]]> 80 Terry Moore 1892597004 Jan 2 Strangers in Paradise reads like a watered-down version of Love & Rockets.]]> 4.04 1994
author: Terry Moore
name: Jan
average rating: 4.04
book published: 1994
rating: 2
read at: 2014/06/26
date added: 2016/12/07
shelves: abstract-studio, comedy, romance, gender
review:
Terry Moore's clean, slightly cartoony black-and-white drawing style is pleasant enough... if only the characters and their experiences weren't quite as bland and predictable! We are introduced to romantic and insecure Francine, rebellious and wild Katchoo, selfish and pretentious Freddie, and kind and gentle David - and the plot unfolds pretty much exactly the way you would expect. At this early stage, at least, Strangers in Paradise reads like a watered-down version of Love & Rockets.
]]> 30027120
Meet Lou: crossing war-torn Afghanistan with a unit of shapeshifting soldiers.

Meet Lou: a monstress held captive by the rogue beast she was sent to kill.

Cry Havoc interweaves three stages of a remarkable life into a saga of military, myth and mania.]]> 160 Simon Spurrier 1632158337 Jan 2 Apocalypse Now� with Werewolves!

Street musician gets bitten by werewolf, struggles with the monster inside, strikes a desperate deal with a shady black ops organization, finds herself on a secret mission to take down a mysterious rogue operative in Afghanistan: the horror� the horror...

I initially liked this first volume of Cry Havoc quite a bit: Apocalypse Now with a werewolf twist, I thought—what’s not to like? Hell, I even felt there was potential for some kind of clever commentary on the rapid rise of fascism in America and many other parts of the world.

Unfortunately, the story turns out to be much more concerned with being saucy and self-aware than with its own characters and themes. To make things worse, it tries painfully hard to make up for this lack of substance with flashy, excessively fractured storytelling.

Too bad. I mean, Spurrier's writing is pretty sharp and witty in places, and with a little more coherence and depth and actual heart in place of all that empty bravado, I think this could have been lots of fun.
]]> 3.28 2016
author: Simon Spurrier
name: Jan
average rating: 3.28
book published: 2016
rating: 2
read at: 2016/11/19
date added: 2016/12/07
shelves: comedy, demonic-possession, drugs-alcohol, gender, horror, image, romance, war, fantasy
review:
Apocalypse Now� with Werewolves!

Street musician gets bitten by werewolf, struggles with the monster inside, strikes a desperate deal with a shady black ops organization, finds herself on a secret mission to take down a mysterious rogue operative in Afghanistan: the horror� the horror...

I initially liked this first volume of Cry Havoc quite a bit: Apocalypse Now with a werewolf twist, I thought—what’s not to like? Hell, I even felt there was potential for some kind of clever commentary on the rapid rise of fascism in America and many other parts of the world.

Unfortunately, the story turns out to be much more concerned with being saucy and self-aware than with its own characters and themes. To make things worse, it tries painfully hard to make up for this lack of substance with flashy, excessively fractured storytelling.

Too bad. I mean, Spurrier's writing is pretty sharp and witty in places, and with a little more coherence and depth and actual heart in place of all that empty bravado, I think this could have been lots of fun.

]]> 27247274
Collecting: All-New Wolverine 1-6]]> 144 Tom Taylor 0785196528 Jan 4 Meet Laura Kinney, the All-New Wolverine!

Sweet! I have no clue what the X-Men are up to these days (didn’t even know the old Wolverine was dead, RIP�), but my first encounter with X-23 aka Laura Kinney aka the All-New Wolverine has been a pleasant surprise.

Centered on corporate clones trying to take down their evil masters, the plot is rather heavy on action and a bit on the generic side. It’s also more relevant today than ever before, though, looking at our own corporate masters' increasingly menacing reign of evil.

The pacing is crisp, the dialogue often funny: "What? Who needs a doorway to horrors in their living room? You couldn't hang a picture or something?" And last but not least, the story features some of the most winning and just plain awesome clones I have ever met - what's not to like?

I’d recommended All-New Wolverine: The Four Sisters to anyone looking for old-school superhero action with a heart (cloned or not), a sense of humor, and a great, convincing, strong, likable, slightly identity-confused female protagonist!]]> 4.11 2016
author: Tom Taylor
name: Jan
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2016/12/05
date added: 2016/12/06
shelves: action, abrams, comedy, family, feminism, friendship, gender, marvel, romance, superhero
review:
Meet Laura Kinney, the All-New Wolverine!

Sweet! I have no clue what the X-Men are up to these days (didn’t even know the old Wolverine was dead, RIP�), but my first encounter with X-23 aka Laura Kinney aka the All-New Wolverine has been a pleasant surprise.

Centered on corporate clones trying to take down their evil masters, the plot is rather heavy on action and a bit on the generic side. It’s also more relevant today than ever before, though, looking at our own corporate masters' increasingly menacing reign of evil.

The pacing is crisp, the dialogue often funny: "What? Who needs a doorway to horrors in their living room? You couldn't hang a picture or something?" And last but not least, the story features some of the most winning and just plain awesome clones I have ever met - what's not to like?

I’d recommended All-New Wolverine: The Four Sisters to anyone looking for old-school superhero action with a heart (cloned or not), a sense of humor, and a great, convincing, strong, likable, slightly identity-confused female protagonist!
]]>