Battle Hymns

Graphic Novel Review: Hark! A Vagrant

2012-02-08T13:55:00.000-08:00

I've been a fan of Kate Beaton's webcomic, Hark! A Vagrant for quite some time, and check her site often for updates. As much as I love reading her comics when she posts them online, I most definitely prefer to do my reading the old timey way, on paper. So when Drawn and Quarterly decided to collect a bunch of Beaton's comic strips and release them in a snazzy hardcover book, I wanted it like Gollum wants his precious.

Lucky for me, I have a wonderful lady, who probably noticed me cradling this book in my arms at a bookstore, and decided to buy it for me as a Holiday time nifty gifty.

What you get here are 166 pages of hilarious Hark! A Vagrant comic strips. Pretty awesome.

If you are unfamiliar with Beaton's work, you should head over to the website and check it out. It will make your day better.

For the most part, Beaton focuses on history, and historical figures to make up most of her subject matter, but also mixes in a healthy dose of literary characters, and some comic characters for good measure. Whatever she happens to be focusing her attention on, it usually has hilarious outcomes.

Not only are almost all of her comics hilarious (I can't say they are all funny; I don't get the ones about Canadian political leaders!) but her art is quite great too. It seems like she can draw whatever her comic demands, and let me tell you, her strips can call for a very wide variety of people, animals, and locations. Not only that, but she nails the period styles of dress and fashion quite well too.

More than anything, the greatest aspect of Hark! A Vagrant is the humor. As a kid I would read the comic strip section of the newspaper every morning as I ate breakfast. Some of those strips like Calvin and Hobbes, Peanuts, and The Far Side had a lot to do with shaping my tastes in humor and entertained me on a daily basis. Over the years I've gotten out of the habit of reading the comic strips, (probably because those aforementioned titles don't exist anymore) but with Hark! A Vagrant Kate Beaton has recaptured a large amount of the magic of those earlier comics.

This stuff is definitely worth checking out, whether you do it electronically, or in print is entirely up to you, but one way or the other, you're sure to get a chuckle.

Grade: A

Comic Quickies: Re-imaging Origins

2012-02-06T19:25:00.000-08:00

Action Comics #5: Grant Morrison gets another crack at telling Superman's origin story in this issue, and unlike his previous effort in All Star Superman, which only took up a single page, this one get's a full issue's worth of story.

It's a pretty damn good origin story too. We get to see a little bit of the downfall of planet Krypton, and even some Ma and Pa Kent in their younger days. (Good job stickin' it to the man Ma and Pa!) There's also some very cryptic foreshadowing going on here, pointing towards some epic stuff in the future for the title. Which is about time if you ask me.

Morrison has spent the first four issues telling a cute little Superman story about his youthful struggles, but so far the story hasn't been nearly big enough for a character like Superman. I'm not saying the first four issues weren't good, they were good, but Grant needs to really bring the thunder from here on out. I have faith in the man. Looking forward to seeing what he's got up his sleeves.

Batman #5: I'll make this really simple. This is the single best Batman comic I've ever read.

It's like this: Batman is stuck in a massive labyrinth, no bat belt, no food, no contact with the outside world, and the only water to be found is likely drugged. Oh, and he's been in there for at least eight days so far.

Aside from an insanely tense story, what you get here is a journey through delusion and starvation with one of the normally most sharp minded guys around. When all of Batman's mental walls start to break down due to exhaustion and hunger, it is a crazy trip, and an incredible read.

Accompanying the fantastic writing by Scott Snyder here is by far the best art I've seen from Greg Capullo yet. I know, I haven't been so easy on the guy in the past, but he not only impressed me here, but pretty much blew my mind with his depiction of the events in this story. Capullo does a fantastic job of showing the unhinging of Batman's mind, and puts the reader right there next to the big guy.

It's not easy to describe the amazingness of this issue, it really needs to be experienced, and I highly recommend, even if you aren't a comic reader, or a Batman fan, that you go out and give this issue a read. It is quite amazing, and pretty fucking awesome to look at too.

All Star Western #5: I'm sad to say this, but I think I'm beginning to get tired of this title. I've started to realize that there isn't much character depth to Jonah Hex, and each issue bears a striking resemblance to those that came before it: Jonah Hex gets in huge fight, and either A) kicks total ass or B) gets in life threatening situation with no feasible way out, and somehow survives to kick more ass. Wash, rinse, repeat.

I think I failed to notice this routine for so long because I was enjoying Moritat's art so much, but sad to say, even that has begun to falter in the last couple of issues. I wonder if he's having a hard time keeping up with the monthly schedule because it seems to me that his art is a little rushed looking these past months. I don't know, hopefully this one will pull itself together, but right now this one is moving towards being dropped.

Prophet #21: Yes, this is technically the twenty-first issue of Prophet, but it is also the first in a new era for the title. I guess this was a Rob Liefeld comic back in the day and ran for 21 issues, and has lain dormant like a Balrog for some years. Now it's back, freed from the dungeons of Liefeld-dur (Rob Liefeld's castle of shitty comic artistry and writing) and being written by one of my comic creating heroes, Brandon Graham.

It seems like a minor tragedy that Graham isn't doing the art here too, that is until you actually flip open this issue and see the amazing artwork by Simon Roy. Graham gives Roy's art lots of room to breathe, and I found myself having eye-gasm after eye-gasm as I journeyed through this issue. Roy's art is simply wonderful.

Graham's writing is pretty flippin' awesome too. He took sort of a minimalist approach here, with little dialog, or narration boxes, but his scripting is great, and he works in some great fantasy and sci-fi elements that are as creative as anything China Mieville has cooked up. I definitely wish I had a Dol Mantle (a symbiotic shawl-like creature that appears to have many versatile advantages). There's plenty of other great ideas to be had in Prophet, and this issue definitely left me hungry for more.

More than anything else, this comic reaffirmed to me how wonderful and creative comics can be when done well. Graham seems to be well on his way to creating a true gem of the medium. This is one of the best single comics I've ever read. Check it out!

The Bulletproof Coffin Disinterred #1: Yay! More Bulletproof Coffin!

The first arc of The Bulletproof Coffin was one of my favorite titles from previous years, so I'm thrilled to see new material hitting the shelves. I'm a big fan of the David Hine and Shaky Kane writer/artist combo, so I have high hopes for this series.

The first issue seemed to mostly lay out the origin story for The Shield, and felt like it was mostly a stand-alone comic, but it worked in a few other angles that makes me think the six issues in this arc will interconnect in some way.

I'm hoping to see more of the strange pulp-style heroes that only played limited role in the last arc in this current arc. So far, this one is off to a great start.

Tickets I Bought

2012-02-04T12:06:00.000-08:00

OPETH and MASTODON!

Not only are two of my favorite metal bands playing together, but they'll also be playing at The Paramount, one of the very best and classiest venues in the city. The show isn't until April 30th, so I've got some waiting to do, but I wanted to lock down tickets as soon as possible because this is too awesome of a show to miss. This concert is likely to be the metal show of the year for me. Expecting Epicness.

Graphic Novel Review: Whiteout

2012-02-03T08:16:00.000-08:00

Whiteout by Greg Rucka is a story about hitting bottom. When you are a US Marshall, and you're posted in Antarctica, it literally doesn't get any lower than that. But when you're sent there because it'll keep you from screwing up again, you hit bottom in more than one way. That's the life for Carrie Stetko, a US Marshall in one of the most desolate places on Earth.

In the vast desolation, Carrie has been trying to make peace with her past. However, when there's a murder committed on her turf, her chances at peaceful resolutions are past.

The dead body is that of a scientist who is part of a research team and had been doing some deep ice core drilling. At the murder site, Carrie finds that several deep ice samples have been taken nearby, which points to some sort of notable discovery. Before she can hardly begin her investigation, Lily Sharpe, a British Intelligence agent, turns up asking questions. With her boss breathing down her back, storms setting in, and a thin trail of clues, Carrie and Lily must hustle to find the killer.

Hoping to build off the strength of my Batwoman and Stumptown reads I decided to give another Greg Rucka penned graphic novel a go. As it turns out, my instincts are occasionally quite accurate. Though written much earlier in his career, Whiteout has many of the hallmarks I've come to expect from the works of Greg Rucka.

For one, it features a wonderful female protagonist that is remarkably real, and someone who is incredibly interesting to read about. I was pretty much immediately taken by Carrie, and wanted to know more about her. She's smart, tough, resourceful, and clever which makes for an interesting protagonist on any given day, but Rucka has an uncanny knack for instilling his women with these qualities and still making them remain feminine. There's none of that "strong female characters" bullshit here, which is a wonderful thing to see.

The other thing Rucka does quite well here is write a hum-dinger of a crime-mystery-drama. I will say that the mystery elements in Whiteout aren't as polished as they are in his more recent works, but this is still some very good crime writing, and I as I mentioned earlier, I was very intrigued by the events in that take place in the story.

The art by Steve Lieber is pretty solid here too. Whiteout, appropriately, is done in black and white, which instills the antarctic setting with a strong sense of desolation and frostiness. Lieber's art in Whiteout can deliver some chills. My one gripe would be that his action sequences were at times a bit fuzzy and hard to interpret. This led to some confusing moments for me with the narrative, which meant I had to go back and re-examine the artwork for clarification, something I'm not a fan of doing.

All told, this was another positive Rucka reading experience, and I'm happy to say I have more of his stuff sitting on my shelf waiting to be read. I'll be diving in soon enough.

Grade: B+

Album Review: The Hunter by Mastodon

2012-01-31T08:17:00.000-08:00

Well, it's been a long time coming, but here it is at last.

The Hunter is Mastodon's fifth full length album, and after experiencing major stylistic growth with their previous album, Crack the Skye, it seems like the band chose to pause for a moment with The Hunter and consolidate their gains. The first thing I noticed with this album is that it is much more straight forward and accessible than it's predecessor. For one, every song is much shorter and less complex that past Mastodon songs. It seems like there was an effort being made to have this album have an almost pop-music feel to it in the sense that each song is short, melodic and has a hook.

Now don't get me wrong, this is not a pop album, Mastodon is still as metal as ever, but it seems to me that the band took a page out of pop music's book by making the songs so short and catchy. Make no mistake, these songs will get stuck in your head.

Another thing that is different here, and unique to this album, is that the band strays away from the concept album. As a guy who rarely listens to just one song at a time, and prefers to hear an entire album from start to finish, I'm a huge fan of the concept album. So it should come as no surprise that I was a little sad to hear that Mastodon wouldn't be delivering their usual concept album greatness. I personally feel that the album suffers from this lack of cohesion, and to me, sounds like a collection of Mastodon songs that are good, but lack that epic quality I've come to love.

The songs are still great, and have the ability to stand on their own without being a part of a greater tapestry. These aren't their heaviest songs, or their most instrumentally amazing, and certainly not their most complex, but damn it, they are really fun to listen to. Bassist Troy Sanders seems to take the lion's share of the vocal duties here, and I couldn't be much happier for that fact. Sanders is definitely my favorite of the Mastodon vocalists, so it was great to hear his voice all over this album.

It's kinda strange, I wouldn't say that The Hunter stands out in comparison to their past efforts, but it is an incredibly listenable and infectious album. It usually takes me a few listens to fully appreciate a new Mastodon album, but with The Hunter, it was pretty much love at first listen...and now I can't stop listening to it. All in all, another great effort, and I think a lot of these songs would sound great live. Hopefully I'll be able to catch them next time they roll through town.

Grade: B

Graphic Novel Review: Noir a Collection of Crime Comics

2012-01-29T11:29:00.000-08:00

Let's see here...I love crime comics, more specifically, I love noir crime comics. So I walked into my local comic shop one day and what do I see? Noir a Collection of Crime Comics! As if anything could make me want to read this more, they go ahead and feature some of my favorite comic creators like Jeff Lemire, Ed Brubaker, Sean Phillips, Fabio Moon, and Gabriel Ba.

On the surface, this seems like it is pretty much the perfect graphic novel for a guy with my tastes. However, as any good reader and dermatologist knows: you gotta get below the surface to find out what is really going on.

What you get in this slim little number is a bunch of comic shorts written and drawn by a plethora of creators, all working in black and white, pouring on that India ink to achieve the right atmosphere.

Its a pretty cool concept, and it works for some of the stories, but not all the stories. The biggest problem that I had, was that many of the stories that were included in this collection walked a very fine line between being a crime story and being a horror story, and on a couple occasions, were pretty much straight up horror. Now don't get me wrong, I don't have any problems with horror, but when I'm reading a collection of crime noir comics, I want the comics to actually be crime noir, not horror.

The highlights here were the stories by Lemire, Brubaker, Phillips, Moon and Ba, but I enjoyed a few others as well, most notably, The Last Hit written by Chris Offutt, and drawn by Kano and Stefano Guadiano. The remainder of the tales ran the gamut from good to bad, and everywhere in between. As much as I enjoy the short form, and love checking out new comic writers and creators, both of which were amply provided for here, overall, I'd say this one was a bit of a disappointment; Mostly because it didn't really deliver on the crime noir as advertised.

There's definitely some mini treasures to be found here, but not enough of the good stuff to warrant my full recommendation. If you like your crime with a healthy dose of horror, and want to read some short comics and feel out some creators, this is a good quick read. If you are looking for some hard boiled crime noir, this doesn't quite cut the cake.

Grade: C-

Book Review: The Tiger's Wife

2012-01-25T21:59:00.000-08:00

To say that The Tiger's Wife is hot right now would be an understatement. It seems like everywhere I turn, someone is heaping more praise on it. Every bookstore I walk into has copies in their "Staff Picks" or "Bestsellers" section. Every other person on the bus has a copy in their hands. This book is so hot it might as well have been forged in the fires of Mount Doom.

Since everybody and their mother (mine included!) has been reading this book, it's kinda unlikely, despite my remarkable insight, that I'll add much to the discussion with a standard review. Plus, it seems stupid to try and say meaningful things about a book that has already had lots of powerful, positive endorsements.

Instead I'm gonna try something new here and express my love for this book in song...or songs (a couple of really cheesy ones at that) that I feel capture the most impressive aspects of this book.

HUNGRY EYES by Eric Carmen:

If there was ever a song that captures the feeling of pure anticipation it is Hungry Eyes. Sure, the song is about anticipating sex but for my purposes, lets just discuss the general idea of anticipation. Going into The Tiger's Wife I had a remarkably high level of anticipation. A hard thing to avoid given all the positive hype and praise surrounding this book. That said, it didn't take too many pages of reading to figure out that The Tiger's Wife is the real deal. It is a rare and special thing when expectations are so thoroughly met, yet, like the song, that anticipation was met full on and all the promise was fulfilled. An impressive feat.

NO GUTS NO GLORY by Bolt Thrower:

It takes a lot of guts to write anything. Shit, I still feel shy about pushing the publish button on my blog posts at times, but writing a novel seems like a whole 'nother level to me. You are basically giving the world a piece of yourself, and I'm incredibly grateful Obreht decided to share. The Tiger's Wife was a novel that approached and engaged all my senses, astounded me with it's beautiful prose, and ensorcelled me with its weaving of multiple narratives. Obreht really came out of the gates strong here, and made an impressive push for greatness. Like the epic Bolt Thrower lyrics, Obreht seemed to get strength from the inside, and achieved glory.

YOU MAKE MY DREAMS COME TRUE by Hall and Oates:

This song sorta ties into the whole anticipation/fulfillment bit, but I think this Hall and Oates hit is not only about anticipation, but also about how the experience of the anticipation and follow-through process leaves a person changed. (Yeah, I might be grasping at straws to find deeper meaning in a soft rock song, but it's my blog damn it and I'm allowed to do that kind of shit.) Getting back to The Tiger's Wife, the point I'm trying to make is that this is a book that left me changed after reading it. It fueled my love for reading, rekindled my faith in young, active writers, and made me appreciate the beauty that can be found in the written word. I got the feeling like I was holding a little treasure in my hands each time I opened the book to read more pages. It's rare that I deliberately slow down my reading so a book won't end, but this was one of those times.

Plus the book was special enough to make me listen to Hall and Oates AND songs form the Dirty Dancing soundtrack. Impressive.

Grade: A+

Graphic Novel Review: Incognito Bad Influences

2012-01-23T08:24:00.000-08:00

When we last left Zack Overkill, he'd been working for the good guys, the S.O.S., a group of government backed science heroes. He's been with them for over a year, doing their dirty work, earning their trust and now they want him to take on a mission that will take him back into the criminal underworld he thought to be behind him.

Overkill is tasked with the job of infiltrating a criminal organization in order to extract another S.O.S. agent who they think may have gone over to the other side. Overkill has to use his frayed old connections to get back in the good graces with the people he's been busting, maiming, and imprisoning for the past year, and try to infiltrate one of the biggest crime organizations in the world.

When I began to read the second Incognito trade, I was shocked to see that the plot was eerily similar to that of one of Brubaker's and Phillips' earlier works, Sleeper. It felt a little cheap that they would basically re-do the plot but with different characters. Being the trusting and patient guy that I am, I figured I'd stick around and see if they'd take the plot in any different directions this time around. For the most part, things stayed mostly the same, except for one major difference: The ways in which Zack Overkill and Holden Carver (the main guy in Sleeper) handle being a bad guy.

While Carver was very much reluctant, Overkill is just the opposite, and instead pretty much lives it up in a way that only a super powered baddie can. Whether its hard core drinking, prostitute orgies, or just enjoying cracking some skulls, Overkill seems to be back in his element. Though I thought there was more tension with Carver in Sleeper, it is sorta fun to revel with Overkill in his return to the uh, dark side.

Getting mixed up with the bad crowd isn't all fun and games, as Overkill quickly learns. He soon uncovers a nefarious plot, and is torn between doing the right thing, trusting his allies, and saving his own ass.

Once again, the high quality of storytelling and art was evident in Incognito Bad Influences, but it didn't really deliver too much in terms of new material, which for me, was ultimately disappointing. This was basically well written, well drawn rehashing of the plot from a previous title by the same creative team. Not exactly what I was hoping for.

The ending seemed to leave the door open for more adventures with Zack Overkill, so we'll have to see what the future holds. It appears that any more Incognito stories are on the back burner for now because Brubaker and Phillips will be concentrating on their creator owned Image title, Fatale. In terms of quality and entertainment, you can't go too far wrong with Incognito Bad Influences, but if you have already read Sleeper, you will probably enjoy this one less than someone who hasn't.

Grade: C

Book Review: Dust of Dreams

2012-01-20T11:29:00.000-08:00

I don't know what I was thinking, but I started reading Dust of Dreams during finals week last quarter. Considering that reading a Malazan Book of the Fallen novel can often times be an incredibly challenging endeavor, I threw caution to the wind and dove in. I guess my brilliant stratagem behind this was that my holiday break would be filled with the latest adventures of The Bonehunters and their allies. So, with two books left to go in this EPIC ten book series, and with myself feeling like a slacker because I erroneously thought Seak had finished the series, I dug in my heels and cracked open the penultimate volume, Dust of Dreams.

This one takes place more or less completely in the empire of Lether and it's surrounding regions. Flipping to the list of characters involved in this novel, there's lots of familiar faces to be had, and plenty of fan faves as well. Not only that, but the story is more or less centered around one massive army, The Bonehunters, so that's pretty much a recipe for Steven Erikson awesomeness right? Fun characters, and the promise of wide scale battle is pretty much what he does best. So this one was great right? Right....?

Well, not exactly.

Its a bit hit or miss to tell the truth, and probably more miss than hit.

Like every other Malazan Book of the Fallen novel, this one is pretty massive. 816 pages of massiveness to be exact. That massive page count isn't such a big deal if that's what the story requires, the problem here is that this one felt extremely bloated, and probably could have been half as long if not even less. Especially considering how much actually happened in this novel, which isn't much. I think that as these gigantic fantasy series go on in time, the editing disappears as the publishers give a successful author a longer leash, and make less changes because they know the baby is gonna sell no matter what.

At least it felt that way to me, because as I said earlier not a lot happened here. Without spoiling too much, the gist of what when down is that an army moved from point A to point B, then had a battle. That's about it. In many ways Dust of Dreams was basically a set up novel for the grand finale in The Crippled God and I've heard other places that Dust of Dreams is basically the first half of what is basically one MONSTER final book that is the combination of DoD + TCG. Which makes me a little bit more lenient in terms of what happened in Dust of Dreams, but it still felt like there was too much of nothing going on, over the course of a shit load of pages.

Like every other Malazan Book of the Fallen novel I've read so far this one had its fair share of ups and downs. The downs were, well...down there. Waaay down there.

There were definitely times when I wondered whether or not it was worth even finishing the series, that's how frustrating this book was at times. Dull plot threads, tedious passages where nothing happens, and some strange barbaric torture rape that was just disgusting and unnecessary. Not good. Not good at all.

The ups, though fewer and far between than usual, and vastly outnumbered by the downs, were just good enough to see me through to the end.

Like I mentioned earlier, the cast of characters here was, for the most part, a who's who of my favorite characters from the series, barring Karsa Orlong and a couple others. It was good to check back in with Fiddler and the rest of the Malazan marines, and meet a few new interesting characters along the way. Also, the parts that featured King Tehol, Queen Janath, Chancellor Bugg, Treasurer Bugg, and Ceda Bugg were always fantastic. Not to mention every scene with Ublala Pung, which were equally hilarious and fun.

The polarizing effect of fun characters and great action versus dull characters, and tedious unnecessary plot lines really wore on me in Dust of Dreams. Its been a problem that has plagued me throughout the series, and probably wont totally go away in the final book either. It took an even greater amount of persistence to get through this one than any other volume in the series. Thankfully, there was just enough here, not to mention a pretty major cliff hanger to keep me on for the finale, but make no mistake, this one was a slog.

In my opinion, this was the weakest installment in the series so far. After reading this dud, I'm not exactly eager to cap off the series. I'll likely need a pretty good extended break, to forget the pain of this read, before I hitch up my trousers and take the plunge on the finale.

Grade: D+

Graphic Novel Review: Incognito

2012-01-17T08:20:00.000-08:00

In the world of comics there are a few dynamic duo's. Dudes, (Or should I say "epic bros"?) who, whenever they get together on a project, bring out the best in one another, and raise the bar. No, I'm not talking about Batman and Robin, or whoever else, I'm talking about comic creators who, whenever they work together, bring the thunder. In this particular situation, I'm talking about the creative team of Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips.

I've dipped my cup into the Brubaker/Phillips punch bowl before and enjoyed the flavor, and have been hounded by other comics readers to get my ass on the Incognito ride. So I did. And you should too.

Incognito stars, of all things, a dude named Zack Overkill. Zack was once a super villain, and is now in the witness protection program because he ratted out his old boss, an evil, powerful and connected man by the awesome name of The Black Death. The problem is that Zack, who formerly never played by the rules, is now forced to live out his life as a member of the 9 to 5 rat race. As Zack goes about his duties as a file clerk, he pines for his old days of terror, death and destruction. As Zack sinks into depression, he starts in on the drug abuse, and soon enough he realizes that the recreational drugs in his system have messed with the drugs that for the past few years have blocked him from using his super-abilities.

With his super strength back, Zack once again dons a mask, and goes around town tearing it up like the good ol' days. The difference is that this time he's more of a vigilante than a villain. It doesn't take long, before The Black Death's organization discovers that Overkill is still alive, and assassins are sent to finish him off. Now, Zack finds himself allied with his old enemies, the good guys; A tenuous allegiance at best.

If I had to point to one aspect of this graphic novel that stands out above all else, I'd point to the noir feel that Brubaker achieves with his writing, and is aided and abetted by Phillips' art. With Incognito it isn't just the visual style, there's a darkness to the characters, the dialog and the settings that fully delivers the noir feel to the title. There's a level of seediness, grit and sexiness that you don't often find in any kind of story these days, but Brubaker and Phillips drag it up from the depths and give it a home here, to great success.

In terms of writing, Brubaker is one of the best working in the comics medium. His characters are engaging, and his plots are full of all the things I love: twists, back-stabs, and double crosses. I couldn't ask for much more.

Phillips has an art style that is all his own, and stands out as unique and instantly recognizable. For my money, he's the perfect guy for super-powered crime story. Each panel is brimming with atmosphere, giving the reader a great sense of setting. On top of that, he can draw some pretty great super-powered battles too. Want to feel like you are being cornered in a dark alley? Phillips can deliver. Want to see what happens when a guy with super strength punches someone in the face? Yeah, he can handle that too.

Though I feel like overall, the writing and art in Incognito is more polished and sharper than my previous Brubaker/Phillips reading experience, Sleeper, I think I enjoyed the story more with the original. That said, Incognito is still great stuff, and definitely worth checking out. This is a great title for someone trying to bridge the gap between superheros and creator owned indie-style comics.

Grade: B

Book Review: Raising Stony Mayhall

2012-01-13T12:58:00.000-08:00

It's been mentioned around here before that I'm not the biggest fan of zombies, vampires and the like. I, apparently, am in a minority, because the fantasy world is teeming with the undead these days. If a "hot" new release doesn't have vampires in it, then chances are there's a zombie to be found somewhere betwixt the covers. I'm so sick of those undead fuckers...

But then along comes this Daryl Gregory guy. He writes two awesome books in Pandemonium and The Devils Alphabet, and then what does he do? Writes a Dracula comic, and publishes a book about Zombies. DAMN! Just when I thought I was done with the undead, I get pulled back in...

So with the genre being more bloated than a fat man on a bean and cheese diet, does Raising Stony Mayhall, a book with a zombie as the main protagonist, have anything new to offer?

Why, yes is does actually.

The world in which Raising Stony Mayhall takes place is one very similar to our own, with the biggest exception being that there was a Zombie outbreak in the 60's that nearly got out of hand and wiped out the entire human population. Crisis averted, zombies are now public enemy number one, and are hunted and executed with impunity. So, when Wanda Mayhall and her three daughters are driving home through an Iowan snowstorm and discover the body of a teen mom with a baby in her arms they are shocked to discover the baby is one of the living dead.

Rather than turn the baby over to authorities, they decide to keep the child, and strangely enough, the child begins to grow. Not only does Stony grow, but he's also quite capable of thinking, learning, and do most of the other activities considered human. For years, Stony was able to remain a secret from the world until a terrible event occurs and causes Stony to flee the only people he's ever known. On the run and out of options, Stony quickly discovers that he's not the only living dead guy around.

It's pretty clear to see from the plot synopsis that Gregory's zombies aren't your typical brain dead shamblers. The zombies of Raising Stony Mayhall are in fact much more than that. Like I mentioned before, they are capable of coherent thought, speech, and have the ability to learn. In fact, since they don't need to eat or sleep to stay alive, nor do they feel any pain; One could almost argue that they are kinda like an evolved species of human. Granted, most of the zombies that populate Stony's world don't take advantage of this, and sit around all day smoking and watching daytime TV. Still, for me this distinction was important, and a very interesting part of the book. An interest that worked out well for me, because Stony too was interested in the science behind the zombies, and his search for the secrets of their genetics was one of my favorite aspects of the book.

As a group that is being hunted to extinction, the zombie underground network was another engaging aspect of this novel. I enjoyed reading how the population managed to survive, and how the various factions within the group tried to gain sway over the zombie people. (Big Bite anyone?) The political wranglings were quite fun to read, and the giant zombie meeting at a warehouse in the middle of nowhere made for a fantastic scene.

More than anything though this book is the story of Stony Mayhall's life, and his life is a pretty fascinating one. We see all the events of the story through his eyes, and his struggles to not only help his species survive, but also gain acceptance by the rest of the world is quite amazing. The fact the Gregory actually got me to root for zombies is no small feat.

As impressive as that is, I was also impressed that Gregory was able to once again deliver a story with a pretty powerful emotional punch, on top of an engaging story. I think I was less moved by the emotional aspects of Raising Stony Mayhall than I was by the emotional bits in Pandemonium and The Devil's Alphabet, but I think that stems from Stony being a harder guy for me to relate to or connect with than Del or Pax. Still, there's no doubt that Gregory is one of the sharpest writers going these days, and I love him for the fact that he can write fantasy that is fresh and different than most everything else on the shelves. Gregory is a writer that deserves to be read.

Grade: B-

Spotlight on Blue Estate

2012-01-10T21:57:00.000-08:00

I wanna take some time and tell you all a little bit about one of my favorite comics of the moment, Blue Estate. I've mentioned this comic a total of two times here at the blog, which frankly, doesn't do the comic justice. Not even close.

Most recently, I lauded Blue Estate as a runner up to my favorite comics of the year, calling it "crafty, twisty crime writing at its finest". However, prior to that, Blue Estate garnered only one other mention, waaaaaay back in April when the first issue came out, and the best platitude I could muster back then was "pretty solid".

So how did Blue Estate go from pretty solid to the lofty ranks of a Battle Hymns "best of" runner up award? Well, surprisingly the recipe for success is quite simple.

Blue Estate has done one crucial thing that has moved me from "pretty solid" to being one of my most favorite comics: it just gets better and better with each subsequent issue. The first volume, which collects the first four issues is a great read, but personally, I got completely sucked in by the 5th-8th issues. Everything awesome about Blue Estate got more awesome in these issues, and when things get completely ratcheted up like that, I get really excited.

Allow me to highlight some of the awesomeness...

As each issue comes along, I've gotten to know each character a bit better. I discover bits about their past, their motivations, and how they are interconnected with the other characters that populate the series. In Blue Estate, you get a lot of what at the surface might seem like familiar crime story cliches; There's a troubled starlet, a Russian mafioso, Italian mobsters, private eyes, detectives, strippers, and so on. However, these characters are in no way caricatures of things you've seen before. These characters are becoming increasingly fleshed out, and developed so that, while they have an air of familiarity, these "standbys" of the crime genre are being taken in new and interesting directions.

I know I might be mixing my story telling mediums a bit here, but the best comparison I can make, and probably the highest praise I can heap on, is that the characters in Blue Estate remind me a lot of George R.R. Martin's characters from A Song of Ice and Fire in the sense that there's some I love, some I hate, some that I love to hate, some that are pure entertainment to read, and others who I started out not liking and now like, and vice-versa. Most importantly, like I do with ASoIaF, when certain characters aren't in a particular issue, I miss them. With such well crafted characters at the core of the series, I find myself pining away between issues.

Putting my emotions aside for a moment, there is one other key element of awesomeness I want to point out, and that is the plotting. Simply put, Blue Estate has some of the most insanely intricate plotting I've seen. I'll be the first to admit, I pretty much have no idea where this story is going. But you know what? That's fine with me because I've developed a lot of faith in the writing of Viktor Kalvachev and Kosta Yanev and the scripting by Andrew Osborne. As the story progresses there's been conclusions to scenes, and story lines that have knocked my socks off with the way they are concluded not only with crafty writing, but with a sense of humor, and a large degree of style. The "style" factor is hard to put into words, but it makes its mark in the atmosphere, the dialog, and the art.

Furthermore, the writers have pulled off a fantastic, magician-like performance in terms of keeping things hidden, keeping me guessing, and delivering little clues along the way that deceive, hint and enthrall. These factors add up, and give me faith that there's great things to come for this series. There's no doubt that there's some hidden agendas I know nothing about, and I can't wait to see where things go.

I should also add that back in April, when I discussed the first issue, I wasn't completely in love with the rotating art duties. I've since come to terms with it, and frankly have no problems with it at this point. I think as I've become accustomed to the story and the characters, the changing art styles feels like second nature at this point, and has become yet another unique and endearing quality of Blue Estate.

I hope some of you give Blue Estate a shot, so we can talk about it here, and give the dudes at the comic shop a rest from my monthly rave-sessions. The first two volumes are out now (or will be by tomorrow 1/11), so this is a great time to check out an awesome series.

Grade so far (Issues 1-8): A

Comic Quickies: In With the New

2012-01-09T08:22:00.000-08:00

The Activity #1: When I heard that Nathan Edmondson, the author behind the awesome Who is Jake Ellis? had a new spy/espionage series coming out, did two things: 1) fist pump 2) immediately add the comic to my pull list.

When The Activity finally arrived in my pull box, I took it home, pulled it out and began to read. From past Edmondsonian reading experiences I was fully expecting to be completely hooked by around page two or three. Sure enough, I was pleased to see things get off to a nice start with a slick little spy-team mission. Sadly, that early momentum wasn't sustained throughout the entire issue.

Once the opening sequence is over, you meet the cast of characters, learn about their job: a soldier and civilian team of covert operatives who use the fanciest technology and handle the most high-stakes operations. You also learn that one of their team was recently killed in action, so with their new recruit in tow, the team heads to Rome to clean up a botched mission by another agency.

It's sad to admit, but as far as first issues go, I found this one to be pretty boring. The cast introductions were pretty standard, and the clean up mission was dull and lacking in any kind of tension. My hope is that with introductions and introductory missions out of the way, things will pick up from here. I have pretty high expectations for this considering how great Who is Jake Ellis? was, hopefully The Activity will deliver.

Sacrifice #1: Completely self published and self distributed, Sacrifice is a title that is probably pretty hard to come by, especially considering the hype surrounding this title prior to it's release. Admittedly, I bought into the hype, and even went to a rival comic shop (the only one in town to carry copies) to secure my copy. With illicit comic in hand, I dove in.

Your basic package is this: some time travel, Aztec sacrifice ceremonies, and some trippy ass art. Apparently there's some Joy Division references or something in there too, but if they were, they went right over my head.

Basically, what happens is a dude named Hector eats some fast food, then mysteriously time travels back 700 years or so to the time of the Aztecs. Next thing you know he's caught up in some sort of political struggle between rival religious factions and literally trying to keep his head on his shoulders, and hopefully avoiding getting killed once the Europeans come.

Though there was a degree of guilty pleasure involved in getting this title into my possession, I can't say that I was really drawn in by the story, which is a bit confounding to me, because I'm usually a sucker for time travel, and things trippy. The art is sorta bipolar; great one moment, then ugly the next. Sadly, there was nothing here to hook me, and without the power of being written or drawn by a trusted creator, I probably wont give this another shot. Just not my flavor.

Fatale #1: Crime, magic, horror and a story-within-a-story all rolled into one? Without a doubt, Fatale, the latest from super duo Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips is right up my comic reading alley. As you can imagine, I was hooked quite early in this one, and then Brubaker and Phillips continued to set the hook, and reel me in as the issue progressed.

There's a lot going on in this first issue, a lot to take in, but the gist is this: the godson of a recently deceased crime writer discovers an unpublished manuscript, and winds up running for his life from would be killers. He is saved from being gunned down by a mysterious woman he's only met briefly once before at the writer's funeral...only to nearly die in a fiery car crash. When he awakes in the hospital, he begins to read through the manuscript, further unveiling more mysteries, and questions for the already beleaguered reader.

With points of view that alternate between the mystery woman, a crooked cop, and a reporter who's in over his head, Brubaker definitely throws the reader in at the deep end. Plenty of seeds were planted here in the first issue, and from the looks of things, this is gonna be an incredibly entertaining comic to read in the coming months. A very promising start to a new series from two of my favorite comic creators.

Book Review: Haunted

2012-01-06T22:24:00.000-08:00

It had been too long since I'd last read me some Chuck Palahniuk and Haunted had been sitting neglected on my shelves for far too long, so in an effort to do a bit of a year-end clean out, I picked this one up and gave it a go.

If you've never read anything by Chuck Palahniuk, his stuff is, to say the least, interesting. His characters often tend to be folks who are fed up with the normal, run of the mill life and wind up rebelling in violent or illicit ways against the norms of society. In some ways, Haunted, and the characters that populate the tale, fit this description; but in many ways do just the opposite by engaging in sometimes extreme behavior so that they fit in with society's image of what their life should be like.

Haunted is a book comprised of 23 short stories "written" by the characters who have all answered an ad for a writers retreat. Assuming the retreat will be some cushy place where the writers can idle in luxury and miraculously create their masterpiece, the diverse and strange group of "artists" are woefully unprepared when they discover that they are being held against their will in a situation that is more like "Survivor" meets the Donnor Party than it is Villa Diodati.

Once the group discovers that they are trapped until they can create their masterpiece, there seems to be group effort to make their living situation as dire and horrible as possible so that when the media discovers them, their personal survival story will be all the more interesting and marketable. From there, characters take to extremes to make themselves the "star" of the story by any means necessary, which often includes the removal of body parts.

As time passes, and behaviors become more extreme, the short stories themselves become increasingly intense. Palahniuk has a strong gift for writing that will completely suck you in, often against your will. There were many times during Haunted that I was queasy from the content, but couldn't bring myself to stop reading. That said, there are times when Palahniuk can write things that are absolutely hilarious, and on the flip side of that coin, write something that is absolutely the most disgusting thing you've ever read, only to outdo himself a chapter or two later. It makes for quite the reading experience.

If you like to feel like you are running a gauntlet of pain, depravity, and nausea inducing moments only to arrive at the end and see that your reward is punch in the gut, than you can do no wrong with Chuck Palahniuk and Haunted. But, rest assured, there's no doubt that you'll be reading something completely different than your usual piece of fiction.

In Haunted, Palahniuk's skill and story telling prowess is top notch, and his ability to suck a reader in is uncanny. However, I think his style of fiction is maybe an acquired taste, and probably not for everyone. If you are like me, and have a type of story or style of narrative that you enjoy but occasionally go looking for something outside your reading comfort zone, than Haunted is a great place to venture to. I enjoyed being outside of my reading comfort zone. That being said, I've enjoyed some of Palahniuk's other works more than this one.

Grade: B-

Album Review: Kyuss- Welcome to Sky Valley

2012-01-04T08:13:00.000-08:00

Before he reached rockstar status with Queens of the Stone Age Josh Homme was in a little stoner metal bandcalled Kyuss. In QotSA Homme handles both lead guitar andsinging duties, however, in his Kyuss days,at the tender age of 15 to 22 he was justa young phenom guitarist. Though theband is filled with highly talented stalwart performers, I think Homme’s uniqueguitar tone, which he achieved by playing through a bass amp, is what gives theband their dirty, dusty, desert sound that makes them a completely uniqueentity in the metal genre.

Kyuss is one ofthose bands that somehow never quite reached the level of recognition theydeserved, and in fact, are sadly mostly obscure, which is crazy given howawesome this band is. Though theirentire catalog is worth giving a listen to, my favorite istheir third album, Welcome to SkyValley.

Maybe the band didn’t wantto get big, because they didn’t do themselves any favors or make this album very accessible due to the fact that they lumped their songs together onthis album three per-track, which makes listening to an individual song a bitof a pain in the ass. As anfull-album-or-nothing guy I don’t have such a problem with this, but I can seehow it would really bother a lot of people.

With Welcome to Sky Valley, Kyuss achieved a unique sound that others have tried to duplicate, but failed. Homme's guitars have a low trudgey tone that induces instant head banging. The bass thunders, and when you add in the drums you get a unique heavy sound that feels slow, but actually moves along at a pretty fast pace.

The only caveat here is that vocalist's John Garcia's voice is a bit of an acquired taste. His range is quite limited, but he never tries to go outside of his comfort zone and if you do enjoy his voice, then it is no sweat.

Criminally under-listened, Kyuss may just be the best band not many folks of heard of. If you aren't already a listener, remedy that ASAP. Every song on Welcome to Sky Valley is an incredible piece of desert metal magnificence, and unique sounding. So get out there, get your hands on Welcome to Sky Valley and branch out from there. Enjoy!

Check out the Demon Cleaner video...Sorry, I wasn't able to embed it!

It's That Time Again...Blogiversary!

2012-01-03T08:18:00.000-08:00

Holy Shit! Battle Hymns is 2 years old today! In internet terms, that is like the equivalent of a pimply tween or something. Scary.

As awesome as my first year of blogging was, I gotta say, the second year was even better. More people checking out the site, more comments, more exciting interactions, more posts...oh wait, actually, one less post than the year before. All in all, a wonderful year, and the kicker is that, this coming year looks to be even better.

Before I blab on too much, I just want to say thanks to everyone who stops by Battle Hymns and shares some of their time with the blog. I greatly appreciate it, and continue to be completely charmed/chuffed/touched that you feel the urge, or have the interest to read what I have to say. It's really quite awesome of you.

In my personal life, if all goes to plan, then I'll graduate in 2012, and hopefully score what people call a "real job". The graduating part will be awesome, and I'll be a much happier man once I get school in my rear view mirror. The "real job" part, well, the awesomeness of that remains to be seen.

In my blogging life, I have a shelf full of great stuff I'm drooling over that I can't wait to read and review/share here at Battle Hymns. I'm also hoping that once I get done with school, that I'll have a bit more spare time to dedicate to making the blog more awesome than it already is, and add more content. Until then, I'll do my very best to entertain and enthrall all who visit with my usual reviews of books, comics, and music along with the occasional other stuffs... Hopefully you'll all continue to join me!

Cheers!

-Ryan

Looking Back and Looking Ahead to 2012

2011-12-31T14:59:00.000-08:00

LOOKING BACK:

All told, it was a pretty awesome year for me and the blog. Personally, I read a lot of great stuff, and had the privilege of sharing it with a wider audience. I more than doubled my traffic from the previous year, and I hope to do the same again this coming year. This year was particularly great because I was lucky enough to make plenty of new acquaintances with fellow bloggers, a couple of writers, and artists too. Being able to communicate and share my loves with like minded people is what this blog is all about.

Lastly, before I begin to look ahead to 2012, I just want to say a big THANK YOU to everyone who takes time out of their busy lives to stop by Battle Hymns and check up on what I've been reading or listening to. You people give me the energy and desire to keep this tiny, dusty little corner of the internet going, and I greatly appreciate all the comments and interactions. I hope to give you all plenty of reason to keep stopping by in the next twelve months. Cheers!

LOOKING AHEAD:

There is a lot of good reading to be excited about in the new year. I've already got my eye on a few choice items, and I'm sure my wandering eye will land on a few more before the year is out. However, I wanted to highlight a few things that I will definitely be reviewing here in the coming year.

BOOKS:

I don't often buy new releases, mostly because I can't afford the hardcover prices. Truth be told, I am primarily a used book buyer at this current stage of my life, mostly due to the fact that my poor ass can't pony up for the all the new stuff I'd like to buy. Hopefully once I'm done with school I'll be able to land a sweet job, and buy more stuff new, when I want it, rather than trolling the used book shops hoping for a score. However, there is one book that I'll be saving my pennies for so I can buy it as soon as it comes out.

The Wind Through the Keyhole: Dark Tower 4.5

It's no mystery that I'm a lover of Stephen King's Dark Tower books. However, when it was announced that there'd be a new installment in the series, one that is basically a standalone and squeezes in nicely between books 4 and 5, I was a bit put off, I don't normally like it when people tamper with something long after its conclusion. (I'm talking to you George Lucas).

That said, I've had time to reconcile those feelings, and now that the book is less than half a year away, I'm pretty damn excited. It'll be pretty awesome to read some fresh tales about Roland, Eddie, Jake, Susannah, and Oy. This one is apparently a story within a story, within a story. Sounds awesome!

I'm sure there are lots of other great books coming out that aren't on my radar yet, so I'll likely pepper in a few other 2012 releases along the way.

Some 2011 titles I hope to get to in 2012:

The White Luck Warrior by R. Scott Bakker: It'll be nice to carry on with his already awesome Aspect Emperor series.

All Clear by Connie Willis: This is basically one big ass book broken up into two parts, I've read the first half, and hope that the pay off is worth it.

Emabassytown by China Mieville: It's pretty much a given that this'll be my annual Mieville reading.

Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey: I've lots of good things about this one, and I think I need to check it out for myself.

Some authors I've never read, and hope to read:

Ian Tregellis
Graham Joyce
Clive Barker
Carol Berg

COMICS:

There's a ton of great new comics coming out in 2012 from some big names, and you can bet I'll be buying the single issues and sharing my thoughts here. Some stuff that I consider must haves:

Fatale by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips: These two guys are pretty much a comic creating dynamic duo, and now they are making the move to Image, sporting a title that promises to be noir crime with lovecraftian beasts. Hmmm...I wonder if I'll enjoy that?

Saga by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples: BKV is one of my favorite comic writers, and he makes his return to the creator owned zone with his new space opera title that looks like it might be the next big thing in comics

Prophet by Brandon Graham and various artists: Graham has been doing his own writer/artist thing for awhile now, and is one of the most talented artists in the business. For Prophet, he'll be focusing his energies on just the writing front, while a who's who of up and coming artists ply their trade on various issues. Maybe the title I'm most excited about.

GRAPHIC NOVELS:

King City by Brandon Graham: I have been wanting to read this for sooooo long, but it is only just now being collected by Image. I've flipped through some of the issues, and Graham's art is awesome, insanely detailed, and incredibly unique. Plus, the story is about a guy who is a cat master, yup. Sounds awesome. This is also the deal of the year. You get something like 400+ pages, in harcover, for $20.

Underwater Welder by Jeff Lemire: It is a graphic novel by Jeff Lemire, that's pretty much a guarantee that I'll be reading it. Plus, Lemire told me it is probably the comics work he is most proud of. Pretty solid endorsement right there.

MUSIC:

Red Fang: I've been listening to these dudes on the internet since Thanksgiving, but I really operate and appreciate best when I can actually listen to an album in my stereo. So far I like what I hear, but I want to get the full experience by hearing a whole album. There's some gift money from the holidays that should remedy that...

Dozer: I had no idea who these guys were up until a few days ago, but they keep popping up on various Pandora channels I have going, and I like what I hear. They're a stoner rock band from Sweden, and remind me a lot of Kyuss, who if you don't know who they are, you will soon enough. From what I've heard, Dozer's 2006 album Through the Eyes of Heathens looks to be the album I'll dig into first.

Mastodon: Yeah, long overdue, but I now own The Hunter, so I just need to give it the proper amount of time to fully sink into my musical pores, and I'll share my thoughts. First impressions: great stuff, their most straight forward album yet.

So, as of right now, that's the stuff I'm most excited about. How about yourselves? What 2012 or non 2012 book/comic/piece of music has you excited?

Holiday Haul

2011-12-29T10:40:00.000-08:00

With best of lists out of the way for another year, it is time to roll out the obligatory "look what I got for the holidays" post. Personally, I love seeing what other bloggers reap in their holiday harvest, and this year I figured I'd share my own haul, meager as it is, as well.

My lady was kind enough to brave the comic shop and pick up a couple of nice hardcover titles for me to add to the shelf.

Up first we have the collection comic strips from Kate Beaton's awesome webcomic, Hark! A Vagrant. Always good for at least a chuckle and sometimes a deep belly laugh, Hark! A Vagrant is a site I return to at least once a week to check for updates. If you haven't experienced Kate Beaton's comic genius yet, check it out.

My other piece of holiday booty is De:Tales by artists/writers/twins/Brazilians Fabio Moon and Gabriel Ba. These dudes are two of my favorite comic artists, and De:tales collects some of their short comics works from the last few years. Just from flipping through and scanning the some of the art, this collection looks to be a wonderful feast for the eyes, and hopefully a good read too!

The third, final and likely most crucial piece of holiday haul-age comes in the form of a new computer. Essential to the continuation of this blog. My old desktop had been becoming increasingly finicky this fall, with the combined efforts of a few gift-givers, I was able to score a sweet new laptop for my blogging needs. I guess it will help for school too...

Merry Holidays!

2011-12-24T21:46:00.000-08:00

Alright y'all, enjoy the holidays! Hopefully you all have a sweet holidays and if you participate in some sort of gift giving tradition, may you give and receive the gift of great reads, or great listens. Thanks for coming back to Battle Hymns every so often. Cheers!

2011 Books of the Year

2011-12-22T07:59:00.000-08:00

In terms of sheer volume, 2011 was a pretty average year ofreading for me, but when it comes down to quality, this was one of my bestyears in recent memory. What made theyear so damn special is that I read two books that became immediate all-timefavorites. It has been a while sinceI’ve read one book in a year that I’dconsider an all-time favorite, so to nab two in a year is an extremely specialtreat for me. In terms of my readinghabits, I more or less stuck to my secret goal of alternating between books andgraphic novels. That pattern did fallapart a bit towards the end of the year, when I got crunched for time andcertain “must read” titles sat unread on the shelf. All things considered, the fact that Imanaged to read about 40 titles, all while attending school full time, andworking part time is a number I am pretty pleased with.

So without further ado, I give you the Battle Hymns 2011 Top5 Books of the Year….

TOP 5 BOOKS of the YEAR:

#5. Moxyland: When I reviewed Moxyland back in April I said it rekindled my love of reading because it felt so incredibly fresh and so clean. That sentiment still stands because even 8 months later, it still feels the same thinking back on it.

Moxyland represents two major deviations from my normal reading, for one, it is a science fiction book, a genre I don't dabble in too often, though it appears maybe I should. Secondly, it is a book written by a woman. Its a bit embarrassing to admit but I don't tend to read too much stuff by female authors...there's no good explanation why, but I don't. Anyway, the point I'm trying to make is that Moxyland is not my "usual" read, and yet it is one of the best books I've read all year. So my pearl of wisdom is this: it pays to read outside of your comfort zone on occasion.

If you haven't had a chance to give Lauren Beukes' stuff a shot yet, I urge you. I haven't read Zoo City but have heard lots of great things, and I was very impressed with Beukes' effort in the Vertigo Strange Adventures anthology comic.

#4. Retribution Falls: Hooray for Bucklepunk!

There's almost no chance Chris Wooding had me in mind when he wrote Retribution Falls but damn if it doesn't seem like he had a little Battle Hymns devil sitting on his right shoulder whispering plot and character advice into his ear while he toiled away at the manuscript. This novel has all the makings of a hit: great characters, non-stop action and shenanigans, intriguing characters, and a great plot too. Hard to argue with all that.

Kudos to Wooding for creating a world that is a nice blend of science and fantasy with engaging, dastardly characters who, despite their shadiness and checkered pasts, are easy and fun to root for. This is one of those books I couldn't put down simply because it was so much fun to read. I wanna be a crew member on the Ketty Jay.

#3. The Heroes: Joe Abercrombie is a favorite fantasy author of mine, so it is always a pleasure to read one of his books. However, never before has that pleasure been so um, pleasurable.

With The Heroes I feel like it all came together for Joe here. With the story taking place over the course of a few short days in one small area, the scope is much more narrow, and I think that tighter focus made his writing sharper and the story stronger.

All the things you'd expect from a Joe Abercrombie novel are here: mixed loyalties, backstabs, betrayals, messy politics, messy battles, messy wounds, characters of ill repute, and much much more. You can't go too far wrong with any of Abercrombie's stuff, but for my money this is his best effort yet.

#2. Replay: Thistitle is definitely one that snuck up on me. Prior to October of this year, I had never even heard of Replay, letalone had any desire to read it, but here it stands at the number twospot. Not too shabby.

So how did I find Replay?

Well, after reading ThePrestige and Mythago Wood both decent to AH-maaaaaaaaa-zing reads, and both recipients of theWorld Fantasy Award, I figured I’d scour the list of past winners and see if anything else tickled my fancy. That’s how I met Replay. We went out forcoffee, rode the bus together a few times, had lunch, next thing you know,we’re in bed together. (Just thought I’dlet you know when and where I do most of my reading…)

If you like time travel, GroundhogDay, a realistic romance story, and a book that makes you think, ask questionsof your life, and entertains, than Replayis your book. Mega-highly recommended.

#1. ThePrestige: Picking my number one bookof the year was an incredibly easy task. For as much as I enjoyed the other titles on this list, The Prestige easily rules themall.

This is one of those rare, absolutely amazing books. The characters are phenomenal, the plottingis fantastic, and the story is one that will give you plenty to think aboutlong after you’ve read the final words. I think what I love the most about ThePrestige is that it practically begs to be read and re-read over andover again. There is a large degree ofunreliable narration, and half-truths being flung around that it can be verydifficult to figure out what reallyhappened.

With dual narrators, and plenty of lies and deceit, I’m nottotally sure I even know what went down, but I know I loved every page of The Prestige and I’m already thinkingabout when I should read it again. Ifyou haven’t had the opportunity to give this one a read, I urge you to make ithappen. This is one of best books I’veever read.

Honorable Mention:

The Dark Tower: Itwas a pretty awesome achievement to finish out Stephen King’s Dark Tower series this year, and Ithought the series couldn’t have had a more fitting ending. I’m veryexcited for 2012’s addition to the series.

20^thCentury Ghosts: Got a little father/son thang going here…Simply put, I was very impressed with Joe Hill’s debutshort story collection. With each storyyou get a different brand of horror, and each one is amazing.

On Vacation...

2011-12-20T08:18:00.000-08:00

I'll be heading out of town for my holiday vacation, so things may be quiet around here for a while.

I don't expect that I'll spend much time blogging while out of town, but I do hope to get to my Top 5 Books of the Year post before I return, and if I'm lucky, give you a glimpse of the future of what's to come in 2012 for Battle Hymns...

Like my man Arnold Schwarzenegger said in Predator right after killing a man with a knife: "Stick around". I'll do my best to make it worth your while.

Until then, enjoy some Dio!

2011 Graphic Novels of the Year

2011-12-18T07:30:00.000-08:00

This past year was another big year for me in terms of reading graphic novels. Though I didn't reach the lofty 50 title mark like I did in 2010, by the time this gets published I'll be up around 40 graphic novels on the year...not too shabby if you ask me. Overall, I think I definitely read better stuff this year than in years past, so quality wins out over quantity this year. Picking out the Top 5 and a couple runners up was pretty damn difficult. No sense in keeping you waiting here they are:

TOP 5 GRAPHIC NOVELS of the YEAR:

#5. Axe Cop: This one gets on the list due to sheer hilarity of the content. If you haven't heard of Axe Cop let me give you the scoop: the comic is written by a five year old and drawn by his 30 year old brother...and that's what makes this so incredibly awesome. When a five year old writes a comic you better be ready for some crazy shit to go down, and believe me, it does.

With free reign and creative control over the title, writer Malachai Nicolle fills Axe Cop up with all the wonders of his vividly wild imagination. Be prepared for uncanny plot resolutions, an incredibly strange and diverse cast of characters, and plenty of little dude humor.

When it comes to Axe Cop I can give you one solid guarantee: you will laugh out loud. Easily the funniest thing I read all year.

#4. Batwoman: Elegy: Let's see, does Batwoman: Elegy feature some mind blowing art and deft writing? Yes indeed it does. But wait there's more! This awesome graphic novel also features a creepy villain named Alice who quotes Lewis Carroll and wants to cover Gotham in a toxic death cloud, shapeshifters, and all the fun, costumed hi-jinx you'd expect from a Bat-Title...and that's not even the best part.

Now don't get me wrong all that stuff I just mentioned is great, and pretty much essential for my own personal tastes, but the true quality in Batwoman: Elegy is found outside of the costumed parameters. The true grit, if you will, is found when Batwoman is Kate Kane, dealing with all the troblems (troubles and problems) of her personal life. If you don't believe me, read it. You'll thank me.

Hey, have I mentioned that J.H. Williams III, who handles the art on this title, is fucking awesome? Well, he is.

#3. Essex County: If you are a steady reader of the blog, then you know I am sorta a big fan of Jeff Lemire's works of comics. So, it should come as little surprise that there's something of his on the Top 5 graphic novels list too.

Simply put, Essex County is a wonderful tale of simple rural farm folk in Canada. That might sound kinda boring, but this is a wonderful exploration of human emotion pared down to it's raw center. The characters, their lives, their mistakes and regrets all come vividly to the forefront of this amazing comic. It's one of those titles that locks itself in your memory, and just as easily as you can recall the events of the story you can also easily recall the feelings, emotions and struggles you were going through in your own life while you were reading it.

At least that's what happened with me.

#2. (Tie) Locke & Key: Welcome to Lovecraft, Locke & Key: Head Games: Yeah, I'm not totally a fan of ties, but, um get used to it...

I couldn't mention one Locke & Key title and not mention the other one I read.

Allow me to point out a couple of things that may or may not be obvious: 1) Joe Hill can flat out write. 2) That fact is not limited to just novels. 2011 will definitely go down as the year I discovered the awesomeness that is Joe Hill. I read four things by him this year, and if not for a small measure of personal restraint, I could have easily read more. So far, I haven't met a piece of Joe Hill writing I don't love.

I'm trying really hard to restrain myself from repeatedly using words like "awesome", "sweet", "the bomb", "amazing", "outstanding" and so on, but Locke & Key is all those things and more. I will emphasize a couple points: From what I've read so far, I'd say Locke & Key is shaping up to be the modern horror classic. Aaaaaannnddd: Joe Hill is the bomb! Shit! There I go....Seriously, despite all signs pointing to the fact that I'm nuts, check out my reviews for Welcome to Lovecraft and Head Games. Or don't and miss out on something incredible. The ball is in your court.

#1. (Tie) Planetary Volumes 1-4: It's only fitting that these four titles go down as the number one graphic novel of the year, because I read 'em all together, and really, it would be lame if four of the top 5 spots were taken up by Planetary books.

I know I said it in my review, but Planetary is the best comics story I've read...ever, and it'll be pretty damn tough to top.

This one has all the hallmarks of greatness: great writing, fantastic art, and a story that is aimed at a reader who can balance a check book, or something equally adult, time consuming and frustrating. I really think this is a set of graphic novels that can be read and enjoyed by anyone who loves a great story, and for fans of the fantastic and or science fictional, this is it, your gateway into comics.

As great and amazing as the other titles on this list, they don't come close to Planetary. Seriously, this is the comics medium at its absolute best.

Runners Up:

It was the War in the Trenches: A harrowing and intense look at World War I from the perspective of French trench "grunts". Simultaneously incredible, beautiful, depressing, bleak, and tragic.

Stumptown: A tale of crime, back-stabs and double crosses in the Pacific Northwest. Expertly written and beautifully illustrated.

There you go, another round of the year's best in the can. It's gonna be a tough year to follow, good luck 2012. In my expert scouring of the comics medium did I miss anything? What were your faves?

2011 Comics of the Year

2011-12-16T08:27:00.000-08:00

TOP 5 COMIC SERIES of the YEAR:

In a year where I was still finding my feet in the comics medium, discovering what I like, and don't like, the battle for the Top 5 Comic Series of the Year had some stiff competition. Last year I only featured two titles in what was a tie for my top comic, but this year I read way more titles, and it wouldn't be fair to only cover one title, so this year I'm giving you seven! Damn, I'm nice. With last year's co-winners Sweet Tooth and Chew still cranking out issues on a monthly basis, will any fresh contenders be able to unseat the champs? (I'll give you a hint, one of them slipped completely out of the rankings all together...) What am I waiting for? Let's find out!

#5. Rocketeer Adventures: This title was an absolute blast. Basically, a bunch of the industry's best writers and artists got together and cranked out a bunch of short comics and gorgeous pin-up tributes to Dave Steven's Rocketeer.

Each issue of this four issue mini featured some of the best comics creators in the business. The first issue was pretty astounding, but with each issue, there seemed to be a theme of each creator trying to out-do the others. The result is some absolutely wonderful comics that offer a wide variety of Rocketeer action. High caliber writing and art is pretty much standard across the board in this Top 5 list, but Rocketeer Adventures offers more variety and plenty of bang for your buck.

Probably my favorite comics moment of the year came when I discovered Geoff Darrow's lovely double-page spread pin-up. Jaw Droppingly awesome.

#4. Batwoman: In case you've been living under a giant rock all year long, you know by now that DC relaunched all it's titles and started all their shit over at #1. This provided me with the opportunity to jump onto a bunch of their titles that looked worthy my attention. Out of the 52 titles they released, I deemed 7 of them worthy of my time and money. Of those 7, only one gets the glory of being a Battle Hymns Top 5 comic of 2011. That title is, of course, Batwoman.

Batwoman doesn't spend her time battling classic villains like her compatriot Batman, but she seems to have carved out her niche in Gotham's caped and cowled crime fighting community: the supernatural. In her most recent adventures she finds herself up against a ghostly child stealing wraith; with lots of personal and professional distractions going on amid all the action. The writing is solid, Kate Kane's sexuality is maturely handled, and issue after issue, this seems to get better and better. Oh, and the art? J.H. Williams III is at the top of his game. Absolutely beautiful work.

#3. The Sixth Gun: I love westerns, and I love fantasy so it should come as no surprise that I love The Sixth Gun, because those two elements have never been so wonderfully intertwined.

Sometimes I feel like the creators, Cullen Bunn and Brian Hurtt had me in mind when they came up with this concept, because it is very much geared to my tastes. I've been loving this title since issue #1 and have gladly been hooked for the whole journey so far.

The most recent story arc, Crossroads has been extremely entertaining and full of tense, shocking moments. This comic is pretty much guaranteed to deliver engaging characters, fun western-style action like train hijackings, and crazy supernatural moments like re-animated evil spirits each and every month. The art seems to just be getting better each go-around too, so there you go. All around awesomeness.

#2. The Intrepids: The Top 5 list would be sadly incomplete if I failed to mention the awesomeness that is The Intrepids.

Mad science, a tech-ed up teen team battling crazy creations like cyber bears, battle baboons, and robo-squids are all involved in this crazy fun, crazy awesome 5 issue mini series.

Series creators Kurtis Wiebe and Scott Kowalchuk definitely delivered the goods here. The writing by Wiebe is fantastic, and he delivers action, drama, tension and jokes with equal aplomb. Kowalchuk's art is some of my favorite from the year. He draws mad-science creations extremely well, and makes them look incredible...oh, and the rest of his art is great too, but those mad science creations...*sigh*

What astounded me the most about The Intrepids is that the story delivered on multiple fronts, and even packed in some emotional moments, and still managed to be the most fun comic to read on the shelves.

If you still haven't checked this title out, do so immediately.

#1. Sweet Tooth: You're still the one Sweet Tooth.

Impressively, despite some stiff competition, Sweet Tooth manages to find itself at the top of the heap once again, and really, it was an easy decision to put it at number one once again. The reason is simple: Sweet Tooth gets better with each issue. Not only that, but writer/artist, Jeff Lemire continues to explore new ways of telling the story, and by doing so, stretches the boundaries of the comics medium.

Not only is this my favorite on going comic, but it is steadily creeping up the list and becoming one of my favorite all time stories, period.

For as much as I think, discuss, and gush on and on about this series, I still have almost no idea how this will all turn out. So much of the bigger picture is still shrouded in mystery, but Lemire has done an excellent job off hiding his cards and slowly revealing them one at a time. I can't wait to see what the next year of Sweet Tooth will bring.

Runners Up:

Who is Jake Ellis?: Wonderful action packed espionage thriller. Great writing, satisfying ending to the series, and really cool art.

Blue Estate: A seedy Hollywood crime story with plenty of ins and outs. Crafty, twisty crime writing at it's finest.

BEST SINGLE ISSUE of the YEAR:

Who is Jake Ellis? #1: In a year where I read more comics than I ever have in my entire life, one issue stands out from the crowd, and that is Who is Jake Ellis? #1. When I read it, I felt like I was reading something completely new and unique, which is very rare these days. Both the writing and the art had a very fresh feel to them.

This issue pretty much did everything perfect. The writing by Nathan Edmondson was captivating, it introduced the primary characters, set up the plot, and delivered some great action and chase scenes. The art by Tonci Zonjic has an incredible vibe and personality that gave the series a signature style that is one of a kind.

This issue pretty much stormed the gates... and the whole damn castle fell with the following issues. In a year bulging with "#1" issues, this one easily takes the cake.

Runner Up: The Intrepids #1: I've got two words for you: Cyber Bear.

Welp, there you go, my favorite comics from the year. Are there titles I completely overlooked? What were your favorite comics from the year?

2011 Album of the Year

2011-12-14T09:18:00.000-08:00

Heritage by Opeth.

I'll admit, right out the gate, that this selection leaves me with a bit of a bitter taste in my mouth. The reason being that my music listening year seems so incomplete this time around. The fact that I still haven't had a chance to get in a full listen of Mastodon's The Hunter, let alone the ten plus listens I prefer before giving something a review really sticks in my craw. In many ways, this selection feels almost like a default selection.

Sure, it is a new album from my favorite band, but I can't exactly say that I love this album, so that sorta takes away from the whole Album of the Year thing. Which is strange because in terms of volume, I listened to a lot of new* music this year. (*Not necessarily a 2011 release, but new to my ears.) I delved into Amon Amarth's back stock of albums, dabbled in the melodic crunchiness of Baroness and Kylesa, journeyed to the dark lands of Black Metal with Immortal by my side and even explored the rock genre with The Black Keys. Despite all that, I didn't exactly discover anything that'll be getting steady play in my stereo.

So suffice it to say that this was a down year for me in terms of music.

So was Heritage a great album? Is it worthy of such exalted status? Well, my review wasn't exactly favorable, but that was based more on terms of how I liked it in comparison to the rest of Opeth's output rather than it's individual merits. All told, the album is quite good. The music is beautiful, and expertly crafted. Heritage has an appeal to non-metal music listeners as well as long time fans of the band, so in many ways this album is very much worthy of high praise and the lofty title as Battle Hymns' Album of the Year. And, for better or worse, whether I like the results or not, it is still the best piece of new music I listened to this year. So there you go.

By the way, if you aren't a fan of Opeth, you really should listen to their stuff. It is wonderful. Well, that's my album of the year. Aside from the Mastodon album, were there other glaring oversites? What was your favorite album of the year?

Graphic Novel Review: Planetary vols. 1-4

2011-12-11T13:01:00.000-08:00

Vol. 1: All Over the World
and Other Stories

On the day that I became an adult reader of comics, I biked to a local comic shop, browsed around for awhile, asked for advice from the guy who worked in the shop, and came away with the first volume of Planetary: All Over the World and Other Stories. I immediately dove in, and loved what I was reading. Soon after, I picked up the second volume, The Fourth Man and devoured that one as well. However, upon reading that second volume, I began to notice some cracks in my memory and decided that myself, and the series would be better off if the whole thing were ingested in one large serving of Planetary awesomeness.

The kicker was that the fourth and final volume wasn't out yet, so I waited. And when it came out in hardcover, I waited for the softcover edition. And when that was sold out, waited for it to come back in stock. Finally, I got my paws on it, and then waited again for the right time to read the whole shebang-a-bang in one mighty chunk. That time came when I needed something completely different from the epic intensity of Replay.

Vol. 2 The Fourth Man

So what is Planetary all about? Well, that isn't exactly clear after reading the first volume. The whole thing begins at a roadside diner in the middle of nowhere, where a white suited, white haired man named Elijah Snow is recruited to join Planetary by the sexy-beautiful-dangerous Jakita Wagner (who sorta looks like Baroness from G.I. Joe). Snow is offered the pay rate of one million dollars per year for the rest of his life for the exclusive use of his memory, talents and experience. Deciding anything is better than boredom, and shitty coffee at a low-rent diner, Snow joins up.

From there the team of Elijah Snow; century baby, aged 100 years old, with the ability to create intense cold, Jakita Wagner; extremely strong and fast, and The Drummer; uncanny knack for manipulating machines and electronics, explore and investigate a variety of amazing and strange secrets around the world. In the first volume alone they explore a secret cave that once housed the trophy room for a group of extraordinary metahumans, and is now a giant super-computer. They also travel to a remote island near Japan where giant monsters lay dead and rotting, and investigate a revenge minded ghost who prowls the streets of Hong Kong, among a variety of other weird and amazing phenomena.

From reading the first volume I got the sense that the Planetary team is all about uncovering and documenting all the world's secret history that makes the planet an interesting place. In addition, they seem to be somewhat diametrically opposed to a group calling themselves The Four, who seem determined to unlock and keep the world's great secrets for their own personal gain.

Vol. 3 Leaving the
20th Century

As the story moves along in the second volume, The Fourth Man, the narrative investigates who the mysterious financial backer is for the Planetary corporation. On top of that, you get a much more in-depth look at The Four, their scope of influence in the course of historical events, and the depth of their evil. The Four are essentially a pastiche of The Fantastic Four, except in the world of Planetay, they have used their powers, and mental capacity to work evil upon humanity. As the story moves forward, the conflict between Planetary, and The Four escalates.

Now that I'm a couple years into reading comics as a grown up, and I've read fairly widely across the medium, I gotta say that Planetary is probably the best possible adult re-introduction to comics on the shelf, and I'm thankful this is where I started. Planetary is proof that comics can be engaging, entertaining, fun and a worthy pursuit for adults. What is impressive is that this is a comic that doesn't rely on foul language, nudity or extreme violence to get the "mature" tag. Instead, it focuses on having a great story, where every detail is important, and everything that happens, or is mentioned, down to the tiniest detail, winds up having some importance later on in the story. Mix in some nice nostalgia, and more imaginative and fantastic ideas than a China Mieville novel and you have an amazing comic aimed at a reader who wants to read an actual story.

Vol. 4 Spacetime Archaeology

Though I said it earlier, it should be explicitly noted that Planetary features some incredibly strong writing. This is Warren Ellis at his peak, and for my money, the best stuff of his I've read so far. I can't imagine having to read this in single issues though, as it took about a decade for all 27 issues to come out, which is way worse then the year I had to wait for Ellis to produce all four of the Captain Swing issues.

Rate of publication aside, this is some fantastic writing, and Planetery really showcases Ellis' ability to come up with some amazing an imaginative ideas. Each issue reads like its own enclosed story, yet stays true to comics' episodic roots by simultaneously being a thread that ties into a much larger and more elaborate tapestry. The end result is a story with multiple elements and a payoff that is top notch.

Complimenting Warren Ellis' writing efforts is John Cassaday on art, and the effort here is no less amazing. Cassaday is one of those artists whose style is so refined and practiced that when you see even just a portion of a panel it is instantly recognizable as their work. In a medium where the talent is plentiful, and the competition fierce, Cassaday's work on Planetary stands out not only as his magnum opus, but as a landmark work in the entire industry.

So what makes Cassaday's efforts on Planetary so special? The reason is quite simple; the range of things Cassaday is called upon to draw in this series is off the charts. The man draws everything from mad science constructs, to fantastical otherworldly technology, to metahuman abilities, to giant ants, to steampunk creations, to selective physics distortion fields, to theoretical snowflakes that exist in 196,833 dimensional space...or something like that. (Not to mention frozen vampire nut-kicks!) The fact that Cassaday can draw these fabulous feats of imagination is impressive, and the fact that he draws them so damn well is astounding. As much as Planetary is a feat of writing, it is every bit equally a delicious feast for the eyes.

With equally wonderful writing and illustration, Planetary is the total package, and a comic series that I recommend with every fiber of my being. This is a comic that will impress lovers of the medium, cause comic haters to erase their line in the sand, and flat out entertain and enthrall anyone who loves a good story. Since this blog caters mostly to fans of the fantastic, I'll add that there's plenty here to wet your whistle. This is flat out an amazing read. The best thing I've read so far in the comics medium.

Grades:

All Over the World and Other Stories: A+
The Fourth Man: A+
Leaving the 20th Century: A+
Spacetime Archaeology: A+

Music Break: Red Fang

2011-12-08T13:38:00.000-08:00

I've been exploring the music of Red Fang lately, ever since I discovered the wonder that is Pandora...don't laugh, I tend to show up late to the party more often than not. They're a Hard Rock/Metal band from my neck of the woods, the Pacific Northwest, but they hail from Portland, which doesn't surprise me, because as a city, Seattle's collective music taste is way too wimpy to handle a band like this right now.

Still, in today's world of emo and indie rock, Red Fang is like a breath of beery cigarette smoke-filled air to a metal lover like me. When the gift cards I imagine my Chistmas stocking being filled with start rolling in, I expect to snag at least one of their albums and give it a review here at the Battle Hymns. Until then, enjoy this Awesome (capital A!) and hilarious video that does a good job of capturing the feel I try to achieve here at the blog. ENJOY!

Book Review: Replay

2011-12-06T09:03:00.000-08:00

After reading and loving The Prestige, and reading and having mixed feelings about Mythago Wood, I decided to hop back on the World Fantasy Award winning train and check out another winner, Replay by Ken Grimwood. It turns out those World Fantasy Award folks might know what they are doing.

What if you could live your life over again, retaining all knowledge and experience you acquired in your first go around?

Replay is the story of Jeff Winston, a 43 year old man who at the beginning of the novel dies of a heart attack, then inexplicably reawakens to find himself alive and well in his college dorm room at the age of 18, with all his previous memories intact. Upon figuring out that the following 25 years of existence weren't just some crazy, extremely detailed dream, Jeff does what anyone (even Biff Tannen) would do if they had exclusive knowledge of the future: bet a shit load of money on a variety of sporting events and strike it rich.

After years of luxurious and heart healthy living Jeff once again dies of a heart-attack on the same date and time of his first life, only to reawaken again at age 18 only a few hours after his first initial return. Before too long, Jeff realizes that he is replaying the same life cycle over and over, except that he is increasingly losing time at the beginning of each successive cycle.

During one of his replays, Jeff notices a film that never existed on previous replays, created by an unknown filmmaker by the name of Pamela Phillips, and directed, produced, and acted by Hollywood big-shots who shouldn't get their big breaks for at least a few more years. That's when Jeff realizes he's not the only replayer out there, experiencing this strange phenomenon.

I can't deny the fact that Replay reminded me a lot of the film Groundhog Day, except the novel takes place over a much larger time scale. Like Bill Murray's character, Jeff also indulges in some wild, hedonistic behavior, and takes advantage of the situation to make his life more comfortable and entertaining. Not that I can blame the guy, I would probably do the same things myself. The kicker was that initially, the book followed a somewhat predictable course, that while entertaining, didn't exactly break new ground. However, once fellow replayer Pamela Phillips enters the novel, things pick up, and novel takes some very unexpected directions.

Jeff and Pam think of themselves as soul mates and their love story is one that many would envy; being able to share multiple lives together is a dream of many lovers, and Jeff and Pam get to live that dream over and over. But as the replays start to stack up, the the time loss increases with each subsequent replay, and sharing their lives together gets increasingly difficult. The ways they go about sharing their lives, and loving each other across time and distance is quite powerful and remarkable. I almost never get sucked into love stories, but with Replay I was incredibly sucked in, in ways I never expected, and found it to be the most impressive piece of this novel. Grimwood evokes some very powerful and touching moments that will cause a stir in even the most black hearted soul.

Not only did Grimwood write a novel with a concept that captures the attention, and a love story that captures the heart, but he also wrote a compelling story that will capture the mind. The meaning of life is a question that has plagued many a mind, and while Replay does not go so far as to tell one how it should be done, but it does give the reader a lot to think about in terms of ways to give it your best shot.

Going into this one I figured I would be getting a fun, somewhat engaging novel that would provide some distraction and relief from my otherwise dull textual reading for school. I was pleasantly surprised to find an incredibly powerful novel that has left a lasting impression on me. Will this novel keep you up reading waaaaaaay past your bedtime? Yes. Will this novel give you cause to to think and analyze its ideas and meanings when you should definitely be thinking and focusing on other things? Yes. Will this novel cause you to weepingly call your significant other in the dead of night just to say "I love you"? Uh, no comment...

If not for the power, and magic of the aforementioned The Prestige, Replay would find itself sitting firmly at the top of the "Best of" heap for my reading this year. Still, it is among good company. Replay is a true gem of the fantasy genre, and an unexpectedly amazing read. This is another book that I look forward to revisiting sometime down the road, as I think new meanings and discoveries can be made with each reading. This one gets the full on Battle Hymns epic recommendation. Fantastic stuff.

Grade: A+

Comic Review: Lost at Sea

2011-12-04T10:52:00.000-08:00

I picked up Brian Lee O'Malley's Lost at Sea on the strength of his amazing and wonderful Scott Pilgrim series, which ranks up there as one of my favorite comic series of all time. When I came across Lost at Sea, his debut comic, I figured I'd give it a go.

Lost at Sea is very different from O'Malley's Scott Pilgrim stuff. The overall mood is much more emo, and the art is less developed than his work on Scott Pilgrim. The story follows a teen aged girl, Raleigh, who claims to have no soul because it was stolen by a cat. On top of being souless, Raleigh is friendless, and seems more or less listless on a day to day basis. So why is she on a road trip with three boisterous classmates she barely even knows?

If you've ever been eighteen, and had little to no direction in your life, you will probably find something to relate to in Lost at Sea. This adventure of finding inner peace, and a bit of meaning in life is a story that I feel like many readers can relate to. That being said, the overall tone is a bit on the melancholy side, which was a slight deterrent for me. While I could relate to and connect with Raleigh's emotions, I often felt the book was a bit too whiny and inner-turmoil-ly for me.

This graphic novel shined brightest in terms of dialog. O'Malley really has a knack for making his dialog come to life, and I really got the sense I was listening to bunch of teens converse when I read the word bubbles.

Raleigh's character is well written, and she comes across with a feeling of familiarity. Compared to the other characters in the story she is by far, the stand out. The other characters seem to mostly be there to offset Raleigh's mopeyness with their humor. The Secondary characters in Scott Pilgrim served a similar offsetting purpose as well, but they were simultaneously memorable, and much loved. The secondary characters in Lost at Sea don't have that kind of staying power, and the overall story pales in comparison for that fact.

Overall, this is a solid story, and one that most readers can relate to. However,I had a hard time fully connecting to the narrative. Maybe I'm too far removed from the troubles that plague an eighteen year old to fully invest myself and care about what happens to that character, which may be the case here, but I think O'Malley goes a bit overboard with the emotions and doesn't give Raleigh enough other characteristics to make the reader become fully invested in her troubles. That's a writing trick that isn't easy to pull off, and O'Malley narrowly misses here, but I think he nailed it with the Scott Pilgrim series.

I tentatively recommend this as it is an interesting and entertaining look at the emotional processes of a young woman, and an interesting treatise on cat soul-theft, but in my opinion, not as strong or impactful as it could be. For Brian Lee O'Malley fans, this is definitely worth checking out.

Grade: C+

Welcome to the DCnU Issue #3 Edition (Part 2)

2011-12-01T08:53:00.000-08:00

Batwoman #3: Well Batwoman, you're still the one. This is hands down my favorite title from the new DC stuff, and overall, one of my favorite titles on my pull list. The reasons why are pretty simple, strong writing and absolutely beautiful art make this a must read.

I've said all that before though, so in an attempt to say something new and original I'll add that I'm really falling in love with the Batwoman/Kate Kane character. I like that she is on the one hand highly skilled, and good at ass kicking, but on the other hand, a bit head strong and prone to getting in over her head. Her alter-ego, Kate Kane is no less interesting, and I find that the story around her personal life is quite engaging. The writers handle her sexuality in a mature way that is nice to read. Tack on an interesting sub-plot with her side kick and you have comic gold.

The Shade #2: Not technically a "New 52!" title,(though he is "Marked for Death!"), but it's a DC title, and it's new, so I'm lumping it in with these ones.

I'm sad to say this, but no matter how badly I want to like this title, I can't bring myself to get into it.

The first two issues haven't done me any favors. The first one was ok, but this one didn't do a damn thing for me, and didn't capture my interest at all. The writing is a bit on the cheesy side, and while there are lots of great artists lined up for this title, that factor isn't enough to keep me around. If I want I can always flip through the new issues and oogle the art, but I wont be carrying on with The Shade any longer. A theme that will be recurrent with this edition of Welcome to the DCnU.

Animal Man #3: Another case of the dropped title here.

I was on the fence with this one for the past two months, and I figured the ol' baseball adage, "three strikes and yer out" worked well here. Jeff Lemire's writing has been decent so far, but in my opinion, certain plot points seemed to happen or come together a bit too easily.

The writing isn't my biggest concern though, as I haven't been a fan of Travel Foreman's art since issue one. I'll hand it to him, the man does have his occasional moments of really great, wonderful looking art, but the spaces between those moments are not that good at all. I think I've called it flat, lacking in detail and sterilized looking in the past, and I think that pretty much sums it up. There isn't nearly enough here to keep me interested, so I won't be reading this title anymore.

Detective Comics #3: Forming the final head on this three-headed beast of dropped titles is the latest installment of Detective Comics. Once again Tony Daniel underwhelms the reader with his steady knack for telling a Batman story the reader feels like he/she has read a million times before.

Not only does the story seem dull and well worn, but Daniel's approach to Batman has a paint by numbers feel to it that is equally lame. It's as if the man has a check list that he makes sure he works through for each issue. Gadgets, fisticuffs, bat-cave, goofy detecting, and on the list goes on. But I wont.

I like to think I'm an easy man to please. Just give me some strong writing, and solid art, with compelling characters and I'm happy. Detective Comics fails on all levels.

And with that major downer of a Welcome to the DCnU installment I conclude this series of posts. From now on, if they are good enough or noteworthy enough, I'll pepper some of these titles in with my Comic Quickies posts. There are some VERY awesome titles hitting the shelves in the next few months that I'm really excited about, so expect some good comic reading tips coming your way soon!

Welcome to the DCnU Issue #3 edition (Part 1)

2011-11-30T09:22:00.000-08:00

Batman #3: Allow me to take a BIG sigh of relief. Why? Because I didn't hate the art in this issue. Truth be told, this is the best issue of Batman so far.

Not only is there some sweet bat detective stuff going on, but I thought Greg Capullo's art was pretty solid in this issue. I think what enamored me to it the most is that Capullo seemed to be experimenting with his "lens" and how the panels were viewed by the reader. This led to some strange panel art, like the one where a conversation between Bruce and Alfred is viewed through the eye holes of the Bat-cowl sitting on a nearby table. The technique worked best when Batman was doing his detecting and Capullo would highlight clues so that it felt like the reader was detecting alongside Batman.

This title is probably the best written title out of all the new DC stuff I'm reading, and for that reason alone, I will tough out Capullo's art. Hopefully, this issue is a sign that he's growing into the job, and growing as an artist.

All Star Western #3: The first arc of this new series is tied up in this third issue, which was a surprise, and for my money, felt a bit rushed. It was like, all of a sudden, boom, on to a new arc! It looks like Hex will be sticking around Gotham though, and hopefully Amadeus Arkham will continue to be a character, because he's pretty much the only likable character in the title. Don't get me wrong, Jonah Hex is fun to read, but the man's an asshole.

Aside from the weirdly rushed writing, I felt like Moritat's art looked a bit rushed in this one too. The beautiful high detail that was prevalent in the first two issues wasn't there, and often there was little to no background art in the panels. On the other hand, there were two sweet double page spreads, so it almost balances out in the end. Hopefully Moritat can recapture the thunder in the next issue.

Action Comics #3: I was freaking out when I read the first few pages of this issue, because I thought that all of a sudden Rags Morales had gotten amazing at art. I figured he must have taken some sort of magical elixir because if I wasn't mistaken, his art was looking a lot like it was drawn by Gene Ha...then I realized it was Gene Ha doing the art on the first few pages.

WOW. Amazing. His depiction of planet Krypton before the destruction is bee-yoo-tee-ful.

Back on planet Earth, things aren't going so well for Supes. He's got the po-po breathing down his neck, some anti-alien animosity aimed in his S-chested direction, and from the looks of things, a showdown with a battalion of robots and a freaky cyborg dude in his future, oh, also the threat of an alien invasion. Sounds FUN! I know I can't wait.

Frankenstein Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #3: In this issue Frankenstein and his fellow monster buddies travel to a planet that is literally covered in monsters, and attempt to kill them all. Then they discover that three other areas of the planet are monster infested as well, and have a giant epic monster to defeat in each of those regions as well. Can you say "Boss Battle"?

It is almost silly how simplistic and straight forward this comic can be at times, but that simplicity is primarily what makes this a fun title to read. Yes, this title is sort of a guilty pleasure for me, but so far it has been consistently fun, and highly entertaining. Plus, as I mentioned before, I am a sucker for monsters, and this is pretty much the mecca of monsters.

Comic Quickies: Some Endings

2011-11-28T18:22:00.000-08:00

Captain Swing #4 of 4: Well, it's about fucking time! I've been waiting for this series to conclude for quite a while now. Not only was it about a five month wait between issue #3 and #4, but I recall buying Captain Swing #1 as my very first floppy issue purchased as an adult a little over a year and a half ago. Yeah, that's a long time to wait for four issues.

Ellis did manage to wrap things up pretty well here, but the story definitely suffered for the long wait between issues. For my money, the third issue was the best in the series.

Captain Swing is definitely worth a read in graphic novel format when it comes out, particularly if you're into pirates, Victorian era electro-steampunky shenanigans, good writing and solid art.

The Red Wing #4 of 4: Unlike Captain Swing, The Red Wing came out in nice rapid-fire release style, sticking to the monthly schedule. Unfortunately, that didn't do me a lot of good, because even with the typical gaps between installments, I still had a hard time following the story and remembering what exactly was going on.

For that reason, I would advise enjoying this tale of futuristic time-travel and intergalactic war in one sitting. Despite my sieve-like memory, I did still enjoy this. Have I mentioned I enjoy time-travel stories?

My one gripe for this title is Nick Pitarra's art. I started out really liking it, but by the fourth issue, I was a bit tired of it. There wasn't much variety in the content from issue to issue, and I definitely got sick of the whole "draw every little part and piece of some object" shtick. (Look to the cover for an example of this technique).

I'll definitely have to give this whole deal another read sometime in the future to get the full effect.

Witch Doctor #4 of 4: Winning the award for pure, crazy fun is Witch Doctor. It's no mystery that I can't get enough of weird, crazy monsters, and Witch Doctor has been doing a real good job of providing me with my fix.

This is a title by two new creators, Brandon Seifert and Lukas Ketner, and they've each gotten better at their respective jobs with each issue. Siefert's writing has gotten sharper with each consecutive issue, and Ketner's art seems to improve with each panel. Each creator seems to be on a nice skyward trajectory, and I can't wait to see what they have in store next.

Though this is the end of this Witch Doctor mini-series, there is more to come soon. There'll be a nice little Witch Doctor one-shot coming in time for the Holidays, and another mini-series coming early next year. Hopefully they'll be able to keep the ball rolling on this fantastically weird, funny, disgusting, and exciting title.

Read and enjoy!

The Vault #3 of 3: The whole time I was reading this final issue of The Vault, I kept thinking to myself how it was set up, and felt very much like a movie; with three distinct acts, the first which set up the situation, the second which saw everything go haywire, and the third where everything comes together. Then I heard that The Vault had been already been optioned for film production. Well, surprise, surprise!

I'm not sure how I feel about comics that are basically story-boards for a movie. I'm not sure that was writer's and artist's goal with The Vault, but the fact that I thought the comics had a movie script-like feel to them, then found out it was indeed going to become a movie is a pretty good indicator that ulterior motives were afoot.

Movie conspiracies or not, this was still a pretty fun comic to read. My biggest complaint was that the evil beastie wasn't that cool looking. I never felt like it made much of an impression as a thing to be feared. Decent stuff here, but nothing that brings anything new to the table. A decent read, but not one I consider must-read comics.

Book Review: The Heroes

2011-11-25T12:28:00.000-08:00

When I find an author that I enjoy, like Joe Abercrombie, I usually tend to stretch his or her books out, so that I'm enjoying something by that person on a yearly basis. I read Best Served Cold back in the summer, so what am I doing reading another Abercrombie book this year? Well, as I've established before, I can be mentally weak at times. Basically what happened was that there was a gift card to a certain online book seller, and I spent it all in one epic book buying fest, and what you see before you is one of those purchases. Money well spent.

Like The First Law and Best Served Cold books before it, The Heroes is set in the same universe. This time around the focus of the story is much more fine tuned, and takes place over the course of a few days. Thousands of men from either the North, or the Union are converging on a forgotten hill set in the middle of a small farming valley near the border of the two lands. It is there in that valley and on that hill named The Heroes that the two sides will clash.

As I mentioned earlier, The Heroes is tightly focused. That brief description I just gave is just about all there is to this book; a three day battle over useless, abandoned land. However, that tight focus is what makes this book great. The focus of this novel is so sharp that the pacing is wonderful, and the action is pretty much non-stop.

I've gotten so accustomed to massively epic fantasy with huge worlds, hundreds of characters, and numerous story lines that a book The Heroes, that takes place on such a small scale, almost seems improbable. I've noticed myself becoming increasingly burnt out on epic fantasy the past couple years, so a book like this was a welcome alternative.

The one complaint I did have about the small setting was that I found myself confused sometimes about the scale of the battlefield. It seemed like troop movements, and how long it took them to cover distances was inconsistent at times. Though legitimate maps are provided in a Joe Abercrombie book for the first time, it was still hard to judge distances between regiments, and battle lines at times. Still, a minor complaint, and one that is grossly outweighed by all the positives.

Since The Heroes is set in the same world as the rest of Abercrombie's books, there are a few recurring characters that devoted readers will be familiar with. A few of the names that are back in varying capacity are Black Dow, Calder, Scale, Caul Shivers, Jalenhorm, Byaz, and Bremer dan Gorst. Alongside these familiar names are a wonderful cast of new characters as well. Though I did enjoy reading all the characters, I've begun to notice a familiar Joe Abercrombie character building pattern: each character seems to embody one main, overriding trait like self pity, ambition, or self perseverance, and then have a few other less prominent traits mixed in. Now, I will agree that many people in the world do tend to have a well defined character such as those in Abercrombie's books, but I feel like this model for character building doesn't allow me to really discover the depths of Abercrombie's characters. That said, his characters are very memorable, and fun to read about so I can't complain too much.

The story is told through a variety of point of view characters but I definitely had favorite point of view characters on each side. For the Union, Bremer dan Gorst was my favorite to root for. The guy is an all out beast when it comes to war, but mentally he's a mess, and enjoyed seeing if he'd ever manage to straighten himself out. For the North, Curnden Craw, a veteran, a named man, and leader of a dozen was a probably the easiest character in the book to root for. I found myself fretting over his well being like a nervous soccer mom. The other point of view characters were all fun to read, and that factor is a big reason why this book is so damn great.

Aside from the great cast of point of view characters, there are many secondary characters that populate this book, and give it more life. I think Abercrombie is at his best and having the most fun when he's writing the rough and rowdy Northmen, and it showed with characters like Whirrun of Bligh, Glama Golden, and Cairm Ironhead.

Looking back at Abercrombie's past novels, I would say they all pale in comparison to The Heroes. This is definitely his best effort yet. Looking back at Best Served Cold, it could have done with a tighter focus and feels bloated in retrospect. The fact that I loved that book should prove just how much of an improvement this book is.

On top of being a great read, there are a few important developments that occur in The Heroes that make me very excited for Abercrombie's next effort, whatever that may be and whenever that may come. Fans of Abercrombie's previous works will feel right at home with the gritty violence, realistic characters, and balls out action. For those of you who haven't read Abercrombie's stuff, I would advise starting with The Blade Itself and plowing through his stuff from there. You wont regret it.

Grade: A+

Comic Review: The Boys vol.1 The Name of the Game

2011-11-22T08:53:00.000-08:00

Oh man, did I ever enjoy Preacher. It is right up there as one of my all time favorite graphic novel series. Going off the strength of that experience, I thought for sure that Garth Ennis' other big comic series The Boys would also be a sure fire hit for me as well. You gotta trust your instincts right? Well, It turns out my instincts aren't as sharp as I had hoped...

The Boys are a C.I.A. backed team of dangerous, quite likely even psychotic individuals. The team, which consists of a motley crew if there ever was one, are employed by the U.S. government to protect the country from earth's superheroes; who run the risk of finally coming to the conclusion that they could rule the world if they so desired. Here to prevent that from happening are The Boys, who do their best to keep the superhero threat controlled, and if necessary, remove potential threats.

I'll admit, the premise of this series did intrigue me. The Boys sorta seemed like the anti-Authority, and with Ennis at the helm, I had hopes that would lead in some pretty interesting directions. Not to mention the catharsis I imagined feeling when slightly altered yet easily identifiable super heroes got their asses kicked by a bunch of no-names. Though I did get a bit of wish fulfillment with the latter part, I was sadly disappointed in all other terms.

The first and ultimately most disappointing thing about The Boys is that it is by far the most mature comic I've ever read. In terms of language, and graphic content it is pretty much off the charts. However, the mature-ness of the whole thing is taken so far to the extreme that it manages to become simultaneously the most immature comic I've ever read. The "humor" registers at an extremely low maturity level, and the excess and raunchiness of the sex might be exciting and/or hilarious to some, but for me it was ridiculous, offending and stupid. Throw in a few other instances that made me cringe and severely question my own judgement in purchasing this title, and you have a complete fail of a read.

It seems pretty clear to me that Ennis tried really hard to make this the most edgy, balls out, extreme, no holds barred comic on the shelves, and he did that by pushing all the wrong buttons. There is so much useless sex, sexism, and stupidity in this title that it completely lost sight of the concept, which could have been interesting. I wouldn't mind reading a comic about a group of people who keep the incredibly powerful superhumans in check, and how they do it, but sadly, that shit ain't gonna happen because I'm not reading any more of The Boys, and it is unlikely that this concept will get revisited anytime soon.

I think what is most frustrating for me is that I normally don't mind, and even enjoy a bit of humor, foul language, violence and sex. They can all be used to make a story better and stronger. Look no further than Tim Marquitz' Demon Squad books for an example of all four elements done right. The thing is, humor, language, violence and sex all have a greater impact when they are used in small doses, but with The Boys there is no such thing as a small dose, it is all the time to the point of perversion. Ennis could have cut back and added more depth to the story, developed more characters, or given more life to the world, but instead he opted for a fairly straight forward plot that did little to interest me.

All told, this one was an epic fail. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone, and would advise staying away. I really liked Ennis' Preacher series, but I guess I'll be more cautious with his stuff in the future. Simply put, this is the worst thing I've read in years.

Grade: F-

Book Review: Winter's Bone

2011-11-20T11:57:00.000-08:00

Every now and again I like to take a break from my fantasy and comic reading for a little jaunt in the crime/thriller/mystery realms of fiction. This is one such occasion.

Winter's Bone is a recent victim of the Hollywood trend where they take books and make 'em into movies. I'm not much of a movie watcher, but occasionally people who know my tastes in stories will recommend a film to me and if said movie happened to be a book before it was a movie, I'll usually try to read the source material first, which is exactly what led me to this novel.

Winter's Bone follows Ree Dolly, a sixteen year old girl, busy taking care of her two little brothers, and her crazy mother, trying to make it through a tough winter in the Ozarks. Her dad, out on bail for charges of running a crystal meth lab, has a court date coming up but he's gone missing. This wouldn't be much of a concern to Ree, but her father put the house, and the family's vast tract of timber up to make his bail. If her father doesn't show his face in court, the house and land will be lost and Ree, her little brothers, and her mother will be homeless. Ree takes it upon herself to track her father down, calling upon a variety of shady family and community members who might know of his whereabouts.

Winter's Bone is a slim and trim novel, with no wasted words or space. The narrative maintains it's singular focus and drives straight ahead with very little preamble. I enjoyed the slick presentation and honed edge of the narrative flow. The author, Daniel Woodrell does a remarkable job of giving the story a pared down feel, without actually skimping on prose or descriptive passages. Woodrell also does a great job of bringing the setting of a small, rural town in the Ozarks to life on the page. Though I've never visited that part of the country, it was easy to visualize, and get a sense of what the place is like.

Woodrell also was able to give me a strong impression of the mentality and tacit cultural norms the people of that region possess. It's difficult for me to put my finger on exactly how he accomplished this, but I was able to fathom the depth of the Dolly family network and the rural culture that "circles the wagons" and protects itself at all costs from outside threats. This quality gave the novel some added depth that I wasn't expecting, yet fully appreciated.

On top of a strong narrative flow, and the insider's glimpse at the fringe of society, Woodrell also adds strong character building to his list of talents. Despite being just sixteen, Ree Dolly is tough, and world weary beyond her years. She's got guts too. Her search for her father is an act of bull headed bravery that I have to admire; Ree is easily one of the most memorable and remarkable women of fiction I've experienced. In addition to Ree, her Uncle Teardrop, and the rest of the cast of characters are all impressively written.

The sharp pacing, solid plotting, astute writing and intriguing characters all combine to make Winter's Bone a great read. Woodrell is definitely an author I'll be getting back to some day. Another great excursion afield from my usual fantasy and comic hauntings. Worth a read, before you watch the film, which, by the way, I also recommend. Hollywood didn't fuck that one up. The book, as usual, is better.

Grade: A-

Comic Review: Locke & Key vol.2 Head Games

2011-11-16T14:02:00.000-08:00

After the events which saw their father murdered, the family moved across country, and their family attacked in their new home by their father's escaped killer, the Locke kids have finally begun to piece their shattered lives back together.

Tyler and Kinsey are starting to settle in at their new school and have even made a new friend; A boy named Zack, who, like the Lockes, is a new student and the nephew of one of the faculty at Lovecraft Academy. Meanwhile, Bode, the youngest, is filling his time exploring their massive new home and the surrounding acres.

Their new home, Keyhouse, is aptly named due to the fact that hidden in and around the massive house are special keys, each of which give the wielder a unique power or ability. When Bode finds the Head Key, a key that unlocks your mind giving the wielder the ability to learn or unlearn any skill, he once again attracts the attention of Doge, an evil and vile creature who seems bent on the Locke family's destruction.

After reading the opening volume to this comic series, I was quite impressed to say the least. Given the fact that the writing is handled by Joe Hill, a guy who is rapidly moving up the "Battle Hymns' Favorite Author" rankings, I had a good feeling that the second volume, Head Games, would deliver as well.

It did.

Though Locke & Key shines for many reasons, one of the brighter qualities of the series are its characters. Maybe I have a soft spot for the whole "kids in danger" plot element, but I find that the Locke children are really fun to root for, and I find myself fretting over their safety more than is healthy. What makes them great though is that they actually "act" their age. They are prone to mistakes, ill advised decisions, and all the emotions that come with the territory. While they may sound cliched, the effect of past events in their life color who they are today, and causes them to rise above your typical pop culture ideals of what "kids" are like. When you add in their Uncle who is trying to juggle his own life, and help his sister-in-law, niece, and nephews rebuild their own, and the mother who is in a constant state of wine soaked shock and detachment you get a wonderful cast of characters to root for.

The Locke family wouldn't be nearly as much fun to root for if they weren't being constantly put in danger by a frightening antagonist. Dodge, the malevolent spirit that plagues Keyhouse, is one scary, duplicitous, vile, and extremely cruel bastard of an antagonist. There is little I can say about Dodge that wouldn't cause some spoilers to leak out, but I will say that Dodge is a character that will keep you up late at night, and plague your dreams while you sleep. That fact that Dodge is always about twenty steps ahead of the Locke kids is a frightening prospect.

I may be parroting my review for Welcome to Lovecraft, but the magical keys are a wonderful and ingenious plot element. They are a fairly simple concept really, but truth be told, who needs complex, hard to explain magic systems? Not me. The mystery that surrounds the keys is another of the great qualities of the Locke & Key series. Though only five keys have been discovered and used thus far in the books, many others, and their abilities have been hinted at. I think I've also noticed a couple other keys hidden in certain panels, and I can only assume they'll come into play at some point in the future. How or when, I don't know but I can't wait to find out.

I'll spare you the effort of reading a paragraph about the writing and art, and simply say: Once again, top notch writing and great artwork graces the pages of Head Games. I can't find much to complain about on either front, and find both aspects of the comic to be quite awesome. Locke & Key: Head Games seems to be a case of both creators functioning at the top of their games. A rare and welcome treat.

It's no secret that I loved Welcome to Lovecraft, and while I can't say that Head Games is better, I also can't say it's worse either. The high level of storytelling and art that was present in the first volume is present once again, only this time, the plot thickens, the characters get a bit more developed, and as a result, I find myself further sucked into the world, and can't wait to read more. I'll probably resist the urge to read the third volume until after the new year, but if you're reading this and haven't given this series a shot, don't delay. Locke & Key is some of the very best comics on the shelves.

Grade: A+

My 10 Favorite Bands

2011-11-13T14:46:00.000-08:00

I was sitting through a three hour lecture the other day, and a point in time came where I had eaten all the snacks I had brought, doodled all over an entire page of notes, and gotten up to "pee" a.k.a. escape the drudgery, three times. Desperate to do something, anything, other than actually paying attention, I decided to make a list of my favorite bands. Then, inspiration struck: turn the list into a blog post! Everybody likes lists right? Well, I do, and I know at least one other blogger who is a fan of the lists, so here it comes. The OFFICIAL Battle Hymns top 10 bands, complete with my favorite song from each band the the three albums that are most essential to my collection....

#10. IRON MAIDEN: What? Iron Maiden in the ten spot? I know blasphemy right? Well, make no mistake, I love this band, but I uh, ahem, only own three of their albums. Yeah, I realize I may have just lost some cool points, but I own the three most awesome Iron Maiden albums, The Number of the Beast, Powerslave, and Piece of Mind. The strength of those three albums raises them above so many other bands in my music collection. Each and every song on those three albums are essential Iron Maiden songs, and I habitually name my fantasy baseball and fantasy football teams after Iron Maiden song titles.

Favorite Song: Flight of Icarus

Essential Albums: Take a guess...

#9. THE DOORS: Hey-oh! Another shocker right out the gate, a classic rock band! The Doors are one of those bands that people either seem to love or hate. I happen to fall into the love category. Do I know the lyrics to over 90% of their catalog? Yes I do. Do I tend to sing along with said 90% of songs whenever I hear them? Also a yes. By the way, I can't sing for shit. The fact that this is one of the only bands both myself and my lady both like means they get a lot of air time on road trips. The only two albums I haven't gotten totally into are Soft Parade and Strange Days. The rest of their stuff from '67 to '71 is gold.

Favorite Song: Maggie M'Gill

Essential Albums: Waiting for the Sun, Morrison Hotel, The Doors

#8. TOOL: These dudes have been covered pretty extensively around here, but Tool still deserves to make it on this list. They are an amazing band both technically amazing, and lyrically astounding. Tool is one of those bands that seem to have a wide appeal. However, my tastes with Tool haven't exactly evolved along with the band. My favorite Tool album is their EP release, Opiate. However, from there my tastes and their style seem to slowly and continually diverge. I caught these guys live for their Lateralus tour and it still stands as one of my most favorite live shows of all time. To fully appreciate their talent, I firmly believe they need to be experienced live.

Favorite Song: Forty-six & 2

Essential Albums: Opiate, Undertow, Aenima

#7. MASTODON: Mastodon is a band that has evolved from their southern thrash metal roots into a slightly progressive, melodic yet still very thrashy metal band. When I first started listening to Mastodon, I didn't know if they were a band for my tastes. However, it didn't take too long for me to assimilate to their sound and with each subsequent release, they get better and better. Not only do they crank out some great studio albums, but they are a great band to see live. I've seen them play twice, and each time was pretty damn special.

Favorite Song: Blood and Thunder

Essential Albums: Crack the Skye, Leviathan, Blood Mountain

#6. FAITH NO MORE: If ever there was an acquired taste in the world of rock n' roll, it has to be Faith No More. I bought their third studio album, The Real Thing when I was eight or nine years old; Basing the purchase off their two highly accessible hit videos for Epic and Falling to Pieces which got steady air time on MTV. Boy was I in a surprise when I listened to the rest of that tape and heard songs like Surprise! You're Dead!, Woodpecker from Mars, and the lounge-y Edge of the World. It took me probably a full ten years to fully appreciate that album, and get to a point where I could listen to more of their catalog, of which each offering is as different from the last in a multitude of ways.

To love Faith No More, you have to appreciate that fact that this band should probably never have come together in the first place. They are one strange conglomeration of talent. They've got Mike Patton, possibly the most talented singer in all of the music industry...his range, and voice capabilities are one in a trillion, yet his musical tastes and areas where he wants to focus that talent is totally scatter-shot. Then you've got Mike Bordin, a guy who went on to drum for the likes of Ozzy, and Jim Martin who wishes he could get the chance to play for Ozzy, but never really got much of a chance to show off his Tony Iommi-like skills in FNM. Add in Roddy Bottum and Billy Gould who can tear it up on their respective instruments and you've got one talented line-up. It is a small miracle that this odd grouping managed to put together some of my favorite music.

Favorite Song: Caffeine

Essential Albums: The Real Thing, Angel Dust, Album of the Year

#5. PINK FLOYD: Simply put, Pink Floyd makes beautiful, sublime music. I never really got into their early stuff from the Syd Barrett era, or any of their other pre-70's stuff for that matter, and as for their output after The Wall, well, that's sorta like leaving Gimli out of the Fellowship.

That said, the 70's were a great decade for Pink Floyd and they made some wonderful music. Not only is their stuff entertaining, but it makes me think, which can be a rare thing in music. Believe it or not, I've been through some dark times in my day, and Pink Floyd was essential to the healing process. The Dark Side of the Moon is probably my most listened to album after Megadeth's Countdown to Extinction.

What makes this band great is that their music still sounds unique and fresh some 40 years after the fact.

Favorite Song: Comfortably Numb

Essential Albums: The Dark Side of the Moon, Meddle, The Wall

#4. PORCUPINE TREE: Out of all the bands in my top 10, Porcupine Tree is the band I'm the most new to. When I heard that the guy who produced some of Opeth's albums had a band of his own, I had to see what they were all about. The first song I heard from the first album I listened to (Blackest Eyes), made me an instant fan.

Sometimes melodic, sometimes proggy, sometimes heavy, sometimes quiet, Porcupine Tree is a band that will astound the listener with their versatility. Like Pink Floyd, their music can make you think, and often times has a message. Another band that seems to evolve and get better with each new album.

Favorite Song: Lazarus

Essential Albums: In Absentia, Deadwing, Fear of a Blank Planet

#3. BLACK SABBATH: All hail the elder God's of metal. Where would I be without Black Sabbath? Hard to say. They say Kieth Richards wrote every guitar riff known to man, but I think Tony Iommi deserves some credit for writing some incredibly awesome ones too. He also originated the heavy metal gallop, which became a signature part of Sabbath's sound.

I don't just love Black Sabbath for the fact that they were the first ever metal band, I love them because their music is, as Oprah would say: amaaaaaaaaazing. It's been 41 years since the release of their first album, and that album is still far superior to most of what passes as metal music these days. I know songs like Iron Man, and Paranoid get a lot of radio play, but the best Sabbath tunes are the ones that don't often see the light of day. I could get by without ever hearing Iron Man again, but so much of their remaining output is essential listening and gets steady play in my stereo.

Favorite Song: Black Sabbath

Essential Albums: Black Sabbath, Master of Reality, Black Sabbath Vol. 4

#2. MEGADETH: For years and years (age 10-24) I considered Megadeth my favorite band, but their drop-off in quality and the fact that they haven't released an album I want to listen to since 1997 has caused them to slip down a notch on the list. Truth be told, my love for Megadeth is mostly refined to a specific lineup...What I like to refer to as the Glory Years lineup of Dave Mustaine, Dave Ellefson, Marty Friedman and Nick Menza. During those years they released three of my all time favorite albums, and one pretty solid album (Cryptic Writings).

Not only does Megadeth score points for making some of my most loved music, but they also score some great nostalgia points. When I listen to Symphony of Destruction I can't help but think of being 11 years old, head banging and air guitaring with my brother in his room while we blasted said song through his boombox. Not to mention the thousands of other great times I can associate with this band. Simply put, ever since I've loved music, I've loved Megadeth. They've almost always been a part of my life, and I can't see that changing anytime soon.

Favorite Song: Symphony of Destruction

Essential Albums: Rust in Peace, Countdown to Extinction, Youthanasia

#1. OPETH: Yeah, not such a huge surprise here, but they really do deserve the top spot.

A few years back, myself, my brother, and a few other friends would get together for what we liked to call "Metal Night". A gathering that consisted of drinking beer, listening to metal, burning albums for each other, and watching some sort of metal film; Either a documentary, or a collection of videos, or recorded live performances. It was on one such Metal Night where I first heard Opeth, (The Song, Black Rose Immortal to be precise), and my mind was blown. I had never heard such exhilarating, heavy music that still managed to have form and melody. The next day I went out and bought two of their albums.

Though their sound, and my tastes seem to be on slightly divergent paths at the moment, Opeth nails down the top spot for the fact that they still make music I want to hear, and for that fact that they make the most amazing music I've ever heard in my life.

Favorite Song: Black Rose Immortal

Essential Albums: Morningrise, Blackwater Park, Deliverance

Book Review: Demon Squad: Resurrection

2011-11-09T22:41:00.000-08:00

After reading and enjoying the first Demon Squad book, Armageddon Bound, I knew it wouldn't be long before I read the second installment in the series, Resurrection. I tried really hard to put it off for a while though, because, you know, you gotta spread the good stuff out over time, but that damn thing sat there on my shelf staring at me. Demanding my attention. Like a crow spotting something shiny and reflective, I was lured in.

After the epic events of Armageddon Bound things have returned to business as usual for our intrepid hero Frank Trigg. By "business as usual" I mean trying desperately, and failing miserably to get himself laid. Just when it looks like Frank has found true love, or at least a prostitute who's good at pretending, his night is rudely interrupted by a horde of marauding zombies. The strange thing is, the zombies appear more inclined to capture humans than to feast on them, a sign that points to greater schemes. Schemes that Frank Trigg is bound to get caught up in.

As per usual, Frank soon finds himself in over his head, right smack dab in the middle of a sea of supernatural shit. With a necromancer, demon assassin, Satan's ex-wife, and an ultra powerful demon all using him as a pawn in elaborate schemes, Frank must do what he does best, survive, and if possible, stave off the resurrection of the Anti-Christ.

Zombies... Have I mentioned before that I hate Zombies? Well, those pesky bastards keep popping up all over the place these days, to the point that I've become a bit numbed by all of it. That said, the zombie element in Resurrection is just that, an element; one among many others at play in this slim, yet densely packed novel. And truth be told, they didn't bother me in the least here. In fact, I dare say they entertained me, which is saying a lot.

Love him or hate him, (pencil me in for a man-crush) Frank Trigg is back as the unwitting hero of this dark and twisted tale of back-stabbery, secret alliances and hidden agendas. Once again, the story is told through Trigg's first person perspective, and once again, that voice is pivotal to the story. Trigg is a great character to hitch the narrative onto because for better or worse, he is sure to find himself in the middle of the action, where ever that may be.

I was impressed by just how many insane elements Time Marquitz was able to pack into this novel. Just when the odds seemed terribly stacked against Frank Trigg, Marquitz would chuck in another villain, or demon or beast, or jilted ex-lover just to further stack the odds. Add in a boat load of plot twists, double and triple crosses, and plenty of surprising moments, Resurrection is pretty much non-stop action.

With Armageddon Bound I found myself slightly frustrated with the world building. I felt that the events of the story only seemed to affect the characters and had no ramifications to the innocent bystanders or regular folks who seemingly populated the world. This time around things are different. Reading Resurrection I definitely got the sense that there was an effort made to populate the world with regular everyday people, and have the events of the story make waves in the regular non-supernatural world. Marquitz makes this adjustment in a variety of ways, and it definitely serves to add another layer to the story.

Speaking of layers and elements, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the fact that once again Tim Marquitz gives a nice nod to fellow metal heads out there. Though there were many metal-moments I appreciated, and some I'm sure I missed, the greatest metal and comical moments all came when Chatterbox, the body-less zombie head, belted out metal hits in two part harmony with Trigg. You had to be there.

As far as sequels go, Resurrection is something for other series minded writers to take note of. Not only does this installment build on and improve the best parts of its predecessor, but it also adds plenty of new elements, characters and situations and ends with a nice little cliff-hanger that makes me wish I had the next volume, At the Gates, locked and loaded on my shelf. For as good as Armageddon Bound was, I'll definitely say Resurrection is a marked improvement.

All told, another successful, satisfying, and incredibly entertaining reading adventure for yours truly.

Grade: B+

Comic Review: It was the War of the Trenches

2011-11-07T21:19:00.000-08:00

I had never heard of Jacques Tardi until his beautiful looking graphic novels started turning up at my local comic shop. Tardi, a French graphic novelist, has only just recently made the jump across the Atlantic and had his works published here in the States. As each piece has made its debut I've become increasingly more interested in his work, and the act of deciding which story to read first has become increasingly difficult as time goes by and more of his stuff hits shelves.

When I finally decided to purchase and read some Tardi, I settled on It was the War of the Trenches, mostly for the fact that I hadn't read any war comics in a while, and had recently dabbled in the other genres his works represent. Once I started reading this tale of woe and suffering, I remembered why it had been so long since I'd last read a war comic; because they terrify, and depress me like no other.

Set during World War I, It was the War of the Trenches gives a grunt's eye view of the miserable existence that was trench warfare. Through a series of vignettes Tardi gives the reader an indelible view of what it was like to be a lowly French soldier in one of the deadliest wars in all human history. If going over the top, scouting enemy gun placements, or enemy artillery barrages didn't kill you, then friendly fire, starvation, or dysentery likely would.

Despite my aforementioned weak stomach for real-life war stories, I read It was the War of the Trenches in one spectacular and glorious sitting. This graphic novel is so expertly researched, and beautifully drawn that I couldn't make myself put it down. Tardi's artwork is amazing, and he captures the imagery of the war as well as any photograph. In many ways, Tardi's art which features settings that look photo-realistic, and humans with a slight cartoonish look to them, reminded me of Joe Sacco's art, but it's more likely that Sacco's art is inspired and influenced by the work of Tardi, since he's been around longer. Either way, Tardi's realistic depiction of places and spaces is as good as it gets, and gave me a strong sense of all the mud, blood and detritus of the trenches.

Tardi does something truly amazing with It was the War of the Trenches, with some words, and some lines on a page, he masterfully captures the brutality, stupidity, futility, cruelty, and reality of war. This is a black and grim graphic novel, but it is expertly crafted and is a work I am proud to have classing up my bookshelf. This is one of those graphic novels that is an essential for any lover of the comics medium. I'm an instant fan of Jacques Tardi, and will be reading more from this genius of the comics medium as soon as I can get my hands on more of his stuff.

Grade: A+

Grant Morrison, Frank Quitely, and Shaky F@$king Kane!

2011-11-04T20:32:00.000-07:00

Great news for my fellow comic nerds out there! Flex Mentallo is coming! After years of being tied up in legal limbo, this never before collected work that combines the talents of Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely is finally being printed here state-side for American consumption.

The story is spun out of Morrison's work on Doom Patrol, and follows body builder Flex Mentallo on a journey of self-discovery and meta-fiction weirdness...I'm down.

Not only does it feature the talents of my favorite writer/illustrator duo, but it comes in a snazzy hard cover OVERSIZED format. Bonus!

From the looks of things, this beautiful piece of work will be hitting shelves sometime in February. Something to look forward to.

Props to Multiversity Comics for helping me notice this...they got it from Vertigo: Graphic Content.

Another thing that has me quivering with excitement: Coming in November we have a sweet looking work of mad-cap genius from Shaky Kane.

I've had Monster Truck on my radar for a while now, but Comics Alliance just released a sneak preview, and it looks insane, and insanely awesome.

This uncouth graphic novel has a neat little twist to it: The art is 100% continuous; The edge of one page bleeds onto the next, so what you see at the right edge, will become the left edge of the following page. Technically, this is an 108 page piece of sequential art. I fully expect Monster Truck to be one crazy hallucinogenic voyage. Check out some of the preview pages below, and you can see what I mean about the sequential art.

Robots and Barbie dolls.

Clowns really creep me out.

Preview pictures courtesy of Comics Alliance.

Book Review: Kraken

2011-11-02T09:11:00.000-07:00

China Mieville is what I would consider a top tier fantasy writer; Up there with the likes of Martin, Rothfuss, Kay, Abercrombie, and Bakker. A guy known to crank out quality works that I consistently want to read. With Mieville I always try to make sure I read at least one of his works per year. Up for 2011 is Kraken an urban fantasy tale set in London.

Billy Harrow is a pretty ordinary guy. He works at the Darwin Center in the Natural History Museum as a cephalopod specialist. One of his tasks is to conduct tours through the museum. On the day the reader meets Billy, he is doing just that, leading a tour through the center, saving the museum's prize piece, a giant squid, as the grand finale of the tour, when he realizes the squid, tank and all, has vanished. No incriminating tire tracks from a fork lift, no tell-tale drops of embalming fluid on the floor, no wet foot prints, just vanished as if it was never there to begin with.

Billy soon discovers that the disappearing squid is just the beginning of events that will vastly alter his life. Like it or not, Billy is soon caught up in a struggle between a variety of mysterious, magical, and mythical forces. It turns out the missing giant squid happens to be the god of a cult, who are hoping to track down their God-Kraken so they can have their prophesied Armageddon. There are numerous other forces at play here too, as every magical, strange and mysterious force in London seems to want to get their hands on the missing Kraken, or failing that, Billy, whom everyone seems to think is the key to the God's whereabouts.

Mieville is a writer of many skills, but I normally find myself drawn to his works for his wonderfully weird fantastical ideas. I'm always impressed with his ability to create fantasy elements that are unique, and mind-blowingly cool; I'm very happy to report that there's an abundance of great fantastical elements at play in Kraken. My favorite among these were the "knacks" or special abilities many of the characters possessed. One character had some telepathic abilities which were used in interesting ways, and I especially liked the "Londonmancers" who draw power from the city itself.

As great as the fantastical elements were, I was slightly surprised to find myself more impressed and drawn in by the characters that populate the story. There's a diverse group of characters in Kraken, and they are all well developed and came across as feeling vibrant and alive. Mieville achieves this high level of character development by using the tried and true technique of showing what they are like rather than telling. A lot of this is done through fantastically written dialog which not only sounds incredibly realistic, but also gives the reader a strong sense of the character's personality through the way they speak and interact with others.

While there's talking tattoos, an old Egyptian spirit that travels from one statue to the next, magicians, assassins, and also characters of less magical origins, I found myself most impressed with Kath Collingswood, a knacked cop and member of the FSRC, a branch of the London police that looks into cases of the more fantastical nature. Collingswood is a character with some serious attitude and swagger, and anytime she graces a page, the scene crackles with energy. Collingswood is a testament to Mieville's ability to create great characters, and while there are many great ones in Kraken, for me, Collingswood is a great example of the brilliant character development on display in this novel.

Even though I enjoyed and connected with many of the characters in Kraken, I had a hard time doing the same with the main character, Billy Harrow. I never felt like I had a strong image of him in my head, or a good sense of what kind of person he is. I don't think this is any fault of Mieville's, especially considering how well developed many of the other characters are. I think it is more a product of the fact that Billy gets caught up in the events of the narrative, and the character is more of a reactor rather than an actor. He is consistently forced to respond to strange events rather than making things happen. As a character Billy is always changing, growing and developing throughout the story that it was hard to get a grip on him as a character.

Out of any of my previous China Mieville reading experiences, I would say that this is his lightest book, aside from his YA novel Un Lun Dun. That being said,there is still plenty of the signature dark and weird fantasy elements that makes this book have that Mieville feel...Goss and Subby anyone? Still, I was surprised to find a fair amount of humor in this book. Sure, most of it is dark humor, but comedy is an element not typically found in a China Mieville novel, and its a welcome addition in Kraken.

Though Kraken isn't my favorite China Mieville novel, that honor would go to The Scar, it is still an incredibly impressive novel. Aside from being wonderfully entertaining, Kraken is proof that Mieville is still growing and developing as a writer. His character development has clearly taken a leap forward, and his willingness to add new elements like comedy to the mix shows that he's willing to try new things in order to achieve new heights. As always, Mieville's imaginative and weird fantasy elements are mind blastingly awesome. If the guy keeps improving at this rate his skills will achieve Kraken-esque proportions.

Devoted China Mieville readers will be happy to know that Kraken is another great installment in the man's already impressive bibliography. For those who are new to the author, I think Kraken would serve as a great introduction to the author and his writing. Either way, new reader or old, this is one you don't want to miss.

Grade: A-

Comic Review: From Hell

2011-10-31T09:25:00.000-07:00

Despite being completely disgustipated by Alan Moore's most recent comics effort, Neonomicon, I'm still a fan of the guy's comics work thanks to stuff like Watchmen and Top 10. The guy is quite capable of some very solid writing. I mean, people don't consider the man a comics genius for nothing right?

When I received From Hell as a nifty-gifty last year, I was a bit daunted by the size. Make no mistake, this is a tome. For works of such girth, I typically wait for when the time feels right to dig in. With Winter coming, and the city firmly in Fall's grasp, I figured the time was nigh for this tale of murder.

From Hell isn't just any old tale of murder, its the story of Jack the Ripper. Jack the Ripper might be the most famous of killers, but there is no definitive text, or account of who he really was, and how all the killings were pulled off, or reasons why. Its a mystery that to this day remains unsolved. What you get with From Hell is Alan Moore's take on how it all went down, and by the end, you also get the strong sense that the guy might just have solved the damn mystery.

The story begins a few years prior to the murders with Prince Albert falling in love with a common shop girl named Annie, who has no clue as to Albert's true identity. He soon fathers a child on her, and the two are secretly wed. When Queen Victoria discovers the marriage, she sends Albert off on extended holiday, and has Annie relocated to an asylum and instructs her royal physician, William Gull to handle things. Gull does so, by performing an operation that renders Annie insane.

For a while, it seems like all is well, but a few years later, Annie's friends, now forced into prostitution due to a variety of reasons, decide to blackmail the Prince's pal William Sickert in order to pay off a gang of thugs who demand protection money from the ladies. Once again, the crown calls upon William Gull to handle the situation, and we all know how that ends. The catch here is that Gull is a high ranking member of the Free Masons guild, a secret society that strives to control the order of the world from the shadows and from behind closed doors. It is through Masonic and Royal connections that cause the police investigation to go awry and the case to go eternally unsolved.

In From Hell, Moore approaches the story from multiple angles. Not only do you see things from the deranged mind of the killer, William Gull, but also through the eyes of the er, ladies of the night who get killed, and also via Inspector Abberline of the police. In that sense, From Hell is more than just a tale of murder. You also get an interesting police procedural plot, a taste for the day in and day out existence of an Victorian era Londoner, and a tour of the city as it stood way back when. These aspects all breathe life into the narrative and help present a full picture of the events surrounding the murders.

Moore does a great job of not only presenting the known facts of the murders, but also adding his own ideas as well. What makes From Hell work is that Moore is able to put it all together into a story that is interesting and engaging to read.

Accompanying Moore in this epic comics endeavor is artist, Eddie Campbell. At first glance, Campbell's art is not exactly remarkable. Many pages feature seven to nine panels with lots of long, thin vertical lines providing the only background. It wasn't until I becomes fully immersed in the story that I was able to appreciate Campbell's work. From at a casual glance what looks like sloppy/busy panel work is actually part of the atmosphere.

Yes, when the focus is solely on characters and what they are doing or saying, Campbell's art also focuses on the people. He essentially cross hatches out the setting, and instead focuses his energies on facial expression and body language. A concept that goes a long ways towards giving the reader a strong sense of the character's emotions or inner thoughts. That said, Victorian Era London is very much a character of it's own in From Hell and Campbell hits the mark with his depictions of the city, and it's architecture, not to mention the nature of people's dwellings. The furnishings, clothing and other every day items are all there and help depict the time the story is set in and brings life to the story.

For the completist, there's a significant appendix with detailed information on what is happening on nearly every page of the graphic novel and where that information came from. I found it more useful to use the appendix as a reference tool when I wanted more information on a particular page, rather than something I read all the way through after I was done with the story.

All told, From Hell is an impressive piece of work. There's folks out there who consider this the most significant work of comics ever, and while I'm not sure I'd go that far, I will say that it is one damn fine example of how incredible the comics medium can be. Moore is able to present the reader with an insider's view of the Jack the Ripper murders, delving into the mind of the killer himself, all while keeping the many other details and intricacies of the story in focus. This is a must own/must read for any comics lover.

Grade: A

Welcome to the DCnU Issue #2 Edition

2011-10-28T22:10:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the DCnU second issue recap of all the DC comics I tend to read. If you've been keeping up, you'll know that I liked some of the new DC titles I picked up last month, while some others left me sitting on the fence. So how'd those titles fare the second time around? Let's see....

Action Comics #2: I wanna say that I'm really glad they toned down Superman's powers a bit for this comic. He's still a strong dude, but Morrison has done a good job making Supes seem like he isn't an unstoppable force. I also like the way they're handling Lex Luthor. The guy is faced off against Superman, but for believable reasons: with the safety of humanity in mind...the guy's not wrong, he's just an asshole.

I think I'm officially not a fan of Rags Morales. Superman is supposed to be a young man in this, but there are times he looks more like an middle aged going on towards old man. (Just look at that cover) Also Lois looks like a frumpy, worn out cougar on casual Friday in this issue. Morales' character designs look totally different from one page to the next. Not impressed.

Inconsistent art aside, this is a fun take on Superman, and Morrison makes the Man of Steel fun to read. I'm definitely on board for the first full arc, and probably Morrison's entire run.

Animal Man #2: A lot of people are totally in love with Animal Man. I am not one of those people. I was firmly on the fence after the first issue, and not a lot has changed after the second.

I stuck around for this second issue on the strength of the three page dream sequence at the end of issue one, and like that issue, a few cool things happened that got me excited, which helped balance out the other not so cool parts. For example: Animal Man's eyes bleeding a crazy map-tattoo onto his chest. Animal Man's daughter turning a neighbor's hand into a chicken leg. However, I realize I can't just keep reading this issue for the one or two pages of thrills it provides each issue. The whole issue needs to be worth reading not just a few pages.

A big hang-up I have with this title is that I don't like Travel Foreman's art. He can draw some creepy and cool beasties, but most everything else looks flat and generic, or too clean and sanitized. Because this is written by Jeff Lemire, I'll give it one more issue, but it needs to improve drastically.

Frankenstein Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #2: Does Frankenstein bitch-slap a deranged and creepy old church lady who's been sacrificing children to monsters from another dimension? Hells to the yes. Does Frankenstein do some underwater sword wielding against some crazy creatures? Mmm hmm. Does Frank and his crew travel to a planet completely covered in monsters? Yes!

Unlike Lemire's Animal Man, which focuses on characters and their interactions, Frankenstein Agent of S.H.A.D.E. is all about the balls to the walls action and monster slaying. Yeah, there's some character development in there, but it's not the focus of the comic, nor am I inclined to care.

I do get the sense that the light/popcorn feel might not be able to hold my interest over time, but for now, it's pretty enjoyable, and this one scores high marks for sheer escapism. My one gripe: Frank rocks some really dorky platform combat boots...what the hell is up with that?

Detective Comics #2: I think Batman is supposed to be flying in the bat-plane or something on that cover, but I'm not so sure...he could be on the bat-toilet.

I wasn't instantly in love with this title after the first issue, but a shocker ending made me interested enough to read more. I wish I could say otherwise, but this issue felt like more of the same. More bat-toys, a fight, and lo and behold, another shock-tastic ending.

Tony S. Daniel, who does both the writing and the art, seems to be relying on the cheap thrills approach with Detective Comics, and I'm not sure how much more I can take. It doesn't seem like a sustainable form of story telling. I can only take so many big shockers before they achieve mundane status, and lose their ability to make an impact. I'm considering dropping this one from my pull-list.

Batwoman #2: Batwoman is easily the best title coming out of the DCnU, and for my money, is one of the best buys on the shelf these days. J.H. Williams III is probably the best artist in the game right now, and Batwoman is an amazing looking book, not to mention a compelling read.

Kate Kane/Batwoman is a really interesting character to read about both in and out of the bat-suit. Her budding love interest with Detective Sawyer adds an interesting dynamic to the whole deal too.

On top of a budding love story, there's some strange wraith-like creature abducting Gotham's children, and a D.E.O. spook pulling rank all over town trying to figure out and unmask Batwoman. Batwoman is great stuff, I highly recommend this very accessible series.

Batman #2: Batman is the better of the two Batman titles, but it still has a major weakness. The art. I didn't like it in issue one, and I like it even less in issue two. I wrote in my review of issue one that I hoped to grow accustomed to, and one day like Capulo's art, but I think I kinda hate it. Not only is it fifteen years or so out of date, but it just doesn't work on multiple levels.

The first thing that drives me nuts are his action sequences, which are poorly planned out and confusing to figure out what the hell is going on. There was a really poorly executed action sequence where Batman jumped the bat-cycle onto an oncoming train (no ramp needed) in physics defying fashion that was just plain cheesy, but it gets much worse.

The other aspect of Capullo's art that drives me nuts are his character designs. Simply put, the people look ridiculous. Why is Bruce Wayne's head a fucking cinder block? There's another confusing action scene where Bruce Wayne battles some assassin in an owl-combat suit. Bruce tries kicking and punching the guy, both of which are easily blocked by the assassin, yet somehow, Bruce is then able to run up, and put the guy in a head-lock no problem. There's then three increasing close up panels of Bruce trying to choke the guy out, then comes the worst panel of the entire comic:

Bruce Wayne has had some nutty work done to his face...or Capullo simply does not know how to draw lips. Lips don't square off like that nor do they meet the teeth at a right angle. What did the guy do, bust out a ruler to draw that panel? That will not do. By the way Bruce, those are some smooth-ass teeth you got there buddy.

What makes this story even more tragic is that Scott Snyder is a great Batman writer. I really like the story that he's got going on with this first arc, too bad I can't stand the art. Please get a new artist. Soon.

All Star Western #2: Last but not least comes the western that really isn't a western. When we last left Jonah Hex he was investigating the plot of From Hell (Review coming on Halloween!). Now he's caught up in a brutal shoot-out at Amadeus Arkham's casa with minions of Gotham's own elite secret society. When the gunsmoke and dust clears Hex is still standing, and in his no bullshit fashion, discovers the whereabouts of the bad-guys hang out. With Arkham in tow, he heads off to deal out some more six-shooter justice.

Thankfully, it turns out this opening story arc isn't a total rehashing of the From Hell plot, Gotham's secret society is actually following the teachings of the "Crime Bible" a dark faith based on the story of Cain and Abel.

So basically this opening story arc is setting up to be Jonah Hex versus rich religious nut-jobs.

Amen to that.

Music Review: Opeth- Heritage

2011-10-24T19:42:00.000-07:00

It's been three years since Opeth's last release, Watershed. With great anticipation, Sweden's (and possibly all of Metal's) finest, Opeth returns with their tenth studio album Heritage.

It's a pretty significant accomplishment for any band to reach the ten album plateau. By this point, most bands have either given up, broken up, or burnt out. If they are still making music, it is likely formulaic bullshit just to make a few bucks on record sales and kick start another high-priced tour.

Opeth on the other hand, is a band that appears to be constantly evolving, both in terms of their music, and in terms of their lineup. Since 2005, four new members have entered the ranks of Opeth, one of which, Keyboardist Per Wiberg, has since been replaced. You might think that the dude playing keys in a death metal band has little effect on a band's overall sound, but in my experience new band line-ups always result in a band who's sound scape is altered.

Heritage is definitely a unique sounding album, and a definite departure from their previous works. From the melancholy piano intro on the first track, Heritage, it is clear that this album is going to take the listener to new places. Those new places are even more evident on the following track, The Devil's Orchard, a song that serves as a good example of what you can expect from the rest of the album. You might think: with new members comes new influences, new approaches, and the end result: new sounds. However, I would argue that Opeth's new direction is less a product of who is new to the band and more likely due to who is still there.

It seems pretty clear to me that Opeth is fully Mikael Akerfeldt's band, and the rest of the band marches to the beat of his drum. It could be argued that this has been the case for some time, but with additions like Martin Axenrot and Fredrik Akesson, guys with death metal in their blood, I wonder how they feel about the band taking the less heavy road.

The Devil's Orchard makes three things distinctly clear: First off, this is by far Opeth's softest album since Damnation. Secondly, this is most likely Opeth's most progressive, and experimental album yet. Altering time signatures, tempo shifts, and trippy sounds are all in abundance here. Lastly, and maybe the most important factor of them all, is that Heritage is an album completely devoid of the death metal growl. A detail the metal lover in me had a hard time coping with.

That said, it is really only on the first few listens that the death metal growl is missed. Once I had a better taste for the album, and I had adjusted to it's sound, it became pretty clear that there really is no place for the growl on the album. This set of compositions is truly much better served by Mikael Akerfeldt's liquid honey vocals. For a guy who can deliver some beastly growls, he really does have a beautiful singing voice. That voice does have it's limits though. There are times when Akerfeldt sings high, with less than great sounding results. Still, for this set of songs, the clean lyrics work well in harmony with the music.

Instrumentally, Heritage breaks new ground for the band. Not only is it softer than most of their previous output -look no further than the lovely guitar riff intro to I Feel the Dark- it also features some musical elements not often used by a metal band. Aside from the occasional acoustic guitar, you'll also find some stand-up bass, hand percussion djembes and congas, and in the case of Famine, a healthy dose of some flute. These elements all serve to prove the fact that Opeth has taken a much more progressive and experimental approach with Heritage.

For the most part, Opeth's new approach makes for some beautiful music, but at other times, the band goes a bit overboard with the progressive elements and, as is the case on Slither, wanders into the danger zone of rhythm damning avant-garde nonsense. While The Devil's Orchard is a great example of progressive metal done well, complete with time changes, and tempo shifts, it never stops being a good song with it's roots firmly planted in metal soil. Slither on the other hand, takes the progressive elements to the extreme and becomes an incomprehensible mish-mash of buzzing, swirling sounds that barely resembles music. Maybe this is a case of the listener needing more time to acquire an appreciation for the unique sound, but I'm more inclined to say Slither is a dud. When a band takes a new approach to music and explores new avenues, one dud out of ten isn't too bad, and Heritage delivers 57+ minutes of mostly wonderful music.

There will definitely be some fans out there disappointed with Opeth's new sound, and while some may say this album is just a departure, I get the feeling that Clean Vocals Progressive Metal-land is now Opeth's permanent residency. Heritage is an album I initially struggled to enjoy, but it is an album that continues to grow on me with each listen. I definitely prefer Heritage to the band's previous effort, Watershed, but I still find myself preferring their earlier, heavier albums. Overall, an impressive effort, far superior to just about everything else in the music industry, but in terms of what I look for in an Opeth album, I'm left wanting a bit more.

Grade: C+

Comic Quickies: Tales of Death

2011-10-22T22:01:00.000-07:00

The Unexpected: 'Tis the season for horror, and The Unexpected, a one shot from Vertigo, is packed full of the stuff from the glorious cover drawn by Rafael Grampa to the back cover, which has an ad for The Big Bang Theory which is a wholly different brand of horror.

Vertigo managed to pull together some pretty big names to contribute to this anthology, but for the most part, I was disappointed with the content. There was a decent ghost story in there from Joshua Hale Fialkov and Brian Wood delivered the goods with his tale Americana, (though it was a story that didn't actually feel like horror) and I enjoyed looking at Farel Dalrymple's art, but aside from those few high points I was pretty underwhelmed. The rest of the content seemed to fall into one of two categories: "gore-fest" horror, which I don't care for at all, or "shocker endings!" which were never very shocking and at times outright predictable.

The $7.99 price tag makes me feel like I was ripped off.

The Shade #1 of 12: After Batman, The Shade is my favorite DC character. I say this despite my only previous experience with the guy being the first Starman Omnibus. His shady demeanor, (pun intended), his ambiguous morals, and his creepy ability to make shadows come to life as beastly constructs makes him a memorable and like-able character. The fact that this twelve issue mini-series is written by James Robinson, who wrote the Starman stuff and has an all-star lineup of artists working on the issues made this title a must have for me.

The first issue got things off to an odd start. From what I can tell, The Shade basically spends his time sipping tea with superheros, and engaging in post-coitus repartee with his lady. He also takes a stroll.

Robinson seemed to more intent on showing who The Shade is and only gives readers a very small taste of what he is capable of. There is a shocker ending that was actually shocking, and has me pretty excited for the next issue.

Also, Cully Hamner handled the art for this issue, and he makes everything look beautiful. Definitely worth checking out. It'll be interesting to see where the hell this one is going.

Who is Jake Ellis #5 of 5: FINALLY!!

I think it was about at two or three month wait (it felt like longer!) for this final installment of what has been one of my favorite comics of the year. Delays suck, but Who is Jake Ellis is worth the wait.

Since the very first issue, this has been an comic steeped in mystery, with a healthy dose of espionage action tossed in to make a delicious concoction of comic genius. I loved everything about this comic, from the writing, to the art, and the colors, and the final installment delivers on all fronts. (Except for the ugly gray-tone cover, what the hell?)

I've always said that good endings are hard to come by, and the ending here (or is it? More Jake Ellis please!) is pretty well handled. Writer Nathan Edmondson wrapped up much of the mystery that was swirling around the primary characters, and answers most of my burning questions, and manages to leave the door open for potential sequels. Not too shabby by my book.

If you aren't already reading this in single issues, buy the trade when it comes out. You will thank me. Who is Jake Ellis is one of the best titles to hit shelves this year.

Sweet Tooth #26: Jeff Lemire is a busy dude lately. He's writing and illustrating Sweet Tooth, plus writing two other comics, and working on his creator owned graphic novel Underwater Welder in his spare time. So when I heard that he was taking a three month hiatus from his Sweet Tooth drawing duties, I wasn't that surprised.

His sub, Matt Kindt, has been the subject of much scrutiny between myself and other Sweet Tooth readers at the comic shop. I wasn't too thrilled to think that someone other than Lemire would be drawing the likes of Gus, Jeppard and the other Sweet Tooth folks, a feeling that seemed to be universal.

Well, boy was I surprised when I cracked open issue #26, Kindt's first call of duty, to find that he would be handling the art for a three issue side story titled The Taxidermist that is set one hundred years prior to the events of the main story line.

The story follows Dr. James Thacker on his sea-faring journey to the icy northern wastes of Alaska in search of his brother in law, who has gone missing while attempting to set up a Christian mission for the native Alaskans. As soon as Thacker, the ship's captain and first mate hit land and begin their trek towards the settlement, things start to get weird, and before too long, their sled dogs are mysteriously killed, and things go south from there.

An awesome start to what looks to be an interesting side story. Oh, and Matt Kindt's art is a good match to the strange story of icy Alaskan mystery and mayhem.

Near Death #1: Would I read a crime thriller set in Seattle? Sign me up! Well, that's just what you get with Jay Faerber's Near Death.

Markham is a killer for hire, but from the looks of things in the early pages, his most recent job went to shit. Now Markham is severely injured, and racing to save his own life. He winds up on the operating table of a friend who runs an animal hospital and flatlines during surgery. During his near death experience Markham is confronted by the hundreds of souls he's put to death, and told he needs to make amends for his sins. Markham eventually is saved, and during his recovery, decides to use his skills to save people rather than kill them.

This first issue delivers the concept for the series in a pretty straight forward and workman like manner. There is a no nonsense feel to the comic, which is possibly meant to make the story seem more spare and hard boiled, but to me it made the characters, especially Markham come across as empty vessels. There is an interesting twist at the end that makes me think there might be more to this fledgling series than meets the eye, but I'm definitely on the fence with this title. I do have the second issue waiting to be read, so I'll see if #2 can deliver the goods before I decide whether to carry on with this series or not.

Review: Mythago Wood

2011-10-20T22:31:00.000-07:00

Another day, another World Fantasy Award winner. Yup, that's just how I do.

Up this time is Mythago Wood by Robert Holdstock.

Am I a impulsive book buyer? *sigh* Um, yes, at times, but it usually works out in my favor. There are definitely times when I'll see a book sitting there at the used book store, and though it isn't on my "books to read radar" I'll snag it because I've heard good things about it, and the fact that it has "found me" rather than me finding it, I figure that fate has somehow placed the two of us together for a reason. And really, who am I to give fate the cold shoulder?

It was under such fateful circumstances that Mythago Wood came to be in my possession. At the time I was reading and loving The Prestige and since each title had won the World Fantasy Award, I thought, what the hell, let's give this one a whirl. So I did.

For years, the Huxley family has lived on the edge of Ryhope Wood, a dense stretch of ancient British forest. For years, George Huxley studied the forest, an undertaking that estranged him from his family and possibly drove him mad. Now, after his death, his son Christian has taken up the old man's research and his younger brother, Steven has returned home from the war to help take care of the house and land. Together the two young men discover that the forest is much more than it appears; The Ryhope Wood is a primeval place, where people, legends and tribes from different historical eras live and co-exist, brought to life by myth. What appears to be just your typical old-growth forest is actually a place that is physically larger once inside that it appears from the outside, and is host to mythagos; savage men, women and beasts.

The forest has a dark power. The power that pulled down their father, George, and now is pulling Christian into it's grasp. Unwittingly, Steven falls in love with Guiwenneth, one of the mythagos, just like his father and brother have before him. When she is captured, Steven must quest to the center of the wood to save her, while confronting the dangers of the dark forest.

Mythago Wood got off to a slow start, taking its time to set up the characters, and the forest, which in many ways is a character itself. The slow start was a bit frustrating because I knew that eventually, the book had to go and explore the forest, which is the most interesting thing, but it took a while to actually get to that point. Things do pick up a bit once the quest through the forest begins, but overall, the pacing is a bit on the slow side here.

Though the primary character, Steven is decently developed, albeit a bit uninteresting as far as lead characters go, he serves the story well by being a great conduit for the reader to experience the woods and the mythagos through. Steven is every bit as perplexed, overwhelmed, and unprepared for the mysteries of the forest as I would be, so in that sense, his experiences, reactions, and emotions come across as instantly understandable and real. I thought this quality was a nice touch and made me feel like I was experiencing the dread, and craziness that was the Ryhope Wood.

The forest itself was basically a character and in my mind, the star of the show. I wanted to know more about it, I wanted to explore it, and learn the secrets of the wood. Holdstock did a great job by creating a mysterious and creepy setting and then bringing it life on the page. I really felt like all of my senses were engaged, and operating at full capacity as Steven journeyed through the forest where unknown dangers, and mysteries lurked. This made for a memorable reading experience.

My one gripe, aside from the slow pacing, was that the one female character, Guiwenneth, was poorly developed. She came across to me as more of a pretty object for the men to fall in love with than an actual character. Some of this was compacted by the fact that for much of the novel she couldn't speak modern English, so she didn't have much dialog, but aside from apparently being handy with a knife, a fact that was told, but never shown, she didn't have a lot going on. The lack of character development with Guiwenneth made it harder for me to believe that George, Christian, and Steven would all fall madly in love with her, which ended up taking away from the story since Steven's love for Guiwenneth is what drove him into the forest in the first place.

Overall this was a solid fantasy novel, but far from my favorite. Holdstock is a crafty writer, and created a great setting that was simultaneously fascinating and horrifying, but the pacing and character development left a bit to be desired for my tastes. I will say that Mythago Wood is a unique book in the fantasy genre. I've certainly never come across anything like it. I would recommend this one if you are looking for something different, but still want to stay in the fantasy genre. For me, score this one as a push for impulse buying.

Grade: C+

Live in Concert: Opeth

2011-10-17T17:47:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday, along with my buddy Justin from Oceans of Ale, I stood witness as Opeth rolled into Seattle wielding their mighty Metal war hammer and proceeded to smite their fans with their punishing brand of death metal...Ok, so it didn't go exactly like that, but it was still quite wonderful.

This was my second time seeing Opeth. I first saw them when they hit town a few years ago touring for the Ghost Reveries album. This time around, it was almost like seeing a completely new band. There were a couple new guys in the line-up and the set list consisted completely of songs where Mikael Akerfeldt sang in his clean vocal style. From reading about other shows from this tour on the web I had a feeling it would be a pretty mellow set, but I wasn't expecting the show to be completely devoid of death-metal growls.

Despite not playing their heaviest songs there were definitely some metal moments, but I couldn't shake the feeling that the show was lacking because of the lack of growl-age. Still, Opeth is a band that is so musically gifted that seeing them live is a real treat.

They kicked off the set with The Devil's Orchard which is one of the best songs off Heritage. Around the middle of the set, in minstrel like fashion, Mikael sat down with an acoustic guitar and played three obscure Opeth tracks. One, which can be found on the deluxe edition of Heritage, another which I think he said was a song they wrote for a game, and the last which was written around the Blackwater Park era. On the one hand, it was cool to hear three Opeth songs that were completely new to me, but at the same time, I was a bit frustrated that such a large chunk of the set was dedicated to music that was totally obscure to all but the most devout Opeth aficionado.

My disappointment was almost immediately erased when Porcelain Heart and A Fair Judgement (my favorite Opeth Song not titled Black Rose Immortal) followed the obscure songs in close succession.

Like most things in Seattle where lots of people are drawn together, the crowd enthusiasm would best be described as tepid. There was also a strong sense of disappointment in the air when it became quite clear that the band was intent on putting on a mellow performance. I think a lot of fans still yearn for the Opeth of old where blistering, yet melodic riffs shredded the silence and the double foot bass pounded out the beat to yet another epic song.

After hearing Heritage, and seeing them live, one thing seems abundantly clear: Opeth has evolved from their death metal roots into a progressive, technical metal band. Like many fans, I'm also still coming to terms with this fact, but unlike many fans, who seemed unsatisfied with the show on Saturday, I enjoyed the show. Sure there may not have been any growly vocals, but Opeth is still incredibly gifted and talented. As a band they are incredibly tight, and play together well. They slowed down and sludged out the ending of A Fair Judgement, and it was one of my favorite moments of the show, and seemed completely spontaneous rather than a rehearsed alteration to a back catalog song.

All told, it was a great show at a less than great venue, with great company.

Review: v2 Wake the Devil

2011-10-15T16:34:00.000-07:00

I don't usually read successive volumes of a comic series in such close proximity to one another, but I felt myself drawn to Wake the Devil over the plethora of unread comics sitting on my shelf. As Autumn settles in here in the north west, like every year, I find myself gravitating towards the darker, more devilish works that populate my shelves. Fall, horror, and weird fantasy are a great combo, and I knew Hellboy would be able to deliver the necessary goods.

In Wake the Devil a mysterious crate marked Giurescu, Lot #666 has gone missing from a New York City wax museum and the evidence at the scene of the crime points to the evil Nazi unit Ragna Rok being involved. From the intelligence Hellboy's employers at the B.P.R.D. have collected, it looks like the Ragno Rok folks are dedicated to resurrecting a deadly vampire. Hoping to prevent vampire troblems (troubles and problems) Hellboy and his fellow B.P.R.D. operatives are sent in to investigate. Throw in some Nazi occult business attempting to bring about the end of the world, and you have an action packed second volume.

The biggest difference between Wake the Devil and the opening volume in the series, Seed of Destruction is that the writing duties are wholly handled by Mike Mignola this time around. So what does that mean for the story? Well, there's less Lovecraftian beasts in the mix, and a greater sense that there's a distinct effort to tie everything into myth that already exists in the real world. There was still a bit too much wordy dialog and weird occult stuff that is hard for me to wrap my head around, and I worry that I'm already getting sick of Nazis as the bad guys. That said, there's plenty to like in this second volume too.

Once agian, Mignola's art stands out as the strongest quality of this comic. The guy is great at drawing strange beasts of both magical, and weird science origin. I'll never get sick of looking at art that depicts beasts, monsters and science constructs, I love that shit and Mignola is one of the best at drawing that stuff. I mentioned this in my review for Seed of Destruction, but it bears mention again: Mignola is a master at setting tone and mood with his art. Granted that mood is almost always set to "dark and creepy" but he does it well time and time again. I love how there are often massive slabs of black on each page. Though Mignola uses this technique a lot, it never feels overused, and really gives the comic a dark, grim feel, not to mention, a great signature style.

Another enjoyable quality is that this volume is all about strange monsters, occult plans for Armageddon, and demon battles. However, Mignola also craftily adds depth to his titular character by throwing Hellboy an inner demon to confront on top of the regular flesh, blood and brimstone demons he usually faces: his purpose on earth.

I'll admit, this was very much a reading experience full of ups and downs. Though great art, exciting action, and fell beasts populate the pages, there were some low points as well. For one, there's a vampire involved, and if you've been reading the blog for any length of time, you may have noticed that I'm sick of those bastards. Lucky for me, the vampire has sort of a supporting role here. The theft of his body is what sets the plot in motion, yet the vampire himself isn't much of a player until the end.

Another gripe I have is that the same Nazi crew was back as the baddies for consecutive volumes. Like vampires, I'm also a bit sick of Nazis. I understand that these comics were written back in the 90's before popular culture was swamped with video games where you shoot hordes of Nazis and shitty books with goofy ass vampires but still, I'm reading them now with all that cultural bullshit clogging my brain. What is a man to do?

In regards to the occult Nazi crew, I think I was more disappointed with the lack of variety than I was fed up with the use of a familiar trend. Hellboy is part of the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense right? To me, this opens up the doors to a lot of possibilities, the only limitation being Mignola's imagination, so I expect a weird and wild variety of investigations. There's no need to limit the antagonists to one group. In order for me to stick around, Mignola is either going to have to branch out, or somehow weave his clan of Nazis into a greater tapestry, because right now, the story has too narrow of a focus for me.

I gotta say, so far the Hellboy series has been an atypical comic read for me. Usually if I enjoy a comic, it is because I get sucked in by the characters, and the plot. However, with Hellboy, I'm not sucked in at all, yet I've enjoyed each volume thanks to key elements like the art, the beastly creatures, and the weirdness. This series offers up some of my personal favorite elements, but somehow it isn't blowing my doors down. I'll admit, I'm a little bit confused. Still, I'm intrigued enough to read more, but I'm still on the fence.

Grade: C+

Review: The Prestige

2011-10-12T09:07:00.000-07:00

Every now and then, on rare occasions, I'll be reading a book, and as I'm reading it, get that feeling that the book I'm holding is something really special. Despite how much reading I do, (more than probably anyone in my friend circle, though less then I'd like), I only come across a truly special book every so often. Probably less then once a year. However, on these auspicious occasions, a book will rise up from the depths of my "to read pile" and ascend to the lofty heights of, er, "books that are really fucking good, and I'd never sell them to a second-hand shop even if I was moving to India" status. Some books that fit that category are Grapes of Wrath, Catch-22, The Brothers K, all the A Song of Ice and Fire books, the Dark Tower series, Use of Weapons and a smattering of others. When I was about 3/4 of the way through The Prestige I realized it too would be joining the ranks of those with "never to be parted with" status.

The Prestige is set in Victorian Era England and tells the tale of two young stage magicians. One, Alfred Borden is a naturally gifted magician, skilled in the necessary arts, and adept at figuring out the secrets behind how other magicians pull off their greatest tricks and illusions. The other, Rupert Angier, is a gifted performer, but lacking in the ability to unlock the secrets behind even the simplest of tricks and illusions. The two men, who under different circumstances might have been great friends, wind up as sworn enemies as the two clash during a fraudulent seance conducted by Angier, and attended by Borden. From this fateful moment, the two men become enemies, and a decades long rivalry of sabotage, deceit, treachery, and violence ensues. Each man is possessed of the same two goals: become the greatest living stage magician, and bring about the destruction of their rival.

The Prestige is wonderful for a lot of reasons, but for me, what made the novel so amazing is that while it is a book about the art of stage magic and illusion, the novel itself is a magic trick.

The Prestige is told through the context of two descendants of Angier and Borden reading the two men's personal journals, but the main body of the story is essentially told in two parts: Borden's life and career as told in his journal, and Angier's life and career as told in his journal. There are many events in the two men's lives that overlap, however, the recounting of those events can vary to a great degree. This had a powerful effect on me as a reader. In many ways I felt like Borden and Angier were telling their stories directly to me, and I had to somehow figure out who was telling the truth. However, the whole time, I was very aware of exactly who was telling me the story, and knew that there was no way I could trust or believe two seasoned masters of illusion. Yet, I couldn't shake the feeling that the whole time, like any magic trick, the truth was there to be seen, if only I could make myself see it. I think it is safe to say that my level of engagement in a novel has never been so high.

The ol' unreliable narrator, or in this case narrators, trick is just one of Priest's clever deceptions. He cleverly hides clues to the plot within the narrative, and plays with the reader's expectations and assumptions for where the plot is leading. This is my first experience reading anything by Christopher Priest, and I was amazed with his ability to set up an amazing plot with promises of a huge payoff, and then deliver with artful skill.

I already mentioned that The Prestige is a rare book in the sense that it became one of my all-time favorite reads, but it has another rare quality that I want to highlight: This is a novel that practically begs to be re-read. Not just because it is so wonderful, though that's a great reason to re-read it, but because I think there is a lot of higher understanding and comprehension to be gained from a second, third or fourth reading. Like I mentioned earlier, Priest is like a magician himself, using sleight of hand (or would it be sleight of pen?) to conceal secrets, clues, and truths within the narrative, and with one reading under the belt, one might be able to read into certain passages and events more deeply and figure out the secret to some of those tricks.

I was incredibly impressed with Priest's literary skill. Not only did he write an incredibly engaging, expertly plotted, and deceptive novel, but he also impressed with his prose. The novel is initially told through the eyes of Andrew Westly, a descendant of Borden's, but then the narrative shifts to the two magicians' journals. What struck me as amazing is that both Angier and Borden have distinctly different styles and voices in their journals. The shift from Borden to Angier was a bit awkward at first, and had me loathing Angier's stiffer, more "proper" language, but I soon got used to his voice and really appreciated the fact that the two journals read much differently and actually felt like they were truly written by two very different men.

The fact that The Prestige has become one of my favorite books might be shading this review a bit, but I honestly couldn't find much to fault in the novel. It is superbly written, plotted and executed, and has a great cast of characters. This is easily the best book I've read in or out of the fantasy genre in a long time, and I think its a book with wide appeal. So, put down the farm boy-turned-chosen one fantasy and read The Prestige, you wont be disappointed. Plus, it has Tesla in there as a secondary character. Tesla the scientist, not the shitty band.

Grade: A+

Busy Busy Busy

2011-10-10T20:56:00.000-07:00

Sorry it's been kinda quiet around here lately. School has ramped up again, and has stuck its vile claws into both my reading and blogging time. I also spent this past weekend checking out Olympic National Park, doing a bit of hiking, sightseeing, camping and infusing my hair, skin and clothes with the lovely/stank-ass aroma (depending on the setting) of wood smoke.

Fear not, I still have plenty of blog-able material lined up. Sitting in the review queue are not one but two World Fantasy Award winners, some more Hellboy, and a nice little Jack the Ripper style Halloween treat. There's also a pile of unread comics lying in wait, as well as a certain tentacled China Mieville novel calling my name. Oh, and I'm also going to see Opeth live in concert this coming weekend, so brace yourselves intrepid readers for a splendid October of cant-miss material.

Review: Locke and Key v1 Welcome to Lovecraft

2011-10-05T21:41:00.000-07:00

I've read some pretty wonderful things this year, both in and outside of comics, but nothing has quite caught my attention like Joe Hill's Locke and Key: Welcome to Lovecraft.

Incredibly, I found myself completely sucked in from the very first page; where two young men toting a pistol and an axe show up at the door of the Locke family vacation home. Just as things are getting tense at the house, the story cuts away and Tyler, Kinsey and Bode, the three Locke children, and principle characters of the story, are introduced. After some sharp and incredibly quick character development, the story cuts to a funeral as Tyler, the oldest son, grieves. By this point I was just about coming out of my seat wondering just what exactly went down at the house. Though it isn't said outright, I had the feeling that the father was killed, possibly other family members as well.

Hill isn't exactly forthcoming with the answers either. He instead keeps the tension high, while flitting back and forth between the attack at the house and the remaining family moving to Massachusetts to live with the father's younger brother at the ancestral manse, which happens to be located in a place called Lovecraft.

It isn't long before Bode, the youngest Locke child, who appears to be about 6 years old, discovers a magical key that unlocks a door and turns him into a ghost. Further exploration of the house and the grounds around it uncover a mysterious lady in a well, along with some hints of various other keys that possess other interesting powers.

There are many elements that have me drooling over this graphic novel, but the first that comes to mind is that of the mysterious and magical keys. Though the magical keys play a small but crucial role in this volume they did a lot in terms of sucking me in and building a sense of wonder and interest with the story. Though Hill only reveals about four keys, I really want to know how many other keys there are, what they do, and how they'll play a role in the series.

The other major standout quality of Locke and Key is the wonderful cast of characters. I guess I would say that this is a family epic. Each member of the Locke family shares the duties as a lead character, and each one is incredibly well developed and fleshed out. Not only does Hill give the reader a strong sense of what each character was like prior to the attack, but also how they've changed since then, and how they are continuing to change. I was impressed with how Hill managed to portray the teenaged Lockes Tyler, and Kinsey as realistic teenagers, while Bode, the youngest, is also a developmentally accurate six year-old.

I found myself instantly attached to these characters, and Hill responds by putting them, individually, and as a family, through the ol' ringer, which was torturous, yet exciting at the same time. I usually only fret so hard for GRRM characters, but no one really feels safe in Locke and Key either. I got this sense because Sam, the teenage boy mainly responsible for the attack on the Locke family is one extremely creepy and resourceful bad guy. Add that to the strange fantastical forces at play in the family house, and there was almost more tension than I could bear.

Further upping the Awesomeness Meter on Welcome to Lovecraft is the art by Gabriel Rodriguez. Simply put, the guy does it all well; He can draw people, and environments and make 'em look really great. All that is wonderful, but this is a horror/fantasy comic, so there are some greater demands on the art...the horror scenes need to be equally tense and terrifying, and the fantastical elements need to create that sense of wonder. Rodriguez manages to nail down those qualities with equal aplomb and deliver art that I found myself enjoying a great deal. Rodriguez's greatest achievement in this volume is how he makes Sam's eyes seem completely dead and devoid of emotion. It is a very chilling detail that I greatly appreciated.

I'm starting to wonder if Joe Hill has some sort of arcane power that makes me completely love everything he writes, because I sorta LOVE everything he writes. As soon as I finished reading Welcome to Lovecraft I went out and bought the other three available volumes...and they will be getting read very shortly. This was, in many ways, a completely fucking awesome comic. It delivered an incredibly gripping story with a fascinating plot, wonderful characters, and dealt out some awesome fantasy and horror elements. I was literally on the edge of my seat reading this one. Since I'm starting to run out of superlatives, I'll wrap things up by adding that even if you aren't a comic reader, this is a must read for fans of the fantasy and horror genres. It is too good to be missed.

Grade: A+

Comic Quickies: Welcome to the DCnU Part 3

2011-10-03T21:25:00.000-07:00

Batman #1: Between this and Detective Comics,I've had a higher level of anticipation for the Batman title mostly because Scott Snyder is the writer. I first came across the guy in the pages of American Vampire, which was a solid comic, but suffered from the fact that it is, well, about vampires, and I'm sick of those fuckers.

Since then, Snyder's star has been on the rise as he's garnered some high praise for, what I've heard, was a wonderful run on Detective Comics (pre-relaunch). Now, with the big shake up, he's manning Batman.

Confused? Good. Moving on.

So how does this first issue turn out? Overall, pretty decent stuff here. It starts out with a riot in Arkham prison, and Batman, with help from an unlikely source, puts a hurtin' on pretty much everyone in the rouge gallery. From there, Snyder introduces the readers to some new bat-gadgetry which serves the purpose of one, being cool and two, helping to introduce a ~~dumb~~ out of touch reader like me to the current bat-world. With the help of a fancy facial recognition device, Bruce Wayne chats it up with his proteges, (there's been three different Robins apparently), and rubs elbows with Gotham's ultra-rich elite.

While Bruce is announcing his plan to fix Gotham through imaginative rebuilding, he is cut short, as duty calls and Batman is dragged into a murder investigation. After some fun Bat-tective work, he discovers Bruce Wayne is the next target for Gotham's latest crazed killer. That's pretty much the whole issue in a nutshell, but there's more intricacy to the plot than I've laid out, and there's a great cliff hanger ending that has me excited for the next issue.

After reading both this and Detective Comics, I would say Batman is the sure front runner of the two main bat-titles after one issue. The writing and plotting is just much more solid here, and didn't seem to be just recovering ground that has already been covered over and over.

That said, I was not a fan of Greg Capullo's art. No, his art is not bad, it is fine, I just really disliked how 90's it looked. Every page gave me flashbacks to my comic reading experiences as a kid, and as an adult, I expect better. There was nothing special or interesting or new feeling about that art, and that was ultimately pretty depressing. Maybe I'll grow accustomed to Capullo's style, but I'd rather have a better artist, who has a unique style, working this title.

In the end, this was a great comic, brought down by mediocre art.

All Star Western #1: Wanna hear the craziest thing about the DC relaunch? They took Jonah Hex out of the wild west, and plunked him down in...Gotham City!
Ok, maybe not the craziest thing, but still pretty nutty.

Gone are the wide open spaces, and sparse landscapes of the frontier. This issue opens with a sweeping shot of a Gotham train station and the be-smogulated brackish city-scape in the background. Enter Jonah Hex, the bad-ass, tough as nails, bounty hunter with the freakish mug and penchant for dealing out steel justice. He's been called to Gotham by none other than Doctor Amadeus Arkham to help investigate a series of murders.

Hex and Arkham make for a weird pairing, but Hex's straight forward, no-fuckin'-nonsense approach to bounty hunting seems to be working. Some clever detective work, which mostly consists of Hex cracking skulls and forcing the otherwise silent to talk -all while Arkham looks on in abject terror- leads the unlikely duo to be on the trail of a man called the "Gotham Butcher", who is going around killing prostitutes, and is more than likely part of a secret society of Gotham elite.

Sounds like a pretty cool plot right? Well, it would be if that didn't also happen to be extreeeeemly similar to the plot of Alan Moore's From Hell, which I also happen to be reading right now. Yeah, that's a little disheartening, but Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti are definitely not idiots, and are almost certainly playing into the reader's expectation that this is gonna be a variation on the good ol' Jack the Ripper story. My money's on a big-ass twist in the next issue that sends this plot in new directions. Fingers crossed. Please don't re-write From Hell. Please.

A good reason to pick up this book is that, (hey-oh!), there's actually a good fucking artist, who has his own unique style, working on it. That artist is none other than the singly named Moritat. Moritat makes the early-industrial era Gotham every bit a character as Jonah Hex or Amadeus Arkham. The city looks great, as do the folks who populate it. And populated it is! The city has a dirty, over-crowded, claustrophobic look and feel to it that gives the city a personality.

Moritat also does this interesting thing where the primary characters of a given panel are inked with a thicker line than the rest of the panel. This makes the important people stand out, and seem more in focus than the rest of the art. It makes the comic have a more cinematic feel, as there is a definite focus on particular people and places while the background, though exquisitely drawn and detailed, seems to be out of focus. Like it or not, and I lean towards liking it, it is an interesting way to ink a page.

My biggest complaint with the comic is that the coloring is pretty damn lackluster. The color palate for the issue seems to be varying shades of gray with a bit of sepia tone added in. This makes everything look pretty flat, and doesn't do justice to the art.

Despite a plot that is remarkably unoriginal, and some weak coloring, I liked this issue way more than I thought I would. It was a lot of fun, and nice to look at. Hopefully there'll be a big twist in the plot next issue so I can carry on with reading this this title.

Ok, since I like lists a lot, I'm gonna rank and grade the 7 DCnU titles I've read from worst to best.

7. Animal Man: D
6. Detective Comics: C-
5. Frankenstein Agent of S.H.A.D.E.: C
4. Batman: B-
3. All Star Western: B-
2. Action Comics: B
1. Batwoman: B+

Ok, now let's head across the seas to Marvel and see what they've been doing with Daredevil...

Here Comes Daredevil #1: Last weekend I went to the Jet City Comic Show here in Seattle. Bearing almost no resemblance to the much larger and much more epic Emerald City Comicon, the Jet City Comic Show is a much more humble and sparsely attended affair. Nonetheless, there's plenty of great comic creating talent on hand.

The coolest thing is, since the attendance is pretty low, there's no lines or rush to talk to folks and you can more or less hang out and chat it up to your heart's content (or until they are clearly sick of you) with a variety of comic creators. One question I got asked a lot was the ol' "what comics are you reading?". To which I name a few of the titles in my pull-box and say that I mostly read creator-owned stuff, and mostly stay away from the "big two". However, on multiple and separate occasions, I was told that I should check out the new Daredevil comic, because it is, to paraphrase, really good.

Figuring such high praise from folks in the industry was too much to ignore, I grabbed the first few issues and lo and behold! Here Comes Daredevil is really good. The comic takes sort of a back to basics approach to Daredevil, and eschews the dark and gritty approach that has been the norm for the book for a long time. There's nothing wrong with the dark and gritty Daredevil of yore, but I like the new Daredevil.

It opens with Daredevil stylishly thwarting a kidnapping at a mob wedding, then moves on to Matt Murdoch's personal life as a lawyer, where his career is in jeopardy due to the fact that there's a big media blitz going on because it somehow slipped that Matt Murdoch is Daredevil. Though his cover is solid, the media is persistent, and like real life, does a better job of wrecking the poor guy's life than it does of telling a compelling story.

After being thrown off his current trial by the judge, it is up to Daredevil to find a link between his client and greater conspiracies.

As great, and compelling as the story is, the art, handled oh so well by Paolo Rivera, is great. Rivera excels at making Daredevil's movements seem fluid, graceful and flawless. There's real energy to his art which is a wonderful thing. I haven't seen the likes in any other super hero comic, and for that reason alone, this is a special book.

I never thought I'd be recommending a Daredevil comic, but here I am. Here Comes Daredevil is definitely worth a read. There's four issues out so far, so check 'em out!

Review: Demon Squad: Armageddon Bound

2011-09-29T09:04:00.000-07:00

Under almost any circumstances just by looking at the cover, I would have passed on Armageddon Bound. Just look at that cover. Ok, the cover isn't terrible, but the scantily clad girl whose boobs look like a bob-omb from Super Mario is pretty damn off-putting. It's one of those covers that made me feel self conscious whenever I was reading the book in public.

Boy am I glad I listened to my mom when she told me not to judge a book by it's cover...I'm also glad for all the solid reviews for this book kicking around the internet. Those two elements helped me keep my preconceived notions in check. Oh, and the author, Tim Marquitz, promised there'd be a few metal references throughout the book...

Strong reviews from trusted sources? Metal music mixing with Fantasy? Yeah, I'm in.

In Armageddon Bound, Frank Trigg, a human/devil hybrid, finds himself out gunned and undermanned on the front lines of an epic battle between pro and anti-Armageddon forces. In a godless and Satan-less world, Frank is fighting on the anti-Armageddon side, along with his fellow members of DRAC, an organization of wizards, telepaths and other supernaturals, who must do what they can to prevent one of Lucifer's lieutenants from fulfilling a diabolical plan that would truly fuck over humanity once and for all.

The first thing I noticed about Armageddon Bound is that it's not like any other fantasy novels out there. While many fantasies these days strive for that dark and gritty feel and often come up short, Marquitz achieves this feel in the opening paragraph and carries it out throughout the course of the book. In many ways, the tone of Armageddon Bound reminded me of a hard-boiled crime story.

The dark tone of the novel is primarily achieved through the voice of the narrator Frank Trigg. Trigg is not exactly your typical hero. While most heroes run around vanquishing bad-guys, slaying monsters and deflowering virgins, Trigg spends most of his time getting beat down by his enemies, and lusting after his angelic cousin. Not exactly the first guy I'd pick to save humanity. However, there's no quit in Frank Trigg, and no matter how shitty the situation, he's gonna give it his all. Trigg's never say die attitude, political incorrectness, and horn-dog rating that is hovering somewhere between College Frat Dude, and Sketchy Uncle, somehow all come together to make one hilarious and strangely endearing character. Without a doubt, Trigg is one unforgettable anti-hero.

While the characters and narrative voice were the strongest parts of Armageddon Bound, the plot was no slouch either. Like most first-person perspective stories, the plot is linear, which Marquitz uses to his advantage by continuously shoving the action down your throat. Like any great metal show, the action is cranked up to eleven from the get-go and there is little to no let-up until the epic finale.

While the characters, and plot were both strong points, I felt the world building was on the weaker side of awesome. It's not that Marquitz didn't create an interesting world where demons, angels, vampires, and dark magic can all co-exist, he did...it just felt like that world wasn't populated by anyone other than the characters on the page.

For the most part, the book takes place in a city which, from what I could tell, was located somewhere in the South West of the United States. However, there were many scenes where epic battles occurred, car chases ensued, and plenty of collateral damage, wreckage and ruin was laid down. However, there never seemed to be regular people fleeing the carnage for their lives, or police or nosy neighbors investigating why the roof got blown off Frank Trigg's house. There were times when the world felt completely devoid of any life aside from the characters of the story, which made it hard to care about the "regular people" who would be unwitting victims should Frank and his buddies fail to stop Armageddon. This element didn't cause too much of a hang up for me, but it did take away from the tension a bit.

I am happy to report there there were metal references aplenty in Armageddon Bound. Though there was a great and timely reference to Iron Maiden's Die with Your Boots On, my favorite metal moments involved Trigg's battles with the black metal trio. There's just something hilarious about black metal dudes getting the shit kicked out of them.

I'm not so sure Armageddon Bound is a book for everyone, but there was plenty for me to like in this novel. Brutal and dark with an uncompromising flair, this is a book that is less like a fine wine and more like a shot of mid-shelf whiskey; quickly ingested, delivering an enjoyable and satisfying taste, while leaving the consumer with a thirst for more. With the sequel Resurrection waiting on my shelf, it is only a matter of time before I refill my glass.

Grade:B

Review: Hellboy v1 Seed of Destruction

2011-09-26T08:45:00.000-07:00

Like any good opening volume to a great epic, Hellboy: Seed of Destruction is very much an introductory story. It begins with the summoning of Hellboy from, duh, Hell, by Nazi sorcerers, and his subsequent adoption by the U.S. government. From there the story gives you a taste of what the full-grown Hellboy is all about and what he is capable of. This is all depicted as Hellboy battles some strange frog-like beasts who've just killed his adoptive father.

The story also introduces the reader to Hellboy's job as an investigator for the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense, or B.P.R.D. We also meet a couple of his fellow agents, Liz Sherman, and Abe Sapien who together with Hellboy travel to a remote manse to investigate what they believe is the source of the strange frog-beasts. The introductory-ness doesn't really stop once the team is assembled. As the story goes on, you get a sense of the special abilities that Liz and Abe possess, and the type of creepy and weird shit the team tends to investigate.

Seed of Destruction was a solid first volume, but for my money it took things a little bit too slow, and sorta gently eased the characters and the world into the reader's lap. I think I would have preferred to just be dropped into the middle of the action, and learn as I go, but that wasn't even remotely the case here.

Aside from the gentle introduction, I also found the writing and dialog to be overly wordy, and a bit tedious. From discussions I've had with other folks who have read the series, my understanding is that the wordiness is a byproduct of having John Byrne scripting this opening story arc. Apparently, in the later volumes with Mike Mignola at the helm, the writing is much more smooth.

My biggest problem with the writing was that it actually took away from the art. Mignola, who wonderfully handles the art, is adept at setting, tone, atmosphere and action. His art is very moody and can carry a lot of the story, so the writing tended to be distracting in many situations. That said, the art here is clearly still developing. Mignola's Hellboy style is still finding it's feet here in the early going. Though Mignola hasn't reached the top of his game yet at this point, I still really enjoyed the art, which is very unique and dark.

Despite writing that didn't totally work for me, and a plot that was a bit too linear, I still enjoyed Seed of Destruction. The main reason is that it is weird, and I like weird. The characters are either hellspawn, some sort of strange creature, or an outcast from normal society...and that's the good guys. There's also plenty of crazy looking Lovecraftian beasts and monsters, plus crazy Nazi sorcerers. The world it all takes place in has captured my interest too, and I look forward to seeing more of it.

Overall, Seed of Destruction is pretty solid but nothing overly earth shattering. It is definitely lacking in the writing and plotting, but the art, characters and world more than make up for the writing. I think the story still needs to find its feet a bit, but there was enough in the first volume to keep me interested and make me want to keep reading.

Grade: B-

Review: Retribution Falls

2011-09-22T19:28:00.000-07:00

Retribution Falls is one of those books that I've had my eye on for a long time, thanks to lots of high praise getting heaped all over it from all corners of the web. I'm always leery when the hype is high going into a book, but every now and then I get a gut feeling that a book will be good.

This was one of those books.

I was pretty much sucked in from the get go with this novel. It starts with a tense hostage situation, some ballsy roulette of the Russian variety, and a daring escape. If the first ten pages or so don't capture your interest, there is a good chance this book isn't for you, but really I don't see how those pages could fail to capture even the stuffiest of readers.

Once escapes are made we meet the cast of characters who populate the novel and also serve as the crew for the Ketty Jay, an air ship of dubious repute. The crew, a kaleidoscopic mix of humanity, all seem to share a need to stay out of sight, and keep their pasts firmly behind them. Darian Frey is the captain, mostly in title, as he runs a loose ship and is more likely to drink, gamble and wench than he is to give orders. Malvery is the ship doctor with disgrace in his past, drinking to forget. Crake is a man of noble birth, skilled in the arts of daemonism. He too is running from a dark past, but his taveling companion is an armored golem. Jez, the navigator, startlingly capable at her job, has a dark secret she'd like to keep quiet. The rest of the crew which includes an engineer, and a couple out-flier pilots are equally imperfect in their own unique ways.

With the crew of the Ketty Jay on the run, and in need of some cash, Frey jumps at the first job opportunity which is seemingly too good to pass up. The job -which promises a chest of gems as the pay off- requires a small act of piracy, but seems exceedingly routine and easy. Frey's instincts may have shouted TRAP! but the promise of easy riches and a life of luxury are too hard to pass up. When the attack goes horribly wrong Frey and his crew find themselves wanted, and on the run from bounty hunters, and Century Knights. Not exactly the low profile they had hoped to maintain. As the Ketty Jay races for safety, they must also race to discover who set them up, and more importantly: Why?

At this point in the review I should make the obligatory comparison between Retribution Falls and Firefly, thus maintaining my geek cred.......................yeah, I must have missed that show when it was on back in 2002. I don't think I even owned a TV back then. You know what though, I think one of the main reasons I enjoyed Retribution Falls so much is that it didn't remind me of anything else. Retribution Falls is one of those genre busters that is hard to pin down. For what it's worth, I would say it is more science fantasy than it is steampunk. I couldn't instantly categorize it, and I liked that. A lot.

The characters were all varying shades of gray and for the most part, acted like actual people, not larger than life heroic figures. Though I was more likely to find myself amused at their shitty luck than fretting over their dire predicaments, I related to and appreciated each crew member in a variety of different ways.

Not only is this a book of non-stop action, adventure and mayhem, but it's also a book with a solid sense of humor. Though the humor element was touted elsewhere, I personally feel that the geek crowd is an easy crowd to get a laugh out of, so I sorta doubted I'd have the same experience. It takes a rare book to get me laughing, but Retribution Falls got quite a few chuckles out of me. Guess that'll teach me to be such Doubting Donald.

I could carry on about plot, and prose, but that would most definitely lead to more gushing about this wonderful novel. For me, the key factors that made Retribution Falls stand out are the cast of characters, the exciting plot, and the genre busting feel of the whole she-bang. For real, this book is great in lots of different ways, and is definitely worth a read. Highly Recommended.

Grade: A

Review: The Drop Edge of Yonder

2011-09-20T22:24:00.000-07:00

The Drop Edge of Yonder tells the story of Zebulon Shook, a mountain man and fur trapper who gets cursed by a dying half Shoshoni, half Irish woman. The curse makes it impossible for Zebulon to know whether or not he is trapped in the spirit world, the real world, or somewhere in between.

After selling his most recent collection of furs, Zebulon sets out from his home, setting off an epic journey that has him meeting up with his half brother, losing a fortune at cards, getting shot, (multiple times), tangled up with a dangerous women, becoming a well renown and much wanted criminal, caught up in the gold rush, among a myriad of other adventures.

As Zebulon careens his way through the American West there is an interesting juxtaposition between Zebulon's free wheeling, devil may care attitude and approach to life, while all around him, the west gets steadily more organized and tamed. It was interesting to me how the idea of freedom on the frontier is vastly different from the notion of freedom in a civilized society. This seems to be a recurring theme in many westerns, but it is played out to the extreme with Zebulon in this novel.

The Drop Edge of Yonder is a virtual whirlwind of a tale. Once Zebulon sets off on his journey, the pacing of the narrative is rapid fire. One thing literally happens directly after another, and the story never once lets up. The story reflects Zebulon's lifestyle which is chaotic at the best of times, and just plain crazy at all others. I found myself easily swept up in the story, and enjoyed every moment of this wild ride. Because of Zebulon's free wheeling style, there is no way to know which direction the novel will take you...aside from knowing that where ever the story goes it will likely lead to more trouble for Zebulon. That said, it was a joy to be swept up in the story and visit a variety of locations on the western frontier.

Rudolph Wurlitzer's prose reminded me a bit of Cormac McCarthy's in the sense that Wurlitzer is somewhat sparse with his descriptions, but at the same time, manages to paint a vivid picture of the wild west. Though Zebulon's adventures take him all over the west, down to Mexico, and further into Central America, Wurlitzer makes each setting come boiling to life. Despite the sparse style, Wurlitzer was still able to capture a very authentic feel for the settings, people, and sometimes violent and dangerous culture of the western frontier.

The Drop Edge of Yonder is a book that can be read in a couple of different ways. It can be read simply as a western adventure of outlaws, cards, and whiskey, but there is a supernatural element to the story as well. The curse that gets put on Zebulon gives this book a bit of a fantastical swirl. There are a few clues and circumstances that give credit to the idea that Zebulon might either be dreaming up his wild adventures, or be stuck in the spirit world. However, the free spirit in me wants to believe that someone could possibly live the free, unshackled life that Zebulon led. Either way, The Drop Edge of Yonder had a small dose of the fantastic to it, which adds yet another engaging element to the story that reminded me a bit of Guy Gavriel Kay's works that are very light on the fantasy elements.

No matter which way to shake it, The Drop Edge of Yonder is a definite departure from my usual reading habits. Though I consider myself a moderate fan of the western genre, mostly through comics and film, this novel was well worth the foray into the written variety of the genre. Definitely worth a read for western fans and lapsed western fans alike.

Grade: B

Comic Quickies: Welcome to the DCnU part 2.

2011-09-18T21:26:00.000-07:00

Batwoman #1: After reading Batwoman: Elegy, I had the feeling that Batwoman would be one of, if not the only, sure-fire hits for me in the DCnU. It is hard to go wrong with J.H. Williams III on art, and his writing efforts, teamed up with co-writer W. Haden Blackman are pretty solid here too.

This comic begins by setting up a creepy new supernatural villain who is stealing children in Gotham City. Given Batwoman's past, this seems like a great villain for her to square off against. This issue also sets a few other interesting balls rolling for the series. Detective Sawyer, the officer who is investigating the missing children, looks to be a little love-interest in the making for Kate Kane. In other action, Batwoman also appears to be training herself a side-kick. This prospective hero is none other than Kate's cousin, Bette Kane, who was formerly Flamebird in the Teen Titans. This section of the issue was slightly confusing for me, as my knowledge of any DC heroes not Superman, Wonder Woman or Batman is terrible, and I felt like I was missing something.

The best part of this comic came when Kate has a confrontation with her estranged father. This sequence, told over a double page spread, displays three important things: JH3's ability to visually tell a story better than any other, the writing team's ability to script and deliver some tense, yet succinct writing, and an amazing montage recap of what went down in the Elegy story.

All told, this was a very strong issue, and for my money, the best of the DCnU relaunch comics so far.

Frankenstein Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #1: Jeff Lemire is writing two comics for the relaunch. While Animal Man is a serious story with some family drama, and horror elements, Frankenstein Agent of S.H.A.D.E. is balls out action.

This one starts out with a little walk-through of S.H.A.D.E.'s new HQ, which is a three inch indestructible ball, which is currently hovering 2,000 miles above NYC. In order to visit said three inch ball one must get shrunk, then teleported aboard this mite-sized base...and that crazy kind of shit is exactly why I think this is going to be an awesome comic.

That's just the beginning of the zaniness too.

From the looks of things, S.H.A.D.E. is run by none other than...Father Time, who is using the body of a uniformed school-girl to act as his host. Then, there's a small town in rural Washington that is overrun by a host of ugly-ass monsters. S.H.A.D.E. has sent in their best agent, the four-armed, gun toting Bride of Frankenstein. Her efforts aren't enough to contain such a massive threat, so Frank, and his newly assembled team of monsters are sent in to do some damage. The team includes a werewolf, vampire (neither are sparkly), a mummy and the creature from the black lagoon.

So far, this is pretty much exactly what I want this comic to be: classic monsters fighting monsters, with a lot of weirdness and tons of action. Lemire's writing is decent, and the art, by Alberto Ponticelli is pretty great too. There were a couple times his work looked a little sloppy, but most of the time it looked solid. He seems to excel at drawing lots and lots of monsters.

From the looks of things, Frankenstein Agent of S.H.A.D.E. is shaping up to be pretty nutty, yet entertaining as hell at the same time. Looking forward to what comes next.

Meanwhile (Graphic Novel): Up last is a non DC title. Conceived, written, and illustrated by Jason Shiga, Meanwhile is a choose your own adventure style graphic novel with over 3,500 different possibilities and it all begins with one simple (or is it?) decision: chocolate or vanilla. Depending on your choice of ice cream, you are launched into a story filled with mad scientists, insane inventions and the fate of the world in the palm of your hands.

Meanwhile is a pretty unique piece of comic creation. Instead of reading the panels left to right, you have to follow these colored tubes that lead you up, down and all over the page. When it comes time to make a decision, you follow the tubes to tabs, and flip to that page, and carry on. A careful read of the text, and a sharp eye for detail is brilliantly rewarded as there are a few hidden codes throughout the comic that will aid you in your quest. Some of these codes were easier to unlock than others.

Aside from code breaking, and decision making, there's also a coin-toss scene that felt about as realistic and chancy as a real coin-toss, as well as some cool inventions (time travel anyone?) that, when you have to choose which invention to investigate, makes for some tough decisions...As tempting as the doomsday device was, I ultimately chose time travel as my initial adventure.

I spent a good chunk of a day trying to max out as many story possibilities as I could, and I think I came pretty damn close. By the time I felt like I'd covered most of the options, I did what any good choose your own adventure reader does, and cheated. After flipping though each and every page of the book I found only two pages I hadn't been to; One was an easter egg for cheaters like me, and could only be found by, well, cheating, and another that I still haven't been able to work my way to yet. Still, there is a lot of material here, and Meanwhile is a pretty amazing feat of choose your own adventure style story telling.

I consider Meanwhile a must have for any fan of this style of story, and a must read for anyone who loves to have fun. Hopefully Shiga will dip back into this style of comic again in the future. Great stuff.

Grade: A

Review: Rex Mundi v1 The Guardian of the Temple

2011-09-16T08:25:00.000-07:00

Picture a world where the American Civil War ended in a stalemate, the Catholic Church is the primary power in Europe, and sorcery and mysticism are practiced behind closed doors. Now consider what this might make the political situation of the Eurasian land mass look like and you've got a good starting place for Rex Mundi.

This first volume, The Guardian of the Temple, is set in Paris. When an ancient scroll goes missing from the secret chambers of a church, Doctor Julien Sauniere is called upon, by his old friend, Father Marin -the guardian of the secret chamber- to investigate. Marin confesses that he revealed the whereabouts of the secret chamber to a friend, who is currently a practicing prostitute. Marin also suspects that sorcery was used to breach the chamber. Sauniere rushes off to track down Marin's friend but is too late and discovers she is the victim of a brutal, ritualistic murder. As Sauniere digs deeper, he discovers that an ancient secret society may be behind the murder. All the while, the Catholic police, the Inquisition is hot on his heels.

While all this is going on, plots, and counter plots are hatching in the political arena as France inches closer and closer to a war with their neighbors.

In many ways Rex Mundi: The Guardian of the Temple reminded me a bit of The DaVinci Code, except with better writing, more complexity, and a wider scope. While The Guardian of the Temple is basically an opening salvo to a much grander plot, it does a great job of giving the reader a feel for the alternate historical setting, and the elements at play.

In many ways, Rex Mundi is a comic where the art does much of the talking, but make no mistake there is some solid writing going on too. This is a comic rich in complex elements, with a fully fleshed out alternate history that I am dying to learn more about. The writer, Arvid Nelson fills the story up with lore, mysticism and mystery that only make the setting more intriguing. There are a lot of elements thrown at the reader in this first volume, but I never felt over my head, and instead felt like I had been invited into an amazing, fully realized version of Earth that never happened but could have. So far, the world building has been excellent, and I'm hungry for more.

As great as the plot, and the alternate historical setting is, I found it hard to connect with Sauniere, who is, for all intents and purposes, the primary character. So far he has mostly been the tool that cranks the story and the plot forward, moving it along towards the eventual destination. Aside from that, there hasn't been much development of his character. There were a few tidbits here and there, but nothing I could firmly latch on and connect to. Despite this grand scope of the plot, there are only a couple of secondary characters thus far, and none that really stand out.

The art element of Rex Mundi is handled by Eric J, and is the perfect companion to the writing and the setting. Eric J brings the world of the 1930's to life brick by lovely brick. Each scene is wonderfully detailed and quite nice to look at. He expertly captures the decadence and the dinginess alike of the environment. That said, his figure drawing felt a bit off for me. All the people in the comic look like they are about nine feet tall, and men and women alike all have elongated, broad-shouldered swimmer's bodies. It almost looks as if a nearly human alien race is walking around Paris, pretending to be human.

After reading this first volume, there is not doubt in my mind that this is a comic with a rather epic scope. In some ways this intimidates me a bit, as I'm not sure I'm quite ready for a journey of such proportions. There is no doubt that there are much bigger things to come, which to me can be a blessing or a curse. My fear is that Nelson wont be able to hold all the strings of such an ambitious plot. However, I am quite intrigued by all the potential. Even though I haven't connected with any of the characters yet, this is still a strong first volume, and I'm definitely on board for the next installment.

Grade: B-

Comic Quickies: Welcome to the DCnU part 1

2011-09-13T21:11:00.000-07:00

With DC comics spitting out 52 new titles this month, there's a lot to talk about in the comics world. The problem with all these "new" titles, is figuring out which ones are worth reading. For the most part, I had no problem saying "no fucking way" to the majority of "the new 52" but nostalgia, curiosity, and some great creative teams have peaked my interest enough to get me to add seven titles to my pull list, along with a handful of other titles that'll be getting the ol' flip check in store.

So without further ado, I give you part 1 of my DCnU Comic Quickies...

Action Comics #1: If you're a long-time reader of the blog, you'll know that I loved Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely's All Star Superman enough to name it one of my top 5 graphic novels of the year last year. If you aren't long time reader, well, that's ok too.

Anyway, when I saw that Grant Morrison would once again be writing Superman, my inner nerd went wild. Now, I'm not in any way a Superman fan. I never even liked the guy that much as a kid. He always struck me as far too over powered, and boring. However, Morrison has this crazy knack for making Superman interesting. Interesting to the point that he made me love a comic about Superman. Believe me, that takes some skill.

So, how was Action Comics #1? I was not let down. The comic starts with Supes literally sniffing out corruption and dealing out some steel justice in a rather Batman-like way. From there we learn that this is a story about Superman's early days in Metropolis, before all his powers come to full fruition. The Man of Steel is more Man of Suspicious Interest as he's pursued by police, and plotted against by the government who enlist the help of Lex Luthor.

I got the feeling that Morrison is trying to take a back-to-basics approach to Superman, where he is truly a man of the people, fighting for those who can't fight for themselves. That concept came across well here, and it is a concept I can definitely get behind.

Yeah, Superman's "costume" looks a little bit off with the patched jeans, and shoes he borrowed from Goofy, but I liked that he's a bit powered down. I actually found myself caring about his safety and health a couple times, which is a new thing for me.

The art, which is handled by Rags Morales, was a bit hit or miss for me. I think I read somewhere that Superman is supposed to be about 5 years younger than the JLA Superman here, but there were a few panels where he looked downright old. Like, in his 50's. Aside from that, I can't really complain, Morales' art is competent, but not astounding.

Aside from writing Superman in such a way that made me care about the guy and take interest, Action Comics #1 was also just a great fucking comic. From start to finish it was a spellbinding read, and was easily my favorite, and least flawed, title I've read so far from the new 52.

Animal Man #1: I was initially interested in Animal Man because it's written by Jeff Lemire, a guy who is right up there as one of my very favorite comic writers. That initial interest skyrocketed when I got a good look at Travel Foreman's cover and some of the interior art.

That interest and excitement waned considerably once I got the actual comic in my hands and flipped open to the first page of art to see flat, texture-less, unattractive art. This style prevailed for about two thirds of the issue while Animal Man, A.K.A. Buddy Baker is going about his usual family man/costumed hero day. However, after an intense hostage situation at a children's hospital, where we get a glimpse at Buddy's powers, Buddy returns home, goes to bed, and proceeds to have one hell of a nightmare.

The dream sequence, is quite easily, some of the coolest art I've seen in comics. It's got everything from rivers of blood, to fleshy disembodiment, to strange talking beasts. This dream sequence leads to an intense real-world moment for Buddy and his family, and finishes off the first issue with a solid shocker of an ending.

After this first issue, I'm firmly on the fence with Animal Man. If Foreman had been able to bring the thunder all issue long, and deliver 20 pages of great art, rather than 4 pages of great art, I'd be heaping praise on what is a well written comic, but for my money, is lacking consistency in the art department.

Detective Comics #1: Without a doubt, Batman is my favorite superhero. Probably because there is nothing "super" about him, he's just a regular guy, albeit incredibly fit, and a touch crazy. Ever since I've returned to comics as an adult, I've been hoping for an opportunity to jump onto some Batman titles and read the adventures of my childhood hero. That opportunity never presented itself, at least not without me having to read a few graphic novels worth of key back story from the last decade or so of Bat-history, until the relaunch. Once the relaunch was announced, I immediately signed up for the two key Bat-titles, Detective Comics and Batman, to be added to my pull list.

Of the those two titles, I'm less excited about Dectective Comics mostly because Tony S. Daniel handles both the writing and the art. I'd flip-checked some of his past bat-work and never been all that impressed with either his writing or his art. I figured I'd give it a shot though, especially considering how much I've been wanting to read some Batman the last couple years.

The comic itself turned out to be a pretty solid, if somewhat standard Batman comic. It's got all the usual Bat-stuff you've seen hundreds of times, like Batman sprinting/jumping/bat-grappling from roof top to roof top, Batman driving the batmobile through holograms into the bat-cave, Batman engaging in some banter with Alfred, Batman talking with Gordon, Batman disappearing on Gordon mid-sentence while his back is turned, and so on...I almost felt like Daniel was filling out a checklist of necessary, cliched bat-moments while interspersing them into the story.

The story, though somewhat juvenile, is pretty interesting; It deals with the Joker, so that is an instant plus, and has a pretty gruesome and shock factor-ish ending which could potentially lead to some cool plot lines down the road. I don't want to be too hard on Daniel, his art in this issue is pretty strong, and reminiscent of Frank Miller's Dark Knight Batman art. The writing is pretty decent too, I just think I hold any Batman comic to pretty high standards, and this one didn't quite reach those heights. I'm definitely excited to see more of what Dectective Comics has to offer, but slightly on the fence about his title.

Metal Memoir: Mustaine

2011-09-12T08:26:00.000-07:00

This one has been a long time coming.

I've put this book on hold at the library four times, and each time, when it comes in, I forget to go to the library and pick it up. By the time I remember, my hold has expired, and the book is off in someone else's hands. Fifth time's the charm though, and with late fines through the roof, I pushed this one not only up to the top of my 'to read' pile, but also up to the top of my 'to review' pile.

So what is book all about? Well, Mustaine is the memoir of Megadeth's founder, frontman, and guitarist, Dave Mustaine.

Ever since the Countdown to Extinction album came out and subsequently rocked my 11 year old world, Megadeth has been one of my favorite bands. Though my fanaticism for the band has faded a bit over the years, their power trio of albums, Rust in Peace, Countdown to Extinction and Youthanasia are still incredible and get steady play in my stereo. So, when Mustaine came out last year, I thought it might be cool to give it a read and hopefully learn a little bit about one of my favorite musicians and favorite bands.

Well, I sure did learn a lot. Like how many times Mustaine has been in rehab, (17 times), how much getting kicked out of Metallica haunted him for years, how many chicks he banged, and how many lineup changes Megadeth has been though over the decades.

And, that's pretty much the whole book in a nutshell. There's some bits about his sadly messed up childhood, and some bits about his personal life, but make no mistake, this is a memoir that covers what the fans wanna read about: sex, drugs and rock n' roll. With slightly more emphasis on the drugs.

I guess I'm not your typical Megadeth fan because the thing is, I was sort of hoping for more information about his guitar playing technique, which I feel he downplayed in favor of giving props to other band members, and more information about the band, song writing processes, album recording, inspiration, and that sort of stuff. Sure, Mustaine did cover all those things to some degree in the memoir, but very little amount of the book is focused on those items.

As I mentioned earlier, much of the focus is on drug use in Mustaine which makes sense, given how large of a role it played in his life for many years. But hearing story after story about how drugs ruined a relationship with a band-mate, got him in trouble, or jeopardized his career got a little tiresome for me, while other aspects that I'd have liked to read more about were merely given lip service.

The aspect I appreciated the most was Mustaine's openness about himself, his drug use, his sometimes caustic relationships with band mates and the controversy over his expulsion from Metallica. While every story was, of course, told from his point of view, I felt like he was very candid about what happened, honest and up front about his own role, no matter how shameful, in the various events. I got the sense that it has taken a lot of time and soul searching for Mustaine to come to terms with his past and own up to his actions.

Overall, this was a mostly interesting read, though maybe not such a sure fire hit for non-Megadeth fans. If you do happen to be a fan, there is some interesting stuff here, especially in terms of Megadeth line-up lore (nearly as many band members as rehab trips). If nothing else, Mustaine will inspire you to stay away from drugs, and listen to good music!

Grade: C+

Warning: scientific experiments enacted upon goofy looking aliens!

Comic Quickies: A Fond Farewell

2011-09-08T08:35:00.000-07:00

The Intrepids #6: We begin this Comics Quickies with a fond farewell to what has steadily been one of my favorite comics for the past six months, The Intrepids.

I couldn't ask for much more in a comic; The Intrepids pretty much has it all. From skilled, twist-filled, and fun writing, to art that gives the series a unique feel, and makes each page feel like a little gift, this is truly a wonderful comic.

If mad scientists, cyber bears, robo squids, attack monkeys, high-tech body modifications, action, humor, adventure, spy/special agent hi-jinks and dark pasts hold even a flicker of interest for you, then I urge you to give The Intrepids a shot.

If The Intrepids were a Batman, it would be the Adam West Batman. If The Intrepids were James Bond it would be Roger Moore. If The Intrepids were a wrestler it would be The Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase, and if it were a car, it would be a Delorean.

It may be too late to get your hands on the single issues, but there will be a trade collection coming soon so just keep an eye out and then give it a read.

I think this video captures how I feel about the end of The Intrepids.

Loose Ends #1: This one bills itself as a '4 issue southern crime romance'. The first issue, which takes place almost completely at a roadside dive bar, mostly delivers on that billing and acts predominantly as a set up for what is to come in the following issues.

I enjoyed the seedy setting, flawed characters, and dangerous regulars of Bobbi's Hideaway. The story that takes place at the bar is quite interesting and filled with an interesting twist that has me intrigued for the next issue. There are still a few elements that are so far, unexplained but I expect, more shit will come to light in the coming issues.

On top of what looks to be some strong writing, Loose Ends also offers some great art, and comes in a slightly oversized format, with thick, high quality pages. This is a comic that looks good, feels good, and reads uhm, good...shit, I couldn't make that work. You get the idea.

Mystery Men #4: Mystery Men is a comic series that started out pretty solid, with a moment or two that made me cringe, and has sadly, slowly deteriorated from there.

The biggest contributors to the decline has been the addition of the two latest team members, The Surgeon, and Achilles. These two guys have pretty much ruined the comic for me. Every time The Surgeon speaks it's in cheesy medical lingo. For example, after he dispatches a cop with a syringe full of green...stuff, he declares: "My diagnosis: a feeble mind, leading to faulty detective work. This operation is concluded...let's scrub down and compare notes." Yeah, so bad, and there's others, that's just the first one I came to.

Achilles is a pain with the dialog too, but in his case, it's his conflicted inner dialog that drives me nuts. Nothing has been done to make me care if he is a killer or not, so when he mentally whines about deciding to take someone's life, I find that it just annoys me.

Yeah, there's stuff to like about the comic, like other characters who are pretty cool, and interesting, there's some pretty great art as well, and the plot of the series is interesting, but I just flat out cant stand that there are guaranteed to be at least two groan inducing moments per issue. Long story short, I wont be buying the fifth and final issue to this mini-series.

Bask in the Spectrelight

2011-09-07T08:50:00.000-07:00

Mastodon was kind enough to release yet another track from their forthcoming album The Hunter. This latest one is called Spectrelight and features Scott Kelly of Neurosis on vocals. Kelly has memorably added his vocal skills on previous albums, so I'm happy to hear he's on this album as well.

As per usual, Justin from Oceans of Ale, hooked me up with the linkage.

As much as I enjoy hearing individual songs from the album, I'm definitely the kind of guy who prefers to listen to an album all the way through. I sorta wish it would hurry up and be the 27th already. Oh well, soon enough. Enjoy Spectrelight!

Review: Transmetropolitan v1 Back on the Street

2011-09-05T10:52:00.000-07:00

Former journalist, Spider Jerusalem is living the life of a secluded artist. He's got a house in the mountains, tucked away from prying eyes and a decent stash of drugs to keep him happy for a while. He's also got smartguns, ebola bombs, and proximity mines to ensure this his peace and quiet is guaranteed. All that peace and tranquility comes crashing down when Spider gets a call from his publisher, informing him that he owes his publishing company a couple more contracted books. With no cash, and no inspiration to be found in the mountains, Jerusalem grudgingly decides that it's time to return to his natural habitat, the city.

Upon his return to his native throbbing mass of life and activity, Jerusalem scores a job writing articles for a city-wide newspaper. Along with the new gig comes an apartment, a genetically engineered cat, and access to the mass of humanity that will inspire him to get writing again. In this first volume, Jerusalem explores, interacts with, and creates an overwhelming air of chaos in such areas of racial tensions, politics, television, and religion.

I think it is fair to say that I was slightly under-prepared for just how nutty Transmetropolitan is. Warren Ellis does a fantastic job of capturing the energy of a bustling futuristic city and then channeling that energy into the pages of Back on the Street. The setting of this graphic novel reminds me of the gritty, violent futures of a Paul Verhoeven film, with a healthy dose of Ellis' black humor. Somehow, this is a graphic novel with an in-your-face attitude and a chip on its shoulder. While reading this, I went through stages of shock, disgust, and joy as Ellis dragged me into his futuristic world.

The main character, Spider Jerusalem is clearly an homage to Hunter S. Thompson. Spider's journalistic style felt very similar to that of Thompson, and his black humored, pull no punches writing. Jerusalem seems like the perfect guy to hitch a ride with on his travels through the dystopian future Ellis has dreamed up. He meets each fucked up situation with equal parts of anger, smarts, and black wit. As far as main characters go, Jerusalem is a great driving force that pushes the narrative in some pretty interesting directions.

Darick Robertson, the artist on Transmetropolitan: Back on the Street is a guy who has been around the comics medium for a while, but is more or less an unknown to me. Even though I unfamiliar with his works, I think it is safe to say he is the man for the job here. Robertson totally nails the chaos and turmoil of the story with his art. Not only does he wonderfully display just how crazy, and fucked up the city is, he captures the crazy, fucked up-ness of Spider Jerusalem and his ever expanding range of nutty emotions too.

Robertson's art should also get some of credit for the Verhoeven-esqe feel this story has, as his art is reminiscent of the sets of such films as Total Recall and Robocop. I appreciated the un-perfectness and heavily used feel to the world that his art gives off, and would take it any day over the shiny-and-new futuristic settings that are too often found in science fiction.

I can't say that I was completely sucked in by this comic. I did enjoy it immensely, both for the writing and the art, but there wasn't that magic bean that made me want to read the next volume immediately after. I have no doubt that I'll read the next volume and possibly the entire series, but at this point in the series, I can't say that I'm completely invested in the thing. Transmetropolitan: Back on the Street is certainly a great comic, and a pretty great piece of Warren Ellis writing. It was a pleasure to read, but not as wholly engaging as I might have wished. Sill, a great comic, and I'll definitely be coming back to this well sooner than later.

Grade: B

Review: Nights of Villjamur

2011-09-02T12:16:00.000-07:00

I've been patiently waiting to read Nights of Villjamur since reading the high praises it has received from trusted review sources around the web. When I finally got my hands on the book, it spent only a few short days on the shelf before I picked it up and dove in.

The world in which Nights of Villjamur takes place is slowly trudging towards an ice age underneath a cold red sun. In the city of Villjamur, the capital of the Jamur empire, people are getting ready for the long cold winter ahead. While the people of the empire prepare for the transition, the nobility is undergoing a transition of its own as it ushers in a new queen.

As you might guess, the ascension to the throne is no minor political event, and there are many players, big and small, pulling strings behind the scenes. When some of the nobles start getting murdered, a twisted conspiracy involving magic, military might, religious cults and corruption lurches to the forefront. Though the very structure of the empire is in peril, a greater, otherworldly threat is poised to wreak havoc on an already vulnerable Jamur Empire.

I had great expectations for this novel. The reviews I'd read seemed promising, the back blurb seemed to hint that many elements I enjoy in a fantasy novel were present, and the world Newton created seemed like a great setting for an amazing story. Despite all the positive energy this novel had built up before I turned the first page, I was ultimately disappointed by Nights of Villjamur.

My first piece of disappointment came from Newton's prose, which I had a hard time becoming fully immersed in. The prose was a series of ups and downs. At times it reached fairly lofty heights and I enjoyed the cadence and flow of events, but there were too many steep drops in quality that were jarring and cringe-worthy. The varying quality of the writing, which often shifted from good to bad on the same page, prevented me from being able to just settle in and enjoy the novel.

An equally important and troublesome gripe is that I had a very hard time connecting to any of the important characters in the novel. With the exception of Brynd, who I found somewhat likable and interesting, there was little substance to the other characters and as a result they fell completely flat. There was little development spent on each character, and when there was, the character development felt more like superficial additives to simply create an interesting trait in a character. Yet this generally did little to define character's motivations or justify their actions.

As flat as the characters were, it should come as little surprise that various races that populate the novel were homogeneous as well. Though Nights of Villjamur included a long lived reptilian race, birdlike men called garudas, and banshees, whose cries announce deaths, aside from what I just told you, there was little more to these groups of people. There was very little to set them apart from the human race, and when a human character interacted with one of these other races, there were little to no dynamics that indicated differing cultures, social norms or the like.

Another frustration I had with the novel is that the magic system, in which relics from a bygone age are used to do magical things, made absolutely no sense, and no explanation for how it all worked was offered. The system was so poorly enacted that I got the sense Newton himself had little to no idea how his magic system worked, and instead just chucked it in there to appease fantasy fans who just gotta have their magics. Each time there was magic at play in this novel I felt frustrated and confused as to how it worked.

With such major complications in terms of prose, character development, diversity among races, and a completely un-fleshed out magic system, it was hard to find the positives in Nights of Villjamur. Though hard to see through the other problems, there is quality to be found.

I was most impressed with was the complexity of the plot. Simply put, there is a lot of shit going on in this novel, and the basis of it all is quite interesting. Yes, my aforementioned problems with the book all did their part to take away from my enjoyment of the plot, but there is no denying that Newton is capable of putting together an interesting story. This fact is no small thing because it should be noted that Nights of Villjamur is Newton's debut novel, and the problems I had are all things which can be improved on over time. However, if you can't write something interesting, well, as a writer you are pretty much out of luck. Happily, Newton does possess a strong ability to write an interesting story, so if he can improve upon his prose, and character development, while putting in the time to flesh out various races, and his magic system, the man could write a fantastic fantasy novel.

I had far too many serious problems with this novel to give it a recommendation. The weaknesses far overshadowed the strengths and I had a very hard time enjoying this novel. I'm unwilling, nor do I think it is fair, to write off Newton as an author whose works I would avoid. I think he is quite capable of improvement, and his extremely creative imagination, which I'm pleased to say leans towards the weird end of things, could put together a fantastic novel in the near future. Nights of Villjamur however, fell far short of greatness, I would advise staying away from this particular novel.

Grade: D