Comic Quickies: Fables Double Header

Fables Vol. 7 Arabian Nights (and Days):  The Fables who remain and live here in our mundane world have finally discovered the identity of the Adversary, so now it's a matter of shoring up their defenses and forging some strong alliances so that their stronghold here in the mundane world continues to be safe from attack.

One major group that remains unconquered by the Adversary are the Arabian Fables, who have sent a delegation to Fabletown in hopes of building a coalition against their mutual enemy.  That's all well and good, but they've come to Fabletown concealing a magical weapon that could cause destruction on a massive level.  It's up to Governor Prince Charming, and his newly appointed ambassador, (and former Governor, King Cole) to smooth things over, and avert a culture clash that could end in disaster.  In addition to the Arabian Nights (and Days) story, this seventh volume in the epic Fables series also features a two issue story called The Ballad of Rodney and June, which is a story of forbidden love among the wooden soldiers in the Adversary's army.

This was my least favorite Fables trade yet.  Sure, it was cool to meet some new fables from the Arabian Homelands, and it was kinda fun to see Old King Cole in his glad-handing element, but not a lot happened here. Arabian Nights (and Days) had a very distinct "middle book" feel to it where not a lot happens, but pieces are put into place for the final stages of the big story line.  I also didn't enjoy Jim Fern's art on the The Ballad of Rodney and June story, but the story was really good, and a lot of fun to read.  I think I liked this one more than the main plot story.

It was cool that Willingham added the Arabian fables characters to the story and added a new magical element to the plot as well, but overall, this one didn't impress me quite as much as previous volumes.  That being said, I'm still all the way on board with this series.

Obviously, given that I read this one as well...

Fables Vol. 8 Wolves:  We've got another "middle book" feeling volume here as Wolves focuses primarily on character development and world building over plot movement.  The best thing about this volume is that we get a healthy dose of Mowgli, who's a pretty cool character, and we finally have the return of Bigby Wolf who has been incognito for the last few volumes.  Bigby Wolf is one of the central characters to this story, and one of my favorite characters too, so it was nice to have the dude back.

Not only that, but this eighth volume contains the 50th issue of the Fables series and that mighty issue contains a big romantic plot thread payoff that is actually pretty well done.  I don't often go in for the romance stuff, but Willingham actually made me care about this love story in this series, so it was nice to see that plot thread have a happy ending...for now.

For the second volume in a row, the back-up story was my favorite part of the volume.  Sean McManus handles the guest art duties this time around and though I wasn't overly impressed, I also wasn't turned off.  Big and Small tells the story of Cinderella, who is one awesome secret agent, and how she managed to forge an alliance between Fabletown and the fine folks of the Cloud Kingdom.  Not the easiest task, and one that required a lot of leg-work and a bit of magical shape shifting!  I really enjoyed the blend of espionage and fantasy.  Good stuff.

All told, these were my two least favorite volumes in the Fables story yet.  Sure they were still quite good, but I felt like the plot took a back seat to side stories.  I realize this is probably one of the more bloated titles on the shelves, considering how many issues it has run for, but I was sorta hoping the bloat wouldn't come until after the battle with the Adversary is over and done with.  Hopefully, the few minor plot developments that do take place here will pay dividends down the road.  I'm still pretty high on this series, but there's a little less wind in my sails after this most recent spate of Fables reading.

Book Review: The Score

I don't always read crime novels, but when I do, I prefer a Richard Stark Parker novel.

Beer commercial spoofs aside, it's true, I like me some crime noir, especially the variety written by Richard Stark.  I've already read and reviewed The Hunter, and The Outfit and both were awesome.  So, when the craving came for some more crime readin' I figured I should dive back in.   For those of you who are up on things in the comic world you'll notice that the novels I've read in this series coincide with the  graphic novels that Darwyn Cooke has adapted.  Sure, I haven't read any of those yet, but I hope to one day, but not before reading the books first.

The Score is probably my favorite in the Parker series so far.  It is a novel that is very straight forward and simple in design, but quite complex when it comes to actual details.

The format of The Score is one that will be familiar to anyone who has seen Ocean's Eleven, or any of it's sequels.  It goes like this:  Our hero, or more accurately, the criminal that we root for, Parker, has been given a job proposal: to knock off an entire town, and make off with a few hundred thousand in cash.  Though the caper sounds impossible, is plagued by what-ifs, and numerous intangibles, the potential score is too much to resist and Parker decides to take the job.  From there it is a matter of assembling the right crew, and figuring out all the details so as to limit the risk involved.  Then you get to the really good part where the big caper goes down, and you have no idea how it's all gonna turn out.

This "proposition-plan-plan in action" sequence is tried, true and maybe a little tired out, but it has never been done so well as Stark does it here...and he did it waaaay before those Brad Pitt/George Clooney films.  Especially when it comes to the part where the gang tries to pull off the caper.  Maybe it's the fact that I've never seen, or read a crime story where the crooks try to rob an entire town and get away clean as a whistle but it sure makes for an awesome read.

Stark is scarily good with detailing out how the crime goes down.  This isn't a knock on the man's character or anything, but he really seems to know a lot of tricks of the criminal trade...to the point that you might think he has extensive experience as a criminal himself.  He was probably too busy writing bad-ass crime stories to lead a life of crime, but he sure brings that whole crime world stuff to vivid life on the page and gives the story an air of authenticity. It's fascinating.

This novel has a greater focus on the art of conceiving and pulling off the big score than past Parker novels which had a blend of crime and Parker being an all around cold-hearted bad-ass.  In The Score, he's more of a mastermind and jack of all trades criminal trying to make a buck.  He sorta takes a back seat to the action going on around him.  This is easily the least character driven novel of the three Parker  books I've read, but that's not a bad thing.  This one is all about creating the perfect crime out of a nearly impossible task.

True to Richard Stark form; there's a couple of nice twists along the way to keep readers from getting too comfortable and keep things interesting.  For my monety, The Score provided the perfect scratch to my crime itch.  I'm a perfect three for three with Richard Stark's Parker novels, so it seems pretty likely that I'll be reading more somewhere down the road.  If you are looking for a quick yet quality read that will provide a bit of a breather from your usual reading niche?  Look no further.

Grade: A

JLA Earth 2:  Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely. Two of my most favorite comic creators. This duo tends to really step their game up when they work together. They're a recipe for a golden comic.... right?  Well, that has been the case in the past.  See: Exhibit A, B, and C.

Uh, but there's been a couple less than stellar offerings from them too, see: Item One and Two.  But it's been awhile, since I've read ones that I would rate as a miss rather than a hit...until JLA Earth 2.

Not only does this one rate as a miss, I'd rate it as an all-around dud of a comic.  In fact, there's very little I can say positively about this comic.  Here's the premise:  The Earth that all our fave Justice League heroes live on is "good" planet. Good guys like Superman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Batman, and all the rest, take care of the people and the planet.  Well, what if there was another Earth out there in a parallel dimension where everything was the exact opposite?!?!  Whoa!

On this anti-matter planet bad dudes like Ultraman, Super Woman, The Owl, Power Ring, and Johnny Quick are part of the Crime Syndicate of Amerika and they pretty much rule their depraved and corrupt planet with an iron fist.  So when Lex Luthor, who is a good guy on this other planet, travels across dimensions to enlist the help of the JLA our heroes have to decide if they stand for justice in our world or on all worlds.

Maybe I shouldn't have based my purchase of this one purely on the creators...had I at least read the back blurb I might have let this one pass me by. But I didn't.  I read the whole damn thing too, despite this being a wholly uninspired work from two creators who appeared to be simply phoning this one in.  The fact of the matter is, there is nothing really special about this one at all.

Morrison's plot is entirely too predictable and lacking in anything that could be referred to as an interesting plot development.  The one twist, which came late in the game, seemed like it was just thrown in there as a way of giving the story a bit more life, but it didn't really work.  I guess I could interpret this story has having a somewhat hidden message about the nature of mainstream comics and how the good guys always win, how it is a pretty much pre-ordained thing that is taken for granted.  Yeah, that's great and all, but isn't that why people read superhero comics, so they can see their heroes win?

Though I was disappointed with Morrison, I was even more disappointed with Quitely. This is easily my least favorite work of his I've seen so far.  The whole time I was reading this I got the feeling that he must have been bored with the work, because even the characters in the comic seem bored.  There's little to no life in any of these characters.  Additionally, Morrison dials up a bunch of full page and double page splashes for Quitely, who responded by delivering some incredibly dull pages of art. There's Green Lantern creating giant hand constructs that hold the moon, a tombstone, a giant space base that looks silly, and the old burnt out stand-by: heroes flying through the air.  I love Quitely's art because he has the ability to make things look fresh and new, and he manages to breathe life into his characters, but that ability is completely AWOL in JLA Earth 2.  This stuff is just flat out weak.

I wish I could say something positive about JLA Earth 2, but I really can't.  I was completely let down by this comic, and the two creators who in the past have delivered some amazing stuff.  Based what I know Morrison and Quitely are capable of, and the lack luster product they produced here, I just can't recommend JLA Earth 2.  I've come to expect far greater things from this team, and they completely failed to deliver here.  This is one to pass by.

Grade: F

Book Review: Gods War

God's War is another one of those books that came onto my radar thanks to a lot of great reviews from bloggers whose taste in books I trust.

God's War takes place on a war-ravaged contaminated world where a centuries-old war rages on and on without any signs of a cease fire.  The story follows Nyx, a one time assassin for the government, who has fallen on rough times and is now the leader of a low-rent bounty hunting crew.  Nyx and her crew have just been offered the job of a lifetime.  Of course, it is incredibly dangerous, and nigh impossible given the circumstances, but success could bring about the end of the war, and for Nyx, who has a dark past that puts other dark pasts to shame, wouldn't mind doing something positive for a change.

Even though God's War got positive reviews from some of my favorite book bloggers, I struggled to find a groove while reading this one.  Which is strange given the fact that this book contains a lot of elements that I typically crave in a fantasy novel these days.

First off, take the setting, which is nowhere near your standard euro-style fantasy setting.  Instead, God's War takes place on a world where any kind of greenery or plant life seems to have been decimated by the contamination in the planet's atmosphere.  In place of shrubbery and what not, are what appears to be trackless desert after desert and cities pummeled by the war. Then you've got the characters, who for the most part are persons of color, which is another nice change considering that fantasy is a genre that has predominantly featured white lead characters and white supporting casts for the past five decades or so.  Lastly, debut author Kameron Hurley has delivered a story that completely fails to fall nicely and neatly into any one pre-existing sub-genre category by mixing in a healthy dose of hard boiled noir stylings, with a heaping spoonful of weird fantasy-ish bug magic, and a sprinkle of boxing.  That's right, boxing.

I don't get to say this very often, mostly because it never happens, but also because it comes off sounding like hyperbole, or some silly blurb meant for the front cover, but Hurley has really and truly created a unique fantasy setting.  A rare and special treat.

The world, which the reader is plopped right into with no hand holding or anything like that, is one where magicians control a variety of familiar and fantastical bugs to do their bidding.  This is a world where technology, machinery and organic organisms work in a harmonious combination.  It is pretty fascinating to read about.  Personally, I loved the concept of bugs doing magical, and technological things.  Hurley did a great job of bringing this concept to vivid life on the page too, which made it all the more impressive.

Unfortunately, creative new ideas that breathe life into the genre, a fascinating magic system and strong world building only go so far for me.  Any reader of this blog knows that I need characters to help me really connect to the story, and I wasn't able to find that connection here.

Though there's a decent sized cast of characters here, there's really only two that have any kind of flesh to them and that's Nyx and her magician partner Rhys.  Nyx is a hard character to like.  She puts the hard in hard boiled as she is one tough lady with lots of fucked up shit in her past.  Nyx is a character that is very much a product of her environment, and that environment is one chaotic, uncaring and dangerous place.  As a result, Nyx is a very uncaring and dangerous woman.  She wont hesitate to use people to get what she needs or wants, and for that reason I had a hard time sympathizing and empathizing with her.  I guess I must need characters to have at least one or two redeeming qualities about them so that I can care for them, and I didn't find that quality here with Nyx.  As a result, I found myself not caring about her or the plot too much, which drove me into a very passive reading mode that didn't do much to endear this story to me.

Rhys on the other hand is a more likable guy.  Initially, I found him infinitely more interesting since he was the one dude in the story who could do the bug magic stuff.  Too bad it turns out that Rhys is a pretty shitty magician, which means that the whole bug-magic concept didn't get explored or fleshed out nearly as much as I would have liked.  Bummer, man.  Really, Hurley missed an opportunity here.  She's got this great magical concept and she failed to utilize it as well as she could have.  I really wish that Rhys could have at least been competent with magic so that we can get a good taste of what kinds of things can be done with the bug magic system, but it wasn't meant to be I guess.  I know they say "always leave 'em wanting more" and I certainly wanted more magic, but in this case "wanting more" felt more like a lack of development.

By the time I reached the last page of God's War I was feeling pretty torn.  On the one hand Hurley created an awesome world that is about as unique as they come, and filled it with a one of a kind magic system that is also unique and intriguing.  On the other hand, the characters are hard to care about and the execution on the magic concept leaves a lot to be desired.

I wish I could pat Hurley on the back and high-five her for writing a fantasy novel that does so much new stuff.  It is an absolute relief to see new ideas being brought to the table.

I also felt like pulling my hair out at times because the story wasn't as good as I wanted it to be.  I just felt so perplexed that the any story set in such a fascinating world could be anything less than amazing.

See what I mean by feeling torn?

Maybe my expectations for the story were too high.  This is a debut novel after all, and often it is the new kids that bring the fresh ideas, but often lack the execution of the old timers who have a much firmer grasp on the tricky stuff like plotting, and character building.  Still, big ups, daps, props and all that good stuff to Hurley for taking fantasy to new places.

Debut or no debut, God's War missed the mark for me, but I can see how it worked so well for others.  Nyx is a polarizing character, and I think she could be just as much of a hit with a different reader as she was a miss with me.  Liking Nyx is a big key to the overall enjoyment of this book, so it should be noted that even though I couldn't connect, others might have more luck.  I'm guessing the end result would be much different too.  So that being said, I recommend this book, but not wholeheartedly. Read and see for yourself.

Grade: C

Comic Quickie: Return of Stumptown

Stumptown: The Case of the Baby in the Velvet Case #1: One of my most very favorite comic reads from last year was a beautiful indie comic from Greg Rucka and Matt Southworth. After crafting a wonderful crime story that seemed to be more of a labor of love than a cash cow, I wasn't totally sure I would ever see more Stumptown, but the old gang is back together.

Mim Bracca, the guitarist from the Portland based rock band Tailhook has just returned home from a long tour.   When she arrives, and the dust settles, she discovers that her prized possession, her favorite guitar, is missing.  Without wasting any time, Mim enlists the aid of P.I. Dex Parios. There's no such thing as a routine case for Dex, because before she knows it, she's getting threatened with a box-cutter, and having guns pointed at her head.

If the first Stumptown story is any indication, The Case of the Baby in the Velvet Case is likely to be filled with a healthy dose of backstabs, double crosses, and a sweet plot twist here and there for good measure...  Honestly, when I saw this comic get solicited a few months back, I instantly put it on my pull list.  Stumptown is a no-brainer.  This is money well spent.  You'll get great writing, engaging characters, and a kick ass plot from Rucka, as well as some absolutely fantastic looking art from Matt Southworth.

I've been lucky enough to have seen pages and pages of Southworth's original art from this series at various comic events here in Seattle. The man is a workhorse artist who creates page after beautiful page of painstakingly detailed art that is wonderfully textured and dense, and a sheer pleasure to look at.  The guy is criminally underrated.  Sadly, he's also fairly obscure, which is completely undeserved given the quality of his work.

Stumptown is a comic that achieves perfect harmony between writing and art, a feat that is rare and special. So treat yourself: Buy it. Read it. Thank me later.

Graphic Novel Review: The Underwater Welder

Prior to it's release, Jeff Lemire's The Underwater Welder was probably my most anticipated release of the year.  Shit, I've been talking about it and thinking about it for over a year now.  Then it came out, and I flipped through it, drooled a bit over the art, showed if off to my lady, and proudly displayed it on my shelf next to all my other Jeff Lemire stuff.  When the next opportunity arose for some comic reading I passed it by, and did so again and again for a few weeks.

The reason for the delay was that Lost Dogs had just recently been re-released, and I had jumped at the first opportunity to read that when it came out. With The Underwater Welder coming out hot on it's heels, and Sweet Tooth nearing it's end I thought it would be a good idea to ration out my Jeff Lemire reads as much as possible.

Well, Then this guy went it reviewed it, which I'm not gonna lie, made me all jealous.  That coincided with a time where I just needed to read something guaranteed to be awesome, and lo and behold, there was The Underwater Welder just sitting there on my shelf waiting for me.  Problem solved.

The Underwater Welder follows Jack Joseph, an underwater welder who works on an oil rig just off the coast of Nova Scotia.  Jack and his wife are about to have their first child. The looming birth and the challenges of fatherhood have put Jack into a state of numbed detachment.  Lacking the ability to work through his stress, fears and anxiety, Jack retreats to the ocean depths.  Jack's diving into the depths is analogous to his pulling away from his wife and his unborn son.  However, as Jack dives, he experiences a supernatural occurrence that brings back long-buried memories of his own father, and gives him insight into his own life's path.

I've had the pleasure of reading damn near everything Jeff Lemire has put into print. With the exception of most of his DC comics work, I've read all of his independent, creator-owned comics work.  I've been very impressed with all his stuff so far.  I mean, the guy is easily one of my favorite comic creators.  Sweet Tooth stands out as probably my favorite monthly comic right now.  The guy is high, high on my list. So I was very happy to discover that The Underwater Welder is his very best work to date.

Courtesy:  http://jefflemire.blogspot.com/

When I chatted with Lemire at the 2011 Emerald City Comicon, he told me that Underwater Welder is the comics work he is most proud of, and after reading this, I can clearly see why.

Never before has Lemire's art looked this good. Sure, it's not for everyone, and I think Niall summed it up well when he referred to Lemire's art as an "acquired taste".  Though I like how Lemire's sometimes rough and sketchy art seems to channel raw emotion, I've talked to people who think he sucks.  Granted, "he sucks" was about the full extent of their argument, but nonetheless, it's an insight.  Anyway, I was impressed.  For my money, this is his best work with the pen and brush.

Lemire uses two distinct styles to tell his story here. There's his familiar ink line and jet-black india ink that dominated his early works such as Essex County and The Nobody.  I thought Lemire's line work when working in this style looked sharp and better than ever. It's impressive how much his skill has developed over the years.

Courtesy:  http://jefflemire.blogspot.com/

The second style Lemire uses is ink line with ink wash, which allows for a softer look and gives the story a variety of grey tones which Lemire often used to juxtapose the straight black and white art.  Flipping back through the book now as I write this review, it is interesting to see how Lemire transitioned between the two styles.  Sometimes this transition is sneakily smooth, and other times it is jarringly noticeable and geared to make an impact.  Not that he ever seems to have any problems delivering an emotional kick, but by using these two techniques, Lemire was able to create a lot of the emotional impact of the story, simply through the style of ink on the page.

If Jeff Lemire had a superpower, it would be the ability to make people break down and cry by using only pictures and words.  As I've experienced through his other works, Lemire manages to deliver a narrative that is written in such a way that the people, their lives and the events, are incredibly easy to understand and relate to.  Lemire always amazes me with his ability to clearly depict humans working through these basic, raw emotions that we all have, but are often unable to articulate or even comprehend.  It's kinda uncanny, but beautiful and heart-wrenching at the same time.

No matter how you look at it, The Underwater Welder is a powerhouse of a graphic novel.  Jeff Lemire is at the top of his game here.  His art has never looked better and his writing, plotting, and scripting is near perfect.  This is an impressive comic, and one that should be read by many.  You wont get punch-ups and tight underpants, but you will get a story about fathers and sons, death and birth, an exploration into the depths of reality.  I loved it, and I think you will too.

Grade: A+

Brandon Graham's WALRUS Beaches Itself on Shelves in 2013

Photo Courtesy Comics Alliance

Winter may be coming but now we have something to look forward to for the coming Spring.  Thanks to the folks at Picture Box Inc.  Walrus is a collection of Brandon Graham's sketchbooks.  From the early reports, we'll be getting a taste of unseen art, and sketch book comics from the past few years.  The whole she-bang is 112 pages of Brandon Graham goodness, so it'll be awesome.