Recent graphic novel reads (January 2012 edition)
It’s been a long time since I’ve written about the graphic novels and trade paperbacks I’ve recently consumed – you can blame the dense A Song of Ice and Fire books for dominating my reading time the past 6 months. Anyway, I thought it was time for a catch-up, starting with the collected volumes that resided on my bedside table during the holidays.
For the record, you can read my previous comprehensive comic review posts here (covering The Walking Dead Vol 1, Marvel 1602, Ultra, Wanted, Chew Vol 1-2) and here (Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?, Pride of Baghdad, Scott Pilgrim Vol 1, Wonder Woman: Gods and Mortals, Wonder Woman: Love and Murder, Billy the Kid's Old Timey Oddities, The Goon: Noir).
Wonder Woman: The Circle
Wonder Woman: Ends of the Earth
Wonder Woman may be the first and most iconic of female superheroes, but the persistent problem she’s always faced is that she’s typically a better, more interesting character than the stories in which she finds herself.
As an Amazonian princess, Diana is an accomplished warrior of course but her other “job” is that of a diplomat. As a result she demonstrates a lot more (self-effacing) humour and heart than the other 2 costumed heroes that make up DC Comics’s Big Three: Superman and Batman. Wonder Woman is not just about leaping into the ring to KO gods and demons. She’ll also intervene, insightfully and intelligently, on a very ordinary domestic level, helping a family with a few choice words and a hug. Oh, and she won’t turn down birthday cake.
Given this complexity, Wonder Woman is evidently a hard character to get right. One of the writers who has grasped her better than most is also one of Comicdom’s most respected female scripters, Gail Simone. The Circle and Ends of the Earth collect the first 10 issues of Simone’s celebrated 2 year run on Wonder Woman, which started in 2008.
Simone doesn’t necessarily always write plots as gratifying as she does Diana and the other characters (that’s certainly the case in Ends of the Earth), but The Circle is arguably the best Wonder Woman story arc ever written. It’s also a good jumping in point for readers interested in Wonder Woman because it relooks the character’s origin tale.
In The Circle, danger comes to the Amazon island of Themiscyra, which is now deserted save for Diana’s shamed mother Queen Hippolyta. The thing is, the deadliest threat is Amazonian, stems from warped jealousy and has for decades been swept under the rug by Hippolyta. In a refreshing change from the indestructible monsters and supernatural beings Diana usually faces, the chief villain in The Circle is more “real” and complex; motivated by powerful emotion.
In the 4-issue story arc that makes up Ends of the Earth meanwhile, Diana’s soul is infected with emptiness, and she must contend with a growing blood lust and loss of compassion as she, and a band of macho heroes, attempt to defeat… ahem… the Devil.
I honestly didn’t enjoy Ends of the Earth as much as the 2-issue “throwaway” tale that rounds off the same trade paperback. The closing story keeps things grounded – well, as much as Wonder Woman plot-lines can be grounded – and entertains chiefly via wit and heart instead of epic battles. In 2-parter A Star in the Heavens, Diana must contend with dubious Hollywood producers who want to make a Wonder Woman movie. This Californian adventure is preceded by a visit to Themiscyra so Diana and her new boyfriend can begin official Amazonian courtship rituals. Being introduced to your partner’s mother can be uncomfortable even when she isn't a warrior queen, so you can imagine the laughs here.
For the record, the art in these 2 volumes is fantastic. The Circle’s Terry Dodson has created a very distinct look for Diana and is now synonymous with the character. This said, I think Ends of the Earth’s Aaron Lopresti handles action scenes more coherently. Meanwhile, Bernard Chang, who penciled and inked the “filler stories” in the 2 collections, has a cleaner, leaner and more cartoony approach to characters. It works well in the context of these lighthearted tales.
Read a preview of Ends of the Earth here.
The Walking Dead Vol 2: Miles Behind Us
The Walking Dead Vol 3: Safety Behind Bars
The Walking Dead Vol 4: The Heart’s Desire
As I’ve grown older and my comic book tastes have matured, one of my major complaints about mainstream superhero comics is that they've become, for the most part, about instant gratification action. It seems like it’s a contractual requirement for every 22-24 page mainstream comic book to have at least 2 big action scenes whether they’re necessary to the plot or not. And if you want to get to know the characters, you have to glean what you can from maybe a handful of panels that are actually free of dramatic battles, gun fights and explosions. Often this process is as unsatisfying as picking at 2-day old chicken carcass.
The black and white Walking Dead books – from Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard – by contrast, are strongly character driven. They don’t skimp on action, for the record, but in this long-running zombie survival tale there’s A LOT of talking… and as a result a lot of panels depict highly emotional faces in close-up. Get used to seeing pages like this, delivered in Adlard’s appreciably consistent style.
The Walking Dead is not particularly subtle, but with so much time devoted to human relationships, it’s a comic where you actually develop a real fondness for the characters. They feel like people from the real world; friends, family and foes, and they have the complexity and character progression to match. Of course, fondness for characters is a dangerous trap to fall into when you realize that, like George RR Martin, Kirkman isn’t afraid of killing off fan favourites.
I’ve already commented on Walking Dead Volume 1: Days Gone Bye here, but Volumes 2 through 4 continue to centre on a small band of survivors in the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse. Walking Dead's main character is principled sheriff Rick Grimes who has taken it upon himself to protect his wife, son and their dwindling group of allies. Having given up hope of rescue, Volumes 2 – 4 centre on the band’s search for a safe place to settle and start a new, self-sufficient life.
Unsurprising for such a bleak story setting, as the tale unfolds, things become even darker and bleaker. There are flashes of contentment and humour, but these peaks are normally followed by plunges into gullies of even greater despair. Distrust. Betrayal. Murder. Suicide. Mental breakdown. It’s an environment where it seems impossible for happiness to survive. Hell, even optimistic, law-abiding Rick begins to lose it with disturbing frequency.
The Walking Dead is harrowing stuff (don’t come to this one expecting fun, mindless zombie slaughter), but it’s also powerful and interesting. For the record, the popular Walking Dead TV series has deviated quite a bit from the comic – in terms of both character and events. This means that you can come to the printed page with little concern about spoilers. It also means you’re likely, like me, to watch the show wishing that certain well-developed characters from the printed page would pitch up onscreen.
Y: The Last Man Vol 1 - Unmanned
Y: The Last Man Vol 2 - Cycles
Coming from DC’s adult-orientated Vertigo imprint – most famous for publishing the likes of Sandman, Fables and Hellblazer – Y: The Last Man is another comic book series targeted at mature readers.
Y: The Last Man is not sordid or gratuitous at all – in fact the books are surprisingly full of humour – but the series never dumbs itself down for the “kiddies.” There is a lot going on that’s cerebrally gratifying in this multi-Eisner Award winner, written by Brian K. Vaughan and penciled (and co-created) by Pia Guerra. Unmanned and Cycles together collect the first 10 issues of the series, which ran from 2002 to 2008.
Breaking away from superheroes and the supernatural, Y: The Last Man is fascinating, speculative science fiction. The series is set in the aftermath of a mysterious plague that has instantly killed everything on Earth with a Y chromosome. Or so everyone thinks. You see, there are 2 males left on the planet – opinionated liberal arts graduate, and wannabe escape artist, Yorick Brown, and his pet Capuchin monkey Ampersand.
Unmanned and Cycles are primarily about introducing Yorick, his allies and foes, and getting our hero on the road. Although he wants nothing more than to join his girlfriend in Australia, Yorick accepts his responsibility to save the human race from extinction, and begins a dangerous cross-country adventure to the lab of cloning expert Dr Allison Mann.
This is a chance for Vaughan to present his intriguing "Post-Man" world to the reader. What would it be like? How would women cope? Where would there be weaknesses economically, politically and socially? Would the same power struggles exist? Vaughan's theories are thought-provoking and often comical – for example, post-plague the Republicans feel disenfranchised because of the women left in office, 98% are Democrats. More seriously, over in the Middle East, the well-trained women of the Israeli army have crushed their regional opposition.
For the record, Y: The Last Man could easily have been highly sensationalist. It would have been easy to surround Yorick with female characters painted in the broad strokes comics are typically associated with. Kudos to Vaughan for refusing to depict women in this single sex world simply as variations on the Simpering Victim and Militaristic Feminist stereotypes. Of course these types are present, but there's a surprising amount of character variety in Y: The Last Man. Given that Yorick himself is a wise-cracking, likeable lead, it’s a mystery why they haven’t already turned the comic into a single or 2-season TV series (Hollywood would no doubt wreck it as a feature film).
Y: The Last Man is both entertaining and smart. And, most importantly for comics, it’s refreshingly different in terms of its subject matter. The only real downside is that unless you can get your hands on the deluxe hardcover collections, the trade paperbacks (which I’m reading) are printed on cheap, crummy paper that sucks all vitality out of the colouring.
Read the first issue of Y: The Last Man online here.
For the record, you can read my previous comprehensive comic review posts here (covering The Walking Dead Vol 1, Marvel 1602, Ultra, Wanted, Chew Vol 1-2) and here (Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?, Pride of Baghdad, Scott Pilgrim Vol 1, Wonder Woman: Gods and Mortals, Wonder Woman: Love and Murder, Billy the Kid's Old Timey Oddities, The Goon: Noir).
Wonder Woman: The Circle
Wonder Woman: Ends of the Earth
Wonder Woman may be the first and most iconic of female superheroes, but the persistent problem she’s always faced is that she’s typically a better, more interesting character than the stories in which she finds herself.
As an Amazonian princess, Diana is an accomplished warrior of course but her other “job” is that of a diplomat. As a result she demonstrates a lot more (self-effacing) humour and heart than the other 2 costumed heroes that make up DC Comics’s Big Three: Superman and Batman. Wonder Woman is not just about leaping into the ring to KO gods and demons. She’ll also intervene, insightfully and intelligently, on a very ordinary domestic level, helping a family with a few choice words and a hug. Oh, and she won’t turn down birthday cake.
Given this complexity, Wonder Woman is evidently a hard character to get right. One of the writers who has grasped her better than most is also one of Comicdom’s most respected female scripters, Gail Simone. The Circle and Ends of the Earth collect the first 10 issues of Simone’s celebrated 2 year run on Wonder Woman, which started in 2008.
Simone doesn’t necessarily always write plots as gratifying as she does Diana and the other characters (that’s certainly the case in Ends of the Earth), but The Circle is arguably the best Wonder Woman story arc ever written. It’s also a good jumping in point for readers interested in Wonder Woman because it relooks the character’s origin tale.
In The Circle, danger comes to the Amazon island of Themiscyra, which is now deserted save for Diana’s shamed mother Queen Hippolyta. The thing is, the deadliest threat is Amazonian, stems from warped jealousy and has for decades been swept under the rug by Hippolyta. In a refreshing change from the indestructible monsters and supernatural beings Diana usually faces, the chief villain in The Circle is more “real” and complex; motivated by powerful emotion.
In the 4-issue story arc that makes up Ends of the Earth meanwhile, Diana’s soul is infected with emptiness, and she must contend with a growing blood lust and loss of compassion as she, and a band of macho heroes, attempt to defeat… ahem… the Devil.
I honestly didn’t enjoy Ends of the Earth as much as the 2-issue “throwaway” tale that rounds off the same trade paperback. The closing story keeps things grounded – well, as much as Wonder Woman plot-lines can be grounded – and entertains chiefly via wit and heart instead of epic battles. In 2-parter A Star in the Heavens, Diana must contend with dubious Hollywood producers who want to make a Wonder Woman movie. This Californian adventure is preceded by a visit to Themiscyra so Diana and her new boyfriend can begin official Amazonian courtship rituals. Being introduced to your partner’s mother can be uncomfortable even when she isn't a warrior queen, so you can imagine the laughs here.
For the record, the art in these 2 volumes is fantastic. The Circle’s Terry Dodson has created a very distinct look for Diana and is now synonymous with the character. This said, I think Ends of the Earth’s Aaron Lopresti handles action scenes more coherently. Meanwhile, Bernard Chang, who penciled and inked the “filler stories” in the 2 collections, has a cleaner, leaner and more cartoony approach to characters. It works well in the context of these lighthearted tales.
Read a preview of Ends of the Earth here.
The Walking Dead Vol 2: Miles Behind Us
The Walking Dead Vol 3: Safety Behind Bars
The Walking Dead Vol 4: The Heart’s Desire
As I’ve grown older and my comic book tastes have matured, one of my major complaints about mainstream superhero comics is that they've become, for the most part, about instant gratification action. It seems like it’s a contractual requirement for every 22-24 page mainstream comic book to have at least 2 big action scenes whether they’re necessary to the plot or not. And if you want to get to know the characters, you have to glean what you can from maybe a handful of panels that are actually free of dramatic battles, gun fights and explosions. Often this process is as unsatisfying as picking at 2-day old chicken carcass.
The black and white Walking Dead books – from Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard – by contrast, are strongly character driven. They don’t skimp on action, for the record, but in this long-running zombie survival tale there’s A LOT of talking… and as a result a lot of panels depict highly emotional faces in close-up. Get used to seeing pages like this, delivered in Adlard’s appreciably consistent style.
The Walking Dead is not particularly subtle, but with so much time devoted to human relationships, it’s a comic where you actually develop a real fondness for the characters. They feel like people from the real world; friends, family and foes, and they have the complexity and character progression to match. Of course, fondness for characters is a dangerous trap to fall into when you realize that, like George RR Martin, Kirkman isn’t afraid of killing off fan favourites.
I’ve already commented on Walking Dead Volume 1: Days Gone Bye here, but Volumes 2 through 4 continue to centre on a small band of survivors in the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse. Walking Dead's main character is principled sheriff Rick Grimes who has taken it upon himself to protect his wife, son and their dwindling group of allies. Having given up hope of rescue, Volumes 2 – 4 centre on the band’s search for a safe place to settle and start a new, self-sufficient life.
Unsurprising for such a bleak story setting, as the tale unfolds, things become even darker and bleaker. There are flashes of contentment and humour, but these peaks are normally followed by plunges into gullies of even greater despair. Distrust. Betrayal. Murder. Suicide. Mental breakdown. It’s an environment where it seems impossible for happiness to survive. Hell, even optimistic, law-abiding Rick begins to lose it with disturbing frequency.
The Walking Dead is harrowing stuff (don’t come to this one expecting fun, mindless zombie slaughter), but it’s also powerful and interesting. For the record, the popular Walking Dead TV series has deviated quite a bit from the comic – in terms of both character and events. This means that you can come to the printed page with little concern about spoilers. It also means you’re likely, like me, to watch the show wishing that certain well-developed characters from the printed page would pitch up onscreen.
Y: The Last Man Vol 1 - Unmanned
Y: The Last Man Vol 2 - Cycles
Coming from DC’s adult-orientated Vertigo imprint – most famous for publishing the likes of Sandman, Fables and Hellblazer – Y: The Last Man is another comic book series targeted at mature readers.
Y: The Last Man is not sordid or gratuitous at all – in fact the books are surprisingly full of humour – but the series never dumbs itself down for the “kiddies.” There is a lot going on that’s cerebrally gratifying in this multi-Eisner Award winner, written by Brian K. Vaughan and penciled (and co-created) by Pia Guerra. Unmanned and Cycles together collect the first 10 issues of the series, which ran from 2002 to 2008.
Breaking away from superheroes and the supernatural, Y: The Last Man is fascinating, speculative science fiction. The series is set in the aftermath of a mysterious plague that has instantly killed everything on Earth with a Y chromosome. Or so everyone thinks. You see, there are 2 males left on the planet – opinionated liberal arts graduate, and wannabe escape artist, Yorick Brown, and his pet Capuchin monkey Ampersand.
Unmanned and Cycles are primarily about introducing Yorick, his allies and foes, and getting our hero on the road. Although he wants nothing more than to join his girlfriend in Australia, Yorick accepts his responsibility to save the human race from extinction, and begins a dangerous cross-country adventure to the lab of cloning expert Dr Allison Mann.
This is a chance for Vaughan to present his intriguing "Post-Man" world to the reader. What would it be like? How would women cope? Where would there be weaknesses economically, politically and socially? Would the same power struggles exist? Vaughan's theories are thought-provoking and often comical – for example, post-plague the Republicans feel disenfranchised because of the women left in office, 98% are Democrats. More seriously, over in the Middle East, the well-trained women of the Israeli army have crushed their regional opposition.
For the record, Y: The Last Man could easily have been highly sensationalist. It would have been easy to surround Yorick with female characters painted in the broad strokes comics are typically associated with. Kudos to Vaughan for refusing to depict women in this single sex world simply as variations on the Simpering Victim and Militaristic Feminist stereotypes. Of course these types are present, but there's a surprising amount of character variety in Y: The Last Man. Given that Yorick himself is a wise-cracking, likeable lead, it’s a mystery why they haven’t already turned the comic into a single or 2-season TV series (Hollywood would no doubt wreck it as a feature film).
Y: The Last Man is both entertaining and smart. And, most importantly for comics, it’s refreshingly different in terms of its subject matter. The only real downside is that unless you can get your hands on the deluxe hardcover collections, the trade paperbacks (which I’m reading) are printed on cheap, crummy paper that sucks all vitality out of the colouring.
Read the first issue of Y: The Last Man online here.
Comments
I think I might use that sweet employee discount to start the series back up. This weekend seems like a good time to do that.
I'll let you know if I can overcome my negative momentum on this.