Graphic Novel Reviews

I'm typically hesitant when approaching tales of racial identity, yet this graphic novel deftly interweaves three stories into a powerful ending. This book made me laugh out loud, weep with sadness, and cheer with joy. A highly recommendable book for those apprehensive with the visual medium as well as those deeply engrossed in the medium.

reviewed by mikegnome

I concur with the review by jdp - this is a classic, by Neil Gaiman and his artistic collaberators, collecting issues # 9 - 16.

In addition to the elements noted by jdp, I'm also quite enthralled by the re-introduction of the Sandman. Gaiman has shown himself to be one of the masters at reintroducing minor DC characters in a totally different light.

Buy it!

reviewed by DaveH

When these were originally released (partially) by First Comics in the late 1980's, they were released in comic book format. I loved them, and always hoped the rest would come out in an English language edition.

When Dark Horse released the entire 28 volumes in a manga size (but reversed to standard format) about 10 years later, I was in heaven.

The art and drawing in this long series (>7,000 pages) chronicles the epic adventures of a ex-samurai ronin assasin and his son as they travel the road of Meifumando to hell and damnation.

At times glorius, at times brutal, always true to the artists vision of the time and place. This is a no-brainer for anyone who loves classic samurai movies such as "The Seven Samurai", etc.

At the same time, fairly explicit (lots of violence, some sex) and not for the squemish.

Volume 1 introduces the series and is an outstanding examples of the grandeur of what Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima created.

Not for the faint of heart, but very rewarding.

reviewed by DaveH

New students converge on Xavier's school, now known to the public as a haven for young mutants. Their new public image makes the school a target: first for hate groups, and then for the alien Shi'ar.

Though some of his new character concepts and redesigns show flashes of Morrisonian brilliance, the issues contained herein are surprisingly run-of-the-mill. The artwork of both Kordey and Quitely looks rushed here too. Average at best.

reviewed by jdp

The very first adventures of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

These stories came out nearly a decade before the big Turtle craze of the early ‘90s (which I confess to having been caught up in as totally as anyone my age was at the time), and they are not the “strictly for kids” property as it exists today. At the height of “grim and gritty” comics, two comic book fans attempted to self-publish a spoof of the phenomena, and this was the result. The artwork is just the right balance between rough and refined, but the title’s genius is that it plays the satire straight – if these stories had involved human characters instead of turtles you could have easily mistaken them for the kind of stuff Frank Miller got famous for doing around the same time. The resultant series is parody but not a humor piece… really it has the same appeal as the great superhero comics of the period, but with the added benefit of highlighting, just by virtue of using turtles instead of people, how ridiculous the conceits of most mainstream comics really are even as it indulges in them so fully.

Now these aren't the volumes I'd have chosen to review, since these are the colorized versions, but the original B&W collections are so far out of print Amazon doesn't list ISBN numbers for them. Fortunately for you it doesn't matter -- all of these issues (except #8, a crossover w/ Dave Sim's Cerebus) can be read for free at Mirage Studios' website, with more issues being added regularly.

Creators Eastman and Laird take a less active role after the culmination of their first major plotline in issue #11 (not so coincidentally where the collections stopped), and the issues that came after get gradually goofier as they edge closer to the major multimedia property they would become, but hey... you get to check them out for free, so why not go and judge for yourself?

reviewed by jdp

Auberon’s origin, a Books of Magic Annual, and some back-ups starring the denizens of faerie.

As with the first Books of Faerie, this collection is centered around a mini-series detailing the origins of an important faerie, in this case Auberon. It sports the same team as the first Books of Faerie – writer Bronwyn Carlton and artist Peter Gross – and like the first it is enjoyable but unremarkable, and with a fairly abrupt ending as well. I do like the effect of Vince Locke’s inking over Gross’ pencils, which is just generally more attractive than when Gross inks himself (as he did in the original mini). Carlton also writes two back-up shorts with other artists, and the book ends with the Books of Magic Annual, written by regular BoM writer John Ney Rieber and illustrated by Mark Buckingham. All of the stories are plain average fare, and the art is mostly the same… Buckingham’s work is the highlight, though he draws a very odd looking Tim Hunter. Good enough, but not better than average and easily the least of the Books of Magic/Faerie volumes.

reviewed by jdp

Tom Strong explores the physics of flight, a young woman’s dreams, a robot’s inner turmoil, and a madman’s vision of the world.

The only Tom Strong collection totally without Alan Moore, all of these stories are handled by other writers during his absence. The most consistent point with the stories is that the ideas are better than their execution, with some good elements that come together for so-so stories. With the exception of the beautifully concluded second tale, written by Steve Aylett, the endings are a specific weak point, as if the writers didn’t know where to go with their stories once they’d started them. The artwork also has lots of peaks and valleys. Pascal Ferry, for example, draws some lackluster ground sequences but some wonderful things in the air, including the amazing looking sky lords. Duncan Fegredo draws a two-parter, the first of which looks quite good while the second looks more muddled, the decision to set the “real” world parts with different inks and a more mundane color palette highlighting all the worst aspects of Fegredo’s work. There’s enough fun stuff and cool ideas here to make it worth reading, but it's a step down from the Moore/Sprouse stuff that established the character and series… a four might be high, but it is a bit better than just average.

reviewed by jdp

Some stand alone tales from the world of the Invisibles, plus Dane striking off on his own and an origin for Lord Fanny.

In addition to having one of the coolest titles ever, “Apocalipstick” kicks the Invisibles series into high gear. Writer Grant Morrison does a better job weaving the complex concepts into the story, so there are fewer scenes that feel like essays than the sometimes slow-going first volume. The characters are beginning to develop as distinct personalities, especially Lord Fanny, who gets her origin told here in a blend of Aztec mysticism, science fiction, and ultra-modern action adventure. The bulk of the collection is drawn by Jill Thompson, whose work here feels generally stronger than her efforts in volume one, but the best issues are the stand-alone tales. The Chris Weston and John Ridgway stories, which come back to back, are two of the more chilling parts of the series, while the Steve Parkhouse story perfectly highlights an excellent Morrison script that gives a back story to one of the heretofore anonymous foot soldiers slain en masse by King Mob in volume 1, pointing out quite well that the “cannon fodder” in action stories are actually meant to be people after all. An even stronger effort than the first all the way around for this intriguing and original series.

reviewed by jdp

Tracy takes on perfume thieves, hit and run drivers, insurance scammers, a spoiled millionaire and that chilling underworld figure, The Blank.

Anybody who is a fan of the great crime/noir fiction of the first half of the twentieth century should give Dick Tracy a look, because regardless of the medium it is one of the great examples of that genre and style. Gould was a great storyteller, and he created tension, and sustained it across multiple days worth of strips, better than almost anybody ever has. He wasn’t the greatest artist that ever put pen to paper, but he knew how to tell a story with pictures and he developed his skills into a unique style that could be used to enhance the dramatic effects of his scenes… an artist with prettier figures or a more polished style would never have been able to draw some of the rough and tumble stuff Tracy gets into. A great comic strip, entertaining and exciting, and a vital addition to any comic strip or crime fiction fan’s shelf.

reviewed by jdp

More adventures of the Spirit sans his creator, Will Eisner, reprinting the sections from Jan-June 1944. Also includes some posters Eisner drew while in the military.

By 1944 the Eisner-less Spirit had found its own niche... unfortunately that niche is not up to par with Eisner's own efforts. These Spirit stories are competently drawn but unspectacular, and the stories are standard detective fare that all fans of crime fiction will be very familiar with. The humor of the feature is rarely utilized and feels forced in less skilled hands than Eisner's. All in all, the Spirit without Will Eisner is just another average adventure strip.

Favorite section: Hard to pick, because nothing really leaps out, but if pressed I'll pick "Beyond the Grave!". It's nothing spectacular, but it handles the pseudo-mystical detective trope pretty well all things considered. Favorite splash page: "Who Killed Sam Wright?". Not a complicated layout, but the shadowed beat cop has some of the great Eisner feel to it.

reviewed by jdp