Story: A
Art: A+
Overall: A
Friday, June 13, 2008
Pilot Season
Presentation: A
It looked good.
Story: A
The short stories were interesting, although too comic book hero empty for me.
Art: A+
The styles varied significantly. Not how well each came out.
Overall: A
Story: A
Art: A+
Overall: A
Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art
Presentation: A
Not too much to say about it. It looks good, and that's what counts.
Story: A+++++++++
There is no story, but it still is an extremely interesting read. I would actually recommend this even to people who don't read comics. I never read comics before taking a Graphic Novel class, and I strongly believe that I would have found this no more interesting than I had now.
Art: A+
Simplistic and effective. Some masterpieces from history were reproduced for the comic, and they came out perfect.
Overall: A+
Story: A+++++++++
Art: A+
Overall: A+
The Trial
Note: There are spoilers. Reader digression is advised. Not really. Just read it.
This is the most surreal story I have ever read. It is a graphic novel adaption of the book of the same name by Franz Kafka. It rivals Nevermore, or rather Adgar Allen Poe's poems, in my opinion. It is about Joseph K, or Mr. K, who was celebrating his birthday when
The artist did something a little different with the panel design. The Trial featured chipped panels, whose debris would fall between the gutters, or right beside where the crack was. On some pages, the panels could be fit together like a puzzle. An elaborate puzzle. I recall that one page used a panel as a mask to a background not in a panel; Joseph was making a call in the background, and all of his body but his face was masked by a panel with a circle cut out close to the side. The rest of the panel was used as a follow up drawing of Joseph's reaction. They were having sex in court, which was acceptable. The jurors even laughed heartily at the gesture.
The art is stylish, and screams insanity. The most memorable page, almost regrettably, was one of the sexual encounters between Joseph and the wife of a judge. It was explicit, and what made it the more disturbing was the penises that adorned the sides of the panels. To top it, the artist made them appear as flowers. The panels had flowering penises growing on them. Along with that, there were grape vines growing breasts. It was just so disturbing.
I have never seen such an extravagant use of exclamation points and question marks. They are used without ceremony: nearly all character's reactions to something, said or unsaid, are expressed with a exclamation or a question mark. Some characters are even devoid of facial expression, and their only method of conveying it is through these marks. What was even more interesting was the sheer variety of designs of the marks. The novel definitely had a standard ! and ? of course, but it often deviated from it too. ! became electricity. ? became a skull once.
Another awkward mechanic employed by The Trial was the use of a mixed cartoony skeleton with a top hat. It was The Trial's avatar. It appeared consistently through the novel, as ornaments, as a symbol, as a method of expression for certain characters, and as a way of "telling" you how to react. The skeleton sometimes starred as an ornament in a room. For example, close to the beginning, it was a piece of furniture on top of a table. It even appeared as furniture: the arms of a chair became the backbone and legs of the avatar. As a symbol, it was mostly limited to it crying a clock and opening its jaw, like it was screaming. It was also used as a way to express a character's emotion, when their expression and lots of exclamation points and question marks couldn't. I tallied the number of times any instance of the skeleton and its parts appeared: 75.
Presentation: A+
Almost all the comics I review get an A+ in presentation. That's because they deserve it. The simplicity of The Trial's basic design is what makes it so superior.
Story: A+
Oddball, perverse, mad, and ultimately thought provoking. It explores so many themes at once, the ones I picked up being the government and existence, that it's easy to get lost. The sexual encounters occurring between Joseph and the many mistresses put a dire feeling of urgency and tension to the entire work.
Art: A+
Stylishly creepy. There is something insane about the artwork. Insane as in actually crazy, which clearly fits the story.
Overall: A+
Among all the amazing pieces I've read, and though a mind boggling hard choice, I have to say this is my favorite graphic novel.
This is the most surreal story I have ever read. It is a graphic novel adaption of the book of the same name by Franz Kafka. It rivals Nevermore, or rather Adgar Allen Poe's poems, in my opinion. It is about Joseph K, or Mr. K, who was celebrating his birthday when
The artist did something a little different with the panel design. The Trial featured chipped panels, whose debris would fall between the gutters, or right beside where the crack was. On some pages, the panels could be fit together like a puzzle. An elaborate puzzle. I recall that one page used a panel as a mask to a background not in a panel; Joseph was making a call in the background, and all of his body but his face was masked by a panel with a circle cut out close to the side. The rest of the panel was used as a follow up drawing of Joseph's reaction. They were having sex in court, which was acceptable. The jurors even laughed heartily at the gesture.
The art is stylish, and screams insanity. The most memorable page, almost regrettably, was one of the sexual encounters between Joseph and the wife of a judge. It was explicit, and what made it the more disturbing was the penises that adorned the sides of the panels. To top it, the artist made them appear as flowers. The panels had flowering penises growing on them. Along with that, there were grape vines growing breasts. It was just so disturbing.
I have never seen such an extravagant use of exclamation points and question marks. They are used without ceremony: nearly all character's reactions to something, said or unsaid, are expressed with a exclamation or a question mark. Some characters are even devoid of facial expression, and their only method of conveying it is through these marks. What was even more interesting was the sheer variety of designs of the marks. The novel definitely had a standard ! and ? of course, but it often deviated from it too. ! became electricity. ? became a skull once.
Another awkward mechanic employed by The Trial was the use of a mixed cartoony skeleton with a top hat. It was The Trial's avatar. It appeared consistently through the novel, as ornaments, as a symbol, as a method of expression for certain characters, and as a way of "telling" you how to react. The skeleton sometimes starred as an ornament in a room. For example, close to the beginning, it was a piece of furniture on top of a table. It even appeared as furniture: the arms of a chair became the backbone and legs of the avatar. As a symbol, it was mostly limited to it crying a clock and opening its jaw, like it was screaming. It was also used as a way to express a character's emotion, when their expression and lots of exclamation points and question marks couldn't. I tallied the number of times any instance of the skeleton and its parts appeared: 75.
Presentation: A+
Story: A+
Art: A+
Overall: A+
Among all the amazing pieces I've read, and though a mind boggling hard choice, I have to say this is my favorite graphic novel.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Fallen Angel vol1: To Serve in Heaven
Presentation: A+
Great cover, the style of the entire book suits the dark story. It also includes a little introspection of the artist's technique.
Story: A+
A bit of an immense bias, because nonetheless I believe it is well deserved. I found the counter-religious-dogma filled plot engrossing, very intriguing too, and the characters fresh and real.
Art: A+
Amazing. At first glance you'd think it was all done digitally. It mostly wasn't. Beautiful water colors, lush landscapes and cityscapes, lively, breathing people, and a soft ambiance characterize Fallen Angel.
Story: A+
Art: A+
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
The Facts in the Case of the Departure of Miss Finch
by Neil Gaiman, Michael Zulli
Well, that was different. I found its pacing and storytelling method quintessentially similar to Nevermore's. Either its a trademark of the horror/macabre genre, Neil Gaiman took heavy cues from Edgar Allan Poe (many writers did anyway), or, I'm just wrong.
Presentation: A+
Story: A+
Art: A+
Overall: A+
Well, that was different. I found its pacing and storytelling method quintessentially similar to Nevermore's. Either its a trademark of the horror/macabre genre, Neil Gaiman took heavy cues from Edgar Allan Poe (many writers did anyway), or, I'm just wrong.
Presentation: A+
Story: A+
Art: A+
Overall: A+
Monday, May 5, 2008
Fables: Legends in Exile
After reading Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall, I was intrigued by its awkward premise and decide to read the real series. Actually, I liked Legends in Exile more than 1001 Nights, for its more stylish presentation and dialog.
Like 1001 Nights, Fables is the story of classic Fables, years after their prospective stories took place. The fables in the story now live in New York, since they were brutally driven out of their homelands by The Adversary. They occupy two main hubs: one is in upstate New York, called the Farm. The Farm is a place for fables who didn't want to be in the city, and for those whose appearance in the city would not be beneficial for the fables (monsters included). The second hub is in the city itself. Legends in Exile takes place in the city, and makes brief mentions of the Farm.
The fables in the Fables series are immortal. Every fable, since the invasion of their home, has magically retained their age. For example, Snow White is still a young woman, Pinocchio is still a small, real boy, and Jack who climbed the beanstalk is still his young impish self. While their ages have remained consistent since the invasion, their flaws, the ones that were featured in their stories, somehow diminished. They referred to this period of change as the Post-Amnesty. Their personalities and lifestyles too, changed during the Post-Amnesty. For example, the Big Bad Wolf, known as Bigsby, gained the ability to freely transform into a human and wolf, and became a detective of sorts to cope with the new life in the city. Other characters like Snow White became involved in the fable's government; she took the position of secretary for Old King Cole.
One of the concepts illustrated in the story that stuck out to me was that of the fable's agelessness. Snow White is some several hundreds of years old. But time has treated her well. She's an attractive looking women who looks like she's in her twenties, with a modern sense of style. Others like Bigsby were caught at a late age. Bigsby, the wolf who blew the pig's homes down, assumes a human form who looks roughly 40, despite that he, like Snow White, is several hundreds years old. The character I found the most comedic out of the entire cast of ageless fables was Pinocchio. Pinocchio, a real boy, is far beyond the age he looks. Mentally, he is an adult, but physically, still a child. When Snow White strikes up a small chat with the boy sitting on the couch, he complains that the fairy ad been too hasty in granting him his wish. Apparently, Pinocchio's wish to become a real boy really meant him becoming, and staying, a real boy. He then goes on to say that he is forever stuck in the body of a boy, and will never get laid.
This is just the background story. Legends in Exile's plot deals with the mysterious, and utterly brutal murder of Rose Red, Snow White's sister. Jack of Jack and the Beanstalk, Rose Red's girlfriend, was the first to find the aftermath: pools of blood spilled all over Rose's room. Beyond that, the rest is spoilers. It is a well thought out story, with a murder shrouded in mystery however woven in complexity, and a resolution that, while I did see it coming, it was shocking nonetheless.
The artwork was very detailed. It had the typical comic book art style, coloring and the form of the characters and all, but the level of detail was insane. From urban sprawls to dank prisons to exuberant dance halls, Legends in Exile has it all fully fleshed out and looking good.
Stats
Presentation: A+
Story: A+
Art: A+
Overall(not averaged): A+
Like 1001 Nights, Fables is the story of classic Fables, years after their prospective stories took place. The fables in the story now live in New York, since they were brutally driven out of their homelands by The Adversary. They occupy two main hubs: one is in upstate New York, called the Farm. The Farm is a place for fables who didn't want to be in the city, and for those whose appearance in the city would not be beneficial for the fables (monsters included). The second hub is in the city itself. Legends in Exile takes place in the city, and makes brief mentions of the Farm.
The fables in the Fables series are immortal. Every fable, since the invasion of their home, has magically retained their age. For example, Snow White is still a young woman, Pinocchio is still a small, real boy, and Jack who climbed the beanstalk is still his young impish self. While their ages have remained consistent since the invasion, their flaws, the ones that were featured in their stories, somehow diminished. They referred to this period of change as the Post-Amnesty. Their personalities and lifestyles too, changed during the Post-Amnesty. For example, the Big Bad Wolf, known as Bigsby, gained the ability to freely transform into a human and wolf, and became a detective of sorts to cope with the new life in the city. Other characters like Snow White became involved in the fable's government; she took the position of secretary for Old King Cole.
One of the concepts illustrated in the story that stuck out to me was that of the fable's agelessness. Snow White is some several hundreds of years old. But time has treated her well. She's an attractive looking women who looks like she's in her twenties, with a modern sense of style. Others like Bigsby were caught at a late age. Bigsby, the wolf who blew the pig's homes down, assumes a human form who looks roughly 40, despite that he, like Snow White, is several hundreds years old. The character I found the most comedic out of the entire cast of ageless fables was Pinocchio. Pinocchio, a real boy, is far beyond the age he looks. Mentally, he is an adult, but physically, still a child. When Snow White strikes up a small chat with the boy sitting on the couch, he complains that the fairy ad been too hasty in granting him his wish. Apparently, Pinocchio's wish to become a real boy really meant him becoming, and staying, a real boy. He then goes on to say that he is forever stuck in the body of a boy, and will never get laid.
This is just the background story. Legends in Exile's plot deals with the mysterious, and utterly brutal murder of Rose Red, Snow White's sister. Jack of Jack and the Beanstalk, Rose Red's girlfriend, was the first to find the aftermath: pools of blood spilled all over Rose's room. Beyond that, the rest is spoilers. It is a well thought out story, with a murder shrouded in mystery however woven in complexity, and a resolution that, while I did see it coming, it was shocking nonetheless.
The artwork was very detailed. It had the typical comic book art style, coloring and the form of the characters and all, but the level of detail was insane. From urban sprawls to dank prisons to exuberant dance halls, Legends in Exile has it all fully fleshed out and looking good.
Stats
Presentation: A+
Story: A+
Art: A+
Overall(not averaged): A+
Gear School
Pretty good. It wasn’t bad, it wasn’t great either, and it had nothing especially meaningful.
Gear School is about thirteen year old Teresa Gottlieb who attends a military academy for operating mechanical powerhouses called Gears. The academy experience, thought brutal during training, is just like any other school, and the kids are just like any other kids. Now, Teresa has to deal with school, boys, growing up, and passing her prelim training. Although, Teresa is not the most talented pilot, despite being accepted into the prestigious academy. She apparently failed her prelim test, which featured only one requirement: turn on the gravity dampers on her Gear. And it's not like it was a complicated process. All she had to do was voice it, and the Gear's automated system (the system appears as an anime-style avatar) would carry out the command. Though simplistic, she ends up crashing her ship. Good thing it was only a computer simulation.
I found the ending, following an intense and admittedly cool bout between Teresa and an alien ship, awkward. It was empty. Teresa saved her friend, Moari, the officers commemorated her, the mess was cleaned up, and that was about it. Nearly all the conflicts begun were silently resolved, but left me with an "okay, and?" kind of feel. I will assume that this series will be continued, because it resolved every problem, but introduced a new mechanic that could be a potential basis for the next issue: the alien's ability to teleport.
Gear School had some fantastic art. The environments were lush, full of life, and very detailed. Characters were also very detailed, and sometimes sported this odd sheen that made hem look like they were made out of marble; it looked great. The character designs were unique. Teresa's was especially well done, I think. Her look somehow fit her role and personality; this went for many of the other characters, namely the officers. One of the officers, whose name escapes me, had hair that stuck out parallel to the ground, and then curved a perfect 90 degrees towards the ground. The authors decided to include scraps in the back of the novel. It showed random sketches of characters in different stages in their development, and even some of the scenery. I was surprised to learn that they had kept their environment and their character artwork separate, and then merged them at the end when both were complete.
Presentation: A
Story: B
Art: A+
Overall(not averaged): B+
Gear School is about thirteen year old Teresa Gottlieb who attends a military academy for operating mechanical powerhouses called Gears. The academy experience, thought brutal during training, is just like any other school, and the kids are just like any other kids. Now, Teresa has to deal with school, boys, growing up, and passing her prelim training. Although, Teresa is not the most talented pilot, despite being accepted into the prestigious academy. She apparently failed her prelim test, which featured only one requirement: turn on the gravity dampers on her Gear. And it's not like it was a complicated process. All she had to do was voice it, and the Gear's automated system (the system appears as an anime-style avatar) would carry out the command. Though simplistic, she ends up crashing her ship. Good thing it was only a computer simulation.
I found the ending, following an intense and admittedly cool bout between Teresa and an alien ship, awkward. It was empty. Teresa saved her friend, Moari, the officers commemorated her, the mess was cleaned up, and that was about it. Nearly all the conflicts begun were silently resolved, but left me with an "okay, and?" kind of feel. I will assume that this series will be continued, because it resolved every problem, but introduced a new mechanic that could be a potential basis for the next issue: the alien's ability to teleport.
Gear School had some fantastic art. The environments were lush, full of life, and very detailed. Characters were also very detailed, and sometimes sported this odd sheen that made hem look like they were made out of marble; it looked great. The character designs were unique. Teresa's was especially well done, I think. Her look somehow fit her role and personality; this went for many of the other characters, namely the officers. One of the officers, whose name escapes me, had hair that stuck out parallel to the ground, and then curved a perfect 90 degrees towards the ground. The authors decided to include scraps in the back of the novel. It showed random sketches of characters in different stages in their development, and even some of the scenery. I was surprised to learn that they had kept their environment and their character artwork separate, and then merged them at the end when both were complete.
Presentation: A
Story: B
Art: A+
Overall(not averaged): B+
Nevermore
Awesome! Nevermore is a collection of reinterpretatiosn of Edgar Allan Poe’s works. Each poem received a different writer and artist, and it shows. The stories were amazingly. This is defintely a keeper.
The first poem reinterpreted was Poe’s most famed work, The Raven. It is also my favorite of his poems, and ‘s version of it in Nevermore captures the feeling spot on. It was creepy. The story telling, the actual script, was the poem itself, although with edits here and there. The art was chilling, which is something strange for me to say. The home, the man, the raven, all looked to gaunt and dead.
The irony in it. In the end, the writer interpreted that the ringer committed suicide.
Presentation: A+
Story: A+
Art: A+
Overall(not averaged): A+
The first poem reinterpreted was Poe’s most famed work, The Raven. It is also my favorite of his poems, and ‘s version of it in Nevermore captures the feeling spot on. It was creepy. The story telling, the actual script, was the poem itself, although with edits here and there. The art was chilling, which is something strange for me to say. The home, the man, the raven, all looked to gaunt and dead.
The irony in it. In the end, the writer interpreted that the ringer committed suicide.
Presentation: A+
Story: A+
Art: A+
Overall(not averaged): A+
Pride
Awesome! Like Nevermore! But completely different!
Pride was about four lions who escaped a zoo in Baghdad during a U.S. air strike. Though free, the four lions all had different opinions on what they should do. The only male, , embraced the freedom and felt that it was time be free. His wife, , shared a similar view, but was more radical about it. The third lion, whom I believe was a past wife of the male was the most conservative of all the lions. The last, a small boy cub, shared the opinions of the elder lions. . The story begins in the zoo, still intact. The zoo acts as a
Since the beginning all the quotes were screaming symbolism. I think that Pride was criticizing the meaning of freedom. I will start with the Zoo. The zoo was representation of a society with a Communist system in place, combined with racial segregation (literally). In the zoo system, the different species of animals were kept with their respective species. Animals were fed consistently, each day every day. To the animals, their “keepers” were very caring and would never try to hurt them; they could only protect.
The art style was superb. I know I say that for nearly every graphic novel I read, but it is always true. This has been no exception, especially since the subjects at hand are not human but animals. They were all drawn to life, with very human like expressions that effectively cloyed the fact that they were animals. Even the turtle looked suspiciously human. Should there be a comparison to how the character’s complexions, I would immediately say The Lion King. However their styles are very different. Pride took a more realistic approach, and the Disney classic kept to its guns. I’d also like to note the lush colors of Pride. I have always assumed that Baghdad was all desert land. Apparently that’s all of what the TV showed and I never bothered to question it. In Pride this is not true. Pride’ Baghdad is rich in color, from the forest expanses, from the river, even from the buildings. Everything was colored so vividly, so alive. I think that the scene that really stuck to me artistically was the last few, when the group gets to see the horizon. That was one of the best panels I have ever seen in a graphic novel. Absolutely stunning. In this same collection of panels, the lions are massacred by U.S. soldiers. And I mean massacred: the artist drew the bullets tearing through the victim’s body’s, even the cub’s. It was sad to see the characters introduced seemingly moments ago were being teared down so brutally by soldiers acting in “self defense.”
Quotes I picked up:
“Everything’s got a name. It’s how we make things belong to us.”
“Don’t you have loyalty to anything?”
“Yes, to our pride.”
“If that’s how you feel, you take that first bite. You tear into the flesh of one of the creatures who protected us.”
“There’s black stuff under the earth , son. Poison.”
“You’re...you’re wrong. They may have been our captors, but they weren’t our torturers.”
“Rashid wasn’t a prisoner, he was a pet...and he lived just as comfortably as you spoiled pussy cats ever did.”
“I’d finish the blind one first, but her only crime was believing the lies that came out of your mouth. God, you ignorant young ‘radicals’ disgust me. Then again, seeing as you’re just about to become one with my waste, I suppose you’ll be enlightened soon enough.”
“No, not wild.” – “They’re free.”
Presentation: A+
Story: A+
Art: A+
Overall(not averaged): A+
Pride was about four lions who escaped a zoo in Baghdad during a U.S. air strike. Though free, the four lions all had different opinions on what they should do. The only male, , embraced the freedom and felt that it was time be free. His wife, , shared a similar view, but was more radical about it. The third lion, whom I believe was a past wife of the male was the most conservative of all the lions. The last, a small boy cub, shared the opinions of the elder lions. . The story begins in the zoo, still intact. The zoo acts as a
Since the beginning all the quotes were screaming symbolism. I think that Pride was criticizing the meaning of freedom. I will start with the Zoo. The zoo was representation of a society with a Communist system in place, combined with racial segregation (literally). In the zoo system, the different species of animals were kept with their respective species. Animals were fed consistently, each day every day. To the animals, their “keepers” were very caring and would never try to hurt them; they could only protect.
The art style was superb. I know I say that for nearly every graphic novel I read, but it is always true. This has been no exception, especially since the subjects at hand are not human but animals. They were all drawn to life, with very human like expressions that effectively cloyed the fact that they were animals. Even the turtle looked suspiciously human. Should there be a comparison to how the character’s complexions, I would immediately say The Lion King. However their styles are very different. Pride took a more realistic approach, and the Disney classic kept to its guns. I’d also like to note the lush colors of Pride. I have always assumed that Baghdad was all desert land. Apparently that’s all of what the TV showed and I never bothered to question it. In Pride this is not true. Pride’ Baghdad is rich in color, from the forest expanses, from the river, even from the buildings. Everything was colored so vividly, so alive. I think that the scene that really stuck to me artistically was the last few, when the group gets to see the horizon. That was one of the best panels I have ever seen in a graphic novel. Absolutely stunning. In this same collection of panels, the lions are massacred by U.S. soldiers. And I mean massacred: the artist drew the bullets tearing through the victim’s body’s, even the cub’s. It was sad to see the characters introduced seemingly moments ago were being teared down so brutally by soldiers acting in “self defense.”
Quotes I picked up:
“Everything’s got a name. It’s how we make things belong to us.”
“Don’t you have loyalty to anything?”
“Yes, to our pride.”
“If that’s how you feel, you take that first bite. You tear into the flesh of one of the creatures who protected us.”
“There’s black stuff under the earth , son. Poison.”
“You’re...you’re wrong. They may have been our captors, but they weren’t our torturers.”
“Rashid wasn’t a prisoner, he was a pet...and he lived just as comfortably as you spoiled pussy cats ever did.”
“I’d finish the blind one first, but her only crime was believing the lies that came out of your mouth. God, you ignorant young ‘radicals’ disgust me. Then again, seeing as you’re just about to become one with my waste, I suppose you’ll be enlightened soon enough.”
“No, not wild.” – “They’re free.”
Presentation: A+
Story: A+
Art: A+
Overall(not averaged): A+
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