Rat Queens, Vol. 1: Sass & Sorcery
The adventures of a quartet of foul-mouthed, ultra-violent, lady adventurer bad asses?Count me in!
Ridiculously good fun.
Rat Queens! Where have you been all my life?!?
Saga, Volume 1
Blimey, this was actually really good!Alana and Marko are soldiers on opposite sides of an extremely large (and brutal) galaxy-wide war. They fall in love and are left with little choice but to go on the run from their respective nations - but it doesn't take long before more trouble strikes in the form an unplanned pregnancy, and two fugitives eventually become three.
Our trio are pursued by agents dispatched by both sides, with strict orders to eliminate the deserters on sight, as they attempt to flee to somewhere - anywhere - that could provide a safe haven for their new family.
Well written, with snappy, believable dialogue and some wonderfully likeable characters, this was a pleasure to read. Alana and Marko make a great couple, and even the presumed 'antagonists' have back-stories that flesh them out and make them seem much more well-rounded and human than the usual comic book fare, leaving plenty of shades of grey and room for possible surprises in the future.
The 'technological fantasy' setting (this isn't really sci-fi*) is put to great use, and we're presented with a universe that feels like anything could happen and most probably will at some point.
Fiona Staples' sublime artwork is the icing on the cake.
For the first time in what seems like an age, I'm actually really excited to see where a comic series is going to go.
Bring. It. On.
* Yes, there is a difference. Really.
The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas
A brilliant, meticulously constructed thought experiment that asks us to consider if the happiness and contentment of a whole city is worth the constant suffering of a single, innocent individual.Thought-provoking, beautiful and haunting. This is the kind of short fiction that will stay with me forever.
Hillary: Retribution
Retribution is the final book in Angel Gelique’s extremely graphic Hillary trilogy, and there are surprises galore as the series winds to its conclusion.The first surprise is that, compared to the previous two books in the series, the frequency of extreme violence and abuse has been toned down considerably (those of you who found certain scenes from the previous installments almost too much to bear can breathe a huge sigh of relief now), allowing the story much more freedom to move along at a quicker pace. It’s an understandable change: numerous threads were left open in the previous books, and in order to to tie them all together, Gelique focuses on dividing the narrative between multiple characters as they all begin separate journeys to find their own forms of closure. It works well, and I actually found it pretty hard to put the book down once I’d started.
The rest of the surprises lie within the plot itself, which I’ll say very little about for fear of spoiling everything. All I’ll say is that there are some great ideas on display here, as well as a couple of larger twists that I DID NOT see coming, but wasn’t 100% convinced by.
Much like my biggest gripe with several of Stephen King’s books, I felt that the ending seemed somewhat rushed after such a well-paced build-up. Still, I did enjoy this novel, and have been extremely impressed by the series as a whole. I’ll certainly be keeping an eye out for Angel Gelique in the future.
If you think you’ve got the stomach for it, definitely give this series a go.
Hillary: Flesh and Blood
After reading Tail of the Dog (the first book in Angel Gellique's Hillary trilogy) I came to the conclusion that it was one of the most disturbing books I'd ever read. Perhaps the most disturbing, even. So, being the masochistic glutton for punishment that I am, I immediately threw myself headfirst into the next book in the series.Well, the sequel/prequel Flesh and Blood makes Tail of the Dog seem more like The Tale of Peter Rabbit by comparison.
This book was brutal. Absolutely fucking brutal. I had to resort to taking breaks between chapters due to elevated levels of nausea, which made progress a slow and often torturous affair. Did I mention how brutal this book was?
Yet, despite this, I'm glad that I made it through to the end. The tragedy that underpins the events of this story cannot be downplayed, and I felt myself cycling through a huge range of emotional responses to the characters and events in this book - from sympathy, to disgust, all the way to oh-my-fucking-god-this-is-utterly-insane-and-I'd-really-just-like-to-go-now-please.
Gellique harnesses the very darkest elements of human nature to paint a relentless portrait of how monstrous deeds beget monsters of their own. I couldn't help but think that this must have been a true test of sheer will to put into words, at times.
One final note: If you're planning on starting this series, do heed the warnings in the blurb. Seriously.
Hillary: Tail of the Dog
Dear Angel Gelique,You have warped my fragile little mind.
Yours sincerely,
A gibbering wreck.
Aphrodite IX: Rebirth Volume 1 TP (Aphrodite IX: Rebirth)
Eurgh.In a post-apocalyptic far-future, a totalitarian society of technologically advanced cyborgs are engaged in a constant battle for the Earth's scant remaining resources with a tribe of spiritual, dinosaur-riding animal/human hybrid people, the Gen. (What do you mean, "this sounds kind of like that Avatar movie"? That was totally different! Those spiritualistic, dinosaur-riding tribes-people were blue - and these are all, like, not blue. And stuff.)
Aphrodite IX - a cybernetically enhanced assassin from Earth's past, placed in stasis for reasons initially unknown - is accidentally discovered and released by Marcus, the heir to the Gen throne. Marcus takes her back to the Gen capital, where an insta-love triangle ensues. Hooray.
Fortunately, the cyborgs learn of a way to take control of Aphrodite's mind for exactly 20 minutes every 24 hours and begin using her to kill all of the Gen leadership. *cue dramatic music*
Good grief.
Derivative, cliché and utterly juvenile, Aphrodite IX is a painful reminder that comics still have a long way to go to be taken seriously. The characters are paper thin, with almost zero believable development or reasons for the reader to actually care. The whole book just feels like a vessel to objectify the female protagonist as often as possible. Which it does. A lot.
Aphrodite even has a 'pheromone mode' which she engages to distract victims with her allure before going in for the kill. This is the most unintentionally hilarious thing I've read in quite some time.
Sigh.
On the plus side, the art is some of the best I've ever seen in a graphic novel (and was the main reason I was drawn to picking this up at the library) - which makes it even more of a shame that everything else is just so mind-numbingly bad.
 - Matt Hawkins, Stjepan Sejic)
Revival, Vol. 1: You're Among Friends
Interesting idea - think Les Revenants meets Fargo.The execution could be better at times, but there's potential here for a really good series.
Joyland
If, like me, you've been cautiously eyeing this book from afar, wondering if a Hard Case Crime published novel could perhaps be a little too removed from what you're used to from Mr. King, then let me reassure you: you have absolutely nothing to worry about. Joyland was a pleasure to read.Forget what you imagine this story will be like when you glance at the wonderfully pulpy cover, this is primarily a coming-of-age tale; a story of love, loss, and what comes after. With a soupçon of murder-mystery for flavour, and just a pinch of the paranormal thrown in for good measure.
Wolf Hall
An enjoyable take on a pivotal event in British history.Mantel breathes a surprising amount of humanity into her cast of characters, and successfully depicts a world of political intrigue and religious paranoia - where accusations of treachery and heresy are useful tools for getting rid of one's opponents.
However, the narrative is often at odds with the sheer volume of (seemingly unecessary) historical fact, especially in the first half of the book.
Dragons at Crumbling Castle
Dragons at Crumbling Castle is a collection of stories that Pratchett wrote as a teen for a local newspaper, repurposed and republished all these years later as a children’s book.And it actually works rather well.
All of the stories in this collection are playfully silly, irreverently whimsical and utterly ridiculous - which, let’s face it, is exactly what you’d expect (and hope for, given the target audience). For fans of Sir Pterry, there’s plenty of evidence in these early, simple tales of the witty word-play and nod-and-a-wink satire that would become staples of his style over the following years.
The artwork is extremely Quentin Blake-like (though not actually by Quentin Blake), which instantly conjures mental images of the more famous works of Roald Dahl - a clever (if ever-so-slightly sneaky) bit of marketing by the publisher there. It does suit the book though.
Anyway, if you have young children to read to, or are a Pratchett completionist, you really don’t have anything to fear from this one.
The Dark Tower, Volume 2: The Long Road Home
Well, this was a disappointment.Following directly on from the first book (which was itself a retelling of a story-within-the-story from Wizard and Glass, the fourth novel in Stephen King's The Dark Tower series) this volume attempts to continue beyond the boundaries set by King's original tale, and in doing so addresses a couple of questions that were never explained in the novels in any particular detail: What exactly happened to Roland that affected his humanity? How and why did Sheemie come to be where he was later in the series?
Unfortunately, neither question is answered satisfactorily and the book feels more like Dark Tower fan fiction than an official part of the story.
Nice artwork though.
From a Buick 8
There was something eerily familiar about the description of the Buick Roadmaster in this book that, at first, I just couldn't quite put my finger on. I just knew I'd read something about classic American cars that looked almost-but-not-quite-the-real-deal in a King book before.Then it hit me: Can-Toi.
It took me some time to scour back through my copies of The Dark Tower novels to find what I was looking for and jog my memory - and I'm really not into spoiling anything for anyone, so I'm going to be deliberately vague about this - but when I did find what I was looking for, it was easy to connect the events of this novel with King's wider fictional universe.
Pennsylvania State Troopers play unwitting custodians to a Can-Toi portal (the Buick) which appears to be either connected to the Luddite Wastelend - or worse - the Todash. Eep.
This was an enjoyable read for what it was - though I do think the same story could probably have been told in half the pages. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
The Dark Tower, Volume 1: The Gunslinger Born
This is a graphic novel adaptation of the tale Roland tells of his youth to the Ka-tet during Wizard and Glass, which has always stood out as one of the highlights of the series to me.The artwork is of a very high standard and the style suits the tone perfectly. Naturally, many of the details are merely glossed over here, and I wouldn't recommend this to anyone who hasn't already read the novels, but as a primarily visual retelling I think it works pretty well as its own entity.
Locke & Key, Vol. 6: Alpha & Omega
And it's over.I don't read a lot of comics, just the occasional series and graphic novel from time to time, so I certainly don't consider myself an expert in the medium. I thought Locke & Key was pretty great though, all in all. It's a good premise, with some brilliant, memorable moments, and plenty of heart.
A satisfactory ending, then - although I am left scratching my head about how certain events played out (I'm still unsure how Bode got his body back ...anyone?).
Even if you're not usually a comic reader, you may still find this series well worth a go.
Locke & Key, Vol. 4: Keys to the Kingdom
I really like this series, I do, but (at least initially) this installment didn't really grab me as much as the previous books. I was starting to think the whole thing was merely a bridge in the story, with very little character or plot development to speak of, and the Locke kids finding even more random (or all-too-convienient) keys, when suddenly everything just went completely crazy.Good stuff. My faith is restored.
