#114–HELLBOY: CHAINED COFFIN AND OTHER STORIES

#114–HELLBOY: CHAINED COFFIN AND OTHER STORIES

Writer: Mike MIgnolaArtists: Various

Dark Horse, 2004

When in doubt, reach for HELLBOY.

This is a collection of unrelated stories that Mignola had done for various publications.  The majority of them revolve around Hellboy facing some sort of legendary evil and at least one (the encounter with Baba Yaga) has far reaching ramifications for Hellboy.

Great stories but not much definition of Hellboy’s personality here.  He is mostly playing second banana to the other legends and monsters and even his sometime partner Kate.

Still, Hellboy entertains at any level.

(Read 2/24/14)

Rating (1-5):

4.  Good stories but also kinda forgettable.

#113–SAVAGE DRAGON

#113–SAVAGE DRAGON, Vol. 1

Writer/Artist: Erik Larsen

Image, 1993

I don’t always like Erik Larsen’s work but I like Savage Dragon.

This first volume reprints the first issues that start off the story of Savage Dragon who mysteriously appears in Chicago with no memory of his past.  Crime happens to be at an explosive level and eventually Dragon becomes a police office to help fight those threats beyond that of ordinary police.

It’s not the most original idea but Larsen really makes it work.  The man was born to write and draw superhero comics.  And, for the most part, this is a thematic return to the simpler heroes of the Silver Age even if everyone around the Dragon seems to end up dying horribly.

(Read 2/23/14)

Rating (1-5):

4.  A good ol’ superhero romp the likes of which are very rare these days.

 

#112–MEGATON MAN

#112–MEGATON MAN

Writer/Artist: Don Simpson

Kitchen Sink, 1994

After LOVECRAFT, I needed something fun to cleanse my mental palate.  Fortunately, MEGATON MAN was nearby.

In the 90’s, MEGATON MAN was one of the best parody comics around.  It was a great spoof of superhero comics in the same vein as NOT BRAND ECHH and I loved it.  Nice to see that the work still holds up after all these years.

This volume collects the first four issues and introduces the cast.  We meet Megaton Man and his alter ego (who everyone knows is really Megaton Man), ace reporter Pam (who has an annoying habit of falling out of open windows) and the Megalopolis Quintet (this world’s version of the Fantastic Four).  What follows is a wonderful spoof of the conventions of silver age superheroes and Lee/Kirby FFs in particular.  It did my old heart good.

I wonder what, if anything, Don Simpson is doing these days?

(Read 2/22/14)

Rating (1-5):

4.  Great fun for old comic fans.

 

#111–LOVECRAFT

#111–LOVECRAFT

Writer: Keith Giffen

Artist: Hans Rodionoff

Vertigo, 2004

Well, this was disappointing.

Supposedly based on a screenplay, this is yet another tired variation of the “what if Lovecraft was writing about things that really existed?”  It takes a lot to make that old concept new and you won’t find it here.

I probably know more about Lovecraft than most and I can safely say that HPL would be appalled by this book.  Not just the idea that he was writing about real monsters, but the sexual episodes and quasi-erotic overtones would certainly not have sat well with the Gentleman from Providence.  In truth, I could have forgiven such excess if there happened to be a story here worth reading.  Giffen’s writing is unconvincing and I am not impressed by the art.

Now I was justified in not reading this for so long and hopefully can forget that I have.  If I want to read a far more enjoyable book with Lovecraft as a character, I’d go read Peter Cannon’s excellent PULPTIME.

(Read 2/21/14)

Rating (1-5):

2. The story is sometimes embarrassing in its banality.  If you like Lovecraft, spare yourself this pain.

#110-BRAT PACK

#110–BRAT PACK

Writer/Artist: Rick Veitch

King Hell, 2009 reprint edition

Decades later and I’m STILL trying to understand this book.

BRAT PACK is a scathing indictment against not only superheroes but celebrity culture as well as mass-media, merchandising and the often mob like mentality of society.  At its surface, it’s the story about four superhero archtypes whose kid sidekicks get knocked off by bad guy, Dr. Blasphemy, and their search for replacements.  But these are not the clean superheroes of our youth but a realistic, painful version of them that both disgust and enthrall.

Stephen Bissette has written a far better analysis of this book and it’s themes in his TEEN ANGELS AND NEW MUTANTS than I ever can.  Suffice to say that BRAT PACK is a milestone in graphic novels that is ever bit as deep and intricate as any work of literature.

But I still don’t understand the ending (from a narrative view).  Does Tru-Man destroy the world or is he a herald of the apocalypse?

(Read 2/20/14)

Rating (1-4):

4. An amazing work that may not be for everyone but should be read by everyone willing to look at comics and the world and what has happened to each of them.

 

#109–ANNE FRANK

ANNE FRANK

Writer: Sid Jacobson

Artist: Ernie Colon

Hill & Wang, 2010

I probably shouldn’t have read this book while I was already depressed.

There’s probably few who don’t have some knowledge of the Anne Frank story.  That she was a young Jewish girl who had to hide from the Nazis with her family in an attic during WWII.  Even though I knew as much, I didn’t really know much beyond that.

This excellent biography gives Anne’s story from her birth up to her untimely death and examines her legacy as well.  Based on information provided and authorized by the Anne Frank House, this book gives a good sense of the young woman who was Anne Frank and of her tragic murder.  No details, no matter how grim, are spared.

The artwork by Colon is sparse and workmanlike but that actually works to the narrative’s advantage in giving a certain understated power to the images.

When I was growing up, WWII and the Holocaust were only a bit more than 25 years in the past.  It was a real thing to us and a vital presence in the news with tales of Nazi hunters and concentration camp exhibits.  I wonder how real this seems to the youth of today that is rapidly bearing down on 75 years distance?

(Read 2/19/14)

Rating (1-5):

4.  A touching and emotional biography of an exceptional person.

#108–FEYNMAN

#108–FEYNMAN

Writer: Jim Ottaviani

Artist: Leland Myrick

First Second, 2013

I’ve known who Feynman was for a long time but what I didn’t know was who he was and why he was so important.  Even after reading this book, I still don’t really understand his science but I have a much better understanding of the man.

Richard Feynman was one of the greatest modern physicists of our time.  From his days at the Manhattan Project to his Nobel Prize winning theories to his inadvertent philosophy, this book brings Feynman to life through his writings, monologues and tales.  I am noticing here (and in other gn biographies) that there is a tendency to ‘dramatize’ episodes from the life of the subject.  This is rather surprising to me and somewhat brave on the part of the creators.

In this book, we learn about Feynman’s youth growing up in New York and his first marriage (which ended, unfortunately, with his wife’s early death while he was working at Los Alamos) through his life at Caltech and his many other experiences.  Through it all, Feynman the character shines through and reveals him to be interesting, amusing and flawed.

Despite the over 200 pages, this book flew by and has left me with a desire to seek out more books about Feynman and even to try to understand some of his science.  Which, after all, is probably the best compliment I can give a biographical graphic novel.

Rating (1-5):

5.  Truly outstanding.  At this point, it is the pinnacle against which I will measure all other biographical graphic novels.

#107–NATHAN HALE’S HAZARDOUS TALES: DONNER DINNER PARTY

#107–NATHAN HALE’S HAZARDOUS TALES: DONNER DINNER PARTY

Writer & Artist: Nathan Hale (not the spy)

Amulet Books, 2013

I was a twisted little kid growing up.  Seriously.  Even the Addams Family would have thought that there was something a bit ‘wrong’ with me.  I had an obsession with tales of crime, death and murder.

During my high school days, I found a Time-Life series of books in the H.S. library that detailed hundreds of these kinds of stories and, of course, the Donner Party was one of them.  There’s few people who don’t have some idea of what happened to the Donner Party but, like all stories, some myths grow up around them as well.

This is a very excellent retelling of the Donner Party disaster written specifically for older YA.  The premise is that Nathan Hale (the spy) is putting off being hung by telling stories to a British soldier and a hangman.  (This book is actually the third in the series.)  What follows is a great version of the story that mixes in lots of humor while not shirking away from some of the harder facts.  In some ways, it reminds me of Larry Gonick’s great HISTORY OF THE WORLD books which is very high praise indeed.

(Read 2/18/14)

Rating (1-5)

4. Excellent retelling of the story with humor and pathos with a good comic style.

#106–THE FIFTH BEATLE: BRIAN EPSTEIN

#106–THE FIFTH BEATLE: BRIAN EPSTEIN

Writer: Vivek Tiwary

Artists: Andy Robinson and Kyle Baker

Dark Horse, 2013

I was born in 1962 so although I was too young to remember the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show, I grew up knowing who they were.  I was a generation slightly removed but I experienced later aspects of Beatlemania and have been a Beatle fan all my life.

During the 70’s, I read anything about the Beatles that I could find.  That’s how I learned about Brian Epstein and his own, private, sad story.  Brian was the manager of the Beatles who guided them to worldwide fame.  Without Brian, it’s debatable if the Beatles would have achieved the same level of success.  But I always found Brian’s story to be a sad counterpoint to the money and fame that the lads enjoyed.

I’m reading a few biographical graphic novels right now as kind of research for something I’m considering working on and started with this excellent book.  It’s not Brian’s entire story, nor even his entire story with the Beatles, but it hits all the right high (and low) points and gives a good understanding of the man who made the Beatles.

And now that I’ve gotten a few more miles under my belt, Brian’s story (to me) is even sadder.

(Read 2/16/14)

Rating (1-5):

4: Great adaptation of Brian’s life and the artwork is very “mod” and “gear” as well.

#105–B.P.R.D.: HELL ON EARTH–GODS AND MONSTERS

B.P.R.D.: HELL ON EARTH–GODS AND MONSTERS

Writers: Mignola & Arcudi

Artists: Guy Davis and Tyler Crook

Dark Horse, 2012

This is essentially a collection of two different stories:

GODS–A population of dislocated drifters has sprung up due to the monsters and one in particular is led by a young girl who seems to have the power of precognition.  Abe and a B.P.R.D. squad attempt to find her with disastrous results especially for Abe.

MONSTERS–We see what’s happened to Liz since she burned all the Frogs and started the ecological crisis.  Turns out she’s holed up in a redneck trailer park that is taken over by creatures intent on killing her.

Rating (1-5):

4. This is better than the last book but both stories still left me cold despite the events with Abe.  I see that there are now 8 volumes in this series which means that I’m missing 6 of them. Not sure if I want to pick up those 6.