March Story: Lady Janjaghee

I read March Story, Vol. 4

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin (which has free comics).

Book Review: THE FIFTY YEAR SWORD

THE FIFTY YEAR SWORD
PANTHEON BOOKS – @PantheonBooks

AUTHOR: Mark Z. Danielewski
STITCHING: Atelier Z – Regina Gonzales, Claire Kohne, Michele Reverte
ISBN: 978-0-307-90772-1; hardcover (October 2012)
288pp, B&W and Color, $26.00 US, $31.00 CAN

Born in 1966, Mark Z. Danielewski is a novelist and postmodern writer. His debut novel, House of Leaves (2000), was released to some critical acclaim. In 2005, he released The Fifty Year Sword, an illustrated novella, in two limited editions.

Now, the trade edition of The Fifty Year Sword arrives, published in hardcover by Pantheon Books. There are more than 60 pages of illustrations in this edition, but this art isn’t drawn. The illustrations are stitched, rather than drawn. This stitching was executed by Mark Z. Danielewski and three seamstresses: Regina Gonzales, Claire Kohne, and Michele Reverte.

The Fifty Year Sword is set in Upshur County, East Texas, on a cold, windy night. Readers follow the story through Chintana, a local seamstress recently abandoned by her husband, Pravat. Chintana’s activity for the evening is a party thrown by 112-year-old Mose Dettledown, a peculiar woman known for her odd gatherings and get-togethers. This evening, however, Chintana finds herself the guardian of five orphans: two girls – Inieda and Micit, and three boys – Ezade, Sithiss, and Tarff.

This rambunctious quintet is captivated by a strange, shadowy storyteller, perhaps an uninvited guest to the party, who spins a tale of vengeance. He tells them of strange lands (The Valley of Salt and The Forest of Falling Notes) and strange people (The Man with No Arms). Of particular interest is the long black box that the storyteller set before Chintana and the children. As midnight approaches, Chintana and the children prepare to get a full glimpse of the storyteller, his secrets, and the thing in his black box.

The Fifty Year Sword is a novella written in verse. I can’t say that I was happy to discover that fact after I received a review copy from Pantheon. After I read a few pages, however, I started to enjoy the book. Pantheon describes The Fifty Year Sword as “a ghost story for grownup readers.” To me, this is a children’s story and dark fairytale told in a grown-up’s voice with adult idioms, metaphors, symbolism, etc. It’s like Neil Gaiman with splashes of Edgar Allen Poe and Rudyard Kipling.

The most enjoyable thing about The Fifty Year Sword is that’s Danielewski strings his words together in a visually evocative manner. I imagine the world of this novella as sparse, even barren, but I bet that what is on the landscapes and in the environments is unique. Sometimes, it doesn’t take much, in terms of setting, to make a place magical, wonderful, and different.

I think that being written in verse sometimes does not work for the story. It can be awkward in the way it presents some things. The Fifty Year Sword is flawed in some ways, but it still does what good fantasy does. It takes you places filled with magic, mystery, wonder, and even danger.

B+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

Case Closed vs. the Kaito Kid

I read Case Closed, Vol. 44 (Case Closed (Graphic Novels))

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin (which has free smart phone apps and comics).

I Reads You Review: AVX: VERSUS #2

AVX: VERSUS #2 (OF 6)
MARVEL COMICS

WRITERS: Steve McNiven, Kieron Gillen
PENCILS: Steve McNiven, Salvador Larroca
INKS: John Dell, Salvador Larroca
COLORS: Morry Hollowell, Jim Charalampidis
LETTERS: VC’s Joe Caramagna
COVER: Salvador Larroca
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S.

Rated: T+

Avengers Vs. X-Men was Marvel Comics’ most recent, big event, crossover series. The final issue was just released, but I mostly ignored the entire thing except for reading the #0 and #1 issues. However, I was recently going through a box of comic books given to me by fellow comics aficionado and comic book reviewer, Albert Avilla, when I came across AVX: VS #2.

I was confused by the title. Was this Avengers Vs. X-Men? But the first page of this comic book explains it all. This is Avengers versus the X-Men, but instead of big, sprawling team brawls, AVX: VS features one-on-one battles between individual members of the Avengers and the X-Men. To paraphrase the introduction: it’s not about plot, but about two superheroes pounding the snot out of each other. AVX: VS is a six-issue, tie-in miniseries to the main event, but even more than the main series, AVX: VS is pure fight comics.

AVX: VS #2 has two heavyweight bouts – Match 3 and 4 of this series. First, Avenger Captain America takes on X-Man, Gambit, in a story written and penciled by Steve McNiven with inks by John Dell. Then, Avenger, the Amazing Spider-Man, takes on a Juggernaut-enhanced Colossus of the X-Men in a story written by Kieron Gillen and drawn by Salvador Larroca.

I thought that Steven McNiven’s delicate line work and intricate cross-hatching would not work when trying to depict a fight between two superheroes that seem to be in constant motion. However, refined lines and precise cross-hatching are perfect for capturing combatants in static images with grace and beauty. When the panels are connected in the way that comics are read, this gracefully rendered artwork creates the illusion that these two characters are in motion and are fighting.

Salvador Larroca is quite good at drawing the exaggerated anatomy that has practically been the standard over the better part of the last three decades. It’s usually a mixed bag with Larroca. Sometimes, his superhero figure drawing looks ugly or even anal in its delineation of every nook and cranny of bulging muscles. Other times, Larroca gets it just right, as he does here.

He captures the inherent gangly nature of Spider-Man’s physique while giving him the grace of a dancer and the precise skill of an acrobat. Larroca turns Colossus into a body-building mass of destruction and transforms his body into a force of nature driven by muscle power. The second and third pages of the Spider-Man/Colossus bout form a double-page spread that encapsulates how fittingly Larroca depicts the two characters.

Story? Who needs story with fight comic book art like this?

B

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's: The Duel Dragons

I read Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's, Vol. 3 (Yu-Gi-Oh! (Graphic Novels))

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin (which has free comics).

Albert Avilla Reviews: Batwoman #0

Batwoman #0
DC Comics

Reviewed by Albert Avilla

Writer/Artist: J.H. Williams III
Writer: W. Haden Blackman

(Possible Spoilers)
Sometimes a story becomes more than a comic book or even a graphic novel and becomes just good literature. I have stated before that I like the old-fashioned fisticuffs in my comics, but if the creators have real talent I can be moved by words. This is a fine example of one of those stories. This story makes you believe that these fictional characters are real and that we are privy to one of their secret moments.

The writers do an incredible job of illustrating the changing dynamic in Kate's relationship with her father. Williams and Blackman give us a fresh take on the training of a Bat-character. Her training does not come from Batman; it is directed by her father's own military background. Batman may have inspired her name and costume, but Kate's father is the inspiration for her life. Batwoman's origin is told in a message to her father that she leaves on her computer to let her father know his importance to her. In Kate Kane we see a powerful self-reliant woman who is able to resist falling into the abyss that is Gotham. Some writer once made the quote that we do not judge great literature; it judges us. Let this story judge you.

With a story like this, there is no need to make a comment about the art. We all know that Williams has made Batwoman his character.

I rate Batwoman #0 Recommend It To A Friend.

The Story of Saiunkoku: Cheaters Rule

I read The Story of Saiunkoku, Vol. 8

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin (which has free comics).