Hello. My name is Lenny Schwartz. I am a playwright and screenwriter from Rhode Island and New York. Welcome to my second week reviewing comics.
I guess I didn’t burn any bridges last week and the higher ups at Forces Of Geek are okay with my reviews.
Either that or they are building a lawsuit. Either way this is very exciting.
Let’s get started!
SKY IN STEREO Vol. 1
Written and Illustrated by Sacha Mardou
Published by Revival House Press
Now this was a delightful surprise. This was a book I have been hearing about. I wasn’t too excited going in…here is the synopsis: Iris, a young woman turning eighteen in early 1990s Manchester, England, is slowly losing her tenuous grip on her world of burger-flipping, drugs, and rock ‘n roll. After quitting her job at a clothes shop, Iris takes a position at a burger bar at the train station, where her crush on fellow burger-flipper Glen takes her down a dark path.
Mardou’s tale for me from the beginning seemed to be going down the “religious kid coming of age” tale…a sort of watered down version of Craig Thompson’s brilliant Blankets. I started reading it and it started to feel like that. I almost put it down. I am so glad I didn’t. Because I was wrong.
Sky in Stereo did something so few comic books do…it took a chance in being original. It took a chance of being it’s own thing. It told a very simple tale and made it complex. Mardou is sensational.
A great writer and a great storyteller. I read an interview with her saying she didn’t think she was a great artist. I disagree. She’s brilliant. She deserves to have her name up there with Chester Brown, Seth, Paul Pope, and even Daniel Clowes. She’s that good. The only thing, like those great cartoonists, is that we only get half the story and have to wait until it’s done. I’d rather wait though, and get something great rather than something slopped together. Still she loses a half point for making me wait. Right now though?
RATING A- (for making me wait for final chapter)
OUR EXPANDING UNIVERSE
Written and Illustrated by Alex Robinson
Published by Top Shelf Productions
Speaking of waiting a long time, Alex Robinson of Box Office Poison fame finally came out with a book about a month and a half ago. That is always a cause for celebration. Robinson is a fantastic storyteller and it’s almost worth the wait almost. Almost.
The story follows three friends dealing with love, marriage, and adult relationships. It’s about the big choices. The choices we make and how our lives are affected. It’s about how small we are in the big picture…yet we are still complicated. And it’s good. It’s just not great.
Robinson gets a lot of well deserved praise. And he deserves it. He’ a great storyteller. In this one?
Some the scenes were too dialogue heavy. I get he was trying to switch up styles but it didn’t serve the story as well as I wanted.
Robinson also only pushes the stories to a certain point. This has always been my problem with him. He always tells a good story, but it only ever goes too far. I wish he would keep pushing. The book deserves it. The characters deserve it. And Robinson deserves it. Maybe next time he will. This time?
RATING: B
EARTH OUTLAWS
Written by Don Thomas & Cody Stewart and Illustrated by Paul Green
Published by Be Amazed Studios
Every week I am going to try a new book or too I normally wouldn’t.
This week is Earth Outlaws #1. Well, it was a bit nuts. Not my speed for sure. It came from Be Amazed Studios and the only thing that Amazed me was that it took two people to write this comic.
Oh boy, here we go.
So this comic is about a team called the Earth Outlaws as they undertake a quest to find Quaid’s lost brother – A mission that make them targets for galactic bounty hunter, pirates and alien cyborgs, and eventually fugitives from Earth. Sadly, for me, Quaid’s lost brother isn’t Randy.
So this book tried really hard. It just didn’t work. Paul Green isn’t bad but he has no real style…I couldn’t take it. The packaging is slick and the colors (also by Green) are sharp.
This comic failed to grab me. If they didn’t put their hearts into it, I would give it an F. However, they did. And that counts. And the last line made me chuckle. Okay. Because I am a softie:
RATING: D+
SKYDOLL: DECADE
Written and Illustrated by Alessandro Barbucci & Barbara Canepa
Published by Titan Comics
Now here comes another book I would never read normally. The wonderfully nutty and totally tapped Skydoll.
Barbucci and Canepa are former Disney artists and when this showed up on my doorstep I took one look at it and said to myself: “Self, give this a try.” And so I did. It was like Disney meets Heavy Metal Comics. Which is much better than it sounds.
When Noa the Sky Doll is liberated from her life of drudgery by missionaries, it turns out that she is more than just a pretty android built for pleasure. With religion, sensuality and what it means to be human all at stake, Noa must find her true purpose in life. Let me be upfront: The art is beautiful in this. Stunning. It’s Moebius good. For that alone this books is worth picking up (It’ll be the first time all of this material will be published in English) The story is a bit like Jodorowsky-light…which isn’t a bad thing. I wish they had a stronger writer on it. Could have been a classic. But is this worth picking up? Absolutely. Great storytelling. Heart. Passion.
This isn’t a book for everyone. It’s like watching an adult Disney film made by aliens. That being said, it sucks you in that you gloss over the weaker parts and you stay for the ride. It’s unique and fun and I’m glad I gave it a chance. I just wish it was meatier than it pretended to be.
RATING: B/ B- depending on your mood.
THE TWILIGHT CHILDREN #1 – #4
Written by Gilbert Hernandez and Illustrated by Darwyn Cooke
Published by Vertigo Comics / DC
Vertigo used to make some of the best comic books on the market. That was about 15-20 years ago.
Nowadays, most of them miss the mark big time. There are no more books like Preacher. The Sandman. Fables. Most if their offerings have been lackluster to say the least.
Imagine my surprise when I heard Gibert Hernandez would be teaming up with Darwyn Cooke for a title. I LOVE Love and Rockets and Cooke is a fantastic artist in everything he does. His Parker series is one of the greats…I’m always waiting for the next one. So was I disappointed with this?
Absolutely not.
So the story goes: When a white orb washes up on the shore of a remote Latin American village, a group of children naturally poke at the strange object to see what it is. The orb explodes, leaving the children completely blind. And when a beautiful young woman who may be an alien is found wandering the seafront, she’s taken in by the townspeople, but soon becomes a person of interest to a quirky pair of undercover CIA agents, and the target of affection for a young scientist. Can they come together to prevent an all-out alien invasion and save the souls in this sleepy, seaside town?
This is a beautiful book. Cooke’s art is legendary, the pacing and storytelling flawless. And Hernandez is one of the masters of the form. Together they work in harmony, creating a story where you can never tell what is going to happen. When it does you are shocked. Moved. Surprised.
Comic books that can emotionally involve the reader always deserve notice. If you missed this one, well, shame on you. Find it. Read it. Then read it again. It’ll remind you of how great comic books can be. And it’ll remind you Vertigo used to give us wonderfully beautiful comic book unlike any other.
RATING: A
BURIED TREASURE PICK
BRATPACK
Written and Illustrated by Rick Veitch
Published by King Hell Press
All right. Show of hands. Who here has read Brat Pack?
I’m guessing a few but not too many. In the 80s and early 90s, comic book readers got some books many consider classics: The Dark Knight Returns. Watchmen. Batman: Year One. V for Vendetta. All fine books. Yet the one that always stood out for me was Brat Pack.
Rick Veitch created something which dissects the superhero genre in a way we have never imagined.
From the Wikipedia page:
“It is a dark satire on superhero sidekicks, influenced partly by the fans’ decision to kill off Batman’s sidekick Jason Todd, but also built on other long-standing rumors and undercurrents in the history of the superhero genre, prominently commercialism, homosexuality, pedophilia, violence, and the fascist tendencies inherent in superheroes. The events of Brat Pack take place in the fictional city of Slumburg, Pennsylvania. The plot involves the efforts of Slumberg’s various heroes, known collectively as Black October, to recruit new sidekicks—the original group of sidekicks having been killed by the villain Doctor Blasphemy.”
This is one sick book that goes there and beyond. Veitch doesn’t hold back at all. His writing is off the charts and his art is grimy and perfect. This is one of the best, most brutal tales ever in comic book history. It’s the punk rock of comic books. Seek this book out and have your perceptions altered.
Watchmen and the like are great for sure. This is the book, however we should remember from that time. It’s certainly one I will never forget.
RATING : A+
And that is it for this week! Thank you again for reading. Feel free to comment or disagree with me.
I love you all and until next week, I remain…
Lenny Schwartz
3 Comments