Category Archives: Graphic Novels

Evil & Malice Save the World

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Evil & Malice: Save The World! by Jimmie Robinson is a fun new entry in the young adult superhero graphic novels.  Evelyn and Malinda are the daughters of the city’s most important supervillain,The Black Eye.  They are also great fans of the city’s greatest superhero, Goldie Gal.  This, of course, causes a few issues that the girls decide to complicate further.

51JGB3WASpL._SL160_ At an event to see their hero, Goldie Gal, they manage to foil the plot of an unknown villainess and her cohorts.  This leads to the superheroes Evil and Malice being born – dubbed thusly by a reporter.  Somehow, the girls have to keep their dad from learning their endeavors, not cross his path or foil his plans while taking out his competition.

Evil & Malice: Save The World! is a fun little trip that should appeal to anyone 10 and up.  I’m quite surprised it didn’t get more play than it did despite some cliches that are used in the story.

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Code Name : Hunter

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At a recent science fiction convention I found a treasure.  The creators of Code Name: Hunter – A Political Spell were promoting their book.  Imagine a world where magic has started to become more real and science less so.  Science had dominated most of the world – except for one small island nation run by a magical dictatorship.  That dictatorship includes a very feudal society with slavery still being an institution.

51HyhFqW2RL._SL160_The main characters are two special agents in an agency that seems loosely based on fictional accounts of MI5.  “Max” Hunter is the lead agent with his partner Ruby.  Though they are not the most refined of agents, they are sent on a diplomatic mission to bring back a much needed mage to help with wild magics that seem to be cropping up.

Astoria, the feudal society, is divided and there is a lot of internal intrigue between different magical factions.  Some wish to bring their state into a more modern frame of mind, while others consider the small changes that have already occurred due to contact with Great Britain to be a threat to the survival of their nation.  A very talented young mage is sent to be both an asset to the British issues with magic and a spy.  Culture shock does ensue on all sides.

This graphic novel is filled with storylines for Ruby as well.  All is not as it seems with her - or why she is being sent to Astoria in the first place.  Of course, everyone starts focusing on Hunter as a key to the story since he is the chief in the duo.  I, for one, am anxious for the next graphic novel to get more answers.  (I’m trying to control my comic pull list!)

Code Name: Hunter – A Political Spell is an excellent graphic novel with fine art and story.  The creative team of Darc and Matt Sowers is one to watch for future entries in the field.

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The Unwritten : Tommy Taylor and the Bogus Identity

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What if everything you knew about yourself wasn’t the complete truth?  Mike Carey and Peter Gross create a world where fiction literally comes to life in Unwritten Vol. 1: Tommy Taylor and the Bogus Identity.  Tom Taylor, son of Wilson Taylor, is the namesake of his father’s main character in the Tommy Taylor universe.

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A strange series of events involving sites of literary greatness start to make Tom start doubting that he is just a namesake.  Especially when a mysterious woman starts claiming that he is Tommy Taylor and was sent to this world to protect his future defeat of his own villain.

The premise includes a very interesting take on our culture’s infatuation with celebrity – no matter how it comes.  The cast of supporting characters do seem to know more than they are letting on, but there is never really certainty that can’t be explained away as a dream or nightmare.

The story transitions to Rudyard Kipling, Mark Twain, and other giants of the late 19th and early 20th century.  Authors who shaped the way the English speaking world thought of itself.  This series is dark in its implications.  In that, it imitates those great masters of literature in the viewpoint they left in their later works.

This book is for mature readers who enjoy seeing the classic “storyteller as god” motif in a new light.

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Captain America #602 Causes Tea Party Controversy

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So, it seems that Ed Brubaker’s newest story for Captain America includes a reference denigrating the Tea Bag Movement which he claims he had not written. The story is here (http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/02/09/tea-party-reference-captain-america-removed/?test=latestnews) at Fox News.

Joe Quesada, the “genius” behind destroying the marriage of Peter Parker and MaryJane Watson has copulated to the pressures of the rabid right who take everything personally quite quickly. All reprints will remove the panel that seems to refer to the Tea Baggers.

What did the Tea Baggers object to? Being portrayed as racist, anti-social protections, and being portrayed as relatively stupid. I can’t see where they have any reason to object since this is a pretty accurate portrayal of what they have displayed as their agenda.

Now, the question for me is whether this was really a publicity stunt to remind people that comic books are an affordable indulgence. Now that Marvel is owned by Disney it seems like a less likely tactic, but one never knows.

Marvel Adventures The Avengers Vol. 1: Heroes Assembled (V. 1)

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61fMyqPq8rL._SL160_Marvel Adventures The Avengers Vol. 1: Heroes Assembled (V. 1) is one of the digest forms Marvel has been putting out for all ages.  These stories are better than almost anything else they are doing.

&Marvel Adventures The Avengers Vol. 1: Heroes Assembled (V. 1) shows us the government believing they have come up with a way to rid themselves of reliance upon The Avengers.  Of course, things don’t go as the government plans.

All of The Avenger favorites are presented: Storm, Spider-Man, Iron Man, Captain America, The Hulk, Wolverine, and Giant-Girl.  This is a fun read for the entire family.

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La Muse (Graphic Novel)

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51GSRGQGrFLLa Muse written by Adi Tantimedh and illustrated by Hugo Petrus treats divine intervention in a new way for most readers. Two sisters are borne of non-corporal omnipotent creatures, one, Susan – chain-smoking, lesbian, rabble-rouser – inherits all the powers one might imagine, the other, Libby – all business and conformity – seemingly has inherited none.

Susan uses her powers to create a perfect world – at least her vision of it. The joy of the book is in watching so many that should get their comeuppance get it. Everyone from evil businessman to sleazy politicians learn that they are no longer in power. Even the ‘secret’ government gets theirs from Susan.

Now, there is one glitch when Susan is called in front of her parent’s people for fixing everything. This happening calls her parents to what she is doing and she and Libby find themselves confronting their folks while trying to protect reality. Libby reveals a few secrets of her own.

La Muse is a fun romp in wish fulfillment. This is not a serious book but a nice commentary of what could be done if someone was truly omnipotent.

Mighty Love (Graphic Novel)

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51F2FCKFKVLMighty Love written and drawn by Howard Chaykin is a pleasant superhero crime thriller for adults. The main characters are a cop and a defense attorney with secret lives. Those secret lives involve spandex and fighting crime – each for their own reasons.

One day, after not bumping into one another for a very long time, they trip over each other because their daytime lives intersect at a crime scene. Soon we find them talking to their therapist about each other.

The story surrounding the romance is a standard noir crime story with the femme fatale, evil businessman, and the muscle being used to move the crime forward. Though Mighty Love is not all that original, it is an enjoyable read for an afternoon treat.

Fall of Cthulhu : Nemesis

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Fall of Cthulhu Vol 6: Nemesis is the latest compilation from Boom Studios. In an unexpected shift in the series, we are taken back to Atlantis where there is a conflict between the religious and political powers. Is this the normal conflict or is something more sinister behind the friction?

51HyA1WRh5LNyartholotep’s followers are infiltrating the city with their promise of chaos. More and more Atlanteans are falling for this new god and the powers-that-be find themselves fighting powers that are more ancient than the pagan god they have devoted their society to.

This is an enjoyable read with a twist. Atlantis and ancient Athens play parts in the story as it slowly unfolds. It also carries a warning that not all things are as they may seem.

Fall of Cthulhu Vol 6: Nemesis is a worthy addition to the Fall of Cthulhu series.

The Color of Earth (Graphic Novel)

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Following the growth into womanhood of Ehwa, a young girl living with her tavern keeper mother, The Color of Earth written and illustrated by Dong Hwa Kim shines.

The Color of Earth is a quiet graphic novel that is surprisingly good at putting forth the challenges of growing up and learning about love’s trials and tribulations. The themes in The Color of Earth are universal. Every young girl – and some young men – can identify with being embarrassed about liking someone, trying to hide that like, and finding that like not returned in kind.

51oN+i5sKULDong Hwa Kim does not neglect the problems of young men as they grow up either. Through the eyes of a young monk who has eyes for Ehwa we see the troubles of becoming a man while trying to fulfill religious obligations of celibacy.

Ehwa’s mother shows us how longing for love does not die when a spouse dies. She interacts with her customers as if she has no desire. Of course, a special “Picture Man” does capture her imaginations.

The nature of the graphic novel allows for these revelations without spoiling the slowly developing story in The Color of Earth. This is worth at least finding at your library.

Mouse Guard Volume 2: Winter 1152 (Mouse Guard Graphic Novels)

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61m3RdMUeTLMouse Guard Volume 2: Winter 1152 (Mouse Guard Graphic Novels) by David Petersen continues the story of the Mouse Guard and the mouse civilization they are sworn to protect.

We follow Kenzie, Saxon, Lieam, Sadie and Celanawe as they follow paths to help the Mouse Guard stronghold survive the winter. The stories of each diverge in unexpected ways – only to come together as they make their way back to the stronghold.

These are characters you will care about. The odds they must face as the smallest of creatures against the largest of predators are conveyed through the wonderful illustrations (also by Petersen).

This series is a must have for the fan of high fantasy – not just those who enjoy graphic novels.