Right now, I’m staring at a pile of graphic novels the size of a national monument. One of the smaller ones, maybe, but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s a heaping helping of concrete, no matter how inspirational it might be. And I’m beginning to ask myself, why am I wasting time and brainpower on this futile endeavor if there isn’t a paycheck involved? I’ve got games to play, work to do, studies to, uh, study. Why am I bothering to quicken my inevitable case of carpel tunnel syndrome? I’ll tell you why. Because the experience of writing this now will eventually pay more than any paycheck could. Unless the paycheck is for, like, a billion dollars.
Anyway, the Washington Monument over here is going to take a while to fully erect (teehee), so this batch of comic reviews is going to be done in a couple installments. I’ll post the next one sometime soon.
I just want to point out, as soon as possible, that I DID NOT buy Astonishing X-Men vol.1. I DID NOT become an instant toady of Joss Whedon after watching Serenity. Well. Maybe a little. Just, y’know, this much. But I did not buy this book and certainly wouldn’t have because it was written by him. (I borrowed it from the library. I have the best library ever.) In fact, I’ve not really been reading X-Men stuff lately, except a couple of the Ultimate volumes. Meanwhile, I was wary of the cast in this particular series. I mean, Beast, Cyclopes, and Wolverine are a nice back-to-basics approach, but back-to-basics isn’t always a good thing. Take the new costumes for example. I’m sorry, I don’t care how classic they’re meant to look, they’re just uncool. Beast is wearing a bathing suit, okay? Out of the 19th century, okay? Emma Frost is another downside. Now, this is my first encounter with her, but she’s just not a fun character and her costumes are more agitating in their defiance of physics than they are sexy. Her color scheme also clashes just as much with the rest of the gang’s as Storm’s white capes did. Come to think of it, I’ve always, always had a distaste for X-Men costumes, especially the two-pieces. I guess that’s one of the reasons I’ve always loved Shadowcat, who is the fifth member of this particular X-branded brigade; she’s not a sex icon. Sadly, that doesn’t mean her costume design is any more appealing, but at least she’s a character whose presence I can enjoy, as opposed to the ice queen’s.
Anyway, were I to judge a book entirely on the apparel of its cast, I’d have to commit seppuku. And I don’t think anyone wants that. It’s just messy. So, um, story and stuff.
With Xavier out of the picture for some reason or another, I wasn’t really paying attention, Scott, Emma, Hank, Kitty, and Logan are left in charge of the school. Scott gets it into his head that they should become a superhero team ala the Avengers to get humans to, at least, stop treating them like nuclear weaponry, at most, see them as the heroes they are. Before they can begin their crime-fighting crusade, however, news of a “cure” for mutants hits the media. The X-Men set out to investigate and get more than they bargained for. Of course, it doesn’t help their problems that their team dynamics aren’t exactly stable. Scott and Logan have got their age-old cockfight going on. Beast is debating whether or not to use the mutant cure on himself. Kitty distrusts the once villainous Emma Frost, who seems to have a hidden agenda. And all the while they’re supposed to be teaching and setting examples for their students back at the school. Worse yet, it seems some alien guy has taken an interest in the team.
The story is solid, as is the character interaction. A satisfactory amount of intrigue, plot twisting, and action is spiced with Whedon’s quirky and well-timed humor. However, it certainly isn’t as its title suggests. Most of the events, plot devices, and even deus ex machina are recycled material that wouldn’t astonish anyone with a basic understanding of the history of the X-Men. Exactly how many times is a popular Marvel character allowed to come back to life before he or she actually dies? (That’s hint by the way.) The point is that this is a story that is going to appeal to X-Men fans as light reading, but isn’t very interesting besides. I guess the best thing to call the book is a solid beginning.
On the other hand.
Remember that hardcore, ultra-violent blockbuster Sin City? Remember how it’s actually based on a series of graphic novels? Remember that those novels, and the movie itself, were visualized, written, and put into physical form by the god of noir, Frank Miller? Remember before Sin City, there was another?
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns is everything that everyone says it is. If you asked the casual comic book nerd on the street to name the best graphic novel of all time, you’d probably get this name in response, for good reason. At the time, I understand, several people were outraged by Miller’s usage of Batman in this book, and I can understand why; one of the reasons the Dark Knight is criticized in the story itself is that his methods are overly violent, even sadistic. But even if you grew up reading the comics with Robin in legless tights, or watched the TV shows with all the POW!s and BANG!s, you have to give credit to Miller -- Batman and violence look good together. Is it fair to say, even, that Miller’s interpretation of Batman forever changed the way the world viewed him? I think so; the comics and kids’ shows today have grow darker, and Tim Burton’s films, as well as Batman Begins, seem directly influenced by this work.
So what exactly is all the hullabaloo about? The Dark Knight Returns is set ten years after the retirement of the Batman and begins in the hottest summer Gotham has ever seen -- a perfect mood setter. Since Batman’s disappearance, the city has become increasingly infested with an army of young, sadistic criminals calling themselves the Mutants. Casual murder, rape, and theft are facts of life in Gotham, with Commissioner Gordon and his police force helplessly overrun. In the middle of all of this, Bruce Wayne tells himself he’s too old to fight anymore. The Batman is no more, he tells himself. But as we soon see, he is wrong. Agonized by an inner spirit, Bruce dons his cape again and sets out as a one-man army on a war against crime, the Mutants, and, of course, some old “friends.”
Miller’s art is full of hard edges and deep shadows, but is much more colorful than the black and white of Sin City. Color tells us a lot through this story, setting the mood and helping with the foreshadowing before some familiar faces. But the main story is also speckled with vignettes of some of Gotham’s citizens, and some of these side stories are absolutely heartbreaking. Similarly, a good deal of the book consists of news broadcasts to help inform us of what else is happening in the city, providing us with a background for Batman to interact with and assisting the evolution of the story.
The fact that so much of the story is told through these broadcasts means that this book is very text heavy; additionally, its panels are very small when there isn’t much combat. This means that a lot can happen on one page, and causal comic book readers looking for light reading may be repulsed by this. Light readers should go read Astonishing X-Men up there; this book ain’t for the faint of heart. As you read, you are going to get angry. You are going to cry. You’re going to question everything you thought you knew about your favorite superheroes. You’re going to be drawn into this world that Miller has created, where darkness and evil can be your allies in the crusade for justice. You’re going to leave each session with the book feeling dirty, but satisfied.
This is a book that, if you’re mature enough, you must read. I can say from personal experience, though, that if you don’t think you’re up to it, you should stay the hell away from it.
Go read some X-Men. There’s no shame in reading some X-Men.
I’m not sure what I can say about Osamu Tezuka’s Buddha vol.1-3. It’s easy to see why Tezuka’s work is so highly revered, but it’s also very hard to sum up why it’s so good in such a short space. Maybe I should begin at the beginning.
Buddha chronicles Tezuka’s interpretation of the life of the man and the lives of the people who influenced him. And that of the people who influenced them. And of the people who influenced the people who influenced him. The cast of characters stretches into the hundreds, sometimes bouncing back and forth through time to tell each of their stories. Usually, each character learns an ultimate truth at some point in the story, often thanks to a character who we earlier saw procure an ultimate truth of his own. Naradatta, for example, is one of the main developing characters in vol.1, and passes on his wisdom to several disciples in the following volumes, who draw their own conclusions through his teachings. Often, these many characters meet or indirectly influence Buddha as he grows.
Buddha, or Siddhartha, his birth name, isn’t even a main character in the first volume. The leading man is instead a young shudra (slave) named Chapra. Chapra’s story deals mainly with the cruel caste system of ancient India, a system that has had lasting repercussions today, what with the untouchables and all that shit. Tired and frustrated by the cruel ordeals he and his mother have to endure, Chapra swears that he will become royalty so his mother can live a comfortable life. Meanwhile, the monk, Naradatta, sets out on a quest to find any clues that a chosen one who can lead his fellow monks to new understandings is in this world. He comes across a young pariah (untouchable), named Tatta, who can magically convey his consciousness into an animal’s mind, taking control of the animal’s body. As Naradatta strives to find new truth and wisdom, Chapra deals with the frustration and ruthlessness of the caste system.
In the meantime, a prince has just been born in the small kingdom of Kapilavastu. The boy, Siddhartha, is not truly introduced until volume 2, by which time Chapra is history, and Tatta is a grown man. Unsatisfied with palace life, the young Siddhartha questions everything he is taught, while receiving mysterious lessons from a powerful Brahmin (monk) and seeing disturbing visions of the death of animals. The question of death especially is one that Siddhartha seeks the answer to, and is afraid of it more than anything. This encourages him to cherish all life around him, from his own to that of the insects. Eventually, he comes to the conclusion that he must become a monk, much to the dismay of his family and country, and sets off on a journey that escalates in vol.3
The first half of vol.3 skips ahead a few years to record the tragic childhood of Devadatta, the son of the great hunter and warrior, Bandaka. Devadatta slips back and forth between the human world and the animal one, having been raised by one human and one wolf mother. His experiences teach him that, in either world, the strong survive and prey on the weak. Siddhartha, back in the present, encounters a Brahmin named Dhepa and attempts to learn how to become a monk through punishing ordeals of the body to further the mind. By the end of the volume, he’s received the praising of a king, who has also bestowed on him the name Buddha.
As I said, it’s a lot to keep in mind, especially as you continue to read through the series. The point of the story seems to be the various truths and interpretations of life that the many characters learn. Perhaps the most prominent theme is the cherishing of all life. It’s a lesson that both Naradatta and Siddhartha learn, and that, ultimately, becomes the basis of Buddhism.
Tezuka’s art is, of course, outstanding; what else would you expect from the godfather of manga and anime? His expressive characters move against a backdrop of beautiful scenery, proving the artist’s mastery of pen and ink. The simplicity of his usage of pen and brush is leagues more interesting to look at than the computer shading that you see in all of today’s manga. I do, however, have a couple of complaints. Primarily, the fact that he uses large panels to create a feeling of passing time. I’ve never liked this technique; I prefer using a series of small panels to break up time, like Frank Miller does in The Dark Knight Returns. As it is, Buddha sometimes makes me feel as if I’m rushing to reach the end of the page. My second complaint is Tezuka’s weird sense of humor, but then again, he was Japanese, so I think I can forgive him.
So far, Buddha has been a long, winding story with many characters and themes to keep track of. Nonetheless, the books will suck you in, amazing you with magical wonders and enticing you with its Bible-like vastness and far-reaching storyline. Whether or not you, as a reader, enjoy the series, you cannot deny that it is a masterpiece.
Even if you’re already familiar with the excellence of the Bone series, you probably aren’t ready for the prequel to the series, Rose. Jeff Smith has purged all the humor and cutesy charm that Bone had, focusing on the fantasy aspect of the story. You might say this is the polar opposite to Bone’s other prequel, Stupid, Stupid Rat Tails, which focused on the humorous adventures of the legendary Big Johnson Bone. Rose, rather, is more a classic fairy tale, complete with princesses, dragons, and magic. The story essentially boils down to the battle between the princess Rose and the evil dragon, Balsaad, but is accessorized by Rose’s relationship with her sister, Briar, and their studies and rights of passage involved with the Dreaming, a powerful, ancient magic. The Lord of Locusts, the evil force that was uncovered in Bone, is also an important player in the story, and you’re bound to see some more familiar faces as you read.
Though he’s personally illustrated most of his previous stories, Smith has opted to bring on the pens and paints of Charles Vess, who, having worked with Neil Gaiman of the Sandman series, should be familiar with fans of fantasy comics. The result is nothing short of beautiful -- the faded, slightly off-key colors enhance the feeling of a dreamlike fantasy and makes this book all the more an excellent read.
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