The Reading List
CITY OF TOMORROW: Howard Chaykin and Michelle Madsen. Chaykin's typically sharp artwork in a typically sexy Chaykin mystery. Typical Chaykin, high-quality and fun.
THE FATE OF THE ARTIST: Eddie Campbell. Witty, dry, laugh-out loud account of what every graphic novellist probably deserves. Highly recommended. Read an interview indicative of the book here.
RAVENOUS: Dawn Brown. Typical of Brown's earlier work, Little Red Hot, which is pretty to look at, and adventurous in its style of storytelling, but ulitmately unsatisfying. Interesting as an exercise in different ways to tell the story.
KID ETERNITY: Grant Morrison and Duncan Fegredo. Collects issues 1 - 3 of the series and is loony Morrison stuff with Fegredo seemingly trying to channel Bill S. in order to find his own style. From the early 90s Vertigo when everyone was trying something new. The underlying ideas of the story are intriguing.
ISOLATION & ILLUSION: P. Craig Russell. Collected short stories including the brilliant title piece I first saw in Epic Illustrated along about 1984 or so. Also includes adaptations of O. Henry and H.P. Lovecraft tales.
LOVECRAFT: Based on a screenplay by Hans Rodionoff; adapted by Keith Giffen and Enrique Breccia. If Russell isn't the best HPL artist, then Breccia is. This book supposes that the real reason for Lovecraft's madness was that everything he wrote about was real and that maybe he was the only thing that kept the world safe. Breccia's art is stunning and unlike anything that we've seen in American comix in quite a while. Easily recalls Fernando Fernandez' Zora and the Hibernauts. Something that should be on the shelf.
EX MACHINA: THE FIRST HUNDRED DAYS: Brian K. Vaughan, Tony Harris and Tom Feister. Collects the first five issues of the series. I love Harris' artwork, and the story is interesting enough, if a little predictable in its conclusion. However, Vaughan has laid a dense layer of groundwork for the continuing series. The first issue didn't grab me, but by the end of the second, there was enough to keep my interest up. Need to read more collections to see if it's something I want more of..
All these books I have checked out from my local public library. I might go back and buy a copy of Lovecraft if I can find it cheap, and I do want to read more Ex Machina. Currently, I'm halfway through volume 10 of DEATHNOTE. Excellent manga, that.
THE FATE OF THE ARTIST: Eddie Campbell. Witty, dry, laugh-out loud account of what every graphic novellist probably deserves. Highly recommended. Read an interview indicative of the book here.
RAVENOUS: Dawn Brown. Typical of Brown's earlier work, Little Red Hot, which is pretty to look at, and adventurous in its style of storytelling, but ulitmately unsatisfying. Interesting as an exercise in different ways to tell the story.
KID ETERNITY: Grant Morrison and Duncan Fegredo. Collects issues 1 - 3 of the series and is loony Morrison stuff with Fegredo seemingly trying to channel Bill S. in order to find his own style. From the early 90s Vertigo when everyone was trying something new. The underlying ideas of the story are intriguing.
ISOLATION & ILLUSION: P. Craig Russell. Collected short stories including the brilliant title piece I first saw in Epic Illustrated along about 1984 or so. Also includes adaptations of O. Henry and H.P. Lovecraft tales.
LOVECRAFT: Based on a screenplay by Hans Rodionoff; adapted by Keith Giffen and Enrique Breccia. If Russell isn't the best HPL artist, then Breccia is. This book supposes that the real reason for Lovecraft's madness was that everything he wrote about was real and that maybe he was the only thing that kept the world safe. Breccia's art is stunning and unlike anything that we've seen in American comix in quite a while. Easily recalls Fernando Fernandez' Zora and the Hibernauts. Something that should be on the shelf.
EX MACHINA: THE FIRST HUNDRED DAYS: Brian K. Vaughan, Tony Harris and Tom Feister. Collects the first five issues of the series. I love Harris' artwork, and the story is interesting enough, if a little predictable in its conclusion. However, Vaughan has laid a dense layer of groundwork for the continuing series. The first issue didn't grab me, but by the end of the second, there was enough to keep my interest up. Need to read more collections to see if it's something I want more of..
All these books I have checked out from my local public library. I might go back and buy a copy of Lovecraft if I can find it cheap, and I do want to read more Ex Machina. Currently, I'm halfway through volume 10 of DEATHNOTE. Excellent manga, that.