(no subject)
Holy crap. I'm sure if i was looking down upon myself over the course of the month/ last couple of weeks, i'm very sure i'd be smacking myself and shouting "what have you done" or "what are you doing?!?!" in some sort of those variations.
Needless to say, I have spent a lot on graphic novels (or bound collections of comic book issues for the uninitiated) over this past month. How much you ask? A lot. how much is "a lot"? Really, don't ask me because if i seriously had to do the math, i am very sure i would be crying in a corner and seriously be debating a life of prostitution in some form or another just to compensate for my lost income (if that all is any indication, you probably get the point).
Either rate, i had this long post in mind to do about the awesomeness of comics these days, but i think i'd narrow it down to what i've been reading/ have read lately.
So for your sake, i shall make a cut. Just be forewarned of the possible geekyness that'll ensue (or if you would like to get some titles to pick up and want an opinion on the sort, read on.)
and
Fables
Who would have thought i'd be intrigued again by the fairy tales we grew up on? It's fun to see someone take established mythos and then re-imagine it to another whole new level. More or less the premise of the series is that the fables and fairytales we grew up on are real. An unexplained force known as The Adversary has forced them to flee their homelands and seek refuge in our own world. They open up shop in New York where they live inconspicuously for hundreds of years among our mundane selves.
I heard about this series from Liz first while scrounging around a used bookstore and we came across a copy of one of the trade paperbacks. She suggested it as a read and i put it in the back of my mind to check out when i got a chance. Eventually i got around to visiting a shop much later with Nate. it was there i asked the merchant if he had any suggestions of where to begin in the series and he suggested 1,001 Nights of Snowfall which, although released much later into the run of the series, was a prequel to the series.
And this was a good move because it did much more good than the first volume of the series would have done. The prequel set the overall mood of the series and gave me a sneak peak into what characters to be looking forward to seeing.
The fist book was ok. It seemed kind of hokey and played a bit too much on trying to ham up the whole "poke, poke, nudge, nudge get that pun about that fable??" bit. The story was good, but kind of just ok. The premise seemed nice, but overall it was nothing really new and didn't really showcase the potential of the series. I'm sure if i picked it up again now i
d change my opinion, but that was my first impression.
After reading book two, though, the series started to pick up as we are introduced to the wider variety of characters that inhabit The Farm which is an offshoot community in upstate New York that is reserved for the less human fables who would scare off normal folk and be a dead give away of their existence. From this book on the stories become more intriguing and the minor characters begin to become major characters. By the fourth book i was completely hooked and wanted MORE! On a side not, book four rocks! it contains the single best fight sequence i have seen in graphic literature and one of the best full page splash panels ever.
Overall a good series. Nice archs, and a nice mixture of lovable and abhorrent characters. My only gripe is the occasional breaks in continuity where a side story is inserted into the mix. I get the purpose most of the time, however it sucks when you just want to know what happened next in the main story. Also, the main love story arch has a sort of John Hughes-esque feel to it (rooting for the underdog and hope he'll snag the beautiful girl), but is one of the more touching and enduring stories of the series.
Y: The Last Man
What would happen if all of one sex just up and died one day on a global scale? That is what Y: The Last Man explores. The series revolves around a global plague that in one instance completely kills every male mammal, fetus, and sperm. The world collapses and becomes an estrogen fueled post apocalyptic wasteland. however, we learn that a young man named Yorick and his male pet helper monkey are mysteriously still alive. As the man tries to deal with his new imposed situation, he attempts to find his girlfriend and find out why he and his pet are still living when all other males died. all of that and survive the chaos that is a world riddled with amazons and other fanatical groups that would want him dead or for their own benefit.
Very fast paced and full of nail biting suspense. The moment depicting the plague taking its course is one of the single most heart stopping moments i have experienced in a comic.
The Walking Dead
Speaking of apocalyptic scenarios, what happens when you get shot, end up in a coma and awaken to a world over run by zombies? That's what happens in The Walking Dead. one of the reasons i loved George Romero's movies and as well 28 Days Later, was that these films touched on human interaction and nature imposing a sort of what if scenario as well as a "how would people act towards these events as well towards each other?". The Walking Dead continues this. Although i've read only the first book, i am deeply enthralled with where this series looks like it's going. Very nice and well written scenarios, check it out.
There is more, but i have been working on this post for a good two or three weeks as it is, and i'm saving time to do a full Preacher write up as well as a Watchmen write up when i finish it ever.
Needless to say, I have spent a lot on graphic novels (or bound collections of comic book issues for the uninitiated) over this past month. How much you ask? A lot. how much is "a lot"? Really, don't ask me because if i seriously had to do the math, i am very sure i would be crying in a corner and seriously be debating a life of prostitution in some form or another just to compensate for my lost income (if that all is any indication, you probably get the point).
Either rate, i had this long post in mind to do about the awesomeness of comics these days, but i think i'd narrow it down to what i've been reading/ have read lately.
So for your sake, i shall make a cut. Just be forewarned of the possible geekyness that'll ensue (or if you would like to get some titles to pick up and want an opinion on the sort, read on.)
and
Fables
Who would have thought i'd be intrigued again by the fairy tales we grew up on? It's fun to see someone take established mythos and then re-imagine it to another whole new level. More or less the premise of the series is that the fables and fairytales we grew up on are real. An unexplained force known as The Adversary has forced them to flee their homelands and seek refuge in our own world. They open up shop in New York where they live inconspicuously for hundreds of years among our mundane selves.
I heard about this series from Liz first while scrounging around a used bookstore and we came across a copy of one of the trade paperbacks. She suggested it as a read and i put it in the back of my mind to check out when i got a chance. Eventually i got around to visiting a shop much later with Nate. it was there i asked the merchant if he had any suggestions of where to begin in the series and he suggested 1,001 Nights of Snowfall which, although released much later into the run of the series, was a prequel to the series.
And this was a good move because it did much more good than the first volume of the series would have done. The prequel set the overall mood of the series and gave me a sneak peak into what characters to be looking forward to seeing.
The fist book was ok. It seemed kind of hokey and played a bit too much on trying to ham up the whole "poke, poke, nudge, nudge get that pun about that fable??" bit. The story was good, but kind of just ok. The premise seemed nice, but overall it was nothing really new and didn't really showcase the potential of the series. I'm sure if i picked it up again now i
d change my opinion, but that was my first impression.
After reading book two, though, the series started to pick up as we are introduced to the wider variety of characters that inhabit The Farm which is an offshoot community in upstate New York that is reserved for the less human fables who would scare off normal folk and be a dead give away of their existence. From this book on the stories become more intriguing and the minor characters begin to become major characters. By the fourth book i was completely hooked and wanted MORE! On a side not, book four rocks! it contains the single best fight sequence i have seen in graphic literature and one of the best full page splash panels ever.
Overall a good series. Nice archs, and a nice mixture of lovable and abhorrent characters. My only gripe is the occasional breaks in continuity where a side story is inserted into the mix. I get the purpose most of the time, however it sucks when you just want to know what happened next in the main story. Also, the main love story arch has a sort of John Hughes-esque feel to it (rooting for the underdog and hope he'll snag the beautiful girl), but is one of the more touching and enduring stories of the series.
Y: The Last Man
What would happen if all of one sex just up and died one day on a global scale? That is what Y: The Last Man explores. The series revolves around a global plague that in one instance completely kills every male mammal, fetus, and sperm. The world collapses and becomes an estrogen fueled post apocalyptic wasteland. however, we learn that a young man named Yorick and his male pet helper monkey are mysteriously still alive. As the man tries to deal with his new imposed situation, he attempts to find his girlfriend and find out why he and his pet are still living when all other males died. all of that and survive the chaos that is a world riddled with amazons and other fanatical groups that would want him dead or for their own benefit.
Very fast paced and full of nail biting suspense. The moment depicting the plague taking its course is one of the single most heart stopping moments i have experienced in a comic.
The Walking Dead
Speaking of apocalyptic scenarios, what happens when you get shot, end up in a coma and awaken to a world over run by zombies? That's what happens in The Walking Dead. one of the reasons i loved George Romero's movies and as well 28 Days Later, was that these films touched on human interaction and nature imposing a sort of what if scenario as well as a "how would people act towards these events as well towards each other?". The Walking Dead continues this. Although i've read only the first book, i am deeply enthralled with where this series looks like it's going. Very nice and well written scenarios, check it out.
There is more, but i have been working on this post for a good two or three weeks as it is, and i'm saving time to do a full Preacher write up as well as a Watchmen write up when i finish it ever.