2 Down, 50 To Go
Second book for TwentyTen is The Stand: Captain Trips. It collects the first five issues of Marvel's graphic novel adaptation of Stephen King's The Stand.
Suffice to say that I enjoyed this opening book, which is the first of five planned story arcs. The Stand is one of my personal favorites of King's work. I remember picking up the paperback version of The Shining when I was still barely out of my teens, with its shiny foil cover and silhouette of Danny's face. That was the first King book I bought new, and I recall seeing the hardcover of The Stand at the same time.
Being a kid, the idea of picking up a hardcover never crossed my mind. If I could travel back in time, that's one of the days I'd revisit, and pick up a copy. Some days just stick in your memory, bookmarks to your past, and King's books take me back to some of my most vivid memories. The shiny foil peeled back from the sweat of my palms as I tore through The Shining, but the damage it suffered clearly showed how much I enjoyed that book.
When the mass market of The Stand came out a year later, I devoured it as quickly as possible. Stu, Fran, Larry, and Nick became friends. I rooted for Harold's salvation, and I cursed his fall, knowing redemption is always one step away. I didn't know I was reading an epic, didn't even know what the definition, though I believe I instinctively understood the concept.
The comic adaption offers a glimpse of the story's scope. I think one of the reasons I wait for collections rather than picking up individual issues is that I like "big" books. There's a page in the first issue, where you see the superflu spread, and diseased globules stand out from the page, hinting at contagion that reaches beyond the two dimensions presented to readers.
Strangely, I found this comforting. But then I'm familiar with these characters and the stage on which they act out their appointed roles. Looking forward to the next incarnation, American Nightmares -- if only to follow Larry through the Lincoln Tunnel.
Suffice to say that I enjoyed this opening book, which is the first of five planned story arcs. The Stand is one of my personal favorites of King's work. I remember picking up the paperback version of The Shining when I was still barely out of my teens, with its shiny foil cover and silhouette of Danny's face. That was the first King book I bought new, and I recall seeing the hardcover of The Stand at the same time.
Being a kid, the idea of picking up a hardcover never crossed my mind. If I could travel back in time, that's one of the days I'd revisit, and pick up a copy. Some days just stick in your memory, bookmarks to your past, and King's books take me back to some of my most vivid memories. The shiny foil peeled back from the sweat of my palms as I tore through The Shining, but the damage it suffered clearly showed how much I enjoyed that book.
When the mass market of The Stand came out a year later, I devoured it as quickly as possible. Stu, Fran, Larry, and Nick became friends. I rooted for Harold's salvation, and I cursed his fall, knowing redemption is always one step away. I didn't know I was reading an epic, didn't even know what the definition, though I believe I instinctively understood the concept.
The comic adaption offers a glimpse of the story's scope. I think one of the reasons I wait for collections rather than picking up individual issues is that I like "big" books. There's a page in the first issue, where you see the superflu spread, and diseased globules stand out from the page, hinting at contagion that reaches beyond the two dimensions presented to readers.
Strangely, I found this comforting. But then I'm familiar with these characters and the stage on which they act out their appointed roles. Looking forward to the next incarnation, American Nightmares -- if only to follow Larry through the Lincoln Tunnel.