What I have been reading lately...

Since I am unbelievably poor at the moment, I haven't been keeping up to date on what is in my hold stack. I know it has grown to ridiculous proportions, and that soon it will eclipse the sun, but never mind that. This period of intense money-less-ness has allowed me to either re-read some old favorites, as well as read some shit I forgot I purchased a while ago.

Destroyer: MAX written by Robert Kirkman with art by Cory Walker.
For the life of me I can’t remember why I didn’t read this the second I bought it. Great piece of work from the creators of Invicible.

I remember reading an article on CBR about this mini-series before it was released and I was quite excited. Kirkman had dug up a character that hadn't been used regularly in quite some time, if ever, and brought him into the now. But this wasn't a relaunch or anything like that, it was as if the series had been running since the character's inception and the series should have been issues 600-605, or something along those lines. Kirkman did a stupendous job filling us in on what had been happening for the preceding decades within the book by cleverly planting little bits of information that fit well within the context of the conversations taking place between the characters. We learn who his all-time arch-villain was, what atrocities were committed against his family by said villain, and that this was the be-all end-all between the two. The search for the villain is coupled with Destroyer’s failing health and his battle with the Grim Reapers. The ending is great and really keeps with the spirit of the book being just a small piece of the overall continuity. The end was the start of an entire new arc. I know we probably won’t see Kirkman returning to Marvel anytime soon, but I wouldn’t mind seeing another great story like this.

The art is top-notch across the board. Cory Walker is obscenely talented at creating amazing one-of-a-kind characters with just a few lines, and endows them all with great emotions. His storytelling is solid and moves along briskly, and the panel layouts keep everything easy to follow. While the book is drenched in blood from beginning to end, it doesn’t come across as overdone. The violence is such a natural part of the character that it is akin to Batman leaving someone on the steps of Arkham, or Spidey suspending a crook by webbing between two buildings.

One of my favorite mini-series of the last few years. Solid A

Check out a preview here

Next up is:
Persepolis written and illustrated by Marjane Satrapi

An incredible coming of age story and modern history of Iran, told from the perspective of a woman who lived through the Revolution.

It is difficult for me to discuss this book because, much like Maus, it really needs to be read to be appreciated. There is so much honesty in this book that it is painful to read at times and shows how human everyone is no matter his or her geographic location.

This book, as well as current events, has lead me to start learning more about the country of Iran. Learning the history in which a story is written or told in is a great way to better understand why it was written and can lead to a deeper understanding of the work itself, as well as the time and place it is about.

I give this a very strong A

...And now for something less awesome.

Anyone who knows me, and knows comics, is well aware that I have mixed feelings about Warren Ellis. While some of his series are indispensable, i.e. Transmetropolitan and Planetary, most of his work starts out very promising, and then falls face first into “what the fuck” territory, but not the good kind. This next little review is about one of those.

No Hero written by Warren Ellis with art by Juan Jose Ryp.

The premise of this book is that one group of superhumans is in charge of keeping the world in check, and what happens when those superhumans begin being killed. The team looks for a replacement, but who they choose is someone who is not as they seem.

Sounds kinda thin. And it is. The final act veers off the road it was on and over a fucking cliff into an ocean of head-shaking confusion.

Sure, the art is great. Ryp has that sort of Gary Erskine hyper-detail that gives everything tons of texture and personality without being distracting, and his style compliments what Ellis has written, especially the hallucination scenes, and the end product of the superhuman program. And a strap-on made of a dude’s spine. But are good visuals enough? No. Comics are a combination of story and artwork, and if one falls flat, they both fail. Sure Ellis shows us some cool shit, but what is the point? Where does it move the story forward? Why is it significant?
This has always been my problem with Ellis. He has these amazing ideas and images in his mind but the plots sometimes seem to be poles to prop these ideas and pictures up on, as an illusion of a cohesive work.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not shit-talking the man at all, and I buy most of his titles. He has a workload that would make anyone void their bowels, I would just like to see him be able to expand on his concepts, perhaps in a larger format, like an OGN or a longer series. I could see in quite a few ways where he could have combined No Hero and Black Summer into one book that would have complimented the two stories, and made for a much more satisfying ending.

No Hero gets a C

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