Comics-and-More

Cinderella: From Fabletown with Love #1 (of 6)

2009-11-07T12:53:00.003-06:00

Chris Roberson & Shawn McManus
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Seemingly ditsy fashion aficionado by day, secret spy for Fabletown by night - that's the idea behind Cinderella in Fables, the Vertigo book that this six-issue mini-series spins out from. Cindy has been one of my favorite Fables characters because of this dynamic, and this new series doesn't disappoint, as we see Cinderella perform some James Bond-ish moves as she works to track down some magical Fable weapons that are being smuggled into the "mundy" world, that could expose the immortal Fables to the humans. This is really a fun book to read because Cinderella is such a cheeky character. Throw in the undercover action and it's easily better than that other Fables spin-off (Jack of Fables). Chris Roberson comes up with a nice story for Cinderella to show off her talents, one that incorporates many favorite Fables characters, and big enough to really show readers what Cindy is made of. McManus does a fine job of illustrating the adventure, executing some nice fight scenes and drawing in a style similar to what we're familiar with in the main Fables book. But I think the real stand-out artist here is that cover artist, Chrissie Zullo. Zullo is new to the comics scene, but definitely worth keeping an eye on because that cover is just beautiful. Anyways, nice first issue, great premise - I whole-heartedly recommend this to readers of Fables proper, and the book gives enough information to fluidly welcome new readers into the fold as well.

The Week In Awesome! V and More

2009-11-06T13:27:00.003-06:00

Here are five things that excited me over the past week!
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1. Suckin' It For the Holidays by Kathy Griffin - Her latest television special on Bravo, Balls of Steel, may not have been up to her usual standards, but her new "Christmas" CD, recorded live in New Jersey, is a lot of fun. Within, she trashes the Housewives, tells dick jokes, talks about her mom...pretty much what you'd expect from the lovely Ms. Griffin.
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2. 1,001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up - Like the title implies, Julia Eccleshare gives synopses of 1,001 children's books, from board books to teen novels, that are the cream of the crop. Lots of fun with plenty of history of the medium.
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3. V - The television series remake of V debuted to stellar ratings with a pretty decent episode, with plenty of familiar faces from past science fiction shows.
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4. Battlestar Galactica: The Plan - The final offering from the Battlestar Galactica television show is this direct-to-video movie of the series told through the eyes of the Cylons.
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5. The Fourth Kind in theaters - Another sci-fi offering... This is an abduction movie with a really creepy trailer that debuts in theaters today. If you haven't seen it yet, watch the trailer here.

Black Widow: Deadly Origin #1 (of 4)

2009-11-05T12:31:00.003-06:00

Paul Cornell & Tom Raney

The acclaimed writer behind fan-favorite series Captain Britain and MI-13 sets his eyes on the Russian spy Black Widow to tell her origin in time for the new Iron Man film coming out next summer. The opening scene is pretty neat, that of Black Widow aboard a space shuttle with the man who stole it, and revealing herself as having replaced his partner. The two then have a little shit-talk where they try to up the other one about what they're going to do to each other, leading into a scuffle that ends with the two of them parachuting over a casino. Very fun. Then the book regresses in time to show Natasha as she's slowly drawn in to The Red Room, beginning with having been raised by a soldier she treated as her father, then training under the tutelage of a man who wishes to train her as a weapon. When Natasha is chosen for the "icepick protocol," which threatens to destroy everyone close in her life, she vows revenge. The art by Raney is competent all the way through, but nothing to really brag about, although when John Paul Leon takes up art chores in the flashback scenes between pages 13 and 19, things get much prettier, making me wish that he'd taken up penciling the entire series. But then we're back to Raney by the end, which is fine because he is a fine artist - I just preferred the more interesting-looking art by Leon. Cornell does a fine job of building an origin for the character so far, but it's mostly set-up at this point. The real test will be the subsequent issue. He's already proven that he can bring out the bad-ass in Black Widow with that opening scene, so I'm ready to see Natasha cut loose and become the woman she is today.

Age of Reptiles: The Journey #1 (of 4)

2009-11-04T16:19:00.005-06:00

Ricardo Delgado
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The Journey is the third mini-series from Ricardo Delgado's Age of Reptiles series, following Tribal Warfare and The Hunt. Unlike those previous two mini-series however, this book isn't focused almost exclusively on carnivorous dinosaurs (although they certainly make an appearance, and create quite a shake-up when they do) and contains far less gore. Like those previous incarnations, The Journey is a silent comic. Delgado could certainly have gone the route of having the dinosaurs talk, or make noises at the very least, but he keeps things quite realistic, even if the dinosaurs do do cute things on occasion. Despite being silent, Delgado manages to assign personalities to the giant lizards, especially the tyrannosaurus rex who eventually comes into the mix before leaving reluctantly without any prize to show his/her young. The Journey is about a great migration that the dinosaurs are making. All different types of herbivores (and a few smaller carnivores) are trekking across the beautiful land, including triceratops and ankylosaurus, with great herds of their kind mingling with that of others and, for the most part, getting along. But we're reminded time and again that nature is cruel and that the weak are consumed, and that the strongest survive. This book is just a nice beautiful read. Delgado has some nice touches thrown in, like of how the dinosaur herds all sleep together, the brontosaurus sleeping standing up in a circle around their young, their heads and tails laying on one another like they were intricately laced. It's very lovely, and when the tyrannosaurus does make an attempt at one of the young triceratops, it's not the typical confrontation that we've seen between the two bitter enemies, but the rex simply realizes that he/she is not in a position to win. This book is thoughtful, fluid and quite pretty, and certainly worth the cover price.

In Stores 11/4

2009-11-03T16:35:00.004-06:00

Here are the highlights of books available in comic stores tomorrow!

Pick of the Week

The Marvelous Land of Oz #1 (of 8) - I really enjoyed Eric Shanower and Skottie Young's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz adaptation of L. Frank Baum's classic children's book, so I'm really excited that the two are continuing on with the second book in the Oz series (and my personal favorite) with some crazy new characters who are going to be fun to see come to life in comic form.

Other Noteworthy Releases

Age of Reptiles: Journey #1 (of 4)

Beast Master (Volume 1)

Best of The Wizard of Id HC

Black Bird (Volume 2)

Black Widow: Deadly Origin #1 (of 4)

A Christmas Carol HC

Cinderella: From Fabletown with Love #1 (of 6)

Claymore (Volume 15)

Criminal Deluxe Edition HC

Deathlok #1 (of 7)

Exiles: Point of No Return TP

High School Debut (Volume 12)

Hikaru No Go (Volume 17)

Honey Hunt (Volume 3)

Like a Dog HC

Lobo: Highway To Hell #1 (of 2)

Marvel Zombies: Evil Evolution

Nana (Volume 19)

Otomen (Volume 4)

Psylocke #1 (of 4)

Secret History (Book 6)

Stumptown #1

Tales From the Crypt (Volume 8): Stinky Dead Kid GN

Titanium Rain Double-Sized #3/4

Tsubasa (Volume 24)

Usagi Yojimbo: Yokai HC

Vampire Knight (Volume 8)

We Were There (Volume 7)

Wonder Woman: Rise of the Olympian HC/TP

X-Men Origins: Iceman

Monga Monday: Sugarholic

2009-11-02T17:47:00.004-06:00

Sugarholic (Volume 1)

Gong GooGoo

Sugarholic is a manhwa starring Jae-Gyu Sin, a lazy tomboyish character who used to bully kids when she was younger, and hasn't lost that tendency, as she's still loud and pretty violent to those around her. When her ancestral home is destroyed in a landslide, she is sent by her grandmother from the country to the big city to live with her reluctant brother in a fancy apartment, in a fish-out-of-water sort of tale, as she really isn't suited to the city life, at least not initially. I think her grandmother realized this, and used the excuse of the landslide to send this undisciplined girl out into the real world, since she is the kind of woman to teach a girl a lesson the hard way, like with the value of money, as is demonstrated by the bare minimum she sends Jae-Gyu into the city with, which ends up getting the irresponsible girl into trouble. I think the word obnoxious suits Jae-Gyu best, and I can't figure out why her childhood "friend" whom she tormented, now a famous musician, would be infatuated by her, let alone another gorgeous stranger (on the run from his overbearing father, who wants him out of the country to avoid being with a girl he doesn't approve of) she bumps into a few times. Jae-Gyu is very rough around the edges. She may look pretty with a little make-up on and when she runs a brush through her hair (an event that takes place practically by force), but I find this situation of men falling for her like this pretty ridiculous, and can't imagine any readers feeling like they have anything in common with such a trouble-making, abrasive protagonist. The secondary characters are much more likable. Gong GooGoo seems like a talented artist, using beautiful soft lines to illustrate the scenes, and any forthcoming works by the creator may be worth checking out, but Sugarholic is far from the addicting read that the title implies.

Previews HYPE: January '10

2009-11-01T17:35:00.007-06:00

Diligently wading through the phone book that is Previews Catalogue so you don't have to...here are ten choice books shipping to comic shops in January that I think may get overlooked or that I'm just plain excited about...

1. Joe the Barbarian #1 - This new Vertigo series by Grant Morrison and Sean Murphy follows a diabetic kid who may or may not be in an insulin-deprived hallucination when he's transported to a land populated by his toys.

2. Little Adventures In Oz (Book 1) TP - One of my favorite comic book fantasies is being rereleased by IDW in smaller sizes, perhaps to appeal to readers of all-ages books like Bone. These self-contained stories by Eric Shanower are going to be available for $9.99 each, a nice appealing price, so hopefully they will be successful in reaching a new audience.

3. Donald Duck Classics (Volume 1): Quack Up HC - Boom! Studios is beginning to turn out these classic collections of Disney comics, featuring favorite characters from the entertainment giant. This Donald Duck collection is 112 pages of pure Carl Barks stories.

4. King Aroo (Volume 1) HC - IDW is really digging out some quality comic strip projects for their Library of American Comics line. This collection contains all dailies and Sundays from the King Aroo strip published between 1950 and 1952. Also available from IDW this month (through the new Yoe Studio! imprint) is the classic Krazy Kat story by George Herriman, Krazy & Ignatz in Tiger Tea HC, featuring Krazy Kat under the influence of a psychedelic substance.

5. Copper GN - Kazu Kibuishi's popular on-line comic finally sees print in a complete collection. Bits and pieces of the boy and dog adventures have been in Flight anthologies, but here's the definitive edition.

6. The Newsboy Legion by Joe Simon & Jack Kirby (Volume 1) HC - Continuing their mission to publish classic Jack Kirby comics, DC is releasing this new book featuring comics from Star Spangled Comics.

7. Excalibur Visionaries: Alan Davis (Volume 2) TP - This makes me happy. One of my favorite comics growing up, and one of my favorite runs on the title, is continuing to be collected featuring some of the very first comics I ever read that still hold up today. Behold the Sat-yr-9 betrayal come to a head!

8. Blackest Night resurrected comics - During this month only, DC is resurrecting a few of its fan-favorite canceled comics for a single issue, including Suicide Squad, Catwoman, The Atom & Hawkman, The Phantom Stranger, The Power of Shazam, Starman, The Question, and Weird Western Tales, many with the original creative teams. Also available this month, Marvel is capitalizing on Geoff Johns' rise to prominence by publishing some of his old works for their company in the form of Avengers: World Trust HC.

9. Siege #1 - As Dark Reign comes to its concluding chapter, Marvel's mightiest heroes lay siege to Norman Osborn and his various resources, a rebellion that crosses over into many of Marvel's high profile titles, but the brunt of which will be felt in this four-issue mini-series by Brian Michael Bendis and Olivier Coipel.

10. Tumor HC - From the creators behind the excellent Elk's Run GN, comes a new noir story featuring a man with a mission, whose tumor is also quickly killing him. This was #1 on the Amazon Kindle graphic novel bestsellers list for over two months, and finally sees print thanks to Archaia Studios Press.

The Week In Awesome! Daybreakers & more

2009-10-31T00:26:00.004-05:00

Here are five things that got me excited this past week!

1. Polly and Her Pals - IDW will be publishing Polly and Her Pals: The Complete Sundays, 1925-1927 in a massive $75 hardcover through their excellent Library of American Comics imprint. The classic strip by Cliff Sterrett will be in stores August 2010.

2. The Comics Journal restructures - The Comics Journal is changing their publishing up a bit to make it as vital as it's been in the past, which is difficult for a magazine with the internet around. So, after the next issue, the magazine will only be published twice a year in print form (but extra big), and will now have a much heavier on-line presence.

3. Astro Boy in theaters - The CGI animated film of Astro Boy has hit theaters (with less than stellar box office receipts), prompting plenty of kids to come into my store, excited to see books based on the character. I haven't seen the movie yet, but I'm looking forward to it despite some mixed reviews.

4. Daybreakers theatrical trailer - Daybreakers is a film that takes place in a world where the majority of the people populating it are vampires, with few humans left that are hunted and harvested for their blood. It stars Ethan Hawke, Willen Dafoe and Sam Neill, and you can watch the trailer here.

5. Ponyo on DVD - Hayao Miyazaki's latest animation masterpiece, Ponyo, has a DVD release date of March 2nd, and will be available in a limited edition two-disc set that comes with an adorable Ponyo plush! Ham!!!

Necrosha One-Shot

2009-10-30T13:08:00.003-05:00

The Necrosha one-shot is the beginning of a new X-Men crossover that will carry through three specific X-titles: X-Force, New Mutants and X-Men: Legacy. The story is of psychic vampire Selene, formerly Black Queen of The Hellfire Club and one of my favorite villains of the Marvel Universe, and her attempted rise to godhood. In this crossover, she makes use of a techno-organic virus that raises the dead and, with the aid of her inner circle, gets revenge for past transgressions and establishes Necrosha, her army of the dead. In this one-shot, there are three chapters by different creative teams that continue in each of the three titles this crossover effects.
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Necrosha: Chapter One
Craig Kyle, Christopher Yost & Clayton Crain
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This chapter carries the main story of Necrosha (continuing in X-Force) and centers around Selene and her big plans. Selene establishes the members of her inner circle, appropriate evil mutants like Wither and Mortis, lays out her plans to ascend to godhood, and makes a strike against Utopia. This is a fun premise, even if it is a complete rip-off of Blackest Night. Seeing some of the characters they choose to bring back to life (Doug Ramsey, Emma Frost's Hellions), one can really see the potential in a story such as this. Unfortunately, I think Kyle and Yost are some of the weakest writers Marvel has on staff, which is apparent in the clumsy way they establish this crossover. There's no tension, it's unfocused, and it all comes off as a cheesy pseudo-horror movie minus the scares. Add Crain's extremely dark art that's reminiscent of Greg Horn and you pretty much have a mess. The premise alone is not going to save this story, and from the looks of it, it's not even in the same league as the execution of Blackest Night, instead crashing on arrival in one big, confused heap of a mess. One good idea in there is on the final panel of this chapter: that of using the ghost city of Genosha for Selene to establish Necrosha, but even that's just another pale imitation of using Green Lantern's Coast City.
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Binary
Zeb Wells & Ibraim Robertson
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Of all of the titles that this story is going to cross over into, it seems that this story, which will continue in New Mutants, is kind of its own thing, using the concept of bringing a loved one back from the dead to focus on. Here, Doug Ramsey takes center stage as he will come face-to-face with his old comrades, particularly another former teammate who has risen from the dead herself, but not via Selene's recent virus: Magma. This chapter is a bit lousy, bringing nothing interesting to the table, and making what should be a pretty intense moment, that of Doug Ramsey crawling out of his grave, seem ordinary and utterly boring.
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The Foretelling
Mike Carey & Laurence Campbell
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I think this is the best offering out of the bunch, boding well for at least one story thread of Necrosha, as this story will continue in X-Men: Legacy. Here we see Selene bring Destiny back to life to foretell the outcome of her schemes. Destiny then contacts her daughter to warn her on Utopia. It's a simple little chapter, but it's actually executed well, which can't be said of the other two offerings. There's some decent pacing, a chilling little story, and it all comes together nicely amid some dark (but pretty) art, making Destiny a sympathetic character in whatever role she will play in the coming events.

The John Stanley Library: Melvin Monster

2009-10-29T19:36:00.002-05:00

John Stanley

With Halloween fast approaching, I couldn't think of anything better to read than this classic. The first book in Drawn & Quarterly's line celebrating a cartooning legend, The John Stanley Library, features a little green monster named Melvin who lives in Monsterville with his Mummy and Baddy. To be honest, it took a few comics to grow on me, but once it did, it wasn't too hard to see why people have enjoyed these stories for decades. Melvin Monster is a charming naive little guy who wants more than anything to be a good boy, but Monsterville (and certainly his Baddy) won't have it. It's a Bizarro World of sorts, with morals flipped around so that anything he does that's not destructive or cruel or painful is considered bad behavior. And since he's grown up in such a foul environment, when he visits a city in the human world and is treated horribly, he thinks nothing of it. This really is a cute comic, with obvious echoes of Casper the Friendly Ghost and The Addams Family, and is drawn fantastically, with clear storytelling and top-notch cartooning. It is a little old-fashioned, but I think it still holds up and kids anywhere would probably love to read this sort of book. I know I certainly did. It's just a charming, endearing premise and there's plenty of opportunities with it to do some great things, which Stanley obviously realized and took advantage of. One of my favorite ongoing gags is of the monsters' pet crocodile Cleopatra who lives with them in their run-down mansion. Melvin's parents think that Cleopatra just adores Melvin, especially since she's always in a hurry to see him when she hears him, but it's really because she wants more than anything to eat him, which Melvin realizes and thwarts her attempts every time. This may not be for everyone, but if anyone's looking for a silly comic series to read for Halloween, and perhaps share with the family, this is an ideal title.

Amulet (Book 2): The Stonekeeper's Curse

2009-10-28T16:20:00.003-05:00

Kazu Kibuishi
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The second book in Kazu Kibuishi's all ages Amulet series continues the story of siblings Emily and Navin as they journey to a fantastic world. Many may be familiar with Kibuishi's work in the Flight anthologies, but I think that the first book in this series is some of the best work the artist has come out with as of yet, complete with some spellbinding cartooning. Unfortunately, with this second book, he doesn't continue that trend. The first book established a dark realm for the characters of this world to traverse, and introduced a great supporting cast like the robots that man a house that walks like a giant man. Emily has inherited the mantle of stonekeeper, an honor formerly held by her grandfather, and unfortunately she must take up the honor - and curse - of that magical stone, using it for good instead of being overcome by its power. My biggest problem with the latest book in this series is that the originality that was sparked initially is completely void in this new book. Kibuishi may expand his world a small step with the second volume, but it's to its detriment, as many new elements are unfortunately story devices that we've seen elsewhere dozens of times. The magic of that first installment dissemble into standard fantasy elements, beginning with the amulet that, like hundreds of rings or necklaces or stones in other books have corrupted their bearers, threatens to do the same to Emily here, with no twist to the weight she must bear. Also, the world that is expanded here is completely in line with any other fantasy book that wishes to evoke an epic feel: an oppressive race of people (elves here) rule the world with an iron fist in a world populated by anamorphic animals who live in an age that is at once medieval (as is demonstrated by its villages and rogue-ish, sword-bearing characters) and technologically-advanced (there are the robots). While Kibuishi yet demonstrates an uncannily fluid, cinematic art style that smoothly depicts action and magic (as we saw with the first Amulet book), the storytelling here is second rate and falls into the tropes of the genre so deep that it looks unlikely ever to climb back out.

Yay!

2009-10-28T16:07:00.004-05:00

Comics-and-More made the cut to be included in Online School's "100 Best Book Blogs for Kids, Tweens and Teens." This honor is shared with fourteen other comic/graphic novel blogs including some of my favorites like Jog and Comics Comics.

In Stores 10/28

2009-10-27T16:06:00.005-05:00

Here are the highlights of books that you can buy from your local comic shops tomorrow!
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Pick of the Week
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Red Snow HC - A new Gekiga hardcover collection from Drawn & Quarterly featuring short stories by legendary artist Susumu Katsumata. Red Snow won the 35th Japanese Cartoonists Association Award Grand Prize in 2006, a year before his death.
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Other Noteworthy Releases
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Ape Sapien One-Shot
Aria (Volume 5)
Arkham Reborn #1 (of 3)
Batman Monsters TP
Blackest Night #4 (of 8)
Dark Avengers: Ares #1 (of 3)
Dark Reign: The List - Punisher
Dark Reign: The List - Wolverine
Fairy Tail (Volume 8)
Fat Freddy's Cat Omnibus
Freakangels (Volume 3) HC
Groo: Hogs of Horder #1 (of 4)
Invincible Presents Atom Eve & Rex Splode #1 (of 3)
Key Moments From the History of Comics SC
Map of My Heart GN
Marvel Masterworks Atlas Era Menace (Volume 1) HC
Negima (Volume 24)
New Avengers (Volume 10): Power TP
Papillon (Volume 4)
Phantom Dream (Volume 4)
Pinocchio Vampire Slayer GN
POP Wonderland (Volume 2): Little Red Riding Hood HC
Sandman: The Dream Hunters HC
Spider-Man: American Son HC
Spider-Man: Newspaper Strips HC
Spider-Man: The Short Halloween HC
Superman In World's Finest Archives (Volume 2) HC
The Sword (Volume 3): Earth TP
Tsubasa (Volume 23)
Tsubasa: Those With Wings (Volume 3)
Wolverine: Old Man Logan HC
World's Finest #1 (of 4)
X Necrosha
X-Factor #50

Manga Monday: Thieves & Assassins

2009-10-26T18:17:00.003-05:00

10 Beautiful Assassins (Volume 1)
Thomas R. Hart & Elmer Damaso
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10 Beautiful Assassins is an OEL manga from Seven Seas featuring a smooth cat burglar whose cunning always allows him to get what he wants. But Bernard Black (or The Black Rose) has one weakness that turns him into a gibbering idiot: beautiful women. On the particular case we find Bernard working on at the beginning of this volume, he attempts to steal a necklace from the daughter of billionaire John Maiden. When the necklace is stolen out from under his nose by a rival thief, he is hunted for the prize's whereabouts by the billionaire, who hires M.A.D.A.M. (Mistress of Assassination, Destruction, And Mayhem) to track down and kill Black. John Maiden's daughter, who has been largely ignored by her father up until now, helps Black escape, and assists him in outmaneuvering the ten beautiful assassins that M.A.D.A.M. has dispatched to track him down. Obviously, this book has a James Bond-spy type of feel to it, although some basic manga conventions are thrown in for good measure. Unfortunately, it's not executed very well. Most of the assassins are barely touched on in this first volume, but will surely get some more screen time with subsequent releases. None of the assassins, however, are very inspired. They're mostly just types of "hot chicks," like a sexy maid, a biker chick in all leather...I was surprised there was no naughty nurse, to be honest, they were such cut-outs - more outfits for a Halloween party than actual characters. It's an adolescent fantasy come to life. Beyond the pretty basic premise and the "character designs," if you can call them that, the art is pretty hard to follow. Especially when any action is occurring, which is a majority of the book in a title like this - I could hardly follow what was happening. There's just no clear fighting. On top of that, the story jumps back in time without warning, and often, further confusing the story with unnecessary scenes. When I'm doing a lot of work to figure out simply what is going on in a comic, it's just not executed well. This is sloppy storytelling and should be avoided in favor of better material.

25 Best Horror Movies (Updated)

2009-10-22T15:53:00.023-05:00

I devote the entire month of October to watching horror movies, culminating in a day-long marathon event (complete with Halloween cookies and the like). I grew up on horror movies, from cheesy Full Moon films like Puppet Master to slasher franchises like Friday the 13th to random direct-to-video creature features like Pumpkinhead. There's a lot of crap out there, but there's a lot of junk in every medium in every genre. Horror just gets a bad wrap, hindered more by the fact that professional critics usually seem dismissive of horror films, overlooking good film making because of their distaste for its content. I'm always looking for a good horror film, and I usually get pretty excited when one comes out with a lot of buzz around it. I just have a special place in my heart for them, and I pride myself that I'm widely versed in them. Anyways, between this year and last, I've seen some more great horror films that deserve a spot on my favorites of all time, and with Halloween quickly approaching, here are the best that horror has to offer...
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1. The Blair Witch Project (1999) - All three films at the top of my list are films that I had to have the lights on to fall asleep after watching them. This was the first such film that I encountered like that. Before it went to mainstream theaters, I saw this at the Landmark Theater in Minneapolis with an audience that was utterly silent the entire time, completely entranced. And it blew me away and scared the crap out of me. The faux history surrounding the Blair Witch, the film that launched the whole "shaky hand-held camera" fad, and the fact that we never really "see" anything prove that the scariest things are left to our imagination.
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2. The Ring (2002) - The American remake of Ringu, starring Naomi Watts, features an old videotape that's scary as hell. Once someone views the video, they're doomed to die. The ending of the movie may have gone one step too far, but the mystery and wonder surrounding the video tape is haunting. This movie may have spawned a whole slew of Japanese horror remakes like The Grudge and Pulse, but let's not fault this film for that.
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3. The Exorcist (1973) - The classic story of a young girl possessed by a demon who may be the devil himself, and the priest who tries to exorcise it. This film is full of horrifying images and haunted me with the idea of possession for weeks.
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4. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) - A brutal, bloody look at a family of killers who torture a group of teenagers, this is based in reality and makes for quite the blood-curdling film. A bold, unflinching vision in horror whose influence can be seen far and wide.
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5. The Shining (1980) - A slow-building atmospheric story of horror that takes place in a secluded mansion, based on the novel by Stephen King. There's plenty of horrific stuff happening in this film that doesn't so much feel the need to explain as it does scare.
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6. The Descent (2006) - This claustrophobic survivalist horror tale follows a group of women who go cave-diving following a tragedy, and the horrors they encounter hidden in the depths. There are plenty of homages to other classic horror films like Carrie and Alien in the movie, but is something completely unique itself. While this film takes a while to get to anything supernatural, it's still utterly compelling the entire way through.
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7. I Walked With a Zombie (1943) - It's been described as Jane Eyre meets zombies, and that's actually pretty accurate. But the atmosphere and chilling voodoo elements make this classic a force to be reckoned with.
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8. Black Sunday (La Maschera del demonio) (1960) - This beautiful, Gothic-entrenched film features the accidental return of a witch from beyond the grave and the horror she causes to a local family. The opening scene is classic.
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9. The Phantom of the Opera (1925) - This black-and-white silent horror masterpiece retains all of its horrific elements over eighty years later, and sees a ghastly figure haunting the actors of an opera house in France. Accompanied by the right music brings the film to a whole new level.
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10. Night of the Living Dead (1968) - This thread-bare budget horror film set the tone for all zombie movies that came afterward, and launched George Romero's career of sequels and social commentary horror.
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11. The Haunting (1963) - The original version of The Haunting is chilling. You never see anything throughout this movie, but something is terrifying a group of people staying in a large haunted mansion, a cast of characters as fascinating as its creepy components.
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12. Dawn of the Dead (2004) - Better than Romero's original, Snyder's remake boasts one of the best opening scenes for a movie period, with plenty of scenes of fast-moving zombies thereafter.
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13. A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984) - Dreams have never been so scary as in Wes Craven's film, which brought us our first look at wise-cracking, knife-finger-wielding horror icon Freddy Krueger.
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14. Funny Games (1998) - While I did enjoy the recent American remake of this film starring Naomi Watts (by the director of the original film, Michael Haneke), I think I prefer the origin just because it was my first time experiencing that brutality full of long shots and bare emotion. The film follows a family that's terrorized by a pair of intruders.
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15. Jaws (1975) - This movie made people fear deep water, and I'm still afraid of the ocean to this day. Steven Spielberg really hit one out of the park with this one - the fin at the top of the water, the soundtrack...it all made for a classic that won't soon be forgotten.
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16. Hellraiser (1987) - Clive Barker's vision of demons and blood offerings makes for quite the horror experience, introducing Pinhead and his horde of pain-inducing monstrosities. There are a lot of crazy cool ideas in this movie, and the monster designs are out of this world.
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17. An American Werewolf In London (1981) - I'd always kind of thought that the werewolf got the shaft when it came to quality in its huge number of disappointing horror movies (The Howling, Wolf, Ginger Snaps, Brotherhood of the Wolf, Dog Soldiers). Excluding the original Wolf Man, werewolf movies just aren't done very effectively. But this one was, boasting great creature effects and great environments for the monster to cause havoc.
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18. Halloween (1978) - John Carpenter's original Halloween is a classic. I can't say much for the other movies in the franchise (Halloween 3 - big misstep), but Michael Myers is a scary-ass bastard. I also like Rob Zombie's remake, but I think I still prefer the original.
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19. Paranormal Activity (2009) - Ignoring so much hype around a movie can be difficult, but once I got past the "best horror movie ever" word-of-mouth and the initial disappointment that it didn't live up to that hype, I realized that this really was a good horror film, effectively creepy and minimalist. And since it kept me awake at night, watching my bedroom door warily...well, it deserves a slot on this list.
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20. Inferno (1978) - I'm probably in the minority here, but I prefer the second film in Dario Argento's Three Mothers trilogy over the much-hailed Suspiria. There's something about that creepy building and that haunting underwater scene... There is that unfortunate song at the end, but you have to go into Argento expecting some weird shit.
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21. 28 Weeks Later (2007) - I love the opening of this zombie movie. I liked 28 Days Later alright, but that scene, its lingering effects, and many of the ideas throughout the movie are pretty brilliant.
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22. Scream (1996) - I saw this movie in theaters three times. And watched it on video many more times after. This is just a great slasher film that does everything in a knowing way, and spawned two really good sequels.
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23. Eyes Without a Face (1960) - This haunting film is riveting, following the disappearances of young women left without their faces, as a mad doctor's attempts to restore his daughter's beauty following an accident.
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24. Freddy vs. Jason (2003) - I was really impressed how this highly-anticipated pairing of two horror icons played out. I've always been a big Jason fan, so it was fun to see the big guy up against the sharp-tongued dream master.
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25. Alien (1979) - Monsters in space don't usually work as well as they could, but Ridley Scott's science fiction horror film got it right. Fantastic monster designs with a great strong female protagonist in Ripley, played by Sigourney Weaver.
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31 Honorable Mentions (in alphabetical order)
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Audition (2001)
Baron Blood (1972)
Cloverfield (2008)
The Creature From the Black Lagoon (1954)
The Evil Dead (1979)
Friday the 13th (2009)
Gremlins (1984)
High Tension (Switchblade Romance) (2005)
The Hills Have Eyes (2006)
Hostel (2006)
Inside (2007)
John Carpenter's The Thing (1982)
Let the Right One In (2008)
Night of the Demons (1989)
The Ninth Gate (1999)
Nosferatu (eine Symphonie des Grauens) (1922)
Onibaba (1964)
The Orphanage (2007)
Pet Sematary (1989)
Poltergeist (1982)
Psycho (1960)
Rosemary's Baby (1968)
The Serpent and the Rainbow (1987)
Signs (2002)
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
The Strangers (2008)
Tale From the Crypt: Demon Knight (1995)
The Unnameable (1988)
Wes Craven's New Nightmare (1994)
Wolf Creek (2005)
The Wolf Man (1941)

In Stores 10/21

2009-10-21T12:30:00.003-05:00

Here are the highlights of books hitting comic shops today!

Pick of the Week

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days - It's Been in bookstores for over a week now, but the fourth volume in Jeff Kinney's phenomenally-selling series trickles into comic shops today.

Other Noteworthy Releases

20th Century Boys (Volume 5)

Angel vs. Frankenstein

Azrael #1

Book About Moomin, Mymble & Little My HC

Captain America: Road To Reborn HC

Dark Reign: The List - Hulk

Dark Wolverine (Volume 1) HC

Dread & Superficiality: Woody Allen as Comic Strip (Volume 1) HC

Echo (Volume 3): Desert Run TP

Family Circus Library (Volume 1) HC

Final Crisis: Legion of Three Worlds HC

Garth Ennis' Battlefields (Volume 1) HC

Lockjaw & the Pet Avengers HC

Marvel Masterworks: Inhumans (Volume 1) HC

Maximum Ride (Volume 2)

Noir (Volume 1) TP

Real (Volume 6)

Robotika: For a Few Rubles More Double-Sized #3/4

Showcase Presents: House of Secrets (Volume 2) TP

Spike Omnibus TP

The Stand: Sould Survivors #1 (of 5)

Star Trek: Mission's End TP

Sugarshock One-Shot

Superman: Adventures of Flamebird & Nightwing TP

Talking Lines HC

Thunderbolts: Burning Down the House TP

Titanium Rain Double-Sized #1/2

War Machine (Volume 1): Iron Heart TP

What a Wonderful World! (Volume 1)

What a Wonderful World! (Volume 2)

Wolverine Noir HC

Manga Monday: What a Wonderful World!

2009-10-19T12:50:00.007-05:00

What a Wonderful World! (Volume 1)

Inio Asano

I really enjoyed Solanin, an earlier work by riveting creator Inio Asano, released by Viz last year. What a Wonderful World!, also by Viz, showcases Asano's talents in a group of short stories that are loosely connected by characters or location or even by a dragonfly flying from one character's nose to another. All of the characters in this book are also going through tough times, whether they're looking to get out of an aimless existence, are being bullied, or are being sought by the mob. The characters are mostly pretty desperate too. The highlights of stories include "Quick Like a Bunny," where a college drop-out hopes to recapture happier times by returning to a club, only to find that it's closed, and that while she'd inspired people to slough off conformity while among them, without her, her friends have moved on, leaving her behind. In "A Town of Many Hills," a little girl confronts her bullys' ritual of picking a class king, that of riding down steep hills without stopping, while contemplating suicide, which walks alongside her personified by a crow. "Syrup" sees a group of students retaking college entrance exams reevaluate their unlikely dreams. And "The Bear From the Forest" has a girl willingly taken hostage to help out a desperate man in a bear suit. While Asano has a way of keeping readers entranced with his beautiful soft pencils, I can't say that I really enjoyed living in this world alongside his characters. What a Wonderful World! is full of introspective characters, and interesting characters at that, with intriguing thoughts and ways of looking at things, but it was ultimately a really depressing book. Sure, there are a few rays of hope in the stories here and there, but I can't say that I want to read anymore of these types of stories - I think I overdosed on ennui and suicidal characters from this single volume. I definitely preferred Solanin.

The Week In Awesome! Mouse Guard & More

2009-10-15T22:28:00.003-05:00

Here are five things that got me excited this week!
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1. Where the Wild Things Are in theaters - The adaptation of Maurice Sendak's classic picture book by Spike Jonez is getting stellar reviews, so I'm really excited to watch the movie, which debuts in theaters this Friday. At work, I'm pushing a lot of Where the Wild Things Are merchandise, including stuffed wild things, the Gregory Maguire appreciation of Maurice Sendak book, and Wild Things by Dave Eggers. And of course the picture book itself.
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2. Paranormal Activity - Not only did the low budget horror film come in at #5 over the weekend box office, with a very limited release, but the movie finally gets a wide release this weekend due to its success.
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3. Toy Story 3 theatrical trailer - The third Pixar movie based around the lovable toys comes out next year in 3-D, and the official trailer looks fantastic. Watch it here.
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4. Mouse Guard: Legend of the Guard - A four-issue anthology series taking place in David Petersen's Mouse Guard universe will come out between installments of the creator's prequel mini-series Mouse Guard: The Black Axe. The creators for the anthology were hand-picked by Petersen as being artists that would fit well with the sensibility of the series. I love the series, so more is great news.
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5. The Crazies theatrical trailer - More fast-moving zombies. Sort of. Anyways, the trailer for this new horror movie looks like a lot of fun, remaking the 1973 film by George Romero. Watch it here.

X-Men vs. Agents of Atlas #1 (of 2)

2009-10-14T20:57:00.003-05:00

Jeff Parker & Carlo Pagulayan

I was really surprised by just how good this comic was. Usually these little spin-off mini-series are just throw-away issues, assigned to any average artist that Marvel decides to throw on the book since the titles usually feature popular characters that avid readers will read no matter who writes or draws it. But in this case, Agents of Atlas creator Jeff Parker takes on writing this issue himself, which probably makes all of the difference, as he's really got the Atlas characters down, and he certainly was able to take the X-Men and make them something special too. In fact, most of the issue is seen through the eyes of the X-Men, characters less familiar to him (although he has done a few X-Men mini-series, now that I think about it). But Parker is able to capture the essence of both teams and make them both look noble and fully-realized, not shorting either their due, as both teams consist of heroes and readers will be rooting for one side or the other to come out on top. I'm sure there's going to be a satisfying conclusion in the end for all, as Jeff is a talented creator who knows what he's doing. Marvel also saw fit to team Jeff Parker up with a rather talented artist as well, in the form of Carlo Pagulayan, whose work on Planet Hulk (and past favorites of mine like Marvel Knights' Elektra) shows that he's a great artist when it comes to depicting fast-paced panels in an action-packed book. I was admittedly a little surprised that a pretty major plot development that they brought up in the main Agents of Atlas title, that of the actual goddess Venus looking to get a little payback from the woman using her name, is continued in this mini. But I'm glad to see it here, because I was really looking forward to seeing what was going to happen there.

In Stores 10/14

2009-10-13T20:15:00.006-05:00

Here are the highlights of books that are coming to comic shops tomorrow!

Pick of the Week

The Art of Osamu Tezuka: God of Manga HC - Helen McCarthy's major biography (and the first authorized biography) on the remarkable Osamu Tezuka contains over 300 full-color pages, a 45-minute DVD documentary, as well as a forward by Katsuhiro Otomo. This is one of the (if not the) biggest books about comics this year.

Other Noteworthy Releases

Absolute Death HC

Air (Volume 2): Flying Machine TP

Akira (Volume 1) GN - New Printing

Anita Blake Vampire Hunter: Guilty Pleasures Complete Edition HC

Batman Chronicles (Volume 8) TP

Blood & Water TP

Daredevil: Return of the King TP

Deadpool #900

The Epic Chronicles of Hagar the Horrible 1973-1974 HC

The Fixer & Other Stories GN

Gantz (Volume 7)

Ghost In the Shell (Volume 1) GN - New Printing

Hollow Fields Omnibus GN

House of Mystery: Halloween Annual #1

Kull (Volume 1): Shadow Kingdom TP

Marvel Zombies 4 HC

Mephisto vs. TP

Mister X Condemned TP

Mome (Volume 16): Summer 2009

Pride & Prejudice HC

Star Trek Crew TP

Trinity (Volume 3) TP

Web of Spider-Man #1

You Are There HC

Manga Monday: Dragon Ball

2009-10-12T22:55:00.003-05:00

Dragon Ball (Volume 1)
Akira Toriyama
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Since there was so much media circulating about the title this past week, I thought I would take a look at the controversial book in question. Apparently, an elementary and middle school library in Maryland had this book on its shelf available for kids to check out until a mother made a big stink about her nine-year-old getting his/her hands on it, since the book contains some sexually suggestive scenes and cartoon nudity. Calling it "disgusting" as councilman Holloway said was going a bit far. Perhaps they should not have put a book labeled "ages 13 and up" on the shelves of a library where no student was within its age restrictions. The blame here is completely on the school board who, in an attempt not to look completely embarrassed by what is entirely their fault, focused feigned outrage on how terribly offensive the images in this book are.
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Admittedly, I was a little surprised at how far this manga pushed the envelope. I was expecting an utter overreaction to what they would call sexually suggestive, but this volume contains peeping toms and removing girls' panties amid all of the harmless sexual jokes (and there are a lot of them). A little risque for a nine-year-old, but anyone over thirteen, as it's labeled for everyone to see on the manga, should be able to handle this or they shouldn't be teaching sex education in high schools.
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Anyways, I was happy that this gave me the excuse to read a classic manga, as this is one that's been on my list for quite some time. And it didn't disappoint. This book is a lot of fun. The story follows a boy who hasn't had any connection with other people since his grandfather died. The boy, Goku, has a monkey tail, is ridiculously strong, and naive as any hero could ever be. His world changes however, when one day he meets Bulma, a girl who is on a quest to track down all seven of the legendary dragon balls to summon forth a great dragon who will supposedly grant anyone who calls it one wish. Bulma enlists the aid of Goku on her quest (mostly because he isn't willing to part with his dragon ball), and he gladly follows along, as he's up for an adventure and loves to fight, so long as he gets enough food. Several other characters join them on their journey, which is full of magic and battles, shape-shifters and Bulma half-nude in as many scenes as possible. The world Goku lives in is a fully-realized one too, full of your standard fantasy elements, but sci-fi as well, with Bulma using pills to make a lodge or some form of transportation. The different locations of the dragon balls give the protagonists an excuse to explore the world presented here and travel to all sorts of odd places, full of hidden dangers. And amid all of this is Toriyama's stunning artwork. He's really a fantastic cartoonist, blending rubbery exaggerated characters seamlessly with detailed backgrounds, and getting every ounce of emotion and suggestion across the page with master strokes. This first volume only hints at a greater, epic story, but it's a great way to start out a series that's already cherished by the masses.

Doctor Voodoo: Avenger of the Supernatural #1

2009-10-11T18:16:00.003-05:00

Rick Remender & Jefte Palo

I really, really enjoyed the recent New Avengers arc that surrounded Doctor Strange and the Eye of Agamotto's search for a new sorcerer supreme, although the choice of Brother Voodoo left me a little disappointed. Brother Voodoo is such a D-List character to follow in Dr. Strange's shoes. I was personally hoping for Son of Satan, but I'll have to be content with a guest appearance in the second issue of this book. Anyways, going by this debut issue of the new Doctor Voodoo title, with the word "Avenger" thrown into it to half-heartedly link it to the "Avengers" brand, I can see why they picked this character. He's pretty indistinct, and thus, can be molded into whatever kind of character the creators choose. They can make another no-name character into a franchise! I still think it would have been more fun to have given the title of sorcerer supreme to Son of Satan or Selene, but here we have an everyman type of character with a good heart (yawn) as the protagonist. Unfortunately with this character as the lead, this book is pretty much going to hinge on the villains and storylines that meander through the series. This first issue alone had Dormammu and Dr. Doom guest spots, as well as a voodoo type demon that attempted (very poorly) to add a touch of voodoo horror to the title. I think a voodoo magic character could be really cool with his own series, but I'm not sure this creative team has the imagination to push the concept into any territory worth investigating. The art alone is competent, but that's all. Plus, I'm a little dubious about magical characters that have no set limits of power. Challenges seem to be overcome too easily, and thus dampen any sort of suspense that is built up during a story. I kind of felt like that throughout the entire first issue here. Doctor Voodoo never seemed in any sort of danger really. And with a character like him as the lead, I could care less if he were. I don't know - maybe there's more to him and he'll surprise me, but as the book stands, I think the creators need to step up their game immediately.

Previews HYPE: December '09

2009-10-10T22:41:00.007-05:00

Beginning with books coming to comic shops in frosty December, I will wade through the phone book that is Previews Catalogue to sift out some goodies for the month that I think may get overlooked, or that I'm just plain excited about. And to make a leaner, better, healthier selection, I'm limiting myself to a top ten books. There may be other good stuff - I'm sure that some months will prove to be difficult as hell to narrow down - but to keep things interesting, I'm cutting the fat to a nice even ten to throw my hype behind.

1. The Complete Milt Gross Comic Books and Life Story HC

Milt Gross, Edited by Craig Yoe

IDW Publishing

This beast of a collection is a part of IDW's new "Yoe Studio" imprint featuring collected materials that the talented Craig Yoe (Modern Arf) sees fit to put his energies toward. Clocking in at 368 pages, this book collects all of Milt Gross's comic books in full color, restored.

2. Hulk: Winter Guard

David Gallaher, Steve Ellis, Peter David & Dale Keown

Marvel Comics

That's right, I'm excited about this. And I fully realize that Grant Morrison killed off Darkstar as a joke about the obscure superhero characters that fans attach themselves to, but I love the Russian mutant anyway and I'm glad that she's alive again. Or maybe someone just forgot that she was dead. Whatever. This comic has a new story featuring the Hulk and a gaggle of Russian superheroes from the creative team behind High Moon, as well as a reprint of Incredible Hulk #393.

3. John Stanley Library: Thirteen Going On Eighteen HC

John Stanley

Drawn & Quarterly

The latest collection in Drawn & Quarterly's loving reprints in The John Stanley Library (following Melvin the Monster and Nancy) is the classic, highly-regarded teen comedy/character study Thirteen Going on Eighteen.

4. The Creeper by Steve Ditko HC

Steve Ditko, Don Segall, Dennis O'Neil, Michael Fleischer & others

DC Comics

I'm loving these reprints of classic runs that DC is turning out. The Creeper has always been an intriguing figure in the DC Universe to me, and now we get to see his humble beginnings in a new hardcover collection.

5. Newave! The Underground Mini Comix of the 1980's HC

Edited by Michael Dowers

Fantagraphics Books

This new collection of works from innovative underground artists that followed in the footsteps of some of the greats from the 70's include some big names like Dan Clowes and Gary Panter.

6. Angel #28

Bill Willingham & Brian Denham

IDW Publishing

IDW breathes new life into their Angel (Buffy the Vampire Slayer spin-off) title once more with a new exciting creative team that includes Bill Willingham of Fables fame.

7. Black Widow & the Marvel Girls #1 & 2 (of 4)

Paul Tobin, Salva Espin & Jacopo Camagni

Marvel Comics

Wow, Marvel really wants a backlog of Black Widow titles before Iron Man 2 comes out (another hardcover reprint collection also comes out this month: Web of Intrigue). But I can't complain - I'm a sucker for girl power team-up titles like this. This one features plenty of Marvel's dames, such as Spider-Woman, Ms. Marvel, She-Hulk, Enchantress and The Wasp. If you can't get enough of the gals, the New Avengers Annual #3 also features the New Avengers girls teaming up to pound some H.A.M.M.E.R. butt.

8. Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Willow One-Shot

Joss Whedon & Karl Moline

Dark Horse

You read that right: Joss Whedon is writing this comic! Still taking place during Season Eight of the regular Buffy the Vampire Slayer series, this one-shot focuses on everyone's favorite wacky Wiccan as she deals with her magic issues. Again. Featuring the art of Fray artist Karl Moline!

9. Not Simple GN

Natsume Ono

Viz Media

It seems that Viz is adding some new titles to their consistently excellent Viz Signature Collection again, featuring a bunch of graphic novels by creator Natsume Ono, Not Simple being the first. Three more Ono manga will follow in the new year.

10. Blackest Night: The Next Wave

Blackest Night: The Flash #1: Geoff Johns & Scott Kolins

Blackest Night: JSA #1: James Robsinson, Eddy Barrows & Ruy Jose

Blackest Night: Wonder Woman #1: Greg Rucka & Nicola Scott

DC Comics

Not only is Blackest Night bleeding into every other comic in the DC universe, but a new wave of mini-series is coming at you from some pretty top-notch creative teams, featuring A-Listers Wonder Woman, Flash & the JSA.

The Week In Awesome! Fire and More

2009-10-09T21:05:00.004-05:00

Here are five things that I geeked out over this past week.

1. The Maze Runner - This teen novel by James Dashner (author of The 13th Reality series) came out this week, and the buzz has been building around this title for months. The book follows a group of boys who wake up in a maze with no memory. It's an action-packed survivalist mystery that could be compared to last year's teen sleeper hit The Hunger Games.

2. Fire - Another teen book! This book by Kristin Cashore is a companion to her previous excellent fantasy novel Graceling, starring a female protagonist. It's called a companion as opposed to a sequel because it takes place prior to the events of Graceling, and while it has a few crossover characters, each book can be read completely independent of the other.

3. "Give Up the Ghost" by Brandi Carlile - Brandi Carlile's "The Story" from a few years back was one of my favorite albums in awhile, boasting great country-folk songs set to a stunning voice. Her latest CD is sure to offer more of the same. Check out "That Year" on I-Tunes.

4. Return To the Hundred Acre Wood - This is the official Pooh estate-approved sequel to the original A. A. Milne Winnie-the-Pooh children's stories, written this time by David Benedictus.

5. "Satellite Heart" by Anya Marina - Sure, Britney Spears' new single "3" may have come out this week, but I'm more excited about this little number by an artist I'm pretty unfamiliar with. This song has a great haunting sound that I've fallen in love with, and is actually the first single released from "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" soundtrack, which has a pretty impressive line-up of talent like Thom Yorke, Grizzly Bear, and Deathcab For Cutie.

Refresh, Refresh GN

2009-10-08T12:41:00.007-05:00

Danica Novgorodoff, James Ponsoldt & Benjamin Percy
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Refresh, Refresh began as a prose book of short stories by Benjamin Percy. James Ponsoldt then based a screenplay around the book. Now, two times removed, Danica Novgorodoff bases her new graphic novel on that screenplay, so it's gotten away from the source material a bit. Which may be one of the reasons why I didn't really care for it. It just didn't translate very well to comics. The one thing I can say that I really enjoyed from this book is the art. I love Novgorodoff's simple, beautiful drawings, especially that awesome cover. It reads very fluidly, very cinematically, which may be due to its origins from a screenplay. Refresh, Refresh is about a small group of guys who live in a small town where they wait to hear news from their fathers, who are fighting in the war, to know if they are alright. The book is named after the idea that they are constantly refreshing their e-mail accounts in hopes of a new message. Meanwhile the boys deal with bullies at school in a coming-of-age tale that has them trying to figure out what they want out of life. Amid all of this, the boys take to fighting each other in one of their yards (boxing, hitting each other with make-shift weapons, etc.), hunting deer, and playing rather cruel pranks on other members of the community as ways to take out their frustrations of life on something physical. It all sounds good in theory, which is why I think the original short stories must have been pretty great stuff, but in comics form, the short scenes are very, very brisk. The characters have little room to breathe and despite the whole book being about them, hardly any of the chapters really seem to be developing genuine characters as opposed to the types of characters we've seen before in any number of places. In prose form, there's the ability to get more into a character's head, which is probably what was lost in translation here, leaving rather dull scenarios behind to be depicted by Novgorodoff. It was kind of like reading a list of what the characters would be seen doing, rather than experiencing it with them. I also wasn't the biggest fan of the depressing, defeating life of the small American town here, which didn't make it a very fun read either, but I could have enjoyed the story more with some rich, interesting characters.