The lies that bind November 3, 2009
Posted by pthornell in Misc. Graphic Novels.add a comment
I know I’ve said this before, but it often feels odd calling our collection of books “graphic novels” when so very few of them actually merit that title. Almost all of the over 850 titles in our collection are collections of monthly issues of comic books, not true graphic novels. So when a really interesting “true” graphic novel comes along, I like nothing better than to bring it to your attention. 
The book in question is The Big Kahn by Neil Kleid and Nicolas Cinquegrani.
I am, as you may have guessed by now, a tremendous fan of visual storytelling. My favorite panels tend to be the ones that are strictly visual – no text required to tell their tale. There are great big handfuls of those images in this wonderful tale of a contemporary Jewish family caught in the middle of a horrible circumstance.
The story is this: Rabbi David Kahn has just passed away, and the lie of his life, “the big kahn,” is revealed. The Rabbi was not, and had never been, Jewish. His congregation didn’t know, his wife and children didn’t know, only his brother – who the family had never met until the funeral – knew the truth. The bulk of the story thus becomes the reactions, responses, and tortured dealings with what it means to have lived a lie, not just with yourself, but in front of and so intimately involved with a close community of people. Is the family any less Jewish because they were not raised by a Jew, even though they were taught and lived by the codes of Jewish law? For even though Rachel Friedberg – David Kahn’s wife – is Jewish by birth, the staggering deceit of her husband has permanently destroyed the family’s place in their tight-knit community.
This is a quick read at just under 200 pages, but it most certainly shouldn’t be rushed. The Big Kahn is another fine example of just how effective the medium of graphic novels can be, how personal, how powerful.
Who is the Black Panther?! October 29, 2009
Posted by pthornell in Marvel Comics.add a comment
Who is he? Just the most consistently entertaining and well written character of the last five years! His legacy with Marvel Comics stretches back to the 1960’s, but the Black Panther has never been better or more involved in the Marvel Universe than during these past few years under the masterful direction of Reginald Hudlin. 
Hudlin is a director, writer, producer, you name it in the Hollywood world, but he fortunately finds the time to write fantastic tales of the T’Challa, the ruler of Wakanda, otherwise known as The Black Panther.
There has always been a problem with black superheroes, and the problem is that there just aren’t many of them! And the ones that do exist – Cyborg, Firestorm, Green Lantern John Stewart, Storm and a modern incarnation of Nick Fury (non-superpowered, but way cool) – rarely if ever have their own comics, rarely perform outside of their groups (Teen Titans, X-Men, etc.), or are written in horribly stereotypical ways. Hudlin brings the strength and integrity this character deserves to the forefront, and it’s a book I truly look forward to.
Since Hudlin took over the title in what’s considered the fourth version, his stories have produced seven or eight trade collections that just get better, every time. The Black Panther works alone, with the Fantastic Four, against the Skrulls in the Secret Invasion storyline, and cements one of the most powerful unions in comics when he marries Ororo Munroe, otherwise known as the X-Men’s Storm. This is storytelling at its finest.
Ultimate Iron Man – truly innovative! October 21, 2009
Posted by pthornell in Marvel Comics, Uncategorized.add a comment
I’ve extolled the virtues of Marvel Comics “Ultimate” line before, but I walked past the graphic novel section today and took another look at Ultimate Iron Man v. 1. Where all of the Ultimate titles recreate their characters in a way, I’m not sure any did so as dramatically as Ultimate Iron Man.
In the traditional universe, Tony Stark didn’t become Iron Man – and didn’t even dream of becoming Iron Man – well into his adult years. He originally builds his iron suit in an attempt to survive and escape a kidnapping, but the Ultimate concept and science fiction writer Orson Scott Card transform his origin story into the story of his very birth.
This is another one of those moments when I want to tell you everything but can’t bear to ruin the story for you. So just trust me that Ultimate Iron Man is a work of truly innovative storytelling, even giving a startling twist on Tony Stark’s infamous problems with alcohol. I think this is a tremendously entertaining story for all readers, but a fascinating tale for those who know a little about the classic version of Tony Stark. Read, think, and be merry!
**Lastly, a short note about my request last week for a few comments on whether I should keep the blog going. This blog was viewed 38 times since that post, but I’ve only received 2 comments. While both comments were very supportive, I was hoping for a few more responses. So I’ll keep writing for now, but I’ll be watching my statistics pretty closely. Either way, read, read, read!
Just wondering… October 14, 2009
Posted by pthornell in Uncategorized.2 comments
For those of you who read this blog every week, thanks for sticking with it. For those of you who may have stumbled upon it for the first time, I hope you take the time to read some of the previous entries as this week’s is only about the blog, itself.
There are currently 789 titles in our Graphic Novel collection, and new titles are coming in every week. I’ve been reading one graphic novel / collection a day ever since January 1st, so I can personally vouch for how many great books we have in our collection! But today I’m curious about how you use or don’t use this blog.
I write two blogs for the library, one for music and one for graphic novels, and I get statistics on how many people view both sites. The music blog is doing fine, but the graphic novel blog only gets a handful of hits a week. If no one is reading it, or finding anything worthwhile in it when they do read it, I’m not sure it’s worth the time to keep it going.
SO, I would greatly appreciate it if anyone who enjoys this blog would enter a comment for this entry - however brief – and let me know if you’d like it to continue. If you’d like it to continue but perhaps have a different focus, let me know that, too. I love writing about the things I love, so I truly enjoy creating this blog each week, but it’s only worth it if someone other than myself is enjoying it. So please, take a moment and let me know. Thank you.
Ex Machina: comics for the politically minded October 8, 2009
Posted by pthornell in DC Comics.add a comment
If you’ve read this blog for a while, you may know that I love the work of Brian K. Vaughan. He is, in the eyes of many, one of the finest writers in comics. One of his finest attributes is that, while he has worked for both Marvel and DC Comics and has written many of their best known characters, it is his creator-owned work that stands far above the rest. 
Today’s example is his ground-breaking series Ex Machina. This in another in a long line of unique work for Vaughan, blending political drama with his own version of superhero comics.
The hero/protagonist of this series is Mitchell Hundred, who acquired the ability to interact with and control mechanical device, and he’s the only “superhero” in the world. His brief time as a superhero called “The Great Machine” ends just before he announces his candidacy for Mayor of New York in early 2001, only to be involved in the events of September 11th, 2001 in a deeply meaningful way. So, unlike almost any other comic that preceded it, the superhero aspects of the character are much less important than the political aspects.
This is not Vaughan’s bully pulpit, however. The series doesn’t explore issues as much as it explores politics and the machinations of the world of politics. The writing is the constant and reliable perfection of Vaughan, and Tony Harris’ artwork is incredibly realistic and distinctive. The first volume of the series, The First Hundred Days, even includes a few sketch examples of how closely Harris works from real people for his images.
I have never been disappointed with Brian K. Vaughan, and I’ve never read an issue of Ex Machina that I haven’t loved.
Nothing says “fun” like flesh eating zombies! September 28, 2009
Posted by pthornell in Marvel Comics.add a comment
For those of you blissfully unaware of the trends in the comic world, there has been – over the past 5 or 6 years – a major resurgence by those we like to call, the living dead. Yes, my friends, zombies. Zombies have always been a happy part of comics and general entertainment, but the comic resurgence may have its genesis in Robert Kirkman’s series The Walking Dead that began in 2003. 
Kirkman’s stories were inspired by the legendary zombie films of George Romero (Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, etc.), and his work received tremendous critical and popular support. Then in late 2005, Marvel Comics decided to throw some zombies into the mix in their Ultimate line, and after a couple appearances in Ultimate Fantastic Four, Kirkman was brought on board to craft a mini-series devoted to the greatest undead zombies ever: super-hero zombies!
Okay, the humor level in these stories is high and, as the stories take place in an alternate universe, Kirkman and the writers who followed can do the craziest things with heroes such as Spider-Man, Captain America, and Iron Man. Several mini-series have followed since 2005, and like most aspects of life with zombies, subsequent editions of the series may have, in fact, been one or two, too many. But they’re still tons of fun. The tales are a little more gory than most Marvel titles – zombies do, after all, eat people, which is not a common occurence in your usual comic – but the humor and flat out absurdity of the concept makes this a series you shouldn’t miss. We have the first three mini-series in this ever-expanding concept, and I’m sure more will be coming soon. So now’s the time to get into the zombies, before they get into you!
A little bit of personal commentary September 23, 2009
Posted by pthornell in DC Comics.add a comment
A few years ago, bestselling author Brad Meltzer (see, The Tenth Justice, Book of Lies, Book of Fate) was chosen to helm the new Justice League of America series for DC Comics. His skills as a suspense novelist are perfectly suited to comics, and his work on Justice League of America garnered him nothing but praise. He wrote the first dozen issues of the recent relaunch, and they are collected in the trades “The Tornado’s Path” and “The Lightning Saga.” You should read both of them, if for no other reason to get to issue #11, the greatest single issue I’ve ever read.
Yes, you heard me, my favorite comic issue, ever. And what makes it even cooler is that it’s a one-off, a filler; issue #10 completed a crossover storyline with Justice Society of America and issue #11 – “Walls” – was meant to fill some space before the next big arc started up. My personal love for this comic was validated (not that I needed it) later that year when it won the Eisner Award for best single issue. Basically, I want any new readers to come to it kind of blindly, as I did, but I can say that it’s about Red Arrow and Vixen dealing with the aftermath of trying to save people from a building collapse. Meltzer’s amazing concept, Gene Ha’s perfect art, and a distinctive presentation make this an unforgettable issue. All of the Justice League of America storylines have been great, but issue #11 is a high water mark for storytelling. Seriously. But do yourself a favor and read “The Tornado’s Path” and the rest of “The Lightning Saga” collection so you get a full sense of who these people are. You won’t regret it.
Ethel & Ernest, a love story September 17, 2009
Posted by pthornell in Non-Fiction Graphic Novels.add a comment
Anyone with children will recognize the beautiful art work of British Illustrator Raymond Briggs, author of such classics as The Snowman, Father Christmas, and my personal favorite, When The Wind Blows. A few years ago, he wrote a beautiful book in honor of his parents, and I’d like to draw it to your attention, today.
Ethel & Ernest, a love story, is a lovely, heartwarming, and heartbreaking book that chronicles the lives of Briggs’ parents from their initial meeting in the 1920’s through to their deaths in the 1970’s. This is very much a British story, as his parents seem to exemplify the spirit of the British working class in and of their time. We follow them through their early days as a couple; their reactions and responses to World War II as they remained in London while sending their son, Raymond, off to the country as so many parents did; the advent of television, political upheavals, but most of all, the daily workings of a life.
I have read this book several times over the years, and I’ve literally laughed, cried, loved and pitied these two people so lovingly depicted by their only son. In the end, I can’t say it any better than the author Nick Hornby did in his review: “We should be grateful that Briggs is so brilliantly equipped to remind us of what we used to be, and why.” I couldn’t agree more.
The powerful and the innocent September 9, 2009
Posted by pthornell in DC Comics, Uncategorized.add a comment
One of the most popular forms of storytelling in comics is what’s known as the mini-series. Instead of an ongoing, month after month continuing story, a writer and artist get to tell an entire tale in, typically, four to six issues. They still have maxi-series, too, like the wonderful 12-parter Trials of Shazam from Judd Winick, or even the big “event” type series like Secret Invasion or Final Crisis that may only run for seven issues, but have so many countless spin-offs and tie-ins that you wind up with a box full of related comics once the seventh “official” installment has come around. The beauty and simplicity of a well-written mini-series means that the reader is granted a compelling and exciting story with no sense of being rushed or crammed into four issues, and not filled with exclusionary details that only the long-standing fan will understand. A perfect example of this is the thrilling and emotional tale of Superman/Shazam: First Thunder by Judd Winick with art by Joshua Middleton.
There’s not much I need to tell you other than that it’s a story about the first time these two heroes meet, and the friendship and understanding they form. Judd Winick has gone from fledgling cartoonist to MTV’s Real World participant to one of the most highly respected writers in the medium, today. He has a true knack for nailing the emotional heart of any story, and this is no exception. There’s no way I can describe this book to you and do it justice, other than to say it exemplifies everything good about comics. There are heroes and villains; innocents in danger; magic, mystery, and the core of any good story, a sense of friendship and teamwork that transcends the problems at hand to reveal the humanity of our heroes. No matter how powerful we think we are, there are so many things beyond our control. When we need help or advice, there has to be someone we can turn to who will understand. This is the heart of First Thunder, and I can’t recommend it more highly.
The greatest comic about mice… ever! September 1, 2009
Posted by pthornell in Misc. Graphic Novels.1 comment so far
Very seldom does a book come along that receives both critical and popular acclaim, but that was just the case with David Petersen’s brilliant series Mouse Guard: Fall 1152. This 6-part miniseries is collected in a beautiful hardcover edition that is truly an all-ages adventure, and you must – I say must – read this book!
The story is as classic a medieval tale as any other, dealing with enemies from without and within, heroic journeys, questions and mysteries to be answered, and old heroes long thought lost, coming to the rescue. Everything about this story simply works. The members of the Mouse Guard we come to know and love – namely, Lieam, Saxon, Kenzie, and Sadie – are classic yet original and unforgettable characters. Some have compared the overall feel of the tale to The Secret of Nimh, but other than both works featuring mice, they are completely independent and wholly satisfying works.
It’s also very rare to find a writer/artist that is truly worthy to hold both titles; many illustrators are just not that good at story telling. This is not meant to be a blanket statement but, historically, it seems to be true. Peterson’s art is simply astounding (Conrad and Sadie’s battle with the crabs in Chapter Two contains some of my favorite art of all-time), and his storytelling is exactly what it should be: clean, simple, and poetic.
The sequel to this work, Mouse Guard: Winter 1152, will be on our shelves soon, and Peterson has promised more mini-series are to come. Of all the graphic novels in Hingham’s collection, this may one of the only books I would consider a must read. This kind of storytelling exemplifies the power of the medium of comics.
