104 Challenge: Graphic Novels #1
So we've been a little slack on reviewing, and indeed reading, the comics we are supposed to read over the next few weeks. But I've just finished the second one of the month and so will do a brief review of the two for you delectation. The 104 Challenge has slightly changed now with the original split between prose and comic shifting to simply reading 104 actual pieces of literature over the year rather than 52 of each. So anyway, here are my first reviews.
Desolation Jones by Warren Ellis
My experience of Ellis is pretty minimal, despite his position as the comic book World's dark prince. His gritty, violent style has more in common with hard hitting crime drama blended with a deeply British sense of satire and wry humour. Desolation Jones has been his most acclaimed work yet, following on from the self-indulgent but much loved Transmetropolitan series. The only previous work of his I had read was Scars, a disturbing and brutal account of a child's grisly murder that plays like a gruesome episode of Law & Order. This is quite a different experience indeed, an x-rated subversion of spy fiction and particularly aimed seemingly at the squeaky clean misogyny of James Bond.
The eponymous lead character is excellent, a former British spy exiled in L.A after being part of horrific experiment that have left him a shadow of his former self. His occupation now as a private eye leads him into a shady world of pornography and seedy, noirish heavies, most of whom he injures, kills or damages in some way. The brutal violence and misanthropic undertones remain from his previous work and Ellis expands on them with intruiging subplots and streaks of broken humanity. His new series, Fell, will be reviewed after its release in March but this is high quality stuff that any fans of Ellis will enjoy immensely.
Ex Machina: March To War by Brian K. Vaughan
Vaughan is the wunderkind of the comic world right now having just hit the NY Times Bestsellers list with Pride of Baghdad and now joining the writing staff of Lost. This series has been hugely acclaimed, a blend of politics and superheroes and it certainly runs off that concept at times. Vaughan, while undoubtedly successful, isn't the finest writer around. His inability to write female characters is his main downfall and here is no different, immediately bringing Journal, an alleged political figure but basically an excuse to show a shapely form in the book, in see through nightwear to the story before sending her off into a protest because her man wants her to go.
Its a series with great potential but everytime an interesting subplot comes around, its killed straight away. Whereas you see episodes of 24 where seemigly major plotlines are dealt with quickly then replaced by even better ones, Vaughan misjudges his best storylines and sticks with the wrong ones. The final storyline in this, with the reveal of Mitch Hundred's (the Mayor of New York/former often relapsing superhero for the uninitiated) arch enemy, Pherson. He could not be more dull, not in any way threatening or even dastardly. The series remains interesting when the politics come to the fore, but this is far from where it should have got to.
Desolation Jones by Warren Ellis
My experience of Ellis is pretty minimal, despite his position as the comic book World's dark prince. His gritty, violent style has more in common with hard hitting crime drama blended with a deeply British sense of satire and wry humour. Desolation Jones has been his most acclaimed work yet, following on from the self-indulgent but much loved Transmetropolitan series. The only previous work of his I had read was Scars, a disturbing and brutal account of a child's grisly murder that plays like a gruesome episode of Law & Order. This is quite a different experience indeed, an x-rated subversion of spy fiction and particularly aimed seemingly at the squeaky clean misogyny of James Bond.
The eponymous lead character is excellent, a former British spy exiled in L.A after being part of horrific experiment that have left him a shadow of his former self. His occupation now as a private eye leads him into a shady world of pornography and seedy, noirish heavies, most of whom he injures, kills or damages in some way. The brutal violence and misanthropic undertones remain from his previous work and Ellis expands on them with intruiging subplots and streaks of broken humanity. His new series, Fell, will be reviewed after its release in March but this is high quality stuff that any fans of Ellis will enjoy immensely.
Ex Machina: March To War by Brian K. Vaughan
Vaughan is the wunderkind of the comic world right now having just hit the NY Times Bestsellers list with Pride of Baghdad and now joining the writing staff of Lost. This series has been hugely acclaimed, a blend of politics and superheroes and it certainly runs off that concept at times. Vaughan, while undoubtedly successful, isn't the finest writer around. His inability to write female characters is his main downfall and here is no different, immediately bringing Journal, an alleged political figure but basically an excuse to show a shapely form in the book, in see through nightwear to the story before sending her off into a protest because her man wants her to go.
Its a series with great potential but everytime an interesting subplot comes around, its killed straight away. Whereas you see episodes of 24 where seemigly major plotlines are dealt with quickly then replaced by even better ones, Vaughan misjudges his best storylines and sticks with the wrong ones. The final storyline in this, with the reveal of Mitch Hundred's (the Mayor of New York/former often relapsing superhero for the uninitiated) arch enemy, Pherson. He could not be more dull, not in any way threatening or even dastardly. The series remains interesting when the politics come to the fore, but this is far from where it should have got to.
posted by Sam at 2:42 PM
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