6 posts tagged “graphic novel”
Fables Vol. 1 : Legends in exile
By Bill Willingham
So, this is the first graphic novel in a series that transplants fairy-tale heroes to something resembling our current world. I am unclear about how they are existing here, exactly, but that isn't really the point. However, I will try and explain it, as far as I understand:
All the fairy-tale people (Snow White, Cinderella, The Blue Boy, Big Bad Wolf, Bluebeard, Rose Red, Jack ["and the beanstalk"], King Cole, Prince Charming, et al) call themselves "Fables" and they were all at some point recently, kicked out of their fairytale realm by a mysterious villain we don't know much about. When they were sent to our world, there was a general amnesty declared against all of their crimes from the fairytale realm [i.e. Big Bad Wolf eating the grandmother; Jack killing the giant; Bluebeard killing all of his wives] and now they exist within our world and also separate from it. They call normal peopleMuggles Mundanes, or "Mundies" for short.
Snow White is the honorary mayor (King Cole is officially in charge, but he is more of a figurehead). When Snow's sister, Rose Red, goes missing and all that is left is a CSI-esque blood-spattered crime scene - Bigby Wolf (who is Big Bad Wolf in human form) goes to investigate. His investigation shows us a whole bunch of suspects and basically introduces us to all of the fairy tale characters.
I really, really like the character of Bigby Wolf. He is this wise-cracking tough guy in the mode of Wolverine from X-Men (I guess they also have in common certain wolf characteristics). I am not sure why Bigby is shown in so many scenes clad in a) a towel, b) underwear, or c) a swimsuit - but I can't say I really minded. Snow White is also a great foil for him - a total femme fatale who won't take crap from anyone. I guess this whole graphic novel is like a melange of fairy-tales, postmodernism, and noir - and if that doesn't appeal to you, then you are very different from me.
So, anyway. In terms of using this title for YAs, I would say it is more for older teens than younger - like say, age 16 and up. There is a sex scene involving Prince Charming where all their bits are covered with a sheet, but still, younger teens might find the noir tone and some of the sexual innuendos kind of off-putting.
Rating: Good for teens aged 16 and up, although I would place this in my adult collection, rather than the YA collection
By Bill Willingham
So, this is the first graphic novel in a series that transplants fairy-tale heroes to something resembling our current world. I am unclear about how they are existing here, exactly, but that isn't really the point. However, I will try and explain it, as far as I understand:
All the fairy-tale people (Snow White, Cinderella, The Blue Boy, Big Bad Wolf, Bluebeard, Rose Red, Jack ["and the beanstalk"], King Cole, Prince Charming, et al) call themselves "Fables" and they were all at some point recently, kicked out of their fairytale realm by a mysterious villain we don't know much about. When they were sent to our world, there was a general amnesty declared against all of their crimes from the fairytale realm [i.e. Big Bad Wolf eating the grandmother; Jack killing the giant; Bluebeard killing all of his wives] and now they exist within our world and also separate from it. They call normal people
Snow White is the honorary mayor (King Cole is officially in charge, but he is more of a figurehead). When Snow's sister, Rose Red, goes missing and all that is left is a CSI-esque blood-spattered crime scene - Bigby Wolf (who is Big Bad Wolf in human form) goes to investigate. His investigation shows us a whole bunch of suspects and basically introduces us to all of the fairy tale characters.
I really, really like the character of Bigby Wolf. He is this wise-cracking tough guy in the mode of Wolverine from X-Men (I guess they also have in common certain wolf characteristics). I am not sure why Bigby is shown in so many scenes clad in a) a towel, b) underwear, or c) a swimsuit - but I can't say I really minded. Snow White is also a great foil for him - a total femme fatale who won't take crap from anyone. I guess this whole graphic novel is like a melange of fairy-tales, postmodernism, and noir - and if that doesn't appeal to you, then you are very different from me.
So, anyway. In terms of using this title for YAs, I would say it is more for older teens than younger - like say, age 16 and up. There is a sex scene involving Prince Charming where all their bits are covered with a sheet, but still, younger teens might find the noir tone and some of the sexual innuendos kind of off-putting.
Rating: Good for teens aged 16 and up, although I would place this in my adult collection, rather than the YA collection
Ultimate Fantastic Four, Vol. 1 : The Fantastic
Yeah, I didn't like this one very much. The artwork was maybe too busy for this size of book? And I was confused when to read left to right and when to read top to bottom. Also, I didn't like the story very much, and was much more confused than with other graphic novels I've been reading.
Rating: maybe bigger comics fans than me would like this more? I thought it was pretty bad. Recommended for Fantastic Four fans, ages 8 and up.
Yeah, I didn't like this one very much. The artwork was maybe too busy for this size of book? And I was confused when to read left to right and when to read top to bottom. Also, I didn't like the story very much, and was much more confused than with other graphic novels I've been reading.
Rating: maybe bigger comics fans than me would like this more? I thought it was pretty bad. Recommended for Fantastic Four fans, ages 8 and up.
Runaways Vol. 2 : Teenage Wasteland
By Brian K Vaughan, et al.
So, I just finished reading the second and third (and am midway through the fourth) installments of the Runaways series of graphic novels. These are seriously extremely enjoyable.
I would say that Volume 2 shows more character development of the core group of teens, and increases how much we know about the world they are living in (i.e. the Marvel universe). They also introduced two characters who are apparently C-list Marvel heroes from the seventies, Cloak and Dagger, who are themselves former teen runaway superheroes.
It is also in this volume that the Nico character realizes that the way to unleash her magic wand (which resides inside of her body usually), is to cut herself. When she bleeds, it emerges. This is an interesting twist to the usual teens-cutting-themselves thing, especially since her character is quite gothic-y.
I was going to complain that when this new character, Topher, shows up, the Runaways all come kind of unhinged (both Nico and Karolina end up kissing him) and I was going to criticize that silly plot development, but then when we find out more about Topher in this volume, there is a good character reason for that all to happen.
Which leads us to...
By Brian K Vaughan, et al.
So, I just finished reading the second and third (and am midway through the fourth) installments of the Runaways series of graphic novels. These are seriously extremely enjoyable.
I would say that Volume 2 shows more character development of the core group of teens, and increases how much we know about the world they are living in (i.e. the Marvel universe). They also introduced two characters who are apparently C-list Marvel heroes from the seventies, Cloak and Dagger, who are themselves former teen runaway superheroes.
It is also in this volume that the Nico character realizes that the way to unleash her magic wand (which resides inside of her body usually), is to cut herself. When she bleeds, it emerges. This is an interesting twist to the usual teens-cutting-themselves thing, especially since her character is quite gothic-y.
I was going to complain that when this new character, Topher, shows up, the Runaways all come kind of unhinged (both Nico and Karolina end up kissing him) and I was going to criticize that silly plot development, but then when we find out more about Topher in this volume, there is a good character reason for that all to happen.
Which leads us to...
Runaways Vol. 3 : The good die young
By Brian K Vaughan, et al
What is interesting about this one (volume three) is that it basically wraps up the first "volume" of Runaways comics, tying up all of the loose ends and making these three kind of like a trilogy. (But now I am starting up Volume Four, which starts a whole new plotline - and introduced new characters due to the carnage at the end of this one - SPOILER!!)
What I think works very well telling this story in graphic novel format is that - everybody knows one of the Runaways is a mole (i.e. working against the other Runaways by secretly helping their evil parents). But the parents don't know which one is the mole. The Runaways don't know which of them is the mole. And by doing it all in graphic novels, where we don't ever see the thoughts of the characters, only what they say and do - the readers don't know either. Even when The Mole makes a phone call, we (the reader) can't tell if it's a male or a female voice or anything other than the words the mole says.
And I won't spoiler stuff here, but the whole reveal of Who Is The Mole, is very well done. The authors clearly knew before they started who would be The Mole, and after finding out who it is, you can go back and look at that character's actions in earlier comics and suddenly you can read all of their actions a different way.
I think it is in this comic that two unlikely characters make a romantic connection - and that kind of works for me. Obviously you heighten sexual tension in graphic novels featuring teen superhero characters - but that sometimes doesn't work, like Alex and Nico's declarations of love for each other, or when (in Volume 2) Topher kisses Nico and also Karolina. But the unlikely connection between two characters in this one works very well.
And I did read ahead on-line to see plot outlines for later volumes, so I know where Karolina's character is headed (i.e. lesbianism!) and that is all being nicely foreshadowed here. Having her be an alien, and also a lesbian and also a teen girl who only wants to be "normal", is a neat way of looking at things - in so many ways, she feels disconnected from her friends, and (bad pun!) alienated from her closest friends.
Anyway, I have to go now and finish reading Volume Four.
Rating: Totally good! If you read the first one, you have to read these two (obviously) as all three volumes are really part of one long story. Ages 12 and up.
By Brian K Vaughan, et al
What is interesting about this one (volume three) is that it basically wraps up the first "volume" of Runaways comics, tying up all of the loose ends and making these three kind of like a trilogy. (But now I am starting up Volume Four, which starts a whole new plotline - and introduced new characters due to the carnage at the end of this one - SPOILER!!)
What I think works very well telling this story in graphic novel format is that - everybody knows one of the Runaways is a mole (i.e. working against the other Runaways by secretly helping their evil parents). But the parents don't know which one is the mole. The Runaways don't know which of them is the mole. And by doing it all in graphic novels, where we don't ever see the thoughts of the characters, only what they say and do - the readers don't know either. Even when The Mole makes a phone call, we (the reader) can't tell if it's a male or a female voice or anything other than the words the mole says.
And I won't spoiler stuff here, but the whole reveal of Who Is The Mole, is very well done. The authors clearly knew before they started who would be The Mole, and after finding out who it is, you can go back and look at that character's actions in earlier comics and suddenly you can read all of their actions a different way.
I think it is in this comic that two unlikely characters make a romantic connection - and that kind of works for me. Obviously you heighten sexual tension in graphic novels featuring teen superhero characters - but that sometimes doesn't work, like Alex and Nico's declarations of love for each other, or when (in Volume 2) Topher kisses Nico and also Karolina. But the unlikely connection between two characters in this one works very well.
And I did read ahead on-line to see plot outlines for later volumes, so I know where Karolina's character is headed (i.e. lesbianism!) and that is all being nicely foreshadowed here. Having her be an alien, and also a lesbian and also a teen girl who only wants to be "normal", is a neat way of looking at things - in so many ways, she feels disconnected from her friends, and (bad pun!) alienated from her closest friends.
Anyway, I have to go now and finish reading Volume Four.
Rating: Totally good! If you read the first one, you have to read these two (obviously) as all three volumes are really part of one long story. Ages 12 and up.
Astonishing X-Men Vol. 1 : Gifted
By Joss Whedon and John Cassaday
Marvel Comics (2004), Paperback, 152 pages
This takes place after the X-Men movies, when Kitty Pryde is grown up, and she goes back to be a teacher at the mutant school, and there is this cure for being mutants and that leads to all sorts of fighting between characters who were not in X-Men the movie, or Marvel 1602, and hence who I don't know who they are.
Anyway. This one ends with an obnoxious cliffhanger, which is why I am annoyed with comics, because I like things that end properly. But anyway, there is this very cool new character in this one, called Emma Frost, who I guess used to be a villain but now is a good guy, and who wears very skimpy ridiculous outfits and is telepathic and, it turns out, possibly still secretly evil. And there is a series of graphic novels about her as a teen (in the same style as the Mary Jane comics) which I hope the library gets soon so I can learn more about her.
Rating: Pretty good, but I think people who know more about graphic novels than I do would enjoy it more than I did. Recommended for X-Men fans aged 12 and up.
By Joss Whedon and John Cassaday
Marvel Comics (2004), Paperback, 152 pages
This takes place after the X-Men movies, when Kitty Pryde is grown up, and she goes back to be a teacher at the mutant school, and there is this cure for being mutants and that leads to all sorts of fighting between characters who were not in X-Men the movie, or Marvel 1602, and hence who I don't know who they are.
Anyway. This one ends with an obnoxious cliffhanger, which is why I am annoyed with comics, because I like things that end properly. But anyway, there is this very cool new character in this one, called Emma Frost, who I guess used to be a villain but now is a good guy, and who wears very skimpy ridiculous outfits and is telepathic and, it turns out, possibly still secretly evil. And there is a series of graphic novels about her as a teen (in the same style as the Mary Jane comics) which I hope the library gets soon so I can learn more about her.
Rating: Pretty good, but I think people who know more about graphic novels than I do would enjoy it more than I did. Recommended for X-Men fans aged 12 and up.
Marvel 1602
By Neil Gaiman
Marvel Comics (2005), Paperback, 248 pages
So, I just started reading this v. cool graphic novel by Neil Gaiman, Marvel 1602. Its premise is - what if all of the Marvel superheroes (i.e. The Fantastic Four, the X-Men, Daredevil, Spiderman, some others I have not heard of) existed in Elizabethan-era England, and not modern-day? It is quite interesting. The X-Men are looked down upon as "witchbreed" and after Queen Elizabeth I is assassinated, the new king wants to put the kibosh on all "witchbreed."
I am about 1/3 of the way through right now. The main characters are Nick Fury and Stephen Strange, neither of whom I had heard of before, but who both seem very cool. Especially Nick Fury, who is like this spymaster guy. He and Strange, who is a magician, both fit in really neatly into the Elizabethan-era world.
Anyway, so I think I would probably appreciate this more if I knew more about superheroes, so I could be like - oh, that's that guy - instead of like, well, here is a character who runs very fast. He is probably a version of some superhero I do not know. Anyway, it is v. cool and apparently there is at least one sequel, so I am psyched for that.
Bottom line: This book is so great! I think that die-hard comic book fans would really like this, but someone like me (who saw the first X-Men movie, and the Spiderman movie, and that is all I know about Marvel superheroes) would like it too! I'd say ages 14 and up, although younger kids who are really into Marvel comics would like it too. Fusing the superhero mythology with the Elizabethan time period is so clever!
By Neil Gaiman
Marvel Comics (2005), Paperback, 248 pages
So, I just started reading this v. cool graphic novel by Neil Gaiman, Marvel 1602. Its premise is - what if all of the Marvel superheroes (i.e. The Fantastic Four, the X-Men, Daredevil, Spiderman, some others I have not heard of) existed in Elizabethan-era England, and not modern-day? It is quite interesting. The X-Men are looked down upon as "witchbreed" and after Queen Elizabeth I is assassinated, the new king wants to put the kibosh on all "witchbreed."
I am about 1/3 of the way through right now. The main characters are Nick Fury and Stephen Strange, neither of whom I had heard of before, but who both seem very cool. Especially Nick Fury, who is like this spymaster guy. He and Strange, who is a magician, both fit in really neatly into the Elizabethan-era world.
Anyway, so I think I would probably appreciate this more if I knew more about superheroes, so I could be like - oh, that's that guy - instead of like, well, here is a character who runs very fast. He is probably a version of some superhero I do not know. Anyway, it is v. cool and apparently there is at least one sequel, so I am psyched for that.
Bottom line: This book is so great! I think that die-hard comic book fans would really like this, but someone like me (who saw the first X-Men movie, and the Spiderman movie, and that is all I know about Marvel superheroes) would like it too! I'd say ages 14 and up, although younger kids who are really into Marvel comics would like it too. Fusing the superhero mythology with the Elizabethan time period is so clever!
Runaways Vol. 1 : Pride & Joy
By Brian K Vaughan
Marvel Comics (2004), Paperback, 144 pages
This is totally great! The series is about a group of teens who have nothing in common, but every year they are forced to hang out together as their parents prepare some sort of charity event... or so they think. It turns out their parents are a league of super-villains, and it is up to the kids to bring them down. Extremely clever, witty dialogue between the kids, all of whom fall into one stereotype or another but no more than real people do.
The art is also really appealing, and the storyline is quite fun. These kids exist in the same Marvel comics universe as the X-Men, Spiderman, and others so there are neat details like when they try and call the cops on their parents, they are instructed to try calling Captain America's Justice League instead (as the police don't deal with supervillains, only normal criminals)
Bottom line: Totally great! A good choice for ages 10-16
By Brian K Vaughan
Marvel Comics (2004), Paperback, 144 pages
This is totally great! The series is about a group of teens who have nothing in common, but every year they are forced to hang out together as their parents prepare some sort of charity event... or so they think. It turns out their parents are a league of super-villains, and it is up to the kids to bring them down. Extremely clever, witty dialogue between the kids, all of whom fall into one stereotype or another but no more than real people do.
The art is also really appealing, and the storyline is quite fun. These kids exist in the same Marvel comics universe as the X-Men, Spiderman, and others so there are neat details like when they try and call the cops on their parents, they are instructed to try calling Captain America's Justice League instead (as the police don't deal with supervillains, only normal criminals)
Bottom line: Totally great! A good choice for ages 10-16
