31 de Julho de 2014

"And then it all changed."

SUPREME BLUE ROSE #1
Warren Ellis & Tula Lotay
Image Comics, 2014
27 págs., tetracromia, floppy

Ao que parece o universo de Supreme sofreu mais uma "revisão". Embora o escreva no sentido literal, refiro-me também ao conceito introduzido por Alan Moore no número 41 de Supreme (Agosto de 1996). O fenómeno descrito por Moore é uma homenagem inteligente aos comics da Silver Age quando praticamente todos os meses eram introduzidos novos elementos - muitas vezes contraditórios - na personalidade e continuidade narrativa das personagens. O mandato de Moore à frente de Supreme estava repleto destes pormenores que recontextualizavam uma personagem que era basicamente um Super-Homem violento (mais originalidade da parte de Rob Liefield), aproximando-o tematicamente à mitologia original.
Desta feita é Warren Ellis que assume o leme de Supreme e inicia a sua revisão. Essencial a uma "revisão", segundo Moore, é a manutenção das personagens podendo ou não haver uma reformulação dos seus papéis.
Diana Dane é uma jornalista desempregada assombrada por sonhos peculiares que é contratada por Darius Dax para investigar um mistério. Como Darius explica, o seu trabalho lida com "rosas azuis", ou seja, ocorrências não naturais. Supreme  é um acontecimento sem explicação e há quem pague muito bem para obter informações relacionadas com esse evento. Começa a aventura.
Ainda mais interessantes são os visuais espectaculares de Tula Lotay, cuja linha delicada, cores pálidas e rabiscos azuis adornam todas as páginas fazendo pensar em bd amarelada pelo tempo, há muito riscada por crianças, reiterando a ligação nostálgica com o passado.
Com um primeiro número que apresenta novidades e pisca o olho à encarnação anterior (não confiar em Darius Dax e a representação de Zayla Zarn), "Supreme Blue Rose" vem reforçar a noção de que uma construção sólida precisa de bons alicerces. Neste caso particular, ironicamente, essas bases são a continuidade anterior da personagem.

30 de Julho de 2014

"Our families don't understand."

LAZARUS, VOL.1: FAMILY
Greg Rucka & Michael Lark
Image Comics, 2013
96 págs., tetracromia, digital

A sociedade está dividida em diferentes castas e tu pertences a uma das famílias que a controla. O teu papel é proteger a tua família a todo o custo, és um Lázaro e nem a morte te pode impedir de cumprir a tua missão.
Assim é a vida de Forever "Eve" Carlyle, a protagonista de "Lazarus", o épico de Greg Rucka e Michael Lark que explora, como toda a boa ficção científica, assuntos actuais num contexto diferente (seja o futuro ou uma realidade alternativa ou outra coisa qualquer).
A família Carlyle é influente porque é proprietária de uma determinada espécie de gramínea que alimenta a população. Este tipo de situação, infelizmente, já acontece nos Estados Unidos, onde o perfil genético de sementes modificadas pelas grandes corporações é alvo de patente e permite-lhes processar agricultores cujas plantações possam ter plantas fruto de polinização cruzada "não autorizada".
Este tipo de controlo é levado a outro extremo em "Lazarus" com a manipulação genética de seres humanos. Eve é produto do patriarca Carlyle que a "encomendou" segundo directrizes muito específicas. A sua relação com a família é de subserviência, ela obedece sem questionar. É perfeita para a sua função, só não é perfeita para se amar. É um objecto.
Todos os Carlyle têm duas coisas em comum: querem poder e são capazes de tudo para o ter; subestimam Eve e vão arrepender-se amargamente por tê-lo feito. É que Eve descobriu o segredo familiar que a envolvia e agora começa o prestar de contas.
"Lazarus" é uma excelente história sobre "nature versus nurture", sobre o que nos é inato e o que nos é ensinado. Eve foi criada para algo mas isso não a impede de se questionar sobre as suas acções (como após a primeira sequência), apesar da mão de ferro do seu "pai". Mais ainda se vê na sua interacção com Joacquim, o seu homólogo na família Morray, uma de desejo de intimidade ou de passado partilhado - completamente contra a etiqueta interfamiliar.
Esta nossa capacidade de questionar as regras e optar por um caminho próprio é um desafio essencial para o nosso desenvolvimento como seres humanos e uma das ideias centrais desta bd. Não sei se o livro será tanto sobre o renunciar como sobre o descobrir as nossas verdadeiras origens, para isso terei de ler o segundo volume.
Hoje não falo nem sobre a escrita, nem sobre o desenho, nem sobre mais nada. Aconselho só a ler.

29 de Julho de 2014

28 de Julho de 2014

"Death is coming for us all."

EAST OF WEST, VOL. 1: THE PROMISE
Jonathan Hickman & Nick Dragotta
Image Comics, 2013
128 págs., tetracromia, digital

Num futuro alternativo onde um meteorito foi o factor decisivo para o resultado da Guerra Civil Americana, um homem percorre os Estados Unidos à procura de algo.

Este pistoleiro é um dos quatro Cavaleiros do Apocalipse - a Morte - e pretende ajustar contas com os seus colegas.

Nesta realidade há uma Mensagem que profetiza o Fim do Mundo e quando a Morte voltou as costas ao seu papel para fazer cumprir os seus desejos, é vítima da ira dos restantes cavaleiros e da sociedade secreta que os apoia.

O que a Morte procura é vingança e nada o impedirá de a alcançar, a não ser que as coisas não sejam assim tão lineares...

Temos aqui, portanto, uma espécie de sopa primitiva de géneros chamada "East of West", um dos inúmeros projectos que Jonathan Hickman tira da sua cartola regularmente.

Este primeiro volume é algo de poético, embora lide com conceitos familiares e algo batidos, é esta mescla coerente de géneros e ideias um dos pontos fortes deste livro. Surpreende porque funciona quando, se descrito por terceiros, tem tudo para fazer levantar um sobrolho de dúvida. A segunda grande e, para mim, melhor característica da escrita de Hickman são os diálogos melífluos de conteúdo épico que são quase citações instantâneas.

Nick Dragotta é uma óptima descoberta - é o seu primeiro livro que leio - e traz uma solidez ao livro que nas mãos de outro artista acabaria por se diluir. Não falha na caracterização, consegue desenhar realisticamente diferentes raças (parece ser pouco mas...) e é de uma consistência incrível.

As cores de Frank Martin, mais uma vez a confirmar o adágio de que "um colorista pode ser o melhor ou o pior de uma bd" (acabei de inventar), a solidificar o livro num tijolo especialmente bonito.

O negativo: esta mania americana de fazer dos Estados Unidos a única nação, neste caso a nação das nações, que é algo prepotente e que me traz sempre alguma azia.

Se  gostas de westerns futuristas com conspirações imensas e histórias de amor épicas, bem, este livro é para ti.

P.s.: Já tinha lido este livro em papel antes, emprestado por André Nóbrega. Agradecimentos com 6 meses de atraso.

27 de Julho de 2014

Há uns 3 meses, a Humble Bundle e a Image Comics uniram forças numa promoção que só se podia aproveitar. Pagava-se quanto se queria pelas primeiras colecções do East of West, Lazarus, Morning Glories e Fatale e se o valor fosse superior à média de todos os pagamentos, ainda recebíamos Saga, Revival e Chew! Por menos de sete euros e meio (a média da altura), sete trades digitais. Sete! Só se fosse maluco não aproveitava. Não sou maluco.

Na sequência da semana NetGalley, nestas próximas duas semanas (já tinha dito que não sou maluco, numa semana é impossível) vou escrever sobre os livros adquiridos no Humble Image Comics Bundle.

July 27, 2014

"But something HAD changed."

SECONDS
Bryan Lee O'Malley et al.
Ballantine Books, 2014
336 pages, cmyk, hardcover

Katie isn't happy with her life. She's the successful head cook at a small restaurant called Seconds, but as she aproaches thirty, she realizes that everyone she knew has moved on to better things and that she needs to do something of personal value with her life.

When one night she is visited by a strange young woman and one of her co-workers is hurt because of her neglectful desires, a notebook and a mushroom offer her a second chance to do things right.
This is the basic scenario of what happens in "Seconds", Bryan Lee O'Malley's long awaited book since 2010's Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour, the final volume of the series.
If you're expecting something in the line of Scott Pilgrim, I mean, an action/romance comic with lots of fighting and video game references, then you're going to be disappointed. But if you're expecting something in the line of Scott Pilgrim, a comic about young people trying to cope with their decisions that has an element of the supernatural (not in the traditional sense in Pilgrim), then this is exactly what you were looking for.
In fact, I believe Seconds is a stronger comic than Scott Pilgrim.
Bryan Lee O'Malley's art is crisper than ever, a confident line than has cut out (almost) all the extra fat and uses the essential to represent action and emotion. His character designs remain flawless and he has this way of tapping into a youthful fashion that is rarely seen in other artists. It also helps immeasurably that this time around he has Jason Fischer as his drawing assistant, filling every page with the smallest detail that makes the whole the more pleasureable.
Another thing that this book has that the original editions of Scott Pilgrim didn't is Nathan Fairbairn's colors, adding another level of enjoyability to an already beautiful comic.
In terms of plot, it's a relatively simple story about trying to do the right thing and not knowing when to stop, you just add a twist of supernatural and a bit of quarter-life crisis and the formula is set.
The best thing about the book is its main character, Katie, she is extremely well developed, as it should be since it's her life and relationship with the restaurant that is dissected throught the book's three hundred plus pages. And all because of this habit of her of constantly narrating her life.
Not having to rely on constant references to pop culture and video games and instead on character based humor to give your reader the most subtle of smiles is yet another aspect of this book that I think makes its stronger than O'Malley's previous series.
My only less positive remark is about the ending that is a bit too sacarine for my taste. After all the character has been through I can see why a happy ending is in order, specially if your aim is to please a larger audience, but it just didn't feel real to me. Then again, real isn't about house spirits and reality-warping mushrooms (no, not that kind!).
But (!) as it is implicit in the begin of this text, it's a matter of personal taste, of what you're expecting of a Bryan Lee O'Malley comic. I can only say that I thoroughly enjoyed reading this comic.

P.s.: a shout-out to Dustin Harbin's, comics' coolest traditional letterer.

26 de Julho de 2014

"Who cares!!!"

QCDA #1000
Zé Burnay, Rudolfo, André Pereira e Afonso Ferreira

Associação Chili Com Carne, 2013

16 págs., monocromia, giant floppy

Há um ano as paredes da Galeria Mundo Fantasma estavam cobertas pelos trabalhos de jovens autores de bd portugueses. A exposição chamava-se Lixo Futuro e na altura não causou grande impressão, pelo menos pelos comentários que ouvi da boca dos visitantes. Na verdade, julgo que esta reacção teve a ver com duas particularidades: a primeira,  a distribuição dos trabalhos expostos que, embora se coadunasse com o conceito por detrás da exposição, era algo confusa e pouco sofisticada; a segunda, alguns dos temas/géneros escolhidos pelos autores nas suas obras não são do agrado do comum frequentador de uma loja de bd comercial, digo, que vende o tradicional comic americano, bem definido na sua estrutura e temas.

Entre os expostos encontravam-se Zé Burnay, Rudolfo, André Pereira e Afonso Ferreira, os autores de QCDA #1000, uma antologia de histórias curtas em inglês e em formato avantajado (A3) publicada pela editora Chili Com Carne.

Como a exposição Lixo Futuro a QCDA #1000 é uma declaração de intenções. A contracapa expõe os possíveis significados do título e acaba por denunciar o intuito desta bd: conhecer os autores.

Esta antologia é composta por quatro histórias, a saber: "The tower of the Necromancer" de Zé Burnay, uma fantasia heróica com laivos de metal, uma amostra do seu projecto actual actualizado online semanalmente, Witch Gauntlet; "There's a weird bump on my cheek!!!" de Rudolfo, difícil de descrever mas arrisco chamá-la uma história de horror romântico; "Eschaton 3000" de André Pereira, sobre amor adolescente e o Apocalypse misturado com o My Little Pony (mais um complicado de descrever) e, por fim, "The Crystal and the Sphere" de Afonso Ferreira, uma aventura paródica à la Indiana Jones.
Em vez de falar em pormenor sobre cada uma das histórias, vou só referir as coisas que mais me marcaram. Por 7€, vale muito a pena o leitor ter uma opinião própria.
Portanto, Burnay é o autor com o estilo mais definido, o seu desenho é fácil de identificar e o mais "polido"; Rudolfo consegue desorientar o leitor facilmente, transmitindo a sensação de desconforto que a história pede, mas a determinada altura as legendas tornam-se ilegíveis (o que até pode ser a intenção do autor) e o esforço de leitura não compensa; André Pereira é o que mais chama a atenção dos quatro, é ambicioso no seu esquema de página, com múltiplas correntes narrativas a desembocar numa só, por vezes, também a gerar alguma confusão; André Ferreira tem o estilo de desenho mais simpático, a fazer lembrar o Adventure Time, e um apelo mais "comerciável" (não é um insulto).
Regra geral, é uma bd bem conseguida que ganhava em ter um editor que fizesse revisão dos textos - escaparam alguns erros ortográficos - e um tema mais coeso mas é, de qualquer forma, uma óptima iniciativa que se devia repetir. Regularmente. Faz favor.

24 de Julho de 2014

"An act of god, maybe?"

THE WICKED + THE DIVINE #1
Kieron Gillen, Jamie McKelvie & Matt Wilson

Image Comics, 2014

39 págs., tetracromia, floppy

A descoberta da música como elemento essencial da minha vida aconteceu quando entrei na adolescência. Passei horas a ver MTV numa altura em que a programação não estava tão virada para os reality shows e consistia maioritariamente de video clips dos meus artistas favoritos. Nunca cheguei ao ponto da idolatria, o que me interessava mesmo era ouvir algo que me fizesse sentir.

Mas esse tipo de idolatria e histerismo não é algo recente, - embora actualmente haja um maior enfoque neste tipo de reacções tipicamente adolescentes, já que os meios de comunicação se globalizaram e democratizaram - tudo se vive mais intensamente na adolescência e os músicos podem ser modelos de vida quase divinos.

O primeiro número de "The Wicked + The Divine" pega nessa ideia e assume-a como realidade. Há um acontecimento centenário chamado "the Recurrence" do qual emergem pessoas que afirmam ser deuses. Estes pretensos deuses apresentam-se em eventos onde, alegadamente, fazem milagres e seduzem as massas, muito semelhantes a concertos. Como de esperar, este tipo de situação não é universalmente bem aceite.

Não é a primeira vez que Kieron Guillen e Jaime McKelvie se debruçam sobre o tema da música pop misturada com fantasia (ver Phonogram). Guillen introduz bem este novo mundo com personagens interessantes e personalidades já bem definidas, embora haja algumas questões de lógica que foram sacrificadas pela história (o processo legal decorre de uma forma que não será a mais realista, mesmo num mundo fantástico).
Mesmo assim, "The Wicked + The Divine" começa bem e misteriosamente, ficam inúmeras questões por responder e fica aguçado o apetite para o segundo número. O desenho de McKelvie é, como nos tem habituado, muito "limpo" e aprazível e é especialmente bem complementado pelas cores de Matt Wilson.
Uma bd para seguir porque se avizinham grandes coisas.

22 de Julho de 2014

July 21, 2014

"I'm ready for anything."

GLORY: THE COMPLETE SAGA
Joe Keatinge & Ross Campbell
Image Comics, 2014
352 pages, cmyk, digital

Glory is another (the other is Prophet) of "infamous" creator Rob Liefield's comics that had a recent makeover.

In the hands of Joe Keatinge and Ross Campbell's, Glory was transformed from a Wonder Woman clone to a more classic science fiction oriented character with a pinch of japanese influences.

The reeinvisioned Gloriana Demeter is an alien from another world, a (literal) by-product of two warring factions and a symbol for peace - one way or the other.

To escape her legacy as a living weapon she found sanctuary on a small planet called Earth, where she naturally played the part of superheroine. And then she was gone.

Riley is a small woman that has regular dreams about Glory. It so happens that her dreams are real and so she begins a quest to find what happened to Glory. 

Spoilers, she ends up finding Glory and that is when our book takes flight.

There is a substancial departure from the older version of the character, instead of a sexy vixen with an abnormally flexible spinal column, we have a hulked-out battle-scarred version. It's a different kind of fetish. It's the same plotwise, superheroics are gone to be replaced by a basic sci-fi concept: an invasion story. But it's not that simple, there are twists and turns and a kind of focus on family dinamics.

Glory is a pretty straight forward conflited protagonist - her scars run more than just skin deep. The reasons for her absence entail most of the plot and her character motivation.

Riley is basically the reader's avatar (as she learns about the story, so do we), she shares a connection with Glory but other than that, we know very little about her and, unfortunately, she ends up being just an instrument of the plot.

This is an action-packed, two-fisted (most of the time two-clawed) comic, so you can't really argue that character development was its primary concern. In that regard, there is an affinity to manga that can also be seen in certain moments of storytelling decompression (an example, the scene before the final battle) and the "subtle" wink to gigantic reptilian monsters emerging from a rift in Tokyo (this is before Pacific Rim, people).

Something that bothers me is the recurrence of hyper-violence in the book. I can understand that its purpose is to make the reader understand the magnitude of the strenght used but it isn't so much disturbing as it is off-putting.

Another thing is the final chapter, that feels a bit disjointed with the rest of the narrative and its intent to unnecessarily humanize Glory and give her a "happy ending" was a bit uncomfortable.

Ross Campbell's art is beautiful. His bulky Glory and delicate Riley are almost like the extremities of  the continuum of his character design, some cool looking monsters and good storytelling made him the star of this book.

Again, some good coloring, its subtlety can only be understood when we reach the penultimate chapter of the book when the characters enter the battlefieldand the color pallete changes drastically and with it the importance of that moment.

If you like over-the-top, fast-paced, action-packed, ultra-violent (and other hyphenated adjectives) manga/comic/life, this is your book.

July 20, 2014

"The Earth abides."

HINTERKIND VOL. 1: THE WAKING WORLD
Ian Edginton & Francesco Trifogli
Vertigo Comics, 2014
144 pages, cmyk, digital

Post-apocalyptic futures abound. We're used to see them everywhere , on tv, books or movies. We're just not used to them like the one portraited in "Hinterkind".
The human race is on the verge of extinction, cities have reverted to a more primitive landscape with vegetation overcoming everything and wild animais are roaming free.
All because of the Blight, the event that changed the world. And, once again, it's all our fault.
After her grandfather's own departure to investigate strange happenings outside Manhattan, Prosper Monday decides to leave her community with her friend Angus. Angus' recently discovered physical changes (not talking about puberty, people, Angus has - wait for it... - a long furless tail) have him fearing ostracization or worse and leaving seems to be the only choice. When they encounter a Troll on their journey, things take a turn for the worse.
What began as a standard post-apocalyptic trope his suddenly turned on its head with the introduction of creatures from a completely different genre. "Hinterkind" is precisely about that, being able to surprise the reader with a couple of curveballs that twart his/her expectations.
It's a very well paced comic, taking its time to build up tension and mistery (you could argue that this story probably works better as an ongoing monthly title than as a collection) , working well as the introductory text for what will surely be an epic journey. The characters are well developed and diverse, and somewhat familiar while subverting old-school conventions.
Francesco Trifogli and Chris Peter's art isn't flashy but is very funcional and does its job really well. I still feel that Trifogli could improve on his facial expressions that sometimes don't convey the subtlety of feeling that the words need (an example is when head councilman Ross is confronted by his wife with the sugestion of sending his presumed mistress to accompany Asa on his trip).
Something that clashes a bit with the naturally rough artwork is the lettering, that, at times, most noticeably the sound effects, is almost plastic in appearance.
The book has a "young adult" feel about it, maybe because of the similiarities between the Prosper and another recent favorite protagonist. Which isn't in anyway a bad thing.
So, this is a great start to Vertigo's new series with enough mistery and ingenuity to have left me wanting to read more of it.

If you like sci-fantasy books with a secret to uncover, this is your book.

July 18, 2014

"Great, a fake."

BLACK CANNARY AND ZATANNA: BLOODSPELL
Paul Dini, Joe Quinones & Dave McCaig
DC Comics, 2014
144 pages, cmyk, digital

This is going to be a hard one for me. I hope I'm wrong about this book, since people seem to have enjoyed it, but it was a seriously disappointing read.

Paul Dini is one of the people responsible for the very cool "Batman: The Animated Series" and co-created (with Bruce Timm) impish crazy lady, Harley Quinn. He is also the writer of this book and apparently was off his game when he wrote it.

Well, "Bloodspell" is a story about a spirit that returns from the dead to take revenge on her partners in crime after, when she betrayed them during a casino robbery, the tables were turned and the super hero Black Cannary caught her on the act. Since the Cannary isn't used to this kind of supernatural stuff, she sought help from her friend, master magician, Zatanna.

It's a pretty straightfoward tale and that is precisely its greatest problem. The lack of subtlety (the villain is named Spettro), with very obvious hints to the reader (a full page where Zatanna explains the dangers of being turned into an animal) and a few inconsistencies in plot (I'm not even going to discuss how the bad girl was defeated or why she decided to die after she escaped. Zatanna turns jerks into fishes and says that the effect will last an hour but later in the book she has to dispel the same, well, spell. Oh, and jetpack!) made this a hard read.

Some of the dialogue seemed stunted and clichéd, the humor relied too much on cheap jokes about female physical attributes and other female stereotypes (Black Cannary and the Green Arrow's bed scene and Black Cannary and Zatanna's shopping spree).

There is something that always annoyed me about Zatanna, her deus ex machina powers (by the way nice use of sign language by Dini) are almost limitless and she is clearly playing that part in the book's resolution.
The best thing about the book is the duo protagonists' relationship, they interact naturaly and the recapitulation of their previous encounters, a review of the characters' shared history and a look at the DCU, was very well executed.

Joe Quinone's art is beautiful, although there are some storytelling issues that can be easily ignored and I always have this feeling that he's trying that his characters resemble someone (Cannary reminds me of Elisha Cuthbert and see if you can find him in there), which can be a little distracting. Dave McCaig's colors are vibrant and extremely appropriate for a super hero book. 

In conclusion, "Bloodspell" is an all around pretty book but that can only go so far.

If you like pretty books and can withstand a less than subtle narrative, this is your book.

P.s.: Joe Quinones, you should have gone with the levitation cover, it looked awesome.

July 17, 2014

"Death rides on the wind!"

PRETTY DEADLY, VOL.1: THE SHRIKE
Kelly Sue DeConnick, Emma Ríos, Jordie Bellaire & Clayton Cowles
Image Comics, 2014
120 pages, cmyk, digital

Can love triumph over death? Apparently not, according to Kelly Sue DeConnick, Emma Ríos and Jordie Bellaire's Pretty Deadly. 

Pretty Deadly is an unorthodox story about love and loss, a mix between fairytale and western.

The book begins with "Bunny" and "Butterfly", two animals (Bunny is an animated skeleton) that are our narrators. They are about to tell us a story.

So, Ginny is the daughter of Death and a woman whose beauty - more precisely, the stupidity and covetousness of men - was her downfall. We learn about her through Sissy, a young girl with different colored eyes that is being hunted down by unknown forces for unknown reasons. She is the companion of Fox, a blind man who protects her from said forces.

Eventually, things unravel, each character plays its part and the story ends. I may be oversimplifying it but, essentially that is it.

Simple things can be multilayered and nuanced, DeConnick is a good writer and has a great grasp on dialogue. Character development could be better but we have an idea of each of their motivations and roles, more archetypal than one-dimensional.
Alegory is very strong in the book, "Bunny" and "Butterfly" are the better example of it, their real identity is unveiled at the end of the book but still leaving some mistery to it.

Plotwise I feel that the story could have been stretched out a bit more, building up more tension, making the ending feel a bit less rushed and more satisfying.
Emma Ríos' is the only penciler for this book, her long, thin but strong lines bring the right feeling to the action and characters. The only negative aspect that I can point out has to do with the smaller panels in the fighting scenes, that are there to give more detail but end up cluttering the image, making it harder to follow.
Jordie Bellaire's colors are what they always are: an essential part of the reading experience. As I have said before, colorists are on the rise and it's amazing to see that they can change their style depending on the theme and feeling of a book.
When this book was first published as a "floppy", there was some controversy, supposedly because of the almost entirely female creative team but mainly because of the stupidity and covetousness of men.
If you like hard hitting tales with strong female characters, this is your book.

15 de Julho de 2014

July 14, 2014

"You might be a dimensionaut after all."

BLACK SCIENCE, VOL. 1: HOW TO FALL FOREVER
Rick Remender, Matteo Scalera & Dean White
Image Comics, 2014
152 pages, cmyk, digital

If we could explore every possible outcome of our choices, would we be content?
One of the things that makes us humans is our infinite capacity for remorse and how we make a wrong option a focal point of our lifes. On the other hand, living without regret, taking a chance and making it work are our most rewarding moments. Carpe diem and all that.
Black Science is the path to our most ideal objectives: the cure for disease, war and even death. But Black Science (a pun on black magic), is achieving our goals ignoring its very bleak consequences.
That is one of the themes of Rick Remender, Matteo Scalera and Dean White's "Black Science", a fast-paced sci-fi action adventure about a group of individuals that inadvertently end up jumping from layer to layer of "The Onion", "the Eververse" or as we, humble comic nerds know it, the multiverse.
The Onion is actually a cool concept: the first choice created different realities and each subsequent ramification originated infinite variations of the same world. The rest is, basically, pseudo-scientific babble.
This comic is actually, in a way, trying to mimic that multilayered disposition. Apart from its main theme, about the consequences of technology, personal and otherwise, it is about a man's options. That man is genius, rebel and long time adulterer, Grant Mackay. Mackay ends up dragging his children, friends, colleagues and rivals to an apparent one-way trip round the Onion.
Remender is fast on track to becoming one of my favorite comic book writers. Although not a new idea (what comes to my mind is the tv show Sliders, which had basically the same main concept), Remender hits the ground running and doesn't stop for (the reader's) breath. You're quickly introduced to the main cast and their role on the overarching narrative - that doesn't mean that role won't change later - and there is a clear and empathetic goal: returning home.
Matteo Scalera's art is great. He can easily navigate through the different worlds and creatures and give them the solidity and coherence needed for this kind of story. Everything is possible and nothing is gaping contrast.
What I am particularly enjoying in comics nowadays is the part the colorist is gradually but firmly conquering. Dean White's colors are amazing and are an extra, ahem, layer to the artwork. And his name is on the cover!
If you like action-packed, sci-fi blockbusters, this is your book.

July 13, 2014

"So were to now?"

HELLBOY IN HELL, Vol. 1: THE DESCENT
Mike Mignola & Dave Stewart
Dark Horse Comics, 2014
152 pages, cmyk, digital

Hellboy returns home and if you've been reading this comic for the past 20 years, you have a pretty good idea of where that is.

But in case you haven't been reading this comic, here's the skinny: Hellboy is an aptly named demon that happens to be a paranormal investigator and the one who will be responsible for bringing about the End of Times. He doesn't much care about it and abandons his destiny in favour of a normal life, well, as much as it can be when you're a red-skinned dude with a disproportionate right hand made of rock that happens to be the Key to the Apocalypse.

After falling in battle in one of his most recent adventures - spoilers, he dies - Hellboy finds himself in Hell and not everything is as expected.

In 1999, I bought my first Hellboy comic: "Despierta al Demonio", the collected spanish version of "Wake the Devil". What immediately caught my attention was the art. Mike Mignola, the creator of Hellboy, is an amazing penciler and inker and his striking blacks and monster design (I dare say, only second to the "King", Jack Kirby) were the main reasons why I picked up the comic.

What kept me coming back was the stories. Mignola's love for all kinds of myths and folklore, his ability to inject them into the character's adventures and to weave a fairly consistent and interesting narrative is the other major selling point of Hellboy.

Concerning "Hellboy in Hell", Mignola mantains his high standard as an artist and storyteller, helping him out is the understatedly efective coloring of Dave Stewart. Storywise, we have the usual romp, a few not so subtle references to classic works like "The Christmas Carol" and "Paradise Lost" and the parallels between those and the present narrative. The story moves in a slow pace, accentuating its preliminar nature (it is, after all, the first volume of a longer story). Mignola likes his moments of silent comtemplation and embarking on  his "side quests".
One of the flaws of this comic is precisely the backlog of 20 years of Hellboy. It is, at times, very self-referencial and, although gratifying for loyal readers, even with flashbacks trying to contextualize characters from previous encounters, my concern is that new readers can feel a bit lost. That is the problem of having an universe to explore and a growing handicap of present day comics.
If you enjoy long narratives with a Lovecraftian feel and incredible art, this is your book.

12 de Julho de 2014

July 12, 2014

"NetGalley is a service to promote titles to professional readers of influence. If you are a reviewer, blogger, journalist, librarian, bookseller, educator, or in the media, you can use NetGalley for FREE to request, read and provide feedback about forthcoming titles. Your feedback and recommendations are essential to publishers and readers alike."

So, here are a few short reviews of books supplied by NetGalley. This week I'll be posting the rest of my "influent" reviews (Hellboy in Hell Vol.1: The Descent; Black Science Vol.1; Pretty Deadly Vol.1; Glory: The Complete Saga; Black Canary and Zatanna: Blodspell and Hinterkind Vol. 1: The Waking World).

LOCKE & KEY, VOL. 6: ALPHA & OMEGA

Joe Hill & Gabriel Rodriguez

IDW Publishing, 2014

192 pages, cmyk, digital

This final chapter of Locke and Key brings closure. Usually when a story ends, the reader can be left with a sense of sadness and disappointment. This final volume is the culmination of Joe Hill's overarching story about the Locke family and their particular relationship with a set of keys that endow their owners with special abilities. There's a catch, they don't work for adults and when you reach adulthood you forget everything you knew about those gifts. Quite the nifty metaphor about innocence. 

Put aside the usual struggle between good and evil and this would still be a good story. Why? Because of its characters and their capacity for growth. Because the reader has learned to understand them and what motivates them. Good or evil, each character has their unique voice.

Gabriel Rodriguez's art was an acquired taste but most of the things you love are actually like that. Solid and competent, Rodriguez's gift for storytelling and character design shines through each of these books. 

If you want to read a book about people who just happen to have their lives thrown into desarray by circumstances bigger than themselves, this is the book for you. Plus, there are monsters and crazy action, all the small things I personally enjoy.

P.s.:Shame on you, Hollywood, for not making the tv series! It was everyone's loss.

PROPHET, VOL. 3: EMPIRE
Brandon Graham et al.
Image Comics, 2014
128 pages, cmyk, digital

The third volume of Prophet collects numbers 32 and 34 to 38 of the regular comic book series. 

In this version of Prophet there is a clear distancing from the aesthetics of the original series created by Rob Liefeld in the 90s. There is, furthermore, a complete break with the recurring themes of superheroism. This incarnation is now a science fiction comic, reminiscent of classics like Dune and its european counterparts (the works of Jodorowsky and Moebius come to mind) in terms of plot and structure. 

Prophet blossoms with each issue, and in this volume we have a better notion of where the narrative might be going to. Clear factions are established, we learn more about the characters and there is the odd homage to the older version of the series.
The strongest point of the book is its ambience. The third person narration, the small details that are offered to the reader about the various creatures and mechanics of this universe are never done in a boring, straightforward way. A different penciler for different sections of the narrative while avoiding a mangled, mashed up whole. Everything is very organic and fluid. This is a very special book, with a "personality" rarely seen in american comics. I'm buying the next one and you should too.