Still brilliant

A friend told me that this was being made into a movie (in fact had been made and was in post-production with a release date in 2009) and got me thinking it was about time I reread it. After all, the last time I'd read this Rick Astley was in the charts. So I got hold of a copy and plunged back into Moore & Gibson's parallel universe. <br /><br />I suppose the first thing that struck me was how much I remembered, even though it's 20 years since I read it. I recalled the Black Freighter story, the personal mythology of the masked characters and some of the striking imagery. But there were new insights and discoveries, too.<br /><br />I began to appreciate the symmetry of the artwork, evident throughout the book but, for me, most striking in Episode 11 which begins and ends with a plain white frame that evokes very powerful emotions. I really appreciated the skill required to draw together the incredibly dense narrative in which a complex series of flashbacks / forwards are incorporated without confusing the plot. The truly cinematic sweep of the artwork that seems paradoxically artless and exquisite at the same time.<br /><br />A fantastic book, then, that retains its power and imaginative verge. I imagine that the screenwriters have gone one of two ways with it...set it in the 1980s where, as a sort of period drama, things like an arms war between America and Russia seems plausible. Or update it to the new century and incorporate more contemporary world events.<br />

Don't go

Recently Natsuki Takaya has dealt with the relationships of some of the supporting characters... and now it's back to the main trio.<br /><br />And the nineteenth volume of"Fruits Basket" focuses on Tohru's growing feelings for Kyo, even as she struggles to free him from his curse -- and the scorn of the other zodiac members. Though there are some funny moments (mostly from the wonderfully wacky Ayame) growing romantic feelings and past regrets are littered all through these chapters.<br /><br />Heartfelt talks take up a lot of space -- when Shigure tells Tohru about the approaching"last banquet" and the cat's place, she is left struggling with her torn feelings. Kyo has a chat with her kindly grandfather about Tohru, and remembers his own talk with her dead mother. And Shigure has a soul-baring talk with Hatori about the increasingly reclusive Akito, and just what he wants from her.<br /><br />But the romantic tension growing between Kyo and Tohru are stifling Yuki, so he goes shopping out on the town, and eventually ends up visiting his brother. While the brothers talk, Yuki stirs up memories of the first time Ayame realized that his careless words could hurt people. But he isn't the only one -- amid the usual school council hijinks, Yuki finds out about a past conflict between Kakeru and Tohru...<br /><br />In the grand scheme of things, not much actually happens in this volume -- it's mostly about the characters and their feelings.<br /><br />Don't worry. It's not boring, especially since Takaya continues to weave in some darker threads about Kyo's bleak past and future, and his half-hidden regrets about Kyoko. And she lets readers have a look at how the characters are changing as they approach adulthood (Momiji has become the new"prince"). There's a bittersweet flavour even to the lighter chapters, since everything around them is changing so quickly.<br /><br />But don't worry -- despite the darker moments, we still get lots of comic relief like Kyo bashing his head against the wall in exaggerated shame. And there are some deeply romantic moments, like a beautiful flashback to the start of Ayame's relationship with Mine. These moments are exquisitely beautiful without having to be too obvious, and Takaya's delicate artwork only adds to the feeling.<br /><br />But the biggest romantic moments come for Tohru and Kyo. Tohru's inner struggles are further revealed, since she turns out to have some conflicting feelings about her parents and Kyo. And Kyo shows that he's grown out of the angry, self-loathing cat-boy he used to be, while Yuki has become more patient with his brother, and very sweet and loving toward his new girlfriend.<br /><br />And Takaya doesn't neglect the other characters -- Kakeru turns out to be a romantic, Ayame definitely isn't gay, and Momiji has some secret romantic feelings. And Shigure's darker side casts a shadow over the first half of this manga.<br /><br />The nineteenth volume of"Fruits Basket" explores the changing feelings of the characters, even as it inches toward the end. A really stellar, polished little manga.

Just fantastic

I can't add much. Just fantasic. The Miller artwork is quirky, chunky and a delight throughout. I LOVE the female Robin, rendered so human, right down to her slightly buck-teeth. The Whole 4 act structure works deliciously, with a great crisis in each act, and Superman is rendered with such dignity. A whipping boy of the right, yes, but meaning well, meaning so well. It's tragic. Never has Bruce Wayne/Batman seemed so like a supervillain and the idea that his psychosis birthed the supervillain concept in the first place is a convincing one. This is a contender for the best comic book ever, jostling with From Hell, Top Ten and Watchmen. The art places it way above Watchmen, even as it doesn't have quite as much to say. Marvellous in every way. (Should that be DC-ous?)

What a relief!

I bought this on a whim, not being a comic book fan in general, but because I loved the TV series and was dissapointed when it was cancelled.<br /><br />When I heard that Joss Whedon was doing series 8 of the show in comic form, I was apprehensive but wanted to give it a go.<br /><br />I really enjoyed it and am looking forward to volume 2"No future for you", due out in June 2008. Hopefully Amazon will stock this as well.<br /><br />If you liked Buffy on TV, then give it a go!

Watch(bat)man Redux

The team of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbon, who combined to hit a grand slam with the now seminal graphic novel, Watchman, regrouped shortly after that and produced this examination of Batman. It’s shorter, but that’s the only real negative here. Moore’s take on the Joker emphasizes the cruel nature of the character, and he includes a plot development here, which some of the other reviewers give away but I can’t let myself do, that is shocking in how it affects characters.

When I glance at a page of Gibbon art, I’m never that interested in it. It lacks the flash and smoothness of fan-favorites like McFarlane. But it is art that works in conjunction with the text to truly propel the story, and that’s what a graphic work is supposed to do.

More Important Than Mickey

I cannot be the only person who had become jaded by Hollywood's over use of the"Holocaust" button as a short circuit to character depth and motivation. Then I read this and was moved much more than all those movies and TV dramas could ever manage. <br /><br />As has been said elsewhere, overcome your reluctance to read and comic book/graphic novel and this book rewards with lifelong meaning and resonance. Clever, funny and desperately sad all at once. <br />

A good introduction to the Iron Man World

This is one of the best Iron Man stories to date, in my opinion. The Writing is excellent and the images are just beautiful. This book will give you a good foundation and will allow you to read any iron man story and know the basics.<br /><br />It covers the origin story of Iron Man in a clear precise way, yet is still interesting if you already know it. The book brings up various issues with Tony Stark, and his guilt of being an arms dealer.<br /><br />A must buy for anyone who likes Iron Man or wants ti get involved.

An all 'comic book' style Captain Underpants story

Similar in vein to the other Captain Underpants books in terms of humour, content and storyline. This book has far less 'real' action though, as the whole book is the two naughty boy's comic of super diaper baby's adventures (for reasons explained in the plot). Most of the pages are therefore the roughly drawn illustrations imitating a Primary Schoolboy's attempt to draw a complete comic. Still very fun though and recommended. Actually 'Diaper Baby' isn't Capt. Underpant's son, as if it matters. Highly recommended for any preteen boys (it's best read after the first five original books though - which are now available as a cheap boxed collection). Very sensitive adults might find this books potty humour plotline a tiny bit gross though, as it's a little bit more graphic than a 'normal' Capt Underpants book.

Sexual content involving children.

Lost Girls has come under fire from critics who have argued that the book displays controversial sexual content involving children - before you buy this book I think the reader should be aware of this and make a judgement as to whether they really wish to read such things (I was unaware of this).<br />Yes, the writing is very clever as each of the girls 'speak' in a different dialect. Also, the art reflects the original stories of Alice (as in 'Wonderland'), Dorothy (from 'Wizard of Oz') and Wendy (from Peter Pan). I had a hard time understanding why someone would wish to pollute and denigrate children's classics by having older versions of these characters describe their first sexual experiences (of which Dorothy's involves her father...although this bit I have only gleaned from Wikipedia as I binned this book before finishing it). Apparently, Moore has said that he is trying to move sexual literature away from the"disreputable, seamy, under-the-counter genre with absolutely no standards: [the pornography industry]". I don't think he has achieved this and I think Moore is falling into the disreputable and seamy category himself...albeit 'over-the-counter'. Ultimately, please be the judge for yourself - I was quite shocked by the book and wanted to make sure anyone buying this is well aware of its content.<br />Amazon states that this graphic novel displays"...ecstatic writing and art in a sublime union that only the medium of comics can achieve". In a way this is true but only so far that the art carries the story - I would like to see Moore write an actual novel and see if his words alone can convey the message he says he is trying to convey. Moore has no love for the comic book/graphic novel genre, only a cold and calculated mixing of ingredients the writer knows his fans like.

heroes the untold story

Heroes is the latest smash hit everyone's talking about american tv show, in which ordinary people suddenly find they have special powers. Whilst you might be able to pick up on the story from this if you've not seen the show I would recommend you go to the dvd for heroes season one reviews instead. Not least because the stories in this collection fill in a lot of untold information from the show, and you'll get more out of it if you've seen the programme.<br /><br />Anyway, this collects online comic strips published whilst the first season was broadcast. There are roughly thirty four of them, all about five to six pages long, and they tell stories involving the characters and plots from the show. Some fill in things we didn't get to see on screen, like what hiro did when he first came back to tokyo after seeing the bomb go off, jessica and dl's crew on the safe cracking job, dl escaping from prison, and how future peter and niki got together. <br /><br />Other stories fill in the past of hana, the mysterious lady who was seen in one episode and who can see e mails in her head, and what her past is and what she did next. <br /><br />There's also another tale that tells you of the first connection between the linderman and petrelli families. <br /><br />All stories begin with a comic style cover, and the art in each is different, but all of the visuals are pretty good.<br /><br />the book runs to 234 pages in total, has an introduction by masi oka who plays hiro on screen, and an interview at the back with the writers of the comics.<br /><br />It's a good sturdy and well bound hardback volume, and has a splendid painted cover on the dust jacket. Well worth a read if you're a fan.

amazing

Won't give away anything here but I loved the entire series of this manga (and the anime) and this last volume keeps you gripped all the way through its so awesome. You really don't until the end who's going to win, and it really depends who's side you're on as to whether you'll like the end or not. <br />Anyway who hasn't got into to Death Note yet should, I've never read a manga that's affected me so much (it's been three days since I finished and I'm still thinking about the ending!.

Awesome Stuff

Garth Ennis at his brilliant best. Guts, Gut laughs and simon pegg. If you liked"the preacher" you will love this. A clever and interesting take on the superhero genre with plenty of deep dark humour. Wholeheartedly reccomended! I cannot wait for the next installment! This reeks of quality!

Collision of comic worlds

I have to say that I was of the opinion that this was more of the same as the first volume (which I enjoyed) but nothing special (and rather a lot of pages devoted to rumpy-pumpy). Then I got to the section where Quatermain and Mina meet Moreau's creatures and I found turning the page a real, actual shock - one of those occasions where the brain has to turn itself through several revolutions in order to get the pieces to fit, eventually laughing out loud. I won't say more than that as it would spoil it for others, but I thought it a brilliant bit of invention.<br />

More like Hulkling

When I first saw this was coming out I thought wow, the Hulk is coming back to Earth and he is gonna go nuts and have a massive fight with the Illuminati( Ironman, Dr Strange, Black Bolt, Professor X and Namor). I never read Planet Hulk, but I got the general idea of it from reading Illuminati. <br />The first couple of issues of World War Hulk were good, but by the third it had slowed down and didn't really seem to be going anywhere. The artwork by John Romita jr is alright, but its not his best work and lets the book down abit. <br />The World War Hulk tie-ins in my opion were alot better than the main book...<br />Overall this book is alright if like the Hulk, the army and one of Marvel's most power heroes going toe to toe, but if you want to read a good story that doesn't seem to just disappear half way through the book, I recomment Civil War.

This book is great.

I am student studing all types of animation. This book has lived with me for the last 3 years by my side and will continue through the rest of my life as my animation bible. It teaches you so much about how to do animation and the principles behind it. I've never found a better animation book suitable for the beginner and the expert.

England Prevails!

The film version of 'V For Vendetta' in all honesty, wasn't half bad. That said, it still isn't a patch on the graphic novel. Alan Moore's skewered take on a future totalitarian England is by some distance the most relevant and terrifying comic/graphic novel i've ever read. A creepy meditation on the loss of identity, freedom and personal liberties, this should be mentioned in the same breath as Moore's equally brilliant 'Watchmen'.<br /><br />'V', an enigmatic terrorist with a smiley facemask and unnervingly pleasant demeanor, saves a young girl from certain death and plots to blow up London with his young protege. In a series of increasingly disturbing flashbacks, we slowly come to understand his motivation, and find ourselves in a confusing situation. Nothing is black and white, the good guys are really bad, the bad guys are really good, and you find yourself rooting for a character you should really despise.<br /><br />How messed up is that? It's hard to believe that this was written 20 years ago. Corporation's controlling everything. Terrorist's plotting against the faceless powers-that-be. Just look out your door and you'll find the world of 'V For Vendetta'. That horrible feeling of being watched, and a world slowly collapsing into oppression, the novel seems to be getting to close for comfort. <br /><br />And with David Lloyd's dingy, saturated art work, the atmosphere of 'V For Vendetta' is second to none. The worst bit about the novel is knowing that it will have to end. But that only means you'll have to read it again, which is no bad thing.<br /><br />So if you still don't know who the man in cell number 5 is, it's about time you found out.

I know why I bought this..

..and it wasn't for the story, let me tell you! The story is diabolical, cliqued and completely overdone with some appaling attempts at wit and 'coolness'. So you're thinking..why the 3 star review? Let me tell you. This graphic novel, however short, is presented beautifully. The graphic part of the novel is 5/5. The style is unique, fresh and beautifully illustrated. Each page is filled with such atmosphere and stunning graphics that it's a pleasure to just flick through it.<br /><br />In conclusion, don't buy this because you expect a fantastic story, it really doesn't fulfill it. But if you're an artist yourself, or just fancy looking at a brilliantly presented graphic novel to add to your collection then this is it.