For all those owned by cats!

All those who have ever been owned by a cat will love picking up this book - there is a smile on every page.

Good, gory, silly fun

Strangely enough, Mark Millar stated that this tale would show the real-world story of young superheroes fitting into our very own world. However, this amusing tale is actually more of an early Cohen Brothers/Kill Bill kind of thing as it is so hyper-gory and somewhat absurd that, on the whole, it feels far more panto-esque than some modern, standard superhero fair (for example: Millar's own The Ultimates).<br /><br />But that doesn't mean it's a bad book. No way, no how. I thoroughly enjoyed it and found it quite possibly the best thing that Millar has written, other than his Wolverine: Old Man Logan (another hyper-violent story, so you can see what type of comic tale excites me!).<br /><br />It's a simple enough tale of a teenage comic fan who - finding his normal, superhero-less world far, far more dull than the worlds that are contained within his favourite titles - decides to become a superhero himself. His first foray into the night-time world of crime-fighting ends in disaster and he realises just how much pain a non-superpowered body can feel when he is beaten to a pulp by some young thugs.<br /><br />Undeterred he eventually dons his outfit again and - realising that his exploits have bought him fame and also many imitators out of the closet - finds himself mixed up in a messy, gory and, for the reader, fun adventure.<br /><br />Kick-Ass is not to be taken seriously. It's a light but engaging read and references many elements of the normal comic world, as well as the nature of a comic fan's general love and obsession, which is knowing fun for those of us who read a lot of comics but not too distracting for those who don't.<br /><br />This has been made into a feature film which is out later this year (2010) but I, as a regular lover of the comic medium, would highly recommend a reading of this first. If anything, some of the elements in this book may well be dealt with with a lighter touch in the movie (judging by the trailer), and unless it has an 18 certificate it may not be anywhere near as bloody - which would rob the story, and it's best character - Hit-Girl - of a rather decent edge that makes this book stand out from the usual slew of superhero titles out there.

:0

The best graphic novel iv ever read. Arrived in fantastic time, in the space of a day well packaged and in perfect condition.<br /><br />Heavily recommend this graphic novel to first time Batman readers out their!

Haunting

This haunting graphic novel depicts the Holocaust through the eyes of Art's father, a Polish Jew called Vladek who suffered greatly but survived the concentration camps. Starting with the meeting of his father and his mother, The Complete Maus carries their story through to the end of the horrors, juxtaposed with Art's present-day life and struggle to appease his elderly father while recording his history before it's too late. By using animals to represent groups of people (Nazis are cats, Jews are mice, French are frogs, and so on), the author strengthens his allegory and makes this book into an unforgettable and horrifying piece of art.<br /><br />I hesistated for a few weeks before writing this review. Another review is surely excessive because I've seen tons out there. Still, my thoughts wanted a place, and when it comes down to it, this graphic novel hasn't left me alone yet.<br /><br />Perhaps what's most striking about this particular tale is that Vladek is an ordinary old man. In some way, Holocaust survivors are expected to be supernaturally brave, intelligent, and in essence heroes. They are that, but they are also normal people thrust into the worst situation imaginable and forced to cope or die or both. Vladek has undoubtedly been shaped by his experience but not in the best ways. He hoards food, he hoards money, because his world is still uncertain and he knows what deprivation is like. This irritates everyone around him but the saddest part is that he is so normal. It brings home to us the fact that ordinary people were suffered and died for no reason. Vladek is startlingly like my grandpa and that makes the real story even more horrifying than it would have been without the frame. It reminds us how lucky we are, as does Art's constant struggle with his guilt over his role in his father's life.<br /><br />As I'm sure many others have, I have heard a lot of Holocaust stories over my lifetime. I was taught about it in school, given books about it, and chose on my own to read about it on numerous occasions. That doesn't lessen the impact of this one. Since this one is set in Poland, and there is a lot of running around and hiding before Vladek and Anya are caught, I felt it was a little different than others. The fact that it's a graphic novel also made a difference. Even in cartoon form, seeing the wasted bodies of the mice is upsetting. The few real pictures added just make a huge impact, reminding us that these were real people.<br /><br />Overall, this graphic novel is carefully crafted and deeply moving. I don't want to say something so horrifying is"good", because that is impossible. Rather, its power and stunning capacity to portray humanity and inhumanity through selected text and drawings makes it worth noting, remembering, and reading.

very good

great little book- bit close to the bone sometimes, but still very funny and well done.

A beautiful mix of story and theory

Logicomix is a semi-fictional graphic novel, depicting the logician and philosopher Bertrand Russell's struggle to discover the rigorous logical underpinnings of everything, especially mathematics. The important connections between the human and logical elements are wonderful set up from the start, as Russell is called upon in a lecture at the start of the second world war to explain how logic can answerwhether or not the USA should enter the war.<br /><br />As originally and cleverly explained by the authors in interludes, part of this story is about Russell as a man with an emotionally barren upbringing, the spectre of madness nearby, and many personal and ideological struggles throughout his life. But the other part of this is the theoretical struggle itself, what it means to attempt to axiomatise the world, whether there can be a firm foundation to logic, how it relates to language, to truth, and to the world, and ultimately what the implications are for the catastrophic failure to build a complete logical edifice.<br /><br />Some of these aims may sound dry, but the human element is always present, and magnified by the beautifully drawn colour graphics, so that the book is very readable, even exciting in places. The stories of Russell and other major mathematical figures of the time are told so well, with such delicacy that you can't help but be drawn in. The structure of the book, told mainly in flashback, works brililantly. But above all, the theoretical discussions are both very clear and most importantly almost always intimately connected with the world, that the book is both profound and fascinating. The take-home messages, that knowledge is inherently complex and incomplete, that dogma should be discouraged, and that there is a pathological bravery in famous intellectual giants are brought to life with such finesse that they will echo in my mind for many days to come.

Ok for long term fans

While I applaud Robert Kirkman for changing the status quo a couple of volumes, I have to admit that the new direction isn't captivating me as much. The story and characters are still strong but the series feels like it is coasting while it tries to find a solid new direction. Hopefully the next volume will move the story along and try and regain some of the series momentum. The artwork is as solid as ever though.

once again great going

If you have gotten this far in the series you should already be very familiar with the quality of the writing and the artwork. Nothing in that sense has changed really.<br /><br />Fall of gilead feels more solid than its predecessors, that storyline doesnt jump about so much, even though the plot mainly follows events that you know are going to happen, it does follow major events which really gets things going. You get a lot of the feel of the dark tower here, it is dark and scary and you dont know what is going to happen and who is going to die next.<br /><br />All i can say is i hope the next in line is as good as this one

Ein Volk, Ein Reich, Ein Batman

The Dark Knight Returns was recommended to me by a friend who suggested that without it, there would be no cinema Batman as portrayed by Michael Keaton and Christian Bale (let's leave Val Kilmer and George Clooney aside!)<br /><br />In it, Batman is ageing and bitter, and has suppressed the Dark Knight to live full time as Bruce Wayne. But looking around an increasingly liberal and permissive world, he finds that he cannot stand by and do nothing.<br /><br />Batman is portrayed as the real man, for whom Wayne is a mask, and he is an unapologetic right-wing militant. Whilst I disagree with Miller's portrayal of a liberal world as an inherently wrong one, it is an exemplary study of what drives Bruce Wayne.

In its way, better than Watchmen

I came to V For Vendetta having seen the film first, so I was obviously a late-comer. Maybe this affected my perception of the novel, but I thought it was exceptional.<br /><br />First off, the artwork is distinctive and ecovative of a Britain in decline. It is absolutely perfect for the story, and it's fair to say that it would be a great deal worse off without it.<br /><br />The plot itself requires a suspension of disbelief, as Moore himself notes in the Preface. When he wrote V, he was under the impression that a limited nuclear war would be survivable, something which no longer appears to be the case. However, the same Preface notes that it's all too plausible for the UK to slide into tyranny, and the characters are so well-rounded that it's hard to argue with the realism.<br /><br />Some of the devices that Moore would use in Watchmen are present here, notably This Vicious Caberet, in which a significant section of backstory is fleshed out in a song played by V, presented in full musical notation (remember the newspaper articles and interviews in Watchmen)<br /><br />All in all, a vital addition to any comic collection.

Tragic parallelity that grows on you

I have just been reading Moore for about a year or two, in Sweden we don't see much of his works, or they are out-of-print since long. Anyway I had high hopes for this title to begin with but I can't say that I really began to like it, until I had read about a third of the volume, I could see that it was good, but it was tragical, and sometimes repulsive. But I grew on me, and halfway through I was caught. This is really good litterature.

You can tell that it inspired the Dark Knight.

This book gives the Joker a new goal, to show that everyone in the world is like him. Showing that humanity has no will power what so ever, and that all it takes is one bad day for the sanest man to slip down the road of madness. To prove this he kidnaps respected public figure commissioner Gordon showing him naked pictures of his daughter who the Joker shot in the spine, disabling her. This story is interesting and engaging, provoking thoughts about the human condition. Also to accompany this main plotline is the Joker's back story. A tragic tail of love, and a mans desperate attempts to provide for his family. Another strong point of the book is the Joker constantly pointing out Batman's insanity, and the dialogue between the 2 characters is genius. The relationship between hero and villain is one of the main subjects of book. The fact that Batman effectively creates the Joker adds a nice plot twist. But I could go on for ever about the strong points of the story, so I'll go on to a thing that makes this book a great exception in the graphic novel world. The Artwork. Its brilliant, the combat is well drawn, the characters are given great facial expressions. Also Richard Starkings'es lettering in some panels is masterful. Brian Bolland's art excels brilliance, and Alan Moore proves he is the master is super hero story telling once again.<br /><br />The short story at the end with Bolland as artist and writer is a nicely done as well, with original ideas, and a great character. .

Anti-climax

"Herogasm" is the name of an orgy the supes attend every year when they tell the rest of the world that they're joining forces to fight off a space alien threat far away. They get together on a remote tropical island and it's"Caligula" but more graphic.<br /><br />There's not much more to the story - Homelander's planning something, Vought American continue their plan for world domination, the Boys find some more backstory to their version of 9/11 that wasn't elaborated on in"Good for the Soul". But it's not enough for a full book. <br /><br />I'm not a prude by any stretch but there's far too much gratuitous porn. Supes doing it with hookers, doing drugs, this goes on for pages and pages. If I wanted porn I'd have some, but when I pick up a comic book, especially one as good as this series is, I expect something more, and sadly, this book has none of the interest of the previous 4. <br /><br />John McCrea's not a terrible artist but Darick Robertson is a better one and his presence is definitely missed in this book. Hopefully the hints set up in"Herogasm" will make for a much more interesting 6th book. This book is definitely missable and adds nothing to the overall story arch of this series.

Lots of lovely words

If you love swearing as much as I do, then this is the book for you. I bought it for my husband for Christmas, but mainly because I wanted to read it. Yes, the Magna Farta is now available in a handy pocket size; useful for if you need to keep it with you, for ready reference of any fruity phrases or striking examples of swearing. I'm an English teacher and I give it my full approval, so it must be good.

Thrill-Power Cannot Be Restricted!

I got my copy this morning. Dok! WHAT A COLLECTION!<br /><br />It's a relatively slim volume, but it is heavy so I knew it had to feature gloss paper, which means SOME full colour content.<br /><br />There is a surprisingly huge selection of stories inside, all one-shots from various early annuals, Sci-Fi Specials (and even the John Byrne 'Block Out' future sport story). The sub-heading on the front cover reads:"2000AD Annuals & Specials, Year: 2099 -2106"<br /><br />Reproduction is generally good. Oddly, some of the reprints seem to be heavy on the black ink, but the text in the speech balloons looks sharp.<br /><br />In my opinion, this is the finest Judge Dredd reprint collection published to date, for the sheer variety of artists and types of stories featured. The Judge Dredd comic strip's rapid evolution is well chartered, from his gung-ho trigger-happy phase to the evenly paced (but no less exciting) samples from 2000AD's Golden Age. <br /><br />If it was the festive season, I would wholly recommend it as the ideal stocking filler for the 2000AD fan (or devotee of Great British comics) in your life. Whatever the time of year, make today a Dredd-ful day with JUDGE DREDD: THE RESTRICTED FILES 01!

Welcome to Asylum

Morrison takes us into the Asylum where the inmates have taken control, stylishly written and accompanied by McKean's mesmorising artwork makes this one of the most grown up GN's to be released. A definite acompanyment to the also brilliant video game to see how it origionly was.

Big Bloody and Beautiful!

This is one amazing book! Over 1000 pages of engrossing zombie apocalypse, with characters you actually care about! Highly recommended, whether you are a comic book fan or not (this is only the 3rd comic book I have ever read). If you're a fan of all things zombie, you will absolutely love it!

Slightly disappointing

The artwork in this series is of variable quality. Not a problem you think until they reveal a character who has turned up with a picture alone and I can't recognise who it is meant to be!