Kingbeast's Lair

I’m going to start doing shorter reviews for comics and graphic novels where I put more than one review into a single blog post. This is the first of those entries. Since I’m somewhat “anal” I decided to read my current backlog in alphabetical order. Here are the first two up for review! 😀

-== 100 Bullets: The Deluxe Edition – Book 1 ==-

Author: Brian Azzarellow
Artist: Eduardo Risso, with cover by Dave Johnson
Layout: 7.5″ x 11″, 456 pages, hardback, with a color cover and interior.
Publisher: DC Comics / Vertigo
Year Published: 2011

-== What is it? ==-

100 Bullets is a crime drama set in modern times. The story follows the exploits of several mysterious men who apparently work for and/or formerly work for a shadowy organization with some type of secret agenda. Collects the first 19 issues of the comic series that was published starting in 1999. I am reading a copy that I purchased from my friendly local comic book store.

-== What I Like ==-

The stories are told in a series of short two to four issue runs. Each series tells the story of a character who is given an untraceable gun with 100 bullets and detailed information proving that someone who had wrecked their lives in the past is truly at fault. More importantly they are told that they will not be prosecuted for anything that they do with said gun and bullets. There is also a through-line story in 100 Bullets about the people who work for this shadowy organization and why they are doing it. The stories are gripping, pulse racing, and really hit home. This might be some of the best crime story writing for comics that I have ever seen and I have read a lot of it.

The artwork by Risso is not detailed buy carries a sense of purpose and emotion. In some ways it reminds me Bill Willingham and Tim Sale. Strong simple lines that really work to convey the story. I like it.

-== What I Don’t Like ==-

Development of the background story in 100 Bullets can be very slow. Even though I know that is intentional it feels overly done. I want a more significant tidbit every now and again.

-== Summary ==-

Top notch crime drama at its very best. The topic of revenge is a dish best served by 100 Bullets.

I give it 9 out of 10 paws.

Amazon has copies at this URL for $32.04.

-== All-Star Superman ==-

Author: Grant Morrison
Artist: Frank Quitely with digital inking and coloring by Jamie Grant.
Layout: 6 5/8″ x 10 1/8″, 304 pages, softcover, with a color cover and interior.
Publisher: DC Comics
Year Published: 2011

-== What is it? ==-

After saving our sun Superman’s body is overloaded with solar energy. According to scientists Superman has only a short time to live. This trade paperback collects issues 1 through 12 of the series which was published in 2006 through 2008. I am reading a copy that I purchased from my friendly local comic book store.

-== What I Like ==-

This is one of the most original Superman stories that I have read. All-Star Superman really shows the strengths of what makes Superman comics interesting. The Man Of Steel has to deal with telling Lois that he is Clark Kent, that he is alone and alien, the impact it will have on Lex Luthor, and the weight that his powers entail. The dialog is witty, funny, and powerful. This is some great storytelling.

The artwork by Quitely uses thin lines with a lot of detail. The effect is a powerful majestic feel that works great for Superman. The coloring by Grant is beautiful.

-== What I Don’t Like ==-

Each story is pretty short. At times I almost wanted to see it get stretched out a bit. I think as individual comics All-Star Superman may even be a bit more effective than the collected trade paperback.

If you are not a fan of the Superman mythos this book will not be for you. I know that may sound obvious but this book is really about the mythos and Superman only. You won’t find details on master villains or spiffy new characters.

-== Summary ==-

Morrison hit it out of the park with All-Star Superman. This is a great story that is worthy of the title. It deepens Superman and that is an achievement.

I give it 8 out of 10 paws.

You can get copies on Amazon for $21.19 at this URL.

-== What is it? ==-

Billy Fog And The Gift Of Troubled Sight (Billy Fog)
is a graphic novel that tells the story of a boy who can see things other kids cannot. Billy can see death and decay. The graphic novel was created, written, and illustrated by Guillaume Bianco. It was published by Archaia Press.

This hardcover graphic novel has a color cover. The interior pages are black and white with a few colored panels sprinkled throughout. Billy Fog is 8.5″ x 11.25″ and is 144 pages in length. I am reviewing a print copy that I bought from my local comic shop.

-== What I Like ==-

Billy Fog is a collection of cartoon strips, letters, newspaper articles, poems, stories, monster details, ads, games, and other miscellaneous content. As I read through the book I couldn’t wait to see what would come up next. Amazingly this collection of various content forms a coherent and cogent whole. In this case this vast array of content acts to enforce the gothic mood of the work.

EVERY page in Billy Fog contains some amount of artistic content. For example, in a section with a cartoon script the page number show a strange knife. These “doodles” make every page deliciously time consuming to digest. The back inside cover has a fantastic Ouji board. There is literally no blank page in the entire book.

-== What I Don’t Like ==-

There is some semblance of a main storyline in Billy Fog but because of the varied content it can be hard to follow at times. It can also be a bit twisted in parts depending on the content. Billy Fog is not a book that is intended for younger readers. I think teenagers would love it but younger folks would be confused and maybe grossed out by some of the content.

-== Summary ==-

Billy Fog feels like the offspring of Tim Burton and Edward Gory. It mixes childlike wonder with a strong dose of gothic horror. This is an enchanting romp that will keep you busy trying to examine every page for that tiny bit of content that you missed from the previous reading. For an $18.27 Amazon price tag this is a great deal for a quality product.

I give it 8 out of 10 paws.

Copies of Billy Fog can be picked up at Amazon for $18.27 at this URL.

-== What is it? ==-

The Adventures Of The 19XX (19XX) is a pulp web comic that has been bound and published by it’s creator, writer, and artist Paul Roman Martinez. The collection of web comics are split into two stories called Rise Of The Black Faun and Montezuma 1934. Each story is bound into a separate hardback book. Funding for the books was conducted through a kickstarter.

The 19XX books have color covers and beautiful color interior art. The books are 10.25” x 6.75” and are roughly 130 pages in length. The pages are not numbered so it is a bit hard to calculate the exact length of each book. I am reviewing print copies of 19XX that I bought through the kickstarter.

-== What I Like ==-

The 19XX is a group of elite heroes who travel around the world on a massive zeppelin called the Carpathian. They use their talents to fight evil before the start of World War II. Adventures have some mystical elements that really pump up the storytelling.

The writing for 19XX is top notch. Each storyline is split into several action filled chapters. Tension builds in each chapter until is reaches a climactic finish where the stakes are very high. This is great pulp writing.

The various main characters and people that they meet along the way are dynamic and chock full of pulpy goodness. Some of my favorite 19XX characters include the baseball swinging Penn, The Kid and his intelligent rabbit friend Togo, and Vera the tank driver. Some really memorable villains include the undead Shining Skull, the elder god tainted Demonhand, and the twisted beekeeper Modomnoc. One really neat addition to the stories is the presence of historical figures. The main characters will meet or mention people like Nikola Tesla, Howard Hughes, Freida Khalo, and the ghost of Isambard Brunnel.

The artwork in 19XX is detailed but not cluttered. Focus is put on the characters and the gear/vehicles. Backgrounds are often left empty or lightly rendered. You can tell that the artist took a lot of care when drawing the various vehicles. It really adds a nice touch of authenticity to the stories.

The production quality of the books is wonderful. The front covers for the 19XX books are full color with cloth bindings. The interior pages are bright and vibrant. These are high quality books.

One really fun aspect of the 19XX “franchise” is that you can pickup lots of different products related to the property. From the online store you can get the books, patches, t-shirts, bags, models, and prints. I got some of the patches and they are top quality. Next I think I may get a t-shirt…but which one!!! 😀

-== What I Don’t Like ==-

My only complaint with the storytelling in 19XX is that sometimes the pacing can feel a bit jerky. I think this is because each strip was initially presented as an individual web comic. In my opinion this is more evident in the first book. The second book flows a bit better.

There are a lot of main 19XX characters, villains, and side characters. (See the associated picture with this article. This picture shows the 19XX heroes only.) At times I wanted to hear more about a given character. As part of the kickstarter I also pledged for books called Secret Files. These books contain additional information and stories about some of the characters from the books. These really added to the experience for me. I recommend purchasing these with the main two collections.

-== Summary ==-

The Adventures Of 19XX might be my favorite pulp comic strip and I have read quite a few of them. I’m waiting for the next story to finish so I can buy the third book. Each book has a price point of $19.95 which is VERY reasonable for the quality of the presentation, artwork, and storytelling. If you want high-action stories full of pulpy goodness then look no farther than The Adventures Of 19XX.

I give it 9 out of 10 paws.

You can get copies of the books at this URL for $19.95. Here is a link to the main 19XX site.