Kingbeast's Lair

-== What is it? ==-

Asterios Polyp is a graphic novel that tackles some deep topics through the eyes of its eclectic main character. The book was written and illustrated by David Mazzucchelli and published by Pantheon Books. It was released in 2009.

Asterios Polyp has interior art that is comprised of only yellow, pink, purple, and blue shades. The cover has some black but it is predominately in the same color palette. The book is 10.5” x 8” in size and is 344 pages in length. I am reviewing a hardcover copy that I bought from Lee’s Comics in San Mateo.

-== What I Like ==-

The main story is comprised of deep layered topics which are explored through the life and beliefs of the main character, Asterios Polyp. Some of the major topics covered in the story include fate, death, art, and love. In each case Asterios brings light to these in his own analytically minded fashion.

Asterios Polyp is wonderfully intricate in its simplicity. The story is told through several threads that start and stop at various points in his life. After having described the narrative as jumping around through time you might think that this would make the book hard to read. In fact the narrative is so masterfully crafted that instead it feels fluid and natural.

Everything about the story, artwork, AND physical presentation of Asterios Polyp has meaning. in 344 pages there are no wasted panels. The way the scenes are drawn evokes Asterios’ state of mind at the time. For example, when someone is upset or fearful they may take on a shaky sort of outline. The dust jacket has Asterios Polyp on front cover facing the spine. On the back cover of the jacket is the ghost of his brother staring back across the spine. Also the dust jacket does not cover the front surface of the book. It leaves parts of the cover exposed which allows it to move around in a sort of disconcerting way. For some reason even the ill fitting cover reminded me of Asterios.

Asterios Polyp has many memorable moments which I can vividly recall months after reading it. The initial pages and last few pages are really memorable. These pages hook you into the story, make you read it to the end, then really makes you want to go back and revisit those moments with a reread.

The artwork in Asterios Polyp is comprised of simple lines with little shading but it is executed to perfection. I would stare at the simple lines trying to divulge some deeper meaning. It reminded me of the story…intricate in its simplicity.

-== What I Don’t Like ==-

Maybe my only complaint is that the story can be a bit “heavy” at times. If you want a quick read where you can turn your brain off at the door this is not the book you want to pickup.

-== Summary ==-

With Asterios Polyp David Mazzucchelli weaves a masterful tale that is detailed and utterly unforgettable. I need to give credit where credit is due. I found this graphic novel based on a recommendation from Blair Butler who hosts G4’s Fresh Ink. Here is a link to the video review that tipped me off that Asterios Polyp was something different and great. Boy Blair was right on this one. Please go buy Asterios Polyp and see how graphic novels can tell compelling stories. This might be the best graphic novel that I have ever read. Go buy this sucker right now and read it. When you get done come back here and thank me. 😀

Amazon has Asterios Polyp for sale at this URL for a paltry $19.77.

I give it 10 out of 10 paws.

Summary

Doesn’t everyone love reading about product awards!?! Well at least I do. Thus I decided it was time to start my own yearly awards event. For lack of a better name I will call it the Lair Awards. (If anyone can come up with a better name that would be great…and no…”The Beasties” is out. 😉 )

Here is how the Lair Awards will work. There will be three categories: Best Anime, Best Read, and Best RPG. To be eligible for an award the product must have been reviewed in the last calendar year by me on the blog. There were a TON of great products released last year but if I did not review them they don’t count. Also note that I often review products that are quite old. A product is eligible for an award if I reviewed it in 2010…period…it does not matter when the product was actually released. 😉

NOW…on to the 2010 Lair Awards! 😀

Best Anime – Batman: Gotham Knight

The anime award came down to a two product race between two 10 out of 10 releases with colons in their names…namely Batman: Gotham Knight and Highlander: The Search For Vengeance. Batman: Gotham Knight took the edge with its powerful images, masterful storytelling, and varied art styles. The image of Batman holding a pile of guns staring up out of the sewers from the 5th story, Working Through Pain, is iconic. That single shot will stick with me for quite some time.

Best Read – Pluto

The award for Best Read was the easiest to select. I read and reviewed the fantastic manga called Pluto by Osamu Tezuka and Naoki Urasawa. The storytelling is visionary and the character artwork is detailed, fluid, and real. The robot police office Gesicht is deep and rich. This is one hell of a manga series.

Best RPG – The Esoterror Factbook

This award was by far the hardest to select. Four products tied this year with 9 out of 10 reviews. I gave 9 out of 10 reviews to Savage Worlds: Explorer’s Edition, The Ghostbusters RPG, Busytown: Eye Found It!, and the The Esoterror Factbook. I went back and reread the reviews, thought about the products, then decided that the The Esoterror Factbook supplement was slightly ahead of the rest. That’s right…a supplement is taking the award. I think reason this product gets the nod is due to the fact that it does what every game supplement tries to do…it tries to make the product it is supporting better. The Esoterror Factbook does that in so many ways. As I mentioned in the Summary at the end of the review, “If you are going to buy The Esoterrorists save your money until you can both the main rulebook AND this one.”

That wraps up the 2010 Lair Awards! See ya next year! 😀

-== What is it? ==-

Mezolith is the story of a Stone Age boy named Poika and his journey to manhood. The story was written by Ben Haggarty and the art was done by Adam Brockbank. Haggarty is known as a master storyteller in England. Brockbank has experience doing story board work on films. He is best know for his work on the Harry Potter movies. Mezolith was released in hardcover form in 2010 by David Fickling Books.

The book has a color cover and interior. Mezolith is 8.5? x 12? and is 95 pages in length. One page is an advertisement for other products from the publisher. I am reviewing a hardcover copy that I bought online.

-== What I Like ==-

The story in Mezolith is rich and powerful yet still tender. Poika becomes an adult and an active member of his tribe through various encounters that are both enchanting and terrifying. Like all good coming of age stories there are ups and downs.

There are some mystical elements which are sometimes scary but they really just serve as gravy for the meaty story. On the back cover of Mezolith it is billed as “Stone Age Horror” but I really think the horror elements are not the focus. There is little to no bloodshed but there is some violence. I think it would be fine to read to children ages 10 and up.

The artwork is superb. The use of color is particularly well done. Brockbank uses colors to shows shadows in background instead of having them in stark black and white. The entire color pallet is muted and similar on a page which gives the user a feeling of reading a cave painting. Mezolith is flat out beautiful and the large 8.5″ x 12″ format really allows it to show.

-== What I Don’t Like ==-

For some the story might be too slow and simplistic. Personally I liked the pacing and detail of Mezolith but others may not.

Even though the interior artwork is so special the cover is just fair. It does not have the same impact as the internal material.

It can be difficult to find copies of the book. You can pick up a copy through Amazon resellers (see the link below). If you have trouble try the David Fickling Books site at this URL. Copies are available at the Random House Books UK store at this URL for ?8.99.

-== Summary ==-

Mezolith is one of the best graphic novels I have read in a very long time. Alex Shiekman recommended this one to me and it does not disappoint. (Got anymore like this one Alex? 🙂 My gosh…great stuff.) I’m even investigating other books from David Fickling Books based on the strength of this single title. 😉

You can pickup a copy from Amazon resellers at this link. Prices start at a low of $12.60.

I give it 9 out of 10 paws.