Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Graphic Novel Mini-reviews


The Sandman: Seasons of Mists (Volume 4)
by Neil Gaiman

Synopsis: Lucifer has grown tired of being the lord of Hell. He kicks out the demons and the damned alike, closes up shop, and gives the key tp Hell to Morpheus. Beings from all the world's mythologies converge on the lord of Dream to seize this instrument of power.

My Thoughts: I've slowly been making my way through The Sandman series for the last year or so, and this is perhaps my favourite. Not surprisingly, Neil Gaiman weaves an incredible story but it's the inclusion of gods, deities and mythical beings in this story that I really loved. The interactions between them, the unique perspectives provided, the jokes...it was what made American Gods amazing, and it's what sets this volume apart from the previous three. I can't wait to get my hands on the next one!


Locke and Key (Volumes 1-3)
By Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez

Synopsis: Keyhouse is an unlikely New England mansion, with fantastic doors that transform all who dare to walk through them.... and home to a hate-filled and relentless creature.

My Thoughts: Tom bought the first volume purely out of curiosity as to how Stephen King's son would perform as a writer. We bought the next two because they're really freaking awesome! The story is more fantasy than horror (for those of you wondering) and along with the exciting discovery of a series of keys which do weird and wonderful things, it delves into the different ways a family grieves for the shock loss of their beloved father and husband. There are some corny little references (for instance the town the live in is called Lovecraft) but it's a great series and I can't wait to finish it.


Neonomicon
By Alan Moore and Jacen Burrows

Synopsis: Brears and Lamper, two young and cocky FBI agents, investigate a fresh series of ritual murders somehow tied to the final undercover assignment of Aldo Sax –the once golden boy of the Bureau, now a convicted killer and inmate of a maximum security prison. From their interrogation of Sax (where he spoke exclusively in inhuman tongues) to a related drug raid on a seedy rock club rife with arcane symbols and otherworldly lyrics, they suspect that they are on the trail of something awful… but nothing can prepare them for the creeping insanity and unspeakable terrors they will face in the small harbor town of Innsmouth.

My Thoughts: An interesting story, but not for anyone who is put off by heavy sexual scenes or images! Lovecraft was one of the most repressed men to ever exist, and this graphic novel basically brings to light all the supressed sexual imagery that existed in his horror novels. Not a perfect story, but pretty good nonetheless.


Unwritten: Tommy Taylor and the Bogus Identity (Volume 1)
By Mike Carey and Peter Gross

Synopsis: Tom Taylor's life was screwed from go. His father created the Tommy Taylor fantasy series, boy-wizard novels with popularity on par with Harry Potter. The problem is Dad modeled the fictional epic so closely to Tom's real life that fans are constantly comparing him to his counterpart, turning him into the lamest variety of Z-level celebrity. When an enormous scandal reveals that Tom might really be a boy-wizard made flesh, Tom comes into contact with a very mysterious, very deadly group that's secretly kept tabs on him all his life.

My Thoughts: This. Is. The. Greatest. What if you grew up loving Harry Potter only to find out you were Harry Potter? Essentially that's what this story is, plus a rich greater story that involves literary clues from across the years and world. It's part story within a story, part fantasy, part mystery, part 'get out of my head and stop watching my dreams'!! Give it a go guys, seriously!

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