I like Warren Ellis' writing and I like Ben Templesmith's art so when my husband added Fell Volume 1: Feral City to my pile (that doesn't actually seem to be shrinking thanks to books he thinks I need to read right now) I figured I'd enjoy it. I was actually a little disappointed. Ellis seemed to be falling into something of a stereotypical cop story.
The stereotypes may be a little bit augmented by the weird but they're still stereotypes. Fell is a broken down detective who's too perceptive for his own good, Mayko is the sardonic barkeep that he tells all his troubles to, the lieutenant is just trying to make it to retirement and the secretary's husband has just left her. Sure, Fell doesn't exactly go into why he can't cross the bridge out of Snowtown, Mayko cuts herself, the lieutenant's on anti-depressants and the secretary's husband left her for the dog but it's not the sort of weirdness I expect from Ellis and Templesmith.
I will say that the story got better as it went along. Fell and Mayko are getting better developed and there's actually some long term story telling at work. The actual cases that Fell works were interesting to me (law and order junkie that I am) and the final story was the strongest. It let the pictures do the work as it was told through photos that Fell had taken of his night's work.
If Jason picks up the next volume, I'll probably read it but for me it was mostly just OK, so I'm going to give it a 3.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Sunday, April 20, 2008
The Twilight Watch
The third in the Watch trilogy, The Twilight Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko moves beyond the morals between Light and Dark and into the morals of individual characters.
I've read both The Night Watch and The Day Watch so when I discovered that there was a third I was anxious to read it. Unfortunately I don't feel that it really stood as well the other two. Mostly, what we learn is that everything just works out well for Anton. In the first book he was able to save the world without sacrificing himself, in the second he's able to keep the woman he loves because she gets reduced in power and here in the third he gets an increase in power so that they're matched. It feels a little forced. Even the way he manages to come out on top in this one feels contrived.
Still, I enjoy seeing the glimpse at the way Russians see themselves and their country. I'm disappointed with the deus ex machina but I'm still giving this one a 3.
I've read both The Night Watch and The Day Watch so when I discovered that there was a third I was anxious to read it. Unfortunately I don't feel that it really stood as well the other two. Mostly, what we learn is that everything just works out well for Anton. In the first book he was able to save the world without sacrificing himself, in the second he's able to keep the woman he loves because she gets reduced in power and here in the third he gets an increase in power so that they're matched. It feels a little forced. Even the way he manages to come out on top in this one feels contrived.
Still, I enjoy seeing the glimpse at the way Russians see themselves and their country. I'm disappointed with the deus ex machina but I'm still giving this one a 3.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
The Boys Volume 2: Get Some
Garth Ennis continues his series with a second volume containing two stories. The Boys Volume 2: Get Some, with art by Darick Robertson, continues the skewering of the superhero genre with "Get Some" and then turns the Boys into almost heroes with "The Glorious Five Year Plan".
With "Get Some" Ennis turns to all those jokes about Batman and his young ward. Using Tek Knight, his side kick Laddio, and his former side kick Swingwing to stand in for the non-powered playboy billionaire and his ward the story sets the Boys to investigating the death of a young, gay man. It's an interesting idea to explore comic books in a world where super heroes exist but once again Ennis assumes the worst. The epilogue took the story over the top and really didn't need to be written.
In "The Glorious Five Year Plan" they travel to Russia to be CIA operatives. It was a much different story than what had been being told up to this point. They're not really just spying on the heroes to get the dirt on them and then maybe have a bit of a dust up. They're being secret agents. Again, in Ennis style some things were way over the top, but Love Sausage? Really?
This one gets a 4 because it made me laugh. It might be a lower 4 but I've given myself a scale without too few gradations.
With "Get Some" Ennis turns to all those jokes about Batman and his young ward. Using Tek Knight, his side kick Laddio, and his former side kick Swingwing to stand in for the non-powered playboy billionaire and his ward the story sets the Boys to investigating the death of a young, gay man. It's an interesting idea to explore comic books in a world where super heroes exist but once again Ennis assumes the worst. The epilogue took the story over the top and really didn't need to be written.
In "The Glorious Five Year Plan" they travel to Russia to be CIA operatives. It was a much different story than what had been being told up to this point. They're not really just spying on the heroes to get the dirt on them and then maybe have a bit of a dust up. They're being secret agents. Again, in Ennis style some things were way over the top, but Love Sausage? Really?
This one gets a 4 because it made me laugh. It might be a lower 4 but I've given myself a scale without too few gradations.
The Boys Volume 1: The Name of the Game
Garth Ennis hates superheroes. It's pretty obvious in most stuff he writes but with The Boys Volume 1: The Name of the Game (with art by Darick Robertson) it's prevalent as they're affiliated with the CIA and their whole purpose is to keep the capes in line. As a superhero fan myself I like trying to figure out who Ennis is using as source material for his "heroes". I find it gives them a bit of depth because I already have a vision of them in mind. There's a layer to them that Ennis doesn't have to try to add through exposition.
The Boys wouldn't work as well without Wee Hughie, the common man who's the counterpoint to the super man. I felt it was interesting to give Hugh the face of Simon Pegg. It immediately gave him a voice and a timing in delivery that gave him the same sort of caricature that the heroes would have.
I'm giving this one a 4 out of 5. Only because I'm a Pollyanna and believe that if superheroes were real there would be more than a few good ones.
The Boys wouldn't work as well without Wee Hughie, the common man who's the counterpoint to the super man. I felt it was interesting to give Hugh the face of Simon Pegg. It immediately gave him a voice and a timing in delivery that gave him the same sort of caricature that the heroes would have.
I'm giving this one a 4 out of 5. Only because I'm a Pollyanna and believe that if superheroes were real there would be more than a few good ones.
Monday, April 7, 2008
Wormwood: Gentleman Corpse It Only Hurts When I Pee
Another outing into the craziness that is Wormwood by Ben Templesmith. Wormwood: Gentleman Corpse It Only Hurts When I Pee is a collection of two Wormwood stories. The main story is "It Only Hurts When I Pee" and the after thought is "Segue to Destruction". Of the two I preferred "Segue".
In "It Only Hurts When I Pee" Wormwood and his gang travel to the dimension of the Leprechauns and it becomes a twisted road trip. There's not much plot, just alot of violence, weird sex and a cross-dressing Leprechaun Queen. "Segue to Destruction" is a much better dark comedy. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are more bent on enjoying themselves than on bringing about the end of the world. Thanks to Wormwood of course. The scene with Death (or Mr. D as he's known) with the Emos is priceless.
All in all, the main story sort of takes something away from this collection. It's much more over the top than I'm really comfortable so I have to drop the rating to 3 out of 5. Reluctantly.
In "It Only Hurts When I Pee" Wormwood and his gang travel to the dimension of the Leprechauns and it becomes a twisted road trip. There's not much plot, just alot of violence, weird sex and a cross-dressing Leprechaun Queen. "Segue to Destruction" is a much better dark comedy. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are more bent on enjoying themselves than on bringing about the end of the world. Thanks to Wormwood of course. The scene with Death (or Mr. D as he's known) with the Emos is priceless.
All in all, the main story sort of takes something away from this collection. It's much more over the top than I'm really comfortable so I have to drop the rating to 3 out of 5. Reluctantly.
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Wormwood: Gentleman Corpse Birds, Bees, Blood & Beer
Wormwood: Gentleman Corpse Birds, Bees, Blood and Beer by Ben Templesmith is freaky. Freaky and messed up. An intelligent maggot, inhabiting the eye socket of a corpse, with an automaton drinking buddy that has no bits, saves the world. Twice. To really enjoy this book, I'd say you that had to be open to dark comedy. There's some pretty sick things that happen and it's meant to get a laugh, or at least a chuckle.
The art is amazing. It's so rich and layered. I think Templesmith must have refined his style since 30 Days of Nights because I liked it much better here than I did in the other graphic novel. Maybe it's just that he's illustrating his own work. I like it enough to give it 4 out of 5.
The art is amazing. It's so rich and layered. I think Templesmith must have refined his style since 30 Days of Nights because I liked it much better here than I did in the other graphic novel. Maybe it's just that he's illustrating his own work. I like it enough to give it 4 out of 5.
Empowered Volume 3
I can't believe I read these books.
I can't believe I like these books.
But I do. Empowered Volume 3 by Adam Warren is more of the same superhero comedy craziness of a girl who wants to be a better hero but whose fragile supersuit, and fragile self esteem, keep her to the D-list. Even though it's really an excuse to draw a pretty girl all tied up, Warren does make the effort to have a story and to move it along. He reveals Emp's alter ego, what's up with Ninjette (her real name as well) and more of Thug Boy's past as a witless minion. I think one has to be familiar with the superhero genre to really get some of the humour but it does make me laugh. It gets a 4 from me.
I can't believe I like these books.
But I do. Empowered Volume 3 by Adam Warren is more of the same superhero comedy craziness of a girl who wants to be a better hero but whose fragile supersuit, and fragile self esteem, keep her to the D-list. Even though it's really an excuse to draw a pretty girl all tied up, Warren does make the effort to have a story and to move it along. He reveals Emp's alter ego, what's up with Ninjette (her real name as well) and more of Thug Boy's past as a witless minion. I think one has to be familiar with the superhero genre to really get some of the humour but it does make me laugh. It gets a 4 from me.
Nightwing: The Lost Year
I admit it. I'm a Nightwing fan. I like that he's a hero that has evolved within the DC Universe from a sidekick to a leader to a hero in his own right. I can put myself in his place at times wondering what it would be like to have seen my parents' deaths and then be raised by Batman. How would that screw a person up?
Nightwing: The Lost Year by Marv Wolfman, with art by Jamal Igle and Jon Bosco, is a collection of some stories from the series that deal with the time between Dick being a true sidekick to Batman and becoming his own person.
"Hero's Journey" was sweet and funny and nostalgic for the "Dynamite Duo" days of Robin and Batgirl. It was nice to see the two characters just reminiscing of their teen years when they could have, almost, had a relationship. And what stopped it from happening.
"321 Days" was closer to the New Teen Titans days that were all about teen angst. This story really went into some of the reasons that Dick decided to put aside his Robin persona and re-invent himself as Nightwing. He knows that he can handle it, he's been with Batman for years and he's led the Titans but his mentor, his father figure, seems to want to hold him back. It was a nice coming of age story.
I enjoyed this story immensely. I'm giving it the full 5 out of 5.
Nightwing: The Lost Year by Marv Wolfman, with art by Jamal Igle and Jon Bosco, is a collection of some stories from the series that deal with the time between Dick being a true sidekick to Batman and becoming his own person.
"Hero's Journey" was sweet and funny and nostalgic for the "Dynamite Duo" days of Robin and Batgirl. It was nice to see the two characters just reminiscing of their teen years when they could have, almost, had a relationship. And what stopped it from happening.
"321 Days" was closer to the New Teen Titans days that were all about teen angst. This story really went into some of the reasons that Dick decided to put aside his Robin persona and re-invent himself as Nightwing. He knows that he can handle it, he's been with Batman for years and he's led the Titans but his mentor, his father figure, seems to want to hold him back. It was a nice coming of age story.
I enjoyed this story immensely. I'm giving it the full 5 out of 5.
Changeling: The Lost
This one felt like it took forever but I find that's the nature of game manuals for me. There's alot of information packed into those 340-odd pages!
Changeling: The Lost by White Wolf is a book I picked up because I like White Wolf's World of Darkness campaign setting. I'm more drawn to Werewolf than I am to the other products in the line but with the re imaging of the World I was curious what they'd do with Changeling.
Changeling: The Dreaming was sort of the weak sister of the previous World of Darkness. Vampire had the personal horror of being a blood-sucking fiend. Werewolf had the personal horror of having to deal with your own personal Rage that could destroy you and your loved ones. Vampire was a story of nightly survival. Werewolf was a story of environmental warriors. Changeling was well... Cute. There was no sense of the horrific. There was no sense that there was any sort of fight for survival. You just were these sort of cutesy fae creatures that were in the World of Darkness. Changeling: The Lost has found the horror.
The best thing that White Wolf has done with the new Changeling is realise that their games are dark. They looked for the dark in Faerie and came back with the old tales. The tales that didn't always have the happy ending. They really encourage the players to think of the old Brothers Grimm, not the sanitised, Disney-fied fairy tales. When their source material includes the works of Neil Gaiman and Pan's Labyrinth it's a good bet that they were really thinking about dark fairy tales.
Your character has been kidnapped into Arcadia where the True Fae rule. Capricious, cruel, and completely inhuman you were their slave, or their lover, or for whatever else they might have wanted a human pet. Your only hope was to try to remember what your life as a human was like and then pull yourself back through the Hedge to your memories. You might have spent years in Arcadia but have only been gone a few moments. You might have been gone for a few moments to return to years passed. The Fae might have replaced you with a creature called a fetch that your friends and family are convinced is you. Whatever the outcome, spending time in Faerie makes your character not human anymore. You can't just step back into your life and pretend like nothing happened. You see the world differently now. And there's always the threat that the True Fae will find you again and take you back.
When I first started reading I got several different ideas for characters but had no clue how to construct a story. I got ideas about what some of my friends might create given the chance. It wasn't until I was nearly to the end of the book that I started to get a feel as to how I might run a game. That was much different than my Werewolf: The Forsaken experience where I'm still not convinced I have a character idea but have several plots I'd like to try. I don't know if I'd ever get the chance anyway. I seem to be the only one in the group with even a little interest in playing a Changeling game. I think the original probably turned people off this title. This is a solid game book though. It's in depth and gives alot of ideas to get you started. I'm going to give it a 4 out of 5.
Changeling: The Lost by White Wolf is a book I picked up because I like White Wolf's World of Darkness campaign setting. I'm more drawn to Werewolf than I am to the other products in the line but with the re imaging of the World I was curious what they'd do with Changeling.
Changeling: The Dreaming was sort of the weak sister of the previous World of Darkness. Vampire had the personal horror of being a blood-sucking fiend. Werewolf had the personal horror of having to deal with your own personal Rage that could destroy you and your loved ones. Vampire was a story of nightly survival. Werewolf was a story of environmental warriors. Changeling was well... Cute. There was no sense of the horrific. There was no sense that there was any sort of fight for survival. You just were these sort of cutesy fae creatures that were in the World of Darkness. Changeling: The Lost has found the horror.
The best thing that White Wolf has done with the new Changeling is realise that their games are dark. They looked for the dark in Faerie and came back with the old tales. The tales that didn't always have the happy ending. They really encourage the players to think of the old Brothers Grimm, not the sanitised, Disney-fied fairy tales. When their source material includes the works of Neil Gaiman and Pan's Labyrinth it's a good bet that they were really thinking about dark fairy tales.
Your character has been kidnapped into Arcadia where the True Fae rule. Capricious, cruel, and completely inhuman you were their slave, or their lover, or for whatever else they might have wanted a human pet. Your only hope was to try to remember what your life as a human was like and then pull yourself back through the Hedge to your memories. You might have spent years in Arcadia but have only been gone a few moments. You might have been gone for a few moments to return to years passed. The Fae might have replaced you with a creature called a fetch that your friends and family are convinced is you. Whatever the outcome, spending time in Faerie makes your character not human anymore. You can't just step back into your life and pretend like nothing happened. You see the world differently now. And there's always the threat that the True Fae will find you again and take you back.
When I first started reading I got several different ideas for characters but had no clue how to construct a story. I got ideas about what some of my friends might create given the chance. It wasn't until I was nearly to the end of the book that I started to get a feel as to how I might run a game. That was much different than my Werewolf: The Forsaken experience where I'm still not convinced I have a character idea but have several plots I'd like to try. I don't know if I'd ever get the chance anyway. I seem to be the only one in the group with even a little interest in playing a Changeling game. I think the original probably turned people off this title. This is a solid game book though. It's in depth and gives alot of ideas to get you started. I'm going to give it a 4 out of 5.
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