Last week, I read Bayou Vol 1 & 2, which was a collection of the highly regarded Zuda webcomic. I’ve been reading all sorts of crazy stories for the past few months so it was time to read something more grounded. I needed to read a story about real people struggling with real issues. I wanted to read a story about a young girl growing up in Poland during the Solidarity movement and fall of communism. I was lucky to find a book on that exact subject in MARZI, written by Marzena Sowa and illustrated by Sylvain Savoia, published by DC Comics/Vertigo.

Marzi is the story of Sowa’s youth in Poland during the early ’80s. Told in short four- to eight-page snippets, this is the story of a little girl growing up in the shadow in communism. But it isn’t about communism or Poland or even Russia; this is the story of a young girl growing up in a different country. There are humorous tales as Marzi relates stories of long lines at every store; how her mother worried about her and she didn’t know why; and even how she missed her father when he had to go away. This is a recounting of Sowa’s childhood as she saw it.

What makes this book so wonderful is the warmth of Sowa’s memories and her ability to recapture the innocence of her youth. Sometimes biographies tend to recreate childhood through adult eyes and therefore have a maturity that wasn’t present at the time. Sowa has a natural storytelling ability and the tales resonate with it. Sowa also does a good job of selecting moments from her childhood that strike common chords. There is a short tale of playing Pope with the other children in her apartment building after he came to visit that easily could be children in America or France. Many stories also involve the long lines common at stores, and the shortage of just about everything. She also manages to weave in glimpses of life during the Russian crackdown without over powering her narrative about her as a child. This isn’t so much a story of a child growing up in a really turbulent time, it’s the story of a young girl growing up in vastly different circumstances and still being happy.

Continue reading »

Last week I read Unwritten Vol 1-2, which is the beginning of what appears to be one of the great Vertigo series.  The past few weeks I’ve been talking about really mainstream books so this week it’s time to return to the roots of the post.  I needed to read something that a lot of other people hadn’t read.  Or hadn’t read in print at least, so this week I read Bayou Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, written and illustrated by Jeremy Love, published by DC/Zuda.

Bayou was part of DC’s Zuda experiment, which created web comics from 2007-10.  If the webcomic was popular enough, as voted on by readers, the stories would then be printed in actual comic book form.  Jeremy Love’s Bayou was the first Zuda Comic to be printed (June 2009).

Set in 1933 Mississippi, Lee is a black sharecropper’s daughter whose mother left her and her father.  Against her father’s wishes, she’s friends with the white land owners daughter.  When the white girl loses a family locket in the swamp, it sets off a chain of events that causes Lee’s father to go to jail and the local white population to start demanding justice, Lee must travel under the cypress tree in the bog into a new world full of interesting characters and strange events in order to save here father.

Continue reading »

Last week I read Chase, which was an excellent collection of stories from of one of the modern comic book masters. I enjoyed that so much that this week I wanted to read something I knew would be good. Something that I knew was a guaranteed hit. Those books were Unwritten Vol. 1: Tommy Taylor and the Bogus Identity, and Unwritten Vol. 2: Inside Man, written by Mike Carey, art by Peter Gross, published by Vertigo.

(See all volumes of this series in our TPBs & Graphic Novels category!)

A condensed version of the published hype:

In volume 1, we meet Tom Taylor, the son of Wilson Taylor and the unwilling namesake of the protagonist in his dad’s wildly popular 13-book fantasy series. His father created the Tommy Taylor fantasy series, boy-wizard novels with popularity on par with Harry Potter. The Tommy Taylor cottage industry of movies, video games, and geek-ridden conventions is given an extra dash of drama by Wilson’s having mysteriously disappeared years before, leaving a cynical Tom (who inherited none of his millions) to eke out a grubby living at paid appearances. The book picks up speed fast when Tom realizes some elements of Wilson’s stories might not be made up. In volume 2, more secrets are revealed and new mysteries abound.

I believe Rusty and most of the gang have already been raving about this so I probably don’t need to say anything more but let me lend my voice to the chorus anyway. It’s just great. Carey scripts a taut tale unlike anything I have read in a long time. It is pure Vertigo! Basically, it’s what if Harry Potter stepped out of the book and into the real world? Throw in lots of references to classic literature and you have winner. It’s not often that I am at a loss for words but this book does it too me. Carey creates intriguing characters, action packed sequences, and AND at the same time tickling my geeky-nerdy funny bone by teaching me all sorts of stuff about the geography of classic literature. As soon as I read that Room 101 from Orwell’s 1984 was a real place.. I was sold! Overall, the two books are textbook examples on how to plot a story. There are mysteries, subplots and reveals that occur organically. And, for each mystery solved, another springs to take its place. You can’t help but turn pages because you want to know more and more.

Continue reading »

Last week I read Witch Doctor, Vol. 1: Under the Knife, which was closer to traditional super heroes than I normally read.  Actually, it was more of a supernatural slightly humorous noir story than anything else.  But, because it was more mainstream I felt like reading some more superheroes this week.  This lead me to Chase, written by Dan Curtis Johnson and J.H. Williams III, illustrated by J.H. Williams III and more, published by DC.

Chase is the story of Cameron Chase, an investigator for the D.E.O. (Department of Extranormal Operations).  It’s the D.E.O.’s job to catalog existing superheroes and ‘assist’ emergent metahumans before their powers get out of control.  In this collection, among other adventures, Chase encounters a boy whose pyrokinetic abilities are just starting to manifest and has to go on an assignment to determine Batman’s real identity. 

I picked Chase because of a couple of reasons: (1) J.H. Williams III, and (2) its’ cult status.  Between his work on Promethea with Moore, Seven Soldiers of Victory with Morrison, and his current Batwoman series J.H. Williams III is one of the great artists of this generation. I rarely pass up a chance to see great art!  Chase was published just before Promethea so this was a great opportunity to see how Williams art has developed over the years.  Also, I believe this is one of his first attempts at writing a series so I was very curious to see how this compares to his current writing.

Continue reading »

Last time I read Chip, which was a humorous comic about a very small gargoyle that did nothing but make me feel good. But, because gargoyles are supposed to be scary, I felt like reading a horror story this week. The need for a good, creepy story led me to WITCH DOCTOR VOL. 1: UNDER THE KNIFE, written by Brandon Seifert, illustrated by Lukas Ketner, published by Image.

(See all volumes of this series in our TPBs & Graphic Novels category!)

Vincent Morrow is a doctor. He isn’t your ordinary doctor, he’s more of a supernatural doctor whose job is to prevent bad, evil things from getting out of control and causing the apocalypse. Morrow captures demons possessing children, vampires, cuckoo fairies and vampires all in an effort to develop vaccines that will protect the world from them. Typically his vaccines include dissection of the monster involved but how else can a doctor learn if not by dissection?

Image is known for bringing lots of creator owned projects to the market but this is one of the best that I have seen in a long time. Seifert and Ketner manage to avoid so many of the typical traps that befall new creators it is amazing. Witch Doctor is a cross between House and Fringe with none of the limitations of television. 

Writer Brandon Seifert has created a highly likable character in Vincent Morrow. Morrow has all the elements you expect from off kilter heroes these days. He is brilliant to the point of having trouble talking and relating to people. He is snotty and ultra confident even when he shouldn’t be. He is likable even when he isn’t. But beyond the main character Seifert manages to quickly build a believable world, back story, subplots and supporting cast in the span of five issues. The story points aren’t drawn out, the subplots get a page or two every issue to keep the intrigue building, and best of all, he does it in a natural way that makes sense. Finally, Seifert incorporates all elements of monster movies into a doctor type setting. When Morrow is looking at a captured fish man, the discussion about how “Creature from the Black Lagoon”’s lungs serve different purposes on land and water makes perfect sense. That mixture of hooky science and doctor lingo makes for a wildly entertaining read.

Continue reading »

Another year has come to an end so it’s time to see what was the best of the best in 2011. There’s certainly a lot to choose from and narrowing it down to just a couple of books is almost impossible.

The best book that I will never get a conclusion to is Mondo Urbano. This was a collaborative effort between several writers that just worked beautifully. The team wove a seamless story that involved music and demonically possessed guitars that was fun to read and look it. I loved it but I consider this the best story that I will never get to read the ending too because of Oni’s publishing schedule lately. It’s still worth reading though!

This isn’t to be confused with my best short that you will see a conclusion too which was Salvatore. Salvatore is an impressive story about lost love and the courage to go find it. It just happens to have a cast of insane anthropomorphic animals. The best part is that part two is coming out in a couple of months so the excitement doesn’t have to end.

My art book of the year goes to Stigmata. Illustrated by Lorenzo Mattotti, Stigmata is a visual tour-de-force. Black and white lines swirl over the pages and eventually coalesce into stunning pictures. There’s a story that is quite moving too but honestly, it’s all about the art in this one.

My best wrong but so right was Arsenic Lullaby. Doug P., author and artist is one of the nicest creators in the business, which makes it hard to believe he wrote this. This book is so wrong and so funny that you can’t put it down. Two words sum this book up, cute and cuddly… and also zombie fetuses.

The best horror book of the year was The Suicide Forest. The team of Torres and Hernandez hasn’t let me down yet and I eagerly await their next project in 2012. Until then I shall have to re-read this moody ghost story. Set in Japan in a real life story, this book will remind you of such classic books and films such as The Ring and The Grudge.

I read a lot more classic material this year than I normally do. Now, by classic I mean typically styled heroes or similar type of stories. The best of the bunch was The Spirit: Angel Smerti. An outstanding combination of excellent writers and artists made this book a fun read. People skipped it because it was the Spirit. It’s too bad because they don’t know what they were missing. If you like tightly crafted noir stories then this is the book for you.

These were some of my personal favorites but there were many other great books this year. And, starting in January, there will be even more. Happy New Year, everyone!

- David Lee

Last time I read Crime Does Not Pay, which was an excellent collection of Golden Age stories. While I enjoyed that book, this week I wanted to read something completely different. I decided to read the best zombie humor book I could think of, which was THE ZOMBIES THAT ATE THE WORLD, written by Jerry Frissen, art by Guy Davis, published by Humanoids.

Set in Los Angeles in the year 2064, the dead have risen and in order to maintain peace the government has declared them the "living impaired" with limited rights. They’re alive enough that you can’t shoot them but they can’t vote! Since you can’t legally get rid of zombies and many people aren’t thrilled that Grandpa returned from the dead and is now living with them, a black market "removal service" has emerged. Karl, our hero, helps people dispose of unwanted loved ones who have returned from the grave. Karl is assisted in his job by his sister and his buddy Freddie, who occasionally thinks he’s a superhero. To say that their jobs never go according to plan is an understatement.

The book is a series of shorts that build off of each other with ever increasing levels of silliness. I can’t say enough good things but I can provide an example of some of the insanity. In a continuing subplot, Karl, who is bad with girls, finally gets a girlfriend of sorts. When presented the opportunity to dispose of a good looking woman… well… he just takes her home instead. And keeps her under his bed (much like a nudie magazine) until he… well… well… his sister implies that he does things with her. You can imagine how upset he is later in the book when his long dead father returns and starts making moves on his "girlfriend." That doesn’t sound funny but it’s handled with such a straight face that you can’t help but laugh at the insanity of it.

Continue reading »

Last week, I read Next Men Premiere Edition Volume 1, which was classic science fiction as only John Byrne could do. This week, I finally read a book that I have been eagerly anticipating for months: CRIME DOES NOT PAY: BLACKJACKED AND PISTOL WHIPPED, edited/written by Charles Biro and Bob Wood; illustrated by Rudy Palais, Dick Briefer, Bob Montana, George Tuska and many more; published by Dark Horse.

I wanted to read Crime Does Not Pay (CDNP) because it is one of the most influential comic book series ever published. For those who don’t know, CDNP was the first crime comic ever published and at the height of its popularity it was outselling Superman by millions of issues per month. The trade paperback collects stories published between 1942 and 1948, and includes stories about high profile criminals such as Charles “Lucky” Luciano as well as lesser known criminals like the undertaker who cut off the heads of his clients and mounted them on his wall. All the stories are real and all of them are incredibly violent. EC Comics got blamed for the creation of the CCA, but CNDP was just as bad, if not worse.

The one thing that immediately jumps out at you in this book is the level of violence. It is incredible how much damage one person can do to another and Biro and gang weren’t shy about showing it on panel either. For example, a man smothers his mother with a pillow on one panel and then sets her on fire to cover up his crime in the second. Then there is the splash of a man with a bullet hole in his head dripping blood, not to mention the cover! By today’s standards the violence isn’t very graphic. There are plenty of scenes of violence but it isn’t like the graphic detail of Superboy ripping people’s arms off.

Continue reading »

Last week, I read Hellspawn: The Complete Collection, which was a fantastic art book with a pretty good story, too. Since I’ve been having so much fun with mainstream books, I thought I would try another. I decided to go with one of the biggest, most mainstreamy names I could think of, so I read NEXT MEN PREMIERE EDITION VOLUME 1, written and illustrated by John Byrne, published by IDW.

The "Next Men" are late teens/early 20-somethings who were genetically modified as babies and raised in a computer generated world. The group is freed from the machines that "store" them and they quickly discover the real world is far different from the one in which they were raised. While they were normal looking inside the computer world, once in the real world they quickly start to mutate as their genetic enhancements develop. They are the first people in the world with abilities beyond the normal person… but is the world ready for them?

Over the past decade I think Byrne’s outspoken and slightly grumpy attitude has cost him some of the respect he is rightfully due. His run from X-Men to Fantastic Four to Superman has got to be of the greatest runs by a writer/artist ever. Next Men is at the tail end of that peak period but it still packs a punch. This is a solid science fiction comic with slight superhero overtones. This is one of the earliest books to really address the idea of superpowered people in a modern world.

This volume collects John Byrne’s Next Men issues #0 to 10, which were originally published in 1992. Byrne quickly sets the premise and starts working his way through the obvious plotlines with deft skill. The questions, such as why were the children mutated and how it was done, are quickly answered. At the same time Byrne spends equal time developing the group as individuals and how they deal with the changes that are happening to them and around them. It’s interesting to see how Byrne tried to apply real physics to superpowers and the likely consequences of having them.

Continue reading »

Last week, I read Bouncer, The One Armed Gunslinger, which was a very good western. If you like Jonah Hex then you will like Bouncer. I had lots of free time this week so I decided to read one of the thickest collections on my book shelf. That was HELLSPAWN: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION, written by Brian Michael Bendis and Steve Niles, illustrated by Ashley Wood and Ben Templesmith, published by Image.

This collection contains a six-issue arc by Bendis and a 10-issue arc by Niles. In the opening arc, Spawn is more of a secondary character, as Bendis scripts a loosely connected set of stand-alone horror stories. Niles builds off a subplot from Bendis’ run and opens with an extended battle between Spawn and Cy-gor (his gorilla arch enemy). After that, Niles turns in a wicked tale of an attempt to make Hell on Earth with Spawn as its king.

This book collects issues #1-16 in a nice oversized hardcover format for $40. It works out to $2.50 an issue, which was the actual cover price back in 2000 when it was published. In that sense this is a great buy. And, getting to see Wood and Templesmith’s art in an oversized format is really cool, too. Buuut…  after that it’s kinda questionable.

Continue reading »

Last week, I read Nuts, which was a look back at life as a child. This week, I decided it was time to read a genre that I haven’t read in a very, very long time. I needed to read a western! Not an ordinary western because that would be too simple. I wanted to read a western written by a European to see what they thought of our history. So, I read BOUNCER, THE ONE-ARMED GUNSLINGER, written by Alexandro Jodorowsky, illustrated by Francois Boucq, published by Humanoids.

Bouncer is the resident gunman at the local saloon. He isn’t the sheriff and isn’t interested in being the sheriff. But when the town hangman is murdered, he draws the short straw and gets the worst job in town. And so starts the story of Bouncer, who just wants justice and wants to revenge those who have been wronged. And, because it’s a western, it involves lots of shooting. Lots and lots of shooting.

The story is everything I would expect from a western and everything I expect from Jodorowsky. Jodorowsky, author of the Metabarons (see review here), is an idea man. It’s very evident by the amount of things that occur within this story. The story moves at an incredible pace from one large scale event, such as the bandits attacking the innocent farmer’s house, to another. And by the end Jodorowsky ties all these disparate events up in one gigantic climactic battle. While Metabarons was over-the-top science fiction crazy, this is down-to-earth western crazy.

Continue reading »

Last week I read Hicksville, which was an unabashed love letter to comic books.  I decided I wanted to keep reading fun stuff that was somewhat personal in nature.  So, because I was sure there would be a heavy emphasis on fun, I decided to read Nuts written and illustrated by Gahan Wilson, published by Fantagraphics.

Nuts is a collection of one page shorts about childhood that appeared in National Lampoon’s “Funny Pages” section throughout the 1970s.  The shorts are connected thematically and usual cover a topic such as getting sick, or going on a road trip, or some other rite of childhood.  The shorts always start with “Remember when..” and you can’t help but remember when.  Wilson depicts all the odd things and weirdness that occurs to you when growing up and distilled it into the shorts. 

When it comes to macabre humor, there are the three greats: Charles Addams, Edward Gorey, and Gahan Wilson.  These three put the humor in horror in a way that very few can.  This is why I couldn’t wait to read a book about childhood by one of their stature.  I fully expected this to be full of twisted little monsters in humorous situations.  What I got was a laugh-out loud look back at childhood.

Continue reading »

Last week, I read The Armed Garden, which was an example of myths and fables in sequential form. This week I wasn’t sure what to read so I went with a book that everyone says you are supposed to read: HICKSVILLE, written and illustrated by Dylan Horrocks, published by Drawn and Quarterly.

Have you ever wondered what comic book artists did in their free time? Did you ever imagine that they all went away to some south seas island where they could focus on creating the comic books they wanted to create? Or maybe you just wished that your local library stocked a copy of Action Comics #1 that you could actually sign out? Well, that’s the setting of Hicksville.

Leonard Batts is a writer for a magazine dedicated to comic books. He is writing a story about the Dick Burger, the man who 20 years earlier had revitalized the comic book industry. He travels to Hicksville, a tiny New Zealand town, to research Burger’s early life and discovers that everyone there hates him. And so he starts to unravel the mystery about how a town that celebrates everything comics can hate the man who has done the most for the medium.

Hicksville is what I call a pedigreed book. It was named a Book of the Year by The Comics Journal and received nominations for two Ignatz’s and a Harvey Award. It’s one of those books that all the critics loved and makes the casual run away screaming. But, unlike some of the art books that critics always say you should read, this one is good. In fact, it’s great! Because, above everything else, Hicksville is a love letter to comic books.

Continue reading »

Last week I read Ruse, a very good cop-buddy book set in Victorian times.  That was more than enough of the mainstream for me so this week I needed to get back to something that I was the only one in the store to have read.  That book was The Armed Garden written and illustrated by David B., published by Fantagraphics.

The Armed Garden contains three fables: “The Veiled Prophet,” “The Armed Garden,” and “The Drum Who Fell in Love.”  The stories aren’t quite fables, they are more like loose interpretations of historical facts.  “The Veiled Prophet” is more fable than the others and is rooted in middle eastern myth.  It is the story of a common laborer who is perceived by the people to be the incarnation of a prophet.  The Caliph doesn’t mind at first, but when the man’s followers threaten the Caliph then trouble starts.  “The Armed Garden” and “The Drum Who Fell in Love” are part fable, part historical fact about the Adamites and Taborites in 14th cenury eastern Europe.  The Garden loosely follows historical events while The Drum is more fable.  And, by fables, these are more Grimm’s Fables than the modern day happy ending versions.

I think it is safe to say that David B is unknown to most comic book readers but he is one of the great comic creaters of our generation.  He wrote Epileptic, winner of the 2000 Angoulême International Comics Festival Prize for Scenario, and considered one of the greatest graphic novels of all time. David B. also won the 2005 Ignatz Award for Outstanding Artist for his work on the series.  Because of his previous accomplishments, The Armed Garden came with high expectations.

Continue reading »

Last week, I read Sidekicks, which was a fun-filled, all-ages story that could be enjoyed by everyone. This week, I read a book that was so good and so different that I mentioned to Rusty how awesome it was and how excited I was to write about it this week. Rusty looked me straight in the eye and said, "David, it’s time we had ‘the talk.’" Now, I don’t know if anyone else has ever gotten "the talk" from Rusty, but it’s always unnerving and makes me tingly inside and not in a good way either. It went something like this, "David, would it kill you to read something normal for once? You read the most random and bizarre stuff that no one has ever heard of. I’m not saying you need to read Captain America, but how about something close to the main stream. Huh? Can you do that for me?" So, against my better judgement, I read RUSE: THE VICTORIAN GUIDE TO MURDER, written by Mark Waid, illustrated by Mirco Pierfederici and Minck Oosterveer, published by Marvel.

You may or may not remember that Ruse was created by Mark Waid for Crossgen in 2001. Back then, it had several thematic elements, which tied the story into the greater Crossgen universe that Waid stripped out of this story while leaving the base premise unchanged. Ruse is set during the Victorian era (mid to late 1800s) and is the story of an incredibly smart detective, Simon Archard, and his faithful assistant Emma Bishop. If this reminds you of Sherlock Holmes and Watson then you have a good idea of what you are in for. A nefarious villain, not unlike Professor Moriarty, has a scheme that could, well… so not to ruin the fun, let’s just say the scheme could do bad things to lots of people.

Continue reading »

Last week, I read King of Flies, which was a fun-filled romp through drug-addled suburbia. While enjoyable, I needed a break from all the sex and violence I’d been reading lately. I wanted something that would be fun, light-hearted, and could be enjoyed by anyone who picked it up. I found that in SIDEKICKS, written and illustrated by Dan Santat, published by Arthur A. Levine Books.

Metro City, like all major metropolitan cities, has its own superhero, Captain Amazing. But, after another long and difficult battle against a group of supervillains, he realizes that he is getting old and needs a sidekick. So starts the 30-day countdown until sidekick tryouts. When not out battling the forces of evil, the Captain relaxes at home with his faithful companions: Fluffy the hamster, Shifty the chameleon, Roscoe the dog, and Manny the cat. Fluffy wants nothing more than to be Captain Amazing’s sidekick but he’s the smallest in the house. Soon enough Fluffy and Shifty are out on the town getting into trouble and it’s up to Manny to teach them how to fight crime. And so begins the Fluffy’s adventure to prove he can be a sidekick.

This is one of the finest all-ages books I have read in a long, long time. It is aimed directly at kids ages 8-12 and is perfect for them. Santat, who has been writing and illustrating kids books for several years now and is the creator of The Disney Channel’s The Replacements, has done something equally amazing: he’s made this accessible to younger kids and complex enough for older kids like me, too.

Continue reading »

Last week, I read Legend of the Scarlet Blades, which was an excellent samurai story for those who don’t want to read a 1000-page manga epic. This week, I felt the need to read something real. Personally, I prefer “slice of life” books when the characters and situations are extreme. Stories about people in situations that I could easily find or have been in myself tend to bore me. I want to read about people doing things that are as far away from my world of experience as possible. And I found that in KING OF FLIES VOL 1: HALLORAVE and VOL 2: THE ORIGIN OF THE WORLD written by Pascal (Mezzo) Mesenburg, illustrated by Michel Pirus, published by Fantagraphics.

King of Flies is a series of interconnected 3-4 page stories about the people who live in the City. There’s Eric, the protagonist, who in between ingesting copious amounts of drugs, likes to sleep with his best friend’s girlfriend, Sal. Eric is lucky enough to have a mother who supports his drug addled existence, unlike Sal who must work for a living. Sal find acceptance in life by sleeping with Eric and Dennis because Dennis is a drug dealer. Dennis is just a dope. Then there is Marie the teenager just looking for love and a father figure who is sleeping with Eric because she wants to be cool. She does lots of drugs too. Once people start dying and the living start hallucinating about them the story enters a whole new level of strange.

King of Flies is not for the meek. Mezzo has written a story that is about the seedy underside of suburbia. There are lots of drugs, lots of sex, and lots of people who have lost their way both morally and mentally. In Eric, Mezzo has created one of the most unlikeable, yet incredibly interesting characters I have read in a long time. Words like narcissistic and shallow are some of the nicer ones that I would use to describe him. But, for all his faults, Eric is fascinating because he is so amoral and apathetic to those around him you can’t help but read more. Eric is needlessly cruel yet while reaping the seeds he has sown, wonders how he got there.

Continue reading »

Last time I read The Suicide Forest which was a fantastic horror story. As is my habit, having read a really good story in one genre, I wanted to read something completely different next. And it doesn’t get any different than European books, so this week I read Legend of the Scarlet Blades written and illustrated by Saverio Tenuta, published by Humanoids.

For years, the winters in the land have grown longer, and attacks by the Izuna wolves have gotten more frequent and more ferocious. The land lives in fear and now the noble Lord is dead. When Raido, a ronin, returns seemingly from the dead after having fought the wolves, a chain of events transpires that will uncover the truth about the winter, the wolves, and how the land itself has become corrupted by evil.

In Blades, Tenuta created an intricate world full of swords, sorcery and captivating characters. Tenuta’s ability as a storyteller is on full display in this book as he takes a basic plot, similar to manga classics ‘Blade of the Immortal’ and ‘Lone Wolf and Cub’, and inserts interesting characters and events to make it a taut read. Unlike those mangas, this doesn’t need 1000+ pages to tell the story.

Continue reading »

Last week, I read Spirit: Angel Smerti, which was a great action story thay updated a classic character. I really enjoyed the Spirit but it’s been awhile since I’ve read a true horror story that served no other purpose than to scare me. So, this week I read THE SUICIDE FOREST, written by El Torres, illustrated Gabriel Hernandez, published by IDW.

Alan is your typical American living in Japan. He has a job, a girlfriend and more than a little culture shock. But, no matter where you live, people are people and all relationships come to an end. So Alan breaks up with his girlfriend. Unfortunately for Alan, his girlfriend Masami is so distraught that she commits suicide. But Masami is so angry that she returns to exact vengeance upon Alan and those whom she feels wronged her. Alan’s only hope is Ryoko, a ranger in the forest where Masumi killed herself, who seems to know far too much about ghosts.

I’ve been a fan of the Torres and Hernandez team for a long time, and even talked about them before, so it came as no surprise that this book was very, very good. In this story Torres writes a ghost story that is reminiscent of such classic Japanese ghost tales as The Ring and The Grudge. Torres creates a sense of apprehension throughout the book that makes it hard to put down. Even better, although you know the ghost is coming and you know what is going to happen, the pages still drip with fear and tension. While Alan starts the story, it’s really Ryoko that drives it. Her back story is far more interesting than Alan’s and serves to focus the chilling sequences to a keen edge. And, like many classic horror stories, the ending is perfectly ambiguous so that you have an ending which is as unsettling as the story itself.

Continue reading »