The Walking Dead Volume 24: Life and Death

Title: The Walking Dead Volume 24: Life and Death




ISBN: 9781632154026

Price: $14.99

Publisher/Year: Image, 2015

Artist: Charlie Adlard

Writer: Robert Kirkman

Collects: The Walking Dead #139-144



Rating: 3/5



“Life and Death” did start out a bit slow, with the three communities still planning for the big fair. The one part that confused me a bit was the fact that Michonne is now apparently part of a fishing crew; that, combined with her sudden backstory reveal, didn’t sit very well with me – it felt like awkward, forced storytelling, though I suppose it was nice to find out why she ran off and was avoiding Ezekiel and her relationship with him. The only thing that balanced out the bad in this particular scene was seeing so much interaction between Rick and Michonne, including being reminded that they’re basically “best friends”. Things are still messy in the world of TWD – and Michonne is one of the messiest people of all in terms of relationships – but her and Rick, and Rick and Andrea, are some of the positive things I look forward to in every new installment of this comic.



Meanwhile, Negan is still locked up in a basement…sort of. The fact that his cell door popped open and he remained where he was and didn’t wreak any havoc is interesting, but at the same time I kind of just wish he would go away. I won’t pretend that I don’t swear from time to time (okay, maybe too much), but reading his language gets old really quick. That, and the whole Negan story was already drawn out long enough. Just stop already.



Things aren’t exactly perfect at the Hilltop, either. In my Volume 23 review I mentioned that Gregory’s assassination attempt was so bad as to be almost funny, but I was still surprised to see him pleading that he hadn’t done anything at all. Honestly, I think that this whole Hilltop arc between him and Maggie was weak. With every appearance, Gregory seemed more and more like a joke, and while I’m not totally on board with Rick’s rules about not killing people anymore, Maggie deciding to hang Gregory seemed forced and out of character, regardless of the reasoning. That said, perhaps they’ll use this situation to make Maggie into a harsher, less forgiving character, so I’m going to avoid too much judgment until I see how she handles the new threat of the Whisperers.



Speaking of the Whisperers, I kind of have to repeat myself here and say oh, Carl. Carl, Carl, Carl.



He was really starting to grow on me in recent volumes, but Kirkman clearly wanted to perpetuate the idea that all teenage boys lose their minds along with their virginity. And he also can’t let Rick catch a break – even after Rick allowing Carl to move to the Hilltop, Carl still has plenty to hold against his dad – and everyone else who isn’t Lydia, apparently. Of course it seemed too good to be true that Alpha would just allow Lydia to leave the Whisperers, especially when she has a zombie horde to play army for her – but is that just me being jaded from having read this series for too long?



Granted, Alpha had the “last word”, if you will, by killing many prominent (and not-so-recognizable) members of the three communities – including Olivia, Ezekiel…and Rosita. Who’d just announced that she was pregnant. But if there’s anything The Walking Dead has taught me, it’s that there’s usually something just as bad – or worse – lurking around the next bend in the road. Needless to say, I’m already impatient to read Volume 25! (Though not impatient enough to start reading the issues one by one. I like my larger dose of TWD, thank you.)

The Walking Dead Volume 23: Whispers into Screams

Title: The Walking Dead Volume 23: Whispers into Screams





ISBN: 9781632152589

Price: $14.99

Publisher/Year: Image, 2015

Artist: Charlie Adlard

Writer: Robert Kirkman

Collects: The Walking Dead #133-138



Rating: 3.5/5



Not much time has passed between the end of Volume 22 and the beginning of 23, but there is some serious lack of transition, especially involving some of the new characters who arrived in Alexandria in “A New Beginning”. One moment they were mistrustful of Rick & Co. and trying to undermine them, but now they’re suddenly hanging out with Andrea, picking veggies, and being curious about Eugene’s apparent depression? On top of that, other than those brief scenes, the rest of “Whispers into Screams” focused on the Hilltop – and above all, Carl.



And oh, Carl. Carl, Carl, Carl.



I’ve been getting used to him, really, and in this volume I generally liked him…but that doesn’t mean that I care for the way the writers are handling his storyline. “Whispers into Screams” jumped right into his story with some panels where Carl is getting dressed, trying to find a bathroom to use, and then sitting down and reading a letter from a girl he left back in Alexandria. At first I thought this seemed sweet…until, as the volume wore on, there were also hints that Carl might end up being more than friends with Sophia.



Which was then topped by Carl losing his virginity to a complete stranger.



Listen, I get it, it’s a post-apocalyptic world and Carl is a teenager who’s lived through so much that him having sex is, at this point, really no big deal. My question is, was it really necessary for his first time to be with a girl he’d just met? A girl who was weird enough to stick her tongue in his missing eye hole? A girl who thinks it’s totally normal to dress up in the skins of dead people and wander around with groups of walkers? In my opinion that’s a bit much, even for this comic.



The more maddening story line, though, was the one involving the Hilltop kids who keep trying to randomly beat people up. In “A New Beginning” Sophia saved a friend of hers from being attacked by these hoodlums, and in “Whispers into Screams” Carl has to save Sophia from these same kids. And as much as I understand that the new rule is to live in peace, man did those kids get what was coming to them – though I agree that Maggie handled things well by first locking Carl up for a while and refusing to just let the fact that he almost killed those kids go.



Unfortunately for Maggie (and to just add a bit of frustration for us readers), the parents of those hoodlums refused to believe that their kids did anything wrong. The fact that this led to Gregory trying to poison her, though, was more than a little over the top – though perhaps the main problem there was that it all just happened too fast. It was very much “Oh we’re upset with Maggie – oh she sucks at being our leader – wait we never chose her anyway, she just started bossing people around – yup let’s kill her!” Put simply, a plot like that would have worked better had it been built up over a longer period of time. And as much as I don’t want Maggie to die, the fact that Gregory failed so miserably in his attempt was too sad to even be amusing.



I will say that I was interested to find out more about these “Whisperers” that were teased so much in Volume 22, and in that respect I wasn’t disappointed at all. As previously mentioned, I’m definitely glad that the network of the Hilltop, Alexandria, and the Kingdom didn’t just jump right into war with this new “threat” – which didn’t seem to be a threat at all once it was understood that the Whisperers simply want strangers to stay away from “their” land. Of course I’m still creeped out about a lot of what they’ve got going on – the fact that they wear the skins of the dead, for one, but Lydia’s confession that she basically has to have sex with whoever whenever whether she wants to or not is in my opinion far worse. Still, Carl is probably biting off more than he can chew, going after her, and I don’t see how his doing so can end well. I suppose we’ll find out in Volume 24!

No review this week

Check back next week for your regularly scheduled review.



-John

Jack of Fables: The (Nearly) Great Escape

Title: Jack of Fables: The (Nearly) Great Escape





ISBN: 9781401212223

Price: $14.99

Publisher/Year: Vertigo, 2007

Artist: Tony Akins

Writer: Bill Willingham, Matthew Sturges

Collects: Jack of Fables #1-5



Rating: 3.5/5



Jack the Giant Killer AKA Jack-Be-Nimble AKA Jack of Tales has made a name for himself with Nimble Pictures, a movie production company that has a whole stable of films starring everyone’s favorite Fable. But when Fabletown finds out about Jack’s money and dealings, his billions and title are stripped from him and he’s sent on a road trip across the world of the Mundanes (normal people). When he gets abducted by a group of “librarians” who want to put him in a retirement community for Fables, it’s up to Jack to break out the imprisoned storybook characters from the clutches of the evil Mr. Revise.



Written by Bill Willingham and published by Vertigo, Jack of Fables takes one of Fables greatest characters and gives him a very deserved spin-off series. The humor and style of Fables is still present, but Jack of Fables is more of an action story right off the bat. Jack’s violent and hilarious tales always keep the pages turning and the panels popping, and the constant inclusion of storybook characters who might not have appeared in the Fables universe otherwise is a great opportunity to explore more of the world that they live in.



Jack’s character is the over-the-top action hero, but with his own smarmy charm added to it. The great thing about having a main character like Jack is that he could do anything at anytime, based on any reasoning he sees fit. He loves being selfish, but he always has these moments where he genuinely wants to help people. It’s this sort of trait and flaw that makes him such a fun character to follow. His dialogue is snappy, his presence is larger than life, and the fact that he’s hard to kill due to his immortality makes it fun to watch him mess up and bite it, hard.

East of West Vol 3

Title: East of West Vol 3





ISBN: 9781632151148

Price: $14.99

Publisher/Year: Image, 2014

Artist: Nick Dragotta

Writer: Jonathan Hickman

Collects: East of West #11-15



Rating: 4/5



It’s tempting to babble senselessly about how good this comic is, urge you to go out and buy all available issues right away, but I wouldn’t be much of a reviewer if I didn’t explain my fascination. I’ll start with a little back story.



Loosely based on the ‘Book Of Revelations’, ‘East Of West’ tells the story of impending apocalypse. It’s clear from the very first issue that the world has been destroyed and revived before in what might be an endless cycle. What’s not clear is the role to be taken by the very recognizable symbols of a biblical apocalypse. The Four Horsemen are missing one of their number, Death. The Seven Seals have been replaced by seven nations. The Beast is…difficult to explain without spoiling some of the surprises of the story. Then there is the Message, which is presented as a constraint upon the actions of all. A dictate on how the world will end. Mixed into this over-arching story are the lives of the people within each nation. The leaders and their friends and foes.



The cover of Volume 3 features Xiaolian. The title, ‘There Is No Us’, again perfectly encompasses the events of the collected issues as well as Xiaolian’s philosophy. After rallying her people, she departs for a meeting with the other nations where she plans to call for an end to the illusion of peace. We visit with each leader as they make their preparations and depart for the Wall, the neutral zone that will host the meeting. These glimpses of each nation serve as a quick reminder of who the players are and what they are up to. After waiting months for the next collected volume, I found it easy to slip back into the story and was surprised by how well I remembered each character’s quirks and faults. To me, that is a mark of great story-telling.



The second chapter begins with politicking. The dialogue is clever and again serves to establish the intention of each nation. The Endless Nation, which is the most obscure player thus far in that we haven’t seen a lot of them on the page, is called to project an outcome to the war Xiaolian wants. Predictably, they outline the terrible cost of any match of opponents and call for peace. Violence interrupts the meeting and the chain of events that follows ensures that war is the only outcome. The panels depicting the breakdown of negotiations are brutal and gory, which only serves to highlight the shocking nature of each incident.



From there, we move to the dead lands and the shootout between Death and the Ranger. While they duke it out, Wolf and Raven attempt to bind the power loosed by the death of wolf’s father. They…succeed in doing something. Trouble is averted for now. When Death reveals why he was dealing with a chosen, the Ranger stands down. Post-brawl negotiations are interrupted by a rumble overhead: the ships of The Endless Nation heading to war.



Next, we check in with the three Horsemen and Ezra. More panels of delightfully depicted gore here. The Horsemen want Ezra’s help in killing the Beast. As this is counter to the Message, Ezra goes a little nuts.



The final chapter has all four Horsemen arriving at the lair of the Beast. As always, this part of the story is creepy-cool. As always, I’m going to say very little regarding it, except that I was once again surprised by events.



Closing the back cover of the book, I saw a quote:



    "We would tell you to pray, but it wouldn’t do any good. You have earned what is coming to you."



These little quotes appear throughout Volume 3. They’re a reminder of how deep this story is and illustrate the attention to detail that makes this comic special. The art alone is spectacular. I rave about it every review and I’ll do so again here. The composition of each panel is stunning. No image is extraneous or wasted. The art tells as much of the story as the dialogue. But without the smart dialogue and strong characterization, the art would just be pretty. The collaboration between writer Jonathan Hickman and artist Nick Dragotta is what makes ‘East Of West’ such a delight to read.

East of West Vol 2: We Are All One

Title: East of West Vol 2: We Are All One




ISBN: 9781607068556

Price: $14.99

Publisher/Year: Image, 2014

Artist: Nick Dragotta

Writer: Jonathan Hickman

Collects: East of West #6-10



Rating: 4/5



Fate was always going to put ‘East Of West’ in my path. I devour post-apocalyptic stories with unholy glee and have done since I discovered the ‘Book Of Revelation’, which is probably why I enjoy ‘East Of West’ so much. There is history here, a lot of it. Creators Jonathan Hickman and Nick Dragotta have pulled snippets of story from several well-known legends and have fused the pieces together with their own imagination. I really love their take on the end of the world. I love this comic series. Now I’m going to continue to enthuse while I talk a little bit about ‘Vol. 2: We Are All One’.



The title is very appropriate. Throughout this collection, issues 6-10 of the comic, the back story widens to include and link several of our main characters. Many of them were involved in the past, willingly or unwillingly. Wittingly or unwittingly! They’re all connected, throughout history and time. There is a sense they are as fated to be together as me and this series.



On to the story. Accused of being a traitor, Bel escapes the conclave and goes to find Justice. We get our first delicious slice of back story here and a promise from Justice to serve just that, saving Bel for last, of course. Meanwhile on, Death is looking for his son. Insert another glimpse of back story, this time for Ezra Orion, who was caught up in Bel’s escape and is now paying a terrible price. My heart wrenched and my gut clenched for this one. It’s the story and the art. This is a partnership that breathes hyper-realistic life into every frame.



Back at the white tower, the city is on fire. Presidency is not an easy task, particularly under the constraint of the Message and the Word. Here, the reader gains a sense of both the urgency and the futility the seven must feel while the world races toward the end. They have to keep it together for just that long and then give it up. Talk about anti-motivation. Then again, I’m not the disciple type.



Death confronts the Oracle and she extracts a terrible price for information about the whereabouts of his son. These panels are suitably grisly. On to John Freeman, who receives a lesson in history from his father. This is another chunk of back story that shows timeless connection between many of the characters. The lessons from his father help glue the story together while reinforcing the fact it is huge.



‘East Of West’ has always had the depth of a novel. That’s why I enjoy it so much. The issues don’t feel episodic in the traditional comic book sense, even if each serves a purpose. Rather, each issue is a chapter of a larger and ever-growing tale. I love the combination of back story, plot and hints of possible futures. For me, each issue is another building block, I suppose. Separately, they serve a need. Together, they are so much more.



The last chapter has Death meeting the man who can tell him where his son is. Unfortunately, for all involved, the Ranger has also caught up with his prey. Cue epic battle and denouement. Of course, the story doesn’t end here. In fact, there is much left to tell.



Before the end, we check in with the Beast. I’m not going to detail this scene much except to say it had my skin crawling. Really and truly.



So, to reiterate, this is a fantastic story done justice by volume two. The art continues to be amazing and the writing is top notch. There are no characters undeserved by the collaboration of Hickman and Dragotta. I don’t want to discourage those who like to read their comics issue by issue, but I really love the way multiple issues work together in this series, as if designed to hang between two covers as a single unit. Unlike some collected comics, these graphic novels work well. They have a beginning and an ending, which only leads me to praise, once again, the scope of the project, and the imagination of its creators

Saga Volume 5

Title: Saga Volume 5




ISBN: 9781632154385

Price: $14.99

Publisher/Year: Image, 2015

Artist: Fiona Staples

Writer: Brian K. Vaughan

Collects: Saga #25-30



Rating: 4/5



There is so much to say about Saga. It’s a series that transcends multiple genres at once while exemplifying the best of those genres. It’s written in a no-nonsense, funny and modern style that is easy to get in to. There’s no pretension; Saga knows exactly what it is and doesn’t give a fuck. It is also beautifully drawn by Fiona Staples. I’ve never known an artist able to capture even the slightest human expressions so perfectly, never mind the countless anthropomorphic animals she brings vividly to life.



For those not familiar with the series (and there’s really no good reason not to be if you’re a fantasy and/or Sci-Fi fan. You don’t even need to be in to comics), Saga follows the fugitives Marko and Alana, forbidden lovers from opposite sides of a galactic war, and their new-born baby Hazel – who narrates the series – as they run from never ending violence. The leaders of both sides have condemned Marko and Alana’s relationship, and their mixed-race child. The magical, horned humanoids of the moon Wreath, Marko’s home world, have sent assassins to kill off the parents and snatch the baby, while the militarized winged people of Alana’s planet Landfall have teamed up with the monitor-headed robot royalty to search for and destroy the little family.



Sounds complicated, eh? You have no idea. If you’ve not read it, close this review, go and buy the entire series, and then come back. I expect you’ll be a better person once you do.



Now that you’ve turned your life around, we can talk about Volume 5 in this series. Volume 5 collects issues 25 to 30. The opening to this particular arc shows us a brief history of the war, showcasing the way it has moved so far away from the planet and moon it started on that the inhabitants aren’t really aware of it anymore. It’s very nicely done and gives us a rare glimpse of the general population of Landfall, going about their lives. It felt like a clever analogue to the wars of recent years that both the UK and US have been a part of, yet most of the populations of those countries would only be aware of it as something in the news.



Stuck right in the middle and now the focus of both sides at this point, are our protagonists. Having been split up, Marko forms an uneasy alliance with Prince Robot IV (with the aid of druggie Yuma and cute-as-ever Ghüs), while Alana tries to protect Hazel from the Rebellion, a group of violent outlaws who have just turned up on her doorstep. Meanwhile, Sophie, Lying Cat, Gwendolyn and The Brand go in search of…well, dragon jizz…in order to heal The Will.



This arc moves a bit slower than previous volumes. Rather than trying to keep ahead of everyone, Marko and Alana are simply trying to find one another. Everyone is mostly stuck in one place; Alana with the Rebellion, Marko with the Prince, and Sophie et al on Demimonde as they search for a male dragon. This gives Vaughan a chance to work on his characters. There’s quite a bit of development for Marko. We get an insight to just why he’s so desperate to swear off violence yet finding it pretty damn difficult to do. There’s also a fair bit of sacrifice and risk-taking from characters we wouldn’t have expected it from so far.



A great aspect of this arc has been that a lot of the characters are out of their comfort zones. Marko and Alana don’t have one another to rely on; Robot IV is partnered up with the enemy; Sophie and Gwendolyn don’t have The Will. What’s interesting is how they react to these situations. Marko is sort of pathetic without Alana. He’s still badass, but he mopes like a teenager at some points. Robot IV acts as pompously as you would expect him to, but little flashes of decency do shine through, once he gets to know the little group he’s stuck with. It also introduces us to the Rebellion, who seem to be something of a common enemy between Landfall and Wreath; brutal terrorists with little regard for the well-being of either side. They act under the pretense of wanting to end the war once and for all, but their actions and attitude tell an entirely different story. They form a pivotal moment at the end of this arc, and it will interesting to see how both sides react to it.



As you would expect from Saga, the artwork is beautiful throughout, with plenty of disgusting moments as well. There’s one image that takes up double-page splash that is one of the grimmest things I’ve seen so far in a comic that has happily shown us inter-species orgies, placenta covered babies and a gigantic naked cyclops with a wart-covered nutsack the size of a car.



As well as this, there are plenty of cute moments. Not only do we get Hazel as a fun-loving toddler who seems blissfully ignorant of the horrible things going on around her, but we get plenty of adorable and hilarious Ghüs moments too. Ghüs is such an easy character to love, and Vaughan and Staples seems to love giving us more reasons to do so.



Vaughan’s humor is ever present. His dialogue is some of the best in any medium; I think he’s up there with the likes of Abercrombie and Rothfuss for wit and realism. The characters all feel distinct from one another, as opposed to some other recent comics I’ve read that contain quite wooden and flat characters.



So while it’s not as fast-paced as the volumes before, volume 5 is a great arc, and sets up what is sure to be the most exciting part of this story yet. Saga has already cemented itself as one of the best titles around at the minute, and with years of stories yet to come, it feels like it’s only going to get better.