Category Archives: Graphic Novel Reviews

December 14, 2013 · 5:23 pm

Review: POMPEII by Frank Santoro, published by PictureBox

Frank Santoro is an artist with a vision that can run counter to what some people expect in their comics. Casual, and more refined, readers alike tend to want their comics ink-rendered, bold, and grounded in a certain manner. Santoro’s work is often pencilled and it is experimental and has an ethereal quality. But a reader only needs to take a careful read to see that Santoro’s work has its own unique substance. In “Pompeii,” his most recent graphic novel, published by PictureBox, Santoro maintains the spontaneity of sketchbook drawings in a well orchestrated narrative. This is a story about learning how to see the world as it really is and perhaps gaining solace from how it may have been.

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Filed under Comics, Frank Santoro, Graphic Novel Reviews, graphic novels, PictureBox

Tagged as Art, arts, Books, comics, Entertainment, frank santoro, Graphic Novel Reviews, graphic novels, Italian, Italy, PictureBox, Pompeii, Pop Culture, Publishing, Reviews, Santoro

December 5, 2013 · 4:50 am

Review: THE LENGTHS by Howard Hardiman, published by Soaring Penguin Press

“The Lengths” is a graphic novel about addiction, published by Soaring Penguin Press. The title refers to the lenghts to which a young man, Eddie, will go to feed his desire. Howard Hardiman has written and drawn a graphic novel about a youth out of control and in conflict. It is a very rough story about a rough subject that Hardiman navigates quite well. His character, Eddie, is a 24-year-old art school drop out who is gay and unsure about what he wants. He may want a relationship but he is also attracted to what he gets from his role as Ford, an escort. It’s a pretty lurid and gritty premise. Something like this could easily fall apart, as can happen with any story that deals with sex. But sex is only part of what Hardiman has to talk about. And to create some distance to better address and understand the content, he represents all his characters as dogs. It may seem odd at first, but it turns out to be a wonderful narrative device.

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Filed under British Comics, Comics, European Comics, Gay, Graphic Novel Reviews, graphic novels, LGBT, Soaring Penguin, Soaring Penguin Press

Tagged as Art, arts, Books, comics, Entertainment, European Comics, Gay, Gay Studies, graphic novel, Graphic Novel Reviews, graphic novels, LGBT, London, Pop Culture, Publishing, Sex, Sex Workers, Soaring Penguin Press, UK

November 19, 2013 · 6:17 am

Review: ‘The Fifth Beatle: The Brian Epstein Story,’ published by Dark Horse Comics

Brian Epstein was in search of greatness. He found it with a ragtag band in a little basement club. These lads from Liverpool were not just any ragtag band. Brian Epstein was an expert on pop music and knew right away that The Beatles were special and could use his help. And so Brian embarks upon his true calling which is faithfully retold in the graphic novel, “The Fifth Beatle: The Brian Epstein Story,” published by Dark Horse Comics, for their imprint, M Press.

To be a homosexual in England in the 1960s could land you in prison. And to be Jewish could put your life at risk during a time of great anti-Semitism. Brian was both and very much aware of the danger. However, he wasn’t someone to be pushed around with either. The script by Vivek J. Tiwary, a Broadway producer and avid Beatles fan, gives us a portrait of a determined young man who is very passionate about music and style. But it’s not just a passion, it’s a way of life: You can conquer the world if you look the part. This worldview is essential and part of what Brian will instill in The Beatles. Just like a well dressed matador wows the cheering crowds, so the well dressed image of The Beatles will wow the world.

The artwork by Andrew Robinson (Star Wars, Batman), with contributions by Kyle Baker (Plastic Man, Why I Hate Saturn), transports us back quite nicely to the good cheer and irreverence of the young band led by the young old soul Epstein. We see Epstein go from running the family business, the record store, Nems, to managing The Beatles. By sheer determination, Epstein continues on course believing in the band’s potential more than the band had ever dared dreamed themselves. Andrew Robinson has a deft touch with facial expression and body language. His engaging character development brings the lads and their magnificent manager to full life.

The challenge in writing such a book was starting out with a relatively small amount of information on the subject. Of course, any true Beatles fan or serious scholar of pop culture knows that Brian Epstein was The Beatles manager–but not much more. What Vivek does is pretty amazing. It’s not impossible, no doubt, but it’s an ambitious goal to take any compelling figure and tell their story. It has been a project that Vivek has been building up for some twenty years, beginning as a youth fascinated with the entertainment business and evolving as simply a love for the man himself. This tribute to Brian Epstein is spot on and will inspire.

Told in three parts, this story unfolds at a fast pace. Given the roller coaster of events, that rings true. In only six years, from 1961 to 1967, Epstein took a promising, but unknown, band and did as he vowed he’d do, made them bigger than Elvis. Along the way, we have time for some fascinating extended scenes that give us insights into what it was like for Epstein, both personal and professional. We come to see just how painfully lonely he was. And we see him navigating some unusual business dealings. The scenes with Colonel Parker and with Ed Sullivan are interesting. And to think it all came to an end for Brian Epstein at the age of 32. The Beatles would only last another couple of years after his death. But, that end was just one end. The music lives on. And, with this book, the story of Brian Epstein lives on in this compelling work.

“The Fifth Beatle: The Brian Epstein Story” is a 144-page hardcover, priced at $19.99, and available as of November 19, 2013. Visit our friends at Dark Horse Comics here. And be sure to visit The Fifth Beatle website here.

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Filed under Comics, Comics Reviews, Graphic Novel Reviews, graphic novels, The Beatles

Tagged as 1960s, Andrew Robinson, Art, arts, Brian Epstein, comics, Dark Horse Comics, Entertainment, graphic novels, Music, Pop Culture, Pop Music, The '60s, The Beatles, The Fifth Beatle, Vivek J. Tiwary

September 30, 2013 · 8:06 pm

Review: RASL by Jeff Smith

Nikola Tesla, the man that Thomas Edison viciously attempted to discredit, has emerged from the fringes and regained his role as the top wizard in the public’s mind. Among the new crop of science fiction that he’s inspired, there is Jeff Smith’s remarkable new graphic novel, “RASL.” Originally a comic book series, starting in 2008, this hardcover collected work goes a long way in stoking the fires of popular imagination.

“RASL,” which stands for “Romance At the Speed of Light,” is a multi-layered roller coaster of a story. Our hero, or anti-hero, goes by the nickname of “Rasl” and, in our first look at him, he appears to be little more than a thief, although a highly unusual and sophisticated one. We see him hang off a high-rise ledge, pop into a penthouse apartment, and make away with an original Picasso. He fights off a lizard-faced man. And he escapes by being zapped by a turbojet contraption. Yeah, then things really go nuts.

Rasl, it turns out, is far more than the coolest thief ever. He’s Dr. Robert Johnson, a genius-level scientist who has gotten a little too close to the military industrial complex. The good doctor knows too much and is left burdened with figuring out what to do with this special knowledge. Much like all of humanity has been burdened since the atomic genie was let out of the bottle, something else is on the horizon to threaten everyone–but this one is not going to fit in any silo.

In matters of life and death, all bets are off and anything can happen. Smith plays quite well with this sort of high-octane tension. It’s a “North by Northwest” kind of pacing mixed in with a doomsday scenario that cleverly unleashes many a favorite sci-fi theme. You get the Philadelphia Experiment mashed with the Tunguska Event. And you most assuredly get a close look at the world of Nikola Tesla. It is Tesla technology, after all, that allows Rasl to “drift” through dimensions.

What keeps this narrative grounded is Rasl and the circle of characters he interacts with on his journey. There are two women, for instance, that are key to helping him maintain his sanity, let alone complete his mission. There is Annie, who only really knows Rasl as a bushy-haired hoodlum. And there’s Maya, who only really knows Rob, the great man of science. She also happens to know Rob as her lover. Too bad she’s also married to Rob’s lab partner, Miles. Between the two of them, Miles and Rob can provide the greatest scientific breakthrough in ages–if only it were that easy and morally unambiguous.

Drawn in a very clean and animated way, “RASL” is a joy to behold. The characters are all very compelling and the storytelling is immersive. It is perfectly tuned which is what makes what unfolds all the more captivating. Rasl must not only deal with what to do to potentially save the planet. He must confront what it means to exist in the first place. Not only that, given the magnitude of this misadventure, the very notion of reality is explored, just like it is in any good work of science fiction. What makes Smith’s tale special is his thoughtful selection of what to bring to the table.

“RASL” is published by Cartoon Books, available now, and you can check it out here.

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Filed under Comics, Graphic Novel Reviews, graphic novels, Jeff Smith, Nikola Tesla, RASL, Sci-Fi, science fiction, Time Travel

Tagged as Books, comic books, comics, Entertainment, Jeff Smith, Nikola Tesla, Pop Culture, Publishing, RASL, Sci-Fi, Science Fiction, Self-Published, Thomas Edison, Time Travel

September 23, 2013 · 7:53 am

Review: BATTLING BOY by Paul Pope, published by First Second

“Dad,” is a word you read a lot in Paul Pope‘s new graphic novel, “Battling Boy,” published by First Second. Our original hero was Haggard West, the proud dad of Aurora West, and the defender of the City of Acropolis on good ole planet Earth. And then there’s Battling Boy’s dad who is not from anywhere, not anywhere close anyway. As Battling Boy says himself, this is a “place which hangs suspended above the silver spinning lightning cloud.” It’s up to Battling Boy to help save Acropolis, a city under siege by all kinds of monsters. If you’re sensing that this is a way cool superhero story, one with a fresh new energy we could all use more of, then you’d be right.

Aurora West in Paul Pope’s “Battling Boy”

Battling Boy and his dad

“Battling Boy” is Paul Pope’s baby and that is exciting news. Paul Pope is the ultimate dad in this graphic novel, yes he is. Some Paul Pope fans just know the guy from his amazing artwork. Other fans just know him from “Batman: Year One Hundred.” And then there are fans, myself included, who have been following his work for years. Pope has always loved the urban, the offbeat, and the other-worldly. His work is immersive, hypnotic, and just plain knock-your-socks-off cool. He loves and respects the comics medium and carries on the tradition of masters like Milton Caniff and Jack Kirby.

Have you ever seen the 1974 Stanley Donen film, “The Little Prince”? It springs to mind when I think of how masterfully Paul Pope has delivered a sense of wonder in this comic, similar to Gene Wilder having us believe he’s a fox–without the aid of even a hint of whisker or fur, just through sheer talent and skill. He just is a fox. That’s the kind of magic we don’t see nearly enough of from superhero comics.

Why should superhero comics, in general, be so predictable? Demographics seem to hold the key, right? Comics most in tune with a formula seem to always sell the best while, in fact, quality has no need for test marketing and never goes out of style. You cannot test market how Gene Wilder conjures up a fox any more than you can test market how Paul Pope conjures up a fox.

Paul Pope has always had that magic touch. He is in tune with his senses and what the reader will enjoy without having to force it. We begin with a bouncing soccer ball in the very first panel of this story. We proceed to see the ball bounce out of sight and one boy being coaxed by his pals to retrieve it. Some more panels in, and we find the boy’s mom calling out for him. We next see the boy and, above him, some odd bits of tattered cloth. Then, just a bit higher, a strange limb comes into view. Finally, a monster sits on a wire above, about to pounce on the boy. What seemed a gradual pace, keeps moving faster.

This monster is part of a gang which is part of a whole network of monsters. Haggard West, a burly figure with an aviator’s cap and an arsenal of gadgets, arrives to save the day. But it will be up to his daughter, Aurora, to live up to his legacy. Later on, we come across a similar scene with a bouncing ball. This time, it’s a fireball and we’re on some other planet. This is where Battling Boy steps in. He is 12 years old, ready for his rites of passage. It has been decided that he will go to planet Earth and save the City of Acropolis from its monsters. It’s a tall order but somehow Battling Boy will need to find a way to do the right thing. It is the sort of story that Paul Pope can tell very well and perhaps one that he will inspire others to tell as well.

“Battling Boy” is a 202-page full color graphic novel published by First Second and comes out this October. Visit our friends at First Second here and you can purchase it here.

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Filed under Comics, First Second, Graphic Novel Reviews, graphic novels, Paul Pope

Tagged as Art, arts, Books, Entertainment, graphic novels, Marketing, paul pope, Pop Culture, Publishing, superheroes

September 22, 2013 · 10:34 pm

Review: PACHYDERME by Frederik Peeters, published by SelfMadeHero

An elegant young woman struggles her way out of a horrific accident and finds herself in a strange world. Thus begins the new graphic novel by Frederik Peeters, “Pachyderme,” published by SelfMadeHero. Peeters borrows from David Lynch’s dreamlike narrative style, specifically his landmark film, “Mulholland Drive,” and creates something wholly original and worthy of comparison. It’s not your typical reference. It’s more of a tapping into a similar wavelength or molding from the same clay.

Carice in “Pachyderme” by Frederik Peeters

Laura Harring as Rita in David Lynch’s “Mulholland Drive”

In “Pachyderme,” Peeters starts with a similar jumping off point to “Mulholland Drive.” Peteers’s female character is caught in a traffic jam caused by the death of an elephant. Lynch’s female character is in a limo, about to be shot by some mobsters, when some joyriders crash onto the scene.

Peeters plays with the role of the main character by giving it over to this woman while Lynch sets his sights more askew. Peeters has his character, Carice, take over the journey that lays ahead while Lynch has his similar character, Rita, step back and let another character dominate. Peteer’s Carice bears a striking resemblance to Lynch’s Rita and that adds to the sense of everything emerging from a dream.

Carice has far more control over her life than Rita and, as we proceed, we see her will tested to its limits. Carice has a clear goal in mind: to find her husband who is in hospital after suffering an accident of his own. We don’t know exactly what happened to him except that Carice is trying to reach him. Due to the traffic jam caused by the elephant, it takes Carice a while to reach the hospital on foot. And, once there, her nightmare begins. Just recall your last hospital visit and then add noir intrigue and the surreal and you have entered the world of “Pachyderme.”

There is a satisfying bite to this story immersed in the fevered Cold War. Is the man in the little top hat and trench coat, with the penis-shaped nose, to be trusted at all? That is the sort of question that Carice must confront. She must also confront a number of other characters, including herself, all in fear of something yet unformed.

If you gave one hundred cartoonists the assignment of somehow riffing on David Lynch and going on to create their own mesmerizing work, you would get a lot of interesting results, no doubt. Let “Pachyderme” lead the way. This 88-page full color graphic novel is a keeper you’ll enjoy with every new read.

Drawn in a very confident and fluid style, the artwork of Frederik Peeters is a joy to behold. He is truly a remarkable artist/writer. It was a real treat to review his “Sandcastle” recently. You can read that here. And you can visit him here. “Pachyderme” is available starting in October, 2013. Visit our dear friends at SelfMadeHero here.

Review: ‘The Beginning of the American Fall: A Comics Journalist Inside the Occupy Wall Street Movement’

“The Beginning of the American Fall: A Comics Journalist Inside the Occupy Wall Street Movement” does a remarkable job of giving you a sense of the Occupy movement by placing it into proper context. Yes, there is a healthy and vigorous unrest across the globe but what to do about it? At some point, the spirit of protest from the 1960s began to seem like a relic. There was the yuppie backlash of the 1980s. And there was a strident cynicism from Generation X that found Baby Boomers, on the whole, to be self-indulgent navel gazers of the highest order, especially when it came to their politics and activism. They are a tough crowd, those Gen Xers but that harsh critical outlook led to a whole new Do-It-Yourself movement. And from that, arose another generation with strong opinions, Generation Y, or the the Millennials. With social media and gadgetry at their command, this new generation finds itself all the more connected while also all the more self-absorbed.

This bring us back to the recent past and the present. Are people most likely to steer their own lives within relative safety and comfort or do they take notice of the social unrest they see on the news from time to time? That is the question that the author of this book had to pose to herself while still in high school in the early 1980s. Stephanie McMillan picked up a book that would change her life. It was “Fate of the Earth,” by Jonathan Schell which lays out the prospect of nuclear war and how nations are willing to put the planet at risk for the sake of warmongering. This galvanized McMillan into a life of activism. Shortly after that book, she read the newspaper, the Revolutionary Worker. This planted the seed in her mind that the solution to social ills would ultimately come through revolution. Thirty years later, and with plenty of experience in what is possible through protest, McMillan was to finally see in her lifetime a people’s movement on a grand scale.

McMillan sets the stage for us by highlighting some of the key characteristics of 2011, the year that the Occupy movement took hold:

2011 is so recent that it may as well be today and at least the next few years ahead. It’s not a pretty picture, is it? Corporate greed goes unchecked, will continue to go unchecked, and people and the planet suffer for it. When McMillan goes into details about the rise of the Occupy movement, there is a palpable sense of urgency. We are drawn into her concern that the movement she had favored, “Stop the Machine,” was soon to be overshadowed by the rowdy new kid on the block, Occupy. It’s clear these are two very different approaches. Stop is highly organized and has a leadership structure. Occupy is founded on anarchism and relies upon collective decision-making. Will they be able to work together? Or will they work against each other? In a wonderful series of exchanges, McMillan draws for us how a people’s movement finds its way. Her illustrations are funny, irreverent, and quite honest. While she’s a participant in this story, she doesn’t shy away from depicting the inconsistencies, bickering, and mistakes that occur along the way.

McMillan’s main concern is on the eventual work ahead. Throughout this book, we are treated to a treasure trove of insights, facts, and ideas on some of the best options when attempting to do the most good with the energy of mounting social unrest. McMillan boils it down to an unquestionable need to rid ourselves of global capitalism. It is capitalism that is the problem. But just how do you rid yourself of capitalism? Aren’t we all, at heart, hapless consumers? As Pogo, the celebrated comic strip character once said, “We have seen the enemy and the enemy is us.”

It is as if a goal is being proposed that is unattainable. Are we seeking to change the world or just a part of it? The answers are not all there but at least we’re asking questions. The very act of questioning is part of the answer! We are not mindless drones. It’s a fundamental impulse to resist oppression. This book proves to be an essential guide in this great new age of change.

“The Beginning of the American Fall” is published by Seven Stories Press. It is a 141-page trade, priced at $12.71 US. Visit our friends at Seven Stories Press here.

Review: MARCH: BOOK ONE by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell

The 50th anniversary of the March on Washington is today, August 28, 2013. It is one of the most inspiring moments in American history and all of history. It will only grow in stature and significance as time continues its own march. The United States of America was desperately lagging behind in full self-awareness as a nation when it received an opportunity for collective clarity. It was a beautiful, gentle, and energetic plea for understanding. There were marches before and after this distinguished one. Progress would still take time. His words would still be dismissed by some. But, on that day, Martin Luther King Jr. spoke to a nation. He gave a speech. He spoke of a dream.

We continue to remember that moment, and that movement, in new ways. One shining example is “March,” the new graphic novel, published by Top Shelf Productions, written by Rep. John Lewis and Andrew Aydin, and drawn by Nate Powell. “March: Book One,” the first part of a trilogy, has already gained critical and popular acclaim. It has made it to the number one spot on The New York Times bestsellers list for Graphic Books. The creation of this book is inspiring in itself. Congressman John Lewis is a perfect guide. He was an active participant in the civil rights movement right from the start. He is the last surviving dignitary who gave a speech during the March on Washington. And he’s a wealth of knowledge and goodwill. The “March” trilogy gives us a front row seat to the civil rights movement in America through the eyes of Mr. Lewis. The story is framed all in one day, January 20, 2009, the day of the inauguration of President Barack Obama. It’s an ambitious project that reads quite smoothly, just as if Mr. Lewis was there to tell you the story in person.

The script seems to embrace a cinematic pace. The main character is recalling his life all in a short span of time with each recollection triggering an extended flashback. It is left to Nate Powell’s storytelling ability as a cartoonist to bring out aspects that gel with the comics medium. You see this in the various ways that Powell plays with text and composition like when he has a favorite passage from the Bible run across a silhouette of young John Lewis: “Behold the lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world.” And, of course, the distinctive drawing style of Nate Powell takes over. We easily become immersed in the intelligent and caring ways of this boy who is compelled to preach to the chickens on the family farm. In due time, the young man’s compassion becomes refined and focuses on the social gospel, the idea that church principles can guide social justice.

Martin Luther King and the Montgomery Story, published by F.O.R. in 1955

Martin Luther King and the Montgomery Story, published by F.O.R. in 1956

It is a dangerous world that young Lewis must navigate. There is constant humiliation and intimidation. You could easily be killed, just like 14-year-old Emmett Till. But a violent reaction would not be the answer. The key was passive resistance and keeping faith. There were various techniques to learn in order to outwit one’s attackers with the prevailing goal being to draw out your enemy’s humanity. We find an actual comic book pamphlet of the time laying out the Montgomery Method that worked so well for Dr. King and his followers. It is a satisfying comics reference within a comic. It was an inspiration for the young John Lewis. And it’s a compelling link to the past to this contemporary look back.

It will be great to see the whole trilogy. It’s so important for new generations to have something contemporary in order to help them hook into history. The civil rights movement is really relatively recent history depending on how you look at it! This book and “Lee Daniel’s The Butler” make a big difference. The United States of America has a lot of wounds that are still healing and we still have a lot to learn and relearn. It’s this book and that movie that provide essential hooks for young people, give them proper context, help them appreciate when they hear on the news that our voting rights as a people are, even today, being compromised. You can’t put enough value on a book like “March” and more power to Top Shelf Productions for publishing it.

“March: Book One” is a beautiful book. It is a new way to honor and understand what has come before us and be inspired for what lies ahead. It is a 128-page trade paperback and is available for $14.95 (US) print and $9.95 (US) digital. Visit our friends at Top Shelf Productions here.

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Filed under American History, Civil Rights, Comics, Graphic Novel Reviews, graphic novels, History, March on Washington, Martin Luther King Jr., Race, Race Relations, Social Justice, Top Shelf Productions

Tagged as American Civil Rights Movement, American History, arts, Civil Rights, comics, graphic novels, History, March on Washington, Martin Luther King Jr., Race, Race Relations, Social Justice

August 6, 2013 · 3:21 am

Graphic Novel Review: ‘Sandcastle’ by Pierre Oscar Levy and Frederick Peeters, published by SelfMadeHero

“Sandcastle” is a refreshingly creepy sci-fi mystery set to words and pictures. This graphic novel, published by SelfMadeHero, an imprint of Abrams ComicArts, lures you into quite a gripping tale. It fits right in with my current favorite summer movie , “The Conjuring.” It’s not set in a haunted house but it comes close. How about a haunted beach?

I’d love to see a graphic novel version of “The Conjuring,” by the way. It would slice and dice the story into something just as spooky if not more so. Your eyes rest on one panel, are pulled by one thing and then another. If the pacing is done right, you can easily slip into more than you bargained for. With drawings, you get an added sense of ambiguity. How, for instance, are you expected to know for sure that the kids back in the first set of panels have somehow changed? You can create this uncertainty with other mediums for sure but drawings carry their own special energy.

The story itself is right in tune with what we all seem to want to read these days while also having a timeless quality. There’s a certain hint of the Apocalypse mixed in here. There is also a “Twilight Zone” or “Lost” vibe. It’s a story involving a bunch of people that fate has thrown in together for a most extraordinary event, one they may not survive, one they are most likely not going to survive. And there’s a nice dash of the fantastical to make it all the more eerie.

It is a very understated story filled with very understated characters which can make for the best fiction. No one in this story is a hero or even all that likable. Even the most innocent or noble among them is less a shining example and more an average person pushed to the limits. That is a big theme here, being pushed to the limits. Just how much can one human being take? If a person is stretched far enough from what they know, have they lost their purpose, their will to live?

Without spoiling much of anything, the action is set into motion when a pretty young girl decides to disrobe and take a dip in the lake. As so often happens in life, her actions coincide with a most random person who is wandering about right at that moment. He’s a miserable looking man. He can’t help but find himself staring at the beautiful naked woman in the water. He didn’t plan to look in that direction but he couldn’t help himself. She, in turn, suddenly dies. And he is suddenly in a most dangerous position for an odd man out. He will quickly become a murder suspect. But that is only the beginning of the devilishly complicated horror that lies ahead.

This all told in a vividly cinematic way. That is much to the credit of writer Pierre Oscar Levy, a documentarian by trade. The translation by Nora Mahony is pitch perfect too. The art by Frederick Peeters is quite striking throughout, a blend of realism and cartoony embellishments. Many of the characters have severe features, coupled with severe temperaments, which Peeters takes delight in expressing in all its ghoulish beauty. These are mostly people who have already been beaten down by life and now they must deal with the worst beating they will ever get. It’s a wonderfully strange story.

“Sandcastle” is a 112-page hardcover available now. Visit our friends at SelfMadeHero and Abrams ComicArts.

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Filed under Comics, Graphic Novel Reviews, graphic novels, Horror, SelfMadeHero

Tagged as Books, comics, Entertainment, graphic novels, Horror, Science Fiction

July 31, 2013 · 6:12 am

Graphic Novel Review: BLACK PATHS by David B., published by SelfMadeHero

Sometimes a man needs the right kind of motivation. “Lauriano made a myth out of his two days in no-man’s-land.” That is what they say about our main character in David B.’s latest graphic novel, “Black Paths,” published by SelfMadeHero. He is thought to be posturing. But, then again, his friends are quick not to judge too harshly. Everything is in flux. The First World War tore into nations and souls. It did what it did to Laurinao. And it did what it did to the accidental city-state of Fiume. They know that all too well. “Ha! Life is good in the free city of Fiume. We’re going to die of cold and hunger.” Lauriano chooses to make sense of things by being the hero. It may prove a way to cope but it can also be a very lonely place.

Some say that certain things, like the silent movie era, are lost to us, just too far away for us to relate to. But I don’t believe them. Charlie Chaplin. Mary Pickford. We can still look into their eyes and they’re still alive. Everything is relatable. It depends on who is telling the story. What David B. does with “Black Paths” is give us a sense of the chaotic state that Europe was left in after the First World War and part of the stage that was being set for another global war. He does this by focusing on the little mouse that roared, Fiume, the city without a country. Italy is not terribly interested in absorbing it. Croatia is not ready. To make matters worse, a usurper, the Italian poet Gabriele D’Annunzio, takes command. This leaves a void that is filled by various corrupt forces. Fiume is not the harsh no-man’s-land of the trenches but it definitely rates the tile of “No-Where,” that Lauriano has given it.

In truth, the details are numerous and complicated about the actual Fiume of history. To David B.’s great credit, he turns this troubled land into a wonderful gateway for further reading in history by including fantasy and romance into the mix. Lauriano is a dreamy young man who easily floats among all walks of life as if he were a ghost. But, after finding himself in the middle of a brawl over stolen loot, he stumbles upon Mina, a sexy cabaret singer. After they hide themselves on the roof overlooking the mayhem, they quickly fall under each other’s spell. They can’t get enough of each other or so it would seem. Mina, for all her charms, soon learns that she must compete with ghosts, poetry, and all manner of daydreaming.

David B.’s beautifully fluid style graces each page. His unique use of patterning gives the story a lift and emphasis where needed. David B. can create patterns from just about anything and will, whether it be from skulls, crowds, or vibrations of light. And his characters tend to have a world-weary look to them with sleepy eyes and languid expressions. We don’t see people go into a rage as much as we see them get exasperated. It’s the anger, mixed with melancholy, that you usually see Charlie Chaplin engage in. It is a jaded resistance, just the right temperament for this fable set in Fiume.

“Black Paths” is a 128-page hardcover, published by SelfMadeHero.