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Category Archives: Graphic Novel Reviews
Egg Story Review
2011, Slave Labor Graphics
Written and Illustrated by J. Marc Schmidt
Comic artists, animators and cartoonists have anthropomorphised everything from dinosaurs to wabbits, but outside of Humpty Dumpty I’d be hard pressed to name another tale committed to sentient eggs. A dark comedy on the fragility of life, Marc Schmidt’s Egg Story chronicles the beginnings, ends and omelettes of a … read more
Posted in Graphic Novel Reviews
Tagged graphic novels, indie comics, Slave Labor Graphics, small press
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Dreams and Everyday Life Review
2011, Tabella Publishing
Written & illustrated by Aviv Ratzin
Stream of consciousness storytelling is a rarity in comics, perhaps due to the script-to-art creative process which has standardised the medium, or the somewhat depressing fact that most aspiring comic creators attempt to enter the mainstream by emulating it. Aviv Ratzin’s Dreams and Everyday Life is that exception to the rule; … read more
The James Bond Omnibus Volume 002 Review
2011, Titan Books
Scripts: Henry Gammidge, Jim Lawrence
Art: John McLusky, Yaroslav Horak
This second volume of comic strip adventures for Ian Fleming’s perennial secret agent contains another seven collected exploits, in an affordable omnibus compilation of Titan’s previous hardback trades. Yes, this is essentially a collection of collections.
While the grade A stuff may have already been exhausted in … read more
Posted in Graphic Novel Reviews
Tagged cartoon strips, Ian Fleming, James Bond, newspaper strips, Titian Books
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Amity Blamity: Book One Review
2011, SLG Publishing
Written & illustrated by Mike White
Amity Blamity follows mute four year-old Gretchen and Chester, a potbellied pig whose ability to talk seems to have earned him a place in Gretchen’s grandmother’s home, rather than hanging from and abattoir hook. Their serene, Pooh-esque playtime is frequently disrupted by Winston, a paranoid gerbil riding a shopping trolley, and … read more
Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne TPB Review
2011, DC Comics
Story: Grant Morrison
Art: Chris Sprouse, Frazer Irving, Yanick Paquette, Cameron Stewart, Ryan Sook, Lee Garbett
Like Superman and Captain America before him, Batman was always going to best the Grim Reaper and return to the DCU – even though technically he was never dead. It was more a question of when (re: how long DC could … read more
Posted in Graphic Novel Reviews
Tagged Batman, DC Comics, Grant Morrison, graphic novels, superhero comics, Superman
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Millar & McNiven’s Nemesis TPB Review
2011, Icon Comics/Titan Books
Script: Mark Millar
Art: Steve McNiven
Colours: Dave McCaig
The Mark Millar hype train continues with Nemesis, a series which turns the Batman mythos on its head and supposes that an orphaned billionaire with revenge issues uses his wealth to become the fastest, fittest, smartest costumed villain in the world.
At least, that’s how Nemesis… read more
Posted in Graphic Novel Reviews
Tagged graphic novels, Icon Comics, Mark Millar, Steve McNiven, Titan Books
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Batman: Heart of Hush TPB Review
2009, DC Comics
Story: Paul Dini
Art: Dustin Nguyen
Colours: John Kalisz
With Heart of Hush Paul Dini takes Jeph Loeb’s bandaged villain and injects some much needed pathos into his backstory, exploring Thomas Elliot’s warped relationship with his mother and the Elliot family’s criminal ties. The original ‘Hush’ arc was seemingly developed to give co-creator Jim Lee an opportunity … read more
Posted in Graphic Novel Reviews
Tagged Batman, DC Comics, graphic novels, Jim Lee, Paul Dini, superhero comics
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Superman: Earth One Graphic Novel Review
2010, DC Comics/Titan Books
Story: J. Michael Staczynski
Pencils: Shane Davis
Inks: Sandra Hope
Colour: Barbara Ciardo
J. Michael Staczynski updates the Last Son of Kryton’s origin for the inaugural release from DC’s new Earth One imprint; the publisher’s latest attempt to attract new readers with monthly titles that are free from all the cumbersome continuity and convoluted history which … read more
Posted in Graphic Novel Reviews
Tagged DC Comics, Earth One, graphic novels, J. Michael Straczynski, superhero comics, Superman
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I See the Promised Land Book Review
2010, Tara Books/Patua Graphics
Writer: Arthur Flowers
Artists: Manu Chitrakar, Guglielmo Rossi
During my time writing reviews for this site, the question of what exactly defines a graphic novel as such rears its head on an almost weekly basis. I See the Promised Land, an illustrated account of the life of Martin Luther King Jr., lacks the tight panel-to-panel … read more
The Boys vol 7: The Innocents TPB Review
2010, Dynamite/Titan Books
Story: Garth Ennis
Art: Darick Robertson, Russ Braun, John Macrea, Keith Burns
Colours: Tony Avina
Seven volumes into The Boys and we’ve witnessed buggery, paedophilia, infanticide and more full-frontal nudity than you can furiously shake a rolled up Daily Mail at. Volume 7, ‘The Innocents’, is far lighter in tone than previous instalments, and while this trade … read more
15 pages