The Massive, Volume 1: Black Pacific (2013) Brian Wood, et. al

The Massive, Volume 1: Black Pacific (2013) - Brian Wood, Kristian Donaldson, Garry Brown, 

Dave Stewart

Collecting The Massive #1-6 and portions of Dark Horse Presents #8-10

Trade paperback, 176 pages

ISBN 9781616551322

Retail price: $19.99

Amazon price: $12.98

Wow... I may just become a Brian Wood fan for life. 

The Massive begins aboard the conservationist ship Kapital, just after a series of unexplained environmental disasters. These disasters have brought most global commerce to a standstill, forcing the Kapital to spend most of its time and effort searching for critical supplies and avoiding pirates. To make matters worse, their sister ship The Massive has gone missing.  

The main crew of the Kapital includes Callum Israel, the ship’s captain, a former mercenary turned non-violent environmentalist; Mag Nagendra, also a former mercenary, but one who has no problems using violence to realize the Kapital’s goals; and an absolutely fearless woman named Mary, whose past is unknown to the rest of the crew. 

The Massive is not what you might expect from a post-environmental disaster story. It’s not preachy, formulaic, or predictable. The book contains many quiet, contemplative scenes, scenes in which we can get inside the heads of these characters and realize that Wood has written levels of depth to these people, levels we don’t often see in comics and graphic novels. 

Information is revealed gradually, and not always in a linear fashion. Many writers (and film directors) seem to do this arbitrarily, but Wood knows exactly what he’s doing. There are no gimmicks or slight-of-hand tricks here, just solid storytelling. You won’t find an explosion on every page, but you will find plenty to engage your mind. If this is what Wood is capable of all the time, give me everything the man’s ever written.  

The Massive is good, incredibly good. The characters are superbly written, the pacing perfect, and the suspense - while often subtle - is expertly sustained throughout. As soon as I finished it, I wanted to read it again. That rarely happens with me. Read this now.

5/5

Graphic Novels Read in June 2014 Part II

June is looking to be a record-breaking month here at Graphic Novel Universe. Here’s the second part of what I’ve read this month. More to come!

(All works with a + are part of the ongoing SXSW 2014 Starter Pack review series.)

The Yellow “M” (1956) Edgar P. Jacobs (Cinebook)

Previously discussed here. 

4/5

Afterlife with Archie, Vol. 1: Escape from Riverdale (2014) Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Francesco Francavilla (Archie) 

Read my review at The Comics Alternative.

5/5

Black Science, Vol. 1: How to Fall Forever (2014) Rick Remender, Matteo Scalera, Dean White (Image)

Scientist Grant McKay - with his research crew and family - discovers a way to travel to other dimensions through “black science” and, specifically, through a device known as the “pillar.” McKay is hoping to find the answers to all of man’s questions by traveling interdimensionally, but discovers each dimension is filled with further questions, danger, and sometimes death. 

In one way, Rememder is exploring and paying homage to some of the great classic science fiction ideas from sf history. In another, he’s touching on many elements of human nature, some that we’d maybe rather not be reminded of...

This was a quick read - perhaps too quick - and one I want to explore again. The art and coloring in this book are so incredible, you could literally stare at each panel and lose all track of time. Collects Black Science #1-6 for ten bucks. Trust me on this one - buy it. 

4.5/5

+ Chloe Noonan: Monster Hunter: Digital Omnibus (2012) Marc Ellerby (Great Beast) 

I like the concept of Chloe as sort of Buffy the Vampire Slayer without any special powers. Chloe is also a real flake and most of the time isn’t really interested in saving the world at all, but would rather play keyboards in what appears to be a pretty lousy band. She’s grumpy and opinionated and hangs out with her friend Zoe, who is - of course - everything Chloe is not: beautiful, perky, and optimistic. The British humor works well enough, but gets old fast. A fun, whimsical read that I might explore further.

3/5

The Massive, Vol. 1: Black Pacific (2013) Brian Wood, Kristian Donaldson, Garry Brown (Dark Horse) (2x)

The first trade of The Massive was one of my favorite graphic novels of 2013. (You can read my full review here.)

5/5

The Massive, Vol. 2: Subcontinental (2013) Brian Wood, Garry Brown, Gary Erskine, Declan Shalvey, Danijel Žeželj (Dark Horse)

The second trade of The Massive really deflated much of the enthusiasm I had for the first volume. I can go along with the “ghost ship” concept for only so long, and at this point, my patience is wearing thin. Several believability issues emerge here that were not a problem in the first book, but the biggest disappointment with Subcontinental is its art with six collected issues drawn by four different artists. I’m not sure what’s going on with these changes, but I’m hoping for more consistency in art and less “ghost ship” plot points with Volume 3.  

3/5

The Nao of Brown (2012) Glyn Dillon (SelfMadeHero)

Nao Brown is a 28-year-old woman with OCD who lives in London and works at a toy shop. Nao has dreams of love and longing as well as extremely violent urges, often at the same time. Telling you more about the plot would be pointless. The Nao of Brown is something you have to experience for yourself. Besides the gorgeous watercolor artwork, Dillon has created a uniquely complex character that’s both surprising and touching. This is a very different graphic novel, one that’s very good and maybe even great. I’ll definitely read this one again. 

4.5/5

Adventure Time: Candy Capers (J 2014) (KaBOOM!)

Recently reviewed at The Comics Alternative.  

3/5

Graphic Novels Read in May 2013

Things were quite hectic in May, so I didn’t get much read and you didn’t see many posts. Hopefully that will change this month. From the looks of things, it seems I was having quite a Brian Wood fest here at Graphic Novel Universe. 

The Massive: Black Pacific (2012/2013) - Brian Wood, Kristan Donaldson, Garry Brown * * * * *

Previously discussed

X-9: Secret Agent Corrigan, Vol. 1 (1967-69/2010) - Archie Goodwin, Al Williamson * * * *

Previously discussed

DMZ, Vol. 1: On the Ground (2005/2006) - Brian Wood, Riccardo Burchielli 

Northlanders Vol. 1: Sven the Returned (2007/2008) - Brian Wood, Davide Gianfelice

As mentioned before, May was clearly Brian Wood month. I’d never read any of his work before (Don’t ask me how that happened...), but after reading The Massive early in the month, I knew I couldn’t stop there. 

Touching very briefly on each of these books, I had a similar feeling with DMZ to the one I had with The Massive: with both tales, Wood managed to drop me into a world that was already fully developed and built, but not fully revealed. In DMZ, a second American civil war has turned Manhattan into a demilitarized zone. A mostly clueless reporter named Matthew Roth stumbles into an assignment that literally opens his eyes to the ways of life and death in the DMZ. 

Northlanders, a Viking saga of betrayal and revenge, is just as effective in its storytelling and, oddly enough, far more graphic than DMZ. One element that takes you somewhat out of the story is the use of words/phrases/vernacular that don’t seem fitting to the era Wood’s writing about. But I wasn’t there, and there’s so much we don’t know about the Vikings, so who cares? It’s a great story. 

In each of Wood’s books, he’s showing us worlds that are completely messed up,  especially with The Massive and DMZ. I hope to explore more about the spiritual nature of these books as I work my way through both series. But for now, I am astounded with Wood’s writing. 

DMZ 5/5

Northlanders 4.5/5

Marvel Masterworks: The Fantastic Four, Vol. 4 (1964-65/2003) - Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, et. al

What can I say? These comics are a product of their time. Lee and Kirby are very close in this volume to the ground-breaking issues that would change the comics landscape forever. But they’re not there yet. Even this early in the series, readers are treated to some pretty cool comics, but Lee & Kirby are primarily caught in a vicious cycle, rehashing the same character conflicts among the group. At least we get plenty of Doctor Doom thrown into the mix and I’ve always been fond of #39 and #40 with Doctor Doom and Daredevil. 

3/5

To Read or Not to Read? Licensed Comics

 

Recently The Comics Alternative Podcast featured a segment on licensed comics (comics book incarnations of properties originally introduced in another medium, usually film and/or television). At the time (and completely by coincidence), I was reading two such graphic novel collections, Star Wars Vol. 1: In the Shadow of Yavin (2013) by Brian Wood and Carlos D’Anda, and Star Trek: Leonard McCoy, Frontier Doctor (2010) by John Byrne.

Now you should know that I am a casual Star Wars fan and a huge fan of the original Star Trek series, yet I’d never sought out comics from either universe before. What made me want to start now? 

In the case of Star Wars, I was intrigued that In the Shadow of Yavin was written by Brian Wood, a writer I’ve discovered and enjoyed this year in The Massive, DMZ and other titles. At this point, I’d probably read a Brian Wood graphic novel based on the molecular structure of soil samples in 17th century Yugoslavia. He’s that good a writer. 

As for Leonard McCoy, Frontier Doctor, I always thought McCoy got the shaft in the TV series, taking a backseat both to Kirk’s shenanigans with the ladies and Spock’s ongoing logic vs. emotion conflict. Here’s a doctor with Southern roots working on a starship using technology he doesn’t completely trust, but with a humanity you can’t ignore; an interesting dude to say the least. So I was excited to see a volume devoted exclusively to him. 

I’d always thought, however, that most (or all) of the significant stories in both the Star Wars and Star Trek universes happened in the movies/shows and what might appear in the comics, while they might be fun, were at best peripheral. I mean, anything of any real consequence would be saved for the big (or small) screen, right? Yet, for the reasons mentioned above, I decided to give these volumes a try. 

Star Wars: In the Shadow of Yavin begins with the main Star Wars characters (Luke, Leia, Han) right after the events of the movie Episode IV - A New Hope, so even if that’s all you know of the Star Wars universe, you’ll have enough to go on for this volume, which is nice. 

What’s not so nice is how text-heavy the book is at the start. Luke and Leia spend the first several pages flying around in their fighters, telling us an enormous amount of backstory. Eventually things get interesting, but the main focus of the book is twofold: the search for a new home base for the Rebel Alliance and Darth Vader’s being relieved as the primary commander of the Imperial fleet. Other subplots feature Han Solo and Chewie as well as the construction of the new Death Star. There’s a good amount of action, but you feel like Wood is taking his time in setting up all the pieces of the playing field. After finishing the volume, I’m mildly interested in seeing what comes next, but not rabidly awaiting the next installment. So will I pick up the next volume? Maybe. 

Leonard McCoy, Frontier Doctor is a bit of a different story. Byrne, clearly a Star Trek fan, has given McCoy fans a huge reason to celebrate. This volume takes place after Kirk has been promoted to Admiral, so Kirk’s basically reading a collection of letters from McCoy detailing his adventures in the Frontier Medics Program. In these adventures, we see several familiar characters from the original Trek universe, some of whom will be instantly recognizable even to casual fans, others who may be unrecognizable. There may be enough of these unrecognizable characters (In all fairness, there are really only two), however, to frustrate new readers. In some of the stories, McCoy is the guy who saves the day; in others, he’s more of a bystander. Still, these stories are fun. 

I suppose my concerns with licensed comics are who is the audience and how much do they want? As the guys in the previously mentioned podcast point out, fans of the movies/shows might pick up these volumes, but would someone new to the Trek or Star Wars universes necessarily want or care about them? Is there enough attraction for a new reader and enough of a feeling that something significant is going on for a veteran fan? Put another way, do fans feel enough of an itch that needs scratching between new movies? Some, no doubt, will. Look at all the novels and graphic novels from both universes that are already out there. It’s like trying to number the stars. And if there’s that much out there, how much of it is really significant?

Right now I don’t personally feel the need to read any more graphic novels in the Star Trek universe. I’m content with the shows and movies, but in all fairness, I do plan to re-read Leonard McCoy, Frontier Doctor. I also plan to re-read In the Shadow of Yavin, but I’m more inclined to read more graphic novels from the Star Wars universe than the Star Trek one. 

I’d love to hear your thoughts on the Star Wars/Star Trek universes in graphic novel form and licensed comics in general....

SXSW 2014 Starter Pack Review Part II

Back in March, I purchased the SXSW 2014 Submit Starter Pack, 100 digital comics/graphic novels for 10 bucks. I thought it would be fun to review the entire bundle..... slowly, ten titles at a time. This is going to take several weeks months, so bear with me here. 

My rules: if it’s a more-or-less standard individual issue (roughly 32 pages), it gets a one-sentence review. If it’s a graphic novel or longer work, I’m allowed to write more. I’ll start each entry with the title and creators, the copy in italics as it appeared on ComiXology, followed by my review. Here we go - hope you enjoy it.

(Part I can be found here.)

Evil Inc Monthly Vol. 7 

Brad Guigar

Captain Heroic faces his daddy issues, and the Real Housewives of Transylvania are introduced in a special, two-week Halloween story. Also included in this edition is "Tales from the Evil Inc Archive!" This trip into the Evil Inc vault re-lives the death of an old nemesis, Mister Shiver -- but not before one of the best intro sequences in Evil Inc history!

The opening story - that of a superhero dad and his adult superhero son trying to express their love for each other - has some good moments, but the remainder of the stories are filled with well-worn puns/wordplay, and not very funny plots.

2/5

Nathan Sorry Vol. 1 

Rich Barrett 

Nathan Sorry did not die on 9/11. He ran. A missed flight saves Nathan Sorry from being in his office in the World Trade Center on the morning of 9/11 and leaves him with an inadvertently stolen laptop that contains the key to $20 million and a new identity. Two months later, Nathan is hiding out in a small town, calling himself “James Goode”, and is slowly losing his grasp of who he really is and what he's really running from.

See my full review. 

3/5

Footprints Vol. 1

Joey Esposito, Jonathan Moore

Bigfoot and his gang of cryptozoological deviants enter a crime noir world full of mystery, horror, monsters and conspiracy. When Foot’s estranged brother Yeti is murdered in the Arctic, Foot reunites his old team of Jersey Devil, Nessy, and Megaldon for one last case that spans back to their very long history together.

Footprints is one of those graphic novels that simply should not work at all. I mean, come on, Bigfoot as a hardboiled detective looking for the murderer of his brother Yeti? And Bigfoot’s buddies helping him on the case - The Jersey Devil, Loch Ness Monster, and Megaldon? How in the world could this work on any level?

I’m not sure, but it does. Esposito provides just the right amount of humor in this gritty noir tale and Jonathan Moore’s art is somewhat reminiscent of that of Sean Phillips. Worth a look.

3.5/5

Kung Fu Skratch! #1

Adrian Thomas Engmann, Erwin Prasetva

Fifteen year old Jason Stonewall and his father, Raymond Stonewall return to the American town of Brickhaven after a year long training sojourn overseas in the East. Now the young martial arts prodigy must deal with his first day as a freshman in high school, b-boy bullies, girls, Brickhaven High's most notorious gang, the SHO'GUNNZ and their menacing leader, the Banchō Gangsta - - FA'SHO!

Fairly engaging tale of sibling rivalry amidst a kung fu background, but since I’m not really a fan of kung fu, I found this one fairly slight.  

2.5/5

Armarauders #1

Dan Taylor, Don Figuerca

Humanity was on the brink of extinction when an alien race brought remarkable technology in the form of massive weapons of war. As mankind stepped into the galactic arena, they encountered the WASTERS, a threat unlike any seen before. In a final mission on a distant world, a squadron of mecha pilots get cut off from reinforcements and have to battle against all odds for survival as they discover dark secrets about their allies... secrets that could alter the balance of power in the universe!

Transformers fans will probably dig this for the action and visuals, but there’s not enough plot for me to continue the series.   

2/5

The Antler Boy and Other Stories

Jake Parker

Flying whales, giant imaginary pink bunnies, friendly robots, curious aliens, space explorers, and adventures all find a home between the covers of this book. The Antler Boy and Other Stories collects ten short stories written and illustrated by Jake Parker, New York Times bestselling illustrator and creator of the Missile Mouse graphic novel series from Scholastic.

Nice collection of stories from Jake Parker, many of them previously published in Flight, Flight Explorer and other publications. The most famous character in this collection is undoubtedly Missle Mouse, but the collection also includes two stories each featuring Hugo Earhart and Lucy Nova, as well as several other gems. (My favorites are "The Robot and the Sparrow" and "The Antler Boy.") 

Many of these stories are sweet and touching (maybe too much so at times), yet Parker's imagination is the star of this volume, reflected in some excellent artwork. 

4/5

Chloe Noonan: Monster Hunter: Digital Omnibus

Marc Ellerby

Chloe Noonan is a monster hunter, but she doesn't have any powers. She can't beat up bad guys, she can't run without getting a stitch. She's kinda flakey and really not bothered about saving the world. Especially when she has to get the bus everywhere. Set in the fictional British town of Ravensdale, this ongoing series of comics and short stories sees our eponymous hero Chloe Noonan team up with a government led squad of Monster Hunters to solve the ever growing monster problem. This digital omnibus collects every Chloe Noonan story to date in full colour and comes complete with a cover illustration gallery, fan art section and a look into creator Marc (Ellerbisms, Love The Way You Love) Ellerby's sketchbook designs.

I like the concept of Chloe as sort of Buffy the Vampire Slayer without any special powers. The humor - very British - works well enough, but gets old fast. A fun read that I might explore further.

3/5

Scam #1

Joe Mulvey

SCAM is "X-Men meets Oceans 11″ and involves a team of super-powered grifters on the biggest con of their lives...taking down a Vegas casino and getting revenge on a former teammate who double-crossed them. "It's better to die a conman, than live like a mark!"

I love tales about con men, grifters and the like, so Scam certainly piqued my interest. The story gets a little confusing at times, mainly because some of the characters look a little too much alike. Oceans 11 is a good comparison, so if you liked those films, I’d recommend this 5-issue volume. 

3/5

Anathema #1

Rachel Deering, Christopher Mooneyham

When her world is turned upside down and she is stripped of everything she loves, Mercy must take on dark powers to help save the soul of her beloved Sarah.

Anathema has a great visual style, similar to Mike Mignola’s, with a story by Rachel Deering - who knows a thing or two about horror - that’s both culturally relevant and chilling. 

4/5

The Mire

Becky Cloonan

On the eve of a great battle, a humble squire is tasked with delivering a letter to a seemingly abandoned castle at the heart of an ill-famed swamp. Met with mysterious apparitions on the way, he slowly unveils the truth behind his journey as his past is re-written over the course of the story.

Cloonan makes the most of a fairly simple premise with wonderfully detailed illustrations and several wordless panels that allow the reader to pause and reflect upon this tale that showcases Cloonan’s amazing storytelling/illustrating abilities. 

5/5

Read in September Part II

Okay, so I'm a little late with the rest of my September reads, which started here. Lots of good stuff, so let's get going...

Baby Bjornstrand (2014) Renee French (Koyama Press)

I met and spoke with French at SPX, bought this book, and plan to discuss it with Derek on an upcoming episode of The Comics Alternative Podcast. Stay tuned!   

4.5/5

Best Graphic Novels of 2013: Part 3 of 3

Best Graphic Novels of 2013 Part 3 of 3

The 10 best graphic novels that were published in 2013:

The Black Beetle Volume 1: No Way Out - Francesco Francavilla (Dark Horse)

Francavilla has recently become one of my favorite artists of the past few years. You get the feeling with this first volume of The Black Beetle that Francavilla is giving us the barest of introductions, which is fine with me. Colt City could be any noir city, and while The Black Beetle has certain noir hero characteristics as well, we really don’t learn much about him in this installment. Again, that’s okay with me, because Francavilla’s art is so wonderfully matched to the noir genre. 

Copra Compendium One - Michel Fiffe (Bergen Street Comics Press)

I bought Copra on a whim at my local comic shop and was just blown away at all the energy, action and imagination on display. It might be a little hard to find, but it’s worth seeking out. Read more about it. 

Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant - Tony Cliff (First Second)

If you want the short review, it’s two words: pure fun. If you want to know a little more, then I will pontificate. 

The Fifth Beatle: The Brian Epstein Story - Vivek Tiwary, Andrew C. Robinson (Dark Horse)

I am absolutely in love with the art in The Fifth Beatle and think the story works well in most places. It's good to see Brian Epstein get some well-deserved praise. For more on this title and Tiwary, check out this interview with the author at The Comics Alternative Podcast. 

Hawkeye: My Life as a Weapon - Matt Fraction, David Aja (Marvel) 

I don’t read a lot of Marvel titles, but I enjoyed both My Life as a Weapon and Little Hits. 

The Massive, Vol. 1: Black Pacific - Brian Wood, Kristian Donaldson, Garry Brown (Dark Horse) 

Probably my second favorite book of the year. Read more about it. 

Mind MGMT - Matt Kindt (Dark Horse) 

Mind MGMT is the perfect read for people who enjoyed the TV show Lost until it reached a certain point, then became disgusted with it. Mind MGMT’s first volume, The Manager, is very, very smart, as is its second, The Futurist. Both are highly recommended.

Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales - Nathan Hale (Harry N. Abrams) 

One Dead Spy

Big Bad Ironclad!

Donner Dinner Party

Okay, I’m cheating a bit here. The first two books were released in 2012, but I didn’t read them until 2013. I’m bending the rules because not enough people have heard about these great books that make history fun and fascinating. Don’t miss them!

Nowhere Men, Vol. 1: Fates Worse than Death - Eric Stephenson, Nate Belegarde (Image)

Here it is - my pick for the best graphic novel of 2013. No other title stayed in my head and made me think of all the implications in it quite like Nowhere Men. Find out why.  

The Spectral Engine - Ray Fawkes (McClelland & Stewart)

The Spectral Engine might not be your typical horror graphic novel, but its dark stories, combined with stark black and white art, make it a gripping read. Find out more. 

Honorable Mentions

The First Kingdom, Vol. 1: The Birth of Tundran - Jack Katz (Titan Comics)

The First Kingdom isn’t really new; it first appeared in the 70s in single issues, but 2013 (and into 2014) marks the first time the six-volume black-and-white series will be reprinted in its entirely in handsome hardcover editions. And it’s epic. Read more about it. 

Heck - Zander Cannon (Top Shelf)

Looks can be deceiving, and in this case, that’s a good thing. Intrigued about this black-and-white graphic novel? Read on...

Lazarus, Book One: Family - Greg Rucka, Michael Lark (Image)

It’s too early to tell how good Lazarus is going to be over the long haul, but for now, it’s quite good. Investigate more. 

New School - Dash Shaw (Fantagraphics)

Intrigued. Often fascinated. Confused. Eager for more. 

Those are the four words and phrases that best describe my reaction to Dash Shaw’s New School, my first exposure to Shaw. Thanks to the guys at The Comics Alternative, I decided to check out this coming-of-age story set in a strange, distant land. Shaw is showing us something about sibling rivalry, but also how to navigate a world we don’t really understand. I am amazed at Shaw’s storytelling, but am not quite sure how to interpret his uses of color. This is a definite read-again book.

  

The Reason for Dragons - Chris Northrop and Jeff Stokely (Archaia) 

Another book for younger readers (approx. ages 12 and up) that I hope finds its audience. You can read more about it. 

So... Tell me about the best graphic novels you read published in 2013.