To Conan or Not to Conan?

Although the hardcover edition of Conan, Vol. 13: Queen of the Black Coast was released in January, 2013, the trade paperback is on the docket for release this week, according to the release schedule at Collected Comics Library.

Since I have lately become a fan of writer Brian Wood, and have always admired the artwork of Becky Cloonan (although she's not the only artist contributing here), picking up the trade paperback this week seems like a no-brainer.

Or does it?

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

Crazy Memorial Day Sale at Fantagraphics

Don't miss this insane Memorial Day Mega-Blowout sale over at Fantagraphics Books. These prices are so low, I may even take a chance on some books that I've never even heard of. If you pick anything up at the sale, let me know what you get.

X-9: Secret Agent Corrigan, Vol. 1 (2010) Al Williamson & Archie Goodwin

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

Collecting daily newspaper comic strips from 1967-1969

IDW, The Library of American Comics series

Hardcover, 285 pages, black & white

ISBN 9781600106972

Retail price: $49.99

Amazon price: $39.86

Creating and sustaining a successful newspaper comic strip is a fine art. If you think about how these strips appeared in newspapers, the creators had three panels per day to work with: the first to summarize what happened the day before, the second to advance the plot, and the third to further advance the plot and hook the reader to keep reading the next day and the next and the next.

Archie Goodwin and Al Williamson were masters of the daily comic strip. You can learn all about the origins of Secret Agent Corrigan in the book's extras, but the main reason you'll want to pick up this volume is for the storytelling and artwork. This was the mid-60s, a time when the spy genre was very hot, thanks largely to the James Bond films and TV shows like The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Corrigan (actually an FBI agent) is up to the task of picking up intel and coming up with sly tactics to nab the bad guys, whether they’re gunrunners, pirates, or counteragents. 

Sure, you can see that there's something of a formula involved, but the way Goodwin and Williamson work the formula is masterful. If you've never read some of the vintage newspaper comic strips, X-9: Secret Agent Corrigan, Vol. 1 is a great place to start.  

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 April 2013

I only had time for a mini-review of each book. Books that were previously discussed in more detail are linked with the title. 

The Complete Strangers in Paradise Vol. 1 (1994) - Terry Moore

Strangers in Paradise, Volume 2: I Dream of You (1996) - Terry Moore

A few months ago, I signed up for a free online class called Gender in Comics, which, unfortunately, I had to drop. (Dropping a free class sure felt weird....) These volumes by Terry Moore (along with the first issue of Moore’s current title Rachel Rising) made up the first reading assignment. 

Moore certainly examines several important topics, including feminism and gay/lesbian issues, but what stuck with me is how good a storyteller he is. What seems like something of an ordinary tale of relationships becomes much more complex as Moore layers in other elements of mystery, crime, and noir, all in black and white. 

4/5 for each volume

Hawkeye Vol. 1: My Life as a Weapon (2012) - Matt Fraction, David Aja, Javier Pulido 

5/5

Batman, Vol. 2: The City of Owls (2012/2013) - Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo, Jonathan Glapion, et. al 

3/5

Fantastic Four by John Byrne Omnibus Volume I (2011) - John Bryne, et. al

4/5

Rocketeer: Cargo of Doom (2013) - Mark Waid, Chris Samnee

I’m a big fan of both the Rocketeer and Mark Waid, so when you combine a nostalgic “sense of wonder” character with one of today’s most talented writers, you’re bound to have a great time. I certainly did. Fans of the late Dave Stevens who think that the Rocketeer died with Stevens are really missing out by not picking up this volume (collecting Rocketeer: Cargo of Doom #1-4).   

4/5

Daredevil, Volume 4 (2013) - Mark Waid, Chris Samnee, Michael Allred

Well, Waid shows up again.... How about that?

When Daredevil was relaunched in 2011, Waid was wise enough to steer away from the gritty, noir-saturated Miller/Brubaker/Bendis atmospheres, choosing instead to have some fun with the character. Here in Volume 4, Waid’s still having fun, but the element of weirdness, combined with a strained relationship between Matt Murdock and Foggy Nelson, creates a memorable series of tales. 

4.5/5

The Joe Kubert Archives, Vol. I: Weird Horrors and Daring Adventures (2013) - Joe Kubert, Bill Schelly, ed. 

(A detailed review forthcoming)

The Fantastic Four by John Byrne Omnibus (2011)

The Fantastic Four by John Byrne Omnibus Vol. 1 (2011)

Collecting Marvel Team Up #61-62, Marvel Two-in-One #50, Fantastic Four #209-218, 220-221, 232-260, Fantastic Four Annual #17, Avengers #233, Thing #2

Hardcover, 1096 pages

ISBN 9780785158240

Retail price: $125.00

Amazon price: $83.80

The problem with the Fantastic Four is that Stan Lee and Jack Kirby (1) created a monster and (2) wrote/drew themselves into a corner. Actually that’s not true; they didn’t really do these things, but all those who came after them were so enamored of the FF Universe (not the same thing as the Marvel Universe) and fearful to dishonor it, that they usually rehashed the same themes and motifs over and over until The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine became The World’s Greatest Joke. (Mark Waid alludes to this in his essay “The Fantastic Four Manifesto” in Fantastic Four: Imaginauts (2003). 

Ben and Johnny trash-talk and fight, occasionally wrecking the Baxter Building. Reed neglects Sue in favor of another experiment. Another trip into the Negative Zone. Oh, wait, here’s Doctor Doom again.... 

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz

John Byrne falls prey to some of this, but at least he makes a good (sometimes great) effort to make the FF fresh and exciting. Although Byrne’s run on the title goes from issue #232 through #293, this omnibus starts with Byrne’s art on Marvel Team Up #61-62, Marvel Two-in-One #50, then moving to FF #215-218, #220-221 before arriving at the meat of the Byrne work with #232-260. What I’m saying is that you should understand that you won’t see Byrne’s words and pictures paired up until after page 275. 

Those first 275 pages are generally okay, but you’re getting a lot of what Waid was talking about in his essay. Skrulls, the Watcher, Galactus, etc. 

For 275 pages.....

The shift comes at issue #232. You can tell from the cover that something’s different: no speech or thought balloons, no banners making bold proclamations about the story awaiting you inside, nothing but an image of Ben, Reed, Sue and Johnny, suspended above a fiery cauldron and Diablo (Sorry, Mr. Waid...) conjuring up some evil deed. Diablo’s not the villain I would’ve picked, but that’s the one Byrne chose (or maybe it was chosen for him) and it (mostly) works.

Byrne finds his footing quickly and understands that everything that happens in the comic doesn’t have to be a cosmic event determining the fate of the universe. Sometimes smaller stories work just fine, as in the case of “Mission for a Dead Man” (#233), which shows the Human Torch playing detective, or the lighter tale “The Man with the Power” (#234) about a seemingly ordinary man whose trip to New York City is one he’ll never forget (or will he?). Even the very unusual “Childhood’s End”  (#245) works in Byrne’s hands - although it would probably come across dismally in anyone else’s. 

Byrne manages to capture some of the light, carefree elements of the early FF issues without descending into goofy territory. The characters take on more human elements and we get to know Reed, Sue, Ben and Johnny more as people than as heroes or celebrities. We understand their wants and needs, their hopes, dreams, and fears in ways that are less superficial than they had been up to this point. 

Ah, but Byrne eventually does go cosmic. He can’t help it. The Negative Zone, Galactus.... I know what you’re thinking: “Here we go, break out the caffeine...”

Yet Byrne’s ventures into the cosmic are more than just trippy, mind-blowing adventures for the sake of mind-blowing adventures. He has something to say beyond saving the universe for the billionth time. Case in point: “Fragments” (#257) shows us something we’ve never really seen before - Galactus actually feeding on a planet. Even though it’s the planet of one of the FF’s greatest villains, Byrne shows us the devastating consequences of Galactus’s normal means of sustaining his life. Is it right? Wrong? You could think about this issue (no pun intended) for a long, long time. 

The Fantastic Four by John Byrne Omnibus takes awhile to get started, but once it does, the book frequently soars. Even when it stumbles, it’s still a fun read. Will we get another volume collecting the remainder of Byrne’s run on the title (#261-293)? I hope so.