Fables Volume 11 – War and Pieces – Review
I love this series, have I mentioned that before? I love it. I love the artwork, the characters, the imagination that goes into each and every volume. So I wasn’t disappointed in volume 11 but I wasn’t thrilled either.
*spoiler alert*
The artwork is spectacular as always but the plot, which is usually so tight, is lacking. Normally, I don’t get hung up on plot. I can read an entire book of manga where nothing happens beyond the two leads staring at each other. If there’s character development, I’m good. But this? This was the WAR. The climax, the return of the Adversary and the Fables final stand.
I expected more. Why didn’t the Snow Queen play a bigger role? It’s like the whole thing went off without a hitch, Fables win, all is seemingly well (minus the “death” of Prince Charming). It went down a little too cleanly. Hang your Mission Accomplished banner here please.
Which isn’t to say that the volume shouldn’t be read. It’s still a wonderful book. The spy stories with Cinderella are especially cool (for lack of a better critique word). The creators are sure to mention that this isn’t the end of Fables so we can all breath a sigh of relief that this puny war didn’t end everything. I have faith in Willingham. He knows what he’s doing and while I’m waiting on the next chapter, I’ll definitely be enjoying the spin off series Jack of Fables.
Celebrate Martin Luther King Day
If you have the day off then you’ve got time to read Ho Che Anderson’s masterpiece King. Taking over a decade to complete and now gathered in one volume, Anderson explores Martin Luther King’s life from birth to his assassination. It is a critical biography, both realizing King as a hero and a flawed human. The dream King had is laid out in brilliant color and actual photographs. A good choice for anyone wanting to know about the man and his devotion to raise this country up.
If you’ve already read King or are wanting to know about the Civil Rights Movement, you might also like these books:
In Incognegro, Mat Johnson writes a mystery wrapped up in the true story about light skinned reporters from Harlem who would infiltrate the hostile South. These men risked their lives to tell the truth. In Johnson’s story, the reporter who calls himself “Incognegro” finds himself in the middle of a mystery with his brother accused of murdering his white girlfriend.
Sports has a funny way of bringing people together through competition. It’s not about race but about orange and blue vs. green and white. Famous African-American pitcher, Satchel Paige is the subject of Satchel Paige: Striking out Jim Crow. It’s an exciting and subtle story of hope.
Finally, as a prelude to the Civil Rights Movement, acclaimed creator Kyle Baker presents Nat Turner. The slave rebellion is unflinchingly told, using art to reveal the true horrors of the slave trade. King was not a violent man but even he could see the bravery and necessity of fighting a system that sees people as property. It was these first few steps that lead to this country struggling with and beginning to overcome a history full of nightmares and dreams.
Neil Gaiman interview – L.A. Times
Neil Gaiman is one of my favorite authors. I read American Gods in grad school, at a time when all I really wanted to read was manga and young adult books, so I approached it with a sort of ‘meh this is pretentious’ feeling. Then came Neverwhere, Anansi Boys and my favorite, Coraline. His latest, Graveyard Book, is waiting on my shelf. But you can’t really talk about Gaiman without mentioning Sandman. This weird twisted series has kept me up at night. Not because I’m afraid but because Gaiman’s dreams are so much better than my own.
Here he discusses his career, the movies and what he hopes for the future. I’m looking forward to the Coraline movie, especially because the graphic novel was a disappointment.
Watchmen in Jeopardy
Nerdage reports that there’s been a ruling in the Watchmen case. The judge has ruled that Fox does in fact have rights to the film. At the very least, they have the right to distribute it. But don’t worry about a push back date yet; Warner Bros. is still planning to release the film on May 6th.
If it doesn’t happen, well, there’s still the book!
Last Minute Gifts
“Not just for nerds!”, proclaims a Publisher’s Weekly article on giving graphic novels to the readers on your Christmas list. They have a pretty good list and here’s (in my opinion) the highlights.
Black Jack by Osamu Tezuka – have I talked about this mange enough yet? No? Ok, let me reiterate. This story about a talented yet mad doctor is both heartwarming AND gory. A perfect gift!
Ghost World, Special Edition by Daniel Clowes - ok, I admit I saw the movie before reading the book. I liked the movie, loved the book. I don’t usually compare the two but this deluxe edition includes the movie screenplay so obsessives can sit and pick apart the differences. It also includes a “where are they now” comic! Awesome!
Hellboy 2: The Chained Coffin, the Right Hand of Doom, and Others by Mike Mignola - they claim this list isn’t just for nerds but include a “velvet-bound, over-sized book that showcases [Mignola's] his stunning art to it’s fullest”. I don’t know about you but the only person who gets excited over my absolute or deluxe editions is a total (cute) nerd. So if you know one, trust me, big giant comics that feel really heavy are the perfect gift!
Local by Brian Wood and Ryan Kelly – I became a fan of Brian Wood after his collection of short stories, Demo. Local is just as good, if not better. Plus, it includes a chapter set in Norman! Nothing like seeing your local haunts depicted in a story about loss and depression is there?
Kramer’s Ergot #7 edited by Sammy Harkham – I haven’t read it but I can’t go a single day without hearing about it.
Gifts they recommend that I would pass on:
DC Vault and Marvel Chronicles – two histories of the giants, complete with memorabilia and an insane price tag.
Will Eisner’s The Spirit: A Pop-Up Graphic Novel by Will Eisner – yay! Sexism! Racism! In 3D! Include a pair of tickets to the awful looking movie to really make someone uncomfortable this Christmas. *Disclaimer* I know Eisner is a genius but really, the Spirit needs some updating and Darwyn Cook’s version doesn’t really manage it.
Fables Television Show
ICV2 has some interesting news about a Fables pilot. David Semel will direct. The script is penned by Stu Zicherman and Raven Metzner, who wrote the tv shows Six Degrees and the terrible What about Brian, as well as, the movie Elektra. Take from that what you will.
I love Bill Willingham’s series about storybook characters run out of their world by a ruthless, cunning and blood hungry adversary. They settle in our world, living among us “mundies” while planning a return to their homelands and thwarting the Adversaries plans to invade their new settlement. It’s exciting and the imagination packed into the pages is outstanding. The plot is tight, the characters are complex and the color is gorgeous. How will that translate to the screen?
One problem I see is the amount of characters. Almost every fable I’ve ever heard of is represented and most of them play an integral part. There’s been criticism of David Semel’s Heroes (love it) for having too many characters and not enough time to develop them all. I don’t see how they can avoid that here.
Another problem is the Farm. The Farm is an annex in upstate New York where the fables who can’t fit in are forced to live. So the Three Little Pigs and the Three Bears and others are understandably a little upset at their exclusion from the rest of the settlement. In the second volume, they attempt a rather bloody coup. It will be hard to take this to real life without making it look like Babe meets Rob Zombie. I suppose the creators could make the farm animals cartoons. That might be kind of awesome.
Finally, I can forsee a problem with the atmosphere. Fables is, at its heart, a story about war and loss. There’s lots of humor and the spin off series Jack of Fables is fairly lighthearted but most of the original series is covered in a sense of fear. How do you make Rose Red seem fearful without being, I don’t know, hokey? Or have Snow White fall in love with the Big Bad Wolf without going all Lois and Clark?
Batman some more
I have to admit, the whole concept of the “comics industry” annoys me. Buying thin, stapled pamphlets in a weekly attempt to get a convoluted story? Uh, no thanks.
But my dear friend Rod tells me there’s a “Battle of the Cowl” coming and Oh. my. god. I cannot miss anything hailed as a battle! for a cowl! Can you tell the whole prospect has got me a little bit excited? Between that and the new X-files you may actually find me ditching the pages of Shojo Beat to line up at the comic book store.
Jog the Blog reviews issue #682 and it looks like backstory, which I’ll need if I am to get all invested in this cowl business. It’s like a superhero fashion battle!! Oh I’m sure there will be brooding and ego and glaring but ultimately, I’m hoping there is an issue devoted to the contenders designing their own new batsuit. Cause if Bucky couldn’t handle wearing the Captain America costume surely the new Bat has to have his own look too.
If I could design the cowl (tee hee) I would lighten it up a bit. How come all the Gotham villains get all the color? It could still be black with an iridescent shine. Then a dark purple suit… am I taking this too far?
The Bat. Man.
The guys over at Nerdage have an update on the Batman ‘is he or isn’t he’ issue. So is Bruce Wayne really dead? Uh, of course not. But it looks like we do get a storyline written by Neil Gaiman!!!
Should Bruce Wayne die? Has he outlived his purpose? The Bat has certainly taken him over and maybe it’s time to erase that particular alter ego and start with someone new. There’s all kinds of speculation with Dick Grayson/Nightwing at the head of the pack. Which…boring. I’m not sure who I would like to see take over but one of the Birds of Prey, like Black Canary, might be interesting. Who do you want in the cape and pointy ears?
Veterans’ Day
Happy (?) Veterans’ Day! I hope all our veterans are finding the peace and care and love they need today.
So as you remember your loved ones or hug your kids, try picking up some of these great war graphic novels:
Deogratias, A Tale of Rwanda written and illustrated by J.P. Stassen. Deogratias is a teenage boy living in Rwanda. Though he’s a Hutu, he loves two Tutsi sisters for their different charms. The people around him begin to raise their voices and arms in violence, Deogratias too begins to believe their chants, seeing himself as a dog laying in the street. He becomes drunk on rhetoric and influence eventually destroying himself and the things he loves.
Fallen Son: The Death Of Captain America Premiere HC by Jeph Loeb and illustrated by various artists. Sure Batman has neat gadgets and Superman can fly but Captain America was a soldier. In Fallen Son, those who were close to him mourn his death, moving through the stages of grief while trying to continue his mission to make all of America a safer place.
Light Brigade by Peter Tomasi and illustrated by Peter Snejbjerg uses World War II as a background of an even bigger fight, that between Heaven and Hell. A group of weary American soldiers encounter a group of Germans who are more than human. The brigade must race these fallen angels to a powerful sword, battling indestructible zombies and, at times, their own faith.
Maus I: A Survivor’s Tale: My Father Bleeds History written and illustrated by Art Spiegleman is a reminder that not all veteran’s of war choose to be there. It is often the innocent, the people who are being fought for or against that suffer the most. In his memoir recounting his Jewish father’s days in Nazi Germany, Spiegelman created a classic.
Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood written and illustrated by Marjane Satrapi. During the war between Iran and Iraq, Satrapi was a child. This is her memories and her coming of age, her liberation. She watches as her parents protest an oppressive regime. It highlights the importance of every day citizens to stand up for themselves and their government, if it is needed.
Shooting War by Anthony Lappe and illustrated by Dan Goldman. In the year 2011, a little known video blogger Jimmy Burns captures a terrorist bombing on tape. He quickly rises to fame when his video goes viral. He’s tapped by the Global News Network for the ongoing war in Iraq, covering the war for President McCain and the folks back home. Once there he discovers that his fame is worth a lot less than his skin and sanity.
