Sentences: The Life of MF Grimm tpb

Posted by Graig on October 22, 2008

(Vertigo)

Loving rap music was far from the norm in middle-class Northern Ontario, where I was born and raised in a city of predominantly northern European-derived ethnicities (Finnish, Italian, Scandanavian, Polish, etc) during the 80’s and 90’s. There, I was raised amongst peers who enjoyed “banger” music and top-40 hits, my father enjoying Randy Travis/Garth Brooks-style “new country” and my mother a big ABBA and Neil Diamond fan. I grew up feeling an outcast, for no other reason than my own insecurities, and I found hip-hop to be suitably outsider-ish. What started with a fondness for commercial hip-hop (DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, Run DMC, Young MC and the like) made an entryway for “consciousness hip-hop”, from De La Soul to BDP to Public Enemy to Das EFX. From the late-1980’s to the mid-1990’s that was my only music, and virtually nobody else I knew shared my passion for it. To be clear, I was never one of these white kids pretending he was black (which was a big issue back then)… I never wore the baggy clothes or the African colors. I never wanted to rap. I just found the music, the rhythms, the messages stimulating. It wasn’t that I could always relate (rarely I could) but I’m not without empathy, and I’m not without the capacity for trying to understand. Afterall, that’s what’s storytelling is about, experiencing things through the observations and insights of others. Just like the funny-hat-wearing outsiders of the alternative comics crowd like R. Crumb embraced jazz, I too embraced the black experience through hip-hop.

I did, however, always draw a line at gangsta. Back in the day Ice-T, Ice Cube, NWA, Dr. Dre… they weren’t a part of my play list. I didn’t like the aggressiveness of the music, I didn’t like the anger, and I didn’t like the message. What I wasn’t willing to listen to was, essentially, their truth (albeit filtered through media image marketing). Where KRS-One or Chuck D would speak of their experiences as young black men, identifying systemic oppression and urging brothers and sisters to rise above it, embrace their roots and be proud, Cube and Dre would speak of their altogether different experiences, living in a society where the only law is the code of the streets, telling tales of succumbing to every temptation, and embracing what the streets have to offer, with only occasional regret. In the years since, gangsta has been marketed as “black culture”, glorified and spread well beyond the streets of L.A., into the homes of Germans, Japanese, Brits and beyond. The thing is, the message of getting paid, pimping, doing drugs, gunfights and partying is embraced, fad-like, by the suburban community kids longing for something other than a boring existence. But for many inner city kids of all different races and religions, it’s a half-truth: all-glory, no warning.

For all my knowledge of rap music (which arguably isn’t as strong as it once was), MF Grimm never entered my radar until now*. Originally published in hardcover last year, the award-winning Sentences is the abridged life story of MF Grimm, aka Percey Carey, which details the the key events in his life, starting with his time as, literally, a kid growing up on Sesame Street (for four years he performed alongside Big Bird, Oscar and company). Though he speaks of his tough, strong-willed mother, a caring stepfather, a loving grandmother, and two doting sisters, his family are nominal players in this tale. Carey speaks much more of the people who became his street family, partners in music and partners in crime. Though not proclaiming he was in a gang, he does mention the territorial divides in New York City and its boroughs, and how he found a taste for violence.

Though a horrible student, getting kicked out of schools due to his tendency to not put up with anything and getting into fights, Carey was also a voracious reader, something he notes was rare amongst his peers. His love of words segued into a love of wordplay, leading him to the most verbal of music mediums. He breaks down the rap game that he got into during it’s boom years, noting where stars could be made and where swollen egos constantly get in the way. Yet to establish himself firmly, Carey made many friends in the business, taking him on tour and eventually winding up in LA where he witnessed the tension of real gangland, Crips and Bloods, for the first time. In LA, Carey landed numerous ghost writing gigs for major talent, making some respectable money, but it wasn’t enough. As he did in New York, he got into the drug scene (more as a player than a user), and wound up getting run out of town.

For all the friends he made, he made enemies as well. He explains the code of the streets - revolving around respect, ego, and money - which he wound up adopting. Making money through drugs was easy, he claims, all too easy, a nasty temptation that continually drew him in. In the drug business and in the rap game, people are trying to make a name for themselves, trying to be somebody, one way or another. As Carey found out, a name just makes you a target. On an early winter’s day, in a car with his stepbrother, Carey wound up getting shot seven times, his stepbrother killed. After a grueling recovery period, crippled and confined to a wheelchair, with revenge on his mind but still a target, Carey booked it out of town into suburbia where he once again succumbed to temptation, eventually getting arrested and incarcerated before turning his life around… really turning his life around.

Sentences isn’t so much a comic book as an illustrated narrative, a story that is told from the first person perspective with imagery providing the visual impact of the events described. Carey’s story is about himself, about a likable person who made bad decisions that cost him his legs, years of his life, and the lives of some of his friends. Carey writes with a casual pen, his narration conversational and confessional, filled with the language he learned on the street rather than the prose out of a book, but almost always remaining accessible (only a shorthand referring to the rap scene of the time may throw some for a loop).

The black and white art from Ronald Wimberly is exceptional, visually stimulating and often awe inspiring. There’s a rough-hewn edge to his work that feels partially inspired by graphitti, much like Jim Mafood, but his shadows and inking the overall feel more noir-ish, Frank Miller meets 100 Bullets’ Eduardo Rizzo. Just as the structure of the story is a jump-point narrative, his visuals are free from the typical sequential panel confinements, flowing with the narrative, leaving a sense of openness in each scene rather than trying to nail it all in one boxed-in image.

While Carey doesn’t go the route of glorifying the trouble he got into, he also doesn’t serve strongly enough his story as a warning. He tags on at the end how he hopes his story can keep at least one kid from following that path, and I suppose without getting preachy or hammy “Scared Straight” about it still achieves that aim. The story itself is one of an intense, harrowing journey, full of loss and lack of self-control, which itself does have a powerful impact on me, if only because it’s so alien to my reality. Percey’s various “sentences”, from his money-making rhymes to his wheelchair confinement and time in prison, show such a difficult and unlikely route to gaining success that it’s hard to believe people would want to follow in that path, and yet there are so many that try. If anything is missing from this story, it’s Carey’s insight. He expresses regret often, which is insight in its own right, but as an obviously intelligent man I was expecting a little more commentary on the nature of the communities he was brought up in, what leads kids to trouble with drugs, the law and each other, and maybe even thoughts of what could have helped keep him out of . Since his days as a youth in New York, things have only gotten worse with gangs, drugs, and the sense that the only option for these kids is music or sports, and the only way to get out is to be on top. Checking out some tunes of Grimm’s on youtube it’s obvious that he has that message within him, so it’s just a little perplexing why it’s not included in here. It’s a remarkable read that could have been even more profound with just a little bit more of what’s on Carey’s mind.

4 and a half out of 5 Vikings

* actually, looking at some MF Doom records on my shelf, I see that I’ve encountered Grimm before, just never actually maintained awareness of him.

[Raided] Fables #76

Posted by Graig on September 26, 2008

(Vertigo)

My interest in the latest issue of Fables was more for scientific reasons than personal curiosity or entertainment purposes. I read and enjoyed the first 40-ish issues via trade paperback off my girlfriend’s (now wife’s) shelf but kind of fell behind on reading her monthly issues and have never caught up. I’ve been interested in the idea of accessibility in comics lately, and knowing that issue #75 was intended to be the big (extra-sized) wrap-up to the grand series masterplan, I suspected issue #76 would be the logical place for a new or returning reader to jump back on. Turns out, not so much. To me, this issue reads as an epilogue, as the Adversary comes to the world of Mundys and doesn’t at all like what he see. Essentially he’s a curmudgeonly old man, looking at the world through the eyes of someone unable to accept change. What this unspeakably evil dictator will become is either the grouchy guy sitting on the front steps saying “What’s so good about it” when someone says “Good day” or he’ll be plotting the Fables’ downfall. Really it could go either way, and writer Bill Willingham isn’t giving much of an indication which way it’s going. In fact this issue seems to come to a close rather abruptly, not leaving much in the way of tantalization for the following issue. As a re-establishing point for returning readers, it’s not bad, with a fair share of both humorous and dramatic moments, as well as giving a sense of Fabletown, and naturally the briefest of recapping recent happenings in the whole Fables v. Adversary conflict. But for new readers it’ll be impossibly impenetrable and certainly not a place I’d recommend starting (maybe next issue?). On the plus side, some gorgeous Mike Allred/Laura Allred fill-in art.

3 out of 5 Vikings (+1 for ongoing readers, -1 for new readers)

Raided: Jack of Fables #22 - 23

Posted by Sean on July 6, 2008

(Vertigo)

I used to read Fables every month, but in Sean’s “Great Scale Back of 06” I cut the title from my pull-list. After reading the most recent two issues of the Fables spin-off, Jack of Fables, I’m thinking it was a bad call. Simply put, these are great characters (fully developed and complex contemporary versions of classic fairy tale figures), and great characters make for great comics. Anyway, I grabbed these issues because they feature a flashback tale of Jack Horner (basically the “Sawyer” of the Fables world) during his days as an outlaw in the Wild West, and I’m a sucker for Westerns. Writer Bill Willingham doesn’t crack the genre mold with this story, but he’s not trying to. This is a well executed and exciting “chase” story, with Jack and the Candle gang on the run from Bigby Wolf, sent from Fabletown to rein Jack’s bad behavior in no matter what the cost; and the dialogue is vintage Western (more John Ford than Sam Peckinpah if you know what I mean), which adds to the “classic” Western atmosphere. At the end of the day though, it’s all about the characters, and Jack (charming, charismatic, daring and ruthless) makes the perfect outlaw, and Bigby (stoic, relentless, tough-as-nails, unforgiving) makes the perfect lawman. I was hoping for a good Western yarn from these issues, and I got that and more — I may be adding two more titles to by pull-list now.

4 out of 5 Vikings

Hellblazer #245

Posted by Sean on July 1, 2008

(Vertigo)

Is there anything Jason Aaron can’t write? Scalped is the best crime comic being published. The Other Side was a powerful and thought-provoking series about war told from opposing sides of the conflict. His recent run on Wolverine and his work on Ghost Rider reveal a knack for well-plotted, character driven (and fun!) superhero stories, and the writer has now convinced me — with just one issue of Hellblazer — that he can pound out some bone-chilling and disturbing horror stories. If Aaron writes it — no matter what “it” is — you can trust it to be excellent. Which brings us to the latest issue of Hellblazer…

A group of young American documentary filmmakers head over the pond to Newcastle to do a piece on “Mucous Membrane,” an obscure 1970s punk band fronted by none other than Vertigo’s resident warlock and S.O.B. John Constantine. As they investigate the remains of a seedy club, the site of the band’s last performance as well as the site of a mysterious mass murder, the filmmakers soon discover that there are some stories better left untold. Cue the ominous music.

I think the most effective horror is “the evil you don’t see,” the type of stuff (ala the beginnings of The Thing and The Mist, and even The Blair Witch Project) that plays with your head — your imagination, fears, paranoia. That’s the kind of horror than can work effectively in the comic book format, and that’s exactly what Aaron and artist Sean Murphy bring to the table here, as the filmmakers slowly find themselves isolated from each other and from their grip on reality, preyed upon by an unseen force, a residual “evil” that haunts what remains of the club. It’s disturbing, and the pacing here is so well done that Aaron just has you on the edge of your seat as he slowly builds the suspense.

Without giving too much away, the only thing that remains to be seen is how well Aaron handles a character of Constantine’s stature, and…ah…the baggage that comes with that. But this is the guy that walked right onto Wolverine and told probably the best Wolverine story I’ve read in years. So, Aaron gets the benefit of the doubt, and as far as introductions go, they don’t come much better than the one Constantine gets in this issue.

Bottom line — whoever says you can’t do horror in comics needs to pick up this issue.

4 and a half out of 5 Vikings

[Trade Winds] Y, The Last Man: Whys & Wherefores

Posted by Adam on June 22, 2008

(Vertigo)

There’s really nothing more to be said about Y: The Last Man. I mean that literally, since this is the final trade collection of what is arguably the most notable non-superhero comic…or maybe comic, period…of the last decade. But I’m going to try to find something to say anyway.

Over the course of 5 years, Yorick Brown and his hangers-on have completely circled the globe, and in the process, they’ve found rays of hope even in this seemingly hopeless, male-free future. (Funny thing about “Y”, it’s probably the most upbeat post-apocalyptic story you’re ever going to read.) They’ve also discovered an explanation for the source of the plague that killed seemingly every other male organism on the planet…but was it the explanation? In an earlier story, the protagonists ran into a traveling theatre troupe who had turned the urban legend of “the last man” into an experimental play; that story contained a number of meta-textual winks, including a reference to a Victorian story about a similar plague, in which the cause was never identified. That seemed like writer Brian K. Vaughn’s hint that he, likewise, was never going to identify exactly what caused the “gendercide”; we did eventually meet a (male) scientist who claimed he was responsible, but his rationale involved some extremely dubious “science”, which even the characters (particularly the ever-skeptical Dr. Alison Mann) didn’t quite buy. So kudos to Vaughn for being willing to introduce such an ambiguous note into an otherwise very mainstream series. WAIT! There is more to read… read on »

[Raided] Scalped #18

Posted by Sean on

(Vertigo)

If you’re not reading Scalped, you need to be. The book is one the most well written, intelligent and nuanced series being published. I like to describe it as The Wire, only on an Indian reservation instead of inner-city Baltimore. Yeah, it’s that good, and like The Wire, its strength comes from its engaging, thought provoking and tragic story lines, its clever and realistic dialogue and (most importantly) its rich and fully developed characters. Every character in the series is so well fleshed out that you get the sense that series writer Jason Aaron could tell you what any one of them dreamt of as a child, what they watch on TV, what their worst nightmare is and what they ate for breakfast yesterday. The latest issue is a perfect example of this - a stand-alone focusing on one of the series “secondary” (I say that hesitantly, as it implies an undeveloped character, and that’s not the case here) characters, Officer Franklin Falls Down, the only honest cop on the reservation police force. Falls Down has every reason to hang it up. Time is beginning to pass him by. He’s a pariah; the only cop not on the local crime boss’ payroll. He’s a step slower than he used to, and life on “the Rez” is, arguably, more violent than when he began. But he believes in the fight, and believes it’s worth fighting - not unlike a Detective William Somerset with a dash of Sheriff Ed Bell thrown in for good measure. I’d like to see Aaron continue to do these stand alone issues in the future - every once and a while break away from the main story with a character study. It makes the main story that much more rich and enjoyable. Great series. If you’re not on it, read the first issue for free here.

5 out of 5 Vikings

[Raided] House of Mystery #2

Posted by Sean on June 12, 2008

(Vertigo)

Tons of potential for this series. I love the “bookend” format that features a slowly developing (and increasingly tense and claustrophobic) “ongoing” story about the permanent inhabitants of the House enveloping stand-alone tales told by the visiting patrons about all things bizarre, otherworldly and…well, mysterious. This issue’s stand-alone features gorgeous watercolor style paintings by Jill Thompson that perfectly compliment writer Bill Willingham’s tale of a process server that goes to extraordinary lengths to serve a tax bill on an underwater creature. Willingham’s two standalones have been pretty amusing, but when the quality of the standalones starts matching that of the bookends – this is going to be a can’t miss series. Good series with vast potential – I’m happy House of Mystery exists in this market.

3 and a half out of 5 Vikings

House of Mystery #1

Posted by Devon on May 10, 2008

(Vertigo)

Vertigo Comics as a publisher, of late, has been threatening to eat itself. Much in the way that Marvel holds up Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s Fantastic Four run as gospel, Vertigo, as a company, seems dumbfounded about what do towards adding anything new to the house that Alan, Grant & Neil built. While series such as 100 Bullets and Preacher have put Vertigo back on the map,“once-DC Universe-based series” such as Animal Man, Swamp Thing and Sandman are the ones that got them to the dance. Subsequent “DC” Vertigo series like The Witching have tried to re-capture some of that initial zeitgeist but have collapsed under the weight of what came before. How do you have a new reader step into a shared universe that sort of ceased to exist a decade before?

Simple. Tell good stories.

That said, you should be checking out House of Mystery #1, on sale now.
WAIT! There is more to read… read on »

[Trade Winds] God Save The Queen

Posted by Graig on April 12, 2008

(Vertigo)

I’ve been sitting on the hardcover version of this original graphic novel for over a year, dusting it off finally in preparation for the softcover release this week and finally giving it a read. To be perfectly honest, aside from seeing the punky title and troupe of characters on the cover along with Mike Carey and John Bolton’s names, I never took the time to figure out what this book was all about. All I knew was I was struggling to find some interest in it. What I didn’t realize, and was both pleasantly surprised and disappointed by, was this book takes place in the Sandman universe. My pleasant surprise is no doubt understood, for any reader of Gaiman’s masterwork or some of it’s more prominent derivatives, including Carey’s brilliant Lucifer series. Having the book set in familiar terrain, even if it is incredibly distant from the main source, gave some welcome ground and an immediate understanding that there are possibilities in this world. My disappointment, though, set in because Sandman-derived mini-series, series and on-shots were so abundant for so long that the spin-off cash cow seemed dried up long ago, which isn’t fair considering the dearth of ideas Gaiman incorporated into his series. I guess I was also disappointed that it was Carey tapping that well again, which, to be fair, given the lead time needed to produce an original, fully-painted graphic novel, was likely started years before actually seeing print. I guess what it comes down to is I left Sandman behind a long time ago, and the mediocrity of most of its derivative works thinned out its appeal to the extent that I wished to side-step any further exposure.

But Vertigo, smart cookies they are, actually buried the Sandman correlation. The cover copy and even most of the promotional advertising of the Hardcover said nothing about it being set in the Sandman’s universe. I’m curious of the methodology behind that frankly. Were they fearing that, like me, so many others would probably avoid the title were it yet another derivative? Did they think that the die-hard Dream King fans would, reading the solicitation text or cover copy, recognize it for what it was regardless? Or was it an experiment on Vertigo’s part to see how an original hardcover graphic novel by one of their top creators would sell without tying it to their most renowned publication?

The story of God Save The Queen finds Mab, the vile ex-monarch of Faerie, escaped from her prison and using her wretched magics and brutal accomplices to dethrone her successor, Queen Titania, and enslave the realm once again. Meanwhile, in London, a rebellious young woman looks to escape her mother’s lamentations over her father’s departure, and seeks a high-risk escapist life of whatever highs are offered to her. One night partying Linda meets a group of gothic club rats who bring her and her best-friend-since-childhood, Jeff, back to their place where she’s introduced to “Red Horse” a mix of heroin and human blood that gets them right messed up. Jeff tries unsuccessfully to act as Linda’s guardian angel and protector, but he’s steamrolled by her sharp tongue and determinate attitude.

Linda’s hooked by the drugs and enamored by Verian, the group’s leader, much to Jeff’s chagrin. After a Red Horse cookout one night, they are brought by their new friends to their native land of Faerie. The trip, at first thought to be a drug induced hallucination suddenly seems less surreal when Linda’s abandoned in the realm, and finds herself hunted. Her ties to Faerie are just as you might expect, and she’s naturally the key to helping Titania run Mab off the throne. Aye, there is a bit of predictability to this story… a Faerie tale not unlike any other, just more Vertigo in nature.

Indeed Carey pulls off a traditional Faerie story that may not hold many surprises but nonetheless is an engrossing read. There’s a cinematic quality to the storytelling, an economy of characters and pacing that keeps the concept tight and the progression tighter. Indeed it does seem less comic book and more movie. The characters are not build of much more than typical archetypes, but they suit the story just fine. There’s not much depth here to push the story or its situation beyond the 96 pages it contains, its resolution satisfying. There may be more stories of Titania or the Faerie in the future but I doubt the need to see more of Linda (her mother on the other hand…).

Bolton’s photo-referential artwork breaths air into the lungs of the characters, emphasizing the cinematic nature of the script. There’s a tangibility to them and their surroundings that, when twisted in the realm of Faerie makes the line between the two worlds perfectly defined. The magic, the people and the fantasy of the fabled lands are more loosely structured and less clearly realized than the real world in Bolton’s paintings, and it’s a great juxtaposition. There are indeed times where I find the near-photographic art to be distracting, but for the most part his lavish illustrations carry the story along perfectly.

The book truly does stand alone, and one’s familiarity with Sandman isn’t really tested here (since, to be honest, I couldn’t actually remember Mab or Titania distinctively from Gaiman’s stories). It’s a complete book, leaving no loose ends nor tying any up. Fantasy fans will find it familiar but welcoming and easy to digest. It’s a sweet and simple dose of dark magic and good versus evil.

3 and a half out of 5 Vikings

Young Liars #1

Posted by Graig on March 5, 2008

(Vertigo)

I really don’t know where to begin talking about the first issue of David Lapham’s Young Liars (and I’m not even sure whether I should bold the “David Lapham’s” as part of the book’s title or not… but checking the small print it’s only Young Liars so until someone points out something in the Chicago Manual of Style, I’m going to keep it like it is), obviously. Should I discuss Lapham’s brilliant (and lamented) Stray Bullets which I only just got into after he stopped publishing? Or should I mention the generally mediocre mainstream work he’s done with DC and Marvel over the years? Should I even bother to mention I remember first seeing his “house-style” work in the early days of Valiant? Should I discuss the fact that Vertigo’s having a tough go as of late launching new series that are sustaining popularity or having that Sandman/Preacher/Y:The Last Man/Fables resonance? No, no, god no, and maybe(?)…

I picked up a few months ago the first issue of the Vertigo series The Vinyl Underground. It was one of those books that failed to make any sort impact immediately, and probably would require a full storyline for me to decide whether I truly liked it or not (hence why it wasn’t reviewed here). Young Liars unfortunately is having the same level of influence with me. It’s got some snappy patter, an askew cast, and some quirky bits that all just scream prototypical Vertigo fare. Even visually it looks the part, with Lapham’s first full-color work (by Lee Loughridge) looking just as murky and bland as most Vertigo books and his lines playing the part, not too dissimilar from Simon Gane and Cameron Stewart’s work on the aforementioned Vinyl Underground, which itself is not far removed from the Philip Bond’s, Richard Case’s or Steve Pugh’s of Vertigo Past.

There’s some nice design elements going into this book, like the cassette-credits on page 1 or the unabashedly in-your-face kewl cover design (were the book colored like the cover image, it would provide a much different visual experience), or the rad logo, and I think the story could use a bit of that flair within its pages itself.

The first issue introduces us to protagonist and narrator Danny Noonan, a small-town kid who made his way to the big city with not much other than a few bucks and a guitar in hand, with a little talent to spare. He’s made a place for himself in the city, with an odd array of friends, some whom he likes, and others not so much. Really, his life’s not great, and he could it leave at any time were it not for Sadie Dawkins, the daughter of a grocery chain mogul and head-trauma victim. She took a bullet in the brain a while back and ever since it’s made her behavior erratic, prone to drastic mood swings, violence, and sexual urges… a one-woman party. Danny’s in love, but she’s barely grounded in reality, which only spells heartache for him. Why we have to get a wet rag like Danny to be our guide through this world when the more interesting view would be from inside Sadie’s brain, i don’t know (this “everyman” point of view is so dull), but there it is.

Sadie, as witnessed by her dramatic posturing on the cover, is the star of the show, the main attraction, and if anything is going to bring me back to this book, it’s her. Lapham’s created a spotlight character, just he hasn’t found the correct wattage of bulb to shine on her yet. She’s living on borrowed time, that bullet lodged in her brain threatening to kill her any second. Is it really reacting with her mental status or is she getting away with things because she has the excuse to? And then there’s the weird stuff like being bulletproof, which obviously isn’t possible… right? There’s other characters here too, in this punk rock soap opera, but they aren’t given nearly as much attention or importance to readily invest in yet, despite some definite shenanigans going on in their lives already.

I don’t think this is Vertigo’s next breakout hit, but there is something here that could provide for an interesting couple years if developed properly. Lapham may be giving Vertigo something back which it lost some time ago, though, which is a series that isn’t best served by trade collections, but rather a monthly comic best read that way.

3 out of 5 Vikings

Y: The Last Man #60

Posted by Eric on January 31, 2008

(Vertigo)

And so it goes.

Five years ago I walked into my local comic shop and in browsing the week’s new issues, I saw a cover that I found a bit odd; it was a guy in a straight jacket with a monkey. I asked what the story was about, and I was told that it was a series about the last man on Earth after some sort of plague wiped out every living being with a Y chromosome. Being only sixteen at the time, I think the zenith of my ability to express something that was different and exciting was “That sounds awesome!” I took the issue to the register and as I opened up my wallet to purchase this book I was told “I can’t sell this to you Eric, it’s mature readers only.” I remember being thoroughly annoyed at this prospect, as I’d been a customer there since I was ten years old, and the fact they wouldn’t sell it to me was preposterous. So, the only alternative I found was I put each issue on hold until my eighteenth birthday, and on that day I went in and bought every issue that had been released up until that point, and ever since that day I have been in love with Y: The Last Man.

Recently, in preparation for the final issue of this series, I read the entire series yet again, and it was as if I was reading it for the first time, only with a tinge of bittersweet melancholy. I’ve spent the better part of the past five years with these characters, and I also feel as though in certain ways that I’ve grown with Yorick from a snarky know-it-all kid, to an adult and all that encompasses. There have been too many discussions and arguments about what the central focus of this series has been, and in many interviews Brian K. Vaughn has always maintained that it was a mixture of many different ideas and philosophies. For me, it’s been about the transformation of a boy into a man. The central mystery of what caused the plague which wiped out all men was a means to an end for Yorick Brown, and all of the women he met along his arduous journey across the globe molded this young man into a person who was still able to function with the weight of the world and human existence on his shoulders. WAIT! There is more to read… read on »

Northlanders #1 & 2

Posted by Graig on January 6, 2008

(Vertigo)

You may have noticed a kind of theme we have here at Rack Raids, a bit Scandanavian in flavor, and, perhaps a little obsessive. Vikings, dude, we like vikings. At least in theory. Our founder, Sean Fahey, started this whole review thing years ago over at CHUD.com under the header “Thor’s Comic Column”, and the whole Norse influence only spiralled out from there. Vikings are more Sean’s thing than any of us, and I bet a Brian Wood-scripted series about Vikings makes him very happy, but Sean, now a very busy family man, legal eagle and poi eater, has less time for comic book musings than ever and thus his longship of reviewers remain to cull the longboxes and keep an eye out for Viking-themed materials, like Northlanders here. I think it’s safe to say, though, that we all have a little affinity for Vikings, even if it’s somewhat ironic, in us.

I must profess right away to being a horrible history student. It stems from the fact that as a kid I was much more interested in DC Universe chronology than the real world’s past. So a series like Northlanders which takes place in a historical time period under a certain civil and social climate can do either one of three things: intrigue me to learn more; educate me on the setting; or keep me at a distance, disinterested.

It’s unfortunate to say, but this book is a little of column A, and a little of column C, with none of column B. Wood has crafted a tale of a young Norseman, Sven, whose left behind his people as they expand east, joining the Varangians as they move west, living a different culture in Constantinople. During a conflict, he’s given word his father, a noted King, has died and that his Uncle Gorm has taken to tyrannical rule. He returns home, but his objective is not to dethrone his uncle and liberate his people, but instead to liberate his father’s wealth from the lands and return back to “civilization” with it. To put it in a modern analogy, Sven is the small town boy who goes away to the big city for higher education, eventually coming to see the world in a much different light and thinking himself superior for it. Sven, bluntly, is a pretentious, arrogant, selfish asshole, and the obvious story is his journey of change.

For all his exploits away from his homeland, Sven has learned to be a cunning strategist and warrior, and change might not be so quickly in the cards for him. He’s small and wiry compared to most Viking warriors, but what he lacks in brute strenght he makes up for with speed, skill and smarts. He confronts his uncle and reveals his desire, and Gorm is not certain whether to take him at face value or not. Rather than kill him quickly, Gorm’s men decide to test his mettle, but Sven has already prepared. He forges out into the land, to assemble a group of men oppressed by Gorm under the guise of being the true and rightful heir and ruler, but for all his gusto, he finds himself still a one man army… which is to say, he shouldn’t dismiss the women.

The book is in its building stages, and it’s Shakespearian-style intrigue is the real hook, but the pace is somewhat slow. The key focal points of the book’s story are laid, but they don’t register as sharply as I think the writer indended. In an editorial, Wood explains that the story takes place in the 980’s, when pre-millenium tension is starting to build, and while it’s something that might be part of the overall sensibility it as yet doesn’t show. Wood also seeks to examine the fading influence of Paganism, and there are elements subtly seeded in the opening chapter (analogous to the fading influence of Christianity in the North American culture), only perhaps too subtly. I don’t think the Pagan way of life is really brought out in the first two issues… superstition is noted, but there’s not enough sense yet as to the difference between the life Sven had in Constantinople versus how the people of Grimness are living. The final point is setting, and unless versed in the spread of the Vikings from Scandinavian regions and their impact on the world, much of the book’s atmosphere is lost. Sure, it’s nothing a pop over to Wikipedia can’t solve, but seeing as Wood has his characters speaking in modern tongue, there wouldn’t be much harm in contextualizing the setting to modern day to understand exactly how far the reaches of the Viking expansion went. Maybe I’m just naive, but are there many people who know where Orkney is without consulting a map?

Any book, comic or otherwise, asking you to educate yourself while reading assumes much of the reader (primarily initiative), and it’s a risky proposition to not provide them all they need to know to follow along, assuming that the story is strong enough for the reader to seek out answers on their own. Wood, I have to say, tends to know what he’s doing, and I would also assume that, being a big Viking buff, he wants to extend that passion out to the reader. Is the book strong enough to do that? For some yes, but not for everyone.

If Wood has a helping hand in drawing in the readers, it’s from artist Davide Gianfelice and colorist Dave McCaig. Together they make the book hum with a sense of equal parts accuracy and ferocity. There’s a palpable feel to the climate in the illustrations, the damp winds of northern Scotland, the grey skies leading to pale skin, the beauty of the northern lights… McCaig’s washed colors allow blood reds to pop when he needs them, and his attention to the sky makes it really like another character. Gianfelice’s characters move with a natural fluidity, a sensuality or stiffness depending on the necessities of the scene. His pages are full of motion, and he’s not shy to add panels to ratchet up momentum or equally slow down the pace. His attention to detail really builds the crudeness of the era without handily falling into stereotype.

There’s a sense of something building, and if Wood is true to form, it’s not going to be as obvious as it looks. While the story at this point is off to a slow start, I’m quite certain the trade of the first arc will be well recommended.

3 out of 5 Vikings

[Raided] 100 Bullets #80

Posted by Sean on January 28, 2007

(DC/Vertigo)

This is still one of the best comics on the shelves, and one of the great series in Vertigo“s publishing history. But I“m getting the sense lately that series writer Brian Azzarello is “marking time” right now when this epic crime tale should be moving toward its conclusion much more aggressively. Too much time has been spent lately merely consolidating the players into two camps – the Trust (a powerful and secret conglomerate of the world“s most influential families) and the Minutemen, who are working (actually more planning as of late) to bring the Trust down. I“m not arguing against its significance for the story. I“m just wondering if it could be done more efficiently. A lot of the tension has been lost, and I just hope that now – as one of the major characters of the series seems to have finally decided what side of the war she wants to fight on – Azzarello will be moving full stream ahead. He still has about twenty issues to work with, but they need to be used for maximum effect. That said, 100 Bullets is truly one the great comic books – a brilliant crime noir tale about power, betrayal and revenge. My rant aside, I would strongly recommend to anyone that hasn“t read this book to pick up the first trade. (Sadly, the series itself stop being accessible for new readers years ago.)

3 and a half out of 5 Vikings

[Raided] Crossing Midnight #3

Posted by Graig on January 25, 2007

(Vertigo)

I was reserved in my judgement, somewhat, with the first issue of Crossing Midnight, the set-up of the book not impenetrable but verging on information overload. Two issues later and I’m sold; this is an enthralling book. While I don’t anticipate each issue as much as I do some others, each issue subsequent to the first has left me mildly stunned and wanting more. Writer Mike Carey immerses the reader in Japanese society and further bombards with demonic folklore, but it’s surprisingly easy to ingest. The man has talent. He’s also got a conniving mind, which is of no surprise to Lucifer readers, and in this third issue it’s evident everywhere. Story seeds are planted and fertilized, many even sprouting already if you look hard enough. The characters include two opposing demons, the twin siblings each demon wants in their pocket, the detectives who know more than they’re letting on, and the teenagers’ mother and father who are both innocent and guilty in the whole affair. The art by Jim Fern and Mark Pennington, with colorist Jose Villarrubia, cannot be complimented enough. It’s full of precision, linear and angular backdrops that feel cold but familiar, populated by beautifully rendered, natural characters that fit within a design. The art team isn’t afraid to get dynamic but they never push it too far as to be distracting. Overall, a surprisingly engaging package that, really, shouldn’t be all that surprising.

4 out of 5 Vikings

Scalped #1

Posted by Sean on January 9, 2007

(DC/Vertigo)

Interesting anecdote to frame my thoughts about the new Vertigo ongoing, Scalped, which � I�ll just say up front (to save you from my diatribe) � is phenomenal. I read Scalped immediately after reading the latest issue of Marvel�s Civil War. The juxtapositioning of the two blew my mind. On the one hand, you have � with the latest issue of Civil War � a continuation of the prolonged drum roll, now six issues long, for the �big fight� scene. Yes, it�s been a lot of �summer movie� fun. But can anyone honestly tell me that this story couldn�t be told in four issues, or that this most recent issue is anything but twenty-two pages of posturing? On the other hand, after reading Scalped #1 � which actually took a good deal longer than the six minutes it took the fly through Civil War � I was left scratching my head, wondering how the hell series writer Jason Aaron was able to fit all that in with just twenty-two pages to work with?

Now I know that I am, to an extent, talking apples and oranges here. But I still feel it worth noting that, in just one issue, Scalped displays the kind of multifaceted and textured story and character development that takes two years to facilitate in most mainstream Marvel and DC books. The economy of Aaron�s pacing and storytelling structure is unbelievable, and as a result you get thought-provoking bang for your buck.

Ok, rant over. What is this book about? WAIT! There is more to read… read on »

Sandman Mystery Theatre: Sleep Of Reason #1

Posted by Graig on December 16, 2006

(Vertigo)

Since the imprint of Vertigo was created to represent the “suggested for mature readers” line of DC Comics, the Sandman is one of few characters that has been allowed to jump in and out of the continuity of the DC Universe. Swamp Thing and Hellblazer aren’t really allowed anymore, and the Doom Patrol isn’t quite the same when it’s not in Vertigo territory. The original Sandman Mystery Theatre series (by Matt Wagner and later co-written with Steven T. Seagle) took place in the 1930’s and ’40’s and spent it’s time delving into, yes, mystery plays. Occasionally, other Golden-Age heroes would cross over into Vertigo territory via the series as well, allowing for a much different perspective on the world of capes and tights than we normally see.

In one of his final appearances, Wesley Dodds, the Golden-Age Sandman, helped Jack Knight (aka Starman) out on a case, then took his last bow in the world of mystery men, leaving abroad to spend the last days of his dying wife Diane without interruption of the superhero kind. He was last seen in JSA Secret Files and Origins as a frail widower encountering the powerful magician Mordru. Wesley gave his life rather than unveil the secrets the mystic sought. Sleep of Reason takes place between these two appearances, as we find Wesley and Diane in Afghanistan in 1997. The rich man and his wife are made targets, and Diane is taken with Wesley left with the chore of collecting her ransom.

In Afghanistan today, Kieran Marshall is an embedded photojournalist documenting the battle between NATO forces and the Taliban. In the thick of the battle, one name keeps surfacing: Masad. The soldiers say he’s a myth, perhaps a organization of men, but some think he is a man, more deadly than any other. During his life Wesley Dodds was subject to vivid, often prophetic dreams, and it would seem now Kieran Marshall has them as well. His quest for Masad leads him to the man, but he is more vicious and evil than his dreams could tell, and in a moment of desperation he grabs a gas pistol and a voice deep within him commands all the soldiers around him, enemy and allies alike, to sleep.

John Ney Reiber takes the task of creating a new Sandman but without ignoring the old. Moving the street-level noir to a completely different, and much more modern and horrific atmosphere, both Kieran and Wesley are given space to breathe as characters, but one as a hero at his end, the other a hero just beginning. Artist Eric Nguyen takes the artistic chores and does so admirably, making this series not too visually different from Guy Davis’ long tenure on the original, but at the same time adding heavier tones and not quite as elaborate compositions. Lee Loughridge provides colors, mostly earthen tones to get the feel for desert warfare. The final three pages feature some abstract action and visual flourishes, but there is a relevance to them yet to be revealed. The mystery begins.

Though definitely interesting, Sleep of Reason doesn’t quite provide the same ease of access that the original provided with each story arc. This “passing of the torch” almost caters to old fans without granting easy access to the new reader. Hopefully subsequent issues will bridge the two better. I’m also a little disappointed that the mini-series is five issues long, and thus out of fitting with the regular series’ typical 4-issue arcs, but that’s a minor quibble. It’s a book that is good enough to make me want to see where it’s going but there’s not enough yet to give a firm recommendation.

3 out of 5 Vikings

Crossing Midnight #1

Posted by Graig on December 9, 2006

Vertigo

After longstanding reluctance, I finally caved and have been pulling the trades off my girlfriend’s bookshelf and reading Fables. The latest volume I read featured a folkloric character called Baba Yaga, whom I’d never heard of before. With Wikipedia nowhere at hand, I asked my special lady (also an English major) who Baba Yaga was. After a brief but educational sermon on the Russian witch, I realized that I’m fairly ignorant of the non-Disneyfied ripping yarns and children’s stories from other cultures. I also realize I’m not alone. This leaves a wealth of time-tested storytelling possibilities that can be exploited, domestically for sure, but perhaps internationally as well.

With his new Vertigo series, Crossing Midnight, it’s evident Mike Carey is fully aware of this. Carey takes elements of the Shinto faith, once Japan’s state religion, and twists them for his own use (if you think taking a Japanese religion and modifying it for entertainment purposes is a little distasteful, you forget that Carey also spent seven years telling the tale of Lucifer Morningstar). Much in the same way Carey wrote deals with the devil going tragically (and captivatingly awry), this book just focuses on one misunderstood transaction, with what are to be, no doubt long-term consequences.

Kai and Saburo are twins who have grown up in Nagasaki experiencing the majestic, the fantastic and the unique. Until they reached their teenage years, these encounters have confusing, but harmless, if not, in fact, rewarding. But now a figure has appeared, a Kami, not quite a god, not quite a demon, and they can be as benevolent or as malicious as they wish to be, which means adventures and, moreover, horrors definitely lay in wait.

The first issue of the series suffers from exposition overload early on, brushing past the gestation, birth, and childhood of Kai and Saburo, relating along the way any relevant character traits and developments which will ground both of them from here on in. It makes for slightly underwhelming reading, at first, but the latter third of the book jumps right into the horror that Carey is aiming for, and it’s intriguing… certainly enough for the purchase of the next issue.

The art by Jim Fern is highly detailed but very clean, with Rob Hunters inks accentuating perfectly with a fine edge and spare crosshatching that remind me of Kevin Knowlan. The duo, along with Jose Villarrubia’s lush colors, capture well the surrounding of Japan and its character. Although it’s not Manga, and it makes pains in distinguishing itself from that format, it’s no less steeped in the cross-Pacific culture, and reflects well the fantastic and horrific, from Miyazaki to Miike, that haven’t been lost in translation. A slow start, but worth giving a shot, at least for a few more issues.

3 out of 5 Vikings

[Raided] DMZ #13

Posted by Sean on November 22, 2006

(DC/Vertigo)

I love the fact that this book just exists. I mean, the second largest publisher in the business (and a division of one of the largest media conglomerates in the country no less) has a book about a journalist covering a “grass roots” civil war in the United States started as a reaction to a right-wing administration’s totalitarian policies and costly overseas excursions. Wow. You gotta love the cojones. DMZ is more than just topical parallels though, it’s a damn fine read - a well developed story with well developed characters. People struggling to make due under extraordinary circumstances in a country struggling to find its identity. The latest issue of the series, the first part of a new storyarc, finds journalist Matty Roth going undercover as a laborer to investigate rumors of human rights violations by the largest government contractor, Trustwell (read Haliburton), who has just been awarded an enormous contract to rebuild devastated portions of New York City. Needless to say, Matty gets in over his head. New storyarcs are usual good jumping on points, but if you’re interested in starting on this series I would recommend also picking up last month’s issue - a kind of “year in review” recap that consolidates the events of the first twelve issues. My one caveat about recommending this book is that it’s almost impossible to completely separate the politics from the story. I can see how that might be distracting to some people. But I genuinely feel that series writer Brian Wood is not so much getting on a soapbox as he is just trying to get people - regardless of political persuasion - to ask questions. I wouldn’t say that DMZ is one of my favorite comics, but it’s certainly in my pull slip. WAIT! There is more to read… read on »