“The Unwritten Volume 1: Tommy Taylor and the Bogus Identity” by Mike Carey and Peter Gross (Vertigo, 2010)

In their first full series collaboration since the award-winning Lucifer, writer Mike Carey and artist Peter Gross present The Unwritten: a unique story about tales and writing and magic, taking the reader on journeys into different and unusual worlds with some familiar and recognizable characters and some very unpredictable happenings.

A bestselling fantasy series that is as big as Harry Potter features a hero by the name of Tommy Taylor.  The creator of the series, Wilson Taylor, has gone missing, disappeared, and hasn’t been seen in years.  Meanwhile his son, Tommy Taylor, is reaping the benefits of the series, attending signings and conventions, and has become a worldwide sensation.  “A literary legend made flesh.”  Only rumors have started that Tom Taylor may not actually be who he says he is; and while the well-known man flees from angry crowds, he finds himself joining up with unusual characters, as well as finding elements of the story he knows so well somehow coming true.

Mike Carey and Peter Gross have created a fresh and original series that explores a fantasy world and a world of supposed real life and then magically blurs the borders, both with powerful words and incredible art, keeping readers thinking, but completely hooked, wanting to know what’s going to happen next.

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Originally written on January 25th, 2010 ©Alex C. Telander.

“Stephen King’s The Stand Volume 1: Captain Trips” by Roberto Aguire-Sacasa, Mike Perkins, et. al. (Marvel, 2010)

After the success of the popular graphic novel series of Stephen King’s The Dark Tower, Marvel has decided to take on the epic story of Stephen King’s The Stand.  For those not familiar with the story: a government-made lethal virus gets out of the lab after an accident that has the now infected guard fleeing for the hills with his infected wife and kid.  The virus spreads at an alarming rate and soon there’s only a select population left.  These people have dreams of two people: Mother Abigail and Randall Flagg; they will have to choose whether they’ll be fighting on the side of good or evil.  In true Marvel style, the artwork is stunning, combining elements of the TV mini-series, as well as incorporating exact scenes from the book; but Perkins also establishes his own style and look for The Stand.  In Captain Trips, readers meet our main characters and see just how devastating this virus is, and to what extent the government will go to to prevent panic and keep things quiet.  A must for any King fan, and for anyone interested in The Stand.

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Originally written on December 21st, 2009 ©Alex C. Telander.

Originally published in the Sacramento Book Review.

“Fables Volume 12: The Dark Ages” by Bill Willingham, Mark Buckingham, et. al. (Vertigo, 2009)

The Eisner award winning comic book series returns at a poignant moment.  The great war between the good and evil fables is finally at an end.  All should be right with the world.  The fables should be able to return to their Homelands.  Everything should return to normal, as it once was, centuries ago.

Except this isn’t the case.

The fables in our world are slowly recovering from the war, surprised at the few numbers that died, while on the Adversary’s side, the number of dead are immeasurable.  That is except for Boy Blue, who suffered an injury from a magical arrow.  The fables’ best doctor thinks he has him all cured, but Boy Blue isn’t getting any better; in fact each day he looks much worse, one step closer to death, which would be wrong for one of the greatest heroes of the war.  Meanwhile there are those in the Homelands who are searching through the spoils, and they inadvertently awake a dark and terrible creature, a bogeyman that haunts our dreams, hides under our beds at night, and terrifies us from the closet.  He is the one whose power the fables have been using for so long to use their magical devices, and he’s very angry.

The Dark Ages starts a fascinating new plot line, reassuring any Fables fans that now the big war is over, Willingham isn’t done by any means, but merely with an important chapter in the Fables storyline, with plenty more tales to tell.  The use of magic and power for the war was at an immense cost, as The Dark Ages shows.  The question now remains who will live and who will die with this new evil loose amongst the fables.

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Originally written on October 18th, 2009 ©Alex C. Telander.

Originally published in the Sacramento Book Review.

“Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?” by Neil Gaiman, et. al. (DC Comics, 2009)

Neil Gaiman, bestselling author and writer of the renowned comic book series, Sandman, was asked to write a two-part series about Batman and was given complete choice of what story he could tell.  In his introduction, Gaiman talks about how Batman was one of the first TV shows he watched as a kid, and this was then the first comic book he ever read, and regardless of all the comic books he read after, and all the characters he created, he always had a special spot for Batman.  Because Batman never gave up, no matter what.

In Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader, Gaiman does the story of what happens when Batman finally dies and can rest in peace.  Brilliantly illustrated by Andy Kubert, and inked by Alex Sinclair, they perfectly capture the noir, colorful look of Batman, while combing the styles of all the different artists who have illustrated for Batman before.  The deluxe hardcover edition also features Gaiman’s four other Batman stories, the most entertaining of which is A Black and White World featuring Batman and The Joker behind the scenes waiting to go on.

Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader blends the fantastic world of Batman with all the familiar characters, combining Gaiman’s writing skill and some incredible artwork, making it a must for any Batman fan.

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Originally written on October 18th, 2009 ©Alex C. Telander.

Originally published in the Sacramento Book Review.

“Northlanders Volume 2: The Cross + The Hammer” by Brian Wood and Davide Gianfelice (Vertigo, 2009)

Wood continues his powerful Northlanders series in this second volume, after Sven the Returned, with a look at two cultures fighting over one piece of land.  The year is 1014, the place is Ireland.  The Vikings have invaded, quickly taking over and subjugating most of the people, claiming what they consider to be rightfully theirs.  But there are some who disagree, including one hero, Magnus, who seeks to wipe out any Vikings he sees, while doing what he must to protect his precious daughter.  Magnus is a powerful warrior, who seems unstoppable, yet his one failing may be that he has lost his mind.  But Lord Ragnar Ragnarsson thinks little of this, stopping at nothing to end Magnus and clear the way for a full Viking conquest.

In The Cross + The Hammer, Wood takes a brief break from his main character, Sven, to address another part of the world where the Vikings are making themselves known.  Even with a different artist, the work is fresh and interesting,  maintaining an acuteness to detail and accuracy, while Wood does his work in telling a story that may well have happened at some time in the eleventh century.

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Originally written on August 22nd, 2009 ©Alex C. Telander.

“Ball Peen Hammer” by Adam Rapp and George O’Connor (First Second, 2009)

While the cover and title will certainly be misleading for some readers who look at this graphic novel for the first time, I recommend they read the inside flap for a description.  It’s not about S&M and violent sex games, but in fact a world where a sickness has wiped out a considerable amount of the population.  In the style of Children of Men, people are fighting to survive, fighting for food, and fighting to get a sample of the vaccine that will cure them of the lethal sickness.  With a harsh, rough art style that lends greatly to the dark and doomed storyline, Rapp introduces a subplot on top of all the sadness with the murdering of innocent children.  If the characters don’t comply, they will suffer for it, so what choice do they have?  Rapp does introduce some happiness with the girl depicted on the cover searching for the musician whom she fell for, but Ball Peen Hammer ends before this is possibly reconciled, leaving the reader wondering if there’ll be more or is that the bleak end of it all?

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Originally written on August 22nd, 2009 ©Alex C. Telander.

Originally published in the Sacramento Book Review.

“The Color of Heaven” by Kim Dong Hwa (Pantheon, 2009)

In this concluding volume to the Color of Earth trilogy, Kim Dong Hwa takes the relationship between Ehwa and her mother to a new level, for the little girl is now seventeen and a blossoming woman.  The women find they have more in common than they thought, as they wait and yearn for their lovers who are far away, wondering when they will return.  Nevertheless, Ehwa still has some crucial lessons to learn from her parent.  But Hwa must bring the series to a close, and he does so with Ehwa’s betrothal to Duksam, and their beautiful wedding.  Her mother says goodbye to the daughter she’s had in her home for so long, and while her lover now returns to her for good, she finds herself once again looking out from her home, waiting, this time for the return of her daughter who she now misses greatly.  Kim Dong Hwa’s artwork and scenery continue to astound, while The Color of Heaven does an incredible job of revealing facets of Korean culture rendered in such a beautiful way.

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Originally written on August 8th, 2009 ©Alex C. Telander.

Originally published in the Sacramento Book Review.

“The Color of Water” by Kim Dong Hwa (Pantheon, 2009)

In the second book of the trilogy, The Color of Water, after The Color of Earth, Ehwa is now a growing girl and boys are on her mind all the time, but readers can see the beautiful woman she will become.  And yet she still has a lot to learn about life, the world, and more importantly, men and what they can be like.  Fortunately she has her mother to educate her on the ways of the world and the ways of men and their desires.  Ehwa is a naïve young girl, but a fast learner.  With the expression “third time’s the charm,” Ehwa has high hopes for this third, new boy in her life, Duksam.  Friction grows between Ehwa and her mother, as the girl is always wanting to go out and find Duksam, while ignoring her duties and chores.  Ehwa has also attracted the eye of an old man who will do everything he can to get her.  There is also jealousy growing between Ehwa and her mother, who receives infrequent visits from her “picture man.”  Kim Dong Hwa continues his beautiful artwork and wonderful poetic words that combine simile through nature to educate Ehwa and readers about love and life.  Readers will be left anxiously waiting for the conclusion of the trilogy, The Color of Heaven.

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Originally written on July 18th, 2009 ©Alex C. Telander.

Originally published in the Sacramento Book Review.

“A.D.: New Orleans After the Deluge” by Josh Neufeld (Pantheon, 2009)

Originally serialized in SMITH Magazine, A.D.: New Orleans After the Deluge by Josh Neufeld is a remarkable graphic novel that manages to capture both the raw look of a city attacked by natural forces, but also to reveal the emotions and reactions of people who remained in the city, as well as those who watched from afar.  Told from the viewpoint of six New Orleanians, they each experience Hurricane Katrina differently, but ultimately suffer loss.  There is Denise, who experiences the pandemonium at the Superdome.    Abbas, and his friend Mansell, who live out the storm first within the market that Abbas owns and runs, and then on the roof as the water level rises.  The Doctor, who remains in the French Quarter throughout the hurricane, a haven for others, miraculously unscathed.  Leo – a comic book collector – and Michelle who leave New Orleans in time, but lose everything they own.  And Kwame, a Pastor’s son, who leaves before the storm and has his life irrevocably changed.   A.D.: New Orleans After the Deluge is the next great graphic novel in a growing genre of journalistic or non-fiction graphic novels, that combine words and art to tell incredible stories of real life and real happenings.

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Originally written on June 18th, 2009 ©Alex C. Telander.

For an interview with Josh Neufeld check out BookBanter Episode 14.

“The Color of Earth” by Dong Hwa Kim (First Second, 2009)

The first in a trilogy, the graphic novel The Color of Earth is now available to English-speaking (and reading) audiences for the first time.  While author and artist, Dong Hwa Kim, has published a number of graphic novels – or manwha as they are called in Korea – like My Sky and The Red Bicycle, this trilogy represents a new foray for him.  Ehwa is a young girl who doesn’t have a father, and her only role model is a single mother who is mocked by men at the local tavern she owns and runs.  In her early years, Ehwa looks down on her mother for allowing men to treat her this way, but as she grows into womanhood and becomes interested in boys, she begins to understand more.  Her mother knows that the men are harmless, but when they go too far, she is quick to stop them or at least stick up for herself.  The Color of Earth explores Ehwa becoming a teenager and her first simple relationships with boys, as well as her mother finding a new love in her life.  The trilogy is continued in The Color of Water, and has become a bestseller in Korea among both men and women, for Kim has a talent in telling a beautiful story, but also for getting to the heart of humanity.  It is a story that will grow on you and become a classic like A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.

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Originally written on June 18th, 2009 ©Alex C. Telander.

Originally published in the Sacramento Book Review.