Some comments on some graphic novels cluttering up my breakfast table.
Tellos: Reluctant Heroes and Tellos: Kindred Spirits (Image)
These two volumes comprise the full run of Tellos, a wonderful magical fantasy written by Todd Dezago and ilustrated by Mike Wieringo. All the trappings of a youthful fantasy are here — anthropomorphics, lurking menaces, swashbuckling heroics, brave sacrifices … and there’s yet more, a deep, dark mystery that only unfolds at the very end. As cliche as it sounds, readers of all ages and genders will enjoy this. You can only sit back at the end and wish for more.
Authority: Earth Inferno and Other Stories (Wildstorm/DC)
As blasphemous as it may sound, I’m actually tired of the Authority. When Warren Ellis originally invented them, the idea of superheroes who actually weren’t afraid to commit bloody violence in pursuit of what they thought was right was refreshing, and Ellis (and Mark Millar after him) had a lot of fun poking fun at the status quo, heaping outrage upon outrage in a way kept you wondering what sacred cow they’d butcher next.
Well, guess what. After a while, being “the bad boy” stops being charming, and butchering sacred cows just becomes a big mess. Attempting to top themselves every turn in grand guignol, in the end the Authority rather became parodies of themselves.
It’s noteworthy that some of the better stories in this collection were one-shots, focusing on individual character, something the regular series never really did. By getting inside the heads of Jack Hawksmoor and the Engineer, this volume demonstrates some humanity that all the quick, blasphemous wit and “Can they do that?” outrage of the regular series never had.
Thor Visionaries: Walter Simonson (Marvel)
This volume collects issues 337-348 of Thor, the start of the Simonson era. This was one of the hot comics when I was in college, discussed heatedly around dining hall tables and D&D games alike. Simonson breathed life back into the Thor franchise, producing a Ragnarok worthy of the name, a Loki who really was the epitome of selfish evil, and a host of foes and friends, old and new. Everything he touched was revitalized, and his run on the title has never been matched. I can’t recommend this one highly enough.
Usagi Yojimbo: Grasscutter II (Dark Horse)
Samurai, ninja, mystical swords, hopeless quests, honor, betrayal, friends and enemies … UY is always a wonder, and Sakai’s talent grows with each passing volume. Read this. Read any of the others. They are fine, fine, fine entertainment, as entertaining and educational as any Kurasawa flick.
Rose (Cartoon Books)
This book does better as a prequel to Jeff Smith’s Bone than as a stand-alone tale. But Charles Vess’ art is always a delight, and here, adopting some of Smith’s simplicity, he shines. It’s worth picking up the book just on that basis alone.
Whiteout and Whiteout: Melt (Oni)
This series introduced the name Greg Rucka to me, and I’m glad it did, because he’s become one of my favorite “crime” writers in comics (and, yes, he has a series of books, too, and, yes, I plan on reading them). These tales of mystery, murder, and international intrigue in the Antarctic are utterly lacking in super-heroics, just the ordinarly mortal kind, where US Marshal Carrie Stetko has to root out evil in a land where the weather is as deadly as the human who inhabit it. Grand stuff.
Re: the Authority
Ellis has said himself that he would have put it out of its misery some time ago. Very nicely done misery — but yeah.
Randy on Doyce’s computer
I’ve heard that comment, yes.
I’m not sure where it turned the corner. I suppose, to be cliche, that massive urban destruction stopped being “shocking” after 9-11, and coupling it with “Gee, how stupid and corrupt the powers that be are” became a bit less to my taste around then, too.
Sounds like the Authority suffers from the Tarantino effect: The violent approach that shattered conventions becomes merely conventional on its own.
Garth Ennis’ Preacher and Hitman, and Frank Miller’s Sin City, suffer from the same problem. I was reading those books during the Authority‘s heyday, and couldn’t find room on my plate (or palate) for more of the same flavour.