Hey! Back to the comic reviews!
Review code format (ranked 1-5, blah to faboo): [writing / art / new reader? / non-comics reader?]
Five Fists of Science (Image) [3/3/4/4]
w. Matt Fraction; a. Steven Sanders
So imagine if Mark Twain and Nicholas Tesla (and a faithful assistant) tried to use science and enlightenment to rid the world of war, only to be faced by a Lovecraftean cabal led by J.P. Morgan and Thomas Edison (with Carnegie and Marconi along for the ride)?
You needn’t imagine, since that what this TPB is about. That said, it’s over far too quickly. The action hops around, the characters are sketched but lightly, and the artwork is sometimes bit difficult to follow. The original series could have used an extra 2-3 issues to pace things along well.
The book is criticized a bit unfairly for “ripping off” Alan Moore (League of Extraordinary Gentlemen), as if Moore either originated or has a copyright on inserting historic figures (and, in this case, non-fictional ones) into a two-fisted action tale. This isn’t as good a story as either League, but it’s plenty inventive on its own.
Grease Monkey (Tor) [4/4/5/5]
w/a. Tim Eldred
Early in the 21st Century, bad aliens came along and blew the flinders out Terrestrial civilization, and then departed. Other, good aliens then arrived and enlisted humanity to serve in their long-range war against the initial aliens. Earth signed on, and now the space station Fist of Earth hangs in orbit, its denizens training their fighter craft for the day that the bad alien horde should return.
Oh, yeah, humanity’s numbers had been reduced by about 60%. So the good aliens uplifted gorillas to help the effort.
Grease Monkey is the story of a young human on the space station, an assistant mechanic to one of the fighter squadrons, serving under one of those gorillas. It’s an “army in not-quite-peacetime” tale, with the grand conflict serving as a backdrop, looming ominously. That leaves plenty of room for coming of age stories, surprisingly sophisticated tales of interpersonal and race relations, and a bit of slapstick. The subjects are never taken too seriously, nor too lightly, and chuckles
are followed by thoughtful chin rubbing.
This is the work of a decade by Eldred, who’s had individual issue runs printed at various times (but never the whole thing), who’s had an animated series in the works only to founder, and whose writing and art skills perceptibly strengthen from decent to quite good over the duration of this book.
It’s not flashy. It’s not cosmic. But it’s quite satisfying. There’s a Will Eisner quote on the cover — “Good humor and skillful art. A good, good read!” — that sums it up quite nicely (and is a worthwhile tribute to pay attention to).
And … that’s officially 1/4 of the way through (7 a.m. to 1 p.m.). Yay!
- (listening to: Williams, John, “Eye to Eye” from Jurassic Park)
- (listening to: Murray, A., “Southpark House;Tarruing Teann An Crios;Kevin’s Celtic Chasm” from Brave Hearts)
- (listening to: Post, Mike, “Law And Order” from Television’s Greatest Hits – VII)
- (listening to: Nylons, “Buy Back the Amazon” from Four on the Floor)
- (listening to: Raine, Nic & Prague Philharmonic, “Star Trek: Voyager” from Jerry Goldsmith – 40 Years of Film Music)
- (listening to: “Medical Center” from Television’s Greatest Hits – II)
- (listening to: Original Broadway Cast, “A Heart Full of Love” from Les Misérables (Broadway))
- (listening to: Barenaked Ladies, “Crazy” from Gordon)