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Saga, Volume 6
Saga, Volume 6 by Brian K. Vaughan Illustrated by: Fiona Staples Published: 2016 Publisher: Image Comics Length: 152 pages Collects: issues #31–36 Maybe it’s because nearly a year has passed since I read the last volume, but this really felt like a return to form. The last couple of books had characters everywhere, with different objectives, and it felt scattered. New characters were being introduced at an alarming rate, and minor characters were getting lost in the shuffle. Quite a dramatic event happened at the end of the fifth volume, and it took me a while to remember who the character involved was, which was clearly not intended reaction. This…
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Captain America: Winter Soldier
Captain America: Winter Soldier by Ed Brubaker Format: Trade Paperback Illustrated by: Steve Epting / Mike Perkins / Michael Lark Collects: Captain America (vol. 5) #1-9 & 11-14 Publisher: Marvel Comics Published: 2005 (collected in 2010) Length: 304 pages Growing up, I was not the least bit interested in Captain America. I think he always seemed a bit tacky to Canadian readers. We have had a couple of maple leaf clad heroes, one with the embarrassing name of Captain Canuck, but they never really took off. I think by the time I was reading comics, the whole squeaky-clean patriotic leader idea wasn’t really in style. Once I learned a bit…
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Delilah Dirk and the King’s Shilling
Delilah Dirk and the King’s Shilling by Tony Cliff Format: Original Graphic Novel Illustrated by: Tony Cliff Series: Delilah Dirk #2 Publisher: First Second Published: 2016 Length: 272 pages After I finished the first Delilah Dirk book, I noticed there was a second volume that had just been released. That’s the pleasure of being a few years behind the ball, I suppose. I picked it up at a local comic store soon after, and was pleased to find that it was twice the size of the first. The first book focused more on the story of Selim, the Turkish Lieutenant, while keeping Delilah a super-powered mystery. In this book, we…
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We Stand On Guard
We Stand On Guard by Brian K. Vaughan Format: Deluxe Edition Hardcover Illustrated by: Steve Skroce, Matt Hollingsworth Series: We Stand On Guard #1-6 Publisher: Image Comics Published: 2015 Length: 160 pages Brian K. Vaughan, author of many loved comics, including Saga, tackles the often joked about idea of the US invading Canada in this six issue limited series. Vaughan lives in Canada with his Canadian wife, but was born and raised in Cleveland, so even though Americans do get painted as the baddies in this, it is one of your own doing it at least. It’s the year 2124, and major droughts have left the Americans without water, which…
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Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant
Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant by Tony Cliff Format: Original Graphic Novel Illustrated by: Tony Cliff Series: Delilah Dirk #1 Publisher: First Second Published: 2013 Length: 169 pages I was in the mood for some good old-fashioned adventuring after playing Uncharted 4, and I had heard this graphic novel described as a mix of Indiana Jones and Tintin, which seemed to fit the bill perfectly. It certainly did, and I’ve already picked up the sequel. This is a breezy and fun adventure story set in the early nineteenth century Ottoman Empire. The title character, Delilah Dirk (great name), is a badass woman of Greek and English descent who has…
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Richard Stark’s Parker: Slayground
Richard Stark’s Parker: Slayground by Darwyn Cooke Format: Graphic Novel Illustrated by: Darwyn Cooke Series: Parker #4 Publisher: IDW Publishing Published: 2013 Length: 96 pages I read the first three of these a few years ago, but I never got around to this final volume. Darwyn Cooke sadly passed away last month, in this year of startling deaths, which gave me an unfortunate reminder to pick it up. This volume is certainly a contrast to the last Parker book, The Score, in which Parker and his team planned a heist to rob an entire town. It had a complicated Ocean’s Eleven feel to it. This is a much simpler story,…
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The Sculptor
The Sculptor by Scott McCloud Format: Graphic Novel Illustrated by: Scott McCloud Publisher: First Second Books Published: 2015 Length: 496 pages I wasn’t sure what to expect from this, but I kept hearing excellent things. I know Scott McCloud from, but haven’t yet read, his trilogy of non-fiction graphic novels on the topic of comics: Understanding Comics, Making Comics, and Reinventing Comics. David Smith is a struggling artist who achieved minor fame early in his career and then watched it crumble away. He’s broke and facing possible homelessness, feeling like he’s hit rock bottom in his life, when he’s presented with a deal: his life for his art. He will…
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Saga, Volume 5
Saga, Volume 5 by Brian K. Vaughan Illustrated by: Fiona Staples Published: 2015 Publisher: Image Comics Series: Saga #5 Collects: issues #25–30 Length: 152 pages I described the last volume as having a teen-drama vibe, in an annoying way, but this got right back into the adventure. The team is still split up, which I’m actually finding a little annoying. I was really enjoying their story together, and while that’s still the underlying theme, it was more interesting overall for me when that was the focus – watching the relationships grow between a group of people on the run. This volume felt a little scattered compared to the first few,…
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Hyperbole and a Half
Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened by Allie Brosh Format: Original Graphic Novel Originally Published: 2013 Publisher: Touchstone Length: 384 pages I loved this web comic, and I’m so glad she decided to turn them into a book. I will be buying any future collections that she publishes. If you’ve been around the Internet a while (and I know you have), you’ve most likely come across either her comics or the memes generated from them. This contains seven new stories, as well as some old favourites, and while the quality does jump up and down throughout, the highs in this comic…
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Sex Criminals, Vol. 2: Two Worlds, One Cop
Sex Criminals, Vol. 2: Two Worlds, One Cop by Matt Fraction Illustrated by: Chip Zdarsky Series: Sex Criminals #2 Published: 2015 Publisher: Image Comics Length: 128 pages Collects: issues #6-10 I wasn’t sure if I was going to carry on with this series after finishing the first volume. It was funny, but I never really felt invested in the story. The final scene did have me curious enough to read on, though. The series is about a new couple, Jon and Suzie, who discover they both have the same super power – the ability to freeze time when they orgasm. They decided to use this to rob a bank in…