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Maus I & II
Maus I: A Survivor’s Tale : My Father Bleeds History and Maus II: And Here My Troubles Began by Art Spiegelman Illustrator: Art Spiegelman Published: 1991 Publisher: Pantheon Books I read Maus I and II right after each other, so I figured I’d do a combined post. These are another example of a comic I picked up ages ago because I felt like they were required reading, but then let them waste away on the shelf untouched. I’m really kicking myself for not getting to them sooner. They were fantastic. In the story, Art Spiegelman is interviewing his father Vladek, a Polish Holocaust survivor. The real story is of his…
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Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller Illustrated By: Frank Miller and Klaus Janson Published: 1986 Publisher: DC Comics This has been on my shelf for years. The Dark Knight Returns is hailed as a major turning point in comic writing, and is generally at the top of any must-read list, but for whatever reason I kept putting it off. I’m surprised to say that it largely lives up the the hype. Bruce Wayne is in his 50s now and hasn’t made an appearance as Batman in a decade. Crime has run rampant in Gotham City, and this miniseries chronicles his return to the mask. The story is quite…
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The Unwritten, Vol. 5: On to Genesis
The Unwritten, Vol. 5: On to Genesis by Mike Carey Illustrated By: Peter Gross Published: 2012 Publisher: Vertigo Collects: issues #25 – #30 Finally got around to the next trade of my favourite comic – The Unwritten. For those who are unfamiliar, here’s my standard introduction: Imagine if J.K. Rowling based Harry Potter after her son of the same name and then disappeared before the last book had been finished, and her son then grew into his 20s as a bitter Harry Potter Con regular living off his fame as a muse. That’s essentially how this series began – Wilson Tayler based his incredibly popular series on his son Tom…
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Chew: Omnivore Edition, Volume 3
Chew Omnivore Edition Volume 3 Hc by John Layman Illustrated By: Rob Guillory Format: Hardcover Comic Collects: Chew #21-30 and the Chew: Secret Agent Poyo one-shot Published: 2013 Publisher: Image Comics I love Chew, so I was really excited when I saw the third Omnivore collected edition had been released. These oversized hardcover editions really let the art shine, and they look great on the shelf. They have bound bookmark ribbons. That’s classy. Tony Chu was the only Cibopath in the FDA, but after a replacement was found he was given the boot. He’s now the only Cibopath in parking enforcement. A Cibopath is someone who can get a sense…
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Richard Stark’s Parker: The Score
Richard Stark’s Parker: The Score by Darwyn Cooke Format: Original Graphic Novel Published: 2012 Publisher: IDW Publishing This is the third of the four Parker novels that Darwyn Cooke is adapting to graphic format, and I’m going to be sorry to see it finish with the next book. I just love these. An amateur crook is planning a heist, and he wants to bring Parker on. It’s a big heist, requiring a big team, and the organizer is a newbie, so Parker’s first instinct is to walk away. When he finds out the plan, and the target – an entire town – his temptation and restlessness prove too much. He…
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Astonishing X-Men, Volume 5: Ghost Box
Astonishing X-Men, Volume 5: Ghost Box by Warren Ellis Illustrator: Simone Bianchi Format: Premiere Hardcover Comic Published: 2008 Publisher: Marvel Comics Collects: #25-30 Joss Whedon wrote the first 25 issues of Astonishing X-Men, which is really what got me on the series initially. The fact that Warren Ellis, a favourite comic writer of mine, took over for a period after that was another nice little surprise. I was just getting back into comics when I read the Whedon run of this, so I wasn’t sure if it was me adjusting to the comic format or the comic itself that left me a bit bewildered. There were a lot of moments…
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The Walking Dead, Vol. 15: We Find Ourselves
The Walking Dead, Vol. 15: We Find Ourselves by Robert Kirkman Illustrator: Charlie Adlard Format: Trade Paperback Comic Published: 2012 Publisher: Image Comics Collects: #85-90 The 16th volume of this came out last week, which reminded me that I had this one sitting unread on my shelf. I haven’t been reading many comics lately, and they’re starting to pile up. I’ll have to start slotting some in between novels. The Walking Dead had been feeling quite stale for me, but the last volume was a great one. It had some horrific moments, and the end hinted at some exciting character development to come. In this volume, we see that start…
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The Unwritten, Vol. 4: Leviathan
The Unwritten, Vol. 4: Leviathan by Mike Carey Illustrated By: Peter Gross Published: 2011 Publisher: Vertigo Collects: issues #19 – #24 I haven’t been reading many comics lately, but this is one series that I’m still really interested in. When last I wrote about The Unwritten, I described it thusly: “Imagine if J.K. Rowling based Harry Potter after her son of the same name and then disappeared before the last book had been finished, and her son then grew into his 20s as a bitter Harry Potter Con regular living off his fame as a muse. That’s essentially how this series began – Wilson Tayler based his incredibly popular series…
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Chew: Omnivore Edition, Volume 2
Chew Omnivore Edition, Volume 2 by John Layman Illustrated By: Rob Guillory Published: 2011 Publisher: Image Comics Collects: Chew #11 – #20 Unfortunately I decided to read these in the oversized hardcover editions, which are beautiful, but they take so very long to come out. I read the first Chew Omnivore volume a year and a half ago, so I was very excited when this was finally released. The series follows Tony Chu, an FDA agent tasked with tracking down black market chicken, which became illegal after a serious avian flu outbreak that killed millions. He’s also a Cibopath – someone who can get a sense of the history of…
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Irredeemable Vol. 2
Irredeemable, Volume 2 by Mark Waid Illustrated By: Peter Krause Format: Trade Paperback Comic Published: 2010 Publisher: Boom! Studios The tale of America’s fallen superhero, The Plutonian, continues in a second volume that’s every bit as strong as the first. The pacing is perfect for me, the art is great – this is quickly becoming my favourite comic series. It’s the one I’m most excited to read, at least, although I am pacing myself and not buying all seven currently-released volumes at once. See? Willpower, I gots it. We’re introduced to the last member of The Paradigm, The Plutonian’s old supergroup, and get to see what really pushed him over…