VS #1 by Ivan Brandon, Esad Ribic, and Nic Klein (Image)
This book is gorgeous. The premise is pretty simple- space gladiators in an advertising soaked future environment. I will admit the characters don't have a lot to them yet, but when space opera looks this good, I can give it a few issues to care about who is who.
I just finished The Swords of Glass, written by Sylviane Corgiat and illustrated by Laura Zuccheri. In the United States, the book is published by Humanoids. This is easily my favorite comic that came in my most recent DCBS shipment. The story begins as a fantasy revenge/quest plot. An evil tyrant terrorizes a small village and a young girl named Yama vows vengeance against him after the apparent death of her parents. She finds she is the only person able to wield a magical sword that fell from the sky that turns anyone cut by it into glass. She is taken in by a mysterious hermit named Miklos who cares for her, educates her and trains her to fight. Their relationship begins as that of a surrogate father and daughter but is complicated over the passage of time as Yama grows into a young woman and her feelings for Miklos evolve into romantic ones. There is a much larger, looming threat as the world the characters live on nears destruction because it's sun is dying. An ancient prophecy tells of four swords of glass that when united by four chosen individuals will open a gateway to a place safe from the destruction of the world. The first two thirds of the book follow Yama and Miklos in their quest for vengeance and, on a much larger scale, to find the other three swords. The action then shifts to focus briefly on other characters before returning to the principal leads and eventually uniting everyone for the climax. I won't reveal anything of the ending. I will, however, say that I was presently surprised by the many plot twists near the end. Sylviane Corgiat's writing is magnificent. She is able to seamlessly weave through a number of complex plot threads without ever losing focus and even switches genres near the end of the book without the effect feeling the least bit jarring. The world she creates is alien enough to be exciting while the character motivations are understandable enough to relate to. Laura Zuccheri's artwork is perfectly complimentary to Colgiat's writing. Her detailed style creates a sense of realism that draws the reader in and firmly roots one in the world being depicted on the page. The Swords of Glass is a masterpiece of fantasy storytelling and a prime example of how comics as an art form are boundless. I highly recommend this book. An affordable softcover is currently available at InStockTrades for $14.96 and I'm sure there are used copies floating around even cheaper if one is inclined to search. Regardless, this book is well worth the purchase.
Black Science #34. Easily one of the most fantastically gonzo series out there. Rick Remender's scripting is utterly and totally mind-blowing and Matteo Scalera's art is out of this world goodness.
Combined the two create a dimension hopping Sliders'esque world via Hunter S. Thompson. Complete with an astounding giant, fluffy, purple googly eyed monster that looks hysterical and a little snuggly even while uttering some of the most deranged dialog of all time.
Like Valiant's Eternity, it's almost like it belongs in Heavy Metal, if Heavy Metal did longer form content.
I just finished The Swords of Glass, written by Sylviane Corgiat and illustrated by Laura Zuccheri. In the United States, the book is published by Humanoids. This is easily my favorite comic that came in my most recent DCBS shipment. The story begins as a fantasy revenge/quest plot. An evil tyrant terrorizes a small village and a young girl named Yama vows vengeance against him after the apparent death of her parents. She finds she is the only person able to wield a magical sword that fell from the sky that turns anyone cut by it into glass. She is taken in by a mysterious hermit named Miklos who cares for her, educates her and trains her to fight. Their relationship begins as that of a surrogate father and daughter but is complicated over the passage of time as Yama grows into a young women and her feelings for Miklos evolve into romantic ones. There is a much larger, looming threat as the world the characters live on nears destruction because it's sun is dying. An ancient prophecy tells of four swords of glass that when united by four chosen individuals will open a gateway to a place safe from the destruction of the world. The first two thirds of the book follow Yama and Miklos in their quest for vengeance and, on a much larger scale, to find the other three swords. The action then shifts to focus briefly on other characters before returning to the principal leads and eventually uniting everyone for the climax. I won't reveal anything of the ending. I will, however, say that I was presently surprised by the many plot twists near the end. Sylviane Corgiat's writing is magnificent. She is able to seamlessly weave through a number of complex plot threads without ever losing focus and even switches genres near the end of the book without the effect feeling the least bit jarring. The world she creates is alien enough to be exciting while the character motivations are understandable enough to relate to. Laura Zuccheri's artwork is perfectly complimentary to Colgiat's writing. Her detailed style creates a sense of realism that draws the reader in and firmly roots one in the world being depicted on the page. The Swords of Glass is a masterpiece of fantasy storytelling and a prime example of how comics as an art form are boundless. I highly recommend this book. An affordable softcover is currently available at InStockTrades for $14.96 and I'm sure there are used copies floating around even cheaper if one is inclined to search. Regardless, this book is well worth the purchase.
Thanks for this recommendation. Sounds right up my street. Just brought the first volume on kindle for £3. Will be getting the other three volumes if I like this too.
Rasputin: Voice of the Dragon # 2,3. The first two issues of this title were a slow burn for me, but the third issue really kick it up a notch. Excellent pulpy storytelling during World War 2. The two flashback origin stories in issue 3 were fun reading.
Rasputin: Voice of the Dragon # 2,3. The first two issues of this title were a slow burn for me, but the third issue really kick it up a notch. Excellent pulpy storytelling during World War 2. The two flashback origin stories in issue 3 were fun reading.
I've got ’em, but I'm waiting for all the issues to come in before I read it. I like what Mike has done with the character in the past, so I'm sure I'll enjoy this. Speaking of Rasputin, have you ever read Petrograd@chrisl?
Rasputin: Voice of the Dragon # 2,3. The first two issues of this title were a slow burn for me, but the third issue really kick it up a notch. Excellent pulpy storytelling during World War 2. The two flashback origin stories in issue 3 were fun reading.
I've got ’em, but I'm waiting for all the issues to come in before I read it. I like what Mike has done with the character in the past, so I'm sure I'll enjoy this. Speaking of Rasputin, have you ever read Petrograd@chrisl?
No, I haven't. He's definitely one of history most fascinating characters. I really should make the time to read more about him.
Rasputin: Voice of the Dragon # 2,3. The first two issues of this title were a slow burn for me, but the third issue really kick it up a notch. Excellent pulpy storytelling during World War 2. The two flashback origin stories in issue 3 were fun reading.
I've got ’em, but I'm waiting for all the issues to come in before I read it. I like what Mike has done with the character in the past, so I'm sure I'll enjoy this. Speaking of Rasputin, have you ever read Petrograd@chrisl?
No, I haven't. He's definitely one of history most fascinating characters. I really should make the time to read more about him.
It's an excellent graphic novel focused on his assassination, with art by Tyler Crook of the Harrow County series (he also drew some B.P.R.D. stuff). It’s fictional, but based around known facts. Good stuff.
Rasputin: Voice of the Dragon # 2,3. The first two issues of this title were a slow burn for me, but the third issue really kick it up a notch. Excellent pulpy storytelling during World War 2. The two flashback origin stories in issue 3 were fun reading.
I've got ’em, but I'm waiting for all the issues to come in before I read it. I like what Mike has done with the character in the past, so I'm sure I'll enjoy this. Speaking of Rasputin, have you ever read Petrograd@chrisl?
No, I haven't. He's definitely one of history most fascinating characters. I really should make the time to read more about him.
It's an excellent graphic novel focused on his assassination, with art by Tyler Crook of the Harrow County series (he also drew some B.P.R.D. stuff). It’s fictional, but based around known facts. Good stuff.
Thank you for recommending it. I just put on my Amazon wishlist.
Rasputin: Voice of the Dragon # 2,3. The first two issues of this title were a slow burn for me, but the third issue really kick it up a notch. Excellent pulpy storytelling during World War 2. The two flashback origin stories in issue 3 were fun reading.
I've got ’em, but I'm waiting for all the issues to come in before I read it. I like what Mike has done with the character in the past, so I'm sure I'll enjoy this. Speaking of Rasputin, have you ever read Petrograd@chrisl?
No, I haven't. He's definitely one of history most fascinating characters. I really should make the time to read more about him.
It's an excellent graphic novel focused on his assassination, with art by Tyler Crook of the Harrow County series (he also drew some B.P.R.D. stuff). It’s fictional, but based around known facts. Good stuff.
Thank you for recommending it. I just put on my Amazon wishlist.
Hadn't been sold on Waid's return to Captain America, but this week's Captain America #698 worked for me as it changed gears on its political satire.
Rampart in the first 3 issues didn't really ring true for me, but presented here as a clear Kirby/2000AD-level parody of the current GOP it starts to sing.
Yeah, it went waaaaay over the top this issue. 2000 AD-esque is a great way to describe it. Though I'm sure many will call it ham-fisted preachiness rather than satire. But I don't see how anyone can complain about the artwork. Holy cow! Chris knocked it out of the park and into the next county. Great sound f/x, fantastic coloring, and it all worked so well together! A really fun issue I'll be going back and staring at often, I'm sure.
Hadn't been sold on Waid's return to Captain America, but this week's Captain America #698 worked for me as it changed gears on its political satire.
Rampart in the first 3 issues didn't really ring true for me, but presented here as a clear Kirby/2000AD-level parody of the current GOP it starts to sing.
Yeah, it went waaaaay over the top this issue. 2000 AD-esque is a great way to describe it. Though I'm sure many will call it ham-fisted preachiness rather than satire. But I don't see how anyone can complain about the artwork. Holy cow! Chris knocked it out of the park and into the next county. Great sound f/x, fantastic coloring, and it all worked so well together! A really fun issue I'll be going back and staring at often, I'm sure.
I've loved the other Waid/Samnee collaborations, but this just doesn't sound appealing at all.
Hadn't been sold on Waid's return to Captain America, but this week's Captain America #698 worked for me as it changed gears on its political satire.
Rampart in the first 3 issues didn't really ring true for me, but presented here as a clear Kirby/2000AD-level parody of the current GOP it starts to sing.
Yeah, it went waaaaay over the top this issue. 2000 AD-esque is a great way to describe it. Though I'm sure many will call it ham-fisted preachiness rather than satire. But I don't see how anyone can complain about the artwork. Holy cow! Chris knocked it out of the park and into the next county. Great sound f/x, fantastic coloring, and it all worked so well together! A really fun issue I'll be going back and staring at often, I'm sure.
I've loved the other Waid/Samnee collaborations, but this just doesn't sound appealing at all.
I'm pretty sure you won’t like it. But if you get a chance, just pick it up and look through it. The artwork is outstanding. Just pretend the word balloons aren’t there. ;)
Hadn't been sold on Waid's return to Captain America, but this week's Captain America #698 worked for me as it changed gears on its political satire.
Rampart in the first 3 issues didn't really ring true for me, but presented here as a clear Kirby/2000AD-level parody of the current GOP it starts to sing.
Yeah, it went waaaaay over the top this issue. 2000 AD-esque is a great way to describe it. Though I'm sure many will call it ham-fisted preachiness rather than satire. But I don't see how anyone can complain about the artwork. Holy cow! Chris knocked it out of the park and into the next county. Great sound f/x, fantastic coloring, and it all worked so well together! A really fun issue I'll be going back and staring at often, I'm sure.
I've loved the other Waid/Samnee collaborations, but this just doesn't sound appealing at all.
I'm pretty sure you won’t like it. But if you get a chance, just pick it up and look through it. The artwork is outstanding. Just pretend the word balloons aren’t there. ;)
It's in my hold slot, I'm committed to buy it. And, I'll read it. However, the comments above are reminding me of the bad taste left in my mouth after the "Tea Bagger" incident.
Hadn't been sold on Waid's return to Captain America, but this week's Captain America #698 worked for me as it changed gears on its political satire.
Rampart in the first 3 issues didn't really ring true for me, but presented here as a clear Kirby/2000AD-level parody of the current GOP it starts to sing.
Yeah, it went waaaaay over the top this issue. 2000 AD-esque is a great way to describe it. Though I'm sure many will call it ham-fisted preachiness rather than satire. But I don't see how anyone can complain about the artwork. Holy cow! Chris knocked it out of the park and into the next county. Great sound f/x, fantastic coloring, and it all worked so well together! A really fun issue I'll be going back and staring at often, I'm sure.
I've loved the other Waid/Samnee collaborations, but this just doesn't sound appealing at all.
I'm pretty sure you won’t like it. But if you get a chance, just pick it up and look through it. The artwork is outstanding. Just pretend the word balloons aren’t there. ;)
It's in my hold slot, I'm committed to buy it. And, I'll read it. However, the comments above are reminding me of the bad taste left in my mouth after the "Tea Bagger" incident.
You all had me scared. An argument could be made that the gov shown in 699 is what happened if the last election went the other way.
Hadn't been sold on Waid's return to Captain America, but this week's Captain America #698 worked for me as it changed gears on its political satire.
Rampart in the first 3 issues didn't really ring true for me, but presented here as a clear Kirby/2000AD-level parody of the current GOP it starts to sing.
Yeah, it went waaaaay over the top this issue. 2000 AD-esque is a great way to describe it. Though I'm sure many will call it ham-fisted preachiness rather than satire. But I don't see how anyone can complain about the artwork. Holy cow! Chris knocked it out of the park and into the next county. Great sound f/x, fantastic coloring, and it all worked so well together! A really fun issue I'll be going back and staring at often, I'm sure.
I've loved the other Waid/Samnee collaborations, but this just doesn't sound appealing at all.
I'm pretty sure you won’t like it. But if you get a chance, just pick it up and look through it. The artwork is outstanding. Just pretend the word balloons aren’t there. ;)
It's in my hold slot, I'm committed to buy it. And, I'll read it. However, the comments above are reminding me of the bad taste left in my mouth after the "Tea Bagger" incident.
You all had me scared. An argument could be made that the gov shown in 699 is what happened if the last election went the other way.
I wanted to mention this earlier and forgot. Pg. 13 (?), panel 4, Cap skips right over the 2nd. Amendment.
Hadn't been sold on Waid's return to Captain America, but this week's Captain America #698 worked for me as it changed gears on its political satire.
Rampart in the first 3 issues didn't really ring true for me, but presented here as a clear Kirby/2000AD-level parody of the current GOP it starts to sing.
Yeah, it went waaaaay over the top this issue. 2000 AD-esque is a great way to describe it. Though I'm sure many will call it ham-fisted preachiness rather than satire. But I don't see how anyone can complain about the artwork. Holy cow! Chris knocked it out of the park and into the next county. Great sound f/x, fantastic coloring, and it all worked so well together! A really fun issue I'll be going back and staring at often, I'm sure.
I've loved the other Waid/Samnee collaborations, but this just doesn't sound appealing at all.
I'm pretty sure you won’t like it. But if you get a chance, just pick it up and look through it. The artwork is outstanding. Just pretend the word balloons aren’t there. ;)
It's in my hold slot, I'm committed to buy it. And, I'll read it. However, the comments above are reminding me of the bad taste left in my mouth after the "Tea Bagger" incident.
You all had me scared. An argument could be made that the gov shown in 699 is what happened if the last election went the other way.
I wanted to mention this earlier and forgot. Pg. 13 (?), panel 4, Cap skips right over the 2nd. Amendment.
He doesn't so much skip it as simply not get to it. He doesn't even get through the full first amendment. Only so much room in a word balloon.
I just finished The Swords of Glass, written by Sylviane Corgiat and illustrated by Laura Zuccheri. In the United States, the book is published by Humanoids. This is easily my favorite comic that came in my most recent DCBS shipment. The story begins as a fantasy revenge/quest plot. An evil tyrant terrorizes a small village and a young girl named Yama vows vengeance against him after the apparent death of her parents. She finds she is the only person able to wield a magical sword that fell from the sky that turns anyone cut by it into glass. She is taken in by a mysterious hermit named Miklos who cares for her, educates her and trains her to fight. Their relationship begins as that of a surrogate father and daughter but is complicated over the passage of time as Yama grows into a young woman and her feelings for Miklos evolve into romantic ones. There is a much larger, looming threat as the world the characters live on nears destruction because it's sun is dying. An ancient prophecy tells of four swords of glass that when united by four chosen individuals will open a gateway to a place safe from the destruction of the world. The first two thirds of the book follow Yama and Miklos in their quest for vengeance and, on a much larger scale, to find the other three swords. The action then shifts to focus briefly on other characters before returning to the principal leads and eventually uniting everyone for the climax. I won't reveal anything of the ending. I will, however, say that I was presently surprised by the many plot twists near the end. Sylviane Corgiat's writing is magnificent. She is able to seamlessly weave through a number of complex plot threads without ever losing focus and even switches genres near the end of the book without the effect feeling the least bit jarring. The world she creates is alien enough to be exciting while the character motivations are understandable enough to relate to. Laura Zuccheri's artwork is perfectly complimentary to Colgiat's writing. Her detailed style creates a sense of realism that draws the reader in and firmly roots one in the world being depicted on the page. The Swords of Glass is a masterpiece of fantasy storytelling and a prime example of how comics as an art form are boundless. I highly recommend this book. An affordable softcover is currently available at InStockTrades for $14.96 and I'm sure there are used copies floating around even cheaper if one is inclined to search. Regardless, this book is well worth the purchase.
I took you recommendation and picked up for volumes (I think it's the whole story) from comixology for $3 each ($12 total--sale goes on for a couple of weeks). Read volume 1 last night and it was really good. It felt a little cliche in parts and clunky dialogue, but I chalked that up to this is an English translation of a French/Italian comic. It's beautiful to look at, even if the writing is a little bland in parts. This didn't diminish my overall enjoyment though. Looking forward to reading the rest of the series this weekend.
Hadn't been sold on Waid's return to Captain America, but this week's Captain America #698 worked for me as it changed gears on its political satire.
Rampart in the first 3 issues didn't really ring true for me, but presented here as a clear Kirby/2000AD-level parody of the current GOP it starts to sing.
Yeah, it went waaaaay over the top this issue. 2000 AD-esque is a great way to describe it. Though I'm sure many will call it ham-fisted preachiness rather than satire. But I don't see how anyone can complain about the artwork. Holy cow! Chris knocked it out of the park and into the next county. Great sound f/x, fantastic coloring, and it all worked so well together! A really fun issue I'll be going back and staring at often, I'm sure.
I've loved the other Waid/Samnee collaborations, but this just doesn't sound appealing at all.
I'm pretty sure you won’t like it. But if you get a chance, just pick it up and look through it. The artwork is outstanding. Just pretend the word balloons aren’t there. ;)
It's in my hold slot, I'm committed to buy it. And, I'll read it. However, the comments above are reminding me of the bad taste left in my mouth after the "Tea Bagger" incident.
You all had me scared. An argument could be made that the gov shown in 699 is what happened if the last election went the other way.
I wanted to mention this earlier and forgot. Pg. 13 (?), panel 4, Cap skips right over the 2nd. Amendment.
He doesn't so much skip it as simply not get to it. He doesn't even get through the full first amendment. Only so much room in a word balloon.
Too bad. The 2nd would have justified resistance against a tyrannical gov.
Hadn't been sold on Waid's return to Captain America, but this week's Captain America #698 worked for me as it changed gears on its political satire.
Rampart in the first 3 issues didn't really ring true for me, but presented here as a clear Kirby/2000AD-level parody of the current GOP it starts to sing.
Yeah, it went waaaaay over the top this issue. 2000 AD-esque is a great way to describe it. Though I'm sure many will call it ham-fisted preachiness rather than satire. But I don't see how anyone can complain about the artwork. Holy cow! Chris knocked it out of the park and into the next county. Great sound f/x, fantastic coloring, and it all worked so well together! A really fun issue I'll be going back and staring at often, I'm sure.
I've loved the other Waid/Samnee collaborations, but this just doesn't sound appealing at all.
I'm pretty sure you won’t like it. But if you get a chance, just pick it up and look through it. The artwork is outstanding. Just pretend the word balloons aren’t there. ;)
It's in my hold slot, I'm committed to buy it. And, I'll read it. However, the comments above are reminding me of the bad taste left in my mouth after the "Tea Bagger" incident.
You all had me scared. An argument could be made that the gov shown in 699 is what happened if the last election went the other way.
I wanted to mention this earlier and forgot. Pg. 13 (?), panel 4, Cap skips right over the 2nd. Amendment.
He doesn't so much skip it as simply not get to it. He doesn't even get through the full first amendment. Only so much room in a word balloon.
Too bad. The 2nd would have justified resistance against a tyrannical gov.
Good thing Cap knows every line of the Bill of Rights by heart then. Also, good thing this is a satire. ;)
Hadn't been sold on Waid's return to Captain America, but this week's Captain America #698 worked for me as it changed gears on its political satire.
Rampart in the first 3 issues didn't really ring true for me, but presented here as a clear Kirby/2000AD-level parody of the current GOP it starts to sing.
Yeah, it went waaaaay over the top this issue. 2000 AD-esque is a great way to describe it. Though I'm sure many will call it ham-fisted preachiness rather than satire. But I don't see how anyone can complain about the artwork. Holy cow! Chris knocked it out of the park and into the next county. Great sound f/x, fantastic coloring, and it all worked so well together! A really fun issue I'll be going back and staring at often, I'm sure.
I've loved the other Waid/Samnee collaborations, but this just doesn't sound appealing at all.
I'm pretty sure you won’t like it. But if you get a chance, just pick it up and look through it. The artwork is outstanding. Just pretend the word balloons aren’t there. ;)
It's in my hold slot, I'm committed to buy it. And, I'll read it. However, the comments above are reminding me of the bad taste left in my mouth after the "Tea Bagger" incident.
You all had me scared. An argument could be made that the gov shown in 699 is what happened if the last election went the other way.
I wanted to mention this earlier and forgot. Pg. 13 (?), panel 4, Cap skips right over the 2nd. Amendment.
He doesn't so much skip it as simply not get to it. He doesn't even get through the full first amendment. Only so much room in a word balloon.
Too bad. The 2nd would have justified resistance against a tyrannical gov.
Good thing Cap knows every line of the Bill of Rights by heart then. Also, good thing this is a satire. ;)
But what did you think about the art?
Pg. 12 panel 4. That is a very clever elephant by Mr Samnee.
The art is very good. I've noticed that as I "mature" I've a growing appreciation for a more catoony style.
I've noticed that as I "mature" I've a growing appreciation for a more catoony style.
That’s great to hear. I wish I heard it more often. I mean, how could anyone not be wowed by something like this—My favorite page of comics so far this year:
@luke52 and @fredzilla I'm really glad to know both of you found my recommendation helpful and am even more overjoyed to know that you've both decided to support the work of the fine creators and publisher that brought us The Swords of Glass.
@fredzilla I can see what you mean about the dialogue at times feeling clunky. I also often times wonder when reading translations of foreign works how much of that is caused in part by the translation itself.
I've grown somewhat accustomed to it over the years from reading a lot of manga and watching a lot of Italian exploitation flicks. I think it usually just depends on the individual text and who's providing the translation.
Infamous Iron Man Vol. 1 & 2. I'm not a fan of Maleev. I like the visual textures on his pages. Unfortunately, I find it hard to tell characters apart. That being said, I enjoyed this take on Doom and would highly recommend the trades.
Incognegro Renaissance #1: I have never read the original graphic novel (or even heard of it), and just picked this up because I liked the art and premise from Previews. It definitely has me intrigued. I like a good whodunnit it regardless, but the added aspects of how race plays into it and just the overall "feel" of it is why I'm giving this a buy.
Backways #2: This is a borrow for me. Having missed issue #1 I didn't totally follow what was going on, but there was enough here to make me want to buy the next issues. A teen involved in magic, I could wind up really liking this book, we'll see.
Frankenstein Alive, Alive! Trio: The is a Steve Niles book, that collects #1-3 of the comic. Apparently it came out a few years ago but never completed. They are going to release #4 soon so they rereleased these as a collection. It's my first time reading and I really enjoyed it. It takes place immediately following the novel and shows what happens to the monster. Niles shows that he knows the source material, he manages to match the tone quite well. I will be picking up the conclusion.
Vs. #1: Strong buy. I bought this without knowing much of anything about it, and will be adding it to my pull list. They did just enough setting up in the first issue so that you know what is going on, but not so much that there isn't (much) more to reveal.
Young Monsters in Love: I'd rate this as a low borrow. As is common in these sort of seasonal collections, some stories are pretty good and some are completely forgettable. I especially liked the Raven story, it's the only one that really made me feel like the couple had good chemistry. A lot of the stories felt like they were just making their page requirements. The Creature Commandos one wasn't even a love story at all... I'd borrow for the Raven, Man-Bat, and Monsieur Mallah stories.
All New Wolverine is STILL my fave monthly going right now.. It's so much fun and I really dig Laura and the supporting cast (including Daken). I just caught up on the most recent 3 issues. So happy that this series is STILL going after 30 issues!!! Especially since I don't know a single person that reads it besides me
Finished catching up on Grass Kings tonight. Like most Matt Kindt stories, it revolves around a mystery, this one a murder mystery. But Grass Kings has a very different tone than most of Kindt’s other books. The art is by Tyler Jenkins, and as much as I like Kindt’s artwork, he might the right choice of bringing in Jenkins for this story, as it’s much better suited to its setting and nature. And as usual, Kindt conjures up a large cast of off-center characters with interesting backgrounds. I'm really enjoying it, and it’s only going to be a 15-issue series, so it’s well worth the relatively small investment in time and money to dive in.
Comments
This book is gorgeous. The premise is pretty simple- space gladiators in an advertising soaked future environment. I will admit the characters don't have a lot to them yet, but when space opera looks this good, I can give it a few issues to care about who is who.
I just finished The Swords of Glass, written by Sylviane Corgiat and illustrated by Laura Zuccheri. In the United States, the book is published by Humanoids. This is easily my favorite comic that came in my most recent DCBS shipment. The story begins as a fantasy revenge/quest plot. An evil tyrant terrorizes a small village and a young girl named Yama vows vengeance against him after the apparent death of her parents. She finds she is the only person able to wield a magical sword that fell from the sky that turns anyone cut by it into glass.
She is taken in by a mysterious hermit named Miklos who cares for her, educates her and trains her to fight. Their relationship begins as that of a surrogate father and daughter but is complicated over the passage of time as Yama grows into a young woman and her feelings for Miklos evolve into romantic ones.
There is a much larger, looming threat as the world the characters live on nears destruction because it's sun is dying. An ancient prophecy tells of four swords of glass that when united by four chosen individuals will open a gateway to a place safe from the destruction of the world.
The first two thirds of the book follow Yama and Miklos in their quest for vengeance and, on a much larger scale, to find the other three swords. The action then shifts to focus briefly on other characters before returning to the principal leads and eventually uniting everyone for the climax.
I won't reveal anything of the ending. I will, however, say that I was presently surprised by the many plot twists near the end.
Sylviane Corgiat's writing is magnificent. She is able to seamlessly weave through a number of complex plot threads without ever losing focus and even switches genres near the end of the book without the effect feeling the least bit jarring. The world she creates is alien enough to be exciting while the character motivations are understandable enough to relate to.
Laura Zuccheri's artwork is perfectly complimentary to Colgiat's writing. Her detailed style creates a sense of realism that draws the reader in and firmly roots one in the world being depicted on the page.
The Swords of Glass is a masterpiece of fantasy storytelling and a prime example of how comics as an art form are boundless. I highly recommend this book. An affordable softcover is currently available at InStockTrades for $14.96 and I'm sure there are used copies floating around even cheaper if one is inclined to search. Regardless, this book is well worth the purchase.
Combined the two create a dimension hopping Sliders'esque world via Hunter S. Thompson. Complete with an astounding giant, fluffy, purple googly eyed monster that looks hysterical and a little snuggly even while uttering some of the most deranged dialog of all time.
Like Valiant's Eternity, it's almost like it belongs in Heavy Metal, if Heavy Metal did longer form content.
Rampart in the first 3 issues didn't really ring true for me, but presented here as a clear Kirby/2000AD-level parody of the current GOP it starts to sing.
I've loved the other Waid/Samnee collaborations, but this just doesn't sound appealing at all.
But what did you think about the art?
The art is very good. I've noticed that as I "mature" I've a growing appreciation for a more catoony style.
@fredzilla I can see what you mean about the dialogue at times feeling clunky. I also often times wonder when reading translations of foreign works how much of that is caused in part by the translation itself.
I've grown somewhat accustomed to it over the years from reading a lot of manga and watching a lot of Italian exploitation flicks. I think it usually just depends on the individual text and who's providing the translation.
I'm not a fan of Maleev. I like the visual textures on his pages. Unfortunately, I find it hard to tell characters apart.
That being said, I enjoyed this take on Doom and would highly recommend the trades.
Incognegro Renaissance #1: I have never read the original graphic novel (or even heard of it), and just picked this up because I liked the art and premise from Previews. It definitely has me intrigued. I like a good whodunnit it regardless, but the added aspects of how race plays into it and just the overall "feel" of it is why I'm giving this a buy.
Backways #2: This is a borrow for me. Having missed issue #1 I didn't totally follow what was going on, but there was enough here to make me want to buy the next issues. A teen involved in magic, I could wind up really liking this book, we'll see.
Frankenstein Alive, Alive! Trio: The is a Steve Niles book, that collects #1-3 of the comic. Apparently it came out a few years ago but never completed. They are going to release #4 soon so they rereleased these as a collection. It's my first time reading and I really enjoyed it. It takes place immediately following the novel and shows what happens to the monster. Niles shows that he knows the source material, he manages to match the tone quite well. I will be picking up the conclusion.
Vs. #1: Strong buy. I bought this without knowing much of anything about it, and will be adding it to my pull list. They did just enough setting up in the first issue so that you know what is going on, but not so much that there isn't (much) more to reveal.
Young Monsters in Love: I'd rate this as a low borrow. As is common in these sort of seasonal collections, some stories are pretty good and some are completely forgettable. I especially liked the Raven story, it's the only one that really made me feel like the couple had good chemistry. A lot of the stories felt like they were just making their page requirements. The Creature Commandos one wasn't even a love story at all... I'd borrow for the Raven, Man-Bat, and Monsieur Mallah stories.
I can see why people have been talking this up from the beginning. Eating it up.