Southern Cross, Volume 1

I have been wowed by images from this series across the social media platforms I frequent, so much so that I took a flyer on buying this volume on Comixology. I have had it on my device for a while but just got to it, and I have to say I am kicking myself for not reading it sooner. Southern Cross is some of the most compelling, suspenseful comics I have read in years. I would put it in a category with works like the original Alien movie or Alan Moore's early Saga of the Swamp Thing stories. It's that great.

The story follows Alex Braith, a troubled woman with a checkered past, as she rides the space freighter Southern Cross to Titan to retrieve the body of her estranged, now dead sister.

 

 

Along the way, she encounters many interesting, if upsetting, events and people. There's the creepy mercenary who keeps propositioning her, a doctor who keeps offering her illicit substances, and her surprise roommate who starts out just avoiding her before possibly disappearing. Also, the warp drive on the ship is malfunctioning, creating all sorts of strange, horrific visions that may be dreams, or something worse.

The more Alex stays aboard, the more she learns, not just about what happened to her sister but what illegal activities some of her shipmates are up to, not to mention a horrible evil presence that threatens not just the ship but also the universe. I struggle with calling the events of this volume a ghost, zombie, or Lovecraftian story, though it does share some elements of those things cast in a science fiction setting. I will say that it is a finely crafted mystery that is seriously spooky and horrifying. The cast of characters is wonderfully shady and suspicious, and the artwork appropriately paints a dingy, menacing atmosphere.

What is best, this book does not reveal all and it seems that much is yet to come. So, in the end I am sort of glad that I waited this long to read the series because the second volume is coming out in a few days. And I guarantee you I will be reading it much sooner than I did this one.

The main players in creating this book are writer Becky Cloonan and artists Andy Belanger and Lee Loughridge. Cloonan is a comics writer and artist who has been nominated for multiple Eisner Awards and is best known for creating Gotham Academy as well as for her work on the series Demo and By Chance or Providence. Belanger has drawn many comics and is known for his work on the series Kill Shakespeare. Loughridge is a colorist who has worked on many Batman titles as well as some indy works like Deadly Class. Cloonan and Belanger speak about their inspirations and work on this volume in this interview.

All of the reviews I have read about this book have been full of praise. Aubrey Douglas wrote, "The story is compelling, the characters are interesting, and the artwork is some of the best that I have ran into. If you haven’t read this book, you’re doing yourself a disservice." Eric Houstoun stated that "Becky Cloonan and Andy Belanger manage to create something very special in the first volume of their book and have created something distinctive and unique." Paul Aloisio called it "a celebration of the comic book format. It’s fun, yet scary. It’s spooky, but it never gets overbearing."

Southern Cross was published by Image Comics, and they have a preview of this book and more information about the series here. This book book collects the first six issues of the series and is intended for mature readers.

Kill Shakespeare, Volume 2: The Blast of War

Much happens in this second (and final?) collection of the popularly received mini-series where the Bard's characters all exist in one world. Hamlet finally meets his maker, and this meeting with Shakespeare does not go quite as planned. Also, the grand struggle between the forces of Richard III and Lady MacBeth and those of Juliet and Othello comes to a head in a huge battle that costs many participants their lives. By the end of the book the narrative comes to a close, but there are still enough loose ends left to suggest the possibility of a sequel.

This book is created by the same team as volume 1. Anthony Del Col and Conor McCreery created the concept and wrote the series. Andy Belanger provided the art, which was energetic, expressive, and packed with Easter eggs. More information about these creators can be found at the book's official site.

Reviews of this collection have been relatively positive. David Norman wrote, "Kill Shakespeare is an excellent comic book series that rewards re-reading and which also makes you want to know more about Shakespeare plays." Gary Makries explained, "If you haven’t read the first one, I would recommend it. But truthfully, you can jump right in and catch up pretty well. I don’t often jump at dropping twenty bucks on a graphic novel but as I said before, this one rocks." The reviewer at Publishers Weekly offered a less favorable review, commenting that this book suffers from comparison to Shakespeare's works and that "the number of characters included goes beyond the book’s ability to comfortably fit them all in."

A preview of this volume can be found at Amazon.com. More information about the series, including additional previews and a trailer, is available here from the book's publisher IDW.

Kill Shakespeare, Volume 1: A Sea of Troubles

This graphic novel is a creative mash-up of Shakespeare's plays that forms a fantastical and compelling narrative. The action begins at the point in The Tragedy of Hamlet when Prince Hamlet is exiled to England. A pirate attack and nautical accident leaves him washed up on the shores of England where he is taken in by Richard III. The English king is forming an alliance with MacBeth and Iago in order to find the sorcerer William Shakespeare and take his magical quill that defines reality, and Hamlet is prophesied to be the only one capable of tracking down the wizard. As the famously indecisive prince ponders whether or not to trust this monarch the situation is complicated by the appearance of another faction, made up of Juliet, Othello, and Falstaff.

References, quotations, puns, and characters from the bard's many works appear throughout this book, and it is clearly a labor of love from a trio of Shakespeare aficionados. Anthony Del Col and Conor McCreery created the concept and write the series. Andy Belanger provides the art, which is energetic and expressive. More information about these creators can be found at the book's official site. This interview with the book's writers also sheds more light on the story's creation and direction.

All of the reviews I have read about the book have been full of praise. Fangoria's Jorge Solis concluded that this book is a "freshly original graphic novel" and "a highly enjoyable adventure." iFanboy's Ryan Haupt commented positively on the books deft combination of characterization, plot, and action. Mind Over Media called it a "fantastic little book" that "would make Shakespeare himself proud."

Kill Shakespeare began as a 12-issue limited series in 2010 and just reached completion. This collection contains the first half of the story. More information about the series, including previews and a trailer, is available here from the book's publisher IDW.