Sequel Sunday!

Today, I am going to check in with the latest entries in a couple of promising series to see how they are progressing and if they are living up to the great expectations I had reading the first volumes. I think both series feature examples of exceptional world-building and strong character work.

The Chase is the third book in the Last Man series (my first two reviews are here), what has so far been a tale set in a small fictional town, focusing on a fighting tournament. All of those provincial matters from the Valley of the Kings get left way behind here. Mom Marianne has taken her son Adrian out of town to track down his former fighting partner, the scalawag Richard Aldana, who has skipped town with the trophy. Amazingly, she has a badass motorcycle, a map to strange lands, and hitherto unknown ability to summon powerful spells.

The emergence of Marianne's secrets is just one of the surprises this book holds. There are also a massive trek through a wasteland, a battle with corrupt policemen, a surprise rescue from some quite remarkable firemen, a visit to a crazed city, some duck and covering in a brothel, and a trial that is part professional wrestling, part kangaroo court. A lot of the reviews I have read compare it to Mad Max, and there definitely are similar insane energy and situations at play here. There is so much that goes on that it is sort of hard to believe this is the same series as before, but the action is frenetic and breathtaking. And I continue to be won over by the winning characters. They are so much fun to read about and see in action.

Don't mess with Mama, dude...

The artwork is as excellent and expressive as ever, a great mix of European and manga comics conventions. I have not been able to find many reviews of it as of yet, but the ones I have read have been positive. Matthew Garcia called it "engrossing, gripping, and a lot of fun." Comic Bastards called it "another really impressive addition to the Last Man series and a bright spot in the dull year that 2015 has been for comics."

A lot of the action in this book is set in a whorehouse and there are a few threats of sexual violence, so I wonder how kid-friendly this book is. But at the same time I can't help but think that the fast-paced action and broad humor cannot help but win readers over. I'd recommend it for older young adult readers.

Verdict: I am still hooked on reading what will happen for two reasons: 1) to see what awesome and insane venues this adventure will lead, and 2) to see what other surprising twists and turns lay out there for these endearing characters.

Battling Boy was one of my favorite books of 2013, and I was very impressed by the dark turn and  truly scary tone of its follow-up The Rise of Aurora West. Fall of the House of West very much continues in the same vein, and in this book we learn more about the plans and intentions of the monsters. And more importantly we learn the full story about the death of Rosetta West, Aurora's mother. There are a great many revelations in this book, and I have to say that the narrative is very well thought out and quite heartbreaking. It is also quite impressive how all three book's narratives fit together and compliment each other in suspenseful and satisfying manner.

I know that many people are down on the fact that Paul Pope is not drawing this book, but I have to say that I don't miss his artwork because David Rubin's artwork is simply stunning. It is simultaneously realistic, cartoonishly animated, and monstrously frightening. The layouts and storytelling are masterful. He really takes all of the nuances and affordances of sequential and uses them to his advantage here. Even in the smaller paperback format, his art pops and really sells the book.

In his hands, even a moth can be menacing...

All of the reviews I have read about this book have been strongly praising. Dustin Cabeal impressively called this series "the best superhero stories being told in comics to date. Nothing is even remotely close to being as good." Tobias Carroll concluded simply that it was "a terrific ride." Lindsey Morris summed it up as  "Recommended reading for any comics fan."

The monsters and family issues in this book are quite horrible and harrowing, so I don't think this book is quite for younger elementary school students, but I think it would be a great for grades 4 and up, especially if they can handle scary stories.

Verdict: I am very eager to see what the next follow-up in the Battling Boy series will be. It has been a fantastic series full of action and a surprising amount of heart.


Both books were published by First Second. They provide previews and much more information for The Chase here and for Fall of the House of West here.

The Rise of Aurora West

Battling Boy was one of my favorite graphic novels from last year,with its wonderful blend of superheroics, horror, and YA novels. This volume, The Rise of Aurora West, is the first prequel to that story, telling the tale of how Aurora West came into her role as a monster fighter and providing more insight into the villains who terrorize this world and steal its children.

A lot of the book revolves around Aurora's relationship with her father Haggard. He is seasoned hero and monster fighter, and, as you can see below, his mode of child rearing might best be summed up by the term "tough love."

He does not coddle Aurora in the least, because the enemies they face are devious and give no quarter. Eventually, the father and daughter come to a different kind of understanding. Also, along the way, we see how Aurora inadvertently assisted the monster enemies when she was a child and also may have had a hand in her mother's horrible fate. She is a wonderfully conflicted character, and the complicated plot has lots of twists and turns that build suspense and also surprise.

The story here is by Paul Pope and JT Petty. Pope is an award winning comics creator with decades of credits, and he talks about his work on this book here. Petty is a director, video game writer, and author who also wrote the underrated graphic novel Bloody Chester. The artwork is by David Rubín, a Spanish artist whose style is similar to Pope's. He speaks about his work on this book in this interview. He certainly excels at depicting fantastic science fiction landscapes, characters, and creatures, and I feel the black and white format only highlights his line work and narrative flow. These pages are dynamic and atmospheric, and my only complaint is the same one I had with Battling Boy, that I wish the pages were larger. I appreciate the manga paperback size being convenient and portable, but I would still love to luxuriate in a larger sized format.

Even though this is a darker story than Battling Boy, all of the reviews I have read have been celebratory. Kirkus Reviews wrote, "This feels like a very different direction for the characters, and it’s a thrilling one; expect readers to clamor for the next installments of this clever spinoff." Thea called it "a surprising powerful, emotional tale about the bond between a leader and a sidekick, a father and a daughter, rooted in one young heroine’s journey of self-discovery and realization." Win Wiacek concluded that it was "a superb and moving sidebar yarn, packed with clever intoxicating mystery, astounding action, tense suspense and beguiling characters that will delight older kids, and reads even better if you’re their adult keeper or guardian."

The Rise of Aurora West was published by First Second, and they provide reviews and more here.

Thank you, Gina, for the review copy!

Congratulations, 2014 Harvey Award Winners!

The Awards were delivered this past weekend, and big winners who have been featured on this blog are the creators of Saga who won:

• Best Artist: Fiona Staples
  
  
• Best Writer: Brian K. Vaughan 

• Best Continuing or Limited Series: Saga
  
  
• Best Cover Artist:  Fiona Staples, Saga

Sex Criminals' artist  Chip Zdarsky won Most Promising New Talent.

Paul Pope won Best Cartoonist for his work on Battling Boy.

Congratulations to all! 

Congratulations, 2014 Eisner Award winners!

The complete list of 2014 Eisner Award winners is available here.

Also, I want to point out a few of the winners I have reviewed in the past year:

Best continuing series: Saga

Best new series: Sex Criminals

Best publication for kids (ages 8-12): The Adventures of Superhero Girl

Best publication for teens (ages 13-17): Battling Boy

Congratulations, all!

Battling Boy

A long time in coming (it was first announced in 2006), Battling Boy is a mash-up of superheroes and mythologies that is a splendor to behold. It follows the adventures of Battling Boy, the son of a war god, who finds on his thirteenth birthday that he has to go "a-rambling" and find his way in the universe. He is sent to a planet over-run by monsters and has to figure out how to contend with them on his own. He was not set on his journey without some materials, and he has a cape made of special material as well as a dozen different t-shirts with totem emblems on them. Each shirt gives him special powers and weaknesses according to its emblem.

Pretty strong, though the arms are kind of useless.

The world he is on is inhabited and part of what he has to contend with is navigating the environs of Arcopolis and its human inhabitants, which include a conniving mayor and his board of advisors. They set BB up with a new name Arco-Lad (he hates it) and some public relations appearances:

Also complicating the situation, the city already had a hero named Haggard West who was recently killed by monsters, and his daughter has been training to take up his mantle. She and Battling Boy have the same intentions, but they may also be too headstrong to collaborate.

Everything set up in this book just has a energy that I find admirable. The characters and situations play off of superhero conventions, but in fresh and modern ways both narratively and visually. His monsters are also excellently composed of elements of classic creatures like vampires and werewolves, more like the Universal Monsters meet Brothers Grimm than some of their contemporary translations. I see so much potential in this book and hope that there is at least one, but even better multiple, sequels where everything can develop and be fleshed out.

Battling Boy was created by Paul Pope, a multiple Eisner Award winning talent known for his series THB, 100%, Heavy Liquid, and Batman Year 100. He began his career drawing for the Japanese manga publisher Kodansha. He won the National Cartoonist Society’s Reuben Award for his comic strip "Strange Adventures" as well as a Master Artist recognition by the American Council of the Arts in 2010. In addition to all these honors, he has been a extremely high profile artist, working for the fashion company Diesel on screenprints that went into clothing designs. He speaks about his work on Battling Boy and his comics career in these interviews in video and print.

Pope cites among his influences the comics masters Jacky Kirby and Moebius, and as seen in the excerpt above, both of their sensibilities show through in his work. His monsters are truly monstrous and frightening, the action bold and grand, and his people look like real, opinionated, cool, deceptive, wonderful, sweaty, tired, inspired, fearful, bold, and hopeful people. My only real criticisms of this book are that it ended too abruptly and that I wish the pages were larger to display Pope's artwork more fully. So the worst thing I can say about this book was that I wish there was more of it. Now.

All of the reviews I have read of this book so far have been raves, and I expect it to be included in many "best of" lists come year's end. In a starred review Publishers Weekly raved, "the book is more than just eye candy, matching its style with substance and tackling all-too-human problems (despite a cast of mostly otherworldly characters) like the fear of failure and the pressures of legacy." In another starred review Kirkus Reviews called it simply "A masterful nod to the genre." Kazu Kibuishi summed up his opinion, "It is my favorite thing that Paul Pope has ever done, and I’ve been a fan of his for a very long time."

 Battling Boy is published by First Second, and they provide a preview and much more here.

Thank you, Gina, for the review copy!