Zombillenium, Volume 1: Gretchen

Happy Halloween!

I don't usually vary from my "publish on the 5s" policy for blog posting, but when I was doing some research for another post, I happened upon a familiar name on NBM's list of authors, Arther de Pins. He is a French artist and animator whose work I have admired for some years now, even though I could not really find much of it in English. So when I saw that he had at least one work in English from a publisher I could easily get books from, and that the book was about an amusement park run by monsters, well voila, you are reading the fruits of that happenstance.

Zombillenium begins with scenes of a disgruntled mummy trying to quit his amusement park job and hitchhike to Cairo. He gets picked up by a vampire and talking skeleton who take him back to the park. That was a pretty strange couple of sentences to type. Back at Zombillenium, we learn that it is part of a larger corporation, and that it is 18th out of 20 amusement parks in revenue, largely because people do not find it scary any more. We also are privy to its strange denizens, the logic of the place, and how the higher-ups in management are literally evil incarnate. It seems the bosses have a plan in motion that would unleash a powerful evil on the land, but they also want it to be an attraction that people buy tickets to see. It's almost a perfect metaphor for capitalism (wink).

What makes this book really work for me, aside from its beautiful artwork, is how it both normalizes the supernatural and fantastical cast and setting while also mining them both for humor. We get an unusually realistic look at what a place run by witches, vampires, zombies, demons, and other assorted ghouls would be like. We also get some interesting and surprising scenes, like the one below where the witch Gretchen, who is older and savvier than she appears, handles an armed robber.

The artwork is polished, and pages look almost like series of animation cels. I think that the glossy illustrations and bright color enliven the proceedings, which is only further enhanced by de Pins's depictions facial features and expressions. Sometimes when images are too polished, they seem more like advertisements or cold objects, but here I feel that they are instead masterful and excellent. There seems to be as great glee and attention in capturing small moments and emotions as there is in depicting the gruesome items (severed hands and eyeballs seem particularly popular) available at the monster workers' cafeteria and the Gothic architecture of the park.

This book is the first of a series that won the Angoulême Fauve Award for best youth comic in France, and all the reviews of it I have read have been laudatory. Mark Squirek praised de Pins' work, calling it "his best story yet." Publishers Weekly wrote, "De Pins does a wonderful job of creating a brand of humor that matches perfectly the cartoony world of monsters he presents." The School Library Journal's Mike Pawuk called it "just outstanding and a treat." That last review in particular raises a point about who the audience for this book is. It does seem to be for children, though their are some adult situations and strong language. I'd say this is a parents' discretion book that requires review before sharing.

his best story yet

Angoleme Comic Convention Award for Best Youth Comic in France - See more at: http://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/book-review/zombillenium-gretchen#sthash.kVyRvKFR.dpuf

Zombillenium is published by NBM in America, and you can find video preview and much more at the series' official site. 

Little Vampire

Little Vampire is a collection of three stories starring a little undead boy. To say that these tales are off-beat would be about right, and I think that they are excellent examples of effective and well defined world-building. His mom is some kind of supernatural being (a vampire or a ghost?); his dad (guardian?) is the Flying Dutchman, and his friends are all monsters of different types. He has a flying, talking red dog who accompanies him on his adventures. These stories seem fantastical and based on fairy tale logic, but they are also rooted in some pretty straight-forward real world considerations. The result is enjoyable, surprising, somewhat gruesome, and very satisfying.

In the first tale, Little Vampire decides he is lonely as the only child among the monsters and wants to go to school. Unfortunately for him, there is no one in the school at night when he can go. So he starts doing a young boy's homework and then strikes up a correspondence with him. The captain of the monsters is alarmed by these letters, as they may jeopardize the monsters' secret hiding place. So the Little Vampire has to go meet the boy to ensure their secret is not revealed, and, after some moments of alarm and terror, the two end up being fast friends.

In the second story, the little boy, whose name is Michael, decides he needs to learn kung fu to defend himself from bullies at school, and Little Vampire takes him to the unlikely training grounds of Rabbi Solomon. After a rigorous, secret ordeal, Michael is ready to take on lots of malefactors, but it is really for nothing. Some of Little Vampire and Michael's monster friends decided to take matters into their own hands and ended up killing and eating the bullying classmate. Not wanting to be party to murder, the gang then goes on to seek out magicians who can bring the boy back in one piece.

A visit to Rabbi Solomon's place (in the original French)

The last story is slightly less supernatural, about rescuing some dogs from a cruel owner who feeds them lipstick and tests various products on them. Of course, the rescue is not a smooth operation, and the children and monsters have to think pretty quickly to deal with all the repercussions of their actions.

Eisner Award winning graphic novelist Joann Sfar, a prolific French artist with more than 100 books to his credit since 1994, is responsible for this charming and creepy set of stories. Sfar has won many awards for his work in Europe and the US, and he is well known for idiosyncratic works such as Sardine in Outer Space, The Professor's Daughter, and The Rabbi's Cat. He has a pretty sardonic sense of humor, as seen in the English version of his homepage.

The reviews I have read of this book have been positive. Kirkus Reviews wrote in two different reviews that this book "will keep preteen comic-book fans amused" and "offers plenty of gags." John DeNardo worried that the horror parts might be too much for younger readers, but in the end concluded that he might be over-protective and that "these stories flesh out a highly imaginative world." Tina Kelley wrote similarly that the "unruliness, combined with some gross-out jokes and frightening characters, may give some parents pause. For those same reasons, of course, young readers will probably love it."

Little Vampire was published in the US by First Second. I may be mistaken, but it seems the book is out of print here currently, though I do see lots of copies available online from used book sellers.
 

The Mystery of Mary Rogers

No foray into the spooky and horrific genres of graphic novels would be complete without including Rick Geary's work. He has been making comics for decades now, winning major awards for his efforts, and telling all kinds of historical tales in graphic novel formats (just check out these reviews and see).

This book, The Mystery of Mary Rogers is an entry in his A Treasury of Victorian Murder series. It tells the tale of a beautiful, flirtatious cigar store clerk and her unfortunate demise in New York City in July of 1841. The news of her death was slow to circulate in the days and weeks after her body was found in the Hudson River, but it soon became a public sensation with innuendo about scorned lovers and a potential abortion. The crime was never solved, and the story found some eternal attention due to its being the basis for Edgar Allan Poe's second murder mystery (he invented them, you know) "The Mystery of Mary Rogêt."

Where this book really shines is in its depictions of the life and times of the 1840s. Seeing how information was communicated, how there was really no centrally organized police force, how gangs formed links with the local government, and how limited their crime solving methods were compared to today's was truly fascinating. It was as if this book was depicting an episode of Law & Order: 1841 (dun dun). The amount of research and detail put into this book make it come that much alive, well establishing the historical context and conditions of the tale. He also includes the many possible solutions to this crime, including some miserable post-scripts from the major players in the story.

And speaking of details, these elaborate and well structured plot and settings are only enhanced by Geary's typical excellent, cartoonish yet realistic artwork. His black and white illustrations capture the time period, setting an ominous tone that is tinged with a wry, dark sense of humor. His characters are very lively, the action scenes intense, and all the proceedings seem meticulously and historically accurate. I would not say that this is his most riveting or engaging book, because it somehow feels a bit less substantial or personally involved as some of his other narratives. But, despite this misgiving, I still say that it is a rewarding reading experience.

Almost all of the reviews I have read about this book have been positive. Publishers Weekly praised it and commented that "Geary comes up with his own twist on the mystery and manages to capture the spirit of a booming and boisterous New York City in the 1840s." Kirkus Reviews summed up, "Distinguished by a keen sense of period detail and sharp pacing: Geary serves his subject with dignity and grace." A counter opinion came from a reviewer at Metapsychology who felt that this book was too clean and antiseptic, writing, "This is a story told on the surface, a show and tell, leaving it mysterious not only whodunnit, but also why anyone does anything."

The Mystery of Mary Rogers was published by NBM, who has a preview available here (scroll down, it's there).

Hero Sandwich Collection: The Works

Hero Sandwich Collection: The Works is a trade paperback collection of comics books from SLG (formerly Slave Labor Graphics), a publisher based in San Jose, California. Among their best known publications are Milk and Cheese, Johnny the Homicidal Maniac, and My Monkey's Name is Jennifer. SLG has been around for decades now, and they have been a place for interesting and off-beat comics, a launching pad for a number of creators.

This book follows the adventures of a detective agency/motley crew of characters: Rachel Ashley is a smart and sly woman who seems to be the leader. Allison is her compatriot who has a thing for large guns. Silver Scorpion is an aging ex-CIA type with a mysterious past. Lee is an alien (I think, he's "not from around here") who has a round, almost featureless face, and Richard is a hero with stretching powers a la Plastic Man.

This volume contains two storylines, one where the detectives take a case from a coven of vampires who are seeking out a man who is trying to become a vampire by taking drugs, filing down his teeth, and savagely killing random people (that's the connection to this month's theme, BTW).

Ow.

The second is a caper that follows when Silver Scorpion meets up with one of his compatriots from the old days. To be honest, neither story was excellent, though I thought they were fun and entertaining. Mostly, they are great for looking at the time period, as 1980s fashions and style are pretty prominent throughout, for good or bad.

80s fashion!

These comics are also good for looking at the early days of some comics creators. Writer Dan Vado is also the publisher of SLG, and he is also known for a run on JLA for DC Comics, though I think the best book he did was The Griffin. He won an Inkpot Award for his long-standing contributions to comics. The first story arc about vampires was drawn by Chuck Austen, who has worked on various comics over time, including some semi-autobiographical porn books, Miracleman and X-Men, though his work became reviled by fans. He also created the animated series Tripping the Rift. The second story arc was drawn by Peter Krause (yes, his name is misspelled on the cover) and Aldin Baroza. Krause went on to draw many comics for DC, including Superman and Shazam! He also collaborated on the Irredeemable and Insufferable series. Baroza mostly works an an animation storyboard artist nowadays but he also does a webcomic called Rose Madder.

I could not find any reviews for this book online, and it is mostly exists for comics completists, or as Vado put it in his introduction, "the 500 of you who will eventually own this collection." Instead of reviews then, I will take this space to talk about SLG and its current plight. The publisher has been in business for three decades now, and the comics business is not what it used to be. Publisher Vado has established a gofundme project here and is looking for donations to get his company back to speed. They are an established publisher with a long track record of contributing to the comics industry, and I contributed to their drive, so won't you consider helping them out as well?

Hero Sandwich Collection: The Works was published by SLG Publishing. 

The Bulletproof Coffin

The Bulletproof Coffin is a whole bunch of things in one package, including a critical commentary on the comics industry and how it treats its creators, a recapitulation of classic Marvel bullpen personae, a nostalgic look at Golden and Silver Age comic books, and a piece of good old fashioned science fiction paranoia. The story stars Steve Newman, a voids contractor whose job is to clean out dead people's houses and take their unwanted belongings to the local landfill.

He and his partner Joey Spinoza often go to each house the night before to select any choice bits, and consequently Steve has amassed quite a collection of collector's items like old comic books, toys, and store displays. He keeps all these treasures in his attic sanctuary, away from his wife and children.

The plot thickens when Steve finds an old television, some (he thought) unpublished comic books, and a Coffin Bug costume. Suddenly he finds himself compelled to wear the suit, which fits like a glove, and he is transported to all kinds of adventures with comics heroes The Red Wraith, The Shield of Justice, The Unforgiving Eye, and Ramona Queen of the Stone Age. They fight mysterious shadow men and a dimension-traveling zombie horde at the end of time, but they learn that their dire fates could be averted if they find their creators David Hine and Shaky Kane.

The proceedings are very meta-textual, with all sorts of jabs at industry conventions and also some satirical yet creepy recreations of comic book features like advertisements, letters to the editor, and fan art. This book contains some very elaborate packaging and commentary, and it seems to be a real labor of love as well as a lot of fun. All of these details do not weigh down the proceedings, and I feel that the adventure stands on its own merits as a piece of superhero action/science fiction.

What drew me to this book in the first place was the art by Shaky Kane. Kane has been drawing various comics since the mid-1980s and his style is influenced heavily by "Ed ‘Big Daddy’ Roth, Savage Pencil, Jack Kirby, Brett Ewins and Brendan McCarthy" (per his bio). His Kirby riff is prevalent in this book, but his art straddles classic and contemporary comics styles. It is both raw and polished, and it reminds me a lot of Bob Burden's. The story is by David Hine, who has written a multitude of comics for many different companies. Both creators speak about their work in this interview.

Reviews I have read have praised this book that is simultaneously in love with and highly critical of comic books.  Ryan K. Lindsay called it "a smart comic that is also insanely enjoyable." Alex Carr called it "entirely original" and added that "it's worth seeking out for any true culture vulture."

The Bulletproof Coffin was published by Image Comics. The entire first issue is available as a preview here. For those interested, there is a sequel, The Bulletproof Coffin: Disinterred.  I recommend this book for mature readers, as it contains some adult language, bloody violence, and nudity.

Trick or treat!

The Chuckling Whatsit

As I am reviewing spooky graphic novels during this month, I would be negligent if I did not include a work by one of the most prolific and macabre artists of the past few decades. Richard Sala has created a number of impressively creepy, funny, and suspenseful comics for a wide range of readers. He can make quick, violent, colorful confections like this past year's e-comic Violenzia, or suspenseful and fun children's fare like Cat Burglar Black. He is a master of combining various gothic elements in narrative and visual form. His art style is very distinctive, an amalgamation of Mad magazine details and Expressionism as well as elements of Charles Addams and Edward Gorey throughout. He is excellent at creating tone and conveying a punchy story, as you can see from the first couple pages of a story originally serialized in Zero Zero, The Chuckling Whatsit:

 

The plot of The Chuckling Whatsit is layered like an onion, partly about the search for a creepy set of dolls made from human body parts, a slack-about writer looking for work, a lost folk artist, a serial murderer who targets horoscope authors, and a secret society of villains and assassins. There are many excellent, surprising details in the backgrounds as well as visually striking characters, from the masked female burglar who is always carrying a rose to the hulking, lurking henchman who has a huge scar across his forehead and carries a sack that barks orders at him. Not only does Sala deliver an excellent plot and mystery, dropping hints and information like bread crumbs, he also provides a motley and memorable cast of players.

Among Sala's other works are his story collection Mad Night, Peculia and the Groon Grove Vampires, Delphine, Black Cat Crossing, The Hidden, and his most recent work, In a Glass Grotesquely. He speaks more about his many works and career in this interview.

All of the reviews I have read of this classic book have been very positive. Publishers Weekly wrote that "The wildly imaginative storytelling and sly pastiche of lurid pulp material make an appealing mix." The Onion A.V. Club's Stephen Thompson opined, "Although its ornate lettering and perfect crosshatching are great to look at, the truly admirable quality of The Chuckling Whatsit lies in its labyrinthine plot."

The Chuckling Whatsit was published by Fantagraphics Books, who provide a preview and much more here.

Afterlife with Archie

Last year, I did a week long look at Archie Comics and some of their attempts to diversify their brand of comic books. I did not mention the most dramatic departure they were making, the new series of horror comics, Afterlife with Archie. This series stars the established Archie characters, but it takes them in a much different direction than the typical humor and romance schtick.

This volume collects the first five issues of the comic book series. The plot begins with Jughead's pet Hot Dog being run over by a car. He cannot deal with the loss, so he goes to Sabrina the Teenage Witch for help. She defies her aunts' wishes and resurrects the dog, though she is severely punished for it. In the meantime, Hot Dog is back but he is not right. The monstrous and ravenous canine turns on Jughead, biting him and beginning a contagion that turns Riverdale's citizens into flesh-eating ghouls.

Following the conventions of a zombie movie plot, what is left of the Archie gang holes up in the Lodge mansion, trying to find a way out of town and away from the creatures who want to devour them. Of course, there are complications, such as people who have been bitten but try to hide it as well as selfish moves by people who want to survive at any cost. And, I have to add, the backstories of the main characters get mined in ways that help heighten the drama while also ramping up the creepiness of the whole enterprise. This book might simply be a zombie movie with the Archie cast offered up as sacrificial lambs, but it is also true to the characters, oddly compelling, and well done.

Afterlife with Archie is a collaboration between Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Francesco Francavilla. Aguirre-Sacasa is a playwright, screenwriter, and author whose major credits include writing for the TV shows Big Love and Glee and co-writing the 2013 remake of Carrie. He has also written a slew of Marvel Comics as well as an Archie meets Glee crossover series. Francavilla is one of the best contemporary noir comics artists, having won the Eisner Award for Best Cover Artist. He has worked on his own series Black Beetle as well as having done Detective Comics and a run of the beautifully rendered Zorro. Both creators speak about their work on Afterlife with Archie in this interview.

All of the reviews I have read about this book have been very complimentary. Andy Wolverton called it a "must read" and added, "Maybe what makes Afterlife with Archie so powerful and compelling is that Aguirre-Sacasa and Francavilla have taken characters we’ve known and loved for nearly 75 years and have shown us that maybe they’re not as safe as we thought they were." EricJoseph gushed that it is "the best zombie comic on shelves today." J. Caleb Mozzocco wrote that the "basic plot may be B-movie, drive-in fare, but it looks and is told like a Golden Age Hollywood classic," and summed up, "For horror fans, comics fans and horror and comics fans, it’s a must-have."

Afterlife with Archie is rated T for Teen and is published by Archie Comics, who has a preview and more links here.