Clementine, Book One

Tillie Walden is one of my favorite comics artists, a multiple Eisner Award winning talent and current cartoonist laureate of Vermont. I loved her books Spinning and On a Sunbeam, and I also had the pleasure of interviewing her a few years back as part of The Comics Alternative podcast. I was very surprised to see that she was going to be working on a book based in The Walking Dead franchise, and I bought it a few years ago but only got to actually reading it now. Clementine is based on a character from the franchise's video game series. She is a young woman/teenager who is living in a world over-run by zombies. When this book begins, she is a loner, and she wears a prosthetic leg in place of the limb she lost.  And, as you can see in the except below, she is used to taking care of herself.

Her isolated demeanor gets seriously challenged when she happens up some Amish folk on a trail, and she ends up partnering up with a young man named Amos who is on his way to Vermont as part of his  rumspringa. It turns out it is easier to ride in a wagon than walk all that way, but when they get there, things are not what they expected. I don't want to spoil much, but they end up trying to make the best of things in the cold, harsh winter conditions, and there are many complications and obstacles.

What I think this book does best is use the backdrop of the zombie apocalypse to explore human beings, how they act, and what they are capable of. This is a book with lots of moral and ethical dilemmas that also explores people's relationships to each other and why they may or may not trust them. Clementine and the others are all complex, compelling characters, and watching how they relate, strive to survive, and potentially look out for each other is very engaging. All of this is further enhanced by the expert storytelling and character depictions. This book is a definite page-turner that is tough to put down. Good thing this is the first book of  a trilogy, so I will need to track down the rest of her story.

It can be tough to please the audience of an existing character, especially one that belongs to as large and passionate a fanbase as The Walking Dead. I have no experience with the video game version, and I very much enjoyed this book. Furthermore, all of the full reviews I have read about this book have been positive. In a starred review for Library Journal, Tom Batten summed up, "Walden’s knack for character development and unique perspective result in a tale perfect for diehard fans of The Walking Dead, as well as newcomers." David Harper wrote that the book "finds a singular talent threading a needle, making this graphic novel feel like a Walden original and a natural continuation of this character’s journey."

Clementine, Book One was published by Image Comics, and they offer a preview and more here.

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!

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.

Revival, Volume One: You're Among Friends

This book collects the first five issues of the hit comic book series. Its premise is a familiar one: the dead have come back to life. But this book is not so much a zombie story as it is a detective yarn. The plot and characters are a fresh take on noir stories, with elements of family relationships, media sensationalism, suspense, religious fanaticism, utter confusion, and horror all set in a sleepy, rural Wisconsin town. The main narrative follows police officer Dana Cypress as she tries to get to the bottom of the situation and also solve a murder mystery. Because of this isolated "the dead are rising" situation, she can speak to the victim, who can't remember what happened, which is pretty horrible. Dana is a single mom whose boss is her father, which creates not a little tension. She also protects a few family secrets (I don't want to give anything away), which creates more tension. I very much enjoyed this aspect of realistic personal relationships in the plot.

But this is not just a crime/mystery/family book. It is also chock full of horrific and creepy images. This ghoulish gallery gets established from the very first scene, where we see a local reporter doing a fluff piece on people with strange jobs. As she is interviewing and recording a junior mortician at work in the crematorium, the unthinkable and unexpected happens:

In time, we also get to see a mysterious, ethereal form haunt the woods in search of a baby:

And not least of all, we get to see that not all of the "revivers" are coherent or in control of themselves, especially not this older woman who is dealing with some major dental issues:

It might go without saying, but this book is for more mature readers who can deal with blood, guts, swearing, and adult themes.

The two driving forces behind this book are writer Tim Seeley and artist Mike Norton (I love the name of his website). In terms of comics, Seeley is probably best known as the co-creator of Hack/Slash, but he has done a bunch of work with various companies, including a long run on G.I. Joe. He loves horror stories and is excellent at setting tones and spinning compelling tales with interesting characters. Norton is a comics veteran probably best known for his Eisner Award-winning webcomic Battlepug, but he also has drawn a great many comics for numerous publishers. He is a masterful visual storyteller. Both creators talk about their work on Revival in this interview.

All of the reviews I have read about this book have been glowing. CBR's Doug Zawisza called the series "an unexpected windfall that evokes an uncomfortable feeling, piques interest and taunts curiosity. It's a good read with great art and a weird, wild diversion from anything else on the stands this week." Alex Lupp gushed, "if you are a fan of character dramas with a tinge of horror and supernatural then this comic-book is a must read!" Drew Bradley summed this book up as "an unsurprisingly great debut to what will hopefully be a long series."

You're Among Friends was published by Image Comics. Here is a preview from Comic Book Resources.

The series is on-going and is currently on issue #18. There are also two additional trade paperback collections available now.

Fantastic Life

(Warning: Today's blog contains adult language and is more Rated R than usual, but we are all adults here, right?).

A book about art, sex, postmodern theory, drinking, donuts, zombies, and art school, you say? Sign me up, I say!

Fantastic Life is a book that treads some familiar ground for me. In part it's  a depiction of art school as depicted in other works, like Dan Clowes's Art School Confidential, but it's also an examination of art, theory, and reality. Set in 1982 in Winnepeg, this book follows the travails of Adam, an art student looking to express himself, get laid, and figure out his life (not necessarily in that order). Sometimes he gets in over his head when it comes to hanging around intellectuals, and he is not always the smoothest individual.

Adam is pretty focused when he is drunk, but does not always grasp the situation. Or language.

His major issue for the most part is that he is confusing dream and reality. Sometimes he is rough and uneducated. Sometimes he knows what he is talking about. Sometimes he is in command of his artistic abilities. Other times he is totally making everything up as he goes along. Sometimes he is enjoying a donut at a Tim Horton's, and sometimes he is being tormented by flesh-eating zombies.

Like I said earlier, much of the territory in this book seems familiar, but what sets it apart for me is its execution. Set in the 1980s, it contains many cultural and musical references of the day, which along with the dialogue and situations indicate that this book is thinly veiled autobiography to some degree. I did not go to art school, but this book strongly conveys the feelings of being a young person in college and the anxieties that attend that period for many. Also, the artwork is excellently visceral, and not just in the zombie parts. The storytelling is clear and strong but there is also a painterly quality that drew me into this book as if it were another world. Taking everything in, I felt like I was in the smoky, dank bar drinking with friends, that I was in that house party winding through a labyrinth of stairs and rooms, and that I was engulfed by adolescent lust for naked models and other bodies.

The person behind all this artistry and craft is Kevin Mutch, a graphic novelist, digital artist, and painter. He received a Xeric Award in 2010 and is known for his webcomic The Moon Prince. He also has a career in design and was a long time art director the Canadian musicians The Crash Test Dummies (known by old folks like me for their hit Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm, but I seriously love their first two albums). Mutch speaks about his influences and career here.

An excerpt from this book was featured in the 2011 Best American Comics anthology, and in general the book has received much praise. The reviewer at comicsbubble praised "its multi-layered content, fresh and bold line illustrations and well thought out characters." The Comic Journal's Sean T. Collins commented positively on the "way Mutch’s attention to detail, from the tits on down, solidifies and strengthens this book," and summed up, "It’s horny, heavy shit." He meant that as a compliment, I believe.

Fantastic Life was published by Blurred Books. About half of the book is available here for reading from the author.

Sounds like the perfect book for me. Target audience acquired.

The Walking Dead, Volume 1: Days Gone Bye

Chances are you have at least heard of the hit show adaptation of this series on AMC. It originally started as a comic book in October, 2003 and has been coming out regularly since. Currently the series is up to 109 issues, and this trade paperback collects the first six issues.

The story here is about Rick Grimes, a policeman who wakes up after being in a coma to find that the world has been overtaken by zombies. After he gets his bearings, he goes home to find the place abandoned. Fearing the worst for his wife and son, he fights back fear and despair to travel to Atlanta, the nearest big city where they may have gone to get help. When he gets there, he meets a number of human survivors, some of whom he knows. I don't want to spoil much, but Rick learns that maybe he has as much to fear about people's intentions as he does from the mindless bloodlust of the dead folk.

This series was written by Robert Kirkman, one of the partners in Image Comics. He has written a number of series, from the irreverent and blasphemous Battle Pope to the teenage superhero yarn Invincible to the silly and gory Marvel Zombies to the entertainingly crazy Super-Dinosaur. It was drawn by Tony Moore, an artist known for his work on horror series like The Exterminators and Fear Agent. Both creators have been nominated for Eisner Awards, and their creation The Walking Dead won the 2010 Best Series Eisner. Additionally, these two creators had a spat over the rights from this zombie series but apparently have settled their differences.

As might be expected from all its fame and popularity, this volume has received many positive (if spoiler-filled) reviews. Alex Giles recommends it for a variety of readers, stating, "Even if you are not a comic book fan and have never read one before I would still say pick this up and give it a read as I could see a lot of non comic book fans loving this too." Dean Stell called it "A very strong first volume.  Read it and you’ll be hooked." There is also an interesting discussion of the comic books contained in this volume from The Onion A.V. Club. I think this series is addictive and compelling, with lots of drama, intrigue, and horror done masterfully.

This book was published by Image Comics. A preview is available at Amazon.com.

Infinite Kung Fu

Kung fu was a huge fad in the 1970s in the US, playing out in music, movies, and television. Infinite Kung Fu is a love letter written to that genre of movie in particular, with many extra features added to make the story pop even more. The main character is Lei Kung, a soldier who sets off on his own path to learn kung fu and achieve enlightenment. He finds himself in a world where an evil emperor is trying to resurrect himself from the dead with the help of turncoat armies and a legion of zombie/corpse warriors. Of course, Lei Kung must do everything he can to keep these evil forces at bay. Along the way he meets comrades in arms, such as Moog Joogular, who looks like he came off the set of Black Belt Jones and can detach his limbs and use them as weapons. Additionally, the cast of characters includes 8 Immortals who look over the proceedings and their students, 5 of whom have been corrupted by learning "poison kung fu," a potent and manipulative brand of fighting.


With impressive action sequences, interesting characters, and a huge reverence for the material, Kagan McLeod has created a majestic, fun, and suspenseful story worthy of being called an epic. He began self-publishing this story as individual comic books in 2000 and after seven issues, he hooked up with publisher Top Shelf to put out this collected edition that has 200 added pages. McLeod began his career as a staff artist for Canada’s National Post newspaper and today he remains an in demand magazine illustrator. He speaks more about his work on this book in this interview with John Hogan at the Graphic Novel Reporter.

Infinite Kung Fu is a large and beautifully rendered book that has garnered much praise. It appeared on numerous best of lists as well as a selection for YALSA's Top 10 Great Graphic Novels for Teens. It should come as no surpirse then to see it has also been very well reviewed. CBR's Chad Nevett wrote that "Infinite Kung-Fu is so entertaining and big and just plain fun to read that its large scope never drags it down. It’s like the best kung-fu movie you’ve ever seen, unimpaired by time or budget constraints, willing to take everything about kung-fu that everyone loves and throw it all together." Patrick Godfrey called it "a fully realized genre mash-up page-turner overspilling with creativity." A collection of the positive press this book has garnered can be found here.

There is a treasure trove of information, samples, extras, and links at the book's official page. A lengthy (250 pages!) preview and more is also available from the book's publisher Top Shelf.

On a side note, this is the very first graphic novel I read on my Kindle Fire using the Comixology app. I enjoyed the book very much, and I got used to the scrolling/navigation relatively quickly. On the plus side, I could zoom in on images and see the well rendered art done large. On the minus side, sometimes the pages, especially the spreads, appeared too small and had to be re-sized, which made for a slightly clunky reading experience.