The Walking Dead Vol.1: Days Gone Bye – Review

By: Robert Kirkman (writer/letters), Tony Moore (art) & Cliff Rathburn (gray tones)

The Story: A man wakes up from a coma to find the world has been overrun by zombies.

Review: News Flash!!!!!  There will be a TV adaptation of The Walking Dead beginning on AMC on Halloween night (Oct. 31, 2010).  Unless you have been under a rock, you will have already heard this news and if you are a big fan of the comic series, you have doubtless been telling family and co-workers how awesome the show should be.  Likely you’ve been hinting to these same people that you just happen to have a complete collection of The Walking Dead in the socially-acceptable-for-adults “graphic novel” format (since no only geeks would be seen to read -sigh- “comic books”) and would be very happy to loan these trade paperbacks out.

Or perhaps you are a non-comic fan who has seen the news of the show and believes that you should always read the book before you seen the movie.  So, you go on Amazon or drive to your local bookstore and look up The Walking Dead.  Where do you start?

Well, it is pretty easy with a series like TWD… You start with #1 which is the subject of this review and is titled “Days Gone Bye”.  This volume is not Watchmen when it comes to sales figures, but it is still making appearances on Top 10-20 monthly sales lists years after its release (which is an achievement in the flavor-of-the-day comics industry).

So, how is this volume that collects issues #1-6 of the comic series?  “We” all presume that this is what the first season of the TV show will be based upon, so is it good source material?  If you’ve never read comics, will you like it?  If you lend it to a co-worker, will they enjoy it or fling it back in your face?

What’s Good: Robert Kirkman does a wonderful job of establishing the basic story in this first volume.  That is the feeling of being alone, loss of family, join at reunion with people you had thought were lost and, of course, the zombies in the background.

It is very important to note that this series isn’t really been about zombies.  This comic is not “Night of the Living Dead”.  The zombies are a dull, background noise that kills characters when they least expect it or when they become careless.  Sure, there are a few “oh shit” moments in this volume where the survivors have to get away from the zombie hordes, but that is not the focus of the story.

So, if the zombies aren’t the focus, what is?  It’s the people, dummy!  Imagine being in a small group of ~10 survivors clinging together, starring at the end of the world.  How do you find food?  Where do you sleep?  And most importantly, who is in charge?  Is it the strongest?  The smartest?  The most vicious?  Although it becomes a theme in later volumes, there are seeds planted here about the breakdown of basic human institutions.

Northlanders: Sven the Returned – Review

by Brian Wood (writer), Davide Gianfelice (art), Dave McCaig (colors), and Travis Lanham (letters)

For those that don’t know, Brian Wood’s Viking-themed Northlanders works in completely isolated story-arcs.  As a result, this trade actually functions more like an original graphic novel.  Wood has actually pushed for Northlanders trades to be without numbering for this very reason.

Sven the Returned is the first of these tales and in some ways, it shows.  Much as I felt regarding the first trade of Wood’s other Vertigo series, DMZ, much of this book reads like a bit of a feeling out process on Wood’s part, as he gets used to his own series.  While that’s not to say that the writing is sloppy, it does mean that everything feels a bit simpler and more straightforward than what Wood normally produces.  In fact, this book feels much more basic even than later Northlanders issues.  While that’s not necessarily a bad thing, the fact remains that most of this book feels like little more than a gloriously violent, historical actioner following a fairly standard revenge plot.  While it definitely does succeed on this level, I don’t think we would have been wrong to hope for more.

Worse still, for most of the book, none of the characters are particularly nuanced.  Sven himself is essentially the unstoppable badass warrior who also wins through having a sounder tactical mind than his opponent.  Meanwhile, although his battle expertise does lead to some engaging captions, Enna is not anything particularly unique.  The same goes for the tyrannical Gorm, his murderous henchman, and Sven’s old flame…who is pretty much as stereotypical an “old flame” character as you can get – a seductress who now belongs to Sven’s enemy.  Meanwhile, you have Enna, who spends the majority of the book as the typical silent femme fatale.

That said, despite this simplicity, there are nuances.  Sven’s use of Gorm’s superstition and religious beliefs to terrorize his nemesis is well-done, leading to one of the coolest, and goriest, scenes of the book.  The clash of the old with Sven’s modernity is a nice touch.

Now, at this point, this trade may sound like a mediocre book worthy of being passed over.  That may very well be the case for the first five issues of this eight-issue collection.  However, in issue six, the book takes a sudden, massive upswing in quality in a manner so ingenious, that it reminds us of what Wood is capable of.  Wood essentially has Sven call out his own graphic novel.

Sven, around issue six or seven, comes to the realization of how pointless the entire book has become thus far, in its typical Viking characters and standard revenge/money centred drive.  Wood thus turns the graphic novel on its head by essentially having Sven call the entire tale into question.  When he does, the intelligence and depth of the book skyrockets.  Sven becomes much more of an individual and far more unique as a character, while the somewhat bland plot of earlier is completely abandoned.  The simple revenge plot is dumped by Sven as being meaningless and small and the book suddenly takes on a completely different plot, one that is far more grandiose and ambitious, treating issues of nationhood, solidarity, and culture.  Gorm becomes an afterthought, and old enemies now become friends, as their stereotypical rivalry of earlier is done away with when their roles and relationships come to be redefined by a new plot.

It’s unfortunate, however, that Wood uses a little bit of deus ex machina to create such a shift in the book.  It takes the arrival of a greater enemy in an event that is just far too perfectly and conveniently timed.  But given how much the book improves subsequently, I can’t gripe too much about this.

While the story’s quality may be divided down the middle, I can however say that Davide Gianfelice’s art is consistently amazing.  I’ve always loved his work and this book bears his trademarks.  Oddly blending an indisputably cartoony look with harsh, realistic environments and a good amount of piss and vinegar, it’s a very strange mix that leads to a wonderful contrast and a perfect balance.  That such a cartoony style is able to carry such maturity and grittiness frankly baffles me.  Gianfelice’s sprawling splashes of Orkney landscapes are also an absolute marvel, evoking a sublime effect combining awesome barrenness and sweeping beauty.  Dave McCaig’s colouring is also perfect for Gianfelice, adding a sort of grainy texture to the entire trade.

Ultimately, this is a rather strange book.  It carves out a very simple action story with simple characters and a simple plot and bumps along as such for the first 60% of the book.  Then, in the last three chapters, Sven, and hence Wood, essentially dump this all in the trash, openly criticizing it for its simplicity, meaninglessness, and pointlessness before switching to a plot/conflict that is far more grand.  This doesn’t change the fact that the first 60% of the book are nonetheless nothing special, but I do have to admire Wood for his gall and what appears to be metafictional self-criticism, as a character takes apart his own story and builds a better one.

Grade: B

*This trade collects #1-8 w/ covers.  I also recommend hunting down #20, which is a one-shot revisiting Sven and Enna several years after the events of this book.

-Alex Evans

The Astounding Wolf-Man Vol.1 (TPB) – Review

By Robert Kirkman (story) and Jason Howard (art)

The Story: Meet Gary Hampton-millionaire, family man, all around nice guy, who is bitten by a werewolf and thus becomes one, while vacationing with his family in Montana.  Gary has issues adapting to his new powers until he is taken under the wing of Zecharia, a vampire with a mysterious past and seemingly ambiguous intentions.

Under Zecharia’s mentorship, Gary learns to control the beast within and takes on the role of superhero. However, the curse of the werewolf slowly surfaces and seeps into Gary’s life, gradually destroying all he holds dear in shocking, twisted and dramatic ways.

The Good: The story arch featured in this volume ascends swiftly to engage the reader into anxiously awaiting what is to come, while simultaneously making some of the cliché back story retroactively relevant and compelling. Robert Kirkman delivers unexpected valuables with the supporting cast made up in part by a superhero group, werewolf gang, and estranged daughter. These players make Gary’s plight far more interesting than would be on its own. Additionally, Jason Howard’s art is solid and at times, well, astounding. The cartoonish feel to the colors and inks serve to make the more dramatic and mature scenes that much more remarkable.

The Not-So-Good: This story is fast paced and at times almost feels like a daily-serialized strip. Plot developments happen so quickly that they are often unnoticed, or worse, unable to resonate with the reader.  This pacing also caused many of the characters to seem flat. Gary, for example, is defined as a werewolf, then superhero, then emotionally unstable individual rather then being revealed to become these things. Basically, there is a lot of telling and not enough showing in the beginning issues.

Conclusion: This arch is ramped up and excellent by the final issue, but the first few installments are not nearly as good. The problem is without these back-stories the end wouldn’t resonate or be very interesting at all. Many things are left open for Kirkman to play with and Gary’s wife is set up to possibly play a haunting and gripping role down the line. Overall, this is a good trade to pick up, especially if you’re a Kirkman fan.

Grade: B+

– Rob. G

Fell #1-8 (Feral City TPB) – Review

By: Warren Ellis (written) and Ben Templesmith (illustrated)

I read this trade reluctantly because I didn’t like Templesmith’s previous work (Wormwood). But you know what? The right script, some realism, and believable characters makes his art shine. Templesmith has been redeemed (at least for me).

Richard Fell is a detective who’s just been transferred to the worst part of town. Snowtown has plenty of drugs, killers, freaks and feral dogs and it seems like it’s always night. With every issue you get a complete story – If you haven’t read any previous Fell issues, it’s still very accessible. There’s not too many books out there where you can pick up any issue and still “get it”. For the faithful who’ve read every issue there are definitely continuity tidbits scattered about.

There’s quite a lot of things to like about this book. The last issue implemented a great idea of using photographs and post-it notes to tell the story. Abstract but very cool. Another thing that stood out with issue #8 is we finally see the dawn of a new day. It’s the first time we, as readers, ever see daylight, and it feels like a premonition of things to come – a brighter future for a dreary city.

This book looks like it could work perfectly as a TV series (Showtime or FX) with Warren Ellis as the head writer, and Templesmith as perhaps the art director. I’d watch it! You can read the first issue here. (Grade: A)

-Daniel Yanez

 

A Second Opinion

Okay, the nun in this book is crazy. Well, this whole book is crazy, actually – but I love it. It’s demented, yet structured fun by Warren Ellis. I know we’re reviewing the trade here, but if you ever pick up the individual issues, they’re only $1.99 a pop – a steal in this day and age!

Sure, you only get like 16 pages of story, but the fact that you’re getting complete stand alone stories in each issue is just fantastic. Fell plays out like a twisted crime story with some good laughs thrown in here and there. Richard Fell doesn’t necessarily make the book good – it’s the characters he meets that do. (Grade: A-)

– J.Montes