I don't regularly play D&D, and I'm not usually a fan of quest fantasy comics, so I'm not the ideal audience for this series. Also, this was the fourtI don't regularly play D&D, and I'm not usually a fan of quest fantasy comics, so I'm not the ideal audience for this series. Also, this was the fourth or fifth Kurtis J Wiebe title I picked up in the 2010s, and I hadn't enjoyed any of the others. I was rooting for him as a creator, as I had written a very negative review of his Peter Panzerfaust, Vol. 1: The Great Escape, and when some fans of his spewed some nasty rhetoric at me for not loving the title, Weibe himself stepped in and defended the review, even though it was very unkind to his book (but not to him, personally, I only negatively comment on writers when they espouse racist, homophobic or misogynist vitriol in their writing or in their social media...I don't know most of these people personally, so I won't attack them personally).
Even after his defense, I tried another of his books that just didn't do it for me. But I *loved* the cover art on the first issue of Rat Queens, so I crossed my fingers and started reading.
Rat Queens is a fantasy trope fest where a casual reader of comics or literature might call it "gender-swapped" because it focuses on three-dimensional women rather than men. I disagree with this. I think it's just a really well-told, intricately plotted fantasy series. That the main characters are women never feels like it's the point. The point is, this is a kick-ass fantasy quest book. All of the main protagonists happen to be three-dimensional women characters who kick-ass and have agency in their own story.
While their is set-up seeded throughout this first volume, it begins with actions and never slows down for backstory. The backstory is as breakneck as the questing. Not a single panel of this book felt wasted or boring to me. And rereading it, eight years later, I still find it a fantastic read, and recommend it for fantasy fans and people looking for an adult-themed (not pornographic in any way, just a drunken brawl of a book featuring characters who talk about the consensual sex they've had rather than showing it on the page) non-superhero comic.
ALL THAT SAID: There is a deeply problematic issue with this book. The artist on the book John "Roc" Upchurch has been accused of domestic abuse, a string of affairs, and basically a suite of drunk misogynist behaviors that his partner believed was rooted to the success of this book. He still gets residuals for the first two volumes of the book, and according to the mother of his children, not very much of that mosny ever reaches his kids. So while this book is really well-written and beautifully illustrated, maybe just borrow it from a friend or library, or pirate it online. Future volumes are just as good but don't fund a negligent dad/abusive dick. ...more
I really wish they'd made this into a fourth season as opposed to graphic novels. I love the way each volume shows that the end of the war between natI really wish they'd made this into a fourth season as opposed to graphic novels. I love the way each volume shows that the end of the war between nations wasn't really the end. That every surviving nation (sorry, Air Nation) is still filled with people aching to fight with their former enemies, even when they know they were massively overpowered and would still be under Fire Nation rule without The Avatar.
I also enjoy that, apart from the two main Fire Nation antagonists, most of the characters who were low level antagonists have shown up for a story or two as helpful, enlightened people in the post-war world. Here, it's the formerly misogynist water bending teacher from the North Pole.
I also appreciated the struggle of the Southern Water Tribe to try and maintain their identity while gaining significant technological and cultural advances from the Northern Water Tribe, Earth Kingdom, and Fire Nation. Colonialism sucks.
I hope that, if the live action version of Last Airbender is half as good as the animated series, that they get to tell stories like this, rather than having Team Avatar's war victory being the series finale....more
Another excellent entry in the graphic novel series. This book focusing on Zuko's growing pains as The Fire Lord while his family, and Mai's family seAnother excellent entry in the graphic novel series. This book focusing on Zuko's growing pains as The Fire Lord while his family, and Mai's family seek to undermine him until he's as ruthless and chaotic as his fire was.
It's also another good example of Luen Yang taking certain characters out of the book so that he can spotlight different characters....more
Things I've noticed rereading The Avatar The last Aribender books, having now seen the original series, as well as Korra, several times:
1.) Each volumThings I've noticed rereading The Avatar The last Aribender books, having now seen the original series, as well as Korra, several times:
1.) Each volume does a great job of wrapping up a single loose thread from the series. Obviously, the search for Zuko's mother in the last volume was the most satisfying. But in this volume we get closure on part of the Beifong family relationship, as Toph unexpectedly encounters her father.
2.) They do an excellent job rotating the cast. Aside from Aand, Katara, and Sokka, Team Avatar members come and go from the storyline seamlessly so that stories don't feel bogged down with too many characters. The last volume focused on Zuko and his family, so Toph was busy at her metalbending school. In this volume, we need to focus on Toph, so Zuko is off doing Firelord things. The Kyoshi warriors were active in volume one but haven't really been involved since. Mai was around in volume two but wasn't around in this volume. We get occasional glimpses of Iroh talking about tea. The cabbage merchant got a bit of spotlight time in this volume. It's all handled really deftly.
3.) In each storyarc, a member of Team Avatar solves whatever the main problem of the volume is. Meanwhile, Aang angers an important spirit. This seems to be setting up that Aang is the reason that the Spirit World and the Avatar are so at odds by the time of Korra.
4.) While I know he's been busy with his own books, intellectual property, and the American Born Chinese TV show, I wish Yang had written more of these Avatar books to bridge the gap to Korra. Each story feels like a single episode, and I wish there were about twenty of them, as opposed to the six books, and three short stories.
If you loved the TV series, you should definitely pick this volume up....more
Finally, the story viewers were promised at the end of the TV show is delivered. The story of the search for Zuko's mom is completely satisfying and aFinally, the story viewers were promised at the end of the TV show is delivered. The story of the search for Zuko's mom is completely satisfying and a welcome addition to the Last Aribender canon.
I thought Avatar: The Last Airbender - The Promise, Part 1 was also excellent, but if you were a fan of the TV show and only have time to read one book in the graphic novel portion of the Last Airbender universe, do yourself a favor and pick this one out. I doubt you'll regret it....more
I don't enjoy most entertainment that focuses on the philosophy of religion. Comedies about heaven, action packed stories about fighting for control oI don't enjoy most entertainment that focuses on the philosophy of religion. Comedies about heaven, action packed stories about fighting for control of the universe in the name of God, movies where a character gains some superpower or omniscience but God still exists so they have to grapple with that. It's all ehhh to me. Any story you write seems to make a grand statement, even if your intention is: This Is Entertainment Not meant To Be A Fable. That's...a little fabley.
Lucifer is just a solid story about someone whose whole life has been about power. Fighting against power they saw as unjust, giving up their own power when they felt bored by it, using newly gained power to test their own worthiness, training a new power to be better than you or your predecessors without telling them that they're going to be the new power.
There was not a wasted page in this seventy-five page narrative banger. There were very few side stories (especially compared to The Sandman, Vol. 4: Season of Mists, which this title spins out from) but every one of them in some way impacted the outcome of the main story. It's one of the greatest long-form narratives in comics, and it's a shame that it's not as revered as titles like Fables, Vol. 1: Legends in Exile, Hellboy, Vol. 3: The Chained Coffin and Others, Strangers in Paradise: Pocket Book 1, or The Walking Dead, Vol. 1: Days Gone Bye, which started strong, lapsed or became repetetive but eventually figured themselves out and ended acceptably. While not as narratively innovative or artistically diverse as Gaiman's Sandman, this is a more satisfying story.
I recommend it to Sandman fans, fantasy buffs, and those who enjoy character driven redemption stories that aren't clear cut redemptions. It's one of my all-time favorite series, after three rereads spread across two decades....more
After Brian Azzarello's crass misunderstanding of how to write Hellblazer comics, and Mike Carey's over-the-top apocalyptic epic, Warren Ellis takes tAfter Brian Azzarello's crass misunderstanding of how to write Hellblazer comics, and Mike Carey's over-the-top apocalyptic epic, Warren Ellis takes the reader on a quieter, more personal Hellblazer where John Constantine, a few players that we've seen in Carey's run, and Chas (of course), all consult each other and reminisce while tracking down *checks the Writing Hellblazer For Dummies book* ex-girlfriend who died horribly because of her connection to magic.
Ellis throws just the right amount of meta into this story, with Constantine's conversations with old friends usually involving them letting him know that he's played out variations of this same story for years. There are even two perfectly timed panels where Constantine breaks the fourth wall just a smidge by looking at the camera, and smiling.
I don't remember Constantine smiling at all. It's delightfully creepy.
This is a must=read if you love the Hellblazer books. I have my fingers crossed that the rest of Ellils's run lives up to what he's done here.
TW: He does the thing that all 90s writers seem to want to do where he has villains be racist and get their come-uppance (hooray) but first you have to get through their problematic language (booo). Unlike, say Azzarello, though, Ellis at least restricts the shock language to one panel as opposed to spreading it across his entire run of comics....more
Every word in this series seems necessary to guide this story to its climax. Nothing is wasted. There's no filler chapter where Carey explores part ofEvery word in this series seems necessary to guide this story to its climax. Nothing is wasted. There's no filler chapter where Carey explores part of the universe that won't be essential to following the plot. He also compacts storylines that most writers would drag out to twelve issues into just three or four without it ever feeling forced.
This is at least my third time reading this since it came out, and it's just as invigorating each time.
The dialogue and the rate at which this story unfolds is consistently excellent. It's rare that an all ages scifi story about space travel and governmThe dialogue and the rate at which this story unfolds is consistently excellent. It's rare that an all ages scifi story about space travel and government conspiracies is such a light, natural, easy read....more
This is still one of my favorite series coming out, regardless of intended audience. Tynion is telling a fantastic fantasy story and finding some veryThis is still one of my favorite series coming out, regardless of intended audience. Tynion is telling a fantastic fantasy story and finding some very intriguing ways to interweave mythology and inclusivity.
I feel like this is The Empire Strikes Back of the series so far but with less sister kissing.
The literal queerness takes a backsea to the metaphorical queerness in this volume and that's okay. The literal queerness isn't gone or swept under the rug, it's just not the driving force of the events here. There are some well-scripted moments of how parents react to the queerness of their kids when they are well-intentioned by uninformed.
I can't wait to get my hands on volume four....more
It's extremely irritating that this book can't seem to stay in print.
Most comics with political leanings tend to age poorly. And queer narratives fromIt's extremely irritating that this book can't seem to stay in print.
Most comics with political leanings tend to age poorly. And queer narratives from the eighties were often fairly problematic in the way they tackled issues of race, gender, mental health, and sexuality. This book reads less like a series of comics written in the eighties (which it was) and more like a comic written in the twenty-first century about the 1980s. The language seems too fresh to be dated, and the focus on general issues rather than specific immediate political issues keeps it an engaging read forty years later.
Each two page spread is a complete story about a twenty-somethingish gay dude trying to navigate eighties life, the divisions within the queer community, his relationship with a divorced dad and his son, and issues with anxiety.
I can't recommend this book enough if you're looking for a readable queer narrative that takes place in the late 20th century but doesn't feel like it was written with contempt for others and isn't littered with problematic stereotypes (oh, there are a ton of stereotypical characters but the stereotypes aren't based on race or class, and they never punch down. I wish it was more widely available....more
I started reading Marvel comics as a teenager because I picked up a copy of X-Men vs Fantastic Four #1 when I was hanging out with someone I thought wI started reading Marvel comics as a teenager because I picked up a copy of X-Men vs Fantastic Four #1 when I was hanging out with someone I thought was cool, and was trying to impress. This led to a couple of years following the X-Men comics before losing touch with comics for five or six years.
When I got back into comics, I started picking up other titles, and found that I preferred the street level characters: Spider-Man and Daredevil, and a few years down the line Punisher and Hawkeye.
I had lost all interest in Daredevil during the Shadowland run, and apart from reading X-titles out of habit, had mostly abandoned Marvel and DC for Image comics and some of the less-mainstream biographies and other non-superhero books. But I still read comic sites that talked about ongoing titles so that I could continue to recommend books to customers with an affinity to superhero books, without being the old guy who told everybody to read Watchmen or Fables because he'd grown out of touch with more recent books.
Some article mentioned that Mark Waid's run on Daredevil was really refreshing, as it marked the first time in twenty-five years that Daredevil was smiling on the page of a comic. So I picked it up. The smiling wasn't the hook, though. Paolo Rivera's layouts are spectacular in this book. And, sure, his art is miles away from the Maleev/Gaydos/Mack/Quesada/Lark/Francavilla eras, but that's as refreshing as Waid's lighter tone in writing.
I love that this isn't a fresh start, and yet Matt Murdock is virtually unrecognizable from the previous runs. Sure, he's still a blind lawyer playing dressup and fighting crime, but the Catholig guilt noose has been cut away from him, and he's started to be more focused on solving problems than brooding over past mistakes.
While, after Kevin Smith and Joe Quesada's run, I never felt like the Catholocism in Daredevil was rammed into the reader's eyes, it was always there. The guilt. The rituals. The guilt. The brooding. The need to confess. The belief that you're being punished for being imperfect. I enjoyed the story, but it was So Heavy.
Waid has, at least for now, lifted that heaviness away. Do terrible things still happen? Yes. Innocent people are still targeted. Criminals still win sometimes. But it's not because of some judgey old white guy's God, it's just life. And instead of waiting for God to give him answers about things, Murdock is finally just trying to solve problems to move forward, not atone for his past....more
Bendis's run on Daredevil worked because it really paid homage to the best parts of Frank Miller's runs while also seeking to tell a story that was faBendis's run on Daredevil worked because it really paid homage to the best parts of Frank Miller's runs while also seeking to tell a story that was familiar to Daredevil readers while not being a complete retread. Brubaker has taken that further, and used all of the lore that Bendis laid down in his run to twist the story into new directions.
It also helps that while Michael Lark's is in no way derivative of Alex Maleev, it has a similar tone before gradually starting to look more and more like Brubaker's frequent partner, Sean Phillips. It's a subtle switch and makes it seem less like a change of art styles, and more like art evolving with the story.
The reveals of the various twists continue to be excellent. I don't imagine anyone who loved the Bendis run being disappointed by Brubaker's issues....more
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