Good day fellow readers! Yes, this is yet another review for a graphic novel. What I have for you today is still regarded as a modern-day cult favorite: Ghost World, by Daniel Clowes. Having seen the movie already, admittedly one of my top favorites of all time to be quite honest, I was relieved to have finally been graced with this graphic novel's presence, of which said movie is based. Ghost World cannot simply be assessed by any basic generalization. Most graphic novels can, however not all of them, and this is one that honestly cannot. This point isn't a negative one however, as often we'll find that such slight complications can add just the right flavors to the stew pot. Such is the case with Ghost World.
The book's title can be taken in many ways, though literally isn't one of them. Symbolically is perhaps the most applicable manner of which I've found appropriates it. Here you have two teenage girls, Enid and Becky, in an undisclosed suburb during the early-to-mid 1990's. These girls are basically just struggling to survive the last years of their youth, in a world where they're made to feel as invisible presences, or ghosts, if you will. From everyday teen angst, to misguided rebellion, and even with moments of confused emotional states, Enid and Becky take us through a rather brief time frame within the confines of their daily lives.
These girls are more than best friends, as we often find of ourselves and our own relationships during that time of our youth, they are more as sisters. I honestly won't even begin to attempt the futile measure of describing either of these girls to you, as neither is anywhere near simplistic enough to do so. Both are complicated and diverse in such a manner of which basic adjectives can find no home. Instead, allow me a brief moment of observation.
Enid is emotional at times, overthrown by resentment toward her peers, yet she loves with reckless abandon. She's vulgar and crass, yet loving and afraid. She dresses with class and yet somehow manages also to force her way into the world, welcome or not.
Becky is almost the total polar opposite of Enid, yet she also at times is more abrasive and crass than she, more-often-than-not alienating Enid without reserve or caring recognition.
In a typical crush-triangle (can't really say it's a love triangle per-se) scenario, these two girls not only share almost everything else in their lives with one-another, but also their apparent interest in a particular teen boy as well. Generally speaking, the graphic novel and the movie are vastly different. I enjoyed the movie much greater than I did the book, however the book is also an entity all it's own, and I do show due respect to that. Perhaps the now a major motion picture badge on the front cover is a tad misleading, as it should more make mention of the word adaptation, being as the two components are not wholly one-and-the-same. In fact, the movie features such major story arcs not present in the book, enough so that it gives the appearance that the two are parallel stories intertwined and yet separate. Until introduced to both components, the viewer won't know that the two parallel storylines coexist, however once one observes the full capacity of both, it all makes more sense.
There is quite a bit of vulgarity throughout, as well as many other typical coming-of-age elements, just as one would expect to see in a story of this caliber. That being said, it still has the apparent feel of Clowes' not having a full grip and understanding of what these girls would really be doing and especially feeling. Being that he is a male, such things are to be expected, as we cannot fully understand what goes on in a female of any age's mind or heart. With that said, after having read this book, I believe that Clowes definitely captures as much relativity as is humanly possible from such a perspective as his. I say bravo for Daniel Clowes and his portrayal of 1990's-era youth of both genders. I've lived through this era, as it is my generation, and for the setting I believe Clowes has captured these girls' lives as accurately as is possible.
Be aware that this book is most definitely a mature read, as when I use the words crass and vulgar, I mean it very strongly. Taking note of such, I still say that I recommend this book, with one catch. When one is to venture forth on the journey of reading this graphic novel, one must also accompany it afterward with the motion picture, for it is essential for understanding the whole story and is great subject matter for comparison.
Until next time folks, keep on reading, I know I will.
Title: Ghost World
Author: Daniel Clowes
Illustrator: Daniel Clowes
Publisher: Fantagraphics Books, Thompson & Groth
TPB ISBN: 1-56097-427-3
TPB UPC: 9781560974277
Price: $11.95 USD
Warning: This review, or rather an overview, is potentially going to appear a bit abrasive. If you're still interested in reading this, then please continue, and thank you for doing so.
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, what can I say about it? Well to start off, despite multiple attempts to read through this graphic novel, I was only able to force myself just past the 37th page, counting both sides of each paper sheet. Why is that? I have both a short explanation and a long explanation. In short, I found the story quite drab, factually the most boring read I've ever experienced. For the long explanation, ready yourself, as I've a bit to say.
I used to have this condition of being made to fall asleep whenever a story's subject matter bores me, but any more I've had no such luxury. To give you a better idea of what is wrong with this particular book (at least from what I observed whilst attempting to choke down what I could), allow me to list a few key points.
The story takes place in Colonial-Era England, though aside from the back cover's description, which most people who read graphic novels do not bother to read until after they've finished the book at hand, there are absolutely no indicators whatsoever available until one has already read enough to establish each characters' demeanor and voice (including accents). This makes it quite difficult to grasp such an unusual change.
The artistry is styled in a manner that feels as though extremely incomplete, less complete in fact than that of most concept work and story-board illustrations. This in itself creates difficulty in distinguishing which characters are speaking. With the entire illustration, including speech bubbles, comprised completely of what seems to be sloppily-assembled, sketched line work, each panel is difficult to read altogether. The illustrations are also in grey scale, and it would do much better for the artist to take the time necessary in order to actually complete each panel.
The dialogue is difficult to follow. Now, don't get me wrong, as I am well aware that his was adapted from Jane Austen's original novel Pride and Prejudice, however such tasks as this are not easily adaptable and it takes a certain skill level to achieve the proper quality and transliteration. This is a skill that Tony Lee has yet to properly fashion. In due time, with much greater practice perhaps, especially developing the basic skill of introducing the story by means of applying a foreword or introduction section, maybe he can finally get it right. At the present time however, this story is not easy to follow at all and my attempts at reading this book actually only accomplished my developing headaches every single time.
Again I make mention of how the only description for the story is on the back cover, and now make another point, regarding how that area is one that we readers tend to leave alone until after we've read the book from cover to cover. The reason being that the back cover is where all of the book's reviewers have their quotes posted, and we don't want to taint our own viewpoint with those of others prior to reading it for ourselves. Had this book's description been placed at the front of the story rather than the back, this particular section of the review could have potentially been fairly different.
Final word:
Whilst Jane Austen is regarded as such an illustrious and magnificent writer and all-around story teller, I'm afraid the same compliment cannot be afforded to Tony Lee for attempting to adapt her works into others, neither to Cliff Richards for his accompanying illustrative works. Simply put, when taking on a project of such great magnitude, you go in either all or nothing. If it's left in the current condition as this book is now, having been released to the public in such a boorish, incomplete state, who is honestly going to bother attempting to read much of it?
Very few of us will even attempt nowadays, with society having moved past the great authors of yesteryear, though even those of us who appreciate the classics will have a great difficulty even bothering to remain attentive to this supposed adaptation. For example, The Hunchback of Notre Dame is one of my all-time favorite stories, and it can sometimes be difficult to follow, however this story is so drab and difficult to follow that it gives even myself a great headache.
I'll leave you with this internet meme that I created, hopefully it will get the point across understandably.
If you still wish to brave the attempt at reading this book, and possibly you've additionally the option to afford me your own opinion of it, here is the information below.
Title: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
Authors (original): Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith
Adaptation: Tony Lee
Covers: Roberto Parada
Illustrations: Cliff Richards
Publisher: Del Rey Books, Quirk Classics
TPB ISBN: 978-0-345-52068-5
TPB UPC: 9780345520685
Price: $14.99 USD
Heya folks, enjoying Winter yet? Well if you're like me... no, lol. Anyway, here's a little funny for you. It's being circulated on Facebook, etc. by people downloading and then re-uploading it for their own credit, but I'd like to direct you to the real site that's hosting it. The site is called gocomics.com and they have a fairly extensive archive. Anyway, here you go folks, enjoy.
I figured this was probably an applicable one for not only the time of year, but also for this blog, given the comic's contents. Credit goes to Mr. Dave Coverly for his humor and work of art.
Hey folks, currently there are two great PC gaming events going on and I felt that it might be nice to let you know about them!
First up, we have Nvidia Geforce giving away FREE and 100% legit game keys for the game Metro 2033, so head on over to their facebook page and get yourself a game key!
Next up, are you ready? The Humble Indie Bundle 7 is live folks! Starting off today, Dec. 19th, 2012, we have the following on the list of games in this bundle (will update accordingly if new titles are added later):
Shank 2
The Binding of Isaac + Wrath of the Lamb DLC
Closure
Snapshot
Indie Game: The Movie
(above average) Dungeon Defenders + DLC
(above average) Legend of Grimrock
You'll also get the soundtracks to the games, not only in MP3 format, but also in FLAC! So basically, it's a whole lotta awesome for a killer epic price availability!
Hey folks, how are you? Well I hope you're doing as great as I am. On Monday, December 10th, 2012, I received an e-mail from Turtles Vs. Foot, a site dedicated to all things Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (of course), notifying me that I'd won one of their cool prize packs! Well, I promptly replied and gave them my information, as I've been a member there for a few months and have been doing stuff to get points. With this in mind, I figured I actually had won something. I never received a response after I'd sent them my info, even left them a message on their Facebook page and their Twitter profile, to no avail.
Well, anyway, I was awakened on this past Monday, Dec. 17th, 2012, by a loud knock at my door. My wife answers it, then turns around and hands me a small box, which contained, you guessed it, my prize pack! I've not seen any of the episodes of the new series, save for maybe a good 3 minutes of one episode, because I couldn't stomach it in comparison to what I grew up with as a child. That, however, doesn't extend to the toy line, because I wouldn't be me if I didn't like TMNT toys. I'd be committing some sort of injustice to myself, in my own eyes.
So what did I win? Oh, nothing much really, just FishFace and DogPound action figures!!!
Regardless of what figures they are though, you have to admit, these are still cool nonetheless! Playmates has always known how to package product well, from basic design all the way down to execution and marketing. As much as I'd love to open them up and play with review them, ahem, I'm being a good boy (and forcing my son to as well, har-har) and am going to keep them in their packages as I am not only a collector, but I also want to keep them in mint condition rather than taking the chance of breaking or messing them up somehow, losing parts, etc. Accidents happen, so I'm keeping them mint-on-card for the sake of safe-keeping and collectivity.
Update Christmas 2012: My son, Blaze, received a Shredder figure as a gift, so I decided to surprise him with these as well. I figure hey, I'm 31, he's almost 9, why not just let him have them? Now he's really stoked, lol, and it makes me happy to see him happy. Merry Christmas all, and here's looking forward to a potentially decent 2013 and beyond!
By the way, not too long ago I found an awesome site online, geared specifically toward toys and action figures, collector-actionfigures.com. I'm a current member there, and not only do they have free versions and paid-for versions of their memberships, but their customer support is second-to-none and the features of the site are just phenomenal!
For paid memberships, just one of the many perks is having an interactive values guide right at your fingertips, however there is so much more to it and it's a large and rapidly growing community. At this very moment, they're even doing some great giveaways, so get in on the action as soon as you can, there's no telling what kind of awesome you'll find!
Thanks for checking out my blog folks, I'll have more to post up soon, happy playing collecting and don't forget to subscribe if you haven't yet. Feel free to leave a comment below as well, if you really want to. Thanks and Merry Christmas!
First, a warning. Take note that these
books are for MATURE audiences ONLY, had you not already known this
prior to reading this article. The content ranges from profanity &
illegal drug use, to extreme violence, nudity and sexual situations.
As I said, this is designed for mature audiences only, and obviously
not for youth or youth-minded individuals. With that warning out of
the way now, I present to you, The Four Horsemen Of The Apocalypse.
The Four Horsemen Of The
Apocalypse
Book One: Helldiver
Book One: Helldiver - Official Trailer
Chapter One: Helldiver
Wow,
what a way to start the story off! In this chapter, the story begins
with a BANG. Not a literal one, yet anyway, but it's most definitely
in your face. The first two
pages are a bit confusing at first glance, but from page three onward
it quickly becomes clearer what's begins to make more sense. We're
immediately introduced to the story's protagonist, Adam Cahill,
however at this point we're not sure who, or even what, he is quite
yet. Presented right off, we're shown a scene dated December 21st,
however the year on it is left up to speculation. After the surprise
beginning, we're thrown all the way back to December 15th
of the same year, in Jerusalem. Shown to us is a battle featuring
those who are called the Nicolaitans, Satanic warriors who serve
their dark lord, performing every request presented to them. They're
searching for a specific group of people, from a particular
bloodline, and are hunting them down one by one to kill them and take
certain items from each of them that each is supposed to possess.
It's
not long before we learn the details of who those people are, that
are being hunted, and the importance of those items. The same goes
for Adam, who is a very important member of that group. From
Jerusalem to Dubai, to Kiev and even the USA, it is promptly revealed
that this is a worldwide ordeal, which definitely adds to the depth.
This is increased much more as we are shown where Adam is to travel
next. By now those first two pages should make complete sense to
you, and if not, read them again (and pay attention this time) and
compare.
Chapter
Two: Pestilence
The
second chapter directly continues where we left off in the first,
with best I can tell is an angel speaking to Adam (at first glance it
may appear as though it's God that's speaking to him, but with enough
dialogue from it you'll see otherwise), and guiding him along his
journey. His birthright revealed to him, Adam is now able to see who
he truly is and what his purpose is amongst humanity. This prepares
him for the long journey ahead. He is given his mission and the
tools necessary to complete such a task, and then he is quickly on
his way.
Soon
thereafter, Adam meets up with one Jesse Grace, a woman who has led a
life of self-destruction and whose task now is to come face to face
with her own inner demons. Adam's first assignment, naturally, is
not easy, however the circumstances soon reveal to Jesse the reality
which she's been avoiding. This makes the task a little easier for
Adam, but not a lot. Before she knows it, Jesse is hit with a
mind-shattering reality check, one powerful enough that it's almost
as though she's been cracked in the face with a cocaine-laced
baseball bat. She is shown flashes of the sad excuse for a life that
she led and how it has brought her to this point. A pathway out of
it has been revealed to her, a path with purpose, a destiny.
Naturally,
there are dangers lurking about in every crevice, around every
corner, and amongst the shadows. This begins to make the situation
more interesting for Adam and Jesse, though it is nothing that the
two cannot handle. The best way for me to describe this scene of the
book, I came up with a brief rhyme. Violence,
violence, everywhere. Demons here, bloodbaths there. Hanging
corpses left by demonic forces, and a stench of Pestilence looms in
the air.
December
22nd,
back at the sanctuary, Adam now has a chance to explain to Jesse
about their purpose in what's happening. All the while, it appears
that somebody has been tailing Adam and though keeping their distance
for now, they're watching every move that is being made. Belarios, a
demon who is consistently tormented and controlled by Satan (Lucifer,
though a name is never really mentioned anywhere), is back on Earth
and presents Senator Jordan Osbourne with an ultimatum that doesn't
seem to set too well with him. And after this we are now shown a new
opponent for Adam and Jesse, of whom I shan't reveal quite yet, but a
description I can give appears to be an inspired crossover of the
Frankenstein monster and Trap Jaw from Masters of the Universe.
The
Four Horsemen Of The Apocalypse
Book
2: The Chosen
Book Two: The Chosen - Official Trailer
Chapter
Three: War
The
next chapter of this story begins at the sanctuary, the day is
December 22nd.
Adam and Jesse are currently waiting for a sign from Heaven, to
reveal the next “chosen warrior”, who is to join them in this
divine mission. Soon his identity is revealed to them, however it
happens in a manner that it takes Adam a moment before he actually
realizes it. Once he does though, he and Jesse prepare themselves
for what can only be described as a rescue mission.
Meanwhile,
back in Jordan (the country, not the Senator), more of the Nicolaitan
forces are hard at work killing people and taking their seals,
completely unaware of what's going on with Adam and Jesse. Even
Belarios doesn't see what is going on until the blood starts
splattering. Adam, slicing his way through all of the arch-demons,
seems to be just dragging Jesse along for the ride. This, of course,
is only because, for the time being, we don't see her actually doing
anything.
This
point of the story is where we are greeted with the Reverend Lucas
Hand (I'd wager that this character is named after the man of whom
wrote the works that this story is inspired by). Reading this, you
may be wondering if this is a spoiler, and wondering if I'm crazy for
revealing this info, however it is not as I've not actually mentioned
anything yet about who he is or what his role is in the story.
Anyway, soon after this scene follows another redemption sequence,
not much unlike that of Jesse's, and once again purifying yet another
condemned soul. Once again, another lost soul finds purpose.
Soon,
Lucas comes face to face with his own previous spiritual slave
master, his inner-most enemy, who is now taunting him out of anger
for having broken the bonds of which he had placed onto him so long
ago. This is Lucas' wake-up call, his cleansing from sin.
December
23rd,
Washington D.C., the office of Senator Jordan Osbourne. Oh,
would you look at that? Out of nowhere, a mysterious crate has
appeared on his desk. What's this? A-ha! A video conference call
from Belarios, indeed! No Jordan, don't do that, it's a t- Oh,
nevermind, it's too late.
Destiny oftentimes can be a very cruel hag, and so, forth from the
abyss comes yet another who has controlled such a man and many others
like him, this beast which is of
Death, yet is not
Death itself.
Chapter
Four: Famine
It
doesn't take much for a man to go insane when he's been shown his
life's worth of sins, and for hours on end. For Lucas Hand, this
almost appears to be the case. The last of the Chosen is now being
revealed to Adam, who leaves Jesse alone with Lucas, which naturally
freaks her out. This leg of the recruiting process appears to be a
bit more confusing for Adam, and even more puzzling for his targeted
recruit, who seems to feel extremely blessed with surviving the
encounter. By now, one can guess as to what happens next. Yes, that
would be the soul purification process. What I will not reveal,
however, is what happens this time that didn't with the two others.
Soon following this, the new recruit is faced with his “paired
chosen” as the beast so aptly entitles him. This one seems to be
inspired more by the Cat in the Hat and a vampire than anything else,
which is an unusual combination, yet oddly enough seems to work well.
December
24th,
Christmas Eve. We are back at the sanctuary now, presented with a
spiritually intimate bonding moment between Jesse and Lucas. It
appears that he is still trying to grasp the new gift that he's been
given, and in the process reveals to Jesse that he can understand her
hurt. Unfortunately, he also wastes no time with switching from
empathy to judgment, which Jesse naturally doesn't take kindly to,
and which then causes a verbally violent battle of wills amongst the
two.
Beginning
the next phase of his arcane plan, Belarios chooses to this time use
his most trusted and dedicated servant, Father Inimicus, of whom he
issues a new assignment. Another seal is broken, and so we have the
beginning of the end. At first glance, one may be confused by the
appearance of the creature before them, however this isn't Masters of
the Universe, so no that is not Skeletor. Perhaps it's the fact that
it has giant scythes attached to it's arms, I'm not sure, but it
should be pretty obvious who, or what, it is.
Chapter
Five: Death
Father
Inimicus is “home at last”, or at least where he considers to be
his home anyway. I don't know about you, but I sure as heck don't
want to be going there
after I
pass on. You'll understand better when you get the chance to see the
imagery for yourself, you can trust me on that. I believe that to
see such a thing in real life would cause pretty much anyone and
everyone to soil themselves.
Cut
back to Adam, Jesse, Lucas and now... Jordan! Lucas nearly kills
Jordan, having seen what he did that put him there where they're all
at now, and the people who I noted earlier were keeping tabs on Jesse
and Adam have returned, this time contacting someone different than
before. At first thought, it seems that this could end up being a
new danger for the four Chosen, but could it be? Hopefully we'll
soon find out!
Merry
Christmas! Yes, we've made it to December 25th
so far... and the breaking of seal number five. This event also
comes with a grave warning about the sixth day and the breaking of
the sixth seal. Said event is to release the Four Horsemen Of The
Apocalypse from Hell and onto the Earth. Pestilence, War, Famine,
Death. Four riders who are to be loosed upon us to cleanse the Earth
of the disease known as humanity. Lastly we are given a second
warning, this time of day seven and the breaking of the seventh seal,
of which then Satan himself would be loosed from his chains in Hell
to wreak havoc upon the Earth as well.
Once
again, the angel is speaking to Adam, this time warning him of what
is yet to come and shall soon pass. Belarious makes preparations to
lay siege upon the Vatican, in hopes of finding the seventh and final
seal. The Chosen Four are also preparing, though their efforts are
to attempt to battle the Horsemen and prevent them from passing
through the Earth Gate and laying waste to humanity. Further down
the page, we see what appears to be yet another homage to the Masters
of the Universe. Can you spot it? It should be pretty obvious for
anyone who even knows what Masters of the Universe is.
Welcome
to The River Styx. On one end, we have the gateway to Hell, on the
other is the Earth Gate, which is merely an inter-plane portal. This
moment appears as if a 4-on-4 basketball game, except taking place on
a brimstone bridge rather than a basketball court and the only balls
present are the ones that the Chosen seem to have, considering
they're the ones standing up to the Four Horsemen. During the
battle, all seems to be lost and hopes are severely wounded, just as
those of whom they belong to, but our heroes cannot and will not give
in. Not now, not after they've come so far already, that would be
too easy a cop-out for them. Just as it is needed most, Jesse's gift
reveals itself. Of course, as is to be expected, nothing is going to
be too
easy. Enter Father Inimicus and a Judas, exit the victors, and we
are now left wondering “What
in the World (or in this case, literally, Hell) is going on now?!”
The Four Horsemen Of The
Apocalypse
Book Three: The End Of Days
Book Three: The End Of Days - Official Trailer
Chapter Six: Armageddon
It's
December 26th,
and we are in Hell. The bodies of the Chosen are being carried off
while on the Earth, specifically at the Vatican, seal number six is
broken. The Earth quakes furiously as though feeling the pains of a
mother birthing a child, volcanoes erupt, the oceans beget immense
tidal waves, the sun is blackened and the moon is now but a large
pool of blood. Stars fall from the sky and rain upon the Earth as if
balls of Hellfire. Adam, our main protagonist, hears a now-familiar
voice cry out to him.
In
this process of his dying, he sees destruction, the slaughtering of
humanity, and the reaping of man's souls. He realizes that he cannot
just give into this just yet, it wouldn't make any sense, so he
instead chooses to follow the instructions being spoken to him and
finds strength in his newly-revealed purpose. As he awakens, he sees
that he is not alone. He and the rest of the chosen with him are
located in a place reminiscent of particular a WWE wrestling event's
arena.
Only
now, at this time, are we able to see why they were being followed,
by whom and what their followers' roles are in all of this. It is
best summed up by saying that the Chosen have come upon an unlikely
ally in their time of need. It is revealed to us how what was
originally designed as Gehenna (Purgatory), a place of spiritual
cleansing in preparation for the afterlife, became Hell, or rather a
key part of it. We also learn of the true purpose of the Chosen.
It's
Judgment Day on Earth, and the current locale is Vatican City. It is
an other-worldly slaughter fest as the Nicolaitans descend upon
Vatican City. Their given mission is to find Sara Cahill, Adam's
daughter, and take the seventh seal from her, the one that will
ultimately loose Lucifer upon the Earth. During the hunt they are
instructed to kill whoever they can and then crucify the rest.
Father Magister, still with us, is Sara's current sworn protector,
and has taken her to the Vatican's vaults, below ground.
As
Belarios and the Nicolaitans soldiers enter the vaults, slaughtering
everyone opposing them, he reveals why he is there, which is only but
a solid confirmation of what they already know by now. He then
proceeds, to the best of his ability, to coax and convince young Sara
to hand over the seal willingly. Meanwhile in Hell, three of the
Chosen are working alongside their rescuers, devising a plan of
attack against Hell's citadel. The battle of Armageddon has begun,
the war for not only Earth, but also Hell, to return it back to the
Gehenna it originally was. Centuries'-worth of repentant souls are
waging this war against the demons and arch-demons running it.
As
the citadel is in the early phases of destruction, masses of demonic
forces being slain, the Earth Gate on the River Styx begins to
weaken. Lucifer makes contact with Belarios, informing him of the
attack and commanding him to send the Horsemen back so they can
defend the citadel. One can pretty well guess where this is going,
but in doing so, ask yourself “Am I correct, or am I not?”
Well, read on to find out!
Chapter
Seven: Redemption
Another
day has passed, so welcome to December 27th,
and yes we're still in Hell at this point. No, I don't mean the
extremely long-winded review that you're reading, I mean the current
location in the story. Anyway... Adam, Lucas and Jesse are once
again about to face the Horsemen. To make things a little more
interesting, the Horsemen have some “friends” with them and the
three Chosen they're attacking are made to adapt their strategy and
improvise their approach. Having by now figured out how to get War
to lose focus, Adam and Lucas leave Jesse to fend off the arch-demons
while they tag team War. We also see the cowardly Jordan Osbourne
panicking in fear, and given the current circumstances, rightfully
so.
After
their battle with War, Adam and Lucas rejoin with Jesse against the
arch-demon swarm that just keeps pouring in like a never-ending
faucet drip, and out of nowhere Jordan, of all people, does something
absolutely surprising... Back in Vatican City, down in the vaults,
Belarios is now quickly losing patience with Sara and has grown
unappreciative of her determination in stubbornness. Go ahead, say
it, “Well that
escalated quickly.”
Resorting to threats and vulgarity, he now triggers Sara's
connection to her father.
Before
they know it, Pestilence rushes in and ambushes the Chosen, and is
just as determined as the other Horsemen to kill them where they
stand. In comes Famine soon after, whilst the Chosen are reunited
with one another, Jesse tending to their wounds, and finally Jordan
gets to have his spot in the limelight. This is his moment, the one
that will either make him or break him. There's no turning back now.
Rallying the damned, Jordan convinces them that the only
way to find redemption, is to help the Chosen destroy Famine, and to
fight alongside them to return Hell back to Gehenna.
Back
at the Earth Gate, as Adam approaches, determined to return to Earth
and save his daughter, he is cut off at the pass by Death. As can be
expected, Death is the most powerful of all four of the Horsemen. To
prove this, he not only attacks Adam, nearly killing him, but then
he, wait for it... What? You didn't think I'd tel you just yet, did
you? Keep reading. Back at the vaults, Belarios loses his cool,
beats Sara, figures out where the seal is and takes it from her.
What's
that? Okay, alright, I'll tell you already. Death resurrected the
other Horsemen, who are now looking to walk back through the Earth
Gate. With Adam now hanging on by a thread, or in this case a sword
(you'll get it when you read the books), Jordan devises his own way
to attack the Horsemen. As he begins to taunt them from the Hell
side of the bridge, the Horsemen begin to approach him. As they
reach the midpoint, Adam takes one of his swords, lunges it up toward
the arch, causing it to lodge into the brimstone structure. An
explosion follows suit, the arch collapses and takes the Horsemen
down with the bridge. It's also a close call as Adam narrowly is
rescued by Lucas and Jesse, who pull him up, just barely avoiding the
splash of Hellfire that shoots upward.
As
the river erupts, at first it splashes Hellfire everywhere, but it
then quickly turns into ice and snow, finally giving us that
forever-fabled “cold
day in Hell”.
Jordan, stuck on the Hell side of what's left of the bridge, opts to
stay there and instructs the others to go ahead through the Earth
Gate without him, so that they may save what's left of the Earth.
Jesse, Adam and Lucas part ways with Jordan, and as they appear on
the other side of the gate, they are welcomed by what can only be
described as the insidious, blood-soaked genocide and destruction,
that has been left in the wake of the Nicolaitan invasion. From
distorted and gnarled corpses on inverted crucifixes to a very long
rope that is lined with severed human heads, this is an image of
pure, unadulterated horror.
Back
in the vaults, Sara manages to attack Belarios, temporarily
incapacitates him, and then takes off with the last seal that he'd
stolen from her just moments before. Somehow still alive, Father
Magister helps her to escape by attacking the guards who'd taken hold
of him and carried him away from Sara. This happens not a moment too
soon, as Sara then sees her father and runs to him. Belarios, now
fully conscious once more, and able to move again, walks out to greet
Adam, toying with him as though a serpent with it's prey. He then
commands his henchmen to attack Adam, and upon their being slain,
Belarios is nowhere to be found. Seeing as Belarios is a demon, this
type of cowardly behavior is to be expected.
As
our heroes and heroines (you have to include Sara for her immense
acts of bravery in the face of such pure evil and terror) exit the
vault, they are greeted in a much more welcoming fashion as compared
to moments before. The sky is blue, the sun has returned to normal
and is shining bright and bits of clouds here and there. As they
prepare to part ways, Lucas goes to embrace Adam, only to be thrust
into another vision at the mere touch of his arm. Admittedly, this
vision can be a tad confusing at first, but not wholly. Noting this,
I'll leave it at that as it honestly would be a spoiler to say
anything else about it.
These
four people, these redeemed souls, have been given a second chance to
do something righteous and wholesome with their lives. The wisdom
granted to Lucas, by God, allows him to see this and to share it with
the others as a warning, almost a new commandment. Just remember
that the final sequence is a divine vision, or it may end up
confusing you a lot. It even took me
a second go-over to realize what it was saying.
This
three-part series is definitely a good read, a true work of
apocalyptic fantasy art. Due to the nature of the subject matter,
there is a lot
of Satanic imagery, extreme violence, vulgarity, nudity, etc., as I
warned you at the beginning of the article. Taking note of all of
this, if you can read it maturely and as a work of inspired fiction,
then you may just find it to be quite enjoyable indeed. I personally
cannot say as to whether or not I endorse this series, as I myself did
read it, despite being a conservative Christian, so the only way I
can really sum it up is like this: the story and artwork are amazing
and the content is expectant of the subject matter, so if you can
handle that, then by all means take the dive.
If
you cannot or simply do not want to, well I don't exactly see
Belarios holding a knife to your throat. Thank you for visiting and
for reading this quite long review article. If you're subscribed to
this blog, I thank you and welcome you with open arms. If you're
not, then please do. Until next time, keep on reading, I know I
will!
Series Authors: Michael Mendheim, Mike Kennedy and Sean Jaffe
Series Illustrator: Simon Bisley
Series Covers: Ivan Khivrenko
Series Colors: Chad Fidler
Series Publisher: Heavy Metal
Title: The Four Horsemen of
the Apocalypse: Helldiver Retail Price: Trade Paperback $14.95 Trade Paperback (retail) ISBN: 978-1-935351-49-8 Digital ISBN:978-1-935351-67-2 Pages: 72 - Full Color Trim Size: 101/4 x 65/8 Release Date: April 2012
Title: The Four Horsemen of
the Apocalypse: The Chosen Retail Price: Trade Paperback $14.95 Trade Paperback (retail) ISBN: 978-1-935351-55-9 Digital ISBN:978-1-935351-68-0 Pages: 74 - Full Color Trim Size: 101/4 x 65/8 Release Date: June 2012
Title: The Four Horsemen of
the Apocalypse: The End Of Days Retail Price: Trade Paperback $14.95 Trade Paperback (retail) ISBN: 978-1-935351-57-3 Digital ISBN:978-1-935351-69-9 Pages: 74 - Full Color Trim Size: 101/4 x 65/8 Release Date: August 2012
The writings that inspired this work of art: http://www.othnieltrust.com/thetexts.html
I'd like to start off with an apology to anyone who reads this blog, as I know this last week or so has been empty with reviews and such. I do have good reasoning for it though, but unfortunately that doesn't change the fact that it still happened. This week, as you all know, was Thanksgiving and Black Friday week in the USA, but the way it affects me is that it kicks in my depression and it also makes me have to deal with a lot of driving with idiots on the roads, which makes my stress level go worse, and thus causes me to go into a manic-depressive state.
Top things off with us not being able to afford the fuel to go see family for Thanksgiving and my wife being made to work that day, it just made things worse. Sunday, 11-25-2012 (today in fact) I'm going to be incredibly busy as well, but hopefully Monday I'll be allowed more time and ability to get cracking down on these book readings and reviews, starting with my finishing and posting the review for Michael Mendheim and Simon Bisley's The Four Horsemen Of The Apocalypse 3-book series. I have digital review copies to finish reading and reviewing, thanks to Michael Mendheim himself, so I'll be getting those up finally & very, very soon.
Again, apologies all around, but nonetheless, it shall be & will be done. Thanks again for visiting and reading my blog folks, see you soon!
Good day readers, are you still with me? Well Locke & Key has really taken off, hasn't it? I like to think that it has anyway. Well, if you're like me, then you probably didn't wait for this review before tearing into Clockworks. For those who have yet to dive in, allow me a brief moment to give you a quick, spoiler-free review.
This fifth installment will temporarily be the final installment in this review series, as chapter one of book six (Omega) has just begun it's circulation on comic store shelves. Once the hardcover is released for that book also, I shall present you with a review of it as well, but don't allow that to stop you from reading it beforehand.
I'm sure you're likely frothing at the mouth by now, just aching to find out how this story will turn out in the end, but also take note that Hill and Rodriguez are also now currently planning on releasing a multi-branch spinoff of the series. Each branch, apparently, will be based on the lives of each of the Locke family members, one series per character. Nevertheless, until those days come, I present to you the fifth installment in the Locke & Key book series, Clockworks.
Chapter one, entitled The Locksmith's Son, is a twenty-four page explanation of how the magical locks and keys were forged and manufactured, the purpose of their creation and an account of the time period of which their creator was alive. Chapter two, Smash! begins with tragedy and hooks you by the throat all the way throughout. With Bode's body having it's new inhabitant, lots of creativity is allowed to flow onto these pages.
From Tyler's being milked constantly for the location of the Omega Key to Kinsey's bedroom being ransacked, "Bode" is quite the busy little devil. Two little unwanted beasts find new life, causing serious issues for Tyler and causing Kinsey to take some serious emotional responsibility for a change, and just before he was about to make one of the biggest mistakes of his life. During the fracas that occurs, yet another key is discovered, and it's usefulness is found to be almost immeasurable.
In chapter three, The Tamers Of The Tempest, we see that Tyler and Kinsey are once again tempted, and naturally they cannot resist. So begins a journey, forged out of curiosity, a journey that quickly proves itself educational. Tyler and Kinsey, thanks to the insight given to them from this journey, are presented with an opportunity to tie up some loose ends that have been running through their minds. One should consider this chapter one to "close out some accounts".
Chapter four, The Whispering Iron, adds onto the explanation, giving a more in-depth exploration of the growing relationships within Rendell Locke's friend circle. One can easily find themselves screaming inside of their head, "Are you insane?!", in addition to feeling a great desire to smack all of these children upside their heads for being so unbelievably arrogant and stupid. This of course is typical of most any scenario, so it's honestly to be expected at some point. I cannot say any more about this chapter without giving away any spoilers, believe me I tried to figure out something, to no avail, so I'll leave it at what it is.
With that, we move on to chapter five, Grown-Ups. You can now no doubt guess, some bad things happen (this is Locke & Key after all), of course involving the children, and we're finally able to reach an understanding about the depths that we've been teased with all this time. At this point in the story, things will be revealed which will blow even the minds of Rendell Locke and his friends. Loyalties get pushed to their limits, trust is tested and some realizations must be come to. We're even presented with the luxury of finding out as to why some of the people are better able to understand what's going on than others.
Bonus: This should be pretty easy to spot, but let's just see how keen your observational skills are. At the end of this chapter, there's a fairly major mistake shown. In the comment section below, tell me what that mistake is. Chapter six begins with another one, same type, so tell me what that one is as well if you can spot it. I moderate all comments before they're posted, so if you're correct, I'll just leave a comment saying so and hide your comment, but if you're not, I'll post your comment and respond. Thanks for participating!
Chapter six, Curtain, is a bit shorter than the rest, and this section of the review is much shorter than the others in reflection of that. The focus is centered on Dodge, mainly what he did which was so horriblethat it caused his friends to become afraid of him and turn against him. As the rest of the book has gone, so too is this chapter, in that it is designed to tie up loose ends. Oh, and feel free to scream at the author now, lol, I surely did.
The first part of Locke & Key - Omega (book six) has just began a presence on comic store shelves this month, so I'll have to wait awhile before presenting it's review as well, but don't fret, I've just recently went to my local library and snagged up quite a decent collection to read and review. From Hellboy to Queen & Country, to Iron West, to Ghost World and with plenty of others in between. I'll see you again very soon, stay tuned and don't forget to subscribe. Until then, keep on reading, I know I will!
Writer: Joe Hill
Art: Gabriel Rodriguez
Colors: Jay Fotos
Letters & Collection Designer: Robbie Robbins
Collection Editor: Justin Eisinger
Series Editor: Chris Ryall
Good day folks! I'm glad to see that we've made it this far together, and I look forward to finishing the series with you as well. I'm honestly surprised as to how much I do like this series so far, even with some content that I find objectionable, things such as I'd described in my first part of the series, for Locke & key - Welcome To Lovecraft. Anyway folks, without further ado, I present to you my review of Locke & Key - Keys To The Kingdom.
In this fourth installment of the Locke & Key series, we begin with yet another key-induced adventure. One that, yet again, also plays a very good role in explaining parts of the main characters' relationships with one another. With a pleasant blend of seriousness and humor, in addition to a unique ensemble of illustrative methods, this opening sequence shows how even young Bode Locke can still be of great use during these times of trial and terror.
By now, we've all learned what the intentions and primary characteristics of Dodge are, and because of this, you either love him or you hate him. We've also taken note of Kinsey's now-gone senses of Fear and Sorrow, both of which had appeared to be holding her back before, hindering her growth during a time when she's been "coming-of-age". Tyler has finally been growing up as well, and at what seems to be quite an accelerated pace, especially in the realm of love. Nina and Duncan, on the other hand, are more likely to confuse the emotional senses, as one struggles to figure out as to whether their circumstances are of their own accord or solely that of outside influences.
As we progress into the second chapter, more pieces of the dark and twisted puzzle begin to rear their ugly heads. We soon meet yet another individual from Dodge's past, and so begins a challenging adventure for young Bode and Kinsey. As you can already guess by now, more special keys are soon discovered, with the next one being quite useful indeed, and is one that also helps to teach a good moral lesson to the reader. Following next, we find that Tyler has finally found a place where he fits in at school, and we also get to see more of his relationship with Jordan blossom.
This component of the book plays out in a style reminiscent of an action film, almost also like a crossover of Hellboy and The Watchmen. Quickly playing through an abundance of time flashes, it displays only the most key elements of the part of the story, though swiftly and efficiently. In a way, it also pays homage to some of the greatest classic mythos, which are still well esteemed and held in high regard, even unto this very day.
I have to now say, admittedly, that the fourth chapter happens to be one of my favorites thus far, primarily because it centers around Rufus, and secondarily because it allows us a first-class trip into the previously unseen fantastical realm of which he is a permanent resident. We also are blessed with the opportunity to see more depth of character for none other than one Sam Lesser. This invokes even more revelations as to the control that the demon, which possesses Dodge, has over him.
My description now, of chapter five, will be more brief than those before. Yes, I am well aware that it's a slight change of pace, however I feel that I cannot possibly tell you as much as I desire, without giving away too much detail, and thus spoiling the surprise. I haven't done so to you just yet, and I've no intentions of it any time soon either.
In regards to chapter five, part one, Tyler begins to now pay more attention to the details of his surroundings (the goings-on, those involved, etc. and so-forth) and less to the environmental distractions which had been ultimately clouding his vision up to this point. Also, to point out a small detail without giving away any spoilers, by the time you're this far in, you should also be able to now see why the chapter begins with such a layout as it does. Part two, however, features more depth as to the current ongoing investigations, regarding the string of murders left in the wake of Dodge's involvement with the Lockes.
On a final note, I leave you with a word of caution about this part, prepare to be hooked. What's that? By now you're already hooked? Well, as you've undoubtedly seen already, this series, unlike most others, doesn't just grab you with a single hook early on, keeping you interested for at least most of the duration of the story. Locke & Key grabs you with every hook it can muster, and it keeps on tugging every time you think it's going to leave you alone. You can rarely predict the moments of which it will grab you by the throat, but each time that it does, it rides you hard, like a stolen steed, and gives you minor bouts of rest in between.
Happy reading folks, I'll see you soon in the next review, for the fifth installment of the Locke & Key book series, Clockworks.
Title: Locke & Key - Keys To The Kingdom (hardcover)
Writer: Joe Hill
Art: Gabriel Rodriguez
Colors: Jay Fotos
Letters & Collection Designer: Robbie Robbins
Collection Editor: Justin Eisinger
Series Editor: Chris Ryall
Good day folks, are you caught up with books one and 2 yet? If so, then hooray, you made it this far and are still interested! If not, then why on Earth are you reading this yet? It's okay, I understand your curiosity, trust me I do, but if you haven't read the other two books yet, then reading this will be pointless. Anyway, we shall commence forth, prepare yourself for a bit longer of a review than before.
I present to you, Locke & Key - Crown Of Shadows, the hardcover graphic novel review.
Early on, we see that Tyler Locke is still feeling troubled by the curiously unusual experiences brought on by the Head Key, which was first introduced to us in Locke & Key - Head Games. Additionally, we are presented with Nina's ever-increasingly dangerous alcohol abuse problem, and of course, more displays of arrogance emanating from none other than the male version of "Dodge", who by this time has also been called "Echo", "Luke/Lucas", and "Zack". Another key revelation, about Dodge, will surprise some readers, but perhaps not all of them. Nevertheless, more is revealed to Sam Lesser, about his purpose in all of this, with a nice little tussle thrown in for good measure. This is clever thinking, in part, for the authors, as it exposes the growing tension between Sam and Dodge, and to an extent, brief hilarity also ensues.
Tyler soon (and finally) decides to make a move with his love interest, Jordan, whilst Dodge is busy swooning Kinsey every chance he can get. Kinsey also meets a pair of interesting new friends, who quickly convince her to come along on their adventure, to a place where, naturally, they ought not be poking their noses around. Make preparations for more startling revelations to soon follow, as curiosity gets the better of a select few folks, and we learn more about who Kinsey and her new-found friends are as individuals, humans. More keys, of course, are discovered, and it's not long until we see the true intent that Dodge has been slowly revealing to us, page after agonizing page. A decent judgment call can easily be made, by this book's title, about the primary subject matter within, so this part should come as no surprise really.
It doesn't take very long, at all, for the Locke children to figure out what's happening to them at this moment, because quite frankly, it doesn't appear that much really does surprise them any more. I do have to admit that, by this point in the story, a great many moments have passed, but now it seems to build like a rolling snowball on a mountain. Tyler even decides to man up, for once, and take action rather than just "letting things happen".
Boundaries for loyalty are also discovered, as well as tensions which will really put a nice couple of them in check, to reveal precisely how far certain people can go before they will snap. Finally, we get to see far deeper into Nina's heart. What makes her, what breaks her, and even a long-expected display of her desperation. I'll leave the rest of it up to you, the reader, to find out, however. I don't want to spoil your appetite after all, as that would just ruin your fun. For now, happy reading, and I'll see you back here soon folks. Thanks for tuning in!
Writer: Joe Hill
Art: Gabriel Rodriguez
Colors: Jay Fotos
Letters & Collection Designer: Robbie Robbins
Collection Editor: Justin Eisinger
Series Editor: Chris Ryall
So, here it is folks, the second in a series of six reviews for the graphic novel series "Locke & Key", one article for each book in the series. Now get ready for another quick run-down, I'll make it as intriguing and speedy as possible.
Locke & Key - Head Games, by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez, published by IDW publishing, continues somewhat where the first book, "Welcome To Lovecraft" left off, with young Bode Locke having found yet another mysterious key. As the first book also had done, this one immediately begins with yet another Prologue sequence, revealing a key part to something that soon plays out in more depth. Again, I'll try my best to stick to the method of telling you about it, while not spoiling it, so bear with me.
Starting out, we see a new character, Joe Ridgeway, enter the fold, though for how long I shan't tell. All I'll say is that he recognizes a familiar face, and that alone causes an issue. We also see the introduction of the coach's son, Rufus, who appears to be mentally handicapped somehow, though it's hard to tell exactly in what manner or to what degree.
The unusual head-shaped key has of course captured the curiosity of young Bode, who is the most curious and cantankerous of the entire Locke family, which of course tends to get him into some rather odd and sticky situations. If at this point you've already read through Welcome To Lovecraft, then you're obviously familiar with this (If not, then why are you reading this article yet?). What this particular key unravels will cause some pretty wild things to happen, especially once certain folks decide to get experimental with it. Love will be gained, love will be lost, mysteries revealed, and most of all, crazy things are going to happen all across the board.
In this book, we also see some more depth added to certain characters, such as Uncle Duncan, for instance. We learn details about who he is and how his role is taken into account in the Locke family. We also learn some unusual, and for some perhaps startling, revelations about him and at least one other character. For the most part, we get to see precisely how much humanity has actually been added to these characters in general. Some family history is revealed about Coach Ellie, as well as her relationship with "Dodge", including how she became involved in this "predicament" that she's now in. Add a touch of irony here, humor there, and a dash or two of "What the... " as well, and you have yourself the second book of the Locke & Key graphic novels, "Head Games". Happy reading folks, enjoy.
Writer: Joe Hill
Art: Gabriel Rodriguez
Colors: Jay Fotos
Letters & Collection Designer: Robbie Robbins
Collection Editor: Justin Eisinger
Series Editor: Chris Ryall
Hello folks, have you read anything interesting lately? Well I've been doing my best to get back into reading over the last four months or so, and it's been working out fairly well. Aside from the collection of books we have here at home, such as our enormous Stephen King collection, I've been checking out books at our local library. I mostly pick up graphic novels from there, as that particular section has been getting a lot better over the last six months. While most of them are books that I won't bother to read, as they're of no interest to me, there are a few solid gems in there. Hellboy, Sin City, Locke & Key, and especially The Walking Dead (currently I'm awaiting their order of the hardcover Book Eight). Anyway, without further ado, this is my brief review of the first hardcover book in the Locke & Key series, cleverly entitled "Welcome To Lovecraft".
Locke & Key: Welcome To Lovecraft, a 158 page hardcover book, not including the intro and art gallery sections, is a graphic novel from the rather creative, yet very disturbed minds of Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez. Welcome To Lovecraft is the first book in the series, released in 2008, is a collective of six softcover graphic novels "Welcome To Lovecraft Volumes 1-6", and was released by IDW Publishing.
This first book in the series follows the beginning of a multitude of unfortunate events that befall the Locke family, starting with a surprise visit to their vacation cottage, by one Sam Lesser and one Al Grubb, two very disturbed and troubled teen boys. The family consists of the father, Rendell Locke, the mother Nina, and their three children: Tyler, an older teen male, Kinsey, a teen female and Bode (pronounced bo-dee), a young male.
I won't give away too many details, but a tragedy that occurs at the cottage causes the majority of the family to move back to Lovecraft, Massachusetts, to Keyhouse, a mansion full of magic and mystery and of which is also where Rendell and his brother Duncan grew up as children. In this first book, quite a bit happens, from the beginning incident at the vacation cottage, to Bode finding a mysterious key, to a cunningly deceptive woman in a well, to Tyler meeting a strange new friend who, like the Locke children, is also new to their school... or is "he"?
There is a lot that's going on in this first installment in the series, a lot more than in the next volumes, however with it only being 158 pages in this particular book, I was left with a feeling of it being rushed. There is also the issue that this series is for adult eyes only, as the content in it is rather... "mature" and "graphic", to a fair extent. From the over-the-top foul language, to the surprising way that Sam Lesser "convinces" a male truck driver to give him a ride to "somewhere" (you don't think I'm going to spoil that part of the story, do you?), there's quite a lot of depth to the characters in this book already. This particular volume pays attention primarily to giving the reader a quick run through of what started the incidents, who the main characters are, and what the house is all about, but thankfully they do leave out a lot of other things that are later revealed in the rest of the series. If you're interested in reading it, and have any inquiries beforehand, feel free to leave me a question, and I'll respond as soon as I am able. until then, keep an eye out for the next installment of this blog, you never know what's going to pop up.
Title: Locke & Key - Welcome To Lovecraft (hardcover)
Writer: Joe Hill
Art: Gabriel Rodriguez
Colors: Jay Fotos
Letters & Collection Designer: Robbie Robbins
Collection Editor: Justin Eisinger
Series Editor: Chris Ryall
