For the last three years I have embarked on a Comics Odyssey, reading and writing reviews of comics towards an ambitious goal which I only attained on one of three attempts. This year, I still want to read more comics and write reviews, but I’m not setting a specific goal. I’ll just document them and number them. We’ll see how far I can go . . . . . . .
#147 - #152 WHERE THE BODY WAS hardcover graphic novel written by Ed Brubaker. Illustrated by Sean Phillips. Colored by Jason Phillips. (Image Comics, December 2023)
Synopsis:
“A boarding house full of druggies. A neglected housewife. A young girl who thinks she’s a superhero. A cop who wants to be left alone. And a Private Detective looking for a runaway girl.
These stories collide one fateful summer in Where the Body Was, a tale of love and murder in the suburbs, told from a dozen different points of view. All the neighbors on the block have an opinion about the murder and how it happened, but which of them is telling the truth?”
I expected a bit more than what was delivered here. WHERE THE BODY WAS won't make my list of favorite Brubaker/Phillips collaborations. Yet, I couldn't put it down and kept turning the pages - simply because that's how good these two are at engaging storytelling.
It's difficult to pin a single label on this one. It's different from their usual crime stories, more of a blend of crime, mystery, romance, and slice-of-life. Twist my arm, and I'll settle for slice-of-life - which is what kept me involved in the stories. There is no main character, but a bunch of them who all live on the same residential street and cross paths in different ways.
This would be a good example of Brubaker/Phillips work to introduce to new and younger readers. It’s much less brutal than some of their other stories. There's a minimum of violence and it's not excessive. Except for one thing - - there's a good amount of sex and it's visually graphic. Better stick to adults only. FOUR STARS.
#153 - #154 BLASFAMOUS #1 Story, art and colors by Mirko Andolfo (Dstlry, February 2024)
Synopsis from the Dstlry website:
“Blasfamous is a wicked exploration of pop-culture worship in a world where musicians are revered as deities. These modern media superstars wield unimaginable power, and their demonic managers revel in their fans’ adulation from the sidelines.
Blasfamous revolves around Clelia, the reigning queen of pop, whose throne falls under threat from an enigmatic newcomer with irresistible charm. Clelia and her demon agent, Father Lev, must fight to protect her dominance and uncover the mysteries behind this sensational rival. Andolfo masterfully blends mythological fantasy with sharp satire, delivering a unique series set in the dazzling world of pop music.”
Based on the international recognition for the works of Mirko Andolfo I’ve felt that I should be paying attention to this skilled Italian comics creator. Yet, every time I’ve read one of her works my reaction has been mostly indifferent. Her anime-influenced art style gets tedious and her writing is often hard to clearly understand.
BLASFAMOUS is more of the same, although the story here is interesting and posits an assumption with possibilities. This could be a clever satire on the over-influence of pop stars, and the heightened invasion of capitalism/big corporations into the music business. Here, it’s religious groups that sees the rise of pop stars as a vehicle to get their message across.
Yet, instead of a specific faith/organization (although the Order is mentioned, it’s basically a front) it is angels and demons getting into the act. Also, things get confusing as Andolfo makes it appear as if Clelia got her start centuries ago as a nun in chapel petitioning God to assist her - - although its’ clearly that Satan is behind her agent Lex. Was she tricked?
Some of the dialogue is over-the-top dramatic and the messages are a bit heavy-handed. I’m remaining pretty indifferent to Mirko Andolfo, I apologize to her fans. I just don’t get it. THREE STARS.
#155 NIGHT PEOPLE #1of 4 by Chris Condon and Brian Level (Oni Press - March 06, 2024)
OMG, this is NASTY! Nasty people, nasty setting, nasty story. If you ever wanted a good look at pre-Comics Code horror and crime comics art a la EC Comics and other publishers - this emulates those visuals spot on. But, also to perfection. The art of Brain Level is incredible, can’t look away, and the colors are bursting off the page. The plot is equally gritty and disturbing.
The story can be a little hard to follow, lots of characters and settings, but it’s art house/grindhouse/B-movie perfection in the shadiest areas of Louisiana and Florida. These are separate but interlocking storylines and I’m interested to see how Condon ties it all together. I’ve never read the novel, but I get the impression it’s super-complex and difficult to adapt. FOUR STARS.
From the Oni Press promotional information:
From the mind of literary icon Barry Gifford-internationally renowned creator of Wild at Heart and cowriter of David Lynch's neo-noir masterpiece Lost Highway-Night People is a pulsating roadmap of the American subconscious, where neon-lit Southern nights give way to lipstick, sweat, and blood, and the odd, the innocent, and the evil are all fellow travelers down an interstate of dark, elusive dreams.
Adapted from Gifford's acclaimed novel by breakout writer Chris Condon (That Texas Blood, The Enfield Gang Massacre) and a rotating cast of stunning artistic talents-including Brian Level (Poison Ivy), Alexandre Tefenkgi (The Good Asian), Artyom Topilin (I Hate This Place), and more-follow an uneasy cast of wanted men, cartel-killers, and lost souls through four interlocking tales as they travel a path of intoxication, lust, and spontaneous violence from New Orleans to Egypt City, Florida, and back again.
In our first tale of desperation, fanaticism, and murder: Two ex-convicts-a pair of inseparable lovers named Big Betty Stalcup and Miss Cutie Early - are out on parole using their newfound freedom to purify the world of men's evil influence . . . and leaving a trail of mutilated bodies in their wake. As the psychotic dimensions of their star-crossed romance-and the twisting paths that first led them to their fateful meeting at the Fort Sumatra Detention Center for Wayward Women-come into full view, their experiment in righteousness culminates in the kidnapping of Rollo Lamar, a kindly attorney whom Betty and Cutie abduct just to see if they can reeducate at least one man on the planet before the demise of civilization.
No comments:
Post a Comment