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 . . . . . . .
#156 -#159 GEIGER: 80-PAGE GIANT by Geoff Johns, Gary Frank and various creators (Image Comics, February 2022) This was impossible to find a print copy of, so I read the Kindle edition.
The follow-up to Volume One of the GEIGER series further explores Geoff Johns' Un-named Universe. With a variety of writers and artists involved, and free rein to explore both the landscape of the Geiger series (especially the diverse and strange casinos of Las Vegas) as well as the past history and connections of this universe, there's not a bad story in the bunch.
This just serves to whet my appetite for more.
Among my favorite stories were "Who Is Redcoat?" (Geoff Johns, Bryan Hitch), "Where'd He Find Barney?" (Geoff Johns, Gary Frank), "The Safari" (Peter Tomasi, Peter Snejbjerg), "The Karloff" (Sterling Gates, Kelley Jones), "The Manhattan" (Janet Harvey Nevalam, Megan Levens), and "Saturn 7" (Jay Faeber, Joe Prado).
Favorite new character: Bonnie, operator of The Manhattan casino. FOUR STARS OVERALL.
#160 - #168 IT’S LONELY AT THE CENTRE OF THE EARTH graphic novel written and illustrated by Zoe Thorogood (Image Comics, second printing, January 2023) Comics writer/artist Zoe Thorogood creates a highly imaginative, artistically stylized stream-of-consciousness chronicle of a six-month period in her life. Through her art she does her best to communicate her specific point-of-view so that readers can understand her mental state.
I have mixed feelings about this graphic novel. I finished it less than satisfied, and not entirely sure that I completely understood what Thorogood was communicating, or that she even succeeded in creating the effect/affect that she intended.
Let's cover the positive aspects first:
I'm really impressed by the inventive, creative art - - a mix of incredible detail, simplicity in panels (less is more), and even cartoonish/stick figure elements - - all utilized to create a specific effect and impression on the reader.
Thorogood succeeded in creating empathy for her situation, and I actually began to both understand her mental state but also to experience it. Unfortunately, she admits to having low self-esteem, is unhappy, and often suicidal. This graphic novel made me sad and a little bit depressed. If that is what she was going for, she accomplished it.
And now, the less positive aspects:
It bothers me to learn that individuals who should recognize when they experience victories (minor or major) and lift themselves up fail to do so, and spin it in a negative fashion, minimize it, or just revert to their previous unhappy state. I sure wish I could offer a solution to this, but I'm no expert on mental health.
The book is described as "an auto-biographic-novel" but it's more of a memoir than anything else. Thorogood refers to a highly troubled life as a youngster but there's just not enough back-story included to help readers fully understand that and how it shaped her current state of mind. One incident of unacceptable behavior at school doesn't indicate enough, and there really aren't any scenes of bad parenting or abusive parenting. In the six months covered in the story, her parents appear concerned and reach out to her but she refuses to communicate or converse with them.
I can only conclude that she believes the proper state of mind for herself is to remain unhappy. She has been unhappy for so long that it becomes her comfort level. I'm wondering if she (or her parents) have ever tried professional counseling.
If you are unhappy, sad, depressed, or feeling suicidal - - - I'm not sure this book is going to improve your situation. I consider myself a fairly positive person, and this graphic novel just made me sad. THREE STARS.
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