June Graphic Novel Reviews (and a note about Infinite Jest)

In June, I read a bunch, well seven, graphic novels including the first volume of three different series.  I usually don’t read this many this close together, but I think it might have had to do with starting to read David Foster Wallace’s Infinite Jest this month with Infinite Summer.  Although it’s a pretty involving book, lots of characters, a non-linear narrative, and a thesaurus sized vocabulary, it’s supposed to be very rewarding if you trust Wallace’s story telling ability.  Also, when (if?) I finish it, I’m going to feel all kinds of accomplished.  I really love it so far, even though the story seems disparate, there’s cross references (without specifics being mentioned) throughout, and I’m enjoying where the ride is taking me.

Anyway, I checked out all these graphic novels from the library because I wanted something not too complex, but still very fun, to read while starting Infinite Jest.  I wasn’t sure if I could handle starting it and another novel at the same time.  I doubt this will continue, because according to the schedule, I should be done with Infinite Jest by September.

I’ve never attempted to write a book review before, so bear with me.  I’m starting small with these mini-reviews and just sharing a short summary and whatever thoughts I have.

In Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art, Scott McCloud attempts to do exactly what the title states, help you to understand comics.  McCloud is not only incredibly knowledgable on the subject, but also able to relate the information in a very fun, entertaining, and easy to grasp way.  He starts with defining comics, not as easy a task as you would think, and then goes into the history of comics, starting at cave painting (I’m pretty sure, but I returned to book to the library awhile ago.)  There’s also a lot of technical terms and techniques employed in comic writing, but it’s not boring at all.  A fair amount of psychology relating to the topic is included.  I learned quite a lot about both the history of comics and the modern styles.  Anyone who enjoys reading comics and graphic novels should definitely check this out.  (Also reviewed at: Jenny’s Books.)

I read Runaways Volume One by Brian K. Vaughan while waiting for his other series Y: The Last Man to arrive.  It’s about a group of teenagers who discover their parents are potentially evil superheroes and run away to discover what their parents are up to and how to stop them.  Each of the teenagers has a special skill: magic, alien powers, a psychic link with a pet dinosaur, logic and strategy, science engineering, and super strength.  It’s a fun first volume, and I think I’ll eventually continue with it.

Castle Waiting by Linda Medley is set in a ‘fairy tale land,’ with the first story arc reminiscent of Sleeping Beauty.  After that, the story veers away from the traditional and into the land of pig-nosed infants, circuses, and an order of bearded nuns.  I read that there’s a second volume, but I don’t think it’s been published yet.  I had a nice afternoon reading this outside on the deck, and I’d recommend this to anyone who wants a fun read and likes skewed fantasy or fairy tale stories.

The Eternal Smile by Gene Luen Yang and Derek Kirk Kim is a collection of three stories, a fairy tale, a gold hungry frog, and an internet scam, that aren’t exactly what they seem at the beginning.  There’s a psychological aspect to all three that I didn’t expect, but I absolutely loved.  It added something I’ve never seen in a graphic novel before, although I’m admittedly not an expert.  The art is gorgeous and has a different style in each story.  After reading Understanding Comics, I was able to identify a few Eastern elements present in the art.  Most noticebly, there were a lot of mood panels, which don’t contain any words or actions, simply a shot to let you know where you are and the overall mood the artist is trying to convey.  Anyway, I loved the heck out of this little book, and I actually read it twice.  If I had a rating system, this would get a million stars.

I read both volumes of Satrapi’s Persepolis earlier this year, and I decided it was time to look into her other works which seem to be kind of companions to Persepolis.  Embroideries by Marjane Satrapi concerns an evening with the women in Satrapi’s family drinking tea and sharing stories both about themselves and gossing about others.  The title refers to a procedure that allows women to superficially ‘reclaim’ their virginity, in hopes that their husband will believe them to be virgins.  I found the drawing style to be very similar, but the layout was quite different.  Where Persepolis was told in mainly panels and included chapter headings, Embroideries has a more fluid, no boundaries visual style, which lends itself to the conversational tone of the book.  While it was only a short book about a few women’s experiences with men, love, sex, and marriage in Iran, I throughly enjoyed reading it and learning a bit more about what these women actually go through.

Fables: Legends in Exile by Bill Willingham is the first volume in the ongoing Fables series.  The Fables have been kicked out of their home by the Adversary and exiled to New York City.  Snow White’s estranged sister Rose Red has been attacked, or worse.  Snow White, an upper level administrator, and Bigby Wolf, the sheriff, investigate.  I won’t tell you what they find out, but I enjoyed it quite a bit.  Other Fables include Prince Charming, divorced from Snow White, Jack, of beanstalk fame, Beauty and the Beast, who are not without marital problems, and Bluebeard, a supposedly reformed serial wife killer.  I’ve already put the second volume on hold and can’t wait to start it!

Y: The Last Man: Unmanned by Brian K. Vaughan is the first volume in the series.  Something happens and all the men in the world die, except two: Yorick and his pet monkey Ampersand (I love their names).  Obviously issues of reproduction and survival of all the species on the planet are paramount.  Yorick is forced to hide, because he doesn’t want to draw attention from the Daughters of the Amazons, a fanatical group who believes the Y chromosome is an aberration the world is glad to be rid of.  I’m going to continue this series to find out what killed off all the males and if the species can be saved.  And of course, to see if Yorick is reunited with his girlfriend, potentially his fiancee, in Australia.

http://jennysbooks.wordpress.com/2009/06/22/understanding-comics-scott-mccloud/