Set in the waning years of the Islamic Caliphate of Córdoba, this graphic novel tells the story of an unlikely team who risk their lives to rescue theSet in the waning years of the Islamic Caliphate of Córdoba, this graphic novel tells the story of an unlikely team who risk their lives to rescue the library from a power-hungry vizier who threatens to burn it all. The librarian, Tarid, attempts to smuggle out as many books as he can, and ends up commandeering a mule owned by a former copyist in his employ. Joined by a former slave girl and the lazy mule owner, the trio attempt to escape the reach of the vizier and the forces of Córdoba that descend upon them. The Library Mule of Córdoba is pretty much the typical "found family" adventure tale, but the interesting historical backdrop adds a lot of flair to the story. Bolstered by the stylish and cartoonish artwork of Léonard Chemineau, The Library Mule of Córdoba is a truly entertaining piece of historical fiction....more
Ablaze Manga collects a series of Tezuka's various adaptations of Shakespeare works like The Merchant of Venice, Romeo and Juliette, Macbeth, Hamlet, Ablaze Manga collects a series of Tezuka's various adaptations of Shakespeare works like The Merchant of Venice, Romeo and Juliette, Macbeth, Hamlet, The Taming of the Shrew and Othello. Some of these are fairly faithful adaptations (narratively atleast) with an infusion of Tezuka-isms like an animated Disneyesque style of artwork and a decent amount of idealism sliding into cynicism. Some of these adaptations exist within the framework of something larger like Romeo and Juliette adapted directly into an Astro Boy adventure, or Macbeth told using vampires, but the primary narrative design used by Shakespeare is alive and well.
I'm a sucker for loose Shakespeare adaptations into alternative media, genre, etc. (Akira Kurosawa's Ran is one of my all time favorite films), so this kind of manga from the greatest ever is my cup of tea. That said, these stories do feel a little too slight to capture to epic scope of Shakespeare's major works, and as such I did feel like most of the comics here were a little lacking. Still a worthwhile time for any Tezuka fan, especially since many of these stories haven't been translated before....more
Sword and sorcery comics have made a slight resurgence, with Michael Moreci's contributions already well established with works like Barbaric from VauSword and sorcery comics have made a slight resurgence, with Michael Moreci's contributions already well established with works like Barbaric from Vault Comics or the recent revival of Frank Frazetta's Death Dealer.
Here with The Mighty Barbarians, a story is carved out using pastiches of classic characters from prominent medieval/sword & sandals literature towards a fast paced adventure story involving the destruction of all reality. Morgan Le Fey assembles an "Avengers"-esque team of barbarian characters from various dimensions to take on an evil that threatens all of existence. It's a pretty generic team-up style adventure with the all the conventional tropes involving a group of misfits/lone wolves who must come together to solve a common threat. It's a decent enough action adventure story, but offers little in terms of novelty or tension. An easy enough read and some fun artwork allows this to be a rather inoffensive way to pass the time....more
Another solid combination of Conan stories with "Beyond the Black River" by Mathieu Gabella and Anthony Jean and "The Hour of the Dragon" by Julien BlAnother solid combination of Conan stories with "Beyond the Black River" by Mathieu Gabella and Anthony Jean and "The Hour of the Dragon" by Julien Blondel and Valentin Sécher. It's been a lot of fun getting non-American perspectives on the classic Robert E. Howard stories, and they definitely added their own vision to the classic sword & sandals comics.
"Beyond the Black River" is set during Conan's time as a mercenary as he is tasked with protecting a colony from invading Picts. The garrison is mostly depleted, and Conan sees the cause as lost but is tasked with killing a Pict sorcerer as a last ditch attempt for survival. Conan is paired up with a young man named Balthus, and the story is told primarily from Balthus awed perspective on Conan. The depiction of Conan here is a bit different than in previous iterations as he rocks a different haircut and outfit, but it works pretty well for crafting a "punk" aesthetic for our heroic barbarian. The closing quote of this story is taken directly from Howard's story - "Barbarism is the natural state of mankind. Civilization is unnatural; it is a whim of circumstance... And barbarism must always ultimately triumph!" I haven't really read Howard's work outside of the comic adaptations, but this portion was absolutely sublime.
"Hour of the Dragon" takes place later in Conan's life when he's the ruler of Aquilonia and is dealing with a conspiracy that seeks to unseat him. The plot leads back to Xaltoun, the previous ruler who has been resurrected via arcane magic. It's a decent tale, though a bit bogged down by the over-narration. The artwork by Sécher is great as it captures the cinematic quality to the battle sequences well....more
Contained in this volume are two Conan tales: "The Iron Shadows of the Moon" by Virginie Augustin and "The Man-Eaters of Zamboula" by Gess. Both preseContained in this volume are two Conan tales: "The Iron Shadows of the Moon" by Virginie Augustin and "The Man-Eaters of Zamboula" by Gess. Both present solid, enjoyable Conan tales with some great artwork that is differentiated from the typical Conan the Barbarian comics since they feel much more distinctively European/Franco-Belgian.
"The Iron Shadows of the Moon" has Conan rescuing a woman named Olivia who has recently escaped the custody of a Hyrkanian king. Conan agrees to help Olivia to safety but the pair run afoul of a group of pirates amidst a deserted island populated with mysterious statues. In the moonlight, the statues turn into demonic entities that torment both Conan and the pirates. Wiles and might give Conan the upper hand. Augustin's artwork is simply fantastic, and though the story itself was a rather simple one, the execution here was great.
"The Man-Eaters of Zamboula" takes Conan to the odd city of Zamboula which seems to be haunted. Conan is advised not to stay out at night since there are entities that have been dragging the homeless away. Learning that the threat is a roving band of cannibals, Conan comes to the safety of a mysterious, naked woman who is being hunted by the cannibals. There are some fun twists here, but the main draw is the moody tone to the story. Gess' artwork is quite nice, but I was really not a fan of the use of color in the night scenes - which were plenty in this story. There is a monotone sheen of purple that eliminates all contrast, and with his thin lines, the details felt completely lost. When properly colored though, his artwork really worked for me.
Overall, a bunch of entertaining Conan tales with great artwork....more
A rather faithful adaptation of Lovecraft's "The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath", Florentino Flórez and Jacques Salomon bring to life the journey of RaA rather faithful adaptation of Lovecraft's "The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath", Florentino Flórez and Jacques Salomon bring to life the journey of Randolph Carter who seeks out the majestic city seen in his dreams. Much of the story is essentially a travelogue through the fictional lands crafted from Lovecraft's twisted imagination, as Randolph navigates his way to Kadath, the mountain above which the gods of dream live. The story is brimming with esoteric cat-guides, inhumane cannibalistic slavers, moon-beasts and of course, elder and outer gods like Nyarlathotep and Nodens.
As someone who generally finds the original Lovecraft story borderline unreadable, Flórez and Salomon do a pretty decent job adapting this into comic form. The overall journey is filled with the esoteric mystique found in the original novella, but it does unfortunately lack the dread and creepiness of the text. The artwork, nice as it looks, doesn't really sell the aura that locations like Dylath-Leen, Ngranek, Leng, Koth, Celephais, etc. evoke in the novella and in Lovecraft's many other works. It's an issue with many Lovecraft adaptations, especially into visual mediums like in comics, and Lovecraft: Unknown Kadath can't quite cross that hump either. One thing I did particularly really enjoy were the homages to Winsor McCay's "Little Nemo in Slumberland" that opened each issue. Not only were they excellently composed pages, but they establish the central thread of each issue very well. ...more
Osamu Tezuka seems to adore Goethe's Faust, given how often he returns to the concept. Here, Tezuka reimagines the story from the lens of Ichirui HanrOsamu Tezuka seems to adore Goethe's Faust, given how often he returns to the concept. Here, Tezuka reimagines the story from the lens of Ichirui Hanri, an accountant for a recently disgraced feudal lord who attempted to instigate a rebellion. Due to Hanri's involvement with handling the finances for the upstart lord, he is sentenced to commit seppuku. Claiming he would sell his soul to survive, Hanri is approached by a yōkai named Sudama, who agrees to purchase his soul in exchange for three wishes. Hanri's choices lead to him getting a do-over in life, but was the price worth it?
Despite the relatively grim nature of the story, Tezuka's take is quite charming and surprisingly upbeat at times. One Hundred Tales isn't completely jovial, it does take the time to ponder more existential ideas and question what one might do if they had a mulligan on life. But similar to works like Astro Boy or Phoenix, there is sufficient campiness to balance out the heavier ideas. There are a fair amount of Tezuka's signature oddities sprinkled in here to also give the story a unique flavor distinct from Goethe's original work.
This isn't anywhere near my favorite work from Tezuka, but it's still a highly enjoyable time overall. I'm happy to see that Ablaze has more Tezuka translations coming down the pipeline since I can't ever get enough of his work....more
While I enjoyed the Conan stories in the first collection, I have to say I felt significantly disappointed with the two stories collected in the seconWhile I enjoyed the Conan stories in the first collection, I have to say I felt significantly disappointed with the two stories collected in the second volume. "People of the Black Circle" by Sylvain Runberg and Jae Kwang Park was a story with some odd modern elements mixed in that made the whole thing feel quite anachronistic (yes, I know Cimmeria is a fictional place). My biggest issue with the first story was that the artwork felt quite condensed into small panels, which were already claustrophobic from the big narration boxes, but only served to make the art feel quite congested and muddy looking.
The second story, "The Frost Giant's Daughter" by Robin Recht and Dezi Sienty, was much better, though I recently came off reading the Kurt Busiek Conan run and have to say that they did this story better. The only thing I can really give extra credit for is that the story in the Ablaze version is much raunchier.
Overall though, this was a weaker volume in the Ablaze adaptations of Robert E. Howard's stories....more
In order to learn more about her betrothed (and men in general), Bianca is gifted by her aunt a "man's skin" to wear. Wearing the skin, she takes on aIn order to learn more about her betrothed (and men in general), Bianca is gifted by her aunt a "man's skin" to wear. Wearing the skin, she takes on a male appearance and befriends her fiancé, Giovanni. Whilst originally turned off by him, she begins to develop a more complex relationship with her fiancé that challenges gender norms, sexuality and identity. This was a really interesting read with the scope of human sexuality explored here diffusing well into the narrative. Hubert's approach is subversive and creative, and though the story leans heavy into absurdity, the themes are appropriately meaty and well developed.
Zanzim's artwork initially was pretty unappealing to me, but it grew on me quickly. At first, the characters all looked kind of "weightless" and sparsely designed though it soon takes on the appearance of artwork resembling that of murals or what one might find in old scrolls. The style suits the Renaissance era setting well, and I ended up appreciating the artwork a fair bit....more
Having enjoyed a lot of the Conan/Cimmerian related adaptations coming from Ablaze, I thought I'd give Bêlit & Valeria a shot. Oof, what a mess this cHaving enjoyed a lot of the Conan/Cimmerian related adaptations coming from Ablaze, I thought I'd give Bêlit & Valeria a shot. Oof, what a mess this comic is. The dialogue is completely off-tone, with way too much emphasis put on modern colloquialisms that just feel out of place for this kind of storytelling. I don't mind excess swearing, but this is dialed up to unfathomable levels of edginess. I don't know if this was meant to be slapstick or not, but it definitely reads that way.
The story follows Bêlit, the newly resurrected pirate queen, joining forces with the dangerous sorceress Valeria. They navigate the deadly world of the male gaze and try their best not to succumb to the sexual whims of the men around them. Again, I'm no prude but there are some laughably silly bits of raunchiness that just make this seem like an excuse to draw nude women to excess. I did quite like Rodney Buchemi's work on the interiors, despite the exaggerated feminine features. The colors are well done, and there are some moments of great panel compositions.
Overall, not a recommendation in the slightest from me. The lacking script is only exacerbated by the fact that Ablaze reprints the original Robert E. Howard story in the back showing just how loose of an adaptation this really was....more
Maybe I'm not the audience for this since I haven't read the graphic novels to which this is a prequel for, but I found this to just be okay. The artwMaybe I'm not the audience for this since I haven't read the graphic novels to which this is a prequel for, but I found this to just be okay. The artwork by Shawn Martinbrough is quite nice, and the moments of horror are well delivered. Andy Diggle's script is light and fast moving, allowing the story to get through the beats quickly enough. But it also didn't really do much to make me feel invested in reading the main series, mostly because it doesn't feel like much happens once we get through it all. ...more
I don't consider myself prudish in any way, but something about many of Bastien Vivès' comics just never sit right with me. There's a lot of questionaI don't consider myself prudish in any way, but something about many of Bastien Vivès' comics just never sit right with me. There's a lot of questionable stuff happening in A Sister, and I do feel like the story doesn't warrant the depth to which adolescent sexuality and substance abuse is depicted. Don't get me wrong, I don't think it's overly gratuitous in any way...but the scenes do linger a little too long. There's only so much semi-incestuous adolescent relationships a reader can tolerate, and this book pushes the limits easily.
The story features a 13 year old boy named Antoine who is on vacation with his parents and younger brother. Staying in the same vacation house are friends of the family, which includes sixteen year old Hélène. Antoine's hormones are raging, and Hélène stokes the fire of his desires quickly. It's not that I find the depiction of a sexual tension between two kids disturbing, rather it's the insistence that the scenes be included in any real detail beyond the storytelling. I suppose one could argue removing the scenes would reduce the efficacy of the story, but I'd argue there are plenty of great coming of age stories that feature sexuality prominently that don't really get graphic at all.
Vivès is undoubtedly a talented cartoonist but I've yet to find real appeal in him as a storyteller. There's some good stuff in A Sister for sure like the naturalistic dialogue and smooth pacing, but overall I was left cold by much of the overall plot....more
Ablaze's take on the Conan property is quite well done. The first volume contains two classic Robert E. Howard stories: "Queen of the Black Coast" andAblaze's take on the Conan property is quite well done. The first volume contains two classic Robert E. Howard stories: "Queen of the Black Coast" and "Red Nails". Both stories have different creative teams involved, but they flow together well. The adaptations capably summarise Howard's prose into dialogue and captions, and do a great job keeping the comic succint. The artwork is similarly nice, though perhaps lacking the finesse of Barry Windsor-Smith's pencils. Overall, quite enjoyable stuff, though I wish it did deliver a bit more on the "unrestrained, violent, and sexual" descriptors included in the blurb of the book. ...more
Kind of a generic zombie story that has some fairly fun twists along the way. I mostly enjoyed this for Checchetto's artwork, which is beautiful to beKind of a generic zombie story that has some fairly fun twists along the way. I mostly enjoyed this for Checchetto's artwork, which is beautiful to behold. Checchetto's linework is sharp and clean, and the various action set pieces all look amazing. The colors by Andres Mossa are phenomenal too, incorporating some excellent lighting effects and making the rainy atmosphere feel all too photo-realistic. This is a fun book for sure - something a fan of zombie fiction may enjoy a bit more....more
Another fun installment of the adventures of Antoine, Emile and Pierrot, as they continue to find varying ways to return to the ways of their rebellioAnother fun installment of the adventures of Antoine, Emile and Pierrot, as they continue to find varying ways to return to the ways of their rebellious youth. Sophie continues to be a great character for whom the three geezers can bounce off of, and they all bring a magnamious charm to the book. While I did find the two stories in this volume to be a little more meandering, the character work, dialogue and especially the artwork continue to be top notch. Truly a fun little series that I'd happily read more of. ...more
An incredibly charming and stunning book. Three elderly friends re-unite at a funeral and recall their youthful debauchery, progressive ideals and theAn incredibly charming and stunning book. Three elderly friends re-unite at a funeral and recall their youthful debauchery, progressive ideals and the time spent fighting the system. After a certain secret about Antoine's deceased wife is spilled, events get set in motion that have them embarking on another adventure. The story is briskly paced, the characters are all enthralling and the script is humorous and light. There's a light nostalgic aspect to the story that makes this a warm read and it's endearing to have so many likeable characters all at once.
The art is also stunning. The landscapes are awe-inspiring with tons of warm colors used for a very pleasing aesthetic. The facial features and emotive quality of the characters are also striking and well rendered. A perfect fit to the endearing story.
Highly recommend this book. I'm eager to delve into the second volume soon. ...more
I don't mind stories with unlikable characters. The problem isn't that Séverine is unlikable, it's that she's written to be almost unrealistically unlI don't mind stories with unlikable characters. The problem isn't that Séverine is unlikable, it's that she's written to be almost unrealistically unlikable. I'm not going to say it's a "men writing women" problem since I'm a man myself, but I sincerely doubt any woman will derive much empathy for Séverine.
Add to the fact that there are problematic moments in the comic, most of which contribute literally nothing to the story, this makes for a remarkably unpleasant read. Bastien Vivès' artwork is nice enough I suppose, but does little to keep the story afloat....more
Orwell's Animal Farm remade into a gorgeous comic about an attempt at non-violent revolution to seek a return to a more collectivist society. Animal COrwell's Animal Farm remade into a gorgeous comic about an attempt at non-violent revolution to seek a return to a more collectivist society. Animal Castle tells the story of the courageous Miss B, a cat who galvanizes a revolution against the totalitarian leader, Silvio. Silvio's grip over the castle comes from brutal enforcement by a pack of dogs, who unrepentantly use violence to keep the other animals at bay. Miss B believes firmly in civil unrest by non-violent means, but is that enough? This book doesn't try to answer every political question, but whatever it does try to engage in it does with deftness. Félix Delep's artwork is stunning, with warm colors and sharp lines forming some truly great moments.
I do wish Ablaze published this in the album format instead of as traditional North American floppies. There is quite a bit lost to the top and bottom page margins, and with the already small lettering in place, some of the text can be tough to read. ...more
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