Über, Volume One [Enhanced Edition] by Kieron Gillen and Caanan White

I've been following Kieron Gillen's comics ever since I read his Journey into Mystery. I haven't read Phonogram - yet - but I've read his Uncanny X-Men, his Young Avengers and now his Iron-Man (and his Avengers vs X-Men: Consequences, which was the best part of the event) and I'm going to read The Wicked and the Divine. There is something about his take on the story or the characters, something about what he likes to explore and how he explores it that appeals to me. Reading Gillen, much like Jonathan Hickman, Brian Wood or Haden Blackman, makes for a different view of a recognizable marvel universe. This led me to pay some attention to the announcement of Über, though it ended up showing me a new Gillen.

I like art that references Nazism and the Second World War, it's something we still need to learn from, with suffering that we need to bring to the present, to each one of us humans. Few events on our recent history are so full of revelations on what humanity is and how far each human is able to go in pursuit of what he wants or believes. On the other hand, I fear that too many fictional pieces about it may turn it into a story, more than history, possibly creating a barrier to a recognition of ourselves as its agents.

Treading on the edge, Über wins its gambit, because Gillen and White take it seriously. The story starts with history and becomes alternate history, at a point where the creation of a kind of super[über]-men is able to change the course of the war before Berlin falls. The reader follows what happens to certain people key to the creation and deployment of these human weapons and they take us right to the top of the hierarchies driving the war in Europe, Churchill and Hitler, as they deal with these unpredictable events. Meanwhile, three developments stand out:
 - the military types, as the war effort is forever changed, how they follow or betray principles, what drives each one of them and how that is reflected on the battlefield;
 - the war, as much as it is changed with the übermensch, being just as it always is - suffering, sweat, blood, tears, fear, terror, death - war;
 - the übers themselves, as the authors explore being living weapons in the middle of a world war and how that relates to each one's previous life and personality.

Simultaneously, we get espionage and then some science fiction, as we get to know what is behind the creation of these super-men, something we know is going to keep being developed at the same time as, historically, the Manhattan Project would be on the go.

Caanan White's art - one I'm sure wouldn't call to me if I looked at it randomly - ends up being an essential part of what makes this such a good depiction of a fictional war that started with a very real conflict. There is no special effect in the representation, no minimalist drawing, no metaphorical death or character. Caanan White gives us people, far too real people, as they do and suffer the worst humanity has to offer.
The enhanced edition I got (because some friends really know what kind of presents I like) brought with it a few other surprises, including interviews with the authors, a text about Über, some of Kieron Gillen's thoughts about each of the pages, and finally some of White's art before coloring - I'll tell you this, I think I'd buy Über illustrated only by this original drawings, it's that good.

The only real negative point I can speak of is that the difference in storytelling from the first to the second half of the book is far too noticeable. The good news is that it keeps getting better.

I highly recommend Über as an alternate history and sci-fi World War II comic that has a lot to teach, to explore, to make the reader feel as it tell an enticing story. This first part ends as... well, prepare yourself for the end of the first volume. I'm waiting for the second.

(portuguese translation of this review to come)

East of West Vol.1: The Promise by Jonathan Hickman and Nick Dragotta

Em East of West, Jonathan Hickman e Nick Dragotta misturam alguma ficção científica com um enredo tipicamente fantástico - a besta do apocalipse - de uma forma extremamente importante. Este primeiro volume é uma apresentação das personagens, as suas histórias e motivações e a sua posição num planeta Terra com uma história alternativa. O leitor segue Morte que está aqui contra os seus três companheiros cavaleiros do apocalypse (aqui crianças) e a sua busca por vingança e pela mulher que ama. "Amar até à morte" tem todo um novo alcança em East of West, onde três personagens conseguem destruir exércitos inteiros ou determinar quem é presidente matando todos os restantes "candidatos".

É isto que quero num primeiro volume de uma série: uma história que me deixa curioso sem se revelar demasiado, personagens que de facto quero conhecer (e descobrir o que vão fazer a seguir) e um mundo intrigante, tanto tecnologica como politicamente, que mal posso esperar para ver explorado.

Li esta banda-desenhada inicialmente através do NetGalley, mas gostei tanto que acabei por comprar o volume em papel e encomendar o seguinte. Em East of West, Hickman está ao seu mais alto nível e Dragotta convence-me inevitavelmente, enquanto as suas personagens parecem viver entre o apocalipse e o armageddon.

In East of West, Jonathan Hickman and Nick Dragotta find a way to mix a few science fiction themes with a major typical fantasy plot - the beast of the apocalypse - in a very interesting way. This first volume is a presentation of the characters, their general background and drive and where they stand in this weirdly time displaced, wonderfully confused, alternate history Earth. The reader follows Death who is against his three apocalyptic siblings (here incarnated as children) and his quest for a human woman he seems to love. "I love you to death" gets a whole new meaning and scope in East of West, as a few characters get to murder entire armies or determine the results of a promotion by killing off the unwanted "candidates".

This is exactly what I enjoy in introductory volumes: a story that piques my curiosity without revealing itself too much, characters I really want to get to know, and a world intriguing enough (both technologically and politically) that I can hardly wait to see it further explored.

I got to read this first volume from NetGalley, but I liked it so much that I bought the paperback and will order the next ones This is Hickman at his usual best and Dragotta making me a fan, while their characters live between apocalypse and armageddon. 

The Victories Volume 1: Touched by Michael Avon Oeming

Eu conhecia Michael Avon Oeming do seu trabalho em Powers e também de uma ou outra ilustração para a Marvel pelo que comecei a segui-lo no twitter. Foi assim que acompanhei o processo de criação de The Victories, que o autor comentou frequentemente na rede social, e fiquei interessado em ler algo não só ilustrado mas também escrito por ele. Oeming não desiludiu. The Victories é uma visão pessimista de uma sociedade com "super-heróis". A história é-nos apresentada pelo ponto de vista  dos próprios "heróis" que, longe de serem indivíduos exemplares - epítomes das virtudes humanas - são afinal pessoas com imperfeições cuja posição civilizacional serve apenas para o autor as poder ampliar e explorar.
O contexto é uma civilização futurista mas algo distópica, em que as pessoas são vigiadas por câmaras em todo o lado mas a corrupção é ubíqua, a juventude está a tornar-se globalmente viciada numa nova droga e super-heróis parecem ser a única hipótese de limpar e salvar a sociedade. Parece tão familiar como a visão de um dia chuvoso quando olhamos pela janela (televisão?) de nossa casa com a devida atenção. De destacar aqui uma visão das drogas menos tradicionalista do que o habitual, dado que é aqui perfeitamente compreensível o apelo para a sua utilização. Faustus, a personagem principal deste primeiro volume, tem o interesse de ter uma personalidade em formação, parece algo incompleto, com assuntos por resolver (às vezes lembrando demasiado o típico anti-herói com passado doloroso) e em processo de auto-descoberta e auto-definição.
É assim que Oeming se propõe a explorar o papel que nós tendemos a dar a estas supostas figuras exemplares, ao mesmo tempo que lida com o que as pessoas têm de melhor e pior, com as suas reacções perante situações extremas e perante o risco de ganhar ou perder tudo. The Victories é uma banda-desenhada dirigida a leitores maduros e que a meu ver será de especial interesse a quem já passou pela leitura das BD de super-heróis tradicionais, mundos idealizados e épicos de auto-descoberta, porque verá aqui um contraponto inteligente.
A arte é tão adequada ao cenário criado que não lhe posso apontar um defeito. Quem gostar do desenho de Oeming não ficará desiludido com este livro.
A minha única crítica é que, como volume introdutório, há alguma perda de cadência por momentos de flashback e infodump que prejudicam ligeiramente a leitura.
Já encomendei o segundo volume.

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I knew Michael Avon Oeming from his work on Powers and some Marvel stuff and that's why I started following him on twitter. Through his account I was able to follow the creative process of The Victories, because the author often spoke about it. He got me interested enough in checking something that he wrote and illustrated himself. Oeming didn't disappoint. The Victories is a pessimistic view of a society with "super-heroes". The story is told through the heroes' point of view, themselves far from the usual exemplary people one would expect, are after all quite flawed. The author uses their status as super-heroes to further amplify and analyse such human flaws.
The context is a futuristic and rather dystopian civilization, where people are constantly spied by drone cameras but corruption is still ubiquitous, young people are addicted to some new kind of drug and super-heroes seem to be the only hope of cleaning it all up and saving society. It's as familiar as if one was looking outside the window (television?) in a rainy day and actually paying attention. Of note is the author's use of the drug, which far from the traditional cliché is presented here as a substance with an understandable appeal. Faustus, the main character of the first volume is interesting to follow because the author left him with an immature personality, somewhat incomplete and with unfinished business (sometimes reminding me of the typical anti-hero with past issues), a young man in a process of self-discovery and definition.
This is how Oeming sets out to explore the place we give to these supposed exemplary figures, at the same time dealing with what people have best and worst, their reactions to extreme situations where they risk winning or losing everything they care for. The Victories is a comic wrote for mature readers and will probably be enjoyed the most by those who have read the more typical comics with their traditional superheroes, idealized worlds and self-discovery epics because they will see here a smart counterpoint.
The illustration is so adequate to the setting and tone that I can't really point anything wrong with it. Whoever knows and likes Michael Avon Oeming's art won't be disappointed.
My only negative criticism towards this book is that, as an introductory volume, the storytelling often looses momentum with the flashbacks and some infodumping that disturb an otherwise enjoyable read.
I'm now waiting for the next volume!

The Steamworld Chronicles #1 by Steven Hoveke, Mike Scigliano, Ben Risbeck et al

Participei na campanha do Kickstarter que financiou o projecto e como recompensa recebi a versão digital do primeiro número de "The Steamworld Chronicles - The Constantine Quest: Part 1".

Esta é uma típica história de mistério e aventura posta num mundo em tudo familiar aos fãs de steampunk, com dirigíveis, comboios e helicópteros a vapor e uma personagem principal que lembra o Indiana Jones.

A arte é competente mas de certa forma banal, sem surpresas nem um estilo que a destaque ou a faça trazer algo mais à obra.
Sendo esta apenas uma parte introdutória deste "The Constantine Quest", é demasiado cedo para me pronunciar em relação ao desenvolvimento do enredo ou das personagens que têm para já um tratamento bastante superficial e limitado aos clichés habituais.

Sendo assim, The Steamworld Chronicles será um entretenimento de interesse essencialmente para os fãs do visual e contexto steampunk. O enquadramento é suficientemente indefinido para que haja potencial para muito mais e espero que ao longo dos próximos números a história se torne complexa e vá permitindo explorar alguns temas a que o steampunk de qualidade se costuma associar.
Mais informações sobre esta e as próximas histórias estarão disponíveis em steamworldchronicles.com.

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I contributed to the Kickstarter campaign that financed this project and as a reward I got a digital version of "The Steamworld Chronicles - The Constantine Quest: Part 1".

This is a rather typical adventure and mystery story in a world quite familiar to steampunk fans - with blimps, steam trains and helicopters -  and a main character similar do Indiana Jones.
The illustration is competent but kind of trivial and unsurprising, with a commonplace style.
Being this just an introduction to "The Constantine Quest", it's far too soon for me to comment the plot's development or the characters, for now quite cliché and superficial.

The Steamworld Chronicles is entertaining, though of interest mostly for fans of steampunk visuals and context. The frame is still undefined so there is potential to use the next numbers or stories to make these chronicles ever more complex and explore some of the themes that good quality steampunk works usually tackle.
More information available at steamworldchronicles.com.

Saga Volume 2 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples

Depois de ter adorado o primeiro volume, não tive dúvidas em encomendar o segundo e lê-lo mal chegasse. Continuando a história interessante iniciada no primeiro, este não tem no entanto o factor surpresa que tornou o primeiro espectacular. Gostei especialmente de conhecer os pais do Marko e da história com que este segundo volume termina. À parte disso, este livro dá uma sensação de ser essencialmente uma ponte entre a introdução e o próximo evento relevante. No entanto há que admitir Brian K. Vaughan e Fiona Staples conseguem ainda assim manter o interesse e entusiasmo com a história, de forma que mal posso esperar pelo próximo.

Continuo a recomendar a leitura de Saga sem reservas e estou especialmente interessado em ver como vão explorar aquela realeza com televisões em vez de cabeças.

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After loving the first volume, I didn't hesitate in ordering the second and reading it as soon as I got it. Is spite of being an interesting continuation of the story began in the previous book, this lacks that "wow factor" that made the first one spectacular. I specially liked getting to know Marko's parents and also enjoyed the final part of this volume. Other than these, this book does seem like a filler. However, one must admit that Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples still manage to keep the reader interested and enthusiastic with their story.

I still recommend reading Saga with no reservations and I'm looking forward to finding out how they are going to explore that royalty with TV set's for heads.

Great Pacific Vol.1: Trashed! by Joe Harris and Martin Morazzo

Foi-me dada a oportunidade de ler esta BD através do NetGalley. A ideia de uma história em que o protagonista decide fazer dum monte de lixo flutuante um país criou-me expectativas muito altas para um princípio que, ainda que longe de ser mau, não me conseguiu convencer.

Joe Harris tem muitas ideias para esta obra e talvez tenha tentado usar demasiadas logo nos primeiros números, de forma que antes de conseguir sequer perceber com que tipo de protagonista estou a lidar já ele foi exposto a um sem número de situações mais ou menos descabidas que apesar de tudo parecem nunca ter o devido impacto nele. Há, para além disto, uma mistura mal definida entre elementos de ficção científica ambientalista utópica e uma série de acontecimentos e elementos de dúbia credibilidade que me recordaram a minha recente experiência com o pós-modernismo. Esta mistura podia claramente originar uma BD genial, mas no caso, talvez por alguma falha na forma de contar a história, na fluidez do enredo ou da falta de um princípio mais consistente e convincente, simplesmente não me entusiasmou.

A ilustração, a cargo de Martin Morazzo, é competente, em especial a nível de background e mesmo de alguns elementos, mas é medíocre na caracterização de algumas personagens,  tendo painéis muito bons e momentos em que não está de todo bem conseguida e acaba por ser contra-producente para a leitura.

Sendo assim, esta é a meu ver uma BD mediana, que nem me faria prosseguir nem desaconselhar a sua leitura. No entanto, tenho visto na internet que os números seguintes - a ser coleccionados num segundo volume - são substancialmente melhores, pelo que pondero dar-he mais essa oportunidade, até porque quero muito que este conceito resulte.

Resta-me lembrar que o Great Pacific garbage patch existe mesmo e talvez devesse justificar uma alteração considerável da forma como nós fazemos uma grande parte das nossas actividades, não?

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I had access to Great Pacific Volume 1: Trashed through NetGalley. The concept of a guy trying to turn a heap of trash into a nation really raised my expectations ever since I heard of it, probably too much for a beginning that, though far from bad, didn't really make my day.

Joe Harris has a lot of ideas for this work and maybe he just tried to use too many right from the start, resulting in a protagonist that is exposed to too many odd situations before I even know who he really is and that seem to have no palpable impact on him. I also had some trouble with the strange mixture between ecological utopian science fiction items and a series of events and elements that reminded me of post-modern narrative, something that could have been awesome but ended up uninteresting, perhaps due to some failure in storytelling, lack of flow or of a consistent and convincing beginning.

Martin Morazzo's illustration  is competent, specially in terms of background and some specific elements, but is mediocre when considering some character's characterization, ending up with some very good panels and moments where it fails to help the storytelling.

This is an average comic, that would neither convince me to keep reading it nor really advise people to avoid it. In spite of this, I have heard that the next issues are much better than the one collected in Trashed, so I am actually considering giving it another go, if for nothing else, because I really want this concept to work out.

Last but not least, I must remind anyone reading this that the Great Pacific garbage patch is quite real and should probably, by itself, be making us change how we do a lot of stuff, shouldn't it?

Hän Solo de Rui Lacas

Ora aqui está uma BD que li apesar de ter sido desaconselhada. A verdade é que gosto de ir dando uma vista de olhos ao que é publicado a nível de banda desenhada em Portugal e ainda que os primeiros leitores de Hän Solo me tenham dito que não valia a pena o esforço, a minha teimosia venceu, agora que a minha memória foi reavivada pelo facto deste livro ter sido premiado numa convenção de BD recente.
Hän Solo é um trabalho que versa um momento da vida de Hän, um holandês bipolar que depois de fazer Erasmus em Portugal acaba por decidir cá ficar a tentar a sua sorte. Rui Lacas tem aqui uma base que lhe permitiria imensas possibilidades de exploração, desde a situação de um estrangeiro em Portugal, o preconceito, a xenofobia ou a aculturação; a relação amorosa estranha com uma portuguesa; o facto de querer trabalhar como fotógrafo, a desvalorização da profissão, os problemas de desemprego jovem; a doença bipolar em si ou a sua relação com todos os restantes problemas de Hän. A verdade é que o autor falhou em toda a linha. Depois de criar esta personagem, todas estas coisas foram simplesmente atiradas para o enredo - ou falta dele - até se alcançar um final que resolve uma parte dos problemas quase por magia ou acaso e ignora os restantes.
A ilustração é mediana, sem ser original nem interessante nem especialmente mal conseguida.
Assim sendo, só me falta perceber como é que esta obra foi sequer nomeada para prémios como melhor arte, melhor publicação nacional ou, pior ainda, melhor argumento. Menos ainda percebo como é que o público votou de forma a esta obra ser a vencedora destes três Troféus Central Comics, especialmente considerando que conheço muitos dos outros nomeados e que são trabalhos bastante superiores.

Não recomendo perder tempo com esta obra, a não ser que tenham uma obsessão por conhecer tudo o que é publicado em Portugal.

Skim by Jillian and Mariko Tamaki

Pedi Skim emprestado depois de ler esta opinião. Esta banda-desenhada usa a vida de uma rapariga de 16 anos com excesso de peso e a tentar tornar-se uma bruxa Wiccan para fazer uma exploração de várias vertentes da adolescência.

A história de Skim - igualmente a alcunha pelo qual a personagem principal é conhecida - está num ponto de viragem. Ao longo do livro ela é exposta a situações que vão tocando, mais ou menos superficialmente, em vários dos reconhecidos dramas da adolescência. Fala-se da aceitação pelos colegas, da ideia de normalidade e preconceito, de paixão, de auto-descoberta, de amizades verdadeiras ou de circunstância, de vontade de desaparecer ou de suicídio. Os três principais paralelos que sustentam esta exploração são o suicídio de um colega, a paixão por uma professora e a amizade estranha e assimétrica com Lisa. O ritmo do desenvolvimento da história é estruturado pelos momentos em que Kim escreve no seu diário, momentos esses que originam páginas com organização diferente das típicas vinhetas e que incluem comentários que mostram as várias coisas que ela vai descobrindo ou concluindo. Estes são frequentemente irónicos e vão ajudando a transmitir a mensagem do livro ao leitor.

A ilustração é eficaz embora não especialmente bonita ou original.
Skim é uma BD sobre a adolescência que lembra e comenta os vários problemas associados à sua vivência e arranha algumas lições sem ser paternalista e sem se deixar cair no dramatismo tão frequentemente associado a histórias nesta faixa etária, sem dúvida de interesse a fãs do meio ou da temática, ainda que fique aquém do seu potencial no que toca à profundidade de análise.

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I borrowed Skim after reading a friend's review. This graphic novel uses the life of a 16 year old overweight Wiccan-in-training girl to explore various aspects of being a teenager.
The story of Skim - also the girls nickname - is at a turning point. Throughout the book she experiences some situations that question the typical dramas of adolescence. Themes such as peer acceptance, normality and prejudice, passion, self-discovery, true or circumstantial friendships or the will to disappear or suicide are tackled more or less superficial as the story progresses. The three main issues that support this exploration are a friend's suicide, falling in love with a teacher and a strange asymmetric friendship with Lisa. The pace is set and kept by moments when Kim writes on her diary, in pages with a different organization and illustration, which include comments that show what she is learning or discovering and, with no lack of irony, help to transmit the message to the reader.
The illustration is effective though not specially beautiful or original.
Skim is a graphic novel about teenage that goes through multiple of its characteristic problems and points to some lessons though never feeling patronizing or overly dramatic, doubtlessly of interest to fans of comics or of this theme, despite not being as deep in its analysis as it could have been.

O Baile por Nuno Duarte e Joana Afonso

Fiquei interessado nesta BD pela sua ilustração e a leitura mostrou-me que a minha primeira impressão foi certeira.

O Baile é uma história de horror em que um inspector da PIDE se vê a braços com zombies, como a capa já dá a entender. O argumento de Nuno Duarte é simples, sem especiais erros a apontar mas igualmente sem nada a destacar. As personagens não têm tempo de ser exploradas mais do que superficialmente e até a personagem principal passa a história a ser empurrado pelo enredo até ao final. O próprio não é especialmente original, sendo no fundo mais uma versão das histórias de bruxaria em que o culpado, lembrando os policiais, é revelado num clímax final.

Por outro lado, o desenho de Joana Afonso é a jóia deste livro. Com um traço diferente do habitual, a autora tem uma excelente capacidade de contar a história por imagens, como compete a um ilustrador em banda-desenhada. As cores que complementam o desenho estão adequadas à historia e ao contexto proposto.

Sendo assim, um livro a que vale a pena dar uma oportunidade essencialmente pela arte gráfica, com uma história que entretém sem surpreender. Estarei atento a novos trabalhos de Joana Afonso.

Siegfried Volume 1 by Alex Alice

Siegfried é o primeiro de três volumes do projecto de Alex Alice, em que pretende reinterpretar a história desta figura da mitologia nórdica, não só em forma de banda-desenhada como em filme de animação. Admite inspirar-se no Anel dos Nibelungos de Wagner, na Völsungasaga e outras fontes menos directas como por exemplo a obra de Tolkien. Este volume inclui, para além da história propriamente dita, um entrevista com o autor em que ele fala da elaboração do projecto. Li a tradução em inglês.
O enredo aqui não é surpresa nenhuma para quem conhece a mitologia nórdica. Pareceu-me no entanto algo rápido demais para um primeiro de três volumes. Há algumas alterações em relação à história original, mas nada que não faça sentido.
O melhor de Siegfried é, sem dúvida, a ilustração. Embora as personagens estejam bem desenhadas, em especial o Mime, é tudo o resto que é realmente espectacular, as outras personagens, os animais, a casa deles, a floresta...
O meu momento favorito desta leitura foi a conversa entre o Odin e o Mime, mas não posso deixar de destacar a escolha do autor de utilizar a Völva como narradora, algo que funcionou extremamente bem.
Em conclusão, uma leitura que vale a pena para qualquer fã de banda-desenhada, mas que recomendo principalmente para os interessados na mitologia.

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Alex Alice set himself up to reinterpret the Saga of the Völsungs, The Ring of the Nibelung, inspired by Wagner and some other sources, and make both a graphic novel and an animated film.  This is the first of the three volumes of the resulting graphic novel. Apart from the story itself, this also includes an interview with the artist where he explains the creative process of the project. I read it in English.

The story here is no surprise for anyone who knows the old Norse Mythology, though it felt a bit too quick. There were some changes from the original tales, but it all makes sense anyway. 

The strong point of Siegfried is, without a doubt, the art. The main characters are nicely drawn, mostly Mime, but it's everything else that is truly surprising, the other characters, the animals, the house, the forest...

My favourite moment was the riddling conversation between Odin and Mime, but I also want to praise the use of the Völva as a narrator which worked out really well helping the story progress.

All in all, it's worth reading for any comics fan but recommended the most for those who like Norse Mythology.

Can't wait for the film!

Tale of Sand by Jim Henson, Jerry Juhl and Ramón Pérez

A minha decisão de ler Tale of Sand foi algo instintiva. Li um ou dois textos sobre o livro na altura em que foi publicado, vi-o na loja de BD habitual - Mundo Fantasma - e comprei. Depois passou cerca de um ano sem eu lhe pegar. Entretanto soube que ganhou o Eisner Award, o que poderia ter motivado a minha leitura, mas a verdade é que só agora cheguei a ele. Foi a minha primeira leitura de 2013, um começo definitivamente estranho.

Tale of Sand é uma obra existencialista, de exploração do ser humano pela exteriorização do seu íntimo através de uma história surreal, absurda que por motivos indefinidos é imposta a um protagonista sem grande introdução. Dito isto, é uma obra muito confusa. Não sei se por ser um guião (encontrado recentemente, nunca convertido em filme) transformado em banda-desenhada, se o guião em si já implicava todo este absurdo incompreensível, o que faz algum sentido tratando-se dos autores por trás do The Muppet Show. Para os fãs e conhecedores da obra de Jim Henson e Jerry Juhl, que para além dos Marretas inclui igualmente a Rua Sésamo, há aqui um bónus, a utilização de várias ideias que foram mais tarde aproveitadas noutros trabalhos mundialmente famosos.

Seguimos um homem numa travessia do deserto numa aparente corrida ou fuga / perseguição da qual desconhece condições ou regras e para a qual tem apenas um aparente mapa do percurso mas que não é de fiar. No deserto acontecem-lhe as coisas mais inesperadas possível, desde passar por um homem a correr que carrega um cubo de gelo gigante o qual vai derretendo até ao momento em que, chegado ao tamanho normal, é colocado num cocktail de uma mulher a apanhar sol à beira de uma piscina com um tubarão, até encontrar um interruptor dia/noite numa pedra e ser perseguido por uma equipa de futebol americano, tudo isto enquanto é perseguido por um inimigo misterioso com uma pala num olho.

A arte de Ramón Pérez, por outro lado, não deixa quaisquer dúvidas. Este livro tem da melhor arte que já vi em banda-desenhada, em especial considerando que é a ilustração que conta a história, com muito pouca ajuda do texto. O desenho, o arranjo gráfico, a cor, tudo aqui está próximo da perfeição e merece sem dúvida as nomeações e prémio que ganhou.

Se eu percebi o livro, a tal análise absurdista da existência do indivíduo? Não, embora a revelação final mostre bem o objectivo da história. Mas fiquei com vontade de o reler, noutro momento, com outra atenção. Porque definitivamente vale a pena.

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I first decided to buy Tale of Sand out of instinct, having read a couple of news about it being published and taking a brief look at it at my usual comics store. Later I heard it won the Eisner Award, but still I kept postponing it until now. It became my first read of 2013, and an odd start at that.

Tale of Sand is existentialist  an exploration of the human being through the external materialization of himself in an absurd and surreal story imposed to an unknown individual for unknown reasons. Having said that, it is a very confusing work of art. I don't know if that stems from it being an adaptation of a lost script for a film that never was or if the script itself already defined all that incomprehensible plot. Probably the latter, seeing that Jim Henson and Jerry Juhl were the creators of The Muppet Show and Sesame Street. For their fans, there's a bonus in this book, considering all the ideas that are both present here and used later on their work.

One follows a man traversing the desert (what's more metaphoric for a depressive introspection than that?) in an apparent race / escape of which he knows no rules or conditions apart from a map that he's told is not to be trusted. In the desert, the most unpredictable stuff happen to him, from a man carrying a giant ice cube that melts to the perfect size right when he puts it on a woman's drink (one who is sunbathing by a pool with a shark), to finding a day/night switch on a rock and being followed by a football team, all this while being persecuted by a mysterious enemy with an eye-patch.

Ramón Pérez's art, on the other hand, convinced me right away. This book has some of the best illustration I've seen in sequential art, specially considering it is the image that tells the story with little occasional help from text. The drawing, the design, the colour, everything here is near perfection and deserves all the nominations and award it got.

Did I understand that absurdist analysis of the human or the man's existence? Not at all, though the final revelation does show the purpose of the story more clearly. But I do mean to read it again, on a more appropriate moment, when I can dedicate more time and pay much more attention to it. Because it's definitely worthwhile.

Saga Volume 1 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples

Esta série foi tão recomendada na internet e na minha loja habitual de BD que eu não resisti a comprar. Ainda por cima já tinha lido um pouco e gostado de Y: The Last Man de Brian K. Vaughan pelo que parti para a leitura com elevadas expectativas.

A história segue uma família improvável - Alana pertencia às forças de um planeta há muito tempo em guerra com uma lua e tem asas como uma fada; Marko pertencia ao exército da lua, tem cornos como um fauno e sabe magia, mas decidiu recusar a violência pelo que se entregou ao inimigo, tendo encontrado Alana - e começa pelo parto da filha deles.

Claro que, dado o contexto, somos logo de seguida embrenhados numa fuga interplanetária, combates inevitáveis e conversas sobre que nome dar à criança. Mas isto é ao mesmo tempo o ponto central do enredo e a desculpa para o autor mostrar os limites da sua imaginação. Desde assassinos a soldo galácticos, um com demasiadas patas para o conforto de aracnofóbicos, outro com um gato que avisa quando alguém mente, uma suposta floresta de naves espaciais, a fantasmas que defendem um planeta e uma realeza cujas cabeças são televisores, não é possível adivinhar o que vamos encontrar de seguida no mundo de Saga. Há aqui um elemento típico destas histórias, o facto de um dos lados usar magia e o outro ser mais evoluído ao nível da tecnologia que, dependendo de como for desenvolvido ou deixado como contexto, pode aproximar-se ou divergir do cliché. A avaliar pelo primeiro volume, vai valer a pena. Mas não é só desta mistura de fantasia e ficção científica e de amores proibidos que vive Saga. Logo no primeiro volume, o autor não teve qualquer problema em tocar questões como as crenças, tradições pessoais, familiares ou planetárias, a guerra do ponto de vista do cumprimento cego de ordens superiores, a facilidade com que se mata alguém quando há acesso a armas e até o tráfico e exploração sexual de crianças.
A arte é fenomenal, tanto a nível de desenho como de coloração. As personagens têm personalidade, expressões faciais e corporais que não podiam contar melhor a história. A ilustração do mundo, de vários locais em diferentes planetas, é rica e variada e ajuda a mente a acreditar que estamos a viajar pelo espaço. A magia tem sido desenhada de uma forma subtil, o que a torna mais credível do que os raios e coriscos a que nos fomos habituando, mas a necessitar por vezes de ingredientes imprevisíveis o que lhe dá uma plausibilidade interessante.
Como começo de uma série, coleccionando os primeiros seis fascículos, misturando magia, ficção científica, personagens genuínas com diálogos engraçados, sexo inter-racial, eventos e locais imprevisíveis e temas relevantes, não posso pedir mais. Vou comprar o segundo volume sem dúvida e mal esteja disponível.

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Saga was so recommended all over the internet and at my local comics store that I couldn't have avoided buying it. I had read a bit of  Y: The Last Man by Brian K. Vaughan before and liked it, so I had high expectations for this one.
The story follows an unlikely couple - Alana, from the planetary forces long at war with a moon and with vestigial "fairy" wings; Marko, horned as a faun, spellcaster, soldier of the moon's army, renounced violence and surrendered to the enemy and meeting Alana while imprisioned - and starts off with Alana giving birth to their daughter.
After this, we are right away thrown into an interplanetary escape, unavoidable fights and talks about the child's name. But this is at the same time the central focus of the plot and an excuse for the author to show the limits of his imagination. From professional assassins for hire, one with too many legs (beware arachnophobia) and other with a cat that works as a lie detector, a legendary spaceship forest to ghosts that are supposed to defend their planet and a royal family with television sets for heads, one cannot guess what is going to appear next in the world of Saga. It includes a typical element of these stories, the fact that one side of the war uses magic and the other is more tech-savy, which, depending on how it is developed or kept as background, might become or totally diverge from the cliché. If the first part is any indication, it's going to be worth paying attention. But it's not only of this blending of fantasy and science fiction and forbidden loves that Saga lives. Right on the first volume, the author has no trouble handling problems such as belief, tradition, war from the soldier following orders point of view, the ease with which one kills when weapons are accessible and even sexual abuse and exploitation of children.
The art is phenomenal, both in terms of the drawing and the colours. The characters have personality, facial and body expressions that couldn't do better storytelling. The illustration of the worlds, the multiple places and planets, is rich and varied and helps trick the mind into believing we are really travelling through space. The magic is subtly added to scenes, making it more credible than the lightning and sparking on might be used to and sick of. The fact that some spells need odd unpredictable ingredients (and I'm not talking about mushrooms or crystals or such typical stuff) makes the whole setting more plausible.
As the starting point of a series - the first six numbers - mixing magic, sci-fi, genuine characters with funny remarks, interracial sex, unpredictable places and relevant themes, I can't really ask for more. I'll definitely buy the next volume as soon as possible.

The DAY I swapped my DAD for TWO GOLDFISH by Neil Gaiman and Dave Mckean

The name of this book was enough to convince me to read it. The fact that it was written by Neil Gaiman and illustrated by Dave McKean just raises my expectations through the roof. This is a book that follows a typical family, mom, dad, son and daughter, on the day that the son actually managed to swap his dad for a couple of goldfish. We can't blame him, though, his dad pays attention to one thing only: the newspaper. Why does he need him? At least goldfish are cool to look at. But then mom comes home and makes him give the fish back and retrieve his father. How could he do that? How could he ever even consider trading his own father? And his sister, how could she let him? The world isn't never as simple as that, though. The boy to whom he traded his dad quickly understood how useless he is and has already traded him with another. And this other... and the next... The kids spend their day looking for their father, from house to house. It seems that no one finds a use for such a thing as a newspaper reading dad and there is always someone willing to trade, the ones who don't have that dad do believe he must be good for something. In the end (SPOILERS HERE) they find him on a girl's house who left him in her rabbit's former fence, and he's eating a carrot and reading the newspaper. They bring him home and the boy promises he'll never trade his dad again, he understands his dad's value, he must be a very good dad, in order for his mother to be so mad and for him to have to go through so much trouble to retrieve him, newspaper and all. He never promised not to trade his sister though, and she has been threatening to spread some rumours about him around the school so...

The illustration is, as usual from McKean, perfect. Even the lettering here adds to the feeling. The fact that the mother and father are never really characterized - the father never peeks from behind the newspaper - indicates a generalized interpretation is warranted. This story is about any dad, any mom, any children who feel in some way ignored by their parent and obviously answer in the same way, feeling the uselessness of that person in their house, considering how they would be better of with their neighbour's really cool pet, or toy or whatever. Add those details that determine the flow of the story and have the reader look around, such as "said my sister" written below and outside her speech balloons, and you got yourself a really good, fast paced, but also witty and interesting read.

This must be a really fun story to read as a kid or to a kid, but an adult also has something to think about after reading this. Isn't the boy right? From his point of view, how could he not trade dad for the goldfish? And in the end, even if we tell him how important a parent is, does he really understand? Or does he only get that it is forbidden for some reason. It's hard to make children accept these ideas that we take for granted, such as the importance of parents, when we don't show it on a daily basis in a way that they get to feel it for themselves.

Beasts of Burden - Animal Rites by Evan Dorkin and Jill Thompson

This book was recommended to me by a friend and I'd like to start by thanking him. Beasts of Burden was totally worth it and I'd keep on reading if only there was more of it in my shelves. This comment was wrote a few months ago but I decided to come back to it to try and recall what I feel about it now and publish it here.

Now to speak of the book itself, I'll start by saying this isn't your everyday children's fable, far from it, and for me that's the first good thing about it. And to think it all started as a short story for The Dark Horse Book of Hauntings. To give you a short and as unpoiling as possible description of Beasts of Burden - Animal Rites, it's about a group of dogs and one cat that live on Burden Hill, talk to each other like regular friends and before long are running from and fighting the likes of witches, zombies and other typical horror stories' creatures. And yes, there are wise magical dogs and the witches have black cat familiars. While you follow them on these adventures, the author takes you on a tour about friendship, heroism and self-preservation, racism, responsability and dealing with consequences and suffering. Of course, these themes are only slightly explored in so little time, but you can feel the potential of this set-up. Then there are details that make the reading experience so much better: the personalities matching the species, races and even names of the characters, the chapters' names reminding you of famous fantasy or horror books - "Something whiskered this way comes" - the way they all talk about humans, the fact that they have their own religion and much more. 

If Evan Dorkin did his job well, what can I say of Jill Thompson? The illustration makes the story work, but more than that, sometimes you just feel like checking the artwork for itself, some pages are literally out of this world. Even the lettering here was perfectly adapted to the context and the drawing.

All in all an awesome book, recommended for all who don't mind talking cats and dogs of fun and games. Just don't let young children read it before bedtime or you might be in for a rough night. Give it to them the next day and be sure to check it out yourself beforehand, you won't regret it!

One Month to Live by Rick Remender

I ordered this book from Amazon.co.uk together with the first Heroic Age Avengers' compilations because I was interested in what the story promised. It's not the first time one hears about a random person getting superpowers in a comic and following someone who was just given a determined amount of time to live on account of a medical condition is not at all an original concept but I was open and willing to look for a new interpretation of this. And that was precisely what I didn't find.

Dennis Sykes - the main character - reacted mostly as one would expect him to, the plot was well developed, made sense and was coherent in spite of the many contributors but the most interesting events were his meetings with Spider-man and other Marvel celebrities just for the fun of it and even the end was generally predictable.

I admit that no single criteria should be used alone when commenting on any book but in this case I considered the originality of paramount importance. On the other hand, I must emphasize that the story was well written, specially when by Rick Remender, and the illustrations were good, particularly the ones drawn by Andrea Mutti, Koi Turnbull, Shawn Moll - issues 1 and 2 - and the all of the issues' covers by Michael del Mundo.

Overall it's not a bad comic book but it wasn't really exciting and by no means nearly as thought provoking as I expected.

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Encomendei este livro na Amazon.co.uk junto com as compilações dos primeiros números dos Avengers na Heroic Age porque fiquei interessado no que a história prometia. Não é a primeira vez que se vê banda-desenhada sobre uma pessoa qualquer adquirir super poderes e a história de alguém que descobre ter uma determinada quantidade de tempo para viver por sofrer de uma doença fatal não de todo um conceito original, mas eu estava aberto a novas interpretações, algo que não encontrei neste livro.
A personagem principal - Dennis Sykes - reage essencialmente tal como seria de esperar, com um argumento bem desenvolvido e coerente apesar da contribuição de vários autores mas cujos momentos mais interessantes foram os encontros com o Spider-man e outras celebridades da Marvel, quanto mais não seja pela piada e até mesmo o final foi, em geral, previsível.
Admito que não devo basear um comentário sobre uma obra num só critério, mas neste caso considerava a originalidade de singular importância. Por outro lado, é de referir que a história está bem escrita, particularmente quando da autoria de Rick Remender e as ilustrações são boas, especialmente as de Andrea Mutti, Koi Turnbull, Shawn Moll - 1º e 2º números - e as capas por Michael del Mundo.
Em geral é uma leitura razoável mas pouco emocionante e ao contrário do que esperava, de acordo com o tema, não me instigou a reflectir sobre o assunto ou a pensa-lo de novas formas.

Siege: X-Men

As a fan and follower of the X-Men and as interested as I was in the Siege event, as soon as I saw this book at Amazon.co.uk I immediately decided to buy it. The first and most important thing I must say about this is that Siege: X-Men doesn't speak of the X-Men at all, as they didn't participate in the siege. It concentrates on the events around two mutants, Daken and Valkyrie. 

I know little of Daken, having seen him only a few times and having never read anything on him as main character, so I felt a bit lost while reading this comic. I do agree that the story was well adapted to an Asgard focused moment in the Marvel history, but other than that, I didn't connect with Daken and couldn't really follow his behaviour. This might have been intended, but because I know very little of Daken's personality, it just made me feel less interested. The story itself ends with a loose end making me recommend this only for people who already read or intend to start reading Daken.

Valkyrie's story was somewhat more interesting to me. Although I also know very little of her, this is a well written and well closed short story and I liked following Valkyrie and Hela's interaction. Niko Henrichon's illustration adds a lot to it, both the drawing and the colouring are amazing.

The last part of this collection is Siege: Storming Asgard - Heroes and Villains which is H.A.M.M.E.R.'s collection of information and analysis of almost anyone with some importance for the Siege event. I did enjoy going through this as trying to get inside Norman's mind (though not too much for the sake of my sanity) as he plotted the destruction of Asgard as a definitive step on to  becoming leader of the United States and then, probably, of the whole world.

Overall, Siege: X-Men was OK but not actually worth buying as a hard cover, one might as well read the individual comics and I suggest the collection only for readers that follow Daken and Valkyrie specifically.

I'm trying to write quick comments about all the books I read in the last month as I won't have time to write proper reviews but I also don't want to bypass them all. I'll write a comment on the next comic as soon as I can.

Powers: Who Killed Retro Girl? by Brian Michael Bendis

I've read the first volume of Brian Michael Bendis' Powers a while ago, but only now had the time and concentration to write about it. This won't be a proper review of the book but a simple comment as I don't remember the details.

I must start by saying I'm a fan of Bendis, after having read some of his works for Marvel and now this. Powers is marvellously built, including a believable society, great characters and an interesting detective story that develops into much more than a simple investigation. Of note are his depiction of the media, one can recognize the usual broadcast media behaviour even through its adaptation to a world with super-powers, and some of the characters, mainly Callista and Deena, who piqued my curiosity as I got to know them. The writing is great and Michael Avon Oeming's illustration is as good as I could picture for this story. A nice detail is the inclusion of some supplemental material, with some short stories and the full script that originated this comic.

This first volume doesn't make for an absolute favourite of mine but the series do seem to have potential to become masterpiece material. I'll surely read the second volume of Powers, but it won't be soon as my shelf is already full of unread books and my Amazon basket seems to be filling itself faster than my bank account.

Fables: Legends in Exile by Bill Willingham

I've finally been able to start reading the Fables series. Having heard some friends' opinions about the first volume, I had low expectations, which were easily overcome by the comic book.  I like the cover, I like the characters, I like the story, I like the illustrations and I like the text.

Fables follows a group of characters borrowed from worldwide known folklore, myth and literature, transformed into "real" people, their past loves, wars or dramatic rescues being just background to who they are when the book picks them up. They seem matured, aged even, having been through what we expect of regular people's lives and much more. They are living in "our" world, exiled from their fable lands which were invaded and conquered, one by one, by the armies of an Adversary no one really knows. To give an idea of what these series offer, the fables have their own government, Snow White is single and is the deputy mayor of Fabletown, the Big Bad Wolf (Bigby) is the sheriff and Prince Charming is broke. In fact, the way Bill Willingham transformed the characters is my favourite part of the book, they have personality,  are different from each other and act accordingly (I'll leave Jack out of this, his character being the weaker and less interesting one in my opinion, he seems to go along as the story needs it). Legends in Exile tells about the investigation of Rose Red's disappearance and suspected murder, but this plot isn't quite as interesting as the story of how they were exiled in the first place and it is my curiosity for that main element and the characters themselves that convince me that I'll pick up the next volumes. In spite of having a main plot falling short of the other elements' quality, it is still very well written and, as said before, well illustrated and that by itself makes reading it worthwhile. Another very interesting detail was the short story in the end about Bigby, Snow White and Rose Red's rescue from the Emperor's troops and of how the Wolf came to be a human integrated in Fabletown's society.

I recommend these series for all comic book readers, and from what I've read and heard, if you like the first volume as I did, you'll love the rest for sure!

While I finish reading The Grapes of Wrath, I'll try to find some time to review (even if only to give a quick and simple opinion) about so different books as the first volume of Powers, The Sandman: The Dream Hunters, Siege: X-Men, Kingdom Come and Wolverine Origins, and I'm still trying to wrap up my review of the The Stranger by Albert Camus. Wish me luck!

X-Necrosha

X-Necrosha is a collection of X-men themed comics by authors Craig Kyle, Christopher Yost, Zeb Wells and Mike Carey, from specific Necrosha comics to issues of X-Force, New Mutants, New X-Men and X-Men Legacy. 
As could be expected I have mixed feelings towards such a varied book, both in terms of writing and of illustration. First of all, I must say the main story, developed in the X-Necrosha and some X-Force issues was somewhat disappointing. Selene should have planned better, prepared better, taken her time with everything to be more believable as a character from my point of view. Her defeat seemed too easy and too obvious, even with the death toll involved, for a character who bragged  godlike powers, surrounded by so many dangerous companions. I'm also not very keen on the illustrations to the said issues, the 3D lighting effect and the colours stray too far from what I learned to love in comic books. Not that I consider them bad or the effort a mistake, I'm probably just not used to them and prefer more traditional drawing/painting. 
Having said all this, I should also highlight what's good about X-Necrosha. The story continues to follow the life on Utopia, now showing the mutants organizing themselves to fight an attack on their race and on their memories and emotions, as Selene finds a way to bring back a whole lot of dead mutants, transforming Genosha into the Necrosha that names the story arc. Cyclops leads the X-Men as confident as he showed to be able to on Nation X, commanding both the efforts of the people in Utopia and of the X-Force team, sent to deal with Selene by any means necessary. It was very interesting to see other reactions to the attack, as Emma Frost's when she sees the Hellions and Warpath is a nice character to follow all the way through the story. What I liked best in this collection were the side-stories and the tie-ins with M-Day and with Bastion's plans. The X-Men Legacy part was my favourite. The interaction between the mutants sent to Muir Island and the way they finally defeated their powerful surprise enemy was very good. The illustrations for these other issues were very nice. The background stories about Selene's team and how she gathered each one of them were also quite interesting and add to the book, making buying this as a collection worthwhile.


Sorry if the review seems hasty, but I've read it a while ago, I'm far behind on reviewing a lot of books, mostly comics, and I have little time to concentrate on them before I finish reading The Grapes of Wrath, a book that will be hell to review, in every good sense the expression can have.

X-Men: Nation X

I've been curious about Nation X ever since I first heard of the story. I should say that I wasn't very impressed. Don't mistake me, I liked reading the book, but I was hoping for much more. This story is built on the idea of a mutant independent city-state and that by itself should be enough to allow for the development of an astonishing graphic novel.

Nation X shows how the X-Men lead the mutants in a new place, living separately from the regular people, near San Francisco. It's nice to see Cyclops leading even though Professor X is around. He still doubts himself, as always, but he seems to have a more optimistic attitude towards his leadership, he's trying to be more intuitive and just try things even if he isn't sure of the possible outcome. We see him organizing the X-men to defend Utopia from a Predator X attack, order a team to go right to New York to work out who was behind it (I'll avoid the spoilers here), accepting Magneto in Utopia despite Xavier's disapproval, dealing with his attitude and starting a sustainable community by having people research energy sources and come up with some sort of food production. It's interesting to see the X-club (Dr. Nemesis, Madison Jeffries, Kavita Rao and now deceased Yuriko Takiguchi) investigating and trying solutions for these problems while all having different approaches. Magneto's comeback is, as he is always, awesome. I love his story and his personality and consider Magneto one of the best built Marvel characters. He has a plausible, though not astonishing whatsoever, excuse for his absence from recent events, and seems to be inspired by Cyclops' achievement in creating Utopia and asks to be a part of it under his orders, dismissing a deranged Xavier who is confident they are being tricked. He's still the same person though and he struggles with waiting and asking for permission when he finds a way to solve things himself. After some disagreements with Summers he comes up with a present to show the mutants his good intentions: (MAJOR SPOILER HERE) he brings back an otherwise forever lost x-girl, Kitty Pride, by pulling the bullet she got herself locked in, using his powers to an extent that risks his own life. Another very good detail is Beast's reaction to latest events. He is distressed by Scott's leadership, feels ignored, doesn't trust Magneto and is still mad at Cyclops' for leaving him to torture until the "right time" came to save him. Yet another motive to praise the authors is the telepathic rescue of Emma Frost and Cyclops while dealing with the sliver of Void she had imprisoned in her diamond form. It was well written and very well illustrated and makes for one of my favourite parts of this book. (SPOILER) That Scott managed to lock the Void in a mind prison is amazing but, after having read through the Siege event, I was left thinking if it won't be just another window for the Sentry/Void's comeback. There are a lot of other goods in Nation X, such as the cooperation with Namor and his overwhelming ego, Storm coming round to help, rediscovering Psylocke, Rogue's astonishing new confident attitude, even during combat, Fantomex, yes, he's around and he's fun, and more. Most of these feel underdeveloped though, and have me wishing I could follow an event like this longer instead of going back to small, specific team based comics but they are good on their own too.

In the end of X-men: Nation X there is a collection of short stories that made life on Utopia believable, transforming the idea into a real community, with daily events and funny details, the last one, about the King and Queen of Utopia being my favourite, mostly because of Niko Henrichon's art. Others short stories of note are Jubilee's and Gambit's, both quite interesting and taking a peek into their future.

While going back through the book to write the review I noticed I was enjoying it much more that when I first read it. I guess my mood when I first read it didn't help, or the fact that the story is told too quickly (a problem I have with most Marvel graphic novels) made me feel less excited about it. As I said on the beginning of this post, Nation X had the potential to be amazing, and it was very good at times, but didn't meet the expectations. It still makes for a good book, and a must read for X-Men lovers.
I'm following X-men and X-men: Legacy comics from now on which means I'll start after the Second Coming event, and read the collection about the event when it's available. I've also read X-Necrosha and expect to write a review as soon as I can. I'm still reading and loving The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, and although it is taking me really long to get to the end, I can't rush it, his writing and the story itself just makes it impossible. It's a book to be read slowly, allowing the mind to work and waiting for the heart to slow down after each chapter.