The Five Hundred Years of Resistance Comic Book
Gord Hill, Arsenal/Pulp, $11.95 paper (80p) ISBN 978-1-55151-360-6
Kwakwaka'wakw nation member Hill's graphic novel is a brief and exceedingly grim look at the history of the indigenous populations of North and South America in the half-millennium since Europeans first discovered the New World. Divided into three sections--"Invasion," "Resistance," "Assimilation"--the book exposes the calamitous events that followed contact between Europeans and natives, from massacres and virgin field plagues to attempts to erase native cultures entirely. Hill's art appears crude, but his raw images convey the events depicted effectively. The tone is one of anger, but nobody could be expected to discuss five centuries of attempted genocide, displacement, and forced assimilation inflicted on their people with equanimity. The book's significant flaw is length, or rather lack of it; 80-odd pages, 19 of them used by Ward Churchill's introduction and reading list, are not nearly enough to properly discuss a matter of this importance. Five hundred years cannot be compressed into 60-odd pages, no matter the passion of the author, and the glimpse this work gives of the crimes of the past is only that, a glimpse. (Oct.)
Madman Atomic Comics, Vol. 3: Electric Allegories
Michael Allred, Darwyn Cooke & various, Image, $19.99 paper (200p) ISBN 978-1-60706-263-9
As a creator, Allred definitely remembers the days when comics were designed to be fun, clearly illustrated, and colorful, and this latest volume of the wacky adventures of Frank "Madman" Einstein and friends continues to provide that almost lost fun groove with Allred's signature unabashed exuberance in full flower. Aided and abetted by such comics biz luminaries as Darwyn Cooke (Richard Stark's Parker: The Hunter) and Nick Dragotta (The Losers), the stories are rich with the charm that made the series a cult favorite in the first place, with "It's A Mad, Mad, Mad Madman Movie!" being a lively standout. The overall high quality not withstanding, this collection is something of a disappointment because its second half is nothing but a gallery of pinups, commission sketches, alternate covers, and looks at the unlettered B&W art of Allred and Cooke. That's all well and good, but that material would probably be better served as part of an "Art of Michael Allred" volume, rather than taking up space in a book that could have contained more story content. (Oct.)
The Exile: An Outlander Graphic Novel
Diana Gabaldon and Hoang Nguyen, Del Rey, $25 (225p) ISBN 978-0-345-50538-5
The Exile is a fine addition to any Outlander fan's collection, but as a graphic novel, it's a disappointment. A rewrite of Gabaldon's bestselling time-travel romance from the point of view of her 18th-century Scottish hero, the graphic novel suffers under the weight of dialogue intended for a much longer book. Scenes that ought to be exciting, such as sword fights and escapes from the law are breezed over in a page or two. Approximately four out of five panels are simply talking heads, and despite Nguyen's most valiant efforts, it simply isn't visually interesting. While Nguyen draws charmingly expressive faces for the rest of the characters, the hero spends half the story in the same close-lipped grimace, even when he's talking. Even without the novel's rape scenes, both straight and gay, the story itself remains problematic. The time-traveling Claire, who is already married back in her own time, is forced to marry Jamie in order to save her life. The otherwise sympathetic hero beats his wife because "I will have to punish you," and her objections to this are treated like a joke. Still, Outlander fans should enjoy seeing the character rendered to Gabaldon's exacting standards. (Sept.)
Fogtown
Andersen Gabrych and Brad Rader, DC/Vertigo, $19.99 (176p) ISBN 978-1-4012-1384-8
What first appears to be a straightforward investigation for a quintessential hard-edged private detective becomes far more as hidden truths about the crime and the man investigating it are slowly revealed in this grim mystery. Frank Grissel is a private investigator with not much work coming in who suddenly finds himself mixed up in a missing persons case looking for a woman's runaway daughter. But in the course of the investigation Grissel soon ends up on the wrong side of both the police and several powerful individuals operating on the wrong side of the law. Writer Gabrych weaves in twists to the story that repeatedly cast new light on all of the characters involved and force the reader to constantly re-evaluate the expectations they'd built up. Rader's art creates a fitting noir atmosphere in the book's setting of 1953 San Francisco, and his no-frills depictions of violence emphasize the harsh realities of Grissel's situation: in over his head and taking desperate actions to simply stay alive. The surprises come frequently and suddenly at times, and dangerously close to derailing the plot entirely, but in the end the story holds together and leads readers to an unsuspected conclusion. (Aug.)
Cul de Sac Golden Treasury: A Keepsake Garland of Classics
Richard Thompson, Andrews McMeel, $16.99 paper (200p) ISBN 978-0-7407-9152-9
It isn't hard to see why Bill Watterson would appreciate Thompson's work (Watterson wrote the intro for a 2008 collection of Cul de Sac strips): they share a sensibility both immature and wise, ironic and humane, appreciating the oddities of children's thought processes without falling prey to sentimentality. This wonderfulomnibus collecting Thompson's earlier two books is a standout of whimsy and humor. While the strip, set in the Washington, D.C., suburbs, mostly concerns the daily frustrations and manias of preschooler Alice Otterloop, Thompson, like any good newspaper cartoonist, also throws in great supporting characters, like her agoraphobic older brother, Petey; Mr. Danders (a rather stuffy talking guinea pig, whom one suspects has a British accent); and Petey's possibly imaginary nemesis, Ernesto DeLeon. Thompson manages the neat feat of giving these children words and wisdom beyond their years while still keeping them wholly childlike (in one excellent series, Alice feels a tantrum coming on and announces it to her class: "Beware! Today I am the bringer of misery and the child of chaos! Crayons melt at my gaze and juice boxes burst into steam!"). A sublime piece of work. (July)
