Jesus Hates Zombies!

Stephen Lindsay has written a great series that is a headlong rush of action and historical figures. Jesus Hates Zombies featuring Lincoln Hates Werewolves is over-the-top fun in a small package.

The basic premise of the story is this. Jesus is on Earth battling zombies unleashed by Zombie-Gabriel. Jesus is joined by axe wielding Abe Lincoln who has been sent forward in time. Along the way Jesus is joined by shotgun wielding Elvis, foul mouthed Mother Teresa, and the General Lee from The Dukes of Hazard amongst others.

This fun little series is not for the easily offended, otherwise strap yourself in and enjoy the ride. One to look out for.

Superhero

Captain Marvel was a boring hero until Jim Starlin killed him. OK, that's not completely true. Starlin wrote big cosmic stories and Captain Marvel was in the middle of them battling Thanos for the Cosmic Cube, which Thanos wanted to impress his true love Death by killing all life in the universe. Yes it sounds completely ridiculous but Starlin made it work

Helping to sell the story was Starlin's impressive art work which played around with perspective and panel size, propelling the story forwards. But what really stood out was how Captain Marvel died. Heroes die glorious deaths fighting their nemesis if they die at all. Not so Captain Marvel. In the end cancer killed him. He did struggle heroically, and he did fight to the end, but he died in bed hooked up to a machine. The great superheroes of the Marvel Universe were unable to save him because the energy source that gave him his powers interfered with the treatment. Starlin showed that heroes can die in bed and still be brave and courageous, still go down swinging, still fight the good fight, still be heroes. And comics were better for having this story told in the way it was. It is also fitting that The Death of Captain Marvel was Marvel Comics first graphic novel.

Graphic Novels I've Enjoyed Recently: The Sequel

John Constantine Hellblazer: Freezes Over - w: Brian Azzarello a: various. Constantine is snowed in a roadside diner with three desperate criminals. Guess who leaves alive? It's fun watching Constantine manipulate all and sundry.

Afro Samurai 1 - w/a: Takashi Okazaki. A son sees his father killed and grows up seeking vengeance. Get ready for some kick-ass fight scenes.

Dark Entries - w: Ian Rankin a: Werther Dell'Edera. John Constantine in a reality television show set in a haunted mansion. Let the fun begin.

Filthy Rich - w: Brian Azzarello a: Victor Santos. A classic noir tale of lust, money, greed and bad choices. Wonderful atmosphere, and a well told story.

X-Men: Phoenix Endsong - w: Greg Pak a: Greg Land. Interesting story that tries to explain why the Phoenix Force keeps attacking the X-Men. Pak writes a good story but Land's artwork is overly posed and his characters look lifeless.

The Best of Wolverine Volume 1 - w/a: various. Some early Wolverine stories showing why he's the best at what he does.

Captain America: The Man With No Face - w: Ed Brubaker a: various. Bucky Barnes' past catches up with him as old enemies gather for revenge.

Star Wars Omnibus: Rise of the Sith - w/a: various. Stories set before The Phantom Menace involving Obi-Wan Kenobi, Qui-Gon Jinn, Ki-Adi-Mundi, Mace Windu, Aurra Sing and Darth Maul.

Star Wars Omnibus: Emissaries & Assassins - w/a: various. Stories set just after The Phantom Menace starring the usual suspects.

The Big Book of Barry Ween Boy Genius - a/w: Judd Winick. This hilarious graphic novel follows the adventures of Barry and his friend Jeremy. Garth Ennis describes Barry Ween as "Calvin & Hobbes on PCP with a copy of Mein Kampf thrown into the mix." Laugh out loud jokes and pop culture references and a reluctant hero with a very bad mouth is a winning combination.

Winter 1152

David Petersen's amazing Mouse Guard series continues in Winter 1152, following on from Fall 1152. After the attack of Midnight's traitor mice the Mouse Territories are trying to survive a harsh winter. Mouse Guard patrols have been sent out to gather supplies and the story focuses on the exploits of one of these patrols.

Saxon, Kenzie, Lieam, Sadie and the old greyfur Celanawe find themselves under attack on the way back to Lockhaven carrying much needed medical supplies. We see our heroes separated as Lieam and Celanawe battle an owl, and Saxon, Kenzie and Sadie fight bats underground in an old weasel warren.

After much adventure they return to Lockhaven except for Celawane who falls fighting the owl. But this leads Lieam to find out more about himself as he makes a decision that will have a huge impact on his future.

David Petersen is an amazing artist and storyteller and Winter 1152 is such an atmospheric piece that I urge people to go out and find the Mouse Guard series and have a read for themselves. I can't recommend this any more highly.

Graphic Novels I've Enjoyed Recently

Here are a bunch of graphic novels I've recently read and enjoyed.

• Absolute Superman for Tomorrow. Writer - Brian Azzarello. Artist - Jim Lee. The Absolute format is great for showcasing reprints and this story about Superman's inner search for meaning is a great read.
• Punisher War Zone: The Resurrection of Ma Gnucci. Writer - Garth Ennis. Artist - Steve Dillon. Ennis is the perfect Punisher writer with a story that's full of black humour and violence.
• Wolverine: SNIKT! Writer/Artist - Tsutomu Nihei. Wolverine travels into the future to do what he does best.
• John Constantine Hellblazer: Hard Time. Writer - Brian Azzarello. Artist - Richard Corben. Constantine is in a maximum-security prison and you just know it will end badly for everyone except him.
• Ultimate X-Men: Ultimate Collection Book 2. Writer - Mark Millar. Artist - Various. The young team find out some dark secrets about Professor Xavier as they struggle with fulfilling his vision.
• Spider-Man/Wolverine. Writer - Brett Matthews. Artist - Vatche Maulian. S.H.I.E.L.D. hire out two heroes to track down rogue agents, which takes them around the world.
• Lobster Johnson and the iron Prometheus. Writer - Mike Mignola. Artist - Jason Armstrong. Pure pulp fun with Nazis, mad scientists, weird creations and furious action.
• John Constantine Hellblazer: Good Intentions. Writer - Brian Azzarello. Artist - Marcelo Frusin. Constantine goes to Doglick, West Virginia and finds himself up to his neck in all sorts of trouble.

Cruel and Unusual

Daredevil is one of my favourite superheroes, but I'm glad I don't live his life. Writers seem to spend their time thinking up new ways to put him through the emotional wringer. Ed Brubaker is no different in this regard as he finds more ways to torture Matt Murdoch in Daredevil: Cruel and Unusual.

After Murdoch's wife Milla is put into hospital Murdoch spirals into a world of pain and misery and takes to the streets as Daredevil to beat up on crooks in Hell's Kitchen. An old friend drags Murdoch back to reality by presenting him with a case that sparks his interest. A known criminal has pleaded guilty to a crime he didn't commit and is hiding something. As Murdoch and his friends dig deeper it becomes clear that there are organisations involved that do not want the truth to come out including the CIA, FBI, and a former Mob boss. Murdoch uncovers the truth, but not before another friend is hospitalised because of his actions.

Brubaker is a great writer of Daredevil and really gets the character and his supporting cast. I just wish he could have some fun now and again.

Final Crisis

WOW! Just WOW! I was always going to wait and read DC's Final Crisis when it was released as a graphic novel collected edition and now that I have I'm glad I did because it was a wild ride.

Grant Morrison always writes big. Everything he does has multiple layers and needs to be read more than once to get the full effect, and Final Crisis is no different. As the heroes of the multiverse fight to save their existence a plot is revealed that could change everything. As the blurb says: "Men of steel, and women of wonder, dark knights and lantern lights, those who ride the lightning and those who call it down - none of them can escape the shadow of the dark side - as it reaches out to extinguish the human flame forever. A hell without exit. A death that is life. An end to all stories. A Final Crisis." I can see that when this finished things in the DC universe would be different as a major hero dies, lives are changed and Superman proves why he is the ultimate superhero.

What a read, it was like having me head filled with amazing ideas and watching scenes rush past at the speed of light. I need to read this again just to take it all in. Morrison has hit it out of the park, WOW!

Scott Pilgrim

I discovered Scott Pilgrim only recently, but I'm very glad I did. Dripping with pop culture references this graphic novel is influenced by any number of things. visually it owes a lot to manga, it is structured like the video games Scott is always playing, and there is also an undercurrent of music running through the series.

Bryan Lee O'Malley's series tells the story of Scott Pilgrim. Scott is dating Ramona Flowers, but before he can become her boyfriend he has to defeat in combat Ramona's 7 evil ex-boyfriends. This leads to lots of hilarity as Scott battles for his life through fight after fight. Like a computer game each of the evil ex-boyfriends is a level boss and each has a special power and when defeated confer a bonus on to Scott. For example, Todd Ingram has vegan psychic powers, but when Scott beats him Scott gets an extra life. Added to all this Scott's old girlfriends start turning up to complicate things further.

I had a lot of fun reading this series and am looking forward to reading more. Look for the first volume called Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life.

Teen Titans

Geoff Johns reboot of the Teen Titans is a great run, and shows what a great writer he is. It is hard to take a team of sidekicks and make them interesting in their own right, but this is what Johns does. He makes the characters three dimensional and people who you care about. Sure Tim Drake as Robin is pretty fleshed out, and so is even Superboy to a certain degree, but Johns gives these guys enough of the spotlight to show that they hate living in the shadow of their adult mentors and namesakes, just like others on the team.

This run is as much about growing up as about anything else, and what it means to be a hero. I really enjoyed reading these comics, and it just further reinforced my belief that Johns is one of the greats when it comes to writing comic books.

Conan the Barbarian

Conan is one of my favourite fantasy characters, and as I have mentioned before I have always enjoyed the stories of Robert E Howard. Recently I decided to read my way through the Dark Horse reprints of Roy Thomas' run on the Chronicles of Conan for Marvel. Thomas was assisted by some of the greatest artists of the period, but the two which the series is most famous for are Barry Windsor-Smith and John Buscema.

These comics were a lot of fun, and Thomas quickly grasped what he needed to write to make the stories work. Windsor-Smith and Buscema contribute amazing art and make the whole package sing. I had a lot of fun reading these comics, and each volume has a conclusion written by Thomas informing the reader about little details in the stories, where they came from and any other information he feels like sharing. Overall a lot of fun and fans of fantasy will not be disappointed.

Joker

Brian Azzarello's Joker is a wonderful little crime piece that really captures the madness inherent in the character. While owing a visual nod to the Joker Heath Ledger portrayed, Azzarello has added his own touches to the character.

The story starts with the Joker being released from Arkham Asylum, and he quickly discovers that others have taken over his territory. Moving quickly we see the Joker begin to take back what he believes is his, in his own violent and twisted fashion. We even get to see Azzarello's take on the eternal battle between Batman and the Joker.

A quick read, this is a great noir tale that Azzarello tells so well, the characters would not seem out of place in 100 Bullets. Well worth reading.

Buddha

Reading Osamu Tezuka's 8 volume masterpiece Buddha is amazing. Mixing fiction with history Tezuka has written an outstanding account of the life of one of the worlds great religious figures. The black and white illustrations can look simple, but convey a lot of information and show why Tezuka is one of the masters of the comic world.

Tezuka isn't preaching in this collection, he isn't trying to convert people to Buddhism, but he is investigating how Buddhism came about, and what were the influences on the life of Buddha. The collection looks at the caste system, philosophy, the role of violence in the world, and why people suffer.

Overall this is a great read, and I'm looking forward to reading all 8 volumes. Highly recommended.

The Walking Dead

Robert Kirkman is adding his own chapter to zombie lore with The Walking Dead series of comics. Following a band of survivors after the majority of the population of the USA is turned into zombies, we watch people placed under incredible strain. The survivors stumble onto a prison which provides the perfect sanctuary from the hordes outside the walls, but also creates its own problems inside as personalities start to crack and relationships strain under the exceptional circumstances everyone finds themselves in. At times the books asks what would you do in similar circumstances? What rules would you enforce, and which would you let slide?

Well worth reading, I found the start to be slow but once the story picked up I found myself caring about the characters and what happens to them.

Alias

I've been reading my way through Brian Michael Bendis' run on Alias and realising how much I enjoy his writing when he is in tune with a character. His stories of Jessica Jones as a private detective are wonderfully constructed and we see Jessica deal with her cases and her personal life, ex-superhero, single woman etc.

Rather than trying to run massive company wide crossovers, Bendis is much better off telling small stories with a noir twist and allowing big name superheroes to make cameos. As he tells his story of power and the responsibility that comes with it, and how having superpowers impacts on your life (to a lesser degree).

Find the TPB and start reading, and you will discover why so many people rate this series.

Right Man for the Job

Garth Ennis's run on The Punisher is a great read and adds an extra element to this often one-dimensional character. Instead of confining Frank Castle to the USA, and especially New York, Ennis has him in Russia, Afghanistan and other places, as Frank's war on crime comes to include international criminals.

Ennis has an eye for tough guy characters, and is suited to writing the story of this iconic character. Sure the violence is over the top, as Castle blasts his way through masses of bad guys, and how many times can he be wounded and get up and continue the fight. But the story flows, and adding the international angle with the expected amounts of politics, dirty deals and corrupt individuals helps to show Frank's moral core, and unwavering belief in what he is doing is right.

Look for the trade paperbacks as each one collects a storyline and break the run up into chapters.

Also Ennis's version of Fury is a lot of fun as he is in pure bad-ass mode.

Mice with swords

Mouse Guard Fall 1152 is the first amazing tale in David Petersen's chronicles of the Mouse Guard.

The Mouse Guard protect the Mouse Territories by doing the things that need doing, patrolling the byways, escorting travellers, and general scouting. Until our heroes on the cover discover a plot to bring down the Guard.

Petersen is a good storyteller, sure some of his characters are cliched, you will not notice this too much as the amazing artwork sweeps you along and the tale hurries towards its ending.

Well worth reading, and keep an eye out for Mouse Guard Winter 1152.

The three mice on the cover from left to right are Lieam, Kenzie and Saxon. (They're sooo cute)

What were they thinking?

Sturgeon's Law is a very handy reminder when thinking about genre fiction, and can be applied to graphic novels, as well as most things in life.

Science Fiction author Theodore Sturgeon was sick of defending his chosen art form from people who stated that 90% of Science Fiction was crap. Sturgeon replied that 90% of everything is crap.

Unfortunately reading The Essential Marvel Team-Up Vol. 2 reminded me of this. Despite the best efforts of the creators this volume clearly falls into the 90% of crap. The idea behind the comics was that two Marvel heroes would join together and fight crime for an issue or two. Usually one of the characters was Spider-man as he was probably the most bankable hero Marvel had at this time. Spidey sold comics.

Sounds like a good idea, and it could be, but sadly this isn't it. Even the talents of Len Wein and Sal Buscema can't save it.

Heroes meet, heroes fight, heroes realise they are on the same side, heroes talk, heroes chase after bad guys. On an on in a mind numbing circle, issue after issue. I feel sorry for Wein and Buscema both hugely talented being forced to produce this crap.

One to avoid.

Star Wars Infinities

Star Wars Infinities are a series of graphic novels based on each of the original films. In each book an event from the film is changed and the graphic novels deal with how this would have changed the outcome of the story.

For example in A New Hope Luke's torpedoes only cripple the Death Star and don't destroy it, in The Empire Strikes Back Luke dies of exposure before Han can save him, and in The Return of the Jedi Leia's attempt to rescue Han goes wrong.

These little twists allow the writers to explore different aspects of the Star Wars story and universe. They are by no means canon, but they are fun thought exercises that allow the writers to let their hair down.

Fans of Star Wars will enjoy these graphic novels.

World War Hulk

As I have previously written, I was a big fan of the Planet Hulk storyline by Greg Pak. This was an interesting re-interpretation of the Hulk, and we got to see him in a new light.

When the story ended Hulk was travelling back to Earth to punish those who had sent him away. I was looking forward to reading this run, and am a fan of Pak's previous work, plus the Hulk was angrier than he had ever been, so this was surely going to rock.

But it didn't, sure the art is great John Romita Jr rarely lets you down, but the story lacks something. Maybe the companion pieces need to be read to enjoy the full story, but a major event like this should be able to be followed in the title comics.

After six issues it ends, with a fizz, in fact with all the force of an exploding soap bubble. Banner is led away to captivity, and the world goes back to the way it was. There seems to be no real growth or change inflicted by the massive event of the Hulk taking over New York.

I'll read it again I'm sure, just to see if I missed something, but it is a let down. You can't help but feel a major chance to tell an important story in the life of the Hulk was missed.

Dreaming

As I continue to re-read some of my favourites, I have been enjoying Neil Gaiman's Sandman series in all its glory. This amazing series was Gaiman's first work and early on it shows, but when he found his feet it really exploded.
Gaiman used a very literary style that required the reader to put in some effort, but the mythology he created around the Endless and their interactions with the world is really enjoyable. Don't be put off by the fact that the series takes a while to get going, the pay off is well worth it.
As his short stories show, Gaiman has many ideas and enjoys telling stories and Sandman is full of ideas. Whether it is the Corinthian, the serial killers convention, the novelist who captures his muse, or unique ideas about the interaction between Heaven and Hell Gaiman isn't afraid to experiment and explore.
So go out and dive in to the glorious depths of Gaiman's imagination it'll be worth it trust me.