The Walking Dead, vol. 108 by Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard and Cliff Rathburn
Posted: March 15, 2013 Filed under: Books, Comic | Tags: Books, English, Robert Kirkman, Zombie Leave a comment
A no-content volume. Uh-huh. Серия опять сдувается помаленьку. All the juices sucked out by the TV show, yeah.
I Killed Adolf Hitler by Jason
Posted: March 3, 2013 Filed under: Books, Comic | Tags: Adolf Hitler, Books, English, Jason, Science Fiction Leave a comment
A short graphic novel on time travel, contract killing, and assassinating the Nazi kingpin himself. Again, great puctures, but of limited worth. Why?
(a) You don't get to say much in less than 50 pages, do you? Poor character development, huh.
and
(b) This is soooooo inferior to a brilliant and most funny Making History novel by Stephen Fry, published in 1996, dealing basically with the same subject, time travel and killing Dolfie. Yeah, that book rocked.
Still, a decent bathtub reading for 20 minutes or so.
The Coldest City by Anthony Johnston and Sam Hart
Posted: March 2, 2013 Filed under: Books, Comic | Tags: Anthony Johnston, Books, English, Sam Hart Leave a comment
A Cold War spy novel about Berlin before and during the fall of the wall. Okayish, but nothing spectacular, really. Chewing gum indeed – and I fell asleep three times. Oh well, doesn't score much in my book – despite great drawing style. Tinker Tailor Soldier Sleeeeep.
Ритейл от первого лица. Как я строил бизнес Apple в России Евгения Бутмана
Posted: February 7, 2013 Filed under: Books, Documentary, Non-fiction | Tags: Apple, Books, Evgeny Butman, Russian Leave a comment
Ключевой вопрос в этой книжке – она настолько от первого лица, что явно виден один факт – слишком многое оставлено за кадром.
Удивляет, например, что прочие акционеры re: Store – ну, такое ощущение, что их не было вовсе. Первый раз вскользь упоминаются на 93% книги (по расчетам kindle) – так, мимоходом, без имен. И слишком многое в повествовании идет именно так, от первого лица – как будто вторых и нет.
Читать занимательно, читается ну очень быстро – но познавательно ли? Хотя, признаюсь, ЕБ обманул мои ожидания в лучшую сторону. Я, честно, думал, кажется, в 2006 или 2007 г., уж не упомню, что Apple закрутит гайки раньше – и не даст товарищам так развернуться. И франшизу IMC отнимет раньше. Ан-нет.
Sweet Tooth by Jeff Lemire
Posted: January 30, 2013 Filed under: Books, Comic | Tags: Books, English, Jeff Lemire 2 Comments
A nice post apocalyptic story by Jeff Lemire, author of The Underwater Welder, published in 40 short comic book volumes. Commercial, I know, but still quite nice.
Somehow I liked the first half of the 40 volumes better than the other one – I guess, it has to do with mysteries. Don't know about you, but I prefer some mysteries not to be explained and solved in books, films, etc. As the unknown and the unexplained typically “sells” much better than poorly patched storylines.
Gods coming to earth, huh. Sweet Jesus.
Girls by The Luna Brothers
Posted: January 26, 2013 Filed under: Books, Comic | Tags: Books, English, Science Fiction, The Luna Brothers Leave a comment
Started reading volume 1 just to fill a brief pause in the cab and moved through all the 24 volumes at high speed thereafter. Chewing gum, I know, I know, but I liked it nonetheless.
In a nutshell, a sci-fi story about a small town alien invasion of naked girls that hunted women and fornicated with men to lay eggs and reproduce this way. I guess it would make for a good sci-fi / horror movie script, if any studio were brave enough to take it. Too much flesh, and not in Jean-Marc Barr way, if you get my drift. Hehe.
From Hell by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell
Posted: January 26, 2013 Filed under: Books, Comic | Tags: Alan Moore, Books, English, Freemasons, Jack The Ripper, Whitechapel Murders 1 Comment
It took me about 2 or 3 years or so to decide that I have to read Alan Moore's From Hell and buy it. Well, my original deliberation was largely due to the fact that I disliked the film based upon it. And then another 2 years or so to actually read it – well, after I've bought it again on ComiXology for iPad.
It is a grand read. Complex and difficult at the beginning, but drawing you in and growing pace once you've dived in. Jack The Ripper story linked with the Queen, with a mix of history and the Freemasons. Absolutely grand. Now forms part of my Moore's must-read list of three – Watchmen as the crown jewel, V for Vendetta and this. No doubt, Moore's ability to spin the story is amazing – you find new angles and links all the time.
Given the ugliness of the Whitechapel murders, Eddie Campbell's raw colorless drawings fit the story perfectly.One big recommendation though – reading it in e-version and not paper is essential. Lots of smallish fonts which are much easier to follow in guided panel view than on a page.
In summary, a masterpiece. I even want to revisit the movie.
The Walking Dead vol. 106 by Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard and Cliff Rathburn
Posted: January 13, 2013 Filed under: Books, Comic | Tags: Books, English, Robert Kirkman, Zombie Leave a comment
The only thing interesting about volume 106 is the question on last page – and it remains unanswered.
Richard Stark’s Parker: The Score by Darwyn Cooke
Posted: January 3, 2013 Filed under: Books, Comic | Tags: Books, Crime Fiction, Darwyn Cooke, Donald E. Westlake, English, Parker, Richard Stark 2 Comments
This yellow colored Parker looked best of them all. And read best. It was the simplest story – just one gigantic hit, not on a bank, not on an armed vehicle – a hit on a whole town, banks, jewelers, company safes, all of it.
Absolutely delightful and absolutely brutal – though not as brutal as it used to be. “You've misjudged me. I don't kill as an easy way out. If I kill, it's because I don't have any choice.”
New book will be out late in 2013. I'll wait.
Richard Stark’s Parker: The Outfit by Darwyn Cooke
Posted: January 3, 2013 Filed under: Books, Comic | Tags: Books, Crime Fiction, Darwyn Cooke, Donald E. Westlake, English, Parker, Richard Stark 1 Comment
Parker from The Hunter is still in rage and waging a full fledged war on the Outfit, a US undercover gambling syndicate stretching coast to coast. More bodies rolling, more action, more fun.
Second novel was much more gripping than the first – at least, to my taste – and much more complex, both narratively and graphically. Never read the original, so hard for me to compare that to the base material. The built-in pages with description of various hits were a gem – but not only they.
I am seriously considering forgoing some sleep tonight and reading the third part The Score in one go. Oh, well, tomorrow is another day.
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