Batman: Year One by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli

Posted: December 15, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: Comic, Fiction | Tags: , , , , , , | Leave a comment
Took the time to go through Batman: Year One, an integral part of Miller’s Batman series. As a prequel to the first Dark Knight, it’s a short book indeed, serialized as four issues in 1987.
Miller’s writing is impeccable – as always, I guess – story-wise, Year One was a bit less complex and thought-provocative than the Dark Knight Returns and the Dark Knight Strikes Again, which were full of questions whether the glorious masked vigilante was a fascist of sorts, pure essence of a lynch mob dressed in a shiny black suit with a cape, acting under the cover of the night as the judge, the jury and the executioner all-in-one.
And no, Miller’s books have nothing to do with Chris Nolan’s blockbusters, that took the title but almost nothing else from them. And better so.

The Death Ray by Daniel Clowes

Posted: November 12, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: Books, Comic | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

Insomnia (getting old, huh) and the fact I left my Buddha book vol.3 somewhere else pushed me to read the newly published Death Ray comic. Always liked Daniel Clowes, but rather on the small format story size, like 1-2 paged pieces, where he writes about typical loser type of guys and girls and manages to be as smart-alec and cynical as one can possibly be. Here’s a corny example, but for mature audiences only!

However, it seemed to me that adolescent nihilism that Clowes is renowned for (Ghost World and that kind of stuff) mixed so and so with the masked vigilante story here. My initial feeling is – the book got a bit clumsy, and that’s probably why, though The Death Ray first appeared in Eightball Mag in 2004, it was reissued as a standalone piece just now. However – and that must not be disregarded – that I may be too sleepy and thus not too appreciative of a true cult classic-to-be )))

All in all, Andy the masked vigilante is no Kick-ass, just to be clear – more of a Ghost World meets science fiction movies of the 50s. Wikipedia says Jack Black bought movie rights, so we’ll see.

One thing is impeccable though – art style. Need to read the Wilson book I bought some time ago that keeps lying on the magazine rack in the WC. I will.

And yes, I will continue to buy whatever new book of his that goes out.