By Sam on August 10th, 2011
Posted In: 52 Books/52 Weeks
A complicated comic, with its combination of sibling rivalry between Dracula and his brother and World War 2-era intrigue, but somehow it doesn’t feel crowded. Cassaday’s art, with Laura Martin on colors, is beautiful and compelling as always. Something about the book didn’t quite hook me. It’s not bad, but not amazing.
Book: 35/52
52/52: An ongoing project to read one book a week and document those books with reviews of 52 words each.
By Sam on August 8th, 2011
Posted In: Blog
I’m pleased to announce my next comic: Labor and Love.
Labor and Love is a collection of 4 comics adapting classic folk ballads. I wrote all 4 stories and Neal Von Flue, a man who likes a good comic and a good folk song, drew them.
The comic contains adaptations of the songs:
- The Wind and The Rain
- The Wreck of the Old 97
- The Mermaid
- Henry Lee.
Sharp-eyed readers will realize that Neal and I did the adaptation of The Wind and The Rain here at Split Lip a few years back. This version is different, though: it’s in full color. In fact, all 4 stories are in full color. And while The Wind and The Rain and Henry Lee have horror elements, the other comics aren’t horror.
Labor and Love will debut at SPX, Sept. 10-11, in Bethesda, MD. After SPX, you’ll be able to buy it via mail order and maybe a distributor or two (we’ll see about that one).
The details:
- 44 pages
- full color
- cardstock cover
- price: $7.
For more info, check out www.laborandlovecomic.com (under construction now, but it’ll be up and running soon).
By Sam on August 3rd, 2011
Posted In: 52 Books/52 Weeks
by Mike Carey and Peter Gross
This series about the power of stories comes to an interesting crescendo point in this volume. The crowning achievement of the book is a choose-your-own-adventure comic that lets readers explore the non-linear fragmented psyche of Lizzie/Jane. Truly a magisterial formal accomplishment. I can’t imagine how hard it must have been to write.
Book: 34/52
52/52: An ongoing project to read one book a week and document those books with reviews of 52 words each.
By Sam on July 27th, 2011
Posted In: 52 Books/52 Weeks
I enjoyed the BBC series Wire in the Blood, based on McDermid’s Tony Hill novels. This book, following an investigation into the fallout from the Mutiny on the Bounty and William Wordsworth, is overlong. The murder subplot seems added simply because McDermind writes crime novels. Initially appealing, but ultimately not worth it.
Book: 33/52
Buy The Grave Tattoo at Powell’s
52/52: An ongoing project to read one book a week and document those books with reviews of 52 words each.
