Social Blunderer

There is a point in The Down River People that left me stunned and wondering what the hell just happened. Much of the early parts of The Down River People I feel are Smith and Fox articulating the feelings of pain and isolation that people grieving go through. The staggeringly difficulty of going on with life after the death of someone you love is something that Myers labours through.

The things we inherit from family is another theme that runs through the novel. Untangible treasures such as the memories of being together and more difficulty concrete things like financial difficulties. Myer and his father, Darnell, both seem to suffer from similar bouts of mental illness to the extent that Darnell shares his way of coping; by standing in the river and waiting for the feelings to pass.

The script is heartfelt and captures both a sense of place and authenticity around the people that live there. Oddly, it reminded me of Where the Crawdad Sings. The Down River People works as well as it does because of its setting. The Down River People is a stranger book than Delia Owen’s book. Still, they both evoked the same feelings of empathy and sorrow in me. I was expecting it the continue to be a slice of life story that follows Myers as he copes with his grief which it sort of does.

Without giving spoilers, The Down River people starts as one story and finishes as a different one, one that is stranger and more profound. As mentioned before, there are points in the story that I found shocking, devastating, and confusing in the best possible way. As Southern Gothic goes, this is one of the best examples of the genre in graphic novel form.

Myers strained relationship with his estranged mother and his stepfamily forms the bedrock for the latter half of the novel. It is here that Smith takes the most narrative risks, ones that pay off in unexpected ways.

The art is bewitching. The style of it wrong-foots you as much as the script does. Hues of depressing blues and browns colour every page. Despite it being set in the south, there is little brightness or light. There is a down to earth quality to it, a world-weariness in the character and place designs that creates a sense of realism. Mathew Fox does a superb job of composing his images, and there is a fluid quality to the way he lays out the panels. There are some astoundingly powerful illustrations in the book, especially later on. Mike Fiorentino lettering deserves mention; he does an excellent job.

I suffered a bereavement last year; this story hit a soft spot in me. The start of it left me feeling unsettled, but it is a sensitive exploration of grief and the need for all of us to renew ourselves, however hard that may be. 2021 is turning out to be a fantastic year for graphic novels; this is one of the best. The Down River People is an absorbing story that will leave you reflecting on long after you have put it down. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Please consider using this link to buy the book.

The artwork here is engrossing. Salaün world-building and character designs are spectacular. Every page is rich with detail. It is a beautiful thing to look at. The painterly colouring adds depth to each panel.

Salaün demonstrates equal finesse with balls to the wall action sequences as they do with quite dramatic moments. Much of the book is about Joshua’s troubled relationship with his father and the tensions his family has with the ruling elite. The sections of the book where the loathsome Sylvio argues with his father or is conspiring with his grandfather are particularly good.

The world that Elecboy takes place in is weary and on the verge of breaking down. It clearly has taken some inspiration from other post-societal collapse stories such as Mad Max, I Robot, Akira, and The Postman. That said, there is a lot of original stuff here. The harsh desert landscape looms large over the characters.

The characters themselves are very much archetypical. Joshua is a rebellious young lad disappointed in the father he loves. The scheming chief is conniving and vicious. Sylvio is a desert Joffery. The two most well-rounded characters are Joseph, Joshua’s dad, and Vittorio, Sylvio’s father. Despite the obvious hatred between them, there is also mutual respect. How their feud resolves itself is one of the most gripping things about the plot.

That said, this is not a self-contained story. Which I felt was disappointing. The book asks more questions than it answers, setting the scene for what comes in the next. The good thing is that I was intrigued and interested in finding out what those things are going to be. A lovely book to look at, with an intriguing set-up that is slightly let down by the characters. Despite that, it is very much worth reading.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Please consider using this affliate link to buy the book.

Rogue Planet evokes memories of Alien and Aliens in a very good way. The blue-collar crew of a salvage ship encounter supernatural and inhuman terrors on Lonely Orphan.

Bunn’s script is gripping from the off. We are introduced to a cast of characters with enough foibles and eccentricities to make you wonder which one of them will be killed off first and indeed how many if any of them are going to survive. Bunn’s dialogue is occasionally a bit heavy-handed and cheesy but no more than you would expect from a sci-fi/horror story. However, there are also genuine tender and humorous moments between the crew that cruelly made me care about the characters. There is a nice mix of action set-pieces and slower anxiety building sequences (one scene of the crew trying to navigate their back to the ship after an ambush is particularly good).

The art is quite simply fantastic. Both the inks and colours bring to life the creepy and weird alien beings that are hunting the crew. As someone who has seen a few horror movies, it is always nice when an original monster is brought to the page. Some of the creatures are so unnatural looking it took me time to process what I was looking at. Always a good sign in monster design.

The plot itself hits all the horror story beats but it does so with aplomb. I’m not sure there is enough here for non-genre fans but for anyone with a passing interest in sci-fi or horror Rogue Planet is definitely worth picking up. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Please consider using this link to buy the book.

Save It for Later covers a lot of ground. From exploring the confusion, fear and anger felt by people after Donald Trump’s election win to why it is every person’s duty to take an active part in every element of the democratic process, Powell takes an unflinching look at it all.

Powell’s illustrations are powerful. Moments of sadness and anxiety depicted at the erosion of America’s political norm and the realisation that hateful racists were always lurking in the shadows waiting to be given permission to share their views are all captured with nimbleness, humour and indignation.

There is a heavy criticism of Save It For Later which is that it very much is preaching to the choir. There is nothing in the book that would persuade someone not already aligned with Powell’s views to consider changing their minds. I personally also felt that Powell occasionally “others” people who don’t share his politics. Most people are good and genuinely want what is best for themselves, their family, and their country even Trump voters. Powell I don’t think gets this.

The other thing that grabbed me about this book is how full of love it is. Powell’s love for his family and country shine through. His daughter is brought to life as an achingly cute unicorn/human hybrid. The book is as much about Powell figuring out how to raise his children and the mistakes he makes along the way as it is about politics. Many of the most powerful images in the book feature Powell and his family.

I enjoyed Save It For Later very much.

Thank you to Nate Powell, Abrams ComicArts, and NetGalley for an Advance Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review. Please consider using this link to buy the book.

A brave and wonderfully funny anthology of strips that accurately capture what a weird and painful experience that lockdown was. There are guffaw producing gags about cats and hygiene as well as more melancholy pieces about missing loved ones and being unable to get out of bed.

Racheal’s art is superb. It reminded me of Kate Beaton’s work in the way she has mastered comedic timing and knowing when how to use facial expressions to make her emotional points pack the most punch.

Rachel isn’t shy about sharing her mental health struggles which form a base for many of the comics. These struggles are used for both comedic and melancholic effect.

As a chronicle of Covid-19, this Quarantine Comix reveals much of what most of us were going through. How absurd and stressful the whole blasted thing was. Uplifting without being sugary sweet. Thank you, Racheal.

ARC courtesy of Netgally. Please consider using this link to buy the book.

Wahcommo is a staggeringly imaginative work of world-building that is utterly fearless, taking inspiration from Nordic, Native American, Japanese and Western cultures to create something on par with Tchaikovsky’s Echoes of the Fall or Avatar: Legend of Aang.

Kaya and Fox are flawed characters, young and brimming with confidence and self-importance. Despite the seriousness of the task given to them, the pair constantly bicker and undermine each other. Much of the book explores the burdens of tradition, why they are important to maintain and why it is essential for them to be challenged.

Wahcommo is an absorbing adventure story with plenty of thrillingly action sequences full of blood and magic. The slower contemplative moments where the sweeping vistas of the fantasy world where the story takes place allow you to catch your breath before our heroes go into the breach once more.

NCT’s art is stunning. Blending different fantasy elements influenced by different cultures is incredibly difficult to do smoothly. Here it just works. There are no awkward juxtapositions. The character designs are superb. You can tell a tremendous amount of research and work was taken in creating the look of everything in the world of Wahcommo. There is a tired and lived-in quality to everything on the page; nothing is shiny and new. It is a hard world full of hard people. The linework is rough, giving it a sketch-like quality where the colours adding a great deal of depth and richness to the illustrations.

The chase and battles scenes are up there with the very best. One chase sequence where our heroes are trying to escape capture by town guards that hard turning the pages faster than I could reasonably read and comprehend what was happening.

It is not without flaws. I have seen other reviews complaining that these sequences were difficult to follow, but I didn’t find that to be the case save for some pages towards the end of the book. The ending also felt somewhat rushed, which I think is a fair comment. The plot itself is also fairly basic, but who cares when it is propped up by art as gorgeous as this.

Wahcommo is a treatise on why civilisations rise and crumble disguised as a coming of age story. It is an exhilarating fantasy romp, and I really hope the NCT returns to the world they have created here with more adventures.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Please consider using this affliate link to buy the book.

I hadn’t heard of Primo Levi before reading this graphic novel. Levi was an Italian Jewish chemist, partisan, Holocaust survivor and writer. The narrative device used to frame Levi’s life story is Levi visiting a class of school children to speak to them about the Holocaust and his time in a concentration camp.

Arranging the story this way cleverly negates the clumsy exposition often found in a history book. It is natural for Levi to explain what happened to him and his family and why. Levi is portrayed as a charming and determined man who is steadfast in his mission that the past not repeat itself. Mastragostino decision to have the children ask questions of Levi as to why he did or did not do certain things is impactful, as are their reactions when Levi recounts the hardships he underwent.

Ranghiasci art is purposeful and fluid, capturing moments of grief and solace with equal adeptness. They have a knack for drawing highly expressive faces. Despite the grimness of the subject matter, it is a smooth graphic novel to read. The text never overshadows the monochrome illustrations. There are sections of the book that feature drawings of dead Holocaust victims that are difficult to look at.

Overall, Primo Levi is a striking written and enthrallingly illustrated biography of a remarkable man that went through so much. It is the sort of book that acts as a perfect jumping-off point for someone looking to learn more about the Jewish experience in Italy during WW2. Levi’s attempt to resist fascist forces by joining the partisans is something that I’ll definitely be doing further reading on.