Dragon Age: the comic

This is one for the gamers out there, a sequel of sorts to the ‘Dragon age’ games. Set in a world of magic and dragons ‘Dragon age: The Silent Grove’ could also appeal to fantasy readers. It follows King Alistair as he looks for his answers about what happened to his father. If you are familiar with the games, then you will enjoy seeing more of characters that you have had many conversations with in the games. If not, then you get to know people quickly, but it does assume some knowledge of the universe. This is not surprising seen as it is written by the person responsible for the storylines of the games. The story follows fantasy conventions and there aren't ay real surprises. Warning, this does end on a cliff hanger and is not a self contained work.

The artwork is beautiful, and it really works. It’s pretty to look at and makes pages without dialogue really work. A decent read.

Not one for children though, but when you think about it ‘Dragon age’ tend to have an 18 certificate. So you need to treat this graphic novel the same way. It will get gamers reading while they are waiting for the next game in the series.

A classic biography with a new twist

An intriguing graphic novel, ‘Dotter of her father’s eye’ is the story of two father/daughter relationships. One is that of the a semi-autobiographical account of the writer whose father was a James Joyce expert. The other is of James Joyce and his daughter. I am not a fan of James Joyce, so I didn’t quite get a lot of the references, however, I don’t think that is important to appreciate this book. It’s quite a feminist tale; both protagonists are trying to do things that are not necessary acceptable to the older generation in terms of what women should be like. I did prefer the James Joyce story to the modern one, but that’s because there is more of an emotional undercurrent to it. This is Mary Talbot’s first foray into graphic novel writing, and I am intrigued to see how she follows this book up.

The artwork by Bryan Talbot, is as always really well done and conveys a lot of emotion. The only issue I had was that sometimes it took me a while to work out which girl’s story I was reading. The solution is to remember their hairstyles.

This would be good for any reading group who are reading a James Joyce book. It just shows a different side to the man and the effect he had on those around him. It would probably be a good first graphic novel for those book clubs who enjoy the modern classics. Please note, this is not for children.

Stunning artwork

The first thing that strikes the reader, after the overlong introductions, is the stunning artwork. It is just so detailed and intricate. It is not what a reader, used to American comic art style, expects. The people are real, there are no unrealistic portrayals.

The stories are basically old school westerns, well written, and very obviously heavily researched. ‘Indian Summer’ follows an outcast family during an Indian attack. The portrayal of women in this one was up and down. Sometimes the naked women were very tastefully portrayed, whereas other times it did feel a bit too voyeuristic. The reader sees a level of detail that you would not expect, and it does not really need to be there.

The 2^nd story, ’Paper Man’, was a lot better. Looking at themes of colonialism and how Indians are just as intelligent as the white man. I really engaged with this story, and thought it had a good ending. There were no naked women in this one, but honestly, it was the journey that made the story riveting.

This is definitely an adult graphic novel because of the subject matter, and the illustrations. It includes rape, incest and extreme violence.  Those who are interested in the graphic novel as art will like this book, even with its faults.

An old adventure

Hellboy - House of the Living Dead

This was a surprisingly quick read. Set in the past, Hellboy encounters Mexican wrestlers, vampires, a Frankenstein type professor and his Igor. The story does stretch credulity with Hellboy constantly being drunk, and having a successful career as a Mexican wrestler.

The artwork is pretty as always, the style does strangely work in the past and the gothic style.  I will admit that I have only read the odd Hellboy and have watched the films. I just wanted it to be a longer graphic novel, because there were some characters that I would have liked to know more about. Maybe more knowledge of this universe would enable a better reading experience. I suspect that this book plugs a gap in Hellboy’s timeline.

It is probably ok for teenagers to read, and those that are old enough to have sneakily watched the films before they legally should. The shortness of the book would appeal to reluctant readers.

Very pretty

This is very pretty, the artwork is beautiful. The story is old fashioned, and is a fairy tale of sorts. It follows a dragon and its impact on peoples’ lives about him.  There are 3 sisters living in the affected village, all of them conform to some kind of female stereotype. The main sister is intelligent and wants to be a healer. Another is obsessed by the dream of her true love coming from across the sea. The world the author makes does seem expansive, and I expect there will be many more stories based there. This would, perhaps, give ‘The Last Dragon’ more narrative strength.

There are pages when only the art tells the story, and those really work.  When I first started reading it I thought it was going to be more like ‘Stardust’ by Neil Gaiman, from the style of the text and layout, and that is a compliment.

To be honest, the story doesn’t matter that much with a book of this type. People will read it and look at it just for the artwork. There’s quite a lot of deaths involved, so its probably suitable at ages 10 plus. Adults and teenagers will be interested because of the use of the art.

Star Wars: Clone Wars

Strange Allies is the latest graphic novel based on the ‘Star Wars: the Clone Wars’ TV series. It is also based on characters created for the ‘Star Wars: Clone Wars, Secret Missions’ series of books for young people. I have not read that series of books, but I do avidly watch the TV series.

This graphic novel follows a master less Padawan, Nuru Kungurwara who has made a name for himself. In a sequence of images very reminiscent of the opening narration of the carton, the reader sees how he came to that fame. It is a nice explanatory  touch for those who have not read the ‘Secret Missions’ books, and probably a thrill for those who have read them to see the memorable sequences illustrated.

A straightforward mission to protect a droid consignment from pirates becomes a lot more complicated. Savage Opress (Count Dooku’s new apprentice only briefly seen in the TV series) gets involved, and more things are at stake than droids.

The artwork is in keeping with the TV series style, and that means that sometimes some characters like Yoda look a bit odd. Most of the story is told by the action in the artwork, and the nice clean lines means it’s very accessible for young people. The story is engaging and has enough twists to keep the reader happy. The entire book is loyal to the ‘Clone Wars’ sensibilities, and as such is suitable for readers who are old enough to watch the cartoon.

A good, entertaining read