Asterios Polyp

What is really fascinating is how Mazzucchelli uses the narrative to explore the graphic novel medium’s academic and artistic capabilities. He introduces a concept, immediately provides an example, and then leaves it to the reader to recognize the idea when it reoccurs later on in the story.

For example, the question is asked, “What if reality (as perceived) were simply an extension of self?” The visualization of the story provides numerous answers to this question. People are rendered in the same scene with different styles of illustration.

During Asterios and Hana’s first conversation, they are each rendered as if they exist in different realities, neither of which fit into their surroundings. The clean blue outlines of Asterios and the sketching pink shading of Hana define each character. As they talk, the rendering of one bleeds into the other, both joining them together and isolating them even more from the party going on around them.

Which is kind of what the story is about. Part of realizing who you are is realizing the effect those around you have on you and vice versa. It’s great to see how the rendering of apartments and studios reflect who owns them, those in them, and the interactions taking place.

An exact use of a limited color palette also reflects the characters at play. The line art is purple. Asterios introduces the color blue, Hana the color pink. Their colors together make up the past. The present is a mix of purple and yellow, and when the couple comes together again, their present maturity offers a wider spectrum.

There are many great elements of design to be found in this book. Each voice is unique and given its character and tone via specific and word-bubble styles. Compare visualizations of how the couple talks over each other early on, and later how they finish each other’s sentences. The execution is elegant in its simplicity, and effective in its design. Likewise for how sound effects are treated specially on the page.

Each character is identifiable by their silhouette, which is to be expected given the cartoon abstraction of the illustration. What is wonderful is how completely the character design embodies each specific personality. Even Asterios’ duality is revealed in his profile.

If you want to make comics, you must read this book. It’s got a solid story, and the execution is simply amazing.

This is one of the most interesting and immersive graphic-reading experiences I’ve found this year. Utilizing the double-page spread, 18 stories are told simultaneously and equally. Each ebbs and flows independently, falling in and out of synch with the stories around them. Panels are never broken. The gutters are never breached. But due composition and juxtaposition, the stories bleed into, and build upon those around them, creating a greater whole.

18 lives are experienced by the reader in glimpsed, introspective moments, from beginning to end. They begin and end as one, initially through abstraction and ultimately through composition. Each life exists in a variety of circumstances, throughout time, scattered all over the world. They are all poignant, but what will make this book endure is the experience of rereading each story in context of those around it, to compare and contrast 18 lives that could be experienced by one soul through reincarnation, to see what lessons could have been learned and lost along the way.

I sold a lot of books, as well as some original art, and met a lot of great people. It was also interesting to see how other writers and artists are marketing their work. I’ve got some big plans for next year’s conventions. Merchandise!

I also felt that the cover needed to be more eye-catching and iconic. The work inside spans the time I spent dreaming of making comics and my first few efforts. I’m hoping readers will see the progress I think I’ve made as a writer/illustrator. I had been wanting to redesign company logo for a while, and putting it on the cover, front and center, gave me an excuse to do so. Once I finished digitally coloring the artichoke, I settled on the orange background, and then the blue type. This and Martian Debut have my favorite covers so far.

The Early Years Collected ended up being a 164-page anthology.

Superman is rejected by those he has sworn to protect. They choose heroes that kill over those that don’t. Shaken by this and other events, Superman turns his back on the world for ten years. As the leader of his generation, others follow his lead, leaving the world to the new, violent, directionless, super-powered “heroes” of today. As most villains are killed off, matters continue to escalate worldwide as today’s heroes do little more than endanger those they are supposed to protect, coaxing Superman back into action.

But nothing is the same. Those he fights against are different, as are those that fight along side of him. Even he is different. Superman lost a part of himself in his self-imposed isolation, and never having found it again, he is ill-prepared to reclaim his previous role in the world.

This story is about reestablishing relationships and  regaining perspective. What reads so well is the history between all the characters. The moments of reflection and intimacy amongst friends, as well as enemies.

This book is my favorite example of Alex Ross’ art. His painted rendering and use of models grounds the fantasy. One can imagine that this is what these characters really look like. And it’s a nice touch that Ross’ father modeled for the minister.

Kurt Busiek’s story is a welcome break from Superman stories, while still being a Superman story. It focuses on many real-world aspects that are casually overlooked in the comic by exploring the motivations and the effort required to maintain a secret identity. The book was originally published as four separate comics, each detailing a different period in this Clark’s life. He wants to use these powers for good, but doesn’t want his good intentions to be manipulated, or compromised. As various individuals and groups try to use and control him, he realizes that his secret identity not only protects his privacy, but the very lives of those he cares about. The steps he takes to keep his identity secret become a way of life.

Stuart Immonen’s art on this book is great. The joy in Clark’s face as he first realizes that he can fly is undeniable. And his form is not stiff, or statuesque. It is a body in motion, fluid and graceful as he slides through the air. His style could not be better suited for this material.

What impresses me most about this book is its premise. What if the spaceship bringing Superman to our world landed a few hours earlier or later? Instead of crash landing in the heartland of the United States and becoming an American icon, in this story he lands in Stalin’s U.S.S.R. and raised with communist ideals.

The world that Millar creates is very different from typical cannon, but he populates it with familiar characters. Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Jimmy Olsen, Lex Lurthor and Brainiac are still what one might expect, but they are redefined by their circumstances in this alternate world, offering radically new interpretations.

The narrative runs a natural, yet surprising course, and has a satisfying resolution. And after such an intense story, the reveal at the end provides a rewarding laugh. You can find this book on Amazon.

The narrative focuses on Superman’s early career. He is young, still coming to terms with the kind of man he is growing into. He leaves his protected life on the farm for an uncertain one in the big city. He goes out on his own, to find himself and fulfill his destiny. And he does not do this alone. This does not happen in a vacuum. Each chapter is narrated by a different character, close to him in their own way. Each chapter offers a unique perspective on Superman as it also illustrates how this particular narrator takes part in molding the hero Superman will become.

Sale’s artwork shines with the wonder and innocence of the protagonist. Young Clark Kent is a mountain compared to his adoptive parents, making it obvious the effort they all make to be a normal family, to fulfill their roles as parents and child. While the art is fairly cartoonish, everything is rendered into a believable world. The right details to give home interiors a lived-in quality, and outdoor vistas vastness and scope.

For the benefit of all, or for one’s own selfish desire, all the characters do the best they can. And no matter the outcome, they will do even better the next time. This determination is what matches the will of Superman with that of his nemesis, Lex Luthor. But it is the contrasts between the two that make it an interesting fight. Even though Lex Luthor is only human, he is elevated by his intelligence and his conviction. But his ego isolates him. He works alone. Even though Superman is a super-powered alien, his greatest strength is that he is a sum of all the good, normal people that believe in him. They give him his greatest power, his unwavering sense of right and wrong. And this book celebrates that.

You can find it on Amazon.

The Superman comics I remember reading as a kid had everything. Whatever could happen, did. Wherever the story could take its protagonist, it did. It captured my imagination and took it for a ride. I couldn’t wait to find out what happened in the next issue. All Star Superman was the first comic in years to have the same effect.

Grant Morrison’s stories are poignant, ridiculous and action-packed. The character of Superman is iconic, old-school and pure. He is an ideal hero in his prime: powerful, intelligent, contemplative and responsible. The episodic stories draw from decades of material, glimpsing ideas that could be full stories themselves to a point of sensory overload, hinting at how one like Superman might experience everything happening around him all at once.

Frank Quitely’s illustration is clean and meticulous, yet fun and engaging. His Superman is modern and unique, but still calls back to the earliest versions of the character. Jamie Grant’s color work on this book elevates Quitely’s lines to a new dimension. His contribution to the book feels like a true collaboration, rather than a disconnected part of an assembly line.

The whole run will be available in one volume in Oct. 2011. You can find it at Amazon.