author:
WARREN ELLIS

illustration:
IVAN RODRIGUEZ

Graphic Novel
216 pages
Avatar Press

Warren Ellis’s work can do strange things to genres. In some cases, it serves as rock-solid examples of the form—his long-running Transmetropolitan, for example, in the realm of political science fiction. For others, there’s deconstruction afoot: witness Planetary, which explores and critiques a century of pulp heroics even as it serves as a fine example of the same; or the more recent Aetheric Mechanics, which starts out as a sort of steampunk Sherlock Holmes pastiche and evolves into something much more ominous. In recent years, Ellis has turned his attention to the detective story, with the 2007 novel Crooked Little Vein and the ongoing comics Fell and Desolation Jones. More recently, he’s again taken on ongoing, large-scale science fiction with the online FreakAngels, with artist Paul Duffield, and Doktor Sleepless, with artist Ivan Rodriguez.

From the first page of the first Doktor Sleepless collection, Engines of Desire, where protagonist John Reinhardt adopts the “cartoon mad scientist” persona of Doktor Sleepless, we’re off to an uncertain beginning, knowing little about Reinhardt’s motives and even less about his reliability. Throughout the volume, Reinhardt delivers lengthy speeches about technology, futurism, and authenticity—stirring stuff, but delivered as part of a persona, and presented with ambiguity over whether or not this is something to be welcomed. Reinhardt’s actions as he makes his way through the Northwestern city of Heavenside—renewing old acquaintances, exploring technology he created years before, baiting local authorities—leaves it unclear whether he’s a visionary, an antihero, or something more sinister. And while Reinhardt is presented initially as supremely competent, Ellis and Rodriguez subtly hint throughout that his command of the situation is less assured than he might believe.

If there’s a flaw here, it’s that Rodriguez’s art isn’t always up to the scale of the project—some of his characters have a tendency to look alike, and there’s awkwardness to some figure positioning in the book’s early parts. That said, the final section of the collection finds Rodriguez’s art having made a significant leap into a much more expressive style somewhat reminiscent of Ellis’s Planetary collaborator John Cassaday.

Overall, Engines of Desire is an intentionally bumpy read—certain plotlines, including the revelation of Reinhardt’s plans, his relationship to the technology that fuels the city’s underground culture, and his reunion with ex-girlfriend Sing Watson achieve resolution within the span of the book, while others are set up to run for a longer duration across the series. It’s what ends up making Doktor Sleepless intriguing: the sense that, for all his pontification and carefully considered plans, we might ultimately be reading less about the evolution of its title character’s plan and more about his undoing.

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author:
CHRIS ONSTAD

Graphic Novel
104 pages
Dark Horse

Opening with a pitch meeting for bawdy cell-phone accessories and closing with abundant amounts of liquor consumed in a Greek restaurant, the humor on display in Chris Onstad’s The Great Outdoor Fight ranges from surreal to blue to slapstick. Achewood has been running online since 2001, and has already garnered its share of acclaim in that space. Rather than Onstad’s previous, self-released collections, The Great Outdoor Fight expands on the online version both through additions to the storyline and through a wealth of supplemental information.

It’s the additional information that both makes this volume of interest to readers of the online edition and points to Onstad’s strength as a creator. The plot of The Great Outdoor Fight is fairly simple: longtime friends Ray Smuckles and “Roast Beef” Kazenzakis set out to compete in the Great Outdoor Fight of the title (slogan: “Three Days, Three Acres, Three Thousand Men”), after Ray learns of his father’s own status as 1973 champion. That in and of itself makes for a compelling storyline, alternating the preparation for and participation in the Fight with the supporting characters following the action from home. Onstad’s supplements make it clear that he’s devised a complete history for every year of the fight, and—if the biographies and glossary in the back of this volume are any indication—could probably spend years simply recounting the Fights of years past. (Particularly memorable is the explanation for why the 2000 champion was named “You’ve Got a Good Wiener, Friend.”)

It should be said it’s also hilarious: The fighters met by Ray and Roast Beef include pants-stuffing British bloggers and the memorably-named Latino Health Crisis, and the methods of dispatching opponents range from the brutal to the sublime. And its ending, moving from triumphant to bittersweet to comfortably mundane, reaches an entirely appropriate tone. Deconstructing Onstad’s sensibility—which suggests a fusion of Chris Ware and Berkeley Breathed—might, as in the case of most comedy, result in its own undoing, but its hallmarks can all be found here: a carefully constructed world, memorable characters, and a sense of unpredictability.

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author:
OLIVIER KA

Graphic Novel
112 pages
NBM

In this touching story of trust and betrayal, Olivier Ka shares and relives a very painful memory from his past. With the help of illustrations from his friend Alfred, Why I Killed Peter explores childhood memories and the damage that can be done by those that we trust during the most innocent times of our lives.

Told in chapters from various points in Peter Ka’s life, we begin with his recollections as a carefree seven year old, living with his hippie parents and learning about religion and the deadly sins from his god-fearing grandmother. This dichotomy in ideology splits the young boy in two and becomes a recurring theme throughout the novel.

At the age of nine, Olivier is befriends his grandmother’s priest Peter, and their friendship blossoms as Peter takes Olivier under his tutelage, assuming the roles of friend, father figure, and confidant. When Peter does the unthinkable one night at summer camp, the young boy (now twelve) comes face-to-face with pure evil and spends the rest of the novel (and ultimately his life) coming to grips with what has been done to him.

This is not a happy story, and everyone is not okay at the end of the novel. But it does offer honest and sincere proof of the resiliency of the human spirit.

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curator:
JACOB COVEY

Graphic Novel
193 pages (Book One)
207 pages (Book Two)
Fantagraphics

For those of us that never tire of amazing art and fantasy (a pretty great combination for many of us), Fantagraphic’s Beasts! (Volume 1 & 2) sure delivers. Not only are these two books chock full of some of the best drawings, musings, and paintings of “hidden creatures” that we have seen in quite some time, but cryptozoology on a whole has never again been so inspiring.

From the Yeti, Unicorn, and Centaur to the lesser known Golem and Harpy, all of the artists involved were provided with a description of their beast and nothing else. Their depiction of their chosen creature reflects not only the defining characteristics and lore of the selected Beast, but naturally their own artistic flair. The result is as beautiful as it is educational, with each page serving as a reminder of just how we as humans have and continue to create ways to explain the unexplainable.

One does not need to read these books from cover to cover to enjoy their content. Simply pick a page and dive right in. Should you choose to spend more time with Beasts! (I suggest you do) you’ll not be disappointed. Be sure to check out The Golem by Marc Bell, The Triton by Josh Cochran, and Mimi by Alexia Stamatiou.

An amazing job of curating by Jacob Covey.

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author:
EMMANUEL GUIBERT

Graphic Novel
336 pages
First Second

Time provides us with the ability to soften wounds, make sense of events that have transpired in our past, and sometimes re-create memories so that they become a bit more manageable, less painful. In the graphic novel Alan’s War, The Memories of G.I. Alan Cope, this may be the case, as the book was based upon Alan’s stories as told to author and illustrator Emmanuel Guibert some decades after WWII came to a close. As a friend and confidant, Guibert was entrusted to bring to fruition the life story of Alan Cope, and he does so in a beautiful and honest manner. Mr. Cope surely would have been proud with the results (unfortunately Alan Cope passed away before the novel was published).

As an eighteen-year old living in California, Alan Cope enlists in the military and is whisked off to basic training and later to advanced training as a radio operator. He manages to sit out the majority of WWII in training, but is ultimately sent off as part of Patton’s campaign to France, Germany, and the Czech Republic. While Mr. Cope sees little action as far as actual warfare is concerned, he does witness a great deal of destruction and human tragedy that affect him deeply.

Alan’s War succeeds not only in recounting one man’s life and personal journey, but also as a work of true art. Mr. Guibert’s illustrations are stunning, and they allow the reader to experience the story on a level that is simply not possible without these black and white cells.

It’s simply one of the finest examples of a graphic novel in the market today.

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author:
LILLI CARRE

Graphic Novel
80 pages
Fantagraphics

Fans of Lilli Carre will not be disappointed with her first long-form graphic novel, The Lagoon. This is a dark and rhythmic read with imagery that makes the reader feel damp, cold, and in need of a warm cup of coffee and the embrace of a loved one.

Stylistically illustrated in simple black ink, the novel tells the story of a young girl whose own life (along with those of her loved ones) has been touched by a mysterious monster with a penchant for singing melodies so enchanting, that quite a few have met their demise while experiencing its bliss. The songs of this mysterious swamp dwelling creature serve as not only common conversation amongst the family, but also as the soundtrack to their lives.

Each member of the family experiences the monster’s melodies in a different manner; from the mother’s personal and bizarre quasi-sexual encounters, to the grandfather’s recollections of years long since past, and the young child’s doubt in the very existence of such a fantastical creature at all.

Through winsome artistry, Ms. Carre is able to provide a level of sophistication and depth to her story that the reader will find both haunting and pleasing. While the story is interesting in its sparseness, this is a very quick read (fifteen minutes will do) that left me yearning for more.

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