by Marc, on December 28th, 2009
 Planetary: Crossing Worlds is perhaps the least interesting of the Planetary collections. It contains three crossover stories in which the Planetary team meets up with The Authority, multiple incarnations of The Batman, and an alternate version of the JLA. The latter story is definitely not part of the Planetary storyline (it takes place in a different universe), and while the other two could be part of “our” Planetary, the stories stand apart from the Planetary series. Continue reading Planetary: Crossing Worlds
by Marc, on November 29th, 2009
Hmm. What can I say about  Planetary, Vol. 3: Leaving the 20th Century that I didn’t already cover in talking about the first two volumes? It still has strong writing, still has great art and colouring, ummm… still explores the superhero and related genres in a terrific post-postmodernist fashion. Did I ever tell you how awesome the cover art is? Continue reading Planetary, Vol. 3: Leaving the 20th Century
by Marc, on November 19th, 2009
 If buying a book was like buying, oh, I don’t know, peanuts (for example), there would a word count on the back cover near the price, and the cost breakdown per 1000 words. Then, you could walk through the store and pick up the books and think to yourself, “Hmm. Do I feel like 50,000 words? Or should I just get this 6,000 word short story? But the price point is better for the longer books, and this book is much cheaper per word than that one…” And then you could just get the book with the right number of words and the best price per word.
And if that were so, An Anthology of Graphic Fiction, Cartoons and True Stories, Vol. 1, edited by Ivan Brunetti, would be one of the best values for money around. This is a BIG BOOK, and it’s pretty reasonably priced.
“But wait,” you might say. “There are Spanish peanuts, Runner peanuts, Valencia peanuts, Virginia peanuts and Tennessee Red and Tennessee White peanuts. You didn’t take into account the different kinds of peanuts and my preference for one over the other. Maybe some peanuts are better than others and therefore worth more than others. Just how good are these peanuts?”
And I would say, “Pretty good.”
Continue reading An Anthology of Graphic Fiction, Cartoons and True Stories, Vol. 1
by Marc, on November 17th, 2009
 McSweeny’s Quarterly Concern is a literary magazine periodical put out four times a year and edited by Dave Eggers. It is known for it’s experimental and creative layouts and packaging, and for its themed issues. Issue 13 (Spring 2004) is “An Assorted Sampler of North American Comic Drawings, Strips, and Illustrated Stories, &c.” and is guest edited by Chris Ware. Featuring an illustrated fold-out book jacket designed by Ware, McSweeney’s Quarterly Concern #13 is an excellent primer for North American “indie” comics. Continue reading McSweeney’s Quarterly Concern #13
by Marc, on November 17th, 2009
 In Flight 714, Tintin, Snowy, Captain Haddock and Professor Calculus get diverted from their trip to the Astronomical Conference in Sydney (they were guests of honour, being the first men on the moon, doncha know) when the plane they are on gets hijacked (not the titular Flight 714, oddly enough). What follows is a typical Tintin story, which means lots of action, terrific illustration, and some pretty interesting contemporary tie-ins. Continue reading Flight 714
by Marc, on November 13th, 2009
The next meeting of the Hamilton Graphic Novel Book Club is Thursday, Dec. 3. We will be discussing Black Hole by Charles Burns.
Currently, the HGNBC is small but growing. We meet on the first Thursday of the month at someone’s house where we drink a few drinks, argue about the book at hand and pick one for the next month. If you are interested in joining, please email me (Marc) at graphicnovelbookclub@gmail.com
by Marc, on November 2nd, 2009
 The Sandman Vol. 3: Dream Country is a collection of four Sandman stories, plus a script version of one of the issues. The stories are interesting in that they mainly figure Dream as a presence, rather than a main character, and that works exceedingly well in giving a real sense of the Endless as things or events in our lives rather than personalities. Continue reading The Sandman, Vol. 3: Dream Country
by Marc, on October 29th, 2009
As you might expect from the title,  Planetary, Vol. 2: The Fourth Man is where the Planetary story really starts to pick up the pace. In addition to some kick-ass stories, Ellis and Cassaday start to reveal some of the back-story, giving us a glimpse at parts of Elijah’s past and the mysterious Fourth Man that runs and finances the Planetary organization. Continue reading Planetary, Vol. 2: The Fourth Man
by Marc, on October 24th, 2009
 Damn! I’ve been putting off this review of In The Shadow of No Towers for so long, it’s become a form of writer’s block. You see, I was so impressed by Spiegelman’s work, so absolutely blown away by it and on so many levels, that I felt that any review I had to write had better fucking do it justice. Finally, I have come to the conclusion that there is no way I am able to acheive this, so I should just go ahead and write the damn thing anyway. Continue reading In The Shadow of No Towers
by Marc, on October 20th, 2009
 For our last meeting of the Hamilton Graphic Novel Book Club, we discussed a book that caused me to re-write my definition of “graphic novel:” Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art, by Scott McCloud. While it certainly isn’t necessary to read this book in order to enjoy comics, this book is required reading for anyone who is interested in analyzing or studying comics, or is trying to relate to someone who loves them. Continue reading Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art
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SKRONTZ! is a blog about graphic novels and their writers, artists and publishers.
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