The Unwritten, Volume 6: Tommy Taylor and the War of Words Review

The Unwritten, Volume 6: Tommy Taylor and the War of Words  

Author/Artist: Mike Carey/Peter Gross

Publisher: Vertigo

American release date: October 23, 2012

Format/Genre/Length: Graphic Novel/Fantasy/200 pages

Publisher/Industry Age Rating: Suggested for Mature readers

Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★★

Similar series or titles to check out: Sandman, Lucifer, Hellblazer

Tom, Richie and Lizzie hole up in an abandoned ice station in Antarctica as Tom lays his plans, utilizing his magic—and the power of the Internet. Tom uses a finding spell to locate a member of the cabal, a spell which unfortunately doesn’t seem to work on Pullman, seeking their location. All bets are off and full speed ahead is his motto, even while his friends caution him to go slow.

Synopsis:

When Lizzie and Richie realize Tom’s in trouble, they have to find him, and it’s touch or go whether they can keep him alive, even as Pullman breaks into the meeting of the leadership of the cabal and tries to explain how to rescue the current situation, if they’ll only listen to him. As Tom hovers between life and death, they appeal to his readers to help him the only way they can—through the chanting of the spells from the Tommy Taylor books.

When the trio locate the cabal, Pullman is waiting for them. Well, waiting for Tom. He has something to share with him. Time for a little show and tell…

 Commentary:

This volume is threaded with other stories that are interwoven into the fabric of the main event, as we learn much more about the past than we’ve been shown before, especially about the man known as Pullman. And Leviathan. Each volume is more fascinating than the one before. I believe the author is telling us that no one piece of a story is insignificant, it all has relevance, and so it is with people too. Everyone’s lives touches on everyone else’s in some way, whether the touch is felt and registered or not.

In this series, Mike Carey displays the same brilliance that made Lucifer so wonderful, combined with Peter Gross’ beautiful artwork. This is a not-to-be-missed series that I would recommend to anyone’s book shelf. I can’t even imagine what the climax will be, but I am looking forward to it.

Locke & Key Volume 5: Clockworks Review

Locke & Key 5: Clockworks  

Author/Artist: Joe Hill/Gabriel Rodriguez

Publisher: IDW Publishing

American release date: July 24, 2012

Format/Genre/ Length: Graphic Novel/Fantasy/152 pages

Publisher/Industry Age Rating: Not rated/contains mature themes & graphic violence

Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★★

Similar authors to check out: HP Lovecraft, Stephen King, Harlan Ellison titles

George Sanyana said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

The fifth volume of Locke & Key begins in 1775 Massachusetts Bay as Tyler and Kinsey look-alikes Ben and Miranda watch while their parents are hung by the British, who think to oust them from their home and claim it as their own. Their plans are thwarted when they realize that the house is owned by another, so for now the teenagers are allowed to stay. Sneaking out from under their keepers’ watchful eyes, they head to the caves, where a group of patriots awaits, only to learn that their brother Joshua has fallen victim to something most foul indeed.

                       

Synopsis:

One of Bode’s little friends unwisely lets Luke/Bode know that he realizes he isn’t Bode, and suffers the consequences. Bode is determined to find the omega key, but having little luck. While rooting around in Kinsey’s room, he accidentally smashes the bottle containing her tears and fears. They get inside Tyler’s head and mess with him severely. When Bodes confesses to what happened, Kinsey uses the head key to see what’s going on inside Tyler’s head (a very scary place) and removes Ugly and Gloomy, but in the process also reveals valuable information to Bode.

Tyler and Kinsey use a key and the grandfather clock to travel to 1775, where the events of the past unfold before them, including the flooding of the cave. After their return, Kinsey asks what he’d like to see next, and Tyler doesn’t hesitate. He wants to see their father. So it’s off to 1988 they go, to Lovecraft Academy. After the play, everyone is anxious to hear what Mark Cho’s movie-agent uncle thought of the production. Disappointment wells when they learn he never showed up, having skipped out to see The Naked Gun instead. Kim is especially ticked off and makes some very nasty comments before storming off. A distraught Rendell agrees to do what he vowed he’d never do—let a demon through the black door.

Can this possibly end well?

Commentary:

Time is certainly fluid in this volume of Locke & Key, as we move between the far past, the past and the present, watching as the forces that shaped what is came to be, including the forging of the keys. Talk about the sins of the fathers…

We see a lot of Rendell and his group of friends, including the treacherous Luke, and the dynamics of the group, which can be turbulent at times. Who likes who, who loves who, who’s a bitch and who’s just lovesick. There is no doubt that Luke is evil, even if they don’t realize to what extent.  I don’t like Kim at all, either. Not sure what Rendell sees in her. I love seeing Duncan as a little boy as his personality traits are being formed.

I love the ways the characters are drawn, so realistic, so much like people anyone might known, drawn into strange situations and doing their best to handle them. The writing and the drawing of this book work in perfect harmony, one with the other. This one’s definitely a keeper.

-

The Unwritten Vol 5: On to Genesis Review

The Unwritten, Volume 5: On to Genesis  

Author/Artist: Mike Carey/Peter Gross

Publisher: Vertigo

American release date: January 17, 2012

Format/Genre/Length: Graphic Novel/Fantasy/144 pages

Publisher/Industry Age Rating: Suggested for Mature readers

Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★★

Similar series or titles to check out: Sandman, Lucifer, Hellblazer

With Tom Taylor presumed dead and Wilson’s estate up for auction, what else can Lizzie and Savoy do but try to steal what they need from it? Specifically Lot 57. Lizzie provides a diversion so that Savoy can surreptitiously photograph the layout of the auction house where everything is on display for inspection. And while they are mulling everything over in the safety of a small diner, the wayward wanderer himself unexpectedly returns after his absence of three months, bursting on the scene from inside a glass of water!

Synopsis:

Repairing to another location, Tom tells them his whale of a story. When Savoy asks if he’s found “the Source”, Tom says he has, and that he thinks that it’s people. People who read a story and get something out of it. Maybe even give it back.

Lizzie and Savoy convince Tom, who wishes nothing to do with his father’s estate, why they need Lot 57, and he reluctantly concurs. They break into the auction house, where everything is waiting to be auctioned off the following evening, and quite an interesting haul there is, including a sensory deprivation tank and a stuffed rabbit. But the best laid plans go awry, as they often do, and when the auction begins, there is a valuable new addition to the collection—Tom Taylor himself. With Lizzie and Savoy close at hand, as collateral evidence that Tom is the real deal.

Afterward, with the journals in hand, Tom has to do some serious reading, in order to glean anything from them. The trouble is, there are thirty damn volumes. And his father’s writing isn’t necessarily linear, and he doesn’t always get to the point. An accidental discovery while in the public library, gives them a potentially useful tool to use for those areas of the journals that are sparse in details, a firsthand glimpse into what was.

Tom is convinced that a comic book character from long ago by the name of Tinker holds some clue to what they seek, so he insists on pursuing the lead because he feels his father’s mention of it means something. Meanwhile, Pullman’s employer is unhappy with the results of the auction. But not for long.

Tom, Lizzie and Savoy travel into the past in order to arrive at answers in the present; they make a new friend, and reconnect with an old one.

 Commentary:

The deeper we get into the heart of the story, the more exciting this series gets. The premise of the power in the written word is an intoxicating one, dizzyingly brought to life by Mike Carey and Peter Gross, for that is the magic behind everything. And the power that everyone wants to control.

In this volume, we see a lot more of Tom’s father, Wilson Taylor, than ever before, all linked with the superhero Tinker, as Tom seeks to learn the truth of his parentage, of his birth. But time is running out, as the bad guys seem to be closing in, and people who have ever been a part of the story are being snuffed out.

Despite his fears of what may be revealed, Tom pushes on. He has grown a great deal, as a character, since we first met him, with the help of Lizzie and Savoy. He’s stronger, and more mature, coming into his own as a man, something that was lacking from his life before. It isn’t easy to examine one’s own life in such detail, perhaps to learn unpleasant truths about his father, and maybe himself. But this is the stuff that makes heroes, and Tom has definitely become the hero in his own story, at last.

This is a fascinating read which only gets better and better, and is wonderfully illustrated by the talented Peter Gross, whose artwork drew me, as much as the writing, to Mike Carey’s Lucifer series. This is one seriously imaginative series. It ranks among my all-time favorites, and is a definite keeper.

Can’t wait to read the next volume, which comes out October 23.

The Unwritten Volume 4 Review

 The Unwritten, Volume 4: Leviathan  

Author/Artist: Mike Carey/Peter Gross

Publisher: Vertigo

American release date: October 25, 2011

Format/Genre/Length: Graphic Novel/Fantasy/144 pages

Publisher/Industry Age Rating: Suggested for Mature readers

Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★★

Similar series or titles to check out: Sandman, Lucifer, Hellblazer

Tommy and Lizzie and Savoy find themselves on a tour bus labeled White Whale Tours in Pittsfield. Tommy is insistent that they need to be there. Part of the tour includes the house where Herman Melville wrote his magnus opus. Savoy isn’t doing so good—his skin is crawling like he’s got ants, and the light hurts his eyes; he thinks it’s an allergic reaction to the sun, because he’s British.

Synopsis:

According to the map, the Arrowhead Farm is “the source”, whatever that means. But Tommy won’t move on until he finds it. Searching for a place to stay, Tommy chooses The Spouter Inn, as it has the same name as the inn Ishmael stayed at in Chapter Three of Moby Dick. Meanwhile Mr. Pullman is recruiting the services of an old dollmaker, and tempting her to shed her neutrality by offering her the chance to get the Maanim.

Lizzie remembers something Wilson once said to her about symbols, as she and Tommy sit in his room. Lizzie doesn’t want to be alone, so Tommy tells her to read the book to him, but one thing leads to another… Meanwhile, Savoy’s got his own issues, and things are getting strange. Or stranger, depending on one’s perspective.

While Lizzie’s in the shower, Tommy glimpses a great white whale from the window of the inn. He leaves Lizzie a terse note and off he goes after it. Lizzie grabs Savoy and chases after him, but they’re just a little too late, and Tommy finds himself aboard the Pequod, facing its too familiar and obsessive master. The Toymaker is alerted to the presence of the trio in Pittsfield, and Savoy tells Lizzie about the new development in his situation, as well as his theory as to how the heck this happened

At the end of this volume is Stairway to Heaven, in which we meet our friend Pauly again.

 Commentary:

The fourth volume of the Unwritten series takes us deeper and deeper into the belly of the beast—in more ways than one. This one is no less gripping than its predecessors as Tommy and his friends continue their literary journey to find the truth. We run into old friends in the form of Frankenstein’s monster and Mingus, as Tommy works his way through understanding what is going on, especially once he finds himself in the belly of the whale. Can Savoy be what he really thinks he’s becoming? And from a fictional character such as Count Ambrosio? Or is the written word more powerful than anyone suspects?

I can’t say enough about this series. The artwork is fabulous, the writing amazing.  Mike Carey and Peter Gross must be great guys to hang out with; I love how their minds work. Just when you think you have things figured out, something else happens and you realize you don’t know shit. Can’t wait to read volume five.

Winter Demon Volume 2 Review

Winter Demon, Volume 2  

Author:  Yamila Abraham

Distributor:  Yaoi Press

American release date:  2007

Format/Genre:  Manga/Yaoi

Publisher/Industry Age Rating:  Mature

Overall Personal Rating:  ★★★★

Similar series or titles to check out:   9th Sleep

According to Priest Shidan, Hakuin's touch is purifying to Fuyu, and that being the case, there must be some redemptive qualities to be found in the Demon.  And although Hakuin has not forgotten or forgiven his rape by the demon a year ago, he is willing to forgive him, once he feels he is worthy of such forgiveness.  In the meantime, he's leading the Winter Demon around by the nose in order to get him to do good.

Synopsis:

They travel to another village to seek medical aid for a young girl named Kyoko.  Along the way Hakuin speculates that since she has no one, perhaps he should marry her - which thought is most displeasing to Fuyu, especially when Hakuin denies that he and the demon are lovers.  Reaching the village, they learn that the healer they seek, Lord Zengosaku,  only serves the nobles.  They go to the castle anyway, and when they meet the healer, he explains that his only patient is the very ill young son of the lord.  But when he sees Fuyu, he gets an idea.  The boy desires to see magic.  Perhaps if Fuyu will perform for him - in disguise, of course, lest he frighten the boy - he will help to heal the girl.  Although Fuyu is less than enthusiastic over this idea, Hakuin accepts the offer.  The healer says he will heal the girl over three sessions, and Fuyu is to give three magic shows. Hakuin chooses to share a room with Fuyu, and when the demon shows signs of wishing to depart, Hakuin begs him prettily, for his sake - and then grants him permission to brush his hair!  Not quite what the demon has in mind, but it's all he's getting.  For now.

That night, as they sleep - Hakuin lying contentedly in the confused demon's arms - Ratsu the Fire Demon momentarily appears, and Fuyu realizes that the demon whip needs fixing, but he purposely does not tell Hakuin.

Each performance is more demeaning than the one before, and Fuyu is more than fed up.  Only his feelings for Hakuin keep him in check.  But sometimes, even so, he gets a bit out of hand - and his own reactions to those times confuse him greatly.  He doesn't mean to hurt the monk, and yet he seems to keep doing that.  Finally, for the last performance, he is requested to appear in Samurai armor, which gives the demon an idea, and a way to get the heck out of Dodge.

As we return to our epilogue, Figaru, we find that Figaru and Ichiro are doing very well in their newly discovered blissful honeymoon existence.   Priest Shidan accidentally interrupts a lovemaking session, wishing to send Figaru to the market.  Ichiro must go with him, lest the demon frighten the villagers.  They start to taunt Ichiro, until they see who he is with, and he begins to gain a grudging respect he never had before.  Ichiro runs across Matsuyo, a young girl who is a distant relative, whom he hasn't seen in quite a while. When he mentions her to Priest Shidan, the priests asks didn't Ichiro propose to her two years before - and a can of worms is unexpectedly opened, to Figaru's dismay.  Although it kills him to do so, he encourages Ichiro to court and wed the girl.  Without his Iover, the incubus is growing ill.  He has to do something about his needs, but what he does isn't pleasant, and the priest is horrified at what he discovers.  As is Ichiro.

A second chapter of Winter Demon finds Fuyu and Hakuin traveling to a village where the demon whip can be repaired, when they receive a request to help another village.  Fuyu is adamantly opposed, feeling it is imperative they get the weapon fixed as soon as possible, but Hakuin agrees, so they end up spending the night.  Fuyu then tries to soothe some of Hakuin's fears of intimacy.  Can he make it all better?  Or at least start to?

 Commentary:

As I had hoped, the artist was changed from the first volume, and while the artwork is not up to Japanese standards, it is better than the first book. The relationship between Fuyu and Hakuin is developing, but at Hakuin's pace.  Naturally he has reservations, and is quite conflicted.  On the one hand, this is the same demon who brutally raped him before and thought nothing of it - on the other hand, under Hakuin's purifying touch, this same demon has begun to change into something softer and nicer, one that appeals to Hakuin.  Yet naturally his body remembers, and it's hard not to fear the demon's touch.  Which only makes their relationship that much more realistic to me, and it has me actually rooting for Fuyu, cause I think he just needs the chance to be good, and to divest himself of some of his less charming ways.  Which only goes to show, as Anne Frank reminded us - there is good in everyone.  And I have just one thing to say about Fuyu - he is totally whipped!

Ichiro broke my heart, though, when he left his demon, and it was hard to watch Figaru react as he did, even if a bit understandable.  All I can hope is that he will return to his incubus in the future, otherwise he is a very cruel boy.

The artwork is getting better, the story is as good as always, and I find myself caught up in the characters.  For me, the characters are what makes the story.  Plot is important yes, but only as devices to bring out what is inside them.  In this, Winter Demon succeeds admirably.  There is a cute one panel bonus story at the end which is sure to produce a smile.  And glancing ahead, I already know that Figaru and Fuyu are going to meet - what fun!  This second volume is even better than the first, I anticipate the third eagerly.

Yamila Abraham gives us a unique world of demons and monks, throws them together in a cooking pot, and then lets us taste what comes out.  Yummy!

Before you read this, read Winter Demon 1, then try Wild Rock.

Locke& Key 4: Keys to the Kingdom Review

Locke & Key 4: Kings to the Kingdom  

Author/Artist: Joe Hill/Gabriel Rodriguez

Publisher: IDW Publishing

American release date: July 19, 2011

Format/Genre/ Length: Graphic Novel/Fantasy/160 pages

Publisher/Industry Age Rating: Not rated/contains mature themes & graphic violence

Overall Personal Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆

Similar authors to check out: HP Lovecraft, Stephen King, Harlan Ellison titles

Kinsey is trying to get Tyler to share his burden with her, but is it her that wants to know the whereabouts of the omega key, or is it Zack? When Tyler accidentally learns of Zack’s boyfriend status with his sister, things get ugly, and poor Bode is left bemoaning the problem with teenagers.                             

Synopsis:

Bode finds a new key, and this one transforms him into a bird! Not surprisingly, Zack’s animal form is a wolf. When the wolf and his dog friends confront Tyler and Kinsey in the woods, will Bode and his bird friends be able to stave off their destruction?

While taking a walk, Tyler and Kinsey and their respective significant others run into an older black lady who is being pushed about in a wheelchair. She spies the teens and, mistaking Tyler for his father Rendell, tries to cry out a warning. “White!” she cries. The young people assume it’s because of their race. How mistaken they are.

Kinsey learns the woman’s name and she recognizes it from when she was inside the cave, searching for her father’s name on the wall. She wants to talk to her more. Trouble is Erin Voss is a resident of the McClellan Psychiatric Hospital. Kinsey’s determined to get in there, so she brainstorms with her two buddies, Scot and Jamal,  and one of them has an idea. Meanwhile, Zack, in his guise as the Dark Lady, sees another way to get in, by appealing to the baser instincts of one of the lower level employees of the hospital. When Kinsey runs her plan by Bode, he ups it to something that is actually more viable, using another key, and in the process they learn how making themselves appear to be black has rendered them invisible to a lot of people. All Kinsey needs to do is to get to the old lady, and use the head key to learn what she knows. The question is who will get to her first?

As Kinsey and Zack become closer, she wants to do something to seal that closeness—she wants to open up their heads, take one of her happiest thoughts and give it to him, and then do the same with him. When he unequivocally refuses, she breaks up with him. Afterwards, she reveals the secret of the head key to Scot and Jamal. Tyler is horrified to learn what she’s done, not to mention that Bode is being rather loose with key secrets too. Tyler’s love life goes up in flames when he catches Jordan with someone else. It seems that everyone is at loggerheads now.

While spending time with the Lockes, the coach’s son Rufus sees and speaks with the spirit of Sam Lesser, who communicates with him in the military jargon that the young boy understands. Sam warns Rufus of the danger to the Lockes, and to his mother, and gives it a name—Zack. Rufus is not willing to kill the enemy, but Sam has another plan.

Uncle Duncan’s lover Brian has come out of his coma at last, and the two women responsible are behind bars, claiming that there was someone else involved, a young man with a lip ring. Tyler becomes suspicious, thinking that the description they’ve given is too much like a certain someone. When he and Kinsey and Bode go to watch Zack’s fencing championship match at the school, he uses Bode as an excuse to leave early, and on the way home return Rufus’ broken action figure. What he really wants is a chance to question the coach, snoop in Zack’s room, and hopefully get some answers.

All Hell is about to break loose and all bets are off…

Commentary:

The first chapter of this fourth volume of Locke & Key is an homage to Bill Watterson, drawn in the style of Calvin & Hobbes. It utilizes the characters in an unusual way.  I enjoyed this brief change of pace. It was something rather unique, and interesting to read.

As for the rest of the book, it’s like watching a train wreck, one you can see coming but are incapable of doing anything about. When yelling a warning doesn’t do a bit of good—what will be will be. Que sera sera. In this ultimate battle between good and evil, it’s not a foregone conclusion that good will overcome bad. Zack is one slick number and he has a lot of tricks up his sleeve. Yes there are a lot of allies to be called upon, but numbers alone won’t do it.

This volume of Locke & Key is excellent. It will draw you in, as you rapidly turn the pages to learn what comes next. Hopes are raised—and dashed. The story progresses admirably as we get closer and closer to the whole truth of the matter, and the meaning of the keys. I suspect that the one that Zack wants the most holds that answer. I can’t wait for the next volume, Clockworks.

All I can say is talent certainly runs in that family, and Joe Hill got it in spades from his parents—Stephen and Tabitha King. This is one of the best graphic novels I’ve ever read, and Gabriel Rodriguez’s artwork is amazing. Not to be missed.

-

Locke & Key 3: Crown of Shadows Review

Locke & Key 3: Crown of Shadows  

Author/Artist: Joe Hill/Gabriel Rodriguez

Publisher: IDW Publishing

American release date: July 19, 2011

Format/Genre/ Length: Graphic Novel/Fantasy/152 pages

Publisher/Industry Age Rating: Not rated/contains mature themes & graphic violence

Overall Personal Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆

Similar authors to check out: HP Lovecraft, Stephen King, Harlan Ellison titles

Tyler’s mother is troubled by shadows in the night, so she wakes Tyler, bending his ear with her drunken outpourings, as well as the news that she has to go to Provincetown for a while, as Duncan’s lover was hit by a car. The patient Tyler listens to her ramblings, promises her to take care of things while she’s gone and puts her to bed. Little does he realize that there are indeed problems in the shadows—in the form of Zach/Lucas, and his many keys. But he’s still missing at least one key that he really wants

                                   

Synopsis:

For once, Tyler is on top of his game, and his paper for his ethics class is done. But when he learns that Jordan’s isn’t, he doesn’t hesitate to let her have his. He figures that he can get by because everyone will let him skate, based on his family life being so fucked up, so that technically he is displaying ethics of a sort in letting her have his paper. She happily accepts his offer and thanks him with a kiss. Score one for Tyler!

Kinsey and Zach seem rather cozy these days. She makes the acquaintance of Scot Kavanaugh, whom she almost threw up on before, who has some observations to make regarding Zach. He tells her about the cave, a local place where kids have died trying to get out of the flooded lower levels, and where he says Rendell Locke’s name is written on a wall there. So naturally, Kinsey wants to see it, and a group sets out to do just that. Because you know teenagers have no sense of mortality—they know they’ll live forever, right?

A furious Tyler chases his little brother underneath his bed, and thus discovers the strangest key yet, which is in the floorboard, and has a human figure on it. What the hell are they supposed to do with that?

Kinsey is losing patience with their mother and her alcoholism, while Tyler is trying to help, but nothing is getting through to her, and she refuses to discuss what happened to her the day Rendell died. Meanwhile, Zach is still intent on getting the black key, but he manages to discover the shadow key, and doesn’t that open up a whole new can of worms? One that might just destroy the Lockes!

While Mom is busy pickling herself, Bode hurts himself, trying to retrieve something he thought he saw. With Mom’s help, she retrieves it; it turns out to be another key. This one is to the cabinet in the bathroom. It turns out to have some very interesting properties. Will Mom press her luck in seeing what it can do?

Commentary:

More battle lines are drawn as the Locke children find themselves getting in deeper and deeper, and their foe just keeps on coming. Mom is worse than useless, caught up in the depths of her own self-pity, unable to come to grips with what has happened. Potential allies are dropping like flies. Ultimately, Tyler, Kinsey and Bode will only have themselves to rely upon, I think.

The lines between dark and light, good and evil, are certainly blurred here, as the action continues to get more and more intense. Another great volume in the series, with a surprising twist towards the end that will have you cheering—I know I did! Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez have certainly raised the bar for graphic novels, and continue to do so. Can’t wait for the next one!