All Posts Tagged With: "GN"
Commentary - Graphic Novel Chapter 119-Under The Bridge Pt. 1
Finally, I am rewarded for my patience with 1) a favoured GN writer, Harison Wilcox, who has written the Kill Squad series, War Buddies 5, Molly’s Dream, and Super Heroics (peter the superhero/villain) 2) an artist, Dennis Calero, who although never having drawn a GN seems to have a realistic drawing style that both reminds me of Jason Badower’s ability to capture the show characters and yet is different in a much darker style that matches the current story line of Nathan and 3) A story which we can directly identify as a bridge from volume 3 to volume 4. I have two complaints however minor they may be. First, it is difficult to follow the two perspectives and two, I hate story lines that dont resolve and I have to wait at least a week to find out the next step.
Regardless, I enjoyed this comic. The art completely captures the character dichotomy between criminal who thinks he is innocent and guard who just determined he wasted his life and seems close to suicidal. It took me several readings to determine who was speaking and who were the characters but once I grasped it, I realized how brilliant Wilcox and Calero wove it together. I am not quite certain whether Perrin is a porcupine or a tree man but I lean toward the former. Nor do I have any clue what Donald’s power is. Is he a smoke man who can turn himself into smoke and get out of tight places as you could interpret from page 6, or is he invulnerable as the line “I was meant to survive” and “god made me like this” might allude to. I also do not know what happened to Perrin. Did he kill himself, did Donald explode and kill him, or kill him other ways? Did he escape unbenownst to Donald?
This novel expertly leaves as many questions as it answers and leaves quite a bit open for speculation. To some, this could signify that the writer and artist did not succeed in selling the story accurately to the reader. However, I am optimistic and I prefer to see it as the writer and artist did exactly what they were supposed to do and we are meant to speculate until part two comes out next week.
Till then, we wait some more.
Commentary for Graphic Novel 118 - Red Eye 2 of 2
I like David Wohl. He has a storied resume including a long history at Marvel. His only other Graphic Novel though was the Ben Franklin story which was simply filler, unnecessary and completely out of character of the heroesverse. I also have to question why they would change writers (from one scab writer to another) in the middle of a two part series. Either Krul had other commitments or they wanted to go in a different direction. David Wohl’s current career path has him making movies/television out of video games. I can’t say I agree with him that making movies or TV shows based on video games is a good thing but hey, I can see where it makes money even though some of the worst movies/shows of all time have been based on a video game. The reason is that video games are not really about creating believable stories but more about the action. This comic book left the same taste in my mouth that every movie I have ever seen based on a video game has left in my mouth, specifically this comic story is also superficial and unnecessary and well, just not believable.
I won’t repeat my comments re: Marcus To from last week. Suffice it to say that this week is exactly what I have come to expect from Marcus, an attempt at capturing the character which is just cartoonish enough to remind me of manga.
Commentary GN 117 - Red Eye Part 1
J.T. Krul, authored three or four of the “scab” comics during the writer’s strike. I call them scab comics because a) the writers strike was going on and one of the largest issues was the internet content; and b) because the authors of Behind the Eclipse, in episode 10 of this season (12/10/2008), Aron Coliete and Joe Pokaski have stated that they did not have control of the content of those GN’s and did use the “scab” word. Still, J.T. Krul has a resume including Spiderman and some other top comics so we have to give him some credit. In addition, the writers strike is over and here he is writing a new GN in the continuity arc. I did fall for the thought bubble trick and for at least the first few panels thought Red Eye was thinking so kudos for that.
Commentary for Graphic Novel 116 - Stuck in the Middle
I should have listened to Jason Badower’s blog. For several days he has been saying that he wrote a lead in to the recruit series. Logically, I should have read the GN before watching the first episode. However, I stumbled on the episode first and of course, like a kid in a candy store, I couldn’t resist taking a peak. Thus, when I got to the GN, I already knew much of how it would end which likely skewed my enjoyment a little bit. My dad lives in Fort Lee New Jersey, not that that is relevant. Even the title is appropriate as this novel seems to be stuck in the middle between the show and the webisode and doesn’t really have much of a stand alone identity. It didn’t help that the webisode was put up a few hours before the GN.
Jim Martin - Wrote Going Postal, plus GN’s Quarantine, Into the Wild and now Stuck in the Middle. He has been involved in Heroes since at least episode 14 of season 1 so he knows the material. It doesn’t take Jim long for the connection from the 50 marines to Ms. Mills (the recruit). And apparently the gentleman who on page 2 is going to save the world, is also a peeping tom. I think we all saw the fall coming, just didn’t know how or when or why. Jim wants us to think this guy is the stereotypical alpha male who is sexist and a pervert. Soon, Nathan and Tracy cause the fall as they talk about hiding the truth about the serum from the marines. Just like Humpty Dumpty, down he comes. Of course, the last line of the book is the foreshadow for the recruit. I have read many a comic book, novel, and script. I’ve watched thousands of cartoons, television shows, movies and let me tell you, whenever someone says the words “what, you think one of …. is going to … ” it means it is going to happen. And so it will in the Recruit series. Sure enough in the first few seconds of the Recruit, they find a four-pack of serum.
Jason Badower - I can’t say enough good things about Jason. Of all the GN artists, I think he captures the images of the cast better than anyone. When he drew Elle, she looked like Elle. When he draws Nathan and Tracy, they clearly look like Nathan and Tracy. And when he draws naked women in a shower, they look like naked women in a shower. He says he didn’t have a model but if that’s true, he has a good imagination because he nails it. I hope that he continues to do GN’s for a long time! The box scene reminds me of Tony Hawk Pro Skater
Commentary for GN Chapter 113 - Caged Bird Pt. 1.
In one of the more poignent GN’s to date, we learn about Daphne’s history and finally see what Arthur has over her. We learn, in the first five panels, that Daphne had some incurable disease which manifested when she was three and caused her to be unable to walk without assistive devices. That makes her about 28 now. Further, before the end of the page, we are further saddled with the heartstring plucking news that Daphne’s mom had terminal cancer about 1 year ago.
The cancer spread quickly and despite Daphne’s rebellious attempts to get her mother to get out of bed, Mom passed away in October 2006. That means the show is taking place in 2007 if the writers are consistent although it is conceivable that this GN was actually written last year and just didn’t get published till this year.
Of course, no matter what kind words people give you when you lose a loved one, they truly always seem contrived and flat. Daphne is no exception and she wants to run away from her problems. See, she wanted to run races when she was little, now she wants to be left alone and run away. Here comes our old friend Mr. Eclipse and grants her wish. Run Daphne Run! Now sending mom down to tell Daphne to run, that was pretty amazing. Or maybe mom had powers which we don’t know about and could spirit walk her way to Daphne’s mind. So, based on a vision, or a memory as Daphne calls it, she drops the crutches and runs (run forest run). Creepy how Thompson is there to watch as if he knew Daphne would manifest that night.
Timm Keppler has the rare role of being an assistant to TIm Krinig as well as a graphic writer. We have seen his work on major storylines such as war buddies part 4, man on fire, and into the wild (the thrilling conclusion to evsdropper.) He definitely makes you feel for Daphne now that we know she was unable to walk without her powers. Alitha Martinez, whom you remember most recently from Syler’s solo mission, manages to capture Daphne’s fragile psyche in her art.
We end with Thompson coming to the door and Daphne telling everyone she regrets what happened that night. We can only assume that that was the night she left home, never to return until the eclipse part 1. To her dad, A long time = 1 year if the time line is to be believed. Anyway, the foreshadowing is that something bad is going to happen. Maybe Daphne does go with Thompson only to find out how he was going to use her.
Commentary for Chapter-112 - Partners
As I expected, HRG just can’t keep a partner. He doesn’t work well with Syler, he doesn’t work well with Elle, he shot Claude, and was shot by the Haitian, who although only mentioned briefly, it stuns me that he is still employed by anyone since he betrayed the company and Angela. The reference to him being out of the country is also a setup for the next tv episode where Peter and Nathan go to Haiti to find him.
Anyway, back to the GN - In a rare GN moment, there is a direct relation to the TV series in that it starts off with the cleaning of the people Suresh had placed in cocoons.
This GN is chock full of TV references as the target is the vietnam vet that Merideth captured many years ago. Not sure why he was on Level 5, his power doesn’t appear all that dangerous and I am sure Level 4 would do, after all, wasn’t Hiro only on Level 2 or 3?
Dan Panosian first GN project has captured the Vet very well. He also has given Merideth a great deer in the headlights look as it is clear that she is not going to make a good agent, not with her empathy for the people they are hunting. I think he has even gotten Noah closer to Jack than anyone else in the GN world has.
