October Book Club Review

The Last of the Greats

Average Rating - 5.5

The Last of the Greats is the first installment in a limited series which follows the mysterious “Greats”, a group of super powered siblings who mysteriously arrive on Earth with a mission to save it.

Last of the not so Greats

The story begins with  an odd twist , the death of the Greats , all that is except one that had been keeping himself hidden away from humanity. The now deceased Greats were shown to have been “born” from arks which appeared in the geographic center on every continent except Antarctica, they mimicked the appearance of the human inhabitants and set about saving society from itself.

“The start was amazing but the rest of the story didn’t live up to it” - Remi

 Despite the fact that the Greats tried to turn earth into a peaceful, disease free, and equal world humanity not trusting their motives turned on them and destroyed their arks and therefore the Greats themselves. In their eagerness to rid themselves of the Greats one was missed, a final Great residing in Antarctica who is now their only hope to stop a massive alien invasion.

“I didn’t find their was much story in it” - Mathieu

The last Great unlike his siblings shows no interest in bettering humanity and more often than not seems to prefer killing people to helping them. In public he behaves similarly to his lost brothers and sisters but privately he is uncaring, violent, and cold. His motivations and his attitude towards humanity  as well as some of the subplots the story introduces were left disappointingly unexplored and left both the character and the story rather flat.

“The characterization was very inconsistent, just acting evil for the sake of being evil” - Jeff

Art

For the most part the art in The Last of the Greats was sub par. The character design was boring and unoriginal, the line work looked lazy and in some cases unfinished, and the colorist overused blue so often you’d swear they ran out of other colors.

“There was nothing special about the characters” - Jamie

 

 

 

The majority of panels featured a combination of blunt heavy line work and semi blurred wispy lines that left everything either over or under emphasized. In addition the colorist used a lot of bright , and once again mostly blue, highlighting which ended up making the line work look even worse.

“The art was alright, it gets better as it goes” - Dave

Overall it looked very hit and miss, some panels obviously had a lot of time spent on them and then others like the crowd panel above are so hastily slapped together that you can easily see people in repeated poses or spot the guy who is apparently twice as large as anyone else in the crowd, not to mention the fact that his head and arms are the same washed out color as his shirt. In short lazy!

Summary

The best thing to be said about The Last of the Greats is that its not the worst thing I’ve ever read. Most of us agreed that we wouldn’t actively dissuade people from reading it but we definitely wouldn’t recommend it.  The first five issues go no where leaving you feeling like you read the prologue not the first installment of what had the potential to be a great story.  The idea behind the attempt was definitely a good one but both the story telling and the art failed to provide anything really worthy of catching your attention and instead  ends up reading like a series of failed attempts to shock the reader without any real substance behind it.

“Too weak, I wont buy the next book” - Scott

“Thought it was gonna be awesome but nothing really happened” - Matt

Ratings

Picked the book : Ray - Rating 8

“ Really fun read, not too intense”

Harshest Critic: Keenan - Rating 4

“ The story wasn’t laid out well, the writing left a lot to be desired”

Besting Rating:  Ray - Rating 8

Book Club : August Review

Planetary 

 

 

Average rating :  9.62

This month in honor of the book clubs 2 year anniversary we read the complete series of Planetary which follows a group of “archaeologist of the impossible” who travel the world investigating the secret history of the world.

Archaeologist of the Impossible

The story opens with the recruiting of protagonist Elijah Snow to the four man operation known as Planetary.  We discover quite quickly that Snow is no ordinary man with a penchant for white but a superhuman with the ability to manipulate cold. Along with Snow we are introduced to the other two members of the Planetary field team Jakita Wagner a superhuman with enhanced speed, strength, and durability, and The Drummer who has the ability to control and communicate with electronics.

“Loved everything about it” - Mathieu

The Fourth Man

Book 1 in the 4 part collection sees the team introduce Elijah to the secret history of the world including monsters, space ships, and the deeper mystery of the century babies. Given the name of their date of birth January 1 1900 all posses a type of immortality and more often than not a superhuman ability which allowed them to achieve the unthinkable and in some cases alter the course of history.

“It seemed like Ellis was taking notes from Alan Moore’s League of Extraordinary Gentlemen” - Rene

As the story progresses it moves between the past and present as well as between deeper story arcs and seemingly episodic investigations. This leads to the middle portion of the series being a bit confusing, there are a lot of characters introduced and a lot of mysteries uncovered from little hints given in previous stories which leave you flipping back a few pages wondering what subtle hint you missed. Combined with the well thought out but difficult to wrap your head around concepts that team uses to explain or deal with problems it can make parts of the series a bit tedious. That being said the quality of the stories were top notch and even the less involved stories were so interesting they left you wanting more making it totally worth wading through a few complicated theories.

“ A bit confusing but addictive by book 2” - Rick

The series end was a bit of a hit and miss topic with the group. Although it was a fitting ending for the characters themselves the reader was left far less personally involved with teams final mission which in some ways made it feel like a “so what?” kind of ending.  The latter portion of the series did do a fantastic job of taking many pieces of the previous stories and tying them together in a way that gave even the most episodic of earlier stories a deeper purpose in the overall , that being said it was definitely a love it or hate it kind of ending.

“The ending was all sizzle and no steak” - Jeff

“Loved the ending it had a finality to it” - Scott

“There nothing wrong with a god damn happy ending” - Matt

Artwork

The art in this series was absolutely fantastic, there really is no shortage to the great things that can be said about how beautifully the fantastic and far out ideas in the world of Planetary were brought to life.

“One of my favorite art styles in book club so far” - Jamie

 

The combination of Cassady and Depuy was perfect, the characters and surroundings were deep, detailed, and beautifully colored.  Despite the fact that the series was released slowly over a 10 year period the art remained very consistent giving the series a solid recognizable look.

“The costume design was fantastic” - Christine

Summary

If you haven’t read this series get off the internet and go get it, now! The story was well crafted and engaging if a bit complicated in the middle. Every mission was treat for your imagination and fell together so perfectly in the end that when the last piece of the puzzle falls into place you cant help but want to read it all again. When you combine that with the stunning artwork it adds up to 27 issues worth waiting 10 years for.

“If we had only read the first book it would have been a waste of time” - Colin

“ This book is perfect, it was a tribute to everything” - Remi

The Comic Hunter's Comix Jam!!

What is a Comix Jam? A collaborative gathering of cartoonists, doodlers and writers passing around comix pages. Everyone contributes a panel of words, drawings or both until the page is full! All skill levels are welcome. Jams are kid-friendly (12 or under accompanied by parents or legal guardians).

When: 12:30pm-4:00pm, Sunday August 26th.

Where: 465 Main street, Moncton, NB
___________________________________________________________

C'est quoi un "Comix Jam"? C'est une rencontre collaborative d'artistes et d'écrivains qui contribuent des mots, des dessins ou les deux jusqu'à ce qu'une page soit complète! Talents de tout niveau sont invités. Les jeunes sont les bienvenus (12 ans ou moins accompagnés d'un parent ou tuteur légal).


Quand: 12h30-16h00, Dimanche le 26 aout.

Ou: 465 Rue Main, Moncton, NB

July Book Club Review

Y The Last Man : Unmanned

Average Rating -8.68

Unmanned is the first of the complete Y The Last Man series by Vertigo. The story follows Yorick who finds himself as the last man left on earth after a disaster of unknown origins wipes out everything with a Y chromosome.

Pendants,  and Rings, and Blasphemy Oh My!

The story opens up to the world pretty much as it is today on what starts as a pretty ordinary day. Around the world wars are being fought, children are being born, secret agents conduct secret missions, and struggling magician Yorick Brown attempts to propose to his long distance girlfriend.

As the intro counts down to disaster the day takes a dramatic turn when men all over the world  simultaneously begin to bleed uncontrollably and die within seconds. The disaster affected all species killing absolutely everything male on a global scale leaving all life on earth on a doomsday count down to total extinction. The one exception to the disaster is Yorick and his newly acquired pet monkey Ampersand . Although the reason for their survival is unknown Yorick firmly believes that the magic ring he was holding at the exact moment of the disaster somehow spared him.

“ The premise was good but it was a slow read” - Mathieu

If Women Ruled the World

Months later the world is still struggling to deal with the death of half its population, on top of the loss of leaders and skilled experts countries struggle to clean up the 2.9 billion dead bodies. It is that struggle that gives Yorick his first look at the new world as he is discovered by a super model turned garbage woman collecting bodies in the street for canned food.

“It was a realistic take on a crazy situation” - Ryan

Despite what some might think Yorick quickly discovers that a world ruled by women is still plagued by the same problems it has always had. In the aftermath feminist hate groups called the Amazons rise up and kill anything left that even looks male and rule the streets with the same brutal closed minded cruelty as their predecessors. Upon finding his mother he is immediately caught up in a stand off between the Democrats  who including his mother, are currently running the country due to having the most female representatives and the gun toting wives of dead Republican senators hell bent on taking their husbands seats without an election. In the end Yorick along with the mysterious Agent 355 is sent in search of the ironically named Dr. Mann an expert in cloning who may be humanities only chance at long term survival.

“It reminded of The Walking Dead, except for zombies you had women” - Keenan

“ I really enjoyed that the world was shit regardless of who runs it” - Matt

Artwork

The art for Unmanned definitely took a back seat to the story in terms of quality. While the cover work for the books collected in it were beautifully done highly detailed paintings the internal work stood out as rather plain.

“The cover work was great, the regular work was bland” - Brad

That being said the art was by no means bad it was well drawn, proportionate, and had well done characters with a full range of facial expressions. All things considered the art was serviceable and left no one with any major complaints.

 

“ The flow of the art in the first issue was great” - Rene

“The art was bland but served its purpose” - Gabriel

Summary

Y The Last Man : Unmanned was a excellent read, and I’m not just saying that because it was my pick!  It set the stage for epic journey without getting overly bogged down in the details of what lead to the disaster by showing two unlikely but oddly timed incidents featuring the birth of a cloned child and the triggering of a cursed pendant as the only clues to what may have caused all the men to die at that exact moment. For a lot of us this was not the first read and in many cases The Last Man was the story that introduced them to the world of comics. If you want a change of pace from men in capes Y The Last Man should be on your shopping list.

“ A speculative scfi adventure with a poo flinging monkey”  - Colin

“ I really enjoyed it, a simple but original story” - Stephane

Ratings

Picked the book : Jenn - Rating 8.5

“ I wrote this review”

Harshest Critic: Rick - Rating 7.5

“ I enjoyed the book, but just enjoyed”

Besting Rating:  Ryan - Rating 10

 

"The book that got me into graphic novels" 

 

 

Next Months Selection : Planetary

Pick up all 4 issues and join us at the Tide and Boar August 29th for the book clubs 1 year anniversary

Book Club : June Review

Locke and Key : Welcome to Lovecraft

Average rating - 9.31

Welcome to Lovecraft is the first book in an ongoing series by Joe Hill that follows the Locke family as they explore the mysteries of their new home Keyhouse.

Echoes

Welcome to Lovecraft skips the whole idea of a gentle lead in and hits the reader with action and tragedy from the very start. Following said tragedy the Locke family move into their fathers family home Keyhouse in the town of Lovecraft Massachusetts.

“It really hooked me right away, the opening was mind blowing” - Ryan

Initially the story focuses on the three children and how they are coping with both the tragic circumstances that lead to it as well as the normal stress of moving into a new town. The most resilient of the children is the youngest Bode who treats the move like an adventure and sets out straight away to explore the house.  One of Bode’s first finds is the well house an old decrepit building standing apart from the main house, which just happens to be home to a living echo trapped at the bottom of a well.

“ The story telling is awesome” - Keenan

Death's Door

Along with the Locke family the story follows Sam, the perpetrator of the families tragedy . Through out his incarceration and eventual escape the story makes great use flash backs to give you the back story the in your face introduction initially skipped. Sam’s story also starts to reveal hints about Mr. Locke’s past and the dark history surrounding his childhood home of Keyhouse.

“ The pacing was perfect, the best use of flash backs I’ve ever seen” - Remi

These flashbacks along with Bode’s present day exploration start to reveal the secrets of Keyhouse, starting with the keys. Bode finds the first “magic” key that allows him to pass through the dead door leaving his body behind and continuing on as a ghost. Although initially afraid of it Bode comes to love spending time as a ghost and tries his hardest to make his family believe him, however with the recent tragedy in the family everyone assumes his talk of ghosts is just a coping mechanism.

“ I wanted less subtle character development” - Colin

In the end the story brings the separate threads together for a final confrontation that reveals two new keys and starts an entirely new set of mysteries which leave you eager for the next installment.

Artwork

The artwork for Welcome to Lovecraft was a hit and miss subject. The characters appear very cartoon like mostly due to the large anime like eyes while the background work was highly detailed and often realistic looking. Some of us really enjoyed the contrast between the cartoon look and the horror motif while others found it a bit annoying.

“ It was dark and @&*% up, violent up not gory” - Matt

“ I liked the art work but the faces were bad “ - Jamie

The one thing everyone could agree on was the background and detail work.  Almost every panel features a fully drawn and highly detailed back ground, often times these are complicated and feature labor intensive items like brick buildings and flagstone walkways which really made the art in this book pop.

“ The artwork complement the seriousness of the story" - Mathieu

Summary

All things considered Locke and Key : Welcome to Lovecraft was a fantastic read. Personally I sat down thinking I would read a few pages to see what it was like and ended up devouring the whole book in one sitting and wanting more. The story had an excellent pace and was very reminiscent of novel in that regard, it  made excellent use of flash backs to give the reader details and back story in the middle when they are actually invested in the story rather than setting the stage up front.

Its also worth mentioning that the author Joe Hill is the son of literary legend Stephen King, mostly because the only thing the story had in common with his fathers writing was the fact that it followed a family in a small town. If you like a good mystery with plenty of violence but little gore Locke and Key is a definite must read.

“ I stopped after the second book, it just didn’t compare to the first one” - Scott

“ My favorite thing I’m reading right now” - Ray

Ratings

Picked the book : Rick - Rating 10

“Not enough zombie @#$%”

Harshest critic : Scott - Rating 8.5

“It‘s a good book”

Best rating : Rick / Ray / Remi - Rating 10

Next Months Selection : Y The Last Man

          Pick up a copy and join us July 25

The Comic Hunter's Comix Jam

What is a Comix Jam? A collaborative gathering of cartoonists, doodlers and writers passing around comix pages. Everyone contributes a panel of words, drawings or both until the page is full! All skill levels are welcome. Jams are kid-friendly (12 or under accompanied by parents or legal guardians).

When: 12:30pm-4:00pm, Sunday June 24th.

Where: 465 Main street, Moncton, NB
___________________________________________________________

C'est quoi un "Comix Jam"? C'est une rencontre collaborative d'artistes et d'écrivains qui contribuent des mots, des dessins ou les deux jusqu'à ce qu'une page soit complète! Talents de tout niveau sont invités. Les jeunes sont les bienvenus (12 ans ou moins accompagnés d'un parent ou tuteur légal).


Quand: 12h30-16h00, Dimanche le 24 Juin.

Ou: 465 Rue Main, Moncton, NB

The Comic Hunter's Want List Post

(posted June 4th)

I'll try to post regularly with want lists if anyone is looking to do some comic trading!

Batman Legends of the Dark Knight #98, 101, 105-109, 112, 114, 116-131, 137-141, 144, 150, 152-154, 161-163, 175, 177-181, 183-188, 190-193, 195, 199, 200

Batman Shadow of the Bat #20-22, 53, 61, 68, 75-81, 83-86, 91, 92, 94, Annual #1