The heat is on! Read inside!
BEST OF THE MONTH
Freaks of the Heartland by Steve Niles (writer) and Greg Ruth (illustrator)
It's like a horror version of Of Mice and Men. This graphic novel is perfect from the first page to the last. One of those rare instances of art and story being perfectly suited for one another. The art is dreary and gothic, with the writing to match. It is absolutely in the conversation for one of my favorite graphic novels of all time.
WORST OF THE MONTH
Incal by Alejandro Jodorowsky (writer) and Moebius (illustrator)
Incal is the opposite of Freaks of the Heartland. Incal is oversaturated with dialogue and generally is a big chaotic mess. I know it's often cited as a groundbreaking comic, but jeez, this thing really was a chore to get through. The Eyes of the Cat is a much better collaboration between these two.
The rest:
The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri. It won the World Fantasy Award, so I guess I'm wrong. Grade: C
The Bone Ships by RJ Barker. I don't know why I'm so optimistic with fantasy. I usually don't like it. Grade: C
Shadow Show (antho) ed Sam Weller. As suspected, McCammon and Braunbeck show up with the best stories. The rest are average. Grade: C
Something Rich and Strange by Ron Rash (collection). My first exposure to Ron. He is very good. Grade: B
Broadstreet Bastard by Chad Lutzke. Slice-of-life, coming-of-age from a master of this stuff. Grade: B
We Have Demons by Scott Snyder/Greg Capullo (graphic novel). Great stuff from two of the best to ever do it. Grade: B
The Wake by Snyder/Murphy (graphic novel). Good nautical horror, with some minor pacing problems. Grade: C
Wildfire by Snyder/Sherman (graphic novel). Like a combo of Panic Room and the tv show Fire Country. Grade: B
Guests by Kealan Patrick Burke. KPB still has it. Excellent folk horror novella. Grade: B
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. Great dystopian story, but not into the writing style. Grade: C
Linghun by Ai Jiang. Not buying into the hype on this one, even though I usually like sad stories like this. Grade: C
The Gypsy Moths by Greg Gifune. Second best book of the month, and now my favorite Gifune book. Grade: A
Reviews by Jason Cavallaro
jcavallaro42@gmail.com
Twitter: @pinheadspawn
BEST OF THE MONTHFreaks of the Heartland by Steve Niles (writer) and Greg Ruth (illustrator)
It's like a horror version of Of Mice and Men. This graphic novel is perfect from the first page to the last. One of those rare instances of art and story being perfectly suited for one another. The art is dreary and gothic, with the writing to match. It is absolutely in the conversation for one of my favorite graphic novels of all time.
WORST OF THE MONTH
Incal by Alejandro Jodorowsky (writer) and Moebius (illustrator)
Incal is the opposite of Freaks of the Heartland. Incal is oversaturated with dialogue and generally is a big chaotic mess. I know it's often cited as a groundbreaking comic, but jeez, this thing really was a chore to get through. The Eyes of the Cat is a much better collaboration between these two.
The rest:The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri. It won the World Fantasy Award, so I guess I'm wrong. Grade: C
The Bone Ships by RJ Barker. I don't know why I'm so optimistic with fantasy. I usually don't like it. Grade: C
Shadow Show (antho) ed Sam Weller. As suspected, McCammon and Braunbeck show up with the best stories. The rest are average. Grade: C
Something Rich and Strange by Ron Rash (collection). My first exposure to Ron. He is very good. Grade: B
Broadstreet Bastard by Chad Lutzke. Slice-of-life, coming-of-age from a master of this stuff. Grade: B
We Have Demons by Scott Snyder/Greg Capullo (graphic novel). Great stuff from two of the best to ever do it. Grade: B
The Wake by Snyder/Murphy (graphic novel). Good nautical horror, with some minor pacing problems. Grade: C
Wildfire by Snyder/Sherman (graphic novel). Like a combo of Panic Room and the tv show Fire Country. Grade: B
Guests by Kealan Patrick Burke. KPB still has it. Excellent folk horror novella. Grade: B
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. Great dystopian story, but not into the writing style. Grade: C
Linghun by Ai Jiang. Not buying into the hype on this one, even though I usually like sad stories like this. Grade: C
The Gypsy Moths by Greg Gifune. Second best book of the month, and now my favorite Gifune book. Grade: A
Reviews by Jason Cavallaro
jcavallaro42@gmail.com
Twitter: @pinheadspawn
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