blankets

BLANKETS……..

CREATOR……………..CRAIG THOMPSON

PUBLISHERS…..TOP SHELF COMICS

YEAR RELEASED…..2003

PAGES….600

This is an autobiographical graphic novel by craig…..usually I shudder to think of autobiography but this one engulfs me effortlessly….

This one is about family and love……

Poor and reared by religious fanatic parents craig and his younger brother phil’s childhood days are painfully honest .

Sleeping in the same bed they picturise the bed as a floating boat in the ocean and pillows become sharks and the teddy bears become pirates…

So many childhood memories some agonizing, some full of mediocrity, many laughable are however visually delightful.

Criag meets raina a girl from Michigan  in a Christian winter camp and they become friends.

Later craig visits raina and stays at her house for two weeks and half of the book narrates this stay.

Ben, raina’s adopted brother, with sort of autism and laura, raina’s adopted sister who’s mentally challenged are interesting characters….

Julie raina’s blood related sister who marries dave just to escape from responsibilities is a selfish character.

During this stay love blossoms between craig and raina …..

Most who read this book will empathise craig and thereby lays the success of the creator …

.

The art is fluidic……

Winner of 2004 eisner and Harvey awards……

Most comics enthrall us ; many bring excitement; but this one brings tranquility and inner peace.

PRIDE OF BHAGDAD…

PRIDE OF BHAGDAD……

AUTHOR….BRIAN VAUGHAN

ARTIST…..NIKO HENRICHON

THIS STORY IS BASED ON A TRUE INCIDENT THAT HAPPENED DURING AMERICAN INVASION OF IRAQ  IN 2003…..

WHEN AN AIR RAID WAS MADE THE BOMBING CAUSED  A FAMILY OF LIONS ESCAPE FROM BHAGDAD ZOO.

ZILL…..THE MALE LEADER

NOOR…ZILL’S MATE

ALI….THEIR’S LITTLE CUB

SAFA……AN AGING LIONESS

THEY WANDERED INTO THE WAR TORN CITY OF BHAGDAD AND AFTER MANY 

EVENTS THAT ENTHRALLED US THEY WERE SHOT BY AMERICAN TROOPS AT THE END OF THE SAME DAY..

A TOUCHING STORY………..

THIS IS ONLY SUPERFICIAL STORYLINE……

…

ON DEEPER SUBTEXT  IT ADDRESSES THE NATURE AND COST OF FREEDOM……

..

NIKO’S ARTWORK IS BEAUTIFUL…….

THE LIONS’ DIALOGUES ARE ANTHROPOMORPHIC AND A JARRING NOTE IS FELT THERE….

A SEA TURTLE IS COMING  OUT OF TIGRIS RIVER..AN ERROR….????

THERE ARE MANY SYMBOLISMS IN THIS STORY…SADAM HUSSEIN  AS FAJER THE GREAT BEAR for eg…..

I LIKE NOOR’S STATEMENT….FREEDOM CAN’T BE GIVEN;ONLY EARNED……

.

ALTOGETHER  A VERY GOOD READ……..

SEX CRIMINALS

Sex criminals…………………… voulme 1 …………..one weird trick

Author………………matt fraction

Artist……………….. chip zdarsky…

Publishers……………..image

Released…………………..june 2014

Suzie is  a libraraian……the library in which she works has already been mortgaged and is about to

 be closed due to lack of funds…

Jon is a bank employee with a lot of childhood psychiatric problems…….

Jon meets suzie and become lovers…..

To save the library from being closed they decide to rob banks….

Without bloodshed……

Suzie and jon belong to specially gifted group of people….

Some persons can stop time when they attain orgasm while they copulate….

This time frozen state is called ‘’quiet’ during which the person or persons with the special gift alone

 can function normally whereas other livingbeings are in a sort of frozen state…..(even electronic 

gadgets wont operate)

Within this same group some people make themselves as sex police and thiers’ intention is to prevent illegal activities by the people belonging to the same group…

Almost being caught jon & suzie escape from sex police while they are robbing a bank…..

In deep the story deals with adolescents’ fear , theirs’ needs and theirs’ longing to understand them…

A highly unorthodox knot….. and a slightly twisted way of storytelling

CAN’T WE TALK ABOUT SOMETHING MORE PLEASANT?

CAN’T  WE TALK ABOUT SOMETHING MORE PLEASANT?

AUTHOR/CREATOR/CARTOONIST…..ROZ CHAST

PUBLISHER……BLOOMSBURY

RELEASED…..MARCH 2014

THIS IS AN UNUSUAL BOOK…..

IN THIS ROZ CHAST’S GRAPHIC MEMOIR SHE BEAUTIFULLY , HONESTLY, WITTILY 

DESCRIBES THE FINAL YEARS OF HER PARENTS……

GEORGE AND ELIZAPETH DIED IN THEIRS’ NINETIES…..

ROZ CHRONICLES THE GLOOMY BUT INEVITABLE ASPECTS OF SENILITY  THROUGH 

HER PARENTS LIFE EVENTS…..

ONE MUST READ TO ENJOY THIS BOOK …AND ON THE OTHERHAND SOME MAY FIND

 THIS BOOK IS CAUSING EXASPERATION……

ELIZAPETH ,ROZ’S MOTHER ,REFUSES TO DISCUSS ABOUT DEATH THOUGH SHE’S 

WELL PAST 90 YEARS.

HER OUTBURST IS THE TITLE…

I LOVE THIS BOOK MAY BE BECAUSE MANY PAGES REMIND ME OF MY FATHER WHO

 RECENTLY PASSED AWAY AT THE AGE OF 87.

 THIS BOOK WON  U.S NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FOR NONFICTION 2014.

PRETTY DEADLY        VOULME 1 …. THE SHRIKE

AUTHOR………………..KELLY SUE DECONNICK

ARTIST……………………EMMA RIOS

COLORS……………JODIE BELLAIRE

RELEASED……APRIL 2014

PUBLISHERS……IMAGE

GENRE OF THIS STORY IS

HORROR?

MYTHOLOGY?

MAGIC REALISM?

FOLKLORE?

WESTERN?

MANGA TYPE?

அவ்வளவு குழப்பம் : கதையின் ஜீவ நாடியான கருவிலும் ஏக குழப்பம்.

I ABHOR STORIES WITH INCOHESIVE PLOTLINE.

கதாசிரியை கெல்லி செக்ஸ் கிரிமினல்ஸ் புகழ் மாட் பிராக்சனின் துணைவி.(கேப்டன் 

மார்வலில்,அவெஞ்சர்சில் இருவரும் பணியாற்றியுள்ளனர்)

கதையின் மையப்புள்ளி தெளிவானதாக இல்லை என்பது வருத்தமளிக்க கூடிய விஷயம்.....

ஆனால்...........

எம்மா ரியோஸ் ஓவியங்கள் கொள்ளை அழகு.கலரிஸ்ட் பெல்லரையும் மிகவும் பாராட்ட

 வேண்டும்.

காலத்தின் காலசுவடுகள் போல் ஆகிவிட்டது.

படங்கள் அழகு....கதை சுமார்.......

OUTCAST

OUTCAST…..VOULME 1

AUTHOR………ROBERT KIRKMAN

ARTIST …….PAUL AZACETA

RELEASED…..JANUARY 2015

PUBLISHER….IMAGE

                                                         DARKNESS SURROUNDS  HIM

THIS ONE IS HORROR SERIES. WHATELSE CAN BE EXPECTED FROM THE CREATOR OF

 THE “THE WALKING DEAD”?

AN ELDERLY MOTHER BETSY  IS SHOCKED TO FIND HIS SON, JOSHUA,  EATING HIS

 OWN FINGERS AND RUSHES TO THE LOCAL PREIST REV. ANDERSON TO INFORM 

ABOUT THIS GRUESOME INCIDENT. IT SEEMS SHE HAS BEEN FOREWARNED BY THE 

PRIEST THAT SUCH SORT OF THING MAY HAPPEN TO HER SON …

…

KYLE BARNES THE LEAD CHARACTER IS ALIENATING HIMSELF FROM SOCIAL LIFE 

AND IT APPEARS HE HAS A VERY DISTURBED CHILHOOD.

MEGAN , HIS FOSTER SISTER , HAS BEEN TRYING TO CHANGE HIM AND WISHES HIM

 TO LEAD A NORMAL SOCIAL LIFE.

WHEN  KYLE GOES TO REV ANDERSON’S HOUSE HE EXPLAINS SOME PEOPLE OF 

THEIRS’S LITTLE TOWN ARE DEMONICALLY POSSESSED.

WHEN ANDERSON TRIES TO EXORCISE THE BOY JOSHUA HE FINDS KYLE’S BLOOD

 APPEARS TO HARASS THE DEMONIC POWER WITHIN JOSHUA.

ANDERSON DECIDES TO GO DEEP INTO THIS MATTER AND ACTS ACCORDINGLY.

THE STORY IS FURTHER ELABORATED SO THAT WE CAN SEE SOME MORE PEOPLE OF

 DEMONIC POSSESSION AND WE CAN LOOK INTO THE LITTLE OF KYLE’S PAST

.

ATRWORK IS NICE…..

THIS IS FOLLOWED BY VOULME 2 …A VAST AND UNENDING RUIN

(RELEASE DATE…SEPTEMBER 30, 2015, AMAZAN AVAILABILITY FROM OCTOBER  

15,2015…..)

TRILLIUM

TRILLIUM…..

CREATED BY     JEFF LEMIRE

RELEASED BY ….VERTIGO

YEAR   3797 A.D 

A VIRUS CALLED  ‘’ CAUL ‘’  IS TAKING OVER. IT’S SPREADING AND WIPING OUT 

HUMAN RACE BY CONTAMINATING COLONY AFTER COLONY IN THE ‘’ CRIUS ‘’ A 

PART OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM. NEARLY 4000 PEOPLE ARE PUSHED TO TO THE OUTER 

RIM OF KNOWN SPACE A TINY PLANET CALLED  …’’ATABITHI’’

THE FLOWERS OF THE SPECIES   ‘’ TRILLIUM ‘’….  ARE BELIVED  TO PRODUCE 

IMMUNITY AGAINST THE VIRUS    ‘’ CAUL  ‘’. BUT THESE SPECIES ARE GUARDED BY 

THE NATIVES OF  ATABITHI PLANET.

NIKA TEMSMITH, A XENIOLOGIST, TRIES TO COLLECT THESE FLOWERS… 

SOMEHOW BY GAINING TRUST OF THE NATIVE ALIENS OF THE PLANET ATABITHI 

SHE  ENTERS THEIRS’ TEMPLE AFTER HAVING EATEN THE FLOWERS OF   

‘’TRILLIUM’’

.WHEN SHE COMES OUT OF THE TEMPLE SHE MEETS     ….WILLIAM  ‘’ A SOLDIER OF

FIRST WORLD WAR..

FROM THE YEAR 1921.THENCE NIKA REALISES THE TEMPLE IS ACTUALLY A ..’

 TELEPORTER  ‘’

THESE TWO PEOPLE OF DIFFERENT WORLDS  AND TIMES FALL IN LOVE AND THE 

STORY NARRATES WHETHER THEY MANAGE TO SAVE THE LIVES  OF 4000 THOSUND 

INNOCENT  PEOPLE FROM THE GRIP OF THE CAUL….

A VERY DIFFERENT WAY OF STORYTELLING….SKETCHES OF JEFF LEMIRE ARE NEW

 TO ME AND I LIKE THEM..

ESSENTIALLY A GOODREAD……..!!!!!!!!!!!!

BLACK SCIENCE

BLACK SCIENCE……VOULME 1

AUTHOR…..RICK REMENDER

ARTIST……..MATTEO SCALERA

PUBLISHER…..IMAGE

HOW TO FALL FOREVER………

GRANT McKAY……  scientist who creates using black science a machine called PILLAR that jumps through dimensional barriers into alien worlds.The idea is to acquire superior medical and technological innovation from this journey.

KADIR…..financier of this PILLAR project….

NATHAN & PIA McKAY ………son & daughter of Grant McKay,,,,,

REBECCA….. co scientist

SHAWN……..co scientist

JENNIFER…… scientist…killed within the first 5  pages

WARD………security officer

Mckay ‘s theory……. McKAY  DESCRIBES this world of alternate realities or dimensions as EVERVERSE which  is like an onion and each layer of this can be hopped through and centre of this is the most primitive one.

The books starts with mckay and team mate jenniffer being chased by fishheaded aliens and jenniffer is killed by one of them….

Meantime the PILLAR is sabotaged by someone in such a way that PILLAR jumps to random destinations at random times.

Unable to fix this problem the PILLAR team(DIMENSIONAUTS) arrive and leave many unfriendly worlds and very rarely amicable ones…

Whether they fixed  the PILLAR ? theirs attempt to return back home succeeded??

( the answer is in volume 2 WELCOME, NOWHERE)

THE PICTURES  are awesome……

THE SCULPTOR

THE SCULPTOR…………………………………

AUTHOR/CREATOR………………….SCOTT McCLOUD

PUBLISHER……SELFMADE HERO(IN ARRANGEMENT WITH FIRSTSECOND PUBLISHERS)

RELEASED………………FEBRUARY 2015

PAGES….490

டேவிட் ஸ்மித் ஒரு இளம்சிற்பி......இதுவரை ஆதரவு அளித்து வந்த கோடீஸ்வர ஸ்பான்சர்

 திடீரென ஆதரவை விலக்கி கொண்டதால் வறுமையின் பிடியில் சிக்கி கொள்கிறான்.

தொடர்ந்த இரண்டு வருடங்கள் இப்படி கழியவே விரக்தியும், தன்னிரக்கமும் அவனை

 ஆட்கொள்கின்றன.அவனது சிற்ப கலை மேல் உள்ள அளவிட முடியாத ஆர்வம் மட்டுமே

 அவனை கொஞ்சமேனும் உயிர்ப்புடன் வைத்திருக்கிறது.....

மிகவும் சிரமமான வறிய நிலையில் அவனது இறந்து போன மாமா ஹாரி வடிவில்

 “மரணம்”அவனை சந்திக்கிறது.

மரணம்  இரண்டு வாய்ப்புகளை அவன் முன் வைக்கிறது..

1.அவன் பக்கத்து நகரம் செல்லலாம். சிற்பகலை ஆசிரியராக பணி புரியலாம்.மனைவி,

 குழந்தைகள், குடும்பம் என அமைதியான வாழ்க்கை நெடுங்காலம் வாழலாம்....

2.அல்லது அவன் கைகளுக்கு சிறப்பு வரம் அளிக்கப்படும்.உளி,சுத்தி வேறு எந்த உபகரணங்கள் 

ஏதுமின்றி அவன் மனம் நினைப்பதை அவன் எந்த திடபொருளை தொட்டாலும் அவன் கைகள்

 அதனை சிற்பமாக மாற்றி விடும்....

ஆனால் அவன் வாழ்நாட்கள் 200 நாட்கள் மட்டுமே.

இந்த விஷயத்தை அவன் பகிரும் ஒவ்வொரு நபருக்கும் அவன் 200 வாழ்நாட்களில் மூன்று

 தினங்கள் குறைந்து விடும்.

எதிர்பார்ப்பது போல் இரண்டாவது வாய்ப்பையே ஸ்மித் தேர்ந்தெடுக்கிறான்.

சிற்ப கலைக்கு தன்னை அர்ப்பணிக்க நினைக்கும் ஸ்மித்தின் வாழ்வில் மெக் என்ற பெண்ணின்

 வடிவில் விதி விளையாடுகிறது

மெக் மேல் காதல் வசப்படும் ஸ்மித்தின் மனதில் புயல் வீச துவங்குகிறது..

கலை  ,கலைக்காகவே என்ற உணர்வில் வாழும் ஸ்மித்தின் கழிவிரக்கம், காதல், அவனது நட்பு

 இதில் அழகாக சொல்லப்பட்டு இருக்கிறது.....

முடிவு என்னவாக இருக்கும்?

இந்த நாவலை எழுத வரைய ஸ்காட்டுக்கு ஐந்து வருடங்கள் பிடித்திருக்கிறது.....

2015-ன் டாப் டென் கிராபிக் நாவல்களுக்கான ரேசில் இது இருப்பதாக சொல்லபடுகிறது...

THE GRAVEYARD

…..GRAVEYARD…… VOULME 1

UNAWARE OF THE FACT THAT THE REST OF HIS FAMILY ARE MURDERED BY A MAN JACK A VERY SMALL KID REACHES THE NEARBY GRAVEYARD …THE MURDERER LOOKS FOR THE BOY AND RETURNS WITH HIS MISSION NOT FULLY ACCOMPLISHED….

THE BOY NAMED NOBODY-BOD IN SHORT-IS FED AND TAUGHT BY THE GHOSTS OF THE GRAVEYARD…

SILAS..WHO IS NEITHER DEAD NOR A LIVING ONE BECOMES HIS GUARDIAN….

BOD FINDS ANEW FRIEND ,A LITTLE GIRL NAMED SCARLETT PERKINS .TOGETHER THEY MAKE AN ADVENTUROUS JOURNEY INTO A  CAVE GUARDED BY EVIL DEMONS..  SCARLETT HAS TO SAY GOOD BYE TO BOD AS HER FATHER LEAVES THE TOWN….

SILAS PUTS BOD INTO THE HANDS OF MISS LUPESCU ,A HOUND OF GOD,( A WEREWOLF) AS HE HAS TO LEAVE THE GRAVRYARD FOR A BRIEF PERIOD. BOD MAKES A THRILLING JOURNEY INTO THE GHOULS’ WORLD ALMOST ENTERS THE CITY OF GHOLHEIM(GHOULS HOME PLACE) SEES NIGHT GAUNTS (TRI-EYED FLYING CREATURES)AND LATER IS RESCUED BY MISS LUPESCU…..

BOD BEFRIENDS WITH A WITCH –LIZA HEMPSTOCK-AND FOR HER HE VISITS HIS HOMETOWN WHICH TURNS INTO A HAZARDUOUS TRAVEL.THIS TIME HE IS RESCUED BY LIZA.

DANSE MACABRE……..  ON ONE PARTICULAR DAY THE LIVING ONES ARE CELEBRATING WITH THE DEAD ONES…(BOTH USUALLY FORGET ABOUT THIS ON NEXT DAY)…BOD DANCES WITH THE GREY LADY ON HORSE(THE DEATH ITSELF)…..

MEAN WHILE THE JACK THE MURDERER SCENTS OF BOD’S EXISTENCE AND IS GETTING READY TO FINISH THE JOB IN WHICH HE FAILED MANY YEARS AGO…

(PART 2 CONTINUES)

ONE AUTHOR……..NEIL GAIMAN  REPUTED FOR HIS MYTHOFANTASIES …HIS OTHER WORKS ARE AS IMPRESSIVE….

SIX  ARTISTS……….SEE BELOW…(.CRAIG RUSSEL IS THE MAN BEHIND GRAPHIC ADAPTATION)

THE WICKED + THE DIVINE

THE WICKED + THE DIVINE………

AUTHOR…GILLEN MCKELVIE

ARTIST….WILSON COWLES

VOULME 1…..THE FAUST ACT

(Faust is the protagonist of a classic German legend. He is a scholar who is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, so he makes a pact with the Devil, exchanging his soul for unlimited knowledge and worldly pleasures.)..…  from wikipedia..

Concept…12 gods as teenage popstars ..most love them,few hate them….they are immortal but only for 2 years…they die to be reincarnated 90 years later..

the innovative idea of popstars as gods is a very good one as among westerners they already are ….

story…..

laura is an young  fangirl of many popsingers  and aspire to be one of them….when few of these are giving interview to media an assassination attempt is made to kill them by two gunmen..lucifer a rockstar it appears to have killed them both by simply clicking her finger…

lucifer is brought to court for murder( this can be easily defended as the gunmen tried to kill them all)..but lucifer kills the judge by the simple click again..

now she is put in prison with special handcuffs(unable to make click).before being sent to prison she asks laura to contact ananke….

laura meets luci in prison and luci briefly narrates laura how she is turned into a god by ananke…

laura sees two more gods baphomet and morrigan in an underground closed railway station in an atmosphere of mayhem…..

baal another god  makes arrangements for laura  to meet some of the rockstar gang members. during this meeting ananke tells laura that luci has broken all the rules given

by ananke so she wont help luci…

during this laura meets gods namely sahmet,minerva,and amaterasu…..

laura meets luci in the prison again and narrates …when luci learns none will come to her aid she gets furious and with the help of cigarette brought by laura she gets rid off her handcuffs and storms out of the prison creating choas blasting every obstacles made by the police force…despite laura’s protests…

rest of the gods like amaterasu, baal and sahmet try to allay the fury of luci but in vain. a mini war follows among them..

laura afraid for luci runs and gets the help of morrigan who comes at once and aids laura to get luci away from all this madness…

laura advises luci to keep low profile for sometime by staying with morrigan in the underground…

pleased by laura’s efforts luci gives last of her cigarettes to laura and as she tries to exit from the room she is killed by ananke….

laura  overhelmed with sorrow by luci’s death later realises luci gave her power of darkness in the form of cigarette….

end of voulme 1…

…………………………………………………………………………………………………….

…………………………………………………………………………………………………….

i browsed  and found interesting facts about these gods’ names…

amaterasu….a japanese sun goddess…

baal….god of life and fertility..supreme god among  ancient cannan and phonecia..

sahmet..(sekmet )..a lion goddess in egyptian mythology..a warrior goddess

minerva..a roman goddess of wisdom,poetry…

inanna..a mesopatomian goddess of sexual love and also warfare..

morrigan…..phantom queen…an irish goddess ..actually 3 sisters under one name badb,macha,nemain…..her sacred birds are crows and ravens….she is a war goddess who influences the outcome of war…

lucifer….ofcourse the biblical figure ..the fallen angel ..rebellion angel…

baphomet …worshipped by knights of templars…french origin….medieval period..

ananke…supreme governor…mother of fates…exists even before the creation of cosmos, and controller of time, can decide the fate of humans and gods,,,,with limitless power…..

some more gods will be introduced in voulme 2…..

the drawings are mesmarising….