Preacher Vol 1 and 2

Preacher Book 1 and Preacher Book 2 by Garth Ennis, 352 and 368 pages


The Preacher series, or at least the first two books, are about a preacher named Jesse who has unwillingly merged with an ancient spirit named Genesis. Genesis was the result of an unnatural union between an angel and a demon and is a being powerful enough to rival God. Jesse seeking answers begins a journey to find God who fled heaven when he learned of the birth of Genesis. He is aided by an ex girlfriend named Tulip and a vampire named Cassidy.

This is quite an interesting series and so far I like how it has developed. It takes a little while, name till the end of book two before we learn  the main characters back story but the rest of the plot flies along. It is a very graphic novel especially in the gore department but there is also some adult material. There are some religious themes that could be offensive to some.

100 Months

100 Months by John Hicklenton, 148 pages

This was another one of my table finds. In flipping through it I was blown away by how graphic the images were. Figuring any story with this powerful of art is worth the read, I tried it.

100 Months is about a womanish figure named Arma Geddon. She is freed from her prison and goes on a rampage destroying everything in her path, which seems to include humanity and the devil, as she tries to find the "Longpig". There are both environmental and religious aspects prevalent throughout.

Plot wise it is a very confusing novel. I am not sure what the "longpig" is supposed to represent but I know traditionally it refers to human flesh. Maybe it represents greed, I am not sure. If you like truly graphic novels and can appreciate graphic art you should give this one a try

This was Hicklenton's last work as he wrote it during his battle with multiple sclerosis.

A Clash of Kings

A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin, 761 pages

This is book two in A Song of Ice and Fire (sequel to A Game of Thrones). It's really hard to talk about what happens in this series, since so many people die and I don't want to spoil anything, but we'll suffice it to say that the plot is much more complicated than it was in the first book, with several characters making claims for the crown, almost all of them with some degree of legitimacy, whether it comes in the form of line of succession or love of the people. There are LOTS of battles going on here, as each king and his followers jostle for position. Martin doesn't hold back from his descriptions of battles, which are bloody, brutal, and amazingly detailed; one in particular hit me as something that I really want to see portrayed in the HBO series (which I haven't yet watched, being the purist, book-before-movie dork that I am).

The characters that were introduced in the first book are scattered throughout the Seven Kingdoms and beyond, and Martin has introduced a handful of new characters too. While the plot is confusing at times (and I've heard it gets only more confusing as the series continues), the characters are what I love. As a reader, I honestly have no idea what each one will do, though they're remarkably well-realized and easily distinguishable. I particularly like the sarcastic, humorous asides that take place throughout the book; they may seem out of place in a description like the one I've laid out here, but Martin places them well. Looking forward to book three.

The Stand graphic novels

The Stand graphic novels by Roberto Aquirre-Sacasa, 872 pages

The Stand graphic novels are a reproduction of The Stand by Stephen King. There are six parts; Captain Trips, American Nightmares, Soul Survivors, Hardcases, No Man’s Land, and The Night has Come.

The first novel introduces a plague called Captain Trips, or superplague that is killing 99.4% of the human population. It is also 99.4% transferrable so it spreads very fast. The people that end up being immune to it are the ones that the rest of the graphic novels will be about. I foolishly began reading this during flu season and when it is describing all the symptoms of the outbreak, I was noticing how many staff members and patrons also had the same symptoms. I also don’t recommend reading this after breakfast unless you have a strong stomach. The graphic detail of people’s deaths and some of the gory imagery could be too much for some.

By the second book most of the people that the flu is going to kill are dead or dying. Next comes an explosion of murders, suicides and accidents that lead to more of the population dying. The second book also has the survivors seeking for answers to not only what happened, but to the weird dreams they have all been having. Some of the dream sequences are quite vivid and are made to prey on people’s fears. While I found them to confusing at times, they are some of the best drawn imagery in the series.

Throughout the next four books they are able to place a name on the horror in their dreams; Randall Flagg. There is also a genuine good presence that people can dream about named mother Abigail. Flagg and Abigail are reaching out through the dreams and trying to get people to come to their side. Flagg represents greed and hate. Abigail stands for freedom and faith. Eventually everyone either goes to Las Vegas to join up with Flagg, or to Boulder to join up with Abigail. This leads to a massive buildup and confrontation between the two forces in a classic good vs. evil showdown.

The entire graphic novel set is very well illustrated and well written. Like all the Stephen king rewrites they were released in comic form first and the combined into collections. So each graphic novel contains around five comics, or thirty or so comics for the series. At the end of each collection is the cover art from the comics, along with rejected cover and comic sketches and even some examples of recoloring since the comic. Each collection also gives a brief introduction that explains what happened previously in case you forgot. There are also maps and story timelines to further the readers understanding. If you like Stephen King's work, and can handle the gore, The Stand is worth a read.

 

Hack/Slash, Omnibus 1-5 by Tim Seely, 1500 pages.

Hack/Slash is every slasher movie loving teen's wet dream.  Imagine a combination of Friday 13^th, Halloween, Nightmare on Elm Street, and Child’s Play (Chucky franchise), throw in a scantily clad Goth girl with a penchant for violence, copious amounts of blood, and you have the Hack/Slash series.

Hack/Slash follows Cassie Hack, and her disfigured sidekick Vlad, as they travel the world (and other worlds) tracking down twisted serial killers (known as Slashers), and dispatching them in the most gruesome ways possible.  In Cassie’s world, people that die full of hatred and malice return from the dead as “Slashers”.  These recently resurrected creatures have a simple agenda – to kill, maim, and spill as much blood as possible.  And it’s Cassie and Vlad’s goal to put them out of action.  But don’t’ worry horror fans, there’s plenty of blood and entrails, and a healthy dose of terrified teenage girls in lingerie to revel in before said Slashers are put six feet deep.

The series contains nods aplenty to the horror genre, with guest appearances by Jason Voorhees, Chucky, and Dr. West (from the Re-Animator movie), to make any horror fan happy.  H.P. Lovecraft and Chuthulu are also a big influence.  It also stays true to the tried and tested tropes of the horror genre- blood, guts, monsters galore, and sexy ladies making questionable decisions (Nope, you shouldn’t go check out what that noise in the basement was, especially dressed in that see-through baby-doll negligee).

As the series goes on, Cassie and Vlad venture further afield in their search for Slashers.  They visit other dimensions, travel to the future, and make trips to other comic worlds.  The series is crossover heaven, with Cassie killing Slashers alongside Ash from the Evil Dead series, killing monsters in the world of Archie (this issue is even done in the same art style as the Archie comics), and even hunting down a demonic Tinman, Scarecrow, and Cowardly Lion.

There are some deeper, more cerebral storylines to accompany the gore.  Cassie struggles with depression and her sexuality throughout the series.  Her disfigured partner, Vlad, helps the writers explore society’s acceptance (or lack thereof) of those who may be different than the norm, but mainly it’s just bad-guys, blood, and buxom ladies.

The Hack/Slash series can be a bit heavy on the gore, and might show a little too much skin for some readers (to be fair, this element draws from its inspiration – slasher movies), but for horror fans - these books deliver.  I’m not ashamed to say that the teenage boy in me grinned like a baboon from the first page, to the very last.