Karlo Pascual
Spark-Tower Wilson's Silent Song

http://www.webcomicsnation.com/progressions/spark/series.php?view=archive&chapter=1245&mpe=1&step=1

Spark-tower Wilson’s Silent Song was created by Jeff Coleman and Stephen Greenwood-Hyde. The story is based on perseverance of people trying to move forward. Although that it is a short read, i found it to be a good read because of the style of first person view of to protagonist.

The story is about Joe’s life in the “yard” and how he feels like being pressed under his father Spark-Tower Wilson’s fame. Due to certain painful circumstance, Joe had the chance to befriend a beautiful woman named Carla. Because of an unexpected event, Joe’s improving life plummets down to the ground causing an inner conflict in Joe. Now Joe must figure out what steps to take solve said inner conflict.

In this novel, the theme, setting and characterization really come together quite well. The theme of perseverance really shaped the whole story. The characters’ personalities does not feel out of place under the harsh and boorish settings of the “Yard”. The creators personalized the characters to be very outspoken and crude young men. The personification is really what a reader would expect out of characters that grew up in a suburban area.

The creators used low tone coloring and rough outlining drawing. These help show how the main character Joe sees and feels his life at the “yard” is like. A dull life with a rough road to walk on is what I picked up on protagonist’s life with just the presentation of the novel.

Overall, this novel was pretty good although the length of the story was a lacking a bit. The contrast between the way the novel is drawn, what is drawn and written really helps the reader feel the characters emotions. I would say that if the a reader is not into emotional novels then this one is not for him or her.

NYC2123 Graphic Novel Review
Samrat Poonia

http://nyc2123.com/

NYC2123 is a graphic novel; it is ranked at 9,691,240 in the world, meaning that it tends to generate massive visitors.  Ever since a tsunami devastated the land of Manhattan and things have not been the same. Much causality occurred; people were eagerly seeking help because they were capable to take corrective action, and the area was in chaotic shape. For those that made an effort to take a step forward eventually lost hope, because it was rather impossible to walk in hard mess. For example, things were tarnished; people couldn’t go ahead due to the obstacles. In such circumstances, people were suffering, were fighting, were agitated, because everything they had or owned is now gone. In detail, Fugitive cities were formed in the waters around Manhattan, bridges and tunnels were devastated, people started breaking the law, they began to rob goods that they got in hand, they also fought vigorously being in turmoil, and they started to accept and believe the fact that since they have lost everything, why not destroy what comes in way. Even more dangerously, because of this situational factor, a gang forms and together they operate outside of the law. Finally, these gang members are increasing; they are working to get a piece of the pie, by spreading terror amongst innocent people, and extorting goods illegally.

The story is interesting because it gives a strong sense of what people can do when they are in certain circumstances. The story is seems to be based on factual evidence, it is a story that anyone can connect and relate to. For example, when a situational factor occurs, and people lose everything they have, they then become paranoid and angry to a point that they will commit to negative deeds. Emotionally, the story shows a significance of what changes people go through and accept because of hazards that have occurred. Generally, people do wrong things because of the challenging situations they embrace, but that does not necessarily mean these people are bad. Overall, the fact of the matter is that this story is realistic, emotional, and thought provocative because it makes you think about it.

The visuals are creative and show a limited but effective use of colour, they depict meaning and it keeps me engaged with it. The colour that is used in the graphic novel--although most of it is black and white--is used to highlight and emphasize certain things such as blood or key objects. In further detail, the visuals portray emotions, it gives me a sense of what the story is talking about, it reflects empathy, and it keeps me curious. I think the visuals are effective and relevant as far as story is concerned. The style of the novel is very western oriented with realistic and adult-like human characteristics. This is in stark contrast to many mangas who portray more youthful appearances.

Overall, the illustrations and content complement each other. It does so because the pictures speak the story, it depicts it, and the content explains the situation clearly. I strongly feel that if anyone falls in the same phase or experiences a horrendous situation as written in this story, they will commit to do wrong, their mindset will be pressured, and their life will change. I enjoyed reading this story because it was informative, interactive, and creative. As a fan of the post-apocalyptic genre I can say that I enjoyed this novel due to its frantic nature. However if one does not enjoy this type of setting, it may not be worth the time invested.

CROSSING MIDNIGHT GRAPHIC NOVEL REVIEW

Samrat Poonia

http://www.vulture.com/2007/07/comics_midnight.html

Crossing Midnight is a Japanese inspired graphic novel series written by Mike Carey. The interesting facet of this novel is that it is a story written based on and inspired by Japanese and Korean horror manga but is decidedly western in nature. In this way it is a unique take on Japanese story telling which is told in a western style layout and writing. The series was canceled due to poor sales but it still has a cult following among avid readers.

The story is about two twins who are born on opposite sides of midnight; one sibling named Kai was born one minute before midnight whereas the other sibling, his sister named Toshi, was born 7 minutes after midnight. This difference between birth times means that they end up growing up and going through different paths in life. But these paths that they go through are not as one would think; both Kai and Toshi live their existences in separate dimensions. Through prayers of their father for safe delivery of their first child, Kai, he had unknowingly created a pact with the Kami (spirits) of the Hara family shrine, that their second unexpected child (Toshi) will be sacrificed to appease the spirits. Both Kai and Toshi grew up in a well-mannered family, but had quite a few strange occurrences during their developing lives. For one, their close childhood friend Saburo had disappeared into an alternate world; an unexplainable occurrence that had left both Kai and Toshi shocked. Other strange things would manifest between the two siblings, such as an inability to be harmed in some situations. Once the siblings had grown, an alter dimension deity named Aratsu had finally come to retrieve Toshi and place her into a dimension different from Kai. Although they had initially refused, Aratsu the master of swords, was near impossible to rebel against. As a result, Toshi was taken to the daemon plane and Kai is left to wonder how he will get his sibling back. Kai ends up allying with  Nidoru the female sprit of pin and needle in order to create a plan to retrieve Toshi.

The story itself is very reminiscent of traditional Japanese folk tales. Many Japanese stories involve spirits and super natural occurrences. This comic is no different in this regard. It is a somewhat slow-paced story in the fact that it does not have many moments that jump out to you; it is generally a predictable story but one that does hit home due to the fact that the main character (Kai) is trying to fight for the return of his sibling. It is a relatable story not when taken literally but the underlying story itself. It’s a story of love between two siblings and an uncontrollable force (Aratus, the master of swords) that is attempting to rip them apart. The narrative has a very a ghostly feel to it, as every action and story point that occurs in the novel is connected to spirits in one way or another. It also somewhat shows two sides to the spiritual realm; one that is seeking to help mortals with their troubles and another that is strictly adhering to the rules of the unseen world. It is sort of an interesting clash between mortal morals and the remorseless approach of the spirit realm.

The visual style in this novel is fairly unique. Being a western comic, it still has the more mature looking and realistic features on its characters. At the same time, due to the influence of Japanese and Korean mangas, it also retains some of the features that are considered staples of that genre. These characteristics include large hair and a somewhat youthful appearance for the characters while still retaining that western feel. It has a clean style to it that can appeal to a large audience of readers. This blend of western and Asian styles is an fresh approach to illustration.

Overall, although the story itself is an interesting take on Japanese manga in a western style, the the narrative is still relatively slow-paced and predictable. It is an interesting for a one-time read but it can feel generic at times and not something that hasn’t been done before. The greatest positive one can take away from this novel is the attempt to combine manga story telling with a western layout, which I found very compelling at least for the first time reading through it. I would recommend this to fans of manga, and perhaps western comic fans that want to get a taste of what manga story telling is like. However I would not use this novel as a standard by any means; it is a one-off read that is enjoyable but not something you would reference in the future.

Demons of Sherwood - Justin Szostak

Demons of Sherwood is a new take on an old tale. Robert Tinnell takes the classic characters of Robin Hood, and vaults them into a world where evil isn’t just the tyranny of a king… it is witches, zombies, demons, and other supernatural entities that go bump in the night.

http://www.comicmix.com/comic/demons-of-sherwood-1/

The story takes place years after Robin Hood’s rescue of Marian, where Robin has since not seen her, nor the rest of the merry men. He’s become a drunkard living under a rock. Marian has been captured by witch hunters, and her cousin comes to find Robin and ask that he once again save Marian. He and the merry men are reunited and are set off on another adventure. Robin and his merry men save Marian from being burned at the stake, only to find themselves facing new supernatural evils. They also save a young girl named Brownwyn.On their way they face a horde of zombies, and find solace in the castle of the monks. It is here that Marian reveals Brownwyn is Robin’s daughter. Brownwyn gets kidnapped from the castle, and Robin and his crew must again go on a rescue mission. In the end he saves his daughter, and he, Marian, and the merry men all return home to Sherwood.

The story is a slower-paced horror/action graphic novel that is mainly driven by the sense of justice Robin possesses. He never gives up on doing the right thing, and will always risk himself for the ones he loves. He story is eternally linked to the rescue of Marian, and in this story, his daughter Brownwyn. Robert Tinnell first gains readers attention with a familiar folk story, and then turns it into a new and twisted horror adventure that keeps readers turning the pages (clicking the “right arrow”). Tinnell holds suspense with terrifying creatures, timely action, and his willingness to kill important characters.

The artwork is dark and gritty, which very accurately sets the tone for a horror story. Tinnell doesn’t leave much for imagination (the gutter), he uses a lot of slides to illustrate the action. The colours used are all dark shades, and while it does set the tone, it also can be a little bland and depressing at times.

In the end, I would have liked it if the story moved at a quicker pace, and the artwork was a little more lively, I personally feel the dark and dreary shades and tones can take away from a story that runs for so long. If not for the Robin Hood universe that this story is set in, I would call it a generic, typical plot without much excitement in terms of storytelling. I recommend it to anyone who is a huge fan of the Robin Hood tales, other than that, there are probably better stories out there for a horror fix.


Justin Szostak

The Prisoner - Justin Szostak

The Prisoner is a very uniquely styled, interesting online graphic novel featured by AMC, the company that has produced incredible TV series like The Walking Dead and Breaking Bad. This online graphic novel is a spinoff of the show featured on AMC’s network. 

http://www.amctv.com/the-prisoner-graphic-novel/?chapter=1

The story itself is centred around a character named Rebecca Meadows. It opens with a narration from Rebecca, “I’ve come to this city to find my sister and take her home. The only thing you need to know about me… is that I’m about to do a very stupid thing. And the thing that makes this really stupid? I have no idea if it’s going to work.” Right there I was hooked. Rebecca then hurls herself through a glass window and crashes to the ground below. She awakes to find herself in a place called The Village. The Village is a shared experience in the unconscious minds of its inhabitants. The Village was created by scientists of a powerful corporation called Summakor. It is in this subconscious universe that Rebecca hopes to find her sister, Vera. After meeting a contact and doing some investigating, Rebecca is able to find Vera. Rebecca and her sister look for a way to escape the village while being pursued by men who work for Summakor. The agents of Summakor eventually catch up and are able to take back Vera. Rebecca however is saved by a group of strangers. The strangers inform her that in order to free everyone from The Village, Rebecca has to kill the “dreamer” in both the real world and The Village. In the end, Rebecca finds out that she isn’t actually real, just a thought created by the Dreamer, Vera.

The story is a fast-paced suspense/thriller that tests the power of love, and the power of the mind,  while it explores the subconscious world of dreams. Rebecca’s apparent love for her sister drives her to do anything in order to find her. However it all was just a dream created by the subconscious of Vera, a lonely girl without a sister. The story is about what our minds are capable of, that in extreme circumstances we can even create an illusion to fulfill our needs and our voids. People day dream every day, and this story is an elaborate example of that.

What is very interesting about this online graphic novel is the illustrative style used. It takes advantage of today’s technological abilities to create a partially moving graphic novel that plays somewhere in the middle of a comic book and a movie. The artwork is dark and vague. I believe this is done to resemble the difficulty of trying to remember details after waking from a dream. This also might be an example of amplification through simplification, allowing any reader to let be captured and captivated by the story.

In the end I found the story to be a very enjoyable read, and would highly recommend it to anyone interested in a short, fast-paced graphic novel!

Justin Szostak

Unsounded - Sherina Ramlogan

            The second graphic novel I chose to review was called Unsounded by Ashley Cope.  The link to the first chapter is http://www.casualvillain.com/Unsounded/comic/ch01/ch01_01.html.  This seven part free online graphic novel falls into the category of Epic Fantasy Adventure genre.  This is the first time reading this genre for me and I must say what a rollercoaster of emotions.  The author Ashley Cope, updates the website three times a week and as posted on the site takes “month-long” breaks upon completing each chapter.  So far posted there are seven chapters and I got through the first two.  Since I went over everyone blog on either Blogger or WordPress, I noticed my blog was a bit long so I’ll try and condense this one. 

            In the first chapter we are introduced by a character that appears to be a little girl.  But a few more panels in, she has some type of tail.  Her name is Sette and she is accompanied by a zombie named Duane.  They are continuously arguing and with this reveal more and more of the plot.  They are on a quest for Sette to get money from her cousin who owes it to her father.  Sette is a rude little obnoxious thief and it seems as if Duane is getting sick of her.  However, he cannot leave her because he made a deal with her father to watch over her.  Sette is becoming increasingly annoyed by Duane and decided to try and lose him.   She hears a noise and turns around Duane is devoured by what looks like some type of tree dinosaur.  After she finally gets him out Duane tells her that it is called a “Senet Beast” and it is almost extinct.  Sette wants to kill the best but Duane urges her to remain calm because the beast can feel energy and if they continue to argue it will become more and more infuriated.  Duane then goes on to tell Sette about living in peace with these beast and that the land belonged to them years before they were there.  At the end of the chapter Duane uses his magic to torch the beast because their arguing does not stop and the beast then tries to attack them. 

            A clear literary theme that I saw in the two chapters I read was the authors use of made-up characters and settings to portray real-life, human problems.  In the first chapter Cope compared the Senet Beast to being at risk of extinction.  Duane goes on to talk about living at peace with the beast and that they must not harm it because the beast is peaceful.  He also talks about the beast being there years and centuries before they were.  This is easily compared to problems that humanity faces right now.  There are several animals that are at risk for extinction such as pandas and rhinos.  I think this was a neat way to integrate a humanitarian issue into a comic.  It was quite subtle but if you looked close enough you would get the point. 

            The visual elements of the graphic novel were very detailed and over the top.  The colours filled each panels and provided a lot of interpretation.  The characters were quiet complex except for the main character Sette.  She instead had a very childish look to her with big green eyes and a small nose and mouth.  I think this was done intentionally because all the other characters had portioned faces and different looks.  I think Sette’s character was portrayed this way because of the way her personality was presented.  She seemed much older for her age in this graphic novel.  She had a clear attitude and always had something to say back.  But it became a little confusing because in the Sette’s word balloons, she couldn’t speak properly.  She often would talk about herself in third person saying “me” instead of I.  I think if I continue reading on it will be revealed as to why she talks like this.  The author also uses more detail in some scenes where they seem to be flashbacks of certain characters.  For example, Duane’s character is very much different visually from Sette.  When he has a flashback scene, all the characters in his scene look closer to his character.  This helped the reader distinguish what was happening for each character. 

            Overall this graphic novel was funny and captivating.  I actually want to continue reading on due to the suspense that the author puts in the graphic novel.  Especially towards the end which draws the reader in.  The characters are presented in a very individual and unique.  The author used an simple yet irregular way to present humanity issues.  The author eases into these problems and present them so subtly but yet the reader is able to identify it.  Great, simple and easy read!

 

Sherina Ramlogan

Is this you??

Don't get sucked in!!!

-Sherina R.

Boys Don't Cry - Sherina Ramlogan

            The graphic novel that will be reviewed is called Boys Don’t Cry by Jacqueline Saville, Mark Pexton and Andrew Woods.  This free pdf online graphic novel is from a site called Ostragoth and the link is http://www.ostragoth.co.uk/ebooks/BoysDon%27tCry_ebook.pdf .  This graphic novel is about a young teenage boy named Hunter.  He recently lost his mom due to a cliff accident.  In the beginning of the novel, Hunter is mainly with his friends.  The author emphasizes that Hunter is quite anti-social around his peers.  Although his friends know he doesn’t say or do much, none of them go as far as to asking him what’s wrong or why he doesn’t speak.  His main three friends just seem to brush it off.  One day Hunter leaves school early to meet his sister, Catherine, at the train station who was gone away for school.  He was very excited to see her.  Later that night Hunter has a dream about his mother, one of many that he has throughout the novel.  Every time he dreams of his mother, her back is to her and when she turns around her face depicts that of a demonic skeleton.  He also dreams of a horse and it is a horse that his mother gave him years before her passing.  Throughout the story, Hunter keeps the horse with him wherever he goes.  During this particular dream he wakes up and runs to his sister’s room.  She is quite upset that he has woken her up at four in the morning and tells him to get out.  He then leaves his house afraid of falling back sleep.  He wonders to his old neighbourhood where he crosses path with the home of his sister’s friend, Georgina.  His memories of her are very comforting to him as he was quite fond of her.  At home, Hunter’s father wakes up and it is early morning now.  He is worried that Hunter is not home and Catherine tells her father about what had happened during the night.  His father breaks down and the narrator begins to tell the reader about Hunter’s mother and her battle with depression.  Hunter still on the streets, decides that he is going to visit Georgina.  He finally makes it to her school but he is very tired and exhausted.  She opens the door for him and he falls into her arms.  She is very confused and afraid something was wrong.  Hunter explains he just needed her or needed somebody and begins to cry.  In the end the narrator states that he drifts into a dreamless sleep.

            A main theme in this graphic novel was mental health and stigma.  Hunter was suffering from depression after his mother passed away.  In the novel he had friends but none of them bothered to ask him what was wrong or how he was feeling.  The author clearly points this out in the story where he states that none of his friends would even bother to ask him or even really acknowledges his presence.  The novel really starts to get into the actually mental health issue of depression when talking about Hunter’s mother.  Hunter’s father describes how his mother seemed less and less happy on the days leading up to her death.  Hunter never really shows his emotion through the whole book until the end when he goes to see Georgina.  The social stigma that everyone has put on him leads him to a final breaking point.  The reader sees in the end that all he really wanted was someone to talk to.  Even in the title, it is a clear representation of social stigma that “boys don’t cry”.  Another theme in this graphic novel is the use of symbolism.  The horse that Hunter’s mother gives to him as a child, Hunter keeps with him wherever he goes.  It even follows him into his dreams where it is depicted that Hunter is riding the horse.  The horse really symbolizes Hunter in a way that he is trying to be free.  He is trying to break through his depression but doesn’t know where to go.  He has two dreams in the novel that both involve the horse.  The first dream is of just the horse and it encounters a lady.  He thinks that it is his mother and as he calls out to the figure it turns around.  He then realizes it is a demon-looking skeleton face and that it is not in fact his mother.  Another interesting aspect of the characters is that throughout the whole story, Hunter’s character has no face.  All the other character’s faces are depicted as human faces but Hunter has no face.  He has no visible human features on his face.  This represents his struggle of finding himself.  Since his mother died, he became isolated and distant from reality.  He tried to come back but had no one to reach out to, to help him. 

            The most obvious visual storytelling is that the novel is formatted in black and white.  The black and white drawing of the characters left a lot of room for interpretation.  A lot of the panels were drawn in such a way that it was hard to understand what it was trying to depict.  This was confusing for the reader at first.  But as one continued reading it started to all come together.  The author formatted the novel in a sequence of the writing story and then the visual story.  So whilst reading the received information, the perceived information would follow.  This allowed for the gaps to be filled in by the reader.  The only use of colour in the novel was the colour of purple by a flower that appeared in scenes where Hunter was having dreams.  This represented figuratively his dreams.  He ultimately wanted to break free some his depression but couldn’t find a way how.  He found a way at the end of the novel when he goes to see Georgina.

            Overall this graphic novel was an easy and in-depth read.  The use of descriptive writing from the author helps project and portray Hunter’s character.  The simple way that this novel depicts the growing concern of depression is interesting.  It is clearly the main theme of the graphic novel.  Readers interested in becoming aware of what it’s like to live with depression should grab this easy and quick read.  

Sherina Ramlogan

Children these days...

 

Just a little comedy for your Friday morning :)!
-Sherina

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