Dave Wachter

I came across this graphic novel at the library and decided to check it out just based on the cover and the fact that Steve Niles was involved.

I’m a little torn on this one. On one hand it has all the right beats of conflict and emotion, relatable characters, and cool black and white illustrations.

On the other hand, it’s pretty straightforward and simplistic. You read it, it does what you expect, and then it ends. Not a bad experience, but not what the hype online and from pull quotes would have led me to believe.

It’s one of those that people are either going to say is heartbreaking and deep…and others will say it’s kind of boring. You know those kinds of books I’m talking about? Normally I side with the critics, but on this one not so much.… (més)

This should have been a five-star for me. All the elements are there: Robert Bloch is a favourite author, and Joe R. Lansdale is as well. I'd go so far to say that Lansdale is one of a very small group of authors that I drop everything to read when he releases something new. Dave Wachter's art, while not a favourite, still manages to evoke both the day-to-day and the supernatural quite well.

As for the original story, I'm sure I've read it, as I've read virtually everything Bloch has written, but I'm guessing I read it so many years ago that I've forgotten it, which means I came into this story cold.

While there were nice touches throughout, both from brothers Lansdale and from Wachter, the whole story felt somewhat truncated. Martin's first meeting with the Conductor happened with seemingly little provocation—the Conductor just knew he wanted to meet—and Martin's subsequent rise in success was over in a few panels. And while I understand that this is not the main thrust of the story, I felt that Martin wasn't explored enough for me, as the reader, to truly care when he won or lost.

I love Bloch and Lansdale, and I love them because the two are both masters of both pacing and writing scenes that are rich and do so much. I haven't felt the same wonder when I've read Lansdale's comic work, which is a shame.

I'm sure there's a great Lansdale comic out there, but this isn't the one. It's okay, but it's not fantastic.… (més)

I saw a couple of the old Godzilla movies in my more movie watching years (back when I saw at least one movie a day) and honestly I never saw the charm with them. I have also seen the one with Jean Reno and half of the new one (got bored).

So actually this is probably the best experience I had with Godzilla (although I like Jean Reno the movie was not that good). The art was good, the story, not that bad, Godzilla, Mothra and many other monsters fighting each other, and of course the humans caught in between,

3 stars

Thank you Diamond Book Distributors and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy for an honest review!

Review also posted on And Now for Something Completely Different and It's a Mad Mad World
… (més)

I’ve been rather maxed out on books about World War 2 for the last while, but I couldn’t resist this graphic novel. The Jewish mythology surrounding the golem (a being created out of clay and animated by prayer) is a longstanding tradition in Jewish literature, and I’ve seen it used a few times in WW2 narratives written for younger/teen readers, but thankfully it hasn’t saturated the market yet so when it’s used well it comes off as more of a delight than an expectation. I can’t recall a single other graphic novel utilizing this motif, so in a sense the illustrator got to work with an untouched palette, even if the author’s story wasn’t particularly unique. The plot reminded me quite a bit of a novel I read a long time ago (a young protagonist also has to take responsibility for waking the golem and saving their town), but the story’s graphic adaptation still made it seem fresh. It was simple and concise in its story and imagery, but the reader was still able to get a sense of a larger narrative through the framing device which tells how the protagonist grew up to become a soldier to defend his country, and how he may have to use the power of the golem again.… (més)