the next trade paperback review of the week should be...

[hectorbustnuts]

Bryan Talbot's Grandville



http://www.darkhorse.com/Books/16-365/Grandville-HC

Two hundred years ago, Britain lost the Napoleonic War and fell under the thumb of French domination. Gaining independence after decades of civil disobedience and anarchist bombings, the Socialist Republic of Britain is now a small, unimportant backwater connected by a railway bridge, steam-powered dirigible, and mutual suspicion to France. When a British diplomat's murder is made to look like suicide, ferocious Detective-Inspector LeBrock of Scotland Yard stalks a ruthless murder squad through the heart of a Belle Epoque Paris, the center of the greatest empire in a world of steam-driven hansom cabs, automatons, and flying machines. LeBrock's relentless quest can lead only to death, truth . . . or war.

[whynaut]

Now I want to add:

Doktor Sleepless Vol 1 TPB
Super-God
Black Orchid

[tidge]

I checked out two volumes of _Grandville_ from the public library. I'll post my thoughts after I've read them.

[MiloMinderbinder]

I really enjoyed Hero Squared by Giffen and DeMatteis.

[litanyofthieves]

I would love to see you guys review Flight

[Damascus]

Hey, I'd like to see some reviews of some of the '80s Ted McKeever stuff, like Transit, Eddy Current or Metropol.  Eddy Current is a favorite of mine, but Metropol was pretty great too.  A little muddy in the smaller size reprints that Image's imprint Shadowline released.

[tidge]

I just finished Bryan Talbot's Grandville (I read the first two collections).

The series gets a solid 4/5 stars for me. It would have been perfect to review this after Maus, during the "animal theme" month.

I was surprised by the doubly-clever alternative-history aspect to the story, as well as by the animal/doughface aspect. The plot of each story is quite serviceable.

The story has a rather pleasant Easter Egg hunt quality to it, but it is not as intense as Alan Moore's work on LXG or Top10. It is also slightly more European in focus, and so it is *harder* to find/appreciate the Easter Eggs. (This is what keeps it from getting 5 stars from me...an annotated appendix would have assuaged my inferior intellect on this matter). I read Talbot's "Sunderland" book about a year ago, perhaps that affected my feelings in this manner?

Anyway: I *HIGHLY* recommend Grandville, especially for readers who like to congratulate themselves on finding Easter Eggs in Moore's and Gaiman's works.


On the matter of Ted McKeever: The top shelf of the bookcase that survived the destruction of the nerd room has hardcover copies of the Eddy Current and Metropol collections. I'd have to fish Transit out of the long-boxes. I wasn't happy with the Metropol collection's binding/printing (Blue Eyed Dog printing) so I basically passed on ever trying to buy/seek the Transit collection.

The McKeever opus is pretty intense, so please give us a month's warning if that is going to be reviewed. Its one of the books that I enjoyed a LOT more in the original issues.

[Damascus]

I'd like to check out some of McKeever's books in the original format.  Were they also in black and white or were they in color?  I have the new Image Shadowline Hardcover reprints of Eddy Current and Metropol and they are in a reduced size from the original comic format and with all the black and white, I had to intuit was a lot of the panels were trying to convey because I couldn't really make out all the details.  Still a really different book that was very unique for its time.

[tidge]

My recollection is that MOST of the original McKeever "Eddy Current" opus is black and white, but for some reason I think that Metropol may have had occasional color highlights (like some Sin City)..but I may be imaginining it.

I definitely did not like the high-gloss reprint in one of the collected volumes I have. The reduced page size and the high gloss detracted from the original work. These collections are from the mid 1990s, so I cannot speak about newer versions.

I cannot remember if I started with Eddy Current or Metropol...it was one of those books I started reading and didn't get all/most until I ended up with the other one...I think I got the Transit issues last.

[whynaut]

I would also like to include:
Unwritten
House of Mystery (the newest run)
Sparks
Pride of Baghdad
Air (REALLY curious to see what they would have to say there)
The Invisibles
V for Vendetta
Creature Tech (my personal favorite of TenNapel's.  Far more than Gear)
Annihilation Vol 3 (It's Kieth Giffen, so don't judge me)
Wolverine: Origin
Old Man Logan
Fell
Planetary
Powers
Books of Magic
Swamp Thing #21-64 (Alan Moore's run)
Nightmares & Fairytales

... in no particular order

C'mon Major Spoilers.  Two down (sorta). When are you going to review the rest of my list?

[Slappy]

Green Arrow Lngbow Hunters.

[Bluebeetle]

* Bluebeetle casts thread resurrection.

I know this is a real old thread but in case you are still looking at it...

All-Star Superman (Part 1 and 2)
Superman/Batman: Absolute Power and/or Vengeance
Superman: Red Son
Powers: Forever
Nextwave (Part 1 and 2)
Invincible (2nd TPB on)

[CatHalo]

I noticed that James O'Barr's The Crow has got a fancy reissue. It was one of the first trades I ever read, WAY back in the 95. I loaned it to an ex...and never got it back. I plan on picking up the re-issue tomorrow, and would be very interested in hearing what the MS crew would make of it.

[CatHalo]

I noticed that James O'Barr's The Crow has got a fancy reissue. It was one of the first trades I ever read, WAY back in the 95. I loaned it to an ex...and never got it back. I plan on picking up the re-issue tomorrow, and would be very interested in hearing what the MS crew would make of it.

And so it is Looking forward to hearing the guys take on one of my all time favourite books Bought it on Sat. Re-reading it now.

[Odinson76]

Batman Child of Dreams for those people who want a DC book reviewed!!