Read this or suffer!
I'm not hyper-happy with these types of headings, but it's the heading that sells the blog, and "I think you should take a look at this when you get a minute," just doesn't seem to cut it. Today's post begins a new feature, the "Do this or suffer," post.
As I've written elsewhere, I don't find the books I like to read in Publisher's Weekly's "Bestselling Books of 2013". In fact, there are only two in that top twenty that I've read: Green Eggs and Ham, which is fantastic, and World War Z, which is much less so. I find my books, and often films, games, etc, through friends I trust, blogs I read, and Amazon's if-you-are-crazy-enough-to-like-this-you-might-also-like-this feature. That's where the "Do this or suffer," posts enter. I want to be your
trusted friend, your revered blog, your beloved Amazon. Or in other words, take my suggestion or suffer the consequences of becoming culturally bankrupt.
The mystery is well done, and the art is created with trademark Phillips realism. Bottom line, Jo's power over men, her immortality, and the tension of her flight from the evil beings set on capturing her, weave a rich story worthy of our time.
So, without further ado, read Fatale or suffer. A comic book written and drawn by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips, Fatale is a noir crime story in the same vein as the duo's previous collaborations, such as Criminal. Different, however, is the story's strong paranormal element.
The protagonist, Josephine, is a smoky beauty (see below) who controls, at times reluctantly, the men she meets. Perhaps Brubaker is making a statement on womankind, perhaps not. Either way, men tend to do Jo's bidding. A nifty trick, but not Jo's niftiest. You see, Jo is immortal, and the creatures that bestowed that gift want Jo back.
Brubaker uses that immortality to flip the tale through time, beginning in the present day, jumping to the mid fifties, and including tales from both medieval times and America
The mystery is well done, and the art is created with trademark Phillips realism. Bottom line, Jo's power over men, her immortality, and the tension of her flight from the evil beings set on capturing her, weave a rich story worthy of our time.
PS
I hate the term "comic books," and "graphic novel" isn't much better. The first implies humor. I don't read Archie, and the comics I do read aren't humorous. Graphic novel feels almost like porn, as if there is something graphic within it's pages. Anyone have a better name?
Does "Read this or suffer" work? I thought about "Read this or suck," but it seemed too belligerent. What do you all think?
Comments
I suppose you could call them "visual" or "pictorial" novels; "illustrated" sounds like something for children. But "graphic novel" is the established euphemism, and "comics" still has that ironic tone of hipster defiance. To hell with dignity.
"Read this or die!" has a nice ring to it but I suppose that would be over the top. Perhaps "Read this or die (without knowing what you've missed)" is more accurate, if overly parenthetical.
Speaking of zombies and literary death wishes, I heartily recommend "Zone One" by Colson Whitehead.