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I think I’ve sorted out the podcasting gremlins to be honest, however there is still some work to be done in getting my feeds sorted out on itunes as well, so we’ll see how that all works out.

For some strange reason you can register and download the series from Manga Download. Dunno how legit this all is to be honest with you (probably not very), however you can see how popular DeathNote actually is.

Blacksad is probably one of , if not the very best anthropomorphic graphic novels currently on the stands, if ever published. I know this might sound like hyperbole, but in this case it would be a fact. Not trying to pigeon hole it or anything I’ll even go a little further and say that it’s one of the best crime noir series I’ve read in a good long while. Make no mistake, just because animals are used here instead of humans does not mean you can give this to your little brother to read. This isn’t Donald Duck we’re talking about here.

The story is set in what seems to be a place very much like LA during the 1950s. So the buildings, cars and clothes all fit within that time period. The book starts off with a murder case (how else would a book set in the 1950s start?) and John Blacksad, a private eye has been called in by the Police because he knew the murdered woman in question. They give him the regular qliched line about him not getting involved and leave it to the professionals, which of course he doesn’t really bother listening to and he begins his search for the person who murdered his ex-movie actress girlfriend. That’s the setup, the middle part continues in a very familiar fashion (at least to those who have seen this sort of movie before), however it ends in a way you wouldn’t really expect.

The characters all have unique voices It’s clever, it’s funny and oddly, it’s very very human, which I guess is Canales’s greatest achievement in this book.

However the real star of the show here is the artwork by Guarnido. This is the first work I’ve seen published in sequential format but he’s got pedigree. He’s an animator and has worked in that field for several years, including Walt Disney. The funny thing is it shows, but in a very very good way. His artwork hearkens back to the early Don Bluth animations. The character’s expression’s are absolutely priceless and tell so much more than most artists get out of regular characters. You are transported to this world and you can smell the coffee there, you can hear the cars beeping because he makes it all look so real and plausible. By the end of the story you forget that you are looking at animals in suits and dresses. Sure he could have drawn this as people, however he would have lost a great deal of intensity that comes with using animal features.

I’ve got good news and bad news. The good news is that there is more Blacksad adventures (the second volume has been published, and I’ll be reviewing shortly as well). The bad news however is that it seems that it’s going to be limited to 5 volumes in total, which is a shame because it’s such a great series that I wish they could keep on going and build up a library like Asterix or something along those lines. Blacksad is a rare gem that deserves to be on your shelf.

Written by Juan Diaz Canales
Art by Guarnido
Publisher ibooks

Listen closely because I’m about to introduce you to one of the greatest graphic novel series to ever be published. This isn’t hyperbole, this is fact. If you’re looking for a series that keeps you thinking and questioning what just happened after you’ve put the book down then this is the book for you. See this book respects you. It respects your intelligence and by giving you that respect it deserves some in return. Without a doubt the single most thought provoking series on the market right now. You’re about to enter the gritty world of 100 Bullets.

Here’s the tag paragraph to get you in the mood:

Agent Graves approaches you and provides you with an attache case. Within the case is irrifutable evidence of those that have done you wrong, 2 guns and 100 untraceable bullets. You are now above the law. You have carte blanche.

What would you do? It’s such a simple concept and opens the door to a floor of questions. Some might ask, how did Agent Graves get these bullets? Why is he doing what he’s doing? He’s effectively telling you to kill someone right?

The list of questions goes on. Agent Graves isn’t telling you to kill anyone, he is providing you with the opportunity and the means. What you choose to do with the case is your business. This series is all about choices and more often than not you’re actually surprised by the choices that are eventually made.

One thing that 100 Bullets does better than any other graphic novel series published, is making sure that NOTHING is to chance. Every single character introduced is done so for a reason. Every detail on the page has been put there because Azzarello wants it there. He wants you to go back to that page to find the clues he planted there for you to see and slap your forehead.

The dialogue just cracks off the page. The thing is though, that the dialogue would actually fall flat if it wasn’t for Eduardo Risso. Azzarello struck gold when Axel Alonso paired these two guys together. He found the only person that could possibly do this story any justice whatsoever. See Jim Lee would do a crap job at this. Frank Miller would be horrible and Adam Hughes would die of old age before he finished the first storyline. The point I’m trying to make is that if there was ever a book where the writer and the artist were made for each other, and came together from the same angle and created magic, this would be it. In case you haven’t noticed, yes I’m a complete fan of this series and I wish that other people would see the light as well.

When this series first came out many people didn’t get it. That didn’t really stop Azzarello. He continued his story and kept adding his layers. The first book, First Shot, Last Call, sets the stage. It collects two seperate stories. That of Dizzy Cordova and of Lee Dolan. Dizzy is about to find out who killed her boyfriend and child, while Lee is about to find out who and why his life was ruined 4 years ago. Trust me when I say that there is oh so much more than meets the eye here. You’d be good to remember that nothing happens for chance in the world of 100 Bullets. There is no such thing as a throw away storyline.

The covers are courtesy of Dave Johnson. I’m a massive Dave Johnson fan as he really puts a lot of thought into his work. His compositions are fantastic and he’s got this great edgy style that fits incredible well with the world of 100 Bullets. The first couple of covers didn’t really gel with me, but he soon found his stride and he was off creating some of the most memorable covers to grace of Vertigo comic. The only man in my eyes giving him a run for his money is James Jean over at Fables, but that’s another story for another time.

100 Bullets is the sort of book that slides in alongside your Fight Club dvd and The Godfather. It’s crime noir at it’s very best. Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso have created a series that many creators strive their entire careers trying to achieve and fail. If you’re going to ever buy a graphic novel based on what I write about this would be a good time. I will be following up this review with a much closer analysis of this first book because it deserves that sort of treatment.

Writer: Brian Azzarello
Artist: Eduardo Risso
Colourist: Grant Goleash
Letterer: Clem Robins
Cover Artist: Dave Johnson

Point Blank is a story set in the Wildstorm Universe. I’m a massive fan as I’ve been reading and following this Universe for nearly 10 years now. I’ve see some amazing art from the studio (Jim Lee, Whilice Portacio, Adam Hughes, Lee Bermejo, Carlos D’Anda) and been given some highly entertaining stories from the likes of Alan Moore, Warren Ellis, James Robinson, Ed Brubaker, so this story is right up my alley.

The story follows Cole Cash (Grifter) as he’s trying to find out who _tried_ to kill John Lynch. It’s a who dunnit story, set in the back alleys of the Wildstorm Universe and one of the first books to come out of the Eye of the Storm line from WS a couple of years back. It was meant to show that the readers of the Universe had grown up and therefore so should the books. I was well on board, unfortunately not everyone else was, and so this initiative didn’t last very long. The story that started off here however was continued, because it was that good.

From the dedication in the front of the book it should be pretty apparent that this is not following the mould of decompressed storytelling, where there are 10 panels of people looking at each other and saying anything, just to set the mood. We get into Grifter’s head. Something that just wasn’t happening very often in comics as people forgot one of the tricks that comics have over movies. People were/are trying to make paper movies, when there’s just soo much more to comics than visuals and dialogue. Luckily Ed Brubaker felt the same.

In his search he meets various characters from the WSU and in doing so Brubaker gives us a glimse as to where everyone is at this moment in time. The great things about this story (as with most of Brubaker’s stories) is the fact that he keeps things as accessible for the new reader and yet pepper’s the story with great little nuggets for the hardcore fan as well, while not alienating the new reader.

The main bad guy in this case is TAO (Tactically Augmented Organism) . When dealing with a character like TAO then you’re always in for a good ride. This story effectively sets up the ground work to building TAO as the ultimate bad guy in the Wildstorm Universe. Whenever that rascle is involved in a story you know that things are going to get interesting. After all he was created by Alan Moore, who gave us the first twist in his superb Wildcats run (I’ll be doing a review of these issues for sure in the near future).

Colin Wilson is an awesome talent and this story is nothing short of a fine way for him to illustrate, and is not a throwaway story. This one has legs. So much so that the story that was setup here continued in a further 4 volumes from Wildstorm in the form of Sleeper (again the reviews for this will be coming in the near future).

There is one scene in particular that really doesn’t ring true to both the character and to the story itself. It seems forced to show that this is actually the new Eye of the Storm imprint from WS that was trying to be cutting edge and ‘ADULT’. Whatever. I can forgive such editorial rubbish in light of the superbly crafted story right here.

It’s very rare for a comic to have a ‘GOTTCHA’ factor in it. I’m talking about the TWIST that you find in the great movies. The setup is superb, and the writer has laid his trap as effectively as he can. He’s got you thinking you know what the deal is, but in actual fact you don’t have a clue. I did consider not telling everyone that there is a pretty cool twist in this one, but I think the fact that I mention this will make you actually want to read it rather than just letting it pass you by. There’s something to be told about the power of the twist actually is. Do I ruin it by telling you that there is one, and therefore you’re actually looking for it or do I keep quiet about it? If you’re on the fence about this one then hopefully that will actually make you go out and pick it up.

Writer: Ed Brubaker
Artist: Colin Wilson
Colourist: Janet Gale
Letterers: Rich and Jimmy from Comicraft.
Cover Artist: Simon Bisley
Publisher: Wildstorm Comics