Danger Street #1 Review (Tom King, Jorge Fornes)

Danger Street is Tom King’s latest re-something of an obscure DC title which must make money regardless of their esotericism because they just keep a-coming (though any interest generated never seems to last).

The Punisher, Volume 1: The King of Killers, Book One Review (Jason Aaron, Jesus Saiz)

Marvel hasn’t been publishing comics I’m actually interested in reading for some time now though occasionally they’ll hit upon a title that will grab me attention - like Jason Aaron’s return to The Punisher. If you haven’t read it, Aaron’s Punisher MAX run from over ten years ago is superb - easily one of the best Punisher titles there’s ever been and holds up on re-readings too.

Dickens and Prince: A Particular Kind of Genius by Nick Hornby Review

Nick Hornby compares and contrasts the lives and careers of two world-famous artists who greatly inspire him: the Victorian novelist Charles Dickens and the 20th/21st century recording artist Prince, in an attempt to find out what qualities these two remarkable creators possessed that make them stand apart from their peers, in his short but wonderful book, Dickens and Prince: A Particular Kind of Genius.

No. 5, Volume 1 by Taiyo Matsumoto Review

In the distant future, there are a small group of superhero soldiers who go by numbers rather than names. No. 5 kills another number, so all the other numbers decide to hunt down No. 5.

A Town Called Terror, Volume 1 Review (Steve Niles, Szymon Kudranski)

A one-dimensional dickhead living in a Charles Addams/Tim Burton-esque cartoon town literally called Terror and filled with vampires, werewolves, witches and “Franks” (Frankenstein monsters) has kids who grow up to despise him, one of whom leaves. The one who leaves then comes back because the dickhead forces him to, seemingly to help his mother who’s gotten into it with some spirits who took her away or something silly.

Cinema Speculation by Quentin Tarantino Review

The second book by Quentin Tarantino is Cinema Speculation, a collection of nonfiction essays on 13 notable movies from between 1968 and 1981 mixed in with autobiography about his experience with these films. Let’s run through the checklist - how many of these have you seen?

Dark Ages Review (Tom Taylor, Iban Coello)

A gigantic living machine designed to eat black holes has been imprisoned in the centre of Earth (for no reason) and is now awakening (for no reason) which spells the end of the world (no - in a Marvel comic? But those are hardly ever the stakes!). However, in putting a stop to the destruction, Doctor Strange (that bloody magician again!) inadvertently creates a “dark age” wherein all electricity no longer works on the planet. And still, even knowing the danger now lying dormant in the centre of Earth, the madmutant Apocalypse wants that power for his own - superheroes gotta stop him, dystopian(ish) future style!

Lilly and Her Slave by Hans Fallada Review

The six short stories that comprise this volume - Robinson in Prison, The Machinery of Love, Lilly and Her Slave, The Great Love, Pogg, the Coward, and Who Can Be the Judge? - were found in the papers of a psychiatrist whose patient in the mid-1920s was the writer Rudolf Ditzen, the real name of Hans Fallada. Three of them - Robinson, Lilly and Judge - are published here for the first time.

The Silver Coin, Volume 3 Review (Michael Walsh, James Tynion IV)

So… three volumes in and NOW The Silver Coin starts to become a decent title?? That’s weird and quite unexpected. The first book was such garbage that I thought the whole series would be like that but there were some pretty solid stories in this third volume - nothing amazing but some of them were surprisingly entertaining to read.

Novelist As a Vocation by Haruki Murakami Review

Novelist As a Vocation is a collection of 11 nonfiction essays by Haruki Murakami that are part memoir and part writing manual that was published in 2015 and has been translated and published into English for the first time this year. And I’d like to say it’s a cracking read - because I’ve been a Murakami fan for years, I’ve been looking forward to this one in particular for months and I read and loved Stephen King’s On Writing when I first read it years ago, which this book is basically Murakami’s version of - but unfortunately it’s not. Novelist As a Vocation is as dry and uninspiring to read as it is titled.

Upside Dawn by Jason Review

Norwegian cartoonist Jason’s back with a new short comics anthology, Upside Dawn, and continuing the unfortunate trend started last year with the lacklustre Good Night, Hem, it’s also not very good - and he normally does short comics so well!

Walk the Blue Fields by Claire Keegan Review

Claire Keegan’s Walk the Blue Fields is a collection of eight short stories, half of which are pretty darn amazing and half of which aren’t.

Gotham City: Year One #1 Review (Tom King, Phil Hester)

It’s 1961 and Helen Wayne, the baby daughter of Richard and Constance Wayne, has been kidnapped - by Batman?! Samuel “Slam” Bradley is drawn into the case to act as middle-man between the Waynes and the Batman but soon realises he’s in way over his head.

Dead-End Memories: Stories by Banana Yoshimoto Review

I read Banana Yoshimoto’s Hardboiled & Hard Luck a few years ago and hated it but decided to give her another shot - maybe I just picked the wrong book? So I gave Dead-end Memories, her 2003 short story collection published in English for the first time this year, a chance and… nope! I just don’t think this writer is for me unfortunately.

I Hate This Place, Volume 1 Review (Kyle Starks, Artyom Topilin)

Gabby inherits her aunt’s cattle ranch and leaves the big city behind to set up in the country with her wife Trudy. It’s an idyllic place - except for the ghosts, monsters, UFOs, poltergeists, a bottomless pit, and a terrifying figure that stalks the woods called The Horned Man. They also have a new ranch hand around who’s not who he says he is. Yeah… they’re quickly gonna hate this place.

Head Wounds: Sparrow Review (Oscar Isaac, Brian Buccellato)

You know how you can tell a bad movie when the credits play at the start and under the writing credits you see dozens of names? Same rule applies to comics, particularly Head Wounds: Sparrow - look at this mess that’s on the cover: Oscar Isaac Presents, Created by Robert Johnson, Developed by Oscar Isaac and Jason Spire, Story by Robert Johnson and John Alvey, Written by Brian Buccellato.

Simple Passion by Annie Ernaux Review

French writer Annie Ernaux had a brief affair with an Eastern European man (named only “A.”) in the ‘80s when she was middle-aged, and describes the lifespan of the relationship in Simple Passion, a short book from the early ‘90s.

The Riddler: Year One #1 Review (Paul Dano, Stevan Subic)

Edward Nashton is a desperately unhappy forensic accountant who uncovers a shady account - that his boss then tells him to ignore, unless he wants to lose his job. Something’s rotten in the state of Gotham… but, to Edward’s delight, a bat-shaped beacon seems to signal change in the blighted city. He and the Batman - they’re gonna be besties right???

Below Ambition by Simon Hanselmann Review

Megg and Werewolf Jones are - Horse Mania! The worst band in the world! Follow their incompetent shows that test the audience’s patience as they perform in back gardens and dive bars and take on the local music scene, heckling other bands’ performances and sabotaging their merch tables! Will they ever make it - find fame and fortune through their art? Of course not. They’re garbage. Horse Mania! Aoow!

The Passenger by Cormac McCarthy Review

It’s 1980 and a small plane crashes into the ocean killing all nine passengers aboard. But when salvage diver Robert Western enters the underwater plane, he finds only eight bodies. Then men in black start showing up to ask him: what did he see down there? Did he take anything from the wreckage? And does he believe in aliens…

The Collected Toppi Volume 2: North America by Sergio Toppi Review

Outlaws, Native Americans, katanas, bandits, the beautiful but deadly natural landscape and animal inhabitants of ‘murica, and the filthy lucre, gold, gold, goooooold! that drives the conflict behind most of the stories here.

The Forester's Daughter by Claire Keegan Review

A farmer marries a city girl and the two start a family in the country. But the marriage isn’t a happy one and the wife hides a secret concerning their daughter. When the farmer does something unforgivable, the wife will have her revenge.

Batman, Volume 6: Abyss Review (Joshua Williamson, Jorge Molina)

Batman Inc. are arrested for moiderising some character called Abyss in Badhnisia (which is east of Crapland and just south of Nasty Place). Batman flies out to see what’s what.

Alice in Borderland, Volume 2 by Haro Aso Review

The group remain stuck in the deathtrap-laden Borderland but they’re also slowly figuring the world out and might’ve even discovered a way to escape once and for all. All roads lead to the mysterious Beach - will Arisu and co. find the answers they’re looking for there?

Foster by Claire Keegan Review

A young girl goes to stay with her uncle and aunt for the summer where her life and theirs will change in subtle but powerful ways as they each help the other’s hidden trauma. But summer never lasts…

These Savage Shores Review (Ram V, Sumit Kumar)

I’m not a Ram V fan and can’t fathom his popularity - I’ve read his Catwoman and Swamp Thing books at DC, his Laila Starr book at Boom, and they’re all terrible. But apparently These Savage Shores at Vault is supposed to be his best book, and it’s the one that got him those other titles, so maybe I’ll be all turned around on him if I give this one a shot? Uh, no. I won’t say it’s his worst book because they’re all this level of crappiness but it’s definitely not good.

Swamp Thing: Green Hell #1 Review (Jeff Lemire, Doug Mahnke)

You know how Jeff Lemire never does comics set in a dystopian future? Wait… (thinks)

Cleopatra and Frankenstein by Coco Mellors Review

Cleo’s in her mid-20s, a struggling English artist trying to make it in New York. Frank’s in his mid-40s, a successful American ad exec. The two meet by chance and begin a whirlwind romance - Cleopatra and Frankenstein (their nicknames for each other) is the story of their relationship.

Little Monsters, Volume 1 Review (Jeff Lemire, Dustin Nguyen)

In a post-apocalyptic dystopian future (in a Jeff Lemire comic? That’s completely unheard of!), child vampires roam an empty city surviving on rats - until a human survivor stumbles across their path and they realise they’re not as alone as they thought. Tasting human blood for the first time in centuries, the group splits between those who want to continue their established way of life and those who want to venture out and see if there are more humans to feast upon. Which side will wi… zzz…

Liberation Day: Stories by George Saunders Review

George Saunders is a brilliant short story writer but he’s also capable of writing some absolute drek - unfortunately, Liberation Day is down there with the likes of The Brief and Frightening Reign of Phil and Fox 8 as among his most dire work. What’s worse is that the garbage is unrelenting - there’s no story here that’s even half decent!

The Closet Review (James Tynion IV, Gavin Fullerton)

Thom is preparing to move his young family from the east coast to the west coast, and hopes that the move will help settle his marriage with Maggie, as well as calm his 4 year old, Jamie. Because Jamie sees a monster in his closet each night - will he be able to leave it behind or will the monster follow him?

You Should Have Left by Daniel Kehlmann Review

A screenwriter goes to a house in the mountains with his family to write - but, oh no, the house is haunted and things goes bad!

Adventuregame Comics, 1: Leviathan by Jason Shiga Review

A small fishing village is terrorised by a Lovecraftian sea monster called Leviathan. A mysterious stranger offers a young adventurer a fortune if they can bring back the Starlight Wand that controls the creature - will you accept the challenge?

Treacle Walker by Alan Garner Review

Alan Garner’s Treacle Walker is such a steaming pile of book, OF COURSE it’s the favourite to win this year’s Booker Prize! It’s garbage like this that turn people off from reading and awards-nominated books in general.

The Human Target, Volume 1 Review (Tom King, Greg Smallwood)

If you think you’re being targeted for assassination, call for Christopher Chance, aka the Human Target, to dress up like you and take the hit instead so you can find out who’s really gunning for you. Except Chris’ latest job as stand-in for Lex Luthor sees him accidentally poisoned - by someone from Justice League International! With just 12 issues, sorry “days”, to live, Chris has to interview everyone from the JLI to find out who’s killed him - but will he make it in time?

The Trees by Percival Everett Review

"The past is never dead. It's not even past." - William Faulkner, Requiem for a Nun

“Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze
Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees” - Billie Holiday, Strange Fruit

In the small town of Money, Mississippi, a dead white man is found brutally killed in his home with a dead black man nearby holding the white man’s balls. But then the black man’s corpse disappears from the mortuary and later another white man is found dead - with the same dead black man nearby, also holding this new dead white man’s balls. And then the white body count keeps going up, with the same mutilation, with the same dead black corpse nearby. Something odd is happening down south…

Batman: One Dark Knight by Jock Review

GCPD are preparing to transport a dangerous meta-villain from Arkham to Blackgate - but Gotham’s gangs have other plans. The villain in question has electro-magnetic powers which get triggered once the convoy is attacked and soon Gotham is in a city-wide blackout. Batman must single-handedly carry the unconscious prisoner to Blackgate on foot through the dark night, while dodging the roving gangs, intent on ending both lives before the dawn arrives…

Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan Review

It’s Christmas week in a small Irish town in the mid ‘80s and Bill Furlong, a coal and timber merchant, is busy finishing off his deliveries and getting the presents for his wife and five daughters. But a chance delivery to the local convent for “wayward girls” (girls who got pregnant out of wedlock and have no-one to look out for them) reveals something about the Catholic Church to Bill - a shadow of a doubt that lingers until he can’t ignore the blight in his humble rural community…

Artist by Yeong-shin Ma Review

Three struggling Korean artists - a writer, a painter and a musician - in their 40s eventually make it big on the art scene but success changes them.

Look Back by Tatsuki Fujimoto Review

Fujino draws a celebrated manga for her high school paper. Then one day another strip appears alongside hers by a shut-in classmate who doesn’t attend school: Kyomoto - and the new girl’s artistic abilities shows Fujino’s to be amateurish. A rivalry - and later a friendship - is born as the two head down the path of future mangaka. Until tragedy strikes leading to the question: can one small cartoon strip literally save lives?

Dark Knights of Steel, Volume 1 Review (Tom Taylor, Yasmine Putri)

In Injustice we saw a world dominated by an evil Superman. In DCeased we saw zombies overrun the DC Universe. Now, in Dark Knights of Steel, we see Tom Taylor’s latest Elseworlds-style series, where familiar DC characters are placed in a generic fantasy setting. And, like Injustice and DCeased, Dark Knights of Steel is pretty underwhelming.

Act of Oblivion by Robert Harris Review

1649, a decisive moment happens in the English Civil War with the execution of King Charles I. 1660, Oliver Cromwell is dead having won the war but his short-lived Republic is over and the Restoration of the Monarchy has happened with Charles II installed as King of Britland. Parliament passes an “Act of Oblivion” which pardons everyone who committed crimes during the Civil War and subsequent Commonwealth period - except for 59 “Regicides” who signed their names on the King’s death warrant.

Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands by Kate Beaton Review

Hark! Kate Beaton’s back with her first non-kiddles comic in seven years, and her first feature-length narrative - a memoir called Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands. It’s about her time working for various oil companies in rural Canadia between 2005 and 2008 and her observations on what that business does to the people who work in it, the surrounding environment, and, of course, her.

BRZRKR, Volume 2 Review (Keanu Reeves, Matt Kindt)

W FND T N TH FRST BK THT B (THT’S KN RVS’ “CHRCTR”) WS BRN F LGHTNNG BLT BT, RTHR THN CCPT THT HS DD WS LTRL FLSH N TH PN, H DCDS T FND T F TH LGHTNNG BLT CM FRM SMN - SMTHNG? - LS. THT SMS T B TH STRY F TH TTRLY BRNG ND FRGTTBL SCND VLM F THS BRNLSS CTNR: STP FR FTR STRYLN THT’S NT NTRSTNG T BGN WTH.

The Pachinko Parlour by Elisa Shua Dusapin Review

Claire is in Tokyo for the summer to be with her aging Korean grandparents who run a pachinko parlour. But, thinking she’ll have too much time on her hands, she accepts a part-time gig tutoring Mieko, a lonely 10 year old, in French language. And that’s both the premise and the “story”... Hmm.

Count Crowley: Reluctant Midnight Monster Hunter Review (David Dastmalchian, Lukas Ketner)

It’s nearly Halloween in smalltown Missouri, 1983, and local news anchor Jerri Butler’s boozing gets her fired. Out of choices and in need of a job, she accepts the role of host of a cheesy horror movie showcase: Count Crowley. Except she finds out monsters do exist off the TV screen and her real job will be keeping them in check!

The Library of Unrequited Love by Sophie Divry Review

A library patron somehow falls asleep and stays overnight in the library to be awakened by the narrator of this novella: a lovesick librarian who decides to use her surprised audience as a sounding board for her thoughts on her job, myriad subjects of interest and - of course - the graduate student she’s secreting pining for.

Batman: One Bad Day - The Riddler Review (Tom King, Mitch Gerads)

The Killing Joke is one of the most famous and bestselling Batman books of all time so it makes sense that DC would model an entire series around it to try to replicate that success for each of Batman’s less-but-still-quite-famous villains.

As a Cartoonist by Noah Van Sciver Review

I love me some Noah Van Sciver but his latest collection, As a Cartoonist, was very weak with few strips in it that were entertaining or funny.

Mona by Pola Oloixarac Review

Mona is a novelist who gets nominated for a prestigious award in Sweden (not the Nobel), so goes there to be with her fellow nominees and enjoy Swedish hospitality, etc. Riveting stuff, eh?