Light reading

Back in November and December, Rachel hooked me up with a number of graphic novels from her collection. This is an incomplete list of what I read:

Watchmen by Alan Moore
Coming soon to theaters near you, this tale of "costumed vigilantes" is a dark mirror to the arc of history taken by the Western world since WWII. These heroes, variously employing gadgetry, acrobatic agility, above-average intelligence, and excellent hand-to-hand fighting skills, gained world-wide popularity and notoriety in the 40s and 50s. This story, set in the 80s, tells of the decline of this group from their glory days, as they went from heroes to pariahs, although the main action is about how they are being methodically being picked off by an unknown foe. It's a fascinating story with compelling (if mostly unlikeable) characters. The ending was very satisfying.

V for Vendetta by Alan Moore
Drawing heavily on the dystopic vision of George Orwell, this is set in England in the years following a fairly widespread nuclear exchange in Europe. England escaped relatively intact, but a fascist regime of necessity took control, restoring order to a society in flux. After enjoying several years of unimpeded security, the regime finds itself under attack by a very clever and destructive foe. Much of this superbly drawn novel is told through the eyes of a young woman who is taken in by "V", and who experiences quite a wild ride as she gets to know him. This book, more than any of the others in this post, made me see the real value of this medium. "V" wears a frozen mask throughout the novel, but the artist was nonetheless able to show a variety of emotions with a simple cock of the head or other change of angle. You couldn't tell that visual story in a standard novel, and you don't often have time to pause and reflect on an image in a movie. This was extremely cool, and you should read it.

Batman: Year One by Frank Miller
Batman: The Long Halloween by Jeph Loeb
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller
Rachel is really into Batman comics. These three stories provide compelling reasons. Year One is a reimagining of the origins of Batman, and the movie Batman Begins draws heavily from it. The artwork is a muddle of contrasts, with very little in the way of bright colors. Bruce Wayne is driven by a vision of rescuing his city from corruption and fear, and he joins forces with an even braver soul on the police force. The Long Halloween follows Batman over the course of a year in which the main mob family in Gotham experiences some high level assassinations, which ratchet up the tension in the city. There is a breakout at Arkham Asylum, where several classic Batman foes are released to wreak havoc on the city. I was a bit disappointed with that aspect, as Batman didn't seem to really struggle with these characters. I think that there may have been too much going on for me to get the main point, so I should probably re-read this one. The best one, however, was The Dark Knight Returns. This is essential reading. Batman has been retired for 10 years, and he's in his 40s. Circumstances force him to squeeze back into his costume again, perhaps for his swan song. This is a harsh, brutal story. There are so many great elements that interlock beautifully: the yin/yang relationship between Batman and the Joker, the unlikely showdown with a very surprising foe, and the very creepy relationship between Batman and a young protege who styles himself after Robin. Frank Miller gets this character.

I also read the 10-volume Sandman series, but that will have to comprise its own post.