Review: Invincible: The Ultimate Collection

OK, so I have a few problems with this series. But after careful consideration, I've concluded that all of my issues with Invincible have to do with the stories pacing. Plain and simple, the issues don't have enough content. I don't think Kirkman's a bad writer, and goodness knows i think highly of Ottley's artwork, I just feel like the whole "one scene per comic" thing gets tired really fast. Now, you've gotta understand, that the first issue I read was flashback story where the characters recount all the happenings of past issues. It was a lot to soak up, but that's the way I like my floppies. I then went back to read the Ultimate Collections, so when I finally caught up to read the single issues, i was excited to see how things would unfold. Imagine my surprise when I went through 24 pages to learn that a drop of rain has hit the floor, then multiply that by 1423765982659827 times that has happened to me with Invincible (changing the single, usually mundane event that happens in an issue every time), and you barely have a glimpse of what I'm talking about.
All that being said, this isn't a review of the series' story pacing, this is a review of the Invincible: Ultimate Collection hardcover compilations, which are EPIC!
Invincible chronicles the life and times of a seemingly generic teenager who finds out he has seemingly generic "superpowers", throws on a costume and proceeds to steak vampires (insert teen angst here). No wait, that's something else...Invincible fights SUPERVILLAINS, which If you don't know me I'll explain, is a thing that make me very very happy. The set-up is pretty run-of-the-mill (gets A LOT of comparisons to ultimate Spider-man) for the beginning of the series...then it turns into Dragon Ball Z. At that point I suggest as you're reading Invincible, you return your seat to the up-right position. Ryan Ottley is going to take you on such an epic tirade of violent fight scenes, that you'll have Fist of the North Star nightmares...I'm not kidding. In fact, I'm super seriol.
If you grab these massive (like 13 issues each) bricks of comic goodness, I can almost guarantee you won't regret it. They're so epic, you can read one without even noticing the pacing issues at all!

Gonna change things up today, and link each volume for purchase. They sometimes have them at big franchise book stores, but the print runs are actually pretty limited, so you'll probably want to just order.

Review: The Complete Persepolis

I've had enough. This book is GREAT, and you haven't read it yet. Seriously? Last year, The Complete Persepolis was the "One Book, One Philadelphia", a program specifically designed "to promote reading, literacy and libraries, and to encourage the entire greater Philadelphia area to come together through reading and discussing a single book" and STILL you haven't read it...I mean, the book that EVERYONE in my city was supposed to read was a graphic novel. Do you have any idea how my heart swelled with pride when I heard that? Or how it sunk to the floor when I realized none of my peers would read it unless I brought them warm milk and read it to them like a bedtime story. Its a true personal account of a pivotal event in history, and on top of that, the author's really cool...I mean REALLY cool...Albert Camus before the war cool...Neil Gaiman toward the end of Sandman cool... But I digress--

The Complete Persepolis is a compilation of the original graphic novel and its sequel (Persepolis and Persepolis 2) first published in 2000 (french) and 2003 (English). Its an biographical depiction of the life of author, Marjane Satrapi, from early childhood to early adulthood. People frequently compare it to Maus, but I feel as though Maus' holocaust depiction was purposely obscured by the anthro characters, and it was clearly a black and white good guys vs bad guys story, whereas Persepolis MUCH more real. Like, there's no part in there where you'd wonder "Did this really happen?" whether it really did happen or not. And the motivations of the antagonists are much more ambiguous. The artwork is off-putting at first. I thought it was quirky and over-stylized, but once i started reading, i realized how seamlessly it depicts the story. As far as I'm concerned Persepolis is a perfect comic. I know, that's a HUGE statement, but that's what I think about it and I'm reasonably certain that you will too...once you get off your couch, turn off _______ Reality Show, and GO READ PERSEPOLIS!

As ever, I'm including a link to buy this book from amazon (or if you're on the fence, go to the library!)