Mouse Guard Volume One: Fall 1152

(image source: Goodreads)

Hurray for the development of the graphic novel! Again, I don’t know that I think Graphic Novel is the best term. But is all I have, so it is what I will use. And such a broad term has allowed for the development of a wide variety of different and amazing creations.

Sometimes a good story needs to be told both visually and verbally (well, not out loud. Linguistically?). Anyway – in words and in pictures. Together. Sometimes I am looking for a comic. So I buy comics. Sometimes I want a book-book, so I get one of those. But frankly sometimes what I am looking for is a story. I think that there are some stories that just need both formats to tell their tale properly. Mouse Guard Volume One: Fall 1152 by David Petersen is one of those stories.

Let’s start with the art. Amazingly, this book is color throughout, not just on the cover. And the drawing style itself was lovely. The depth of the color, the design of the layout and perspectives, even the type and width of the outlines are all carefully crafted to create a woodsy, earthy mood from the outset. Petersen has mastered the technique of creating images that “tell” the way words do in a typical prose novel.

What pushes his book beyond others is that he also can use words just as effectively. The narration and dialog simply combine with the images, rather than just being used to fill in missing information, the way so many other GN seem to do. And the real center of this story, the characters themselves, were each terrific medieval anthropomorphisms in mouse form. Their personalities and back stories fit neatly within the texture of the art.

The characters, the plotline, and each panel were so thoroughly thought out and seamlessly combined that I was utterly absorbed into the story. I felt like I was reading a retelling of an Arthurian-type legend. David Petersen is a story teller that has found his medium.

My kind of Hiro

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I have been underground reading for a while and have a backlog of books and comics and graphic novels to talk about. My anti-social behavior is your gain.
This third book on my list of recent reads is Johnny Hiro (vol. 1) by Fred Chao. It is a collection of issues 1 through 3, with two other issues tagging along as well. After reading it, I can see why it garnered four Eisner Awards
I am not an artist, so my impressions and opinions are that of a reader. But as such I thought Chao’s crisp, clean style was terrific. Because a lot of GN pages are black and white, if the images are too busy the art can look messy. My brother – the artist in the family – the first thing he said when I handed him this book was “Wow, it is so clean. This looks great.” That being said, please don’t think that the art was in anyway boring or plain. This story is full of action and each panel somehow manages to have a lot going one. The design of each panel in Johnny Hiro managed to not only maintain simplicity of line, but also express the energy of a fast-paced action adventure.
Speaking of adventure, let’s talk about the story. Or rather, stories. These are just damn good stories. Bad things happen to Johnny and sometimes his girlfriend, Mayumi, too. Then Johnny and sometimes Mayumi - and occasionally Mayor Blumberg - have to fix things. Straightforward and so much fun. Chao’s characters are as genuine and as engaging as is his art.
I really loved Johnny Hiro. Some GN and comics are meant to be pretty and end up pretty light on story. Others are all story and the art is a distant second. Don’t get me wrong, both of those options are fine. But when I pick up books like this, what I am really looking for is a good balance between art and story. Johnny Hiro rides this balance excellently. Go out and buy it. Now.

Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane

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I admit it, I read Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane. I know what you are thinking: how on earth could I read another made-in-to-movie book? Ah, gentle reader; never underestimate my penchant for the lure of a book set in or around an insane asylum.

A sucker for this type of premise, I have read or watched quite a few stories that circle around these ideas. Most seem to exploit the subject matter by making the institutional patients into either supernatural villains or pathetic victims. Both options are irritating for their own reasons. But this book managed to focus on the plot line that, while dependent on the institutional setting, was able to expand beyond the institutional walls.

What made this book fun to read was its tight story-line and consistent character voice. The characters in this book follow some standard patterns found in many post-war suspense novels. Even the “just who are the real good guys” feel of the mystery is not entirely new. But how this book was written allows it to retain its own originality. The writer’s stylistic choices of an imperfect protagonist, an unusual setting, and the minor blending of historical politics within the fiction of the story-line create a fresh take on familiar ideas. Although I guessed some of the mystery, there were still enough surprises to keep the book interesting.

This book is for entertainment. But it is good entertainment. A good psychological thriller. It is a fast read perfect for a rainy weekend.

Push by Sapphire

(image source: Goodreads)

If you have been living under a rock for the last year, you may not have heard about a movie called Precious. Believe it or not, there was a book first (as there so often is). The book is titled Push and is written by Sapphire. As any commercial for the movie will tell you, the plot centers on the abuse of a young woman and her growth into an independent woman.

Trust me that I am not giving a spoiler, as you learn this information pretty quickly when starting the story. Instead, consider it a friendly warning regarding content. Don’t read it if you don’t think you can handle reading about strong sexual abuse.

Now that I have that warning out of the way, let me tell you why this is such an excellent book. Two things raise this book above others with similar subject matter: both how the content is handled as well as the voice of the main character, Precious. The abuse is graphic and painful to read. But miraculously, it never feels as if it is over the top or aiming for shock value. The abuse is simple and it is awful. And the honest, straightforward manner of the delivery is shattering. This is due in large part to the sincerity of the story-teller. The voice of Precious is dynamic core of this book. She is written clearly, consistently, and honestly. On a side note, this is an excellent example of dialect done well and of dialect as an essential tool of telling the story properly. Additionally, Precious was such a whole and vivid character that her voice never felt gimmicky.

I came to like Precious very much and to care about her future as if I knew her personally. As painful as her experiences were, as much as I wanted to make them stop, she was such an engaging character that I had to keep reading. For such a brief book this was one of the most compelling and thorough examples of a well written character that I have read in a long time.