Horror Week 2016: Exorcising the Shame and Guilt – How I Learned to Love Horror

Regular readers of the blog (if there is such a thing here at SUR) will know that I’m not a huge horror fan. It’s something I’ve actively avoided in my fiction for years. There are a few reasons for this. I’m generally not too keen on the esthetics of the genre. Slasher films as a whole and specific film series of the “torture porn” variety like Saw and Hostel where the examples of the genre that popped up in my head when I thought of horror. The biggest reason for my dismissal of the whole thing is that I came to it with preconceived notions of what any given book or movie would be when it’s labelled as horror. I watched those movies and attempted to read those books with the intent of finding those things I didn’t like as a way to prove that yes, indeed, horror as a genre is a piece of shit and it is best avoided.

I’ve reconciled with a lot of that thanks to Stephen King, particularly thanks to one of his most famous books Salem’s Lot. I mentioned some of that in my review of the book and there was certainly something cathartic bout the whole admission of guilt and wrongdoing towards the genre. It’s still occasionally difficult to admit that I was so dismissive. I dismissed it all, regardless of when or where a piece of horror fiction came from, it all ended up in the same space in my brain: the trash bin.

In Praise of the Old and the Forgotten: Why Old Books are Better

We are a society of consumers. Every day we are bombarded by targeted advertisements designed to keep us in a perpetual cycle of purchasing, using and discarding goods. When I look at an online bookstore, I can expect to see the books I just looked at advertised on the social media platforms I use. It’ll happen in a matter of minutes. Corporations want me to buy that book I was perusing just a moment ago. They want me to buy it now. Every day it’s getting easier and easier to purchase new merchandise with minimum effort. I find this worrisome because the less thought and effort we put into deciding what to buy and what to experience takes away from that very experience.

There is a strong message from advertisers that things that are new are good or better than things that are old. New isn’t indicative of quality, not in the least. In reaction to targeted marketing and the Cult of New, I’ve written an article to demonstrate why I think older things, particularly old books, are often better than new ones. It’s also a rallying cry for people who like to make decisions for themselves and for people who enjoy the act of discovery! There are many reasons why older books are better than newer books. Read on to find out why.

Old books: Coming to a Future Near You:

Since I started by complaining about how today’s technology can be used to influence us in our buying habits, thus affecting our entertainment choices and our growth as readers, I’d like to point out that old books are readily available to modern readers. When I received my now-discontinued Kobo Wi-Fi (don’t worry, I won’t be writing an article in praise of old eReaders anytime soon) for Christmas many years ago, it came with 100 classic novels already on it at no extra cost. That’s incredible! More incredible is that there are a lot of classic, well-known and often read and analyzed books amongst those 100 novels. Philosophy by Friedrich Nietzsche, politic thought by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, several classic fiction titles by Charles Dickens, Jules Vernes, Lucy Maud Montgomery, Oscar Wilde, Agatha Christie and so many more. For free!

For people who are and will forever be caught in the hypnotic appeal of something shiny and new, you can also revisit old works by popular, or critically lauded authors, with new editions of old works. Many famous or influential series are republished on a regular basis. Some authors have their entire published works published under various different formats; some of them can be quite affordable. I myself own a copy of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare which I purchased for $12.99. The large softcover volume doesn’t only include all of his plays but also all of his poems. It’s hard to say no to that because it’s such a good bargain. Of course, buying books in this format can be a little difficult to read and travel around with, but if you have a favourite play or two or six, buy those individual volumes as they’ll readily be available either new or second hand. Why you ask? Because Shakespeare!

Your Wallet Will Thank You:

Unlike new books, old books are often available at an affordable price. I’m talking specifically about used books. They’re far less expensive and the product you’re buying is often the same. You do not have to exchange quality for price. The physical objects themselves can vary in quality just like the story within can vary in quality. In addition to a lower sales price, shopping for used books can be very exciting. It’s a good way to expand your horizons and make interesting discoveries. It’s also easier to give an author you’ve never read before a try when the cover price is under five dollars or less.

It’s also important to point out that when you choose to shop at a used bookstore, you’re also choosing to buy into a very different shopping experience than if you went to a corporately owned national bookseller. For starters, many used bookstores operate on a buy, sell and trade business model. If you tried a book and didn’t like it you can bring it back to the same store for a trade or a store credit. Even when you’re trying something completely unknown or something new to you, you can always bring it back and try something else. There is a certain sense of freedom to shopping at that kind of store. It’s also important to point out that when you’re shopping at a used bookstore you’re supporting a local business. In turn, you’re also supporting your community. Used bookstores often contribute to local charities, community events or literacy programs. The cashier might not ask you to donate $1 on your purchase to contribute to reading programs in schools. Nope, they’ll just go ahead and do it because they’re a responsible local business.

Practically new, 1/3 of the price.

You easily spend a long time in a bookstore but you can spend even more time (hours, easily) in a used bookstore. The difference is that you’ll likely leave the bookstore when you blow your budget out of the water or when you get a message on the debit machine telling you your account has insufficient funds. At the used bookstore, you’ll leave with an armful of books for the same price you would pay for a recently released hardcover novel. Most of the books at the store I go to sell for 2 to 5 dollars a book for mass market paperbacks. The price is mostly based on the size and quality of the book. Hardcovers, of course, are more expensive but you can still find some good deals. I purchased a hardcover copy of Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson for $9.95. The original retail price is $35.95! The only discernable damage was on the dust jacket. Otherwise, the book was in great condition and it was a very good read.

Not Just a Way to Past the Time:

Shopping and reading aren’t just a way for you to past the time. It’s also not a bingo card of bestsellers of [insert year]. Shopping and reading used books really helps you focus on the fact that it can be a hobby. Reading can actually be something you enjoy again! By getting out of the rat race of bestsellers and new releases or using idiotic lists with titles like “The 14 Books About Music You Should Read in 2013”, as a reference point for finding what to read next. You can, and should, take action. You can easily go and search for books you’d like to read. Make your own list! I find that my reading experience has been more meaningful and enjoyable since I’ve decided to read what I want to read and not what publishers, marketers and book sellers want me to read (well, buy really, I doubt they care if you even read or enjoyed the damn things). It’s a decision I’ve made long ago, while I was a teen, but it’s something I’ve pushed to a whole new level since I’ve started to regularly visit used bookstores.

It’s not just reading that becomes more enjoyable. It can be much more fun to shop at a used bookstore than it is to go to a larger chain store. I know that I’ve got a list of books I specifically want to look for the next time I go book shopping. Well, it’s more of a hunt really. I’m looking for something specific and I intend to find it amongst the overcrowded shelves and stacks of books. Finding a book you’ve been searching for is a nice feeling. It’s an ever better feeling when moments later you find the same book in better condition for the same price! Fuck yeeeeessssssss! Let’s just hope it’s good, right? Books can also have more value when you’ve had to work for them. You might find the book you’re looking for but it could be in poor condition. It happens. Often times it’s a book that hasn’t had many publications and it’s likely out of print. Sure, you could go online and look for a used copy that way but when you factor in the cost of shipping, it might not be worth it. So you do what I do. You buy it, bring it home and you fix it up. My fiancée’s seen me glue and tape together quite a few books since I’ve discovered the wonder that is a used bookstore. 

This is a somewhat accurate example of what shopping at a used bookstore can be.
I love what they've done with the place.

Being the Most Popular Book in School Doesn’t Mean Anything:

There is nothing to gain by trying to read as many new books as you possibly can. Nothing at all. I think it actually lessens the impact of what you’re reading because it’s just one more book amongst a pile of them. I’ve heard of people who only read books on Best of the Year lists or on the Bestsellers wall at bookstores. This makes me incredibly sad because those are popular books, not necessarily good ones. Sure, some of them will be good but they’ll be as good as that movie you saw with your girlfriend last week. You know what I’m talking about, the movie with the generic plot, decent acting, the see-it-from-a-mile-away ending and the title you can’t remember? Hey, I’ll admit it, there is a time and a place for those kinds of book (and movies), but I try to limit it to one or two a year, tops. Life is too short to read books that are just “decent”.

Many people have a tendency to read what’s popular, as opposed to seeking out great books. I’ve learned long ago that I like to stick to things I have a feeling I’ll like, but once I’m done reading everything by that author, it’s time to spread my wings and try something new. The goal isn’t just to try new things (though that’s not a bad goal at all) but to discover that next favourite author. I’m not saying I won’t get excited for new books. That’s not true at all. I’ll get really excited for books by authors who I enjoy and admire, but I won’t be excited for the new book by Dan Brown because one Dan Brown book was plenty for my lifetime (for the curious, it was Deception Point pre his ultra-fame a few years later). Few things upset me more than recommendations that aren’t more thought out than “Read this book. It just came out!” So what?

Why it’s Good for You to Read Old Books:

I’ve been circling around the issue since the very first paragraph, but I’m going to say it now: old books are often better for you than new books. There are plenty of different reasons for this, but one of them is that books, like everything else, are a product of their time and reading and old book can help you better understand the context in which it was written. The opposite is also true, better understanding the historical context in which a work was written can help you better understand the book. Another reason for reading old books is that time is a good critic. Old books that are still mentioned today are likely remembered for good reasons. Admittedly, the book itself might be challenging and unappealing for certain reasons (they don’t all age well) but changes are it’ll be worth your time. We can learn more from old books than we can from new book.

The biggest reason for reading old books is that it will broaden your horizon. Choosing to read old books is choosing to immediately increase the variety of books you read. Do you like science fiction? Well if you’ve only read science fiction that has been released in the last ten years you’ve barely read any sci-fi at all. Books of today in any genre are different than they were in that same genre ten years ago. The same can be said for those books from twenty, thirty, fifty or more years ago. Most writers who have been active for more than a couple decades have evolved as writers. Variety is important because it’ll help you grow and develop as a reader and that will only mean that you can better identify and appreciate great books.

I forgot to mention that a lot of old books, or reprints of old books, have awesome covers.
They're not all winners but they're far more interesting than the "designed" covers of today.
Also, The Emperor's Soul is a new book. It came out in 2013 but I was able to find a copy at
half the original cover price (which is a whopping $14.95 - sticker shock!).

I often consider older books a palette cleanser to new books and vice versa. They’re different. So very, very different. Reading a fantasy novel form the sixties is different than reading the latest novel by Brandon Sanderson. I find it actually helps me appreciate both works more than I would have if I read exclusively fantasy novels from the sixties or recently published fantasy novels. Since the differences in old and new novels can be more easily recognized when you read them one after the other, it can be easier for you to identify why they’re different and why they’re both good. In the case where one of the books is bad or both are bad, it helps you figure out why. Understanding what you like and why is a big deal. Reading a variety of books, even if you stay within a specific genre, will help you discover what kind of reader you are.

You’ll discover things about yourself because you’ll be challenging yourself. Your tastes will change based on what you’ve read and on what you’ve experienced. Reality is subjective and how an individual reacts to a book might change over time.  It’s only when you start reading older works that you realize just how similar everything published today is. That’s not to say nothing published today is good, absolutely not. There are some great writers at work in this day and age, but by reading old books and new books you can better appreciate older and newer books. Variety is kept in check by a balanced reading list.

How to find old books that are good?

This is used bookstore gold. If you leave
with a book that has a cover like this,
you just won used book shopping.
Amazing. Click to Enlarge, it's worth it.

I like to think that good writers are influential writers. They’re not just people who have entertained with their writing, they’ve also inspired and influences others in their own creative endeavours. There is usually something more meaningful in the works of people who have inspired others. Well over a decade ago, I discovered the works of Neil Gaiman, and once I was done reading his stuff I didn’t know where else to go. So I read the works of some of the people who have influenced him such as Ursula K. Le Guin, Gene Wolfe and Samuel R. Delany. I also read a lot of Alan Moore and one of his influences is Michael Moorcock. Incidentally, Moorcock has also influenced Gaiman. Two of my favourite writers share an influence? I knew I had to check out Moorcock. It’s kind of hard to believe that two very different writers such as Gaiman and Moore could share an influence, but after reading Moorcock, I get it. Who else could Moorcock have influenced? I’d likely enjoy their work too and if not, at least I tried something new. For people who might not be familiar with Science Fiction and Fantasy writers, Moorcock has essentially influenced everyone who’s written in the field from the 70s onwards. He’s that important in the field and because of it, my reading list is essentially infinite now.  

Following your influences is probably the best to find books you’re likely to enjoy. Do you like the works of J. K. Rowling, particularly her fantasy work like Harry Potter? J. K. Rowling has publically stated that one of her favourite fantasy books is The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge. After a quick search on the homepage of my public library, I found four copies of the audiobook (in two different editions) and one physical copy of the book. Better yet, if I do an author search for Elizabeth Goudge, I’ve found that there are other books by her also available at the library. There might not be 24 hour shipping available but I can go to the library in person and pick it up immediately. You won’t be stuck on the waiting list for this book. The book might be old, but it continues to be easily accessible to me and if J. K. Rowling likes it, I might too.

Sometimes it’s important to remind ourselves that we live in a digital word. I say this because we often have a limited focus on the types of websites and online vendors we visit on a regular basis. You can just as easily access your public library or used bookstore online. My local store, Bay Used Books, has staff recommendations; customer surveys, a photo gallery (the store has been in business for a long time) and you can even request a book! I myself called in, asking if they had books by Brandon Sanderson and that’s how I ended up with Warbreaker. The staff also happens to be kind and helpful, and I’m certain the atmosphere of where they work contributes to that friendliness. If you’ve ever visited a corporately owned bookstore and a used bookstore, you’ll know what I mean.

Old Books Will Help with your OCD:

If you’re like me, you worry about the condition of your books. You spend a lot of money to acquire them and you’re careful not to bend the pages, crease the cover or break the spine. If you’re exactly like me, you’ve lent out books that have come back to you with a broken spine, creased cover and bent pages. That’s a fucking bummer. There goes $10+taxes! Sometimes it’s nice not to have to worry about the condition of a book. I can gladly lend out a used book to a friend. Hey, you can read it in the tub or by the pool! It’s cool, I only spent $3 on it! It’s also nice for when I’m reading it. Sometimes things get damaged on my way to and from work or in my suitcase when I travel. My beat up old copy of The Tombs of Atuan doesn’t mind.

It’s a strange feeling but it’s nice to know you won't feel AS awful for bending the spine of a used book. You likely bought it that way. Or losing the dust jacket, or staining it with your morning coffee. Weathered books are great for beach reading, subway reading, bungee jump reading and all sorts of other high-intensity situations that you wouldn't dare subject a new, pristine book to (I’m starting to make reading sound like an extreme sport).

There are a few other perks of shopping for and buying new books. You’re more likely to give away a used book because you paid so much less for it. Sharing something that feels important to you is the best kind of sharing there is. I’ve bought a friend a couple used (and out of print) Star Trek books for Christmas one year. The only Christmas gifts I buy regularly are gifts for my family but if something is inexpensive and you know it’ll please, it’s easy to buy a friend an old book. Some people like how books smell. Well, I think new books all smell the same but an old bookstore is a treasure trove of different book smells. Thousands of books, none of which have been stored the same. The combination of humidity level, light exposure and age can lead to some interesting results. While I generally read my books and not sniff them, I think it’s important to mention because the smell can round out the reading experience for some people by making it comfortable, familiar and relaxing.

Some of the arguments I’ve mentioned also apply to other forms of entertainment, such as television, movies, videos games, music, etc. Public libraries often have music and film collections available and you can find used music or movie stores without much effort. Often times you’ll even be able to trade your unwanted DVDs, CDs and records at these stores, effectively discovering something new (well, old) all the while uncluttering your home (kind of). In a world where there are no longer any undiscovered lands to be found, I find solace in the fact that there are more things to rediscover than there are new discoveries to be made. I like to think of myself as a modern day explorer, spending my time amongst stacks of books digging up strange and wondrous lost worlds from yesteryear. It’s also pretty cheap to do and well worth the effort. Who knows, you might just learn something.

Nemo: The Roses of Berlin review

“Don’t look surprised. You’re my daughter. And sometimes . . . Sometimes I am sentimental.”

While waiting for Nemo: Roses of Berlin to be published, I took the time to reread the excellent first entry in the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen sub-series focusing on Janni Dakkar, daughter of the original Captain Nemo. Nemo: Heart of Ice is as excellent, if not slightly better, with each subsequent read. It was my third time reading it since it was originally released about a year ago. There is so much to love and enjoy about that comic but what really throws it over the top for me is the works on which the main plot is based: a combination of influences mixing together Edgar Allan Poe, Jules Verne and H. P. Lovecraft to name only the most well-known and obvious sources. I also really liked personal and deeply emotional journey that Janni goes though. The horrors she experiences in Antarctica had such an impact on her that she’s returned from her travels a new person, completely changed by the experience. Needless to say, I couldn’t wait for the follow-up.

Nemo: The Roses of Berlin is the second in a planned trilogy of comics focusing on Janni Dakkar, the Captain Nemo of the early 20^th Century. It’s a continuation of the comic and the prose story found in the first volume, the story of the marriage of Janni and Broad Arrow Jack’s daughter, Hira, and a French pilot Armand Robur. The year in 1941 and the Nautilus has just raided a German shipping vessel and they find out that Janni’s daughter and her son-in-law have been captured and our being held in Berlin. The kidnapping was done in order to lure Janni and Jack in Berlin so that German’s remaining Twillight Heroes could carry out their order to kill them. The comic is about the two-man rescue operation and the secrets that Janni and Jack uncover while in the city.

Like all the other League of Extraordinary Gentlemen stories, this one is filled with various references to other works of fiction in several mediums. The time and place at which the story occurs allowed for inspiration of sources which we haven’t witnessed much in the series so far such as the films of German Expressionists. One character in particular resembles the robot Fritz Lang’s Metropolis. Moore also has the clever idea to use Charlie Chaplin’s Hynkel, from The Great Dictator, as a substitute for Hitler. As always, Jess Nevins’ annotations are indispensable for the serious League fan. At least, those who care to know every single reference made in the text. To be honest, I catch on to about a quarter and even that is generous for some of the most reference heavy volumes such as The Black Dossier. Part of the enjoyment of reading the annotations is that I get to see how many of them I got correct. I don’t get all of them right, and that’s fine, but it adds an additional layer of depth to the work that I rather appreciate even if I probably don’t enjoy it nearly as much as other fans of the series. One of the best things about the annotations this time around is the translation for all of the German dialogue. There was more than what I would have liked but O’Neil really rises to the challenge to carry the narrative weight on the all-German pages.

In each volume since the trade paperback of the first mini-series, a prose story has been included with each one of the stories. They haven’t all had the same degree of success but the ones included in these last two stories are particularly enjoyable. Perhaps it’s because their focus is more closely related to the story being told in comic form though The Black Dossier also had plenty of prose directly related to the story being told in that particular volume. There reason they’re good is that they’re well written. Moore writes as journalist Hildy Johnson and her trips to Lincoln Island where she first recounts the story of Hira and Armand’s wedding and in this latest story, she comes out of retirement to visit Janni while she and her family celebrate her 70^th birthday. Moore used the text portions to chronicle the events happening between each issues of Century and he does the same thing here. He also takes the time to provide additional information on the other characters, drop a few more references (such as the Nautilus battling Godzilla during the late fifties) and giving us a big tease for the next volume. The only thing I don’t like about the prose is just how few drawings O’Neil does. There are some really awesome things he could be adding to the mix and I wish he could do more.

I really like these comics. Not only are they a great continuation of one of my favourite comics by Alan Moore, they’re really great stories on their own. It’s also great that Kevin O’Neil continues to provide the art as he’s as he’s an integral part of why I love the series. It’s become impossible for me to disassociate the characters in this series with their original versions (be they found in novels or other media). There is a nice connection to the core League of Extraordinary Gentlemen series but they present stories and adventures that are detached from what occurred in the main series. The events of Century and the Nemo stories take place concurrently when you look at the larger continuity but when you take a closer look you can see how the stories weave around one another.

More than the others, the Nemo volumes feel and look like important comics. I don’t just say this because of how the comic looks and feel like European comics. Each of the volumes is a slim hardcover and contain 50 or so pages. It’s not just a comic, it’s a work of art, its presentation makes it look important and the story and art inside back that up. The only advertisements you’ll see here are those created by the Moore, O’Neil and the rest of the creative team. Though they’re not as experimental and dense as Black Dossier, Moore and O’Neil have found what I think is the ideal format for their series with the Nemo volumes.

There is a pretty strong continuation from Nemo: Heart of Ice. It’s very nice especially when you stop and consider the less than satisfying flow of the three 80-page issue of Century. This strong sense of continuity has been less effective over the last few League of Extraordinary Gentlemen stories but Moore and O’Neil have both regain their footing. Once again, Janni survives a gruelling experience and she’s changed because of it. In Heart of Ice she struggled with her father’s legacy but in The Roses of Berlin, it’s her past accomplishments that came back to haunt her. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen started out as a Victorian superhero comic but it’s since expanded to bed a universe in which all fictional characters coexist and the creators have used this as the setting for some fantastic stories. It’s difficult to express just how appreciative I am that Moore and O’Neil have gone and created two very personal, emotionally driven stories in a series that has steadily grown in size and scope since it first appeared back in 1999. It might only be 56 page long but Nemo: The Roses of Berlin is clearly one of the stand-out comics of 2014 and I expect the next instalment will be just as good.

The Books of Magic review

Alan Moore can easily be considered the pioneer of the Vertigo comics universe while Neil Gaiman is responsible for giving it much of its heart and soul. At the very least, the parts of the “Vertigoverse” that form a shared universe. As many people know, Vertigo is also the home of many great comic runs that are unrelated to other comics and inhabit their own little worlds. Those are actually some of the most famous Vertigo titles. They include but are not limited to The Invisibles, Preacher, Transmetropolitan, Scalped, Y: The Last Man and Fables. Vertigo does have many other series and mini-series that are linked together. Stories that are set in their own comics bus share a universe with other titles. Swamp Thing, Hellblazer, Sandman, Lucifer, The Dreaming are all examples of this. Although Moore is the one who cleared the path for more mature and intelligent comics to be told, it’s Neil Gaiman who’s responsible for giving the Vertigoverse a sense of coherence, a direction and its tone.

Alan Moore's Swamp Thing had a tone of its own, but it never carried past his own tenure on the title. Gaiman's own series, Sandman, is more representative of the tone of Vertigo than any other comics from the publisher. The Books of Magic has that same tone that readers can find in Sandman. It’s not surprising considering they’re both by Gaiman.  

Gaiman can do horror just as well as Moore but he chooses not to. In his Vertigo comics he explores the ideas of myth, magic and identity. He's also very concerned with the idea of choices and individuals’ perceptions of reality. He's also quite the fan of stories that introduce someone to a hidden world of wonders, stories of initiation. It's evident in so many of his stories: Several Sandman stories, Neverwhere, Stardust, American Gods, Anansi Boys, The Graveyard Book, The Ocean at the End of the Lane and The Books of Magic.

The Books of Magic is the story of young Timothy Hunter's initiation into the world of magic. He's guided by four magicians which Gaiman playfully nicknames the Trenchcoat Brigade. It's composed of Doctor Occult, Mister E, the Phantom Stranger and, of course this being a Vertigo comic, John Constantine. Each one takes Timothy on a journey. The Phantom Stranger brings him to the past and shows him the development of magic. Constantine takes him to America and shows him how magicians live in the modern world. Doctor Occult (and Rose) take Timothy to the land of Faerie and many other to show him all the lands in which magic is present. Finally, Mister E takes Tim to the very End. They travel to the future and see how magic transforms itself all the while witnessing some of Timothy’s possible futures. The Trenchcoat Brigade’s intentions are to positively influence Timothy whether he chooses the walk to path of magic or not.

In The Books of Magic, Gaiman demonstrates one of the skills Moore used while writing Swamp Thing. He seems to effortlessly incorporate existing DC characters into the richer world of Vertigo comics. It’s not surprising when you consider that Gaiman is a protégé of Moore. Over time there some pretty interesting differences have developed between both writers and depending who you talk to either one of them can be considered the superior author. Moore's work can be dry, cold and so structured it can make the reader feel alienated. Gaiman on the other hand has a softer approach.

I’ve just realized that part of this review is more of a comparison of Gaiman and Moore Vertigo comics than a proper review of The Books of Magic. It seems a bit late to go back now so I might as well continue with my comparison and how it relates to The Books of Magic. Both authors clearly love magic. There are several different types of magic and Moore and Gaiman each write about a specific kind of magic. Moore's magic is based in the real world study of magic, the magic that can quite literally be found in the day to day. He's studied the works of Crowley and the Jewish Kabbalah and has applied that to his work as well as his life. His comic that focuses on magic, Promethea, is a wonderfully complete story about the rules of magic. In fact, you could easily argue that a significant portion of the series is an essay in comic book form outlining the complicated rules, symbols and iconography of magic and how to understand it. In short, Moore's magic is overly structure and complexly defined.

Gaiman's magic is simple. He offers simple rules that can be combined in many different ways in order to offer thrilling results. Like Moore's magic it has a structure and some rules, but it's simpler. It's not as heavily as obviously structured but it’s all there. Based on the magic and the lands of the fantasy books of his childhood, Gaiman's magic could be said to be based in fiction instead of reality. This fictional magic also has symbols but their meanings are left to interpretation more so than Moore's. For Gaiman, there is no rule more important than the rule of names. He's also an ardent believer than there is nothing free, everything has a price. It's like a second law of thermodynamics for the magical realms. Every gift is met with an equal gift or service in return.

Gaiman demonstrates this best in the third chapter of The Books of Magic which is my favourite. The chapter focuses on one of the best elements of Gaiman's oeuvre and one of his most distinct collaborators, Charles Vess, is along for the ride. I love Gaiman's Faerie. It’s inspired by all the fairyland he encounter in the fantasy books of his childhood all condensed in one elegant and potently magical place. Of all the artists to have worked with Gaiman to this day, no one captures the essence of faerie quite like Vess. Artistically, this chapter is also my favourite. It’s gorgeously illustrated, the lines are elegant yet otherworldly and the colours are spot on.

For Timothy Hunter, magic is choice. It's as simple as that. You choose to live a life of magic; you choose which path to follow and which side you'll follow it on. You can even chose to make your own path. It’s not limited to Good and Evil, Chaos and Order, etc. It’s about the ability to make choices. Balance is still important to Gaiman though but it’s a balance on the micro scale, not on the macro. If an individual offers a service or a good, the person who took it has to offer something of equal value in return. Once again though, the power of magic is in the choices you make while giving and taking.

If there's one thing you need to have understood from this review is that Gaiman knows magic. More importantly, he knows his kind of magic and that's about all we can really expect to see from any author. He offers the reader a world where magic can truly be felt, you can experience the magic along with Timothy. Some things are left unexplained or ambiguous (the battle against the Cold Flame in India or the key Tim receives from Titania) and that’s the beauty of it. It adds incredible richness and depths to the comic. The Books of Magic is an excellent example of Gaiman casting one of his spells on the reader by engrossing him in the world that’s already in place but giving it a fresh spin and adding some depth and characterization. It’s a great comic and it really puts me in the mood to grab another Gaiman book and jump feet first into the land of Faerie or any other magical lands.

Saga of the Swamp Thing Book Six Review

Book six concludes Moore and Veitch’s story of Swamp Thing’s Space Odyssey that started in volume 5. It is a bit of a strange book because the tone of the comic has changed quite a bit compared to what it was in the first four volumes. Moore and his team of artists are no longer breaking ground, they’re mostly developed all of Swamp Things powers, though there is some new stuff still present in this book. The fact remains Moore and his collaborat

ors are no longer telling huge cataclysmic stories.

In something that serves as a parallel to Swamp Thing’s vegetable nature, the time of death and rebirth was replaced by a summer of horror and grand epic battles between Good and Evil but all that has moved on to make room for a story that is about to end. Everything seems a bit more restrained but everything retains the high standards of execution and story that has been previously established.  

As always Moore is a formalist and as a continuation of all his Swamp Thing stories narration boxes are filled with poetic language accompanying images filled with fantastical imagery as Swamp Thing continues his impossible quest to find a way to return to Earth and his true love, Abby.

The highlights of this volume are the two-part Adam Strange story, the Green Lantern story and the final two issues where Moore ties up the loose ends and give Swampy and Abby some R&R together before Moore says goodbye to them forever. If it seems strange to you that I qualified most of the stories in the volume as being highlights of the collection, you’ve clearly not been paying attention to the previous five posts on Moore’s Swamp Thing run. This is a damn good comic. Moore’s last issue doesn’t end in a climactic battle to end all battles like the culmination of the American Gothic storyline in issue #50. That suits me just fine and it fits well with how the series has progress since all the stories following the showdown between Good and Evil have been of a quieter more introspective tone than the horror stories found in the earlier volumes.  

This is a really neat cover but the
story inside is a bore.

Unlike that other issue, this one gives
you exactly what the cover promises.

I’m sorry to say that one of the more interesting covers (issue number?) was one of the most disappointing issues in Moore’s run. The whole thing was drawn and sculpted in a mix media art collage in 23 pages but due to the printing quality at the time it’s just a muddy, blurring mess of cogs, bits of wire and drawings of swamp thing’s face all over a newsprint quality page. I do not mean to criticize Totleben’s art on the issue because I’m certain that in person these collages were at the very least interesting to look upon but it doesn’t work well as a narrative and it also didn’t transfer well to the page. To add to this, Moore’s script is a bore to read and it simply doesn’t add much of anything to Swamp Thing’s journey back to Earthy. It’s an unnecessary and poorly executed interlude.

Alan Moore makes an appearance for
his final issue as the writer of Swamp Thing

This is remedied by the following issue which focuses on Swamp Thing’s arrival to a planet where plants have become sentient and is protected by a member of the Green Lantern Corps. Here Swamp Thing’s powers evolve one last time and he is now able to shift and change his electromagnetic frequencies thus ending his forced exile from earth. As a reader we all knew the story was heading in this direction but Veitch and Moore pull off a masterful execution of this evolution.

It was nice of Moore to tie up his loose ends, which allows Veitch to dive right into his own story on Swamp Thing following Moore’s last issue. It was also very nice to have an issue to simply enjoy Swamp Thing and Abby’s reunion. This final issue also provided most of the artists from Moore’s run a chance to return for a final few pages of artwork. I wish I had more to say about the last volume of this legendary run but after six posts I think I’m all tapped out. I’m glad I decided to give this run a second chance. It’s unfortunate that everything slows down to a crawl about halfway through but for those that decided to see it through to the end, Moore’s Swamp Thing run offers one of the best comic series of the 1980s and of all times. You can hardly call yourself a serious comic fan without having read this series. So what are you waiting for?

Saga of the Swamp Thing Book Five Review

The fifth book collecting Alan Moore’s legendary run writing Swamp Thing is the second collection of Swamp Thing that I haven’t read previously. So far, the first three volumes have been rereads for me. During my first attempt at reading Moore’s Swamp Thing, I had mixed feelings. I recognized the sheer revolutionary power of his first 18 months on the title but after reading several issues consisting of Moore commenting on the mythology of America, I gave up. It was too preachy and, at the same time, hollow for my tastes. Last time, in my review of volume four, I mentioned the greatness that is to be found in the second half of the American Gothic storyline and I was once again spurred to continue reading Swamp Thing.

Once again I encountered my main problem with Alan Moore written comics with the first two issues of Book Five: momentum. I realize that it’s unfair to Moore that I seem to dislike all the issues of Swamp Thing that are less than spectacular. It’s either an excellent issue or an ok issue when it comes to his writing on this book. The thing is that’s how these issues read. My read problem though, isn’t exactly momentum. Moore’s formalistic approach to writing comics sucks the life out of whatever it is his writing. There is little or no energy at all to his writing and when a comic he wrote does display some kinetic and energetic storytelling it’s more often than not due to his collaborators than to Moore’s writing. His comics are too rigid; they’re not allowed to breathe under Moore’s guidance. On some occasions this style works really well but other times the story just falls flat.

Swamp Thing vs. Batman? Yup, and this
is Moore's run changing into a lower gear.

After the last book’s issue #50, I was expecting issue #51 to be a quieter story and it is. The problem is that it a set up for Swamp Thing’s Space Odyssey that truly begins in issue #56, the last issue in this collection. But, as you can imagine, Alan Moore sets up the story very well and he adds some nice element to the Swamp Thing mythos and there are even several good character moments which should not be surprising after 20+ issues. Swamp Thing is one of Moore’s most contemplatively moody series I’ve read and that tone leads to quieter stories. I didn’t know it at the time but issue #50 marked the last bombastic Swamp Thing story that Moore would write (yes, I’m aware of how ridiculous that sounds). The rest of the series is composed of quieter stories that still tell horrifying and moving stories about Swamp Thing and Abby Cable.

This collection turns the focus to Abby. The story deals with her relationship with the law after photos of her intimate relationship with Swamp Thing are revealed to the public in a newspaper. Swamp Thing returns from his war against Evil to find that Abby has seemingly disappeared. With these issues Moore juggles interesting character drama with Abby while also setting up an introspective journey through space for Swamp Thing.

An interesting thing about this collection is the similarities with Moore’s other comic work at the time, notably Watchmen with Dave Gibbons.  The similarities between issue 56 and the Watchmen issue where Dr. Manhattan goes to Mars are fascinating. I would really like to reread both those issue and discuss them further. For now, I’ll settle by saying issues 56 is one of the most interesting issues of Moore’s entire time as writer on Swamp Thing because of the way it encapsulates so much of what has already happened in the series and turning it against his main character in strange and frightening ways.

Swamp Thing is blue and he's alone on
a deserted planet reminiscing on the past.
Sound familiar? It should.

There are also similarities between Swamp Thing’s funeral issue in Gotham and the Comedian’s funeral issue in Watchmen (rain, a statue, people having flashbacks and what if scenarios intercutting the funeral scenes, one vigilante talking about another not quite vigilante). These elements may seem like elements that don’t share much with one another but it certainly doesn’t read that way. Was Alan Moore trying out storytelling techniques in Swamp Thing before leaving the title? Was it a way for him to practice before writing a work that was newer to him and maybe more important to him (I would argue Swamp Thing was ultimately more important to the world of comics than Watchmen). He seems to have done what he wanted to do on the title already. As far as I can tell, based on what Steve Bissette wrote in the introduction to volume 5 and volume 6 Moore’s story was being led in directions that Rick Veitch was more interested in and Moore agreed to go in that direction having done all there was to be done with horror in comics (no kidding).

In short, volume five goes off in a new direction for both the creators and the readers. Swamp Thing continues to be a very good comic even though it’s going through some changes in tone, characters and a change in art teams.  

Nemo: Heart of Ice review

Alan Moore and Kevin O’Neil’s League of Extraordinary Gentlemen series is some of my favourite work by Moore. It’s also one of the best comics of the last ten years. The series had been marked by a less than conventional publication history, beginning as a two mini-series followed by a hardcover graphic novel and, after that, a third series published in annual 80 page instalments. Moore and O’Neil told the story of the League from the end of the 19^th Century to the first decade of the 21^st Century. Having apparently nowhere else to go, they decided to tell one-off stories focusing on single characters and events from the long history of the League. Nemo: Heart of Ice, is the first of these one-shot stories. It is a story focusing on Janni Dakkar, daughter of Captain Nemo (from Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues under the Sea). I have to say, I enjoyed it a great deal.

The story focuses on Janni and how she deals with her father’s legacy. The story takes place in 1925, fifteen years after reluctantly accepting the mantle of Captain Nemo. For the last fifteen years she has followed in his footsteps, all the while improving on some of his inventions, adding new members to her crew and transforming the island which her father, and now she, calls home. She acts as if she’s her father’s successor, she acts as if she knew the man but it’s all a lie. She knows of his accomplishments, she knows of his inventions, she knows his crew and loved ones but she doesn’t really know him at all. She’s haunted by this and by choosing to undergo his most disastrous expedition, she hopes to put her father’s memory to rest by succeeding where he father could not. She decides to go on this adventure all the while ignoring the needs and desires of her faithful crew.

She’s going on this expedition for herself. Her crew doesn’t wish to go, they’re pirates. All they want to do is take what they need, as well as what they want, and live a relatively peaceful life when they’re not stealing and pillaging. However, in part because they’re faithful to Janni, but also because they feel an obligation to her father, they follow Janni to the ends of the Earth. Along the way some of them will willingly give her their lives and their souls hoping she will be able to find what she so desperately wants.

The story isn’t about the expedition and whether or not it will be a success. The story is more personal than that, it’s the story of Janni and how she deals with her father’s overbearing influence on everything she does. The difficulties of the physical journey through Antarctica parallel the difficulties of her more personally journey taking place within herself. At the beginning of the book she’s constantly asking herself if her father had done this and will she be able to do it better. Towards the end, she stops nearly all mentions of her father. It’s not about him anymore. Her journey to Antarctica has be transformative.

Janni and her crew attacking a port in New York.

In the end, Janni comes to an important realization that the time of great adventurers and super scientists is over. By pursuing that same path and attempting to reach the same heights will only resolve in unnecessary trauma, pain and suffering. Instead, this new generation of adventurers and scientists should concentrate on forging/creating a new path no matter how unimportant and banal it may seem. What’s sad about Janni’s growth as a person is its cyclical nature. Fifteen years before the events of Nemo: Heart of Ice, Janni was refusing to follow in her father’s footsteps. Having always felt rejected by her father for being a girl, she wanted to be her own person. Due to the events in League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Century: 1910 she gave in to her father’s wishes and became Nemo, Pirate Queen for a decade in a have. After years of unnecessary struggles, she can once again be, simply, Janni.

Kevin O’Neil’s art excels with this type of story. His work had lost something important in Century. The tone was very different and the panels where too small and there weren’t enough fantastic and otherworldly things for him to draw. O’Neil is very, very good at drawing otherworldly things and Moore gives him dozens of opportunities to draw such things in this book. It’s some of his best art in many years and I hope Moore continues to write League stories which allow O’Neil to impress me such as he did here.

Nemo: Heart of Ice, is a bit of a throwback to the earlier stories of the League. It’s an adventure story with familiar literary characters and settings based on a few classic stories. This time Moore is influenced by Edgar Allan Poe, Jules Verne and H. P. Lovecraft. Unlike with Black Dossier and Century, Moore seems focused on telling the story more than he is on cramming in as many references and literary allusions as possible. No need to worry, there are still plenty of that sort of things for those who really like it. It just doesn’t get in the way of the actual story and it’s quite nice. In short, Nemo: Heart of Ice, is the story of an adventure, of the anger of an African Queen who’s belongings were stolen, it’s about sons and daughters dealing with the accomplishments of their parents, it’s about super science and lighting guns, giant penguins, aliens, lost and hidden cities and most of all it’s about personal growth. This newest story in the League saga revitalises my enthusiasm for the series and the stories still to come. I look forward to the next instalment by Moore and O’Neil. 

Saga of the Swamp Thing Book Four review

This volume collects issues 43 to 50 which conclude the American Gothic storyline that began in book three. I have to admit the last third of American Gothic is a triumphant finish to the longer Swamp Thing story arc by Moore. I was caught by surprise. The beginning of American Gothic is so difficult to read, not because it’s a challenging comic but simply because it’s not good, so when the momentum builds seemingly out of nowhere I was caught off-guard, not only by the story being told, but how well told it was. Everything culminates in issue #50 and I mean everything. The journey to that anniversary issue wasn’t such a treat though.

The momentum picks up almost from the first issue in this collection. Moore tells an interesting story staring one of the many tubers that grow and fall off of Swamp Thing. A man, Chester Williams, finds one of the tubers while in the swamp and brings it home. The tuber is cut up and sold off as a drug to different people. They all have hallucinogenic experiences but they all differ from one another. The type of person you are and the reason you’re eating the tubers will affect the time of hallucination you will get. It’s a clever, emotional one issue story and although if fits in the context of American Gothic, is works just as well on its own.

After that issue, Moore falls back into a few issues of exploring American horror and that other garbage. We also find out what Constantine has been training Swamp Thing for. We’re introduced to the Parliament of Threes, Swamp Thing continues to develop his powers and there is also the cataclysmic battle between Good and Evil in the concluding issue. Moore deftly interweaves a big philosophical question, magic and horror elements to his recently developed Swamp Thing mythology to tell what is easily one of his top three Swamp Thing issues. He also takes the time to joke around.

Moore ends issue 50 with two jokes. One of the jokes is admittedly dark humour. While Cain thinks over what he has learned from the confrontation of Good and Evil he comes to a realization that neither can nor will ever been defeated, they will continue to exist. However, Good and Evil can be refined and come to signify slightly different aspects of what they used to be. Once done his reminiscing, Cain turns to Abel and murders his brother for the nth time. Everything has changed but just slightly.

Moore also takes the time to take a jab at Steve Bissette. Bissette and John Totleben are considered to have been the primary artists on Moore’s run writing Swamp Thing. It’s not necessarily because they drew the most issues (I’m not even sure if that’s true or not). I think it’s more because they defined the look of Moore’s run more than any of the other artists who collaborated with him. Bissette had an ongoing struggle with deadlines and on the last page of issue #50 there is a tombstone with him name on it. The following is engraved beneath his name: “Here lies S. R. Bissette. He arrived late to his own funeral.” It’s great, I loved it.

This fourth volume of Saga of the Swamp Thing is a return to form for Moore and his team of artists. Not only do many plot elements all come together for a grand finish, but Moore also takes the time to set up the stories to come. It’s a bit unfortunate that not all of the issues are excellent but enough of them are to make this a worthwhile read. Things settle down a little bit in the next volume but only for about an issue or so. Review for book five coming up soon. 

Saga of the Swamp Thing Book Three review

The third volume of Alan Moore’s time as the writer of Swamp Thing collects the first half the American Gothic storyline. Those issues present the first lull in the momentum that Moore and the artists had been building since issue #20. American Gothic is famous for introducing the character of John Constantine who became the poster boy of sorts for Vertigo Comics. Constantine cons Swamp Thing to go on a journey to different parts of America on what appears to be wild goose chases. To the perceptive reader, it is clear that Constantine is forcing Swamp Thing to change and develop as a plant Elemental.

This volume comes off as a slight disappointment compared to the first two volumes. The individual stories presented here aren’t as interesting as the previous issues. More importantly, they are difficult to read because Alan Moore gets preachy with him commentary of various elements of old and present America. I guess he tried to say something about America but I don’t think he was very successful.

The issues are very well executed but they’re simply uninteresting for the most part. It seems strange that the team that gave us a new Swamp Thing, a revamped and terrifying Floronic Man, a monster brawl between Swamp Thing, the Demon and the Monkey King, a frightening Arcane, a trip to hell and back and more than one out of body experiences give us, in this third volume, stories of a radioactive man, underwater vampires, a werewolf and a movie about slavery haunted by the very past it is trying to replicate. It’s pretty boring add to that Moore’s preachy narrative it’s almost enough to make you lose faith in the creative team.

Listed like that it doesn’t seem like this stories have much in common but they do and it’s that very thing that keeps this volume interesting and stops it from being a failure. Two things, actually. Swamp Thing is developing both as a character and as an elemental. His growth is what anchors this journey across America. The second thing keeping my interest in this volume is the introduction of John Constantine. He’s a manipulative jerk who has little remorse for the things he does to others. Swamp Thing is just a tool to him and he’s doing what he can to shape and prepare him for what is yet to come. It’s interesting to see just how much of a jerk John Constantine is in his first year. and the other is John Constantine being a horrible person and manipulating Swamp Thing. John Constantine is a jerk in these pages.

To follow up what I’ve written about Swamp Thing’s more texturized look in Moore’s run, in his introduction, Steve Bissette clarifies that it was John Totleben who wanted to draw Swamp Thing as something actually composed of vegetation and not simply a green man suit with roots. Thanks John Totleben, you and Bissette’s Swamp Thing looks great. There’s just so much texture.

I’d rather not write any more about this third volume, my least favourite of Moore’s run on Swamp Thing, so I’ll stop here. The story gets much, much better next volume. Well, not right away, but the end of American Gothic is a high point not only in Moore’s run but in Swamp Thing’s entire comics history. Review of volume four coming soon.  

Saga of the Swamp Thing Book Two review

I like this volume even more than the first. It is one of the few truly revolutionary comics (Julian Darius demonstrated as such in a very interesting three part article in which he attempts, and succeeds, in understanding the bad blood between Alan Moore and Grant Morrison. It is an excellent article and you should check in out on Sequart).  It is with the issues collected in Book Two that Moore goes from telling an excellent story to dishing out a masterpiece in monthly installments.

In Book One he tied up all the loose ends from the previous creative team’s time on Swamp Thing. Some people will tell you that all the loose ends where tied up in the first Moore issues titled “Loose Ends” but I think it took longer. The first eight issues felt like a superhero comic which isn’t the case with the second volume. In the first volume there are two pretty clearly defined storylines and in each one there is a pretty clear villain and a pretty clear hero. The first story concentrated on the Floronic Man and the second was about the Monkey King and Etrigan the Demon. They were two very good well done monster brawl comics but even so, the conflict is essentially two or more monster duking it out. There aren’t any monster brawls in volume two. There is still a villain though. Swamp Thing has a big confrontation with Anton Arcane, the Swamp Thing villain but it’s not a fist fight or even a dark magic death and decay vs. plant elemental fight which would be a reasonable thing for a comic to be about. Instead, Moore chooses to evolve Swamp Thing into a different kind of comic and these are the issues it happens in.

Swamp Thing is different than many other comics written by Moore because even though this is primarily a horror comic Swamp Thing has heart, it has real emotion. Some of Moore’s comics can feel like soulless machines designed to entertain. They feel constructed.

Moore and his collaborators are also developing Swamp Thing’s new identity as well as his supporting cast, specifically Abigail Cable. The first eight issues were all about taking care of the left overs plot threads and laying the groundwork for the stories to come. By volume two it’s already paying off. That’s one of the great things about open ended serialized storytelling. Good writers are able to simultaneously tell and epilogue of sorts from a previous story, tell a story and set up another story yet to come. When done well it builds an incredible momentum that’s even more apparent when read in quick succession or in collected form. It allows you to be able to tell stories that require a lot of preparation without it feeling like set up because you can have other shorter stories being told in the same issue. It’s great. Bill Willingham has been pretty good at doing this with Fables. It got to the point with that series that it didn’t feel like there were storylines anymore it was all one giant comic where multiple storylines took place all at the same time. It’s something you find all too rarely in comics I find but it’s one of the medium’s strength. I would like to see more ongoing comic series where it’s a rolling ball effect of plot and subplots and character development.

When I did the post for the first volume I mentioned how Bissette and Totleben made Swamp Thing look like a walking humanoid plant that didn’t necessarily have a clean cut layer of skin with roots sitting on the top such as was the case for Dan Day’s, and many others’, Swamp Thing. I was wondering if this was a plot point or simply Bissette and Totleben’s way of drawing Swamp Thing. It seems, if this volume can stand as proof, that it was more of an artistic choice. Shawn McManus draws Swamp Thing like a rubbery looking plant man with thick skin and roots sitting on the top while Bissette and inkers Totleben and Alfredo Alcala draw him like they did in volume one. In their hands Swamp Thing looks fuzzy with moss, he doesn’t seem to have skin as much as composed of plants and sticks and roots and other various vegetable bits. He looks like a Swamp Thing and not man wearing a green skin tight suit with roots sewn on his chest and shoulders. It’s strange when artist draws defined abdominal muscles on Swamp Thing. It doesn’t look right.

Bissette and Totleben are also very good at making the swamps look and feel like swamps. There are other animals and insects, several different types of vegetation; it’s very pleasing to the eyes. It gives everything a nice sense of realism but mostly it makes the swamp feel as though it’s habited. There are other things in the swamp other than Swamp Thing much like there is more to Swamp Thing than green skin.

I’m really looking forward to the next volume but I know I’ll be a bit disaponited. It’s the beginning of the year long American Gothic story arc which have some of Moore’s worst Swamp Thing issues.