To be honest, I don't know much about Swamp Thing other than the movies and short-lived TV show from my childhood, but given that Alan Moore is well known for his work with the series I figured I should check it out. Swamp Thing: Love and Death is a collection of Swamp Thing 29-34 and Swamp Thing Annual 2, which were originally published in 1984 and 1985. The book deals with a large section of the Swamp Thing mythos, including his origin and a bit of his emerging love life. Throughout the course of the book he journeys through hell and back, with Moore doing some heavy literary lifting.

Moore's issues were definitely ground-breaking at the time: the content here is far beyond the realm of everyday comics and pushes some pretty heavy existential stuff onto the reader. It's definitely a part of the adult-centered focus that Alan Moore perfected in Watchmen. Honestly, at this point in his career it seems to me that Moore could have taken any character - say, Humpty Dumpty - and made a pretty compelling glimpse into their psyche. His use of tricks like page orientation might be par for the course today, but for 1984-1985 it seems pretty ingenious and triply.

Lastly, there are a couple side stories included (with some Sandman-universe cameos to boot) which bring a good amount of variety to the mix. One of the stories in particular, which is a thinly-veiled allegory of our destruction of the planet, is a timeless little story that closes the collection out smartly.

In all, this collection makes a compelling read (both with and without the fact that it's Swamp Thing), and is a good option for anyone looking for something a little headier than the typical comic book fare. If you're a fan of Neil Gaiman's Sandman series, this book should be of particular interest to you thanks to its similarity in focus and style.

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Today, Tyler and I will be at the Anaheim Comic-Con. Sure, it's not the San Diego Comic-Con, but whattryagonndo? If you go, stop by the Verne Troyer booth (yes, srsly), say hi, and get some free stuff*! See you there.

"Stuff" = hugs.
"Free" = $10.
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Global Frequency was a 12-issue series written by Warren Ellis, with each issue drawn by a different artist. The series ran from 2002-2004. It follows the story of an organization named Global Frequency (how apropos) that consists of scientists, agents and experts from all over the world that provide their skills to solve crazy emergencies. Each issue is its own self-contained story, with only two characters - the leader of the Global Frequency, and her techie sidekick - that tend to show up in each book.



The issues range from pretty good to really good, and each story and tone is drastically different. I liked the range within the series for the most part, although the extreme variety sometimes fails to keep the whole series tied together cohesively. Luckily, the inventive storytelling was more than enough for me to see the series through to the end.

There was a pilot for a TV series filmed in 2005 that loosely follows the first issue of the comic. It never got green-lighted, but you can find the episode online if you're file-sharing-savvy. no comments

At the time of this writing, I've read about 25% of Warren Ellis' written works, and Black Summer is probably my favorite. This seven-issue series, first published in 2007, tells an intricate tale of a disbanded group of superheroes. In the opening moments of the story, the most powerful of the heroes assassinates the US President and most of his cabinet, and then immediately goes on camera (still wearing the President's blood) and tells America what he's done, why he's done it, and what he hopes America will do about it.

It's a startling and exciting start to a series that never lets up on the action. In seven short issues we're given the entire backstory of these former heroes (echoing Watchmen while still remaining fresh) and it kept me interested all the way to the end. I love the idea of diving into a superhero story and not needing to know any of their backstories beforehand - this is one of the reasons I tend to stay away from the typical DC/Marvel superhero comics, they're too entrenched in a history I only vaguely know. Black Summer succeeds in keeping us all up to speed at the same time, and keeping the story contained in one thought-provoking series. Although it won't go down in history as a great work of art (or a deep social commentary), it's still a must-read. no comments

Batman: The Long Halloween is a 13-issue series first published in 1996 and 1997. Like Batman: Hush, this whodunit story arch features a large number of Batman villains and was penned by the same guy, Jeph Loeb. The story itself takes place early in Batman's career, and was the basis for everybody's second-favorite Batman film, The Dark Knight (we all know that Batman Forever was the best Batman movie ever...right?).

The comic introduces a mysterious new villain, called "Holiday", that kills members of Gotham City's mob every holiday. The series has all sorts of twists and turns, and every issue ends on a high note. Of course, there are some elements that seem tacked on (Batman/Catwoman's relationship, the inclusion of some unnecessary Batman villains), but as a whole the 13 issues flow really well.



The art style is done well, although it's beginning to show its age. Until reading up on the comic, I thought it had been drawn in the late 1980s, not 1996-1997. Batman is portrayed as a dark and unwavering character, unlike some of his later comics. I like that I didn't have to deal with Batman's inner turmoil too much and that the comic focused on what I was most interested in - the mystery of the villain "Holiday".

All in all, there's a reason that this series is considered one of the best Batman stories; it's immaculately thought out, and is both deep and rewarding. What's best is that it's a somewhat familiar story thanks to The Dark Knight but it's also new enough that it doesn't ruin this reading experience. no comments

Down is a four-issue series written by Warren Ellis that was released in 2005-2006. It follows an undercover cop who is sent to infiltrate a gang that is headed by another undercover cop who went rogue.

Besides the gratuitous neck-punching you see above, there is a whole lot of violence to be had in this short series. If you're into exploding body parts this is the comic book for you. Unfortunately, anyone else looking for something more substantial may be a little disappointed. I like that this comic only lasted one sitting, but its short scope betrays its overall lack of depth and necessity. In the end, it felt like reading an illustrated script to a bad cop movie, that was overwrought with tried-and-true cliches. I'd say give this one a miss. no comments

Several months ago, I started reading comic books. Being a newcomer to the medium, I asked a friend to give me a list of quality graphic novels, and he basically told me to start with anything written by Warren Ellis. So for the past six months I've been reading Warren Ellis sporadically, soaking in the good and the bad, and now I'm here to spread the word.

A good introductory read is the three-issue Tokyo Storm Warning, written in 2003. It is set in a modern-day alternate reality where we classy Americans dropped our first A-bomb on Tokyo during World War II because we found out they were developing their own nuclear weapon program. Ever since then, gigantic monsters have been appearing to tear what's left of Tokyo to pieces. Even more mysteriously, these giant robots/mechs also appear that people can control to defend Tokyo against these monsters.

What makes Tokyo Storm Warning work as a quick read is the brevity and intensity of the story. The plot follows an American who comes to Tokyo to pilot one of these mechs, and seeing this strange, new Tokyo through her eyes really sets the pace for the rest of the story. The story isn't wholly fleshed out, which leaves the rest up to the reader's imagination; but this isn't done in a way that makes me feel like it's a copout. In the end, it's a 30-minute read that delivers exactly what it should - an entertaining, flashy, but well-paced adventure. no comments