Brief Comic Reviews...Spike and Illyria
Nov. 16th, 2010 10:34 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowkatI'm basically behind on all the reviews I sort of promised to write. Did read both the Illyria and Spike comics. So will provide a quick non-spoilery take for all that are interested below:
Spike issue 2 by Brian Lynch - is bloody hilarious. Laughed my ass off - which to be frank, and no not that Frank (lower case), I needed. Badly. Okay, it's only hilarious if you have an extreemly dry sense of humor, enjoy satire, self-deprecating wit, snark, and well-placed puns. (If you don't like these things, I've no idea why you bothered to friend me...because outside of the puns (I suck at puns and find them annoying in most cases), that's pretty much my sense of humor and writing style - generally speaking. ) Plus it may help if you love and/or appreciate the noir genre - particularly as it pertains to comic books and film, and know quite a bit about both the pulp comic book industry and Hollywood. If none of that appeals to you in any way? ie. You could not care less (have to admit that phrase sounds odd to me, much prefer the other phrase). Skip this book. It's not your cup of cocoa or tea or whatever. In addition - it probably helps if you are in a dour, snarky mood, and your mind can't process much more than breath in/breath out and fire pretty, tree bad or is that the opposite..wait it is. In short there's nothing deep here folks. It's not trying to be deep.
Illyria issue 1 - Brilliant comic. Didn't think so at first. But then I found myself flipping it around in my head (all the scenes, not just one) and I can't get it out of my head. If you buy one comic this year? Get this one. It haunts me. It shows not tells, just enough to pull you in and want more - it also provides insights into three characters. What Elena Casagrande does with the art alone...I've rarely seen. She actually uses art to explain character. Also in two short scenes shows the differences in philosophy between Spike and Angel, and well the metaphysical dilemma that lies at the heart of Angel the Series as well as Buffy. But doesn't provide an answer, just both points of view. Neither is right and neither is wrong. They are evenly presented. Add to this - that Illyria goes a long way towards explaining Angel and Spike in the Buffy comics in what amounts to just a few lines...like I said, brilliant comic. It will get a long review. Oh - and it's the only comic in the Angel/Buffy series that has not one but two female artists (cover artist is Jenny Frisson, interior artist Elena Casagrande), editor and writer (Mariah Huehner - who has teamed up with Scott Tipton for writing, but is doing editing as well) who are different people. Colorist? Illaria Traversi. This baby I recommend for everyone who found Illyria remotely interesting and enjoyed the Angel series at all - and well loves comics as an art form. Seriously folks, most interesting comic I've read in years. Then again, why should you take my word for anything - just told you that I can't get past fire bad, tree pretty at the moment.
Off to bed. Hoping tomorrow is...well better than today.
Spike issue 2 by Brian Lynch - is bloody hilarious. Laughed my ass off - which to be frank, and no not that Frank (lower case), I needed. Badly. Okay, it's only hilarious if you have an extreemly dry sense of humor, enjoy satire, self-deprecating wit, snark, and well-placed puns. (If you don't like these things, I've no idea why you bothered to friend me...because outside of the puns (I suck at puns and find them annoying in most cases), that's pretty much my sense of humor and writing style - generally speaking. ) Plus it may help if you love and/or appreciate the noir genre - particularly as it pertains to comic books and film, and know quite a bit about both the pulp comic book industry and Hollywood. If none of that appeals to you in any way? ie. You could not care less (have to admit that phrase sounds odd to me, much prefer the other phrase). Skip this book. It's not your cup of cocoa or tea or whatever. In addition - it probably helps if you are in a dour, snarky mood, and your mind can't process much more than breath in/breath out and fire pretty, tree bad or is that the opposite..wait it is. In short there's nothing deep here folks. It's not trying to be deep.
Illyria issue 1 - Brilliant comic. Didn't think so at first. But then I found myself flipping it around in my head (all the scenes, not just one) and I can't get it out of my head. If you buy one comic this year? Get this one. It haunts me. It shows not tells, just enough to pull you in and want more - it also provides insights into three characters. What Elena Casagrande does with the art alone...I've rarely seen. She actually uses art to explain character. Also in two short scenes shows the differences in philosophy between Spike and Angel, and well the metaphysical dilemma that lies at the heart of Angel the Series as well as Buffy. But doesn't provide an answer, just both points of view. Neither is right and neither is wrong. They are evenly presented. Add to this - that Illyria goes a long way towards explaining Angel and Spike in the Buffy comics in what amounts to just a few lines...like I said, brilliant comic. It will get a long review. Oh - and it's the only comic in the Angel/Buffy series that has not one but two female artists (cover artist is Jenny Frisson, interior artist Elena Casagrande), editor and writer (Mariah Huehner - who has teamed up with Scott Tipton for writing, but is doing editing as well) who are different people. Colorist? Illaria Traversi. This baby I recommend for everyone who found Illyria remotely interesting and enjoyed the Angel series at all - and well loves comics as an art form. Seriously folks, most interesting comic I've read in years. Then again, why should you take my word for anything - just told you that I can't get past fire bad, tree pretty at the moment.
Off to bed. Hoping tomorrow is...well better than today.
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no subject
Date: 2010-11-17 09:38 am (UTC)*is jealous*
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Date: 2010-11-17 05:32 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-11-17 05:40 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-11-17 06:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-11-17 11:59 am (UTC)As for the Illyria comic, I loved it, from the beautiful cover onwards. However, at the end of Illyria's conversation with Spike I felt a bit of dialogue had gone astray. Spike's "Not from me, love," seemed like a bit of a non sequitur, leaving me thinking that one of Illyria's speech bubbles had been left out.
Small(ish) quibble, though. I enjoyed it, plus I found it very emotionally coherent, which is what matter to me most, and is one reason why the Buffy comic does nothing for me.
no subject
Date: 2010-11-17 05:30 pm (UTC)Huh? Do you mean this conversation?
Spike: If you want answers, you have to go find them, not sit around and wait for them to come to you. (not exact - I'm at work and doing this during a lunch break so don't have the comic on me.)
Illyria: Why do you think I'm talking to you? That's what I'm trying to do.
Spike: Not from me, love.
(Pause)
Illyria: Where?
Spike: The deeper well.
It sets up Illyria's journey to the deeper well. (Did you get a defective issue - missing stuff? I'm guessing you did. Hate it when that happens.)
The Spike one was a fun romp, but I haven't a lot to say about it (though am mildly irritated by the inclusion of Groo and the dragon. I don't see why they're necessary).
No disagreement here. Don't have a lot to say about myself, outside of the fact that I enjoyed it tremendously - I could have done without Groo and the dragon, find both to be aggravating - regardless of who writes them. Of all the supporting characters to choose from - we get Groo? I know Lynch wanted Lorne -but IDW wouldn't let him use Lorne for some reason that never made any sense to me. Would have preferred Gunn to be honest. Gunn's under-used.
I enjoyed it, plus I found it very emotionally coherent, which is what matter to me most, and is one reason why the Buffy comic does nothing for me.
Feel much the same way. Both of these comics worked for me on an emotional level, which the Buffy comics simply don't.
no subject
Date: 2010-11-17 07:35 pm (UTC)As for the Illyria/Spike convo, that "Not from me, love," still strikes me as very odd grammatically in response to what Illyria says. If he'd said, "You won't get them from me, love," (ie. answers) it would have made more sense to me.
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Date: 2010-11-17 04:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-11-17 05:17 pm (UTC)From what I've read the Illyria was always concieved as a mini-arc or mini-series, so IDW's loss of rights did not effect it at all. Outside of maybe the obvious shout-outs here and there to the Buffy comics arc - which are minor.
Spike comics were unfortunately shortened from a much longer series...guessing at least 20 issues to 8 because of the loss of rights. But rumor has it - based on a Brian Lynch twitter, that Lynch will be writing a Spike comic for Dark Horse in August 2011.
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Date: 2010-11-17 07:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-11-18 02:45 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-11-17 07:37 pm (UTC)Sorry to butt in. I think he was joking. He made that comment on IDW in response to a criticism. I didn't know he'd twittered it as well.
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Date: 2010-11-18 02:42 am (UTC)Could very well be a joke. You can never tell with Lynch. And his statement did borrow from the Buffy comics...
no subject
Date: 2010-11-17 04:54 pm (UTC)