Current Readings

Going back to 2008–2009, I kept a school notebook where I wrote down the books I read at first, and later the comics as well, following a cycle that began on the first of September and ended on the last day of August the following year. An unusual timeframe, no doubt, yet inspired in a way by the feeling I had since childhood that September marked a beginning, while August signified an ending. Reading helped me navigate that transition back then, and it still does today. But since today’s post will be longer than usual, especially compared to previous ones, I don’t want to keep you too long with introductions. As you may have noticed from the title, I’ve prepared a list, actually two lists, of my favorite comics and books I read this year. And when I say this year, I hope the first paragraph made that clear. I should also mention that the order I chose is entirely personal and subjective, nothing more. There’s no “better” or “worse” here. What follows are not lengthy reviews either. My...

  This is a story from Dark Coil , the sub-universe the author created to set his tales, while faithfully preserving the themes, style, and atmosphere of Warhammer 40K. Before moving on, let me clarify a few things. This is my first encounter with this particular corner of Warhammer, with the author himself, and with his contribution to the wider lore, and I must say I am deeply impressed. In the omnibus I own, right after The Greater Evil comes Fire Caste , which is a novel, so there I will get a more complete picture of his work. For now, though, in the format of a short story or novella, thirty-five pages in the edition I have, everything works narratively like clockwork. We find ourselves on the planet Scitalyss, which, as becomes clear, has a very serious problem. A team is assembled with a specific purpose: to locate Por’vre Fai’sahl (thankfully this isn’t a podcast, because I would never be able to pronounce that name, or the others that follow). He is a diplomat whose fate...

  Descender is living proof that Jeff Lemire can write absolutely anything. From intimate family dramas set in a single house or small town, to horror, sci-fi, fantasy, superhero stories, both his own creations and major franchises. With this work, however, he delivered what I consider the most mature and ambitious work of his career so far. I should note that I haven’t read his entire bibliography, though I have a fairly solid, if incomplete, impression. Now that I’ve finished it, I still have Ascender waiting for me, but everything in its time. Together with the extraordinary Dustin Nguyen , Lemire presents a breathtaking spectacle: a cosmic adventure with robots, alien races, and humans, an unrelenting chase filled with twists and characters you quickly grow attached to, never knowing if they’ll survive the next page. Don’t let the aesthetic fool you, the gorgeous watercolors mask a story that is often brutal, both psychologically and physically. The series doesn’t shy away f...

  The second book in the series follows the same narrative style as the first: each chapter focuses on different characters, the story circles around, moving from one group to another and then back again until the end. Only this time, things are far worse, no matter how you look at them. The first book was more fragmented, with multiple parallel storylines, whereas the second feels more focused, since everything takes place in one location: Gathalamor. The attackers are the Iron Warriors, the Word Bearers, and the Dark Mechanicum, with Tenebrus pursuing his own schemes, he is more than capable, being Abaddon’s close ally. On the defending side, calling for aid from Guilliman, we find the Iron Guard, the Sisters of Battle, and a few others. From this perspective, the closest figure to a protagonist is Achallor, an Adeptus Custodes tasked with making sense of the chaos around him. The real problem begins when a strange artifact is uncovered, one that the terrifying Dark Mechanicu...

This volume includes The Court of Owls , Death of the Family , and Zero Year . It marks the first time Snyder takes on the main Batman title, and it is the point where his career truly takes off. What is both impressive and admirable is that his commercial success is matched by real quality, something that is not always a given. In this first of the two omnibuses, we find the three aforementioned storylines, which in my view form a steady upward trajectory. By that I mean Snyder matures as a writer with each one, not that he wasn’t already talented, but there is a difference between creating something original, like American Vampire , and taking on a legacy title such as Batman, a character with decades of history. It is a challenge to adapt it to your own voice, while still respecting all the editorial guidelines imposed by the publisher, refreshing the character yet leaving your distinctive mark. Snyder has always carried a strong element of horror in his writing, and I believe h...

As Lansdale notes in the introduction to this magnificent edition, Dimwood feels like a fever dream. I don’t think it could be described more accurately. From the very first page, from the very first panel, what you sense is moisture, and instinctively you bury your hands deep in your pockets and sink your head between your shoulders, quickening your pace as if eager to return home to warmth and safety. I had read some of Corben’s work years ago, but I had never delved into the period when he adopted a digital approach to his art, which I believe began in the 1990s. At first I dismissed it, it didn’t sit well with me. But a friend, during a casual conversation, reignited my interest in him and convinced me to give it another chance. That is how we arrive here today, with me writing about this remarkable artist, trying to preserve my enthusiasm so I can convey my impressions as faithfully as possible. The faces, the first thing that struck me in Dimwood , and perhaps what anyone no...

The volume I own contains ten issues: the first one, set in 1961, and the second, which goes further back to 1947. In both cases, the stories take place in America. Just from the cover alone, you immediately understand you are dealing with UFOs, and if you have even a passing interest in the subject, the term Project Blue Book will certainly sound familiar. In this series, Tynion explores what seems to be a personal passion. He must be an incredible nerd, judging by the way he approaches The Department of Truth , which is my favorite among his works. Yet with Blue Book he does something I don’t think he has ever attempted before. The first part focuses on Betty and Barney Hill, real-life individuals who, during a road trip through rural New Hampshire, claimed to have encountered a UFO. According to their account, a strange light enveloped them as they were driving, and they saw a flying object in the sky covered in multicolored lights. From that moment, their lives changed forever...

I did not expect this. And you might ask, what exactly did I expect? Something different? After all, we are talking about Tom King . I am not sure why I was caught off guard, since in my opinion, he is the most introspective, truly “modern” comics writer working today, with experience both in the superhero genre and in his own original works, such as Love Everlasting . Of course, there are many other creators out there, talented and accomplished, both newcomers and veterans. Yet what King does with structure and form is, to me, the closest thing to Alan Moore , as a friend from the northern regions once accurately pointed out. When I say he reminds me of Moore , I mean in certain aspects, such as his use of any given genre to comment on and deconstruct elements of humanity on a social level, for example popular culture. From a formalist perspective, I am certain he does this in The Vision , Mister Miracle , and Love Everlasting . In the latter, he takes romance comics and blends ...

Return to my most enjoyable and beloved ongoing comic out there. I am not sure if it was the creators’ original plan to expand it this much and spread the story across so many issues, but I feel very lucky that they did, because I simply cannot get enough of it. Perhaps its success pushed them in this direction, but I honestly don’t care as long as it continues to deliver at the same high narrative level, exploring the secret, terrifying, and deeply dangerous world of intelligence agencies. It’s clear, and it didn’t take much to notice, that Tynion has a fascination with conspiracy theories. He taps into this endless well of material and somehow crafts stories in the medium that hit their mark perfectly and captivate his readers. I can certainly say that for me, this is absolutely the case. So, what happens in this fourth volume, titled The Ministry of Lies ? The first thing that came to mind was 1984 and its Ministry of Truth . Here, however, assuming Tynion is making a referenc...

I started this book a few days after Ozzy passed away. I had read it once before, but that was many years ago. Back then, I picked it up out of curiosity, to learn more about the man whose music I had been listening to, a soundtrack that has kept me company for almost three decades. This time, however, I returned to it for a different reason. In a way I can’t quite explain, I wanted to feel his “presence” again, because of Ozzy’s death. And with the list of other artists I’ve been following since my teenage years growing ever longer, the thought alone fills me with melancholy. Perhaps it’s the loss itself that triggers these feelings; the thoughts come afterward, even if we’re dealing with life’s irreversible truths. Now, you might say, “But you read Lemmy’s autobiography, not Osbourne’s .” And you’d be right, but let me explain. Have you ever felt that doing something other than what logic dictates can sometimes be more helpful? That’s what happened here. Besides, the two of them we...

This is the second time I’ve read this book, as I had the impression that the first time I was unfair to it. I went into it immediately after finishing The Siege of Terra , and everything felt lesser, dare I say, inferior, if I am to be honest, because that’s how I felt back then. From a literary perspective, in terms of structure, expression, intensity, and emotional impact, whatever it is that makes a reading experience truly outstanding,  The End and the Death delivered all of that for me. So perhaps it would have been wiser to take a break from reading altogether and, after a few days, pick up something different, preferably not Warhammer . Now, however, time has passed and my perspective has evened out. I decided to give the first Dawn of Fire a try, since at some point I need to finish the series, because I want to, because it’s important for the lore, and because it’s just been sitting there on my shelf. So I did, and today I’ll be talking about Avenging Son . I’ll try...

I am reading Nikos’s work again after a long time. I call him by his first name because I know him personally, and I feel very lucky about that. Lucky because, at thirty-seven, I am holding in my hands a piece created by someone much younger than me that manages to give me chills. There is one page in particular, right before the end of the comic, that completely stunned me. But why do I dwell so much on the artist’s age? It’s pure admiration. As someone who writes and works with fiction myself, I had never, at his age, reached the level Nikos is at now. Hell, I’m not even sure I can, even today, craft an image like the one on that third-to-last page of Intravenus. This comic is one of the many self-published works he has released. Besides his table at local Greek conventions, you might also find it on the shelves of Jemma Books & Comics or other downtown comic book shops, and you might also be able to get it directly from him. (I’ll include a link at the end of the post). S...