Fables Volume 12: The Dark Ages by Bill Willingham

With the Adversary defeated the Fables can now freely choose where and how they want to live their new peaceful lives. Yeah right, think again. The war had left the homelands in ruins and through the pillaging a new evil force has been released. This new villain makes the Adversary look like a fuzzy bunny. Supernatural and paranormal powers always trump those of magical wooden soldiers. It looks like it could get very grim for the Fables and us mundanes.

I found this one on the aftermath of the war far more brutal than volume 11 on the war itself. A very harsh storyline with Boy Blue and then with Kay cutting his eyes out. Both gave me the heebie jeebies.

Fables Volume 11: War and Pieces by Bill Willingham

In this volume we finally come to the battle between the Fables and the Adversary who took over their Homelands. There is no such thing as a fairy-tale war, and this is no exception. I enjoyed the story of Cinderella trying to rescue Pinocchio. I tell you she is one tough cookie. I think she and my favorite Wizard, Harry Dresden, could do some serious damage together.

The war is over, but another chapter is just beginning.

P.S. Loved the sketchbook and illustration gallery at the end, 5-star eye-candy

Hellboy Volume 9: The Wild Hunt by Mike Mignola

I was so excited when I saw that there was a new Hellboy volume out and I was not disappointed. The story starts out with the Giants of London awakening followed by the Queen of Blood, who of course wants to destroy all humanity. We see how past characters and mythology start to tie together and then Mignola adds in a King Arthur twist that was most excellent. Can’t wait until volume 10.

P.S. Also enjoyed the Duncan Fegredo gallery at the end of the book and his “Wow, gorgeous...Why?”

Fables Volume 10: The Good Prince by Bill Willingham

Don’t hold me to it because perhaps I overlooked a demise of a Fable or two in the 228 pages, but this may be the first in the series where we don’t flat wipe out 20 of them during the duration of the graphic novel. Fables Volume 10: The Good Prince centers around Flycatcher, the janitor prince, regaining his memory of the execution of his family. With the assistance of the Forsworn Knight and other Fable Ghosts, Flycatcher makes his way back into the Homelands where he must defeat the Adversaries forces in order to create a sanctuary for the Fables and provide a strategic advantage for Fabletown in the upcoming war.

I enjoyed this volume because he was a good prince. It was nice for once to wear rose color glasses and live in a world for awhile where peaceful happy endings existed. Sometimes you just need that.

Fables Volume 9: Sons of Empire by Bill Willingham

Fables Volume 9: Sons of Empire, by Bill Willingham, contains several stories as the Fables face an inevitable war against the Adversary. The Adversary, who is still keeping his identity hidden from masses of the Homeland, calls a meeting with his highest-ranking officials to plan the best strategy to not only defeat the Fables but also the mundane along with them. We also learn the back-story of Hansel and Gretel. Let’s just say not the sibling love that we are use to in other stories.

Another main story is Bigby and Snow taking the cubs to celebrate Christmas with Grandpa North Wind. Then at the end there are a handful of short humorous stories answering burning questions up to this point. As with all the past volumes, 5 out of 5 stars for the illustrations.

Hatter M – Mad with Wonder – Volume Two by Frank Beddor with Liz Cavalier illustrated by Sami Makkonen

In Volume Two, Hatter M – Mad with Wonder, we continue to follow Hatter Madigan’s search for the princess of Wonderland, Alyss. This time the glow takes us to America in the Civil War Era. Like Volume One, 5-stars for illustrations and graphic set-up, great eye-candy. Also like Volume One, it starts out a little slow and takes a while to get back to the meat of the story. I think I almost found Hatter M Institute for Paranormal Travel back section more fascinating than the story, but when it hits the selves, I will be picking up Volume 3.

Hatter M – The Looking Glass Wars – Volume One by Frank Beddor with Liz Cavalier illustrated by Ben Templesmith

I had just finished reading Alice and Wonderland when I saw this book, Hatter M The Looking Glass Wars Volume One in the Graphic Novel Reporter newsletter. I was intrigued on what twist they would do on the original story and from the cover; it also looked like great eye-candy.

The premise for the story is great. In this version we have Hatter Madigan, who is a loyal bodyguard to Queen Genevieve (the White Queen) and one of the fierce blades men of the Royal Wonderland Millinery. He wears a magical hat that is just as deadly as his blades. Queen Genevieve’s palace is under attack by Queen Redd and her forces. Queen Redd is Genevieve’s sister, who of course wants to off everyone’s head. To save her child, Princess Alyss, Queen Genevieve orders Hatter Madigan to take the little girl to the world on the other side of the looking glass keeping her hidden from the evil Queen Redd. However in transporting through the portal, Hatter M becomes separated from Alyss. Now in a strange world he must find the little girl before darker forces do and then find their way back to Wonderland before Queen Redd destroys it. The only thing he has to go by is his sixth sense of being able to see imagination’s glow and hoping that light will lead him to Alyss. However, he soon finds that imagination in this world is a precious sought out commodity with a high price tag and that dark imagination also exists.

Again, loving the premise, especially that we have a glowing imagination ora, but I will admit I thought the story started out a bit disjointed and hard to follow. I also found myself wanting more story and less sword fighting. I haven’t read Frank Beddor’s books, The Looking Glass Wars and Seeing Redd, and reading them might provide a better reference point for the graphic novels. But with that said, I am hooked and will be moving on to Volume Two.

I also found interesting the introduction and back section of the book from the Hatter M Institute for Paranormal Travel, a mixture of fact and fiction, or is it? Ben Templesmith’s illustrations were luscious as well as the book’s set up. A 5-star for eye-candy.

Death: The High Cost of Living by Neil Gaiman

2009 had some of the best of times but it also had a ton of the worst of times for my family. That is why I thought it appropriate for the last book of my 2009 reading to be the graphic novel, Death: The High Cost of Living by Neil Gaiman with illustrations from Dave McKean, Chris Bachalo and Mark Buckingham. Finished it at 11:45pm on New Years Eve. Yes that is right, I am such a party animal.

As usual, Mr. Gaiman does not disappoint. Death: The High Cost of Living centers around Sandman’s sister, Death. One day in every century Death becomes human to better understand what it feels like for the lives she takes, or in other words, to have mortality.

On this day mortal death and a troubled sixteen year-old embark on an adventure to search for the heart of a two-hundred-and fifty-year-old homeless woman. Like my 2009 this quest has some best of times and then some not so pleasant times.

If you are not familiar with the Sandman series, the question is, why not? Okay, just kidding. I think you would still be able to follow along the story line without having read any of the Sandman Graphic Novels, but I highly recommend his whole series.

Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? By Neil Gaiman and Illustrated by Andy Kubert

I will confess, this is the first Batman graphic novel I have read and the reason was because it was Neil Gaiman’s Batman.

Thus I cannot compare it to other Batman’s, but I thought it had the same surreal dream state of his Sandman series. Batman attends his own funeral (or at least it appears that way) along with his dearest friends and deadliest enemies. Each of them gives quite a different eulogy of the Cape Crusaders life, and death. As the Dark Knight hears the contradictory tales, he must determine the truth for himself.

Amazing story telling that pares perfectly with the bold and macabre illustrations. Then the bonus material is chalked full of that Gaiman dry sense of humor that I love so well.

Black Orchid Written by Neil Gaiman; Art by Dave McKean

The artwork and the fact it was written by one of my favorite writers, Neil Gaiman, is what drew me to Black Orchid. I read the description:

After being viciously murdered, Susan is reborn fully grown as the Black Orchid, a hybrid of plant and human, in order to avenge her own death. Now as this demigoddess attempts to reconcile her human memories and botanical origins, she must also untangle the webs of deception and secrets that led to her murder.

Okay, I was hooked and the Black Orchid came home with me. I finished it over two weeks ago, but struggled with how to summarize it. The story is rich, dark and surreal, almost like you are floating through a poem. Though imagine my surprise during that poetic journey when I turned a page to stumble upon the cape crusader, Batman. Never saw that coming. I think fans of The Sandman and MirrorMask would enjoy the Black Orchid’s story and the psychedelic images of Dave McKean.

Hellboy 8: Darkness Calls by Mike Mignola

In volume 8, Hellboy: Darkness Calls, Hellboy is still on sabbatical, but that means anything but rest for our red dehorned hero. Hecate, the queen of the witches, is presumed destroyed and now they need a new leader. They offer to make Hellboy, King of the Witches, but for those who are familiar with Hellboy, we know what he told them they could do with that offer. Which just a piece of advice, not wise to turn down such job offers from witches.

Hellboy’s rejection hurls him into the world of his old nemesis, Baba Yaga, who is still seeking an eye for an eye revenge against Hellboy. Even though they are now on her battlegrounds, Hellboy still finds a few alliances, but Baba Yaga is willing to conjure up whatever it takes to get her revenge. Meanwhile, the witches embark on bringing back an ancient entity that most likely will destroy the world.

Unlike the last couple of volumes that consisted of several short stories, Darkness Calls is just one action packed tale filled with folklore, mythology, theology, and demonology.

I don’t think I can sum it up better than Jane Yolen in the introduction: “It is a deeply human story for all its monsters.”

I can hardly wait to start reading volume 9, oh wait, there is no volume 9 :(.

Fables Volume 8: Wolves by Bill Willingham

Spoiler alert for those who haven’t read the previous volumes of Bill Willingham’s Fables series.

Fables Volume 8: Wolves continues with Mowgli’s search for Bigby and we find out what Prince Charming has in store for the wolf once Mowgli finds him. Meanwhile, Snow is trying to control her changeling children and their Grandfather, the North wind, decides it is time to blow from the farm. Not a lot of side storied in this book, mainly just follows Mowgli’s search for Bigby and the mission they need to wolf to accomplish. There is an additional bonus story at the end of Cinderella undercover antics, which includes playing an ear doctor to a giant and changing into a mouse.

Fables 7: Arabian Nights (And Days) by Bill Willingham

In Fables 7: Arabian Nights (And Days), Fabletown realizes they need to make alliances with the unconquered Arabian Fables in order to maintain and protect their community in the mundane world. However diplomatic relations are not only strained by cultural differences, but also by a genie in a bottle.

Meanwhile we are also told a story about a forbidden love between a wooden soldier and his nurse and what they must give up to be together.

Hellboy 7: The Troll Witch and Others by Mike Mignola

Hellboy 7: The Troll Witch and Others by Mike Mignola is again based on several myths and folktales. The first story has Hellboy confronting a Penanggalan, a Malaysian folklore version of the vampire. The Hydra and the Lion was created with his daughter whose favorite creature at the time from Disney’s Hercules was the serpent water beast, Hydra. An interesting modern day twist on the legend of Hercules that even leaves Hellboy scratching his head. The Troll Witch is based off a Norwegian folktale about two sisters but with a slightly different ending than the original tale.

The Vampire of Prague was based on a puppet Mike Mignola and Guillermo de Toro fell in love with when scouting out locations for Blade II. Attached to the puppet was a booklet telling about the legend of the gambler ghost of Prague. Mike Mignola said for the most part he stayed faithful to the gambler legend but took the liberty of also turning him into a vampire since supposedly there are few vampires that haunt Prague. Interestingly, P. Craig Russell illustrated this story.

The last story Makoma, that he stumbled upon in an Andrew Lang Fairy Book, is a tale told by a mummy in the New Your City Explorer’s Club. Mike Mignola also does not illustrate this one but instead by Richard Corben.

Also included in this addition are the stories, Dr. Carp’s Experiment and The Ghoul. Then in the back is a small preview of all three artists’ sketchbooks, Mike Mignola, P. Craig Russell and Richard Corben.

Hellboy 6: Strange Places by Mike Mignola

I am a latecomer to graphic novels but I am totally enjoying Hellboy. I love how he weaves old folktales and mythology throughout the stories building them up to a great crescendo and then a somewhat sarcastic Hellboy kicks butt. In Hellboy Volume 6: Strange Places, the first story, The Third Wish, is based on Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid. Hellboy travels to Africa and after listening to stories of a tribesman, hears voices summoning him to the ocean. Needless to say, the mermaids in this story would not win any auditions with Disney.

The second story, The Island, was inspired by the Sargasso Sea stories by William Hope Hodgson. According to the author notes at the beginning of the story, Mike Mignola started this story a couple of times but ran out of gas. He goes on to say he created Hellboy in 1993 and had been keeping a lot of his secrets, but then along comes the movie and up pops the Ogdru Jahad waggling their tentacles all over the big screen. He figured if we were going to see them, might as well not only see the real version but their origin in The Island.

This time at the end in addition to a peak inside his sketchbook is the first 8 pages of the first version of The Island. Quite different than the final story that was published in 2005.

Fables Volume 6: Homelands by Bill Willingham

Spoiler alert for those who haven’t read the previous volumes of Bill Willingham’s Fables series.

In this volume, we follow Boy Blue’s journey back to the Homelands where he seeks revenge for the death of his best friend, Pinnochio, and the imprisonment of his long lost love, Little Red Riding Hood. Through the use of a magic cloak not only does Boy Blue find out the true identity of the Adversary and the story behind his empire. Meanwhile back at Fabletown they welcome the Jungle Boy’s, Mowgli, return. We also find out that Prince Charming enjoys throwing a few twists and turns into the plot line.

A bonus in this volume is a 2-part story of Jack Horner’s movie adventures in Hollywood.

The Sandman Volume 10: The Wake by Neil Gaiman

At the end of The Sandman Vol 10: The Wake, Neil Gaiman writes that he has always been bad at goodbyes, but I thought he did an excellent job in this last volume of Sandman by doing what he does best, telling stories. This was not at all how I thought the series would end, you would have thought by now I would have known that Mr. Gaiman would not do the obvious or even the next couple of obvious. Instead he ends with four unique stories of a surreal wake, an undying friendship, a Chinese sage travel through the dessert with a kitten, and William Shakespeare’s final obligation to The Sandman. Intriguing tales with the wonderful imagery of Michael Zulli, Jon J Muth, and Charles Vess (who also illustrated the Blueberry Girl). I procrastinated reading this last volume in the series because I did not want it to end, but I guess I was being silly, as I will never stop having dreams.

P.S. Don’t worry, nothing happens to the kitten.

Fables Volume 5: The Mean Seasons by Bill Willingham

**Spoiler alert for those who haven’t read Bill Willingham’s Fables Volume 4: March of the Wooden Soldiers.The 5th volume of Fables, The Mean Seasons, starts out with a story of Cinderella entrapping a Fable who is collaborating with the Adversary, but exactly whom is she working for? The Cinderella story is followed by a couple of other short stories about Bigby Wolf’s secret mission during World War II. Then on to the main event where we pick up after Fabletown survives its attack from the Adversary’s wooden soldiers. Snow White has resigned as deputy mayor and has moved out to The Farm to raise her children since they do not pass as humans. Boy Blue has disappeared and is believed to have gone back to the homelands to search for his long lost love, Little Red Riding Hood. Angered over the fact that Snow has taken his children to The Farm where he is not allowed, Sheriff Bigby Wolf also resigns from his posts and leaves Fabletown. Needless to say, the civil administrative offices are in chaos and the Mayor is not exactly the toast of the town. The recent unresolved murders in the Fable community are not helping make his job any easier. Meanwhile up at The Farm, Snow White received a perplexing letter about her sextuplets from Witch Totenkinder. It is not until the children’s grandfather arrives does Snow realize the grave nature of the witch’s message.

Can’t wait to start on Volume 6.

Fables Volume 4: March of the Wooden Soldiers by Bill Willingham

Bill Willingham’s Fables Volume 4: March of the Wooden Soldiers starts off with a flash back to the Fables' last stand in their home world against the Adversary forces. Boy Blue makes it on board the last ship to smuggle Fables through the gateway into our world (the Mundane), but his newly found love, Little Red Riding Hood, does not and is presumed dead. That is why centuries later, the surviving Fables are elated when Little Red Riding Hood shows up on their doorstep after escaping through the gate between the lost Fable homelands and ours. All but her old nemesis, Bigby Wolf, who does not think her story, smells quite right. Meanwhile there are three other new visitors in town that appear to be relation to Pinocchio, but it doesn’t appear they want a friendly family reunion. Then just to add a little more tension and excitement (like any more was needed), the womanizing cad, Prince Charming, starts up a campaign to become the new mayor of Fabletown.

I am a slow reader but made it through the 240 pages in a couple of days because I needed to know what was going to happen next. As always, James Jean cover art through out the book is amazing. A couple of warnings. I know I always say this one, but feels it bears repeating, do NOT get overly attached to any of the Fables. Second this one ends in a total cliffhanger, so have Volume 5 at the ready.

Hellboy 5: Conqueror Worm by Mike Mignola

In Hellboy 5: Conqueror Worm, Hellboy and his colleague Roger the Homunculus, who we were introduced to in Hellboy 3’s Almost Colossus, are sent to investigate the ruins of a castle in Austria where Nazis conducted scientific experiments under the direction of our favorite mad scientist, that crazy head in a glass jar, Herman Von Klempt. Their experiments included launching a space capsule that in the future will land back on earth with an evil spirit from the stars that will put an end to mankind as we know it. Well, as you may have already guessed, that future is now. Hellboy and Roger must battle undead Nazis and Von Klempt’s Frankenstein Ape (#10) to intercept the capsule and destroy its single passenger before it destroys them. Will they make it in time? Who is the lobster costumed-adventurer that comes to their aide? Why did B.P.R.D. plant a bomb in Roger? Is this Hellboy’s final mission? Did Mike Mignola manage to weave Poe’s poem Ligeia through out the story? Okay I will answer that last one. Yes, yes he did!

P.S. The gallery at the back of the book shows where Mike Mignola got some of his ideas for the illustrations including how he based the torture harness control box on a parking meter outside his apartment.