The Star Online: Lifestyle: Bookshelf
The Star Online: Lifestyle: Bookshelf |
- Book Review: Crisis on Infinite Earths
- Reviews: Comic Books
- Book Review: Witches, vampires and warriors
| Book Review: Crisis on Infinite Earths Posted: 20 Dec 2012 10:33 PM PST From the destruction of multiple Earths to the end of one woman's world, we look at some of comics' best end-of-the-world scenarios. IF YOU are reading this, it probably means that you have completed your escape rocket, and are ready to blast off to another planet at the first sign of danger. With Mars being 225 million kilometres away, it's going to be a long journey, so why not complete your post-apocalyptic preparations by bringing along some end-of-the-world themed comics? The doomsayers' top "How the World Will End" theories have ranged from natural disasters to mutually assured destruction; but the world of comics has seen it all, and then some. Comics thrive on such theories while amplifying them at the same time – Terra Firma has been placed on Galactus' menu, invaded by Skrulls, skirted with Anti Matter, and merged with parallel universes, among other world-ending predicaments. However, amidst these big-ticket items, let's not forget other apocalyptic permutations that are on a smaller, more individual scale. Hence, on this (possibly final) day we pay tribute to a compilation of end-of-the-world stories, with the hope that the answer to stopping the world's end may just lie in between these panels. Crisis on Infinite Earths #1-12 Publisher: DC Writer: Marv Wolfman Artist: George Perez Worlds lived, worlds died. Nothing will ever be the same. – Psycho Pirate This limited series, produced in 1985, is the mother of all end-of-the-world scenarios, as no life form on any planet or parallel universe is left unscathed. With a body count that puts the world's combined acts of genocide to shame, Crisis is certainly the benchmark for all apocalyptic acts to follow. To DC's powers-that-be, Crisis was more than just a sales-raking event but also an opportunity to clean up their universe after years of accumulated parallel universes and the story arc confusion it created. Armed with a no-holds-barred multi-layered plot, the creative team included past, present, future and even alternate versions of every DC character possible in this restructuring of the DC Universe. No sacrifices were deemed too great, as household names like Flash and Supergirl were killed off, and historical links to the Golden and Silver Ages were revised. Fortunately, these sacrifices were worth every single penny (especially those spent on the crossovers), as the post-Crisis environment did produce a more solid and less confusing foundation for DC's mid-80s and 90s' creative teams. There aren't enough superlatives to describe Crisis, as it is a masterpiece in every sense. However, if one person should be singled out for its significance, it would be artist George Perez, who made every single panel he drew a sight to behold. For added impact when re-reading Crisis, try keeping a body count! Watchmen #1-12 Publisher: DC Writer: Alan Moore Artist: Dave Gibbons All the countries are unified and pacified... Will you expose me, undoing the peace millions died for? – Ozymandias The best way to delay the end of the world is to fake the end of the world! Regardless of which version of Watchmen finale you know – the comic had Ozymandias simulating an alien invasion while the movie version put the blame on Dr Manhattan – the point is, both versions end with Ozymandias succeeding in uniting the world's warring nations, and consequently staving off the threat of a global nuclear war. The highlights of this 1986 12-parter include elevating the status of comics and portraying the dark side of heroes. Though technically the world did not end, but the build up to the end was unprecedented; and the payoff was devastatingly brilliant. Hulk: The End Publisher: Marvel Writer: Peter David Artist: Dale Keown Hulk is… only one… there is… only one… there is… Hulk feels… cold. – Hulk (who else?) If the world ends by way of nuclear holocaust, then your best chance of surviving it would probably be to expose yourself to gamma rays. Set two centuries in the future, this "closure tale" features the Hulk (and Bruce Banner) and mutated cockroaches as the only living beings on a radiation-drenched Earth. Despite the continents of space available to them, an entire uninhibited planet still turns out to be too small to house the conflicting personas of both Banner and Hulk. While the Hulk is elated that he has outlived all his enemies, Banner is not happy to receive the dubious honour of being humanity's last survivor. After 200 years of roaming a barren Earth, he doesn't want to live anymore, but he can't kill himself! Having had all suicide attempts thwarted by the Hulk's emergence, Banner is practically a walking dead man whose only form of solace comes from the memories of his deceased loved ones. This 2002 one-shot boasted many milestones (i.e. the Green Goliath's "finale", reunion of the best Hulk creative team, etc.), and pays tribute to the characters' evolution. But most importantly, it manages to answer the ultimate question: can the Hulk live without Bruce Banner? Transmetropolitan #8 Publisher: DC-Helix / Vertigo Writer: Warren Ellis Artist: Darick Robertson "She could have told the future what it'd been like to meet Che Guevara in that old Cuban schoolhouse. She could've told them about the last Queen and Albert Einstein and a million other true stories besides. But the future didn't want to know." If you are contemplating cheating Death and Father Time at the same time, this 1998 stand-alone tale should make you reconsider that idea. Mary is a mid-20s bag lady who offers free history lessons in "The City's" alleys, a career choice that is the result of being time-displaced and trapped in a future she does not belong to. A century ago, Mary was a successful photojournalist who witnessed first-hand historic milestones and personalities. However, her first taste of a heart attack got her so worried that she and her husband signed up for a (then) revolutionary cryogenic program, with the hope of being reborn in a better future. A century later, Mary did get reborn with a newer body of her choice, but she also got more than she bargained for, as she was revived in an alien environment with no husband (who died in Kuala Lumpur without cryogenic assistance) and no friends. Being a stranger in a strange land, Mary sank into depression, like the many other wealthy folks who had opted for the cryogenic treatment. To me, this is the most apt tale about cheating death, and it was also my first step towards embracing the more mature Vertigo comics. So while it wasn't exactly the end of the world yet, to Mary, it certainly felt like the end of her world. Related Stories: |
| Posted: 20 Dec 2012 06:46 PM PST Irredeemable Writer: Mark Waid Artist: Peter Krause, Diego Barretto WHAT would happen if the world's most powerful, invincible superhero decided to become the world's worse nightmare? Worldwide chaos, destruction and mass genocide, of course. The Plutonion even makes time to wipe Singapore from the face of Earth. Now, that's evil. Y: The Last Man Writer: Brian K. Vaughn Artist: Pia Guerra Well, not exactly the end of the world… more like the end of half the world. The entire male population on Earth (from humans down to rats) has been wiped out except Yorrick Brown and his monkey Ampersand. Sounds like heaven, guys? Think again. Sweet Tooth Writer/Artist: Jeff Lemire The human race is being wiped out by an unknown plague that is causing newborn babies to be born as animal hybrids. The story revolves around Gus, a human/deer hybrid, who could be holding the key to the survival of the human race, but is more interested in chocolate bars and running away from evil scientists and militia who want to conduct bad experiments on him. The New Deadwardians Writer: Dan Abnett Artist: I.N.J. Culbard Yet another post-apocalyptic world with a lot of flesh-eating zombies. The difference is, this time, in order to deter the zombies from having them for dinner, the "surviving", richer half of the human race decide to turn themselves into vampires instead. So yeah, the rest of us are pretty much doomed. The Walking Dead Writer: Robert Kirkman Artist: Tony Moore and Charlie Adlard What? You haven't read this critically acclaimed comic about a world overrun by zombies, which is also now a critically acclaimed TV series? What are you waiting for – the end of the world? Related Stories: |
| Book Review: Witches, vampires and warriors Posted: 20 Dec 2012 06:44 PM PST Witch World Author: Christopher Pike Publisher: Simon & Schuster, 528 pages TO celebrate finishing secondary school – and becoming old enough to (officially) gamble! – Jessie Ralle heads off for a weekend in Las Vegas with her friends. Trying to deal with the pain and awkwardness of having her ex along on the trip, Jessie hits the tables and finds herself in a high stakes game of blackjack with a guy who can't seem to lose. When Russ shares his winning streak with her, it doesn't take much for Jessie to agree to leave the table with him. What he teaches her in the privacy of his hotel room is nothing like what Jessie expected. Instead of a casual hook up, she discovers a strange and magical parallel world where the people she knows from her ordinary life hide dark secrets – and she herself has amazing abilities. The Malichea Quest: The Deadly Game Author: Jim Eldridge Publisher: Bloomsbury USA, 256 pages THE first book in the Malichea Quest series, The Invisible Assassin, introduced us to trainee journalist Jake Wells whose life is turned upside down when he uncovers information about the ancient and secret order of Malichea and its lost books full of powerful knowledge. In this sequel, Jake is determined to get his life back and decides that the only way to do that is find one of the lost books and use it as leverage. But there are powerful forces at work and Jake soon finds himself on the run, marked for death by enemies known and unknown. Bitter Blood (Morganville Vampires, Book 13) Author: Rachel Caine Publisher: Allison & Busby, 416 pages RACHEL Caine's continuing series about the vampires who rule the town of Morganville and the humans who live there under a precarious compact moves to a new level with this book. The "gang of four" humans who have been the central focus in all the books, Claire and Shane and Eve and Michael, find themselves torn apart thanks to the machinations of a particularly evil vampire who has decided that it's open season on all humans. Struggling to keep her town together, Claire has to persuade the vampires to keep to their previous deal even while her friends seem to lose faith in her. Black City Author: Elizabeth Richards Publisher: Putnam Pub Group, 384 pages THE Black City teeters perpetu ally on the brink of war with the blood-sucking Darklings forced into ghettos and humans lording it over them while trying to keep the lid on their resentment. When a human-Darkling hybrid falls in love with the human daughter of a high-ranking official, you can imagine the hell the breaks loose. But Ash and Natalie feel a strange connection that they cannot explain but can't deny, not when Natalie's mere presence causes Ash's long-dormant heart to begin beating, or when Natalie feels literally electrified when Ash touches her. But there's more to their feelings than mere romance, and the two soon find themselves in the middle of a deadly conspiracy that could start another war. Hunger Games Set Author: Suzanne Collins Publisher: Scholastic Press, 1,408 pages THE bestselling trilogy has been packaged in a boxed set that's perfect for this gift-giving season or even as a great excuse to revisit Suzanne Collins' world, where teens of the nation of Panem are sent as "tribute" to the ruling Capitol to compete in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death that is broadcast live on TV. Jennifer Lawrence plays main character Knatsiss Everdeen in the hit movie adaptation of the first book and will continue her role in the movie of the second book, Catching Fire, in which Knatsiss tours the districts around the Capitol and learns that the history she has been taught might not have told the whole story of how Capitol came to rule over all and why the Games are staged. The final book, Mockingjay, which will also be made into a movie, sees Knatsiss stepping up to try to change her world completely. |
| You are subscribed to email updates from The Star Online: Lifestyle: Bookshelf To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
0 ulasan:
Catat Ulasan