Capsule book reviews in 255 characters or fewer. Ish. A reading diary (1st Jan 2019 onwards) by Eamonn Griffin.
The sleeping sickness now established, matters come to a head in Dooling. A strong counterpart to Volume 1, completing an excellent graphic novelisation (is that even a phrase?) of the King father and son collaboration. Perhaps works better if you’re familiar with the source novel, but enjoyable in its own right too.
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My own books are here, if that’s your thing. Newest is noir thriller East of England.
The continuing adventures of a working class British magician, working to balance warring supernatural forces and their own flaws. Still-splendid blend of social realism, state-of-the-world anger, and horror comic thrills. Both of its time (Thatcher’s late 80s) and of this moment: the same wars are still being fought. This first collection brings together issues 1-9, plus issues 77 and 78 of Swamp Thing, Constantine’s origin title.
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My own books are here, if that’s your thing. Newest is noir thriller East of England.
A student and mentor discuss the logistics of a crewed mission to Mars. Detailed and accessible, this graphic novel-style approach usefully dramatizes some key questions and explains how difficult it is to mount a deep space mission. Topics range from dealing with Mars gravity to the practicalities of maintaining life support systems and mental health over long voyages. Useful and informative: recommended.
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My own books are here, if that’s your thing. Newest is noir thriller East of England.
The 9/11 report, distilled into a graphic novel. Excellent summary of the report, offering clarity and comprehensibility into timelining the events leading up to 9/11, into what went wrong, ongoing failures of national security, and from that what needs to be done to make different agencies work together. It’d be fascinating to read an updated version.
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My own books are here, if that’s your thing. Newest is noir thriller East of England.
Subtitled “The Story of Apollo 11’s Third Man”: a graphic novel biography of NASA astronaut Michael Collins. Brisk and efficient, conveyed in lovely artwork reminiscent of blueprints, concept art, and movie storyboards. A spotlight shone on a perhaps overlooked member of the Apollo mission team, and accessible to boot. Recommended for fellow lunar enthusiasts.
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My own books are here, if that’s your thing. Newest is noir thriller East of England.
A possible diary in images and words of a year in the East of Lincolnshire. Can’t say more than that – and this isn’t a review, ‘cos family – but if you’re familiar with Maxim Griffin’s work then this is the motherlode to date. If you haven’t, then this is your departure point. Get on it now before the inevitable Werner Herzog/Ben Wheatley/Johnny Nice bidding war begins. Onwards, as Maxim is wont to say.
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My own books are here, if that’s your thing. Newest is noir thriller East of England.
A group of thirty-somethings united by a common friend find themselves invited to a remote house to sit out the apocalypse. Lost-ish group drama that’s strong on WTF moments and on asking lots of questions. Told with its writer’s usual confidence: it’ll be fascinating to see where this is going. Issues 1-6 collected here.
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My own books are here, if that’s your thing. Newest is noir thriller East of England.
Two short runs (issues 6-7 and 14-17) are collected here, adding context and depth to The Department. More of a counterpoint to the series as a whole, there’s nevertheless plenty of confident swagger here: alt-history from Constantine to Kennedy, and all points in-between, with a focus on the afterlife of Lee Harvey Oswald. Volume Four (The Ministry of Lies) follows.
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My own books are here, if that’s your thing. Newest is noir thriller East of England.
Cole Turner learns more about Lee Harvey Oswald, and about the different factions involved in both suppressing and engineering manifestations of conspiracy theories into real life. The series (issues 6-10 collected here) is now in its stride: cannily assuming that readers either know – or will find out about – Bigfoot, Jim Jones, JFK and the like, we get full-on with the interdimensional weirdness. Volume Three (Free Country) looms.
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My own books are here, if that’s your thing. Newest is noir thriller East of England.
A delusional bibliophile believes himself to be a knight on a quest. Excellent graphic novel adaptation of the Cervantes classic (the first half here, with Volume 2 to follow). An emphasis on slapstick humour throughout, on the value of stories, and on there being no harm in following your dreams. Lots of fun, and great to look at too.
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My own books are here, if that’s your thing. Newest is noir thriller East of England.
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