(Comic) Let's do the time warp again! A look at Marvel 1602

I read this back in 2008 and while I fell in love with it (I'll explain why in a moment,) I didn't pay attention to the author.

Years and a growing admiration for Mr. Gaiman later I come across this story again.

As I swipe right to turn the pages on my tablet I fell in love with this story once more.

The story follows Nicholas Fury and Stephen Strange, the head of intelligence and court magician respectively to Queen Elizabeth the 1st.

Now, while both of these characters might not surprise you, there are other characters that feature in this story. Matt Murdoch, better known as the Daredevil, Peter Parquagh and Carlos Javier and his band of Witchbreed.

The story focuses on a treasure being brought back from the Crusades in Jerusalem and people are trying to find it. There's also a sense that the timeline is out of whack and they need to find the cause.

Now, I'm not usually one for what if stories as that's my entire process as a writer. It literally starts with, "What if?" So when I usually see things like this, I question the point of their general existence.

However, (and I'm not saying this because I love Gaiman's work,) I found it incredibly immersive story wise, the characters are likeable (Try and not like Matt Murdoch, I dare you,) and seeing the true nature of characters is fascinating to look at.

One of the reveals in this left me going, "huh, well that's a thing," in a scenario that people would normally try to play up. But no, it's done with respect and tact and they move on from that.

I feel as though in some instances I remove myself from the story as it gets to be too dialogue heavy and I want to focus on the artwork.

The artwork drags your eyeballs further into the world as the pieces add another dimension to the old school atmosphere of the comic.  

Overall, this piece by Gaiman and his crew is excellent, but at times I wished it weren't so dialogue heavy. I found this incredibly disconnecting.

So I'm going to give this four and a half stars.

(Comic) Don't let your dreams be dreams....a look at the Sandman Vol. 1

Neil Gaiman's work can be found just about everywhere.

He's written kids books, books for adults, modern takes on fairy tales, tv series and comics.

Each of these has their own Gaiman flair, with anthropomorphic personifications, old gods and demons and humour that is very dry and British.

Sandman tells the story of the personification of dreams (Who looks remarkably like Mr. Gaiman in his younger years,) who goes by Morpheus or Dream.

In a case of mistaken identity, a cult has captured him and stolen his artefacts to sell off or protect themselves with.

For the longest time he was sealed and interrogated for the whereabouts of his sister.

The audience follows Morpheus on his journey to retrieve his items of power. This includes battling demons, meeting a member of the Justice League and going on an adventure with John Constantine.(The British one, not Keanu.)

Gaiman has this ability to take your hand and drag you into a different world with his storytelling. Sandman feels like a preface to his acclaimed novel, American Gods. (Which is also getting a tv adaptation. I'm not going to gush about that here though.)

Morpheus goes through his journey seemingly nonchalant, though any emotions he seems to express are heavily subdued, as though he were expressing them while half asleep. Depending on the situation, this could be incredibly hilarious or dangerous.

Though his sister is only in there for a moment, you can't help but hope that some day you'll meet her so that you can be excited rather than disappointed. Considering her task, she embraces life. Under normal circumstances, this would not work, but I'm reminded of Markus Zusak's character, who has the same task and is often tired. (Seeing these two characters interact with each other would be beautiful to behold.)

While this review has been awfully tangental, if I'm to be frank, the story is not one I've heard before, and though there's a character in the DC universe named Sandman (Apparently he's a member of the Justice League,) I much prefer this incarnation; an old god who looks like an amalgamation of Gaiman and David Bowie and wears dreams like a punk rocker.

The art style is compelling in that it feels as though it's half finished, like a dream. A construct made for you where you fill in the blanks. While other artists would do this and it would probably be shot down in flames, given the circumstances, it fits the story and only adds to it.

Such was the immersion that I had to put it down so I didn't devour it too quickly, but also so I could process everything that was going on.

Gaiman grabs you by the head and shoves it headfirst into a universe that, while already established, is as in depth as one of Clive Barker's novels.

It's a fantastic read and I implore you to read it if you love mythology, demonology and superheroes (There's a pinch in there.)

Sandman is worthy of 5 stars and a promise to continue reading. I can't wait to find out what happens next!

Thus ends this review!

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(Book) Getting Deep...a look at the Ocean at the End of the Lane

I read this book a while ago and while many books have come and gone post reading, this book stays fresh in my mind.

For those of you that have yet to read it, this is a love letter in the most subtle and brilliant sense of the phrase.

Story goes that an unnamed narrator has come back to town for a funeral and inadvertently ends up on the farm of her childhood friend, Lettie Hempstock.

Lettie once saved his life by binding a spirit that lodged a coin in his throat. He doesn't remember her, however. He thinks she's in Australia.

This story takes you by the hand and pulls you into a bucket as deep as the ocean. The tide pulls you into its dark and quiet depths, into the unknown.

Not only is it beautiful in its prose, its dialogue and its message (which is NOT FOR YOU!), but its visual imagery takes you on a subtle fantasy journey that is almost Lovecraftian in its execution.

It's one of those books that I've looked at since I've read it, yet have been unable to pick it up.

This isn't because I hated it or it's lost its re-readability, but as I mentioned in the brackets above, it's not for me. Although, if Mr. Gaiman wrote something like that for me, I'd be incredibly flattered. (Given that he's one of my biggest writing inspirations, incredibly is severe understatement.)

One of the things that I also found is that I related to the nameless narrator. The connection he has with Lettie and the strangeness of the universe that comes with discovering it as a kid was both nostalgic and left a weird hole in my chest.

I liken this book to watching a movie like Seven Pounds. I loved it, but I could only watch it once due to its intensity.

This is the only book of Mr. Gaiman's I will review.

That's because if I had my way, they'd all have the Ravensmark.

While this book is not my favourite, it is more than deserving of a Ravensmark (Picture still pending.)

This simply means that the quality of this book is above mere numbers and is reserved for the best of the best.

Thus ends this review.





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(Movie) A Reflection on Mirrormask

For those of you who know me, you know that Neil Gaiman is the biggest inspiration when it comes to all things literature.

And thus, I went to watch Mirrormask while I ignored my golden rule.

'Go in there without any expectations.'

So without further ado, here are the stats.

Story:

Mirrormask tells the story of Helena, the daughter of circus folk who believes that the grass is greener on the other side. She copes with her whirlwind life by drawing bizarre and wonderful creatures.

After her mother falls ill, she throws herself into drawing. Helena even goes up to the roof of the dodgy apartment complex she now lives in to draw.

Eventually she falls into the world of her drawings and goes on an epic adventure to find the Mirrormask, an artefact that can take her home. Throughout the adventure Helena learns that she has to take responsibility for her actions and becomes a better person for her journey

Visual/Lighting: As this movie is all about dark and light, real and fiction, the movie handles it brilliantly. You can see within the first 20 minutes the transition of the bright, colourful night-life to the dull, drab life of regular people. The visuals for the fictional characters is both remarkable and larger than life. I found myself laughing at the comical, yet noble gorilla/penguin hybrids, the miniature sphinxes and the various other characters that inhabited this bizarre world.

Sound: This aspect was subtle and added to the overall feel. However, sometimes it was so subtle that the silence said more about the scene than sound ever could.

Final Verdict: In light of all this praise I have given this movie, you would think I'd give it 6 out of 5 stars or something of that nature.
However, for all its good points, I found it really hard to keep my attention on it. With that said, it has a lot of rewatch value. Ultimately, I give this 4 out of 5 stars.