A powerful piece of historical fiction that takes us into the lives of cousins Sam Clay and Joe Kavalier, who dream of using comics to tell stories that make a difference during the WWII era. While the cousins continuously push the envelope of what can be accomplished via the comic book medium, regarded then as mainly “trash” and “funny stories,” they deal with both personal and professional conflicts. Sam, for instance, meets and falls for the male star of a radio show based on one of his comics, and must face questions pertaining to his sexuality. Joe, who stashes all of his earnings toward bringing his family over from Nazi-occupied Prague, faces endless red-tape and ever surmounting feelings of anger and hopelessness. It seems that although trained as an escape artist (this in fact inspires the creation of Kavalier and Clay’s most successful superhero, The Escapist), Joe cannot provide for his family what he himself has succeeded in doing: escaping to America.

Professionally, Kavalier and Clay not only deal with challenges involved in proving the worth of their work; they also deal with copyright lawsuits and the accusation that comics corrupt youth. In fact, real life author Dr. Fredric Wertham and his book that makes this argument, “The Seduction of the Innocents” at one point are featured. As fringe members of art circles, Sam and Joe end up rubbing elbows at one point or another with other artistic celebrities of the time, such as Salvador Dali and Orson Welles.

The novel itself is beautifully written with lucid imagery. Chapters are concise with tightly contained mini-arcs. I’m tempted to call “The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay” the modern day “Great American Novel.” Any comic book fan, history buff, escapology or magical illusion fan will enjoy this novel. And any struggling writer or artist with dreams of making a real difference with his or her work will definitely relate to these characters.

This Newbery Medal winner is ultimately a tale about love, as well as loss, forgiveness, hope… It is a story featuring a mouse, a princess, a rat and a serving girl; and is about the mouse’s love for the princess, the serving girl’s wishes and dreams and the rat’s longing for light, and how all of these characters’ lives intersect. The story is told from an omniscient narrator who often breaks the fourth wall to speak to the reader. For the benefit of the intended audience (children 9-12), for instance, the narrator will at times ask if the meaning of a particular word has been understood and proceed to elaborate. There are moments that the author asks the reader to imagine a character in a particular situation. This is a wonderful device to help children picture stories. In the end the author paints a vivid world with beautifully fleshed out characters. Suspense is built by following each character individually with reminders that the characters will eventually meet. The author also points out time shifts in the story (yet another way for children to adjust to this form of storytelling). Also, the black and white illustrations are delightfully expressive. A fairy tale for the romantic in all of us.

Note: Things that didn’t bother me but apparently bothered others: (1) In the story, there are parents portrayed as abandoning and condemning their children to death. This may not be appropriate for younger children; (2) Some think that the author is too heavy-handed in “telling” children how to feel. I believe that this is just an effective way to teach children how to read and imagine stories; (3) A number of people (both children and adults) were unimpressed with the serving girl portion of the story. Most likely this is because since the serving girl is dim-witted (even the author admits this), she is very hard to relate to.

The writing, like the art of “Superman For All Seasons” is whimsical and poetic, complementing the seasonal theme of the work. Each “season” or section is narrated by a different person in Clark Kent’s life, starting with his father, followed by Lois Lane, Lex Luthor and ending with Lana Lang; and each narrative is seamlessly interwoven into the dialogue. Though it first appears to be an origin story, “Superman For All Seasons” is more about the themes of power and choices made in regard to said power, attempting to give the reader a glimpse into the inner workings of these characters. But like a poem, the words are used sparingly to create imagery. And together with the illustrations, this graphic novel creates a contemplative tone. It is Superman at his most classic. However, with the sheer number of Superman stories available, this one certainly is not the most novel of them.

One word: Bloody. Directed by John Hillcoat and written by Nick Cave. Although only 104 minutes long, the movie takes its time (don’t most Westerns?) but not in a bad way. Set in 19th century Australia, the movie is about retribution and focuses on the lives of Captain Stanley (Ray Winstone) and his wife (Emily Watson) and how they are affected by a proposition Stanley makes to the outlaw Charles Burns (Guy Pearce), who is part of a group charged with gruesomely murdering a family. The landscape is both beautiful and harsh and suspense is effectively built by Stanley’s proposition, leaving the viewers both anticipating and dreading the results.

Let me preface this by saying that I’m a Bendis fan. I greatly enjoyed his Ultimate Spiderman, Daredevil, Alias/The Pulse… I need to catch up on his other works. That’s why I currently have this beautiful Powers, Vol. 1 hardcover. Underneath the glossy book sleeve lies a sleek black book, debossed in red with the title, creators’ names and striking images of the two main characters both on the front and spine. Open the book to find glossy, high-quality pages… This book is a physical delight to read…a texture aficionado’s dream.

Inside is a collection of issues 1-11 of the first volume of the comic series Powers, which takes place in a world where people with superpowers are unique, but certainly not uncommon. The comic focuses on two detectives, Christian Walker and Deena Pilgrim, who specialize in cases involving “Powers” or people with superpowers. The hardcover includes two story arcs (Who Killed Retro Girl? and Roleplay), a oneshot (Ride Along) and a plethora of supplementary material (interviews, full script of the first issue, coloring/activity book reprint, original covers, sketchbooks, etc). In terms of packaging and material, this trade is a must-have for the Powers and/or Bendis fan.

Plot-wise, I believe that Who Killed Retro Girl? works extremely well, both with its grit, character development, humor and plot. I laughed out loud numerous times. The kitchy one-shot Ride Along features Warren Ellis and is rather funny though the ending comes off as a cop-out. Roleplay, however, doesn’t work quite as well. Some melodramatic moments with a plot that is not as tight as it could be and where did the humor go? Oeming’s art works incredibly well during some parts in terms of angles and layout, though character renditions are inconsistent and not as precise as they could be.

Recently I watched Moulin Rouge again; something I hadn’t seen in four years; and I was struck by the use of contemporary music within an exagerrated historical world. So many elements of the movie would not have worked on their own. Yet in the context of this world they blend together beautifully. The combination of comedy and tragedy appeals to me as well…

More than East meets West, Joss Whedon’s Firefly is West meets Space. And why not? Visually it is stunning, a lovely combination of rustic, futuristic and ethnic. The acting is superb. And the writing? Joss Whedon. Need we say more?

In the distant future, earth no longer exists, but we now have the capacity to “terraform” planets. Central planets are inhabited by the wealthy, while border planets resemble the American equivalent of the Western frontier. Aboard the firefly ship Serenity, we meet Captain Malcom Reynolds, a former military sergeant who lost his faith in the Battle of Serenity Valley (his ship’s namesake). Now, along with his crew (including first mate Zoe, pilot Wash, doctor Simon, “companion”/high class prostitute Inara, mechanic Kaylee, mercenary Jayne and preacher Book), Reynolds travels border planet territory, taking odd jobs, both legal and illegal, in order to keep fuel in their tanks and food on the table.

Along the way, they face their share of problems including the Alliance/Government, Reavers (cannibals, in short) and mysterious men doning blue gloves. Oh, and there are no aliens. Can’t get the theme song from my head, also written by Joss.

The artwork in Black Hole is stark, precise and powerful. I have even more respect for author/illustrator Charles Burns after learning that the serialized comic book took ten years to complete, since the consistency of the work is commendable. There are those who believe the story line to be weak. I beg to differ. If this were a movie (and it soon will be in the hands of Neil Gaiman and Roger Avary), it would be the equivalent of “Lost in Translation,” in that it is a drama focused on character development. The horror of the work stems from the unknown and the physical mutations that a number of characters develop. You become scared of a number of the characters and by the end you realize that they are nothing but human and that you’ve fallen into the trap of prejudice. A powerful metaphor for the AIDS epidemic.