Review: Echoes

ECHOES(Minotaur/ Image, 2011; Hardcover)

Collects Echoes Nos. 1-5 (cover dates December, 2010- April, 2011)

Writer Joshua Hale Fialkov/ Artist Rahsan Ekedal

I first encountered Echoes in a Top Cow sampler trade that collected six #1 issues of new titles before they were published in single magazine format, all for $4.99 MSRP. Echoes #1 haunted me, not in a boo, scary way, but in a way where I couldn't stop thinking about it. While it is indeed a Horror book, it is 21^st Century smart while being grounded in the finest of Horror traditions. My backlog is enormous, often taking me 9-12 months or more to get to something by the time that it rotates through my stock. I didn't even realize that this book was solicited, and then I saw that it was being released. I grabbed it on a quasi-impulse, quasi-compulsion and did something that I haven't done in years. I immediately read it the day that it was released.

The premise of the book, without giving away anything (this blog is a no spoiler zone unless indicated in red): Brian Cohn is a man who suffers from schizophrenia and loses his father after a prolonged battle with Alzheimer's. On his deathbed, his father confesses a secret...a black, dirty little secret that threatens to push Brian far over the edge. The question of whether all of this is real or imagined is the crux of this story, and it works extremely well. I will tell you nothing else of the plot, aside from the fact that it's a great read that is worthy of your hard earned discretionary income.

The OCD zone: The book boasts nice paper stock but has incredibly stiff binding. It looks perfect bound (read: glued) but I noticed stitches in at least one spot that indicated sewn binding. The book signatures do not upwardly arch like books with sewn binding typically do as you read them, so I am leaning towards calling this glued. It's most definitely a two fisted read, moustrap binding type of read. Don't let that deter you from giving this book a try, though, as it is a great read. The cover has a screen printed image which is partially revealed through the die-cut dustjacket. Fancy production values, binding aside. Lots of DVD style extras in the back of the book, including a full color cover gallery. (The main story is in black and white.)

Reviews: Top Cow First Look Vol. 1; The Waste Land; Captain America- The First Avenger

TOP COW FIRST LOOK VOL. 1 (Top Cow/ Image, July 2010; Softcover)

Collects Black Vault No. 1, Echoes No. 1, Genius No. 1, Last Mortal No. 1, Mysterious Ways No. 1 and Sunset No. 1

This is one of those $4.99 sampler trade paperbacks that I am such a sucker for. The main difference between this and the Vertigo samplers is that these were all as-yet-unreleased new titles. This is a great idea, as it sucked me in to two of the series for sure when the inevitable collected editions surface. Sunset by Christos Gage (writer), Jorge Lucas (artist) and Felix Serrano (colorist) is really good. It's the tried (or is it tired?) and true scenario of the old guard rising up for one last gasp, and I'm hooked. Echoes promises to be one fucked up read, and I can't wait to read more of it. Genius seems interesting but I won't be going any farther along. This book offers a tremendous entertainment value for a measly $5.00.

THE WASTE LAND (Perennial Library, 1990; Softcover)

Original Graphic Novel

I got this cheap in the graphic novel section of a local used book store, and let me tell you, it was still overpriced. For some strange reason the interior black and white artwork looked decent when I flipped through it in the bookstore. Art can be clever or it can be smart. When it is clever, it is creative and intelligent in a way that can speak to everybody, but intelligent folks can get a little more out of it. When it's smart, it usually when the writer or artist tries too hard to impress folks with his/her knowledge on a subject. The latter is always a chore to experience, and never enjoyable. The Waste Land is the latter.

Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

Score another home run for Marvel Studios. While filled with continuity errors when compared to the source material, this worked extremely well as a movie. I had doubts when they cast Cap at first. The dude who played the Human Torch in those mediocre Fantastic Four movies? Really? It turns out he was believable as ol' Cap. That Agent Smith guy was superb as the Red Skull. I only wish that the Nazis sounded more German, like in the Golden Age Captain America Comics. They talk with lots of Vills and Unds, and I like my Nazis to talk like that. This flick was great overall. Action sequences, CGI, the Easter eggs...everything was wonderful. This has been a great year for the Marvel movies, and The Avengers looks awesome. Oh, and stay until after the credits.