September Dregs

okay, catching up on the last of my September reads... two graphic novels and a book of poetry.
The two graphic novels this month were Anya's Ghost and Y: The Last Man Vol3. 

Anya's Ghost starts light hearted enough, and then slowly adds on the creepy.   Without really trying to, the narrator addresses bullying, 1st generation immigrants trying to fit in with the pressure to honor the past, infatuation, teenage moral codes (or lack thereof), self acceptance and others.  At the same time, we have ourselves a ghost story with a 93-year old ghost 'girl' and the girl who befriends her.  The ghost really is a vehicle to offer some 'what would you do if...?' scenarios and it works well in this medium.   It's not world changing underground 'comix' but it's a fun and layered read.  I wish the author delved a titch more into the complex emotions that surround the betrayal of treating another the way you were once treated (and hated) out of fear of the past.  There is a lot of current (great) literature or movies out about this phenomenon of pursuing the frenemies in one's life rather than befriending those who need friends as much as oneself and who would prove far more loyal.  Anya's story had an opportunity to add more on the subject but really just touched it and moved on.  I'd still recommend this quick read.

As for Y:The Last Man, I'm on the third (of 5) compilations in these serial graphic novels but haven't yet discussed it much with the exception of my graphic novel rating entry.  This series keeps getting better as women decide if they want to recreate the conflicts that occured in a world with both sexes.  The majority of politicians, soldiers, pilots, violent criminals, and Fortune 500 CEO's have disappeared.  Where do we go from here?  And what do we believe about fate and faith now in the midst of the greatest apocalypse in earth's history?  And for Yorrick (yes, Yorrick - his dad was a big Shakespeare fan), the sole surviving male on earth - what is his responsibility to womankind... was he supposed to die as well or is he supposed to be the hope for a new mankind?  The trek across land and sea paces quickly while staying true to a time-scale of several years.  I can anticipate numerous take-offs of 'inspired-by' stories that follow or prequel other characters in this world instead of following the last man... because while his story is interesting, this is still at heart the story of a world of women reeling and coping with the remnants of human(and animal kingdom as well)-kind and a ticking clock for the expiration of life on earth.  Highly, highly recommended!

Finally, as a result of reading the slogged-through-it-and-can't-decide-if-I-liked-it-or-hated-it Hollywood by Charles Bukowski, I decided to check out one of his books of poetry to see what all the fuss was about.  In my mind, Bukowski seemed like a wanna-be Hemingway in the manner of self-destructive, womanizing, cerebral but soul-less jerk. 
I picked up Bukowski's post-humous book Sifting Through the Madness for the Word, the Line, the Way…  (even his title irks me!) which was one of the few books available at the library and it didn't really help because it was written around the time that Hollywood was finished so any insights just compounded my I'd-rather-be-reading-Billy-Collins-than-this-asshole opinion.  I've spoken to a few women who obsessed over his earlier poetry in their adolescence so perhaps I should give him another shot... but then again, I'm in my 30's and will likely finding it just as tiresome since I know I would find myself as an adolescent quite annoying.

Graphic Novel Top 10 (ish) Part 2: Honorable Mentions

This is just a quick list + descriptions of graphic novels that were great but didn't make the Top 10 (they round out the top 20 instead).  They are in no particular order because they all hit a similar "great-but-not-the-best" rating.

Y: The Last Man - Imagine all the male creatures on earth were wiped out in an instant... what does that mean for the typical duality-based struggles we are used to on earth?  War, Labor, Creation and Protection of Offspring, Politics etc...   It's a finely drawn and well-thought out concept that follows the lines of post-apocolyptic writing with the exceptions that half of the world is still alive but with skewed experience (i.e. most as in >90% politicians, soldiers, pilots in the world are male).

Aya - Probably the first book I've seen showing a prosperous African nation.  The Ivory Coast is aptly portrayed here as the home of Aya, a typical (if more studious than her boy-crazy friends) young girl growing up in her homeland.  There are obvious cultural differences but most of the time her life and city are as familiar as the small town homes many Americans grew up in.

Stitches: A Memoir -  This is a pretty dark tale told from a young boy's perspective so it won't appeal to all readers, however I found it an amazing coming-of-age/overcoming your crazy-family story full of hope or maybe just sheer stubborness in not living out one's family destiny.  I recommend it for anyone who grew up feeling like the crazy one because of the people influencing their life.

The Color of Earth (also ...of Heaven & ...of Water) - This is a trilogy tale of a young girl/maiden/woman in Korea (each book covering one phase).  It is beautifully drawn and lovely in its content.  I loved especially the story of young love from the first book.

The Walking Dead - I'm going to have to join the chorus out there shouting that the graphic novel is far better than the television series.  And the television series was decent as far as the zombie plots out there go.  I'm not sure why the series made the changes it did but I think they lost some great character development and story-telling along the way.  The drawings are bold and sure-handed which I appreciated, especially if a great percentage of the pictures are going to be dedicated to the grotesque undead. 

Maus (Book1) - I haven't been able to locate the sequel through my library so I've only got half the story, however the tale that looks back through the author's father's eyes leading up to his entry into Auchwitz, is stunning.  We walk through the daily grind of life in Poland in the years leading up to his internment as slowly and inexorably the scenery changes from bad to worse.  Along the ride though we get insights into the family dynamics, personality tics and modern-day concerns that remind us of the very humanity (or in this case, rodentry) that was put on hold for years in the camps.  Strange to say, but it was a delight to read.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (or other Scott Pilgrim tales) - For those familiar with the movie (HIGHLY RECOMMEDED!), the film version is super-dedicated to near panel for panel faithfulness to the original.  I actually prefer the film because I liked the 'look' better than the cartoon-y characters from the graphic novel but the former wouldn't exist without the latter and the latter is pretty-darn good.

A representative of crime/noir - The Black Diamond Detective Agency by Eddie Campbell.  This one has a western bent to it as well but hits two goals for me: 1) it covers Eddie Campbell who is a great contributor to the genre but who's other pieces didn't hit the top o'the list for me & 2) it represents all the crime/noir pieces out there that the graphic novel is SUCH a perfect medium for.  I like classic film noir but usually in small increments (i.e. "Brick" is a fabulous out-of-the-ordinary noirish film with just enough of a light touch, whereas "The Maltese Falcon" is formulaic) and the same goes for novels (Mickey Spillane is a from-time-to-time escape but easy to overdose on).  In graphic novels you get the heights of the Look and Feel of classic noir along with the expected doses of the formula: femme fatales, red herrings, hard-boiled PI's and gritty dialogue.  And it doesn't bore you with its familiarity.  I've seen better as a representation but couldn't remember or uncover the title despite my huntings.  So this'll do and it has the added bonus of the shout-out to Mr. Campbell. :)

So that's it for graphic novel's folks... until Rabbi's Cat 3 is translated or Marjane Satrapi puts out something new!