14 Reviews (2 New)
A Dark and Scary Place
Released to coincide with the release of the Fantastic Four movie, this book looks at the origins of the characters. Comics Creators on Fantastic Four contains interviews with everyone from original co-creator Stan Lee to classic writer/artists Walt Simonson and John Byrne, right up to recent and current stars such as Jim Lee and Mark Waid.
Containing exclusive sketches and script pages, the book tells the behind-the-scenes story of the creation and development of the Thing, the Invisible Woman, the Human Torch, and Mr Fantastic: the Fantastic Four...
This book follows the same format as the Comic Creators on Spider-Man book which I reviewed a year or so ago, also put together by Tom DeFalco and published by Titan Books. It comes with an attractive artwork cover and a nice layout incorporating inset information on integral characters and major storylines. The thoughts and memories of many of the big names in writing and artwork are collected together here in interviews about their contribution to the continuity of the Fantastic Four.
Joe Sinnott, Roy Thomas, Keith Pollard, Doug Moench, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Walter Simonson, Mike Wieringo, Warren Ellis, Jim Lee, Paul Ryan and Mark Waid are all cross examined in-depth. Recognise any of those names? If you do, that's great, but the chances are you won't... and therein lies the problem. If you can't relate to the individual's work you might as well be reading an interview of your friend's uncle's milkman's next-door neighbour. The only names I recognised were Ralph Macchio, John Byrne, and the great Stan Lee, creator of all of Marvel's best loved characters. Those pieces I enjoyed, but they were only a small part of the book.
The comics I read as a kid were mainly Spider-Man and Batman, which I found to be the most accessible. I know what the Fantastic Four can do; however, I have no knowledge of their history, only what occurred when they occasionally appeared with the web-slinger himself. Therefore, any avid fan of the Fantastic Four will probably love this, but it will not interest the casual reader.
I must confess to having been a mite apprehensive upon hearing the news that a Spider-Man book was on its way for review. As an avid reader of the comics as a kid and an admirer of the character concept in general, I was cringing at the thought of yet another movie tie-in with big glossy pictures of nothing in particular as a cheap and exploitative gimmick. Boy, was I wrong!
This is an attractive-looking trade paperback-size book crammed with interesting and informative interviews in small but comfortably readable print. The idea is that Tom DeFalco, himself an integral cog in this constantly turning industry wheel, has interviewed many of the big names who have been involved in the writing and artwork of this much loved Marvel hero. Among these names are Stan Lee, the creator, John Romita, Mark Bagley, Gerry Conway, J.M. De Matteis and many more.
Aside from Stan the Man, for me the person who had the most dramatic influence on the story development and particularly the artwork was Todd McFarlane, who went on to create Spawn and now runs a handful of media and toy companies of which the Movie Maniacs line is most impressive. He changed the look of the character by enhancing the spider side of his nature and redesigning the webbing so that it could be fired dramatically toward the reader. You could say that this was the point when superhero comics grew up and began to aim for a more mature young market and older collectors.
If you're looking for a "How To..." book, forget it; this is more about how each individual stamped his mark on Spider-Man and made the comic series his own. They do talk about some of their techniques, and also their friendships or conflicts with each other, but this more closely explores how they got into their profession and what point of the character continuity they influenced.
Sprinkled among the text at random intervals are the histories and origins of the family, friends and villains of Peter Parker, landmark Spider-Man publications and popular storylines. There are some nice design sketches and unused covers, but with no colour photos taking up room this book can concentrate more on the people behind Spider-Man, rather than the Web-slinger himself.
The appeal for me here is the discussion of plot lines and layout. You get the feeling this is the type of book Tom DeFalco himself wanted to read, but the truth is Comics Creators on Spider-Man from Titan Books will appeal to those interested in graphic design, the multi-layered character of Spider-Man or fans of comics in general. Highly recommended.
In the Introduction DeFalco apologises for the exclusion of Babylon 5 writer/creator J. Michael Straczynski who was too busy to meet the deadline, and artist John Romita who is interviewed extensively in Artists on Comic Art, also published by Titan. Perhaps these minor oversights can be rectified in a future follow-up to this book. I recently bought two Spider-Man graphic novels simply because Straczynski had scripted them. It was simply the greatest pairing of storyteller and artist I have seen in a long time.
This is the latest in a series of stand-alone reference books by insider Tom DeFalco which delves into the writing and artwork of comics. The emphasis seems to be very much on Marvel and has continuity in mind as it follows a title from its conception through to recent events. With Comics Creators on Spider-Man and (both also published by Titan Books) having already been handled, it was perhaps inevitable that the popular X-Men would be next.
The format, used to tell the history and developments of storylines and individual approaches to artwork, is a collection of interviews with similar questions surrounding background, and new ones explaining plot and characterisation.
Appropriately we kick-off with Stan Lee, creator of a multitude of loveable superheroes which many of us grew-up reading. Other writers covered who have worked on the comic series include Roy Thomas (the creator of Wolverine and Banshee), Chris Claremont (who devised the Jean Grey "Dark Phoenix" saga), and Grant Morrison. Artists include John Byrne, Marc Silvestri, Neal Adams, Dave Cockrum and others. All interviews are pretty informal and punctuated with insets explaining story arcs and some nice examples of sketched artwork. There are also monochrome representations of groundbreaking covers.
Rather like the festive season, you reap what you sow as far as these books are concerned. Personally, I enjoyed the Spider-Man one best, but only because I read the comics as a kid and could relate to many of the twists and turns that the character endured. I know much less about the X-Men and, consequently, couldn't really get caught-up in the enthusiasm of those involved. I found it interesting only from the writing angle (the most talented seem to be those who are not afraid to put their protagonists through hell and have them permanently affected by events).
If you're a long-time X-Men enthusiast, you'll lap this up. If you're a fan of the films or animated shows and want to find out about the origins of the comics, you could do worse than start here. Otherwise, Comics Creators on X-Men will be of only casual interest. Stand by for Comics Creators on The Hulk; it must surely be next.
Amazingly, this is the first biography ever written on Cozy Powell, in my opinion the best rock drummer of all time. It's even more surprising that no one has previously sung his praises with a book when you consider the legacy he has left behind. For those who don't know, he has worked with the Jeff Beck Group, Rainbow, The Michael Schenker Group, Whitesnake, Keith Emerson & Greg Lake, Black Sabbath, The Brian May Band, Peter Green's Splinter Group, and Yngwie Malmsteen. Phew! Further he's had the bands Cozy Powell's Hammer, Bedlam, Forcefield, Big Bertha, The Sorcerers, and Young Blood. And, as if that isn't impressive by itself, he's had at least five critically acclaimed solo albums, seven solo singles - including the chart-popular Dance With the Devil, has done countless sessions and guest appearances, and played alongside guitar greats such as Ritchie Blackmore, Tony Iommi, Brian May, Jeff Beck, Michael Schenker, Micky Moody, John Sykes, Bernie Marsden, Peter Green, Gary Moore, and many more. Oh, and he broke the World Record for playing the most number of separate drums in a minute (200).
What this book bring across more than anything is Cozy's easy-going, down-to-earth attitude to life. He seemed to get on with most people, but at the same time was no-nonsense, and didn't suffer fools gladly. Unlike some other individuals in the business, he didn't have any rock and roll heirs and graces. He took things as they were, at the same time knowing his own mind. In times of band conflict he would try to sort things out, and if it wasn't working he would get out quickly and move on to another project. When another musician once made a very derogatory comment about him in a magazine, he went and sought out the guy, 'chinned' him, immediately made it up and bought the guy a drink. While this action shouldn't be condoned, it does show that Cozy was salt of the earth and wore his heart on his sleeve.
Cozy was often cited for his criticism of the music business; however, in interviews he always said things as they were. If the deal wasn't right for him (he, rightly, wanted an active part in the band's decisions), he would walk. On numerous occasions he became disillusioned with the proceedings, and spoke about abandoning the music for his other love: racing. Nothing very much is known about his private life, but we do know that he had an on-going passion for fast cars and fast motorcycles. It is sad that this passion ultimately killed him, and the industry - along with countless fans around the world who loved him and his talents - lost a huge asset to the music world.
Much as this book does go over some of the same details several times, Laura Shenton has still managed to produce a fitting tribute to one of our greatest musicians - told mostly in quotes and interviews. What better than hearing the stories from Cozy himself! The book ends with some tributes from famous colleagues and friends. I would have preferred a large coffee table hardback with lots of colour pictures included (this one has black and white ones on glossy paper). Perhaps that will come at some time.
Ex-journalist Tom Maitland is still trying to get his life in order after the unexpected loss of his beloved wife, when he learns that his grandfather is in hospital near death from a stroke. He has no love for the man, but agrees to meet his mother (the sick man’s daughter) at a café. She persuades him to check that his grandfather’s bungalow is secure. Once there he catches a glimpse of a boy who simply vanishes. But this is just the start of a bigger mystery. News clippings are discovered dating back to when his grandfather led the police investigation into the deaths of two young boys and a third who was still missing. Curiosity piqued, Tom’s journalistic instincts take over to the point it begins to take over his life...
This is an 108-page novelette written by Paul Lewis (comedy sketch writer and author of The Savage Knight) and published on good quality paper by Telos. The prose makes for comfortable reading, and the story avoids convoluted plot strands. Thankfully, it keeps to the point and concentrates on characterisation; namely, the protagonist and his mother. I would say that the witnesses and the all the answers he seeks fall comfortably into Maitland’s hands, without the requirement to venture very much out of the local area of his grandfather’s bungalow. Additionally, certain elements of the tale are somewhat predictable. However, I did get drawn in by the human element, and was only half right when predicting the ending.
It’s an enjoyable but regrettably short book, which may well cause people to balk at the £9.99 RRP. A nice saving grace is that my copy is one of a limited number of signed copies by the author.
The British Library publishes a collection of fourteen short stories from the first half of the twentieth century, called Menace of the Monster. The linking theme is monsters, whether they be from Earth’s past, mutations or frightening alien beings. It is edited by Mike Ashley, a historian of popular fiction who has been involved in more than a hundred books. He is a long-time contributor for the British Library, and is the editor of their classic anthologies Lost Mars, Moonrise, Menace of the Machine, and The End of the World and Other Catastrophes. This volume is presented in paperback form, with 240 pages, and cover artwork and frontispiece both by Warwick Goble...
The War of the Worlds, by H. G. Wells is a dramatically condensed version produced by Wells himself to accompany many skillful artwork depictions of the inherent scenes, which were emerging at the time. King Kong, by Draycott Dell & Edgar Wallace is the literary interpretation of the popular movie from 1933. The plot of this is widely known. I love H.P. Lovecraft, and no collection like this should be without him. In this case, his work is represented by Dagon, an early tale from the Cthulhu Mythos. The movie, directed by Stuart Gordon, is actually the story of The Shadow Over Innsmouth, although there are brief sightings of Dagon.
The real appeal of this collection comes from the lesser-known half-forgotten stories. They range not only in years (from 1899 to 1961) but in quality. For example, although the format has been copied countless times, The Dragon of St Paul’s – by Reginald Bacchus & C. Ranger Gull – is so basic an idea as to be pretty dull. There are plenty of good reads here, however, some of which subsequently influenced better-known books and films. In Amundsen’s Tent, by John Martin Leahy – about a Polar expedition and a madness inducing creature found in a Norwegian tent – is said to have inspired Who Goes There (the book which was made into the movie The Thing) and also to a lesser extent by Lovecraft’s In the Mountains of Madness. The Cloud-Men, by Owen Oliver is an Earth invasion which you can’t imaging working without the foundations set in place by H. G. Wells, but it is interesting enough to stand on its own two feet.
The stand-out story for me is De Profundis, by Coutts Brisbane – about a vast army of 1.5 inch man-eating ants which sweeps from the Cornish mines and eventually overruns London. Also noteworthy is The Monster From Nowhere, by Nelson S. Bond – about a dangerous two-dimensional creature. Science Fiction stalwart A.E. Van Vogt is represented by Discord in Scarlet, about a carnivorous alien being treated in a galactic hospital. However, I prefer the home-grown monsters to the alien ones. There is a real mixed bag here; nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed this collection.
Let me start by saying that Blake's 7, the television series which ran from 1978 to 1981, was complete and unadulterated claptrap. I just thought I would get that out of the way first. What do you mean, "Don't you like it, then?" It was cheap and amateurish with many loose scripts which incited overacting by certain cast members. Am I being too harsh? Is this a case of memory cheats, listening to excessive pointless jibes aimed at the show from over the years? Nope. Even a recent BBC rerun on Saturdays proved that my opinion has not changed in 20 years. After little more than ten minutes viewing, washing dishes and Hoovering took on a new appeal.
Blake's 7 most assuredly deserves all the criticism of wobbly sets wrongly aimed at Doctor Who by casual viewers who watched a science fiction series and associated with the long running Time Lord's adventures. Okay, Doctor Who had its duff moments, but not for virtually its entire duration. No, that was Blake's 7. I still find this amazing, as so many behind-the-scenes people worked on both shows.
However, this is a review of a book about the series, not the series itself, and I'm going to surprise everyone now by stating that this is a very well structured and presented guide. Argh! What am I saying? But it's true. Blake's 7 aficionado Alan Stevens, along with Fiona Moore, has collected together everything you could possibly wish to know. There's a background and genesis, before an in-depth breakdown of each of the three seasons. Each episode contains a detailed synopsis and analysis, as well as cast information, transmission date, viewing figure and chart position. Afterwards a couple of fiction books are examined, and then it's on to the two official BBC Radio 4 plays, The Sevenfold Crown, and The Syndeton Experiment, both written by well-known Doctor Who producer/writer Barry Letts. The final section explores the Independent Audio productions, many written by Alan Stevens himself.
Of course, many of us will already know that Blake's 7 was devised by Terry Nation, whose greatest claim to fame was creating the Daleks for Doctor Who (although not designing them - hello Ray Cusick). He also originated The Survivors, and wrote numerous scripts for popular TV shows of the sixties and seventies. What comes through most strongly reading this guide, particularly early on, is how well-intentioned and determined Nation was that Blake's 7 should effectively display his intended hard-edged political and oppressive atmosphere. Whether it actually happened like that, I'm probably not the best person to say, but it is obvious that when Nation relinquished this project to Chris Boucher due to work commitments elsewhere, the format somewhat lost it's way. Don't ask me if it was better or worse, because to me whatever was intended it failed to materialise on screen.
Telos Publishing deserves credit here for this reference book packaging with quality paper and a computer generated cover image (I can understand how photos of the original model work might turn away prospective purchasers; this was experimenting as you go, as it was for Doctor Who). I have no idea if the wealth of information here is accurate, but it certainly looks good.
Titan Books publishes X-Men: Mutant Empire – A Marvel Omnibus, comprising the trilogy Siege, Sanctuary, and Salvation – all written by Christopher Golden (author of Snowblind, Ararat, and Of Saints and Shadows). Main X-Men villain Magneto plans a global Mutant Empire. His first step in doing so is to take over a top-secret government establishment which houses the Sentinels, which are mutant-hunting robots. The X-Men, who wish to build a world where humans and mutants can live safely together, must prevent Magneto from utilising this dangerous technology. To achieve this they are obliged to team-up with old enemies, but the line between heroes and villains becomes somewhat blurred. The book format is paperback, and incorporates 688 pages of reading material. More than enough to keep the average Marvel fan happy.
No matter how anyone feels about the comic book characters of the late great Stan Lee, we cannot have failed to notice the swathe of high-quality big-budget Marvel movies which have practically swamped the cinematic world over the last decade and more. Their success has given the origin stories a well-deserved respected status and revitalised subsequent comic book sales. Consequentially, spin-off merchandising has rocketed, with detailed collectible figures, T-shirts and books such as this one making their mark in an adult as well as child demographic. When I first received this doorstop of a book for review, I made several assumptions about the content: that it was written for a young or teenage market; that it would have very wide margins and a large print font; that it would incorporate many sketches to take up space; and that the characters would act like over-enthusiastic children.
I’m happy to report I was wrong on all counts. The font size is average for a paperback, so you could be reading this omnibus for weeks (perhaps the ideal reading material for the holidaying Marvel aficionado – when he’s not donning his spandex to save the world). The aspect of this book which impresses me the most is the depth of characterisation. Considering there are so many individuals, it’s amazing just how relatable they become – and not just because of their mutant abilities. All of the main players have back stories; they feel, they rebel, they hurt emotionally. They have real problems as well as superhero ones (undoubtedly down to Stan Lee’s great early writing).
Batman and Spider-man (and Daredevil, to a certain extent) were my favourites as a child, and I still love the characters. If this had been a novel about them I would probably have been sucked right into it by the standard of writing, which is pretty good. However, because I’m not as invested in the X-Men, I found it somewhat more difficult to immerse myself in the situations. However, I will finish by saying that, if you’re a follower of the X-Men, the chances are you will love this book aimed at a normal adult audience.
DK Publishing releases Marvel Avengers: The Greatest Heroes, a little book with a big heart. It is a presentation for World Book Day UK 2018 and is priced at only £1. An introduction for young readers to the Marvel universe, it presents full colour artwork and background descriptions for all the superheroes you would expect: Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, Hulk, Falcon, Black Widow, Hawkeye and Scarlet Witch. But it also includes lesser known characters like Luke Cage, Blue Marvel, Captain Britain (which I read as a kid, along with Spider-Man), Quicksilver and Captain Marvel.
There are also mentions for Spider-Man, Guardians of the Galaxy, Doctor Strange and S.H.I.E.L.D. You would think that would be all there is space for in a £1 booklet; not so. We then have a villains section with Loki (Thor’s evil half-brother), Ultron (Iron Man’s biggest mistake), and Thanos (the biggest nemesis to The Avengers). There is also a gallery of lesser known bad guys. The book finishes by quizzing the reader on what has gone before, and adding some adverts for larger tomes for the kiddywinks to progress to.
The artwork is very good, the data concise and informative. What’s not to like? The World Book UK organisation has distributed 290 million £1 book tokens for young children; what better way to spend it and get reading? This is a shrewd move by Marvel and DK. The ankle biters of today are the serious comic book readers and film-goers of tomorrow.
“I wonder what normal people do on a Sunday morning?”
Titan Comics releases The Philosophy of Spider-Man, a full-colour hard cover book of 128 pages exploring the day-to-day approach to extraordinary situations of a – albeit highly intelligent, learned and resourceful – high school teenager. It achieves this with the chapter titles: I Am Spider-Man; With Great Power…; Spider (Fashion) Sense; Family Matters; Media Frenzy; Romancing the Spider; To Kill a Spider; Ten Crazy Spider Fights; Web-Tastic Team-Ups; Enter the Spider-Verse; and Culture King. That means very basic information on Peter Parker and what happened to change his life, his abilities, his costume variations, his family (only Aunt May is mentioned; no mention of Uncle Ben or his missing parents in my review download copy), his photography editor at the Daily Bugle – J. Jonah Jameson (Spider-Man hater), his true love Mary Jane Watson and other weird relationships, a plentiful supply of super-villains, ten top fights (including three misunderstandings with other heroes), team-ups with other heroes, other Spider-Men in the Spider-Verse, and cultural references.
Spider-Man is easily my favourite Marvel character. For a while, as a kid I couldn’t get enough Spider-Man comic-books. I even collected a number of graphic novels years later of big storylines and notable writers and artists, such as Stan Lee, John Romita, Tom McFarlane, and J. Michael Straczynski – a few of which I still possess. Spider-Man was the first superhero to have normal everyday problems that readers could relate to. He also quipped because he was young and unsure of himself, although very intelligent in the field of sciences. He is a small-scale hero who often finds himself involved in large scale events. He has the proportionate strength of a spider, and can walk on walls, but his web-shooters are his own invention and it adds to the suspense of stories when he runs out of web fluid at a critical moment, or they become clogged with water. By now you know I love the character; however, as far as this book is concerned, that is where the problem lies.
Anyone who is already a fan of Spider-Man is going to consider this ridiculous. It’s obviously targeted at very young children, but even they are going to learn next to nothing. We are in a new age now. Kids mature more quickly than they used to. I saw a youngster once in a pram quite happily playing with an i-phone. It’s the wrong way to interact with a young child, although it does remind you that we are living in a highly technological age, into which kids are born. Consequently, even as tots they are going to prefer the big budget Hollywood movies (There have been some pretty good Spider-Man movies that tell you all you need to know). If they then decide to delve more deeply into the 60 year history of Spider-Man, they are more likely to seek out the aforementioned graphic novels, or maybe the classic animated serials. This whole concept seems contrived. Copyright aside, I would have no trouble putting together a significantly more entertaining and informative book for potential new fans just from my own knowledge, without the need for research.
Most of Spider-Man’s comic-book quips are mildly humorous, but the best this offering can present is “If I save enough lives by the weekend, Sunday’s washing day!” Sadly, it’s a missed opportunity.
The next generation of comic book writers get their turn in the spotlight. With in-depth contributions from those responsible for some of the biggest selling comics titles on shelves, and including behind the scenes info, anecdotes and untold stories...
Writers on Comics Scriptwriting 2 is a book of long interviews with story scriptwriters who work (or have worked) in the comics industry. It's cited as a sequel to the top-selling original version, but not having seen that one I can't compare the two. What I can do is weigh it up against Comics Creators on Spider-Man, also from Titan Books, which I reviewed in June. In that book Tom DeFalco, a major page in the character's legend himself, put together interviews with most of the comics writers involved with the webslinger. There was continuity, background, and story reactions. Furthermore, there was a guaranteed audience, because Spider-Man has a huge following. Herein lies the main problem. Writers on Comics Scriptwriting 2 has nothing on the cover other than a lot of names, most or all of which nobody will have heard of. I recognised five of the seventeen names, but I think I might be in a minority.
The writers collected here come from different walks of life, work for different companies, and have written for or created many various characters, so you get the impression of disconnection, sporadic mutterings instead of various slants or interpretations of the same subject. That is not to say this won't be a valid reference book for those in the trade or avid fans of the comics in question, but this won't appeal to the casual reader. A much better idea might have been to keep the character continuity and interview many of the writers who have worked on Batman, Superman or the X-Men, but only one of the characters at a time.
Of course, this might prove priceless to anyone wishing to get into the business and learn more about their chosen trade. As someone interested in the mechanics of writing, I found the most intriguing parts to be the discussion of layouts and plotting, but with no definite context for what is briefly being explained it soon lost its appeal. I loved the Spider-Man book, but couldn't get on with this one.
Bantam Press publishes the colossal hardback The Living Dead, by George A. Romero and Daniel Kraus. The latter is probably best known for co-writing both the Oscar winning The Shape of Water, and the Emmy Award winning TV series Trollhunters with the great Guillermo Del Toro. The late Romero needs no introduction, having set the template for zombie movies with the original black and white classic Night of the Living Dead. He carried around the film in his car boot, trying to publicise and sell it, and was ground breaking by featuring a black actor as the main protagonist. He was involved in both TV and movies, and went on to cement his reputation with Dawn of the Dead, The Crazies, and Day of the Dead...
There is no doubting Romero’s credentials. However, although this is a valiant attempt to reveal the entire story from the initial breakout of the virus – through various different locations and perspectives – to an ending of sorts, this weighty tome proves to be disappointing. I believe the main problem is that it jumps all over the place, offering alternative scenarios and personal tales of the afflicted and the confusion and terror of the victims/survivors. There is the medical examination of a body, an African American and a Muslim fighting newly-risen friends and family, and Navy personnel on an aircraft carrier pursued by the dead. These are just a few examples. The moment you begin to empathise with the characters you are torn away and sent scuttling off to another location. This would work well in a short story collection, but in a novel it becomes disjointed. The only associate player you can hook onto here is the sheriff – ironically, the one character who kills the exhausted main protagonist in Night of the Living Dead, because from a distance he believes him to be a zombie.
One of the scenes centres on a cable news station broadcasting the latest information to the survivors out there, while zombies attempt to break in and devour him. It’s more than possible that two separate writers can come up with this scenario independently of each other, but it appears on the face of it to be lifted directly from Pontypool. Having said that, Dead Air has a similar premise.
On the press release there are complimentary quotes from such horror aficionados as Clive Barker and Joe Hill (son of Stephen King). This book is not without merit, but it takes some getting into; plenty of time and commitment is required. It is the Prog Rock of the horror world, with plenty of meandering and a certain amount of misdirection. Some of it works and some of it doesn’t, making for uneasy reading (in both senses of the word!). However, the denouement is worth the wait, with a more than conventional end. This is the last word on zombies from the master, so it is worth adding to your home library simply for that fact.
There has been a number of previous (auto)biographies on Gary Numan, but most have been period-specific. This one is undoubtedly the most comprehensive exploration of his life and career. The brutal honesty shines through, being a warts-and-all walk-through the lows, highs, lows, lows, and highs of an emotionally-charged frank representation regarding milestones I doubt he will ever forget.
It's funny how fickle fans and the music industry in general can be. I still love the original Tubeway Army album, but Replicas and The Pleasure Principle prove how an artist can reinvent himself to become one of the new innovator upstarts of electronic pop - the nexgeneration on from bands like Kraftwerk, if you will. The decision to end his touring career after Telekon, when at the height of his popularity, was both essential for his peace of mind and a death knoll for his career. The gap was too long, and followers move on to other bands.
The book chronicles the long road to putting his career and sales back on track. Nobody wanted to know him; he was 'old hat' - until suddenly listeners has access to all eras of music, and retro was cool again. Other artistes wanted to sample parts of his back catalogue, and he was invited to significant functions and received awards for his recognised contribution to music. Around this time he had found his feet again and, more importantly, his confidence. His music was reinvented again - maintaining his links to electronica but modernising the whole with an Industrial Rock sound and meaningful lyrics.
What gives this book most of its power, however, is the 'normal' problems suffered in life. Not only does it prove that famous or popular people undergo these rites of passage too, but it makes the subject in question - Numan himself - seem more human and grounded. Not that he's ever appeared arrogant. That was a stage act to cover his fear and nervousness - as most of us would naturally be. As well as his flying exploits, we read about he and his wife's initial problem having children, the unexplained falling-out between his parents and his wife (Gary's father was his manager for much of his career), his fall into debilitating depression which hospitalised him on a number of occasions, and being diagnosed with Asperger's - to name just a few.
This is a very personal journey for Gary, and is all the more compelling for it.
I had this book recommended to me, and am so glad I gave it a try. Manga was/is a huge phenomenon, particularly in Japan the land of its origins. It carried such a weight of popularity that it wasn't unusual for company executives to be seen on trains devouring tomes the size of telephone directories. The genres of science fiction and fantasy are most common to Manga, but horror also made its presence felt.
Junji Ito was one of the most prolific horror Manga writers and artists, in a career starting in 1987 and spanning many years. During this time his output included Tomie and Uzumaki, both of which have been adapted into live action films. Gyo was made into an animated film. Ito's influences are classic horror Manga artists Kazuo Umezu and Hideshi Hino, as well as authors Yasutaka Tsutsui and the great H.P. Lovecraft.
In this attractive hardback book nine of his Manga stories and artwork are collected together. Bear in mind that, although the whole thing is in English, the book is produced as it would be in Japan. Therefore, The front cover is at the back and vice versa, and you read from the top right (to left) of the last page and down until you reach the front of the book. Don't worry, you soon get used to it.
Tales include Used Record, about a fanatically sought after vinyl post-death recording of a singing artist; Shiver, wherein a bug burrows into the skin leaving gaping holes; The Long Dream about a hospital patient whose overnight dreams become so prolonged that he ages hundreds of years at a time and begins to evolve into another species; and perhaps the outstanding story, Hanging Blimp. This one has a girl afraid to leave the house when countless balloons fashioned in the likenesses of individuals carry away their relevant victims, snatching them up with hangman nooses.
These are all bizarre, outre and weird tales, very stylishly and atmospherically realised. Any fan of horror will be mightily impressed by this offering. It is one of many Ito collections in the same format, so I have a feeling this won't be the only one I end up reviewing. You are definitely left wanting more.
Each story incorporates the original notes and test sketches from the author, and there is even a bonus new uncanny tale which has never been published before now.
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