Milligan's The Names is not out to make one for itself...

Hello old friends,

I'm back.  "Sorry I left you without a dope beat to step to..."

Apologies accepted?  Good, on to business...

The Names #1The High Window Part 1Written by Peter MilliganArt by Leandro FernandezColors by Cris PeterPublished by Vertigo

I've kind of always though of Milligan as the poor man's Morrison. It always seemed like he was following that cat around on books. Things like Greek Street and Shade: The Changing Man struck me as the kind of drug dream books people seem to think Morrison is only capable of these days. There are bright spots, Human Target is an amazing book.

The Names kind of feels like a Dan Brown thriller set on Wall Street. In fact, that's exactly what it is. Mysterious death uncovers a larger conspiracy (however, Milligan makes the mistake of showing us that the mysterious death, isn't so mysterious. In fact, this book would have probably faired better if it had started on page 4.), the wife knows something is wrong, messages are given, cryptic clues and the conspiracy starts to reveal itself. It feels by the numbers, which is fine if you are wanting to read a Dan Brown book, I just expected more from Milligan. At least the writing is a bit better.

The art is a big old mixed bag. 

Read the rest of the review at The Outhouse.  If you disagree, feel free to chime in with the group.

The Names #1 is available now at your local comic book shop or Comixology.  Issue #2 is scheduled for release October 1, 2014.

An oldie but a goodie... The Nobody

I didn't write a Review for today and I know that blogs live and die by the information flow. So, on days like today I will highlight a review I wrote a while back - don't worry, I'll try to make sure it is something readily available. Sometimes, I might link someone else's review for something.

Today's Choice is fairly recent but not linked here.

The Nobody
by Jeff Lemire

"Those who are being introduced to the artist’s work through this book are in for a treat. It is instantly more satisfying than Essex County, which is brilliant, but only in its entirety. The individual pieces of that epic are not nearly as satisfying or gripping as this entry. The Nobody is as perfect a comic thriller as I have ever read and proof that Lemire is a brilliant graphic novelist."

RIYL: Well that other book by Lemire mentioned above. That Salty Air, Air, Sliverfish, Young Liars.

Graphic Novel Club August: Y the Last Man Vol. 1

Oh yeah. I run a comic shop in Durham, North Carolina.
Once a month on the first Thursday, a group of us meets and talks about a book we all read.

This month the group collectively chose Y The Last Man Volume One.

Written by Brian K. Vaughan; Art by Pia Guerra and José Marzá, Jr.; Painted Cover by J.G. Jones

"Funny and scary…an utterly believable critique of society. A+"
—THE WASHINGTON POST

"The best graphic novel I've ever read."
—STEPHEN KING

"This year's best movie is a comic book."
—ALL THINGS CONSIDERED, NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO

"A seriously funny, nuanced fable...Grade A."
—ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

Y: THE LAST MAN, winner of three Eisner Awards and one of the most critically acclaimed, best-selling comic books series of the last decade, is that rare example of a page-turner that is at once humorous, socially relevant and endlessly surprising.

Written by Brian K. Vaughan (Lost, PRIDE OF BAGHDAD, EX MACHINA) and with art by Pia Guerra, this is the saga of Yorick Brown—the only human survivor of a planet-wide plague that instantly kills every mammal possessing a Y chromosome. Accompanied by a mysterious government agent, a brilliant young geneticist and his pet monkey, Ampersand, Yorick travels the world in search of his lost love and the answer to why he'sthe last man on earth.

http://dccomics.com/vertigo/graphic_novels/?gn=1736

You can find more info at my shop's website: www.ultimatecomicsonline.com