America Again

America Again: Re-Becoming the Greatness We Never Weren’t

By Stephen Colbert

3 Out of 5 covers

I greatly enjoy Stephen Colbert as a satirist.  The multi-level commentary on American society and politics on The Colbert Report helps keep me informed. And his first book, I Am American (and So Can You), was a excellent exploration and indictment of American culture.  This volume does not live up to those expectations. 

Each chapter takes a look at something that is considered wrong or broken in our country, ranging from jobs to elections to food.  But there is something tired about the satire this time, whether it be that these topics have been regularly dealt with on his own show or that sometimes the comedy never rises above pointing a finger and saying “how silly is that!”

I think one of the issues is the topicality.  By the time this book was published, several of these topics had been discusses ad nauseum on all sorts of news channels so that there was nothing fresh to be said.  And some of the topics were nearing the end of their cycle of topicality. 

At least it moves fairly quickly through every topic so that if I did get bored or disagree, I just had to wait a few paragraphs for a new topic.  With all the pictures and graphs included, this all made it like a text version of Colbert’s show.  Which can be considered a good and bad thing, depending on your tolerance for that sort of display.  But in the end it reads like an average episode rather than using the full satirical license to explore the topics.

The Black Belt Club

The Black Belt Club: Seven Wheels of Power

By Dawn Barnes

Illustrated by Bernard Chang

1 Out of 5 Covers

The Black Belt Club could have been written by a committee.  All the elements of trying to put together a successful franchise while missing the mark on everything that actually matters.  Multi-ethnic cast: check; some sport to bring them together: check; pseudo-mystical mumbo-jumbo that grants them powers: check; ill-explained threat to the world: check.  However, the characters and writing are dull, the plot rudimentary and the illustrations weak.

The story focuses on Max Greene, who has been invited to join the exclusive Black Belt Club at his dojo.  This club, consisting of three other students, is actually mystical in nature, with each member having a spirit animal which somehow allows them to travel to another dimension (I think; it wasn’t really clear where they went).  They are tasked by a yogi to recover the seven wheels of power from Master Mundi, because somehow if they don't this will cause darkness to cover the Earth. 

So yeah, it didn’t really make a lot of sense with the mixing of cultural traditions and events happening without much rhyme or reason.  Even though the point of the story is really about Max gaining confidence, he is pretty whiny throughout, which makes him more annoying then compelling.  And considering the artist is supposed to have worked at Marvel and DC, the art is flat and simplistic ; even worse, the panels show up at random, revealing no consistency in the storytelling.

Even though the bell curve dictated that at some point a book I read would be on the low end of quality, I secretly hoped never to have to give a one cover rating.  But the only quality to this book is that it does tell a story; it just doesn’t tell it with any quality. 

Road to Oz

Road to Oz

 By L. Frank Baum

Adapted by Eric Shanower and Skottie Young

4 1/2 out of 5 Covers

The fifth volume in Marvel Comics adaptation of the Oz series is another success.  This adventure begins with Dorothy and Toto helping the Shaggy Man find his way to Butterfield only to find themselves in Oz somehow along the way.  The story takes the form, as most Oz stories do, of a travelogue, recounting their journey across the land and the people they meet until they reach the Emerald City, just in time for Ozma’s birthday party.  Joining Dorothy on the journey are Button Bright, a little boy who doesn’t seem to know anything, and Poylchrome, the daughter of the rainbow (a character with which the colorist really gets to shine).

This is not Baum’s strongest work.  The cities they travel through (a city of foxes and a city of donkeys) aren’t as interesting or inventive as his past works.  He tries to make some social point with the comparison between the two, but it isn’t very clear.  It also doesn’t help that the Shaggy Man has a love magnet, which automatically makes everyone want to be helpful, as it undercuts any tension.

However, the encounter with the Scoodlers, villainous creatures who have two faces and can pull of their heads to throw as weapons and are unaffected by the love magnet, are among the most nightmarish of Baum’s creations.

Despite the simplicity of the story, Shanower and Young pour their hearts into the work.  Shanower is handicapped not only by the story but also by the fact that Marvel cut the number of issues from the usual 8 to 6.  There a definitely moments were the reader is told things rather than shown to speed up the journey.  Skottie Young is absolutely the best artist for these adaptations, as evidenced by the four previous volumes as well as this one.  His style is full of whimsy and can turn even Toto into a full blown character.

Even with the handicaps (which are not their fault), Shanower and Young do an impressive job of turning even a lesser work into a wonderful and enjoyable journey.

Adventure Time Volumes 1 and 2

Adventure Time Vol. 1

4 out of 5 Covers

Adventure Time Vol. 2

4 out of 5 Covers

Written by Ryan North

Illustrated by Shelli Paroline and Brandon Lamb

For those who don’t know, Adventure Time is an awesome cartoon that follows the adventures of Finn the Human and Jake the shape-shifting dog in the land of Ooo.  It often follows a absurdist fantasy format where the duo help rescue princesses from villains such as the Ice King, but Ooo is a world where literally anything can happen.  This has made for many exciting episodes with a wide range of humor.

The collection of the Adventure Time  comic starts things off with an explanation of how the footage for the opening credits were shot and what exactly everyone is doing in it.  This is a perfect introduction as it establishes the comic book’s connection to the tv show while establishing its own visual vocabulary.

The first volume sees Finn and Jake working to stop the archvillain the Lich from destroying Ooo by sucking it all into a magic bag.  Everybody has to do their part to help out, though the other characters don’t get much time to shine; this is definitely a Finn and Jake story.

The second volume begins with a one off tale of Finn and Jake seeing who can walk in the straight line the longest, leading them to meet Adventure Tim.  It’s a pretty surreal story, and one I really hope the adapt into the cartoon.

The rest of the volume involves time travel shenanigans resulting in a battle with killer robots from the future.  The initial seed of the story appears to be resolving an error from the pilot episode where a sleeping bag disappeared from the background.  But that is exactly what the show would do: tell an epic yarn to resolve one small error, with clearly established rules about time travel.

The creators of the comic clearly love the cartoon show.  Every word and image attests to their care and attention.  The art is clear and the colors are vibrant.  But the storytelling is also somewhat manic.  Finn and Jake in particular seem to be hyperactive, with none of the quieter, reflective moments that provide the tv show with its emotional power.  This is always the challenge of adapting an existing property: without the license to progress the characters, how does one provide empathy?

Adventure Time adapts extremely well to the comic book format.  But without those reflective pauses to contrast the adventure, the result feels like nonstop action with less meaning than should be there.

How to Train Your Dragon Books 5 and 6

By Cressida Crowell

Book 5: How to Twist a Dragon’s Tale

4 out of 5 Covers

Book 6: A Hero’s Guide to Deadly Dragons

4 ½ out of 5 Covers

Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III’s troubles continue in Book 5 when a volcano threatens to unleash the Exterminator Dragons on the Viking.  These Exterminator Dragons are impossible to fight.  Fortunately, Hiccup gain a bodyguard in the form of the great Viking hero, Humungously Hotshot.  But Hotshot has a secret from the past that could spell Hiccup’s doom.

Obviously Hiccup wasn’t doomed, because there is a Book 6.  Hiccup, along with Fishlegs, Toothless and Camicazi, must sneak into the Meathead Public Library (on Hiccup’s birthday no less) to steal a copy of How to Train Your Dragon or Toothless will be banished for destroying the Hairy Hooligan tribe’s copy.  Can they get passed the Hairy Scary Librarian?  And what does it mean that there is book called A Hero’s Guide to Deadly Dragons by Hiccup Horrendous Haddock II?

Cressida Crowell increases the dramatic tension in these volumes by diversifying the threats and delving into the backstory of the world she has built.  While there have been attacks of differing sizes and powers, the Exterminator Dragons come across as a real threat that could destroy the Vikings, which makes Hiccup’s actions more heroic.  And the idea that one of Hiccup’s ancestors was, like him, fascinated by dragons is intriguing and drives the reader to continue on with the series.  Having established the Viking world in the first few books, the opportunity to develop the mythology and history of that world adds power to the plot.

And I’ll admit that I have a soft spot for Book 6 as it takes place in a library and addresses the power of books and reading.