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Ex libris de librum vermis
Stories happen only to those who are able to tell them...
Currently reading
Who Killed Mister Moonlight
Business Model Generation: A Handbook for Visionaries, Game Changers, and Challengers
The Complete Stories of J. G. Ballard
Elric: The Balance Lost, Vol. 5 (Elric: The Balance Lost, # 5)
Inevitable moment when our hero (in all his reincarnations) is getting in more problems and the stakes are getting bigger - fate of the Tanelorn is once more in question and he has to find it in time for rescue.Quite different to the characters, this comic is actually shining in depiction of monsters and demons, on both Law and Chaos side. Straight arrow fleet and Beelzebub are especially memorable.
 - Michael Moorcock, Chris Roberson, Francesco Biagini)
Elric: The Balance Lost, Vol. 4 (Elric: The Balance Lost, # 4)
And the story improves with the appearance of Tanelorn and upping the ante by bringing in higher powers and worlds collisions. Once again, vastness of Moorcock's multiverse proves itself unbelievably amazing by itself.
 - Michael Moorcock, Chris Roberson, Francesco Biagini)
Elric: The Balance Lost, Vol. 3 (Elric: The Balance Lost, # 3)
Rather meaningless episode, just served to exhibit couple more things from the fascinating Moorcock's multiverse, but without any value added.
 - Michael Moorcock, Chris Roberson, Francesco Biagini)
Elric: The Balance Lost Free Comic Book Day Edition
It is an introduction to the Elric: The Balance Lost - graphic novel in 12 parts. It served to introduce the characters (for the uninitiated) and to give a preview of the art. I have to say that I rarely liked representations of Elric, and this is no better. Monsters are great and some cover variants, but mostly that's it.
Elric: The Balance Lost, Vol. 2 (Elric: The Balance Lost, # 2)
Plot thickens, companions meet all over multiverse - if only authors were more inspired...
 - Michael Moorcock, Chris Roberson, Francesco Biagini)
Elric: The Balance Lost, Vol. 1 (Elric: The Balance Lost, # 1)
Magic of Elric is so huge that it transposes whatever story or illustrations into something likeable :)
 - Michael Moorcock, Chris Roberson, Francesco Biagini, Neil Gaiman)
Bedbugs
I first learned about Winters by browsing the Quirk Books site (coming there after I received an announcement for Horrorstor - a book about haunted IKEA like furniture store - an idea which itself sounded so utterly harebrained that transcended into greatness). Qirk Books are amazing - wonderfully packaged and full of unbelievable titles like William Shakespeare’s The Jedi Doth Return. And they use ever more popular feature - trailers for books!
I myself have to say I find that idea fantastic. Why would only movies get trailers?
So there I was traversing the site when I encountered The Last Policeman. Having learned that it won The 2013 Edgar Award, and after I read the synopsis and watched the trailer(!) I decided I will definitely read it. I was just put off from starting immediately by the fact that it is a beginning of a trilogy. Instead I looked at other book by the same author and came upon Bedbugs. I love horror and the trailer got me hooked and so the choice was made.
Though I have not expected much, still I hoped that there will be something more in it than a mix of a Dorian Gray and Rosemary's baby. Style is simple and it is a quick read, yet characters are stereotyped and unimaginative and there is way too much bedbugs repeating along with some unnecessary brand mentioning. There are couple of side scenes that never came to much but with a genuine haunting overtone (mother killing her babies, book about Shadow Species) but the real (alas unfulfilled) potential was in the main character's slow degrading into madness. Too bad it turned into a simple splatterpunk in the end.
This story would make a fantastic movie script (as obvious from the trailer :)
The Sandman Presents: The Corinthian #3
Carnival in Venice as represented by Zezelj is dark and menacing and no amount of color can make it better.Unforgettable nightmare of communist leader on a rhinoceros leaving a trail of hanged men dwarfs even that.
The Sandman Presents: The Corinthian #2
There is a whole new dimension to the story in the fantastic coloring of Van Valkenburgh.
Locke & Key: Grindhouse
For all Locke & Key fans :) Vignette from the Key House history... and as title suggests, one filed with violence.
Nice detour in art style from Rodriguez.
Locke & Key, Vol. 6: Alpha & Omega
Great ending of the great story. From making amends and getting in peace with self to a grand finale after the prom (together with the homage to Carry :) - everything lived up to the expectations.Locke & Key is a story for rereading!
The Sandman Presents: The Corinthian #1
I haven't read Sandman. Though I am aware of it and it's importance I have been put off by the style of drawings.So, when I realized that there is a spin off drawn by my favourite artist, I decided to give it a try.
Of course, I was confused by the characters... Signature Zezelj's drawing is made surreal by the coloring of Sherylin Van Valkenburgh and adds to a dark vision of Venice in 1920s.
Locke & Key: Clockworks
Story finally lived up to it's full potential - everything is superb here, from the origins part to the way authors incorporated it in the whole story to the cliffhanger end.And art is just fantastic!
Locke & Key, Vol. 4: Keys to the Kingdom
After a couple more displays of various keys and their capabilities, suddenly authors remembered the main story and in just two issues quickly got back to the track. Hopefully, they will stay there.
Locke & Key, Vol. 3: Crown of Shadows
There is one major flaw that keeps this book from being utterly amazing - there is no true continuity between episodes. Yes, each one of them is great and yes each one reveals some crucial fact to the story as well as adds to the character development, but then characters just go on. I mean if you just battle with shadows would you continue with your life as nothing happened? And if you just listed all the things broken, would you try mending them in the same order? Or would you suddenly remember more important one? To you or to the story?
Locke & Key, Vol. 2: Head Games
After the phenomenal setting off the first book I expected a bit more than unlocking heads and putting whole books in. Maybe I'm already too old and don't enjoy a kids' joke anymore. Apart from that there are great artworks of getting inside characters' heads which reminded me of an amazing video game Psychonauts.
All in all, though riding the edges of cliches (abused as kid, gay couple, runaway husband leaving retarded child...), authors manage to keep the story engaging and intriguing to ensure readers will stay for the next installment.
