Reademption Literature

The craft that goes into weaving stories is majorly credited as the most astounding feat of the imagination, but it is also nonetheless laborious and altogether a vexing preoccupation. My own fascination for myths and legends started from an impressionable age which I pursued over the years ever since I discovered that I not only have an insatiable passion to read books but also an inclination to pen tales of my very own. And this is how Neil Gaiman's enduring series found me at the ripe age of nineteen. In 2009, I was also actively pursuing a scholastic career in writing as soon as I joined the student paper to become a literary writer. The current associate there then (who eventually became one of my best friends) introduced me to Neil Gaiman. He looked up to this author and even had a chance to interview the man himself and write a feature article for our magazine. Suffice to say, The Sandman shaped a lot about how I began to view the art of making myths and storytell...

I have no idea who Red Sonja is, to be honest, and that means I had to go online to research about the character's origin and publication history as a comic book series. From what I understand overall, she was a character created by Marvel Comics around 1973 when she first appeared in a Conan the Barbarian issue. There was also a movie about her at some point. She's the quintessential pin-up fantasy heroine from comics. What made me want to read this more recent Dynamite comics title is because Gail Simone (from DC's Batgirl ) is the writer of this particular line-up. Also, there is something nostalgic about warrior women for me. I did after all grow up to Xena: the Warrior Princess (but I was nine and I don’t remember specific things about that show except that Lucy Lawless rocked and kicked ass). And so reading Red Sonja definitely gave me that kind of nostalgia. The first volume of this revamped version from 2010 to 2012 entitled Red Sonja: Queen of Plagues r...

The last graphic novel I reviewed just a week ago is about a woman who cannot be killed ( Lazarus ), and now I'm doing another one about yet another female character who is resurrected from the dead. It's a playful coincidence. The two stories have nothing much in common except that basic premise, however, and if I'm to be honest I think I much enjoyed Lazarus  although that doesn't actually mean that Terry Moore's  Rachel Rising  doesn't hold up well as a series. If the first volume is any indication of how certifiably creepy and atmospheric everything is, then I will surely pick up the second volume someday. Rachel Rising  is about the titular female character who was strangled and left for dead as she was buried in a shallow grave next to what seemed to be implied as a land where witches used to live and do evil stuff? It's all speculative for now. The very first pages opened with Rachel walking out of said grave with fragmented memories as well as...

Comprised of the series first four issues, this debut volume written by Greg Rucka, and illustrated by Michael Lark with the colors done by Santi Arcas, is a dystopian science fiction story that definitely holds promises.  I actually liked it even if it's only a hundred pages long. My review for this graphic novel collection is positive enough although I can't say yet what is in store for the rest of the series, seeing as the four issues of Lazarus felt like watching a pilot for a TV show. With that comparison, I believe these issues hold enough weight on their own both as separate installments and as a singular story that unfolds efficiently well. Action-packed and well-balanced when it comes to exposition and dialogue, Lazarus: Family  is something readers can easily consume in one sitting but it's also a substantial serving which would make them come back for more. Speaking of TV pilots, this series might actually be adapted for a television show, and based from...

The last Rick Remender graphic novel I read had been actually scheduled as the last X-Men series I read earlier this year for my X-Men comics diet. Suffice to say, I wasn't charmed by it so I only got to finish the first volume because I lost interest easily in the way the story was told. It just didn't click for me, is all.   Now that was back in April or so, and now here I am just a few months later reading another work of his. As soon as I finished this, I have to say that this is comparably an improvement from Uncanny Avengers . That comparison would be unfair though, since they are of different genres, and I could tell (given the Afterword for every issue of this series) that Remender is quite passionate and proud about this work. I do think he should be. LOW  is a sci-fi comic book story set in an underwater world. It's also billions of years into the future, where our sun in the solar system has expanded to a toxic level of radiation, so it is more or les...

I don't know how to begin reviewing this graphic novel mostly because there is too much context that one needs to know if they ever decide to read this blindly, which I did, and it affected how I enjoyed the story a lot. The point is I could not recommend this to someone who is just getting into comics, because this is essentially a compilation inspired from another comics line which was  Doom Patrol  and which Grant Morrison himself has written for. From what I can discern when I researched this story, Flex Mentallo as a character came from that series, created by Morrison himself in an issue, and who was then expanded as more than just a side character he originally appeared to be as. Now two years ago I had the distinct pleasure of reading through Morrison's semi-autobiographical book called Supergods , tracing the superhero myth and contextualizing it with his own experiences as a professional writer in the industry. I mentioned this book since i...

"It seems where demons fail and monsters falter, angels may prevail." I'm coming to this version of Alan Moore's the Swamp Thing without any knowledge of his original creation by Len Wein, except of course with the brief appearances he had made during the Jamie Delano for Hellblazer: John Constantine . That being said, it had been a neat introduction to a comics icon. It was a rather baffling start at first, but one that is also beguiling enough to see through its finish.  This first volume had tons of spectacular potentials to be the masterpiece that I sure hope it would become by the next volumes. There are four volumes of Alan Moore's Saga of the Swamp Thing   to look forward to reading, but for now I will content myself with the fact that I was able to read this installment which wasn't anything that I expected it to be. Monster stories, especially those steeped in classical roots, have been a lost art especially with the kind of horrors my genera...

This comic book series has received rave reviews for its rather satirical premise concerning the idea of the extinction of all mammals with the Y chromosome, and how the female population supposedly tries to deal with this global crisis. I've been intrigued by this series for four years now, but put off reading it even after I bought an actual copy about three years ago. It's a Vertigo title which immediately guarantees it's promising. Finally, I got to read the first volume Unmanned  which collected the first five issues of the series, and as much as I wasn't completely invested yet in the story and characters, I have to agree that it's  an interesting beginning. Y: The Last Man was published in 2002 with ten volume all in all, and its official run ended by 2008. It had received and won nominations from Eisner Awards thrice. That being said, this first volume is not something I would personally consider an instant masterpiece which was okay. Neil Gaiman...

I had a copy of the first volume of this series since two years ago, but I finally only got to read it this year. Much like the first two volumes of Brian K. Vaughn and Fiona Staples' SAGA , I managed to finish this one under an hour, but it's equivocally a different experience. Granted, it was still a very good one because I was invested the entire time I read it. Writer Joe Hill brought a great horror story to life in graphic novel form with Locke and Key , there was denying it. It has all the right elements of the genre, and the storytelling is well-balanced enough to even warrant a possible movie adaptation. I'm aware that it even got an unaired pilot which sadly never got to see the light of day. I think clips of its tailer are still available online. It's also worth noting that Joe Hill is the son of no other than prolific horror fiction writer Stephen King, and it's great to see he's following his father's steps while being completely unique on h...

I read the first two volumes of this critically-acclaimed series in one sitting the other night and under two hours, maybe even less. Sometimes you just click with a comic book, you know, and this is definitely the kind of story that has both commercial and niche appeal. SAGA  is a celebration and tribute to the hybrid elements of fantasy and science fiction, a rich and diverse tapestry of characters, themes and settings that leave readers awestruck and infatuated with the story very easily since the impact is just as long-lasting.  Published in 2012, SAGA  has had numerous awards and recognition, mostly pertaining to its flexible range when it comes to ethnicity, sexuality, social and gender roles, as well as its commentary and sentiments towards war and conflict. Reading SAGA  made me think of Joss Whedon's short-lived series Firefly . That show instantly clicked with me two episodes in, and that's exactly how SAGA  felt like for me! It's a remarkable...

The premise of this series pokes fun at but also celebrates a lot of things regarding sex and the relationships that develop around it, both platonic and romantic. Every human interaction is transactional after all, most notably when the business of 'doing it' is concerned. With the chemical tandem of writer Matt Fraction and artist Chip Zdarksy, Sex Criminals  is a real crazy romp in the sheets that manages a feat like no other; it examines the troubles of relationship-building and intimacy in a way that is both comical and poignant, a biting yet introspective commentary on the nature of love and sex. I've read the first volume in passing and would have written a review about it last year, but other things got in the way. Now, I'm very pleased I also read the second volume right after re-reading the first one, because man, oh, man, these books. These. Fucking. Books. Let's talk about Sex Criminals , shall we? Writer Matt Fraction and artist Chip Zdarsky hav...