r/graphicnovels

I have reread this panel mutiple times to try to understand why it's written that way but I can't figure it out.

Just finished the Prophet series and I'm not sure how I feel. Because I've just read something with the most remarkably realised world-building I've ever seen in a graphic novel. Ever.

The detail is such that although I was thoroughly confused most of the time, I have absolute confidence that it makes sense and despite the way the fourth TP indexes and explains, I'd probably have to go back and study it a chapter at a time to fully absorb all of its grotesque and beautiful delights.

It is an absolutely crazy piece of work and I'm kinda glad I can't see into the minds of its creators.

How do others feel about it??

Hi everyone,

I’m the producer (and proud dad) of my 9-year-old son’s podcast, Join the Fray. We recently sat down with Dr. Ted Gervan, and I thought this community might appreciate his unique perspective on how the industry has shifted over the last two decades.

Before he became an educational leader at institutions like Sheridan, Capilano, and the Centre for Digital Media in BC, Ted worked as a prosthetic makeup artist in Hollywood. He was part of the talented team that brought the original X-Men (2000) to life. [Ted got the chance to support the super talented team of Evan Penny or Ann McLaren who designed the look for Mystique and Sabretooth!]

He contributed to the character designs (including the drawings for Sabretooth) and helped building specific costumes, pouring and coloring the silicone, painting nails, and applying the makeup once the initial sculpts were molded.

Fraser and Ted had a great discussion about:

• The Reality of the Makeup Lab: The technical process of pouring, coloring, and detailing silicone prosthetics for a major film production, and how that hands-on experience shapes his view of modern 3D pipelines.
• The Evolution of the Craft: How he sees the industry shifting between physical, high-touch lab work to digital-first workflows, and how education needs to adapt to teach both.
• Advice for Future Artists: His take on "the fear of building"—how he teaches students to bridge the gap between a design idea and the messy, physical/digital reality of actually building it.

It’s a non-monetized, fun interview and thanks to the Mods here to enable me to share it.

Spotify Link - https://open.spotify.com/episode/53jpLDHotOh8mE8Vo6jgc8?si=Koxoja8jTwWTW0bBUTpLoA

Enjoy folks and thanks for the opportunity to share this fun chat!

I purchased the L&K in IDW Classic format. It was a great book that combined 2 volumes for $14 but left me hanging at the end of vol 2. I knew I had to find the whole series sooner or later. Props to IDW's marketing dept.

One of the greatest comics of all time, and mighty fine collected editions.

Just got this book from a friend, excited to dive in. I've read the killing joke, and really.enjoyed it. Other than Batman im not really into superheroes, but im excited to see what Frank Miller does with this.

Just finished this beautiful book about the life of Joseph Joanovici.

It follow the story of Joseph Joanovici, a romanian Jew who immigrated to France in the 1920s. He starts working for a relative at scrap dealers, and slows builds a business empire becoming one of the richest men in the Europe. When the Nazis occupied France, he has a choice to make, to emigrate, to end in prison/concentration camp or to play them. Joseph Joanovici chooses to work with Nazis and move among their circles, but also chooses to future proof his safety by financing the French resistance. What follows made him "Criminal to some, hero to others'.

What a beautiful book. It felt like a roller coaster ride with twists and turns. The tension is well built. The complexity of the story and character are well captured moving between what made him a hero, what made him a criminal, what made him a human, and the price Joanovici paid for being all these. The jumps between different timeframes added a good tension. The art was beautiful with captivating facial expressions showing the turmoil Joanovici goes through at various points in the book.

Highly recommend. 5/5 for me.

I was reading Stages of Rot last night, and I realised that I have a real love of sci fi and fantasy that delves into ecological systems that are strange, otherworldly, and perhaps unknowable, where people are subsumed by the ecology. I am looking for other books in this vein.

Here’s a list of books (and some animation) give you an idea what interests me:

Stages of Rot - Linnea Serte

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind - Hayao Miyazaki

Aama - Frederik Peeters

Edena - Moebius

The Extraordinary Part - Ruppert & Mulot

Ant Colony - Michael Deforge

Scavengers Reign (TV)

Princess Mononoke - Miyazaki again

EDIT: a few more that I like:

Flood (film)

Safari Honeymoon - Jesse Jacobs (honestly, anything by Jesse Jacobs)

Big Questions - Anders Nilsen

This is meant to be a "new" purchase from retailer I never used before.. Never again

Look at how gorgeous it is.

Since I read the first Corto Maltese graphic novel last year, I've really liked Hugo Pratt as a writer and artist, but man, this third volume of Corto Maltese stories (which I guess would be called "Always a Bit Further Away") really made me realize how good he was as a writer.

This volume is comprised of 5 short tales that take place around the northern region of South America and in the Caribbean. In these pages, it became more clear to me how important the search for freedon is to the author, be it through armed rebellion against oppressors or in the mobility that a boat affords an adventurous man. Corto Maltese remains a lovable rogue, although he is often a vehicle for stories focused on other characters, which are often tragic, strange, oniric and lyrical. This comic really succeeds at transporting the reader to the locales it portrays, which is aided by Pratt's straightforward storytelling that doesn't hold your hand, he just takes you into these romantic historical dramas and makes you learn about the characters and world through actions rather than through exposition.

Something that I realized as I was finishing this book was that the appearamce, disappearance and reappearance of some plotlines reminded me of seawaves, receding, rising and crashing, then receding again. This plot structure, besides being very appropiate for a swashbuckling maritime comic, enriches the world and makes the character seem more real, how some people will take on some task, but their mind will still be focused on the real object of their interest.

A real stand-out for me in this volume was "The Lagoon of Beautiful Dreams", an extremely well-crafted tale in which a character is characterized entirely by showing the opposites of his current situation. The whole book is full of great moments and I'd recommend it to anyone interested in comics that trabsport you into their worlds and that are deeper than they first appear.

Just finished reading the collected edition of THE BAT-MAN: SECOND KNIGHT. Even though it’s a sequel to the previous miniseries THE BAT-MAN: FIRST KNIGHT (which I read and enjoyed as it was coming out), it’s not entirely necessary to have read it prior to reading this (though I recommend doing so).

Just know this is a story of “Golden Age Batman”: Batman when he first started out—no Alfred, no Batmobile, no Robin, and the gadgets weren’t that fancy yet. And he’s more of a masked detective than a superhero.

It’s 1940, and he’s a bit more experienced. Only his girlfriend, Julie Madison, knows his identity and, though she’s not particularly thrilled at him risking his life like this, she realizes that he is who he is.

Anyway, long story short, in an America that’s not quite entering World War II yet (but getting close to not having any real choice), Gotham is overrun by fear. This is due to a rising fascist cult spreading violence and paranoia among its citizens, led by the malevolent Scarecrow.

However, Batman is not fighting this alone. He ends up getting assistance from a next-door neighbor from Metropolis: Superman.

As somebody who has a special love for both Golden Age Batman & Superman, this story was an incredible read. It was dark and suspenseful (Scarecrow in this story is one of the most unsettling portrayals we’ve seen in a while, a real menace) and the dynamic between Batman & Superman here was great to see.

Will there be a third part to this story? Who knows? But I wouldn’t be opposed to it.

For those who read this story (and its predecessor), what did you think?