Batman: The Killing Joke

I wonder why I insist on calling Alan Moore Michael Moore. This is a mystery to me, except that I think both their faces are obnoxious to me. I suppose this is beside the point.

So, why am I reading traditional superhero comics? I am hoping to go to a conference in Wilmington, NC this October and present on terrorism in comic movies and fantasy novels. I picked this graphic novel up because I wanted

Fables: Legends in Exile (Vol. 1)

Our favorite Grimm characters come to the modern world to escape the adversary who has taken all their lands. Snow White's sister Rose Red fakes her own murder to get out of a pending engagement with Bluebeard.

Whys and Wherefores (Y: The Last Man, Vol. 10)

When I went to pick up these last four books at Plan 9 Comics in Boone yesterday, the man said he thought Y: The Last Man was the best graphic novel series out there. I am really interested in why this is the case. This series was really quite brilliant, but I thought the ending was a little anticlimactic. I wonder if men really enjoy The Last Man series because Yorick ends up fairly free of women?

Motherland (Y: The Last Man, Vol. 9)

Kimono Dragons (Y: The Last Man, Vol. 8)

Yorick and crew spend some time in Japan.

Paper Dolls (Y: The Last Man, Vol. 7)

Girl on Girl (Y: The Last Man, Vol. 6)

355, Dr. Mann, and Yorick board a heroin trafficking cruise ship captained by Kilina, a comparative literature major turned sailor. An Australian submarine attacks the ship, killing Kilina and commandeering the last y-chromosome crew. 355 and Dr. Mann give a romantic relationship a first try. We hear from Beth in Australia, but her storyline is still convoluted.

Ring of Truth (Y: The Last Man, Vol. 5)

Yorick meets Beth, a former flight attendant, who helps get him out of his dry spell. He, 355, and Dr. Mann make it to San Fran where they isolate a possible reason for Yorick's continued existence. For a few moments, they believe it's Beth's engagement ring. Hero rejoins the fold despite her continued internal conversations with Victoria. Flashbacks abound. :)

Hellboy: The Chained Coffin and Others

Mike Mignola must be an interesting man. I don't have much experience in comics, but I haven't seen any where the artist and the writer are the same person until this one, of course. He seems to have a penchant for European folk tales: almost all of the Hellboy stories in this volume are based on some folk tale. I really enjoy the artwork! It's not cartoony, but it's not realistic either. It's edgy but not gross. I think I could get addicted to it.

Safeworld (Y: The Last Man, Vol. 4)

Yorick spends some time with Agent 711 in order to overcome his more dangerous shortcomings. A I-40 roadblock in Arizona leads Dr. Mann to admit her true motivation for cloning and leaves yet another friendly woman dead.

One Small Step (Y: The Last Man, Vol. 3)

The Israelis catch up to Yorick as he attempts to save three astronauts who have been on a space station. Yorick, 355, and Dr. Mann continue to California while their newfound Russian friend cares for the sole survivor from the shuttle crash. A group of actors writes a play about the last man on earth.

Cycles (Y: The Last Man, Vol. 2)

Yorick finally meets up with his sister, Hero. The Amazons lose their leader, Victoria, and 355 suffers a head injury that leads her to admit her attraction to Yorick.

Lioness Rampant (Song of the Lioness 4)

The conclusion to the Song of the Lioness quartet.