Fantasy & Magic...

SOME SUNDAY reading...

The Names of Magic
By Dylan Horrocks & Richard Case (DC-Vertigo/Titan)

The previous Books of Magic collection I read (The Books of Magic: Transformations by John Ney Rieber & Peter Gross) meandered at best and more often dithered. Dylan Horrocks tells a story well for me though.

There's a predictability and indeed inevitability about this collection with that old chestnut that there's power in the possession of somebody's true name being the theme. That whole Shaman native American Indian approach comes over all Rumpletstiltskin then gets given a distinctly British flavour with secret societies and fairy folk alike trying to subdue, or murder, DC's Timothy Hunter.

Mind you, England and the English is portrayed a bit too twee in places, curious since New Zealander Horrocks appears to have had background research from those living on the once Great isle. Also, the characters do tend towards Vertigo stereotypes and Case services the art rather than takes it to the next level but it's the way that Horrocks tells the story literally rather than the actual questing theme of it all that makes it work.

Mort - A Discworld Big Comic
By Terry Pratchett & Graham Higgins (Victor Gollancz)

Voted into the BBC's Big Read Top 100, this is adapted from probably Pratchett's best-selling Discworld novel, and in this humorous fantasy we follow the misadventures of that Grim Reaper, Death, as he takes on an apprentice by the name of Mort.

It's very much a Readers Digest version of the novel, but there are some good jokes, both literal and visual, all pulled together in a sprightly 93 pages.

Higgins' art exaggerates and pulls unusually but appealingly towards the height of the US comic sized pages rather than its width, the lines and twirls of his tidal swimming inking is tasty, his design of his own intuitive playful nature. He is an illustrator who brings a stylistic bag of tools to the comic book playing field rather than the derivative baggage far too many others do.

Higgins previously illustrated Terry Pratchett's Guards! Guards! - The Big Comic,, that was adapted by Stephen Brigg, and that too demonstrated that he has a consummate designer's eye matched by an illustrative feel and flair , underpinned by an understanding and appreciation of the storytelling qualities of the comics medium as well.

The City by James Herbert & Ian Miller (Pan McMillan)

This original graphic novel surfaced in 1994 but looked dated by a decade or two even for its time.

A continuation of horror author Herbert's The Rats saga it takes us to some future apocalyptic time where those humans who've survived an obvious but never mentioned nuclear war get by in whatever fashion they can.

Some are mutants, some are mad, most just mingle through scavenging; and some thrive. None of them do any of these things as well as the rats though!

It has a mediaeval feel to it, as if some knight had wandered into a plague-filled castle but in fact it's an Iron Man styled guy come back to a city for the wife and child he left behind.

As mentioned, it feels rather dated, if not predictable, in that comic book way, - the painted art recalls the various clones that which surfaced once Simon Bisley made his initial rise to fame in the UK on 2000AD, & Miller may well be celebrated in the fantasy art field but comics wise there's nothing here that really excites.

The book is oversized in the European GN format, dating it to the 70s, while the story itself, if shortened a little, would have made a filler series between the pages of Warren's Eerie or Creepy. On its own it doesn't stand up.

True there's the occasional sickly comic moment and two pretty downright scary surprises near the tail end of the book, but the first half's basically a shoot-up akin to countless computer games, whereas the quest or purpose that takes up the latter part is predictable in its eventual outcome.

Not surprising this didn't do well sales wise when it came out. If however, you're a fan of Herbert's fiction you'll probably want this in your collection, and copies are pretty rare so come at a price.

The Sandman: The Dream Hunters
By Neil Gaiman & Yoshitaka Amano (DC-Vertigo/Titan)

A prose story, similar to the way Gaiman originally did Stardust with Charles Vess, but featuring The Sandman (analogously most of the time) to celebrate the tenth Anniversary of the Gaiman/Sam Kieth visually-created version of the DC character originally created way back in the 40s.

It's a retelling of an old Japanese legend, or rather fable, wherein a fox and badger try to trick a monk out of his monastery, only for the fox to fall in love with the monk and a tragedy to unfold as others enter the picture.

There's no denying that Gaiman writes smooth and flowingly. Fairy tales are his great strength but, for me, the moral in this story's conclusion is not so much ambiguous as pointlessly vague and distractedly so. The journey is fine and interesting, alas the final destination boring.

I must declare that Amano's art does absolutely nothing for me. It's flat and uninspired when not obvious. But what do I know? This book won a 1999 Bram Stoker Award for Illustrated Narrative and a Best Related Book Book for the 2000 Hugo Awards.

Little Demons
By John Robbins

This short self-produced chap book us beautifully designed and tells the story of young Tim Odlum and his believing that he can see demons down people's throats. Young Tim's presumed skill makes him popular, and attracts fans, but it can bring the much-needed love this little Demon Slayer requires.

It is an exemplary work of natural art and fiction that surpasses the aforementioned The Dream Hunters in every way. It leaves an ambiguity in its conclusion but the moral value is present where it should be in understated form. It captures the mannerisms or the young without patronising is evocative in theme and show s fiction to be an art.