Sweet Tooth

 Title: Sweet Tooth

Genre: Sci-Fi/post-apocalyptic

Story: Jeff Lemire

Art: Jeff Lemire

Publisher: Vertigo

Issues: 01-19 of 40

Year: 2009 - 2011

 Rate: 95/100

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PROMO: "Writer and artist Jeff Lemire has created the new 'must read' book with SWEET TOOTH." — GEOFF JOHNS"Spellbinding and offbeat . . . emotionally charged." — USA TODAY"A grabber from the get-go..." — THE ONIONThe first five issues of Jeff Lemire's acclaimed new series introduce Gus, a rare new breed of human/animal hybrid who was raised in isolation following a pandemic that struck a decade earlier. Now, with the death of his father, he's left to fend for himself . . . until he meets a hulking drifter named Jepperd, who promises to help him. Jepperd and Gus set out on a post-apocalyptic journey into the devastated American landscape to find 'The Preserve,' a refuge for hybrids." (from vertigocomics.com, about "Sweet Tooth vol. 1")

REVIEW: Vertigo, pod-etiketa čuvenog DC Comics-a, je praktično od svog osnivanja sinonim za kvalitetan prekookeanski strip. Lično bih, bez trunke razmišljanja, menjao sav kusur američke industrije, sve plodove franko-belgijske, britanske i japanske tradicije stripa za kompletnu Vertigo biblioteku. Samo početi nabrajati autore koji su stvarali pod ovom etiketom i nazive serija objavljene pod tom istom etiketom bio bi bezvezno preopširan posao.

"Slatki Zub" je još jedan dragulj u kruni medija. 

Mnogo je postapokaliptičnih priča u poslednje vreme, što u stripu, na filmu, u žanrovskoj književnosti ili na televizije, ali "Slatki Zub" je vlasniku bloga možda i omiljena (a ne treba reći d aje autor bloga najveći fan postapokaliptičnih storija). 

Pre sedam godina svet je zadesila pandemija neke nove vrste kuge - smrtonosan, misteriozni virus koji je pre nego što je iko mogao da dođe sebi, srušio dotadašnji sistem. U isto vreme pojavljuju se hibridi - bebe koja su bila delom ljudska, delom animalna. Nekada je u novorođenčadima preovlađivalo zverinje, nekada ljudsko. Pa su neka deca bila nema, divlja, nakazna, a neka sasvim kreativna i inteligentna, sa tek par fizičkih anomalija. Junak ove priče spada negde između - poseduje moć govora, inteligenciju, samosvest, iako ni u ludilu se ne može nazvati najsvetlijom sijalicom u sobi. No, zašto je on zanimljiv (osim što je bezgranično sladak sa tim jelenjim rogovima)? Pa, hibridi su imuni na dotičnu kugu. Posle prvog talasa smrti, preživeli su poverovali da je prošlo, da su završili među srećnijima. No, onda su smrti nastavile, sasvim random pojavili bi se simptomi i ubrzo smrt. Ali hibridna deca nisu umirala. I tu kreće lov na iste. 

Dalje nećemo otkrivati.

Sama postavka, verujem, deluje dovoljno originalna, humana, topla (a, strip je sav takav, divan) da Vas zainteresuje? 

Mouse Guard - Winter 1152

Title: Моuse Guard - Winter 1152

Genre: Fantasy

Story: David Petersen

Art: David Petersen

Publisher: Archaia Studios Press

Year: 2007-2008

Issues: 01-06 of 06

Rate: 90/100

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PROMO: "In the Winter of 1152, the Mouse Guard face a food and supply shortage threatening the lives of many mouse through a cold and icy season. Some of the Guard's finest - Saxon, Kenzie, Lieam, and Sadie, led by Celanawe, the legendary Black Axe - traverse the snow-blanketed territories acting as diplomats to improve relations between the mouse cities and the Guard, and find themselves on a race against time to deliver crucial medicines. This is a winter not every Guard may survive... "

REVIEW: Evo, samo pisanje ovog blog unosa nekkao greje dušu. Pa, zamislite samo, uzmete miševe, "najmanje od stvorenja zemlje", podarite im skrivenu civilizaciju, smestite ih u epski srednji vek, nacrtate ih tako lepo, obojite ih tako živo i veselo i izmaštate njihove silne avanture - avanture malih, no beksrajno hrabrih stvorova u svetu velikih i moćnih. Mišija Garda (Straža) je oružana sila koja na okupu drži nezavisne mišije teritorije sastavljene iz  niza skrivenih i samostalnih mišijih naselja - parčence sveta iz kojeg su sitni glodari, manje-više, uspešno isterali grabljivice i koje sada s ponosom zovu svojom zemljom. To je opšta postavka ovog stripa. U pitanju je direktni nastavak Jeseni 1152 - tokom koje je moglo doći do krvavog građanskog, brato-mišoubilačkog rata. Došla je zima za koju miševi, nakon pomenutih burnih jesenjih događaja, nisu spremni. Štab garde je bez namirnica i njeni članovi su poslati na sve strane u nabavku... A, ono što je i u originalnoj priči bilo najfascinantnije - sukob miševa sa grabljivcima - i ovde je prisutno i jednako uzbudljivo. Ono što je za čoveka jedna od ptica na drvetu ili u vazduhu, za miša je opasnost najveća na svetu. Ono što je za junaka klasične epske fantastike zmaj, za naše male glodare je obična sova. To i jeste najveća vrednost ovog stripa - pored očigledne prijemčivosti za sve uzraste - izmeštanje perspektive, tako verno prikazana hipotetička, od očiju ljudi skrivena civilizacija.

Takođe se i međumišiji odnosi dalje razvijaju, svaki miš, ma koliko mali, postaje nam još draži, a jedan gine junačkom smrću, ostavljajući nas rastužene... 

Uskoro na stranama bloga i prolog posvećen famoznoj "Crnoj Sekiri", najvećem mišijem heroju svih vremena, a autor stripa polako radi na još jednoj mini-seriji koja će nam dočarati zimski rat 1149. godine, vođen između miševa i lasica. 

Punk Rock Jesus

Title: Punk Rock Jesus
Story: Sean Murphy
Art: Sean Murphy
Publisher: Vertigo
Year: 2012
Issues: 01-06 of 06
Rate: 79/100
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PROMO: The newest reality show hit has the unlikeliest celebrity of all in this new black and white miniseries from writer/artist Sean Murphy (JOE THE BARBARIAN, Off Road)! J2, the TV series starring a clone of Jesus Christ, causes chaos across a near-future United States in PUNK ROCK JESUS, a new miniseries written and drawn by Sean Murphy, the acclaimed illustrator of JOE THE BARBARIAN and AMERICAN VAMPIRE: SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST. J2 causes outrage and adulation. Religious zealots either love or hate the show, angry politicians worry about its influence on the nation, and members of the scientific community fear the implications of cloning a human being at all – let alone the Son of God. And what effect will this all have on Gwen, the young woman who is selected, through an American Idol-style process, to be the mother of the new Messiah? All this leads to the hiring of Thomas McKael, the clone’s bodyguard and a former IRA operative with a turbulent past who must protect the new Messiah – a baby who captivates the world, but grows up to become an angry teenager.

REVIEW: "PRJ" je, redom svaka sveska, pokupio sjajne ocene, na kraju godine našao se na svim relevantnim top-listama i pobrao neke od značajnijih nagrada u svojoj kategoriji (od popularnog geek sajta "IGN": "Najbolja nova mini-serija"), pa je bilo sasvim logično da zaluđenik poput mene baci oko na dotični strip, ako ništa drugo, a ono da ostane u toku. Bačen pogled, a zatim i strip bačen u zapećak. Za mene, a verujem i većinu fanova medija, u najmanju ruku jednako vizuelna, koliko i literarna kategorija. Ukoliko je strip odbojan oku, teško se teram čitanju, pa makar i vanvremenske priče. Kao što možete videti na priloženim stranama u pitanju je b&w strip, što je nije loše samo po sebi. Vizuelni problem ovog dela je prenatrpanost scena, ono što se nekada dešava japanskim mangama, ovde je dovedeno do apsurda. Haotične, prebogate scene koje iziskuju više do tri-četiri momenta samo da bi se shvatilo šta je sve tu, zapravo, prikazano. Par strana koje su jednostavnije prosto dolaze kao odmor oku. 

No, sve to bi se dalo progutati, da je priča zaista odlična. Nije odlična! Sama ideja, onako u glavi autora, bačena u sažetku na papir deluje genijalna: kloniran Isus Hrist, veštački oplođena, de facto devica, sve to smešteno na izolovano ostrvo, pokriveno kamerama, snimano i emitovano dan-noć u domove amerikanaca (i ljudi širom sveta) u vidu novog hit rijaliti šou programa. Religijska osnova priče pružala je niz mogućnosti za zaista kontraverzne, provokativne igrarije, sulude zaplete, priču daleko dužu od šest brojeva, ona se pak brzo svela na klasičnu anti-religijsku, ateističku propagandu. Predstavljanje hrišćana kao masnih i tupavih spodoba ispranih mozgova, frljanja naučnim činjenicama o evoluciji, propagiranja bednog anarho-panka i slično... Iako je sam kraj zapravo dobar - fino prikazuje kako zapravo nastaju religije i kako se lako mogu izopačiti izvorna učenja mesija, iako kroz strip prozuji nekoliko likova koji nisu karikature zatucanih hrišćana, već religioznost/duhovnost shvataju na nešto drugačiji način (mada i to su klišei i poštoapalice o veri u "nekakvu silu"), generalno prilično neinspirativno. 

Dakle, prilično negativna recenzija, a opet prilično visoka ocena? Ideja je sjajna, realizacija ukupno ipka ne toliko očajna, negativnost je tu pre svega zbog razočarenja, zbog propuštene šanse da dobijemo legendarni strip... Vredno čitanja, ipak.

The Clockwork Girl

Title: The Clockwork Girl

Genre: Steampunk/fantasy/all-ages

Created by: Kevin Hanna and Sean O'Reilly

Publisher: Arcana Studios

Year: 2007-2008

Issues: 00-04 (complete)

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PROMO: Having sold more than 300,000 copies in a series of five comic books, The Clockwork Girl is now a luscious graphic novel. It’s a tale unlike any other, a journey into a faraway land where the Clockwork Girl lives—a ticking robot girl with mechanical limbs and a voice of her own.

Against all odds, she finds companionship in Huxley, the amazing mutant circus boy who risks his life to be with her. Together they tackle questions like what man can feel that a machine or mutant can’t, what loneliness is, and what love is.

But can a robot girl feel true love? Will this futuristic Romeo and Juliet survive the threats of their warring families?

REVIEW: Retko kada čovek naleti na nešto ovoliko lepo i duboko humano, što ga natera da zastane, uspori i voli život. Ovo je kratka i stara, ko zna koliko puta do sada ispričana priča, samo odenuta u novo ruho i ponuđena gladnima. Ukoliko volite "Čarobnjak iz Oza", "Alisu u zemlji čuda" i slične klasike, svakako ćete i u priči o curi od zupčanika i zavrtnja (simpatično nazvanoj Tesla) naći ponešto za sebe. 

Suštinski šekspirovska priča o dve zavađene porodice, obe posvećene sanjarskom cilju stvaranja veštačkog života. Ciljevi isti, ali putanje do njih sasvim drugačije - jedna okrenuta nauci, progresu i hladnom čeliku, druga prirodnjačka, ekološka. Jedan namrgođeni starac do novog života pokušava doći hefestovskim, a drugi frankenštajnovskim metodama. Lagana simbolika tako ugodna današnjem svetu u kome se priroda i tehnologija neprekindo sukobljavaju. 

No, nema potrebe širiti priču pretencioznostima, jer ovo je ipak ljubavna storija, nevina i prelepa, usto upakovana u predivni crtež i tople boje.

Beasts of Burden

Title: Beasts of Burden

Genre: Horror

Story: Evan Dorkin

Art: Jil Thompson

Publisher: Dark Horse Comics

Year: 2009

Issues: 01-04

Rate: 90/100

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PROMO: Welcome to Burden Hill-a picturesque little town adorned with white picket fences and green, green grass, home to a unique team of paranormal investigators. Beneath this shiny exterior, Burden Hill harbors dark and sinister secrets, and it's up to a heroic gang of dogs-and one cat-to protect the town from the evil forces at work. These are the Beasts of Burden Hill-Pugs, Ace, Jack, Whitey, Red and the Orphan-whose early experiences with the paranormal (including a haunted doghouse, a witches' coven, and a pack of canine zombies) have led them to become members of the Wise Dog Society, official animal agents sworn to protect their town from evil. This turns out to be no easy task, as they soon encounter demonic cannibal frogs, tortured spirits, a secret rat society, and a bizarre and deadly resurrection in the Burden Hill cemetery-events which lead to fear and heartbreak as our four-legged heroes discover that the evil within Burden Hill is growing and on the move. Can our heroes overcome these supernatural menaces? Can evil be bested by a paranormal team that doesn't have hands? And even more importantly, will Pugs ever shut the hell up?

Mystique

Title: Mystique

Genre: Superhero

Story: Brian K. Vaughan, Sean McKeever

Art: Jorge Lucas, Manuel Garcia...

Publisher: Marvel Comics

Year: 2003-2005

Issues: 01-24 of 24

Rate: 75/100

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PROMO: Writer Vaughan (Y: The Last Man) deftly straddles the line between superhero story and spy thriller with this series. Bad-girl shape-shifter Mystique, who can look and sound like anyone, is forced into working for X-Men leader Professor Charles Xavier (her former enemy), in exchange for protection from the many governments and other groups that want her dead. Mystique serves as an agent for Xavier, carrying out missions with which he cannot be associated should they come to light. Vaughan stresses how little anyone trusts Mystique, and how little she trusts anyone else in return. He enlivens the basic premise with sharp dialogue, smart characterizations and innovative uses for a shape-shifter's powers (e.g., taking the form of a child to force soldiers into hesitating during a crucial firefight, or creating a pouch behind her stomach to smuggle illicit firearms through airport security). Mystique's handlers come in the form of longtime X-Man Forge, who can build anything, and tiny tough guy Shortpack, a six-inch-tall telepath who provides witty banter. Lucas's art is clean, clear and nicely depicts subtle emotions, which is handy, since Vaughan packs this thriller with dramatic tension. Don't let the pinup-worthy cover fool you: Mystique is a smart, engaging piece of espionage fiction that shows that the superhero story isn't dead yet. 

Wormwood: Gentleman Corpse

Title: Wormwood - Gentleman Corpse

Genre: Horror/Comedy

Story: Ben Templesmith

Art: Ben Templesmith

Publisher: IDW Publishing

Year: 2006-2007

Issues: 00-07 (series: "The Taster", "Birds, Bees, Blood and Booze" and "It Only Hurts When I Pee")

Rate: 93/100

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PROMO: Meet Wormwood, the English-accented, beer-drinking, sentient corpse possessing a maggot expat from the Hell dimension. Well, one of them. If he's not attempting to save Earth from demonic, parasitic fungal infections or undead strippers, then he's off drinking with his homemade mechanical sidekick, Mr. Pendulum.