A Pinoy Blog About Nothing

   

Picked up Blankets by Craig Thompson and JLA-Avengers#1 for some weekend reading. These are two very different graphic novels (okay…comic books) which shows how the medium can be very potent in telling different kinds of stories.

Blankets by Thompson just blew me away. The phrase ‘achingly beautiful’ has been overused to hype up work which doesn’t even come close to the meaning of those words. Blankets is sentimental without being maudlin. It tackles the story of Craig, a young man coming of age in a strict Christian fundamentalist town and his search for his place in the world. In his journey he meets Raina and they embark on bittersweet relationship. Theirs is not a story of romance books and movies but one equally as passionate as the real world concerns - parents getting a divorce, the distance between them, peer pressure, expectations - would allow them. At 582 pages, it’s a hefty volume but I couldn’t put it down. Thompson’s art is just lovely and perfectly fills the gaps when words would surely fail.

I was lucky to get a copy of JLA-Avengers. The last two stores I visited sold out all their stock. There are two reasons why this mini-series (4 issues) is a fanboy dream: 1) it is drawn by George Perez who was wanted to do this project 20 years ago, 2) you’d get to see who’ll win in a fight between Captain America or Superman.

George Perez is probably the best artist in the comic book industry to work on a book with a lot of characters crawling around in its pages. He did the awesome task of shaking up the DC Comics universe with Crisis On Infinite Earths and JLA/Avengers crossover shows he can still kick it like the new hotshots. He wanted to do this crossover between the DC and Marvel heroes years ago but a dozen reasons prevented him from doing so. He’s passionate about this project and it shows in his work.

I must admit aside from wanting to see George Perez’s work again, it appeals to the kid in me (what doesn’t these days? heh). I mean here’s a chance to see Thor go up against Superman, find out who’s faster - Quicksilver or Flash, who’s the more spoiled billionaire - Batman or Iron Man? The story might predictable as hell (the politics between the two publishing companies would make sure of that) but it’s still a fun read.