Some graphic novels

Ok, maybe not everybody is a graphic novel fiend like me (and especially James D), but there are some anyone should be able to enjoy. Let me start with I am Legend (the graphic novel, that is), based on the book by Richard Matheson. Actually I guess I should start with the book version. Here's a short synopsis from Amazon:

A terrible plague has decimated the world, and those who were unfortunate enough to survive have been transformed into blood-thirsty creatures of the night. Except, that is, for Robert Neville. He alone appears to be immune to this disease, but the grim irony is that now he is the outsider. He is the legendary monster who must be destroyed because he is different from everyone else. Employing a stark, almost documentary style, Richard Matheson was one of the first writers to convince us that the undead can lurk in a local supermarket freezer as well as a remote Gothic castle.

What's more notable about this book, and what makes it really worth reading, is the close in focus on Robert Neville and his knowledge that the end is coming, and all he's doing is delaying it. He feels alone, trapped, and despondent. This is no Robinson Crusoe tale. Neville survives despite the knowledge that he is doomed, not because he has hope. It's a very dark tale, but still captivating. It's tense and thoughtful (two things that are usually incompatible). It's very much a modern horror classic, and well worth reading.

The graphic novel is truly worthy of this book. The adaptation is written by Steve Niles and illustrated by Elman Brown. I'm not usually a fan of simple black and white art, but perhaps in this case coloration would have detracted from the pure power of the story. My biggest gripe about the art is that I don't like the way he draws some of the characters. They just don't look normal, but that's not enough to really ruin the experience, although it gets annoying once in a while. Steve Niles is the writer of the 30 Days of Night series(the first one of which was recently turned into a movie).

I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Niles recently at a signing, and discussing with him some of his books. I asked him how he got involved with I Am Legend, and he said he simply loved the book from his first reading of it when he was younger. A couple of years ago or so, he decided to call Richard Matheson and ask if he could do a graphic novel of the book, and Mr. Matheson said yes. He sold him the license for $100! Simply amazing; that kind of thing should happen more often! Anyway, this is not a collaboration brought about as the bright idea of some publisher or editor, it was done out of a love for the book and author, and the treatment he gives it is respectful.

If you're wondering why you'd read the graphic novel instead of the novel, I can't say one is really better than the other. They're very similar, except one uses words to create imagery and the other uses pictures to tell a story. I like them both, and the art of the book is worth checking out.

Recently I picked up a book called Lucifer, a spin-off from Neil Gaiman's Sandman series (which, by the way, is one of the most awesome comic series ever created, and if you don't agree go die). Now usually, spin-off is a bad word in comics. It almost always means a half-assed mini-series about some hero the publisher is trying to hype to sell more comics and make more money. Think of the vast number of X-series spin-offs and you get the picture. I was wary about buying it at first, but when my favorite comic shop started selling them for 50% off, I just had to try it. I don't regret it. Mike Carey does a solid job of distancing this from The Sandman (not relying overly-much on established characters and settings to sell the story based on familiarity with those) but keeps that same sort of mysterious atmosphere, not explaining Lucifer or his motivese through dialog or exposition, but simply letting the story reveal itself. It's very interesting so far, but since I've only read the first volume, I can't say whether the next ten volumes will be as well.