On the Coffee Table: Fables

Title: Fables, Vol. 1: Legends in Exile
Writer: Bill Willingham
Artist: Lan Medina

via Amazon

Fables is another popular comic book series which I tried a while back and it didn't take.  It is one of Mock's favorites and my college friend Zander Cannon has contributed artwork to the series so it was with a touch of regret that I didn't pursue the franchise further.  Goodreads recommended it, though, and I have to say that Goodreads has done pretty well by me recently so I decided to try again from the beginning.  Just as with Chew, I'm glad that I did.

For those unfamiliar with the story, fairy tale characters, led by Bigby (The Big Bad) Wolf and Snow White, inhabit a New York City subculture known as Fabletown.  They were driven out of their Homelands by The Adversary and are now doing their best to make a go of it in the mundane world.  Legends in Exile (issues #1-5) is a murder mystery.  Jack of beanstalk fame runs into Bigby's police detective office to report that his girlfriend, Red Rose, has gone missing, her apartment drenched in blood.

At first, I was resistant once again.  The setup felt a lot like Watchmen - a member of the team is killed, apparently by one of their own.  One sees this plot structure over and over again in comic books, everyone imitating the Alan Moore masterpiece.  But the story plays out differently, more along the lines of a classic mystery tale.  I guess I prefer my cliches on the older side.

I can't deny that I'm a sucker for the trappings.  Just as with The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, I'm inspired to go back to the source material in order to better appreciate the characters.  Just as the narrative keeps me interested, I'm ever eager to see who from folklore will pop up next.  The comic book series is coming to an end soon.  #150 will be the final issue, set to publish in 2015.

The Cephalopod Coffeehouse: April 2014

Welcome one and all to the Cephalopod Coffeehouse, a cozy gathering of book lovers, meeting to discuss their thoughts regarding the tomes they enjoyed most over the previous month.  Pull up a chair, order your cappuccino and join in the fun.  If you wish to add your own review to the conversation, please sign on to the link list at the end of my post.

Title: The War of the Worlds
Author: H.G. Wells

via Wikipedia

No exploration of early science fiction would be complete without H.G. Wells's The War of the Worlds.   The story also provides the driving narrative for The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volume II (review here), thus my own interest.  It is one of the earliest books to explore the possibility of encounter between humans and extraterrestrials.  Probes from Mars land on Earth, at first inspiring great and understandable curiosity among the people of southern England.  Once the dire threat of the destructive invaders becomes apparent, the race is on to get the heck out of Dodge. 

Knowing the place of this work in the canon of scifi literature, I was expecting more material about the aliens themselves.  However, most of the story is about the mass exodus to get out of harm's way.  In fact, I was reminded more of The Walking Dead than close encounter tales.  Wells anticipates not only the post-apocalyptic literature to come but also the devastating impact of the very real human wars which would dominate the 20th century and beyond.

In both this book and The Invisible Man (review here), Wells displays a fascination with the dissemination of information.  In the newspaper age, accurate news of the invasion takes significant time to get from one part of England to another.  As such, residents of London, for instance, are caught off-guard by the severity of the situation.  The story is less satirical than The Invisible Man but the dark humor is still there as Wells pokes fun at his fellow Englishmen.  Perhaps not surprisingly for the Victorian Era, the narrator - and through him, the author - comes off as quite a snob.

While I'm glad to have read the book, I'm not in any hurry to read more Wells.  I've covered his Big Four: The Invisible Man, The Island of Dr. Moreau, The Time Machine and The War of the Worlds.  The rest can wait.

Please join us and share your own review of your best read from the past month.  This month's link list is below.  I'll keep it open until the end of the day.  I'll post May's tomorrow.  Meetings are the last Friday of each month.  Next gathering is May 30th.

On the Coffee Table: H.G. Wells

Title: The Invisible Man
Author: H.G. Wells

via Barnes & Noble

Like many of the early science fiction writers, H.G. Wells was himself scientifically trained.  His field was biology.  In The Invisible Man, he considers the genuine potential for achieving invisibility and also the moral implications of such a possibility.  The title character, a man called Griffin, dreams of the power invisibility would gain for him but lacks the foresight to weigh its limitations.  As a morality play, The Invisible Man is not entirely unlike Frankenstein, though in this case the mad scientist's monster is himself.

I expected the story to be dark and creepy.  However, I did not expect Wells's highly satirical depiction of those who people the English countryside.  The tale is as much about the speed of gossip as it is about the arrogance of playing God.  The story begins with a mysterious stranger, covered in bandages, checking into a country inn.  Eventually, as a result of his own arrogance but also the townspeople's curiosity, his secret is exposed.  A mad chase ensues.  He stumbles upon the house of a former colleague, to whom he reveals all.

As with Robert Louis Stevenson's Jeckyll and Hyde (review here), I was inspired to read The Invisible Man by The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen by Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill.  Griffin is one of the five League members.  Whereas the comic book depiction of Hyde is tweaked a little, Griffin is spot on: full-blown psychopath.  The League story also incorporates Griffin's Reign of Terror concept.  In the comic, he is given a first name, a luxury denied him in the novel: Hawley.  In fact, it is revealed in the end that Hawley Griffin is not even the original Griffin but only a guinea pig of the original scientist.  I suppose this is intended to work around the fact that Griffin (SPOILER) is killed at the end of the novel, though I think the change is unnecessary.  The name Hawley is derived from the real-life murderer Hawley Crippen.

The Invisible Man is a good novel, well-worth reading for cultural literacy and geek cred.  While there are certainly dark elements, the book has more humor than other Wells novels I've read: The Time Machine and The Island of Dr. Moreau.  The obligatory techno-babble slows things down a bit for me but overall, it's a fun read.

On the Coffee Table: Robert Louis Stevenson

Title: Strange Case of Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde
Author: Robert Louis Stevenson



Few books can claim cultural impact comparable to that of Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde.  Robert Louis Stevenson's exploration of the duality of human nature has influenced literature, theatre, film (123 movies so far), television and even psychological terminology.  The American comic book industry, in particular, owes Stevenson an enormous debt.  The most obvious derivative is The Hulk but the broader concept of hidden identity is central to the superhero idiom.  My own interest in Jeckyll and Hyde was prompted by The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen by Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill, in which Jeckyll/Hyde is a core team member.

Reading the story in 2013 is a bit strange.  127 years after its initial publication, the once shocking plot twist is well-known, even cliché.  As such, the big reveal on page 76 of my copy has lost the impact it would have on the unsuspecting.  We are so jaded by the deluge of imitations since that one easily fails to appreciate the ingenuity of the initial work.  Original artistic ideas are scarce and should be treasured accordingly.

Given the familiarity of the basic narrative, the task of the 21st century reader is to appreciate the execution.  Stevenson's prose is richly detailed, quite often the case with Victorian era literature.  As such, the reading can be tough going even in a relatively short book.  However, there's no denying the Scot's masterful world-building.  In critique, Stevenson generally earns high praise for setting but I found his descriptions of characters - apart from Jeckyll/Hyde - to be lacking.  I don't know if I would pursue more of his books based on this reading.  I've managed to avoid Treasure Island to this point.  Maybe someday.

Nonetheless, I am glad to have read Jeckyll and Hyde for the sake of cultural literacy and geek cred.  As for the League interpretation, the physical dimensions of the character are altered.  In the original book, Jeckyll shrinks when he becomes Hyde.  In the world according to Moore and O'Neill, he grows, Hulk-like.  However, the character's amorality and violent tendencies are maintained.

On the Coffee Table: Extraordinary Gents, Vol. 2

Title: The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volume II
Writer: Alan Moore
Artist: Kevin O'Neill

Image via Wikipedia

The League of Extraordinary Gentelmen is Moore's and O'Neill's spoof on the superhero team genre, incorporating characters of Victorian era literature.  The League consists of Mina Murray (Dracula), Allan Quartermain (King Solomon's Mines), Hawley Griffin (The Invisible Man), Henry Jeckyll/Edward Hyde and Captain Nemo (20,000 Leagues Under the Sea).  My review of Volume I can be found here.

Volume II draws heavily from the works of H.G. Wells.  The overarching plot is based on War of the Worlds.  In addition to Griffin, Dr. Moreau plays a vital role in the story. 

The fun of The League is in waiting to see who will pop up next, what other literary references will find their way into the story.  Many of the allusions are obvious, others more subtle.  The League lodges at an inn called "The Bleak House," for instance.  Just as with Volume I, the story whets my appetite for the source material as much as for The League story itself.

Definitely for adults only: depictions of brutal violence between league members as well as a nude sex scene with Mina and Allan.