On the Coffee Table: Rising Stars

Title: Rising Stars: Born in Fire
Writer: J Michael Straczynski
Artists: Keu Cha, Christian Zanier and Ken Lashley

Image via Read Comics

Rising Stars was first published in August 1999 by Top Cow/Image Comics. The story follows the "Specials," a group of 113 people born with special abilities following the appearance of a mysterious light in the sky above Pederson, Illinois.  Rising Stars draws heavily upon the comic classics.  There's definitely an X-Men influence with the idea of public mistrust of genetic mutants. 

Even stronger is the Watchmen legacy.  The storyline, at least initially, treads a very similar path to Alan Moore's masterpiece: the Specials are being murdered, probably by one of their own.  John Simon (like Watchmen's Rorschach) sets out to find out whom.  From here the paths diverge. The whodunnit question is resolved relatively early. Alliances are formed and battle lines are drawn between factions.  These lifelong friends still have a lot to learn about one another in this time of crisis.

Born in Fire collects the first eight issues of the series.  Despite the allusions mentioned above, Rising Stars goes far beyond the merely derivative.  The artwork of the series is lush but not overwhelming.  The characters are well-developed.  The end of each issue leaves you eager for more in the next.  The writing feels a little forced at times but overall, this one's definitely a keeper.  I knew I was hooked after issue #5, "The World Between."

On the Coffee Table: Miles Behind Us

Title: The Walking Dead, Volume 2: Miles Behind Us
Writer: Robert Kirkman
Artist: Charlie Adlard

Image via The Walking Dead Wiki

My unexpected fascination with Kirkman's zombie-scape continues with this second volume, compiling issues 7-12 of the comic book series.  My Wife and I discussed the story over breakfast this morning (she hasn't read it yet but I think she should).  For me, what works for this story as opposed to other zombie narratives I've encountered is that you don't actually see the zombies very often.  The focus is on one band of survivors and their struggle to piece the basics of existence back together.  The zombies turn up from time to time so as to remind us of the reason for hardship but it's not a constant barrage of the undead.

A new crisis is introduced at the beginning of Miles Behind Us: Lori Grimes (wife of Rick, our protagonist) reveals that she is pregnant.  While the obvious worries about another mouth to feed and lack of access to professional medical care are of great concern, there's also the underlying question of whether or not Rick is the biological father.  The Grimes family remains at the center of the story throughout but the rest of the cast is fluid.  Newly discovered survivors join the team, while others are lost.  Dilemmas of personal versus communal survival abound.

Adlard replaced Tony Moore as lead artist in issue #7 and has remained with the series in that capacity ever since.  Moore moved on to his own projects: The Exterminators and Fear Agent.  Adlard is also the penciller for the series Savage.

On the Coffee Table: The Walking Dead

Title: The Walking Dead, Volume 1: Days Gone Bye
Writer: Robert Kirkman
Artist: Tony Moore

Image via Comic Masters

So, you know when you buy a book based on strong critical reviews but actually expect you won't like it yourself?  Such was the case for me with The Walking Dead.  Zombie stories are everywhere these days and I generally don't care for them.  I'm not a big fan of blood and zombie narratives are soaked in the stuff.  The tales also tend to be predictable:

What are those things?
Woah, they're trying to eat us!
When they get you, you become one of them!
How can we possibly win?
AAAaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!

And so on...
 
Of course, the driver behind the current zombie fad is this very comic book series, a commercial and critical sensation which has spawned an equally acclaimed TV show (nope, haven't watched it yet).  Now, having read Volume 1 (comprising the first six comic issues), I understand why.  This story is really good!

Don't get me wrong.  There's loads of blood and the zombies are just plain grody.  But once you get past the usual horror show trappings, our band of survivors is a compelling bunch.  Led by Rick Grimes (what a perfect name for such a tale!), his wife Lori and son Carl, the troop must contend not only with the obvious challenges of their desperate circumstances but also the interpersonal tensions which arise among a small group of people in a stressful situation.  Everyone's place on the moral spectrum is fluid.  It didn't take me long to become invested in the characters' survival.

I'm definitely up for more.