Tag: Graphic Novel

Everything Bold and Viceral in Gou Tanabe’s Call of Cthulhu Needs A Deluxe HC Reprint!

Gou Tanabe's Call of Cthulhu
Available to purchase on Amazon USA

Dark Horse Comics

I really hope Gou Tanabe continues to adapt more of H.P. Lovecraft‘s stories into a visual medium. After the release of Call of Cthulhu, I’m really craving more. And with what’s presented in a tankōbon format, I can’t wait to see what the inevitable deluxe edition will look like. That’s because to marvel at the details put into showing off the city of R’lyeh can mean I can put away those magnifying glasses. Even though my digital copy allowed me to zoom in to marvel at the fine lines and strange hieroglyphs, that did not mean I found Easter eggs.

What makes this release work is that most readers know the basics of this story. Francis Wayland Thurston needs closure following‌ the death of his grand-uncle. He left behind some curious artefacts, including a strange statue of some hybrid octopus and humanoid creature, to his next of kin. But when curiosity gets the better of the young man, I swear he should have died at least five times over! When he goes globetrotting to discover more of these statues exist, there’s a conspiracy that he must get answers to. However, that doesn’t get far when a sailing expedition to locate a tribe gets interrupted and he finds an uncharted isle, and unwittingly unleashes some giant sized amorphous inhabitant!

Continue reading “Everything Bold and Viceral in Gou Tanabe’s Call of Cthulhu Needs A Deluxe HC Reprint!”

Highwater Press. From Little by Little to The Rez Doctor, This Publisher is Paving A Bright Future for Everyone!

Sometimes, reading influential books and graphic novels is enough to show how young readers can change their lives for the better, and Highwater Press is leading the way!

Highwater Press LogoHighwater Press continues to impress readers with heroes who can make a difference in everyday life. Whether this concerns a young child in Little By Little to another who desires to dream big in The Rez Doctor, just what makes these stories special is that these role models come from indigenous roots.

I’m glad this publisher has given me the opportunity to read most of their late summer and autumn catalogue of works. They opened my eyes to what anyone can be capable of. While the focus is on what these writers with First Nations upbringing can imagine up, I really enjoyed their takes on life, how to change for the better, and be more humane to one another.

For example, the Reckoner Rises (review) series shows teens coming together and learning how to use their mutant (superhero) abilities to take on the establishment. Not every graphic novel released are as simple as that. They just tackle social issues everyone should be aware of. After the discovery of a mass grave in Kamloops, the theme of how to heal and do better for a rewarding future will always be a theme. That aspect is central to what the Surviving the City series (review) is about.

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In Little Moons, It’s Tough Not To Feel Down. Someone Must Rise Up Instead!

Now available in bookstores is Little Moons, and this graphic novel shows that life doesn’t have to be hard after when someone disappears, and everyone is fearing the worst.

Little Moons Graphic Novel Cover
Available to purchase on Amazon USA

Highwater Press‘ commitment to publish stories by emerging talents from the Indigenous community is to be commended. If I could offer a suggestion, they should have a larger presence at comic book conventions. That way, certain works like Little Moons, written by Jen Storm, can get the marketing it deserves.

This one-shot looks at a family dealing with loss. One day, Chelsea is the life of the party, and the next, she’s gone! Reanna hopes that Chelsea simply ran away, but everyone must accept the horrible truth–she fell victim to a random abduction. As a result, there’s a melancholy embedded in every page. When these tales concern isolated communities with brief communication with the authorities, they offer limited hope.

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When The Reckoner Rises, Just Who Are the Watchman?

God Flare is the latest volume in the Reckoner Rises series from best-selling author David A. Robertson.

The Reckoner Rises Book CoverHighwater Press

The Reckoner Rises is a graphic novel series that’s sure to turn heads. I would not advise jumping in with the latest volume, titled God Flare. I was curious because of the fantastic attention grabbing cover by Scott B. Henderson, but in order to understand what’s going on, I had to chase down the first two graphic novels. I got the feeling this work took inspiration from Alan Moore’s The Watchman, and overall, I’m not wrong!

When readers are first introduced to Cole, we find him on the verge of a breakdown and he doesn’t understand why he’s The Chosen One. He has the mutant ability which allows him to communicate with the dead, and for Eva, who has the powers of flight, they could easily become the next Alpha Flight! But when they’re living on a reserve, it seems they don’t have a lot of inspiration to go to the next level and do stuff for the good of their community. In the harsh winter world of what I assume is Northern Winnipeg, I’m sure the life there is no different from what I’ve learned in other works, like The Death Tour (documentary review link), which examines what life is like in these sleepy indigenous communities.

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Surviving The City Can Be Rough. In Volume 3: We Are the Medicine What’s Examined is Based on Real Life.

In this graphic novel series, Surviving the City, isn’t just about how one culture is dealing with colonialism, but rather with how many other lives can get affected at the same time.

Tasha Spillett, author of Surviving the CityHighWater Press
Spoiler Alert

Some knowledge of what the graphic novel series, Surviving the City, wants to educate is required to acknowledge what the latest instalment Volume 3: We Are Medicine, hopes to heal. Ever since the news about finding a mass grave of children near a former residential school in Kamloops broke out in 2021, there were a lot of protests and finger pointing. The world blamed people in prominent positions of power of the atrocity. Even now, the after-effects are still ongoing. Some reconciliation has happened since, but what’s presented here as fiction is coming true in the real world after reading “Chief says grave search at B.C. residential school brings things ‘full circle’” from the Kelowna Capital News.

This story by Tasha Spillett (pictured above left) makes up the backdrop where Miikwan and Dez are thinking about their futures. This author/educator/public speaker strives for a world where multiculturalism is embraced and everyone is treated with compassion. It’s basically what Gene Roddenberry envisioned for Star Trek, and everything Sisko would fight for when he travelled back in time and became part of the protests for equal rights in “Past Tense, Parts One and Two (Deep Space 9).”

In this story, these youths want to make the world a better place. They will soon graduate, and instead of figuring out what to wear for their last prom, these two indigenous teens change their plans and want to help after this news broke out. These are wonderful kids. Even Dez, the protagonist from the first two books, gets involved! After her own dealings with “The System,” how she deals with authoritarianism is important too. Continue reading “Surviving The City Can Be Rough. In Volume 3: We Are the Medicine What’s Examined is Based on Real Life.”

From The Mountains of Madness Deluxe Edition to Arkham Horror, Just What Else Will A Scared Dark Horse Deliver?

To distinguish betweeen a work of Lovecraftian terror to cosmic horror, fans have to decide what is essential: Arkham Horror, The Mountains of Madness and many more iconic locales.

The Mountains of Madness Deluxe Edition HC
Available for purchase on Amazon USA

The months of July and August are shaping up to be quite the season to enjoy some Lovecraftian style terror with two releases! Early in July saw the release of The Mountains of Madness Deluxe Edition and this month, Arkham Horror! When it came to the latter, I had spend time to reacquaint myself with the game before really wanting to dive deep. It’s been a long time since I last played, and to enjoy it proper meant looking through the source material from start to end.

I must say that the former may well kickstart a set of reprints featuring Gou Tanabe’s fantastic artwork in this 7.5×10 inch format. There’s also Shadows of Innsmouth and The Hound & Other Stories to consider, but that will depend on how well sales go. Also, Call of Cthulhu (Amazon links) will hit shelves soon. If I said I’m waiting for a dual set release, this would be the reason; and if the other tomes aren’t reprinted to offer CoC and MoM up as a pair would have me interested in buying sooner than later.

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