Quick GN Reviews

You Can't Get There from Here
by Jason
Umm... I'm guessing there must have been some kind of narrative thread holding this thing together, but the way it's presented it's just too disconnected for me to ascertain what it is. It seems like there's just a bunch of panels with little connection between them. So, is this a failing of me as a reader, or of Jason as the storyteller? I'm going for the latter.
Rating: 1.5 (of 5)



Blacksad, book 2: Arctic Nation
by Juan Díaz Canales & Juanjo Guarnido
Blacksad has not just some of the most gorgeous anthropomorphic art you're likely to ever see, it has some of the most gorgeous art you're likely to see in any type of comic. And it's all in service of the story, as Canales uses the anthropomorphic setting to tell an allegorical tale of race and society in post-war America.Action, betray, murder, suspense--this is what good noir is about.
Rating: 4 (of 5)



In Me Own Words: The Autobiography of Bigfoot
by Graham Roumieu
Okay, so it's not really a graphic novel--it's more of a picture book for adults, with art done mostly in black ink & watercolor (with a few photographs thrown in). It's still very funny. Ostensibly written by an eight-foot tall barely literate creature of the woods, this a hilarious satire of both modern society and Bigfoot legends.
Rating: 4 (of 5)



Remote, vol. 1
by Seimaru Amagi & Tetsuya Koshiba
Officer Kurumi Ayaki quits the police force to get married, but it turns out that she and her fiance are going to need a lot more money if they're going to live a life of comfortable married bliss. So Kurumi rejoins the force and is assigned to Inspector Himuro, a brilliant yet eccentric detective who cannot feel emotion and never leaves the basement of his house. Using a cell phone, Kurumi serves as Himuro's eyes and ears out in the world, and together they solve the cases that are nearly impossible, beginning with a serial killer who dresses up as a clown. Amagi gets the situation set up and the story running in the first chapter (American writers take note: just because you're using decompressed narrative doesn't mean that you have to wait six issues before explaining what the series is about!) and Koshiba's art ranges from servicable to good. They provide just enough fan service to keep the horny teenage boys interested, but not so much that it distracts from the story. A good start, but I'll have to withhold final judgment until I see how the Serial Killer Clown mystery is finally resolved.
Rating: 3 (of 5)