This unclassifable graphic novel explores notions of history, reality, Alice in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll, a town in England called Sunderland, and all the wondrous connections that fall everywhere in between.

I received Alice in Sunderland as a gift a year or so ago, and tucked it away on my shelf in favor of whatever my current favorite comic series was at the time.  Recently, I decided to give it a shot, and within the first 10 pages I was totally engrossed.

Alice in Sunderland is more or less a work on nonfiction.  There are several narrators that guide the reader on the bizarre and intriguing journey, including Bryan Talbot, the author, playing himself.  He, as well as the other narrators, lead the reader through the intertwining histories of England, Sunderland, Lewis Carroll and his masterwork, Alice in Wonderland.  The book finds dozens of strange and coincidental (?) connections between all of these things, many subtle and full of magic, myth, and the-truth-is-stranger-than-fiction moments.  At the center of the book is the triumverate connection between Lewis Carroll, Alice Liddell (the young girl that Wonderland’s Alice is based upon), and Sunderland (a small ship-building town in England that Talbot theorizes was the basis for Alice in Wonderland).  Also explored are the origins of comics and its connection to all of the other things.

The book can drag at times when its massive cast of both history and fiction becomes confusing, but for the most part it is written for the reader.  It flows very well, as each interesting topic lasts long enough to quench the reader’s thirst while generally not going on so long that it becomes boring.  Beyond anything else, though, the book remains interesting through its completely unique style, visually, in the written word, and in it’s general concept and structure.  The artwork always complements the words and often the blending of many historical pictures and new drawings leaves the reader to explore the intricacies of the pictures as much as the words.  Often Talbot ponders the book that he himself is writing and narrating, so that the book you hold in your hands fluidly becomes part of the history that Talbot seemlessly sutures with so many other things.

Conclusion:

An interesting and inspiring read! Talbot’s book has inspired me to respect research, to find the amazing in the everyday and in history.

For: Those interested in any of the forementioned topics, especially history and its effects on everything.

Not For: Those with little patience for history and nonfiction.  Those looking for a quick read.

• Buy: @ Amazon.com

Paul Auster’s 2002 novel is whirlwind of storytelling, but may not be for every reader.

I’ve been a big fan of Auster every since I read his masterpiece, The New York Trilogy.  He’s a master storyteller, and I often feel like he’s just some portal to the world of stories and he can’t help it that they just pour out of him so easily.

The Book of Illusions is a fantastic return to the themes that recur throughout most of his work: identity, metafiction, and impending disaster.  The book is the story of a man who’s lost his wife and children in a plane crash.  He becomes interested in Hector Mann, a lost silent-era comedian, and decides to write a book on him to take his mind off of his lonely life.  Doing so drags him headlong into a bizarre mystery that has been going on since the early 1920′s, which brings him danger and romance…but not in a hokey spy novel way–in a completely breathtaking way.

As with all of Auster’s books, they are super-easy to read, just a breathless, straightforward style of storytelling; the key to Auster’s work, and the thing that makes him so exciting is that while it’s so quick and easy to read, there is an enormous amount of depth.  There are so many layers to this book, many of which intersect with Auster’s other works: David Zimmer meets Alga, who tells him about the life story of Hector Mann, who in turn is a storyteller in the form of a filmmaker, who’s films Zimmer views.  The film he sees is entitled The Inner Life of Martin Frost, which, in 2007, Auster himself turned into a real full-length film that he wrote and directed.  Confused yet?  Good.

Not really confusing, just mind-boggling that Auster has created such a fascinating pantheon of characters and stories in so many great books. But, I suppose, one could see the endless connections that are seemingly pointless as…well, pointless.  And I could see that that sort of thing could definitely get on someone’s nerves…if you’re not onto the whole thing.

Conclusion:

Check it out! Even if you don’t like it, don’t be put off by the length; it can easily be read in a weekend.

For fans of: Existentialism.  Kafka.  The art of storytelling.

You might not like this if: You don’t like subplots.  You’re not into the whole interconnectedness thing.

• Buy: @ Amazon

Matt Wagner has built an epic mythos around the characters in his series Grendel.  See where it all started.

I’ve been a fan of Wagner for a little while now, having read the superb Trinity just recently.  I had tried to get into Grendel many years ago, and although I tried valiantly, I couldn’t understand what was going on.  That’s because Wagner has been working on Grendel for over two decades now, building up huge story arcs and characters that span centuries and continents.

So, where can the casual reader check out some Grendel that’s intelligible?  Right here!

The Grendel Archives collects the first Grendel story from Primer #2 as well as the first three issues of the actual Grendel comic books.  These stories are fascinating and thoroughly enjoyable.  We get a real sense right away of Wagner’s unique approach to storytelling and superheroes: most intriguing is the fact that Grendel, the title character, is the villain, although a pretty benevolent one–picture Batman as a ganglord.  But having a “good” villain isn’t so revolutionary; what really makes it interesting is that there is also a superhero, the Native-American-turned-werewolf Argent, a character whose backstory is equally as creative as Grendel’s himself.

The artwork is fun; it begs comparison to Frank Miller in some sections.  It has a very nice sense of action and movement, but I would say that Wagner’s artwork has improved since this point, becoming more his own rather than working in the same style as a master.

Conclusion:

Worth Checking Out! And with the list price at only $15 for a hardback, it’s a steal.

Who would enjoy this: Someone interested in Grendel or Wagner who doesn’t know much/anything about the mythos.  Miller fans.  Fans of ambiguous morals and crime comics.

Who would hate this:  Someone who only reads color comics.  Someone who prefers Golden Age style comics.

• Buy: @ Amazon , @ TFAW.com

Frank Miller’s newest work at DC is causing quite a bit of controversy, but what I see is the beginning of a great story.

I bought this largely because I am a huge Frank Miller/Batman fan, and though I generally dislike Robin stories, I figured I’d give this one a try.

It is fantastic.

I think it portrays a style of Batman story that hasn’t been explored very much, maybe at all.  This sort of story is in the vein of what Year One and Batman Begins has done first: Batman is new to the job, messing up, unsure of himself.  There is one key element that separates All-Star Batman and Robin, the Boy Wonder:

Batman is having a blast!

He is totally enjoying all the chaos he is causing in the criminal and corrupt world, not having fully realized the responsibilities and horrors that come along with the job that he has created for himself.  Robin, however, is the perfect vehicle for this sort of evolution in his character: is Robin a good way for Batman to deal with his tragic childhood, or just a madman’s cruel way of extending his tragedy to another, innocent individual?  It isn’t just the reader who asks this question, but Batman himself, an issue that I hope is provoked and dealt with even more thoroughly in the coming volumes.

But this series doesn’t just deal with the Dark Knight himself: there is a great deal of storytelling about the beginnings of the Justice League (boy scout Superman, goofy Green Lantern, and ready-to-kill-Batman Wonder Woman) and of the Batman copycats (Black Canary, Batgirl).  It portrays a world that is just as enamored (or annoyed) with the new creation of the superhero as we were the first time we picked up a comic book.

All that being said, I think that this series possesses the same unbelievable fun that all of Miller’s work has.  Is it possible to read Ronin or The Dark Knight Returns without getting a sort of breathlessness, a thought coming across in your mind that says, “Holy ****, this is awesome!”  I think All-Star Batman and Robin has that feeling as well, and to have that feeling with Batman again is so exciting!

If you are a fan of Frank Miller, it might be impossible for you to dislike this.  If you are a huge batman fan: I think if you enjoy the idea of the origins of the crazy DC Universe and its characters then you will enjoy it, but if you like batman solely for the detective work or action (don’t get me wrong, those are two of the best elements of Batman), then you might not like it as much.

Major Con, though: as of now it’s only available in hardback and is a whopping 25 bucks.  Be on the lookout for the paperback, due on on June 6th.

• Buy: @ Amazon , @ TFAW.com