MASKS by Aaron Rintoul (Septagon Studios)

MASKS is a psychological thriller written and illustrated by Aaron Rintoul.

Well, “illustrated” is an understatement here as the pages within MASKS are a visual buffet for your eyes. You will spend so much time on each page admiring the art which is a combination of photography and digital art, that you’ll forgive him for writing such a short story. This art style isn’t something new but Aaron does it beautifully here.

Follow Sara as she delves into her own mind and discovers she can see through the eyes of a serial killer! Is she losing her mind? Can she stop the killer? Or is she just dreaming?

I read the 3 issue mini series for the purpose of this review and it really didn’t become clear to me what was happening to Sara until I read issue 2. If you read the graphic novel then it should all just flow together.

In the midst of my reading MASKS, a thought did occur to me that this story might have been better served if Aaron had found a way to do the graphic novel with just pictures and no words instead. It would also leave people to make their own interpretations.

As I’ve said I wished the story was longer but as Aaron himself has said, his intention was to create a graphic poem, and he certainly has done that here.

MASKS is a book you’ll want to read more than once simply because of the stunning art but also because story elements become clearer upon a second inspection. I’m definitely looking forward to more work from Aaron Rintoul.

(Kenneth Chaw)

Official Site

Malleus Maleficarum by Mike Rosen (SLG Publishing)

How about this for an idea? Take a 15^th Century bestselling Latin book, give it a modern day spin with a generous dose of humour and …Viola!

You have Mike Rosen’s new graphic novel based on an actual book written by Heinrich Kramer, an Inquisitor of the Catholic Church in 1486.

It’s the subject matter that’s gonna get you. It’s a “How to” book on how to identify and prosecute witches! Remember, it was 1486.

A direct translation of this now would probably present it as a misogynistic piece of work. A humorous graphic novel format, on the other hand, is a perfect vehicle to bring Kramer’s book out to the masses.

The first part of the book is for the disbelievers and tries to convince you that witches and witchcraft are real. The second part spells out (heh heh, I couldn’t resist…) how and why, they do what they do. Finally the third part instructs you on the proper way to go about, tracking them down, catching them and then conducting a trial where you can finally mete out justice!

It’s all in good fun and the illustration adds to the hilarity.

Certainly a novel way to adapt this body of work and a totally unexpected joy to read.

(Kenneth Chaw)

Official Site

The Homeland Directive by Robert Venditti & Mike Huddleston (Top Shelf Productions)

Robert Venditti’s previous work was a sci-fi piece, The Surrogates, which was made into a rather watchable movie starring Bruce Willis.

With a title like The Homeland Directive, Venditti’s new graphic novel is quite clear from the beginning about what you’re going to get inside its pages. Rather unpredictably, Robert has chosen to show his versatility by churning out a fast-paced thriller filled with action and plot twists and a believable story worthy of a Jason Bourne installment.

Dr Laura Regan is a research scientist who’s partner is murdered and she’s the prime suspect. Forced to go on the run, she’s caught up in a conspiracy which seems to involve every government agency you can think of. It may sound entirely formulaic, but instead, Venditti’s crisp and witty dialogue strings together each and every scenario in an entirely plausible setting. Throughout all this, Venditti manages to touch on current issues we continue to confront daily such as the loss of personal privacy in the face of modern technology.

Beautifully illustrated by Mike Huddleston, the painted borderless panels give a cinematic feel to the story. Mike’s art conveys perfectly the changing tension and atmosphere as the scene dictates.

All in, an exciting story and a great read, don’t miss it!

Chester 5000 by Jess Fink (Top Shelf Productions)

Chester 5000 comes to you in May from as an adults-only hardcover in glorious black & white.

No newcomer to this genre, Jess Fink’s erotic work has graced many other publications.

An inventor creates a robot to satisfy his wife’s insatiable needs. Stylishly presented with no dialogue or word balloons at all, it is simply eye candy to behold. The lack of dialogue or prose of any kind makes the art stand out and it is visually engaging. The story-telling is so effortless there is never an instance where you feel that you need words to know what’s going on. Yes it’s that good! The border designs around the panels that change with the story are a nice touch.

The Victorian setting reminded me of Frankenstein and other movies set in that era, it certainly is a great excuse to put your women in stockings and lacey undies! Frankenstein sure didn’t give love like Chester! The interstitials that features certain “items” you’ll encounter during the story are hilarious. You will want to discover that for yourself.

Pick up Chester 5000 when you can, it’s an enjoyable read. I’m certainly looking forward to checking out her other book from Top Shelf, We Can Fix It.

Official Site

(Kenneth Chaw)

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The Floundering Time by Katy Weselcouch (SLG Publishing)

Getting your first graphic novel published is a pretty cool achievement.

Having said that, I read The Floundering Times with an open mind, trying to ignore the fact that the subject matter doesn’t interest me at all.

The reader is presented with pages and pages of mundane conversations that the characters have. You’re also treated to pages of the central character doing mundane things like waking up and getting dressed while you have to read her mundane inner monologue and random thoughts in her head.

And yes, I do realize that I’ve used the word ‘mundane’ 3 times in the last 3 sentences.

I felt like I was eavesdropping on the conversations of college graduates who didn’t know what they were gonna do now that college is over. Hey, maybe that was Katy’s intent when she did this graphic novel.

Let’s move on to the art then.

The graphic novel is a visual medium. First impressions are important. The art in a graphic novel has to capture your attention or impress you with a unique quality. Or in the least the artist has to have a solid grasp of storytelling technique and panel composition. I’ll say Katy certainly has her own style but it’s not a style I fancy, that’s for sure.

And I’m finally gonna talk about the part of the novel I hate the most which is the absolutely unreadable lettering. Doing the lettering in cursive is not a bad thing if you can be consistent and legible, but it’s a bad choice if people have difficulty reading it!

A debut graphic novel by Katy Weselcouch, it’s a good effort, though I kept waiting for the story to get somewhere, but it just sort of flounders along without any direction or purpose.

Official Site

(Kenneth Chaw)

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Amity Blamity Book One By Mike White (SLG Publishing)

Mike White brings you his first book in a planned series of graphic novels about the daily shenanigans on a family farm. Four year old Gretchen, Chester the talking pig(!), Uncle Downey and Grandma make up the cast in this black & white offering about life on the farm.

At first glance it brings to mind Bloom County, Liberty Meadows and a little Calvin & Hobbes. Ok, Calvin & Hobbes may be due to the art. Unlike those examples, Amity Blamity has a storyline which follows a linear path reading like a traditional comic rather than a “comic strip”.

It isn’t laugh out loud funny but it is accessible. Like Jeff Smith’s Bone, Amity Blamity is an easy read to pick up and get right into. What made Bone a success was its ability to work on more than one level hence its appeal to all ages. Unlike Bone, I don’t see any kids finding this an enthralling read anytime soon. I think that the art & story would really pop if only it were in color.

Story wise, you will be rewarded with some interesting and funny situations. Be warned though, you’ll want to know what happens next when you get to the last page but you’ll just have to wait patiently until November for Book Two.

Official Site

[KC]

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Night Animals by Brecht Evens (Top Shelf Productions)

Brecht Evens’ Top Shelf debut is a true graphic novel in every sense of the word.

Night Animals contains two stories told with absolutely no text at all.

The lack of text forces you to concentrate on the art as you meander through the bizarre underground world of the first story. Brecht uses single shades of color to create an emotional emphasis on the reader. For example, using yellow when the character descends into a warm place and then to blue for a cooler look when he dives under the water. Unfortunately he never makes use of contrasting colors to convey any feeling of change which should be appropriate as the hero reaches his goal.

I much preferred the second story about a little girl’s coming of age. But again Brecht uses one rather predictable shade of color as she descends into what could have been the set of Where The Wild Things Are.

Brecht has another book out called The Wrong Place filled with spectacular watercolors which you can preview on his blog. If his other works are anything like that, I’m sure you’ll be seeing English editions of his other books soon.

(KC)

Buy

THE INCREDIBLE CHANGE-BOTS TWO by Jeffrey Brown (Top Shelf Productions)

What do you get if you Simpson-ize the Transformers?

You get the Incredible Change-Bots! The Awesomebots and The Fantasticons are back in this second volume. In the first book both factions had left their war-ravaged planet of Electronocybercircuitron and ended up continuing their war on Earth.

Is it a parody? Well, sort of. It definitely feels like a homage and the bright colorful art complements some sharp and funny writing from Jeffrey Brown. Heck, even the sound effects are funny!

The style of humor is current, yet its child-like, retro art presentation will certainly win over anyone who’s grown up watching the Transformers cartoons from the ‘80s. Although the premise of a parody sounds absolutely predictable, it’s not! Some of the jokes had me laughing out loud precisely because of the seemingly naive context of the situation and the completely innocent dialogue.

Transformer fans will no doubt have a fun day trying to match the Change-Bots to their original counterparts, I know I did!

(Kenneth Chaw)

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THE VESHA VALENTINE STORY By Des Taylor (Slave Labor Graphics)

“This started off as an artbook.”

So says Des Taylor in the introduction to his own book. And what a fine artbook it is!

Straight from the cover, this book draws you into its world of cabaret and glitz as you read all about the life of starlet Vesha Valentine.

Following in the footsteps of her mother, the story follows her climb to stardom from being a burlesque dancer, to a Hollywood actress.

Told in paragraphs of prose beside large panels of beautiful art, it captures perfectly the feel of the ‘50s and ‘60s. The line work in the art is beautiful and Des manages to create a wonderful depth of field so eye-catching they look more like cinema stills than art!

When I was reading it I couldn’t help but feel as if I was watching a classic Hollywood movie from the Golden Age of films like Sunset Boulevard.

If you’re a fan of Marilyn Monroe, Betty Page and cheesecake photography, this book is sure to appeal to you.

(Kenneth Chaw)

THE NEXT THREE DAYS Directed by Paul Haggis Screenplay by Paul Haggis

Starring – Russell Crowe, Elizabeth Banks, Ty Sympkins, Olivia Wilde, Brian Dennehy, Lennie James, Helen Carey and Liam Neeson.

Let me just say that I’m not a fan of remakes but Paul Haggis at the reins of this one, made me give it a chance.

This movie is a remake of the French thriller “Pour Elle”, which is about a teacher whose wife is arrested for murder.

John and Lara Brennan appear to be a happily married couple who really couldn’t ask for anything more from life. That is until Lara is arrested for murder.

The next 3 years pass as John struggles to single-handedly bring up their son, Luke, while trying to appeal against Lara’s conviction. It is quickly made very clear in the film that, as hard as John tries, he cannot succeed in clearing Lara’s name through legal means and she will have to serve out her sentence. At this point in the film we aren’t even totally convinced about Lara’s innocence but the movie just barrels along as it wants to get to the meat of the story.

The scene is set for John’s fight against the injustice that has been done to his family. A suicide attempt by Lara while in prison spurs him into making a drastic decision that leads him deep into a dark, unfamiliar and dangerous world. Believing it to be the only way, and after consulting an “expert” on jail-breaking, he begins to formulate an elaborate plan to break Lara out of prison. He plans an escape route, he tries to acquire fake ID and he buys a gun, among other things. Along the way, you’ll discover that even school teachers resort to Youtube for the answers.

Crowe puts up a strong, credible performance here, though it’s not his best. His star power actually works against him as he tries to portray the everyman thrust into extraordinary circumstances. I have to question the casting of Elizabeth Banks as she gives a lack-lustre performance as Lara, John’s wife. Liam Neeson’s appearance would be more akin to a cameo as his character has a really small role. The introduction of Olivia Wilde’s character, a single mother John meets while bringing Luke to the playground, seemed to suggest that the story could take a predictable turn but thankfully it does not. Lennie James does a great job as Lt Nabulsi, the cop you love to hate, who realizes John’s plan and races to try to stop John and Lara.

The original “Pour Elle” was only 96 minutes but Haggis’ remake is longer at 120 minutes. The movie is a slow burn that does build to a somewhat satisfying, if predictable, outcome. It starts off like a character driven drama but ends with your typical action movie finish. Haggis creates enough tension and intrigue that keeps you interested enough to stick around to see if John can actually pull off what he’s got planned.

Though I’m surprised at Paul Haggis for wanting to do a remake, “The Next Three Days” delivers a satisfying thrill ride with crisp dialogue and a competent cast.

(Kenneth Chaw)

The Next Three Days is now showing at a cinema near you.

Liquid City Vol 2 (Image Comics)

It’s been 2 years since the first volume of Liquid City and Image Comics brings you a second helping of fine stories by an eclectic mix of South-east Asian talents.

I just have to mention the excellent cover art by Shelly Wan, who also did the cover for the first volume. The colors are so vibrant they just scream for you to pick up this book!

There’s a varied mix of different styles in the new contributors here although some of the contributors from the first volume are present in this collection as well.

I thought I’d mention those that really stood out for me.

“Paper City” by Dave Chua & Koh Hong Teng. Hong Teng shows a skill for smooth storytelling and good panel composition.  The art here puts many mainstream comics to shame.

“The Hunt for Mas Selamat” by Sonny Liew. If you’re Singaporean, it’ll give you a good chuckle!

“Salvage” by Ivan Song. Love the clean, manga-inspired art! The idea behind this story is just begging for a full-length graphic novel.

“Memories” by Drewscape. I liked the story but wasn’t sold on the art. It did create the right mood for the story though.

“Worn” by Charlene Chua & Wayne Santos. Smart writing and nice art that reminded me a little of Michael Avon Oeming.

“Delays” by Troy Chin. A perfect slice of the Singapore life. Very observant.

“Night at the Stadium” by Lat and “Journey to East Java” by Sheila Rooswitha Putri. Thoroughly enjoyable reads, wished there was more!

As with all compilations, there will always be some stories or art that you won’t like. The ones I do like however are really quite good. There are more writers and artists from the South-east Asian region now than ever before in the mainstream comics industry and it can only get better from here on in.

Here’s looking forward to volume 3!

(Kenneth Chaw)

GIRL$囡囡

Directed by 毕国智 Kenneth Bi

Starring – 冼色丽 Bonnie Xian, 诗雅 Michelle Wai, 王敏奕 Venus Wong, 林钰轩 Una Lin

I would first like to say I really wished I could have watched this movie with its original Cantonese dialogue instead of the mandarin dubbed version. Would it be wrong for the BFC to classify it as a foreign film and leave the Cantonese dialogue intact? But I digress, back to the review then.

It’s been 2 yrs since Kenneth Bi’s last film, The Drummer, starring Jaycee Chan, made its US premiere at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. This year Bi brings us his latest offering, his take on the teenage social escort scene, or ‘compensated dating’ as it is referred to in the film.

The girls in GIRL$, are Ronnie, Icy, Gucci & Lin. The pretty faces the director has chosen makes for an entertaining and certainly watchable film even if the characters feel a little shallow.

Ronnie’s a rich girl who sleeps with guys and pays them instead ! She does it because she’s bored but because her character’s history is never elaborated on, her motivations for doing what she does are always in question and not totally believable.

Icy has stopped going on ‘dates’ and become an ‘agent’, or ‘mamasan’ of sorts to the other girls so she can stay home and dote on her apparently useless boyfriend who stays home all day playing online games.

Gucci, who’s the newbie of the lot, puts her virginity up for bid in an effort to raise cash to pay for an obscenely expensive handbag.

And lastly, Lin, who simply does it for the money, is actually the most believable characterisation out of the 4 girls. Hot tempered but apparently hiding a soft side, she calls her mom when no one’s looking. She keeps a notebook where she rates all the guys she’s been with and like a little girl, longingly hopes to fall in love with the man of her dreams.

If the lives of these 4 girls aren’t enough to interest you, the movie tacks on, almost as an afterthought, the subplot of a serial killer who dismembers his victims. Unfortunately this story thread is never resolved and it makes you wonder if it was intentional and if so, what was the point?

The movie goes on to show how the girls become fast friends who share pretty much everything and even take revenge for each other when one of them gets into trouble but Gossip Girl this is not. There is just enough swearing, violence & sex to remind you of the world you’re in.

The cinematographer, Sam Koa, confidently pushes in when he needs to for close ups and pulls out for full body shots. The camera never lingers too long until it gets awkward and Bi’s story-telling ability in composing his shots are very slick.

On reading Bi’s blog,I discovered that he used the RED One HD camera system to film this movie. The RED One system gives the user the convenience of digital with the quality of 35mm. I don’t know how much of it can be attributed to the camera, but the night shots in this movie are excellent with a deep saturation of colors.

Bi is definitely a director to watch in the future if this movie is any indication of what he’s capable of.

He just needs better material and a great cast and we just might have something impressive to look forward to.

(Kenneth Chaw)

GIRL$ is now showing at Shaw cinemas.

Pinocchio, Vampire Slayer Vol 2: The Great Puppet Theater (SLG Publishing) By Dusty Higgins & Van Jensen

After a brief 4 page recap of the events from Vol 1, this second volume delves straight into the story proper.

Never having read P:VS until I was asked to review this second volume, the recap was sufficient for me to more or less gauge what has happened before. It covers the origin of our Pinocchio, the Vampire Slayer and his first adventures after the death of Geppetto, his creator. In this version, Geppetto is killed by vampires and I suppose Pinocchio has his revenge.

No doubt the writers wanted to tempt your palate just enough but not reveal too much in the hope that you’ll pick up the first volume if you don’t already own it.

I’ve never really liked b&w art but I think it suits Pinocchio and the story they’re telling. At first glance the mood & feel of the art reminds me of Mike Mignola’s Hellboy and John Layman & Rob Guillory’s Chew.

I have to admit that having Pinocchio as a vampire slayer does bring up funny situations and one-liners. Imagine telling a lie in mid-fight so that his nose grows longer, then snapping it off and viola! Instant stake for killing vampires. This badass Pinocchio is totally un-Disneyfied! After awhile though, the puns and one-liners do get predictable.

This time Pinocchio teams up with a gang of puppets magically endowed with vampire-killing powers to take down more vampires. He re-unites with his gal Carlotta and Master Cherry, a previous ally, but all is not as it seems.  He may get exactly what he wishes for, and more! Vol 1 may have loosely adapted the original Pinocchio tale but Vol 2 goes off into new territory.

Fans of the original Pinocchio should pick it up if only to see what could have been, moreso in this volume as something really unexpected happens, no spoilers here though, go read it people!

(Kenneth Chaw)

Buy at Amazon | Preview at SLG website

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Written & Directed by Christopher Nolan

Starring – Leonardo DiCaprio, Ken Watanabe, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy and Michael Caine.

Amongst a sea of typical, formulaic, summer action flicks, Christopher Nolan has managed to deliver an intelligent movie that forces you to use at least a little bit of your brain to follow its story.

The protagonist, Cobb and his team are “extractors”. Like dream mercenaries in a world where corporate espionage is no longer just stealing your competitor’s files on his hot new product. Using drugs to sedate you, they hook you up to their “dream device” and infiltrate your mind while you’re dreaming. In your dreamscape, they take what they want or in the case of the mission at hand, plant an idea within the victim’s mind without the person realizing that he’s been manipulated.

Essentially a heist movie, the dream invasion elements and surreal landscape within are just a matter of semantics.

The movie begins with very little exposition as to the history of these devices and the technology behind it. You’re just supposed to accept that it exists.In fact it’s commonplace enough that CEOs and people with important stuff to hide in their heads actually hire ‘specialists’ like Cobb to train them on “defending” their minds against attacks from other “extractors”.

Cobb begins the movie as a fugitive because of a botched job. In return for a favour that’ll allow him to return home to the States a free man rather than as a fugitive, Cobb assembles his team to do one last job, for a Japanese businessman (Saito) to take down his competitor.

Leonardo DiCaprio does a fair job for the most part, the slight over-acting reminiscent of his role in Shutter Island. The rest of the cast does a fair job but nothing outstanding. Marion Cotillard deserves a mention for her role as Cobb’s wife who mysteriously keeps appearing in his dreams at the most inappropriate times to screw up his plans.

CGI is put to good use and the cinematography in this movie is worth the price of the ticket although Nolan’s skills in shooting action scenes hasn’t improved much since his The Dark Knight days. Frenzied editing, shots cropped too tightly, and not enough establishing shots to give the audience an anchor from which to take a bearing often leave you struggling to figure out the action during the fights.

The visuals and imagery bring to mind another movie about dream infiltration. A 2006 Japanese animated movie titled “Paprika”, which is in turn based on a 1993 book. In it, a psychologist uses dream therapy to treat mental patients. Using a device, she goes into the mind of her patients as her alter-ego, Paprika. The action begins when the device is stolen and bizarre murders occur.

Nevertheless, in these times when most of Hollywood is re-hashing some 70’s TV series or re-making 80’s movies, Inception is a refreshing change.

Dear Mr Nolan, now that you’ve got this movie out of your system, will you please start on the sequel to The Dark Knight?

(Kenneth Chaw)

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