Graphic Breakdown: ‘Klaus’, ‘Fade Out’, ‘Frank Miller’s RoboCop’ & ‘Cosplayers’

Welcome back to Graphic Breakdown!

I hope everyone had a really great Turkey day…but we have no time to waste!

Let’s talk Comics!

Klaus

(Collecting issues 1-7)
Written by Grant Morrison
Illustrated by Dan Mora
Published by BOOM! Studios

What does Santa Claus do on the other 364 days of the year? Grant Morrison has written one of the nuttiest comic books in recent memory with this book. It’s a book that’s hard not to like. It starts off fast and doesn’t let up.

Comics legend Grant Morrison introduces us to an old friend, Santa Claus, as we’ve never seen him before.

He’s a myth. He’s a legend. He’s loved worldwide by children and adults alike . . . but does anyone truly know the origins of Santa Claus? Set in a dark fantastic past of myth and magic, Klaus tells the origin story of Santa Claus. It’s the tale of one man and his wolf against a totalitarian state and the ancient evil that sustains it.

Morrison draws on Santa’s roots in Viking lore and Siberian shamanism, and taking in the creepier side of Christmas with characters like the sinister Krampus. Yes, we are in crazy town with this comic. It’s wonderfully deranged. Nobody quite writes like Morrison. He is a true original and there will never be another like him. Mora is a marvel as well, illustrating this book with such passion and verve you love every image.

This is the perfect book to read this holiday season. Give it a whirl. It’s well worth your time.

RATING: A

The Fade Out: The Deluxe Edition

Written by Ed Brubaker
Illustrated by Sean Phillips
Published by Image Comics

It’s hard to go wrong with a comic book written by Brubaker and Illustrated by Phillips. They are quite the creative team and work so well together. This is yet another example of what makes the team great.

This book tracks the murder of an up-and-coming starlet from studio backlots to the gutters of downtown Los Angeles, as shell-shocked front man Charlie Parish is caught between his own dying sense of morality and his best friend’s righteous sense of justice.

The price of fifty bucks may deter some readers. Don’t let it.

It’s simply awesome and there is so much value here.

The writing is as crisp as ever. The art is wonderful and harmonious with the writing. There is hardly a book better than this to recommend. You owe it to yourself to have this in your collection. A must buy.

RATING: A

The Complete Frank Miller RoboCop Omnibus  

Written by Steven Grant
Illustrated by Juan Jose Ryp
Published by BOOM! Studios

Ever wonder what the films RoboCop 2 and 3 would look like had the studio gone with Frank Miller’s versions?

It would have probably looked a lot like this…out of control, a lot of laughs, and a complete “what the hell am I watching?”

Thankfully, Steven Grant adapted these unproduced screenplays and put them into comic book form. And it’s a very interesting read.

From start to finish, it feels like you are eating candy. That’s okay sometimes. It’s definitely enjoyable.

Like some of Miller’s work, if you read too much at once it starts to wear on you. And this one certainly does.

Grant does what he can to salvage it together but sometime it just falls apart. The art is great to look at but can be cluttered as well, making the whole thing a little difficult to read at times.

Still, this is very intriguing. If you ever wondered what could have been, check this out. This is by no means terrible, even if it’s not out of this world. Worth a look, especially if you’d like to satisfy your curiosity of what might have been.

RATING: B-

Cosplayers  

Written and Illustrated by Dash Shaw 
Published By Fantagraphics Books 

I have never read a book by Dash Shaw. I am glad I remedied that this weekend with this book. This book was written with heart and love.

And I just fell in love with it. I sat and read this from start to finish.

This graphic novel is an ode to the defining element of fandom. It celebrates both the culture’s theatricality and D.I.Y. beauty―as well as its often-awkward conflation of fantasy with reality―in seven interconnected short stories about two young women.

Cosplayers is an affectionate, funny book about how fandom can be much more inclusive and humanistic than the stories and characters it’s built upon.

I loved the humanity in this book. Shaw is a great writer. He also draws perfectly. He reminded me a lot of Chris Ware. I loved the style, the stories…just everything.

I adore this book. This is a book to share with your friends.

It’s also one to read yourself. Twice.

RATING: A