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Joe The Barbarian Review (COMICS!)

Joe

Nothing better then a little escapism!

Hello everyone! I am Richard! The Awkward and Hilarious! Today I present to you a comic review. So sit back, relax, and read on! Anyways, one of the biggest movies that came out this week was Oz the Great and Powerful. As a Sam Raimi fan, I was really pumped to return to that magical dream land. Thankfully, when I saw the movie, I left the theater with a smile on my face. Unlike Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, a film I’m 100% sure this movie will be compared to a lot, Oz is a movie I’m not afraid to say I enjoyed without being made fun of. It wasn’t necessarily Great or Powerful, but it was just a fun time at the movies. Also, after I left the theater, I began thinking of some of my favorite tales with a similar premise. Someone from our world, in need of change, being transported to a brave new land of fantasy and impossibility.

Now, normal people would probably think of more traditional examples. Me, I thought of an awesome 3 year old comic called Joe The Barbarian. The story of Joe is penned by comic book legend, Grant Morrison, and is drawn by a favorite of mine, Sean Murphy. Joe The Barbarian follows a boy named Joe Manson. Joe, a creative and diabetic young lad whom tends to escape the harshness of his real life, fails to receive his daily needed dose of glucose. Once this happens, Joe begins to hallucinate a fantasy world inhabited by mystical monsters, as well as his action figures. Upon arrival, Joe learns he is the prophesied Dying Boy come to destroy King Death, and save the land for all!

In 2010, when this story was being told, I was only reading Batman related series. Later in the year, I began to explore other areas of the comic world. Specifically comics written by people I really love. One of my favorite writers of all time is Grant Morrison. At the time, the only Morrison book I was reading was his amazing Batman and Robin series. One day, I had a conversation with a fellow Morrison fan, chit-chatting about the latest adventure of Batman and Robin, and he told me about this awesome book called Joe the Barbarian.

It was a limited series, written by Morrison, being done over at Vertigo, which is an imprint of DC Comics. Once he gave me a short summary of the story, I became incredibly excited to read it. So, I patiently waited for the hardcover to be released. Once it hit the store shelves, I raced to the nearest shop, grabbed myself a copy, threw about thirty some dollars at the cashier, and raced back home! I didn’t leave my room at all that evening. I was so into what I was reading.

One of the aspects I loved most was the character of Joe. I related to him in so many ways. Minus the diabetes, the kid was basically me. I’ve always been someone who kind of lives inside their own head. Trying to escape reality because it’s too much for them to handle. Admittedly, I related so much that it was kind of hard to read this book. It reminded me of similar struggles I’m going through currently that I’ve tried to avoid through escapism. That being said, It was good to be reminded of those things, strangely. It made me even more invested and sucked into this comic.

Another interesting aspect was the way it was written. While this comic features the usual Grant Morrison writing style, it didn’t feel like a typical comic from him. The story was much more straight forward, and less metaphorical. It’s always nice to see writers challenge themselves and/or try something new. All that being sad, the greatest thing to come out of me reading this comic was discovering Sean Murphy. Murphy’s art work in Joe was so amazing that it became difficult to even turn the page. I’d literally just be sitting on my bed, gazing upon a brilliant castle, witnessing an epic battle, or marveling at the forest lands of this beautifully drawn world.

After I read this book, I fell in love with the work of Sean Murphy. Since then, If I ever find anything sporting his name, I instantly have to purchase it. Even the freaking cover of the hardcover, depicted above, is amazing! Just look at it! It’s all kinds of spectacular! Anyways, if you haven’t been able to tell, I really loved this comic. It’s not my favorite tale from Morrison, but I consider it one of his best!

I give Joe The Barbarian a 5 outta 5!

The Underwater Welder Review (COMICS!)

Here is some advice for those whom seek to become comic book readers: Follow the creators.

H-E-L-L-O everyone! It’s your cosmic comic reader from Gallifrey, Richard! If you can tell, I just made a Doctor Who reference. Why? BECAUSE I LOVE DOCTOR WHO! What does it have to do with this review? Absolutely nothing! Now, The rule mentioned up top is a rule I’ve tried to live by since I started reading comics. Mainly because it makes for a much better experience. The flip side of that is to follow characters when reading comics. However, Not every Batman, Superman, or X-Men book on the shelves is worth reading. Plus, If you follow creators, It will lead you down roads of comics you never would have been to if you’d just followed characters. One of those roads is the road of Indie comics.

If you ask any hardcore comic reader, including myself, where to find the best comics these days, They’d probably say Image, Dark Horse, or any other creator owned publisher. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love books from DC and Marvel. Heck, the majority of the books I follow are from DC. That being said, the best quality work comes from indie comic books, and I never would have discovered this if I’d only followed characters. Also, I never would have discovered this if it wasn’t for my friend Nick who works at my local comic shop, Bills Books and More.

Anyways, one of the creators I’ve started following like crazy is a guy named Jeff Lemire. A lot of DC fans might know him from his amazing comic runs on Animal Man, Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E., or Superboy. However, some of his best work are his original comics like The Essex County books or Sweet Tooth. Recently, Lemire released a new original graphic novel called Underwater Welder. After reading it without any breaks, I can easily state that Underwater Welder is the best original graphic novel I’ve read this year! I love it so much, I’m going to call it the best of 2012 before 2012 is even over! Yea…I just did that! If someone can officially remove Pluto as a planet of our solar system, then I can do this!

So, Underwater Welder follows a character named Jack Joesph whom works as an underwater welder off the coast of Nova Scotia. Being an underwater welder is a tough gig, but Jack is about to experience one of the toughest jobs anyone could have…being a father. Now, as the story progresses, we see Jack straying further and further from the pressures of fatherhood and other personal issues. That is, until one day something…unimaginable happens to him. An experience that leads him to discovering the truth of things in his life, and turning him into a better person fit to be a Dad.

The biggest theme throughout the book seems to be the relationships between fathers and sons. A theme that hits rather close to home for me. I won’t go into the details of why, but I will say this book means a lot to me on that aspect. As far as the other aspects go, this book is just as amazing and touching. I love the way Lemire writes his characters. They seem so real to the point where you start to think these are actual people. You relate to the characters so much on so many different levels. Even when the book goes into it’s weirder more complex story beats. Plus, you really care about every single character present, and the situations they go through.

Now, in case you aren’t aware, Lemire also drew this book! His artwork might be hard for some to get into, but I found it beautiful! His artwork is very serial and stylized. Plus, with the way the story is, his artwork fits perfectly. I couldn’t see anyone drawing this book besides Lemire. I don’t think it would have the same impact if it were drawn by someone else. The fact that Lemire plays both writer and artist gives the themes more of an emotional punch when they play out, if that makes sense.

I honestly can’t find a single thing wrong with this book. I’m sure it has it’s flaws as most things do, but I fail to see anything. I am just too in love with this book to care about the flaws present, if any. At the end of the day, In my opinion, Underwater welder is a masterpiece in comic form. It tells a personal, weird, and compelling coming-of-age story about a Man on the verge of parenthood. Its a very real tale told in a Twilight Zone fashion, and its worth multiple reads.

I give Underwater Welder an easy 5/5!

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