November
30
Endless love
The Fountain
Creators: Darren Aronofsky, writer; Kent Williams, artist
Vertigo, 176 pages, color, hardcover, $39.99
So? Darren Aronofsky had one of the more auspicious debuts in indie film history, with hard hitting pics "Pi" and "Requiem for a Dream." He's also a big comics fan inspired in his film work by the works of Alan Moore and Frank Miller, the latter of whom he collaborated with on a number of unproduced film projects including a "Batman" film and an adaptation of Miller's "Ronin." "The Fountain" is his first comics work and it's as impressive as his film debut. As he explains in the afterward, the graphic novel was conceived as a companion to and adaptation of the original film version of "The Fountain." But when the pic ran into trouble and was shut down by the studio, Aronofsky continued to work on the graphic novel and his passion for the story prompted him to re-envision the picture as a lean, mean indie production that will come to fruition next year with comicbook movie vets Hugh Jackman ("X-Men") and Rachel Weisz ("Constantine") as the stars. That seems to makes the graphic novel a very different animal than what will be seen on the screen, even as the basic story looks similar to what's seen in the teaser trailer for the pic. The story is about one man's search for the key to saving the life of his lover in a relationship that spans time from the Spanish conquistadors' search for the fountain of youth in the 16th century through today's modern neuroscience and into the far-flung reaches of space in the distant future. This is intense stuff and requires a lot more of its readers than most comics even dream of, but is rewarding on an adult level in the way the best books and films can be. Williams' artwork beautifully evokes different tones and styles for the three time frames the comic covers and provides remarkably vivid imagery. The artwork really shines in the oversize hardcover format, making this easily one of the most fascinating books to come from a mainstream comics publisher this year. Grade: A
Colonia: On Into the Great Lands
Creator: Jeff Nicholson
AiT-PlanetLar, 152 pages, black and white, $12.95
So? "Colonia" is what I think of as a true indie comicbook: It's got an interesting and original idea that's like nothing being published by the largest publishers and is something that is impossible to imagine being done in any other medium. This is a fantasy tale of a boy and his uncles getting lost in a fantasy world in which America still resembles its colonial history. But there's a lot of fantasy elements, including talking ducks, pirates and men made of fish that give this a really unique tone. This is the second volume in the series, collecting issues 6-11, and as such there's a sense of coming into the story a bit too late to fully understand what's what and who's who. The book also moves a bit slowly, but that's OK. "Colonia" follows a time-tested pattern that when embroidered with quirkiness, charm and simple but attractive art makes for a relaxing and fun read. Grade: B+
Off Road
Creator: Sean Murphy
Oni Press, 136 pages, black and white, $11.95
So? This tale of ordinary teenage boys dealing with the perils of traveling off the beaten path follows the formula that works really well for a lot of manga. Greg's dumped by his cheating girlfriend and goes out with his pals, one of whom just got a brand-new Jeep. They go off-roading and have some fun, run into trouble and grow up just a little bit in the course of the story. Murphy, who's drawn books for DC and Dark Horse, has an attractive modern style that suits the story well. The result is something like shojo manga for teenage American boys. It's far from deep and not the most memorable story, but it is funny enough to be a nice diversion. Grade: C+
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