Cinebooks

[Colin YNWA]

Shame. Mind whatever gets to be the first con post all this is going to be a nerdy riot!

[Timothy]

Cinebooks were absent from Thought Bubble last year. It was my one disappointment of the con.

[Colin YNWA]

Cinebooks were absent from Thought Bubble last year. It was my one disappointment of the con.

I've not bought direct at a con from them for over 2years (or more) now. They always had such fantastic deals though. To the extent if you bought 10 half were free. SUCH a great deal. Don't know if they still do that at shows?

[Colin YNWA]

So with a lack of my regular haul I'm reading the albums I got from Cinebooks as if they were my new comics and the first I've read is Islandia volume 1 (of three - I think) by Marc Verdrines and its quite superb.

Set in 17th century Islandia it follows Jacques as he stows aboard a French fishing vessel to try to get to Iceland, for reasons that aren't entirely clear. On his travels and after his eventual landing Jacques seems to bring misfortune to those who show agression towards him, or otherwise threaten him and mysterious as intrigue unfold. This is a wonderfully atmopheric folk horror, or at least has that vibe. The art is sublime and has a quiet energy, while capturing the harsh beauty of its setting.

Really looking forward to the remaining 2 volumes - well I assume there are three, certianly two more are on their way.

[Colin YNWA]

Next up we have 'Bear's Tooth - 1. Max'  by Yann and Alann Henriet, another three part story and another trimuph. Set in two times 1930s Poland - a region called Silesia where three child share an eventual childhood with two joining the Hilter Youth, not on idealogical groups, rather to get the chance to glide. The eponymous Max is excluded as a he is jewish.

We also see Max as a pilot during the second world war, but he's arrested my the military police and the two storylines start to align.

The key theme of war ruining childhood friendship is one thats been played out before and to some degree feels tired, but its played out well. It powerful without being cliche and thrilling without overly relying on meladrama. The art is crisp and precise and carries detail of the time perfectly.

[Timothy]

Bear's Tooth is a great series. Get the other 2 quick

[Colin YNWA]

Final one of this bunch is 'The Route 66 List - Illinois' a political thriller, Hitchcock, brutal crime story in a yarn about fathers and son. And somehow it fits all that in comfortably with room for some character moments allowed to breathe.

To be fair it does it, to some degree at least - by throwing you in and leaving you to swim up stream while you try to grab hold of the branches of the story as they flood past. Its wonderful stuff. The art is sublime too. To me it has real hints of Barry Windsor Smith. Its not quite a keen and stylised as his best work, but I see ticks of what he does in there, adding to a typically BD clean storytelling style. Its really quite wonderful.

So there we go three for three on the new titles I'm trying. All utterly different in story and theme, if they do share a commonality in style and tone... remind you of anything else! These are why whenever I read a bunch of Cinebooks I begin to wonder why I've not moved away from US titles and dedicated my time and money to these lovelies!

[Colin YNWA]

Another Cinebook made the way towards the top of my To Red Spreadsheet and got a boost to replace my regular comic hauls missing during these plague times.

And SAM is another hit. Post robot apocalypse a band of kids barely manage to survive and Ian seems determined to be more proactive and find a change. That comes when he stumbles across a seemingly friendly giant robot. But this creates tension in the group of survivers. Its really really good.

The broken robot ridden world is wonderfully realised. The fear and tension in the kids and the interactions that leads to feel strangely real and its all quite thrilling... even if not a great deal seems to happen. The biggest event is arguably Ian sleeping for 20 hours!.

But its brilliant and another one on the definate list.

Chuff my nerd shop better open soon or I'm going to ditch american comics altogether!

[Hawkmumbler]

SAM is chuffing brilliant. A wonderfully whimsical little bit of sci-fi you don't really see too often anymore.

[Colin YNWA]

SAM is chuffing brilliant. A wonderfully whimsical little bit of sci-fi you don't really see too often anymore.

Turns out I have the second volume as well. So that's added to my pile to read instead of my monthly haul. Really looking forward to it and will be snapping up the last two when I go again. Which might be very soon.

[Colin YNWA]

SAM is chuffing brilliant. A wonderfully whimsical little bit of sci-fi you don't really see too often anymore.

Turns out I have the second volume as well. So that's added to my pile to read instead of my monthly haul. Really looking forward to it and will be snapping up the last two when I go again. Which might be very soon.

Which is also brilliant - SAM vol. 2 that is. This series is turning into another absolute winner.

Also picked up The Regiment vol. 1 at my LCS the other day and yep not wishing to repeat myself but fantastic. Its a dramatised history of the SAS's origins during the Second World War. And while I have no idea it sure reads like its more histroy than dramatised - which isn't to say its not dramatic and exciting, which given its subject matter it absolutely is.

Another one to collect then.

This weekend I'm going to put another bulk order in Cinebook are so good and I don't want to lose the momentum early lockdown gave me.

[Colin YNWA]

Have to be honest I was a little disappointed in the last two volumes of SAM. The final volume especially. I mean this is fantasy sci-fi and all but the gang's journey through the tunnels to their final destination stretched credulity almost to breaking point.

Also Ian's need to keep it all secret until the end didn't wash - event though they tried to address it. It was still fun, it was certainly gripping but it shuck me out of the story a couple of times.

What I did love was the art. It was much looser in the final volume and even as the final volume progressed that I assume was simply artist development by Shang, rather a reflection of the return to more 'organic' ways as the robot's grip is loosen. The art is stunning throughout.

Overall very moving and still enjoyable, but alas not the total trimuph the first couple of parts promised.

[Colin YNWA]

Read all 8 albums of Orbital over the last few evening and they are excellent. It feels a little compressed at the end and there are many mysteries that remain and strong hints that the downbeat ending may not be all there is, though I think this is an planned ending.

Overall the art and design are stunning. The plot roams across worlds and themes. It has interesting develop from a down and dirty settler western in the first two volumes. To exploration of human isolationist attitudes (hhhmmm that's hitting home!) and developing consequences in 3 + 4 to interstella civil war in 5 + 6 until the final 2 are more metaphysical exploration of worlds, curious like a down to earth(ish) Incal.

So yeah it flys all over the place at quite some speed. The book at its heart remains the odd couple buddy story that keeps it all feeling coherant.

Wonderful stuff and another recommendation.

[Colin YNWA]

If one man reads Cinebooks and reviews them on a forum does he make a sound?

Who cares.

What you should care about is Leo comics. I've just read the Antares cycle all 6 volumes over the last few nights and its really rather good. Kim Kellers reluctant adventures continue with the typical blend of fabulous ecosystems and 2001 alien science shapes and intrigue. Okay so Jedidiah, the religious fanatic is a bit cliche and two dimensional to say the least and he is used to rather hammer home the theme of the dangers of religion and in all honestly is an annoying distraction from the more interesting relationships and mysteries.

Its wonderful stuff.

[SmallBlueThing(Reborn)]

It is indeed. I've been reading the Worlds of Aldebaran for some years now- and a smattering of Leo's other works for good measure (I recommend Kenya and Namibia for starters)- and I'm fully invested in all the characters. Later today, I have Return to Aldebaran vol 3 turning up, which will be read tomorrow night.

Cinebook are just marvellous. I've got Islandia vol.1 coming in the post, and I keep discovering things that appeal. But the Worlds of Aldebaran is truly one of my favourite long-form sf stories, in any medium. It's just a shame Cinebook's translation is written in awkward dialogue lacking any elegance. I'm assuming the original language version (as well as being uncensored) is better. But that would mean learning a language that experience has proven is beyond me.

SBT