Hi there! Welcome to a new segment on Bitchin’ Fiction – comic weekends. Because I have a shameful lot of comics and graphic novels on my shelf on the first weekend of every month I’ll try to binge read as many as I can.
Because comics are quick to read and I probably cannot keep up with 4-5 extra full size reviews every month, I’m going to put all the comics I read into one post with a mini review of sorts. This month I read the first two omnibuses of Full Metal Alchemist, the first The Mortal Instruments graphic novel and the first trade paperback of Lazarus.
Fullmetal Alchemist 3-in-1 Edition, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 by Hiromu Arakawa – Rating: 5/5 Stars to both volumes – Sorry there’s 3 volumes in this photo! I planned to read 3 but I only managed 2 – busy weekend! Fullmetal Alchemist is perhaps one of the best acclaimed manga series of all time. It follows the story of the Elric brothers who, when they were young, attempted to resurrect their mother through the magical-but-actually-it’s-just-science art of alchemy. Their early dive into necromancy did not go well because alchemy works by equivalent exchange and, while it is possible to get all the physical materials to build a human body, there is nothing that can be traded for a soul. In this botched attempt, Edward and Alphonse Elric lost parts of their bodies. Their story is their quest to find a way to get them back.
The first volume sets much of the ground work for the series. It establishes the important characters, the history of the world, the protagonist’s goals and the moral quandaries that come with practicing alchemy. The first half is fairly episodically written as we get to know Edward and Alphonse, but it starts building into it’s overarching plot by the latter half. The second volume puts more of a focus on the brother’s past and the people who’ve helped them get to where they are.
Both volumes well deserved 5 stars. The story is stupendous, the characters wonderfully fleshed out and loveable – so much so, you’re left even rather liking the villains – and the balance between comedy and absolute heartbreaking tragedy is flawlessly on point. The art, too, is wonderful. I confess I can be a bit of a snob regarding manga because I’m not a huge fan of a lot of the art styles and not liking an art style can completely kill a comic for me, but Hiromu Arakawa’s art style is wonderful. It doesn’t suffer the troublesome same-face-syndrome (though women could, perhaps, be a bit more varied! Not sure why men get to look completely different but women all conform to similar standards…) and I just really like how… chunky everyone looks. In a market dominated, frankly, by either spindly-looking anatomy or muscles not far off an old Rob Liefeld comic, something about the shape of bodies in Full Metal Alchemist is really appealing.
Lazarus, Vol. 1: Family by Greg Rucka – Rating: 3/5 Stars – I was recommend this one by, erm, either Chris or Laura. I forget. Either way it was insisted I’d love it. Yeah, sorry whoever said I would – I didn’t. It was okay, I guess? In the world of Lazarus, ‘A Lazarus’ is the protector and defender of a family. In this world, there’s a few ‘families’ who pretty much govern the entire country/world/honestly I don’t know I’ve had to look up the Goodreads description to even figure out how to explain the story thusfar. This particular story is about a Lazarus called Forever, protector of the Carlyle Family.
The art doesn’t work for me at all. It’s kind of vaguely messy and I found it hard, at points, to differentiate characters. I can see how it might appeal to fans of that edgy comic-noir look, but I’m simple and I like colourful things.
The story seemed like it might get interesting, but I found it kind of confusing and the trade didn’t cover enough to get me engrossed in the world before it ended. Might be better as a longer hardback, but I’m not really willing to fork over the money to find out.
The Mortal Instruments: The Graphic Novel, Vol. 1 by Cassandra Clare – Rating: 3/5 Stars – I started reading The Mortal Instruments books last year because I sort of liked the show, and in doing so I discovered the art of Cassandra Jean and totally fell in love. As such, I was pretty excited for the graphic novel fully illustrated by her and, come on, that cover is pretty beautiful. The Mortal Instruments books are the story of Clary Fray, a normal girl who gets mixed up in a world of demon hunters on her quest to save her kidnapped mum.
The art in the book, though including some really gorgeous title pages, was a bit hit and miss within the comic itself. The earlier panels are mostly pretty decent but certain panels really deteriorate – quite large panels, too – and some I was surprised got away with being published.
So yeah, it’s okay, but I wouldn’t say it’s an essential addition to your Shadowhunters collection unless you’re a really die hard fan.
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