ODY-C Volume 1 By Matt Fraction

Title: ODY-C Volume 1
Author: Matt Fraction
Publisher: Image Comics
Rating: WORTHY!

Illustrated by Christian Ward.

I had some mixed feelings about this and in the end didn't feel like it was something I wanted to pursue as a series (I'm not much of a series kind of person!), but I was very glad to have read this one volume just for the experience and for the art work. It was the art work, in the end, which made me consider this a worthy 'read'.

This graphic novel takes Homer's Odyssey, and renders all the characters as female (or as something part way between male and female), and sets the action in space, but otherwise follows Homer's text quite closely. Therein, I think, lay one of the problems, because the text is very obscure and clearly had to be edited for a graphic novel, which tended to make it even more obscure, unfortunately. The story was bent to fit the original Odyssey - regardless of whether it scanned as a story - in this new context. It was hard to follow because there really was no flow to follow.

The ship's captain is Odyssia, and she and her crew of female warriors are embarking upon the journey back to Ithicaa after taking down Troiia. The problem is that the 'gods' (or whatever their replacements are supposed to be here) decide to mess with these people. There is no motivation given for this in this story, and so we have Odyssia and her people slamming up against one obstacle after another just on whims.

So the story not so great, but the psychedelic art work was amazing. The colors were brilliant, the imagery stunning, and every page a bath of brilliant hue and strong line. It's worth seeing just for that. The story did serve to explicate and conjoin the images, so it had its purpose, even though it often made little sense to me. Perhaps if you've read the original, which I haven't, you will get more from this.

Overall, though, I rate this a worthy view more than a read, but you might want to try just one, as I did, and make up your mind after that. I read this on the iPad, so I can't speak to the quality of the coloring in print form. I hope it's as good as the electronic version, because if it isn't, you'll be missing a lot.

Sex Criminals Volume 1 by Matt Fraction

Title: Sex Criminals Volume 1
Author: Matt Fraction
Publisher: Diamond Book Distributors
Rating: WORTHY!

Illustrator: Chip Zdarsky, and he does it very capably.

Note that this graphic novel is extremely graphic! It contains language and adult material, and is not at all suitable for younger readers!

DISCLOSURE: Unlike the majority of reviews in this blog, I've neither bought this book nor borrowed it from the library. This is a "galley" copy ebook, supplied by Net Galley. I'm not receiving (nor will I expect to receive or accept) remuneration for this review.

This, I think is the most off-the-wall, utterly bizarre graphic novel I've ever read or indeed will read this year (very probably), and it was delicious tot he last drop cap. It's completely irreverent, and the idea underlying it is so preposterous that it makes me wonder why I never thought of it myself. I'm just glad someone did! It also happens to be a perfect story to tell in graphic form, and it's told well.

I'm sure those of us who've had sex will understand what it's like to feel like time stops at that precious moment of bliss and, if you're doing it right, for moments afterwards too; the only difference here is that the main character, Suzie, discovers that when she has an orgasm she stops time - quite literally. Since she's a virgin when she discovers this, she has a lot of questions, but no one seems interested in helping her fully understand what's going on, although she learns some interesting facts in the process!

She soon discovers a male partner, Jon, who has the same abilities as she does, and the two of them embark upon a life of crime, discovering how very easy it is to rob a bank when time has stopped. Unfortunately, someone is onto them, and this is where things begin to go even further off the rails than they had already gone!

And that's all you're getting! It's a short story, so it's a short review. I don't want to give very much away in cases like this. I recommend this for appropriate readership, and also for the tips and pointers section at the back of this volume which will undoubtedly be of use to anyone who's interested (as I am) in the comic and graphic novel creation process.