"'Post-war' extends forever." Shin Godzilla review

Shin Godzilla, directed by Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuchi, is the latest Godzilla motion picture from Japan; it's been appearing in North America in a limited release with subtitles; to my surprise, my home city in dusty ol' Calgary hosted the film in a pair of theatres. I'm not a tremendous fan of Godzilla, but I like the concept when it's executed well - that is, when the film either has a philosophy worth hearing or is tremendous fun to watch. My most learned friend on Godzilla, Craig, told me this was a Godzilla film worth seeing. And so it was.

Like the US versions of Godzilla, this is a complete reboot - nothing, not even the 1954 original, is left in-continuity for the purposes of this film. Thus, we have Godzilla making his first-ever appearance in modern-day Japan with absolutely no one prepared to deal with the likes of he; but this is not only a throwback in the sense of people seeing Godzilla for the first time, it also hearkens back to the spirit of the 1954 film. In 1954, Godzilla, King of the Monsters examined how post-atomic bomb Japan was dealing with its own anxieties about war and atomic destruction. Shin Godzilla does likewise (there are many references to the atomic bombs and "scrap and build") but is chiefly concerned with Japan's 2011 earthquake/nuclear disaster.

I had my doubts about this film due to Hideaki Anno's past as creator of Neon Genesis Evangelion. Yes, it is considered one of the greatest anime programs of all time, but the ending of that series truly soured me on Evangelion (and frankly, much of anime). There are touches in this film which seem much like his vision: the international rivalry over monster killing, Godzilla "evolving" and firing a grid of laser beams from his back, discussions about Godzilla as a "god" ...also: Shinji = Shin Godzilla!!! Wake up, sheeple! Atomic breath can't melt steel beams!

My doubts quickly vanished; this film drew me in immediately with its method of storytelling - lots of dialogue, lots of sets, scene upon scene. The dialogue is at times delivered so quickly (the director was inspired by The Social Network) that the subtitles would nearly cover the screen! This is one non-English film where I think a good dub would be welcome for the sake of those who don't read & absorb too quickly. At any rate, you need to pay attention during this film and the dark environs of a film theater are well suited to it; it's less likely you'll check your e-mail at the cinema (though the person next to me checked a message).

The film is very skeptical of leaders, be they interlopers from the U.S.A. who are convinced they can solve Japan's problems, to the bureaucracy in Japan's own government. At the times the film is much like a political farce. In one instance, the word is given to engage Godzilla; word travels through all the appropriate ranks until the helicopters mobilize and surround Godzilla; now the pilots ask for authorization to fire; word travels back up through the ranks until it reaches the Prime Minister, who authorizes firing; when bullets prove ineffective, the pilots ask for authorization to use missiles; one more, the message is relayed through channels until the Prime Minister agrees! It's very unlike a typical Godzilla picture.

Outside from leaders, the film also has it in for unimaginative thinkers; the ultimate solution to defeating Godzilla is very creative (and involves hitting Godzilla in, appropriately, the shin), but all other avenues are proven to be ignorant, thoughtless or ill-considered. There is a particular anxiety about using nuclear weapons against Godzilla which all of us who have seen Godzilla films know won't work, and are thus better able to see the use of nuclear weaons as a mistake - something which the franchise has always been on-point about.

Shin Godzilla has probably wrapped up its North American trip by now, but I encourage you to seek it out on video when it arrives.

Unearthed: The Destructor #4

Welcome back! Once again I have exhumed my infrequent feature "Unearthed," in which I delve into some long-retired piece of comic book history. I am very pleased to once more feature the short-lived Atlas comics hero The Destructor, drawn by Steve Ditko! You may recall I have already featured the first three issues on this blog:

Destructor #1

Destructor #2

Destructor #3

At last, I finally hold a copy of Destructor #4 in my hands, thus completing the series! Let's jump right in!

"Doomsday -- Minus One!" blares the cover once again rendered by Larry Lieber in his best faux-Kirby manner. You will observe the Destructor is still wearing the refined costume from issue #3; you shall also note he apparently now has the ability to fire blasts of energy from his hands. Generic powers for a generic hero!

The story inside was brought to us by new author Gerry Conway (replacing Archie Goodwin), returning artist Steve Ditko and new inker Al Milgrom (replacing Frank Giacoia). We open within a cavern in New Mexico as two men hired by the Combine are hunting for the Destructor. Having hidden above the cavern, the Destructor simply drops upon his two enemies and with his superhuman strength handily defeats them. Just as one of the two men draws his gun, a blast of energy strikes from out of the darkness of the cave, hitting the gunman in the back (fatally?).

And who fired this beam of energy? Before the Destructor stand three superhuman beings whom we'll soon learn are Kronus, the Eye and Sister Siren. The Eye's cyclopean "de-moeleculorize" ray was responsible for hitting the Combine agent and the Outcasts now demand the Destructor remain where he is; our hero refuses and the Eye fires a beam at him which misses. "You may have a wacko eye-blast -- but I've got the powers of a beast -- and that makes me the winner!"

Kronus quickly orders Sister Siren to sing her "dream song -- before we have to commit violence!" Evidently firing a destructive ray of energy does not constitute violence in Kronus' mind, but it seems to suggest a pacifist streak amongst these Outcasts. Sister Siren emits a "melodius, luring strain" which causes the Destructor to black out.

The Destructor awakens in an advanced facility with the Outcasts facing him, his mask removed. They all begin calling him Jay Hunter, although he doesn't stop to wonder how they learned his secret identity. Sister Siren begins talking about their world and how their parents "abandoned the culture from which you sprang," but Jay has no interest in gabbing: "as far as I'm concerned, you can take your junior 'Star Trek' set and shove it!" Jay seems unusually high-strung this issue as he socks the Eye one in the face and threatens to do likewise to Sister Siren. Kronus appears and suggests the Destructor is one of them - an Outcast - but Jay takes exception to this.

You may possibly have noticed Kronus' powers haven't been established up until now; we now see he has the power to send people into other dimensions and briefly deposits Jay in one to teach him a lesson. This alien dimension is fully of frightening beasts and has no clear directional axis - yes, it is clearly a Steve Ditko creation. When Jay is brought back to the Outcasts' base he decides to be rational and listen to what Kronus has to say.

While taking Jay on a tour of their underground city in a flying vehicle, Kronus explains the Outcasts' parents were people who feared the atomic bomb and built their city to avoid fallout. Because this is a Steve Ditko comic it is tempting to suppose they were Galtian "off the grid" folks, but that would suggest Ditko plotted this comic which I don't believe was the case (then again, maybe Conway was hired strictly for scripting duties; these Outcasts certainly seem very similar to the Misfits created by Ditko's friend and ex-inker-of-Destructor Wally Wood).

Unfortunately for the founders of this city, they were financed by one Abraham E. Caldwell III "and he was evil incarnate." Caldwell insisted on testing an experimental nuclear power plant in the city, which - as the residents' entire motivation was to escape nuclear weapons - did not go over well. Unable to prevent Caldwell, the citizens watched as their children were born as mutants with superhuman powers. When Caldwell returned in 1956 he was beaten to death by an angry mob. Kronus concludes his explanation by revealing all of the Outcasts are telepaths, which is how they learned Jay's name. Hearing all of this, Jay begins to feel they truly are alike, which prompts a sinister reaction from the Outcasts. There is nothing in the script to suggest the Outcasts are anything other than forthright with Jay, but Dikto's art certainly says otherwise. I don't know how Destructor was created but I assume it would have been "Marvel style," so Ditko likely created the pages with very little input from Conway.

Suddenly, an atom bomb is set off ten miles away (this is the unluckiest anti-atomic radiation plot ever). The radiation from the blast bathes Jay and reacts with the serum in his bloodstream, causing his powers to alter even further so that now he can emit destructive blasts of energy. "We may have gained a new soldier for our... army." Kronus remarks with another fiendish Ditko grin. The Outcasts convince the Destructor he should use his powers to destroy the nearby army base where the bomb was tested and Jay sets off with the Eye to do just that. To be continued... never!

The next issue blurb announced "The Man with the Golden Bomb" which sounds like a magnificent Bond mash-up. But this is where the Destructor ends - the plot of him destroying the Combine unresolved and with Jay joining forces with the Outcasts (though it's the sort of plot where one assumes he would eventually discover they had evil intentions).

Conway didn't have time to get into the Destructor's character, what with this issue basically setting up a completely different series and taking its time to introduce the Outcasts. Archie Goodwin had a firm grip on the plotting & characterization in the first three issues, but for whatever reason (editorial? Ditko?) this last issue jettisons much of what made the prior issues work. Ditko remains game, of course and can never be boring. The Outcasts are a bit generic as characters but are fine Ditko designs.

Unfortunately, the Destructor suffered from being too generic; even if the comic book marketplace of the time had been more forgiving to the line of Atlas Comics it would not have made up for Destructor's generic origin, generic powers, generic motivation and generic costume. What the strip most needed was something unusual; Ditko drew unusual characters, true; Goodwin could script unusual villains; but a hero avenging his father's death by wearing a costume and using the powers he received from a fluke experiment is played out on every level. As Jay began as a criminal and would sometimes use his connections to combat the Combine, perhaps it would have been more interesting if Jay were like Serpico, an undercover super hero trying to bring down the gangsters he worked alongside; that would have been different and appropriate to the 70s zeitgeist.

This then is the end of the Destructor. Look for his return when the rights around the Atlas heroes are sorted out and he's (inevitably) snapped up for a quickly-forgottten revival series. My money's on Dynamite, but IDW has fair odds. And then there's Marvel, but... hm... what was I talking about?

Tire Fire 2016

On the bright side, a crashing US dollar would help spending at the University.

I wasn't prepared to deal with a Republican victory. The polling reports suggested a defeat and I was well reconciled to it. And while it's not my country, there are a heck of a lot of people there who I care about. How can I keep from feeling empathy to them. Seemingly half of their neighbours are comfortable turning the reigns of power over to a man who has no public service record, many failed businesses, revels in misogyny, insults veterans, insults disabled people, is racist, questions the validity of fellow citizens based on their religion, sexually assaults others and has pending court cases both in business practices and child rape?

If such a person can be elected to the highest office of the USA, what precedent does that set? Why should any future candidate release their tax data if it isn't required to win? Why should any future candidate refrain from making verbal threats or aggressively sexual comments? If the best qualification for governorship is no experience in governing, then why do our schools bother teaching political science?

Marginalized people were upset; they wanted they believed would represent their interests, to push back against what they saw as questionable effects on this society. The opposing side reacted by proposing a candidate who was everything the marginalized did not want to see in power. And many gave in to apathy and refused to hold their nation's highest office accountable to them.

But don't worry; someone out there is ready to point fingers and tell you who's to blame for all of this. It's probably you. It's probably everyone. There, doesn't that feel better?

Doctor Strange (2016) creator credits

As is my custom, I'm celebrating another film based on a Marvel Comics property by listing the names of whoever was responsible for creating characters & concepts in the comics which appeared in the film. You can see my master list right here!

Do note that although it is my practice to credit both the writer & artist of a comic book for whatever appears within, we do know that in the case of Doctor Strange he was pretty much 100% Steve Ditko, with Stan Lee only providing the credit. No Ditko = no Doctor Strange. Kudos to you, Mr. Ditko, for creating one of the best heroes of adventure fiction!

Stan Lee: co-creator of the Wand of Watoomb, a powerful mystical staff (Amazing Spider-Man Annual #2, 1965); of the Avengers, a team of super heroes who defend the Earth from many menaces (Avengers #1, 1963); of Limbo, an alien dimension (Avengers #2, 1963); of Thor, Asgardian god (Journey into Mystery #83, 1962); of Loki, Thor's evil brother who possesses magical power; Asgard, home of the Norse Gods; Odin, father of Loki & Thor (Journey into Mystery #85, 1962); of Doctor Strange, a sorcerer based out of a sanctum in Greenwich Village who wages war against mystical forces of evil; Strange wearing a blue shirt and orange gloves; Doctor Strange's ally Wong; the Sanctum's window bearing a symbol with two curved lines pierced by a third line; of the Ancient One, Doctor Strange's long-lived master who is based in the east; of Doctor Strange's ability to release his astral form while his body slumbers; of Doctor Strange's golden amulet which contains a mystical eye (Strange Tales #110, 1963); of Mordo, a sorcerer dressed in green who is a former disciple of the Ancient One but is now opposed to Doctor Strange; of Hamir, a subordinate to the Ancient One; of Valtorr, a mystical entity (Strange Tales #111, 1963); of Doctor Strange wearing a magical cape (Strange Tales #114, 1963); of Stephen Strange being a gifted surgeon who cares little for his patients, then lands up in a car accident which ruins his hands, ending his medical career; Stephen becoming disshelved and withdrawn until hearing of the Ancient One and seeking that person out; Stephen discovering the Ancient One is master of magic and becoming the Ancient One's pupil; of Dormammu, a mystical entity who is opposed to the Ancient One; of Agamotto, a benevolent mystical entity (Strange Tales #115, 1963); of Wong's name (Strange Tales #119, 1964); of sorcerers casting magical shields for defense in battle (Strange Tales #123, 1964); of Dormammu embodied as a being made of mystical flame who rules over the Dark Dimension and wishes to conquer Earth; the Dark Dimension as a realm of space with no obvious landmass (Strange Tales #126, 1964); of Doctor Strange's red Cloak of Levitation and round amulet; of Doctor Strange preventing Dormammu from invading Earth (Strange Tales #127, 1964); of Dormammu forging an alliance with a former apprentice of the Ancient One to invade Earth; of Kaecillius, a sorcerer clad in orange and blue who fights Doctor Strange and the Ancient One (Strange Tales #130, 1965); of Doctor Strange's home called a Sanctum (Strange Tales #132, 1965); of Doctor Strange's amulet being called the Eye of Agamotto; of Rama, a sorcerer aligned with Doctor Strange (Strange Tales #136, 1965); of Hamir's name (Strange Tales #141, 1966); of the Living Tribunal, a powerful cosmic being (Strange Tales #157, 1967)

Steve Ditko: co-creator of the Wand of Watoomb, a powerful mystical staff (Amazing Spider-Man Annual #2, 1965); of Doctor Strange, a sorcerer based out of a sanctum in Greenwich Village who wages war against mystical forces of evil; Strange wearing a blue shirt and orange gloves; Doctor Strange's ally Wong; the Sanctum's window bearing a symbol with two curved lines pierced by a third line; of the Ancient One, Doctor Strange's long-lived master who is based in the east; of Doctor Strange's ability to release his astral form while his body slumbers; of Doctor Strange's golden amulet which contains a mystical eye (Strange Tales #110, 1963); of Mordo, a sorcerer dressed in green who is a former disciple of the Ancient One but is now opposed to Doctor Strange; of Hamir, a subordinate to the Ancient One; of Valtorr, a mystical entity (Strange Tales #111, 1963); of Doctor Strange wearing a magical cape (Strange Tales #114, 1963); of Stephen Strange being a gifted surgeon who cares little for his patients, then lands up in a car accident which ruins his hands, ending his medical career; Stephen becoming disshelved and withdrawn until hearing of the Ancient One and seeking that person out; Stephen discovering the Ancient One is master of magic and becoming the Ancient One's pupil; of Dormammu, a mystical entity who is opposed to the Ancient One; of Agamotto, a benevolent mystical entity (Strange Tales #115, 1963); of Wong's name (Strange Tales #119, 1964); of sorcerers casting magical shields for defense in battle (Strange Tales #123, 1964); of Dormammu embodied as a being made of mystical flame who rules over the Dark Dimension and wishes to conquer Earth; the Dark Dimension as a realm of space with no obvious landmass (Strange Tales #126, 1964); of Doctor Strange's red Cloak of Levitation and round amulet; of Doctor Strange preventing Dormammu from invading Earth (Strange Tales #127, 1964); of Dormammu forging an alliance with a former apprentice of the Ancient One to invade Earth; of Kaecillius, a sorcerer clad in orange and blue who fights Doctor Strange and the Ancient One (Strange Tales #130, 1965); of Doctor Strange's home called a Sanctum (Strange Tales #132, 1965); of Doctor Strange's amulet being called the Eye of Agamotto; of Rama, a sorcerer aligned with Doctor Strange (Strange Tales #136, 1965); of Hamir's name (Strange Tales #141, 1966)

Brian K. Vaughan: co-creator of Tina Minoru, an Asian magic user (Runaways #1, 2003); of Dr. Strange's Cloak of Levitation behaving as though it had a mind of its own; of Doctor Strange's astral form guiding Christine Palmer through an operation on his chest; of Christine Palmer as a romantic interest to Doctor Strange; of Doctor Strange wearing normal footwear with his costume (Doctor Strange: The Oath #1, 2006); of Nicodemus West, a surgeon who was disliked by Stephen Strange and performed the operation on Stephen's hands after his car accident (Doctor Strange: The Oath #2, 2007); of Stephen bearing horrible scars on his hands from his car accident (Doctor Strange: The Oath #5, 2007)

Marcos Martin: co-creator of Dr. Strange's Cloak of Levitation behaving as though it had a mind of its own; of Doctor Strange's astral form guiding Christine Palmer through an operation on his chest; of Christine Palmer as a romantic interest to Doctor Strange; of Doctor Strange wearing normal footwear with his costume (Doctor Strange: The Oath #1, 2006); of Nicodemus West, a surgeon who was disliked by Stephen Strange and performed the operation on Stephen's hands after his car accident (Doctor Strange: The Oath #2, 2007); of Stephen bearing horrible scars on his hands from his car accident (Doctor Strange: The Oath #5, 2007)

J. Michael Straczynski: co-creator of Stephen trying to write his own name after his car accident; of Stephen exhausting his personal fortune in failed operations on his hands (Strange #2, 2004); of the Ancient One wearing yellow; of the Ancient One telling Stephen to open his third eye (Strange #3, 2005); of sorcerers conjuring shields with decorative glyphs (Strange #5, 2005)

Jack Kirby: co-creator of the Avengers, a team of super heroes who defend the Earth from many menaces (Avengers #1, 1963); of Limbo, an alien dimension (Avengers #2, 1963); of Thor, Asgardian god (Journey into Mystery #83, 1962); of Loki, Thor's evil brother who possesses magical power; Asgard, home of the Norse Gods; Odin, father of Loki & Thor (Journey into Mystery #85, 1962)

Brandon Peterson: co-creator of Stephen trying to write his own name after his car accident; of Stephen exhausting his personal fortune in failed operations on his hands (Strange #2, 2004); of the Ancient One wearing yellow; of the Ancient One telling Stephen to open his third eye (Strange #3, 2005); of sorcerers conjuring shields with decorative glyphs (Strange #5, 2005)

Sara Barnes: co-creator of Stephen trying to write his own name after his car accident; of Stephen exhausting his personal fortune in failed operations on his hands (Strange #2, 2004); of the Ancient One wearing yellow; of the Ancient One telling Stephen to open his third eye (Strange #3, 2005); of sorcerers conjuring shields with decorative glyphs (Strange #5, 2005)

Steve Englehart: co-creator of the Ancient One's title 'Sorcerer Supreme'; of the Ancient One's death (Marvel Premiere #10, 1973); of the Book of Caglistro, a tome of eldritch knowledge (Marvel Premiere #12, 1973)

Frank Brunner: co-creator of the Ancient One's title 'Sorcerer Supreme'; of the Ancient One's death (Marvel Premiere #10, 1973); of the Book of Caglistro, a tome of eldritch knowledge (Marvel Premiere #12, 1973)

Roy Thomas: co-creator of Doctor Strange's Sanctum being located at 177A Bleecker Street (Doctor Strange #182, 1969); of the Soul Gem, from which the Infinty Gems were derived (Marvel Premiere #1, 1970)

Gene Colan: co-creator of Doctor Strange's Sanctum being located at 177A Bleecker Street (Doctor Strange #182, 1969); of Daniel Drumm, Haitian magic user (Strange Tales #169, 1973)

Dennis O'Neil: co-creator of Kamar-Taj, the mystical base of the Ancient One in the far east; of the Ancient One as a bald person (Strange Tales #148, 1966)

Bill Everett: co-creator of Kamar-Taj, the mystical base of the Ancient One in the far east; of the Ancient One as a bald person (Strange Tales #148, 1966)

Brian Michael Bendis: co-creator of Stark Tower, the downtown Manhattan headquarters of the Avengers (New Avengers #3, 2005)

Chris Bachalo: co-creator of Doctor Strange wearing a buttoned-down version of his blue shirt (Doctor Strange #1, 2015)

Jason Aaron: co-creator of Doctor Strange wearing a buttoned-down version of his blue shirt (Doctor Strange #1, 2015)

David Finch: co-creator of Stark Tower, the downtown Manhattan headquarters of the Avengers (New Avengers #3, 2005)

Mike Friedrich: co-creator of the Book of Caglistro, a tome of eldritch knowledge (Marvel Premiere #12, 1973)

Gil Kane: co-creator of the Soul Gem, from which the Infinty Gems were derived (Marvel Premiere #1, 1970)

Marie Severin: co-creator of the Living Tribunal, a powerful cosmic being (Strange Tales #157, 1967)

Mark Buckingham: co-creator of Doctor Strange and Baron Mordo as friends (Doctor Strange #87, 1996)

J.M. DeMatteis: co-creator of Doctor Strange and Baron Mordo as friends (Doctor Strange #87, 1996)

Jim Starlin: co-creator of the Infinity Gems, six all-powerful stones (Thanos Quest #1, 1990)

Gaspar Saladino: creator of the Avengers logo with enlarged letter "A" (Avengers #96, 1972)

Win Mortimer: co-creator of Christine Palmer, a medical practitioner (Night Nurse #1, 1972)

Jean Thomas: co-creator of Christine Palmer, a medical practitioner (Night Nurse #1, 1972)

Ron Lim: co-creator of the Infinity Gems, six all-powerful stones (Thanos Quest #1, 1990)

Len Wein: co-creator of Daniel Drumm, Haitian magic user (Strange Tales #169, 1973)

Adrian Alphona: co-creator of Tina Minoru, an Asian magic user (Runaways #1, 2003)

Roger Stern: co-creator of Kaecillius' name (Doctor Strange #56, 1982)

Paul Smith: co-creator of Kaecillius' name (Doctor Strange #56, 1982)

Walter Simonson: creator of Thor wearing a beard (Thor #367, 1986)

"I don't know what's worse, Wolff -- when they criticize our work -- or when they ignore it!" A Vampire in Hollywood review

Thanks to Kickstarter, yet another collection of Batton Lash's Supernatural Law comics has been produced: A Vampire in Hollywood. It collects the last few issues of Lash's now-completed Suernatural Law ongoing series, featuring lawyers Alanna Wolff and Jeff Byrd. Lash has indicated this will be the last collection of its type as the series now exists as a webcomic; future collections will be webcomic reprints. Included in the collection is "The Works Speak for Themselves" in which works of art gain the power of speech and begin interpreting themselves; "Werewolves... and the Women Who Love Them" in which a Dr. Phil-style talk show host holds a special episode about lycanthropy; "A Vampire in Hollywood" in which a minor vampire decides to sell his story to Hollywood, much to the irritation of other vampires; "Wolff & Byrd, the Movie" in which one of Wolff & Byrd's friends tries to sell them on a Hollywood adaptation of their lives; "Weird Eye for the Normal Guy" in which Mavis the secretary deals with an ex-con and a trio of not-so-scary ghosts; finally, "People v. Toxic Avenger" is a licensed story featuring the Troma film character Toxic Avenger who needs Wolff & Byrd to clear his reputation in Tromaville.

Once again, these stories grant Lash (and his occasional aides) a chance to mimick the styles of other artists, most notably a letter-perfect imitation of Frank Miller's Sin City in "Wolff & Byrd, the Movie." He even has Art Spiegelman receive criticism from his own Maus work in "The Works Speak for Themselves." Lash also has great fun modeling his characters after famous faces, most obviously in all the Troma people found in "People v. Toxic Avenger" and the aforementioned talk show host in "Werewolves... and the Women Who Love Them," but he also has a ghost who is rather reminiscent of Errol Flynn in "Wolff & Byrd, the Movie."

What makes Supernatural Law so consistently great is how Lash seizes upon familiar tropes and subverts them, usually through the form of litigation (which is not a common solution to problems in fiction). This collection features a woman suing the vampire who bit her, the owners of a haunted house suing the realtor because the ghost wasn't a famous person, and other ghosts sued for being too friendly. Lash's work on the series has slowed down since the ongoing book ended but hopefully there will continue to be an audience for this series for many, many years to come.

"I wonder where he is now..." Ghost Stories from an Antiquary Vol. 1 review

Ever since a junior high school class where a filmstrip of "The Treasure of Abbott Thomas" was played, I've been fascinated by author M. R. James and when I obtained a complete collection of his ghost stories I had a wonderful time reading through the book. Relatively little of his work has been adapted to other mediums; "Casting the Runes" became an episode of Escape (I blogged about it here) and the film Night of the Demon; Christopher Lee read many of his stories for television; and in the 1970s, British television adapted a handful of the stories and occasional revisit his works.

But you've already noticed which medium has been ill-served: comic books! Thus, we have publisher SelfMadeHero's Ghost Stories of an Antiquary volume 1. Adapted by Leah Moore and John Reppion (Leah being the daughter of Alan), four tales are adapted by four different artists: "Canon Alberic's Scrap-Book" (by Aneke), "Lost Hearts" (by Kit Buss), "The Mezzotint" (by Fouad Mezher) and "The Ash-Tree" (by Alisdair Wood). These are all fine tales worthy of being shared and the adapters do quite well, though their styles are quite different from each other.

"Canon Alberic's Scrap-Book" concerns one of James' unlucky researchers discovering a scrapbook full of rare lithographs, but the book is itself haunted. Aneke brings the creature from the story to life in a very impressive fashion - in dealing with a prose story without visuals it can be difficult for the adapting artist to fashion a monster who can stand up to what readers have imagined in their own minds; I feel Aneke has done well, the creature being unlike what I imagined but definitely faithful to James' description and perfectly unearthly.

"Lost Hearts" was one of my favourite James tales as its shocking conclusion surprised me the first time I read it. Artist Kit Buss has a very manga-like style which renders the situation a little bright and cutesy, but that makes the horror a little more jarring by contrast. Scenes of dead children with visible ribcages certainly dispel the otherwise homey environment!

"The Mezzotint" was simply a neat ghost story to me, but Fouad Mezher really caught my fancy - I haven't seen his art before but he has an interesting clean style which reminds me of Guy Davis. As the story involves a picture which changes when people aren't looking at it the story has always had a visual element which Mezher renders perfectly. This was the highlight of the book for me simply for the revelation of Mezher as an artist.

"The Ash-Tree" is one of James' best stories and has a more physical threat than most of his tales, what with the killer spiders. Alisdair Wood contributes what are easily the darkest visuals in this book with wonderfully lined faces of worried people and scary-looking monsters. The tree itself is beautifully wicked-looking with all the menace James gave it in prose.

Ghost Stories of an Antiquary is not the sort of publication which the comics community at large is apt to notice, despite the presence of familiar names like Leah Moore (and cover artist Francesco Francavilla). If you're a fan of ghost stories and especially if you love M. R. James, find a copy. Hopefully we have a volume 2 in our future!

Kwaidan, Part 3: The Faceless Ghost and Other Macabre Tales from Japan

Book publisher Shambala Publications has printed a few comic book here and there over the years but they're not a prominent force in the field - heck, I only learned about them earlier this year when one of their books appeared on the Eisner Award ballot for "Best Adaptation froma Another Medium." And then I sat up and took note because the work in question was Lafcadio Hearn's The Faceless Ghost and Other Macabre Tales from Japan: A Graphic Novel by writer/adaptor Sean Michael Wilson and artist Michiru Morikawa. Although the creators were unknowns, I was pleasantly surprised to discover Hearn's works were now adapted to another medium: comics!

Wilson & Morikawa's book is relatively slim compared to the number of stories Hearn wrote, but they adapt a few of them: "Diplomacy," "The Snow Woman," "Of a Mirror and a Bell," "Hoichi the Earless," "The Faceless Ghost," and "The Gratitude of the Samebito." You'll recognize two of them ("The Snow Woman" & "Hoichi the Earless") were featured in the film version of Kwaidan and now seem to be two of the works Hearn is best-known for telling.

In his afterword, Wilson noted he came from similar ancestry as Hearn and even lived & worked in the same area of Japan which Hearn once did. This seems to make him the ideal person to have adapted Hearn for comics. Happily, he retained the tone of Hearn's stories with the many asides to explain bits of Japanese culture kept in (most notably during "Of a Mirror and a Bell"). He likewise maintained the playful, fireside tone of Hearn's writings with stories ending abruptly (again, "Of a Mirror and a Bell", also "The Faceless Ghost"). He didn't restrict his selections to the horror stories of Hearn either, with "The Gratitude of the Samebito" being largely a fairy tale.

Artist Morikawa rendered the stories in a very modern Japanese (re: manga) style. The shadings, speed lines and facial expressions are what you would expect from a first-rate manga. Although the stories are mostly light in tone, Morikawa did not quite shy away from the violence of the tales, with the decaptation of "Diplomacy" and bloody climax of "Hoichi the Earless" depicted with a bit of gore.

It's possible this work might reach people who have never read Hearn - Shambhala caters to an offbeat market (including academics) and the Eisner nomination has surely granted this work attention from many corners. It's a pity it didn't win the Eisner - as a fan of Kwaidan, I am extremely pleased at how this book turned out, especially to see my favourite tale "The Snow Woman" included. If Wilson & Morikawa have a will to adapt more of Hearn, I am completely in support of it!