Life Through the Eyes of a Daytripper

With the end of the year fast approaching, I need to finish the Around the World Reading Challenge, 2015.

Therefore, this week, we head to South America as I review Daytripper by Brazilian brothers Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá.

Daytripper examines the question, “at what point does one’s life begin?” through defining moments, such as the birth of a child, death of a parent, getting one’s big break, or meeting the love of one’s life.

Each chapter covers a day or so in the life of obituary writer Brás de Olivia Domingos at different ages – though not necessarily in chronological order.

Although the book jumps around, the order of the stories flows well. For example, the day he is eleven has more to do with the day his own son is born than when he is 21.

While many people associate Brazil with the liveliness of Carnival, there is a somberness to the illustrations that fits the overall tone of the book, with appropriate exceptions: the chapter in which Brás is eleven is drawn and colored in a more youthful style; and the one in which he searches for a missing friend gets very heavy and dark.

Daytripper is a thought provoking look at what really matters in life, for everyday could be one’s last.

Rapid City: Objects at Rest is Kinetic

I met Rapid City: Objects at Rest writer Josh Dahl at Northeast Comic Con last June where I interviewed him about his current project.

This four-issue compilation is a superhero origin story; not so much about how Kinetic got his powers, but how he chose his name and decided to become a full-time superhero. He is surrounded by fellow superheros, a new friend discovering his own superpower, a personal gadget maker, and a hit man out to kill one of them.

Heavy black ink on white gives the artwork a dark look and feel appropriate to the story. Artist Anand Kaviraj‘s minimal detailing, especially in the faces, still conveys expression without being over exaggerated.

Beyond character introductions, Rapid City: Objects at Rest has a clear message of finding one’s identity and being true to one’s self. It is also about hard choices: deciding what really matters, making that a priority, and then letting go of what isn’t.

Rapid City: Objects at Rest is a well-constructed origin story that leaves plenty of unanswered questions for future story arcs.

Be sure to watch my interview with Josh Dahl in which he discusses his latest project, Rapid City: Below Zero.

Stellar Novo

Novo is a five volume series by Michael S. Bracco that contains the complete 6-part story of Novo, the only one of his species in the entire universe.

Novo is the hybrid of two warring races who ultimately wipe out each other. Each book in the series puts Novo in a new situation where he tries to prevent what happened on his planet from happening on others. He sees greed and pride threaten one civilization after another as he journeys to find meaning for his life.

The illustrations are heavy black ink with line shading that can get muddy at times; however, Michael Bracco’s artwork transport the reader through these marvelous alien worlds.

As for bonus material, at the end of book 4, artist Lauren Monardo takes a few pages to tell what happens to Snurl, a critter Novo befriends in part 1, but leaves behind when he begins his inter-planetary journey.

Exploring an ethical issue (equality) wrapped in a philosophical dilemma — finding one’s destiny when manipulative forces set out to make one fail — Novo has all the elements of good sci-fi.

Watch the Interview with Michael S. Bracco I did at ConnectiCon 2015.

A Winning Combo of Runners

I discovered this series at Connecticon 2015. While these are personal preferences, I really like the story and absolutely love Sean Wang’s crisp illustration style. Bad Goods is in black and white; The Big Snow Job is in color. The color enhances the scenes, but I didn’t feel anything was lost in the black and white.

Be sure to watch my interview with Sean Wang.

Runners recounts the adventures of a crew of intergalactic smugglers. Bad Goods introduces Roka Nostaco and his alien crew. When a mission goes bad, they stumble upon a mystery girl who joins them. In The Big Snow Job, a seemingly trivial job turns out to be more than they bargained for. While each 140+ page book contains a complete story, they both conclude with a clue as to the mystery girl’s origin.

Sean Wang creates crisp visuals that tell the tale with dialogue that rounds it out for a complete story. He has a good balance between action-packed sequences, character interactions, and giving readers a moment to catch their breaths. A good example of this is a peaceful establishing shot series. Turn the page and, BOOM! Characters come crashing through a window. It’s like a TV show in print.

If you like space adventures featuring roguish characters and cavalier humor, Runners: Bad Goods and The Big Snow Job are for you. The only disappointment is that they end.