It's A Bird... Those Left Behind

I found Steven T. Seagle's It's a Bird... an extremely moving and insightful commentary on escapism and inspiration. The book is described as "semi-autobiographical", and I can't help but wonder which parts were completely true and which were embellished. The ultimate message of the book seems to be that while death awaits everyone, in one for or another, and is rarely pleasant, it is no reason to shy away from living and loving in the fullest. This is the insight that Steve gets at the end. The story manages to be relatively gloomy for most of the novel, but manages to wrap up in an ending that is relatively happy and affirming, while simultaneously satisfyin and uncheesy. On first reading, I was so wrapped up in the story that I was not paying much attention to the art style. Flipping through the book again, it is clear how much thought and skill went into the constantly shifting imagery which Teddy Kristiansen brings to the table. The gloomy, skechy style that describes the "now" in the book somehow contrasts and blends wonderfully with the bright, saturated colors of superman's world, and Steve's colorful childhood memories. There are several smaller sub-stories within the main story, each of which call into question the nature of Superman as seen by Steve, each of which has a unique and meaningful art style. While some of the scenes are extremely gloomy, especially when Steve sees his Aunt suffering horribly from Huntington's disease, and ends up in a brutal fist fight with his father, the story is ultimately one about the importance of overcoming the inertia of cynicism, and embracing life, family and friends.

An utterly different sort of work, Serenity: Those Left Behind by Joss Whedon is an unabashedly slick and stylized piece of Sci-Fi escapism. Based on the Firefly TV series, Serenity is a kind of futuristic western, reminiscent of Cowboy Bebop, but utterly American in style. The comic is loud, violent, colorful and full of satisying action movie one-liners. That is not meant to be disparaging. Serenity is as original and unknown as it is familliar, It's world is unlike any other I've seen in fiction, and showcases Whedon's mastery of universe-crafting. Will Conrad's art is perfect for a work like this. His art is definetly "comic book" art, but somehow classier, full of meticulous details and intense lighting that Bring Whedon's world dramatically to life. Even minor characters are painstakingly rendered with intense tattoing, over the top costumes, and clear visual personality. I had seen the Serenity film, but not the television series. This book definetely brings the world from the movie directly into the comic book medium without sacrificing anything, the faces of actors and the nuances of the characters translates fully. Reading it has definetly put Firefly on my list of TV shows to watch.