The thing that makes Terry Moore so compelling and moving to read

Terry Moore, creator of the wonderful Strangers in Paradise. There have been a million reviews of Strangers, mostly focusing on how Terry writes female characters. When I cajoled my wife into reading the series, she spent the first few graphics assuming that Terry was a woman, a not uncommon event.

However, whilst I agree whole heartedly with those reviews, it’s not his female characterisation that really gets me. The thing I love about Strangers in Paradise and indeed everything that he writes, is his dialogue.

His characters sound very natural, using rhythms and words that ring true. At the same time, he isn’t afraid to throw in a sentence that wouldn’t be out of place in a Hollywood movie. I think that the naturalism of most of it makes the filmic parts work and not jar, which they easily could. The comics in general have that feeling of heightened reality; real people in not quite real situations, but reacting in very real ways.

In many ways, that last sentence is perhaps a great definition of effective fiction. Once the audience believes in the characters, you can create situations that make for interesting and dynamic stories. The challenge is then creating reactions that are genuine and real and the dialogue to go with them.

Terry Moore is the master at this. It’s impossible to not get invested in his characters, even when they are involved in entirely mad situations.

Review…Nextwave: Agents of Hate by Warren Ellis

Nextwave: Agents of Hate by Warren Ellis

Having just blogged about the wonderful, irreverent world of Warren Ellis, what could be better than reading a comic that feels so uniquely him? This collection of issues 1 – 6 of this Marvel comic package everything he does well into one, pant-wettingly silly volume.

Ellis has dug through the archives for some minor Marvel heroes, forgotten about by all but the most fervent of fans. Collecting them together into a distinctly disparate and somewhat disagreeable group he pits them against a number of foolish foes, from a giant lizard in pants to an entirely barmy army general, via soldiers made from plants. As per usual the ideas come thick and fast, as do the constant, mostly respectful jokes at Marvel’s expense.

But, as per usual, the thing that really does it for me are the characters. Gone are the classic Marvel tropes, replaced by sly though affectionate real-world versions. In Warren Ellis’ Marvel universe the characters argue, swear, take the piss and generally do their best to annoy their team mates. His bad guys rant about their marital problems and have serious mother issues. Things, you get the feeling, will rarely end in peace and harmony, but will almost certainly be far more entertaining as a result.

Ellis has released a huge number of different comic series, most only a few comics long and almost all completely his own creation. Perhaps because of the link with Marvel, or maybe just for the heck of it, he seems to have let himself go with Nextwave and really pushed the boundaries of both silliness and being over the top. Needless to say, it’s fantastic and you should go read it right now.

 

The thing about Warren Ellis…

Warren Ellis, the fabulous comic author, in particular the creator of Transmetropolitan.  I love his ability to combine things in one story that simply shouldn’t work. The skill I am most jealous of though is the way in which he can bring humour into pretty much every frame yet never detract from the story that is playing out, or seem cheesy or over-the-top.

His comics blend so many different factors that all demand an emotional response; yet never seem forced or shoehorned in for the sake of it. His characters are incessantly railing against all manner of inequalities and wrongs yet at the same time will exhibit views both shocking yet head-shakingly right. It is impossible not to become invested in them. Whilst this is going on, they are also cracking obscene jokes and using appalling yet casual violence, the kind that would get you banned from TV long before you got anywhere near the censors.  Surrounding these actions and opinions will be lives that can have tender moments, horrible sadness and wonderful highs, all of which again endear and connect them to you.

Throughout all of it, Warren will bring the funny; visually, through story and situation and through the characters themselves. I think someone may have said in their introduction to one of his graphic novels that secretly everyone would like to be a Warren Ellis character. They were right. And if they didn’t say it, then I just did.

 

The thing about Neil Gaiman

Let’s take Neil Gaiman. I think of him like chocolate. You could blindfold me and give me 10 different types of chocolate and I could recognise the Cadburys every time. Once I’d taken the blindfold off, I think I could pick his writing out pretty damn consistently. Why? Well, therein lies the magic, the illusive mystery of great writers.

For me, it is the atmosphere of Neil’s books that always stands out. His writing has an almost wistful air, but is still striking. With very few words he conjures a sense of knowing that I think comes from his deep appreciation for every writer who has come before him. Without ever short-changing, he expects the reader to know ‘the rules’ and share at least some of his love of story telling. This allows him to almost borrow a sense of long ago, of stories past in which to tell his own tales. It is this atmosphere that makes his writing so magical to read.

I’m not sure that I’ve done justice to what he does and I’m also concerned that I’ve suggested that he doesn’t do his own work. That is in no way accurate. It’s just that you can taste and smell his books.  The flavours and scents, whilst being highly original, always have a faint, comforting air of familiarity about them. And just to be clear, this is a good thing.