Mini-Book Minstrel

The Ancient Greeks were a pretty big deal. They’re one of the key cultures that Western Society puts a measure to when it comes to philosophical works and stories. I mean yo it ain’t just baklava and a fair amount of homoeroticism, there’s a lot of narrative and deep figures that really deserve more analysis than what your typical English 101 class delivers.

  I have a feeling that this is what Samantha Holmlund's PENTHELSILEA AND THE BATTLE OF TROY is trying to achieve. She’s trying to bring this fairly obscure Greek hero to life by adapting it through illustration and in principle I can totally get behind that. There are plenty of characters that aren’t as big as Heracles or Odysseus, but they deserve an equally epic amount of coverage. This is crazy true for female characters like Penthesilea, Hippolyta, or Atlanta who are incredible larger than life figures with really interesting stories.

  Penthesilea is a really interesting tale that documents a powerful Amazon warrior that unfortunately succumbs to the utter delight that is the Greek Tragedy. It’s a really entertaining story that highlights this pyrrhic hero that fights for really personal reasons. What it really comes down to though is how the Greeks executed this narration in prose. Spoiler alert nerds: To most peeps, the story of Penthesilea is a footnote, however there was so much more to the Siege of Troy than Paris sticking his penis into things he shouldn't and Achilles being a total jerkwad. 

  It’s this overall expansion of the Trojan War that makes this book interesting. It covers things through illustration that makes you feel the pangs of Penthesilea’s pain and that totally matters. The close ups aren't tremendously detailed, but you get the sense of frustration and anger that the shadows nicely cover. This pairs incredibly well with the limited colour palette that Smantha has chosen, the balance between art and action in this book shows how meticulously crafted each panel is. I’m particularly fond of a flashback scene presented inside the book and I think that really adds to the merit of the story. 

  However, this book is not without its own failings and personally they kind of throw it out of whack. The first issues that I immediately find are these rough white smudges throughout the book. Now I don’t know if they’re a printing error in my copy or if they’re a clear and keen part of the art, but they scratch out super important parts of the book and I feel that I’d rather have those details intact. On an aesthetic level I totes get that Samantha might be going for a faded, rough imagining of the Ancient Greeks. It’s very much like ancient scrolls that have been uncovered for the first time; however once they start actively cutting sections of the story it kind of gets in the way. I’m a horrible selfish person that wants the best of both worlds.

   One of the main problems that the narrative has is rooted in one of the main problems in Penthesilea’s story. Penthesilea is a neato central character, but the unfortunate truth is that when you get down to it Achilles is the dude that’s being focused on at the end of her story. It feels a little backwards in focusing on Achilles, after all he only appears for a short time. He’s a walking talking killing machine in many awesome ways, but Achilles wasn’t the character that I emotionally invested in when I read this book. At this point in the book I’m interested in Penthesilea and honestly, screw Achilles- I barely know the guy. I think that this ending was a missed opportunity to focus on the bravery and tragedy of Penthesila, but it was caught between that and the sentimentality of Achilles.

  I have the niggling suspicion that this book’s words were taken verbatim from a book of Greek myths, or even from the Iliad itself. This makes the tone really forced at times and it’s one of the harsh vibes that you can get from a direct adaptation. I feel that maybe the only real parts of dialogue that are presented come from the words of Ajax, a really hairy warrior dude with a surprisingly verbose vocabulary. His general hairiness and unflattering appearance aren’t entirely needed by the narrative, but I can appreciate his mad appearance anyway. See it’s these little details that make this adaptation charming. I just wish it did it a bit more with its narrative.

  All these tiddly little things can take away from the coolness of Penthesilia and makes story less dynamic and tight. There’s a reason why Greek vases don’t have word bubbles. However, the illustrative quality of this book brings out a story that’s not often taught and it deserves a read on the appeal of its depiction. 

MCM BIRMINGHAM- Thoughts

The Pic: Dredd Cosplayers

I've been to a lot of cons. From the very large to very small. They've had their ups and downs, store stalls, little comic villages, and artist alleys. All these aesthetics blend into each other like things that blend into each other (paint perhaps?) However, I've noticed one thing that runs concurrent through all of them, they're there for you to enjoy yourself.

Now you might be wondering what this pic is all about considering I'm talking about a freaking convention of all things, but trust me my story gets better.

In the story of Judge Dredd, Mega City One is a massive dystopian metropolis that's filled with crime and filth. The individual Judges that try to maintain this order are few and far between and deliver justice with amazing proficiency and brutal prowess. I feel that this relationship runs pretty similarly to the MCM Birmingham convention and those selling comics there.

A con should run smoothly and breathe easily so that those attending can go to panels, explore the floor with ease, and meet and greet without incredible difficultly. Unfortunately, this didn't go through with this con. Instead all the celebs were put all along the top edge like a wall of best-in-show dogs, the floor was a disorganized mess with claustrophobic crowds, and the disgusting aroma of cooked pork wafted throughout like miasma. Not fun!

However, that's where our Judges come in- delivering sweet sweet justice in the form of comic books, amazing entertainment, and fine sundry deals. Is it worth it though? It's hard to say. It's not a pleasant environment.

As of last week I ventured deep into the dark lands of Leeds to seek new books and find new experiences. I found myself in a world of wondrous experiences, amazing creators, and minds so funky they might be considered frisky. This of course refers to the fantastic world of Thought Bubble 2014.

There was a lot to do this year at Thought Bubble: music, dancing, the analytical fascination that is Comics Studies, meeting face to face with some of the most creative comic book minds in the world, and of course the gorgeous cosplay. I haven’t seen that many Homestuck costumes since my last time at the big ol’ conventions back in the states and I’m pretty sure that Warhammer 40k devotee would’ve thumped me flat with that power hammer of his if I gave him the opportunity. This is entering darn near sophistic levels of the appreciation of aesthetics, but gosh darn do I feel like doing it.

If you haven't yet divined the purpose of this blog it's to review minibooks and zines from around the world. There are so many creative minds and souls who express themselves through small magazines and I hope to review them all. I'll be starting this by exploring the dozen or so fantastic mini-books that I’ve gotten from this event and you’ll hopefully be able to enjoy them with me.