325 replies to this topic

[A. Heathen]

Thanks, I was interested to see what you're comparing it to. There's more to the sweary rabbit than is evident in that initial tale, but Unwritten is a book about fiction so obviously it's going to have been done before.

In contemporary fiction, and in comics beyond all reasonable degree, there's a lot of repetition of themes, and in a way that is a major theme for Unwritten as opposed to the other comics you mention. Sandman occasionally uses the collective consciousness aspect of the myths it assembles, and it's perhaps central to Greek Street. But Unwritten is not a what if these fictional characters were real? tale but what if fiction could cross over with reality - so more like Grant Morrison's work on the subject. Nothing like LOEG which is a medium for fan fiction style crossovers and intricate cross continuity fantasy (and quite a lot fun) but perhaps like Lost Girls which could be seen as a metafictional cross over.

My fondness for Unwritten is that the characters seem much more human, whatever their basis - and they are almost all stereotypes of some kind. The latter's a major part of the story, the former is down to more depth when it comes to good and bad actions in the story.

Can't say I know anything about Jasper Fforde. I'll take your word and avoid them.

[Shawn]

Christian, on 16 March 2013 - 09:49 PM, said:

I think the only anthropomorphic rabbit in comics at this time is Captain Carrot, so I wouldn't worry about having to add a mature readers "funny animal" book to your pull list, at least.

Usagi Yojimbo! He doesn't swear though :) And he's sort on hiatus while Sakai does 47 Ronin. But Usagi is a perfect example of anthropomorphic characters done right

[Shawn]

Tim is very correct about Jasper Fforde. I read the Jane Eyre Affair, there was much cringing. There were decent ideas in there somewhere but horrible execution. However, I'd say Mike Carey is a prime case of someone doing it right. And perhaps Bill Willingham.

[dogpoet]

TimC, on 17 March 2013 - 09:54 AM, said:

Anthropomorphic animals from children's books doing self-consciously inappropriate swearing/violence/sex isn't exactly a groundbreaking concept, is it? Even Mark Millar's done it, let alone any number of comic parodies going back to Tijuana bibles (and almost certainly before). That particular issue was also rather reminiscent of the coyote issue of Morrison's Animal Man.

Except those are all based on funny animal comics or animations, rather than supposed but nonexistant children's storybooks. A minorThe distinction some would argue, but anybody who'd argue that (say) The House At Pooh Corner and Carl Barks' Donald Duck comic strips or a Tex Avery cartoon are identical is probably too confused for their opinion to be worth paying any attention.

Quote

The 'Am I real or a fictional character?' schtick is a very basic postmodernist trope - even Hellblazer did it in an early issue.

There's plenty of interesting things that might be done with these old ideas but, based on the first couple of volumes and his other work, I'm not convinced that Carey's the chap to do it. On the other hand, at least it's less grating than those Jasper Fforde novels.

Metafiction, rather than postmodernism. That's a riff that goes back a hell of a lot further than the rise of Vertigo, and actually turns up in a few classical works. It was all over the pulps (including one of the two readable L Ron Hubbard horror stories) and has been put to both good and shitawful use  in a lot of comics since the '50s at least. (Hell, there's all of those '60s Marvels where Stan and Jack write themselves into the stories, and they'd probably got the idea from Harvey Kurtzman's taste for using himself as a narrator in Mad.)
For myself, I'd say that Carey is doing a vastly better job of that trope than anything else I've seen in a comic, and given the sophistication and inventiveness he's bringing to his arguments about the function and effect of fiction in the Unwritten, I'd say that he's definitely the right man for the job. Your milage obviously varies.

[Avaunt]

I second ( or fourth or something ) the Jasper Forde hatred.

That paid that guy to write those things?.

Though he admitted in one short story I read somewhere, he lets his teenage relatives "correct" his work.

Fforde's books are noted for their profusion of literary allusions and word play, tightly scripted plots, and playfulness with the conventions of traditional genres. From wiki.

I would have added And also for not being a tenth as good as he thinks they are.


Edit to add, he is writing a new series.

Shades of Grey: The Road to High Saffron (simply titled Shades of Grey originally) is a dystopian novel, the first in the "Shades of Grey" series by novelist Jasper Fforde. The story takes place in Chromatacia, an alternate version of the United Kingdom wherein social class is determined by one's ability to perceive colour.

[Shawn]

Another great issue as we see the new King of the Underworld! Some creepy bastards in masks and a nice cliffhanger!

Also, there's a rather pandering ad for "Constantine", the one where he's sitting at a grave smoking. Interesting they've darkened the coloring, complete with gray socks,  in an effort to appeal to Vertigo readers.