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Tokyo Babylon Volume 1 - Clamp
by miwa "Love is just a blood-match, to see who can endure lash, after lash..." - St Vincent Though the title evokes a contrast between the urban sprawl of 1980s cityscape and the ancient city of desolation, perhaps Sodom and Gomorrah would be a better allegory for the cold and corrupt city that lends itself to the scenery ... of Tokyo Babylon. The city's influence on our main character, Subaru Sumeragi, is undeniable. Thirteenth in the long line of onmyouji (spell-casters, mediums, or exorcists), he is employed as a kind of spiritual psychiatrist to relieve Tokyo's residents, past and present, of their emotional baggage. Despite his obvious power he has a passive, neurasthenic personality, as soft as wax and as wavering as candlelight. Ultimately a kind and selfless sixteen-year-old boy, the pressure and grime of city life slowly weighs down on his soul. Not that Subaru's life is one of introversion and agony - at least not at first. His twin sister Hotoru ensures that. Aggressively cheerful, her personality likely an unconscious front put on to support Subaru's weaknesses. Her idiosyncrasies are a source of humour and warmth throughout, especially her endevours to push her brother together with their mutual friend Seishiro Sakurazuka. "I wanted you to have something you would love so much, that you wouldn't care what others thought. Something you wouldn't change your mind about. It didn't matter what it was. I just wanted you to have something like that," she explains to her brother. Seishiro, despite his surname having distinctly sinister connotations with death, is a mild-mannered and chirpy vet who couldn't possibly be anything more than he first seems. Starting in a generic monster-of-the-week format, Tokyo Babylon gradually reveals more and more of the characters' backstories and the tangled web woven between fate and free will. This is something of a hallmark of CLAMP: the notion of "inevitability", though it may not be as evident here as in their other work. Tokyo Babylon could be thought of as the encapsulation of their various themes and tropes: the occult, good and evil, self-sacrifice, sexuality. While some may view this as nothing but talentless repetition or ego masturbation, despite being somewhat cliche due to the context of CLAMP's subsequent fame, Tokyo Babylon is what I consider the pinnacle of CLAMP's craft: being both emotionally and mentally engaging. Stylistically, the art in Tokyo Babylon gradually improves throughout the seven volumes. Subaru is drawn effeminately and with an elegance that belies his innocence. CLAMP in true form take great pains exploring extremely detailed fashion and distinctive character designs, replete with standard 90s CLAMP anatomical proportions. This is particularly prominent in Subaru's dress-sense, with his trade-mark gloves and meticulously rendered coats with buttons, zips, lapels, pleats et al. Whether this is truly the style of a sixteen-year-old boy is up for debate, but it is certainly stunning to look at, especially on the full-colour covers and the small posters inside the front cover of each volume. While Tokyo Babylon may seem like fluff, even in the earlier stories its use of Shinto ideology to present didactic inquests into social issues is scathing. Subaru's power leads him to help many people, from the murderous and to the lonely, and very few sections of society escape without commentary. As Subaru's clients become more and more desperate, the inevitable pull of reality, where Tokyo Babylon's true intentions lie, starts to slip from beneath Subaru's feet. In a recurring dream, a man tells the child Subaru, "Did you know? They say buried underneath every cherry tree is a corpse. [...] The reason the cherry blossoms bloom so beautifully every year is because of the corpse buried underneath." Just as the true form of beauty is seen to be one of ugliness, everything we know about the characters is perceived a different shade in the light of truth. As we saw through the relentless critique of society, so we see more starkly the juxtapositions of obligations and choices, industrialisation and sorcery, love and death, and ultimately the selfishness inherent in selflessness. We see how the catalyst of despair that ultimately manifests as malevolence in the last volume began as an undercurrent that has rippled in every page, panel and brushstroke since the very beginning. Perhaps it is this that gives Tokyo Babylon its unusual allure, palpable tension and lurking melancholy that has endured the 23 years since its first printing. RRP: £9.99 Paperback: 160 pages Publisher: Tokyopop (15 July 2004) Language: English ISBN-10: 1591828716 ISBN-13: 978-1591828716 Also on my blog: marusamarento.wordpress.com Read the complete review |
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Batman Knightfall KnightQuest
by SWSt Boy, I've waited a long time for this! Although parts 1 and 3 of the Knightfall trilogy has been available in graphic novel format for almost 20 years, for some reason the second part - KnightQuest - was never published in this format. It finally saw the light of day last year, in order to tie in (cash in?) the release of Christopher ... Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises. The controversial Knightfall storyline brought major changes to the world of the Batman. An exhausted Bruce Wayne was defeated by super villain Bane and ended up paralysed with a broken back. He was replaced as Batman by the disturbed Jean Paul Valley, a far darker and more violent vigilante who firmly believes any actions are justified in the war against crime. This leads to rifts between Batman and his former allies such as Robin or the Gotham City policy. What's nice about KnightQuest is that there is a real emphasis on some different villains. The bad guys who appear in these storylines will not be that well known to casual Batman fans. Of the major villains only the Joker appears (in an excellent three part story which is one of the highlights of the whole series). Instead, the focus shifts to more minor villains or recent creations, such as The Tally Man or Abattoir. Focussing in on these characters has a couple of advantages. First of all, it means the writers have the opportunity to do some different things with both the new Batman and the villains. There are not as weighed down by past storylines, so can take them in whatever direction they choose. This allows the writers to explore some different elements of the new Batman's psychological makeup. At the same time, it breaths freshness into Batman's world. Popular though they are, there are only so many different ways you can use regular villains like The Joker, Two-Face and Penguin before adventures start to feel a little stale. The focus on some new or lesser-known villains is a welcome break from this. It's clear that the writers are revelling in the opportunity to take the Batman in a new, more violent direction. Freed from the constraints of Bruce Wayne's conscience, the new Dark Knight is without a shred of humanity. At the same time, the writers do a fine balancing act. Had they made the new Batman too dark too quickly, the reader would have lost all sympathy with the character. As it is, Jean Paul Valley's Batman is a very conflicted character tortured, torn between the desire to do good and the desire to avenge whatever the cost. There are times when you feel deeply sorry for Jean Paul, when you actually warm to his new, darker Batman. There are other times when he crosses the line and you despise everything he has become. This is clever writing that elicits a surprisingly deep and emotional response from the reader - further proof (if it were needed) that comics can be just as worthy of the term "literature" as a standard novel. What's particularly interesting is the reaction of existing characters to the new Batman. The Joker, for example, instantly knows that this is not "his" Batman and dismisses him as an unworthy foe. Commissioner Gordon also suspects something has changed and dislikes and distrusts this new Batman. Sergeant Harvey Bullock, on the other hand, approves of the new, tougher stance. This underlines the idea that that Batman is more than just a costume, and highlights how important Bruce Wayne's humanity is to the character. Despite being written by a whole score of different writers, the tale hangs together very well. The individual stories always feel like a small part of a much bigger tale. They build on what has happened before or help to set up future storylines; they add to our understanding of the way this particular Batman works, and slowly chart the mental disintegration of Jean Paul Valley. The same is true of the artwork. Although a number of different artists with very different styles contributed, there's still an overall consistency. As with the writers, it's clear that the artists are relishing the opportunity to draw a darker, more violent Bat and this comes through in some of the panels. There are some genuinely dramatic images of the Batman swooping on his victims or unleashing major violence on them. The images perfectly capture the ferocity of this new Batman and demonstrate how out of control he actually is far more effectively than words ever could. Yet, there are more emotional moments too, which have the reader sympathising with the tortured Valley. It's just a shame that this story is still incomplete. When first published, KnightQuest actually consisted of two different elements. KnightQuest: The Crusade focussed on the new Batman whilst KnightQuest: The Search was a separate adventure which looked at Bruce Wayne's long road to recovery and his search for Tim Drake's (Robin's) kidnapped father. All you get in this volume is the stories that made up The Crusade. After waiting over 18 years for the full tale this is a real disappointment and a bewildering decision by DC/Titan. Worse, it means that the final pages of this volume don't make much sense. Having been completely ignored for the whole volume, Bruce Wayne suddenly appears back in Gotham, fully recovered and ready to take back the mantle of the Bat. Given that the last time we saw him he was stuck in a wheelchair with seriously limited mobility, this is somewhat confusing. Essentially, if you didn't read the original comics at the time of their release, you still have no way of reading the complete Knightfall saga from start to finish. The RRP for this book is £22.99, but it can be picked up for around £15. For any self-respecting Batman fan, this is an important title and for such a large book (over 650 pages), it offers impressive value for money. It's just a shame that after all this time, the story is still incomplete. Basic Information ------------------------ Knightfall: KnightQuest Chuck Dixon, Alan Grant, Jim Aparo Titan, 2012 ISBN: 9781781163511 (c) Copyright SWSt 2013 Read the complete review |
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Batman - Knightfall Part Two Who Rules the Night
by SWSt Bane has broken the Batman. His life hangs in the balance as Alfred and Robin battle to save him from death or (worse) paralysis. With its Dark Knight gone, Gotham descends into chaos as criminal gangs, controlled by Bane, rule the streets. The Dark Knight needs to rise and Batman's chosen successor Jean-Paul Valley (formerly the ... avenging angel Azrael) takes on the Mantle of the Bat. But there's a problem: Jean Paul Valley is no Bruce Wayne. If that plot summary tells you one thing and one thing only, it's that Who Rules the Night is not a standalone tale. If you don't have a clue what I'm talking about, then you need to go back and read a few previous Batman adventures before you try and tackle this one. At the very least you need to read Knightfall Part One (which charts Bruce Wayne's doomed battle with Bane). In reality, you need to go back even further and read Sword of Azrael and some of the other tales which preceded the Knightfall saga. Who Rules gets off to a slightly shaky start, due to a curious narrative structure. Having seen Bruce Wayne beaten and crippled at the end of the previous book, you are anxious to find out whether he is still alive and what will happen now Bane rules Gotham. Instead of giving you this, the story actually moves backwards in time, with Tim Drake (Robin) having a flashback to one of Wayne's final battles with Two-Face which occurred prior to his showdown with Bane. Presumably this is done to close off a thread that had been left dangling and also to build a sense of dramatic tension by making you wait to find out the answer to the questions regarding Wayne's fate. Unfortunately, it actually has the opposite effect and dilutes the emotional impact. The Two Face story feels out of place. Bu rights, it should be in the earlier volume and it feels like the only reason it isn't is due to scheduling issues during the original comic publication run. The fact is it stops Who Rules from hitting the ground running. After the high drama and emotion at the end of Broken Bat, this second part can initially feel like something of an anti-climax. The pace seems to be a lot less frantic. It's not full of the one-on-one battles with the crazy foes that were the hallmark of part one. In some ways, however, that is a good thing. Although Part One featured some excellent writing, it did sometimes boil down to a series of endless battles between Batman and the bad guys. Who Rules changes the dynamic and shows the new Batman having to battle enemies whilst also fighting with his own fractured nature. Lessening the focus on battling bad guys leaves more room for some strong characterisation. It's interesting to witness the conflicting sides of Jean Paul Valley as he struggles to uphold the image of the Batman (a vigilante with a sense of conscience and social justice) whilst all the time wanting to give in to his training as Azrael (whose sole purpose is to punish wrong-doing and act as judge, jury and executioner). This underlines how important Bruce Wayne's humanity is to the psychological makeup of the (real) Batman and how dark the Batman always could have been without the humanity. It's also interesting to witness the reactions of other characters to this new, more violent Bat. Commissioner Gordon is somewhat suspicious and disapproves of the new tactics, whilst Sergeant Harvey Bullock thinks it's about time the Batman started to use the same dirty tactics that the criminals use. This also allows the writers the opportunity to develop some of the support characters and examine their attitude to a masked vigilante they have grown familiar and comfortable with over the years. The gradual breakdown in Jean-Paul Valley's relationship with Tim Drake's Robin adds an extra dimension. He desperately wants to give Jean-Paul a chance since to deny him would be to question Bruce Wayne's judgement; yet at the same time he can't approve of the increased levels of violence and the fact that Valley apparently revels in this. The wedge that grows between Batman and Robin is an interesting development and adds a new dynamic to their relationship. This slower pace actually has another major advantage. When the violence does come, it is all the more shocking. In part one, the sight of Bruce Wayne's Batman beating up bad guys became almost routine; the only thing that changed from story to story was which bad guy was on the receiving end. Here it is used more sparingly, but when it happens it is far more brutal and violent. Some of the artwork in Who Rules is simply breathtaking - far more so than in Part One. Once again, the artwork is variable in terms of style (several different artists were responsible for inking different episodes), but it still manages to retain a sense of a coherent story. Whilst (in common with part one) the artwork is not as realistic as we have come to expect from modern comics, it is still very effective. It's clear that the artists are revelling in the opportunity to portray a new, more violent Batman and they really go to town on providing some seriously dramatic artwork to show this off. There are some massive panels of Batman pouncing on his victims, some superb depictions of comic book violence, where villains are left battered and bruised. The artwork is hugely effective at getting across the same message as the story: this is not a Batman to be messed around with. This Batman is REALLY scary. This Batman is a monster. The one disappointing aspect is the way the Bruce Wayne sub-plot is handled. Just like in the film The Dark Knight Rises, Wayne's recovery to something approaching normal (albeit confined to a wheelchair) is unrealistically fast. One minute he's at death's door, probably crippled for life, the next minute he's out of danger. He's then almost completely forgotten about for most of the rest of the tale, barring a few minor appearances. In fairness, this is to allow the new darker Batman to take centre stage, but it still feels slightly unsatisfactory. Whilst it might lack the in-your-face action of Knightfall Part One, this second part is a worthy follow up and an excellent story in its own right. The chance to see a new, more violent Batman - the creature Bruce Wayne would have been without the humanity - gives an interesting insight into the Batman myth and simply confirms what many have known all along. There is only one true Batman and Bruce Wayne's humanity is as crucial to the character as fighting or detective skills. A new copy of this can be picked up for around £8, which is a bargain. This is definitely a novel that you will want to read again and again. Basic Information ----------------------- Knightfall Part 2: Who Rules the Night Doug Moench, Chuck Dixon, Alan Grant et al DC Comics, 1993 ISBN: 978-1563891489 © Copyright SWSt 2013 Read the complete review |
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