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Book Review: Clean Room, Volume 1: Immaculate Conception by Gail Simone, art by Jon Davis-Hunt.

Clean Room, Volume 1: Immaculate Conception by Gail Simone, art by Jon Davis-Hunt

Vertigo, 2016

ISBN: 9781401262754

Available: print, Kindle and comixology ebook

Journalist Chloe Pierce’s fiancé, Philip, takes his own life. When his body is found, he’s holding a book by the enigmatic self-help guru, Astrid Mueller, who began her writing career as a horror author. Chloe believes something in the book made him do it, and she will stop at nothing to get to the bottom of it. She storms the headquarters of the author’s Honest World Foundation, demanding an interview with the reclusive Astrid, and is invited into the Clean Room, a space where someone’s fears are exposed and worst moments are revealed. Chloe’s life quickly changes after her experience in the Clean Room when she is visited by an entity called Spark. There is a problem in the room, however. What has Astrid unleashed on the world after a session with one of her adherents goes wrong?

Simone weaves a strong tale in Clean Room. There is more to both Chloe and Astrid than meets the eye. The way Simone intertwines the story of both women is so well done.  Davis-Hunt’s artwork in this volume is beautiful and terrifying. This book is not for the squeamish, though; while the body horror starts out fairly tame, it intensifies as the story proceeds. Highly recommended.

Volume 1 collects Clean Room issues #1-6.

Contains: body horror, mention of child abuse, nudity, violence

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

Posted on June 4, 2017 by , Reply

Book Review: The Final Reconciliation by Todd Keisling

 


The Final Reconciliation by Todd Keisling

Crystal Lake Publishing, 2017

ASIN: B01N385I94

Available: Kindle edition, Audible

After thirty long years of silence, Aidan Cross, physically and mentally scarred, is finally granting an interview. He wants to open up about his time with his heavy metal band, The Yellow Kings. Aidan reveals an impossible account of music, the occult, and death with his story about The Yellow Kings’ unreleased album, “The Final Reconciliation”, which led to their live concert resulting in a bloodbath.

After The Yellow Kings sign a record deal and embark on a successful tour, they meet Carmilla Bierce after an intense concert in Texas, and ask her to join them. The lead singer, Johnny, becomes increasingly entranced with this new addition to their tour bus. She convinces them to take her along to Dim Carcosa, her pet name for Los Angeles. Carmilla quickly takes control: her influence over the band comes swift and heavy. Aidan suspects something is wrong, but when he tries to communicate his worry to his friends, they either don’t listen or she is in the way.

The way the new album is being recorded is troubling to Aidan. Carmilla does not permit the band to play more than a small selection of songs at a time, and the recording studio has been set up in a ritualistic way by  Carmilla herself. Then dreams come, of otherworldly robed creatures with their faces hidden behind masks– visions of true Carcosa, all with the same message: “Take off your mask.” Carmilla also orchestrates The Yellow Kings’ final reconciliation, the concert to end all concerts, at least for The Yellow Kings and their fans. Masks for everyone, ritual robes and medallions for The Yellow Kings, and patterns for the band to follow, musically and physically, all add up to a bloody evening.

There is much to like about this novella, especially if you are a fan of horror and metal. The writing keeps a fast pace and engages the reader at every twist and turn. The characters are memorable, particularly Aidan and Camilla. Aidan is clearly struggling with past events, and wants to finally tell his story. When he discovers the reason behind the journalist wanting the interview, Aidan’s reaction is what is to be expected given the way he told his story. I remain conflicted about Carmilla. There is a line in the novella comparing her to Yoko Ono or Courtney Love, which made me wholly suspicious not of her, but of Aidan. Women are often blamed solely for the downfall of something, like a musical group, without blame being leveled at their male counterparts. For this comparison to be assigned to Carmilla immediately made me question Aidan’s motivations. Also, since we are only hearing Aidan’s side of the story, how much of his story is reliable? Several questions remain, but one thing is clear. Nothing is as it seems in the world of Carcosa. Recommended.

Contains: brief sex, brief body horror, some gore, lots of reference to amazing metal bands (I’m looking at you, Mastodon).

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

Posted on May 27, 2017 by , Reply

Musings: Transmetropolitan, vol 1: Back on the Street by Warren Ellis, art by Darick Robertson

Transmetropolitan, vol. 1: Back on the Street by Warren Ellis, art by Darick Robertson

Vertigo, 2009

ISBN-13: 978-1401220846

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition, comiXology

 

As I was writing this, it became a little too personal to call it a formal review. Suffice it to say, I was wowed by this graphic novel and by Spider Jerusalem.

Transmetropolitan is science fiction, taking place in a near-future dystopia that is far too close to our present culture and government– uncannily so. The protagonist, Spider Jerusalem, is a former investigative reporter forced into contact with civilization after five years in hiding, in order to fulfill a book contract. Once back in the city, he reverts to the hard-hitting journalist he used to be: a foul-mouthed, vulgar, cranky, wily, angry prankster, ready to take on city government, police, religious cults, and even the President ( who is frighteningly similar to our president-elect, although this issue was published originally in 1997). Ellis has imagined a seedy, violent, consumerist future that challenges what it means to be human. Spider faces it head-on: to him, “journalism is a gun. It’s only got one bullet in it, but if you aim it right, that’s all you need”. As we are living age of false equivalencies, fake news, and media mistrust, it’s inspiring to see that in his world, Spider is on the scene, live, and in the face of anyone claiming to have authority or truth. Outrageous, obnoxious, and blunt to the point of rudeness, Spider is not anything near a traditional hero– but his world, feels so close to ours that they could almost touch, and that someone like him (well, maybe not exactly like him) might exist outside a fictional future gives me hope.

Given the setting I have described, it should not be a surprise that the storylines are dark and gritty, and Darick Robertson’s art brings Spider and his grim world to life. The artwork for the Angels 8 riot is fiery and explosive, and Robertson doesn’t shy from depicting dripping blood and bizarre bodies. In a separate storyline, he impressively manages to depict action, along with despair and anger, as Spider attempts to watch an entire day of television, something which requires almost no movement at all. Ellis is a master at character development and world building– not every issue covers a great crusade, but there are moments that are either small victories for Spider, or illuminate aspects of the society Spider is reporting on, both positive and negative. Transmetropolitan portrays a messy world through the eyes of a complicated character, with moments of both bleakness and laughter, and leaves a space for optimism in what seems, recently, to be a very dark time for the First Amendment. Very highly recommended.

I would like to credit Susie Rodarme at Book Riot for cluing me in to this series. She did me a great service.

Transmetropolitan, vol. 1: Back on the Streets includes issues #1-6.

Contains: body horror, violence, gore, nudity, language, drug use.

 

Reviewed by Kirsten Kowalewski


Posted on December 25, 2016 by , Reply
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