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Graphic Novel Review: The Twilight Man: Rod Serling and the Birth of Television by Koren Shadmi

The Twilight Man: Rod Serling and the Birth of Television by Koren Shadmi

Life Drawn, 2019

ISBN-13: 9781643375717

Available:  Paperback, Kindle edition, comiXology

Koren Shadmi’s The Twilight Man: Rod Serling and the Birth of Television is a graphic biography following Rod Serling’s time in the military as a paratrooper, his diagnosis of “shell shock” and the subsequent nightmares, his rise to fame during the Golden Age of Television, and his life and struggles after the end of The Twilight Zone. The book reads like an episode of  the iconic series. Each chapter is contained within conversations between Serling and an attractive airplane passenger while on a seemingly endless PanAm flight. For those readers familiar with the show, at any moment you expect to see the Gremlin on the wing…

Something that struck me while reading The Twilight Man was that control was a constant in Serling’s work. The entertainment industry deemed him the “Angry Young Man” of Hollywood as he challenged networks and viewers through his stories to show the consequences of war, to reject censorship and racism, and what it means to be human in a messed up world. Only when he wrote his stories in terms of aliens, monsters, and speculative fiction did his work become less threatening to censors and producers.

I would recommend this book to fans of Rod Serling and The Twilight Zone or anyone interested in graphic biographies. Shadmi weaves a great story about a complicated man. The artwork is crisp, and Shadmi captures everyone’s likenesses well. The color pallet changes between these snippets of conversation from blue to black and white when the focus is turned to Serling’s past.

Koren Shadmi, an award-winning illustrator and cartoonist, studied illustration at The School of Visual Arts in New York where he teaches currently. His graphic novels have been published in the US, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Poland, Korea, and Israel. If you like The Twilight Man, look for Rise of the Dungeon Master: Gary Gygax and The Creation of D&D created with writer David Kushner. Highly recommended.

 

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

 

Posted on December 8, 2019 by , Reply

Graphic Novel Review: Bitter Root, Volume One: Family Business by David F. Walker, Chuck Brown, and Sanford Greene, illustrated by Rico Renzi and Sanford Greene

Bitter Root, Volume One: Family Business by David F. Walker, Chuck Brown, and Sanford Greene, illustrated by Rico Renzi and Sanford Greene

Image Comics, 2019

ISBN-13: 9781534312128

Available:  Paperback, Kindle, comiXology

 

The Sangerye family combats monsters called Jinoo, people who have been infected by hate. However, a deadly tragedy struck the family, and the survivors can’t agree whether to kill or cure the monsters. With a new breed of monster stalking the streets of 1920s Harlem, the Sangeryes need to come to terms with their feud and face their new foe, or watch all of humanity lose the fight.

The characters in Bitter Root are fantastic. Ma Etta, the matriarch of the family, is a badass, protective of her family and not afraid to defend them. Berg is a poetic and gentle giant who can wield a wicked staff. Blink is a strong-willed, brave woman who desires to take a more active role in the family’s monster hunting. Cullen seems to be in training and is struggling to get his footing. Then there is Ford. He is most definitely a loner, and has his own deadly ideas of how to deal with the Jinoo.

There are so many great scenes in this book, which is a fast paced #OwnVoices read. The reader is thrown into the action when Sweet Pickin’ Jazz Club is attacked by an unseen monster. The next night sees one sect of the Sangerye family attacked by monsters, and Ma Etta telling Blink she can’t go out to help her Cullen and Berg fight a great horned beast. Blink proves herself by using a staff to beat the crap out of the monster. She is by far my favorite character in Bitter Root.

I recommend this highly for anyone looking for a great supernatural #OwnVoices graphic novel. The story is full of monster fighting, family politics, social commentary, and racists and KKK members getting their asses kicked.

Volume 1 collects Bitter Root issues 1 through 5. Also included are essays about the origin of the story, Afrofuturism, the tradition of rootwork, and more. Interspersed between the essays are variant covers and fan art.

Highly recommended

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

Posted on November 21, 2019 by , Reply

Graphic Novel Review: Upgrade Soul by Ezra Claytan Daniels

Upgrade Soul by Ezra Claytan Daniels

Lion Forge, 2018

ISBN-13: 9781549302923

Available:  Paperback, Kindle, comiXology, iTunes app

Hank and Molly Nonnar decide to go through an experimental rejuvenation procedure to celebrate their 45th anniversary, a procedure which will allegedly revive their aging cells and restore vim and vigor. However, the results are not what they expect. Dr. Kenton Kallose, the lead scientist in this endeavor, isn’t completely honest with them about how things will, and do, pan out. As they discover the process is not so much rejuvenation as it is cloning, and they make more disastrous revelations along the way. Their clones, Henry and Manuela, who are both superior to their originals, are left physically deformed after the process. As both originals and clones navigate through their new lives, they realize that not all of them can survive.

Hank and Molly’s story is told in the present, as well as in flashbacks that give the reader the history of how they heard about the experimental procedure and the questions they faced as they made their mutual decision. The story is thought provoking and leaves readers with questions of their own about identity, facing the aging process, ethics, and more. I read it multiple times and each time discovered something I missed in previous reads.

It isn’t a story for the faint of heart.

There were a few things I did not know about the graphic novel prior to reading the physical copy I received at the 2019 American Library Association conference, signed by the creator (Ezra is super nice—if you have the chance to meet him, do it). I did not know this was developed and released by Erik Loyer as an app in 2012. I recently downloaded it and viewed the first chapter for free. It’s beautiful. The soundtrack provided by Alexis Gideon is incredible. It is available for purchase from Bandcamp as a digital download or on vinyl, including a signed copy by Ezra, here: https://fperecs.bandcamp.com/album/upgrade-soul. I found myself lingering in certain sections until the pieces played out. Navigating through the app is very smooth, and the 3D effects add so much to the story. I encourage readers to explore it. You can unlock the entire book for $7.99 here: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/upgrade-soul/id549051057. See a preview of the app here: https://youtu.be/14CPAXh3NYA. Highly recommended

 

 

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

Check out my interview with Upgrade Soul creator Ezra Claytan Daniels.

 

Posted on November 16, 2019 by , Reply
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