Graphic Novels > Doug Moench Graphic Novels

Advantages: A great dystopian avenger story.
Disadvantages: Not for those who despise dystopic avenger stories.

Lately, a movie called "V For Vendetta"° hit the cinemas of Europe. It is based on a comic series written by Alan Moore and drawn by David Lloyd, published from 1982 onwards and later republished as a graphic novel. The recent film version has not been endorsed by Alan Moore, which is probably due to his past experience with adaptations of his work and maybe also to some plot changes. David Lloyd however praised the movie for preserving the style ...
...While I liked watching the movie, I have to say that it isn't entirely true to the book: To some extent, the tone and the ending have been modified - not in an altogether perverting manner, but nevertheless significantly. The characters' depth of both the protagonist and his main antagonist have been somewhat flattened, and also the story has been re-made to dull down the work's keen ethic ambivalence. For "V For Vendetta" is the story of an anonymous ... Read review

Advantages: First half is a surprisingly good ending.
Disadvantages: Second half of unrelated stories is a disappointing waste of time.

...that Neil Gaiman's saga of The Sandman came to a satisfactory close eight years after its first issue hit the shelves. This final paperback collects the three issues comprising 'The Wake' epilogue and three supplementary, independent stories tying up some of the more obscure loose ends before the series is finally put to rest... you know, aside from the other couple of Sandman books Gaiman has written since, and the numerous spin-off comics continuing ...
...The previous book 'The Kindly Ones' was a long and winding road to the Sandman's inevitable death, and 'The Wake' deals with its consequences while also providing a sentimental farewell for the comic series itself. Fortunately, this amounts to more than just a bittersweet parade of favourite characters saying their goodbyes (though it is partly that), with Gaiman and returning artist Michael Zulli working to create something original and distinctive ... Read review

Advantages: Draws old plot threads to a close.
Disadvantages: Tedious length, pointless distractions and bad jokes.

...notion that Gaiman had left the stretched plotting of his earlier 'Season of Mists' era behind him, 'Brief Lives' instead acts as a rough sequel to some of its events, and puts any and all remaining questions about the Endless to a conclusive rest, with the sole exception of the rather glaring omission: "what exactly are they, then?" There was some valid criticism that my last Sandman review dumped readers in at the deep end without much explanation ...
...overview. Introduced gradually over the course of the comic series, which had by now been in print for three mostly enjoyable years, the seven Endless are not gods, that much is made clear, but are rather seemingly immortal and powerful beings whose function is to oversee seven vital aspects of the universe. The titular Sandman is Dream, though he is rarely referred to as the Sandman, and is known by a multitude of names by different cultures, as ... Read review

Advantages: Neil Gaiman's epic horror-fantasy tackles social issues.
Disadvantages: Fns may find the shift of focus disappointing.

After the slow and arduous multi-dimensional grandeur of 'Season of Mists,' DC's adult comic series The Sandman returns to Earth once again, and successfully rekindles its former glory. The problems I had with the preceding story were partly down to my personal tastes regarding the series, now approaching its half-way point, but even leaving aside the shift in focus from the complex fantasy realms of the Dreaming, the afterlife and far too many other ...
...least for the most part), it's clear that writer Neil Gaiman has got back in touch with his juju after what was a most trying eight-issue task of exposition. It wasn't all a waste of time though; having now firmly outlined far more than readers could ever need to know about the series' complicated, multi-faceted universe and politics, Gaiman and his artists are now free to explore it at their leisure. 'A Game of You' addresses all the problems I ... Read review

Advantages: Beautiful story & characters/ beautifully drawn / dramatic & funny
Disadvantages: None!

'Persepolis: The story of a childhood', is one of the best animated books I have ever read. It is a beautiful memoir about a young girl's experiences of growing up in Iran during the Islamic revolution. The illustrations are all in black and white and are beautifully drawn. The story is heartbreaking, yet incredibly funny at the same time. And what makes it so special is that it's all based on truth, history and the experiences of one girl and her ...
...Persepolis and felt it was true to their own experiences of living in Iran and then having to flee the revolution and come to the UK. I can not recommend this book enough. Pure brilliance! And once you've finished reading it, you can get the sequel 'Persepolis 2: The story of a return'. I didn't want the story to end! An animated film has already been made and released in the US, and it should come out in the UK shortly. I can't wait to see it! ... Read review