Comic book review - "Triggerman" by Walter Hill & Jeff Matz

I don't read many graphic novels - I don't looked at this because it was from Walter Hill. It's one of the better projects he's been associated with this century. It's a gritty, pulpy look at a determined gangster - the characters are very chatty for Hill. The tone is consistent - bleak, violent, codes of honor and psychopaths. It was enjoyable.

Script review – “Shazam” by William Goldman (2003 draft)

Not great Goldman but there have been worse comic book adaptations and the source material sounds a little silly to start off with. I can’t think of a film with an orphan hero where the orphanage he lived in at the beginning of the story was such a nice place – Billy has hot Jenny to drool over, and a nice billionaire overseeing the whole thing. It’s not great for creating sympathy. 

There are some terrific bits – cockroaches spilling out of the main villain’s corpse, the warden Hackman (presumably a nod to Gene) who refuses to believe the villain is dead and insists on having him tested, saving Jenny from crashing on rocks by breathing her up. 

The main villain is probably treated a little too comically (for a genius he’s failed a lot – it makes it less of a threat), the finale involving a brain test isn’t that visually gripping (Goldman admits he struggled with his endings – taking a stadium full of hostages feels tacked on), it feels as though Billy has too many ways to get out of trouble without using his own skill (eg saying Shazam and turning into Captain Marvel, having Captain Marvel draw on the skills of Zeus and Solomon at key points, being rescued at the end by the villain’s daughter). 

Lots of Goldman references in the big print to things like Jean Simmons, James Cagney, Willie Mays etc. (Would a modern day teenager really have pictures of Jean Simmons on her wall?).

Comic review - Asterix #32 - "Asterix and Obelix The Class Act"

A wonderful tonic to the shoddy quality of the recent Asterix books, this is a delightful compendium of fourteen "bits and pieces" related to the series going back to 1962 and is fascinating for the fan. It includes things like: a short story about Asterix helping Lutetia get an Olympics bid (made for Paris' 1992and a strong enough idea for a whole story); a slightly dodgy tale written about Gaulish women, i.e. Geriatrix's Lollobrigida-like wife, for "Elle" magazine(written to give the girls' an adventure - she doesn't go anywhere and is totally passive; the intro to this one argues that the series wasn't"anti-feminist" - yeah, right - it also adds that they showed women more than many comic strips do, which is true, and that men are made fun of as much if not more than women, which is true, too - but the tone is nastier about women); the story of the birth of Asterix and Obelix (where all the characters' parents act just like them, even doing the same jobs - which is funny but not very democractic); a story about the coming of spring; the saga of a fight between a cowardly rooster and an eagle told from the POV of the animals (where Obelix is shown to actually be able to chat with Dogmatix after all) Dogmatix getskidnapped. The two authors appear in a few tales themselves, all charmingly - in one they come across Obelix's descendant, in another they show how they come upwith ideas. Most brilliantly is one where Uderzo draws Asterix adventures indifferent styles: sci fi, psychedelic, action-orientated - this is brilliant and shows just how talented the lead duo were, notwithstanding the recent slide in quality.

Comic review - Asterix #33 - "Asterix and the Falling Sky" by Uderzo

The worst entry of the series to date. Not as offensive as Asterix and the Secret Weapon, just bad. Uderzo was susceptible to flights of fancy and this is his most fantastical yet, with a space ship arriving bringing visitors seeking Getafix's magic potion. He's followed by enemies from the galaxy also seeking potion. The two of them fight it out, while the Gauls mostly look on.

Uderzo says at the end he wanted to write this as a tribute to Walt Disney but Disney at least knew the value of a strong story. This is just a collection of weird stuff happening, some way-out sci fi visuals (some of which is admittedly pretty good - a grasshopper-like villain, a big ball spaceship like The Prisoner).There are several large comic panels, as if Uderzo was aware he didn't have enough story and wanted to pad out the running time. The reality of Asterix stories was always a tenuous thing, with its magic potion and perpetual setting of 50BC, but they had their basis in reality - mainly, historical background and analogy with contemporary customs and society. By bringing in sci fi Uderzo totally throws the baby out with the bath water - its just plain silly. More seriously, our heroes are passive most of the time, the artistic styles vary widely and are inconsistent with the normal style of the strip (there's something like a teletubbie, a superman, a grasshopper and spaceships), the story lacks imagination or vitality.

Comic review - Asterix #31 - "Asterix and the Actress" by Uderzo

Uderzo throws a curve ball by introducing Asterix and Obelix's parents - they live in a far off town where they sell souvenirs, happily existing under Roman occupation... which kind of makes the whole concept of the series a joke (why resist the Romans at all then?) It's a good idea though to have the two dads put in gaol as Pompey tries to retrieve an old sword and shield, and a good one to have an actress come into the village. But not such a good idea to have said actress pretend to be Panacea, Obelix's old flame. This story confronts Asterix's sexual persuasion more than any other - both his and Obelix's mothers want them to get married but the two are passionately against the idea. Obelix is shown to at least be in love with Panacea - so is, later, Asterix... but only after he's been hit on the head and goes into a catatonic state (he later snaps out of it). On the basis of this and Asterix and the Secret Weapon the inclination seems fairly clear. You could argue "well, he's just a big kid like Tintin and Captain Haddock" - but Tintin and Haddock lived in a world without women (excepting Bianca Castafiore). Asterix lives in a village surrounded by women and families.

Stories where the narrative is driven by the Romans always seem to suffer a little, because our heroes are passive. Uderzo has little fun with the topic of actresses (the theatre is a subject that could have supported a decent adventure), the action is repetitive, the fight to rescue the dads without threat or interest, the re-appearance of Panacea totally uninvolving.It's a flat effort and you wish Uderzo would hang up his pen

Comic review - Asterix #30 - "Asterix and Obelix All at Sea"

Uderzo throws in everything but the kitchen sink with this one. Some slaves revolt and steal Caesar's galley (good idea), led by a Kirk Douglas look a like (would have been a good idea for a panel or two but not as the important character he is - he is drawn totally differently fom the rest), the flee to the Gauls for protection (good idea), Obelix actually drinks the magic potion (great idea), the Romans get hold of magic potion and the Gauls go without (great idea), they wind up at Atlantis (crazy idea) where children fly around on winged horses (crazy idea) and everyone wants to be turned into children (crazy idea). Asterix and Obelix have some of their most emotional love scenes yet.People talk about how Herge reflected his personal demons with Tintin stories, but I'd love to know what was going through his mind when he wrote this. Better than Asterix and the Secret Weapon but still as messy as anything.

Comic review - Asterix #29 - "Asterix and the Secret Weapon"

The worst of the series to date with a sexism that spills well and truly over into misogyny. Cacofonix storms out of the village after hearing he's been replaced with a bard who is a woman. The bard sets the cat among the pigeons by - gasp - suggesting women are the equal of men, and soon the womenfolk are uprising and the woman has her eyes on the chief.

Asterix comics were never a beacon of feminism -- the women of the village were almost always gossipy and bitchy though admittedly the men were as bad, but here they are given centre stage and the results are awful. The bard is a shrill nasty man hating feminist - though maybe not entirely man hating, she seems to flirt with Asterix even if motivated by political reasons - she even kisses him and Asterix hits her. He feels bad about it but its still pretty full on, a hero hitting a woman in a comic, just in response to her kissing him. (Asterix's sexuality threatened yet again? This whole book is the biggest argument to date for the Asterix-is-a-screaming-queen lobby) Gauls and Romans bashing each other = funny. Women bashing Romans = funny. Men bashing women NOT funny. At the same time, Julius Caesar decides to send in a troop of Roman female soldiers to defeat the Gauls, betting that Gaulish gallantry will stop them hitting women - which is a terrific idea. But then the Gaulish women defeat the Roman women by putting up fashion shops and displays. (Earlier they are shown to lose their heart for a fight when it rains) What possessed Uderzo to write this women-hating rubbish? Was he getting a divorce or something? He again displays his taste for the fantastical by having a dragon appear in the forest and repeating the silly thing of Cacofonix causing it to rain when he sings. (He also repeats a number of jokes and visual things from earlier entries, eg the little kids being just like their dad.)

Comic review - Asterix #28 - "Asterix and the Magic Carpet"

Despite the magic potion and occasionally flights of Asterix fancy, the series always aimed for something close to realism, but things get fantastical here with the arrival of a fakir from India on a magic carpet. He's looking for a Gaul to stop the drought back home - not Getafix, but Cacofonix, whose singing, it is revealed (for the first time, and we've seen him sing before) always causes rain. So this story is based on two silly ideas - a magic carpet and Cacofonix's ability to start things raining. As a result this is one of the poorer adventures.The idea of Asterix going to India is a strong one - it didn't need this silliness (anyway, aren't magic carpets more Arabic?) On the bright side, the fact that the carpet fairly zips along and the plot is a race against time (start it raining and stop a princess from being executed)means this is very fast paced. Also, it can't be denied - magic carpets are magical and capture your imagination, you'd love to be in the air yourself, zipping over Europe and the Middle East. But it disrupts the Asterix universe a bit too much, I think. There's only a little section in India, too - most of the story is taken up with the voyage. Like Asterix's encounters with the Normans, one is left hankering for more.

Comic review - Asterix #27 - "Asterix and Son"

Asterix and Obelix do Two Gauls and a Baby as a mysterious bub turns up on Asterix's doorstep. There is some fun when the baby gets stuck into magic potion and starts beating people up (its especially funny when he smacks around animals), but this gets repetitive after a while. This is a bit more "adult" a comic - Lutetia makes snide references to the baby been put outside the door of bachelor Asterix (though he's shown to share a bedroom with Obelix) - this really upsets Asterix. Also Lutetia gets upset when a nurse (really a Roman soldier in drag) comes to live with them - living in sin. That's a French comic for you, I guess. It's really the Romans who drive this story, as they continually try to get the baby back - there's not one but two undercover agents, suggesting a lack of imagination. Most of the story takes place in and around the village. There is a good ending with the baby revealed to be the bastard son of Cleopatra and Caesar - wasn't this kid killed later on?

Comic review - Asterix #26 - "Asterix and the Black Gold"

Really strong entry into the series, with Uderzo continuing to pick up the slack following Goscinny's death. This has a strong central idea -so strong in fact, you're surprised they didn't use it before, though aversion appeared in Asterix in Switzerland - to make the magic potion,Getafix needs a certain ingredient: oil. This enables Asterix and Obelix to visit the Middle East (though really Obelix would have stayed to defend the village - but I can understand why he didn't, it would have been too much of a break from tradition), which makes for a fun journey.There are some friendly Jews and fun is poked at the warring factions of the area (during a trip to the desert, Asterix and Obelix run into warring Assyrians, Hittites, etc). To keep things interesting along the way, Uderzo throws in a treacherous druid spy who accompanies them (cue some spoof of James Bond gadgets) - and the spy has a fly who he usesto pass messages who falls in love with him, which is a pretty left-field concept. (The Middle East was probably strong enough for a book on its on; ditto spoof of spy stuff - its a rather odd combination to have them together). Plot flaw: the treacherous druid doesn't tell Caesar straightaway that the Gauls were low on potion (they try to get around this by having the druid harbour his own ambitions). And it's a bit of a hollow deux ex machina to have Getafix realise he doesn't need oil at the end.This is a plain cheat. But until then this is very good.

Comic review - Asterix #25 - "Asterix and the Great Divide"

Goscinny died during making of Asterix in Belgium but Uderzo proceeded without missing a beat with this funny tale. It's said the sort of story telling shifted when Uderzo took over the plots but to be honest I couldn't tell with this one. A Gaulish village is divided downthe middle and Asterix and company go to sort things out. There is some very funny scenes of life under a village with a ditch down the middle (one idiot builds his house over the ditch - you've got to hand it to Asterix comics, they made fun of lots of different countries but none more than the Gauls themselves). The romantic lead couple, the handsome man and pretty woman, look as though they've wandered in from a different comic, Tarkan or Prince Valiant or something (he massive chested, she shapely curves), but they serve their purpose. It's lovely how Obelix cries at the thought of their romance. Cacofonix, the fish like creature, is one of Asterix's deadliest foes - a really smart cunning person who never gives up. He even makes it so at the end the Romans have magic potion and the Gauls don't and the Gauls to their credit still bravely rush off to do battle - but then it turns out the Romans have taken another drug as well which counter-balances the effect of the potion, so once again the Gauls get out of trouble by cheating.Still, this is a lot of fun. The cover art would probably be one of the most recognised in the series.

Comic review - Asterix #24 - "Asterix in Belgium"

Julius Caesar once claimed the Belgians were the bravest of the Gaulish peoples - a quote which seems to lead naturally to an Asterix adventure, so its surprising they didn't get round til using it til now. Vitalstatistix hears the quote and is annoyed so he goes to Belgium with Asterix and Obelix to settle the score. The thing is, our heroes cheat with their bravery - they use magic potion, whereas the Belgians are genuinely brave. There are some digs at Belgians - to which you might respond "that's like taking digs at beige carpet", but they make fun of their stuffing their faces, lace, neutrality, drinking beer, the statue of the little boy who urinates, Waterloo and Thomson and Thompson. Not one of the top of the entries, with a weak story. Also Goscinny died during the making of it (he was only 51 years old).

Comic review - Asterix #23 - "Obelix and Co"

Obelix gets a comic named after him in this dig at captialism. A Roman (who apparently is based on a young Jacques Chirac) proposes de-stablising the Gaul's economy by buying up menhirs, Obelix's funnily useless trade). It is a clever plan and it works. There is some bright satire, particularly when a menhir craze grips Rome - because Asterix and Getafix never get sucked in, though, there is a lack of real urgency and danger.

Comic review - Asterix #22 - "Asterix and the Great Crossing"

Keeping up the experimental mode, this is a new kind of Asterix adventure - the lead duo go fishing and wind up all the way over in North America. The gimmick here is the local Indians don't speak the lingo, so their adventures are genuinely spooky and strange (I especially loved their first moments in the new world). They didn't seem to be able to come up with enough plot though, so the Vikings arrive and take them back to Scandinavia. The Vikings don't speak their language either - though they eventually run into a Gaulish slave. It's a very well done story, with some of the most stunning art work of the whole series - the storms in the Atlantic, the Americas, the fiercely cold north (which would surely be enough of a country to justify their own adventure).

Comic review - Asterix #21 - "Asterix and Caesar's Gift"

This starts with a seemingly uninspiring idea - Julius Caesar gives the deed to the village to a drunken soldier as payment who gives it to a Gaul in exchange for a meal - but actually results in one of the best in the series. The Gaul soon discovers the villagers won't go away but Vitalstatistix invites him to stay an open a shop out of pity - only to have the newcomer run for chief. Well, the newcomer is nagged into doing this by his wife (we have Vitalstatistix's nagging wife as well - this comic is full of little boy misogyny), and the village is revealed to be a petty little place full of intrigue - the villagers are easily swayed and nasty to one another, Geriatrix even runs himself, Obelix falls in love but the girl prefers Asterix (a highly promising plot which isunfortunately never given an ending - we never explore Asterix's feelings for the girl so this comic adds even more fuel to the Asterix-is-gay lobby). Even better is that Asterix has to get out of two scrapes without magic potion - one a fight with a Roman, the other a time when he's stuck in the Roman camp. And the Romans have various catapults and things so the village is even under genuine threat for a time (then of course the magic potion comes to save the day).

Comic review - Asterix #20 - "Asterix in Corsica"

Marvellous Asterix adventure, one of the best in the series. The opening pages are a treat for long-running fans with cameos of some friends of previous adventures. They are visiting the Gauls to take part in anniversary celebrations of the victory of Gergovia, where they beat up local Roans (the Romans slink away and go on manoeuvres - their nervousness is very funny). They come across a Corsican bandit who is held prisoner and accompany him back home. What makes this so good are the gentle digs at Corsicans - proud, independent, determined to have their siesta, not too keen on hard work, non-emotional, prone to havelong-standing feuds at the drop of a hat, very protective of their women. The portrayal of Corsica itself is fun, too: a beautiful island with troublesome natives, garrisoned by the worst in the Roman army (one of them is a Corsican - a hilarious face), run by a corrupt governor. I love how the Corsicans take to Obelix because he is touchy, loves to stuff his face and likes naps. I still get a chuckle from one of the lines at the end: "Let's have a party!" "Oink!" (I know this doesn't sound funny here, but in the book it is.)

Comic review - Asterix #19 - "Asterix and the Soothsayer"

A strong entry in the series, which capitalises on a major weakness of the Gauls - namely, their superstition. Getafix is away, and they fall under the influence of a creepy soothsayer, who soon has them eating out of his palm (except for Asterix.) The Soothsayer is a cunning enemy - he actually succeeds in getting them to leave the village - although he does turn into a wimp at the hands of the Romans for the last third. Some funny satire about fortune telling - the Soothsayer "reading" entrails and so on. And also its great to see the women get to have some magic potion this time and take part in bashing up the Romans.

Comic review - Asterix #18 - "Asterix and the Laurel Wreath"

Really top notch adventure which benefits greatly by not having the Gauls over-use magic potion to get out of satire. Vitalstatistix,showing off to his brother in law, drunkenly promises to make a soup featuring Caesar's laurel wreath. It's a clever unusual set up and sets Asterix and Obelix off on one of their funniest adventures, getting themselves sold as slaves, then convicted as traitors, so they can get the wreaths. The slave markets are hilarious (dancing girls, egotistical Greeks), as is the Roman household they get sold to (orgies at the drop of a hat - this is quite an adult tale) and the circus. And the ending is very satisfying.

Comic review - Asterix #17 - "The Mansions of the Gods"

Julius Caesar comes up with a genuinely clever plan to drive out the Gauls - turning the neighbouring forest into a real estate development,leading to some bright satire, especially if you've spent time in a real estate obsessed place like Sydney. This is particularly good when the Gaul's economy becomes dependent on Romans and the slaves have to finish the job to get home - more of this would have been good. As usual, all problems in the end are simply fixed via magic potion. A highlight includes a double page brochure of the new development which is given out at the circus.

Comic review - Asterix #16 - "Asterix in Switzerland"

Asterix helping out the Romans? A Roman official investigating the provinces is poisoned by a corrupt officer who is fleecing the populace(and constantly holding orgies - some very funny scenes here), so he calls in Getafix who requires a special flower from Switzerland for the necessary potion. I think the motivation for this needed to be stronger- he was an old friend of Getafixes or something. (I did like how Caesar mentions the village whenever he has an epileptic fit). But its worth it to get to Switzerland where the adventures are cheery and the digs at the Swiss consistently sweet and funny - they always clean and punctual,love their banking system and cuckoo clocks and food, tend people they have beaten up, hold international conferences, etc There is of course a William Tell gag too and Asterix inadvertently invents bobsledding and a form of mountaineering. The art work is in top form, particularly all the flowing cheese and wine in the orgy scenes.