Andrew Helfer

I really tried. I love Sienkiewicz's art, but I'm unfamiliar with Helfer's writing.

So...a few things here.

First, why oh why oh why do new writers think it's smart to take characters from the 1920s/30s/40s and bring them up to current times? Doc Savage, Tarzan, John Carter, the Shadow and a host of others were of their time. They fit nicely into those times. Bringing them forward where there's colour TVs and 24 hour news and cell phones and computers? No. Doesn't work. In fact, it's often terrible, because the writer has to bend and contort the original character in so many ways to first get them up to present day, then allow them to somewhat do their thing while adapting to progress, that the original sense of the character is lost. What made them fun is buried under all those mad contortions.

I don't have a lot to go on with Helfer's writing, but if this issue's any indication, I don't care to learn more.

And Sienkiewicz? He seems to be slumming here. Yes, there's his trademark messy, cartoonish style, but none of the bite and flair and experimentation. This one feels to me like just another paycheque.

Terrible stuff.… (more)

I picked this up because I saw a review of it; I can't recall where. I'll say that this is an interesting way to read about the life of Ronald Reagan. The art itself is pretty good. The story moves along, starting with his passing, which is conveyed in a very moving way, then moves on with his life from his humble beginnings to the end of his presidency. What the book conveys is the mixed legacy of his political life and presidency. At the same time, Reagan lived through some very interesting times in American history. Personally, I did not know as much about his early life, which I found very interesting. If nothing else, this little book has made me want to read more about him in other works. At the end of the book, they do provide a small reading list of the works that the graphic novel comes from. While not perfect, a good entry point for anyone wanting a look at Reagan.… (more)