Random Digital Meltdown 12042013

(Image from Richard Sala's Violenza.)

Hi pals.  Let's take a look at some of the comics I've read on my phone or PC lately. For the sake of this blog post I'm going to call these digital comics because I read them digitally on Comixology but I am aware that some of these are also print comics.

Violenza by Richard Sala.

Published by Fantagraphics.  Digital comic sold for $4.99.

I was very excited to find out that I could pay five bucks for a new Richard Sala comic and read it instantly on my cell pad pod phone and./or PC laptop.  I couldn't pull that trigger any faster.  Done.  This comic gave me most of what I came for, Richard Sala art and some funny bits, but it left me a ldissapointed.  Sala never bothers to explain any motivation behind his main character's actions.  There really isn't any kind of plot that I can make out here.  And worst of all there is no real resolution at the end.  It feels like the first 50 pages of what should be a 150 page comic.  Is there more to come?  I have no idea.  If there were, I'd buy it for the same reason I bought this, Richard Sala art and some funny bits.  But I would sure hope it might have an ending.  I was also dissapointed that I could not recommend this one for my daughter.  Not that evertthing has to be for kids.  Trust me, plenty of things are for kids.  But this comic feels like a missed opportuity in that regard because the humor is juevenille (and I mean that in a good way) but the violence is Hollywood NC-17.  I'm honestly not clear on who this comic is for.  Well, other than that one guy in Virginia that will pay $4.99 for 50 pages of Richard Sala art without really thinking about it.  

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Cat Burglar Black by Richard Sala

Cat Burglar Black by Richard Sala.

128 page full color paperback graphic novel.

Published by First Second.

$16.99 retail. 

I found this book in the kid's section when I took my girls to the library.  My eight year old daughter and I both read it and we liked it a lot.  Sala's art is vibrant and exciting.  A perfect blend of creepy and cartoony.  The colors and lettering are really great.  My daughter also commented on the colors.  She as asked me if I though it was painted and I explained that sometimes comics can be painted.  

I'm an old geezer so to me the characters were a bit cliche' and the plot was predictable but the book is not really for old geezers.  It's for kids.  But I liked it plenty.  I think readers of any age can enjoy escaping into Sala's world for a while.  The story is a mystery thriller with a strong female lead so my daughter loved it.  She is very much hoping that there will be a sequel.  The book does read like a set up for an ongoing series.  (Aren't all kid's books series now?)  If there is a sequel I would definitely want to read it.

Between my years working in bookstores and my library trips I've had the good fortune of reading a lot of First Second books.  They always look great and I can only think of one that I did not enjoy.  They do a great job of getting them in libraries.  I just have to remember to check the kid's section more often.

Your best pal ever,

Shannon Smith