Book Review | ‘Marvels’ by Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross

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alex ross, civil war, comic books, frankenstein, greek mythology, Human Torch, john milton, kurt busiek, mark millar, Marvel, mary shelley, paradise lost, prometheus, science fiction, victor frankenstein, violence

Marvels by Kurt Busiek

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Here’s yet another graphic novel with an explosive cast, another ‘alternative’ view on superheroes. But unlike Millar’s ‘Civil War’, the ‘Marvels’ creators Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross get the art AND the storyline spot on. This time the story actually works and I think that may have something to do with the fact that not only are they putting the reader firmly in the place of ‘helpless spectator’, but cementing this angle with a narrator who (by default) is in that situation too.

Meet Phil Sheldon, a rookie photojournalist who recounts first-hand experiences and close encounters with the ‘otherly race’. Sheldon is unique in that he witnessed the initial advent of these synthetic gods and takes us not only through their creation and evolution, but also conveys the hopes and fears their presence triggered among mankind. Initially hailed and feared as gods, they are later reviled, and then supported as heroes only to fall yet again in the eyes of the public. This is a complex story to tell, especially from the perspective of your average American citizen who is struggling with his own inner demons.

As a character Sheldon was extremely likeable. I found that he added credibility from both a professional and private stance. Him being a photojournalist meant we really COULD look at things through a ‘lens’ of sorts, and experience what the average person would feel if a world full of unruly superheroes was our everyday reality. Too many graphic novels glorify superheroes; make them the safe, good guys. At least here there is a questioning of motives and a look at the destruction that they leave in their wake and what this really means for normal people.

Other aspects of the book I applaud is the literary nod in the direction of Mary Shelley, as Busiek cleverly parallels the legendary creation of Frankenstein’s monster with that of ‘The Human Torch’. The panels are artfully done, and the short history of ‘The Human Torch’ really does strike a mixed chord of terror, pity and sympathy.

Using ‘The Human Torch’ was a stroke of genius, as the little known second title of ‘Frankenstein’ is in fact ‘The Modern Prometheus’. For those that don’t know, Prometheus is famous in Greek myth as the man who stole fire from the gods and was duly punished for his transgression. Needless to say, this ties in very nicely with the Busiek’s ‘homage’ to Shelley and also (maybe I’m reading too much into it) Milton’s Paradise Lost, as angel’s are purported to be made of ‘holy fire’, which makes ‘The Human Torch’ the perfect character to use.

I don’t want to give away the story too much, but it is definitely worth a read. I was especially amused by a section at the back of the book that showed how the creators captured poses by using models (usually themselves, family and friends) to make the characters more realistic. The colour scheme suited the 1950’s feel of the story/ setting giving it a retro effect that I thoroughly enjoyed.

One thing: I would dearly like to know what happened to the alien-faced girl. She was a great character and I still feel very sorry for her, but she just disappeared from the story without a trace. Very frustrating. Please, if anybody knows about her, let me know!

View all my reviews

Related articles

• Superheroes/The Scale of Problems (aproposofanything.wordpress.com)
• Robot Roulette | Kurt Busiek (robot6.comicbookresources.com)
• Alan Moore and Superfolks Part 2: The Case for the Defence (comicsbeat.com)
• Artist Feature – Alex Ross (printsblog.com)
• Cleopatra (worldofblackheroes.com)

Literary Blog Hop! – Does Literary Non-Fiction Exist?

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biography, fear and loathing, gonzo journalism, hunter s thompson, literary nonfiction, meme, percy bysshe shelley, peter ackroyd, richard holmes, romantic poets, rum diary, shelley the pursuit, victor frankenstein

Welcome to the ‘Literary Blog Hop’, a meme hosted by The Blue Bookcase for book bloggers who focus on reviewing literary fiction. This weeks’ hop comes with the question:

Is there such a thing as ‘literary non-fiction’?

My rough answer to this question would be yes, there is most certainly a genre that can be called ‘literary non-fiction’. However, if you want a succinct description pinpointing exactly what that might be, I honestly can’t say for sure. And the reason for this can be found in a post for the previous hop ‘What is Literary Fiction?’. Here I explored the fact that the term ‘literary’ is a Gordian knot unto itself, an overarching, super genre that has been equally revered and reviled over the years due to one of its’ characteristics: literariness or ‘writing in a writerly way’. Confused? I thought so. To put it crudely, a piece of literary fiction usually focusses on philosophical or psychological issues and often has an inner theme or subtextual nuances. People argue that it’s nothing but a vehicle for the author to showcase his or her literary dexterity by using as many tricks and techniques as possible. Unfortunately this can also mean archaic language and difficult plot-structure that readers may find hard to follow. While this may be the exception, it is certainly not the rule.

Overall critics do not look favourably upon the amorphous, and this extends to the even more illusive genre of ‘literary non-fiction’. But even if I can’t pinpoint EXACTLY what it is, I can certainly come up with some examples  that might illustrate the point a bit better than my own flawed attempts.

When one says ‘literary non-fiction’ I suppose the first thing that comes to mind is journalism, but not the kind that is buried in facts, mind you, but those that create a ‘factually accurate narrative’. What I’m thinking of is the sub-sub genre of ‘New Journalism’ first penned by Hunter S. Thompson: ‘Gonzo Journalism’. I think this is a good example of how literary non-fiction illustrates its’ hereditary trait of hybridization and its’ power to fuse fact and fiction without completely blurring those boundaries.‘Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas’ is probably the pioneer piece of Gonzo journalism, which has now become so popular that every magazine today has interviews and articles with a dash of Gonzo thrown in for good measure.  

Added to this are biographies that read like fiction, in the way that as readers we are ‘living’ the history of that person, and are not being constantly hit over the head with dates and other historical data. The most famous literary biographer at the moment would probably be Peter Ackroyd (see ‘The Casebook of Victor Frankenstein’ and ‘Poe: A Life Cut Short’). Yet in my opinion the best biography I have read has got to be ‘Shelley: the Pursuit’ by Richard Holmes.

“If the art of biography was ever damned, Shelley: The Pursuit redeems it” – New York Times

Aside from it being an amazingly detailed account of Percy Bysshe Shelley’s short but tumultuous life, it is also packed with of a lot of painstaking research which reveals aspects of Shelley’s character and life that has never been published anywhere else. The book itself is as thick as ‘Les Miserables’, but is an absolute must read for any self-respecting enthusiast of Romantic Poets and Poetry. As a Mary Shelley enthusiast, I picked up the book hoping to shed some light over the origins of Frankenstein (the ever-popular topic of research for us Frankenstein freaks). To my delight I found it to be a gold-mine of information. Holmes is so very thorough in his research, and to think he wrote this when he was 29.

What I also like about it is how Holmes cast aside the popular ‘ethereal’ image of Shelley and persevered to portray him warts and all. He was no angel, far from it; he was a pyromaniac, an adulterer and a hypochondriac. He was obsessed with electrocuting cats by tying them up to kites during thunderstorms and also his siblings who during childhood were constantly experimented upon with acids and caustics. It wasn’t for nothing that his peers called him ‘Mad Shelley’.

For more information about ‘Gonzo Journalism’ and Hunter S. Thompson, check out my posts on ‘The Rum Diary’, my tribute to Hunter and my Character Connection: Dr. Gonzo.