It’s been another week, and I’m yet to figure out what is going on as I continue to do things I usually don’t do and don’t enjoy – for my watching movies consistently and now, this week, discovering the world of graphic novels. But better, bird by bird, before going into the shenanigans of my newer obsession with comics.
Manga stories, Haruki Murakami
My another “walk into a bookstore, get a random book” returned this volume of Haruki Murakami’s short stories in graphic novel form and my complete satisfaction of said action. I’m yet to read the actual short stories in their original form and state; however, graphic adaptations work beautifully, highlighting Murakami’s both fever dream nostalgia towards the things you never had and the paradigm of the existential crisis of a wondering mind. If I had to choose just one out of all four, let it be “Birthday Girl” for the state it leaves you afterwards.
Истребитель, Александр Грин
Крошечный рассказ, который, пожалуй, в полной мере отображает творчество Александра Грина. Своеобразная завуалированность повествования и нежелание автора говорить напрямую, когда, разобравшись, замечаешь, что сама тема произведения лежит на поверхности и вовсе не была никогда спрятана. Монастырь, 13 слепых и странные сны в перемешку с необъяснимыми событиями – казалось, достаточно просто. Но форма такова, что все работает наилучшим образом, без приторности и банальности и без уходов в сложные метафизические скитания по закоулкам потерянного смысла.
Eight Billion Genies, Charles Soule & Ryan Browne
After finishing Murakami’s short stories, I was set to read more graphic novels and comics, and so, “Eight Billion Genies” by Charles Soule and Ryan Browne. An awesome story in 8 instalments with a premies that every person on Earth gets one wish. From wishing to be healthy and loved, to flying through the sky and putting down entire countries with little to no limitations. From greed and pride to being scared of wasting your one and only wish for useless things. Or, in other words, the story about how quickly humanity is going to destroy itself and yet to find a way to acknowledge its mistakes.
Blacksad. Somewhere within the shadows, Juan Díaz Canales & Juanjo Guarnido
Now I’m in my obsession-with-comics state, and to balance things out and to read something more dark-ish, I settled on “Blacksad”. A noir series about a black cat, a detective and his not wanting to try the theory of having nine lives. I’ve finished only the first volume, “Something within the shadows”, so it’s pretty early to hop on and form concrete opinions, but as for the time being, I enjoyed the “straight to the point how it is without trying to sugarcoat anything for the sake of sugarcoating it”.