ShareThisIt's the wrong time of year for Halloween, but the Teetering Tower of Review Stuff is full of scary stuff.
-- "The Raven and Other Poems" (NBM, $9.95) is a Classics Illustrated Deluxe hardback collecting various Edgar Allan Poe works, illustrated by famed cartoonist Gahan Wilson. From that description alone, you know it's worth the sawbuck.
As regular readers know, the venerable Classics Illustrated franchise has been continued in recent years by Papercutz, under the aegis of NBM Publishing. NBM, known for its high-quality graphic novels from Europe, demonstrates its taste and expertise again with Classics Illustrated. The Deluxe hardbacks are meant to last, and look good doing it.
As to the stories, they are not adaptations, but Poe's actual words. This lore is anything but forgotten, and it's a joy to see "The Raven," "The Conqueror Worm," "Annabel Lee" and other favorites again. Poe, who would be 200 this year, remains an unrivaled titan in the field of mystery and imagination -- which he virtually created.
Wilson, known primarily for his award-winning New Yorker, Playboy and National Lampoon cartoons, is also one of a kind -- and a perfect choice for this book. His peculiar and sometimes bizarre scribblings are unsettling, and given the subject matter, welcome.
For a more comprehensive collection of Poe in comic-book form, Eureka's "Graphic Classics: Edgar Allan Poe" contains longer stories and a greater range. But for a solid introduction to the great man, and for a quick read, "Classics Illustrated" comes recommended.
-- "House of Mystery: Room and Boredom Vol. 1" (DC/Vertigo, $9.99) collects the first five issues of the latest reboot of this familiar title.
The most famous run of "HoM" featured the biblical Cain as host of the anthology suspense title, with brother Abel at "House of Secrets." The battling brothers were also characters in their own right, especially in Neil Gaiman's famous "Sandman" series.
This new series dispenses with that scenario in the first two pages, where Cain discovers the House of Mystery has been stolen. It's a nod to previous continuity, but after that, writers Matthew Sturges and Bill Willingham dive into their own story. It stars the twentysomething Fig, a would-be architect who has repeatedly drawn the House of Mystery, which she sees in dreams. Her connection to the House becomes more apparent as she escapes from the destruction of her own house (as yet unexplained) and two mysterious floating figures (also unexplained) and opens a door -- into the House of Mystery. It's explained as "a mystic place at the supernatural crossroads of many worlds."
There's a bar in the lobby, filled with characters from many eras, planets and other dimensions. The coin of the realm is stories, and only the best storytellers can find the House -- and most can never leave.
Fig's story -- her past, her mysterious connection to the House, her attempts to escape -- happens as a framing device around and in between various short horror stories told by the bar patrons. This can be distracting, confusing or frustrating. And since Fig's story is ongoing, this collection leaves as many questions about her as answers, which can be unsatisfying.
But I find the scenario less juvenile than the Cain and Abel silliness, and Luca Rossi's art serviceable. I'm content to wait for Fig's full story, so I'll withhold judgment until I read more.
-- I'm a bit late reviewing "Hellblazer" No. 250 (DC/Vertigo, $3.99), a 48-page anniversary/holiday issue starring the blue-collar mage John Constantine.
There's a reason Constantine has lasted so long, so don't judge the character by the mediocre Keanu Reeves movie. This issue does its job by showing new readers what's so cool about Constantine in five stories told by some familiar names (Brian Azzarello, David Lloyd, Eddie Campbell) and some fresh newcomers (China Mieville, Giuseppe Camuncoli, Rafael Grampa).
The stories all take place around Christmas or New Year's, as this issue came out in December. Sorry for the delay, but reviewing it now gives me a chance to recommend you take a look (or a second look, for those who've dropped it) at my favorite Vertigo title.
(Contact Andrew A. Smith of the Memphis Commercial Appeal at capncomics(at)aol.com or visit www.captaincomics.us.)
CAPTAIN COMICS
Classics Illustrated
You have really whet my appetite for the EAP Classics illustrated. Sounds superb. I wonder if we will be getting it in the UK?
I know that the original series are being republished here, I've already bought War of the Worlds and Les Miserables, but this hardback edition sounds just the job for my class of mixed ability. Thanks for airing this one.
CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED
Thanks for the kind comments regarding CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED #4 "The Raven and Other Poems" by Edgar Allan Poe, illustrated by Gahan Wilson. A minor correction, as confusing as it may seem, Papercutz is actually a separate company from NBM.
And all of our CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED graphic novels are available in England -- online and in bookstores and comic shops. If not at a particular store, they can order from their distributor.