Forty-Five, 47 Ronin

Forty-Five

A very creative work by Andi Ewington and a bevy of artists.  Through the conceit of one-page interviews, the fictional writer of this book talks with forty-five superpowered individuals, collecting a wide range of powers, stories, and points of view.  It’s a great way for Ewington, the real writer, to present a ton of takes on the genre: What would it be like if your baby could fly the moment it was born? (Raining excrement.) What would college frat boys do with the power of invisibility?  (Exactly what you think they would.) How would they deal with the media? How many would decide to eventually retire? How would the government get involved?

None of these questions are necessarily original, but Ewington handles them with intelligence and a fresh take.  The interview format means that this is more an illustrated novel than a comic, and it took me almost two hours to read it.  Worth it.

The most striking interview dealt with a Flash analog.  His newborn baby ages to death in the span of a minute, and it’s horrifying from a parental standpoint.  As I write this, I feel like I’ve heard this story before, but can’t remember if it’s from somewhere else or my previous reading of this...  

Matt Timson's art.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Pretty good

47 Ronin 1-5

The classic Japanese legend as told by Mike Richardson and drawn by Stan Sakai.  It’s well written, and I can’t imagine how it would look with another artist. Sakai’s style is so different from everyone else that it gives the story a completely unique tone.  I can’t explain how it would feel if anyone else had drawn it, I just know that it would totally change the tenor of the tale. Completely useless to you, I know.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Pretty good

That’s it for Misc box 1!

Box Summary:

Time spent reading: 17 hours, 55 minutes

Issues read: 131

Issues cut: 14

Highlights (Good or better): Nothing.  Forty-Five, 47 Ronin, and Amazing Screw-On Head got closest.  Fewer opportunities for this box, most of it was taken up by Akira.  

Project Summary:

Time spend reading: 17 days, 20 hours, 35 minutes

Issues read: 3495

Issues cut: 477