Read All the Comics!: Street Angel, Mr Punch, Death of Stalin

Death of Stalin

I’m not sure why this is considered a satire or comedy; while the committee politics are somewhat absurd, there’s nothing that I would classify as particularly funny. Well, this bit was pretty good:

That said, I really enjoyed reading about the political maneuvering during and following Stalin’s demise, mostly orchestrated by Beria. (Though his reign of power didn’t last long.) Politics in comics, especially done well, is a rare thing. (The manga Eagle is the only one that comes to the top of my mind.) So this is a welcome addition to my collection.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Pretty good

Street Angel: After School Kung Fu Special

Maybe I’m in a better mood than when I read the original series, but this wasn’t bad. I mean, not like there’s a lot of substance to it (Street Angel gets challenged to a fight after school), but it was entertaining enough, and the deceptively simple art is actually really dynamic and fun to look at.

But it’s certainly not worth the twenty dollar cover price. Nor is it enough to make me want to buy the other stories that I’ve apparently missed along the way.

Regret buying: Yes

Would buy again: No

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Nice

Mr Punch

I purchased this at the height of my “Oh my god I’ve just discovered Neil Gaiman he’s the best writer ever I must buy this new thing he’s written” mania in high school. I was immediately underwhelmed, if not completely disappointed after I took it home to read. It’s a slow-placed, seemingly pointless narrative about a kid’s summer with his grandparents. But I went into this re-read thinking that there would be subtleties that I’ve missed; I haven’t read this in at least fifteen years, surely I’ve learned a few things.

So on the plus side, I picked up a lot of new plot points that bring a lot of clarity to the story. I’m a lot like the narrator himself, not getting a lot of stuff until years after the initial fact. On the negative side, it doesn’t make the story any better. I get the whole “the world looks different through a child’s eyes” bit, but the things he’s seeing aren’t interesting enough to sustain this graphic novel. (His grandfather and great-uncle are involved in an affair with a young woman who gets pregnant.) Interspersed among that is the Punch and Judy puppet show, something that you have to be British to know about, I think. With this comic as my only point of reference, it looks creepy as fuck, I have no idea how children would find this entertaining.