MattBrady
09-13-2006, 07:22 AM
<img src="http://www.newsarama.com/Vertigo/Pride/Prideofbaghdad.jpg" name="" border="0" align="right"><i>by Rick Shea</i>
I don't think it's a real shock to say that I'm a giant fan of Brian K. Vaughan's work. <b>Y: The Last Man</b> is my favorite comic of the last ten years, which I always read as soon as possible and always enjoy every single issue of. We're 49 issues in, and not a single dud yet. I'll probably shed tears when issue 60 finally wraps up the story. I know I'll miss that comic like crazy. 2005 Eisner Award Winner for Best New Series <b>Ex Machina</b> is an absolutely brilliant take on super-heroes and politics and has won tons of awards these last few years. <b>Runaways</b> are the best new Marvel characters since the 1960's. Yes, they are cooler than Wolverine and Punisher, and I don't want to hear any backtalk. Brian won the prestigious Eisner Award for Best Writer in 2005 and he had five more Eisner nominations this year including Best Writer, Best Single Issue & Best Continuing Series for <b>Ex Machina</b>, as well as Best Serialized Story for <b>Y</b> and <b>Ex Machina</b>. I'm obviously not the only one who really enjoys his phenomenal work.
Several years ago, I read something in Brian's <b>Swamp Thing</b> run that really showed a ton of promise. I just <i>knew</i> this guy was going to be an incredible addition to the comic book industry. While he had some big shoes to fill on the title, he somehow knocked it out of the park, even though he focused on Swamp Thing's daughter Tefe rather than Alec Holland who readers were more familiar with. In a really rough market at the time, he worked wonders with the book, and it eventually lead him to <b>Y: The Last Man</b>, which has probably my favorite first issue of the last decade. It evoked a giant sense of wonder in me, and lead to my reordering the title like crazy and since selling over 5000 single issues so far and over 300 copies of the first trade paperback with our money back guarantee. We've sold over 1000 <b>Y</b> trades without a single return. I have yet to have anyone <i>ever</i> bring back a copy of <b>Y</b> as it really appeals to everyone who reads it, and I think it's pretty safe to say that it's this decade's equivalent of <b>Preacher</b>. That is some incredibly high praise and not something I dole out lightly. <b>Y</b> has the highest percentage of female readers out of any book in our store, and I think that's safe to say for most comic stores worldwide. <b>Y</b> is the first book I hand to anyone looking for something engaging and unpredictable, and it never disappoints. It's so incredibly well written and drawn that nothing I could say would be high enough praise. As always, if you haven't tried it, you really should with our money back guarantee of course, but all this is extremely off track from what this is really all about.
Instead of writing Batman or X-Men forever, Brian dares to create new worlds, new characters, and new concepts all the time. Not that I don't love his take on <b>Ultimate X-Men</b> or <b>Spider-Man</b>, but Brian almost seems allergic to status quo. It’s as if he <i>needs</i> to create new ideas and give us something new. While a lot of writers seem to be on autopilot, Brian is brave enough to constantly give us something new and he succeeds every time. He breathes more life into each and every one of his own characters and truly makes even the most cliché of storylines (on the surface) seem fresh and clever. He's the best writer the comic industry has to offer, and we're damn lucky to have him. I appreciate BKV not jumping full time to Hollywood, even though I know they'll be knocking on his door more than ever after <b>Pride</b> gets out there.
I was lucky enough to read a preview copy of the <b>Pride of Baghdad</b>, which is the new hardcover graphic novel from Brian K. Vaughan and Nico Henrichon shipping on September 13th. Brian has been working on this book for years, and he said a year ago that this was his greatest achievement yet in comics, and the work he's most proud of so far in his incredible career. Although that's some insanely high praise, I was pretty skeptical that anything could match or beat my enjoyment of Y every month. I was even <i>more</i> skeptical when I found out it as about talking animals as I'm not a giant fan of similar movies. Even though Brian swore this was something he was unbelievably proud of, I was still a little scared that I might finally read a book by him that I didn't enjoy.
I don't know if I've <i>ever</i> been so wrong before in my entire life.
Based on a true story, the premise of the book is about four lions that escape from the Baghdad Zoo after an American bombing raid in Spring of 2003. The lions are hungry and confused, although they're happy to finally be free. They roam the decimated streets of Baghdad in search of the true meaning of liberation. This graphic novel explores the cost of survival as well as life on the war-torn streets of Iraq. Can liberation truly be given, or is it earned only through self-determination and sacrifice? This is a heartbreaking look at life during wartime. I seriously didn't think BKV could make me care so much about talking lions, but he put more character into them than just about anything I've ever seen from Disney or Pixar in just 136 pages. This book is unbelievably well done.
For a book that I planned on ordering 20 copies of before reading because of Vaughan's name attached, I've slightly adjusted my orders. My initial order would have been gigantic considering that I usually only order 2 to 5 copies of most hardcovers. After reading this book, I ordered <b>100 copies</b>. That's right. As insane as that sounds, I'm willing to bet I can sell at least $2000 worth of this book just in my initial order. I feel that strongly about this masterpiece. Kinda makes the $19.99 price tag seem like a deal, right? I'm willing to risk placing my highest order <i>ever</i> with Diamond this month because I know that everyone who reads this book is going to be as floored by it as I am. I haven't even got around to reading most of my favorite comics more than once and I've already read <b>Pride</b> a few times and will easily read it several more times for years to come. The artwork by Niko Henrichon is simply stunning and the attention to detail is incredible. Brian always finds incredible artists for his books and he's certainly done it again with <b>Pride</b>. Niko is an outstanding artist and this project is going to make him a superstar. He tackles the pencils, inks and colors in this book and does a fantastic job on every page.
<b>Pride Of Baghdad</b> is absolutely one of the best graphic novels I've ever read. No one has <i>ever</i> used that format better than this book. I felt literally inspired after reading the book to get the word out and tell others how great it was. This book makes me proud to sell comic books for a living. I know that this book will be talked about for years to come and will find it's way onto college courses required reading lists. I can put this book alongside <b>Watchmen, Maus, Preacher, Y: The Last Man</b> and <b>Identity Crisis</b> as one of the best things that's ever happened in this medium. I know this all sounds like insane praise, but I simply cannot say enough wonderful things about how brilliant this graphic novel is. No one could be more skeptical than I was about talking lions, but as always, Brian K. Vaughan pulled out every trick up his sleeve and I can honestly say I enjoyed this book at least as much as <b>Y</b>, if not more.
After I read <b>Pride</b>, I wrote to Brian letting him know how incredible I felt the book was and how much it inspired me. He was cool enough to help set up a contest to get everyone to pay a little more attention to the book. Even though the goofy prizes aren't worth nearly as much as the experience you'll have reading this, I just wanted to go above and beyond to show you how much this book stands out and how much it means to me. We needed to really set up a special event to make sure that you know how much the whole staff of Famous Faces loves and appreciates this graphic novel.
It’s safe to say that <b>Pride of Baghdad</b> comes with my <i>highest possible recommendation</i>! I simply don't have the words to say enough about this absolutely brilliant book. You need to read it to believe it. For someone that went into this book confident that talking animals could never live up to BKV's work on <b>Y, Ex Machina</b>, or <b>Runaways</b>, I'm absolutely stunned at how much I enjoyed this graphic novel.
<i>Rick Shea is the Owner/Manager at Famous Faces & Funnies in Melbourne, FL, and an occasional writer for Newsarama. <b>Pride of Baghdada</b> is due in stores this week.</i>
I don't think it's a real shock to say that I'm a giant fan of Brian K. Vaughan's work. <b>Y: The Last Man</b> is my favorite comic of the last ten years, which I always read as soon as possible and always enjoy every single issue of. We're 49 issues in, and not a single dud yet. I'll probably shed tears when issue 60 finally wraps up the story. I know I'll miss that comic like crazy. 2005 Eisner Award Winner for Best New Series <b>Ex Machina</b> is an absolutely brilliant take on super-heroes and politics and has won tons of awards these last few years. <b>Runaways</b> are the best new Marvel characters since the 1960's. Yes, they are cooler than Wolverine and Punisher, and I don't want to hear any backtalk. Brian won the prestigious Eisner Award for Best Writer in 2005 and he had five more Eisner nominations this year including Best Writer, Best Single Issue & Best Continuing Series for <b>Ex Machina</b>, as well as Best Serialized Story for <b>Y</b> and <b>Ex Machina</b>. I'm obviously not the only one who really enjoys his phenomenal work.
Several years ago, I read something in Brian's <b>Swamp Thing</b> run that really showed a ton of promise. I just <i>knew</i> this guy was going to be an incredible addition to the comic book industry. While he had some big shoes to fill on the title, he somehow knocked it out of the park, even though he focused on Swamp Thing's daughter Tefe rather than Alec Holland who readers were more familiar with. In a really rough market at the time, he worked wonders with the book, and it eventually lead him to <b>Y: The Last Man</b>, which has probably my favorite first issue of the last decade. It evoked a giant sense of wonder in me, and lead to my reordering the title like crazy and since selling over 5000 single issues so far and over 300 copies of the first trade paperback with our money back guarantee. We've sold over 1000 <b>Y</b> trades without a single return. I have yet to have anyone <i>ever</i> bring back a copy of <b>Y</b> as it really appeals to everyone who reads it, and I think it's pretty safe to say that it's this decade's equivalent of <b>Preacher</b>. That is some incredibly high praise and not something I dole out lightly. <b>Y</b> has the highest percentage of female readers out of any book in our store, and I think that's safe to say for most comic stores worldwide. <b>Y</b> is the first book I hand to anyone looking for something engaging and unpredictable, and it never disappoints. It's so incredibly well written and drawn that nothing I could say would be high enough praise. As always, if you haven't tried it, you really should with our money back guarantee of course, but all this is extremely off track from what this is really all about.
Instead of writing Batman or X-Men forever, Brian dares to create new worlds, new characters, and new concepts all the time. Not that I don't love his take on <b>Ultimate X-Men</b> or <b>Spider-Man</b>, but Brian almost seems allergic to status quo. It’s as if he <i>needs</i> to create new ideas and give us something new. While a lot of writers seem to be on autopilot, Brian is brave enough to constantly give us something new and he succeeds every time. He breathes more life into each and every one of his own characters and truly makes even the most cliché of storylines (on the surface) seem fresh and clever. He's the best writer the comic industry has to offer, and we're damn lucky to have him. I appreciate BKV not jumping full time to Hollywood, even though I know they'll be knocking on his door more than ever after <b>Pride</b> gets out there.
I was lucky enough to read a preview copy of the <b>Pride of Baghdad</b>, which is the new hardcover graphic novel from Brian K. Vaughan and Nico Henrichon shipping on September 13th. Brian has been working on this book for years, and he said a year ago that this was his greatest achievement yet in comics, and the work he's most proud of so far in his incredible career. Although that's some insanely high praise, I was pretty skeptical that anything could match or beat my enjoyment of Y every month. I was even <i>more</i> skeptical when I found out it as about talking animals as I'm not a giant fan of similar movies. Even though Brian swore this was something he was unbelievably proud of, I was still a little scared that I might finally read a book by him that I didn't enjoy.
I don't know if I've <i>ever</i> been so wrong before in my entire life.
Based on a true story, the premise of the book is about four lions that escape from the Baghdad Zoo after an American bombing raid in Spring of 2003. The lions are hungry and confused, although they're happy to finally be free. They roam the decimated streets of Baghdad in search of the true meaning of liberation. This graphic novel explores the cost of survival as well as life on the war-torn streets of Iraq. Can liberation truly be given, or is it earned only through self-determination and sacrifice? This is a heartbreaking look at life during wartime. I seriously didn't think BKV could make me care so much about talking lions, but he put more character into them than just about anything I've ever seen from Disney or Pixar in just 136 pages. This book is unbelievably well done.
For a book that I planned on ordering 20 copies of before reading because of Vaughan's name attached, I've slightly adjusted my orders. My initial order would have been gigantic considering that I usually only order 2 to 5 copies of most hardcovers. After reading this book, I ordered <b>100 copies</b>. That's right. As insane as that sounds, I'm willing to bet I can sell at least $2000 worth of this book just in my initial order. I feel that strongly about this masterpiece. Kinda makes the $19.99 price tag seem like a deal, right? I'm willing to risk placing my highest order <i>ever</i> with Diamond this month because I know that everyone who reads this book is going to be as floored by it as I am. I haven't even got around to reading most of my favorite comics more than once and I've already read <b>Pride</b> a few times and will easily read it several more times for years to come. The artwork by Niko Henrichon is simply stunning and the attention to detail is incredible. Brian always finds incredible artists for his books and he's certainly done it again with <b>Pride</b>. Niko is an outstanding artist and this project is going to make him a superstar. He tackles the pencils, inks and colors in this book and does a fantastic job on every page.
<b>Pride Of Baghdad</b> is absolutely one of the best graphic novels I've ever read. No one has <i>ever</i> used that format better than this book. I felt literally inspired after reading the book to get the word out and tell others how great it was. This book makes me proud to sell comic books for a living. I know that this book will be talked about for years to come and will find it's way onto college courses required reading lists. I can put this book alongside <b>Watchmen, Maus, Preacher, Y: The Last Man</b> and <b>Identity Crisis</b> as one of the best things that's ever happened in this medium. I know this all sounds like insane praise, but I simply cannot say enough wonderful things about how brilliant this graphic novel is. No one could be more skeptical than I was about talking lions, but as always, Brian K. Vaughan pulled out every trick up his sleeve and I can honestly say I enjoyed this book at least as much as <b>Y</b>, if not more.
After I read <b>Pride</b>, I wrote to Brian letting him know how incredible I felt the book was and how much it inspired me. He was cool enough to help set up a contest to get everyone to pay a little more attention to the book. Even though the goofy prizes aren't worth nearly as much as the experience you'll have reading this, I just wanted to go above and beyond to show you how much this book stands out and how much it means to me. We needed to really set up a special event to make sure that you know how much the whole staff of Famous Faces loves and appreciates this graphic novel.
It’s safe to say that <b>Pride of Baghdad</b> comes with my <i>highest possible recommendation</i>! I simply don't have the words to say enough about this absolutely brilliant book. You need to read it to believe it. For someone that went into this book confident that talking animals could never live up to BKV's work on <b>Y, Ex Machina</b>, or <b>Runaways</b>, I'm absolutely stunned at how much I enjoyed this graphic novel.
<i>Rick Shea is the Owner/Manager at Famous Faces & Funnies in Melbourne, FL, and an occasional writer for Newsarama. <b>Pride of Baghdada</b> is due in stores this week.</i>