Planetary series by Warren Ellis

My apologies, my life has been hectic lately and I hadn't gotten the chance to post Planetary discussion questions. Planetary is almost as difficult to figure out as some of the worldwide conspiracies that Elijah Snow, The Drummer, and Jakita Wagner try to unravel, but is entertaining nonetheless. Unlike The X-Files conspiracies are teased AND answered. Thanks to our resident Planetary expert Jason for about half of these awesome questions.

1. Much of the Planetary series seems to focus on Elijah Snow. Why is he important as the protagonist? What are the roles of Jakita and The Drummer?

2. Planetary very oddly incorporates the DC Universe into its storylines. Did you enjoy its incorporation? Would Planetary have been affected adversely had it been a completely separate universe?

3. Do you feel Planetary is more original than derivative or more derivative than original?

4. Were there any major fictional genres or superhero tropes that you wished the series would have explored in more depth?

5. What is the significance of Century Babies in the series?

6. How do the three (or four) members of Planetary differ from say, The Fantastic Four? Why is this comparison significant?

7. Planetary consists of 27 issues over the course of ten years. How did this affect its fan base? Is this time span apparent when reading them in trade format?

8. What questions does Planetary reveal about the world's "secret history?" Does the government feed us a combination of truth and misinformation?

9. Elijah Snow doesn't follow the typical "superhero code of conduct." (For example, he doesn't flinch to kick people in the "unmentionables" or kill/torture/maroon his enemies.) Is Elijah Snow a superhero in the traditional sense? Does this "morally questionable" behavior make him a stronger/weaker character? Do you wish more traditional superheroes behaved in the same way?

10. Warren Ellis claimed that Planetary was a book about the evolution of the superhero genre rather than a book about superheroes, yet ultimately the final issues focused more on the plot of the characters rather than exploring genre. Did this hurt the story in any way, or did this focus on the book's main characters make the series stronger?

11. Some issues (particularly the later ones) deal with extraordinarily complex and esoteric concepts such as the structural nature of the universe, principles of time travel, the afterlife, theoretical physics, the purpose of the "century babies," etc. Did Ellis lose you as a reader in these moments, or were they adequately explained to keep you entertained and able to follow the story?

12. What are your thoughts on Jakita Wagner as a comic book female protagonist? Does she exemplify what women in comic books could and should be, or do you feel that she is yet another example of a poorly written female character in the superhero world?

13. Warren Ellis tends to write superheroes with very "human" emotions and reactions, filled with characters who tease each other and often struggle with emotional/sexual/anger issues. Do you wish more superhero books were like this, or do you prefer the "do no wrong" stoic style of superhero?

Blankets by Craig Thompson

Man, I have been trying to get the Graphic Novel Book Club to read Craig Thompson's Blankets since its inception. I read it back in high school, was devastated, and also thoroughly enjoyed it. Its an autobiographical tale of first love that is honestly and sometimes comically told. Blankets is full of motifs and symbolism; many of the questions below reflect this.

The book club for Blankets will meet on at Koelbel Library on Thursday June 9th at 7:00 p.m.

1. What is the significance of blankets?

2. What is the importance of Craig's brother in the story?

3. Describe Thompson's art style. What does he do differently than other graphic artists?

4. Blankets seems to be a love it or hate it type of graphic novel. Why is this? Is there something in the story that some readers connect to more than others?

5. Imagine Blankets had been written without the Christian influence. Could it have been the same story? What would have happened differently?

6. Why was the separation of Craig and Raina so sudden?

7. Compare how teenagers are portrayed in Blankets versus other graphic novels we've read such as Black Hole and Locke and Key?

8. What do you think of the concept of "first" love? Is it truly love or just getting used to being truly close to someone for the first time?

9. What is the importance of Raina's parents' divorce?

10. What is the importance of weather and snow?

11. Why did Craig draw a tree in Raina's bedroom?

12. Once Craig and Raina finally acknowledge their sexual desire for each other, what does the following swirly floating art sequence represent?

13. Blankets has been challenged and censored in libraries. Why?

14. What is the significance of the last line of the graphic novel, "How satisfying it is to leave a mark on a blank surface. To make a map of my movement--no matter how temporary."

15. Going along with the above question, things being in a temporary state seems to be a theme in Blankets. What other examples can you think of? Why is this important?

American Vampire by Stephen King and Eric Snyder

American Vampire is King's and Snyder's attempt to bring vampires back from the sparkly and brooding individuals that they have become. This graphic novel is the first in a series and follows Skinner Sweet, a Jack of Fables-esque vampire with a love for candy and Pearl Skinner, a young up and coming actress.

1. Snyder and King split up each issue with a story each. How did this affect the story?

I had trouble with the format, I thought that the two authors writing half a story per issue never came together cohesively. Sure, there's an interesting duality with Sweet being evil in one story and semi-evil in another, but I would have preferred a more straightforward story with an already great premise.

2. In the foreword and in interviews, King talks about the current state of vampires. Did American Vampire help de-Twilight vampires in pop culture? How so?

I think it took some steps towards making vampires important in popular culture again. The twist on any vampire story is how they act, the powers they have, and the types of people they are. Compare the psychic vampires from Dan Simmons' Carrion Comfort to Anne Rice's sultry and more traditional vampires.

3. What's the difference between the European and American vampires? What's the significance of each?

The European vampires were almost a way to satirize the state of traditional vampires, making them goofy and pompous. This served a stark contrast to all American badasses like Skinner Sweet.

4. King wrote Skinner Sweet's backstory. Your thoughts on it?

King made a big deal of talking about Sweet's backstory in the foreword, but I didn't think there was anything out of the ordinary that interested me. Maybe some of the elements will come to a head in future volumes?

5. Snyder will take over sole writing credit starting with issue six. What are your thoughts on this and King's appearance on only the first trade?

It feels like a gimmick that Vertigo employed to help get the series off of the ground if King is leaving right after the first trade. This also will likely represent unevenness in storytelling, with Snyder having to refer to material that King wrote.

7. By breaking the "rules" of vampirism like walking in sunlight, did Snyder and King really write a vampire story? Is changing up the traditional rules necessary for a good vampire story?

Yes. As previously mentioned, one of the hallmarks of vampire storytelling is to break some of the rules and make your vampires unique and a continuing threat.

8. Is Pearl's resistance to devouring her lover believable?

I guess so? Pearl was supposed to be the non-evil vampire throughout the story and the authors never make the vampires seem too bloodlust-y in the story, so it's possible that she could resist the temptation of "eating" him.

9. Did American Vampire read like a Stephen King story? How did it compare to 'Salem's Lot?

Didn't get a great answer from the book club. Thoughts?

10. In the foreword, King mentions reading his son's Locke and Key series for a refresher/inspiration. Is there evidence of this in the story?

Not a whole lot. Locke and Key benefits from a small setting with a small cast of characters while American Vampire is more sprawling, so its tough to get a bead on similarities.

Future graphic novel selections September - December

Here's a list of potential future selections for our graphic novel book club. Please comment or e-mail me your top choices and/or bottom choices. Scandalously, I have not read any of these, so below are the Amazon.com descriptions.



The Tragical Comedy or Comical Tragedy of Mr. Punch by Neil Gaiman: "In his grandfather's seaside arcade, a young boy encounters a mysterious Punch & Judy man with a dark past and a woman who makes her living playing a mermaid. As their stories unfold, the boy must confront family secrets, strange puppets and a nightmarish world of violence and betrayal."



Chew series by John Layman: "Tony Chu is a detective with a secret. A weird secret. Tony Chu is Cibopathic, which means he gets psychic impressions from whatever he eats. It also means he's a hell of a detective, as long as he doesn't mind nibbling on the corpse of a murder victim to figure out whodunit, and why. He's been brought on by the Special Crimes Division of the FDA, the most powerful law enforcement agency on the planet, to investigate their strangest, sickest, and most bizarre cases."



American Splendor by Harvey Pekar: "American Splendor is the world’s first literary comic book. Cleveland native Harvey Pekar is a true American original. A V.A. hospital file clerk and comic book writer, Harvey chronicles the ordinary and mundane in stories both funny and touching. His dead-on eye for the frustrations and minutiae of the workaday world mix in a delicate balance with his insight into personal relationships. Pekar has been compared to Dreiser, Dostoevsky, and Lenny Bruce. But he is truly more than all of them—he is himself."



Incognito by Ed Brubaker: "From the creators of Criminal and Sleeper comes the most insane and evil super-villain comic you've ever read! What if you were an ex-super villain hiding out in Witness Protection... but all you could think about were the days when the rules didn't apply to you? Could you stand the toil of an average life after years of leaving destruction in your wake? And what if you couldn't stand it? What would you do then? Incognito - a twisted mash-up of noir and super-heroics."



Shortcomings by Adrian Tomine: "Tomine's lacerating falling-out-of-love story is an irresistible gem of a graphic novel. Shortcomingsis set primarily in an almost otherworldly San Francisco Bay Area; its antihero, Ben Tanaka, is not your average comic book protagonist: he's crabby, negative, self-absorbed, über-critical, slack-a-riffic and for someone who is strenuously race-blind, has a pernicious hankering for whitegirls. His girlfriend Miko (alas and tragically) is an Asian-American community activist of the moderate variety."



Thief of Always by Clive Barker: "When archetypal 10-year-old Harvey Swick desperately wishes to be delivered from a boring February afternoon, he is miraculously rescued by Rictus, a smiling (if somewhat sinister) creature. Rictus takes Harvey to the Holiday House, where every morning is spring, every afternoon is summer and every evening offers Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas in quick succession. Barker masterfully embroiders this fantasy world with a mounting number of grim, even gruesome details. Harvey must heroically battle what is gradually revealed to be the malevolent force behind the Holiday House in order to save not only himself but all its previous young guests."



Seven Soldiers of Victory by Grant Morrison: "What if there was a team of superheroes who never met each other? Included are stories of four of the eventual seven members—the magician Zatanna is a highlight—all of whose adventures stand alone but also subtly interweave. The art is uniformly impressive, the standout being Frazer Irving’s Klarion the Witch Boy, pulsing with ominous supernatural life."



Scalped series by Jason Aaron: "Fifteen years ago, Dashiell "Dash" Bad Horse ran away from a life of abject poverty and utter hopelessness on the Prairie Rose Indian Reservation in hopes of finding something better. Now he's come back home armed with nothing but a set of nunchucks, a hell-bent-for-leather attitude and one dark secret, to find nothing much has changed on "The Rez" -- short of a glimmering new casino, and a once-proud people overcome by drugs and organized crime. Is he here to set things right or just get a piece of the action?"

Creature Tech by Doug Ten Napel - April 14th

Creature Tech is a black and white graphic novel inked and written by Doug Ten Napel, the creator of the Earthworm Jim video game series. Similar to the quirky platforming video game, Creature Tech is a humorous take on graphic novels. It is essentially a science and religion debate with some monster cats and space eels thrown in for good measure.

The book club for Creature Tech will meet on Thursday April 14th at 6:30 p.m. at Koelbel Library. Here are the discussion questions:

1. What about Dr. Ong changes throughout the graphic novel? What were the catalysts? Map out his transformation.

2. Creature Tech was written over the course of many, many years. Is there any evidence of this when reading it?

3. What is the significance of the strange scene in which the parasite is "crucified?"

4. Why is Blue the mantis important to the story? What does he teach us?

5. What is the importance of Blue's near death experience?

6. The introduction calls Creature Tech a better animated "film" than any of Pixar's offerings. Do you agree?

7. Do you think Ten Napel is spiritual? Do you think his views could be classified as agnostic, Christian, or atheist?

8. The parasite turns Dr. Ong into an Iron Man-like tragic superhero. How is Dr. Ong different from other superheroes and their depictions?

9. Why does Dr. Ong have a crucifix around his neck in the last third of the book? Where did it come from?

10. Dr. Ong's father is upset by the existence of the "real" Shroud of Turin. Why?

11. Why did Dr. Ong throw the water balloon at Katie? Was her reaction correct? She can now be considered "beautiful," but what kind of lesson is that?

12. What is the significance of Dr. Ong keeping the parasite quite possibly for life? What happens in Dr. Ong's life after the last page?

Superman: Red Son Discussion Questions

Superman: Red Son is an Elseworlds what if tale about Superman. The what if is: what if Superman had been born in Russia instead of Smallville, Kansas? This alternate universe has Lois Lane as Lois Luthor and Jimmy Olsen as Lex Luthor's advisor. The book club for it will take place on March 10th at Koelbel Library starting at 6:30 p.m. Here are the discussion questions:

1. What parallels does Superman: Red Son draw to other graphic novels based in historical events? Titles that come to mind: Maus, Berlin, Persepolis, Sacco's works.

2. What about Superman's moral code stays the same when he's Russian? What's different? How is he the same and different in general?

3. The ending of Superman: Red Son reminded me of the ending of Watchmen. Why?

4. Many, many superhero graphic novels ask the reader if the world is better off without them. Using this graphic novel's take, should the world even have superheroes?

5. What other alternate universe one-shots have you read and enjoyed?

6. Batman's silly hat. Your thoughts?

7. How did Superman negatively and positively effect the Russian Empire? Can this be said for regular superman and the United States?

8. Superman: Red Son brings up the age old nature versus nurture argument. Is it in Superman's nature to be good, or did the environment he grew up in change him?

9. Superman stories like Kingdom Come, All-Star Superman, and The Dark Knight Returns all seem to keep using similar ideas of Batman vs. Superman and Superman's strong moral code. Is the Man of Steel becoming stale? Can you think of any other commonly used plot threads in Superman stories?

10. Much of the criticism of Superman: Red Son is that its far too short for what it's trying to do. Your thoughts?

11. How did you feel about the very ending of the book, the last few pages?

12. How do Lex Luthor's actions mirror those of current world politicians? Luthor uses a means to an end-type approach.

A Contract with God - Discussion Questions

Will Eisner is one of the most respected names in comics. Heck, the presigious Eisner Awards are named after him. After Josh bugged us just enough, then threatened to leave right when we set a date for it, we decided on Eisner's flagship work, A Contract with God. (Just kidding, Josh, we'll miss you). Here are the pretty much spoilerless questions:

We'll be answering these questions with VIGOR and ENTHUSIASM on February 10th at 6:30 p.m. at Koelbel Library.

1. A Contract with God is widely considered to be the first comic to be called a "graphic novel." What about Eisner's work differentiates it from other comics? Is it worthy of the "graphic novel" title?

2. Many different comics writers we've read write vignettes and short stories. Gaiman did it throughout the Sandman series, Willingham does the occasional short story in Fables. What about the graphic novel medium lends itself to short stories? Can many short stories form to make a cohesive whole like one thought out story arc can?

3. A Contract with God is often used as literature in Jewish literature classes. What about Eisner's work pays homage to his heritage?

4. How does Eisner's writing and art compliment each other? How do they clash?

5. Why did Frimme die at the end of "A Contract with God?"

6. What is the moral or lesson of "The Street Singer?"

7. What does A Contract with God tell you about tenement living in the 1930s?

8. Eisner is a huge inspiration for comics writers. Which writers would you venture to say he's inspired?

9. What do each of the characters in the stories have in common?

10. What is the significance of Eisner's narration and lettering style?

11. How does poverty effect the lives of Eisner's characters, especially in "Cookalein?"

12. Some argue that the title story "A Contract with God" takes an atheistic bend. What are your thoughts?

13. Has Eisner's work been dated or does it remain fresh and relevant today? Are comics' highest prestige, the Eisner Award, rightfully named?