Graphic novel review: Infinite Kung Fu by Kagan Mcleod

Genre: Graphic novels, martial arts.

Infinite Kung Fu is a 464 page, graphic novel about (magical) Kung Fu and zombies. It was created, written and illustrated by Kagan Mcleod. 

The art is black and white and has a painted, water color like, look to it. This style complements the martial arts theme of this book well and is one of the stronger points of the book.

The story itself is nothing special. The plot is very loose and there are many loose ends. The plot in this book is something one would expect to have in a video game or a pulpy movie, where the plot is secondary to the action. Despite this shortcoming, the final product works, mostly because it is written in the spirit of a pulpy kung fu movie. The pace of the book flows quickly and the action in the book is nicely illustrated. The book contains a myriad of characters and the mythology of the book is interesting.

All in all if you don't go into the book expecting a tight plot and the theme interest you, Infinite Kung Fu has plenty to offer.

Rating: 4 / 5, Recommended, if you are looking for a martial art themed pulpy read.

Graphic novel review: Kingdom come by Mark Waid and Alex Ross

Genre: Superheroes

Kingdom come is part of the Elseworlds series of comics from DC comics. These comics feature alternate history takes on DC's popular characters. The story is by Mark Waid and the art is by Alex Ross.

In this version, certain events have caused Superheroes of old to retire/fade away. The old crop of superheroes have been replaced by a new lot that do not value human life, this in spite of claiming to be defending and protecting humans.

The art and writing in this book is excellent. Both of them combine to build a great atmosphere in the book. The main characters in this book are developed very well as the book progresses. The plot of the book is well constructed and it proceeds at a fairly brisk pace.

The one negative for the book is that the resolution to the crisis in this book was underwhelming after all the build up. However in context of the entire book, I found that this did not bother me too much. The book is a good read and is recommended.

Rating: 4 / 5, Great, Recommended.

Graphic novel review: Savage Dragon, baptism of fire by Erik Larsen

Genre: Superheroes.

This a super hero comic. That entails a lot of beefy men and women with impossible proportions. There is also a lot of fighting and property damage. Erik Larsen, has however managed to construct a pretty interesting tale with engaging characters in this framework.

Larsen does the writing, pencils and inking for this trade paper back. The art throughout the book is very good. The lines are clear and the coloring is vibrant. The writing except for a few exceptions is good. The one exception that stood out for me was the title character giving a lecture about the police abusing their powers, and this whole thing was too preachy and contrived. All in all though, the writing through out the book keeps a pretty high standard.

This book is the miniseries that launches the Savage dragon series, it introduces various characters and lays out the ground work for future plot lines. The characters are developed well, and the pace of the book is brisk. I enjoyed reading this book and will be hunting down the other paper backs to see how the story proceeds.

Rating: 4 / 5, Recommended.

Note: The Amazon listing below is for a older trade paper back.