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THE DC CLASSIC

Watchmen

By Amanda Litchkowski

Arts Editor

Watchmen is profound. In its creation of an alternate historical world, the famed graphic novel envisions a believable dystopia where politics clash with human morals. It draws a bleak America, but it looks awesome doing it.

Written by V for Vendetta author Alan Moore, Watchmen transpires in a society where superheroes burn out. As the public grows to hate them, the once adored masked vigilantes who help bring the nation to victory in the Vietnam War retreat to the dismal lives of everyday citizens. There is, however, a rogue hero who simply refuses to retire. Although undeniably psychotic, he unites his former cohorts in a quest to find the murderer of one of their own.

Not only does Watchmen boast an enticing and intelligent plot, it also is jam packed with superior graphic novel skill. Moore created a parallel comic book story that he interwove perfectly into the Watchmen script. The novel's timeline is wittily nonlinear: it skips backwards, overlays simultaneous events and even flashes forward with a giant blue nuclear man as a space-traveling vehicle.

Unfortunately, no one can discuss Watchmen without mentioning Hollywood's despicable translation of the novel into film. Let's just say that Alan Moore wanted nothing to do with it (he felt the same way about Hollywood swiping V for Vendetta). When the author refuses to hop on board with film production, it's a clear sign to stay away.

THE ARTSY ONE

Ghost World

By Natalia Tamzoke

Theater Editor

For anyone searching for a graphic novel that is funny, heartbreaking and refreshing, Daniel Clowes' Ghost World deserves a read-through. Taking place in the early 1990s, the story follows two cynically droll teenagers, Enid Coleslaw and Rebecca Doppelmeyer. Having just graduated from high school, the two best friends roam the streets of their unnamed hometown, disparaging pop culture and the random townies they come across while simultaneously wondering where their futures lie.

Beneath the comedy also lies desperation for truth, love and acceptance. Written in adolescent vernacular, there is something very honest about the story, with a sense of brooding bubbling underneath the surface. The illustrated work shows a comical and touching romp through the transitions from adolescence to adulthood. The drawings are expressive and reflect the dark humor inherent in the work through the use of pale blue coloring.

After much critical acclaim, Ghost World was transformed into a movie in 2001, starring Thora Birch, Scarlett Johansson and Steve Buscemi. Though not as fulfilling as the graphic novel, it maintained many of the same elements and even received an Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay. While a great film, the illustrated text will more than satisfy readers' cravings for literary and artistic ingenuity.

THE TELEVISION CROSSOVERS

Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel

By Sabrina Strauss

Staff Writer

Sunnydale was a giant crater in the middle of California. Los Angeles was overrun by demons. Joss Whedon left his two most famous shows on cliffhangers, leaving many people wanting to know: What's next? The serialized comic books Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel became the answer to that question.

The eighth season of the Buffy comic book follows the canon of the show, picking up a year after the seventh season finale, with a new villain du jour and a new Big Bad. What the seventh season lacked in fluidity — and overall Buffy spirit — is more than made up in the new comics, which build something glorious upon the tatters of the last television season. With some time traveling mind-benders and the slayers now "Public Enemy Number One," Whedon has masterfully brought Buffy back to the glory it had before she died (the second time).

For those that remember the end of TV series, Angel's team was last seen charging toward a hoard of demons, out for their blood. The comic picks up where the show left off, revealing the fate of the tight-knit group and all of Los Angeles, which Wolfram & Hart has plunged into a hell dimension. The new stories take the dark tone utilized throughout the five season run and magnificently dot it with both humorous and touching moments, from Wesley's return to the unexpected and painful shift of abilities between Gunn and Angel.

Using these two comics, Whedon continued the storylines of the Buffy-verse with great skill. If you still aren't convinced of his storytelling ability, read Fray, a consummate one-shot graphic novel set 200 years in the future where demons and slayers are extinct — until one girl becomes Chosen.

MANGA FAVORITES

Naruto and Manga overview

By Shama Huq

Staff Writer

Manga has a long history as being one of the strongest subdivisions in the market of graphic novels, winning over many fans throughout time. Manga are Japanese graphic novels, and the modern form of it that we know and love today has developed since World War II.