Quick Comic Takes

Catching up on some things I've read recently.

CSI:Serial TPB - I only discovered the show recently through some friends loaning me the DVD seasons to watch. Yet when I learned there was a comic series about the teams I didn't have much hope that it would match the show's quality given how most comic adaptions tend to turn our poorly.

Here with Serial that idea of poor adaptions might be broken. As it does an admiral job of capturing the show's flow and dialogue. There are a few times where the writer falls in love with his own voice, such as how he overwrites openings and scene changes.

Seeming almost as if he doesn't trust the artist to tell the story. Which is too bad as the artist does a great job of capturing the likenesses of the actors without the stiffness that such drawings usually bring.

Serial brings a good mystery solved through the usual adept CSI methods, and is a must for any fan of the show who can't wait for the next new episode.

Suki #1 This strange series following a high school girl who seems too cheerful and naive to be believable enough to read in even fiction, is an odd duck.

At first I found the cheerfulness to be so heavy that I almost put down the book in order to gag at its saccharine flavor. Yet as the book goes on the cheerfulness starts to take on a disturbing feeling, that leads to a mystery that makes me want to see the reason behind it.

I'm not sure where the storyline is going, but after an odd start it has me very interested in seeing what happens next.

Planetes #1 - This manga has gotten so much praise that I was almost scared to read it, thinking nothing could live up to its hype. When I found the first story about an astronaut seeking closure to personal tragedy to be a bit too melodramatic. I thought my fears were being realized.

Then with the second story about a female captain whose obsession with the vice of smoking led her to great extremes. I was starting be won over. Her characterization reminded me of some of the female characters Warren Ellis wrote, such as Jenny Sparks. Yet with a touch more humor and passion.

The third story about a young astronaut who wants desperately to go on a mission to Jupiter was my favorite. As we see his family and learn about his drive and dedication to achieve his goal.

Overall a very fine start that definitely lived up to some of the hyperbole I had seen of it before. And a series I'll definitely want to see more of.