davramlocke's Reviews (777)

Green Monk is about an exiled monk with a blade of grass style sword that can cleave anything...literally anything. In this tale, which I have to assume is part of a larger narrative, he battles a giant who happens to be terrorizing a local countryside. The story is short, with a fair share of action and a few moral lessons thrown in. I enjoyed reading through it, even though it only takes about ten to fifteen minutes to read in its entirety. The drawing is simple, in an almost anime style but slightly less Eastern. The story actually reminds me of something you'd read in the Old Testament, particularly with the religious tones present (monks, penance, etc.). I'd be interested to read more of these, should Dayton decide to publish any subsequent pieces. I could see an interesting story developing out of this Green Monk figure, as long as it's not too preachy.

It wasn't until I was about three-quarters of the way finished with Swamplandia! that I was even sure I'd like it as a book, which I suppose speaks for the quality of its writing. If I can make it that far into a book that I'm not sure of, then the prose itself must be pretty engaging.

Near the end, and definitely when I finished the book, I became quite sure that I liked Swamplandia!, despite the events within that, in any normal circumstance, might leave a bad taste in my mouth that's almost impossible to wash out.

The story revolves around the Bigtree family, proprietors of a sort-of theme park in Florida where they wrestle (or is it wrastle?) alligators to the amusement of thousands every week. When the matriarch of the family passes away after a disturbing bout with cancer, the entire production is thrown into the type of melancholy chaos that can only happen within a family. The rest of the tale sees the men of the family trying to save Swamplandia! while the young girls deal with their own struggles in dealing with the loss of someone so central to their lives. It's told with humor, with sadness, and with enough metaphors and similes to fill several Floridas.

My only disclaimer when recommending a book like Swamplandia! is to enter it without a single expectation. Read it for what it is, and if you can, try to immerse yourself in the story. You may come out changed, and it might not even be a good change, but sometimes that's the price we pay for good literature.

Tony Chu is a guy that can tell something's history by eating it. That is the base of Chew, a fairly recent comic series from John Layman and Rob Guillory. Taster's Choice is the inception of this series, and it's actually a great read and very refreshing in its ideas, even if those ideas are not quite for...everyone. In Tony Chu's world, the Bird Flu of yesteryear became a worldwide plague, such that now poultry is illegal, and the FDA are the premier government organization because food has become such an issue. Chu himself is a cop who ends up being recruited by the FDA due to his particular skillset. It all sounds ridiculous, and it is, but it's thoroughly enjoyable if you can stomach the graphic nature of it all. I'm looking forward to more issues.