Customer Reviews

The Mourning Star vol 1

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I picked up Mourning Star after hearing its accolades touted by a number of cartoonists, and I was not disappointed - it was, without question, my favorite graphic novel of 2007. Strzepek (whose name is pronounced "streh-pehk") creates a truly engaging post-apocalyptic world, filled with numerous, well flushed-out characters and a steady mix of humor, suspense, pathos, and action. The art and storytelling style are ideal for the readers of comic strips, and while innovative in a lot of ways it is very accessible for the first-time graphic novel reader. The story is engaging enough to dismiss any concerns over genre (I for one rarely if ever read science fiction), and marks what is sure to be a successful series.
While anyone can enjoy this book, they've been a BIG hit with my ten-twelve year-old boy cousins.

First Impressions:
I picked up the last copy of The Mourning Star wile browsing in a downtown Seattle comic shop. There is a reason they only had one left: people know a good comic when they get their hands on it. After flipping through the pages a bit, I threw down my money on the counter and took a chance. When I finished, I was craving for the second volume. The need hounded me for days. It is small press and hard to find, so I eventually ended up at another location of the local chain where I had picked up the first volume (probably the only ones caring it in the city). You want to one-up a comic geek? Ask them if they've even heard of Mourning Star.

So let's talk about it:
A comet has crashed into a fictional planet and brought about a sort of apocalypse. Everyone is trying to rebuilt their lives. Some are looking for those they've been separated from, others are making warlord-like grabs for power and control, and many are just trying to start over and forget the traumatic past. Most of our characters are nose-less and pointy eared (...goblins?), but their are the rarer anthropomorphic crows and squid-like peoples. Oh wait, did I forget to mention the small ghost looking creatures that feed off of people's dreams? Silly me.

It is hard to sum up the plot, but you are following basically three storylines: two out-of-their-league guys and a dream eater looking for one of their's long lost lovers, an elite "snipper-sniper" (fights with scissors) with amnesia, and, less so, a gang of hooligans who are in control of the local area. In the second volume there is also a group of underground resistance fighters who come into the mix.

The story is a nice balance of comedy and seriousness. As can be expected in an apocalyptic setting, the characters have a healthy sense of their own mortality (and still there are some rather cocky ones). The action scenes are fast paced and gripping with a joke lurking around the corner to level it out. There is definitely blood and violence, but the art style is more cartoony than realistic, and it never feels like violence for violence sake.

The art is good, IMO. Strzepek uses some unformulaic panel arrangements but I never found myself wondering where to go next. The characters are also easy to love, and just the expressions on their faces often makes me crack a smile or even snicker. I have to mention Strzepek's choice of using "Hoi!" for an attention grabbing word, and "Sabath!" for any and all curses. You'll be so into it, you might have to check yourself from letting those slip out in public.

The Mourning Star series was recommended by some glowing reviews in comic review blogs and I have to say I wasn't disappointed in the least. Strzepek balances a flood of imagination, lovable characters in perilous situations, energy and action into his post apocalyptic fantasy tale. If you're more after a straight superheroes or big budget art values, you should maybe look elsewhere. Strzepek writes and draws for those hungering for something strange and new, and 'Mourning Star' delivers on both fronts. I'm hoping this bleak but enchanting world has many volumes to come.