October 2024 books
I made a bit more of a conscious effort to read a bit more in October. Not exactly challenging reads, most were "read in one sitting" kind of books but there was still a lot to enjoy. I think this might be the first month entirely made up of comics (though War of the Worlds might not fall into that category - read on...).
Cuphead, volume 2
Cuphead is a fantastic game to play so when I learned there were a couple of comic books, I had to get my hands on them. I'd read volume 1 some time ago and this volume had been sitting on my bedside table for ages waiting to be read. One evening, I had a night to myself without having parent two little 'uns so I sat down and read it cover to cover. It's made up of short single stories featuring all sorts of characters people will recognise from the game and/or TV show. The art and lettering style is super fun, tying into the original game's 1930s aesthetic.
Gravity Falls: Lost Legends, Alex Hirsch
Gravity Falls is a firm favourite in our house, to the point where we actually had to ban it for a while simply because we'd watched it to death and didn't want to ruin a good thing. The show only ran for 2 seasons and it feels like there's so much more to be done with it so I was happy to find this online. This book consists of 4 stories set as spin-offs or extras to the show. They include characters and some concepts from the show carry over, but they're largely independent. By that I mean, these stories don't include stuff that would be critical to understand the show, if that makes sense? If you like the show, you'll enjoy this.
War of the Worlds, Chris Mould
Chris Mould is a local artist who I first met a few years ago when he ran a half-term workshop in Halifax. At the time, he was just about to embark on this project so I was keen to get my hands on a copy when it finally became available. This is a lovely adaptation, Chris's style really suits the subject.
Whether it's a "Graphic Novel" or a comic, I can see this sparking a debate amongst the comic community. It's not an all-out graphic novel comprised entirely of comics, it's a mix of prose with illustrations and comics pages scattered throughout. I personally don't mind but I can imagine some will disagree with it's categorisation.
The Complete Peanuts: 1950-1952, Charles Schulz
I've got a few of the Fantagraphics Peanuts books and I've flicked through them over the years but never sat and read any of them in order, cover to cover so I wanted to start from the very beginning. This book comprises of every strip over the first two years. The characters look a bit different to what we're used to and not all of them are there right from the start so it's fun to see how the group begins to expand over this time.
The Postman from Space, Guillaume Perreault
I only came across this a few weeks ago when my buddy Lloyd brought some books to lend to our drink n draw meet-ups. It's a very easy read, the kind of book you'll smash through in one sitting and it tells the tale of a postman in space (surprise) where he has to take on a different route to what he's used to and a wee adventure ensues as a result. It's got a lovely art style and doesn't have any serious themes so if you have kids who like to read comics, this one is a safe one for them to read.
The Postman from Space: Biker Bandits, Guillaume Perreault
Following the first book, this one takes the postman on a slightly different adventure but there's still lots of planet hopping like the first book with the mild thread of a space biker gang in tow. Like the first book, this one doesn't have any content unsuitable for kids so here's two recommendations you can add to your Christmas shopping lists!
Almost done for the year now (sort of), I'll be back with a round-up of November reads. Considering Thought Bubble is next week (at the time of writing), I expect my next reading update will be full of comics once again.