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| Library Copy of American Psycho |
American Psycho by Brett Easton Ellis
‘Is evil something you are? Or is it something you do?’ That’s the question Ellis asks on the back of this book, and attempts to explore in American Psycho. Patrick Bateman has a seemingly perfect life. Good looks, money, charm, this guy has got it all. Yet what you see isn’t always what you get. Bateman’ seemingly idyllic life is a mask for a much darker streak.
Ellis cleverly chronicles Bateman’s descent into madness and depravity, leaving the reader repulsed yet unable to stop read in sheer shock. This makes the juxtaposition of Bateman’s appreciation of music very stark. In a whirlwind of violence sprinkled with opulence the realisation that someone as monstrous as Bateman can have such an artistic appreciation for music is beautiful yet chilling.
Violent, grim and dark American Psycho is a compelling read playing with concepts of reality, perception and what evil is, as well as exploring themes of materialism and masculinity.
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Library copy of Kraven’s Last Hunt |
Kraven’s Last Hunt
by J.M. DeMattis and Mike Zeck
As someone who isn’t necessarily a Spider-Man fan I think this is a masterpiece of the comic book medium. Told over six parts Kraven’s Last Hunt follows iconic Spider-Man villain Kraven the Hunter on his quest to take out his wall crawling nemesis. Kraven’s obsession with Spidey will see him desperate to prove his superiority to the wall crawler by any means necessary.
Dark, atmospheric this is a suspenseful story full of twists and turns. DeMattis hits an almost psychedelic note at points as he explores the cast of characters in a way that hadn’t been done before. There’s also the fact you can see how influential this has been on future Spider-Man stories.
The idea of supernatural elements the J Michael Strazynski’s run would incorporate into the Spider-Man mythos can be seen as being hinted at here. Likewise Dan Slott’s marvellous Superior Spider-Man run in which Doc Ock masquerades as Spider-Man can be seen to pull clear influences from Kraven’s Last Hunt. For it’s sheer importance to the industry Kraven’s Last Hunt is a must read.
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| Jake's Copy of Demon in a Bottle |
Iron Man: Demon in a Bottle by David Michelinie, Bob Layton and John Romita Jr.
At the time Demon in a Bottle presented bold story telling in comics. Documenting Tony Stark’s descent into alcoholism this is a well written story.
It does a difficult but well executed balancing act of playing with the usual, expected comic book tropes of villains and heroes in battle, yet shows wonderful subtlety in its handling of Tony’s struggles with alcohol as well as the reasons for his dependency on it.
Given how important this chapter has become to the character, seeing where the foundations for this are laid gives you an appreciation for how tastefully done this was at the time, and how well it’s aged.
Like all good stories Demon in a Bottle has one thing on it’s side, a timeless, relatable quality.
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Jake's copy of Batman: Whatever Happened To The Caped Crusader |
Batman: Whatever Happened To The Caped Crusader? By Neil Gaiman and Andy Kubert
Set at an interesting point in the Batman mythos, in between the events of Batman RIP and Battle for The Cowl, DC turned to veteran writer Neil Gaiman to oversee the Batman titles for a month before they took a hiatus to allow for the aforementioned Battle for The Cowl.
In classic Gaiman style he took a well beloved character and put his own unique spin on them. Part homage/inspired by Alan Moore’s classic Superman story ‘Whatever Happened to The Man of Tomorrow?’ which was a swansong for the Silver Age Man of Steel, Gaiman draws heavily on the Silver Age elements Grant Morrison had been reintroducing to the main Batman title to bridge the gap between the fall of The Bat and it’s significant ramifications.
Gaiman takes us to Crime Alley, the place it all began for Batman.
Fittingly, this location for The Wake of The Dark Knight is where it comes to an end. Everyone who is anyone in Gotham’s community of capes and criminals are here to pass on their respects. They’re there to see Batman’s final journey.
Equal parts trippy, poignant and tribute to an undeniably far reaching cultural legacy, this is exactly what you want from one of the finest authors of their generation penning one of the most iconic characters of all time.
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Jake's copy of Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
Sapiens A Brief History of Humankind
by Yuval Noah Harari
This made my list not because of the critical acclaim surrounding it, but because I had heard a couple of YouTubers I watched had mentioned reading it.
If anything the critical acclaim merely further piqued my interest in reading this. I have to say I am glad I did. The history buff in me loves the documentation of the history of humanity from our earliest beginnings to the present. The futurist in me loves the predictions of where we may be going as a species.
The writer in me thinks it is one of the most well written books I have ever read.
What Harari does is give us a compelling chronicling of the key revolutions of Humankind that have allowed us to reach this point, while carefully highlighting the importance of each revolution in various ways.
It is one of the easiest reads as well due to not only the structuring of the book, which gives you the ability to read smaller chunks, process and return to the nook, but the narrative which he has weaved of the rise of humanity is perfectly crafted.
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