Weekly Geeks #1 – Greetings

Hello to all of you Weekly Geeks folks!

The idea of Weekly Geeks was concocted by Dewey over at The Hidden Side of a Leaf.  The premise is that a new topic will be posted every Saturday and those participating will discuss the topic given, or do the suggestion for the week.  It’s a great idea to get fresh and interesting ideas onto our blogs that, let’s face it, can get stale from time to time.  I know that my blog can be rather boring and I find I’m always in need of new ideas.  So, I thought why not join the meme?

This week, what a great idea for the first Weekly Geeks by the way, was to find five new sites, post a comment (who doesn’t love comments on their blog?), and then write about the sites you’ve visited.  I just finished popping in to all the bloggers participate in Weekly Geeks, and there were a lot of sites I haven’t visited yet.  But there were five that really caught my interest, and these are the five I’m going to talk about and leave a comment on their sites when I’m done this post.

1. things mean a lot by Nymeth.  I was struck immediately upon arrival on this page by the images of fairies and what seems to be a fascination with mythology (please correct me if I’m wrong).  The posts drew me right into the review she was writing and that can be difficult to do.  I’ll be sure to visit again!
2. SomeReads by Somer.  The simple design on this blog was invigorating and I couldn’t help but read the first post, a review of Neil Gaiman’s Stardust, this is a book I haven’t picked up yet but would like to, especially after reading the Mr. Punch graphic novel he wrote.
3. Bold. Blue. Adventure. by Kim L.  I actually don’t think this is my first visit to this site, I think I stumbled across it via another blog earlier this week.  This time around I took a little more looking at blog and think I would enjoy regular visits to the site.  I’m looking forward to future reviews by Kim L.
4. The Armenian Odar Reads is written by a Dutch woman living in Armenia.  It didn’t take me long to select this blog as a favorite, all it took was the tag line on her blog “I am a bookeater”.  Then I read her review of the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency and new this would be a great place to revisit.  I also loved the book and have read three books in the series already.
5. Books, Memes, and Musings by BookGal.  The point of interest on this site was that BookGal would comment on the “Strengths of” and “Weaknesses of” each book she reviewed.  So, if you don’t want to read a synopsis of the book you can jump right into the good and bad of it.

I’m really excited to have found these new blogs and each of them will be added to my blogroll.  This first Weekly Geeks was great and I’m looking forward to what is in store for us next week.  It’ll be great to have more visitors here and I look forward to meeting new bloggers.

Well, it’s off to leave these bloggers a comment, let them know that I enjoy their blog!

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Punch from Gaiman and McKean

I’m really glad that I came across The Tragical Comedy or Comical Tragedy of Mr. Punch by Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean at What the Book? Unfortunately, it was like many graphic novels in this country (South Korea), and many other books, wrapped up in cellophane so you cannot skim the pages.  But the images on the covers were enough to compel me to scoop with one up without a second thought.  And am I ecstatic that I did.

Gaiman, the author of the Sandman graphic novels and other novels including Startdust and Good Omen with Terry Pratchett really out did himself with this tale.  Now, before I go much further I must admit that I find the story of Punch and Judy quite disturbing but I’m drawn to it, I find it utterly fascinating – I cannot get enough.  Gaiman intertwines the story of Punch with that of a *ugh* coming of age story.  I must also confess I hate coming of age stories, there is something so trite about them that makes it difficult to control my gag reflexes.  But, and let me tell you this is a huge but, Neil Gaiman has out done himself on this one.

Not only is the story of Mr. Punch’s murder spree told with all the darkest possible with but the story of the boy and the elderly characters that surround him when he is shipped off the live with his grandparents prior to the birth of his sister because of the childhood disease he has contracted is equally captivating.  Every word leads to the needs making it very difficult to put the book down.  I always was found wanting more, even at the end.

More than Gaiman’s words Dave McKean transported us to the past and the Punch and Judy tent of yore brilliantly using various mediums.  The words could be ignored, and I often found I was forgetting them while consuming this book, because of the eye candy provided by McKean.  There are so many nuances in the images that I found I dwelt on a page for much longer than I normally would reading a graphic novel.  I choice of Punch doll used for the book was perfect, he was so creepy and yet I couldn’t take my eyes off him or the other characters in the puppet show.

The various moods were present in both image and word.  As soon as the page was turned you knew you were in for a feast!  Although you wanted Gaiman’s words to propel you forward, and they did, McKean’s images forced you to pause.  These forces worked so well together that I didn’t notice they were so different until after I completed the book and began reflecting on readability of it.

To date this is the best graphic novel I have read.  I would definitely recommend it and the recommendation is even greater for any fan of Gaiman or Punch and Judy.  Run to your nearest bookshop and grab a copy.  What the Book has not disappointed yet again!  I hope their graphic novel section continues to grow and I find more gems like this one.