Showing posts with label Gangster. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gangster. Show all posts

August 8, 2019

Pride and Joy - Garth Ennis & John Higgins

He was born and raised in Ireland in a place called Castlemaine, he was his father's only son, his mother's pride and joy, and dearly did his parents love the wild colonial boy” goes a well-known song by The Clancy Brothers. It is with the lyrics of this particular song that Irish author Garth Ennis opens the first chapter of the 4-issue miniseries Pride and Joy, published by Vertigo from July to October, 1997. 

Usually, for most parents, their children are their “pride and joy”, and that’s what the song is about. But what happens when children don’t feel proud about their parents? From the beginning of the story, we have a strong conflict between Jimmy Kavanaugh, a widower who lives a simple life, constantly remembering the past, and Patrick Kavanaugh, his son who is about to move to a different state to go to college. For Jimmy, the past is always glorious and happy, he remembers his beloved wife and also his father, a hero from War World II. 

Patrick, however, is a young man who despises violence and hates the concept of war. For him, there’s no such thing as war heroes. Patrick is also a shy kid, constantly ignored by girls, and for that he’s mocked by his friends who say things like “you might be happy jerking yourself to sleep every night”. And then there’s Rachel Kavanaugh, Patrick’s younger sister. Rachel absolutely adores Jimmy and she can’t understand why her brother is so hostile toward their father. Ennis is a writer specialized in creating unique and very special relationships between characters, and he manages to convey the family dynamic effortlessly.
Patrick Kavanaugh
It’s in this context that Stein reappears. Stein was a dangerous gangster that Jimmy almost killed many years ago. Now he’s back and plans to kill Jimmy, his family and all his friends. For those who read “A History of Violence” or saw the filmic adaptation directed by David Cronenberg and starred by Viggo Mortensen, the similitudes will be more than evident. In both comic titles we have a family man, an ordinary guy living a boring and unassuming existence, who has been hiding a horrible secret past, in both stories the gangsters go after the protagonist, who must fight back with everything he’s got to defend his family.

In an interview for ComicBookResources, Ennis stated that Pride and Joy “was something I was keen to do at the time largely because Vertigo was still dominated by gothic fantasy or new wave superhero stories -- I thought it would be good to use the imprint's creative freedom to do something relatively new for mainstream comics at the time”. However, Pride and Joy wasn’t as well received by the critic, and perhaps that happened because “A History of Violence” was published in April 1997 (3 months before Pride and Joy) and I’d venture to say that John Wagner, one of the most prolific British writers and creator of such massively popular characters as Judge Dredd, found a way to make his protagonist more relatable to the audience.
Jimmy Kavanaugh & Rachel Kavanaugh
However, I still think one of Ennis most important contributions to this story is the conflict between the father and his son, and the way he develops this conflict in more dramatic circumstances, when the family is on the run, fighting for their lives. The penciler, inker, colorist and cover artist is John Higgins, one of the most talented British artists who started his career in 2000 AD. “Pride & Joy was the first comic story I had worked on that felt complete, like a suspense novel, visceral, and violent”, explained Higgins, who created some violent and shocking scenes, and also comes up with a unique style for the covers, combining original painted art with photo manipulation. I really enjoyed reading Pride and Joy, and I think the last chapter is especially revealing. 
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Nació y creció en Irlanda en un lugar llamado Castlemaine, era el único hijo de su padre, el orgullo y la alegría de su madre, y sus padres amaban mucho al salvaje niño colonial”, dice una canción muy conocida de The Clancy Brothers. Con la letra de esta canción en particular, el autor irlandés Garth Ennis abre el primer capítulo de la miniserie de 4 números Pride and Joy, publicada por Vertigo de julio a octubre de 1997.
Stein
Por lo general, para la mayoría de los padres, sus hijos son a menudo “orgullo y alegría”, y de eso se trata la canción. ¿Pero qué sucede cuando los hijos no se sienten orgullosos de sus padres? Desde el comienzo de la historia, hay un fuerte conflicto entre Jimmy Kavanaugh, un viudo que vive una vida simple, recordando constantemente el pasado, y Patrick Kavanaugh, su hijo que está a punto de mudarse a un estado diferente para ir a la universidad. Para Jimmy, el pasado siempre es glorioso y feliz, recuerda a su amada esposa y también a su padre, un héroe de la Segunda Guerra Mundial.

Sin embargo, Patrick es un joven que desprecia la violencia y odia el concepto de guerra. Para él, no hay héroes de guerra. Patrick también es un muchacho tímido, constantemente ignorado por las chicas, y por eso sus amigos se burlan de él y dicen cosas como “puede que tú te sientas feliz masturbándote hasta quedarte dormido todas las noches”. Y luego está Rachel Kavanaugh, la hermana menor de Patrick. Rachel adora absolutamente a Jimmy y no puede entender por qué su hermano es tan hostil hacia su padre. Ennis es un escritor especializado en crear relaciones únicas y muy especiales entre personajes, y logra transmitir magníficamente la dinámica familiar.
Jimmy's past / el pasado de Jimmy
Es en este contexto que Stein reaparece. Stein era un peligroso gangster que Jimmy intentó matar hace muchos años. Ahora está de regreso y planea matar a Jimmy, su familia y todos sus amigos. Para quienes leyeron “Una historia de violencia” o vieron la adaptación cinematográfica dirigida por David Cronenberg y protagonizada por Viggo Mortensen, las similitudes serán más que evidentes. En ambos títulos tenemos a un hombre de familia, un tipo común que vive una existencia aburrida y sin pretensiones, que ha estado ocultando un horrible pasado secreto, en ambas historias los gangsters persiguen al protagonista, que debe luchar con uñas y dientes para defender a su familia.

En una entrevista para ComicBookResources, Ennis declaró que Pride and Joy “era algo que estaba ansioso por hacer en ese momento en gran medida porque Vertigo todavía estaba dominado por la fantasía gótica o las historias de superhéroes de la nueva ola. Pensé que sería bueno usar la libertad creativa del sello editorial para hacer algo relativamente nuevo en el mundo de los cómics en esa coyuntura”. Sin embargo, Pride and Joy no fue tan bien recibida por la crítica, y tal vez eso sucedió porque “Una historia de violencia” se publicó en abril de 1997 (3 meses antes que Pride and Joy) y me atrevería a decir que John Wagner, uno de los escritores británicos más prolíficos y creador de personajes tan populares como el Juez Dredd, logró que el público se identificara mejor con su protagonista.
Stein versus Jimmy
Sin embargo, creo que una de las contribuciones más importantes de Ennis a esta historia es el conflicto entre padre e hijo, y la forma en que desarrolla este conflicto en circunstancias tan dramáticas, cuando la familia está huyendo, cuando están luchando por sus vidas. El dibujante, entintador, colorista y portadista es John Higgins, uno de los artistas británicos más talentosos que comenzó su carrera en 2000 AD. “Pride and Joy fue el primer cómic en el que trabajé que se sintió completo, como una novela de suspenso, visceral y violenta”, explicó Higgins, quien crea algunas escenas violentas e impactantes, y también presenta un estilo único para las portadas, combinando arte original pintado a mano con manipulación de fotos. Realmente disfruté leyendo Pride and Joy, y creo que el último capítulo es especialmente revelador.

January 16, 2017

December Comics / Cómics de diciembre

During the holidays I had the chance to read some amazing comics like Providence, 2000 AD or trade paperbacks like Captain Britain (which includes part of Alan Moore’s run) or the final two volumes of Yoshiyuki Sadamoto’s magnum opus, Neon Genesis Evangelion, which took him almost 20 years to complete. In addition to that I’m really enjoying Aaron’s titles (Doctor Strange and Unworthy Thor), but my favorite issue of the month was Gillen’s Uber Invasion #1. 

2000 AD PACK SEP
Blazing SF action from the Eisner-nominated UK anthology! Events take an unmissable turn in the conclusion to the shocking Dredd story from John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra; elsewhere the lineup comes to a barnstorming conclusion as Psi-Judge Anderson battles political subterfuge in 'The Candidate' by Emma Beeby and Nick Dyer; the stakes are raised in the fight against the Martians in Scarlet Traces: Cold War by Ian Edginton and D'Israeli; and there's a race against global extinction in Flesh: Gorehead by Pat Mills and Clint Langley!

CAPTAIN BRITAIN: LEGACY OF A LEGEND TPB 
(W/A) Various (CA) Alan Davis. Honor four decades of myth and majesty with the United Kingdom's greatest hero! Follow Brian Braddock - handpicked for greatness by the sorcerer Merlyn - from the fateful decision that imbues him with the might of right on the path to glory that will make him protector of the Omniverse! Along the way, he'll make a splash stateside in a team-up with Spider-Man and fight alongside the Black Knight in the name of King Arthur! Things go from fantasy to far-out as Brian goes Multiversal - facing Slaymaster, the Crazy Gang, Mad Jim Jaspers and the Fury! He's Britain's champion - now and forever! Collecting CAPTAIN BRITAIN (1976) #1-2; MARVEL TEAM-UP (1972) #65-66; and material from HULK COMIC #1 and #3-5, INCREDIBLE HULK WEEKLY #57-59, MARVEL SUPER-HEROES (UK) #377-384 and #386, DAREDEVILS #3-4, MIGHTY WORLD OF MARVEL (1983) #8-12 and CAPTAIN BRITAIN (1985) #14. Rated T+

CHAMPIONS #3
(W) Mark Waid (A/CA) Humberto Ramos. What began as an idea and an ideal has now become a movement! But the problem with movements is that not even the Hulk can control them! Rated T

DOCTOR STRANGE #15 
(W) Jason Aaron (A/CA) Chris Bachalo. • 'Blood in the Aether' continues as Doctor Strange's Rogues' Gallery all take their shot at a weakened Sorcerer Supreme! • Back during ORIGINAL SIN, the Watcher was killed and his eyes were removed. One eye fell into the hands of the Orb! • With that immense power, the Orb has set his sights on Doctor Strange! Rated T+

EMPRESS #7 
(W) Mark Millar (A/CA) Stuart Immonen. This astounding series climax shows family turn against each other and old secrets crawl out of the woodwork as Morax finally hunts his wife and children down. An action-packed, gory end to the first volume of Millar and Immonen's sci fi space opera. Rated T+

JESSICA JONES #3
• Jessica Jones' new secrets start to unfold. How far did Jessica go to uncover a deadly secret in the Marvel Universe? • From the original creators comes an all new chapter in the world-famous private eye's ongoing adventures. Parental Advisory

MOONSHINE #3
'MOONSHINE,' Part Three Gangster Lou Pirlo's mission to Appalachia isn't going as well as planned, so his NYC boss sends him some help in the form of three rival gangsters. Meanwhile, the only 'help' Lou really wants is from the mysterious, but likely deadly, Delia.

NEON GENESIS EVANGELION 2-IN-1 EDITION VOL. 5
(W/A) Yoshiyuki Sadamoto. The Instrumentality Project comes to its apocalyptic conclusion. With the earth now covered in a sea of LCL, every human consciousness in the world has become one—a combined entity waiting to be reborn. Deep within Lilith, Shinji comes face-to-face with everything he ever knew, loved and feared. The fate of the world is in his hands, and the choice he makes will doom or redeem humanity. Everything ends here. Everything begins here. This is the epic finale of Neon Genesis Evangelion! Includes vols. 13 & 14 

PROVIDENCE #11 
(W) Alan Moore (A/CA) Jacen Burrows. For Black is his name and Black is his destiny. Everything has changed for Robert Black and perhaps for all of us. This is Providence… or is this Yuggoth? Alan Moore's masterpiece reaches its denouement and nothing will be the same. Available with Regular, Pantheon, Portrait, Dreamscape Wraparound, Women of HPL, the painted Weird Pulp and a special Ancient Tome Incentive cover, all by collaborator Jacen Burrows.

REBORN #3
MILLAR & CAPULLO's epic sci-fi fantasy story continues. Bonnie is captured by Dark Lands gangsters during her quest to find her missing husband-gangsters who will deliver her to evil General Frost and his boss, Lord Golgotha. But just as all hope seems lost, Bonnie's warrior powers start kicking in.

SILVER SURFER #8 
(W) Dan Slott (A/CA) Mike Allred. 'Microcosmic'. Accidentally swallowed by Jumbonox the Giganormous, the Surfer and Dawn are rescued by a society of sentient macro-microorganisms... who, by no fault of their own, might just be the deadliest disease in the universe. Rated T+

UNWORTHY THOR #2
• The Realm of Old Asgard has vanished, taking with it Odinson's hope for redemption. • But good tidings from Beta Ray Bill might breathe new life into the quest. For Bill knows the fate of the Realm Eternal. • To win back Odinson's honor, the brothers in arms must infiltrate the fortress of THE COLLECTOR. Rated T
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Durante las fechas navideñas tuve la oportunidad de leer algunos cómics asombrosos como Providence, 2000 AD o tomos recopilatorios como Captain Britain (que incluye parte de la etapa de Alan Moore) o los dos volúmenes finales De la gran obra de Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, Neon Genesis Evangelion, que le tomó casi 20 años completar. Además de todo ello, realmente estoy disfrutando con los títulos de Aaron (Doctor Strange y Unworthy Thor), pero mi cómic favorito del mes fue  Uber Invasion #1 de Gillen.

2000 AD PACK SEP
2000 AD Progs 1997, 1998 & 1999. 

CAPTAIN BRITAIN: LEGACY OF A LEGEND TPB
¡Cuatro décadas de mito y majestad con el gran héroe del Reino Unido! Seguid a Brian Braddock -elegido por el brujo Merlyn. Una decisión fatídica le otorgará el poder de la justicia y lo guiará por el camino a la gloria como protector del Omniverso. Recopilación de CAPTAIN BRITAIN (1976) # 1-2; MARVEL TEAM-UP (1972) # 65-66; Y el material de HULK COMIC # 1 y # 3-5, INCREDIBLE HULK WEEKLY # 57-59, MARVEL SUPER-HEROES (UK) # 377-384 y # 386, DAREDEVILS # 3-4, MIGHTY WORLD OF MARVEL (1983) 8-12 y el CAPITÁN BRITÁNICO (1985) # 14. 

CHAMPIONS # 3
¡Lo que empezó como una idea y un ideal se ha convertido en un movimiento! Pero el problema con los movimientos es que son difíciles de manejar.

DOCTOR STRANGE #15
Cuando el Hechicero Supremo está debilitado todos sus enemigos atacan por sorpresa. Y ahora el ojo del Vigilante ha caído en manos del Orbe.

EMPRESS # 7
La familia se enfrenta entre sí y viejos secretos salen a flote mientras MORAX finalmente caza a su esposa y a sus hijos. Un final sangriento y lleno de acción para el primer volumen de esta ópera de ciencia ficción.

JESSICA JONES #3
Los secretos de Jessica Jones empiezan a salir a flote. 

MOONSHINE #3
Brian Azzarello & Risso.

NEON GENESIS EVANGELION 2-IN-1 EDITION VOL. 5
La conclusión de la saga. Incluye volúmenes 13 & 14.

PROVIDENCE # 11
Su nombre es Black y su destino es oscuro. Todo ha cambiado para Robert Black y quizás para todos nosotros. Esto es Providence ... ¿o esto es Yuggoth? La obra maestra de Alan Moore alcanza su desenlace y nada será igual. 

REBORN #3
Los rufianes de la tierra oscura hacen una captura. 

SILVER SURFER #8
Tragados accidentalmente por JUMBONOX, el GIGANTENORME, SILVER SURFER y DAWN son rescatados por una sociedad de macro-microorganismos sensibles ... que bien podrían ser la enfermedad más letal del universo. 

UNWORTHY THOR #2
El reino del antiguo Asgard ha desaparecido. El hijo de Odín busca la redención. Pero la llegada de Beta Ray Bill podría brindar esperanza, ya que él sabe el destino del reino eterno. Para que el hijo de Odín recupere su honor, ambos guerreros deberán infiltrarse en la fortaleza del Coleccionista.