Hey so I have not posted a review for the project in a while so here is two of them. First up is Watchmen by Alan Moore, Art by Dave Gibbons.
Watchmen
Grade: B-
So I have to say first off that this is not a bad book, but it is also not one I would recommend to people. Why? Because it is depressing. Let me clarify, this book is not sad, I have read books that have made me sad, it does not evoke a state where I feel the loss of a character rather it evokes a state where I am just deeply sad about everything while reading it. To me a book can be strong without giving this emotion as it is not one that I truly like. Even sadness in a book I can understand when it has some hope to it. However this book had no hope to it.
Now for actually about the book and what was good about it. The book follows a group of superheroes most of whom are retired after the death of another superhero. Now one important thing to note is that these "superheroes" are vigilantes like Batman with no powers, in this alternate world came after the release of Action Comics (with one exception of one who has powers.). Maybe the tone that I discussed before is set in the first chapter when the superhero The Comedian is killed and characters remark that is the reason for a lack of laughs. This causes many different reactions from the heroes. Most just let the police look into his murder. One however, Rorschach takes matters into his own hands believing their is a mask killer. He is the main character of the book and narrates through his journal. In addition to the superheroes that we see in the novel their is a cast of supporting characters who appear from time to time. To me the most interesting of these are Bernard and Bernard. One is an old man who runs a news stand and shows the public's uninformed opinion on the events of the book. The other is a young boy who is mooching of the man by sitting at his stand reading a comic book. That book is "The Tales of the Black Freighter" a fictional series in the book. The book is very well written and the art work is beautiful. At the end of each chapter is a piece of non fiction form the universe. These pieces vary from very interesting to extremely boring. The fictional comic book is a stand out in this book in my opinion, it has a narrative just as interesting as the actual one. If this book was less depressing it would probably be a A or A- but I can not give it that grade.
The Prophet by Kahilli Gibran
Grade: A+
This book was an emotional read for me. This book was given to me by my grandfather but I never could get through it and earlier this summer he passed away. I took the book with me to read on the way to Nevada as we were going their for his funeral. On the plane ride I finished the book. I want to steal words from Uncle and say that this book is the thought on thought. Each chapter is a thought on a different aspect on life. Whether or not you agree with the thought each one is interesting and makes you think. Thinking is the most important thing about this book. If you read this book, think about it as you read. This is the only way you will truly understand it.
