Fishtown from IDW will do the following things:
1. Be on at least half the "best graphics novels of 2008" lists (provided the reviewers get to read their copies in time).
2. Be made into a movie.
3. Make Kevin Colden rich; and if not rich, a least reasonably well-off.
4. Put IDW on the map as a serious publisher of original graphic novels, complete with successful book store penetration. Lord knows they already have 30 Days of Night and other successful titles under their belt; but Fishtown is going to put them on the map as a contender to Vertigo and the graphic novel imprints of the major book publishers.
Fishtown is a chilling portrayal of teenage apathy and bloodlust that will no doubt bring to mind Columbine and the movie "Bully." If the story seems similar to these more high-profile cases, only the more sadder that these events seem to be a pattern in the world. The storytelling is raw and unflinching, drawn in a style that brought to mind Dave Gibbons via "Requiem For A Dream". One of the characters even looks like a young Walter Joseph Kovacs.
Were the teens involved in the Fishtown murders products of their environment or merely evil? Colden won't let the reader off the hook with such simplistic answers. Fishtown is a trip through the mundane but no less destructive gates of hell that lurk in the quiet enclaves of working-class America.
And yes, had I not been still in the middle of my workday, I would have grabbed a drink after reading the book. It's that powerful.
On sale now: Fishtown, a 120-page hardcover graphic novel from IDW, $19.95.
I'm somewhat surprised by your reaction to this. I thought it was fine but a bit flat and definitely nowhere near a "Best of" list.
ReplyDeleteBully was much more effective.
Bully was a "meh" kind of movie. Late night cable fare. I enjoyed Fishtown more.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to see it on "Best of" lists, and it certainly deserves a spot. It will be on mine, I think.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Raphael.
ReplyDeleteI would of enjoyed Fishtown a whole lot more if it had a different format other than "Interrogation, Flashback, Interrogation, Flashback".
I also did not like how Kevin used pauses. Yes, it was realistic, but it hurt the flow.
It felt like the comic book adaptation of The Laramie Project.