Sorry there has not been a lot of updates recently.

Hi there.

Just wanted to post this up here to in case any one wondered why i had not done any updates of late. Well the reason there has been none is because i am struggling with my reading and writing at the moment. This does happen every once in a while with me, where i just lose all enthusiasm but this time i have found myself losing more and more interest in comics than before. Sure there are some comics im really excited to read but i just no longer have enthusiasm whilst reading comics.

I dont know how much longer this is going to last so i think for now im going to put the blog on hold, not forever, just for time being.

Sorry.

Review: The Cartoon Illustrated Edition of The Tempest

Written by William Shakespeare

Adapted and illustrated by Simon Greaves

Shakespeare Comics


A few months back I got in contact with Shakespeare Comics in regards to reviewing some of their material for Comlexia. I spoke to Simon Graves, who I believe owns the company and he was gracious enough to send me a copy of The Tempest for me to review. Ive been meaning to review the book for a while but due to me being very busy recently I had not been able to review it until now.So Sorry for the delay!

Also I believe that the Tempest was one of the first books Shakespeare Comics released and since then they have released(or will be soon releasing) a full Colour Edition of Richard III.

Summary

The Tempest tells the story of Prospero the former duke of Milan, who had been exiled to island. Whilst on the island with his daughter, Prospero uses magic to shipwreck his brother(who usurped him) and his crew in order to help his daughter, Miranda find her true heritage, as all she has ever know is that of a life on the island living in a cave. With the crew now ship wrecked on the island, Prospero commands his slaves (Ariel and Caliban) to do his bidding, whether it is to lead the “handsome” Ferdinand to Prospero and Miranda or to simply gather supplies. All of the actions lead to Prospero’s redemption and liberation from the island.

Dyslexic Reading Quality

I really enjoyed reading this book and I can quite easily say, that if these editions were around whilst I was at school I would of done so much better. The story of The Tempest it’s self was not one I was familiar with and the only problem I had with the story, was that I did not like the character Prospero very much at all.

What I thought was a fantastic idea with the book, was the fact that the story contained the original Shakespearian text as well as the modern day equivalent. When I first to the speech on the page I was a bit put off because of how much text was there, but I quickly realised this was due to the translation of the Shakespearian text. What was interesting about this was that the Shakespearian text was in black, whilst the modern text was in purple. This would have been ideal for me in school as I did not have a clue what was going on whilst reading the original material.

The artwork in the book is in a very classic style, which is not a problem at all. The illustrations are clear too look at and aid the story telling. The only problem I had with the book as an aesthetic one, that being with the colouring. The book seem to be duo toned, and I did think the book could befit from being full colour as this would give the artwork a little more stylised feel. Although I have brought this up as a problem I have been informed by Simon Graves that future editions will now be FULL colour, which I think is a wonderful idea.

Also Shakespeare Comics publish SAT’s guides and Teachers books, which can be used for revision.

Additional Info

Since finishing The Tempest I have been curious too see other comic’s publisher’s takes on the story are, and recently paid a visit to my local Waterstones (Book shop) where by chance the manager of the branch, dealt with my purchase. There was only 1 copy of the Tempest (by the other publisher) on the shelf and the manager informed me this was due to English exams for schools. As we were talking I told the manager about Shakespeare Comics editions and how it would have been fantastic to have these books at school, luckily I remembered that I had it in my bag, so I showed it to the manager and he thought it looked great and wanted to order it in but when he checked it on his system, he found he could not order it in for some reason. So Shakespeare Comics if you’re reading this get in contact with Waterstones as my local branch thought they would brilliant to sell!

Overall I have to give the book 5 out of 5 as I do believe this is the first Shakespeare book ive ever read and understood! And even though I would of preferred the book too be full colour, I think it’s great Shakespeare Comics have also realised this and are now going to be doing full colour editions of their future releases.

Review: Tales of the TMNT Issue 40

Written by: Murphy, Diego Jourdan and Martin Casanova

Illustrated by: Diego Jourdan

Mirage Publishing


Tale of the TMNT is a black and white comic book that features a variety of writers and artists, who have a story to tell with characters from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) universe. These stories can be told from any characters point of view and can be set at any time period.

Summary

The issue being reviewed features a tale about Raphael from the TMNT, set in Tokyo in the year 2060. The story starts with a beaten and battered Raphael, coming too after being involved in a battle, only to discover a baby’s milk bottle in the ally. He soon traces down the baby, which had been hidden in the sewers and proceeds to take it away in order to care for it for the time being. With the help of some people passing by, Raphael and the baby are given some aid, with Raphael having a break and the baby getting some fresh milk and a clean nappy from a group of kind hearted prostitutes no less! Once this is done Raphael and Baby then make way to a local hospital where they are soon ambushed and mayhem is unleashed!

Dyslexic Reading Quality

First up I want to say how much I really enjoyed the artwork featured in this comic. The cover looks fantastic and the interior art work inside is a joy to look at. Although to read this comic I didn’t enjoy it at all. There are very minimal words in this comic and it requires the reader to make up the story from the art work in the panels and I think, in my opinion that this is a lazy story telling technique. For example, when Raphael is looking for the baby after his first fight, I originally thought that he had hidden the baby in the sewers, but after reading the story again, I think the baby was left in the sewer by Raphael’s attackers (The Foot Clan). The same goes for the “Kind hearted” prostitutes, I don’t know if they are prostitutes, im just guessing from the way they were dressed, although they do shop up towards the end of the issue again this time with guns!!
The comic took me about 5 minutes to read, if that and I was very disappointed. This is not the first time I have brought an issue of this series but it is the first time I regretted buying an issue.
I found this issue incredibly hard to read and would recommend to other dyslexic people to avoid this issue of the series in particular. Sorry but it really didn’t work for me.

2 out of 5. Nice art but lacklustre story

Review: Moon Knight Issue 17

Written by: Mike Benson & Charlie Huston

Illustrated by: Mark Texeira

Marvel Comics

Moon Knight is essentially Marvel Comics version of Batman except he has severe multiple personalities problems. He has recently registered in accordance with superhuman registration act in order to bring justice to criminals.

Summary

Ok this is what I think has happened in the issue. Moon Knight (Marc Spector) has recently registered under the rules of the superhuman registration act. He is still beating up thugs and villains to with in a inch of their lives and S.H.I.E.L.D. have been monitoring what he has been up too and have informed Iron man, who is also the current director of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Marc Spector has some thing going on (I really don’t know what) with his ex lover Marlene and seems to be getting back together, then splitting up with her again about 2 minutes later.

Dyslexic Reading Quality

If your dyslexic and thinking of reading Moon Knight don’t bother as it’s not worth it. Ive been reading this series since it was launched a few years back and I cant honestly tell you what has happened in the series as I find Charlie Huston’s writing completely unreadable. I think Moon Knight is being told what to do by his god Khonshu who is appearing to him as the dead villain Bushman but I could be wrong.

Each issue deals with Marc and Marlene maybe getting back together then a minute later they are going their separate ways.
This issue in particular was very difficult to read, like I stated in the previous sentence, Mark and Marlene have another one of their chats this issue and by the end of the issue I think Iron Man has come to sort out Moon Knight for being so extreme. One thing I have liked about the series is the artists they have used, the one features in this issue is Mark Texeira and I like his work its just a shame its being used on this title.
If you really want to read some good Moon Knight stories then check out the Marvel Essentials Moon Knight, that is reprinting the original series.

1 out of 5. Awful comic to read if your dyslexic.

No updates over the past 2 weeks?

Hello.

Sorry if you had visited Comlexia over the past 2 week to see no updates what so ever, but i had been very busy. So expect a few updates over the next few days. Also ive still got a few Virgin Comics to give away still so if you want any please look at the post below.

One of the things that has kept me from working on comlexia was editing a video, as a surprise for a friends birthday. The project was organized by Iz McAuliff, who is one of the presenters over at the Comic Racks Podcast, she basically got a few members from the Comic forums , who are friends with the awesome talented artist Rob Jackson who has created many avatars like mine pictured here, to make a music video based on Nicklebacks song "Rockstar" and it i was asked to edit the video. Editing this video was a lot of work because i had many different file formats that i had to convert and then edit too the song. Also my computer would crash a lot whilst editing, so it made it very hard. Any way i completed the video in time for rob's birthday and here is the final piece!! Enjoy!!

Virgin Comics Spotlight and Giveaway!

Virgin Comics

About 4-5 months ago I picked up the first issue of the new Dan Dare comic from Virgin Comics. Until I had brought that comic, I never had any intention of ever picking up a comic from Virgin Comics as I believed none of their titles were that interesting. After reading Dan Dare (which I really enjoyed), I decided to check out what some of Virgin Comics other titles were like. I was lucky enough to find the first issue of Guy Ritchie’s Game Keeper in the back issue section in my local comic shop. Again after reading the comic I was impressed with the quality of the comic, from writing to illustration/artwork to how it was printed and once again I wanted to see/read more of their work. Over the last few weeks I was able to pick up numerous first issues of a lot of their series that they had put out. Again the writing and artwork in most of the issues has been nothing short of brilliant and there has only been one comic that I found difficult to read and understand.

The reason why I had never checked out Virgin Comics is because a lot of the initial comics that were released from them, featured characters and inspirations from Indian mythology and stories. The reason this did not appeal to me is because I do not know a lot about Indian mythology and it’s not something that I ever would have thought would appeal to me. When I read the comics that did feature lots of ties to the mythology, I was pleasantly surprised to find the stories incredibly interesting and very original. I can’t help but think I was incredibly small minded by not wanting to try these comics just because they took their inspiration from a different culture.

Ive currently started picking up a few new series from Virgin Comics, those being Dan Dare, The Megas and The Stranded and I will look forward to their future releases (look for a new review coming this week!).

Now as I am more than pleased with Virgin Comics titles, I would love for other people to give Virgin Comics a try, so I am going to give away the following comics to who ever requests them. These are the actual comics, not PDF’s or CBR files and I will post them to where ever you wish.

The comics available are:
(Summaries of each title are from Virgin.com)

Devi Issues 1-4

Devi (pronounced Day-vee) is India’s first superhero. Tara Mehta, an unsuspecting young woman in the futuristic Indian city, Sitapur is the Devi. She has no idea that she is about to become the centerpiece of a divine battle between the Gods of Light and the demon Lord Bala. A powerhouse of a story about a young woman battling for survival in a landscape of ancient legends, duty and fate, Devi walks the line between tradition, destiny, and free will. Where will she fall? In the Divine? or the Diabolical?

Ramayan 3392AD Issues 1-3

The greatest myth in Indian history comes to life in Ramayan 3392 A.D. Let this timeless tale of adventure, mystery, honor and betrayal invigorate your senses, as India’s most innovative story-tellers, Shekhar Kapur and Deepak Chopra, recreate an ancient epic of legendary proportions.

Enter a post-apocalyptic world where the last of humanity struggles to fight against the evil hordes of Nark, a dark continent lead by the monstrous In a time when what’s left world is enshrouded in darkness, these brothers are mankind’s last beacons of hope…

The Sadhu Issues 1 & 2


Sadhus do not know love or hate, desire or fear. They are detached from all emotional ties, devoting themselves to a spiritual journey said to unleash unimaginable powers. It is this ancient tradition that James Jenson is fated to tread but he must first tackle his biggest obstacle yet – himself.

When James Jenson, a down-on-his-luck Englishman, is recruited into her majesty Queen Victoria's army and posted with his family in Colonial India, he takes the first step towards meeting his destiny. But a tragic twist of fate sends James on a journey that will force him to choose between spiritual awakening and human instinct, guiding him from a simple soldier to a spiritual warrior. Between oath and instinct there is THE SADHU.

7 Brothers Issue 1

Six hundred years ago long, before history’s great explorers stole the credit for their feats, mighty Chinese treasure fleets set sail to reach every continent. These voyages of discovery left behind an evil legacy and a plot by a powerful Chinese sorcerer to dominate the world. Our story begins in modern day Los Angeles where an ancient Chinese prophecy must be fulfilled. Seven men with nothing in common but their destinies must face the Son of Hell to save the world.

Snake Woman Issue 1

Jessica Peterson is learning first-hand that the cycle of revenge cannot be broken. Without understanding why, she finds herself turning into a creature – a vicious Snakewoman. Her mission – to avenge a centuries old wrong that was conceived half a world away, deep in the jungles of India. Terrified by her true nature and hunted by a mysterious organization known only as “The 68,” Jessica must confront the monster that lurks inside her before it is too late.

Voodoo Child Issue 1

In 1860, the plantation of Mason Moore—a known Unionist sympathizer—is burned to the ground by secessionists. In the battle, Moore’s illegitimate son is killed, but as he gasps his last breaths, a voodoo bokor places a spell upon the dying boy. Flash forward to 2005: four months after the worst natural disaster in its history, New Orleans is gripped by fear as young girls start to disappear from its streets while a brutal gang war rages. When Detective Robert Julien starts to investigate, he finds that there's something else out in the shadows: something that's neither dead nor alive. The Voodoo Child. But is it a possible ally or the darkest nightmare of all?

In order to claim the issues please post a reply to this post. Also it’s first come first served and 1 title for every person who posts a reply (Please state which title you want in your post)

Comics Rant

Sorry for the fact there was no update last week, I was a little busy and not really in the mood to type something up. But now I want to vent on this subject cause its staring to annoy me a little.

Basically I am getting extremely fed up with a lot of the comics coming from Marvel and DC. More and more it seems that both companies are putting out material that is so bogged down in continuity and events that come after events and Ive had enough.

DC for example seem to be so heavily embedded with their continuity (which is really off-putting to me) at the moment and they seem to be having a weekly series(which feature tons of crap substandard mini series and spin offs) that keeps leading to another event and I find myself no longer taking an interest in what they are doing. Im currently reading 4 of their titles (well and 2 British reprints) and that is enough for me.

Marvel is the event machine. It seems that every time there is an event finishing, there is another one starting. There is the up coming Secret Invasion coming from marvel and for the first time in a few years I will not be picking every issue that ties in to the mini series and why?


Well because usually 70% of the comics that tie into the event are complete filler and don’t add any thing to the series. Another thing that really annoys me is when they release Mini series to tie in with the main even Series. For Example Secret Invasion Fantastic Four, why couldn’t this tie be told in the main book? Because they brought on a new creative team last month? Well that’s bollocks, they should delay the new creative team until the Secret Invasion Fantastic Four story was out of the way. Why should any body that is buying the monthly Fantastic Four comic have to shelve out more cash for another book, which will probably have no repercussions in the main title any way?

So no I wont be buying any “Special mini series that tie into the main mini series bollocks”. Never did I think a day would come where im getting sick and tired of Marvel and DC but It looks like that day is already here.