Four-Letter Worlds

Originally I had planned on doing a full, in-depth review of the recently released anthology FOUR-LETTER WORLDS from Image, but my right arm is killing me, and I'm dead tired.

(I'm writing this the night before, because it's become increasingly difficult to write anything of substance while I'm at the office.)

Anyways... as I mentioned, I had wanted to do a review, but I'm going to have to settle for some brief remarks. Overall, I quite enjoyed this book and it was a real treat to read many of the entries from a stable of creators -- who for the most part -- I enjoy reading when they're off doing their own thing. It's not a perfect book, which is disappointing, but I would still recommend it to people just for the sheer amount of creativity that flows from within these pages.

Out of all sixteen stories, my favorite probably has to be "Junk" by Eric Stephenson and Mike Norton. Just the manner in which Stephenson chose to approach the theme of 'Hate' really clicked with me, and I guess spoke to me on some deep level. I can understand the feeling of having an object in your life you fought so hard for, only to have it serve as a reminder of a failed relationship. And it’s not that you hate the other person, but you hate the fact that this object you wanted keeps triggering all these memories. Yeah, I can relate, and I guess that's why I enjoyed it more so than the other entries.

Let's see, what else did I really enjoy? "Spin" by B. Clay Moore and Steven Griffin, especially Griffin's artwork. There was "T for True" by Jamie S. Rich and Andi Watson, which just had me chuckling throughout. Matt Fraction and Kieron Dwyer's "Fate" was really interesting, especially with the cause & effect approach. "Fell" by Steve Lieber had both a serious situation, but a funny (as in amusing, not awkward) conclusion. Jamie McKelvie's art for "Loss" (words by Amber Benson) was both haunting and beautiful within the same breath. And Jay Faerber's "Loud" was the perfect story for Steve Rolston's artwork.

(I hate to give the impression that the other stories included weren't as good -- because the majority of them were -- but the one's I've mentioned above simply stood out for much more than the others. That's probably one of the drawbacks for any anthology, in that sometimes you have to play favourites.)

I mentioned earlier that WORLDS wasn't a perfect book, and I'd like to elaborate on that point a bit more. There were two primary reasons for this. First, Robert Kirkman and Matthew Robert's "Blam" came across as rather ordinary and pedestrian when compared to the other three entries under the 'Hate' category. While the other stories had some really interesting takes on the concept, Kirkman instead opted for the typical, "I don't hate the world, I just hate myself" approach that has been used time after time. I suppose in any other anthology, with a completely different set of creators, the story may have faired better, but it simply stands out as the Plain Jane in this anthology.

The second thing that prevents WORLDS from being perfect involves "Hype" from THREE DAYS IN EUROPE collaborators Antony Johnston and Mike Hawthorne. Now the story itself isn't the problem -- in fact I found it quite amusing -- but the issue comes from the lettering provided by Erik Swanson. There were far too many times when I had to stop and re-read a line of dialogue because I found it difficult to make out what had been written out. I read a lot for my job, and it's not unusual for me to go through hundreds of pages of legal documentation on a daily basis (it's really not fun), which easily leads to eyestrain. So upon encounter lettering such as the sort that appears in "Hype", it's disappointing because it means I have to strain to make out what's being said. And after a long day of work, that's the last thing I want to do. I managed to get through the tale, and I enjoyed what I read (a fun little commentary on society's zeal for hyping anything and everything), but it took far longer to get through than the other stories. I wouldn't say it left me frustrated, but it was more of a chore to read than it should have. I'm not sure if it was assumed that WORLDS would be published as a standard-sized graphic novel (which I initially assumed that it was), where the font would have been larger in size, or something else. In any event, the lettering really detracted from the story, and unfortunately plays a role in preventing WORLDS from being perfect.

But that's not so bad really. To only encounter two problems with an anthology comprised of sixteen stories by twenty-seven creators is quite an accomplishment. All it simply means is that there is room to improve upon and exceed this anthology should Image decide to go for a second volume. And should that happen, I'd be more than happy to pick it up.

So much for my "brief remarks," eh?