It's not that I'm not used to opening my weekly comic book shipment to find strange things, but I have to say, Seaguy, by Grant Morrison and Cameron Stewart, is one of the stranger things I've encountered. Yes, even stranger than Egg Story.I read this book twice and I still have little idea of what's actually going one. Pretty much I felt as if I was trapped inside an existentialist nightmare-world.
Don't get me wrong, there were quite a few entertaining moments. I was amused right at the start when Seaguy defeats Death in chess by having Death's own chess piece check Death's king (as apparently Death can't tell the difference between black and white). Still, considering the Yellow Submarine feel to this story I somehow expected it to be more humorous - or at least have an accompanying music CD.
There are a few parts of the story I really enjoyed. I loved Zoo, the living artificial food. I was kind of disappointed when that part of the story ended. The quote, "And I don't chow down on my friends!" was priceless. I also got a kick out of the idea that the moon was actually a tomb created by the ancient Egyptians. I think my favorite thing of all were the little Jackal guards running around the moon.
Really though, I feel like this story could have been much better if Grant Morrison had been reigned in just a bit. There was an overall story, in fact there was even a point to this strange adventure - it just gets lost in the confusion. I'm sure that was part of the idea, but as far as comic books go, this one gave me a headache.
Overall, some high and low points tied together with fairly nice looking art. I won't be recommending it too my friends anytime soon, but I still had some fun with Seaguy and his flying tuna friend.
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On another topic, I just finished reading Animal Farm (by George Orwell) for my British literature class. I'm not sure how many readers here have had the opportunity to read this book, but let me just say, if you haven't read it yet, you should. I read Orwell's 1984 in 8th grade and even though I enjoyed it I was never inspired to read any of his other books. I'm really happy that Animal Farm was on our reading list this year and made up for my gross oversight.
I'm pushing this classic not because it's a classic, but because the story applies to our country today (more so than most people would like to admit). As much as there are obvious allusions to the Russian Revolution and the rise of Stalin I think that it's frightfully relevant to America today. So the next time you have a few hours you should consider reading Animal Farm. It's a short book (only about 140 pages) and it's well worth the time.
Boy, I haven't read Seaguy for a long while, but your sentiments echo my initial reaction to the series..."huh"? I think at one point I just decided (or realized) that it wasn't a standard three act story and to just lay back and let the weirdness overtake me, much like my recent viewings of INLAND EMPIRE. I think though, that Seaguy wasn't really meant to be thought too deeply about, just "letting go" is the key to it's enjoyment. (Just my humble opinion though, plus I'm rambling due to fatigue LOL).
ReplyDeleteScott,
ReplyDeleteYeah, I think that really is the only way to getting into this story. I ended up enjoying it anyway, but like I said it was kind of like some strange existentialist nightmare world :)