“HAPPY!” #1
Story by Grant Morrison
Art by Darick Roberson
Reviewed by Munawar Mobin
Image comics' latest instalment, “Happy!” written by the ever-brilliant Grant Morrison and pencilled by the equally talented Darick Robertson, came out early this September. This comic series (and review) is intended for readers above the age of eighteen, due to its use of strong language and gory scenes.
Happy! starts off with a bang as it introduces a variety of characters, with apparent importance to the plot, right in the very first issue. The details about the story are vague as readers are given three to four panel views of everyone but the titular character. That being said, the issue focuses mostly on a hitman former cop, Nick Sax, whose introduction is cut short due to his being riddled by bullets and sharp words from the Mafia.
The first few pages give a pretty good idea of what level of mayhem to expect from this series, as the cast of characters all possess the wondrous ability to swear and curse at anything that moves. Expect curse words and high adrenaline action.
Morrison's greatest flaw is also his greatest strength. He is very much the kid in the playground who would rather sit by the sandbox and make battle blueprints for the imaginary war in his head than make sand castles with buckets. His stories have a habit of dropping pace and shutting down till the last minute when it is miraculously revived. But this first issue has some good consistent story writing, and the approach seems different. The kicker comes in, when, at one point you will realise that the comic does make you 'happy'.
The cover is an odd one but once you're through with the issue, it makes a little more sense. Although it does sound like your usual, mainstream mob comics with just a bit more of a side dish to go with the main course, the issue is (in the writer's opinion) much more than that. Also, the fact that it is Grant Morrison makes it obvious that there can't be much that won't surprise the readers.
With detailed artwork, dark colours, solid story and unexpected heartwarming feel, Happy! #1 stands as a good first issue overflowing with potential to be the next Morrison classic.
The end isn't near
By Nutboltu
After this last fiasco by the Mayans and Aztecs, no one will believe them in dinner parties when they talk about stuff that could happen in 2013. Imagine meeting a Mayan while having tea at Hotel California in Dhanmondi and the guy says, “I think you should invest in Apple cause that's sure going to dominate the world.” We hear that from them, heck no, that's not gonna happen. Because 2012 was a flop. But Apple will probably dominate. They already have mind control devices that make people buy ridiculously expensive beautiful gadgets and then write fawning blogs about apples and pears.
But the end didn't happen, not yet anyways. There's no concrete surefire doomsday prediction around the block either. But Sir Isaac Newton had an idea right after being hit on the head by a watermelon. He figured the world will end in 2060. That’s a relief because my savings plan matures in 2050.
Sir Newton believed the Apocalypse would come 1,260 years after the foundation of the Holy Roman Empire, according to a recently published letter of his that was never before seen because everybody deals with emails. The good thing about this new old doomsday is that Newton based his calculations on religion rather than reasoning. So it may or may not happen like all previous doomsday scenarios.
But he confidently stated in the letter that the Bible proved the world would end in 2060, adding: "It may end later, but I see no reason for its ending sooner." Whatever the case, don't make major travel plans on that date.
