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With Mike Carey, Warren Ellis and Neil Gaiman all having new books out this summer, do you think comic book writers can into successful novelist?  I’ve almost finished the Mike Carey book and it feels like a forgotten Hellblazer script that’s been adapted. 

The Gaiman collection of short stories was excellent.  After I finish the Carey book, I’m going to move on to the Ellis novel.  It looks like lots of fun. 

Did anyone read the Brad Metzler book?  I didn’t hear if it was good or not.

I think it depends on how they do telling a story without visual support.  If they can put those pictures into words, I think they could be great.

Carey wasn’t bad but the Ellis book is awesome.  I’m 40 pages in and we’ve already had Godzilla bukkake and the Chief of Staff to the President admitting he’s a heroin addict that likes to get smashed and poop himself.

Stefan - 18 July 2007 11:22 AM

Did anyone read the Brad Metzler book?  I didn’t hear if it was good or not.

I have not read his most recent book.

I did, however, read The 10th Justice back in 2000 when I graduated undergrad but long before I considered going to law school myself. It was a thrilling ride, a page turner, but not overly complex. It was pulpy. Summer-time fluff.

He second book, the name of which escapes me, is about a husband who’s defending and a wife who’s prosecuting in Manhattan, and they’re each told if they lose they die. Or something. Took me a bit longer to get into, and actually took two tries to finish it. I didn’t find it interesting.

I wasn’t overly blown away by Identity Crisis, myself. It was such an odd tone. So I didn’t bother to pick of Book of Fate.

All of these, however, are light and easy to read. Just depends on how complex your like your characters’ motivations: told to you, or explained to you.

I just finished Greg Rucka’s newest book.  He’s gotten better as a writer.

Felix Castor is certainly very influenced by John Constantine, but I thought the book stood well enough on it’s own merits, too.

Alan Moore’s got a book out, Voice Of The Fire, that I keep meaning to look into but constantly forget about.

Personally, I’d really like to read a Grant Morrison novel.  He holds back and heavily compresses his mainstream comic book work, so a Morrison cut loose is something I would be very interested in.