Harlan Ellison's 7 Against Chaos by Harlan Ellison and Before Watchmen: Nite Owl/Dr. Manhattan by J. Michael Straczynski

I don't usually review graphic novels, but I'm making an exception for two that were written by writers whose storytelling ability I particularly admire.

7 Against Chaos by Harlan Ellison

Published by DC Comics on July 16, 2013

Earth has been plagued by a series of disasters: people have spontaneously combusted or transformed into snakes, a harbor changed into a desert, a mountain of ice appeared from nowhere. To save the Earth from crisis, high level computers have directed a robed man to assemble a team from various colonies around the solar system. A slave who is a female version of Edward Scissorhands, a faceless cat burglar, a woman who can shoot fire from her fingers, a fellow who has been reengineered as an insect, a robot, and a technological whiz with telepathic tendencies join the robed man to "fight for the fabric of reality itself."

Harlan Ellison -- the best writer of short stories in the history of science fiction -- has given us a time travel story combined with a "humanize the robot" story combined with a some superheroism stories combined with a couple of love stories combined with a quest/adventure story combined with an alien invasion story, all wrapped around a good versus evil story, with evil personified by someone or something named Erisssa. And, of course, it's all ultimately an homage to Seven Samurai. You can't fault Ellison for lacking ambition.

Although the story is entertaining -- and the particular way in which Ellison combines the alien invasion with time travel is innovative -- I can't say that 7 Against Chaos resonated with me in the same way that Ellison's best work has done over the years. In fact, the authorial voice doesn't sound like Ellison to me, which makes sense, since Paul Chadwick not only did the artwork but wrote much of the dialog. Chadwick's art serves its purpose but it didn't stun me.

Maybe I'm a little disappointed because, like most of Ellison's eighty zillion fans, I expect to be blown away by every glob of spit that comes out of his mouth, and 7 Against Chaos just didn't grab me. Had this been developed as a twelve-issue miniseries, I'd probably be more excited about it. An awful lot happens in a limited number of pages, and that means an awful lot is sacrificed. The characters are strong but character development is too often rudimentary. The story comes across as the outline for an epic blockbuster but doesn't deliver a blockbuster punch, largely because it's too condensed to achieve epic status. None of this means I dislike the end result -- it's fun and clever and it displays flashes of the power Ellison so readily wields -- but I see a lot of potential here that wasn't maximized. I'd recommend it anyway (albeit with reservations) because ... well ... it's Ellison.

RECOMMENDED WITH RESERVATIONS

Before Watchmen: Nite Owl/Dr. Manhattan by J. Michael Straczynski

Published by DC Comics on July 16, 2013

I'm reviewing this because I'm a fan of Alan Moore's brilliant Watchmen series (the serialized graphic novel, not the movie) and of J. Michael Straczynski.  Straczynski shows his versatility in Before Watchmen: Nite Owl/Dr. Manhattan. This volume collects three stories. The first focuses on Nite Owl and his relationship with Rorshach. With Straczynski at the writing helm, you know there's a good chance that irreverent humor will balance the story's dramatic content. But Straczinski also excels at gritty, atmospheric noir, and there's plenty of that here. There's even a certain amount of sleaze, but it's poetic sleaze. Straczinski quotes Alan Ginsberg and he may well have relied on Ginsberg as inspiration for the raw earthiness of the story. When Straczinski is given license to do his best writing, you're going to get sex and hypocrites moralizing about sex. You'll see all sides of human nature, the pure and the damaged, and it will be delivered with unvarnished honesty.

The tongue-in-cheek tone that characterizes Nite Owl's story gives way to achingly serious writing when the story shifts to Dr. Manhattan. The blue guy, in all his quantum possibility, is a deeper character, given to philosophical introspection. Straczinski plays with time streams and potential realities to develop a heartfelt story about the difference (if there is one) between what is and what might have been, a story about the power of choice, including the choices we are powerless to make. This is really an impressive piece of writing, some of Straczinski's finest work.

Another shift in tone occurs in the third story, focusing on Moloch the Mystic (and, to a lesser extent, Ozymandius). This time the story is twisted, introducing elements of horror as Straczinsky explains Moloch's past. There isn't as much depth here, but it's just a two issue add-on that I regarded as a little treat, neither adding nor detracting from the two main features.

Straczinski stays true to Alan Moore's wonderful characters. Rorschach is as messed up as ever. Straczinski gives us some additional insight into the cause of his inner turmoil, but he doesn't alter the character in any fundamental way, and he's faithful to Rorschach's peculiar speech patterns. Dr. Manhattan is his brooding, enigmatic self. This is a dazzling display of storytelling. It isn't Alan Moore, but it isn't meant to be.

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