the Tommy|Zor era

It was Christmas. On top of the usual routine of getting together with the family, eating my parents out of house and home and rocking out with v2 and company, I received two very special gifts. First, was the final albums I needed to complete my Pink Floyd collection and the other was the graphic novel Wanted.

On the recommendation of my Utopian Literature professor, I had already read a list of graphic novels including Watchmen by Alan Moore (voted by Time magazine as the top 100 best novels), Seven Soldiers of Victory, and The Dark Knight Returns. These were all amazing reads and if you haven’t read Watchmen, you need to. Since the onset of reading those particular works, my bookshelf is now stocked with a plethora of graphic novels. In fact, I think I need a new bookshelf to hold them all.

However, Wanted was the first graphic novel that knocked me on my ASS. This series is living proof that Mark Millar can do no wrong… on top of the mountain of his other works that prove the very same point. Want some more examples? Yeah? Go look them up, then buy them. Civil War would be a good start in case you get lost along the way.

Wanted is a dark tale revolving around a world where all superheroes have been vanquished. The super-villains obliterated them and erased any memory of them from existence. The story follows Wesley Gibson, an office drone who discovers his recently assassinated father was a super-villain called The Killer. Story continues that Wesley has the same skills as his father, his father was the greatest killer of all time, Wesley develops his own skills and eventually embraces the violence of the world.

It’s dark – and it doesn’t get brighter. There is no hero out to make the world a better place. The dialogue doesn’t hold back and neither do the characters. Everything you would expect the characters to do, they’ve already done. Twice. Take for instance Wesley’s first kill:

“Like I just fucked Marilyn Monroe without a condom.” Mark Millar, if you’re reading this, I love you. Awesome lines like those are scattered throughout the entire series. If I’ve lent you my copy, I’ve already heard what stuck out the most to you.

To me, what makes this story so damn enthralling is how it awakens your own dark villainous side.

The first time I read that, I actually felt inspired. It’s sinister, but at this point, you have either joined the dark side or stopped reading all together. The real shock value, however, is when you realize you actually enjoy watching Wesley killing everything in sight.

Last point I want to make is regarding the ending. Not since A Clockwork Orange have I been thoroughly satisfied with the ending of a story. I implore you, if you still have an imagination left and want to unleash the darkness inside your soul, read this. Once you do, I’ll be there to greet you on the other side.

Quick little excerpt regarding the movie:

v2 and I went into great length discussing whether the movie would ruin the graphic novel forever and a day upon its release. It all boiled down to one point: the average movie-goer would not want to put down money to see an action movie about super-villains. Hence, it would be very difficult to make a faithful translation. Bottom line – v2 and I kept an open mind when we went to go see it and both of us actually enjoyed it. As an action film, it was enjoyable. Not spectacular, but not shitty. If you’re in the mood for an action movie one night, add it to the list of potentials.