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Cell Block Z
To his fans, Cole Dennis is a heavyweight contender with a devastating right hook. To a city being held hostage to chaos and terror, Dennis has a grit and charisma that make him the shining hope for justice--until he is arrested for a brutal murder. Framed for a crime he did not commit, he finds himself captive in a foreboding high-tech superprison whose masters secretly conspire to turn inmates into tomorrow's most terrifying bioweapons--with Cole Dennis as the intended prize specimen. But Dennis is nobody's lab rat. Reborn as a towering engine of destruction, Dennis will prepare for the fight of his life. He will rename himself Ghostface Killah. And his cry of righteous rage will echo beyond the cold steel walls of Cell Block Z.
- GenresGraphic Novels
112 pages, Paperback
First published July 15, 2009
21 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
September 22, 2009
Ghostface Killah's attempt at being an author offends me to the core, but then so does any celebrity who uses their cash and influence to commit artistic masturbation and flaunt it in our faces.
Too many people work too hard for too long to become authors. Most toil in anonymity, some finally self-publish, a lucky few find a small publishing house where their books gain a tiny audience, and the luckiest few hit it big. Not all of these toilers are truly talented, but their work and their commitment are honest.
But then guys like Ghostface Killah come along. They have a name so publishers like the Hachette Book Group publish whatever drivel they spew simply because it will move copies.
It reminds me of Michael Jordan's brief career with the Birmingham Barons. It wasn't that he was terrible, but he wasn't particularly good either. He hit .202 for the White Sox' Double-A affiliate. He had a couple of homers, a decent number of stolen bases, and some RBIs. His biggest impact, however, was in the fans Jordan brought to Regions Park. The park seats just over 10 thousand fans, and during Jordan's tenure the Barons drew 985,185. But some poor right fielder, some kid who'd worked his whole life for the dream of playing professional baseball -- at any level -- missed a season full of games, so that rich and famous Michael Jordan could live his father's dream.
Now I know it is unlikely that Ghostface Killah's crappy graphic novel took the position of a proper graphic novelist, but the frustration is no less potent. I am a writer of graphic novels myself (amongst other things), and I can't find an artist to complete my work. I don't have the money to pay someone, like Mr. Wu-Tang Clan does, and finding someone to collaborate with for free is nearly impossible because they need to work paying gigs so that they can eat and live. And I can't blame them for that.
It doesn't matter that my work is vastly superior to the garbage that Ghostface Killah has stuck us with. I don't have a name. I don't have the money. My stories languish. His don't.
And let me say this quite plainly: Cell Block Z is awful. There are one or two interesting ideas, and in the hands of a talented writer/artist team those ideas could be turned into a pretty impressive ongoing series. There is enough potential material in Cell Block Z, in fact, to fill twelve 100 page graphic novels. But Ghostface Killah and his "writing team" were so taken with Mr. Killah's narcissistic ego trip -- he is the protagonist in his own story after all -- that they ignored everything needed to make a good graphic novel: pace, characterization, plot, originality. Cell Block Z has none of these essentials (not in anything approaching significant quantity and quality).
Ghostface Killah's love letter to himself is a string of ultra-violent cage battles, broken up by short bursts of pontification, all wrapped up in the worst kind of feel good naivete. Oh...and some idiotic connection to terrorists who, we are told, are "the plague" of modern civilization.
Please, please, please, do not buy this book.
Too many people work too hard for too long to become authors. Most toil in anonymity, some finally self-publish, a lucky few find a small publishing house where their books gain a tiny audience, and the luckiest few hit it big. Not all of these toilers are truly talented, but their work and their commitment are honest.
But then guys like Ghostface Killah come along. They have a name so publishers like the Hachette Book Group publish whatever drivel they spew simply because it will move copies.
It reminds me of Michael Jordan's brief career with the Birmingham Barons. It wasn't that he was terrible, but he wasn't particularly good either. He hit .202 for the White Sox' Double-A affiliate. He had a couple of homers, a decent number of stolen bases, and some RBIs. His biggest impact, however, was in the fans Jordan brought to Regions Park. The park seats just over 10 thousand fans, and during Jordan's tenure the Barons drew 985,185. But some poor right fielder, some kid who'd worked his whole life for the dream of playing professional baseball -- at any level -- missed a season full of games, so that rich and famous Michael Jordan could live his father's dream.
Now I know it is unlikely that Ghostface Killah's crappy graphic novel took the position of a proper graphic novelist, but the frustration is no less potent. I am a writer of graphic novels myself (amongst other things), and I can't find an artist to complete my work. I don't have the money to pay someone, like Mr. Wu-Tang Clan does, and finding someone to collaborate with for free is nearly impossible because they need to work paying gigs so that they can eat and live. And I can't blame them for that.
It doesn't matter that my work is vastly superior to the garbage that Ghostface Killah has stuck us with. I don't have a name. I don't have the money. My stories languish. His don't.
And let me say this quite plainly: Cell Block Z is awful. There are one or two interesting ideas, and in the hands of a talented writer/artist team those ideas could be turned into a pretty impressive ongoing series. There is enough potential material in Cell Block Z, in fact, to fill twelve 100 page graphic novels. But Ghostface Killah and his "writing team" were so taken with Mr. Killah's narcissistic ego trip -- he is the protagonist in his own story after all -- that they ignored everything needed to make a good graphic novel: pace, characterization, plot, originality. Cell Block Z has none of these essentials (not in anything approaching significant quantity and quality).
Ghostface Killah's love letter to himself is a string of ultra-violent cage battles, broken up by short bursts of pontification, all wrapped up in the worst kind of feel good naivete. Oh...and some idiotic connection to terrorists who, we are told, are "the plague" of modern civilization.
Please, please, please, do not buy this book.
September 6, 2009
I am happy I won this book here on Goodreads!
I haven't read a graphic novel in such a long time; I really enjoyed this one...the story and illustrations are great!
:)
I haven't read a graphic novel in such a long time; I really enjoyed this one...the story and illustrations are great!
:)
August 28, 2015
Cell Block Z by Ghostface Killah, Chris Walker, Shauna Garr, and Marlon Chapman is the story of Cole Dennis, a boxer with a formidable right hook, who is loved by his fans, despite rumors that he has thrown a fight. This graphic novel opens with Cole being arrested for murder while being honored for his community service for turning teens against terrorism which has become rampant within United States. He is quickly convicted for a crime he did not commit, based on falsified evidence, and sentenced to life without parole at the dreaded Caucasus Penitentiary, Cole is puzzled on how he went from an honored community leader to a convict in a blink of eye and is wondering what they really want from him. As Cole believes that he has found a way out of his situation, he will have to make choices that get to the heart of the matter and gives new meaning to bioweapons.
As the second book in the Wu-Tang graphic novel series and follow up on the highly successful first book in the series, I had high expectations for this one and I was not disappointed. As with the Wu-Tang musical collaborations, Ghostface Killah has assembled an excellent team to produce his book concept. A graphic novel needs works, layout and illustrations to come together in a seamless manner to effectively tell the story and keep the reader engaged, and Cell Block Z successfully executed all these elements. The layout helped convey the story and the messages and fans of the Wu-Tang clan will recognize the fast-paced flow. The words were succinct and like Ghostface Killah lyrics are not political commentaries but are politically driven. I loved the black and white illustrations which set the tone for the story and gave full effect to the words.
I recommend this book to fans of graphic novels, Ghostface Killah and the Wu-Tang Clan. Please note that there is violence in this book that may not be suited for young readers of graphic novels.
Reviewed by Beverly
APOOO BookClub
August 15, 2009
As the second book in the Wu-Tang graphic novel series and follow up on the highly successful first book in the series, I had high expectations for this one and I was not disappointed. As with the Wu-Tang musical collaborations, Ghostface Killah has assembled an excellent team to produce his book concept. A graphic novel needs works, layout and illustrations to come together in a seamless manner to effectively tell the story and keep the reader engaged, and Cell Block Z successfully executed all these elements. The layout helped convey the story and the messages and fans of the Wu-Tang clan will recognize the fast-paced flow. The words were succinct and like Ghostface Killah lyrics are not political commentaries but are politically driven. I loved the black and white illustrations which set the tone for the story and gave full effect to the words.
I recommend this book to fans of graphic novels, Ghostface Killah and the Wu-Tang Clan. Please note that there is violence in this book that may not be suited for young readers of graphic novels.
Reviewed by Beverly
APOOO BookClub
August 15, 2009
August 3, 2009
This 100 page graphic novel features the rapper "Ghostface Killer" from the Wu-Tang Clan. Despite the name, the book has no further association with rap as Ghost Face Dennis Coles starts the story out by being something of a mentor to troubled youths.
Set in the not so distant future, Dennis Coles in framed and jailed for crimes he didn't commit. He is then groomed for a prison fight program where the reward is an upgrade to the ever elusive Cell Block Z, where prisoners mysteriously vanish.
While the book is remarkably short and the story is not all togehter original, the characters seem to have some depth. I was particularly interested in some of the side developments of the characters, which were never truly explained, such as the lawyer Kayla's drug problem and the prison guard Johnson's religiosity. These seemed to be more badges of character and added some depth despite the brevity of the book.
The artist Chris Walker also posessed some skill in depicting scenes of action, though I felt that, at times, the drawing seemed sketchy or unfinished. Despite this, the shading was fairly rich and helped to balance what I initially saw as a shortcoming.
While I probably would have bypassed this book at a bookstore, I am glad to have received it for First Reads as I was able to learn a little about the music group and it's personalities (via Wikipedia) with the curiosity that the book induced. The plot was interesting and not overdone and it was a wonderful respite from the clunkier books that I normally read.
Set in the not so distant future, Dennis Coles in framed and jailed for crimes he didn't commit. He is then groomed for a prison fight program where the reward is an upgrade to the ever elusive Cell Block Z, where prisoners mysteriously vanish.
While the book is remarkably short and the story is not all togehter original, the characters seem to have some depth. I was particularly interested in some of the side developments of the characters, which were never truly explained, such as the lawyer Kayla's drug problem and the prison guard Johnson's religiosity. These seemed to be more badges of character and added some depth despite the brevity of the book.
The artist Chris Walker also posessed some skill in depicting scenes of action, though I felt that, at times, the drawing seemed sketchy or unfinished. Despite this, the shading was fairly rich and helped to balance what I initially saw as a shortcoming.
While I probably would have bypassed this book at a bookstore, I am glad to have received it for First Reads as I was able to learn a little about the music group and it's personalities (via Wikipedia) with the curiosity that the book induced. The plot was interesting and not overdone and it was a wonderful respite from the clunkier books that I normally read.
July 28, 2009
I'm not exactly sure what to write about Cell Block Z. It was, to be honest, really average. The art style was good, and interesting at times, but somewhat murky in scenes with multiple characters. The plot of this comic follows an ex-boxer who is wrongfully arrested and put into a maximum-security prison with an underground fighting ring acting as a front for a shadowy cabal attempting to create supersoldiers to fight global terrorism against the U.S. Of course, the main character rebels and wins in the end.
It's a pretty basic story, but there are problems. Characters are brought into the story with little to no warning and even less introduction. They're even named, obviously meant to be important, but it takes a few pages to even figure out why. One such character doesn't even really get a first name. There's global terrorism, but besides it being dropped into conversation now and then, it's not really a huge plot point. The shadowy cabal of billionaires trying to make supersoldiers aren't even introduced until the very end of the story. There's also a law plotline that really doesn't go anywhere at all.
I'm glad I got the book for free, because I really don't think I'd end up buying it if I hadn't. It was an incredibly short read, but at least mildly entertaining. All in all, like I said, average.
It's a pretty basic story, but there are problems. Characters are brought into the story with little to no warning and even less introduction. They're even named, obviously meant to be important, but it takes a few pages to even figure out why. One such character doesn't even really get a first name. There's global terrorism, but besides it being dropped into conversation now and then, it's not really a huge plot point. The shadowy cabal of billionaires trying to make supersoldiers aren't even introduced until the very end of the story. There's also a law plotline that really doesn't go anywhere at all.
I'm glad I got the book for free, because I really don't think I'd end up buying it if I hadn't. It was an incredibly short read, but at least mildly entertaining. All in all, like I said, average.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 4, 2014
A well-paced but quite ridiculous tale of a hyper-macho boxer is rapper Ghostface Killah's first foray into the world of the narrative. A world he should maybe stay out of until he gains a more unique voice.
"Cell Block C" is ripe with clichés and brain-numbing surges of testosterone. Dull and insignificant, this book is somewhat redeemed by it being set in a near future, allowing for some well-meaning but naive political commentary. Not enough to make it all worth your time, though, as short as the book is.
"Cell Block C" is ripe with clichés and brain-numbing surges of testosterone. Dull and insignificant, this book is somewhat redeemed by it being set in a near future, allowing for some well-meaning but naive political commentary. Not enough to make it all worth your time, though, as short as the book is.
September 24, 2009
Although this is not the type of genre that I normally read, I found this book enlightening. It took me a while to get used to the type of writing but I would definitely read another book written by this author.
July 6, 2010
So silly!
And with that in mind, fun to read. I liked the roughness of the illustration style, and the pulpiness of the jail/super-fighter story.
Had nothing to do with Wu-Tang, but that's okay I suppose, as neither do it.
And with that in mind, fun to read. I liked the roughness of the illustration style, and the pulpiness of the jail/super-fighter story.
Had nothing to do with Wu-Tang, but that's okay I suppose, as neither do it.
May 19, 2013
Yes, this is a real comic, available at my local lending library. More slapdash than it looks, if you can believe that, and nothing more than another market for the long-in-the-tooth franchise to exploit. Would be very surprised if Ghostface actually read all 100 pages of this thing.
January 29, 2014
Hmmm...cliche story (govt conspiracy + renegade outlaw = justice served!) and bad artwork - the drawings aren't bad-bad, but they look like chalk drawings - doesn't make for good lit of any kind. At least it was short.
September 2, 2009
It was interesting to read this illustrated story in comic book form. Very well drawn, and a good book for those graduating to non-illustrated fiction. I will give it to my teen aged grandson.
October 19, 2009
Uh, it's a comic book by Ghostface Killah of Wu-Tang Clan... what exactly were you expecting?
April 10, 2014
Yes. These reviews are accurate...this graphic novel is horrible.
June 16, 2014
lol Ghost. What are you doing?
May 25, 2011
A helluva lot cheaper than his action figure.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews