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Someplace Strange
Square Bound Graphic Novel.
63 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1988
60 people want to read
About the author
Ann Nocenti
735 books116 followersAnn Nocenti is most noted as an editor for Marvel Comics, for whom she edited New Mutants and The Uncanny X-Men. She made her comics writing debut on a brief run of Spider-Woman (#47-50) and subsequently wrote a long run of Daredevil (1st series) #236-291 (minus #237) from 1986 to 1991, directly following on from Frank Miller's definitive Born Again storyline. She also wrote the 1986 Longshot limited series for Marvel, and in the same year produced the Someplace Strange graphic novel in collaboration with artist John Bolton. She wrote "the Inhumans Graphic Novel" in 1988. In 1993, she wrote the 16-issue run of Kid Eternity for the DC Comics imprint Vertigo.
In Incredible Hulk #291, published in September 1983 (cover date January 1984), Ann Nocenti made a cameo appearance, talking to Dr. Bruce Banner, in a history written by Bill Mantlo, drawn by Sal Buscema and inked by Carlos Garzón and Joe Sinnot. That time Ann Nocenti was Assistant Editor for Larry Hama on Incredible Hulk and X-Men.
She is noted for her left-wing political views which, particularly during her run on Daredevil, caused some controversy among some fans who didn't agree with her politics.
She created several popular characters, including Typhoid Mary, Blackheart, Longshot and Mojo, and wrote the 1998 X-Men novel Prisoner X.
Although Nocenti left comic books in the '90s after the industry sales collapsed, she later returned to the field, penning stories such as 2004's Batman & Poison Ivy: Cast Shadows.
In Ultimate X-Men, a reimagination of the X-Men comic, the character Longshot, who was invented by her, has the civil name Arthur Centino. His last name, Centino, is an anagram of Nocenti and a homage to Nocenti. The name Arthur is for the co-creator of Longshot Arthur Adams who was Ann Nocenti's artist on the Longshot Mini Series.
She edited High Times magazine for one year (2004) under the name Annie Nocenti and is the former editor of the screenwriting magazine Scenario.
In Incredible Hulk #291, published in September 1983 (cover date January 1984), Ann Nocenti made a cameo appearance, talking to Dr. Bruce Banner, in a history written by Bill Mantlo, drawn by Sal Buscema and inked by Carlos Garzón and Joe Sinnot. That time Ann Nocenti was Assistant Editor for Larry Hama on Incredible Hulk and X-Men.
She is noted for her left-wing political views which, particularly during her run on Daredevil, caused some controversy among some fans who didn't agree with her politics.
She created several popular characters, including Typhoid Mary, Blackheart, Longshot and Mojo, and wrote the 1998 X-Men novel Prisoner X.
Although Nocenti left comic books in the '90s after the industry sales collapsed, she later returned to the field, penning stories such as 2004's Batman & Poison Ivy: Cast Shadows.
In Ultimate X-Men, a reimagination of the X-Men comic, the character Longshot, who was invented by her, has the civil name Arthur Centino. His last name, Centino, is an anagram of Nocenti and a homage to Nocenti. The name Arthur is for the co-creator of Longshot Arthur Adams who was Ann Nocenti's artist on the Longshot Mini Series.
She edited High Times magazine for one year (2004) under the name Annie Nocenti and is the former editor of the screenwriting magazine Scenario.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
February 20, 2022
extremely disjointed presentation of youthful imagination pit against 1980s cultural anxieties. the end of the piece just comes out and hammers its themes in hard, as the all-encompassing boogeyman behind every social ill lectures for pages about everything he's responsible for. well, okay! things sure are bad, and it sure was nicer to be a kid. what a revelation.
however, Bolton's art is wonderful and Nocenti's prose is exciting. I prefer her independent work to the time she spent helming superhero comics like Spider-Man and Daredevil; her ostentatious poeticism doesn't quite fit coming out of the mouths of decades-running cartoon characters. she's got a style all her own, best explored on a totally unique canvas.
however, Bolton's art is wonderful and Nocenti's prose is exciting. I prefer her independent work to the time she spent helming superhero comics like Spider-Man and Daredevil; her ostentatious poeticism doesn't quite fit coming out of the mouths of decades-running cartoon characters. she's got a style all her own, best explored on a totally unique canvas.
February 20, 2021
Dos hermanos muy imaginativos dejan atrás el mundo real con un objetivo fijo: Eliminar al Viejo del Saco para así terminar con las pesadillas. En el camino se les une una nihilista punkie.
Ann Nocenti figura un viaje a esas tierras imaginarias colindantes con El País de las Maravillas y Oz, salpicadas del cinismo ochentero y trazadas a la medida de sus protagonistas -faltando quizás solo menos prisa y más profundidad-. John Bolton, siempre formidable en la oscuridad gótica, abandona su zona de confort usando una paleta inusualmente más viva.
Ann Nocenti figura un viaje a esas tierras imaginarias colindantes con El País de las Maravillas y Oz, salpicadas del cinismo ochentero y trazadas a la medida de sus protagonistas -faltando quizás solo menos prisa y más profundidad-. John Bolton, siempre formidable en la oscuridad gótica, abandona su zona de confort usando una paleta inusualmente más viva.
May 27, 2022
For being such a good artist Bolton is sure terrible at picking writers and scripts to work with. Nothing about this story interested me. A couple boys play make-belief and then fall into a weird dream world and fight a dragon that an angsty teenage girl drew. Then they wake up... was it a dream? Or was it an alternate dimension? Yawn.
August 11, 2022
Ehm, cože? Co jsem to právě četl? Alespoň že to má přiléhavý název. Tato kniha je opravdu divná. Číst ji je jako snít pěkně divoký a děsivý sen. Ráno už nevíte o čem to bylo, pamatujete si už jenom útržky, ale jedno víte jitě - že to byly zase hrozné kraviny.
Je to o dvou klucích, kteří mají, stejně jako většina dětí, velkou fantazii a spoustu strachů a obav. Bojí se strašáka ve skříni a pod postelí, bojí se atomových bomb a radiace, a znepokojuje je stoupající cena žvýkaček. Jedné noci dospějí k názoru, že pokud se Strašákovi nepostaví čelem, tak se už nikdy v klidu nevyspí. Vyzbrojí se tedy klukovskými zbraněmi a vydají se hledat Strašáka. Narazí na starší holku na útěku, která má zase svoji vlastní sadu úzkostí. Společně se pak propadnou do země nočních můr, kde mimo jiné žijí jako zombie děti z krabic od mléka…
Příběh je zřejmě o hledání odvahy postavit se svým strachům. Je taky o hledání kuráže nestarat se jen o sebe, ale pomáhat také ostatním. Komiks je bohužel zakončený velmi podivným dodatkem, kde Ďábel aka Strašák na několika stránkách vysvětluje, v čem všem se skrývá a čeho se bojí. Mluví o úzkostech a nejistotě, kterou doba přináší (je to z roku 1988). Asi chápu, proč to tam je, a začíná mi docházet, jaký je koncept celé knihy, ale připadalo mi to tam napasované hrozně na sílu. Úplně mi neseděla angličtina, ale naštěstí většina mi neznámých slov byly jenom pubertální průpovídky, vata, které nebylo potřeba příliš řešit.
Jediné co můžu na komisku pochválit je kresba. Nebo spíše malba. Kvůli ní jsem tu knihu ostatně koupil. Je precizní, hodně barevná a docela nápaditá. Kvůli ní dám tomu komiksu za čas ještě šanci.
Je to o dvou klucích, kteří mají, stejně jako většina dětí, velkou fantazii a spoustu strachů a obav. Bojí se strašáka ve skříni a pod postelí, bojí se atomových bomb a radiace, a znepokojuje je stoupající cena žvýkaček. Jedné noci dospějí k názoru, že pokud se Strašákovi nepostaví čelem, tak se už nikdy v klidu nevyspí. Vyzbrojí se tedy klukovskými zbraněmi a vydají se hledat Strašáka. Narazí na starší holku na útěku, která má zase svoji vlastní sadu úzkostí. Společně se pak propadnou do země nočních můr, kde mimo jiné žijí jako zombie děti z krabic od mléka…
Příběh je zřejmě o hledání odvahy postavit se svým strachům. Je taky o hledání kuráže nestarat se jen o sebe, ale pomáhat také ostatním. Komiks je bohužel zakončený velmi podivným dodatkem, kde Ďábel aka Strašák na několika stránkách vysvětluje, v čem všem se skrývá a čeho se bojí. Mluví o úzkostech a nejistotě, kterou doba přináší (je to z roku 1988). Asi chápu, proč to tam je, a začíná mi docházet, jaký je koncept celé knihy, ale připadalo mi to tam napasované hrozně na sílu. Úplně mi neseděla angličtina, ale naštěstí většina mi neznámých slov byly jenom pubertální průpovídky, vata, které nebylo potřeba příliš řešit.
Jediné co můžu na komisku pochválit je kresba. Nebo spíše malba. Kvůli ní jsem tu knihu ostatně koupil. Je precizní, hodně barevná a docela nápaditá. Kvůli ní dám tomu komiksu za čas ještě šanci.
May 27, 2019
This graphic novel is one of the strangest that I have ever read. It takes the common plot device of imaginative teen boys with their fantasies and fears in many dark directions.
The story opens with two boys in what looks like a classic mad scientist lair working on a glass-bubbled contraption that is stated to be a planet-skimming ship. The device is large enough for one of them to sit in. The jargon is typical of boys of that age, when talking about a test flight one of them says, “I’ve calculated to the zilli-fraction! The balance is perfect.” It turns out they are in a shed and the small rocket that they launch inside blows up with a lot of smoke.
The next scene in the plot shows the two of them getting ready for bed with their parents in their bedroom. They express their fear of bad dreams and monsters, which happens. However, these bad dreams and fantasies are bizarre, even for young teen boys. They are transported to a strange world with a female artist a bit older than they are that is populated by an assortment of weird and unusual creatures and landscape features.
The images are complex, one has to look at them thoroughly if you are to see and interpret all of the features. All the action is unpredictable and there are no warm fuzzies or even a hint of the potential for a happy ending. It is a dark story of fear, facing it and trying to cope. The author and artist also demonstrate a great deal of imagination.
The story opens with two boys in what looks like a classic mad scientist lair working on a glass-bubbled contraption that is stated to be a planet-skimming ship. The device is large enough for one of them to sit in. The jargon is typical of boys of that age, when talking about a test flight one of them says, “I’ve calculated to the zilli-fraction! The balance is perfect.” It turns out they are in a shed and the small rocket that they launch inside blows up with a lot of smoke.
The next scene in the plot shows the two of them getting ready for bed with their parents in their bedroom. They express their fear of bad dreams and monsters, which happens. However, these bad dreams and fantasies are bizarre, even for young teen boys. They are transported to a strange world with a female artist a bit older than they are that is populated by an assortment of weird and unusual creatures and landscape features.
The images are complex, one has to look at them thoroughly if you are to see and interpret all of the features. All the action is unpredictable and there are no warm fuzzies or even a hint of the potential for a happy ending. It is a dark story of fear, facing it and trying to cope. The author and artist also demonstrate a great deal of imagination.
November 8, 2021
This is weird, striking, deeply philosophical, and I don't think it sticks the landing but it definitely stayed with me. In other words, it's a Nocenti comic. If you've never read a comic by her before, I don't think this is the one to start with, nor the one to win you over if you're not a fan. But if you do have a fondness for her narrative approach, then this works rather well, and art by Bolton really seals the deal.
March 22, 2018
A dreamlike tale about a group of kids lost in a weird fantasy world superlatively elevated by Nocenti's lyrical prose and Bolton's Dali-inspired landscapes and creatures. A beautiful synthesis of text and art that also plays around with the conventions of superhero stories and the comic book format as a whole. Great stuff.
July 30, 2019
Bolton's brushes are the only reason I give this a passing grade- his art is splendid even though this is frequently unbearable campy kids cheese.
I didn't expect grade school from the "Epic" imprint.
I didn't expect grade school from the "Epic" imprint.
October 18, 2022
Wanted to like this but it is a mess. Some nice art from Bolton in the service of an incoherent story. Steals from the RAW avant-garde indie comic scene of the day but without the vision and intent. Instead holds on too tight to plot and character which just leads to muck.
October 4, 2022
A novel graphic not for children, because it's so much more.. a bit confusing, a bit innocent, a lot mixed things, but honest and heartful.
Want to read
March 17, 2024Nueva edición de la novela gráfica de los 80s. Tiene ISBN propio y edición digital.
April 23, 2016
The art was lovely but didn't seem to fit the story. Or at least all of it. I think I would've liked a change in the art style when the story moved from the real world to a fantasy one. The story seemed a bit too preachy/self-indulgent/stream-of-consciousness and made it difficult for me to engage fully because of it. I loved Nocenti's insults, as spoken through her characters, the best.
May 20, 2016
Не очень понимаю, как данное произведение попало в цикл Epic Graphic Novel рядом с Мёбиусом. Оно представляет собой нечто среднее между "Алисой в стране чудес", "Чарли с шоколадной фабрикой" и "Танкисткой" (девочкой-панком, обиженной на весь мир). Нарисовано довольно мило, в духе сороковых годов (fallout-boy и т.д.), по сути же трешак.
March 2, 2015
This one is beautiful, but feels slight and self-indulgent in spots. It does highlight the usual Nocenti tropes -- here, in particular, the nuclear threat -- but feels like a contrived disconnection of characters and concepts.
July 6, 2016
SOMEPLACE STRANGE provides a glimpse into the ways that an imagination can help both children and adults engage with the highs and lows of being human. With bizarre art and energetic characters, I would suggest this book to any one who loves Lewis Carroll's THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS.
October 14, 2013
Children's stuff. Give this one a miss!
May 6, 2014
4/18/14 Review tk.
5/5/14 http://www.iwantmytwodollars.com/2014...
5/5/14 http://www.iwantmytwodollars.com/2014...
April 21, 2014
Wonderfully surrealistic tale that follows two brothers and an unlikely companion in a quest to defeat the bogeyman so they can sleep properly once and for all.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews