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Rex Libris #6-12
Rex Libris Volume Two: Book Of Monsters
Middleton Public Library's Rex Libris, the world's toughest librarian, continues his campaign against demons, monsters, and unreturned library books in this second collection of the hit comic!
Rex Libris: Book of Monsters collects issues #6-12.
Rex Libris: Book of Monsters collects issues #6-12.
240 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
April 18, 2017
I didn't like this one quite as much as the first volume, mainly because there was more fighting monsters outside the library than events happening in the library. Still, ya gotta love Rex Libris--he heroically rescues a patron who has been sucked into a book of monsters and, back in the library, as she's freaking out, Rex calmly asks her if he can help her check out any books! In one story, Rex, Hypatia, and Circe team up with the U.S. Navy to defeat monsters that have been let out of books into the real world. At one point, Rex reveals that he has top secret codes belonging to the Russians, and the admiral says, "Preposterous! Not even the CIA has those codes. Where did you get them?" Rex replies, "Well, Middleton Public Library, of course!" One of my favorite lines from this book is, when Rex tells Hypatia his plan, and she reacts that she thinks he's crazy, Rex says, "We're librarians! Our job is all about the impossible!" Great stuff! I hope there's a volume 3 of these stories. Recommended for all librarians!
May 26, 2020
More tales of librarian Rex Libris, Hypatia, and Circe, and their unending battle against the forces of evil, working to preserve knowledge and wisdom against all forms of perfidy, from book-bashing boogeymen to moaning undead legions who ignore the "Quiet Please" sign. This is the secret world of librarians and their daily struggle to protect civilization and the knowledge it is founded on. It is a graphic novel, somewhat verbosely written, but always literately.
June 11, 2024
This was enjoyable. I liked the concepts, and some of the ideas. I felt like there wasn't really enough plot to fill the book - there's a lot of constant fighting through various opponents, without the plot really moving forward. But overall, a decent read.
January 4, 2020
The same thrilling Visicomboics greet us on the inside cover.
Then, I notice the graphics are more nuanced with grays rather than a stricter black and white of the previous volume. Also, the text is lighter, pithier, and shorter. Much easier to read, on several levels.
The first half of the book races through action scene after action scene as Rex is trapped in a Book of Monsters. Then, the resumption of the longer, slower narrative style leading into an encounter with the greatest of all--Cthulhu. An absolute feast of imagination, and Canadian culture.
A saddeningly brief encounter with the bird Simon offers us news on how the intergalactic invasion is proceeding.
Then, I notice the graphics are more nuanced with grays rather than a stricter black and white of the previous volume. Also, the text is lighter, pithier, and shorter. Much easier to read, on several levels.
The first half of the book races through action scene after action scene as Rex is trapped in a Book of Monsters. Then, the resumption of the longer, slower narrative style leading into an encounter with the greatest of all--Cthulhu. An absolute feast of imagination, and Canadian culture.
A saddeningly brief encounter with the bird Simon offers us news on how the intergalactic invasion is proceeding.
August 15, 2023
This was such a hilarious ridiculous read! I'm sad there's not another!
July 15, 2010
I gave the first Rex Libris collection five stars because I had so much fun with it. This one almost automatically loses a star because the joke is no longer as novel, and then I docked it one more because because all of monster-fighting action detracts from the ostentatiously verbose, cerebrally absurdist jocularity, particularly in the first half of the collection. Still, it's an almost perfect intersection of my love of comics and of librarianship, and I enjoyed it thoroughly. Be warned, the extensive exposition is part of the joke and it reads much slower than most other books in a graphic format, but it's worth dwelling on the details in the language. And, hey, how can you go wrong when your hero has to face Cthulhu?
If you're interested in a quick sample of the Rex Libris humor, I think the best representative introduction is here. For a perhaps not as fully representative sample, I've transcribed an issue introduction and part of a conversation below. Rex is meeting with his publisher, Barry, about their process of creating this comic based on Rex's autobiography.
Welcome once again, faithful readers, to the tumultuous tale of librarian Rex Libris and his unending battle against the forces of evil. Born in Ancient Rome, he has worked to preserve knowledge and wisdom for thousands of years against all forms of perfidy, from book-bashing boogeymen to moaning undead legions who ignore the 'Quiet Please' sign. Not even superpowered, delinquent alien children can abscond with books without signing them out while Rex is on the job! For the first time the secret world of librarians and their daily struggle to protect civilization and the knowledge it is founded upon is revealed! This is the world of Rex Libris!
Rex: . . . not to mention my struggles against the lich Koschei the Immortal, Cecil Rhodes, Dr. Foch, my eternal enemy the mad mummy Neb-Metreba, Mary Sue at the central library, or my efforts at thwarting the schemes of the evil Chuufmahl or the ever vile Ombra Fuchs von Dorheim, or the Ordo's arch enemy, the Ordo Tenebrati . . .
Barry: Rex, I'm sorry. It's impossible. Some of it has to go.
Rex: Never say never! I've been thinking . . . if we set up a trust fund, with time an' the power of compound interest, we could fund the publication until it's complete, unabridged!
Barry: Oh ho! Rex, my boy, you're forgetting we're smack in the middle of the 26 million year death star's period--you'll never be able to finish before the entirety of human civilization is totally destroyed.
Rex: We can fund an asteroid defense force! Or we could ship it off-world. There are economic backwater planets of highly talented artistic beings that would be--
Barry: Rex! I'm not shipping Hermeneutic Press contracts to other planets! Shipping costs are bad enough from Quebec! Be reasonable, man. Remember, you're a librarian!
Rex: Yes . . . yes . . . you're right. I don't know what came over me. It would be hubristic exhibitionism ta insist on every last moment being published . . . whatever was I thinkin'?
Barry: Not to worry, my boy! I'm glad you dropped by. There's something I wanted to talk to you about: we're taking on another autobiographical comic! It's fantastic stuff! A real wild ride of a life. And best of all, he's a morally ambiguous lead. That's hot, hot, hot right now Rex. Hot, I say! Nobody wants moral integrity these days. That's just boring. People want charismatic rogues!
Rex: Or charming psychopaths?
Barry: Are you kidding? I'd kill for the material of a charming psychopath! Alas, we're a small publisher. We couldn't afford a full out pathology. They get snapped up by the big studios, TV networks, cable. No, no, no . . . we have to settle for saner subjects. Less charming. Lower body counts. . . .
If you're interested in a quick sample of the Rex Libris humor, I think the best representative introduction is here. For a perhaps not as fully representative sample, I've transcribed an issue introduction and part of a conversation below. Rex is meeting with his publisher, Barry, about their process of creating this comic based on Rex's autobiography.
Welcome once again, faithful readers, to the tumultuous tale of librarian Rex Libris and his unending battle against the forces of evil. Born in Ancient Rome, he has worked to preserve knowledge and wisdom for thousands of years against all forms of perfidy, from book-bashing boogeymen to moaning undead legions who ignore the 'Quiet Please' sign. Not even superpowered, delinquent alien children can abscond with books without signing them out while Rex is on the job! For the first time the secret world of librarians and their daily struggle to protect civilization and the knowledge it is founded upon is revealed! This is the world of Rex Libris!
Rex: . . . not to mention my struggles against the lich Koschei the Immortal, Cecil Rhodes, Dr. Foch, my eternal enemy the mad mummy Neb-Metreba, Mary Sue at the central library, or my efforts at thwarting the schemes of the evil Chuufmahl or the ever vile Ombra Fuchs von Dorheim, or the Ordo's arch enemy, the Ordo Tenebrati . . .
Barry: Rex, I'm sorry. It's impossible. Some of it has to go.
Rex: Never say never! I've been thinking . . . if we set up a trust fund, with time an' the power of compound interest, we could fund the publication until it's complete, unabridged!
Barry: Oh ho! Rex, my boy, you're forgetting we're smack in the middle of the 26 million year death star's period--you'll never be able to finish before the entirety of human civilization is totally destroyed.
Rex: We can fund an asteroid defense force! Or we could ship it off-world. There are economic backwater planets of highly talented artistic beings that would be--
Barry: Rex! I'm not shipping Hermeneutic Press contracts to other planets! Shipping costs are bad enough from Quebec! Be reasonable, man. Remember, you're a librarian!
Rex: Yes . . . yes . . . you're right. I don't know what came over me. It would be hubristic exhibitionism ta insist on every last moment being published . . . whatever was I thinkin'?
Barry: Not to worry, my boy! I'm glad you dropped by. There's something I wanted to talk to you about: we're taking on another autobiographical comic! It's fantastic stuff! A real wild ride of a life. And best of all, he's a morally ambiguous lead. That's hot, hot, hot right now Rex. Hot, I say! Nobody wants moral integrity these days. That's just boring. People want charismatic rogues!
Rex: Or charming psychopaths?
Barry: Are you kidding? I'd kill for the material of a charming psychopath! Alas, we're a small publisher. We couldn't afford a full out pathology. They get snapped up by the big studios, TV networks, cable. No, no, no . . . we have to settle for saner subjects. Less charming. Lower body counts. . . .
September 18, 2011
Rex is the Head Librarian at Middleton Public library. But Middleton...isn't your average library. And Rex isn't your average librarian. Rex is an immortal librarian, beginning his training back in the great ancient Library of Alexandria. And Middleton serves patrons from all over the universe and all manner of creatures. Rex and librarians, Circe, and Hypatia--a trainee librarian, battle a seemingly never ending stream of monsters ranging from zombies to Cthulhu himself unleashed from the pages of books. Only Rex and his crew can return them to where they belong.
This second volume picks up right where the first one left off. One thing they did differently in these issues (7-12) is that they cut out a lot of the overhead boxes explaining everything to the last detail, which makes it a bit easier to read (although the text choice is still not the greatest.) The artwork it one of my favorite parts of the book. I know I've seen people describe it as computer generated (and it very well maybe) but it has a different type of vibe to it. I don't want to say it's simple, but without having a lot of extraneous lines they still manage to give the characters and backgrounds depth. And they do a great job with the facial features so that the expressions change depending upon what's going on in the story line, I especially enjoy seeing Rex's look of fear in some of the scenes...mostly where he's facing a monster that the rest of us would have already run screaming from.
This second volume of Rex Libris is just as much fun as the first volume and makes me wish that there were more stories coming of this gang of librarians.
This second volume picks up right where the first one left off. One thing they did differently in these issues (7-12) is that they cut out a lot of the overhead boxes explaining everything to the last detail, which makes it a bit easier to read (although the text choice is still not the greatest.) The artwork it one of my favorite parts of the book. I know I've seen people describe it as computer generated (and it very well maybe) but it has a different type of vibe to it. I don't want to say it's simple, but without having a lot of extraneous lines they still manage to give the characters and backgrounds depth. And they do a great job with the facial features so that the expressions change depending upon what's going on in the story line, I especially enjoy seeing Rex's look of fear in some of the scenes...mostly where he's facing a monster that the rest of us would have already run screaming from.
This second volume of Rex Libris is just as much fun as the first volume and makes me wish that there were more stories coming of this gang of librarians.
November 5, 2011
While the book really lost steam in the second half, it's always fun to read an action story about my occupation, which is decidedly not full of action. Normally, working at a library is pretty boring and repetitive, interspersed with a few hectic or bizarre moments.
Rex and his buddies battle a huge battalion of exotic foes, however. So instead of the usual library rogues gallery--the drunk passed out on the furniture, the lecherous creep passing notes to female employees, the white trash gangsta wannabe cussing out his girlfriend in the stacks--we get monstrous squids, terrifying alien robots, and flesh-eating zombies.
Rex and his buddies battle a huge battalion of exotic foes, however. So instead of the usual library rogues gallery--the drunk passed out on the furniture, the lecherous creep passing notes to female employees, the white trash gangsta wannabe cussing out his girlfriend in the stacks--we get monstrous squids, terrifying alien robots, and flesh-eating zombies.
June 1, 2014
I give up. I made it 2/3 of the way through, but I just can't keep going. The plot is completely disconnected and illogical, there's no emotional depth or intrigue whatsoever, the jokes are flat and obvious, the view of libraries is like something out of the 50s--clearly NOT written by an actual librarian--and I'm getting really really sick of the white male hero lording it over/patronizingly correcting/objectifying the incompetent women. And not a single person of color in the whole damn thing. I don't normally race or gender count, but it just really stands out here.
AND STOP WITH THE INCONSISTENT TOUGH GUY ACCENT. It sounds fake and stupid.
AND STOP WITH THE INCONSISTENT TOUGH GUY ACCENT. It sounds fake and stupid.
December 19, 2015
Nosferatu, Nazi zombie commandos, and imperial war penguins abound in this second installment of the adventures of Rex Libris, bad ass librarian. If the wacky plot line doesn't get you, the abundance of literary in-jokes will. (Or the fact that the worst insult than can be leveled at a man is that he has a flacid little orbitofrontal cortex.) Not quite as awesome as volume one, but close. Guaranteed to make you want a Brazilian Hunting Rabbit (Tyrannoryctolagus Cuniculus Lepus Raptus) of your very own.
September 4, 2009
The first volume was excellent. This one was a little disappointing, mainly because the author became obsessed with introducing new characters, new creatures, and new words on every single page. I'm all for creativity and imagination, but eventually it got to a point where I felt like I needed some version of the Silmarillion to tell everyone apart.
Otherwise, Rex was pretty cool again. I'm eager to pick up Volume 3.
Otherwise, Rex was pretty cool again. I'm eager to pick up Volume 3.
September 12, 2016
Interesting concept for a graphic novel: a librarian who hunts monsters, with the help of other librarians. Very well done graphics.
Monster-hunting gets to be tedious and repetitious and even boring. I struggled to finish it. It would probably read better to leave a couple of days between chapters to allow the monster-killing to subside in memory. There are 13 chapters in this book so it might take a while to read.
Not especially recommended.
Monster-hunting gets to be tedious and repetitious and even boring. I struggled to finish it. It would probably read better to leave a couple of days between chapters to allow the monster-killing to subside in memory. There are 13 chapters in this book so it might take a while to read.
Not especially recommended.
December 17, 2009
I enjoyed the premise of the original, although I was bothered by the smug, self-congratulatory feel of it all. This one...was more of the same. With every joke, I could almost feel the author leaning over my shoulder and saying, "Didja get that?"
There were a few chuckles to be had, but the entirety is entirely too self-aware to be much fun.
There were a few chuckles to be had, but the entirety is entirely too self-aware to be much fun.
June 23, 2012
I have to say I enjoyed the second volume more than the first. The stories stayed more with books and monsters. Granted there was a lot of spoof HP Lovecraft but there were also some brilliant quotes about librarians. It seemed to be less text heavy than the first one which was also nice. The pacing was much faster which in a comedy monster comic is what you really want.
April 23, 2010
Another fun, wacky book from Rex Libris. His Brooklyn accent still drives me nuts but at least in this volume they explain it. I still love Hypatia and Cerces and wish we had spent a little bit more time on them.
June 4, 2012
Hooray, Hypatia gets more action here! But like other reviewers, despite the fun monster-bashing action, I admit to wanting more of the in-library activities and witty banter. Still, if there's ever a volume three, I'm there!
March 27, 2014
This was a fun volume, with parts that made me laugh out loud (loved the bit about "Atlas Shrugged"). I wanted to enjoy it more than I did though - there was so much going on, and several times, I had to back-pedal to regain the thread of what was currently going on.
September 18, 2016
I really, really liked Rex Libris book 1. While this was entertaining, I did not think it was as good as book 1. I still like the idea of the librarian secret society using all the knowledge of the world's books to defeat evil masterminds.
April 12, 2010
Not a bad graphic novel about your not-so-typical librarians.
June 10, 2010
The first one was better.
August 13, 2010
This is a fun comic book with a 2000 year old librarian as a superhero.
October 6, 2010
Terribly boring. I would not have bothered reading volume 2 after the disappointment of volume 1, but I already owned a copy.
November 3, 2010
Further adventures of librarians at a magical library who go after late books and rotten patrons with a vengeance...
December 29, 2010
Continuation of the Rex Libris series, brings more adventure to the library with all sorts of monsters coming alive and trying to take over the building... and the world.
March 29, 2011
Kinda hokey.
January 16, 2013
1.5 stars. Not as good as the first volume.
August 29, 2013
It's a ridiculously over erudite graphic novel about superheroic librarians. It's got book carts, a talking bird, annoying library patrons, and cthulhu. You'll either love it or hate it, really.
July 13, 2014
I'm not sure that the world is ready or capable of understanding the true nature of librarianship but this was another epic adventure (several, actually) and just a typical day at the library.
July 14, 2015
Series has been interesting. The story sounded good. Another good read.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews