It's not a review. It's just my opinion! #10 - RECESS PIECES

I read a lot of graphic novels, more so than floppies. So I have decided to tell you all what I am reading and what I thought about those particular books. I want to stress though that I am not looking to review these books in the style of a critic, or to give them a rating, only to express my opinions as a fan of what I personally thought of what I have read. Please do not let my opinion sway you in any way, as I have always lived by the credo that I will make my own mind up about something and so should you. Plus, they say that critics are people that can't actually create themselves and that aint me.
Finally, this is my actual reading pile. All the books I have bought myself for the purpose of my enjoyment and as I am not tieing myself down to any kind of formulated structure, you may notice that I read whatever takes my fancy, rather than switching characters or publishers etc...

Anyhoo... RECESS PIECES!

 RECESS PIECES - by Bob Fingerman

It is books like this that make me state that this is only my opinion and I am in no way arrogant enough to critique my peers by picking holes in their work. I say this because this book is written with a certain style of humour that isn't usually my cup of tea, but just because it isn't, doesn't mean that there won't be a huge audience out there that will appreciate this book completely.
It is a Zombie book, the beauty of which is that zombies can be placed in any environment, unlimited by anything other than their origin (which a lot of the time can be left vague) and the characters within the book/film/comic carry the story and keep the interest of the observer. In this case, after a lab experiment by a zany science teacher goes awry, the living dead are roaming the halls of a suburban American high school in what seems to be the mid seventies. A group of students are then left to defend themselves from the marauding mob of man munchers, all the while looking to escape the school.
Bob Fingerman writes as well as provides the very unique art and I wonder if he has based the main character Bobby on his young self. If he has, this may be where my problem lies with the book as Bobby is a genius who knows that he is a genius and enjoys nothing more than to tell jokes, playing up the class clown and coming across quite arrogant whilst doing it. This doesn't make for a very good protagonist, as half the time I found him annoying and was hoping that he would be eaten alive.
The book also has a no holds barred attitude with its political correctness, having certain characters using racist and homophobic slang whilst talking. To be fair though, it is mostly the school bully who is guilty of this and his character is written as ignorant and to be disliked. It also adds an edge of realism to the book, as kids who don't really know any better, especially in the seventies, talk the way that these kids talk, with the exception of Bobby, whose deep vocabulary is explained with the fact that he is a genius, but doesn't sit right with someone looking to relate with the main character of the book.

Not that I'm not a genius that is!

Even with my minor problems, I found this book to be very easy to get into and extremely enjoyable too. I read it cover to cover quickly and by the time I got to the end, I could have done another hundred pages easily!

Maybe my affinity to this book springs from the fact that I have a similar zombie book coming out mid 2013. It too is a comedic affair and more of an action farce than a straight up horror comic. Mine features wrestlers in a grave yard though and I hope that when it is completed it comes across and reads as well as this book. You can read more about it in the following blog post:

http://biggeeksmalltown.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/wrestlers-vs-zombies-imperfect-world.html

Anyhoo... pick up Recess Pieces and Imperfect World if you are looking for a fun read that is a break from the constant string of superhero books.

M X