49: Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 1), by George R.R Martin (paperback, 1996 release)

I picked this up because everyone was buzzing about the Game of Thrones Showtime series that was out last year. Since we don't have premium channels, I figured this was the cheaper way to get the inside scoop.  Ultimately, I enjoyed the book quite a bit.  While sword-wielding liege-lord fantasy isn't usually my cup of tea, the pace of this book is excellent, and Martin's strategy of shifting between a dozen or so narrators/protagonists with each chapter break aids in the development of an intricate plot and rich world.  I finished reading this while I was in Seattle and immediately got the next volume on my iPad.  It will likely take me a while to get through the second volume (I read from my iPad only when traveling, and these are BIG books), but I'll comment further when I do so.  In the mean time, tell me what you thought of the books and/or TV show if you have read/seen them/it.

48: The Walking Dead (Volume 13): Too Far Gone, by Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard, and Cliff Rathburn (2010 trade paperback, issues 73-78)

Humans versus zombies.

If you've made it past that bit and are still interested, I suppose I'll tell you a bit more. The premise is pretty standard--something caused some humans to become zombies, and they spread the disease by attacking other humans and eating pieces of them. You've seen it in every zombie book, film, or show. However, this series has been successful, I think, because of the interesting characters developed on the human side. The zombies rarely make an appearance--only enough to unsettle the survivors and complicate their lives.  To survive, the diverse crew of once-strangers must make difficult decisions, trust one another, and seek out ever-dwindling resources.

It's a long, stumbling road to the thirteenth trade, but well worth the journey of you are up for it. I didn't have the chance to watch it, but there was a TV series based on the series that was released last season and got pretty good reviews. Anyone watch it and/or know if it's been picked up for a second season?

47: House of Mystery: Under New Management (Volume 5), by Matthew Sturges, Luca Rossi, and Jose Marzan Jr. (paperback trade, issues 21-25/2010)

The House of Mystery exists at a crossroads between worlds, where creatures and characters from all dimensions, story lines, and fables may gather to relax and have a drink. The price of admission for customers?  Tell a story to the gathered guests. 

For the permanent residents of the House of Mystery, however, things are not so simple.  First off, they are trapped--able to go no further than the yard. They face regular visits from murderous entities; mysterious, faceless couples with unknown goals; and an indifferent fathers who is the house's architect.  Even worse, some find out that they don't even exist outside the house and face disappearance or reabsorption.  

The storytelling nature of this comic series provides the opportunity for a myriad of strange, creepy tales to be intertwined between the lives of the permanent characters: Fig, the heroine; her current love interest/bartender (Harry or Jordan); a saucy female pirate; a tough and sarcastic waitress; brothers Cain and Able, a la Neil Gaiman's Sandman comics; and a homosexual goblin named Tursig.  Occasionally one or two stories wanders outside my interest range, but the ongoing plot always draws me back in, or another traveler will tell a particularly compelling, gothic tale, and I'll be hooked again.  

46: American Vampire (Volume 1), by Scott Snyder, Rafael Albuquerque, and Stephen King (2010 hardcover trade, issues 1-5)

I like Stephen King, and I like vampires, so when I heard this comic was coming out, I eagerly awaited the release of the first trade. In this first story arc, readers are introduced to a particular species of vampire--the American Vampire--through the eyes of a young actress in 1925 Hollywood.  Young, beautiful, and naive, she is the perfect vampire target, so I needn't tell you that it doesn't end well for her.  Of course, I suppose that depends on how you feel about vampires...or becoming one.

In each comic, Snyder and King tell one half of the story, so in this collection of issues it reads as alternating chapters.  While King has had a few of his books made into comics, he's never written a story specifically for the format. Because of this, I'd have to say that Snyder's chapters are better written, but Albuquerque's artwork ties everything together vividly, and the combination of vampire lore and American expansionism is compelling.  King is a gifted storyteller, and I'm sure that more practice will lead him to excellence in the comic format as well. In fact, the second trade was just released, so I'll soon be able to report on his progress.