***
A broad sampler from wartime autobiography to paranormal philanthropy, turtle-hugging wildlife conservation to sadistic animal cruelty and drab tales of vintage Britain. That should probably mean there's something for everyone, but none of it really got me going.
Fave: 'The Boy Who Talked with Animals'
Worstie: 'The Swan'
Jean "Moebius" Giraud, Mœbius 6: Pharagonesia and Other Strange Stories
1974-80 (collected 1987) / Ecomic / 66 pages / France***
By Moebius' standards, these stories aren't any stranger than usual, one of them being depressingly down to Earth, but I'd struggle to come up with an overarching theme too. As ever, the silent ones are the most interesting.
Faves: 'Shore Leave on Pharagonesia,' 'Absoluten Calfeutrail.'
Worsties: 'The Hunt for the Vacationing Frenchman,' 'The Apple Pie.'
1988-89 (collected 1990) / Ecomics / 208 pages / Canada
**
The 'authorised sequel' to the philosophical series, for whatever that's worth, this feels more like a failed next-generation pilot until we're back in the Village, then the record gets stuck in a meaningless catchphrase groove. The art was nice, anyway.
1998 / Ebook / 116 pages / UK
***
With six works to get through, the writer doesn't spend too much time on the background to this falsely modest usurping before speeding through the forms, themes and theories. Not being able to get too deep and technical makes this more approachable to laymen than most of these books, even if we still need a glossary.
2019 / Ebook / 46 pages / Australia
*
A small sample of Satanic numerology in American pop culture and corporate logos featuring swirls and circles that you can superimpose some sixes onto if you're an absolute nutcase. He runs out of examples surprisingly soon, so leaves us to ponder some other random numbers and symbols with little to no commentary, his call for us to investigate for ourselves being a handy excuse for laziness.
