The Sandman Presents: Love Street (1999)

Love Street (1999)

Author: Peter Hogan | Illustrator: Michael Zulli | Page Count: 75 (total)

'Life itself is a dream, so the mystics tell us. But what is life without dreams? Looking at Terry I saw a man who knew the answer...'

Set in London, Love Street occurs within two distinct time periods, thirty years apart, connected by people and consequence; the years are 1969 and 1999.

In the summer of '69 fourteen-year-old runaway Oliver meets Johnny, a slightly older youth whose interests lie in Tarot and free expression, among others. He nestles Oliver under his wing, and the story takes on momentum.

For those not familiar with the history or geography of London, Portobello Road is a long street in the Notting Hill district that's famous for its weekend markets and vibrant cultural happenings. It's therefore a fitting place for the characters in the book to come together.

There's seven of them, cohabiting in a three-story house in the famous location. They have differing backgrounds but each one has an open mind, able to appreciate and evaluate in their own way the fresh ideas and new ways of thinking that were permeating the culture of the day, from spiritual growth to the benefits of recreational drugs.

White Zombie: La Sexorcisto: Devil Music, Vol. 1 (1992)

White Zombie:

La Sexorcisto: Devil Music, Vol. 1 (1992)

La Sexorcisto was the predominant soundtrack to my time in art school, pulsing daily from a stereo cassette deck at the back of the room, which happened to be where I was situated.

Being inspired by the likes of Van Gogh, Hieronymus Bosch, and White Zombie was an exhilarating feeling that I hope will remain indelible in my memory for as long as I'm alive, for those same years were some of the most important of my life, thus far.

Musically the album's dominated by psychedelic, sludgy, almost stoner groove riffs that are undeniably catchy, conjuring images of midnight gatherings at a Hallowe'en carnival, presided over by vocalist Rob Zombie, a kind of rollercoaster preacher peddling bedevilled dreams to an audience hungry for stimulus.

The Legend of Zelda Manga: Legendary Ed. Vol. 04 (2017)

The Minish Cap (2006) / Phantom Hourglass (2009)

Author and Illustrator: Akira Himekawa | Page Count: 374

"The road you travel will be dangerous. Take this."

Series protagonist Link is always recognisable in his green duds and pointy hat, but he's not always the same Link. There are exceptions, of course, such as the one in Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, but mostly the character is different in each game. It's not a drastic change; it's more of a variation on a theme.

Akira Himekawa applies the same principle to each of her Links in the mangas. In The Minish Cap's case the artwork is one-hundred percent chibi. It would've made sense to draw certain parts of it that way, but unfortunately it's used from beginning to end.

I'm not a fan of the exaggerated art style, but judging by the level of excellence shown in the previous books I'm guessing that it's at least good chibi?

WitchCraft: La Terreur (1998)

WitchCraft: La Terreur (1998)

Author: James Robinson  |  Illustrator: Michael Zulli  |  Page Count: 72 (24 x 3)

"[N]othing is for nothing."

'La Terreur' translates to 'The Terror', referencing a period in France's past (also known as The Reign of Terror) in which a bloody revolution took place as a percentage of the populace tried to turn the political climate from a Monarchy into a Republic. Wikipedia has more details if you want to brush up on the cultural and political happenings around which the story is set.

It's a sequel to WitchCraft (1994), but you don't need to have read the previous book because the only returning characters are The Hecate, three witches previously seen in the Sandman universe, and it doesn't continue the same story. It's a new adventure with them taking less of an active role. Instead, they're more of a catalyst. It's also a lot less enjoyable than the previous outing.