Happy #3 Review

Ah the Grant Morrison book about a imaginary blue horse called Happy has released its penultimate issue; and what a cracker it is. We got to learn more about Nicks back story, which included how his life has got to the point where it is currently at. We also learned what is happening to the children who have been kidnapped; and trust me, it is very disturbing.

This was yet again another fantastic issue, but I am slightly worried as there is only one issue left and I feel there is a lot more story to tell. Unless the last issue is double sized which I do not believe it is. We learned so much about Nick in this issue, and I think with this knowledge the series could have done with being a six issue run; but never mind.
Speaking of Nick, he comes across in this issue like he has in the previous two issues; as a complete douche bag. As a person I absolutely despise him, but he doesn't half make a very interesting comic book character. He is very self centered and unwilling to help others, but as I have mentioned we now understand why he is like this a lot more due to the flashbacks.

The art is once again fantastic. The world this is set in is disgusting. It is a grimy and ugly place, but it looks beautifully disgusting. The characters all fit the world perfectly due to their own personal seediness and ugliness. The one character that jumps out of the book every panel he is in is Happy the horse. Panels with him look beautiful due to his bright colours against the contrasting backdrop.

I really cant wait for the last issue of this series which should hit shelves next month. It has been a fantastic read and I am very eager to see if everything is going to be wrapped up. This is a Grant Morrison book so I think there may be some kind of shock conclusion which the readers did not see coming. As long as there is no time travel involved, I am sure it is going to rock.

Rating: 9 / 10

Happy #2 Review

I still think that this series really has to be read to be believed. Based on an ex police detective turned hit man who is one of only two people who can see Happy the blue horse, this is a wild ride indeed. The first issue really impressed me, and I went into this issue eager to find out what came next. If you like blood, corruption, and blue cartoon horses, then this series is for you too.

The first thing we saw was Nick escaping from the hospital he was in with the help of his new companion. The fight that broke out between Nick and the bad guys was awesome to view. It was very bloody indeed, and helped along with nice little anecdotes from Happy, it felt very surreal.

What was made clear to the reader in this issue is the fact that Nick Sax is a real ass hole  He has absolutely no interest in helping save Happy' friend. Instead, he uses the horse for his own gain which was demonstrated nicely in a high stakes poker game. The game was great, very very tense, and you could really sense the danger that surrounded Nick. However, he gave Happy his word that he would help him, which he later went back on. I find it hard to understand why he wont help him, but I guess that's because I am not Nick Sax. Anyway, he must decide to help him at some point otherwise the story will limp to a pointless conclusion.

The art was once again great. It has a really gritty atmosphere, which is something I love in a comic book like this. Happy is the most colourful thing in the book, which makes sense considering what his character is. The one thing I was not keen on in this book, is that we didn't actually get to see the fight that broke out at the poker game, only the aftermath. We may have already seen one big fight scene, but I would have enjoyed another considering how well the first one was done.

Grant Morrison is still surprising me with this series. I stated in my review of Happy #1 that I wasn't really a big fan of his, however my opinion is slowly changing. We are now halfway through this mini series, and if the remaining two issues are as good as the first, then this may be the best mini of the year.


Rating: 8/10

Happy #1 Review

We have all had that feeling. The feeling that you know you will love something even before you have read it. That is the feeling I had about this four issue mini series before I had even received the first issue in the post. To tell you the truth I am not Grant Morrison's biggest fan. I would even go as far as saying that I try to avoid his work altogether due to it being a bit too weird and Morrison-ish. However, this title is weird in a good way. I can honestly say I have never read anything like it.

The main character of this book is Nick Sax; a corrupt ex cop who is now a hit-man. The first half of this book see's him attempting to complete a hit on three brothers. He succeeds in doing so, but he also has to kill a fourth brother who was not anticipated to be there. This brother attempted to get out of being killed by giving Nick a password to a bank account containing the family fortune. Nick refused the password because he is just that kind of guy. Unfortunately for Nick he took a bullet in the side during the fight with the brothers which sees him ending up in hospital. This leads to somebody only know to us as Mister Blue to send a hit-man torture squad out to the hospital to retrieve the password for this fortune. Unbeknown to Mister Blue, and as mentioned earlier, Nick does not know it.

So far this all sounds pretty standard. Nothing too strange going on here. Very unlike Morrison. However, while in his hospital bed, Nick starts seeing a small blue cartoon horse who introduces himself as "Happy the horse". Happy claims to be a girl called Hailey's imaginary friend. We also learn that Hailey is in trouble and that Happy has come for Nick's help in order to save her. Yep, things just got weird.

I absolutely love the premise for this series. I really do not know what Grant Morrison was on when coming up with this idea, but it really works. Nick's character is great. He is a bit cliché as he has gone from being the best detective in the force to being the disgrace of the department. In fact, he reminds me of Bruce Willis' character in the Die Hard's but obviously with less good naturedness. However, I think the cliché helps as we instantly feel like we know the character due to the amount of times we have read something similar. The fact that he is written well and has some pretty good dialogue also helps form a character that we will want to come back for more for.

As a comic book fan I am not used to reading about blue horses named Happy. It isn't really my genre ( is it anybodies? ) However, I liked every panel he was in ( I am also assuming it is a "he" ), mainly due to Nick wondering if he is real or if he has just lost his mind. I am looking forward to their interactions in the next three issues, which shows that Morrison has done a really great job at selling this. It could have been horrible, but it's not. Plus the c-word was used quite a lot. What's not to like?


Rating: 8.5/10