Comic Book Tattoo edited by Rantz A. Hoseley

Comic Book Tattoo Tales Inspired by Tori Amos - Edited by Rantz A. Hoseley 480 pgs. 2008 4.25/5 For those unaware of what Comic Book Tattoo is, it's a collection of short comics based on the songs of Tori Amos. As I read this, I thought "why wasn't this done earlier?" I've long been a fan of Tori Amos and have always thought that her songs lend themselves perfectly to story telling. That is what she does with her beautiful creations - creates a story that causes us to sit back and think. There are far too many artists and writers for me to mention all of them in this review, but suffice it to say that this book was done extremely well. The pages are thick with a nice gloss to them, nearly all of the artwork is amazing, and the stories range from comical to leaving the reader near tears. Each short comic begins with the lyrics to a Tori Amos song. I've always loved reading her lyrics. They're beautiful and seemingly from another land. They lyrics are followed by the artist and writer's interpretation of the song. The stories are short and sweet and most pack a huge punch in just 9 or 10 pages. There was the occasional story that just didn't do it for me and I have to admit that I was disappointed when some of my favorite songs were some of my least favorite comics. But they can't all be perfect. In fact, the thing with Tori's songs are that they're so personal that each person really takes their own meaning of the song. So when I saw something different that was seemingly from left field, I tried to remind myself that that's what their interpretation was. And it made me feel a bit better. There's a fantastic foreword by Neil Gaiman in which he talks about how he came to meet Tori Amos and a beautiful afterword by Tori herself where she talks about the power of art and cruelty of censorship. One of the many, many great things about this book is that none of the comics are censored. They are all real. How the author wanted them to be portrayed. Kudos for that. Whether you're a Tori fan or don't even know who she is; whether you're a graphic novel fan or have never read one before, I think nearly anyone could find something to appreciate in this book. If you are a fan of Tori Amos and Graphic Novels, you're in for a real treat! From the opening of the cover, that is clear. Hey kid, I've got a ride for you they say your brain is a comic book tattoo and you'll never be anything what will you do with your life that's all you hear from noon till night. -From The Flying Dutchman by Tori Amos