A super knowing romp around the superhero shtick, which knocks all recent competition into a cocked hat. -- Nicholas Smith * Dazed and Confused * It's like Holden Caulfield with his phaser set on kill. Phonies beware. * Time * The Death Ray revisits Clowes's trademark mix of eloquent pacing and poignant alienation, while upending the superhero genre to thoughtful and gloriously perverse effect. * Guardian * It is a terrifying idea, and Clowes does well exploring the consequences of being able to act on every violent inclination. * Independent on Sunday * A neat deconstruction of superhero comics and another fascinating, wryly amusing character study by Clowes. -- Henry Northmore * List *
Daniel Clowes was born in 1961. He is the creator of the comic books Eightball, Ghost World, which was made into a film by the director Terry Zwigoff, David Boring and Ice Haven. His adaptation of his own Ghost World graphic novel for the screen earned him an Oscar nomination. A regular contributor to the New Yorker, McSweeney's and the Best American Comics, he lives in California with his wife.