Comic Book Marathon

Mining the back-catalouge: 1st Quarter TPBs

2005-10-13T12:49:00.000-07:00

DC already released their list of TPBs and GNs for January & February 2006.

Dark Horse has already released their solcitations for January 2006. Their TPBs are usually advanced-solicited, so I think that catches us up for February as well.

From the other publishers, of particular interest to me is older works being (re-)collected into trade form. Yes, I'm well aware "House of M" will generate a zillion TPBs (and yes, they are all out on Amazon), but I'm more interested in what "older" stuff (say, 5+ years old) is getting re-released. Here's a few of the coming attractions for the 1st quarter 2006, courtesy of Amazon.com:

Marvel:
Essential Avengers Vol 5 TPB - "Collects Avengers (Vol. 1) #98-126, Daredevil (Vol. 1) #99, Defenders (Vol. 1) #8-11 & Giant-Size Avengers #1"
Squadron Supreme: Death Of A Universe TPB - reprints the relatively rare post-mini-series graphic novel Death of a Universe, Thor #280, and the Busiek-era stories (Avengers Vol 3 #5-6, Avengers/Squadron Supreme Annual, and Squadron Supreme: New World Order). It would be nice if a pre-mini-series TPB was issued as well.
Avengers: Galactic Storm Volume 1 TPB - "Collects Captain America #398-399, Avengers West Coast #80-81, Quasar #32-33, Wonder Man #7-8, Avengers #345-346, Iron Man #278 and Thor #445. Book 1 of 2." More Avengers love-fest, but this time from the icky 90's. Was this any good?
Essential Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man Volume 2 TPB - "Collects Spectacular Spider-Man #32-61, Annuals #1-3."
Spider-Girl Volume 5: Endgame Digest - "Collects Spider-Girl #22-27"
Marvel Visionaries: Roy Thomas HC - "Collects Modeling With Millie #44, Tales Of Suspense #73; Avengers #35, #57-58, #100; Sub-Mariner #8 & #14; Not Brand Ecch #12; Captain Marvel #19; X-Men #164; Chamber Of Darkness #4; Amazing Adventures # (5, 6 or 8); Incredible Hulk #147; Fantastic Four #119 & 176; Dracula Lives #1; Giant-Size Invaders #1; & Doctor Strange #9" Note the uncertainty of the issue number of Amazing Adventures.

Fantagraphics:
Pussey! - more Eightbell reprints from Dan Clowes

IDW:
The Legend of GrimJack Volume 5 - "covers issues #22-30"

Previews Obscure: Protoprize

2005-09-21T07:09:00.000-07:00

The following description in the September Diamond Previews catalog caught my eye:

PROTOPRIZE GN (Pg286 SEP05-2971) $14.95 D.Langloris [sic] b&w

Two bionically enhanced women team up with a boy chemist in an attempt to track down the Bellknap Grave Robber. Will Dixie's vision come true? Where did the chimney sweep's head go? Will Double Amp's love for money get her killed? What dwells at the bottom of the Slime Pit?

Hm, sounds sufficiently surreal. Protoprize is a compilation of the Bellknap Graverobber storyline from Protoprize #1-6 (1999-2004), self-published by Drue Langlois. If you are as curious as I am, here's some links:

Comic Book Links:

The official Hot Hail website, includes a 6-page preview.

Drue Langlois' homepage, includes a resume.

A review of Protoprize #2, with 1 page of preview art. Quote: The ideas & storytelling behind in this comic are playful - this playful attitude transmits well in the reading.

A short review of an issue of Protoprize (scroll way down to Christine Douville's overview of Expozine 2004). Quote: The cover says “illustrated stories” - I say “crazy comics”!

Two brief reviews of Protoprize #2 and #3. Quote: A strange but totally entertaining story. . .

A large-scale version of his painting "Double Amp", which is apparently the cover to the Protoprize GN. Part of a short note on a 2003 art exhibit.

The Captain Canuck website, featuring a comic that Drue worked on with his brother Riel.

The Comic Book Network Electronic Magazine #499 (11/22/04) featured interviews with Drue and Riel (downloadable zip file).

Other links:

Many gallery pieces from a 2004 exhibition.

Doll creations from the Atelier Gallery.

Two pieces from the 2005 Los Angeles Art Fair.

Drue was longtime member of the Royal Art Lodge.

An article on Drue's former band, Eyeball Hurt and the Medicine.

Meanwhile, Drue promotes his current project, Bold Saber, with sound samples.

Strangehaven conspiracies

2005-09-19T08:19:00.000-07:00

According to Gary Spencer Millidge, in an announcement dated 09/04/05, both Strangehaven #18 and Strangehaven Vol 3: Conspiracies (which includes issues #13-18) will be released this September.

And it looks like Strangehaven Vol 3: Conspiracies will be out this week.

However, back in August Diamond cancelled orders for Strangehaven #18. Am I missing something? Is the TPB going to be the only way (for now, at least) of reading issue #18?

Regardless, congratulations to Mr. Millidge on 10 years of publishing his fantastic small town mystery-thriller, Strangehaven! Here's to 10 more!

Back From Hiatus

2005-09-16T10:57:00.000-07:00

Reviews and commentary will continue shortly.

I have one request. I am looking for someone to design a banner for me, for the top of the page.

The concept: a man icon (a stickfigure of sorts) who begins running from left to right, eventually falling prone, at which point he is then reading a book. Something very pictogram-ic, single- or dual-color.

I don't know what the going rate for this sort of thing is, so let me know.

Paul Grist's Promises

2005-08-05T09:01:00.000-07:00

Inspired by Johanna's post on lateness, I decided to see what kind of patterns there are to Paul Grist's publishing schedule. Instinctively, I thought that 4 months late was his consistent shipping adjustment (e.g. supposed to ship in February? See you in June!), but apparently I was underestimating the sluggishness of the Grist juggernaut. Looks like it's more like 6 or 7 months.

Title / Publisher / # of Months Late

Jack Staff

Jack Staff Series 1 #1 DE 4
Jack Staff Series 1 #2 DE 4
Jack Staff Series 1 #3 DE 6
Jack Staff Series 1 #4 DE 4
Jack Staff Series 1 #5 DE 6
Jack Staff Series 1 #6 DE 5
Jack Staff Series 1 #7 DE 5
Jack Staff Series 1 #8 DE 4
Jack Staff Series 1 #9 DE 6
Jack Staff Series 1 #10 DE 4
Jack Staff Series 1 #11 DE 5
Jack Staff Series 1 #12 DE 5
Jack Staff Series 2 #1 Image 0
Jack Staff Series 2 #2 Image 0
Jack Staff Series 2 #3 Image 2
Jack Staff Series 2 #4 Image 3
Jack Staff Series 2 #5 Image 7
Jack Staff Series 2 #6 Image 8
Jack Staff Series 2 #7 Image 5
Jack Staff Series 2 #8 Image 5

Burglar Bill

Burglar Bill #1 (Of 6) DE 2
Burglar Bill #2 (Of 6) DE 1
Burglar Bill #3 (Of 6) DE 2

Burglar Bill reprints

Burglar Bill #1 (Of 6) Image 0
Burglar Bill #2 (Of 6) Image 1
Burglar Bill #3 (Of 6) Image 4

Jack Staff reprints

Jack Staff Vol 1 Everything Used … TPB Image 2
Jack Staff Vol 2 Soldiers TPB Image 3

Kane reprints

Kane Vol 1 Greetings From New Eden TPB Image 1
Kane Vol 2 Rabbit Hunt TPB Image 1
Kane Vol 3 Histories TPB Image 2
Kane Vol 4 39th TPB Image 6

Still to come ...

Kane Vol 5 Untouchable Rico … TPB Image 6+
Burglar Bill #4 (Of 6) Image 5+
Jack Staff Series 2 #9 Image 4+
Burglar Bill #5 (Of 6) Image 3+
Jack Staff Series 2 #10 Image 0+

My Comics Can Beat Up Your Comics - 07/20/05

2005-07-21T06:58:00.001-07:00

Well, my local store is starting to feel the effects of the shutdown of its closest (and more mainstream) competitor, as a half-hour after they opened on Wednesday, there were a number of people in the store complaining that they were sold out of Astonishing X-Men and House of M. (The manager was placing reorders like mad, so it looks like he will be able to make everyone happy). None of that affects me, but when they run out of PLASTIC MAN, that's just not right! No, I kid because I love, and I wish my store the best with its new influx of Marvel zombies!

TALES DESIGNED TO THRIZZLE #1

The drier-than-dry humor of Michael Kupperman, the man behind Snake 'n' Bacon Cartoon Cabaret, is back and it is like nothing else out there. Difficult to describe and almost impentrable to your average Everybody Loves Raymond fan, strips like "Uncle Billy's Drunken, Bitter Guide to the Animal Kingdom," "Mickey Rourke's Public Hair Stencils for Men," "Cut Out N' Play Soccer Joust," "Cousin Grampa," and "Amoeba Car Grampa" make me laugh and shake my head at the same time. So wrong and so strange, and yet so great. If you've never read his stuff before (or seen his cartoon shorts on TV Funhouse) here's a cheap pamphlet of goodness for your sampling.

THE DEFENDERS #1 (of 5)

Well, here it is, my two pre-teen comic book favorites (Dr. Strange and the Giffen-era Justice League) smooshed into one comic. Can't say that I saw that coming. Anyway, arch-villain Nightmare warns of an impending an unstoppable doom that will come to be Dr. Strange's greatest challenge, in the form of Dormammu and Umar seeking to invade the earth creatively (again!). The seams of the plot are terribly obvious (Strange can teleport the Hulk into danger, but not out of it? Wha huh?), but this being a Giffen/DeMatteis/Maguire book, the plot is expected to take a back seat to characterization and humor. And that's all right for what it is, except Nightmare's personality graft is wholly unconvincing. The recruitment scenes are well done and some of the jokes are laugh-out-loud funny, but this book needs more room to convince me that these versions of the characters will work. The proof will be in the next few issues.

MARVEL MILESTONES: DR. STRANGE, SILVER SURFER, SUB-MARINER, & HULK

Featuring classic stories from the cast of The Defenders that also serve to advertise for the Marvel Masterworks hardcovers.

First up is Dr. Strange from Marvel Premiere #3: This Stan Lee tale is a definite classic, a solid magical suspense one-off by Lee from when his hands-on writing was rare in the early 70's. Arch-villain Nightmare warns of an impending and unstoppable doom that will come to be Dr. Strange's greatest challenge (sound familiar?). It's gorgeously illustrated by the man now known as Barry Windsor-Smith with some amazing colors that were missing in the recent Essential Dr. Strange Vol 2. However, if you already have the Marvel Visionaries: Stan Lee volume, you already have this reprint and you can probably pass on this.

Since that tale takes up more than half the issue, the rest of the content is short stories from Fantastic Four Annual #5 (Lee & Jack Kirby on Silver Surfer), Marvel Comics#1 (from the Golden Age with the Sub-Mariner), and Hulk #3 (a 3-page origin re-cap by Lee & Kirby). Even though I find Golden Age Marvel to be unreadable and the Hulk tale is inconsequential, this issue is worth it just for the Dr. Strange story in glossy color and the fun Silver Surfer story, if you don't have them already.

THE ATHEIST #2

The problem? The dead are coming back to life, in possession of thousands of teenagers. The solution? A million words of exposition as our protagonists walk through some investigative procedural work on the "problem" with the smartest man in the world. The result? I am dulled to death.

P.S. John McCrea is a very imaginative artist, even if he isn't very flashy. So why does he keep getting assigned to projects that require very little imagination? John McCrea's talking head sketchbook is not really what I'm looking for in a comic book.

PLASTIC MAN #17

Well, my store ran out of them, but should have more next week. What's your excuse?

Other Stuff of Interest

Lost of reasons to wait for the trade this week: DAREDEVIL #75, DETECTIVE COMICS #808, EX MACHINA #13, GIRLS #3, GOON #13, HELLBOY THE ISLAND #2, ULTIMATES 2 #7, X-MEN KITTY PRYDE SHADOW & FLAME #2

THE PULSE VOL 2 SECRET WAR TP - Flip-throughs on this book make it hard for me to believe that this is really the natural successor to Bendis's Alias. It seems similar to taking the twisted characters from a Coen Brothers movie and having them star in a generic Law & Order-type show. It's not that it wouldn't be quality, but what's the point?

Mickey Rourke's Pubic Hair Stencil #18: Death of a Bullfighter
"This one I started as a novel, but then I realized the story would work better within the medium of pubic hair"

My Comics Can Beat Up Your Comics - 07/13/05

2005-07-18T11:42:00.000-07:00

The internet is abuzz with news from San Diego Comic Con, or rather the lack of it. Seems to me, though, that we get plenty of great (or at least notable) news on the internet each week about upcoming projects, so I'm not too surprised that there wasn't much to reveal at SDCC.

THE COMICS JOURNAL #269 - The Shoujo Manga Issue

Despite being someone interested in avant-garde comics, I've barely scratched the surface when it comes to Japanese comic imports. Thus, when my favorite comics magazine devotes an issue to reviewing a few dozen manga titles, this is right up my alley. Like The Comics Journal Special Edition 2005, this issue takes a look at a number of titles that transcend cultures with their amazing quality, uniqueness, and innovation. In his introduction, Dirk Deppey refers to this issue as year-long "labor of love," and as far as I can tell the outcome has resulted in a fine and essential overview of the shoujo manga class of comics.

In my opinion, such "themed" issues of this magazine are better suited to particular genres and markets than they are to individual creators and works (recent themed issues/sections on Will Eisner, Steve Ditko, and Dave Sim have been particularly dry). The first issue of TCJ that I bought was the James Robinson issue back in 1997; I've bought every issue since, but not because of that interview (though it was good). The highlight for that issue was a commentary section by a number of columnists on what could be done to reverse the freefall of the comic book market (including Gary Groth's famous assertion that there's nothing wrong with being a ghetto-ized industry because that allows a certain artistic freedom, a suggestion I still ponder to this day). Multiple observations on a single subject or class of subjects by intelligent observers? Yeah, I can do that. Give me more.

Y: THE LAST MAN Vol 5 - THE RING OF TRUTH

Someone commented to me recently that this series "isn't going anywhere." I can see their point. The event in volume 1 that caused the extinction of (almost) all men has barely been addressed, even though it is supposedly the impetus for the protagonists' quest. But based on the strong readership for this book, I'm not the only one who doesn't mind. Though volume 4 got a little silly with a too-convenient ending to the S&M storyline, for the most part this series has provided stories that take advantage of a compelling backdrop in order to take a look at gender issues in a post-catastrophe world.

To me, the gold standard for science fiction is the work of Ray Bradbury. His "sci-fi" tales were never about the science fiction itself; they were about people's reactions to sudden and drastic changes in their lives brought on by otherworldy forces. Y: The Last Man presents the same type of human-driven drama and does it well.

CHLOE

Since there wasn't anything new and arty of interest that I noticed this week, I picked up this volume because, um, I though it was by Henrik Rehr. Nope, this book is by Hans Rickheit, an entirely different comic creator, oops. Still, this tale of a young woman in a rural area searching for meaning as the world around her becomes increasingly ugly and surreal looks pretty good, reminiscent of Charles Burns. Worth a look. [Published in 2002]

Other Stuff of Interest

DESOLATION JONES #2 - WFTT

JUSTICE LEAGUE COMPANION Vol 1 SC - Hee, hee. Geeky fun. Maybe later.

"Some people sing love songs, everybody's got one
This isn't my love song, it's more like my love gone wrong song"

My Comics Can Beat Up Your Comics - 07/07/05

2005-07-12T07:28:00.000-07:00

Hm, quite late, but at least I got to read most of my purchases already. Next weeks column will be similarly late, since I will be out of town.

PLOT: SECRET STORY OF PROTOCOLS OF THE ELDERS OF ZION

Will Eisner, in his final graphic novel, attempts to right an injustice against the Jewish people. This nonfiction graphic novel tells the story of a series of faked documents that "proved" of a Jewish plot to overthrow late 19th-Century governments. Apparently, these documents are still circulated around the world as "evidence" of a Jewish conspiracy, and have been used many times in the past justify anti-Semitic policies. While Eisner may get his point across, the result is not especially entertaining.

The problem with this graphic novel, I think, is that when writing about a nefarious conspiracy to defame, the author needs to be careful not to embellish or deviate from proven facts. Otherwise, the writer would be partially guilty of the same sort of truth distortion that his subjects are. Eisner seems to acheive this impartiality, but at the expense of an interesting narrative. The book is as dry and unartistic as a statistical pamphlet. Perhaps this novel will stand a testament of Eisner's belief in fairness and justice, but unfortunately it remains a poor example of why the man is considered a master of the sequential arts.

FULL METAL ALCHEMIST Vol 2

This series is turning into quite a nice surprise. Nothing particularly groundbreaking or new here, just a solid adventure story about a young man and his brother who are on a quest to restore their humanity after an alchemy experiment goes wrong and causes them to change from flesh to metal. A variety of a colorful alchemists and enemies keeps the series light, while the underlying quest gives the series a dark undercurrent reminiscent of The Fugitive and Cowboy Bebop. Highly entertaining and engrossing.

AMAZING JOY BUZZARDS Vol 1

More silly surrealism in the vein of Scott Pilgrim and Street Angel. But is it as successful as those groundbreaking projects? The problem with this kind of thing is that it isn't very deep, so if it doesn't grab you right away, it falls pretty flat. I would put this in the "flat" category (especially when the zombies show up, ugh) but there's a definite sense of inventiveness here. So, kinda neutral, but enough to look out for the second volume. [Full issue #4 online]

SHANNA THE SHE-DEVIL #6 (OF 7)

It's a fine tradition.

STEVE DITKO READER Vol 3

Gone missing at my shop. Should be in next week. *sob*

Other Stuff of Interest

DAREDEVIL VS PUNISHER #1 (OF 6) - WFTT, David Lapham's year of the mainstream continues...

VILLAINS UNITED #3 (OF 6) - WFTT. I also heard that Suicide Squad might be showing up in the new Justice League cartoon? Hmmm...

Y: THE LAST MAN #35 - WFTT. For better or for worse, Brian K. Vaughan may be the most consistent mainstream writer in the business. I tend to think it's for the better.

"You wasted life, why wouldn't you waste the afterlife?"

My Comics Can Beat Up Your Comics - 06/29/05

2005-06-29T12:00:00.000-07:00

Bah, back in my day we didn't have blogs to discuss comics! We had IRC and UseNet! And we LIKED it! Right, onward then:

LIFE AND TIMES OF SCROOGE MCDUCK TP

Back in the golden age of Usenet (say, 1994), a guy by the name of Elmo offered the following guarantee: if you buy an issue of Uncle Scrooge that includes Don Rosa's 12-part Life and Time of Scrooge McDuck serial and you don't like it, you could spit on him (Elmo, not Rosa). Fast forward 11 years later and I'm taking him up on the offer. Actually, I have read one of the albums and so I already know that it is a pretty good adventure tale, fun and exciting in a Disney Duck kind of way. Look out for it your local shop.

PLANETARY #23

You know, the funny thing about this title is that with each issue I expect to be amazed and surprised, and have not yet been disappointed. Can I say that about any other title? No, and that's why this is the one title where I cannot wait for the trade collection. This time around it's the origin of the Drummer, but the real surprises come from further filling in Elijah's history.

ART OF JOHN VAN FLEET HC

Back when Marvel's Epic imprint was still going strong, a little series called Clive Barker's Hellraiser blew this teenager's mind with gorgeous painted art by Scott Hampton, Miran Kim, Mark Chiarello, and this guy, the finest "light-n-shadows" artist of the group. Why he didn't catch on after that is beyond me*, but you can judge for yourself with this career retrospective. It collects most of his gorgeous cover work for DC, plus odds and ends from Star Wars, White Wolf, and elsewhere. Also includes his 13-page Matrix story. Absolutely gorgeous. (Published in 2001, available on discount from Bud Plant)

*Ok, maybe books with bad writing like Batman: The Chalice had something to do with it. But still . . .

ADULT SWIM SERIES 1 ACTION FIGURES

FAN-tastic! But yeah, not comics, so, NEXT!

JLA CLASSIFIED #9 - I Can't Believe It's Not The Justice League Part 6 (of 6)

And it comes to an end. Breakneck action, snappy banter, and heartfelt characterization, the creators of the BWAH-HA-HA-HA League go out with a bang. Simply marvelous.

THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN VOL. 2: THE ABSOLUTE EDITION

The writer of V For Vendetta and From Hell and the artist of Marshal Law present absinthe-as-comics writ super-large. It's a trip, man. Hallucinogens awaaaaaaaaay!

Other Stuff of Interest

SURROGATES #1 (OF 5) - WFTT. I've been a fan of Brett Weldele since Confessions of Cereal Eater Vol 2, so I'm hopeful on that basis alone.

RUNAWAYS #5 - WFTT

NAT TURNER #1 - WFTT

X-MEN KITTY PRYDE SHADOW & FLAME #1 (OF 5) - Paul Smith art, so WFTT? But bad reviews may convince me to just skip it altogether.

SPIDER-MAN/HUMAN TORCH #5 - WFTT. This looks like good nostalgic fun. Trade should be out soon.

BATMAN SUPERMAN WONDER WOMAN TRINITY TP - Yeah, it was just too expensive this week to purchase a book that I've already read. The Matt Wagner art is quite nice, so I will add it to my collection eventually.

"Sounds like the time I stapled bologna to my face"
"No, it was more like the time I hammered the golf tee into my belly button."

My Comics Can Beat Up Your Comics - 06/22/05

2005-06-24T15:25:00.000-07:00

This week, I read some really good old Steve Ditko comics (Amazing Spider-Man #31-33) and some really disappointing new manga (Cromartie High School vols 1 & 2), so I'm not really in the mood to be all rah-rah-rah about new stuff this week. I'd prefer just to tell you all to go out and buy the new Gorillaz album, but here I go anwyay...

LITTLE BOOK OF HORROR: WAR OF THE WORLDS

If I had to answer the question "Who is your favorite comic book artist?" (argh, just one?), my response would be Ted McKeever. That said, this year's new release from Ted finds him just providing the backdrop for Steve Niles' junior-reader version of WotW, so this release is nothing to get excited about. In fact, stripped of its usual murky religion/philsophy themes, McKeever's art isn't all that inspired. Maybe good for kids (or apparently McKeever completists) but nothing special.

LIVEWIRES #5 (of 6)

This, on the other hand, has the makings of a pop art classic. This is the first issue without many surprises as it merely sets up the finale, but I expect the end of this bombastic rollercoster ride to be quite explosive and amazing. (Now, the coolest surprise would be if the finale went to the next level, I mean like an End of Evangelion way-out-there next level. It probably won't happen, but I can dream, can't I?)

INCAL: THE EPIC JOURNEY

A classic. A review is pending of this and Epic Conspiracy, where my love of Moebius and my disdain for certain sci-fi will meet head-on. Stay tuned.

Other stuff of interest

Captain America & Falcon Vol 2 Brothers & Keepers TPB - It IS Priest on writing, but I just can't work my interest up for Marvel's Most Patriotic Hero, and besides the reviews have not been kind. Hopefully Priest will get a go at a solo Falcon series, as that seems more my speed.
Beautiful Life Moebius HC - Less than 50% Moebius, and what's included by him seems to be non-sequential and non-color. For $23, I think I can wait to see if Bud Plant sells it for half-off.
Astro City The Dark Age #1 (Of 16) - WFTT
Girls #2 - WFTT
Daredevil Redemption #5 (Of 6) - WFTT
Supreme Power #17 - WFTT

I know that you want to sleep
But these neuroses go pretty deep

My Comics Can Beat Up Your Comics - 06/15/05

2005-06-15T08:06:00.000-07:00

Due to some pain, I actually had a chance to rest and read a couple of these today, starting with:

SCOTT PILGRIM VOL 2: VS THE WORLD GN

This chapter in Scott Pilgrim's life takes the touch of surrealism that was key to the coolness of volume 1 and WAY overdoes it. Still a lot to like about this volume, including more great characters and sticky situations for Scott to get caught up in, but the FOUR "battles" in this issue and the continuation of Scott quest against Ramona's 7 evil ex-boyfriends? It just leaves me cold, even if the allegories are clever. I do want to see even more of Kim now though, after her move into the foreground in this volume.

JLA CLASSIFIED #8 - I Can't Believe It's Not The Justice League Part 5 (of 6)

The Superbuddies hit a detour on their way back from hell and end up in a universe with a giant G'Nort, an S&M Marvel Family, and an exotic dancer named Sue Dibny. Our Blue Beetle, suffering from amnesia, keeps his team grounded and light so that they don't end up overwhelmed by this grim and gritty world. Meta-commentary, anyone? Anyway, the next chapter concludes this alt-universe adventure and the door closes on Giffen/DeMatteis/Maguire Justice League forever, so some savoring is recommended, as this is as humorous and as heartfelt as you are going to find in mainstream comics today.

TRIGGER #7 (of 8)

A day in the life of an amoral and destructive Trigger: when a man's subconscious mind spends most of its time murdering and raping, the conscious mind bears the brunt of the repercussions. Not bad on its own, but since the first 6-issue story arc fell flat, it's too little too late.

STRANGERS IN PARADISE VOL 16: MOLLY & POO TP

This book collects the 3 Molly & Poo stories from SiP, which were mainly illustrated prose. It's probably been about a decade since I read the first story, I remember it as an entertaining if clumsy suspense story that did not warrant a sequel; it will be interesting to see what Terry Moore has done with the characters since then.

STREET ANGEL VOL 1 TP

The darling of the blogosphere. All I have to say is that so far it reminds me of Pop Gun War and if it is even half as cool, I'm a fan.

ACTION PHILSOPHERS #1

Last week's "All-Sex Special" (really, AP #2) was suprisingly good, so I picked up the first issue from my LCS this week. My judgment that it was a factoid book similar to Cartoon History of the Universe was spot on, and it compares favorably to Gonick's masterwork. My only quibble so far has been the title and marketing, which draw too many comparisons with the inferior and fictional Tales from the Bully Pulpit. Trust me, this book is nothing like TftBP and it may be the best new book of 2005. Check it out.

Other Stuff of Interest

WARS END PROFILES FROM BOSNIA 1995-96 HC - Collects Stories From Bosnia #1: Soba (which I own) and "Christmas with Karadzic" from Zero Zero #15 (which I don't own, but shouldn't be too hard to track down). Like Ice Haven last week, it's bit difficult to justify paying $15 for stuff that I mostly already have, but it IS Joe Sacco, so it goes on the "if I have spare cash" list.
CONAN & THE JEWELS OF GWAHLUR #3 (of 3) - WFTT
DAREDEVIL #74 - WFTT
EX MACHINA #12 - WFTT
STRANGERS IN PARADISE #74 - WFTT

The night never owed you nothing anyway, makes promises that he never intends to keep every day.

Comic Creator Update - David Collier

2005-06-10T06:19:00.000-07:00

David Collier recently produced two 5-day "diaries" for the Canadian Broadcasting Company. Each diary page has commentary by Collier on the day's events with an accompanying illustration.

Iceland Journal (March 14th-18th): Observations while attending the NINE Comics Festival exhibition at the Reykjavik Art Museum in Reykjavik, Iceland.

Artist on Board (May 2nd-6th): Observations while spending time aboard a Canadian navy patrol frigate.

I think it is really cool that Collier is receiving national exposure.

However . . .

It seems to me that Collier's niche has changed. He has always been a cartoonist of slice-of-life stories, but instead of the fascinating biographies that he used to put out (Just The Facts, Portraits from Life), his more recent work has been of the type diary/journal/sketchbook (Hamilton Sketchbook, The Frank Ritza Papers). I find his recent work more frustrating and less rewarding to read, while his older biographies (which would often include his own personal history as well) were exceptionally well-done. Just my opinion.

My Comics Can Beat Up Your Comics - 06/08/05

2005-06-08T12:49:00.000-07:00

Oh sure, I make light of Deperado Publishing's sporadic publishing schedule on Monday, so what do they do? They release two books this week. So I'll start with them.

NEGATIVE BURN WINTER 2005

At the time of its publication, Caliber Comics' Negative Burn was the finest ongoing comic anthology available. Almost every break-out indy creator in the 90's was featured in Negative Burn; in addition, after the B&W comic implosion it became the only place to find works by more marginal creators like Jeff Nicholson, Jay Geldhof, and Phil Hester. So with former Caliber editor Joe Pruett at the helm, this should be great, right? I guess, but this first issue looks like a different animal. I was expecting something a bit more "Flight" and a lot less "Four Letter Worlds". Kurt Busiek? Fabian Nicezia? Erik Larsen? I want to see new creators putting their best foot forward, not veteran creators submitting their cast-off ideas. I'm hoping to see Negative Burn capture that lightning in a bottle again, but that's not the impression I'm getting so far.

THE STARDUST KID #1

A comic produced by veterans J.M. DeMatteis and Mike Ploog deserves all the attention it can get, I'm almost certain it will be quality. I'm just not certain that it will be for me, as I am not much of a fantasy fan. Additionally, their Abadazad was clearly geared towards kids and fans of Wizard of Oz-like fantasy, and I was neither. So I'm expecting something I can appreciate, but not enjoy. [Five page preview]

GEMMA BOVERY

Nearly five years ago, I read Bart Beaty's glowing review of this British graphic novel in The Comics Journal #227 (see a quote here, along with other positive reviews). Even better, unlike most of the Euro-Comics that Beaty raves about, this one was in English! Soon I would be able to read this great new graphic novel, right? Sadly, it didn't work out that way and the book remained unimported to the U.S. for years. Finally, in the wake of the graphic novel explosion in bookstores, Pantheon brings us an American edition of this critically-acclaimed story of a restless woman trapped in a boring suburban life. Looks like a great character piece. (Actually released in February. Apparently Diamond is having trouble distributing books from Pantheon?)

MODERN ARF #1

Well, this looks really interesting. Editor Craig Yoe has assembled a series of works that display the crossover between sequential art and modern gallery art, including cubism by Jack Kirby and surrealism by Patrick McDonnell. Salvador Dali's impact on the funny pages is shown. Early 20th Century strips from Antonio Rubio, Hy Mayer, and Jimmy Halto demonstrate that Winsor McKay wasn't the only cartoonist pushing the boundaries of delerious surrealism in comics. Also featured: a bizarre gallery of images featuring the gap-toothed boy that would eventually inspire Mad's Alfred E. Neumann and a set of strips by all-star creators where modern art is a major player in the gag. Just a ton of gorgeous whacked-out art. I don't know if Mr. Yoe can maintain this intensity over multiple volumes, but this first one looks outstanding.

BETE NOIRE #1

A collection of new alternative comix work from around the globe, this looks to be a bit too impenetrable to be easily digested. This will either be very rewarding or very frustrating; I can't tell on flip-through which is a more accurate assessment.

ACTION PHILOSOPHERS: ALL-SEX SPECIAL #1

You know, there just aren't enough Ayn Rand comics! Nothing's funnier than Ayn Rand comics! Actually this looks pretty good and mostly serious, with a little bit of tongue-in-cheek to keep it light. Definitely reminiscent of Larry Gonick's Cartoon History of the Universe or the less serious entries in DC/Paradox's Big Books. Worth a look. [Seven page preview]

PUFFED: THE UNAUTHORIZED MOVIE ADAPTATION

A positively-reviewed dark comedy? You say it's weird and twisted? Possibly even disturbingly hilarious? I'm so there! Wait, no Ayn Rand? Damn. Someone quick, I need a comic about Ayn Rand stuck in a dragon suit! Comedy gold, I tell you, comedy gold!

TEMPORARY #3: THE REAL ME PART 2

Damon Hurd continues to carve out a niche of quirky tales of very "real" people. This series features a cast of characters that each have one foot in reality and one foot in, well, somewhere else we're not sure about yet. I can't decide whether Rick Smith's awkward art is spot-on perfect for this series or merely amateurish. Either way, the art has worked so far. Hurd's story has been quite good when things get weird, but weirdness for weirdness sake can only go so far, and it remains to be seen whether the overarcing plot will have any meat on it. [Preview pages]

COMIC BOOK ARTIST Vol 2 #2

This two-year old magazine had two features that interested me: An interview with Frank Cho and an overview of Mike Friedrich's Star*Reach. It's a good thing that those features look good, because the rest strikes me as the kind of amateur commentary that is abundant and free on the internet these days. Maybe that's more a statement of how far internet publishing has come, but regardless this is not a magazine I can see plunking $7.50 down for monthly. (Published in 2003)

Other items of interest

Stray Bullets #38 - I've collected this title, one of the finest comics ever published, via the fancy oversized hardcovers. However, the fourth HC is way past due, anyone know whether I can expect it eventually?
Marvel 1602 TPB - I own the HC, it was acceptable. If you enjoy seeing alternate twisted versions of the Marvel super-heroes, this will work for you.
Birthday Riots HC, Lost Girl, Confessions Of A Cereal Eater GN, Confessions Of A Cereal Eater Vol 2 GN - I get the impression that these little-known graphic novels are being dumped on the market by NBM Publishing because they are going out of print, and that would be a shame. The first two are by Nabiel Kanan, I recommend those for fans of drama that includes some hard moral choices. The COACE volumes are Rob Maisch's real-life anecdotes drawn by a variety of up-and-coming artists, recommended for fans of slice-of-life drama. [Preview pages of these four books are available when you click the links above].
Ice Haven - Pantheon reconfigures what is perhaps the best comic of the decade, Eightball #22, into a hardcover book format with a few extra pages. If you haven't read Eightball #22, this is ESSENTIAL.

Because when things change in an instant, it's almost fast enough for me.

The Wrong Men

2005-06-06T18:27:00.000-07:00

Filler by Rick Spears and Rob G
Why Are You Doing This? by Jason and Hubert

A man drifts through life, passive to events around him. He does what he needs to get by, but otherwise he is numb to the outside world due to a lingering trauma. He is afraid to feel and he has very few close friends. He is not content, and secretly hopes that something interesting happens. Then, something interesting does happen: murder! And our man is the prime suspect.

This classic noir scenario has been explored in two recent graphic novels. In Filler, John Dough is a troubled and nearly lifeless man, who finds reason to live life again, only to end up with blood on his hands. On the other hand, in Why Are You Doing This? Alex finally finds the life he wishes he had, but only after he is on the run, framed for his best friend’s murder.

Filler is the more flawed of the two novels. This is a noir tale in the Raymond Chandler tradition, which means that that like Marv in Sin City, the main character narrates the story in excruciating detail. John Dough is a traumatized war veteran who sleepwalks through life, giving blood and standing in police line-ups for money. He considers himself a bit player in other peoples’ lives, with no story of his own, until he meets a prostitute named Debra who takes a liking to him. In her arms, John finds reason to love and live, and decides to try and keep it that way by threatening her pimp, which just gets him beaten into unconsciousness in a back alley. However, when he wakes up, he finds himself next to the pimp’s corpse, and he is covered in the dead man’s blood; he’s in trouble.

After this, the rest of the story follows an even more trite and predictable path. After establishing the emotional state of John Dough, the story abandons this key theme so that a complex revenge plot can be detailed. This isn't necessarily a fatal flaw; noir crime fiction is a genre with notoriously shallow characterization, so this tale does not do a disservice to that tradition. However, to maintain such a shallow narrative, the plot must be complimented with a sufficiently gripping mood, which in a graphic novel is established primarily through the art. In Filler, Rob G’s art fails to establish a mood that will keep the reader engrossed.

It may surprise the reader to note that the artist who was so proficient on Teenagers from Mars and The Couriers simply fails to execute this noir story, but his art just doesn’t get the job done. Rob G’s sketchy and deformed characters work for awkward romance tales, and in fact the flirting and seduction scenes between John and Debra are the sole highlight in this book. However, when the story focuses on the crime noir aspects, the narrative falls apart due to inappropriate character designs and a series of badly executed artistic effects. A noir story depends on a mood that will keep the reader engrossed in the tale; Rob G’s art does the exact opposite, throwing the reader out of the story and causing the mind to wander. Not even a clever (if silly) twist in the finale that brings the story’s main theme full circle can drag this book out of the boring rut that makes up most of the novel.

On the other hand, the art in Why Are You Doing This? is perfectly suited to Jason’s noir tale, which is surprising given that the characters are anthromorphic (e.g., the main character Alex appears to be some sort of humanoid cat). Jason’s sophisticated simplicity is reminiscent of Jason Lutes’ work, especially in his linework and pacing. This is a noir thriller in the Alfred Hitchcock tradition, which means that dialogue is sparse and there is no narration. Jason’s “camera” works excellently in creating a silent and claustrophobic setting, resulting in a richly tense world for his main character to slowly lose his sanity. There are no distracting effects or poor linework to detract from the story and the layout of each page is beautiful in its simplicity. Hubert’s flat and muted colors nicely accentuate the grim hostility of Alex’s new life.

The story begins with Alex as a depressed and heartbroken recluse who is asked by his friend Claude to housesit while he is on vacation. Later, when Claude calls to check up on Alex, Alex ponders if life is truly a series of anecdotes, and if so, perhaps his life has been meaningless as nothing interesting ever happens to him. After Claude’s return, Alex goes to visit him, only to find Claude dead with a hitman standing over him. Alex is knocked unconscious and when he awakes is the only suspect in his friend’s murder. He flees and receives protection from a mysterious shopkeeper named Geraldine, who provides him with something he has never had: a normal stable life.

Of course, it’s not that simple. Alex is still wanted for murder, and yet he can’t help but find solace in the domestic life of Geraldine and her young daughter. Unlike Spears in Filler, Jason doesn’t abandon the theme of the novel when the violent noir elements kick into high gear. Alex’s alienation and desire for a more interesting life make it hard for him to recognize that he is in dire straits; after all, he is enjoying the most interesting anecdote of his life. At the heart of this story is a difficult question: even if Alex makes it through this alive, what kind of life will he have left?

Like Spears’ Filler, the final pages of Why Are You Doing This? provide a twist on the central character theme, but since Jason doesn’t abandon his theme in mid-stream, the finale has much more impact. Another relative strength of Why Are You Doing This? is that the murder occurs near the beginning, which allows Jason to weave his protagonist’s theme into the meat of noir mystery; Spears’ approach of providing all of the internal conflict in the first half of the book and then all the twisty plot in the second half makes for a boring simplistic work.

Why Are You Doing This? is not flawless, but its imperfections come from the triteness of the genre itself, plus the possibility that the plot could have benefited from a few more twists before concluding. Still, the noir execution is very good and the character work is excellent. The result is a solid and accomplished work that will leave the reader pondering the fate of the “wrong man” long after the last page of the book. In contrast, Filler stands as a flawed and shallow work, a forgettable read that lacks the sophistication and magnetism of finer noir novels.

Creator project update - P. Craig Russell

2005-06-06T06:42:00.000-07:00

Over at his Lurid forum, artist extraordinaire P. Craig Russell has provided an update of his progress on Coraline, a graphic novel adaptation of Neil Gaiman's best-selling all-ages horror story.

Also on Lurid, in the thread on Conan and the Jewels of Gwahlur, PCR confirms that his adaptation of the Robert E. Howard story will be collected in a 96-page trade paperback with some extras. (As if there was any doubt, as Dark Horse collects most of their sequential work into book form, and this is their hottest non-Star Wars property, but still it's nice to know). Go there to see some gorgeous preview pages of issues #2 & 3.

Finally, Desperado Publishing has a page up for the Art of P. Craig Russell, a 208-page restrospective including PCR's "personal favorites." Here's hoping that the book actually reaches shelves, as Desperado's initial publishing efforts have been fairly sporadic.

Commence with the clicking and drooling!

My Comics Can Beat Up Your Comics - 06/02/05

2005-06-02T13:53:00.000-07:00

Lots of stuff I'm lukewarm to this week, starting with ...

WE3

"Best Mini Series of 2004" - Alan David Doane
"A marvelous aberration" - Jog
"As a reader, you will be hard-pressed to find something better" - Greg McElhatton
"WE3 is a fantastic graphic novel" - Matthew Craig
"A real winner, and it would seem to me that only the most heartless of cynics would fail to be moved" - Johnny Bacardi
"But . . . but . . . I don't think Grant Morrison is a very good writer!" - me

Ok, fine. Blah blah best of 2004 blah blah I'll read it. And those people above do have fine taste when they aren't talking about the Great Grant. But still, any book that gets compared to Flex Mentallo is a negative in my world. Come on, that series was such a wankfest that instead of writing a third act, Morrison just basked in his own cleverness until he hit the last page.

But I digress. Best of 2004, sure. I'll be there with bells on, heartless cynic that I am.

HULK: GRAY

Over the past decade, Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale have formed their own side industry at Marvel and DC by publishing their interpretations of super-heroes' early days. Beginning with the excellent Batman: Haunted Knight, Loeb and Sale have created "Year One" tales for Batman (Long Halloween, Dark Victory), Superman (For All Seasons), Daredevil (Yellow), and Spider-Man (Blue). Most of those are works worth reading, but there's a definite sense of diminishing returns with Dark Victory and Blue. Accordingly, the reviews for Hulk: Gray were pretty tepid and the current Catwoman mini-series has been heavily derided by critics. I think this will be the last Loeb/Sale volume for me, but on flip-through it certainly looks pretty.

DAREDEVIL: YELLOW

And to complete the Loeb/Sale set, I picked this up, which was published in 2002. Looks to me like it tells the same story as Daredevil: Man Without Fear, but the reviews were mostly positive, so I'm hopeful.

NEW TEEN TITANS: WHO IS DONNA TROY?

As you may have noticed by now, I don't pay much attention to the current DC universe titles. It seems there's just too much crap to pick through, and the cross-continuity doesn't help. However, I wholeheartedly encourage mainstream publishers to mine their back catalogues for "Best of" collections that reprint the comics from past years that actually stand the test of time. This looks like a good one, and it will be new to me, as I was probably about 2 or 3 years too young to enjoy the Wolfman/Perez Teen Titans when they originally were released.

CROMARTIE HIGH SCHOOL Volumes 1 & 2

As far as I can tell, this is an excessively dry and absurdist series that should tickle the same parts of me that Heathers, Fight Club, and Battle Royale do. What parts are those, you ask? Parts you don't want to know about, my friend.

DOROTHY #3

Really pretty, but I haven't read #2 yet! Soon.

BURGLAR BILL #3 (of 6)

Paul Grist's OTHER other book reaches its 3rd issue, still in reprints, but the 4th issue will be all new. Yes, this is a reprint of an issue that I already own, but anything I can do to encourage this master of the form to keep publishing is fine by me.

TRIGGER #6 (of 8)

Since writing my comments on the previous issue, I think I've convinced myself that if Vertigo would re-release Jason Hall's concept with a new artist (let's say Philip Bond, he seems like a swell guy), that this series would be a huge hit. John Watkiss's art just doesn't tell the story that Hall is trying to tell. Anyway, two issues until cancellation on this poorly-received (but could have been a hit, I think) series.

STRANGE #6 (of 6)

I just don't get it. This is irreconcilable with any previous version of Doctor Strange, and I just don't mean the continuity revisions, which are pretty massive. I mean in terms of character, Stephen Strange is entirely a different person here. The Stephen Strange that I know is not the arrogant Chosen One, he's a humbled failure who is hoping to redeem himself by doing what is right for the right reasons. This is the story of some other sorcerer, I guess, that's the only way I can wrap my head around this. And it's a pretty medicore story at that.

PLASTIC MAN #10

It's the Kyle Baker kinetic madness magazine, man! I just can't wait two months between issues, good thing there's older ones to tide me over! (published in 2004)

SHANNA THE SHE-DEVIL #5 (of 7)

Oooka chaka ooka chaka ooka ooka ooka chaka . . .

THE QUESTION #4 (of 6)

The first time I bought this comic, some of Tommy Lee Edwards' gorgeous pages were missing and replaced by some pages from Vimanarama! This is my replacement copy, so now I am unsoiled by Grant Morrison's demonic post-modern presence. If only Philip Bond could say the same.

And yes, the comments do accept hate mail.

Other stuff of interest

Detective Comics #807 (David Lapham on Batman, but I'll w.f.t.t. (wait for the trade))
Y: The Last Man #34 (w.f.t.t.)
Villains United #2 (Suicide Squad vibe, w.f.t.t.)
Superman Batman #20 (another Jeph Loeb / Ed McGuiness guilty pleasure, w.f.t.t.)
Birth of A Nation SC (I already have the HC edition).

Remember, the bars are temples, but the pearls ain't free.

My Comics Can Beat Up Your Comics - 05/25/05

2005-05-25T10:01:00.000-07:00

And so the pendulum swings from Marvel to DC this week. Actually, I thought it was going to be even an bigger week, but Top Ten: the 49ers has been pushed back until July 13th, so good news/bad news there.

I have also added a new feature to the listings this week, a "Waiting for the Trade" section at the bottom, for comics coming out this week that I will buy when they show up in collected form. I hope that this will give a fuller idea of my tastes, so that anyone reading this can give recommendations on what I am not reading, but should be.

Lastly, I have been invited to guest-blog on The Low Road for the next couple of weeks, so look out for reviews and commentary from me over there.

Onward ...

Gotham Central Vol 2: Half A Life - Ever since his comics debut Whiteout, I have never read anything by Greg Rucka that has lived up to the hype. On the other hand, I have been a big fan of Michael Lark since Terminal City. Here the two collaborate on the tale that won the 2004 Eisner Award for Best Serialized Story. Thus, I have no idea how to set my expectations, so wish me luck.

True Story Swear to God Vol 2: This One Goes to 11 - On the other hand, I have nothing but absolute praise for this series, which I have already read in serialized form and will savor all over again with this edition. This brisk, charming, and heartfelt tale focuses on the internal storms that Tom faces as he chooses between his hometown and the woman he loves, while 3,000 miles away, Lily braves a more literal storm in the form of a category 5 hurricane. Good stuff.

Wrath of the Spectre! - An essential piece of comic history is reprinted here, as the worlds of super hero vigilantes and supernatural retribution collide is this collection of gory and brutal stories from the mid-70's. Michael Fleisher and Jim Aparo focus on what happens when a god-like vigilante is a force for vengeance instead of justice, and the results are chillingly horrific. These tales predict many of the more regrettable trends in current comics, but taken on their own, they are highly effective stories that did open up new areas for comics to explore. Also includes the 1988 revisitation by Fleisher and Aparo, the original covers for both the 70's and 80's editions, and the original Who's Who entry for the Spectre from 1987.

Different Ugliness, Different Madness - This striking graphic novel (sadly, one of the last of the DC/Humanoids co-publishing agreement) presents the tale of an emotionally-tortured young woman in post-World War II France who meets a famous radio announcer with secrets of his own. The cartoonish art drawn with a heavy painterly brush reminds me of Alex Toth, with all the gorgeous stark shadowing that implies. I've really enjoyed all of the non-sci-fi books I've read from Humanoids, so I'm looking forward to this one as well.

Desperado Primer - $2 for a sampler of a new publisher's work? I can handle that. Joe Pruett edited a few very cool books at Caliber, so I'll give him a shot to impress me.

Comics Journal #268 - The feature interview this time around is of "new mainstream" poster-boy Craig Thompson. Also, an interview with somebody whose comics I just don't "get," Bob Burden and a color comics section spotlighting Pogo creator Walt Kelly's work on Dell's Our Gang comics. And the usual plethora of news articles, columns, and reviews that will help make my quest for the best in sequential art that much easier.

Excalibur #14 - The Dread Dormmamu so declares! "Strange! I know not by what power you have brought me to this place -- but you will pay for such effrontery -- first with your misbegotten life . . . AND ULTIMATELY WITH YOUR SOUL!" Awesome! Also, Professor X mopes a lot. Meh.

Waiting for the trade: Runaways Vol 2 #4 and Ultimates Vol 2 #6. Apparently, though, I can expect these trades to be mis-printed when they finally do come out.

Safety? Just danger out of place.

My Comics Can Beat Up Your Comics - 05/18/05

2005-05-18T10:50:00.000-07:00

Hm, unusual number of floppies this week.

Also, notice how I buy a lot of Marvel Comics stuff? This kind of surprises me. I mean, I would still be buying Powers from Image and Adam (Livewires) Warren's work from Dark Horse, if that were the option, so my purchases have nothing to do with the publisher itself, but still . . .

Powers Vol VIII: Legends - A few years ago, around the time of volumes 4 and 5, I thought this title was heading towards the deep end, dragged down to the low standards of Brian Michael Bendis's mainstream work. Boy was I wrong. Volumes 6 and 7 were excellent pulp fiction, and from all indications this title has hit its stride in the middle of quite a long run. Compelling characters, Michael Avon Oeming's hyperkinetic art, and a very real sense of mortality make this title once of the most intense reads in the super-hero power fantasy category. Remember when Kurt Busiek was delivering mediocre mainstream scripts for Marvel while producing pure gold on Astro City? That's where Bendis and Oeming are now, and Powers is where the gold lies.

The Dark Horse Book of the Dead - Speaking of pulp fiction, here's a sophisticated horror anthology that deserves more attention. While IDW and Steve Niles rule the action/horror comic roost with their all-out intense zombie and vampire titles, editor Scott Allie has compiled a collection of suspense/horror stories that will appeal more to fans of Hellboy and Alan Moore's Swamp Thing. On top of that, fans of lush graphic novel art will not be disappointed by the selection of fine artists. Creators returning from previous volumes in this series (Hauntings and Witchcraft) include Mike Mignola, Gary Gianni, Scott Allie, Paul Lee, Brian Horton, Jill Thompson, and Evan Dorkin. They are joined this time by Kelley Jones, Eric Powell, David Crouse, Todd Herman, Bob Fingerman, Roger Langridge, Pat McEwon, Jaime S. Rich, and Guy Davis. If nothing else, these creators will ensure that this collection will be both creepy and beautiful at the same time.

Strange Eggs #1 - Also in the anthology department this week is this entry, a collection of tales based on the same central conceit: a mysterious man delivers an egg once a week to Kip and Kelly Hatcher, young siblings who live on a farm. Each contributor to this anthology offers their take on what is in one of the eggs, usually resulting in a Twilight Zone style twist. The creator list includes Slave Labor Graphics mainstays Crab Scrambly, Ian Carney, and Woodrow Phoenix as well as mad mavericks Derf and Roger Langridge. Scott Saavedra writes the introduction, and that's as far as I go in terms of name recognition. The remaining creators of this book are new to me, including the editor/creators who came up with the concept in the first place: Chris Reilly, Steve Ahlquist, and Ben Towle.

The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Teams 2005 - Dr. Strange on cover. Rationale shorter than title.

Livewires #4 - Ok, I admit this title might not be for everyone. But COME ON! At least 99.44% of the population should be reading this. If "Nanobuilt humanform combat mecha" makes your skin crawl due to its overwhelming geekiness, YES ME TOO! But this book rocks ANYWAY! It's the search for the meaning of life for the ADD generation, the question of who we are with lots of action and government conspiracy thrown in. I don't want to overuse the word "sophisticated" this week, but that is EXACTLY what separates Adam Warren's work from all the schlock that only LOOKS like Adam Warren's work. Even with two freaking Roger Langridge books this week, this is still the one you need to buy! (Wow, this comic is such a rush, even writing about it gets me excited! Must . . . remember . . . to breathe . . .)

JLA Classified #7 (I Can't Believe It's Not The Justice League part 4 of 6) - Pathos. It's a concept that, when used sparingly, can turn a good comic into a great one. When Giffen and DeMatteis employed pathos on their original Justice League series, it resulted in their best work. In this issue, our team of not-ready-for-prime-time super heroes get plenty of laughs in as they are trapped in hell, but when it comes time to escape, it becomes clear that they may have to leave one person behind. I would suggest that comedy is nothing without pathos. Giffen, DeMatteis, and Maguire aren't great because they create the funniest super-hero comics on earth, they really don't. But they create some of the most affecting comics in the genre, and I'm glad they've given us one last shot to spend some time in the lives of these characters before DC Comics consigns them to oblivion.

Plastic Man #16 - It's Kyle Baker, man, what other reason do you need? Unfortunately, since I'm pretty sure that they will never put out a second collected edition of this title, I will try to read the monthly issues. We'll see how long that lasts, because man these issues are extremely slight.

One last thought. This quote by Alan David Doane basically sums up why I continue to buy comics every week and why I discuss what I buy here. I want to find the next great comic book. Thanks for coming along on that search.

My Comics Can Beat Up Your Comics - 05/11/05

2005-05-11T11:58:00.000-07:00

Yep, a slow week after last week's deluge. I was able to pay for my purchases this week in non-Kruggerand currency. *whew*

Jack Staff #8 - Paul Grist is one of the best comic creators working today, but if you've read anyone else's review of his work, you've probably already heard that. Suffice to say, everyone needs to try this title, a complex web of stories and characters stretched across uniquely stylized storytelling. There are no less than 4 ongoing threads weaving together in this issue, and every answer merely provides a dozen more questions. It may not be for everyone, but I'm not alone in highly recommending this sophisticated and entertaining delight.

Excalibur #13 - This comic sells tens of thousands of copies. Four people bought it because Dr. Strange is on the cover. And the other three people are much cooler than me. Moving on . . .

Dorothy #2 - The first issue of this comic is really promising, a unique blend of photography and effects that present a refreshing modern look at the classic tale of Oz. However, the first issue was also pretty light in terms of story, so this issue will determine whether these creators can maintain a sustained narrative, or just make pretty pictures. Either way, I get the feeling this comic will be revolutionary in the development of sequential art. [This came out about eight weeks ago, but I didn't order it and missed it off the shelf. Have I mentioned how much my retailer rocks?].

And that's it. Since it was such a short list, let me point out a couple of other items of interest this week:

I will pick up Desolation Jones #1 and Gotham Central #31 if/when they are released in collected editions.
I already own the previous editions of Metabarons Vol 3 and Kane Vol 4, but I recommend them to people who missed them the first time around.
Finally, the Avengers: Kang TPB hits a nostalgic note with me, so maybe if next week is another light one, I'll pick that up.

Enjoy, and stay safe!

My Comics Can Beat Up Your Comics - 05/04/05

2005-05-04T12:14:00.000-07:00

If I throw them at you, they will hurt. Boy will they ever.

On the bright side, it appears that next week will be cheap, if not free. However, I still blew through two weeks of budget today, so it's not much comfort on the wallet.

Onward!

The Complete Peanuts: 1955 to 1966 - There's been a lot said about these books since they came out; this is the third volume. One commentator summed it up best, however, when he said the genius of Charles Schulz is that through disarmingly simple cartoons and situations, he was able to tell the story of a chronically depressed child in a heartfelt and funny way. This volume begins Charlie Brown's slow descent into perpetual misery, a journey we can be amused by and feel sympathy for at the same time. You're a good man, Charlie Brown.

Why Are You Doing This? - There is something extremely appealing to me about the concept: a Hitchcock-style thriller told in Jason's minimalist style. I really can't describe it, but expect the outcome will be similar to something by Jason Lutes or parts of Eightball #22. Very much looking forward to this.

Essential Defenders Vol 1 - My favorite super-hero as a kid was Dr Strange, and I have continued to collect his adventures as an adult, mainly for notalgic purposes. Fortunately for me, Dr Strange is known for having very strong mainstream creative teams from the 60's through 80's, so going back and reading those comics is a pretty high-quality experience. However, the same cannot be said for the Defenders, Dr Strange's super-team. So I am very pleased to see that there is an affordable, cheap way to read these tales in the form of this Essential volume, because I have never bothered to go pay $7 each or whatever for mediocre back issues of this series. It's cheap and it has Dr Strange in it. Everybody wins, by which I mean me.

Full Metal Alchemist Vol 1 - Ok, how can you go wrong with this: "When two brothers . . . dabbled in [alchemy] to grant their dearest wish, one of them lost an arm and a leg . . . and the other became nothing but a soul locked into a body of living steel." Errr, ok, maybe that sounds like every other boy-and-his-robot manga, but my impression is that this is one of the most anticipated manga translations to hit the U.S. in a long time. So as I dip my toe into these Japanese imports, this seemed like a good idea. We'll see.

Serenity Rose Vol 1: Working Through the Negativity - Clearly I am not the market for this, one of the many goth books published by Slave Labor. Wait, let me check. Nope, not a teenager who shops at Hot Topic. But, then again, neither is Greg McElhatton, and he's usually a good judge of this stuff. So I pre-ordered this on spec, a decision I am now regretting with an empty wallet. This better be good, Greg.

Ultra Vol 1: Seven Days - The line between bad soap opera and good character drama is a tricky one, so I was surprised that the one issue of this series that I read was smart and enjoyable. Plus, the art is very, um, "easy on the eyes." Here's hoping they maintained a level of quality throughout.

Shanna The She-Devil #4 - This is for a friend, honest. Please believe me.

Finals this week. No reading, just buying. Extra bonus chronic depression, sigh.

My Comics Can Beat Up Your Comics - 04/27/05

2005-04-27T09:34:00.000-07:00

Well, a bit of a lighter week. Also note that the first two books have already gotten some attention around the internet, as they were released through non-comic shop distribution venues first.

Embroideries - Ok, I admit, I haven't read Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis yet. However, that might be to my benefit, as there as been quite a bit of controversy surrounding this book based on preconceived notions. Apparently, the art in this book is far rougher than the already-basic cartooning from Persepolis, and this has caused some backlash. In her defense, many have pointed out that the original edition of Embroideries was published as part of a series of diary-style works, and thus by its nature is rougher and sketchier than your average graphic novel. So do I really care about a) preconceived expectations or b) original publishing context? No. The work needs to stand on its own, and I will judge as such when I read it. In the meantime, though, it is interesting to see how the critical population brings extra-artistic concepts to inform an opinion of a work of art, when they apparently have very little to say about the work itself. My first impression? It looks to be an intensely personal work, so much of the quality of the work will be whether it keeps my intensity and sympathy throughout.

Filler - On the other hand, Rick Spears and Rob G.'s latest work has been getting mostly positive reviews, with an interesting concept and exceptional art. My first impression agrees with that. It looks like a moody, noir-ish tale, and that's a tricky thing to pull off, because if the mood isn't pitch-perfect, the shallowness can really show through. But these are the creators behind the highly engrossing Teenagers From Mars, so I am hopeful this work will draw me in as well. (PDF Preview Pages)

Strangehaven #17 - Hey, it's the annual issue of Strangehaven! This tale of a small town in England that looks normal from the outside but hides some strange abnormalities is simply one of the most amazing comics being produced today. I think the true secret behind the success of this series is that the people seem so real, and that real people do strange stuff. So when something bizarre happens, its difficult to tell whether it's truly extra-normal or whether it's just a character acting off-kilter. I can't think of another comic where the reader is kept guessing, and yet all the events still seems plausible. This is due in no small part to the art, where its photo-referenced panels actually enhance the realism of the story instead of detract. Also the linework is absolutely gorgeous. You should pick this up for a taste, because even though it's a continuing story, you will get enough of the flavor to know whether you want to pick up the in-print collected editions. I'm betting once you try it, you will be hooked into one of the most unique and enjoyable graphic works of today.

Black Widow: Homecoming - An extended narrative drawn by Bill Sienkiewicz is always reason for excitement, and that's the only reason I picked up this espionage adventure tale. It remains to be seen whether "Hardboiled Sci-Fi" novelist Richard K. Morgan's first comic book work will be worthy of the artist, especially under the unpredictable editorship of Marvel Comics. On top of that, another artist unknown to me (Goran Parlov) is doing most of the layouts and the restrictive continuity of a pre-established character could hamper the work further. Obviously, I'm not optimistic, but boy do the pages look pretty.

Also, Guilty by Karl Stevens, which I mentioned last week, is officially out in stores this week. Take a look at that one, it's a very immediate and touching work about ex-lovers meeting up and discovering how miserable they are, both with each other and on their own, in a photo-referenced style accentuated by some beautiful cross-hatching and shadow techniques.

Happy reading!

My Comics Can Beat Up Your Comics - 04/20/05

2005-04-20T11:58:00.000-07:00

Oh, another tasty and expensive hardcover. I'm broke now.

Marvel Visionaries: Steve Ditko HC - So happy. Around about 1997, I purchased a new Ditko book (Steve Ditko's Avenging Tales #1) and was floored by this distinctive and amazing artist stretching his work beyond super-heroes. There was a promise of more to come, but nothing ever materialized. My hunger unsatiated, I searched for more - but at that time there was no such thing as a Ditko reprint volume. Sure, there were out-of-print editions of Fantagraphics' Ditko Collection, Marvel's Spider-Man & Dr. Strange Masterworks, and Robin Snyder's original Ditko Package floating around at jacked-up prices, but nothing that you could order at a reasonable price. Since then, the following has been released -

Robin Snyder's 5-volume Ditko Package series
Robin Snyder's expanded reissue of Ditko's Avenging World from 1973
Pure Imagination's Steve Ditko Reader (2 volumes so far, with a third on the way)
DC's Action Hero Archives Vol 1
Vanguard's Steve Ditko: Space Wars
Marvel's reissue of Spider-Man Masterworks (4 volumes)
Marvel's reissue of Dr. Strange Masterworks

...and the windfall continues with this new volume from Marvel. There is something very compelling about how Ditko doesn't just draw stories, he creates entire new worlds. Everything in his art is foreign yet recognizable, as if we are looking in on some sort of distorted alternate universe that makes sense only within itself. A few panels in, you can forget about how clunky the people look and just believe that within this new world, because everybody's clunky, and that's just how it is. It's a kind of escapism we don't see much in comics anymore in this age of house styles and pseudo-realism, and that's joyfully refreshing to me.

Livewires #3 (of 6) - Speaking of stylized escapism, Adam Warren's whiplash-inducing new series is all about style. This is a high energy romp through geek pseudo-science (nanotech clones anyone?) in the form of living weapons who also happen to be teenagers. This series never takes itself seriously at all, but at the same time it clips along so fast that you never have a chance to realize how silly it all is. It's a blast, a definite guilty pleasure that is highly recommended.

The Question #6 (of 6) - The new Question mini-series comes to an end. I picked it up for the character and stuck around for the concept and art. This is basically a new version of the character, unreconcilable with the versions from 60's (Ditko's cold objectivist vigilante), the 80's (malcontent on a path to zen redemption), or the current cartoon (paranoid conspiracy theorist). Here we have an interesting concept, the Question as urban shaman, but the test of whether I want to follow this version of the character any further lies in this issue. At least I know that Tommy Lee Edwards' art will be impressive; his layouts and effects have really sold the urban shaman concept more than the story.

Trigger #5 - Cancelled with issue #8, this title had a pretty good high concept - a futuristic secret police is composed of everyday civilians who are unconscious and unaware of their "other life". The writing from Jason Hall was certainly up to the standard that he set with Beware the Creeper, but the artwork was a murky mess. I really like John Watkiss' style in theory, but between his strange layouts and the gothic coloring, it was really hard to tell what was going on most of the time. It's almost like the art was designed for black and white printing, with heavy black shading casting the images, and then someone decided to color over it with a very dark palette. Some panels were gorgeous, but too many others were incomprehensible, and the overall effect felt like walking through a mud bog. I'll stick with it through the end, and I will look forward to Jason Hall's next project, but I can see why this series didn't last very long.

JLA Classified #6 - Part 3 (of 6) of the latest adventures of the BWA-HA-HA-HA Justice League. Compared to the original 80's version, the humor isn't as fresh and the art is a bit too stiff, but it's still both funny and fun. Another comic that doesn't take itself too seriously by one of my all-time favorite creative teams.

Four-Letter Worlds and Rockets & Robots - When the Monkeysuit anthology series came out a few years ago, one reviewer joked out that it was "unfair" to have a group of seasoned animators put out an anthology because made all others look amateurish by comparison. These two books, plus last week's Flight Vol 2, have made the following clear: the industry is more than capable of putting out high-quality and attractively-designed anthology volumes. Or at least, I'm expecting them to be high-quality based on the creators involved. [R&R came out earlier this year, but my copy didn't come in until this week].

Guilty - Well, this was a shock. I had assumed that Karl Stevens, creator of the touching melodrama The Natural Selection back in '98 or so, just fell off the face of the earth. Yet, here he was on my comic store's shelf this week, all Xeric-enriched. It looks like, um, more touching melodrama. Cool.

Now, where am I going to find time to read all this stuff?

My Comics Can Beat Up Your Comics - 05/13/05

2005-04-13T20:23:00.000-07:00

It was quite a big week.

Supreme Power Vol 1 HC - This collection, despite being oversized and fancy, still works out to only $2.00 per issue reprinted. My retailer has been trying to sell me on this series since it came out. We'll see, should be good.

She-Hulk Vol 2: Superhuman Law - Dan Slott's not-so-serious super-hero adventures are a fave of the blogosphere, but I probably shouldn't have bought this. Volume 1 was just ok, only approaching really good when Juan Bobillo is on art. Unfortunately, Bobillo is only in a third of this volume, with the rest being handled by the mediocre Paul Pelletier. And last week's GLA #1 by Slott & Pelletier was pretty lousy. I'm prepared to be underwhelmed.

Flight Volume 2 - Volume 1 had me smiling from cover to cover. Usually, when I read an anthology, I end up picking out 1 or 2 artists that I would like to see more of. Instead, Volume 1 was such a cohesive and delightful collection of work, it made me hope there would be a second one. And here it is.

Nil: A Land Beyond Belief - Picked this up off the shelf on spec. My first impression is that it looks like the Cartoon Network version* of Metropolis starring a cast of Grim Reapers. Who can turn down that?

Atheist #1 - I am usually willing to give Phil Hester works a chance, even though most of them disappoint me. Upon opening this one, I am reminded of those mediocre "Caliber Core" comics from the mid-90's. And then I remember that Joe Pruett is editing this as well, and it all fits. I'm not hopeful.

Strange #5 - Pure nostalgia. This came out last week, so it's a good thing that it's total crap, or it would have sold out.

Blue - On the other hand, I got this last week, even though most stores didn't get it until this week. This is a sparsely and stylishly illustrated story about young romance doomed to fail, with an emotional intensity that never lets up, even though the book is entirely "quiet" moments. When someone like me can feel a bit of heartache over fictional characters, it's damn good book. Highly recommended.

Some really good stuff this week. Can't wait to dig in.

* You know, like the angular representational style of Samurai Jack, Dexter's Laboratory, Powerpuff Girls, Billy and Mandy, etc.