Thursday, December 06, 2007

DOCK WALLOPER #1

CWR BLOG EXTRA

Latest in Virgin Comics line of Hollywood director-created comics is DOCK WALLOPER, from the mind of Ed Burns and written by Burns and comics stud Jimmy Palmiotti and drawn by Siju Thomas. Burns has made his movie career based on films about schlub New Yorkers who can’t get their shit together when it comes to women and who need to drink and navel gaze a bit less. So the premise of WALLOPER comes as a bit of a surprise; set in Depression era New York, it follows the trials and tribulations of two unusual friends: John “The Hand” Smith, a bruiser whose right hand is much bigger than his left, and his best friend and fellow orphan, Bootsy.

In the first issue, the duo manages to fall under the good graces of an Irish gangster thanks to a timely bit of saving their own asses from a hit by a rival Italian ganglord. Thus, even though the Irish (being thorough racists) would prefer to not have Bootsy around, they are stuck with him for the moment thanks to Smith’s loyalty to his friend. But as the pair moves upward through the ranks, you can bet that temptations galore will work to tear the two apart, beginning with their first taste of actual money.

Actually, I suppose that could lead to Burns getting back to telling a tale about schlub New Yorkers who can’t get their shit together and need to drink less, but in a different format and era. But either way, this is actually quite a bit more appealing than a lot of his film work; the characters are interesting, the dialogue is crisp (something I’d bet good money is attributable to Jimmy), and Thomas does a nice job of depicting the era’s clothing, architecture, and colors.

Mind you, it isn’t a rocket science debut, but it is done well enough to merit a continued look (or at least a reading of the inevitable collection). If there’s one thing I know, it’s that Jimmy P. makes damned good comics, and his involvement here was reassuring from the time the book was announced.

/Mason
Thursday... we're running a bit out of order this week, so you get a new COMIC CULTURE WARRIOR today instead of Friday...

This week, Elliott remembers the work of Elliott S! Maggin and how it influenced him, and points your way towards Maggin's congressional campaign for office.

Vote by clicking, won't you?

/Mason

Wednesday, December 05, 2007

Today at the Waiting Room...

Matt Maxwell returns with a new FULL BLEED, dreaming of a Marvel Comics that never was and pondering the audience for big ticket comics like DC's Absolute editions.

You'll never look at Tom Spurgeon the same way again...

Plus: I take a gander at THE ART OF GREG CAPULLO

/Mason

Tuesday, December 04, 2007

This lovely bit of PR just went out this morning:

COMICS WRITER BRANDON JERWA JOINS COMICS WAITING ROOM!

Infamous Comic Writer is the Latest Addition to the Comics Columnist Community!

TEMPE, AZ, Tuesday, December 4, 2007-

The Comics Waiting Room (www.comicswaitingroom.com) is proud to announce the addition of comic book writer Brandon Jerwa to the site. Jerwa will be writing a column titled “ANYTHING GOES WITH BRANDON JERWA” for the site and working to find out what’s on the minds of your favorite comic book, TV, and film professionals. Known throughout the industry as one of the funniest and most sarcastic writers currently sitting at the keyboard, he’ll use his sharp wit and conversational skills to get new and entertaining insights about those who feed our weekly habit.

“ANYTHING GOES WITH BRANDON JERWA” opens today with an introductory essay and will get into full swing as the calendar marks 2008. It’ll appear on a bi-weekly to monthly basis, and the column will be archived at www.comicswaitingroom.com/jerwa.html so that anyone who has missed an installment can easily catch up.

Comics Waiting Room owner and Editor-in-Chief Marc Mason had this to say about the addition of Jerwa to the site: “Seeing as how the big galoot is one of my good friends, I had no qualms about guilting him into doing something for the site. Fortunately, his original idea to be the site’s first nude centerfold fell by the wayside, and he came up with this one instead. Still, just to make sure he doesn’t get too cocky, I’ve decided to let my hair grow out and use it to remind him who’s boss. I’m just glad I didn’t have to threaten to withhold sex; his wife Jess writes for the site and she told me if I stopped putting out and she had to do it, she’d quit on me. The things I do to keep my columnists happy!”

About The Comics Waiting Room:
Established by Marc Mason in July 2006, after working for a number of other comics-related websites, The Comics Waiting Room has consistently added new content five to six days a week. The site offers reviews of comics, graphic novels, and media, as well as occasional media and entertainment features. After producing 99.9% of the content himself in the first year, the second year has seen the addition of five new columnists to the site, with more to come!

Contact: Marc Mason
marc@comicswaitingroom.com

What are you waiting for? Click over already!

Monday, December 03, 2007