LIFESPAN: COMICS Week Seven

I'm back from the beach and a little R&R with my family and my reading stack is about 3 feet tall.

Oi...

I'm away again next week (at the convention in Baltimore, a quick trip this time around), so no Lifespan, and most likely less reading time during the week and a bigger stack all around.

Double Oi...

On a positive note, we've got another winner this week - Benjamin will be calling the Legion: Foundation TPB his very own! Assuming I can get an email back from him with a mailing address (Note to any entrant: In your email, include your mailing address. Unless you live within a 10 mile radius, I won't show up at 3:00 in the morning on your doorstep, so rest assured you're safe in releasing this info to me ;)

Look for details below on the next give-away (two books for you this week: PVP and Invincible) from my mighty stack.

Oh yeah, we've got Madbomb Reviews!

"The great things in the book far outweigh the goofiness of it. In fact, the goofiness is part of its charm I wasn't even around when these issues saw print, but it still made me feel like a kid again. That's not even mentioning the covers, which are so frantic that you start to feel like Cap's life is hanging in the balance if you don't read the issues."

Check out the full thrust of Logan's take here...

"Every panel is driven by tortured and torturous action, and the moments where Cap finally yields to the call of the Madbomb are genuinely disturbing. Brows furrowed and his face crunched into a frightened, angry fist, drool running from the corner of his mouth, Cap struggles to hold onto a shred of his mind, his personality. He can only defeat it by letting go. This is some powerful stuff, folks."

Check out all of Matt's take on Kirby's opus here...

Keep 'em coming, we'll let this run until next time we meet on these virtual pages.

Here's the stack as it stands today:

Fables #28 (Willingham/Akins: I like this series a lot, and this stand-alone looks like a bit of fun (Hits my sweet spot setting it during WWII).

Challengers of the Unknown #2, 3 (Chaykin): I liked the first issue enough to keep up with the series, although I'm a little behind getting started on #2.

Hellblazer #197 & 198 (Carey/Frusin): I'm trying to keep interested in this title, and I generally like Carey's Vertigo work; something's gotta give at some point though.

Batman: Death and the Maidens TPB (Rucka/Janson: Ra's Al Ghul is my favorite Bat-villain, so this will have to really fuck him up to make me dislike it.

Essential Iron Fist (Claremont, Byrne): C'mon, what am I made of stone?

Queen and Country: Operation Storm Front (Rucka/McNeil): New volume out this past week, and I'm just one behind. I've enjoyed what I've read (art issues aside as I mentioned at time) and think this series makes a great case for waiting for the trade. Oh wait, almost every series makes that case ;)

Dark Days (Niles/Templesmith): 30 Days of Night was good stuff, and I was reading its follow-up, Dark Days, in floppy format, but dropped out for some forgotten reason. Here's a chance to see how it plays.

I am Legion (Nury/Cassaday): This is very, very pretty (I actually saw the original French version, but don't read/speak French) and I'm hoping to work it to the top of the stack this week.

B.R.P.D. The Soul of Venice and Other Stories (Mignola/various): I liked the first volume a lot, and love anthologies, so what's not to like here?

Brit: Red White black and Blue (Kirkman/Rathburn): Still playing catch-up with the one man show that is Robert Kirkman after catching up/on with Walking Dead and digging it.

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind 3,4, 5, 6 (Miyazaki): I thought I'd be plowing through these, but now I appear to be stalling. My speed lines are now non-existent.

Romance Without Tears (various): This collection of public domain romance stories was bought on the cheap at WW Chicago. I had previously put thought to buying at list price, but balked. Now I'm glad I waitied...

No More Shaves (Greenberger): A purchase more for my wife than me (after getting the lasest FBI catalog I called her attention to the solicit, and she was piqued), but I'll give it a read first most likely (because I'm possessive like that).

Adrian Tomine Scrapbook: Uncollected Works 1990-2004 (Tomine, duh!): One of my favorite, least prolific artists/creators. Maybe the piece I own is in here...

Playboy: 50 Years of the Cartoons (various): This was bought on the way cheap (like half off the $50 price tag!) and is a beautiful looking book from Chroniclefull of well-drawn naked chicks!

The Hollow Grounds (Schuiten): More Humanoids for my stack!

Deicide #1: Path of the Dead (Portella/Pastoras) Yet more Humanoids for my stack!

Townscapes (Chrisitn/Bilal): No Movement.

The Horde (Baranko): No Movement.

The Future Dictionary of America (various): A lefty collection of essays and music from McSweeney's Books.

Michael Chabon Presents The Amazing Adventures of the Escapist #3 (various): No Movement.

The Tomb (Weir/DeFilippis/Mitten): No movement.

The Kid Firechief (Steven Weissman): No movement.

The Filth (Morrison/Weston): No movement.

The Last American (Grant/McMahon/Wagner): No movement.

The Ballad of Halo Jones Books 1, 2 and 3 (Moore/Gibson): Mo movement.

Stranger Than Fiction (Chuck Palahniuk): NO MOVEMENT!

Exterminator 17 (Bilal/Dionnet)/Gods in Chaos (Bilal): No movement.

The Incal 1, 2 (Moebius/Jodorwsky): No movement.

Found (Rothbart): No movement.

Chronicles of Conan 2, 3,4 (Thomas/Windsor-Smith/Kane/Buscema): No movement. No interest?

Lone Wolf and Cub #3,4 (Koike/Kojima): No movement. Like Nausicaa, I thought I'd be sailing through, but my big eyes have closed for now to this series.

Here's what left the stack this week, and where it's going:

PVP at Large (Kurtz): Life's too short, and my stack is too tall. So... I'M GIVING THIS (mostly unread, I only made it like 5 pages in) COPY AWAY!

EMAIL ME BETWEEN NOW AND MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, AND I'LL PICK A WINNER AT RANDOM, LITERALLY, AND SEND THIS OUT... FREE! (YOU HAVE TO LIVE IN THE CONTIGUOUS UNITED STATES, THOUGH!)

Star Wars Infinites: Return of the Jedi TPB (Gallardo/Benjamin): This wasn't very good on any level. Heading to the basement to find a new life outside my home.

Back Issue #5 (various): A slight, quick read. No need to ever reference again, though. Heading to the basement to find a new life outside my home.

Comic Art #6 (various): I picked this up for the Seth feature, but found the rest of the magazine great reading (particularly the interview with former The Imp creator/publisher, Daniel Raeburn). I think I might need to subscribe to this (and Illustration as well). I'll be keeping this to look back at every once in awhile. At 9 bucks an issue, I'd be hard pressed to dump it in the recycling pile.

The Comics journal #262 (various): This is really becoming the perfect comics magazine again (providing a nice balance of all worlds) and I dig the new format and additional comics content as well. I should probably subscribe again, shouldn't I? I'll be keeping this to look back at every once in awhile. At 10 bucks an issue, I'd be hard pressed to dump it in the recycling pile.

The Castaways (Vollmar/Callejo): This has been on my "to-buy/read" list for like a year, so now I've done both. Good stuff, and looking forward to Vollmar's BluesmanThis will head to the secondary stacks in the basement.

I Never Liked You (Chester Brown): Well, I never really liked you either, Chet. I mean, I never really liked your previous stuff (Playboy, Yummy Fur, anything else?), and thought that this was slight. I loved Louis Riel though, so stick with stuff like that and maybe we can tolerate each other, ok? Heading to the basement to find a new life outside my home.

Clyde Fans Book 1 (Seth): Seth is my favorite comics writer/artist/creator and I'd been looking forward to this for months. It's wonderful stuff, beautifully illustrated, touching, and interesting - all about a couple of brothers selling fans. And that's why he's my favorite... A keeper in every sense of the word, racked right next to my favorite work of his: It's A Good Life If You Don't Weaken.

Invincible: Family Matters TPB (Kirkman/Walker): Add some speed lines, big eyes, creepy fetishes, and make this digest sized and you've got your next big manga hit. I'll give this one away this week as well.

EMAIL ME BETWEEN NOW AND MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, AND I'LL PICK A WINNER AT RANDOM, LITERALLY, AND SEND THIS OUT... FREE! (YOU HAVE TO LIVE IN THE CONTIGUOUS UNITED STATES, THOUGH!)

A whole stack of floppies are shipping out from the stack and I couldn't be happier to see them go: Lucifer #52: Part 2? I don't remember part 1; Supreme Power #11/12: So, these three super-beings are getting together to take on... a serial killer? Kee-rist; Doctor Spectrum #1: Pass; Punisher #10: Wordy/Boring; District X #4: Moderately Entertaining; Wildcats #23/24: It was so good at the start (Boardroom Superheroes), but ended so poorly (That Coda Nonsense); Fables #27: My favorite monthly series I think; Catwoman #32/33: Brubaker's Leaving? I'm already gone; The Moth #3: Forgettable, pretty and unnecessary; Astro City Special: My favorite series that's published whenever it's published; Avengers #501: I thought someone was going to die every issue? Eh...; Hulk/Thing: Hard Knocks #1: Unnecessary Squared and I don't like Jae's Hulk; Gotham Central #22: Wrapped up; Y: The Last Man #25: Going nowhere very slowly every month, but it's an entertaining ride; Batman the 12 Cent Adventure: Worth every penny; DC Comics Presents: Hawkman, Green Lantern, Superman, Flash: Beyond me; Losers #14: Needs Jock; Human Target #12: On Target; Tom Strong's Terrific Tales #11: Boring, but with great Bruce Timm art on the first short story; Ultimate Spider-Man #65: The best issue in all this Ultimate Clone/Gwen/Carnage crap; Ultimate Elektra #1: I normally like Larroca, but not here -- I think it's the paper stock and coloring; X-Statix #26: This Issue, Everyone Dies!; Ultimate FF #10: Techno-babble-riffic!; Plastic Man #8: Awesome on all levels; Seaguy #3 What the fuck?; Astonishing X-Men #4: I'm on board; Sleeper #2: I'm not feeling it this time around, and this could have been one series; Ex Machina #2: I'm on board; Identity Crisis #3: This Issue... Everyone's Raped! This generation's Watchmen, and I mean that with no respect to this generation; Amazing Spider-Man #511: This started poorly, but brought me in. Damn you Nerd King, Damn YOU!

Joseph Rybandt has been working "professionally" in the comics "business" for close to 14 years. He lives in the mountains of Northern PA with his wife, daughter and companion Cosmo. His thoughts and opinions are, mercifully, his own.

More Mini-Madness

THINGS TO DO IN A RETIREMENT HOME TRAILER PARK…
Written and Drawn by Aneurin Wright
Welsh el Dorado Press

I recently reviewed Wright’s graphic novella LEX TALIONIS in my MoviePoopShoot column, and I found it to be a decent effort, but lacking in some depth of storytelling. On the bright side, it looked very pretty. What I know now, though, is that Wright’s slight miss in LEX is more than made up for in his work in these two minis. THINGS TO DO… is a marvelous, emotional piece of work, mining the events of Wright’s personal life in an anthropomorphic setting. I was very impressed by it.

We meet Wright as he’s existentially slogging his way through life as he heads towards thirty. He’s at a crossroads, trying to work as a professional artist and dealing with his father’s terminal illness and all the complications that come with it. It succeeds because it’s real, enhanced by Nye’s choice to depict himself and his father as bulls, rather than humans. It immediately adds an subtext to both their personalities that kicks the dialogue up a notch.

With only two issues out, there is plenty more story to go. I hope that Wright completes his journey and eventually puts it together in graphic novel format. This is the good stuff.

PIRATE COVE
Written and Drawn by Joe D’Angelo
Pirate Cove

I have three of these minis here, and they collect various strips from the long running online series. PIRATE COVE is best described as a wild comedy, long on stretching for funny gags and short on seriousness. It’s artistically simple, perhaps more than it should be after years of production, but the ratio of good strips to bad is pretty high. Of course, these books are made up of selected gags, so that’s to be expected. Still, with its tradition of bizarre non-sequitors and odd moments, I always get inspired to read more of the strip online after I see the minis. I’d take that as a good sign.

SKYSCRAPERS OF THE MIDWEST
Written and Drawn by Joshua W. Cotter
E-mail for details

Passed on to me by mini-comics maven James Sime, this book (I have issues one and two) is a stunning gothic interpretation of family life in Middle America. An artistic fit with the best of material being published by Fantagraphics, Cotter performs open heart surgery on the pains and fears of childhood, and the way those fears carry through and can destroy our adult lives.

Superbly produced, these minis are designed to resemble a magazine straight from the 40s, complete with ads encouraging smoking on the back. It might seem crass to parody that old faux pas, but when you read the brilliantly dark “We Are Already Dead” in issue one, you realize that Cotter has passed the mark where parody ends and where social enlightenment begins. If the scenario depicted in “Dead” is true, and even on my best days, I’d have trouble arguing that it isn’t, then maybe heading for an early grave isn’t the worst that can happen. Smoke ‘em if you’ve got ‘em. These are award-caliber works.

/Mason

LIFESPAN: COMICS Week Six

I'm back from WizardWorld Chicago which produced a box of new material that won't even make it to the stack, or the list this week. I sense an offshoot - Lifespan: Box o' Comics!

Anyway, I'm under the gun this week due to a bunch of stuff, and will be away again next week (personal time finally -- at the beach with the family for a few days), so we'll get right into it...

But, first, we've got Contest Winners! Thanks to everyone that wrote in, and from the group that responded, Logan, Bryan, and Todd were picked (completely arbitrarily) as the winners! They can look for Firebreather, Conversation #1 and Ursula -- randomly awarded -- to be heading to their homes this week! For everyone else that entered, I'm going to try to find a little something to send so, you keep reading, be patient, and don't say nasty things about me and the way I give stuff away ;)

Look for details below on the next give-away from my stack.

Oh, and screw everyone for ignoring my review challenge. Particularly, CBG's own Chris Allen... But, I'm not backing down, the challenge remains open!

Here's the stack as it stands today:

New X-Men Volume 3 Hardcover (Morrison/Various): "I don't honestly care that much that Chris Claremont and other X-writers seem to be erasing everything Grant Morrison did with the X-Men, because I still have these great hardcovers to read and can ignore the stuff I don't like." - Chris Allen. Exactly, except for the last arc with Silvestri -- that shit made no sense. This is heading to the shelf to make sweet, sweet love to Volumes 1 and 2 and maybe they'll make great new Morrison stories in their union, on my shelf.

Essential Avengers Volume 4 TPB (Thomas/Buscema/Adams): A big fat book of Avengers goodness. This is the stuff. Heading to the shelf after a partial re-read to hang with my other Essential Volumes. I love this format, BTW.

PVP at Large (Kurtz): Figured I'd give it a skim, as I only ever read the stuff he did ripping into alterna-comics, and at first skim, it looks pretty unfunny. We'll see.

Star Wars Infinites: Return of the Jedi TPB (Gallardo/Benjamin): Great way to milk the series, these Infinites things... sucked me right in. The execution, thus far, has not exceeded the high concept, however. I remain pessimistic about this one (I did this past weekend, see all of the Clone Wars eps on a bootleg DVD, and that's some good stuff.).

Lone Wolf and Cub 3,4 (Koike/Kojima): Read 1, and 2 -- I'm in baby! I'm in! Now, to finish the series before the end of summer!

District X #4; Punisher #10; Doctor Spectrum #1; and Supreme Power #12. These should clear off the stack before too long; funny that they spun off the slowest moving series of Earth in the form of a Dr. Spectrum mini...

Michael Chabon Presents The Amazing Adventures of the Escapist #3 (various): Haven't touched it...

Townscapes (Chrisitn/Bilal): Took this with me to read on the plane, but no such luck.

The Tomb (Weir/DeFilippis/Mitten): No movement.

The Kid Firechief (Steven Weissman): No movement. RED ON RED HURTS MY EYES!

The Horde (Baranko): Took this with me to read on the plane, but no such luck.

The Filth (Morrison/Weston): Took this with me to read on the plane, but no such luck.

The Last American (Grant/McMahon/Wagner): No movement.

Back Issue #5 (various): No movement.

The Ballad of Halo Jones Books 1, 2 and 3 (Moore/Gibson): Mo movement.

Stranger Than Fiction (Chuck Palahniuk): KILL ME, I CAN'T FINISH THIS!

Exterminator 17 (Bilal/Dionnet)/Gods in Chaos (Bilal): No movement.

The Incal 1, 2 (Moebius/Jodorwsky): No movement. Didn't find #3 at the show, either.

Found (Rothbart): No movement.

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind 3,4, 5, 6 (Miyazaki): Now that I've popped 1 and 2, I expect to plow through these... Good stuff so far.

Chronicles of Conan 2, 3,4 (Thomas/Windsor-Smith/Kane/Buscema): No movement.

The following popped on and off the list this week:

Legion: Foundations TPB (various): I haven't read Legion since it was called L.E.G.I.O.N and people still liked Lobo, so this was a fresh look for me. Good stuff, but not enough Darkseid for all the build up (and I love me some Darkseid). I'm giving this one away this week.

E-MAIL ME BETWEEN NOW AND MONDAY, AUGUST 30, AND I'LL PICK A WINNER AT RANDOM, LITERALLY, AND SEND THIS OUT... FREE! (YOU HAVE TO LIVE IN THE CONTIGUOUS UNITED STATES, THOUGH!)

Tommysaurus Rex (TenNapel): I read Creature Tech and found it lacking; This is stronger, tighter and more focused, but still not in my sweet spot. I will hold onto it though for future Rybandt Generations.

She-Hulk #6: I like this book better with Bobillo's pencils, but it's still a decent read; Man-Thing #2: I hope the movie moves faster than the first two issues of this has!; Loki #3: Beautiful! And Boring!; Fantastic Four #517: I miss the old way Marvel did cross-overs -- this "Disassembled" stuff is forced, and tries to paint the larger picture without showing any of the "consequence" in the cross-over books -- aside from that, a solid issue of Waid's FF after the weaker previous arc; Daredevil #63: Continued good stuff from BMB and Maleev, but this series just proves that monthlies should die and be replaced by complete collections (note I didn't say Trades); Ultimate Spider-Man #64: Oh god, there's a clone saga brewing. Only this time, it's an ULTIMATE CLONE SAGA; Powers #3: When did they make this weekly? Seems like I've been reading one a week, or every two weeks since the re-launch. Good stuff... but those personals still make me feel icky; Spider-Man #5: I like Cho's art, and this is a serviceable Spider-Man, but it all feels like it's just going through the motions, ya know?; Captain America: I'm torn -- on one hand, it's got Batroc, but on the other hand he doesn't talk in eez outrageous acc-ent!

These are all basement bound... never to be heard of again, until I off-load 'em.

Here's what's leaving the stack this week, and where it's going:

Marvel Boy TPB (Morrison/Jones): Yeah, it was ok, but I consider his work on X-Men to be essential Marvel Morrison, and this an interesting experiment... This is heading to the secondary TPB stacks in the basement.

Queen and County TPB's (Rucka/various): Plowed through Volumes 2, 3, and 4 (and picked up #5 in Chicago). Good stuff, but suffers slightly from wildly inconsistent (and in the case of Volume 3, wildly inappropriate) art. These are heading to the secondary TPB stacks in the basement.

Whiteout: Melt (Rucka/Lieber): Great stuff all around. Wish there was more than the two volumes so far, I could do easily with one a year. This is heading to the secondary TPB stacks in the basement.

Powers: The Sellouts (Bendis/Oeming): Gave this a quick re-read. It's funny, because when the first Powers TPB came out, I read, and hated it. However, each volume (and issue) has been some great comics all around. This volume is no exception. Smart stuff. This is heading to the shelf with the other volumes of Powers.

Sebastian O (Morrison/Yeowell): Read this on the plane. It's not essential Morrison, but it is a fun read and the TPB appears to have a bit of new material. This is heading to the secondary TPB stacks in the basement.

The Lizard of Oz (Bode): A beautiful looking book, but with an uninteresting and clichŽd story with boring sex. This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind 1 and 2 (Miyazaki): I finally popped these on the plane and they're excellent. Highly Recommended. The whole set of these, when I'm finished, will stay to be read by my kid when she gets old enough and shows interest.

Lone Wolf and Cub 1,2 (Koike/Kojima): I'm not crazy about the size (they were convenient to bring on the plane, but hard to read on the plane), and I understand they work themselves out of the "kill of the week" that's predominant in these two volumes, so, I'm in, only, what, 25 more volumes to go? Holding onto each one as I finish for now, we'll see where the set ends up.

Joseph Rybandt has been working "professionally" in the comics "business" for close to 14 years. He lives in the mountains of Northern PA with his wife, daughter and companion Cosmo. His thoughts and opinions are, mercifully, his own.

Mini Madness: Dave Roman

ASTRONAUT ELEMENTARY #1-3
Written and Drawn by Dave Roman
Available at http://www.yaytime.realmsend.com

Now these are truly mini-comics. Priced at $.50, these eight page gems are rightfully called on the covers "mini manga." Featuring a cast of characters that are as cute as can be, Roman's milieu is quite literally an elementary school set in space, complete with classes like "Dinosaur Driving Lessons." There's a rich and popular girl, a quiet girl, a troubled boy and a boy who is considerd by his classmates to just be flat out odd. However, even with the standard character archetypes, these minis charm their way into your heart and are a reasonable and cheap alternative for readers young and old. When we talk about making more comics for kids, its stuff like this that we should be thinking about.

TEEN BOAT #1-5
Written by Dave Roman and Drawn by John Green
Available from Cryptic Press

These books are so fucked up inspired that they nearly achieve pure brilliance. Think about your comics today. Teenagers gain superpowers by being bitten by super spiders or they develop powers like walking through walls because they're mutants. Teen Boat, on the other hand, is a young boy who turns into... well, a boat. A small yacht, to be specific. Immediately, one's reaction is something like "That is one of the most retarded things I have ever heard in all my comics reading years." But honestly... it isn't a bad book.

I know, I know... but I promise you I don't do any drugs. I'm serious.

Shockingly, these books work. TB is pretty normal, excepting that he can pop a propeller out of his ass. He liks a girl who won't pay attention to him unless he's in boat form, his best female friend is doing her best to look out for him, and his classmates are constantly trying to exploit him for their own ends. In fact, TB and his friend Joey Steinberg could be played by James Van Der Beek and Katie Holmes and you wouldn't blink.

TEEN BOAT would be a mess of mammoth proportions if Roman and Green didn't play the character completely straight, but because they do, and because they give him a surprisingly fertile emotional life, I found myself wanting to see more of these, and I make no apologies for that.

/Mason

Mini-Madness: Raina Telgemeier

TAKE OUT #1-6: written and drawn by Raina Telgemeier. Available from her website at http://www.goraina.com.

As many of you know, I love mini-comics. In their own way, I think they are as pure of an expression that you'll find in comics today. Some folks make them and put out absurdist stuff that would only find a cult audience anyway. Some artists use them to collect strips, sketches, and other assorted materials in a cheap format. And some, like Telgemeier, use the format the way they would use standard sized comics: to explore personal themes and journeys. I have room in my heart for all three kinds, personally.

TAKE OUT sees Raina explore herself from childhood to current adulthood, examining her oddly frightening moments, such as the first time her father shaved his beard, to her laugh-because-it-isn't-you moments like beating the New York subway system to get down to the platforms for free, but then missing her train on multiple occasions. Karma can be a wretched mistress.

Telgemeier doesn't fall into some of the basic traps that many autobiographical artists do, in that she isn't telling too much information about herself. Many creators are so struck by their own lives that they'll take a personal story to a point beyond unpleasantness, but Raina finds a happy medium, for instance showing off her personal obsession with musician Ben Folds in a way that is endearing, not creepy. Frankly, I wish she'd do seminars on that technique.

Issue four contains my personal favorite story, "Letter To Matt," in which Telgemeier describes the aftermath of going to her friend's "Pimps And Hos" party. While the party was delightful, the trip home in her "ho" outfit had more than its share of grief. Knowing someone myself whom this has happened to, it had a humorous ring of authenticity that left me laughing. And having read almost four full issues about the quietly subdued author at that point, seeing her depct herself dressed like a streetwalker and keeping a straight face was hilarious.

In a sea of bad comics hitting the stands right and left, it was very refreshing to read these wonderful minis and see such quality work and effort in them. I will, unquestionably, be keeping my eyes open for future work by Telgemeier, mini comics or otherwise. She's a talent to keep watch upon.

/Mason

More Spurgeon Than You can Shake A Stick At

Word is now out that Tom and co-writer Jordan Raphael's wonderful Stan Lee biography will be making its debut in paperback. Buy this deservingly Eisner-nominated book, and you'll be happy:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1556525419/ref=lpr_g_1/002-0099541-1092824?v=glance&s=books

The old promotional web site for the book is still around, too:

http://www.stanleebook.com

Good stuff.

Comics' Greatest Genius

I'm a bit behind in reading, well, everything, these days, so it took me until this past weekend to finally settle down with The Comics Journal #260 and give it a read. As usual, I was glad I did.

Plenty of folks out there like to tar and feather The Journal with particular brushes, and not all of them are the wrong color paint. That said, it is still the best place to go for quality writing, criticism, and interviews about the comics medium and its community. There are excellent works in this issue such as a detailed examiniation of Dave Cockrum's illness and settlement with Marvel and Clifford Meth's work on his behalf, as well as a side look at Meth's axe grinding against Barry Windsor-Smith while putting a Cockrum tribute book together. Michael Dean also contributes an informative look behind the scenes at Drawn And Quarterly, giving the reader a much better picture of who they are as a publisher and why they make the choices they do. But the real standout in the issue is Tom Spurgeon's incredible look at the entire AiT-Planetlar publishing line.

Spurgeon starts at the beginning with Larry Young's first publishing forays with the original Astronauts In Trouble series and winds his way through what has become a very large small-press empire. And it is one of the most magnificent things I have read on the subject of comics in many a moon.

What Spurgeon does is almost beyond belief. As he gave critical weight to book after book after book, I found myself simply in awe of the time and effort he put forth into writing the piece, and that wasn't even taking into consideration the actual depth and content of his words. Spurgeon is quite likely the sharpest intellect writing about the subject of comics today. His grasp of story, genre, art, place, history, and dialogue are monstrous. You get the sense from Tom that he's thinking three steps ahead of you at almost every turn, and there's almost an intimidation to even sitting and reading his work. It forces you to really realize and examine your place as a writer.

I've been reading comics for about 29 years now, and writing about them for about ten, and reading work by a guy as gifted and intelligent as Tom Spurgeon is something I treasure. It also gives me something to aspire to, though I don't think I could ever come close to doing work of his quality. But it makes you want to try, you know? At the very least, it makes you think that much harder when you're sitting at the keyboard working up a column, realizing that yes, you may pale in comparison, but if you work that much harder, that paleness might gain just the smallest bit of color.

I had the pleasure of seeing Spurgeon in San Diego again this year, and as always, he was a whirlwind. Rightfully nominated for an Eisner for his excellent Stan Lee biography, he was everywhere, soaking in the atmosphere, finding great books, and locating new talents. Not to mention, he was looking at back issues and finding affordable treasures to add to what I am sure is a stunning collection of work. And you know what? That told me something very important. It told me to keep reading The Journal... because soon enough, we're going to be lucky enough to read all about those discoveries.

/Mason

LIFESPAN: COMICS
08.06.04

Well, here we are again and I have to say, that I’m a little puzzled – not one email for the FREE comics mentioned last week (I did mention that they’re FREE right? I’ll pay for the shipping and everything).

Now, there are a few possibilities of what’s gone wrong: 1) No one’s reading (and I can understand that, my wife hasn’t even read one of these yet) and 2) No one wants the comics in question…

But, I doubt no one’s reading, so, this week, I’m keeping the option open on Ursula and Conversation #1, and adding a more mass-appeal book: Firebreather (details below).

Now, as for that review challenge?

Not a peep.

I guess Chris Allen’s too busy conversing with ADD to get his in… and others are still looking for the book. So, the challenge remains open.

And we’ll make it worth your while, promise.

No Lifespan next week, as I’m heading to the Nerd Homecoming Dance in Chicago next week.

Here's the stack as it stands today:

Michael Chabon Presents The Amazing Adventures of the Escapist #3 (various): This has been mostly inconsistent, although within this issue, there’s some stuff by Vaughan and Hornschemeier that should prove it out.

Marvel Boy TPB (Morrison/Jones): Never read it when originally published, so 4 years (!) later it’s all new to me.

Queen and County TPB’s (Rucka/various): Picked up Volumes 2, 3, and 4. I may have read some of these previously, but wanted to reacquaint myself with the series through the available collections.

Whiteout: Melt (Rucka/Lieber): Read the first series, don’t ever recall reading this one. Again, all new to me!

Powers: The Sellouts (Bendis/Oeming): Read the single issues, and this TPB will get a quick re-read.

Townscapes (Chrisitn/Bilal): More Heady Humanoids goodness thanks to the new DC deal.

The Tomb (Weir/DeFilippis/Mitten): No movement.

The Kid Firechief (Steven Weissman): No movement; started it, but couldn’t fin an immediate “in”.

The Horde (Baranko): No movement.

The Lizard of Oz (Bode): No real movement; started it, but couldn’t fin an immediate “in”.

Sebastian O (Morrison/Yeowell): No movement.

The Filth (Morrison/Weston): No movement.

The Last American (Grant/McMahon/Wagner): No movement.

Back Issue #5 (various): No movement.

The Ballad of Halo Jones Books One, Two and Three (Moore/Gibson): Mo movement.

Stranger Than Fiction (Chuck Palahniuk): No movement.

Exterminator 17 (Bilal/Dionnet)/Gods in Chaos (Bilal): No movement.

The Incal 1, 2 (Moebius/Jodorwsky): No movement. Didn’t find #3 at the show, either.

Found (Rothbart): No movement.

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind 1,2,3,4, 5, 6 (Miyazaki): No movement.

Chronicles of Conan 2, 3,4 (Thomas/Windsor-Smith/Kane/Buscema): No movement.

Here's what's leaving the stack this week, and where it's going:

Carnet De Voyage (Thompson): Finished it, loved it. Heading to the shelf, after I give it to my wife to read (she liked Blankets).

Battle Royale #8 (Takami/Taguchi): I need a shower after this installment. Filthy, creepy and vile… which is not necessarily a bad thing.

This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.

Same Difference And Other Stories (Derek Kirk Kim): Not sure about all the hype/praise. I think someone like Tomine works this vein much better. I’d check out future work from him though to see where he’s heading.

This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.

The Technopriests 1 (Jodorowsky/Janietov/Beltran): Brought myself back up to speed through the first two-thirds, than ended with material I had not yet read. Great stuff, heading to the shelf next to my Metabarons and Metal Hurlant’s.

Eightball #22 (Clowes): Good stuff, but wish I’d known an expanded edition was coming down the road. If you got caught up in the sweep of Eightball #23, take a step back and check this out. Heading to the Clowes section of my bookshelf.

The Interman (Parker): Polished up for the big screen, this could be great. As a GN, I’m very interested in the business decisions that went into this, and pleased with the overall read. A little bumpy in patches, but a fine effort overall. Parker signed it to me and did a sketch which makes it a keeper…

End Times (Hiti): An impressive artistic debut (Hiti’s done previous work, but this seems to be the potential debut/break-out book for him), but at a proposed 10 volumes, I’m not sure I have the stamina. A worthy solo edition in any case; SEEK IT OUT!

White Death (Morrison/Adlard): Really liked it, but wish that Adlard had gone with a more traditional style as I had problems at the end figuring out who was who. The line-work of Walking Dead would have alleviated those issues.

This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.

Wake the Dead (Niles/Chee): An updating of Frankenstein with inconsistent art and nothing new – except cliché -- added to the mix. Maybe I’m just more of a vampire guy, than a Frankenstein monster guy

This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.

Tim Sale: Black and White (Sale): Beautiful presentation and a straight-forward conversation/commentary make this a nice addition the bookshelf. I never knew Tim had so many contrary opinions -- Good for him! After reading through this, I may even re-think Spider-Man: Blue, which was recently exiled to the basement stacks due to space/apathy. Daredevil and Hulk though? Not so much…

Here’s what popped on the list, then jumped right off due to being quickly read (I love stuff that fits this category):
Firebreather TPB (Hester/Kuhn): Interesting high-concept, and a well executed, good read. Not sure I’d ever follow this monthly though, and this TPB is an unnecessary addition to my collection, so, it’s yours!

EMAIL ME: (Joe Rybandt) BETWEEN NOW AND MONDAY, AUGUST 23 AND I’LL PICK A WINNER AT RANDOM AND SEND THIS OUT… FREE! (YOU HAVE TO LIVE IN THE CONTIGUOUS UNITED STATES, THOUGH!)

Ultimate Nightmare #1 (Ellis/Hairsine): All set-up. We’ll see what issue #2 introduces.

This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.

X-Men: The End #1 (Claremont/Chen): Hoo-boy… The execution of previous “End” installments were near-perfect for what they were (Punisher and the Hulk) while this (and Wolverine: The End) are convoluted and mostly painful.

This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.

Ultimate X-Men #50 (Vaughan/Kubert): Gambit has awful, permed hair. Are perms “ultimate” now?

This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.

Ultimate Spider-Man #63 (Bendis/Bagley): Carnage kills Gwen Stacy, well, actually that happened last issue, this issue deals with that, and sets up the next issue: Spidey vs. Carnage! Carnage? Lame…

This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.

Here's what needs to go on the stack, but then the stack would be perilously tall:

Lone Wolf and Cub (Koike/Kojima): I’m going to once again pack the first few for the plane ride to Chicago. We’ll see…

Joseph Rybandt has been working "professionally" in the comics "business" for close to 14 years. He lives in the mountains of Northern PA with his wife, daughter and companion Cosmo. His thoughts and opinions are, mercifully, his own.

FAT STACKS

Slowly but surely, the San Diego haul begins to take shape in a useable form. I even (shhhhhh!) read a couple of pamphlets before bed last night, and they weren't bad, showing some real potential. This might turn out to be all good!

Mason

LIFESPAN: COMICS
07.30.04

I’m back from the nerd-prom, and I’m not going to tell you a thing about it (you can read of my partial exploits thanks to CBG’s own Chris Allen)… I did, however, pick up a bunch of stuff – listed below – and the desire to issue a challenge.

A review challenge.

Because, I think that should be CBG’s thing, and here I am, writing something being published at CBG (and Marc’s blog, The Waiting Room).

Alan threw down the bejeweled gauntlet with Eightball #23 and I have set my sites equally as high:

Marvel’s brand-new collection of Jack Kirby’s Captain America and the Falcon: Madbomb

I read it on the plane on the way back from SD, and had discussed it previously with folks like CA and Matt Maxwell, but since I’m not really a reviewer (this column is an exercise in process, impression and place) -- I’ll leave it to the best and the brightest of the web log-o-sphere.

So, get reading, we all know you’ve got one in that stack somewhere, I mean, it’s Kirby fer chrissakes. Send your reviews here to myself and we’ll post the best ones. It’ll be fun, I swear…We’ll even make it worth your while with some free stuff for the ones we like.

Oh, and I’ve decided to give away some stuff from this weeks iteration of the stack (the stack is completely OUT OF CONTROL, standing close to 2 feet tall on the bedside table), rather than add to the further clutter of my already cluttered basement. Details below, savvy readers (although, this week’s stack is so HUGE, I’ll give you a pointer; seek out Conversation and Ursula for give-away details).

Anyway, here's the stack as it stands today:

Carnet De Voyage (Thompson): SAN DIEGO PURCHASE! A thoroughly engaging travelogue/journal that is much, much more substantive than I believed it would be from the initial solicit/press. I’m halfway through it, and I Highly Recommend it!

Battle Royale #8 (Takami/Taguchi): I’m in for the long haul, but talk about decompressed storytelling…

Same Difference And Other Stories (Derek Kirk Kim): SAN DIEGO PURCHASE! He won an Eisner, so I thought I’d check it out…

The Tomb (Weir/DeFilippis/Mitten): SAN DIEGO ACQUISITION! I know the inker (who was also the artist on Last Exit To Toll), he gave this to me…

The Kid Firechief (Steven Weissman): SAN DIEGO PURCHASE! Looks like fun, I’m sure I’ve read other work by Weissman, but his past credits don’t ring familiar…

The Horde (Baranko): The new deal with Humanoids and DC will keep me in head-y, European SCIFI from now until the very end of time…

The Technopriests 1 (Jodorowsky/Janietov/Beltran): So, I had the big albums of the first 2 collections, found out this past weekend there’s 7 of them so far, and this TPB collects the first 3. Ergo, this is the way to go if you can accept the smaller size of these new trade collections from DC.

The Lizard of Oz (Bode): SAN DIEGO PURCHASE! An impulse buy. I have Wizards on my Netflix queue. Maybe that’ll show, I can score some weed and work the three of these things into a burned-out weekend!

Eightball #22 (Clowes): SAN DIEGO PURCHASE! With all the talk of #23, I remembered I’d never read #22. I’m taking an indy trip back in time! Was there even a web log-o-sphere when this came out?

The Interman (Parker): SAN DIEGO PURCHASE! A perennial on the convention circuit that I’ve never purchased/read. Well, I have now…

End Times (Hiti): SAN DIEGO PURCHASE! This was a must-find the first day of the con after I skipped out on MoCCA this year. Beautiful looking book, we’ll see how it holds up to the hype.

Sebastian O (Morrison/Yeowell): I read the originals when they were published, but I remember zip about the series, we’ll see how it re-reads.

White Death (Morrison/Adlard): SAN DIEGO PURCHASE! I like historical fiction, and I like Adlard. Maybe this is my AiT sweet-spot.

The Filth (Morrison/Weston): Let’s see how it reads all in one sitting, shall we?

Wake the Dead (Niles/Chee): Didn’t read the singles, let’s see how the trade does.

The Last American (Grant/McMahon/Wagner): I may have read this in its original format, but I don’t remember (as you can see, I read far too many comics for anybody’s good).

Tim Sale: Black and White (Sale): SAN DIEGO PURCHASE! Tim’s dreamy, and his art’s not too shabby either! A nice looking book.

Back Issue #5 (various): SAN DIEGO PURCHASE! A nostalgia issue focusing on ‘70s superhero TV. Read bits on the plane, and its fluffy, but entertaining…

The Ballad of Halo Jones Books One, Two and Three (Moore/Gibson): Mo movement.

Stranger Than Fiction (Chuck Palahniuk): No movement.

Exterminator 17 (Bilal/Dionnet)/Gods in Chaos (Bilal): No movement.

The Incal 1, 2 (Moebius/Jodorwsky): No movement. Didn’t find #3 at the show, either.

Found (Rothbart): No movement.

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind 1,2,3,4, 5, 6 (Miyazaki): No movement.

Chronicles of Conan 2, 3,4 (Thomas/Windsor-Smith/Kane/Buscema): No movement.

Here's what's leaving the stack this week, and where it's going:

Captain America and the Falcon: Madbomb TPB (Kirby): Wonderful stuff in need of more insightful thought. Someone should issue a Review Challenge™ or something. This is heading to the shelf, or maybe I’ll leave it on a bus for a civilian to find and discover its beauty.

2020 Visions Hardcover (Delano/Quitely/Pleece/Romberger/Pugh): Read this on e the plane, and liked certain arcs more than others, but overall, a strong read. May have been better served in color. Not one for the shelf though…

This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.

The Comics Journal #261 (various): Sometimes I like the Journal more in theory, than in practice, and this was one of those issues. Speaking with Dirk this past weekend though, has me enthusiastic for future issues under his tenure. This is heading the stacks in the basement with my other Journals and mags that I’m holding onto for some strange reason.

The Collected Jack Kirby Collector Volume 2 (Morrow): Read a good chunk of it on the plane. The art and story behind “Science Fiction Land” is worth the price of admission alone. This is heading the stacks in the basement with my other Journals and mags that I’m holding onto for some strange reason.

The Moth #2,3 (Rude/Martin): Finally, off the list! Although, truth be told, I more skimmed than read…

This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.

Gotham Central #’s20 and 21; Plastic Man #7;; Tom Strong #27; Swamp Thing #5; Challengers of the Unknown #2; DC Comics Presents: Batman and Mystery in Space; She-Hulk #5; District X #3; Justice League Elite #1; Losers #13; Hellblazer #197; The Authority: More Kev #2; Batman: Harley and Ivy #3; Doom Patrol #1; HERO #18; and Books of Magic: Life During Wartime #1. Nothing to break-out here, Gotham Central’s still a good read; She-Hulk has a fill in artist that is not nearly as good for the book as Bobillo was; Life During Wartime is mostly impenetrable, but interesting; and the rest are just filler.

These are all heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.

Here’s what popped on the list, then jumped right off due to being quickly read (I love stuff that fits this category):

Flight (various): SAN DIEGO PURCHASE! Beautiful book, with uneven stories. Worth a look, both for the production, art, and overall effort.

This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.

Conversation (Kolchaka/Thompson): SAN DIEGO PURCHASE! Incredibly slight and incredibly over-priced. This is a give-away this week, so…

EMAIL ME (JRYBANDT@YAHOO.COM) BETWEEN NOW AND MONDAY, AUGUST 9 AND I’LL PICK A WINNER AT RANDOM AND SEND THIS OUT… FREE! YOU HAVE TO LIVE IN THE CONTIGUOUS UNITED STATES, THOUGH!)

Kyle Baker: Cartoonist Volume 2 (Baker): SAN DIEGO PURCHASE! A quick, fun read. Heading to the shelf with the rest of my Baker stuff.

The Playboy Pad (various): SAN DIEGO PURCHASE! A photographic visit to swingin singles’ retreats across the… Hey how’d this get on here! Heading to the basement with the rest of the arty porn.

America at War: The Best f DC War Comics (various): SAN DIEGO PURCHASE! A best-of collection of DC War Comics from the ‘40s through the ‘70s that was on my list of things to look for, and I fond it, pretty cheap too. Heading to the shelf with my Fireside/Simon and Schuster Marvel Collections from the same time period.

Egg Story (Schmidt): SAN DIEGO PURCHASE! Recommended by Marc Mason. A cute little comic, but alas, after I give it to my wife to read…

This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.

Slave Labor Stories (FCBD) (various): SAN DIEGO ACQUISITION! There is nothing from SLG that interests me other than Dorkin’s work… it may be an age thing.

This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.

Demo #8 (Wood/Cloonan): SAN DIEGO PURCHASE! Earlier issues, with Cloonan’s art presenting more experimental lines/styles were more interesting to me, visually. Story-wise, I’m always left a little under-whelmed, but some may argue that’s the point.

This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.

Grande Fanta: The art of Ashley Wood (Wood): I’m a big fan of Wood’s art and Popbot series. This collects the three previous “Art of” Books and is a nice, if not squat *why so small when the previous books this collect were so much larger) and expensive ($50!), collection. Heading to the shelf…

Family Reunion and Me and Edith Head (Stewart/Lieber and Ryan/Lieber): SAN DIEGO PURCHASE! Two excellent mini-comics! I’m way late to the game with Edith Head, but glad I finally showed, it’s excellent. I’ll hold onto these…

Ursula (Moon/Ba): Not my thing, maybe it’s yours…

EMAIL ME (JRYBANDT@YAHOO.COM) BETWEEN NOW AND MONDAY, AUGUST 9 AND I’LL PICK A WINNER AT RANDOM AND SEND THIS OUT… FREE! YOU HAVE TO LIVE IN THE CONTIGUOUS UNITED STATES, THOUGH!)

Western Tales of Terror (various): SAN DIEGO PURCHASE! A nice anthology of – surprisingly -- western horror tales. This industry needs more anthologies, dammit! They signed this for me, so I’ll be keeping it…

The Walking Dead #9 (Kirkman/Adlard): SAN DIEGO PURCHASE! This one sails along; this will get ditched when that second trade hits.

A1 Sketchbook (various): SAN DIEGO ACQUISTION! Atomeka is going to be doing some interesting stuff, and I need to dig out my original runs of A1 -- Ross and Dave are swell eggs. I’ll hold onto it…

DC: The New Frontier (COOKE): I have no idea where this is going, but it’s a beautiful ride. I’ll be keep the singles until it’s fully collected, and if it’s not fully collected, I won’t be buying partial collections.

Metal Hurlant #12 (various): One of my favorite reads, always filled with interesting stuff; this issue is no exception. Features the first real substantive work from Rob G and Rick Spears. I hold onto these…

The Uncanny Dave Cockrum… A Tribute (various): A pricey tribute at that. I know it’s for a good cause, but 30 bucks? What’s the split on that…

This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.

Fantastic Four: Hereafter TPB (Waid/ Wieringo): I liked this arc and I generally like Waid’s FF. This is heading to the secondary TPB stacks in the basement.

Daredevil: King of Hell’s Kitchen TPB (Bendis/Maleev): this may be the last good, strong arc of Bendis’ DD. This’ll find a home on the shelf along with the rest of his run.

Ultimate Fantastic Four #9; Sleeper #2; Planetary #20; Fantastic Four #516; Powers #2; Marvel Kight: 4 #8; Astonishing X-Men #3; Amazing Spider-Man #510; X-Statix #25: Kabuki #1; Loki #2; Daredevil #62; and Man-Thing #1! I’m exhausted after all of the above, so nothing to break out here, except: Kabuki #1 is a pretty mess; I’m coming around on Astonishing X-Men; the shock at the end of Amazing may end up being interesting; Marvel Knight 4 is not so much a good read without McNiven’s art; Powers is Powers (the events of this past week sure put those Personals in a new light, don’t they); FF mercifully starts a new arc next issue; Planetary moves slowly (duh!); Sleeper’s great and Ultimate FF ain’t half-bad and currently my favorite Ultimate book.

These are all heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.

Here's what needs to go on the stack, but then the stack would be perilously tall:

Lone Wolf and Cub (Koike/Kojima): I too the first four volumes for the plane ride, didn’t crack a single one. And, I see the sequel/prequel Samurai Executioner is out this week… I’m doomed!

Joseph Rybandt has been working "professionally" in the comics "business" for close to 14 years. He lives in the mountains of Northern PA with his wife, daughter and companion Cosmo. His thoughts and opinions are, mercifully, his own.

SDCC: Day Four and The Return

Day four. The end.

This was, I think, the first year that I actually figured out how to enjoy the con for what it is. In the past, I was obsessed with getting things autographed. Beyond that, I worked as a drone for Khepri Comics. What I had never really done is just go, and go with the flow. This year, I was just me: Marc Mason, comics lover, and comics reviewer.

Sunday was actually sort of a weird parallel to Thursday, in that I spent a great deal of time walking through the small press areas and meeting folks who don’t exactly have an exalted space in the Diamond Previews catalogue. Some don’t really deserve that space; some will get it because they do. But to a fault, they are all looking for someone to take notice and look at their book. They are legion.

I also wandered around and spoke to a few creative types like hot Xeric Award winner Sam Hiti (“End Times”) and picked up their books as well.

Bumped into Joss Whedon again on the floor, shortly before we were both headed upstairs to his panel, which was heavily packed. He showed an early trailer for the Firefly movie “Serenity” and then brought out his nine cast members for a lively and amusing Q&A. Whedon once again showed that the real reason the un-powered Xander was such an integral part of the Buffy cast was that it allowed Joss to be a character on the show.

After that, it was downstairs to say goodbye to friends like Chris Ryall, Dirk Deppey and Steven Grant and I was out. While the con closed at 5pm, I vanished by 3:45. My bag was packed again, digging into my shoulder, and I was starving. So it was food and hotel to rest, ending my adventure.

Well, that’s not quite true.

22 trades/graphic novels
28 pamphlets
29 mini-comics
3 magazines
2 prose books
1 DVD

Plus: 10 manga samplers, assorted PR and other freebies, and a package of stuff from Fantagraphics that was waiting for me when I got back today. Not to mention the load of stuff that was still sitting here from before leaving. The real adventure is going to be reading and reviewing all that stuff over the next four months. Stay tuned here and at MoviePoopShoot to see how it turns out.

Mason

SDCC: Day Three

Day three is always the worst.

It has the largest crowds, the biggest media presentations, and by default, the most morons per square foot. Early on, I wished for death.

It happened because I pay no attention to the panel schedule for shit that doesn't interest me. That's how I found myself being (literally) swarmed by hundreds of Star Wars fans. That panel let out of Hall H while I was working my way from Hall G towards the other end of the con. And apparently they announced the name of the new film and announced a free t-shirt giveaway at the Lucasfilm pavilion, the 10,000 square foot monstrosity at that end of the con floor. I was stuck, unable to move as the line for those shirts formed around and seemingly through me. A nightmare of both numerical and body odor proportions. Fuck almighty.

I had gotten off to a late start thanks to Friday night's partying, so I missed friend and editor Chris Ryall's first IDW panel, but I did hit panels for longtime comics scribe Gerard Jones, who has a new history of comics prose book coming in October, and Marvel EIC Joe Quesada's "Cup O' Joe" panel, which, while amusing, announced nothing I didn't already know. Still, both of those panels smartly allowed me to sit and rest my legs and feet here and there, so I was happy about it.

During the day, I managed to have a couple of odd Hollywood moments, as Tom "The Punisher" Jane stopped by IDW (he's working on a book with Steve Niles) with barely anyone able to tell. Jane's back to blonde with a full beard and was completely unrecognizable. I also met Joss Whedon at the DC booth. Whedon was, at the time, traveling without a security detail. I asked him about that and he told me "security just makes people notice." I hope that continued to work. Somebody would likely hump his leg if they had the chance.

Caught up with and chatted up Greg Rucka, signing his forthcoming Queen And Country prose novel at the Del Ray booth, Laurenn "Rent Girl" McCubbin at post-Quesada panel, and bumped into friend Steven "Permanent Damage" quite frequently. All-in-all, the day turned out okay. I called it an early evening, grabbing dinner and heading for the room to get some rest. Off for the finale now...

Marc

SDCC: Day Two

Long day. Again.

Hit the small press area in the morning and met some folks who are working hard to make books. As always, the quality is variable, but they get credit for trying at least. Jetted away from there to hit the Sc-Fi network's panel on the new Battlestar Galactica, and that was a good one. Writer Ron Moore, along with actors James Callas, Aaron Douglas, Tricia Helfer, and Grace Park were along for the show, and it was an exercise in good fun and humor, as opposed to the fanboy attack at last year's con. Helfer is even sexier in person than she is while seducing Callas on the show, and Grace Park appears to have created her own legion of slobbering fans, even while stuck in a bulky flight suit on the program.

The rest of the day was a mixture of things. I went and talked to creators I know, having chats with guys like Jimmy Pamliotti, and I had my Hollywood moment, meeting and talking to Patton Oswalt, who's a really nice fellow. I hit Terry Moore's panel in later afternoon, covering it for Newsarama and finished the day by walking more than even remotely necessary and putting too much wear and tear on my poor self. Last night was spent eating and partying with good friends, and spending over a half hour in the cab line at the Hyatt, meaning I didn't see bed until almost 3am. So I'm shutting up now.

Marc

SDCC: Day One

Breaking News: it's still bloody huge.

I packed a lot into yesterday, and suffered quite a bit of pain for it. First, I met a lot of small press publishers. Now, many small press efforts are amateur hour at best, to be charitable. But I give them credit for at least trying. They are, to a fault, deeply enthusiastic about their comics, and are dying to get them in front of people. For my part, I came back to my room last night with a good dozen small press pamphlets, plus a trade or two. And that doesn't count the trades/graphic novels I got from them, not to mention the serious publishers who passed stuff on to me. After one and a bit of days, I'm already another month down in regards to my review schedule. Woof.

Got to see and talk to some friends/faves yesterday as well. Had the chance to talk to Steve Lieber for a while, and watch him draw an absolutely stunning commission of an archer firing on horseback. The commission was just for an "archer," and as usual, Steve went the extra mile. Awesome. I also hooked up friends Matt and Joe with Steve's recent minis. Matt, Joe and I also spent a short time with friend and fine scribe Tom Spurgeon. Tom has likely forgotten more about comics and their history than most people will ever know. He's also up for an Eisner tonight for his excellent book about Stan Lee. Good luck, Tom!

Also got the chance to chat up Brett Warnock of Top Shelf, the crew at Devil's Due Publishing, and the swell guys at Viper Comics. Old pal Brian Joines was sharing a table with guys like Dan Wickline and Tone Rodriguez, and he was in his usual amusing form. Joines is a guy who is just waiting to bust out, and his story in the recent NOBLE CAUSES: EXTENDED FAMILY #2 was really quite good.

Sat in on the Godzilla panel, and it was a lot of fun. Chris Gore was on the panel, and as usual, he really livened it up. Gore has personality to spare, and he's not a dick about it, which is nice. I was going to stay for Richard Kelly of DONNIE DARKO fame, but I decided to roll through the floor one last time and call it an early day. Hunger and soreness were killing me, and Friday night is always a long one here in SD. Dinner at the Old Spaghetti Company probably tasted better than it actually was, but that's what hunger will do for you...

More tomorrow...

Marc

SAN DIEGO: PREVIEW NIGHT

It could have been handled better.

Preview night is supposed to be three hours long. That means the fanboys are chomping to get in, sweating up a storm in line, and generally creating a ruckus. Particularly when the con organizers shave thirty minutes off the night for unknown reasons and don't start letting people in until 6pm.

D'oh!

So I made quick rounds of it. Hit the Khepri booth to say hello to friends. Rolled over to Fantagraphics to touch base with some pals. Hit IDW's booth to meet up with my MPS editor and friend Chris Ryall. Then I made a pass through some publisher booths to offer greetings to folks I know and haven't seen in a while like Tom Beland, Rob Osborne, Greg Rucka (whose wife Jen Van Meter and their adorable baby were with him), James Lucas Jones, and others. I also bumped into Matt Brady and picked up a panel assignment, so I'll be contributing to Newsarama for the first time.

Closed the night with drinks with friends Joe Rybandt and Matt Maxwell, and slept like a rock. I'm off to day one!

Marc

Cleverer people than me have written a shitload of things about EIGHTBALL #23.
 
Read their reviews. Debate their takes. But recognize that this is an incredible piece of comics literature, whether you approach it as a slap to the face of the modern superhero concept or as a stunning look at the pathology of a modern serial killer. It's great. Award-winning great. The lovely and talented folks at Fantagraphics have published it. Be brave and buy one.

FAMILY REUNION

Written by Sean Stewart and Drawn by Steve Lieber

Ask for one from Steve Lieber
 
Some comics automatically make me happy, just by existing. Many of those comics are drawn by the great Steve Lieber.
 
Now, don’t get me wrong: I don’t believe that Lieber puts out genius level work every time he puts pencil to paper. Like many artists, he has his quirks, and (in my opinion) Steve’s biggest quirk is one of the stranger ones in the business.
 
Mason’s Law Of Lieber: The more Lieber is paid, and the more high profile the gig, and the more characters the story contains who wear costumes, the lesser the work from Steve. Jobs where there are no costumes and superpowers = Lieber at his best.
 
I swear to you: I know this sounds goofy, but compare Lieber’s work on something like WHITEOUT to his work on BATMAN. It doesn’t even look like the same guy. The throw in the fact that someone else is usually inking his stuff, and there’s a colorist getting in the mix, and it just looks like Lieber-lite.
 
Now that we have that out of the way, I can point to this charming little exercise as more proof of my theory. In this lovely mini-comic, Lieber gives us eight wonderfully drawn pages of just people. People like you see every day on the street or at the grocery. Oh, and some dead people, but even they look normal.
 
Adapting and promoting Sean Stewart’s new novel PERFECT CIRCLE, “Family Reunion” introduces the reader to William “Dead” Kennedy, a fellow with the unfortunate and somewhat unpleasant ability to see the dead, and those dead have some unfinished business. Plus, he’s unemployed, having lost his job at Petco for eating cat food. He isn’t exactly a lucky man.
 
This is a pretty slight eight pages, but we’re given enough of Dead’s background to make him interesting, and those family members we meet, living and dead, show some literary promise. I suspect that the novel will be quite good. But the real star here is Lieber; I put my mind to it, and I honestly couldn’t think of anyone else I would rather see illustrate a tale of this type and length. His ability to animate real, breathing people on the page is a thing of wonder, and you never get the sense of him working from model in any way, shape or form. They’re unique, from their clothes to their features, and you always feel like you know them.
 
Steve Lieber, without a doubt, is the one man I would want to draw my comics. Sean Stewart has both my admiration… and my jealousy. “Family Reunion” is definitely worth your dollar.
 
review materials may be sent to: Marc Mason, P.O. Box 26732, Tempe, AZ, 85285

LIFESPAN: COMICS
07.16.04
 
Week Three... back into the swing after a wonderful long weekend with the family in the natural beauty of the Adirondacks. Dinner with the Doanes was a wonderful addition to the trip (I’ve met several online friends face-to-face and each has turned out to be exceptionally swell in real life. I’ve got a streak going!). Thanks again, Mr. Doane.
 
The stack is out of control this week, as you’ll see below. At this stage, reading becomes a real fucking chore, and with a trip to San Diego looming next week, I don’t anticipate working through the 2 and 1/2 feet of comics and books anytime soon. Also, there will be no Lifespan next week. Blame Comic-Con, not me…
 
Anyway, here's the stack as it stands today:
 
Captain America and the Falcon: Madbomb TPB (Kirby): Wasn’t gonna bother, but it’s become kind of a buzzbook around the ‘net and how can you really pass up manic, ‘70s Kirby? You can’t apparently.
 
2020 Visions Hardcover (Delano/Quitely/Pleece/Romberger/Pugh): I don’t recall reading the Vertigo iteration of this series, so it’s new to me! I like this format for the book, but we’ll see if it’s all worth the 30 bucks they’re asking.
 
The Comics Journal #261 (various): New Managing Editor Deppey is bringing more balance to the reviews, but I’d like to see some balance in the interviews as well.
 
Random Comics: -- I’ll break these out after reading -- Plastic Man #7; Gotham Central #’s20 and 21; Tom Strong #27; Swamp Thing #5; Challengers of the Unknown #2; DC Comics Presents: Batman and Mystery in Space; She-Hulk #5; District X #3; Justice League Elite #1; Losers #13; Hellblazer #197; The Authority: More Kev #2; Batman: Harley and Ivy #3; Doom Patrol #1; HERO #18; and Books of Magic: Life During Wartime #1.
 
The Ballad of Halo Jones Books One, Two and Three (Moore/Gibson): Mo movement, which surprises me, but as you see from what popped on and off (below), I put Eightball and Cole ahead of the existing stack. You would do the same, admit it.
 
The Collected Jack Kirby Collector Volume 2 (Morrow): No movement.
 
Stranger Than Fiction (Chuck Palahniuk): Kee-rist! This is becoming a lost cause, although there’s always the 6 hour plane ride next week to slog through it. I think I’ll give this away to a lucky reader when I finally finish rather than Half’ing it like I was going to. Exciting!
 
Exterminator 17 (Bilal/Dionnet)/Gods in Chaos (Bilal): No movement.
 
The Incal 1, 2 (Moebius/Jodorwsky): No movement – well, actually, I did read almost all of #1, but I want to finish it, start #2 and comment on them both (and I need to find #3 as well).
 
Found (Rothbart): No movement.
 
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind 1,2,3,4 (Miyazaki): No movement, and now both 5 and 6 are out! The first couple will probably travel with me for reading on the flight out West.
 
Chronicles of Conan 2, 3,4 (Thomas/Windsor-Smith/Kane/Buscema): No movement. Approaching lost cause status. Another contest? More Excitement!
 
The Moth #2,3 (Rude/Martin): No movement.
 
Here's what's leaving the stack this week, and where it's going:
 
Planetary Volume Three Hardcover (Ellis/Cassaday): A great read, re-remembered and re-visited thanks to this new collection, which will find a home on the shelf next to HC’s 1 and 2.
 
Loki #1 (Rodi/Ribic): Beautiful, but I don’t see that keeping my interest for however long this series may run.
 
This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.
 
Fused: Canned Heat (Niles/Lee/Rader/Templesmith): This really suffers from wildly inconsistent art (Out of the 3 artists over the 4 issues this trade collects, Templesmith is the most out-of-place with this material) and spotty writing. I like the high-concept though…
 
This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.
 
Human Target #11 (Milligan/Chiang): I’m back on track as this was a great issue on all counts, with a wonderful retro vide to Chiang’s layout.
 
This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.
 
Here’s what popped on the list, then jumped right off due to being quickly read (I love stuff that fits this category):
 
Raisin Pie #3 (Bordeaux/Altergott): I love the Altergott stuff and am coming around to the Bordeaux material, but her story suffers from the infrequent publication of this series, as it’s an unfolding and continuing piece.
 
This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.
 
The Classic Pin-Up Art of Jack Cole (Cole): A wonderful collection of beautifully illustrated pin-up work by Jack Cole. I’ll be seeking out those Playboy collections of his art. But, why isn’t this sized as a companion to the ward book FBI released last year, though? Why do I care?
 
This is headed to the bookshelf, to sit awkwardly next to the Ward book.
 
Eightball #23 (Clowes): I have never been a big Clowes fan, but this was a must-have and a must-read. It’s been analyzed to death by better pundits than I, but special thanks to Mr. Doane for opening my eyes as to one of the reasons for the over-sized format.
 
I don’t know where I’m putting this, but it’s a keeper.
 
Identity Crisis #2 (Metzer/Morales): Lots of talk about this one, huh, but I just find it mostly boring.
 
This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.
 
The Pulse #4 (Bendis/Bagley): I liked Alias a lot more than I like this.
 
This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.
 
The Punisher #9 (Ennis/Fernandez): Skimmed, enough with the IRA.
 
This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.
 
Spider-Man #4 (Millar/Dodson): Skimmed…
 
This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.
 
Marvel Knights: 4 #7 (Sacasa/McNiven): Wonderful art; Unnecessary, but innocuous, title.
 
This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.
 
Ultimate X-Men #49 (Vaughan/Peterson): Skimmed; Peterson looks to be rushing the art and this version of Sinister/Apocalypse is as inane as the original – dumb characters all around.
 
This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.
 
Captain America #29 (Kirkman/Eaton): Kirkman’s back to basics debut; We’ll see.
 
This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.
 
Y: The Last Man #24 (Vaughan/Guerra): Part one of a shorter arc that reads like all the other longer arcs… Get somewhere, please?
 
This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.
 
Catwoman #32 (Brubaker/Phillips/Gaudiano): A breather issue with a much-needed art fill-in… I’ve grown bored with this title, so we’ll see where the next arc heads.
 
This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.
 
Wildcats #23 (Casey/Rouleau): They’ve lost me with this Coda bullshit; bring back the boardroom!
 
This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.
 
Fables #27 (Willingham/Buckingham): I love everything about this comic. Looking forward to the start of a new arc next issue…
 
This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.
 
Here's what needs to go on the stack, but then the stack would be perilously tall:
 
Lone Wolf and Cub (Koike/Kojima): Still committed; still haven’t started. I’m going to take a bunch of these with me for the plane to get this ball rolling.
 
Palomar (Hernandez): Ditto. I’d love to take this with me as well, but it’s too damn big!
 
Joseph Rybandt has been working "professionally" in the comics "business" for close to 14 years. He lives in the mountains of Northern PA with his wife, daughter and companion Cosmo. His thoughts and opinions are, mercifully, his own. 
  
  
  
  
 

SIDEKICKS BOOK 3: ATTACK OF THE MOLE MASTER
Published by Little, Brown

A couple of months ago in this very blog, I reviewed books one and two of this charming series of young adult novels aimed at the superhero crowd. The first two outings showed a nice flair for sly humor and an unusually clever intelligence in the dialogue and deconstruction of the genre, all while being a very straight forward coming of age story for young hero in training Speedy. I am pleased to report that book three is more of the same, and even better than the first two.

Authors Dan Danko and Tom Mason have a gift for planting their tongues firmly in their cheeks and going for broke when it comes to mapping out these adventures. Speedy, a/k/a Guy Martin, is still hung up on Prudence Cane, the prettiest girl in school, and she still only has eyes for Speedy's fellow sidekick, the slightly sleazy Charisma Kid. But the Mole Master attacks and kidnaps Prudence to be his Queen of Dirt, so it looks like Guy might have the chance to save her and finally get to make some time with her.

Of course, things never quite work out that way.

Other obstacles for Speedy include his cowardly and asinine superhero mentor Pumpkin Pete (who has all the powers of a pumpkin) and his fellow sidekicks, who hate his superhero name ("why not Speedy Lad?") and the way he verifies that he is actually at a meeting ("yeah" versus "here").

These novels have a spirit and sense of fun that can be sorely lacking in YA literature these days, not to mention lacking in comic books. SIDEKICKS is scheduled to run for six books, and there is a subtle meta-plot running through the books so far, though it isn't anything that would be too distracting to a first time reader. I'm looking forward to reading the rest and passing them on to my step kids. Grade: A-

review materials may be sent to: Marc Mason, p.o. box 26732, Tempe, AZ, 85285

LIFESPAN: COMICS
07.08.04

Here's the stack as it stands today:

Planetary Volume Three Hardcover (Ellis/Cassaday): The oldest issue in here dates back to 2001, so a re-read is definitely in order. This will be housed on the shelf, when done, next to Hardcover Volumes 1 and 2, and not in the basement where that "Crossing Worlds" collection lies in punishment for not being as good as the regular series.

Loki #1 (Rodi/Ribic): This looks nice, and I've never read anything by Rodi (that I can remember), so #1 gets a shot.

Fused: Canned Heat (Niles/Lee/Rader/Templesmith): This has a foil cover... that's funny to me, how about you? Never read the series, we'll see.

The Ballad of Halo Jones Books One, Two and Three (Moore/Gibson): These are the Titan Editions from the '80s. These will probably get read this week.

The Collected Jack Kirby Collector Volume 2 (Morrow): I generally like the TwoMorrows stuff, although I have never read an issue of the Kirby Collector Magazine, so we'll see where this falls. It'll probably stay on the stack for several months unless I pick it up and find an immediate groove.

Stranger Than Fiction (Chuck Palahniuk): This is really a chore, which I'm surprised by, since I like his fiction so much. I’m toughing it out, but have already started skipping stories.

Exterminator 17 (Bilal/Dionnet)/Gods in Chaos (Bilal): No movement.

The Incal 1, 2 (Moebius/Jodorwsky): No movement.

Found (Rothbart): No movement (though this gets picked up and flipped through often).

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind 1,2,3,4 (Miyazaki): No movement, and five is out this week (need to pick it up), so I should probably get started on these, huh?

Chronicles of Conan 2, 3,4 (Thomas/Windsor-Smith/Kane/Buscema): No movement.

The Moth #2,3 (Rude/Martin): No movement. At this point, I'd probably need to re-read #1 and the Special, which doesn't fill me with joy, or make these any more appealing to move off the stack.

Human Target #11 (Milligan/Chiang): No movement.

Here's what's leaving the stack this week, and where it's going:

Hench (Beechen/Bello): If you don’t have anything nice to say (particularly with this publisher), don’t say it all, right?

Sure. One thing though: if you're going to insert artistic homage to recognizable artists like Steranko, Kirby, etc., at least try to work in their style.

This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.

The Gray Area (Brunswick/Romita Jr.): After Paul Smith, JRJR is my favorite-X-Men artist, because he was THE guy when I was buying Uncanny from the Wheaton Pharmacy as an awkward youth. He's a solid, interesting, and fantastic comic book artist. This needs a new scripter though.

This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.

Vampirella: Crimson Chronicles 1 (Various): Love it. Wish it was a little cheaper ($14.95 would be better, but I understand why they went out at $20) and had more in it (it really gets rolling in the last quarter when Goodwin's stories appear). I'll be all over Volume 2. Now, someone needs to do the same for Creepy and Eerie (only there, I’d do Best Of’s and not chronological collections).

This is heading to the basement, but to the bookshelf I keep down there for overflow.

Sword of Dracula 1-4 (Henderson/Scott/Belk): Liked #’s 1 and 2 a lot, and then the artist changed with #3 and the story went south on me. It's a 6 issue thing, so if #’s 5 and 6 find their way to me, I'll finish it out, but so far, the "promise" of 1 and 2 are negated by the execution and decline of 3 and 4. I would check out other stuff from (writer) Henderson though.

This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.

1963 #'s 1, 2, 4,5 (Moore/Various): Great (dark) fun, and like “real” silver or bronze age comics, the ads and editorial pages are worth the price alone. I wish the Essentials and Archives and all such reprints would reprint the original ads… never happen, but still.

Back down to the keep stacks in the basement.

Lucifer #51 (Carey/Gross): Part 1 of a four part arc; lovely art by Peter Gross; interesting story by Carey. I’m back on board.

This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.

Seaguy #2 (Morrison/Stewart): I liked this a lot more than #1, and was buoyed by that PopImage Morrison article where he talks about doing more Seaguy; still would have preferred the originally-planned OGN format (happy, Matt?).

Back to the basement until issue three comes out, then to the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.

X-Statix #24 (Milligan/Allred): It’s like every other issue is entertaining, and this was that “other” issue; I liked it. Won’t miss it when it’s cancelled though, as I think it’s said all it has to say over the last, what, three or four years?

This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.

Sleeper Season Two #1 (Brubaker/Phillips): Excellent stuff. Everyone should be reading this; Better reviewers than I have told you so.

This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.

Infiltration #22: Fun stuff, always an enjoyable read.

This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.

Here’s what popped on the list, then jumped right off due to being quickly read (I love stuff that fits this category:

Powers #1 (Bendis/Oeming): I was late to Powers (and Bendis in general) and disliked Who Killed Retro-girl immensely upon first read. I revisited the series with a chunk of the trades last year, and found myself really liking it.

This? This is too early in the new arc to tell, but it’ll probably end up, overall, an enjoyable read. The personals at the end though? They gotta go; I’m embarrassed for those people.

This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.

Ultimate Spider-Man #62 (Bendis/Bagley): I skim this every month, not my thing.

This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.

Supreme Power (Straczynki/Frank): If it were me? I’d go back to the original Squadron mini and have Gary Frank re-draw it (and add all the gratuitous nudity), but leave the Gruenwald plot and script completely in tact… because that series RAWKED! This series, not so much (it’s been 11 issues, has anything REALLY happened?)…

This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.

Fantastic Four #515 (Waid/Kesel/Medina): When did Kesel become co-writer? And did Medina draw that last issue? These developments surprised me when I was flipping through (maybe I missed the last issue). Anyway, Waid writes a great FF, but this arc isn’t doing it for me.

This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.

Here's what needs to go on the stack, but then the stack would be perilously tall:

Lone Wolf and Cub (Koike/Kojima): Still committed; still haven’t started.

Palomar (Hernandez): Ditto

Joseph Rybandt has been working "professionally" in the comics "business" for close to 14 years. He lives in the mountains of Northern PA with his wife, daughter and companion Cosmo. His thoughts and opinions are, mercifully, his own.

STREET ANGEL DOS

I have a theory.

I've been writing on pop culture for a long time now, even some academic papers, and it seems to me that all really standout pop has at least one thing in common: it has an extended arm and a raised middle finger pointed squarely at other boring or just flat bad pop culture.

It's a very, very good theory. Think about it. Think about films like DEEP BLUE SEA, for instance. Not only did it have an almost laughably dumb premise (super smart sharks), but it only had one "name" actor in the cast (Samuel L. Jackson). And at the very moment that Jackson's character is giving the standard "If we all stick together, we'll survive" speech, a shark breaks the water and swallows Jackson whole, leaving the viewer laughing his fool head off and applauding. Not only did the film flip the bird to a very bad cliche, but it also gave a winking nod to the concept of "jumping the shark." Other moments of "fuck you" raised along the way, and that made DEEP BLUE SEA an immensely entertaining B-movie.

I want pop culture to give me the finger. I want as much pop as possible to rise above its roots and strive to be something better. I want it to challenge me to pay attention, I want it to stir my brain, and I want the people who are making it to just give a shit.

STREET ANGEL #2 came in my mailbox, I brought it home, and it immediately flipped off the stack of comics I had sitting on my bookcase. It even used both fingers.

I reviewed issue one in my MoviePoopShoot column a couple of weeks before it came out. It was an exhilarating breath of fresh air, a piece of such perfect pop that I worried that the creators would not be able to sustain their momentum. Thankfully, I had nothing to worry about.

The brilliant creative team of Jim Rugg and Brian Maruca have let loose another blast of brilliance upon the comics scene. Incan pirates from the past and an Irish astronaut from the future are dragged through a time warp and land in Jesse Sanchez' Angel City. Their landing gets the local ninjas involved as well, and a melee ensues.

At every step, the plot of this book is so insane that you can't help but giggle and snicker with glee. Plus you get beautiful gags like the ninja house having an alarm designed specially to go off if pirates show up...

Like I said: a brilliant giving of the finger moment.

STREET ANGEL is so good that it's almost scary. Both issues have become instant classics, and it is my sincerest wish that Rugg and Maruca are able to keep up the quality of the book without jumping the shark.

Of course, reading that, they're probably flipping me off.

Marc Mason
P.O. Box 26732
Tempe, AZ 85285
Marc@MarcMason.com

LIFESPAN: COMICS
07.02.04

Here's the deal, each and every week, new comics enter my home (in a variety of forms, from a variety of sources) and make their way onto my reading pile (which is detailed below). Some stay on the pile longer than others, and the purpose here is to track them through to their ultimate end. It's an experiment and you're a part of it! Lucky you...

Here's the stack as it stands today (and bear with me as I figure out how this is going to work every week; also note I'm a "stream-of-consciousness/print-the-first-draft" kind of writer/guy):

Stranger Than Fiction (Chuck Palahniuk): I'm trying to work through my backlog of non-comics (just finished the new Sedaris - good, but I like his old stuff better, just like John Byrne ;) This will be put back into the marketplace when I finish it; not a keeper as of this writing.

Exterminator 17 (Bilal/Dionnet)/ Gods in Chaos (Bilal): These have been on the pile for quite a while, you have to be in the mood for European scifi, and I haven't been in that mood recently (these are the Catalan Editions).

The Incal 1, 2 (Moebius/Jodorwsky): These are the Epic Editions, and I've read through the Humanoids stuff and wanted to compare; haven't done so yet; see above regarding mood.

Found (Rothbart): A collection of the excellent Found Magazine. This will stay on the pile for quite a bit, as it's not something I would ever choose to read straight through. Great stuff, though.

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind 1,2,3,4 (Miyazaki): These are the new editions from Viz, and I'm working up to them; my kid loves his films.

Chronicles of Conan 2, 3,4 (Thomas/Windsor-Smith/Kane/Buscema): I don't like the re-coloring, that's for sure (same deal with the DC/Adams/Batman Hardcovers), and that's not keeping me from slogging through these, but incredible apathy sure is. Maybe I should just pick up a bunch of Howard's paperbacks?

Vampirella: Crimson Chronicles 1 (Various): Looking forward to this, actually, as it's all the old Warren Vampi stuff, and I like 60s/70s B&W Horror (last year, I picked up a ton of Eerie's and Creepy's and read them straight through; loved every minute of it)

Sword of Dracula 1-4 (Henderson/Scott/Belk): Just curious...

1963 #'s 1, 2, 4,5 (Moore/Various): Haven't read these in awhile, and picked them up (again, I know I have copies in a box in the basement somewhere); sucks that I don't have #3 in this stack, but I'm pretty sure I'll live.

The Moth #2,3 (Rude/Martin): I want to like this, or at least tolerate it, but reading the special and skimming #1 doesn't appear that's going to become reality.

X-Statix #24 (Milligan/Allred): I've been skimming these, I lost interest quite a ways back, and it's almost all done anyway.

Sleeper Season Two #1 (Brubaker/Phillips): Liked the previous "season" and see no reason why I won't like this.

Human Target #11 (Milligan/Chiang): This lost its way for me; I picked it up last night and thought "that's a whole lot of reading I'm not in the mood for."

Lucifer #51 (Carey/Gross): Ditto.

Seaguy #2 (Morrison/Stewart): We'll see at the end of #3, but it's not looking good (actually, it looks great, but overall, I'm not enthused by Mr. Morrison's mad ideas anymore).

Infiltration #22: A zine about being in places you're not supposed to be; I've lived this.

Here's what's leaving the stack this week, and where it's going:

Bannock, Beans and Black Rice: Just finished this; quick, good read, wonderful illustrations/design and heading to the bookshelf with my other Seth stuff (It's a Good Life... is one of my favorite comics ever).

FF Visionaries: John Byrne 1 and 2 (duh!): I received 2 recently, and took them both with me this week to re-read. I did a lot of skimming, and set them back on the self upon my return. Make of that what you will

Neal Adam's Batman Hardcover 2 (duh!!): This went straight to the shelf, and it's one of those things I'm not sure why I have as I'm not sure when I'll ever sit down with it (more on this in future installments); I hate the re-coloring; these could be on newsprint (with the ads!) and I'd be much happier and more likely to re-read).

Here's what needs to go on the stack, but then the stack would be perilously tall:

Lone Wolf and Cub (Koike/Kojima): I'm committed to reading the whole thing at some point this summer; haven't started yet)

Palomar (Hernandez): This will be a second reading of the material, but the size isn't conducive to travel, and as you see from the current stack, there's lots of other (admittedly lesser) material hogging my time.

Joseph Rybandt has been working "professionally" in the comics "business" for close to 14 years. He lives in the mountains of Northern PA with his wife, daughter and companion Cosmo. His thoughts and opinions are, mercifully, his own.

BLAST FROM THE PAST

As something of a Kyle Baker fanboy, it has always stuck in my craw a bit that I have not been able to turn up a copy of his unusual collaboration with rapper KRS-One, "Break The Chain." However, thanks to the generousity of the excellent Ed Cunard I finally have one. And boy, is it a treat.

Well, sort of. Truth be told, "Break The Chain" is far from Baker's greatest work, but its heart is in the right place. Based on KRS' music, the comic tells the story of a rapper named Big Joe Krash and his efforts to educate the young African-American kids in his neighborhood about who they really are. To Joe, an educated and caring man, the kids are almost disrespectful to their background. They've heard the names Malcolm X, Nat Turner, and Harriet Tubman and know that they were important, but the kids haven't taken the extra step to understand who they were.

Indeed, education is the primary theme of the book, as Krash (KRS One's alter-ego) strives to make the kids understand that it isn't enough to just scratch the surface and let the mind waste. Instead, he wants the kids to realize that only by learning about what it means to be Black in America will they ever be able to lift themselves up and carry themselves with pride. Krash preaches that there is a pride to being African-American, but that pride must be earned and respected.

"Break The Chain" gets more than just a little preachy, and at times, the discourse and dialogue slips awfully close to the "After School Special" level, but that's entirely forgiveable in this case. That's because Baker and KRS One are attempting to make one of the most important points possible that they can hope to get across to their audience. I don't know if this sold well when it came out, but I can guarantee you that each of those sales was a step in the right direction for a great many young people. This is one of the better "message" comic books 've ever read.

Marc@MarcMason.com

SOLICITATIONS I’D LIKE TO SEE:

AVATAR PRESS PROUDLY PRESENTS:

WARREN ELLIS’ STRANGE ASS-EELS #1
Written by Warren Ellis, Drawn by Jacen Burrows

Clench your cheeks tight!

Avatar is pleased to present the latest horror from British scribe Ellis’ frightening imagination. Mage/maniac William Gravel is back and facing the deadliest creatures he’s ever encountered. These foul, murdering shit sniffers are on the loose in Southend’s most decrepit pub, burrowing their way into the rectums of unsuspecting drunkards. It will take all of Gravel’s wits, skills, and tolerance for Red Bull, to survive!

Cover by Juan Jose Ryp. Alternate cover (pictured in Adult supplement) by John McCrea

HUGE COMICS NEWS

After DC Comics announced at the Bristol Con this weekend that Dave Gibbons had just signed an exclusive agreement with the company set to last two years, DC and Marvel made a stunning joint announcement: that would be the last exclusive agreement either company would offer a creator.

Paul Levitz explained, "We've take a long look at the concept of exclusivity and realized that no one really cares. For years, DC and Marvel have battled one another for the exclusive rights to the work of a creator, constantly seeking any and all PR advantages we can find in the marketplace. However, market research shows that only the lowest common denominator of fan truly cares which companies have exclusives with whom."

"Throw in the fact," Marvel EIC Joe Quesada added, "that thanks to scheduling and loopholes for small company work, no one but Brian Bendis is actually exclusive to anyone, and the idea just became pointless."

Fans and press were a-twitter at the end of one of the all-time stupid ideas, wondering where DC and Marvel would battle next. Persistent reports that Quesada was proposing a dick measuring contest between each company's staff were running rampant, bit no confirmation of "DC/MARVEL: THE RULES OF MEASUREMENT" was forthcoming.

Further details as the Waiting Room staff gathers them.

Marc@MarcMason.com

Just Like Opinions, Everyone Has One

Assholes. We’re all assholes. Me, you, the guy in front of you buying the latest issue of ROBIN. Even Larry Young is an asshole. And that’s exactly the point of his latest graphic novel.

PLANET OF THE CAPES

Written by Larry Young and Drawn by Brandon McKinney

Published by AiT/Planetlar

PLANET is young’s first, and a good bet, last foray into the world of superheroes. Sort of. Because, while on the surface, this is a story about superpowered folks, below that surface, that is a lie quickly exposed. PLANET OF THE CAPES is a graphic novel about the comics industry’s reliance on superheroes, the destructive power of that reliance, and why that reliance makes us all assholes.

Young noted before the book was published that the characters were really stand-ins for various parts of the industry, so with that in mind, here’s how I interpret the book. Your mileage may vary, of course, but I feel pretty good about my take.

The Grand (Marvel Comics) is a powerful, pompous, overbearing dick consumed with his own importance. Justice Hall (DC Comics) is the latest descendent of a long line of heroes. Too serious to a fault, he’s concerned with maintaining the status quo and making sure everyone looks good and does the right thing. Kastra (Indy/alt comics) is a cute little pixie of a heroine, powerful, but also the bearer of questionable judgment. She’s not above flirting or seducing in order to raise her profile. Her father, Schaff (a grotesque melding of fanboys and retailers, perhaps best named as “the direct market”) is a mindless hulking beast that leaves destruction in its wake while only wanting to have fun. Almost completely brain dead and running on instinct, he’s in his own way the most heroic of the team, but he’s continually guided in wrong directions by the others.

Beware, I’m going to somewhat spoil the plot as I go.

Anyway, thanks to a strange accident, the heroes find themselves transported to a different Earth, our Earth, a planet where there are no superheroes. (Amusingly, they’re immediately rescued by pastiches of Reed Richards, Sue Richards, Johnny Storm, and Ben Grimm.) Faced with a real world that thinks they’re silly and non-existent, The Grand decides to cash in his moral chips and take over, allowing Schaff and Kastra to die in the process. Explaining to Justice Hall that they should set themselves up as rulers now that they are here and have eliminated the others, Justice Hall denies their right to take those actions and instead sets in motion each one’s plan to kill the other, which they do. As it says on the back of the book, “nobody learns anything, everybody dies.”

So you can see what Young’s point is right away. Look at Marvel these days, so desperate the make inroads to the mainstream popular culture, flooding the market with films, more books, you name it. They’re literally trying to use their superheroes to conquer the market. DC, a company known for trying to maintain a below the radar presence sets out to stop them, but in the end, they destroy each other, just like Marvel is destroying the independent comics makers and the direct market. It isn’t exactly subtle once you see where Larry is going.

The over-reliance of the comics industry upon superheroes, and Marvel in particular, is not just a slippery slope, it’s suicide. Too much power is residing in one spot, and in the hands of an extremely amoral corporation. And yet month in and month out, they have the highest number of top twenty selling books. Making us all assholes, which is the point. PLANET OF THE CAPES is a book that has a tough road ahead of it, because as a standard superhero tale, the basic fanboy isn’t going to get the joke. And the ones who do are going to be pissed that they’ve been had. (They should have been pissed about being had long before they bought this book.) So its audience might be a bit limited.

I’m not really sure Larry would mind, though. Grade: A-

review materials may be sent to: Marc Mason, P.O. Box 26732, Tempe, AZ, 85285

Marc@MarcMason.com