Cross-Dressing; a/k/a Death Gets A Makeover

As I promised a couple of weeks ago in my Phoenix Con wrap up, the time has come to take a look at Brian Pulido’s new LADY DEATH series. Subtitled “The Wild Hunt,” Pulido’s pasty protagonist seems to have been ambushed by Trinny and Susannah of BBC America’s “What Not To Wear,” and I found myself reading a comic that I wasn’t expecting.

My only exposure to the titular character was in her old days as the centerpiece of the Chaos Comics line. Seemingly existing solely for the purpose of allowing budding comics artists to practice drawing the smallest possible bikini top and thong on an over-endowed female form. It was a damned good thing she was Lady Death because she was certain to catch her death by cold if she wasn’t. It was that seeming over-reliance on gratuitous T&A that made Chaos either the most beloved publisher in the history of the goth movement or an absolute joke to mainstream comics fans. Your mileage definitely varied.

However, the new, Crossgen published Lady Death is actually quite well-clothed. Her outfit is tight and sexy, but it isn’t far off from what the X-Men (male and female) wear in the films. So it’s all good. In the clothing department, that is.

The inside of the front cover gives you a “thus far” rundown, which is good, because there was a previous Lady Death series from Crossgen before this one. It gives you an easy explanation of her current status and the staus of her uber-plot, and then we are thrown into the story. Half human and half magic user, we meet her human relatives and their moron of a daughter, and then follow her in her task to begin trying to remove the magic wielders from power in Europe. We see that she is a wild and charismatic figure, and obviously a powerful one. And her origin is way, way different than the Chaos version. Pulido has taken the character’s move to Crossgen as an opportunity to re-create her from scratch, leaving only her pale palette the only thing that really remains the same. This is not only a damned good idea, I wish more creators would do it.

Sometimes a good character is waiting around for someone to redefine and sharpen the character’s concept. Think about times when that has happened. Steven Grant and Mike Zeck honing the Punisher. Warren Ellis’ redefinition of Stormwatch. Frank Miller’s ground-breaking reconstruction of Daredevil. I’m not saying that Pulido has reached those heights here; far from it. But showing a lack of fear in giving something new a try deserves kudos.

The first issue of “The Wild Hunt” isn’t a bad one, but it isn’t exactly a good one either. Pulido throws the reader into the tale fairly abruptly, and while I always expect to have to figure a few things out, and that issue one won’t spell out the whole story for me, I did have more than just a bit of bafflement about exactly what Lady Death can do. I get that she’s part magic, and that she obviously has some magical powers, but the recap didn’t spell out what they were, and I was confused about how she used them, when she used then (and when she didn’t), and why she used them. At times, she just used a sword, and fought hand-to-hand. So I would have been a happier reader if the old Shooter credo “Every comic is someone’s first” would have been in effect. I may be a genius, but even I can use a guide here and there.

The real bright spot of “The Wild Hunt” is the wonderful artwork by Jim Cheung. Cheung’s art is dynamic, lending a cinematic feel to the action sequences, and giving her ladyship a more realistic look than she’s ever had. Cheung’s Lady Death is so far removed from the Chaos version that they wouldn’t recognize each other. After fine-tuning his art on a couple of the flagship Crossgen titles over the last couple of years, it is an easy statement to say that Brian Pulido has never had a better artist to interpret his scripts.

Outside of my qualms about not giving enough background about what the white wonder can and cannot do with her powers, the rest of the script isn’t bad. Lady Death’s human niece is about as stupid a character as I’ve seen in a comic in a while, but that’s on purpose. And while I wouldn’t necessarily go out of my way to pick up issue two, I wouldn’t dodge it either. LADY DEATH has come a long way from her more humble beginnings, and after all the hullabaloo with Chaos Comics’ folding and the selling of its assets, the old girl is the sole and deserving survivor. Who would have guessed?

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

Marc@MarcMason.com

My Take On ICON

Who fucking cares?

That is all.

Marc@MarcMason.com

Mini-Comic Madness!

Ahhh…minis. In many ways, they are the real soul of comics. Whether it’s an ashcan of a coming full-size book, or the output of someone who just really wants to make a comic, even if they have no money, there’s a real thrill in finding good minis and spreading the word. At the recent Phoenix Cactus Con I brought home three different books to take a look at.

• Bikini Automatic issues 1-3, written by Ken and Maggie Wright and drawn by Ken Wright. Available through his website Ken Wright Online.
  
  This was a surprisingly amusing little trifle. Wright was selling a number of prints along with his comics at the con, and they were all in sort of an animated T&A style. With a book with this title, I was assuming that very little effort would be put into making an interesting story to go along with the breasts. I assumed wrong. Now don’t get me wrong; the Wrights aren’t making Watchmen with tits. But the title character (her name is Bikini Automatic) has been hired to protect her beach by a very rich man who has given her a pair of techo-gloves that allow her to retrieve any weapon she wants from thin air in order to discharge that duty, so she actually does have a purpose beyond looking hot. She doesn’t take any shit from surf dudes trying to pick her up, either.
  
  There’s a nice dose of humor to these books, at least showing that there’s some knowing irony to the character’s name and her thong. Bikini Automatic isn’t brilliant, but it is fun. Grade: B



• Go Forth And Conquer/1000 Steps To World Domination 1-4, written and drawn by Rob Osborne. Published by Kaboom Comics.
  
  1000 Steps won the 2003 Isotope Award For Excellence In Mini-Comics. That award was not undeserved.
  
  Osborne’s quirky book features (basically) himself as he begins his quest to take over the world. Of course, that’s a pretty daunting task, and there are plenty of other people out there who have similar goals as well (including aliens, God, and the Devil), so he has his work cut out for him. Fortunately, he has 1000 pages to work with, and he’s only 78 pages in by the end of issue four. He might just have a chance.
  
  Steps has a strangely unique narrative that is difficult to describe. It’s almost as if Osborne has a case of ADHD and it floods over into his storytelling. One minute you’ll be with the lead character as he ruminates on the nature of world takeover. The next page might be a recitation of God’s divine plan for the universe, and then the next might be a full page panel of a beautiful woman describing why she hates comic books. And yet for some reason, this stream of consciousness approach really works. It should feel disjointed and pointless, like Osborne is just making shit up as he goes along, and it does; however, it’s so damned odd and entertaining that you just don’t care.
  
  Go Forth is subtitled “Wisdom and wit for the would be World Dominator” and features an eye-patched Abe Lincoln ushering around the reader as he explains to you the nature of villainy and evil, eventually dueling the alien Lord Zingo to the death in Lincoln’s own graveyard. And if you think that sounds absurd, you’re correct. It’s also pretty damned funny. This is Osborne’s most recent work, and it demonstrates a much stronger grasp of story and narrative than 1000 Steps has shown. It feels like this is the last middle step between the middle comic and shifting 1000 Steps over to full-size. Together, these are five really entertaining books. Grade: A-



• Blind Mice 8, written and drawn by Eric Mengel. Available through the author by writing ericmengel@msn.com.
  
  Blind Mice is the story of an alien missionary named Ocho who was sent to Earth to make it a better place but instead is stuck working as late night security in Tempe, Arizona in the club district on Mill Avenue.
  
  As a resident of Tempe myself, I can tell you that death would be preferable.
  
  Ocho spends the bulk of this issue breaking up a fight between to much smaller guys who are pissing and moaning over a girl. He then gets home to his apartment and discovers his friend Pitbull taking pictures for no apparent reason. Pretty normal stuff for a mini-comic. But then the story shifts to what I think is a dream/flashback, and it gets kind of confusing.
  
  When the shift occurs, the reader could really use a transitional caption, particularly if this is something that has been covered in previous issues. (Mengel has produced a trade paperback of the first seven issues, which I will review in my MoviePoopShoot column sometime in the next couple of weeks.) Every comic is someone’s first, and I needed help there.
  
  But the rest of the book is a pretty genial effort, surprisingly light in tone, and it isn’t bad. Mengel is on his eighth issue here, so there’s actually a hint of polish beginning to creep in to his work, and the book uses all the tricks in shading and light that Kinko’s printing will allow. Blind Mice doesn’t try and be anything more than what it is, which is smart; putting out a trade of the previous seven issues shows that Mengel has a solid plan and he’s sticking to it. Should be interesting to see how it plays out. Grade: B

Write me at: Marc@MarcMason.com. Review materials may be sent to: Marc Mason, P.O.Box 26732, Tempe, AZ, 85285

Phoenix Con Wrap Up

Sunday the 4th was the third annual Phoenix Cactus Comic-con, and the second one I have worked at and attended. Last year's was an interesting affair; being used to the largeness of San Diego, the quaint one-day, six hour Phoenix Con in a ballroom with four aisles was quite a change. This year's show remained the same size and length, albeit with fewer professional guests, so I wasn't expecting a great deal from the show.

For what will likely be the only time this year, I worked for my friend Brian Johnson, owner and overlord of Khepri Comics. So that meant I was in for a long day, even for a short con- setting up and tearing down a booth can take hours, and even for a six hour show, that doesn't change. That meant my Sunday morning started at five a.m...

I've never actually wished for the flu before.

Unfortunately, I remained healthy.

The show still had a couple of reasonably high profile guests: Steve Rude was on hand, as well as local guy gone Crossgen, Brian Pulido. Now, I don't have anything bad to say about either guy, but their appearances pointed out some of the real oddities of the Phoenix Con, some things that Brian put better into words than me.

Rude's work has been something I have enjoyed for around fifteen years. He remains as strong an illustrator now as he has ever been. But that also demonstrates the problem with bringing him to the show: Steve's primary audience is guys like me and Brian, people over the age of thirty. Today's newer reader has no clue who Rude is, even with his recent Marvel mini-series. He has THE MOTH starting from Dark Horse, but the younger reader drawn to the con by the X-Men or Spider-Man films has no clue about the book or why he should pay Rude $5 for the first issue. Throw in the fact that Rude arrived nearly two hours into the show and also did a one hour panel, and it might have been Steve's easiest con day ever.

On the flip side, Pulido was an oddity in his own way. His booth was next to ours, so I had the chance to observe him frequently throughout the day. He has a very strong following from his Chaos days, and he was smart in bringing previews for his Crossgen LADY DEATH series and his upcoming Avatar work. But oddly enough, he wasn't selling anything.

In all the cons I have ever been to, I can't ever recall seeing a pro guest with his own booth not selling anything. It's pretty standard, really. But Pulido was content to sign promo posters, chat with fans, and hold a drawing for a whole shitload of Lady Death merchandise. He also had another guy sitting with him who had no nametag or identification of any kind, which made a lot of people wonder just who the Hell he was.

There were plenty of wisecracks in bad taste in response.

I got away from the booth on a couple of occasions in order to go be "comic reviewer guy" and had some fun. Pulido was a decent guy, and he passed on issue one of LADY DEATH for review. It'll be here at this site soon. We also discussed our mutual admiration for Steven Grant who wrote a few projects for Chaos. I was impressed with how accessible Pulido was to his fans; I never really read any Chaos stuff, but it was very clear that he inspired an amazing level of fan loyalty, and that's hard to do. I tip my cap to him.

I walked the floor and started picking up mini-comics, all of which I will review here, and bumped into the amazing Rob Osborne, the Gilbert, Arizona writer and artist who won the first Isotope Award For Excellence In Mini-Comics. I had met Rob briefly at San Diego last year, so it was nice to get a longer chance to talk to him. AiT/PLanetlar will be collecting his minis into a full-fledged trade paperback this fall, so we discussed that, as well as his future plans beyond that. It also turned out, in eerie coincidence, that as I was showing my boss and her husband around the con, that she and he were schoolmates here in AZ. It's a small world. Rob's a really humble, nice guy, and I'm happy that he's beginning to see some success. It'll be interesting to see how far he gets in the industry.

Brian, who really does possess a wonderful brain for these types of things, brought up a good point after the show about how to make a small con like this one grown and expand, and it's pretty simple: you need at least one or two pro guests who have credits for drawing Spider-Man, Batman or X-Men. Something where the casual viewer of the cartoons and films has an "in" to wanting to see the con. Makes good sense, doesn't it?

So that was pretty much the gist of the show. We came, we saw, we worked, we left. Cactus Con has plenty of room for improvement, including Brian's suggestion above. But it does do a decent job for what it is, and I tip my cap to the crew who runs it. I know they have a desire to be a bigger and longer show, and it's possible that some day they will. But they have to perfect the smaller one first. I think it'll only be a matter of time.

I left there with a shitload of stuff to review. Check back later this week to see some of it!

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

Marc@MarcMason.com

Let’s Get To Reviewing, Shall We?

Lots of stuff crashing through my mailboxes lately, so, let’s get cracking:

• 3 CAR PILEUP #1 and #2, written and drawn by various folks. Available from Matt Bors.
  
  This little anthology book is self-published in a sort of newsprint fashion, giving its creators a ray of hope in actually maybe making some money. Of course, that always depends on the contents in the long run, and surprisingly, there is some decent stuff here. Bors’ story in issue one, “Two’s Company” has decent promise until he decides to throw in an unnecessary trick ending, but his effort in issue two, “Just Another Coming Of Age Story” wouldn’t have felt out of place in NEGATIVE BURN or DIGITAL WEBBING. And Dan Custer’s “Bulimic Consumer” shows real signs of promise. Custer has a strong voice, and if he can develop his art, he’ll be heard from again. Unfortunately, those make a poor effort like Ed Waard and Brian Koschak’s “The Harvest” stand out even more in the most negative way possible. Still, they’re trying, and there isn’t a cape in sight. Grade: B-



• CINTARA #1, written by JAYMES and drawn by Steven Henry. Brought to you by the crew at Femme Fatale Studios.
  
  I have no idea what to make of this book.
  
  My first thought is that these guys are gonna lose their asses. This book is not going to get enough orders to make the color printing worth it. That is, of course, unless one of them is either sleeping with a printer or is a printer. Fellas, save the Photoshop effects and the color for the covers and go grayscale on the interiors. Or you won’t survive past issue one.
  
  Part of their trouble also stems from the contents. Officer Cindy Tara, who will (in a later issue, I presume) become the titular heroine who looks like a sort of deranged cyborg on the cover, is a pretty flat character. In introducing her, we see that she loves her kid, but then we see nothing else but a belligerent hard ass beyond that. There’s nothing wrong with making your lead character an asshole, but you have to make the character a well-rounded asshole. When Cindy is seriously wounded late in the issue, I found myself wishing that she’d just die, and that someone else would turn out to be the title character. The rest of the ensemble, what there is of it, is pretty much basic stock from central casting. Sexist partner. Perfect child. Sinister doctor. Sadly, I found myself hoping for a wise and calm Asian man, but it never happened. There’s always next issue, though.
  
  The art is really the high point, as it isn’t half bad. There’s an over-reliance on color and effect, and it’s another case of American semi-manga, but for that, it manages to be decent. And for a studio that calls itself “Femme Fatale” there’s a surprising lack of cheesecake; that’s excepting the cover, of course, where Cintara seems to be attempting to stab someone while in Second Position. The artist must also be a fan of Evan Dorkin (and who can blame him), because the serial killer Cindy is tracking bears an amusing resemblance to the way Dorkin draws the Murder Family.
  
  CINTARA just feels like too much of an early mess to work. The front cover says it’s number one of six issues. There’s plenty of room and need for improvement in the next five. Grade: C-



• SLEEPING BEAUTY, written and drawn by John Cei Douglas. Available only online at the creator’s website.
  
  Douglas’ story is a sweet and quiet tale of love and loss, aiming to hit the heartstrings a bit more subtly than most do. Probably because he’s British. Either way, this is a charming little book that injects some real life and emotion into its nameless couple. They each do well in recalling the small and powerful moments in their relationship, even as they deny a strong urge to rekindle it. Part of what makes the book work is that Douglas never really gives a full accounting of what went wrong in the pairing. Artistically, Douglas is somewhat weak, but his inconsistent anatomy lends a sort of emotional roughness to the story’s proceedings. When I first read this book, I really didn’t care for it. Upon further reviews, it made me want to buy a Polaroid camera. Grade: B+

That’s all for today. I’ll be back soon with reviews and more!

Review materials may be sent to: Marc Mason, P.O. Box 26732, Tempe, AZ, 85285. You may also write me at: Marc@MarcMason.com

Ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-changes!

Hi, everyone. Marc Mason here. There are some changes coming to this blog, and I want to get them out in the open as best I can.

In the beginning, I helped start this blog on behalf of eight to ten people who were going to post stuff here, including myself. Some, like me, have columns and blogs elsewhere but wanted a place to let off steam or do different things. The others had written for other sites before and weren't currently working somewhere else at the moment. But it never quite worked out that way.

Some of the writers got too busy and bailed quickly. Others took a different tack and did the Comics INactivist thing you've seen here. Let me state it out loud, because I have been asked multiple times: I am not, nor was I ever, the Comics INactivist. The only things here that were me bore my name. Period. In the end, there were actually two people who posted as the Comics INactivist. This is only important to know, because neither one will be posting here as the CI again.

The primary CI has decided to end his reign, and I support him. If he had wanted to continue to write them, I would have had no problem helping him create a CI blog and get the materials online. The second CI only posted once, and that turned into a fiasco that ate up days of time and energy in multiple forums. What made it worse is that it resulted in me, the originator of this place, losing access to this blog for a temporary amount of time. That, of course, pissed me off.

So The Waiting Room will be a little different from now on. There may be an occasional guest writer, but I'll be posting their stuff myself. But for the most part, this will be me, supplementing my Movie Poop Shoot column (for the love of God, click on the link on the left side of this page and read it- it's great!) with pamphlet reviews, essays, etc. It won't be as daily, say, as Alan David Doane's excellent blog, but it'll always be as good as possible, as often as possible.

Thanks for your patience. Thanks for reading. Now let's go and enjoy some comics, shall we?

Marc@MarcMason.com

The Comics INactivist proudly? presents:

In Defense of Martha Stewart. Or, why I hate scapegoating.

Border Patrol (Mar. 11, 2004)
or
Defending the Indefensible

Personally I think she’s a real bitch, and this comes from knowing her only through her TV shows and magazines, but Martha Stewart got a raw deal.

[and remember to always wash your hands after handling poultry]

In case you’ve just emerged from the bio-dome

[Comic World News is always ready with the latest topical reference, Mister Kot-ter]

or are in fact Pauly Shore (star of said Bio-Dome) then you’re aware that the ever-pompous and proper Martha has landed in a world of shit and faces up to 20 years in prison along with some hefty fines. Common opinion is that she will do time but not the full 20…

[more like 15 months]

that is if the convictions hold up when appealed, which, again, common opinion is unsure of. She was convicted, along with her stockbroker, of numerous security (stock) related fraud charges.

Frankly, that is all that needs to be said of the nature of the event to catch you up Mr. Shore.

[But let me keep on going with lots more words, despite having very little information myself]

At its most basic Mrs. (Ms.? What is it?)

[I’m a journalist]

Stewart took a tip from her broker and sold some stock based on the tip. Now the idiot broker gave her information that was NOT yet public information and from all indications Stewart knew this. HUGE “no-no” for all parties concerned. Acting on private information to save your own financial ass may seem like the best thing to do to secure your future but at the cost of the rest of the investors means the playing field is no longer level and anyone who lived through or has read about any of the “recent”

[quotes used why, exactly? Because they’re NOT recent? Why?]

stock scandals will know that this is frowned on.

[In fact, they’re not just frowned-on no-nos, but, gosh, securities fraud, or else there wouldn’t be things like trials.]

In fact, some feel that those that engage in this practice are the moral and financial equivalent of the guy who spilled all that Exxon oil and killed those cute seals and majestic seagulls (rats with wings if you ask me, but that’s just my once-shat-upon-by-one-of-them opinion).

[the “financial equivalent”?!]

Well here it is about a week after K-Mart’s spokesperson was nailed to the cross to prove a point

[that laws shouldn’t be broken, no matter who you are?]

and the truth is slowly leaking out to the general public.

Turns out that the jurors were out to prove a point.

[Turns out…how?’]

Wipe that smug self-congratulating smirk off her cookie-baking face. See how smart she is at decorating a jail cell with only gray and white to work with and horny cellmate ta’ boot.

[Let’s trot out all the clichés, because of course Martha Stewart won’t be able to have her own nice cell. No, she’ll be in Cell Block H with the bull dyke, yep.]

They said as much in after-verdict press conferences. Not the point of our judicial system you freaking retards!

[But was the law broken, Caleb?]

Let’s step back and take a broad look at what happened here.

Stewart was told that this stock she had a SMALL part of her portfolio in was about to tank due to some negative news that was about to go public. Then after being caught with her hand in the highly decorative cookie jar tried to double-talk her way around it so as to not effect the value of her own company publicly.

[AFFECT]

So, basically she was doing what any of us would do put in the identical position. Any of you who think that you would not are not being honest. Sure there are laws and rules but at the end of the day who has the most important roof on the block: you or your neighbor?

[Should I turn myself in now? Oh, yeah, I didn’t actually break the law like Martha Stewart. Almost forgot.]

They say that when the cabin pressure goes on an airplane you should 1st put your own mask on THEN help your neighbor because you’re of no use to anyone if you pass out.

This is what I think was going through Martha’s head. Cover her ass and then protect those that invested in her, MS Omniverse.

[By telling them not to sell their stock that was about to tank. Thanks, Martha! You’re all heart.]

It pisses me off when someone is singled out as a scapegoat and it is clear that Martha, while being the definition of ego and snottiness,

[For that matter, how does he even know what she’s like? That’s all rumor, anyway. She’s not snotty on her shows.]

is being held to a different standard then the rest of us would be.

[Like probably only doing about a year of a 20 year sentence.]

Hell, part of her conviction was on a charge of lying while defending herself on a charge that she was never charged with (for some reason I can’t get my eyes to stop blinking while wrapping my mind around that one).

[In fact, I’m still stuck on the concept of hey, you or I would break the law to save our asses, too, so why punish her? It’s just the law, freaking retards]

Almost daily we read here or on Newsarama or in Rich Johnston’s slime sheet

[at least he does the research, Mrs. or Ms. Gerard]

or whatever that so-and-so is effin’ up their corner of the comicbook market. Mark Alessi was the man carrying the target a few months ago.

[“Carrying the target”? Where was he carrying it? Do you mean he was WEARING it?]

Every few months Rob Liefeld gets the honor of being a-hole of the month on the company wall weather [sic] he deserves it or not.

[We just need to prove he has a company…and walls!]

Joe Quesada has suffered his share of arrows and is primed to get many more at any moment (thank goodness for his “Spidey-sense”).

[?]

Our recent interviewee, Dave Sim, avoids certain outlets ‘cause they’ve bent him over without even the courtesy of even pretending to drop the soap.

[Finally, a metaphor I can’t screw up—anal rape!]

And the list goes on…

But at the fore of the evildoers in the reputation destroying syndicate (soon to be a Slave Labor Graphics series)

[again, ?]

are the fans. With the ease of entrance to the message boards, once the haven of only the geekiest of geeks, any butthead with an opinion can now put it out there while somehow gaining the taint of legitimacy by association (he types with a small self-deprecating smile). “I once met a guy who was working with that guy on a series that Image was supposed to publish, but the guy I knew told me that the guy working with Image stole his Girl Scout cookies. I swear.”

[Good thing it’s so tough to get your own column!]

And you see the funniest times are when someone like Matt Brady or Jonah Weiland is singled out simply ‘cause they turn their focus one way or the other as if they have some hidden agenda. No wait, I’ll save that one for a later week ‘cause that one just cracks me the hell up.

[You wouldn’t want to overload this column with laughs—save some for later]

If you’ve noticed a small amount of cynicism

[more like senility]

creeping into this column over the last few weeks then go get yourself a bowl of Ben & Jerry’s ‘cause it’s more then a small amount.

[Cynicism and…ice cream? Whuh?]

I have not been around the block near as many times as many of those that I’ve come to know well, and often wonder why they continue to make the trek.

[To Ben & Jerry’s, right? C’mon, Caleb, I’m trying to keep up with you!]

What do you think the answer could possibly be? Why commit yourself to the expected backbiting, ass kicking and image bashing? Do you long for the days of the only outlet being the LOCs at the back of the latest issues? If you’re a pro and want to continue being one… WHY? And if you’re not and want to be one, WHY?

[Somehow, the last paragraph that tied together Martha Stewart and cranky fanboys must have been cut off]

I still continue to buy my comics every single freaking week, rain or shine (and damned if we haven’t been actually having weather here in Southern California), at The Comics Factory in Pasadena California.

This has been a message from The Comics INactivist.

SIDEKICKS
Written by Dan Danko and Tom Mason
Published by Little, Brown and Company

As a reviewer in any field, a creator has the ability to “buy” or “earn” credit from you. By that I mean that if someone produces a superior or affecting work, you, as a reviewer, are going to be more inclined to be interested in seeing what they do next even if it’s radically different than that last project. In film, it has always been the Coen Brothers for me. Even if THE HUDSUCKER PROXY sucked, they had enough credit with me that I was in line on the first day for THE BIG LEBOWSKI. In comics, there are a few people who have that credit with me, though some I haven’t heard anything from in a while. So it was much to my great surprise and happiness to receive an email missive from Tom Mason asking if I’d take a look at and review the first two (of eventually six) young adult novels he’d co-written with writing partner Dan Danko.

How could I say “no”?

Tom Mason, no relation, was the insane genius behind one of my all-time favorite comic books, DINOSAURS FOR HIRE. Published by Malibu/Eternity back in the late 80s and early 90s, DFH was a rip-snortingly funny, wildly subversive tale about walking, talking dinos who were obsessed with Elvis, shooting people, and destroying property. It was guns, sex, and loopiness all the way, and I still look back on the title with great fondness. Mason even signed my copy of issue two at the first San Diego Comic-Con I ever went to. He saw my nametag, looked amusingly horrified, and assured me that, if I was a relative, he had no money to loan me. Good times. His autograph even reads “Marc- I have no money. – Tom Mason.” So yeah, Tom has some credit built up with me. Full disclosure and such.

SIDEKICKS, and its first sequel SIDEKICKS: OPERATION SQUISH is the tale of Guy Martin. Guy, a/k/a Speedy is your normal teen boy, struggling with school, and too terrified to ask out Prudence Cane, the most beautiful girl in the school. He’s also the fastest runner in the world, able to make it up to 92.7 miles per hour (he improves to 102 in OPERATION SQUISH), and training to be a superhero by being a sidekick to Pumpkin Pete, who has all the powers of a pumpkin… whatever that means. He spends most of his time hanging out with his fellow sidekicks in the Super Sidekick Clubhouse where they all await the call for extra help from the League Of Big Justice. And what mighty sidekicks they are: Spelling Beatrice. Exact Change Kid. Earlobe Lad. Boom Boy. Boy In The Plastic Bubble Boy. Charisma Kid. Spice Girl. If you’re catching more than a faint whiff of tongue firmly implanted in cheek from that list, then you’re pretty much grasping exactly what Danko and Mason are putting forth in these books.

As Danko also did comic work, the writing duo has decidedly taken a look at the superhero genre and they work they did in it, taken the piss out of it (if you will) and found a marvelously subversive way to get it across to the 8-13 age group who would never pick up a comic book. Fortunately, they were also smart enough to make it amusing enough for adults to enjoy as well, and the books are filled with one sparkling moment after another. To wit:

There’s a moment in SQUISH wherein Guy is describing his relationship with the lazy and cowardly Pumpkin Pete (who naturally takes all the credit for Guy’s work and bravery):

”…Pete likes to call me his ‘human bulletproof vest’. ‘But I don’t have the power to stop bullets,’ I told him the first time he called me that. ‘You will if you’re standing in from of me,’ he replied.

Delicious.

The SIDEKICKS books work, I think, because even through the subversive attitude they take towards the superhero genre, Guy is a sweet, decent kid who really does have the desire to do good things for the world. He somehow manages to stand above the silliness that swirls around him (Spelling Beatrice’s power is just that: she can make eight letter words in Scrabble with just seven letters in her hand, for instance) and be heroic and normal at the same time. The rest (battling an evil puppet called Peenoh Keeoh- think about it; trying to rig a “win a date with a sidekick” contest so that Prudence will go out with him) is all gravy, really, stuff that allows Danko and Mason to get their clever on.

The books are each about 100 pages long (and come with trading cards of the characters), making them a pretty quick read, especially compared to Harry Potter, and they’re going to be entertaining from ages six on up. Danko and Mason have written for both RUGRATS and MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE, so that gives you an idea of their ability to create entertainment that crosses multiple age groups. They also take a moment in SQUISH to set up a meta-plot that will apparently be picked up on in the later four books of the series, so there is an effort to bring the read back for the future installments as well.

Of course, no one would be happier than me if Guy were to progress through the series and wind up as a full-fledged superhero at the end… as long as there was a strange and bewildering meeting with some very violent dinosaurs somewhere along the way. Keep hope alive, I always say! But the only way to find out is for me to keep reading, and so I shall. Tom’s credit is still good with me. Grade: A-

Marc@MarcMason.com

The Comics INactivist Proudly Presents:

SNIPELINE

RAIJIN ON HIATUS

I should have known it would be trouble when I first laid eyes on it in San Diego a couple of years ago.

[And sure enough, My RealGirl motorized girlfriend has just blown a rod, and I’m not talking about mine. Nothing less arousing than a fake vagina emitting smoke.]

That year, there was a bit of a competition between two rival manga anthology magazines that were just starting up. SHONEN JUMP was much anticipated, due to its phenomenal success in Japan already. It was designed to be a monthly magazine and targeted towards the teenager-and-younger

[we call them preteens, or kids]

set who eat up Pokemon, Digimon, and all the rest on Saturday mornings. I went with the competition, RAIJIN COMICS, a weekly magazine aimed slightly older. It included a political melodrama about a world coming to war, an action/adventure piece set on a hijacked plane, a slick and sleazy city detective, a martial arts serial, and more.

A few months into the magazine's run, I was impressed enough by it to subscribe for a full year. It was a hefty check, since the magazine is normally about $5 or $6 per week already. A couple of weeks after sending the check, of course, RAIJIN announced it was scaling back to a monthly publication.

[I ignored the warning sign]

On Monday, March 15th 2004 (being The Ides of March), I received a check back from the people behind RAIJIN. The letter accompanying it reads:

[Dear Augie,
What’s this about The Ides of March?! We’re Japanese, not GREEK!]

Based on our research with readers, retailers and distributors, we have come to a conclusion - our publications, though appreciated by hard core manga fans, are not penetrating a larger market.

[the first place we conducted this research was the Accounting Department, where it was made clear to us that very little money was coming in, and that mainly in the currency of “hard core manga bucks”.]

In order for us to reach a broader market, RAIJIN COMICS, RAIJIN GRAPHIC NOVELS, and MASTER EDITION will be placed on hiatus for the time being. We will be taking time out to come up with ways to broaden the appeal of our publications, retooling stories and overall editorial content. RAIJIN COMICS Issue 46 will be the last issue you will be receiving.
Wow, I'm now officially a "hard core manga" fan.
This is really bad news.

[the hard core manga fans in Madrid are still mourning—What to read on the train?!]

I finally got my first collected volume of REVENGE OF THE MOUFLON, and then the whole thing goes on hiatus. I want the rest of the story now! I have to doublecheck,

[paging George Orwell]

but I think THE FIRST PRESIDENT OF JAPAN, at least, was completed.

[you’d think I’d know, being such a fan?]

Those who were enjoying SLAM DUNK or CITY HUNTER will be disappointed.
The ray of hope in all of this is that it's just a "hiatus." They're not shutting down and going away just yet.

[By the way, I haven’t seen Cop Rock added to the Fall schedule yet—anyone have any info?]

I hope they find a way to battle back and come up with a publishing program -- even one without the magazine -- that allows us to get more great works like the books I mentioned above.

[that’s all they really need, just more great works like the ones that nobody was buying, then things will be fine]

Still, getting a check in the mail is a bad sign for the magazine. At least they didn't wait until it was so late that they just stiffed their subscrbers. I imagine this might set off another round in the debate on the "manga glut."

[because I travel in a pretty dumb crowd, people who ignore the growing, runaway success of companies like Tokyopop and Viz, which started years ago.]

I'm disappointed that the one company that puts out a great deal of manga I enjoy is going on hiatus while other companies continue to pour out dozens of books a month I have no interest in.

[I want my slick and sleazy political basketball melodrama!]

A PIPELINE PLEA

Dave Sim deserves to win an award this year or next for his lettering. This isn't a tribute thing. This isn't a posthumous thing, where we reward creators long past their prime because they just died. Dave Sim's lettering is as strong and as vibrant a part of his art today as it was twenty years ago. It blows nearly everything else in comics today out of the water.

[and into The Void]

Ignoring this any further is a black eye to any comics award presentation that includes a lettering category.

[Hey, it looks like The Harveys got in a fistfight!]

You have two chances left to nominate him, obviously, if you're the Eisner Committee (for one example). It's this year and next. Do it soon.
Sim's lettering is unique and perfectly fitting for his art. It blends right in as an organic part of the presentation. It looks as though it's drawn in with the same tools as the rest of the art is done. It does not sit atop the art in harsh contrast to the art below it, like so much computer lettering does today.
Sim's lettering reflects the mood of the characters in the style and size of the letterforms. Sometimes, it's showy. Sometimes, it's camoflouged.

[and sometimes, it’s disgouisied or oubsooucrured]

Always, it is the class of the profession. It is easy to read, clear, and consistent.

[unlike my writing]

He handles multiple fonts with ease.

[and then watch him add the chainsaw and flaming baton—the man’s a master!]

His sound effects lettering conveys the actions it describes as well as the mood of the panel. It's creative in its placement and design.
Screw politics.

[And screw women! Not really, though.]

Reward Dave Sim for some small part of his life's work with the one part of it that has remained perfectly on top of its game throughout: the lettering.

[in other words, here’s my plea to honor this wackjob whose comic became unbearable and whose message I’m too afraid and confused by to even address here, but damn, that’s nice lettering]

There's not that much lettering in CEREBUS #300, but it still blows away every computer-created letter I had the misfortune to read this week.

[Mixed case, you are from Hell!]

The Eisner Committee can't use the excuse that the publisher doesn't send in any samples of the work. (If, indeed, Aardvark-Vanaheim doesn't. I don't know for certain.)

[Yeah, Eisners, even if Sim doesn’t send you samples, thereby not meeting the criteria for nomination, there’s no excuse not to nominate him!]

The judges can bring samples of works they think merit nomination with them. Surely, someone has a copy or two of CEREBUS to bring with them. If they don't, they owe it to the art form to pick one up before their flight out to San Diego for the nomination weekend.

Please, give Dave Sim the credit he deserves for his skills and creativity as a letterer. As more and more letterers enter the industry as graphic designers who just happen to do lettering, I think it's important to remember the unique things lettering can do inside of sequential art. CEREBUS is a great case study.

CEREBUS #300 doesn't contain all that much lettering,

[heard ya the first time!]

but it's well-integrated as a necessary part of the storytelling. It's more than just sound effects and dialogue here. Check out those last few pages for Cerebus' screams, as he calls on God, as he plops to the ground in a soft "oomph," or as his bubbly screams for "Help" drag across the page into a slow disappearance. These are all things that would be difficult to do with a separation between artist and letterer. Sim makes them look easy.
With CEREBUS #300, Sim and Gerhard combine one last time to bring the tale of everyone's favorite aardvark to a close, including a look back at the phases of his life over 300 issues and the long-prophesied "alone and unmourned" ending to the character's life. The 20-page story is only half the issue, though, as the other half of the book includes the last CEREBUS letters column, ending with Sim's letter to his attorney on the disposition of the CEREBUS "estate" upon his and Gerhard's death. It's an interesting look behind the scenes at the ideas of a man who truly believes in creator ownership, no matter how crazy it might make him seem at times.

[Yeah, it’s the “creator ownership ideas” that make him crazy!]

CEREBUS #300 is obviously not the greatest jumping-on point for the series.

[But I thought I’d tell you that, anyway.]

It is a sedate issue that probably won't make sense for a new reader or a fair-weather fan. That's OK, though; it shouldn't be any of that. This should be an issue for the fans of the first 299 issues. You'll have to ask one of those people how fitting a last issue this was. I get the idea that you need to look at the last six issues together as the finale of the series, and not just the last 20 pages. This is a comic, remember, by a man who created the phonebook collection. Dave Sim thinks sprawling and epic. We could use one or two more of those in comics these days.

[or just, you know, more good comics of any length]

Congratulations to Dave Sim for sticking by his guns and finishing the story he set out to tell. I really hope we see him and/or Gerhard back on the comics page soon with a new project.

[Oh, yeah, sure, that’s what it sounds like is going to happen, just launching right into a new, sprawling epic. This one might be about a woodchuck in space.]

ANOTHER COMIC STRIP ENTERS THE FRAY

From Astonish Comics comes Ted Dawson's SPOONER,

[and his name is Ty Burwell, and he makes great egg white omelets, and has very soft hands]

a new comic collecting newspaper comic strips of a series I've never heard of before now. SPOONER is the story of Spooner and his newlywed wife, Roxanne, as they try to work out what life is like for a young married couple. It's filled with the usual assortment of Men Don't Understand Women humor and vice versa,

[which I still don’t get, other than the gag where Roxanne fell in the toilet because Spooner left the seat up. THAT was hilarious!]

but it's done with a genuine feeling of warmth. It's a

[heating pad of a comic book]

sweet strip that may not make you laugh out loud that often, but does provide a few solid minutes of entertainment.

[In. A. Row. I swear, you need three or four minutes of entertainment—that’s SOLID entertainment—and you can’t go wrong with SPOONER. It’s just that good, for just that long]

SPOONER is an odd duck, format wise. It's printed at Silver Age comic size, just slightly larger than all the other comics on the rack, but not large enough to call "oversized" or "treasury format." That means the book fits very snugly into the Silver Age size bags and boards that I use. I find this odd given the fact that this book is a reprint of a comic strip that looks best at the smaller size. When Dawson creates new stories specifically for this comic book, his art gets larger but doesn't include any additional detail to help fill in the space. The pages that collect the strips also wind up with a lot of white space, only collecting three strips to a page. The reprint quality is high, though. The paper is a heavy glossy stock, and the strips are in full color.
For $2.99, it's an enjoyable read, but a little extra thought to the value for your money would help it tremendously. Like most comedy, your approach to the material will dictate how you respond to it.

[so if you don’t think it’s funny, blame yourself]

MISCELLANEOUS AND SUNDRY

* Last week, three different comics written by Brian Bendis hit the stores. Two days later, a new movie written and directed by David Mamet arrived at your local movie theater. Coincidence?
Yeah, it is. However, I suddenly find myself stuttering as I talk. And using the "f" word an awful lot.

[See, it’s funny, because Bendis writes lots of characters who stutt—well, actually, they STAMMER, and Mamet writes characters who don’t do this at all, but they talk over each other, hence the simil…well, they both write characters who use the “f” word a lot, except not in two of the three Bendis books that came out last week, since they’re from Marvel and are PG rated…So, you know, it’s funny, right?]

* ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #54 is a disappointment not due to the in-jokes on the Spider-Man movie set, but due to the repetition of the Doc Oc plot. Brian Bendis used the same prison break gag in the ULTIMATE 6 mini-series. Using the same trick twice like this -- complete with the same ending to the innocents around him -- does not make Bendis look too good.

[Nor does that n-new fucking hat heh-heh-he’s fucking been wuh-wuh-wearing!]

* I just finished reading MASTERS OF DOOM, the excellent book detailing the story of John Carmack and John Romero's partnership in creating the First Person Shooter ("Doom," "Quake," etc.) phenomenon. It holds up well as the story of the rise and fall of a partnership and a gaming company, but there are some nuggets hidden throughout the book. For example: During the development cycle for one of the games, the technical side of things was running behind schedule. This left the artistic types twiddling their thumbs. To keep busy, they started creating their own comic based on the videogames they were working on. Once this was discovered, though, they were pulled from it as a waste of resources.

I don't know for certain that this is the same comic, but I laughed out loud when I saw this web site, with the DOOM comic book. It's insane, silly, and over-the-top. But after reading MASTERS OF DOOM, I recognize in it a lot of the attitude of the people working on the games at the time. They were young, immature, and only slightly blood-thirsty. This comic reflects that.

* We've been playing a bit of "Whatever Happened To?" on the Pipeline message board this week. One name that didn't come up -- but could easily have fit right in -- was Norm Breyfogle. After his heights as a BATMAN artist, he's bounced around a lot from company to company and series to series. The latest place his name is showing up is in the latest PREVIEWS catalog on page 240. He's listed on the credits of an adult title called JENNA JAMESON/WICKED WEAPON COLLECTION.

[If you like this feature, let me know. I’m sure there are more struggling artists I can embarrass for fun]

* Also in PREVIEWS is the list of comics that are cancelled, sold out, or held back for resoliciting, amongst other things. Sadly, Image has CLOUDFALL: LOOSE ENDS listed as a "cancelled" book. I'll try to track down the reason for that this week.

[Sniff! I smell a mystery!]

* FABLES and Y: THE LAST MAN are still only $2.50, despite sales that earn most books an immediate $2.95 price point. Those trades must be selling like hot cakes.

[I’ll try to eat some this week. Yummy! And as always, I like to leave on a high note. See ya next week! Love, The Comics INactivist!]

The Comics INactivist proudly presents:

PREVIEWS REVIEW: SHIPPING IN MARCH 2004
By Christopher Butcher and Patrick Neighly [and the Comics Inactivist]

Christopher: Yet another ‘out of date’ Previews Review we’re doing, only in so far as the pre-order deadline for the titles being recommended below has passed. Usually, this doesn’t mean a whole hell-of-a-lot as most of the books recommended are available for order for quite some time past the ‘on sale date’. Still, for several of the titles below chances are you just aren’t going to see them at your average comic book shop. So if a book below doesn’t look like something you’d normally see at your store, make sure to mention it to your retailer A.S.A.P. so that s/he can get it in for you. Sorry, but no item codes or page numbers this month. If you really need to look anything up, head over to Diamond's website: http://previews.diamondcomics.com/orderform/01_04/01_04_cof.txt

PATRICK: For those of you following along at home, the main text of the Review is written as above. Follow-up commentary (for this month alone) will follow in this format. Now, on with the review!

Christopher: It’s HELLBOY month at Dark Horse (and for most of the comics industry),

[Tokyopop has chosen not to observe Hellboy month, while AiT/PlanetLar has given employees a floating holiday they can either take next Friday or reserve for later]

as mostly-everyone rushes to hop on board for the newest comic book title to receive Hollywood’s blessing. The reaction to the whole endeavour has been interesting, primarily because HELLBOY has clear roots inside the Superhero sub-genre, but it’s sort of weird and alternative and it isn’t published by DC or Marvel. What are the strange new stirrings in fanboy loins, when they see a trailer that looks like X-MEN and sounds like X-MEN but is from one of those dumb publishers that bogs down the Previews catalogue with books that aren’t X-MEN? Are they cheating? Is fandom’s collective hard on leading them away from their one true love (corporate superhero comics)? Don’t worry baby, HELLBOY will make it alright. And when it’s all over, Marvel and DC will take you back because, honestly, they’re quite desperate and more than a little slutty themselves…

[in other words, I really, really hate Marvel and DC and will find any way to criticize them, even when talking about some other publisher’s book. DIARY OF A TEENAGE GIRL? Marvel and DC sure wouldn’t publish that, would they? HA! PERSEPOLIS? Not a chance, with those slutty fuckers! Hee-hee!]

So what marks HELLBOY month? A number of new titles. First and foremost is the 25 cent special edition HELLBOY: THE CORPSE. A short story that inspired a sequence in the upcoming film, this 25 cent introduction to the HELLBOY comic should be a perfect way to introduce the masses to the waiting library of graphic novels.

[All those masses have to do is find a comics shop, just like they’ve done for Free Comic Book Day the past couple years, leading to that massive surge in revenue the industry has been enjoying.]

The nice thing about HELLBOY (versus most of the big-screen superhero attempts) is that the library of available work all hits a decent standard of quality. The same artist on every book (or similarly talented artists in the spin-offs), stand-alone books, sort of a dream really. It looks like Dark Horse is putting themselves in a good position to take advantage of all of the hype surrounding the film, good stuff.
As for the book itself? I think HELLBOY is alright, really nice art. I just don’t really click with the stories at all. It’s just a bit… blah I guess. I dunno. Not for me.

[But, you know, a decent standard of blah, unlike the Marvel/DC corporate blah. This is CREATOR-OWNED, SAME ARTIST BLAH!]

But I’m happy for Mignola and Dark Horse, more quality creator-owned books getting attention (and the money that comes with it).

[I think Harvey Pekar was able to buy a couple pairs of pants with all that AMERICAN SPLENDOR do-re-mi]

PATRICK: HELLBOY is one of those books that suffers from the comics curse for me – i.e. “Comics cost too much and I can’t buy them all.”

[it’s my curse and I’m sticking to it. And he’s right, that HELLBOY is sure hard on the wallet, costing as much as $20 a year sometimes]

It’s just never had that one cover that shouts out BUY ME! when I’m browsing, but always just seems to be more of the same. I’m a terrible person, I know. Having said that, I think you’re spot on with your fanboy analysis here. There’s more crossover with the comics mainstream, especially for readers wondering when Mignola is going to return to Marvel or whatever

[Because that’s when he was really a fan-favorite, what with the runaway successes of ROCKET RACCOON and FAFHRD AND THE GREY MOUSER]

but some of the puzzlement brings to mind the impact of Ghost World and American Splendor on retailers like my local shop, for which HELLBOY represents the cutting edge of indie comics not to be gambled on.

[uh…yeah.]

Christopher: Also of note from Dark Horse’s creator-owned superhero line, it looks like they picked up Steve Rude’s THE MOTH one-shot. After some pretty dubious bullshit from Marvel’s legal department, and Image unwilling to go to bat on that front for Rude,

[Damn you, corporate comics!]

he’s back at Dark Horse with a 56 page one shot and a four-issue limited series starting next month. Nice looking stuff from Rude too. It’s not NEXUS (which may end up being a mark against it for some people) but it’s certainly decent looking.

[Remember, superheroes are fine, so long as it’s not Marvel or DC doing them.]

PATRICK: For added comedy value in this whole Moth/Marvel thing, check out the new designs for Cyclops in Joss Whedon’s ASTONISHING X-MEN.
Christopher: At no point could I be surprised by a depth to which Marvel might sink… But yeah, I do see your point…

[That’s just Marvel’s way, isn’t it, to rip off an unpopular artist’s design of an unproven superhero. It’s just like when they forced Darick Robertson to draw Wolverine more like Reid Fleming, World’s Toughest Milkman.]

Christopher: Also of note from Dark Horse, Linda Medley’s CASTLE WAITING moves to it’s third publisher with the Dark Horse edition of the first trade paperback. I like CASTLE WAITING, but it has the strangest and most irregular schedule I’ve ever seen (narrowly eclipsing

[How do you “narrowly eclipse” something? That’s like just barely obliterating it]

STRAY BULLETS, and I’ve got my fingers crossed that Lapham just hurries up and sells out on that front so we can get the collections back in print…). There’s a new What’s Michael collection, WHAT’S MICHAEL VOLUME 9 too.

[Let’s pause for a moment and reflect on the short shrift given these indie books, to be followed by the lengthy endorsement of a SUPERMAN GRAPHIC NOVEL…]

Moving along to DC/Vertigo, we’ve got a fairly interesting little

[130 page hardcover]

book. IT’S A BIRD is an original graphic novel from Steven Seagle and Teddy Kristiansen about Seagle’s difficulties writing the character Superman.

[to be followed by IT’S A MUTANT, about his difficulty writing X-Men, and IT’S JUST ME, about his difficulties writing anything anyone wants to read]

Seagle and Kristiansen were the team responsible for Vertigo’s HOUSE OF SECRETS ongoing series from a few years back. It was a compelling character-driven story that lost it’s way

[from the start]

, meandered a little until it was finally put to death at issue 25. With only 130 pages to tell a story (and not 550 or so) I’m tempted to believe that it’ll be a little tighter,

[one would hope]

a little more to the point (while still having enough room to breathe). Certainly the preview pages in the Previews catalogue (and elsewhere) are very good; an examination of Superman’s costume; his impact on society; and a ‘comic’ story page featuring a young Clark Kent learning the weight of his responsibility; it’s all very good. I was surprised, I didn’t have high hopes for this project when it was announced (it has the air of self-congratulation about how important Superman is that still gets under my skin),

[which still can’t cover the air of self-congratulation coming from Seagle himself. But hey, he really is wowing them on the monthly book, isn’t he? Isn’t he?]

but reading more about it and seeing the story pages I’m at least a little more optimistic. I guess my only real hesitation is that, being that it’s a Time/Warner book, publisher by The Superman People, the outcome of Seagle’s struggle with the Superman mythology seems just a little pre-ordained, y’know? Still, it could surprise me. I’m hoping it surprises me.

PATRICK: Whether it does surprise you or not, the book is something of a paradox. If Superman was still vital and relevant, we wouldn’t need this book in the first place, would we?

[Way to say in two lines the whole problem with this book]

Christopher: Well, not according to DC. You see, DC does it’s best to remind us all that Superman Is Vital And Relevant every couple of years. Last time around it was the SUPERMAN: DAY OF DOOM mini-series. In which Clark Kent wrote a piece on the death of Superman, and tons and tons of characters gave uncontested monologues about The Greatness Of Superman, and the only dissenting voice saw the light by the end. See? Even dissenters recognize His Majesty. Yeah, it’s disgusting. This time out rings just a little bit truer and a little bit more personal though, which is why I’m anticipating it a bit more.
Christopher: Also from DC, there’s the surprise hit FORMERLY KNOWN AS THE JUSTICE LEAGUE TPB. Featuring the very funny six-issue mini-series by Giffen, DeMatteis, and Maguire from last year. It sort of came out of left field with it’s success, and all-in-all it was a really surprisingly good book, and the collected edition is nice and inexpensive as well. Also keep a look out for THE MAXX BOOK TWO, the second in DC/Wildstorm’s complete reprinting of Sam Keith and William Messner-Loebs’ MAXX series. This issue collects issues 7-13 of The Maxx and the short-story from Darker Image #1. MAXX is a great series, and I’m glad to see the continuing collections.
LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN really opened up the industry to historical fiction (and historical science-fiction),

[FROM HELL was just a warm-up]

and while the results of this newfound creative and financial viability have been mixed at best, THE BLACK FOREST looks like a series expertly equipped to take advantage of the situation. Last year, Mike Oeming (Powers) and Neil Vokes put together a great little period piece last year, a graphic novella called PARLIAMENT OF JUSTICE. What I read of it (bad Chris) was good stuff, but the art was just bang-on excellent. THE BLACK FOREST is from the same artist, is similarly beautiful, and according to the five page preview I’ve read looks to be an exciting little romp. Nazis, Frankenstein, and a book that starts and ends in a go. Sounds excellent.

[And this is Nazis and Frankenstein from Alan Moore’s and Kevin O’Neil’s successor Neil Vokes, not that blah blah Nazi Frankenshit from Mike Mignola.]

Speaking of Oeming (who provides the cover to THE BLACK FOREST), Brian Bendis and Michael Oeming’s POWERS VOLUME 2 #1 drops in March. Following the unbelievable events of the end of volume one an entirely new status quo sets off the second series and ‘good jumping on point’ is about the meanest thing I can say about this new first issue. I can be a little bit hyperbolic, at times, but believe me when I say that POWERS is attempting things with comics that haven’t been attempted since… oh… MIRACLEMAN. It’s the clear difference between something cynical and derivative like WANTED and an outstanding, imaginative, take-no-prisoners comic. Seriously. If you’re on the fence about POWERS, if you (God Help You) liked WANTED and wanted to know what a similar comic that was actually successful looked like, hell, if you just want something good to read, take my word for it. Be there for POWERS V2 #1 in March.

[I am Christopher Butcher and I am unable to praise anything without criticizing something else. It’s what makes me great, your shittiness]

PATRICK: Is POWERS the best ongoing series published today? I think it just might be. It drives me nuts that Bendis can’t shift his Marvel numbers to this book.

Christopher: It used to drive me nuts, but since I’ve accepted that people suck, now I’m just happy that Bendis gets Any Readers At All for something that doesn’t have fucking SPIDER-MAN on the cover.

[RRRAGH…ARRHGHSS…BLBLLAHGHG!!!]

Whatever. I will say thought that with the… hubbub… surrounding Image right now, I think it’ll be interesting to see if the book comes out as scheduled…

[Because…Jim Valentino was the guy who stapled the comics? What’s the point here?]

Christopher: Also from Image, there’s a new original graphic novel about Heaven’s IPO called HEAVEN, LLC. It features are from Dave Crossland, who’s a little bit Mike Ploog and a little bit Jim Mahfood. It sounds sacrilicious. Robert Kirkman solicits the second trade paperback collection of his INVINCIBLE mini-series, INVINCIBLE: EIGHT IS ENOUGH. The eighth issue just shipped and it seems like a really weird place to break up the collection as the big cliffhanger-reveal came in issue #8…? Anyway, it’s a good (though Very Decompressed) superhero series with lovely art. Good twist in this one too. Finally, the first two issues of the long-delayed MINISTRY OF SPACE series are reprinted in the MINISTRY OF SPACE OMNIBUS in anticipation of the final issue next month. Far-and-away the most successful of Warren Ellis’ three-issue minis, I bet those people that were waiting for the trade are kicking themselves now huh? THREE YEARS, BUDDY. Note: I am mostly talking about myself here… :(

[Why would they be kicking themselves? Why even get the issues now, when it’s finally almost over and ready to collect. Not to mention that it’s a piece of shit]

PATRICK: And did anything else by Ellis come out in the past three years? Yes. At least his smug sanctimoniousness is tempered here by Image’s ill-considered decision to release a bumper edition of the first two issues rather than just cutting to the chase and publishing a MINISTRY OF SPACE trade paperback. Between delays that rival Kevin Smith’s and the recent announcement of ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR, does Ellis now categorize himself as Part of the Problem?

Christopher: Actually, funny thing. In his manifesto, he freely admits to being part of the problem. “Old Bastard’s Manifesto”. Who knows though, hm? I’m surprised someone didn’t drag that one out to hang him with when the ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR news broke. Personally? Good on him. Comics Is Fucked. I hope he makes a lot of money with Ultimate Fantastic Four.

[Yeah, give those fucking Marvelheads some derivative Doctor Doom shit, take that money, and then pump out more vital creator-owned work like TOKYO STORM WARNING and STRANGER KILLINGS and MEK. That’s what comics needs.]

PATRICK: Well, yeah, I actually agree with this. I don’t have a problem with Ellis on Ultimate FF or whatever in itself. It’s just that maybe we don’t need to be lectured about principles by someone who can’t stick to his, you know?

Christopher: But anyway, I think the bumper-edition was the right way to go with this. The fucking LAST THING I needed to listen to was bitching from assholes about how they bought MINISTRY OF SPACE 1 and MINISTRY OF SPACE 2 and now had to buy A REALLY EXPENSIVE TRADE PAPERBACK TO GET THE END OF THE STORY. If they just released issue 3, orders would tank because it’s been two years since 2. They made the best decision available to them at the time, in my always-humble opinion.

[But the BUMPER EDITION has nothing to do with having to buy a TRADE PAPERBACK you CAPITALIZING IDIOT]

Christopher: Diamond is nice enough to remind us that March will see CEREBUS #300, the final issue of “The comic medium’s first-ever 6000-page graphic novel”. Maybe they mean exactly 6000 pages, cuz I could swear that the complete Dragonball saga runs over 7000 pages and was started later and finished earlier than Cerebus. Of course Dave Sim would likely write Dragonball off as “illiterate commuter trash” or some-such anyway. Which is why, say, Dave’s going away party is about %50 fond-farewell, and %50 sigh of relief. Not to take anything away from Sim or Gerhard

[No, not much, except “CEREBUS AIN’T DRAGONBALL, SHITHEAD!”]

, I doubt I’ll ever finish 6000 pages of anything.

PATRICK: Not even 6000 pages of CEREBUS?

Christopher: No, YOU’RE THE VOID. No, seriously, 6000 pages… It’s an impressive accomplishment. I had a friend who got me into Cerebus. He did mini-comics, and his art and stories had been heavily influenced by the book. I kind of wanted to see what all the fuss was, so one day (a Saturday between 10 in the morning and say, 8 in the evening) I read Cerebus. The first four volumes worth, anyway. I think that, honestly, HIGH SOCIETY, CHURCH & STATE VOLUME 1, and CHURCH & STATE VOLUME 2 are some of the best comics I’ve ever read. After that? I couldn’t get into JAKA’S STORY for some reason that I can’t put into words. I’m going to try again some day. And MELMOTH…? Anyway. Despite being put off by the post C&S stuff, I came back to the book with issue #200, the GUYS story arc. Cerebus/Dave Sim, Greg Hyland (creator of Lethargic Lad), Mick Jagger, Keef Richards, Bacchus, and a guy named “Bear” walk into a bar. And they don’t leave for 20+ issues. Was a funny read, good stuff. Then? Back to the grind… I flipped open the last trade paperback that came out, “Latter Days”, and it seemed to be about how Art Spiegelman’s wife ruined his life, somehow, so yeah… Fond farewell Dave, pardon me for letting out this sigh…

Christopher: Alternative Comics is printing a fascinating new travelogue of pre 9/11 Morocco by SHUCK UNMASKED cartoonist Rick Smith called BARAKA & BLACK MAGIC IN MORROCCO. I tend to find comics travelogues fascinating. I particularly liked last year’s travel-themed SPX anthology, and there was a 5 page sequence in the MONSIEUR JEAN story in DRAWN & QUARTERLY VOLUME 5 that was a brilliantly done depiction of arriving in New York for the first time, a chaotic whirlwind of sites

[www.nyc.com?]

and sounds and experiences. The preview pages at the Alternative Comics website look decent, though the language seems oddly stilted in places. Definitely one to check out in store.

[should be some fascinating stiltedness]

Slave Labor has a few very cool books out this month. The first is a trade paperback collection of FSc’s work, NIGHTMARES & FAIRYTALES VOL 1: ANNABELLE SPEAKS TP. In a series of short stories we get to see FSc’s gorgeous manga-meets-Vasquez artwork grace a number of ‘fractured fairytales’. NIGHTMARES is written by Gloom Cookie’s Serena Valentino and I gotta say, I don’t really care for what she brings to the book. I think the only story that I actually enjoyed from this run was their take on Snow White, and the rest were kind of… bleh. Still FSc’s art is a real treat on many of these stories, and the collected edition features a new 1-page comic from Jhonen Vasquez too.

[One-page?! That’s sure worth mentioning. If you like one page of Jhonen, matched with bleh stories and gorgeous art, this one’s for you.]

Their second notable release is the somehow-controversial STREET ANGEL #1 by Jim Rugg and Brian Maruca. I don’t quite get it, a hundred books ‘similar’ to STREET ANGEL come out every year, appearing and disappearing with nary a peep. Slave Labor even publishes like, 15 of them. Somehow, some fanboy decided that the sheer existence of this book was worth getting upset about and just went to town predicting failure. So, of course, he created a ton of controversy which pretty much ensured a higher profile and higher pre-orders. Which is devilishly clever, I’d almost accuse SLG or the creators of manufacturing the whole thing if I didn’t think so little of comics fandom as to believe that some superhero fanboy would be offended by an SLG book daring to knock another story about Jim Lee from the top spot at Newsarama. Ah well. The preview looks Really Good, the cover is just awesome, and I think this three issue mini-series might be able to find its feet. Check it out for yourself, http://www.slavelabor.com/streetangel_prev/streetangel_prev.html

[where can I find the transcript of this whole controversy, or am I supposed to know what the fuck you’re talking about? At least you worked in some good anti-fanboy blather there]

…I fucking hate Previews, I just remembered. Fuck you Jim Balent, fuck you.

PATRICK: Just wait until the ad in next month’s issue…

Christopher: I can’t even tell who’s more cynical anymore…

[My guess is you]

Christopher: Meanwhile, It appears that Com.X’s CLASSWAR #4 is finally coming out after losing artist-after-artist on the title. I’ve heard really interesting things about their “Creator-Ownership Contracts” so I guess I’m not surprised that their artists keep fucking off. I’m just wondering if I should offer 2:1 odds that artist Travel Foreman will finish the series… ;)

[Probably has nothing to do with books needing to come out, so said artists can pay rent, and stuff like that. Must be the evil contracts]

My guilty pleasure for the month is clearly STREET FIGHTER VOLUME 1 TP, the collection of all of the Udon SF stuff to date. UDON is doing an amazing job on the STREET FIGHTER comics, the art is just spectacular, they really are the best at what they do. And for a comic based on a video game with no story beyond “Two characters fight!”, the book is surprisingly readable. A good action movie style plot that moves you briskly through the story, decent characterization and cleverly interweaving WHAT THEY WANT with something that very-clearly resembles a story. The most fully-realized nostalgia comic produced to date, STREET FIGHTER is a fantastic technical achievement and a wonderful pop confection. This collection includes the story from issue #0, as well as the main stories and back-ups from the first six issues.

[Jesus, get over yourself. No story, but clearly resembling a story? Certainly not a part of the reason Comics Is Fucked, I guess, since it’s manga.]

PATRICK: In related news, I have a complete run of X-TREME X-MEN.

Christopher: You fucker! You TOTAL FUCKER! You waited til the one time that I was incapable of properly responding to this to reveal it! You… clever… Will you marry me?

PATRICK: There’s nothing wrong with enjoying STREET FIGHTER for what it is. Books like this and the X-MEN have different goals to something like FROM HELL and don’t really need to be held up to it. They’re the comics equivalent of a Kylie Minogue record, and there’s a place for that. Nobody’s going to claim they’re great literature, but if the story keeps you occupied on the john and the art is pleasant to look at … hell, isn’t that the whole point of pop art?

Christopher: Fans of UZUMAKI and GYO creator Junji Ito, keep a look out for DH Publishing’s new line, “Hino Horror”. It’s a series of reprint volumes of 70’s and 80’s horror manga artist Hideshi Hino. Ito, whose creepy tales of Spirals and Fish With Legs have defined contemporary horror comics (with a nod to Steve Niles’ contributions)

[Well, when you’re one of the few people doing them, I guess you help define them. Mike “Blah” Mignola may have had a tiny hand in defining horror comics over the past DECADE as well.]

lists Hino as one of his major influences, and with over 400 volumes of manga in print it’s no wonder he’s been so influential. The first two releases from this line are THE RED SNAKE GN and THE BUG BOY, but they aren’t Hino’s first work to appear in English language editions. Hino’s HELL BABY and PANORAMA OF HELL, a set of disturbing graphic novels published by Blast Books have already offered those with iron resolve and iron constitutions a glimpse into Hino’s horrific stories. Those books can be a little tough to track down in most comic stores (though Amazon lists them both in stock…), so if you want an easy-to-acquire, cheap look at one of the masters of Japanese horror manga, grab either (or both!) of the $10 volumes when they hit the streets this month. The current plans are for two new Hino books to hit store shelves every month through at least June, so if you like these then there’s lots more coming down the line. Unlike the stingy release pace of Junji Ito’s work here in North America… :(

PATRICK: This is fantastic news for those of us into good horror books. My obsession with Junji Ito boarders on something that might be the subject of one of his stories, so I’ll definitely be checking these out.

Christopher: Here’s a fun thing I wrote about PEANUTS:

Christopher: A friend of mine and I were talking about the new PEANUTS HC design the other day. It wasn't such an odd conversation to have, we were at the comic book store and reading the news release. We both really like the cover a great deal actually. Somehow, the subject of 'new' Peanuts strips came up. Before you call blasphemy, it was a 'shooting the shit' sort of conversation and we all accept than anyone other than Schultz doing Peanuts is sacrilege yadda yadda yadda.
That said, I put forward Seth, because I think that if you stripped the 'morality' out of pissing on Schultz’s

[I can’t even fucking spell SCHULZ, so please take that in consideration of my learned opinion]

grave, I think it he'd have a blast doing it, and it would show on the page. My friend argued against it, he said that Seth would make it 'too serious'. Which I was a little surprised at, but then he put forward his own suggestion, James Kolchalka, and I immediately saw what he was getting at. I think Kolchalka's got that child-like quality to his work, while still having really come into his own as a creator over the past few years. His daily comics are even paced a little like PEANUTS episodes, and he draws a mean Snoopy.

[Grrr! Take that, Red Baron, you fucker! RATATATATATAT!]

The Fantagraphics PEANUTS cover design, by Seth, is a serious design. It has Seth's aesthetic and ideology

[?]

written all over it, and as Fantagraphics is marketing THE COMPLETE PEANUTS as a work of historical relevance, that makes a bunch of sense to me. I think it's a good choice, but certainly not the only one.

[or it wouldn’t be a “choice”, huh?]

Christopher: …so anyway, April (the book is advance-solicited) will see the publication of the first volume of THE COMPLETE PEANUTS: 1950-1952 HC. Which is pretty amazing, if you think about it. A genuine piece of comics history and even Americana (which I usually find distasteful),

[Give me some Greenlandiana or Botswanaiana any day!]

and this book will mark the first time that many of these strips have ever been reprinted. For all of the shit Fantagraphics gets for being a bunch of snobs and elitists, they have a commitment to comics history that’s pretty remarkable. Perhaps even unmatched. The PEANUTS collection is going to combine the remarkable production quality, design, and attention to detail of their gorgeous KRAZY KAT volumes with possibly the most commercial comic strip ever into an amazing and important series of books that are going to bring a lot of positive attention to the medium of comics.

PATRICK: Playing devil’s advocate for a moment … why is it okay for the PEANUTS to stick to a formula for decades and focus on costumed characters who never truly change or evolve, when we criticize superhero books for PRECISELY THE SAME REASON? Naked emperor or am I missing a crucial point? U decide.

Christopher: Assuming you aren’t being facetious? I’d personally put it down for Peanuts being a conveyance for ideas. I can’t really remember any Peanuts strips ABOUT Peanuts strips, but every Peanuts strip I’ve read seems to be about ‘the human condition’. Meaning, essentially, they aren’t up their own ass. Even Fantagraphics admits that superhero comics USED to be good, and even occasionally ARE good. They just generally aren’t… I don’t see an Emporer’s New Clothes situation here, simply that some works are worth of celebration and others… aren’t…

[Or in other words, if it’s still funny and real, it doesn’t have to grow.
Superheroes don’t have to grow if they continue to be just as fun and entertaining as they once were, and for the most part, they aren’t.]

Christopher: Speaking of Fantagraphics’ strip collections, they’re doing a new volume of Tony Millionaire’s always-enjoyable MAAKIES series in March, WHEN WE WERE VERY MAAKIES. The last collection was another really well-produced book, and the design of this book is pretty outstanding. MAAKIES is the mythical adventures of an alcoholic crow and an alcoholic monkey. Usually, they’re on a pirate ship… Um, to be honest, if you like that sort of thing it’s exactly what you’ll like.
The Xeric-Award nominated series LUMAKICK returns with LUMAKICK #2. LUMAKICK is the geometric dreams of mathematicians, delicate yet deliberate, patterns in stories that resonate outwards from a solid human core to create a work you don’t really see in comics very often.

[Marvel is going to sue Butcher for infringing on “dubious bullshit”]

Something about emotion and loneliness and wry humour and maybe even whimsy. Chester Brown called Lumakick #1 ‘impressive’, and I mean, that’s a pretty good pedigree. Check out series creator Richard Hahn’s excellent website at http://www.lumakick.com/.

PATRICK: The first Lumakick was great, but not for everyone. If your taste lies in the art comix direction, this is worth a pre-order.

Christopher: I don’t know if a book can be considered a “Guilty Pleasure” is it’s quantifiably excellent in a number of different ways. Guilty or not, I’m really, really looking forward to the long-awaited fourth volume in P. Craig Russell’s adaptation of THE FAIRY TALES OF OSCAR WILDE series. The third volume of this series came out years ago, and was a little skimpier than previous volumes as well. This one looks to be excellent though, with Russell’s brilliant skills at adaptation applied to Wilde’s The Devoted Friend and The Nightingale and the Rose. I’m… well, I’m completely in love with Russell’s work. I don’t think there is anyone better at adapting prose (or, you know, opera) into comics than he is. I hate to say this, but he’s so good at what he does that I’m kind of only glad he’s adapting artistic masterworks. It’d fucking kill me to see him wasting his time on X-MEN. Let him work exclusively with Neil Gaiman, with Oscar Wilde, with Wagner. Better than Chuck Austen…

[Never mind his inking Wonder Woman last year. No, no, I don’t want to hear about it! Never happened! Away with you!]

PATRICK: Bah. Russell’s just servicing trademarks. (For the humor-impaired, I don’t actually believe this.)

Christopher: Ingrate. (Also: Oscar Wilde’s work is public domain.)

Christopher: Meanwhile, Antony Johnston continues to innovate with his modernization of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, JULIUS. An original graphic novel featuring some top-notch art from Brett Weldele (SHOT CALLERZ), Johnston attempts to create an accurate and measured adaptation of the famous Shakespeare play (“Et tu, Brutus?”) setting it in the world of East-End London Gangsters. Relentlessly contemporary but still an accurate adaptation of the bard, JULIUS is already the ‘hottest’ property Oni has published with Hollywood sniffing around it in a major way weeks before its release. I don’t know what else to say, other than that this is going to be fucking huge. Check out the Preview in this interesting CBR interview at http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=3165.

[It could be as huge as O, or the Gwyneth Paltrow GREAT EXPECTATIONS, even! Soon, Johnston will “innovate” THE GREAT GATSBY; MOBY-DICK; and GOODNIGHT MOON! ]

Also from Oni Press this month is the fifth collection of QUEEN & COUNTRY, QUEEN & COUNTRY VOLUME 5: OPERATION STORMFRONT ( ). Though Q&C is pretty-much always enjoyable, this collection is particularly notable for the outstanding artwork of Finder’s Carla Speed McNeil and for turning the series on its head. McNeil’s work takes a few huge steps forward with this volume and her recent Finder issues show the benefits of having done 5 issues of intensive and slightly labourious work for hire. The book looks great, reads great, the whole book just sings. I wouldn’t recommend starting to read QUEEN & COUNTRY with this volume, but I would certainly say that when you finally do get to volume 5, you’ll have something to look forward to.
It’s kind of a light month for Tokyopop, with a number of popular new series that just don’t grab me at all. I mean, DNANGEL VOLUME 1 has nice art and a passable story, and it’ll be FUCKING HUGE. It has a massive cult following amongst teenage girls who’ve been salivating for its release here. It’s also very well-placed to do well here, it’s a much more attractively drawn YUGIOH type of story, with a stronger romantic subplot do draw the girls in. Massive. It’s just, you know, not to my taste.
The one that does grab me a little? ONE VOLUME ONE. Heh. It’s a new Korean romance graphic novel, along the lines of SNOW DROP VOLUME 1 (which I really enjoyed). This time out? A love triangle between a quiet music prodigy, a ‘nice girl’, and a popular singer, ostensibly about true identity. Really just a romance story with really nice-looking art, and hey, what’s wrong with that. Shame that the cover is so unforgivably ugly, but them’s the breaks. Anyway, it looks like another good ‘older teen’ romance graphic novel, in a sea of weird/bad stuff.
Viz fares a little better in the Hot! Manga! Sweepstakes! this month. In the HOT category, they’ve got the long-awaited ANGEL SANCTUARY manga, and the ULTIMATE MUSCLE manga tying into the popular Saturday morning cartoon show (plus it’s got wrestling, for the wrestling fans). ANGEL SANCTUARY is about generational relationships and pretty boys who are angels and shocking violence, it produced an immensely popular animated feature here in the states. The manga has the ‘complete’ story that the movie didn’t, and yeah, great built-in audience. Same with ULTIMATE MUSCLE, really, and it has the added bonus of being a SHONEN JUMP related title too.
Again, enh? I’m not really that interested. For me, it’s all about the new format re-releases of BANANA FISH VOLUME 1, and NEON GENESIS EVANGELION VOLUME 1, and the long-awaited (lot of ‘long-awaited’ books this month eh?) NEON GENESIS VOLUME 8. BANANA FISH originally started serialization in PULP magazine, it’s a mature-readers shoujo (girls’ romance) title about… New York City Gangsters. I’m serious. It’s a little incongruent at times, but it’s oddly captivating in a soap-opera sort of way. I’ll admit to owning the first six volumes anyway (and I’m quite happy that future volumes will be released in the cheap format). I wouldn’t call it ‘great stuff’, but like I said, compelling. EVANGELION on the other hand is the ‘reinterpretation’ of the same story that spawned the most popular anime of the past 10 years. It’s either right up there with GHOST IN THE SHELL and AKIRA or right behind them… The manga is different from the anime in a number of ways. For one thing, the art is better. Far, far better. Seriously. For another, the manga leaves far fewer gaps than the anime does in the story, and it’s much more character oriented than the ‘battle of the week’ style fights that were a necessity for much of the television show. It’s not Shakespeare or anything,

[so don’t expect to find Antony Johnston sniffing around it]

but it’s still some good stuff and holds up to the anime. Worth owning for anyone even remotely interested in the series, particularly in the new more-affordable format.

PATRICK: I’ll second the Evangelion recommendation. A good mix of character, action and thought there, and easily accessible for superhero fans interested in manga but unsure of where to start.

--

Thanks for reading! Feel free to e-mail us at general@previewsreview.com!
Best,
- Christopher & Patrick

[Love, the Comics INactivist]

A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS

[But after reading mine, don’t blame the picture!]

Comics need more fun, dammit.

[Angry, profanity-laden fun! The kind the little shits like]

Sometimes it's easy to forget that comics are fun.

[And many of my recommendations make it even easier to forget]

There's a seemingly endless amount of white noise dedicated to attempting to suck all the enjoyment out of the comic industry.

[nothing worse than dedicated white noise]

"The direct market is dying," "The artform is ignored," "The speculators are returning," "Manga rules the world and no one seems to care," "The publishers are flooding the market," "Wolverine's back in his yellow spandex suit,"

[“The Comic Pimp sucks”] are all great topics of discussion and worth putting thought into. But this industry was built on the backs of enjoyment, entertainment and good old-fashioned fun.

[Seems a terrible way to treat enjoyment, entertainment and fun, huh?]

In the world of meaningful discussion,

[I’m the alien]

analytic analysis

[yikes!]

and complex discourse, it's easy to forget that the reason that we care so much about the funny books is because reading comic books is fun. Emphasis on that "fun" word (my other favorite "f" word).

[it sure doesn’t help if you read anything else—it makes most of the comics less fun, plus you realize how stupid “analytic analysis” sounds]

Emphasizing the fun is the extremely simple concept on which my comic lounge and everything I do within the comic industry is based.

[witness my fun suits!]

Sure, I want my business to be successful. Sure, I want to see the comic industry thrive, but you know what? I also want to have fun.

The entire reason I write this column, throw crazy ass events,

[events built upon the crazy asses of enthusiasm, ribaldry and joie de vivre]

do guerilla marketing, and get out of bed in the morning is because I have an insatiable appetite for having a damn good time. And anyone who is lucky enough to combine that which they love with that which they do for a living with that which they think is unbelievably fun is living the good life.

Regular readers of this column have heard me ranting about how excited I was about the Alternative Press Expo (APE) coming to my own stomping grounds in San Francisco.

One of the fundamental things to love about APE is the manic, creative energy. People who had never made a comic before in their life before attending last year were so inspired that they sat behind a table this year with hot, fresh comics. People who slaved alone through night after night to get their comics done in time got to hear some supportive feedback and grab themselves a little cash for their hard work at APE. And even people who have been in the industry for years are reinvigorated by the dynamic, creative energy that charges the convention year after year.

APE is all about creative people getting out there and doing shit, making comics, meeting people…and yes, having fun.

And so, in the interest of fun, I'm going to share with you some of the most fun I've had over the past couple of weeks, leading up to APE, and after it.

As comics fans, I know that you like your stories to be accompanied by pictures, and I've talked a lot already, so from here on out we're going to let my camera do most of the talking.

[WHEW!]

On Wednesday, February 18th, mere days before the official APE con kick off, Tom Beland, one of the most fun men in comics,

[except for the times he’s anything but]

took advantage of the Isotope's Permanent Art Installation's drafting table and brought the creative process to the people, making an issue of his "True Story Swear to God" comic while they watched. Tom took time out from the pencil, paper, and pen to talk art theory, creative process, and self-publishing with those in attendance. And also, Tom made sure to draw sketches in the front cover of his "True Story Swear to God" trade paperback and gave out pages of original artwork to enthusiastic fans.

[photos of Beland and others with Sime, thumbs up, smiling. Brian Wood admires his own DEMO]

As always, there was a flurry of activity around the city during APE this year. And, so, inevitably, hosting our own APE event meant that we missed out on some really fun panels and after parties, and even that we spent less time than we would've liked at the Con itself. But without a doubt our annual APE Aftermath event, is always one of the best times I have all year. This year, APE Aftermath kicked it up to eleven. The general consensus was that we saw between 350-400 people during the event and while the party was scheduled until 5am, the party kept rocking until 7:30am. This is a well-documented event and in the interest of sharing the fun, I'm going to share with you a massive collection of photos before moving on to other APE weekend events. But before we get there, indulge yourself in the pictures of the sexy nerds and nerdettes who came out to celebrate with us!

[nerds, nerdettes, 2 cute girls, Brian Wood drinking booze, frightening Sime suit]

Of course, the most important part of APE Aftermath is the awarding of the Isotope Award for Excellence in Mini-Comics. This year the award went to a great new talent from Kansas City, Missouri, Josh Cotter for his comic "Skyscrapers of the Midwest."

"Skyscrapers of the Midwest" is a collection of heart-wrenching stories of coming of age in a small midwestern atmosphere.

[?]

The blank eyes of Josh Cotter's almost cute characters creates a foreboding tone that the reader cannot shake even during a seemly innocuous story about a visit to Grandma's house.

[But then he plunks a big bad wolf down in that small Midwestern house, and uh-oh! Fangs o’ fun!]

Josh Cotter is obviously tremendously talented

[I mean, can’t you tell?]

and I expect to see amazing work from him the future. It wouldn't surprise me if he became a household name.

[perhaps with his own line of bolts? Cotter bolts?]

The award ceremony featuring myself, last year's winner Rob Osborne as well as the latest addition to the Isotope Award family Josh Cotter was one of the most fun events in recent memory. For me it was really a great moment when I got to see Rob Osborne handed over

[to the authorities]

the award to a grinning Josh Cotter at the end of his short speech. Josh received a howling ovation as the theme from 2001

[What was the theme from 2001? “Whoomp! There It Is”? Oh, he means that movie, the Space Odyssey one]

boomed loudly over the Isotope's sound system. The crowd was very vocal in their support of this year's winning entry, and I've got to say Mister Cotter carried that trophy like a true champion of champions.

[hanging it from a steel rod inserted through his scrotum. Hey, we pick champions of champions differently here in San Francisco!]

You can get copies of this fantastic mini from the Isotope and other fine comic purveyors, as well as from Josh himself at jwcotter@micro.com.

But that's not all that's happened in the last eight days…

Few comics appeal to people from as many backgrounds and walks of life as "The Couriers."

[without actually selling much]

Brian Wood's writing perfectly balances crazy action sequences and

[a non-existent story]

a gripping story while Rob G's art kicks you in the face, punches you in the gut, and leaves you motion sick and begging for more. It's simplicity itself to put a smile on a guest's face simply by putting a copy of Couriers in their hands.

[as long as there’s a line of coke balanced on top]

In fact, the love of "The Couriers" is so great that the anticipation for Couriers 2 had reached a fever pitch around the Isotope. And with its official release date a mere three days after the Alternative Press Expo, I knew that its impact would cause a virtual detonation of fun.

Last year, when Couriers was released, an impromptu Isotope tradition of expressing the Couriers love started. It was a little crazy and a lot fun, so you just know we had to do it all over again this year.

(To see the last year's Couriers adrenaline rush, visit the Isotope Virtual Lounge here.)

Just because my camera isn't out there capturing every crazy fun comic-related event doesn't mean that they aren't happening outside the Isotope's front door. Because I know they are.

Comics is a creative industry made up of creative people who are making art and entertainment for creative consumers. There is no question that comic fans know how to have the kind of fun that would stupefy or sterilize lesser men or women.

[that’s right, bitch—one night I had TWO TWO-LITERS OF PEPSI!]

With the legions of comic connoisseurs once again growing with each passing month, I'm looking forward to taking my enjoyment threshold to levels yet unheard of. Let's make 2004 our best year yet.

[And with more shit like Couriers 2, we can do it! Come on, people! Join with me! Warren Ellis—you got a book about an assassin with a penis made of gelignite—I’ll sell it! Mark Millar—chimpanzee junkies with giant robotic feet! I can sell the shit out of that!]

You know the routine. You can pontificate on industry issues, preach the gospel and pimp great comic books, or even discuss this article on the Comic Pimp Forum.

Lovingly yours,

THE COMICS INACTIVIST