SDCC: Day Four and The Return
Day four. The end.
This was, I think, the first year that I actually figured out how to enjoy the con for what it is. In the past, I was obsessed with getting things autographed. Beyond that, I worked as a drone for Khepri Comics. What I had never really done is just go, and go with the flow. This year, I was just me: Marc Mason, comics lover, and comics reviewer.
Sunday was actually sort of a weird parallel to Thursday, in that I spent a great deal of time walking through the small press areas and meeting folks who don’t exactly have an exalted space in the Diamond Previews catalogue. Some don’t really deserve that space; some will get it because they do. But to a fault, they are all looking for someone to take notice and look at their book. They are legion.
I also wandered around and spoke to a few creative types like hot Xeric Award winner Sam Hiti (“End Times”) and picked up their books as well.
Bumped into Joss Whedon again on the floor, shortly before we were both headed upstairs to his panel, which was heavily packed. He showed an early trailer for the Firefly movie “Serenity” and then brought out his nine cast members for a lively and amusing Q&A. Whedon once again showed that the real reason the un-powered Xander was such an integral part of the Buffy cast was that it allowed Joss to be a character on the show.
After that, it was downstairs to say goodbye to friends like Chris Ryall, Dirk Deppey and Steven Grant and I was out. While the con closed at 5pm, I vanished by 3:45. My bag was packed again, digging into my shoulder, and I was starving. So it was food and hotel to rest, ending my adventure.
Well, that’s not quite true.
22 trades/graphic novels
28 pamphlets
29 mini-comics
3 magazines
2 prose books
1 DVD
Plus: 10 manga samplers, assorted PR and other freebies, and a package of stuff from Fantagraphics that was waiting for me when I got back today. Not to mention the load of stuff that was still sitting here from before leaving. The real adventure is going to be reading and reviewing all that stuff over the next four months. Stay tuned here and at MoviePoopShoot to see how it turns out.
Mason
Monday, July 26, 2004
Sunday, July 25, 2004
SDCC: Day Three
Day three is always the worst.
It has the largest crowds, the biggest media presentations, and by default, the most morons per square foot. Early on, I wished for death.
It happened because I pay no attention to the panel schedule for shit that doesn't interest me. That's how I found myself being (literally) swarmed by hundreds of Star Wars fans. That panel let out of Hall H while I was working my way from Hall G towards the other end of the con. And apparently they announced the name of the new film and announced a free t-shirt giveaway at the Lucasfilm pavilion, the 10,000 square foot monstrosity at that end of the con floor. I was stuck, unable to move as the line for those shirts formed around and seemingly through me. A nightmare of both numerical and body odor proportions. Fuck almighty.
I had gotten off to a late start thanks to Friday night's partying, so I missed friend and editor Chris Ryall's first IDW panel, but I did hit panels for longtime comics scribe Gerard Jones, who has a new history of comics prose book coming in October, and Marvel EIC Joe Quesada's "Cup O' Joe" panel, which, while amusing, announced nothing I didn't already know. Still, both of those panels smartly allowed me to sit and rest my legs and feet here and there, so I was happy about it.
During the day, I managed to have a couple of odd Hollywood moments, as Tom "The Punisher" Jane stopped by IDW (he's working on a book with Steve Niles) with barely anyone able to tell. Jane's back to blonde with a full beard and was completely unrecognizable. I also met Joss Whedon at the DC booth. Whedon was, at the time, traveling without a security detail. I asked him about that and he told me "security just makes people notice." I hope that continued to work. Somebody would likely hump his leg if they had the chance.
Caught up with and chatted up Greg Rucka, signing his forthcoming Queen And Country prose novel at the Del Ray booth, Laurenn "Rent Girl" McCubbin at post-Quesada panel, and bumped into friend Steven "Permanent Damage" quite frequently. All-in-all, the day turned out okay. I called it an early evening, grabbing dinner and heading for the room to get some rest. Off for the finale now...
Marc
Day three is always the worst.
It has the largest crowds, the biggest media presentations, and by default, the most morons per square foot. Early on, I wished for death.
It happened because I pay no attention to the panel schedule for shit that doesn't interest me. That's how I found myself being (literally) swarmed by hundreds of Star Wars fans. That panel let out of Hall H while I was working my way from Hall G towards the other end of the con. And apparently they announced the name of the new film and announced a free t-shirt giveaway at the Lucasfilm pavilion, the 10,000 square foot monstrosity at that end of the con floor. I was stuck, unable to move as the line for those shirts formed around and seemingly through me. A nightmare of both numerical and body odor proportions. Fuck almighty.
I had gotten off to a late start thanks to Friday night's partying, so I missed friend and editor Chris Ryall's first IDW panel, but I did hit panels for longtime comics scribe Gerard Jones, who has a new history of comics prose book coming in October, and Marvel EIC Joe Quesada's "Cup O' Joe" panel, which, while amusing, announced nothing I didn't already know. Still, both of those panels smartly allowed me to sit and rest my legs and feet here and there, so I was happy about it.
During the day, I managed to have a couple of odd Hollywood moments, as Tom "The Punisher" Jane stopped by IDW (he's working on a book with Steve Niles) with barely anyone able to tell. Jane's back to blonde with a full beard and was completely unrecognizable. I also met Joss Whedon at the DC booth. Whedon was, at the time, traveling without a security detail. I asked him about that and he told me "security just makes people notice." I hope that continued to work. Somebody would likely hump his leg if they had the chance.
Caught up with and chatted up Greg Rucka, signing his forthcoming Queen And Country prose novel at the Del Ray booth, Laurenn "Rent Girl" McCubbin at post-Quesada panel, and bumped into friend Steven "Permanent Damage" quite frequently. All-in-all, the day turned out okay. I called it an early evening, grabbing dinner and heading for the room to get some rest. Off for the finale now...
Marc
Saturday, July 24, 2004
SDCC: Day Two
Long day. Again.
Hit the small press area in the morning and met some folks who are working hard to make books. As always, the quality is variable, but they get credit for trying at least. Jetted away from there to hit the Sc-Fi network's panel on the new Battlestar Galactica, and that was a good one. Writer Ron Moore, along with actors James Callas, Aaron Douglas, Tricia Helfer, and Grace Park were along for the show, and it was an exercise in good fun and humor, as opposed to the fanboy attack at last year's con. Helfer is even sexier in person than she is while seducing Callas on the show, and Grace Park appears to have created her own legion of slobbering fans, even while stuck in a bulky flight suit on the program.
The rest of the day was a mixture of things. I went and talked to creators I know, having chats with guys like Jimmy Pamliotti, and I had my Hollywood moment, meeting and talking to Patton Oswalt, who's a really nice fellow. I hit Terry Moore's panel in later afternoon, covering it for Newsarama and finished the day by walking more than even remotely necessary and putting too much wear and tear on my poor self. Last night was spent eating and partying with good friends, and spending over a half hour in the cab line at the Hyatt, meaning I didn't see bed until almost 3am. So I'm shutting up now.
Marc
Long day. Again.
Hit the small press area in the morning and met some folks who are working hard to make books. As always, the quality is variable, but they get credit for trying at least. Jetted away from there to hit the Sc-Fi network's panel on the new Battlestar Galactica, and that was a good one. Writer Ron Moore, along with actors James Callas, Aaron Douglas, Tricia Helfer, and Grace Park were along for the show, and it was an exercise in good fun and humor, as opposed to the fanboy attack at last year's con. Helfer is even sexier in person than she is while seducing Callas on the show, and Grace Park appears to have created her own legion of slobbering fans, even while stuck in a bulky flight suit on the program.
The rest of the day was a mixture of things. I went and talked to creators I know, having chats with guys like Jimmy Pamliotti, and I had my Hollywood moment, meeting and talking to Patton Oswalt, who's a really nice fellow. I hit Terry Moore's panel in later afternoon, covering it for Newsarama and finished the day by walking more than even remotely necessary and putting too much wear and tear on my poor self. Last night was spent eating and partying with good friends, and spending over a half hour in the cab line at the Hyatt, meaning I didn't see bed until almost 3am. So I'm shutting up now.
Marc
Friday, July 23, 2004
SDCC: Day One
Breaking News: it's still bloody huge.
I packed a lot into yesterday, and suffered quite a bit of pain for it. First, I met a lot of small press publishers. Now, many small press efforts are amateur hour at best, to be charitable. But I give them credit for at least trying. They are, to a fault, deeply enthusiastic about their comics, and are dying to get them in front of people. For my part, I came back to my room last night with a good dozen small press pamphlets, plus a trade or two. And that doesn't count the trades/graphic novels I got from them, not to mention the serious publishers who passed stuff on to me. After one and a bit of days, I'm already another month down in regards to my review schedule. Woof.
Got to see and talk to some friends/faves yesterday as well. Had the chance to talk to Steve Lieber for a while, and watch him draw an absolutely stunning commission of an archer firing on horseback. The commission was just for an "archer," and as usual, Steve went the extra mile. Awesome. I also hooked up friends Matt and Joe with Steve's recent minis. Matt, Joe and I also spent a short time with friend and fine scribe Tom Spurgeon. Tom has likely forgotten more about comics and their history than most people will ever know. He's also up for an Eisner tonight for his excellent book about Stan Lee. Good luck, Tom!
Also got the chance to chat up Brett Warnock of Top Shelf, the crew at Devil's Due Publishing, and the swell guys at Viper Comics. Old pal Brian Joines was sharing a table with guys like Dan Wickline and Tone Rodriguez, and he was in his usual amusing form. Joines is a guy who is just waiting to bust out, and his story in the recent NOBLE CAUSES: EXTENDED FAMILY #2 was really quite good.
Sat in on the Godzilla panel, and it was a lot of fun. Chris Gore was on the panel, and as usual, he really livened it up. Gore has personality to spare, and he's not a dick about it, which is nice. I was going to stay for Richard Kelly of DONNIE DARKO fame, but I decided to roll through the floor one last time and call it an early day. Hunger and soreness were killing me, and Friday night is always a long one here in SD. Dinner at the Old Spaghetti Company probably tasted better than it actually was, but that's what hunger will do for you...
More tomorrow...
Marc
Breaking News: it's still bloody huge.
I packed a lot into yesterday, and suffered quite a bit of pain for it. First, I met a lot of small press publishers. Now, many small press efforts are amateur hour at best, to be charitable. But I give them credit for at least trying. They are, to a fault, deeply enthusiastic about their comics, and are dying to get them in front of people. For my part, I came back to my room last night with a good dozen small press pamphlets, plus a trade or two. And that doesn't count the trades/graphic novels I got from them, not to mention the serious publishers who passed stuff on to me. After one and a bit of days, I'm already another month down in regards to my review schedule. Woof.
Got to see and talk to some friends/faves yesterday as well. Had the chance to talk to Steve Lieber for a while, and watch him draw an absolutely stunning commission of an archer firing on horseback. The commission was just for an "archer," and as usual, Steve went the extra mile. Awesome. I also hooked up friends Matt and Joe with Steve's recent minis. Matt, Joe and I also spent a short time with friend and fine scribe Tom Spurgeon. Tom has likely forgotten more about comics and their history than most people will ever know. He's also up for an Eisner tonight for his excellent book about Stan Lee. Good luck, Tom!
Also got the chance to chat up Brett Warnock of Top Shelf, the crew at Devil's Due Publishing, and the swell guys at Viper Comics. Old pal Brian Joines was sharing a table with guys like Dan Wickline and Tone Rodriguez, and he was in his usual amusing form. Joines is a guy who is just waiting to bust out, and his story in the recent NOBLE CAUSES: EXTENDED FAMILY #2 was really quite good.
Sat in on the Godzilla panel, and it was a lot of fun. Chris Gore was on the panel, and as usual, he really livened it up. Gore has personality to spare, and he's not a dick about it, which is nice. I was going to stay for Richard Kelly of DONNIE DARKO fame, but I decided to roll through the floor one last time and call it an early day. Hunger and soreness were killing me, and Friday night is always a long one here in SD. Dinner at the Old Spaghetti Company probably tasted better than it actually was, but that's what hunger will do for you...
More tomorrow...
Marc
Thursday, July 22, 2004
SAN DIEGO: PREVIEW NIGHT
It could have been handled better.
Preview night is supposed to be three hours long. That means the fanboys are chomping to get in, sweating up a storm in line, and generally creating a ruckus. Particularly when the con organizers shave thirty minutes off the night for unknown reasons and don't start letting people in until 6pm.
D'oh!
So I made quick rounds of it. Hit the Khepri booth to say hello to friends. Rolled over to Fantagraphics to touch base with some pals. Hit IDW's booth to meet up with my MPS editor and friend Chris Ryall. Then I made a pass through some publisher booths to offer greetings to folks I know and haven't seen in a while like Tom Beland, Rob Osborne, Greg Rucka (whose wife Jen Van Meter and their adorable baby were with him), James Lucas Jones, and others. I also bumped into Matt Brady and picked up a panel assignment, so I'll be contributing to Newsarama for the first time.
Closed the night with drinks with friends Joe Rybandt and Matt Maxwell, and slept like a rock. I'm off to day one!
Marc
It could have been handled better.
Preview night is supposed to be three hours long. That means the fanboys are chomping to get in, sweating up a storm in line, and generally creating a ruckus. Particularly when the con organizers shave thirty minutes off the night for unknown reasons and don't start letting people in until 6pm.
D'oh!
So I made quick rounds of it. Hit the Khepri booth to say hello to friends. Rolled over to Fantagraphics to touch base with some pals. Hit IDW's booth to meet up with my MPS editor and friend Chris Ryall. Then I made a pass through some publisher booths to offer greetings to folks I know and haven't seen in a while like Tom Beland, Rob Osborne, Greg Rucka (whose wife Jen Van Meter and their adorable baby were with him), James Lucas Jones, and others. I also bumped into Matt Brady and picked up a panel assignment, so I'll be contributing to Newsarama for the first time.
Closed the night with drinks with friends Joe Rybandt and Matt Maxwell, and slept like a rock. I'm off to day one!
Marc
Monday, July 19, 2004
Cleverer people than me have written a shitload of things about EIGHTBALL #23.
Read their reviews. Debate their takes. But recognize that this is an incredible piece of comics literature, whether you approach it as a slap to the face of the modern superhero concept or as a stunning look at the pathology of a modern serial killer. It's great. Award-winning great. The lovely and talented folks at Fantagraphics have published it. Be brave and buy one.
Read their reviews. Debate their takes. But recognize that this is an incredible piece of comics literature, whether you approach it as a slap to the face of the modern superhero concept or as a stunning look at the pathology of a modern serial killer. It's great. Award-winning great. The lovely and talented folks at Fantagraphics have published it. Be brave and buy one.
Sunday, July 18, 2004
FAMILY REUNION
Written by Sean Stewart and Drawn by Steve Lieber
Ask for one from Steve Lieber
Some comics automatically make me happy, just by existing. Many of those comics are drawn by the great Steve Lieber.
Now, don’t get me wrong: I don’t believe that Lieber puts out genius level work every time he puts pencil to paper. Like many artists, he has his quirks, and (in my opinion) Steve’s biggest quirk is one of the stranger ones in the business.
Mason’s Law Of Lieber: The more Lieber is paid, and the more high profile the gig, and the more characters the story contains who wear costumes, the lesser the work from Steve. Jobs where there are no costumes and superpowers = Lieber at his best.
I swear to you: I know this sounds goofy, but compare Lieber’s work on something like WHITEOUT to his work on BATMAN. It doesn’t even look like the same guy. The throw in the fact that someone else is usually inking his stuff, and there’s a colorist getting in the mix, and it just looks like Lieber-lite.
Now that we have that out of the way, I can point to this charming little exercise as more proof of my theory. In this lovely mini-comic, Lieber gives us eight wonderfully drawn pages of just people. People like you see every day on the street or at the grocery. Oh, and some dead people, but even they look normal.
Adapting and promoting Sean Stewart’s new novel PERFECT CIRCLE, “Family Reunion” introduces the reader to William “Dead” Kennedy, a fellow with the unfortunate and somewhat unpleasant ability to see the dead, and those dead have some unfinished business. Plus, he’s unemployed, having lost his job at Petco for eating cat food. He isn’t exactly a lucky man.
This is a pretty slight eight pages, but we’re given enough of Dead’s background to make him interesting, and those family members we meet, living and dead, show some literary promise. I suspect that the novel will be quite good. But the real star here is Lieber; I put my mind to it, and I honestly couldn’t think of anyone else I would rather see illustrate a tale of this type and length. His ability to animate real, breathing people on the page is a thing of wonder, and you never get the sense of him working from model in any way, shape or form. They’re unique, from their clothes to their features, and you always feel like you know them.
Steve Lieber, without a doubt, is the one man I would want to draw my comics. Sean Stewart has both my admiration… and my jealousy. “Family Reunion” is definitely worth your dollar.
review materials may be sent to: Marc Mason, P.O. Box 26732, Tempe, AZ, 85285
Written by Sean Stewart and Drawn by Steve Lieber
Ask for one from Steve Lieber
Some comics automatically make me happy, just by existing. Many of those comics are drawn by the great Steve Lieber.
Now, don’t get me wrong: I don’t believe that Lieber puts out genius level work every time he puts pencil to paper. Like many artists, he has his quirks, and (in my opinion) Steve’s biggest quirk is one of the stranger ones in the business.
Mason’s Law Of Lieber: The more Lieber is paid, and the more high profile the gig, and the more characters the story contains who wear costumes, the lesser the work from Steve. Jobs where there are no costumes and superpowers = Lieber at his best.
I swear to you: I know this sounds goofy, but compare Lieber’s work on something like WHITEOUT to his work on BATMAN. It doesn’t even look like the same guy. The throw in the fact that someone else is usually inking his stuff, and there’s a colorist getting in the mix, and it just looks like Lieber-lite.
Now that we have that out of the way, I can point to this charming little exercise as more proof of my theory. In this lovely mini-comic, Lieber gives us eight wonderfully drawn pages of just people. People like you see every day on the street or at the grocery. Oh, and some dead people, but even they look normal.
Adapting and promoting Sean Stewart’s new novel PERFECT CIRCLE, “Family Reunion” introduces the reader to William “Dead” Kennedy, a fellow with the unfortunate and somewhat unpleasant ability to see the dead, and those dead have some unfinished business. Plus, he’s unemployed, having lost his job at Petco for eating cat food. He isn’t exactly a lucky man.
This is a pretty slight eight pages, but we’re given enough of Dead’s background to make him interesting, and those family members we meet, living and dead, show some literary promise. I suspect that the novel will be quite good. But the real star here is Lieber; I put my mind to it, and I honestly couldn’t think of anyone else I would rather see illustrate a tale of this type and length. His ability to animate real, breathing people on the page is a thing of wonder, and you never get the sense of him working from model in any way, shape or form. They’re unique, from their clothes to their features, and you always feel like you know them.
Steve Lieber, without a doubt, is the one man I would want to draw my comics. Sean Stewart has both my admiration… and my jealousy. “Family Reunion” is definitely worth your dollar.
review materials may be sent to: Marc Mason, P.O. Box 26732, Tempe, AZ, 85285
Friday, July 16, 2004
LIFESPAN: COMICS
07.16.04
Week Three... back into the swing after a wonderful long weekend with the family in the natural beauty of the Adirondacks. Dinner with the Doanes was a wonderful addition to the trip (I’ve met several online friends face-to-face and each has turned out to be exceptionally swell in real life. I’ve got a streak going!). Thanks again, Mr. Doane.
The stack is out of control this week, as you’ll see below. At this stage, reading becomes a real fucking chore, and with a trip to San Diego looming next week, I don’t anticipate working through the 2 and 1/2 feet of comics and books anytime soon. Also, there will be no Lifespan next week. Blame Comic-Con, not me…
Anyway, here's the stack as it stands today:
Captain America and the Falcon: Madbomb TPB (Kirby): Wasn’t gonna bother, but it’s become kind of a buzzbook around the ‘net and how can you really pass up manic, ‘70s Kirby? You can’t apparently.
2020 Visions Hardcover (Delano/Quitely/Pleece/Romberger/Pugh): I don’t recall reading the Vertigo iteration of this series, so it’s new to me! I like this format for the book, but we’ll see if it’s all worth the 30 bucks they’re asking.
The Comics Journal #261 (various): New Managing Editor Deppey is bringing more balance to the reviews, but I’d like to see some balance in the interviews as well.
Random Comics: -- I’ll break these out after reading -- Plastic Man #7; Gotham Central #’s20 and 21; Tom Strong #27; Swamp Thing #5; Challengers of the Unknown #2; DC Comics Presents: Batman and Mystery in Space; She-Hulk #5; District X #3; Justice League Elite #1; Losers #13; Hellblazer #197; The Authority: More Kev #2; Batman: Harley and Ivy #3; Doom Patrol #1; HERO #18; and Books of Magic: Life During Wartime #1.
The Ballad of Halo Jones Books One, Two and Three (Moore/Gibson): Mo movement, which surprises me, but as you see from what popped on and off (below), I put Eightball and Cole ahead of the existing stack. You would do the same, admit it.
The Collected Jack Kirby Collector Volume 2 (Morrow): No movement.
Stranger Than Fiction (Chuck Palahniuk): Kee-rist! This is becoming a lost cause, although there’s always the 6 hour plane ride next week to slog through it. I think I’ll give this away to a lucky reader when I finally finish rather than Half’ing it like I was going to. Exciting!
Exterminator 17 (Bilal/Dionnet)/Gods in Chaos (Bilal): No movement.
The Incal 1, 2 (Moebius/Jodorwsky): No movement – well, actually, I did read almost all of #1, but I want to finish it, start #2 and comment on them both (and I need to find #3 as well).
Found (Rothbart): No movement.
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind 1,2,3,4 (Miyazaki): No movement, and now both 5 and 6 are out! The first couple will probably travel with me for reading on the flight out West.
Chronicles of Conan 2, 3,4 (Thomas/Windsor-Smith/Kane/Buscema): No movement. Approaching lost cause status. Another contest? More Excitement!
The Moth #2,3 (Rude/Martin): No movement.
Here's what's leaving the stack this week, and where it's going:
Planetary Volume Three Hardcover (Ellis/Cassaday): A great read, re-remembered and re-visited thanks to this new collection, which will find a home on the shelf next to HC’s 1 and 2.
Loki #1 (Rodi/Ribic): Beautiful, but I don’t see that keeping my interest for however long this series may run.
This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.
Fused: Canned Heat (Niles/Lee/Rader/Templesmith): This really suffers from wildly inconsistent art (Out of the 3 artists over the 4 issues this trade collects, Templesmith is the most out-of-place with this material) and spotty writing. I like the high-concept though…
This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.
Human Target #11 (Milligan/Chiang): I’m back on track as this was a great issue on all counts, with a wonderful retro vide to Chiang’s layout.
This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.
Here’s what popped on the list, then jumped right off due to being quickly read (I love stuff that fits this category):
Raisin Pie #3 (Bordeaux/Altergott): I love the Altergott stuff and am coming around to the Bordeaux material, but her story suffers from the infrequent publication of this series, as it’s an unfolding and continuing piece.
This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.
The Classic Pin-Up Art of Jack Cole (Cole): A wonderful collection of beautifully illustrated pin-up work by Jack Cole. I’ll be seeking out those Playboy collections of his art. But, why isn’t this sized as a companion to the ward book FBI released last year, though? Why do I care?
This is headed to the bookshelf, to sit awkwardly next to the Ward book.
Eightball #23 (Clowes): I have never been a big Clowes fan, but this was a must-have and a must-read. It’s been analyzed to death by better pundits than I, but special thanks to Mr. Doane for opening my eyes as to one of the reasons for the over-sized format.
I don’t know where I’m putting this, but it’s a keeper.
Identity Crisis #2 (Metzer/Morales): Lots of talk about this one, huh, but I just find it mostly boring.
This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.
The Pulse #4 (Bendis/Bagley): I liked Alias a lot more than I like this.
This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.
The Punisher #9 (Ennis/Fernandez): Skimmed, enough with the IRA.
This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.
Spider-Man #4 (Millar/Dodson): Skimmed…
This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.
Marvel Knights: 4 #7 (Sacasa/McNiven): Wonderful art; Unnecessary, but innocuous, title.
This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.
Ultimate X-Men #49 (Vaughan/Peterson): Skimmed; Peterson looks to be rushing the art and this version of Sinister/Apocalypse is as inane as the original – dumb characters all around.
This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.
Captain America #29 (Kirkman/Eaton): Kirkman’s back to basics debut; We’ll see.
This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.
Y: The Last Man #24 (Vaughan/Guerra): Part one of a shorter arc that reads like all the other longer arcs… Get somewhere, please?
This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.
Catwoman #32 (Brubaker/Phillips/Gaudiano): A breather issue with a much-needed art fill-in… I’ve grown bored with this title, so we’ll see where the next arc heads.
This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.
Wildcats #23 (Casey/Rouleau): They’ve lost me with this Coda bullshit; bring back the boardroom!
This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.
Fables #27 (Willingham/Buckingham): I love everything about this comic. Looking forward to the start of a new arc next issue…
This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.
Here's what needs to go on the stack, but then the stack would be perilously tall:
Lone Wolf and Cub (Koike/Kojima): Still committed; still haven’t started. I’m going to take a bunch of these with me for the plane to get this ball rolling.
Palomar (Hernandez): Ditto. I’d love to take this with me as well, but it’s too damn big!
Joseph Rybandt has been working "professionally" in the comics "business" for close to 14 years. He lives in the mountains of Northern PA with his wife, daughter and companion Cosmo. His thoughts and opinions are, mercifully, his own.
07.16.04
Week Three... back into the swing after a wonderful long weekend with the family in the natural beauty of the Adirondacks. Dinner with the Doanes was a wonderful addition to the trip (I’ve met several online friends face-to-face and each has turned out to be exceptionally swell in real life. I’ve got a streak going!). Thanks again, Mr. Doane.
The stack is out of control this week, as you’ll see below. At this stage, reading becomes a real fucking chore, and with a trip to San Diego looming next week, I don’t anticipate working through the 2 and 1/2 feet of comics and books anytime soon. Also, there will be no Lifespan next week. Blame Comic-Con, not me…
Anyway, here's the stack as it stands today:
Captain America and the Falcon: Madbomb TPB (Kirby): Wasn’t gonna bother, but it’s become kind of a buzzbook around the ‘net and how can you really pass up manic, ‘70s Kirby? You can’t apparently.
2020 Visions Hardcover (Delano/Quitely/Pleece/Romberger/Pugh): I don’t recall reading the Vertigo iteration of this series, so it’s new to me! I like this format for the book, but we’ll see if it’s all worth the 30 bucks they’re asking.
The Comics Journal #261 (various): New Managing Editor Deppey is bringing more balance to the reviews, but I’d like to see some balance in the interviews as well.
Random Comics: -- I’ll break these out after reading -- Plastic Man #7; Gotham Central #’s20 and 21; Tom Strong #27; Swamp Thing #5; Challengers of the Unknown #2; DC Comics Presents: Batman and Mystery in Space; She-Hulk #5; District X #3; Justice League Elite #1; Losers #13; Hellblazer #197; The Authority: More Kev #2; Batman: Harley and Ivy #3; Doom Patrol #1; HERO #18; and Books of Magic: Life During Wartime #1.
The Ballad of Halo Jones Books One, Two and Three (Moore/Gibson): Mo movement, which surprises me, but as you see from what popped on and off (below), I put Eightball and Cole ahead of the existing stack. You would do the same, admit it.
The Collected Jack Kirby Collector Volume 2 (Morrow): No movement.
Stranger Than Fiction (Chuck Palahniuk): Kee-rist! This is becoming a lost cause, although there’s always the 6 hour plane ride next week to slog through it. I think I’ll give this away to a lucky reader when I finally finish rather than Half’ing it like I was going to. Exciting!
Exterminator 17 (Bilal/Dionnet)/Gods in Chaos (Bilal): No movement.
The Incal 1, 2 (Moebius/Jodorwsky): No movement – well, actually, I did read almost all of #1, but I want to finish it, start #2 and comment on them both (and I need to find #3 as well).
Found (Rothbart): No movement.
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind 1,2,3,4 (Miyazaki): No movement, and now both 5 and 6 are out! The first couple will probably travel with me for reading on the flight out West.
Chronicles of Conan 2, 3,4 (Thomas/Windsor-Smith/Kane/Buscema): No movement. Approaching lost cause status. Another contest? More Excitement!
The Moth #2,3 (Rude/Martin): No movement.
Here's what's leaving the stack this week, and where it's going:
Planetary Volume Three Hardcover (Ellis/Cassaday): A great read, re-remembered and re-visited thanks to this new collection, which will find a home on the shelf next to HC’s 1 and 2.
Loki #1 (Rodi/Ribic): Beautiful, but I don’t see that keeping my interest for however long this series may run.
This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.
Fused: Canned Heat (Niles/Lee/Rader/Templesmith): This really suffers from wildly inconsistent art (Out of the 3 artists over the 4 issues this trade collects, Templesmith is the most out-of-place with this material) and spotty writing. I like the high-concept though…
This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.
Human Target #11 (Milligan/Chiang): I’m back on track as this was a great issue on all counts, with a wonderful retro vide to Chiang’s layout.
This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.
Here’s what popped on the list, then jumped right off due to being quickly read (I love stuff that fits this category):
Raisin Pie #3 (Bordeaux/Altergott): I love the Altergott stuff and am coming around to the Bordeaux material, but her story suffers from the infrequent publication of this series, as it’s an unfolding and continuing piece.
This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.
The Classic Pin-Up Art of Jack Cole (Cole): A wonderful collection of beautifully illustrated pin-up work by Jack Cole. I’ll be seeking out those Playboy collections of his art. But, why isn’t this sized as a companion to the ward book FBI released last year, though? Why do I care?
This is headed to the bookshelf, to sit awkwardly next to the Ward book.
Eightball #23 (Clowes): I have never been a big Clowes fan, but this was a must-have and a must-read. It’s been analyzed to death by better pundits than I, but special thanks to Mr. Doane for opening my eyes as to one of the reasons for the over-sized format.
I don’t know where I’m putting this, but it’s a keeper.
Identity Crisis #2 (Metzer/Morales): Lots of talk about this one, huh, but I just find it mostly boring.
This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.
The Pulse #4 (Bendis/Bagley): I liked Alias a lot more than I like this.
This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.
The Punisher #9 (Ennis/Fernandez): Skimmed, enough with the IRA.
This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.
Spider-Man #4 (Millar/Dodson): Skimmed…
This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.
Marvel Knights: 4 #7 (Sacasa/McNiven): Wonderful art; Unnecessary, but innocuous, title.
This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.
Ultimate X-Men #49 (Vaughan/Peterson): Skimmed; Peterson looks to be rushing the art and this version of Sinister/Apocalypse is as inane as the original – dumb characters all around.
This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.
Captain America #29 (Kirkman/Eaton): Kirkman’s back to basics debut; We’ll see.
This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.
Y: The Last Man #24 (Vaughan/Guerra): Part one of a shorter arc that reads like all the other longer arcs… Get somewhere, please?
This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.
Catwoman #32 (Brubaker/Phillips/Gaudiano): A breather issue with a much-needed art fill-in… I’ve grown bored with this title, so we’ll see where the next arc heads.
This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.
Wildcats #23 (Casey/Rouleau): They’ve lost me with this Coda bullshit; bring back the boardroom!
This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.
Fables #27 (Willingham/Buckingham): I love everything about this comic. Looking forward to the start of a new arc next issue…
This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.
Here's what needs to go on the stack, but then the stack would be perilously tall:
Lone Wolf and Cub (Koike/Kojima): Still committed; still haven’t started. I’m going to take a bunch of these with me for the plane to get this ball rolling.
Palomar (Hernandez): Ditto. I’d love to take this with me as well, but it’s too damn big!
Joseph Rybandt has been working "professionally" in the comics "business" for close to 14 years. He lives in the mountains of Northern PA with his wife, daughter and companion Cosmo. His thoughts and opinions are, mercifully, his own.
Wednesday, July 14, 2004
SIDEKICKS BOOK 3: ATTACK OF THE MOLE MASTER
Published by Little, Brown
A couple of months ago in this very blog, I reviewed books one and two of this charming series of young adult novels aimed at the superhero crowd. The first two outings showed a nice flair for sly humor and an unusually clever intelligence in the dialogue and deconstruction of the genre, all while being a very straight forward coming of age story for young hero in training Speedy. I am pleased to report that book three is more of the same, and even better than the first two.
Authors Dan Danko and Tom Mason have a gift for planting their tongues firmly in their cheeks and going for broke when it comes to mapping out these adventures. Speedy, a/k/a Guy Martin, is still hung up on Prudence Cane, the prettiest girl in school, and she still only has eyes for Speedy's fellow sidekick, the slightly sleazy Charisma Kid. But the Mole Master attacks and kidnaps Prudence to be his Queen of Dirt, so it looks like Guy might have the chance to save her and finally get to make some time with her.
Of course, things never quite work out that way.
Other obstacles for Speedy include his cowardly and asinine superhero mentor Pumpkin Pete (who has all the powers of a pumpkin) and his fellow sidekicks, who hate his superhero name ("why not Speedy Lad?") and the way he verifies that he is actually at a meeting ("yeah" versus "here").
These novels have a spirit and sense of fun that can be sorely lacking in YA literature these days, not to mention lacking in comic books. SIDEKICKS is scheduled to run for six books, and there is a subtle meta-plot running through the books so far, though it isn't anything that would be too distracting to a first time reader. I'm looking forward to reading the rest and passing them on to my step kids. Grade: A-
review materials may be sent to: Marc Mason, p.o. box 26732, Tempe, AZ, 85285
Published by Little, Brown
A couple of months ago in this very blog, I reviewed books one and two of this charming series of young adult novels aimed at the superhero crowd. The first two outings showed a nice flair for sly humor and an unusually clever intelligence in the dialogue and deconstruction of the genre, all while being a very straight forward coming of age story for young hero in training Speedy. I am pleased to report that book three is more of the same, and even better than the first two.
Authors Dan Danko and Tom Mason have a gift for planting their tongues firmly in their cheeks and going for broke when it comes to mapping out these adventures. Speedy, a/k/a Guy Martin, is still hung up on Prudence Cane, the prettiest girl in school, and she still only has eyes for Speedy's fellow sidekick, the slightly sleazy Charisma Kid. But the Mole Master attacks and kidnaps Prudence to be his Queen of Dirt, so it looks like Guy might have the chance to save her and finally get to make some time with her.
Of course, things never quite work out that way.
Other obstacles for Speedy include his cowardly and asinine superhero mentor Pumpkin Pete (who has all the powers of a pumpkin) and his fellow sidekicks, who hate his superhero name ("why not Speedy Lad?") and the way he verifies that he is actually at a meeting ("yeah" versus "here").
These novels have a spirit and sense of fun that can be sorely lacking in YA literature these days, not to mention lacking in comic books. SIDEKICKS is scheduled to run for six books, and there is a subtle meta-plot running through the books so far, though it isn't anything that would be too distracting to a first time reader. I'm looking forward to reading the rest and passing them on to my step kids. Grade: A-
review materials may be sent to: Marc Mason, p.o. box 26732, Tempe, AZ, 85285
Thursday, July 08, 2004
LIFESPAN: COMICS
07.08.04
Here's the stack as it stands today:
Planetary Volume Three Hardcover (Ellis/Cassaday): The oldest issue in here dates back to 2001, so a re-read is definitely in order. This will be housed on the shelf, when done, next to Hardcover Volumes 1 and 2, and not in the basement where that "Crossing Worlds" collection lies in punishment for not being as good as the regular series.
Loki #1 (Rodi/Ribic): This looks nice, and I've never read anything by Rodi (that I can remember), so #1 gets a shot.
Fused: Canned Heat (Niles/Lee/Rader/Templesmith): This has a foil cover... that's funny to me, how about you? Never read the series, we'll see.
The Ballad of Halo Jones Books One, Two and Three (Moore/Gibson): These are the Titan Editions from the '80s. These will probably get read this week.
The Collected Jack Kirby Collector Volume 2 (Morrow): I generally like the TwoMorrows stuff, although I have never read an issue of the Kirby Collector Magazine, so we'll see where this falls. It'll probably stay on the stack for several months unless I pick it up and find an immediate groove.
Stranger Than Fiction (Chuck Palahniuk): This is really a chore, which I'm surprised by, since I like his fiction so much. I’m toughing it out, but have already started skipping stories.
Exterminator 17 (Bilal/Dionnet)/Gods in Chaos (Bilal): No movement.
The Incal 1, 2 (Moebius/Jodorwsky): No movement.
Found (Rothbart): No movement (though this gets picked up and flipped through often).
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind 1,2,3,4 (Miyazaki): No movement, and five is out this week (need to pick it up), so I should probably get started on these, huh?
Chronicles of Conan 2, 3,4 (Thomas/Windsor-Smith/Kane/Buscema): No movement.
The Moth #2,3 (Rude/Martin): No movement. At this point, I'd probably need to re-read #1 and the Special, which doesn't fill me with joy, or make these any more appealing to move off the stack.
Human Target #11 (Milligan/Chiang): No movement.
Here's what's leaving the stack this week, and where it's going:
Hench (Beechen/Bello): If you don’t have anything nice to say (particularly with this publisher), don’t say it all, right?
Sure. One thing though: if you're going to insert artistic homage to recognizable artists like Steranko, Kirby, etc., at least try to work in their style.
This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.
The Gray Area (Brunswick/Romita Jr.): After Paul Smith, JRJR is my favorite-X-Men artist, because he was THE guy when I was buying Uncanny from the Wheaton Pharmacy as an awkward youth. He's a solid, interesting, and fantastic comic book artist. This needs a new scripter though.
This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.
Vampirella: Crimson Chronicles 1 (Various): Love it. Wish it was a little cheaper ($14.95 would be better, but I understand why they went out at $20) and had more in it (it really gets rolling in the last quarter when Goodwin's stories appear). I'll be all over Volume 2. Now, someone needs to do the same for Creepy and Eerie (only there, I’d do Best Of’s and not chronological collections).
This is heading to the basement, but to the bookshelf I keep down there for overflow.
Sword of Dracula 1-4 (Henderson/Scott/Belk): Liked #’s 1 and 2 a lot, and then the artist changed with #3 and the story went south on me. It's a 6 issue thing, so if #’s 5 and 6 find their way to me, I'll finish it out, but so far, the "promise" of 1 and 2 are negated by the execution and decline of 3 and 4. I would check out other stuff from (writer) Henderson though.
This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.
1963 #'s 1, 2, 4,5 (Moore/Various): Great (dark) fun, and like “real” silver or bronze age comics, the ads and editorial pages are worth the price alone. I wish the Essentials and Archives and all such reprints would reprint the original ads… never happen, but still.
Back down to the keep stacks in the basement.
Lucifer #51 (Carey/Gross): Part 1 of a four part arc; lovely art by Peter Gross; interesting story by Carey. I’m back on board.
This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.
Seaguy #2 (Morrison/Stewart): I liked this a lot more than #1, and was buoyed by that PopImage Morrison article where he talks about doing more Seaguy; still would have preferred the originally-planned OGN format (happy, Matt?).
Back to the basement until issue three comes out, then to the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.
X-Statix #24 (Milligan/Allred): It’s like every other issue is entertaining, and this was that “other” issue; I liked it. Won’t miss it when it’s cancelled though, as I think it’s said all it has to say over the last, what, three or four years?
This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.
Sleeper Season Two #1 (Brubaker/Phillips): Excellent stuff. Everyone should be reading this; Better reviewers than I have told you so.
This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.
Infiltration #22: Fun stuff, always an enjoyable read.
This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.
Here’s what popped on the list, then jumped right off due to being quickly read (I love stuff that fits this category:
Powers #1 (Bendis/Oeming): I was late to Powers (and Bendis in general) and disliked Who Killed Retro-girl immensely upon first read. I revisited the series with a chunk of the trades last year, and found myself really liking it.
This? This is too early in the new arc to tell, but it’ll probably end up, overall, an enjoyable read. The personals at the end though? They gotta go; I’m embarrassed for those people.
This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.
Ultimate Spider-Man #62 (Bendis/Bagley): I skim this every month, not my thing.
This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.
Supreme Power (Straczynki/Frank): If it were me? I’d go back to the original Squadron mini and have Gary Frank re-draw it (and add all the gratuitous nudity), but leave the Gruenwald plot and script completely in tact… because that series RAWKED! This series, not so much (it’s been 11 issues, has anything REALLY happened?)…
This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.
Fantastic Four #515 (Waid/Kesel/Medina): When did Kesel become co-writer? And did Medina draw that last issue? These developments surprised me when I was flipping through (maybe I missed the last issue). Anyway, Waid writes a great FF, but this arc isn’t doing it for me.
This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.
Here's what needs to go on the stack, but then the stack would be perilously tall:
Lone Wolf and Cub (Koike/Kojima): Still committed; still haven’t started.
Palomar (Hernandez): Ditto
Joseph Rybandt has been working "professionally" in the comics "business" for close to 14 years. He lives in the mountains of Northern PA with his wife, daughter and companion Cosmo. His thoughts and opinions are, mercifully, his own.
07.08.04
Here's the stack as it stands today:
Planetary Volume Three Hardcover (Ellis/Cassaday): The oldest issue in here dates back to 2001, so a re-read is definitely in order. This will be housed on the shelf, when done, next to Hardcover Volumes 1 and 2, and not in the basement where that "Crossing Worlds" collection lies in punishment for not being as good as the regular series.
Loki #1 (Rodi/Ribic): This looks nice, and I've never read anything by Rodi (that I can remember), so #1 gets a shot.
Fused: Canned Heat (Niles/Lee/Rader/Templesmith): This has a foil cover... that's funny to me, how about you? Never read the series, we'll see.
The Ballad of Halo Jones Books One, Two and Three (Moore/Gibson): These are the Titan Editions from the '80s. These will probably get read this week.
The Collected Jack Kirby Collector Volume 2 (Morrow): I generally like the TwoMorrows stuff, although I have never read an issue of the Kirby Collector Magazine, so we'll see where this falls. It'll probably stay on the stack for several months unless I pick it up and find an immediate groove.
Stranger Than Fiction (Chuck Palahniuk): This is really a chore, which I'm surprised by, since I like his fiction so much. I’m toughing it out, but have already started skipping stories.
Exterminator 17 (Bilal/Dionnet)/Gods in Chaos (Bilal): No movement.
The Incal 1, 2 (Moebius/Jodorwsky): No movement.
Found (Rothbart): No movement (though this gets picked up and flipped through often).
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind 1,2,3,4 (Miyazaki): No movement, and five is out this week (need to pick it up), so I should probably get started on these, huh?
Chronicles of Conan 2, 3,4 (Thomas/Windsor-Smith/Kane/Buscema): No movement.
The Moth #2,3 (Rude/Martin): No movement. At this point, I'd probably need to re-read #1 and the Special, which doesn't fill me with joy, or make these any more appealing to move off the stack.
Human Target #11 (Milligan/Chiang): No movement.
Here's what's leaving the stack this week, and where it's going:
Hench (Beechen/Bello): If you don’t have anything nice to say (particularly with this publisher), don’t say it all, right?
Sure. One thing though: if you're going to insert artistic homage to recognizable artists like Steranko, Kirby, etc., at least try to work in their style.
This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.
The Gray Area (Brunswick/Romita Jr.): After Paul Smith, JRJR is my favorite-X-Men artist, because he was THE guy when I was buying Uncanny from the Wheaton Pharmacy as an awkward youth. He's a solid, interesting, and fantastic comic book artist. This needs a new scripter though.
This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.
Vampirella: Crimson Chronicles 1 (Various): Love it. Wish it was a little cheaper ($14.95 would be better, but I understand why they went out at $20) and had more in it (it really gets rolling in the last quarter when Goodwin's stories appear). I'll be all over Volume 2. Now, someone needs to do the same for Creepy and Eerie (only there, I’d do Best Of’s and not chronological collections).
This is heading to the basement, but to the bookshelf I keep down there for overflow.
Sword of Dracula 1-4 (Henderson/Scott/Belk): Liked #’s 1 and 2 a lot, and then the artist changed with #3 and the story went south on me. It's a 6 issue thing, so if #’s 5 and 6 find their way to me, I'll finish it out, but so far, the "promise" of 1 and 2 are negated by the execution and decline of 3 and 4. I would check out other stuff from (writer) Henderson though.
This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.
1963 #'s 1, 2, 4,5 (Moore/Various): Great (dark) fun, and like “real” silver or bronze age comics, the ads and editorial pages are worth the price alone. I wish the Essentials and Archives and all such reprints would reprint the original ads… never happen, but still.
Back down to the keep stacks in the basement.
Lucifer #51 (Carey/Gross): Part 1 of a four part arc; lovely art by Peter Gross; interesting story by Carey. I’m back on board.
This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.
Seaguy #2 (Morrison/Stewart): I liked this a lot more than #1, and was buoyed by that PopImage Morrison article where he talks about doing more Seaguy; still would have preferred the originally-planned OGN format (happy, Matt?).
Back to the basement until issue three comes out, then to the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.
X-Statix #24 (Milligan/Allred): It’s like every other issue is entertaining, and this was that “other” issue; I liked it. Won’t miss it when it’s cancelled though, as I think it’s said all it has to say over the last, what, three or four years?
This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.
Sleeper Season Two #1 (Brubaker/Phillips): Excellent stuff. Everyone should be reading this; Better reviewers than I have told you so.
This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.
Infiltration #22: Fun stuff, always an enjoyable read.
This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.
Here’s what popped on the list, then jumped right off due to being quickly read (I love stuff that fits this category:
Powers #1 (Bendis/Oeming): I was late to Powers (and Bendis in general) and disliked Who Killed Retro-girl immensely upon first read. I revisited the series with a chunk of the trades last year, and found myself really liking it.
This? This is too early in the new arc to tell, but it’ll probably end up, overall, an enjoyable read. The personals at the end though? They gotta go; I’m embarrassed for those people.
This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.
Ultimate Spider-Man #62 (Bendis/Bagley): I skim this every month, not my thing.
This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.
Supreme Power (Straczynki/Frank): If it were me? I’d go back to the original Squadron mini and have Gary Frank re-draw it (and add all the gratuitous nudity), but leave the Gruenwald plot and script completely in tact… because that series RAWKED! This series, not so much (it’s been 11 issues, has anything REALLY happened?)…
This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.
Fantastic Four #515 (Waid/Kesel/Medina): When did Kesel become co-writer? And did Medina draw that last issue? These developments surprised me when I was flipping through (maybe I missed the last issue). Anyway, Waid writes a great FF, but this arc isn’t doing it for me.
This is heading to the basement, amid the stacks of stuff to get rid of, somehow... someday.
Here's what needs to go on the stack, but then the stack would be perilously tall:
Lone Wolf and Cub (Koike/Kojima): Still committed; still haven’t started.
Palomar (Hernandez): Ditto
Joseph Rybandt has been working "professionally" in the comics "business" for close to 14 years. He lives in the mountains of Northern PA with his wife, daughter and companion Cosmo. His thoughts and opinions are, mercifully, his own.
Saturday, July 03, 2004
STREET ANGEL DOS
I have a theory.
I've been writing on pop culture for a long time now, even some academic papers, and it seems to me that all really standout pop has at least one thing in common: it has an extended arm and a raised middle finger pointed squarely at other boring or just flat bad pop culture.
It's a very, very good theory. Think about it. Think about films like DEEP BLUE SEA, for instance. Not only did it have an almost laughably dumb premise (super smart sharks), but it only had one "name" actor in the cast (Samuel L. Jackson). And at the very moment that Jackson's character is giving the standard "If we all stick together, we'll survive" speech, a shark breaks the water and swallows Jackson whole, leaving the viewer laughing his fool head off and applauding. Not only did the film flip the bird to a very bad cliche, but it also gave a winking nod to the concept of "jumping the shark." Other moments of "fuck you" raised along the way, and that made DEEP BLUE SEA an immensely entertaining B-movie.
I want pop culture to give me the finger. I want as much pop as possible to rise above its roots and strive to be something better. I want it to challenge me to pay attention, I want it to stir my brain, and I want the people who are making it to just give a shit.
STREET ANGEL #2 came in my mailbox, I brought it home, and it immediately flipped off the stack of comics I had sitting on my bookcase. It even used both fingers.
I reviewed issue one in my MoviePoopShoot column a couple of weeks before it came out. It was an exhilarating breath of fresh air, a piece of such perfect pop that I worried that the creators would not be able to sustain their momentum. Thankfully, I had nothing to worry about.
The brilliant creative team of Jim Rugg and Brian Maruca have let loose another blast of brilliance upon the comics scene. Incan pirates from the past and an Irish astronaut from the future are dragged through a time warp and land in Jesse Sanchez' Angel City. Their landing gets the local ninjas involved as well, and a melee ensues.
At every step, the plot of this book is so insane that you can't help but giggle and snicker with glee. Plus you get beautiful gags like the ninja house having an alarm designed specially to go off if pirates show up...
Like I said: a brilliant giving of the finger moment.
STREET ANGEL is so good that it's almost scary. Both issues have become instant classics, and it is my sincerest wish that Rugg and Maruca are able to keep up the quality of the book without jumping the shark.
Of course, reading that, they're probably flipping me off.
Marc Mason
P.O. Box 26732
Tempe, AZ 85285
Marc@MarcMason.com
I have a theory.
I've been writing on pop culture for a long time now, even some academic papers, and it seems to me that all really standout pop has at least one thing in common: it has an extended arm and a raised middle finger pointed squarely at other boring or just flat bad pop culture.
It's a very, very good theory. Think about it. Think about films like DEEP BLUE SEA, for instance. Not only did it have an almost laughably dumb premise (super smart sharks), but it only had one "name" actor in the cast (Samuel L. Jackson). And at the very moment that Jackson's character is giving the standard "If we all stick together, we'll survive" speech, a shark breaks the water and swallows Jackson whole, leaving the viewer laughing his fool head off and applauding. Not only did the film flip the bird to a very bad cliche, but it also gave a winking nod to the concept of "jumping the shark." Other moments of "fuck you" raised along the way, and that made DEEP BLUE SEA an immensely entertaining B-movie.
I want pop culture to give me the finger. I want as much pop as possible to rise above its roots and strive to be something better. I want it to challenge me to pay attention, I want it to stir my brain, and I want the people who are making it to just give a shit.
STREET ANGEL #2 came in my mailbox, I brought it home, and it immediately flipped off the stack of comics I had sitting on my bookcase. It even used both fingers.
I reviewed issue one in my MoviePoopShoot column a couple of weeks before it came out. It was an exhilarating breath of fresh air, a piece of such perfect pop that I worried that the creators would not be able to sustain their momentum. Thankfully, I had nothing to worry about.
The brilliant creative team of Jim Rugg and Brian Maruca have let loose another blast of brilliance upon the comics scene. Incan pirates from the past and an Irish astronaut from the future are dragged through a time warp and land in Jesse Sanchez' Angel City. Their landing gets the local ninjas involved as well, and a melee ensues.
At every step, the plot of this book is so insane that you can't help but giggle and snicker with glee. Plus you get beautiful gags like the ninja house having an alarm designed specially to go off if pirates show up...
Like I said: a brilliant giving of the finger moment.
STREET ANGEL is so good that it's almost scary. Both issues have become instant classics, and it is my sincerest wish that Rugg and Maruca are able to keep up the quality of the book without jumping the shark.
Of course, reading that, they're probably flipping me off.
Marc Mason
P.O. Box 26732
Tempe, AZ 85285
Marc@MarcMason.com
Friday, July 02, 2004
LIFESPAN: COMICS
07.02.04
Here's the deal, each and every week, new comics enter my home (in a variety of forms, from a variety of sources) and make their way onto my reading pile (which is detailed below). Some stay on the pile longer than others, and the purpose here is to track them through to their ultimate end. It's an experiment and you're a part of it! Lucky you...
Here's the stack as it stands today (and bear with me as I figure out how this is going to work every week; also note I'm a "stream-of-consciousness/print-the-first-draft" kind of writer/guy):
Stranger Than Fiction (Chuck Palahniuk): I'm trying to work through my backlog of non-comics (just finished the new Sedaris - good, but I like his old stuff better, just like John Byrne ;) This will be put back into the marketplace when I finish it; not a keeper as of this writing.
Exterminator 17 (Bilal/Dionnet)/ Gods in Chaos (Bilal): These have been on the pile for quite a while, you have to be in the mood for European scifi, and I haven't been in that mood recently (these are the Catalan Editions).
The Incal 1, 2 (Moebius/Jodorwsky): These are the Epic Editions, and I've read through the Humanoids stuff and wanted to compare; haven't done so yet; see above regarding mood.
Found (Rothbart): A collection of the excellent Found Magazine. This will stay on the pile for quite a bit, as it's not something I would ever choose to read straight through. Great stuff, though.
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind 1,2,3,4 (Miyazaki): These are the new editions from Viz, and I'm working up to them; my kid loves his films.
Chronicles of Conan 2, 3,4 (Thomas/Windsor-Smith/Kane/Buscema): I don't like the re-coloring, that's for sure (same deal with the DC/Adams/Batman Hardcovers), and that's not keeping me from slogging through these, but incredible apathy sure is. Maybe I should just pick up a bunch of Howard's paperbacks?
Vampirella: Crimson Chronicles 1 (Various): Looking forward to this, actually, as it's all the old Warren Vampi stuff, and I like 60s/70s B&W Horror (last year, I picked up a ton of Eerie's and Creepy's and read them straight through; loved every minute of it)
Sword of Dracula 1-4 (Henderson/Scott/Belk): Just curious...
1963 #'s 1, 2, 4,5 (Moore/Various): Haven't read these in awhile, and picked them up (again, I know I have copies in a box in the basement somewhere); sucks that I don't have #3 in this stack, but I'm pretty sure I'll live.
The Moth #2,3 (Rude/Martin): I want to like this, or at least tolerate it, but reading the special and skimming #1 doesn't appear that's going to become reality.
X-Statix #24 (Milligan/Allred): I've been skimming these, I lost interest quite a ways back, and it's almost all done anyway.
Sleeper Season Two #1 (Brubaker/Phillips): Liked the previous "season" and see no reason why I won't like this.
Human Target #11 (Milligan/Chiang): This lost its way for me; I picked it up last night and thought "that's a whole lot of reading I'm not in the mood for."
Lucifer #51 (Carey/Gross): Ditto.
Seaguy #2 (Morrison/Stewart): We'll see at the end of #3, but it's not looking good (actually, it looks great, but overall, I'm not enthused by Mr. Morrison's mad ideas anymore).
Infiltration #22: A zine about being in places you're not supposed to be; I've lived this.
Here's what's leaving the stack this week, and where it's going:
Bannock, Beans and Black Rice: Just finished this; quick, good read, wonderful illustrations/design and heading to the bookshelf with my other Seth stuff (It's a Good Life... is one of my favorite comics ever).
FF Visionaries: John Byrne 1 and 2 (duh!): I received 2 recently, and took them both with me this week to re-read. I did a lot of skimming, and set them back on the self upon my return. Make of that what you will
Neal Adam's Batman Hardcover 2 (duh!!): This went straight to the shelf, and it's one of those things I'm not sure why I have as I'm not sure when I'll ever sit down with it (more on this in future installments); I hate the re-coloring; these could be on newsprint (with the ads!) and I'd be much happier and more likely to re-read).
Here's what needs to go on the stack, but then the stack would be perilously tall:
Lone Wolf and Cub (Koike/Kojima): I'm committed to reading the whole thing at some point this summer; haven't started yet)
Palomar (Hernandez): This will be a second reading of the material, but the size isn't conducive to travel, and as you see from the current stack, there's lots of other (admittedly lesser) material hogging my time.
Joseph Rybandt has been working "professionally" in the comics "business" for close to 14 years. He lives in the mountains of Northern PA with his wife, daughter and companion Cosmo. His thoughts and opinions are, mercifully, his own.
07.02.04
Here's the deal, each and every week, new comics enter my home (in a variety of forms, from a variety of sources) and make their way onto my reading pile (which is detailed below). Some stay on the pile longer than others, and the purpose here is to track them through to their ultimate end. It's an experiment and you're a part of it! Lucky you...
Here's the stack as it stands today (and bear with me as I figure out how this is going to work every week; also note I'm a "stream-of-consciousness/print-the-first-draft" kind of writer/guy):
Stranger Than Fiction (Chuck Palahniuk): I'm trying to work through my backlog of non-comics (just finished the new Sedaris - good, but I like his old stuff better, just like John Byrne ;) This will be put back into the marketplace when I finish it; not a keeper as of this writing.
Exterminator 17 (Bilal/Dionnet)/ Gods in Chaos (Bilal): These have been on the pile for quite a while, you have to be in the mood for European scifi, and I haven't been in that mood recently (these are the Catalan Editions).
The Incal 1, 2 (Moebius/Jodorwsky): These are the Epic Editions, and I've read through the Humanoids stuff and wanted to compare; haven't done so yet; see above regarding mood.
Found (Rothbart): A collection of the excellent Found Magazine. This will stay on the pile for quite a bit, as it's not something I would ever choose to read straight through. Great stuff, though.
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind 1,2,3,4 (Miyazaki): These are the new editions from Viz, and I'm working up to them; my kid loves his films.
Chronicles of Conan 2, 3,4 (Thomas/Windsor-Smith/Kane/Buscema): I don't like the re-coloring, that's for sure (same deal with the DC/Adams/Batman Hardcovers), and that's not keeping me from slogging through these, but incredible apathy sure is. Maybe I should just pick up a bunch of Howard's paperbacks?
Vampirella: Crimson Chronicles 1 (Various): Looking forward to this, actually, as it's all the old Warren Vampi stuff, and I like 60s/70s B&W Horror (last year, I picked up a ton of Eerie's and Creepy's and read them straight through; loved every minute of it)
Sword of Dracula 1-4 (Henderson/Scott/Belk): Just curious...
1963 #'s 1, 2, 4,5 (Moore/Various): Haven't read these in awhile, and picked them up (again, I know I have copies in a box in the basement somewhere); sucks that I don't have #3 in this stack, but I'm pretty sure I'll live.
The Moth #2,3 (Rude/Martin): I want to like this, or at least tolerate it, but reading the special and skimming #1 doesn't appear that's going to become reality.
X-Statix #24 (Milligan/Allred): I've been skimming these, I lost interest quite a ways back, and it's almost all done anyway.
Sleeper Season Two #1 (Brubaker/Phillips): Liked the previous "season" and see no reason why I won't like this.
Human Target #11 (Milligan/Chiang): This lost its way for me; I picked it up last night and thought "that's a whole lot of reading I'm not in the mood for."
Lucifer #51 (Carey/Gross): Ditto.
Seaguy #2 (Morrison/Stewart): We'll see at the end of #3, but it's not looking good (actually, it looks great, but overall, I'm not enthused by Mr. Morrison's mad ideas anymore).
Infiltration #22: A zine about being in places you're not supposed to be; I've lived this.
Here's what's leaving the stack this week, and where it's going:
Bannock, Beans and Black Rice: Just finished this; quick, good read, wonderful illustrations/design and heading to the bookshelf with my other Seth stuff (It's a Good Life... is one of my favorite comics ever).
FF Visionaries: John Byrne 1 and 2 (duh!): I received 2 recently, and took them both with me this week to re-read. I did a lot of skimming, and set them back on the self upon my return. Make of that what you will
Neal Adam's Batman Hardcover 2 (duh!!): This went straight to the shelf, and it's one of those things I'm not sure why I have as I'm not sure when I'll ever sit down with it (more on this in future installments); I hate the re-coloring; these could be on newsprint (with the ads!) and I'd be much happier and more likely to re-read).
Here's what needs to go on the stack, but then the stack would be perilously tall:
Lone Wolf and Cub (Koike/Kojima): I'm committed to reading the whole thing at some point this summer; haven't started yet)
Palomar (Hernandez): This will be a second reading of the material, but the size isn't conducive to travel, and as you see from the current stack, there's lots of other (admittedly lesser) material hogging my time.
Joseph Rybandt has been working "professionally" in the comics "business" for close to 14 years. He lives in the mountains of Northern PA with his wife, daughter and companion Cosmo. His thoughts and opinions are, mercifully, his own.
Tuesday, June 15, 2004
BLAST FROM THE PAST
As something of a Kyle Baker fanboy, it has always stuck in my craw a bit that I have not been able to turn up a copy of his unusual collaboration with rapper KRS-One, "Break The Chain." However, thanks to the generousity of the excellent Ed Cunard I finally have one. And boy, is it a treat.
Well, sort of. Truth be told, "Break The Chain" is far from Baker's greatest work, but its heart is in the right place. Based on KRS' music, the comic tells the story of a rapper named Big Joe Krash and his efforts to educate the young African-American kids in his neighborhood about who they really are. To Joe, an educated and caring man, the kids are almost disrespectful to their background. They've heard the names Malcolm X, Nat Turner, and Harriet Tubman and know that they were important, but the kids haven't taken the extra step to understand who they were.
Indeed, education is the primary theme of the book, as Krash (KRS One's alter-ego) strives to make the kids understand that it isn't enough to just scratch the surface and let the mind waste. Instead, he wants the kids to realize that only by learning about what it means to be Black in America will they ever be able to lift themselves up and carry themselves with pride. Krash preaches that there is a pride to being African-American, but that pride must be earned and respected.
"Break The Chain" gets more than just a little preachy, and at times, the discourse and dialogue slips awfully close to the "After School Special" level, but that's entirely forgiveable in this case. That's because Baker and KRS One are attempting to make one of the most important points possible that they can hope to get across to their audience. I don't know if this sold well when it came out, but I can guarantee you that each of those sales was a step in the right direction for a great many young people. This is one of the better "message" comic books 've ever read.
Marc@MarcMason.com
As something of a Kyle Baker fanboy, it has always stuck in my craw a bit that I have not been able to turn up a copy of his unusual collaboration with rapper KRS-One, "Break The Chain." However, thanks to the generousity of the excellent Ed Cunard I finally have one. And boy, is it a treat.
Well, sort of. Truth be told, "Break The Chain" is far from Baker's greatest work, but its heart is in the right place. Based on KRS' music, the comic tells the story of a rapper named Big Joe Krash and his efforts to educate the young African-American kids in his neighborhood about who they really are. To Joe, an educated and caring man, the kids are almost disrespectful to their background. They've heard the names Malcolm X, Nat Turner, and Harriet Tubman and know that they were important, but the kids haven't taken the extra step to understand who they were.
Indeed, education is the primary theme of the book, as Krash (KRS One's alter-ego) strives to make the kids understand that it isn't enough to just scratch the surface and let the mind waste. Instead, he wants the kids to realize that only by learning about what it means to be Black in America will they ever be able to lift themselves up and carry themselves with pride. Krash preaches that there is a pride to being African-American, but that pride must be earned and respected.
"Break The Chain" gets more than just a little preachy, and at times, the discourse and dialogue slips awfully close to the "After School Special" level, but that's entirely forgiveable in this case. That's because Baker and KRS One are attempting to make one of the most important points possible that they can hope to get across to their audience. I don't know if this sold well when it came out, but I can guarantee you that each of those sales was a step in the right direction for a great many young people. This is one of the better "message" comic books 've ever read.
Marc@MarcMason.com
Wednesday, June 02, 2004
SOLICITATIONS I’D LIKE TO SEE:
AVATAR PRESS PROUDLY PRESENTS:
WARREN ELLIS’ STRANGE ASS-EELS #1
Written by Warren Ellis, Drawn by Jacen Burrows
Clench your cheeks tight!
Avatar is pleased to present the latest horror from British scribe Ellis’ frightening imagination. Mage/maniac William Gravel is back and facing the deadliest creatures he’s ever encountered. These foul, murdering shit sniffers are on the loose in Southend’s most decrepit pub, burrowing their way into the rectums of unsuspecting drunkards. It will take all of Gravel’s wits, skills, and tolerance for Red Bull, to survive!
Cover by Juan Jose Ryp. Alternate cover (pictured in Adult supplement) by John McCrea
AVATAR PRESS PROUDLY PRESENTS:
WARREN ELLIS’ STRANGE ASS-EELS #1
Written by Warren Ellis, Drawn by Jacen Burrows
Clench your cheeks tight!
Avatar is pleased to present the latest horror from British scribe Ellis’ frightening imagination. Mage/maniac William Gravel is back and facing the deadliest creatures he’s ever encountered. These foul, murdering shit sniffers are on the loose in Southend’s most decrepit pub, burrowing their way into the rectums of unsuspecting drunkards. It will take all of Gravel’s wits, skills, and tolerance for Red Bull, to survive!
Cover by Juan Jose Ryp. Alternate cover (pictured in Adult supplement) by John McCrea
Monday, May 31, 2004
HUGE COMICS NEWS
After DC Comics announced at the Bristol Con this weekend that Dave Gibbons had just signed an exclusive agreement with the company set to last two years, DC and Marvel made a stunning joint announcement: that would be the last exclusive agreement either company would offer a creator.
Paul Levitz explained, "We've take a long look at the concept of exclusivity and realized that no one really cares. For years, DC and Marvel have battled one another for the exclusive rights to the work of a creator, constantly seeking any and all PR advantages we can find in the marketplace. However, market research shows that only the lowest common denominator of fan truly cares which companies have exclusives with whom."
"Throw in the fact," Marvel EIC Joe Quesada added, "that thanks to scheduling and loopholes for small company work, no one but Brian Bendis is actually exclusive to anyone, and the idea just became pointless."
Fans and press were a-twitter at the end of one of the all-time stupid ideas, wondering where DC and Marvel would battle next. Persistent reports that Quesada was proposing a dick measuring contest between each company's staff were running rampant, bit no confirmation of "DC/MARVEL: THE RULES OF MEASUREMENT" was forthcoming.
Further details as the Waiting Room staff gathers them.
Marc@MarcMason.com
After DC Comics announced at the Bristol Con this weekend that Dave Gibbons had just signed an exclusive agreement with the company set to last two years, DC and Marvel made a stunning joint announcement: that would be the last exclusive agreement either company would offer a creator.
Paul Levitz explained, "We've take a long look at the concept of exclusivity and realized that no one really cares. For years, DC and Marvel have battled one another for the exclusive rights to the work of a creator, constantly seeking any and all PR advantages we can find in the marketplace. However, market research shows that only the lowest common denominator of fan truly cares which companies have exclusives with whom."
"Throw in the fact," Marvel EIC Joe Quesada added, "that thanks to scheduling and loopholes for small company work, no one but Brian Bendis is actually exclusive to anyone, and the idea just became pointless."
Fans and press were a-twitter at the end of one of the all-time stupid ideas, wondering where DC and Marvel would battle next. Persistent reports that Quesada was proposing a dick measuring contest between each company's staff were running rampant, bit no confirmation of "DC/MARVEL: THE RULES OF MEASUREMENT" was forthcoming.
Further details as the Waiting Room staff gathers them.
Marc@MarcMason.com
Tuesday, May 11, 2004
Just Like Opinions, Everyone Has One
Assholes. We’re all assholes. Me, you, the guy in front of you buying the latest issue of ROBIN. Even Larry Young is an asshole. And that’s exactly the point of his latest graphic novel.
PLANET OF THE CAPES
Written by Larry Young and Drawn by Brandon McKinney
Published by AiT/Planetlar
PLANET is young’s first, and a good bet, last foray into the world of superheroes. Sort of. Because, while on the surface, this is a story about superpowered folks, below that surface, that is a lie quickly exposed. PLANET OF THE CAPES is a graphic novel about the comics industry’s reliance on superheroes, the destructive power of that reliance, and why that reliance makes us all assholes.
Young noted before the book was published that the characters were really stand-ins for various parts of the industry, so with that in mind, here’s how I interpret the book. Your mileage may vary, of course, but I feel pretty good about my take.
The Grand (Marvel Comics) is a powerful, pompous, overbearing dick consumed with his own importance. Justice Hall (DC Comics) is the latest descendent of a long line of heroes. Too serious to a fault, he’s concerned with maintaining the status quo and making sure everyone looks good and does the right thing. Kastra (Indy/alt comics) is a cute little pixie of a heroine, powerful, but also the bearer of questionable judgment. She’s not above flirting or seducing in order to raise her profile. Her father, Schaff (a grotesque melding of fanboys and retailers, perhaps best named as “the direct market”) is a mindless hulking beast that leaves destruction in its wake while only wanting to have fun. Almost completely brain dead and running on instinct, he’s in his own way the most heroic of the team, but he’s continually guided in wrong directions by the others.
Beware, I’m going to somewhat spoil the plot as I go.
Anyway, thanks to a strange accident, the heroes find themselves transported to a different Earth, our Earth, a planet where there are no superheroes. (Amusingly, they’re immediately rescued by pastiches of Reed Richards, Sue Richards, Johnny Storm, and Ben Grimm.) Faced with a real world that thinks they’re silly and non-existent, The Grand decides to cash in his moral chips and take over, allowing Schaff and Kastra to die in the process. Explaining to Justice Hall that they should set themselves up as rulers now that they are here and have eliminated the others, Justice Hall denies their right to take those actions and instead sets in motion each one’s plan to kill the other, which they do. As it says on the back of the book, “nobody learns anything, everybody dies.”
So you can see what Young’s point is right away. Look at Marvel these days, so desperate the make inroads to the mainstream popular culture, flooding the market with films, more books, you name it. They’re literally trying to use their superheroes to conquer the market. DC, a company known for trying to maintain a below the radar presence sets out to stop them, but in the end, they destroy each other, just like Marvel is destroying the independent comics makers and the direct market. It isn’t exactly subtle once you see where Larry is going.
The over-reliance of the comics industry upon superheroes, and Marvel in particular, is not just a slippery slope, it’s suicide. Too much power is residing in one spot, and in the hands of an extremely amoral corporation. And yet month in and month out, they have the highest number of top twenty selling books. Making us all assholes, which is the point. PLANET OF THE CAPES is a book that has a tough road ahead of it, because as a standard superhero tale, the basic fanboy isn’t going to get the joke. And the ones who do are going to be pissed that they’ve been had. (They should have been pissed about being had long before they bought this book.) So its audience might be a bit limited.
I’m not really sure Larry would mind, though. Grade: A-
review materials may be sent to: Marc Mason, P.O. Box 26732, Tempe, AZ, 85285
Marc@MarcMason.com
Assholes. We’re all assholes. Me, you, the guy in front of you buying the latest issue of ROBIN. Even Larry Young is an asshole. And that’s exactly the point of his latest graphic novel.
PLANET OF THE CAPES
Written by Larry Young and Drawn by Brandon McKinney
Published by AiT/Planetlar
PLANET is young’s first, and a good bet, last foray into the world of superheroes. Sort of. Because, while on the surface, this is a story about superpowered folks, below that surface, that is a lie quickly exposed. PLANET OF THE CAPES is a graphic novel about the comics industry’s reliance on superheroes, the destructive power of that reliance, and why that reliance makes us all assholes.
Young noted before the book was published that the characters were really stand-ins for various parts of the industry, so with that in mind, here’s how I interpret the book. Your mileage may vary, of course, but I feel pretty good about my take.
The Grand (Marvel Comics) is a powerful, pompous, overbearing dick consumed with his own importance. Justice Hall (DC Comics) is the latest descendent of a long line of heroes. Too serious to a fault, he’s concerned with maintaining the status quo and making sure everyone looks good and does the right thing. Kastra (Indy/alt comics) is a cute little pixie of a heroine, powerful, but also the bearer of questionable judgment. She’s not above flirting or seducing in order to raise her profile. Her father, Schaff (a grotesque melding of fanboys and retailers, perhaps best named as “the direct market”) is a mindless hulking beast that leaves destruction in its wake while only wanting to have fun. Almost completely brain dead and running on instinct, he’s in his own way the most heroic of the team, but he’s continually guided in wrong directions by the others.
Beware, I’m going to somewhat spoil the plot as I go.
Anyway, thanks to a strange accident, the heroes find themselves transported to a different Earth, our Earth, a planet where there are no superheroes. (Amusingly, they’re immediately rescued by pastiches of Reed Richards, Sue Richards, Johnny Storm, and Ben Grimm.) Faced with a real world that thinks they’re silly and non-existent, The Grand decides to cash in his moral chips and take over, allowing Schaff and Kastra to die in the process. Explaining to Justice Hall that they should set themselves up as rulers now that they are here and have eliminated the others, Justice Hall denies their right to take those actions and instead sets in motion each one’s plan to kill the other, which they do. As it says on the back of the book, “nobody learns anything, everybody dies.”
So you can see what Young’s point is right away. Look at Marvel these days, so desperate the make inroads to the mainstream popular culture, flooding the market with films, more books, you name it. They’re literally trying to use their superheroes to conquer the market. DC, a company known for trying to maintain a below the radar presence sets out to stop them, but in the end, they destroy each other, just like Marvel is destroying the independent comics makers and the direct market. It isn’t exactly subtle once you see where Larry is going.
The over-reliance of the comics industry upon superheroes, and Marvel in particular, is not just a slippery slope, it’s suicide. Too much power is residing in one spot, and in the hands of an extremely amoral corporation. And yet month in and month out, they have the highest number of top twenty selling books. Making us all assholes, which is the point. PLANET OF THE CAPES is a book that has a tough road ahead of it, because as a standard superhero tale, the basic fanboy isn’t going to get the joke. And the ones who do are going to be pissed that they’ve been had. (They should have been pissed about being had long before they bought this book.) So its audience might be a bit limited.
I’m not really sure Larry would mind, though. Grade: A-
review materials may be sent to: Marc Mason, P.O. Box 26732, Tempe, AZ, 85285
Marc@MarcMason.com
Sunday, May 02, 2004
15lbs Of Stupid In A 5lb Bag
So. Micah Wright is a great big fraud. Gee, that's a shock.
Look, politically, I'm pretty well in direct alignment with Micah. I hate everything the current administration stands for. (That's assuming they stand for anything.) But Wright's story has stunk from the moment he started telling it, and as his career progressed further and further into blowhard-dom, I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. And when it dropped on Micah, it managed to do so in front of the national media, obliterating his credibility on an enormous scale. Thanks Micah...that's all the liberal side needed. Didn't you have an intern who could blow you?
Let me backtrack a bit. I don't want it to sound like I'm not taking Wright's unbelievably stupid actions seriously. Far from it. In fact, like some who've made this connection, I might be bothered more than most.
Micah had claimed to be an Army Ranger, an elite soldier sent to the worst spots for the toughest combat. Now, the national consciousness has gotten a big dose of the Army Rangers recently thanks to the death of the most famous soldier in the United States Forces, Ranger Pat Tillman. Tillman, a man who turned his back on millions of dollars in salary in the NFL to join the Rangers and fight for a cause he believed was right and just. So to have Wright claiming affiliation with a soldier, a man, like Tillman... it's stomach turning. Disgusting. Because Micah isn't fit to shine Pat Tillman's silver star.
I'd like to believe that there is a part of Wright who has watched and read the coverage of Tillman's death over the last week and began feeling a deep sense of guilt and unworthiness that he was claiming to be a man of that quality. But inside, no matter what he says, I just tend to doubt it. Scoundrels rarely confess unless cornered and caught, and the media was onto him. So I'm sure he felt like it benefitted him to announce the truth himself before being pantsed on a national stage. It gave him the chance to spin.
Whatever.
You have to wonder what becomes of Wright at this point. It's wrong to wish someone ill in their career or root for their failure, and I won't do it. But I do believe that Wright becomes essentially unemployable in the comics industry, as well as other writing industries, for quite some time. It's going to take a long time for the bad taste left by his actions to leave the mouths of readers and publishers alike. How can you possibly promote any project he works on? How do you sell the work of a man who could perpetrate this lie to a wary public? I'm not sure Karl Rove could sell Micah to the reading public right now.
So, another setback for the liberal cause, and another potential resource to battle the Bush campaign falls by the wayside. A career lies in wreck and ruin. And still, real soldiers, resumes unfaked, continue to fight, to fall, in battles overseas. So maybe the real lesson remains that people like Micah Wright are exposed and fall by the wayside because they're unimportant, working with great difficulty to get those clumps on clay of their feet. And the truth won't always set you free. Instead, it may be the bullet with your name on it.
Marc@MarcMason.com
So. Micah Wright is a great big fraud. Gee, that's a shock.
Look, politically, I'm pretty well in direct alignment with Micah. I hate everything the current administration stands for. (That's assuming they stand for anything.) But Wright's story has stunk from the moment he started telling it, and as his career progressed further and further into blowhard-dom, I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. And when it dropped on Micah, it managed to do so in front of the national media, obliterating his credibility on an enormous scale. Thanks Micah...that's all the liberal side needed. Didn't you have an intern who could blow you?
Let me backtrack a bit. I don't want it to sound like I'm not taking Wright's unbelievably stupid actions seriously. Far from it. In fact, like some who've made this connection, I might be bothered more than most.
Micah had claimed to be an Army Ranger, an elite soldier sent to the worst spots for the toughest combat. Now, the national consciousness has gotten a big dose of the Army Rangers recently thanks to the death of the most famous soldier in the United States Forces, Ranger Pat Tillman. Tillman, a man who turned his back on millions of dollars in salary in the NFL to join the Rangers and fight for a cause he believed was right and just. So to have Wright claiming affiliation with a soldier, a man, like Tillman... it's stomach turning. Disgusting. Because Micah isn't fit to shine Pat Tillman's silver star.
I'd like to believe that there is a part of Wright who has watched and read the coverage of Tillman's death over the last week and began feeling a deep sense of guilt and unworthiness that he was claiming to be a man of that quality. But inside, no matter what he says, I just tend to doubt it. Scoundrels rarely confess unless cornered and caught, and the media was onto him. So I'm sure he felt like it benefitted him to announce the truth himself before being pantsed on a national stage. It gave him the chance to spin.
Whatever.
You have to wonder what becomes of Wright at this point. It's wrong to wish someone ill in their career or root for their failure, and I won't do it. But I do believe that Wright becomes essentially unemployable in the comics industry, as well as other writing industries, for quite some time. It's going to take a long time for the bad taste left by his actions to leave the mouths of readers and publishers alike. How can you possibly promote any project he works on? How do you sell the work of a man who could perpetrate this lie to a wary public? I'm not sure Karl Rove could sell Micah to the reading public right now.
So, another setback for the liberal cause, and another potential resource to battle the Bush campaign falls by the wayside. A career lies in wreck and ruin. And still, real soldiers, resumes unfaked, continue to fight, to fall, in battles overseas. So maybe the real lesson remains that people like Micah Wright are exposed and fall by the wayside because they're unimportant, working with great difficulty to get those clumps on clay of their feet. And the truth won't always set you free. Instead, it may be the bullet with your name on it.
Marc@MarcMason.com
Tuesday, April 20, 2004
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
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
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
Wednesday, April 14, 2004
Tuesday, April 13, 2004
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.
Write me at: Marc@MarcMason.com. Review materials may be sent to: Marc Mason, P.O.Box 26732, Tempe, AZ, 85285
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
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