CATCHING UP WITH SOME FUN STUFF

GAMBIT #7
Written by John Layman and Drawn by Georges Jeanty
Published by Marvel

GAMBIT rolled in last year as part of the usual new glut of X-Men related product. Normally, I tend to avoid those types of things like the plague, but since I’ve had the pleasure to get to know scribe Layman a bit, I checked it out. Mind you, I like John, but you couldn’t pay me to buy an issue of THUNDERCATS, but GAMBIT was close enough for me to ring up. The series started out a bit slow, but by part four of the six part opening storyline, Layman really seemed to find his voice and the book kicked into gear. Unlike many Marvel books these days, Gambit gets back to the character’s original essence, rather than trying to modernize it or attach it to some sort of hip pop culture phenomenon. Remy LeBeau is a thief, a scoundrel, and a womanizer, and Layman embraces those traits rather than ignoring them. This issue kicks off a three-issue story that finds Gambit bedeviled by a sexy cop who’s not all she seems, and a young mutant whose death is only the beginning of a much bigger problem. This has turned into a terrific piece of monthly entertainment, and even with the glut, it’s proved itself.

CONCRETE: THE HUMAN DILEMMA #2
Written and Drawn by Paul Chadwick
Published by Dark Horse

I reviewed issue one here a few weeks ago, and I’m pleased to say that issue two is even better. Chadwick is crafting an elegant and layered tale about the current state of the human race in this small, intimate character study. He’s also creating plot points that are not only interesting for the new reader, but that also pay off threads that stretch back to the first stories told with the character. In particular, Chadwick finally addresses head-on that Concrete has been in love with his scientist handler Maureen for all this time. Indeed, we’ve often wondered about how she feels about him as well, whether it’s with scientific detachment or any sense of caring, even though she’s always called him by his human name, Ron. Of course, a man made of rock (and no genitalia) has more than a few issues with what love and sex mean to him, and beyond that, he must for the first time contemplate that he may be immortal in that body. There’s so much great stuff in here that I feel sorry for comics that aren’t this good. Chadwick may not return to the character very often, but it is always, always, worth the wait.

GUN FU #4
Written by Howard Shum and Drawn by Joey Mason
Published by Axiom

GUN FU is just good, clean, loopiness. When you have a Hong Kong cop from 1936 traipsing around the world and speaking in modern hip-hop, you either love this kind of thing, or you leave it on the shelf. Personally, I fucking dig it. Shum and Mason have created a book that rewards the atypical comics fan, the one who has a deep and abiding love for both classic pulp and neo-modern pop culture. This is the final issue of “The Lost City” mini-series, which found hero Cheng Bo Sen heading to the jungles of South America to stop a Nazi plot and falling in love with a native girl. Each of those classic tropes was treated with the complete disrespect they deserved, maximizing the laugh quotient. There are only two real problems with GUN FU; one, it takes too long between issues (though I totally understand it) and two, there’s an ad on the back cover announcing the next GUN FU mini, but the bastards don’t say when it’s coming out. Evil!

JLA CLASSIFIED #4
Written by Giffen and DeMatteis and Drawn by Kevin Maguire
Published by DC

This is basically issue one of the classic creative team’s sequel to FORMERLY KNOWN AS THE JUSTICE LEAGUE, and as per usual, it’s fuggin’ funny. The team, calling itself “Super Buddies,” is settling into their new offices when a supervillain decides to move in next-door and open a bar. Plus, Fire buys Mary Marvel her first ever cup of coffee, there’s some confusion about Sue Dibny’s reproductive system (this story takes place before the wretched IDENTITY CRISIS), and that supervillain has a silent partner known to the team who isn’t. Quite. So. Silent. The gags fly fast and furious from page one, panel one, and Maguire lends his usual beautiful art work to the proceedings. To this day, no one else in comics has displayed his skill and ability to render facial expressions and body language. I first became a JLA reader and fan when this team got together to make magic nearly twenty years ago, and they still have the goods.

STRANGE DAY
Written by Damon Hurd and Drawn by Tatiana Gill
Published by Alternative

I ordered this because the solicitation really stuck out to me. STRANGE DAY is the story of a young man who skips school to buy the new Cure album and winds up meeting a girl who does the same. I read that and immediately found myself drawn backward fifteen years. Yeah, I could totally remember those years. Sold. I sat down to actually read it this past weekend, and it was just as charming as it sounded. Teenage love stories can be a sticky wicket; there’s plenty of room to over-write the pathos of the young heart, but Hurd manages to keep the characters on a fairly even keel as their attraction to one another develops. He’s abetted nicely by Gill’s relaxed and loose art; the kids look like kids, and more so, they look like kids who would skip school to buy a Cure album. I’m a sucker for sweet love stories, and I don’t apologize for it. I haven’t read other work from either creator, but I’m certainly going to keep my eyes open for it now.

/Mason

100 Things I Love About Comics

What the Hell… I might as well jump in.

1. Transmetropolitan
2. The Trouble With Girls
3. Dinosaurs For Hire
4. Kyle Baker
5. Mark Beachum
6. Sandman
7. Concrete
8. Comic-Con International
9. Peter David’s Hulk
10. Miracleman
11. Warren Ellis
12. Roger Stern’s Spider-Man
13. Marvel Essentials
14. Ty Templeton
15. mini comics
16. Larry Young’s enthusiasm
17. Stormwatch: Change Or Die
18. Travis Charest
19. David Mazzucelli
20. Mark Gruenwald
21. Claremont/Byrne Uncanny X-Men
22. Frank Miller’s Daredevil
23. Christopher Priest
24. Giffin/DeMatteis Justice League
25. Fantagraphics’ commitment to archiving classic material
26. Love And Rockets
27. Quantum And Woody
28. The CBLDF
29. old romance comics
30. John Lustig
31. Stray Bullets
32. Andi Watson
33. Cages
34. Chynna Clugston
35. Owly
36. Evan Dorkin
37. Paul Dini and Bruce Timm
38. the “animated” art style
39. Box Office Poison
40. Steven Grant
41. Simonson’s Thor
42. Zot
43. Jimmy Palmiotti and Amanda Connor
44. Complete Peanuts
45. Hellboy
46. Queen and Country
47. Harley Quinn
48. original graphic novels
49. The Dodsons
50. Strangers In Paradise
51. Byrne’s Fantastic Four
52. Howard Chaykin
53. buying from Khepri
54. The Walking Dead
55. From Hell
56. Astro City
57. Cerebus
58. Supernatural Law
59. Lea Hernandez
60. Flaming Carrot
61. Paul Grist
62. Baker Street: Honour Among Punks
63. Absolute Authority
64. Colleen Doran
65. Age Of Reptiles
66. Battle Royale
67. Fanboy Rampage (Hi, Graeme!)
68. The Comics Journal
69. Lewis Trondheim
70. 100 Bullets
71. Patrick Atangan
72. Kid Firechief
73. Suicide Squad
74. Jill Thompson
75. Friends Of Lulu
76. Jim Mahfood
77. Stuck Rubber Baby
78. Pedro and Me
79. Small Favors
80. Christine Norrie
81. The Ballad Of Dr. Richardson
82. Luis Royo
83. Electric Girl
84. Morrison’s Animal Man
85. Barry Ween, Boy Genius
86. Joe Sacco
87. Starman
88. Finals (why isn’t this in trade?)
89. Terminal City
90. Watchmen
91. Charlie Adlard
92. The Complete Bone
93. Steve Lieber
94. Top Ten
95. Hepcats
96. Persepolis
97. anthologies
98. Jinx
99. Charm School
100. writing about them

/Mason

HE'S UP TO NO GOOD, I TELL YA!

If you're looking for someone to give you an opinion about something comics-related, and it doesn't matter if you like the opinion or not, you could do a lot worse than going to my old buddy Alan David Doane for it. Alan loves and cares about comics the way you love and care about breathing. He takes bad comics personally, because someone took the time to waste his. He wants his happy spot tickled and his heart to grow three sizes when he reads a book.

Who can blame him?

If we all felt that way about comics, maybe, just maybe, we'd force the publishers to make better ones, instead of churning out another Jeph Loeb SUPERMAN book or anything by Frank Tieri. But because the fanbase loves Kool-Aid, we get HERCULES, PRINCE OF REALITY SHOWS, coming to a comic shop near you. Yay.

Anyway, Alan has been playing with Photoshop lately, and this morning, a nifty little gem has appeared at the Galaxy. Check it out. For those who still want to claim that ADD is an elitist, you should finally be cured of that notion by looking at this.

Trust me. It's fuggin' neat.

/Mason

NEWS FROM FRIENDS

Two cool bits of info hit my mailbox this week. First from the dapper and killer-cool James Sime:

SAN FRANCISCO (February 9th, 2005) Acclaimed San Francisco comics retailer James Sime, proprietor of Isotope - the comic book lounge, announced today that submissions for the much-celebrated 2005 Isotope Award for Excellence in Mini-Comics will be accepted until March 15th at midnight. "Alright mini-comic creators, it's time to fire up your printers and copy machines again," said Sime, "And it's time to score yourself some of the gold and the glory that is the third annual Isotope Award for Excellence in Mini-Comics!"Established in 2003, the Isotope Award was created to celebrate the thousands of unique, hand-produced mini-comics that are created each year. Focusing on this often overlooked segment of the comic industry and the creators who make them, the Isotope Award for Excellence in Mini-Comics is known internationally for launching the professional comic careers of Rob Osborne (1000 STEPS TO WORLD DOMINATION) and Josh Cotter (SKYSCRAPERS OF THE MIDWEST)."

Mini-comics are the basement tapes of the comic industry," Sime said, "And just like basement tapes, this is where the raw creative spark is at it's brightest. Mini-comics represent the bleeding edge of comics innovation and evolution and this where the industry's superstars of tomorrow are perfecting their riffs and chops today. We want to shine the spotlight on the work these future superstars are making... that's what the Isotope Award is all about!" Sime's goal of bringing greater glory to the mini-comic artform has resulted in great success for Isotope Award winners with 2003's winner Rob Osborne having his full length 1000 STEPS TO WORLD DOMINATION graphic novel published by AIT-PlanetLar last October and 2004's winner Josh Cotter having his winning entry SKYSCRAPERS OF THE MIDWEST published in all it's glory by AdHouse Books in January of this year. Both books have been well received by the comic reading public at large and have been lavished with tremendous critical success.

Mini-comic creators from the four corners of the globe are once again encouraged to submit their minis for a chance to win this annual prize, "Sometimes it seems this little pond of industry that we call comic book making is riddled with awards, so it's nice when an award comes along that not only stands for something new, but also serves a greater good" said AdHouse Books publisher Chris Pitzer who began publishing 2004's Isotope Award winner Josh Cotter's SKYSCRAPERS OF THE MIDWEST in January. "The Isotope Award for Excellance in Mini-Comics" is our industry's Sundance. It's a chance for an unknown comic to gain exposure, and hopefully gain something from it. And heck, any award that pointy has to be great to win!"

The Isotope Award for Excellence in Mini-Comics trophy is as unique as the award itself, designed by famed sculpter Crowe; the trophy stands nearly ten inches tall and is made entirely from carved ebony fossil stone and satin silver. "It's an honor to get to present one of these awards each year to a well-deserving winner," said Isotope Special Projects Director Kirsten Baldock, "And thanks to the exceptional work that has been submitted to our judges in past years, the Isotope Award continues to be an unmistakable symbol of leadership and innovation in the comics industry.""I don't want to sound cliche," 2004's Isotope Award winner Josh Cotter said, "But winning the Isotope has changed a lot of things for me... primarily with going from making comics that not many people other than my wife and parents were reading to getting published (by AdHouse Books) within just a matter of months of receiving the award. James and the Isotope folks are truly doing a great thing for the world of mini-comics, by not only giving a bunch of otherwise non-competitive introverts something to strive for, but by helping an often overlooked niche of the comics medium to get some well-deserved attention." 2003's Isotope Award winner Rob Osborne agrees, "Making mini-comics is a labor of love, and the blood, sweat and tears that you put into your comics can be very rewarding. The Isotope Award for Excellence in Mini-Comics will bring some talented person the adoration they have coming to them."

AiT/PLanetlar publisher Larry Young knows a thing or two about the Isotope Award bringing recognition to mini-comic creators like Rob Osborne, it was because of the award that he first discovered 1000 STEPS TO WORLD DOMINATION which he published a greatly expanded version of as an original graphic novel in October. 1000 STEPS has proven to be an excellent seller and one of AIT-PlanetLar's most critically acclaimed titles of last year."I'm luckier than most in that the Isotope is my local shop," Larry Young said, "and I see lots of the cool stuff that passes over its transom. When Rob Osborne's 1000 STEPS TO WORLD DOMINATION was anointed with the very first Isotope Award for Excellence in Minicomics, though, I knew it was something special and signed up Rob nearly on the spot. We're even publishing a new work by Osborne, SUNSET CITY, this fall, so that proves that the attention an Isotope award brings you pays off in career accolades. I mean, seriously, when the Boston Red Sox finally beat the Curse of the Babe and won the World Series for the first time in 86 years, the ARIZONA REPUBLIC led the story with a mention of Osborne's comic. That's the sort of attention winning the Isotope gets for your work."

The award selection committee for 2005 remains a mix of comic aficionados, entrepreneurs, artists, and industry impresarios. Including self-publishers, mini-comic creators and, of course, a person who sells comics for a living, "We like to keep the committee fresh by bringing in new blood each year, but we still ensure that the Isotope Awards Committee covers the entire spectrum of the mini-comic equation," Sime declared, "

Like last year I'll be on the judging committee once again, as will be mini-comic success story Rob Osborne. Representing for the classic literature set we've got our comic lovin' Librarian in the form of Isotope Special Projects Director Kirsten Baldock who heads up our judging committee. And for our new additions this year we're bringing on board self-publisher and PopImage columnist Jason McNamara who always keeps his finger on the pulse of what's happening and has exceptional taste in minis, and the penultimate comic connoisseur Jim Cox... I've walked the floor at San Diego with Jim and let me tell you this, that guy has an incredible ability to find greatness."

The only fee for entry to this competition is five copies of your mini-comic sent to Isotope's Special Projects Director Kirsten Baldock at the Isotope address (1653 Noriega St San Francisco, CA 94122) before the March 15th deadline. As is tradition, the award will be given out at a grand ceremony during APE AFTERMATH at the Isotope in conjunction with San Francisco's ALTERNATIVE PRESS EXPO. San Francisco’s APE convention has been a forum for small and independent publishers in the industry for many years. Because of the nature of this award, the winner will be contacted in advance and must be present at the Isotope at 9 PM on Friday, April 9th for the award presentation ceremony."These award ceremonies are a blast, and I don't doubt that this year's award ceremony to be the best one yet!" enthused Sime, "Our entire judging committee is going to be there to honor this year's winner, and both Osborne and Cotter will be in attendance to welcome the next generation of Isotope Award recipient into the winner's circle. And for those who attended APE AFTERMATH last year, you can expect our usual massive turnout of supporters and creators... but this year we're going to be having even grander superstar entrances for the Isotope Award winners!"

Like Sime and the rest of the Isotope Award Committee, Rob Osborne encourages all mini-comic creators to take a chance on their work and get their minis in before deadline, "Winning this award completely blew the doors of the comic industry open for me," said Osborne, "That step from the shadows of mini-comic obscurity to the limelight of big time published creator may be just one submission away, I highly recommend that you submit your mini-comic for the Isotope Award. You may be a mini-comic star and not even know it!"The Isotope Award for Excellence in Mini-Comics could be yours, submissions of five copies accepted until March 15th at 1653 Noriega St. San Francisco, CA 94122. For more information contact the Isotope at (415) 753 - 3037 or at jamessime@earthlink.net

Then the great Tom Spurgeon came along with this news:

I'll be hosting Bart Beaty's European comics reviews on the Comics Reporter for a short while, as he gets in the habit of writing regularly and decides whether or not he wants to do a European comics review blog. I know it's not really news, but Bart's the person I go to with all my Euro-comics questions, and I can't imagine too many other people I'd do this for.

Trust me: if Spurge thinks this is a good thing, then it's a great thing. He's the Man.

So this one has been making the rounds of various pros and bloggers as of late, having started from Joss Whedon sending it out to the folks in his address book (and though I wish I was in it, I'm not). So here's my take:

1. What is your favorite color?

Black. I'm also partial to darker greens and purples.

2. What is your quest? (Monty Python geeks only.)

To write more, whether it's about comics, pop culture, my life, etc. Maybe even break down and write a comic. Eventually.

3. Name a movie you think is underrated.

Like Johanna, I love My Favorite Year. It's funny, touching, and a smart reminder about what happens when the walls between fans and idols begin to come down.

4. What book are you reading/did you just finish?

Right now I'm reading HANGIN OUT WITH THE DREAM KING, Fantagraphics' book about Neil Gaiman.

5. Are you just saying that to impress us?

Nope. It was sent for me to review, and review it I shall.

6. Name a quality you envy in a particular person.

I envy Rebecca's patience as a parent.

7. What is most likely to cause blinding rage in you?

Stupid people. Stupid people acting stupid. Stupid people saying stupid things.

8. It's your last meal. What'll you have? (Bonus question: Why are you on death row?)

16oz prime rib, baked potato. Or a double pepperoni pizza. I'm on death row because my patience ran out and I killed someone for being too stupid to live.

9. What superpower would you like to have? (Flight, invisibility and super-strength are only worth half a point.) (Not that we're grading.)

If I can't have any of those, I'd go with a healing factor.

10. My God! You've switched genders! Who would you like to look like?

Like to look like? Charisma Carpenter. Would look like? Sadly, the world's most hideous drag queen.

11. The old dinner-party-with-anyone-in-history chestnut. Let's go there.

Robert Penn Warren. John Belushi. Marilyn Monroe.

12. What's your best physical feature?

My eyes.

13. What really terrifies you?

Anything worth doing and risking is something that induce at least a little terror. But in the end, not fulfilling my potential and my goals haunts me the most, because it's always lurking.

14. You're shipwrecked. A helicopter pulls you out of the freezing waterbut your spouse, your best friend and your mother are all in the water and only one can be saved. What drink do you order later to feel better about the terrible ordeal?

A margarita. Frozen. No salt.

15. Who will play you in the movie of your life?

Not even a question: Oliver Platt. No one else even comes close.

16. Name a song that transports you to another time. Do not attempt to be classy.

"Sweet Dreams" by the Eurythmics. My best friend and I rewrote it into a commercial jingle for a schiool project and I still hear our lyrics when the music starts.

17. You're jammin'! You're the best, at your peak! Check you OUT! What instrument and with what band? (classiness acceptable but in no way mandatory.)

Drums, backing up Trent Reznor when he takes Nine Inch Nails out for live shows.

18. What current trend bothers you?

Shitty pre-manufactured pop stars. See: Simpson, Ashlee.

19. The Amish. Cool or uncool?

WAY cool. Visit a community and eat there some time. You will be blown away at what these folks can accomplish.

20. Which New Years resolution are you most likely to blow first?

Rebuilding bridges to people I've lost track of.

/Mason

HEY ADULTS! COMICS!

Okay, I’m jaded, no question. Very little excites me anymore, comics-wise. But something I’ve been waiting years for finally hit. And I’m happier than a pig in shit.

CONCRETE: THE HUMAN DILEMMA #1
Published by Dark Horse

It’s this simple. Those of us who developed a taste for black and white indy books in the eighties usually did so in one of three ways: CEREBUS, LOVE AND ROCKETS… or CONCRETE. I fell into that latter category in a huge way.

At first, it seemed like an unexplainable oddity: the guy who drew DAZZLER was doing a book about a speechwriter stuck in a body made of stone, and the book was all about plumbing the depths of the character and his cast, and exploring the human condition and what it meant to our modern society. And yet as time passed, it moved further and further up the new books stack, whether it was a short in DARK HORSE PRESENTS or the eventual regular series, until it reached the top. I got hungry for the stories, as brilliant pieces such as Concrete’s journey to work on a family farm deserted by its patriarch left me slack-jawed in amazement at their power and heart.

Writer/artist Paul Chadwick quickly became one of my favorite creators; one of the first things I do when the artists’ alley list goes up at the Comic-con International website is see if Chadwick has a table, because that’s one place where I will always stop. This past year, he wisely had a sign posted at his table announcing the schedule for HUMAN DILEMMA and the status of the long in development feature film adaptation. Wise man, that Chadwick.

So after a lull of years, Concrete is back with this issue, and I’m beyond pleased. Chadwick has used the miniseries format over the years to have Concrete explore various ideas and concepts that can be considered controversial (gun control, monkeywrenching) and this mini is no different: Concrete is approached by a wealthy patron who is looking for a spokesman for a program that encourages population control through voluntary sterilization. A hot button topic to be sure.

That said, HUMAN DILEMMA is also about reintroducing the characters, period, and giving a new generation an idea about who Concrete and his friends are, and this is where the heart of every Concrete story ultimately lays. His assistant Larry has asked his girlfriend to marry him. Concrete himself has been in love with his other helper, Maureen, almost since he met her. These are the true human dilemmas that Chadwick will bury himself in exploration of.

Not content with making his fans happy with a new story, Chadwick also throws in an article written by “Concrete” about his favorite painting, plus some art pages for a comic that Chadwick briefly worked on before deciding to concentrate on publishing CONCRETE all those years ago. I don’t get excited about too much these days, but you can bet your sweet ass that when this series is over I’ll find the time to pull out all those trades and dive back into what easily ranks among my top five comics of all-time.

INCREDIBLE HULK #77
Published by Marvel

Speaking of long-awaited returns… Peter David returns to the character that he, more than any other creator, helped define over a run of more than 130 issues. It’s one thing for Chadwick to come back to CONCRETE; no one else has done the book in his absence, and he owns the character. It’s another, more risky, thing for a creator like David to take on an assignment like this. He has to compete not only against the work of other creators, but also against the memory of his own great work in the fans’ minds. It definitely isn’t for someone with small cajones.

You run the risk of turning into Chris Claremont, a creator who came back to the place where he was best known and refused to evolve, rendering himself a shallow parody of his former self whose work reads like comics have passed him by.

David wisely seems to realize this and addresses it by writing an issue of HULK that bears virtually no resemblance to anything he did on the title before his departure many years ago. Indeed, it feels like an interesting hybrid of the work of the previous scribe, Bruce Jones, and some of the darker and more introspective stuff he’s been doing in FALLEN ANGEL. He’s also acquired a bit more of the “decompression” flu that pervades Marvel these days, but I’m willing to forgive it for the moment.

Apparently sales have been good enough so far that David has been offered the gig through the end of the year, which is a good sign for David. I’m very curious to see if he can keep up the quality of this issue over the long haul. I think he can.

LOVE AND ROCKETS #12
Published by Fantagraphics

Another sweet dose of Hernandez Brothers goodness… ahhhhh. This issue’s highlights are the opening story, “2 Rs, 2 Ls” by Jaime, and the Gilbert’s closing story, “A Gift For Venus.” As usual, what works best is the brothers’ absolute commitment to not getting overwhelmed by plot; LOVE AND ROCKETS works because you get sucked in to what the characters are saying and feeling. The rest is really peripheral to whether or not you enjoy the book. A latecomer to the world of L&R, I always find myself amazed at how deep I let the hook get stuck into my cheek as I plow through the Hernandez’ work. I’ve got PALOMAR checked out from my library right now; 512 pages of Gilbert goodness. I just need to find the time to read it. That’ll be a happy day, indeed.

BELLY BUTTON COMIX #2
Published by Fantagraphics

Sophie Crumb returns with another terrific set of autobiographical stories in this collection. Now, normally I can take a very dim view on autobio comics; too many people who do them use them as an excuse to discuss how much they jerk off and how that makes them a brilliantly tortured soul. Spare me, you know? But Crumb’s work is a lot smarter than that. Yes, she discusses in depth her issues, problems, and dysfunctions; fair enough. She also discusses those same issues as they pertain to her friends. However, what she never does is try to make excuses for her behavior or make claims that her errors make her something of a tortured genius that no one can appreciate. She just gets the story out and lets the reader decide. Why is that so goddamned hard for others to figure out? You may read her work and come to the conclusion that spending the day with Sophie Crumb isn’t your cup of tea; however, you will read her work and come to the conclusion that you’d like to spend more time reading Sophie’s work.

Mason

COMIC OF THE YEAR

Yeah, I know Graeme used the exact same header. Bite me.

However, in my case, I have decided to take the the POV of what comic provided the most entertainment value, thought-provoking moments, and general brilliance in 2004. And much to my surprise, it wasn't a comic book.

It was a comic strip.

For my money, no comic was as relevant, shocking, or well-executed this year as DOONESBURY. It wasn't even close. In producing the "B.D. loses a leg in Iraq storyline, Garry Trudeau brought the war home to readers in a way that they never expected or anticipated. And taking such an enormously risky step with his amputation and the removal of his helmet! for the very first time demonstrated a willingness to move forward and change that comic books seem to lack. And taking the time to explore B.D.'s emotions and reactions to his new status quo allowed Trudeau to mine some razor sharp humor from a dark situation. The strip where his daughter discusses his injury in class and leaves her schoolmates frustrated because their parents seem lame next to hers is a classic, both in its truth and its bravery in presenting a point of view that isn't exactly P.C.

Of course, there was plenty of other good stuff in the strip this year, as Trudeau did one of the better jobs of detailing the crimes and stupidity of the Bush administration and he did so in an efficiently fun manner. Late in the year he amusingly took a poke at the rush of cabinet members who abandoned ship, bringing back one of his sleazier characters as "Secretary of Toady Affairs," someone who would be the "yes" man that men like Colin Powell were not. Awesome stuff.

There were some terrific comic books this year, without a doubt. But when it boils down to it, the thing I looked forward to reading most, day in and day out, was the next installment of DOONESBURY. I can't offer much higher praise than that.

Mason

FANTA FUNTIME AGAIN!

Let’s take a look at some spiffy new books, shall we?

LUBA’S COMICS AND STORIES #5/LUBA #9
Written and Drawn by Gilbert Hernandez

Hernandez’ LUBA tales begin drawing to a close here, and comics are that much poorer for it. These two excellent books demonstrate his wonderful mastery of the art form, his gift for exacting soap opera storytelling, and his wicked sense of humor. I wish more creators would take a look at these works and get a better sense of how to make great comics.

COMICS AND STORIES #5 is one of the funniest things I’ve read this year. The story is an amusing piss-take on the movie “DUDE, WHERE’S MY CAR?” that finds Luba’s sister Petra sending her severely stoned (and horny) boyfriend Hector to give Luba a ride home. Of course, Hector is out of his mind on the weed, he loses his way, gets very paranoid, and when he finally finds Luba (on accident) he can’t remember where he parked. Along the way he bumps into a number of the rest of the cast and continues to dig a bigger hole for himself as he finds newer and bigger ways to screw up in his haze. Tossing in some wonderful moments of poignancy involving Luba and her disfigured husband Khamo (in their youth) adds some welcome depth to the tale and offers a reminder to Hollywood about how to properly execute this kind of farcical entertainment.

However, it’s LUBA #9 that delivers the serious goods in huge doses. Bringing together all of the dangling plots about Luba and her extended family, this book races towards an absolutely stunning cliffhanger conclusion. After an issue of nothing but hijinx, Hernandez reasserts himself as a dramatist of the highest order. As the theme of loves both lost and rekindled works its way through the issue and highlights who each of the characters really is and who they wish to be, we are caught off guard by a spare and powerful emotional dagger in the final two panels of the book that left me cursing Fantagraphics P.R. and Marketing master Eric Reynolds for not having packed the next and final issue in the box. That, friends, is good comics.

WORN TUFF ELBOW #1
Written and Drawn by Marc Bell

This, on the other hand, is just flat out weird. Canadian cartoonist Bell is a fantastic cartoonist whose work looks like Jim Woodring mated with Geof Darrow, making this a visually arresting book, but the stories contained within are utterly nonsensical. The primary tale, which features an incident the threatens to tear apart a small town politically and socially, seems to be metaphorically drawn from what I would guess to be a real life situation, but I just not sure which one. However, the joy is in the telling and the artistry involved in putting the book together. Bell’s level of detail extends deep into the margins, and he does a wonderful job with his inks in setting the mood, even in a lark like this one. The main story is a bit heavy handed, but in the end, I sat back and just enjoyed Bell’s talent for what it is.

/Mason

FREE COMICS: JUST BE CLEVER...

Go here.

This is not a joke. This is, instead, me being thankful for a great year of comics reviewing and interviewing. Just be clever. That's all I ask. Give me a reason that this stuff should go to you.

I want this to be really great.

/Mason

GRANT'S QUESTIONS/BEST RAMPAGE EVER

The always great Steven Grant asked these questions in one of his recent columns, and I have answered:

1) What's your favorite comic of 2004?

Tough one. As far as trades or graphic novels go, I’ll go off the beaten path and say EGG STORY, OWLY, and B. KRIEGSTEIN COMICS really floated my boat. Also the fine manga, REMOTE. As far as floppies go, Peter David’s MADROX and Mark Waid’s underappreciated EMPIRE both gave me much enjoyment.

2) What's your favorite comics related moment?

It happened on screen. Batman singing for the life of Wonder Woman in the JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED cartoon. Paul Dini’s sly and hilarious middle finger to the people who take Bats way too seriously, as he slipped out the door to write for the excellent LOST.

3) What's the worst thing to happen in comics in 2004?

Marvel is beginning to flood the market again. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

4) What's your most fervid hope for comics in 2005?

Innovation. More original graphic novels. Material that attempts to broaden the audience. An industry that appeals more to women and young girls.

5) What aspect of comics in 2005 are you most looking forward to?

Finding more quality works by unknown creators and small press entities. Every time I find a book like STYX TAXI, it gives me hope for comics’ future.

6) What's your worst fear for comics in 2005?

That we’ll continue to see more of the same shit. That comics will continue to be unfriendly towards the fairer sex. That we are headed for another market collapse.

I was also pondering the always outstanding Fanboy Rampage today when I had an epiphany about what the site really is:

It's BEST WEEK EVER for comics. The motley collection of folks who post and rant about the foibles of the comics industry and the stupidity of fans are the comics equals to Jessi Klein, Sherrod Small, Patton Oswalt and the rest. It puts the site into perfect context and explains why I love it so much.

/Mason

APOLOGIES

I suck, and I have no excuses. There is absolutely no reason for me to have been silent for three weeks. I will flagellate myself in repentance.

SIDEKICKS book 4: THE CANDY MAN COMETH
Written by Dan Danko and Tom Mason
Published by Little, Brown

Book four of this series of young adults novels is, happily, just as charming as the first three. Guy Martin, the teen sidekick known as Speedy, is still dealing with his cowardly idiot mentor Pumpkin Pete, the absurd thought processes of his fellow heroes in training, and bizarre supervillains, all the while trying to make the football team and impress the prettiest girl in school. It’s all very universal- I still deal with that kind of crap every day I get out of bed and head to work.

All kidding aside, what makes these novels work is the fact that there is a universality to the nonsense that Guy is going through. He is a young boy dealing with the changes in his body, pressures from school, struggles with his destiny, and adults who are less than helpful or honest about what his life is supposed to be.

However, while these may be the underlying issues at the heart of these books, Danko and Mason never let that overwhelm or stunt the humor that carries the pace of the story along. Like the first three books, CANDY MAN is littered with sidesplitting dialogue, outlandish characters, and situations that leave the reader in stitches. For instance, this book adds a new sidekick to the group: Super Vision Lad. From his name, you might guess he can see through walls, but nope; instead, his mother brings him to sidekick tryouts because he’s a hyperactive pain in the ass that has chased away all her potential babysitters. Hence… his name… and the $10 an hour she offers Pumpkin Pete to keep an eye on him.

Former comics scribes Danko and Mason continue to show a deft touch in creating a series that is truly entertaining for child and adult alike. According to a recent missive from Mason, the series may now continue on past the originally scheduled six books; I think that’s a capital idea. It’s clear two-thirds of the way through their original plan that they have plenty of imaginative ideas left in the tank, and there should be no hurry for them to end Speedy’s comical adventures.

WHO WATCHES THE WITCHBLADE?

I happen to like Ian Edginton’s work. He’s a solid writer, if not flashy, and whenever I’ve bumped into his work, I’ve never really came away unhappy. Lately however, I have come away feeling sorry for him. You see, Ian has recently been writing WITCHBLADE. The poor, poor bastard.

My distaste for WITCHBLADE goes back pretty much to the title’s inception. When it hit, it was quite the rage, and the guy who was drawing it, Michael Turner, was an instant superstar because of it. I didn’t pick it up at the time, but once a trade paperback hit the shelves I picked it up to see what the fuss was about. And boy, was I pissed.

It wasn’t like the concept was awful. At heart, the idea of a New York policewoman coming into possession of an ancient weapon and using it to battle evil is a decent enough one. But the art… my God. I was pretty sure it had been drawn by a retarded monkey who was jacking off to the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue at the same time. Fuck almighty. It was bad stereotype, playing up to the drooling fanboys who had no chance of ever seeing a real woman wearing a thong without having to pay for it. And to this day, I can’t stand Turner’s art. Awful. Just awful.

But not nearly as bad as Turner-lite artist Tony Daniel. Daniel has managed, in his career, with books like F5 and HUMANKIND, to ape Turner’s art style’s worst excesses. So when I found myself on the receiving end of two recent WITCHBLADE issues, and I saw that Daniel drew them, I opened them up and awaited the train wreck. It didn’t take long; page one of issue 78 looked just like this:



This is the scene of a multiple homicide. And rather than have Sara Pezzini show up looking like a police professional, she hits the crime scene looking like a completely different kind of professional. How is she not suspended, for Pete’s sake?

She manages to ditch the four inch heels and hooker dress for three inch heels and cameltoe pants when she gets back to the office. What an improvement:



But that sense of decorum goes out the window by the next issue when she wears an outfit that a nineteen year-old sorority girl would have trouble pulling off. Think the NYPD in this reality has a lot of sexual harassment problems?



What’s sad here is that Edginton is trying to tell a serious story with some gravity to it, but the art is just sabotaging him at every turn. I’d love to see the original script for these issues. I’d be willing to bet that the stage directions Edginton wrote in don’t say stuff like “she should be dressed like an expensive whore when she gets to the murder scene” or “the other characters will take her more seriously if she arches her back and sticks her tits out.” Now, I could be wrong, but I feel good about where I stand on that one.

I guess it mostly leaves me wondering how the writer, any writer on WITCHBLADE, feels when they start getting pages back from the artist. Is there just some switch you have to flick in your head when you take the assignment, a sense of resignation you have to adopt, knowing that your work is about to be fucked by some guy who’s more interesting in drawing women’s asses rather than your cool police story? We all take jobs here and there that are just for the paycheck, ones that bring us needed money to pay the bills; I just have to believe that writing WITCHBLADE is an even more bitter pill to swallow than most.

PLEASE LEAVE A MESSAGE AFTER THE TONE

It's been a busy time. Lots of life going on, and I haven't paid much attention to comics. Plus, a troll creator took offense to my panning his book in my MPS column, and I decided to turn that into a lengthy column about professional behavior. Head to The Shoot on Tuesday the 12th to see how that played out.

I'll be back in a week or so with a long in the process column about why anyone would ever accept the assignment to write WITCHBLADE or just work with Tony Daniel at all.

/Mason

FANTA FLOPPIES

Some efforts from Fantagraphics…

NAUGHTY BITS #40
Written and Drawn by Roberta Gregory

A moment of silence if you please.

Thank you. Much to my shock and dismay, this turns out to be the final issue of what has been a true gem for quite some time. Gregory’s brutally frank and honest work throughout this series has consistently raised the bar for the cartoonists who have followed her. This final pamphlet issue is no different, with another excellent “Bitchy Bitch” strip covering one aspect of Gregory’s cartooning life and a strip that deals with the passing of her father balancing out the other end of the book. Tender and forthright, it’s all wonderful stuff. NAUGHTY BITS has been one of a kind, and it will be missed.

LA PERDIDA #4
Written and Drawn by Jessica Abel

I reviewed the earlier issues of this book in my MPS column, as I am a huge fan of Abel’s work. Unfortunately, issue four takes steps backward in a couple of areas that rob the book of some interest in its characters. In the beginning of the series, the main character, Carla, is self-absorbed to the point of sever annoyance, but the reader can look past it because the story is heading in directions that aren’t fully guessable. However this issue takes a turn for the blindingly predictable, and it has the effect of making Carla stupid to the point where you can do little but hate her. Needless to say, that doesn’t do much for the enjoyment of reading the book. The concluding issue five will be pivotal; I hope Abel can rescue the book… and my interest.

ANGRY YOUTH COMIX #7/SHOULDN’T YOU BE WORKING #2
Written and Drawn by Johnny Ryan

Johnny Ryan is seriously disturbed. Seriously. Now don’t get me wrong- that doesn’t mean his comics aren’t worth reading. However, I can’t necessarily recommend reading them while you’re having a meal. ANGRY YOUTH focuses on shorter stories of sickness and depravity, while WORKING is apparently a sketchbook of twisted shit that Ryan came up with while… well, while working. Needless to say, the ratio of good to bad material in WORKING is 50/50 at best, but it’s still an ambitious enough idea to publish it at all. If you’re thinking that ratio isn’t quite as good as you would like before you buy the book, I’d recommend smoking up before you sit to read it. It might change to 65/35.

/Mason

Week Eight

Short and sweet this week as the real world is beating furiously on my door. I'm 99% sure I'm blowing off SPX -- I've turned in my list of what I would have picked up to a friend who'll be going, who shall also pick up anything that he feels may interest me.

My own personal shopper. I've truly arrived.

We've got a repeat winner this week, because apparently only Logan wanted or needed Brit. And that actually works out great because I haven't gotten around to sending him last week's swag. But note, Mr. Polk, you have to sit out the next few... Look for details below on the next give-away from my mighty stack.

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

In the Shadow of No Towers (Spiegelman): For such a hefty, beautiful book, this was really light reading in every sense of the word. The classic comic strip reprints in the latter half make it a keeper tho...

Persepolis 2 (Satrapi): Every bit as interesting to me as the first collection. Is there to be a third? I'm going to be selling the set on eBay, not as an indication of my enjoyment of them, but more that I really don't feel the need to re-read, loan out, or smarten up my shelf.

The Bible Eden (Giffen, Elliott, Hampton): I could go for the whole Bible done this way, and now I wish I'd picked up Bisley's stab at God's best-seller during San Diego. I don't know what I'm doing with this yet...

Bad Mojo (Harms, Morris): This wasn't very good -- what's with that ending, am I missing a page? -- though the art was very nice. Anyway, judge for yourself. You want it, it's yours.

EMAIL ME BETWEEN NOW AND MONDAY, October 4, AND I'LL PICK A WINNER AT RANDOM, LITERALLY, AND SEND THIS OUT... FREE! (YOU HAVE TO LIVE IN THE CONTIGUOUS UNITED STATES, THOUGH!)

100 Bullets: Samurai TPB: Two separate stories spread over 6 issues (3 apiece) and I have no idea what either one was about or how they fit into the story as a whole. Wonderful art from Risso, and a crackling script from Azz, but I'm out of the loop on this one. It's gone...

Smax HC (Moore, Cannon): Picked this up to replace my floppies. A wonderful mini-series from my favorite of the ABC titles (and when I say that, most people exclaim, "But what about League...?" to which I posit that League is its own thing, and not part of the Tom Strong, Promethea, Top 10 universe of titles...

Illustration #11 (various): It's all about the men in this issue. Or rather, all about the men who drew the sexy, sexy chicks for the trashy, trashy novels of their day. Good stuff. Heading to my upstairs rack with the other mags of its caliber. Still working on getting that sub.

And of course, the usual smattering of floppies: Astonishing X-Men #5: The best stuff since Morrison, that's for sure - but what an ugly cover; Wanted #5 and 6: I don't think I ever read #3, and barely remember #'s 1 and 2. Not sure any of that makes a difference. Competent, but not terribly bright; Strange #1: Competent, but unnecessary; Avengers #502: Stiff as a board, and I'm not talking about Hawkeye! ; Ultimate FF #11: It took them the whole issue just to crash the fantasti-car; Madrox #1: that covers? It's ripping off a Sleeper cover, right? Competent, but mostly unnecessary; FF #518: Galactus is coming! Galactus is coming! DD #64: I'm not sure where else he can go, but this remains one of my favorite monthly Marvels; Ultimate Nightmare #2: I sense a big fight coming on. Maybe by issue #4? All of these are taking the express train out of my life...

Here's the unread stack as it stands today:

Batman in the '80s TPB (various): Ahh the eighties. I was doing a lot of things back then, many of them illegal, but reading Batman wasn't one of them. Let's see if I was missing anything...

Sinister Dexter (various): This 2000AD stuff is all new to me, just hope I don't get a backlog going like I got doing with the Humanoids releases. Oi!

Wonder Woman: Down to Earth TPB (Rucka, Johnson): Haven't read the singles, and see the fan reaction is mixed. We'll see...

Elric: The Making of a Sorcerer (Moorcock, Simonson): I have a soft spot for Mr. Moorcock and this character (I never read Conan novels, I read Elric novels during my formative years), so I'm anticipating a moderate level of enjoyment here.

Essential Iron Fist (Claremont, Byrne): I'm about halfway through, tho to be honest, I'm doing a fair amount of skimming. In light of all the Bryne-talk going around this week, I have to say that no matter what the man says or does in this stage of his career, his early Marvel art still holds up in general and makes this book in particular.

Essential Super Villain Team Up (Various): I'm about 1/4 in. This is getting a skim more than a thorough read-through.

Second Help-ing (Kurtzman, various): No movement.

The Unorthodox Corpse (Brown): No movement.

Invincible: Eight is Enough TPB (Kirkman, Walker): No movement

The White Lama (Jodorowsky, Bess): No movement.

Deicide #1: Path of the Dead (Portella/Pastoras): No movement.

Townscapes (Chrisitn/Bilal): No Movement.

The Horde (Baranko): No Movement.

The Hollow Ground (Schuiten)): No Movement.

Superman: The Man of Steel Volume 3 TPB (Byrne, Wolfman): No movement.

The Fortress of Solitude (Lethem): No movement.

Comics Prose (various): No movement.

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind 3,4, 5, 6, 7 (Miyazaki): No movement.

Romance Without Tears (various): No movement.

No More Shaves (Greenberger): No movement.

Playboy: 50 Years of the Cartoons (various): No movement.

The Future Dictionary of America (various): No Movement. Kerry/Edwards in '04!

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

The Kid Firechief (Steven Weissman): No movement.

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

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

Stranger Than Fiction (Chuck Palahniuk): Ugh...

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

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

Found (Rothbart): No movement.

Lone Wolf and Cub #3,4 (Koike/Kojima): No movement.

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

MINI-MADNESS… ONCE MORE UNTO THE BREACH!

This is a very special column for me. Because these are the last minis I have left to review from the San Diego Comic-Con. Yay!

ACE FEDORA: PRIVATE EYE
Written by Chris Grumprich and Drawn by Jason Rainey
Published by Arctic Star Studios

This is a quiet little tale about a man stuck in a boring office job with a large imagination. The lead character, an accountant, is saddled with tracking down some missing funds, and he let’s his thoughts run wild, pretending he’s a Sam Spade style gumshoe helping a damsel in distress, rather than his tightly buttoned down female boss. It’s nothing deeply original, but it’s drawn nicely, produced well, and an entertaining eight pages. Grade: B

COW PUNCH BOOK ONE
Written and Drawn by Porter McDonald
Available at Cow Punch

This is truly a mini comic. Printed at 3x5, McDonald takes actual photographs and draws over and doctors them to create four panel gags. It’s a nifty idea, and although it isn’t executed brilliantly on every page, I found it well worth my time and I admired the effort involved. It gave me another idea for how to do minis of my own someday, assuming I ever find that extra ten hours in a day. Grade: B+

RAIDER BOOK TWO: A COLD DAY IN HEAVEN
Written and Drawn by Thom Zahler
Published by Maerkle Press

Zahler was selling this preview to his second RAIDER graphic novel, and reading it, I would guess that I have really missed something, because this is very good. The story, pacing, and art all grabbed me and had me enthralled. RAIDER is an espionage tale, and yet also a mystery. Two things I like. It also has interesting characters, some well-scripted dialogue, and attitude to spare. I’m going to have to dig up the graphic novels and review them over in my MoviePoopShoot column. Grade: A

COOL JERK
Written and Drawn by Paul Horn
Available at Cool Jerk

This was another strong mini I found at the con. Horn is a former syndicated cartoonist, and this strip, born while he was in college, was his baby. COOL JERK is a well-drawn, clever, and quite funny little strip. Horn comes from the same school of thought that begat comics folks like Martin Wagner, Judd Winick, and Frank Cho. He ought to think about getting more ambitious with this stuff. Grade: A-

BIKINI AUTOMATIC #4
Written and Drawn by Ken and Maggie Wright
Available from Ken Wright Online

I reviewed issues 1-3 of this little lark of a book last Spring. BA is the story of a hottie super agent charged with protecting the beach from madmen like Banana Bob. The gloves she wears can produce any weapon she needs from thin air at the sound of her voice. Wright draws in an “animated” style, and BIKINI AUTOMATIC is generally a hoot. This issue actually makes an excellent case against the concept of the nude beach as part of its fun. The Wrights seem to understand that this is the perfect format for BA, as trying to push it further would weaken the concept; smart folks. Grade: B+

GENTLEMAN ZOMBIE
Written by Joshua Williamson and Drawn by Jacob Glaser
Published by Big Boss Comics

This eight-page mini is a tease for what is apparently an upcoming ongoing series or graphic novel. Displaying some rough art that appears as though it will be quite lovely when finished, there’s enough here to tantalize the palate for more of the story. On the downside, in these eight pages, we never actually see or meet the GENTLEMAN ZOMBIE. Kinda odd. It’s difficult to say whether or not the final product will be a winner, but this is a decent enough start. Could have used eight more pages, though, even if it was only sketches that showed a bit more about the lead character. Grade: B-

KID JUSTICE
Written by Joshua Williamson and Drawn by Vicente Navarrete
Published by Big Boss Comics

This is a stronger effort from Williamson that brings a lot more story to the table. The main character is not only a teen superhero, he’s also the son of the President of the United States… his Mother. We get to see the character fight a battle, deal with school pressures like bullies and nasty administrators, plus face up to his White House handlers. The concept may sound hokey, but it has a lot of appeal to a wider audience, and I think larger doses would go down quite well. Backgrounds aren’t what Navarrete does best, but on a mini, that isn’t as much of a factor. Grade: B+

If you’ll pardon me, I’m going to go spike a football.

/Mason

LIFESPAN: COMICS Week Eight

"I'm dismantling my Comics Activism."-- Warren Ellis (In a Bad Signal mailing last year I think)

"You're re-mantling your comics activism!"-- Me to ADD when CBG most recently re-launched.

"My GOD, this thing is a pain in my ass!"-- Me to myself when thinking about ditching this column over the last few days.

Those three quotes have nothing to do with each other, well, the second one plays off the first, but I like the sequence, and it's how I'm feeling this week, back from my brief convention stop in Baltimore. I'm thinking of ditching my half-plan to visit SPX, although there are some things there I'd like to pick up (but can pick up after the show from Atomic Books where I popped in for shopping and beers with the proprietors/friends before the Balti-Con.) and people I'd like to see, but I am burned right the fuck out from traveling to comic book conventions. We'll see what happens. I may attend this instead.

As far as this little exercise? I was gonna bail on it this week, but I've never been a quitter, so why start now?

We've got two winners this week - Nevin will be adding Invincible Book 1 to his very own stack and I'm going to shoot Logan the PVP TPB. Look for details below on the next give-away from my mighty stack.

Here's what left the stack this week, and where it's going (I'm shaking things up this week!):

Chronicles of Conan 2, 3, 4 (Thomas/Windsor-Smith/Kane/Buscema): I think I'm giving up (and I did not like the coloring on these at all to begin with). I'll probably dump the set of 4 on eBay at some point, assuming I can find my copy of #1.

Adrian Tomine Scrapbook: Uncollected Works 1990-2004 (Tomine, duh!): The piece I own is not in here, but a lot of wonderful comics and art are! Essential stuff for Tomine fans, and fans of more "quiet" comics. Heading to the self with my Optic Nerve collections.

Michael Chabon Presents The Amazing Adventures of the Escapist #3 (various): Competent Comics Featuring the Escapist. Any other thoughts on this are long gone -- make of that what you will. I'll be shuffling this off to the stacks in the basement.

Queen and Country: Operation Storm Front (Rucka/McNeil): This is an excellent series that suffers from inappropriate art. Except for Volume 1, I have not clicked with any of the art choices. This is heading to the basement...

Queen and Country: Operation Dandelion (Rucka/McNeil): Another well-written collection, suffering, IMO, from weak art. This is heading to the basement...

Dark Days (Niles/Templesmith): This was a decent follow-up to 30 Days, but lightning rarely strikes twice, right? This is heading to the basement...

I am Legion (Nury/Cassaday): Cool stuff, looking forward to reading more in this (3 issue?) series. This is heading to the basement...

B.R.P.D. The Soul of Venice and Other Stories (Mignola/various): This series is a high watermark for anthologies -- excellent stuff from the Hellboy corner of the Universe. This is heading to the shelf next to the other Hellboy TPB's

Brit: Red White Black and Blue (Kirkman/Rathburn): Walking Dead is my favorite Kirkman book. This felt forced, what do you think? Haven't read it you say? Well, how about I give it to you?

EMAIL ME BETWEEN NOW AND MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, AND I'LL PICK A WINNER AT RANDOM, LITERALLY, AND SEND THIS OUT... FREE! (YOU HAVE TO LIVE IN THE CONTIGUOUS UNITED STATES, THOUGH!)

Batman: Death and the Maidens TPB (Rucka/Janson: They didn't fuck it up. A good Ra's Al Ghul that actually had impact in the Batman Universe. Non-essential, but enjoyable. This is heading to the basement, to be shuffled out of my life at some point...

The Filth (Morrison/Weston): This prompted a lot of thought, and I've shared those thoughts with a select few, but don't have the energy to digest it here. This is essential Morrison, but not essential comics Make of that what you will and disagree with me here. This is heading to the basement, to be shuffled out of my life at some point...

Weird Secret Origins (various): So many more interesting things have been done with these characters since their creation, but still, one has to have a sense of history, right? This is heading to the basement, to be shuffled out of my life at some point...

The Batman/Judge Dredd Files (various): The first cross-over is really all you need. The rest are diminishing returns, but the first one still holds up as a nice bit of x-over fluff, with fan-tastic Bisley art.. This is heading to the basement, to be shuffled out of my life at some point...

Popbot #6 (Wood): I have NO IDEA what is going on, but it looks damn good. Heading to my shelf, racked right next to Stray Toasters ;)

Illustration Magazine #10: This, Comic Art and the Journal are essential reading. This issue devotes more space to one artist than previous issues I've read, but that one guy was responsible for a HUGE chunk of work from the '40s until the '70s (Rafael DeSoto). Heading to the rack with my issues of Comic Art and the Journal, told you they were essential.

Help (Kurtzman, various): I picked up two of these paperback collections in Baltimore, and thoroughly enjoyed reading this one, though it is incredibly dated. This is heading to the basement...

The Pocket Book of Esquire Cartoons (various): Another purchase from the Baltimore show, and who knew Esquire used to run such racy cartoons? Sexist and out of date, this was still an enjoyable read, with some amazing color pieces scattered throughout. This is heading to the basement...

A smattering of floppies were consumed these past two weeks, including: Fables #28,29Not the best this series has offered up (the fill-in art could have been stronger), but a pleasant sidetrack before the next arc. Challengers of the Unknown #2, 3: At the Baltimore Con last weekend, I got to have dinner with Howard (and Jim Starlin, Michael Avon Oeming and Walter and Louise Simonson) so how could I say anything bad about this? Hellblazer #197 & 198: Another arc with John caught by an old foe. I'll be sticking with this through #200 at the very least, but I'm not feeling this series so much anymore. She-Hulk #7: The breeziest -- I mean that in a good way -- comic out there; not sure if I'm sticking around once Bobillo leaves though. District X #5: This issue lost me, I'm all done with this. Walking Dead: The best zombie movie never made? Excellent stuff, you're reading this, right? Demo #9: I hope this series exorcizes all of Wood's relationship demons, for they seem mighty. The Goon #8: I LUV THE GOON! One of my favorite titles. Powers #4 I mentioned Oeming was at that table, right? Seriously, good stuff, but let's get down to some consequence of all this set-up. Ex Machina #3: A strong new series on all counts. This has legs. Captain America #31: This issue: Someone Dies! Plus: The Red Skull! We3 #1: Spinning out from my discussion on The Filth, I would've liked to see Morrison present this theme in a different format. As it is though, it's a good first issue, and I'll finish the series. These are all heading to the basement, to be shuffled out of my life at some point...

Here's the unread stack as it stands today:

Essential Iron Fist (Claremont, Byrne): No movement.

Essential Super Villain Team Up (Various): New to the stack. Marvel saw me coming a mile away when they offered this...

In the Shadow of No Towers (Spiegelman): A must-read after I finish...

Persepolis 2 (Satrapi): I'm not sure why there's backlash again this book; The first volume enlightened me to a situation on which I had no real perspective, and this, so far, is an engrossing, compelling read.

Second Help-ing (Kurtzman, various): I picked up two of these paperback collections in Baltimore, thoroughly enjoyed reading one, and now have a second to look forward to.

The Unorthodox Corpse (Brown): "Al Wheeler and a school full of sexy coeds play hide and seek with a corpse who just won't stay dead." What am I, made of stone? ;) This is smut from 1957, and if you could see the cover, you'd know what sold me (plus it was a buck at Atomic).

Invincible: Eight is Enough TPB (Kirkman, Walker): Handed to me by Robert Kirkman (after I'd asked) in Baltimore. I'm filling up on the name-drops, no?

The White Lama (Jodorowsky, Bess): Oh good, more Humanoids to let sit idle on my stack! Like...

Deicide #1: Path of the Dead (Portella/Pastoras): No movement.

Townscapes (Chrisitn/Bilal): No Movement.

The Horde (Baranko): No Movement.

The Hollow Ground (Schuiten)): No Movement.

Superman: The Man of Steel Volume 3 TPB (Byrne, Wolfman): I never followed this iteration of Superman during its original run, so it's all new to me!

The Bible Eden (Giffen, Elliott, Hampton): Fully-painted smut taken from the Bible! Excellent!

Bad Mojo (Harms, Morris): I just read the sell copy on the back, and it doesn't inspire me. We'll see...

100 Bullets: Samurai TPB: I ditched my collection of Bullets trades last year, and was going to drop the series, but I'm curious to see where it's going, Azzarello's a decent guy and I love Risso's art. So here I am with this.

The Fortress of Solitude (Lethem): No pictures, just words? This doesn't stand a chance of being cracked anytime soon.

Comics Prose (various): Handed to me (after I asked) by Nat Gertler. See above for when I'm gong to get around to this. Or just ask Palahniuk ;)

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind 3,4, 5, 6, 7 (Miyazaki): Stalled, no movement.

Romance Without Tears (various): No movement.

No More Shaves (Greenberger): No movement.

Playboy: 50 Years of the Cartoons (various): No movement.

The Future Dictionary of America (various): No Movement. Kerry/Edwards in '04!

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

The Kid Firechief (Steven Weissman): No movement.

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

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

Stranger Than Fiction (Chuck Palahniuk): Heh...

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

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

Found (Rothbart): No movement.

Lone Wolf and Cub #3,4 (Koike/Kojima): Stalled, No movement.

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.

I KNOW THE BAND STOLE THE NAME, OKAY?

A couple of months ago, while discussing Fantagraphics’ upcoming slate of releases with P.R. master Eric Reynolds, I broke down and made a shameful, awful confession to him:

I had never read LOVE AND ROCKETS. Ever.

We’re talking about one of the seminal independent comics of all-time, a book that has been around in various incarnations since the 80s. But I had never cracked an issue. How is that possible?

It’s easier than you might think. By the time I became aware of the book, as the 80s drew to a close, it was well on towards a long run. So that left me a bit intimidated towards getting started. Plus, the shop I went to never seemed to have a decent run of consecutive issues, so even if I wanted to sample it, I couldn’t get a good head of steam. I could give you plenty of other flimsy excuses, but what it boiled down was that I just moved on to other books. For better or worse. But now, much, much later, I have finally taken the plunge. And I get it.

LOVE AND ROCKETS #10 and #11. LUBA #8. LUBA’S COMICS AND STORIES #4. Read ‘em all. They’re pretty good.

LOVE AND ROCKETS has thrived and succeeded for the length of time it has because Los Bros Hernandez have the creation of soap opera down to a science. Yes, some people will scream loudly that “soap opera” is a dirty and demeaning term. Those people need to unclench. Soap opera isn’t just the most typical format for an afternoon broadcast drama. Being honest, yeah, those are generally cheesy. But quality soap opera can be brilliant. NYPD BLUE. STAR TREK. ALIAS. You can couch them in terms of their genre, but at heart, they’re soaps. Consider comics. X-MEN is about as pure a soap opera as the medium as ever been produced. So don’t mock the soap, okay?

In classic soap tradition, LOVE AND ROCKETS follows multiple generations of a family, focusing heavily on matriarch Luba. The foibles of her extended family are marvelous. Luba’s daughter Doralis, a children’s show host, has just come out as a lesbian. Luba’s sister Fritz may or may not be involved sexually with Doralis’ producer Pipo. Luba’s daughter Guadalupe is confused and stuck about her own life, considering she’s been working on Doralis’ now-dead show. There are also men on the fringes, but in true soap fashion, it’s all about the women.

There are plenty of other side stories in these issues as well, some of which stand alone and separate from the LOVE AND ROCKETS universe. Artistically simple, and yet subtly complex in how it plays in body language and motion between the characters, I got sucked into LOVE AND ROCKETS very easily. I’m just sorry it took so long. Of course, there’s a lot of story ahead and behind of these issues. I guess that’ll give me plenty of opportunities.

/Mason

LIFESPAN: COMICS Week Seven

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

Oi...

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

Double Oi...

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

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

Oh yeah, we've got Madbomb Reviews!

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

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

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

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

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

Here's the stack as it stands today:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Townscapes (Chrisitn/Bilal): No Movement.

The Horde (Baranko): No Movement.

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

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

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

The Kid Firechief (Steven Weissman): No movement.

The Filth (Morrison/Weston): No movement.

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

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

Stranger Than Fiction (Chuck Palahniuk): NO MOVEMENT!

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

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

Found (Rothbart): No movement.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

More Mini-Madness

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

/Mason