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Tuesday, May 31, 2005
Hey didle-diddle, the whole world's a riddle
Focusing now on my favorite presentation of the Batman character, pal Jamey revealed to me a site where you can get an MP3 of the Frank Gorshin song The Riddler. That's right, Gorshin cut a single in his Riddler alter-ego and, guess what, it rocks like a wrestler on fire. Gorshin's maniacal giggles abound and I sure dig those sassy female back-up singers. Download and celebrate the life of Gorshin!
P.S. This is, like, the most awesome blog ever.
Permanent Link: 8:59 PM |
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This post has no babes in it
Every comic blogger in the world is going to link to this article so I might as well get it out of the way. I liked it alright but I must say that I was disappointed that the author Keith Phipps actually had some comic book knowledge under his belt. I was already set to enjoy someone who has little to no familiarity with comics take the piss out of all these old '60s Batman books (remember folks, if someone doesn't read comics you know they made at least one good decision in their life [and guess what, I'm being dead fucking serious when I say that!]) but I suppose if you get a good read that was different than what your expectations led you to believe you still got a good read and you should be thankful for it.
But that's not the latest in the world of Bruce Wayne that I turned on my computer to tell you about. No, instead it’s something I found after I finished reading the first issue of Green Lantern (you read the review, right?). It was this little blurb (something I know The Absorbascon has also written about):
What the fuck!? That's the selling point, at least initially? Is DC figuring, "there a lot of people who love Frank Miller and there are a lot of people that love Jim Lee but what about the legion of readers we have who purchase our modest little funnybooks so they can masturbate to the lovely ladies of the DCU. Ladies, or babes if you will, such as The Huntress, Black Canary and the ever vivacious Wonder Woman. Since Jim Balent isn't drawing the book how ever are we going to entice this bunch to check out our latest offering, All-Star Batman (the Batman equivalent to that fine compilation of tunes, All-Star Jock Jams)? Hmmmm...I've got it! We'll quote the esteemed scribe reassuring all of those young ruffians out there with a healthy four-color libido that this book, in fact, we'll have babes a-plenty!"
Now I know, after reading the Sin City series and seeing the Sin City movie, that Miller sure does like filling his comics with women who don't dress for warmth. A part of me finds this a bit silly of a motif to use again and again, although a much more basic part of me does appreciate it (I must say that I am attracted to works that challenge the guilty middle-class liberalism that is so much a part of me). Still, I can imagine other ways to sell this book that isn't depend upon drawn titties.
No doubt that many of you noticed, as I did, that both DC's Identity Crisis and the Countdown one-shot got a lot of press (I remember hearing sound bites of Dan DiDio talking about Countdown on the radio). While I don't think those continuity-heavy books were the right ones to get the word out about to the general populace, I think it's great that DC at least did some real serious promotion for a comic. With this book, though, they have to do as much if not more. If DC have a book that is written by the creator and one of the directors of a major motion picture and stars the subject of another major motion picture, a character that everybody tuned into pop culture knows at least a little about, and they fail to make sure that it doesn't get at least the same amount of press as Identity Crisis then they are hurting. I know DiDio has said that he wants to create superhero books for a general audience and I think that's great. I also know that they can make any book they want have a very high profile. I'm just hoping they can combine that one hope with that one ability into big sales for this comic. Being a big seller in the Direct Market is not how the overall success of this book will be judged. It has to be bigger than that. I hope DC can do it, but when it comes to these behemoths of comic book publishers you'll forgive me when I appear a slight pessimistic.
Permanent Link: 4:14 PM |
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Monday, May 30, 2005
Green Lantern #1
Back in January I wrote a post decrying the over-reliance of past continuity in superhero comics, especially the ones that feature artists I really look forward to reading. Carlos Pacheco is one of those artists and I certainly had my doubts that the new Green Lantern series would be accessible enough for those who don’t have a large amount of knowledge about the DC Universe (although I probably know more than most people, thanks to some pretty awesome reprint collections that have come out, not to mention three of the ACAPCWOVCCAOE being big DC fans). I was contacted by someone close to the book that assured me that the new series would be an easy read for new and old fans. That convinced me to at least give the book a chance. Here is what I found.
I’ve enjoyed Pacheco’s art where I’ve found it, but I’ve never been a follower of any series he’s been an artist for. I found out about him reading Rich Kreiner’s “Meet the Comic Press” column in The Comics Journal. Kreiner was reviewing some magazine that had a Pacheco sketchbook section and Kreiner said something to the effect that he’s an artist that could be a modern age Gil Kane (I don’t have the magazine with me right now so I can’t reproduce the exact quote). Reading that, and being a big fan of Kane’s work, I decided to find some of his stuff. Reading JLA/JSA: Virtue and Vice and Fantastic Four: Into the Breach I saw that Pacheco was one of those few great artists that make a scene and its characters appear real fluid and attractive. He can definitely bring a sense of grandeur to the superheroes he draws just because there such an elegance to the simplicity in the way he draws bodies and faces, but there’s also a comfortable “down-to-earth” feeling as well, probably due to his straightforward storytelling. Having him draw a regular series starring a character that I always felt had a great design (designed by Gil Kane himself that is) was the real attraction for me when it came to this book.
Pacheco here doesn’t disappoint. There’s a distinct feeling of optimism about the look of this book and it’s one I feel is pretty welcome. Not that some bad things don’t happen (and Pacheco draws those pretty good, too) but seeing Green Lantern fly after a runaway jet plane I did get the feeling that Pacheco and writer Geoff Johns said “alright, let’s have some rollicking super-duper stuff happen.” I also noticed a feeling of certain starkness, more so than any other Pacheco book I’ve read, brought to this book. The backgrounds aren’t cluttered at all which makes scenes such as the early jet flying one all that more effective. Having spent some time in the Central California that this book takes place in this seemed to be a smart style to go with. The geography of Green Lantern’s surroundings is an important part of the story, both the air force base where he works at and the California town he’s trying to see rebuilt.
The rebirth of Coast City was the part of the book that actually struck me the most. In a lot of Marvel and DC books we have characters dying, getting dark and going through self-doubt so that the stories will feel like something real important is happening. In contrast to that, both Hal Jordan and his hometown are coming back from when a previous crossover event (in this case the Zero Hour story of a decade ago) caused all kind of havoc in the lives of the characters of DC. Is this a sign that the new Green Lantern series is an antidote to many of the other comics that are coming out at the same time?
The rest of the story did a decent job of establishing Green Lantern as the kind of guy who really gets what it means to be heroic and save people. After reading this one issue anyone can get that Hal Jordan values comradery, likes to solve problems, loves to be around aircrafts and can be all too human in the presence of a lovely lady. Darwyn Cooke made it clear to me in New Frontier, easily the best superhero comic book to be seen in a very long time, that Green Lantern is one of the most important parts of the DC superhero line. He is that guy who represents the forward-thinking days of the late ‘50s and early ‘60s where people were excited about science and knew that if you were honest and smart you could achieve greatness. There was an optimism about the times that matches the brightness that character should have. Johns doesn’t make anything about Green Lantern edgy for today but the character and his world don’t feel stale either.
What I didn’t like about the book was that there was so much reverence for the superhero world of Green Lantern that the book can feel very delicate and in fact a bit slow. I like my superhero tales to have something resembling a manic energy to them, although that wouldn’t be appropriate for this particular tale. This inaugural issue is about the characters, the main one really, and we only get some hints of upcoming plots. DC has this great tradition of their books getting so filled with plots that they can feel like they’re going to burst. The issues of Justice League of America that Gardner Fox wrote are the best example of this and Grant Morrison and Mark Waid proved that that sensibility can be recreated in modern superhero comic stories. I’d like to see some of that done here; especially if the stories get real cosmic which I think would be a cool place to go with this character.
As for the accessibility of this book, I can say that I had no problem following along. I have read some issues of earlier volumes of Green Lantern. The run by John Broome and Gil Kane (the absolute best creative team DC had in the ‘60s) I liked a lot and I’ve also read the Steve Englehart/Joe Staton run, which was good when it was called Green Lantern Corps. Other than that I really don’t know much of ol’ Lantern (other than what I know from listening to this guy) but this book made clear anything that I needed to know to get what was going on (even including an origin sequence drawn by Evan Van Sciver). Hell, I really liked the caption box explaining who Green Lantern was that appeared in the title page. I’m not going to mind if Green Lantern’s past is brought back as long as delving into continuity isn’t the point and it’s all done in service to a good story anyone can enjoy.
Things are so here at the Brill Building that taking on another title is too much to ask for, what with the finical situations and the personal upheavals coming up. I have a pretty good feeling that this title is still going to be coming out when I move in a few months and maybe then I’ll really think about following this title. Month after month Pacheco sounds very tempting and Johns is writing a superhero book that seems to find more use in the hopefulness of superheroes instead of getting real dark. That certainly sounds like a superior direction to go with.
Permanent Link: 5:02 PM |
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Saturday, May 28, 2005
Dear George Lucas: The X-Men had yo' azz beat
It was the comments of Brad Curran (he of Comics Should Be Good) that reminded me of this game (actually he reminded me of its predecessor). Apparently because George Lucas wrote a few Shadow War book with The Mont (books I have heard Mikester describe as "unreadable") he thinks he can just steal whatever part of the vast X-Men video game legacy he wants. Well not so! This injustice must be known of on a wider scale.
The combination of X-Men, George Lucas and nerd outrage mean one thing: petitions and plenty of 'em! Once Lucas sees name after name of people he'll never meet or care about, he'll be overwhelmed to do the right thing. That right thing is of course to admit to his Sega Genesis addiction (there is no shame in playing Toe Jam & Earl for 35 hours straight) and admit he was a thief in terms of titles for sequels of things. It is, after all, the right thing to do.
Permanent Link: 9:35 AM |
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Thursday, May 26, 2005
Wednesday, May 25, 2005
Your comic book/video game connection of today
Anything else you need to know? Well, you should know that you can find plenty of ads for video games that showed up in the pages of GamePro and other magazines at this page. You can even see the ad for the best Marvel video game ever. That's the best, even better than the Super NES Avengers game, which I liked a lot back in the day. Anyone know who did the artwork for that ad? I want to guess Ron Lim, who I think was drawing the Silver Surfer's comic at the time, but I'm not so sure.
Permanent Link: 9:32 AM |
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Plug Time
Let me just point out that the latest issue of The Comics Journal has two reviews from me, Louis: Dreams Never Die (liked it) and Temporary #1 (hated it). If that's not enough for you to check out the mag (and it really shouldn't be) the fact that Sean T. Collins reviews Locas and Dirk Deppey reviews Bambi and her Pink Gun might also entice you. The former is already among my favorite comics and the latter is one I am very much looking forward to reading. Not to mention Bob Burden! The man created the Flaming Carrot for you, so read his interview. Craig Thompson's probably got something to say, too, so buy the mag for that.
What else is coming out this week? Nothing that can stand up against that package, that's what.
Permanent Link: 8:37 AM |
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Tuesday, May 24, 2005
Happy Birthday, Mr. Infantino
Today marks the 80th year Carmine Infantino has been on this planet. Any fan of comic book artwork has to be thankful for that and the previous years he spent drawing comics.
Infantino crafted a style in the late '50s and '60s that took the starkness of Bernie Krigstein and turned it into a cool kind of sleekness that matched what else was going on at the time. The look he gave the Adam Strange stories in Mystery Space and the Flash's stories in his own mag were right up there with the cool look of the cars coming out, the science fiction of movies and paperback novel covers and the confidence society had in real life science during those post-War years. It was new and exciting and was a big part of what made Showcase #4 such a hit that effectively changed the comic book industry forever. Infantino, Joe Kubert, Robert Kanigher, John Broome and Julius Schwartz took the skeleton of a popular Golden Age concept and breathed a very contemporary feel into it, one that hit the reader as soon as they set eyes on the pages inside.
That's my little spiel about what made the Silver Age Infantino so great but Dial B for Blog goes all out by showcasing many different eras of Infantino. I especially loved the sketch at the end that combined Infantino artwork and a little Bob Dylan wisdom (I did say he absorbed what was going on at the time, didn't I?).
Permanent Link: 1:42 PM |
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Monday, May 23, 2005
Alan Moore Then & Now
It's a cool coincidence that the day I plan to go over Alan Moore's two-part piece on Marvel comics from 1983 that 4ColorHeroes dug up (scroll down to "Moore on Stan Lee") is the same day Rich Johnston turns in a great piece on Alan Moore's reaction to films based on his works and his dissatisfaction with DC comics. I'm sure a lot of you have seen the Johnston piece already so let me just go over that quickly.
I never expected the V for Vendetta movie to be any good in the first place (to be honest it's far from my favorite Moore comic) so I can't say I'm too surprised to hear the script is not that hot. Not that there's really anything wrong with making some big changing when translating a book to a film. When you're creating something you have to be adamant in realizing your vision and if that means throwing away important parts of the original text then so be it. It's just there doesn't seem to be a creative vision being produced here that in anyway will stand beside what the book stood for and what it stood for is very important in these times of the Patriot Act. We'll probably just get another sci-fi/action movie that barley touches on the theme of governments’ hypnotizing of the public while evil deeds take place, something worth exploring in mass communication whether a film is based on a comic or not. Of course there's always the chance the film could make some serious evolution between what Moore read and what the final product is. I have no idea, I'm a guy who just wrote a paragraph on a subject that doesn't really interest him so who am I to say?
What I really got out of the piece was Moore's dealings with DC, both the history and the present. I've always thought it is somewhat nefarious that Watchmen is kept in print all this time so the rights never revert back to Moore and Dave Gibbons. DC can congratulate themselves that they've got a landmark graphic novel under their belts that is taught in classrooms and held up as a remarkable achievement in the medium but the only reason they have it under their belts is because they are too afraid to ever see the work be owned by its actual creators. One of those creators is writing an "event book" that brings the company a short-term victory while no real progress is made and the other now has a clause in his all his contracts that if any company he works with is eaten by a bigger company all is null and void. I think that says a lot about the comic book industry, certainly the big companies like DC and Marvel.
Speaking of DC's competitor (competitor in who can destroy the American comic book industry faster it seems) that brings me back 22 years ago when Moore wrote a two-part article in the pages of Marvel UK's Daredevils. Entitled Stan Lee: Blinded by the Hype and sub-titled An Affectionate Character Assassination it is both a memoir of a young boy enthralled with the world of the Fantastic Four, both their universe and publisher, as well as a man’s realization that what once captured his imagination has let him down.
It starts with the origin of a Marvel fan. Moore’s mother mistakenly bringing home Fantastic Four #3 instead of an issue of Blackhawk might have upset the younger Moore at first but he sound found himself enjoying the darker, weirder artwork of Jack Kirby and the dysfunction Lee created between the team. The fact that these superheroes bickered and could be petty was a great leap forward in Moore’s mind (as it was in the annals of superherodom). This was comics just a little closer to real life and just a little closer to be able to say something about to its readers, not just entrain them. That being said entertaining was still Marvel’s main goal and for Moore and many other children it certainly did in those days of M.M.M.S. Moore writes how Lee created this great hold on the audience by making it feel like being a Marvel reader was something special. The relationship between fandom and publisher might have gotten a boost with the EC books but Lee took it to a whole new level and Kid Alan sure could appreciate it.
There was something else, though. It couldn’t have just been the records sent to fan club members that had Don Heck joking around with Lee and Flo Steinberg (although that record is pretty awesome. I wonder if any blogger will post it…). The actual comics kept the pace rolling along to match a fan’s appetite. Moore says that fans stuck with Marvel as they grew up because of the “constant application of change, modification and development” the books expressed. My mind thinks of the Beatles, those fellow icons of the ‘60s, where we see a band go from “Love Me Do” to “Tomorrow Never Knows” to “Revolution No. 9” in less than the span of a decade. Kirby, who is easy to identify as the John Lennon to Lee’s Paul McCartney although I think that comparison is bit too simple, went from virtuoso depictions of actions in simple tales like the FF going up against Miracle Man (not the one Moore would make his claim on) to drawing mind-blowing tales of a god creature coming down to eat the Earth while the Human Torch reaches a sudden cosmic awareness he could never before know of. Having that happen all relativity close to each other is what makes the early Marvel comics incredible and left all the other publishers in the dust.
In the second half of the article Moore bemoans the loss of that spirit of change. Lee had left to concentrate more on publishing and speaking so the books now featured writers who had grown up on Lee’s books try to capture that magic only to have future creators who had grown up on those books try to capture that second-hand magic and so on and so on. Moore seems less pleased with the Lee disciples like Marv Wolfman than I am but his point about “grinding to halt” is there. I think a lot of it is due to the split between Kirby and Lee. Lee did not have Kirby’s innovation to sell and Kirby did not have Lee to sell his innovation. This is something Moore doesn’t realize in his article but I think it’s a big culprit. I still love a lot of Kirby’s DC work and consider the “New Gods” titles, books DC cut off from realizing the full potential Kirby had for them, to be of his finest work although there is a certain sense of excitement missing.
The notable thing is that the second half of the article, the “character assassination” part, is less about Lee as it as an indictment of the Big Two’s difficulty to develop its creativity capital. He mentions that this recycling of the “teenage problems” theme that has kept both Marvel’s Spider-Man and DC’s Firestorm alive, both examples Moore brings out to show a lack of progress, is not keeping the sales up. It is a bit comedic to see Moore peg selling 300,000 copies of a comic as failure when Marvel and DC would love to hit those numbers regularly today. Moore’s depiction of Lee’s legacy is something like what he would say about his own legacy to younger artists later on: don’t copy the techniques I employed, be inspired by the innovation brought on to innovate all on your own. Most creators are too lazy for such things and would rather just follow along in Lee or Moore’s footsteps than travel their own path.
I think that central message is an important one and I’m glad Moore has stuck with it throughout the years. That being said, I often feel that the Lee/Thomas/Wolfman/Englehart style of writing of superhero comics is the style that is perfect for superhero comics and should be employed more, no matter how “old fashioned” it feels. Superheroes live in a tight genre and one that is often stretched beyond its limits. I have to wince when I see caption boxes taking the place of thought balloons and entire comics come and go without a decent fight scene in it. I feel that even those steps in evolving the craft of writing superheroes give the genre too much than it deserves. When I read Gilbert Hernandez say that superheroes were more of a ‘60s thing for me I have to nod my head in approval, even if I was born in the year Moore’s two-part article came out. The ‘60s was the height of superheroes and ever since then things have been going down hill. Not just because of the regurgitation of Lee’s style but because I felt that the evolution of writing superheroes just doesn’t work. A sense of wonder and imagination seems lost somewhere during the ‘80s and I find myself going back to DC and Marvel’s output of the years before my birth for my superhero fun fix.
While I writing that I realize that I do like some of the superhero books of all decades, many of them completely different than the zippy style of the so-called Silver Age. Perhaps there’s a right way to explore the ins-and-outs of superheroism and a wrong way. Or maybe two of my perceptions of superhero comics completely contradict themselves. I can’t say that I have any plans to reconcile the two.
Permanent Link: 7:11 PM |
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Saturday, May 21, 2005
Visionaries news
Last month I wrote about the Marvel Visionaries: John Romita volume coming out. In that post I also wondered who else should be getting such a book. I figured they'd keep in the direction of "classic Marvel" and we'd see a Roy Thomas or John Buscema volume. Upon the release of Marvel's solicitations for August 2005 we see who is next in line:
MARVEL VISIONARIES: CHRIS CLAREMONT HC
Written by CHRIS CLAREMONT
Penciled by JOHN BYRNE, MICHAEL GOLDEN, DAVE COCKRUM, FRANK MILLER, BILL SIENKIEWICZ, BARRY WINDSOR-SMITH, JOHN BOLTON, ART ADAMS, ALAN DAVIS, JIM LEE & SALVADOR LARROCA
In celebration of the 30th anniversary of Chris Claremont's first X-Men story, the House of Ideas presents a timeless testament to another true Marvel visionary! Best known for ushering the X-Men from reprints to blockbuster franchise, Claremont has steered Marvel's mutants for three decades while working alongside some of comicdom's top artists. This deluxe keepsake edition collects some of his greatest moments - including stories from DAREDEVIL #102; MARVEL PREMIERE #11; IRON FIST #14; UNCANNY X-MEN #137, #153, #205, #268 and ANNUAL #12; AVENGERS ANNUAL #10; WOLVERINE #3; NEW MUTANTS #21; CLASSIC X-MEN #13; EXCALIBUR #16; and X-MEN UNLIMITED #36.
376 PGS./Marvel T+ …$29.99
ISBN: 0-7851-1887-x
My reaction is...meh. Sure, I like older Claremont (when Uncanny X-Men was being drawn by Dave Cockrum, John Byrne or Paul Smith) in small doses, back when editors actually reined him in. I can enjoy a mini-series like Wolverine or Black Dragon just fine but I find a little Claremont goes a long way and now he's just impossible to read.
I can certainly see why Marvel would have him be the next for a Visionaries volume. The world that Claremont created has been very profitable for Marvel, meaning he's a name that they think can sell enough copies of this book for its publication to make sense (this is probably why we won't see a Michael Golden book, although I'd snatch it up in a second). For many young readers, including a pre-teen Ian Brill, there's something very romantic about the X-Men but it's something you either grow out of or make some kind of pop culture addiction for whatever reason. Johnathan Lethem writes about this for a paragraph near the end of the first half of Fortress of Solitude.
I would buy this volume but only if I can find it for less than the cover price. I honestly cannot see myself spending more than $17 on it. I do hope that Marvel continues with this line of books, though. It would be nice if they re-work the soft cover Gil Kane into this format, for one. I enjoy reading message board thread like this one where fans go over what would make up the contents to volumes dedicated to Barry Windsor-Smith, John Buscema and Steve Englehart (the Windsor-Smith and Buscema volumes hampered by the exclusion of Conan material). I 'd by any of those three over the Claremont book but that's just further proof I'm out of step with most of the people buying comics in the Direct Market.
Brad Curran notes in the comments section of the Romita post that Walt Simonson and Frank Miller volumes would be cool. I'm all for that and certainly Miller's a name that can sell more books than Claremont. I suppose it's just a matter of waiting to see what those at Marvel come up with.
Permanent Link: 2:05 PM |
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J. Jonah Jameson Week: Web of Spider-Man #13
Because commentator chasdom demanded it! This should be the final installment in my appreciation for Jolly Jonah (which just happened to fall on the same week that school finals sapped almost all my energy to post) and I suppose it's an appropriate enough one. After all the glory I sent JJJ's way here's Spidey dishing out the comeuppance. Sure, Jonah may not be the most ethical journalist (is The Daily Bugle a News Corp. paper?) but Peter Parker's just as bad, selling news photographs under false pretenses. In some cases he's even recreated the scenarios he knows Jonah's going to pay him well for. Granted, ethical journalism never really gets its due in superhero comics. Don't get me started on Clark Kent!
Permanent Link: 1:40 PM |
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Friday, May 20, 2005
J. Jonah Jameson Week: Spider-Man's Tangled Web #20
Our final inclusion into this weeklong series gives us J. Jonah drawn by one of my favorites, Dean Haspiel. The choice to have Haspiel draw this gruff, dedicated, Noo Yawk type of guy is a smart one. It results in a pretty solid story, written by Zeb Wells. This was back in those days where a Marvel book would have "indie" talent show up on a regular or so basis. Paul Pope and Darwyn Cooke on X-Force, Peter Bagge's excellent Spider-Man book and Unstable Molecules are all examples of this concluded era of Marvel. Oh well, fun while it lasted!
Permanent Link: 8:55 AM |
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Thursday, May 19, 2005
Rann wins
I like The Absorbascon a lot, even though it's going to take a bit of practice to correctly pronounce the name. Because of the site people are declaring their allegiance to either Thanagar or Rann in what I'm sure is more fun than actually reading that Rann/Thanagar War comic. When I saw Thanagar winning amongst the blogosphere I knew that I must stand up and support what I call "the one made up of Carmine Infantino artwork."
Rann rules because, as seen above, clouds friggin' hit people there. That is so awesome. If someone thinks they are so damn cocky that they can call out some of those flying mass of gases they'll soon find them selves eating a quickly-delivered Cloud Knuckle Sandwich. They would deserve it, too, what with all the insulting of clouds and all.
The planet to support is clear, people. Rann was drawn by Carmine Infantino, the best artist ‘60s DC had that wasn’t Gil Kane, and has punch-drunk clouds living in the skies. What does Thanagar have? Seriously, I don’t have a clue because I’ve only read one Hawkman comic, the one Ed Brubaker wrote. I do know that Thanagar invaded Earth on the season finale of Justice League, forcing Batman to recreate the ending of the first Authority storyline. From that one piece of exposure to this “Planet of Invading Dicks” I deem them unworthy of my endorsement. Vote Rann!
Permanent Link: 5:47 PM |
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J. Jonah Jameson Week: The Spectacular Spider-Man #121
I have a fond memory of stubmling on to this cover with the Captain. If you asked me what the most kick ass thing in the world is I would have to say "J. Jonah Jameson firing a large pink gun." It is an awesome mix of comic book action and Freudian symbolism. It makes me forget this has the crappy "Secret Wars" Spider-Man costume on the cover.
Permanent Link: 8:46 AM |
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Wednesday, May 18, 2005
40 Year-old Virgin review
I was part of the first test screening for this film and since some of you are fans of this sort of comedy (think Anchorman, Dodge Ball and other films like that) as well as some comic book fans concerned about how their hobby is portrayed I thought I’d file a little report. Keep in mind that the movie could change between what I saw and what will be released nation wide and I suppose some of my review can be seen as haveing spoilers, if that kind of thing bothers you.
I was really excited to see this film become it seemed like it would be a good combination of two talented people I like, Steve Carell and Judd Apatow. I thought Carell was incredibly funny in The Daily Show, Anchorman and most of The Office and Apatow was one of the people behind what I feel is one of the best television shows ever, Freaks & Geeks. I’m happy to say Carell certainly lived up to my expectations but I feel Apatow has a ways to go before his movie-making prowess matches his talent at creating great television.
Carell plays Andy, the overage virgin of the title. He works at a Circuit City-like store filled with boorish guys around his age who don’t mind telling of their past sexual exploits (as someone who worked at Circuit City I can assure you this is not too far off from reality). The plot is set early on, Andy’s co-workers find out he’s a virgin and do what any fellow man would do: they try to get him laid. It’s the premise of a typical teenage sex comedy, only this features middle-aged men. Luckily Carell’s supporting cast is pretty funny at playing these men with the minds of teenagers. Carell’s Anchorman co-star Paul Rudd is the nice one who still longs for his ex-girlfriend (which is something that gets funnier throughout the movie), Apatow regular Seth Rogen has some funny lines and while there’s a bit of “token black guy” to Romany Malco’s role he and Rudd’s characters are fleshed out enough and their performances are good enough that they do help the film. Other funny parts are Best in Show’s Jane Lynch as the guys’ boss who is more than willing to help Andy and the third Anchorman star David Koechner who has a really funny cameo.
The movie soon enough becomes one mishap for another as Andy gets some rather dubious advice on how to finally make it with a member of the opposite sex. The film does feel a bit stretched out and the scenes aren’t terribly imaginative but the saving grace is Carell being his usually hysterical self. A scene where Andy gets his chest waxed and then - guess what! – finds out that it really hurts is only made worthwhile by the way Carell swears madly only to then apologize to the woman performing the grooming (although finding out it was Carell’s real hair does make the scene seem funnier to me after the fact). Most of the real humor is Carell’s nice guy trying to be something of a stud by only asking questions when he talks to a girl or saying things like “she was a ho…fo’ sho’.”
The real development in the movie is when Andy meets Catherine Keener’s Trish, a mother of three and grandmother of one who is just the type of nice woman Andy could see himself being happy with. Unfortunately Apatow doesn’t do anything really interesting with how their relationship progresses although there are some very good “Apatow scenes” like when Carell is awkwardly put in the middle of a fight between Keener and her middle daughter as well as Carell and the daughter’s trip to a family planning center. Still, I was cringing at the climax where Keener and Carell have some type of strained misunderstanding, he tries to win her heart by chasing after her while she goes “he’s so creepy…and nice…I miss him.” The scene pays off well enough because Carell and Keener are great actors but it was still way too conventional for a movie with this much talent behind it. Thankfully the final scene has some of the best laughs in the film as it hits a note very similar to a one scene from Anchorman and just as funny, too.
40 Year-old Virgin is a movie to see if you think Carell is funny and/or you like these type of comedies. It doesn’t really work as a twist on the teenage sex romp or offers much of a story. It is a funny movie, though, because of the players involved. The mainstream crowd I saw it with thought it very funny so hopefully it will propel a guy like Carell to greater heights, which I’m all for.
As for those of you worried about the “comic book nerd virgin” stereotype, don’t worry. The movie concentrates more on Andy’s obsession with action figures (many based on comic book characters) and that does become something of a plot point. The movie does get a few laughs at of his nerdiness but nothing too mean and it does make sense that someone who thinks too much all the time would have so many hobbies. Andy is always the character the audience roots for and his friends who are less inclined to own an action figure of the Six Million Dollar Man’s boss come off far worse. If you go to the movie wanting to be offended because someone who has a Mystery Science Theater 3000 poster on his wall is portrayed as anything less than a Casa Nova you’ll find plenty to complaining about on message boards because you’re looking too hard. Everyone else will relax and have a fun time at the movies.
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J. Jonah Jameson Week: Amazing Spider-Man #246
I'm busy writing an actual post for today but I can tell you that if beating up Spider-Man while wearing his gym clothes doesn't porve to you that JJJ is truly the greatest Marvel character ever, nothing will.
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Tuesday, May 17, 2005
Stainless Steve
He reunites with a previous creative team for more Batman stories
Image republishes his creator-owned series (Scroll down a bit, dears)
Marvel has a new trade of his Avengers stories
Yes folks, 2005 is The Year of Englehart! I'm all for it, I think Steve Englehart is one of the best writers of the 70's and I like some of his 80's stuff that I've read (his Green Lantern Corps run had an awesome Ch'p issue). Fred Hembeck once said that Englehart perfected the "Stan Lee style of writing" and I think that's a fine description of what makes Englehart so much fun to read. He's a master of exciting caption boxes, dialogue (used to great effect in his wonderful Justice League of America run) and creating cool superhero action.
You can read about all his comic book work here including his commentaries on each project. It's pretty interesting stuff to read about his experiences with Marvel and DC, working with collaborators and projects that never materialized. Check it out, go out and pick up some of his stuff that's still in print (the best being his original Detective Comics stuff) and soak up the Englehart goodness.
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J. Jonah Jameson Week: The Spectacular Spider-Man #80
"The Spectacular J. Jonah Jameson?" Damn right, that should be a continuing series. John Romita Jr. (in my opinion, one of the definitive Spider-Man artists) gives us a cover that has a kind of Gone With the Wind feel. Expect its better than that movie because instead of Clark Gable we have J. Jonah, Hero of the People. Adding JJJ improves anything.
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Monday, May 16, 2005
The only thing that matters in the DC Solicts
Written by Otto Binder, Bill Finger, Jerry Siegel and others; Art by Bob Kane, Dick Sprang, Curt Swan and others; Cover by Brian Bolland
DC Comics collects some of the best imaginary stories featuring Superman, Supergirl, Batman, and the Flash from 1946-1967! Featuring an introduction by Comics Buyer's Guide's Craig Shutt, and a new Brian Bolland cover!
Hell yes. Also, the pre-Gulacy Catwoman series gets what I think is its final collection. I consider this to be one of the best superhero titles in that past few years and with the talents of Brubaker, Stewart and Davis you can't go wrong. So maybe there are two things that matter in what DC has for us in August. That's about it though, do you think I'm going to care about Huamn Race or something?
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J. Jonah Jameson Week: Amazing Spider-Man #25
I'll be honest with you folks, this week is finals week. That means my brain will be too worn out to post any major content. Instead of silencing this blog for a week I figured I would spotlight the cover appearances of one of the greatest supporting players in all of superherodom: Daily Bugle Editor J. Jonah Jameson.
Snark Free Happy Joy Comic Blog (the best named comic book blog ever) informs us that this is the first appearance of JJJ on a comic book cover. That's why I figured it's the best way to start this week. Not to mention, I'll take any chance to post Steve Ditko artwork I can get.
Stay tuned for more Jameson!
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Saturday, May 14, 2005
Best Batman Ever
I have no idea what's inside this comic (although with John Ostrander writing it might be good) but I just love Dick Sprang's drawing of this super-dark Batman. It's very wrong and very right at the same time.
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Friday, May 13, 2005
Comics I’ve read recently
Things aren’t so bad that I can’t pick up at least one book a week. Here are two books that came out not too long ago that I feel are worth taking a look at.
Desolation Jones #1
I was debating whether I would buy this or not but a glimpse at that first page, with J.H. Willaims III and Jose Villarrubia creating this cool black and white swirling effect sold me. It is the return of the Promethea art team of Willaims, Villarrubia and Todd Klein that sold me on this book. Writer Warren Ellis is someone who has created books I love like Planetary but looking over his entire body of work I don’t think I can call him a “favorite” of mine.
I don’t really mind the “grumpy bastard” character that he uses over and over again as long as it’s in small doses (I suppose I’m just more comfortable with people who turn all their frustrations onto themselves as opposed to the rest of the population). The titular character of Jones is just that character and in future issues we’ll see if Ellis can keep me interested in this type of character for a bi-monthly series. Right now it doesn’t look good because this book feels a bit like “Ellis 101.” Not only do we get an Oscar the Grouch-type as our hero but there are also the almost-too-smart dialogue, cool countercultural people and the talk of cutting edge science. The last item is the only one that works exceptionally well, as Jones’ pondering of “supermodernism” really fits the city of the book, Los Angeles. The idea of all of these ex-intelligence agents trapped to inside L.A. is the best part of the book. It’s an idea a smart writer like Ellis can get a lot out of is the main reason I want to check out future issues.
The same can’t be said for the story of finding Hitler’s porn. It’s a funny line but I can’t imagine it sustaining more than a one issue story. Jones seems like it will continue it for a few issues (I heard that’s a six-part tale, although I don’t know if that’s true). Hopefully it will just be a device used to let Jones and his friend Robina introduce us to more of the weird characters who make up their world like Jeronimus Corneliszoon, the pervert king Colonel Nigh and Filthy Sanchez. As with most noir-ish stories that take place in L.A. it’s not the storyline that matters, it’s the style in how they tell it.
Williams helps bring that style out by brining back some of that Chase magic when it comes to illustrating weird characters that revolves around one, barley less-weird main character. I was a bit sad to see that there were no double page spreads with a cool looking border around it but that doesn’t seem to be the plan here. In fact Williams keep it’s rather sedated through out. The most noticeable trick he picks out is the uses of blank space in the panel layouts in one scene. I love sparse panel layouts so this worked for me fine. It’s used well to establish the pacing that’s just right for the mix of awe and cool Jones has meeting one of the most sexual men in the world. There are still other neat tricks like the overlapping panels and color contrasting techniques used for the fight scene at the end. At the end a splash page that would have been trite by any other artist (it’s the City of Angels get it?) looks beautiful thanks to the art team.
Ellis may not be improving himself with this book but he’s not phoning it in either. He does seem to be the least inventive creator on this book and I certainly hope he catches up to his collaborators in future issues. A hard task but I think he can handle.
Solo #4
At this point it can’t be news that Howard Chaykin is one of my favorite artists. As Jog notices Chaykin is similar to Ellis as they both till the same toil in various works. For me, the themes that Chaykin feel like exploring are just more resonant than Ellis’ uses. With these six tales we get sex, racism, distrustfulness and jazz music. Ellis seems to feel that anti-social behavior and keeping up with science are more worthy subjects for his work and one can certainly get a lot of mileage out of them. For me, though, they just aren’t bigger draws, nor are they more universal and relatable, than the worlds of love and deception that Chaykin likes to create.
In the Alan Moore tribute A Portrait of an Extraordinary Gentleman (bid on it on eBay and help a blogger out!) Chaykin compliments The Bearded One by saying he’s the best writer since Harvey Kurtzman, the person Chaykin considers the best writer comics ever had. In Solo Chaykin shows a lot of that influence that Kurtzman and other EC creators have over him in the way all these stories are presented. There are the boilerplate captions leading up to every title and more than one twist ending. Thankfully these are not stories that depend on building one situation after another only to have the last one be some kind of monkey wrench that the audience is only mildly amused by. It’s the way Chaykin comes up with these believable and fascinating characters that is the real strength of these stories. Jazzman Firestone Cooley’s escape from Nazi-occupied France is made believable by the effective but never overwhelming way Chaykin establishes everyone’s political affiliation and alliances, which also leads to a funny little ending.
The motif is kept up for all the stories with more and more and being thrown in. The story “Upgrades” is darkly humorous with its little sci-fi plot invention (imagine if Lenny Bruce and Isaac Asimov came up with a sitcom). “Tall in the Saddle” also employs pop culture of years gone by to tell us a story of bigotry and strange bedfellows but here entertainment is the devil catalyst of conflict, not the saving grace. “Breaking and Entering” feels a bit like Mighty Love, so far the best work of Chaykin’s “comeback,” except we get thieves as the unsuspecting competing lovers as opposed to superheroes. It’s a nice little story that further goes to prove Chaykin knows plenty about writing romance to justify his enjoyment in writing sex.
The only misstep is the last fictional story “Bad Blood.” Here the tale of bigotry is turned to ten but this is the one story that dose seem to depend on the twist at the end. Unfortunately it’s not a very good one (any reader knows it as soon as one character says “adopted”) and it’s one I’m pretty sure I saw before in an actual EC comic. That slight upset in quality is followed by the best story in the book, the autobiographical “Horrors!” Chaykin makes himself the main character here as he explains how horror has never worked for him even though he seems to have embraced every other genre the world of 1950’s pop culture had to offer him. As someone who also never got into horror (I wasn’t scared by it as much as unimpressed) I could relate to this little tale. Chaykin’s first-person narration makes this story feel like a comfortable anecdote told by a friend. I thought the part at the where he compares his generation of cartoonists to the EC Bullpen really great, linking Simonson to Krigstein sent me straight to Could Nine.
The promise of Solo is that some of the best cartoonists working in genre stories get the chance to do the stories totally according to their own whims and desire. Chaykin has been the lucky enough position where that’s not new to him, so the content here isn’t revelatory as much as it is cool to see one of the best doing what he does best.
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Speaking of inappropriate cake ads...
I only hope that is an innocent title that certain sick minds (like my own, regrettably) project a stupid, sexist pun onto and not the writer creating a stupid, sexist pun and sneaking it in to an ad for those flaky cakes.
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Sticky with pimp-blood
August will see the release of Wha...Huh?, the humor books that Marvel had delayed for several months. One comic that won't show up is Patton Oswlat's parody of a Hostess Fruit Pie.
Hope is not lost, Here's the script for that strip. It features one of the things I like best about Oswalt's comedy, the way he comes up with these long descriptions of deliciously indecent things (think his Robin Evans bit). I would have loved to see this in a Marvel comic, but it seems some are bit too skittish about having The Punisher say things like that beautiful soliloquy at the end. Very sad but at least we get to see what could have been.
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Thursday, May 12, 2005
Lucas and the kids
So at first The O.C. starts a plotline about two of the main characters starting a graphic novel. The show has mentioned Alan Moore, Joe Sacco and Brian Benids (twice) so I'm cool with the mix of beautiful teenagers and geekery.
This episode, the Editor character mentions that George Lucas is interested in "Atomic County" and it could very well be his next movie. I figure it's just some remark and even though they build up to Seth, the "nerd” character, meeting him, I know that they'll just have some twist where Lucas’ car breaks down or something.
Then they do it. It happens. George Lucas appears on The O.C.! He then tells Seth how important it is to show up to his prom and proves his love to the girl of his dreams. George Lucas, always giving the love advice to the teens.
Later on Peter Gallagher mentions Shaun of the Dead as "a romantic zombie comedy." At which point my brain exploded. What kind of world is it when going to the comic book store and looking through old Brave & the Bold's is NOT the nerdiest thing I do in a day?
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Jack Kirby: The Movie
It started with the talk about how there should be a mighty tome on the history of Marvel Comics. Then Mike said he would love to see a biopic of Jack Kirby. I think that is a mighty idea. Who wouldn't want to see a New York street kid come up in the game creating a character that captures America's WWII neurosis, helps put forth a revolution in comics that captures the imagination of millions and, finally, fighting a battle against the Goliath he helped create to right the wrongs made against him? That's the stuff of movie magic that is. That led us to a question, who would play The King in this movie?
My choice:
Ed Asner. He's got that gentle gruffness and intelligence that could really put across how good of an artist and man Kirby was. I also think he'd look good chomping on a cigar.
Mike's choice:
Eddie Murphy. He imagines the film as a mix between Beverly Hills Cop and The Golden Child, only with Stan Lee in it. Mike, by the way, is a genius.
Dorian's choice:
Frank Langella. I only know him from Masters of the Universe and Unscripted but I friggin’ love him in the latter. It's a character that doesn't remind me of Kirby but he seems like a good enough actor to pull it off as the Jolly one. Also, plenty of people will probably get off on the fact that Skeletor is Kirby.
Kid Chris:
Abe Vigoda or a Pixar version. Vigoda seems a bit too old (Kirby may have been in his 50's when he was in his prime, but Vigoda can't pass for 50 anymore) although I like the idea of a Pixar film about Kirby. It can combine his creations with the story of his life. Sort of like that Ninja Turtles episode they did.
Now...what's your choice?
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Wednesday, May 11, 2005
Trapped in a world he can't afford! 5/11/05 Edition
It's another Wednesday, the day new comics are shipped and the day before I'm able to get my grubby mitts on them. Things have been pretty bad here at the Building in term of finances so I think it's time to play that game again where I go over the books I would buy if I could and pontificate a little bit about what I suspect they might hold for me (yet I might never know).
MAN WITH THE SCREAMING BRAIN #1
Death, taxes and Bruce Campbell being awesome. These three things you can depend on. I think comics is great medium to absorb the Campbell goodness (why didn't Joe R. Lansdale do a Bubba Ho-Tep comic? Or did he?). The fact that Hilary Barta is helping out on art chores makes me want this book even more. That man is a damn fine cartoonist, combining craft and humor.
MARK BEYER STATIONERY SET
That's just bizarre enough to work for me. I love the unrelenting bleakness of Amy & Jordan. The idea of a stationery set making it possible for me to communicate with this particular aesthetic sounds damn fine.
ADAM STRANGE #8
So it ends, and I only have the first issue. I may not like the idea of this mini-series being absorbed into the "middle-aged man wonderland" DC is turning all their comics into but if that guarantees this book a trade I'm thankful. Hopefully those of who don't want to follow the mini-series after this will still get a good ending. At least they'll be more Pascal Ferry artwork for us to see. That man can create an exciting space adventure.
DESOLATION JONES #1
This pains me. I'm hot-and-cold on Warren Ellis' work (I love Planetary and the issues of Global Frequency I read but have no interest in his "Ultimate" stuff) but the real attraction with this book is J.H. Williams. He is, bar none, the best artist in mainstream comics today. Seven Soldiers #0 gave him the chance to showcase his major Gil Kane chops, Promethea proved he's got imagination to burn and Chase showed us he can do great character work, as well co-write a series. With Todd Klein and Jose Villarrubia also on-board it's really hard for me to pass on this one. This I might pick up. I might.
AVENGERS KANG TIME AND TIME AGAIN TP
I dig a good Avengers story and I think Kang's a cool villain. The promise of reprints of Roger Stern stories really gets to me. I'm way more interested in the back catalog Marvel has to mine than their new stuff, so it is the books like these I like forward to.
DEATH & CANDY #4
Max Anderson is a cartoonist I've always wanted to read more of. His stuff always looked enticing and the samples in Funny Book were damn nice. I love that freaky, strange European feel that reminds me a little of the films of Jan Svankmajer.
This time you can help. Select items of Mike's eBay auctions are my items that I get money out of. There's Eddie Campbell, Kim Deitch, Rick Veitch, Roger Landridge books as well as many, many more. Please bid on these items. Please, please, please, please bid on these. I feel like Jerry Lewis and we're going into hour 28. So please give that "one dollar more" to help out a starving comic book geek. After all, aren't they the neediest?
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Tuesday, May 10, 2005
Mainstream Ramblings
Looking over the many blogs, forums and news sites devoted to comics one will find that many of them seem to overwhelmingly deal with superhero books and, what’s more, superhero books published by only two companies. That is why it is with a tinge of regret that I offer you today snippets of thoughts on the mainstream. It’s easier than talking about anything else but there’s a danger in going down the easy route. Still, that’s what I’m doing now.
***
I’ve been thinking of two interviews lately, neither one of them were done recently. What they do have in common is that they both feature creators making sense when it comes to superhero universe continuity. The first is a 1981 interview with Frank Miller done for The Comics Journal and reprinted in The Comics Journal Library, Volume Two: Frank Miller, which is where I found it.
The interviewer asks Miller how he feels about working inside the Marvel universe and the baggage that comes with that. “I’m not going to explain why Daredevil doesn’t fire a flare gun in his billyclub anymore,” said Miller. “That’s all excess weight. I build what I do on a fairly simple outline, Daredevil being 30 years old and having been Daredevil for about four years. Whatever else has happened in the series is available to me but I don’t pay attention to it. I’m not handcuffed to the fact that Gerry Conway did a bunch of science-fiction stories.” Miller explains why he chooses to do this. “If they can create a Marvel Universe, I’ll create a Daredevil Universe. I try to pare down the references to other Marvel characters because I want to make Daredevil the most unique element in the book.”
This reminded me of an interview Marv Wolfman conducted with Fanboy Radio in May of last year. The hosts got on the subjects of Crisis on Infinite Earths, which then led to the general topic of continuity and Wolfman’s thoughts on it. “I hate continuity,” declared Wolfman. “Company-wide continuity is a major problem.”
I especially like how Wolfman describes working with continuity as a writer. “The best writer at a company is held hostage of the worst writer,” said Wolfman. “The worst ideas become part of continuity and the best writers have to deal with it. It forces everybody to deal with one universe instead of being imaginative.” The stifling of creativity is the main problem Wolfman has with the idea that all of a company’s properties must exist in the same reality. “Why should everything in the Superman line be in synch with everything in the Wonder Woman line? It limits the type of stories Superman can do.”
I like Wolfman’s idea on how a company should handle the idea of universes, something he would have liked to see DC do after Crisis on Infinite Earths (which he felt DC did not follow through all the way by not re-starting all the books as new). “Why can’t the Batman universe go off and do whatever it feels like and the Wonder Woman universe be absolutely as wildly creative as it can be and the Superman universe does what it needs to do? If what you discover is that you have four different Mars, the readers will either work it out or just accept this is part of Superman, this is part of Wonder Woman…whatever.” Wolfman explained that it’s still possible to have team books, just let the Justice League have its own universe with its own versions of the characters.
I find myself agreeing with Wolfman and Miller. A creative team should only have to answer to what they feel is best for the stories they want to tell. Earlier creative teams and editors with “event” books should not have to be factored in. I know a lot of fans go for the Infinite House of Crisis M stuff but would they run screaming from books where creators have the chance to come up with confidently well-done Batman or Spider-Man stories? I don’t think so. Artist should not have to try to please fans or second guess what they want anyway, they should be allowed to do the type of stories they want. The “Timmverse” of DC animated shows have seemed to taken this route (there was the occasional crossover but every show, from Batman to JLA, is dependent on itself and completely accessible to new viewers), as do the comic book spin-offs, and it works fine.
A week or two ago at ye old comics hut I heard one fan point out to Mike how it’s annoying that Wolverine gets brainwashed in his book while he’s a-okay in Astonishing X-Men. I would say (although I didn’t) that if something like that is bothering you maybe the books you’re reading just aren’t that good. That, or simply relax and take each book on its own. If there was someone at the water cooler at work who was complaining about how every show on HBO is incongruent with each other than they’d be seen as a wacko, and rightly so. There’s no need for such worries to impede on how a creator or creators go about their business on their book.
***
Another Miller quote, this from an interview done in 1985:
Marvel and DC are skating faster and faster on thinner and thinner ice. Comparatively enormous success like Secret Wars, which, though it undoubtedly brought more readers to comics for the first time than any other recent comic - something it deserves credit for – are still built on greater successes of the past, and are, in a way, the opposite of an investment. Cashing in and climaxing, in a way, a particular approach, is not the same as reaching forward, expanding, finding brand new groups of people to read comics.
That was said twenty years ago. Now Secret Wars and Crisis are being referenced themselves. Think that ice is getting any thinner?
***
Speaking of past successes, I’d like to see DC have some kind of answer to Marvel’s Essential line. If that’s what they’re trying to do with Batman Chronicles then I say go for it. The archives are great for the older fans who now have 401(k)’s to go along with their nostalgia for Gardner Fox stories but what about us younger folks who want that Silver Age fun? Early issues of The Flash, Green Lantern, Challengers of the Unknown and others should be more accessible. Maybe we’ll be closer to my dream of a trade paperback of the Bob Haney/Ramona Fradon Metamorpho yet!
***
Tom Peyer writes for Slate!
***
You know what else I’d like to see more of? This. Adam comes up with a well-argued criticism of something I wrote in TCJ. I would like to hear more criticism and complaints about my writing here or elsewhere. If you have any please don’t be afraid to e-mail me or leave a statement in my comments section. Don’t be afraid of offending me, I’m my own worst critic by a very wide margin.
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Monday, May 09, 2005
Time is tight
I ran into some bad car trouble this morning (luckily that's the only thing I ran into, considering the car's specific trouble) so there isn't going to be that much to post today.
I will drag out this old review of Zap Comix #15. It's in Direct Market stores now and maybe you'll find my ramblings somewhat useful if you plan on buying it or have already bought it. In a nutshell I'd say go for it if you love the underground comics because, frankly, there's not a lot of work that captures that good old aesthetic that Crumb and the Boys do so well. The very idea of holding a comic in your hands that has Victor Moscoso's psychedelic experiments next to Spain Rodriguez's yarn-spinnin' is something that just makes me feel good. This will probably go down as one of the best comics of 2005 (I know it technically came out in 2004 but nobody read it then).
Also, Evan Dorkin has a contest going on where if you participate in the survey he made you could win a copy of Cromartie High School (I read a little bit of it, it's funny). I think the answers people are giving are pretty interesting; maybe you'll find them worth reading as well. That first guy who comments is an idiot, though. Screw him.
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Sunday, May 08, 2005
The Letter
Dear Simi comic book store,
I am a comic fan who was in the unfortunate situation of not being near my personal comic book store of choice for the happiest of holidays, Free Comic Book Day. So I decided I would try your store because it was near my Mom's house. After picking up some free comics from your establishment I thought I could offer some advice, solely speaking as a consumer.
First, congratulations on the swell real estate. Since your store is on the second floor of a mini-mall that means some drivers see your storefront before the Target and Trader's Joe stores that are also in the mall. Maybe you should have put a banner near your name to let people know that complimentary comics of all kinds are in stores? How about some signs as people pull into the mall parking lot? Something that lets them know of the offer as they walk up the stairs? Would it be hard to at least put a Free Comic Book Sign on the store windows before people walk in? You couldn't have done any of that?
Once people have made there way in perhaps you should have had the free comics set up on a counter for customers to see, instead of over priced comics like Spdier-Man/Human Torch #1 selling for eight dollars. The only person who got their hands on the giveaway comics was this one comic blogger who knew of this event beforehand (a demographic that makes up about 0.00000000000000000000078% of the comic book audience) who asked for them. I noticed how his eyebrows raised as he found all the comics were on the floor behind the counter where no one could see. Is that why they were in a mess?
These are just some suggestions, take them however you can.
Sincerely,
Dunwitter Jassmang
P.S. The Comics Festival book was pretty good. Cameron Stewart, Chester Brown, Seth, Darwyn Cooke (twice!), Jim Rugg and more in one book. I'm sure every one of your customers enjoyed it.
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Friday, May 06, 2005
Quick post
I'm going to be busy all weekend (which means I'm going to miss Free Comic Book Day, something I'm not happy about) but before I sign off for the week I will leave you with this thought.
I thought the second issue of Shining Knight was an improvement over the first, but am I the only one that thinks this story would be better if it was an interactive animated film directed by Don Bluth? I mean, it's pretty obvious that a lot of people want to see Grant Morrsion and Bluth collaborate on something. Every second questions at his Meltdown apperance was "Magic's fine, but what do you think of Dragon's Lair?"
Alright, now I'm just being silly. Have a good weekend all you people in Comic Blog Land.
Permanent Link: 10:06 AM |
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Thursday, May 05, 2005
The Sinister Six
Six Spider-Man movies? They want to give us three more, not counting the one in production now? Christ, I don't trust a movie that has a "3" after it, let alone a "5" or a "6."
By the time they get to four you know Kirsten Dunst is going to drop out, then Tobey Maguire, then the budget will shrink until it becomes Sam Raimi telling a fat Ashton Kutcher "here's the scene where Carnage is coming after you!"
There's a part of me that wants to see Black Cat, Mysterio and Kraven the Hunter on the big screen (not to mention more J. Jonah Jameson!). Then I'm reminded that the first two movies are deeply flawed and, while the second film was an improvement over the first, sequels mean diminishing returns. Oh well, let's hope I'm around to see Spider-Man 6: Adventures in Premiering on Cable.
Permanent Link: 10:59 PM |
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TV Time
It's been a pretty slight week here on BB due to the twilight of the school year and my search for some type of paying work. For that I apologize and promise that things will get better in the future, maybe this weekend if things turn out right.
For right now I'm going to answer the questions Alan asks: What are you watching?
Deadwood: I like a show where well-written characters are played by actors who all bring something different to the table and the dialogue warms my heart in its brilliance/obscenity. Al Swearengen and Alma Garret, along with their respective situations, remain fascinating to me. Don't ruin last week's episode, I've recorded it but haven't seen it yet.
Real Time with Bill Mahr: This gets rid of one problem I had with Politically Incorrect, the onslaught of airhead celebrities who just have a show to promote and have nothing to say, but still has the fault of an audience that will apparently clap at any statement left-of-center like trained seals (and I say this as an ACLU member). At least Mahr recognizes that problem and has tried to do something about it. He often does a better job of questioning his guests and creating interesting debate than most people on the networks that don't showcase Real Sex 19: The Fluffer's Saga do. The "New Rules" segments always manage to make me laugh a few times.
The Daily Show: This show does an even better job of making the often bewildering world of current events entertaining. It's a show that does what no other news program can do, be rebelliousness and funny. Wolf Blitzer can't do the former and Amy Goodman can't do the latter.
Desperate Housewives: If you want a good idea of the kind of place I grew up, this helps. It's a witty and twisted take on the upper-middle-class suburbs. The Mary Ellis storyline keeps everything together and Eva Langoria sure is purty.
Lost: This is what I want from a plot-based genre show. Every episode gives us more (but not too much more) of the mystery as well as flesh out the characters in a way that is the real reason I watch. It's cool to see Paul Dini writing for a live action show. Remember what I said about Miss Langoria? The same goes for Evangeline Lilly here.
The Shield: Michael Chiklis is still one of the best actors on TV. This show really does a good job of presenting a Los Angeles that most don't want to see (certainly those who live in L.A. don't want to see). I like how Glenn Close is fitting in with the show and the three ongoing storylines of Shane's crisis, the acquisitions and Aceveda's twisting are all working out.
The O.C.: This season is nowhere near as good as the first. I'm just watching it for the comic book references (Joe Sacco's in the kitchen!), indie music and the teen lesbianism at this point. Pete Gallagher’s still got it though and is the best thing on this show.
Wonder Showzen: John Lee and Vernon Chatman have created a show that sometimes reaches the brilliance of Andy Kaufman and Michael O'Donoghue. The season finale was one of the most twisted things I've ever seen. I seriously can't believe they got away with that on television.
Curb Your Enthusiasm: The fourth season will not be remembered as the best but I still am a sucker for Larry David and his misadventures through life. Watching him I know what I'm going to grow up to be.
The Simpsons: This show has influenced my life, which I have been watching since I was about six or seven, more than church and school ever could. It's been though its ups and downs but this still remains one of the most important things in the whole world to me.
There's some more but that's a big enough list as any. I'll watch new episodes of Justice League Unlimited when they come back on (why can't DC superheroes be that good in the comics?) and I want to see how the new season of Entourage turns out. Other than that I'll just have to deal with whatever I find in the 50000000000000000000000 other channels that satellite offers me.
Permanent Link: 7:36 PM |
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More known about the Unknown
Heidi updates us on the Omega the Unknown book that I'm cautiously looking forward to.
The news that Farel Dalrymple is doing the interior art while we get James Jean doing the covers assures me that we'll get a good looking comic even if Lethem doesn't completely make the adjustments from writing prose to writing comics. Pop Gun War is one of those books that I've wanted to buy but never did, I always thought Dalrymple's artwork looked cool. I like the scratchy look he gives his Dark Horse work. For the story of Omega, I think that the Super Mundane look might work better as it has a more "children's book" feel and as near as I can tell childhood is a big part of Omega.
Steve Flack comments on THE BEAT that this could be Marvel's new Unstable Molecules and will suffer the same fate of stifled potential that Sturm and Co.'s book did. I thought Unstable was an okay read (I was more interested in how it was a Fantastic Four story that featured the pathos of the characters and no superhero action) but I thought Marvel could have done more than just pop out a "Fantastic Four Legends" trade with no fanfare and then have it go out-of-print like so many of Marvel's trades. That was the closest thing that Marvel had to offer the "graphic novel movement" that Chris Ware, Marjane Satrapi and Dave Eggers are a part of. A comic written by Jonathan Lethem would also appeal to those who read The New York Times Book Review and listen to Fresh Air. If Marvel has half a brain they'll give the collected edition something other than the traditional trade dress and give it a push in bookstores and places like the Los Angles Times Book Festival.
They'll probably just dump it on the Direct Market and expect it to fend for itself.
Permanent Link: 10:15 AM |
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Wednesday, May 04, 2005
Trapped in a world he can't afford!
I'm in a similar situation as Jog as the ratio between the number of comics I want versus the number of comics I can afford is only getting larger. I'm going to buy just one new book tomorrow (Seven Soldiers: Shining Knight #2 because apparently if I don't buy Grant Morison books I melt into a puddle of loser). I figure that while I can't comment on the books I desire but cannot obtain, I might as well comment on why I want them. So let's look at what I would be covering if I wasn't in a situation where people are more willing to demand money from me than give me a job.
EISNER MILLER TP
I'm such a sucker for artists doing shop talk, even though I'm not much of an artist myself. It's rare that we see either of these two get interviewed by someone on their level (and sadly one will never be interviewed ever again) and I think any lover of the medium can get something out of these two conversing.
SIN CITY SHOT GLASS
I'm not much for tie-in merchandise but this is related to alcohol so I already like it. A Marv action figure can't help me get drunk and therefore is an inferior product.
BATMAN DARK DETECTIVE #1
I love a lot of Steve Englehart's work, his Batman run especially. I love Marshall Rogers artwork and we don't get enough of it (if you can find the issues of The Shadow he did get them, great stuff). I have a rule that I will not take on any new series, even limited ones. Englehart revealing that there's little chance of this getting a trade just adds insult to injury. Must...be strong...resist...Englehart.
LEX LUTHOR MAN OF STEEL #3
I bought the first issue of this before I realized that some deep cuts to my comic intake had to be made. I thought the characterization of Luthor was great (the Wolfman-created post-Crisis Luthor is my favorite super-villain because he's a captain of industry and I'm a socialist) and Lee Bermejo's art was the right mix between moody and superheroic. I'll probably never find out how it ends though.
NYC MECH BETA LOVE #1
I read the first two issues on-line as well as the preview of this issue and it looked like my kind of book. It has a really striking visual tone and the story's low on plot and high on atmosphere. But I'm low on funds and high on unemployment so I guess I have to be satisfied with what I've read on-line.
GLA #2
I read the retailer preview edition of the first issue and it made me laugh in a few places, mostly with that squirrel that kept popping up. Like Jim Henley I saw a similarity between this title and the Milligan and Allred X-Force (which I loved as long as it was X-Force). If Avengers: Disassembled is a Hollywood blockbuster than this is the MAD magazine parody, but much darker and funnier.
BIGFOOT #3
As soon as I heard Richard Corben was doing another comic I wanted to check it out but this thing costs four dollars. I mean, all comics are going to cost four dollars in two years (or earlier) but for right now that's too much for me to spend on something co-written by the mind behind House of 1000 Corpses.
BLECKY YUCKERELLA GN
Well, at least I can read these on-line. Still, I love the feeling of having Johnny Ryan's sick madness in my hot little hands to enjoy like the mental patient I probably will end up being.
SEX SQUAD NUDE CVR
I don't want this I just want the hits I'll get from the search results.
I've got a job interview on Friday and I've still got editors to bother so maybe things will look up in terms of the money I can spend on these funnybooks. For now though I'm on the outside looking in.
Permanent Link: 7:28 PM |
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He has the MIND of a child!
Found via Heidi here's the website for The Naked Cosmos, the DVD/comic project from Gilbert Hernandez and his wife Carol Kovinick. People, you must gather the $15 to get this. You will not be disappointed.
I was lucky that at San Diego last year I was able to buy a VHS copy of the four episodes collected on the DVD as well as the comic that ties-in to the project. Reading the comics it looked like Beto was doing these wacky comics that are like Silver Age superhero stories but weirder and more violent. Sort of like the works of Jay Stephens and Mike Allred but way nuttier and, therefore, just that more interesting.
When I got home I checked out what was on the tape and that's when the spell of The Naked Cosmos fell over me. This is the perfect combination of Beto's more imaginative stuff like Fear of Comics and the vaguely creepy programming you'll find on cable-access stations. The best part is how enthusiastic Beto is about playing all his roles. I challenge anyone to watch this show and not at least smile at the way Beto sells the whole idea of The Naked Cosmos.
Buy this DVD. At the very least buy the comic by itself for $3 (plus S&H). If you're aching for creativity, mood and fun in your comics and television shows this is what you need.
Permanent Link: 7:21 AM |
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Tuesday, May 03, 2005
Why are you wearing that stupid man suit?
I do have some new content.
Heidi writes about how the new film by Donnie Darko director Richard Kelly will feature six 100-page graphic novels as prequels (Jay Kelly, no relation, is working on Southland Tales and worked on Donnie Darko so maybe he's the artist for the books). I think it's an interesting idea and hopefully it will work like the website, adding intrigue to a project that is long-awaited for some (fuck Garden State, Donnnie is the movie of my generation).
The Donnie website is still up and offers a really cool interactive companion to the film. I think Kelly's got the right idea on how to promote a film in ways that look new and offers more questions than answers, meaning people will feel like they have to check out the film now. I've been thinking of new ways comic creators and publishers can promote their books so that their works aren't just another book found in the second half of Previews. Maybe a "Kelly-ish" website is one way to do it. There's got to be some innovative ways to promote a comic even if Marvel and DC can barley manage to do it.
I'm still not excited for Domino. It seems like a True Romance thing: sell your story to Tony Scott so you can direct your own movie. Well, maybe it will be good.
Permanent Link: 7:07 PM |
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Monday, May 02, 2005
Will he record an old school hip-hop album now?
I suppose this was inevitable. I saw Tom reading Amnesia Moon and telling him that Lethem is one of those guys who wrote one book about comics and now has plenty of ties to them, like the "Vision & Scarlet Witch" story and having a cover done by Chester Brown.
Like Michael Chabon it was only a matter of time until some company reeled him into writing some comics. I'm just glad he gets to write the character that figured so heavily into Fortress of Solitude (although, if memory serves, the book itself didn't come off too well in book). I loved Lethem's book, Steve Gerber and 70s Marvel but Omega is the one book that connects all of them that I haven't read it. Hopefully this new series will give us a reprint volume like the new Black Panther gave us a trade paperback of Jack Kirby goodness.
Granted, just because Lethem has written prose I like (and a novel I fucking love) doesn't mean his comic will be good. Lots of people new to comics let the editors tell them what to do. When we're talking about Marvel that means we could get a drawn out introduction that doesn't give us the main character until the last page. Hopefully that won't happen but there's no guarantee.
In me, Marvel does have one person whose going to check out this comic based on the writer's work in another medium, which is what they want. It's just a matter of if they'll get me to pick up the rest of the series.
Permanent Link: 10:20 PM |
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The case of the switched blurb
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