Wednesday’s Loot – 25 October 2006

I’m going to take a note from Scipio’s book and list things that made me happy this week.

Seeing Godland back on the shelf.
Seeing the first issue of Seven Soldiers of Victory on the shelf (although I’m unsure about reading this until I get that last trade - see below).

From 52: Week 25
Egg-fu – Matrix-style!
“Happy Halloween, Judeo-Christians.”
“MMmmm, nature’s toothbrush. CHOMP.”
Dr. Fate’s helmet starring in the role of Skeets.

Godland #13
The very first sentence made me smile and feel good about comics again.
Seeing “What the hell?” instead of the word disease “the hell?”
“He’s…got me in a friggin’ headlock.”
The entire prison episode, monolith guards included.

Justice #8
Two old friends chilling.
Aquaman being regal and commanding respect.
Honest Abe, er, Joker.
Elongated Man throwing down with Plastic Man.

By the way, I really like the last issue of Agents of Atlas and the 3 issues of 52 I never mentioned in my time away. Evil Scientist Isle is my favourite development so far.

Simple Request

Hello comic book internet people. I have one request for all of you this week. Please don't anyone review the first issue of Seven Soldiers (if you actually get it in your hands).

Some of us are reading this in trade (yeah yeah see you in hell) and don't know how half the mini-series ended.

That is all.

I'm also taking requests for the rest of this week.

Hey, I'm back, but...

...I'm thinking this blog is pretty much dead. I've lost sight of the goal and I'm not having so much fun trying to write here anymore. It may just be writer's block or general uneasiness of my workplace but it's not clicking for me.

I'm thinking of pulling the plug officially but not for another week at least, just to see if I get over this hump.

The wedding and the honeymoon in sunny London were fantastic. The flickr site is here:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/jon-and-alli-wedding-oct-8-2006/pool/

Hiatus until October 17th

I'm going on official hiatus until October 17th. I'm getting married this Sunday to the woman I love then going to London, UK for our honeymoon (my gift to her). I'm off all things geek until we return.

I do have some reviews on my computer ready for posting when I get back as well - The Contract With God Trilogy by Will Eisner, Usagi Yojimbo Vol. 1 by Stan Sakai and the 2nd volume of Dungeon are ready for return posting.

Until then I hope 52 doesn't sell out and that you all enjoy your funny books. Remember, they're entertainment so enjoy the dang things and don't waste your money on what you feel is crap.

The Decompression Project - Step the Second

Ultimate Spiderman Vol.2

Okay, now I see why people make fun of the dialogue so much. Really? Really. Yeah? Yeah. Okay. Yeah, really.

I’m glad I’m reading this series now in collection because I do think it reads much better that way. I can’t imagine what it must have been like to wait 30+ days for the next issue to come out. Although I think this team has been rather consistent with deadlines over the years. Please let me know if I’m right or wrong on that. Still, I recommend reading this as a collection since the plot kind of works better without commercial interruption. Then again maybe it’s just me. I tend to watch TV only on DVD these days because I can’t watch 20 minutes of a show stretched over an hour.

This volume saw the introduction of Doc Oc and the return of the Green Goblin while setting up a few more characters like Harry Osborn to take on the next Goblin role and we either see or hear about Electro, Sandman and Lizard. I like this Doc Oc a lot. He’s threatening and intelligent rather than a doofus with extra arms. This character gets across his ruthlessness, his intelligence and his power. While I do still think the movie version is my favourite because he’s more like one of the animated Batman series villains, this Ultimate version is also a great bad-guy. The main difference is that the movie version has some sympathetic characteristics. Like the animated Batman rogues there’s more to his story than guy in a costume who is bad. Not here. And that works for me too.

This Doc Oc was a cold detached man before any of this went down. So adding the extreme physical trauma to an already detached and sinister man really makes for a great psycho. I am a bit let down by the amount of villains that already know Peter Parker is Spider-man. I get what Bendis is doing in pointing out the weaknesses of the original story, but come on.

Then the Osborns are back, as is Samuel L. Jackson, er, Nick Fury and the grunge/pop-punk version of Gwen Stacey. I do have to call bullshit on that one issue that retells the rooftop meeting between Spidey and the Green Goblin from the Goblin’s point of view. Okay, he’s crazy, that was already established. I’m glad I didn’t spend money on the same story twice – that’s the kind of crap that made me not watch Lost anymore. But otherwise I liked most of it.

I do like what is happening and how most the relationships are developing. We see Peter and MJ getting closer and how this life is getting in their way. But honestly, the repeated dialogue pages can be cut down. Even without the dialogue they’d be better in a couple of cases. I, personally, find it a bit distracting but that could just be because of all the flack that it’s been getting online for a while now.

Otherwise I have two genuine complaints, other than my esthetics of storytelling. The first is a big one. Simply that some of Spidey’s “thought balloons that are shaded squares instead of puffy clouds” weren’t shaded with the gradient. That’s the kind of rushed mistake I can stand on a weekly comic like 52 or even a monthly that meets its deadlines, but for the trade I’m pretty sure Marvel could have got their Photoshop guy to fix it. I mean, I could have.

The second complaint is the woman doing the 20 minute workout. That fad died in the eighties. I don’t know anyone who does that in that outfit anymore. Yoga, fine, but the Jazzercise just doesn’t ring true to me.

Otherwise all is (mostly) well in Ultimate Spidey world. I especially like the Crocodile Hunter version of Kraven. Please tell me he doesn’t come back because this would be the perfect use of an Ultimate villain. Although I’m fairly certain that his girlfriend will work some Wakandian magic on him or something equally offensive to make Kraven a “serious” threat.

Still, when are we all going to just call shaded captions thought balloons? That’s what they are, just without the puffy bits. Get over it.

Runaways – Vol. 1-4
So I read all of these and am enjoying them quite a lot. I can’t really add much more to the praise or examination of this book. What I can do is ask why this book is coming out in any form other than digest? I mean, nothing happens in any of the single issues but over the digest format you get a decent plot and character development. I think this should just be a digest book that comes out quarterly, it’d be better.

I do have to praise Marvel for coming up with new and original characters. That is certainly refreshing.

And I have to praise The Fortress Keeper for taking on the Ultimate X-men. I'll be there someday. I use to be a medium sized X-Zombie in my youth.

Revenge and fun

Okay, while I plot my revenge on the interweeb for not telling me The Ultimates came out on Wednesday I'll direct anyone who likes Grant Morrison's Batman to M. Parkinson's Year One. It pretty much sums up my feelings on it.

And just so you all know - no, I don't look that closely at the rack when I'm picking up my books.

Wednesday's Loot Plus - 27 September 2006

52 Week 21
Well that was a pretty fun issue of Teen Titans and is it me or am I more pleased with all the little Easter egg moments more than the actual stories in this comic. I guess half the time I really like what is happening on the pages and the rest I like the little bits of spice and pizzazz that flavor each issue. Home made robots and another promise of Metal Men to come make me happy for unexplainable reasons. I’m a bit sad about the lack of back-up story this week though.
I rate this comic: A nice moment of Ralph Dibny using Gringold to his advantage and the promise of Lex being fulfilled.

Batman #657
Okay, is it me or was that moment with Batman and Robin talking about their relationship one of the funniest things you’ve read in a long time? I appreciate double entendre based on cultural understands as much as anyone, and the Batman and Robin have gay subtext is rarely done with such aplomb. The Batbrat is a great addition. I think that’s one of the few stories not attempted with Batman. What if he had a son who was just as crazy and violent as the criminals he fights?
I rate this comic: Over the top even without the ninja Man-bats.

Few Quick things

This will be a bit of a longer post encompassing a lot of recent books I’ve read – not necessarily recently published – and other moments of clarity. I'll be a bit more sporadic in posting as my wedding gets ever closer.

First up – Heroes

Did anyone besides me watch this? I caught the replay last night and really enjoyed it. Sure I can see the X-men movie parallels (and the melodrama from the comics), but this seems to me to be what all those Sci-Fi Channel shows aim to be but don’t have the budget for. Kind of how Xena could have been The Lord of the Rings if it had the time and budget.

I do have to say I was really impressed by it. The last time I enjoyed a new TV show was the first season of Lost when there was a possibility of dinosaurs. So I’m hoping that Heroes doesn’t turn into Lost where by the third episode of the second season I can’t watch it anymore because they showed the same episode 3 times from slightly different points of view (yes I’m still pissed off when I think about it).

I watched this with A and she really got into it. Although we were both a bit disappointed when everyone seemed to end up in New York instead of letting them remain around the world. I would have rather the international focus remain but honestly, it doesn’t bother me too much. I’m a sucker for the connections between the characters and the teasers for upcoming episodes a la 52. I’m looking forward to watching more and I usually only watch TV on DVD these days unless it’s Newcastle United or the NHL.

Second up – Uatu, The Watcher

Okay, you’re in the Marvel Universe. You’ve got great powers, great responsibility, and hopefully a great costume. Everyone else in a costume knows that this guy shows up for big time events that are usually turning points or nasty death scenes. He shows up when there’s a big rumble about to go down – why don’t you get the heck out of Dodge? Sure, sure, heroic responsibility, but seriously, if everyone left nobody would die right? I think the heroes and villains should make a rules of engagement that whenever Uatu shows up, everyone lays down their arms and goes away peacefully.

Third up – Reviews!

Superman/Batman – Public Enemies

I don’t care what you think this book was a lot of fun. It was like my brain was given pure sugar in comic book form. Sure I had a stomach ache afterwards but it was fun reading it. Everyone who has called this collection the action movie version of the iconic two was completely right. It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense and it isn’t trying to change the core idea of superheroes but shit goes boom or gets a punch in the mouth, and that sir is enough for me sometimes.

Marvels
This book is a bit of a mystery to me. Not in how I feel about it, I love it, but in that nobody seems to ever mention it – ever. It’s freaking amazing! Why doesn’t Marvels get more love? Is it just that people know it’s good, love it and can’t really think of anything more to say about it? Personally I think this would be one of the better gateway books for anyone older getting back into comics or new to comics but more or less know the popular history of Marvel characters.

I don’t understand why this book doesn’t make more lists of comics to help introduce people to comics with. The Dark Knight Returns did it for me, but this would have worked wonders as well. It is simply fantastic and there is an homage to The Spirit in there in a crowd of running people. The young J. Jonah Jameson was also a nice touch.

The different point of view taken in this book is a great way to interpret the Marvel universe. The eye of everyman shows us what it would be like to live for a few years in a world with creepy crawlies, hatred and cosmic invasions. Then they play with the Sub-Mariner a lot – he’s good, he’s bad, he’s good again, bad again, etc, etc. This was a great story that needs a bit more attention I think. Sorry I don’t have the brainpower to examine it a bit more. I hope to someday. Maybe after I read Kingdom Come.

Edgar Rice Burrough’s Tarzan: The Joe Kubert Years
I’d be shocked if Chris Sims hasn’t posted on this yet. I mean it’s a man, arguably at the top of his game writing and drawing a comic based on the books he loved as a child where Tarzan puts a lioness in a full nelson – to death. Also Tarzan fights a great ape and a great cat at least every four pages. This is comics in its purest.

How I want Civil War to End

With the last issue of Civil War now on everyone's radar (sometime in summer 2007) I've started to wonder how it will all end. Besides it being the longest summer event ever. Hey, two summers wouldn't be too bad - I'm sure there's a record or something there, maybe a "no prize."

Here's 10 ways I want it to end:

1) Luke Cage just punches everyone in the throat until they shut up and limp off back to their regular lives.

2) Iron Man and Cpt. America kiss.

3) Tony Stark drunk under a lamp-post.

4) She-Hulk or The Vision joins the Fantastic Four.

5) Spider-man moves to Quebec and has to deal with the conflicts between language and culture.

6) Massive cross-over with Ultimate Hulk v. Wolverine.

7) The Beyonder saying "ignore that man behind the curtain."

8) President Clor, or at least Governor of California Clor.

9) All the heroes band together to fight the true threat to life on this planet - Global Warming (or drugs).

10) The Punisher gets married to Electra.

The Ultimate Adventure in Decompression

So I’ve decided that since the library has the collections to Ultimate Spider-man and Ultimate X-men I will be taking on both titles as a challenge to myself. What I wasn’t planning on was that these books would be so dang popular. I have to say, someone is reading these books, and it can’t all be older guys like me, can it?

So I got the first volume of Ultimate Spider-man, and my first thought was “please dear god let this tattered copy not fall to dust in my hands.” Man, that was the rattiest comic I ever laid my hands on, so I’m assuming a lot of younger readers had it before me. The kind I’d call the police on if they had a party next door to my house on a Friday.

I have to say a few things here. I didn’t ever read these books when they came out the first time. I simply wasn’t buying comics then. I did, however, read most of this collection on Marvel.com when they had digicomics or something like that up there on their website. That was a while ago before they actually launched their digital comics (again). Yeah I don’t understand that either, but it’s Marvel, I just roll with it. So these were a bit familiar but I never actually sat down and read them page by page.

I remember there being a bit of a fuss about how Peter Parker never puts on the web-head costume for the entirety of the first issue. Now it doesn’t seem all that unfamiliar or unique. I suppose that since the issue originally came out this type of storytelling in modern comics has become a new sort of standard. There are longer drawn out character moments and we’re introduced to characters through their dialogue and interaction as opposed to the disembodied narration of Stan Lee. This forces the pacing of the story to slow down. We need to see Peter in the basement passing out and working on his web formula in order for them to be introduced later in the story. Without the “voice of Stan” we can’t go from panel one of Peter being bitten to panel two of Spidey swinging around with a caption explaining that when Peter awoke from a fevered sleep he inherently knew how to create spider webbing. That lead to moments of impressionable violence too quickly and too often...(that was sarcasm, which I find easy to say but hard to write).

When reading these comics in a collection they work a lot better than individual issues. The decompressed stories don’t spend time recapping what happened a couple of pages ago. There is no time period of a month between issues when reading the story collected (unless you can’t fit it into your schedule). You have the time to get to understand these characters by how they interact and speak to one another. Simply put, the author has the time and space to have the characters interact, he isn’t limited to a complete story in minimal space. This isn’t a value judgment on new or old stories just an exploration of their differences. I think old school single issues work better as floppy comics. I find it hard to sit down and read Showcase collections in one sitting but Ultimate Spider-man was quite enjoyable, if not more so, in collected form.

I do have to say I enjoyed this story about the same amount I enjoyed the first movie. Yes, I know the story but I also enjoy different people’s interpretation of it. This was a really good update for a new audience. It makes Peter a young kid again who is awkward and going through the general malaise of a fifteen year old boy whose high-school is located on the sixth ring of hell. He’s still into the whacky science experiments like in the old-school cartoon, but it also makes the melodrama usually found in Spider-man comics not seem too far out of synch with the general reality of kids that age. Everything is the end of the world when you’re fifteen/sixteen and it is bloody brilliant that they set the new version of Spidey in that time of the hero’s life.

I like the more intimate portrayal of the character and the world he finds himself in. He’s awkward and feels out of place as much as he’s accepted and made part of the “in” crowd on a whim. It’s a fickle world, the fifteen year old world, but it is expertly captured in this series. It also makes the heroic action that Peter Parker takes feel that much more heroic. He is acting in a manner beyond his young years. While the people he is surrounded by are flitting away at teenage hijinx Peter is dealing with massive changes and is forced to mature really quickly. This is reflected in Harry Osborne and the way they both grow because of similar situations is a fun one to watch. Both will make mistakes but it is Peter who is living up to the what his parent’s saw in him unlike Harry who refuses to accept responsibility for his own actions. At the end of this collection we see Peter ready to grow into his new role where he begins to take responsibility for his own actions while Harry is placing all responsibility for the tragedy in his life on everything external to him.

It is a great parallel, and while the action is big it is tempered and paced out, but the drama is simply captivating. This series is a great read to get into later on than the vast majority of comic readers because it shows a fresh take on well known action and stories. This isn’t the deconstruction of the Spiderman mythos but a retelling of the stories with a focus on the character interactions. Sort of refocusing on the strength that was developed and became apparent as the “Marvel Way” of storytelling in the past.

Wednesday's Loot - 20 September 2006

52 Week 20
John Henry Irons is back to heroics but is given some tantalizing information. Hopefully this leads to lots of punching with Lex's evil heroes. Then we're back in space to see some Animal Man action and is that Brainiac's ship? I'm not up on my DC character history, sorry.
I rate this comic: Another solid, if slow issue of 52.

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Astronauts of the Future and Dungeon Zenith Vol 1: Duck Heart

More French collections that have been translated and involve Lewis Trondheim (and Joann Sfar on Dungeon).

I'll start with Astronauts. Again, I don't know if it's just French cultural stylings or translation issues but this felt like it was a kid's book but had some problematic language at points. Not poor translation but swear words. I think the story is perfect for kids who are ready to move beyond kids stuff but not totally ready for adult books. But I think some parents wouldn't let their kids read this book because someone uses the word "ass."

That being said, I did love this story. It's about a couple of kids who are picked on in school and are generally geeky, but in a "I know I'm geeky and don't give a damn" way. While you know they'll sort of get along later, they do spend time playing off one another and thinking the other is "icky." It's about a boy and a girl who are sure that their parents, and everyone else in the world, is either a robot or an alien.

Then the plot takes a twist I didn't see coming. It was fairly traumatic and it actually did upset me. Forget Spiderman unmasking or Jason Todd rising from the dead, this was an actual shock. I kept waiting for the explination to be that these kids couldn't deal with the trauma of what happened but it never came. After this twist, the rest of the action seems fresh and exciting even if it has been done a lot.

I refuse to give away the twist because it really adds to the story.

Now after reading Duck Heart, that volume of Dungeon: The Early Years makes more sense. I was right in a lot of my guess work. A lot of the characters introduced in that volume make an appearance here. The young idealist has apparently become a jaded old man with hints of Uncle Scrooge aside from the fact both characters are fowl. He's crafty as much as he is ingenius, not to mention being rich and paranoid.

What follows in this volume is an in some ways a reintroduction to the world of Dungeon (only now with an actual dungeon I assume the magic elves dug). There is a moment of mistaken identity when a hapless duck gets a barbarian killed but doesn't want to lose his job so fakes the barbarian's identity. The duck is sent to destroy some Lovecraftian evil things and is accompanied by a vegetarian Dragon warrior.

Again, this is a fantasy world that doesn't take itself too seriously which I find quite refreshing in a genre known for melodrama and unpronouncable names. The duck is stuck with a magic sword that can't be drawn unless the duck does three brave deeds with his bare hands (or is killed). If someone tries to take the sword from him the duck reverts to a former sword-bearer. This is used to hilarious effect in a cage full of warrior potentials as they want to see the trick again and again.

There are essentially two stories here. The war against the unnamed evil beings who are tired of their dreary skull decorated underground meeting places and the story of the duck trying to become a warrior in a kung-fu movie master/apprentice way. I have to admit that the master who has sewn himself into a sack because he already knows the world was an idea I appreciated.

I would have to say that although there was two distinct stories in this volume I did like it better than the Early Years volume. I do feel like I was missing a volume in between though so I'll try to find it at the library as that may explain things a bit more.

I think anyone who needs a break from World of Warcraft or anything D&D should give the Dungeon books a flip through. You'll probably appreciate it more than me, and I love them.

I'm going to be a great (sitcom) husband

I totally missed the first year anniversary to this here blog. It was exactly one month (and a day because I didn't post this yesterday) ago on August 18th. To celebrate there's the next in a long list of mediocre comic reviews below and a bunch more will follow (comments remain nil).

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I will add some bonus content in the form of what's distracting Jon these days:

• Final plans for the wedding.
• Dreading spending Christmas at my parent's house.
• Video games have suddenly become boring to me. I'm trying to play Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher's Bay. It was a blast for a while but now I'm stuck and frustrated. I'm thinking about getting the new Nintendo Wii though, that looks like fun. Although I remember purchasing The Power Glove and it sucked ass. And my desktop computer has been pretty much a paperweight since I've been waiting for my copy of Window's XP to show up and haven't been able to get back into Civilization IV.
• Zombies. I finally watched Romero's Dawn of the Dead and have Shaun of the Dead at home (again). I read The Zombie Survival Guide and I'm looking at World War Z (both by Max Brooks) longingly and waiting for the price to drop or someone to buy it for me. I am working on a project concerning zombies and I think it's actually original (shut up, I know that ship has sailed but I'm working on it anyway and someday I may bore you with the details on this site, I just need a bit more time to "flesh it out" - so to speak).
• Board Games. I have absolutely no idea where this new obsession came from. I guess I just want something fun and not involving a screen. I picked up Carcassonne and while I like it A. can't see the point to it. She does want to pick up Fury of Dracula for Christmas though, so that may be fun. I'm contemplating Settler's of Catan or Ticket to Ride as Risk alternatives since we'll be stuck at my parent's house this year for the holidays. Any suggestions on two player games would be welcome. I'm thinking Hammer of the Scots (since she's part Scottish and likes kicking my ass at Risk) or Zombies!!! (naturally).
• Trying to come up with a post that's more than a review of old comics that people have probably read. This probably won't happen for a while.

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Oh, I have found java versions of both Carcassonne and Settlers of Catan online here. They go by different names though, but if you're interested in either game, give them a whirl before buying either. Yes, I know I'm sad now that I'm blogging about board games.

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Ultra: Seven Days by The Luna Brothers

This is another book I picked up on a whim. I’m glad I did. Sure it’s the depressingly violent story portrayed as a realistic superhero drama but I think the story manages to get above that simple criticism. There were a lot of moments when I was thinking to myself this is Sex in the City but acted out with superheroines. There are some definite weaknesses in the storytelling because all too often the characters just don’t sound right. They sound like men are writing what they wish women spoke and acted like instead of writing women speaking and acting. And if you’re not in the mood for a story about superhero relationships with normals then this probably isn’t for you.

That being said it is the perfect distraction for anyone looking for a new take on the same old superhero stories. I’m happy that there is at least some male creators attempting to write a superhero book where all the leads are strong female characters. The presentation is quite original and stunningly beautiful to look at. The covers are replications of different magazines through which we normally read about female celebrities. There is a fun little syncopation of medias in the presentation of the story of female celebrities dealing with their private and public lives in an era that is eroding that division. The magazine covers remind us of our own desire to see celebrity at its worse and to have unending bits of meaningless information presented to us non-stop.

We get to see the ups and downs of these characters through their private moments and their public personas. In the end the story is as much about whether or not there is a difference between the public and private person as it is about the development of the characters and the actual plot. It is good distraction from other “realistic” superhero books because it strives for something more than a simple good guys win but compromise their morals. Here, the heroes don’t compromise their morals in terms of how they do their job but in their private lives. It is a slightly tweaked formula but a nice change none the less, and the art is stunning.

Spelunk!

Dungeon the Early Years: Night Shirt - Joann Sfar and Lewis Trondheim

This was an interesting book. After reading The Rabbi’s Cat and loving it, then not really enjoying Vampire Loves as much as I probably should have, I was interested in checking out this series by Joann Sfar. I’m glad I did since it appears to be a healthy mixture of what worked well in both books mentioned above. I felt that Vampire Loves was just a bit too much stream of consciousness or allowing the story to go off wherever it lead but when Sfar has a direction and edits towards it the stories are better for it. I’ve read a bit too much Kerouac that needed to be edited for me to truly enjoy pure unedited stream of consciousness stories.

What this story has is, and I’m guessing a bit here, is the introduction of some of the characters that will play a larger role in the development of this world and the series. I’m waiting for a few more collections in the Dungeon series. It’s an anthropomorphic fantasy world with a young idealist meeting the corruption and stench of a big city. He takes on the ideals of justice in a manner befitting Robin Hood, the Scarlet Pimpernel or the Three Musketeers. If you like swashbuckling fantasy stories with a bit of humour then this is a good book to pick up.

If you’ve never come across Sfar’s artwork before then you should definitely check out the book before purchase. It is crude but not bad. It is simple without being poorly executed. In other words it is very very French. It has style and doesn’t particularly give a shit about being anally retentive about rendering and being perfect. If the art could speak it would look at you saying it was bad and it would spit at you and tell you it will piss on your mother because it doesn’t need to waste time trying to impress someone so uneducated and banal. It is simply fun because it looks like it was drawn by an enthusiastic child – granted it’s a child who is unbelievable consistent in character design and who creates fantastic backgrounds and city designs.

The protagonist is Hyacinthe (I think - he's the Dungeon Keeper in the rest of the series) who is either a duck or a chicken or some kind of fowl. He’s the country boy sent to the city so is able to see it for what it is. He isn’t a part of the system so he can see the hypocrisy of it all as well as how easy it is to be swallowed up by it. His adventures include jokes about his inability to write in his journal on horseback (we get scribbled narrative boxes) to upper-classmen necromancers at the university trying to impress girls by pulling out his heart only taking a lung accidentally. He’s in love with a sexy assassin and gets schooled in fencing, love, power, sex and politics. When he finally dawns his mask to take on the quest for justice, Hyacinthe is sort of recognized, but he is also wearing his nightshirt. He spends the next few pages struggling to come up with a cool sounding name but is eventually referred to as Night Shirt. You can’t stop popular culture, it’s organic.

This is a fun book. It’s overly clever but isn’t a totally cerebral comic. They play with the form making visual jokes and referential jokes that are only applicable to the comic book medium. I quite enjoyed it and I’m glad I picked it up on a whim since it is one of few translated Bandes Designe available in the library. If you’re looking for a new fantasy based comic that doesn’t take itself too seriously then this is it. In a lot of ways it reminds me of Smax because it is aware of the medium but doesn’t fall prey to the melodrama that is present when the fantasy genre tries to get “serious.”

In Stitches

Embroideries by Marjane Satrapi

I have to admit my shame at not having read Persepolis. I really want to but I also want to own the damn thing and can’t afford it at the moment so I haven’t reserved it at the library simply to read it. But Embroideries I had no problem checking out. I figured it would give me a sense of her style and esthetic. I have to say I’m glad I didn’t purchase this collection. I wouldn’t stop anyone from doing so, I do think you will get your monies worth and it is great material to go back to for inspiration. If you’re judging worth by how long it takes you to read it, then this is a lot of money for a relatively quick read.

That being said the time you spend with these characters is defiantly time well spend and highly enjoyable. I did have the feeling that this was essentially a one act play or a scene in a larger text. Actually I think that is a great approach to this text. Think of it as a one act play and you won’t be disappointed at all. It’s about women, friends and relatives who get together and discuss their love lives and the general hypocrisy of the men in their lives. There is a plethora of wonderful and highly entertaining women here. From the free living free loving artist Aunt to the slightly rebellious grandmother (I think, I returned the dang book before double checking) and the heartbroken neighbour. It was fascinating for someone like me who has no connection whatsoever to Muslim women or much of Muslim culture in general.

I believe a lot of the Western audience will be fascinated by this take on what appears to us as a mystery. We wonder how women can function in what we perceive as a repressive society and what we’re given here is something that dispels a few of our own myths and confirms others. I find it hard to relate to things when I can’t interpret it through my own reader’s lens of experience. So while I can’t relate on some levels on others I definitely can. We’re shown love stories that are really universal and that are essentially timeless.

I loved hanging out with these women. I felt like I shared in their collective tragedies and joys. This is a very heart warming book in many ways with a visual layout akin to Eisner's The Plot. Free form borderless settings with disembodied heads and characters. It helps reflect their relationship to one another as being primary over their relationship to the outside world.

Slightly Negative Reviews

Billy Hazelnuts by Tony Millionaire

I have to admit that I don’t understand all the praise this book has on the back cover. I do quite like the art. I’m a fan of simple line work and the woodcut look to shading reminiscent of Crumb’s comix but the story is a fly-by-night affair. A mouse made golem with a bad attitude gets into a few random adventures. My favorite part, outside the classic look to the artwork, was the pirate ship. That thing was pretty cool but not enough of an idea to make me heap glowing praise on it.

Salamander Dream by Hope Larson

As much as I like to support Canada’s cutest comic book couple I couldn’t finish reading this book. I liked the art a heck of a lot but it’s simply not my thing. I would have thought it was brilliant when I was twenty and probably have given it to my girlfriend back then but it doesn’t speak to me, as I am these days. I wanted to like it but found I couldn’t and now I feel a bit of shame because I want to support Hope Larson and encourage people to read her stuff. I did look at each and every page though because it's beautiful.

Wednesday's Loot - 13 September 2006

52 Week 19
Okay, I love evil Skeets almost as much as the advertisement for Skeetles Candy. And I'm pleased with the space faring adventure as well. Again, another part of a long story that opens up some fun and interesting story potential for the next arc in the year long stories. Yes, I'm finding it hard to write reviews of comics I like. Shut up it's been raining here for two days and without the sun to power my brain I'm helpless. Rain is like my Kryponite or water to the wicked witch of the west.
I rate this comic: The only one that kept my interest for this week.

Yes, I've dropped Aquaman and DMZ. I'm trying to minimalize my expenses and 52 is the one book that is guaranteed to be decent week in and week out. And I'm probably one of few comic fans who isn't reading it to simply see when DC will cack it all up. I think it's one of few comics these days that actually captures the old school feeling a lot of people yearn for. It's not perfect and it has human errors but it's fun and on time generally with a bit of a back story (yes I'm counting these profiles as back stories). I did enjoy DMZ quite a bit and think it was just hitting its stride so I'm glad to have left it on a high note and, well, Aquaman was always sort of on the verge although I did quite enjoy it as well. Finances rule these day.

Totally New Content - The Push Man and Other Stories is at the end of the ranting update

If you don't realize by now I usually update this site first thing in the morning when I arrive at the office and nobody else is around. Sure it's a bit of an abuse of office internet but I figure it makes up for the lack of decent living wage. Needless to say content has been limited recently. This is because the office moved and I was without internet and phone for the last 3 business days (and power for 2). Yes, it's a professional organization they just can't organize anything professionally.

So I spent the last few weeks essentially reading a lot of good comics, or if not good at least I was reading a lot. I mean A LOT! So much that I don't remember all the ones I read and since I didn't write up anything on them no reviews will appear here. But I did spend yesterday and today writing up a crapload of reviews on the books I did remember, so there will be content here for a while.

I have to say that just sitting around and reading comics is quite a lot of fun. It was a nice break but I'm going to see if I can keep up my enthusiasm and continue to post over the next few stressful weeks.

So without further ado here's a review:

The Push Man and Other Stories

I really have no idea how to describe this collection of stories. They were captivating but I can’t really use “good” or “enjoyable.” They are successful in what they are trying to achieve but their focus isn’t exactly on happy endings and decent people. Every single one of these stories focuses on some outcast or down trodden individual. They are all clinging to something off the beaten path and seem to have a view of sex that doesn’t match up to the suburban ideal.

There is a lot of sad and desperate people and actions. There is a lot of dead babies and a lot of human life wasted in general. That is sort of the point of the stories. They aren’t here to make you feel happy about life. They focus on the bad bits and how the people in these desperate situation survive anyway and find a form of happiness that I can’t identify with.

Then there is the artwork. It’s sort of the evil twin of Tintin comics. It’s simple character designs appearing in realistic backgrounds and settings. The art is brilliant and so utterly streamlined that it feels like no single line is out of place. It’s sort of the Hemmingway version of drawing. Draw the picture and remove anything that doesn’t need to be there. That’s essentially how Hemmingway wrote. Write a sentence then remove all the words that don’t need to be there. Only this has more in common with John Fante or Charles Bukowski (not that I’ve read any Bukowski so I can’t say for certain) than Hemmingway. It’s about the down trodden, so be ready for that before you jump into these stories. If you’re not expecting that you could be either disappointed or disturbed.

Wednesday’s Loot – 06 September 2006

...presented on Friday.

52 Week 18
Some of the best opening credits yet in this series. I love the play on “House of Mystery” as well. Ralph’s story has definitely taken a turn I wasn’t expecting and I do hope it lives up to more of its potential than the whole Cult of Conner which seemed the only misstep so far in the series. I’m also looking forward to see what happens with the Black Adam and Isis/Question and Montoya team-up.
I rate this comic: Solid stuff.

Agents of Atlas #2
This is your general second issue in a miniseries. The plot moves forward a little bit more as we’re introduced to “the team” and given character moments to help establish each of them. It’s exactly what I was hoping to get. How often does one get to say that when reading comics?
I rate this comic: Best space-toilet joke EVER.

Detective Comics #823
Dini gives us another fantastic done in one issue of a comic that took the stripped down approach to new and wonderful levels. I simply love these stories that take the same approach the writers took towards the animated series and give it to us, a more mature audience, as pure storytelling goodness. I think what I appreciate most about Dini’s work in these three issues so far is that he’s dropping in new ideas and characters in a manner not seen in a long long time. Sure Hush is new, but these new rogues are introduced and “dispatched” in one issue. So if response is negative you’re not saddled with five more issues revolving around compost-character X. Fun stuff indeed, and I realize I miss this type of story simply because I’ve completely forgotten about it and how well it can be done.
I rate this comic: The alternative for done in one goodness if you’re getting tired of Jonah Hex.

The Form of Comedy

Plastic Man: On the Lam

(Yet again I can't seem to get images to upload)

I was shockingly satisfied by this collection. I thought it would be an annoyingly cartoony book with a boatload of bad puns and off-colour commentary passing as humour. I was dead wrong.

I had more fun reading this book than I’ve had reading superhero comics in a while. Yes it was goofy and the art is cartoony. The brightness and cartoon based nature of the art work in perfect conjunction with the whole basic idea of a man made out of plastic. It’s not necessarily about Plastic Man being able to shape himself into anything he likes that works with the art style, but the fact that the character is based on exaggerated movement, expression and emotion because of his physical properties being exaggerated. Plastic Man is the ultimate squash and stretch character so he works better when presented in a form that allows for stretching and squashing.

Now, I know his original books were more serious in tone, but I think running with the outrageousness works in this presentation. I mean, there is generally a reason that these books win awards. It’s because they are actually as good as people think they are (well occasionally something will sneak by or differ from your personal tastes). Kyle Baker understands comedy and shows it here. I don’t mean he just knows what is funny but the whole form of comedy. Strap on the edu-caps.

Comedy is only obtainable when there is an intimate distance between the characters and the readers. We need to connect with the characters and see ourselves in them but we must also be distant enough so we don’t see their pain of existence. It is a fine line between comedy and tragedy. Both involve physical peril but our distance form the situation allows us to interpret these forms differently. To help force our perception, comedies will present full body shots a lot more than tragedies will. On the flip side, Tragedies will have a lot of intimate and close up shots. Watch a black and white comedy sometime (anything with Chaplin) and you’ll be able to see all of him for most of the movie. He’s far enough away so we can see him trip and land on his arse. If we were closer we’d be able to see him wince in pain and the comedy of the situation gets reduced or removed.

This book follows that rule as well. We pretty much see all the characters all the time. But just like movies, when we want to amp up the emotion we get a close up. Watching someone cry at a distance can be funny with their exaggerated motions but zooming into the person’s face and it becomes a lot less funny. Same with this book. There’s a lot of physical humour, then you’re struck with some genuine emotion in the middle that you didn’t see coming and it makes everything that much better. The tragedy is that much more tragic because you were so distant from these characters for so long and you get to know them that way. But the humour remains as soon as the camera is pulled back, so to speak. I do realize there isn’t a camera in comic book creation (well at least not with this artist).

The humour isn’t all physical, thankfully, as that can get tired rather fast. There is a lot of playing with the form of comic books and the history of comics as well. There’s some mystical monks who seem a bit familiar (there’s four of them). And there’s a great deus ex machina at the end which is wonderfully executed because it is so bloody obvious about being a deus ex machina. Again, one of the characteristics of comedy is that the end must put the world back into harmony. Ever read a Shakespearean comedy? They all end in the wedding of the two people who need to be together because they reflect the harmony of the world. Same here. Superhero comics are only harmonious with the illusion of change. The good guys need to win but without becoming something completely different. The sidekicks need to be there and so does the love interest. Now, this isn’t Shakespeare, don’t get me wrong, there isn’t enough puns to be Shakespeare, but it is almost a text-book example of what a Comedy should be and needs to contain.

Hey, if you want a plot synopsis you’ll have to go somewhere else.

Last Wednesday's Loot - 30 August 2006

I'm almost back on track. In the meantime this is a fast and dirty recap of what I bought last week and maybe one complete sentence on each.

52
Ah the space bound. I like Animal Man and I've always thought I'd like Adam Strange so having them together is like old sci-fi fun to me. I know a lot of people are ragging on Adam's eyes reappearing every now and again, well to me this is like when Superman's boot was yellow in a panel or Thor was purple. It's like old time comics because they're keeping a tight schedule. It's something I appreciate and, quite frankly, enjoy more than a late comic.

All-Star Superman
Great Clark Kent action and a creepy Luthor, not because he's evil but because he's evil in shorts he stole off a Hooter's waitress in a maximum security prison. I like these toned down episodes as much as the smashy-smashy.

Justice
Evil side-kicks and a great meta-texual moment about Aquaman not being seen at his full potential.

Solo
This was just fucking weird.

Yay, it's Thursday

But I'm still not ready to start blogging again. Sorry, still exhausted, although I had requests to bring the X-box to work today. That'll be fun until the new boss inevitably shows up.

I haven't even read yesterday's books yet and they're home so I can't read them at lunch.

No post for you - well, with any content anyway.

Last Wednesday's Loot - 23 August 2006

Okay the National Leadership Convention is over. If you're Canadian you've probably figured out which party I work for by now. I'll keep the political content to a minimum. This isn't the forum. Besides I'm too damned tired, even after a day of rest, to write much at this moment.

Coffee helps though. Mmmm, sweet bitter coffee. Y'know, I like my coffee like I like my women. Bitter Guatamalan in a paper cup.

So, let's make with the funny (or not).

52
More Kandaqi stuff and the space heroes on their way home. This was a great action issue revolving around a very limited idea. It really works for me when done right. There's a bomb, go stop it whether they know about it or not. I think this was someone being clever with 52 in that it felt like an episode of 24.

Batman #Whatever (sorry I don't have it with me and am too tired to find it)
Okay, so I'm going to go search the blogs after I finish typing this post. I want to see if anyone else enjoyed the Ninja Man-Bats as much as I did. Or maybe it was just Batman thinking, "ninja man-bats. This is new." This is my kind of meta. It isn't obvious, it's clever, but not trying to be too clever. Plus this issue was just a heck of a lot of fun. I mean ninja's are the new zombies now right?

DMZ
And this arc comes to a climax, er close and Matty Roth is ready for his new reality in the DMZ. I was enjoying this series before but this arc I think solidified it in the minds of a lot of its readers that DMZ isn't wasting its potential.

Agents of Atlas
Yeah I was late on getting this one and I regret it because I loved this opening. I like super spy thrillers and when there's a talking gorilla and a robot, I'm pretty much sold already. Fun stuff.

Action Philosophers - The People's Choice
I only read most of the first one. I won't even attempt to spell his name. Needless to say that's sort of how I looked for the last few days - what with the unwashed masses and the continued frustration.

Rex Libris
I just remember this being awesome.

So after a week where my life was actually threatened by a member of the party I work for. I'm a bit too tired to reflect on the comics I read last week. Sorry, I'll do more this afternoon or tomorrow. I've read a lot of other stuff from the library - look for you're new favourites and golden oldies. Such as: Plastic Man: On the Lam, Top 10 (all 3 mega-medley), The Originals, JLA: Earth 2, and many more.

In lieu of content

You're all getting a link to CBC's archives. The Canadian Comic Book in multimedia. I promise not to sound like that depressed hampster in Creature Comforts.

Mondays - bah!

Okay it was a long weekend. Found out Friday evening that I didn't get the job I was interviewed for and I was really really really looking forward to moving on with my life. Lots of beer later and I'm really hung over on Saturday and I think I still am now.

I did get to read some good comics on the weekend. I don't really know what to say about them. Scurvy Dogs is really good if you like pirates and humour. Dead West was a great idea and has some nice artwork but I was totally lost for like half the story. Conan and the Jewels of Gwalhar was a great romp even if there was surprisingly little of Conan chopping things with his sword and he did seem a bit young to me - sort of how the new Aquaman should look.

I'll try to have more for you all later this week but I'm sort of in the dumps because I'm still at this job and I'm turning 30 soon. I don't care about turning 30 but I wanted to have a new job by then and through no fault of my own efforts it hasn't happened.

All Clear

Nothing new to report as of right now. Didn't have a chance to find out about Agents of Atlas or Wasteland. I will be making an effort to get both now that the creators stopped by. That's pretty dang cool. Also have a bid in on e-Bay for 1-24 of Manhunter because I enjoyed that last issue so much.

I have a slew of trades and Graphic Novels to read this weekend including: The Originals, Dead West, The Incal, Scurvy Dogs and Conan and the Jewels of Gwalhar. I'll make a stronger effort to review them. I also picked up Max Brooks The Zombie Survival Guide to get ready for the National Convention of the party I work for. I figure the stench of decay will be something I need to prepare for and I need to know how to escape a room full of braindead corpses.

Also, everything is on hold until Newcastle United are finished beating Wigan in their opening match of the English Premiership. Shockingly it's on TV because Newcastle is never on TV here. And the game following is Tottenham which is A's team. We're both excited for brunch, beer and footie.

Make Mine Whatever

Okay, upon second sober thought I've decided to actually give Marvel some props. At least they let everyone know beforehand that these titles would ship late. They stood up and took one for their own team and that takes a certain intestinal fortitude.

I know why I reacted so negatively and smug to the announcement. I think I know why so many people are jaded about it as well but I don't presume to speak for anyone but me. I like things to be delivered on time. These are grindhouse entertainment, not the Sistine Chapel. Swallow your pride and work faster. These won't be the comics that define comics for centuries to come. The Comic Golden Age is passed. Just get it done and learn to manage your time better. Thank you for the head's up though. Those are rare.

Wednesday's Loot - 16 August 2006

Only two titles at the moment since I didn't find issue one of Wasteland and issue two is just as invisible here. Also couldn't find Phonogram but will check store number 2 on my way home.

52 Week 15
How’s that for a bit of super-hero action? A little punching. A little prison break. A little nuclear sub explosion. A little joke about wiki. You’re either enjoying this series or you’re not at this point and nothing I can say will change your mind. Personally I’m enjoying the whole thing. When I was picking it up at the shop there were two guys talking about how they don’t know if it’ll make it to 52 and that some of the stories are dragging. I figure this is not worse than any other miniseries out there. I’d rather get weekly adventures than six separate six part mini-series that are told at the same pace with the same quality.
I rate this comic: The action section.

Manhunter #25
Yes you two, I know I should have been buying this. I have bought it and I love it and regret missing the first 24 issues. This title deserves all the praise it has been getting. I’m a bit lost but this looks like it may be my first “searching for back-issues” title in a long long time.
I rate this comic: Worthy of my money in all respects.

Also, I found the first French comic I was less than thrilled about. Vampire Loves left me feeling, well, little love. I liked how Ferdinand floated around. I always liked that about vampires and it's something that seems to be forgotten about by most of the more modern-writing-for-adults type of stories. It felt a bit too stream of conscious for me and more like it didn't know who it wanted its audience to be. It read like a kids book for half and then discussed fucking. Weird.

Also, since you can't see me, consider this sentence to be me sitting smuggly and smirking since I dropped Civil War after issue one. I hear Agents of Atlas is good but honestly, Marvel has pretty much lost any goodwill I had towards it once. I did enjoy The Ultimates and Ultimate Wolverine v. Hulk but they both seem to have disappeared without explination - and so has the money I used to spend on Marvel comics. Interesting that.

I hope you can read the font

Blame Sterling for starting this.

Totally forgot to post this earlier

I’m writing while sipping a cup of coffee and wondering where all my fellow employees are. Mmmm. Coffee. I like my coffee like I like my women. Large and bitter.

I managed to read a lot of books this weekend and I’ll get to those in a little while. But first let me point out a few things I’m liking. First up, Chris celebrates a birthday with face kicks. Ian has a make-over. Scipio posts the cat. And Sterling unleashes a blanky. I'll post my contribution as soon as blogger lets me upload images.

So, as I said, I read quite a few books this weekend. I’ve been out of sorts recently since there’s a lot going on at the moment, what with getting married, turning thirty and waiting to hear about a job interview I think went well for a job that is unbelievably unique. More on that if I get it I assure you.

That means in between anxious pacing I sat down and read all of the following: Will Eisner’s The Plot, Corey Lewis's Sharknife, Joann Sfar’s The Rabbi’s Cat, Seth’s Clyde Fans Book 1, Ande Parks & Chris Samnee's Capote in Kansas and J.P. Stassen's Deogratias. Quite the mixed bag I think but I have to admit I forget most of the notes I made in my head to bring up for a post. I’m sort of pre-occupied these days what with the “hoping everything works out for the best.”

Here’s the quick hits reviews.

The Plot
This book is absolutely fascinating and stunningly beautiful to look at. I didn’t know anything about The Protocols of the Elders of Zion (hello white supremacists and anti-Semites searching Google) and the enduring nature of a proven forgery. The borderless artwork helps reflect the integrated nature of the book itself. Just as the stories of the people presented here blend together because of their relation to The Protocols, the forgery itself has managed to blend itself into global society around the world. Quite simply The Protocols survive because people forget. What struck me was the ability of the book to be proven false, time after time, but it still gets used repeatedly to prove a false point. It goes away, only to rise again somewhere or when the people have forgotten about it being a fake. Not only is the story itself quite unique, you’re treated to more Eisner artwork. Somehow, this guy seems to have just gotten better as he aged. I read The Spirit for beginners book a few months ago and loved it but the artwork here seems that much more accomplished while holding onto a classic quality. I sort of felt like the art belonged to an earlier time period like the Twenties or Thirties. It wasn’t dated, it just felt properly aged.

Sharknife
I have no idea what happened in this book. It was like trying to understand a four year old who ate a pound of gummy bears dipped in sugar. It looked good, if confusing during the action scenes, and I read it in like fifteen minutes. So yeah, pretty cool, manic and fun.

The Rabbi’s Cat
I don’t know what it is about French comics that make me love them so much. This is the second translated book that I’ve absolutely adored. I’m a sucker for stylized characters. I’m doubly so when the story presented contains a lot of elements that have already been done. I don’t need another fish out of water story, but I got one that was fun because the presentation was unique and enjoyable. I was a bit surprised that the talking cat episode wasn’t longer but for the most part this story is filled with sympathetic characters and is a look at a time and place that I, for one, knew little about.

Clyde Fans
Maybe I need Book 2 to get the rest of the story but so far I can only say that the jury is out on this one. I love the art though. It’s unbelievably clean and deserves to be hung in a gallery. I just don’t particularly like stories that are slices of life without any real meaning behind them, no matter how beautiful. It’s a phase I’m going through.

Capote in Kansas
But then this story that’s a slice of history I loved. Yeah I can’t explain it either. I haven’t seen the movie or read In Cold Blood so I’m essentially going into this book “untainted.” The development of Capote is captivating and is yet another fish out of water story that’s been done a gagillion times before. But it works well as he comes to terms with his past and the people of the town affected by the tragedy. And the artwork that functions a lot without outlines helps connect all the characters even further. This is a nifty warm up to the film and the book, if you’re planning on getting them. I’d recommend this as a great companion piece and as a great summer read.

Deogratias
I wasn’t sure if I was going to read this since I was already on edge enough and didn’t want to get overly depressed. I read it anyway and am glad I did. I don’t really know what I can add to the reviews already out there praising this book. It’s sort of the poster child to use against people who think comics can’t be serious and deal with recording history. Sort of like The Plot that way I guess. In a lot of ways it does carry on the legacy of The Plot but while not “true” history it does tackle serious issues in a manner that keeps the reader reading. This is a story that manages to get the reader emotionally invested to simply see how things came to where they are today. That in a mad place maybe the madman is the only sane one there since he’s at least not denying his madness.

Exchange this!

I’m going to get away from reviews for a second and write about something that is really starting to get my dander up. I’m talking about currency conversion, naturally. Yesterday I was reading MacLeans, and while it’s quickly becoming a piece of crap worthy of having a crossover with The Outsiders it actually had a decent article about current pricing practices in the book market and how it’s extremely frustrating with the strength of the Canadian Dollar these days.

Basically a few years ago the Canadian Dollar bottomed out at something like sixty-six cents American. There were all these cross border trips where Yanks would come up here and walk away as if they were kingly conquerors of the Canadian market. I think Jim Carrey and Dan Akroyd pooled some money and bought Winnipeg in, like, '95.

But these days the Canadian loony is riding high, at about eighty-nine cents American. Now, take out your recent comic purchases and look at the Canadian cover price. They’re all at least a dollar more here in Canada. For instance, lets take 52. It’s $2.50 USD which at todays rates means it would cost me $2.82 CND if I bought it with my own money across the border. But I'm paying $3.50 which means each time I buy 52 I’m paying an extra sixty-eight cents – every single week. Now, I know I’m not the only Canadian buying this series, so this is starting to look like a lot of extra money being strapped onto the cover price.

Now, don’t get me wrong this isn’t going to be a one sided rant of how comic companies are evil. I know that price points are decided on long in advance and that there is probably something about shipping to Canada worked in there. Unless of course these books are printed here in Canada. If anyone knows more specifics, please inform us. I know I’d like to know.

However, where I think comic publishers can become leaders of the publishing industry is that they actually do have the luxury of adjusting their price points on a monthly basis. Book publishers will have stockpiles of books and need to sell through them before prices adjust to today’s market reality. Comics in their floppy monthly format aren’t in that position. They can react to exchange rates much quicker and there isn’t an expectation that they will “stockpile.” I mean isn’t the whole direct market based on the idea that nothing stays on the shelves? I was at a bookstore yesterday and they actually used a marker to black out the American price on their new books. I asked about it and they said they were getting too many complaints about the price. I didn't buy anything either, I was just killing time.

I know that personally, I’ve really cut down drastically on my monthly purchases because I simply can’t afford comics anymore. But I know I’d buy more if they were priced accordingly. Don’t even get me started on Trades. It’s much worse there, but I know how their publishing schedule and process is much more closely related to the book market. But floppies, c’mon?

You’ll move a larger volume of comics if they were priced accordingly. I think it would be a revenue neutral process and would possibly increase the amount of books sold month to month in Canada. Reduce the Canadian price, please. I know I’ll buy more – guaranteed – if I don’t feel like I’m being taken to the cleaners.

Two reviews

I more or less finished two books last night as bookends to the Aeon Flux movie. I actually enjoyed the movie a lot more than I thought I would. I vaguely remember the cartoon as being really cools but in an experimental film sort of insane way.

I really enjoyed Antony Johnston and Eduardo Barreto's The Long Haul. It’s basically the Western version of heist movies like Ocean’s 11 or, um, The Great Train Robbery. The story is divided up nicely between recruitment and the big heist with not a heck of a lot getting in the way. There’s a setup, a gathering and the execution. A quick three acts that are the perfect quick read for the summer. Crack open a beer or pour yourself 3 fingers of bourbon and enjoy the caper.

It’s a quick read and it the art reminds me of European comics like Corto Maltese, which is good. This isn’t ground breaking stuff and it is all the better for it. It’s plain old fun with great characterizations, a solid plot and solid art. What’s not to like? Tired of the red herrings and loose ends of miniseries that seem padded? Pick this up and enjoy how everything is connected and makes sense.

I also had to stop reading Eddie Campbell’s Fate of the Artist. I didn’t hate it. It simply left me feeling too cold. I like the idea but I was sort of bored by the process of reading it. I think it should be something that students of the artform read, study and examine but I’m not really a student anymore. I’m not trying to break into the medium doing my own thing. I think it should be on reading lists for art schools that have graphic novel courses. There were some neat bits like “Angry Chef” or cook, I can’t recall, and Honeybees throughout. The layout is quite fun but for some reason I can’t seem to explain here I wasn’t drawn into it. It was probably the spicy food I ate just before reading it. I made it like three-quarters of the way through and felt like I got it and wasn’t invested enough to tough it out for the ending, but that’s just me and I’m a navel gazing internet freak.

Jumping on the Bat-Train

Thanks to both Chris and other Chris I've discovered Random Panels and the creepy Batmeme.

If you don't have to look that up you're either a zoologist or someone who stumbled across it in the dictionary like I did during a Scrabble game. Oh, it will be used!

The Bachelor Party Weekend Idea

Since I found out that my best man will be in Taiwan at the end of the month and unable to attend the wedding I've been tossing an idea around in my head. Since he won't be around to organize a bachelor party (he lives out of town and won't be here before he leaves the country) I'm thinking of organizing a Bachelor Party weekend.

I'm going to start trying to contact the appropriate people for the following activities:
Friday Night - movie double bill at the second run theatre. I'm thinking Romero's Dawn of the Dead because I never watched it before and Shaun of the Dead because I love it.
Saturday Night - I'm trying to organize a local band for a concert. Probably the Fiftymen if possible.
Sunday Afternoon/Evening - Scotch tasting.

I've been trying to think of "guy" things to do that anyone would enjoy since I can't afford to rent locations or organize enough people to show up to fill a place - let alone trying to do it in two locations. I've contacted the local free paper about advertising it and I'm trying to write up a correspondence with the theatre. I'll be mooching on some friendships to organize the band.

Does anyone else have ideas? I have some other movie ideas if these fall through and I was also thinking of a cigar smoking session or something but with the new no-smoking legislation I'm not going to invite the public to my house. If you live in Ottawa and think you can help me out in booking bands let me know in the comments and I'll get in touch.

Wednesday's Loot - 09 August 2006

Only two books today. I should have picked up the back copies I missed of Agents of Atlas and Green Lantern Corps but I can live without them, I realized. I do think I will start reading Manhunter in the trades at some point though. Depends on finances really, and whether I can buy a few trades and be caught up to the regular series. Agents of Atlas will be a trade read as well.

On with the show...

52 Week 14
Okay this was a bit of an exposition issue. It moved a few plots along nicely but no real major action. Renee and The Question find stuff they shouldn’t in a location they shouldn’t, John Henry Irons makes a really nice robot suit, and Mercury returns. Then two pages of Eric Powell drawing Metamorpho, what’s not to like about that?
I rate this story: The halfway point between A and B.

The Secret Six #3
This seems to be the week for exposition or plot movement. It’s the second comic that deals with the movement from one plot point to the next. Okay, I’m not big on the whole naked ladies thing in comics as a selling point but I guess it works here better than the skimpy costumed cover to tantalize. She’s just who she is, naked and all. There is some genuinely creepy moments because they’re very decadent. They’re funny because they are so bloody and surrounded by death. I was wondering what happened to Dr. Psycho and this issue deals with his relationship to Ragdoll. Many severed limbs and a seizure later the Doom Patrol shows up.
I rate this comic: Bloody and naked, but in a good way if not the most exiting issue.

I talk about Wolverine and Batman comics you've already read.

Sorry for the delay. Monday was a holiday and I took Tuesday off. Took care of wedding stuff and visiting parents for the last few days so no time to really post or read many comics. I’ve actually not been contemplating them too much recently either. There was a time I was thinking of opening a shop but not having an extra $50,000.00 sitting around is kind of hampering that plan.

Still, a while back I did get to read Wolverine: Enemy of the State/Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. and enjoyed them thoroughly. I'm not sure if I already mentioned them here so I'll give a couple of seconds here. Any comic where someone wrecks a submarine then kills the sharks in blood frenzy drawn to the sinking ship is fine by me. But then when the same character hijacks a sentinel and rides it head first into a zombie ninja secret hideout, my mind gets blown.

This weekend I did manage to read Batman: The Long Halloween while A. was out picking out flower arrangements. I’d heard some good things a while back and the structure for the story is uniquely cool. The idea of a noir gangster Batman story with a holiday serial killer is so simply wonderful it makes you wonder why it took so long to come to pass. The story is quite good even if it sort of feels a bit too incestuous in the end. I don’t like the constant retrofitting of characters into new roles with previously hidden depths. The additions at the end seemed unnecessary to me and weighed down an otherwise really great story. I love the stylized art here which is such a break from what I expect to see in Batman comics. I was unsure of the whole re-examining characters from Batman: Year One but that was quickly forgotten as I got drawn into the plot. This is a great little Batman distraction from your other readings. I highly recommend it if you haven’t checked it out.

There’s nothing like a fun little dark mystery in the middle of summer. It’s got gangsters and the slow introduction of Batman’s rogues. I particularly like The Riddler’s appearance, and Batman meeting him in the bar. There’s nothing better than someone trying to take a piece of Batman, he catches the baseball bat and simply says “Wrong answer.” Then you know the shit is ON! I do have a feeling that after this story came out there was a sudden increase in adding a lot of previously unknown and uncharacteristic back stories to the Batman supporting cast because this one ends with elements coming out of left field. It could have worked better if the idea went completely one way or the other instead of the mixing of two stories. I guess it was probably the deleted scenes collected at the end of this trade with Holiday and Calendar Man meeting up in Arkham that made the ending presented here seem all that much more of a let down. I wasn’t the biggest fan, it wasn’t terrible but it could have been a lot better. It felt like a bit of a cheat to me, doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy the rest. But that deleted scene really set up a great possibility for future stories.

One of the best things I've ever read.

Epileptic by David B.

Reading this comic really made me wonder what the hell is wrong with North American comics? I like Super-hero stuff and I like some indy stuff, but this was just so freaking good it made everything I remember reading a bit crappier. This book made me want to follow it into battle. It was a rallying cry and a heavy totem that should be used to beat the heads of anyone thinking of making autobiographical comics. Why? Simple. It’s a personal story that doesn’t feel trite or extremely mundane and trying to make something bigger out of mediocrity and suburbia.

This comic doesn’t have the answers. It knows there isn’t one. It’s about understanding. It’s about how something so innocent and beyond the control of anyone can have such a profound affect on everyone around.

I thought this would be a story about two brothers and how epilepsy affects them or one of them. This is sort of the story but the main thrust of it is how the parents try to deal with this situation as much as the children. And boy do they try a lot. It’s extremely fascinating to experience all the various new age “cures” the family adopts or gives a shot.

After a few episodes you start to feel they’re fooling themselves. That they’re gullible and willing to be taken for a ride by anyone with a quick fix that doesn’t involve surgery. As the story hits its denoument I realized they weren’t being gullible or holding onto false hope they were trying to keep everyone together, to distract themselves from how bad things could go. The side effect is that all these distractions mean that Jean-Christophe’s epilepsy does become the focus of their entire existence. Everything they do is to try and distract them from this one condition. Basically, by not talking about it, by not dealing with it, the silence becomes louder than anything else in their lives. When there is constant noise, silence becomes more powerful, and is given a sharper focus.

David B’s art is simply amazing. It reminded me a lot of Mayan or Aztek inspired totems. The various demons, especially Jean-Christophe’s epilepsy, are shown in a style that is reflective of “primitive” art. It’s not exactly South American Indian anymore than it is Australian Aborigine. What better way to represent a primal, unknown force than to return to an art-form used to explain a primal, unknown world. Just as “primitive” art is used to represent myths and legends that explain the world, it fits perfectly with they myth and legends of this epileptic family. They don’t all have epilepsy, but their lives are focused around it.

The sharp lines, the dark and harsh inking really give a lot of this story a sense of foreboding in parts. There is an evolution from childish moments with fun art to nightmarish images of death and reflections on anxiety. This story feels as much like a confessional as it does an autobiography. It needs to be studied not copied. We would all be better for it.

This is simply one of the best comics I’ve ever read.

Wednesday's Loot - 02 August 2006

Presented on Thursday. I don't have any reviews of older trades today. I'm in the middle of reading Epileptic and loving it, but my life after work is sort of filled these days. I'm starting to feel like a DC Zombie these days but as long as they keep Batman in fine form I'm basically a happy camper. I do love Fear Agent and want to check out Wasteland but I can't find either in Ottawa. I'll start making requests. I've only got the first four issues of Fear Agent and it's at 6 now isn't it? That's a pain in the ass. I may need to get a *choke* subscription.

52 Week 13
The Ralph Dibny storyline really hits its pace in this issue. His sequence presents a great meta-comic book exploration of the whole resurrection phenomenon in the DCU. I’m glad that DC has the cajones to actually admit that their heroes die and are reborn while taking missions directly from God. Sure they cop out a bit and don’t really explain it, but they at least admit it happens and that it’s there under the surface whether you believe or not. And like The Wicker Man, it’s a bit shocking to see the group actually go through with their quest and appear to succeed leaving Ralph with a bend mind instead of a bendy body. Then there’s Isis and Black Adam. I’m fairly certain they’ll either have a falling out or she will be killed to Adam can be a big bully again. I’m loving the two page histories of the characters and I’m most excited by the preview image of The Metal Men.
I rate this story: A decent Wicker Man tribute that finally moves along Ralph’s story.

Mouse Guard #4
The plot introduces the old wizened hero with a missing Axe. And much like Bone, the evil being cloaked in darkness is revealed as the ultimate baddy that is familiar to the guard-mice.
I rate this story: Still charming in format, art and story

Detective Comics #822
The glorious return of The Riddler in a story I first thought was going to be a repeat of the Animated Series episode where Edward Nigma becomes a toy designer. Not so. This was another fun, done in one issue, where Riddler shows up as a competing detective to Batman and Jim Gordon. His arrogance, presentation and dialogue were all wonderfully done. I’m also glad he’s less the psycho killer and more the Dandy with questionable colour combinations. I also like how he’s not afraid for the public to know who he is and he just wanders around in the costume he was also a career criminal in – that complete disregard for any victims family is the sort of psychosis Gotham criminals need. I don’t know if I could ever be happier than I am with the recent Batman titles. It’s making it a lot easier to not read much else since these titles are done so well. Plus, Roxy Rocket. That’s brilliant.
I rate this story: A bit deus ex machine and unfair for those of us trying to figure out the murder but a fantastic Batman story nonetheless. Batman how he should be.

So, how've you been?

Wednesday's Loot will be late since I have a staff meeting today and don't have enough time to read and review all the comics at lunch. I'm consistently only buying 3 comics a week now. This week is was 52, Detective Comics and Mouse Guard.

And, in case you haven't notice because you've been bored to tears, this site has recenly become more of a review site than anything else. I see commentors have fled in droves. It's sort of weird to be writing so much because I'm reading so much. It's a real flow of consciousness thing as I'm not really spending a lot of time on my reviews. I'm not rewriting them or anything since this is a hobby and I'm going more for my initial reactions and gut feelings rather than intellectual examination. I'm not sure how much longer this will go on or if it'll be the new status quo. I'm just doing my thing and hoping it helps anyone else who has returned recently to the comic fold.

If you have been reading, you'll notice a lot of older stuff, dare I say some "classics" being reviewed. Yeah, I've only been back into comics for about a year and missed a lot of these the first time around. Finances have been the biggest hindrance to me reading all this stuff until I discovered the wonderful resource call the Ottawa Public Library that has a great graphic novel and bandes designe selection. The BD project will begin with the snow as I'm in no mood to translate anything in this 40 (100) degree heat.

Image for Chris

Okay, since I couldn't post this in the comments and I'm WAY too lazy to figure it out, I've posted this image here for Chris. If you have never read Chris's Invincible Super Blog you are missing out on one of the most consistently funny blogs about comics ever. If it's sincere then it's even funnier.

I made it here. Please use it wisely.

Alan Moore's Extraordinary Gentlemen = fantastic!

About the only thing I knew about The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen before reading it is that there was an extremely crappy movie made. I know it was a crappy movie because I watched it and can’t remember a goddamned thing about it. I think Dorian Gray was in it because he plays such an important role in the first trade dress, there off to the right behind the group.

These two volumes have made it really hard for me to comment upon them. I simply enjoyed them a heck of a lot. Now, I’m not too big on reading older books anymore, two degrees will take some of the wind out of your sails, so I didn’t know who Mina Murray was until she took the scarf off. Hey, there’s a lot of “classic” English lit out there, nobody can read it all. And yes, I know Nemo is from a French author, shut it.

Well, I loved them. I enjoy Moore’s examination of the supergroup dynamic and how it could possibly fit into a historic time period. And yet this isn’t exactly the Victorian England of history. It’s a pseudo-fantastic version of remembered history. It’s the history of fantasy mixed with the history of reality. I do love the idea of the crumbling Empire being required to turn to her former enemies to defend itself. There is a reflection of the fall of the Roman empire as we see the English empire embrace those it tried to conquer and repress. There are hints that the Empire collapses because it simply absorbed too much not to change its foundation.

There is a faux exterior presented to the world of the English Empire that is reflected through the existence of the Murray Group. They have fantastical elements but their activities are kept hidden. No need to try and crack the English resolve and disillusion their grand entitlements (or sense of entitlement and privilege).

The first volume is essentially the beginnings and recruitment of the group, and in a round about way answers the burning question of how Batman and The Hulk would act on the same team. It’s Cpt. Nemo and Mr. Hyde if you’re lost on that. I know that there isn’t meant to be any straight parallels between these books and anything else but I kept thinking that and it added a dynamic to their interactions that made me smile. The rest of the first volume is taken up with espionage goodness and some dramatic visuals based around the East-West divide that first came to light in Victorian England. You could write a paper on the East-West and notions and representations of the orient and “the other” in this comic, but I don’t feel like it. I’m just trying to help out anyone who is in undergraduate English lit classes.

Then there’s the second volume that is the “action” partner to the espionage thriller of the first volume. This is more or less a retelling of The War of the Worlds with more sex and explosions. There is treachery, ties are broken, and nobility is found in a complexly fierce being. Mr. Hyde takes on a bigger role in this volume, not just as the reflection of a man’s darker, meaner, primitive side he played in the first. Dr. Jekyl is barely present, instead we have Mr. Hyde essentially taking over the role. He begins to understand his actions and while brutally fierce he becomes the one character who doesn’t hide behind a false façade. Dr. Jekyl is stripped away and Hyde takes on the role of the noble savage.

In many ways the facades presented in the first volume all get stripped away here. The Invisible Man reveals his intentions, Nemo refuses to cooperate with the English he fought for so long, Miss Murray finally removes her scarf, Quartermain strips down to his boney naked self and Mr. Hyde isn’t in a rage as he continues his actions and his quest. He comes to terms with who and what he is and, in turn, uses that to help in the only way he can. He uses his destructive ability for good. What Mr. Hyde shows us is that using any destructive force for good is still inherently brutal and does debase those who purvey it. He is fine with his actions and in some ways he ensures that his path is laid out before him. He needs to meet his end and to do it for a noble reason even if there is a sense of futility to it.

Mr. Hyde, shows what happens when a brutal system comes to terms with its own brutality. AS the Empire began to crumble and realize the horrors it committed, the Empire didn’t stop itself, it only became desperate and tried to remain noble when presenting itself with defeat.

I guess I had more to say than I thought. All I really wanted to say was that some pubescent boy or crusading Christian cut out a panel in the first volume when the group first encounters Mr. Hyde. I suppose it had boobs or a penis on it and that this person didn’t get around to borrowing volume two. Also after reading volume two why is anyone surprised that Alan Moore has a book about literary characters having sex?

Thor: Disassembled

I borrowed this just to prove that I don’t only borrow the more “high-brow” or indy stuff from the library. Okay that’s a lie, I just wanted to read some Thor that I never read before. Which is a surprising amount actually. I was never the biggest fan of Thor even though I love the idea and I like mythology of almost any kind. Anything relating to ancient legends that involved swords and dragons is generally fine, on principle, by me. However, this is a modern genre that while fine on principle is lacking in execution. I don’t want to debate anyone but I generally like to pronounce the names of the characters I’m reading about.

But this has nothing to do with the book so I’ll get back on track. This was a somewhat lackluster return to the character for me. I’m not sure where the blame lays as I like Oeming’s work on Powers and can’t recall if I’ve ever read anything he’s written. It may simply be that he wasn’t up to the task of writing this bookend story, but I have a bigger suspicion that it was a Marvel editorial fiat that made some of this story less than enjoyable. Because for the most part, it was good, there were just a few areas that kind of left me bewildered.

For instance, Thor goes to get his avenging buddies Captain America and Iron Man to help him with the troubles on the homefront. Loki kicked some ass and Thor managed to get away with his life – barely. So he turns to his powerful friends for a bit of backup. There was one fight with Loki’s thugs and then Thor decides that Cap and Tony should be involved in the fight for Asgard. Wha huh? You need their help, they help, they want to continue to help but, no, you change your mind and decide that they shouldn’t be helping anymore after they proved invaluable. Fickle minds of the gods, I guess…

That whole thing just feels like a, “hey Mike, you need to put them into the story. I don’t care if it’s already complete, I’ll do it for you if you don’t. C’mon, printing only starts in like 2 hours – here I’ve got the art add some dialogue.” So, last minute, is what I was getting at there.

Not knowing all Thor’s background, enemies and allies was a bit of a pain as well since I didn’t really follow who died and what their relationship was. Again, a lot of this happens off panel so I couldn’t really place any of the importance behind the characters. And not looking up any of this was really my failing but I just wanted to read some punching and talketh of the smacketh.

But under all this is a great bone structure. It’s a simple and brutal story of Loki finally getting his own godly weapon to match Thor’s and conquering Asgard. It should be brutal and unforgiving which the story was at times. The simple amount of destruction was handled well and Thor’s quest in the last few issues is fairly cool if I do say so. It’s a decent Thor story for me, it just suffers from Marvel crossover-itis with a few random characters dealt with randomly. That’s unfortunate because I think Cap and Tony could have added more to the story than they did because the journey of a former hero turned king is a classic story that can be told again and again fabulously especially when they have Thunder Hammers and stuff.

Blankets, or How I learned to stop worrying and start living

What can I say about Craig Thompson’s Blankets that hasn’t already been said? I’ve seen a lot of people using words like “charming” or “heart warming” as well as it appearing on a lot of lists of comics to give to girlfriends. I’m sure all those work for other people but I don’t really care whether or not someone I love reads comics, I love her for who she is and this hobby of mine isn’t about winning converts.

But what I didn’t know was just how much Jesus Christ, and Christianity features in this book. I glanced at the back of the book before cracking the spine and the reviews from The New York Times Book Review and Publisher’s Weekly both mention how this book contains an examination of the protagonist’s relationship with God. And boy is it there. I was on the verge of stopping this story - it was just so bloody depressing to witness how parents can totally mess up an already awkward time of someone’s life by adhering to a fundamentalist religion. Jeez Louise, if anything, this story has reinforced my strict adherence to no organized religion and that I won’t raise my kids with any religion. I’ll let them choose their path when they can vote unless they want to join a religion on their own earlier. I certainly won't stop them but I definitely won't encourage it.

Reading this comic novel I felt like I was being let into the private thoughts of the author and the events that lead up to his enlightenment. The way this book is presented you feel like it is real life, the fact that the protagonist shares his name with the author also reinforces this connection with it being a “true story” no matter how much of it is recreated from edited memory and creatively presented. We’re given quite moments and experiences that most people can relate to. Being the outsider, falling in love, first time being naked in bed with someone you love, and the little delights of growing up.

I felt that at the end of this book I knew Craig Thompson, but honestly, I don’t know whether or not this story has any truth to it whatsoever – and it doesn’t need any. It feels real and in that I believe it accomplishes the goals it sets out for itself. Craig re-examines the moments that lead up to his own personal outlook on life. It is the events in this book that show him reflecting on his life, how it was structured and how he questioned things but had his natural curiosity shut down and his outlook predetermined for him. This reflection along with his relationship with Raina and coming to terms with his own life that allows him to break from structure and the rigidity of the Christianity he was forced into. Essentially the growth is to a point of realizing that the life set out for him by others is as jarring as Plato’s cave or the teachings of Christ filtered through the version of Christianity in which he participates. By allowing himself to make his own relationships and following his sense of right and wrong Craig grows to be a well rounded person instead of allowing himself to become rigidly defined by outside sources.

How do I know he became this? Simple. This text is recorded in a manner that reflects what Craig became. The art isn’t photo realistic, it isn’t limited to being a shadow cast on a wall. Craig lights his own fire and creates his own shadow puppets instead of using those provided to him that are limited and expressionless. The art is simplified which allows it to be even more expressive, even more whimsical, than a straight retelling of his story could be. It’s how I love my comic books – expressive, and following the rules of expression and acting more than rigid photocopying of the human form.

There is a lot of sadness in this book. It’s a sadness of lost innocence but it’s not overly depressing in the end. In the end we see that this journey has actually led somewhere. Not just to the creation of this text, but that even the things rejected did help establish the person capable of creating this text. The sadness is mixed with a fondness - it's sad because it was a beautiful time that has long since passed but there's a fondness in that it can be remembered.