Archive for February, 2009

24
Feb
09

What I’ve been Reading

By jamielovett Leave a Comment
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Sorry for the recent silence. Still adjusting to the extra hours I’ve been getting at work recently. Here’s what I’ve been reading lately:

Omega the Unknown: This was on of those titles that looked great when it first came out, but I decided to wait on the collected edition before I read it. Its a great read; a fun, quirky, superhero story unlike anything Marvel publishes today. Farel Dalrymple’s art really stood out to me as well, not just because it doesn’t look like anything else the big two release, but because it is so dynamic that it puts some of those other “top artists” to shame. Some artists have taken to the somewhat lazy technique of repeating panels during “talking heads sequences,” making the pacing slow. Dalrymple, on the other hand, changes angles with each panel, making each scene feel dynamic, even if there is no real action. I also love the technique he using of laying out a page so that the larger events going on frame the smaller ones. For example, when James and the Mink are talking at the baseball game, their conversation takes up the middle third of the page, divided into three smaller panels. This is framed by a full third shot of the crowd above and a full third shot of the action on the field below, perfectly creating a feeling fo the more important conversation being a small thing amidst bigger, less important happenings. Its great work.

Saga of the Swamp Thing Deluxe Hardcover 1: Alan Moore, John Totlebon, and Stephen Bissette’s run on Saga of the Swamp Thing helped herald the coming of the modern age of comic books. Totlebon and Bissette’s art creates a perfectly claustrophobic horror feel while Moore redefines how comics, and particularly dialog, are supposed to be written. Its also interesting to see hints of what would later become Promethea, Watchmen, and The Killing Joke all present in even his earliest American work.

Crisis on Infinite Earths: I’m actually rereading this one because, after reading Saga of the Swamp Thing, I felt the urge to work myself through the comic book canon of the modern age (at least as its described by Timothy Callahan in an excellent blog post on the subject), rereading some books I haven’t looked at in a while and finally getting some others that I should have read a long while ago. Skipping over Maus, which I read not that long ago, I moved onto the original Crisis. Reading this after reading Moore’s Swamp Thing really shows off how far ahead of its time Moore’s dialog was, but Perez’s art is still impressive. I love the landscape layouts he uses in several issues, having the reader read multiple paths of story or dialog from left to right over two pages before moving downwards creates a very “widescreen” feel to certain scenes. It works better in some places than others, but one thing that can’t be denied is that Perez is an absolute machine. So many characters on so many pages, this is still his trademark today as he’s often brought in the do similar stories where others falter, such as his fill-in work for Ifinite Crisis and his current work on Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds.

What’s everyone else reading?

11
Feb
09

This Week’s Comics – 2.11.09

By jamielovett 4 Comments
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Here are my thoughts on the comics I bought this week:

Batman #686

Writer: Neil Gaiman – Artist: Andy Kubert – Publisher: DC Comics

The first issue of Gaiman and Kubert’s “Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?” is definitely my pick of the week. It is exactly what Grant Morrison said it would be: Neil Gaiman’s take on the entire Batman mythos. Gaiman seems to be breaking down the mythos, using Batman’s funeral as a frame story, into its various eras and telling a “death of Batman” story fitting for each. The first, told by Catwoman, is a death fitting for the simple vigalante that Batman started off as. The second, told by Alfred, brings the theatrics of 1960’s Batman to a whole new level. The story is full of great moments and thematic symbols that Gaiman gently drops into place, such as Joe Chill’s presence as the bartender. He’s at Batman’s funeral, but not really a part of it as he was never really a part of Batman’s rogue’s gallery, but at the same time he is the most important villain of all because without him, how would the others know where to go? Its a great issue that everyone should read.

Captain Britain and MI:13 #10

Writer: Paul Cornell – Artist: Leonard Kirk – Publisher: Marvel Comics

Dracula and Dr. Doom on the moon. Do I really need to say anything else?

Okay fine. After the conclusion to the somewhat claustrophobic “Hell Comes to Birmingham” arc, we get a prelude to “Vampire State” that allows some room for character development. Pete Wisdom and Brian Braddock party with the ladies, Blade and Lady J discuss where their relationship is going, and the Black Knight and Faiza retrieve the true Ebony Blade and discuss what Faiza’s true role as Black Knight’s steward is. Its all done with the measure of quality fans have come to expect from the series.

I’m a little reluctant to put words – or themes – into an author’s mouth, but it seems that Paul Cornell may be drawing thematic comparisons to Israel’s presence in the Middle East with the new story.  Dracula seeks and procures aid from Dr. Doom – currently one of the most powerful men on the planet as part of Norman Osbourn’s Dark Reign – while an American flag hangs beside him. Dracula displays racist resentment for Islam, telling Doom that his vampire nation can become and ally and a buffer against the Muslim’s, stressing how close they are catching up to the West’s development. Finally, Dracula plans to gather the vampire “diaspora” – a loaded word – and form a new nation overtop of where one already exists. It will be interesting to see how this all plays out, particularly Faiza’s role in it given the bit of foreshadowing that the Black Knight dropped in their conversation.

DMZ #39

Writer: Brian Wood – Artist: Riccardo Burchielli – Publisher: Vertigo

Its hard to think of what to say when a new issue of DMZ hits the stands. I’ve been praising the book since its inception. Brian Wood continues to write one of most intense and mature stories being published in comics, and Riccardo Burchielli continues to be the perfect artist to illustrate it. This particular issue sees Matty Roth continuing to find out what the price of involvement in Parco Delgado’s “revolution” really is, and the price becomes truly apparent on the last page, which will surely leaves fans uttering a collective “oh crap!” The “War Powers” arc concludes in the next issue, and it looks like its going to be quite an event.

10
Feb
09

My Favorite Tweets from NYCC ‘09

By jamielovett Leave a Comment
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Despite service issues on the floor, there was lots of twitter action during this weekend’s New York Comic Con. Here are some of my favorite tweets:

BeaucoupKevin (Kevin Church)

  • Seriously, the guys in kilts with lightsabers are in the pro line? Fuck comics.
  • THE BOOM! STUDIOS BOOTH IS #1313 CATTY-CORNER FROM THE GTA: CHINATOWN WARS RAPE VAN. (Seriously, look at it with what I said in your mind.)
  • Seriously, they have to be running a child murder booth, the way the screams keep erupting from the 1400s.

Comixace (Heidi MacDonald)

  • “is that the green lantern figure with no penis?”
  • This show is full of younger versions of people I first met 20 years ago.
  • Do you tip a gypsy car?

laura_hudson

  • I’m at the Comic Foundry booth, I just said I’m the senior editor, and you’re seriously going to ask if I’m “actually” into comics? Fuck you
  • Obnoxious panelist just told Matt Fraction that Claremont should be writing Uncanny. Do you hate comics, dude, or just yourself?
  • Audience member yelled “coward” at Jim McCann and then ran out of the room, redefining irony
  • Which Calvin and Hobbes title better describes New York Comic Con: “The Days Are Just Packed” or “Weirdos from Another Planet”?

TechGOnzo

  • may be sitting next to dr doom’s minion
  • Let it be known, @mattfraction is nobody’s monkey – quotes in the GoD post after the panel.
  • This con is awesome but lacks…Blair buttler is standing across from methisconisawesome. #nycc

Templesmith (Ben Templesmith)

  • If anyone still wants to find me at NYCCC if you’re there…I’m in Artist Alley, table section “i” number “0″. Look for the idiot in suit.
  • While doing podcast yesterday for Doctor Who media, someone interrupted & actually asked “where I got my costume from”.
  • Today is a grey suit day, with white cobra skin shoes. You ppl will still call me Dcotr Who though. Damn you.
  • Am about to go out. See photos of my naked bruised & battered corpse in the gutter in tomorrows paper. Enjoy.

Go go new media!

09
Feb
09

NYCC News and Announcements Highlights

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There was lots of news and accouncements coming out of NYCC this weekend. Here’s what I found to be the most exciting, interesting, or enraging:

  • First on the list is Marvel’s X-Men panel. Marvel announced two new that really aren’t: X-Men Forever and  New Mutants. The former is Chris Claremont getting to fulfill his fantasy of being the only X-Men writer ever. The bi-weekly series will pick up after the end of Claremonts run in X-Men #3, because what the X-Men really need right now is a title so encumbered by continuity that you have to have read comics from 15 years ago to know what came before. Does this sound like  a plot point from a bad soap opera to anyone else? New Mutants picks up the adventures of the teen mutants team left off at the end of their original series in 1991. Brilliant, a teen mutant book that should be aiming at a teenage audience following up a series that ended before most of today’s teenagers were born! They cancel New X-Men at its peak, then cancel Young X-Men as soon as it starts being decent, and then they give us this? Who (besides Blair Butler) asked for this? And why the hell are they trying to time warp the X-Men back to the 90’s like it was a great period for them anyway?
  • In much better news, I’m actually  excited about Fantastic Four for the first time ever. Marvel announced that Jonathan Hickman, quite possibly the next big thing in comics, is taking over the book (along with artist Dale Eaglesham) once Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch Conclude their run. Hickman made a great Marvel debut with Secret Warriors #1 and has already made a name for himself with his creator owned works, so I will be totally on board for his Fantastic Four run and you should be too. For a prelude, you can pick up the Dark Reign: Fantastic Four mini-series starting next month, written by Hickman with art by Sean Chen.
  • Vertigo announced plans to price several debut issues at$1, as an incentive to get people to pick up their monthly books rather than wait for trade. I don’t know all the economics of it, but I know a while back there was a bit of hand-wringing at trade-waiters amongst frequenters of Brian Wood’s forum (including Brian Wood himself) so this is a move that will surely be applauded. I’ll almost surely support it myseslf, as I love a cheap way to try out a new book.
  • Marvel announced new plans on the digital front. First, they will release a handful of War of Kings tie-ins exclusively via their Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited program. This is surely Marvel testing the waters to do this kind of thing in the future with much bigger events, and its a smart – if sneaky – way to get fans to give the digital format a try. I’m cool with this, but they really need to do something about that reader they use. Its just awful. The other part of the announcement was that they would be selling digital “motion comics” comics via iTunes, starting with motion comic adaptations of Astonishing X-Men #1-6 and an original Spider-Woman motion comics series by Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev. Hey Marvel, you know what I’d like to be able to download from iTunes even more that “motion comics?” COMICS! Quit wasting time putting out stiff flash cartoons (which is essentially what they are) with terrible voice acting and start pushing the digital comics front forward instead of running in place. Its not original and its not wanted.
  • Marvel also announced the cancellation of its Ultimate line and subsequent rebranding of it as “Ultimate Comics.” Brian Michael Bendis will continue writing Ultimate Spider-Man under whatever the new official name is with new series artist David Lafuente.  Ultimate Spider-Man was a great comic at its start and became a good one again after it got over a kind of bland, slow period, but I’ll definately be checking out the new #1 if for no other reason than Lafuente’s awesome, perfect-for-the-book artwork. I just hope this reboot really makes the universe more new-reader accesible again, because if it draws too heavily on past universe continuity then all it is is a “LOOK! IT’S ISSUE #1! BUY ME” trick done on a large scale.

And those are all the stories a cared enough about the mention! I’m going to go drool over that Lafuente Spider-Man art some more now…

06
Feb
09

Linkage: NYCC, Scott Pilgrim, Diamond, Graphica, and the Caped Crusader

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The Internet is already abuzz with hype for the New York Comic Con starting today. If you want up-to-the-minute updates, check out Robot 6’s list of NYCC Twitter’s to follow. Choice recommendations indeed, but I would personally add TechGOnzo to the list, as well as Geeks of Doom and their YouTube video channel. Have fun!

Robot 6 is also reporting on the real star of this years show: Scott Pilgrim! Apparently the demand for the new volume is already far outpacing the supply despite it not being “officially” released yet (at least according to most bookstores). I just bought one local comic shop owner’s own copy out from under him, which is probably the last copy in the city. Can I live with the guilt? I think I can.

Discussion over Diamond’s recent raising of their pre-order limit has sparked again over at The Savage Critics and The Beat. Essentially the debate seems to come down to how Diamond chooses what to carry and their seemingly poor aesthetic. MacDonald brings up the appealing idea that maybe we won’t have a flood of crappy zombie books and such other useless comics clogging up the indie channels now, but Hibbs fears that, in the process, we may miss out the “next BONE,” or other such small press/self-published success stories. Is cleaning out the clutter worth potentially driving away the next Strangers in Paradise or, dare I say, Scott Pilgrim? I’m afraid we may be setting a standard that says, unless you’re able to get your foot in the door at a publisher at least as big as Image or Dark Horse or maybe IDW and Oni then you should just turn around and go home. Considering how badly comics needs new talent to keep things fresh – as the big guys keep eating up talent like Brian Michael Bendis, Ed Brubaker and Matt Fraction – I think that may be a poor standard to set.

In an interesting turn of events, ICv2 is reporting that graphic novel sales actually rose last year while manga sales contracted. Who would  have thought? Of course, most of that GN growth is spurred on directly by The Dark Knight and Watchmen hype, but its still surprising to see western comics doing better than manga. Maybe the manga fad is finally dying down now that teenagers have something new to be crazy about?

The School Library Journal picked up a story on a “Graphic Novels in Education” conference held at Fordham Universtiy. The conference itself is interesting and the story led me to The Graphic Classroom – an interesting and worthwhile read on its own – but what really cought my attention was this:

Throughout the daylong event, there was much debate about what the graphic novel/comic book format should be called. Many said the term “graphica” was too closely linked to “erotica.”

First of all, this is only the second time I’ve ever heard the term “graphica” used, the first being in the debut of the Graphic Novel Reporter newsletter. When did that happen? Has the term gained traction and I just kind of missed it somehow? Either way, my kneejerk reaction was “wow, what a stupid made up word!” After thinking about it though, its really not bad, and its kind of for the very reason that some people don’t like it: it sounds like “erotica.” Not erotica specifically really, but that “a” sound that every proper name for an art form seems to have: cinemA, theAtre, literAture. Its the most sophisticated word I’ve heard used, at least phonetically, to describe comics, but it still can’t shake the unfortunately negative connotation of the word “graphic” in our language. So maybe its not perfect, but its not a bad attempt to solve the name problem that the medium has. Who knows? Maybe one day the gained prominance of “graphica” as a respectable art will change the connotation of its root.

Finally, blog@Newsarama is getting ready for one of the most anticipated (by me at the very least) comics of year: Neil Gaiman’s two-issue Batman story “Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?”

Gaiman, one of the handful of creators that one can easily trace the current graphic novel boom back to, returning to do any comics work of any kind is a pretty exciting prospect, for both the readers and the company publishing him, particularly since he’s become more and more a prose a writer and less and less of a comics writer over the past few years.

He’s also coming off a huge week personally, in which one of his latest prose works won the Newbery award—DC couldn’t have asked for a better time to release a new Gaiman project.

That he’s working on a perennially hot character (Batman), that he’s working with a fairly hot artist (Andy Kubert), that he’s following the work of another hot and critically acclaimed writer (Grant Morrison) and that his story is being positioned as a spiritual sequel to a classic superhero comic by the man who’s probably most widely recognized as the greatest living comics writer (Alan Moore)…well, like I said, this should be a pretty exciting comic book release.

In prepation for next week’s release of the first half of the story, the blog looks back at Gaiman’s previous work on Batman, including Batman’s minor role in Black Orchid and Gaiman’s contribution to Batman: Black and White. So, if you plan on picking up the issue – and you should – go do your homework! Its part of being a good comics reader.

- j.

05
Feb
09

Comments on Comics – 2.4.09

By jamielovett 3 Comments
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Here’s a quick rundown of what I picked up at the comic shop yesterday, and some brief thoughts on each:

Astonishing Tales #1

Writer/Artist: Various – Pubsliher: Marvel Comics

I picked up this new Marvel anthology comic primarily because Jonathan Hickman had a story in it, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much fun it was to me. Essentially its a modern Marvel pulp comic, featuring their heroes fighting giant monsters, being teleported to other worlds, and having adventures in the year 2099. Its a lot less boring than the most recent incarnation of Marvel Comics Presents, if nothing else. If a fun action/adventure Marvel anthology sounds like your cup of tea, give Astonishing Tales a try.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season Eight #22

Writer: Steven S. DeKnight – Artist: Georges Jeanty – Publisher: Dark Horse Comics

After a few slow issues, Buffy finally returns to form and gets back to the Twilight plot (sort of). This issue sees Kennedy heading to Japan to evaluate how Satsu is fairing as a leader. In the process, the slayers end up having to fight an entire line of evil Hello Kitty dolls (or the fictional equivalent of). This is exactly the kind of crazy and fun adventure that Buffy does best, and its nice to see the series get back to that and finally acknowledge again that there is an evil villain lurking in the background. An enjoyable issue all around, but one thing I’m not sure how I feel about is that suddenly the public at large knows about slayers and vampires. I understand that an army of slayers would attract the attention of the covert military types, but happened to vamps and slayers being the kind of things that fought in the shadows? A better transition into this phase may have helped, and perhaps thats what the previous Harmony story was trying to accomplish, but I’d have to say that if it was going for that, it failed.

Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds #3

Writer: Geoff Johns – Artist: George Perez – Publisher: DC Comics

Much like Geoff Johns’ other contribution to the Final Crisis event, Rage of the Red Lanterns, Legion of 3 Worlds has very little to do with the main plot of Final Crisis, but a whole lot to do with Geoff Johns’ personal projects. Rage of the Red Lanterns was pretty much just a bonus issue of Green Lantern, but Legion of 3 Worlds feels like a mini-Geoff Johns crossover event in itself, but in the future. I find this tie-in series to be much more difficult to follow than the ain Final Crisis series, mostly because I have no experience reading any of the three iterations of the Legion of Super-Heroes, and with the apocalyptic events going on in the series, its hard not to feel like I came in at the last act of the show and maybe I should have waited for the rumored Geoff Johns Legion reboot to surface (if there’s truth to the rumor). Despite all that, its still a fun read, with Perez being the perfect artist for this kind of large-cast chaos. In truth, if you’re a fan of Johns’ DC work at all, you should pick up this series, as it somehow manages to tie Johns’ runs on Action Comics, Green Lanter, Flash, Teen Titans, and maybe even vaguely Justice Society of America together in a futuristic endgame. If your a Johns of Legion fan, this is a must read. If you’re only interested for the Final Crisis banner, you can probably skip this one. If your not interested in either, then be aware that you’re jumping in at the deep end.

The Invincible Iron Man #10

Writer: Matt Fraction – Artist: Salvador Larocca – Publisher: Marvel Comics

Matt Fraction continues to write the definitely version of Tony Stark for a new generation of fans, and Salvador Larocca’s ugly artwork continues to drag it down. At this point, I’ve practically just started blocking out the art, because Fraction is telling too good of a story to pass up. Tony and his cohorts in crime, Pepper Potts and Maria Hill, all prepare themselves for what they have to do to combat Norman Osborns “Dark Reign,” and at the end of the issues…well, the captions say it all. Some great setup, some great character development, some horrible art, but its still one of the best boosk Marvel is publishing.

Secret Warriors #1

Writer: Jonathan Hickman – Artist: Stefano Casseli – Publisher: Marvel Comics

The best book I read this week was one I’ve been anticipating for a while: Secret Warriors by Jonathan Hickman, creator of The Nightly News. The series is off to an excellent start with basic character and plot introductions followed by a real jaw dropper of an ending. Fans will surly be vocally divided over this ending, but it’ll certainly get the book some attention if nothing else. Casseli’s art works if it doesn’t blow anyone’s mind. There’s no page that will drop your jaw, but his clean, modern style brings a fitting youthful energy to the books, while nice shading by his color artist Daniel Rudoni keeps it dark, moody and tense. A fine first issue to what should be one of Marvel’s biggest books in 2009.