Johanna's September Previews
Johanna Draper Carlson
Items shipping in November 2001
Something of a slow month, although several of my favorite series are
putting out new issues. That's a good excuse to try some new graphic novels.
If you don't see anything below that seems interesting, you could also try
THE FORBIDDEN BOOK (Renaissance Press) or PISTOLWHIP (Top Shelf), two
intriguing projects that are offered again.
New Products
ABE: WRONG FOR ALL THE RIGHT REASONS (Top Shelf Productions, 176 pages,
$14.95)
I know nothing about this book except that it's from Top Shelf and it's
recommended (and introduced) by Eddie Campbell. Those are two significant
indicators of quality. Since I enjoy "fanciful autobiography", this sounds
very promising.
THE GREAT WOMEN CARTOONISTS (Watson Guptill Publications, 160 pages, $24.95)
I think this is an updated version of Trina Robbins' out-of-print A CENTURY
OF WOMEN CARTOONISTS. It should be a readable overview of some deserving but
often forgotten artists.
THE VAMPIRE BRAT & OTHER TALES OF SUPERNATURAL LAW (Exhibit A Press, 176
pages, $14.95)
This collection reprints SUPERNATURAL LAW #23-29 and MAVIS #2 with an
introduction by Will Eisner. The stories parody BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER,
only with a nerd instead of a babe, and ALLY MCBEAL. Also reprinted is the
anniversary of the characters, who first appeared in a comic strip 20 years
ago, plus several short stories. For more information, visit
www.exhibitapress.com or www.comicsworthreading.com.
TALL TAILS (Dream Weaver Press, 128 pages, $14.95)
This series combines sword-and-sorcery, anthropomorphics, and soap opera.
The art is attractive, and the stories are easy to catch up on, since
they're offering a collection of the first four issues. For more
information, see www.dreamweaverpress.com.
THIEVES & KINGS: SHADOW BOOK (I Box Publishing, 278 pages, $16.50)
This fourth volume reprints issues #25-36 of the independent fantasy series
in which a young thief and sorcess have many adventures. T&K is unique in
two ways that jump immediately to mind: Mark Oakley uses illustrated text
pages interspersed with comics when he needs to, and it's one of the few
fantasy stories I follow and enjoy. Much more information at
www.iboxpublishing.com.
From the big publishers:
THE DC COMICS GUIDE TO PENCILLING COMICS (Watson Guptill Publications, 128
pages, $19.95)
The companion volume to their WRITING COMICS guide, written by Klaus Janson.
I suspect it will be a valuable read for those looking to work for DC, but
if it follows the pattern of the earlier book, it won't have much to say to
those looking to move beyond superheroes. Still, they're handsome books,
nicely formatted.
THE PLASTIC MAN ARCHIVES Volume 3 (DC Comics, 216 pages, $49.95)
More fantastic reprints from Jack Cole's brilliant mind. These stories are
still fresh, clever, and involving.
WONDER WOMAN: SPIRIT OF TRUTH (DC Comics, 64 pages, $9.95)
Gosh, that cover is lovely. I was about to give up on Alex Ross after seeing
his crotch shot-focused BATTLE OF THE PLANETS litho, but I have to see him
illustrate Wonder Woman.
THE ADVENTURES OF BUCKAROO BANZAI (Pocket Books, 256 pages, $12.95)
Ok, it's not comics, but I'm thrilled that this long out-of-print novel is
back. It goes far beyond the movie, explaining lots of additional history
for the characters, including the Penny/Peggy situation.
Continuing Series
AKIKO #46 (Sirius Entertainment, 24 pages, $2.95)
That's right, it has been a while since a new issue of AKIKO was offered.
I'm surprised that there hasn't been another trade by now; with the longer
stories (like this one, "Battle of Boach's Keep"), it makes for a satisfying
read all in one chunk. More information at
www.geocities.com/Athens/Olympus/6912 or www.comicsworthreading.com.
CASTLE WAITING #14 (Olio, 24 pages, $2.95)
The first storyline, exploring a nunnery of bearded women, concludes. The
series is well-written, well-drawn, and features wonderful characterization,
exploring what it would really be like to live in a fairy-tale world. More
information at www.comicsworthreading.com.
HOPELESS SAVAGES #4 (Oni Press, 32 pages, $2.95)
The miniseries about a music-loving punk family concludes. This is a fresh
new series that's lots of fun, looking at family in a traditional yet modern
way. More information at www.spookoo.com/comics/hopeless-savages.html or
www.comicsworthreading.com.
LITTLE WHITE MOUSE: ENTROPY DREAMING #4 (Blue Line Pro Comics, 32 pages,
$2.95)
The miniseries concludes as the satellite Loo is trapped on shuts down. I
like the idea of guest artist pinups illustrating the will she prepares as
she comes to terms with death; that's a clever way to involve the art in the
storyline. More information at www.littlewhitemouse.com or
www.comicsworthreading.com.
PETRA ETCETERA #3 (Gratuitous Bunny Comix, 24 pages, $2.95)
A British university student has her younger sister visit in this SLEAZE
CASTLE spin-off series. The art's great, and the story finds meaning in the
everyday interactions between young people. Well, maybe not so everyday,
since they're dealing with the aftermath of the sister kissing someone with
a long-time girlfriend. More information at www.sleazecastle.co.uk.
PRIVATE BEACH #4 (Amaze Ink/Slave Labor Graphics, 24 pages, $2.95)
We get the usual entertaining weirdness (in the conversational everyday
sense) as Trudy tries to get through her day without bumping into annoying
office co-workers at a nightclub. This issue has even more of a plus:
there's a backup story by Alex Robinson (BOX OFFICE POISON)! More
information at the creator's members.tripod.com/honeyvan/index.htm or
www.comicsworthreading.com.
SLEEPING DRAGONS #5 (Amaze Ink/Slave Labor Graphics, 32 pages, $2.95)
The "Becca's Scarecrow" storyline concludes with a rip-roaring battle for
the city. It's wonderful to see such fresh, involving work being done in a
traditional genre. More information at www.comicsworthreading.com.
SLOW NEWS DAY #3 (Amaze Ink/Slave Labor Graphics, 24 pages, $3.50)
Trying to raise the circulation of a boring local paper, a Californian
transplant in England has to deal with stories about injured turkeys and the
like. Andi Watson's simplified style is as gorgeous as ever. More
information at www.andiwatson.com or www.comicsworthreading.com.
TALES OF THE CHEROKEE #2 (Mandalay Books, 24 pages, $2.95)
Gene Gonzales returns with more retellings of Native American legends in his
classic art style. These one-shots are informative and entertaining for all
ages. More information at www.genegonzales.com or
www.comicsworthreading.com.
Snarky Comments
Lea Hernandez' CATHEDRAL CHILD and CLOCKWORK ANGELS are back in print from
Antarctic Press. No joke here, just thought I'd mention it.
Not only can you buy old Alan Moore scripts about a Wonder Woman ripoff from
a publisher that may or may not be paying its talent (based on its previous
history), you can spend a total of $46 for all seven variant covers,
including the limited edition red velvet one. Avatar Press, poster child for
all that's wrong with the comics industry. (The interview with Alan Moore
that they run to promote this is quite illuminating. "There's no chance for
me to be an [editor] of the mini-series" "I didn't finish [Glory] by any
means" "I had to write for a generic artist, rather than write for an
artist's strengths" are some of my favorite quotes. Then they spend the
second half plugging America's Best Comics and LOST GIRLS.)
Speaking of interview ads, I would think that if you bother paying for the
space to run one, you would want people to read it. Yet CrossGen's ad for
NEGATION, an interview with former DC editor Tony Bedard and Paul Pelletier,
actively prevents the reader from puzzling out the text due to the over-busy
logo background. What a poor design choice. While we're still in the
CrossGen section, CROSSGEN ILLUSTRATED has to be the most expensive Who's
Who I've seen yet. $25 for reprinted art clips? I'm currently sampling a
couple of their newer titles (SOJOURN and RUSE), but if they keep
emphasizing the universe aspects, I'll drop them. I care about good stories,
not being bludgeoned with marketing.
Somehow I doubt that the pictured cover for humor comic DEEP FRIED #4 will
make it to press -- DC doesn't take kindly to people using Superman to sell
their stuff without permission. Still, it does get across the point of
"League of Trademark Infringements", one of the stories said to be in this
issue.
Hmmm. When I heard from Jeff Moy that he was working on a comic adaptation
of LEFT BEHIND (the book and movie adventure series about the aftermath of
the Christian Rapture), along with artist Aaron Loprestri, he told me it was
coming out from Wildstorm. Now, it's offered through Tyndale House
Publishers. Wonder if DC got cold feet?
Once again, it's the holidays, and DC attempts to load up the older fans
with a $75 Neal Adams DEADMAN COLLECTION, an original hardcover starring Hal
Jordan, another one with the JLA attempting to tie into LORD OF THE RINGS
audience, and a $30 Will Eisner book. I pity the retailer trying to keep her
orders reasonable this month.
How many times is DC going to announce a jumping-on point for AMERICAN
CENTURY? We keep trying it, we don't like it. (NB for humorless nitpickers:
yes, I know I speak only for myself. I'm sure someone out there is really
enjoying this flat, unappealing blend of sex and historical references.)
I'm sure this has been talked about before, but this month's solicitation
for the Marvel Max title ALIAS indicates the problem directly: the copy
teases an appearance by Daredevil (in his lawyer ID). DC is careful not to
overlap their all ages (superhero) and mature readers (Vertigo) lines, so
they don't cause bad feelings or end up indirectly responsible for a kid
wanting a book that's not suitable for them. Marvel, on the other hand,
seems to want to have its cake and eat it too, by putting mainline superhero
characters in mature readers books. This seems to me to be asking for
trouble... but I forgot, Marvel thrives on controversy nowadays, because
it's all free publicity in their eyes.
FANTASTIC FOUR: WORLD'S GREATEST COMICS MAGAZINE limps to an end. Finally.
This issue, the series whose gimmick was to mimic old Lee/Kirby comics (only
without any of the depth or charm) gets Stan Lee to script. Watching someone
write their own tribute is mildly interesting in an intellectual postmodern
kind of way, but I doubt anyone's going to care at this point.
Anticipation vs. Reality
In June, I ordered 14 items. Plus, 4 items from earlier orders arrived. Of
those,
5 haven't been released yet (28%)
* CASTLE WAITING #13 (Olio, 24 pages, $2.95)
* DRAWN & QUARTERLY VOLUME 4 (Drawn & Quarterly, 160 pages, $24.95)
* MURDER ME DEAD #8 (El Capitan Books, 24 pages, $2.95)
* OPTIC NERVE #8 (Drawn & Quarterly, 24 pages, $2.95)
* SCARY GODMOTHER #4 (of 6) (Sirius Entertainment, 24 pages, $2.95)
Still missing from previous orders are
* AKIKO #45 (Sirius Entertainment, $2.95)
* ALEC: THREE-PIECE SUIT (Eddie Campbell Comics, $14.95)
* BLUE MONDAY: ABSOLUTE BEGINNERS #4 (Oni Press, 32 pages, $2.95)
* A DISTANT SOIL #33 (Image Comics, 48 pages, $3.95)
* DORK TOWER #15 (Dork Storm Press, $2.95)
* DORK TOWER #16 (Dork Storm Press, 48 pages, $2.95)
* EXPO 2001 ANTHOLOGY (Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, 352 pages, $7.95)
* JACK STAFF #6 (Dancing Elephant Press, $2.95)
* KANE #32 (Dancing Elephant Press, 24 pages, $2.95)
* THE RED STAR #7 (Image Comics, $2.95)
* SCARY GODMOTHER: WILD ABOUT HARRY TPB (Sirius Entertainment, $9.95)
* SUPERNATURAL LAW #31 (Exhibit A Press, 24 pages, $2.50)
* XENO'S ARROW BOOK 2 #4 (Radio Comix, 32 pages, $2.99)
11 were as good as or better than I expected them to be (61%)
* AMELIA RULES! #2 (Renaissance Press, 32 pages, $2.95)
* DORK #9 (Amaze Ink/Slave Labor Graphics, 24 pages, $2.95)
* BEST OF DORK TOWER #1 (Dork Storm Press, 32 pages, $1.95)
* DORK TOWER #14 (Dork Storm Press, $2.95)
* FINDER #23 (Lightspeed Press, 24 pages, $2.95)
* HOPELESS SAVAGES #1 (of 4) (Oni Press, 32 pages, $2.95)
* JACK COLE AND PLASTIC MAN (Chronicle Books, 144 pages, $19.95)
* LITTLE WHITE MOUSE ENTROPY DREAMING #1 SPECIAL EDITION (Blue Line Pro
Comics, 32 pages, $2.95)
* MURDER ME DEAD #7 (El Capitan Books, 24 pages, $2.95)
* PRIVATE BEACH #3 (Amaze Ink/Slave Labor Graphics, 32 pages, $2.95)
* SHADES OF BLUE #3 (AMP Comics, 24 pages, $2.50)
2 were ok (11%)
* GIRL GENIUS #4 (Studio Foglio, 40 pages, $3.95)
* LEGAL ACTION COMICS (Legal Action Comics, 256 pages, $14.95)
None were disappointing (0%)!
It's great that I'm not being disappointed in my purchases, but that also
suggests to me that I'm playing it too safe. Time to try some more
challenging material.
That's it! Please check back next month!
Johanna Draper Carlson joh...@comicsworthreading.com
Reviews of Comics Worth Reading -- http://www.comicsworthreading.com
Newly updated: Hopeless Savages, Slow News Day, Private Beach,
Scary Godmother, Waiting Place, Avengers, Green Arrow, X-Force
Richard B. Becker
>
> Speaking of interview ads, I would think that if you bother paying for the
> space to run one, you would want people to read it. Yet CrossGen's ad for
> NEGATION, an interview with former DC editor Tony Bedard and Paul Pelletier,
> actively prevents the reader from puzzling out the text due to the over-busy
> logo background. What a poor design choice.
Hmmm...I haven't seen the ad anywhere. I did see an interview with those
two in this week's issue of CrossGen Chronicles, where they ran ads about
Negation and Ruse (more below). It wouldn't surprise me if it was the
same interview.
>While we're still in the
> CrossGen section, CROSSGEN ILLUSTRATED has to be the most expensive Who's
> Who I've seen yet. $25 for reprinted art clips?
Yeah, this is one of the few things CrossGen's publishing that I
won't even bother considering.
>I'm currently sampling a
> couple of their newer titles (SOJOURN and RUSE), but if they keep
> emphasizing the universe aspects, I'll drop them. I care about good stories,
> not being bludgeoned with marketing.
>
While I kinda like the fact that all the CrossGen comics share a
universe, and there's a "bigger picture" involved in their work, I
do agree that they drive it to the point of overkill in some cases.
On a positive note, there were interviews in this week's CrossGen
Chronicles #4 (one of CrossGen's best stand alone issues to date)
about their two upcoming series: Negation and Ruse. For Ruse, they
interviewed penciller Butch Guice. I was pleased to see him talking
about it being a fairly stand-alone mystery series. There will be
long running plot threads that tie back to the rest of the CrossGen
universe, but the focus early on will be on the mysteries, which he
said are all going to be only one to two issues long, at least at
first. This was a pleasant surprise for me, as I have noticed that
some of the CrossGen books suffer from slow pacing, likely caused
by their policy of always putting 7 issues in each trade paperback.
I'm glad to see that the story arcs will be so much shorter here.
All in all, I'm really looking forward to this series.
--Richard
Johanna Draper Carlson
> While I kinda like the fact that all the CrossGen comics share a
> universe, and there's a "bigger picture" involved in their work, I
> do agree that they drive it to the point of overkill in some cases.
I find the inconsistency odd. They've been talking about it a lot lately,
but I have yet to see what they're talking about in the comics. What am I
missing? Or are they just playing this up to sell more books? (A tactic that
runs the risk of losing readers as well as gaining them.)
> On a positive note, there were interviews in this week's CrossGen
> Chronicles #4 (one of CrossGen's best stand alone issues to date)
I flipped through that. I found it odd, with their current emphasis on
universe, that they didn't obviously say somewhere "from the pages of SIGIL"
or "for more adventures of these characters, see SIGIL" or whatever. If I,
as a customer, was intrigued by that issue of CGC, you'd think they'd want
to make it easy for me to convert that interest into further purchases.
> long running plot threads that tie back to the rest of the CrossGen
> universe, but the focus early on will be on the mysteries, which he
> said are all going to be only one to two issues long, at least at
> first.
Sounds good to me. I'd love to find another good mystery book.
I probably won't be able to figure out the universe stuff anyway. Even when
I was reading everything they put out, none of it seemed to tie together
(beyond the original plot device of the sigil).
Johanna Draper Carlson joh...@comicsworthreading.com
Reviews of Comics Worth Reading -- http://www.comicsworthreading.com
Newly updated: September Previews, Hopeless Savages, Slow News Day,
Private Beach, Scary Godmother, Review Capsules
Alan D. Earhart
Draper Carlson <joh...@comicsworthreading.com> wrote:
>
> THIEVES & KINGS: SHADOW BOOK (I Box Publishing, 278 pages, $16.50)
> This fourth volume reprints issues #25-36 of the independent fantasy series
> in which a young thief and sorcess have many adventures. T&K is unique in
> two ways that jump immediately to mind: Mark Oakley uses illustrated text
> pages interspersed with comics when he needs to, and it's one of the few
> fantasy stories I follow and enjoy. Much more information at
> www.iboxpublishing.com.
Wahoo!
Did #36 even come out yet? I know it was originally solicited for June
and I think it was supposed to come out last week or even this week.
I can't wait to grab the upcoming trade.
Alan D. Earhart
fan...@femtowatt-club.com
Johanna Draper Carlson
>> THIEVES & KINGS: SHADOW BOOK
>
> Did #36 even come out yet?
The NCRL lists the last Thieves & Kings issue released as #35, out in May.
> I can't wait to grab the upcoming trade.
It's a great way to read this story.
Johanna Draper Carlson joh...@comicsworthreading.com
Reviews of Comics Worth Reading -- http://www.comicsworthreading.com
Newly updated: September Previews, Hopeless Savages, Slow News Day,
Private Beach, Scary Godmother, Review Capsules
Ken Dreger
<joh...@comicsworthreading.com> wrote:
>September 2001 Previews
>Items shipping in November 2001
>
>Something of a slow month, although several of my favorite series are
>putting out new issues. That's a good excuse to try some new graphic novels.
>If you don't see anything below that seems interesting, you could also try
>THE FORBIDDEN BOOK (Renaissance Press) or PISTOLWHIP (Top Shelf), two
>intriguing projects that are offered again.
Agreed. Both were quite good.
I actually found it a decent month for new stuff that is intriguing as
a Hellboy item, the Justice League and X-Men Evolution adventures - I
quite enjoy Gotham Adventures and like the more toned down carefree
tone to them (well in comparison to the mainstream titles). I also
though Quimby the Mouse SC (282) and the Cicada GN (314) looked good
for my thicker choices for the month. One thing I was curious about
is Two over Ten (304) - I'm planning to take a chance.
I agree with your comments about CrossGen as well. That Negation
background for their interview item... a mystery why that one was
published - ironically it no doubt had to be ok'd so at least two
people with authority picked it...
Is it just me or is CrossGen turning into Top Cow by the month? As
you mentioned the CrossGen Illustrated - overpriced and trite but also
their new contracts with Dynamic Forces (another way of saying
overpriced and gouging the fans). As well they have crossovers that
aren't crossovers, even though characters appear in other books you
don't *need* to read them... I was a pro-CrossGen guy when they first
came out but slowly I'm becoming jaded...
Then again is this a sign that they're having to do what they do to
survive in this medium?
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KRothst402
>without any of the depth or charm) gets Stan Lee to script. Watching someone
>write their own tribute is mildly interesting in an intellectual postmodern
>kind of way, but I doubt anyone's going to care at this point.
On how many levels is this bizarre?
First, imagine even being willing to salute yourself?
But then, look at this backhanded complimented....they come to Lee to parody
his own work..and he agrees that turning his own work into a caricature is
fitting behavior.
If they really wanted to show respect for Lee, why not come to him on this the
40th anniversary of the FF and modern Marvel comics, and ask him to write his
own FF project? Wouldn't that be a more fitting salute than having other
people crank out 11 issues imitating you, and you coming on to imitate
yourself?
Which reminds me, whatever happened to anniversary projects anyway?
At least for their 20th birthday, the FF was given a roast.
James Schee
>I find the inconsistency odd. They've been talking about it a lot lately,
>but I have yet to see what they're talking about in the comics. What am I
>missing?
They have started having characters from other books, appear in titles now.
Some of the main FIRST characters appeared in MYSTIC and MERIDIAN, and I think
the Ilahn (evil Uncle of Selphie) character appeared in an issue of FIRST. (one
issue in MERIDIAN he's kind of fighting the FIRST on their planet, the next
he's on somewhat friendly terms heading back home, which led me to think I
missed something inbetween)
James
Richard B. Becker
>
> Richard B. Becker at richard...@mindspring.com wrote:
>
> > While I kinda like the fact that all the CrossGen comics share a
> > universe, and there's a "bigger picture" involved in their work, I
> > do agree that they drive it to the point of overkill in some cases.
>
> I find the inconsistency odd. They've been talking about it a lot lately,
> but I have yet to see what they're talking about in the comics. What am I
> missing? Or are they just playing this up to sell more books? (A tactic that
> runs the risk of losing readers as well as gaining them.)
>
The main thing is that they have these god-like people who star in
The First who keep popping up in other books. I think Crux is the
only one that hasn't had a member of The First as a major recurring
cast member.
There's also powerful people with orange eyes in most of their comics,
with no explanation of who they are, where they come from, or what
their connection to the sigil-bearers and The First is. These are
almost always sidekicks to the main good guys (although Skitter in
Mystic is actually a talking pet instead). One character in Crux
seems to be one of these, also, which might be a hint as to where
they come from. I actually expect the mystery narrator who hasn't
been introduced yet in Sojourn to end up being one of these, just so
they have one in that book.
It just seems at least a little formulaic to me the way they have
members of The First and the orange eyed people show up to confront
and/or aid the sigil-bearers in every book, except Crux, which has
been free of both sigils and The First so far.
Anyhow, all the CrossGen Universe stuff keeps popping up in every
book, but there's still no real explanation of any of it, which
after 15 months is mildly annoying. I keep waiting for them to stop
hinting and start showing us some of what it all means. The
Negation book might serve that purpose, and there have been hints
that some real information might finally surface in The First soon.
In the mean time, I'm beginning to think "either get on with it, or
drop the universe stuff and let each book tell its own story".
> > On a positive note, there were interviews in this week's CrossGen
> > Chronicles #4 (one of CrossGen's best stand alone issues to date)
>
> I flipped through that. I found it odd, with their current emphasis on
> universe, that they didn't obviously say somewhere "from the pages of SIGIL"
> or "for more adventures of these characters, see SIGIL" or whatever. If I,
> as a customer, was intrigued by that issue of CGC, you'd think they'd want
> to make it easy for me to convert that interest into further purchases.
>
You know, I didn't notice that until you pointed that out. That was
pretty dumb of them.
> > long running plot threads that tie back to the rest of the CrossGen
> > universe, but the focus early on will be on the mysteries, which he
> > said are all going to be only one to two issues long, at least at
> > first.
>
> Sounds good to me. I'd love to find another good mystery book.
>
> I probably won't be able to figure out the universe stuff anyway. Even when
> I was reading everything they put out, none of it seemed to tie together
> (beyond the original plot device of the sigil).
>
As I said, it's a mystery. I like a lot of CrossGen's comics, but
the focus on trying to make everything tie together when it really
doesn't need to is beginning to get a little annoying.
--Richard
Kenneth Graves
Alan D. Earhart wrote:
>Did [Thieves and Kings] #36 even come out yet? I know it was
>originally solicited for June and I think it was supposed to come out
>last week or even this week.
It was on last week's "next week" list.
I haven't seen this week's "this week" list yet.
--kag
Steven Rowe
>Hmmm. When I heard from Jeff Moy that he was working on a comic adaptation
>of LEFT BEHIND (the book and movie adventure series about the aftermath of
>the Christian Rapture), along with artist Aaron Loprestri, he told me it was
>coming out from Wildstorm. Now, it's offered through Tyndale House
>Publishers. Wonder if DC got cold feet?
I would suspect that Tyndale House will sell more copies
it's sells alot of books to chrisitian book stores.
steven rowe
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Johanna Draper Carlson
> The main thing is that they have these god-like people who star in
> The First who keep popping up in other books.
You know, I hated the First so much I've been ignoring that. I figured they
were just generic mystic bad guys.
> I actually expect the mystery narrator who hasn't
> been introduced yet in Sojourn to end up being one of these, just so
> they have one in that book.
Eck. I'd rather see them concentrate on the story, not the connections. But
I think we're in agreement here on that.
> In the mean time, I'm beginning to think "either get on with it, or
> drop the universe stuff and let each book tell its own story".
Amen!
Johanna Draper Carlson
> I also though Quimby the Mouse SC (282) and the Cicada GN (314) looked good
> for my thicker choices for the month.
I've about had my fill of Ware's moods, and I think I passed on Cicada
because of the story about dealing with a breakup or something like that.
Just not interesting to me.
> I was a pro-CrossGen guy when they first
> came out but slowly I'm becoming jaded...
It's rather odd timing, because I think they picked up a second wave of
readers with Sojourn and Crux and the upcoming Ruse.
> Then again is this a sign that they're having to do what they do to
> survive in this medium?
I don't think immediate survival is a problem. Visibility might be the goal;
they seem to mostly be ignored by many comic readers.
Johanna Draper Carlson joh...@comicsworthreading.com
Reviews of Comics Worth Reading -- http://www.comicsworthreading.com
Newly updated: September Previews, Hopeless Savages, Slow News Day,
Private Beach, Scary Godmother, Review Capsules
Carl Henderson
<B7B9584C.4D65E%joh...@comicsworthreading.com>:
>Not only can you buy old Alan Moore scripts about a Wonder Woman ripoff
>from a publisher that may or may not be paying its talent (based on its
>previous history), you can spend a total of $46 for all seven variant
>covers, including the limited edition red velvet one. Avatar Press,
>poster child for all that's wrong with the comics industry. [...]
One thing I noticed about the GLORY solicitation was that the price of the
basic cover version was $3.50. That's too much for a single 22 page color
comic. I wouldn't pay it for Phil Foglio, and I'm not going to pay it for Alan
Moore and Marat Mychaels (who--by the way--is a nice guy; I met him at a local
signing some time ago).
Depending on the reviews, I'll either pass altogether or wait for the
collection. Of course, this being Avatar, the collection may well cost more
than the individual issues, but at least it will be in a more a permanent form.
The TPB will probably also include all the variant covers as pin-ups, too. More
breasts for the bucks, I suppose.
>Speaking of interview ads, I would think that if you bother paying for
>the space to run one, you would want people to read it. Yet CrossGen's
>ad for NEGATION, an interview with former DC editor Tony Bedard and Paul
>Pelletier, actively prevents the reader from puzzling out the text due
>to the over-busy logo background. What a poor design choice.
That was pretty unreadable. CrossGen is normally pretty good at graphic design,
but I've noticed that they often tend to go with backgrounds that obscure the
foreground text. A full-page PREVIEWS ad is pretty expensive--even for a
company as well-capitalized as CrossGen. And this one was pretty much wasted.
>but if they keep emphasizing the universe aspects, I'll drop them. I
>care about good stories, not being bludgeoned with marketing.
I'm not sure if this is a fair criticism of CrossGen. I'm only buying a few of
their books (MYSTIC, SOJURN, CRUX, and the upcoming RUSE), but I've yet to feel
I'm missing out on anything important by not getting the whole line. Most of
the connections that they have between their titles are fairly subtle and not
vital to understanding the story. Compare that to the kind of heavy-handed
crossovers done by Marvel and DC.
>Hmmm. When I heard from Jeff Moy that he was working on a comic
>adaptation of LEFT BEHIND (the book and movie adventure series about the
>aftermath of the Christian Rapture), along with artist Aaron Loprestri,
>he told me it was coming out from Wildstorm. Now, it's offered through
>Tyndale House Publishers. Wonder if DC got cold feet?
I'm guessing DC/Wildstorm decided to pass on the costs of the license.
Wildstorm has had horrible luck with licensed properties. They couldn't even
generate much in the way of sales with "Star Trek" comics. I suspect that "Left
Behind" comics would be an even harder sell in the direct market. On the other
hand, "Left Behind" TPBs probably would sell very well in the bookstore market.
Who knows, maybe it is the vast left-wing conspiracy at work. Its just nice to
see Jeff Moy working again.
>Once again, it's the holidays, and DC attempts to load up the older fans
>with a $75 Neal Adams DEADMAN COLLECTION, an original hardcover starring
>Hal Jordan, another one with the JLA attempting to tie into LORD OF THE
>RINGS audience, and a $30 Will Eisner book. I pity the retailer trying
>to keep her orders reasonable this month.
And following that, the major comic companies will release very little in the
January-March timeframe, thus constricting revenues for retailers, and helping
the direct market loose a couple of dozen more shops. The "seasonal" nature of
the comics market has become a self-fulfilling prophecy driven by what the big
companies choose to release and when they choose to release it.
>How many times is DC going to announce a jumping-on point for AMERICAN
>CENTURY? We keep trying it, we don't like it. (NB for humorless
>nitpickers: yes, I know I speak only for myself. I'm sure someone out
>there is really enjoying this flat, unappealing blend of sex and
>historical references.)
I like the sex; but I'm having real trouble telling the various characters
apart. I suspect this is a series that might read better in TPB. I'm leaning
towards dropping it myself.
[on ALIAS and the hyped appearance of Marvel Universe characters]
>This seems to me to be asking for trouble... but I forgot, Marvel
>thrives on controversy nowadays, because it's all free publicity in
>their eyes.
When the average person's reaction to "comic books" is something like, "you
mean they still make those?" no publicity is bad publicity.
"Marvel Comics(TM)--They make your kids smoke crack and worship Satan!"
>It's great that I'm not being disappointed in my purchases, but that
>also suggests to me that I'm playing it too safe. Time to try some more
>challenging material.
Let me make some suggestions:
Since you liked DORK TOWER, you might consider giving Dork Storm Press's
NODWICK a try. It's really funny, requires even less knowledge of RPGs, and the
first six issues are available in a TPB.
I really like DC/Wildstorm's MONARCHY. As long as you go in expecting something
more like the Morrison/Case DOOM PATROL instead of the Ellis/Hitch AUTHORITY,
you might find it interesting. Or not. People seem to love this or hate this
title.
--
Carl Henderson rec.arts.comics/rec.arts.comics.misc FAQ
carl.he...@airmail.net http://www.enteract.com/~katew/faqs/miscfaq.htm
"Top 300" Sales Report Archive
http://j_carl_henderson.tripod.com/
Carl Henderson
>Ken Dreger at kdr...@comicgeek.ca wrote:
>> Then again is this a sign that they're having to do what they do to
>> survive in this medium?
>I don't think immediate survival is a problem. Visibility might be the
>goal; they seem to mostly be ignored by many comic readers.
I think visiblity is a problem for them. Despite being around for neary two
years now, and never missing a ship date, lots of retailers just won't
order them. On the other hand, I think many of those retailers are the kind
of shops who carry Marvel/DC/Image and nothing else, so no amound of
visiblity is likely to change their minds.
Karl Kindt IV
joh...@comicsworthreading.com rambled on, saying...
> September 2001 Previews
> Items shipping in November 2001
>
> Something of a slow month, although several of my favorite series are
> putting out new issues. That's a good excuse to try some new graphic novels.
> If you don't see anything below that seems interesting, you could also try
> THE FORBIDDEN BOOK (Renaissance Press) or PISTOLWHIP (Top Shelf), two
> intriguing projects that are offered again.
Thank you for the kind words, Johanna, for PISTOLWHIP. My brother draws
and writes(90%) the book, and I really appreciate it that you even
discovered the book. I know, I know, he is my brother, but when something
he does sucks, I tell him. When I saw his Pistolwhip stuff, I fell over.
It is comics noir at its strangest, and I love it! He is just a guy who
loves comics who works really hard at his craft.
Matt is hard at work getting the next GN done (I think it might
be...gasp...color!). Plus PISTOLWHIP is going to be featured in a two-
page spread in WIZARD, I think in the October or November issue.
--
Karl Kindt IV
ava...@karlkindt.com
www.karlkindt.com
READ PISTOLWHIP!
James Schee
>September 2001 Previews
>Items shipping in November 2001
Cool, I was just about to go make out my order when I saw this post. So let's
see what you spotted...
>If you don't see anything below that seems interesting, you could also try
>THE FORBIDDEN BOOK (Renaissance Press) or PISTOLWHIP (Top Shelf), two
>intriguing projects that are offered again.
TFB I already have, but I don't think I've heard of the other one, and the
Previews blurb doesn't say much about it. What makes it so intriguing? (I may
pick it up at The Expo)
>New Products
>
>ABE: WRONG FOR ALL THE RIGHT REASONS (Top Shelf Productions, 176 pages,
>$14.95)
>I know nothing about this book except that it's from Top Shelf and it's
>recommended (and introduced) by Eddie Campbell. Those are two significant
>indicators of quality. Since I enjoy "fanciful autobiography", this sounds
>very promising.
It certainly sounds interesting from the blurb anyway. Someone who has been
writing for 19 years sounds impressive, and the cover certainly looks promising
anyway.
>
>TALL TAILS (Dream Weaver Press, 128 pages, $14.95)
>This series combines sword-and-sorcery, anthropomorphics, and soap opera.
>The art is attractive, and the stories are easy to catch up on, since
>they're offering a collection of the first four issues. For more
>information, see www.dreamweaverpress.com.
Hmm I'm not much of one for talking animal books, so this doesn't look like my
cup of tea. The preview pages on the site certainly look nice though.
>From the big publishers:
>
>THE DC COMICS GUIDE TO PENCILLING COMICS (Watson Guptill Publications, 128
>pages, $19.95)
>The companion volume to their WRITING COMICS guide, written by Klaus Janson.
>I suspect it will be a valuable read for those looking to work for DC, but
>if it follows the pattern of the earlier book, it won't have much to say to
>those looking to move beyond superheroes. Still, they're handsome books,
>nicely formatted.
I wonder about the perception they are giving though. If you do everything the
books say for you to do, does that mean DC'll hire you?:)
>WONDER WOMAN: SPIRIT OF TRUTH (DC Comics, 64 pages, $9.95)
>Gosh, that cover is lovely. I was about to give up on Alex Ross after seeing
>his crotch shot-focused BATTLE OF THE PLANETS litho, but I have to see him
>illustrate Wonder Woman.
That is a lovely cover, I'm glad to see he didn't give her the harsh look she
had in KC. I worry about that bit about seeking out the one person she can
trust though. Please let it be her mother or something, and not another
superhero.
Oversized softcover is a new description though isn't it?:)
>THE ADVENTURES OF BUCKAROO BANZAI (Pocket Books, 256 pages, $12.95)
>Ok, it's not comics, but I'm thrilled that this long out-of-print novel is
>back. It goes far beyond the movie, explaining lots of additional history
>for the characters, including the Penny/Peggy situation.
Cool, thanks for the spot of that as I rarely look at the book section. I
loved that movie as a kid, even though I didn't understand half of it.:)
>Continuing Series
>
>CASTLE WAITING #14 (Olio, 24 pages, $2.95)
>The first storyline, exploring a nunnery of bearded women, concludes.
That's good to hear, as while I've really enjoyed the stories in the new series
so far, I've missed seeing the regular cast more as well.
>Snarky Comments
>
>Not only can you buy old Alan Moore scripts about a Wonder Woman ripoff from
>a publisher that may or may not be paying its talent
I found myself just shaking my head trying to figure out who this book is for.
I mean I'm guessing it won't be the kind of book for most of Avatar's regular
audience (those looking for weird sex situations) and I don't see why any Moore
fan would try something that obviously is never going to be finished. Nor that
will likely have much of his creative vision in it.
>While we're still in the
>CrossGen section, CROSSGEN ILLUSTRATED has to be the most expensive
> Who's Who I've seen yet. $25 for reprinted art clips?
That's something I find bizarre as well. Is this really just reprinted art or
will there be new art pieces? How much new information (about the universe and
books) is going to be given in it?
$25 is just way too extreme for me, and I say that as someone who has at least
tried everything CG's done. (though I likely won't be trying this or Negation,
which don't attract me at all)
>Hmmm. When I heard from Jeff Moy that he was working on a comic adaptation
>of LEFT BEHIND (the book and movie adventure series about the aftermath of
>the Christian Rapture), along with artist Aaron Loprestri, he told me it was
>coming out from Wildstorm. Now, it's offered through Tyndale House
>Publishers. Wonder if DC got cold feet?
That's something I wondered about as well when I saw it. I have never read the
novels, but I'll likely give this a look since I enjoy Jeff's work a lot.
>None were disappointing (0%)!
>
>It's great that I'm not being disappointed in my purchases, but that also
>suggests to me that I'm playing it too safe. Time to try some more
>challenging material.
Heh I'm in a similar boat in not being really disappointed in anything I've
preordered. (and gotten in) Which isn't a bad place to be in I suppose, as it
could easily be the reverse.:)
I don't really see much more I could have experimented with though, that
wouldn't have just been a complete waste of money because of zero interest in
subject matter.
This month from your list my one completely new to me book to try is ABE: WRONG
FOR ALL THE RIGHT REASONS, which certainly sounds intriguing.
Have you heard anything on Quimby The Mouse from Chris Ware? His JC book was
impressive, if not exactly to my tastes. I haven't heard much about this book
though, and $15 for 56 pages seems a bit steep.
What I'm getting that you didn't mention. (in case anyone is curious)
G.I. JOE #2 - This was the series that first got me into comics, I don't have
high hopes but I have to give it a try anyway.(I'm also a little curious about
the writer's own series MISPLACED, after seeing the cover for it)
ELECTROPOLIS #3 - I really enjoyed the first issue of this by Motter, and look
forward to see where this series goes.
Some good tips again this month.
Thanks,
James
Ralf Haring
<joh...@comicsworthreading.com> wrote:
>September 2001 Previews
>Items shipping in November 2001
>
>Something of a slow month, although several of my favorite series are
>putting out new issues. That's a good excuse to try some new graphic novels.
>If you don't see anything below that seems interesting, you could also try
>THE FORBIDDEN BOOK (Renaissance Press) or PISTOLWHIP (Top Shelf), two
>intriguing projects that are offered again.
Yes, it seems like a slow month for me too. I'm using to catch up on
stuff I've been meaning to get eventually: the three previous
Dini/Ross books, Superman: The Dark Side tpb, Berlin Book 1, and the
4th Dreadstar trade.
>It's great that I'm not being disappointed in my purchases, but that also
>suggests to me that I'm playing it too safe. Time to try some more
>challenging material.
Hmm, I don't really have anything that seems new or exceptionally
exciting this month. HULK gets a new writer in Bruce Jones. The Kirby
GREEN ARROW collection is something I'll definitely get. TOM STRONG'S
TERRIFIC TALES starts. (yay more Art Adams) The last of Perez'
CROSSGEN CHRONICLES (at least for the time being) also ships. The
three so far have been very good, imo. Nice, self-contained little
views into the four original CrossGen books. The 2nd TELLOS trade,
with a great ending to the first chapter of a wonderful series.
-Ralf Haring
"The mind must be the harder, the heart the keener,
the spirit the greater, as our strength grows less."
-Byrhtwold, The Battle of Maldon
Mutey Something
declared:
>Ken Dreger at kdr...@comicgeek.ca wrote:
>> I also though Quimby the Mouse SC (282) and the Cicada GN (314) looked good
>> for my thicker choices for the month.
>I've about had my fill of Ware's moods,
Meaning his silly, frivolous ones as well?
-Chris
__________________________
It's a victory worth sharing, we should celebrate I think
With the bloodiest of Marys, but I'm too fucked to drink
Mutey Something
>Have you heard anything on Quimby The Mouse from Chris Ware? His JC book was
>impressive, if not exactly to my tastes. I haven't heard much about this book
>though, and $15 for 56 pages seems a bit steep.
It's a collection of the strips previously collected in ACME
NOVELTY LIBRARY #s 2 and 4. The high price is likely related to the
tabloid-sized pages.
Arbane the Terrible
Henderson) wrote:
>Since you liked DORK TOWER, you might consider giving Dork Storm Press's
>NODWICK a try. It's really funny, requires even less knowledge of RPGs, and the
>first six issues are available in a TPB.
If you've ever played RPOGs, you might also like _The Knights of the
Dinner Table_. The Dilbert of gaming.
Remember, the plural of 'moron' is 'focus group'.
-- James A. Wolf
Eric Sturgeon
Richard B. Becker <richard...@mindspring.com> wrote:
>Johanna Draper Carlson wrote:
>>
>> Richard B. Becker at richard...@mindspring.com wrote:
>>
>> > While I kinda like the fact that all the CrossGen comics share a
>> > universe, and there's a "bigger picture" involved in their work, I
>> > do agree that they drive it to the point of overkill in some cases.
>>
>> I find the inconsistency odd. They've been talking about it a lot lately,
>> but I have yet to see what they're talking about in the comics. What am I
>> missing? Or are they just playing this up to sell more books? (A tactic that
>> runs the risk of losing readers as well as gaining them.)
Having just read the entire output of CrossGen to date twice in two sittings
(once in series order, then in release date order), I can definitely see
what they're talking about with their "bigger picture", but I also think
that the individual series hold up extremely well as individual series.
Except for the Meridian/First crossover, which would be utterly confusing
for people who only read one or the other. I mean, I read the entire line,
and I was annoyed at how badly it's handled. There's no explanation
whatsoever as to where those parts of the issues involved continue from or
to, and only a cursory explanation as to what's going on at all.
But other than that, I think they do a good job of not requiring you to read
any more than one series to enjoy it as its own thing, while painting a much
larger picture for people who do read the entire line. Although I do think
that if you read any two or three, you're probably going to be kind of
confused, as the common elements are unnoticeable if you read only one, and
fairly well-explained if you read all, but too noticeable yet ill-explained
if you read more than one but less than all.
>There's also powerful people with orange eyes in most of their comics,
>with no explanation of who they are, where they come from, or what
>their connection to the sigil-bearers and The First is. These are
>almost always sidekicks to the main good guys (although Skitter in
>Mystic is actually a talking pet instead).
And, actually, they're all the same being, capable of manifesting in more
than one place and shape at the same time, although only people who read
Sigil would know that(although there was a hint in the last issues of Mystic
and Scion).
>One character in Crux
>seems to be one of these, also, which might be a hint as to where
>they come from. I actually expect the mystery narrator who hasn't
>been introduced yet in Sojourn to end up being one of these, just so
>they have one in that book.
I expect the mystery narrator from Sojourn to be the guy with the eyepatch
from the cover of the next issue; one of the major mysteries of the line is
who the hell is the being with the orange eyes, and way too much information
would be given out if you made one the narrator of one of the books. (Not
that they're not going to have a Sidekick in Sojourn, just that it won't be
the narrator.)
>Anyhow, all the CrossGen Universe stuff keeps popping up in every
>book, but there's still no real explanation of any of it, which
>after 15 months is mildly annoying. I keep waiting for them to stop
>hinting and start showing us some of what it all means. The
>Negation book might serve that purpose, and there have been hints
>that some real information might finally surface in The First soon.
>In the mean time, I'm beginning to think "either get on with it, or
>drop the universe stuff and let each book tell its own story".
I dunno, I think the universe stuff is paced just about perfectly. I'm
enjoying the mystery and I'm in no hurry for them to reveal everything just
yet. And as I noted above, each book is (aside from the Meridian/First
thing) telling its own story.
>> I probably won't be able to figure out the universe stuff anyway. Even when
>> I was reading everything they put out, none of it seemed to tie together
>> (beyond the original plot device of the sigil).
That's because so far the ties are still very loose, as they're intended to
be. I'm not sure what their timetable for this whole thing is, but if we
find out what the hell is actually up with the sigils and the Sidekicks and
everything in the next two years, I'd kind of be surprised. (And very
disappointed if it's less than a year.)
Stirge
Eric Sturgeon
>were just generic mystic bad guys.
>
are, for all intents and purposes, unless you read the whole line. These
powerful beings show up and they're interested in the sigil-bearers for
various reasons, said reasons generally explained in the books themselves.
They just elaborate on the reasons a lot more in the First. (And Chronicles
#1.)
Stirge
Eric Sturgeon
>CrossGen section, CROSSGEN ILLUSTRATED has to be the most expensive Who's
>Who I've seen yet. $25 for reprinted art clips?
Does it say in the solicitation that they're reprinted? I get the impression
that it's all original art. Not to mention that it's 192 pages in full
color. I mean, I agree 25 bucks is kind of steep(but I'm a sucker, so I'll
buy it(unless it really is all reprinted)), but I dunno, for 192 pages of
original color artwork and text pieces on glossy stock at 8-1/2"x11", even
if the art is all pinups, it doesn't seem -that- bad. Unless, as noted, it
really is reprinted art clips.
Stirge
Johanna Draper Carlson
> Johanna Draper Carlson <joh...@comicsworthreading.com> digitally
> declared:
>
>
> Meaning his silly, frivolous ones as well?
The Quimby the Mouse didn't sound that way at all in the solicitation. Is
it?
Johanna Draper Carlson
> joh...@comicsworthreading.com (Johanna Draper Carlson) wrote
>
>> care about good stories, not being bludgeoned with marketing.
>
> I'm not sure if this is a fair criticism of CrossGen.
I don't think we can argue that they mention the universe more frequently in
promotion. (Look, for example, at their Wizard insert.) Whether the picture
they're painting is accurate is another question. Posters here have made
good cases for it not being, in which case the question becomes "why play it
up more than they should?" I'm sure they're trying to increase line sales,
but doing it this way seems to have potential to backfire.
Then again, maybe some people will discover previously unsuspected links.
> The "seasonal" nature of
> the comics market has become a self-fulfilling prophecy driven by what the big
> companies choose to release and when they choose to release it.
Very true. I have money to spend all year round! Serve me!
> Since you liked DORK TOWER, you might consider giving Dork Storm Press's
> NODWICK a try.
I haven't really cared much about the sample strips in the back of DORK
TOWER. Isn't it just a fantasy team series? Please tell me more.
> I really like DC/Wildstorm's MONARCHY.
Oh, no, no, no. Tried it, found it uninteresting when it was comprehensible.
I'm just not very interested in the Doom Patrol type of weird books. My
loss.
Thank you for the suggestions, though. It's always interesting to see what
others are reading.
Johanna Draper Carlson joh...@comicsworthreading.com
Reviews of Comics Worth Reading -- http://www.comicsworthreading.com
Newly updated: September Previews, Hopeless Savages, Slow News Day,
Private Beach, Scary Godmother, Review Capsules
Johanna Draper Carlson
> Thank you for the kind words, Johanna, for PISTOLWHIP.
You're welcome. I'm even more impressed now that I've gotten a chance to
read through it all -- I immediately wanted to read it again, which is
rather unusual. (Both to figure out more of the mystery and to see how it
was all put together.)
> I really appreciate it that you even discovered the book.
They've been self-promoting very well. I love the cigarette!
> Matt is hard at work getting the next GN done (I think it might
> be...gasp...color!). Plus PISTOLWHIP is going to be featured in a two-
> page spread in WIZARD, I think in the October or November issue.
Congrats!
Johanna Draper Carlson
> If you've ever played RPOGs, you might also like _The Knights of the
> Dinner Table_. The Dilbert of gaming.
I've missed out on that particular hobby. I did read some KODT when they
crossed over with Faans, but it wasn't for me. The art was just too
minimalist. I'm sure it's great if you know the hobby, though.
Johanna Draper Carlson
> I don't think I've heard of the other one, and the
> Previews blurb doesn't say much about it. What makes it so intriguing?
I'm working on a review, but in short, PISTOLWHIP is a noir mystery
revolving around a radio show. Very European in feel and look.
>> TALL TAILS (Dream Weaver Press, 128 pages, $14.95)
> Hmm I'm not much of one for talking animal books, so this doesn't look like my
> cup of tea. The preview pages on the site certainly look nice though.
Yeah, I tried to phrase it in such a way that people who would like it would
know it was something they would like. :)
>> THE DC COMICS GUIDE TO PENCILLING COMICS (Watson Guptill Publications, 128
>> pages, $19.95)
> I wonder about the perception they are giving though. If you do everything the
> books say for you to do, does that mean DC'll hire you?:)
I'm sure that's what the book publisher is hoping people will think.
>> WONDER WOMAN: SPIRIT OF TRUTH (DC Comics, 64 pages, $9.95)
> That is a lovely cover, I'm glad to see he didn't give her the harsh look she
> had in KC.
Good point.
> I worry about that bit about seeking out the one person she can
> trust though. Please let it be her mother or something, and not another
> superhero.
Yeah, it's a shame that female heroes have been treated so badly that we
start out being cynical about such promotion copy. Still, I don't remember
any of the other three heroes who got tabloids needing someone else to get
the job done.
>> THE ADVENTURES OF BUCKAROO BANZAI (Pocket Books, 256 pages, $12.95)
> Cool, thanks for the spot of that as I rarely look at the book section. I
> loved that movie as a kid, even though I didn't understand half of it.:)
The book actually helps a lot.
> I'm guessing it won't be the kind of book for most of Avatar's regular
> audience (those looking for weird sex situations) and I don't see why any
> Moore fan would try something that obviously is never going to be finished.
> Nor that will likely have much of his creative vision in it.
Moore fans can be just as completist as any other type of fan.
> I don't really see much more I could have experimented with though, that
> wouldn't have just been a complete waste of money because of zero interest in
> subject matter.
True. You don't want to spend money just to try something new unless you
think you're going to like it.
> Have you heard anything on Quimby The Mouse from Chris Ware?
Mute seems to know about it. Hopefully he'll tell us.
> G.I. JOE #2 - This was the series that first got me into comics, I don't have
> high hopes but I have to give it a try anyway.(I'm also a little curious about
> the writer's own series MISPLACED, after seeing the cover for it)
I tried MISPLACED #1. Interesting art style, but the story jumped around so
much I wasn't sure what was going on. I think it needs a bit more work.
> ELECTROPOLIS #3 - I really enjoyed the first issue of this by Motter, and look
> forward to see where this series goes.
I still have #2 on order (several months late). If it comes out, I'll decide
if I'm following it then.
Johanna Draper Carlson
> Does it say in the solicitation that they're reprinted? I get the impression
> that it's all original art.
I got the impression that they were trying not to emphasize reuse, but that
it was, at least partially. Maybe I read it wrong, I don't know.
Johanna Draper Carlson
> I'm using to catch up on stuff I've been meaning to get eventually
Good suggestion. I'm starting to reorder some things, but my retailer isn't
having much luck with Diamond.
Adrian Brown
james...@aol.comNOSPAM (James Schee) writes:
>>THE FORBIDDEN BOOK (Renaissance Press) or PISTOLWHIP (Top Shelf), two
>>intriguing projects that are offered again.
>
>TFB I already have, but I don't think I've heard of the other one, and the
>Previews blurb doesn't say much about it. What makes it so intriguing? (I may
>pick it up at The Expo)
from my review in Borderline (where I have also been providing recommendation
pointers for the latest issue Previews from the 1st of each month.)
"Pistolwhip" by Jason Hall and Matt Kindt
128 pages, black and white.
Published by Top Shelf
The book is packaged like an old wireless radio, and comes complete with an
introduction written by Chris Staros in the form of an "instructions
manual". The tale within is framed in instalments like a radio drama serial.
Like many decent noir tales - both versions of the movie DOA being fine
examples - we start at the end, and the writers reconstruct the events that
lead up to the first scenes. However, each chapter also DEconstructs the
members of the ensemble cast, in the way that different actors would play
different roles as the radio serials moved on to a different story.
With every new "episode's" beginning, we are taken back to previous events
from the perspective of each of the characters. Some details change quite
subtly, but we can piece together the story leading up to climax.
We learn the back stories of the cast.
How Mitch "Pistolwhip" became a PI.
How "Mr Vogel" arrived in the USA with no New Ideas.
How Charlie Minks became a femme fatale.
And how fact and fiction became twisted by the Human Pretzel.
Each of the four episodes stand as intriguing stories on their own, but are
twisted like pretzel dough into the greater whole of the story.
The narrative contortions (similar, if you will, to Pulp Fiction) are
handled very well, and are totally in keeping with the genre. The simplistic
cartoony style conveys the drama of the story well, without complicating
matters.
* * * * * * * *
BORDERLINE - comic mag from the edge
http://www.borderline.mediahall.co.uk
HEROES
A Convention Sketchbook with a story !
email just...@aol.com for info
previews at http://members.aol.com/adeheathen/c2000page2.htm
Mutey Something
declared:
>Mutey Something at mu...@tpg.com.au wrote:
>> Johanna Draper Carlson <joh...@comicsworthreading.com> digitally
>> declared:
>>
>>> I've about had my fill of Ware's moods,
>>
>> Meaning his silly, frivolous ones as well?
>The Quimby the Mouse didn't sound that way at all in the solicitation. Is
>it?
The themes are often heartbreak, loss, and the cruelty of fate,
sure - but handled in an irreverent, abstract manner, with Ware's
formalist playfulness actually being the main thrust of the material.
It's hard to get too depressed by a cat's head that mails itself in a
box to people in hopes of finding a friend, or a mouse with two bodies
that have philosophical differences with one another.
I could be remembering inaccurately - I haven't read the stuff in
seven years - but I do remember laughing a lot while I did so.
Was the solicitation the usual tongue-in-cheek self-mockery that
Ware writes for his Fantagraphics solicitations, by any chance?
James Schee
>>What makes it so intriguing?
>
>I'm working on a review, but in short, PISTOLWHIP is a noir mystery
>revolving around a radio show. Very European in feel and look.
Hmm, well that and Adrian Brown's (thanks!) decription make it sound
interesting, so I'll give it a look at The Expo.
>> I worry about that bit about seeking out the one person she can
>> trust though. Please let it be her mother or something, and not another
>> superhero.
>
>Yeah, it's a shame that female heroes have been treated so badly that we
>start out being cynical about such promotion copy. Still, I don't remember
>any of the other three heroes who got tabloids needing someone else to get
>the job done.
Yeah I don't want to be cynical, but I'm sick of WW so rarely having a story
to herself these days. Hopefully they'll prove my fears unfounded, the art
pages seemed intriguing.
>> I don't really see much more I could have experimented with though, that
>> wouldn't have just been a complete waste of money because of zero interest
>in
>> subject matter.
>
>True. You don't want to spend money just to try something new unless you
>think you're going to like it.
Yeah, and then there is the case of I wonder exactly how much "new" stuff was
there.
A lot of the "new" series that came out in Previews the past couple of months
were just sequels to old ones, or were very similar in themes to other ones
that had came out previously.
>> ELECTROPOLIS #3 - I really enjoyed the first issue of this by Motter, and
>look
>> forward to see where this series goes.
>
>I still have #2 on order (several months late). If it comes out, I'll decide
>if I'm following it then.
#2 is supposed to be out this week, so I'll be curious to see it as well.:)
James
James Schee
>james...@aol.comNOSPAM (James Schee) digitally declared:
>
>>Have you heard anything on Quimby The Mouse from Chris Ware? His JC book
>was
>>impressive, if not exactly to my tastes. I haven't heard much about this
>book
>>though, and $15 for 56 pages seems a bit steep.
>
> It's a collection of the strips previously collected in ACME
>NOVELTY LIBRARY #s 2 and 4. The high price is likely related to the
>tabloid-sized pages.
>
Hmm thanks. Is it very different in tone then his JC stories were?
James
GrapeApe
>it?
Well, perhaps there is a bit of existential angst, but its angst with four
fingered gloves!
Arbane the Terrible
<joh...@comicsworthreading.com> wrote:
>> If you've ever played RPOGs, you might also like _The Knights of the
>> Dinner Table_. The Dilbert of gaming.
>
>I've missed out on that particular hobby. I did read some KODT when they
>crossed over with Faans, but it wasn't for me. The art was just too
>minimalist. I'm sure it's great if you know the hobby, though.
Do you read the Faans online comic?
http://www.faans.com/
Good stuff (IMHO), and it's free.
Carl Henderson
<B7BB8688.4D91A%joh...@comicsworthreading.com>:
>Carl Henderson at carl.he...@airmail.net wrote:
>> joh...@comicsworthreading.com (Johanna Draper Carlson) wrote
>>> but if they keep emphasizing the universe aspects, I'll drop them. I
>>> care about good stories, not being bludgeoned with marketing.
>> I'm not sure if this is a fair criticism of CrossGen.
>I don't think we can argue that they mention the universe more
>frequently in promotion. (Look, for example, at their Wizard insert.)
I very rarely read WIZARD, so I can't speak to that.
>Whether the picture they're painting is accurate is another question.
>Posters here have made good cases for it not being, in which case the
>question becomes "why play it up more than they should?" I'm sure
>they're trying to increase line sales, but doing it this way seems to
>have potential to backfire.
I think CrossGen is probably trying to attract both readers who are
interested in a "universe" and those who are interested in stand-alone
titles. The structure of their line is fairly well-designed to do just
that. I only read about 1/3rd of their books, but I don't really feel like
I'm missing anything vital. And I've seen many comments online from people
who follow the whole line and seem to be getting a lot of pleasure from
putting the puzzle pieces together.
The problem comes in marketing a line of comics that tries to be both.
There's a fine line between "the best of both worlds" and "trying to be all
things to all people." While I think CrossGen normally does a great job
with their marketing, but even the best advertising people have trouble
selling (apparently) mutually contradictory features.
I think part of the problem with their dual messages of "stand-alone
stories/you don't need to read any other books" and "one universe
with overarching themes and cosmology" is that most comics readers have
heard it before--from companies that didn't follow through. How many times
have we heard Marvel and DC say something like "sure our mega-crossover
involves every comic we publish, but you only need to read these few core
books. Really. We promise we aren't lying about it _this_ time."
>> Since you liked DORK TOWER, you might consider giving Dork Storm
>> Press's NODWICK a try.
>I haven't really cared much about the sample strips in the back of DORK
>TOWER. Isn't it just a fantasy team series? Please tell me more.
Hmm. It is a "fantasy team series" but it is a _funny_ fantasy team series.
Creator Aaron Williams spoofs any number of fantasy and popular culture
cliches.
>> I really like DC/Wildstorm's MONARCHY.
>Oh, no, no, no. Tried it, found it uninteresting when it was
>comprehensible. I'm just not very interested in the Doom Patrol type of
>weird books. My loss.
Its all a matter of taste. I just don't get any number of comics that
people rave over (CEREBUS, BONE, STRANGERS IN PARADISE, ACME NOVELTY
LIBRARY). But let me suggest another DC/Wildstorm book--GEN13 (I looked at
your comicsworthreading.com site and noticed you hadn't reviewed it).
Ever since Adam Warren started writing it (#63, I think), its not just T&A
and mindless superhero fights. It is really funny. The "high concept" can
best be described as "Archies with super-powers and sex organs." Adam
Warren is currently in the middle of a two-part story guest starring the
Authority (illustrated by Yannick Paquette) where he spotlights the some of
the utter sillieness inherant in the concept (which is usually hidden under
"snappy banter" and big explosions).
Richard B. Becker
>
> In article <3B941348...@mindspring.com>,
> Richard B. Becker <richard...@mindspring.com> wrote:
>
> >There's also powerful people with orange eyes in most of their comics,
> >with no explanation of who they are, where they come from, or what
> >their connection to the sigil-bearers and The First is. These are
> >almost always sidekicks to the main good guys (although Skitter in
> >Mystic is actually a talking pet instead).
>
> And, actually, they're all the same being, capable of manifesting in more
> than one place and shape at the same time, although only people who read
> Sigil would know that(although there was a hint in the last issues of Mystic
> and Scion).
>
returned to them about 4 months ago. I've caught up on more than half
of CrossGen's line, because I think most of their stuff is pretty good
(though I don't think I'd call any of it great), and the one book
where they really explained something is the one that I didn't catch
up on at all. Since I've only got the last 4 issues of Sigil, which
issue(s?) would I need to go back and buy to read about what you're
refering to?
--Richard
Johanna Draper Carlson
> Ever since Adam Warren started writing it (#63, I think), its not just T&A
> and mindless superhero fights. It is really funny.
I'm not sure we share the same kind of sense of humor, since I've found it
amusing at best. Plus, the T&A gets in the way for me.
Ken Dreger
<joh...@comicsworthreading.com> wrote:
>Carl Henderson at carl.he...@airmail.net wrote:
>
>> Ever since Adam Warren started writing it (#63, I think), its not just T&A
>> and mindless superhero fights. It is really funny.
>
>I'm not sure we share the same kind of sense of humor, since I've found it
>amusing at best. Plus, the T&A gets in the way for me.
Those blocked out swear words drive me nuts!! I know it's meant to be
amusing but I can't read the comic because of them.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
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Carl Henderson
news:B7BC38B5.4DA0C%joh...@comicsworthreading.com:
> Carl Henderson at carl.he...@airmail.net wrote:
>> Ever since Adam Warren started writing it (#63, I think), its not just
>> T&A and mindless superhero fights. It is really funny.
>
> I'm not sure we share the same kind of sense of humor, since I've found
> it amusing at best. Plus, the T&A gets in the way for me.
Probably true. Next time I might have better luck with a list of comics I
don't find funny.
--
Carl Henderson carl.he...@airmail.net
Top 300 Report Archive http://j_carl_henderson.tripod.com/
RAC/RACM FAQ http://www.enteract.com/~katew/faqs/miscfaq.htm
| The CALL FOR VOTES/CFV for the reorganization of rec.arts.comics.* |
| has been posted to news.announce.newgroups. This vote will affect |
| traffic throughout the hierarchy, so I urge rac.ers to vote. Email |
| votetaker Neil Crellin, <cfv-r...@uvv.wallaby.cc>, if you can't |
| find the CFV. Vote to remove or keep these newsgroups, but please |
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Mutey Something
>>From: mu...@tpg.com.au (Mutey Something)
>>james...@aol.comNOSPAM (James Schee) digitally declared:
>>
>>>Have you heard anything on Quimby The Mouse from Chris Ware? His JC book
>>was
>>>impressive, if not exactly to my tastes. I haven't heard much about this
>>book
>>>though, and $15 for 56 pages seems a bit steep.
>>
>> It's a collection of the strips previously collected in ACME
>>NOVELTY LIBRARY #s 2 and 4. The high price is likely related to the
>>tabloid-sized pages.
Kim Thompson now reports on the TCJ.com boards that the contents
haven't been decided yet, and it may include a lot of the
Quimby/Quimbies/Sparky strips that weren't reprinted in those ACME
issues. And that it won't be out until 2002.
>Hmm thanks. Is it very different in tone then his JC stories were?
Very. Intricate formal experimentation, characters blocked like a
silent cartoon of the 30s, any misery presented comedically rather
than empathetically.
Eric Sturgeon
being splitting into JeMerik Meer from Sigil and Wyture from the First.
Stirge
Johanna Draper Carlson
> Next time I might have better luck with a list of comics I don't find funny.
Hmm... that's an intriguing idea for my site. Comics I Hate, for people with
opposite tastes to mine.
Dave Doty
> Hmm... that's an intriguing idea for my site. Comics I Hate, for people
> with opposite tastes to mine.
Although, to take this comment more seriously than it deserves, you are
actually one of the few reviewers who is specific enough that I can get a
pretty good idea if I'll disagree with your take just from your review.
Dave Doty
Kevin J. Maroney
>But let me suggest another DC/Wildstorm book--GEN13 (I looked at
>your comicsworthreading.com site and noticed you hadn't reviewed it).
>
>Ever since Adam Warren started writing it (#63, I think), its not just T&A
>and mindless superhero fights. It is really funny. The "high concept" can
>best be described as "Archies with super-powers and sex organs."
Yes. (Warren began with #60; I've read #61 through the current issue.)
This is a consistently intelligent and amusing comic.
--
Kevin J. Maroney | Unplugged Games | kmar...@ungames.com
"Love doesn't have a point. Love *is* the point."--Alan Moore
Carl Henderson
>Carl Henderson at carl.he...@airmail.net wrote:
>> Next time I might have better luck with a list of comics I don't find
>> funny.
>Hmm... that's an intriguing idea for my site. Comics I Hate, for people
>with opposite tastes to mine.
I'm not sure how well it would work. After all, neither of us likes
CEREBUS.
Dave Doty
news:4083EA88556A1A0D.B00D288C...@lp.airnews.net:
> I'm not sure how well it would work. After all, neither of us likes
> CEREBUS.
But it does contain the biggest joke in comics.
Dave Doty
Talon The Merciful
carl.he...@airmail.net says...
>
>joh...@comicsworthreading.com (Johanna Draper Carlson) wrote in
><B7BCDB41.4DAC1%joh...@comicsworthreading.com>:
>
>>Carl Henderson at carl.he...@airmail.net wrote:
>
>>> Next time I might have better luck with a list of comics I don't find
>>> funny.
>
>>Hmm... that's an intriguing idea for my site. Comics I Hate, for people
>>with opposite tastes to mine.
>
>I'm not sure how well it would work. After all, neither of us likes
>CEREBUS.
Don't be glum, we're all praying for the both of you. ;)
Talon The Cerebite
Absolute Ruler of RACM
Talon The Merciful
>I'm not sure we share the same kind of sense of humor, since I've found it
>amusing at best. Plus, the T&A gets in the way for me.
It only gets in the way for me when the women are really, really big-assed.
Talon T M
Absolute Ruler of RACM
Johanna Draper Carlson
> joh...@comicsworthreading.com (Johanna Draper Carlson) wrote
>
>> with opposite tastes to mine.
>
> I'm not sure how well it would work. After all, neither of us likes
> CEREBUS.
That just shows that some opinions are so right that they transcend
individual taste. :)
Dave Doty at dd...@ou.edu wrote:
> you are actually one of the few reviewers who is specific enough that I can
> get a pretty good idea if I'll disagree with your take just from your review.
That's part of my goal, actually -- to make the reviews useful even if we
don't agree. I'm glad it's working for you.
Talon The Merciful
>
>Carl Henderson at carl.he...@airmail.net wrote:
>> joh...@comicsworthreading.com (Johanna Draper Carlson) wrote
>>
>>> Hmm... that's an intriguing idea for my site. Comics I Hate, for people
>>> with opposite tastes to mine.
>>
>> I'm not sure how well it would work. After all, neither of us likes
>> CEREBUS.
>
>That just shows that some opinions are so right that they transcend
>individual taste. :)
Hey, smile when you talk about me behind my back!
James Schee
>But let me suggest another DC/Wildstorm book--GEN13 (I looked at
>your comicsworthreading.com site and noticed you hadn't reviewed it).
>
>Ever since Adam Warren started writing it (#63, I think), its not just T&A
>and mindless superhero fights. It is really funny.
I've enjoyed the writing on this, but the art by Benes and the other guy (I
don't remember his name, but he made Roxy look like she was 12) has been a
struggle to get thru at times.
I know the recent issue with the big battle at the party was near impossible
for me to figure out how to read. Panel layouts were awkward, and I just had a
hard time understanding what was happening on the pages.
I may check out the issues by Paquette though.
James
sat
comics history, particularly of how long and widely you've been
reading them.
On page 238 of the September issue/November releases Previews there's
a listing for sets of the early creator-owned epic by Jack Katz, FIRST
KINGDOM.
Who remembers the series? Read it? Opinions?
scott tilson.
--------------------
Sequential Art features & links http://www.sfsite.com/scott01.htm
Paul
> September 2001 Previews
> In June, I ordered 14 items. Plus, 4 items from earlier orders arrived. Of
> those,
>
> 5 haven't been released yet (28%)
> * DRAWN & QUARTERLY VOLUME 4 (Drawn & Quarterly, 160 pages, $24.95)
That is weird, I just bought my copy on 2 september at the other side of
the Ocean in Amsterdam. Now Lambiek (my local dealer) may have some
special arrangement with D&Q, but I am sure there must be copies
available in the USA. It is definitely released.
I found it a bit dissatisfying. But that is because I already have the
Herge story, which makes up a large part of this volume.
Paul
Bradford Chamberlain
D&Q vol. 4 shipped to my shop this week for the first time. It looks
lovely as always...
-Brad
Paul <tapvd-...@xs4all.nl> writes:
Johanna Draper Carlson
> Johanna Draper Carlson wrote:
>
>> 5 haven't been released yet (28%)
>> * DRAWN & QUARTERLY VOLUME 4 (Drawn & Quarterly, 160 pages, $24.95)
>
Yes, it is -- it came out this week, after I'd written that post three days
earlier.
> I found it a bit dissatisfying. But that is because I already have the
> Herge story, which makes up a large part of this volume.
It'll be hard to live up to the previous volume, which I loved. But I'm
looking forward to seeing if it does.
Adrian Brown
Merciful) writes:
>>>Hmm... that's an intriguing idea for my site. Comics I Hate, for people
>>>with opposite tastes to mine.
>>
>>I'm not sure how well it would work. After all, neither of us likes
>>CEREBUS.
>
>Don't be glum, we're all praying for the both of you. ;)
>
surely "we're both praying for all of you" would've been more accurate here ??
* * * * * * * *
BORDERLINE - comic mag from the edge
http://www.borderline.mediahall.co.uk
HEROES
A Convention Sketchbook with a story !
email just...@aol.com for info
previews at http://members.aol.com/adeheathen/c2000page2.htm
Mutey Something
declared:
>>> * DRAWN & QUARTERLY VOLUME 4 (Drawn & Quarterly, 160 pages, $24.95)
>It'll be hard to live up to the previous volume, which I loved. But I'm
>looking forward to seeing if it does.
I've only read the Herge, Gasoline Alley and Sikoryak strips, but
they kicked a bag of ass.
Kate the Short --- Spamblocked!
mu...@tpg.com.au (Mutey Something) sat on the sofa and said:
>Johanna Draper Carlson <joh...@comicsworthreading.com> digitally
>declared:
>
>>>> * DRAWN & QUARTERLY VOLUME 4 (Drawn & Quarterly, 160 pages, $24.95)
>
>>It'll be hard to live up to the previous volume, which I loved. But I'm
>>looking forward to seeing if it does.
>
> I've only read the Herge, Gasoline Alley and Sikoryak strips, but
>they kicked a bag of ass.
Gasoline Alley? The Sunday-strip Gasoline Alley?
Man, if so, that takes me back. The Washington Post used to have that in
its comics, and I'd read it weekly, though I don't remember much of it at
all, now.
Can someone tell me more about Drawn and Quarterly? Is it a reprint
anthology, or what?
kate.
| Kate the Short @@@ http://www.enteract.com/~katew/faqs/racmxFAQ/ |
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Talon The Merciful
adehe...@aol.compunction says...
>>>I'm not sure how well it would work. After all, neither of us likes
>>>CEREBUS.
>>
>>Don't be glum, we're all praying for the both of you. ;)
>>
>
>surely "we're both praying for all of you" would've been more accurate here ??
?? no ??
all = Cerebites
both of you = Johanna and Carl
;) = joke ??
Heh.
Paul
publishes comics and anthologies. The anthologies contain comics by
American and European artists. D&Q volume 3 and 4 (each 1 book
coffeetable size) contain both a large section on Gasoline Alley.
All comics and anthologies are beautiful, worth the buck and very nicely
printed.
My advise : Try and collect them all
Paul
Johanna Draper Carlson
> Can someone tell me more about Drawn and Quarterly? Is it a reprint
> anthology, or what?
It's mostly original work, with the exception of the Gasoline Alley reprints
from early last century. It's a softcover coffee-table-book size thick
volume with gorgeous production values and eye-opening content. V4, which
just came out this week, contains a hilarious retelling of The Scarlet
Letter done exactly like a Little Lulu comic and a wonderful biography of
Herge in comic form.
Johanna Draper Carlson joh...@comicsworthreading.com
Reviews of Comics Worth Reading -- http://www.comicsworthreading.com
Newly updated: Mephisto & the Empty Box, Kane, Xeno's Arrow,
Reviews including Alias, Electropolis, Out There, Superman, Top 10,
Ultimate Spider-Man, Wolverine: Origin, Whitechapel Freak
Dave 'The Knave' White
> Kate the Short --- Spamblocked! at ka...@enteract.com.invalid wrote:
>> Can someone tell me more about Drawn and Quarterly? Is it a reprint
>> anthology, or what?
>
> It's mostly original work, with the exception of the Gasoline Alley reprints
> from early last century. It's a softcover coffee-table-book size thick
> volume with gorgeous production values and eye-opening content. V4, which
> just came out this week, contains a hilarious retelling of The Scarlet
> Letter done exactly like a Little Lulu comic and a wonderful biography of
> Herge in comic form.
I dunno... I didn't think the Scarlet Letter worked all that well. While I
got a few chuckles from the initial visual absurdity, I don't think the
visuals forced me to reconsider the original source at all the way the
"Crime and Punishment" story from volume 3 did.
Loved the biography of Herge, though.
--
Read the Japanese Beetle comic strip -- it's funnier than a bag of
hammers! Updated every weekday at http://www.wfcomics.com/beetle.
DAVE "THE KNAVE" WHITE, talentless hack kn...@sgi.net
"Look, this isn't art. It's mindless pabulum for people who can barely
read. Oh, that reminds me - I have an interview with People Magazine."
--Duke Phillips, "The Critic"