Free Association: Highlander, Christopher Lambert, Tom Skerritt, Mark Hamill, Duran Duran, via CGS

In their latest episode, Comic Geek Speak did a retro movie review of one of my all-time favorite films --- Highlander! In fact, Highlander is my #3 film, all-time. I love it! And I enjoyed the episode, even if a majority of the geeks were less than enthused by its quirky attributes. 

Certainly, Highlander can be seen as a low-budget cult classic, but there's so much more to it, for me. The romance of the film, the settings, the over-the-top craziness (especially from The Kurgan, as played by a young Clancy Brown), and the questions they leave unanswered, particularly surrounding the origins of the immortals. It's all fantastic in my book! 

Highlander co-stars Sean Connery, who was only available on set for seven days, meaning they needed to get all of his scenes done swiftly. Despite that small window, they manage to imbue Connery's character of Ramirez with a breadth and depth that is impressive. It is also noteworthy--as noted on the movie posters--for music provided by Queen, a fact pointed out rather out of the ordinary by Adam Murdough on the CGS episode noted above. But it makes sense, in a way. Highlander was a new property, directed by Russell Mulcahy whose only other film credit was an Australian movie titled Razorback, and MTV (in 1986, when Highlander debuted) was in its ascendancy. Duran Duran noted in an interview that they could tell where MTV was readily available, in those early days of the channel, because sales of their albums were far higher in those areas than the rest of the United States. MTV basically made Duran Duran the superstar band they became. So, tapping into that ready-made audience enjoying music videos, by spotlighting Queen's involvement with Highlander, makes complete sense. And Russell Mulcahy would have been able to make that connection easily, since he started out directing music videos. 

Of course, Highlander stars Christopher Lambert as the titular Highlander, Connor MacLeod. His distant stare (a result of his myopia) and intriguing accent (brought about in this film as much from his French heritage as his then lack of English language skills) made him an engaging star, launching a successful action star turn for Lambert, which led me down the rabbit hole of seeking out his movies at the local movie rental store. From Fortress to Knight Moves to The Hunted, I saw them all for a short while, there in the 90s, and I still like to check in on Lambert's work, most recently watching him in the Criterion release of Claire Denis's White Material. Most of those action films were enjoyable shlock, with some memorable scenes, though I wonder how they would hold up today (Knight Moves is a film I would certainly like to revisit, as I appreciated the premise and felt it was a fairly competent thriller with some good acting on the part of Lambert, Diane Lane, and Tom Skerritt). 

Watching these films--and making note of Knight Moves--led me to a theory that Tom Skerritt is a terribly underrated actor who elevates just about any film he stars in (though he couldn't save Wild Orchid II). Knight Moves sparked that idea. From there, you look at Alien, Top Gun, A River Runs Through it -- all great movies, but Skerritt certainly brings a special something to his roles in these films and adds to what is being produced. Whenever Skerritt pops up on something, I'm excited. 

A second, parallel track I followed, with Lambert's low-budget science fiction and action thrillers in the 90s were similar films from another sci-fi hero, Mark Hamill. After Star Wars, Hamill seemed to fade away a bit. Sure, I watched the episode of Amazing Stories Hamill starred in (Amazing! pun intended), and I was excited when he played the Trickster in the 1990 series, the Flash (which, it should be noted, is my favorite superhero of all-time), but there wasn't much in theaters starring Hamill. For that, I needed to peruse the shelves at Blockbuster, seeking out Time Runner (a title with a "coincidentally" similar sound to a science fiction film starring Harrison Ford) and The Guyver, a live-action adaptation of a Japanese manga series. These films . . . were not that good, but I loved Hamill in both of them. The Guyver, especially, suffered from a dichotomous tonal juxtaposition, with Hamill playing his character hard-edged and straight, while his co-star Jimmie Walker played his part as if he were just reprising J.J. from Good Times. A bit of a mess. But still, I'm glad I saw them so I never have to again. 

Which brings me back to Highlander (I stated this was "free association" in the title). I love this film, unabashedly and unironically. Despite it not being "a hit," it managed to spawn four sequels (three of which starred Lambert), a television series (in which Lambert reprised his role for the initial episode), an animated series, and an anime film. I've seen some of these -- the second and third films are trash, the TV series is pretty fun, the animated series didn't intrigue me, and I never realized there was an anime -- but it's noteworthy that the advice that should have been taken (artistically, if not fiscally) was in the tagline for the first and best film:  "There can be only one."

Love & Rockets, by Los Bros Hernandez

Spurred by the recent Previews episode from CGS, here are some thoughts on one of my all-time favorite comic series:  Love & Rockets.

Los Bros Hernandez--Jaime, Gilbert, along with Mario, at times--have crafted some of the most poignant, affecting, brilliant, and beautiful comics over their thirty-plus year careers. I didn't finally read L&R until the first giant omnibus came out, roughly ten years ago, collecting (to that point) Gilbert's Palomar stories. They. Are. Awesome. And, I would argue, the best way to introduce yourself to L&R. More soap operatic, telling the stories of myriad characters in the small, Mexican town of Palomar, Gilbert's early work in this series is more assured than his brother, Jaime's, whose earliest issues suffer a bit from strange anachronisms and a tendency to be wordy with his dialogue.

Which isn't to say the early Locas stories from Jaime are not enjoyable. He quickly finds his footing and launches into one of the most real friendships in all of comics, and, it could be argued, one of the best in all of literature. Hopey and Maggie fall in and out of love, struggle through hardships together, and apart, while continually moving forward, seeking answers about life and what it all means. (and if that sounds like hyperbole, there certainly is a pinch of that included, but, for the most part, I'd argue my description stands up)

The real strength of this series comes from its longevity. Jaime and Gilbert have taken each of their collections of characters and allowed them to grow old, to have families, to lose friends and loved ones, discover new friends, have adventures, feel pain and sorrow, and love and joy, and experience lives that feel genuine, feel real, feel lived in. And their age has not diluted their storytelling abilities on bit. One of the most heartfelt and heartbreaking moments came a few years ago, in Jaime's "Browntown," which was built on the stories that had come before. It was an amazing piece of comic storytelling and comic art, that could not have been done without the accumulation of stories, over the prior decades, that came before. It was an exclamation point, driven into readers' (or, at least, my own) heart(s), and it's one of those handful of comics stories that has stuck with me, since I read it.

But it's not just their storytelling. Jaime & Gilbert are two of the best cartoonists working today, and two of the best ever, in my opinion. Their ability to evoke emotion and replicate body language utilizing an economy of line is beyond impressive. This, to me, is some of the most beautiful artwork I've seen in comics. Really incredible.

Now, I know it can be daunting to start a book that has this much history (see: Cerebus). But Fantagraphics has a page that can help you find where to start reading, here.

And the collections they've done for Gilbert & Jaime's work are great--a good size, with a healthy collection of stories, at a good price. Well worth picking up, here. Or on Amazon or at In Stock Trades. Or, if you want, see if your local library can request them for you through their Interlibrary Loan department, which allows libraries to borrow items from other libraries, across the country.

These are, seriously, some of the best comics ever made. Do yourself the favor of seeking them out and reading them. Now.

-chris

CGS Super Show 2013

Less than two weeks and Dan and I will be in Reading, PA for the CGS Super Show on Saturday and Sunday, April 6-7.  This is a great little show - basically, as they aptly describe, a large artists' alley - with great guests like Tim Truman, Lee Weeks, Fred Hembeck, Danielle Corsetto, Dave Wachter, Action Lab comics, and us!

Laid back and professionally run by the guys who create one of my favorite comics podcasts - Comic Geek Speak - you get a real chance to talk with these writers and artists, whether seasoned professionals like Truman and Weeks or newer ones trying to make their own mark like Action Lab, a company that has really made big inroads in their first year-plus of publishing.

Also, Uncle Sal is going to be there this year. If you've ever listened to a CGS episode with him and aren't one who is easily offended, then you know why this is a big deal.  I'm really looking forward to talking with him and picking up his book, Atomika, while down at the show.

And, finally, Wild Pig comics will be there with their 50-cent boxes - over 30,000 back issues from all eras, and they're all fifty cents each.  Hoping to find some good runs to bring home and add to the ever-building stack of comics "to-be-read."

All the information can be seen here, and if you're in the area you should definitely stop in.  $12.00 for a single day or $20.00 for the weekend.  And please, stop by the W27 table and check out what we've got going on (more of which I will be posting in coming days, as we get even closer to the show).

thanks,
chris

CGS Secret Santa - process part 3

So, here is the final piece I did for the CGS Secret Santa "event." I've gathered some comics to ship off with it and will drop it in the mail Monday. This is the second year I've participated, and it is a really great experience. I had a lot of fun.

CGS Secret Santa time - Process part 2

Here's the inked version for my Secret Santa sketch.

CGS Secret Santa time - Process part 1

I'm a regular member of the Comic Geek Speak community, and every year they have a "Secret Santa" thread where members sign up and agree to send a comic-themed package to the member with whom they are paired up.

Included in the Secret Santa package is a sketch of a character chosen by the receiver and at least 3 comics from your collection that you no longer wish to keep. Last year was the first time I participated, and it was an incredibly fun experience. So, of course, I couldn't wait for this year's list, which got started a few weeks back.

The person for whom I am a "Secret Santa" wanted, for a sketch, either a comic character in an unusual costume/scenario OR any X-Men character of my choice. Not being overly artistic, I initially went with the latter - knowing I could find some good reference and, at the very least, do a pretty good copy of an image - but, as I thought about it, I came up with an image of a couple of X-Men - Wolverine & Nightcrawler - in an unusually festive scenario.

So, since I did this last year, here is my initial sketch for this year's Secret Santa thread @CGS.

ESSEX COUNTY volume 3

With the third volume of the Essex County Trilogy – all of which is collected in a single omnibus edition from Top Shelf, if you weren’t already aware of that – Jeff Lemire fulfills the creative promise exhibited in the first two volumes. Lemire’s storytelling is magnificent, the narrative touching, and he manages to pull everything together, despite the unorthodox manner in which he chose to tell this story. Lemire jumps back another two generations from the previous volume, showing us the roots of the LeBeuf family, which we discover is more closely tied to that of Anne Quenneville, the nurse who has taken care of Lou LeBeuf in his waning years.

There’s little more I can add that I haven’t already said about the first two volumes. This is a moving tale amplified by the evocative imagery provided by Lemire’s loose, yet consistent artwork. Essex County is one of the most moving comic stories I’ve read in a long time. I would challenge anyone to read this and not come away with the realization they had watched an amazing new talent emerge over the course of these three volumes.

Buy this book.

Read this book.

You will not be disappointed.

And then, once you’ve finally remedied that character flaw, check out the interview Comic Geek Speak did with him a couple years back. It’s really a great conversation, and will enhance your reading experience.

Enjoy,

chris

Thoughts on Batman: Arkham Asylum

The Comic Geek Speak guys do a monthly discussion called Book of the Month Club. They choose, on a rotating schedule, a DC, a Marvel, an international, and an "other" book, and these are some of the most fun episodes for me, and the ones that I often find myself contributing a lot to in the forums. Last month, they did Arkham Asylum, the classic Batman graphic novel from Grant Morrison and Dave McKean. You can check the episode out here.

It really was one of the best discussions I've enjoyed from these guys. And it really made me think about this book in a new way. The ideas I've got swirling around are still coalescing, and I'd like to write something a bit more about this book at a later date. But for now, you can check out my initial thoughts on the book after the image. And please, add your own thoughts. We can only examine a book through our own personal experiences and learnings. I welcome other points of view and appreciate what I can learn from others, which is exactly what I got from this particular book of the month club discussion.

- This characterization of Batman/Bruce Wayne is different from the typical Batman comic. He is scared to go into Arkham, and this is something I cannot remember having read in any Batman book before (though possibly Knightfall looked at this). I can see what Morrison is saying here

– and he makes sure we get it when Batman tells Jim Gordon that he’s afraid the Joker might be correct in believing Batman belongs in Arkham with the inmates – but I have a slight problem with his quavering voice while speaking to Joker on the phone: “And . . . and what if I say no?” because, as I read this, he’s speaking in front of the rest of the police officers there. I don’t believe Batman would let his guard down in front of beat cops. But that’s a minor nitpick.

(I don’t think I would have considered this a few years ago when reading Arkham Asylum. I’m a big Grant Morrison fan and love new, fresh takes on old characters. But Matt’s rants about Batman’s characterization on the show has informed, a bit, my re-reading of this book)

- That said, I found it very interesting that he spoke of Batman in the 3rd person when discussing entering Arkham. "Batman's not afraid. I'm afraid. I'm afraid that Joker might be right." I also felt this was more in character because he and Jim had stepped away to a place more private, and the relationship that has been developed between these two is so close that it makes sense. They both trust one another implicitly and Bruce would be able to confide in Jim, one of his very few friends.

- This Joker is as crazy as any we have seen in the regular comics, but he is also more terrifying than ever. I think a lot of that has to do with McKean's evocative artwork. (That scene after the two-page spread showing us the inside of Arkham, where Joker puts Charlie in his place, is disturbing, see panel 4 of that page)

- I like how Morrison explains away all the disparate characterizations of the Joker through the psychotherapist's, Ruth Adams’s, diagnosis that the Joker may have gone beyond sanity and insanity, to a point where he has no personality at all.

- As the psychotherapist says, it may be a "new modification of human perception. More suited to urban life at the end of the twentieth century. . . . the Joker seems to have no control over the sensory information he's receiving . . . He can only cope with that chaotic barrage of input by going with the flow. . . . some days he's a mischievous clown, others a psychopathic killer. He has no real personality. He creates himself each day."

- The Joker card Amadeus Arkham finds in the flashback is obviously symbolic of the insanity that resides in that house, and will always reside in that house, like some force of nature.

- The ease with which the word association breaks down Batman is intriguing, but, again, seems to go against his nature, his character. What is it about this night, in this house, that is causing his emotions to be so close to the surface? Is there anything causing it, or is it just a completely different take by Morrison?

- the juxtaposition of Batman running to hide in Arkham with his reminiscences of going to the movies with his parents, and of being rebuked by his mother after Bambi and then having her taken away from him after Zorro really accentuates the fractured psyche of Bruce Wayne/Batman. If he were to let go of his war against crime, he could easily become a madman, lost within the confines of his own broken mind.

- The way McKean draws the Joker in close-up - with those tiny pupils and the sea of red surrounding his eyes - is just creepy, disturbing in a manner the Joker's never been before.

- The house of cards built with Two-Face's new decision-making device (Dr. Adams having moved Two-Face from his coin, to a 6-sided die, to this deck of taro cards with 78 possibilities for making a decision) is a visual symbol of what has happened to his psyche (how fragile it is) and foreshadows what will happen to his rehabilitation (it will fall/fail)

- Arkham's discovery of his wife's and daughter's bodies is devastating, and this is accentuated by the artwork, awash in red. Also, the fact that it occurs on April 1, enhances the connection between this past narrative and the present, while also accentuating the thread of madness carried throughout the history of this house.

- Arkham taping over the mirror in his study to do away with the laughter he hears in the empty cells of the Elizabeth Arkham Asylum is very telling and relates to Batman's run-in with the Mad Hatter, while more importantly symbolizing the very real fear of being "at home" in the asylum that Batman/Bruce Wayne has.

- the manner in which Dave McKean draws all of these villains goes against any rendition of them before, and allows he and Morrison to create something completely different with this book. It's refreshing, if morbid.

- The confrontation between Batman and Killer Croc, overwritten by the excerpts from Arkham's journal, just heightens the futility of Batman's war on crime. He can never win, because there will always be more of them than him, and because, given the right set of circumstances, he could become one of them just as easily as they all did.

- One could argue that Morrison almost overplays his authorial hand – it can certainly be argued whether he overwrites these scenes, I’d be interested in others’ thoughts

– with the parallels between Arkham and Bruce Wayne - particularly the tragedy of their close relationships between their mothers being taken away a too early a time.

- The bat pursuing Arkham's mother is yet another thread that passes through the history of this house. In 1920 Elizabeth Arkham, in her madness, was pursued by the apparition of a bat, while in the present, all of the really crazy inmates have been pursued by Batman for years.

- When Batman says, "I . . I'm just a man," is that an image of Jesus in the background? If so, it accentuates the reality that he is not just a man, as Jesus was not just a man.

- Batman being taken by Dr. Cavendish is the symbolic lowpoint of Batman’s journey in this book, right before his redemption, which begins:

- When Batman realizes that his madness is his drive to keep fighting against these madmen, and it is that drive, that madness, that makes him strong, and makes him who he is. Madness drives the Batman.

- And Harvey Dent's final decision is the one true decision he's been able to make for years. Somehow, he made a conscious choice not to follow what the coin said. But this breakthrough can't last. Why?

Busy

So,

Haven't been able to update here as often as I'd like. The end of the month, Dan and I will be in Reading, PA for the Comic Geek Speak Super Show. Tim Truman, Sean Murphy, Tony Moore, and others will be in attendance. And it's such a nice, intimate show that the chance to get face time with these creators is easy.

We will have the collection there - regular $24.95 for 254 pages, Super Show Special: $20 - along with individual issues, discounted as well. And I've been working on a line of chapbooks collecting my comic and prose stories, some of which have been published in W27 with new, unpublished stories. Most of these will be between 28 and 40 pages, 8.5" x 5.5" (1/2 Letter size), with cardstock covers, each for between $1.00 and $2.00 (I haven't finished up the formatting, so I don't know my final cost yet, but I'll share that information when I have it).

Here are a couple of those covers:



I'm using the same basic imagery for each chapbook - with a variety of cover and text colors to differentiate the volumes - as a branding device. This image is also on my business cards and my avatar for those few bulletin boards I frequent. I'll also be offering these here for sale once I've got them finished up.

AND, I have begun guest-blogging at In the Mouth of Dorkness, initially offering up a series on whether we should follow the creator or the character when making comic buying choices. I'm not sure how long this will go, but each installment should go up on Mondays - the first one is here and the newest one should be up sometime today - and after that, I have a number of ideas I'm going to examine for friends Brad & Matt (purveyors of the "Dorkness" blog).

I'm pretty excited about this. It's been fun so far. And I'll be re-running those pieces here, roughly a month after initial publication. Check it out here or there, and let me know what you think on the subject.

Now, back to formatting some chapbooks and finishing up those covers.

thanks,
chris

Comic Talk ™: FLASHPOINT part II

So, yesterday I discussed the upcoming DC event, Flashpoint, and my less than ecstatic feelings toward it. This, despite the fact that I am a diehard Flash fan, paricularly the Barry Allen version, and I appreciate Geoff Johns's writing. But, it all feels forced. Like DC is going for another money grab.


Anyway. I posted my feelings - more a rant than anything - on the CGS boards (my rant having been sparked by their discussion of Flashpoint in one of the episodes last week) and David D., one of the moderators, called me on my diatribe. And he was right. So, it got me thinking a bit more about why I'm so irritated with Flashpoint, when I would expect to be excited. This is what came of that:

First, I responded to David's analysis of my post - which can be seen in yesterday's post.

Definitely a fair reading of my rant. And, ultimately, not what I hoped to get across.

I guess the problem I've had is the cavalier manner in which DC has been announcing all these mini-series (And, if DC did this same announcing of title with Blackest Night, my lack of vitriol against that event would be because Green Lantern was so far off my radar, I didn't even pick up Blackest Night until issue 5, after hearing the CGS guys talking about it). I do have a problem with the manner in which DC and Marvel deluge the market with titles, which seems to me a tactic they use to push out smaller publishers' books from the shelves. I understand it as a business tactic, but I am a person who takes issue with the corporate mindset in any endeavor.

I also understand I don't need to pick up any of these ancillary titles. I read Siege without any of the crossovers and did the same with Infinite Crisis. And the deluge of crossover titles does not mean they will be crap (I enjoyed a number of the BN minis, as stated above). That was a poor choice of words. I've read nothing about what this event or these books will entail, and have only read a list of creators in various threads, which leads me to believe that many of the books have a good chance of being better than average. So, no, crap isn't a fair descriptor.

A major reason I expect I will pass on Flashpoint will be my budgetary constraints. But, ultimately, I seriously expect not to buy any of the Flashpoint books (the Perez book excepted, but my plan is to seek it out in cheap bins or ebay) because I don't want to support these sprawling crossover events.

He replied:

Fair enough.

I do wonder- and this is a real question, not just a rhetorical challenge- what specifically has struck you as cavalier about the way that these titles have been announced (and now solicited)?

Which got me thinking more deeply about the topic.

Probably just a personal bias coupled with the fact that I really have not read anything about them, just that 15 mini-series are going to be published for Flashpoint. It feels like overkill. Combine that with DC canceling titles while announcing these 15 series, and it feels like they're just eating their own tail.

To be fair, Blackest Night really was no different. They only had 7 mini-series, plus the month of resurrected titles, but they also crossed into at least 8 regular titles for two or more issues.

(Are there plans for Flashpoint to cross into regular titles, or are these minis taking the place of those?)

I guess it's just the vantage point from where I'm standing. With BN, it wasn't even on my radar until halfway through the main book. So I wasn't paying attention to any of the lead-in to Blackest Night. And I did pick up some of the ancillary titles, including some GL books, which helped because the story did seem to weave in and out of the main book. If I am remembering correctly, some plot points were made outside the main mini-series, correct?

With Flashpoint, I was very excited for the announcement. Flash, particularly Barry Allen, is my go-to superhero. I want to see what's happening with him. But, if I'm going to need to read some other books besides the main series (and it is very possible I don't need to, but I can't count on that after Final Crisis and BN - again, correct me if I'm wrong in thinking major plot points were shared outside the main BN book), I don't want to be forced to do that, and my budget won't allow for that.

I don't know if that answers your question. Basically, it's the different vantage point from which I am approaching this event, and probably the reality that I have an emotional investment with this character that goes back to when I first started reading comics (we're closing in on three decades now) that has really gotten my panties in a bunch.

And, ultimately, Brian Hibbs – owner of Comix Experience in San Francisco - in a later episode in the week, put it more succinctly than I did. The problem with Flashpoint is that it looks very, very much like Blackest Night, with all the tie-ins. But Blackest Night evolved naturally from the very beginning of Geoff Johns’s run on Green Lantern, while this Flash event feels very forced, as if they are trying to recreate the success of Blackest Night (a character who’s just below the first tier heroes, written by Geoff Johns, with numerous tie-ins to the main mini-series, crossing through the DC universe).

Flashpoint feels cynical, while Blackest Night felt story-driven. And that’s what really has me irritated and disappointed with this event. An event that includes my favorite character. And one I will probably not pick up.

chris