WHAT IT IS, week ending 4.14.2019

School vacation week is upon us, for my little guy, and in a couple days we'll be winging our way to NYC, from Maine, with a trio of friends.  Sox @ Yanks one night, Aaron Sorkin's adaptation of Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird" the next, with some walking exploration of the city, including stops at the Public Library and MoMA (to see Van Gogh's "Starry Night," as requested by our son), among other hotspots, this should be a fun, if quick, time away.  I can't wait!

But, for now, it's time to look back at the week that was.  Let's have at it!


WRITTEN MATERIAL --

Space Crusaders #1: Rex Dexter of Mars, by Christopher Mills & Peter Grau:

Christopher Mills (Leonard Nimoy's Primortals; Femme Noir) has been working in comics for a couple of decades now, and he's finally taken his sensibilities and overlaying them onto older, public-domain characters, in order to create and "Atomic Pulp" universe filled with exciting adventures stories in a hybridization of 1970s comics and classic pulp magazines.  His initial foray is a 40-page space extravaganza, with art from Peter Grau (Valiant's original run of "Magnus Robot Fighter" and "Solar, Man of the Atom," among others), starring Rex Dexter of Mars, and it's wonderful!

This is what an adventure comic should be!  The first thing you notice is the art from Grau.  His linework is sharp and uncluttered, reminiscent of classic comic illustrators like George Pérez or Jim Aparo, and his storytelling is clear while also being dramatic.  The guy can draw, and you never feel lost.  There's definitely something to be said for classic panel layouts with clear delineation.  And the writing--it's top-notch.  Mills gives us all the information we need without it feeling forced or stilted, and the narrative zips along at a crisp pace, providing plenty of action interspersed with just enough downtime to allow readers a quick breather before being propelled along to the next bit of adventure.  Comics can be fun and exciting and engaging without being angsty or overly serious, and Mills understands this fully.  (Not that we need to get rid of these modern approaches, it would just be nice to have more variety.)

If you enjoy fun comics and have a soft spot for adventure, you should definitely check this out.  And keep an eye out for Mills's future offerings from Atomic Pulp, I expect they will be just as enjoyable, too.


INSPIRATION(s) --

Alex de Campi is a music video director and writer, whose comic work includes SMOKE and NO MERCY, both of which are great books.  Check them out. 
Also, you should check out de Campi on twitter where she dispenses writing advice all the time, and it's always good.  This week was another case in point, regarding this.  I shared some screenshots of what she had to say.  You can check it out here . . . or probably just scroll down to the next post, where you should find it. 

MUSIC TO WRITE BY --

Vivaldi's Four Seasons:

Specifically, his Concerto No. 4 in F Minor, "Winter."  I actually came to this work through Netflix's original series, Chef's Table, which is a wonderful docuseries that isn't only about food and food preparation by some of the world's greatest chefs, but it's also a travel show, as the focus is on the chef and their surroundings and life as much as it is about the food.  One of mine and my wife's favorite shows, this piece is the theme music opening every episode.  Its vibrant tempo really enlivens me, helping me to write, but its association with Chef's Table also makes me happy, invigorating my fingers as they skip across the keyboard.  Just brilliant!





ON WRITING --

Made my way through chapter 9, in the revision of the novel, which dropped me below 400 pages on the first draft that are left to rework, which means I have revised 130 pages, translating them into 113.  From a word-count standpoint, I've taken 38,000 words and boiled them down to just under 30,000.  At this rate, I should have a 2nd draft that comes in around 110,000 words.  Not bad, but not exactly where I want to land.  It would be nice to dip below 100K.  With roughly that many words to work with, as I push toward the end, it shouldn't be too difficult to get to where I need to be.  We'll see, maybe those final 10,000 will have to be sheared off with the 3rd draft.

Superman '86 -- Jerry Ordway's The Man

I've been on a nostalgia kick for quite a few months now, and it's been great.  Reading classic comics, watching old movies and television shows, stuff that I loved, and still love.  And, surprisingly, a lot of this holds up well, upwards of thirty years hence.

                                              

In 1986, DC had a big initiative--post-Crisis on Infinite Earths, through the use of the Legends miniseries--restarting many of their trademark comics, including the Flash, the Justice League, Wonder Woman, and Superman.  DC hired some well-known writers and artists to revamp many of these titles, along with some lesser-known creators, and, for me, it all worked amazingly well.  I did a purge of my collection years ago, and, for the most part, all of these titles stayed in the longboxes, a combination of nostalgia and the staying power of these books.

                                       

Of course, the flagship character for DC comics, and some might argue for comics in general, is Superman.  And the Man of Steel was not exempt from the revamp.  DC went all-in, hiring John Byrne--if not the most popular artist working at that time, he was at least in the top 3--away from Marvel Comics to herald their prime character.  Byrne took over Superman, rebooting with issue #1, and Action Comics, the title that started it all.  They were good, at the time, but the luster has dulled on Byrne's comics, for me.  I tried reading some of these, and just put them aside without completing a single story.

                                        

But the third title--Adventures of Superman--from writer, Marv Wolfman, and artist, Jerry Ordway, has been a fun title to revisit.  The stories are fun, and Wolfman's exposition goes down far more easily than Byrne's, but the biggest take away, for me, has been how much I appreciate Ordway's rendition of Superman (and, in general, Ordway's rendition of any comic book hero).  He, like my favorite Superman artist Jon Bogdanove, draws a muscular, bulky Superman, but one that feels anatomically correct, who does not overwhelm the panels too much (he needs to overwhelm a little, come on, he's Superman).  Also, Ordway never skimps on backgrounds, and despite having some high-panel pages, the storytelling remains clear and crisp, with none of it becoming muddled in the art.  It's a master class on comic storytelling.

                                    

Byrne has become a legend--making his name in the 80s alongside George Perez, Frank Miller, and Walter Simonson, as the four big names working in comics at the time--but, for me, Ordway will always be the man when it comes to rendering the "new" Man of Steel for DC Comics in the middle of that decade.

-chris

Ultimate Marvel Team-Up - mixing fun with your superheroes

I don't buy any monthly comics from the "Big 2" (Marvel and DC) anymore and have not for a few years now.  And I buy very few collections, if any (mainly I will borrow things through the library, but I did break down and get the Kirby Kamandi omnibi and will indeed be getting the new Sandman series by Neil Gaiman & JH Williams III).  The reasons for this require a longer posts - or series of posts - but I don't feel like going into that right now, so let's just call this a preamble and get on with it.

Superheroes are supposed to be fun. Sure, there's room for angst and gritty and serious (just like there's room for tropical and wild berry and tart-n-tangy in the Skittles family), but there's a sense of wonder that is built into the genre and is part of what makes it distinct, in my opinion.  And that sense of wonder is part of why I read superhero comics, and part of why I was, and am, more a DC guy than a Marvel guy.

That said, one of the comics from the past decade that I find myself returning to, and a run I finally completed at last year's CGS Super Show, is Ultimate Marvel Team-Up (surprise! you never saw that coming, did you?).  I bought the first 8 issues off the rack, when they were first published, and have no idea why I did not keep up with the series, at the time.  But it is great.

Initially, I was drawn to the series because of the run of artists on the book - open with Matt Wagner, followed by Phil Hester & Ande Parks, then Mike Allred, Bill Sienkiewicz (SIN-KEV-ITCH!), John Totleben, et al. - but I was also a fan of Bendis's having read some of his early crime books as well as some short stories in Negative Burn.  And this book gives me what I want from a superhero comic - wall to wall fun (I think that Sienkiewicz mini-run is probably rather dour, but Bendis would still have Ultimate Peter Parker throwing quips along with webs).  Bendis is just having a blast with these stories and the art is phenomenal.  All of the artists bring their A-game, and the diverse styles only add to the luster of this series, for me.  

Ultimate Marvel Team-Up is a premiere book, and it's too bad it stopped publication before its time.  Though, maybe that's a good thing, because the 16 issues + special are some stellar examples of good, fun superhero comics.

chris

OCTOBER COMICS: Hellboy

This time of year I always dig into my longboxes or go to my shelf for something appropriate to the season. Recently, I’ve been re-reading some of the early Hellboy collections by Mike Mignola – Wake the Devil and Chained Coffin & Others, to be precise.

It’s been a while since I’ve read any Hellboy, and I had forgotten how great this series is. Mignola really seems to be having fun with these stories. He packs so much action, fantasy, folklore, and fun into these tales that it really is a wonder to behold. Even through pages of talking heads and exposition, Mignola makes it interesting – whether it’s the cadence of a character’s speech or just the fanciful nature of the dialogue – and I find it completely engaging.

Even with the emphasis on plot and the fantastical elements of these narratives, Mignola doesn’t forget about the characters. He knows Hellboy and Abe and Liz and all the others, and he plays them off each other well. It would be easy for the story to trump the characterization, but Mignola manages to balance things and has me wondering where he went with all of these great characters.

And has an artist ever been more suited for the stories being told? The way Mignola paints his blacks (with apologies to the Rolling Stones) and the manner in which he delineates the ancient architecture all adds to the atmosphere of these tales. The imagery has a gothic feel to it that is perfectly suited to the narratives, along with being pitch-perfect for this world Mignola has created.

If you want something haunting and exciting for this autumnal season, you would have trouble doing any better than Mike Mignola’s Hellboy. After re-reading these older books, I am now going to seek out the later volumes to see where he has taken “the big red guy” and the rest of the BPRD, and I cannot wait.

chris

OCTOBER COMICS: A Glimpse of Crime & Terror

It’s October, which means I have an obligation (self-made though it may be) to recommend some cool “autumnal” comic fare (i.e. horror comics in honor of Halloween)

Anything Scott Morse is involved with gets my attention. He is one of those cartoonists – like Los Bros Hernandez or Frank Santoro – whose work I will buy without hesitation. Since he landed at Pixar, his comics work has been rather limited. So, when I read online about him and Steve Niles doing something together, I was interested.

The series – co-created and co-owned by Niles and Morse – is called Crime & Terror. Morse described the book on his blog as a book where he and Steve can create the stories they want. In his initial post, Morse wrote that Crime & Terror would have an over-arching narrative following detective Mike Fallon, along with a number of short stories – both prose and comic – in whatever genre they chose – sci-fi, horror, noir, whatever. I’m a sucker for great anthologies, and when you have creators of this caliber writing and drawing whatever they want – I’m in!

As a teaser, Niles and Morse have created a limited edition oversized board book of A Glimpse of Crime & Terror that includes two short stories. I read this a couple of weeks back and thoroughly enjoyed it. Morse’s artwork and storytelling are spot-on here, and the stories were novel for the fact that they weren’t what I was expecting.

I expected a crime story and a horror story, but instead, Morse and Niles offer a mash-up of these two genres, and it works amazingly well. The plots hearken back to noir films of the 50s – with the requisite sprinkling of the fantastic and zombified accents. They aren’t necessarily world-shattering. But the beauty of this book is in the way the stories are told. Despite the “dark” nature of these two genres, there’s a fun aspect to this book that is never missing in anything Scott Morse does. I imagine it has a lot to do with the animation style Morse incorporates. His work is distinct, and, despite the “cute” aspects of his art, Morse continues to exhibit a range in genre and tone that is remarkable.

And, if you order this limited preview, each copy will be signed by Morse. So get on it.

The regular book will be a series of 80-page hardcovers, and I cannot wait for the first one to drop. Be on the lookout, because these are going to be some fun, entertaining, and well done comics.

-chris

PLAYING CATCH UP: BLUE BEETLE SHELLSHOCKED

I was introduced to Cully Hamner’s artwork with his professional debut on Green Lantern: Mosaic, longer ago than Hamner might like to admit (I kid). I remember finding his art to be raw and energetic but not as refined as I might have liked. Forgive me, I was young. But it stood out because it was different, and Hamner’s name was registered in the back of my mind.

Over the years, I’ve appreciated watching Hamner grow as an artist. His uncluttered linework exhibits a mastery of how to effectively tell a comic story. I loved his work with Greg Rucka on the Renee Montoya Question back-up feature they did in Detective Comics. So, when I noticed the Blue Beetle: Shellshocked collection in the UMaine library where I work, I took it out to see what this “new” Blue Beetle was like, before he became new again with the recent DC relaunch.

This book was great, and so much fun! I loved learning about Jaime Reyes and this new iteration of the Beetle. I enjoyed seeing him do his research into the legacy of the character, working to discover exactly what he might be in for. I appreciated the fact that this hero was Latino, and that the creators (Keith Giffen, John Rogers, Hamner, et al.) portrayed this reality without hammering away at the clichés that can quickly descend such a scenario into farce. It felt genuine, and I applaud the creators and DC Comics for trying to broaden the spectrum of heroes within “mainstream” comics with this character.

One of the best things about this opening collection is the fact that Jaime, along with readers, is learning about his new powers as the story progresses. He isn’t adept at fighting – clumsily attacking some “men in black” at the Mexican border – and he knows very little about the armor that covers him when he manifests his Beetle powers. This adds authenticity to Jaime’s story, and makes readers sympathetic to his cause, while also providing interesting story possibilities.

Jaime’s interaction with his family, as well as that of his friends, provides a nice counter-balance to his new heroic persona. A good student, who is also a good person, Jaime feels different from other characters. It’s not just because of his ethnic background. Jaime is a real teenager, without the burden of personal tragedy that seems to be grafted onto most contemporary heroes. There is also a big question in his recent history that, I assume, had ramifications down the line in this series, but it is only hinted at in this first volume, and I’d rather not spoil it for anyone who might want to go back and check this out, as I did. It really adds a new dimension to Jaime’s character very early in his story.

And the art in this book – provided by Hamner, Cynthia Martin, Duncan Rouleau, Kevin West, Phil Moy, and Jack Purcell – is really lovely. Clean lines, dynamic cartooning, and work inspired by manga all add up to an energetic and fun read. If you like expressive artwork that tells a story well, this is a book for you.

My hope is that the new iteration of Blue Beetle in the DCnU retains the fun aspect this first volume exhibits. But for now, I would highly recommend checking this, and any subsequent volumes, out. I know I will.

chris

THE NEW DC (1984): Blue Devil

House ads back in 1984, with Crisis on Infinite Earths just around the corner, were proclaiming "The New DC. There's no stopping us now."

I wonder: Does the DCnU have anything as fun as this on their publishing schedule?



From what I've heard and read - no - but I wish they did.

Ah, well. There's always back issue bins.

-chris