What It Is - week ending 9 November [2014]

With apologies to Dave the Thune.

WRITING:

Every day.  1000 words.  That’s the goal.

Got back on track with the novel this week, which was nice.  I was afraid, after being away for a week, that it might be difficult to get into the swing of it (so many of the issues I have with writing stem from a need for routine and repetition, and putting aside a narrative for a few days can seriously hamper me, at least during that initial return to the work), but I was pleasantly surprised.  As with most scenes, I had a set idea of where things were going, but – though the overall story remained on course – the characters veered off-track just enough to surprise me and infuse the scene with a bit more drama and engagement for readers, I hope.  Regardless, it’s always fun to be writing, having the words move along the way I’d anticipated, and then, all of a sudden, have one character respond in a manner I had not considered – but it works, within the story and for the character.  Those moments are exhilarating.  Of course, then the question becomes, will it hold up when I start revisions.  Who knows?  But, for now, I’m really enjoying the story – so, that’s a big plus.  And I know, for sure, that this idea has legs and will fill out a novel nicely. 

Got a nice response to something I wrote a week back.  In the “What It Is” for the week ending 2November, I wrote a quick review of “Daddy” by Josh Simmons & James Romberger (published by Oily Comics).  Without warning, I received a pdf preview of Romberger’s next project, THE LATE CHILDAND OTHER ANIMALS, a graphic memoir written and colored by Marguerite Van Cook (Romberger’s partner), adapted and drawn by Romberger, and published by Fantagraphics the end of this month.  I haven’t found the time to read it yet, but I’m really looking forward to it.  Judging by his earlier work, including the aforementioned “Daddy” along with “Post York” and “7 Miles a Second,” I expect to enjoy the experience.  And, if you’re a fan of intelligent and engaging comics, seek out Romberger’s work and check out his site.  I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. 

READING:

Finished GONE GIRL this week.  I appreciated how well Gillian Flynn was able to examine her characters and convey this through her prose.  It was impressive.  And the plot twists were well played, putting her main characters into binds that seemed hopeless.  Then she would pull another rabbit out of her hat, up the tension while releasing them from one prison, only to push them into another, more devastating one.  Gone Girl was a totally engaging book, especially the first 85% of it.  With the final twists, I found the character motivations wanting – just a bit.  One might be able to explain it away as these outsized characters going “all in,” and be satisfied with that explanation, but there was something about the final motivations driving the two main characters toward the end of the book that didn’t sit right with me, as far as them being genuine human responses to what had gone before.  That said, it was a good thriller but not a book that will stay with me like Stoner or Age of Innocence. 

Read NIJIGAHARA HOLOGRAPH, by Inio Asano and published by Fantagraphics.  This was an amazing manga.  Similar in tone and structure to David Lynch’s films, I was blown away by it, so much so that I had to write about it.  Check that review out here.  

Continuing through Bakuman – I’m on volume 15 right now – and still loving it.  I also started reading the collection Batman: Strange Apparitions, which reprints the noteworthy Detective Comics run of Steven Englehart, Marshall Rogers, and Terry Austin (with the first two issues, before Rogers jumps in, from penciler Walt Simonson and inker Al Milgrom, who muddies Simonson’s beautifully delicate linework).  It’s some crazy, overwritten, but eminently enjoyable fun, with beautiful art from the Rogers/Austin team.  And, to be frank, looking at the image of the Joker on the back cover – though I don’t remember where I would have seen it (possibly in one of those “Greatest Stories” collections) the Rogers/Austin rendition is a seminal Joker for me.  Great work. 

MISCELLANY:

I’m a member of the Comics Experience Creators’ Workshop, an online resource for aspiring comic writers and artists to work on their stories and art, get feedback from professionals and other members, and to discuss craft in a safe environment.  Created by Andy Schmidt, it really is a great place, and there are a lot of books coming out from members – especially now that Comics Experience and IDW have initiated a publishing agreement.

But another member whom I’ve gotten to know fairly well on the boards, Don McMillan, has a new e-book out.  KIBBLES ‘N’ BOTS is about a Boston terrier puppy who believes she can become a superhero, after finding her owner’s comic books, and must battle bank robbing robots in this adventure.  But what of the true plans of the robots’ leader, Bad Boss?  It’s available for the Kindle, and at only $2.99, a bargain.  Can’t wait to check it out. 

SIGN OFF:

Another week down.  Thanksgiving is fast approaching, which means Christmas is right around the corner.  And that means I need to start thinking about letters from Santa – which is obviously a topic for another time.  As always, check out my friends - Brad & Matt and Don McMillan (see above) for their own weekly recaps on things comic-y and geeky, and we'll see what's what in seven.  

Ciao.

OCTOBER COMICS Frankenstein by Steve Niles & Scott Morse

A few years back, Steve Niles started a series of “Little Books of Horror” through IDW. They were slim, 48-page adaptations of classic horror stories. Niles wrote the adaptations with a number of distinct artists providing illustrations. Ted McKeever provided art for “The War of the Worlds,” Richard Sala did so for “Dracula,” and Scott Morse drew the single volume I own, “Frankenstein.”

I re-read this book just the other night, and, although it was a quick read, I enjoyed it thoroughly. Niles manages to encapsulate the entirety of Shelley’s novel with an economical use of prose. True to the source material, he includes bits that are often overlooked in other adaptations, and I applaud him for this.

It is a great challenge to boil down a novel to a few hundred words, and yet, Niles manages to do just that. Obviously, readers do not get the nuance and more fully-realized narrative that can be found in Shelley’s novel through this 48-page graphic novel. But, if one is already familiar with the book, a faithful adaptation such as this ignites the memory of the original’s reading. And, if one has not read Frankenstein before, this is a great introduction to a classic of literature that could, very easily, spur one on to go and read the original.

The big draw for this book, though, is the lush painting of Scott Morse. He provides richly imagined pieces, full of color and design and symbolism, and adds so much to Niles’s adaptation. Between readings of this book, I have often pulled it from my shelf and slowly leafed through it, studying the artistry of Morse. Somehow, his animation style fused with his sense of color manages to evoke the very genuine emotions that are to be found in the source material.

And it is a very distinct book that feels and reads like little else in comics – or prose, for that matter. This is mainly why I appreciate Scott Morse’s work so much. He – like Paul Pope or Kate Beaton or James Owen – prefer to carve out their own niche in this medium doing challenging work that stands out among the soulless “house styles” found in many of the “mainstream” comics on stands today (not that this is unique to current comics). If you love great art and can appreciate the skill necessary to create such a faithful adaptation in so few words, then this is a book you should seek out.

And if you do choose to read this book in a dimly lit room as the moon falls behind the swaying trees outside your window, you just might hear the monster crying off in the distance, and you may need to pull another blanket up close to your chin, just to keep the cold away.

chris

What I'm Reading: Strange Science Fantasy, Captain Swing, Daredevil: Black & White

Due to a number of circumstances - including being out of work for a number of months and winding down my current job, which is only temporary - I have cut way back on my comic buying, which was slim to begin with. Combined with my fiscal reality, I was also feeling burnt out on comics, reading many things that were not staying with me. Nothing seemed to resonate, drowning under the weight of my pile.

I did keep with a very few series - having ordered up to issue #49 of Ex Machina, it would have been foolish to forego the final issue that wrapped up the entire series (though that one felt rushed and unfinished). And there are some creators whose work I won't pass up barring the most dire of economic realities (Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman, Los Bros Hernandez, and Scott Morse are my Mt. Rushmore of creators).

Which brings me to three of the best comics I have read in a long, long time. These books all came out recently and have made me more excited about reading comics than I've been for a while. These are books I will most definitely re-read at some point down the line (most likely many times, they are that good).



First, I picked up the initial issue of Warren Ellis's latest (or one of his latest) mini series from Avatar. I enjoy Ellis as a creator and his Avatar books have been particularly enjoyable. William Christensen, the publisher, gives his creators free reign to write and draw the books they want to do that the mainstream publishers won't do, and Avatar pays a comparable rate to that of the big guns. Which means we get undistilled Ellis, Ennis, Moore, et al. and it's more often than not brilliant. Though, Ignition City - one of Ellis's recently finished Avatar books - left me wanting more, a lot more. The art was serviceable and the story didn't excite me like his initial notes for the project as they were put forth on his now-defunct e-mailing, Bad Signal. So, I stopped pre-ordering his series and figured I would just stay away.

But I was in my LCS the other day and saw the first couple issues on the rack. The cover is gorgeous, and I decided to pick up the first one to see if it caught my imagination. And it did. Set in 1830s England, the old stable of constabulary and the new one are at odds with one another as a new villain wreaks havoc in London. Coined "Spring-Heeled Jack" this criminal utilizes electricity to propel himself over the rooftops in order to escape his adversaries while sailing off in an electrical pirate ship to his lair - all before the births of Tesla or Marconi. This series promises to tell the secret history of London as shown in the periodic journal pages from Captain Swing's (Spring-Heeled Jack's) journal. It's an interesting concept that involves a number of favorite tropes of mine including historical references and a science fiction feel that is as new as it is "retro," and I am looking forward to the eventual trade of this series.

I need also note that Raulo Caceres, who collaborated with Ellis on Crecy, is an artist whose work is worth seeking out. His attention to detail and flair for comic storytelling is fantastic and is perfect for this story. Lots of fun, good "Ellis-ian" ideas, and a mystery hanging at the edges that I look forward to seeing resolved.



The second book I picked up this past week was something I noticed in Previews when I was on CGS a couple months back - Daredevil: Black and White. 32, ad-free pages of b&w goodness. This is a Daredevil book you can sink your teeth into. Ann Nocenti returns (her run in the eighties with JRJr is a high point for me and one of the treasures in my personal collection) with a short prose story with spot illustrations by David Aja (from DD #500). It's perfectly moody and brooding as Matt toils with the realities of his life as a super-sensitive costumed hero. With wonderfully lucid prose that really get into the psyche of Matt Murdock and moody artwork reminiscent of David Mazzucchelli, perhaps the best DD artist in the book's history, this is worth the price of the book alone.

But there are two other stories hidden within. The second one I have yet to read, but the opening salvo from Peter Milligan and artist Michele Bertilorenzi is another brilliant feature. In it, Milligan asks, what would Matt Murdock do if offered the ability to regain his sight, and how would that affect him as Daredevil? It's a poignant tale that gets to the heart of who Matt Murdock is, and is one I want to re-read soon. It's that good, and the art complements the story nicely. Again, this one's worth admission price alone.



The final book is one I've been looking forward to since Scott Morse first mentioned it on his blog last year. Strange Science Fantasy. Morse is taking the 1950s science fiction tropes found in films and Marvel comics of the time (before they were Marvel, I know) and playing with them in his own distinct manner. Morse is a creators who always brings a sense of fun to his stories while also being able to tell stories that are meaningful as well. He jumps from genre to genre with ease, and I'll follow his work anywhere.

This series is from IDW and the first 2 of 6 issues are already available. Each book is 32 pages with no ads and a 1-page back up from Paul Pope. Getting these two artists into the same book is a joy for any comic fan. If you like campy sci-fi and fun comics, then you should check out this beauty. Guaranteed, you will not be disappointed.

chris