The Pickytarian: February 2005 Archives

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February 25, 2005

Subway Reading: The Losers

This review contains minor story arc spoilers...

This review has been corrected. I had forgotten that Jock, the regular artist for this series, had been replaced by Ben Oliver for this arc.

Losers #21 - Ben Oliver can lay out a page like nobody's business. Viewed out of the context of a comic story, each page is still an example of dynamic and engaging graphic design. But more impressive is the way that he smoothly directs the reader through the harsh angles and borderless panels. If storytelling wasn't an issue, it would be a lot easier to set up a page that works together as one cohesive visual unit. Oliver shows the impressive and rare ability to simultaneously achieve both goals.

This two-dimensional perfection, however, comes at the cost of the three-dimensional story mechanics. Sometimes characters are distractingly shifted around on the "stage" from panel to panel. One example is the next-to-last page. Panel 1: Bank Woman and Mystery Man are sitting at a desk in an office. Panel 2: Clay almost enters the room; he is positioned outside the doorway. Panel 3: Closeup on Clay's face; he is surprised to see Mystery Man. Panel 4: Mystery Man has risen from his chair and punches Clay in the face. Clay tumbles backwards, falling over the chair in which Mystery Man had just been seated. How did Clay get from the doorway to the desk? During his surprised moment in panel 3? Between panels? It's not clear. There are a couple of other weird flubs, such as Clay smacking somebody with a laptop that had been in Aisha's hands up to that point. The very first page features somebody using a camera phone to see a person standing behind him. For this trick to work, the lens would have to be on the same side of the camera as the screen. As far as I know, the lens is always on the other side of the phone. All of these are minor nit-picks of course, and they shouldn't take away from Oliver's awesome drawings and compositions. On the other hand, the net effect of this many mistakes was that I could never really settle into the flow of the story.

Something else that keeps knocking me out of the flow of this story is Aisha's new sex-kitten personality. It's so blatantly out of character that I have trouble believing that Clay buys it. Or maybe he does buy it and he's just playing along to see what she is up to? If that is the case, I kind of feel like the reader should be let in on his suspicions. As it is, I'm just very confused by the whole endeavor. If she is being genuine, then I have to call out writer Andy Diggle for terrible characterization. If she's faking it, though, Clay would have to be the biggest knucklehead on two feet not to see through it. Am I the only person who is bothered by this?

Art-wise and story-wise, this book struck me as a great effort that was undermined by a few too many rough edges. A little editorial attention would have gone a long way in this case. 2.5 stars.

Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 05:02 PM | Comments (4)

February 24, 2005

Subway Reading: Seven Soldiers of Victory

Seven Soldiers of Victory #0 - In his recent run on JLA Classified, Grant Morrison dropped that little nugget about Batman's "sci-fi closet," where the caped crusader keeps his various boom tubes and other cosmic devices. "Don't tell my friends in the G.C.P.D.," Batman says with a wink, acknowledging the uncomfortable juxtaposition of his JLA cosmic adventures and his street-level urban crime-fighting. In this prelude to his year-long Seven Soldiers epic, Morrison delves even further into the narrative difficulties that are created by market-driven editorial decisions such as sending Batman into outer space or putting him on the Justice League. The character of Shelly "Whip(?)" Gaynor expresses her motivations for leaving her "morally ambiguous urban vigilante" life behind to join a super-team and try to save the universe: the thrills aren't enough anymore. These characters are pulled through their fictional lives by the publishers, creators, and fans who want to see Batman in a spaceship, blowing up a rogue Superman with a Kryptonite missile, narrative logic be damned. The reader needs to fill in the blanks with rationalizations and justifications for the silliness of the entire charade. In Seven Soldiers, Morrison recognizes this conflict, points it out, and settles it nonetheless. This book is super-hero comics for the self-aware, post-post-modern, 21st-century fan that wants to have his cake and eat it too. I want the thrill of a kewl action scene, but I don't have much patience for one-dimensional characters that are oblivious of the contrived nature of their circumstances. "How do you know when you've become a super-hero and not just a crazy fetish-person with a death wish?" For the characters, there needs to be a difference, but in our heart of hearts, we readers don't want one without the other.

As he did in The Invisibles, Morrison delivers the visceral thrills along with the meta-textual commentary like nobody else can. I give him extra points for doing it in the context of this mega-crossover publishing "event." Much like the space-faring urban vigilante, the idea of seven related mini-series owes much more to the economics of comic publishing than narrative necessity. Rather than pretending that these external forces don't exist, Morrison revels in them and thereby renders them powerless. This is what sells the conceit of the whole thing to a jaded cynic like myself.

Without artist J.H. Williams III, of course, the entire endeavor could easily fall flat. As he has shown for years in the pages of Promethea, Williams is the go-to guy for meta-textual comic art. The very "infrastructure" of the comic page becomes a malleable tool in his hands. The meandering, fractal-like panels communicate the reality-altering nature of the story and characters that they contain. One of Will Eisner's most important lessons was not to take squared-off black and white panel borders for granted. It's not an easy task, but the artist who masters this technique has a very powerful tool at his disposal. The very first page uses a meticulously rendered, gnarled old tree trunk and limbs to divide the action into panels. This tree can be read on so many levels: as a representative member of the scene's physical setting; as a symbol of the generations-old mysteries that haunt the swamp; as a metaphor for the branching nature of reality with which the character is about to become acquainted.

Williams' mastery of storytelling is complemented by his knockout draftsmanship. The careful hatching and detailed pen work on the western vista scenes bring to mind the style of classic Western comic artist John Severin. The minimalist grace with which he depicts Gimmix communicates her classic glamour; in fact it places her a little too far back in time, which is spot-on perfect considering the "slightly past her prime" nature of the character. There are not many other comic artists who can give the viewer so much information in so many clever ways.

Honestly, I could probably sit here and ramble on all day about how much there is to love about this book. After I re-read the comic, I will probably see a hundred other things that I have missed. The creators had some monstrous expectations to meet with this book. They exceeded every single one of them. 5 stars.

Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 11:30 AM | Comments (2)

February 23, 2005

Great Moments in Smoking History

...with apologies to Warren Ellis for stealing his "Great Moments" title.

Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 09:44 AM | Comments (4)

February 22, 2005

One Reason to Look Forward to 2006

This announcement from the "Beyond the DCU" panel at San Francisco's Wondercon:

Alan Moore and Kevin O’Neill are at work on The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen volume 3, with an eye on a 2006 release.

Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 03:56 PM

To Buy Or Not To Buy - This Week's New Releases

Losers #21 - I'm eager to see how Diggle wriggles (heh heh) his way out of the surprise development in last month's issue.

Seven Soldiers #0 - Could you describe the ruckus, sir? It sounds like... the comic book blogverse falling all over itself to love this book. I have to say that I'm right there with them, though I admit a sliver of trepidation because of the second-tier DCU heroes on which Seven Soldiers is going to focus. Of course, Grant Morrison and artist J.H. Williams III could do a series about the frigging Power Rangers and I would still buy it.

Sleeper Season 2 #9 - This has been a great series, but honestly I'm kind of glad that it is drawing to a close. Stretching it out to more than 24 issues would probably move the title into that "yes, there's an overall plot, but I don't care anymore" territory that The X-Files made famous.

Solo #3 - I love the idea of this series, but I wish they would do an issue with an artist that I really like. No offense to Tim Sale, Richard Corben, or Howard Chaykin, but I'm just not quite feeling these guys enough to plunk down the $6. If this is the Paul Pope issue, though, all bets are off...

Kingdom Come Planet Krypton Green Lantern Replica Ring Set $99.95 - Actually, forget it, Paul Pope. There's no room in the budget for Solo #3 and this. In fact I may forego all comics this week so that I can buy a two sets of Green Lantern Replica Rings, one for each hand.

Black Widow #6 - The final chapter of this not-great-but-better-than-expected limited series. If Bill Sienciewicz wasn't involved, I probably wouldn't have made it this far; but he is, and I did, and here we are. Look for all 6 issues coming soon to an eBay near you.

Fantastic Four #523 - Pour out a little liquor for Mark Waid & Mike Wieringo's run on FF. I've never read a J. Michael Straczynski comic that I liked, so I can't say that I will be hanging around after this. Factor in the upcoming creative change on Ultimate FF (Warren Ellis leaving in favor of Mark Millar) and I just may find myself without a monthly FF book to buy. I have heard a good word or two about the Marvel Knights FF, so maybe I will check that out...

Powers Vol 2 #9 - One week removed from calling Bendis "the industry's biggest hack," here I am buying another one of his comics. I kind of wish this book would go downhill too so that I can at least be consistent.

Spider-Man Human Torch #2 - I thought this was a one-shot. I'm not sure if it has the legs for more than one issue, but writer Dan Slott has built up plenty of credit with me so I'm there.

Strange #4 - I am buying this purely for the sake of selling the full series on eBay. The last issue was terrible, but I have come this far, and complete series sell much better than partial ones.

Ultimate Nightmare #5 - See Strange #4. Actually this series has had its moments, but I've had to slog through too much padding and too many delays to get to them. Hmmm, it seems really stupid to ride out TWO limited series that I don't like. And while complete limited series definitely sell better than incomplete ones, books with "Ultimate" in their title sell much better than books without it. Strange, I'm not liking your chances this week. It's funny how much thought I give to selling comic books for about 30 cents a piece.

X-23 #1 Ltd Ed Variant Cover - Barrel + Fish + Gun. I just don't have the heart.

X-Men #167 - Peter Milligan has written some great comics, but that last issue of X-Men was certainly not one of them. This isn't going to make the cut.

X-Men Phoenix Endsong #3 - This title has actually received some positive reviews... a TPB purchase may be in order.

BPRD The Dead #4 - Glee!

Conan #13 - More glee!

Scurvy Dogs Vol 1 Rags To Riches TP - If you missed out on this series the first time, I would definitely recommend this trade. It has more gags per page than should be legal. The naive art style was a bit off-putting at first, but you'll soon realize how well it complements the zany non-sequitir comedy. This book seems to have been made by and for people who love comics and their limitless capacity for the sublimely ridiculous.

Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 11:52 AM | Comments (2)

February 21, 2005

...and when he was too lazy to write a new post

...he linked to something that, in all likelihood, 95% of you have already seen:

HULK'S DIARY THAT IS ON THE INTERNET
This is my favorite post but the rest of it is worth reading, too.

Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 11:51 AM

February 18, 2005

Subway Reading: Runaways, Apocalypse Nerd, and Daredevil

Runaways Vol. 2 #1 - Grant Morrison, move over. Brain K. Vaughan has officially joined the illustrious ranks of comic book writers in whom I have implicit trust. Slap his name on the cover and you've got my three bucks. This book hummed along like a well-crafted piece of superhero goodness. I had some trepidation considering that I only read one issue of volume 1, but those fears turned out to be unfounded. This issue was extremely accessible without relying on excessive backstory exposition that would have put off the 17 people who read Volume I. It's similar to Young Avengers (in fact, one of the plot points is very similar to Young Avengers) in that it doesn't shatter genre conventions or break any new ground. But, like YA, it's a well-written superhero romp with snappy dialogue, an engaging plot, and inoffensive if unspectacular visuals. 4 stars.

Apocalypse Nerd #1 - "Playing it straight" is the new "funny." Who knew? Exhibit A: the afterschool-special "homelessness is sad" story that was Street Angel #4. Exhibit B: The relatively dry re-telling of Dickens' A Christmas Carol in The Goon #10. With Apocalypse Nerd #1, Peter Bagge gives us Exhibit C. The main story is set in the woods of the Pacific Northwest, and features a pair of buddies who are forced to rely on their survival skills after a nuclear blast destroys their home town of Seattle. The eccentric wackos that populated Bagge's previous works are nowhere to be found, and as unusual as the premise is, it's presented in a surprisingly sober manner. Even stranger are the historical back-up stories featuring Ben Franklin, John Quincy Adams, and other American historical figures. The back-cover one-pager ends with a "those wacky federalists!" line that gives the joke an ironic tone. The interior story, though, is a lot less silly than I would have liked. I guess the problem may have been more with my expectations than with the execution of this book. I wouldn't really want Bagge to spin his wheels and do the same comic book year in and year out. Still, it was disappointing to be left scratching my head instead of chuckling. It will be interesting to see how this series progresses, and whether or not I can get into the flow. 2.5 stars.

Daredevil #70 - As a young Pickytarian, one of the first things I learned to recognize in a comic book was a "cheap" ending. In fact, the very first superhero comic book that I ever bought was an issue of Amazing Spider-man that used one of the cheapest endings of all: that old "it was only a dream" chestnut. Though, to be fair, what did I expect from a book whose cover featured J. Jonah Jameson punching out Spider-man? I offer no such forgiveness to the latest Daredevil arc. This was the cheapest, laziest, easiest, lamest way for a story to end. Cheaper and lazier than Avengers: Disassembled. After stringing out this story for about 3.5 more issues than necessary, writer Brian Michael Bendis ends the whole thing with a conclusion that even the seventh-grade Pickytarian would not have used in one of his own derivative, half-traced, typing-paper crap-a-thons. Because of Alex Maleev's distinctive, evocative art, I was going to ride this Daredevil run out until it concludes at the end of the year. But now I don't think I can make it. In the last 12 months, Bendis has made a spectacular transition from one of the best writers in the business to one of its biggest hacks. He and Joe Quesada are laughing all the way to the bank on the strength of half-assed, intelligence-insulting money grabs like this one. The only thing more pathetic than these books is the fact that sheep like me have continued to buy them. It ends now. 1 star.

Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 10:49 AM | Comments (12)

February 17, 2005

Thick and Lustrous

Unfortunately I was way too busy with my civilian life today, and as a result I could not adequately fulfill my Pickytarianistic duties. I picked up a monster stack of books on Wednesday and I have at least one pithy comment about each... but they will have to wait.

Meanwhile, I will leave you with one of the many wonders that I have discovered about Denny O'Neill's and Neal Adams' Green Lantern/Green Arrow run from the early 70's. And that is the thick, lustrous hair that Adams and inker Dick Giordano lavished upon each and every one of their characters. From Hal Jordan's wavy mane to Ollie's bristly moustache flip-tips, these guys definitely knew their way around a bottle of conditioner. Enjoy...

Green Arrow & Green Lantern by Neal Adams

Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 10:40 PM

February 16, 2005

To Buy or To Buy and Buy and Buy?

Looks like I am going to spend about fifty thousand dollars on comics this week. Oy. Not sure how I'm going to break it to the missus that we are going to be eating Campbell's soup and hot dogs for the rest of the year.

100 Bullets #58 - A new TPB has to be on the way, right? Feels like forever since the last one. I do love this series dearly, but I rarely mention it because I wait for the trades. So... consider it mentioned.

Ex Machina #8 - I was happy to see the New York Times give this book a brief write-up on Monday. I like to think that I have a highly-tuned BS detector when it comes to depictions of New York City, and this title passes my test with flying colors. It's also a great example of super-hero literature that doesn't rely on smack-'em zowie action for its drama.

JLA Classified #4 - Everybody loves Keith Giffen's JL stuff, but I always kind of feel like I missed out on the jokes because I didn't read the original run.

Manhunter #7 - I don't think that anybody besides me and Precocious Curmudgeon are reading this series. I swear that I can hear the sound of a ticking clock while reading it. It adds a bit of drama, actually - you never know which issue may be the last! While I enjoyed the first arc, I am a little put off by the new one and its reliance on Identity Crisis, which I didn't read. There's a lot of competition this week, so P.C. just might be on his own with this one. A game time decision.

Ocean #4 - I bitch, I moan, I whine, and I complain about Warren Ellis' pacing. And yet here I am, hanging in there for the second half of this story. At least the preponderance of dialogue-free panels makes it that much easier to appreciate Chris Sprouse and Karl Story's understated, elegant art.

Son Of The Gun Vol 2 Saint TP - Oh man, that first chapter was REALLY good. I want this one bad but how can my budget withstand the pressure? Eeek...

Tom Strong #31 - I thought I was waiting for the trades with Tom Strong, but it seems as though I have bought the last 3 issues. Huh. Either way, I must account for 25% of the readership of this title. I'm thinking I will save my money and buy the third TPB, which came out last week. Another game timer.

Amazing Joy Buzzards #2 - What? A fun comic? Perish the thought! It's not the most polished effort in the world, but I'm happy to support this title and the energy and, well, joy that it radiates.

Astonishing X-Men #8 - And The Pickytarian's wheel of hypocrisy keeps on a-turnin'. If Milligan's X-Men had been better, I might have found another way to satiate my shameful little X-Men jones. But Joss Whedon's blockbuster series has been growing on me since he toned down the references to classic X-Men history. And Jesus Criminy, that John Cassady shore can make some purty pitchers.

Daredevil #70 - Let's see if Bendis can continue the reverse momentum that he amazingly established in the last issue. I've been reading the 60's Green Arrow/Green Lantern by Denny O'Neill, and marvelling at the "one-and-done" nature of those stories. Each issue contains as much plot as a 6-issue Bendis Daredevil arc. And they only cost FIFTEEN FRIGGING CENTS. Bah.

Livewires #1 - I'm torn. I'm glad to see Marvel creating new characters instead of slapping existing powers on some teenagers and calling it groundbreaking. But these are still teenagers. As Cedric the Entertainer put it: I'm a grown-ass man, dog. I can only take so much high-school hi-jinks. Give me something mature. I want to see grown men in tights shooting arrows with boxing gloves on the end, dammit!

Runaways Vol 2 #1 - See my comments for Livewires #1. I was one of the many comic fans who snubbed the first run of this book despite the unending praise that it received. Still, I think I may open my heart to these li'l tykes this time around, out of my ever-growing loyalty to Brian K. Vaughan. If only they would reprint the original run at a regular trim size on decent paper. Give my old-man eyes a break, why dontcha?

She-Hulk #12 - First Hard Time goes on "hiatus," and now She-Hulk. I suppose it's better than outright cancellation, but still. My monthly comic book joy factor has been reduced by 48 pages.

Apocalypse Nerd #1 - Peter Bagge! Peter Bagge! Peter Bagge!

Goon Vol 3 Heaps Of Ruination TP - That sound you hear is my weekly budget finally shattering under the weight of this week's must-buys.

Garth Ennis 303 #3 - Jacen Burrows is doing some nice artwork on this war story. Even better, sometimes it's not completely destroyed by the heavy-handed coloring. I swear that Avatar has a house style that demands an airbrush-tool highlight on every possible surface.

Robocop Wild Child #1 - I've always had a soft spot in my heart for Robocop. The movies were good (well, the first two at least), there have been some decent comics (track down Dark Horse's Robocop vs Terminator miniseries by Frank Miller and Walt Simonson if you don't believe me), and even the TV series... well, let's not mention the TV series. But, that last Avatar series was delayed into oblivion, and even when it did come out and I could discern from the variant-cover nightmare whether it was a new issue or not, artist Juan Jose Ryp's detail-mania combined with the aforementioned Avatar over-coloring to make it visually inscrutable. I'm going to take a look at this one, but the week is probably way too crowded for it to break through.

Queen & Country Declassified Vol 2 #1 - Another series that I never mention because I wait for the trades. So consider this one praised and recommended as well.

Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 10:44 AM | Comments (1)

February 15, 2005

100 of my favorite artists

It started with everybody's favorite cartoonist-blogger-funnybook fan Fred Hembeck posting his "100 Swell Things About Comics" from 1983, and soon it became a massive series of Valentine's Day love letters from blogland to comics. Everybody and their grandmother is listing 100 things that they love about comics (You can see a few examples here, here, and here).

As usual, I am showing up to the party late, bearing the wrong kind of gift. The one thing I love the most about comics is that it's one of the few remaining media that relies on drawing. Sixty years ago you could pick up a Sears catalog or an issue of Life Magazine and find dozens of illustrations. Technological advances in photography and printing eventually slowed that flood of drawings to a mere trickle. It wasn't that long ago that cel animation was the only game in town; the success of Pixar's and Dreamworks' digitally animated films has turned the technique that brought us Sleeping Beauty and Bugs Bunny into a dinosaur. Soon it will be nothing but a fossil. But the act of telling stories by putting pencil, ink, brush, or whatever to paper is still alive and well in my beloved little world of comics! So without further ado, here are 100 of my favorite comic artists:

Art Adams
Neal Adams
Mike Allred
Sergio Aragones
Peter Bagge
Kyle Baker
Lynda Barry
Georges Bess
Edvin Biukovic
Phillip Bond
Berke Breathed
Charles Burns
John Byrne
Eddie Campbell
John Cassady
Paul Chadwick
Frank Cho
Dan Clowes
Gene Colan
Jack Cole
Colleen Coover
R. Crumb
Farel Dalrymple
Geoff Darrow
Guy Davis
Jack Davis
Stephen DeStefano
Steve Dillon
Steve Ditko
Julie Doucet
Mort Drucker
Will Eisner
Steve Epting
Duncan Fegredo
Bob Fingerman
Michael Gaydos
Melinda Gebbie
Dave Gibbons
Matt Groening
Tony Harris
Sam Henderson
Bryan Hitch
Brian Hurtt
Stuart Immonen
Klaus Janson
Phil Jimenez
Jock
J.G. Jones
Gil Kane
Jack Kirby
Goseki Kojima
Joe Kubert
David Lapham
Alex Maleev
Don Martin
David Mazzuchelli
Dave McKean
Mike Mignola
Frank Miller
Tony Millionaire
Takumi Nagayasu
Dustin Nguyen
Kevin Nowlan
Kevin O'Neill
Carlos Pacheco
Paul Pelletier
Sean Phillips
Paul Pope
Eric Powell
Frank Quitely
Eduardo Risso
Darick Robertson
John Romita, Sr.
John Romita, Jr.
Steve Rude
Jim Rugg
P. Craig Russell
Johnny Ryan
Joe Sacco
Stan Sakai
Charles Schultz
Seth
John Severin
Bill Sienciewicz
Dave Sim and Gerhard
Walt Simonson
Jeff Smith
Paul Smith
Chris Sprouse
Cameron Stewart
Dave Stewart
Mark Texeira
Chris Ware
Bill Watterson
Chris Weston
Mike Wieringo
J.H. Williams, III
Barry Windsor-Smith
Makoto Yukimura
Mike Zeck

That was a lot of fun, and much easier than I thought it would be... Man, now I really want to read some comics!

Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 05:15 PM | Comments (5)

February 14, 2005

Subway Reading: Ultimates and Vimanarama

I've been going through a brief period of ambivalence towards comic-blogging lately. I'm not sure why. Maybe I'm getting worn down by the steady stream of comic-blog hate. Why do people find it necessary to disparage fans for being vocal and sharing their opinions? When it's creators or publishers, I assume it's because they have a financial stake in silencing negative opinions about their work. When it's pundits from the "legitimate comic press" (a phrase so laughable that I hesitate to use it), I think it comes from insecurity. The ease with which anybody can set up a virtual soapbox for their opinions forces these writers to justify their own presumed authority. It's always easier to tear your competition down than to improve the quality of your own work, after all.

You know what? I feel better already. If that many people are upset about us, we must be doing something right! And hey, I feel free to crap on other people's hard work all the time. Turnabout is fair play. Self doubt aside, let's get to some reviews:

Ultimates 2 #3 - This was an enjoyable read, with a "surprise" twist at the end that actually worked. While the plotting was solid, I'm not sure how to evaluate the characterization in this book. Each of the heroes seems to have the emotional depth of a thirteen-year-old. Maybe that's intentional? I can't decide. Either way, the result is a story that works in a guilty pleasure, prime-time soap opera kind of way.

Bryan Hitch's art continues to impress. The panel where the aforementioned plot twist begins was especially effective. There's still a little too much reliance on giant head shots for my taste, but I suppose there's nothing wrong with an artist playing to his strengths. Maybe I'm softening in my old age, but I'm really enjoying this series. 3.5 stars.

Vimanarama #1 - Everybody loves Grant Morrison, and not without good reason. While most of the praise is devoted to his seemingly endless store of crazy ideas, his refusal to dumb down his writing with unnecessary exposition, and his mad scientist approach to the mechanical conventions of comic storytelling, one of the things that seems to get overlooked is his dialogue. My burst of hastily-concealed laughter in reaction to this exchange earned me some of the most irritated subway looks that I have received in quite some time:

Sofia: Okay. I think we just released the forces of darkness by mistake.
Ali: Good thing I brought my dad's hammer.

Maybe you had to be there. More specifically, maybe you need to see Phillip Bond's art to get the full effect of the joke (luckily for you, I scanned it and included it at the top of this post). His expressive faces and body language flesh out the characters. The combination of his deceptively simple forms and his fastidious, hand-cramping line style is very pleasing to the eye. The thing that stood out the most in this book, though, was the way Bond went to town on the compositions and layouts. The opening 2-page spread with Ali on his bike, the volleyball girls in synchronized dance-poses, and the townspeople leaning out of their windows lent a fun Bollywood dance-number quality to the story. But the way the bike leapt out of the foreground and the careful visual arrangement of the other elements were the things that really nailed that scene.

[While I'm on the subject of Phillip Bond, I am going to echo Cognitive Dissonance's call for a collected edition of Bond's "Vertigo Pop: London" miniseries. I read one issue of that and liked it so much that I made the fatal decision to wait for the trade. Two years later, I'm still waiting!]

I feared that this series might be a little too steeped in Indian cultural references for me to really enjoy it. I trusted Morrison anyway and went for it. I'm so glad that I did. Accessibility was not a problem in the least. While Morrison gives us the expected doses of sci-fi, horror, and superhero action, it seems that he is pulling a new surprise out of his bag of tricks: spot-on, schmaltz-free, character-driven romance. 4.5 stars.

Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 02:58 PM

February 10, 2005

Subway Reading: Stray Bullets and Young Avengers

Stray Bullets #36 - It has come to my attention that there are people who do not buy or read this book. Even worse, these people have the unmitigated gall to still call themselves "comic book fans!" It has action, humor, drama, and frigging genius-level comic art. There is no excuse not to read this book. This latest issue, as usual, moves the overall story forward but remains self-contained enough to enjoy on its own. I can't recommend it highly enough. 5 stars.

Young Avengers #1 - Hold on to your hats: I liked this book. As much as this may shock you, it shocked me much more. My thinking when I picked it up was that, worst case scenario, it would give me fodder for some pithy snark in today's blog entry. Lo and behold, that tiny voice that said, "maybe it won't suck" turned out to be on the money.

This was the first comic effort by TV writer Allan Heinberg and he did a fantastic job. My expectation was for a typically lumbering Marvel first issue, with the beginnings of some unnecessarily long origin stories. (See, for example, Black Panther #1). Instead, Heinberg drops the characters right into the MU and follows the cast of The Pulse and some of the original Avengers as they try to answer the question of who these guys are. A satisfying combination of old and new characters, some old-fashioned Bang! Pow! action scenes, and not one but TWO unexpected last-page revelations/teasers added up to a very fun read.

The art by penciller Jim Cheung and inker John Dell was a little uneven for me. There were some moments of Image-style influence that made me wince. There were also moments of impressionistic yet descriptive finishes that brought to mind the best work of their fellow ex-CrossGen artist Steve Epting. The faces had a generic quality to them that would have made it very difficult to tell characters apart without their identifying hairstyles or costumes. The staging was sort of confusing, especially in the action sequence inside St. Patrick's Cathedral. The character design was solid, though, particularly in the case of "Iron Lad."

The marketing effort behind this title made me wary. These characters had the unmistakable scent of a crass marketing ploy in the vein of X-23, the teenage-girl version of Wolverine that Marvel has been shoving down our throats. These characters may well get the super-saturation treatment in the coming months, but that shouldn't take anything away from this comic book. While it wasn't transcendent or monumental, this was an entertaining read that managed to warm the crusty, pessimistic heart of this Marvel fan. 3.5 stars.

Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 12:37 PM | Comments (3)

February 09, 2005

Subway Reading: Small Gods

Trickle of Consciousness disagreed with my positive assessment of Hard Time. I can't say that he is entirely wrong - it's true, for example, that many of the characters have a stock quality to them. This includes Ethan, the protagonist. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that I still wound up feeling interested and invested in them. Gerber established many of the characters as stereotypes but then fleshed them out with nuanced personalities and moralities. I guess that what impressed me the most was that Gerber made such a compelling read out of a premise that, on paper, sounds unworkably complicated and littered with pitfalls. It should also be noted that Brian Hurrt's artwork knocked me on my ass every single month. Anyway, thanks to the Trickle for the link and the attention!

Yesterday I made an amazing discovery. Public libraries. Have you heard about this? Apparently you can walk in there, find books, and take them home for 3 weeks! For free! Incredible. The New York Public Library system has an awesome web site, which allows you to browse their entire collection and request books from any branch. They also have a ton of graphic novels and comic compilations! My comic budget is so very thankful for this development. Yesterday I borrowed both volumes of Graham Annable's Grickle (thanks to Two-Dimensional for the tip), Azzarello & Kubert's Sgt. Rock GN, and Lynda Barry's One Hundred Demons. I had considered buying each of these books, but ultimately I didn't take the plunge. Now I can read them anyway! Best of all, these are library copies, so I don't have to worry about banging up a $20 hardcover book by reading it on the subway. This is amazing. It's like Christmas every day.

Small Gods: The Killing Grin - I was going to do a nice, long review of this TPB, which Image put out last week, but honestly I can sum up my opinions in a few sentences. (What is that, cheering? I've got my eye on you, Mr. Smartypants...) It was a police drama with a sci-fi angle: the premise is that 1% of the population has some kind of psionic ability (telepathy, telekinesis, precognition, etc). Writer Jason Rand's characters, plot, and setting were all very strong. The art, on the other hand, was a little problematic. Juan E. Ferreyra is going for sort of a Chris Weston of style, hyper-real and very tight. The problem with a style like this is that you establish a framework of non-exaggeration, so the slightest aberrations in anatomy or likeness get grossly magnified. Ferreyra is an extremely skilled draftsman, drawing some of the most convincing and expressive faces that I have seen in a while. The problem is that these faces are sometimes attached to weirdly disproportionate heads and uncomfortably thick necks. If I was presumptuous enough to give the artist some advice -- and guess what, I am -- I would suggest more attention to the larger structures and forms and less noodling around with eyelashes and tight details. The compositions and staging could be pushed a little bit as well. All around, this was an enjoyable if somewhat unpolished effort. I look forward to seeing future work from both of these creators. Hmmm, I guess that wasn't such a short review after all. 3 stars.

Finally, read this brief missive from Warren Ellis about the debate over genetically modified crops. I wish I was one-tenth as good as Ellis at writing expletive-laden tirades. It would help if I was British; that way I could use words like "sodding" and "fuckwit" with the frequency that they deserve.

Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 12:54 PM | Comments (1)

February 08, 2005

It's kind of dated, but I just found out about this interview with Lauren Weinstein in Flagpole Magazine. After reading the interview, why not visit her site and buy a copy of her Xeric Grant-winning book, Inside Vineyland?

I have discovered the secret to internet marketing. I hesitate to share it with you because of the millions - nay, BILLIONS - that I stand to earn by selling my advice to web sites eager for more traffic. Luckily for you, I have the business acumen of a waterlogged futon mattress. So here it is: mention "Jolene Blaylock" on your web site. Four days ago I dropped that name, and aleady it has become the most common search engine result to lead people to The Pickytarian in the history of the site. 6 hits in 4 days. That's money in the bank, my friends. Er... well, no, actually it isn't. But it goes to show how many persistent people are searching for Jolene Blaylock. This site cannot be higher than the 95,000th result for that search, yet more than one person per day is finding it.

Today is the last day for my latest batch of eBay auctions. Full runs of Hard Time, Madrox (including #1 signed by Peter David!), Wanted, and more! I would give them away in a contest if I wasn't such a cheap bastard. What can I say, I'll take five bucks over reading a bunch of contest entries any day.

If you have any money left over after bidding on my comics, you may also want to check out the Amazing Jesus Brick. That's right, it's a brick from some guy's fireplace, bearing a naturally formed face of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Looks like you can still get it for the miraculously low price of $525! Thanks to Miraclo Miles for bringing this to my attention.

Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 10:34 AM

February 07, 2005

Subway Reading: Black Panther

While riding the subway this morning, I found myself standing directly in front of another comic reader. A young white woman (maybe mid-20s?) was reading Wet Moon, an Oni graphic novel by Ross Campbell. I think it's interesting that, of all the comic-readers that I spot on the subway, only a minority of them seem to fit into the aging-fanboy demographic. That gives me a flicker of hope that maybe the medium isn't on the verge of a complete collapse...

Black Panther #1 - Reginald Hudlin's re-imagining of the oft-re-imagined Black Panther has finally arrived. Keeping with current Marvel protocol, this first issue teases the reader with the barest minimum set-up of a plot and brief glimpses of the main character. I would like to think that Hudlin kept things close to the vest in order to reflect the mystery-shrouded nature of this fictional African nation and its hero/king. Unfortunately, I'm too cynical to see this as anything other than the usual Marvel story-stretching.

Taken in that context, this story was enjoyable enough. The flashback sequences of Wakanda's and the Black Panther's history had moments of drama and excitement that stood out from the padding with which they were surrounded. I did not care too much for the scene inside the White House. The government officials' overt racism rang untrue. I'm not suggesting that there isn't racism among high-ranking government and military officials. I just think that the racism manifests itself in less obvious and ultimately more insidious ways. Their reactions to the alternative energy sources upon which Wakanda relies were equally simplistic and unrealistic. This scene, with its Condoleeza Rice analogue named "Dondi" and its over-the-top dialogue, would have fit perfectly in Hudlin and Kyle Baker's Birth of a Nation. In this book, however, it clumsily shifted the tone from serious to satirical.

While the story was a bit uneven, the artwork in this comic was consistently satisfying. Klaus Janson's expressive inks gave life and energy to penciller John Romita Jr.'s trademark style. Romita did a nice job with the layouts and storytelling, especially considering the repetitive nature of the script, which called for 15 pages of the plains outside of Wakanda and 10 pages of talking heads. The heavy lifting, though, was done by colorist Dean White. The lighting and textures in the Africa panels added drama and a strong sense of time and place.

All in all, this comic provided strong visuals, a few cool action moments, and an interesting premise. So far, these virtues outweigh the heavy-handed characterization and annoyingly slow pace. 3 stars.

Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 02:48 PM | Comments (1)

Child sees drawings of a naked man, world miraculously continues to turn on its axis

From Tom Spurgeon's "The Comics Reporter" site:

The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund has taken on a new case, this one defending Rome, Georgia retailer Gordon Lee on a charge of "distributing material depicting nudity" and a charge of "distributing obscene material to a minor." The charges are a result of a Halloween night giveaway at the store Legends where Lee mistakenly gave a minor a copy of Alternative Comics Free Comic Book Day effort Alternative Comics #2. That book contained three pages of male nudity in an excerpt of Nick Bertozzi's "The Salon."

Spurgeon's full report can be seen here.

This article on the Newsarama site contains more information.

Alternative Comics publisher Jeff Mason believes these are the panels in question.

Finally, here is a link to the CBLDF site, where you can learn more about the organization and/or make a donation.

Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 09:53 AM | Comments (2)

February 04, 2005

What Th'...?

I would love to post a review of The Question #4 today, but somebody somewhere screwed something up, and my copy had 8 of its pages swapped with 8 pages from Grant Morrison and Phillip Bond's upcoming comic, Vimanarama! I did get a surprise preview of that book, which was nice. But it also would have been nice to know what was going on in the missing pages of The Question story. Maybe when Vimanarama comes out, it will have the missing Question pages? Hmmm...

Did this happen to anybody else?

Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 09:25 AM | Comments (4)

February 03, 2005

Search and Ye Shall Find

It's that time again. I know this is a tired old blog-entry standby, but it makes me laugh and laugh every single time. Here are some of the search engine queries that led people to the Pickytarian in January...

www.moonrover.com
A perennial favorite. I wonder if people eventually catch on to the fact that, if they know a URL, they don't have to use a search engine. I'm thinking that they don't.

movie rape scenes
rape scenes
This had to have been Mark Millar.

titania vs she-hulk gallery
she hulk vs titania pictures
she-hulk wrestles with titania
My first reaction: "Wow! There sure is a lot of interest in that new She-Hulk series! Then I thought about the people specifically searching for pictures of She-Hulk wrestling with Titania and got kind of grossed out.

comic scans jonni future
But do you know what? At least there are some one-handed typists out there with taste. Glad I never mentioned Lady Death on this blog. Oh, wait. Damn.

bar
How far down the list of results must they have gone before they got to my site? And how disappointed must they have been when they finally saw my site?

get fuzzy strikingly handsome
I can think of a lot of adjectival phrases to describe Get Fuzzy, but "strikingly handsome" is not one of them.

daughter natasha black widow hawkeye
My comment thread has been raging with discussion about the relative lameness of Hawkeye. If he did indeed have a daughter with the Black Widow, I am going to have to bump him up a notch or too.

write resume teenagers
Step 1: read as many comic book blogs as possible. Step 2: Lie.

drawing scale mail
You had better be drawing a D&D character, and not some kind of Magic Cards or Warcraft piece of crap.

nick fury poser file
Actually I don't think Nick Fury is much of a poser. Dum-Dum Dugan, on the other hand...

star jones breast enlargement
Insert your own joke here.

reshaper crack
This person finds my site about once a month. I have no idea what in God's name he or she is looking for, but I need to find out before it drives me mad.

cow girl pumping
See, if I was really clever, I would have bunched this with the Star Jones comment and then asked you to make your own joke.

mind reading with andy
Griffith? Richter? Raggedy? If you can't be specific, I can't help you.

clamshell bikini
All I can think about is "Mermaid Man," the senile Aquaman parody from Spongebob Squarepants, voiced by Ernest Borgnine.

cosutmes
Guess I need to start spell-checking!

mini animals with element armor
OK, now this smells like some kind of Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh crap, and that ain't any more welcome here than Magic Cards. It's D&D or nothing, ya little punks! The old school is the BEST school, and don't you forget it!

fix unhappy marriage
The only thing sadder than imagining the person searching on Google for a way to fix their unhappy marriage is imagining that person finding my blog.

Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 05:06 PM | Comments (3)

Subway Reading: Concrete and Adam Strange Redux

Adam Strange #5 (revised) - First off, a retraction from last night's Adam Strange post. If my reading comprehension and retention skills were a little better, I would have realized that the surprise reveal on the last page of Adam Strange #5 was indeed referenced in the first issue, and not some 3rd string DCU character plucked out of the ether. A hearty thank you to loyal Pickytarian Nevin for pointing that out. This changes two things about my original assessment. First of all, the main plot seems to be progressing after all. Secondly, the tour of third-string DCU characters is a little bit shorter than it seemed. It doesn't change the fact that I don't recognize the green guy with yellow eyebrows, and it doesn't make the coloring any easier on the eyes. For the sake of posterity, I will give the book a higher rating, bumping it up to a mediocre 2.5 stars.

Concrete: The Human Dilemma #2 - I love it, I love it, I love it. Also, I really love it. No, there weren't any super-villains or kung-fu or bare nipples - OK, actually, there was a boatload of bare nipples. There was also sublime character development, multi-layered storytelling, and gorgeous layouts. The quality of a science fiction story is not measured by the amount of visual special effects or action-adventure fireworks. When it's at its best, sci-fi takes a fantastical premise and uses it to make the reader consider the human experience in a way that he or she never has before. That's how I would describe Concrete in general, though this series takes it to new heights. 4.5 stars.

One nit-pick regarding Concrete. As much as I like his art, Paul Chadwick may have become the reigning champion of deformed child drawings with this panel. Look at that scary little freak on the left. Yikes!

Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 01:21 PM

Miscellany

R.I.P. Star Trek: Enterprise. Nobody else seemed to like this show, but I have been enjoying it. A lot of critics and viewers seemed to dismiss it right away and it never recovered. UPN pretty much sounded the death knell this season when it banished the show to the Friday night ratings ghetto. It's a shame because I really thought it was starting to find its rhythm this year, introducing some nice ongoing plot twists (such as T'Pol and Tripp's doomed relationship) and some really strong stories. The most recent one, where Tripp and Hoshi contract the bizarre disease and the energy life forms are observing the effects while following their own version of the Prime Directive was a very solid hour of TV. I know that the comparatively joyless, dour Battlestar Galactica has become the new critical sci-fi TV darling, but I will definitely miss Enterprise.

If my foray into TV commentary hasn't driven you off, how about a shameless plug? I have another batch of comics up for sale on eBay. Hard Time, Madrox (including #1 signed by Peter David!), and more!

Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 01:19 PM | Comments (6)

February 02, 2005

Subway Reading: Adam Strange

Adam Strange #5 - On the plus side, the paper stock was finally clean white with a bit of gloss to it. The word balloons and page margins were bright and sharp. On the minus side, the colorist continues to add a grainy speckle filter to everything else. It doesn't help that the colors are so dark to begin with. The heavy reliance on the blurs and Photoshop trickery is the final nail in the coffin for the visuals on this book. Pascal Ferry's drawing is excellent, but he uses a fine line. Fat, airbrushed swaths of heavy brown shadows are not only unnecessary, they obscure the drawing underneath.

Andy Diggle's story long ago stopped being about Adam Strange trying to find his wife & daughter and thier missing planet. Since the second issue, it has been a romp from one space-faring semi-obscure DC property to the next.

The Thanagar stuff I was able to get into because it didn't rely on any prior knowledge, it had a self-contained plot, and the sole main Thanagarian character was strongly defined. After that, we got all 97 of The Omega Men. Plot-coupons were collected (the nature of which was nicely noted by the cat-guy when he referred to something as a "McGuffin"). Things descended even further into DCU obscurity in this issue. Not once, but twice, a dramatic identity revelation occurred and flew straight over my head.

I was always a Marvel fan, so that's the set of B-level characters that I know about and for whom I have a soft spot (I'm not making a value judgement there; it's pretty much equally pathetic either way). As such, this book clearly isn't for me. 1 star.

Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 08:18 PM | Comments (2)

Stan Sakai Rocks!

A few days ago I complained about The Amazing Joy Buzzards and its tendency towards "coloring book" style black and white art. My suggestion was to use more solid blacks. Yesterday I was reading the latest issue of Usagi Yojimbo (#81), marvelling as usual at Stan Sakai's drawings. I noticed that solid blacks were in short supply in Sakai's work, and yet I never got that "coloring book" feeling. Why not?

One of the reasons he succeeds without blacks is his keen design. Sakai's compositions are so tight you could bounce a quarter off of them. Your eye flows smoothly through all of the elements, with scarcely any moments of discomfort or confusion. His drawing hand is so free and kinetic that his tightly orchestrated layouts never look the least bit labored.

Then there's his use of pattern. Neither solid blacks nor solid whites are the norm, making their use that much more impactful. His pattern work not only breaks up the monotony of blank shapes, it also creates the illusion of three-dimensional space.

Sakai's mastery of these techniques could only have been developed through decades of pen-and-ink drawing. Dave Sim & Gerhard's work on Cerebus shares a lot of these qualities, as does Joe Sacco's more recent art. Rather than continue dancing about architecture here, I scanned a handful of panels to illustrate my point. Enjoy!

Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 02:24 PM

February 01, 2005

To Buy Or Not To Buy

This morning I switched to the express train at West 4th St and found myself sitting directly across from a young Asian guy reading some kind of untranslated manga. I wish I could tell you which book it was, but oh well. A comic-reader sighting is a comic-reader sighting. More interestingly, I was sitting next to a middle-aged man wearing a full-length fur coat.

I'm trying to keep the comic budget low this week so that I can justify my high eBay bids on some "Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen" comics. Luckily the comic industry seems to be cooperating:

Adam Strange #5, $2.95 - The paper stock is speckled. Doesn't this bother anybody besides me? I suppose not. I'm also a little unhappy that what started out as a series of light-hearted, self-contained adventure stories is already devolving into a crossover-initiating, grim n' gritty, continuity-heavy morass. I might have to jump of the wagon here and save my money for the aforementioned silver age books.

Bizarro World HC, $29.95 - Must... hold out... until paperback...

Detective Comics #803, $2.95 - David Lapham = I'm buying it.

Intimates #4, $2.95 - Joe Casey = I'm not buying it. Grudge holder? Who, me? As if that's not enough reason for me to leave this book on the rack, there's this attempt to spike sales by soliciting a clean cover and then shipping one that shows a bare nipple. It's classy stunts like this that make me so very proud to be a comic-book fan.

Question #4, $2.95 - This title is finally gaining some momentum. It's also piqued my interest in the original Question comics, which doesn't bode well for my ever-spiraling comic budget.

Seaguy TP, $9.95 - As much as I love Grant Morrison, I found this series to be a little too self-indulgent and all over the place. Cameron Stewart is a hell of an artist, though. Maybe the story will be a little more cohesive as a single volume? I'm probably not going to give it the chance.

Superman Batman #17, $2.95 - I kind of wish this book was written in Arabic or something so that I could gaze at Carlos Pacheco's art without getting distracted by the flimsy story. It was a promising idea but its dependence on semi-obscure DC continuity and characters leaves me kind of lost.

Constantine Movie The Shotgun Prop Replica, $350.00 - I would be buying two if it wasn't for the simultaneous release of...

Supergirl Statue By Michael Turner, $195.00 - Hey parents! Does your daughter suffer from low self-esteem due to distorted body image? Here's the perfect self-esteem booster for your little princess! Includes removable ribs and collapsible mid-section!

Darkness Vol 2 #18, $2.99 - See Detective Comics #803. This book is on a short leash, though, because the art makes my stomach hurt.

Black Panther #1 Reg Cvr, $2.99
Black Panther #1 Ribic Variant Cvr, $14.00 - I really enjoyed Reggie Hudlin's script for Birth of a Nation. I'm also excited about the opportunity to buy a comic drawn by John Romita Jr. that isn't written by Mark Millar or J.M. Straczynski. So sign me up. And wow, that variant cover sure is tempting! But I was considering buying 12 copies of the New Avengers #3 variant cover, and when you factor in that Hellblazer Shotgun, the budget is just getting a little too tight this week.

Daredevil Redemption #1, $2.99 - The always-impressive Michael Gaydos drew it, and yet I am surprisingly uninterested.

Shanna The She-Devil #1, $3.50 - I think reigning cheesecake champion Frank Cho is also an incredible draftsman. But unless they are selling this book in a plain brown wrapper I'm not sure that I have the guts to buy it. The whole nudity-removal controversy somehow makes it even dirtier.

Concrete Human Dilemma #2, $3.50 - The only question is, will I find anything negative to say about it?

Couriers Vol 3 Ballad Of Johnny Funwrecker GN, $12.95 - Not only am I the only person in the world who is bothered by the paper on which they are printing Adam Strange, I also seem to be the only person who can't read a Brian Wood comic without wanting to beat myself in the head with a hammer. Since this book doesn't seem to come with a free hammer, I am going to have to pass.

Bill & Teds Most Excellent Adventures Vol 1 TP, $13.95 - Evan Dorkin is awesome. But come on. Bill and Ted? As Dorkin himself puts it on his blog, "Bill and Ted's looks pretty solid for a 13-year old book by a then-amateur with a scratchy pencil line."

Jason X Official Movie Novelization MMPB, $7.99
Jason X The Experiment MMPB, $7.99 - When Guttenberg was printing those Bibles, it was actually just a dry run for these novels. Thank god for written language and the printing press.

Planetes Vol 4 Part 2 GN, $9.99 - But I'm only up to Book 3! It's manga for the rest of us and it's awesome. One day I will catch up to this volume.

Spongebob Squarepants Cinemanga Vol 6 GN, $7.99 - I don't know what the heck a "Spongebob Cinemanga" is, but apparently this is the 6th volume of it. Holy cripes, I love Spongebob. If this was also available in a plain brown wrapper I might buy it, too.

Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 01:33 PM | Comments (13)