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June 30, 2005
Subway Reading: Nat Turner
Nat Turner #1 - I have been known to defend Kyle Baker against accusations that he was "phoning it in" on some of his other projects. After seeing him go to town on the black and white artwork in his new self-published Nat Turner series, I may have to change my mind about those previous efforts. Working without the benefit of words (except for an occasional footnote), Baker shows off his considerable storytelling chops. This introductory chapter in the story of rebellious slave Nat Turner focuses on the terror of his mother's abduction from Africa and transport to America. The horror and drama of the story is not only communicated by the action; it is also reflected in the taut body language of the characters and the tense compositions of every panel.
As much as I liked the drawing, I was not as thrilled with the overall package. The book is printed on some kind of off-white, uncoated stock that seemed pretty close to newsprint. I see where Baker was going with this; the paper and the old-fashioned type treatments were supposed to create an antiquated look that would match up with the setting of the story. For me, at least, this was not entirely successful. The drawings and gray tones with which they were colored got swallowed up by the paper, and the result was more distracting than evocative. (For the record, I have the same problem with Image's Sea of Red.) Baker has come to rely heavily on Photoshop for tones and other effects, and his work in Nat Turner is no exception. I don't have a problem with that, of course, but the obviously computer-aided images clash with the old-timey paper and design elements. In my opinion, it's a gimmick that falls flat more often than not.
Production-related nit-picks aside, this was an impressive bit of cartooning in the service of a dramatic and important story.
Looking for some cheap comics? Why not check out my latest round of eBay auctions? Recent runs of Sleeper, Ultimate FF, and Incredible Hulk are yours for the bidding. Daredevil fans take note: I am also selling a full story arc from Bendis and Alex Maleev's run on Sam & Twitch.
Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 04:46 PM | Comments (1)
June 27, 2005
To Buy or... aaahh, Forget It
I was going to go through the new releases this week, but it's such a slow week for me that there really wouldn't be much point. Two books that I will point out are: Solo #5 from DC, which features Pickytarian favorite Darwyn Cooke; and Mr T #1, which features Pickytarian favorite Mr. T! I'm curious to see what kind of book this will be. Ironic humor? All-ages fun? Or a grim n' gritty serious take, in the vein of the recent Space Ghost revamp? Does it really matter? As long as it includes the refusal of jibba-jabba and the pitying of fools, I'll give it the benefit of the doubt.
In lieu of my weekly opinions of comics that I have not yet seen, I'd like to point out a couple of items on the Newsarama site:
First, the comments below this story about the cast of the Fantastic Four movie appearing at Jim Hanley's Universe quickly descend into the age-old debate of Hanley's vs. Midtown Comics. It's a tiresome, unwinnable argument. I will say this about Midtown, however: they never took the Pickytarian's 24-hour comic pages and then failed to scan, submit, or even return them!
Secondly, Newsarama has these notes from Joe Quesada's panel at Heroes Con in Charlotte, NC. A couple of items caught my eye...
Asked if there would be a second Power Pack series, or if an Essential Power Pack series was a possibility, Quesada said that Marvel are looking at the possibilities, but nothing has been decided, definitively.Speaking of [Andrea] Divito, his and Dan Slott’s Thing miniseries is set just after Ben Grimm learns that he is one of the richest men in the world (as recently shown in Fantastic Four #527).
Put me down for one of those Essential Power Pack collections, if it ever gets printed.
And Dan Slott is writing a Thing mini-series? Awww snap! Slott might not be everybody's cup of tea, but his light-hearted takes on the Marvel Universe remind me of why I fell in love with these characters in the first place. The Thing seems like the perfect match for Slott's comedy stylings. In the wake of bad news like Straczynski taking over FF, Millar taking over Ultimate FF, and the upcoming crummy-looking movie, this is a welcome bit of FF-related good news.
Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 11:34 AM | Comments (7)
June 24, 2005
Subway Reading: Catwoman
Catwoman #44 - In my preview of this week's comics, I compared Catwoman artist Pete Woods to Mike Allred. After seeing the book, I realized that his comparison was entirely inaccurate. Woods' compositions are more cinematic, with extreme camera angles and tighter cropping. His line work is very delicate and sensitive. Check out the backgrounds; he often eschews a straight-edge for things like buildings, giving the art a hand-drawn, organic feel that I find very appealing. About the only thing he does have in common with Allred is a mastery of anatomy, which he combines with expressive yet subtle character acting to impressive effect. My only criticism would be that his pages are sometimes a little too tight; this is due to the tight cropping and his tendency to fill in every bit of background. If he opened it up and let his beautiful drawing breathe a little bit, the results would be spectacular. Nonetheless, I was very impressed with the drawing on this book. If somebody could point me in the right direction I would love to track down some of Woods' previous work.
Will Pfiefer's story is a well-executed set-up job, with some brisk action scenes and a nice little cliffhanger. If I were the type of reader to quibble with dodgy character decisions, I might wonder why Selina decided to break into S.T.A.R. Labs at all, considering that she had no intention of delivering her target to Hush. It smelled a little bit like she made the decision because the plot needed it to happen. I guess it could be explained away: she doesn't want Hush to get his hands on the mysterious item; she figures it must be valuable and this arouses both her thief-like nature and her cat-like curiosity... fine. Actually the thing that confused me more was the splash page where she is perched on a rooftop, enjoying a cup of coffee. Did she walk into Starbuck's in her costume, stand in line, and buy the coffee? If so, how did she manage to climb up the building without spilling it? I guess she could have used the stairs. All right, now I'm just rambling. My point is that this was a tidy little Catwoman story with very pretty art.
Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 11:40 AM
June 23, 2005
Subway Reading: Shuck The Sulfurstar
Shuck the Sulfurstar #1 - This is a wacky book. According to the Shuck web site, Dave Sim described this series as "What if Seth and Alan Moore decided to do a ghost story with a George Herriman feel to it?" That sums it up very nicely. The Seth reference describes artist Rick Smith's drawing style, the Alan Moore bit refers to the dream-like tone and the demonic themes, and the closest comparison I can think of for the singular dialogue style would be Herriman's Krazy Kat.
A few months ago I panned Rick Smith's artwork in Temporary, his collaboration with writer Damon Hurd. In the context of Shuck, however, I think his naive-style drawing is a much better fit. The surreal story and offbeat dialogue are complemented by the loose art. In Temporary, the story demanded a contrast between the "real" world and the imaginary, but the off-kilter visuals blurred the distinctions a little too much for my taste. The two books stand as a telling example of the importance of matching the right artist to the right story.
Ultimately, the thing that sells Shuck is that bizarre voice. In the letters page, we learn that people have described the dialect as Cajun, African-American, or maybe Yankee Vermont, but these incorrect comparisons miss the point. I don't think there is an analogous real-world dialect that matches up to the one used in Shuck, and that's part of its charm. The reader is sucked into the comic's strange world and never once doubts that a goat-headed demon could walk around incognito by strapping on a plastic human face-mask. It's not just one big acid trip, however; human touches like the woman's exasperation with her elderly father keep the story grounded just enough to keep the reader hooked. Not only am I looking forward to the next issue, but I'm clearly going to have to track down the collected edition of the previous series.
Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 11:39 AM | Comments (2)
June 21, 2005
To Buy! Only To Buy!
It has come to my attention that among tomorrow's new comics will be Spider-Man House of M #1. While I may not be all that interested in the House That M Built or its multitude of crossed-over titles, I will be buying this book and I suggest that you do the same. Why? Because it's written by Tom Peyer, author of the extremely awesome blog SUPERFRANKENSTEIN!!! Without his site, the amount of Jesus-freak web sites that I email to my friends as though I discovered them would dwindle to nearly zero. Support his comics so that he may continue doing his real work, which is alerting me to the existence of people like Jan Small, painter of patriotic Jesus.
Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 02:37 PM | Comments (5)
June 20, 2005
To Buy or Not To Buy?
I heard there's some sort of Batman movie out. Man! How come nobody told me? Is it any good? Who is this Bat Man anyway?
Astro City The Dark Age #1 - Busiek finally tells the tragic story of the Silver Agent that he has been mentioning in this title forever. Normally I would be skeptical of this plan. When characters in a story refer to some historical event, it adds a welcome layer of context and verisimilitude. The details of that event exist only in the reader's imagination, where they have been colored by his or her experiences and outlook. When the writer finally reveals the specifics of this history, it inevitably falls short of the reader's personalized expectations. However, I have enough faith in Busiek's writing that I will happily suspend those concerns. Any new Astro City book is cause for celebration. I can't wait!
Catwoman #44 - Will Pfiefer and Pete Woods take over the title with this issue, hopefully bringing an end to the unfortunate cheesecake art that drove me away from Ed Brubaker's run. Woods draws with a clean, bold line that's faintly reminiscent of Mike Allred; that look is right up my alley so I will be happy to check this out. You can see a preview of the book here, courtesy of DC's web site.
Flaming Carrot Comics #3 - This is a book that I admire much more than enjoy. In a full week like this I might have to pass.
Sea Of Red #3 - This book sure does look nice, but the tone of the last issue was weirdly uneven. The satirical Hollywood humor stuff fell kind of flat when it was juxtaposed with the overwrought period drama of the main character and the first issue. Still, the art is fantastic and the production - off-white, matte stock and two-color printing - complements the story nicely. I'm still in but there's less margin for error.
Black Panther #5 - I don't know what to think about this book. I wish the plot would go somewhere at some point. The most interesting thing about the last issue was the letters page, and that's not a good sign.
Captain America Vol 5 #7 - Ed Brubaker's writing has been tight, and Epting & Lark knock it out of the park each month with their superb artwork. This issue delves into the fate of Cap's ex-sidekick Nomad, which was only briefly covered in the previous story arc.
Ultimate Fantastic Four #20 - The second and final issue of Mike Carey & Jae Lee's fill-in stint. The first part was creepy and suspenseful, and I'm looking forward to the resolution in this issue. I'm not so much looking forward to Mark Millar taking over with issue #21, though.
Conan #17 - Two comics by Kurt Busiek makes this a very good week indeed, by Crom!
Hellboy The Island #1 - Hellboy returns!
Man With The Screaming Brain #2 - Man, I love Hillary Barta's artwork. Like Brian Hurtt's, his style is simultaneously cartoony and naturalistic. THe story, by Evil Dead star Bruce Campbell, hasn't quite gotten rolling yet so the jury is still out.
Doc Frankenstein #3 - I've bought the first 2 issues of this book, but...
Shaolin Cowboy #2 - ...I haven't been reading this one. I think I've been reading the wrong Burlyman Entertainment title.
Queen & Country Declassified Vol 3 #1 - I'm waiting for the trade on this one, as I do with all the Q & C books. It's never easy, though.
Shuck The Sulfurstar #1 - I've seen a lot of good things about Shuck, but I've never read it. I'll check this one out and let you know.
Well, it looks like there's only 617 comics for me to buy this week. Did I miss anything?
Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 04:13 PM
June 16, 2005
Subway Reading: Ex Machina and Manhunter
Ex Machina #12 - This issue featured a typically crackling script by Brian K. Vaughan and the usual tight art by Tony Harris and Tom Feister. To me, the thing that really made this book stand out was the stunning coloring job by J.D. Mettler. Check out the rooftop meeting between Mayor Hundred and his lawyer, for example. In one panel, Mettler colors Hundred's face with subtle gradations and beautiful little painterly highlights. The fiery orange palette of those pages really sells the setting, just like the muted grayish-blues of the morning rainstorm scenes and the drab, greenish hues in the scene with the squatter-junkies. I also like the way Mettler subtly colors Feister's ink lines; check out the scene in the mayor's office and compare the outlines of each character. Another nice example is the large panel where The Great Machine is shot with the flare gun. The shoreline in the background shifts from black to red. Not only does this help convey the depth of field (without it, I think the picture would flatten out), but it also draws attention to the fiery impact of the flare. While Vaughan and Harris deserve all the praise that they get for this exceptional title, Mettler's contributions are an invaluable part of the overall package.
Manhunter #11 - Completing our trip from one end of the visual-appeal spectrum to the other, we have the latest issue of DC's Manhunter. The art in this issue was a fill-in job, with two penciller/inker teams handling various pages. I think they were going for some visual continuity by trying to ape the styles of usual series artists Jesus Saiz and Jimmy Palmiotti, but quite frankly, the result was an eyesore. In an attempt to protect them from Google-based slander that would haunt them for years, I'm not going to name the artist's names. It's entirely possible, in fact probable, that this was an emergency fill-in rush job. Honestly, I'd just as soon see the issue get delayed by a couple weeks rather than get this amateurish, ugly mess in exchange for my $2.50. The pages were littered with awkward poses, generic backgrounds, painful compositions, and inking that looks like it was applied with a dull rock. The uninspired, flat coloring was the sour icing on this rancid cake.
Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 11:45 AM
June 13, 2005
Third Person Adventures at the MOCCA Art Festival
The Pickytarian attended the MOCCA Art Festival on Sunday. He went incognito, so as to avoid uncomfortable conversations with creators whose work he has savaged on the internets. This proved to be the right decision, as he was immediately reduced to gushing fan status by the sheer number of amazing talents that he was able to meet! The list includes Street Angel's Jim Rugg, Bryan Lee O'Malley of Scott Pilgrim fame, NYC Mech artist Andy MacDonald, Skullboy creator Jacob Chabot, Emo Boy's Steve Emond, Gabagool! writer Chris Radtke, and many others. Farel Dalrymple was there drawing sketches, but The Pickytarian was so star-struck that he couldn't even approach him, settling for admiration from a distance of the artist's sheer awesome-ness!
Perhaps the best moment of all was his meeting with Joshua Cotter, whose book Skyscrapers of the Midwest has been lauded on this very site as the greatest thing since sliced bologna. As it turns out, The Picky one's ancestral homeland of St. Joseph, Missouri is very close to Cotter's hometown. His wife, in fact, is practically from St. Joe herself, and her brothers had the Pickytarian's grandmother as their third-grade teacher! Could this familiarity be the reason why Skyscrapers resonates so much with this reviewer? Hmmm...
Also worth noting was the final panel discussion of the day, where author Jonathan Lethem interviewed Dan Clowes. Despite Lethem's insistence on referring to Clowes' new book as Ice Storm or Ice Harvest instead of its proper name Ice Haven, the author did an outstanding job of eliciting insight from Clowes regarding his creative process and the themes in his work. Lethem discussed his own work as well, including his upcoming Marvel series and the difficulty that he has had with the transition from writing prose to writing a comic book script. If you happen to see the interview transcribed anywhere, please let The Pickytarian know because he would love to read it.
All in all this was a fantastic show, and The Pickytarian will be first in line next year. Thanks, MOCCA!
Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 12:26 PM | Comments (2)
June 09, 2005
Three Unrelated Items
A handful of random stuff today...
First, I saw another comic reader on the subway yesterday. Asian boy, roughly ten years old, carrying a digest-size comic book. Must have been manga, right? I mean, he was a kid, and Asian at that. Sorry, my stereotyping friend, but you're wrong: it was an Archie Double-Digest.
Yesterday I bought and read the second issue of Skyscrapers of the Midwest by Joshua Cotter. What an amazing book. Cotter's non-linear storytelling tricks are innovative, impressive, and most importantly of all, highly effective. I read a ton of comic books, and I like them, but every once in a blue moon something like Skyscrapers comes along and everything else pales in comparison. While everybody else seems to be riffing on the same old straightforward stories and techniques, Cotter is taking it upon himself to remind us of the malleability and unlimited potential of the medium. I know that sounds absurdly hyperbolic, and a week from now I will probably cringe at lavishing such high praise, but after reading this comic I felt like I had been punched in the gut. In a good way! I can't recommend this book highly enough.
I had never heard of artist Ben Oliver until he filled in for Jock for a few months on The Losers. I was really impressed with his layouts and style, and I was hopeful that I would see his work again. Yesterday I not only found out that he will be drawing an upcoming series from DC called Vigilante, but I also noticed his name on the credits of the new issue of Tom Strong. When it rains, it pours!
Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 03:12 PM | Comments (2)
June 08, 2005
Subway Reading: Emo Boy and The Hunger
Emo Boy #1 - This book was deceptively good. I was a little wary going in; the art looked a bit unfinished and I was concerned that the story might not offer much more than typical emo navel-gazing. I was pleasantly surprised on both points. Artist/writer Steve Emond made me feel simultaneously sympathetic and hostile towards his protagonist, Emo Boy. The tone of the story slides comfortably from slapstick humor to super-power fantasy to convincing and touching character moments. As for the art, a closer look proved my dismissal of it as simple to be premature. Emond's characters convey a wide range of convincing emotions and his fluid ink lines lend an intimacy to the visuals that compliments the story nicely. I'm looking forward to the next issue.
The Hunger #1 - There is a twist to this book that separates it from the ever-increasing zombie-themed comics out there: the story is told from the point of view of a zombie. Is that enough of a hook to make it worth the price of admission? On its own, probably not. But in this premiere issue, writer Jose L. Torres does a nice job of setting up the threads of a heist-gone-wrong plot. That bumps the lead character's brain-eating addiction to the background, where it can exist as an interesting and unique character trait instead of being the engine that drives the story. There are a few nice touches to be found, such as the Jamaican zombie priest's exclamation of "Bumba-clot!" I can't put my finger on why, but that made me smile. Artist Chris DiBari shows a keen eye for page layout and storytelling. His figures are sometimes rendered with some uneven proportions and awkward poses, but everything has a nice finish to it thanks to his strong inking. He uses an open yet detailed style that reminds me of Phillip Bond. There may be a glut of zombie comics on the racks these days, but this book has a refreshingly original take on the genre that is worth checking out.
Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 05:33 PM
June 07, 2005
Best. Web Comic. Ever.
Toothpaste For Dinner. Read it. Love it.
Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 04:23 PM