Showing posts with label Brandon Graham. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Brandon Graham. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Pamphleteering: This selection apparently reflects my tastes

Here's what I brought home from the comic book store last week; it's about a month's worth of floppies, I think.

Atomic Robo: The Ghost of Station X #5 (of 5)
Written by Brian Clevinger
Art by Scott Wegener
Published by Red 5 Comics

Man oh man, what an end to a great arc of this ongoing series (which, in the style of Hellboy and BPRD, is delivered as a series of miniseries). Large-scale action that actually threatens the main character's life, with a mystery of ever-increasing scale slowly revealing itself in between moments of a global chase, culminating in the unveiling of a villain that connects perfectly with Robo's life, goals, and personality, making for a nigh-unstoppable threat that resonates beyond whether it can be blown up real good. With the century or so of time that the creative team has to work with, the range of stories that can be told is pretty great, typified by the jump from the last story's young, naive Robo to this one's confrontation of a huge threat challenging him at the height of his abilities and resources. Man, give me whatever these guys can dish out.
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Blue Estate #9
Written by Viktor Kalvachev, Kosta Yanev, and Andrew Osborne
Art by Viktor Kalvachev, Toby Cypress, Robert Valley, Peter Nguyen, and Andy Kuhn
Published by Image Comics

I enjoy this noir story for the most part, with its goofy characters, occasional violence, and themes of Hollywood crime, but the most interesting aspect is probably the art, which shifts randomly, sometimes even within a single page, between each issue's contributors. Nathan Fox has been the highlight of the series, but he's not in this issue, so Toby Cypress is probably the star this month. One highlight is a moment in which a character's reaction to having a gun pulled on them is described like a car accident, and that's illustrated by a panel that ends up happening later in the issue when that character does get into a car crash. I don't know if I would recommend this series, since it's so idiosyncratic, but I usually have a pretty good time reading it. High praise?
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The Bulletproof Coffin: Disinterred #2 (of 6)
Written by David Hine
Art by Shaky Kane
Published by Image Comics

Not sure what to say about this one. It's one of those bits where characters tell stories that might or might not be "true", apparently meant to be an example of the sort of story you might find in the comics described and sampled in the first volume of this series, with the hint that the various characters are all going to come together for some sort of metatextual crossover by the end of the series, perhaps to confront their creators or something. Whatever; I mostly just enjoy the crazy way that Shaky Kane depicts the weird (or sometimes just unfortunate) shit that happens to people, with the hairy monster of the last story being the highlight. Good times.
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Dark Horse Presents #9
By Mike Mignola & Joe Querio, Brian Wood & Kristian Donaldson, Paul Pope, Tony Puryear, Richard Corben, Rich Johnston & Simon Rohrmuller, Alan Gordon & Thomas Yeates, Steve Horton, Caitlin R. Kiernan & Steve Lieber, and M.J. Butler & Mark Wheatley
Published by Dark Horse Comics

Aside from the standard comment about anthologies being a mixed bag, I'm definitely digging this new incarnation of Dark Horse's house mag, which contains samplers of their best creators' work, along with other stuff that I'm guessing they thought was cool enough to print. There's no chapter of Neal Adams' batshit-crazy "Blood" this month, but I'm hoping that one comes back soon, since it's totally nuts. Howard Chaykin's "Marked Man" also ended, so it's mostly new or standalone stuff here. Mike Mignola has a Lobster Johnson short that's pretty cool, even if it ends kind of obviously. Brian Wood and Kristian Donaldson's "The Massive" continues to be introduced; I'm guessing that the stories here are intros to the various characters in the regular series, which is coming later, right? I do like Donaldson's ultra-clean art, especially an eerie underwater moment in this chapter. Paul Pope is as awesome as you would expect with a story about Apollo 12, the second moon landing, full of distinctive lunar landscapes, that weirdly sketchy-yet-realistic machinery that he does so well, and the surprise appearance of a naked lady. Richard Corben adapts an Edgar Allen Poe story as well as you would expect; it's pretty great, with lots of horrified faces, desiccated corpses, tangled scenery, the usual. I like the beginning of Steve Horton's "Amala's Blade" too; it's a cool sci-fi/fantasy/pirate thing with some great designs and stylish art, plus what seems like a good female lead. Caitlin R. Kiernan and Steve Lieber's "Alabaster" is cool too, although I'm not sure if this is a character that has shown up anywhere before. I guess she's an albino monster-hunter that might or might not also be crazy? She sees a freaky four-faced angel at one point, and she also gets confronted by a werewolf lady. I'm not sure what's going on, probably by design, but I love Lieber's moody art.

On the other hand, I can't really figure out what's going on in Tony Puryear's "Concrete Park"; apparently, it takes place on another planet, and it follows various characters who live in a Los Angeles-like city of crime and gangs and whatnot. It jumps from character to character so much that I can't really follow it, and neither the art or the story are compelling enough to really want to do the work to keep up. Rich Johnston and Simon Rohrmuller's "The Many Murders of Miss Cranbourne" is all right, with a decent concept of a vigilante-killer old lady who presents herself with the air of an amateur detective, although this chapter focused on a policeman who falls for all her cover-ups, which isn't that interesting when we've already seen what really happened. The art is kind of generically cartoony too, not really expressive enough to be either humorous or deadpan. I'm fine with Alan Gordon and Thomas Yeates' "The Once and Future Tarzan", with its interesting concept of an immortal Tarzan living in a post-apocalyptic future, but it's been kind of staid and workmanlike so far, nothing to grab the reader and sell them on the coolness of the concept. And finally, M.J. Butler and Mark Wheatley's "Skultar" is a pretty dumb spoof of Conan and other barbarian-themed stories, but it does manage to hit on an amusing joke or two in each chapter. You have to get past the muddy art to see them though.

So yeah, good reading overall, and it will have to take a real dip in quality for me to even consider quitting. I suspect I'm there for the long haul.
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Haunt #21
Written by Joe Casey
Art by Nathan Fox
Published by Image Comics

I never expected to be reading this Todd McFarlane series about a ghost mashup of Spider-Man and Spawn, but when Joe Casey and Nathan Fox took over, I had to at least give it a try. And luckily, they appear to have jettisoned everything except the basic concept, which is about a couple of brothers (one of whom is a ghost) that can combine into some sort of ectoplasmic monster. I think they used to work for a spy agency or something, but Casey had that aspect of the book just disappear in his first issue, then killed off the living brother's love interest, instead having the character kidnapped by some sort of evil church and then rescued by a badass spy/mercenary who is like an ultra-competent version of Jeff "The Dude" Lebowski. It's been mostly non-stop action, which is pretty great stuff for Nathan Fox to handle, all ghost tentacles carving up bad guys left and right, lots of blood, gore, and intestines flying everywhere in the midst of mysterious architecture and crazy technology. There's also a bit of character development, as the ghost brother starts to get distanced from the living, caring less and less about morals and emotions and such, which makes for an interesting personal note in the midst of all the crazy action. I'm digging this, for now.
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Orc Stain #7
By James Stokoe
Published by Image Comics

Good god, do I love the crazy world James Stokoe has created here, full of weird creatures and cultures, random violence and destruction, bizarre structures, unique landscapes, and a sense that anything can happen, at least within the constraints that have been set up for the milieu. It's a nonstop barrage of mindblowing imagery, all the characters colored with inhuman tints and bristling with sickly pustules and gross scales, machines sprouting tentacles, everything up to and including rocks and mountains seemingly made of reptilian skin, characters getting smashed and sliced up with giant hammers, knives, and spiky hair (?), bright, yet somehow sickly, colors slathered all over the page, just a constant assault on the senses (well, the sense of sight at least, but the comic is so visceral, the mind imagines sounds, scents, and who knows what else). It's amazing, one of my very favorite comics of the moment. Damn.
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Prophet #22
Written by Brandon Graham
Art by Simon Roy
Published by Image Comics

Speaking of worldbuilding, Brandon Graham and Simon Roy are going nuts on their revival of this 90s series. I have no idea what the Rob Liefeld issues of this series were like, and I don't really have any desire to find out, unless I'm seized with morbid curiosity at some point; the world created here, a desolate future Earth populated by various aliens and monsters, covered with the wreckage of long-dead civilizations, is amazingly well-realized, and just watching the main character wander through it on his mostly-undefined mission is fascinating. I'm kind of blown away by the level of thought that has gone into the series, all the various creatures that interact with each other in the weird ecosystem and mix of cultures, most of them using gross biological technology that really emphasizes the utterly alien world. I can't wait to see where this goes, even if it continues to kind of freak me out.
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Rasl #13
By Jeff Smith
Published by Cartoon Books

I think this series is reaching some sort of endgame, a final confrontation between its universe-hopping protagonist and the evil government forces that exploited his inventions. I think we've finally been caught up on the details of the plot, which is nice, but the best part is probably the images of a town merged with several parallel universe counterparts, resulting in people and animals that are gross conglomerations of bodies sprouting multiple arms and heads, all screaming in hideous agony as they die miserable deaths. Fun! Jeff Smith can draw whatever he wants, and I'll read the hell out of it.
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The Sixth Gun #19
Written by Cullen Bunn
Art by Brian Hurtt
Published by Oni Press

This series has become one of my favorite current comics, but unfortunately, it's so consistently good that I don't know if I have much to say about it. I do like that Cullen Bunn continues to build the world as the series goes on, adding new elements with each arc, details slowly accumulating to create a rich mythology that includes mystical weapons, warring religious factions, demons, sorcerers, monsters, and all sorts of cool details that make the Old West setting come to life. It makes me trust that there's a plan for the whole series, and I can't wait to find out where it's going each month. Brian Hurtt on art definitely helps; he's a monster, filling out and solidifying all those details while maintaining a great sense of character and place, and lending an appropriately creepy, moody air when it's called for, which is most of the time. I love it, and I always want more when it's over.
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Spaceman #4 (of 9)
Written by Brian Azzarello
Art by Eduardo Risso
Published by DC Comics/Vertigo

Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso are near-bulletproof for me after 100 Bullets, and they sure don't disappoint with this new Vertigo series, which is a completely different sort of thing, yet recognizably their work, full of that unique combined personality, all cryptic wordplay and encompassing atmosphere. The plot here, for those who don't know, follows a human-ape hybrid who was designed to work in space but has ended up scavenging the slums of a flooded earth as he ends up in possession of the kidnapped child of a celebrity couple. There are a bunch of twists and turns, and probably some secrets to be uncovered at inopportune times, but the most enjoyable part of the comic is getting to experience the future that Azzarello and Risso have created, trying to decipher the slang that everyone speaks in, marveling at the busted-up locales where the people survive and the believable technology that they use, enjoying the expressive characters and sudden, shocking violence. I expect nine issues is going to be too short of a time to spend in this fucked-up, all too possible future.
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Wasteland #34
Written by Antony Johnston
Art by Justin Greenwood
Published by Oni Press

Interest in this title may have been flagging around these parts due to the erratic schedule over the last year or so and the loss of artist Christopher Mitten, but things kind of snap back into place in this issue, with a revelation that brings many of the series' themes into focus, namely the emphasis on belief systems, the supernatural, creation stories, and religions. Suddenly, this isn't (necessarily) the sci-fi post-apocalyptic story that it appeared to be, but a sweeping history of mythological proportions. Huh, how about that? Color me reinvigorated.

Monday, May 11, 2009

This week, I will be transported 100 years to the past

Too many links:

If you're interested, here's a trailer for the graphic novel Unbeatable, which I reviewed back in 2007.  Apparently, a second volume is imminent.

As a promo for This American Life, here's an animated version of a Quimby the Mouse story by Chris Ware.  Awesome.

This is cool: a Muppets version of Robert Crumb's cover art for Janis Joplin's Cheap Thrills.  Here's the original for comparison.

A fun webcomic: Ada Lovelace - The Origin.  It's a goofy historical strip about the pioneering mathematician who developed the first programming language to work with Charles Babbage's Difference Engine.  It also serves a a sort of opening chapter for a goofy steampunk strip called Lovelace and Babbage.  Fun stuff.

Another webcomic: "Cakewalk", by Nate Powell and Rachel Bormann.

Here's an interesting blurb about an unrealized Hayao Miyazaki/Isao Takahata adaptation of Pippi Longstocking, including some artwork.  That would've been cool.

This looks good: Nick Bertozzi's School of Visual Arts class is publishing an anthology of Iraq War Stories, and Act-I-Vate is going to be serializing it online.  Here's the press release.

Good news!  Brandon Graham's King City has been rescued from limbo, and Image is going to be serializing both the first and second volumes.  Here's the cover art for the first issue.

Previews: Publisher's Weekly has a few pages from some of the stories in Dark Horse's Noir anthology.  That one looks pretty awesome.

Daniel Clowes has a new, as yet untitled, book coming out later this year, and The New Yorker has a short preview.

Whew!  Okay, I think that's enough.  On to business:

New comics this week (Wednesday, 5/13/09):

All-New Savage She-Hulk #2 (of 4)

I read the first issue of this miniseries, and it was pretty entertaining.  It's about a daughter of the Hulk coming back from the future to get something or other, and smashing a bunch of shit in the process.  Written by Fred Van Lente.  Fun stuff; check it out, if you're so inclined.

Astro Boy Movie Prequel Underground #1

I'm not sure if this will be any good, but it's Astro Boy, which is worth a look.  The title says it all, but it's by Scott Tipton (of Comics 101 fame), with art by Diego Jourdan and a variant cover by Ashley Wood.  Maybe worth a look?

Castle Waiting Vol II #15

Every time a new issue of this series comes out, I say that I want to read it.  So here goes: I would like to read this series someday.  I'll have to pick up the hardcover collection of the first volume sometime.  To the library?

Fables #84

The Great Fables Crossover continues!  Collect it soon, fellas!

From the Ashes #1

Bob Fingerman's post-apocalyptic series begins.  I gotta check this out.  I linke to a preview the other day, but here it is again, in case you missed it.

House of Mystery #13

It's a special issue of the series, featuring four stories, with art by Neal Adams, Sergio Aragones, Eric Powell, and Ralph Reese.  Cool.  As always, I do want to catch up on this series someday.  Someday...

Howling Commandos #1

One of them WWII comics, which seems cool enough.  TV writer Jesse Alexander (Heroes, Lost, Alias) writes, and John Paul Leon illustrates.  The catch: it's supposed to be a prequel to Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale's Captain America: White.  Ugh.  It might still be good though...

Incognito Must Have

If you missed out on them, here's a reprint of the first two issues of Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips' supervillain series.  It's pretty good, so check it out if you haven't already.

League of Extraordinary Gentlemen III Century #1 1910

And here's the book of the week, for me at least.  Some people got it last week, those bastards.  Anyway, it's the next volume of Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill's series, and it should be awesome.  I can't wait to read it.  

Lockjaw and the Pet Avengers #1 (of 4)

People seem excited about this, a cute, goofy team of animal superheroes by Chris Eliopolous and Ig Guara.  I expect it to be fun.  I should have a review up at Comics Bulletin today or tomorrow.

Thor Tales of Asgard By Stan Lee and Jack Kirby #1

In the latest reprint thing, here's a series that collects what I think were the backup stories on the original run of Thor back in the 60s.  I've often heard that they were quite good, giving Kirby a chance to unleash some of his bombastic awesomeness, so I'll have to try to check them out.  You can't go wrong with the Kirby.

Umbrella Academy Dallas #6

It's the final issue of the second miniseries, and I can't wait to read it.  Unfortunately, it's not going to be collected until October, so I'll be champing at the bit until then.  Still, awesomeness awaits.

Unknown #1

A new series from Boom! Studios, it's about a female detective along the lines of Sherlock Holmes, which is pretty cool.  It's written by Mark Waid, with art by Minck Oosterveer.  Neato.

Unwritten #1

The latest Vertigo series, this is from Mike Carey and Peter Gross, the team behind Lucifer.  It looks like an interesting concept, following a character whose father wrote a series of Harry Potter-esque books about him as he discovers that he might be a work of fiction brought to life, or something like that.  I always dig stories about metafictional goings-on, so this might be one to check out.  

Applegeeks TP Vol 01 Freshmen Year

It's the latest of Dark Horse's collections of webcomics, this one being a well-regarded nerdy strip with nice artwork.  Like always, you can read it for free online, but sometimes physical books are nice to have.

Codeflesh Definitive Edition HC

I've never read this Joe Casey/Charlie Adlard book about a superhuman bounty hunter, but I've always meant to, especially since I like Casey so much.  Here's a new, fancy, expensive ($40) edition, containing an all-new story.  To the library!

Collected Doug Wright Canadas Master Cartoonist Vol 1 HC

People have been excited about these new collections from Drawn and Quarterly, and after reading the Nancy/Melvin Monster FCBD book, I can understand why.  So here's the first installment, and it looks hella nice.  Check it out, if you can afford it.

Connective Tissue HC

Hey, more Bob Fingerman!  This one is more illustrated prose than comics, but it looks pretty
crazy, about a girl who "plunge[s] down the rabbit hole into a surreal world of throbbing, veinous buildings, compulsory public nudity, weird creatures, and more".  Freaky.  You can download an excerpt and see a preview slideshow at Fantagraphics' site.

Creepy Archives Vol 3

More of the pricey Dark Horse collections of the classic horror series.  These are too expensive for me, but I would certainly love to read them.

I Kill Giants TP

I wasn't all that enamored of the first issue of this Joe Kelly-written series about a girl who claims to have magical powers, but it's received some acclaim, so the collected version might be worth a look.  Here's an interview with Kelly that has some preview art, if you're interested.

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats Sell Out HC

Luba HC

Oh man, I'm torn about whether I should get this huge hardcover collection of Gilbert Hernandez's stories from the second volume of Love and Rockets (along with the upcoming Locas II) or wait for the cheaper paperback versions.  I might have to just go for it.  It's sure to be great reading.  Check out Fanta's site for the usual preview/slideshow.

Potters Field HC

I enjoyed this series from Mark Waid and Paul Azaceta, so here's a collected version that might be worth getting.  It's a bit on the expensive side ($25), but it will surely have nice presentation, and it also contains a "lost" story illustrated by Steve Yeowell.  It's pretty good stuff; I'll give it a recommendation.

Secret Identities TP

This is "the anthology of Asian-American superhero stories", which might be interesting.  All the creators and characters are Asian-American, which is cool, because they're fairly under-represented in the industry (I think).  Here's the book's homepage, where you can find more information and see a preview.

Secret Wars 2 Omnibus HC DM ED

Wow, really?  Was anybody clamoring for a deluxe collection of this oft-derided story?  Ah, the wonders of the modern marketplace, with the superhero side of the medium constantly eating its own tail.  If you want to spend a hundred bucks on a big book of stories that are, by all accounts, pretty terrible, well, you're probably pretty stupid.  Enjoy!

Studs Terkels Working A Graphic Adaptation TP

I did not even know this existed, but it looks pretty neat.  Harvey Pekar adapts the classic book by Studs Terkel to comics form, with art by a number of different artists, including Peter Kuper, Pablo Callejo, Gary Dumm, Pat Moriarty, and others.  Sounds like one I want to read.

Future Diary Vol 1 GN

A new manga from Tokyopop, this sounds pretty interesting, with one of those premises where people can tell the future via magic cell phones and have to kill each other within a certain amount of time.  Brigid Alverson has a good review here.

Gurren Lagann Vol 1 GN

I dug this anime quite a bit (you can see me talk about it here), and here's the manga version of the story.  I don't know if it will be worth reading, but it's now available.

Ikigami The Ultimate Limit Vol 1 TP

A new series from Viz about a world in which the government occasionally selects people to be killed as motivation for...something or other.  I've got a review copy of this sitting at home, so I should hopefully get to it soon and post a review.  Looks interesting.

Manga Shakespeare As You Like It TP
Manga Shakespeare Othello TP

These always crack me up for some reason, but you never know when they might actually be decent, or at least interesting to see how somebody manages to manga-fy the source material.  These are both apparently from a studio of Japanese creators living in London, so they are a bit closer to actual manga than the usual stuff like this, which generally consists of Westerners trying to ape a generic manga style.  You can see previews here and here.

Spider-Man J Vol 2 Japanese Daze TP Digest

And for other manga goofiness, here's the Japanese version of Spidey.  I haven't read much of it, but I do know that John Jakala gives it his recommendation.  
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Is that everything?  I think so.  Sorry about the lack of content lately, but I've been working on a project (I'll give details at some point), so I haven't had much time for blogging.  That means I've got a pile of stuff to catch up on, so expect more posts soon.  Yay?

Monday, July 14, 2008

This week might also be slow?

Man, nothing new this weekend, for some reason. And I'm about to go on vacation again, so there will probably be little of note around here for the next few days either. Ah, lazy summer!

For your reading enjoyment, I've got a review of The Goon #26 up over at Comics Bulletin.

In other news, the newest installment of Smith Magazine's Next-Door Neighbor is by Harvey Pekar and Rick Veitch, which is a good combination. Check it out.

Brandon Graham is apparently having trouble getting Tokyopop to actually publish the second volume of King City (bastards!), so he has posted the first twelve pages on his blog (you have to scroll down a little bit to get to them), and might continue posting chapters if it never gets printed. So, uh, check that out, I guess, since that might be the only way we ever get to read it. Too bad; I loved the first volume of that book.

Anyway, I won't be picking these up until next week, but here they are:

New comics this week (Wednesday, 7/16/08):

Charlatan Ball #2

Man, I totally dug the first issue of this Joe Casey/Andy Suriano series. I should have written a review or something. Maybe when I get back, I can do something about these first two issues. Watch for it!

Godland #24

Speaking of Joe Casey, this issue should make enough for a fourth collection, right? Then I'll be able to catch up on the story. It's good; I've been missing the cosmic craziness of the series.

Gwaii #1

Is the title of this book supposed to be a play on "kawaii", the Japanese word for cute? It's a kids' book about a little sasquatch trying to find his lost mother. Could be fun. You can see some preview pages here.

Lois #1

Lois Gilbert, an acquaintance of Harvey Pekar, does her own American Splendor-style book here, telling about her experiences as a stand-up comedian, exotic dancer, and other adventures. Pekar co-writes some stories, and Gary Dumm and Greg Budgett, two regular Splendor contributors, provide the art. Could be worth a look.

Normal #1

An interesting project in which writer Stephen Orlando wrote a one-page story and had a bunch of different artists illustrate it, showing the differences in people's interpretations. I don't recognize the names of any of the artists apart from Matt Silady (The Homeless Channel), but it still looks like something I wouldn't mind reading. Here's a page with some information and some preview pages.

Paradise Lost #1

Also from Stephen Orlando's House Spirit Press, we've got an adaptation of the classic poem by John Milton. I have no idea if it will be any good, but the cover looks nice.

Sky Doll #3

Ending the Marvel translation of the extant issues of the French sci-fi/political-religious satire/sexploitation comic. I liked the first issue well enough, but I didn't read the second one. Maybe I'll pick up the collected version.

Universal War One #1

And then we've got the next addition to Marvel's Soleil lineup. This one appears to be a sci-fi story about a big war and a weird space anomaly that appears in the solar system. I should have a review up at Comics Bulletin tomorrow, but so far, I would say it's kind of interesting, and pretty nice-looking, but fairly sterile. I'll see what else I have to say when I finish reading it.

War is Hell: First Flight of the Phantom Eagle #5

Concluding the Garth Ennis/Howard Chaykin WWI miniseries. This has been an excellent read, and I can't wait to see how Ennis finishes it. Don't let me down, Garth!

Blue GN

From Desperado Publishing (that's a division of Image, right?), it's a reworked/modernized/whatever version of the Bluebeard fairytale by Elizabeth Genco and Sami Makkonen. The art looks cool (here's a preview), with sort of an Ashley Wood style. I might have to check it out.

Dock Walloper Vol 1 TP

So did this turn out to be any good? From what I remember, it was a story about a dockworker with a big hand, "created by" the actor Ed Burns. Virgin Comics' stuff seems to miss more often than hit, but you never know when they might put out something pretty good. Did anybody bother to read this and find out?

Dominion TPB

From Boom! Studios, it's some sort of alien-invasion tale "created by" Keith Giffen, but actually written by Michael Alan Nelson and drawn by Tim Hamilton. I've got an electronic review copy, so I'll let you know if it's any good whenever I get around to looking at it.

Fatal Faux Pas TP

A collection of gag comics from Samuel C. Gaskin, previously published as minicomics. It looks pretty good, and Nina Stone over at The Factual Opinion reviewed it recently. I'll have to try to obtain a copy. Here's the official page on publisher Secret Acres' site.

Goddess Of War #1

This new series by Lauren Weinstein has been getting some really good buzz on the comics inter-blags, so it's another one I'll have to try to pick up sometime. It follows the adventures of a valkyrie named Valerie, and it's kind of expensive for a 32-page pamphlet ($12.95), but it's huge at 14.5" x 10". Sounds neat; here's Jog's review; he can tell you why it's interesting much better than I can.

Houdini Handcuff King TPB

I don't know if this is a new version of the book or what, but maybe it means I'll actually read it now. It's about one of Houdini's famous escapes, and it's written by Jason Lutes and drawn by Nick Bertozzi. I've heard it's not bad. I may even one day be able to judge it for myself rather than just parroting what I've heard from others.

Howard the Duck Omnibus Vol. 1 HC

Marvel puts out a huge collection of Steve Gerber's creation, containing over 30 issues of the series and some other appearances (including some issues of Giant-Size Man-Thing, hee hee). A hundred bucks seems pricey, but that's a lot of material. I wish I could afford it.

Jeff Smith Bone & Beyond HC

I guess this is the portable version of the Jeff Smith museum exhibit that people have been talking about for a while now. Sounds like it's got some interviews with Smith, original art from the series, and other artwork from people who have influenced him. Probably would look nice on a coffee table, but I'm fine just reading the actual comics rather than spend money on a book celebrating how awesome they are.

Method Man GN

Hahahaha, this looks hilariously, stupidly silly. It's about a private investigator who is a member of a secret order of Cain's descendants that has to fight evil, or something. And hilariously, the rapper who co-wrote it named it after himself. I guess that's a selling point, but it kind of brands the whole thing as an ego-trip vanity project, doesn't it? Eh, it might be funny to look at, but I doubt it would really be worth reading, even with art by Sanford Greene. Here's an article about the thing on CBR, if you care.

Sparrow Boxed Set

75 bucks gets you a slip-cased set of all those artbooks that IDW has put out, featuring people like Ashley Wood, Phil Hale, and others. Probably good stuff, but too rich for my blood.

Tiki Joe Mysteries Vol 1 High Stakes Patsy TPB

This could be fun. It's an Ocean's 11-style crime story set in 1959 Las Vegas, about a guy who gathers his friends to pull a job against the mafia, who have been pressuring him for protection money. It's by Mike Murphy, from Slave Labor Graphics. I'll see if I can check it out. Here's the official site, which contains a preview.

Who Can Save Us Now TP

I don't think I would normally even bother mentioning this collection of superhero-themed short stories (because god knows we need more superhero stories; that well hasn't been plumbed already or anything), especially since I don't recognize any of the contributing writers, but I see that it contains illustrations by Chris Burnham, artist of Nixon's Pals. So I wouldn't mind opening it up and looking at it, I guess.

Wormdye TP

Also from Secret Acres, this is a collection of Eamon Espey's comics, and it also looks interesting, in that odd, artcomixy way. Maybe I'll check it out sometime? Here's the publisher's page.

ZOT TP VOL 01

I think this is the collection of the black and white issues of Scott McCloud's comic. I've read a little of the color version (I think), and it's pretty good stuff. McCloud is more famous these days for his non-fiction books, but this series is very well-regarded. I should try to read more of it. Here's an article that Tom Spurgeon wrote about the book.

Oh My God Vol 1 GN

From Aurora Manga, this is a shojo/shonen-ai comic about a guy who makes friends with an amnesiac deity that takes the guise of a high school student. Could be enjoyable?

Real Vol 1 GN

Takehiko Inoue's wheelchair basketball manga hits stores. I totally dug this first volume, so I highly recommend that you check it out. Yes, I mean you!

Star Trek Manga Vol. 3

I often hear that this series is hilarious, but I've never read it. I should try to do so sometime. Library?

Vassalord Vol 1 GN

From Tokyopop, this is about a cyborg vampire who works for the Vatican. What? Hey, sometimes when you throw a bunch of genre elements into a blender, it can come out pretty tasty. I don't know if that's the case here, but it's got my interest at least. We'll see if I ever bother reading it.
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And I think that's everything for the week. As I said, I'm going on vacation, so while I'm hoping to have something up tonight, I might not be around until next week. But please don't forget me in my absence! I'll be back!

Wednesday, August 1, 2007

Meat Haus 7: It's a good thing I'm not vegetarian

My wife is though, so I shouldn't show this to her.

Meat Haus 7: Love Songs
By Vincent Stall, Angry Jim, Jay Sacher, Nate Powell, Brandon Graham, Dash Shaw, Jeffro Kilpatrick, Keith Graham, Kenichi Hosine, Pat Williams, Rob Donnelly, Tom Herpich, Zachary Flagg, Stephen Q. Stardog, Esao Andrews, Jim Mahfood, James Jean, Tomer Hanuka, Serge Macos, Dave Crosland, Becky Cloonan, Chris McDonnell, Celia Bullwinkle, Mu Dafaka, Matthew K. Manning, Brett Wintle, and Faryl Dalrymple



As many people will tell you, anthologies are often mixed bags, with some really good material mixed in with stuff of varying quality. That's probably why I don't buy them very often, but sometimes they're worth a look, especially if they contain work by artists I really like (in this case, Becky Cloonan, Brandon Graham, James Jean, and a few others). At worst, I get a few stories that I'll like that probably won't be published anywhere else, and at best I discover some new favorite artists. Well, this collections doesn't exactly catapult anybody to the top of my "favorite comics creators" list, but it certainly gave me a few names to watch out for in the future.

The theme of this collection (the seventh one from the Meathaus group of artists) is "love songs". The different artists interpret the theme in a variety of ways, from doing a straight adaptation of a particular song, to a story in which characters listen to a song or reflect on a song they've heard, to simple love stories. I'll go ahead and take a look at my favorites, or the ones that struck me in some way.

Jay Sacher's "A Radio Romance" is a cute little story about a couple on opposite sides of the Iron Curtain (one in the U.S., one in East Berlin) in 1969. They make contact via radio, and eventually fall in love and get married. It's pretty fun, and I like Sacher's simple art style:



Brandon Graham's "Sugarless Candy" is a nice little urban story about a couple spending a morning together before one of them has to leave. It eschews the sci-fi trappings and sexuality of the other Graham stories I've read, instead focusing on the sweet moments the couple share. I like this panel:



I like the art style on Dash Shaw's untitled story, but I really have no idea what's going on or what it's about:



I might have to check out his book The Mother's Mouth, if I get the chance.

Pat Williams might be another one to watch out for. His story "Bar Fly" is a cute, thick-lined, wordless tale of a skull-headed guy hitting on a girl at a bar. I like it:



Zachary Flagg's "Selective Memory" is short and fairly insubstantial, but it features some really nice art, like something out of a children's picture book:



Stephen Q. Stardog's "Best Man" might be my favorite story in the book, about a guy getting drunk and bitter at a friend's wedding. I especially like the picture-filled word balloons showing his conversations with people:



There are also some really nice-looking cigarette-smoke curlicues. He's a good artist.

I don't know what's going on in James Jean's "Tremble", but good god, the art is gorgeous:



That guy's going places.

Tomer Hanuka's "I Love You" is also very nice-looking but difficult to parse. It's something about a couple brothers (I think) that talk about a dream one of them had (again, I think). I'll skip the art sample, but it's an interesting story, veering between their conversation and the dream. I like the art; I'll have to try to read Hanuka's The Placebo Man sometime.

Dave Crosland's "Cold Blows the Wind" is an adaptation of a Ween song about a woman who waits by her lover's grave, which keeps his soul from moving on. Beautiful art:



Becky Cloonan's "$7.50 An Hour" is a cute little story about her getting bored at work, falling asleep, and dreaming of a samurai who also hates his job. It veers between cartoony, manga-style art and (more) realistic pictures, like this one:



Not my favorite Cloonan comic, but it's fun.

Matthew K. Manning's "Selected Poems" is just that: three poems in comics format. They're short and sweet, with some nice illustrations:



Brett Wintle's untitled story is interesting; each of its four pages has six panels that don't relate to each other, but each panel is continued sequentially by the panel in the same position on the next page. So there are really six short comics in one here. Their juxtaposition makes for an interesting atmosphere; I like it quite a bit. I'll skip an art sample though.

Finally, I think Farel Dalrymple's "Centillion" is my actual favorite story, with a narrative that shifts from an astronaut floating in space, to a guy in a bar, do a dog on the street, to a guy in a blimp, and back to the astronaut. It all seems to flow spatially, almost like the viewer is dropping out of orbit to street level. And the art is just beautiful:



It's kind of a darkly amusing story as well. I really like Dalrymple's art; I'm going to have to look for his book Pop Gun War, and I can't wait to read the Omega the Unknown book he's doing for Marvel with Jonathan Lethem and Paul Hornschemeier.

Okay, I think that's everything that I felt like talking about. There were a few others that were all right, but nothing else that I really wanted to spotlight. It's a pretty good anthology, and I think I'm going to have to search out some of the other Meathaus books, like the recent Meat Haus 8: Head Games.
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And that's all for tonight. More tomorrow, even if it's just another Kirby panel.

Thursday, July 12, 2007

In which I return from exile to proclaim the awesomeness of Brandon Graham

That's right, I'm back from vacation, and I have a lot of catching up to do. But before I get to that, I want to review some advance copy stuff that Oni sent me. Man, I feel like a real critic or something now...

Multiple Warheads #1
By Brandon Graham



The logo on the cover is spelled "Multiple Warhedz" (or maybe even "Multipl3 Warh3dz"), but Oni's informational materials and website use the title above, so I'm going with that one. Whatever the case, it's another dose of Brandon Graham's crazy sci-fi weirdness, similar to his book King City from Tokyopop (read my review here). This one takes place in another future dystopia, 50 years after WolfWar 3, in which werewolves were sent into space to fight aliens (now their ships are returning and crashing to earth regularly). Our stars are Sexica, a hot organ smuggler, and Nikoli, a werewolf who gained his powers in an unusual way (the title is a hint). The world is a nuclear wasteland, and they're struggling to get by in what appears to be a Russian metropolis populated by mutants, aliens, and other weirdos. In future issues, it seems they will be hitting the road and driving across the wasteland in their car that Nikoli built from old robot parts and a sentient engine, but this issue mostly concerns itself with establishing the setting and characters.

And it does a great job on both fronts, with detail-packed vistas of bomb-riddled statues and crazy urban vistas:



The character work is also excellent, introducing the couple as cute lovers, with a fairly explicit sex scene:



Yowza! We also get a cool dream sequence of Nikoli's, in which a child rides around on a wolf's back, having adventures:



I love the "Ow" in the monster's mouth. It's a pretty surreal scene, and while his dreams might or might not factor into the story in the future, I thought it was pretty sweet.

So it's another good example of Graham's worldbuilding, with details like depressing street signs that warn their viewers not to expect too much out of life, or descriptions of the super-organs that Sexica is smuggling (L-bow, a dart-launching elbow, and dick-tation, a penis that writes, are just two examples). It's super-cool, and I can't wait to read more. This issues comes out on July 25, and it's a quarterly series, 48 pages for $5.99. Watch for it!

Thanks to Oni Press for the review copy.
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I got lots more to talk about, but we'll see when I have a chance to get to it.

Thursday, April 26, 2007

King City: I'm not sure if I would want to live there or not

King City, volume 1
By Brandon Graham



If I may say so, this comic is awesome. I know Brandon Graham has been around for a while, but I don't know of anything I've read by him (nothing in the "also by" list in this book, anyway). However, he still seems familiar, especially the way he draws girls' lips:



Where have I seen that before? Or is he just similar to other artists I know? Becky Cloonan, maybe? (I know they're both members of the Meathaus group). Whatever the case, I really dig his style, along with the barrage of crazy sci-fi ideas he throws on the page in this book.

The story concerns a young man named Joe, who returns to the titular city after an absence spent training as a "cat master". He now has a special (genetically-engineered?) cat that can do or become anything with an injection of "cat juice". He ends up getting related in various spy-related schemes and involving his ski-masked friend Pete. We also spend some time with Joe's ex-girlfriend Anna, who is dating Max, a scarred veteran of the Korean Xombie War who is addicted to a drug called chalk, which slowly turns its users' bodies into the drug for other users to use. Along the way, we encounter stuff like cannibalistic rich men, chainsaw swords, an alien water-dwelling girl, high-speed booger flicking, and a sasquatch landlord. It's a crazy world that Graham is building here, and it's fun to see the characters move through it.



And the art is really cool too. The book is published by Tokyopop, so one would expect some manga influence, but the usual surface stylings like big eyes and speed lines aren't here. Graham does use some manga-ish storytelling techniques though, such as interesting panel layouts or "camera angles". One thing I love is his use of Japanese-style sound effects, either by making them part of the art:



Or by coming up with weird words to use for sound effects:



He's also great at depicting his characters and their expressions, even the cat (whose full name is Earthling J.J. Catingsworth III):



And I'm blown away by how sexy he makes his women, whether through looks:



Or personality:



Yowza! So, it's highly recommended, and I can't wait for upcoming volumes.
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That's probably all for tonight, but expect more content tomorrow.