I recently warned readers about avoiding an Adirondacks-based comic books show being organized by the comic show organizer wannabe Rick Olney. It occurs to me that I should put my own Olney story out there so you know why I personally don’t trust or believe in the man. If you Google his name, you will find many stories worse than mine, from real people who suffered real injury to their ability to feed their families because of his alleged business practices.
My very first exposure to Rick Olney was an online screed he wrote about me (now apparently removed from the internet) deliberately snubbing him at the 2003 Mighty Mini-Con in upstate New York (one of the few Olney-organized shows he DIDN’T have to cancel, before word had gotten out about his true nature). He made a huge deal out of the fact that I went to the show, which is true enough; I was there with my family, interested in exactly three things, meeting comics writer Tony Isabella in person (here’s his 2003 account of the show), buying comics, and having a nice day trip for my family. What rankled Olney was the fact that I did not have the decency to introduce myself to him. Of course, I only even knew who Olney was after he wrote his outraged screed; I had no idea who was running the show and was a paying guest (four, actually, counting the wife and kids). I had never heard of Rick Olney (if only I could say that today!). It was one hell of a way to be introduced to the guy, and I have been extraordinarily leery of him ever since. Since we are both in upstate New York, he later tried to get me to endorse his efforts, the most recent time trying (to the point of aggravation, after I had said no multiple times) to pay me to line up guests for his convention, even going so far as to admit that he couldn’t do it himself because of his reputation, but realizing neither the irony involved there, or the fact that, whatever reputation I have, I didn’t want it soiled by associating with him and his notorious shenanigans.
For more information, read Tony Isabella’s recent post about Rick Olney. And remember, if you’re interested in attending a comic book show in the Adirondack region, The Albany Comic Con is a great show run by ethical people, a terrific alternative to Rick Olney’s “Adirondack ComicFest,” which, even if it comes off, is already tainted by accusations of questionable charity associations, and by Rick Olney’s well-deserved reputation as a shady character.
— Alan David Doane
September 2011
26 posts
August 2011
7 posts
Please be aware that a rumoured “Adirondack ComicFest” is bad news, and Google its “organizer” Rick Olney for all the details on why. I live in the foothills of the Adirondack region, and as a resident it really grinds my gears to see Olney trying to ply his toxic wares in my backyard (literally; I can see the Adirondacks from my backyard). Tony Isabella often reminds people of why they should shun Olney and his many various fictional “shows” and “companies,” and his column today prompted me to add my voice to the choir, with a far better idea for anyone interested in comics that might have been sucked in to Olney’s latest scam.
You might consider attending the REAL comic book show of the Adirondack region, the Albany Comic Con. It’s run by honest people that I have personally dealt with for years, and features great guests twice a year, including Fred Hembeck, Joe Staton, Matt Smith, Ron Marz, Joe Sinnott, and this fall, Jim Starlin. Folks like Staton and Hembeck have attended twice a year for years now, so I assume they get paid and are happy with the show, unlike many people who have been victimized by Rick Olney in the past. I write this now in the hopes of preventing future pain to people who love comics. So forget Olney’s latest scheme and plan to attend the Albany Comic Con this October. Details are here:
http://www.albanycomicbookshow.com/
The Albany Comic Con is only an hour or so from the Adirondacks and the Adirondack Park, so anyone who had been excited about Olney’s show before finding out the truth about him might want to consider coming to the October Albany Comic Con. Please note that the show is an occasional advertiser on this site, but even if they weren’t, I would urge you to attend because it’s a great show, a good time and a wonderful chance to see all the comics-oriented people in the upstate New York/Adirondack region; and I would still urge you to avoid anything at all that is connected in any way to Rick Olney.
— Alan David Doane
* Tony Isabella takes a hard look at the state of freelancer contracts in comics these days, and lays out a basic template for what should actually be included in such legal documents. Interesting for process junkies, essential for pros, both aspiring and current. Be sure to subscribe to this new, even bloggier version of Tony’s Bloggy Thing.
* I know it’s difficult, but imagine for a moment a world where DC Comics doesn’t suck as much. Be sure to read the sidebar introduction.
* Like my hero Roger Ebert, Tom Spurgeon got sick and wrote brilliantly about it. Set some time aside to really take this one in, and some more time to reflect on the implications of what you’ve read.
* I should link to Tim Callahan more often, both because he’s relatively local ( I see him often at the Albany Comicon) and because he’s a good and balanced writer. He brings those skills to his examination of Dave Sim’s Cerebus The Aardvark. Tim and I had a brief discussion of Sim on Twitter, and the gist of it is that I think Sim’s ideas are toxic and repugnant, and that they torpedo my ability to appreciate Cerebus as comics. Tim takes a more nuanced and forgiving view, and good for him for doing so.
— Alan David Doane
Writer/Artist – Albert Uderzo
1981.
This is my first exposure to the venerable series about the shrewd little Gaulish warrior and his dimwitted oaf buddy, Obelix. I understand it’s the second album (#26 in the series) to be both written and drawn by Uderzo after the death of co-creator/writer Rene Goscinny. I also understand that many prefer the ones where Goscinny was writing.
In this one, the two friends travel to the Middle East to find more “rock oil” (petroleum), as their village druid Getafix has run out and needs it for his various potions. They’re joined this once by Roman secret agent Dubbelosix, who is drawn like late ‘70s Sean Connery and has all manner of steampunk gadgets like a folding chariot. They have many hardships, dangers and all manner of confusion in their search for the oil, though nothing too serious. The copy I was loaned still shows a 1981 copyright and $9.95 pricetag, so maybe later editions have better printing and coloring, but I found it indifferent here, though I can tell Uderzo has a pretty supple line and the art style of bulbous noses, big feet and exaggerated postures works just fine for the humorous set-ups, while here and there he does stop to draw some very nice establishing shots of Arab architecture.
As far as the gags, I was a little surprised, given how successful the volumes are worldwide, that so much of the humor is verbal rather than visual/physical. I like puns better than most, and the idea of using the Gaulish –ix or Roman –ius suffixes afford a few opportunities for at least a smile, with names like Surreptitius, Dubbelosix and such, though Uderzo stretches the idea a bit far with on-the-nose mouthfuls like “Ekonomikrisis”. Uderzo also has pretty low standards for some of these jokes: what’s so funny about a tired camel thinking, “Being humped about really gives me the hump?” What does that even mean? Maybe it’s the translation. There are some witty James Bond bits and an ironic running gag about the nastiness and useless of “rock oil” that contrasts with the modern reliance on petroleum. Reading more about the book, it’s clear Uderzo worked pretty hard, including lots of then-current references and even using a character modeled on Goscinny as a kind of tribute, so no doubt longtime fans, or those still familiar with the current events of 1980, will get more out of it than me. I liked it but aside from a mild interest in reading one written by Goscinny to see if it’s funnier, I don’t feel a great urge to return.
—Christopher Allen
August 10, 2011
I recently took part in The Hooded Utilitarian’s International Best Comics Poll (my list is here). “Best of” lists are something some critics enjoy, while others (notably Roger Ebert) more or less despise them. I’m kind of in the middle — it’s seemingly difficult to come up with a definitive list of anything relating to something as subjective as art, but the fact of the matter is that a truly responsible critic has to have a discerning taste, the ability to convey it to his or her audience, and the confidence to state his or her opinion boldly and convincingly. I find the latter is something that really aggravates a lot of people — wishy-washy minds hate it when someone expresses an opinion with the force of reason and logic; all the more reason to take joy in the occasional exercise of this type. It’s also useful as a barometer over time of one’s own evolving tastes. When I first started writing regularly about comics in the late 1990s, many of the comics on this list would not have made the cut, while quite a few comics I now hold in far less high regard probably would have had a place of honour.
In any case, as of mid-August, 2011, here’s my list of the best comics of all time.
American Elf, James Kochalka - Other comics creators have dug deeper into their own psyches; Harvey Pekar, Phoebe Gloeckner and R. Crumb come to mind. But no other cartoonist in the history of the medium has documented one moment from each day of his life for as many years on end as Kochalka has, and regularly presented it to his audience. American Elf is a singular accomplishment in the comics artform, and perhaps the most entertaining and effective window into the soul of a cartoonist in the history of the medium. (Buy American Elf Volume 1: The Collected Sketchbook Diaries Of James Kochalka from Amazon.com.)
American Splendor, Harvey Pekar, et al - I make no apologies for the fact that autobiography is my favourite genre in comics. When done right, as Pekar almost always did it, no other storytelling medium can have as profound, immediate and insightful an impact on its audience as autobiographical comics. My very favourite Pekar works are his collaborations with R. Crumb, because each brought out the best in the other, so much so that their collaborations have the same feel and power of comics created by a single creative mind working at the peak of his abilities. But with or without Crumb, Pekar’s work demands attention and rewards re-reading, with its keen observation of human nature and its celebration of the smallest and largest events in life. Pekar’s death marked the end of an era in comics, and it’s unlikely that any other comics creator will ever match the heights Pekar did in the very best of his work. (Buy The Best of American Splendor from Amazon.com.
Daredevil: Born Again, Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli - All that having been said, I’m a lifelong comics fan who was weaned on superhero comics starting in the very early 1970s. So I remain susceptible to the charms of a superhero tale well-told, and the only one told as well as this one is Batman: Year One by the very same creative team. In Born Again, Miller turned his signature character inside out and redefined what was possible in a corporate superhero comic. Mazzucchelli had already demonstrated some pretty decent superhero chops on this title prior to Miller’s return to the title, but he very quickly leveled up to deliver one of the most visually stunning superhero stories ever that was not drawn by Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko or Gil Kane. (Buy Daredevil: Born Again from Amazon.com.
Diary of a Teenage Girl, Phoebe Gloeckner - Not strictly autobiography, Gloeckner’s masterpiece nonetheless carries the weight of reality and the gravity of a troubled life seen with the perspective of years gone by. It’s a comic that defies expectation and challenges easy judgment or callous dismissal. Read it and understand a little bit better what it is to be a girl, to be a teenager, to be a human being. (Buy Diary of a Teenage Girl from Amazon.com.)
From Hell, Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell - The single greatest work ever created in comics, or the best graphic novel of all time. Call it what you will, but if you haven’t read and experienced From Hell, you could be forgiven for saying, as one critic I otherwise respect recently did, that Alan Moore is “overrated.” From Hell is a challenging work, but one that is meticulously constructed, brilliantly conceived, passionately executed, and will turn your fucking brain inside out. Along with his prose novel Voice of the Fire, From Hell is Moore at his absolute best, and at his best, there’s no one else in comics that even comes close. (Buy From Hell from Amazon.com.)
Ice Haven, Daniel Clowes - Clowes’s masterpiece is kind of the flip side of From Hell. It is executed with equal passion and witty, seamless construction. But the subject matter almost defies description. The book is as much about comics as it is a story told with comics. It was a signal moment in Clowes’s development as a storyteller, with everything that followed in some way indebted to or descended from the concerns he unpacked in Ice Haven. I think I prefer the individual issue of Eightball it originally appeared in (#21) to the reformatted and rejiggered hardcover graphic novel version, but either way, Ice Haven should be read and experienced by anyone who loves comics. (Buy Ice Haven from Amazon.com.)
“Master Race,” Bernard Krigstein and Al Feldstein - Appearing in the first issue of Impact, “Master Race” is the most brilliantly executed short story in the history of comics. I’ve opined at length elsewhere about how and why Bernard Krigstein was the greatest artist ever to work in comics, but immersing yourself in “Master Race” is really the only argument needed. (Buy B. Krigstein Vol. 1 from Amazon.com.)
Peanuts, Charles M. Schulz - No one saw the bittersweet sadness of life the way Schulz did, and no one ever made the reader feel those same feelings with more grace or immediacy. For fifty years, Schulz bared his soul in comics, and while he more often than not did so with a clever gag or punchline at the end, ultimately what we all think of when we think of Peanuts as a whole is the way Schulz could take the little agonies of his own life and make us remember what it is to be hurt, to be slighted, to grin and bear it and keep moving despite the pain. I think that’s the ultimate message of Schulz’s life work, and the example he set for us all. He kept going, kept working, up until the absolute last moment possible, and then he left us, and left behind a monumental lifetime of work that will be enjoyed and talked about as long as there are people left to think and talk about comics. And maybe even a little while longer than that. (Buy The Complete Peanuts Vol. 1 - 1950-1952 from Amazon.com.)
— Alan David Doane
Another issue (volume?) of TCJ apparently means another opportunity to screw with Tom Crippen’s head, as three editors and eight interns couldn’t spell his name correctly in the Table of Contents. Ah, well. Those who pick up the book will see that it’s gone through another format change, this time close to the dimensions and paper used in Dash Shaw’s Bottomless Belly Button, a brick of newsprint under a gray blow-up of an image from R. Crumb’s adaptation of The Book of Genesis, the gray really underselling the idea that a bunch of folks are being bombarded by fireballs from the sky. Be careful setting the book down, as the cover is so thin a breeze may fold the cover back without you knowing, as happened to me.
Knowing me, if I wait until I’ve finished all 624 pages of this issue, I’ll never get around to reviewing it, so I figured I’d just do it in parts.
Crumb does admit he has some regrets about it, and opines that many other cartoonists could have come up with pretty much the same thing. Personally, I’m sorry if he felt he wasted his time, though it’s really refreshing to hear. I wish more artists, high and low, would cop to taking a creative dead-end, or doing something for money that they wished they hadn’t. Not that many fret overmuch about the feelings of George Lucas or Stephen Spielberg, but don’t you think they look back on Indy 4 as squandering some of their winter years? Or back to comics, do you think Paul Hornschemier is pleased with his choices of the past few years? Eric Shanower may have ended up feeling like his laborious story of the Trojan War, Age of Bronze, was something like a death sentence, a project that would take up the rest of his career.
So Crumb maybe made a bad, and very time-consuming, move. Artists do this. Really, anybody does this. Did you take a job in an industry you find you don’t like that much? It’s hard to get out, isn’t it? Anyway, at the very least, it seems that the project improved Crumb’s already amazing drawing skills, and who knows, maybe the discipline he had to exercise will lead to more fruitful, personal and even longer-form work than before.
It would make sense to go right into the various critics (well, five critics, a theologian and maniac Kenneth R. Smith) and their takes on Genesis, but instead I skipped right towards the back of the issue, a color reprinting of Dell Comics Gerald McBoing Boing, based on Ted (Dr. Suess) Geisel’s cartoon of the same name, which is adapted for the first issue, the rest of the stories playing out the diminishing comedic returns of a tyke who speaks only in sound effects. This highlights that rotten, gooey center at the heart of Groth’s TCJ, the idea that crappy comics are okay if they’re all ages and at least forty years old. Sorry, no. Unless you’ve read every John Stanley-written comic already, there’s no need to waste time on this drivel.
The last piece in the issue is actually a sort of reprise, a brief and fair, even kind piece on Crumb by Tom Crippen that presents the man as a very talented artist who doesn’t have a lot of original ideas, and whose style has settled into something much heavier than in his freer, more experimental days, but what he does, he still does well. In an odd way, it’s a lovely way to end the book, putting the focus back on an artist who’s always worth writing about, even if the book chosen to write about for half this issue is already turning into a career blip or footnote, the book that’s curious by not being curious, interesting mainly for its artist’s choice to govern himself and produce something less interesting.
In Part 2, lots of critics arguing!
—Christopher Allen
Buy The Comics Journal #301 from Amazon.com.
I recently reviewed Marvel’s Thor Omnibus here on Trouble With Comics. That’s likely the last time you’ll find on this blog a review of a Marvel Comics product that stems from the original work created by Jack Kirby, unless Marvel Comics changes its corporate policies enough to do the right thing for the heirs of Kirby’s legacy. I’ve discussed this with my colleague Alan David Doane, and we agree that, even though we’re just one small part of the online comics discussion, we’re going to be true to our own values and not continue to endorse Marvel’s profoundly unethical treatment of the Kirby family.
As far as my own opinion, I just wanted explain where it comes from, and then explain how it will affect future content on this blog. My day job is underwriting Workers Compensation insurance. While it’s a legal requirement for employers to carry such insurance, the layperson probably doesn’t know just how subjective it can be to set pricing. Some of it’s driven by competition, some by analysis of the information that varies based on each underwriter’s knowledge and experience. You may think superhero comics are grim ‘n’ gritty, but how about a job where it’s better if an employee falling from a scaffold dies rather than becomes paralyzed, because death claims don’t cost as much? Some lives are worth $5MM, some $500. My world is not one where there is good and bad but where everything has its price.
Is it fair to hold Marvel Comics to a higher standard than a corporation whose products are not of the intellectual property variety, just because Marvel’s properties are characters who represent the triumph of good over evil? I’ve wrestled with that. I don’t think Marvel is evil or horrible because of some bad policies, and obviously it’s no coincidence that Marvel’s good fortune in being bought by Disney, having successful films, etc., leads to them being targets of lawsuits like this, but opportunism doesn’t by itself invalidate a position. I tended to always follow the precept that whatever a court of law decided in the case of creative ownership lawsuits, that was good enough for me. Wolfman’s Blade? He had his day in court, he lost, end of story. But the impact that Jack Kirby’s co-creations have had on Marvel Comics over the past 70 years is just too overwhelming for me to continue that stance.
I’m no paragon of virtue, and will get off the soapbox now, but the fact is that Marvel/Disney have the resources to make things right with the Kirbys without it hurting them substantially. It’s the right thing to do, it’s good PR, and quite frankly, it seems rather shortsighted to continue thinking that you can keep these old characters going forever with work-for-hire deals with talent who keep their original ideas to themselves. Legality and morality are fluid. What seemed fine in the ’60s doesn’t work now, just like we no longer own people like chattel, marry our 13-year-old cousins, etc. Marvel likes to be an industry trend-setter and seem progressive. Day-and-date digital comics are fine and all, but wouldn’t this be a more significant way to put their money where their mouth is?
Until such time as they make things right on this issue, Trouble With Comics will no longer be commenting on or reviewing Marvel product that derives wholly or in part from the efforts of Jack Kirby. We urge our fellow writers-about-comics to consider making the same commitment.
— Christopher Allen
Writers - Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, Robert Bernstein
Pencilers - Jack Kirby, Al Hartley, Joe Sinnott, Don Heck
Inkers - Joe Sinnott, Dick Ayers, Al Hartley, George Roussos, Paul Reinman, Chic STone, Vince Colletta, Frank Giacoia
Publisher - Marvel Comics. $99.99 USD
It’s appropriate that Thor finally gets the Omnibus treatment, as this book weighs as much as a sledgehammer. The Mjolnir-wielding Norse god made his first appearance in Marvel’s anthology series, Journey Into Mystery #83, starting a long, unbroken run that first had him in just half the book, but within a year or so the main Thor adventure was backed by the beloved Tales of Asgard. All the Thor material from #83-#120 and Annual (“Special”) #1 are here.
Jack Kirby had done a version of Thor in one DC comic before this, but the basic set-up of having Thor sort of sharing the body of lame (in both definitions) Dr. Donald Blake seems like more of a Stan Lee “hero with feet of clay” device, perhaps inspired by the Fawcett Captain Marvel/Billy Batson idea (and which would inspire Marvel’s own Captain Marvel/Rick Jones set-up). Blake finds a cane through improbable means and when he strikes it, he turns into the God of Thunder, aware of what happened while he was Donald Blake and yet not sharing or at least not interested in Blake’s knowledge; ie you wouldn’t ask Thor to perform surgery on you.
There’s the added gimmick that Thor cannot be separated from his hammer for more than 60 seconds (Asgardians measure time the same as us, even if they are immortal), or he turns back into Blake. Lee handled a lot of Marvel books back then, so he only plots many of these stories, letting brother Larry or Robert Bernstein script them, and of course it’s difficult to determine how much Kirby himself added. Even at his angriest, most anti-Marvel/Lee period, Kirby probably wouldn’t want to take a lot of credit for the first year or so of Journey Into Mystery’s stories, as most were pretty poor. Blake’s medical practice was left vague enough that one day he could be performing surgery in a hospital, while another day he could be working at a clinic, or as a kind of proto-Doctor Without Borders in a banana republic. Whatever happened, he would have some reason to become Thor, who so excites his beloved nurse, Jane Foster, but she is always kept at arm’s length due to misunderstanding or a desire to keep her safe from his dangerous double life.
This romantic thread is often irritating, and invariably gets in the way of what should have been a grand, mythological adventure book from the start, though I suppose something can be said for Lee’s ability to make even godlike characters relatable with dating woes, or Thor’s difficult relationship with his dad, Odin. Odin is basically a bigot: he loves his son, but can’t understand why he wastes his affection on Jane Foster, a human woman, and thus beneath him. There is something charming about Thor pining away and moaning in public over his girl trouble. And of course, Loki is a classic villain, the evil stepbrother who might have been better if he had been the favorite son…but probably not.
It takes quite a while for the series to get going. Aside from Loki, who appears constantly, Thor’s rogues gallery is pathetic, with losers like “Sandu the Supernatural” and “The Carbon-Copy Man.” Even decent villains such as The Radioactive Man, The Executioner, The Enchantress, The Cobra and Mr. Hyde aren’t all that interesting in their first appearances. Lee really misses an opportunity to draw parallels between Thor and The Executioner, both saps for love. It has to be said, though, that unlike, say, the Superman books of this period, Lee/Kirby & Co evolved the series beyond its confining status quo. Little by little, the Tales of Asgard become not just abbreviated versions of myths, but original adventures themselves, and also the main series draws more inspiration from the wonders of Asgard, making room for characters like Balder the Brave and Heimdall to play more of a part in Thor’s life.
—Christopher Allen
July 2011
5 posts
Marvel continues to grow their film version of the Marvel Universe with this period adventure, which of course tells the tale of scrawny young patriot Steve Rogers, who becomes the burly, superpowered Captain America, WWII hero who is eventually thawed out by the end with the promise of modern era adventures as one of the mighty Avengers.
Director Joe (The Rocketeer) Johnston knows from period adventure, and he also knows how to create believable, likable characters. Although star Chris Evans isn’t the most nuanced or even charismatic of actors, he knows how to deliver his lines effectively, and fortunately Johnston gives him plenty to work with. Rogers isn’t just a hero but a good friend, shy with women, and filled with compassion for the little guy, because he’s just a little guy at heart. That’s what ultimately sells the movie, though the action sequences and old fashioned romance at the heart of it are pretty good, too.
As far as the rest of the cast, Tommy Lee Jones walks through his role, but his walking through is better than most actors, and Haley Atwell is a comely, fierce Peggy Carter, probably a stronger character than she has been portrayed in most of her comics appearances. Steve’s friend and eventual sidekick Bucky isn’t given as much to do as comics fans would probably wish for, nor are Sgt. Fury’s Howling Commandos much more than winking Easter eggs, but still, they’re fine. Hugo Weaving is a terrific Red Skull, and I only wished we caught a glimpse of Arnim Zola in his Kirby-designed, face-in-chest version, but maybe next time. Dominic Cooper as Tony’s dad, Howard Stark, has real presence, and is very enjoyable as essentially a more focused version of his son. I can’t imagine many comics fans objecting to the change in continuity here to closely tie Stark with the origin of Cap, since it’s done so well. Also look out for the nod to Phineas Horton and the Human Torch, but no Namor. A solid effort that even my mom, never a superhero fan, thought was good, old-fashioned fun. As always with the Marvel films, stay through the credits (a terrific title sequence) for a sneak peek at the next film, in this case Joss Whedon’s The Avengers. Do not bother with the 3D version—the film wasn’t shot in 3D and almost no shots take advantage of it.
—Christopher Allen
Just added more deeply discounted graphic novels to my eBay auctions, including the Krazy Kat Celebration HC, Joker HC, Ed Brubaker Secret Avengers HC set, Fighting American TPB, Joe Simon’s autobiography in hardcover, and more!
You can view all my auctions on one page by clicking here. Check out my feedback rating, and bid with confidence! Mention Trouble With Comics at checkout and I’ll throw in some great bonus comics absolutely free! And thanks, as always, for supporting our efforts here at Trouble With Comics!
— Alan David Doane
Written by Chris Roberson
Art by Francesco Biagini.
Published by BOOM! Studios. $3.99 USD
I have no doubt that the talents involved here have the best intentions. I’m sure writer Roberson is a longtime devotee of Moorcock’s work, bursting with enthusiasm to get others as excited about the Multiverse as he is. It’s not a cynical enterprise by any means.
And yet, the result is pretty much the same. Roberson creates a new character, white-haired Eric Beck, game designer, as our window into these worlds of long-maned, grim warriors. Eric is having vivid dreams that he’s Elric of Melnibone. If that’s not bad enough, he runs into a Tea Party-style rally made up of followers of his twin brother, the renamed Garrison Bow (Hmm, G. Beck, foaming anti-progressive—wonder who Roberson could have modeled this guy on?). Before Eric gets his butt kicked, he’s saved by a tough chick, who knows who he is and needs his help to save the universe/multiverse/whatever. Maybe BOOM! is okay with paying Roberson twice for the script for Starborn #1, but I’m not as easygoing.
Oh, wait, this is called Elric something or other, right? Aside from a couple comics adaptations, I’ve never read any Elric—no unadulterated Moorcock—so I was looking forward to Roberson’s take. It’s not so much that he does anything wrong as he makes Elric a mere supporting character in his own book. I’m not talking just about Eric Beck, but Elric gets about the same number of pages as Corum, Dorian Hawkmoon and Jhary-A-Conel. As an editorial after the book jokes, this is like Crisis on Infinite Earths for Moorcock’s Multiverse, but you know, that wasn’t a great series, and it only underscores how difficult it is to write a good story that crams in a lot of similar heroes. I get that Hawkmoon is more of a family man, but Elric and Corum are as yet interchangeably grim, and I had to reread it to even remember Corum. Elric has a nice fight against some imaginatively creepy monsters, and Biagini has a nice line, but overall the work is rather stiff. The main problem, though is just that Roberson has taken on too large a task here. It’s like a bar conversation with a guy who doesn’t want to just tell you about one great movie you need to see—he has to tell you about everything the director’s ever made. It’s overwhelming. This would have been better focusing on Eric and Elric and a simpler plot with a clear goal, working in the other characters gradually, or even in a second miniseries.
—Christopher Allen
With the fourth of seven issues of the main Fear Itself miniseries published, we’re at the halfway point of Marvel’s latest event. I’ve actually been pretty impressed with how most of the ongoing series have been able to incorporate the storyline into their own series without completely losing their own plot threads or identity, while for the most part the tie-in miniseries, while not “necessary”, are pretty good, too.
Thunderbolts #160 by Jeff Parker/Declan Shalvey.
As The Raft supervillain prison island is rocked by the impact of one of the Seven Hammers and upgrade/escape of Juggernaut, I like the T-Bolts B Team biding their time for when they attempt their own escape. It’s much smarter than usual supervillain behavior, and well in keeping with Thunderbolts tradition. I’m also really digging Shalvey’s art, which is somehow cartoonish, fragile, humorous and horrific at the same time. Bright future for that guy, maybe. I’ve always said that for a second-tier superteam book to work, you need not only a good writer but a distinctive artist. If I had any complaints about this issue or the recent issues of this series, it’s only that Luke Cage has dropped out of being the lead, but it’s really fine, as Parker has found good handles on Moonstone, Songbird, Ghost and the others. I even like Satana.
Heroes For Hire #9 by Dan Abnett/ & Andy Lanning/Kyle Hotz.
This one also takes place at and around The Raft, with a new monster created from a chemical spill and Killgrave the Purple Man using his powers to control a bunch of unnamed villains to protect him from capture. As is usual for the book, Misty Knight coordinates and seems not to understand when Paladin cannot fight and talk to her at the same time. The premise for the book is the same: Paladin joined by Marvel B-and-C-listers, in this case Gargoyle, Shroud, and used-to-be-somebody Elektra. An assassin like her is a bad fit for this rotating team, and Abnett/Lanning know this, having her receive twice her regular rate not to kill anybody. Not a great idea, and it leads me to think some of these characters are forced on the writers by editorial. Hotz isn’t an artist I’ve really liked much, as I find his exaggerated musclemen and pixieish women often don’t fit the tone of the material (a la Bret Blevins), but since there’s a big monster angle here, it works okay. Although DnA have done a nice job making Paladin interesting, the series is still struggling to stand out, and the lack of a consistent art team doesn’t help.
Uncanny X-Men #540 by Kieron Gillen/Greg Land.
What’s with all the Juggernaught love?? I get that he’s a good villain and the costume redesign is pretty cool (how do the six eyeholes work with a two-eyed guy again?), but it seems like some of the other “Worthy” are not getting as much attention. As Cyclops, who clearly should be relying on Warren or someone else to speak to civilians due to his lack of tact, tries to reassure the mayor that San Francisco’s safety while other major cities burn is not due to the X-Men making some sort of deal with the Norse menaces, Juggy shows up, turns a nobody into his herald, and threatens the decadent SF with destruction. I like the idea of the X-Men having to protect the city from a homophobic threat, but I think Gillen should have saved it for another day, as human sexuality seems well beneath the notice of these old Norse gods.
Fear Itself: The Home Front #1-3 (of 7) by Christos Gage/Mike Mayhew/Peter Milligan/Elia Bonetti/Howard Chaykin/Various.
Having a separate miniseries with short stories spotlighting non-essential characters affected by the main event is a solid idea, and one Marvel has done in the past. I think they get the most out of it here, with a fine Gage/Mayhew serial story that finds Speedball trying to make some sort of amends for the Stamford tragedy by working for the woman whose son he indirectly killed, at first in disguise and then openly once they come to terms. Good take on a character who has long been misused; he’s actually better here than in Gage’s own Avengers Academy. Still, Juggernaut again?! Milligan writes a decent Agents of Atlas adventure as they try to discern what the Red Skull and the Thule Society were doing by torturing Atlanteans in WWII. Jimmy Woo is cracking up due to fear and his relationship with Namora is not only out in the open but falling apart. Both stories take up most of the issue and present compelling emotional conflicts, unlike a lot of your typical tie-in nonsense that usually just fleshes out plot points that didn’t need it. Chaykin is given one or two pages per issue to tell curious little anecdotes that should shed light on the human side of Fear Itself but unfortunately are really forgettable and barely coherent. The final slot in each issue is given to a short by a different creative team. The third issue has an interesting, really downbeat Cardiac story by Ben McCool and Mike DelMundo. Not fantastic work from either, but good enough that it should hopefully lead to other opportunities.
Fear Itself: Fearsome Four #1 (of 4) by Brandon Montclare/Michael Wm. Kaluta/Ryan Bodunheim/Simon Bisley.
First, I’m happy for this relatively unknown Montclare guy that he gets to work with a couple big names in Kaluta and Bisley, even if neither are exactly going all-out on their artwork. I don’t really get why you have three artists with totally different styles on a linear, non-modular series, either, as the results are always jarring. The story is fairly ludicrous and another example of throwing some lesser heroes together for trademark servicing. Man-Thing is going nuts due to all the fear in the air, so his old buddy Howard the Duck recruits She-Hulk to help stop him. And then Nighthawk shows up, written as a grinning, psycho Batman, and then they see Frankenstein’s Monster, who does nothing but say, “leave me alone” as he punts Howard off the page. Other than having a decent take on the Howard/Man-Thing relationship, I’m not sure what Montclare is going for here, and none of the characters shine. Howard is deadly serious, which to me robs the character of much of his interest, and She-Hulk has no personality at all. I didn’t care for Bodunheim’s depiction, which is basically the movie version of Howard. Kaluta does fine, but drawing Nighthawk beating up thugs seems like a waste of his talents. Bisley shows up at the end, briefly drawing a classic Howard before reality warps and the entire tossed-together team is all buff and monstrous. Not a bad call to have Bisley draw this, but if they’re going to stay like this for long, the series will be in even worse shape than it started here.
—Christopher Allen
June 2011
7 posts
Terrific cartoonist in his own right, Zack Soto has started a Tumblr blog devoted to one of his own favorites, the sensual, elusive and still damn prolific Richard Corben. Check it out.
—Christopher Allen
Lewis Trondheim is one of the few comics creators whose work appeals to me despite carrying large doses of whimsy. Can I be honest with you? I hate whimsy. I hate anything whimsical. But the autobiographical comics of Lewis Trondheim, these I love.
Trondheim’s autobio comics both feel very close to reality to me — I love other autobio creators like James Kochalka, Harvey Pekar and Jason Marcy — but all their work feels translated into comics in a way that Trondheim’s autobio comics do not. Trondheim seems to be living his actual life right there on the pages of the comics he creates. If that makes sense to you, then you’ll enjoy and appreciate Trondheim’s new collection from Fantagraphics, Approximate Continuum Comics.
Of a piece with Trondheim’s excellent NBM series Little Nothings, this new book features Trondheim reflecting on cartooning, life, friendship and the many squabbling sides of his own personality. Trondheim can go many dark places in his ponderings, but the darkness is always relieved by other facets of himself arguing, observing, and sometimes beating the crap out of each other. He can puff himself up all he wants, but within a few panels another side will emerge to deflate his ego and put things into better perspective.
Throughout all these goings-on, we see glimpses of Trondheim’s home life, his work and friendships with his fellow cartoonists (given equal time in the back pages to respond to what you’ve just read), and the search for a new home for his family. If you’re not familiar with Trondheim’s cartooning (and hoo-boy, you should be), he blends funny-animal body-types with breezily convincing cityscapes to create an eminently readable and visually gorgeous narrative. Trondheim is one of the easiest cartoonists to read, and one of the most satisfying to experience. Approximate Continuum Comics wanders far and wide among topics and settings, but the whole book also tells one long tale about a period in its creator’s life, and by the time you’re done with it you feel you’ve spent some very worthwhile time with a great storyteller. Because you have.
— Alan David Doane
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Buy Approximate Continuum Comics
John Belskis is the owner of Excellent Adventures in Ballston Spa, New York and the organizer of the twice-annual Albany Comic Con (an advertiser on Trouble With Comics). The following is his response to DC’s recently announced plans to relaunch their universe of superhero comic books and provide same-day digital download capability for their titles.
If the words, “desperate times need desperate measures,” were ever really spoken, I can’t think of a worse time to put them to use. The comic book business has seen its share of both, through its 85 years or so of existence. Even the direct market has had a fair share of both in these last 25 years, like Marvel’s hiccup, and bankruptcy, and Diamond becoming the sole distribution life of DM stores. As a longtime retailer, it’s obvious that the times are a-changin’ again. And probably need to.
DC’s market share has been dreadful, so I understand the need for change. With this economy, this much change this quickly can be, and probably will be, a disaster. Never mind that with 52 new #1s, there will soon be 52 old #6s, or that this is as much a “jumping off” point as it may be a “jumping on” point. The major focus here is about money, and getting more of it.
Now let’s talk about recent history. DC bought into the theory that it was okay to basically disregard small stores by arranging their discount structure to not allow smaller retailers to compete with a fair discount ( loss of market share). That was all handled matter of factly, with either “buy the amount we say, or forget you.” Any small store that was left, ordering with a 35% discount, was put off even more when they made all of their comics $2.99. Again making it more difficult, if you were on the cusp, to maintain that 50% discount (losing more market share).
Now, we move to, “Let’s reboot every title, oh yeah, and by the way, readers can buy them directly from us, at the cover price, online.” So now the larger stores that have maintained their discount can get squeezed out, too. Now, you can call this sour grapes, if you want, and maybe it is. But, I have to say, having been called “‘DC’s retail partner” for over 25 years, I think the partnership has been dissolved. I have been out of DC’s plans for two years now, without a phone call, or a rep saying “Hey, you have been an account for over 20 years, how can we help?” Terms have always been dictated, and Diamond has capitulated.
As retailers we were always obliged to carry the product so our customers can see it, and choose. Those days are done. The day and date release will only enhance the customers that already read the comics for free online now. For everyone who wants to own a printed copy, the problem will be finding a shop that will carry 52 #6s. I don’t think many will, forcing more readers to pay the online price, to read the books they cannot find. I doubt that DC will allow readers to read the book beforehand, as shops have done forever. This trend will eventually get people reading and using the online system, even if they don’t want to, and the segment will grow.
Finally, it will be easier, less travel, and less hassle to just get your books online. Here is the wrinkle that I want everyone to think about. When the shops are gone, and it’s just the big boys left with the major market stores, and DC’s online comics: Do you think they will be worried about keeping the price affordable for you? After all, you’re whose pocket they wanted to get in, in the first place. How much will you be willing to fork over for your Batman fix? In essence, you will be DC’s new “Consumer partner.” Have fun with that. I’ll enjoy my front row seat, at the destruction of the direct market. Thank you very much.
Writers - Dean Mullaney & Bruce Canwell
Publisher - IDW Publishing $49.99 USD
I get a little uneasy calling anyone a genius, but since many folks I respect got there to slap that sobriquet on Alexander Toth way before me, I can live with it. There are really only a handful of true eccentrics and iconoclasts in the history of the comics medium. In recent years, publishers have gotten around to collecting most of the great comic strips from Herrimann, Schulz, Caniff, King and great comic book work from big names like Kirby, Eisner, Tezuka. Even more recently, reprint projects have begun focusing on early and lesser-known Steve Ditko work than his years at Marvel Comics, and now we get another game changer, this first of a lush, three-volume biography/retrospective on Toth.
The ’50s started well enough for Toth, with regular work at National (DC), where he handled Westerns, Science Fiction, Romance and Superheroes with grace and increasing mastery of light, shade and depth, but a fabled conflict with editor Julius Schwartz caused an angry, humiliated Toth to leave DC for a time. In the short run, it was a win for Toth, who did some terrific work at Standard, often inked by his favorite embellisher, Mike Peppe, but in retrospect Toth hasn’t been as influential on succeeding generations of comic artists because much of his work has been hard to find. Every now and then, one sees echoes of Toth in an artist like Mike Mignola, Steve Rude or Michael Lark, but there has never been a wave of minimalism and chiaroscuro in comics. Maybe that’s a good thing, I dunno; you appreciate those folks more when you find them.
Mullaney and Canwell make excellent choices in presentation, sometimes presenting the work as it was printed, sometimes offering original pages to contrast Toth’s pencils with the finished product. As mentioned, even the pap is generally quite entertaining because of Toth’s efforts, his relentless pursuit of fresh perspectives and real-life faces and body language, but there are also some real gems, such as “The Crushed Gardenia,” one of the few Toth stories I was already familiar with from a crime anthology. It’s as stunning a portrait of a psychopath today as it must have been in 1953. “Grip of Life” and “Murder Mansion” are as good as most of the horror stories of the EC Comics heyday, and the complete “Jon Fury,” a crime serial Toth produced while stationed in post-war Japan, proves that Toth had some nascent writing talent he unfortunately didn’t pursue further. The lone Zorro story here is dynamite, and in the preferred black-and-white with the graytones Toth added in the late ’80s for collection.
As this volume closes, Toth has made some inroads into animation, with work on the cult series Clutch Cargo as well as the unproduced Space Angel, on a third failing marriage with a few kids from it, working hard to be a breadwinner while seething with every compromise he had to make. It’s an unalloyed but balanced account, leavened with comments from his children, who found him hard to live with while still feeling his love. Genius or no, Toth walked a rocky path for his art, experiencing great pains in the pursuit of the purest, most impactful arrangements of lines. The work presented is of an artist who could be called a genius, if genius means having a strong vision and the will to push oneself to realize it, while the biography presents the contrast, a man of flaws like any other, trying to be happy and fulfilled and trying to bringing the same to others, while often failing at both.
—Christopher Allen
Buy Genius, Isolated: The Life and Art of Alex Toth from Amazon.com
Christopher Allen: So, as everyone knows by now, DC Comics is relaunching every single one of their ongoing series on August 31st, as well as a bunch of new ones. Kevin Melrose at CBR and Kiel Phegley at Newsarama have done good work tracking the news we have so far. Basically, on that date, there will be 52 #1 issues, meaning relaunches of most current series as well as several more. Note, some are taking this to mean 52 new ongoing series, but DC doesn’t actually say this, so knowing their publishing practices, there will likely be several one-shots or miniseries addressing the aftermath or previously unseen, unnecessary crap related to this reboot. The other big news, though less sexy, is that on this date, DC will start offering their books digitally on the same day they hit the stands, a move rival Marvel Comics has yet to make.
Alan David Doane: It might be a good idea if top-flight talent were set loose on the titles and allowed to create great superhero comics. If Geoff Johns is writing Justice League, no such luck. Made of fail. Once again, as with Brightest Day, as with Marvel’s recent whatever-it-was-called relaunch that restarted Avengers and other titles, you can’t really have a new direction if you have the same talent on the books that have necessitated the new direction in the first fucking place!
CA: As far as the creative teams announced so far, I’m only interested in Superman, written by Grant Morrison and an as-yet-unnamed artist, with the two caveats that Morrison already wrote a great, self-contained Superman series already, and that DC may very well saddle him with another Kubert or someone worse. At least we know he won’t have Phillip Tan, as he will be doing his part to keep James Robinson’s Hawkman from soaring, pun intended. I would rather Morrison tackle Green Lantern (which Johns will naturally be keeping), or Hawkman, but from a career perspective, I understand him picking one of the biggest characters available. Johns will also be polluting Aquaman’s waters with Ivan Reis, another DC clock-puncher given to gore, clenched jaws and clenched buttcheeks. Johns and Jim Lee will be handling Justice League, at least for the first story arc, as Lee’s track record and multiple corporate duties will probably force him to hand off the book after that. Not very excited by the image I’ve seen so far; it’s easily the worst Superman Lee has drawn; the little collars on the costumes of Supes, GL and Aquaman are needless decoration to what were pretty elegant costumes. I don’t mind getting rid of Superman’s red trunks, though; makes sense. Lee’s Wonder Woman redesign looks better when he does it, I’ll admit. Not terribly excited about the Cyborg redesign, which looks more like, I dunno—Stryfe? It was a nice design that’s been turned into more of a ‘90s Image artists idea of kewl, but if you lose some of the fins it’s okay. Apparently Lee is a big fan of Cyborg, which explains his complete lack of involvement in anything to do with the character the past 15 years. But Jim Lee doesn’t age, so there wasn’t any hurry.
I thought this comment was funny: “He’s a character I really see as the modern-day, 21st-century superhero,” Johns said. “He represents all of us in a lot of ways. If we have a cellphone and we’re texting on it, we are a cyborg — that’s what a cyborg is, using technology as an extension of ourselves.” In other words, folks, Da Vinci? Shakespeare? Anderson Cooper? Anyone who has ever conveyed any information through a medium that did not originate within their own bodies is a cyborg. I mean, we already knew that about Anderson Cooper, but still. Johns is the architect of the DCU as it stands…
ADD: I just threw up in my mouth a little bit.
CA: …and being in the catbird seat with JLA, he’s going to unfortunately suck other writers into whatever the next big invasion/uprising/resurrection event he’s got planned. Let’s be honest: if the DC Universe truly started from scratch in 2011 and you had the likes of J.T. Krul, Tony Bedard, Fabian Nicieza and Judd Winnick writing your big superhero books, the company would go bust in six months. I think it’s great but typical comics fandom silliness that many folks are upset about Gail Simone not writing the new Birds of Prey (or Marc Guggenheim not writing JSA). Gail is a solid writer and a good employee, always online and enthusiastic about what she and her peers are doing. She doesn’t complain that her books never get much promotion or that her characters don’t play pivotal roles in the rest of the DCU. But Birds of Prey (and Secret Six) found their sales level under her, and it wasn’t high and it wasn’t going to improve. Try someone else and give her two new books.
ADD: As to Johns’s cyborg analogy, by that definition I think a monkey sticking a stick in an anthill to get a tasty treat is a cyborg, right? Johns’s ability to wear his high-70s IQ on his sleeve never fails to amaze me. To me this entire reboot looks like a catastrophe waiting to happen, a truly apocalyptic, end-of-everything-as-we-know-it disaster. Not that everything as we know it isn’t well and truly due for a punch in the face, but a lot of retailers are going to have trouble making their rent and paying for food if this goes bad, and there’s a greater than 50/50 chance that it will. I think dumping 50+ new #1 issues in one month could very well be the end for them. Apparently no one explained that one man’s jumping-on point is 50 fans’ jumping OFF point! But maybe I am biased, I haven’t bought a new issue of a DC title since Greg Rucka stopped writing Batwoman and I think Geoff Johns is the worst thing to happen to DC creatively in its entire history, so of course the lead book is his JLA, which I predict will be as lousy as the LAST time the title re-launched. How you can have a book called “JLA” and have it written by the late, great Dwayne McDuffie, one of the architects of the incredible animated JLA series, and STILL screw it up, only DC could pull that one off. But as trainwrecks go, this one should be entertaining to watch. I just wish it wasn’t coming at the expense of the livelihood of many thousands of retailers, and and at the expense of the goodwill and patience of readers — “fans” if you prefer — who have supported the company through their last half-decade or so of unreadability. The digital thing will be a disaster too. Apparently they don’t know that EVERY COMIC PUBLISHED is available FREE within 24 hours of release on the internet, and that the only people left buying paper copies are the very same ones who don’t want digital or don’t know how to get them that way. Never mind that the freely-available digital versions come without digital rights management and all the hassles that that entails.
CA: Well, I disagree with you on the day-and-date digital initiative. First, digital is becoming the way people read. They had to do it and they can’t give up just because there is piracy out there. You can find pirated movies, too, but that’s not stopping Netflix from streaming.
ADD: Agreed. My point, really, is that DC and everyone else should be looking at how pirated comics works in order to create a working model that will make them money. If they charge a good fraction of the retail price of a printed copy and include Digital Rights Management, you’re not going to bring the many thousands of people reading pirated comics for free every week into your big tent.
CA: As far as day-and-date digital affecting comics retailers, well, you can only keep back progress so long. DC and every other publisher are there to sell comics (well, service trademarks on intellectual properties that can then be exploited more profitably in other media, but that’s another discussion). Publishers already agree in many cases to sell collections in comics shops weeks or even a month before they hit online retailers like Amazon. As readers become more comfortable with digital comics, the ubiquity of TPB/HC collections will decrease, as will these longstanding agreements. DC is not there to help keep the charming, struggling LCS in business. They just give you the products. If the products are now available online, well, that sucks for you, but it just means the LCS has to do an even better job of offering additional value to the consumer. When I go to the shop, it’s partly because it’s the fastest legal way to get monthly issues, yes, but it’s also for the experience, the cool feeling in the shop and the opportunity to shoot the shit with the guy behind the counter about what we’re reading, what’s happening. But you know, for many people, they may find that it’s just as enjoyable to download their comics on Wednesday and then go talk to geeks where they buy burritos or coffee. As others have written, many of your superhero comics fans are quite comfortable with technology. Just as DC makes most of their sales from an aging, existing, dwindling fanbase, they have to give that fanbase an easy way to get the product. I do totally agree with the comment about jumping off. What if you’re a potential new reader who enters his LCS for the first time in October? Nothing but #2s all around. Very weird and short-sighted not to stagger things out over several months. Guess what? OMAC can wait his turn. It will hurt these second-and-third-tier books worse, but then DC usually takes a kind of Mama Seaturtle approach: a lot of those babies won’t make it to the water.
Ultimately, Alan, you said that the plan should have instead been to let top-flight talent loose to create great superhero comics. I’m not a guy who remembers a lot of quotes, but one that always stuck with me is Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.” A lot of fandom is made up of those little minds, and publishers like DC have the tough task of trying to grow beyond those fans to reach new readers, while at the same satisfying those who are concerned that every story fit with every other story, even if that can’t help but hurt the quality of some of those stories by the restrictions it puts on the writers. The positive aspects of starting everything with some semblance of a clean slate are going to be immediately undone by the fact that some stories would have been better without a clean slate; that the talent leading the charge as announced so far is with one exception mediocre; and that the show is being run by Bob Harras and two Chief Creative Officers unproven as officers and not known for being creative, at least if you take creative to mean having a sense of wonder, novelty and the spark of life.
I don’t know exactly why I’m fired up. In very real terms, this affects me almost not at all, because I don’t read that many DC books to begin with and I have plenty of other things to read, and watch, and eat, and lick with my time. It would be nice if there were really cool DC comics for my kids to read, but my kids aren’t even really into comics. They liked the Timm/Dini cartoons and they like the recent superhero movies, and Bone, but most comic books I give them go unread. A forward-thinking company would be treating each book as its own special thing and exploring different formats and abandoning house art styles and intertitle continuity and crossovers and bullshit grubbing miniseries and specials. You want talent from a wide, and in many cases, younger, pool, rather than hiring that guy who meets his deadlines, toes the company line and regularly sells 15,000 copies. You want an atmosphere where almost anything can happen, where readers might be shocked and even irritated by what you’re doing with “their” heroes but it’s so entertaining you can’t stop reading it. Instead, it’s a culture where people are having meetings in conference rooms about whether the new Black Canary should have fishnets again, and which hero can be kill first so we can bring them back as a zombie.
