Comics I Bought 23 July 2009

Only two comics? On the day that San Diego Comic-Con began? That's some sort of universal imbalance right there. Or it's some sort of karma to enable me to write some notes about them, or something. Anyway, onto the thoughts, as we mourn the passing of a comic that was cancelled before its time (and joined a growing list of books of high quality that didn't get the sales they deserved).

Captain Britain and MI:13 #15
Simply perfect. Cornell and Kirk have been a great team on this book, and they've finished off in style. Kirk's pencils never looked sharper and Cornell crafted a truly satisfying ending to the Dracula invasion story, with double and triple crosses coming together to bring a smile to my face. The return of Meggan, good guys winning, 'hide the original', the splash page for the 'SAS' (Dark Angel? Death's Head? Hooray for Marvel UK.) and the splash page for Excalibur winning the day. The only thing that topped it? The final 'You have been watching' page – a delight. Thank you Messrs Cornell and Kirk. It was fun while it lasted.

Herogasm #3
I don't think I've ever had this thought about Ennis before, but this issue felt like he was padding out for the trade. He seems to be going a long way about telling this story, and that's an unusual turn of events for the superlative storyteller that Ennis really is. I'm reading this because I'm enjoying what he is doing with the look at a superhero universe of his own creation, and this mini-series is supposed to be critical to the development of his overall story. However, I'm reading this series without the usual level of entertainment I expect from an Ennis comic book. I would also have liked McCrea to bring his Hitman art to the table – the closest I saw was the final splash page. Am I too critical? Nah, I'm a blogger ...

Books From The Library: Catch-Up

In addition to comic books and films, I've also been reading actual 'proper' books with no pictures or anything, so these few notes about them should not be seen as an attempt to impress you with the fact that I can get through entire picture-less books. Having enjoyed the Justice League of America story The Tornado's Path [LINK], and some of the novelistic elements of Identity Crisis [LINK], I thought I would try an actual novel by Brad Meltzer. I picked up The Book of Fate, because it was the latest in paperback – it is a well-researched conspiracy thriller about a presidential aide (the book mostly takes place after the president has left office, and the details of what happens afterwards and how life changes were very interesting) but it was nothing more than a well-written 'airport' thriller. I indulged in some geekery with Wiffle Lever To Full! by Bob Fischer, about a man attending nearly a dozen geek-related events (conventions and other things), including Doctor Who, Blake's 7, The Prisoner, Discworld and Red Dwarf. It's mildly interesting but doesn't really delve underneath the skin, and gives a surface glance at the world of people who enjoy the television/film genre obsessions.

Two books that were more satisfying were books written by comedians, but looking at different aspects of comedy. The first book was The Naked Jape by Jimmy Carr & Lucy Greeves, about the concept of jokes and telling jokes through history. Automatically, it runs the risk of being terminally dry and academic, but it manages to be informative and educational as well as extremely funny in its own right (and that doesn't include the footnote jokes on every page). Each chapter handles different areas of the joke – chapters on the importance of jokes, the science of laughter, comedians in history, how children learn to joke, the gender divide, offensive jokes, ethnic jokes, political jokes, and the crossover with legal implications – examining various aspects of the joke, explaining and illustrating these points along the way. Carr, who is seen as a bit of Bob Monkhouse for the noughties, is a constructor of exquisite one-liners, even if an entire show of them can be a bit wearing. Here, his sense of humour and personal perspective of the business provides an illuminating insight into comedy. The two authors do a great job of providing a textbook about the joke without losing a sense of humour, or their own. And, if need be, you can choose from the 450 jokes included as examples, including two of my favourites:

How do you stop a dog humping your leg? Pick it up and suck its cock.
According to Freud, what comes between fear and sex? Fünf.

The other book is On The Road by Frank Skinner, an autobiographical book about his return to stand-up comedy after 10 years of doing television (and now longer doing TV on a regular basis). His autobiography was amazing – extremely well written, honest, fascinating and providing another side to the comedian most associated with the 'New Lads' concept of the 1990s (something he disagrees with). Here, he details how he worked through the material itself and the gigs, and how it affects him as a person and his relationship with people and his girlfriend. There are four sections – Edinburgh; Looking Backwards And Forwards; The Tour; Aftermath – which examine his run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival (after some warm-up gigs in pubs and clubs); an honest appraisal of what has happened and what he sees now he is 50 (including his seven years of the talk show and the fact that the second series of his sitcom, which was filmed, was never aired – on ITV!); taking the show around the country, from an hour-long version to the two-hour show needed for the tour; and what happens after all of this. He also talks about his relationship very openly (I hope his girlfriend is all right with that) and about his mental state while on tour, and his 'Weirdo Loner' status. The tour is handled with equal candidness, detailing his relationship with his tour manager and how paranoid a comedian is – he never reads any reviews ever, including the ones included at the end of the book. It is a revealing account from a comedian who can express himself lucidly in clear and funny prose, while still being hilariously and filthily funny with the sections of his routines that he includes and dissects in the process. Very good indeed.

Comic Book Artist: Gary Frank

I meant to do two of these a month, back when I was hoping to keep up a regular schedule. I've never done an art appreciation course, so I don't have the critical facilities to objectively judge comic book art, which is why I wanted to try a series of posts looking at what I like and hopefully why.

Today, I'll be talking about Gary Frank, an artist on my list of favourites just outside my top 5. Like a lot of people, I discovered Frank's art when he did a two-year run on Peter David's Incredible Hulk (between #401 and 425) back in 1993. It wasn't his first work (he started out doing work for Marvel UK on Motormouth & Killpower and Dark Angel) but he seemed to be fully formed as an artist straight off. That's not to say he hasn't got better as an artist in the intervening years, just that he seemed confident and strong in his style and storytelling in his first major work on a US superhero book. Especially as he was following fan-favourite Dale Keown on the run that made him 'hot'.

Over the next few years, he did various books (including a run on Gen13 with John Arcudi) before becoming the artist on Peter David's revamp of Supergirl (is that series even part of continuity any more?). They already had the dynamic of a writer and artist in sync with each other, and Frank had proved he could do emotions and humour with the Hulk, so it was a good match, and Frank was able to draw a teenage girl that was actually recognisable as a teenager.

Although he still did work for DC after this run, his next contribution was to the world of creator-owned properties, when he wrote and drew Kin, a six-issue limited series about a secret government agency discovering the existence of Neanderthals in Alaska that wants to steal their technology (because Neanderthals have larger brains than Homo sapiens and are stronger as well). I enjoyed it, and would have liked to have seen more from Frank, who proved he could write as well as draw.

The connection with Top Cow (who published the trade paperback) seems to have led to the step that started Frank on the path to his current superstar status, when he was paired with J Michael Straczynski on Midnight Nation, a 12-issue limited series about a police officer who has to go on a quest to find his soul when he becomes a 'Walker'. This led to Frank being the artist for when JMS revamped the Squadron Supreme in the MAX series Supreme Power, which had an adult take on the concept of the superhero and the scope to deal with that in the adults-only book. This first series lasted for 18 issues before it was decided, after two mini-series that Frank didn't draw, to restart the series as a non-MAX book and call it Squadron Supreme. However, this series only lasted for seven issues before JMS left, and the team wasn't brought back until the Ultimate Power crossover.

With the abrupt and bizarre end to Squadron Supreme, Frank needed something to keep him busy on his Marvel exclusive contract – he did cover and even worked on the Incredible Hulk again – but he decided to take up a DC exclusive contract when the Marvel one ended in 2007 and he became the defining Superman artist of the moment when he joined Geoff Johns for the Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes story in Action Comics and the Braniac story after that. There is also the World of Krypton storyline and he will be the artist on the supposedly definitive Superman Origin story, again with Johns, and he seems to be going from strength to strength. This is great news for someone who has enjoyed his art since the early days, and not just because he is a British chap.

Frank has a clean and strong style, in the tradition of the classic modern superhero artists (going back to Neal Adams). He draws superheroes as they should be drawn (or as I believe they should be portrayed) – noble, beautiful, aesthetically pleasing, clear, unfussy. He serves the story well, not needing to insert unnecessary pin-up shots to sell later. Not that he's not capable – he's become quite the sought-after cover artist due to his strong compositions and iconic feel to his work. Unfortunately, he doesn't have his own site (how very old-fashioned), so you can find out the full list of his work here [LINK] and more of his art at the Comic Art Community [LINK].

Comics I Bought 16 July 2009

The road to daily blogging is plagued with good intentions. I don't know why I even try any more, but the trying is good, isn't it? Why don't we agree to my writing something when it arrives and for you not to expect anything else, like regularity, good writing, novelty or a reason to return. Oh, woe is me and my poor life, etc. Just ignore me and let's get to the comic books, where I decided not to buy Wednesday Comics #2 – it is an interesting experiment that I hope does well, but it didn't do enough for me to persuade me to come back for more. I guess I'm the responsible for the death of comics, eh? In related news, I'm also not buying Blackest Night, but I doubt DC will be losing sleep over me not buying their mega-crossover about zombies killing their superheroes.

Fables #86
When I was buying my haul, even the chap behind the counter said 'Return to form'. I guess I'm not the only one (including Clandestine Chum Greg Burgas) who has thought that The Great Fables Crossover was more like The Great Fables Interruption To Normal Storylines Just To Make You Buy Jack Of Fables. Bill Willingham is back to solo writing duties, which means we get back to The Dark Man, as we learn how he was originally captured (by the Boxing League, the notorious combat magicians of the Emperor). The Dark Man doesn't play much of a part in the story – it follows the rise of Dunster Happ from country warlock to top combat leader of the entire brotherhood – suggesting that we might see more of Happ in future issues, but we do get the sense of his power ('nothing less than every dark thing in the dread of night'), especially due to the art of Jim Fern on the fights and double spreads. Giving Buckingham a rest after the crossover, he does a good job (although he takes a few pages to settle in and adjust), ensuring a consistency to the world created by Buckingham. Welcome back, Fables – nice to have you back.

Incognito #5
I don't know when Incognito got bumped to six issues (it was initially announced as five), but I've got no problem with having extra issues; this is just really good comic books from Brubaker and Phillips, and I'm enjoying the hell out of it. Zack has escaped with Ava Destruction, and we learn more about her relationship with his twin brother (and how that affected Zack) and, more importantly, Ava 'educates' Zack on the real history of their world and how far it goes back and what it means specifically to Zack (and to Ava). Brubaker seems to be having a blast with this Doc Savage world he's created (Criminal is brilliant, but I always get the feeling that the grim and relenting misery that follows the characters in that book must take a lot out of him, and here he can just cut loose and relax), and Philips seems to have loosened up, providing more light and energy than the darkness of Criminal, with some lovely transitions and small panels breaking up the flow. I hope that there is a good resolution coming up in the last issue but that also leaves open the possibility of more Incognito.

X-Factor #46
I really like the cover by David Yardin – it really captures the emotion of a girl fight without resorting to cliches; the close-up feels so raw. Although the cover gets the name of the penciller wrong – it says De Landro but the interiors are by Marco Santucci. It's nice to have one artist doing the whole book for once, even if it is a little uneven and inconsistent. But that could be because of Santucci keeping up with Peter David's plot, as he makes it even more complex than following two timelines and a large cast of characters and adding what I assume is supposed to be a twist character introduction (I have no idea who Fitzroy is, so the impact is completely lost on me). Peter David has done a great job just by keeping X-Factor as an ongoing comic book in the current climate (how many other series, including other mutant-related titles, have made it to 50 issues in the past decade?) but he seems to be taking a strange detour with this current storyline. However, X-Factor continues to be one of the most enjoyable and interesting mainstream superhero books at the moment, not afraid to do something different and keep things unbalanced, so the reader never knows what to expect.

Comics I Bought 9 July 2009

Time to wrap up talking about my weekly comic purchases for the past few weeks; fortunately, it was a small shop today, so I won't keep you too long.

No Hero #6
The proverbial hits the air movement system, as we find out what Carrick is really doing with his position as sole source of FX7 and the exact state of mind of Joshua Carver, the newest FX7 inductee. This means that Juan Jose Ryp gets to do what he does best, unleashing his hyper-detailed art on the Ellis ultraviolence, and he does a bang up job. I'm not sure about the direction in which Ellis has taken the story, but I'll see it through to the end.

The Unwritten #3
I really don't like the covers – is that just me? Anyway, the contents make up for it. Carey throws in some charming analysis of Frankenstein as well as having Tom finding a link to his past in the family home (that was where Shelley came up with the story, and Milton came up with Paradise Lost – part of what he calls his 'literary GPS bullshit'). Three issues in and this book is shaping up nicely; there's mystery, an intriguing concept and a good execution. I hope it gets the opportunity to continue its story.

Wednesday Comics #1
I wasn't sure about getting this – we don't have 'Sunday funnies' here in the UK to twang at our nostalgia strings, and I've never been a big enough DC fan to try this automatically – but it looked to unusual and interesting not to try. I deliberately made the decision to read this on the tube on my commute home – if you saw someone on the Northern line heading south this evening grappling with the first issue, it could have been me – just to see if I got a reaction out of other commuters. I'm strange like that. It's weird unfolding the book – it's a big thing, printed on traditional newspaper stock (I was expecting slightly glossier stock for some reason) – but I have to admit it looks great. The only trouble with it is the anthology nature of it – some pages work really well, playing with the idea of doing a story one page at a time (Gibbons and Sook on Kamandi or Kerschel and Fletcher on The Flash), whereas some just feel like single pages of an ordinary comic books (Azzarello and Risso on Batman). There is also the hodge-podge nature of the various different art styles – the cuteness of Allred or Galloway or Conner versus the scratchier art of Hueck or Pope. It's a very different thing, something DC should be lauded for – of the two mainstream publishers, they are the ones who experiment the most with what comics can try to do – and I hope it does well for them.

Comics I Bought 3 July 2009

Finally up to date (ish) with my thoughts on recent comic books with this post, just in time for more new comics to arrive tomorrow. It never ends, but in a good way. On with my ramblings.

Astro City: The Dark Age Book 3 #3
I've always enjoyed Astro City but this series has dragged in parts, not helped by the problems with the schedule. However, this issue sees things happen: we see Apollo Eleven in their missile silo, where they are attacked by Pyramid, Charles and Royal make a move, and the Silver Agent returns (with knowledge of something seriously important about to happen). The art from Anderson is still the same – it works for Astro City but I still don't like the style – but Busiek is doing his usual excellent job, and it's nice to feel like the story is actually reaching somewhere.

Batman and Robin #2
What a cracking opening page – Quitely really is a great artist. The way he moves the story around with his panel transitions are sublime, and his detail and action are fantastic. Not that he does all the work – Morrison tells a lovely story, as Dick Grayson relates to Alfred how the night with Damian went after responding to Gordon's Batsignal. Damian is a psychotic little turd who can't be controlled, and there are some lovely moments between Dick and Alfred. Grant also throws in the first use of 'Kushti' in a mainstream comic book I'm aware of, as well as circus slang ('I rokker the jib, Toby'). Another great issue of excellent comic book entertainment.

The Boys #32
Without going back to issue 31, I'm sure that The Female looked like she was being killed, not just put in a coma. Is she indestructible? Seems a bit of a cop out for Ennis, who likes to kill properly. Not that he doesn't fill this issue with more of his eye-watering violence, when the remaining Boys are attacked by Payback in the fake hospital where The Female has been taken. In between, there is an aside where Starlight is given a new costume that is basically some shoe laces tied together; it's supposed to be a satirical piece about the sexualisation of superheroines in mainstream comic books, along with the use of rape as a character origin. It's a genuine point but it turns very serious halfway through, which mixes the tones and causes a slight narrative wobble. Still, back to the ultraviolence next issue.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer #26
The dialogue in this issue is true to the television series – Jane Espenson was a regular writer on the show (my favourite line being 'We have a submarine?')– but the story doesn't seem as intense as it should, as exciting as it should; the threat in the narrative doesn't come through. All Slayer-related teams are attacked in unison, meaning Twilight is making concerted effort to wipe them out (is the naming of the Big Bad a snub to Stephanie Meyer?), which leads to the Retreat of the title. This gives us the best moment in the book, as they seek out Oz, but it only highlights the fact that comic books are not television because the Oz 'Huh' in response to seeing a submarine appear outside the monastery works because of Seth Green's delivery; on the page, it's flat without that knowledge in your memory. Let's hope this picks up with Oz returning to the mix.

Greek Street #1
If you didn't try a new comic book that was $1 for full colour, 32 pages of story, then I don't know what else can be done for the industry. Whether you like it or not is irrelevant. Which leads to my reaction: I didn't like it very much, even though I appreciated the quality of book itself. The art is good – I've never seen Davide Gianfelice's art before, but he's got a clean, funky, loose style (albeit muddied by the Vertigo house palette of brown), which tells the story and creates characters you care about. I'm not sure about his depiction of Soho – I was raised in London and work near Soho, and it doesn't look the place I know – but that's not important; his work is sharp, visceral and dynamic. But this book is being sold on the name and work of Peter Milligan, a writer who has suffered a ups and downs in his career as his unusual themes have waned in and out of public affection (particularly his attempts at more mainstream work). He is a clever man, who loves his literary allusions, so he's perfect for an updating of the Greek myths in a modern setting. However, the problem I have is that those stories are from a different world and never felt relevant, so trying to change that is going to be hard to gel. This is well written, as a story that sets up its mysteries to keep you wanting to read more, but doesn't provide enough narrative satisfaction to have enjoyed the comic on its own. I'm sorry I didn't like it more, and I hope it does well, but I won't be around for the next issue.

Comics I Bought 29 June 2009

Putting down wood flooring doesn't leave a lot of time to visit the comic shop and buy the weekly pile, so I had to wait for the next four books to enter my collection. Not that I had the time to read them before that; I was too tired to read anything, which is not something I ever thought would happen.

Detective Comics #854
I've been looking forward to this since I first read about it – a book written by Greg Rucka and drawn by JH Williams III, with a back-up feature about Renee 'The Question' Montoya, also written by Rucka and drawn by Cully Hamner. And it didn't disappoint. Rucka does a great job introducing Kate Kane, the new Batgirl (and we've been waiting for stories about her for a couple of years now), and setting up her status quo, while giving her a focus – namely, shutting down the Religion of Crime, who previously abducted her and tried to carve out her heart; quite a reason. However, the real star is Williams – the art on this book is phenomenal, truly fantastic. The page design is stunning, directing the eye in a dynamic and exciting way but also in a visually arresting manner, with batarang-style panels, and showing the movement of the story within them. There is a sharpness and atmosphere, great camera angles and changes of focus, and the employment of the tools used in his run on Desolation Jones to show violence are also used, in a double-page spread where Batgirl takes down criminals underneath the central image of her kicking two of them in the head at the same time. Fantastic. Then, he uses another style for the story when Batgirl is just Kate Kane again, full of vibrant lights and colours and strong line work, opening up the story to let it breathe. Absolutely amazing. Hamner's art isn't so experimental, but he does a good solid job with his work telling the Question story, as Montoya helps a man whose sister has been taken by the gang he paid to smuggle her over the border. It's only a few pages but it justifies the extra dollar on the price and promises good stories to come. A good package and a good start.

The Literals #3
Over at last. Everything ends happily, thanks to Deus Ex Machina (he prefers 'Dex') and some heroics from Jack's son; Kevin Thorn doesn't rewrite the universe and instead gets his own new universe to do with as he wishes – although, of course, being a writer he doesn't like the blank page. Gary and the sisters stay in our universe, to keep the Jack of Fables character cast consistent, and the Fables characters go back to their book, where I hope they can safely ignore any ramifications of this crossover and go back to their normal quality and story lines. And maybe Bigby will stop looking so much like Wolverine, in his lumberjack shirt and hair style ...

Usagi Yojimbo #121
Fortunately for Usagi Yojimbo, it doesn't do crossovers that disrupt stories – it just keeps up the consistent quality. This story is a done-in-one adventure where Usagi helps an injured bounty hunter after a duel, who the reader doesn't trust, only for Stan Sakai to pull the rug out from under us and reveal another truth. The only problem with the tale is that there is no reason for the bandits not to have killed Usagi when he was unconscious – it's necessary for the resolution but it's a tiny flaw in an otherwise excellent comic book.

X-Factor #45
This comic will always be known for that kiss in it, although the portrayal of Dr Doom – refusing to believe that he has got old – is more interesting, but it's actually not as strong an issue as the previous couple of issues. Peter David keeps things moving, keeps the twists coming, but the dialogue and actual events of the book aren't as sharp; it's not bad, the art seems to be becoming more consistent, but it felt uneven compared to the strong run of comic books leading up to it.

Tomorrow, we'll be up to date with my purchase of weekly new comic books, and I can start catching up with all the library books I've been reading.

Comics I Bought 18 June 2009

If you follow me on Twitter, you'll know that I spent over a week removing the carpet from our flat and replacing it with laminate flooring; it was a bigger job than we anticipated, and it left me exhausted, and I spent the remaining time off just recovering from it (I'm still exhausted). This means I'm catching up with thoughts on the comics bought and not reviewed in the interim, with each week's haul separated into daily posts so I can keep track.

Captain Britain and MI:13 #14
After the digression that was the annual, this book was back to the Dracula invasion of Britain. Cornell reveals his ace – Plokta gave Dracula his dream come true – and we get back into the twisting and turning of the plot, and our British heroes being stiff of upper lip while plotting their counter attacks and trying to stop Dracula. Even though this book is destined for the scrap heap, it's not for lack of quality, with great dialogue and great characterisation in a great story. There's even time for Killpower from Marvel UK of old and Dr Doom to cameo his evilness. Great stuff.

Ex Machina #43
I find it hard to come up with something about Ex Machina – Vaughan is doing a great job of writing, Harris is doing a great job on art and the story is gripping, as Mayor Hundred comes up with a radical solution to the rat problem, which he thinks is related to an old nemesis. This is a very good comic book that will be missed when it finishes soon, but it's not ending without giving us a good story on the way.



Herogasm #2
I'm reading this because Ennis has promised that this will change the status quo in The Boys but I haven't taken much enjoyment out of these two first issues. The orgy stuff is just silly now – surely one issue was enough? – and McCrea's art still doesn't match his Hitman days. If it wasn't for the fact that the actual target of Butcher's plan is revealed in this issue (as well as the arrival of the Vice-President and the reveal that he is being lined up to be for the top job, and the soliciting of Payback for the storyline currently in The Boys), it would be a bit of a waste, something that is unusual for Ennis. I hope it picks up.

Incognito #4
It's always good to see a new comic from Brubaker and Phillips, and this keeps up the excellent hit rate. This one sees Zack being returned to the power-sapping drugs by the good guys, who want to use him as bait for the bad guys, we learn more about the methods of Professor Zeppelin and about Black Death himself, before Zack is rescued by Ava Destruction, meaning things are going to get hectic next issue. People may want more Criminal, but I'm enjoying this just as much and it's a lot of fun. A great package, as always.

Jack of Fables #35
And that's my last issue of Jack of Fables. If this wasn't part of a calculated effort to make me buy Jack, I might have enjoyed it – there are some nice jokes (including the extra page for Blue Ox: 'This is awkward.'), we get to see Bigby let loose on the Genres and Deus Ex Machina makes an appearance (to let us know how things will be sorted out in the final issue of the crossover) – but I was already antagonistic towards it because of why it exists in the first place. At least it's over and Fables can get back on track now.

Tomorrow, the comics from the week after, just to condense time lines.