 |
Blog Archives: February 2008
|
I Can't Get it Out of My Head
Ever get a song stuck in your head?
You know the kind – it has that electrifying hook that digs deep into your brain box and won’t let go, pulling you back for more, more, more. The rhythm, the lyrics, the boom of the bass and the crack of the drums all joined together to take control of your imagination and lead your mind into new and wonderful places, making you feel irresistibly, overwhelmingly alive. And then, when it’s over – sooner than you’d like, usually! – you want to experience that same giddy feeling all over again.
A good story works pretty much the same way. When you crack the cover of a book – or a comic, because this is a comics blog, it is – you’re essentially taking a plunge into misty water. The more you read, though, the clearer things become, the more comfortable you get, and before long, you’re able to submerge yourself in the flow of new and exciting feelings and ideas. By the time the end rushes over you, the notion of surfacing for air seems almost unthinkable. If a story’s well told, you want it go on and on.
That’s one of the things that drew me to comics early on. I loved reading and could easily get completely wrapped up in books, but I always came unwound when I finished an especially enjoyable story. I’d get lost in the plot; fall so deeply in love with the characters or the settings that the final page could be as heartrending as the end of an affair or the loss of a friend. Comic books were different, though. They were these majestic little soap operas on paper and if I found myself drawn to a specific character (or group of characters, as the case often is), month-in and month-out, there was always more. If the writers and artists were particularly adept at crafting their epics, they did exactly what I wanted my favorite novels and songs to do: last forever. Or something quite like it.
My consumption of monthly comics has been in fairly sharp decline for some time now, but even today, I can become totally absorbed by a series. One of them, Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra’s Y: THE LAST MAN recently concluded with issue 60, and that was a little like having one of my limbs ripped off. For the five-years the book was published, Yorick Brown, Ampersand, 355 and Allison Mann were a very real part of my life. I shared all their triumphs and all their pain, and while I think Brian and Pia ended the series masterfully, and at exactly the right time, I was deeply saddened when the blinds were drawn on the window to their characters’ world.
Fortunately, one of my other favorite series is still coming out every (or just about, anyway) month, and even better still, Image publishes it. Perhaps you’ve heard of <b>THE WALKING DEAD</b>?
When I tell people about my tremendous affection for Robert Kirkman’s zombie survival epic, I think it creeps them out a little. On the surface, it <I>is</I> a zombie comic. There’s a world overrun by flesh-eating zombies, there are survivors desperately trying to find a way to, um, survive. I don’t have a deep-seeded love for zombie movies or even the horror genre in general, though, so believe me when I tell you that aspect of the series means virtually nothing to me. I’m not there every issue because I have the rampant desire to ogle more rotting flesh.
What does appeal to me is how fully formed the world is, how rich the characters are and how easy it is for me to get caught up in the story. I also have a huge appreciation of how unflinching and unpredictable the series is. Characters come and go (and by “go,” I mean “die horribly”) with fairly unprecedented regularity. All too often I find myself getting attached to one the characters and then quicker a heartbeat, he or she is gone forever. There are zombies around every corner in <b>THE WALKING DEAD</b>, sure, but Robert and artist Charlie Adlard have managed to make it very real. That feeling of connection and loss is every bit as genuine as it would be in our world.
A comic shop owner once told me he couldn’t continue reading <b>THE WALKING DEAD</b>, because it was just too bleak. For him, there was no hope in sight, no chance of a happy ending, and he felt his emotional investment in the series was only rewarded by relentless despair. Now, few have ever accused me of being an optimistic, but I don’t share that retailer’s perspective. True, the world of <b>THE WALKING DEAD</b> is a dark one, and there is an overwhelming amount of heartache and struggle. There is also a solid bond between the core characters, however, a will to keep going, no matter what the odds. To me, that’s hopeful. It’s also a lot like life, because there are days when, like one of my favorite songs says, “life is lead weights.” Real life can be just as unfair and unbearable as the circumstances chronicled in <b>THE WALKING DEAD</b>.
As I said before, it’s impossible to guess what’s going to happen next in this series. I don’t think I realized, even being so closely involved with it from a publishing standpoint, just <I>how</I> unpredictable it would be. But that’s life for you. Nothing good comes easy, and you always have to make some small leap of faith that things can work out for the best, no matter how dire the situation. There are always those moments of blind uncertainty, but ultimately, perseverance makes us feel a little bit more alive. And for me, that’s what <b>THE WALKING DEAD</b> is about.
Heady thoughts for a “zombie comic,” perhaps, but I could ramble just as thoughtfully about any number of equally affecting comics or novels or – hey, you thought I forgot, didn’t you? – songs.
Whether it’s a particularly riveting chapter in your best-loved book, a fantastic story arc in your favorite comic book series or an incendiary guitar riff on a 45 you’ve played so often the grooves are starting to wear, the good stuff always fizzles and pops with sheer wonderment, and I don’t know about you, but that’s always music to my ears.
|
|
No Argument
During WonderCon this past weekend, I wound up talking to a friend of mine about <b>JACK STAFF</b>. He’d never read the book, and since I’m a) the colorist for that particular Image title and b) a pretty huge fan of Paul Grist’s work, I was more than happy to talk it up. I’ve been following <b>JACK STAFF</b> since Paul started self-publishing it through his own Dancing Elephant Press, and I was a big supporter of Paul’s decision to bring the book to Image in 2004. It’s one of my favorite superhero comics.
Despite my enthusiasm for the book, though, my friend wasn’t all that convinced. Something he kept returning to during our conversation was “cartoony” Paul’s artwork is, how few lines are on the page and “simple” it looks. After a while, and just at the point I felt we were veering dangerously close to an actual argument, we more or less agreed to disagree about the merits of Paul’s style and I lead our talk down another path. I wasn’t quite able to stop thinking about what had been said; though, and how it reflects what I view as an ongoing schism in comics as we plunge deeper into the 21st century.
Most comics readers will agree that the quality of comics, both in terms of story and artwork, has increased over the last 30 years or so. First, by small leaps and then by skyscraper-defying bounds. There’s definitely a much greater diversity in content and Marvel and DC notwithstanding, the apron strings of the superhero genre seem to have loosened considerably. A curious thing has happened alongside this transition, though, and that’s the ongoing argument about what makes for “good” comics art.
Once upon a time, the vast majority of comic book artwork was fairly similar, a look that can perhaps best be described as “comic booky.” Some of it was simply a product of its time; some of it just wasn’t very good. There was a lineage of artists, though, going back to Hal Foster, Mac Raboy and Reed Crandall, to Alex Raymond and Al Williamson and then exploding with the likes of Neal Adams and John Buscema, whose stylistic routes were firmly grounded in reality. Clearly, these artists were capable of doing much more than simply churning out the standard issue comics artwork of their respective times. At the same time, artists like Jack Kirby were moving into an entirely different direction, exploring the more fantastic and impressionistic elements of their artwork and creating a stunning visual shorthand almost unique to the comics medium. Kirby, Steve Ditko, Gene Colan – while their work certainly touched on the “real world” in various ways, it certainly wasn’t a picture-perfect representation of the world outside their windows.
Since then, and especially since the mid-‘90s and the publication of work like Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross’s MARVELS, it seems like comics fans have split into two factions: those who want their comics as realistic as possible, and those appreciate work that is more stylistically adventurous. You get your fans that praise the likes of Alex Ross, Bryan Hitch and John Cassaday at the expense of a Darwyn Cooke, an Erik Larsen or, in the case of the conversation I mentioned earlier, a Paul Grist. Some dismiss the strict adherence to realism, while others view anything remotely “cartoony” as inferior work. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve heard someone say he/she though X artist wasn’t “any good” because he didn’t draw realistically, or conversely, relied too heavily on reference.
To my mind, it’s all good. I can get just as excited about the latest Bryan Hitch project as I can something new from Jeff Smith. It’s all comics and regardless of stylistic approach, good is good. (Duh, right?) No two artists are the alike and what they put down on the page is an extension of who they are – each panel is a little window into their individual worlds. There is no better or worse, just different.
Bringing this back to Paul Grist and <b>JACK STAFF</b>, I’ll tell you his work is highly deceptive. He uses lettering and negative space in ridiculously inventive ways; often giving his pages a sparseness that belies the complexity of the work. True, he’s not put down as many pen strokes as a Jim Lee or a John Cassaday, but what he may sacrifice in economy of line, he more than makes up for through the strength of this storytelling, the expressiveness of his characters and the deftness of his page design. Paul creates a complete experience with every issue of <b>JACK STAFF</b>, inviting the reader into his world on his terms. There’s no pretense that it’s the “real” world – it’s a comic about Britian’s greatest superhero, a vampire reporter, druids, mystics, monsters and an anthropomorphic plate. Everything works in the context of the world Paul has opened up for us, though, works brilliantly, in fact.
And I could say the same about BONE or HELLBOY or <b>SAVAGE DRAGON</b> or <b>ROCKETO</b> or NEW GODS or <b>CASANOVA</b>. Just because the art styles are unfettered by abject realism, it doesn’t mean the artists are somehow lesser practitioners of their craft when compared to their more realism-based brothers in arms. An issue of <b>JACK STAFF</b> can be just as much an artist triumph as the new Bryan Hitch FANTASTIC FOUR is in its.
It’s all an open conversation with the reader, not an argument.
|
|
The Wonder of WonderCon
The 22nd Annual <a href="http://www.comic-con.org/wc/" target="top">WonderCon</a> is this weekend. Held at San Francisco’s Moscone Center, WonderCon is not only the Bay Area’s premiere comics and pop culture event, but the opening shots of the 2008 convention season. Image has been a fixture at Wondercon since we were taking our baby steps back in 1993, but since we moving house to Berkeley in 2004, it’s more or less become our local show. And you know what? We love it.
There really is nothing like diving deep into a pool of pop culture and scooping up all you can before returning to the surface. Like diving for pearls, it is, and even after attending comic book conventions half a dozen times a year for almost two decades, I still get a manic thrill out of immersing myself in so much comics goodness all at once. And returning to my earlier observations about those temples to contemporary illustrated literature we call comic book shops, visiting a comics convention is almost akin to a religious experience for the truly devoted, a pilgrimage, if you will, into the heart of comics culture, complete with over-stuffed back issue bins, punters in Stormtrooper gear and creator autograph signings!
At the Image booth (#509, don’tcha know), we tend to specialize more in Creator signings than fancy dress. Though, as always, we’ve assembled an impressive group of writers and artists all eager to make your acquaintance. You want a list? Good, because I’ve got a list:
<b>Gerard Duggan (THE LAST CHRISTMAS, INFINITE HORIZON)
Brian Haberlin (SPAWN)
Rantz Hoseley (DISPLACED PERSONS, COMIC BOOK TATTOO)
Antony Johnston (DEAD SPACE, TEXAS STRANGERS)
Erik Larsen (SAVAGE DRAGON, THE NEXT ISSUE PROJECT)
Derek McCulloch (DISPLACED PERSON, STAGGER LEE)
Moritat (ELEPHANTMEN)
Phil Noto (INFINITE HORIZON)
Brian Posehn (THE LAST CHRISTMAS)
Rick Remender (CRAWL SPACE: XXXOMBIES, SORROW)
JG Roshell (ELEPHANTMEN)
Mark Sable (HAZED, GROUNDED, FEARLESS)
Rob Schrab (SCUD THE DISPOSABLE ASSASSIN)
Richard Starkings (ELEPHANTMEN)
Ben Templesmith (DEAD SPACE, FELL)
Jim Valentino (DRAWING FROM LIFE, SHADOWHAWK)</b>
We’ll also be hawking our wares (duh), so expect the best of our backlist to be on display alongside t-shirts, prints and exclusive items like our limited edition version of <b>SCUD: THE DISPOSABLE ASSASSIN #1</b>. Seriously, if there’s an Image item you’ve been seeking in vain over the past few months, there’s a good chance we’ll have it at the booth. We’ll also be giving away posters promoting various projects to be released over the course of 2008, so even if you’re not anxious to chat with a specific creator and, heaven forbid, we can’t persuade you to part with a single dollar, you should stop by and pick up a poster.
Or just come by and say, “Hi.” Pretty much everyone from the Image office will be around the booth at some point, and we’re always excited to meet the people we work for. We wouldn’t be here without you, the reader, after all, and without getting all dewy-eyed and sentimental, it’s always a pleasure to get some face time with the fans. (And yeah, I threw up in my mouth a little when I used the term “face time,” too, but I can’t come up with anything better, so there.)
So: WonderCon 2008. This Friday thru Sunday at Moscone Center South in San Francisco.
See you there?
|
|
The Jonathan Hickman Experience
<b>ERIC STEPHENSON:</b> The first issue of your second miniseries, <b>PAX ROMANA</b>, has been out for about a month, and it’s getting rave reviews. For someone who's never seen or heard anything about the book, what's the basic premise?
<b>JONATHAN HICKMAN:</b> It's a bleak future for the Catholic Church. Apathy is high, Islam continues unabated. When a Church-funded research facility discovers time travel, they decide after much debate to send an army back in time to Constantine's Rome. Then, everything goes wrong.
<b>ES:</b> Wrong how?
<b>JH:</b> Instead of following orders, the leaders of the army execute the Cardinal in charge and attempt to remake the world in their “own image.”
<b>ES:</b> And that’s not necessarily a good thing?
<b>JH:</b> It's debatable, for the reader to decide. Is the blatant power grab truly done for the right reasons? While attempting to make the world “better” - are they only making it different? By changing the “natural” course of mankind are they actually redefining what it means to be “man?” That's the fun of the book. You know me, always questions.
<b>ES:</b> Right, well, I was going to ask you about that. All of your Image miniseries – <b>THE NIGHTLY NEWS</b>, <b>PAX</b>, the upcoming <b>TRANSHUMAN</b> and <b>A RED MASS FOR MARS</b> – are very distinct, not just from everything else on the racks, but from each other. What drives you toward your story choices?
<b>JH:</b> Two things, really. One, I get bored easily and have completely malleable tastes, so I'm naturally always changing things up. And two, I don't want to be pigeonholed or typecast as a genre writer. I would never want to only write things like <b>THE NIGHTLY NEWS</b> or <b>PAX</b> forever.
<b>ES:</b> There’s always a fairly strong emphasis on socio-political concerns in your work, though.
<b>JH:</b> Part of that is that I'm working thematically. Really, it's very difficult to find something that isn't socio-or-political in a story that is 90% theme and plot. That's the bad side of doing only miniseries, there's no room for long character arcs. Which is also why I'm so looking forward to <b>PLUS!</b> I'll be able to play with that more.
<b>ES:</b> I don't think anyone else really knows about <b>PLUS!</b> yet, so why don't we talk about that a little before backtracking to <b>TRANSHUMAN</b> and <b>RED MASS</b>.
<b>JH:</b> It's going to be widescreen (horizontal) and each issue will have three different stories – all by me – all different art styles. Some of the stories will continue, some will just be short stories. The important thing is it's ongoing – that's a big deal for me.
The first issue will contain “The Return,” which is a space opera about an abductee; “The Tree of Life,” which is a horror story about a migrant sect of heretical Christians searching for the Garden of Eden and “Feel Better Now,” which is about four psychiatrists who get bored and make up a game based on screwing with their patients where the only rule is that the patients can't kill themselves. “The Tree of Life” will be in the vein of early Ashley Wood/Ben Templesmith; “Feel Better Now” will look kinda like anime: cel shading and open line. “The Return” is based on a 96 panel grid.
<b>ES:</b> So, you’re branching out.
<b>JH:</b> Absolutely. I want it to feel like an art project as well as a monthly comic. When we collect the whole thing, I want it to be 8-10 issues worth, so it'll feel almost like an anthology.
<b>ES:</b> Now, with <b>TRANSHUMAN</b> and <b>A RED MASS FOR MARS</b>, you're working with other artists.</b>
<b>JH:</b> Uh-huh. It's been very enjoyable. J.M. Ringuet and Ryan Bodenheim are both perfect for the projects they're on.
<b>ES:</b> Definitely. They’re both doing amazing work. How did you hook up with Ryan and JM?</b>
<b>JM:</b> The Web. I posted an ad on Digital Webbing and Penciljack, I think. I got a very healthy response and was able to pick two guys that were perfect for the respective jobs. The Internet makes life easy in that regard.
<b>ES:</b> <b>TRANSHUMAN</b> is your next project after <b>PAX</b>, what was the genesis of that?
<b>JH:</b> I wanted to do a project based on the mockumentary. I wanted it to be about business startups, venture capital and marketing. I was also reading a good bit about genetic engineering for <b>PAX</b> at the time and it all kind of squished together and ended up being about transhumanism, hence the title.
<b>ES:</b> And this is more humor-based, obviously.
<b>JH:</b> God, I hope so. It's supposed to be. It's very dry, so we'll see.
<b>ES:</b> You've mentioned it's in the same vein as Christopher Guest's films, things like <I>Best in Show</I> and <I>This is Spinal Tap</I>...
<b>JH:</b> Yes.
<b>ES:</b> That's setting the bar pretty high...
<b>JH:</b> Well, gotta try. What's the point otherwise? And if I were really ambitious, I would have tried to make it like <I>Arrested Development</I>. That would have been a terrible mistake, though!
<b>ES:</b> Yeah?
<b>JH:</b> I don't think I'll ever be able to write that well. Absolutely perfect at times. Dramatic stuff is much easier to write.
<b>ES:</b> Which is probably a transition into <b>A RED MASS FOR MARS</b>. Tell us about that.
<b>JH:</b> The solicitation copy reads: "In a world that has survived every catastrophe imaginable, a new threat from beyond stars looks to be the end of all humanity. <b>A RED MASS FOR MAR</b> is a story about the death of utopia, the last days of Earth and the one man who could save us all, but won't" - and that's pretty accurate. It's also about how's man's idea of a perfect society has changed over time.
<b>ES:</b> And this is more like a mainstream superhero book than anything else you’ve done up to this point, isn’t it?</b>
<b>JH:</b> Uh-huh. It's intentional. Including the art. Ryan's work has that easily consumable quality. I mean that in the most positive way possible. He's going to be big time.
<b>ES:</b> Yeah, he’s one of the best young guys I’ve seen in a while. Is this his first professional comics work?
<b>JH:</b> No. He won that Marvel challenge thing a couple of years ago and did some pages for them then. It didn't work out with them, and this is the first thing he's done since then.
<b>ES:</b> Looking at all the projects you have lined up, it’s kind of amazing to think you just started <b>THE NIGHTLY NEWS</b> at the end of 2006.
<b>JH:</b> Yeah. Sometimes I get frustrated that I don't have all this out there yet, and then I remember we're only one year and three months into this “Jonathan as comics creator” experience.
<b>ES:</b> It's pretty cool, actually, because you're one of those guys who came at us cold. We literally pulled you out of the mail pile.
<b>JH:</b > Yeah. I'd FedExed my submission in cold. That was a good day.
<b>ES:</b> Well, it was definitely one of the most striking proposals we've ever received. Your design sense was very well defined.
<b>JH:</b> I'd worked on those five pages quite a bit. I'd redone them multiple times, but the upside to that was I really knew what I wanted to do at that point. I still like those pages.
<B>PAX ROMANA #2</b> (OCT072016) is due in stores in March 5. You can find out more about Jonathan Hickman and his various projects by visiting his Website, <a href=" http://www.pronea.com/ " target="top">www.pronea.com</a>.
|
|
The Holy Communion of Comics
If there was a comic book store in Tacoma, Washington when I was growing up there, I never saw it. At least, I don’t think so. I have a vague kind of half-memory of this place we used to drive past that had a Spider-Man poster in the window, but it very well could have been a used bookstore. Even now, I think there are only two or three comic book shops in Tacoma, and <a href=" http://www.comicbookink.com/ " target="top"> Comic Book Ink</a> is the only one I’m certain of. Back in the late ‘70s? I’m almost positive there wasn’t anything even <i>resembling</i> a comic book specialty shop.
Comic book stores were actually just coming into their own when I was discovering comics back then. The Direct Market was showing the first signs of being a light at the end of the tunnel of economic desperation comics were traveling down at the time, and comic book publishers themselves were slowly beginning to take advantage of the new market. It would take a few years before things really took off, though, and by most accounts, the Direct Market wasn’t really swinging until the early ‘80s. In the meantime, I bought comics wherever I could find them, and at that time, there seemed to be plenty of options.
7-11 was a frequent source, but it wasn’t the only one. See, the further I was drawn into the world of comics, the more time I spent obsessing on ways to find <i>more</i> of them. And it didn’t matter where I was going with my parents (and when you’re a kid, you’re always going <i>somewhere</i> with your parents – usually someplace dead boring.); I always found a way to convince my Dad to pull over at some likely spot to check for comics. Sometimes, I just had a hunch that a certain grocery store or drug store would have comics, but just as often, I’d been given advice from any number of my comic-collecting friends. That’s how I found out that the McChord Air Force Base Exchange (BX, for short) had a magazine section crammed full of comics, for instance, or that the Hallmark Shop adjacent to the local Fred Meyer (local chain store, kind of similar to Wal-Mart, but on a much smaller scale) had a well-stocked spinner rack right next to the cash register. Fred Meyer carried comics, too, as did K-Mart, but they were sold in bags of three for a dollar and the trade dress on the covers had been altered so that the price and issue number of each book was displayed in a big, fat diamond. Seen through the always critical eyes of youth, these comics looked a little weird and plus, everyone at school said they were “reprints.” Never mind that many of our favorite comics – MARVEL’S GREATEST COMICS, MARVEL TALES, MARVEL TRIPLE ACTION – actually <i>were</i> reprints; we were kids, and logic wasn’t exactly our forte at that point. And ultimately, if some comic I desperately needed was in one of those bags; corner diamond be damned, it was <i>mine!</i>
There was something that troubled me greatly, though, and that was the fact that I’d seen all these ads for things like ORIGINS OF MARVEL COMICS in various comics, but the books themselves were so elusive they didn’t seem to exist. One of my friends had a copy of the follow-up to that book, SON OF ORIGINS (which he’d taken apart and assembled into individual comic books, incidentally. I still remember him lending me his copy of “DAREDEVIL #1.”), but when I asked where he got it, he hadn’t a clue. His Mom bought it for him, and that was that. I was fascinated by the fact that he had it, though, because it represented tangible evidence that these things I saw in my comics were <i>real</i>. And if they were real, that meant they were sold somewhere. The big question now was…where? Quite the puzzle for the burgeoning mind of an obsessive young comics fan.
Things have changed a lot since then, though, and comic book shops have become as much a part of our cultural landscape as video rental chains and record stores. Unfortunately, a sad thing comic book shops have in common with those types of establishments is they are, alas, on the decline.
This isn’t news. The number of comic book shops in the United States has been in recession since the ‘90s. I’ve seen figures stating there were close to 10,000 Direct Market outlets at one point, but you could shave two thirds off that and then take off a little more before you got an accurate picture of the current statistics. And sure, part of that is down to the fact comics and graphic novels are readily available in most bookstores and you can order them online or read them online or whatever, but the truth of the matter is the market has shrunk considerably over the years. Comic book shops aren’t as common as they once were and in some places, the options for comic book readers are as limited as those I had as a boy.
Here at Image, we’re lucky. One of the best stores in the country, <a href="http://www.comicrelief.net/" target="top"> Comic Relief</a>, is just two blocks away. Then there’s <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/dr-comics-and-mr-games-oakland" target="top"> Dr. Comics & Mr. Games</a> in Piedmont, and crossing the bridge to San Francisco, there’s <a href="http://comixexperience.com/" target="top"> Comix Experience</a>, <a href="http://www.isotopecomics.com" target="top"> Isotope</a>, <a href="http://www.alscomicssf.com/" target="top"> Al’s Comics</a> and <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/neon-monster-san-francisco" target="top"> Neon Monster</a>, just to name a few. I don’t get to all of them regularly, because Comic Relief is <i>right there</i>, but I do like to drop in other places and look around whenever I’m in the neighborhood. A good comic book shop is a good comic book shop, after all, and if you’re immersed in comic book culture enough to be visiting this site and reading my rambling blog posts, visiting one is probably something akin to dropping in on an old friend or going to church.
Even thought I don’t buy as many comics as I used to (funny how one gets more selective with time, innit?), I still get a real buzz off being in a shop on new comics day or dropping by to find the place bustling on the weekend. It’s the same thrill I get from visiting my favorite record stores or going to a good film or seeing a great band play live. There’s just something <i>real</i> about being there amongst my fellow travelers, joining in the Holy Communion of Comics, and it’s an experience I don’t get from ordering something online or picking something up from a chain store.
So, if the weather’s nice this weekend and there’s a shop nearby, do yourself a favor and drop on by. Bask in the glory of a place made especially for you, and while you’re at it, remember that not too very long ago, these temples to the power of unbridled imagination weren’t part of the landscape.
|
|
Love What You Do
If I had to put my finger on the one thing that links all my favorite comics, I'd settle on "passion." There are dozens upon dozens of good comics out there, all fine examples of four-color craftsmanship that merely offer engaging stories and eye-catching artwork. I've even followed many of them regularly, for years in some cases, and as much as I enjoyed them for what they were, precious few of them have been memorable. They're like the summer blockbusters people cram megaplexes to see every year: fun while they last, but light on any real substance and ultimately, just a little empty.
There are comics I come back to again and again, though, reading and rereading them not just because the stories are well-told or well-drawn, but because they make me think or feel just a little bit different each time. There's always something new to discover, some interesting plot point, some line of dialogue, some small nuance in the artwork that makes me appreciate the whole work anew, or better yet, inspires me to sit down and create something myself. In fact, nothing inspires me as much as basking in the glow of another writer's triumph.
Some writers and artists will say they do what they do because it's a job. And they're right: Making comics isn't all sunshine and rainbows. Working in comics is a blast, make no mistake, but it requires the same long hours, tireless dedication and commitment as any other profession. There’s a difference, though, between simply doing a job well and really throwing one’s self into it. One approach isn’t necessarily better than the other, but generally speaking, I think it’s always apparent when something – be it a film, a novel, a painting, a comic book or even a business presentation – truly comes from the heart. People respond to emotional investment, to passion.
I could easily turn this into a mind-numbing diatribe extolling the virtues of creator-ownership, but honestly, Marvel and DC have published some genuinely stirring comics by creators who clearly enjoy what they do. And I’ve read plenty of creator-owned work that seemed almost perfunctory, as though it was done with no real purpose – the obligatory indie project. In fact, I look at proposals for creator-owned projects that are suffused with anything but love, on an almost daily basis.
Creation doesn’t always equal passion, and everything Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ WATCHMEN to Frank Miller’s DAREDEVIL to Walter Simonson’s THOR to Darwyn Cooke’s work on DC: THE NEW FRONTIER and THE SPIRIT stands as enduring reminders that a genuine enthusiasm for storytelling or an honest-to-goodness love for specific character can yield work of the highest caliber possible. There’s no denying those creators’ passion for their work, their drive to accomplish something above and beyond simply doing the job well. Whether it’s innate love and respect for the written word or the act of illustrating, every single one of those creators, and others like them, bring part of themselves to their work, making what could be just a well-told story a truly enriching experience.
And when that same passion is applied to creator-owned comics, the results can be thrilling.
Creator-owned comics are risky. Superman, Batman, Captain America, Spider-Man, the X-Men, Buffy the Vampire Slayer – these are all characters with years of history behind them, with built-in audiences who buy into the brand just as much (if not more so) than the actual stories. Creating something from scratch, though, that’s a real leap of faith. Even for a writer or artist with a great reputation and a list of credits as long as your favorite winter scarf, there’s no built-in audience for something new and no guarantee things will work out for the best. For every success, CEREBUS, for every BONE, for every WALKING DEAD, there are countless titles that failed.
Safety is tedious, though, and for anyone who feels strongly about what he or she wants to accomplish, the risk is always worth it. No one truly passionate about his or her work regrets chasing success. Trying is its own reward when you really care about something, right? And if things do work out, well, like I said earlier, it can be utterly amazing.
It’s all about loving what you do, really. If something matters enough to a writer or an artist that he or she is willing to put his/her heart and soul into it, to share some piece of his or herself with the reader, that’s bound to be infectious. I know that’s what has drawn me to work by Jeff Smith, Mike Mignola, Chris Ware, Daniel Clowes, Adrian Tomine, Frank Miller and countless others over the years, and bringing this around to something vaguely Image-centric, it’s what I love about the creators we work with here.
Whether it’s CASANOVA or JACK STAFF or HAWAIIAN DICK or SAVAGE DRAGON, we publish books by creators who really believe in what they’re doing, who truly love what they do. It’s inspiring to talk with people like Matt Fraction or Todd Dezago or Robert Kirkman and hear the commitment in their voices. Something like next week’s PERHAPANAUTS ANNUAL – that’s not a sure-fire success, but Todd and his collaborator, Craig Rousseau, have a real yearning to tell their stories. They know the realities of the market, they themselves could list off a hundred different reasons THE PERHAPANAUTS <I>shouldn’t</I> succeed, but they can just as easily argue the other side of the point, too, and ultimately, what they have on their side is – wait for it – passion.
I could say the same about any number of creators working at Image. THE WALKING DEAD is a hit now, but it started out selling a fraction of what it does now, and as a “zombie comic,” was hardly a shoo-in for bestseller status. Like numerous other Image creators, though, Kirkman was willing to take the risks, to dive in headfirst and make the best of whatever happened. His confidence in himself, his affection for this medium, his belief in his concept – it all shined through in the work.
And I think, as readers, we’re all richer for creators who give it the best they’ve got, who love what they do, regardless of the odds. There’s a certain resplendence in their work that sets it apart from everything else and makes the reading experience something truly rewarding.
Or something like that.
PERHAPANAUTS ANNUAL #1 (DEC072048) is out next week, along with new issues of GØDLAND (DEC072089), HAWAIIAN DICK (NOV07243) and INVINCIBLE (SEP071998). All labors of love and a stack of comics that made me giddy as all get out when they arrived from the printer this morning.
Love what you do. Good things will follow.
|
|
So Long, Steve Gerber
Steve Gerber died yesterday. He was 60 years old and had been battling pulmonary fibrosis, but as often happens when people pass away, it seemed all too sudden.
I didn’t know Steve particularly well, but I did know his work, and he was an innovator in the truest sense of the word. At a time when comics had become more than a little stagnant, his stories were offbeat, unpredictable and above all, thought provoking. Whether he was writing superheroes, horror, sci-fi or satire, there was no mistaking a Steve Gerber comic.
Steve was also at the forefront of the battle for creator’s rights during the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. He saw comics as something more than disposable entertainment and rightly felt the writers and artists creating them should be regarded as more than cogs in some corporate machine. When Steve went to battle with Marvel Comics over the rights to HOWARD THE DUCK, it wasn’t just for his own gain, but for the benefit of all comic book professionals. In many ways, his stand against Marvel made it possible for a company like Image Comics to be founded, just a decade later.
Image published some of Steve’s work during the ‘90s, most notably a 48-page SAVAGE DRAGON/DESTROYER DUCK one-shot that was the cause of much consternation for Marvel at the time. It’ll be collected in a DESTROYER DUCK trade paperback we’re putting together, rounding out a collection of stories by Steve, Jack Kirby and Alfredo Alcala that may well be the best representation of Steve’s struggle against the House of Ideas. We’ve been preparing the book for a while, chasing down scans of original art, lining up folks to help with the color restoration, and so on. It saddens me to know Steve won’t be around to see the completed book when it’s finally published later this year.
|
|
What's in a Name?
A couple weeks ago, the title of the 22nd James Bond film was announced. It’s called <I>Quantum of Solace</I>, the title of one of Ian Fleming’s Bond shorts stories from 1960. If you know that, then I’m guessing the title makes perfect sense and possibly even evokes some amount of excitement. I’m not a huge Bond fan and I’m not going to lie: I had to Google “Quantum of Solace” to figure out what the filmmakers were on about. The frequently amusing <a href="http://www.wwtdd.com" target="top">What Would Tyler Durden Do?</a> noted the movie might as be called “Black Sock of Unstoppable,” and I can’t say that I disagree.
Bond films have been a staple at cinemas for going on 50 years at this point, so I don’t imagine the producers are sweating the somewhat difficult to decipher title. It’s a James Bond movie, starring an immensely popular actor in the title role, following up on one of the most successful films in the history of the franchise. People will see it.
With comics, though, it’s a different story. Titles can be incredibly important, especially where new comics are concerned. In many instances, readers browsing the racks in their local shops are making their decision to investigate a title based solely on the cover. What do they have to go on? They have a compelling image and they have a title, and hopefully, those two things compliment each other well enough that the reader has at least <I>some</I> idea what he or she is going to find under the cover. If the image and the title don’t mesh well enough to tell the whole story, it’s very likely the prospective reader will just move on to something else, something more easily identifiable.
Robert Kirkman and I got talking about this back when he was pitching THE ASTOUNDING WOLF-MAN to Image. Initially, I wasn’t thrilled about the idea of doing a book called “Wolf-Man.” It just sounded a little too campy, too <I>simple</I> and given that THE WALKING DEAD was a great title that worked on multiple levels, I felt Robert should be aiming a little higher with his title choices. Robert stuck to his guns, though, and pointed out that Spider-Man is simplicity itself, and that totally works.
It’s a good point: Spider-Man features a superhero with a spider and webbing on his costume. Even to that rare individual who has never seen him or heard of Spider-Man before, he's clearly a superhero and on most covers he's swinging from a web or he's sticking to a building or spinning a web. It's obvious he's a superhero with some kind of spider-based powers, and then there's that title: THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN. Nearly everything you need to know about that particular is right there, so easily accessible that all you need to do is look at the cover and you know what you’re in for.
And there are lots of comics like that. Make a list of ‘em, and I bet you’ll see that some of the most successful and long-running comics on the market have the simplest titles. FANTASTIC FOUR? There are four superheroes on the cover: one of them stretches, one is a monster, one is turning invisible, one is flying around on fire; four people with fantastic powers. CAPTAIN AMERICA? Superhero draped in the American flag. Clearly, he’s a patriot. SUPERMAN? He's a man and he has super powers. There he is lifting a car. There he is flying. There he is fighting a giant robot. Man + Super. Super man.
Which brings us back to THE ASTOUNDING WOLF-MAN.
When considered in terms of how easily accessible the title is, THE ASTOUNDING WOLF-MAN works just fine. It’s a superhero comic about a guy who turns into a werewolf; it doesn’t need to be more complicated than that. The story itself is rich with complexity, but that’s something readers can discover once they’ve cracked the cover. If the title gets a reader that far, then it has done its job.
Anything less than perfect clarity is sure to perplex readers, and just as you could make a list of great titles that correspond with successful series, you can do the same with interesting series and unique but ultimately unwieldy titles. Every publisher has a few of those, and the real trick is battling the urge to be so unique the title goes straight over readers’ heads.
There’s only room for one <I>Quantum of Solace</I>, after all.
|
|
The Best Book You're Not Reading
If you’re a regular <a href="http://www.newsarama.com/" target="top">Newsarama</a> reader, you may have noticed me and several other comics-type people waxing nostalgic about the recently concluded (and wholly amazing) Y: THE LAST MAN <a href="http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=145572/" target="top">earlier this week</a>. I’m still lamenting the book’s passing, and I know I wasn’t alone within the Comics community in considering it one of the best titles in recent memory. Truly amazing comics (especially of the mainstream variety) are really something of a rarity, even in a marketplace that often seems over-saturated with worthwhile stuff. So, the passing of a book as good a Y is going to leave a cavernous gap to be filled. If I were twelve, I’d be inserting a frowning emoticon, just to emphasize my point.
Here’s the good news, though: Image actually publishes what just might be the best comic you’re not reading! It’s called CASANOVA, and like our dear, departed Y, it’s completely different from everything else on the racks these days. It’s also completely brilliant, and I’m not just saying that because I’m on iChat with writer Matt Fraction right now.
What’s it about, then? Well, this is how Matt pitched the book to me, back in 2005: “Ultrapop spy-adventure, made new for the 21st century. What if Jerry Cornelius and Sydney Bristow had a kid? And he grew up to be Diabolik?” Being the charming guy he is, Matt pretty much had me at “ultrapop spy-adventure,” but if you need more than references to Michael Morcock, Alias and Italian comics from the ‘60s, the series basically chronicles the adventures of a hip, pan-dimensional secret agent. Think James Bond crossed with Mick Jagger. Well, Mick Jagger back when he was cool, anyway.
That’s what GQ said when they featured CASANOVA in their September 2007 issue. (Which should tell you something right there: GQ isn’t exactly known for its comics coverage, and as I understand it, CASANOVA is actually the first comic book they’ve done this type of write-up for.) In fact, I could probably just drop names for the rest of this paragraph, just to drive home the fact that everybody loves Casanova Quinn, but that’d just get tedious, so why not just focus on the fact GQ proclaimed Fraction’s (and collaborators Gabriel Ba’s and Fabio Moon’s) spy-fi opus “brilliant” and move on?
Or better yet, why not drop in on Matt talking the book up himself over at <a href="http://io9.com/354120/io9-talks-to-casanovas-matt-fractiontarget="top">io9.com</a>?
Or even better still, go out and grab yourself a copy of the recently released CASANOVA, VOL. 1: LUXURIA TP (OCT071974) and find out how entertaining it is for yourself! Issue #12 is due in stores any time now, too, so with a pretty minimal amount of effort you can dive right in and start enjoying one of the smartest and most distinct comics out there. If, like me, you’re looking for something new to read after one of your fave series just ended, it’ll be a welcome addition to your reading regimen.
|
|
How We Make Comics, Part 2: The Next Issue Project
So, we just got copies of <b>NEXT ISSUE PROJECT #1: FANTASTIC COMICS</b> here at the office, and I have to say, it’s pretty awesome. I know, I know: with contributions from the likes of Mike Allred, Joe Casey, Jim Rugg, Bill Sienkiewicz, Ashley Wood and Tom Yeates, it could hardly be anything else, but I’m not just talking about the fine array of talent involved. You’ll probably have to see it for yourself, but it’s really one of the more unique comics we’ve published in a long while. It’s bigger than a standard comic – same dimensions as a comic from the ‘40s – that’s for sure, and it’s printed on thicker paper with a card stock cover. It even has reproductions of old ads.
The whole project is a genuine labor of love for everyone involved, but for none more so than Image publisher Erik Larsen and PR & Marketing Coordinator Joe Keatinge, the dynamic duo who conceived of the project.
See, the whole thing started out with Joe’s introduction to the work of Fletcher Hanks several years back.
“I became pretty obsessed with Fletcher Hanks,” Joe recalls. “I don’t remember how, it just happened. When the Fantagraphics book came out, I was telling Erik how cool these stories were and how much I loved Stardust. I joked at one point that I wished I could actually do a Stardust story, and Erik noted I could.”
The idea that anyone could do a new Stardust story – the character is in public domain – stuck in Keatinge’s and Larsen’s minds. There are dozens upon dozens of old characters in public domain at this point, and it wasn’t long before Joe and Erik started discussing the possibility of actually reviving some of their Golden Age favorites in all-new stories by contemporary talent.
From there, Erik came up with the idea to actually go back and continue some long-dead series, literally picking up from where those old titles ended and producing new issues. So, if <b>FANTASTIC COMICS</b> ended with issue #23, then Image would publish <b>FANTASTIC COMICS #24</b>. If <b>SPEED COMICS #44</b> was that series’ last issues, then bam! Here comes #45! And with that in mind, it wasn’t long before using “Next Issue Project” as an umbrella title for the whole thing seemed like the most obvious idea in the world.
What was really cool, though, was how many other creators were interested in the idea of putting a new spin on these public domain characters. Everyone had a different favorite, and the list of potential “next issues” grew exponentially as more creators expressed interest in signing up for the project.
It’s been well over a year since Joe and Erik first started talking about this, so it really is something to actually have a copy of the book land on my desk. It’s like the sum total of a hundred different lunchtime discussions come to life, and flipping through it now, I actually feel a little privileged to have watched as it all took shape.
And you can take pride in owning your very own copy of <b>NEXT ISSUE PROJECT #1: FANTASTIC COMICS</b> (OCT071967) as soon as next Wednesday.
|
|
How We Make Comics, Part 1: CHARLATAN BALL
<b>ERIC STEPHENSON:</b> So, Joe... I was reading Lying in the Gutters over at <a href="http://www.comicbookresources.com/" target="top">comicbookresources.com</a>, earlier this week, and I saw this artwork for something you're doing called CHARLATAN BALL... <br>
<b>JOE CASEY:</b> Yeah, me and artist, Andy Suriano. You didn't know about this? Image is publishing it...<br>
<b>ES:</b> Yeah, that's what it said on CBR, and that's actually why I wanted to talk to you... <br>
<b>JC:</b> Look, we announced this book at San Diego, way back in 2006. There was promo art and everything. Remember, when the late Jim D. read the pimp copy, all about a hapless stage magician sucked into a cross-dimensional war of magicks? C'mon, some of this has to ring a bell... <br>
<b>ES:</b> Um... Okay... <br>
<b>JC:</b> Look, it's going to be wildness on a GØDLAND scale, with our hero, Chuck Amok, and his pet rabbit, Caesar, trying to survive when every other mystic warrior is gunning for them as part of this universe-spanning, last-magician-standing competition. Man... How could you not remember this?<br>
<b>ES:</b> What's the right answer here? Yes? Because honestly, I'd be lying if I said yes. I mean, this SOUNDS just super-cool, but seriously... I'm drawing a complete blank here. Are you sure this isn't something you ran by Larsen? <br>
<b>JC:</b> Forget Larsen, I pitched it to YOU! Sent you concept sketches! We've been planning this for more than a year now, talking about format, page count, paper stock...! <br>
<b>ES:</b> Well... Let's just move forward on the assumption I know what you're talking about. When's this coming out? <br>
<b>JC:</b> Okay... one more time. CHARLATAN BALL. Me and Andy Suriano. Part of the MAN OF ACTION comics we’re doing at Image. First issue hits in June. It's monthly. It's kind of a big deal... my first ongoing, creator-owned Image title since GØDLAND. <br>
<b>ES:</b> Right. Gotcha. This all sounds fantastic, Joe.<br>
<b>ES:</b> And I was just kidding before, you know. I knew we were doing this.<br>
<b>JC:</b> Yeah, sounds like it. <br>
<b>ES:</b> No, seriously, I --<br>
<b>CLICK</b><br>
<b>ES:</b> Joe..?
|
|
SCUD RETURNS!
Were you a fan of indie comics during the '90s? If so, there's a good chance you were reading Rob Schrab's manic opus, SCUD: THE DISPOSABLE ASSASSIN. If you weren't, well, I don't even want to talk about that, because it's just going to result in a lot of shouting, name-calling and hair pulling. If you were, though, well, get ready to stampede your local comic book shop this Wednesday, because after a decade-long wait, SCUD: THE DISPOSABLE ASSASSIN #21 is here!<br><br>That's right, after moving on to the proverbial bigger and better things (namely co-writing Disney's <i>Monster House</i> with Dan Harmon, producing/directing <i>The Sarah Silverman Program</i> and producing the unaired-but-beyond-awesome pilot for <i>Heat Vision and Jack</i>, starring Owen Wilson and Jack Black), Rob suffered some form of head trauma and decided that the best way to kick off 2008 was a return to his comics roots. And good thing, too, because SCUD #20 ended on just a <i>little</i> bit of a cliffhanger! Rob's bringing finishing the whole series off in style, though, starting this week with SCUD #21: "Return of the Over-Used Muse," the first of a four-issue arc that brings closure to the whole Scud saga and paves the way for a ginormous collection of the entire series, to be released some time in the not-too-distant future.<br><br>But, wait--that's not all! The cover to SCUD: THE DISPOSABLE ASSASSIN #21 is by the all-around-awesome Ashley Wood (him of Tank Girl, Popbot, Zombies vs. Robots and Automatic Kafka fame), but if you're going to be in the Bay Area this February 22-24, we're going to be flogging a special convention edition of this issue at <a href="http://www.comic-con.org/wc/" target="top">WonderCon 2008</a>, featuring an exclusive cover by Rob himself. Who said this isn't inimitable Image age of... Ah, bugger it, I have no idea where I'm even going with that.<br><br>Whatever the case, SCUD: THE DISPOSABLE ASSASSIN #21 (DEC072049) is one of those 32-page black and white comic book-type thangs with a swank card stock cover, and it's yours for $3.50 as of February 6!
|
|
|
