Colin's Inkstuds Comics Review Day 6, Comic Book Comics Day #6

Posted on May 3, 2009 by Cupton

comicbookcomic3Comic Book Comics #3 Written by Fred Van Lente, Art By Ryan Dunlavey
I love these guys. From the guys that brought you Action Philosophers (which at one point attempted the impossible, tried to make French post-modernist philosophy make sense) comes a series that tells the history of comics using comics! Okay, it sounds obvious but as far as I know no one else has thought of it. In this issue they tackle three great evils that assailed American comics in the post war decades, the comics-cause-juvenile-delinquency/racism/ fascism/illiteracy/homosexuality witch hunt inspired by Dr.Wertham, the demeaning exploitation of comics art by pop artists like Roy Liechtenstein as kitsch and comics fandom… comics fandom? Okay, as a comics elitist myself I look down on fannish types as much as the next comics nerd who was raised on the Comics Journal but even I acknowledge the part comics fandom had in preserving and promoting comics when not even the comics creators cared (I suspect that comics fandom was included in this issue somewhat tongue in cheek.) Did you know that legendary underground cartoonist Robert Crumb got his start in the fan press? That’s in here. This is stuff everyone who gives a damn about the comics art form should know about, Van Lente & Dunlavey strike an excellent balance between recounting the facts while entertaining the reader. Comic Book Comics #3 is not approved by the Comics Code Authority, but it is by me.*
Okay, that was a little cornball…

*Does the Comics Code Authority even exist anymore?

Colin (I’m so glad they didn’t go with their earlier plan to do a series on the US Presidents) Upton

Posted in Review by Colin Upton | Leave a comment

Review of Brilliantly Ham-Fisted by Tom Neely

Posted on May 3, 2009 by robin

I really like Tom Neely’s work and was happy to get his little collection,  Brilliantly Ham-Fisted. It’s a depressingly charming collection of Tom doing his best try at a four panel strip. I somehow doubt that Tom would ever get a daily syndicated strip, unless people felt like killing themselves when they first read the paper in the morning. The work in this is beautiful and full of an odd type of empty life. Tom can seem to exact onto a desperate need to find an end to a loneliness. It doesn’t feel pretentious and full of itself, but instead, the strips are nice poetic contemplation, that slows down the pace nicely. Oh and it doesn’t hurt that Tom is a master cartoonist that is really hitting his stride right now.

Posted in Review by Robin | Leave a comment

Colin's Inkstuds Comics Review Day 5: Surprise Attack, battle of Shiloh

Posted on May 2, 2009 by Cupton

Surprise Attack! Battle of Shiloh, Written by Larry Hama, art by Scott Moore and cover by Ron Wagner

Anyone who knows me knows I am devoted to Osprey, the worlds leading publisher of military historical subjects. I have a bookcase full of them. They employ some of the finest illustrators around so when I heard Osprey was getting into the graphic novel business I could not help but be intrigued. The Osprey Graphic History series promises to tell the exciting histories of famous battles, oddly all either set in the American Civil War or American battles in World War Two (Osprey is a British publisher). Now, this is tough, battles are complicated and confusing events that can lead to decades if not hundreds of years of acrimonious debates between academics and partisans of either side with an axe to grind. Surprise Attack! attempts to tell the story of the two day battle of Shiloh and at the same time depict the individual acts of courage, misfortune and good luck that humanises the combatants. As such, it doesn’t do either particularly well. The narrative jumps from one general to another where it might’ve had a stronger narrative following fewer more pivotal characters. The events of the battle are disconnected from each other and difficult to follow. But I sad to say the weakest part is the art. Battles like Shiloh were huge affairs involving thousands of men marching and fighting in mass formations but in the graphic novels battle scenes you get little sense of that. It reads like a few dozen guys running around in the woods. There is little sense of the smoke shrouded chaos of the 19th centaury battlefield, the fear, horror and drama. Particularly disappointing for an Osprey book the Union and Confederate soldiers are in bland stereotypical uniforms while the rendering of artillery, ships and equipment is crude in the extreme. I suspect the artist was working under a serious deadline, however you might think that Osprey might’ve sent him a few of their books for reference. If you want to see the American Civil War stories done right you’d be advised to go all the way back to the Frontline Combat EC comics of the 1950’s, I particularly recommend the ones rendered by that old Confederate Jack Davis. I see from the Osprey Summer catalogue that no other Osprey graphic histories are scheduled to be published. It’s a pity really, it’s a good concept, particularly for younger readers. But it would take more skilled hands to pull off right.

Colin (I’ve been a war gamer for 35 years, gul-dernnit!) Upton

scan

Posted in Interview | Leave a comment

Review of Stream of (Un)Consciousness by Brett Warnock

Posted on May 1, 2009 by robin

Poopsheet had a massive sale recently, with tons of mini’s for a buk each. I love mini comics. It is an interesting format for someone to experiment and try something new with. I took advantage of the sale to get a stack of comix that will probably embarrass some interesting talented folks that have gone off to do some really great work. One of those comix was Stream of (Un)Consciousness by Brett Warnock. For those that don’t know, Brett is half of Top Shelf Comix. Brett has always said that he got into publishing comics, because he figured he would be a better publisher than cartoonist.

This release from 1994 is a little 16 page surreal goody that lives up to the title. The story is a wordless journey of death and rebirth. I am interested by the playful unusualness in comparison to the work published by Top Shelf. His art is very much flowing from the pen, and you can tell that it is very much stream of consciousness. There are some interesting charms of loneliness and a kind of loss of identity that Brett plays with. I really appreciate the spontaneity of the work and wonder what happened to that aesthetic. Alot of the work published by Top Shelf, has a very clear story structure, and I like seeing this deviation. The art has a nice underground feeling to it, and I would be curious to see more stuff to get an understanding of how it has varied, when he had attempted to do a more structured format. If you do see it for the original dollar price tag on it, do your self a favor and check it out.

Posted in Review by Robin | Leave a comment

Colin's inkstuds Comics Review Day 4, Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life #1 s

Posted on May 1, 2009 by Cupton

Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life #1 by Bryan Lee O’Malley
Cancon! A year or so ago I asked Scott McCloud what were the must see web comics. He didn’t say, but he did rave about Scott Pilgrim so I picked up the first few issues and put them on my gigantic, tottering COMICS TO READ pile that reaches nearly to my ceiling. Today at long last I read I Scott Pilgrim Precious Little Life #1. For the first part of the book I figure I had a handle on it, a manga influenced alternative comic slice-of-life-story of the tangled relationships of Scott Pilgrim, a kinda hip unemployed 23 year old who plays bass in a band and has a cool gay best friend (doesn‘t everyone?). The art and characters are appealing, simple but nice restrained use of gray tone and good solid blacks. You can tell it’s Canadian because of the snow and although the cast is properly multi-cultural there are no black characters. I was getting into it until I got to near the end of the book and the comics character changed dramatically. I don’t want to give too much away but from an emo romantic-comedy it turned into a martial arts romantic-comedy a’la Rumiko Takahashi! Honestly, I wasn’t sure how to take this. I know this sort of genre mash-up is common in Manga and perhaps I’m just showing my age as it threw me off the story. For me the true test of a relationship comic is how much I care about the characters and their dilemmas, but I fear the more “unreal” the situation becomes the harder it might be for me to relate to the characters. Perhaps this is less of a problem for a younger generation raised on manga but for me I’ll have to reserve judgement until I pull the other four issues of Scott Pilgrim’s out of my COMICS TO READ pile. It’s a good sign that I am looking forward to reading the further adventures of Scott and company.

Colin (Hey, I was reading Manga before you were born!) Upton

Posted in Review by Colin Upton | Leave a comment

Review of American Flagg Book 1

Posted on April 30, 2009 by robin

Next week, I am going to be interviewing Howard Chaykin. I am pretty hyped. I also realize that I have my work cut out for me in regards to reading I need to do. Before getting into American Flagg, there is a feeling of knowing that this is an important comic and I need to really get into it. This one of those important books that paved the way for cheap imitators to use some of the comicking tools that Chaykin unleashed to the comic world.

With that in mind, after reading the first American Flagg collection, I think it’s great. The book is driven by a hyper ADD feeling of information overload. I find that stories that Chaykin is covering are more revelant today than the 25 years ago the original issues came out. The world of American Flagg has been copied in a countless array of series, and really what was done first, was done best. Chaykin’s protaganist, isn’t a perfect afable hero, but is just guy in a situation, doing what he has to do. I will have more to say about this book, when I talk to Howard, but really do yourself a favor and pick it up. If you don’t want to shell out for the collections, go to your local comic store and pick up issues out of the quarter bin. After reading issue one, you will look at Dark Knight Returns, completely differently.

Posted in Interview | Leave a comment

Box Brown

Posted on April 30, 2009 by robin

Box Brown’s new book, Love is a Peculiar Type of Thing, is a great little debut. It is a fine mix of some cute loveydovey stuff and some more honest self exposing harsh material, creating an interesting balance.

Box Brown [ 33:48 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
Posted in Interview | Leave a comment

Miss Lasko-Gross

Posted on April 30, 2009 by robin

Miss Lasko-Gross’s autobio series from Fantagraphics are some of my fav autobio comics I have read in a while. Escape From Special and A Mess of Everything are both excellent books and well worth checking out. Its not often that you come across such honest work.

Miss Lasko-Gross [ 53:25 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
Posted in Interview | 4 Comments

Colin's Inkstuds Comics Review Day #3, The Muppet Movie Comic Book

Posted on April 30, 2009 by Cupton

The Muppet Show Comic Book #2 Art and story by Roger Langridge
When the Muppets first appeared on Sesame Street I was too old to be enraptured by them as much as some people I know… a Robin of my acquaintance… no, another Robin… I say this only to point out that while I watched and enjoyed the original Muppet Show (the Spike Milligan episode was amazing) I wasn’t a devoted fan. However, I will pick up anything with Roger Langridge’s name on it. Langridge is top of my list of the great underrated comics artists, his work in Zoot! (along with his brother Andrew), Knuckles the Malevolent Nun and Fred the Clown display not only this Kiwi’s considerable skills as a cartoonist but his wonderfully strange sense of humour. This guy does funny! Which is hard! So, really, getting Roger Langridge to draw and write The Muppet Show Comic Book is an inspired choice, a match made in heaven. Because these are cartoons the faces are even more expressive than the original Muppets but otherwise he captures the goofy spirit of the original show nicely. The only drawback is while Roger Langridge is doing The Muppet Show Comic Book that means he is not doing his own stuff. If you can find it I heartily recommend Fred the Clown, a sad, funny, lyrical and heart warming silent comic. There, two reviews for the price of one.

Colin (My favourite Muppet was Animal… I drum now) Upton

Posted in Review by Colin Upton | Leave a comment

Review of Side B Anthology

Posted on April 30, 2009 by robin

I saw a preview copy of Side B at the EmCity comicon and was totally stoked by the stuff inside, so getting it in the mail today was an extra nice surprise. I wasn’t expecting to see this for awhile. I am always a sucker for anthologies, especially good themed ones. The book starts out with a nice little illustrated intro by fellow Vancouverite, Brandon Graham, that leaves me very concerned in regards towards having him anywhere near my cat. The book features a great selection of folks like Lucy Knisely, Jeffrey Brown, Box Brown, Liz Baillie and much more. Most of them deliver some fond testaments towards the impact that music has had on particular parts in their lives. Box’s story is a nice little piece about how a good Rolling Stones song(you know, from the 60’s) helped connects a family after the passing of a loved one.

Lucy’s story is pretty much a prototypical piece by her. I am a fan of her work, but I am waiting for her to do something that is completely different. But she is still young and miles ahead of most of her peers, so I won’t be too hard. My one real annoyance in the book, would have to be Jim Mahfood’s story. I can’t even read it. its like he has gotten sloppier with time. I am sure it is a fine story, but Mahfood is one of those guys that I just don’t get anymore. He is like a one trick pony. Beyond those, there’s lots of great new work, that I am more than happy to be exposed to. For me, an anthology is only as strong the weakest work and can be the failing point. This collection is a good collection of some great new work and themes can provide a good outlet for folks to think outside of their usual comfortzone. Except in the case of Jim Mahfood, where this is the topic that is kind of expected from him.

Posted in Review by Robin | Leave a comment