The first of two collaborations between Eisner-nominated author Megan Wagner Lloyd and illustrator Michelle Mee Nutter (Squished is the second), AllerThe first of two collaborations between Eisner-nominated author Megan Wagner Lloyd and illustrator Michelle Mee Nutter (Squished is the second), Allergic is a fine coming-of-age children's graphic novel.
A story about a 5th grader who loves pets - but discovers she's allergic to animals with feathers or fur - could have been a preachy venture, with little artistry. Wagner uses little Maggie's allergies, though, as the backdrop for many stressful situations she's going through, from changes in her family to friendship complications and a rough relationship with her brothers. Nutter's art is perfect for the story, expressive and nicely paced (though I think the book could have benefited from a more painterly approach to the colors used on some of her other projects). Wagner also, unlike many other authors writing graphic novels illustrated by others, utilizes many silent panels, allowing the visuals to tell the story.
Recommended for children eight and up; I gave a copy to three grandkids and all three individually plowed through the book to the end in one afternoon....more
Fire Power has turned out to be one of the finest comic book series of the last several decades and the pre-series Volume 1 graphic novel sets the tonFire Power has turned out to be one of the finest comic book series of the last several decades and the pre-series Volume 1 graphic novel sets the tone and the standard. In the book, an ambitious, hefty 160 pages, author Robert Kirkman and Chris Samnee mix fantasy, martial arts action and drama that will bring a smile to readers of Doug Moench and Paul Gulacy's classic '70s Master of Kung Fu series. Kirkman subverts cliches from the very beginning. In a superlative twelve-page sequence of silence, Owen Johnson risks the elements to reach a secluded Shaolin temple at the top of a mountain. There he finds the wise old man he's searching for - only, he sports Air Jordans and listens to Radiohead on his iPod.
There's plenty of mystery, romance, intrigue, drama and action here, sensitively drawn by Chris Samnee (whose work is the reason I picked the series up), who channels the spirit of cartoonist Alex Toth in his classically choreographed storytelling. I'm usually averse to computer coloring in comics, but Matt Wilson (who's worked with Samnee on several projects) keeps the color schemes inventive, subtle, appropriate and surprisingly beautiful.
Volume 1: Prelude has been kept at a low price point ($9.99) for years in order to provide an easy access point to the complex series and though the story has ended, it's still a great time to invest $10 and read it from the beginning....more
TwoMorrow Publishing's book Jack Kirby's Dingbat Love is an historic event, the last collection of previously unpublished 1970s Jack Kirby stories whiTwoMorrow Publishing's book Jack Kirby's Dingbat Love is an historic event, the last collection of previously unpublished 1970s Jack Kirby stories which will ever be published. Comprising stories from the cancelled magazines True-Life Divorce and Soul Love, along with two Dingbats of Danger Street stories, the book confirms (if it was ever in doubt) that the DC editorial hierarchy had no idea what they possessed in the hiring and in the talents of Jack Kirby. Characters he created then which were shortly cancelled live on nearly half a century later in movies, comic books, TV shows and toys.
Kirby's initial early '70s conception for a line of slick, ad-selling genre magazines, which also would contain comics (not all by him) was scaled down by DC into B&W, pulp paper mags with Kirby doing all the writing and art - only two of which were ever published, and then promptly cancelled. Dingbat Love (couldn't TwoMorrows have thought of a better title?) prints all the existing romance stories Kirby wrote and drew for True Life Divorce and Soul Love, in all their various stages of completion. These stories were created by the man who created the genre in comics nearly a quarter of a century earlier, and these more adult tales are explosive, dynamic and inherently compelling, every one of them. Only some dry and unnecessary narration/forwards threaten to impede the greatness of these.
The Dingbat stories, continuing both Kirby's long line of kid gang comics (dating back to 1942) and, specifically, the introduction of Dingbats of Danger Street in 1st Issue Special No. 6, are likewise fun, giving origin stories for two of the gang's members, Krunch and Good Looks. These are top-of-his-game Kirby efforts, beautifully inked by Mike Royer and D. Bruce Berry. While it's sad to know, while reading them, that these are the last '70s Kirby stories we'll ever experience, the presentation and superior printing give them a more than respectful send-off.
The collection is also packed with extras: fold out pages for the two-page spreads, essays by John Morrow, Mark Evanier, Jerry Boyd and Steve Sherman, new painting for the cover of Soul Love by Alex Ross, new coloring by Tom Ziuko, rare advertising and page mock-ups for the books and more. Highly recommended....more
Joseph Morris' Cozmic Taco Vol. 1 features nearly 200 pages of some of the best and most fun cartooning being produced today. Taco is only one of the Joseph Morris' Cozmic Taco Vol. 1 features nearly 200 pages of some of the best and most fun cartooning being produced today. Taco is only one of the strips Morris has written and drawn over many years and its influences are wonderfully apparent, some of which are: David Lynch, Vaughn Bodē, Jack Kirby, Buddhist philosophy, H.P. Lovecraft and the early 20th century works of Floyd Gottfredson, E.C. Segar and the Fleischer brothers.
This shouldn't imply that Morris isn't his own artist. The collection, encompassing several full-length stories and various shorts and ruminations, are personal, even autobiographical, both cosmic and intimate, whimsical and at the same time profound. The variety of characters (some pulled in from some of his other projects, Quixote Coyote and the Dolphin Bros) are drawn in an imaginative, seemingly carefree style, useful for fast efficiency and emotional expression. Like the best cartoonists, you can practically feel the emotions and energy of the creator drawing the work on the page.
Like all Morris' work, this collection is highly recommended....more
Titan Books know how to do Kirby reprints right. Employing the formidable talents of Harry Mendryk for art restoration and colors, this whopping 319-pTitan Books know how to do Kirby reprints right. Employing the formidable talents of Harry Mendryk for art restoration and colors, this whopping 319-page collection of crime stories looks great, printed on matte (not shiny) paper that's vibrant white, making the colors pop.
Collecting 34 prime comics stories, mostly from the '40s, the collection really delivers. Like his romance material from the same time period, these are prime Kirby written, penciled and likely inked tales, each one driven with drama and human interest, like mini, pre-code Warner Bros. films. (Kirby extracted his new last name from James Cagney, the premiere Warner Bros. embodiment of crime-entrenched hoodlum-hood at the time). Read one of these and you'll want to read them all; the staging, body language, dialogue, and artwork is second to none. If Kirby had passed away in 1950, before the Marvel universe and everything else he created, we'd still be reading these comics....more
The 8th volume of Gladstone's comic album series reprints a prime 1935 Floyd Gottfredson comic strip story, Hoppy the Kangaroo. While the coloring is The 8th volume of Gladstone's comic album series reprints a prime 1935 Floyd Gottfredson comic strip story, Hoppy the Kangaroo. While the coloring is not good and some of the artwork looks extended to fit the format, it's Gottfredson's genius at physical comedy that sells the story, one so early in the series that it's Horace Horsecollar who functions as the sidekick instead of Goofy. For those who just want a fun Mickey story about a pet kangaroo fighting a ferocious gorilla in the ring, this'll fit the bill. The volume is rounded out with an earlier (lesser) serialized story and also gag-a-day dailies from different time periods of the Mickey Mouse strip. An informative background essay by Geoffrey Blum is also included....more
Rose Wilder Lane was a free soul, a proto-feminist, a proto-libertarian, partial author of the Little House books and much more. Her amazing life (staRose Wilder Lane was a free soul, a proto-feminist, a proto-libertarian, partial author of the Little House books and much more. Her amazing life (starting on a dirt poor De Smet farmstead, as described in Laura Ingalls Wilder's posthumously published The First Four Years) has been documented many times and ways (including Lane's autobiographical works) and is intrinsically fascinating. Here it gets the Peter Bagge treatment and, being a fan of both the Little House books and Bagge's work, I had high hopes for this book.
I was first surprised by Credo's diminutive size. When I first began reading Bagge's work, in 1985, it was being published magazine size. Later his work was published comic book size. Here it's published less than 7" x 9". What's next - postage stamp size? Bagge's lettering and art seemingly haven't been altered to accommodate the smaller size, either, making the work small, cramped and just plain hard to read. The font size used for the introduction practically requires a magnifying glass. Really, Drawn and Quarterly? Couldn't you give a great cartoonist a chance to shine?
Bagge's cartooning is as fun and expressive as ever, capturing the ever-shifting emotions and agendas of a person famous for their mood swings and short attention span. The drawing is excellent. The pacing, though... I would have loved to see the story slow down enough for longer dramatic scenes. As it, the (only 72-page) work feels like a picaresque travelogue, one that checks off a list of chronological events, but doesn't delve deeply into any of them. It's a lost opportunity because there are so many events in Lane's life that could benefit from the kind of wry but respectful observations I've seen in earlier Bagge fiction.
Bagge's afterward, on the other hand, is a wealth of great resources for further study of the people Rose journeyed with, with fun and insightful observations and commentary. For Bagge fans and Lane fans, the book is a must, despite its faults....more
In (sadly) the last volume of DC's Superman Chronicles, reprinting early Superman stories in chronological order, one half of the team who created theIn (sadly) the last volume of DC's Superman Chronicles, reprinting early Superman stories in chronological order, one half of the team who created the character is nearly missing. Joe Shuster only pencils one of the twelve collected stories. The others are penciled by Leo Nowak and John Sikela, each of whom does an okay job mimicking Joe's (more cartoony) style.
The stories are all written by Jerry Siegel, though, and the series at this point still holds a lot of charm. Lex Luthor shows up, as do an assortment of early, more obscure villains. Either out of boredom or a desire to branch out, Siegel's last two stories here work on a meta level: the first involves Clark and Lois seeing a Paramount Superman cartoon in a movie theater (how can Clark prevent Lois from seeing the scenes in the short which show Clark changing into Superman?). The second is a parody of the cartoonist Li'l Abner and a parody of its creator, Al Capp (here called Al Hatt), a premise resulting in a great panel in which Superman slugs Abner! Was the story a response to Capp's popularity and notorious ego? Probably.
Alex Ross finally gets the opportunity to write and draw classic Marvel characters in Fantastic Four: Full Circle, an oversized, hardbound production Alex Ross finally gets the opportunity to write and draw classic Marvel characters in Fantastic Four: Full Circle, an oversized, hardbound production from Marvel and Abrams. A sequel to the classic "This Man, This Monster" published in 1966 in The Fantastic Four No. 51, Full Circle finds the FF journeying back into the Negative Zone, a dimension which allows Ross to indulge in trippy, psychedelic visuals. Using a more ink-based art style here, with experimental color palettes, the book has a unique and visionary feel.
Though it doesn't have the cohesiveness or poignancy of Kirby and Lee's original story, it does lay the groundwork for future story ideas to be exploited, and consistently pays heartfelt homage to a stupendous time in cartooning history.
Along with Barry Windsor-Smith's recent Monsters graphic novel (originally proposed as a Hulk story), Full Circle confirms (again) that there's much to be gained by mainstream publishers allowing top-notch cartoonists to create their own stories using the publisher's properties. Steve Rude, long left out in the cold, is another amazing talent Marvel could invite in for project or two....more
Golden Age Captain America Comics Vol. 4, comprising C.A. issues 13-16, spotlights the work of penciler Al Avison. Continuing after the departure of JGolden Age Captain America Comics Vol. 4, comprising C.A. issues 13-16, spotlights the work of penciler Al Avison. Continuing after the departure of Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, Avison has the thankless task of attempting to emulate Kirby's anatomy, body language, pacing and idiosyncratic panel border designs. He even tries a few double page spreads. Nothing, not the art or stories, captures the innovative fun of his predecessors, though Stan Lee does have The Red Skull learning Cap's secret identity in issue 16.
Speaking of Lee, his "whimsical" series The Imp, he who lives in an ear, is plain unreadable. The series is fleshed out with the stories of a kid superhero, the U.S. war bond and stamp-selling Secret Stamp. It's enjoyable as an example of rousing WWII propaganda.
Golden Age Captain America Comics Vol. 4 has little redeeming or incidental qualities in terms of storytelling, as Simon and Kirby's issues did. As such, it's mainly for completists or those interested in the day-to-day, average product of Timely at the time....more
Even in 2012, when The Best of Samm Schwartz Vol. 2 was published, $24.99 for 135 pages of stories that can be purchased in reading copies for a buck Even in 2012, when The Best of Samm Schwartz Vol. 2 was published, $24.99 for 135 pages of stories that can be purchased in reading copies for a buck or two was a bit pricey. Still, it's great to read a collection of work by a superior cartoonist at the top of his game. A master of body language and comic pacing, and helped here by very funny scripts by Frank Doyle, Schwartz brought the tricksterish character of Jughead to new heights of clever foolishness. My one small complaint is that the stories chosen for the collection end in 1971 and Schwartz did, in my estimation, his best work throughout the '70s. Perhaps that material was being saved for future volumes, never published. Read, nevertheless, "Rhyme Without Reason" for a perfect example of the succinct and unique looniness the series could achieve....more
The Newsboy Legion, created in 1942 for DC, may not be one of Jack Kirby's greatest comic book series (though don't count that out), but it's surely oThe Newsboy Legion, created in 1942 for DC, may not be one of Jack Kirby's greatest comic book series (though don't count that out), but it's surely one of his most personal. The Legion are a kid gang trying to survive in a rotting tenement neighborhood called Suicide Slum, selling newspapers and trying to avoid mob activity as Kirby himself did growing up in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Like the Legion, Kirby found camaraderie and support in a local boy's club (which still exists today) and the exploits of Tommy, Scrapper, Gabby and "Big Woids", juvenile delinquents under threat of being sent to reform school, were pure Kirby; he knew this world. The idealized figure of "copper" and advocate Jim Harper/The Guardian, an adult and part-time vigilante who not only cares about the kids but actively argues in court to protect them, has a poignancy that still resonates eighty years later. Kirby loved these characters so much, he brought descendants of the group back in the first issue he created of Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen, when Kirby returned to DC in 1970.
Unlike his other WWII kid gang series for DC, the Boy Commandos, which could whimsically swerve into science fiction, the Newsboy Legion is grounded in the streets and a world of poverty (one scene of a sick lady in bed takes place in a run-down room quite like the one Kirby and his family lived in), though one story imagines what New York would be like if the Nazis took control of it (a real threat when these stories were being written and drawn).
The Newsboy Legion Vol. 1 covers half of the Legion stories created in the '40s. They're printed on wonderfully non-glare paper and, if slightly too dark in places, are perfectly readable. Kirby was drafted into the U.S. Army about halfway through the volume, and so the last stories in the volume reflect the inventory Kirby and partner Joe Simon were tasked by DC with creating, knowing that WWII drafting was imminent. Kirby has only partial involvement with the last story he draws in the book and a still awkward and green Gil Kane takes over for the last two stories. Vol. II continues with stories drawn by Kane, Joe Kubert and others until Kirby returned from the warfront....more
As with Vol. 1, Golden Age Captain America Vol. 2, reprinting issues 5-8, pairs Jack Kirby penciled stories with various and lackluster backup series As with Vol. 1, Golden Age Captain America Vol. 2, reprinting issues 5-8, pairs Jack Kirby penciled stories with various and lackluster backup series (the most ludicrous being the scythe-bearing Father Time, who stops crime in the nick of..you know). As the issues progress, Kirby's attention (or the time he had to devote to the stories) begins to diminish. He's most strong on the book's covers and especially the splash pages and story openings (including at least two double-page spreads) which are expansively cinematic in nature, and utilize more careful, elaborate inking. Though the stories are often rote, some single images powerful in their nascent form stand out. A full-page diorama drawing of a submarine shaped like a sea-dragon could be mistaken for a page from Nick Fury, Agent of Shield twenty-five years later. In the book's first tale, "Captain America and the Ringmaster of Death" (the Ringmaster being one of two Marvel villains of the same name and temperament), Cap is knocked unconscious, his head banging into a brick wall. The fury shown in his bruised and battered face when he awakens ("Captain America's eyes gleam with a strange light. His face muscles tighten as his words hiss from between his bared teeth") is a prototype of Kirby's 1970s Orion, when his Apokoliptean nature takes hold. Kirby's at his best when he tapped into his own real emotions and I'm feelin' it here. ...more
This fine collection of stories (centering on the early '60s) drawn by the multi-talented Harry Lucey is a great addition to IDW's Best Of Archie cartoThis fine collection of stories (centering on the early '60s) drawn by the multi-talented Harry Lucey is a great addition to IDW's Best Of Archie cartoonists series. Lucey was a master of frenetic body language, particularly pratfalls and deep kisses resulting in legs and feet propelled high in the air. One 1961 story, "Dog's Best Friend", plays with the medium in a meta way, with characters commenting on and pulling at word balloons.
The stories are funny and the reproduction of the art impeccable. The volume is topped off with an introduction by cartoonist Jaime Hernandez and an afterward by Lucey co-worker Victor Gorelick. Recommended for a fun, carefree afternoon. ...more
Paul Karasik's You Shall Die By Your Own Evil Creation has completed the task of collecting in book form all 51 of Fletcher Hanks' stories written andPaul Karasik's You Shall Die By Your Own Evil Creation has completed the task of collecting in book form all 51 of Fletcher Hanks' stories written and drawn for early '40s comic books - and what odd stories they are. Even taking into account that many of the better stories were published in Vol. 1, I Shall Destroy All The Civilized Planets, there's more than enough disturbing, outrageous and daring work here to entertain the most jaded comics reader - work full of anger, inadvertent humor, naïveté and creepiness. Most new Hanks converts flock to the outer space exploits of Stardust the Super Wizard and the unique weirdness of Fantomah, Mystery Woman of the Jungle, but my favorite Hanks work features the exploits of lumberjack Big Red McLane. How many nefarious competing lumberjack companies can there be to keep generating new plots? Hanks himself seemed to realize the limits of his formula when he sent McLane into the big city for a boxing saga at the tail end of his run.
WWII begins to make its way into many of Hanks' series towards the end of the book, when his stories, with page designs more commonplace, began incorporating fifth column saboteurs and red-blooded American boys ready to thwart them.
Karasik also writes a fascinating forward displaying Hank's art school samples, includes Hanks' sad death certificate, and uses rare original Hanks artwork as endpapers. It's, all in all, a beautiful package, printed on non-glare paper and reproducing the original coloring. If you own the first volume, this second one's a must. If not - buy them both....more
The Boy Commandos Vol. 1 is a much appreciated 250 pages of the first, chronological Commandos stories created for DC by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby. AppThe Boy Commandos Vol. 1 is a much appreciated 250 pages of the first, chronological Commandos stories created for DC by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby. Applying the kid gang concept to WWII, the series features kid representatives of several Allied countries, each with his own (somewhat annoying) accent.
As with Kirby's '70s WWII series, The Losers, Commandos uses WWII scenarios to tell a variety of human interest stories. One story begins with Nostradamus; another ten thousand years in the future (Kirby was always willing to employ his love for science fiction pulp in his work). Gangsters, a Japanese prisoner, a family curse, a pampered aristocrat and the French Underground are all used as story ideas; Simon and Kirby themselves make an appearance in "Satan Wears a Swastika", along with The Sandman and the Newsboy Legion.
The stories are smartly printed on non-glare matte paper, using the original colors. Much of the art is printed a little too dark, but is still preferable to modern, rancid computer re-coloring.
Like most comics of the period, the stories are of limited emotional resonance and can be formulaic (though Simon and Kirby, as seen above, mixed and mashed different story angles with more agility and experimentation than most). I read the book in two different sittings, giving my mind a rest with other readings. Any way you choose to read it, it's a good compilation of some of the better comics being produced at the time....more
Jonathan Hickman's massive reboot of the X-Men universe is visionary and complex. Hickman's at heart a science fiction writer and this 12-part journeyJonathan Hickman's massive reboot of the X-Men universe is visionary and complex. Hickman's at heart a science fiction writer and this 12-part journey has so little to do with the immediately previous X-Men series (so poorly written as to be nearly unreadable) that it's as if Arthur C. Clarke had been hired to take over. In fact, House of X has the kind of cosmic scope and sense of import that Clarke's novel Childhood's End exemplified.
Originally released as twelve comic book chapters, the series jumps back and forth from storyline to storyline, giving glimpses of the evolution of mutants (and mankind) over many hundreds of years of time. In the "present", Professor X and Magneto have joined forces to congregate all mutants, regardless of their moral character, on the sentient island of Krakoa, and willing to make diplomatic deals, difficult to refuse, with world leaders. I won't spoil the story's surprises, but can say the series creates an entirely new and endlessly varied sandbox for current and future X-Men series writers to play in. Hickman has returned the series to its science fiction roots.
Aiding understanding and appreciation of this new world is a cohesive design for the packaging, by Tom Muller, incorporating logos, a new language/typography, charts and maps. The design has gone on to be used by subsequent X-Men series....more
Receiving his own book after twelve issues of Marvel Mystery Comics appearances, The Human Torch and sidekick Toro are still drawn here by creator CarReceiving his own book after twelve issues of Marvel Mystery Comics appearances, The Human Torch and sidekick Toro are still drawn here by creator Carl Burgos. The problem: the stories are uniformly uninteresting and contrived concoctions geared towards the kiddies. Backup stories starring second stringers The Patriot, The Falcon, the Fiery Mask and Mandrake-ripoff Mantor the Magician aren't any better, making the book a chore to read. Only Bill Everett's vital Sub-Mariner stories keep the collection from being of use only to comics historians. The enterprise is worsened by Jamison Services' truly horrendous digital "reconstruction", resulting in distorted faces and embarrassing loss of detail - a final product with little relationship to what was originally published....more
The preliminary portion of the Journeyman Ninja Selection Exams end with, in part, an epic battle between the friendly Rock Lee and the quiet and mystThe preliminary portion of the Journeyman Ninja Selection Exams end with, in part, an epic battle between the friendly Rock Lee and the quiet and mysterious master of sand, Gaara. Lasting 85 pages, the intricate test reveals hidden strengths of both physical and mental powers. Meanwhile, the spy Kabuto and Orochimaru plot against the ill Sasuke, and Naruto gets a new trainer, Master Ebisu. Writer and artist Masashi Kishimoto also tells of the life-changing event of seeing Otomo Katsuhiro's art for the first time. All in all, another exciting and involving chapter in the series. ...more
Matt Fraction and French illustrator Elsa Charretier have begun an intriguing and bleak noir story in November Vol. 1: The Girl on the Roof. Three narMatt Fraction and French illustrator Elsa Charretier have begun an intriguing and bleak noir story in November Vol. 1: The Girl on the Roof. Three narraatives interconnect, centering on the unhappy loner Dee, hired (by a literal heavy stranger) to daily decipher a newspaper-published puzzle and then engage in a small act of spy craft on a roof.
She doesn't know what it all means and neither do we. Further chapters widen to include goings-on in the city police station and some acts of what appear to be terrorism. The tone of the work is unrelentingly grim.
The dissection and reconstruction of time and places require the reader's strict attention, but because the book is so thin, the attention is not all rewarded. At only 76 pages in, it's not really the novella described on the back cover, but merely the first third of a graphic novel. (Novellas tend to be self-contained and have endings, whereas sections of novels are chapters.) It's best read, and perhaps best packaged, as one whole work.
The artwork by Charretier, in the aesthetic tradition of Alex Toth, Darwin Cooke and David Mazzuchelli. is beautiful to engage with, though. The look and feel of the work is also greatly enhanced by Kurt Ankeny's various and appropriate lettering styles and Matt Hollingsworth's atmospheric brown, blue and gray palettes.
It's too early to adequately appraise November, but I'm very much looking forward to the next chapters....more
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