yeah i just finished Avaritia
― Nhex, Tuesday, 20 June 2017 17:28 (six years ago) link
just read josh simmons 'furry trap' and it's immensely disturbing work, right up there with graham ingels and s. clay wilson as the most genuinely unsettling comics i've ever seen. it's cumulative as much as anything but even excerpts are unpleasant.http://68.media.tumblr.com/092c721ea67c070621ab373d996d3894/tumblr_inline_ne6kif2PEc1rb0pi4.png
― Chocolate-covered gummy bears? Not ruling those lil' guys out. (ulysses), Wednesday, 21 June 2017 19:41 (six years ago) link
checked some excerpts and it verges a bit into johnny ryan-style "macho male misanthropy is hilarious" styles for my liking. but persuade me i'm wrong!
― Chuck_Tatum, Thursday, 22 June 2017 12:38 (six years ago) link
I haven't read his most recent work but that's essentially my take on him
― or at night (Jon not Jon), Thursday, 22 June 2017 12:41 (six years ago) link
i understand the potential connect with Ryan (who I dig in a different way) but think Simmons work is drastically in a different vein. i don't think his stuff is misanthropic at all so much as it is an exploration of damage. It's painfully labored work and unpleasant to read but there's not really any irony or comedy at play that I can see.
http://www.tcj.com/one-more-lens-through-which-to-process-the-world-a-horror-filled-conversation-with-josh-simmons/
There’s an element of having your cake and eating it too with the violence in my stuff, I suppose: both indulging in it and commenting on it, or having some distance from it. Makes it harder to parse. I know I want the violence in my stories to have weight. I don’t want it to be violence for laughs, or to be numbing. I suppose that’s part of why people sometimes react so strongly to my stuff. Because it isn’t played for laughs, there isn’t an ironic distance. I work hard to make the characters feel believable and real. There’s humor in the stories, but it isn’t at the expense of the victim. What really perplexes me is when critics dismiss the work as a kind of calloused bro humor fuckery, when if anything the work is born out of hypersensitivity and vulnerability.
― Chocolate-covered gummy bears? Not ruling those lil' guys out. (ulysses), Thursday, 22 June 2017 13:54 (six years ago) link
hmm
― or at night (Jon not Jon), Thursday, 22 June 2017 16:13 (six years ago) link
of course, he references Haneke (who i love) and Von Trier (who i hate) in the same paragraph so ymmv is about right.
― Chocolate-covered gummy bears? Not ruling those lil' guys out. (ulysses), Thursday, 22 June 2017 16:53 (six years ago) link
Not a comics person, but I bought the first issue of the new Vader series today at Newbury Comics.
― the ghost of markers, Thursday, 22 June 2017 18:47 (six years ago) link
I read somewhere that the second one came out yesterday?
yep
― Chocolate-covered gummy bears? Not ruling those lil' guys out. (ulysses), Thursday, 22 June 2017 18:58 (six years ago) link
Got it. Read it. Are all single issues of comics this quick to read?
― the ghost of markers, Saturday, 24 June 2017 01:32 (six years ago) link
most, sure. some are denser when it comes to dialogue or take some scrutiny to really dig into the art
― mh, Saturday, 24 June 2017 01:37 (six years ago) link
I guess I just didn’t know!
― the ghost of markers, Saturday, 24 June 2017 05:11 (six years ago) link
It's something that sticks out for me as someone who imprinted on comics of the 70s and 80s, that many comics of the last 20 years or so are just SUCH fast reads (speaking mainly of mainstream stuff here - alternative stuff still runs the gamut from ridiculously chewy to sinfully lazy). I'm just a lot more comfortable in that verbose, purple but genuinely bizarre world of the first wave of post-Stan hippies.
― or at night (Jon not Jon), Saturday, 24 June 2017 13:17 (six years ago) link
When I started reading 50s-60s comics it was amazing how long they taken to read and loved seeing lots of small detailed panels but once the novelty wore off and it became apparent how redundant most of the text was, I much prefer minimal text and larger images. Can feel like a ripoff but I think it's better storytelling for the most part.
I bought Sandman Overture and decided immediately that I'd never read it. Looks like way too much work. I like manga for the lack of clutter but the artists I like are so few and far between, unfortunately. Shouldn't be surprising how much price tag and page count restriction shape the storytelling techniques.
― Robert Adam Gilmour, Saturday, 24 June 2017 14:02 (six years ago) link
Remember so many interesting looking alternative comics in expensive hardcover but not much actual content.
― Robert Adam Gilmour, Saturday, 24 June 2017 14:04 (six years ago) link
I think Warren Ellis gets some blame for his philosophical waxing about "cinematic" comics with the larger panel layouts, widescreen-emulating dual page spreads, but it didn't really become an issue for me until it turned into writers trying to pull off the same shtick without thinking it through, and handing it to artists who were in a deadline crunch.
The previous Vader book was denser, but I could see an argument for using the style with that character. You could do a hell of a lot with a guy who doesn't speak a whole lot moving through these low-dialogue scenarios just going crazy with throwing guys around, lightsaber action, etc. I'm not sure how well this current book is doing that.
― mh, Saturday, 24 June 2017 14:05 (six years ago) link
Manga is for sure the real influence, but there's a reason those volumes are so thick!
― mh, Saturday, 24 June 2017 14:06 (six years ago) link
The style really needs to merit the large panels. I prefer heavily illustrated comics, so bigger panels become more desirable for the images to achieve full effect.
Anyone seen Superani? It's a Korean collective of mostly very skilled artists, some of them do comics. I knew Jung Gi Kim and Woojin Oh but the rest aren't familiar. http://www.superani.com/index01.html
― Robert Adam Gilmour, Saturday, 24 June 2017 14:19 (six years ago) link
I like the looser lines, don't know if that's a Korean thing, but I have heard that Korean artists are more anatomically realistic than Japanese generally.
― Robert Adam Gilmour, Saturday, 24 June 2017 14:23 (six years ago) link
I think Warren Ellis gets some blame for his philosophical waxing about "cinematic" comics with the larger panel layouts, widescreen-emulating dual page spreads,
― mh, Saturday, 24 June 2017 15:05
I remember some of this. My main objection at the time was mainstream comics culture's nauseating reverence for blockbuster films (which has probably gotten worse).
― Robert Adam Gilmour, Saturday, 24 June 2017 14:26 (six years ago) link
the "widescreen action" that's taken over since the early 2000s is the Americanization of manga tropes. always thought it was due to the much more expensive per page rates of doing full color work, slow pages, etc. it's great when it works... and i'm not clamoring to go back tons of captions and dialogue boxes tbh
― Nhex, Saturday, 24 June 2017 14:29 (six years ago) link
xp yeah, exactly
http://comicsworkbook.tumblr.com/post/136605908622/hey-everyone-this-is-an-article-on-color-i-didReally good article about comics coloring.
― Robert Adam Gilmour, Saturday, 24 June 2017 19:35 (six years ago) link
xp I recently read the LSH "Great Darkness Saga" collection, and was struck by how dense and complex it was... sometimes I couldn't finish a single issue in one sitting! (And I grew up reading comics in the '80s, so I'm used to lots of dialogue and captions; but that book is a tour de force of density.)
The fact that comics have become more $$$ over time (significantly outpacing inflation) can contribute to the feeling you're being ripped off sometimes these days. Most single issues I read feel satisfying enough, though; and I imagine it would feel odd / "retro" to read something new that uses the old style (characters speaking full paragraphs to each other in a single panel, while frozen mid-kick, etc.)
― face it, tiger... you just hit middle age (morrisp), Saturday, 24 June 2017 19:46 (six years ago) link
(Btw, I'm going to hope/assume that the $$$ surcharge mentioned above is being passed along to the creators, and isn't just the add'l cost of keeping the ship running due to declining readership... a question for others here who know more about the economics of the biz.)
― face it, tiger... you just hit middle age (morrisp), Saturday, 24 June 2017 19:50 (six years ago) link
http://weaves.tumblr.com/post/128584557180/gerte-dorch-scorch-the-porch-opens-friday-at
This guys work is pretty creepy
― Robert Adam Gilmour, Saturday, 24 June 2017 20:08 (six years ago) link
https://static.comicvine.com/uploads/scale_small/6/67663/5877267-01.jpg
Enjoyed this, one of those GNs done in collaboration with the Louvre. This one's about a Louvre security guard whose future in-laws are trying to force him to add a hideous old family heirloom to the gallery walls.
― Mince Pramthwart (James Morrison), Monday, 26 June 2017 09:50 (six years ago) link
I think the worse thing about modern comics is that they are more under-written, stuff just takes forever to happen. Beyond the use of text, they just beat around the bush and then stretch out action scenes.
To me, I think heavier text comics work pretty well when the story fits. Jonathan Hickman's newer project the Black Monday Murders is pretty text heavy, using quite a bit of documents and other tricks that makes for a longer read. It works there. I think old Moore Swamp Thing still reads fine and that is very dense by modern standards. Dave Lapham does pretty dense story telling in Stray Bullets. Warren Ellis also is pretty good at the single issue comic book and has done quite a few using alot of 9 panel pages.
― earlnash, Monday, 26 June 2017 23:13 (six years ago) link
Yes the drip feed storytelling is infuriating
All of these writers have way too many monthly titles on their docket and their books read like it
― or at night (Jon not Jon), Monday, 26 June 2017 23:22 (six years ago) link
These guys are generally writing for collected edition posterity and it would be better if there was no monthly version of them if they're going to be like that.
― Robert Adam Gilmour, Monday, 26 June 2017 23:43 (six years ago) link
which is such a fucking paradox because Marvel, in particular, is still making their claims that series won’t be continued or even collected if single issues aren’t sold
― mh, Tuesday, 27 June 2017 00:49 (six years ago) link
Read the first volume of the new Flintstones. It IS good, I gotta say!
― Nhex, Tuesday, 27 June 2017 02:19 (six years ago) link
It's not so much a paradox as Marvel demanding to a) eat their cake and b) have it.
― Andrew Farrell, Tuesday, 27 June 2017 07:51 (six years ago) link
Absolutley true, such a pain to keep up with favourites.
― Daniel_Rf, Tuesday, 27 June 2017 09:00 (six years ago) link
What's good about it? (Honest question, no p.o.v. intended.) I assume it's funny? Does it require the reader to have any particular relationship to the 1960s TV series?
― face it, tiger... you just hit middle age (morrisp), Tuesday, 27 June 2017 22:10 (six years ago) link
it's just well written and acid without relying too much on LOL THE FLINTSTONES or irony
― Chocolate-covered gummy bears? Not ruling those lil' guys out. (ulysses), Tuesday, 27 June 2017 23:50 (six years ago) link
it does have lots of goofy lol flintstones irony tbf, but that's almost secondary in a way. it's a cute satire - a modern updating of the original goofy premise of the flinstones - that's pretty funny and actually emotionally touching in parts. a lot of creative choices (not to spoil, but bamm bamm's origin definitely got to me)
― Nhex, Wednesday, 28 June 2017 16:46 (six years ago) link
My favourite bits (without spoilers):
Vacuum cleaner and bowling ballHow Gerald came to beCarl Sagan's computerFred's WarThe new office
Oh, just all of it. DC hasn't published a better book in easily a decade (but I have already said this multiple times).
― Mud... Jam... Failure... (aldo), Wednesday, 28 June 2017 19:08 (six years ago) link
vacuum cleaner and bowling ball are the real stars, yes
― Chocolate-covered gummy bears? Not ruling those lil' guys out. (ulysses), Wednesday, 28 June 2017 22:51 (six years ago) link
Is it me or are comics kinda the worst they've ever been at the moment? I know every few years I have an "off" period on comics, but this feels different - it's like there's no reason to come back after time away.
By this point my adult comic phase (roughly 2004-present) has lasted way longer than my childhood comic phase (1987-1993ish), so maybe I'm overdue. I know there are literally tons of awesome old comics I haven't read, but somehow if there isn't a supply of good new stuff, my interest wanes.
Anyway, tell me why you agree, or why I'm stupid and wrong.
― Chuck_Tatum, Thursday, 6 July 2017 20:11 (six years ago) link
By wrongness I mean:
* DC and Marvel full of horrible people who publish trash* Even creators I like have been producing less interesting stuff for a while now (e.g. Moore, GM - it's been four years since Bats ended).* Comics fans going full Gamergate* Bright spots at the Big Two & Image not really bright enough to sustain my interest* I read all the arty comics already* I am old
― Chuck_Tatum, Thursday, 6 July 2017 20:16 (six years ago) link
I don't do a great job of keeping up with newly-released stuff so I don't generally notice, but multiple declarations of 'these Hanna-Barbera and Looney Tunes comics are some of the best stuff being published!' do make it seem like a bit of a fallow period.
― Duane Quarterdump (Old Lunch), Thursday, 6 July 2017 20:20 (six years ago) link
I guess it depends what engagement looks like for you. I've wandered off for a couple years at a time over the last fifteen years, then bought a few trades or whatever before regularly reading a few series. If you can't have an interest in a few comics without delving deep, then maybe walk off for a while.
― mh, Thursday, 6 July 2017 20:22 (six years ago) link
It's also one of those things where age has flattened out the curve of time for me. Nearly everything from 2009 onward seems "contemporary" but we're definitely in a different period now than we were then.
― mh, Thursday, 6 July 2017 20:23 (six years ago) link
That's v. true
― Chuck_Tatum, Thursday, 6 July 2017 20:24 (six years ago) link
As with everything I think it's a question of how much you try new stuff and read various things and ahem t0rr3nt mothafuckaaaaaaaa
A Few Currently Publishing Comics I Can Recommend Without Feeling Like a Punk (That Are Not Battfudd/Flintstones):
Rock Candy Mountain - https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2017/04/advance-review-kyle-starks-brings-filthy-fucking-h.htmlAll New Guardians of the Galaxy - http://ew.com/books/2017/05/03/all-new-guardians-galaxy-gerry-duggan-comic/Batman - Tom King doing good work out thereLetter 44 - https://io9.gizmodo.com/read-the-first-issue-of-letter-44-the-comic-everyones-1472795323Rebels: These Free and Independent States - http://viewcomic.com/rebels-these-free-and-independent-states-002-2017/Astro City - https://io9.gizmodo.com/reflecting-on-100-issues-of-astro-city-with-writer-kurt-1792683413Kamandi Challenge - https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2017/01/kamandi-challenge-1-is-a-freewheeling-tribute-to-t.htmlBlack Magic - https://imagecomics.com/comics/releases/black-magick-1Star Wars: Doctor Aphra - https://marvel.com/comics/series/22719/star_wars_doctor_aphra_2016_-_presentAdventure Time - https://www.comixology.com/Adventure-Time/comics-series/7420Rick and Morty - http://onipress.tumblr.com/post/115216808549/wubba-lubba-dub-dub-rick-and-morty-1-is-hereGodshaper - http://comicsalliance.com/godshaper-si-spurrier-jonas-goonface-interview/American Gods - http://ew.com/books/2017/03/13/american-gods-comic-adaptation-neil-gaiman/Shaolin Cowboy - https://www.darkhorse.com/Comics/29-631/The-Shaolin-Cowboy-Wholl-Stop-the-Reign-1Sex Criminals - https://imagecomics.com/comics/series/sex-criminalsInjection - https://imagecomics.com/comics/series/injectionZombies Assemble - https://marvel.com/comics/issue/63031/zombies_assemble_2017_1Delicious in Dungeon - http://mangakakalot.com/manga/dungeon_meshiBug Adventures of Forager - http://www.dccomics.com/comics/bug-the-adventures-of-forager-2017/bug-the-adventures-of-forager-1Silver Surfer - https://marvel.com/comics/series/20502/silver_surfer_2016_-_present
― Chocolate-covered gummy bears? Not ruling those lil' guys out. (ulysses), Thursday, 6 July 2017 21:40 (six years ago) link
the new Black Bolt book is also pretty good!DC right now, Batman/Kamandi/Astro City excepted, is in the toilet more or less.
― Chocolate-covered gummy bears? Not ruling those lil' guys out. (ulysses), Thursday, 6 July 2017 21:42 (six years ago) link
are any of those DC Young Animal titles any good?
― mh, Thursday, 6 July 2017 21:43 (six years ago) link
Gillen's follow up to Darth Vader which is Doctor Aphra with artwork by Kev Walker is also a good read. Don't know if the series is catching on or not with readers, but it's a fine standalone comic in the Marvel Star Wars universe.
― earlnash, Thursday, 6 July 2017 22:00 (six years ago) link