Rolling Comic Book thread 2017

I just got DC's collection of Viking Prince by Joe Kubert. It is recolored with solid filling but it's not too bright and all in all it looks pretty good.

Re: Steranko's politics on alt-right thread. Somehow comic creators being on social media is still very strange to me. You did used to hear weird things about them before internet was huge but I still cant wrap my head around all these guys being so accessible. I wonder what it would be like if I was a young fan today.

sounds like the bad side of it, but they also get unprecedented access to them compared to con meet-ups and letters pages

Maybe part of the strangeness is that aside from comics journal, comics coverage and interviews tended to be very shallow and uncontroversial.

But I actually haven't really seen many mainstream guys talking among themselves. John Byrne could be a bit nutty on his forum (is he still around?)

I read through the first four WicDiv trades recently and wasn't crazy about it either. I couldn't get interested in much of what happens after the first arc. McKelvie's art, though good, is a bit too clean and neat for my taste as well (most character faces are remarkably spotless, and he mostly draws teenagers...); I read a few reviews saying the third book suffers from guest artists, but I actually found them a welcome relief.

there is something about it that seems a little to sterile, but I want to catch up with the newer books when I get a chance

I somehow missed the news that DC had moved beyond furrowed brows and gravely-serious assertions that they'd totally look into these disturbing allegations that they'd already been aware of and ignoring for years to actually firing Eddie Berganza. Clearly, WB execs are the real heroes.

Been enjoying this blog a bit. From the guy who wrote the Regrettable Superheroes and Supervillains books.

What you make of his Gaiman assessment?

http://gone-and-forgotten.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/31-days-of-halloween-90-from-90s-part.html

eh. didn't like. far too reductive imo

Probably, I've found a few statements to be a bit reductive but I think mocking comedy is part of the design of his blog and books.

But the thing that caught me was about Gaiman as one of those people who always talks about the power and magic of stories, which I've never found as profound or interesting as its supposed to be.

Bradbury was one of the only writers I can think of who rhapsodized about that AND was great

And even then not always successful

"Highly literate writer without ultimately much to say" is mean but probably accurate.

The stuff about Gaiman as originator-of-grimdark is nonsense though.

http://gone-and-forgotten.blogspot.co.uk/2011/02/continuity-comics-part-one.html
http://gone-and-forgotten.blogspot.co.uk/2011/03/continuity-comics-part-two.html
http://gone-and-forgotten.blogspot.co.uk/2011/04/continuity-comics-part-3-cover-story.html

This is funny. For the Batman Odyssey fans.

dang, i need to read that whole website now.

sorry nope, the trash '90s will not be redeemed

He's not trying to redeem it, he's mostly making fun of it.

The dialogue quotes are funny (although not quite as good as "what an octopus of a thing").
I knew Neal Adams had his own ideas about evolution but I didn't know about his expanding earth theory.

This is what appeals to me about those Continuity comics...

Knighthawk showcases the one thing Continuity was doing which made it resemble the comics of the Golden Age – it had the same reckless, breathlessly piled-on, anything-goes invention of the old comics of the 30s and 40s, when nothing was too ridiculous to fly. Please to keep in mind that almost all of the comics released back then were meant for eight-year olds and were terrible to boot.

I like that more than most other modern approaches to superheroes.

Remember, when designing an ensemble cast or team, you want a variety of body shapes and fashion sensibilities. Ideally, each character should be immediately recognizable even in silhouette. pic.twitter.com/8e4JwEghZY

— Kurt Busiek Resists (@KurtBusiek) December 19, 2017

i would buy a CHICKEN one-shot

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/22/travel/ariell-johnson-amalgam-comics-philadelphia.html

In the comic shop yesterday I realized a little bit of body odor can actually smell pretty good.

That interview seems badly chopped down. Wasn't sure precisely what her shop's arrangement is with comic creators.

Read the first volume of Kaijumax, what a really fucked up prison story. I regret it.

That history of Continuity is hilarious. Thanks for the link!

belated christmas tidings
https://www.humblebundle.com/books/judge-dredd-comics

yessss

Those Continuity comics articles helped me realise what I'm looking for is comics written by Jaden and Willow Smith with a good artist.

http://www.wearecomplicated.net/2017/12/alternative-manga-gekiga-recommendations.html

Re: hardcover talk from a few months ago. Yes, it is insane that Yoe books are considered the cheap-ass option, I've been buying a few and they add up to a lot.
Who insists that everything be in hardcover? Are these people carrying these through lengthy travels and hoping they'll outlive their own greatgreatgreat grandchildren?
Why not make them 20% hardcover 80% paperback?

I've been trying to make a habit of frequenting the art & photography section of waterstones and the hardcover domination is even worse there. Everything good is between 25-60 pounds. I bought a very nice David Jones book today, I was expecting it to cost 20 or 25 pounds but it was 40. How is anyone supposed to make a habit of buying these books without resorting to Amazon? It's fucking crazy.

weight=importance

"Those Continuity comics articles helped me realise what I'm looking for is comics written by Jaden and Willow Smith with a good artist."

Image has put out some pretty wacky scifi comics over the past few years.

I initially was kind of intrigued but

is Ales Kot’a writing kind of derivative and boring?

Ales Kot’s, that is

Agree. He has the same effect on me as Warren Ellis. I dig the fruitiness but find reading him a struggle.

I'm undecided on Ales Kot. He's definitely heavily-referential wrt works/creators that are not often referenced in mainstream comics, which can be cool in moderation but which has limited mileage if you aren't bringing enough of yourself to the table to offset it (see also: Marguerite Bennett's Marvel work, which repeatedly pulls me out of the story with all the fourth wall-breaking 'guys, I just alluded to another work of classical literature!' on every other page).

I think Ellis does some good straightforward plot work now, not just the mad doctor giggling as he throws out *real truth* or things he finds intriguing at the page. I think he’s kind of deep into the stage where he wants to make things screen-worthy

Kot was kind of fun in a way where I didn’t mind the lack of plot coherence or point but now it’s a slog through having half an idea and throwing interesting things he’s read in a haphazard way on the page and what should be interesting is just a boring exercise. There’s not a “do you see?!?” point, even

I read the two Zero tpbs. There was some segments and parts that were really interesting but that comic is so all over the f-ing place, it turned into a big mess.

Warren Ellis has some projects where he is just trying stuff out, but he's got a pretty solid bibilography of good comic work over the years. I'm sure Kot probably is a fan of him or not... I'm probably a trade behind but The Trees and Injection were both pretty good reads, just hopefully Ellis FINISHES the darn story.

Prophet by Brandon Graham and quite a few artists is one of the better scifi books that Image has done. It's got just boodles of good weirdness compared to that Zero comic.

Drifter is also a strange scifi comic. I don't half know what is going on, but I have liked it enough to play along.

Problem that scifi comics have is similar to crime comics, it's kinda hard to compare to the bunches of crazy novels out there in those genres. You got to either have some serious visual flair or a really good story. The thing about many of these scifi comics is that they seem to often be a mash of other movies/manga etc.

i have disappeared into the endless forest of hajime no ippo which, only 25 of 118 tankōbon in, is clever and fun and beautifully drawn and compelling and thank god only occasionally despairingly racist/homobphobic/sexist
fanlation is VERY rough but the real joy is found in the epic one hundred page boxing matches.

in between though, I've found a few other things worth recommending:
- Steve Skroce's Maestros which reads like a lost alt-universe new x-men and boasts impressive quitely/darrow aping art
- Head Lopper wrapped up its second arc very welll
- Gaby Bell's Everything is Flammable is a great diary
- Paolo Bacilieri's Fun is a great story done in Matt Howarth style
- new Locas shorts in L+R are primo as per always
- Michel Fiffe's Zegas is good enough that i probably need to retry Copra; it never clicked for me

King has completely found his stride with Batman btw, the current Supes/Bats Lois/Catwoman storyline is excellent

I'm also enjoying King's Batman run, but can't tell if he's in a groove or just repeating pleasant shtick.

xp i concur. randomly read those two issues, loved it. need to catch up on the preceding storylines

definitely enjoy Brandon Graham, his stuff has always had an idea of what he’s going for, and you get some level of investment in all of it, the goofy cat/cheesecake stuff include pd

Kot ['s work] seemed up himself, smug for references, and poor reading when I looked at it four years ago

Latest Trondheim (reading in French) is his usual slice-of-life slacker stuff but with a sci-fi twist. Digging so far.

Image has put out some pretty wacky scifi comics over the past few years.

― earlnash, Friday, 29 December 2017 00:52

ODY-C looked really odd but I wasn't into the art enough.

I bought Arclight recently. Churchland is talented but there's something not working for me, maybe I'll know what when I have another look.

wouldn't mind hearing more about that trondheim. what's it called?

Also, it's my hobbyhorse, but anyone into fantasy sci-fi who hasn't read "Donjon"/"Dungeon" really should!

I got halfway and took a (too long) break, so I'm gonna have to start from the beggining again, which is not a tragedy. This years resolution is to finish Dungeon and 20th century boys finally.

wouldn't mind hearing more about that trondheim. what's it called?

It's a new Lapinot (McConey) album, called Un Monde Un Peu Meilleur. Main plot is Lapinot and his buddy make the acquaintance of a guy who works as a test subject for competing pharmaceutical companies (which is illegal) and as a result of taking too many different meds can see people's auras. I really enjoyed it, especially the beautiful Paris backgrounds - Trondheim has the mix of fanciness and dirt of that city down to a t. It's also very Paris 2017, as at some point in the plot there's a punch-up including some Arab characters and this immediatley gets misconstrued as a terrorist attack - cue shock attack troops, news crews reporting false rumours, leftist protesters jeering at said news crews and some bigoted idiot showing up w/ a plan to lure them out with bacon perfumes.

the mcconeys are good! wish fanta had kept up with releasing them.

Rolling comic book thread 2018