Too busy/lazy for propper blogging, so here's a little linkblogging to tide you over:
Ian has an idea for a tribute series, 1975 (scroll down...), which I would buy if it had the same caliber of talent as 1963 did. He also has a review of Or Else #2 that is longer and better than mine.
David evaluates the first volumes of Tramps Like Us & The Wallflower.
Johanna is celebrating her 1st blogiversary, but of course she's been writing intelligently online about comics for a lot longer than that!
Edit/Addition: Christopher reminds us why comics are awesome!
Thursday, 21 April 2005
Wednesday, 20 April 2005
New Library Comics
Here is the listing of new comics & GNs added to the catalog over the past four weeks.
We're finally starting to get in some of the books we've actually purchased (most of the comics added so far have either been donated or transfered from other locations).
For a more-or-less complete listing of all the titles we have, this link will take you into our online catalog.
We're finally starting to get in some of the books we've actually purchased (most of the comics added so far have either been donated or transfered from other locations).
For a more-or-less complete listing of all the titles we have, this link will take you into our online catalog.
Quick Comic Reviews
Action Philosophers #1by Fred Van Lente & Ryan Dunlavey
I've never been much for studying philosophy. Oh sure, I've picked up some of the basics just by reading and paying attention, but it's never really held much interest to me. But with Action Philosophers, Van Lente & Dunlavey have found a way to make philosophy fun. These are all true stories of influential philosophers, their lives and thought, but told with a humorous touch that is somewhat reminiscent of Larry Gonick. Plato is presented as a failed professional wrestler (which he was before going into philosophy); Bodhidharma is presented as a Kung Fu master (which he was); and Nietzche is presented as a self-absorbed a$$hole (which he was). The facts would appear to be correct (they include references at the end of the comics), but the presentation is fun and humorous. It's a good way to get a cliff's notes version of philosophy in fun comic book form.
Rating: 3.5 (of 5)
Or Else #2by Kevin Huizenga
I was a little lukewarm in my review of the first issue of Huizenga's Or Else--it was good, but it obviously didn'y strike me as much as it did others. But this second issue: very good stuff. It starts off with a couple of interesting slice-of-life style stories, but takes a left turn into wonderful experimental territory with "The Sunset," then continues in the related story "The Moon Rise," wherein Huizenga gives us a little lesson in art and science. Six bucks for what is essentially a thick minicomic may seem a bit pricey, but it's worth it when the quality is high. This is one to look for.
Rating: 4 (of 5)
Tuesday, 19 April 2005
New This Week: April 20, 2005
Based on the NCRL list for this week's comics shipping from Diamond, here are a few things to look for at the local comic shop tomorrow:The Pick of the Week is another anthology from Image, Four Letter Worlds. For just 13 bucks you get a truckload of comics from folks like Amber Benson, Joe Casey, Chynna Clugston-Major, Kieron Dwyer, Jay Faerber, Matt Fraction, Steven Griffin, Mike Hawthorne, Mike Huddleston, Phil Hester, Antony Johnston, Robert Kirkman, Steve Lieber, Jim Mahfood, B. Clay Moore, Scott Morse, Mike Norton, Jeff Parker, Jamie S. Rich, Mark Ricketts, Matt Roberts, Steve Rolston, Eric Stephenson, J. Torres, Andi Watson, and many more.
In other comics:
Antarctic have a new issue of Gold Digger (#63) and the Gold Digger Pocket Manga, vol. 5.
DC have the trade collection of Bite Club for just $10, the debut of the final Seven Soliders mini (for the first round, that is--more coming later in the year), Klarion the Witch Boy, plus new issues of 100 Bullets (#60), Birds of Prey (#81), Ex Machina (#10), JLA (#113), JLA Classified (#6), Lucifer (#61); the final issue of Azzarello & Lee's Superman (#215), the final issue of the Question mini (#6), and the first issue of an obscure miniseries called The OMAC Project for which I don't think there's been much publicity at all.
Fantagraphics have the fifth Hate Annual.
IDW have the second Legend of Grimjack trade collection.
Image have new issues of Invincible (#22) & The Walking Dead (#18).
I'm still working my way through issue #100, yet here Kenzer & Co. are with the 102st issue of Knights of the Dinner Table...
Marvel have Runaways #3, and Karl Kesel writing Fantastic Four (#525).
NBM have a fourth collection of Boneyard.
Oni have the second edition of Bryan Lee O'Malley's Lost at Sea.
TokyoPop have the first volume of 'Amerimanga' Van Von Hunter, plus a butt-load of other manga volumes which don't interest me, but may be of interest to you...
And finally, I have no idea what the Incredibles Strong Relations Unframed Canvas Giclee Print is, but it can't possibly be worth $600...
Monday, 18 April 2005
Quick War GN Reviews
The Punisher: Bornby Garth Ennis, Darick Robertson & Tom Palmer
In the midst of the Vietnam War, Captain Frank Castle is the savior, protector and conscience of Firebase Valley Forge. This is Frank's third tour of duty; he knows that he should be home with his wife and kids, but he loves to fight, and the dark voice in his soul tells him as much. Ennis maintains that The Punisher was born long before his family was killed; that was just the inciting event--the real Punisher was forged in the fires of Vietnam. There are two POV characters here: Frank, and a young Marine named Stevie Goodwin, thirty-nine days short of ending his tour and returning to America's heartland. Ennis does a good job at portraying the unit and the action, though it suffers a bit like many war stories in trying to represent as many different war experinces and types of soldiers in just one unit. The art by Robertson & Palmer is very good and appropriate to the story; Palmer's inks lens Robertson's pencils a good rough edge, and Robertson renders the action quite well. It's another good solid war comic from Ennis.
Rating: 3 (of 5)
Sgt. Rock: Between Hell & A Hard Placeby Brian Azzarello & Joe Kubert
During the Battle of Hürtgen Forest in late 1944, Rock and the rest of Easy Company have a gaggle of new soldier added to their unit and a quartet of captured German officers in tow. But when three of the German prisoners are murdered and the fourth goes missing, Rock must determine what exactly happened, and whether or not one of the men in his unit is a murder--if murder under such circumstances as war is possible. Azzarello grafts a mystery onto a war story, and while it doesn't really gel into something more than the sum of its parts, it isn't really less either, and provides for an intriguing look back at WWII. The main attraction here is seeing Kubert illustrate a modern war comic, the pace and style of storytelling giving his artwork plenty of room to breathe. The story could have easily have been a good thirty pages shorter, but with the nice art to look it it's hard to complain too much.
Rating: 3 (of 5)
Friday, 15 April 2005
Ranganathan & Comics
As part of our salute to National Library Week, I've written up a little essay about Ranganathan's Five Laws of Library Science and how they might apply to comics:
In 1931 S. R. Ranganathan, the Indian librarian who is considered to be one of the fathers of modern library science, developed his Five Laws of Library Science. Those laws are:
1. Books are for use.
2. Every reader his or her book.
3. Every book its reader.
4. Save the time of the reader.
5. The Library is a growing organism.
With some reworking, these laws can be applied to comics as well:
1. Comics are for use
The purpose of a comic is to be read. That seems self evident, but so many people who consume comics are locked into a collector mentality. There is nothing worse for the soul of comics than for a comic to be locked away inside hermetically sealed plastic and treated as an item. The collector mentallity is something that I myself am trying to shake: I'm loaning out more comics, donating graphic novels to the library, etc. If I have 25,000 comics, it does no good to anyone to leave them locked up in my closet--they need to be set free! (Like I said, I'm working on it...)
2. Every reader his or her comic
3. Every Comic its reader
These should be pretty self-explanatory. Remember, every comic is someone's favorite (even if it's just the creator's mother), and there is a comic to fit every taste. I know the medium is supposedly dominated by super-heroes, but flip through Previews and you'll see instances of comics on just about every subject, from westerns to romance to biography to fantasy to chick lit to horror etc. There are comics that can stand alongside 'literature' and comics that are the equivalent of dime novels. There are comics written for kids and comics written for adults (and comics written for adults who act like kids!) And just because you personally don't like a particular comic, that doesn't mean that no one should. There's variety, and variety is good.
4. Save the time of the comic reader
This one is the hardest to directly translate, but in practice it reflects the aim to provide service to the customer. This means service on all levels, from publisher to distributor to store. The easier it is for people to get comics, the more comics they'll have. Bookstores, 7-11s, online merchants, it's all good, provided the service is good. And everyone is responsible for the good of the comics medium; we are all stewards of comics, whether we be creators, redears or retailers. We may disagree as to what is 'good' for comics, or even what 'good' comics are, but we all want to see good comics succeed.
5. Comics are a growing organism
The field of comics is always growing and changing. There have been a lot of changes and challenges to comics in the past few years, from a shrinking number of stores to the manga 'invasion' to the gradual switchover from pamphlets to trade editions to the emergence of the Web. But change is part of everything, and comics will, in some form or another, always endure.
In 1931 S. R. Ranganathan, the Indian librarian who is considered to be one of the fathers of modern library science, developed his Five Laws of Library Science. Those laws are:
1. Books are for use.
2. Every reader his or her book.
3. Every book its reader.
4. Save the time of the reader.
5. The Library is a growing organism.
With some reworking, these laws can be applied to comics as well:
1. Comics are for use
The purpose of a comic is to be read. That seems self evident, but so many people who consume comics are locked into a collector mentality. There is nothing worse for the soul of comics than for a comic to be locked away inside hermetically sealed plastic and treated as an item. The collector mentallity is something that I myself am trying to shake: I'm loaning out more comics, donating graphic novels to the library, etc. If I have 25,000 comics, it does no good to anyone to leave them locked up in my closet--they need to be set free! (Like I said, I'm working on it...)
2. Every reader his or her comic
3. Every Comic its reader
These should be pretty self-explanatory. Remember, every comic is someone's favorite (even if it's just the creator's mother), and there is a comic to fit every taste. I know the medium is supposedly dominated by super-heroes, but flip through Previews and you'll see instances of comics on just about every subject, from westerns to romance to biography to fantasy to chick lit to horror etc. There are comics that can stand alongside 'literature' and comics that are the equivalent of dime novels. There are comics written for kids and comics written for adults (and comics written for adults who act like kids!) And just because you personally don't like a particular comic, that doesn't mean that no one should. There's variety, and variety is good.
4. Save the time of the comic reader
This one is the hardest to directly translate, but in practice it reflects the aim to provide service to the customer. This means service on all levels, from publisher to distributor to store. The easier it is for people to get comics, the more comics they'll have. Bookstores, 7-11s, online merchants, it's all good, provided the service is good. And everyone is responsible for the good of the comics medium; we are all stewards of comics, whether we be creators, redears or retailers. We may disagree as to what is 'good' for comics, or even what 'good' comics are, but we all want to see good comics succeed.
5. Comics are a growing organism
The field of comics is always growing and changing. There have been a lot of changes and challenges to comics in the past few years, from a shrinking number of stores to the manga 'invasion' to the gradual switchover from pamphlets to trade editions to the emergence of the Web. But change is part of everything, and comics will, in some form or another, always endure.
Quick GN Reviews
Dead End, vol. 1by Shohei Manabe
A mysterious beautiful naked girl falls out of the sky and into Shirou's life. In most manga this would set the stage for wacky hijinks, but in Dead End it leads Shirou into a world of actual and existential horror. He soon find his neighbors in his apartment building brutally murdered, and learns that this life and memories have all been a lie. As he attempts to piece together his real life, Shirou finds himself on the run from mysterious pursuers and sinking into a dark world of violence and paranoia. Manabe has an interesting visual style that reminds me more of Paul Pope than typical manga. it's not always exactly clear what is going on in Dead End, but that may be by design and reflective of Shirou's own confusion. The violence can be graphic and brutal at times, although not in an over-the-top splatter movie way. An interesting read.
Rating: 3.5 (of 5)
The Dark Horse Book of Hauntingsedited by Scott Allie
P. Craig Russell, Mike Mignola, Paul Chadwick, and a host of other talented comics creators get together to present a collection of ghost stories. The quality of the offerings that Allie has assembled is quite high, with lush art on glossy paper ina sturdy hardcover volume. The best is saved for last, as Evan Dorkin & Jill Thompson tell a story of neighborhood pets attempting to exorcise a haunted doghouse. The only misstep in this collection is a text interview with a supposed 'séance medium,' ten pages of bullhockey that is easily skipped over. But the rest of the package makes for fine reading, and shows how good anthologies can be .
Rating: 4 (of 5)
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