Infantino & Toth

Over in this thread on the TCJ message boards someone has posted scans of a short story from a 70's-era Creepy magazine. The story is a triffle, totally ripping off an old Twilight Zone, but the art, by Carmine Infantino & Alex Toth, is just amazing. Toth's inks are rather overwhelming, but it really works. I'm reminded of how great these old masters were, and how much better a lot of the stuff from that era looks in black and white, instead of suffering under the horrible coloring technology of the day.

(link via Adam on Completely Futile)

Review: Para Para

Para Para
by Andy Seto
ComicsOne, $13.95


With Para Para, crator Andy Seto has now firmly established himself on my list of favorite artists.

I have previously praised Seto's abilities to represent the furious motion of cinematic martial arts on the static printed page in his adaptation of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. In Para Para, he goes one step further by representing a singing and dancing movie musical so effectvely you can practically hear the music swelling and see the characters dancing.

The story in Para Para is a variation on the classic Romeo and Juliet story (in fact, several of the secondary characters in the comic comment on the resemblance), as rich girl Yuki falls for gangster Dennis. their romance swirls around Para Para, a dance craze that is also one of those electronic dancing arcade games. It's a story that's complete in this one volume, which doesn't give a lot of time to explore the characters in depth. But that's fine, as the real purpose of the plot is to give the characters an excuse to break out in song and/or dance at various opportunities.

It's the song and dance sections that give Para Para its strength. Seto is at the very top of his game here. Witness the opening scene: as autumn leaves fall, we see various young people milling about, with close-ups of the Para Para logo on their clothing. The word 'Dance' appears as a bright red sound effect. There's a voice-over going on, which we realize is probably meant to be song lyrics, and the 'camera' focuses on one of these young people, identified as Dennnis Lingmu, obviously caught up in the music and dancing. The camera then pulls back, and we see a chorus of dancers has formed behind Dennis ina two-page spread. Turn the page, and in another two-page spread the camera has pulled back further: we see that the dancers are in a large courtyard, with a large office building on one sid, an elevated train track on the other, a city and mountains in the background, and a large clocktower in the the foreground on the right chiming away. Turn the page again and Dennis's song concludes over the image of orange leaves falling against a stark white background. The title Para Para floats over the leaves, while a giant leaf in the bottom right is superimposed with the face of Yuki, her eyes pensively looking to the right and up, leading us visually to the top of the next page, where the next scene fades in with Yuki at swimming practice.

It's a stunning scene, expertly rendered. And there are several more just like it throughout. The scene where Yuki and Dennis first meet is on a rainy Hong Kong street: the color has been completely leached out of the background, leaving it in stark black and white, while Yuki and Dennis appear in color, and Yuiki has one of those soul-bearing songs that seem to happen frequently in musicals. Of course, this being a dance musical, there are a couple of dance contests, which Seto depicts such that you can practically feel the rhythm of the music as you watch the characters move across the pages.

Yes, the plot isn't terribly deep and the emotion sometimes runs to hysteric heights, but this is a musical created for the comics page. Para Para wins in presenting a dynamic example of comics artistry and, despite the tragic ending (it is loosely based on Romeo & Juliet after all) is still a joyful comics experience.

Rating: 4 (of 5)

Hoy: Batman!

Here are several 'Batman' strips I ran across literally randomly on a blog. They're in Spanish and my Spanish is so rusty as to be non-existant, so I have no real idea what they're about or what's being said (I hope they're not dirty or anything...), but I doubt that they're approved by DC/Warner...

Free Books

Yes, I give away comics and graphic novels from time to time, but did you know that I'm always geving away free books?

It's true! Head on over to BookCrossing and check out my bookshelf. Any of the books that are listed as available are free for the asking (as long as you live in the U.S., and you don't get too greedy). However, you must ask me via a BookCrossing personal message (which means that you'll have to sign up as a BookCrossing member first).

Lots of science fiction, some fantasy, some mystery, some other random stuff. I just want to give the books a good home.

Free Manga

TangognaT is paying it forward with a Manga Giveaway. No strings attached--just tell her which one you want an she'll send it to you. It's first come, first served, so act now before the good stuff is gone!

Previews-o-Rama part 2: The Middle

We continue now with the second half of our monthly stroll through the lastest Previews for items scheduled to come out in October (more or less...)


AAA Pop has the fourth volume of MIke Allread's The Golden Plates.

Abstract Studios have more of Terry Moore's Strangers in Paradise (#77) and the 17th collected volume as well.

ACC Studios has liberality for All, which shows what would happen if those evil liberals had taken over the country. Yeah, right, like that's going to happen. I like how the conservative saviors of America include convicted felon G. Gordon Libby and overturned-on-a-technicality Oliver North. Brings a whole new meaning to Neo-'Con', doesn't it.

More Yotsuba&! (vol. 3) and Cromartie High School (Vol. 4) from ADV Manga.

Woo Hoo! Not only is Aeon reprinting Matt Howarth's Keif Llama series in a handy collected edition, they also have a brand-new Keif Llama series as well.

AiT/PlanetLAR's intriguing GN for the month is Rob Osborne's Sunset City, about mysterious goings-on in a retirement community.

Alias don't have any new series debuting this month, although you'll want to take note of the final issues of Opposite Forces (#4) and David: Shepherd's Song (#3).

Oddball project of the month is Amaze Inks new Disney collabortation, Haunted Mansion, with Roman Dirge. Worth getting I think just to see what the heck it ends up being...

Aaron Warner's Amazing Aaron Productions releases the second volume of A College Girl Names Joe just a month after the first volume. You may want to slow up on the release schedule there Aaron, to give your readers (and, more importantly, retailers) a chance to get interested in the first volume before committing pre-orders to a second...

If you still haven't discovered the guilty joy that is Fred Perry's Gold Digger, Antarctic this month has a five-pack of Gold DIgger Pocket Manga for the discount price of just $30.

Archie get an early jump on the holiday comic season with Christmas-themed issues of Betty & Veronica Spectacular (#72) and Archie's Holiday Fun Digest (#10). They also have a new issue of Sabrina (#71).

Dynamite Entertainment want to be the next Avatar, with five covers for Red Sonja #5, but they're going to have to work harder, as Avatar's Lady Death: The Wicked #1 has at least seven covers.

Del Rey has the third volume of Genshiken.

Digital Manga Publishing has the second violence-filled volume of Bambi and Her Pink Gun.

DR Masters have the fifteenth volume of Iron Wok Jan.

Drawn & Quarterly are heavily pushing Guy Delisle's Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea.

Fantagraphics have a long-awaited new issue of Chris Ware's Acme Novelty Library (#16)--too bad it's a $16 64-page hardcover. (I love the sly solicitation text though!)

New Publishers Go!Comi & Ice Kunion both enter the crowded manga market with several new manga voluems from each. (Actually, Ice Kunion are focusing on Korean Manwha.)

ibooks have a new GN from Joe Kubert: Jew Gangster: A Father's Admonition.

IDW have the final issue of Angel: The Curse (#5) and the fourht collected volume of Te Legends of Grimjack.

Kyle Baker Publishing have the second issue of Kyle Baker's Nat Turner biography.

Lost in the Dark have the second issue of Fragile Prophet.

Moronik Comics have the second issues of Bug Girl and Dirt Boy.

Oni have the final issue (#4) of Banana Sunday. Final issue?! Please tell me that there will be more!

Renaissance Press wraps up Jimmy Gownley's "Superheroes" storyline in Amelia Rules #16.

Speakeasy have the third issue of Rocketo.

Apparently Bill Jemas's new comic company, 360ep, apparently isn't even going to pretend that it's more interested in comics than in merchandizing.

New OEL manga from TokyoPop include Mark of the Succubus by Askly Raiti & Irene Flores; and A Midnight Opera by Hans Steinback.

Viper conclude The Middleman with issue #4.

Viz seem intent on making manga fans sound like babbling idiots when they ask their friendly comic retailer for a book called BoBoBo-Bo Bo-BoBo (or, as I'm sure it'll end up being called, "That Bo-Bo-Bo-Bo manga").


Sorry I'm light on the snark this time around, but this Previews-o-Rama is late enough as it is. I'll try to squeeze in double the snark next month.

New This Week: August 24, 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 Banana Sunday #2 by Root Nibot & Colleen Coover, from Oni Press. The first issue was fun fun fun, and this second issue is sure to continue the monkey joy!


In other comics:

More monkey fun as Alias bring us Monkey In a Wagon vs Lemur On a Big Wheel #1.

Antarctic have a new issue of Fred Perry's Gold Diggers (#66).

Cryptic Press have a new issue of Quicken Forbidden (#13).

Dark Horse have a new issue of Conan (#19) and a new volume of Little Lulu (vol. 5)

DC have the final collection of Catwoman with the good art: Wild Ride; the fourth post-Crisis Superman: The Man of Steel collection that includes a rather excellent crossover with Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes; a new edition of the soon-to-be-a-major-motion-picture A History of Violence; the debut of Warren Ellis's Jack Cross; and new issues of City of Tomorrow (#5), Hellblazer (#211), Legion of Super-Heroes (#9); and Otherworld (#6).

DR Masters have a new volume of Iron Wok Jan (vol. 12).

Fantagraphics have a new issue of The Comics Journal (#270).

IDW go all Whedonverse with a new issue of Angel: The Curse (#3) and Peter David's Spike: Old Times one-shot.

Image have new issues of Invincible (#25) and The Walking Dead (#21).

Marvel have the final issue of Spellbinders (#6), the first Ultimate X-Men Annual, and new issues of Daredevil (#76), Hulk: Destruction (#2), Machine Teen (#4), and Wolverine (#31).

Viper have the second issue of The Middleman.

And both TokyoPop and Viz have a slew of manga volumes.