Josh Simmons' BATMAN

I've heard rumors of this mini comic for a while now. I'm a huge Josh Simmons fan and I've been dying to read it. Thanks to The Comics Reporter for pointing out this link. I wont' review the comic because you can read it here yourself. I'll just say that I think it is fantastic and you should go read it right now before DC makes it go away.

UPDATE July 19, 2012:  Hi.  I noticed a lot of folks looking at this post this week.  Probably because of the movie coming out and possibly because of Matt Seneca's recent review.  I'm sorry but the links above appear to be broken now.  I'm not aware of a place online to read the comic but I think that it is in the new book The Furry Trap. If I find another link to it as a webcomic I will update this again.  Thanks for visiting.  Enjoy your Batpants!

Your best pal ever,

Shannon Smith

Derik Badman's REPETITION. SOUND. APPROPRIATION.

Repetition. Sound. Appropriation. by Derik A. Badman
August 2007. 16p., 5.5 x 8.5″. Cardstock cover. Black and white, computer printed.
http://www.madinkbeard.com/
Purchased here for $2.5o.

This comic by Derik Badman is not a collection of five stories but rather a collection of five studies in the juxtoposition of sound and image. "Repetition" uses the comics form to study the effect of slightly editing one image over several panels to affect the reader's focus. "Sound" is a study using the same image (a nice drawing of Robert Johnson) in a series of panels but using a different comic book methods of depicting sound in each. "Comic Strip Rapture" is a simple study in comic strip backgrounds, minus the characters. These first three studies are well executed but no more interesting than than a set of illustrations from a film school textbook. I don't say that to belittle the work. On the contrary, I think that is exactly what Badman was shooting for.

The last two studies are more interesting. In "Sound Over", Badman uses series of talking head images from his own webcomic Things Change. In each panel, the word balloon is obscured by a thought box filled with unrelated dialog. The experiment creates an odd yet poetic tone. In "Stolen Birthday Present" Badman appropriates, or steals, comic strip panels published on his birthday. Badman replaces the dialog in each panel with his own text creating what feels like snap shots from one narrative over many years. The idea alone is pretty neat and Badman does a great job copying these classic panels. The resulting comic is a nice little celebration of both the creator's birthday and the genre.

Your best pal ever,

Shannon Smith

Derik Badman's MAOSE

Maose by Derik A. Badman

November 2005. 24p., 5.5 x 8.5″. Cardstock cover. Black and white, computer printed.

http://www.madinkbeard.com/

Purchased here for $2.5o.

This is very much the type of comic I think of when I think of the standard mini-comic. Mini-comic size. Mini-comic length. Pink cardstock cover with black line drawing. Nothing fancy. Silk screened covers don't make a book read better but they do help them sell. This cover does not jump out at me at first glance but after closer consideration I do get a kick out of a mouse wearing a Chairman Mao mask and the cover is consistent with the book's content. Both the cover and the interior art demonstrate an analytical and efficient style. Badman is a librarian and his style seems to be as committed to analysis and instruction as it is to storytelling. His page layouts are very precise and deliberate. There is no question in where he wants the reader to look. Everything in it's right place just like in a good library.

The story is about discovering that Badman's house has rodent visitors. Badman tells the story without showing himself but rather by showing details of the evidence left behind by the unwanted pest. It is probably not a stretch to say that the main character of the story is the apartment and the villain is the mouse. Badman is just the documentarian. This means that there are many drawings of interiors, furniture, appliances etc. Fortunately, Badman's drawing chops are to the challenge and his voyeuristic composition and pacing are pretty interesting. The thing I'm most impressed with about this book is that Badman creates a genuine level of suspense using only these static interior drawings and the occasional glimpse of the mouse villain. The book works but it seems like Badman's commitment to the narrative technique outweighs his commitment to the story. Yes, to tell a story about his anxiety over a mouse without showing himself is an interesting challenge and yes Badman pulls it off, but the book itself might be a bit more fun if he chose to break his own rules. Maybe even just leaving the ruler in the drawer and drawing the panel borders in the same style as their contents would make the pages feel more alive. The book is good but in a 'oh, that was clever' way and not an 'oh, that was fun, let me read it again' way. I do think Badman's drawing chops are very strong and I admire his obvious knowledge of the form. I would like to see him cut loose and make a mini without self limitations or rules.

Badman sent in two mins but I want to consider each submission to file under other on it's own merits. The other book will be reviewed soon. I also want to mention that Badman is the creator of a very good webcomic called Things Change. Definitely worth a look.

Your best pal ever,

Shannon Smith