Here are some things I found interesting in the world of minicomics, comic books, graphic novels, small press, self publishing, zines, webcomics, cartoons, digital comics, other, etc. during the week ending 02242013:
"Now I guess you’re all wondering where I fit into this; please allow me to explain. For an awful long time I’ve been worrying about Billy Batson. Billy, as you know is a grand boy, and I feel he is not being given a break. In other words, a chance to grow up. I went along to old Shazam and told him my worries, and between us we’ve decided to give Billy the chance to settle down. In order that this might be achieved, I shall soon be returning my powers to old Shazam and changing into the character of Billy Batson for the last time. This will give this grand lad a chance to develop into the type of citizen that I know you’ll grow into.
Naturally we couldn’t leave the door of the world wide open for evil – hence Marvelman of whom I feel you’re just busting to know more. What could be better than to ask him to say a few words to you. It’s all yours, Marvelman:" -Captain Marvel.
- The Daytona 500 takes place this afternoon (if you are reading this on Sunday 2/24/2013). Danica Patrick will start in the pole position as the 1st woman ever to do so in an NASCAR race. My prediction is that the winner will be the 1st car to cross the finish line.
- My pal Robert Venditti has been named as Geoff Johns' successor as writer on Green Lantern. That's a big gig and I think Rob will be a perfect fit. He talks about it here. I'm a big fan of all of Rob's comics and X-O Manowar is easily one of the top 5 ongoing super sci/fi punch up comics of the past year. Rob is a talented writer but, more importantly, he works hard at it and delivers. It seems like it was just yesterday that he was announced on X-O, then came Demon Knights and now Green Lantern. By this time next year, Superman will be writing comics about Robert Venditti.
- But don't take my word for it. Let's take a look at what the real WWE Champion CM Punk is reading.
- The X-Men are pretty intense, y'all.
- I loved all the X-Ladies and Claremont told some great stories. And they hold up. My daughter is super into all that old junk.
- Check out this great Rob Ullman hockey comic at Yahoo Sports.
- Wow. Look at this huge Judge Dredd index. I'm a novice when it comes to Dredd. I've never had much access to those comics but the FCBD editions of 2000AD and the new IDW series have me right on the brink of conversion.
- Yeah. That James Jean kid? He draws real good.
- This John Porcellino post about moving really hit me in the feelings box.
- Tom Spurgeon of The Comics Reporter has started a tumblr. I'll make sure to have him added to the prayer list on my church's bulletin.
- That Ant-Man switch plate might be the first thing I've ever seen on Etsy that seemed worth the price. (Of course with the exception of all your wonderful comics you sensitive cartoonist cry babies.)
- This article about an indie wrestler is not at all comics but it does depict a lot of the horrors one sees in the freelance life, the artist life and, at this point, just trying to make a living in the United States today.
- No.
- Big scans of Kirby's crazy Argo art.
- Speaking of Argo. I guess the Oscars are happening sometime? I don't know anything about any of those movies. Whenever their comics adaptions make it to the dollar boxes at the next comic shop I go to, I'll let you know what I think.
- "Also anyone out there who feels they may have screwed me or stolen from me in the past (a very small subset, but still...) this is an excellent time to get your conscience completely cleared at a steep discount. 25 cents on the dollar. These prices will not last!"
- That Autoptic show in Minneapolis in August is going to have Jamie Hernandez. That's something.
- You can submit your comics to SPX's tumblr if that's the kind of thing you think you'd like to do.
- Tom Spurgeon wrote a thing about a Justice League book that costs $24.99.
- I enjoyed this look back at the Death of Superman for a couple of reasons. For one thing, I'm not yet burnt out on 90s nostalgia. For another, it gives me a good excuse to link to these words I wrote about Batman getting his purple bathrobe stolen.
- And by "good excuse" I just mean that it made my brains think of a thing and then I did that thing.
- That time I followed Victor Cayro on the facebook.
- This Patrick Dean comic perfectly sums up my Valentines Day. (Only I'm not named Tom and I did not wake up with a lady beside me on February 14th.)
- And also, Patrick Dean is ready to sell you some fantastic things.
- I wonder if he kept his shirt on?
- Alphabots y'all. Alphabots.
- That Neal Adams kid is very interesting.
- This series on Marvelman at the beat is a great read.
- "It’s like Grandfather’s axe — a new handle and a new blade, it might be a new axe, but it still belongs to grandpa." -Gerry Conway
- Dave Sim talks about Dave Sim as only Dave Sim can.
- I wouldn't call these "rules". More like tastes and preferences. But yeah, most modern lettering and balloon placement is awful.
- 1.2 million years watching porn.
- Retrofit is currently taking subscriptions.
- Jeremy Massie's All My Ghosts is coming to print soon. That's a nice cover.
- Look. A man that has most likely sexually assaulted young boys owns 34% of DragonCon and if you put money into DragonCon you are putting money into that man's hands and the hands of his lawyers. Sure, DragonCon can issue a release blaming it all on the system and say that they can't do anything but the fact remains- Your money is going to Ed Kramer. I'm not placing judgement. Do what you want. Just know what you are doing. The DragonCon board is in a tough spot for sure. I just know that you, the customer, the patron etc., get to decide where you spend your money.
- That crazy CF comic on The New York Times site.
- You could write for Rob Liefled.
THE BEST SINGLE NEW newish PRINT COMIC I READ THIS last WEEK
(Image stolen from Sequential Smart.)
...was Batman 17 by Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo and a bunch of other people. I'm still behind on my comics due to a whole bunch of boring reasons but we'll talk about Batman today and hopefully catch up on some other things between now and next Sunday. I had written previously about how I was disappointed in this Death of the Family storyline. That was mainly in relation to the previous Snyder/Capullo Batman comics from 2011 and 2012 which I thought were as good or better than anything in super hero comics. My main beef with Death in the Family has been the pacing. That it did not feel big enough and things seemed rushed. This is a horror story and there has not been a lot of time to scream. Of course, this story is bigger than just the Batman comic. It is a crossover event. I however have read only the Batman comics. And I won't apologize for that. As the customer, it is not my burden to read the other comics and figure it all out. Maybe there would have been more weight to Death of the Family for me if I had read all of the other Bat family member's adventures but I just could not afford to do that. But let's just forget about all that altogether and look at this one singe comic, Batman 17.
It is a very good Batman versus Joker comic book. Maybe one of the best. But I don't know, I've not read them all. The real guts of this comic is mostly talking and it is the culmination of the 73 year long philosophical argument between Batman and the Joker over what they mean to each other and what they would be without each other. Two insane guys saying 'yeah but at least I'm not as crazy as you' for 73 years. And it's great. I think Snyder and Capullo are pushing this thing just a bit further than it's been pushed before. I think they may have pushed it as far as it can go. This comic is the natural evolution of this story into a horror comic. But it can't go all the way off the deep end because it is still a Batman comic. Greg Capullo's art is gross and freaky and horrific but it is still stylized and Batman still has that larger than life chin because it is still a Batman comic. Snyder's writing pushes the characters right to the edge but not over because it is still a Batman comic. It points out the limitations of what you can do with a seven decade old children's character that dresses up as a bat and fights crime. But for at least a few panels, I thought they might just cross the line.
SPOILERS
To push the Joker beyond where he's been before, to make him "real" whatever that means, the threat has to be "real". Or at least movie "real". Hannibal Lecter "real". Or Gwyneth Paltrow's head in a box "real". So the whole gimmick of this thing has been about faces. Faces representing masks. Snyder's Joker has litterally taken off his mask by removing his face then putting it back on. It's gross but it makes the point that the mask or secret identity never mattered. The lesson is that the Joker IS the Joker and the point of this whole campaign of horror is to teach Batman that Batman IS Batman and his desire to maintain some hind of human normalcy by working with the Bat family will either bring him down or bring them death. Maybe both. So, for the big climactic issue of this thing we have Batman tied to a chair at the head of a dinner table with all the Bat family in attendance. But all of their faces are bandaged. And before each of them is a big covered platter. What is on those platters?! What's in the box?! Well, obviously, it is their faces. Obviously, the Joker has carved off the faces of Robin, Batgirl, Batman's son, Nightwing and that other guy no one cares about.
And for a panel or two I thought they might let Snyder go there. I thought they might just do it.
But, this is a Batman comic. Of course their faces have not been removed. It was just a sick Joker joke. Batman gets out of it and the Batman family will carry one. But the horror of the thing does have weight. We see relationships changed. We see the Bat family rethinking whether or not they want to hang out with Batman anymore. We see characters in a different place than they were when the story started and that is about as "real" as we can ask a Batman comic to be.
But what if he had cut their faces off? What if the crossed that line into adult comics. Into Marshall Law or Judge Dredd? I think you could pull it off. Bruce Wayne's top doctors sew the faces on, plastic surgery etc. and the status quo could be resumed. But it would be hard to deal with. Something like that and you are damaged goods mentally in a way that future writers would have to deal with for years. It's like the death of Jason Todd. It was super gross that they let fans kill a character but the real problem with Jason Todd's death is that every writer after it happened that wanted to use the Joker had to deal with it. Again and again and again. For 25 freaking years. The Joker was no longer the Joker. The Joker was the guy that killed Jason Todd. And that's why I think it was best for Snyder and Capullo to not to cross that line. But for a few panels, they had me.
- And finally... Yes, that's right I'm judging you. Look at me. Me. I'm judging you.
And that's just a taste of some of the interesting things going out there in the wonderful world of comics and things. I can't keep up with it all but I do keep up with a lot of it on twitter and I try to re-tweet the good stuff. You should probably follow me there. If you did something to make comics better this week then high-five!
Your best pal ever,
Shannon Smith
p.p.s. Let's pretend we went to high school together on facebook.
p.p.p.s. Google + is another place you can read the same thing I posted here.
p.p.p.p.s. I'll tumblr for ya.
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