No Comments | Posted: March 31st, 2006 | Filed under: Uncategorized
April Fool’s, in case you didn’t guess already.
Back to watching Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and being amazed at Alec Guinness…
No Comments | Posted: March 31st, 2006 | Filed under: Uncategorized
This past week, Dave Campbell posted on the event of the one-year anniversary of his blog, Dave’s Long Box.
I decided this couldn’t go unpunished, so I asked a few people to contribute their thoughts and recollections of Dave’s “writing” for an event I’m calling…
Comics Blogger
Roast For
Dave Campbell,
Who Was In Newsweek
That One Time And
Won’t Shut The Fuck
Up About It Already.
He’s younger than me and gets to write for The Comics Journal, so I was very honored when Ian Brill stopped fondling the genitals of various comics PR people long enough to hack this piece of tripe out…
Dave is one of the bloggers that makes me very envious. I have a hard time coming up with one real good post a month. Dave on the other hand seems to come up with some really entertaining stuff at least three times a week. I suppose since I don’t have a lifetime supply of Mocha Focha Soy Hippie-Piss Chai coffee my brain doesn’t have the fuel to come up with so many good posts.Oh wait, I also don’t have an infinite archive of shitty comics from the ’80s. I did have a lot of shitty comics from the ’90s but I had to go and throw all of those out when I was in high school and realized there was a chance ladies might want to spend some time with me in my room (this turned out to be a very small chance). I suppose my attempts at having good taste, or at least appearing to, have deprived me of thousands of blog posts. Now all I have to depend on my wits and intelligence to come up with readable material. As any of you who have read Dave’s blog know, this is never a worry for Dave.
So Dave, congratulations on informing us about fictional woman’s boobs or whatever it is you write about. Maybe you’ll get to those issue of the George Perez menstruation comics I gave you. That’ll give you literally seconds of photoshop fun.
Dorian at Postmodern Barney is well known for loving the three Cs: comics, more comics, and cock. Seriously, you know how Chris from The ISB is gay for Batman – Dorian is that way for real dudes. Here is he, Dorian Wright!
Ahem…I’ve been asked to say a few brief words about Dave’s one year anniversary as a blogger. What I want to say is simply:“Airwolf” is a noun, not an adjective. Only some kind of sub-literate would continually misuse a word like that.
His obsession with poorly drawn cleavage makes me think he has a mother fixation, and was probably weaned too early. Either that, or he’s a boob man, and he’s so desperate for knockers he will seek solace in pretend bosoms.
I’m not the slightest bit jealous of the fact that he’s been name-dropped in a national news glossy and I haven’t, even though I’ve been doing this for longer than he has. Besides, Newsweek is just a propaganda tool for the Bush Administration, so it’s not like there’s anything special about being in there.
The lucky bastard…
When Ed Cunard from over at The Low Road isn’t scrapbooking for his dogs or investing heavily in getting his very own Thai ladyboy, he posts to his acclaimed, beloved blog. You can see how his posting frequency has plummeted since he found out that there’s something called digital scrapbooking, letting him masturbate to boygirls and put pictures of his doggies jumping around on a page with some ribbons at the same time. Take it away, Ed:
I saw Dave visiting a cancer ward once, spreading good cheer to all the kids. He was full of thumbs-ups and “you guys are totally AIRWOLF,” and the kids seemed to really like the attention. I had to commend him for being so selfless.“Come on–I couldn’t help myself. To think, those kids shaved their heads just because I was coming. That kind of love moves you, man. That kind of love is AIRWOLF.”
What can I say about the next presenter? The enigmatic Neilalien stopped writing his “Doctors Strange And Who Save The Universe” fan fiction long enough to poke fun at our favorite Dave Campbell that’s a comics blogger. I just wish he’d put away his “Wand Of Watoomb” for longer than his relapse time. At least he was kind enough to dust off some antiquities of comics humor for the event…
First off, I’m told that his box is one of several things of Dave’s that aren’t as long as he thinks…Dave’s taste in comics is so bad that when he mailed his books to CGC for grading and slabbing, they came back in plastic holders that are opaque.
Isn’t it cute how Dave wants us to use the phrase “Knight Rider in the Sky” as a positive adjective? Oops, I mean “Airwolf”. Common mistake.
So let’s get this straight: Dave’s blog is based on mocking the bad comics he bought in his youth. I haven’t seen an entertainment career based on so little since Tom Arnold.
Dave’s dedication to comics outreach and overcoming their Power-Girl-breasts image is fantastic- but it often gets him into trouble. Just last week he was kicked out of a mall for inviting some young girls to see his Wally Wood.
A year’s a long time for Dave to stick with something, so really, congrats to him. In fact, the only thing Dave’s had for longer than his blog is scrotal rash.
Apparently, Chris Butcher is so busy making sure that The Beguiling is the comics store you never want to stop by in case the surly dude with the blog is there that he can’t give Campbell his full due. Campbell gives us Boob War, Butcher gives us some more solicitations from Drawn and Quarterly featuring comics composed of gravestone rubbings, stick figures, and paper made from Filipino scabs. I guess I know who’s going to get mentioned in Newsweek next time around…
I’ve actually never read Dave’s Long Box. I get the impression that it’s humourous? At any rate, I’m sure it’s very good if you like that sort of thing.
Joe Rice spends his days corrupting America’s youth, teaching kids in New York City. His nights get corrupted by America’s Youth while trolling for another hot Asian girlfriend on MySpace.
When asked to roast Dave, I didn�t have to really think too hard. First off, Dave is a blogger. That means he has the sexual proclivities and attractiveness of a mid-century Quaker mixed with a lychee. The guy writes about comic books. And he�s not writing about good comic books. No. He�s writing about comics he bought because he got a little stiffie looking at the drawn boobs.Ironic detachment cannot hide his love for masturbation. He loves it almost as much as I do. It�s a good thing, because he�s married and his wife has popped out multiple Davelings. That�s right. There�s a woman out there who can get drunk enough to let Dave �treat her like Mantra likes it. Oh, yeah, baby, you�re a man inside. You like it!� But now that she�s had some grubs, she�s not going to be going for that anymore. After a couple of blood-covered Dave spawn comes out of someone, sex is the last thing they want.
Where was I? Oh, yeah.
Dave is bald. Once he asked for a sample of my lush hair. I said no and vomited. The vomiting wasn�t polite but was involuntary. If you�ve ever smelled Dave you know exactly what I�m talking about. His constant use of comics as masturbation aids has created a cut-up, infected weiner that stinks like garbage mixed with poop mixed with more garbage that someone pooped on.
I�m kind of tired of writing about Dave now. He�s a comic book blogger, which means he isn�t really very interesting at all. But, for what it�s worth, he�s one of the best and funniest of all time (that�s a long time). Here�s to you, Dave, and happy anniversary.
PS if any contributors say �blogiversary� that means they eat farts.
Indeed, Joe. Fart-eating is a common problem among the sort of people who use “blog” in nouns that didn’t feature the word before. Speaking of bald and evil, here’s Dave Lartigue, whose last name causes paroxysms in the young and infirm:
What can you say about Dave and his blog? His material and style is often imitated but never duplicated!Oh, who am I kidding, it’s constantly duplicated. Surpassed, most of the time. How freakin’ hard is it to mock bad comic books? OH LOOK THIS ISSUE OF BOOBAZONIA WAS BAD, WHO KNEW? Maybe now that everyone’s getting mileage out of the schtick he thinks he created, he’ll get a second trick. Now he’s gonna cry. OH BOO HOO HOO. DON’T CRY DAVE, IT’S NOT “AIRWOLF!”
Now, I feel I should say a few words about Dave Campbell. My girlfriend loves his blog. Me, I post two or three times a day and I get a “Oh, you posted?” over dinner. Campbell posts and guess what? I get text messages, instant messages, and I swear to God, flowers were delivered to me the other day at the office with a note that said “Your mom! Ha!” You know what, Campbell – you can have her.
Oh, wait, you can’t because you’re “married” to your “wife” and you have two “daughters.” I can’t wait until the FBI bursts into your living room and finds you in some kind of Tennessee Williams-style menagerie full of female action figures and posters of Shi. Maybe a Whitesnake LP would be playing in the background and you’d be wearing genuine Hellboy leather pants. I’m just saying.
How is it you manage to post, consistently, about such shit in the medium, anyway? Have you ever read a good comic in your life? When you do one of your “F*@% Yeah Files” entries, I keep on checking over at Comics Should Be Good to see if you’ve cribbed your material from Cronin or Curran because heaven forbid you let an issue of Fantastic Four Unplugged lie unread and underappreciated. You know, come to San Diego, we’ll sit down together, and I’ll teach you how to read Love And Rockets or another title that doesn’t feature unrealistic anatomy, dudes with oversized guns, or Rob Liefeld.
Seriously, though. I don’t think me or anyone else here would have written this stuff if they didn’t love your blog and at least tolerate you as a human being. You’ve added a lot to comics blogging, making everybody, including myself, step things up a bit. Thanks for the entertaining reading and here’s to many more posts from you.
Oh, and one more thing:
No Comments | Posted: March 31st, 2006 | Filed under: Uncategorized
This is posted for Roel.
I’m sure the rest of you can enjoy the historical and artistic value of this comic.
Is that dude in the front going to punch me or feel
me up? Christ!
I can tell these guys are going to be huge.
This page generated using the Buckler Swipe-a-Tron 6000,
created for customers looking for a value-oriented solution
when they want a Dynamic Kirby-Style Pose to be rendered
in flat, lifeless misery.
No Comments | Posted: March 30th, 2006 | Filed under: Uncategorized
I may not have much faith that X-Men: The Last Stand or X3 or X-Men 3: The Next Morning is going to be good, but I dearly love the promotional images for the film that are up on fauxteur Brett Ratner’s page for the film on his site.
I think it’s the fact that these are well-done professional photos that aren’t just stills and the design element with the text appeals to my Peter Saville and Mark Farrow-influenced tastes.
(The Angel image is actually the prettiest and
the Wolverine one has my favorite photograph,
but there’s no way I’m putting those on my site.
I’m a manly, straight dude. Honest.)
No Comments | Posted: March 30th, 2006 | Filed under: Uncategorized
To: The People Whining And Screaming About “Superhero” Being Trademarked
From: Cooler Heads Than Yours – You Know Who I’m Talking About, Cory Doctorow.
RE: The Whole Mess
Do you really think Image or Alias or Whoever can possibly live up to using the term properly when there are masterworks of literature like these out there?
Also, get a fucking life. Just because I can’t call my comic book “All-Star Superhero Fuck Buddies Jam” doesn’t mean that I can’t, in fact, have my hero Ultrasuperiormale say “Christ, I love fucking superheroes in their sweet, sweet superhero holes during our All-Star Superhero Fuck Buddies Jams!”
No Comments | Posted: March 30th, 2006 | Filed under: Uncategorized
As some of you know (and a very few of you participate in), I go out each and every Wednesday with a select cadre of nerds and their better halves and completely forget that I really should read the comics before commenting on them the next day in my blog. This time, somehow, I managed to read a decent slice of yesterday’s offerings while still at the shop (and I paid for them, thank you very much,) so I’ll talk about those books and give you my impressions, no matter how vague, of the others.
The final issue of Battle Royale is still wrapped in its plastic. That’ll be a weekend kind of thing, out of the view of the delicate sensibilities that have become prevalent in our culture. When a grown man can’t read his manga about children fucking and blowing each other’s brains out in public, then our society really has fallen to that whole “political correctness” meme.
Blue Beetle #1 is pretty darn good, and a lot of it has to do with Cully Hamner’s fine, fine art. Cartoonish without being silly, his characters’ expressions and body language adds an additional layer to this seemingly-sparse debut. I’m pretty sure what Rogers and Giffen are going for is going to read great when the opening salvo has been fired completely, but this is an underwhelming first issue, despite some well-handled character moments and our hero’s fight with Guy Gardner
Marvel Romance Redux: Guys and Dolls has wacky remixes of old love stories from the days when such things stood proud on the racks. I only read a chunk of he first story before realizing I wasn’t really in the mood, but I did manage to laugh out loud at one bit that will make my panels of the week.
That is, if I ever do that feature again.
East Cast Rising #1 is the Becky Cloonan title I have been waiting for and cursory glances reveal that it is both beautiful and quite insane. This wins the Angelina Jolie Bitch Crazy award of the week.
Sterling said it best when he commented that we need more Star Wars humor books, and that’s why The Return Of Tag And Bink still gets my vote when I’m done with the extracurricular material related to the saga. Boba Fett had one line that made me quake with mirth: “I have this girl following me who’s convinced I’m the guy who dumped her. Price you pay for looking exactly like a million other guys in the galaxy…”
If you don’t get that, it’s fine.
The Surrogates wraps up in fine style, with a worthy, downbeat ending where nobody really wins outside of Humanity itself, which is certainly thought-provoking. When this hits trade paperback, you really, really should check it out.
The Captain America 65th Anniversary Special took care of most of my current needs when it comes to the Star-Spangled Avenger, with gorgeous art by Javier Pulido and Marcos Martin, Nick Fury and his Howling Commandoes, and Nazis getting their asses whooped. Apparently, the epilogue ties into a Current Captain America Storyline, but it’s not really a requirement.
G�DLAND proceeds apace, with pieces moving into place for the titanic anniversary issues, Adam Archer realizes he has to come to grips with what he is, cosmic-powered aliens roaming the desert southwest, Neela launching into space, and Basil Cronus…doing whatever he does.
I’ve not read the new Zombie Tales book, but it’s probably very good unless Ross Richie’s been hitting the absinthe really, really hard.
All-Star Superman #3 is worthy of deeper analysis, but I’m not the one to do it – I just think it’s as close to a perfect book featuring Krypton’s Last Son that was made in my lifetime. Yes, this includes the Alan Moore stories that I love very, very dearly. The love that Morrison has for the character doesn’t overwhelm the affair and turn it into fan fiction and Frank Quitely’s art has never been better.
This is a message to Gail Simone, writer of JLA Classified #19: the puppy lives. Also, is it just me or are you channeling Cary Bates a bit with this story? It’s very seventies in a good way, epic while making sure we know this is just another day for these people.
Also: Sean Phillips inking Jose Luis Garcia Lopez is gorgeous. Wow.
The third issue X-Statix Presents: Dead Girl is terribly fun, except for the unfortunate scene mocking our president. At this point, having his avatar holding a rubber duck that serves as his primary advisor just can’t match up to the real thing’s growing King George syndrome.
Queen And Country #30 serves as a bridge between the excellent novel A Gentleman’s Game and its followup Private Wars. As I’ve not read the latter yet, this means I get to catch up in “real time.” Tara’s a mess after the botched mission to Saudi Arabia and I suspect that even with Crocker’s questionable support, it’s going to manage to get worse before it gets better. Chris Sammie, who drew the underrated Capote In Kansas as well as one of the better-rendered stories in the Belle and Sebastian anthology Put The Book Back On The Shelf, may be the best artist to get picked up for the series, with a sensibility that harkens back to the Modesty Blaise newspaper strips.
Steven Perkins’s Pacify looks like it will need serious concentration, so I’m waiting until I have some quiet time to dive into it.
Now, I have to go do the “be productive for fiduciary recompense” thing, so talk amongst yourselves.
No Comments | Posted: March 29th, 2006 | Filed under: Uncategorized
You see that panel right there? That’s State’s Evidence Number 1 in the case of BeaucoupKevin.com versus The X-Men. Stan Lee, despite being married to his wife Joanie since the Boxer Rebellion, apparently never spoke to her or any other female during his time as Marvel’s main writer. If so, there probably would have been half as many thought balloons filled with half as many words describing Jean’s feelings for Scott. I mean, this makes Carol Ferris mooning over Green Lantern look like a finely-nuanced Merchant-Ivory production.
I’m glad Stan left the title when he got too busy. Heaven knows how far he would have gone with this sort of thing…
Scene: The X-Men sitting around the dinner table at the mansion.
Scott (scowling more than usual): This salad needs something.
Beast (passing a bottle of Hidden Valley with his feet): Does our fearless leader require some extra dressing?
Iceman (making ice cubes): Stop showing off, Hank! Now, maybe I can cool it down a bit with these?
Jean Grey (thought balloon): Oh, Scott! I know what you need! You need croutons or bacon bits but I can never reveal that you need something crunchy in your salad because you’d suspect how I really feel about you! Oh, the strain of leadership rests heavily on your beautifully furrowed brow and you’d never have time for us to be a real couple! I’m going to go back to my room and carve your name into my arm again…
(Also, is it just me or does Scott look like he’s about 45 in these stories? I mean, I love Jack’s art, but…)
No Comments | Posted: March 28th, 2006 | Filed under: Uncategorized
This is a post involving alcohol, so those of you who don’t imbibe can go look elsewhere for a moment, ok?
You see that bottle on the left? That’s what I call a “warning.” I want the rest of you who appreciate the ambrosia that is fine bourbon to avoid the foul shit that’s currently polluting my liquor cabinet. No matter how neat the bottle is, no matter how much you may want to try something new, avoid the donkey piss that is Russell’s 10 Year Reserve, which I am quite convinced actually has very little to do with master distiller Jimmy Russell despite the press releases I’ve seen that say otherwise. In fact, press releases by the parent company are the only comments I’ve seen on this particular potion, outside of ads on taxis, which should have been my first warning sign.
In fact, that’s enough of a sign to become Kevin’s First Corollary of Alcohol: If there are ads on TV or in public transportation for the intoxicant, it is most likely of inferior quality and will make you regret spending your money on it.
Write that down, because there may well be more in the future.
The thing is, I’ve liked Russell’s work with Wild Turkey in their premium line and think it’s a real shame he’s associated himself with a bitter, acrid potion that tastes more of flint and ashes than the caramel and gloriousness that I associate with bourbon that costs more than $30 for a 750ml. Avoid, avoid, avoid and instead put your money towards Baker’s (my favorite value in the arena) or get some Bulliet at around the same price point instead.
We now return you to our regular enthusiastic posts about comics, the staff’s other brain-deadening obsession.
No Comments | Posted: March 28th, 2006 | Filed under: Uncategorized
When reviewing certain comics, the first impulse that comes to mind is to compare the work to others that feature a similar approach or design, to give the reader an opportunity to have a jump start, a reference point. This approach is fraught with a fair number of problems, the first of which is that, frankly, it’s a matter of apples and crabapples at best, and Buicks and penguins at the very worst. There’s also heightened expectations. If I say something approaches the lyricism of, say, Big Numbers, then the readers that worship at the Altar of Moore will be disappointed when, in fact, Uncle Dingo’s Anal Funnies doesn’t actually close at all to the Bearded One’s material.
So, I have a problem: I sincerely believe that Danica Novgorodoff�s Late Freeze really does echo a lot of what I love in Chris Ware’s work. Many of the tropes that Ware used to such effect in Rocket Sam and the cowboy stories crop up here and here’s the remarkable thing: they feel fresh. Vast empty spaces with small figures that are deceptively simple, silent sequences filled with emotion, and gorgeous attention to world-building and design are used to great effect without a clear derivation.
For something that could be a Kochalka-style fairy tale, this story of the love between a robot and a bear and the family they build is mature and without a trace of cheap sentiment. Novgorodoff’s art supplies the wordless story with the necessary storytelling and very little more: there’s no cute asides or winks at the audience that have become increasingly common in the Graphic Novel era. Graeme over at The Savage Critics made comparisons between Novgorodoff�s work and two cartoonists that fail to resonate with me: Laurenn McCubbin and Hope Larson, and I can see how she incorporates some of the same techniques in her work (curved, unsteady lines that manage to build a form, for instance) in a way that I find more satisfying.
While I enjoyed the book immensely, I do wish it had been longer. Certain passages could have been expanded a small amount to heighten the impact of later events, but as it stands, Late Freeze holds up near-perfectly and heralds a major talent’s arrival.
If you’d like to see more of Novgorodoff’s work, you can check out this page on the First Second site as well as her own webpage, which provides a handy “Buy” link in the comics section.
No Comments | Posted: March 28th, 2006 | Filed under: Uncategorized
Because I really do think a beefed-up, close-cropped
Bruce Willis would be just about perfect for the role
and I’d write around that. Oh, he’d never crack wise
in front of Easy; only Nazis would experience Rock’s
offbeat, wacky “sense of humor.” To see Easy
Company’s leader in even more awesome glory,
go read this.
Confidential to Anonymous in New Jersey:
1) You had a point and I corrected the lettering. It
was initially done late at night.
2) Even though you had a point, Anonymous in New
Jersey who uses Verizon internet services, you were
a real cock about it, and there’s no need for that.
No Comments | Posted: March 27th, 2006 | Filed under: Uncategorized
Wednesday, March 29th. Here’s a few worthy of
your attention, unless you live in England.
Then you have to wait until Thursday.
But you can get a decent cuppa just about
anywhere, so isn’t the delay worth it?
Dark Horse
JAN060130 STAR WARS RETURN OF TAG & BINK SPECIAL ED #1 (OF 2) $2.99
Insular, nerdist humor that I should hate with every fiber of my being? Check. Hypocritical attitude towards this because Rubio hasn’t reached Kevin Smith levels of fame? Check.
DC Comics
JAN060291 ALL STAR SUPERMAN #3 $2.99
You know, just like Spike Lee has surprised everyone with this whole The Inside Man movie, I think Morrison’s getting some new fans with All-Star Superman because he’s willing to do something mainstream and do it well unlike so, so many other people.
However, I feel that special notice should be given to the Busiek/Johns Superman material related to OYL: it’s actually pretty freakin’ good and has new ideas that actually resonate with the character versus, you know, almost anything done with the character in the last two decades. I’ll be picking it up in trade if it continues being so blasted readable.
JAN060307 BLUE BEETLE #1 $2.99
Rogers:
You and Giffen and Hamner better impress me.
Love,
Kevin.
JAN060317 JLA CLASSIFIED #19 $2.99
Gail Simone:
Keep impressing me or the dog gets it.
Love,
Kevin.
Image
JAN061812 GODLAND #9 $2.99
Last issue, Adam Archer learned the origin of the universe. How can Casey and Scioli top that? I have no freakin’ clue, but I’m now hooked.
JAN061797 PACIFY GN $12.99
I ordered this because it sounded like something I’d appreciate: bug-headed actors, militant bagladies, and a Tobacco/News/Oil/Fast Food/Entertainment/Condiment mogul all meet up in this OGN by Steven Perkins, who looks determined to skewer our pop culture pretty thoroughly. Sometimes, these things need some skewering, you know?
Marvel
JAN062090 ALIAS OMNIBUS $69.99
I…er…ordered this from Amazon. Deep, deep discount. My comic shop sees enough of my filthy money and beer to let me get by with the occasional slip to the darkside.
JAN062097 DAREDEVIL VOL 13 THE MURDOCK PAPERS TP $14.99
Once I’ve got this, I may do a longish Bendis DD retrospective with my typical complete lack of reverence. Of course, I’ve been promising a Deadwood/Bendis Decompression comparison piece for months and months. I swear, there’s notes and everything somewhere.
JAN062078 X-STATIX PRESENTS DEAD GIRL #3 (OF 5) $2.99
I adore this series. Finally, a Dr. Strange I can relate to while still respecting his kookiness and lots and lots of hot, dead women.
Er. Yeah, I may have to talk to a special doctor one day, huh?
Other Companies
JAN063184 BANANA SUNDAY TP (MR) $11.95
JAN063265 BATTLE ROYALE VOL 15 GN (OF 15) (MR) $9.99
One involves high school, monkeys (and apes, I know) and cuteness! The other has guns, upskirt shots, and deadly high school politics! Together, they’re a wacky duo that will leave my mind broken and shattered.
JAN063257 EAST COAST RISING VOL 1 GN (OF 3) $9.99
Becky Cloonan without Steven Seagle to ruin my fun? Oh yes, I’ll be reading this, thankyouverymuch.
DEC053324 MIDDLEMAN VOL 2 #2 WINNEBAGO INTERROGATION CONTINGENCY $2.95
Maybe this series is trying a little too hard, but I really don’t care: it’s funny and action-packed and I love, love, love Les McClaine’s cartooning, which improves every time I blink.
FEB063185 NORTH COUNTRY GN $13.95
Despite the praise from SilverBulletComics.com, I may find my way to purchasing a copy of this interesting looking graphic novel from NBM. It looks like something I would order in advance, but I have the memory of a goldfish.
-n advance, but I have the memory of a goldfish.
-n advance, but I have the memory of a goldfish.
-n advance, but I have the memory of a goldfish.
FEB063009 OR ELSE #4 (MR) $5.95
I got this at Rocketship during the signing and have read it a couple of times, trying to piece together how I feel about it. It’s different from previous issues and is actually kind of difficult in places for me, even if I’m used to Huizenga’s stylistic experiments. Bless him for doing something worth thinking about, though, even if it didn’t connect with me.
JAN063185 QUEEN & COUNTRY #29 (MR) $2.99
I refuse to believe this exists until I read it. The end.
DEC053143 SHARKNIFE VOL 1 GN (MR) $9.95
AVAILABLE AGAIN FOR THE FIRST TIME! Your mind is not ready for the return of Sharknife’s first adventure with an all new cover and … other stuff that I don’t recall! Go ask Butcher, he knows the score. I’m just his pretty-boy accomplice.
No Comments | Posted: March 27th, 2006 | Filed under: Uncategorized
Here’s a weird opening page from Amazing Spider Man #155, which has very little to do with the rest of the story. There’s no internal narration from Spider-Man, which the Giant Floating Disembodied Head seems to indicate we’re going to get, instead it’s just a standard-issue, thought balloons, real-time sort of affair.
No Comments | Posted: March 27th, 2006 | Filed under: Uncategorized
I gave the kid upstairs two of those Marvel Legends figures that I got super cheap at KayBee (The Thing and Human Torch, for those who care.) Yesterday afternoon, he left this note along with Godzilla: Final Wars on VHS for me to borrow on my doorstep.
I got a little verklempt, I did.
No Comments | Posted: March 26th, 2006 | Filed under: Uncategorized
Remixed Covers From The Crappy,
Crappy Charlton Romance Title
Teen Confessions.
Sometimes, I make jokes just for classic rock fans.
Next time around, I’ll be good, promise.
No Comments | Posted: March 25th, 2006 | Filed under: Uncategorized
For no particular reason, here’s some black and white pictures of Kirby’s Barda, collected from various issues of the excellent Jack Kirby Collector magazine.
Inked by Dave (Rocketeer) Stevens.
Va-va-va-voom.
Why is Barda’s face missing from some of these panels?
Read on for the “answer”!
Mike Royer apparently messed up while inking her face
on a very few occasions and Kirby went back and repaired
the damage himself just before sending the pages off to
press.
H a w t.
No Comments | Posted: March 24th, 2006 | Filed under: Uncategorized
Sure, it’s posted at Newsarama, but who reads that place? Seriously?
(OK, sometimes I do. Shut up.)
But anyway.
Here’s Steve McNiven’s gorgeous and Starbucktastic cover for Dynamite Entertainment’s Battlestar Galactica #0. Thanks to Marc Mason for pointing it out to me.
No Comments | Posted: March 24th, 2006 | Filed under: Uncategorized
A Joe Kubert School Of Art Ad
for Heroes World (Now With
Six Locations – Franchises
Available!) Featuring T-Shirts
And A Really Creepy-Looking
Kid In It That Looks Like He
May Have Some Kind Of Rapid
Aging Disease Like That Old
Star Trek Episode.
No Comments | Posted: March 23rd, 2006 | Filed under: Uncategorized
Man alive, I drank quite a lot of beer last night. Thank Zod I’ve got Diesel Cafe here to make sure that I have enough caffeine to counter the ill effects I would otherwise experience.
Now, let’s talk about some comic books as I read them. That’s right – live comicsblogging, and you get to be at the vanguard of this Web 2.0 phenomenon!
9:56
Playlist on Mother Box selected – Dub and Reggae will help me, certainly. Mad Professor’s got horns and deep beats pushing me forward. Look at me, getting ready to break new ground in comics blogging.
9:58
I realize that I read Brian Wood and Kristian’s Supermarket #2 this morning in the bathroom and should write about it. It’s a huge improvement over the (very good) second issue, with Swedish Porn Stars, the Yakuza, and heavy doses of irony along with some gorgeous art.
9:59
Pick up Jeremiah Harm #2 and commence to reading it.
10:07
Finish Jeremiah Harm and decide to write about it, but first I’ve got to put a little more sugar in this coffee and clear my plate and everything.
10:08
Ok, so Jeremiah Harm’s second issue was a big improvement over the first, with the action from deep space to the Bronx. I guess the first issue’s opening in the typical Lobo Space Setting put me off more than I thought.
10:11
Start to read Gun Fu: Showgirls Are Forever #1 after fiddling with Mother Box’s equalization feature, which is paltry at best. Apple, you really should give me an equalizer I can tweak myself.
10:16
Realize I’ve been doing the stupid “White Boy Bobbing His Head To Reggae” dance. Pray that the rasta dude over there didn’t see me.
10:20
Wow, Shum and Sim packed a lot of action and sexist attitudes into that comic book! Yes, there’s a heavy glaze of humor dripped over the entire thing and a few lines made me chortle, but I feel vaguely guilty afterwards. Darryl Young’s art suits the affair perfectly, though, with a few touches that elevated the entire affair.
10:22
Hawkgirl. Has. Thought. Balloons.
Oh my stars and garters.
10:23
Hawkgirl is, apparently, very cold despite living in Louisiana.
10:25
Kendra’s friend Danny wears checked Vans.
10:29
I decide I really, really like this Hawkgirl comic. It’s got two creators at the top of their game playing to each other’s strengths perfectly and it’s doing something different from the book’s prior take, which was “Dude with wings beats the crap out of stuff.” Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but switching things up is nice.
10:33
Nextwave #3 turns Bad Lieutenant into a comedy. Brilliant.
10:35
I don’t know who I love more: Dirk Anger or Ellis’s take on Boom-Boom.
10:36
“You have bought an episode of Nextwave unless you stole it off the internet.”
I weep tears of pure joy.
10:38
Answer to my earlier question: I love Elsa Bloodstone the most.
10:39
Now I read Daredevil.
10:43
I’ve decided I would read a Brubaker series about J. Jonah Jameson bitching out Ben Urich.
10:46
Well, that’s interesting. If Brubaker can pull this off – and I’m on the fence about this – this comic could be as good as some people on other blogs have decided it is. There’s a lot of stage-setting and a feeling of movement in this, reminding me of the best of the Bendis run, which I love to pieces but freely admit sputtered fairly often with things like six issues of demon babies.
10:51
Now I’m going to read this Sgt Rock comic book and try to ignore the couple making out at the counter. Christ, people, it’s not even 11AM yet!
10:55
Oh, shit. That’s just cold, Joe Kubert.
At least that Nazi fuck got what he deserved.
10:58
I decide that I have enough time to read the new Jeffrey Brown before I head into work. In order to maximize the Emo factor, I switch over to a Death Cab For Cutie album.
11:03
Wow, I just want to sit here and cry for a while and I’m not even that sad.
And that couple are still stroking and touching and gazing into each other’s eyes. Eww.
11:16
Jeffrey Brown wouldn’t have been coughing for two weeks straight if he’d stayed home instead of slutting around with all these indie girls.
Wait a minute. What am I saying? What’s a little chest rumble compared to a never-ending parade of fine ladies?
“We Laugh Indoors” by Death Cab For Cutie, btw, is totally the soundtrack to every Jeffrey Brown autobiocomic. Every Girl Is The End Of The World For Me is interesting because it’s both micro in detail, covering a narrow window of time compared to his other “girls” books, but displays a distance and maturity about everything he’s been through.
And now, I must away to work, where this will be uploaded and all two dozen of you will be amazed at my ability to liveblog my comics reading!
No Comments | Posted: March 22nd, 2006 | Filed under: Uncategorized
We’ve all seen these ads in our Marvel and DC books from the 70s and 80s – Howard (M or D, depending on the publisher he was advertising with) Rogofsky was going to sell you some back issues – sent him some measly quarters for a catalog!
In early comics fandom, Howard Rogofsky stood out for one reason: he sold back issues and made money doing it despite the fact he was just a teenager. This was before there were retail stores devoted to our favorite four-colored medium or price guides that would level the playing field a bit. Along with Phil Seuling and Ken Mitchell, he established the idea of paying more for a harder-to-find issue of, say, Sensation Comics #1 and subsequently gave false hope to millions of people who purchased X-Force.
Rogofsky was one of the first people to actually make a living selling comic books thanks to the Marvel explosion. At 16, he was placing ads in magazines like TV Guide to catch a prospective customer’s eye. A mimeographed three or four sheet list would be sent upon request, books would be ordered, and they’d get a package that would fill the holes in your collection. A couple of years after the Marvel line was in full swing, he was selling copies of Fantastic Four #s 1, 2, and 3 for a dollar each – that’s a 700% increase. One poster from the Collector’s Society message boards recalls buying a copy of Avengers #1 in ‘66 or ‘67 for $5, a massive sum at the time.
Rogofsky had one flaw: he had not a single clue about grading. That’s a lie: he did know the difference between Good and Near Mint, but he pretended he didn’t because he wanted to make sure that books flew from his “warehouse.” He’s famous in certain circles for declaring “Tape is not a defect,” especially if it was “well-placed” and “not obtrusive.” Many of his customers didn’t care at the time – they were just happy to get the books at all, but the venom is still quite strong among those who received slabs of pulp with extra staples and tape.
He’s still out there, selling books through ads in places like Comic Buyers Guide. He still shows up at San Diego Comicon, brandishing want lists and helping people get the books they “need,” usually without tape now. Next time you’re in awe of someone walking into your comics shop with a stack of cat-pissed soaked, restapled issues of Adolescent Radioactive Black Belt Hamsters, think of Howard.
If you think you’d like to do business with this paragon of comic book commerce, you can still write for a price guide (he’s not online and probably never will be from what I can gather):
Howard Rogofsky
P.O. Box 107
Glen Oaks, N.Y. 11004
