Promotional: The Rack
Comments Off | Posted: February 23rd, 2007 | Filed under: Uncategorized
The second of my first “No, dammit, I created it so I get to write when I damn well please!” strips for The Rack is up at the usual spot. This one features an awful Star Wars pun and a Mighty Marvel Guest Star in one fell swoop. I revel in my nerditry every once in a while.
Oh, and Mike Sterling’s response to that rant from earlier in the week is up. He’s a mercenary, but proud of it. That’s probably why I love him and want to have his babies think he’s so good at what he does. He also reminded all of us that it’s Dorian’s birthday, so make sure you give to your local hip-replacement charity today.
A lot of people have asked…
Comments Off | Posted: February 22nd, 2007 | Filed under: Uncategorized…and I’m waiting for them to go gold after last year’s debacle. I’m a cautious consumer.
This is a joke for Kitty. You can ignore it.
From now on, I want to be called "The Web Site Guy."
Comments Off | Posted: February 22nd, 2007 | Filed under: UncategorizedThis person does not like me. Why? Because I mocked this romance comic, which I posted on my site for Valentine’s Day. Some choice bites:
So, what was the problem? I went to this really annoying web site called BeaucoupKevin (dot)com on which a romance comic story entitled “I Don’t Love You Anymore” from 1972 (published by DC Comics in Falling In Love) was held up to scorn as “the worst romance comic I’ve ever come across.” Pretty harsh criticism and I thought it was quite unfair.
There’s also:
As for the web site guy’s low opinion of this story, I’m not so sure he even likes romance or has any understanding of it. His comments were in the form of a ha-ha quiz. He used a vulgar term for lovemaking that suggests he does not have the romance sensibility.
And my favorite bit:
At least I didn’t claim that was “the worst blog I’ve ever visited.”
This is, apparently, my Week Of Controversy. I hope there’s a t-shirt or something. Maybe a hat. I look bad in them, but it’s a great giveaway.
Responses, A Couple Of Miniscule Comic Thoughts.
Comments Off | Posted: February 22nd, 2007 | Filed under: UncategorizedA few reactions to my rant from the other day:
- Neilalien responds and discusses my approach (which I think was taken more personally by many than intended) quite a bit. Neilalien’s a great guy and I find his take on things fascinating. (Yes, he owes me a drink.)
- Tim O’Neil discusses the content versus the approach and while the first point is well-taken, I really think he missed out when talking about the “zero-sum game” by presuming my intentions. Really, I don’t think that somebody’s going to stop reading a comic they hate and then suddenly pick up MOME or the like; I just think it’s time people took some responsibility for the fact they’re rewarding companies for publishing books they don’t enjoy. He also seems to think I took things more personally than I did.
- Stuart Immonen thinks I am trying to take money from his coffers, but I am not. I encourage everyone that is enjoying Ultimate Spider-Man to buy two copies of every issue he draws. He’s a fantastic artist and I’m going to check back in with the title with him on board.
Thanks to everyone who was civil in their discussion, even if they didn’t necessarily agree with me. I got some nice positive comments, along with the requisite amount of flaming, screaming, and hollering from those that seemed to miss the point. That’s fine. I’m pretty done with the topic, myself.
Color me shocked at how much I really enjoyed The Brave And The Bold #1. I don’t think I’ll buy it as a monthly title, but it did remind me a lot of the positive aspects of the later Haney issues of its namesake – chumminess between heroes, a “new” villain, etc. Besides, I’m a sucker for getting to see Bruce Wayne pimproll into a casino and spend a ludicrous amount of money. However, I do have a fashion tip to Hal Jordan: don’t wear a flight jacket and that awful yellow shirt when you’re next to somebody in a multi-thousand-dollar suit. It makes you look gauche.
The third issue of The Spirit, aka The New Origin Story was really well handled and featured an able-handed Cooke showing that he can handle multiple narrators much, much more smoothly than most. The pulpiness of the landscape and characters is cranked up a bit with some nicely modern touches. It’s a bit of a shame that “The Octopus” is now “The Octagon,” but that’s probably just me loving some hoary old bit more than I should.
I picked up House Of Sugar yesterday. If it’s lousy, I’m going to have some tasty egg on my face after writing Diamond over that situation.
Review: Beyond!
Comments Off | Posted: February 22nd, 2007 | Filed under: Uncategorized
My favorite sort of Marvel Comic, once you get past the brain-blasting awesomeness of the first wave of Jack-and-Steve (and Stan, of course) books is the mental 70s period, when Steve Englehart (and to a lesser extent, Steve Gerber) wreaked havoc on the line. By taking the base template created with books like Fantastic Four #s 48-50 and turning every dial he could find past 10, Englehart managed to combine the truly out there with just enough of that Mighty Marvel Melodrama to create stories like the Avengers Serpent Crown epic, a story that happily melded time travel, parallel universes, and the transmogrification of Patsy Walker. While Beyond! may serve as a quasi-sequel to a horribly-written mid-80s miniseries as far as its plot goes, its spirit certainly harkens back to those raucous times and writer Dwayne McDuffie and artist Scott Kolins appear to be having a blast.
Originally an underappreciated 6-issue miniseries that was buried underneath the pile-up that was Civil War and all of the Annihilation-related books, Beyond! features a motley crew that includes former Avengers, Medusa from the Inhumans, Venom, a few recent creations like The Hood (from a short-lived Brian K. Vaughn-written series of the same name) and Gravity, along with the ever-popular Spider-Man being transported to a far-distant world where a being presumed to be The Beyonder offers them the chance at power beyond their dreams if they’re willing to knock each other off in combat. In other words, it’s a very old-school Marvel Comics sort of plot, a derivative of the first Secret Wars and Contest of Champions. It’s the sort of Lord Of The Flies knockoff we’ve all seen a dozen times and the pleasure of something like Beyond! is watching the execution.
It’s plain that McDuffie spent time crafting some nicely-handled surprises; his dialogue is always engaging while managing to give just the right amount of exposition. Scott Kolins is, well, Scott Kolins. I always enjoy seeing the Marvel Universe as rendered by him. Kolins has got a natural gift for action that makes scenes such as Xemnu The Titan (!!!) lifting a very, very large rock to crush our heroes exciting as all hell and his character work – body language and facial expressions – is the perfect complement. The entire book feels larger-than-life while managing to maintain a human element, easily justifying that exclamation point1 in the title.
1By the way, is it just me, or is that one of the best logos Marvel’s had in years?
My Favorite Part of Civil War #7
Comments Off | Posted: February 22nd, 2007 | Filed under: Uncategorized
Review: Gyakushu! Volume 1.
Comments Off | Posted: February 21st, 2007 | Filed under: Uncategorized
Much like Gyakushu! creator Dan Hipp, I’m more than a bit in love with the samurai movie. Unlike Hipp, I can’t draw worth a damn and am incapable of coming up with anything remotely interesting in a fantasy setting. Thank goodness he’s the one doing this manga-format 3-part series, huh?
In Gyakushu, Hipp has created a truly interesting hybrid: a western-style fantasy epic with the trappings of the samurai film. Using the tried-and-true story template of a man who’s lost his family and is seeking revenge against an entire kingdom that has done him wrong may seem like a tired retread, the sort of thing you’d find in almost any franchise novel in that one section of Barnes and Noble where they stick this sort of thing, but Hipp’s inventive storytelling in both narrative construction and art choices allows the reader to find new pleasures in this stock plot. In some ways, it reminds me of a jazz player ripping down a tune to its barest bones and then playing with the arrangement to create a new piece that harkens back while moving the genre forward.
Hipp’s choice to use a narrator serves the story well. Providing a greater emotional weight by directly addressing the audience and warning them of future horrors, the broken old man deepens the connection to the reader while allowing Hipp to take a few shortcuts without cheating the audience.
Hipp’s character designs and use of action are, as expected, top-notch. There’s a real sense of movement in the combat scenes and he’s capable of letting the “camera” rest when necessary. I could quibble about the slightly-too-dear child that features in this first of three chapters, but it would just be me looking for something to dislike. All in all, the first volume of Gyakushu! energized me and had me looking forward to the rest.
Related Links
Dan Hipp’s blog, featuring other reviews and many pieces of preview art.
Shades! Of! Justice!
Comments Off | Posted: February 21st, 2007 | Filed under: UncategorizedA sequel to this.
Promotional: Nitroglycerin
Comments Off | Posted: February 21st, 2007 | Filed under: Uncategorized
Pick whichever location will make you happiest, my friend. It’s sort of funny that there’s the whole “parallel” comics shop happening in Nitroglycerin while The Rack shows a brighter, happier picture. Maybe our hapless customer (who’s also been on the inside front cover of BOOM! titles) lives in the same town as Yavin IV, but the miserable shop he goes to is on his way home. Maybe there will be a crossover one day between the work-for-hire universe that is Nitroglycerin and The Rack – who knows? Could the readers handle such a titanic combination?
Promotional: The Rack – Staff Picks!
Comments Off | Posted: February 20th, 2007 | Filed under: UncategorizedWhat should you pick up at your comics shop this week? The gang at Yavin IV is there to ease some quality funnybook action into your hands. Are you a Danny or a Lydia when it comes to your choices? Are you secretly an Aaron? Find out when you click here!
PS> Please answer Birdie’s poll in comments over there. Please. I have to make a point.
Your Attention Please.
Comments Off | Posted: February 20th, 2007 | Filed under: UncategorizedI am selling some DVDs on eBay.
That is all.
Linkage.
Comments Off | Posted: February 20th, 2007 | Filed under: Uncategorized- Tangentally related to my open letter post1, here’s Ragnell’s 12 Levels of Comic Book Fan Agreement.
- At first, I was conflicted between L’il Punisher and L’il Elektra, but in the end, I decided the least appropriate figure for a 3+ toy line was L’il Phoenix. Elektra and the Punisher have death tolls in the thousands. Phoenix goes for complete and total genocide. Also of note: there is not a single minority represented in the lot, unless “Greek” or “Russian” or “Giant Flaming Skulls” count as racial types.
- Chris Sims! David Campbell! Interviewing each other! It’s like Hitchcock/Truffaut, but not at all, actually.
- JazzTube provides a one-click resource for videos of jazz performances all over the web.
- What’s it like working in a Netflix shipping center? Find out here.
- Batfatty has proven, again, that he’s an invaluable resource to the world. This time, it’s his posting of a Bernie Krigstein crime story. Beautiful stuff.
- The Office: A Spec Script By David Mamet.
- Flexi-Discs! I love Flexi-Discs. I still remember the McDonald’s Menu Song from that particular promotion.
- Popjustice claims to have found “the first completely amazing pop record of 2007.” An excerpt:
Its lyrical concerns are driving fast, listening to Prince, sitting at some traffic lights and seeing your boyfriend pull up next to you with another, rubbish girl in his passenger seat. We are not sure about the environmental ethics of two-car households but they make for AMAZING pop records.
1By the way, the point of any “open letter” to a community is to address concerns at large more than single out any particular individual. If you’re personally insulted by what’s been said, then you should probably address why. I’ve also learned that being called “pretentious” and “arrogant” by people whose message board signatures include quotes from Wolverine and Cable before presenting a list of boring superhero comics is pretty much the definition of validation.
We need to talk.
Comments Off | Posted: February 19th, 2007 | Filed under: UncategorizedAn Open Letter To Comics Fans, inspired by Joel Johnson.
First of all, I want to say this: comics fucking rock. As a medium, they’re unbeatable; you’ve got storytelling that, when applied properly, puts cinema and prose to shame. Can you imagine trying to pull off something like Alan Moore’s Swamp Thing on screen or just using words on a page? It’d never work. Maybe experimental theater could manage it, but who wants to really watch them try that? There’s no such thing as a special effects budget on the comic page, and there’s no set format – you can do a one-panel horror piece or a 3,000 page science fiction epic – it’s up to the creator.
And maybe that’s exactly why I’m just so fucking pissed off at the majority of you out there. You are the reason so many of them suck. Yes, you - you’re getting the books you deserve.
You complain about the ads in Marvel and DC pamphlets, yet you buy them each and every month instead of waiting for the trade. You complain about how delayed Civil War is, yet buy every quickie cash-in to reward the publisher for their lateness. You bitch about how expensive comics are, but when Marvel and DC raised the cost of a regular 22-page pamphlet to $3, you just kept on picking them up without hesitation. You worry and fret about the future of the medium, you say that there’s not enough kids reading comics, then you support superhero comics that are cheap hybrid knockoffs of NYPD Blue and Desperate Housewives that feature content I’d not hand to any kid not currently in high school.
And you say it’s their fault for making shitty comic books. You say they owe you. Guess what – Marvel and DC owe you absolutely nothing. Time to look that cold, hard publishing fact in the face. Marvel and DC owe their parent corporations and stockholders something – you, they owe nothing at all to. That’s why they do crossovers with the maximum number of tie-in issues possible and why they overcharge for ad-filled singles. They don’t care about you. Yes, creators may give a shit what you think. Editors may be concerned when fans raise their hands and wonder why we’re suddenly being introduced to Wolverine’s x-treme son with super-claw action. When it gets higher than that, though, it’s about one thing: the bottom line. As long as you’re buying the damn books, they don’t care if it’s 22 pages of Wolverine date-raping Foggy Nelson.
You, the fan, say you feel entitled to good stories. You say you want to see characters you like being honored and handled with respect. You say that while fawning over every bullshit press release spewed onto Newsarama and CBR. You say that while picking up Wizard magazine and its collection of deep-tissue massages disguised as articles. You wonder why there are no surprises any more when you spend your time spoiling them yourself. Stop doing it. Stop spending time and money ruining things for yourself if you’re really enjoying a comic
It’s OK to walk away from books you’re not enjoying. Nobody will get their feelings hurt and by freeing up the money, maybe you can invest in a title you do enjoy. So what if you’ve been reading Uncanny X-Men since 1986 – if you’re not enjoying it, then stop paying for it. Your dollar is the most powerful voting tool you have for editorial change at Marvel and DC. You wonder why things never change while spending your money on the same crap week after week, month after month, year after year. If you don’t like something, you don’t have to – and you shouldn’t – buy it. I encourage you to think about what you spend your money on and value your time more than your collection. If you’re thinking too many comics are being written for the trade paperback, then wait for the trade. Don’t buy monthly issues that don’t give you enough content – I’m pretty sure that Ultimate Spider-Man is going to get published without your $2.99 and it’ll be much better when you get to read it in a large chunk.
You complain when your beloved comics properties are adapted into a bad movie. If you really thought Elektra was going to be any good and worthy of a full-price theatrical ticket, then it’s time to visit a doctor and get a basic IQ test. If you didn’t like Fantastic Four, wait until the reviews are in for the upcoming Fantastic Four 2 instead of seeing it opening night. Oh, by the way, I think that when it comes to a movie adaptation of a comic, you can trust a movie reviewer who’s unfamiliar with the source material. Why’s that? Their job is to review the damn movies, not obsess over the fact that they’ve changed the way that Clark Kent parts his hair. Movies and comics are completely different media.
While I’m at it, if you’re getting excited over Watchmen as a two-hour movie, then go fuck yourself. No, really, go ahead and do it now – I’ll wait. Superhero comics have their very own Finnegans Wake and The Crying of Lot 49 rolled into one, beautiful piece of work and you want to see it raped and reduced to a 120-minute running time? What the hell is wrong with you? Support the medium, not the bastardization thereof.
As it stands, big-label comics are more and more about fanservice and nursing the existing market. What happens when everybody gets fed up with it? What happens when, suddenly, the bottom drops out of the business because nobody wants to read about Emo Cutter Speedball or see another b-level character get fed into the wood-chipper that is the plot for an event that promises to change everything forever – again? If you don’t want to see these things now, stop buying them. If you don’t want to see these things in the future, stop buying them now. If you’re tired of late books – don’t buy late books! Punish Marvel and DC for being unable to meet the very basic commitment they’ve made with their readership.
Books like Civil War bring in a few curious onlookers thanks to coverage by NPR and the like, but do they ever stick around? No – they want to read the whole thing in one package instead of being told by the staff at their local shop that to get more of that story, they’ll need to come back in six weeks, maybe eight. Stop thinking these things are gateway comics in any way, shape, form or fashion. That notion, really, is a ridiculous one for spandex fanboys to cling to. A real gateway comic is something like Persepolis or Fun Home – not a limited, continuity-heavy, crossover-packed series featuring people in spandex crying because that’s what “adults” do. Don’t even get me started on the “real” attention that a lackluster adaptation of a Stephen King novel means for the business. Do you honestly think that anybody read the first issue of The Dark Tower and said to themselves “You know what, I bet that Peter David guy writes some other good comic books?” or “Wow, this Marvel Comics seems to have their shit together! They must publish a broad variety of graphic novels!”
If these people exist, they’re going to be sorely disappointed. This is, for the record, not to slight Peter David in the slightest; it’s just that he’s not Stephen King and Marvel is not offering much variety to readers who aren’t interested in superheroes, at least not through their trade program. I’ve heard stories of people at library conventions getting copies of various DC black-and-white reprints or galleys for upcoming books in the Vertigo and Minx lines while Marvel hands out stickered copies of Ultimate Iron Man #1. Sure, the Dabel brothers are bringing in some fantasy and softcore vampire porn readers, but I find it really unlikely that Marvel is going to nurture that cash cow too much when they’ve got to get Foolkiller greenlit.
I’m going to put it plainly: you’re killing the superhero comic because of your idiotic devotion. I can’t say that I necessarily think of that as a bad thing, with the business being in the state it’s in. I know that I’ve already got six decades of superhero stories to read at my leisure. I don’t need any more JSA stories to come out, just like I don’t need any more Thin Man movies.
Stop dropping cash on books that don’t entertain you and find some that do. I dare you, this week, to look at your pull list and cross off everything you’re not enjoying. It’s not hard; it takes maybe ten minutes of your time and you’ll find yourself able to spend money on new things: new titles or books that you’ve held off on buying. They may entertain you and all you’re losing the money you would have sunk into something you weren’t enjoying anyway. If you love superhero comics, stop supporting shitty superhero comics. If you love comics in general, start supporting better comics.
Thank you for your eyeballs.
Pre-reviews: The Week of February 21, 2007
Comments Off | Posted: February 19th, 2007 | Filed under: UncategorizedI respond below.
Previews
JAN070005 PREVIEWS ADULT VOL XVII #3 PI
JAN070001 PREVIEWS VOL XVII #3 PI
JAN070003 PREVIEWS VOL XVII CONSUMER ORDER FORM #3 PI
Yes, already.
DC Comics
OCT060212 KAMANDI ARCHIVES VOL 2 HC $49.99
My back issue collection featuring Kamandi is fairly spotty, so I’m picking up these archive editions. These are the only volumes I’ve purchased in the last couple of years; I’m too cheap and the Showcase series has easily quenched my need for Hot Reprint Action.
DEC060238 SPIRIT #3 $2.99
I’m getting a little spoiled with a regular dose of Darwyn Cooke in my pull box.
That sounds sort of naughty.
Marvel
SEP062101 CIVIL WAR #7 (OF 7) $2.99
[REMOVED AT THE ADVICE OF MY LEGAL TEAM.]
DEC062379 SHE-HULK VOL 4 LAWS OF ATTRACTION TP $19.99
I’ve been reading She-Hulk in convenient trade paperback format, so I may need to go refresh prior to sitting down with The Big Wedding Storyline, wherein J. Jonah Jameson’s Astronaut/Werewolf son settles down with the gamma-irradiated girl you wish you’d dated in high school.
Other Companies
JUN063364 BUZZBOY SIDEKICKS RULE #2 $2.99
Buzzboy is pure superhero fun. The second volume in this miniseries is, as nobody says, hella late, but you should still take a look. It’s all-ages friendly without making the reader feel goofy.
NOV063542 DF SUPERMAN & BATMAN VS ALIENS & PREDATOR #1 SGN $39.99
Oh, thank fucking Christ someone’s been bold enough to get this autographed and certified. I’m so glad there’s a way to hold off the flood of fakes that’s going to hit the market in a few years.
NOV063555 HEARTBREAK SOUP PALOMAR VOL 1 TP $14.95
NOV063556 MAGGIE THE MECHANIC LOCAS VOL 1 TP $14.95
If you’ve not yet spent time in the world of Love and Rockets, these attractively-designed, well-formatted bookshelf editions that include every story in chronological order is a great place to start.
DEC063945 HOUSE OF SUGAR GN $10.00
Diamond said no, the people rose up and asserted a bold “Dude, what the fuck, stop huffing Lady Death for ten minutes and maybe consider the quality of the work on offer,” and here we are. You can find out more about this book here.
DEC063439 HUNTER & PAINTER $4.95
I’m very much looking forward to Tom Gauld’s minicomic from Buenaventura Press. What I’ve seen of his work has a sense of intelligent whimsy that I, for whatever reason, always seem to sorely need.
Promotional: The Rack And Some Associated Rambling.
Comments Off | Posted: February 19th, 2007 | Filed under: UncategorizedI’m off work today and will probably only be posting the shipping list picks and junk later due to a deadline being imposed on me by an editor that would like to actually get some comics published. Ah, well, it should certainly be a bit of a snip as Cover Girl #3 is all plotted out by myself and Mr. Cosby already.
However, fret not! There’s a new written-by-Kevin edition of The Rack up and you can find out what happens when I mind the store. I almost feel sorry for Birdie having to draw my whimsy. Almost.
I was going to write up Beasts, the new Covey-edited Fantagraphics tome featuring monsters believed to have walked the Earth, but Spurgeon tackled it already, and mentioned everything I was going to, including the typeset used for the creature’s names. As he’s much, much smarter than I am, I recommend checking out the words that come out of his fingers.
Fine, fine, you people win. For now.
Comments Off | Posted: February 18th, 2007 | Filed under: Uncategorized
Promotional: Cover Girl #2 is in Previews.
Comments Off | Posted: February 17th, 2007 | Filed under: UncategorizedI completely forgot to make note of this when I was doing my actual order a couple of weeks ago and with the final deadline creeping up on retailers around the country, I thought I’d mention that the second issue of the miniseries I’m writing with help from Eureka creator Andrew Cosby, Cover Girl is currently listed. Yeah, that’s right: BOOM! is paying me to write comic books with a guy that’s created a TV series. This means I’m going to end up getting my ass so fired when they sober up. R.M Yankovicz (no, really) is doing the art – he’s from the studio that Rafael Albuquerque runs, so you know it’ll have that sizzle and pop that Savage Brothers and Blue Beetle have shown.
Anyway, the deets: the Previews order code is FEB073261 and it’s on page 247 of the February volume if you want to read the little thing that the marketing gang put there. If you didn’t order the first, that’s fine – page 10 or 11 has a nice rundown. I’m like that. I keep it real for my homies.
Here’s the cover by Rafael Albuquerque.
Promotional: The Rack
Comments Off | Posted: February 17th, 2007 | Filed under: UncategorizedThat’s more like it. You can go read the newest edition of The Rack over at the usual spot. Love is in the air and me, I couldn’t be more pleased.
Even more promotional: I got interviewed by Chris Sims over at his podcast and how we do the strip. Those interested in hearing a 10-second version of How Things Work At A Comic Strip That Kevin Is Involved In should check it out.
Supergirl By Katie Cook.
Comments Off | Posted: February 16th, 2007 | Filed under: Uncategorized
More info here.
We Love Katie Cook at the BeaucoupKevin(dot)com offices, and this certainly shows why. She’s got a just-cute-enough style and manages to make the viewer smile with her reinterpretation of nerd-culture icons. Personal favorites of mine include her Hulk comic strips and this picture of Leia on Hoth. She also drew a little Batman on a package I got from her the other day and it hurt my soul to have to tear it to get to the goodies within.
(I really, really like this, but I don’t want to come off like a dirty(er) old man.)
Related Links:
KatieCanDraw.com | Katie Cook’s LiveJournal
