Indies Previews for October Part 2 of 3

Continued from yesterday...

Gingko Press
Steampunk: The Beginning SC ny (W) James P. Blaylock
Steampunk: The Beginning features over 80 illustrations of characters and scenes from three seminal Steampunk novels: Homonculus (1986) by James Blaylock, Infernal Devices (1987) by K.W. Jeter, and Anubis Gates (1983) by Tim Powers. All three authors were students at Cal State Fullerton in the 1970s, where they wrote early Steampunk short stories. Fittingly, the illustrations found in Steampunk: The Beginning are all by Cal State Fullerton students, alumni, and faculty. Essays by the original Steampunks James P. Blaylock, K.W. Jeter and Tim Powers bring the project full-circle. FC, 10x11, 120 pgs, $24.95
Lee:  Actually, I really don't care about this book.  I'm sure it's interesting n'all but it makes me feel m'eh.  BUT, it does make me want to read the three books it references.  I am always looking for a good book and this gave me some great places to start.

Indies Previews for October Part 1 of 3

Lee: It was fun having a month off.  Actually it was a much needed break.  The thing I missed the most was the Indies preview selection.  So, on short notice, let me catch up.

:01 First Second
Tune: Vanishing Point SC by (w/A/C) Derek Kirk Kim
Andy's life is going nowhere, fast. He left art school with his career all worked out ahead of time, but to say it didn't work out is the understatement of the century. Unemployed and living with his overbearing parents, Andy struggles to keep sight of the lofty goals that once drove him. But it's hard, even when he reconnects with his old art school crush, Yumi. Things look better, briefly, with Yumi back in the picture and an actual job offer on the table. But then Andy takes the job offer - to work at a zoo - and finds himself in an alternate dimension. The zoo? Is run by aliens. The exhibit? Is him. FC, 6x9, 160 pgs, $16.99
Read the first issue here.  Visit the artist here.
Lee:  Sometimes you just need a fun book that helps to pass the time.  This looks like that book.  Nothing deep, nothing meaningful, just a whole lotta laughs. 

What I’m Getting August 29

As I add this back as normal weekly post I will continue to provide a link to the full list of books on the Cosmic Comics website. I encourage anyone who get their books via a subscription service to give these guys a try. I was a little worried getting my books by mail, but the handling of everything has been perfect. Back to the column, I continue to care less and less about much of the standard super hero fare, but find enjoyment in all sorts of books which still includes some standard material.

Starting out with Marvel, this has to be the most super hero laden company around that is almost solely dependent on that category for sales. This week I’m getting Avengers V X-Men (#5 of 6) (the fight book), Hulk #57 (red version), Uncanny X-Force #30 and Winter Soldier #9. The AvX book I have decide to get for no other real reason that a young man who is a fan of these fights. I read it and mail it on. For myself there is no true bang for the buck, but it is cool to know that it is still an exciting book for a younger fan. The Red Hulk book is fun and it has its moments. The one thing that keeps me on the book is Jeff Parker. He works on building a story line and expands on it all the time. Jeff also is willing to create some new villains and that helps to keep the book enjoyable. Uncanny X-Force has been Rick Remender’s claim to fame at Marvel. He took this group to darker places than anyone else. He crafts storylines that resolve at the same time continues to build a larger scope. The artwork has been hit or miss, but as far as I’m concerned I follow this book and could care less if the rest of the MU reflects what happens here or not. Last up from the house the Stan, Jack and Steve built is the Winter Soldier. The story of Bucky by Ed Brubaker has not been his strongest work and often Bucky needs to be bailed out almost as much as he did while he was Captain America. Ed is leaving the book soon and I will follow it for a little longer. It is trying to be the Bourne Identity of Marvel and is failing. The plus is that it is different and I’ll take that for now.

Week of August 22 in Review

As always I’m playing around with my format. As much as possible I’m trying to write my capsule reviews and/or impressions of certain titles shortly after I read the book. Hopefully it gives my view more of an immediate impact. Often over time my opinion can change on a book or the visceral rush goes away and I have more of a dispassionate view of a work. Anyway that is this week’s thought process. Then I want to add some comment to every book I got that come out last week, so at least every book gets some mention.

Scalped #60 brings to a close the story of Dash Bad Horse. The issue itself was full of the raw emotional content that was a hallmark of the series and instead of a “Warren Ellis” ending we got two men who are left with vastly different lives then the ones they had been living. This series deserves a deluxe hard cover format reprinting and hopefully it will be spread over two or three volumes. It has to go down as one of the best series ever done and the fact that the story had an ending made it even stronger. The story often went exactly where you thought it would go and that makes sense or else the characters would not have been true to themselves. The story also went to unexpected places and again that is the nature of life. Jason Aaron with RM Guera as the main artist produced a story that should stand the test of time.

Funrama #1 for Free

So I was at CBR’s website and found out about a comic that is self published by Ryan Kelly, who I know for his artwork on many series such as the great series Local with Brian Wood and now working on the quirky Saucer Country. 

Who knew he has this side project that he likes to do when he can. Anyway I went out and read issue #1 for free and you can to by clicking FUNRAMA #1. 

Then I decided to go ahead and buy issue #2. Sure it cost $7 with mailing, but supporting something like this is fun and gives a creator at least a few cents in their pocket for all their hard work.

The DC Editorial Debacle

The latest news is Rob Liefeld quit working for DC and as he left he was stating the editorial interference has become too great at DC. This is a similar compliant that has been raised by many of the creators at DC. Personally I’m glad to see him go, but his leaving is symbolic and what is slowing hurting DC. Of course there is much consternation about editorial mandates at Marvel also, but the chaos level seems either better managed or at least reported on less then at DC. The hue and cry is DC has no clue what they are doing, the defense sales are better.

My view has been and continues to be that the short term gain will not be a long term turn for the better. I think the next year or two will prove my opinion to be borne out. If I’m wrong and the DCU continues going great guns, then congratulations, if I’m right that Didio and Harras will have to go.

In order to examine why I think DC is in long term dire straits one only has to look at Superman as one of the two foundation characters and he can barley carry two series, three if we add in Supergirl. The Batman family of books is what supports DC. Superman has floundered for years and with a few bright spot exceptions DC has not had a clue how to handle the character. The recent re-launch of Action and Superman were not even coordinated. DC has had a long history of trying to work off Grant Morrison’s work. It has been obvious from Countdown to the Batman Returns cross-over event either they are not talking to Grant or Grant is just f**king with them and changes his plot after he tells DC what he is doing. In this case the new Superman book by George Perez ended up reading like a different character then the one Grant was fashioning in Action. The result is Action is an okay book and Superman was a train wreck. Perez said the editorial interference was untenable and he went back to just being an artist. Supergirl is on reboot number six or seven and it has just doesn’t work because I have no real feeling for the connectivity with the characters or the history of the characters. Even the Batman books don’t hang together that well and I only follow Batman, Batman and Robin and Nightwing is on death’s door for me, 12 issues in and we have not establish anything for Dick.

Dynamite Comics Preview Review for November

So I have just gone crazy and have decided to have more fun with various posts. Our old format was to group all sorts of smaller companies together for preview reviews, but for right now I decide to spotlight a company and add some commentary some of their offerings.

I have a mixed opinion of Dynamite Comics; on one hand I enjoy a few of their offerings. On the other they often seem to push the envelope with what is or what is not public domain. I’m not sure what is how the whole public domain thing works, but heck I can download a ton of older material like Tarzan books for free, so I guess it is all fair game. Often it feels like the easy way out and a chance to exploit older stuff and to not have to pay anybody, but the whole creator rights debate is very convoluted with older stuff.

MASKS #1   

Written by Chris Roberson, art by Alex Ross, covers by Alex Ross, Jae Lee, Francesco Francavilla, Ardian Syaf

Before superheroes, there were Masks! The Shadow, the Green Hornet, Kato, the Spider and more in a story that only Dynamite could tell! For the first time ever, these masked vigilantes are joining together in on EPIC series! It's 1938, and the Justice Party has swept into office in New York State. But the newly-elected officials are in the control of powerful criminals, who quickly corrupt the law to their own advantage. When a fascist police state is instituted, the only ones who stand in defense of the innocent are masked vigilantes like the Shadow, the Green Hornet, Kato, and the Spider. As the confrontation builds, more masked heroes will join the fight including Black Bat, Miss Fury, Black Terror, Green Lama and many more! When the law is unjust, justice must be an outlaw! 32 pages, $3.99. 

Jim: See this book is one that I will try. It is written by Chris Roberson whose work I enjoy. Also it has art by Alex Ross so it should be a good looking book. In some ways I’m wondering how well this book will work as I have never seen this type of work from Chris and Alex usually works better with a straight super hero type book. Will this noir team up thing work for these guys? I’m willing to try one issue at least. Plea to Dynamite, please stop with the endless variant covers, it makes you seem cheap and just pandering to the old style collection mentality.