iO9 reports that Irvin Kershner, Lucas mentor and director of The Empire Strikes Back (the best of all Star Wars-related media) has passed in LA. He was 87.
here.
Film. Comics. Sci-Fi. Superheroes. Pulp. Noir. History. Superman. 20th Century Archaeology.
Showing posts with label creators. Show all posts
Showing posts with label creators. Show all posts
Monday, November 29, 2010
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Grant Morrison talks Superman, etc...
Not a ton of new info here, but a good interview.
Thanks to Ransom for the link!
Thanks to Ransom for the link!
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
JH Williams Continuing Batwoman
I loved Greg Rucka and JH Williams' Batwoman run in Detective Comics. And so did, it seem, everybody. But Rucka really wanted to get back to his own books, and so we've had some downtime here, but it looks like JH Williams is picking up where he and Rucka left off with Batwoman in her own title.
Click for the full sized image.
You know, this guy is trying really hard to be my first response when people ask me about my favorite artist.
If you're one of the folks enjoying Batwoman, I highly recommend picking up Promethea, which was written by Alan Moore and ran from about 1998 to the mid 00's. It was widely underappreciated and, I'd argue, misunderstood at the time of its release, but was always worth it just for the visuals.
Click for the full sized image.
You know, this guy is trying really hard to be my first response when people ask me about my favorite artist.
If you're one of the folks enjoying Batwoman, I highly recommend picking up Promethea, which was written by Alan Moore and ran from about 1998 to the mid 00's. It was widely underappreciated and, I'd argue, misunderstood at the time of its release, but was always worth it just for the visuals.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Harvey Pekar Merges with the Infinite
I was telling some folks earlier today that I was surprised that I had a moment when I read the headline.
Comics great Harvey Pekar has passed.
But, then, it kind of makes sense that, even as casual a reader as myself, might feel they knew Pekar little. To read Harvey's comics (most of which existed under the title American Splendor) was to get to know at least some version of the man. The comics were vastly autobiographical, honest, and unflinching. Sometimes funny, sometimes not, sometimes tough to read when Pekar shared his day-to-day, especially in Our Cancer Year.
If you haven't read American Splendor comics, pick up a collection or two, and if you aren't going to do that, then, for the love of God, rent the movie. The movie is actually just really, really good and stars Paul Giammti in most scenes, but it includes interview footage with Pekar, his family and the folks around him.
For a guy who outwardly seemed gruff and likely a little tough to deal with, its a bit surprising that the man more or less pioneered autobiographical comics, something that's become a huge staple of the indie comics and web comics scene. And, not to bag on anyone's efforts, Pekar is still largely unmatched. He wasn't enamored with making himself seem clever, or his life seem hip (good Lord, no), but he did like to catch the details of the everyday in a way authors, documentarians and Pekar's fellow cartoonists could only dream about.
That's a tough thing to do, and to keep it as honest as Harvey did, even through chemo and all the rest... kind of amazing.
Oddly, Harvey was never the artist of his own comics, but to work with Harvey who had started his work with R. Crumb, became a sort of thing. And to capture what Harvey was trying to put into his comics seemed to be a challenge artists wanted to rise to.
In his last few years I think Harvey enjoyed a little boost in personal fame and popularity. I'm not sure how much it helped with what seemed to be his anxiety over finances, etc... but I hope he came to see that there was a large audience out there that loved his work.
So long, Harvey. Thanks for changing comics.
I can only hope that you've got access to your record collection wherever you are.
Comics great Harvey Pekar has passed.
But, then, it kind of makes sense that, even as casual a reader as myself, might feel they knew Pekar little. To read Harvey's comics (most of which existed under the title American Splendor) was to get to know at least some version of the man. The comics were vastly autobiographical, honest, and unflinching. Sometimes funny, sometimes not, sometimes tough to read when Pekar shared his day-to-day, especially in Our Cancer Year.
If you haven't read American Splendor comics, pick up a collection or two, and if you aren't going to do that, then, for the love of God, rent the movie. The movie is actually just really, really good and stars Paul Giammti in most scenes, but it includes interview footage with Pekar, his family and the folks around him.
For a guy who outwardly seemed gruff and likely a little tough to deal with, its a bit surprising that the man more or less pioneered autobiographical comics, something that's become a huge staple of the indie comics and web comics scene. And, not to bag on anyone's efforts, Pekar is still largely unmatched. He wasn't enamored with making himself seem clever, or his life seem hip (good Lord, no), but he did like to catch the details of the everyday in a way authors, documentarians and Pekar's fellow cartoonists could only dream about.
That's a tough thing to do, and to keep it as honest as Harvey did, even through chemo and all the rest... kind of amazing.
Oddly, Harvey was never the artist of his own comics, but to work with Harvey who had started his work with R. Crumb, became a sort of thing. And to capture what Harvey was trying to put into his comics seemed to be a challenge artists wanted to rise to.
In his last few years I think Harvey enjoyed a little boost in personal fame and popularity. I'm not sure how much it helped with what seemed to be his anxiety over finances, etc... but I hope he came to see that there was a large audience out there that loved his work.
So long, Harvey. Thanks for changing comics.
I can only hope that you've got access to your record collection wherever you are.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Tpull Moves On from Comic Fodder
I want to take a minute to note the conclusion of Tpull's run as Head of Writing About Comics over at Film/Comic Fodder.
You can read his farewell column here.
He cites the best reasons I think one can hang it up: he is recently married. His wife is someone he wants to spend time with. I tip my hat.
Travis is a professional writer, so it was a pleasure when he joined up at Comic Fodder back when I was cranking out columns at that site circa 2007. When work and life got to be a bit much and I had to bid Comic Fodder farewell, he not only took the job of primary blogger, he greatly improved the content of the site, producing up to four comic review columns per week, covering a dozen or more comics.
On top of that, Travis wrote great columns and think-pieces on a weekly basis.
People, I don't know if you've ever tried to run a comic blog, but that is no mean feat.
One of the greatest things about Travis's columns stemmed from his absolute love of comics. That enthusiasm buoyed his approach, keeping him from taking the easiest of all routes for reviewers: the negative spiral.
The easiest thing in the world to do is to criticize. If you don't believe me, its because you're likely slow, and lack the critical thinking skills necessary to ponder such an idea, you nitwit.
Travis' reviews looked for the good and bad, managed to skirt much company or even genre bias, and were always a much better yard marker for the actual quality of a comic than 99% of the rest of the reviews out there on any given day. Add in Travis' greater understanding of the content of a comic than darn near any reviews at the more trafficked sites, his ability to analyze stories, writers, artists, etc... I don't know if it was his natural talent or a concerted effort that kept his reviews from playing the "it all stinks" card that so many other reviewers don't just give in to, but some have made a name for themselves by gnashing their teeth, but he was consistently fair and always provided insight.
I'm going to miss those columns.
On the other side of it: in his farewell column, Travis mentioned the joy of returning to reading comics without having to wear his critic's hat. I can empathize. Reading comics, in particular superhero adventures, shouldn't be a task to check off, and I've been down that particular path myself. I think Travis did better than myself at managing to avoid ever getting too bogged down with the responsibility of the schedule, but I am glad that he can close the comic and not have to worry about turning on his laptop.
Vaya con dios, TPull columns. You'll be missed. But I wish the best for you and Mrs. TPull.
Up, up and away.
You can read his farewell column here.
He cites the best reasons I think one can hang it up: he is recently married. His wife is someone he wants to spend time with. I tip my hat.
Travis is a professional writer, so it was a pleasure when he joined up at Comic Fodder back when I was cranking out columns at that site circa 2007. When work and life got to be a bit much and I had to bid Comic Fodder farewell, he not only took the job of primary blogger, he greatly improved the content of the site, producing up to four comic review columns per week, covering a dozen or more comics.
On top of that, Travis wrote great columns and think-pieces on a weekly basis.
People, I don't know if you've ever tried to run a comic blog, but that is no mean feat.
One of the greatest things about Travis's columns stemmed from his absolute love of comics. That enthusiasm buoyed his approach, keeping him from taking the easiest of all routes for reviewers: the negative spiral.
The easiest thing in the world to do is to criticize. If you don't believe me, its because you're likely slow, and lack the critical thinking skills necessary to ponder such an idea, you nitwit.
Travis' reviews looked for the good and bad, managed to skirt much company or even genre bias, and were always a much better yard marker for the actual quality of a comic than 99% of the rest of the reviews out there on any given day. Add in Travis' greater understanding of the content of a comic than darn near any reviews at the more trafficked sites, his ability to analyze stories, writers, artists, etc... I don't know if it was his natural talent or a concerted effort that kept his reviews from playing the "it all stinks" card that so many other reviewers don't just give in to, but some have made a name for themselves by gnashing their teeth, but he was consistently fair and always provided insight.
I'm going to miss those columns.
On the other side of it: in his farewell column, Travis mentioned the joy of returning to reading comics without having to wear his critic's hat. I can empathize. Reading comics, in particular superhero adventures, shouldn't be a task to check off, and I've been down that particular path myself. I think Travis did better than myself at managing to avoid ever getting too bogged down with the responsibility of the schedule, but I am glad that he can close the comic and not have to worry about turning on his laptop.
Vaya con dios, TPull columns. You'll be missed. But I wish the best for you and Mrs. TPull.
Up, up and away.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Reading Comics: The Damned
The Damned, Volume 1: Three Days Dead
Writer: Cullen Bunn
Artists: Brian Hurtt
On Free Comic Book Day this year, I was fortunate enough to interview and then meet the creators of The Sixth Gun from Oni Press. At that time I picked up their previous effort from Oni, The Damned Vol. 1. I do want to acknowledge the generosity of writer Cullen Bunn and artist Brian Hurtt in previously submitting to an interview.
The Damned takes place is a world where the demons of the underworld (horned, bestial, but mostly roughly humanoid) are alive and well and have integrated seamlessly into the criminal underworld of a Prohibition-era America. Crime bosses tend to have ram-like horns and sign deals in blood. The narrative leaves it unclear in this volume exactly how long demons have been up to no good in the mortal world, or exactly how much John Q. Public knows about who, exactly, is running rackets in their city as "mortals" are seamlessly integrated into the mob. It's an open question, but the treatment of the topic is so matter-of-fact, exploring those issues was obviously planned to be left to later stories.
Our protagonist, a more-or-less-mortal named "Eddie" employs a unique talent, acquired when Eddie sold his soul for some favor and became cursed. He can be killed, and die, but the instant someone touches him, they take on his latest wound. Death has become an inconvenience for Eddie, and occasionally a useful tool in his profession. Hired by a mob boss to track down a missing demon in town to negotiate a deal between two gangs, Eddie stumbles onto a bit of a mystery that could result in the eruption of gang war.
Fans of The Coen Brothers film, Miller's Crossing, or readers of the works of Dashiell Hammett, will very quickly begin to recognize the style employed by Bunn, in structure, dialog and the types of characters that dominate the story. It's a risky choice to reflect works as beloved as Continental Op stories, or a film as well known as Miller's Crossing. Fortunately, Bunn's narrative doesn't simply follow the beats of better-known works, especially as the mix of plots includes a supernatural bent, and a distinctly supernatural B-plot you aren't going to find in a Hammett novel.
The tale isn't quite as overly complicated as, say, Red Harvest or The Dain Curse. It would be interesting to see Bunn flex his muscles and see how close he could get, but in comics there's always a page-count per-issue to worry about, as well as how many issues the publisher is willing to support. In the pages he's got, and with all of the balls that Bunn is juggling in the story, with multiple plots, characters and their relationships to detail, I think he does pretty darn well.
The dialog follows the snappy patter of the genre, including homage to the tough guy slang in other works, and I do like most of the characters, given the amount of time most have to establish themselves. Eddie is a bit of an open book, and its clear Bunn intended for his story to unravel in subsequent volumes. Like many crime-novel protagonists, he's an insider, and its hard not to like Eddie's cynical, world-weary (even in a world with horned mob bosses) acceptance of his lot, but, of course, Eddie's got a past and something of a heart, and those things don't usually help characters in stories like these.
As a guy who likes to doodle, I can't really say how much I envy Brain Hurtt's style. While I have no doubt his work is slightly more detailed in The Sixth Gun, I continue to be wowed by his ability to stay on model with characters that skew cartoony (in comparison to, say, an Ivan Reis) while using the looseness of the style to articulate more with his characters than 90% of the heroic posing of DC's B-list hero books. I'm just a big fan of this guy, and need to re-crack my Queen & Country collections as he was responsible for art chores on some rotations through the series.
As a fan of the crime/ gangster genre, and someone known to read a fair amount of fantasy work, I found the book a fun read. While enough of a puzzle to keep it interesting, the story never feels bogged down by what could have been lots of exposition or set-up. The world Bunn and Hurtt create is an enticing one, and one that seems could carry on for a few more tales. The story seems to be arching its way toward a series by the conclusion of the first collection, and with or without Eddie along, its not too hard to imagine how Bunn and Hurtt could expand on the premise.
While they're currently set to work on The Sixth Gun, one must assume that a trade of the second run of The Damned comics is coming, which I look forward to picking up.
In the meantime, I recommend hitting your local comics shop to check out Bunn and Hurtt's comic for yourself.
Writer: Cullen Bunn
Artists: Brian Hurtt
On Free Comic Book Day this year, I was fortunate enough to interview and then meet the creators of The Sixth Gun from Oni Press. At that time I picked up their previous effort from Oni, The Damned Vol. 1. I do want to acknowledge the generosity of writer Cullen Bunn and artist Brian Hurtt in previously submitting to an interview.
The Damned takes place is a world where the demons of the underworld (horned, bestial, but mostly roughly humanoid) are alive and well and have integrated seamlessly into the criminal underworld of a Prohibition-era America. Crime bosses tend to have ram-like horns and sign deals in blood. The narrative leaves it unclear in this volume exactly how long demons have been up to no good in the mortal world, or exactly how much John Q. Public knows about who, exactly, is running rackets in their city as "mortals" are seamlessly integrated into the mob. It's an open question, but the treatment of the topic is so matter-of-fact, exploring those issues was obviously planned to be left to later stories.
Our protagonist, a more-or-less-mortal named "Eddie" employs a unique talent, acquired when Eddie sold his soul for some favor and became cursed. He can be killed, and die, but the instant someone touches him, they take on his latest wound. Death has become an inconvenience for Eddie, and occasionally a useful tool in his profession. Hired by a mob boss to track down a missing demon in town to negotiate a deal between two gangs, Eddie stumbles onto a bit of a mystery that could result in the eruption of gang war.
Fans of The Coen Brothers film, Miller's Crossing, or readers of the works of Dashiell Hammett, will very quickly begin to recognize the style employed by Bunn, in structure, dialog and the types of characters that dominate the story. It's a risky choice to reflect works as beloved as Continental Op stories, or a film as well known as Miller's Crossing. Fortunately, Bunn's narrative doesn't simply follow the beats of better-known works, especially as the mix of plots includes a supernatural bent, and a distinctly supernatural B-plot you aren't going to find in a Hammett novel.
The tale isn't quite as overly complicated as, say, Red Harvest or The Dain Curse. It would be interesting to see Bunn flex his muscles and see how close he could get, but in comics there's always a page-count per-issue to worry about, as well as how many issues the publisher is willing to support. In the pages he's got, and with all of the balls that Bunn is juggling in the story, with multiple plots, characters and their relationships to detail, I think he does pretty darn well.
The dialog follows the snappy patter of the genre, including homage to the tough guy slang in other works, and I do like most of the characters, given the amount of time most have to establish themselves. Eddie is a bit of an open book, and its clear Bunn intended for his story to unravel in subsequent volumes. Like many crime-novel protagonists, he's an insider, and its hard not to like Eddie's cynical, world-weary (even in a world with horned mob bosses) acceptance of his lot, but, of course, Eddie's got a past and something of a heart, and those things don't usually help characters in stories like these.
As a guy who likes to doodle, I can't really say how much I envy Brain Hurtt's style. While I have no doubt his work is slightly more detailed in The Sixth Gun, I continue to be wowed by his ability to stay on model with characters that skew cartoony (in comparison to, say, an Ivan Reis) while using the looseness of the style to articulate more with his characters than 90% of the heroic posing of DC's B-list hero books. I'm just a big fan of this guy, and need to re-crack my Queen & Country collections as he was responsible for art chores on some rotations through the series.
As a fan of the crime/ gangster genre, and someone known to read a fair amount of fantasy work, I found the book a fun read. While enough of a puzzle to keep it interesting, the story never feels bogged down by what could have been lots of exposition or set-up. The world Bunn and Hurtt create is an enticing one, and one that seems could carry on for a few more tales. The story seems to be arching its way toward a series by the conclusion of the first collection, and with or without Eddie along, its not too hard to imagine how Bunn and Hurtt could expand on the premise.
While they're currently set to work on The Sixth Gun, one must assume that a trade of the second run of The Damned comics is coming, which I look forward to picking up.
In the meantime, I recommend hitting your local comics shop to check out Bunn and Hurtt's comic for yourself.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Superman, Jimmy Olsen and Lady Gaga = Signal Watch
This cartoon was not inspired by this blog, but it was inspired by Jimmy Olsen, his signal watch, Superman and the Great Lady Gaga.
In the end, aren't we all a little inspired by Superman, Jimmy Olsen and Lady Gaga?
Click here.
Special thanks to Alan N. (who I believe is a Houston kid), for sending me this link!
In the end, aren't we all a little inspired by Superman, Jimmy Olsen and Lady Gaga?
Click here.
Special thanks to Alan N. (who I believe is a Houston kid), for sending me this link!
Monday, May 10, 2010
RIP, Frank
So long to Frank Frazetta, one of the most well known and possibly one of the most influential artists and illustrators of the 20th and 21st Centuries (depending on who you're talking to).
John Carter rocks Mars.
I kid a lot about Frazetta, partially because growing up in Austin, I came to associate his work with the wall art at Conan's Pizza and eating a metric ton of cheese and meat. Also, seriously, those women were incredible, and you're not supposed to say that out loud. And, of course, the material was fantastical and just plain over the top.
You don't crack the art world by painting non-ironic images of sorceresses, giant panthers and barbarians. But in the end, mass production meant we'd all see his stuff eventually.
In his world, Frazetta was a master of his craft. He carried forward the art of the painted pulp cover and movie poster and turned those covers into iconic images that anyone living in the past 30 years has seen somewhere, and likely knows the art is by one guy, even if they can't remember his name.
Too many comic and illustrative artists can't tell a story with a single image, but that was never Frazetta's problem. Looking at any single Frazetta picture, you really do wonder what, exactly, is going on there, while having a sense that there's worlds within worlds behind that image. It was the perfect compliment to everything from a Molly Hatchet album to catching the eye for John Carter of Mars novels.
He did comics, by the way. Lil' Abner, The Shining Knight, Buck Rogers... the man was incredibly prolific.
Conan. @#$%, yeah. If you want to get this painted on the hood of your car, you are not alone.
As a guy who likes to draw (but drew teh short straw when it came to talent), Frazetta is the kind of artist who would make me just weep onto my drawing table. His anatomy, while superhuman, was always spot on, even with imaginary beasts and creatures. He had terrific control of light and shadow, and while the images were almost always overtly provocative, you couldn't help but respect the guy's handiwork.
I won't give a biography. You can find great run downs elsewhere.
It probably wasn't until I was in my mid-20's, though, before I really grew to appreciate his work. Til then, it had been so omnipresent and imitated, and I took pulp art for granted, that I didn't really take time to appreciate the guy.
Well, so long, Frank. You left behind one hell of an awesome legacy.
Without Frazetta, metal (or at least Molly Hatchet) never would have happened.
John Carter rocks Mars.
I kid a lot about Frazetta, partially because growing up in Austin, I came to associate his work with the wall art at Conan's Pizza and eating a metric ton of cheese and meat. Also, seriously, those women were incredible, and you're not supposed to say that out loud. And, of course, the material was fantastical and just plain over the top.
You don't crack the art world by painting non-ironic images of sorceresses, giant panthers and barbarians. But in the end, mass production meant we'd all see his stuff eventually.
In his world, Frazetta was a master of his craft. He carried forward the art of the painted pulp cover and movie poster and turned those covers into iconic images that anyone living in the past 30 years has seen somewhere, and likely knows the art is by one guy, even if they can't remember his name.
Too many comic and illustrative artists can't tell a story with a single image, but that was never Frazetta's problem. Looking at any single Frazetta picture, you really do wonder what, exactly, is going on there, while having a sense that there's worlds within worlds behind that image. It was the perfect compliment to everything from a Molly Hatchet album to catching the eye for John Carter of Mars novels.
He did comics, by the way. Lil' Abner, The Shining Knight, Buck Rogers... the man was incredibly prolific.
Conan. @#$%, yeah. If you want to get this painted on the hood of your car, you are not alone.
As a guy who likes to draw (but drew teh short straw when it came to talent), Frazetta is the kind of artist who would make me just weep onto my drawing table. His anatomy, while superhuman, was always spot on, even with imaginary beasts and creatures. He had terrific control of light and shadow, and while the images were almost always overtly provocative, you couldn't help but respect the guy's handiwork.
I won't give a biography. You can find great run downs elsewhere.
It probably wasn't until I was in my mid-20's, though, before I really grew to appreciate his work. Til then, it had been so omnipresent and imitated, and I took pulp art for granted, that I didn't really take time to appreciate the guy.
Well, so long, Frank. You left behind one hell of an awesome legacy.
Without Frazetta, metal (or at least Molly Hatchet) never would have happened.
Read The Sixth Gun at CBR!
I am actually planning to discuss Cullen Bunn and Briant Hurtt's "The Sixth Gun" later on this week. For now, check out this free read of issue #1 at CBR's Robot 6 blog!
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Rick Geary and Murder Most Foul Makes for Good Comics!
So let’s discuss some comics, shall we?
In addition to super-heroics, last year I picked up Rick Geary’s “The Lindbergh Child” from NBM’s ComicsLit imprint. Outside of a few pop-culture references and a barely remembered Wikipedia reference I’d one done, I knew very little about the actual Lindbergh case.
For the past few years, cartoonist Rick Geary has devoted a bulk of his work to the creation of non-fiction accounts of very real life murder. Wacky fun, I know, but Geary's skillful storytelling makes for some great comics.
The murders, while infamous, are not romanticized, and the details around the case are relayed in much the same manner as classic Dragnet “just the facts”, rather than any sort of case-building-by-way-of-historical-fiction, that it’s not hard to imagine most other creators might pursue in order to convey the story. Geary knows that the facts stand on their own; and while it’s almost unavoidable that he might focus on certain specifics he finds engaging, he lets the reader’s inference draw the horror of the murder scenes between text and his well chosen images. That said, Geary's dry delivery isn't without snarky observation or a bit of well-phrased sarcasm.
Because Geary relies upon well documented, true-life crimes, which occurred during the 19th and early 20th Century (many fall under the banner of "A Treasury of Victorian Murder"), the stories often come to confounding and messy conclusions which are hard to imagine in the age where a simple telephone call and running a driver’s license could be enough to corner a suspect. The stories are filled in as much as possible in these regards, including theories, false leads, and fates of major players.
The cartooning style (and it is cartooning, mixed with fantastic bits of illustration when it comes to important details, such as the blueprint of, say, Lizzy Borden’s house), may take some getting used to for the uninitiated. However, the exagerated cartooning enables Geary to draw distinct and representative characters for each person involved, with tremendous expressive quality.
Of the books I've read so far, the tales where I knew little to nothing have been most rewarding. "The Beast of Chicago" and the aforementioned "The Lindbergh Child" kept me up for hours after reading them, following up with additional web research, as the stories were so incredible, but completely true. ("The Beast of Chicago" was particularly fascinating as I knew literally nothing of the case until page 1.)
NBM Publishing has placed several pages of "The Beast of Chicago" on Google Books for review. Take a look!
From "The Lindbergh Child"
Geary has done several of these books, and I'm still picking them up here and there. Many will be available at your local comic shop. You can also find them online, including at the NBM site.
Sometime this year I'll also be looking for Geary's Trotsky biography.
These comics are definitely the sort of thing I'd put in the hands of someone looking for a good read, comics or otherwise. With summer coming, feel free to swing on by and borrow one from The Signal Watch Library.
In addition to super-heroics, last year I picked up Rick Geary’s “The Lindbergh Child” from NBM’s ComicsLit imprint. Outside of a few pop-culture references and a barely remembered Wikipedia reference I’d one done, I knew very little about the actual Lindbergh case.
For the past few years, cartoonist Rick Geary has devoted a bulk of his work to the creation of non-fiction accounts of very real life murder. Wacky fun, I know, but Geary's skillful storytelling makes for some great comics.
The murders, while infamous, are not romanticized, and the details around the case are relayed in much the same manner as classic Dragnet “just the facts”, rather than any sort of case-building-by-way-of-historical-fiction, that it’s not hard to imagine most other creators might pursue in order to convey the story. Geary knows that the facts stand on their own; and while it’s almost unavoidable that he might focus on certain specifics he finds engaging, he lets the reader’s inference draw the horror of the murder scenes between text and his well chosen images. That said, Geary's dry delivery isn't without snarky observation or a bit of well-phrased sarcasm.
Because Geary relies upon well documented, true-life crimes, which occurred during the 19th and early 20th Century (many fall under the banner of "A Treasury of Victorian Murder"), the stories often come to confounding and messy conclusions which are hard to imagine in the age where a simple telephone call and running a driver’s license could be enough to corner a suspect. The stories are filled in as much as possible in these regards, including theories, false leads, and fates of major players.
The cartooning style (and it is cartooning, mixed with fantastic bits of illustration when it comes to important details, such as the blueprint of, say, Lizzy Borden’s house), may take some getting used to for the uninitiated. However, the exagerated cartooning enables Geary to draw distinct and representative characters for each person involved, with tremendous expressive quality.
Of the books I've read so far, the tales where I knew little to nothing have been most rewarding. "The Beast of Chicago" and the aforementioned "The Lindbergh Child" kept me up for hours after reading them, following up with additional web research, as the stories were so incredible, but completely true. ("The Beast of Chicago" was particularly fascinating as I knew literally nothing of the case until page 1.)
NBM Publishing has placed several pages of "The Beast of Chicago" on Google Books for review. Take a look!
From "The Lindbergh Child"
Geary has done several of these books, and I'm still picking them up here and there. Many will be available at your local comic shop. You can also find them online, including at the NBM site.
Sometime this year I'll also be looking for Geary's Trotsky biography.
These comics are definitely the sort of thing I'd put in the hands of someone looking for a good read, comics or otherwise. With summer coming, feel free to swing on by and borrow one from The Signal Watch Library.
Friday, April 30, 2010
FCBD Special: SW Interviews "The Sixth Gun" Creators!
Howdy!
You can thank Ransom from Chronological Snobbery for encouraging me to wrangle up some interviews for Free Comic Book Day!
This Saturday, Cullen Bunn and Brian Hurtt, creators of the new comic from Oni Press, will be signing at Austin Books and Comics here in Austin, Texas.
The owner of Austin Books (who is sincerely a great guy) put me in touch with Cullen and Brian. I'm very excited to present what I hope is the first of many creator interviews here at The Signal Watch.
I encourage you guys to come out and meet these guys and check out their comic!
Can you tell me a little about yourself? What previous work might our readers know about?
CULLEN BUNN: Besides a couple of short stories, my first work in comics was THE DAMNED and its sequel THE DAMNED: PRODIGAL SONS (both with Brian, both from Oni Press). I also write the Bride of Nine Spiders issue of Marvel’s IMMORTAL WEAPONS. Aside from that, I’ve written a ton of short stories for various magazines and anthologies.
BRIAN HURTT: I've been doing comic work here and there for the several years, now. I've done several projects with Oni Press, such as QUEEN & COUNTRY and THREE STRIKES as well as working with Steve Gerber on HARD TIME at DC. In the past couple years I've been fortunate enough to focus mainly on THE DAMNED and now THE SIXTH GUN--both with Cullen.
For someone entirely new to your work, lay it on me: What's your elevator pitch for "The Sixth Gun"?
CB: THE SIXTH GUN is an epic dark fantasy set in the Old West. The story is centered on The Six, a set of magical revolvers that first appeared during the Civil War. The most powerful of the revolvers vanished years ago, and dark forces have been searching for it ever since. As our first issue kicks off, we learn that an innocent girl has come into possession of the weapon. This, of course, makes her a target.
What was your reaction when you heard "The Sixth Gun" was going to be a part of FCBD?
CB: I was really excited and honored that Oni Press wanted to release the first issue as part of FCBD. I’m thrilled that so many people can get their hands on the book, and I can’t wait to hear reader reaction.
BH: I was thrilled! Oni has been behind this book 100% from the beginning and they believe it in so much they're willing to give away the first issue of the series for free. I honestly believe that if we can just get this book into the hands of people we can get them hooked right at the start. There's no better way to do this than through FCBD.
What drew you to the material? The bit I've read about the premise is intriguing.
CB: I’ve always loved big, broad-scoped fantasy stories, and I’ve always thought the legendary Old West has a kind of rugged magical quality that just speaks to me. The world and the characters and the story itself are all just a lot of fun. Hey, I’m never going to complain when I get to write stories about outlaws and monks with gatling guns and monsters and really, really nasty villains.
BH: I love a good western and like almost every comic artist I know, I've always wanted to do one. I also thought that Cullen and I could bring something unique to the genre. There's been a lot of westerns over the years. There's been some horror western mash-ups and supernatural westerns. But THE SIXTH GUN is an interesting blend of horror, fantasy and the western. But on top of all that it's more than just a clever mash-up of genres--it's really it's own fully realized world. One that we hope to play in for quite a while!
But, to backtrack a bit, the number one thing that drew me to the project was that Cullen was writing it. He had me on board from the moment he told me the title.
Can you talk a bit about what readers can expect for the issues following the FCBD giveaway?
CB: The first issue sets up the world and the majority of the major players. After that, the stakes are raised and the story just gets bigger and wilder. There are a few pages in the later issues that I think are just pants-wetting, awe-inspiring amazing. There’s a lot of action, but readers will also be able to really see these characters evolve and change, and we’ll also delve deeper into the history of this Old West that should have been.
BH: Yeah, the first arc of the series is pretty epic and sets up this world, and the possibilities for stories in this world, pretty fantastically. The book moves at a good pace and, like Cullen says, the stakes keep getting raised. This first arc definitely has it's share of high adventure while at the same time, setting up some pretty interesting characters and character dynamics. I've never had so much fun working on a title!
Anything you're reading right now you'd tell our readers to check out?
CB: I’ve really been enjoying SCALPED. That’s probably the book I look forward to most. I’ve recently been reading a lot of manga I overlooked in the past—PARASYTE, PLUTO, and MONSTER are all quite good, and UZUMAKI is just awesomely strange.
BH: SCALPED is also one of my favorite books and I recently read Jason Aaron's first arc on the PUNISHER Max series--that was fantastic. I also love Brubaker's CRIMINAL, and BPRD/HELLBOY and SCOTT PILGRIM. I've read about a third of PARASYTE and loved it but I've yet to get my hands on the rest. Normally, I don't read a lot of super-hero stuff but last week I read and enjoyed the collection of Millar and Hitch's FANTASTIC FOUR and I really liked it. And then, just yesterday, I finished the oversized collection of the first 19 issues of Matt Fraction's Iron Man--about the coolest take I've seen on Iron Man in decades. After that I just tend to pick up graphic novels that get my attention. I like a lot of First Seconds European reprints and I'm always keeping my eye open for some good manga.
On a 1 - 10 scale how nerdy is it to collect old issues of Jimmy Olsen?
CB: Jimmy Olsen, huh? That’s pretty nerdy, maybe a 7 or 8. But I think those old stories were a lot of fun. There’s a certain wonder in comics of that era that I worry a lot of modern books might miss. We all geek out over something, right?
BH: That's at least an 8 on the nerd scale but I'm also not one to think that that's a bad thing! I mean, I watch Doctor Who and Buffy--who am I to criticize?
The Signal Watch would very much like to thank Cullen, Brian, Oni Press and Austin Books for this great opportunity!
FCBD in May 1, 2010. THE SIXTH GUN is one of the options (maybe the coolest option?) you'll have at your local comic shop.
We wish these guys the absolute best of luck, but given the buzz about this book, I'm not sure they'll need it.
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