Comments on: OGNs, TPBs, and yet another reason why comics are awesome

By: John Roshell

John Roshell — Tue, 08 Aug 2006 21:59:19 +0000

"You should check out Soltice by Stevn T. Seagle. The first two issues are old stuff, from the uncompleted mini, but the third issue is all new. Great little story it is - shows off Seagles strengths as a writer really well." Thanks for the shout, FGJ. Just wanted to clarify that the title is spelled "Solstice". You can get it at Amazon.com, and can read a free preview here. Of all the books we've reprinted recently, it's probably my fave. John

By: mpMann

mpMann — Tue, 08 Aug 2006 21:22:25 +0000

In out initial conversations about tackling The Lone and Level Sands and what we wanted to make of it, the notion that God was manipulating events in a way that appears cruel was one of the ideas that most appealed to me. I'm pleased that it survived as piece of the book.

We envisioned Ramses as early-mid 40's... vigorous yet old enough to be a grandfather, especially in those days. While he and Moses are often seen as contemporaries, they were not necessarily the same age. The Bible says Moses was 80 at the time of his confrontation with Pharaoh and I confess I found the idea of drawing a spindly-legged old coot of a Moses very enticing. No Charleton Heston for me!

Also, I never want to pass on a chance to credit Jennifer Rodger's colors with enhancing my scribbles enormously. She's been nominated for a Harvey for her work on the book, and its well deserved.

By: Gary Reed

Gary Reed — Tue, 08 Aug 2006 16:20:08 +0000

I don't read too many review columns but have to say I enjoyed this one quite a bit. I wasn't aware that Badlands was being reprinted and I've always thought that was a lost classic. Well, maybe not a classic in the sense of one of the all time greats but a good book that deserves a wider audience. Of course, it was good to see Kafka and Sudden Gravity up here. Kafka was one of the first graphic novels released from Caliber Comics and Sudden Gravity was one of my favorite books I ever published at Caliber. I'm really glad that Greg's book is getting the attention it deserves. The most enjoyable review was Lone and Level Sands. I was pleased to see your approach in tackling the "God" issue. It seems that it is always okay to credit a supreme being for things but to discredit? All in all, the review made me want to check out the book which I probably would've passed on before as just another biblical propaganda piece.

By: Greg Burgas

Greg Burgas — Tue, 08 Aug 2006 16:10:25 +0000

Thanks, William. I know about Jeremy Bentham, but didn't make the connection, and I didn't know he designed the Panopticon. Cool stuff.

David - I like that you were trying to bring in God as the villain. It makes it interesting to consider God's role in the Exodus, as well as a lot of the Old Testament, because it's often not stellar.

Katherine - the only real problem I had with the ending of Sudden Gravity is the vagueness about the children. I like the vagueness of what exactly happens in the final confrontation and the epilogue, but Ruth begins to tell us what happened with the children and left it TOO vague, I think. It still could have remained vague, but I just wanted a bit more information.

Glad I could help, Markus.

And Allyson - Seth Fisher lived in Japan, so he was very aware of the culture and its relationship with monsters. There's a lot more to the book than the sound effects, and I think he does a great job capturing the Japanese experience.

By: William

William — Tue, 08 Aug 2006 15:58:59 +0000

Jeremey Benthem was a philosopher who designed a type of prison called a Panopticon. It was never built, but the philosopher Michel Foucault later used Benthem's design as a metaphorical hook to discuss they way humans were transformed/transformed themselves via hierarchical institutions of discipline.

For more:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panopticon

By: A. Dave Lewis

A. Dave Lewis — Tue, 08 Aug 2006 15:47:48 +0000

Mr. Burgas, you are 100% on the money, I'm pleased to report. As I just commented on my own blog: "The goal of LaLS was never to be apologetic for the Pharaoh or let him off the hook, but by humanizing him as well as Moses, additional blame shifts the only place it could: To God." I am really pleased that you liked the book overall, delighted that you took the time to mull and publicly comment on it, and THRILLED that you didn't hold back in your review, leaving in your criticism of God-as-a-dick. Like I said at the blog, "[Was this i]ntentional? Not necessarily. But accidental? ...No, not that either." I'm not indicting God, please understand, but I'm entirely mindful of where I placed Him as a "character" (or culprit). Thanks for picking up on that and opening discussion on the matter -- In short, Greg, you da man!

By: Katherine F.

Katherine F. — Tue, 08 Aug 2006 12:17:13 +0000

I gotta say, I liked the fact that the ending of Sudden Gravity didn't tie everything up. I used to be a huge X-Files fan, and that show started to suck badly when they started explaining the conspiracy too much. Once we knew what was going on, it wasn't such a big deal any more. It's the old less-is-more principle: let us imagine what the monster is rather than showing us a guy in a rubber suit. Same with Lovecraft (this is, in a way, a very Lovecraftian tale); he lets us see the effects the monsters have on people's minds rather than drawing us a picture. Once you see what Cthulhu looks like, you can turn him into a plush toy. That ain't scary. I think whatever Ruth had in mind, he was wise not to show it to us too explicitly.

By: markus

markus — Tue, 08 Aug 2006 10:42:52 +0000

I continue having no interest in these books despite being aware of them for a while, but thanks anyway for a couple of great reviews which were a joy to read.

By: FunkyGreenJerusalem

FunkyGreenJerusalem — Tue, 08 Aug 2006 10:25:49 +0000

You should check out Soltice by Stevn T. Seagle.
The first two issues are old stuff, from the uncompleted mini, but the third issue is all new.
Great little story it is - shows off Seagles strengths as a writer really well.

By: Allyson A.W. Lyga

Allyson A.W. Lyga — Tue, 08 Aug 2006 05:17:07 +0000

The author and artist of Big in Japan have captured the silly overtones of Japanese humor very well. As one who lived in Japan as a Fulbright scholar studying manga, the sample panels from Big in Japan demonstrate not only the playful humor that the Japanese share as a nation but also the degree in which their own cultural elements are a part of that which they find humorous. Since Japan is a country of islands, naturally cratures from the sea and water elements will be an object of humor. Additionally, the Japanese find humor in any idea of their large cities being overrun by monsters, robots, or anything superhuman. This is because the Japanese have a love-hate relationship with the big cities. They enjoy city life and all the amenities but they hate the cost, congestion, and lack of privacy. Thus, it's wonderful to see how the author and artist incorporated those facets of Japanese culture into the book. I look forward to reading this GN and sharing it with my graduate students.

By: Bill Reed

Bill Reed — Tue, 08 Aug 2006 03:55:34 +0000

While I am a Catholic who is not quite convinced by all of the Church's practices, I'm still a God-loving/fearing kinda guy. However, everything I know about Moses and Rameses I learned from the Rugrats Passover Special...

I found Smoke #1 and 2 in the dollar bins at WizardWorld, but no #3. This makes me a sad panda, as it was a good comic.

The art in Sudden Gravity is gorgeous, and it sounds nifty. I may have to check it out.

That settles it, though. I need to buy Big in Japan. But Amazon does not stock it. This makes Bill want to SMASH.