Comic Book Resources

Of all the books that Sadie Mattox has not read, the only one i have even begun was Cerebus. And only the first volume. And nobody in the “real world” ever cares about what i read. i sometimes doubt they even know of my interests in comics. But on the internet, any time someone asks if i have read something, i either tell them the truth, or i say i plan to someday, which is also the truth.

I haven’t read any comics, ever. All my writing here are hugely elaborate lies.

Also, Frank Ironwine was pretty damn great, wasn’t it?

I teach English and have a couple of advanced degrees in Literature. After a while, you develop a basic understanding of the most touted classics regardless of whether you’ve actually experienced them. For example, I can talk glancingly about Moby Dick, Othello, or Oliver Twist despite not having read them because I have a solid understanding of the plots and I’ve read enought Melville, Shakespeare, and Dickens to have a good grasp on their writing styles.

About a year ago, I realized I could do something similar with comics. I haven’t actually read the original Galactus trilogy, for example, but the plot has become so much a part of the comics culture and I’ve read enough of Lee’s early work that I could talk about the story for several minutes before it would be a problem. I’ve never really thought of this as lying, and when asked directly (rare), I tell the truth, but I can see how it might read as deceptive from a certain angle.

after last weeks Random Thoughts i picked up scars and just loved it and the backmatter.

“Next week, …there are seven DC books that I’ll be buying.”

One of them should be Northlanders.

“Shut up”

Not the first time I heard that today. I guess Northlanders is out this week.

“Yes, it is possible to both enjoy something and recognise its faults.”

Avatar.

That Sadie Mattox thing reminds me of the movie Metropolitan, in which Chris Eigeman says he never reads fiction, just the critics’ reactions to fiction. That way he can speak about both what the author wrote and what people think about it. Sounds like a plan!

Onslaught was 14 years ago. You are fast approaching the magical age in Logan’s Run.

‘Never trust anyone over 30.’ Timothy Leary, 1960s.

The antagonist in SCARS was very definitely white.

I often wonder if Brian Cronin has actualy read every comic book ever published.
Yes, yes he has.

I think the maximum I would ever pay for a comic would be around than twenty-five bucks for a single issue. I don’t care what it is. If you’re serious about me paying twenty-five dollars for it, it has been reprinted somewhere.

And with Warren Ellis clearing that up, we can now all wonder how Scars was about white cops protecting/avenging white women against evil men of colour…

I suppose Bill Burns could have meant the pimp in Scars?

” Random Thought! Flipping through Alan Moore’s WildC.A.T.S. run, there was some awful art in there. Even Travis Charest, whose work I tend to enjoy, doesn’t exactly knock it out of the park with some good-looking pages that are so static that the idea of trying to read from panel to panel never occurred to me. ”

I wouldn’t say awful; it’s all clearly 90′s Image, with wacky fragmented layouts and spider webs of jagged linework, but none of the artists in that run outright bothered me. It was more like watching an old John Hughes movie; the hairstyles and fashions are clearly of the period and look embarassing now, but that doesn’t make it significantly less of an experience.

People just assume I have read Sandman. I tried. I really did. I just got bored and put it down. I hear it got better. I’ll never know. I just smile and say, “Yes, I read it.” It is only half a lie.

Frank Ironwine was awesome…as were all of those early Apparat books. I love the manic thrill that comes from reading something so perfectly self-contained. Aetheric Mechanics really captured that sense as well.

As for which of the Global Frequency stories I did not enjoy, it was (I believe issue 7) the issue that was basically two guys pounding on each other while talking about biofeedback and rebooting their internal biological systems. I felt that the art was poor and the story just did not work as well. Not to mention that it was a set-up for a gag about ripping off someone’s arms and beating them with it. I can see how it is a juxtaposition of science and brute force, but I just did not like it as much as the other 11 stories.

That being said, I would LOVE to see another Global Frequency mini-series!!!!

jjc — Forgot about the pimp. Then again, that scene didn’t really stand out beyond another step on Cain’s descent and a means for him to commit an action that he previously bitched about another person doing.

Chad – Agreed. The color of the pimp was beside the point of the scene, but it was the only person of color I recall from the book that he could have been talking about.

I don’t lie about not reading some comics, but there are a few that I claim that are on my “To read” pile just to shut people up.

I had read a couple of the later Marshall Law comics and thought they were fun, over the top violent farces. Then I picked up the original mini series and was blown away. I would be hyperbole to say it was as good as Watchmen or Dark Knight Returns but upon that initial reading I thought it was only a notch or two behind. I actually tracked down Pat Mills’ e-mail to tell him so. I had never emailed a creator either before or since.

Damn… Earl ended on a cliffhanger? Well, that will definitely prevent me from buying the final season on dvd (I have the first three already…)

“Someone paid a million dollars for Action Comics #1… I don’t get people. I really don’t”

That’s nothing!!!! A few years back, somebody paid $ 3 million for Mark McGwire’s 70th baseball.
I wonder, now, that since McGwire’d admitted to illegal steroid use (dunno if it was during that 70th hit), would that somebody feel like a chump?

I’ve never felt the need to lie about what I’ve read. Sometimes I think I spend more time on here talking about what I haven’t read than what I have.

I thought New Avengers was already tying into Siege. The most recent issue I have says ‘Siege’ on the cover. I haven’t looked at anything else Siege-related, so I have no idea how it ties in, but I assume there must be something. I know Spider-Man and Spider-Woman (who make a better team than I would’ve expected) say there seems to be something going on at Avengers Tower. I figured that was something to do with Siege.

Seriously, how predictable was the end of Elimination Chamber? Christ.

That’s weird. Normally, the ratio is a little more opposite.

Normally

I think I would read a comic about a guy superhero whose costume exposed the top of his giant genitals and many jokes revolved around how big his penis is… I’m actually surprised that that comic hasn’t been done yet.

That isn’t what ‘Giant Sized Man-Thing’ was about?

Frank Ironwine #1 is one of my favourite Warren Ellis comics

It was pretty good.

And with Warren Ellis clearing that up, we can now all wonder how Scars was about white cops protecting/avenging white women against evil men of colour…

I’m still wondering how Scars was ‘A soggy compendium of cliches about the cop who just cares too much to play by the rules’… I think ‘cop’ and ‘rules’ are the only two words that would belong in a synopsis of Scars.

Did the cop even really care that much about the particular girl? It seemed a bit more to me that he was looking for a case like that, which lined up with his own inner demons, to get attached to – not consciously, but the book starts with him having dreams about his dead daughter, and by the end of a chapter he’s assigned to a case with a girl who looks a lot like the one he was dreaming about… possibly just a coincidence, but I dare say Ellis perhaps intended it.

Bill Burns should read Harker instead.

Whoo! Namechecked in a column!

Regarding the big cock comic, that Russian dude in The Boys had a pretty visible member. Covered in spandex but left nothing to the imagination.
Just wish I could recall the characters name.

Hell. Frank Ironwine #1 was the only one of those four one-shots I couldn’t find, and I still haven’t. I liked Simon Spector, though.

I’ve read pretty much all the Marshall Law comics…

I’m REALLY looking forward to the Omnibus at the end of the year.

If memory serves, the last story was the crossover with Savage Dragon, which ends very differently to every other one. (I won’t spoil it for those who haven’t read it).

It helps that Kevin O’Neill was the only artist who drew him, too! (excluding the 3D modelled version that first appeared on CoolBeansWorld)

I don’t ever lie about reading comics (mostly because I have read Bone, and I believe in it as being timeless). I do, however, work at a comic shop-slash-gaming shop (CCGs, RPGs, miniatures, board games, etc.), and I’ve lost track of the number of times I’ve let people think I’ve played Dungeons & Dragons. In fact, it always baffles me when they say things like “try out that idea in your next campaign”. I don’t explicitly ever claim to have played D&D, but I do often agree to statements like “you know how (random monster X) wasn’t included in the Monster Manual?” Oh, sure I do.

>>’Never trust anyone over 30.’ Timothy Leary, 1960s.

Actually, the quote is generally attributed to Mario Savio of the Berkley Free Speech Movement of 1964, though evidently it originated with Jack Weinberger instead. Leary turned 30 in 1950.

Simon Spector is my favorite Apparat comic.

Marshall Law is the shit.

Yes, it is possible to both enjoy something and recognize its faults,,,, CBR

Hellblazer – I felt like Azzarello’s run was trying WAY too hard to be edgy

You didn’t just describe his Hellblazer, you described his whole damn career.

@BrianHouston: Of the four Apparats, I’d go with Simon Spector, too. Just some absolutely lovely art in there.

@WarrenEllis: THANK you for clearing that up, the comment last week baffled the crap out of me.

I did indeed mean the pimp in Scars. The villain didn’t look white to me, but sometimes it is hard to tell in B & W.

Also, I seem to recall that Scars (I gave away my copy so I can’t check this) included the Angry Black Lieutenant who’s always trying to get the white cop who cares too much to play by the rules–a classic cliche character.

I haven’t lied about reading comics. Not told a girl I wanted to impress, or hiding my collection from a girl I was dating (back when it was small enough), however, that’s a different story.

I think I would read a comic about a guy superhero whose costume exposed the top of his giant genitals and many jokes revolved around how big his penis is… I’m actually surprised that that comic hasn’t been done yet.

Well, there is The Codpiece. And then there’s Den, which doesn’t exactly fit the criteria, but still…

I am so tempted to get the Marshal Law Omni, but like all satire, it’s a pretty clear example of diminishing returns. If already have Fear and Loathing and Blood Sweat and Fears, it’s hard to justify dropping $30+ for the rest (Though if only I could find a copy of Fear Asylum… aw hell, I’m gonna have to give this some thought…)

Warren Ellis’ work shows a lot of potential. But, usually, that potential never materializes.

Planetary being the perfect example. The entire series is like a sparse outline of a great story that was never written. Sure, Warren Introduced some interesting ideas – but he never really explored any of them to my satisfaction. The Four were dispatched so easily I wonder why he introduced them in the first place. Issue 26 was absolutely laughable.

His Avatar work is OK. But when you look at “No Hero” and “Anna Mercury” there really isn’t any there there. “No Hero” was basically written so that Warren could have Ryp draw that scene where Carver uses someone’s spine as a totemic phallus – Not much really going on there.

And “Anna Mercury” is the very definition of “Meh”. Bland Viking Space Pirates? Really? next.

JackKing
I don’t have it in front of me, but I’m pretty sure the character was called “Love Sausage”.

I’ve lied about comics I haven’t read exactly twice. Once, like Garbanso, I pretended to have read the entire run of Sandman (rather than just everything in the reprint series). Of course, i pretended that to Neil Gaiman, who was visiting with volunteers at a MoCCA Art Fest at the time. I felt like a fraud, so I determined to actually read it so that I would retroactively not be a filthy liar.

The second time I lied was when I met someone I was trying to bag who was from Sunderland, and pretended I’d read “Alice In Sunderland.” Again, I ended up reading it just so as not to be a d-bag. Generally, I avoid lying, though, because then I end up guilty enough to read things I wasn’t necessarily interested in.

Sam L.: Love Sausage is right. Ha.

Blackjak:
The Savage Dragon crossover wasn’t the last Marshal Law series, the Mask crossover was. They left it pretty open to continuation, but I’m puzzled as to where they would actually go from the final page of that series. Not to mention the whole thing kind of felt like a regression for the character, but the whole thing kind of started losing steam around the Hellraiser crossover.

I’ve always been a huge fan of the original miniseries, which I would rank alongside Grendel: The Devil Inside as one of the underrated masterpieces of the mid-late 80′s, but I can’t help but feel that the subsequent miniseries devolved the concept into self-parody and kind of diluted the reputation of the original. I’m still incredibly psyched for the omnibus, but I can’t imagine I’ll be reading the second half anywhere near as much as the first part.

(As an aside, I can’t help but wonder if the over-the-top approach to sexuality in Marshal Law and Brat Pack might be one of if not the primary factor in keeping them from the same level of widespread critical acclaim as The Dark Knight Returns and Watchmen.)

Sam L & jjc: Thanks.

Leary turned 30 in 1950.

It would create a bit of a Epimenides paradox if he had said it in the 60′s.

Also, I seem to recall that Scars (I gave away my copy so I can’t check this) included the Angry Black Lieutenant who’s always trying to get the white cop who cares too much to play by the rules–a classic cliche character.

It doesn’t.
Maybe if you read stuff for enjoyment, as opposed to being on a hunt for racial and genre cliches, you’d enjoy them more?

Warren Ellis’ work shows a lot of potential. But, usually, that potential never materializes.

As proven from a sampling of three of his works?

Two of which aren’t one’s people generally hold up as ‘must-read’ works by him.

Try Transmet, Global Frequency, Fell, Apparat, or Storm Watch/The Authority, and I think you’ll turn around a bit on that one.

(Although I’m shocked by someone not liking Planetary… did the wait for the book build expectations too high?)

Marshal Law’s last two adventures were published as prose novellas with O’Neill art.

They were ‘Day of the Dead’ and ‘Cloak of Evil’.

I only got Day of the Dead. It was published wider than it was tall, like collections of newspaper strips, and it felt very like the last ever Marshal Law book. I enjoyed it. Don’t know anything about Cloak of Evil.

Greg:

Metropolitan! What a great flick!

It was the Tom Townsend character who said that line about critics (he was played by Edward Clements — whatever happened to him, anyway?). But Eigemann’s character had all the best lines in that movie.

Tom Fitz….Once again I bow to your puns…I really do wonder about McFarlane and that ball sometimes…

I think I have commented on 3 or 4 books tops that I haven’t read…but mostly to folks who heave praise upon praise for it like it is the GREATEST thing ever written. For instance, someone brought up Cerebus before..but I tried to read it and meh…To me, I can’t read a book where none of the characters have redeeming characteristics to me. To its credit, when I put down Cerebus, I found Bone and haven’t let that one go since.

Isn’t it amazing how much damage gets done to NY in Dark Avengers and New Avengers, yet everything seems well with NY in Siege? I swear I wouldn’t complain about it but all 3 books are being written by the SAME Bendis. Him and Johns have that uncanny ability to forget what they are doing in one connected book to another….

(See I can rip writers I like too!) Thx Chad!

FGJ,

Maybe it was an angry Hispanic Lieutenant–it was a while ago, and all that angry cop who won’t play by the rules stuff does sort of run together.

Maybe it was an angry Hispanic Lieutenant–it was a while ago, and all that angry cop who won’t play by the rules stuff does sort of run together.

Actually, he was white, and he wasn’t angry in any scene.

He tells the main character to go easy on another cop (who had been caught out with an illegal gun), he was quite sad when they found then body of the girl, and later he is stern, but not angry, telling the main character to keep the case in perspective.
It’s more James Ellroy than Dirty Harry.

And just to point out – Scars isn’t an ‘angry cop who won’t play by the rules’ story, it’s about a cop who does play by the rules, and a combination of personal tragedy combined with a case he relates to too much, that will get off on a technicality, makes him decide to murder the suspect, and hopefully redeem himself in his own eyes.
(And the end is open to personal interpretation as to if he does it, and what happens after that – even if you assume there is a gunshot, his partner could just as easily have shot him).