Archive for August, 2005
The Horde
Over at Ninth Art, Alex Dueben reviews a new graphic novel from Humanoids titled The Horde. Here’s the high concept:
“In 2040, Russia is ruled by an insane, drug-addicted former-science fiction writer. The Third Chechen War ended a decade ago, when Russia used its nuclear arsenal, and the sentry posts on the border haven’t seen a living soul emerge from the wasteland since. Globalisation failed in 2024. Flying saucers are running rampant, kidnapping people and even the mummified body of Lenin from his Red Square mausoleum. A woman meditates in an abandoned apartment building in the flooded city of Kyzyl, seeking enlightenment.And life would be just fine if the President hadn’t just asked the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church to canonise Genghis Khan. “
I’m usually not much for alternate/future history stories, but this one sounds very intriguing. Also, I wanted to post something about it because I know Tony is always interested in Russian history, both fact and fiction. The writer/artist, Baranko, is better known for his odd viking book Skaggy the Lost, from Slave Labor.
Time waster
Here’s a fun game you can play to kill some time: Strongbow Rooms. An archery skill game sponsored by an alcoholic beverage? I smell a lawsuit.
Hey Kids, Boobies…er, Comics!
So what do you like about mainstream comics? Is it the action? The imaginative worlds? The fusion of writing and art?
Heck no, it’s boobies.
Fetish Boobies
Boobies in Space
Mondo Boobies
Asymmetrical Boobies
Mondo Boobies, part 2
Old-school Boobies
Not that I’m saying it’s all about boobs when it comes to comics. Not at all.
The ass is fairly well represented too. As is the perennial favorite, hot girl-on-girl action.
And to be fair, there’s a little something for the ladies.
The Quill Awards
I mentioned at the last Panel meeting about the Quill Awards, an awards show for books that will be broadcast on NBC October 22.
You can vote on 19 categories including Best Graphic Novel from this site. The nominees, only one of which qualifies as an actual graphic novel in my opinion, are:
American Splendor: Our Movie Year
Bone (the one-volume edition)
In the Shadow of No Towers
Marvel 1602
Persepolis 2
Also in the humor category, Fantagraphics’ Collected Peanuts is nominated.
Oh joy, another one
At what point will movies-based-on-video-games overtake movies-based-on-comic-books? I’m guessing in about a year.
Doom.
Graphic novel taught at West Point
Check out this MSNBC/Newsweek article about the “mainstream” movement of graphic novels.
“In order to graduate from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, cadets from the class of 2006 must study Marjane Satrapi’s graphic novel “Persepolis,” a coming-of-age tale set during the Iranian revolution. It’s a wise choice for the syllabus, not only because it is such a compelling read but because the simple black-and-white frames of Satrapi’s family saga will likely give the cadets a better understanding of Iran than any academic text, newspaper report or strategy paper ever could. “Persepolis” shows Iranians not as banner-waving fanatics or higab-covered shadows, but as individuals—funny, fraught and often fearful of the strange, powerful forces unfolding around them.”
And here’s an interesting figure:
“In the United States, sales of graphic novels have leaped from $75 million in 2001 to $207 million in 2004.”
The article mentions art comix greats such as Daniel Clowes and Chris Ware, covers the recent Hollywood fascination with comics, and of course there’s the obligatory Art Spiegelman bit. Overall, it’s a nicely written article, well worth a read.
(via my old buds at 4ColorReview)
Hillbilly Hoedown
Via boingboing, a link to a funny “homage” to rednecks everywhere. It’s a montage of still photos set to sweet, sweet banjo music. Enjoy.
Your political moment of the day…
Courtesy of Kirk Anderson, via Daryl Cagle’s political cartoonist site:
Reminds me of Micah Wright’s remixed war posters.
Just because I don’t usually post stuff about boobies…
“On the right, we have Pamela Anderson. On the left, we have Charo, representing what Pamela Anderson will be thirty years from now.”
Like they say, “fugly is the new pretty”
Daniel Clowes interview
ReadyMade magazine (“a bimonthly print magazine for people who like to make stuff”) has an interview with Daniel Clowes that you can read online here.
“RM: What was your favorite comic book when you were growing up?DC: Mad magazine. Not necessarily the comic books, but those little paperbacks. I have all 78 of those.”
He also talks a bit about his new movie, Art School Confidential, starring John Malkovich and Anjelica Huston.
Canstruction!
Found via the ever-amazing boingboing:
“Canstruction® combines the competitive spirit of a design/build competition with a unique way to help feed hungry people. Competing teams, lead by architects and engineers, showcase their talents by designing giant sculptures made entirely out of canned foods. At the close of the exhibitions all of the food used in the structures is donated to local food banks for distribution to pantries, shelters, soup kitchens, elderly and day care centers.”
Here’s the official website. And here are pictures of the 2005 winners.
Rocketo…Neato!
Speakeasy Comics is one of a slew of new comic book publishers, and I have to admit that up until I saw this project, I wasn’t interested in any of their offerings. But check out the gorgeous art on Rocketo, by creator Frank Espinosa:
Espinosa is an animator who has worked on the Looney Tunes property extensively. I think issue #0 of Rocketo is supposed to ship this month. Check out this link for a preview of Rocketo #0, and here for a preview of Rocketo #1.
You can never have too much Batman…
Courtesy of Rich Johnston, links to a couple of different Batman movie scripts/treatments:
Batman – Year One, movie script by Frank Miller
Batman – Year One, proposal by Larry and Andy Wachowski
The latter features Catwoman in a prominent role. I haven’t read the former.
Dara’s post about teen-oriented comics and how they reflect on the adults reading them reminded me of an email exchange I had with a friend of mine a while back. He had just seen the latest Spider-Man movie, during the course of which Parker is more or less unmasked before the entire state of New York, and wondered what I thought of the trend in superhero comics towards these “unmaskings.” While entire storylines were once built around the hero attempting to preserve his/her secret ID, lately characters are being unmasked left and right.
I pointed to an altogether different trend: the complete disappearance of the alter ego and “civillian” supporting cast. I read a year’s worth of Batman and Superman comics (why? Jim Lee. Why? I honestly don’t know.) and never saw anyone that wasn’t in tights. Instead of trying to make ends meet and pay the rent, onetime everyman Peter Parker is staying with Aunt May in Avengers Mansion. Steve Rogers used to be an aspiring commercial artist; now, he’s never not Captain America. I can’t remember the last time I read a comic that showed the main character showing up for a day job that was unrelated to superheroing, and dealing with his personal J Jonah Jameson.
The secret ID used to be the aspect of the character we could identify with, the part of ourselves we could see in Superman or Spider-Man. Lately there seems to be a desire on the part of the readership to project themselves into the more fantastic, unrealistic aspects of these characters without acknowledging that we’re actually more like Clark Kent. The line between the two alter egos is more often than not being blurred or destroyed so less of the reader’s own identity is carried into their fantasies.
In other words, maybe most comic readers are as screwed up as people think. Not us, of course…