Funny Book Goldmine!

Morning gang.  Its Sunday, April 29, 2012, its review day, and this is The Side.  As you noticed there was no update on Friday.  I was very tired the tale end of the week, and just couldn't find the time and energy to sit down and write.  Hit the wall, as it were.  Has absolutely nothing to do with NetFlix now having TRANSFORMERS and G.I.JOE cartoon available for streaming now.

COMIX!!!

In recent months, I've railed against things like stupid variant covers, and rebooting entire comic book lines just In the hopes of bringing in new readers.  It does seem like sensationalism is being pushed instead of good stories sometimes.  Its very frustrating for me seeing the same silliness that absolutely did not work well twenty years ago being repeated now.  This brings us to THE GOON #39, which is an issue that is sure to be a collector's item because its the book that guarantees Eric Powell won't be working for DC or Marvel for a while.  The last two issues of this comic have dealt with some serious stuff and struck emotional chords.  Not this time.  Oh no.  This issue is on big brutal mockery of every stupid thing certain larger companies have been doing to whore themselves to the media and the masses.  Changing origins, changing costumes, gratuitous pantie shots, big gay kissin', characters dying repeatedly and more is all wrapped up in one nice neat little package for use to laugh at.  This was my read of the week.


ANGEL AND FAITH #9 wraps up our heroes encounter with Druscilla who is now sane.  She had gotten a hold of a demon which can take trauma out of you.  You still have the memories, but you don't feel anything about them.  This issue is a serious throwback to the old TV series, but in a really good way.  It used to be Whedon and his writing staff would have a monster with some specific ability and that would be a plot device for a type of statement about humanity.  That's what we have here.  Having our pasts and caring about them is what makes us who we are today for better or worse.  We definitely get both sides of the coin here as on one hand you have Druscilla whose trauma drove her mad.  On the flip side, you have Faith who long time fans have seen go through a huge and tough character arc filled the guilt and trauma and come out the other side a hero.  I had been on board with this book, and liked it well enough, but the wrap up to this story really made it shine.  I wasn't expecting it, but I should have as Christos Gage really knows his knows his way around these characters.  Great stuff.


This brings us to THE ACTIVITY #3 & #5.  I can't review #4 because its classified.  That and I didn't get it in, which I'm hoping to remedy soon.  I said in my review of the first two issues that this comic is filling the hole in my soul left by an absence of QUEEN AND COUNTRY stuff.  These two issues really put a point on that because both series are spy-fi, but neither is stupid spy-fi.  There's no gratuitous action.  There's no guarantee of success.  This isn't James Bond with buckets of gadget saving the world in a tuxedo.  Issue 3 gives us an insight as to some of what happens when an operation goes completing tango uniform.  You don't get all the details, and good on Edmondson for that, because the story isn't about the operation itself.  You get a lot of information about the resumés of the characters, and you see how they handle it when things go bad.  They aren't larger than life, and this really grounded the characters for me.  It did get a little heavy-handed with the "war is failure" bit, but I understand it since if these guys do their jobs right then wars don't get started.  Issue five has our team in a Thailand prison getting interrogated.   You also get more of Weatherman's history and how he was brought into the team.  Again Edmondson doesn't throw in every last detail, because you don't need them all.  This is a comic for intelligent readers who are capable of filling in the blanks for themselves.  This way a storyline which could have been stretched out for two or three issues can be wrapped up neatly into one issue with no filler and we don't really lose anything.  Its compressed storytelling that moves fast, kinda like GLOBAL FREQUENCY in that regard.  The ruslt is a comic that you can pick up from any issue and be fully up to speed.  I'm loving this comic.

MUSIC!!

I was clicking through the radio stations and actually caught this tune.  Ain't nothin' like Jerry Reed.





That'll put a spring in your step, or at least make a fella feel better about his current situation.  See y'all Wednesday.

Comics and Perspective

Its Friday, March 23, 2012, and this is the Side.  Y'know, many of us go through our days thinking we're the stars of our own little shows and that somehow things are just revolving around us.  I spent yesterday tired, and kinda irked at the lady at the convenience store around the corner that for whatever reason refuses to listen to me and simply goes along her overly pleasant business.


Then I find out that my mother-in-law was in a car accident, and when they gave her a CAT scan in the ER they found something.  This led to an MRI and without going into too much detail she'll be seeing an oncologist today.  Perspective.

COMIX!!!

THE GOON #38 tells us the story of Kizzie The Iron Maiden, a woman with strong ties to The Goon.  This is an excellent read telling the story of a plain, but strong, woman with big dreams but stuck in a small town.  Its a very thoughtful piece and while you get to see Kizzie achieve her dreams on some level you really get smacked in the face with how tough a life this woman has.  Its a really good character study.  Typically this is one of those comics that is a hoot and half, but this issue is one that shows that Eric Powell can do a lot more than deliver laughs and creepiness.  He really knows how to hand good human drama as well.


HEART #4 wraps up the series from Blair Butler and Kevin Mellon.  In the previous three issues we watched Rooster rising up through the ranks and it looked like he was poised to make a run at the welterweight belt.  This issue shows how he deals with getting stopped cold and sees that his dream of MMA glory isn't going to happen.  In short be see a cocky young fighter grow up.  I've been a fan of MMA for a long time and this is a story I've seen play out repeatedly.  You see some young up-and-comer and he's the next big thing.  Everyone figures he's going to be huge one day.  Then he suffers a tough loss and he's just not the same.  Its not a matter of injury, its a matter of psychology.  They're getting in deeper waters and its tougher, and while they've still got the guts to get in the cage they start playing things a little more cautiously.  They go from contender to gatekeeper.  This is a really gutsy story for Butler to tell.  It would have been so easy for her to go the easy route and have Rooster overcome his tough loss come back and win the belt.  She definitely didn't go the easy route and as a result, she made an excellent story that really rings true.


RAGEMOOR #1 is a narrative that I would have expected straight out of Doctor Bob Geary's Gothic Literature course from my time at JMU.  This book is creepy and that eerie feeling of the numinous is felt in every page.  This is a serious horror book.  The black and white is perfect for helping to set the tone of dreariness and desperation.  We get the classic notes of the solemn man warning his visitors of the place's evil and how they really should not stay, and of course they don't listen.  Herbert is the caretaker/owner of the castle Ragemoor and gives the twisted history of the place.  He seems like a very noble fellow placed in a horrible situation he can't escape.  I'm greatly looking forward to see how this story continues.


Throwing things in reverse we have THIEF OF THIEVES #1.  Yes, I know I reviewed the second issue last week, and no, this isn't some bizarre Hickman-esque time travel thingy.  I couldn't get my hands on issue one previously but now have a hold of a second printing.  Issue two showed us a lot of the reasons why Redmond left the life of a thief.  The first issue we get the lead up to him announcing his retirement.  We also get to see how he met his assistant, Celia, and a good look at his last job.  This is a really great book.  Very clever writing, and top-notch artwork.  Both the issues at are out are solidly character driven and not heavy on the action, but reward patient readers with a great story about a very interesting character.


ROCKETEER ADVENTURES vol 2 #1 features a trio of really fun stories.  Marc Guggenheim and Sandy Plunkett start of with a great story of how folks deal with a vigilante who falls out of the sky and into their lives.  Peter David and Bill Sienkiewicz follow up with a great parody story in which The Rocketeer gets more than a little "Daffy".  The brilliant Stan Sakai rounds things out with a fun little story that gives a smiling homage to another hero we know well for flying around.  All this and a great pin-up from Arthur Adams.  Great comic and lots of fun not just for fans of The Rocketter, but anyone who wants to sit down for a read.

MUSIC!!!

Can't say as I'm feeling overly "RAWR" today, so I'm going to keep things mellow.





That;s going to be it for today.  Any prayers and well wishes for my mother-in-law, the Missus and the whole family are greatly appreciated.  Thank you, and see y'all Sunday.

Thugs and Socky Choppin'

Look out below!  Its Sunday, January 8, 2012, the sky is falling, and this is The Side.  Well, the sky isn't really falling, but my boss was yesterday.  The walkboard he was on went out from under him and dumped him ten feet to the cement below.  He crushed a caulk gun under his foot, which probably broke his foot.  It was one of those orange caulk guns, and for those who haven't seen them, they don't crush very easily.  Scared the hell out of me, but surprisingly, he was up and about and couple minutes later back on the reset walkboard hanging up siding.


Falls happen fast.  I train my students on how to take a fall, and I think every martial arts school should.  I had a ladder go out from under me years ago and hairline fractured my heel.  Still is tender when I hit it just the right way.  I landed feet first on a ladder rung which is what caused it.  They say its not the fall the gets you, its the sudden stop.  Sometimes, the sudden stop is manageable, but that stuff you land on is a bitch.

COMIX!!!

Got something new and something old for you this week.


THE GOON #37 was on the stands this week.  This issue was very different than your typical GOON  comic. Sure there was a few laughs here and there, but the main subject was no laughing matter, and is actually an excellent gateway to look at a very interesting part of history.  The story itself is about a tragic fire in a factory whose owner is really a greedy bastard.  Its pretty much a sweatshop.  People died, and the survivors form a union to demand better conditions to work in.  The boss gets a bunch of corrupt cops and head busters on his side.  The union ladies get The Goon and Franky to back them.  Mayhem ensues.  There's a really brilliant horror twist at the end.  Now then, I am not a union supporter.  I've had some unpleasant run-ins with union folk in the past.  As they are now, its pretty much a racket, taking money from workers in exchange for protection and using the money for whatever the bosses want.  But let's look at the inspiration for the story, the Triangle Shirtwaist fire of 1911.  Heads up, clicking that link will take you to a very good article about the incident, but there are pictures, and they are really disturbing.  If you've got a kid looking over your shoulder, you'll probably want to send them away.  The events in the comic mirror the events of the 1911 fire quite a bit.  Back then there wasn't much regulation of business or real safety standards.  Workers needed unions for protection from exploitation.  And yes, there were thugs and head busters and connections to organized crime.  Back then you had unions really working to look out for workers as opposed to things like the Wisconsin bit where they demonized the Governor.  This comic didn't change my mind about unions at all, but it did make for a fascinating portal to look at a time most people today in America can barely think of. much less relate to.

That was the only book in my pull bag this week so I looked around the old comic bins to see if anything interesting popped up.  Sure enough I found RICHARD DRAGON KUNG-FU FIGHTER #1 from 1975. Richard Dragon has been a character of interest to me for quite a while.  He was one of, if not the, top martial artists in the DCU.  This may have changed with reboot.  I don't even know if he exists in the reboot.  Sure enough, there was his first appearance along with Bronze Tiger alias Ben Turner, who is referred to as Ben Stanley in the comic.  Not sure why the name was changed.  The book opened up with an ad featuring Batman and Robin stopping a mummy with Twinkies.  I'm pretty sure they could market Bat-Twinkies now and they would sell like hotcakes.  On to the comic itself.  We see how Richard Dragon seems Ben and the O-sensei.  His training is kind of glossed over and the story fast forwards to Richard and Ben leaving the sensei to go work for a clandestine operation that send them to take on slavers in the Sudan.  The art is classic stuff from Denny O'Neil, although he's working under the nom de plume Jim Dennis here.  There's a fun fictitious biography of "Jim Dennis" in the back of the book.  Now, you'll have to forgive me, because I'm horribly biased when it comes to martial arts.  I like accuracy.  The comic is called "Kung-Fu Fighter", but there's no Kung-Fu in the story.  There's no mention of Kung-Fu in the story.  They use a ton of Japanese Martial arts.  They have a sensei and not a sifu.  So, of course, I'm wailing and gnashing my teeth. The O-sesnsei is supposed to be an elite martial artist and teaches Richard and Ben everything he can in six years.  Yes, I did actually facepalm at that one.  Still, its a fun book, and you get to see two of the old DCU's top fighters back in the day.  As much as I griped about technical stuff in the book, it was still pretty cool to get my hands on it.

MUSIC!!!

Tune from a 90s one hit wonder.  I dug it, and it still gets a bit of airplay around here.  No, I'm not saying my boss hit the ground like a cannonball either.





That'll do it for me this go around.  Going to go kick off this month G+ Grand Prix.  See y'all Wednesday.

Falling back to comics!

I AM RESTED! Its Sunday, November 6, 2011, I fell back, and this is The Side! I love this weekend. I get a whole extra hour to sleep. It used to be fun when I work at the bar and was telling everyone it was time to go. There'd always be at least one person who would try to say we'd be open an extra hour. The clocks actually roll back at 2AM (that's the facts, Jack!) and that was when the bar closes. One woman looked at me aghast and told me she had a whole limo of people coming. Too damn bad.

I never liked that annoying broad anyhow.

COMIX!!

USAGI YOJIMBO #141 tops us off this week. This is a very significant issue because its the 200th issue of comic Stan Sakai has done. That puts him in a very elite spot that he shares only with Dave Sim with his work on CEREBUS. And the great this is, the book is just as enjoyable after all this time. The back cover features all 200 covers of the comics and is really neat stuff. On to the book itself, its a fun read. This issue is a stand alone but it touches back to the "Murder at the inn" story that wrapped up last issue. The bandit in that story kept talking about his brother and how tough and terrible he was. Seems the brother has taken over a town with his gang. There's also a neat bit here in that a sculpture in this town had a dream that the town would be rid of the bandits if he sculpted 200 little statues, called Jizo. By the end of the book the sculptor is asked if he would continue to make the Jizo since he completed 200, and he said he would as long as his hands let him. Here's to that.

THE GOON #36 pits The Goon and Frankie up against one of their toughest opponents yet: The Queen of Burlesque! The drinkin', smokin', strippin' machine! Roxi Dlite! Dlite is a real life burlesque performer and here she is guest starring. This was a hoot and a half. Ridiculous sex. Ridiculous violence. A bunch of laugh out loud moments. Its a goof caper story with a stolen knick knack. Eric Powell always knocks it out of the park. Its hard to give much detail because every time you turn the page, two things smack you right in the face: its wall-to-wall nuts, and its a really great comic.

The boys from Primal Paper are back with THE BAKU #1. Mike Fererali (THE SKYROCKET) teams up with Drew Moss for this one. This is flat out the best book Primal Paper has put out yet. Yes, I do have a soft spot for these because I know most of them. Yes, I do know Mike and Drew. I like Mike and Drew. Its hard to give a review on something from people you like especially when its not the best thing ever. Fortunately, I have no problems here. Mike's writing is his sharpest yet. Drew is probably one of the best artists you haven't heard of. This book is great. Its a supernatural western. The main character, Baku, reminds me a lot of Jaeger Ayers, from Carla Speed McNeil's FINDER. Baku isn't knock off though and has plenty of his own quirks. The first issue gives us a great introduction to the character and the world without reading like an instruction manual. Its fun and weird and I'm really looking forward to seeing more of this series.

We'll wrap things up with an early review of 41 #4 which will be available this week. This is also from Primal Paper, and I did say that THE BAKU was the best book they've put out so far. This comic is one hell of a follow up. This is the best issue yet. It wraps up the ongoing story in brutal fashion. I'm reminded a bit of the anime feature X in which we have all these character pop up and is obvious that they all have their own stories and are interesting, but with what they're up against you know they don't have much of a chance. Still, if Bill and his crew are going down, they're going down swinging and with lots of company. The production on this comic has gone way up since issue 3. The book looks great. The writing by Bob Frantz is tight. There's still a couple of holes here and there that I have questions about, but they don't hold up the story at all. Its a last stand story for this arc's last issue, and it goes out in style. Great work.

MUSIC!!

That's right! I'm posting a song by a violinist! Because I'm classy, and tasteful, and shit.



That's a wrap for me. Hm, with all my extra rest, does that mean I don't need to brew an coffee?

MADNESS!

See y'all Wednesday.

Time's achangin'... : part 2

So, I have no interest in Marvel and my enthusiasm towards DC is greatly diminished. Where does that leave me? It leaves me open to things I haven't picked up before. I made the joke in the 'Fanboy Dictionary' that anything not published by Marvel or DC was an 'independent comic'. If that were actually true then Archie is an indy comic. Kinda nukes the old stereo type.

That's right kids, there much more to comic books than just Marvel or DC. This should be apparent to anyone paying the slightest bit of attention. HELLBOY is getting action figures, animated shows and some very cool movies. Frank Miller scored big with big screen adaptations of SIN CITY and 300. SPAWN has a huge following and has had figures, cartoons and a movie. These are just four off the top of my head. Venturing outside of the big two yields some very fun results.

For me, I've recently started getting into MADMAN, THE GOON and BONE. Good times all around. For those who haven't really ventured outside the big two, here's an idea of what's waiting for you.

DARK HORSE comics have been around for decades. This is where you're going to find comics like SIN CITY, THE GOON and HELLBOY but also STAR WARS and BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER. This is where you'll find a lot of really great, high quality, creator owned works. There's not a lot of your 'traditional' super heroes flying about, kinda a spandex free zone.

IMAGE COMICS has had it's ups and downs, but like it or not the founders struck a major blow for creator ownership when they broke away from Marvel and went their own way. This is the company that gave us SPAWN, THE SAVAGE DRAGON and host of others.

ONI PRESS is one you may not have hear off. However, if you've heard of Judd Winick or Greg Rucka then you should be familiar with them. This is the company that produced THE ADVENTURES OR BARRY WEEN: BOY GENIUS, WHITEOUT, and QUEEN AND COUNTRY. These are award winning books, and I've currently been spending a lot of time lately drooling of the grand gloriousness of the QUEEN AND COUNTRY absolute editons that are being released.

Then there's BOOM STUDIOS which is currently working very hard to suck me in and doing a fine job of it. I'm predicting this group becoming major players, and not just because they had the good the sense that DC didn't and made Mark Waid editor. Here's the best part about these guys: if you're leery of forking out the cash n something new, they've taken the sting out of that by offering some of their titles FREE on their site. So, once you're done here, go read you some free stuff. I'm currently working my way through 2 GUNS.

That's just a glimpse of some of the other stuff out there. So, by now you're thinking, 'OK, Marty's heading off into the wilds of indy comics now.' This is true, but what I talked about above isn't it.

More later.