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Breakdowns -- Now We Lustre

October 31, 2002

By the time you read this, the site will hopefully be on the mend after the vicious, pointless hacking we received. Bad timing all around, from one of my most positive-review-filled columns only being up a couple days to special Halloween content for the site being destroyed to lots of supposedly good-natured but inappropriate jests at our expense on message boards. We’ll get through it, though I imagine a chunk of my archives will return without some of the cover scans and visual razzle-dazzle, because there just aren’t enough hours in the day for EiC Chris Ryall to redo the old stuff. Also, books like Damon Hurd’s MY UNCLE JEFF deserve your support, and if you need more info than you find at his site, I’d be happy to send you a copy of that review by request.

Due to the hacking, I took the liberty of putting the past several weeks’ worth of BREAKDOWNS, sans art, on my mostly-neglected blog.

Moving on, aside from a review of Paul Dini’s new JINGLE BELLE one-shot, due in stores 11/13, the reviews are all of interesting but not that new books, including some real winners, one spectacular bomb, and the new Loeb/Lee BATMAN, since I started reviewing it before the hack attack. Oh, and a few little bits in my Full Bleed section on Bill Jemas and other things. Just one week in and I’m already blowing it on the “one Dave Cooper book a week,” but I promise to have two next week, SUCKLE and COMPLETELY PIP & NORTON. I don’t have the gas to do them justice this week, nor can I squeeze in reviews of the books I just bought today, though it was a great week: FORLORN FUNNIES; RUBBER NECKER; POPBOT; 30 DAYS OF NIGHT; WILDCATS 3.0; PARADIGM; HELLBLAZER; 100 BULLETS and FIGHT FOR TOMORROW. Some will undoubtedly be covered next week.

Correction time: In my review of Fantagraphics EC Comics fanzine SQUA TRONT, I mentioned EC as publishers of AMAZING SCIENCE, a non-existent title. Should have been WEIRD SCIENCE. Not sure what happened in my head, though there was another book, WEIRD FANTASY, and it merged to become WEIRD SCIENCE-FANTASY, and Marvel had AMAZING FANTASY, so…oh, skip it.

HAPPY ENDINGS by Various. Dark Horse Comics. $9.95
I’ve been grousing for the past few weeks about how most of the comics anthologies released this year have disappointed to various extents, so it’s good to go out on a high note with this one, released about a month ago. Editor Diana Schutz has assembled a fantastic line-up of creators to tell stories dealing with happy endings, taking the idea from the Israeli cartoonist group Actus’ HAPPY END book, distributed by Top Shelf. The theme is very broad, which lets the creators do pretty much whatever they want, and in fact many stories don’t end so happily.

Sam Kieth’s piece is funny and self-deprecating, and makes me want to see some more of his work in black-and-white. Brian Michael Bendis and Mike Avon Oeming have fun with a Comic-Con anecdote about an annoying fan’s comeuppance, and it works even better if you’ve been there and have visited with Bendis and Oeming before, but the humor is universal if you haven’t. I mainly know Bernie Mireault’s sublimely silly Dr. Robot work, so the more realistic tale of a domineering mother, her cat, and her son and his girlfriend was a pleasant surprise, and rang true. I can attest that one of the benefits of being in a committed relationship is having someone to run interference between a parent for you.

Mike Mignola illustrates his daughter Katie’s story, “The Magician and the Snake,” and shapes some innocent, enigmatic ideas into a typically creepy tale of the consequences of sorcery. Craig (GOODBYE, CHUNKY RICE) Thompson focuses this time on human characters, despite the “Barnyard Animals” title, in a story about child abuse and the all-important first love. It reminds me a bit of FORREST GUMP, actually, scaled appropriately down. We all have wanted to save someone at some time.

Jim Mahfood offers a story featuring his Grrrl Scouts characters, and it’s clever, hip fun, the kind of work of which he should be doing more. Farel Dalrymple plays with the rewindable reality of comics characters in his piece, toying with the idea of having a happy ending in comics, where the only true ending comes with a book’s demise. At least, that’s what I got out of it; it invites other interpretations. As always, his artwork is stunning, and fully at home with the more seasoned professionals here. Of the other newish talents, Gilbert Austin’s “Barley and Diggs” is an amusing con man and rube story, kind of an anthropomorphic Abbott and Costello thing. Leland Myrick’s “Paper Airplanes” is a touching piece about a boy’s love for his not-quite-right brother, while PISTOLWHIP creators Jason Hall and Matt Kindt cram a lot of interest into “January,” and I actually wanted it to go on longer. James Kochalka offers a spontaneous-feeling look at a rather doomed relationship that ends on a good joke and doesn’t overstay its welcome. Peter Kuper’s “Wild Blue Yonder” adds a welcome feeling of travelogue to the book, with a very funny, well-paced story about Kuper and some friends getting caught up in an African tribe’s endless party/ritual that’s going on in their tent. A great anecdote Kuper was probably hanging onto for a while, brought to life in comics form for our benefit. Tony Millionaire gives us classic Sock Monkey , as dark as one would want it, and with the bonus of being left in a meticulous penciled form, not inked. Joe Sacco illustrates Harvey Pekar’s gut-wrenching short piece that’s about Pekar’s health problems and poverty, a shout against the darkness from someone who can’t help turning all aspects of his life into art. This would have been a good, if disturbing, end, but Frank Miller wraps things up with a pointed exercise featuring profoundly unhappy endings, a different one for each panel. Miller can always be counted on for volume, but there is real guts, power and wit in this work. While I naturally liked certain stories better than others, I can honestly say there is no filler here. It’s a great collection, and a great value.

TRENCHES by Scott Mills. Top Shelf Productions. $15.95
When Scott Mills is written about, his debut comic CELLS and his acclaimed, charming graphic novel BIG CLAY POT are invariably mentioned over the other dozen books he’s put out. This may be because they’re the ones that worked, I don’t know. I haven’t read the others. But now we have another book of his that will be mentioned a lot, partly because it’s the most recent and partly because it has been legitimized by an Ignatz Award for “Best Original Story.” And that’s a shame, because it calls into question the credibility of the Ignatz Awards, and the concept of originality itself.

While it can be argued that there are no new plots, no new ideas under the sun, to be “original” is to invest one’s unique personality into a story, to take an unexpected turn, to have characters speak words in ways no other characters have spoken exactly that way before, or in exactly the same setting. There is nothing in TRENCHES that hasn’t previously been portrayed, and to better effect, in dozens of war movies, stories and novels. Hell, you could spend $15.70 less and pick a random issue of SGT. ROCK in the quarter bin and find more effective, efficient and entertaining tales of courage under fire.

The WWI story involves loutish soldier David Allenby, his timid brother Lloyd, and their father figure/commanding officer Hemmingway, who battle at Agincourt and the Somme. The battles and their goals are never explained much, and they’re confusing to look at, perhaps intentionally. Mills goes to numbing lengths to portray the chaos as panel after panel of little heads under puffs of smoke and “BOOM!” sound effects, but it’s not effective in the Vietnam “what the fuck are we doing here?” way. It’s just monotonous. I think we all understand that war is hell, but does it have to be dull?

Between the page-wasting battles, where the horror of war (Lloyd talks to a fellow soldier and the guy’s head rolls off his shoulders onto the ground) is almost amusing in Mills’ style, he works in as many clichés as he can. Allenby is a right bastard to his brother and sneers at the comforts afford Hemmingway, so you just know he’s going to appreciate his brother in his last moments, and before that will come to respect Hemmingway after they punch each other. It’s bad enough that we’ve seen such macho bonding so often before, but for some reason Mills has Davey and Hemmingway go at it one more time, repeating this minor character arc (thereby rendering the first scene unnecessary) instead of developing it into something substantial through good plotting.

Lloyd should probably be the character we’re rooting for, the ineffectual mouse in all of us who finds the heart of a lion when we’re up against it, guv’nor, but Mills does little with him. He just kind of makes his way through the war, surviving almost by accident, and then saving his brother and brother-in-arms because, well, what else is he going to do? Leave them to die? It’s not like he has to crawl across mine-laden open ground, climb up a tower, and cut a sniper’s throat. No, he has to walk, with two guys leaning on him. I mean, we know by this point we’re not going to achieve depth, so at least give us a thrill. Before we’re done, Mills does see fit to include other war staples such as the Wistful Letter from Home; the Bawdy Talk Among the Men; and the Toast for the Departed Hero. Why, he even does James Cameron and “Timmy” proud and throws a cute dog into the thick of it. “Lassie, go get us a spot of ‘elp, then, eh wot? I’ve bally well gone and fallen down the bleedin’ trench, like!” Somehow, Mills forgets to show a wife or mother at home, knitting a sweater for her husband/son who’s doing his stoic best for Jolly England. Other than a nice two-page scene where Hemmingway types a letter for Davey to his ladies-in-waiting, elevating the man’s coarse message to something dignified, the book is an unmitigated disaster. Mills used his simple, suggestive style to effectively tell the simple tale of mutual respect in BIG CLAY POT, but it’s unsuitable here, especially when in lieu of a story we get an ill-conceived bag of hoary clichés and poster-deep patriotism.

Despite this fumble, I still have interest for the upcoming, autobiographical MY LITTLE EMPIRE. Mills will likely fare better telling his story than rehashing the work of others.

BATMAN #608 by Jeph Loeb, Jim Lee and Scott Williams. DC Comics$2.25
When it was announced that not only would popular Bat-writer Loeb be writing the flagship Batbook, but that he would bring with him superstar Lee, who hadn’t drawn a monthly comic in years, I tried to put any expectations out of my mind. I knew I’d be checking it out, but also knew that other high-profile pairings (Busiek/Davis on AVENGERS, Waid/Hitch on JLA) didn’t work out as well as they should have. So I picked up this issue with relatively little anticipation or excitement.

Thus, in the absence of fanboy goggles, I can say that this first issue works pretty well, and the creators make a solid team. I do have to admit the story, involving a stolen briefcase, Catwoman, and a mutated Killer Croc, didn’t stick with me much. I actually get a little annoyed when a book’s new writer makes killing or drastically changing an old villain one of his first orders of business, but it’s too early here to call whether Loeb has anything worthwhile in mind for Croc. He does handle Catwoman and her current relationship with Batman well; no new melodies but he follows CATWOMAN writer Ed Brubaker’s harmonic lead capably. I already know he has a good take on Batman from his previous books, though there’s nothing special here as yet. Mostly he emphasizes the technology of the Batsuit, which makes it possible for one non-superpowered mortal to be so effective on crime. It also affords Lee a showpiece for his detailed style, which, while perhaps over-rendered, still carries some of the same excitement as when I first saw his work. His stuff is very posed, but they’re near-perfect poses, with good anatomy and solid composition. With many of the Bat-titles utilizing thicker lined animation styles, the 90s date-stamped Lee/Williams fetishistic style comes as almost a fresh change of pace. This issue ends up being good-looking fun that’s not going to change anyone’s life, but is enjoyable nonetheless.

SUBWAY SERIES by Leela Corman. Alternative Comics. $9.95
Apparently, there are girls who will just sleep with a guy who’s “not so bad” just to “get it over with.” Since I was never fortunate enough to know any of these girls when I was single, I guess I should thank Corman for giving me the next best thing.

Seriously, after a relatively uninvolving series of short scenes—maybe the first 20 pages—the book starts to take off, the character of the confused and needy but resilient Tina becoming more developed and appealing. She fools around with a guy from Florida who she’s not really that attracted to, while she gets along best with another guy who seems to dig her but has a boyfriend. She tries to figure both these relationships out, while finding she can’t count on her friends for support. It’s a sad story for this, but one gets the feeling Tina will be all right in the end. Corman’s art is instantly accessible, simple and minimalist but effective, and she is able to slowly build a memorable story out of short vignettes, though it’s a struggle early on to stick with it. It would be good to see future works a bit more focused on moving the plot and accomplishing specific goals within each scene, but it’s definitely a good start.

JINGLE BELLE: WINTER WINGDING by Paul Dini, Spike Brandt and Tony Cervone. Oni Press. $2.95
Shipping 11/13
Paul Dini returns with another cute adventure of Santa’s mischievous daughter Jing. In this one, Mrs. Claus starts writing the annual family Christmas letter, but she gulps a few too many of her famous chocolate bourbon balls and ends up being a lot more honest about her naughty daughter than these kinds of letters usually are. As she describes Jing’s exploits throughout the year, we get to cut away to a couple of them, most notably an ill-fated attempt to form a girl band with her friends Ida Red, Polly and Tashi. This part had its moments, but other bits, like Jing’s holiday special “The Clausbornes,” fall flat. Comic book profanity ($%!&#) is amusing for a panel or two, but it goes on too long here. Most of the ideas are okay, but aren’t developed well or given strong endings. Previous Jingle Belle outings have been not only funnier and better plotted, but even have some honest emotion in them, so this one was a little bit of a disappointment, or at least a smaller pleasure than usual. The back-up story by Robbie Bausch and Stephen DeStephano also did little for me, with no particularly good gags and the art not nearly as appealing as what I’ve seen from DeStephano as recently as a LEGION fill-in. It feels like filler, inoffensive but also inessential. Unless your Jingle Belle jones needs immediate satiation, I’d recommend waiting for the trade paperback, where this will just be a not-so-high point of an otherwise worthy collection.

KISSING CHAOS: NONSTOP BEAUTY #1 (OF 4) by Arthur Dela Cruz. Oni Press. $2.95
Shipping 11/6
Anyone who’s seen the back cover of the first KC trade knows I like Dela Cruz’ work, and he doesn’t disappoint in the beginning of this new story. This time, we focus on a street art collective who are getting ready to commit some illegal act and record the ensuing melee, I think. But as with the first story, the plot looks to be less important than character dynamics and good old new-fashioned romance. Eric loves Kim, who’s unfortunately stuck on her boyfriend Jersey, the arrogant leader of the prank artists, while Ashley is the “innocent bystander of life” who gets sucked into the upcoming unlawful drama. She reminds me a bit of Raevyn from the first series: a savvier observer who nonetheless has her own severe problems. Dela Cruz hits all the right notes here in this tighter story, keeping the characterization lean but meaningful, and I have a feeling the four-issue format will work a little better than the eight-short-issues format did on the last.

Full Bleed #11 – He’s Just a Bill and Free Tips for Reviewers

Bill Jemas - You know, a lot of reviewers and columnists really get in a froth about the guy, but he doesn’t usually bother me that much. I figure most of what he does is for shock value, and when all is said and done, he’s signing off on the decisions that have brought Marvel back from oblivion and made the company’s output its most creative and interesting in years. That said, when the playful shock tactics of taunting DC honcho Paul Levitz devolve into calling the Sequential Tarts “sluts” and then to throw a racist punchline into MARVILLE #2, it’s worthwhile and necessary to call him on it, and often. I think it’s perfectly fine to use racial epithets in a comic if there is a point to be made; that is, the character speaking the words is exposed as a bigot. But what was the point here? Billionaire industrialist/superhero Tony (Iron Man) Stark uses Latin-American labor because they’re cheap and “work like n—“ (he’s stopped by African superhero Black Panther for being politically incorrect, not because his speech is offensive). So, okay, the point of the issue is to send up the Marvel Universe, but where’s the fun? A racist, exploitive Iron Man isn’t amusing; it’s just sad. I don’t know if Jemas is racist, and I don’t think he’s stupid. I chalk this up to his being appallingly insensitive and not funny.

I did find it interesting that The Pulse ran a piece with black comic creators reacting to this “n-word” usage. If it’s generally accepted that the word is repugnant to all sensitive, respectful people, why then were no other creators approached? Seems to me, to make it just a “black issue” marginalizes it. No, the word doesn’t carry the same weight and inflict the same pain to a white guy like me, but it’s offensive, and causes an unfortunate association with the other creators doing Marvel work.

Last word on this: the Azzarello/Corben CAGE miniseries was no more racist than THE SOPRANOS or MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING. It was just a pretty crummy book. Some African-Americans fight over turf; some Italians do the same, and some Greeks like to arrange marriages. Doesn’t mean the whole race does these things.

Tips for Reviewers - I like to help the youngsters. Here are a few words commonly used in comics reviews. Consider these a few (we’ll add more at a later date) of the building blocks you need:

Expressive - The artist drew stuff good, like people who could change facial expressions from panel to panel.

Dynamic - And it’s not boring to look at, either!

Cartoony - The art looks like animation style; thicker lines and fewer of them, plus often lots of broad shoulders, relatively smooth fabrics; features exaggerated but in a friendly way, not grotesque.

Tall Comic Dollars - This comic is worth the price; lots of stuff happens in here. Believed originally coined by publisher/writer Larry Young, later used indiscriminately by others.

Nice - A comic you can take home (or just upstairs) to Mom. No threatening ideas or surprises.

Clean - Smooth lines, efficient. No scratchy lines, no spattering effects. Rick Burchett is clean…Ashley Wood is dirty.

Mad Ideas - Ideas different than those found in most American comics of past 40 years, often incorporating science fiction and spermatozoa, and always written by British creators.

And here’s a free phrase that I’m way too nice to use myself, but feel free:

“From the look of the art, it seems (the artist) has been taking classes at The Sucking Annex.” Oh, okay, I admit it: I think it’s kind of a funny line, but I really would never use it on someone. I just had to get it out of my system.

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