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Breakdowns -- Green-Eyed Mountain Jack

November 7, 2002

Dax didn’t know what hit him. Of course, it was just a pie, but it was a Pie of Love. And metaphorical or not, it still went right to his hips.

Bit of a hectic week, but I was able to get most everything done. I know, at last, to stop promising specific reviews at the end of a column, because something always comes up. In this case, I misplaced Dave Cooper’s and Gavin McInnes’ COMPLETELY PIP & NORTON, so I can only offer Cooper’s CRUMPLE this week, with only the intention of another Cooper review next week. Lots of other good stuff, though, including one of the best issues of the year, and the extremely satisfying, big ol’ NEW X-MEN hardcover, plus some more smart-ass “Tips for Comics Reviewers”—with a guest ass sitting in—and a couple just-concluded miniseries getting a warm send-off.

FORLORN FUNNIES #2 by Paul Hornschemeier. Absece of Ink Press. $3.95
If you’ve been waiting patiently the past couple years for the next work of deep emotion and superlative artistry on the level of JIMMY CORRIGAN or DAVID BORING, then the waiting is officially over. If you missed the first issue of this series, by all means get it, but it’s a stand-alone issue. Beginning now, Hornschemeier starts serializing MOTHER, COME HOME, a rich and absorbing portrait of a man who’s lost his wife, and the son who’s lost his mother and, increasingly, is losing his father.

It begins in an almost tongue-in-cheek style as pages of a book, MOTHER, COME HOME by “Thomas Tennant,” the “Second Edition” featuring an Introduction by the Author. From there we’re in murky, symbolic waters, as a man floats over black liquid, searching for the woman he loves and trying to keep the creatures in the water from drowning him. Ingeniously, Hornschemeier includes bits of mathematical formulae and repeats certain parts of the narrative to convey the fragility of the man’s mind.

We learn, as we get into the next part of the book, told by the son, Thomas, that the previous part was a kind of visualization of Dad’s grief. Thomas, then, is forced into the role of keeping the household together as best a pre-adolescent boy can. Reminiscent of THE ICE STORM, he takes to wearing a mask around the house, a lion, and indeed, Hornschemeier’s work has a good deal of novelist Rick Moody’s power to convey devastating minor-key suburban tragedy. The lion mask would seem to be symbolic, too, as male lions are really lost without lionesses, who do most of the real work in the pride. The resilience and resourcefulness of children is one of my favorite themes, and though this is only the first act, reading this book was a very moving experience. And like the work of Ware and Clowes, the artistry and design are among the best comics has to offer. Don’t wait for the graphic novel on this one.

SHUCK #4 by Rick Smith and Tania Menesse. Shuck Comics. $2.95
SHUCK features some of the sweetest stories and simplest yet most evocative art in comics today, yet it takes longer to read than one would expect. The reason for this is that all the characters talk in a strange, arch dialect that separates words into other like-sounding words, or onomatopoeia, like “unceree monious” for “unceremonious.” This is easy enough, but try something like, “Keppin thems up shurter rouns out the sentimentaliciousness. The deities gotta moof on as well. They on enless tours and cyclicals augment market ability.” Yikes! So as much as I love the book, one has to be in the right frame of mind to enjoy it. This issue features Shuck searching for his lady love Gaia, who’s literally pining away for him in the guise of a fir tree due for post-New Year’s dumping. Thursday Friday, the goodhearted little girl, doesn’t know Gaia’s story but wants to help her just because it’s sad to dispose of pretty trees so soon after they’ve been used. Jamara the black cat is there to coach her through these challenges, and the aged Cherub shows up with his arrows of love. It’s like PROMETHEA meets LITTLE LULU, and quite beguiling.

RUBBER NECKER #2 by Nick Bertozzi. Alternative Comics. $3.50
I was pleased but a little confused by the first issue, but things are coming together now. “Drop Ceiling” is the one serialized story here, and continues to be mordantly funny, following our underachieving hero as he attempts to get his late father’s plans back from his scheming uncle. What changes with this issue is that we’re let a little more into his world, and he becomes more sympathetic in the process. His mom’s an idiot, and he’s pummeled for no good reason by his ex-brother-in-law, or no good current reason, anyway. As with the filmmaking of Paul Thomas Anderson, Bertozzi enriches prosaic daily events with weird moments, little mysteries that won’t register on the brain if one isn’t attuned to see them. One part I especially liked is when the guy visits an artist friend who buys old Barbies and other action figures and makes multimedia art with them, and creates better, more interesting art spontaneously than the artist, though the artist’s self-delusion doesn’t allow him to recognize this. The sheer number of panels in this story are impressive as well, as indie comics are known for a more spacious, unhurried approach at times. Bertozzi continues to push against traditional forms and succeeds every time.

“Parfum” is drawn in a goofier style, and like a story in the first issue, is also a seriocomic portrait of self-destructive obsession. In this case, a guy is aroused by the scent of a certain perfume, which he then narrows down to its source: tulips. It’s a silly farce, though the message is interesting: if the obsession isn’t hurting anyone, don’t try to cure it. “There Was Something I Wanted To Tell You But I’ve Forgotten What It Was,” written by Tim Hall, is more an exercise in form than a story, but it’s a rewarding one, essentially exploring different ways to convey text narrative other than the traditional box. “That Won’t Help,” originally published in the anthology comic STEREOSCOMIC, is an amusing silent short about a guy who’s done something wrong trying various ways to make up with his mate, before hitting on the right one. There’s a page of strips done as ads for two comics shops that are not only more interesting than most print ads, but more interesting than lots of actual comics, and then the inside and back covers are taken up with the ridiculous but sublime “Aqua Jacques,” which purports to be a traditional adventure comic like TERRY & THE PIRATES but is just to gleefully stupid. Like James Kochalka, Bertozzi seems to be a creator of depth and feeling who nonetheless feels free enough to explore his whims, and the results are most impressive.

PARADIGM #2 by Matthew Cashel and Jeremy Haun. Image Comics. $3.50.
This book has been called “ambitious” by more than one reviewer, as well as a blend of the influences of Brian Michael Bendis’ naturalistic dialogue and the strange fantasy of Gary Spencer Millidge’s STRANGEHAVEN, and all this is true. To me, though, what’s grabbing me about the book and carrying me over the confusing passages and occasionally precious dialogue is that Cashel is really able to tie all the weirdness into common emotions and fears. The lead character, Christopher, is afraid to leave his girlfriend, despite learning she cheated on him, because he might not find someone better. He even thinks he probably did something to deserve the betrayal. This makes him complex; it makes him human; it makes him accessible. He’s the mystified one, doing his best to deal with the wonders and horrors life throws us, and Cashel wisely gets us on the guy’s team early. Window, our guide through this strange reality, is grating at times, partly intentional I’m sure, and partly because the “this is the way things really are, suck it up and stop whining” type has become a kind of stock character. Characterization is generally strong here, though, with some problems due several male characters having similar faces, short haircuts and hip clothes. In fact, the comic is sometimes too hip for its own good, but stays mainly on course with wit, surprising plot turns and the charming need of Cashel to channel so much of himself through his characters’ tastes and pet theories.

ZACHARY HOLMES VOL. 2: THE SORCEROR by Carlos Trillo and Juan Bobillo. Dark Horse Comics. $14.95
This is the second volume of this series, but they’re all self-contained stories, suitable for all ages, or maybe 8-up. Zachary is like an even younger Young Sherlock Holmes, and in a cute touch, there’s a girl he likes, and they both act very proper and grown-up around each other. Zachary is a detective par excellence, and his Watson is a cute little mouse. Trillo is never sappy, though, and keeps things sweet but interesting with plots derived from mixing different literary sources. The first volume was a mystery involving Frankenstein’s Monster, while this one concerns Merlin, whose spirit occupies a tree. Being thus bound, Merlin needs Holmes’ assistance in preventing an old enemy, Lord Moriarty, from exacting his gallows-vowed revenge on the King of England and any of his descendants, in this era being Queen Victoria. Holmes and Watson use their wits and agility to stop the base cur, along with the help of the ghosts of Robin Hood and King Arthur. Bobillo’s painted art is beautiful, but simple and bright enough to keep young readers’ interest, while Trillo peppers the whimsical story with enough excitement, gags and crackling dialogue to delight older readers. If you only know his work from the other Dark Horse Venture crime books like THE IGUANA and VIDEO NOIRE, then you don’t know the full range of his talents.

SUCKLE by Dave Cooper. Fantagraphics Books. $14.95
Like all of us, Basil is born innocent but covered in slime, wanting only to love and be loved. And life is a search for this, all the while trying to keep the slime off. This is the way Dave Cooper works: rich in symbolism and disturbing, erotic imagery, but always to illustrate basic human truths and needs. This story is set, like CRUMPLE, in a dark and depressing futuristic world, but it’s just a backdrop for accessible characters with common concerns. There’s a Peter Pan or Oliver Twist feel here, as Basil is taken advantage of when he hits the city, but his goodness is able to overcome evils external and internal, real or imagined. And lest anyone think this is just a sweet little love story, well, it also contains some of the most surreal, erotically charged sequences ever committed to comics. It’s a sticky masterpiece you won’t want to wash off.

NEW X-MEN HC VOL. 1 by Grant Morrison, Frank Quitely, Ethan Van Sciver, Igor Kordey and Leinil Francil Yu. Marvel Comics. $29.99.
When I first read NEW X-MEN #114, the first issue of Morrison’s run, I had no doubts that readers were in good hands. Aside from a spotty annual, I continued to have no complaints, and in fact stopped buying the monthly issues, knowing a hardcover was coming. Now that it’s here, covering #114-126, plus that NEW X-MEN 2001 ANNUAL, I’m even more impressed.

I was just reading a message board rant a few days ago complaining that not only did Morrison not know how to write the existing favorites, but he didn’t add any new characters. No on both counts, which I’ll address in a moment. First, though, the plot particulars. In “E for Extinction,” several million mutants are obliterated in Genosha by the brilliantly evil Cassandra Nova, who also has a motivated plan to destroy Professor X. Morrison deftly brings readers up to speed with current continuity and character subplots, while always pushing forward with the exciting, often surprising story. He’s not satisfied just to come up with some fun ideas like “nano-Sentinels” attacking the X-Men from the inside; he makes the team dynamics clear and reminds us why we liked these people in the first place. He also changes the status quo for the better by having Professor X (controlled by Cassandra Nova) reveal himself as a mutant on television, which has a sudden and dramatic impact on society. But while there are still plenty of people who hate mutants, mutants also become cool, fashionable. This makes more sense than the old idea of the majority of the world hating mutants, I think.

Cassandra’s threat continues beyond this three-issue story, as she takes over the Professor’s body and gets the alien Shi’ar militia to come to Earth to exterminate the “contaminated” X-Men. Xavier’s School for Gifted Children actually resembles a school again, and in the Professor’s absence Jean becomes spokesperson, dealing with the fallout of the mutant revelation with grace. And because of the new hipness of being a mutant, some non-powered humans create a “third species” movement, altering themselves to achieve the strange uniqueness of being a mutant when their own genetics failed to bless or curse them with it.

So, we see that Morrison has injected some fresh ideas into the series, while not completely abandoning workable Claremont concepts like the Shi’ar, the Mansion. He just spruces things up. Need a Kitty Pryde young recruit for this generation? There’s the new Angel, with tons of bad attitude, yet instantly more interesting than previous attempts like Marrow. The characterization is thoughtful and doesn’t let the melodrama of these people’s lives completely overshadow recognizable feelings like hurt, jealousy, pride and love.

Accepting that most of the characters, even previous stiffs like Cyclops, are going to have a bit sharper sense of humor, they’re all true to form, or better than usual. Rather than his decades of chasing after Jean Grey or adapting to whatever she’s going through, Cyclops has his own issues getting in the way of their marital bliss. He’s been psychically invaded and damaged, and hasn’t had much time to deal with it because he’s always got to be the tactician. Makes sense to me, and the old love triangle with him, Jean and Logan is given a brief brushing off and resolving, with maturity. Jean, for her part, is the same nurturing heart of the team, but even when Morrison adds some realistic nuances, he balances them with her concern about the ethical dilemma of mucking about with people’s minds. You know she’s going to be fine, decent and heroic, even if she makes someone, er, crap their pants.

Emma Frost adds the real zing to the line-up, being the cool, sardonic pragmatist amid the mutant dreamers and idealists. Her persona really demands the occasional darker shades for the other characters, because to totally resist would be to make the characters foolish Pollyannas. Hank McCoy changes into a leonine Beast, which adds even more sad gravity to this great soul. I felt bad when he was so cruelly tortured by Cassandra Nova, and thought it a bit excessive, but to his credit, Morrison made restoring Hank’s dignity a priority afterward. Probably the only not-so-great characterization has been Logan’s. Morrison has discarded the berserker and samurai personae, but hasn’t come up with anything interesting, sexy or dangerous to replace them. He’s fine as the no-nonsense, been around the block guy, but we need something more. I would guess part of this flaw is that the guy has his own book and Morrison has to be more careful not to step on toes. Of the new characters, Angel, Beak and the immensely powerful Xorn are all winners. The story from the Annual, “The Man in Room X,” was uneven, partly from a mix of two pencilers, but still interesting, a fairly fresh take on the “harnessing a powerful mutant for one’s own ends” type of tale.

Trying not to gush, I have to say that reading this hardcover was great fun, and I think the format worked much better than the monthly issues. Monthly, some delays and the sporadic appearance of Quitely’s art sapped the series of some momentum. Collected, one can better appreciate the fine work of Van Sciver and Kordey, the latter of whom really comes into his own a few issues after the ones collected here, and in CABLE. Not only that, but one can better see the just how well Morrison has planned. A character appearing a year later has a one-panel cameo in one of Morrison’s first issues, for example. The care goes into every detail, from the brilliant new Morrison-designed logo, to the sexier but more functional and realistic costumes designed by Quitely, including a particularly suggestive number for Emma. Considering that the thirteen issues and one 48 page annual here are collected on better paper and with a hard cover for less than original cover price, one can’t gripe that there aren’t many extras. However, the ones here are good: variant covers, sketchbook pages for all three artists, and most importantly, “The Morrison Manifesto,” the writer’s suggested outline for most of the first year of his run, along with notes from editor Mark Powers in the margins. Not only is it rewarding to get into Morrison’s head a bit to see the themes and ideas, but there are a few roads not taken in the actual issues that are intriguing. Simply put, Morrison has resurrected my interested in this book and its characters in a big way, and I have a feeling he’s just getting warmed up.

Full Bleed #12: More Bad Reviewing Tips, and Dear Departed Miniseries

Regarding last week’s “Tips for Comics Reviewers,” I need to make a correction. Tall Comics Dollars has nothing to do with a comic’s entertainment value, but rather the money to be made in the industry. The example does originate, comics-wise, with Larry Young (probably originally a hip-hop phrase), but more along the lines of Brian Wood now making “tall comics dollars” on CHANNEL ZERO because of Young’s indefatigable and clever promotion of it. And if you can show me a rap cd that rhymes “indefatigable” with something, I’ll buy it. As for additional “tips,” or more accurately, in case you didn’t get the point of the piece, more clichéd words and phrases used by comics reviewers who ain’t write good, Alan David Doane of Comic Book Galaxy, offers a couple he’s noticed, and I’ll include them now, as I can’t improve upon them:

Continues to Impress - I noticed that this creator was competent last month and the month before, and by golly, here they are again this month, still with the competence!

I’m Not Sure Where the Creators Are Going… - Because I didn't write it or draw it, and because the people who DID write and draw it did not send me previews of upcoming issues. However, I have read past issues, and am rock-solid in my certainty about where the creators HAVE GONE with this story, in the recent past. And it continues to impress!

Yes, we had a guest-writer here for a minute. Thanks, ADD. And while we’re here, I’ll add:

Knocked It Out of the Park – Sports metaphors, you know I love ‘em! Morrison kicked it through the uprights, while Johns laid down a squeeze bunt, and Larsen was called for icing. Perhaps poor inking can now be called “unnecessary roughness”? Honestly, I don’t think the phrase is that bad, it’s just overused.

Mess of Fun - Don MacPherson used this so often it became a kind of signature phrase of his, yet he seems to have abandoned it. Perhaps someone pointed it out to him how often he used it, and really, when you’re writing so many reviews, it’s easy to pick the first word or phrase that comes to you. But since he’s stopped using it, it’s all yours. Have a mess of fun.

Murky and Muddy – My old MARVEL TEAM-UPS and ROM: SPACEKNIGHTs always used four bright colors, lots of purple and turquoise. These use the computer generated earth tones and better paper and printing to come up with something wholly more sophisticated, and I. Don’t. Like. It. Also, I may need a new bulb in my Reviewing Room (GIRLS KEEP OUT!).

As for the “Dear Departed Miniseries,” well, it’s just a fact of what we do that with these things, the first issue gets much more coverage than the last. It makes sense, really; why try to get a reader into a book that’s over, when there are new stories to talk about? But there are a couple of books that just finished up that deserve mention, and are worth tracking down.

THE HOOD, by Brian K. Vaughan, Kyle Hotz and Eric Powell, was one of the best miniseries Marvel put out this year, a gritty crime story with a superhero/supernatural hook that fans of Brian Michael Bendis’ DAREDEVIL and ALIAS work would enjoy. The lead character, whose finding of a mystical levitating cloak and books adds heaps more danger to an already troubled life, is not a good guy, and not only does he face some tough moral decisions, he often makes the wrong choice, yet we still want him to succeed. There was a bit of a contrivance in the wrap-up, but it’s still a strong piece of work, and I hope it leads to more stories with this guy. Plus, it finally made me a fan of Hotz’ work.

30 DAYS OF NIGHT doesn’t need my help, as writer Steve Niles has already signed a nice deal for the movie rights, and a quick search of eBay shows the demand for this three-issue miniseries from IDW, but I wanted to give it a quick plug, anyway. Unlike so many comics, the concept is so pure and good you can distill it to one sentence: vampires overrun a small Alaskan town, where it’s dark for a month at a time. And so, what we get is a bloody little horror film on paper, with suitably disturbing visuals by Ben (HELLSPAWN) Templesmith. Not deep characterization, but the main character, Eben, does make a surprising sacrifice, and there are a couple nice twists leading to a climax that’s just entertaining as hell.

He considered himself a follower of Ho Chi Minh, but only for the first three miles. Damn shoes.

Chris Allen

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