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Breakdowns - Romeopathic

March 20, 2003

One of the easiest, but often least satisfying, things to review is a first issue, be it a first issue of a miniseries or ongoing series. It’s all about delivering a little but promising a lot, getting your hopes up. Very rarely anymore is #1 a complete, satisfying story in itself. That is, it may be satisfying, but not complete in itself. And I can’t tell you how many good #1s have been followed by weaker #2s and #3s and so on. The first issue is the one that’s been worked on the longest, and often, the only fully scripted issue of a miniseries that an editor approves, the other issues often just in outline form.

So what this means is that, well, I just got another column intro almost out of the way. Also, it means that with first issues, like last week’s RELOAD and BLOOD AND WATER, I’m not going to spend a whole lot of time on them. I’m still a guy who looks forward to the possibility of a great new comic enough that I’ll buy these and not wait for the usually inevitable trade paperback, but I do prefer reviewing trades and complete stories, as I think a review is stronger if there’s less guessing and hoping and fretting involved. So I’ll make a little section for those “First” reviews, and other than that, it’s business as usual here, with other reviews including Stan Lee’s “bio-autography” EXCELSIOR!, Brian Wood’s and Rob G’s THE COURIERS and the Clive Barker comics anthology, TAPPING THE VEIN. And after these, stick around for some interesting commentary spinning off from my ORBITER bit last week.

THE COURIERS by Brian Wood and Rob G. AiT/PlanetLar. $9.95
I’ll admit, I’m just a little touchy about reviewing a new Wood book so soon after the 100-plus message board posts I had to field (okay, like 30 were mine) on Wood’s forum after I lambasted CHANNEL ZERO: JENNIE ONE. But while this book has its flaws, which I’ll get to, I don’t feel so het up about it, you know? Even if I did, why repeat myself? Creators don’t often take constructive criticism to heart, and especially if you’re hitting them over the head with it. So let’s keep this simple.

The story is about Moustafa and Special, couriers of illegal substances, documents and other sought-after items, and their clientele is anyone they can reach by bicycle, the drops arranged by their boss. The type of job they refuse is a “biologic,” meaning the delivery of a person, so they’ve got some kind of moral code. Only this time is different, as they need to take a young Vietnamese girl from the tyrant holding her, a former Red Army general. They’re successful, but the rest of the book is about them trying to keep her, and keep alive, as the general’s still-loyal platoon shakes down every courier in the city to find them, finally resorting to big helicopters in the bombastic conclusion.

This is my first exposure to Rob G, not having read TEENAGERS FROM MARS but hearing nothing but good things about it. He must be a big part of the book’s appeal, because he’s terrific. Well, let’s say he’s very good, because while I thought his character designs, body language, and action sequences were all strong—with a definite manga influence in the car chase—the way he drew the cars made them look more like clay models. Needed a little gloss here and there, you know? Other than that, very impressive.

I mention that tiny lack of detail—let’s make the cars look cooler—because this is an amusingly fetishistic boy book. I’m not saying I don’t dig cool cars, tough chicks, guns and helicopters, I’m just saying it gets a little silly when the writer and artist go to such trouble to identify the guns and give their specs, but there doesn’t seem to be the same amount of time given to the script. Is it horrible? Not really, but it feels like a rough draft, with a workable premise and structure, but some significant problems.

First, it’s hard to get any kind of read on our main characters, beyond the one good little tidbit about them not trafficking in people. What is their bond? Do they have other things in common besides the job and being good with firearms? Do they argue about some issues? Are there things about the other person that annoy them? Is M’s girlfriend jealous of their relationship at all? I think a little of this may have been covered in COUSCOUS EXPRESS, but this is a separate joint, you know? Everything necessary has got to be there, and unfortunately, these characters are pretty flat. Not unlikeable or boring, but not much there.

The long car chase worked fine as pure visual entertainment, but as ye olde writing course would attest, every scene must either advance the plot, develop character, or both. Technically, you’re advancing the plot by M driving and killing his pursuers, but I think more could have been done, especially between S and the girl in the back seat. They communicate purely in sign language—a unique variant, apparently—so most readers are shut out. Wood attempts some comedy with M’s exasperation at S and the girl ignoring him and his outstanding driving, but it doesn’t quite come off. The instinct was right, but the scene needed honing.

The third act may be just what the doctor ordered for some readers; to me, it strained credibility too much. I can accept the helicopters, sort of, but why no police response? I don’t know if it’s G’s or Wood’s fault, but the feeling I got from this scene is that the city is unoccupied except for these characters and their little support group we haven’t seen until now. That takes quite a bit of the drama out of the scene, when there are no innocents around, and no complications from cops showing up. I’m not sure why these couriers were so prepared they had a rocket launcher at the ready, either, but what can you do? Funnier to me was how the Chinese soldier told his troops to “go to Plan B.” OK, we’ll assume he picked up English, but even so, would he use such an idiomatic phrase, and name his plans using the alphabet of a second language? Not a huge deal, but lazy. The big revelation at the end was silly but didn’t bother me, nor did Jennie’s silent and meaningless cameo. Mainly, the book is attractive and fitfully entertaining, and I think with more polishing could have been great.

EXCELSIOR! by Stan Lee with George Mair. Fireside Books, a division of Simon & Schuster New York. $14.00
I grew up thinking of Stan Lee as a kind of grandfather who never came to visit, but left all kinds of gifts in the 7-11s and bookstores of my youth. I could always get an adult to pay for them. I remember eating dinner at a dark, old-time restaurant, me maybe eight, with the Pocket Books edition of AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (three volumes collected issues 1-6, 7-12, and 13-18, tiny but in color) at the table while I ate. I studied these, and even cut the pin-ups out. Even better was ORIGINS OF MARVEL COMICS, because there you had Stan himself explaining how he came up with all those wonderful characters.

As I grew up, “Stan’s Soapbox” got sillier, his shtick less appealing to a normally rebellious teenager, but there was always a great affection for the guy. Learning about Jack Kirby’s and Steve Ditko’s contributions to their respective books didn’t lessen that, though I gained even more appreciation for them. The never-ending debate over what Lee and Kirby did on their books isn’t all that important to me, though I do chafe a bit at the assertions that coming up with a basic plot for an artist and then scripting what he’s drawn is somehow not significant, when it’s obvious to me that Lee’s friendly, self-deprecating huckster style is equally important to Marvel’s success as the dynamic and distinct art and storytelling excellence of Kirby, Ditko, Romita, Buscema et al.

But yes, it is important enough that I wanted Kirby’s and Ditko’s separate fallings-out with Lee to be addressed, and they are. Nothing too shocking here; the feeling is that Lee was so busy writing, editing and promoting, and not at the office much, that resolution to any growing resentment from his star artists would have required a direct confrontation neither of them chose to make. I’ve never read of any attempts, anyway. Admittedly, this is hard to do when the writer is also the boss.

There’s really not much dirt, and the most negative comments are reserved for former Timely/Marvel publisher Martin Goodman, who seemed to make Stan both cash cow and hatchet man, and resented Lee’s fame even as it made Goodman a richer and richer man. Stan does lay on the good-natured naivete pretty thick throughout, but his contempt for Goodman is palpable.

There isn’t anything revelatory or new about the creation of classic Marvel characters, Stan’s themes, or his writing style. A self-described hack, Stan labored for years at formulaic, trendy books until he hit paydirt with Kirby and started to loosen up and find his uniquely endearing and bombastic voice. Those looking for emotional connections between the Man and his characters, unrealized ambitions and favorite stories will be disappointed, but it seems he found all he needed with wife Joanie and daughter Joan. Any time he writes about either of them, the results are anything but deep or surprising, but they’re always thoroughly charming and sincere.

The book, of course, covers time other than the Marvel Years, too, with a great section on Stan’s Korean War experiences and the strangely touching saga of Stan Lee Media, the online content provider driven to destruction largely through the criminal mismanagement of one Peter Paul, who betrayed Stan and the other shareholders and fled to Brazil, where he was later arrested. No one wants to see a trusting old man being swindled. It’s a breezy, engaging book from one of the most important figures in comics, written in the style to which we’re all accustomed, lacking depth but containing a great joy of life.

One of most purely fun things about Stan’s Marvel days was how he would often act out the plots of his stories for the artists, jumping up on desks and such. I just wrote and acted in a fifteen minute skit for work, and as stressful as this was, it was also a lot of fun and very instructive, as I learned to adapt the script in successive drafts so the dialogue would read more naturally, the action would flow more smoothly and succinctly. Mostly though, it made the words more important and real to me when I had to learn them. I wonder if some of the cool and cynical comics of today would benefit from a little playacting now and then?

BLUE MONDAY: NOBODY’S FOOL by Chynna Clugston-Major. Oni Press. $2.95
Though this is technically a one-shot, it’s best to consider it just another issue in a sporadic but ongoing series, since little attempt is made to be accessible to new readers. Other than the fact that it’s attractive and pretty funny, this isn’t a great introduction, but for those already in the know, it contains two fun stories for supporting castmembers Clover and Victor. Clover has the first, and longer, story, one set on St. Patrick’s Day, which annoys the Irish lass to no end, as she is beset with friends and classmates singing “Nancy Whiskey” and the like without an ounce of Shane. Chynna can’t seem to help bringing fantasy elements into this series, so we get some leprechaun shtick. Other than a great pun, it’s obvious stuff, but there are many worse things than seeing Clover in a clover bikini, so who’s complaining? Victor’s story was better, as he brings back his old Goth getup and finds it very effective with girls, especially now that no one else looks like that at his school. It only goes so far before he blows it, of course. However, there is a sweet little bit at the end that shows Chynna is intent on making Victor a better man.

FADE FROM BLUE #1-5 by Myatt Murphy and Scott Dalrymple. Second2Some Studios. $1.50
One thing I hate is when a reviewer talks about a book or creator coming “out of nowhere," or how a guy could labor for years in, say, mini-comics, and if Image publishes him, it’s a “stunning debut” or whatever, just because this is the first time the reviewer notices him. Well, I’ve known about this book for at least a year, and never once felt the urge to buy it. Hey, there’s a lot of good stuff out there to read, and the one or two reviews I read never did the book justice. At least, I know that now, because this is a hell of a strong series. The first issue introduces the four Shermot sisters, Marit, Iya, Elisa and Christa. I know their names without consulting the books, because I know the characters already. They are all real and different from each other, due to Dalrymple’s ability with different faces and body types, and Murphy’s ability to create rich, compelling characters within the limited space of a series with four leads and as many plots and subplots. The story engine here is that these half-sisters all banded together years ago when their four mothers died mysteriously and their polygamist dad disappeared. They all want to find him and the killer, a man named Highball, but none more than Marit, a police detective and sort of the father figure of the family. She’s also working a twisty, complicated case involving organized crime. Iya is more than the buxom blonde she appears to be, but currently feels like she’s less, as her role as mother or emotional triage surgeon seems less necessary now that they’re all grown up. She also can’t seem to let go of a clinging, controlling ex-boyfriend named Avi. Elisa is the youngest, currently getting through or over a crush on a himbo while her best friend Daggy pines away without telling her his feelings. And Christa, the writer of many a Cosmo-type sex article, is the sarcastic one, moreso now that she may have gotten herpes from a one-night-stand with an old flame.

Whew! That’s a lot of story to pack into just five issues so far, but Murphy does a remarkable job with structure and pacing, the first issue in particular being worthy of study for how to introduce characters and get their stories rolling quickly, without confusing the reader. All the characters feel real, though Christa would seem to be the most enjoyable to write, as she’s hilarious. In fact, the backup feature has so far always been one of her articles, and that kind of extra effort is always worth bonus points from me if done well. A strong, complex book, with romance, humor and even some credible police procedural, all for a buck-and-a-half. Go, get.

TAPPING THE VEIN by Steve Niles, Fred Burke, P. Craig Russell and Various. Checker Book Publishing Group. $24.95
This is a collection of some of the best stories from the early 90s series of the same name, which adapted Clive Barker horror stories to comics, often painted, by some of the better artists in the business. Barker was then at perhaps the peak of his popularity, considered the heir apparent to Stephen King, probably because his work was very strong but also much different from King’s. King generally chose sympathetic protagonists, many of them from old-fashioned East Coast values, while Barker, as evidenced here, has little use for likeable characters. It’s refreshing to a large extent, as he can have his protagonist be gay or a prostitute or fascinated by sadomasochism, without being judgmental towards the characters, or not for those reasons. They’re just interesting characteristics that a King or Koontz or Straub weren’t interested in exploring with their own characters.

I won’t go into detail on the stories featured here, but one could describe most as similar to old EC Comics morality tales, written with the dark poetry of early Neil Gaiman. Immoral or amoral people, usually unloved and without emotional ties to anyone, do bad things or step where they’re not supposed to, and are undone, transmogrified, eated or destroyed. It would be monotonous without Barker’s imagination, with “The Midnight Meat Train," “Down, Satan” and “Human Remains” being disturbing standouts, while the wildest idea and most arresting visual, in “In the Hills, the Cities,” seemed rather preposterous despite John Bolton’s best efforts. He and Russell do excellent work, as do some lesser-known talents like Tim Conrad, and adapters like Steve Niles and Fred Burke do yeoman work compressing Barker’s prose without losing its unique flavor.

Debuttals

RELOAD #1 (OF 3) by Warren Ellis, Paul Gulacy and Jimmy Palmiotti. Vertigo/DC Comics. $2.95
Unlike with MEK, Ellis has written a script that moves and surprises and makes its goals known quickly and emphatically. What happens is the President is assassinated by a beautiful and dangerous woman, and it’s up to Chris Royal and the rest of the Secret Service to bring her in. Gulacy’s a good artist for this material, really enhancing the assassination sequence, and Guy Major’s coloring is excellent. Gulacy still draws the biggest, deadest eyes in the business, but I like the rest of his style fine. I do find it hard to accept how nonchalant everyone is about the President being killed and them completely fucking up this job, one of the most important anyone could hold. It’s bizarre that there is not only any grief, but there’s even some jokes and witty banter between these agents who would now be under an unbelievable amount of public and governmental scrutiny. It’s a huge flaw, but the book is still enjoyable and surprising.

BLOOD AND WATER #1 (OF 5) by Judd Winick and Tomm Coker. Vertigo/DC Comics. $2.95
Adam Heller is dying of Hepatitis A. Within just the first few pages you realize he’s a good guy who didn’t deserve this kind of fate. Winick sets you up beautifully and cruelly, like a good writer should. See, now you’ve been tenderized enough, with the medications and vomit and bloating, that you can accept if Adam decides to take an offer of the oldest alternative form of treatment ever: vampirism. His two friends reveal their true nature to him, intent on helping their friend out of this short life of pain. His choice, once he gets over the shock—in some hilariously blue Winick dialogue—is no surprise, but this issue is less about what happens than the execution, and he execution is strong.

MIDNIGHT MOVER #1 by Gary Phillips, Jeremy Love and Jeff Wasson. Oni Press. $2.95
I received this as a photocopy weeks ago, and didn’t start it until now because I didn’t know what it was—there were no credits. And it bugged me, because I would see that first photocopied page in the pile and know I recognized the artist. I had read other work by Jeremy Love through Gettosake Entertainment, and remembered CHOCOLATE THUNDER as much better than its title would suggest. Anyway, it looks like a good thing for him to have hooked up with Phillips for this crime story. So far, it’s standard issue, with a former military guy now wanted for suspicion of murder. It’s either a bad coincidence or a deliberate frame, but either way, he didn’t do it, and we know he’ll have to find out who did. Not as gritty or individual a first issue as Phillips’ SHOT CALLERZ #1, but strong enough.

Full Bleed: Nerdcore Ascendant
Warren Ellis is discussed so much online because, aside from his gifts as a comics writer, he’s right there in your face with interviews and Bad Signal e-mails and the like. He keeps himself involved, and so he generates a lot of attention for whatever insightful, funny, scathing or wrong thing he says. The following Bad Signal excerpt got my attention and I sent him a reply. We’ve corresponded on other things, but he didn’t respond to this one. I’ll run the pertinent segment of his original message, followed not by my reply, but a second draft of it, for public consumption:

“Odd trend; interviews with comics creators at The Pulse have become targets for the expression of nerdhate. This got going when they interviewed editor Bob Schreck, and writer Joe Casey is the latest. Pulse operates a system where the features are published via UBB message-board software, allowing comments from the peanut gallery. It seems that, at Pulse, the interviews are considered by the audience to be some kind of personal affront, or a skinny Christian pushed in front of their leonine maws. And so the nerdcore descends; in the newest instance, mostly unable to spell even Joe's name correctly. Even comics store owners step in to call Joe -- one of the better writers in commercial comics right now -- a monkey. And, you know.... it's embarrassing. It's pitiable. And it's a definite trend. Comics: the medium that hated itself to death.”

I like Ellis personally, the little I know him, but there seems to be a few things going on here that are, well, odd, for lack of a better word. First, there is no trend here—comics fans acting up over interviews? That’s new? And while it’s fun to call them nerds, well, isn’t anyone who even knows Joe Casey’s work something of a nerd (including me)? Isn’t he just another tailor of pervert suits? Maybe a more stylish and surprising tailor than some, a guy who will take chances with lapels that others wouldn’t, but still. This plays right into my theme, which is that the actual “odd trend” here is for comics creators to make fun of their fanbase and then act offended when those fans turn on them or another. When you use language designed to provoke and diminish, it comes back to you in that form or one even less respectful.

Perhaps Joe shouldn't have written columns bashing other creators and their books, nor pretended he didn't pay attention to message boards, when the Pulse interview has him admitting he does. I don't take Casey's comments seriously, because I understand that he, like Ellis and Morrison and others, make such comments to create a cult of personality, to reinvent themselves. I've found this happen on a much smaller scale with my columns: the more confident you sound, the more people respond and back you up. It can be dangerous, and you have to keep it in perspective, and be as honest as possible. You don't talk about message boards if you don't care about them; you don't mention sales figures ("not that it matters") if they don't matter to you. Casey is talented, and always an entertaining interview, but let's face it: if you throw a lot of shit around, don't be surprised to find flies descending on it. Talent does not afford a free pass for bad behavior, or shouldn't.

Comments about the underwhelming preorders for Ellis’ ORBITER--unfortunate, as it looks like it will be a good book—brought this reply from Paul Dubuc, Associate Publisher of Checker Book Publishing Group:

“Actually, pre-orders on TPBs, in Checker's experience, are augmented by a month-after-publication re-order from Diamond between 20 and 50 per cent of the initial order. This puts Ellis close to 10,000 copies sold real quick. There aren't but 1,500 comic shops anymore, so this is actually quite good. Keep in mind that these are non-returnable, firm sales, too. Diamond pays in 30 days, so within 60 of delivery, this book is going to net around $100K.

“ Meanwhile, over in the book trade, the same 10,000 copies are making their way from distributor to wholesaler to retailer/library on a returnable basis, with payment terms from the distributor ranging from 90 days to 120 days. This payment, when at last it comes due, will be subject to withholdings by the distributor against the potential return of all books which have not yet gone out the front door of a retail store or been shelved at a library. We've found that this consistent, quick-hitting direct-market revenue is invaluable in financing the advertising, marketing and publicity push necessary to move books out of Barnes & Noble and Borders.

Best regards,

Paul Dubuc”

I found this informative, as I hadn’t considered the relatively small direct market sales being used to then buy promotion in bookstore chains. The reason I hadn’t, though, is because I’ve never seen this in practice in these stores. If Checker is finding success with this method, I’m happy for them, but I’m not sure how it applies to ORBITER and DC Comics. DC has the money for bookstore promotion if they desire, and I hope they do desire, because as I said, this particular book looks to have a potentially wider appeal outside of the regular comics audience than most of DC’s books. And that’s why I’m alarmed, because even with the book mentioned in Entertainment Weekly, little to none of this readership has attempted to find the book in comic shops, or if they did, they didn’t know about preordering, a common enough practice in general bookstores. I’m very interested in how ORBITER does in these stores, and if the direct market orders are only the tip of the iceberg, I’ll be happy to admit I was wrong. Right now, though, considering the extent to which Time-Warner-AOL-DC have already used a significant part of their machinery to push this book (EW is owned by them), it still seems like a rather small return.

But just as I was finishing the comments above, similar to my reply to Paul, he replied to me with the following “clarifications." The number format is his.

“1. Barnes & Noble's merchandising programs, like what CrossGen bought into, are generally limited to their "A" stores -- the 100 or so largest. So, most stores would not have had the floor dumps. [CA—I had mentioned a story, probably reported in Rich Johnston’s column, that said that though CrossGen had paid for standees in B&N stores, some of these stores failed or refused to display them] At present, B&N has graphic novel sections in only 250 of their 600 stores. They have told Diamond Book Distributors, however, that all 600 will have a GN section this year.”

2. That $100K I mentioned is just from the direct market, and just the first two months. I have worked many years in the book business, selling titles that had no direct market appeal (from self-help to travel to business). Sales of 10,000 copies in a book's entire first year in print, through traditional book outlets alone, is considered a modest success for a small publisher -- though it would be considered an abject failure by, say, Doubleday or Random House. DC will take this book to the bookstores [that] already have achieved that level.

3. Keep in mind that though GNs are growing in popularity, the volume sold on any given GN title is still an order of magnitude below those titles you see listed on the NYTimes Bestseller list. I used to sell Fantagraphics, and was the point man for sales of Sacco's [SAFE AREA] GORAZDE, which got HUGE and PRESTIGIOUS [emphasis Dubuc’s]publicity -- first year bookstore sales were only 15,000 or so -- hardly Harry Potter/Steven King territory. Pantheon's well regarded and heavily publicized JIMMY CORRIGAN hardcover might have sold 50,000 first year (I'm pulling that figure out of my ass, but I doubt I'm off by much) -- again, that ain't Jackie Collins, THE CORRECTIONS, or CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL.

4. Without returnability, the direct-market retailer is at considerably more risk if they overstock a book based on EW-generated customers that never materialize.

5. DC seems to promote the hell out of their top one or two books every month, and leave everything else to fend for itself. Check out the Amazon listing for GREYSHIRT: INDIGO SUNSET, for instance, a February title. No cover image, no product detail, a month after publication. These are both simple, free means of promoting what I consider (and Booklist seems to agree, as the review on the listing states) an intriguing and saleable title. ORBITER's listing is similarly barren, but it's not due till June.

6. I checked out advance orders for ORBITER through Ingram, the 300-pound gorilla of bookstore and library wholesaling. They are in for 300 copies so far. Baker & Taylor, a smaller competitor mostly selling to libraries, is in for 250. Those numbers will probably grow as reviews hit (DC does seem to get advance galleys to the key pre-pub reviewers efficiently), but as you can see, booktrade sales aren't likely to dwarf direct market sales. SUPREME advance orders (feel free to publish): Ingram: 2000; Baker & Taylor: 900. Total advance orders booktrade: 4,000. Same as the direct market, basically. Now, we've already been paid for the direct-market initial sales, and are using that money to subsidize a modest ad campaign for STORY OF THE YEAR as our second printing arrives, and DM sales of THE RETURN should easily finance some premier display space at B&N and Borders for both books to coincide with the LoEG movie premiere.”

So what all this means to me is that my snarky comments have done exactly what I had hoped. Well, that is, it’s even better to hear you’re completely right, but I also greatly appreciate learning when I’m wrong about something, partially or completely. My thanks to Paul for his insight and candor. Also, while this might look like some sort of weird plug-for-palaver agreement, in reviewing TAPPING THE VEIN above, I noticed on Checker’s website that the two SUPREME books will also be made available in limited edition leather-bound hardcovers, each containing a wealth of bonus material, such as the Squeak the Supremouse and Suprema, Sister of Supreme stuff Moore did as backups to the stories reprinted in the softcover volumes. Lest this be considered an endorsement, I’m honestly annoyed this material isn’t available anywhere but these $75.00 volumes, but thought it worth mentioning for those Moore fans out there with more dough than me. I also have to commend Paul and Checker on their policy of exchanging the pristine second-pressings of SUPREME: THE STORY OF THE YEAR upon receipt of the ripped-off covers of the poor-quality first printings, with no cost (not even shipping) to the consumer. The best way to resolve a bad situation.

Next Week: probably no reaction from the coolcore (heh); reviews of NO MORE SHAVES and NEGATIVE EXPOSURE, among other things.

Chris Allen

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