Monkey vs Robot x2

My last trip to the library was like striking gold. Two more books I picked up while I was there are James Kochalka's Monkey vs Robot and Monkey vs Robot and the Crystal of Power. Prior to writing this I went to his website for American Elf. It's a really cute strip. Like Monkey vs Robot, American Elf isn't written for children. Kochalka is also the Author of Johnny Boo, which is geared toward kids, and his seemingly simple style would be at home in a children's title, just as it would in a newspaper comics section. I say seemingly, because his art is pretty great, and on closer scrutiny isn't all that simple in the first place.

American Elf is something I will go back and read now, and have some commentary on in the future, but for right now, it's all about the Monkeys (and Robots). This book is mostly free of dialog, and completely free of written narrative. It is overflowing with sound effects however. The second book has more talking in it, and the monkeys have picked up some english by that point, but most of the actual words come from the Robots in both books. Each book is done entirely in one color. The first is green, and the second is purple. The art is extremely good. I don't know at what point in my life I became enlightened and started appreciating the wide range of art in comics. There was a time when I was so put off by art in comics that was anything other than 100% mainstream that, for instance I stopped reading New Mutants when Bill Sienkiewicz made everyone all tall and skinny and strange looking.

These books chronicle some of the struggles between two very different groups existing in the same jungle. This is violent stuff. They seem cute, but there is plenty of crushing and breaking and burning and destruction. Are these books making a point of some sort? They sure could be. I think the reader can pick the struggle they want it to embody, such as nature vs technology, and have it mean what they want it to, or they can just read it as an account, and enjoy it either way. 

These are exceptionally quick reads, but I have found myself going frequently back through both of them and focusing on a lot of the pages individually.There are a lot of patterns and a lot of design in the pages. Panels with rain and mist in them are some of my favorites. I enjoyed both books, but the first is my favorite. 

Minx - Twofer 2... Two-ferther

This is another Minx post from me, but not yet THAT Minx post from me. That post will come soon, but not yet. This is the post where I talk about the two Minx books I just borrowed from the library and read. These were both even better than the other two I read.

The Plain Janes - Cecil Castellucci and Jim Rugg. I am a big Jim Rugg fan, and have wanted to read this since it came out.  I was not familiar with Cecil Castellucci prior to this, but will check out her other stuff based on the strength of this one. I am a big fan of Teen Movies. I can't help it, it's my secret shame, or would be if I was actually ashamed of it. 10 things I hate about you, Can't hardly wait, etc. etc. etc. I generally like them. I thought this book read like what a good teen movie should be, and a bit more.

This story has pretty great depth without seeming deep or coming across heavy handed. It's about friendship and finding your place and free expression and art and the desire to be a part of something bigger and the need to be true to yourself, and the sense of helplessness we can feel in post '9-11' America. The fun part to me is how The main character Jane (MainJane) arrives at her new school and snubs the pretty and popular table to sit with the 'rejects' that she sees as her tribe. She isn't immediately embraced by them either, and at no point in the story does she betray them or act in a way that is untrue to her self.

The Re-Gifters - Mike Carey, Sonny Liew and Marc Hempel

I love the art in this book, and the story even moreso. This story is a bit simpler than Plain Janes, but that doesn't make it shallow. It's a pretty standard sort of story with some unexpected bits and some nice twists in it. It is a believable and understandable story. That's not to say that it is fully realistic, but it's... real.

The nice thing about this story is that the main character is a Korean girl, and while we get a good feeling for that in her narration and references to culture and such, the cast of this story is wildly diverse, and none of it feels forced or fake. It is a story about a kid in LA, post-Rodney King riots, but still feeling the repercussions of that event to some degree. Those things just flow naturally around the story, and again, as the story is well written, it only adds to the total piece, making it feel like it is a real place and time with real people in it.

Both of these books are excellent and I recommend them to anyone who likes things that are nice and anyone who likes well written and well drawn comics. I made my 14 year old daughter at least try to read these books, as well as the two I had previously talked about, and she mostly read them, and liked them. I say mostly, because I think she skimmed parts of them. We talked about the books and the imprint going under as well as her tastes in comics and fiction and what mattered and didn't to her.  Some of that, however, will have to wait until I post THAT post about Minx.

Identity Crisis

One item in the giant pile of comics I borrowed from the library last time I was there is the Brad Meltzer, Rags Morales Identity Crisis. I remember when this came out originally, and I didn't pay any attention to it. The only thing I recall from that time was that Marvel did that Identity Disk thing seemingly just to create name confusion, and that Identity Crisis was regarded better than the other one.

There are a number of things in this book that I knew about already, but did not realize that this was the storyline where it happened. This is the storyline in which Sue Dibney is raped (via flashbacks). This is the storyline where she is killed and then burned and then shown horribly burned in the comic. This is the storyline where the Zatanna Mind-wipe technique is brought out. This is the story with Captain Boomerang's son appearing and taking the mantle and showing the super-speed.

I like the premise of this storyline. I like the thought behind the effects of the various awful things on the heroes and their families, as well as a lot of the issues that are brought up. It raises a number of questions that are pretty good ones to raise. It is also a bit excessive and grisly. I don't love the excessiveness. I don't love the tendency to kill and maim heroes and loved ones every time you need a plot starter. I think this could have been done and presented a little differently and still have been good and gotten it's point across.

That being said... I thought the story was pretty well done. I thought the rainbow of narrative boxes was a bit heavy handed and sometimes confusing for a minute or two while reading. The art is solid. The Joss Whedon Introduction is sort of light and throw-away, but the whole volume is a pretty good read. There are a number of plot points, there are a lot of characters that go under the microscope here, and it is interesting and worth talking about.

I never liked the elongated man. I never paid any attention to him at all really. He was one of those eighth tier characters I wasn't even sure why he existed. I think I missed out on something in being so dismissive. This sets up the major problem I have with this series and the stuff done in 52, etc. I hate it when underutilized characters are spotlighted and developed and built up so that we care about them so that they can be torn down and destroyed and have us care that it happened. I never realized how present Sue Dibney had been in Ralph's career. I didn't know that they were a constant stable happy couple that worked as a team. That's great stuff. I hate that... Wait, we have a happily married couple in our stable? let's rape murder and burn the wife, then tear down and destroy the husband... (high fives all around). That doesn't EVER HAVE TO HAPPEN. The whole story could have hinged upon something horrible that wasn't quite so horrible as that. Final doesn't mean a lot in comics. Companies and readers are always interested in seeing something else, and all that big impact that your story had when it came out loses it's meaning and ends up just seeming distasteful.

I think this is a problem that crops up in the medium a lot, and has for a while. It isn't by any means unique to DC, although they do it a lot. I think this storyline contributes a lot to the ongoing discussion of comics. I thought it was good, but can't say I fully 'enjoyed it'

Comic Book Day x2

I missed Comic Book Day last week. I picked up my stuff, but I didn't write about it. I am now faced with a backlog. I will try to make this even quicker and less useful than normal.

The Age of The Sentry #1 - I hate the Sentry. I sort of hate everything about everything about him. HOWEVER. This was pretty cute. It is funny but still a bit reverential to golden age comics.

All Star Superman #12 - Funny, Fun and more. Well written and endearing stories, an over-arcing storyline, good stuff and now it's done. Comics can be like this. Any Comic with All-star in the name should be expected to be this good.

Amazing Spider-Man #572 - ba dot dot dot daa... I'm lovin it.

The Incredible Hercules #121 - This is my favorite Suydam cover of all time. This title is a romp and I am still enjoying it a lot.

Greatest Hits #1 - British Superheroes done like a Beatles documentary. It's not bad, but I am not sure if I will get any more issues. I might just check back in when it is a trade.

Atomic Robo, Dogs of War #2 - Good writing, great art, amazing color! good stuff!

Tiny Titans #8 - More good stuff. Cutest thing ever, and fun. Highlights are Pink Beetle and lots of super pets. Tiny Barda makes a cameo and is cute as heck.

Billy Batson and the Magic of SHAZAM #2 - How awesome is Mike Kunkel? Pretty awesome I'd say. This book is another all ages that is better than most other books out there (so far anyway.) It is a book geared toward kids, but without pandering. It is also really dense. A lot is crammed into each issue. Good stuff!

Kick Drum Comix #1 - I am uncertain of my feelings on Jim Mahfood's work in general, or his genre, or... something. I want to like it less than I do. I loved grrl scouts, though. I really like the stories in this issue as well. I am not sure I love the oversized format, but I think I got 6 bucks of enjoyment out of it. The art and the attitude are different from other stuff I get, and I like to mix things up and make sure that I put a variety of styles in front of my face. I don't like the hard to read lettering, but I enjoyed the first story and really was impressed by the second one. (Coltrane's Reed)

Hulk #6 - This comic is just ok I guess, but may not even be ok. I no longer really care about the payoff. There is a lot of hulk style baby talk, and some jumping to earth from the moon and all, but even that may not keep this on my pull list.

Runaways #2 - Enjoying so far. I thought this issue was better than the first. I like Moore's writing and LOVE Ramos's art.

All Star Batman #10 - Remember what I said up above about All Star Superman... Well this title does not meet that standard. Frank Miller Wrote Year One and the Dark Knight books. Year one is the best Batman ever. The Dark Knight is the best future Batman. All Star Batman... Just isn't up to those standards. Despite a crazy amount of blacked out cussing, this issue is better than most have been, by at least a bit. I thought the cussing segment was a bit like trying to watch the censored version of Kat Williams on comedy central last night. I still haven't cancelled this.

Madame Xanadu #4 - Still liking this. Still loving the art.

Skaar One Shot - Accidentally bought this. I will read it soon.

Ambush Bug #3 - Funny stuff. I am still enjoying this.

Daredevil #111 - Lady Bullseye part 1 - I may start getting Daredevil for at least a while. I have loved DD in the past, and picking up this issue makes me think that maybe I waited longer than I should have to start getting it again.

Comics in the moving pictures

Within the past several months I have wached several things based on comic books. I want to briefly cover them here, and if anyone has any thoughts on them, please chime in as always.

Wanted - I read Mark Millar's 'Wanted' and liked it, but didn't love just how ugly it was. I commented on this before, and will only partially cover here. I thought the negativity was overdone and I thought it was heavy handed in unnecessary ways. Yes, I think it IS possible to have lots of gun play and even lots of killing without having everything just feel ugly and overwrought.

I thought the movie was pretty brilliant. It took some core themes, twisted them around perhaps a lot, and made a movie that was many times more enjoyable than the comic book. They kept some of the 'big twist' mechanics in place and created whole levels that didn't exist at all in the original. I would say the movie is more than a few steps removed from being 'based on the title of a Mark Millar comic' but it isn't an adaptation of that book either. It is a different thing, and I thought it worked really well (I went in thinking I would love the book and hate the movie).

Amazing Screw-On Head - This is a perfect comic made into a perfect pilot for a tv series based on a comic which I assume will never be made. The voice acting is great, the script is hilarious. The whole thing builds upon the basic idea of the comic and changes just enough stuff to make it go from being a one-shot to being something that shows even more potential for as a show. There were ideas and effects that were fleshed out on screen in ways that couldn't have been done as effectively in print, such as a portrait of lincoln that uses the old style digital mechanism to make his mouth appear to move when he is communicating with Mr. Head. The extra bits about his butlers adds depth, and the lost love interest works, It is just awesome. The art is the same as the comic, the tone is the same, but a greater potential is shown. I nearly cried when I realized that all I would be able to see was one 22 minute episode. It has been shown on Sci-Fi network, and I know it is available through netflix as well. You really should see it.

Death Note (Live Action) - I probably won't review a lot of manga related stuff here, but that is not because I have anything inherently against comic books that are called manga or anything. Death Note happens to be a series that I have read the bulk of the manga(but not all of it) and really liked. It's good twisted stuff with a lot of out-thinking and out-foxing going on in it. My favorite character is Ryuk the Shinigami, and he is my favorite in the manga as well as the film. The premise is that there is a notebook out there that belongs to a death god(shinigami) if a person touches it they can see the shinigami whose book it is. If they write a persons name in the book while having their image in their mind, that person will die. The notebook is found by a genius kid who is a bit bored with life and finds a way to really put excitement back into the world while exploring his inner megalomaniac. The live action movie is basically a 'part one' , part two is supposed to be making it's way here to the states sometime after October of this year. It picks a good place to end, and although unresolved, could be enjoyed without seeing the second part.

Reading Watchmen again

I bought the original run of Watchmen as it was coming out. I don't think I missed any issues of it. My best friend and I were both getting it, and both loved it. A year or so ago I picked up a copy of the trade for a very reasonable price at a used book store, but I had never gone back and re-read the whole thing.

I just finished reading the Watchmen again. This time, I read every word. This time I understood things I didn't understand before. This time it was about fifty times better than the first time. The world doesn't need me to tell it that Watchmen is a brilliantly written, genre defining masterpiece... But it IS, and I am. Consider yourself told, World.

What was difficult about it that my 18 year old self had trouble with? Why is it better now than it was then? I guess there are a couple reasons for both of those, and one is certainly maturity and a broader worldview that comes with it, but another would have to be a greater ability to focus, or perhaps more patience. I don't know for certain, but I do know that it still wasn't an easy read, even as an older guy. I say this a lot about comics that throw in giant blocks of text along with the pictures and little word balloons. Any comic that does this has to earn my respect by proving it is better off with the text added. Watchmen certainly is. There is nothing in the volume that doesn't add value or give a better understanding of the personalities and backstory and overall setting that makes the whole thing work. I am pretty sure that on my first read through over twenty years ago I skipped a good bit of the prose.

Another piece that made it hard for me was the comic within the comic. I am pretty sure I skipped a lot of the pages centered around the newsstand and the boy reading the pirate comic because I got overwhelmed by trying to follow two things at one. I have a bit of ADD in me, especially when I was younger, and focusing like that seemed hard for whatever reason. I found the best way to read it this time was to separate the two parts and read all of the Black Freighter on the page and then go back and re-read the page for the dialog, etc.  I missed an awful lot by having skipped those things. Even this time I had to think about it to fully appreciate why we should care about all of those disparate parts.

I have a more profound respect for this comic now. It's art and writing both are just perfect in my opinion. I have been thinking about the idea of a movie, and have been flip flopping a good bit. Yes I want to see action figures and such. Yes I want to see very cool live action photos of characters. No, I am not sure how it will be made into a film that won't suck. I watched the trailer again, and I think that it could probably be done. It may be possible to make it decent. I have thought about how parts of it might translate to the pacing of a film, and worried over the guts of it being messed with too much and it's spirit and message being lost. I think that ultimately it may be best to never have it be a movie, but I doubt that's an option, lawsuit or no.

That's all I've got for right now, but feel free to give your opinions. I have a few other thoughts that will go into another post, but that's another post.

MINX - a two-fer

I read my first two minx titles tonight. You know me, I like everything. I have been wanting to read these things since the imprint started, but I haven't ever found myself without something else I wanted more. My most recent trip to the library yielded two books from the line, Blabbermouth and Clubbing.

Clubbing is the story of a London goth who makes a fake ID and gets picked up by the police, and subsequently sent to live with her grandparents way out in the country. The story is weird, but not without some nice elements. I am generally in love with Josh Howards art. This book is no real exception, and it pretty much looks decent start to finish, but doesn't knock my socks off.

The story is ok,  but seems a bit hurried.  It also has a plot twist that sort of makes me long for the movie Hot Fuzz. Sadly, I don't think it does quite enough of any of the things it touches on, and our female lead isn't particularly endearing, while not really edgy enough or strong enough to pull off the main character role.  Over all, I think it's just ok.

Blabbermouth is another story set in England (with a vacation to the US in the middle of it). The story is credited to Mike Carey and his daughter Louise. I am a fan of his work on Lucifer, and I have not read the Re-Gifters, his other book for minx. It is fantastically illustrated by Aaron Alexovich.

We get characters with flaws, but none of whom are irredeemable(well not our main cast at least). It's a little bit like an after school special, but not annoyingly so. It is actually a bit like parts of several after school specials rolled into one, but not quite. Ultimately, girl empowerment and standing up for yourself and your friends are showcased and things end up much better than how they started.

The thing I don't love about these books is the Vanity Fair quote that they both carry which proclaims 'You don't have to be a comic book geek to dig... MINX' I just hate that sort of thing.