Gilbert on the Beatles

I'm working through a number of old Los Bros interviews in preparation for my next major piece of writing on "Wig Wam Bam," and I came across this odd, but interesting quote from Gilbert (in TCJ #178) about the Beatles, specifically the common notion that Lennon was the better artist, and Paul was jealous.

"People make the mistake of thinking that Paul was the weaker Beatle, which is not true. He just decided to go the path of ballads and softer music. That's all. That was his decision because that's what he felt stronger doing. I think the actual rift between Paul and John was that they were equally strong, and John resented that in Paul. He could not eclipse Paul in the Beatles because Paul would always come back with something else. I think there was this real rivalry that just drove John nuts - and maybe McCartney too and he just hid it better, I don't know. But what I'm saying is, I'm defending McCartney because people always think somehow he's the weaker Beatle because he did ballads, and that's not true at all."

Favorite Panels #7 - Neal Adams

This Eisner-inspired image of Batman comes from Denny O'Neil and Neal Adams' classic Ra's al Ghul stories that ran in Batman and Detective Comics in the early 70s, and which were reprinted in the 1987 mini-series, The Saga of Ra's al Ghul. I've probably owned these comics for over a decade, but was finally inspired to actually sit down and read them by this interesting post over at the Comics Reporter about five alternatives to buying new comics every week, followed up by this discussion of the Baxter paper reprint series from the early 80s over at Comic Book Galaxy (the follow-up post here has a good list of all of these titles). These Batman stories actually hold up pretty well nearly 40 years later, although some of O'Neil's narration seems a little over-baked by today's standards. Still, Neal Adams' take on the Caped Crusader is among the greatest all time, and that's saying something considering how many superb artists have drawn Batman over the years. And the coloring by Cory Adams really shines on the Baxter paper, which preserves the art's lustre much better than the original newsprint versions.

Favorite Panels #6 - Matt Wagner

Can you tell I've been on kind of a superhero kick lately?

This panel is from Batman and the Mad Monk, a six-issue mini-series from 2006. I picked up the entire series for three bucks at NYCC (it would have cost me $21.00 retail) and for that price, it was a great find. Having read the entire 70-issues of Sandman Mystery Theatre about a year ago, I can tell you that Matt Wagner is a great writer, but this story, which is set in Batman's early years, is less a showcase for Wagner's writing than his art. Throughout the quick six issues, Wagner's panels are dynamic, varied, dramatic and generally a lot of fun to look at. Anyway, there's nothing especially innovative or earth-shattering about this particular image; it's just a damn good drawing of Batman from a series full of damn good drawings.

20 Essential Songs

In one of my day jobs, I work as a youth advisor for a group of teenagers in NYC. Recently, we agreed to do a CD Mix night, in which we each record our favorite songs onto a CD and do a blind exchange. Now, I have over 15,000 songs on my computer, so to select 20 that would appeal to teenagers was no small task. I decided to go with the classics (or, as my wife called it, “the school of rock approach”) rather than try to impress them with how hip and cool I am by picking a bunch of obscure indie artists. So I spent a few hours scouring my iTunes for the “essential songs,” but I didn’t want it to be too boring (or, frankly, to seem old) so I decided not to go with anything too obvious. Thus, no Beatles, no Eagles, no Rolling Stones, no Elvis, etc. Anyway, here’s what I finally came up with:

1. Johnny B Goode - Chuck Berry
2. All Right Now - Free
3. Fat Bottomed Girls - Queen
4. Spirit in the Sky - Norman Greenbaum
5. Sweet Home Alabama - Lynard Skynard
6. Folsom Prison Blues - Johnny Cash
7. American Woman - The Guess Who
8. Radar Love - Golden Earring
9. Jack & Diane - John Mellencamp
10. Renegade - Styx
11.Stray Cat Strut - Stray Cats
12. Bad Leroy Brown - Jim Croce
13. Money For Nothing - Dire Straits
14. Paranoid - Black Sabbath
15. You Shook Me All Night Long - AC/DC
16. Walk This Way - Aerosmith
17. Pour Some Sugar On Me - Def Leppard
18. Good Times, Bad Times - Led Zeppelin
19. Eye of the Tiger - Survivor
20. I Don't Wanna Grow Up - The Ramones

So, how'd I do?

The REAL All Star Superman

With apologies to Frank Quitely and Jamie Grant, I would pay twice as much for 12 issues drawn by either of these guys.

InkStuds Interview - Jaime Hernandez

Here's another interview with Jaime Hernandez that's worth a listen. This one was conducted in 2006, following Jaime's stint with the NY Times Funny Pages.

Shelf Life Update - Love & Rockets X

FINALLY!!!

Part 1 of my column looking at the landmark issue #39 is up at the Shelf Life temporary site. This one features my analysis of Gilbert Hernandez's under-rated masterpiece, "Love & Rockets X." I know it's been a while, but I was hoping that Sequart would come back so I could post it there. Unfortunately, it looks like it's going to be down for the foreseeable future. Grab a cup of coffee and a snack; this one is LONG, but hopefully worth your time.

Review - The Murder of the Terminal Patient

I read Rutu Modan's The Murder of the Terminal Patient yesterday on the NY Times website during my lunch hour. Normally I don't care for comics on the computer screen, but I don't buy newspapers, and these NY Times Funny Pages comics are too good to pass up. In just a couple years, Modan has become a cartooning force, and her presence in the Funny Pages alongside such luminaries as Seth, Jaime Hernandez, and Dan Clowes, is strong evidence to her talent. As with her breakout graphic novel, Exit Wounds, the story is constructed around a central mystery, and unfolds quickly until its big and satisfying reveal in the final episode. At seventeen pages, the story is a little light on character development, but there's certainly enough to hold a reader's interest. But what makes Modan worthy of such exclusive company is her seemingly effortless synthesis of Hernandez and Herge, a clean line approach which incorporates all the familiar aspects of cartooning and combines them with an illustrator's sense of composition and design. Modan also relies on a soft, textured color pallete which straddles the line between fantasy and reality. Anyway, if you've got 15 minutes to spare, you could do a lot worse than spend it reading this short story. My only complaint is a technical one - why can't the NY Times format these stories like every single other webcomic so you don't have to navigate back and forth to the table of contents every time you want to advance pages? It's a trivial gripe, but it seems like common sense to me, yet has somehow eluded the greatest newspaper editors of the world.

Review - Creepy Archives vol. 1

Creepy Archives vol. 1

Published by Dark Horse Comics

Hardcover, US $49.99

This is the first installment of an extended reprint project collecting the late 50s Warren horror magazines, Creepy and Eerie. Both were extensions of the EC horror format, particularly Tales From the Crypt, but there were a few notable differences. The most significant was that the Warren magazines were published in black and white, allowing many of the artists' stunning linework to take center stage. These books were also among the first post-Comics Code horror titles on the stands. This volume collects the first five issues of the magazine.

So what do I look for in a comics archive project?

First, is the quality of the art reproduction. I don't know whether the pages in this collection were shot from original artwork or scanned, but the line detail is sharp, and, to my eye, there are no signs of distortion or murkiness. The covers, four of which are by fantasy master Frank Frazetta, are also reproduced in full color, and look sharp and clear.

Second is completeness. The format of this book is similar to Gemstone's EC Archives collections. Not only are all 50 pages of story from each of the first five issues reprinted, but the letters pages and original house ads are also included. These might be the kind of details most people skip over, but for my dollar, I appreciate having the inside cover introductions, tables of contents and old ads for monster masks and Boris Karloff readings. The only thing missing are the magazine's original back covers, which are hardly essential.

Third are the bonus features. Here, the collection is a little lacking. The only special feature the archive includes is a single, three-page introduction by Comic Artist magazine’s Jon Cooke. Cooke’s overview is respectful, and provides decent background and context, but avoids delving deeper into the individual artists or stories. Other than this introduction, there are no additional materials, and that’s too bad. It would have been nice to see some of the artists commenting on their work (as was done in the EC Archives books), or the late Archie Goodwin, who wrote most of the stories (and who, Mr. Cooke goes to painstaking efforts to convey, was the nicest man who ever walked the planet), or some background on Mr. Warren himself, or the magazine’s impact, being the first significant revival of the EC formula following the establishment of the comics code authority. Of course, to be fair, there are future Creepy and Eerie Archives planned, so the opportunity for these kinds of materials still exists.

Fourth, and most importantly, is the quality of the material itself. Are these stories worth archiving, or is this just another attempt to repackage mediocre comics, as we have seen from Marvel and DC time and time again? Well, first of all, unlike many of the trade paperbacks that flood the shelves each week, these stories are not readily available in other formats. In fact, the original five issues of Creepy typically go for anywhere from $25 to $200 each on Ebay, and it’s highly unlikely that most people would spend that much money to read the issues (especially in the current economic recession). But as with most anthologies, the quality of the stories themselves are mixed. Some are fairly formulaic or too predictable, while others feature fascinating character snapshots or clever twist endings. Some highlights include Otto Binder’s "Adam Link" stories, Goodwin and Crandall’s Edgar Allen Poe adaptations and Frank Frazetta’s "Werewolf."

But, unlike most anthologies, the quality of the artwork is incredibly consistent throughout. These are some of the industry’s masters of horror storytelling at the top of their game. Al Williamson. Joe Orlando. Gray Morrow. Jack Davis. Frank Frazetta. Angelo Torres. Reed Crandall. If these names aren’t familiar to you, then you’re missing out on some of the most skilled draftsman in comics.

Favorite Panels #5 - Will Eisner

This is not technically a "panel." It's the LIFE illustration from Will Eisner's "City" portfolio. I discovered the image in a 1988 interview Eisner did with the obscure British fanzine, Ark Magazine. What I love about it is how perfectly Eisner captures that old New York neighborhood feel. The rooftop perspective, the dillapidated buildings, the people hanging out on their fire escapes, the kids playing in the street, the clothes lines between buildings; all of these details harken back to a romantic version of New York City that is forever lost. Recapturing that feel of the city that he loved was one of Eisner's main goals in his art, and this is one of the best examples I've seen.

Favorite Panels #4 - Simon Bisley

I've been having fun reading old 2000 A.D.s lately, mostly from the mid-80s to early 90s. The stories are mediocre sci-fi and fantasy fare, but the black and white artwork throughout was frequently outstanding, even in the most mundane stories. In the US, it's easy to forget that virtually every major British artist of the past two decades got their start in the pages of 2000 A.D.

Anyway, this particular A.B.C. Warriors panel comes from Prog #563 (from Feb. 22, 1988). If all you know of Simon Bisley's work is his 80s Lobo mini-series and those classic Doom Patrol covers for Vertigo, you may not realize what a stunning and imaginative artist he is. I liked this particular panel above for its clever use of text in the image, but for the sheer beauty of his linework, there are many better examples.