by Gary Spencer Millidge
Ilex Press, 2011
Conflict of Interest Warning: I provided scans of some of the rare material featured in this book, and I have a “Thanks” credit in it.
When this book was first announced, many of us Alan Moore fans were expecting a prose biography (the first) of Alan Moore. What we get instead is actually more like a coffee table art book chronological biography of the writings of Alan Moore.
by Herge
translated by Leslie Lonsdale-Cooper and Michael Turner
Egmont, 2004
Herge began his final Tintin album — the 24th — in 1978, and it remained unfinished at the time of his death. This book is kind of a behind the scenes look at his working process. It showcases the work he did complete on it: thumbnails for most of the album (mostly stick-figure doodles really, sometimes just words in a panel), and a dialog script.
Wait. That might not be entirely accurate. It’s unclear from what’s presented how Herge actually worked.
by Jon McNaught
Nobrow Press, 2010. Hardcover, 38 pages.
This is a book of astonishing beauty, pure and simple.
Birchfield Close is one of those not-common-enough books that’s not really about narrative, but about trying to represent sensory experience in comics. To some degree McNaught’s work resembles that of Chris Ware, but evacuated of story.
by Gerald Jablonski
Self-published, 2002.
If ever there was a comic that embodied OCD, then this is it — and I mean that in the nicest possible way.
Turning through page after page of Cryptic Wit, the feeling I was uniformly overcome by was disbelief.
Written by Tony Lee, Art by Andrew Currie
IDW, 2011.
I’m no expert on Doctor Who, but even I know that the experience of the show is largely about which actor is playing the part: his facial expressions, his voice, his body language, his mannerisms.
To pull that off in comics, I think you need an artist who is exceptionally good with faces (I’m looking at you, Dave Gibbons), or you need to be a slave to photo reference. This comic does the latter with mixed success.
Continue reading REVIEW: Hundred Penny Press: Doctor Who Volume 2 #1
from Treehouse of Horror #17
written, drawn, and colored by Jim Woodring with some add’l dialog by Tom Dougherty. “Quilty as Sin” segment drawn by Max Badger.
Bongo Comics, 2011.
It never ceases to amaze me that every year, one of the best and most eclectic showcases of comic industry talent is the Simpson’s Treehouse of Horror. Over the years we have seen writing and art contributions from Mike Allred, Jeff Smith, Peter Bagge, Evan Dorkin, Mark Hamill (yes, that Mark Hamill), Garth Ennis, Dan Brereton, Gary Spencer Millidge (doing a From Hell parody in #9!), Pat Boone, Alice Cooper, Gene Simmons, Gene Colan, (take a breath now) Bernie Wrightson, John Severin, Al Williamson, Kyle Baker, Eric Powell, the out-of-left-field, brain-detonating extravaganza of altcomix Kramer’s Ergot artists in #15, Lemmy (!!), Glenn Fabry, and Gilbert Hernandez. (I may have already reached my 400 word quota here.)
Now, when I tell you that — of all the ones I’ve read — the Jim Woodring story in this issue is the best of them all, you need to know that that’s no small thing. This story is so incredible that I’m not going to review it — I have to analyze it, so SPOILER WARNINGS are in full effect.
by William Messner-Loebs and Sam Kieth
Piranha Press (DC Comics), 1989
Isn’t it weird how sometimes perfectly good comics can somehow completely slip through the cracks?
We’ve reached an era where it feels like eventually every comic ever published will be reprinted, possibly in a hardcover omnibus format. The two issues of Epicurus were apparently reprinted in 2003, but it never registered on my radar in either iteration before now.
by Nate Simpson
Image Comics, April 2011
I’m going to have to spoil this comic to talk about it, but let me say this first: think about the context in which we normally hear the word “Nonplayer” used, and also consider the fact that Nate Simpson has a background in video game design, and I think you can guess what the twist on page 20 is going to be. It’s issue 1 of 6 anyway, so you might as well find out.
by Robert Goodin
Top Shelf Productions, 2008
This week I was going to review either this or Lady Death Origins Annual #1. I chose this one, but both books are about breasts. I was a bit surprised that one of the two was even published, but it’s not the one you think.
Writer: Bob Haney. Pencils: Jay Stephens. Inks: Mike Allred. Color: Laura Allred.
DC Comics, 2008. 48 pages.
Reading this thing, you have to wonder if Bob Haney was aware of his own reputation.
