Li'l Depressed Boy #1
He found a home first on the Internet. Now, Li'l Depressed Boy comes to print with LI'L DEPRESSED BOY #1, out this February from Image Comics.
LI'L DEPRESSED BOY follows the adventures of a ragdoll as he goes about his ordinary life. In the first issue, Li'l Depressed Boy meets girl, with all the romantic and stylish lovelorn charm that characterizes movies such as (500) Days of Summer.
The cult favorite web series was created in 2005 by S. Steven Struble, a comic colorist (CHEW, Kick Drum Comix) and nationally competing slam poet, who continues to write the series. Early Li'l Depressed Boy strips were drawn by comics luminaries such as Sam Keith (THE MAXX), Jamie McKelvie (PHONOGRAM), Jim Mahfood (MIXTAPE), and more. Sina Grace took over art duties on the acclaimed web comic in 2008. His illustrations can be seen in various publications, most recently in Among the Ghosts, a young adult novel written by Amber Benson (Tara on Buffy the Vampire Slayer).
"The Li'l Depressed Boy comes from so many personal experiences, which I think correlates to why people relate to the story," says Struble. "We've all been that quiet person who can barely muster a smile. With Sina as the regular artist and our first story arc together under the Image 'I,' it's a dream come true."
Adds Grace, "When I started drawing the Li'l Depressed Boy, I was so excited to be collaborating with someone who wanted to tackle comics the same way I did: with earnestness, fun, and a touch of self-deprecation. After all these years, I'm happy to say that the work we are presenting with Image Comics maintains those core values."
LI'L DEPRESSED BOY #1 (diamond code), a 32-page, full-color comic book for $2.99, will be in stores February 9th, 2011.
© C Harris Lynn, 2010
Darkchylde: Legacy and Redemption
In January 2011, fans old and new will be able to catch up with accursed teen Ariel Chylde in DARKCHYLDE VOL.1: LEGACY AND REDEMPTION from Image Comics.
Ariel Chylde is a sweet-tempered girl with a terrifying secret: She can become the horrendous creatures from her many recurring nightmares. In DARKCHYLDE VOL. 1, collecting for the first time the "Legacy" and "Redmpetion" storylines, Ariel seeks salvation and an end to her terrible curse.
"2011 marks the 15th Anniversary of Ariel Chylde," says creator and artist Randy Queen. "So, it is with great joy this rare collection of Darkchylde material is made available for the first time in America with Image. To ensure a truly dynamic package, we've added new pages of art, the poetic writings of Ariel Chylde, and many rare and unseen images. If you're an older fan or newer fan, you'll still find something fresh to discover in these haunted tales of the teen who can become the creatures from her nightmares!"
DARKCHYLDE VOL.1: LEGACY AND REDEMPTION (NOV100428), a 160-page, full-color trade paperback collecting the "Legacy" and "Redemption" storylines of the hit series and featuring all new artwork and cover gallery, will be in stores on January 12th, 2011, for $16.99.
A feature film is currently in development with John Carpenter attached to direct.
© C Harris Lynn, 2010
Spawn #200
SPAWN, already the best-selling independent comic of all time, celebrates the release of its 200th issue in January! What was once slated as a 27-page story has now ballooned into a staggering 53 pages of artwork. With double the story, the 200th issue benchmark is simply too large to contain! The book may be bigger, but the price remains the same -- only $3.99 -- making it the best value in recent comic book history.
SPAWN will celebrate its 200th issue in high fashion, with the return of series creator Todd McFarlane to the interior artwork. McFarlane has called up an all-star team of award-winning comics luminaries to help him make SPAWN #200 the best issue yet: Greg Capullo (HAUNT, THE CREECH), David Finch (CYBERFORCE, Batman), Jim Lee (All Star Batman and Robin, Batman: Hush), Rob Liefeld (YOUNGBLOOD, Deadpool), Marc Silvestri (THE DARKNESS, CYBERFORCE), Danny Miki (SPAWN, Avengers) and Ashley Wood (HELLSPAWN, Zombies vs. Robots) all contribute to this landmark issue!
Robert Kirkman -- creator of THE WALKING DEAD, the comic book on which the Golden Globe nominated TV series is based -- provides an origin story for Omega Spawn. But he doesn't just write the story -- he draws it, too! Finally, new series artist Szymon Kudranski, who takes over art duties with issue 201, provides a stunning epilogue, giving fans a taste of what's to come in 2011!
"In 1992, Image Comics was formed, and a handful of new titles came out of the chute," says McFarlane. "Spawn was one of those titles. At that time, none of us thought any of the titles we were releasing would hit 200 issues. Yet here we stand, 18 years later, with the 200th issue of Spawn."
McFarlane continues, "I'm glad to be joined on this book by some of the great creators in our industry -- Jim Lee, Robert Kirkman, Marc Silvestri, Rob Liefeld, Michael Golden, David Finch, Ashley Wood, Greg Capullo, Danny Miki, and FCO Plascencia. We look forward to giving you what I believe will be the best value comic you'll buy this year. Spawn #200 has now grown to over twice the size of the original, but the price remains the same."
"This marks only the second time an independent comic has reached the 200-issue mark," says Image Publisher Eric Stephenson. "Few ongoing series from any publisher have the longevity and permanence SPAWN has. Todd has made it into the record books once again, but more importantly, he has created a series that has an enduring place in the hearts and minds of fans all around the world. This milestone issue is a perfect example of why the series so richly deserves its accolades, and after seeing what the creative team has planned, I guarantee you, the best is yet to come."
In SPAWN #200, the most ruthless villain in the Spawn universe returns. Can Jim Downing survive a face-to-face confrontation? Downing will battle his most fearsome opponent yet and get answers from an astonishing source, as two fan-favorite characters make a glorious return in this double-sized issue.
SPAWN #200, a 56-page full-color comic book, celebrating 18 years of the hit independent series with an all-star lineup of comics creators, will be in stores January 5th, 2011, for the obscenely low price of $3.99!
Further, 2011 will be a big year for SPAWN: New series artist Szymon Kudranski is already several issues ahead. Issues 201-205 will be coming out bi-weekly, to build on the momentum of the landmark 200th issue.
© C Harris Lynn, 2010
The Wormworld Saga
I am not certain who on Twitter passed this fantastic treasure along, but they were retweeting someone else's suggestion, so let me just thank Twitter people in general for passing along The Wormworld Saga.
This beautifully illustrated, capably written, completely free webcomic -- the first chapter of which is available right now -- is a work to be celebrated. And though I am not as familiar with webcomics as most of my peers, or even probably most of you reading this, The Wormworld Saga really opened my eyes to the form.
I maintain that comic books lose something significant when they are taken out of their original form. Comics have a tactile sense association, at least for me; I need to feel the paper, smell the paper (with older comic books), even run my finger over the panels if I am so moved. The handful of webcomics I've seen until recently were little more than scans of pages or strips, despite how they were created, laid side-by-side, page-by-page. The Wormworld Saga uses a vertical layout, but it goes far beyond that.
This is an all-ages piece about a young, somewhat frail, daydreamer told beautifully through painted panels. I do not know if the work was handpainted or created through some graphics or even comic book -creating program, but it is very nice. It looks handpainted, but I cannot tell, and it is not only beautiful, it tells the story capably.
This is a truly beautiful work that is free, appropriate for all ages, and just plain good. Highly recommended.
© C Harris Lynn, 2010
Term Life GN
What would you do if you had a family to care for, but everyone from the mob to dirty cops wanted you dead?
Writer AJ Lieberman (COWBOY NINJA VIKING) and artist Nick Thornborrow (The Anthology Project) ask just this question of the hero of their new graphic novel TERM LIFE, coming in January 2011 from Image Comics.
"Coming off COWBOY NINJA VIKING, I wanted to write something a little less... insane," says Lieberman. "And I wanted it to have a lot less Vikings. I'm a huge fan of crime fiction. TERM LIFE is a puzzle -- a bloody, violent puzzle! Our hero is trying to do one very simple thing: stay alive for the next 21 days. But the great thing about crime fiction is that the hero rarely gets what he wants.
"I'd say if you're into Brubaker, Cooke, or Lapham, this is right in your wheelhouse. If, on the other hand, you buy your comics for the stunning art, you're in luck; TERM LIFE has that in spades!" Lieberman adds.
TERM LIFE: If Nick Barrow can stay alive for 21 days, he'll die happy. Everyone Nick knows wants him dead: mob bosses, contract killers, and dirty cops. Performing the last act of a desparate man, Nick takes out a million-dollar insurance policy on himself, payable to his estranged daughter. The problem? The policy doesn't take effect for 21 days. 21 days? Nick knows he'll be lucky to be alive for 21 hours...
TERM LIFE (NOV100427), a 144-page, full-color graphic novel written by AJ Lieberman and drawn by Nick Thornborrow, will be on sale January 12th, 2011, for $16.99.
© C Harris Lynn, 2010
Poseurs
Berkeley, CA - 18 November 2010 - Los Angeles nightlife. It's all Hollywood parties and glitterati, right? The graphic novel POSEURS paints a different picture as it plays with the idea of who's real and who's rented in the LA party scene.
Available this February from Image Comics, POSEURS follows the lives of three distinctly different teenagers as they navigate both the seemingly glamorous and underground party scenes of LA. Traversing all corners of LA, from the graffiti-tagged streets of LA's eastside to the bloated mansions of Bel Air, POSEURS takes a satirical look at the LA party scene through the eyes of three teens who get in over their heads.
Writer Deborah Vankin has the pedigree to back up her tale -- she's covered arts, culture, entertainment, and nightlife in LA for nearly 10 years, writing for publications such as the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, and Variety. Rick Mays (KABUKI VOL. 6: SCARAB) brings a pen as sharp as Vankin's wit and experience to the project, perfectly capturing the aesthetic of the LA party scene, whether the pretty dream or the ugly truth.
"It's a young adult novel aimed at teens, but I think older audiences will appreciate the satire that permeates the story. There's a kidnapping, a few shady characters, and some love interest. And it's shot through with photographic and literary references -- so it's fun, but smart, too."
POSEURS OGN (DEC100454), a 152-page, black & white graphic novel from Image Comics, will be in stores February 16th, 2011.
© C Harris Lynn, 2010
Lovebunny & Mr. Hell
Before HACK/SLASH introduced the world to the slasher-fighting duo of Cassie Hack and her sidekick Vlad, TIM SEELEY introduced another critically-acclaimed duo to the world in the form of dysfunctional superheroes, Lovebunny & Mr. Hell!
Originally published in black and white and out of print, the new edition of LOVEBUNNY & MR. HELL is painstakingly remastered in full color!
Seeley shares, "With more and more 'serious' superhero comics clogging the shelves, I decided it was time to bring back my first professional creator-owned comic. Irreverent, sexy, and funny, Lovebunny and Mr. Hell is to superheroes what Hack/Slash is to horror, and now it's in full-color for the first time!"
LOVEBUNNY & MR. HELL: Former sidekick Beth Bowers wants to be her own hero, but she's saddled with a sidekick: the demonic, eternally hungry, Mr. Hell! Long out-of-print, their twisted adventures return in an all new volume -- in full-color for the first time! This new edition includes EVERY appearance of LOVEBUNNY & MR. HELL to date, including the HACK/SLASH strips and the crossover with Savage Dragon!
LOVEBUNNY & MR. HELL, VOL. 1 (NOV100432), a 136-page, full-color graphic novel collecting Tim Seeley's formerly black-and-white comic, will be in stores January 12th, 2011 for $14.99.
© C Harris Lynn, 2010
Chill: Vincent PD Now Online
Though crude, the Vincent Police Department and guidelines for handling law enforcement officers, trials, and procedurals in Chill is up. At this point, it is very concise but provides all of the information CMs need to develop their own police organizations and include them in campaign play.
You'll want to bookmark this page because it's the only way to get to it until I get around to redesigning the index.
© C Harris Lynn, 2010
The Dan Slott Debate
In case you are unaware, Amazing Spider-Man writer, Dan Slott, defended himself against allegations that he is a "hack" -- someone in it only for the money and furtherance of his own career, showing no regard to the medium or form. An anonymous poster in some forum accused him of such and Slott's clever retort was, "FUCK YOU!!!!"
'Cuz he's a writer.
I don't know who Dan Slott is so, if I've read him, I had no major reaction to his work; had I really enjoyed his work or really hated it, I probably would remember his name. It was a publicity stunt engineered by Slott and/or his friends or editors. But, since it's here, we may as well treat it as though I thought it were real (I do not). IOW, sure, I'll bite:
I think it's fine for someone to anonymously call him a "hack," or basically anything else, and if he were pleased with his work, I don't think he would have taken it the way he did. Of course, it can be hard to maintain under even the best circumstances and, as cellphones become more prevalent and more people come online, there is more of this kind of behavior today than ever before. After a certain point, and most of us have reached it, you stop caring whether or not the comment is sincere.
At any rate, it's just as okay for Dan Slott to defend himself however he pleases -- of course, meaning online in silly communiques and what-not, not IRL. He would have made more progress if he'd engaged the writer on a higher level -- asking him to define the term, or include some other examples -- but it's just as cool to be angry. I don't care.
I'm still not reading Amazing Spider-Man. I can't afford it, anyway.
© C Harris Lynn, 2010
Merry Christmas Stuff!
Merry Christmas from The Rundown and The Weirding! (All links open in a new window.)
I hope you all have a very Merry Chrimmas and we'll be back to unjustly criticizing everything and everyone soon!
© C Harris Lynn, 2010
Merry Chrimmas, Comic Book Kids!
I have a Christmas list of, just silliness and comic book-related things with a Christmas them that I'm putting together (well, have the links and stuff for and will write in an hour or so, once I wake-up). This is the first day I've almost been able to smell anything since the surgery and also the first time I've gotten more than 2-3 hours of uninterrupted sleep, so...
I'm sure most of you are busy traveling, cooking, watching games, and hating on family members, so it's no biggy, but there have been a lot of things going on in the comic book industry I want to discuss and I'll try to get to them over the next week or so. Get out all of my hate and start the new year off right.
Until then, I wish each and every one of you (except you) a very Merry Christmas!
© C Harris Lynn, 2010
Marvel Podcast
Marvel is apparently broadcasting a live, streaming podcast of sorts today from their website (Marvel.com). I would go and find it and link it up correctly and everything, but I honestly don't know what this is and I have a lot of stuff to do. Plus my nose is still hurting and I'm doing everything I can while I can before I have to lie down again.
So instead of listening to it myself and reporting on it, you can do it yourself!
© C Harris Lynn, 2010
Update
I had my sinuses "scraped" and even though I can tell a major difference (for the better), I am still recovering. There isn't as much pain as I'd expected, but there is... well, there is enough and I am still up and down from the couch. I have a few things coming through, but bear with me for another day or two while I work through this. I still have a few follow-up appointments to get through, as well.
Heck, y'all should be gearing-up for Chrimmas anyway!
© C Harris Lynn, 2010
Hack/Slash: Me Without You
Cassie Hack has taken out some of the most dangerous slashers in the world. But could she have done it without the help of her enormous sidekick, Vlad? In January 2011, HACK/SLASH fans will finally find out how Cassie and Vlad became an inseparable pair!
The follow-up to the smash hit HACK/SLASH: MY FIRST MANIAC miniseries, HACK/SLASH: ME WITHOUT YOU reveals the origin of comicdom's favorite hulking sidekick. Before Vlad roamed the country, battling slashers with Cassie Hack, he haunted the alleyways of Chicago as the living urban legend, the Meat Man. But even a cleaver-wielding monster gets lonely, and Vlad's quest to find out who he really is will lead him on a bloody path!
"I was so pleased with how MY FIRST MANIAC turned out," says Hack/Slash writer and creator TIM SEELEY. "Because of that and the reaction from the readers, I decided to tell a story I've been wanting to tell for a long time: the secret origin of Vlad, Cassie's monstrous partner. As with MANIAC, it'll be an accessible story both to new and old readers, with lots of unexpected twists."
HACK/SLASH: ME WITHOUT YOU OS, a 32-page, full-color comic book written by Seeley and illustrated by Daniel Leister, with covers by Leister and Ross Campbell, will be in stores January 5th, 2011, for $3.50.
© C Harris Lynn, 2010
Quick Reminders
I just wanted to remind you guys that I have a personal matter to which I must attend and that will keep me away probably at least through the weekend. I have posts scheduled at different times well through next month, but I'm talking a post here and there over the course of each week, so...
Depending on how everything goes with this, I still plan on having the new Chill stuff up by Christmas, but since I had to redesign the entire department and you still can't get to it directly from the main page right now, it turned into a bigger project than I'd expected and I'll be honest, it's burning me the fuck out! Ahem.
At any rate, I'll be hopped-up on painkillers for at least a few days, so I may be able to pull it off and if I can't, it's no big deal; I don't think anyone's on pins and needles. I doubt anyone marked their calendar except me; the "deadlines" are really just there for me. Still, it would be nice, so I'm pushing for it.
© C Harris Lynn, 2010
Who is Jake Ellis?
Berkeley, CA - Writer Nathan Edmondson made people afraid to look into the light with THE LIGHT, a sell-out five-issue miniseries drawn by Brett Weldele (The Surrogates). Now, he brings new life to the spy genre with WHO IS JAKE ELLIS?, an all-new series from Image Comics.
The first issue of JAKE ELLIS will be in stores in January 2011. Tonci Zonjic (POPGUN, The Immortal Iron Fist, Daredevil) joins Edmondson on the book, producing action-packed art and covers for the series.
"Tonci and I are bringing the idea of psychological thriller to a whole new arena," says Edmondson. "One part mystery, one part friendship, one part James Bond and Jason Bourne lovechild, and one other part sci-fi spy. You'll be asking yourself the whole ride through -- just who is Jake Ellis?"
Jon Moore is the most sought after spy-for-hire in Europe's criminal world. This is because of Jake Ellis, a man who is invisible to everyone except Moore. When a deal goes bad, the only one who can protect Moore from Europe's most dangerous criminals is Jake Ellis. No one but Moore can see Jake Ellis. But Jake Ellis can see everything.
WHO IS JAKE ELLIS? #1 (NOV100403), a 32-page, full-color comic book from Image Comics, will be in stores January 5th, 2011, for $2.99. THE LIGHT VOL. 1 TP (OCT100471), a 140-page full-color graphic novel for $16.99, will be in stores December 15th, 2010.
Ed. Note: I would love to see this do well enough that Image moves into more titles like this (which it actually has, recently), so that they bring back Hawaiian Dick as a regular series! Speaking of which, our favorite dick now has his own blog.
© C Harris Lynn, 2010
Heaven Sent
Berkeley, CA - An average man gets sent on a heavenly task this February in THE MISSION, from Marc Guggenheim's Collider Entertainment.
In THE MISSION, a typical working guy finds his life upended when he's approached by a mysterious figure who claims to be the archangel Gabriel. Gabriel tells him he's been chosen for a mission in the battle between good and evil. The mission? Murder! Did our hero actually get a command from an angel or is he losing his mind?
Written by JON HOEBER and ERICH HOEBER, who wrote the screenplays for Red and Battleship, THE MISSION is produced by ALISA TAGER (HALCYON, Serenity) and MARC GUGGENHEIM (HALCYON, No Ordinary Family). The series is stunningly illustrated by WERTHER DELL'EDERA (Dark Entries, Loveless) and colored by ARIANNA FLOREAN.
"Jon and Erich have written the perfect supernatural thriller," says Guggenheim. "People have questioned the existence of God and angels for millennia, but the main character of THE MISSION has to face the reality of this conundrum, and the twists and turns will have the readers guessing as well. Werther's art is a flawless companion to the story, putting into pictures the discord our hero confronts."
Whether the battle is between good and evil or between sanity and lunacy, it begins in THE MISSION #1 (DEC100433), a 32-page full-color comic book for $2.99, will be in stores February 23rd, 2011. Collider Entertainment's first release with Image Comics, HALCYON #1, is available now.
© C Harris Lynn, 2010
Kill Corps
Berkeley, CA - SoCal metal band, The Kill Corps, is set to unleash its powerful debut album on Virgin Records in the summer of 2011. In bloody juxtaposition, they will bring their incendiary music to comics with the release of THE KILL CORPS, a one-shot from Image Comics that hits shelves in March 2011.
Inspired by the music of The Kill Corps, a seasoned team of comic pros is behind the book: Award-winning comics scribe JIM KRUEGER (Earth X, X-Men) pens the enthralling tale, while Eisner Award winner BEN TEMPLESMITH (CHOKER, 30 Days of Night) and Society of Illustrator Award winner DENNIS CALERO (Cowboys & Aliens, Legion of Superheroes) provide the art and cover.
Marking the first time a band and music will be unveiled within a comic, the book will see release in two formats. The 32-page version includes a download code for the band's first single, "Save Me." The expanded 48-page version includes a download code for the four-track self-titled EP ("Save Me," "Sticks and Stones," "Crash Burn Die," and "Cannibal Romance"), concept art, and bonus images from Templesmith and Calero.
The band's ferocious debut from Virgin/EMI delivers brain-crushing drumming and mind-numbing guitar riffage, providing the soundtrack to The Kill Corps' blood-soaked tales. The vicious story behind the comic is born from The Kill Corps' notorious live show experience and gut-punishing debut album. Calero adds, "The Kill Corps' music is a demon straight from hell, snuggling up against you, wanting to tell you a secret, then screaming in your ear."
THE KILL CORPS follows a team of mercenaries who unwillingly become the instruments of destruction in an evil deity's plot to dominate mankind. Transported to a war-torn Hell dimension, the team must fight their way through every brutal era in human history to gain their freedom and save humanity.
"I rarely get the opportunity to go as dark and crazy as I did on Kill Corps," explains Krueger. "If I were you, I would check this out with an extra pair of pants handy, ‘cause it'll scare the shit out of you!"
THE KILL CORPS, a full-color one-shot from Image Comics, will be on shelves March 16th, 2011, in two formats: a 32-page version for $2.99 that features a download code for the band's first single and a 48-page version for $5.99 that features a download code for the band's four-song EP.
The Kill Corps' single and self-titled four-song EP will also be available for purchase separately from the comic book beginning March 15, 2011, on iTunes, Amazon and all other DSPs.
© C Harris Lynn, 2010
Slow, Slow for the Holidays
I got a cramp in my back last week that did not go away. Part of it is related to my bad neck, but it was clearly from handling the mouse (and maybe lugging boxes o' comics around), and I had to force myself to stay off the computer as much as possible. I may also be dehydrated, though I fail to see how that happened (okay, I drink a lot of coffee and Cokes and stuff, but still!)... I managed to read a lot of comics and catch-up on some of my TV, but I was beating myself up over the situation the entire time.
Anyway, my arm/back is feeling better now, but I have a medical thing to which I must attend this week -- all of which was originally planned to coincide with the Christmas holidays, when everyone should be busy -- so I'm going to do my best to work ahead. If everything goes through as planned, I should only be gone, more or less, for the weekend. There will be several follow-ups to this procedure for about a month, but I don't expect that to be much of a problem.
I am still updating the site, which is mostly just updates of previously-existing pages but new content is on the way (around Christmas). Press releases have been slow, as almost all of the major companies are going through some major restructuring; I expect those to also return to normal after the holidays.
Meanwhile, enjoy the archives!
© C Harris Lynn, 2010
Case in Point - Shadowland: Elektra
There's been some shake-ups in the comics industry lately. Both Big Two companies have undergone a round or two of layoffs and restructurings, and both dropped prices on a handful of titles to a barely-affordable $2.99 (from the downright unaffordable $3.99-4.99), but the bigger news has been about online piracy and how we, the fans, are not "supporting" these heartless, and all-too-often artless, sharks.
First of all, of course we "support" these creators and to suggest otherwise is dishonest. More to the point, sales prove that the fans support their favorite titles and characters, and the Big Two have so devalued these that it's almost impossible to keep-up with even one title or character without spending $50.00+ each month, collecting titles in which the story continues or the character(s) appear(s); these days, their focus is on the creators -- the Names they believe will sell books.
Creators have always been an important, and highly-respected, draw for collectors and fans, but it wasn't until the 1990s that creators started dominating the pecking-order, largely because the industry began pushing these Names as the major draw. Fans learned early-on that a Big Name did not necessarily mean a better title -- Walt Simonson's legendary run on Thor was followed by an equally-legendary run on Fantastic Four... unfortunately, the latter was a legendary misfire (for one example). But it's true that we would buy pretty much anything with Todd McFarlane's or Jim Lee's name on it (for two examples). Of course, like characters and titles, creators' popularity waxes and wanes and -- in the case of comics -- the attention shifted from the artists to the writers.
Yet the industry is stunned, shocked, and saddened that we refuse to "support" these very creators, and don't know why we fans are being such "assholes."
Shadowland: Elektra is a case in point:
POSSIBLE SPOILERS
This $3.99 one-shot tie-in to the mega-crossover Shadowland event which changes Daredevil's universe FOREVER (42 years in the making) is literally nothing but padding. Elektra appears in the regular run of Shadowland (through Daredevil and the mini-series) and regular readers are lead to think this one-shot adds something to at least that aspect of the story. It does not. In fact, Shadowland: Elektra adds only one more over-priced comic book to your collection -- nothing to the character, the story, or anything else.
This single one-shot illustrates everything that is wrong with the industry. This is unwarranted greed unchecked, as Shadowland: Elektra is literally nothing more than the "events" which take place between the panels of the books directly telling the story; it is maybe a single page's progression stretched across 22 pages. The art and writing are sub-par, but then, they are merely rehashing the minutiae behind a singular plot-point in a much larger story -- a plot-point any reader grasps from its presentation in the actual story itself.
Shadowland: Elektra is a blatant and egregious product released for one reason and one reason only: To massage the market. It targets collectors, Elektra fans, and readers of the Shadowland saga, and pockets their hard-earned $5.00 without so much as a reach-around.
This is what the industry wants us to "support." And I'm not going to do it and I can't tell you to, either.
There were 22 blank pages when the creators involved started work on Shadowland: Elektra. In these pages, they could have provided some insight into the character, the story, Elektra's role in it, or about a dozen other things; instead, it's literally a story about Elektra climbing up to Daredevil's window -- an act she successfully completes earlier in the series. So, not only have we already seen what Shadowland: Elektra presents, it adds absolutely nothing to those events, the story, or any of the characters. That's just wrong.
Of course this always happened -- it happens in every industry, especially entertainment industries -- but it's literally gotten to the point that this practice is de rigeur for comics, so much so that I estimate some $100+ I spent on comic books in 2010 were wasted on pap like this. $100+ is a lot of money, but it's only about 20-25 comic books, and for $100+, I expect more and better. Add another $50+ for comics I never would have bought, but was forced to just to get the entire story told in one of my regular titles, and I spent at least $150 on comics I would not have purchased, had they not been promoted as being essential to a particular storyline.
$150 a year probably isn't that much to spend on "supporting" the various creators involved in these unwanted comics... except that I didn't, and don't, want them! It's not a personal attack on any person -- living, dead, or fictitious -- I just wouldn't have bought them for whatever reason, and I resent feeling coerced into doing so under what amounts to false pretenses. Of course, I wouldn't even have noticed this had they been better.
All I'm saying is: "Help me support you."
It takes a while to read 25 comic books, so I'd really appreciate it if the creators could spend a little time making sure they're... you know, worth spending that amount of time and money on. If this were to happen, I wouldn't even realize I'd bought $150 worth of comics I didn't really want; I'd just be happy because I had a shit-ton of comics I enjoy reading!
© C Harris Lynn, 2010
Buffy - Season 6
To bring you up to speed, I didn't get into Buffy the Vampire Slayer until a year or two back (Hulu) and I have only subscribed to the comic for about a year or so. I intentionally curbed my Buffy TV intake so that I would have some episodes (well, seasons) left to enjoy. I am currently watching season six... and not enjoying it too much.
Seven years is a great run for any TV show and, with few exceptions, about the lifespan of one. I turned the show off after an episode or two the other night because I remember being unimpressed by, but still enjoying, the shows I'd watched so far, and thought my mood might be affecting my judgement.
Then an episode begins with Buffy and Spike getting all mushy... the dialogue was so stilted and saccharine, the situation so aggressively cartoonish, that it was embarrassing to watch! I literally turned it off. I was absolutely turned-off by the lack of quality, but I also felt kind of dirty -- I felt like I was reading really bad fanfic about Buffy and Spike getting it on. I felt cheapened and... dirty. Gone is the clever repartee, the comedic asides and witticisms, replaced by rote hackery and an obvious appeal to the lowest common denominator!
But, to be fair, it is a TV show and they live and die by their ratings. Around this time, Buffy the Vampire Slayer had serious competition on its own network, as well as from shows in syndication, and on competing networks. It lead the way, but by its sixth season -- Buffy had died twice, Angel was struggling, Charmed was doing well -- its best days were behind it.
I tried reading Season 8, but having not seen all of the TV series, I was lost and kept stumbling over spoilers, so I quit. I am collecting the comic book series in the meantime and plan on reading it from the start once I've finished the show. But I've read several reviews in which fans have said much the same about it -- that Whedon no longer has a handle on the character or where she's going.
It turns out that Joss Whedon passed on the Buffy reboot, and more and more people are now saying this is probably a good thing. I agree. However, I hope they follow the series' lead and drop any attempt at direct continuity while keeping the general mythos -- the way Buffy the Vampire Slayer the TV series follows the movie. Whedon's Buffy Summers deserves her own life, as well as a place in the general Slayer "history."
© C Harris Lynn, 2010
Checking-In
Hey guys, just letting you know that I am hard at work behind the scenes and it will be another week or so before things pick back up. If everything goes as planned, I will undergo a medical procedure next week that may leave me incapacitated for a few days, then keep me busy for a few weeks afterward. I knew this was coming, just not when, and we had to schedule it early due to the holidays. At any rate, I have worked ahead, it's just likely to stay slow until the New Year.
The cool thing is that the site will be much easier to navigate, there will be new content, and I should be back to normal in no time (barring anything unforeseen, of course). The bad news is that I am unable to focus too much on anything until this is all taken care of.
In the meantime, enjoy the archives and don't forget to poke-around the site -- like I said, things will be easier to find once a few things get situated.
© C Harris Lynn, 2010
Reviews the Deathsport Games #1
Another Mark Miller outing, The Deathsport Games has a drastically different tone than Nanny & Hank. This is a dark, serious look at sociopolitics of the future through the lens of today. Three American youths are accused of spying in China and forced to participate in The Deathsport Game, where winners are supposedly granted their freedom.
Yes, the plot is borrowed and cliched, but Miller uses that to his favor, foregoing a lot of exposition and explanation; the reader knows this plot and Miller jumps right into the story. The art, courtesy of Roy Stewart, starts out strong and reminiscent of Bill Sienkiewicz in his heyday, but peters-out toward the end. Stewart resorts to gestures more and more as the book goes on, and the incompleteness of the project shows.
Stewart employs a lot of toner and eschews backgrounds. This is something with which I generally agree, but with the colors, it makes the art look worse in larger panels. The colors, when they work, add more to the art, tone, and atmosphere than even the pencils. But when they do not work, they also add to the clutter -- some panels are all but impossible to make-out, though I am looking at a PDF. Some panels are just downright clumsy and Stewart's greatest weakness is in faces. The action can be hard to follow as well, but this is because you can't tell what's going on.
All in all, Deathsport Games #1 is interesting, but the art needs to be stronger to get a recommendation.
© C Harris Lynn, 2010
Reviews Nanny & Hank #1
I reviewed Nanny & Hank #2 last week and someone sent me an authorized (non-pirated) copy of the first issue! Kevin Smith fans should note that I pay for most of the stuff I review and am not any easier on the free stuff I get or the stuff from creators I genuinely like that just isn't... good. But like I said in the first review, I really like Nanny & Hank.
The art in the first issue isn't as progressed as that in the second. From the opening, Mignola's Hellboy-era style is omnipresent, though it has some flare in its own right. It actually looks rushed from the jump, but the stylistic focal points Babb chooses engrosses the viewer. And it isn't as though the guy can't draw -- he certainly can -- it just looks a little hackneyed at first. And I hate his rendering of hands.
Just as with the second issue, the writer and artist shine in those short, characterizing sequences, such as when Nan and Hank catch the sunrise. Miller has a natural ease with the medium and actually tells a story with solid characters, not just endless plot. He's also clever and actually funny, which makes Nanny & Hank as enjoyable as it is easy to read.
Nan: "Harry Michael Harriman, you had all day to pick up that truck...!"
Hank: "It's not a truck, it's an RV."
Dialogue exchanges like this one abound, yet remain oddly absent in basically every mainstream comic book I've read in the last five years -- you simply don't have the page-count to characterize when you have to make sure your properties advance from one mega-crossover plotz to another and include 12 characters from 20 other titles. But beyond even that, few comics writers today have that gift of gab. The dialogue is natural, the characters realized, and the reader doesn't stop to question it. The villainous reveal is rushed and wonky, however; either Miller, Babb, or both have some work to do in the fight scene department.
Still, Nanny & Hank #1 was a better read than any of the mainstream superhero titles I've slogged through lately. It has personality, which those titles, properties, and products lack.
© C Harris Lynn, 2010
New Live RiffTrax - Streaming
RiffTrax is announcing their December 16th live, streaming show free in about an hour (3:00p, CST). Following that is a Christmas-themed short for only 99¢ !
So I am there.
© C Harris Lynn, 2010
Drop the Background
Background has become too important in comic books. I don't just mean background as in the setting of panels, either -- character background, history and "continuity," the whole nine. All this "background" in the writing is a marketing gimmick, but a lot of contemporary artists include rich backgrounds in almost every panel and it's distracting.
The art of a comic book is the human form. It doesn't matter if you draw people in their underwear or anthropomorphic walruses (walri?), the background is not a character and there is a point where it starts distracting from the story. To be sure, there was a long period in the 1990s where almost no one drew backgrounds and that became distracting, too. But action lines, negative space, and other designs are part of good cartooning.
Photorealism has been a staple of most mainstream comic books since Neal Adams, and background is a key factor to good sequential art, but dropping the detailed backgrounds and focusing on the characters not only improves storytelling (when done effectively), it would also go a long way toward solving the lateness issue. It also adds emphasis to the panels and splashes with detailed background. Background should be used to establish and reinforce setting; colors, design, and movement/pacing provide tone and atmosphere.
Arthur Adams' Action Comics Annual #1 is a great example of fewer, and less detailed, backgrounds. Note that many of the backgrounds are little more than a single element or two -- a copse of grasses, the brick of a building. Not only does the lack of background bring the character into focus, it makes the comic read faster. Then, when more detailed panels containing actual background occur, the reader slows down, stricken by these images. It works for the story, it works for pacing -- it just works.
© C Harris Lynn, 2010
How to Pitch a Comic Book Story
Nathan Cosby gives great advice on both his Twitter account and his blog, as well as provides some fun and interesting diversions in the comic book vein, and his advice on pitching a project in comics is as good as it gets.
Also, Brian Michael Bendis will be in Arizona next weekend to give a writers' class.
© C Harris Lynn, 2010
RIP: Joe D'Agostino
Joe D'Agostino, most known for his work on Archie, has passed away at 81 from bone cancer. D'Agostino's first job in sequential art was with Timely, the forerunner of Marvel Comics. D'Agostino drew for Archie and supervised Stan Goldberg, who would later become one of Archie Comics' most prominent artist.
© C Harris Lynn, 2010
Agenda: Shadowland Rundown
I got all the Shadowrun issues except the last handful which have not yet shipped (to me, but will be available tomorrow) and I've started reading them. I am working on a flowchart with brief reviews of select issues and I was going to do them in a series, but this seemed like it would be more convenient for everyone.
Shadowrun is a 30+-issue story arc mini-series crossover event which WILL CHANGE THE MARVEL UNIVERSE FOREVER and I only started it last week, so I'm not even halfway through (at a rate of about 1-3 comics a night). It may be up later this week or next, as I'm not waiting for the last few issues to post it.
I also have more reviews of recent and upcoming comics, as well as the Chill stuff. I didn't realize how much new content I'd posted this year, so I don't feel so bad about missing the Halloween deadline. That should probably be up by the weekend, if not sooner. I'm also working to make the whole thing nicer and easier to navigate.
Like I said before, it means things will be slower here until this is done. I'm shooting for Christmas, but expect a lot of it to be done before then.
© C Harris Lynn, 2010
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