Having It All - BBC Documentary

The Victorian period was a crazy time. How crazy?

Being on a Victorian heritage kick lately. Here's some of the best documentaries kicking around Youtube on the British Empire.

And more.

Five Comic Collections Of Preposterous Size

“They have to be compensating for something” I thought.

These were my thoughts upon seeing Enormous, a new Image/Shadowline one-shot comic by writer Tim Daniel and artist Mehdi Cheggour. Released during the week of our lord, the San Diego Comic-Con, seeing this treasury edition was akin to seeing one of the tablets of the Ten Commandments hanging off the shelf. Far too large to carry comfortably, It was Herculean by standard comic sizes and a nightmare for the regular “grab-bag” shopper. At 64 pages and kindly oversized it was, If nothing else, a life raft in case the world’s water levels spiked north twenty meters.

Seen Above: The Unstoppable Force

Oversize editions have long been in vogue for comic-collectors and gift-buyers. Promising extras from scripts to scans these editions sometimes border on the insanely elephantine. 

A moratorium on spoilers. You're welcome.

The following graphic novels will make your shelves quake with fear and have you pausing to consider life insurance. By no means would you want to carry these around a convention floor, but damn, they sure look good.

#5) Absolute Editions

These giants travel in packs.

Still smaller than Moore's rage.

Batman. Sandman. Parker: Martini Edition. These titles, typically by DC Comics and its imprint Vertigo (although Image is now catching up) are presented in Absolute” hardcovers with snazzy slipcases and supplementary material to add to their austerity (and weight). These collections lord over most others with 8”x12” of mass-size glory, but some recent “creative” recolours have drawn the ire of comic-purists. 

#4) Jeff Smith’s Bone - 20th Anniversary Edition

I first read Bone the same way most kids did growing up: Scholastic book-orders or samplers in Disney Adventures from the grocery store. While I’m still waiting for that animated feature, Jeff Smith has recently published the 20th Anniversary Edition, or as I affectionally call it: “The Slab”.

30th edition: human bone.

The 1300-page epic is collected in a newly-coloured one volume edition with signed art limited at 2000 copies, a cover gallery, documentary DVD, and a 22k Gold-Plated Coin. While the extras are whopping and great, reading Bone in one binding can border on the near-absurd. Not intended so much for readers as collectors, the Bone 20th Anniversary Edition holds up as a gargantuan accomplishment, the series having had more than 13 printings and reigning in ten Eisner awards.

#3) Hellboy (Library Edition)

For Mike Mignola and his team at Dark Horse Comics the word “Library” comes to mind when describing their oversize formats (while for others it drums up stale smells and kooky-eyed librarians). 

The big red hand of doom.

Clocking in at 9”x12” each volume contains two trade paperbacks worth of comics and has extensive sketch pages as back-up matter. Since the series began in 1993 it has been a cult hit and you have to admit, nowhere will you find this same sort of quality production on a comic with felt covers and gold-stamping -- and face it, a bookmark-string is classy.

#2) Wednesday Comics (DC Anthology)

It smelled strange and confused a lot of people, but the 14”x20” broadsheet format Wednesday Comics was a success because of its creative teams and oversize formatting. Released in the size of an old Sunday newspaper, the weekly twelve-issue series featured fifteen stories by big names in comics; Azzarello, Gibbons, Sook, Arcudi, Busiek, Gaiman, Allread, Pope, Simonson, Palmiotti, Conner, and the Kuberts. Opening the cover, one can’t help but be overwhelmed by the rich colours at play and not long after--

On the tops of many top 10 lists... And shelves.

--its over and you have nowhere to put the damn thing. 

#1) Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland

What’s better than big? Old and Big. First printed in newspaper format between 1905-1910, Little Nemo clocks in at 16”x21” and stands as a comic classic by creator Winsor McCay. Most people will be familiar with Nemo from its 1992 US-release animated film and its equally large financial flop of making back less than half of its budget.

He's big in Japan.

Nemo is a staple in comic history, being referenced in modern classics by Alan Moore and Neil Gaiman and having served as an influence for a whole new generation of comic-lovers with its influence seen in Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are and In the Night Kitchen. It might be hard to find the book in print but realistically at this size it shouldn’t be too hard to see.

Follow @CanuckGoose for more quacks and tweets by Colyn deGraaff

5 "RISES" That Aren't The Dark Knight

Whether The Dark Knight Rises lives up to its hype will be seen in the twilight-hours of Friday morning as audiences flock online after sold-out midnight showings nationwide. To accommodate demand, some places have taken the added step of a handful of 3:45-4am showtimes. Safe to say, if you were looking for a spoiler-free Bat-weekend, this might be the time to flick off the wi-fi and put down your devices.

This isn’t the first time the comic-book community has gotten tangled up in a title with a “Rise” surrounding it. Notoriously, the last big comic property to hit the big screen with a similar title was Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (okay, it isn’t that similar). Still, we all know how well that release went (it didn’t).

There are still some notable “RISES” to be seen in comics. For those looking for something to read until they can get tickets to the sold-out end-of-the-trilogy, the following “RISES” comics are notable for having demonstrated excellence while others... Well, all legends end, right?

#5 I, Vampire: Rise of the Vampires

I Vampire comes dangerously close to cheating on this list. The first major event in the DCNU fan-favorite, Rise of the Vampires, takes place in a Gotham overrun by vampire progenitor Cain, stoppable only by the efforts of vampire hero Andrew Bennett and the newly formed Justice League Dark.

The Five-Finger salute of the Justice League Dark.

The series has found a cult following and was the 78th best selling comic in September of 2011 (by units). Initially a reboot of a 24 issue series created by writer J.M. Dematteis, I Vampire has found its place comfortably between True Blood and Dracula in the post-Twilight market. Sometimes pulpy, and unabashedly fun, the JLD parts of Rise of the Vampires were admittedly clunky (Xanadu meets a blue Buddha and Shade finally exits the book in a metafictional fashion) but regardless the crossover was held up by the sharp stylings of Joshua Hale Fialkov and Andrea Sorrentino. Sure, there are other more terrifying books (like Scott Snyder’s American Vampire) but with the amount decapitations going ‘round, it was a good time to see fangs bared and the rising potential of the underground hit series

#4 Terminator: Rise of the Machines (Dark Horse Comics)

In 1990, Dark Horse Comics acquired the rights to the successful Terminator franchise with one vision: machines are inevitably going to rise up and beat the shit out of us one day. Basing their miniseries on the inevitability of this “Judgment Day” the Terminator comics promised to showcase the post-apocalyptic world hinted at in the flash-forwards of James Cameron’s successful films. Promising the gloom-and-terror of a war-torn future with no budget but the artist’s imagination, it was a pretty good time to be a Terminator fan even if looking back the technology was a little dated.

All things considered, that's the most cutting-edge rainbow CD I've ever seen.

The comics attracted a hit-list of creators. Writer James Robinson, artist Steve Pugh, Matt Wager (also on art duties), and inker Mike Perkins all ran with the killer-robot series at one point or another. Sadly, the franchise suffered a fatal error when it was dragged into the popular Alien Versus Predator vs Terminator miniseries in 2000 (part of the “vs.” line popular with Dark Horse at the time). This kiss-of-death assignment predated the 2003 film Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines which served as the nail in the coffin for fans the franchise, driving it from credible science-fiction to self-referential fluff.

The license was opened to Dynamite Entertainment who put out Terminator 2: Infinity (2007) and Terminator 2 (2008), keenly staying away from the flop surrounding the third film and its subsequent comic tie-ins. Readers remained hopeful that things would improve, but after sexy Termanatrix and Terminator-Dogs, it was hard to see the computer intelligence Skynet as anything more than a wacky child putting makeup on its increasingly strange killing machines.

 Lukewarm receptions followed the comics and the lackluster efforts of IDW’sTerminator: Salvation comics didn’t help. The light on the horizon for the franchise was to come in 2010 with Terminator: 2029 and Terminator: 1984 written by Zack Whedon (yes, that Whedon). Nevertheless, fans seemed to have had their fill of naked-men punching through people and threw their issues in the time-capsule.

Hasta la vista, baby.

#3 G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

The G.I. Joe franchise is one I’ve seldom heard discussed over the years, save for the contagious enthusiasm by the folks over at iFanboy. The buzz surrounding G.I. Joe comics typically evokes two responses: thrill for the slick writing of the spinoff Cobra, or nostalgic-tinged reverence of the cartoon. 

G.I. Joe has been in comics as far back as 1942, far before the hayday of the 1964 toy-line launch and 1985 cartoon. Most widely recognized in comicdom for its American patriotism and the early Marvel series between 1982 and 1994, Joe comics followed the exploits of its elite team of American soldiers fighting the evil (and we mean evil) terrorist cell Cobra. G.I. Joe comics have been targeted at both kids and adults and has showcased the talents of Warren Ellis (G.I. Joe: Resolute) and most recently Christos Gage and Mike Costa. We won’t try to fool anybody, though, it’s Larry Hama’s art and stories that people remember.

Lasers. The other "half the battle".

The franchise has weathered its fair share of controversy over the years. Struggling through the Vietnam sales-slump as people petitioned against American involvement, Joe bounced between publishers when Marvel let its license lapse in 1994. Vaulting between Dark Horse and Image before securing a place in 2009 with IDW (known for its other Hasbro property Transformers).

By this point things had gotten pretty silly for the franchise and attempts were being made to reel back the reins and make it a little more hard-edged, seen with the comics/fim G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra. It wasn’t the big-budget film or tie-ins that would revitalize the series, but a mature take in 2009 by author Christos Gage and artist Mike Costa.

#2 Justice League: The Rise of Arsenal (DC Comics)

Perhaps it’s a running trend that DC loves to put “Rise” in their titles, but there was no way The Rise of Arsenal could escape this list -- not with its title and the following panel playing together with unharmonious subtlety.

Yeah, shut up, Jade.

Make no mistake, that’s not what the book is about, but it still leaves you just as unsatisfied. Following Roy Harper, otherwise known as Speedy, formerly known as Red Arrow, also known as Arsenal, Rise of Arsenal teeters on the mere classification of being called a “comic”, being something more akin to a power fantasy.

After years of bumbling around the DCU, writer J.T. Krul and artists Geraldo Borges and Marlo Alquiza focus on the one-armed Roy Harper’s ongoing struggle with drug addiction brought on by the recent loss of his daughter’s life. This wasn’t the first time Harper’s struggle with drugs had been used as a cautionary tale: in the pages of Green lantern vol. 2 #85-86 Roy was found getting high and losing his head. Highly progress for 1971 standards, right?

So naturally, when the Rise of Arsenal came out, the PRISM Awards saw this as an accurate portrayal of mental health/drug issues. Why so? Well because Harper takes heroin (again) and goes nuts, defending a cat corpse he thinks is his deceased daughter and beating men within an inch of their life with it.

I-- I don’t.. Wha?

#1) Blackest Night: Rise of the Black Lanterns (DC Comics)

It was in no way a response to Marvel Zombies -- they promised. Regardless of the similarities, the DC Comics crossover Blackest Night came onto the scene in 2009 with much fanfare. Emerging from the “war of light” in the pages of Green Lantern, Blackest Night: Rise of the Black Lanterns was a field-day for longtime DC fans who saw their favorite (or less-than favorite) heroes and villains returning as superpowered zombies intent on eating the living and making them feel really guilty over having let them die. Part of the Black Lantern Corps, these Black Lanterns were the harbingers of death and chaos.

Even Hawk was looking gnarly, which is an achievement.

With its roots in Green Lantern vol. 4 #25, writer Geoff Johns tied the horror-crossover into the longstanding Green Lantern oath. Turning the verse into a prophecy (regarded or disputed by multiple characters) the Blackest Night proved to be very real when characters started getting picked off left-right-and-center. 

The crossover weaved through the DCU proper and had some stand-out moments. Penciller Ivan Reis put everyone’s jaws on the floor for not only designing the Black Lantern versions of famous characters, but for cramming hundreds of figures (we mean hundreds) into the issues of Blackest Night with precision and detail. Learning to draw a single character can sometimes be a feat in itself, but Reis wowed everyone by stepping up and elevating himself to a modern-master level of comic artistry.

Fan reception was generally positive. While the crossover waned public-interest due to its length, high points still popped up in the crossover titles of Blackest Night (the consciousness of Green Arrow trapped in his undead body fighting Black Canary was a memorable issue for myself). While there was never any doubt that it was leading to a mass-resurrection of the characters to effectively reboot properties, it was still an exciting time to see the monstrous side of the DCU. 

------------------

This article was also posted at ReadComicBooks.net.

Pick of the Week: REVIVAL by Tim Seeley and Mike Norton

For a book calling itself a “rural noir”, there’s a whole lot of spooky goings-ons in Tim Seeley and Mike Norton’s new series Revival. 

Published by Image Comics, the book’s tone straddles a line somewhere between the Hell on Earth vibe of B.P.R.D. with the small town charm of Fargo. It might be difficult at a first glance to tell what makes the series a noir, defining THAT term in itself being a study in persistent headscratching, but in the first issue readers are treated to a wendigo, the building biblical rapture, and two sisters with their curious backgrounds. There’s a fair amount of genre-blending concepts here (and creatures, most evident in the Zhorse, a half-horse, half-zebra) and on one hand the book is a mystery, and on the other a fantasy-horror. So, what is it exactly?

Out of the gate, it’s a little early to tell. Tim Seeley has done a remarkable job writing a plethora of mysteries to be picked upon and expanded during the series, ranging from the single-mom status of small-town deputy Dana and her sister Martha’s remarkable Revival. Seeley’s enthusiasm is apparent, sometimes bordering on excessive, as he throws every oddity he can muster at the reader in hopes that one sticks. This scattering of strangeness isn’t entirely necessary as there’s more than enough skill in Seeley’s dialogue to hold up the plot. What’s most curious is that beneath the eeriness is the promised exploration of Christian issues (typically made out as hysterical in these end-of-world situations). What does it mean to be trapped in the flesh for those who believe in a heavenly afterlife? 

Concepts for Revival #1 Variant by artist Craig Thompson.

This Christian-connection also serves to link to artist Craig Thompson who does a superbly muted and softly-haunting variant cover to start the series. Thompson, best known for his coming-of-age autobiographical graphic novel Blankets published in 2003, serves as a lovely analog to series artist Mike Norton whose dynamic style rarely rests in profile-shots. Norton’s art is at all-times spooky and falls into unsettling tilts in its angles while displaying some stellar panel-to-panel storytelling. Backgrounds are lovingly detailed and layouts play within the page without becoming clustered or dense.

Nothing good ever comes out of the woods anymore.

Despite the risk of trying too hard to throw out something interesting, Revival does a lot right in its first outing. There’s several good ideas at play, more than enough for Seeley and Norton to run with one in the confidence that their skills are strong enough to hook the reader. Hopefully like the title the pair will continue to come back month after month with more instalments in this creepy countryside series.

Story 4.5/5
Art 5/5

Free Comic Book Day: 2012

After seeing The Avengers last night in theatres and being very, very pleased with the film, I woke up with my still-present perma-smile on my face and headed down to Alpha Comics here in Calgary for Free Comic Book Day.

Last year my favorite picks were Marvel's Thor The Mighty Avenger/Captain America crossover and Dark Horse's Baltimore sampling, and I have to say that this year all the publishers pulled out the stops.

Treats this year included Red5's Atomic Robo and Image's Revival which comes out this July. I also admired Zombie Kid for its presentation and panels while Serenity soared with Fabio Moon on art. The true headliners, for me, were DC's story about Pandora which gave backstory for the Phantom Stranger (one of my favorite characters) and the incredible offering by Archaia Entertainment in the form of an anthology hardcover.

The modest haul..

I was pleased with how Alpha Comics managed the crowd (that winded outside the store in the new snow in May) and with the guest appearance of Tyler Jenkins of Peter Panzerfaust the event struck me as one of the more memorable FCBD's to date. I'd be keen on seeing regular events of this status and high-turnout, whatever they would be for I'm not certain, but it was grand to see the energy and pride of people weaving through the store with anticipation of trying something new.

Except Graphic Elvis. I don't know what to make of that.

Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo: 2012

Last year was hard to beat for the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo. Mignola. Lemire. The Immonens. The convention hall was big and beautiful and there were vendors as far as the eye could see. It was quite obvious that the CCEE was getting bigger. DC had their own booth and people were everywhere. This year the convention experienced what can be lightly described as "growing pains."

Before the boom.

Friday proved to be remarkably busy but as Saturday morning rose over the horizon the twittersphere cracked in half. Attendees could expect a four-hour wait to get into the show and many who had spent hundreds of dollars on photoshoots with the Star Trek: The Next Generation cast were trapped outside because of a Fire Marshall cap on the population. Expo organizers said that they were unable to accomodate so many attendees at entrances at the same time but by mid-morning accusations were flying on twitter with rumours of overselling tickets and confused volunteers became faced with a serious dilemma: did the town with the "Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth" just outgrow its capacity?

Out of sight, out of mind?

Word on the street is that in recent years the turn-out was for Leonard Nimoy's appearance at the 'Con was attendees ranging in the mid 30k's. With this weekend's Star Trek: TNG cast in attendance, estimates have doubled to 60k. It'll be interesting to see how many people are beamed-up this weekend, especially since the BMO Center is the largest convention hall in the city (at 265,000sq. ft). There are few other places to go: the second largest venue is the Big Four building at 118,000sq. ft. and depending on attendees this Sunday it might be high time for the convention to sprawl out. While logistics would become a problem (and some people have expressed a desire to move to con off-site) there are few other options. Expanding to another building on the Stampede grounds would've been the best bet and might be required in the future.

Despite the packed-as-tight-as-sardines hallways and online ravings the crowds inside the 'Con seemed genuinely uplifted. Talks in lines and crowds were personable and everyone seemed to be having a great time.

Next trend in superheroes: Men's open shirts.

To my surprise the vendors for trades were down to three and the wide assortment of comic collectors selling their issues from all-ages were replaced by Silver-Age goodies. In terms of quality-of-books the competition from the Red & White Comic and Toy Expo at the end of 2011 won out and I fear that this lack of modern-collections represents the growing trend for people buying online. Then again, this years convention pushed the "Entertainment" in the title so it might be that the vendors decided to dial-back on comics.

On creators, everyone was a gem. Yanick Paquette was the star for me, being a true gentlemen and I am always pleased to see Tyler Jenkins and Kurtis Wiebe and their enthusiasm. Bernie Wrightson's table was threatened by the CRITICAL MASS of Tony Moore's enveloping crowd (which is a shame, considering Bernie's contribution to horror) and Canadian-sweethearts Fiona Staples and Kate Beaton saw crowds that they so rightly deserve. The gems of artist-alley for me remain Crystal Yates of Earthsong Saga and Cloudscape Comics who were good for a talking-to. I am always pleased to be in the company of these creators.

Costumes, well, there can only be one champion of the 'con. Last year was Galactus at the Kirby Booth. This year I give it to: Doctor Fate and the glowing helmet. 'Till next year.

By Nabu's bulge!

How Old IS the Court?

The relaunched Batman series by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo has had many readers wondering how far back the history of the villainous Court of Owls might reach.

By hints left in the Gates of Gotham miniseries (co-written by Kyle Higgins with art by Trevor McCarthy), the Court has been kicking around since the turn of the 1900's. This is to be corroborated by the upcoming "Night of the Owls" crossover event by DC where an agent of the Court can be expected to show up in All-Star Western by Palmiotti, Gray, and Moritat. This is no surprise as there's been some owls not-so-subtly hiding in the backgrounds of the book thus far.

The reason why Carmen Sandiego never took up a motif.

Elsewhere in the DC New 52, designs that have been recently circling the internet indicate that the Talon assassin showing up in Judd Winick and Guillem March's Catwoman may have been creeping around since the mid 1600's (an armor we might have seen between the 13th floors in Batman #3).  Before the relaunch, keen-eyed readers might've noticed the hints leading up to the upcoming "Night of the Owls" in Scott Snyder's "The Black Mirror" with art by Jock and Francesco Francavilla.

Hiding in plain sight.

So how far back do the roots of the Court of Owls go? Here's where things get heady. In Batman #7 Capullo and Snyder rewrite the famous origins of Bruce Wayne deciding on his bat-symbol. No problem there, rejiggering canon is standard fare in comics. In this case we see the story languish a few more seconds from the bat's perspective during Miller & Mazzucchelli's Batman: Year One series.

The hoots are coming... FROM INSIDE THE HOUSE!

The moment is radical and terrifying. On a beastial level it sets up the Court as Batman's nemesis even before he had donned the cowl. Spooky stuff for Bruce, but we're not done. This is Snyder and Capullo playing with established Bat-lore, a new take on something old. What happens when we look at something that was done 25 years ago?

The joke's on us, gang.

In terms of print you could argue the Court's build-up goes as far back as Alan Moore and Brian Bolland's The Killing Joke.

I'm not going to start screaming that Scott Snyder is the second coming of comicdom but when you compare these long-reaching visual clues to the revival of Swamp Thing (which he is also orchestrating) what we can see happening is a mind-altering implosion of comics-history folding in upon itself. Textually, you could argue the Court of Owls could have existed in comics since 1988. But lets be honest. No puzzle, no matter how complex, can weave in on itself this well. It has to be a fluke. Literature repeating itself. There is no possible way the Court could have existed for this long..

Wait, what was th--

Get Inspired

The following statements are based on experience. There's no greater teacher than that.

- Ideas might start stories but the best stories start ideas.
- Judgement and critique by yourself and others is all part of the process.
- While you might wish the walls could talk, they cant, so get feedback on your work.
- Know your audience but always be the artist you want to read.
- Take every opportunity you can and commit to finishing every project you start.
- Make connections and be polite. Even if they fall through it's important to be remembered.
- Your tastes might not represent your talents, but work at it. It might be bad and that's okay.
- Only by making utter garbage will you see what works.
- The only way anyone is going to know how good you are, how good you can be, is to work at it.
- Work at it.
- Work at it.
- Stories are arguments. Take a stance and run with it.

- Get published.

- The best stories are the ones that people see, read, and feel.

And remember to never take yourself TOO seriously.

Pick of the Week 4/4/2012

Pulls big enough to club a seal. Excuse the trades, I was afraid it was going to be a light week.

The pile... it's made of stars!

Hundreds and hundreds of pages of fine writing and finer art, this week was a doozy. Each book was a little different: I had the child's folktale, the spy thriller, the supernatural horror and -- okay, a few of that last category. Boiling it down the issue of the week that charmed me the most was Animal Man #8 while the award for best trade of the week had to go to... Oh God, don't make me choose.

Animal Man #8: Pick of the  Week: After several issues of road-trip shenanigans and fleeing the rot, the line is drawn. It was great to see Buddy Baker in action and the issue had a tremendously effective two-page spread, effective because it's not only the first I can recall in the series so far but that it was deservedly earned. After eight issues of gripping incremental gains it was fantastic to see Buddy return to being a hero and leap to his daughter's aid with primal fury. The series has continued on since the first issue as the little-engine-that-could while delivering reliable plot twists but this issue was a step-up by Lemire and Pugh.
Team: Jeff Lemire, Steve Pugh, Travel Foreman.

Swamp Thing #8: The riotous rot faces retribution. I would have been content seeing Swamp Thing strike from the shadows, hidden in some sort of similar dramatic tension as the previous issue, but Snyder, Rudy, and Paquette blow past it to deliver Alec Holland's new form as armored and mean. It was great to see the new form of Swamp Thing but the last page left me feeling a little underwhelmed. Part of writing (good writing) is the ability for a writer to dump mayhem on their protagonist. Wanting Swampy to succeed so badly I felt my sidelines cheering for the Green Giant unfounded. After all the fighting up to Sethe, Holland is dispatched in a single blow. I would've liked to have seen the battle go further for another issue.
Team: Scott Snyder, Marco Rudy, Yanick Paquette.

Fatale #4: This book is proving to be an exercise in memory for me. Each issue I'm witness to the things that go bump in the night without any sense of why. Returning to the start of the series and reading it through in one chunk  did much to clarify the current situation but I'm still waiting for the book to grab me. Until then I'm looking forward to the essays/back-matter each issue.
Team: Ed Brubaker, Sean Phillips.

-----Books of the Week----

BPRD: Plague of Frogs Hardcover #3: (Trade of the Week) The world is ending very slowly. Enough is happening to keep it interesting. Having originally joined onto BPRD during this hardcover's arc, the emotional impact wasn't as great. The stories are still fantastic by all accounts and a must read for anyone getting into the current BPRD: Hell on Earth arc. Fan favorite Daryl the Wendigo appears this arc and steals the show for me. God, I missed that poor, cursed, guffer. The best part of the series is its happiness to "break" things, and while the Abe Sapien arc was so-so it introduced a new mysterious character and led into the knock-down-drag-out-finale of Benjamin Daimyo (whom I totally forgot about his relationship to the Nazi villians and the Black Flame who has just popped up in the new Lobster Johnson mini). Contiually high-quality BPRD is a series that can't be missed.
Team: John Arcudi, Mike Mignola, Dave Stewart, Guy Davis

Queen and Country #1: It all started here. I started reading Q&C in its definitive editions (2-4) before learning that #1 was out of print. After hearing back from Greg Rucka in a prompt tweet I was happy to discover that it was going back for its new printing (further investigation revealed the reason for the delay being Oni Press's new logo). Reading Q&C#1 thankfully evaded the typical "prequel" feel, instead layering on more and more of the character building and political intrigue I'd enjoyed before. The early volume's art is a far cry different than later instalments bu it's impressive to see that Rucka had, from the get-go, such a strong handle on the world and formula. Impressive by all accounts it makes me want to seek out the novel(s) now.
Team: Greg Rucka, Assorted.

Anya's Ghost: The book goes down as quick as punch and tastes just as great. An indie gem that follows the life of Anya, a Russian immigrant in America who unexpectedly finds the displaced spirit of murder victim. With some provoking the two become friends and the ghost helps Anya fit in at school -- until strange circumstances begin to build. The book is the labour of love by Vera Brosgol and shows in its quippy writing and animated style. The lines are crisp, the story never languishes, and the saddest part is that it's over so soon (even at over 200 pages). A must-read for anyone that likes childrens literature or dark folk tales, Anya's Ghost fits into the similar vein as Coraline and other dark fantasies. Highly recommended.
Team: Vera Brosgol.

Easter Ritual Traditions

Easter has some of the best games. There's egg-dancing, egg-tapping, egg-tossing, egg-racing, or my favorite, egg-hunting. There's innumerable traditions wrung out of our interest in colourful little eggs and the harrowing nail-biting games of will-I-wont-I break them. These games can walk the razor's edge of sanity -- nobody wants to break their egg.

The scary truth behind Scott Snyder's Easter. (Circa 1980 DC Comics)

One of the more interesting Easter traditions takes place south of the border. This coming Easter Monday my Yankee-neighbors will be celebrating their 134th "White House Easter Egg Roll". Estimates are that up to 35,000 people will arrive on the South Lawn to play games, listen to stories and take part in the longstanding tradition of rolling eggs along the green fields.

Did I mention the AVENGERS and SPIDER-MAN are going? Hulk loves puny eggs.

The tradition was started in 1878 by US President Rutherford B. Hayes and only suspended once to deal with a shortage of eggs (World War II, you gotta cut back).

Fighting the war but still time for playing.

The history of Easter games goes back to early Western cultures. The egg was then-viewed as a symbol of rebirth by the Pagans and was picked up and carried to modernity by Christians who had so far lucked out by having really shitty games of their own. Stealing from the Pagans seemed much easier.

The egg-dance (alternatively called "hop-egg", the Saxon word hoppe meaning "to dance") had two specific traditions associated with it. The first was to dance around in a circle without crushing eggs on the floor while the second was the devil's version of hackey-sack. The player had to dance in a circle, roll an egg out of a bowl, and flip the bowl to cover the egg -- all with their feet (and preferably landing within a chalk circle on the ground)

Her posture speaks volumes to the fun she's having.

It wasn't long before more Easter games developed with an interest in a more competitive edge. For example, in the game of egg-tapping kids would bet their egg's structural integrity and smack them against an opponents' in hopes of shattering the weak, supple, shell of their enemy. Egg-tossing, a more-team oriented game, grew out of the desire to have kids work together and invent ways of tossing an egg from one spoon to the next without dropping it. This game blossomed and variations on it would soon pop up that crossed "hot-potato" with "catapult". It was equally as fun to look for a way to save the egg as destroy it.

My own childhood tradition, the egg-hunt, came from the same lineage of Pagan fun-time. Again lifted by the Christians to symbolize the rebirth of Christ, the egg-hunt is a scavengers hunt for little coloured eggs where the prize is the sweet chocolate therein and the sweet knowledge that you outwitted a mythical anthropomorphic hare that laid them willy-nilly all over the place. The game is exceptionally great fun for parents who like to leave clues to the next egg's location but some cultures have taken the game too far and added painful obstacles to overcome.

"I think he left some on THAT SIDE. Go on"

Regardless of the way you celebrate Easter this year, remember to keep it entertaining. Come up with a new tradition or dig one up you might not have done in forever. Either way, remember where it all started: With people tempting fate and smashing eggs.

Happy Easter.

Franklin's Lost: John Shaw Torrington

Today's musical credit goes to John Shaw Torrington, the lead stoker during the Franklin expedition. Torrington was one of the first men to die during the search for the Northwest Passage, cut down by pneumonia only seven months into the three-year journey.

In 1850 Torrington's body was found in a grave on Beechey Island, Nunavut. While performing an autopsy on his body he was found to be in a state of near-perfect preservation, the ice having slowed his decomposition. Petrified in a comparable state to an Egyptian mummy, Torrington's story inspired songwriter James Taylor to write the song "Frozen Man".

Stan Rogers and the Northwest Passage

Relevant to today's writing. Enjoy.

DrawSomething: Draw EVERYThing

From an article over at ComicAlliance, Chris Sims treats your eyes to some fantastic doodles by Matt Digges.

He even included the KirbyDots.

For those that don't know, DrawSomething is the latest app-craze sweeting the Apple community. The game is painfully addictive, right up there with Angry Birds or Cut the Rope. The only drawback I can mention is that while playing I'm trapped by the smaller screen of my phone while my girlfriend cackles away in the corner playing on her stylish and much more drawing-friendly iPad.

Anywhoo, go enjoy some more doodles over at ComicAlliance and pick up the app.

Pick of the Week 21/3/2012

If I could do this week all over again, I would.

I should have bought Hoax Hunters and Smoke & Mirrors.

While two of my favorite books had new issues this week (BPRD and Rocketeer Adventures) I stuck to my guns in waiting for their inevitable pay-off in hardcover form. As I was walked out of the shop thinking about how good they would be, little did I know what I was holding in my hand would be a tremendous let-down for one of the books I was most eager to read in issues: Dominique Laveau. More on that after the Pick of the Week.

Batman #7: Pick of the Week: It's hard to write about a book that's consistently good. Everything said about this title should be worth repeating: it's worth your time and money. Snyder and Capullo are doing some of the best work I have ever seen both in the story department and art. Several key points in the book include the introduction of a new character (new to us, old to Bruce), a stunning panel of a worried Alfred, and the revelation of who the primary Talon villain is (and what he is). Perhaps the greatest highlight of this issue is the historical connection between Dick Grayson and the Talon, making sense of months of speculation. It's hard to introduce ideas of long-forgotten family connections (something common in comics to up the stakes) but Snyder remains so damn convincing at providing a plausible reason for it (the circus and its history meeting Gotham's darker history) that it doesn't come off as what could have been a last-page cliffhanger. This connect is instead merely another gear in the finely-tuned machine that Capullo and Snyder have going. The issue continues building on the tone and the colours evoke a strong remembrance of Year One, something that Snyder has played with before in The Black Mirror.
Team: Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo, Jonathon Glapion.

Prophet #23: This book astounds me. I originally picked it up on a whim expecting... come to think of it, I'm not sure what I expected. What I got was one of the most imaginative science fiction stories I've ever read. PROPHET is in many ways the spiritual successor to old B-list science fiction done with A-game talent where the reader is rewarded by both letting the story wash over them and engage with it actively. The finest moments are the beats of humour, delivered without dialogue and done with a look or gesture. The best of these are when watching John Prophet's living Dolmantle react to the world around him. The book is creative, engaging, and surprising -- something that is hard to find in other series where the issues and solicits are talked about months in advance. The story's backup has art done by Frank Teran who foreshadows Farel Dalyrmple who will be taking over for the next 3 issue arc. The difference between Teran's style and current artist's Simon Roy is like comparing Dune to 2001. I still remain optimistic for the title's art shift next issue -- the story has me hooked.
Team: Brandon Graham and Simon Roy, backup by Frank Teran.

Near Death #6: After what seemed like a long jump between 5 and 6, it's here. Near Death remains a fun little ride every issue as a self-contained story. The art is starting to pick up after a few cracks in the previous issues and as for the story, you better like stand-alones. Unlike a typical series standalone by a fill-in-artist (for example) Near Death's issues feel cripplingly short. The issue can sometimes be done before you have the chance to get into it which makes it hard to come back to the book every month when the previous instalment felt so fleeting. Still a good action series, but for those looking for a longer-form crime/action story I would recommend leaping over to Image's other darling Thief of Thieves. If you want a guilty pleasure of the one-and-done Near Death is pretty standard fare.
Team: Jay Faerber, Simone Guglielmini, Ron Riley, Charles Pritchett with cover by Francesco Francavilla.

Diablo 3 #3: Gave the first two issues a chance and now, I'm out. Every few pages has the bad habit that plagues many other tie-in-properties where there's the shoehorning of exposition to referring to the subject-matter's story bible. Clunky, I still enjoyed some of the art but this ends my run with the mini.
Team: Aaron Williams, Jospeh Lacroix, Lee Loughridge.

Dominique Laveau: Voodoo Child: Disappointment of the Week: Not my thing, no matter how much I wanted it to be. The series begins with a one-beat protagonist who stays frantic through the entire issue, doing little to win our admiration as readers on anything but her being a lost young girl. There's also an overabundance of things going on, staggered by frustratingly flowery narration boxes that reveal themselves as the author and not the characters of the world being told. Disjointed and bogged down by its own writing, at least Denys Cowan's art is terrific. Sigh.
Team: Selwyn Seyfu Hinds, Denys Cowan, John Floyd.


I really should have bought Hoax Hunters and Smoke & Mirrors