I posted a review at the Comic Book Bin (which has smart phone apps).
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Detroit Metal City and the Krauser War
I read Detroit Metal City, Vol. 6
I posted a review at the Comic Book Bin (which has smart phone apps).
I posted a review at the Comic Book Bin (which has smart phone apps).
Saturday, September 11, 2010
I Reads You Review: MATA HARI #0
CREATOR/WRITER: Rich Wilkes
ART: Roy Allan Martinez
BACKGROUND ART: Arnaud Valette
COLORS: Drazenka Kimpel
LETTERS: Todd Klein
COVER: Támás Gáspár
20pp, Color, $1.00
Next year, Radical Publishing will release the full color, hardcover graphic novel, Mata Hari. It is created and written by Rich Wilkes (the creator of the xXx film franchise) and drawn by Roy Allen Martinez (the artist of Radical’s FVZA comic book). Radical recently released Mata Hari #0, a $1-priced “Racial Premiere,” which presents 20 pages from the upcoming graphic novel.
The story opens in Litmov, Russia in 1953. The narrator is Antonia Maslov, a young Russian girl who recounts the exploits of her uncle, Lt. Vadim Maslov. Vadim was a photographer who worked with the French during World War I. Vadim is destined to be part of a love triangle with French General Robert Nivelle and the notorious Mata Hari.
Reputedly a German double agent, Mata Hari would be blamed for the deaths of 50,000 French soldiers and was executed after a sensational trial shocked Europe. The question is was she really a betrayer of countless lovers or merely a scapegoat.
After reading Mata Hari #0, I’m curious about the rest of the story, but I wish the title character would have made an actual, first person appearance in this preview. Truthfully, writer Rich Wilkes’ article at the end of this issue, “Mata Hari: A Proposition,” is a more interesting read than the comic book portion, although the comic book portion does intrigue.
B+
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Fantagraphics Books to Publish Lost William Burroughs
Press release:
FANTAGRAPHICS ACQUIRES LOST ‘GRAPHIC NOVEL’ BY WILLIAM S. BURROUGHS & ARTIST MALCOLM McNEILL
Fantagraphics Books is proud to announce the acquisition of the only graphic novel written by — and possibly the last unseen work of his to be published — the innovative Beat writer and Naked Lunch author, William S. Burroughs. This lost masterpiece, Ah Pook Is Here, created in collaboration with artist Malcolm McNeill in the 1970s, will be published in the summer of 2011 as a spectacularly packaged two-volume, hinged set, along with Observed While Falling, McNeill’s memoir documenting his collaboration with one of America’s most iconic authors.
Ah Pook Is Here first appeared in 1970 under the title The Unspeakable Mr. Hart as a monthly comic strip written by Burroughs and drawn by the British cartoonist and painter Malcolm McNeil in the English magazine Cyclops. When the publication folded, Burroughs and McNeill decided to develop the project into a full-length, Word/Image novel (the term ‘graphic novel’ had not yet been coined). Burroughs was 56 at the time, McNeill 23.
The book was conceived as a single painting in which text and images were combined in whatever form seemed appropriate to the narrative. It was conceived as 120 continuous pages that would ‘fold out.’ Such a book was, at the time, unprecedented, and no publisher was willing to take a chance and publish a ‘graphic novel.’ Burroughs and McNeill finally abandoned the project after collaborating on it for 7 years.
“It is singularly appropriate that after championing literate comics and the graphic novel form for over 30 years, Fantagraphics Books should bring a literary collaboration between one of America’s most distinctive writers and his exemplary hand-chosen artist to light,” says Fantagraphics Publisher and acquiring editor Gary Groth.
Ah Pook Is Here is a consideration of time with respect to the differing perceptions of the ancient Maya and that of the current Western mindset. It was Burroughs’ contention that both of these views result in systems of control in which the elite perpetuate its agendas at the expense of the people. They make time for themselves and through increasing measures of Control attempt to prolong the process indefinitely.
John Stanley Hart is the “Ugly American” or “Instrument of Control” — a billionaire newspaper tycoon obsessed with discovering the means for achieving immortality. Based on the formulae contained in rediscovered Mayan books he attempts to create a Media Control Machine using the images of Fear and Death. By increasing Control, however, he devalues time and invokes an implacable enemy: Ah Pook, the Mayan Death God. Young mutant heroes using the same Mayan formulae travel through time bringing biologic plagues from the remote past to destroy Hart and his Judeo/Christian temporal reality.
Ah Pook Is Here was an experiment, not just in terms of the form in which the idea was expressed but the possible effects the form might produce. Burroughs was preoccupied throughout his career with the fundamental nature of words and images, particularly with regard to their ability to transcend time. In the case of Ah Pook Is Here, the rapport between artist and writer produced results that confirmed that contention. Ah Pook is the kind of extrapolative, futuristic feat of imagination that a reader would expect from the author of Nova Express and The Ticket That Exploded — a mind-boggling tour de force, dramatizing outré theories with a science fiction patina.
The second book in the set is Observed While Falling, written by Malcolm McNeill, an account of the personal and creative interaction that defined the collaboration between the writer and the artist, the events surrounding it, and the reasons for its ultimate demise. McNeill describes his growing friendship with Burroughs and how their personal relationship affected their creative partnership. The book is written with insight and humor, and liberally sprinkled with the kind of the hilarious anecdotes one would expect working with a writer as original and eccentric as William S. Burroughs. It confirms the prescience of Ah Pook Is Here with respect to the contemporary graphic novel; Burroughs' exploration of the artistic potential of combining words and images was a revelation to the artist. The book offers new insights into Burroughs’ working methods as well as how the two explored the possibilities of words and images working together to form the ambitious literary hybrid that they didn’t know, at the time, was a harbinger of the 21st century’s “graphic novel.”
“Fantagraphics is honored to bring this major work into print and to publish what is quite possibly the last great work from one of America’s most original prose stylists,” added Groth. “Burroughs once said that ‘The purpose of writing is to make it happen.’ We are proud to make Ah Pook Is Here finally happen.”
Fantagraphics Books (http://www.fantagraphics.com/) has been the world’s leading publisher of comics and graphic novels since 1976, with titles by R. Crumb, Charles Schulz, Joe Sacco, Daniel Clowes and many others. In 2007, the company launched its prose division, which books by Alexander Theroux (Laura Warholic), Monte Shultz (This Side of Jordan), and Stephen Dixon (What Is All This?).
FANTAGRAPHICS ACQUIRES LOST ‘GRAPHIC NOVEL’ BY WILLIAM S. BURROUGHS & ARTIST MALCOLM McNEILL
Fantagraphics Books is proud to announce the acquisition of the only graphic novel written by — and possibly the last unseen work of his to be published — the innovative Beat writer and Naked Lunch author, William S. Burroughs. This lost masterpiece, Ah Pook Is Here, created in collaboration with artist Malcolm McNeill in the 1970s, will be published in the summer of 2011 as a spectacularly packaged two-volume, hinged set, along with Observed While Falling, McNeill’s memoir documenting his collaboration with one of America’s most iconic authors.
Ah Pook Is Here first appeared in 1970 under the title The Unspeakable Mr. Hart as a monthly comic strip written by Burroughs and drawn by the British cartoonist and painter Malcolm McNeil in the English magazine Cyclops. When the publication folded, Burroughs and McNeill decided to develop the project into a full-length, Word/Image novel (the term ‘graphic novel’ had not yet been coined). Burroughs was 56 at the time, McNeill 23.
The book was conceived as a single painting in which text and images were combined in whatever form seemed appropriate to the narrative. It was conceived as 120 continuous pages that would ‘fold out.’ Such a book was, at the time, unprecedented, and no publisher was willing to take a chance and publish a ‘graphic novel.’ Burroughs and McNeill finally abandoned the project after collaborating on it for 7 years.
“It is singularly appropriate that after championing literate comics and the graphic novel form for over 30 years, Fantagraphics Books should bring a literary collaboration between one of America’s most distinctive writers and his exemplary hand-chosen artist to light,” says Fantagraphics Publisher and acquiring editor Gary Groth.
Ah Pook Is Here is a consideration of time with respect to the differing perceptions of the ancient Maya and that of the current Western mindset. It was Burroughs’ contention that both of these views result in systems of control in which the elite perpetuate its agendas at the expense of the people. They make time for themselves and through increasing measures of Control attempt to prolong the process indefinitely.
John Stanley Hart is the “Ugly American” or “Instrument of Control” — a billionaire newspaper tycoon obsessed with discovering the means for achieving immortality. Based on the formulae contained in rediscovered Mayan books he attempts to create a Media Control Machine using the images of Fear and Death. By increasing Control, however, he devalues time and invokes an implacable enemy: Ah Pook, the Mayan Death God. Young mutant heroes using the same Mayan formulae travel through time bringing biologic plagues from the remote past to destroy Hart and his Judeo/Christian temporal reality.
Ah Pook Is Here was an experiment, not just in terms of the form in which the idea was expressed but the possible effects the form might produce. Burroughs was preoccupied throughout his career with the fundamental nature of words and images, particularly with regard to their ability to transcend time. In the case of Ah Pook Is Here, the rapport between artist and writer produced results that confirmed that contention. Ah Pook is the kind of extrapolative, futuristic feat of imagination that a reader would expect from the author of Nova Express and The Ticket That Exploded — a mind-boggling tour de force, dramatizing outré theories with a science fiction patina.
The second book in the set is Observed While Falling, written by Malcolm McNeill, an account of the personal and creative interaction that defined the collaboration between the writer and the artist, the events surrounding it, and the reasons for its ultimate demise. McNeill describes his growing friendship with Burroughs and how their personal relationship affected their creative partnership. The book is written with insight and humor, and liberally sprinkled with the kind of the hilarious anecdotes one would expect working with a writer as original and eccentric as William S. Burroughs. It confirms the prescience of Ah Pook Is Here with respect to the contemporary graphic novel; Burroughs' exploration of the artistic potential of combining words and images was a revelation to the artist. The book offers new insights into Burroughs’ working methods as well as how the two explored the possibilities of words and images working together to form the ambitious literary hybrid that they didn’t know, at the time, was a harbinger of the 21st century’s “graphic novel.”
“Fantagraphics is honored to bring this major work into print and to publish what is quite possibly the last great work from one of America’s most original prose stylists,” added Groth. “Burroughs once said that ‘The purpose of writing is to make it happen.’ We are proud to make Ah Pook Is Here finally happen.”
Fantagraphics Books (http://www.fantagraphics.com/) has been the world’s leading publisher of comics and graphic novels since 1976, with titles by R. Crumb, Charles Schulz, Joe Sacco, Daniel Clowes and many others. In 2007, the company launched its prose division, which books by Alexander Theroux (Laura Warholic), Monte Shultz (This Side of Jordan), and Stephen Dixon (What Is All This?).
The Walking Dead #1 Coming Back as an "Image Firsts"
Image Comics reprints IMAGE FIRSTS: THE WALKING DEAD in time for debut of AMC series
The Image Firsts program has been an unparalleled success, introducing comics fans to classic Image titles for only $1.00. IMAGE FIRSTS: THE WALKING DEAD was a sellout at the distribution level, despite an extremely large overprint, and Image Comics is delighted to announce that the book is going back to press!
With Image Firsts, Image Comics is re-presenting first issues as an introduction to our most acclaimed titles, with each acting as the perfect primer to their ongoing series and collected editions! IMAGE FIRSTS: THE WALKING DEAD reprints the first issue of the hit series written by Robert Kirkman, and the second printing will feature cast photos from the AMC television series, which premiers October 31, 2010.
IMAGE FIRSTS: THE WALKING DEAD Second Printing (FEB100327), a 40-page black-and-white book reprinting the first issue of the ground-breaking series, plus a 12-page bonus section featuring full-color images from the AMC television series, will be in stores October 6, 2010, for $1.00.
Also available in October: THE WALKING DEAD: THE COVERS, VOL. 1 HC (AUG100834; October 6), THE WALKING DEAD BOOK SIX HC (AUG100383; October 13), THE WALKING DEAD "HEAD STAB" T-SHIRT (AUG100404-08; October 6), and THE WALKING DEAD "I HEART" T-SHIRT (AUG100409-13; October 6). THE WALKING DEAD 2011 CALENDAR (JUL100428), featuring 13 haunting images from the ongoing series, is available now.
Image Comics is a comic book and graphic novel publisher founded in 1992 by a collective of best-selling artists. Image has since gone on to become one of the largest comics publishers in the United States. Image currently has five partners: Robert Kirkman, Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, Marc Silvestri and Jim Valentino. It consists of five major houses: Todd McFarlane Productions, Top Cow Productions, Shadowline, Skybound and Image Central. Image publishes comics and graphic novels in nearly every genre, sub-genre, and style imaginable. It offers science fiction, romance, horror, crime fiction, historical fiction, humor and more by the finest artists and writers working in the medium today. For more information, visit www.imagecomics.com.
Friday, September 10, 2010
Jason Aaron Begins New Column at CBR
Press release:
JASON AARON'S WHERE THE HELL AM I? LAUNCHES ON CBR
With a roster of celebrated columnists that’s included Mark Millar, Warren Ellis, Matt Fraction, Gail Simone and many more, Comic Book Resources is proud to announce the debut of the latest addition to its prestigious editorial legacy: WHERE THE HELL AM I?, a provocative new weekly column by Jason Aaron.
Five years ago, Aaron was working a dead-end job and only dreaming of writing comics. Today he is an uncommonly prolific and acclaimed author, scripting memorable runs on such Marvel Comics titles as “Wolverine: Weapon X,” “PunisherMAX” and “Ghost Rider,” as well as his acclaimed Vertigo series, “Scalped,” which is hailed consistently among the best ongoing comic book series produced today.
It is that intense level of proliferation and rapid rise to prominence that was the inspiration behind Aaron’s WHERE THE HELL AM I? “I want this column to be a frank, no-bullshit look at what I’ve gone through to get to where I’m at and what I think about where I’m headed,” Aaron said. “I’ll talk about how I broke into comics; the full story, not just the bits I usually mention in interviews, but the ugly, embarrassing stuff too -- especially the ugly, embarrassing stuff. I’ll talk to other creators on the cusp of breaking in. I’ll talk to editors and some of my friends in the industry and see where their heads are at. And I’ll talk about what my job is like, the day-to-day nitty-gritty of it, struggling to balance a family life with a workload of six books a month. That’s where the hell I am. And that’s what I want to talk about.”
CBR has a rich history of giving a platform to comics creators just on the cusp of industry superstardom, and Executive Producer Jonah Weiland sees Jason Aaron as an auspicious continuation of that tradition. "I’m extremely excited that Jason has agreed to join CBR’s staff of columnists,” Weiland said. “Jason’s one of the rising stars in comics, bringing a fresh perspective not just with his writing, but with his outlook on this industry. He’s an important asset and addition to CBR.”
Make no mistake, WHERE THE HELL AM I? is no simple guide to “breaking in” to the comic book business. “I certainly don’t presume to know all the answers. I’m just saying this is what I did, these are the things I did right, these are the mistakes I made, these are the things I maybe wish I had done and this is what I think about where I’ve ended up,” Aaron said. “I just want to lay it all out and CBR has been gracious enough to offer me a platform from which to rant and rave like the crazy-eyed, shaggy-bearded redneck street-preacher I secretly am. I can’t wait.”
WHERE THE HELL AM I? is available exclusively every Wednesday afternoon on Comic Book Resources.
The first edition of WHERE THE HELL AM I? can be read here.
JASON AARON'S WHERE THE HELL AM I? LAUNCHES ON CBR
With a roster of celebrated columnists that’s included Mark Millar, Warren Ellis, Matt Fraction, Gail Simone and many more, Comic Book Resources is proud to announce the debut of the latest addition to its prestigious editorial legacy: WHERE THE HELL AM I?, a provocative new weekly column by Jason Aaron.
Five years ago, Aaron was working a dead-end job and only dreaming of writing comics. Today he is an uncommonly prolific and acclaimed author, scripting memorable runs on such Marvel Comics titles as “Wolverine: Weapon X,” “PunisherMAX” and “Ghost Rider,” as well as his acclaimed Vertigo series, “Scalped,” which is hailed consistently among the best ongoing comic book series produced today.
It is that intense level of proliferation and rapid rise to prominence that was the inspiration behind Aaron’s WHERE THE HELL AM I? “I want this column to be a frank, no-bullshit look at what I’ve gone through to get to where I’m at and what I think about where I’m headed,” Aaron said. “I’ll talk about how I broke into comics; the full story, not just the bits I usually mention in interviews, but the ugly, embarrassing stuff too -- especially the ugly, embarrassing stuff. I’ll talk to other creators on the cusp of breaking in. I’ll talk to editors and some of my friends in the industry and see where their heads are at. And I’ll talk about what my job is like, the day-to-day nitty-gritty of it, struggling to balance a family life with a workload of six books a month. That’s where the hell I am. And that’s what I want to talk about.”
CBR has a rich history of giving a platform to comics creators just on the cusp of industry superstardom, and Executive Producer Jonah Weiland sees Jason Aaron as an auspicious continuation of that tradition. "I’m extremely excited that Jason has agreed to join CBR’s staff of columnists,” Weiland said. “Jason’s one of the rising stars in comics, bringing a fresh perspective not just with his writing, but with his outlook on this industry. He’s an important asset and addition to CBR.”
Make no mistake, WHERE THE HELL AM I? is no simple guide to “breaking in” to the comic book business. “I certainly don’t presume to know all the answers. I’m just saying this is what I did, these are the things I did right, these are the mistakes I made, these are the things I maybe wish I had done and this is what I think about where I’ve ended up,” Aaron said. “I just want to lay it all out and CBR has been gracious enough to offer me a platform from which to rant and rave like the crazy-eyed, shaggy-bearded redneck street-preacher I secretly am. I can’t wait.”
WHERE THE HELL AM I? is available exclusively every Wednesday afternoon on Comic Book Resources.
The first edition of WHERE THE HELL AM I? can be read here.
CBLDF's "Liberty Annual 2010" Due in October
CBLDF'S LIBERTY ANNUAL 2010 EXPLODES IN OCTOBER!
Image Comics annual anthology benefiting the CBLDF sports new name and covers
Image Comics and the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund are proud to launch the most exciting edition of their annual benefit anthology yet! THE CBLDF PRESENTS LIBERTY ANNUAL 2010 is powered by the donated time and energy of comic book luminaries to benefit the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.
CBLDF’s LIBERTY ANNUAL 2010 boasts 48 incredible pages of story and art celebrating Free Expression! Previous volumes, published by Image Comics under the title CBLDF's Liberty Comics, have so far raised more than $50,000 for the Fund.
“I’m truly humbled by how much time and energy our line-up of talented contributors put aside to support the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund in contributing to LIBERTY ANNUAL 2010,” says CBLDF President and LIBERTY ANNUAL editor Larry Marder. “We changed the name of the book to reflect that once a year the greatest creators in the field bring their A-game to a project that helps the Fund reach new readers and raise much needed funds. No one got paid, but everyone stepped up to the plate and swung for the fences. The result is a highly collectible comic book that's a great read for an important cause."
CBLDF’s LIBERTY ANNUAL 2010 features an all-star line up, not least of whom are providing beautiful covers for the book. DAVE GIBBONS (Watchmen) has contributed an all-new Martha Washington cover, and DARICK ROBERTSON (The Boys) has provided a Conan cover. To increase the book's visibility, the incentive cover now boasts all-new artwork from CHARLIE ADLARD, the artist behind THE WALKING DEAD, which will soon be a hit series on AMC!
The best in the industry contributed to CBLDF’s LIBERTY ANNUAL 2010, which includes a new The Boys story by GARTH ENNIS & ROB STEEN, the first new Megaton Man adventure by DON SIMPSON in over a decade, an all-new Milk & Cheese story by EVAN DORKIN, a new Conan tale by DARICK ROBERTSON, Boilerplate by ANINA BENNETT & PAUL GUINAN, and "The First Amendment: It’s Why We Fight!" by LIBERTY COMICS editor LARRY MARDER.
CBLDF's LIBERTY ANNUAL 2010 will also feature all-new work from GEOFF JOHNS & SCOTT KOLINS, FRANK MILLER, GABRIEL BÁ & FÁBIO MOON, PAUL POPE, JEFF SMITH, TERRY MOORE, DAVE GIBBONS, GAIL SIMONE & AMANDA GOULD, SCOTT MORSE, BRIAN AZZARELLO & JILL THOMPSON, ROB LIEFELD, JG ROSHELL, COLLEEN DORAN, BEN McCOOL & BILLY TUCCI, and SKOTTIE YOUNG. Design for the entire package is contributed, as always, by Richard Starkings and John Roshell from Comicraft.
The CBLDF is a non-profit organization dedicated to the protection of the First Amendment rights of the comics art form and its community of retailers, creators, publishers, librarians and readers. The CBLDF provides legal referrals, representation, advice, assistance and education in furtherance of these goals. For more information on the Fund, visit www.cbldf.org
THE CBLDF PRESENTS LIBERTY ANNUAL 2010 (Gibbons cover: AUG100420; Robertson cover: AUG100421), a 48-page full-color comic book from Image Comics, will be available October 6, 2010. All proceeds from LIBERTY ANNUAL will benefit the First Amendment legal work of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund!
Image Comics is a comic book and graphic novel publisher founded in 1992 by a collective of best-selling artists. Image has since gone on to become one of the largest comics publishers in the United States. Image currently has five partners: Robert Kirkman, Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, Marc Silvestri and Jim Valentino. It consists of five major houses: Todd McFarlane Productions, Top Cow Productions, Shadowline, Skybound and Image Central. Image publishes comics and graphic novels in nearly every genre, sub-genre, and style imaginable. It offers science fiction, romance, horror, crime fiction, historical fiction, humor and more by the finest artists and writers working in the medium today. For more information, visit http://www.imagecomics.com/.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Drew Friedman in Brooklyn NY
AN EVENING WITH DREW FRIEDMAN AND HIS NEW BOOK, TOO SOON?
Featuring a Q&A with Drew Friedman, conducted by WFMU's Dave the Spazz!
Friday, Oct. 8th, 7-9PM
Desert Island Comics
540 Metropolitan Avenue
BROOKLYN, NY
718.388.5087
http://www.desertislandbrooklyn.com/
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