If you're like me and interested in the history of comics and the history of censorship in America, you might want to check out a new book by David Hajdu, "The Ten Cent Plague." It about the legislative efforts and the resulting self imposed censorship within the horror comic industry of the 50s. WNYC's "On the Media" has a great interview with Hajdu that's worth a listen.
Showing posts with label comics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label comics. Show all posts
April 26, 2008
March 3, 2008
Good Cop Bad Cop Once Removed
Two of my favorite comics of the last 10 years are both police procedurals set in a super hero world:
Powers by Bendis and Oeming and
Top Ten (and spin-off Smax) by Moore, Ha, and Cannon.
I just recently notice a major parallel between the two. Take a look at two sets of detective partners.
Deena Pilgrim and Christian Walker from Powers
Robyn Slinger and Jeff Smax of Top Ten and Smax
S may be the only person that finds this interesting.
Powers by Bendis and Oeming and
Top Ten (and spin-off Smax) by Moore, Ha, and Cannon.
I just recently notice a major parallel between the two. Take a look at two sets of detective partners.
Deena Pilgrim and Christian Walker from Powers
Robyn Slinger and Jeff Smax of Top Ten and Smax
S may be the only person that finds this interesting.
January 13, 2008
Sweet Prince
Prince Valiant just a achieved the milestone of 3700 Sunday strips. Huzzah! It's one of the few syndicated strips that I read regularly. 
As far as I'm concerned, Val with one hand tied behind his back can take on Judge Parker, and Rex Morgan MD and still win the right to be called master of the realist narrative comic strip.
I have to admit that in high school I thought that sitting down to enjoy a good Prince Valiant was the squarest activity in which one could engage. Now, I seem to have settled down in a nice condo in squaresville with my blog, my glasses and my pipe that I smoke while reading the Sunday paper.
As far as I'm concerned, Val with one hand tied behind his back can take on Judge Parker, and Rex Morgan MD and still win the right to be called master of the realist narrative comic strip.I have to admit that in high school I thought that sitting down to enjoy a good Prince Valiant was the squarest activity in which one could engage. Now, I seem to have settled down in a nice condo in squaresville with my blog, my glasses and my pipe that I smoke while reading the Sunday paper.
October 22, 2007
Marjane Satrapi
Marjane Satrapi is one of the greatest comic book writers of this generation. As far as I'm concerned, her works "Persepolis" and Persepolis II" belong in the canon of comics right next to Art Speigleman's Pulitzer prize winning "MAUS." Both works are strongly autobiographical and are about daily life during turbulent times.
I'm bringing this up now because Persepolis has been turned into a movie. This clip's in French so let me just describe the end of the clip for those nonfrancophones. The old ladies are harassing little Marjane because she's wearing western devil culture in the form of a punk jacket and pop music pin. She escapes punishment by pretending that Micheal Jackson is Malcolm X.
Finally, a comic by someone other than Frank Miller will be accurately translated into film. I can't wait to see it.
Marjane is essentially the opposite of Frank. She kicks ass. Here's the beginning of an interview that she did in the New York Times Magazine:
Interviewer: You’ve just turned your acclaimed series of graphic novels into a full-length animated film, “Persepolis,” an oddly charming tale about the brutal subject of growing up in Iran during the Islamic revolution. Would you still describe yourself mainly as a graphic novelist?
Marjane: I don’t very much like this term of graphic novel. I think they made up this term for the bourgeoisie not to be scared of comics.
That's the polite equivalent of giving the New York Times the finger. Here's how she ends the interview:
Interviewer: In the end, there will be just one country left that allows smoking, for all the nonquitters in the world.
Marjane: Yes, and I will go there. Smoking kills you, but life kills you, and if you don’t want to die, go into a freezer when you are born and nothing will happen to you.
I'm bringing this up now because Persepolis has been turned into a movie. This clip's in French so let me just describe the end of the clip for those nonfrancophones. The old ladies are harassing little Marjane because she's wearing western devil culture in the form of a punk jacket and pop music pin. She escapes punishment by pretending that Micheal Jackson is Malcolm X.
Finally, a comic by someone other than Frank Miller will be accurately translated into film. I can't wait to see it.
Marjane is essentially the opposite of Frank. She kicks ass. Here's the beginning of an interview that she did in the New York Times Magazine:
Interviewer: You’ve just turned your acclaimed series of graphic novels into a full-length animated film, “Persepolis,” an oddly charming tale about the brutal subject of growing up in Iran during the Islamic revolution. Would you still describe yourself mainly as a graphic novelist?
Marjane: I don’t very much like this term of graphic novel. I think they made up this term for the bourgeoisie not to be scared of comics.
That's the polite equivalent of giving the New York Times the finger. Here's how she ends the interview:
Interviewer: In the end, there will be just one country left that allows smoking, for all the nonquitters in the world.
Marjane: Yes, and I will go there. Smoking kills you, but life kills you, and if you don’t want to die, go into a freezer when you are born and nothing will happen to you.
July 23, 2007
Sailing Off the Flat Earth
Yes, Thomas Friedman is a bonehead.
Also, I've added another of my brothers as a contributer. Enjoy.
(comic via salon)
Also, I've added another of my brothers as a contributer. Enjoy.
(comic via salon)
July 22, 2007
Some Guys Get All the Breaks
Isn't it amazing how politics elevates hypocrisy to a fine art? The same people who are tough on crime generally look the other way with crimes that their friends/underlings commit (or they commit themselves). Along those lines, Tom the Dancing Bug has done some great satire of the Vitter scandal and it's more hypocritical elements. And there's even more hypocrisy to go around.
May 4, 2007
What is it Good For?
A couple of ongoing fictional series' have indirectly taken on the War on Terror as a subject for drama. The new Battlestar Galactica and Marvel comics Civil War certainly try. One of the most appropriate works which takes on the issues of the war is the Japanese manga turned anime Full Metal Alchemist.
If you don't like anime and you want to see what I'm talking about, you should skip ahead to 6:40.
Even without any political overtones, Full Metal Alchemist reaches the top of the anime pyramid as it alternates between comedic and dramatic, lighthearted and deep in contemplation of the darkness of the soul. It does get a bit long winded and plot twisty in the middle of the series though. Leave it to Japan to understand what it means to be a dominant colonial power as well as a satellite state.
If you don't like anime and you want to see what I'm talking about, you should skip ahead to 6:40.
Even without any political overtones, Full Metal Alchemist reaches the top of the anime pyramid as it alternates between comedic and dramatic, lighthearted and deep in contemplation of the darkness of the soul. It does get a bit long winded and plot twisty in the middle of the series though. Leave it to Japan to understand what it means to be a dominant colonial power as well as a satellite state.
May 3, 2007
Planetary
I've finally gotten my hands on the "latest" issues of Planetary by Warren Ellis and John Cassaday. This comic has had some of the best writing and art of any superhero comic of the last ten years. The only drawback is that it can get a little wordy with psuedo-scientific mumbo jumbo. Well, that and it's been really slow in getting new issues. Since 1998, there have been 26 comics total. There series ends at #27 and I'm hoping that the last one will come out any year now.
The story follows a superhuman team of archaeologists who investigate and document the strange and secret happenings of the world. Sometimes, that means looking into alien invasions and sometimes it means traveling to monster island. I'm don't want to describe it in any more detail than that because it's the kind of the thing you'll want to read without too much prior knowledge. I will say that the whole series is masterfully constructed.
And the art is absolutely fantastic. Check it out.
(Picture via Planetary issue #4 by Warren Ellis and John Cassaday, color by Laura Martin)
The story follows a superhuman team of archaeologists who investigate and document the strange and secret happenings of the world. Sometimes, that means looking into alien invasions and sometimes it means traveling to monster island. I'm don't want to describe it in any more detail than that because it's the kind of the thing you'll want to read without too much prior knowledge. I will say that the whole series is masterfully constructed.
And the art is absolutely fantastic. Check it out.
(Picture via Planetary issue #4 by Warren Ellis and John Cassaday, color by Laura Martin)
April 27, 2007
Marvelous
Sometimes it takes me a long time to put 2 and 2 together. After years of reading comic books, I noticed this little button in an old X-Men comic that said "IN THE SENSATIONAL FANTASTIC FOUR STYLE". It made me realize that somebody got lazy over at Marvel when they created the original X-Men and the Fantastic Four.
Let me I'll break it down.
1. Captain Alliteration
Both teams are led by a guy with an alliterative name (Scott Summers as Cyclops and Reed Richards as Mr. Fantastic). Personality-wise these guys are both in the same boring boat. Being abandoned by fathers who went of into space or the future probably was responsible for that.
2. Mystery Lady
Marvel Girl and The Invisible Woman have very similar psionic powers. Frequently found in the role of the damsel in distress, they both fall for and marry the leader of the group and have a child with world shattering superpowers.
3. Working Class Brawler
The Thing and the Beast sure have similar names and similar difficulties dealing with a world in which they are so visibly different. Basically, they're both toughs that specialize in slamming into enemies. The Thing is yellow and the beast turns blue.
4. Elemental Boy
The Human Torch and Ice man. Hot and cold versions of the same thing.
Which leaves Angel. Got nothing for him. Again, I'm not saying that these two comics are carbon copies just that someone got lazy.
March 26, 2007
Must Love Dancing Bugs
Ruben Bolling has been creating the Tom the Dancing Bug comics for almost ten years now and I love um. I don't know a lot of other people who read his stuff but you should give it a try. Sarcastic, dry and intelligent. You can look at an archive here. You can also check out Ruben Bolling's website at tomthedancingbug.com.
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