NPR recently posted this review of several recent non-graphic novels about superheroes. The individual reviews are short, but largely well-written and (with the exception of the first one) respectful of the books' authors. But good grief -- those subtitles!
The overall article is entitled, "Holy Bookworms! Superheroes Take To The Page" which is sure to elicit groans from every comic book fan who's read a dozen similar headlines every year since "Adam West" became synonymous with "Batman." But the subtitles, while somewhat more original, still smack of the same mentality...
"The Man Behind The 'Mwah-hah-hah!'"
"Truth, Justice And The American Gay"
"Does The Justice League Have Good Dental?"
"In Praise Of Junk"
*sigh*
I should be used to that by now. I mean, we've been getting the "Comics aren't just for kids anymore" stories for as long as I've been alive. But what bothers me here is the source. NPR is generally very respectful of lifestyles and hobbies, regardless of how childish or bizarre an image they might have in America's collective subconscious. Indeed, they've had any number of reports in recent years concerning the comic book industry and have treated it with respect. I wouldn't be surprised if this type of thing came from Fox News or some equally jejune outlet, but I thought better of NPR.
My bud, Ray Wall, has been writing original songs tied to various superhero movies the past few years. I know his "Fantastic Four Song" actually got more downloads on iTunes than any of the songs from the movie's album, and I suspect his other original songs have achieved similar levels of popularity.
Anyway, I just wanted to give him a quick shout-out here on my blog (which I don't believe I've done in the past) and let you all know that he tells me he's got a Dark Knight song that will be coming out soon. Keep your ears peeled!
In the meantime, you can check out Ray's previous creations here.
On a side note, why aren't there more people writing comic book themed music?
As required by the Blogosphere BylawsTM, any post I make today needs to focus on the subject of Independence Day, America, or patriotism in some capacity. I could talk about Captain America, The Shield, the Star-Spangled Kid, or any of a host of other flag-draped do-gooders. I could be doubly-topical and talk about that Alex Ross Superman/Obama mash-up. I could be somewhat snarky and write a "Declaration of Independents" touting the virtues of the small press.
But you know me -- I like being unconventional. So may I present to you Howard Chaykin's afterward from American Flagg! #1...
"So, if you want a symbolic gesture, don't burn the flag, wash it." -- Norman Thomas
...And, on the basis of that simple precept, the upheaval of the sixties lost my spiritual commitment. My body stayed behind, to meet girls (historically speaking, liberal women always have been easier than Republicans).
What no one seemed to realize was, that by trashing 200 years of symbolism the movement virtually handed over the concept of patriotism to the "corporate fascist elite."
It's long past time we took patriotism back. I'm a liberal (some might say radical) kind of guy who still gets a bit squinky at the Star Spangled banner. My identification with the mythic aspects of America is intense, to say the least.
And that's the why behind American Flagg! I'll be throwing you some (hopefully) pretty oddball concepts in the this book; stick with me, I think it'll be worth your time.
Meanwhile, to fill the time between issues, some suggested additional reading material, starting with two classics.
Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley. 1984, by George Orwell.
These two set the tone for all modern, post-holocaust negative utopias...
Followed by two more classics, in an entirely different vein:
The Demolished Man, and The Stars My Destination, both by Alfred Bester.
Two brilliant novels by an author with an astonishing grasp of the business of advertising, media and business.
Finally, Revolt in 2100, by Robert Heinlein. One of the Future Histories by this prolific author, detailing a theocratic takeover of the U.S.A.
There are lots more, but that's enough for now. Again, stay with us, and remember...
"Things are more like they are now than they have ever been before." -- Dwight D. Eisenhower
Howard Chaykin April 15, 1983
I try not to stray too far from the subject of comics here, but this is too great not to share. (Thanks to Gerry Conway for linking to this on his blog.)
For as much as I enjoy science fiction and fantasy stories, for as much as my life has been shaped by the Fantastic Four and the Rebel Alliance, for as much I like to escape from the problems of day-to-day living into the worlds of the impossible, there's just no beating stories told from real life. Drama happens every single day, all over the planet. There are millions of interesting characters wandering around the planet, and only require a good storyteller to make their tales known. Some of the bestcomicsI'vereadin thepast few years, in fact, were based largely on actual events. Now I can add a web comic to that list in Jane Irwin's Clockwork Game.
The story follows the "life" of Wolfgang von Kempelein's chess-playing automaton. The Turk -- as the real one was known colloquially -- entertained and mystified audiences from its creation in 1770 until it was destroyed by a fire in 1854. The machine, after a thorough inspection from the audience, would then proceed to play any opponent in a game of chess, often winning regardless of the opponent's ability. It was able to decipher and respond to any move, including illegal ones, and it unnerved adversaries who took too long by tapping it's hand and rolling its eyes. It was truly a remarkable piece, and was thought by many to be possessed by evil spirits.
The story thus far (it only debuted in March) has mainly focused on introducing a few of the principle players and showcasing just how awe-inspiring such a contraption would have been in the 18th century. There is a bit of tedium in the initial chess game with each move being noted individually, but Irwin assures readers in her comments that A) it will be the only extended sequence like that in the story and B) "You can pretty safely skip all the technical moves and just pay attention to the characters' reactions -- you won't lose much if you do."
Generally, the danger in creating a story like this is that the author can get wrapped up in the minutia of actual events and barter good storytelling for historical accuracy. I don't think that will be a problem here, though, as Irwin has noted on a few occasions already that she's taken some artistic license for the sake of readability. Coupled with a fascinating prologue detailing a much later point in The Turk's life, I think it's pretty safe to assume that Irwin knows what it takes to spin a good yarn. And while she's CLEARLY done plenty of research to tell the story accurately, that doesn't seem to be over-riding her artistic sensibilities.
I've really enjoyed Clockwork Game so far, and I'm really looking forward to see how the story plays out. Even knowing something of the history and the ultimate ending of the contraption, I think Irwin's got a great handle on the tale and I'm anticipating watching it unfold in her hands.
One of the things I like about following an artist's career is watching his/her style as an artist develop. Sometimes, that's a simple improvement in craft; sometimes, that's a more stylistic change. In the case of Miriam Libicki, I see some of both.
Although she now resides in Vancouver, Libicki spent a fair amount of time in the Israeli Army and her Jobnik stories retell some of her experiences there. According to her Jobnik Manifesto, "I don't see my comic... as an answer to Joe Sacco's Palestine. I see it as an answer to everybody. Everybody who thinks of Israelis as killing machines or innocent victims or the older brothers of Christ or the puppets of American policy. Everyone who asks me, 'You lived in Israel? What was that like?'" Reading that, I think it's plainly evident she's got a very powerful story to tell.
The story begins after Libicki's joined the Israeli Army and been classified as "overly emotional and possessing poor Hebrew skills." She's been assigned to an infirmary at a training base in a rather menial role as a file clerk. Issue #1 picks up as she's being introduced to the camp. Each issue tells its own story, but they follow in chronological order. The trap that many authors, when crafting their auto-biographies, fall into is that they tend to indulge in their own self-importance. I felt Marjane Satrapi did that with Persepolis 2. But so far, Libicki -- while the central character of the story -- presents herself more as a conduit for the reader as if to say, "This is what life is generally like over there, and I'm just pulling out my personal experiences as specific examples." There's more than a fair degree of humility on her part, and a great deal of sincerity.
In the few years Libicki's been working on Jobnik!, her stories have improved dramatically. Her earlier pieces, I felt, were rough and scratchy. Somewhat unsure of themselves. I think she felt obliged to ink her work, and her style of drawing isn't really conducive to it. (Not unlike Gene Colan's work.) She tries some computerized shading in #3 with mixed results. But 4 and 5 use a sort of wash effect that seems to work well. (I call it a "wash" but I'm fairly certain it's not an actual ink wash. I have to admit that I really don't know exactly how she achieved the look she did. Whatever it is, I hope she continues using it.)
Additionally, her figure work improves with each issue, as does her page and panel layouts. Her earlier work is a bit difficult to follow in places, but it gets easier to read with each issue. By #4, she even starts throwing in some clever page layouts to make more effective use of the space for the storytelling.
Libicki has previews of her issues on her web site, from which you can also order pulped wood copies of each issue. I don't think her work is going to really grab your attention and make you notice it right out of the gate, but there's definitely talent there and I think following it as it develops will lead to a satisfying payoff ultimately. Libicki's got a powerful story, as I said, and I think she's the best suited to telling it.
Maybe it's just me, but I have yet to find a bag/holder of any kind that seems to work well for my convention-going needs. I always find the bags I use lacking in several capacities, and I spend far more time than I'd like sorting through things during the convention itself. Here's what I'd like to see in a conventioneering bag...
Protective. Let's face it: this is for carrying around paper goods. You don't want something that's going to allow said paper to be easily damaged. I'm not saying the thing can't be soft-sided, but it needs to protect whatever I'm toting from getting dog-eared.
Good size. Ideally the main bag area should be able to house a variety of comic sizes easily. I'm thinking the height and width should be able to accommodate a CGC-graded Golden Age comic, and it should be deep enough to handle at least two Essentials books. Maybe have it expandable, so that it would normally hold one Essentials but could accordion out deep enough to hold up to three?
Easy-access top opening. If I run into someone in an aisle or something, I want to be able to get to whatever I need quickly. No fold-over flaps, no complicated latches. I'm thinking Velcro would make the most sense; quick release, but noisy so no one can sneak into your bag when you're hunched over a row of long boxes.
Exterior pouch for bottled beverage. Definitely want this on the outside so your comics are safe if said bottle happens to develop a leak.
Camera pouch. Should allow for relatively quick access (when you turn a corner and run into a great costume or something) and won't force you to wrap on of those wrist-straps around your arm all day.
Multiple interior dividers. When I'm carrying books around at a con, I try to separate them into "Stuff I Want To Have Signed" and "Stuff I've Already Gotten Signed." That way, I can get to books a little more quickly when I walk up and talk to a creator, by skipping over my "Already Signed" section. I expect others would want to categorize their books more, so it should have multiple dividable sections to creator as many categories as the individual deems appropriate.
Exterior envelope pouch. Something to drop business cards in quickly. Maybe a second envelope to carry your own cards as well.
Extra/optional open bag. Basically, I'm thinking that you'd want something decent sized to hang below/behind the main bag. Nothing complicated, just a larger open area to drop in bulkier purchases like action figures or statues. But separate from the comics you want to keep flat.
Slim, hardcase, art attachment. Another optional/extra attachment that might hang below/behind the main bag for original art and over-sized prints. This could be slimmer, of course, but would need a solid exterior to protect the art.
I certainly haven't perfected this idea, nor completely thought everything out, but something like this quick sketch I whipped up...It does look something like a regular laptop bag, and that's what I've used in the past. But the specifics and dimensions of all the laptop bags I've used preclude it from being really working well for a comic book convention.
Question 1: What do YOU all use to carry around loot during a convention?
Question 1A: What's worked best/worst for you in the past?
Question 2: Anyone know of someone who might be interested/able in putting something like this together?
