Rescued comics and what should a comics-noob do with 'em?

[karlos]

There are rumours Dark Horse are reprinting all the previous Concrete stories before Chadwick's new story next year.

WAIT WHAT... HOW WHEN... new Concrete SUPER Cool. How do we know this, is there any details. Oh I'm super excited for new Concrete.


I saw it mentioned twice on Cartoonist Kayfabe a few months back, where they talked abiut Library Editiins coming out alongside new stuff. Nothing on any websites beyond that this far, though. I guess you could say nothing concrete. Ahem

[Colin YNWA]

There are rumours Dark Horse are reprinting all the previous Concrete stories before Chadwick's new story next year.

WAIT WHAT... HOW WHEN... new Concrete SUPER Cool. How do we know this, is there any details. Oh I'm super excited for new Concrete.


I saw it mentioned twice on Cartoonist Kayfabe a few months back, where they talked abiut Library Editiins coming out alongside new stuff. Nothing on any websites beyond that this far, though...

Oh I watch cartoonish Kayfabe - you have them to blame for this list - but haven't seen the episodes they mention. I mean who has time to watch everything they do coming out daily as they do, and there's so much to catch up on. So cool, this has me so excited, can't wait. Though however good any Library editions are going to be I must be strong, I must be strong i don't need them... do I...

...I guess you could say nothing concrete. Ahem

Oh you are good!

[karlos]

I love Concrete, too, Colin, and cannot wait for both the reprints ( as I stupidly sold my copies years ago) and the new stuff!

[I, Cosh]

I've never read Kill your boyfriend and know nothing about it but with that creative team that's gotta be worth checkin' out. I know I will be!

Kill Your Boyfriend would be pretty high on my list of all time favourite Morrison stories.

It's a sort of breezy 90s kitchen sink take on the same themes of identity and freedom which The Invisibles ties itself in knots over and Bond's wonderful art ties it together beautifully.

[Fortnight]

also ordered Within Our Reach Anyway and its has an 8 page norm Breyfogle story and lots of other interesting looking stuff - so its on that way!

Since I found myself alone and with bugger all to do on Christmas Day I decided to read some comics

I started with Within Our Reach (it's Christmassy after all, and it was in an easy-to-reach box on the top of the stack).
Pretty good actually; a slight but variously entertaining selection of Christmas cheer (and some not so cheer). Varied between enjoyable, meandering, quite boring, and poignant, depending on the story.

Then I read Critical Error which was a very speedy read (having no words) and quite enjoyable. Not particularly memorable as a story, but with just enough room for reader interpretation to make it interesting, and well drawn (especially as there were no words to do the usual job of explaining what the characters were feeling or thinking).

Then I went for Graffiti Kitchen which couldn't have been more different. Whereas the John Byrne one took about 5 minutes, this one took over an hour. Very wordy in comparison, and also not that interesting. A rambling meandering tour through the life of a character that, as I understand it is a stand-in for Eddie Campbell himself. I'm not a huge fan of his scratchy, noisy, induced-pareidolia art style - I flicked through From Hell and that didn't appeal much either - but it sort of grew on me by the end, so I have some hope for From Hell It was a similar thing with Paul Pope's art style in the THB one I read, which I also thought didn't make any sense until I read one through.

I'd have read Kill Your Boyfriend next but I can't find it. I think it's probably in one of the many boxes I have in off-site storage. Along with Shade. And loads of others. So I'll have to fetch them back.

Now I've decided to read the 2000 AD Dan Dare that I'd failed at so long ago, and this time I'm sticking with it! So far I've read the first Biogs story and some of the next one. It's mostly crap, but I suppose it's of its time. The continuity is all over the place as it is with so many comics, probably mostly because of the episodic nature, but I think not entirely as other episodic titles are more focused than this one. I think that a lot of it is just bad script design. And I never really liked Belardinelli's art that much. I'm still not that impressed, but I'm on to whoever is the next artist now - Dave Gibbons I think - and it's much more readable.

[Colin YNWA]

I completely see that Eddie Campbell's art is an aquired taste, it absolutely works for me, but fair warning if you don't like Alex stuff (the character from Graffiti Kitchen) and the art is a part of that then alas the Bacchus / Deadface stuff might not be for you either.

Looking forward to get Within Our Reach all the more how!

Hope you had a fun, if varied, day!
 

[Colin YNWA]

So read Within our Reach to soften the blow of the return to work. Wish I'd got it as it'd be perfect to read on X-Mas day!

As any anthology it has its ups and downs but overall an absolute treat. Reminded me of those old A1 collections from back in the day. If you see it on your travels its well worth picking up.

Thanks for the heads up on this one Fortnight, I'll be getting this out next year... well this years X-Mas I think!

[Fortnight]

I should be thanking you Colin. I wouldn't have singled it out from all the other single-volume books I have without your highlighting it!
In fact, when I first sorted through them I'd put it in the 'Superhero Crap' pile because of the Spider-Man cover. I have a particular hate for Spider-Man. Well, perhaps hate is too strong, but definite dislike. He's at best an average character, yet gets near-rabid levels of popularity. Then there's the stupid hyphen in the name. Does Batman have a hyphen? No. Does Superman have a hyphen? No.
I won't sully your top 100 Spider-Man post with my whinings though Maybe there's one story that's good

I got back all my boxes of comics that were in off-site storage - still no sign of Kill Your Boyfriend but it's only one slim book in a stack of 8 19L Really Useful boxes tightly packed with comics, so I'll need to go through in more detail.

Found Shade though. But first I'm having a go at Black Orchid in between the longer read of 2000 AD's Dan Dare. I only just started and already Black Orchid has got killed. Promising start

[Colin YNWA]

Speaking of Kill your Boyfriend talk of it here made me pick up a copy via eBay and MAN did I get a deal. Turns out the one I ordered was the deluxe hardcopy edition with Vimanarama included (also Morrison and Bond and I've not read that either!) still shrink wrapped for £8 including postage! Bloody hell.

The seller has multiple copies so if anyone one is interest in this let me know and I'll pass on the details.

Looks lovely but on the 'To-read spreadsheet' no X-mas boost excuse for this one. See you in 4 years!

[Fortnight]

Found my copy. It wasn't in a bag on its own, was it. Oh no, that would have been far to sensible. Far too easy. It was in a bag with the other two Vertigo Voices titles, wasn't it. Obviously.
Excuse me while I facepalm myself in my balls.

[Fortnight]

Well, I just finished Kill Your Boyfriend, and I'm sad to say I thought it was absolute tripe. Tedious puerile bollocks. I felt a bit like I'd wasted my time - and all that effort in searching for it too

The characters are as caricature as the art, which I found easy on the eye, but only functional in its appeal. Not bad, but not great. All the characters were written as superficial and cliché, and unrealistic in the way they thought and behaved right from the outset. Surely no-one actually thinks with so little depth? If they were deliberately written that way to make a point and highlight their flaws or something it'd be worthwhile, but there seemed to be no purpose to their shallowness; no contrast with actual people. They were just shallow. All of them. Even the benign ones.

Overall it gave me the same feeling I had when I watched The Last Seduction (in '96/'97). I don't think I've ever hated a film more. None of the characters were even remotely likeable or with any redeeming features. Maybe it's just how I am that I need to give at least one shit about a character for it to be worth giving my time. But in that film, like this comic, not a single shit was available.

I tried re-watching Natural Born Killers recently(ish) (which I enjoyed at the cinema when it came out) but I found that to be worthless too, for the same reason. The characters are just so fuckwitted.

I'd probably have thought a lot better of it if I'd read it when it was new; at the age I was then. I guess I grew up after all.

Shame.


I finished off Black Orchid yesterday and in contrast that was brilliant. Perfectly paced, with just the right amount of time spent reading to get the flow smooth, so it seemed not too fast a read, but not tediously slow either. Great story, not too much explained too early, not too much left ultimately unsaid. A touch contrived at the end ("and the bad guys just changed their mind") but at least there had been some level of justification leading up to it.

The art is absolutely wonderful. Got to admire an artist who can craft faces so skilfully.


I think I'll try the other two Vertigo Voices titles next, since they're out, and likely to be quickies too.

[Barrington Boots]

Well, I just finished Kill Your Boyfriend, and I'm sad to say I thought it was absolute tripe. Tedious puerile bollocks.

I didn't want to comment earlier, but this is how I feel about this book too.
I have fond memories associated with it when it came out, but on rereading it a while back - weak stuff and very dated.

[Fortnight]

I didn't want to comment earlier, but this is how I feel about this book too.
I have fond memories associated with it when it came out, but on rereading it a while back - weak stuff and very dated.

Always a relief when someone agrees with me. At least I'm not totally missing the point :). It didn't help that it's also just not the type of story I'd normally choose to read. If I wanted a slice of life I'd go outside where those terrible humans are

I also read the third in the Vertigo Visions set yesterday, the Jamie Delano one, Tainted, and that was way better and far far more enjoyable. The characters were no less fuckups but at least they had some depth to them; some aspect that made them seem like they were thinking, and not just the "the world is designed to turn us all into robots so I rebel!" crap that's the trademark of the lean-of-thought.

Next up will be the Peter Milligan one Face

[Fortnight]

I have a strong suspicion that no-one is all that interested in my adventures in reading through some of this stuff, but, and in spite of obviously being a crap reviewer, here are some further thoughts on what else I've read.


Face
The third (well first, technically) of the Vertigo Voices trio.
This was also pretty good - certainly enjoyable. The plot was quite straight forward - I didn't spend the first half of the book wondering what the hell was going on as I sometimes have with other books I've read.

The dialogue is filled with such massively pretentious cheese that it's funny (possibly unintentionally) but very entertainingly executed nonetheless.

I've now read enough of Milligan to spot that identity and the sense of self are recurring themes of his, and this one has that in spades. I'd already guessed the broad strokes of the twist at the end the by the time that all the characters had entered the story, but it was carried out with some nice unexpected details. Well worth the hour it took to read, and probably worth re-reading at some point, too.


Metaphysique
Two-volume anthology by Norm Breyfogle. I picked up the one I was missing easily enough.
A selection of very enjoyable short stories drawn in a variety of different (and excellent) styles. A couple are just odd. Not really too much to say about it since most stories were too short to go into much depth on anything, but it was fun.


Drywall: Unzipped
Strange little story. I got the impression that I ought to have already read the related works in which the character debuted, but it worked on its own and had a very unique feel to it. Part fun cartoon, part bittersweet metaphor. I wonder if the other books are similarly off kilter. I'm very curious.


Angela
Simple, but enjoyable story. I mean, simple. There was really nothing to the story at all. It's basically an entertaining yarn, and if there was any subtext to it it was minimal. The art looked very good but I found that I had to look at it for longer than I thought I ought to work out what it was depicting. It started to make me feel like my eyes weren't working properly any more. Might have benefitted me to have read Spawn up 'til that point (I've read none), but it didn't feel like it was essential.


Shade (1977)
I thought I'd give the Ditko original a go before moving on to the 1990 Milligan volume at last, so I picked up the copies that I was missing.

Surprisingly enjoyable. The art was clean and clear, and the story, despite some seeming non-sequiturs and the lack of a proper ending, was moving along nice and fun. Although it did at several points really seem like he was making it up one issue at a time.

And what's with all the ads for instant muscles? The 70s in the US were clearly weirder than in the UK.


Shade (1990)
I'm now reading this. I'd been putting it off a bit because it's going to be a long read.

The first issue was a decent comprehensible intro. The next 3 or 4 were an odd mix of abstract and surreal metaphor for 75% of each issue juxtaposed with one or two pages of functional prosaic exposition at the end. As if Milligan had presented the script to an editor who'd said, "That's great Peter, but put some explanation in at the end so people know what the fuck is going on". It felt very jarring to go from the esoteric to the mundane in the space of one panel.

It's become obvious that there was absolutely no need to read the Ditko original, and in fact it would probably have been better if I hadn't. The names are reused, but the events and background given in the Ditko story have been almost entirely discarded and only get in the way of the comprehension of the new Shade. Even the vest that is the source of Shade's abilities is not the same device.

I should add that I have no knowledge of how the character was progressing in his appearances elsewhere between the two volumes, but since Ditko's Shade has a different past to this, I doubt it matters any.

I've just finished #11 and it feels like the first few were essentially Milligan trying to find his feet with the character; not yet settled on who or what Shade was, and trying to separate him from the dregs of the old-Shade he'd nearly tied him to. Issue 11 feels like the first one to have a more thought-out and even narrative.

Now I'm enjoying it, and the storytelling has got smoother and much easier to read. Not quite getting that unputdownable vibe. At least not yet.


In between all of this I've also read a bit more of the 2000 AD Dan Dare (entertaining claptrap) and the last of the Terry Goodkind series of novels that I'd not yet read (regular novels with like just words n that, via ebook) - the Scribbly Man ones.

And, of course, I've read the 17th-day-of-Christmas-Special of the Chefs of Death   Hi bdk.

I read a lot.

[Colin YNWA]

Reading a lot is good, so good. Its also great to see that you are reading some really interesting stuff, a lot of which I've not read but you are really peaking my interest!

I've read neither Face or Metaphysique, but both are by creators I really like in Milligan and Breyfogle and I must get around to tracking them down. I must admit I thought Metaphysique was a superhero title in Malibu's short lived line and so hadn't rushed to it. You make it sound like that might be a mistake on my part.

Never heard of Drywall, whose it by?

Interesting you went to Ditko's Shade ahead of tackling Milligan's. I've still never read those but have always been interesting. Though knew that they were different enough to probably not be as good as I would like them to be. Ditko's DC titles just don't scream out to me the way kirby's do.

Glad to hear you are getting on with Milligan's Shade, hope it remains a worthwhile read for you.