Whats everyone reading?

[Sideshow Bob]

Just started re-reading American Vampire Volumes 1 - 5......
I think it's a extraordinary series, with vicious bloodthirsty vampires ( the way they should really be ) and some fantastic artwork by the amazing Rafael Albuquerque....
The exploration of American history throughout is just wonderful,  and the writing / dialogue is amazing....
I read these originally when they came out,  and had to wait until subsequent volumes were out to 'catch up' with the story,  and it became a bit difficult to remember characters and where they all 'fitted in'.....But reading them 'all together' is just wonderful, and the whole ( epic ) story makes far more 'sense' and the character 'tie ins' more obvious...
And the 'origin' story of Skinner Sweet ( the main protagonist ) is written by Stephen King.....
If you like your Vampires 'hard core',  and not at all 'sparkly', I would recommend this wholeheartedly !!..
Cheers

Oh, and I really would like a piece of artwork from this series as well.....Or a sketch by Rafael.....Think he is going to The Lakes Comic Con so might get one there.....Or it might be Thoughtbubble in Leeds....

[Colin YNWA]

Swamp Thing is very hit and miss for me, and it's something I'd only recommend to people with some caveats. There's parts of it that are wonderful, there's parts that are hard work.

Yeah have to say this is how I feel about it.

Its a good comic and when held up to other mainstream comics of the time blows them away in terms of craft BUT at times its really, really trying tooooo hard and feels a little forced. I don't think it stands up to the test of time as well as some other examples of Moore's work. Its a good run, a good comic, but not the great comic so many hold it to be... except on the occasions it is!

[Jim_Campbell]

and the chapters featuring obscure DC characters like Demon are interminable and often tedious.

By contrast, I absolutely loved Moore's version of Etrigan without knowing anything about him other than that he was (I assumed) a pre-existing DC character.

The art, while functional, is arguably quite flat and ugly to a modern readers sensibilities.

Then 'modern readers' have not one fucking jot of taste.

Bah.

Jim

[TordelBack]

By contrast, I absolutely loved Moore's version of Etrigan without knowing anything about him other than that he was (I assumed) a pre-existing DC character.

Moore's Swamp Thing was the first DC comic I ever bought (as oft recounted, a handful of random issues found in a campsite shop in a soggy Colwyn Bay), and I knew absolutely none of the pre-existing characters. Didn't stop me enjoying it, or them, although it did lead to repeated disappointment when I tried to follow them in their own/other books.  (See also: Year One vs. other Batman of the period). 

And I'll fight any man who says anything bad about the sublimely appropriate art.

[radiator]

Then 'modern readers' have not one fucking jot of taste.

That may be your opinion, but I will put my hand up and say yeah - I find that late 1980s/early 1990s, scratchy, loose, garish, flat coloured art style to be visually unappealing. It's technically sound and tells the story, but on a purely visual level it does very little for me, looks dated (in a bad way) and lacks atmosphere. The monsters don't look remotely fierce or scary to me - bit of a problem for a horror comic. It's the main reason I've never read much of Sandman, it had a similar style of art that I had to fight against to enjoy the stories. I always tend to be more drawn to bold, stylised artwork in comics, not the (imo) wishy washy, semi-realistic stuff.*

By contrast, I absolutely loved Moore's version of Etrigan without knowing anything about him other than that he was (I assumed) a pre-existing DC character.

The whole sequence where Swamp Thing goes to hell and keeps bumping into C-list DC characters was, for me, extremely tedious and I was willing it to end.

The series really kicks into gear with the American Gothic(?) arc, all the stuff with the Parliament of Trees and John Constantine, with Alec discovering the extent of his powers (it's a bit hazy in my memory so maybe I'm conflating things), and some of the random one-shots are just fantastic - the perfect length to read just before you go to sleep at night.

*edit to say l that I used to have the Black & White Titan edition of Swamp Thing Book one, and on reflection I probably appreciated the art a bit more in that presentation.

[Jim_Campbell]

It's technically sound and tells the story, but on a purely visual level it does very little for me, looks dated (in a bad way) and lacks atmosphere.

I'm astonished that you'd say that about the work of either Totleben or Alcala, two of the most atmospheric and distinctive inkers ever to work in mainstream US comics.

Cheers

Jim

[Mabs]

The art, while functional, is arguably quite flat and ugly to a modern readers sensibilities.

Then 'modern readers' have not one fucking jot of taste.

Bah.

Jim

I can't speak for anyone else, but I thought the artwork (which I've witnessed thus far) was brilliant. It didn't feel flat, on the contrary it was really vibrant, with a lot of detail and depth. Some of the layout art in particular, and one page panels were outstanding.

[radiator]

I'm astonished that you'd say that about the work of either Totleben or Alcala, two of the most atmospheric and distinctive inkers ever to work in mainstream US comics.

...and I'm sure that there's at least one or two 'great' artists whose style you personally don't like.

[Jim_Campbell]

...and I'm sure that there's at least one or two 'great' artists whose style you personally don't like.

Yes, but when I don't like artists you like, it's because you're wrong and they're crap. When you don't like artists I like, it's because you're wrong and they're brilliant.

Honestly. Why people haven't grasped this by now, I have no idea.

Cheers

Jim

[Skullmo]

I agree.

With everyone.

[Tjm86]

decided to take advantage of a deal on the Ellis Stormwatch reprints.  Having enjoyed the early issues of Authority (although not as much as Planetary or the Monarchy) but sometimes puzzled by references to aspects of Stormwatch it was an interesting read.  Pulled out the old Authority issues off the back of it.  Definitely an uplift compared to the Stormwatch stuff.  Felt like Ellis came into his own there, not to mention Hitch.  Had to laugh with the creator bio which emphasised Hitch's marvel UK credentials but missed his tooth work.  Remember him doing a few bits around prog 500 that always made me think of him as an Alan Davies lite.  Man he's changed!

Picking through DC's Wasteland from the late 80's.  Nice brand of bizarre with some cracking Lloyd artwork.

On the non graphic front working on Stross' Neptune's Brood.  Strange how this one is taking so much more time to get into, not sure why.  In the same vein as Saturn's Children - post human universe et al.  Normally his stuff is more immersive but this is taking time to get into properly.  Weird.

[Dark Jimbo]

I know exactly what Radiator means. Swampy himself always looks fantastic, as do most of the landscapes and swamp panoramas, but the human characters frequently look horrible - early on in particular. There are lots of floating faces not attached to heads or necks, where it's left for the colours to fill in the blanks as best they can, and wonky features atop really quite awful anatomy. It feels like the artists weren't really used to drawing normal people and had little interest in doing so - they seem to be trying to get them out of the way so they could spend time labouring over the next Swamp Thing headshot instead (all my own opinion, I know, I'm sure that's not actually true).

And the colours are awful. I do appreciate that printing technology was less presumably less refined back then, and everyone was probably doing the best they could with what was at their disposal, but that doesn't stop it looking ugly as hell today.

[Colin YNWA]

While there's little point entering into a debate about art... I will and to be honest it sums up my feeling for Alan Moore's Swamp Thing as a whole. I find both Totleben and Alcala's inking quite sharp and edgy which may sound like its entirely appropriate for a horror comic, which is what Swamp Thing is at its best, just very good smart horror. The thing is though (puns not intended and what not) that I think it might have been better served with more fluid, relaxed art (christ alone knows quite what I'm to express there) to work in contrast with the horror being depicted. So like the art screams HORRRRROOOORRRRRRR were as if it was softer it might have made what was depicted all the more horrible, more contrasted with say the beauty in the swamp itself...

... see I that's why there's little point entering into a debate about art... well me at least that is!

Oh oh I can think of an example to illustrate my point. Alan Davis on Captain Britain at times his sublime smooth lines made the horrible stuff all the more effective, so The Fury and that story where the tramp (not that we have tramps any more) gets infected by The Fury's stinger thingie. There see that's what I mean... oh go on you get it now...

[maryanddavid]

The art was fantastic, I think the colouring and paper let it down.
The Titan B&W collections were great, I did have a couple, but lent out over the years. Its years since I read it, the issues I remember are the ones where Swampy is a spectator, like the winchester house or the underwater vampires, and the space one where he is on the planet of sentient vegetarian vegetables.
The Swamp thing issue which I recall the most is surprisingly (I think) written by Mark Millar and drawn by Chris Weston was about the Nazis winning WW2 and occupying America.
Alcatena did a lot of great work in B&W on DCT's Starblazer too, which is always worth picking up.

[radiator]

It's probably massively snobby to say so, but I have zero interest in reading any other writers take on Swamp Thing. To me Moore's run is almost like an art experiment - how to take an obscure, goofy, schlocky piece of pop culture and slowly transform into something genuinely resonant and interesting.

That Dc continue to flog it as a viable franchise is to me one and the same as them trying to flog Watchmen prequels. I'm amazed they haven't yet published collections of Moore's correspondence, rejected pitches and invoices.