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Cool Beans! Nice art.

[Number 109 - Six Gun Gorilla]

Number 109 - Six Gun Gorilla

Keywords: Stories about story, Cool Apes, space western, The Vort, 2000adesque (it turns out!)

Creators:
Writer - Si Spurrier
Art - Jeff Stokely
Colours - Andre May

Publisher: Boom! Studios

No. issues: 6
Date of Publication: 2013

Last read: 2016

Six Gun Gorilla is a character created for the UK's Wizard Magazine in the late 1930s and has since lapsed (is that the right word) to the public domain. For some reason they hit the public consciousness in 2013 when two stories using the character came out. The one by Si Spurrier is very good.


Copyright - them what created it...

I should note from the get go this comic does deal with suicidal ideation and folks need to be aware of that before we go on. That said it handles these things really well from my perspective, but clearly other folks might have different reactions so be aware they do form a significant theme in the story.

For me though, let's be honest straight from the bat. I love westerns. I love apes and stories with apes. So I'm predisposed to love this. I mean come on a comic with that cover by Si Spurrier I don't really have to say any more do I? Well except I do as there is so much more to say about this wonderful comic series.

The story is set in a conflict in the Blister. An alien, alternative dimension, or is it a mindscape, we don't really know. Blue  3425 has volunteered for an army of troops who feel they have nothing to live for, convicts on death row, folks with terminal illness or people whose reasons to live seem to have left them. The offer is money for their families, or just an exciting death. Fame, of a sort is also on the cards as they receive an implant which captures what happens to them to be broadcast across the mass and social media of the future, as part of a horrible piece of reality TV. Their often short, always brutal lives in this war become a story for others to entertain themselves.


Copyright - them what created it...

The war on The Blister is primitive and hard. The conflict between government forces and rebels trying to free themselves can't be fought with modern weaponry as in The Blister combustion and electricity don't work. So arrows and saw blades thrown from mechanical devices are used. Oh and they can be launched from the backs of giant armoured tortoises. The landscape feels like a western straight from Gwangi! The lack of 'traditional' modern weapons in a story by Si Spurrier reminds me of 'The Vort' from 2000ad and there are other parallels with that series as well. The Vort deals with how people tell the story of a war, the lies within that narrative. Story plays a BIG part in Six Gun Gorilla as well.

Blue 3425 was a librarian. So obsessed by the stories he classified and catalogued that he withdrew from the world around him and eventually from his family and lost his wife and children. Hence escaping to The Blister to become someone else's story. So while on one level this is a tale examining how war is exploited by the media as entertainment. How as a society we've moved past the horror of war to use it to fill hours of air time. How the reasons for war are often a narrative, a story for deeper darker motives... we're back to story again.

You can't escape story in this one. Yes it has that first level but really it's what's under that which makes this tale work so well. A story about story that underpins the whole thing. I love stories about story, even if often I don't think I unpick them as well as I might. They fascinate me and this is a key reason why I engage with Six Gun Gorilla so much. It's a great story on the surface and even more fascinating under that surface.


Copyright - them what created it...

Oh yeah and there's that giant gun toting gorilla, best not to lose sight of him! For all the highfalutin' ideas and themes this series has it never forgets the title character demands the sort of story he does. The tale is filled with all the intrigue its setting demands, all the cynical commentary the masters of the media companies draw out and all the high octane action our six gun gorilla conjures up in our imagination. As Blue 3425 desperately navigates The Blister we are introduced to a host of horrible and thrilling threats. Monsters and lifeforms filled with energy and excitement.

The Blister itself seems to react to the horrors committed on its 'surface' and not unlike Ararat in 2000ad's Bad Company it throws dramatic and thrilling dangers and trauma at the combatant savaging its landscape. All the thrills and spills suggest so much about the bigger story beneath the surface. But Si Spurrier never forgets that the surface story must be full of hi-jinx, excitement and dark humour. The story is about story, but the story is still king and this one is a blast.


Copyright - them what created it...

I say Si Spurrier never lets us lose sight of the excitement but Jeff Stokely's superb art plays a massive part in that as well. He provides perfect art for the story, it's a superb piece of work. His art is so dynamic and kinetic. It reminds me of Norm Breyfogle in that respect. The rendering style is pretty different but they both have an incredible ability to make all the action and movement so filled with energy. No one, or ape, simply jumps through the air. They fling themselves with force and momentum through the air. The way he captures emotions and reactions has an equal amount of melodrama. None of this sacrifices a sense of things feeling real. This doesn't look like some 90s Marvel comic, motion and emotion are all hyper-realised but work perfectly in feeling as real as the fantasy allows. It's this aspect of his work that screams Norm Breyfogle at me and there are few higher compliments I can pay. As we all know Norm Breyfogle is the best Batman artist there's been - discuss! And it's this almost unequalled sense of dramatic action and movement that allow the parallels to be drawn.

Stokely's work is more than that though. The way his inks feel scratchy and rough really capture the western vibes of The Blister and its inhabitants and visitors. There's an earthy quality that makes the western landscapes hot, dusty and hostile, they feel real and yet alien at the same time. Andre May's colours add to this as well. Rich off kilter reds and pinks, sticky yellows broken by murky blues and purples give the world a sense of other, of difference. They are almost sickly and uncomfortable at times. They always add to the dynamic punch of Stokely's art and combining the art as a whole is a really successful, uncomfortable and energetic delight. A spikey feast for the eyes.


Copyright - them what created it...

Having discussed the art we return to the Gorilla himself, as we always should. He does raise the question how in a world with no combustion does he fire his six shooters? Where has he come from? How does he appear like that out of nowhere - like a reverse Batman? He raises as many questions as he fires impossible bullets.

And the answer is of course the story. So I'll use a piece from the story to answer my own questions


Copyright - them what created it...

Freed into the public domain, Six Gun Gorilla is free to become what he needs to drive Spurrier and Stokely's story, to become what their particular story needs. He's now more than that though they are the embodiment of the freedom a public domain character grants to fill different needs in different story. The fact there was another tale about the character, one I've not read, but that doesn't matter, at the same time as this wonderfully underpins the theme of story in his role in this tale. He can fulfil the function in our adventure here, and at the same time fulfilling a different need in a story elsewhere. Indeed I believe there have been more stories featuring Six Gun Gorilla since 2013.

This pulls out further as we read a story about war and its horrors being used to give story to fill the lives of others. To be presented as entertainment. The lives of the characters on The Blister being reduced to the value they have in the media. We do this as we ourselves watch a character, a dehumanised character, entertain us. There purely to serve the story (and draw those side irons!) for our enjoyment. When we stop seeing the value in our own stories, beyond that we gain from reality tv and social media what do we leave of ourselves and how do we get back to value in ourselves and those we actually live with.

There are also smarter folks than me who will unpick more. It's a really rich topic, a story full of themes and ideas that mean I know each time I re-read it I'll get something a little different from it, see a little more. I'll view the story afresh.


Copyright - them what created it...

When a story has this many levels told, through the lens of a Six Gun Gorilla you know its a story well worth telling and one that will give value in your life.

Where to find it

Nice straightforward one this. A Trade Paperback collects all six issues in one nice neat package. This is available digitally as well.

The floppies don't seem too hard or too expensive to get hold in the aftermarket either.

So fill ya boots however you choose to get hold of this one.

Learn more

Another one without an Obligatory Wikipedia page. Am I getting too obscure here!

Bookforager provides an excellent overview.

As does The Haunted Phonograph.

Good Reads has some nice takes as well.

That aside not a great deal out there about this one. I'm sure a search will pull up bits and pieces.

What is all this?

Conscious that this is becoming a long thread and if you're wondering what the heck you've just read and can't be arsed (quite sensibly) to search back to find out I'll link to my opening posts that try to explain all this.

What this all came from

And of course a nerd won't do a list like this without setting 'Rules' / guidelines

Some thoughts on what will not be on the list.

I see that Full Tilt Boogie returns next week

Yeah this is great news.

Oh which reminds me I've been meaning to say. The fact that I'm getting so much out of this means I'd really suggest doing so yourself.

I mean don't do anything as daft as me but I'd heartly recommend drafting your own top 10s, 20s whatever as a list, as its a fascinating thought process.

And remember if you do post um here to fire up even more discussion.

Nice mini summary to keep me right.

This must be keeping your grey matter on overtime to remember (in some depth)how each of these "runs" inspired you!

Excellent stuff I look forward to the next batch 👍🏻😁

Its weird its a really enjoyable process I have to say. Typically by the time I've started writing up my next one (I'm actually writing up #98 at the moment) and doing some research (I do wonder how reading around the comics to jog my memory distorts those memories!) my mind has typically moved onto what I'd like to say about the next couple or three in broad terms. In fact there a few later on seem to always be perculating, see you #95 which I feel I'm constantly writing and drafting since I started this!

Its a really good way to organise the 'thinking too much about comics' part of my noggin.

Going back to the first ten or so, I've picked up a few volumes of these:

133 - Copperhead
130 - Orbital - got the first 3. Quick skim reveals lovely art.
129 - Nowhere Men - got the first volume.
126 - Avengers by Roger Stern and John Buscema (and Tom Palmer) - ordered the single Hachette volume with the raid
124 - Lazarus - found a few second hand

I'll look out for:
125 - Daredevil by Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev
123 - Fatale
122 - Dan Dare by Garth Ennis

I've only read some Copperhead so far - first two volumes. It's really solid stuff, nice western sci-fi vibe, and I'm into the characters. Thanks for recommending!

Fatale made me revisit and finish Fade Out, which I'd only got halfway through first time. It's a great achievement, a work of art really, just a bit too grim for me. Not sure I'll be reading it again.

And inputs like this make it all the more lovely to do. Jez Le Fink its amazing to see you pick up so much based on my clumsy nonsense. Really hope you enjoy them!

Before we carry on tomorrow with Number 109 another quick rundown of what's been on the list 119 - 110.

Run down of top 100 - 133 -120

119 – Red Seas

118 - Johnny Red

117 - Hourman - Tom Peyer and Rags Morales

116 - Irredeemable

115 - Spider-man: Kraven's Last Hunt

114 -  Worlds of Aldebaran

113 - Cowboys and Insects

112 - Human Target - Peter Milligan

111 - Paper Girls

110 - My Bad

Not on the list - Lee / Kirby / Ditko Marvel Comics

I was just starting 6th Form when this launched and it felt like it was such a big deal and seemed designed for me and my few comic reading friends.

I kept with it until pretty much the bitter end but it did flag a little as it went on. New Statemen was a fav then and remains so now. Well worth a re-read if you haven't for a while. While it may be a little diveriative, it used those influences really well and took things in great new directions. Holds up really well and boy oh boy that Jim Baike art is sublime.

3rd World War I liked at the time, but for me really doesn't hold up anymore.

There were a few gems that came after the launch series. Troubled Souls, Brenden McCarthy's Artoons, True Faith, New Adventures of Hitler all well worth reading.

The real highlight for me though was forgotten gem (so much so I've forgotten it for something!) Myra Hancock and David Hine's fantastic Sticky Fingers. Which was quite superb. 

No really directly related but I somehow watched a YouTube channel about a bloke who created AI generated colouring book and sold them over Amazon as print on demand and had developed a second income. All be it at the time of the video I watched not much return for the work involved but that was improving.

Watching that video I scanned the recommendations below and my gosh there seemed to be a LOAD of over channels covering the same or similar ideas!

[Number 110 - My Bad]

Number 110 - My Bad

Keywords: Satire, Mark Russell, Superhero, parody

Creators:
Writer - Mark Russell and Bryce Ingman
Art - Peter Krause
Colours - Kelly Fitzpatrick

Publisher: Ahoy Comics

No. issues: 10 to date
Date of Publication: 2022 to date

Last read: 2023 - this is ongoing

There are loads and loads of superhero parody comics out there and a number will appear on this list. Analogues of Batman, Superman and all the classic heroes are plentiful. Affectionate takes on the craziness of the silver and bronze ages ten a penny. So why does...


Copyright - them what created it...

...make the list?

Well at first the answer would appear obvious. Mark Russell is one of the few writers of modern comics that I go to by default. I see his name on almost any comic series and I add it to my pull list without further thought... I say almost any even he (and Dabnett) couldn't make me shell out for a Red Sonja comic from Dynamite... though I keep getting close. He's by far the best satirist I'm aware of in comics today. His comics are sharp, hilarious and always incredibly thoughtful and he will be appearing a number of times on this list for very good reason.

It's a surprise then for me to realise that, while Mark Russell is very much a part of the reason, my favourite bits of this series actually come from co-creator and otherwise seemingly unknown (in the world of comics) writer Bryce Ingman. Ingman is apparently a friend of Russell's from their school days. He created a back-up strip for one of Russell's other series 'Second Coming' which Russell realised worked well with another idea he was working up around a Batman analogue, The Chandelier, who we will return to. They flesh out the ideas and so was born 'My Bad'.


Copyright - them what created it...

The series has so far appeared in two 5 issue mini-series and I'm pleased to say there is apparently more to come, but the two series work fine on their own. In the main these comics are made up of short stories, that feel like a collection of back-up strips from the bronze and silver age. These short stories are weaved together brilliantly to create a cohesive whole in each five issue mini. Across the two series we see a sharp superhero parody world build up. I'd say the sum is greater than the parts, but in this comic the individual parts are fantastic on their own.

As said though, probably my favourite parts are those written by Ingman. In particular Emperor King, The Chandalier's arch nemesis. Half Lex Luthor, a dash of Doctor Doom and a healthy dose of self aware daftness come together quite wonderfully to make one of the great, ridiculous villains for our times. In the second series, while good as the first is, the real standout is the second series, as the multitude of ideas seem to come together all the more strongly there. Emperor King has to deal with the retirement of The Chandelier, but more compellingly falls for the brilliant hero Good Karen and in a pathetic attempt to win her over adopts a superhero guise to try to impress her.

This simple idea captures the inherent inadequacies that absolutely underpinned the majority of what would really drive super villains. It contextualises that idea in contemporary ways that speak to this reader and the way modern society has twisted romantic liaisons. It plays that mundane, yet real and individually significant aspect of life so many of us have faced... not pretending to become a superhero to win over the affection of a superhero, I mean the way we attempt to find love and companionship, against the fundamental surreal landscape of superheroes. Oh and it's just plain funny.

In so many ways this encapsulates what Russell does at his best, and yet here it's Bryson that pulls it off to perfection. I get why these two get on so well!


Copyright - them what created it...

Oh and Emperor King has a villainous 'side-kick' called Acid Chimp. Now I'd love to pretend there's some deep seated social commentary to be found with this character. I'd like to pretend I enjoy them as they reflect some inner chimp within me or I see a cutting satire of modern society... But I have to be honest I love this character as they're a chimp that gets their kicks by throwing deadly acid around and that's just plain funny.

For all I'll wax lyrical about how great the social commentary is in this series, how much I like the cutting parody of superhero comics, I think I like it and place it on the list, because it's just plain good fun. It's hilarious both in how sharp and insightful it is, but also in the fact everyone seems to be having such daft fun with it all. Alongside Acid Chimp there's glorious ideas like Rush Hour the superhero dedicated solely to stopping traffic crime. Man Child a Hulk like character who is becalmed by a cave full of toys and collectibles, the aforementioned Good Karen a girl called Karen driven to heroic deeds by her peers mocking her for being a 'Karen' when in fact she's a good person, now forced to prove that not all Karen's are bad. We get assassins disguised as a Pizza delivery boy who apparently mistakenly kills innocent citizen's whose names just happen to be similar to those of superheroes.

We get an invasion of intelligent lizard aliens.

This is a series that knows how to have a good time. To pock affectionate (and sometimes cutting) fun at so many of the tropes of modern society and the comics the writers clearly love. I love this series in large part because it's simply very entertaining and funny.


Copyright - them what created it...

While I've talked a lot about a host of things that impact on my enjoyment of this series I do have to acknowledge Mark Russell who is an absolute titan of modern comics... or should be. All his titles have a certain tone and feel. It's something I can't quite express in the same way I can't quite define and verbalise what it is about Wes Anderson or Coen Brothers films that are so distinct, immediately identifiable and bloody fantastic. That's not to say his tone is like those other creative giants, it's not, it's entirely unique, just to say I find it hard to define in a way I can express, I just get it instinctively. It amazes me even though his work has such a distinct flavour, that is frankly ever present, I never get bored of it. I sometimes feel I should, like I should reach peak Russell and then bottom out and not engage as much. I don't however, each time I start a new series by him I find it's the same, in many ways, and yet there are new things he explores, new ways he uses his great powers to show us all our responsibilities.

I'll be talking about Mark Russell a fair bit during this list so don't want to have to say the same thing time and again... well too much anyway. Here though it is worth looking at The Chandelier as I try to unpick what it is I like so much about his writing. The Chandelier, a Batman / Bruce Wayne analogue, is in many ways a real archetypal  Mark Russell character. Entirely unself aware, believing they are noble, or at least driven by the right motives, but oblivious to their faults and failings. Wrapped in self doubt, yet at the same time curiously confident in their abilities on a surface level. Thoughtless of the needs of others, yet with enough of a sprinkling of decency to give you just a bit of hope. A reflection of modern society then. It's this type of character that in part helps define the brilliance and dark humour that cuts through both My Bad and Mark Russell's work in general.


Copyright - them what created it...

The art in the series is largely by Peter Krause, who has already appeared on this list for his work on Irredeemable. He provides solid if not astonishing work. The art is good, not great. He captures the feel of silver age comics really well and has cheeky, neat designs for the most outlandish of heroes and villains. His character work and storytelling is likewise solid if not fantastic. Basically he's perfectly good. Which again may feel like damning with faint praise but there is no doubt there are many artists who couldn't have pulled this off with the success he does. So while the art isn't something that really pulls me to these comics it's certainly not something that is a detriment to the series.

What does work really well is the design and back matter in the series. There is a heck of a lot of care and attention taken to make everything that wraps the story up work really well. The cover of the first series has the glorious tagline "Valuable new I.P. inside!" which a fine example of how the final product is crafted really adds to the feel of the series as a whole. The design of the 'credits' page is great and they have cheeky 'The Story so far' summaries that I really like. For example from the fourth issue of the second volume:

"Customed heroes and villains were working together on a case that was basically solved last issue. So there's really nothing you need to know. Sorry to bother you."

This attention to detail across the presentation of the final comics is a real bonus. Mark Russell even adds fake ads of the type you'd see in old comics. The overall design makes for a really nice package.


Copyright - them what created it...

So there we have it. Get on board with My Bad due to the top draw writer. Hang around due to the amazing co-writer and get excited for more to come as it's just so much damned fun!

... just handle with care...

 Where to find it

Two nice neat trades collect all the issues to date. By the time this is posted I think the second one will be available, not out as I type this, but it'll be there by the time you read this. Available from the usual places both physically and digitally.

Aftermarket for this one might require some patience. These haven't set the sales charts alight so won't cost much but I imagine won't appear too often.

Learn more

No Obligatory Wikipedia page for this one... happening surprisingly often that!

And to be honest not a great deal out there for these comics BUT you can read the complete first issue to try it out.

How about Ahoy Comics homepage for the series. I mean there's not much there but I have to add something here!

Maybe some Good Reads reviews... yep I'm scratching around here. This comic really deserves more attention, and better star ratings it would seem!

What is all this?

Conscious that this is becoming a long thread and if you're wondering what the heck you've just read and can't be arsed (quite sensibly) to search back to find out I'll link to my opening posts that try to explain all this.

What this all came from

And of course a nerd won't do a list like this without setting 'Rules' / guidelines

Some thoughts on what will not be on the list.

WAYHEY!

Mark Russell is an astonishing writer. I adore his work, and thought his Dredd would be great. It was fine, not bad at all but not up to the standard of most his work alas.

Welcome aboard.

Great introduction - have fun.

Whoop!

[Dredd]

Errr I didn't get Droid Life... am i being dumb?

Elsewhere we are doing okay.

Dredd - this story remains a treat as threats to Maitland raise, but friends start to come to her side as well.

Enemy Earth... keeps going...

Devil's Railroad - after weeks of colourful, fun, pantomine we get a really good, powerful ending. I know this one hasn't been popular but I enjoyed it.

Thistlebone of course continues to be a slow burn twist of the knife.

Feral and Foe - end well enough the bridge to the next story suggests that we might be heading to Kingmaker type territory?

So two new stories next week. I'm off to a thread to see what it will be...

[Love Everlasting 11]

Bit behind on my write ups here so this will be a quicky.

Having said that, what is it with Tom King. He's become a go to writer and I'm beginning to question why. Love Everlasting 11 well that is great to have back and a comic like no other I read, so I get that. The Penguin 5 hmmm less interested in this but it building to something so we'll see. Weakest of his output by far but still drawn me in. Animal Pound 1 I bought kinda by mistake after seeing someone say it was great and... well it kinda is. So I guess I go to cos he's so good.

Pine & Merrimac 1 Kyle Starks is another go to but that's dropping off as I'm not enjoying his stuff as much as before. This one reads good in principle but having such a loved up detective couple might actually be dull judging by issue 1. We'll see.

Venom 29 just looking to a good time to drop this now I think. Unless the next arc is a doozy I'm done.

Usagi Yojimbo - Ice and Snow 4 - as good as ever.

The Expanse 8 - great but needs a re-read.

Zorro - Man of the Dead 1 - looks great see my entry in my top 100 about having a lot a rubbish Zorro I've let go. Is this another? Looks great though.

Beware the Planet of the Apes 1 = well the Marvel Ape comics aren't Boom! are they!

Titans 6 - just fun superheroes,

The Flash 4 too interesting to drop, not fun enough to keep?

Avengers Inc. 4 Shame this one is bailing so soon.

Pakalis 0 - well you can tell why this was a comic about how he learnt!