[Say you want a] Resolution
Well, let's not do that again.
No, I didn't plan on being absent from this forum for such an extended period. Very far from it, if truth be told. However, my best intentions proved to have little influence over events of the past few months, much less any real restorative powers of healing. The back problems I talked about in my last entry [posted at the end of October, '06?!] indicated, physically, things had really deteriorated to the point where I found myself unable to sit at the desk for any real extended period.
In fact, it was only after the fact and well into a time when things had begun to ease, pain-wise, that I realized that I had been lucky to be able to work for a total of an hour and half a day for several months on end. This lead to a situation where I had to be very careful about what I spent that time doing, and the obvious choice was to expend it towards getting paying work done. All else, including this blog and my Baker's Dozen column for Justin over at WorldFamousComics.com, had to give way to those paying projects I had already begun and needed to complete. Obviously, this wasn't a good place to find myself in, and I needed to get myself back on a more regular schedule as soon as possible. As a side note, one of the things that made this whole situation even more unbearable for me is the simple fact that I prefer, even like, long work periods. So not being able to just sit down and work for a straight six to twelve hours as I've been accustomed to left me feeling incredibly frustrated.
The bad news is that it took several months for things to heal and stabilize enough for me to get back to the keyboard for anything resembling a regular work day. I'm still hampered a bit by the occasional muscle spasm or stabbing pain, but find that I can actually work for longer and longer periods. The good news is that it looks like that trend is holding, and the various exercises and such I've been doing have begun to have a real and positive effect, and I'm now able to contemplate spending some of this valuable time on this blog and the column again.
And, since this happened to coincide with a season given to making prognostications and promises, I've decided to make one Resolution for this little enterprise: I will do at least one entry a week, however small or inconsequential, come hell or high water for the foreseeable future. Now, this might mean that there could be a week or ten days between entries, due to being on the road and such, but I'm hoping and planning to add something new each calendar week of '07.
So, unless something major prevents me from getting access to the Internet or this blog, you'll be seeing at least 52 new Speculative Frictions this year. And if I have my way, you'll be seeing a lot more than that minimal number over the course of this newly-minted year.
Still, the question remains of what I did during this enforced "vacation." Well, a surprising amount of work, actually. Some things, like the woefully late Alan Moore's Exit Interview book, I can and will talk about very soon. And, of course, I'll be sharing what I read over the past three months with you in a moment. But a whole lot of what I've been working on during this prolonged "silence" I still can't talk about, aside from saying that I've been in some very interesting and, ideally, extremely fruitful negotiations which I can't talk about at this point. Not trying to be a tease, but it's a fairly big deal and I've probably already said too much about it already. As soon as I'm able, you'll be among the first to hear about it here.
In the meantime, I suppose it's time for...
What's Bill been reading the past few months?
9-20-06 to 12-31-06 [part one]
EC Archives: Weird Science volume 1
EC Archives: Shock Suspense Stories volume 1
by Al Feldstein and various
Gemstone Publishing
http://www.eccrypt.com/
I could talk for days about how good, and even important, the work contained in these two beautifully designed and produced oversized hardcovers, but for now I'll leave it to this single observation: If you've never read these stories before, and particularly those contained in Shock Suspense, and you think you're a well-read scholar of the medium, you're lying to yourself. No, really.
In fact, I've begun to wonder if it wasn't the truth-telling tales inhabiting that title which prompted the eventual suppression of this entire line.
The Deadman Collection
by Arnold Drake, Carmine Infantino, Neal Adams, et. al.
DC Comics
www.DCcomics.com
Deadman was one of those characters who has, if you'll excuse the obvious pun, haunted me since I first encountered the disembodied spirit of Boston Brand as a kid, way back when. Aside from the incredible art which graced the pages of this feature, it was the character's understandable sense of isolation and alienation which drew me in and hooked me--along with a whole generation of readers.
Absolute New Frontier
by Darwyn Cooke, with Dave Stewart and J. Bone
DC Comics
www.DCcomics.com
I skipped this in its first two incarnations, both as a mini-series and a pair of paperback collections, not because I didn't want to read it [I love Cooke's work, as well as that of his two compatriots on this project] but more out of a hidden knowledge that, sooner or later, DC would give this incredible and vital tale the presentation it deserved. It was worth the wait--hell, the extra section at the back of the book is worth the price of admission--and this volume is now on my list of "Must Read" books. Permanently. One of the single best hardcover collections I've ever had the joy to read.
Thanks, Darwyn and co., for giving me a few more precious moments in the company of the heroes I once knew.
Essential Luke Cage volume 2
by various
Marvel Comics
www.Marvel.com
I read this in a red heat, over 500 pages, in a red heat over a few days. It might not be high art, but it is entertaining, fun and often funny [both intentionally and otherwise]. We all need something light to read or fall back upon, when needing to recharge our batteries or get away from the more serious things of life. This is like being immersed in an extended B movie, with all that implies.
Essential Godzilla
by various
Marvel Comics
www.Marvel.com
See the final line of the review directly above, then multiply it by some ridiculously huge number. A number of folks have expressed surprise that I not only bought this volume, but enjoyed it more than a little. All I can say is that anyone who can't raise a smile while contemplating the concept of mixing the schlockier aspects of the House of Ideas with one of the icons of Japanese Sci-Fi probably should avoid this collection...and many other, simply fun entertainments.
Captain America and the Falcon: The Swine
by Jack Kirby and various
Marvel Comics
www.Marvel.com
There's a surprising amount of Marvel material in this listing, true, but none more anticipated or enjoyed. This third and final volume collecting King Kirby's later work on the character he co-created with Joe Simon in those halcyon days of yore delivers more pure and unadulterated entertainment than books which are twice as long. It's really too bad that this period of Jack's work has been so long denied the light of day, and that, once the initial printing of this and the other volumes are sold, it will be too long until its seen by another generation of readers and creators. There's a lot to be learned from Kirby's later work, particularly how he balanced some fairly gritty subject matter with his unembarrassed zest for life and sheer joy in bravura storytelling, qualities which are too often lacking in today's comics.
The Invincible Iron Man: Extremis
by Warren Ellis and Adi Granov
Marvel Comics
www.Marvel.com
I've been a fan of Warren's work since I first encountered a short story in the back of the final issue of the color Akira reprints done under the Epic sub imprint, over a decade ago now. His work has only improved, generally, since then. This is good Warren, and fits nicely alongside some of his other superhero work. And Granov has done some solid, even splendid, work here.
Squadron Supreme: The Prewar Years
by J. Michael Straczynski, Gary Frank, et. al.
Marvel Comics
www.Marvel.com
As with Warren Ellis, I've generally enjoyed "Joe" Straczynski's comic work, sometimes even more than I've enjoyed his television work, including his justly-revered Babylon 5 show. And his work reimagining the Squadron Supreme, essentially Marvel's version of DC's JLA, has been very, very good at its worst.
My only complaint with this book is that I found it disconcerting to discover that I had missed a large part of the story leading up to the events depicted in these pages because Marvel hadn't yet released that collection [i.e. the recently published Supreme Powers volume 2 hardcover]. That unfortunate state of affairs drained some of the events and interactions in this volume of their emotional power and resonance for me, but didn't keep me from generally enjoying what Joe, Gary and the rest of the crew did in these pages. I suspect that, if I read the story in its proper sequence, this would be no problem and I'd be raving about this book as much as I have the Supreme Powers issues I've been acquainted with in the past. Bear this in mind when you seek this title out.
And I think that's enough for now. I'll be back in the next few days to finish up this listing, and let you know what else has been on my mind and on the reading pile. Until then, take care and enjoy!
Well, let's not do that again.
No, I didn't plan on being absent from this forum for such an extended period. Very far from it, if truth be told. However, my best intentions proved to have little influence over events of the past few months, much less any real restorative powers of healing. The back problems I talked about in my last entry [posted at the end of October, '06?!] indicated, physically, things had really deteriorated to the point where I found myself unable to sit at the desk for any real extended period.
In fact, it was only after the fact and well into a time when things had begun to ease, pain-wise, that I realized that I had been lucky to be able to work for a total of an hour and half a day for several months on end. This lead to a situation where I had to be very careful about what I spent that time doing, and the obvious choice was to expend it towards getting paying work done. All else, including this blog and my Baker's Dozen column for Justin over at WorldFamousComics.com, had to give way to those paying projects I had already begun and needed to complete. Obviously, this wasn't a good place to find myself in, and I needed to get myself back on a more regular schedule as soon as possible. As a side note, one of the things that made this whole situation even more unbearable for me is the simple fact that I prefer, even like, long work periods. So not being able to just sit down and work for a straight six to twelve hours as I've been accustomed to left me feeling incredibly frustrated.
The bad news is that it took several months for things to heal and stabilize enough for me to get back to the keyboard for anything resembling a regular work day. I'm still hampered a bit by the occasional muscle spasm or stabbing pain, but find that I can actually work for longer and longer periods. The good news is that it looks like that trend is holding, and the various exercises and such I've been doing have begun to have a real and positive effect, and I'm now able to contemplate spending some of this valuable time on this blog and the column again.
And, since this happened to coincide with a season given to making prognostications and promises, I've decided to make one Resolution for this little enterprise: I will do at least one entry a week, however small or inconsequential, come hell or high water for the foreseeable future. Now, this might mean that there could be a week or ten days between entries, due to being on the road and such, but I'm hoping and planning to add something new each calendar week of '07.
So, unless something major prevents me from getting access to the Internet or this blog, you'll be seeing at least 52 new Speculative Frictions this year. And if I have my way, you'll be seeing a lot more than that minimal number over the course of this newly-minted year.
Still, the question remains of what I did during this enforced "vacation." Well, a surprising amount of work, actually. Some things, like the woefully late Alan Moore's Exit Interview book, I can and will talk about very soon. And, of course, I'll be sharing what I read over the past three months with you in a moment. But a whole lot of what I've been working on during this prolonged "silence" I still can't talk about, aside from saying that I've been in some very interesting and, ideally, extremely fruitful negotiations which I can't talk about at this point. Not trying to be a tease, but it's a fairly big deal and I've probably already said too much about it already. As soon as I'm able, you'll be among the first to hear about it here.
In the meantime, I suppose it's time for...
What's Bill been reading the past few months?
9-20-06 to 12-31-06 [part one]
EC Archives: Weird Science volume 1
EC Archives: Shock Suspense Stories volume 1
by Al Feldstein and various
Gemstone Publishing
http://www.eccrypt.com/
I could talk for days about how good, and even important, the work contained in these two beautifully designed and produced oversized hardcovers, but for now I'll leave it to this single observation: If you've never read these stories before, and particularly those contained in Shock Suspense, and you think you're a well-read scholar of the medium, you're lying to yourself. No, really.
In fact, I've begun to wonder if it wasn't the truth-telling tales inhabiting that title which prompted the eventual suppression of this entire line.
The Deadman Collection
by Arnold Drake, Carmine Infantino, Neal Adams, et. al.
DC Comics
www.DCcomics.com
Deadman was one of those characters who has, if you'll excuse the obvious pun, haunted me since I first encountered the disembodied spirit of Boston Brand as a kid, way back when. Aside from the incredible art which graced the pages of this feature, it was the character's understandable sense of isolation and alienation which drew me in and hooked me--along with a whole generation of readers.
Absolute New Frontier
by Darwyn Cooke, with Dave Stewart and J. Bone
DC Comics
www.DCcomics.com
I skipped this in its first two incarnations, both as a mini-series and a pair of paperback collections, not because I didn't want to read it [I love Cooke's work, as well as that of his two compatriots on this project] but more out of a hidden knowledge that, sooner or later, DC would give this incredible and vital tale the presentation it deserved. It was worth the wait--hell, the extra section at the back of the book is worth the price of admission--and this volume is now on my list of "Must Read" books. Permanently. One of the single best hardcover collections I've ever had the joy to read.
Thanks, Darwyn and co., for giving me a few more precious moments in the company of the heroes I once knew.
Essential Luke Cage volume 2
by various
Marvel Comics
www.Marvel.com
I read this in a red heat, over 500 pages, in a red heat over a few days. It might not be high art, but it is entertaining, fun and often funny [both intentionally and otherwise]. We all need something light to read or fall back upon, when needing to recharge our batteries or get away from the more serious things of life. This is like being immersed in an extended B movie, with all that implies.
Essential Godzilla
by various
Marvel Comics
www.Marvel.com
See the final line of the review directly above, then multiply it by some ridiculously huge number. A number of folks have expressed surprise that I not only bought this volume, but enjoyed it more than a little. All I can say is that anyone who can't raise a smile while contemplating the concept of mixing the schlockier aspects of the House of Ideas with one of the icons of Japanese Sci-Fi probably should avoid this collection...and many other, simply fun entertainments.
Captain America and the Falcon: The Swine
by Jack Kirby and various
Marvel Comics
www.Marvel.com
There's a surprising amount of Marvel material in this listing, true, but none more anticipated or enjoyed. This third and final volume collecting King Kirby's later work on the character he co-created with Joe Simon in those halcyon days of yore delivers more pure and unadulterated entertainment than books which are twice as long. It's really too bad that this period of Jack's work has been so long denied the light of day, and that, once the initial printing of this and the other volumes are sold, it will be too long until its seen by another generation of readers and creators. There's a lot to be learned from Kirby's later work, particularly how he balanced some fairly gritty subject matter with his unembarrassed zest for life and sheer joy in bravura storytelling, qualities which are too often lacking in today's comics.
The Invincible Iron Man: Extremis
by Warren Ellis and Adi Granov
Marvel Comics
www.Marvel.com
I've been a fan of Warren's work since I first encountered a short story in the back of the final issue of the color Akira reprints done under the Epic sub imprint, over a decade ago now. His work has only improved, generally, since then. This is good Warren, and fits nicely alongside some of his other superhero work. And Granov has done some solid, even splendid, work here.
Squadron Supreme: The Prewar Years
by J. Michael Straczynski, Gary Frank, et. al.
Marvel Comics
www.Marvel.com
As with Warren Ellis, I've generally enjoyed "Joe" Straczynski's comic work, sometimes even more than I've enjoyed his television work, including his justly-revered Babylon 5 show. And his work reimagining the Squadron Supreme, essentially Marvel's version of DC's JLA, has been very, very good at its worst.
My only complaint with this book is that I found it disconcerting to discover that I had missed a large part of the story leading up to the events depicted in these pages because Marvel hadn't yet released that collection [i.e. the recently published Supreme Powers volume 2 hardcover]. That unfortunate state of affairs drained some of the events and interactions in this volume of their emotional power and resonance for me, but didn't keep me from generally enjoying what Joe, Gary and the rest of the crew did in these pages. I suspect that, if I read the story in its proper sequence, this would be no problem and I'd be raving about this book as much as I have the Supreme Powers issues I've been acquainted with in the past. Bear this in mind when you seek this title out.
And I think that's enough for now. I'll be back in the next few days to finish up this listing, and let you know what else has been on my mind and on the reading pile. Until then, take care and enjoy!
posted by Bill Baker at 2:03 PM
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