Sunday Moanin' Comin' Down
This past week has been more than a little hectic, and while I've got some good news and there have been more than a few interesting developments professionally, I think I'll hold off talking about it all until everything's worked out and rock solid. Which means I don't really have a whole helluvalot to talk about right now. Not that I haven't been doing some serious thinking, both critically and otherwise, it's just better to wait for the right time to speak about some things.
However, aside from noting that I'm already sick of Winter, below freezing cold, and even a hint of snow, I can make one announcement...
I'll be attending next month's New York Comic-Con at the Javits Center in, of course, New York City.
The show runs from Friday, the 23rd of February, through Sunday, the 25th. And, like last year's inaugural edition, this conference is shaping up to be an incredibly interesting event. You can find out more about the show, the other professionals who'll be attending, and loads of other important and tantalizing information by visiting www.NYComicCon.com.
And, if all goes as currently planned, my latest book, Alan Moore's Exit Interview, will premiere at that con. Look for more details on this and other, related topics in a future Speculative Friction post.
Enough pimping. Let's move on to...
What's Bill been reading the past two weeks? [1-1-07 to 1-14-07]
Fragile Things
by Neil Gaiman
published by William Morrow
www.HarperCollins.com
Filled with tales and poems both subtly sweet and delightfully sour, deeply chilling and unabashedly sentimental, this book is both thought-provoking and reverie-inducing. As such, Gaiman's newest collection of shorter fiction only serves to further cement his standing as one of the foremost fantasist writing today--or in any era. As with the lion's share of his work, this comes with my highest recommendations.
Marvel Masterworks: Captain America volume 3
by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Jim Steranko
published by Marvel Comics
www.Marvel.com
This is probably one of the more highly-anticipated volumes in the Masterworks series reprinting the legendary tales from Marvel's Silver Age. Not only does it complete Stan "The Man" Lee and Jack "The King" Kirby's incredible run on this title, it also presents Jim Steranko's revolutionary work of this period. True, it's typically Steranko's issues of Nick Fury, Agent of Shield that gets mentioned by folks as being his most noteworthy work during this period, but it would be a real injustice to simply ignore his efforts on this book. Yeah, some of it does not age as well as the rest of his work from these halcyon days, but this volume is jammed packed with historically important--not to mention flat out fun and highly entertaining--comics. Recommended for those who wonder what all the fuss was about, and simply a "Must Read" for all creators, and anyone who wishes to be a well-read student of the medium.
Batman: The World's Finest Comics Archives volumes 1 and 2
by Bob Kane, Jack Burnley, Bill Finger, Jerry Robinson and various
published by DC Comics
www.DCcomics.com
These two volumes actually came out a few years back, but I somehow missed adding them to my collection until I recently ran across used copies while visiting Dennis Barger's excellent Wonder World Comics shop [www.WonderWorldComics.com] in Taylor, a suburb of Detroit. While there were any number of other items tempting me, I'm truly glad that I decided to pick these two entries in DC's excellent Archives reprint series. Sure, at the start, some of the art and even stories are a touch clunky, but they're nonetheless chock full of real entertainment value. However, that awkwardness is quickly replaced with some really fine and even highly accomplished work, both verbal and visual. By the end of the first volume, and throughout the entirety of the second, all the creators know their subjects and tools intimately, and the result is a series of tales that are highly satisfying, even if the majority don't pit the Dark Knight against his high-profile Rogues Gallery. Still, you've got a good selection of Joker appearances, as well as the introduction of the Scarecrow, housed between these covers, as well as the forgotten origin of the Giant Penny which became such a prominent feature of the Bat Cave's trophy room.
Batman Archives volume 5
by Bob Kane, Bill Finger, Jerry Robinson, Win Mortimer, Charles Paris and various
published by DC Comics
www.DCcomics.com
Another incredible volume of tales from Batman and Robin's Golden Age, and another great find discovered at Barger's Wonder World Comics store. This volume features some of the truly fun tales from Detective Comics, and showcases some stellar work by all involved--and by Win Mortimer, in particular. I've always known that Mortimer was quite gifted, but his contributions in this volume really helped me appreciate how truly good he was as a Batman artist. A solid, entertaining and worthwhile addition to anyone's library.
And that's it for now. I'll be back in but a day or two. Until then, take care and good reading!
This past week has been more than a little hectic, and while I've got some good news and there have been more than a few interesting developments professionally, I think I'll hold off talking about it all until everything's worked out and rock solid. Which means I don't really have a whole helluvalot to talk about right now. Not that I haven't been doing some serious thinking, both critically and otherwise, it's just better to wait for the right time to speak about some things.
However, aside from noting that I'm already sick of Winter, below freezing cold, and even a hint of snow, I can make one announcement...
I'll be attending next month's New York Comic-Con at the Javits Center in, of course, New York City.
The show runs from Friday, the 23rd of February, through Sunday, the 25th. And, like last year's inaugural edition, this conference is shaping up to be an incredibly interesting event. You can find out more about the show, the other professionals who'll be attending, and loads of other important and tantalizing information by visiting www.NYComicCon.com.
And, if all goes as currently planned, my latest book, Alan Moore's Exit Interview, will premiere at that con. Look for more details on this and other, related topics in a future Speculative Friction post.
Enough pimping. Let's move on to...
What's Bill been reading the past two weeks? [1-1-07 to 1-14-07]
Fragile Things
by Neil Gaiman
published by William Morrow
www.HarperCollins.com
Filled with tales and poems both subtly sweet and delightfully sour, deeply chilling and unabashedly sentimental, this book is both thought-provoking and reverie-inducing. As such, Gaiman's newest collection of shorter fiction only serves to further cement his standing as one of the foremost fantasist writing today--or in any era. As with the lion's share of his work, this comes with my highest recommendations.
Marvel Masterworks: Captain America volume 3
by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Jim Steranko
published by Marvel Comics
www.Marvel.com
This is probably one of the more highly-anticipated volumes in the Masterworks series reprinting the legendary tales from Marvel's Silver Age. Not only does it complete Stan "The Man" Lee and Jack "The King" Kirby's incredible run on this title, it also presents Jim Steranko's revolutionary work of this period. True, it's typically Steranko's issues of Nick Fury, Agent of Shield that gets mentioned by folks as being his most noteworthy work during this period, but it would be a real injustice to simply ignore his efforts on this book. Yeah, some of it does not age as well as the rest of his work from these halcyon days, but this volume is jammed packed with historically important--not to mention flat out fun and highly entertaining--comics. Recommended for those who wonder what all the fuss was about, and simply a "Must Read" for all creators, and anyone who wishes to be a well-read student of the medium.
Batman: The World's Finest Comics Archives volumes 1 and 2
by Bob Kane, Jack Burnley, Bill Finger, Jerry Robinson and various
published by DC Comics
www.DCcomics.com
These two volumes actually came out a few years back, but I somehow missed adding them to my collection until I recently ran across used copies while visiting Dennis Barger's excellent Wonder World Comics shop [www.WonderWorldComics.com] in Taylor, a suburb of Detroit. While there were any number of other items tempting me, I'm truly glad that I decided to pick these two entries in DC's excellent Archives reprint series. Sure, at the start, some of the art and even stories are a touch clunky, but they're nonetheless chock full of real entertainment value. However, that awkwardness is quickly replaced with some really fine and even highly accomplished work, both verbal and visual. By the end of the first volume, and throughout the entirety of the second, all the creators know their subjects and tools intimately, and the result is a series of tales that are highly satisfying, even if the majority don't pit the Dark Knight against his high-profile Rogues Gallery. Still, you've got a good selection of Joker appearances, as well as the introduction of the Scarecrow, housed between these covers, as well as the forgotten origin of the Giant Penny which became such a prominent feature of the Bat Cave's trophy room.
Batman Archives volume 5
by Bob Kane, Bill Finger, Jerry Robinson, Win Mortimer, Charles Paris and various
published by DC Comics
www.DCcomics.com
Another incredible volume of tales from Batman and Robin's Golden Age, and another great find discovered at Barger's Wonder World Comics store. This volume features some of the truly fun tales from Detective Comics, and showcases some stellar work by all involved--and by Win Mortimer, in particular. I've always known that Mortimer was quite gifted, but his contributions in this volume really helped me appreciate how truly good he was as a Batman artist. A solid, entertaining and worthwhile addition to anyone's library.
And that's it for now. I'll be back in but a day or two. Until then, take care and good reading!
posted by Bill Baker at 12:38 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home