Where in the World is BB?

For those folks who might be curious, no, I won't be attending this week's rendition of the increasingly popular Comic Con International--San Diego show. There are a number of reasons for my continued absence from that venue, the main one being that I have work to do here at the BFD Studios. It's the second year I've given it a miss, and, truth be told, I'm only a little bit saddened by this. And much of that regret has to do with the fact that San Diego typically provides the sole opportunity to see and speak with any number of people whose company I've always enjoyed. Beyond that...

Well, I don't really miss a lot of things associated with that particular con. Especially the overwhelming crowds of fans, which often made my work simply impossible to do during the show. Which meant that most of my evenings, which had been devoted to hanging out with friends old and new, had increasingly become devoted to still more work. And the simple fact is that there's some real wisdom in that old saw, "All work and no play makes [fill in the blank] a dull man." Or dullard, depending on your viewpoint.

Anyway, I won't be at San Diego this year. Maybe next year...if there's time and real reason for it.

However, I will be attending the Wizard World-Chicago early next month. It's much easier to deal with, logistically, and yet still allows me to do the things I need and want to do at shows: talk with my fellow professionals, do a bit of business, and hang out with any number of friends and good acquaintances. As is typical, I won't have a table, nor will any of the publishers I currently work with, so look for me wandering the floor if you'd like to talk, or just would like to say hello. That's why I'll be there, and I'm always interested in meeting new people and hearing what they have to say about any number of topics.

Beyond that, not a lot to talk about of substance this week, except for a few reviews of books I've actually had the time to read over the past seven days or so. Been working quite a bit on that unnamed project, which I hope to be able to reveal in the near future-maybe even next week. But that also means that my schedule's not allowed as much time for reading as I might wish. Still there's some very good items in this week's edition of...

What's Bill been reading lately? [covering the period 7-16-07 to 7-23-07]


Doug Tennapel's Black Cherry
by Doug Tennapel
Image Comics
http://www.image.com/

Eddie Paretti's a down-on-his-luck Mafioso takes on a job he shouldn't just to get out of debt--his assignment from a rival gang is to double cross his own boss by stealing a body the Don's got, quite literally, on ice. However, when Eddie succeeds in lifting "the package," he quickly discovers that all is not as it seems when the stiff proves to be alive...and very, very alien. Things then go from weird to utterly strange, as a Priest who shares a past with Eddie and a woman who might or might not have known our antihero in a former life step in to save both the otherworldly being and our entire world. And that's when Tennapel kicks everything into overdrive, by throwing liberal doses of the supernatural, theology and more earthly concerns into the mix.

You could call it The Godfather meets Repo Man, I suppose, but there's really no way to define or explain this book without ruining it for you. But rest assured that this tale somehow manages to discover the sacred in the profane, to alternate between scenes of sheer horror and sublime revelation, all the while ratcheting up the tension only to relieve it just a little with moments of real humor to produce a reading experience unlike anything else out there at the moment.

Still, given the amount of often extremely harsh language, along with the unavoidable religious message this tale delivers, this graphic novel certainly isn't for everyone. However, for those with an open mind, and those readers just looking for a helluva adventure, Black Cherry has my highest recommendation.


Batman: Harley and Ivy
Paul Dini and Judd Winick with Joe Chiodo, Bruce Timm and Ronnie Del Carmen
DC Comics
http://www.dccomics.com/

This collection gathers together a series of group of animated style tales featuring the Joker's ex-sidekick and love interest, the delightfully daffy and incredibly deadly Harley Quinn, and the original dark eco warrior, Pamela Isley, AKA Poison Ivy. And it's a real corker of a collection, with some truly fine work by everyone involved. But don't let the seemingly simple storylines and art fool you; yeah, these are tales that work for readers of almost all ages, but there's a good deal of smarts displayed in the writing, some real vigor in the visuals...and more than a little heat generated in the sometimes barely repressed sexuality which underscores the proceedings. These might be cartoony women, but they are, without a doubt, women who are in charge and quite at ease with every aspect of themselves, including the physical. A really fun, often engrossing read starring a couple of dames of criminal repute, I'd recommend this to most readers, especially those looking to spend some time living just a little dangerously.


EC Archives: Tales from the Crypt volume 2
by Al Feldstein and Bill Gaines with Jack Davis, Graham Ingles, Joe Orlando, Wally Wood, et. al.
Gemstone Publishing
http://www.gemstonepub.com/

This second volume of the justly-revered Tales from the Crypt reprints issues # 6 through 10, and features some more of that nasty goodness that made these comics so popular when they first appeared, and which has fueled interest in the entire EC line. And little wonder, when you consider some of the luminaries who contributed to these and other books published under the Entertaining Comics imprint. There's nary a clunker herein, and more than a few tales that were instant classics. This volume features the same loving, even slavish devotion to high end values in both production and printing, with newly recolored reproductions that capture the look and feel of the originals in a lavish oversized hardcover.

However, I have noticed one specific problem with this particular volume regarding the lettering: there's obviously a few missing words and even substitutions of incorrect words for the originals scattered throughout the text, something that I haven't seen [or perhaps noticed] in the earlier EC Archives collections. Hopefully, this is but an aberration, and not a sign of things to come. Granted, it's not enough to totally ruin this book, being more of an annoyance, but this could easily avoided with a little more careful proofing. Still, this volume comes with the same high recommendations as the earlier releases in this historically important series of long overdue reprints.


And that's it for the moment. Now go have some fun. And if you're heading out to San Diego, travel well, be safe, and enjoy!

Sitting at the Big Table


I don't know what your holidays with family were like when you were younger, but while I was growing up there was an unwritten rule, strictly enforced, that all the children were expected to sit together at their own table, segregated from the adults. The reason for this was really quite simple, as even the kindest "person of a certain age" would explain to those rebellious youths who thought of themselves as being "a big boy/girl now"...

They wanted to be able to eat in peace and relative quiet, apart from the inevitable [and ultimately childish] squabbles which would break out during those meals.

Whether these arguments were based upon real or perceived slights, territorial imperatives or other, now-long-forgotten reasons, the adults simply didn't want any part of it. They wanted to be able to relax and enjoy their feast, at least symbolically separated from all the whining and jealousies and other conflicts of their offspring. And, if truth be told, as I've aged and sat at various familial, work and other tables celebrating whatever holiday or occasion we're all supposed to be celebrating, I've understood the wisdom of that hard and fast rule more and more.

So, what does that particular trip down memory lane have to do with comics? Well, in a real sense, my recent move towards having my work published by more mainstream publishers like Rosen is, in its own way, an outgrowth of that tradition. Not to denigrate the market which has, for the past ten years, provided me with so much enjoyment, real and lasting friendships and good acquaintances--not to mention my current profession and various jobs--but it became clear to me a little over three years ago that it was time to establish myself in the "real world" bookstore, online bookseller and library/academic markets, and that it was time to work towards making that my primary source of work and income.

Quite simply, I realized that it was time to stop fighting with others over a "piece of the pie" of the woefully small comic book market, and time to move towards establishing my place within the larger, better supported mainstream market. Or, to lapse back into the opening analogy, it was time to sit at the big folks' table and have a meal first--availing myself of the meat-and-potatoes with all the trimmings, and then enjoy my slice of the comic market.

Again, I mean this in no way as an insult to comics aficionados, and certainly not those good people who have in the past and present day supported me and my work. Nor am I abandoning either the market or those same people for a quick buck. However, you can only live so long on a restricted diet, particularly one which is so often lacking in enough nutrition to sustain any long term growth...much less a life. In more than one sense, it became glaringly obvious to me that it was time to step up, to enter that larger, more complex and challenging world in the hope of not just making a go of it, but with the real possibility of creating some kind of sustainable niche for myself in that world.

So, what's the comic market's place in this new scheme of things? Well, only a willfully ignorant person would suggest that I've left it entirely. If you look at the body of my work, both past and present, it becomes quite clear that I continue to ply my trade in that sphere, and to do my best to serve both the audience and the medium itself through my professional efforts. It's just that, rather than restrict myself to trying to become the biggest fish in that particular pond, I've decided to become more of an amphibian, capable of moving and thriving in those and other environments.

In other words, it's evolve or die, my friends. And the same rules and forces that apply to individuals also can be seen operating within and upon entire societies and their various organs--including, of course, the comic market.

Again, this isn't a sign of fear, weakness or defeat. Rather, it's the outcome of what I hope will be a very smart and natural evolution/revolution that's taking place within my own life...and within the comics world itself.

Increasingly, in both art and life, it's time to evolve or die. The choice is to create a new world for ourselves and this wonderful medium or...well, perhaps not die, but instead refuse to learn, to change, to grow, to remain the same; to remain satisfied with what we had, have always had, and refuse any new possibilities. Which, in my opinion, is a state that's fate that's far worse than death. I'd rather be a dead fossil than a living one, I suppose.

So it's time to sit at the Big Table, and enjoy that moveable feast and the good conversation which arises from that experience. All of which will make that slice of pie taste all sweeter, I think.


Well, that's more than enough pontificatin' on my part, I'm sure. Just one more bit of bizness to deal with today...

If you haven't had the chance yet, don't forget to check out the four books featuring my interviews with Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman, Mike Oeming and George Pérez. You'll find them all on page 334 of the current [July 2007] issue of the Previews catalogue.


And that's it, for now. Which means it's time for...


What's Bill been reading lately? [covering the period 7-2-07 to 7-15-07]


Batman: Ego and Other Tails
Darwyn Cooke with Paul Grist, Bill Wray, Tim Sale and others
DC Comics
www.DCcomics.com

This surprisingly slim book collects much of Cooke's major work for DC which features the Dark Knight Detective and his extended "family" of characters, including the Batman: Ego one shot and the Catwoman: Selina's Big Score, along with various shorter tales, covers and a pinup from Batman: Gotham Nights and Solo series. Taken together with Cooke's The Absolute New Frontier, which I've reviewed with no small praise a while back, the reader will be presented with a very good idea of the truly fine and even outstanding arc of his comic career. That Cooke is one of a small number of artists gifted with the rare ability to instill a few lines with life on the page is obvious; less apparent is that he began as a creator possessed of a Protean talent for spinning an exceptional yarn which he's honed to an incredible degree--or perhaps I should say eminently credible, given how he's able to breath full-blooded life into characters with but a few lines of dialogue.

If you want to see how to make very, very good comics that are both entertaining and thoughtful, revealing yet playful, this is a perfect place to start. And for readers, this is The Good Stuff--even if, as Cooke notes in his introduction, his earlier work does have a few structural flaws. Highly recommended to all and sundry.


Jack Kirby's Fourth World Omnibus volume 1
Jack Kirby, with Vince Colletta, et.al.
DC Comics
www.DCcomics.com

This big, thick volume reprints the opening installments in Jack Kirby's single greatest solo work, including issues # 133 through 139 of Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen, and with the first three issues of The Forever People, New Gods, and Mister Miracle in one volume, on glare-free paper in hardcover, for the first time. And it's an honor that is long overdue.

These books have been savaged by critics and fans alike as "lesser Kirby," often simply because they apparently didn't sell enough to justify their continued publication. Careful reading of these tales, each one overflowing with more original and startling ideas per page than many other creators introduce over the course of their entire careers, puts the lie to that specious assertion. Quite simply, in more ways than I can name in this space, these comics, along with those scheduled to follow in the next three volumes of this series, represent Kirby's masterwork. Unfinished it may be, but it's impossible to deny the sheer strength and unadulterated genius captured upon these pages.

My only real complaint with this book is the choice to use incredibly tiny type for Grant Morrison's extremely fine introduction [which is almost worth the price of admission alone--it really is that good and lucid] and Mark Evanier's Afterword. And even with that caveat, I am compelled to give this the very highest recommendation to all readers.

This is the stuff of legends, folks, and it holds up better than 95% of the work which preceded it, was concurrently published in the same period, as well as that which has followed it. If you have any inclination to learn how to make comics of real weight and worth, to create stories which still have the ability to inspire awe while they entertain the reader, you must not only own this book--you should study it like it's a holy text. As for the rest of you, if you love the good in comics, you should own and read this unfinished epic. Jack Kirby's Fourth World saga really is that essential to a full understanding and enjoyment of the medium, and its history. Period.


The Plain Janes
Cecil Castellucci and Jim Rugg
Minx
www.MinxBooks.net

This isn't just the first book in the highly-anticipated Minx line from DC Comics by way of Vertigo editrix Shelley Bonds, but it's also the first graphic novel from the award-winning YA author Castellucci, and the "major league" debut of Jim "Street Angel" Rugg. And what a fine read it is. Yeah, this and the rest of the line seems to be mainly aimed at capturing the attention and money of what I've referred to as "the manga girls" crowd--that burgeoning group of young ladies who devour whole entire runs of shojo and other genres published in translation by Viz, TokyoPop and other importers of Japanese comic goodness--but it's also an entirely enjoyable and very engaging story even if you happen to be, like myself, male and far beyond your teens. Castellucci's created believable characters who interact in realistic manners within their well-wrought environs, and the character and plot arcs are compelling. Rugg's open, freely flowing line work and command of visual story telling not only serve the script's needs, he adds subtle touches and nuances in a perfectly balanced manner.

The Plain Janes is a real joy to read, and a tale which likely will reward rereading with further insight into both the characters and themes being explored. A real breath of fresh, invigorating air that's got its own, distinctive flavor. Even better, it's a book with heart, and a message of real hope that avoids unwarranted sentimentality, shallow thinking and easy answers in a world increasingly demanding that we all must get along by all being the same...and never, ever asking even the most obvious of questions. Highest recommendations for just about all but the youngest of readers, and something that most aspiring creators should study for lessons in how to tell good stories featuring real people, be they in costumes, or a high school clique.


Satsuma Gishiden: The Legend of the Satsuma Samurai volume 2
Hiroshi Hirata
Dark Horse
www.DarkHorse.com

This second volume of Hirata's stirring and evocative retelling of historical events builds upon the strengths of the first as it expands its canvas to encompass shogunate politics, strategies and the dynamics of inter- and intra-clan relations, revealing much about the Japanese character and human nature. By turns complex socio-political drama and ribald, gossipy tragicomedy, Satsuma Gishiden provides some real entertainment value along with real wisdom about those aspects of shared humanity can contribute to our mutual greater good...and those which will not only undermine, but eventual doom even our greatest of efforts and dreams. All that, and some truly stunning art--a mix of realism tinged with just the right amount of cartoony exaggeration--sets this series apart, and marks it as one of the better samurai tales on the English market today. Highly recommended for those looking for something heroically different, and particularly for those wondering how they might restore some vibrancy, or even inject a sense of full blooded life to seemingly "dead" history in their own work.


Postcards: True Stories that Never Happened
edited by Jason Rodriguez; written by Harvey Pekar, Phillip Hester, Stuart Moore, A. David Lewis, Tom Beland, Robert Tinnell, and others, with art by Michael Gaydos, the Fraim Brothers, Danielle Corsetto, Rob G, et. al.
Villard Books
www.Villard.com

Inspired by a group of old postcards whose messages and artwork captured editor Rodriguez's eye, the various new short stories found in this collection are as wide ranging in approach, theme and nature as its varied contributors. And, like most anthologies, some tales succeed more than others; however, the tally in either column will vary from individual to individual, entirely dependent on their personal mindset and taste. Personally, I found almost every one of these tales to be at worst very good and interesting, with more than half providing some kind of real entertainment value and food for thought long after the covers were closed. There were a number of standout stories, including the incredibly moving first two tales ["Blue" written by Chris Stevens and illustrated by Gia-Bao Tran, and "Time" by Tom Beland] which sets everything up nicely.

Ironically, the one tale I found rather disappointing is the piece contributed by perhaps the highest-profile creators included in the book: Harvey Pekar and Joyce Brabner's "The History of a Marriage," told via their own correspondences over the years, seemed more than a little sketchy and even slight. However, this impression might be more due to the fact that the tale, and the snapshot-like presentations of the incidents depicted, requires some real in-depth knowledge of their lives to have any real impact or meaning on the reader, rather than any deficiency on the creators' part. Still, it's a decent tale, and any misgivings about one piece shouldn't prevent anyone from picking up this very fine collection.


And that's all for the moment folks. I'll be back here next week, if not earlier, with some more thoughts on comics, work and other topics of interest. In the meantime, why not grab a good book and go outside, sit in a tree or on a park bench, and enjoy this beautiful summer? I think I will, even if for only half an hour.

Where it's at...

Talking with... or a word from our sponsor

I'm in the midst of working on something very, very cool I should be able to tell you all about later this month, but in the meantime there's a number of things happening that I wanted to let you know about.

First, the four books I'm doing with Rosen Publishing featuring interviews with Neil Gaiman, Alan Moore, Mike Oeming and George Perez are being solicited this month. You'll find those on page 334 of the July, 2007 cover dated Previews catalogue for items shipping in September, '07. These are the titles Rosen chose to launch their new line of "Talking with Graphic Novelists" books, and Diamond is really getting behind them. In fact, two of them were granted their much-coveted "Spotlight" status.

If you're interested in picking these books up, now's the time to order them or let your local comic shop know you want them. Or, if there's no comic shop near you, you can preorder them via Amazon, Barnes and Nobles and a wide variety of other online booksellers. Finally, they'll also be available via the publisher's website at http://www.rosenpublishing.com/ in late August or early September, '07.

Also, the books have garnered a bit of notice from a few websites and newsletters, including Publishers Weekly's comic newsletter and Milton Griep's http://www.icv2.com/. Here's the links to those pieces:

http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6457055.html?nid=2789

http://www.icv2.com/articles/home/10816.html

To say that I'm excited about the impending release of these books would be a real understatement. And I'm incredibly grateful for the coverage given them by Publishers Weekly [particularly Wil Moss and Calvin Reid] and ICV2 [Milton G, again], as well as Tom Spurgeon over at the excellent Comics Reporter for helping bring some more attention to those pieces and my work. Thanks, guys, for that kindness. I honestly can't thank you enough for your interest and support.

Finally, just in case it isn't obvious, my thanks to all of you reading this who might choose to check these books out. As I note in my "The author would like to thank..." section in each of the books, without you good folks, all my efforts would mean a whole lot less. After all, it's readers who will be bringing these and my other conversations with creators to life.
And that's it for now. Which means it's time for...

What's Bill been reading lately? [covering the period 6-25 to 7-1-07]


Lunching with the Antichrist
Michael Moorcock
Mark V. Ziesing Books
www.ziesingbooks.com/

Originally released in 1994 under the Ziesing imprint, a small press out of California, this collection of short stories and one novella featuring various incarnation of Moorcock's universe-hopping, indefatigable von Bek family is fairly hard to find at any price. I've been seeking it out at an affordable price for nearly a decade now, with little luck. So imagine my surprise and real joy when I ran across it on my recent trip to BookExpo '07 in NYC...and at $7.50 in hardcover, no less! More than worth the wait for someone like myself, a real and true fan of Moorcock's work in all its variegated glory. [And, for those in the know who were wondering, yes, it was distantly akin to finding my own version of the Grail.]

Comic Cavalcade Archives volume 1
Ted Udall, William Marston, Gardner Fox, Bill Finger, MC Gaines and other writers with Frank Harry, Harry G. Peter, Howard Purcell, Irwin Hasen, Sheldon Moldoff, et. al
DC Comics
http://www.dccomics.com/

Reprinting the extremely rare 100 page Comic Cavalcade issues 1 through 3, which originally hit the stands between December, 1942 and Summer, 1943, this collection is bursting at the seams with Golden Age four color goodness. Yeah, a lot of the work is fairly crude and lacking some of the finesse and polish of more modern comics, but there's a lot to be said for the energy and innocent joy of these stories. And while the covers and longer tales focus on some of the more familiar super heroes of the day, such as Wonder Woman, Flash and Green Lantern, there's a wealth of other features worth checking out including Wildcat; Mutt and Jeff; Red, White and Blue; Sargon the Sorcerer; and the Black Pirate. Perhaps this isn't essential reading for all but the historians and others interested in learning more about this vital, and vitally important period of sequential storytelling, but it sure is a load of beautifully presented, varied fun reading.


Walking Dead volume 2 hardcover
Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard
Image Comics
http://www.image.com/

The latest hardcover collection of this well written and wonderfully rendered black and white series about what happens to a small group of survivors in a Zombie-infested world continues to be one of the best horror comics published today. The terror level keeps increasing, as we learn the limits of these people, and just how monstrous they can be when pushed beyond their limits. Truly riveting and terrifying, this series is a must read for anyone looking for something truly outstanding, as well as for those who wish to learn how to make good comics. Comes with my highest recommendations.

And that's it for now. Thanks for your kind attention. Now go and have some fun!