A Quick One [while he's awake]

Lots going on here, including a back spasm that laid me up for a few days and tightened up some deadlines even more, which goes a ways toward explaining why I haven't been updating for the past two weeks or so. But I have finished the work on the brand new, and rather revealing, interview with Irwin Hasen for the Dondi collection that Classic Comics Press will be releasing in the next month or so. Everyone concerned, from Irwin to the publisher, seem quite happy with the results. Truth be told, so am I, but then, I'm far from unbiased about this particular piece.

In large part, that's because it's been a really enjoyable experience, particularly getting a chance to talk with Irwin for at extended period of time. We haven't talked as much as I would have liked over the past few years; and it's beenr about 8 years since we last talked on the record, so it was long overdue.

[And, for those of you who know him and were wondering how Irwin is doing after the stroke he experienced earlier this year, he's doing incredibly well. Which means he has only the energy of a thirty-year-old these days, as opposed to the indefatigable amount of a young twenty-something.]

However, there's a number of other projects--including one that's a truly huge, daunting and ultimately thrilling super-secret gig which you'll surely become aware of when the time's right--that I'm continuing to work on. Add in the fact that I've got a number of sets of "Baker's Dozen" questions to prep for a variety of folks, and you've got one busy freelance writer on this end. So, today's installment concerning my work and metal ramblings is going to be rather short.

In fact, it's now finished, almost as soon as it's begun.

Which means that it's time for ...

What's Bill been reading for the past month+ [for the period of 7-16 to 9-12-07] part C


Templar, Arizona: The Great Outdoors
by Spike
Iron Circus Comics
http://www.ironcircus.com/

This is the first collection of the online strip created by a young woman whose work is increasingly popular--and deservedly so. Spike's line work is fluid, even relaxed, and her storytelling flows effortlessly from panel to panel, and page to page. Yet there's real grit and strength of purpose underlying every pen stroke, along with information about the characters, their relationships and their environs which is sometimes only apparent on subsequent rereadings. And, despite the fact that about all that's accomplished in this volume is to introduce the main and supporting characters, and briefly explore the world they inhabit, each of those rereadings proved to be as enjoyable as the first. Much of this pleasure can be attributed to Spike's command of language, both physical and verbal, and a breezy delivery which masks her complete control of the plot, and of the medium itself.

This is quite possibly the best single new work that I've encountered this year, and this has been an outstanding year for debuts. [See the review for Korgi, below, for another one in the running for that particular distinction, and you'll get an idea of just how good Spike's work really is.] Templar, AZ marks the debut of a creator possessing real promise not just for the future, but the present as well. If you haven't checked out Spike's work, whether on the printed page or online at http://www.templaraz.com/, you're missing out on some very, very fine comics. As such, Spike and her work get my highest recommendation to anyone interested in reading or making good comics.


Korgi book 1
Christian Slade
Top Shelf Productions
http://www.topshelfcomix.com/

Here's another example of an opening volume which presents a seemingly simple tale, but which reveals rich and varied delights on each repeated reading. Essentially the adventures of a young waif, Ivy, and her companion, a pooch named Sprout, and what they encounter after they leave the safe confines of their village, this is an all ages silent tale which touches the heart while also engaging the reader's sense of wonder in an almost visceral manner.

Yeah, you could almost grind up Slade's drawings and use them as a sugar substitute, but the beautiful line work, fully realized enviroment and spot-on acting that this ex-Disney animator turned freelance illustrator has put on the page has a life of its own that can't be denied. This is fantasy world building of a type that's rarely seen in "kids books" these days--appropriately fun and full of heart, balanced by a sense of danger and the darker aspects of the world portrayed. In more ways than one, Slade's Korgi is tapping into the very same traits that make the great Looney Tunes cartoons such perennial favorites with viewers of all ages.

Korgi receives my highest recommendations for those looking to read something different, and should be studied by both artists and writers concerned with making good comics of any stripe. And it'd make for a great gift for just about any child, or for the childlike adult in your life.


Showcase Presents: The House of Mystery volume 2
various writers and artists
DC Comics
http://www.dccomics.com/

I love the Showcase Presents series of black and white reprints. While I don't necessarily grab a copy of all of them, preferring to have my JLA and certain other titles in their more upscale and full color Archives versions, so far there hasn't been a title in this line that I wouldn't heartily recommend to those interested in reliving or rediscovering what made DC's Silver Age comics so popular and noteworthy. And that doesn't look to change anytime soon, as the reader will encounter any number of great tales in this second 500+ page book featuring work by Jack Kirby, Michael Kaluta, Alex Toth, Bernie Wrightson and a host other creators of note. Sure, a few of these might be a little creaky or, to today's media-saturated reader, obvious. Still, the work herein is top notch, with some truly twisted and chilling stories alongside other yarns which might be, at worst, highly enjoyable or even outright fun. And, surely, fun and enjoyment are both qualities which we all could use more of in our lives these days.

True, this isn't for everyone. There are no capes or superheroes here, for one thing. But if you're interested in learning how to craft a serviceable or even well-told tale, visually and verbally, you could do far worse than study this book or its predecessor. And if you're looking for hours of darkly humorous or horrifying reading, you'll find that Showcase Presents: The House of Mystery volume 2 delivers that in [or perhaps I should say, with] spades.


And that's it for today. Look for more reviews, including my thoughts on two recently released thriller prose novels, Night Work by Steve Hamilton and The Intruders by Michael Marshall, in the next entry.