30 years ago I began to actively buy comics. I started my paper route and made $20 a week spending money. I never spent more than $5 a week, and almost all of that went towards comics. Marvel and DC were the majority of my purchases and it was a time I consider my own golden age of comics. I remember loving a majority of what I read and there is I think a quality of that era that remains. No comics were not, for the most part truly mature in stories or art, but they were perfect for me. I did not live in a fantasy world, but my real life was peopled by bullies, an angry (but loving) father and general sadness about life. I was considered by many a quiet even moody child, or “too sensitive”. I just felt things more than some I think. In any event, comics were like a way for me to coexist in my world, with more joy than I would have otherwise enjoyed. I have had periods of time where comics were a refuge, and I write now as a result of my appreciation for what comics gave to me.
The industry I write about is a fine one. But the products it produces are not all gems or masterpieces, but are the product of someone’s creative work. Like music or art in general it is easy to assume since people have talents that they find work in the industry easy to do. If he were alive ask Jack Kirby what it took to produce 6 comics a month. Or the fellow who has not yet made it into the industry how much work is necessary. (Kirby worked six days a week with back breaking hours behind the desk, the up and coming artist or writer will no doubt have spent hours behind a key board or artist table honing their craft and skills.) While there certainly are people who enjoy their work, it is nonetheless, work. I say all this because of two reasons, people do not realize what a quiet and boring existence it would be without the fruits of such labor, and, that we should respect creative work such as this for no other reason than it is respectful of the hours of training and time producing it. If I see a car I think it took many hours of labor and many years of development to have created such a machine, and I am thankful for those who worked to produce it. I love comics, and appreciate the many people who produced what it is that I read.
NEVER ENDING SUMMER Allison Cole, cartoonist writes what can be described as a minimalist autobiography in NEVER ENDING SUMMER. An art style that could be tiresome, but is not, makes the general theme of seeking and failed relationships bittersweet but not too much. Self indulgence often populates autobiography but this is simple, honest and gentle. The super simple art style could look shallow or boring in duo-tone, but instead it just seemed quiet, calming and somewhat kind. Now the events of the summer are not particularly gentle or kind, but the narrative and style makes this a really fine work.
From DC:
BATMAN AND SUPERMAN Public Enemies Hardcover Jeph Loeb (writing) and Ed McGuinness (art) have created a story that is reminiscent of the best Superman and Batman stories from the past but additionally, add something to the legacies of both. Given that the two characters are not at all alike it is important that the creative team has made certain to give reasons for the “friendship” between the two, and carve out a niche for the relationship within the new DC Universe. The current DC universe has/had Lex Luthor as president. With a large meteor, a physical remnant of the planet Krypton plummeting towards earth the President, Lex Luthor calls for the capture of Superman. Many super powered beings are drawn to the billion dollar price on Superman’s head. But the Government sends also many heroes who are called to capture Superman for his “role” in the Krypton planet’s crash course. Some really clever character work leads Superman and Batman to strategize how to defeat the assembled groups and respond to Luthor and coordinate a response to the planet fragment about to crash into earth. Loeb’s character work here is letter perfect. He has a wonderful voice and recognizes the difference between dialogue and words. As such this worked on a level that I was surprised by. But I am tired of the link between Krypton and earth, I mean how much Krypton is floating about? Also, the story sees a character of the future coming back to warn the actors of the past and despite reading carefully I did not see much a point for it. The art is quite awesome. I could see emotions, action, and simple stances as being natural and amazingly well done. While I had some problems with the story, I do think it deserved to be collected in such a fine book, the production values are incredible.
From IDW
THE ART OF TOMMY LEE EDWARDS You might have read my “review” of the Art of Ashley Wood, about two years ago. I did not give a review score for a reason... in “art of” books if you like the named talents are you are likely to enjoy the book. In that case I love Ashley Wood’s work so it was not to avoid grading just that beyond commenting about the production values what else is there to say. So here is another quite wonderful book, but in this case I was only recently aware of the many works of the artist’s that I had seen and enjoyed. You could say that Artist Tommy Lee Edwards is everywhere. He's worked with animation on The Matrix and Star Wars. You can find him in the style guides for Men in Black 2 and Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone. In Edwards' work, titled Art of Tommy Lee Edwards there is an amazing amount of evidence that this artist whose name you might not recognize has compiled a body of work deserving of being collected and has likely illustrated a poster, sketch or book cover that you enjoyed. For more information on the artist, visit his web site at Tommy Lee Edwards
I liked this book and especially appreciated the breadth and width of his talents as displayed.
Review Grades:
NEVER ENDING SUMMER: B+
BATMAN AND SUPERMAN Public Enemies: A-
THE ART OF TOMMY LEE EDWARDS: N/A
Alexander Ness
The Land Of Frost
Box 142
Rockford MN 55373-0142
When the great general Hannibal was faced in person by Scipio Africanus who had defeated Hannibal at the battle of Zama, the two spoke, about the history of military events: “then they began to talk of generals, and Hannibal affirmed that Alexander was the greatest commander the world had seen, next to him Pyrrhus, and the third was himself; Africanus, with a smile, asked, "What would you have said, if I had not defeated you?" "I would not then, Scipio," he replied, "have made myself the third, but the first commander." Plutarch - Life of Flamininus
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