Roger Ash

by Roger Ash

When I looked at my picks for the best comics and books of 2011, I was surprised to find a number of anthropomorphic (“funny animal” in case the word is new to you) titles topping the list. Though if I think about it, I shouldn’t have been surprised at all. I was raised on a steady diet of Walt Disney films and TV shows, classic Warner Brothers cartoons, and the best cartoons Saturday Morning television had to offer. I think many of our strongest likes and dislikes can be traced back to childhood (which is why the dearth of comics for kids is so troubling for the future of the industry, but that’s a topic for another day), and for me “funny animals” have always held a large and important part in my life.

Walt Disney Comics Digest #1. The cover of my copy of this issue is pretty tattered.

The earliest comics I have are cartoon-related titles that my parents bought for me like Tom & Jerry or Beep Beep the Road Runner. I have some old Walt Disney digests that were read to tatters on family car trips. Even though I had no idea who he was at the time, that was my first exposure to the work of the Duck Man, Carl Barks. One of his stories, Donald Duck and the Titanic Ants, burned itself into my young brain as images of giants ants attacking the Ducks was quite disturbing.

Laff-A-Lympics #4

So is it really any wonder that my entry into collecting comics was spying a copy of Laff-A-Lympics (a favorite Saturday Morning cartoon at the time) and Howard the Duck on the spinner rack at a local store? I came to love superhero comics too, as well as other genres, but I kept coming back to funny animal books.

Critters #1

Marvel published some Hanna-Barbera comics for a while that helped feed my addiction but they unfortunately didn’t stick around very long. In the 80s, Fantagraphics published a wonderful anthropomorphic anthology called Critters. This introduced me to many fine creators and their work including Stan Sakai’s Usagi Yojimbo, Freddy Milton’s Gnuff, William Van Horn’s Ambrose, and my favorite comic that far too few people remember, Mike Kazaleh’s Captain Jack. Captain Jack would eventually spin out into its own series, the Adventures of Captain Jack, for a short time. It featured the adventures of Jack (a cat) and his crew – Herman (a dog) and Adam (an android dog) – on the spaceship the Glass Onion. Herman also had a perpetual devil on his shoulder, Beezlebub, and a raccoon girlfriend named Janet. If you cross classic Warner cartoons with soap operas and science fiction, you have a vague idea of what the book was like.

Usagi Yojimbo #112

Freddy Milton and William Van Horn are also known for their work with the Disney Ducks, but the big break out strip from Critters was Usagi Yojimbo. The fact that I named Usagi my favorite comic from last year should tell you how I feel about it. Stan Sakai tells and draws some wonderful stories and his cast of characters is second to none. From rabbit ronin Usagi to rhino bounty hunter Gen to Usagi’s star-crossed romantic interest Tomoe Ame to the vixen thief Kitsune, the cast is filled with fun and well rounded characters.

Cerebus

Then there was this aardvark named Cerebus. When Dave Sim started on this epic series, Cerebus was simply a parody of sword and sorcery comics. It would soon branch become much more that than as Sim, eventually joined by artistic partner Gerhard, used Cerebus to parody other comic genres, politics, religion, and much more. And his supporting cast was outstanding. I was always pleased to see the return of Lord Julius, Sim’s tribute to Groucho Marx. Early on Sim said the Cerebus’ story would run 300 issues, a promise that he kept. Along the way, he ruffled some feathers but his amazing accomplishment of self-publishing 300 issues of a title is truly amazing. Unless the comic market changes drastically, I don’t think anyone will be able to match that.

As I got older and my weekly allowance grew, I rediscovered Carl Barks work with the Disney Duck in the excellent Carl Barks Library. This oversized, black and white, hardcover library collected all of Barks’ Disney work along with critical essays. It was an excellent presentation of work by a master craftsman. This was followed by Gladstone’s first foray into publishing Disney Comics including classic creators like Barks and Floyd Gottfredson along with new work by Van Horn and the man many feel is Barks’ successor, Don Rosa.

Bone

Then came Jeff Smith’s Bone. Some of you may argue with me about whether this is an anthropomorphic title or not. And I can understand that. Yet the Bones are not human, you have a talking dragon, talking rat creatures, a giant talking mountain lion, and a talking leafhopper named Ted. That certainly sounds like an anthropomorphic title to me. I was taken with the book from the beginning and, after a short time, I was far from the only one. The characters are so much fun and the story is a real joy to read and can go from funny to scary to adventurous to horrific at a moment’s notice. Bone is one of the real success stories in comics over the past 20 years with nearly every schoolchild knowing the adventures of the Bones thanks to Smith’s publishing deal with Scholastic.

Roger Langridge's Snarked

There have been other funny animal comics through the years, including Evan Dorkin & Jill Thompson’s Beasts of Burden, The Muppet Show, and Roger Langridge’s Snarked. But funny animal comics are not a staple of the current market which is why I’m so happy we’re getting comic strip collections like Pogo, Bloom County, and Berkely Breathed’s Complete Outland Collection HC.

But aside from the joy reading funny animal comics, they also play a part in my professional life. My first published piece in Back Issue Magazine was on Gladstone’s initial run of Disney Comics. My one serious attempt to break into writing comics was a Disney story. Unfortunately, that didn’t pan out but that’s a story for another day.

So I’m always on the lookout for a good anthropomorphic comic. It’s part of who I am. How about you? What kind of comics get your motor running? Share in the comments section and join the conversation!

Now, go read a comic!

Classic comic covers from the Grand Comics Database.

Roger Ash

by Roger Ash

It’s that time of year when people put out their “best of” lists for the past year and I thought I’d join in the fun. Instead of a Top 10 list, I’ve decide to do two Top 5 lists. I want to spotlight both monthly comics as well and books/collections and since they’re different animals, dividing them seemed the logical thing to do and you still get ten recommendations. And I count them down from five to one to help build the tension! Here we go!

Top 5 Comics

Rachel Rising

5)  Rachel Rising

Terry Moore’s new horror comic has me hooked. On one hand, that’s odd as I’m not really a horror fan. On the other hand, it’s not so odd as I really enjoy Terry’s work. He has created a book rife with creepiness and mystery, while keeping the personal relationships that first attracted me to his work. And of course the art is gorgeous.

Tiny Titans

4) Tiny Titans

This book always makes me smile. Art Baltazar and Franco obviously have a love for the DC Universe and it shows through in every issue. It’s just plain fun. Unfortunately, Tiny Titans is ending with issue #50. That blow is somewhat softened by the fact that I have their new series, Superman Family Adventures, to look forward to.

Fantastic Four

3) Fantastic Four/FF

Jonathan Hickman made me interested in the Fantastic Four again. While I’m loving his epic tale of love and war, what keeps me coming back is the relationships between the main characters. The fact that these characters are family sets them apart from most other super teams and he doesn’t forget that. Add in some wonderful art by Steve Epting and Barry Kitson and you’ve got something special. (And yes I know that technically these are two different books, but one slid into the other so I’m looking at it from a story standpoint.)

Rasl

2) Rasl

Jeff Smith’s latest series is very different from Bone. No value judgment, just a fact. This is a more mature story of love, obsession, crime, alternate realities, and Nikola Tesla. I find it better to save up a few issues of Rasl before reading them as I catch the intricacies and nuances of the story better when I do. I’m not sure exactly where Smith is going with the story, but I sure am enjoying the ride.

Usagi Yojimbo

1) Usagi Yojimbo

I first encountered Stan Sakai’s Usagi Yojimbo in Critters back in the 80s. I’ve been a fan ever since. The rabbit ronin, his friends, and enemies have provided endless hours of enjoyment for me with stories ranging from humorous to exciting to heartbreaking. And now, 25 years on, Usagi is still fresh, exciting, and better than ever. Bravo!

Top 5 Books/Collections

Walt Disney's Comics & Stories Archives Vol. 1

5) Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories Archives Vol. 1 SC

This volume from BOOM! collects the first two issues of the venerable series, Walt Disney’s Comics & Stories. Considering what these issues go for on the collector’s market, this book was a tremendous deal for Disney fans. It was great fun to revisit the work of Al Taliaferro and Floyd Gottfredson and others. Plus, the vintage ads were a real hoot. Now that BOOM! no longer has the Disney license, I sort of doubt that there will be any future volumes in this series and that would be a real shame. This is fantastic material that should be in print. Someone please prove me wrong and bring this archive series back!

Genius, Isolated

4) Genius, Isolated: The Life and Art of Alex Toth HC

I always knew that Alex Toth’s work in comics was highly regarded and very influential, but I was not familiar enough with his work to understand why. I knew much more about his work in animation than his work in comics. That has changed after reading Genius, Isolated from The Library of American Comics/IDW, the first of three volumes examining the life and art of Alex Toth. Brue Canwell’s  biography of Toth is interesting and informative, never shying away from the controversy that often surrounded Toth. But the real star of the book is the art. From examples of his art to full stories, including a complete reprinting of Jon Fury (a weekly comic he did while in the military), it is easy to see why Toth has had the impact he has on others. This is amazing work and every fan of comics history and comics art should have a copy. I’m really looking forward to the next volume, Genius, Illustrated, which I believe is on the way in 2012.

Pogo: The Complete Syndicated Strips Vol. 1

3) Pogo: The Complete Syndicated Strips Vol. 1: Through The Wild Blue Wonder HC

I first became familiar with Walt Kelly’s Pogo in Fantagraphics’ previous reprint series of the strip. While that series was fine, though it never reprinted the whole series, this volume blows it out of the water. The strips are reprinted from the first two years of Pogo and are very crisp with all the detail of Kelly’s art shining through. Plus, it includes the first year of Sundays in full color as well as the strips printed in the New York Star prior to Pogo becoming syndicated. The characters are fun and fully developed. As a former English Major, I really enjoy Kelly’s word play. This is not a book to be read quickly, but slowly and savored. Pogo is widely regarded as one of the greatest comic strips ever and this first volume amply shows why.

Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse

2) Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse HCs

Two volumes in Fantagraphics’ Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse came out this past year and I highly recommend them both. Floyd Gottfredson has been considered by many to be the Mouse Man in the same way that Carl Barks is considered the Duck Man. While Barks’ work on the Disney Ducks has been written about extensively, the same hasn’t been the case for Gottfredson’s Mickey Mouse comic strips. That is changing with this series. The highlight of the volumes are the strips themselves which are a lot of fun and show an adventurous side to Mickey that may come as a surprise to those who only know the modern Mickey. It’s also fun watching Gottfredson develop as an artist and storyteller as the strips progress. In addition to the comics there are essays examining the stories, the creators involved (the comics were often inked and scripted by others), and the characters themselves. This series is a long overdue look at one of comics legendary creators and their work.

Chuck Jones: The Dream That Never Was

1) Chuck Jones: The Dream That Never Was HC

This book is a bit out of the ordinary for The Library of American Comics/IDW. They usually collect the best comics of the past whereas this volume looks at one that failed. What makes this strip different from the other comic strips that never made it is that it was by legendary animation director Chuck Jones (The Coyote and the Roadrunner, Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Marvin Martian, Pepe Le Pew, the Grinch, etc.). Kurtis Findlay’s introductory essay is a well-researched, interesting, and informative look at how Jones’ attempted to develop his creation, Crawford, into animated life and how he wound up as a comic strip. I found the essay fascinating as it covered an area of Jones’ career I didn’t know much about (and I’m a big fan of his work). This is followed by various developmental sketches of Crawford and his friends from throughout the years. The strip itself follows, most of which are reproduced from original art (there are a handful that were reproduced from microfilm as that is all that was available). It’s a fun strip and fans of Jones’ work are sure to enjoy it. I often thought the strip should have been called Morgan as Crawford’s friend seemed to play a bigger role than Crawford himself. The strip never really gets rolling as it only lasted about six months. The final two sections of the book include unpublished strips and gag ideas followed by the icing on the cake, a near-complete storyboard for a Crawford animated pilot. After reading the book, the question hanging in the air is why didn’t the strip succeed? My theory is that while Jones was an outstanding director, he didn’t quite grasp how comic strips worked. I’m guessing these strips read better in the book than they did a day at a time. But you should decide for yourself! Read this book and come to your own conclusion. I was really looking forward to this book and I’m happy to say it lived up to, and surpassed, my expectations.

Something that I’ve never heard anyone else comment on about The Library of American Comics books is that in addition to being great reads, they also make great cat toys. Right about now you’re probably thinking I’ve lost what little mind I had left, but let me explain. All The Library of American Comics books come with a bound-in ribbon bookmark. Once I open the book and flip the ribbon to the outside, it’s only a matter of moments before my cat shows up to start playing with the ribbon. So I can read while my cat is happily occupied!

Thor by Walter Simonson Omnibus

Honorable mention: Thor by Walter Simonson Omnibus and Walter Simonson’s The Mighty Thor Artist’s Edition, two fantastic collections featuring perhaps my favorite superhero comics ever.

Those are my lists. How about you? What do you think were the best comics of 2011? Comment below and let me know!

Happy New Year, everyone!

Now, go read a comic!

Wayne Markley

by Wayne Markley

I think few would argue that the biggest story in the comic book world in 2011 was that DC re-launched of all their titles and called it the New 52. To mark this monumental event, I thought I would list and comment on 52 items about comics in 2011. None of these are in any order. I have kept each as short as possible. I have marked each item as a positive (+) or a negative (-). Some of these topics actually are both good and bad and I have marked these as +/-. If I have listed only a title it means I really like the title if it has a + or if I think a title is not worth your time it will have a -. Of course all of these are my thoughts only and I welcome and encourage the readers of the column to add their comments. So, away we go:

Batman Vol. 1: The Court of Owls

1.)    Batman. Perhaps the best of the New 52. +

2.)    Digital Downloads. + /- (and the topic of a future blog)

Daredevil by Mark Waid Vol. 1

3.)    Daredevil. I would have never thought it possible, but this is the best monthly book Marvel publishes. +

4.)    Disney Comics. Gone for the moment, but I would still bet Marvel will launch a Disney (classic characters that is) title in 2112. –

5.)    The boon of comic strip reprints. +

6.)    Trade collections. A plus in it gives the reader a complete story; a negative in it is killing the monthly comic books. +/-

7.)    DC’s New 52. More bad than good. –

Aquaman #7

8.)    Aquaman. Who ever thought this would be a great read? +

9.)    Marvel ending the Solie line of books. Sad. –

10.) Humanoids picking up the slack of reprinting foreign material. +

11.) Manga. Much more focused this year. Still sells at bookstores, not so much in the direct market. –

20th Century Boys

12.) 20^th Century Boys. Continues to be a great story and it is manga. +

13.) Joe Hill. Writes both Locke and Key and The Cape. Two of my favorite titles. Check them out! +

Usagi Yojimbo #135

14.) Usagi Yojimbo. 25 years and still going strong with new and creative stories. +

15.) All New Brave and the Bold. DCs best monthly book and it has been cancelled since the TV show ended. One did not mean the other had to end. Sad. –

16.) Comic Book Direct Market. –

Captain America #8

17.) Captain America. Ed Brubaker continues to write an excellent monthly book and there was an excellent movie with the Good Captain. +

18.) Thor. Matt Fraction has not excited me with his work on Thor, but I thought the movie was great. -/+

19.) Thor the Mighty Avenger. Perhaps the best book Marvel published in ages by Roger Langridge and Chris Samnee. It was a fantastic book and it was cancelled. Shame on Marvel. –

20.) Milo Manara. Finally getting some fame after all these years with the Dark Horse library of all his work. (And I forgot to mention his Sandman story last time, so a – to me) +

21.) Flash Gordon. IDWs reprinting of the complete Alex Raymond Flash Gordon/Jungle Jim should be on everyone’s book shelf. +

Bloom County: The Complete Library Vol. 5

22.) Bloom County. IDW has reprinted every Blood County strip in five beautiful hardcovers. Wow, was this strip fun. More to come with the Complete Outland. +

23.) Infestation. A crossover from IDW that no one needed. –

Unwritten

24.) Unwritten. One of the few Vertigo titles left alive. A very well written and creative book that would appeal to fans of Harry Potter. +

25.) Scalped. One of the best crime books out there, so of course it is ending. +/-

26.) Vertigo Crime. A mixed bag of books with some being better than others and a few being excellent. Alas, it was also cancelled. –

27.) Lack of diversity of subject matter from Marvel and DC. Marvel tries harder and still has things like Oz, Jane Austen, Halo and other titles. –

Wonderful Wizard of Oz

28.) Marvel’s Oz books. Eric Shanower and Skottie Young are setting a standard of adaptations for comics with their Oz books that rival what David Suchet’s did for Poirot or Jeremy Brett’s Sherlock Holmes did for books adaptations for Television. +

29.) Criminal. Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips masterpiece returned with another fantastic miniseries. Can’t wait to see what they do with Fatale. +

30.) Image Comics. They have been doing more and more diverse titles month after month. Near Death, Undying Love, Blue Estate, Super Dinosaur and more. +

Rachel Rising

31.) Rachel Rising. A very different book from Terry Moore. +

32.) Comixology. A great tool to expand the comic audience and perhaps the death of comics as we know them. +/-

33.) Prince Valiant. I thought I had read Prince Valiant in the past, but Fantagraphics has shown me a new look to this classic strip. These collections are the best you will ever see. No price can be put on the beauty of the reproduction and quality of Hal Foster’s work. +

34.) DCs New 52. Far too dark and violent. –

35.) Justice League. A good story and beautiful art by Jim Lee, but 5 splash pages in a 22 page story? For $3.99? -

36.) Archie Comics. As much as I loved Life with Archie magazine, the stories have become long in the tooth. Internal troubles wit in Archie have limited their output with many of the monthly comics going to reprint. –

Untold Tales of Spider-Man Omnibus

37.) Marvel Omnibus. Marvel has taken to doing huge, often over 1000 pages, hardcover books collecting storylines or titles. Some upcoming releases include their John Carter of Mars series from the 80s and Kurt Busiek’s Untold Tales of Spider-Man. +

38.) Marvel’s cosmic books. Marvel has made the cosmic story entertaining again, largely due to Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning. Groot!! +

39.) Sugar and Spike Archives. After far too many years DC finally collects my favorite comics of all time. Now if they would only do a second volume. +

Comics Revue

40.) Comics Revue. A magazine that gets very little attention and deserves so much more. A bimonthly collection of comic strips from the 30s to the present. Great stuff. +

41.) AC Comics. The little company that could. They do perhaps the best reprints of classic comic material, (non-Marvel or DC) out there but again almost no one knows of them. +

42.) Nepotism. Why is the Wildstorm Universe all of a sudden an intricate part of the DCU? Why is Bob Harras the new editor in chief at DC? The answer is the same for both. -

43.) $3.99 comics. It is just too much for a 28 page comic in today’s economy. –

44.) Digital downloads with monthly comics. Short term, great, long term very negative. –

Pogo: Complete Syndicated Strips Vol. 1

45.) Pogo. At last I finally understand why Walt Kelly was considered such a genius. Thank you Fantagraphics. +

46.) Complete Mickey Mouse. Once again Fantagraphics is bringing all of those classic newspaper strips by Floyd Gottfredson back in print for all of us to enjoy. A great adventure strip. +

47.) To Be Continued… Bring back the stand alone story. –

48.) All Star Western. Jonah Hex was my favorite comic, largely because of standalone stories. All Star Western brings the character to Gotham City and to multi-part stories. And it is $3.99. (It is still a great read mind you.) –

49.) Fantastic Four. I thought I was enjoying Jonathan Hickman’s run on the FF, even with the bogus “death of the Human Torch” story. But having gone back and re-read Lee and Kirby’s FF and Waid and Wieringo’s Fantastic Four, I have changed my mind. –

The Walking Dead

50.) The Walking Dead. A small press comic from Image Comics has grown into a pop culture phenomenon while keeping its creative integrity. The comic and the TV show are both excellent. +

51.) TMNT and Rocketeer. Two surprises from IDW. The Rocketeer due to the beautiful hardcover collection of the original material and the new material they produced was top notch, and almost as good as the late Dave Stevens. TMNT because who would of thought that after almost 30 years the Turtles would be hot again. +

52.) Finally, to Westfield Comics for giving me a job and an opportunity to write this blog and sprout my opinions twice a month. +

As always, these are my thought and do not reflect the opinions of Westfield Comics or their employees. I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and has a great 2012.

Thank you.

Roger Ash

by Roger Ash

If you regularly read my columns here at the Westfield blog, you know I try to remain positive. The reason for this is simple: in my opinion, I think it’s better to steer people to books I like rather than away from books I don’t like. Why give time to books that I don’t care for? I know there are people who disagree with this stance, but it’s mine and I’m sticking to it. That being said, to get to the topic of this column – what I’m reading – I think it’s productive to go through the journey that’s gotten me to this point which includes what I’m not reading. And what I’m not reading is very many superhero comics.

Like many comic readers, I started out with superhero comics. I couldn’t wait for the latest adventures of Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, or Thor. Yes, I was a Marvel Zombie in my early years. I loved superhero comics then and I still do, but I read very few of them. Part of that is I simply aged out of the target audience the book was intended for. Some is that as I aged, my tastes changed. But the biggest factor recently is that I’ve become weary with events.

Flashpoint

The majority of Marvel and DC books these days seems to be tied into some kind of event. DC’s recent Flahpoint didn’t really spark my interest so I gave it a pass, yet some of the tie-in miniseries looked interesting, so I tried them. And I enjoyed them until I got to the last issue. When I read a miniseries, I expect to get a complete story with a beginning, middle, and end. However, with the exception of Frankenstein and the Creatures of the Unknown, none of the Flashpoint tie-in series I read ended. To get the ending, I had to read the final issue of Flashpoint. As a reader I found that highly frustrating.

Fear Itself

Meanwhile, over at Marvel, I was very intrigued by the concept of Fear Itself. A villain who feeds on fear and gets stronger the more people are afraid? That sounds great! Yet the execution of that idea didn’t grab me. It all turned into a big superhero brawl (which, admittedly, can be fun) with the fear concept more of a background element than what I had hoped for.

Swamp Thing, a New 52 book I quite enjoy

Back at DC, we have the New 52. Granted, this is not an event in the same way that Flashpoint and Fear Itself are, but no one can argue the fact that it was a huge event for DC. We were told this would be new, exciting, and different yet, at the end of the day, I personally find I’m reading about the same number of DC titles as I read before the relaunch. And things don’t really seem that much different than before. There have been some character changes that angered people (Catwoman and Red Hood and the Outlaws spring to mind) but before the relaunch people were mad about Justice League: The Rise of Arsenal and Justice League: Cry For Justice. As the old saying goes, “The more things change, the more they stay the same.”

Daredevil #8

Enough. Ever since the big company-wide events started there have been two that I feel have lived up to their promise, DC’s Crisis on Infinite Earths and Legends. I know they must be bringing in money for the publishers otherwise they wouldn’t keep doing them, but I’m through with events. I’m tired of having my expectations raised then dashed. So, I’m not reading that many superhero comics anymore for all the reasons stated above. There are some out there that I still enjoy such as Daredevil, Fantastic Four, and FF; and I’ll give anything written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning a try (Resurrection Man, Villains For Hire, New Mutants) as I think their work is fantastic and doesn’t get near the amount of attention they deserve.

Rachel Rising #5

So what am I reading? Well, there are non-superhero comics out there such as the very creepy Rachel Rising, the all-ages fun of Roger Langridge’s Snarked, and anthropomorphic samurai action of Usagi Yojimbo (which is, month in and month out, my favorite comic being published). But what I find I’m really excited about are some of the classic comic strip collections, with my favorites coming from Fantagraphics and IDW.

Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse Vol. 2

Fantagraphics’ collections featuring Charles Schulz’s comic strip masterpiece, Peanuts, are fantastic and if you’re a Peanuts fan, you need to be reading these. Floyd Gottfredson probably did as much to shape the personality of Mickey Mouse and his supporting cast as Carl Barks did for the Disney Ducks, yet his work has never received the same degree of attention as the work of Barks. Fantagraphics is correcting that with Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse. The first two volumes of this series are fantastic and the strips probably look better here than they did when they were originally published. It’s a joy to watch Gottfredson develop as a storyteller as Mickey and the gang evolve along with him. The stories are exciting and fun though of their time as there are racial stereotypes that were common at the time that are unacceptable by today’s standards. There’s also plenty of background material to place the stories into historical perspective. And the collection of Walt Kelly’s Pogo that hits stores this week is gorgeous. I have some of Fantagraphics’ previous Pogo volumes and this one blows them away. I’m also getting into Popeye for the first time with their collections of Segar’s classic strip.

Bloom County: The Complete Library Vol. 3

Anything that comes from The Library of American Comics & IDW is worth a look but what has my attention right now is their recently-completed five-volume run of Berkeley Breathed’s Bloom County. Bloom County was my favorite comic strip in my late-high school/college years. It’s been a real pleasure to revisit it in these outstanding books. The books contain annotations from Breathed and I admit to feeling really old when the editors have to point out cultural references such as who Ed Meese, Caspar Weinberger, and Rona Barrett are. As an animation nut, their upcoming Chuck Jones: The Dream That Never Was could be the release of the year as far as I’m concerned.

Yes, events have finally gotten the better of me, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t lots more outstanding comics to read. What are you enjoying reading right now? Comment below and let me know.

Now, go read a comic!

Last week on 10 Things: KC was frustrated because Diamond forgot to send copies of Previews to his LCS. So here’s the non-DC-and-Marvel stuff.

COMICS

Star Trek/Legion of Super-Heroes

I am so happy for my long-time friend (and occasional housemate) Jeff Moy, as he’s penciling the new Star Trek/Legion of Super-Heroes six-issue miniseries/crossover from IDW. What’s so great about this is that I just happen to know that Star Trek and the LSH are two of his most favorite things in the entire world! How often does a project like that land in your lap!? Jeff is joined by inker (and brother) Phil Moy and Eisner-nominated writer Chris Roberson for an adventure set in the 23rd Century — but in a universe not familiar to either group. The original Enterprise crew meets the Great Darkness Saga-era LSH. Bet you never saw that coming! (I sure didn’t!) Can’t wait for the sure-to-be-classic Mr. Spock/Brainiac 5 scenes. It’s also the first DCU/IDW-verse crossover and will feature regular covers by Phil Jimenez and variants by classic LSH and ST artists — including Keith Giffen and Gabriel Rodriguez for #1.

Usagi Yojimbo #141

When you add in the previous series from other publishers, Usagi Yojimbo #141 (from Dark Horse) is actually the 200th issue of the rabbit ronin. And every single issue was written and drawn by creator Stan Sakai! This issue will be a special celebration of the Anniversary featuring a 200 theme, as a humble stonecutter receives a vision to carve two hundred stone figures in “200 Buddhas”. Just as he has finished the 199th, he encounters a long-eared stranger. Happy Anniversary, Usagi (and Stan)!

CBLDF Liberty Annual 2011 Matt Wagner Grendel cover

This year’s CBLDF Liberty Annual 2011 looks to be both a barn-burner and a big money-earner for the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. Starting off with your choice of a stunning speechless Uncle Sam cover by John Cassaday or a new Matt Wagner Grendel cover (and interior story), the CBLDF Liberty Annual 2011 will be a 48-page collection of stories by J. Michael Straczynski, Frank Quitely, J.H. Williams, Steve Niles, Judd Winick, Mark Waid, Carla Speed McNeil, and many others, including the first-ever color story from Craig Thompson. Plus, Marvel and DC stars will be popping in for pin-ups, including Batman by Dustin Nguyen, X-Men by Greg Land, Green Lantern by Ivan Reis, and Avengers by Greg Horn. It’s all packaged by all-star editor Bob Schreck. All-in-all, a pretty painless way to donate to a fantastic cause.

Princeless

Check out this exclusive preview of a fun, new all-ages comic — Princeless, written by Jeremy Whitley and drawn and colored by M. Goodwin. It’s a fun twist on a familiar fairytale scenario with some gorgeous cartooning. You’ve read about a princess trapped in a tower before, but this one is determined to rescue herself.

Also of note this month: A new IDW title by John Byrne, Cold War #1, a secret agent thriller, and Roger Landridge’s charming Snarked #1. (Hopefully, you’ve all seen the preview by now!)

BOOKS

Milk and Cheese: Dairy Products Gone Bad

They hate what you hate — and they hate you! Milk and Cheese: Dairy Products Gone Bad is a 240-page collection of every single stupid Milk and Cheese cartoon that Evan Dorkin ever thunk up and doodled from 1989 to 2010, including tons of supplemental awesomeness and random pieces of Dorkin’s brain — assuming the scotch tape holds up. Featuring all the various Milk and Cheese #1s (you think I’m kidding, don’t you?) and all the rest of the junk, too. My favorite thing in the world is our collection of Milk and Cheese coasters which drive my in-laws crazy when they come to visit. And now I’ll have a big ol’ Milk and Cheese book to give them for Christmas! From Dark Horse (who should know better, although I’m looking forward to their Milk and Cheese distressed statuettes series). (Editor’s note: Not an actual product — but it should be!)

Meta Maus

Meta Maus: A Look Inside a Modern Classic, Maus: In which creator Art Spieglemen comes to terms with the project that consumed him for over a decade — maybe. This 300-page hardcover — and its accompanying DVD — covers everything that you’d want to know about Maus, including the frequent questions: Why the holocaust? Why mice? Why comics? This looks to be one of the most comprehensive and emotional retrospective/deconstructions of a major comics work to date, and it has the potential to be just as affecting as the original work. Published by Pantheon.

The Quality Companion

The Quality Companion is the latest in a long line of excellent comics history books from TwoMorrows. This one features a comprehensive look at one of the best of the original Golden Age comics publishers, as well as following up on how their most popular characters — the Freedom Fighters (including Uncle Sam and Phantom Lady), Plastic Man, and the Blackhawks — fared in subsequent decades after being acquired by DC Comics. In their heyday, Quality publications featured some of comics’ best artists including Jack Cole, Will Eisner, Wally Wood, Lou Fine, Bob Powell, and Reed Crandall. The 256-page trade paperback is written by Mike Kooiman and Jim Amash and features copious illustrations.

Government Issue: Comics For The People: 1940-2000

I love quirky collections like Government Issue: Comics For The People: 1940-2000, a 304-page study of public-service comics produced by federal and state governments — by artists including Will Eisner and Milton Caniff. Walt Kelly’s Pogo informs parents about how much TV kids should watch, and Hank Ketcham’s Dennis the Menace shows us the dangers of poison (?!?). Plus, Bert the Turtle shows us how to “Duck and Cover!”, from the famous educational film. (One I actually saw in school!) Covers just about every aspect of American life from jobs, money, health, and safety to sex and drugs (what, no rock ‘n roll?). Features both complete comics and numerous excerpts, as well as a history of the public-service comic book.

1001 Comics You Must Read Before You Die

I’m never quite sure about books like 1001 Comics You Must Read Before You Die, because you just never know what the criteria for inclusion was. Superhero fans should probably be aware that they won’t be all superhero comics, as it will draw from all of comics — including graphic novels, manga, and independently published work. This collection is almost 1,000 pages (960 to be exact), so it will be nice and thick. Personally, I’m hoping that I’ve already read all 1,001 of them — I hate homework!

CLASSIC COLLECTIONS

Walt Disney’s Donald Duck by Carl Barks

Walt Disney’s Donald Duck by Carl Barks — I recently raved about Fantagraphics first Mickey Mouse by Floyd Gottfredson volume over at Comics Worth Reading, so you can probably imagine how excited I am by Frantagraphics’ new line of affordable, full-color, hardcover books featuring Disney’s other comic book star — Donald Duck — as written and drawn by “the Good Duck Artist” Carl Barks. This first volume features over 200 pages of vintage (and prime) Barks stories from 1948-1950, including Barks’ personal favorite “Lost in the Andes”. All the artwork has meticulously restored and re-colored for this collection. There are also detailed commentary/annotations for every story, written by the foremost Barks authorities around the world, as well as an introduction by Barks scholar Donald Ault.

SPECIAL NOTE: You may have heard recently that Fantagraphics is also re-packinging the classic EC Comics material, beginning in Summer 2012. Don’t be confused by the ad in the current Diamond Previews featuring volumes of EC material published by the previous publishers (Russ Cochran and Gemstone Publishing — although this is not mentioned in the ad). This advertisement is disingenuously placed right next to the Fantagraphics listings in the August 2011 Previews, and it may be confusing to fans who have heard the Fantagraphics/EC Comics announcements. The ad is re- soliciting (for what’s left of) the 2006-2008 Cochran/Gemstone versions of the EC Archives line — NOT the upcoming Fantagraphics collections.

Bob Powell’s Terror

Two Golden Age classic artists get their due this month from IDW. In Wally Wood’s EC Stories: Artist Edition, Woody’s EC stories and covers get the deluxe reprinted-from-the-original-art treatment. The material is reproduced at the original size, and since these pages are from the 1950s, that means “twice up” or twice the original printed size — making the dimensions of the 144-page book a gigantic 15” x 22”! Holy Moley! . . . Meanwhile, Craig Yoe is assembling a 148-page full-color hardcover collection of Bob Powell’s classic 1950s horror stories in Bob Powell’s Terror — part of “The Chilling Archives of Horror Comics” series and chock full of gruesome ghouls and gorgeous gals.

If You’re Cracked, You’re Happy

If You’re Cracked, You’re Happy: The History of Cracked is actually two volumes, totaling almost 1,100 pages of material from the “2nd Greatest Humor Magazine”, featuring work by John Severin, Jack Davis, Don Martin, Will Elder, Jack Kirby (don’t blink, he only did one piece), Steve Ditko, Al Jaffee, and many others — making this pretty close to all the Cracked you might ever need. But there’s also a history of the long-running magazine, creator interviews, rare photos and artwork, and a complete checklist of every Cracked issue– all compiled by historian Mark Arnold! NOTE: You may have already seen these books at your local bookstore — assuming your area still has bookstores…

MISC.

Alter Ego #105

Alter Ego #105 will be of interest to those interested in the now-defunct Comics Code. “Tales From the Code” will showcase a number of Before/After examples of some of the “best” of what the Code didn’t want you to see — featuring work by Simon & Kirby, Ditko, Buscema, Cole, Steranko, Krigstein, Williamson, Orlando, Heath, and many more!

DC Superhero Figurine Collection Magazine

I don’t follow figure/toy collecting much, but this month’s DC Superhero Figurine Collection Magazine from the UK is a Mr. Mxyzptlk/Bat-Mite Special with a very cute hand-painted Mxy/Mite figurine which is kind of tempting… It would have to be — the magazine itself is only 20 pages long! Yikes!

KC CARLSON: Only 17 days to a new DC Universe. Hope my little rocket is ready in time to get off the old one before it explodes.

As always, WESTFIELD COMICS is not responsible for the stupid things that KC says. Especially that thing that really irritated you.

It’s November, month of thankfulness. Well, there’s a day of it at least. There’s been a lot of pissing and moaning recently about the state of comics, the state of the union, and the state of the world, and not without reason. However, I think it’s time to shift our focus. There are so many good things out there that are too often overlooked. Taking a cue from the song referenced in the title of this column, I’m going to write about three things I’m cheerful about in comics.

Thanos Imperative: Devastation

Marvel’s Cosmic Books

These are the books that really brought me back to Marvel. Not that I ever entirely went away. When I started collecting comics, I was a Marvel Zombie and still have a fondness for the Marvel Universe and the characters who populate it. But I had kind of drifted away over the years and the number of Marvel comics I was reading was very small. But then I started hearing about how much fun Nova and Guardians of the Galaxy were. On a whim, I decided to give them a try. Hot damn, am I glad I did.

I’ve always had an affinity for the cosmic end of Marvel with characters like Adam Warlock, Gamora, Thanos, Star Lord, and others, but they’ve never quite broken into the same stratus as Spider-Man, Dr. Doom, the Hulk, and Iron Man. Writers Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning obviously love the cosmic character too as they’re treated with respect. Under their watch, Nova has become one of the most powerful heroes in the Marvel Universe. They’ve made a team that has consisted of such characters as Star Lord, Rocket Raccoon, Mantis, Groot, Adam Warlock, Bug, Moondragon, and Quasar into one of Marvel’s best fighting forces. They may not have the raw power of the Avengers, but they’ve got smarts and they don’t always fight fair.

The only cosmic book at the moment is The Thanos Imperative, with both of the main titles on hiatus during this event. And when the dust clears after The Thanos Imperative, who know what books will come out of it as no one is guaranteed to survive. These are fun books with engaging characters and they remind me why I love comics so much. There is just no other storytelling format where these stories would work as well. And the fun I had reading these led to me trying the new adventures of the Avengers, the Fantastic Four, and others. I’m reading more Marvel Comics now than I have in a long time, because they’re just that good, and I owe it to Nova and Guardians of the Galaxy.

Usagi Yojimbo

Usagi Yojimbo

I first encountered Usagi in Fantagraphics’ Critters #1 in 1986, which wasn’t his first appearance (that was in Albedo), but it was close. The adventures of Usagi, a rabbit ronin, quickly grew on me, but that’s no surprise as creator Stan Sakai is a consummate storyteller. And the cast of characters continued to grow with such favorites as Tomoe Ame, Gen, Kitsune, and the evil Inazuma. It’s also been a please to watch Sakai develop over the years. His art and storytelling abilities have improved by leaps and bounds over those early days. And the stories are such fun! You not only get martial arts action, but mysteries, history, and romance as well. Sakai’s equally adept at telling both short stories and long, rambling epics. He is also smart enough to know that a new reader probably won’t join in during the middle of a long story, so he always follows a big story with several smaller ones, making for perfect places for new readers to join the adventure.

Even more amazing is that Usagi has been published by five different companies (currently Dark Horse) and is still going strong with a very loyal fanbase. I can’t think of any other comic to have done that. For my money, there is no better comic, month in and month out, than Usagi Yojimbo.

Fantastic Four

The writing of Jonathan Hickman

I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve read by Mr. Hickman (not that I’ve read it all). As I was getting back into reading more Marvel books, I heard a lot of buzz around Hickman’s work on Fantastic Four and decided to give it a try. What I found was a writer who got that the FF are more than just a team, they’re first and foremost a family. You’d be surprised at the number of creators over the years who didn’t get that. He could also tell exciting multi-part stories and single issue tales with equal ease. And he has a big plan for the book that he’s never lost sight of. I’m excited and slightly dreading how this big picture will play out in the current Three story.

SHIELD

From there I moved on to SHIELD (I also had the opportunity to interview him about this). SHIELD is not the easiest book to describe, but I’ll try. Imagine a story set in the Marvel Universe with all the strong characterization and mysteries (and confusion) of the TV show Lost. That gives you a good starting point, but you need to read it to get the full experience. It also features Leonardo da Vinci, Isaac Newton, and Nostradamus as major players in Marvel history. Plus, the art by Dustin Weaver is freaking gorgeous. Recently, I read his first issue of Ultimate Comics Thor and it delivered in spades. It’s a great start to the miniseries.

So, those are three reasons that I’m cheerful about comics. What are yours (not that you need three)? Comment below and let me know.

Now, go read a comic!

Roger Ash manning the booth

C2E2 (Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo, in case you didn’t know) had its inaugural show this past weekend, April 16-18, at McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois. Comic fans from all over came to see what was new from their favorite publishers, meet their favorite artists, maybe get a sketch or an autograph, and generally have a good time enjoying this hobby we all love so much. What’s more, we at Westfield were there!

It was great seeing all the customers who stopped by to say hi, give us some helpful input, and even offer up the occasional outright praise. Your kindness made us blush (or at least we think it was blush – some of us had an awful lot of makeup on …). Anyway, it was also great to meet new friends who we hope will greet us next year as loyal customers and fun to give away some awesome prizes! Although Roger will be dedicating Thursday’s post to Westfield’s adventures at C2E2, here’s a look at the lucky winners along with their swag:

Daddyman w/ Catwoman figure!

Max F. w/ Signed Grendel Print!

Edgar F. w/ Black & White Batman statue!

Conrad S. w/ Bome figure!

Steve B. w/ signed Buffy print

Robert D. w/ Mouse Guard plush

Kevin R. w/ Star Wars figure set

Amanda F. w/ Signed Usagi Yojimbo print

Felix the Cat

by Josh Crawley

In case you missed it, last Wednesday we posted an interview by me with Athena Voltaire‘s Steve Bryant about his Kickstarter-funded business model, among other things. For my first real interview (not that I recall ever doing a fake interview), it’s not too shabby.

In highly-related news, an Athena Voltaire Kickstarter campaign update (unless another pledge comes in before I finish this column): 84% funded 18 days in. That’s awesome! Remember: if Steve goes above that, it just means he can spend even more time making some kick-ass comic books!

And now, back to your regularly scheduled programming…

IDW goes premiere! See page 139! IDW has debuted a new design to go with their new place in the catalog; I like!

Felix the Cat the Great Comic Book Tails

As I look at our listing for this, I realized something missing in our new site’s design that the print Previews catalog listing has: ISBN (978-1-60010-705-4), trim size (7″ x 11″), and page count (224). Since I see their “standard” trim size graphic novels don’t have a trim listed, I think it’s safe to say this is slightly over-sized, similar to DC’s Deluxe Edition hardcovers or Marvel’s Omnibus size. All of that hullabaloo aside, I’m looking forward to this because I’ve never actually seen any of these, but I’ve always thought Felix’s design was great.

Negative Burn

Negative Burn Volume 1

200 pages at 6″ by 9″ (over 10,000 square inches!) of anthologized comic goodness. While I know anthologies don’t appeal to many people for a variety of reasons, they really are a great way to sample a great variety of material and to find something new that you may not have realized you were missing out on, and Negative Burn always has a high caliber of talent.

And now I jump back to the front of Previews…

Trouble Maker

Troublemaker Book 1

This was listed last month, so I’m not quite sure why they’re listing it again. I’m going to be a little less lazy, because I’m actually going to go find what I wrote for it and copy & paste it so you can read it again (post-coolant leak): Other than the art by Joëlle Jones (note to self, read Token), the book has a female lead who’s a mechanic? Awesome! Wonder if she could fix my coolant leak.

Usagi Yojimbo Vol. 8

Usagi Yojimbo Volumes 8: Shades of Death, 9: Daisho, and 10: Brink of Life & Death are back in print; finally! Though it would be nice if they weren’t taking 4 months to get shipped out.

Eerie

Eerie Archives Volume 5

…has one of those amazingly gorgeous Frank Frazetta covers.

Bettie Page Statue

Bettie Page Girl of our Dreams by Dave Stevens Statue

Sadly, this statue doesn’t look quite as much like Dave Stevens art as it should. It looks like someone decided her curves weren’t “21st Century scrawny & lanky” enough and they stretched out her arms, torso and thighs to make them lankier.

Or sometimes a beautiful drawing should just be left as that: a drawing.

Batman Beyond

Batman Beyond #1

Terry McGinnis!

Detective Comics

Detective Comics #866

Stand alone Denny O’Neil -penned tale!

Batman Streets of Gotham

Batman: Streets of Gotham #13

Bruce Wayne’s returning! In my mind, the sole reason is so Paul Dini can continue this great Tommy Elliot/Bruce Wayne feud we haven’t seen since Heart of Hush.

Also, isn’t that an awesome trifecta of Dustin Nguyen covers (with two issues drawn by him!)? If you said yes, you are correct.

Power Girl

Power Girl #13

Sami Basri’s artwork is amazing, but I honestly haven’t cared too much for Judd Winick’s work in quite some time.

Team-Ups of the Brave and the Bold

Team-Ups of the Brave and the Bold hardcover

Every single one of these stories I’ve read by Straczynski & Saiz has been great! If you aren’t reading these, you probably should be. The Flash & Blackhawks story was just nominated for an Eisner Award, so that isn’t just baseless hype.

Dark Rain

Dark Rain: A New Orleans Story hardcover

I’m a fan of 2-color comics, and I’ve heard good things about Incognegro (also by Mat Johnson, which I should read very soon), so you should buy this! Well, not really my logic, but maybe you got a laugh out of it.

Fables Covers by James Jean

Fables: Covers by James Jean (new printing hardcover)

No mention is made as to whether or not this has the handful of covers not in the original edition, but I really hope that’s the case since it’s ten dollars more than that edition only a couple of years later.

Madame Xanadu

Madame Xanadu #24
So you read my Madame Xanadu Disenchanted review and decided to start picking up single issues, right? Great idea! This issue is the start of a new storyline, and each issue showcases off the talents of some great artists, culminating with series regular Amy Reeder Hadley!

Ame Comi PVC Figure Artemis

Ame Comi Heroine Series: Artemis PVC Figure

I’m a sucker for cool figure repaints as it is, but Artemis?! Aw yeah! Sadly, this is tough for me to decide, because I wasn’t overly fond of the sculpt around the mouth and nose area.

Batman Under the Red Hood DVD Maquette - Red Hood

Batman: Under the Red Hood DVD Red Hood Maquette

When I first saw this, my first thought: That’s an awesome Slade-can’t-call-him-Deathstroke-the-Terminator from (the Cartoon Network, not that I recall another) Teen Titans cartoon! Then I realized it was from one of those Batman stories I didn’t really care for. Honestly, it still looks killer! (Ha ha! Assassination pun!)

Seems like this is taking forever. I considered breaking this up, dear reader, but I want to do a Chicago Comics & Entertainment Expo (A.K.A. C2E2) report next week, so I will be soldiering on! Already did IDW, so on to Image, new home to Tim Seeley’s Hack/Slash! Why the move from Devil’s Due? For a quick overview, check out Rich Johnston’s Bleeding Cool article.

Hack Slash My First Maniac

Hack/Slash: My First Maniac #1
Seeley & Nei Ruffino
Jenny Frisson
You can’t go wrong with either cover, but if I had to choose, I’d go with the Frisson cover. Tim will get over the hurt feelings.

Hack Slash Omnibus

Hack/Slash Omnibus Volume 1 (new printing)

Since I hadn’t actually bought any Hack/Slash in quite some time, I decided to pick up the omnibus editions, but then they went out of print. This might be a late birthday present to myself.

Hack Slash Vol. 3

Hack/Slash Volume 3: Friday the 31st (new printing softcover)

This is especially nice to see, since we have every other volume in stock at the store. Plus, Seeley isn’t making you choose one format over another (regular volumes vs. omnibus). I hear variety is the spice of life!

Sea Bear & Grizzly Shark

Sea Bear & Grizzly Shark #1

“They got mixed up!” The title says all I need to know!

Okay, this is taking too long. I’m through Image (sorry, Top Cow, you’ll get more love soon; promise!). The trek through the rest of Previews will be swift this month.

Starkweather Immortal

Starkweather: Immortal hardcover

I met Dave Rodriguez & Patrick McEvoy way back in the summer of 2007 at Wizard World Chicago when we all had books on the Archaia Comics schedule (though I was just lettering). Long story short, this is a well-written, great looking book that got delayed for quite some time due to the Archaia Comics restructuring (for lack of a better term). For a look at the cut-from-the-collection behind-the-scenes digital painting tutorial by McEvoy, go over to deviantArt!

Darkwing Duck

Darkwing Duck #1

Let’s get DANGEROUS!

Uncle Scrooge

Uncle Scrooge #392

New Gizmoduck?!

Patricia Biggs Alpha and Omega

Patricia Briggs’ Alpha & Omega: Cry Wolf Volume 1 #2

Order the set to be sure you get the Jordan Gunderson cover!

Last Airbender

Last Airbender Movie Adaptation graphic novel

I really hope this movie does well, but I also hope the artwork looks as good as the solicitation cover for this adaptation.

Sorry I babbled so much. It would have been even more if there weren’t some freaky convergence of all the things I have going on right now taking up so much time.

If you see me at C2E2 or the Retailer Summit beforehand, say “Hi!”
______________________

Josh Crawley

Josh Crawley is the tenured Master of Disaster (whether he’s heroic or evil remains to be seen) for Westfield Comics, not to be confused with Josh Crawley, the keyboardist for Everclear.

http://www.twitter.com/joshcrawley

josh@westfieldcomics.com

Westfield Comics
ATTN: JOSH
7475 Mineral Point Rd STE 22
Madison WI 53717

X-Men #115

by Roger Ash

“What the heck is magic time, Roger?”

Good question! For the purpose of this column, “Magic Time” refers when comics were magic to you. I’ve found that with many of my friends this is the time shortly after you discovered comics and they had the biggest impression on you. It’s the time when you couldn’t wait for new comic day at your local comic shop, or if you’re old like me, when you’d haunt the spinner rack at the local convenience store looking for new issues of your favorite comics. Or when you were sure every UPS truck that drove down the street had your latest shipment from Westfield. (Yes, I know Westfield doesn’t ship by UPS now, but they did back when I was a customer.)

For me, “Magic Time” was the mid-70s to mid-80s. Granted, I didn’t start collecting until the late 70s, but I got a lot of back issues in those days before comics were collected mere months after they were published. Howard the Duck by Steve Gerber & Gene Colan. X-Men by Chris Claremont and John Byrne. Amazing Spider-Man by Roger Stern and John Romita Jr. Thor by Walter Simonson. Fantastic Four by John Byrne. American Flagg by Howard Chaykin. Detective by Steve Englehart and Marshall Rogers. Warlock by Jim Starlin. New Teen Titans by Marv Wolfman and George Perez. Dr. Strange by Steve Englehart and Frank Brunner. Just typing this makes me smile. And those titles are just the tip of the iceberg. (and these links will take you to current collections of the books if you want to see what had me so excited.)

Howard the Duck #15

Comics were new and exciting and fresh to me. I could pick up a new issue for 35 cents and see if I liked it. The stories may have been based on what came before, but at that point, I was unfamiliar with what came before. It felt like the creators were taking chances, stretching their wings, and speaking to their readers in ways comics outside of the underground hadn’t before. C’mon, Dr. Bong in Howard the Duck? Really? An obvious drug reference that completely escaped the Comics Code. Or how about having Dr. Strange meet God? Adam Warlock fighting an evil version of himself. Very trippy, mind-expanding stuff.

Thor #353

But even within the normal strictures of superheroes, things were new and fresh. Part of that came from the right creators being on the right book at the right time. Thor was never a character that interested me much, but when Walter Simonson took over the book, that all changed. The mix of traditional superheroics, Norse mythology, and Simonson’s dynamic art made Thor and his world exciting to me. Around the same time, John Byrne began his run on Fantastic Four, which is probably the most celebrated run on the book since Stan Lee & Jack Kirby. Byrne’s mix of family dynamics and cosmic adventure made this book a favorite of mine month after month.

Critters #10

And the burgeoning direct market brought in new publishers that added even more new and exciting comics to the mix. Over at First, Howard Chaykin’s American Flagg mixed adventure and politics into a heady, can’t miss brew. Fantagraphics’ anthology series Critters introduced me to two series that quickly became favorites; Stan Sakai’s Usagi Yojimbo and Mike Kazaleh’s Adventures of Captain Jack.

Things have changed since then. I’ve changed. Comics have changed. There are still wonderful comics being done today, but I doubt any will have the impact on me that those I read during my magic time did. So, what is your magic time? What books got you going when you first started reading comics? Post your comments below and let me know.

Now, go read a comic!

Cover images for this column come from the Grand Comics Database.

Everybody is different and if you’re one of those who waits til the absolute last second, I’ve got some holiday gift recommendations for you.  Get these at Westfield in Madison by 3pm the 24th! Or you can purchase some of them through our mail order site – they’ll just take a bit longer to get to you.

Here we go!

Usagi Yojimbo: Yokai

First up Usagi Yojimbo: Yokai – a beautiful embossed and hard bound masterpiece!

Second, for a Batman fan I’d say the new trade comprising the Batman Confidential story, The Bat and the Cat.

One Piece

Third, One Piece (any volume), 23 being the newest.  If you’re not reading this and you’re into anime or anything of the sort, I feel for you.  $7.95 with VIZ keeping it at a low price, unlike other Shonen Jump series going for $9.99.

Fourth, the Naruto Shippuden Series 1 figures are here.  Two figures including Naruto and his Rasengan.  Just awesome!

Sonic Archives

Fifth,  you always should go with Sonic. Anything Sonic the Hedgehog you see in the store you should just buy.  Everything is good: Archives 1-11, Select 1 and 2, and the amazing run of the current comic.  Like Knuckles better?  Get the new Sonic Universe #11 featuring an all Knuckles story that started in issue #9.

Supergirl PVC Statue

And a bonus suggestion is the amazing Japanese Supergirl PVC Statue above the “S” section of comics!  Wow is that one neat.

Westfield Comics Gift Card always make a gresat gift if you’re  just not all that sure what your friend will like!

Purchase

Usagi Yojimbo: Yokai

One Piece

Sonic the Hedgehog

Supergirl PVC Statue