Breaking Into Comics - The MARVEL Way # 2

Writers: Various

Artists: Various

Publisher: Marvel

Published: May 2010

This comic was a great way to introduce fans to some up-and-coming talent in the Marvel U. Breaking Into Comics is a showcase for new talent, who describe their experiences on getting hired by Marvel as well penning/illustrating some great stories. This particular issue has 5 tales, centred around a choice selection of Marvels characters: The Fantastic Four, Thor, The New Mutants, Psylocke, and Deadpool.

Of particular note was the New Mutant tale illustrated by Gabriel Hernandez Walta. The story is dark, very disturbing, and all grown up for a bunch of teenage muties. Hernandez Walta delivers top notch artwork. His work is foreboding, menacing, and deliberate. Just beautiful. After reading the tale, I couldn't get it out of my mind. It has such force.

The remainder of tales are great as well. With these folks propelling Marvel Foward, I'd say DC has their work cut out for them...then again DC has got Batman and Grant Morrison...

Here's a collage of some images from Breaking Into Comics:

Heavy Metal Presents Moebius

Writer/Artist: Moebius

Publisher: Heavy Metal

Published: June 1979 (based on the intro by Federico Fellini)

Moebius, the alter ego of Jean Girand, is a force unto himself. Moebius's work is a psychedelic blend of space, time, and power. His illustrations force the viewer into a new realm of experience.

This issue is a showcase of some of Moebius work...I won't go into detail as I think the art speaks for itself.

Martial Arts, Authorized Training Manual: Michaelangelo and the Art of the Nunchaku

Writer: Peter Brody

Artist: Jason Rogers

Publisher: Solson Publications

Published: 1986

This gem is an authorized training manual on the art of the nunchaku, with illustrations of Michaelangelo providing the lessons. Need I say more?

Yes.

This manual is a great resource for kids to learn how to wield a dangerous weapon. I love it. When I was a kid, nunchucks were the holy grail of weapons. However, I missed the boat on this issue back in '86, and had to rely on Bruce Lee movies as my learning guide. I think I've done well over the years with my nunchucku skills. 100 bludgeoned can't be wrong, right?

One thing, I love about this issue is the illustrations are full bodied, composed of clean lines. So, if your kids are too young to take up the art of pummelling sticks, the comic makes for a handy colouring book.

I have a huge love of colouring books. Here's a link to some of my work on colouring books.

Also here are some odd ads in a training manual: Texas Chainsaw Samurai, and Sultry Teenage Super Foxes. Only in comics...

Fearless Dawn # 1 - Free Comic Book Day

Writer/Artist: Steve Mannion

Publisher: Asylum Press

Published: May 2010

Probably one of the more provocative covers for a free comic book in recent years. Fearless Dawn is a superhero of sorts. She's, she's, well I'm not 100% sure, but she has a weird bat/antler type hat, a leather vest, leather slacks, tattoos, and a whole of fiestyness - which make her a superhero in my books!

In the eight page preview, she's storms Manitoba (?), to take down illegal suppliers of the deadly COMBAT DRUG! Basically she mows down a bunch of nazi type individuals, with the last page having her confront a drugged up baddie. Good stuff. The art is a nice blend of pin-up cheesecake with visceral action. Mannion seems to like drawing attractive ladies fighting military-esque monsters. Which is awesome.

The remainder of the issue has more previews of Asylum Presses other works. There are some good stuff...but to me Fearless Dawn is the highlight. Check the site for more in yo face awesomeness. But before you head on over, check out some kick-ass art below.

THB - Comics From Mars # 1

Writer/Artist: Paul Pope
Publisher: Adhouse Books
Published: July 2007

Comix-365 is back! And what better way to kick start things with one of my favorite artists/writers: Paul Pope! (That, and I just recently met the guy in Toronto at the TCAF show - but more on that later.)

THB is one of those comics that is largely overlooked by the mainstream. This is a shame...I consider this series a diamond in the rough. It's the perfect cross between adolescent rockabilly and high-minded Sci-Fi. This particular issue has four tales. The first is an awesome 5 page graphic of Popes futuristic sport, Zoo Ball. The second is a history lesson from the main character HR, and the third is, well I'll let Pope describe: "Fun! Comics - The UR-PEOPLE are the unseen continuity mechanics living between sequential phases of meta-fictive time/space." This is in my opinion the best tale of the four. It has a certain quirkiness, not unlike the film "Being John Malkovich" but crossed with a Disney-esque pedigree. Finally the final tale concerns the famed Bumble Hipshakes that only a certain gangster on Mars can make.

As stated above, a few weeks back I attended Toronto's The Comic Art Festival. It celebrates and discusses comics, with a focus on independent creators. The reason I attended was to catch the panel discussion between Paul Pope and Dash Shaw. The panel was neat. It was cool to actually hear some thoughts and opinions from one of my favorite comic creators. He seems like a nice guy, a bit introverted, but not in socially-shy way. What I found interesting during the discussion, is that Pope is bit of a paradox. He comes from indie roots, produces amazing indie works, but also has an active and widely sought out style by mainstream press. He's been in GQ, Playboy, has worked for the big guys, DC and Marvel, and so on... one of the possible reasons for this dichotomy stems from his work on THB.

As I had mentioned earlier, THB has yet to capture a mainstream audience. There have been an handful of issues over the years, and while each are golden reads, THB's stunted success seems to be bit of a frustration for Pope. Here's a magnificent series, but it has yet to be fully appreciated. And Pope wants to be appreciated. As an artist, this is paramount. While producing art for a singular audience is rewarding in of itself, it is so much more rewarding to have a larger audience embrace and demand more of your artwork. THB is series that screams to be appreciated, not just because it's awesome, but because it bleeds awesome. So, as Pope mentioned in the discussion, one way to get his message, his art, his way of thinking out was to tackle the superheroes. He want after the big guy - Batman. He wanted to reach a larger audience. What better way than the greatest fictional comic character in history?

What is interesting about this statement, is that it worked. On me. I never heard of Paul Pope until I read Batman Year 100. I was blown away. I got it. I saw and embraced the Paul Pope vision. Now I'm hooked.


More Comix 365 articles:  

Basil Wolverton Plop!

Wolverine Lord of the Vampires

Scalped # 12

Writer: Jason Aaron

Artist: John Paul Leon

Colours: Giulia Brusco

Publisher: Vertigo

Published: February 2008

My town's local public library is a great place. They have DVD's, CDs, a huge assortment of books, magazines, but more importantly they have a pretty decent selection of graphic novels. The library has Paul Pope's Heavy Liquid, Darwyn Cooke's Selina's Big Score, Alan Moore's run on Swamp Thing, Grant Morrison's WE3 - we'll as you can see they got's the greats....however, they also have Jason Aaron and R.M. Guera's Scalped; which catapults this great selection to a spectacular selection.

Being fairly on-top of the comic scene, I am ashamed to say that this series has slipped under my radar...boy am I grateful for my library! Scalped is a story about a group of individuals on the Prairie Rose Reservation. It is dark, crime-noir story, filled with murder, deception, lust, betrayal, pride, heritage, drugs, and well, you get the point. Aside from these basic noir elements, what makes this series so great, is that Aaron has brought Aboriginal Americans to the forefront of his story. In 12 issues, Aaron has covered government interference vs. autonomy, measuring one's aboriginal status in fractions, spirit totems, protests, reservations vs. prisons, and remembering one's heritage, no matter at what price that memory costs.

In issue 12, Aaron and guest artist John Paul Leon deliver a standalone story to bring new readers up to speed on Dashiell Bad Horse's situation. The story consists of Dash caught in vicious dreams of his past, present, and possible future.

Of key note, in six pages, Dash relives and experiences

horrific events of Aboriginal American history. He is confronted with hate, prejudice, murder, theft, foreign disease, and ultimately, the importance of heritage and unity. I don't want to give away too much, but let me just say that the image below is enough to drive home the fact that Scalped is a great series that merits immediate attention.

Living in Canada, and having lived in a town that was less than 10km away from a First Nations Reservation, I have had many opportunities to consider what life may be like for a First Nations person. However, before I start, I want to preface my thoughts with the fact that although I may think and imagine what life is like for a First Nations person, I can never actually know or understand what that life is like....

Nevertheless, from what I do know and understand, if I were to imagine myself in the same shoes as a First Nations person, I know for fact that I would be in a very negative mood. First, being segregated into reservations is a negative for me. I don't like being told were to live. Second, if I were to leave, I don't like being told there will be consequences, be it social, financial or otherwise. Third, I don't like that on government forms I am constantly confronted with the "aboriginal" check box. Fourthly, I don't like the idea that political posts that work with Aboriginals are called 'Indian Affairs.' Fifthly, I don't like that children who attend schools with aboriginals don't see aboriginals as classmates, but see their aboriginal classmates as just aboriginals.

Maybe I'm the biased one and my frustrations are unfounded, but one thing I do think is valid is that a persons identity and self worth can never be fully realized as long as someone else is telling them what they are and what they should do.

Detective Comics #854 - Batwoman

Writer: Greg Rucka
Artist: J.H. Williams III
Colors: Dave Stewart
Publisher: DC
Published: June 2009

Now this is what I call a comic! Great intrigue, conflicted characters, and most spectacularly, out of this world art design and layout! Williams knows his shit! I don't think I've seen a comic look this slick.

Batwoman's costume is awesome. I didn't realize it until this comic, but the color red on a Bat-costume is outstanding. Batwoman looks both stylish and deadly, which really, is what we want in our comic heroes.

Now the unavoidable: Batwoman is gay. This fact has heated up the comic world (at least some comic corners). Honestly I don't know why. When I bought DC 854 I bought it based on the previews of the artwork. I had no idea who the new Batwoman was or that she would be gay. I admit I was a tad surprised when I found out during my read. I even remarked to my girlfriend after reading DC that Batwoman was now a lesbian. My girlfriend tsked and remarked "oh great." As in "oh great" just wait till they break out the girl-on-girl scenarios.

Now don't get her wrong, she has a valid point. Comics, unfortunately carry the stigma of appealing to more stereotypical desires of males. This is because most comics (but not all) comics are written by males and read by males.

This presents a unique situation where women characters are written from the point of view of a man. How can a male accurately/honestly create and portray a woman character? I'm sure I don't know...but I'm sure glad that in Detective Comics 854, Rucka and Williams avoid the cliches and pandering that can easily be exploited from portraying a woman who looks good, wears tight leather/spandex, beats the tar out of people, and is also a lesbian. Good on them for keeping things in perspective.