The title? Personal thing.
The
comic book and jazz are the two purely American art forms. By
"American" I also include South and Central. But, like everything else
Vespuccian (sorry), there is no pure distinction. Both art forms are
hybrids.
Cartoons
are as old as art. The English apparently invented the modern
conception of a "cartoon," largely through Punch. (That's my Eurocentric
version, anyway). I'm not clear on comic strips: though that form may
have been the invention of the creator of "The Yellow Kid," I have a
feeling there are Things Similar that came before it.
Anyway,
it seems the comic book is ours. And it has emerged from being a way to
make money off children into a highly personal art form.
Here's
the list (in the order as best I can re-create) of the graphic novels
(or whatever) I've checked out from the public library this year that I
truly enjoyed:
The Sandman: Endless Nights*
The Originals
V for Vendetta
The Girl from H.O.P.P.E.R.S.
Perla La Loca
Sloth*
The Best American Comics 2007
100 Bullets: First Shot, Last Call
David Boring
The Shooting War
Trailers
Fun Home*
Fortune and Glory
Postcards
Caricature
The Rabbi's Cat
Life in a Jugular Vein
The Rabbi's Cat II*
The Education of Hopey Glass
We Are On Our Own*
Ice Haven
Alias The Cat*
La Perdida*
Super Spy*
All
are excellent. I've put an asterisk (*) beside the ones I found beyond
excellent. You can see I've been on a roll lately, hence this post.
(Again, forget the title. It's personal.)
These
seem ideal for public libraries, because I personally doubt I'd buy any
off the bat except "Endless Nights" from a bookstore (assuming I had
any money, that is), or that I'd even pull them off the shelf for a
look. But they are perfect for checkout. And all so very nuanced and
personal, I doubt they even belong in a comics shop.
I've
posted before about some commercial comics I really like, but I've
ignored mentioning the (true) independents -- largely because they often
start in serial form (fancy term for comic strip) in 'zines, or other
small-press publications. I know no outlet for 'zines available to me,
nor have I ever considered them for purchase when I did have one (or
two) available.
I
checked out some other "graphic novels" from the library during this
period, but they are not worth mentioning. In this form of comic, the
stories and art either work brilliantly, or they don't work at all. A
few of the "unmentionables" are earlier works of creators in the above
list, even the asterisked ones. (That's why I don't even consider buying
'zines -- my loss, maybe, but ... .)
If
you're open to being played (once and a while, anyway), it just means
you're still alive. It's the players who are dead (to themselves --
otherwise, why would they play anybody?). What you have to remember is
the old line, "fool me once, ... ."
Another
one is an exit line from that great modern philosopher, Horatio Caine:
"That's the problem with manipulating people: they can turn on you."
Yeah, that was the personal part.
Originally posted to LiveJournal on June 17, 2008
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Ozzy Came Later ...
You got two (halves) for the price of one ...
(Read more ...)
And it was called Tales of Suspense. As I've mentioned before, Marvel Comics had to limit its titles (thanks to a distribution deal with DC), and ended up publishing several "twofer" comics in the early 60's.
The Wertham scare the '50s and the Comics Code Authority that followed it left Marvel publishing a lot of "monster" comics, as they were known. Mainly sci-fi morality tales, they foreshadowed the kinds of stories we view weekly on TV now (especially the old X-files -- in movie houses near you soon, I hear). They also may have influenced early TV, like The Twilight Zone, but I'm not sure about that.
Marvel decided to re-enter the super-hero market in the early 60s. That's why the Fantastic Four origin story had its roots in the kind of sci-fi Marvel was publishing already. Spider-Man's origin also had a sci-fi angle, as did the Hulk. You may recall that it's The Amazing Spiderman, taken from the Amazing Fantasy title Spidey first appeared in, and then replaced with his second appearance.
What made Marvel so different was that all its super-heroes had their own Achilles' heels to deal with. What made Marvel so doubly different was that sometimes an Achilles' heel was psychological, rather than physical. In fact, that was the rule, rather than the exception.
There was one exception to that exceptional rule: Iron Man.
My offhand research (ain't tabbed browsing wonderful!) tells me that Iron Man took over Tales of Suspense in the early 60s, but was joined by Captain America (a Marvel property held over from the 1940s) in 1964. The two were in a story together, then they appeared in their own story lines after that. Half the comic was Iron Man, the other Cap. (Also true of Nick Fury/Doc Strange and Hulk/Sub-Mariner.)
It was pretty much my favorite comic when I was that age, (as posted before) by default. Gene Colan's colorful Iron Man was nonetheless dark and dramatic, and nothing could match the way Jack Kirby illustrated the adventures of Captain America. Sometimes, these heroes actually lost battles, as did other Marvel heroes, but Iron Man and Cap somehow overcame heavier obstacles than their heroic counterparts to win the day.
While Cap's Achilles heel was time-based (a resurrected super-soldier from WW 2), Iron Man's was physical. His real-life persona, Tony Stark, had a bad heart -- so bad that he couldn't live long without donning the Iron Man suit at least once a day. Though Stark was a multi-millionaire, his mortality was ever before him. While being Iron Man hurt his social life, always knowing he was a heartbeat away from Forever destroyed it. And he felt conflicted over that -- so Stan Lee and Co. got the psychological Achilles' heel in there, anyway.
I really looked forward to seeing Tales of Suspense every month back then, when summer vacation had meaning. I still remember the walks back home, comic in a slim paper bag, from the only bookstore in town those days, and I recall them with immense nostalgia (just about the only nostalgia I have for my adolescence).
I set comics aside as I grew older (again, as posted earlier), but when I heard the opening lines to Black Sabbath's first great hit song, the high I felt was immediate.
LJ orig.: April 29, 2008
(Read more ...)
And it was called Tales of Suspense. As I've mentioned before, Marvel Comics had to limit its titles (thanks to a distribution deal with DC), and ended up publishing several "twofer" comics in the early 60's.
The Wertham scare the '50s and the Comics Code Authority that followed it left Marvel publishing a lot of "monster" comics, as they were known. Mainly sci-fi morality tales, they foreshadowed the kinds of stories we view weekly on TV now (especially the old X-files -- in movie houses near you soon, I hear). They also may have influenced early TV, like The Twilight Zone, but I'm not sure about that.
Marvel decided to re-enter the super-hero market in the early 60s. That's why the Fantastic Four origin story had its roots in the kind of sci-fi Marvel was publishing already. Spider-Man's origin also had a sci-fi angle, as did the Hulk. You may recall that it's The Amazing Spiderman, taken from the Amazing Fantasy title Spidey first appeared in, and then replaced with his second appearance.
What made Marvel so different was that all its super-heroes had their own Achilles' heels to deal with. What made Marvel so doubly different was that sometimes an Achilles' heel was psychological, rather than physical. In fact, that was the rule, rather than the exception.
There was one exception to that exceptional rule: Iron Man.
My offhand research (ain't tabbed browsing wonderful!) tells me that Iron Man took over Tales of Suspense in the early 60s, but was joined by Captain America (a Marvel property held over from the 1940s) in 1964. The two were in a story together, then they appeared in their own story lines after that. Half the comic was Iron Man, the other Cap. (Also true of Nick Fury/Doc Strange and Hulk/Sub-Mariner.)
It was pretty much my favorite comic when I was that age, (as posted before) by default. Gene Colan's colorful Iron Man was nonetheless dark and dramatic, and nothing could match the way Jack Kirby illustrated the adventures of Captain America. Sometimes, these heroes actually lost battles, as did other Marvel heroes, but Iron Man and Cap somehow overcame heavier obstacles than their heroic counterparts to win the day.
While Cap's Achilles heel was time-based (a resurrected super-soldier from WW 2), Iron Man's was physical. His real-life persona, Tony Stark, had a bad heart -- so bad that he couldn't live long without donning the Iron Man suit at least once a day. Though Stark was a multi-millionaire, his mortality was ever before him. While being Iron Man hurt his social life, always knowing he was a heartbeat away from Forever destroyed it. And he felt conflicted over that -- so Stan Lee and Co. got the psychological Achilles' heel in there, anyway.
I really looked forward to seeing Tales of Suspense every month back then, when summer vacation had meaning. I still remember the walks back home, comic in a slim paper bag, from the only bookstore in town those days, and I recall them with immense nostalgia (just about the only nostalgia I have for my adolescence).
I set comics aside as I grew older (again, as posted earlier), but when I heard the opening lines to Black Sabbath's first great hit song, the high I felt was immediate.
LJ orig.: April 29, 2008
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Ode to the BBC Radiophonic Workshop
It was the theme that got me.
(Read more ...)
From the very start, the hammering synth bass grabbed me. Then, a theremin-like melody nailed me to the floor. And the stupid-looking kaleidescope vid behind the opening credits made me laugh.
That was my intro (and The Intro) to Doctor Who -- the sci-fi adventure TV show from across the pond. The fourth Doctor was the one that made the trip to Stateside (as in United ... ) for reasons that became clear much later.
US's public television picked up Doctor Who from the Beeb because the star -- actor Tom Baker -- had obvious international appeal. The previous Doctors had been straight from Stratford-on-Avon, and they appealed to British youth, primarily. The original Doctor was an elderly gent in tails (the tux kind) who first took kids on historical tours as an educational program. But (as I believe I've read) the Beeb soon expanded the sci-fi element, and the Doctor as we know him was off and running (from the Daleks or the Cybermen -- I'm not sure which).
A later Doctor combed his hair forward to look Beatlesque, and the third incarnation looked like a refugee from Carnaby Street (no disrespect meant to Jon Pertwee's memory or relations -- I think even he realized it was a bit over the top).
But it was left to Tom Baker to bring the Doctor overseas. He looked (and acted) more like a Tom Stoppard character than anything else, and PBS apparently felt US kids of all ages would like him. They were right.
The first ep I saw introduced the audience to Romana -- the main thing I remember is that Mary Tamm's character could not recall her Earthly name, and she did not like the one the Doctor chose for her. The comic tension between the two set the stage for the series, and it remains a classic.
I saw the eps while I worked in afternoon newspapers: normally we were in early, took a long mid-afternoon break, and were back at it in the evenings -- covering government meetings and the like. So I had free time to spend with the Doctor most afternoons, and I enjoyed every minute.
Though I did not like Mary Tamm's successors as much, I still loved the wild time-bending concept, the absolutely ridiculous special effects, the wonderfully suspenseful scripts, and the sparky (but non-suggestive) repartee between Baker's Doctor and whoever his female companion was at the time.
Baker stayed as long as anyone could (playing iconic characters is tough -- as anyone who's played Superman could tell you), and his successors were less popular. But a thrilling revival, as I understand it, is well underway, as is a licensed comic.
However, I remember the old series fondly (I watched on an eight-inch black-and-white TV set), especially the most unforgettable part -- that marvelous opening theme. It's my understanding that the original recipe* for it is long lost from the archives of the Beeb's Radiophonic lab. But I'm sure modern incarnations of the theme still draw you in. They'd have to.
(return)
It was that good.
___
*The "recipe" was far from lost, which was the subject of a later post.
LJ orig.: April 19, 2008
(Read more ...)
From the very start, the hammering synth bass grabbed me. Then, a theremin-like melody nailed me to the floor. And the stupid-looking kaleidescope vid behind the opening credits made me laugh.
That was my intro (and The Intro) to Doctor Who -- the sci-fi adventure TV show from across the pond. The fourth Doctor was the one that made the trip to Stateside (as in United ... ) for reasons that became clear much later.
US's public television picked up Doctor Who from the Beeb because the star -- actor Tom Baker -- had obvious international appeal. The previous Doctors had been straight from Stratford-on-Avon, and they appealed to British youth, primarily. The original Doctor was an elderly gent in tails (the tux kind) who first took kids on historical tours as an educational program. But (as I believe I've read) the Beeb soon expanded the sci-fi element, and the Doctor as we know him was off and running (from the Daleks or the Cybermen -- I'm not sure which).
A later Doctor combed his hair forward to look Beatlesque, and the third incarnation looked like a refugee from Carnaby Street (no disrespect meant to Jon Pertwee's memory or relations -- I think even he realized it was a bit over the top).
But it was left to Tom Baker to bring the Doctor overseas. He looked (and acted) more like a Tom Stoppard character than anything else, and PBS apparently felt US kids of all ages would like him. They were right.
The first ep I saw introduced the audience to Romana -- the main thing I remember is that Mary Tamm's character could not recall her Earthly name, and she did not like the one the Doctor chose for her. The comic tension between the two set the stage for the series, and it remains a classic.
I saw the eps while I worked in afternoon newspapers: normally we were in early, took a long mid-afternoon break, and were back at it in the evenings -- covering government meetings and the like. So I had free time to spend with the Doctor most afternoons, and I enjoyed every minute.
Though I did not like Mary Tamm's successors as much, I still loved the wild time-bending concept, the absolutely ridiculous special effects, the wonderfully suspenseful scripts, and the sparky (but non-suggestive) repartee between Baker's Doctor and whoever his female companion was at the time.
Baker stayed as long as anyone could (playing iconic characters is tough -- as anyone who's played Superman could tell you), and his successors were less popular. But a thrilling revival, as I understand it, is well underway, as is a licensed comic.
However, I remember the old series fondly (I watched on an eight-inch black-and-white TV set), especially the most unforgettable part -- that marvelous opening theme. It's my understanding that the original recipe* for it is long lost from the archives of the Beeb's Radiophonic lab. But I'm sure modern incarnations of the theme still draw you in. They'd have to.
(return)
It was that good.
___
*The "recipe" was far from lost, which was the subject of a later post.
LJ orig.: April 19, 2008
Monday, April 2, 2012
Coming from a Xerox near you ...
Title's a little misleading, though ...
(Read more ...)
As I have posted here before, labels are often like that. The things I'm referring to that came from a copier did so the mid- to late-1980s. I don't know the proper term, but they were really (AFAIK) the predecessor of " 'zines " -- which, of course, were the predecessors of what we're doing now.
These little mags were comics -- hand-drawn and lettered, black-and-white, and -- by industry standards, anyway -- amateurish. But they were really dark, so full of a wild style of their own, a kind of black-gloss Glamorama with a touch of banned substances (OK, "performace-enhancing" materials) in the mix. OK, no real banned substances that I know of -- just that when you say "on steroids" these days, people tend to take you literally. So, I guess I mean "as if on steroids" ... .
Anyway, these 80s amateur comics, well, some of them were pretty good. And even the ones that weren't sometimes had their moments. And it started a little movement. And the movement took force and shape and moved overseas and stayed underground for years and years and ...
Then there was Angel: After the Fall. Those who find this new comic by IDW a little odd-looking may not remember or ever saw its ancestors that came from the underground and onto some plate glass, and after a couple of glow-glows later, they came to you "for, like only a nickel, dude!" (That's when you had to have the right kind of fade and the left kind of piercings and the down-the-middle mohawk, dudes!)
No, I'm much too old and stodgy (even when I wasn't too old) to have done anything like that style. I just (described many posts ago) worked in a record store (when they still sold records, dudes) where some Black-Flag-lovin' , mohawk-wearin', multi-pierced young folk also worked (and hung out when they didn't). Goth didn't appear (around me, anyway) until years later. So, where I was, the "hardcore" scene was it.
And these new Angel comics bring back memories of experiences I never had -- but only wondered (sometimes aloud) how the kids who did managed to survive them.
And no, they never let me in the Milestone Club, either. (Actually, I was too chicken to try ... .)
(return)
... all of mine are!
LJ orig.: Jan. 16, 2008
(Read more ...)
As I have posted here before, labels are often like that. The things I'm referring to that came from a copier did so the mid- to late-1980s. I don't know the proper term, but they were really (AFAIK) the predecessor of " 'zines " -- which, of course, were the predecessors of what we're doing now.
These little mags were comics -- hand-drawn and lettered, black-and-white, and -- by industry standards, anyway -- amateurish. But they were really dark, so full of a wild style of their own, a kind of black-gloss Glamorama with a touch of banned substances (OK, "performace-enhancing" materials) in the mix. OK, no real banned substances that I know of -- just that when you say "on steroids" these days, people tend to take you literally. So, I guess I mean "as if on steroids" ... .
Anyway, these 80s amateur comics, well, some of them were pretty good. And even the ones that weren't sometimes had their moments. And it started a little movement. And the movement took force and shape and moved overseas and stayed underground for years and years and ...
Then there was Angel: After the Fall. Those who find this new comic by IDW a little odd-looking may not remember or ever saw its ancestors that came from the underground and onto some plate glass, and after a couple of glow-glows later, they came to you "for, like only a nickel, dude!" (That's when you had to have the right kind of fade and the left kind of piercings and the down-the-middle mohawk, dudes!)
No, I'm much too old and stodgy (even when I wasn't too old) to have done anything like that style. I just (described many posts ago) worked in a record store (when they still sold records, dudes) where some Black-Flag-lovin' , mohawk-wearin', multi-pierced young folk also worked (and hung out when they didn't). Goth didn't appear (around me, anyway) until years later. So, where I was, the "hardcore" scene was it.
And these new Angel comics bring back memories of experiences I never had -- but only wondered (sometimes aloud) how the kids who did managed to survive them.
And no, they never let me in the Milestone Club, either. (Actually, I was too chicken to try ... .)
(return)
... all of mine are!
LJ orig.: Jan. 16, 2008
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