Category
comics
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comics
Indie comics
Lately, I’ve been gravitating toward indie comics, preferably situational, dramatic ones. I always wanted to write a comic myself, but since I can’t draw myself, and know of no comic artist who’d be interested in working with me, it’s never really come to pass. At any rate, I thought I’d share some of the comics I’ve enjoyed lately:
Umbrella Academy - I usually steer far clear of creators who moved into creating comics by exploiting their successes in other industries (particularly the film/tv/music ones), but Gerard Way (lead singer from My Chemical Romance) actually wrote a pretty decent little mini-series with loads of interesting ideas in it. If anything, it’s a little too chock-full of concepts as many of them are never really fully explained in the comic. At any rate, it’s a fun comic, and harkens back to the Sandman/Book of Magic/The Dreaming style, which we rarely see anymore.
Blankets by Craig Thompson - I never imagined I’d read a book with such a high focus on christianity, but this one is just fantastic. It’s an autobiography of the creator as a child and how he discovers himself and his first love, and how he is forced to reconcile his human urges with what God expects from him. At the end, of course, he’s no longer Christian, but it’s interesting to read the path he takes and the sheer confusion and questioning we all have gone through as teenage kids.
The Boys - If you’ve ever read The Preacher, you’ll know Garth Ennis’ sense of ultra-violent, tasteless parody. And you get it in loads in this particular comic. He drags the superhero through the shit-encrusted mud, ripping the heros APART. It’s absolutely hysterical, especially when moments such as when the newbie christian superheroine is forced to suck the cocks of each veteran male member in the elite superhero organization she’s joined, The Seven (of course, bankrolled by a major corporation). It’s a gangbang BJ fest. It just gets harsher from there. And I love it LOL!
Locke & Key - Okay okay, I know I said I refuse to read comics by folks who use their position on the social totem pole to get into the industry, but Stephen King’s son Joe Hill is a fun read. This spooky, kinda screwed up ghost story about an evil spectre that can only be seen by two boys who moved into the family home after their father is brutally murdered by two crazy teens is very solid and has great art. Highly recommended.
Local - This comic has much of the feel of the Optic Nerve series, except it comes out on a consistent basis. I loved Optic Nerve but unfortunately that creator hasn’t been successful in keeping it going over the years. This one, however, is a lot of fun. Kinda angsty, 20/30-something dramatic series by Brian Wood.
Fun Home - The only truly gay comic in this list, Fun Home is created by Alison Bechdel, author of the comic strip Dykes to Watch Out For. I never read the comic strip, but this graphic novel is absolutely riveting, about a woman questioning her sexuality and dealing with the suicide of her father, a closeted gay man. This is a MUST read for anyone interested in LGBT-themed comics.
Kick-Ass - written by Mark Millar, who was responsible for the comic, Wanted, that recently opened as a motion picture. It’s drawn by John Romita Jr., who’s a longtime comics pro in the industry. The comic follows a teenage boy who decides he is going to become a superhero, regardless if he actually has powers or not. What follows is his SEVERE beating when he confronts a gang, his rehabilitation, and his attempt yet again. It’s only 3 issues so far, but man is it brutal. Fun too. -
comics, movies
The Spirit
WOW…the new Spirit trailer looks GREAT. Looks like Frank Miller (300, Sin City) is actively involved in the art direction on this movie too! Check it out here
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comics
So…X-Men crossovers…
I thought Endangered Species sucked. But Messiah Complex kinda ruled.
But…who’s the baby (spoilers)?I think it’s Rachel…NOT Jean.
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chicago, comics, movies
Crazy Coworkers
You know what these are? These are pix of the INSIDE of one of the Lamborghinis used for the Batman film shoot today. They’re all parked across the street, and one of my coworkers used his name badge to finagle his way onto the set and INTO one of these cars.
He just got shooed away…good thing for him LOL!
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comics
DMZ
I just finished catching up on the comic, DMZ, by Brian Wood. It’s a Vertigo comic set in the near future and involves a 2nd Civil War in the United States. This Civil War occurs as a result of the American peoples’ anger with the government’s interests in foreign affairs (like Iraq) and rise up against said government in an attempt to overthrow them.
Manhattan ends up being the demilitarized zone and is populated with the folks who couldn’t get out of the city when the war erupted…primarily, the poor, holdouts, and other such types.
The main character is a young reporter who makes his way into the city and learns the realities of living life in the DMZ, and how each faction of the battle attempts to outwit (or outgun) the other.
It’s a sobering, absolutely incredible comic that is a must read for just about anyone today…not just comics fans. It’s obviously fiction, but I can’t help but feel we’re only a couple more good scandals by our current administration away from this happening in our reality.
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comics, funny
Poke-a-WHAT??
Sometimes, Penny Arcade can be absolutely hilarious. I’ve given up on reading his cryptic posts as he seems more interested in exposition than he is in giving us real information. He used to be way funnier when he didn’t take himself so seriously:
adam schwenk
my personal site for all things geek, and, therefore, cool.
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