“I want a world without gravity. It could be just what I need. I’d watch the stars move close. I’d watch the Earth recede.” From Wicked Gravity, written by Jim Carroll.
There can be poetry in violence. Pete Hamill understood that. So does Gail Simone.
It turns out I’ve been a fan of Gail’s since Day One. Well, Gail Simone’s Day One. Gail wrote the first weekly Simpsons Sunday newspaper strip of its second series; it was, according to legend, her first comics work. I did not know who she was at the time. I assumed she was, and evidently she remains, a woman, and that was still a bit unusual. It was even unusualler to find a woman behind the word processor on anything Simpsons related — of approximately 150 writers on the teevee show, less than ten percent have been female.
These stats won’t surprise any woman in Hollywood or in comics. Or most men.
Gail was “discovered” by then-Bongo Comics editor-in-chief and renown writer, artist, and swell fellah Bill Morrison. This new newspaper strip was to other comic strips what their teevee show was to sitcoms: revolutionary, and far more edgy than other newspaper comics fare. It wasn’t picked up by all that many papers — very few strips in the past three decades have broken that dottering brick-glass ceiling. Continue reading “Brainiac On Banjo: Gail’s Storm”
I don’t know how I ended up with so many coloring books.
Later in life, as a young parent, coloring books were a big part of my kids’ early day. They had zillions of coloring books. Usually, they celebrated whatever was the most popular IP for my daughters. Beauty and the Beast? Sure. 101 Dalmatians? You got it. Fox’s Anastasia? Yes, even that one. As the-dad-who-likes art, we’d have fun coloring together. Especially the characters I liked. You know, the super-heroey types of coloring books. Over the years they also ended up with quite a few Batman and superhero coloring books.
I think this Conan story was made just for me. It opens with a brutal battle and mini-adventure from Conan’s early life, but quickly skips ahead a few decades. Conan is in his sixth decade (believe me, I know what that’s like). He’s in a comfortable place in his life, as King of Aquilonia. 
I’ve been really enjoying the 
The French cartoonist, Amazing Ameziane, has a wonky style. Or maybe I should styles, as he is constantly switching up his page layouts and illustration style. And that works perfectly with this book.
I’ve been enjoying Titan’s new Conan comics more than I ever expected to. For me, it all started with speaking to Jim Zub at the SDCC a couple of years ago. His enthusiasm for the project was palpable. The monthly series is brilliant. It has just enough nostalgia to reel readers in, and then blows your mind with stories exploring topics like “Does Conan believe in God?”
There’s a few hidden gems in here including :
EC gets all the credit and all the love. All those creepy titles, spectacular artists and reprint upon reprint. I know, I get it. I love ‘em all and have read so many of my favorite stories in so many formats over the years. Earlier this year, I snagged a copy of The Spawn of Venus, another wonderful hardcover (also published by Fantagraphics) that reprints more Wally Wood EC work.
Want to get the gears rolling with younger readers? Girl Rebels is an inspirational collection of five short comic stories about amazing young women. You might know Greta Thunberg, the young environmental activist. This book includes four more courageous stories in a similar vein.
Word Balloon Podcast is the long-running comics conversation show. John Siuntres books the most interesting pop culture professionals and engages them in meaty conversations. This one is the unofficial podcast of my commute. Look for Word Balloon Podcast wherever you get your podcasts.
It’s hard to buy manga for manga lovers. What do they already have? What have they read already? Welcome to Ghost Mansion just started. I’m not an expert in this genre, but the first two volumes look pretty cool.
Goblin Den is a ribald (as we used to say) adventure from a Brazilian erotic creator called Sabu. I really like his loose, cartoony style. A fun gift for an adult fantasy reader (18+). And I find that every book from this publisher, Korero, is impressive. Goblin Den is billed as a limited edition portfolio.
Christmas in the Batcave is a delightful children’s (all ages?) book with the extended Bat-Family (including Batgirl, Damian, Red Hood, Dick – the whole gang in current comics continuity) that’s an awful lot of fun. I can’t wait to read to a granddaughter or two.