Sometimes, a really good book inspires you to learn more or investigate further. This book, a biography, I just finished sure did that to me. I just finished it and now I want to:
- Research this book’s fascinating entrepreneur more
- Buy some Hawaiian/Polynesian records (I did buy one!)
- Spend a Happy Hour at some Tiki Bar
- Order a pu pu platter
- Ask my bartender to make me Zombie (the rum drink, not Walking Dead style)
Korero’s latest book is called Searching for Don the Beachcomber, Inventor of the Tiki Bar. It’s lovingly researched by Tim “Swanky” Glazner. I didn’t know this before reading the book, but the whole notion of Tiki Bars and Polynesian restaurants was all made up. Several people contributed to what is now called Tiki Culture, but the guy who started it was Ernest Gantt, who later became Donn Beach and/or Don the Beach-comber. Continue reading “With Further Ado #412: The Authentic Experience That Was All Made Up”
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.
The pitch for this one is very straightforward. It’s a little bit Indiana Jones, and little bit of Lovecraft, and even a little bit of Pussy Galore’s Flying Circus. It’s a brisk adventure that hurtles along at top speed, dragging the reader right into a web of urgency. Shannon Eric Denton’s been at this long enough that he knows how to craft a story and how to create memorable characters quickly and efficiently.
Hartman’s art is cartoony and loose. I think this story might have worked better with a more realistic artist. But I do think Hartman’s art is probably spot on for younger readers. And by “younger” I mean the under forty-five years old set.
The other night, I was watching a band, and the lead guitarist was my old comic book dealer, Kim Draheim. I ended up talking to another one of his old customers, Mark Fenessy. As usual, we started talking about comics. We both laughed at how much we are enjoying the new DC Wonder Woman series, especially given that in the old days, we wouldn’t be caught dead reading a “girl comic”.
Ever since I was gifted part of the William G. Martin collection, I’ve been really into the comic strip Nancy. (Exhibit A is 
This new Fantagraphics Books edition is smart and sassy. It’s not oversized and somehow that feels just right. I would even say there is a subtle rhythm to presenting this collection that the editor nailed. Most of the book consists of three strips to a page, but every now-and-again: Bam! A four panel strip is taking up a whole page. These make you pause and smirk all the harder.
This is the type of book that I’ll be eager to share with my cool, hip friends. But at the same time, I can’t wait to read it to my soon-to-be-visiting granddaughter, Lula. She’s only five, but she’s subversive and sneaky, so I think she’ll instantly “get Nancy”. Maybe better than I do.
Rian Hughes is brilliant in many ways: as a designer, as an entrepreneur, and increasingly as the guy who turns us all onto cool new things! A couple of years ago he wowed us all with his Rayguns & Rocketships book – celebrating the early days of UK Science Fiction illustration. I raved about that one 
