At San Diego Comic-Con this past July, I noticed an indie booth with two covers by one of my favorite artists: Mark Schultz.
(He’s also one of my favorite writers, and I read his Prince Valiant every Sunday, where art is provided by the phenomenal Thomas Yeates.)
I was fascinated and wandered up to this curious booth. And it was there I started to learn about the term Climate Optimism.
Here’s how the booth’s owners described this concept on their site:
What Climate Optimism Actually Means
Climate optimism contradicts both doom-paralysis and naive positivity: it is specifically optimism anchored to known solutions and ongoing action, not a belief that outcomes will simply work out. As Anne Therese Gennari writes: “Climate optimism is not about taking a step back and hoping for the best to happen. It’s about meeting these times with an unwavering curiosity for change and choosing a path of resilience, action, and hope!”
Climate optimism is:
• A belief the outcome is still possible
• Grounded in measurable results
• Paired with Urgency
• A Reason to Act
Climate optimism is NOT:
• A belief that everything turns out fine
• Grounded in mood
• A Reason to Relax
• A Reason to Wait
Still with me? Sounds like a smart approach, doesn’t it? Continue reading “With Further Ado #414: Supercharged with Climate Optimism”
There’s a lot of Batman stuff out there now, and I find it hard to keep up. What’s your favorite? Absolute Batman continues to do gangbusters, and has been such gift to comic shop retailers. Dan Jurgens’ and Mike Perkins’ Bat-Man: First Night has a second volume that looks to be another oversized treasure. Gabriel Hardman’s Black Label series, Batman/Green Arrow/The Question: Arcadia is one that I totally missed the boat on. He’s a such a strong artist (and an impressive creative) that I need to hunt these issues down. The “regular” Batman series, by Matt Fraction, continues to break all the rules at breakneck speed. And the recent issues illustrated by Ryan Sook were a treat too.
And Detective Comics has been pretty good too.
I remember clearly, way back when I was a kid, when one of my neighborhood pals, George Riley, was telling me about the Batman 200th Smash Issue! Now, the gang each had our area of expertise back then: I was the Batman guy, Joe was the Fantastic Four guy, Hans was the Iron Man guy, my brother Colin was the Western comics guy, my other brother, Chris, would become The Flash guy, and George was the War comics guy.
Action Comics #400 has a wonderfully creepy Neal Adams cover, but I’m not sure it was designed specifically to be an anniversary cover. 
As a kid, the magical places that sold comics were neighborhood grocery stores. We didn’t call them convenience stores back then, but that’s kind of what they were. Every Sunday, after we had our big Italian dinner at my grandmother’s house, my dad would take me and my brother to Pauline’s. The rule was we could each buy one thing. Usually my brother would choose one of those cheap little toys, but I would always choose a comic book.
When Jim Aparo burst onto the DC Comics scene in the 1970s, he was the artist we all had been waiting for. His slick and dynamic layouts, real-world figures, and expressive acting created scenes that were like an NBC detective show brought to life through the magic of bold, black ink.
Scott Dunbier was the guy who “invented” the Artist’s Edition format – essentially reproducing the original art pages in an oversize book format. He recently made that entrepreneurial jump and is now taking his efforts to the next level with his own publishing imprint, Act 4 Publishing. Through an arrangement with Image/Skybound the first Act 4 books are just coming out. 
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”.