Archive for May, 2004
May 3, 2004 | Trades
Playboy 50 Years: The Cartoons
Chronicle Books
$50 US (Hardcover)
**** 1/2 (out of five)
While the indelible image of Playboy magazine is surely lithe, nude women, an argument can be made that the cartoons that have graced the pages of the world’s most famous men’s magazine have left just as strong a mark.
And though there is a temptation to write off many of these often risqué illustrated japes as “just dirty jokes,” this new collection of some of the best of the past 50 years shows that this is both art and cartooning as its finest.
There is a level of refinement and sophistication to the strips, which is exactly what Playboy founder Hugh Hefner wanted for his publication when drafting its guiding principles.
Perhaps the most surprising thing in reviewing five decades worth of these cartoons is how innocuous they are. A good number don’t contain nudity, they rarely include profanity, heck, some don’t even use sex — there is a level of subtlety and nuance that may rarely get noticed but for a collection of this nature.
Another fascinating element of this book is the number of high-profile cartoonists who’ve worked for Playboy over the years. From Shel Silverstein, best-known for his classic children’s books, including Where The Sidewalk Ends; to Jack Cole, creator of super-hero Plastic Man; to more modern artists such as Art Spiegelman, creator of the Pulitzer Prize-winning illustrated novel, Maus; and Beavis & Butthead and King Of The Hill creator Mike Judge.
This volume gives these strips the royal treatment: a hardcover with dustjacket and heavy, archival-quality glossy paper. It is a fitting golden jubilee remembrance from one of the most influential magazine’s of the 20th century.
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May 3, 2004 | Comics
It’s A Bird…
Steven T. Seagle, Teddy Kristiansen
Vertigo/DC Comics
$37.95/$24.95 US (Hardcover)
**** (out of five)
Having the chance to work on Superman is the comic industry’s equivalent to getting to play for the New York Yankees. Whether you like the Yankees or not, it’s an honour.
But the offer to pen the adventures of the most recognizable super-hero in the world isn’t sitting well with Steve, the protagonist of It’s A Bird…, in fact it’s beginning to freak him out.
This semi-autobiographical story, by veteran comics writer Steven T. Seagle, is one of the freshest and most out of the ordinary takes on the Superman mythos.
At the same time Steve is trying to figure out if he has a Man Of Steel story to tell, he is wrestling with the fact that his father has gone missing, and the possible reason is that there is a family history of Huntington’s Disease, a debilitating neurological disorder that Steve himself is worried he’s going to develop.
Intertwined with Steve’s story are snippets of Superman lore: the notion of invulnerability; what would make a man want to wear a costume; how, in spite of his “truth, justice and the American way” ideals, Supes is actually an alien; and many more.
Complimented wonderfully by the unconventional art of Denmark’s Teddy Kristiansen, It’s A Bird… is a smart dissection of the super-hero genre and an interesting introspective look as a talented writer.
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May 3, 2004 | Trades
Human Target Vol. 1: Strike Zones
Peter Milligan, Javier Pulido
Vertigo/DC Comics
$15.25/$9.95 US (Paperback)
*** 1/2 (out of five)
Human Target is the story of Christopher Chance, the ultimate decoy, how he assumes people’s lives at the risk of his own.
So what took DC Comics so long to realize that this character is a natural for its Vertigo line of comics targeted, if you’ll pardon the pun, at adults?
The Human Target has been around for decades, but not even creators Len Wein and Carmine Infantino could have imagined the dark, brutal world scripter Peter Milligan (X-Force) and artist Javier Pulido have built for the re-launch of this character.
While this book initially smacks of 100 Bullets, the brilliant Vertigo crime-noir comic by Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso, it quickly finds its own pace.
The opening chapter re-establishes Chance: who he is and why he does this seemingly crazy job. This is followed by two brief two-part tales, the first a story of a man who faked his own death during the 9/11 attacks who needs Chance’s help to right a wrong; the second the story of the suicide of one of the brightest stars in the major leagues that leads to Chance in disguise on the field to figure out why he did it.
Strike Zones is an intelligent read full of twists and turns that rescues a forgotten character from obscurity and raises him up to a new level.
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May 3, 2004 | Trades
Megatokyo Vol. 1
Fred Gallagher, Rodney Caston
Dark Horse Books
$9.95 US (Paperback)
*** 1/2 (out of five)
Manga comics aren’t for everyone, but Megatokyo should be.
While Manga, or Japanese comics, can often be a tad obtuse, Megatokyo, created by a pair of American Manga fans, is funny, clever, often over the top and strangely addictive.
This first print collection of the popular webcomic (www.megatoyko.com) is rough in spots, but shows why it has grown to be a huge success in just a few short years.
Fred Gallagher and Rodney Caston, better known by their illustrated likenesses, Piro and Largo, take their obsessions with video games, love of Japanese life and multiple neuroses and not only turn them into something silly and amusing, but often something sweet.
The first book sees the duo trapped in Japan with no money after an impulsive decision to make a pilgrimage to the video gaming Mecca of Tokyo. Watching them throw away chance after chance to get home by blowing their dough on games (for Piro) and beer (for Largo) is a riot.
It takes very little time to begin to bond with these characters. Piro is so vulnerable and identifiable while everyone has a troublemaking friend like Largo. The supporting cast is diverse and also very likeable.
The best feature of this collection in the Mystery Science Theater 3000-style running commentary by Gallagher, who, as Piro, sits at the bottom of every page and explains what they were thinking during the creation of each strip and often slams their own choices.
A sketchbook featuring Gallagher’s work from the early years of the strip rounds out the packed volume, which shows that even though you can get much of the same material for free online, there is still value in printed matter.
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