Archive for August, 2006

Conan And The Songs Of The Dead #1 (of 5)

August 28, 2006 | Comics

Conan And The Songs Of The Dead #1 (of 5) Dark Horse Comics $2.99 US *** 1/2 (out of five) Mmmmmm… dog. Times are tough in the deserts of far-off Stygia, so tough that the mighty warrior Conan is forced to feast on wild dog. The tides of fortune appear to be turning for the Cimmerian when he rescues an old ally named Alvazar from certain death (he is buried up to his neck in sand), and is in turn rewarded with the mysterious Demon’s Root, a magical object worth a fortune upon its delivery to an even more mysterious stranger. Never one to turn up the opportunity to line his wallet, Conan sets off with Alvazar in search of this stranger, only to be caught up in a web of magic that requires our hero to lay down his sword and use a more *ahem* gentle touch to solve a problem. The former Jonah Hex creative team of writer Joe R. Lansdale and artist Tim Truman bring a little bit of the wild west to the world of Conan and set the stage for what is sure to be a bloody good series.

Dark Horse Twenty Years

August 28, 2006 | Comics

Dark Horse Twenty Years Dark Horse Comics $.25 US **** (out of five) Dark Horse Comics has been around for 20 years, so they’ve decided to honour some of the great series and creators that that have helped establish them as one of the world’s best publishers by giving you an anniversary present. For a mere 25 cents (or maybe a few pennies more if you’re north of the border), you can see Adam Hughes’ smoking Hellboy, Frank Miller’s stab at Usagi Yojimbo and Eric Powell’s take on Star Wars. You see, instead of having all these outstanding creators do a one-page pinup of their own creations, they’ve all swapped. The result is some incredible work that more than justifies the meagre sum required to purchase this book. With work by Art Adams, Sergio Aragones, Paul Chadwick, Matt Wagner and others, and a rare delve into art by Buffy The Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon, this issue is the perfect anniversary gift.

The Black Plague #1

August 28, 2006 | Comics

The Black Plague #1 Boom! Studios $3.99 US *** 1/2 (out of five) Everyone who’s ever read superhero comics is familiar with the standard ‘misunderstanding fight’. It’s that tussle that happens when two heroes (or super-teams) encounter one another, each thinking the other is to blame for some injustice, and then they beat the heck out of each other before coming to their senses. The same principle applies to bad guy-bad guy battles, but those are usually a little bloodier (see DC’s recent miniseries Villains United for an example). So what happens when the New York City mob, while trying to negotiate a deal with the powerful super-villain organization S.L.A.S.H., is interrupted by the thought-to-be-retired villain, the Black Plague? A misunderstanding battle of epic proportions, baby! And that’s just what the Black Plague wants, as he’s actually a mysterious young man trying to take down the underworld from within — with the help of the former villain himself. Writer Joe Casey (Godland) and artist Julia Bax have a great time playing on that thin line between good and evil and lay the foundation for an interesting upcoming miniseries with this standalone issue.

Savage Brothers #1 (of 3)

August 28, 2006 | Comics

Savage Brothers #1 (of 3) Boom! Studios $3.99 US *** 1/2 (out of five) Guns, beers and zombies — yee-haw! Otis and Dale Savage may have missed out on getting called up during the Rapture, but that doesn’t mean they can’t still make a dishonest living off their fellow forsaken. They promise people that, for a nominal fee, they’ll obliterate their undead loved ones and guarantee them peace. When a mysterious man in a dark suit pays a handsome price to have the good ol’ brothers take out an undead scientist in Atlanta, the adventure begins. Next thing you know there’re frogs falling from the sky, virgin strippers set to be sacrificed and the boys stranded in the middle of it all. Writers Andrew Cosby (Damned Nation, X-Isle) and Johanna Stokes and artist Rafael Albuquerque all sparkle in this fast and funny look at the end of days.

Jim Lee interview (August 2006)

August 28, 2006 | Interviews

Jim Lee has been among the hottest artists in comics over the past 15 years and there’s no reason to think he’s going to cool off anytime soon. After burning up the pages of Batman and Superman over the past few years, Lee — who’ll be in Toronto this weekend as the comic book guest of honour at the annual Fan Expo Canada (www.fanexpocanada.com) — has now turned his attention to All-Star Batman and Robin and re-launching his signature series Wildcats. He’s also taken some time out of his busy schedule to talk to JPK about his being a comic book executive, his art projects, working on DC’s biggest video game project ever and what keeps him motivated after such a prestigious career. JPK: Tell me about the reboot of the Wildstorm Universe and reviving Wildcats. JL: “There’s a couple of things that are exciting for me: first, I haven’t really worked on this material, hands on, in eight or nine years, so going back is really nostalgic. But I don’t think I would have done it for that reason alone. Lately almost all of my projects have been driven by my desire to work with some of the best writers in the business and we were able to get Grant Morrison [to write Wildcats] — a super-creative, super-imaginative guy. When he signed aboard, that’s what really sealed the deal for me. The fact that it’s Wildcats makes it even more exciting, because that was the first thing I created when I left Marvel back in ’92.” JPK: What’s it like working with writer Grant Morrison? JL: “It’s crazy because you work with all these great writers and you expect them to have some sort of commonality, other than their excellent work, and what I’ve discovered is that every writer works differently, every writer has a different thing that they really focus on through their writing. Working with Grant has been a real thrill-ride. His scripts are as zany and mischievous and odd and interesting as his work itself. It can be a challenge to decipher what he wants, but at the same time it’s a lot of fun. “If you followed his work on New X-Men, you’ll know that, aside from creating a lot of brand new concepts, he’ll also take things that have been around for ages and find a new way to make them fresh and interesting and to reinvigorate them with a real contemporary feel and that’s what he’s done with Wildcats. “It’s unusual seeing something you created, but seen through someone else’s eyes. Through someone as creative as Grant Morrison, you’re getting some interesting and kooky stuff.” JPK: What is the crux of Worldstorm, the Wildstorm revamp? JL: “ Basically we’ve gone back to the core Wildstorm titles — Wildcats, Gen 13, Wetworks, Stormwatch, Deathblow and The Authority. “When we launched all these titles, these were all unknown characters and the thing that worked for us was that we got creators that the fans cared about. We couldn’t really do this [relaunch] without the people more creators like that, so we got writers like Brian Azzarello, Garth Ennis, Christophe Gage, Grant Morrison, Gail Simone and artists like Whilce Portacio, Talent Caldwell, Chris Sprouse and Carlos D’Anda. “I feel like we’ve got a real solid lineup of creators and that’s what’s going to make this project exciting.” JPK: What kind of commitment are you making to staying on Wildcats? JL: “We have a 12-issue story that we’re doing on Wildcats, and it’s bi-monthly, so I’m alternating it with All-Star Batman and Robin. “It’s actually very difficult. You’d think it’s the equivalent to working on one monthly book, which I was able to do on Batman: Hush and Superman: For Tomorrow, but going from Frank Miller’s writing to Grant Morrison and back and forth is a little bit of a leap. “The way we want the books to look is very different. Frank wants to do something very dark and noir and Grant wants to do something very bold and that is a distillation of what we started back in the 90s with Image Comics, which is bright, day-glow comics that just burst out from the page.” JPK: What’s the experience been like working with Frank so far on All-Star Batman and Robin? JL: “It’s been slow so far. *laughs* “It’s not his fault. He’s been a prince as far as turning in the scripts on time and that was actually the initial concern because he’s so busy with [the film versions of] 300 and Sin City2 and obviously his comic work, that I thought ‘Well, will he have time to write a comic,’ but he’s been ahead of me ever since day 1. It’s really been on me that the book’s been late. “Frank was the reason I got into comics. Back in ’86, I was a senior in college and Dark Knight Returns came out and that inspired me to think ‘Hey, comics can be more than what I remember from being a kid’. “It’s unusual working with someone that you idolized when you were a teenager.” JPK: So you’ve got Miller and Morrison added to your list, any other creators you’re really interested in working with? JL: “Geoff Johns and Greg Rucka. I like their work a lot and we’ve talked about doing something. But those guys are much more able to fit more projects on their plate then I am. I can’t do more than 22 pages a month — if that — and usually I want to do 12 issues with a writer, so I’ve got three years of work already lined up right now. “Geoff Johns and I will probably do something four years from now. It’s weird to say something like that.” JPK: You’re done major Batman and Superman story arcs over the past few years. Any other DC characters you’d like a shot at? JL: “Wonder Woman would be awesome. I’m also a huge Legion Of Super-Heroes fan and I think that would be tremendous to work on. JPK: What’s your experience been like working on the forthcoming DC MMORPG (Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game) JL: “The ...

Alan Moore Q&A (Aug. 2006)

August 14, 2006 | Interviews

Lost Girls writer Alan Moore. It’s taken 16 years for Alan Moore and Melinda Gebbie to complete and release Lost Girls. So needless to say, Moore has had a lot of time to think about the controversial project — a three-book set that depicts Dorothy from The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz, Alice of Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland and Peter Pan’s Wendy in lusty adolescent adventures instead of their familiar time spent in fantasylands. In a sprawling and fascinating interview, JPK talked Lost Girls, pornography, relationships and what’s next for one of the most influential writers in the world. JPK: What is the origin of Lost Girls? How did you form the idea of these three characters coming together in one story? AM: “It probably all originated from my very vague desire to see if it was possible to do an extended narrative based upon sex, rather than upon violence, which was the general run of things in the mainstream comic industry. There was book after book based on fights and more or less an absolute prohibition of any kind of sexual material. “In my mainstream work, where it was appropriate, I’d try to give the characters I was working with a sexual dimension because I felt that made them more three dimensional and believable. “The idea started to germinate that it might be possible to do something that was entirely about sex — that didn’t have a swamp monster or a quantum super-being at the centre of the story. That was pretty much where my ideas began and ended for a few years, with the idea of doing an intelligent, beautiful, literary pornography that transcended the genre. That’s quite an easy idea to have, but when you actually sit down and think about how to do that, it become a little more problematical. “A couple of year later I was asked to contribute something to an erotic anthology magazine that was being published over here and apparently Melinda had been asked independently to contribute something to the same magazine. I need an artist if I’m going to turn out a comic, and I think it was Neil Gaiman who put us in touch. “The way that Lost Girls actually came about was simply a collision between half an idea of mine and half an idea of Melinda’s. I’d thought that it might be possible to do some kind of sexual narrative that related to J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan, simply because there are a number of flying scenes in Peter Pan and because Sigmund Freud said that dreams of flying are dreams of sexual expression (which is probably nonsense, but Sigmund Freud said it). It was a pretty half-assed idea that didn’t really go very far and it only suggested a smutty parody of Peter Pan, which wasn’t really what I had in mind. “Melinda in the past, in her own stories, found that she’d enjoyed those stories that happened to have three women in the central role. From there the ideas came together and I remember thinking it was a very obvious step from thinking ‘Well if Wendy from Peter Pan was one of the three women in question, who would the other two be?’ Alice and Dorothy obviously sprang to mind immediately. “Once we got those three characters in place, it suggested all sorts of possibilities. You’d be able to compare their stories and see which bits of them are similar, which bits hard striking differences and they seemed like such perfect characters for the story that I wanted to tell, in that they provided a brilliant metaphor for the way in which we, as human beings, enter the world of our sexuality, where everything is reversed, all of the laws that have governed your previous existence have suddenly turned right on their head. You come straight out of your childhood into a world where nothing makes sense in the way that it previously had and all of the people seem like insane grotesques straight from the mind of Lewis Carroll. “It also struck us that, with those characters, you’ve got childhood characters that we all read about during our own childhoods. Now, with Lost Girls, it turns out that they’ve grown up with us. “It seemed that in some way, we could use these characters as everyman or everywoman characters that all of the readership would know from their own childhoods and they would be bringing all of that to the work. That is, as long as we could represent those characters accurately, as long as we could make it so it wasn’t a travesty of those characters, so we were respectful of those three characters and that the adult women who are depicted were believable — women that might have grown out of the three girls in the original stories. “Once we had those three names in place, the rest of the story seemed to grow organically from there. It took two or three weeks to actually stumble upon the idea, but once we had it, it only took another week or two at most before I had the entire story broken down and we realized we weren’t talking about an eight-page inclusion for an anthology. We were talking about something a lot bigger that would probably take us a while longer. I don’t think we realized at the time it would take us 16 years longer, but those are the breaks, I suppose.” JPK: This book plumbs the depths of human sexuality in such a graphic way that it, in my mind, crosses the line between erotica and pornography. Where does that line fall for you and do you think the term pornography get a bad rap? AM: “The line between erotica and pornography is one that I considered quite a lot when we were starting out Lost Girls and I decided quite early on that I prefer it was referred to as pornography. “There are a number of reasons for this, for one, I thought the term erotica sounded a bit too middle class, that the difference between the two was ...

Moore reclaims pornography

August 14, 2006 | Interviews

There is really only one word that can be used to describe Alan Moore’s new book Lost Girls — pornography. That contentious word, however, brings no shame to perhaps the most influential and revered comic book writer of the past 30 years. “I decided quite early on that I prefer it was referred to as pornography,” Moore told me in a telephone interview from his home in Northampton, England. “The term pornography comes from the etymological root ‘pornos’ — which means ‘prostitutes’ or ‘wantons’ — and ‘graphos,’ which means ‘drawings’ or ‘writings.’ So what we’re talking about is drawings or writings about wantons or wanton behaviour. That seemed perfectly adequate to me. It’s talking purely about the realm of the human imagination. “It struck me as important to signal right from the beginning that this is a work entirely about the human sexual imagination and it takes place entirely in the human sexual imagination.” Moore, author of such important comic book works as Watchmen, V For Vendetta, From Hell and The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen, along with illustrator (and fiancée) Melinda Gebbie, chose a rather fantastic basis for their pornography. The Lost Girls are Dorothy from The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz, Alice from Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland and Wendy from Peter Pan. Instead of the girls’ wellknown adventures being based in fantasy worlds, Moore and Gebbie imagine those same adventures in the real world as tales of adolescent sexual awakening exchanged when the three meet by chance as grown women. “They seemed like such perfect characters for the story that I wanted to tell, in that they provided a brilliant metaphor for the way in which we, as human beings, enter the world of our sexuality, where everything is reversed, all of the laws that have governed your previous existence have suddenly turned right on their head,” Moore said. The book’s vivid portrayal of almost every sexual act imaginable has raised more than a few eyebrows since its release last month, but Moore said there is method to their madness. “We wanted to do something that was frank and honest and beautiful about the human sexual imagination and that didn’t really leave any areas untouched or excluded,” he said. “We’ve tried to make Lost Girls a pornography that is not purely aimed at heterosexual white men, but one that is aimed at a wide variety of sexualities and, more importantly, is aimed very squarely at women.” While the term pornography may have negative connotations, Gebbie suggests keeping an open mind. “(Pornography is) capable of great beauty and drama and depth,” she said. “It’s just that no one has applied themselves to it in a long, long time. “It was a neighbourhood that was left to the rats and we renovated it.” Lost Girls Author Alan Moore Illustrator Melinda Gebbie Publisher Top Shelf Productions Price $75, HC ***** (out of five) I’ve never really been interested in seeing any kind of human sexual escapades depicted that involved a horse. It’s just not my cup of tea. However, Lost Girls — a three-book slipcased set — has shown me that seeing such a thing, in the right context, can actually leave you feeling somewhat enlightened, rather than requisitely disgusted. In a frank and purposeful effort of madness and genius, as only he is capable of, comic book icon Alan Moore, along with gifted artist and fiancée Melinda Gebbie, uses Lost Girls to explore the nature of the human sexual imagination by means of three familiar fantasy characters — Alice (Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland), Dorothy (The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz) and Wendy (Peter Pan). The result is clearly a work of pornography — one that is spectacularly literate, exquisitely illustrated and without doubt one of the most groundbreaking comic book works of the decade.

Batman #655

August 14, 2006 | Comics

Batman #655 DC Comics $4/$2.99 US **** 1/2 (out of five) It was simply too good a dangling plot point to pass up. It was 1987 when writer Mike Barr and artist Jerry Bingham gave us Batman: Son Of The Demon, an original over-sized Dark Knight story that pitted the hero against one of his greatest nemeses, Ra’s Al Ghul. The story was good, if not great, but it was the ending that raised many an eyebrow: Talia, Ra’s’ daughter, appeared to have given birth to Batman’s son and then left him on a young couple’s doorstep. The debate over whether this story was in or out of DC Universe continuity (that is, did it really happen) raged for years. Well Grant Morrison has officially ended the debate in his writing debut on Batman by bringing back the boy as an older child, very much under the influence of his nefarious mother, now leader of Ra’s’ criminal empire. Accompanied by the spectacular art of DC newcomer Andy Kubert (X-Men), Morrison will have readers hook line and sinker after reading this first issue in one of the top stories of the year.

Justice League Of America #0

August 14, 2006 | Comics

Justice League Of America #0 DC Comics $4/$2.99 US **** (out of five) Who’s in the new Justice League is one of the biggest secrets of 2006, but before you get those answers, it’s time for a trip down memory lane — and a peak into the future. The only thing we know for sure is that Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and the less-known Red Tornado will all be members of DC’s premier super-team, so writer Brad Meltzer (Identity Crisis) and an all-star cast of artists take a look at the relationship between the ‘Big Three’ as they prepare to revive the squad in the next few months. The result is an eclectic, but impressive issue that asks far more questions than it answers and certainly does its job of whetting readers’ appetites for next month’s big first issue.

Conan #29

August 14, 2006 | Comics

Conan #29 Dark Horse Comics $2.99 US **** (out of five) He dodges broadsword blades, demons and monsters alike, so who would’ve imagined Conan could be endangered by a mere toad? Hellboy creator Mike Mignola takes over the writing reigns of the monthly adventures of Cimmeria’s greatest warrior and, along with more spectacular art by Calgary’s Cary Nord, hits it out of the park. In ‘The Toad’, Conan, fleeing a group of soldiers bent on having his head after he had the wife (and belongings) of a town’s magistrate, stumbles upon a most unlikely shrine, occupied by thousands of tiny toads. While Conan fights for his life against one determined warrior, one loan toad may spell doom for the combatants. Throw in a dynamite variant cover by Mignola and this issue’s a must-have.