Category Archives: Comics

Marvels by Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross

Posted on by

I remember when Marvels came out and don’t honestly remember which struck me more, the amazing story or the amazing painting. Kurt Busiek had been overshadowed by his boyhood friend Scott McCloud (author of Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art), but had carved himself a nice career jumping from title to title for decent runs without ever sticking on one title for too long. Alex Ross had a couple series under his belt, but nothing that had caught anyone’s eye. But after this, everyone knew both their names.

Continue reading →

Church and State by Dave Sim

Posted on by

Church and State by Dave Sim is one book, split into two volumes because there is no way to fit the story into one volume. 66 issues of 20 pages each is a huge book. So Sim split it into two volumes, so that it could physically fit into books. For some Church and State is the highpoint of Cerebus (for me it’s Jaka’s Story) and contains everything that is good (and some bad) in Cerebus.

Continue reading →

Skizz by Alan Moore

Posted on by

Before coming to work in the US market, Alan Moore did a bunch of work in the UK market including Skizz. The book is eerily similar to E.T. because Moore’s editor asked him for his version of E.T. when they were discussing Skizz. But, while E.T. is more comedic, Skizz is more dramatic, with an older cast of characters rescuing the alien visitor.

Continue reading →

Signal to Noise by Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean

Posted on by

Signal to Noise by Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean is a sequel, of sorts, to the book that brought both of them to prominence, Violent Cases.  Once again, Gaiman writes a thoughtful, engaging story with amazing visuals by Dave McKean. I refer to it as visuals because it is more than simple drawings that McKean has provided.

Continue reading →

Elektra: Assassin by Frank Miller and Bil Sienkiewicz

Posted on by

Elektra: Assassin by Frank Miller and Bil Sienkiewicz is an almost forgotten masterpiece. It is a manic, adrenaline rush of a comic book that starts off fast and just keeps speeding up. Miller’s writing is perfectly complemented by Sienkiewicz’s artistry (I can’t really say drawings or paintings because it is so much more than that). And the story of Elektra, Garrett (a SHIELD agent) and Ken Wind (a charismatic Presidential candidate) is gripping and exciting.

Continue reading →

Bloom County Complete Library Volume 2

Posted on by

Bloom County Complete Library Volume 2 by Berkley Breathed is finally out. And it contains many, many classic comics. From the formation of The Meadow Party and introduction of Oliver to the unforgettable Bill The Cat Story (a 3 parter in Sunday strips), here is some more classic 1980s comic strips. If you don’t understand some of the references, that’s OK…neither does the author.

Continue reading →

The Big Book of Barry Ween, Boy Genius by Judd Winick

Posted on by

The Big Book of Barry Ween, Boy Genius by Judd Winick is a collection of all three Barry Ween mini-series (12 issues in all) and is truly laugh out loud funny. It’s what a Nickelodeon show would be like if they allowed violence, sex talk and cussing. And it’s directly responsible for Winick getting work in the comics mainstream (whether you consider that good or bad would be a different discussion). Read on to find out what’s so funny about a 10 year old with a 350 IQ and his best (and horniest) friend.

Continue reading →

The Cowboy Wally Show by Kyle Baker

Posted on by

The Cowboy Wally Show by Kyle Baker was an instant classic when it was printed in 1988. It then fell out of print for a the better part of a decade before re-appearing for those of us who missed it the first time around. The book features broad humor starring a fat comedian and is utterly hilarious. Unfortunately it has fallen out of print again, but you should track it down and get ready to laugh.

Continue reading →

Whatever Happened to the World of Tomorrow by Brian Fies

Posted on by

Whatever Happened to the World of Tomorrow by Brian Fies is a paean to the worlds of the future that were envisioned in the early to mid 1900s. The book covers the 1939 World’s Fair through the end of the US Space Missions in the mid 1970s to show how the future that was always destined to come has never arrived. It also is a story of the relationship between a boy and his father and how it changes as the world changes. It is an evocative look at technology’s relationship with people as the world moved on.

Continue reading →

Green Lantern: The Road Back by Gerard Jones

Posted on by

Green Lantern: The Road Back by Gerard Jones was designed to handle DC Comics Green Lantern problem. Gerard Jones (author of The Comic Book Heroes) had to handle a situation that had three people who could lay claim to the same super hero name and a mythology that had been torn to shreds. So Jones went back to the basics (but not the beginning like another bad reboot that had been tried) and brought the history and legend of Green Lantern together and launched a new age for Green Lantern with defined roles for all three heroes.

Continue reading →