Todd Klein's Blog, page 205

And Then I Read: GREEN LANTERN LOST ARMY 6

Image © DC Comics

Nearly all of the Green Lantern Corps are very deep in the past, in a universe that is about to end. They’re beset by the light wielders of this time and place, who are all battling for control of dwindling resources. The battle continues here, and in the midst of it things change again.

This miniseries is over, but the storyline continues in another one. There are some resolutions, but minor ones. The art and coloring by Jesus Saiz is excellent, but the story by Cullen Bunn is just okay, and nothing I’m likely to remember for long. Has the GL Corps gotten too bloated with a multitude of colors, powers, characters and layers of everything? Maybe. At this point, Hal Jordan’s solo adventures seem more appealing to me.

Mildly recommended.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

And Then I Read: THE TWILIGHT CHILDREN 2

Image © Gilbert Hernandez & Darwyn Cooke

What a joy this book is to read. First, Darwyn Cooke’s stylish, simple art does more with less than just about any comic out there. Dave Stewart’s colors are equally impressive, filling the art with mood and capturing light and shadow effortlessly with nary a primary tone in sight. Second, Gilbert Hernandez’ story is captivating. The characters are cinematic yet very real, the elements of mystery and fantasy are tied together in an intriguing way, and nothing is predictable. The mysterious girl seen on the cover may know what’s going on, but so far she isn’t telling. Everyone is trying to figure out what’s up with the strange glowing spheres that are making people vanish, or sometimes return changed: the local sheriff, the visiting scientist, the two government agents, and of course the townsfolk, but despite the danger involved, no one seems too worried. It’s a very lovely and laid back place, which makes the goings on all the more interesting and fun to watch. My only complaint is that the mini-series is now half over!

Highly recommended.

And Then I Read: ASTRO CITY 29

Image © Juke Box Productions

One thing that ASTRO CITY is known for is giving us familiar stories from unfamiliar points of view, something writer Kurt Busiek and artist Brent Anderson excel at. This time it’s the old alien insect invaders story from the aliens’ side.  Zozat is a member of a hive that has fought Astro City’s First Family and won several times. At least that’s the way they tell it. Zozat is a youngster, about to come of age, and having fun with his friends. He’s also about to undergo testing to find his aptitude and place as an adult, something that frightens him and excites him at the same time. The issues of adulthood are looming, and Zozat is not sure he’s ready, even with the encouragement of his family. A new attack from the First Family on their home world brings all these feelings and issues into sharp focus as Zozat makes a startling discovery in the wreckage from the battle in the skies over his home.

Recommended.

And Then I Read: JACKED #1

I know I’m getting old when this cover image intrigues me more than most of the superhero comics coming out these days…and the situation the main character, Josh, finds himself in: middle-aged, over-weight, health problems, out of work, disappointed with life and himself…is one that many young readers might approach as fantasy, while older ones will relate all too well.

To the rescue is Josh’s brother with news about nootropic drugs: as the comics puts it, steroids for the brain. A way to get a mental boost that can bring back many of the things Josh has lost. And, they’re available online. The temptation is irresistible, and a prescription bottle of “Jacked” is soon in his mailbox. When Josh tries it, he has some LSD-like side effects, but also finds himself feeling great, and able to do something that even his own son finds heroic. What’s not to like? Well, it is a drug, after all, and there’s bound to be some downsides.

I loved the art on this by John Higgins, which I see much too little of, and the story by  Eric Kripke is well told. Looking forward to more. Recommended.

Rereading: A CHRISTMAS CAROL by Charles Dickens

Every year at this time I try to reread something relevant to the season. My mother is getting rid of things in preparation for a move, and recently gave me this and some other Christmas books she used to put out on the coffee table in the winter when I was young, and so I decided it was time to reread it.

There are so many adaptations of the Dickens original (my favorite is the Alastair Sim film), that we think we all know the story intimately, but reading what Dickens wrote always offers things to me I’d forgotten, and a new appreciation for his language, humor and storytelling. For instance, everyone knows the the opening line, “Marley was dead: to begin with.” And some may remember the last line of the first paragraph, “Old Marley was as dead as a door-nail.” But the second paragraph is an entertaining aside about the origin of that saying which includes the thought, “I might have been inclined, myself, to regard a coffin-nail as the deadest piece of ironmongery in the trade.”

It’s quite typical of Victorian authors to go off on tangents and elaborate points, and that can be tiresome, but Dickens is still very readable and rarely bores me. More, he paints a detailed picture of the London (and England) of his time, with all its dreary weather, pollution, social injustice and class snobbery that one gets only hints of in, for instance, A. Conan Doyle’s “Sherlock Holmes” stories, which I also reread this past year. He puts a human face on all of it, and rarely lectures directly, something I don’t care for, but lets the story and the characters make his points. He did so excellently in this famous story, and I think we all know the points he made. In fact, he may have impacted the way much of the English-speaking world thinks about Christmas as much as “A Charlie Brown Christmas” did for another generation.

This edition is not valuable, and the illustrations aren’t particularly good, but it has memories for me that I treasure, and the story itself is well worth reading.

Recommended.

Happy Holidays!

Incoming: SPEEDBALL TEXTBOOK 24TH EDITION

Here’s a surprise that came my way this year. Months ago I was contacted by Randall Hasson to see if I’d be interested in having some of my lettering included in the upcoming 24th edition of the venerable Speedball Textbook, created in 1915 by William Hugh Gordon and Ross F. George to instruct and explain the uses of the then brand-new Speedball lettering pens. The book was a perennial seller, going through many editions and revisions, and this one celebrates the 100th anniversary with classy production values: color throughout, glossy paper, and nice design work. Mr Hasson had found the dissections of the 14th Edition from 1941 on my blog, which begin HERE, and liked what I had to say. He wanted to include a short piece on comics lettering in the new edition he was editing, and asked for my input and some art. I told him he was about 20 years too late for comics, as nearly all of them are now lettered with digital fonts, but he wanted my work anyway. Seeing the finished book, I realize he’s included lots of material involving the craft of making letters, from sign painting to the latest in calligraphy and hand-made logos, so I’m happy to be included. There are also many lessons, examples and alphabets from the entire run of past editions, so it’s a nice package.

Here’s the first half of the comics spread with art by Jim Woodring and text I had a hand in.

And here’s the other side with my work, some hand-lettering from my Comic Book Dreams print, and a color version of my Lettering Sampler print. What a fun place to see my work!

I’m not sure when the book goes on sale officially, but you can pre-order it on the Speedball website if you’re interested.

Incoming: SUPERMAN SECRET IDENTITY Hardcover

Image © DC Comics

Nice to see this finally in an elegant hardcover edition. It’s one of my favorite Superman stories, and I feel lucky to have lettered it. The writing by Kurt Busiek is excellent, as is the art by Stuart Immonen. It was digitally lettered, but I did get to recreate some hand-lettering styles from DC’s past on the first page of each of the four chapters, so that was fun. If you haven’t read it, I recommend it highly.

And Then I Read: SURVIVORS’ CLUB 2

Image © Lauren Beukes, Dale Halvorsen & Ryan Kelly. Cover art by Bill Sienkiewicz.

In the first issue of this new series, I was taken with the concept of a secret and very dangerous video game that has messed up the lives of a diverse group of people, and probably ended others, hence the title. This issue, I’m more intrigued with the characters. We have a pair of women who may be some kind of living, life-size Barbie dolls, a mental patient with contact to the game (Akheron), a pint-sized process server with some kind of unseen partner, a serial killer, also perhaps with an unseen partner, and a horror movie star who’s trying to get to the bottom of everything and find the game before it finishes off the rest of them. The writing and art are all quite good, and the plot is full of surprises, but it’s the characters that have me wanting more.

Recommended.