Todd Klein's Blog, page 289

And Then I Read: SECRET SERVICE 3 & 4

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Image © Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons.

British spy stories are popular on the big and small screens, but tough to do well in comics, I think. At least I haven’t read many that I thought were successful overall. Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons are bucking the trend with this series, in partnership with film producer and director Matthew Vaughn. You could consider it storyboards for the film that will probably result, but I think it works great as a comic, too.

Master agent Jack London (not a great name choice, my one quibble with the writing) is trying to shepherd his young nephew Gary into his own field, the British Secret Service, lifting him out of a miserable life in the ghetto and placing him in agent training. Gary performs quite well in the physical aspects of the training, but can’t seem to get his mind into the kind of mental training the job requires. In short, he goes so far, then blows things off and screws up. Training exercises can only go so far. What will Gary do when dumped in a distant country with nothing but his boxer shorts and a very dangerous mission to perform?

Dave Gibbons’ art is excellent, as always. His characters have a solidity that makes them seem very real, his layouts and storytelling are textbook, and he pulls no punches in this violent story. If you’re a spy film fan, you’ll enjoy this.

Recommended.

Faceless Lettering

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Image © DC Comics, Inc.

I have nothing much to write about, and little time to write anything this evening, so I pulled this photocopy out of my reference files. When I was lettering continued stories by hand, I would make copies of story titles and credits for reference or sometimes to reuse all or part of it on later issues. It worked particularly well when I lettered on vellum overlays, as here, so there was no pencilled art to worry about. This is from DETECTIVE or BATMAN, not sure which, probably from the early to mid 1990s. I clearly had some fun creating art deco capitals on the credits and first line of the story title. The other story title lines are inked solid black and then speckled with white correction paint using a small piece of sponge, I think, or possibly a crumpled paper towel. If I had time, I’m sure I could locate the issue it ran it, but I don’t, so I’ll leave it up to you readers to fill in those details.

And Then I Read: DARK HORSE PRESENTS 14 & 15

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Image © Steve Rude and Mike Baron.

While there’s lots of great stuff to enjoy in these issues, the best thing in my opinion is new NEXUS. It’s part of a continuing story about an infestation of insects on Ylum, one which even the Merk seems powerless to deal with. Vooper has some ideas, but as usual they’re way over the top, and to get at the source, Nexus must delve deep into the center of the planet.

Of the other serialized stories I’m enjoying FINDER and GHOST, with BUDDY COPS providing comic relief amidst a mostly serious and scary line-up. RIVEN, a new serial by Bo Hampton with Robert Tinnell looks promising, and the art is great. WILD ROVER by Michael Avon Oeming is a two-parter in these issues that’s pretty good, though I liked the writing better than the art. REX MUNDI is a one-shot with interesting characters and art. Most of the other features I skimmed through, they didn’t appeal or catch my attention, but the variety in this anthology continues to be one of its best features.

Recommended.

And Then I Read: PATHFINDER by Orson Scott Card

 

© Orson Scott Card, cover art by Mike Rosamilia.

I came to this book in an unusual way. I asked for Card’s book “Ruins” for Christmas, after seeing an online ad for it, thinking it was a sequel to Card’s book “The Lost Gate,” which I’d received the previous Christmas. I started reading it, and thought it odd that none of the characters or situations seemed familiar. It finally dawned on me this was the sequel to ANOTHER book, “Pathfinder,” which I hadn’t read yet. By the time I twigged, I’d read about a third of “Ruins,” and enjoyed it enough that I bought “Pathfinder” as an e-book and read it through. So, in reading this book, which has elements of time travel, I sort of read it in a time-traveller way, knowing some things about the characters well in advance. Surprisingly, it didn’t hurt the reading experience, though perhaps it did remove some of the potential suspense.

Rigg is a young man living in the wilderness of his world (known as “Garden”) with his father, the two of them trapping animals for their fur and spending little time in the small towns of the region. Rigg’s father is a very knowledgable man, and through Rigg’s childhood he teaches him a great deal, especially about the unusual ability the boy has to see the “paths” of every living thing nearby, including people. When Rigg’s father dies in a sudden accident, the boy follows his father’s instructions to return to the nearest town and ask a woman they know there for his birthright, things that have been kept by her for him. He’s also told to go to the capital city of his land to find his sister, though this is the first he’s heard of her.

Rigg finds trouble waiting for him in town, but also a good friend, Umbo, who wants to come along on his quest. In another town they make a new ally, Loaf, an innkeeper who was once a soldier and knows the capital better than anyone else they have access to. Rigg’s birthright includes a bag of very valuable gems, and the three try to sell one in a larger town on their journey. This triggers a swift response from the capital in the form of a military task force sent to capture Rigg and bring him under guard to the capital. All three are captured, but Umbo and Loaf escape. Umbo also has a unique power to travel through time, though he’s still learning how to use it.

When Rigg arrives in the capital, he’s brought before his mother, another person he’s never met. She was the queen here before the country was overtaken by revolution, and is now a house-prisoner, where Rigg joins her. Rigg’s mysterious sister is here too, somewhere, hidden by another strange power. Loaf and Umbo arrive and make plans to rescue Rigg, but before long matters come to a head, and all of their lives are in great danger, and the city in turmoil as they try to make their escape.

Well written, as all Card’s books are, this could be seen as a fantasy except for the framing sequence about a colony ship traveling from a future Earth to this distant planet of Garden which reveals it as science fiction. Indeed, there’s a good deal of the “science of ideas” throughout the book.

Recommended.

Rereading: A CRICKET IN TIMES SQUARE

© Estate of George Selden.

Each year over the holiday break I pull out an old favorite from my childhood to reread, and I chose this one recently. It’s a charming story of animals that act human in some respects, but keep their own natures in others. The story happens mostly in the subway under Times Square in New York City, a place I knew a little as a child from visits to the city, and the human cast are an Italian family: father, mother, and son Mario, who run a newsstand there, also a favorite thing for me then, as I was always on the lookout for comics. One night Mario hears an odd sound coming from a pile of trash, and discovers a cricket that has somehow found his way there. Mario wants to make a pet of the friendly insect, and though his mother objects, finally gets her permission, as long as he keeps the cricket at the newsstand. That night the shuttered stand has two more visitors, a mouse named Tucker and a cat called Harry. They befriend the insect, and the three share their stories. Chester Cricket comes from a rural field in Connecticut, and was accidentally abducted and brought to the city on a train with a family of weekend picnickers.

As the story develops, Chester and his friends create a lot of trouble for Mario, including almost burning down the newsstand, but Mario makes new friends with him as well, including an elderly Chinese man who offers the cricket cage seen above as a home for the boy’s pet. What saves Chester from eviction is a talent he has for mimicking any music he hears exactly. After hearing songs and opera music on the radio, he can play it perfectly, or as perfectly as his tiny legs can manage. The musical cricket becomes a seven-day wonder when a music critic begins to write about him in his newspaper, and soon the cricket’s musical performances are gathering large crowds.

I hadn’t read this book for a long time, and I found it holds up well, though the storyline is not hard to predict. Selden’s writing is warm and his characters appealing. A satisfying trip down memory lane for me, and recommended for kids of all ages.

And Then I Read: THE SCORE adapted by Darwyn Cooke

Images © Estate of Donald E. Westlake and Darwyn Cooke.

This book is gathering rave reviews and making best-of-the-year lists, and with good reason. I’ve enjoyed Darwyn Cooke’s comics work for a long time, but with this series of adaptations of Parker crime novels, he’s found material that he loves, and it shows on every page. It’s the kind of perfect match of subject, style and creator that rarely happens these days, and while I’m not a fan of crime fiction usually, I love these (and this is the third in the series).

Parker is a criminal, but not just any criminal. He’s a master at running large and elaborate heists, and this is about as big as one could get. It’s so big, at first Parker doesn’t want the job. The target is a small mining town in the southwestern US. Not the bank in town, or even the mining company, the WHOLE town. A disgruntled insider has come with the idea, and plans for how it might work. Once he’s convinced, Parker puts together a large team of specialists and misfits of varying reliability, giving each specific tasks. Of course there’s a dame or two involved, muddying the plan a bit, and the insider has his own secret agenda. When things are set, the game is afoot, and we get to see it play out moment by moment. It’s a plot driven story of course, but with great characters as well.

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Cooke presents the art in two colors, this time dark brown and orange, masterfully used in a 1950s world that reminds me of Alex Toth in his middle years, when his art had become more stylized. It reads beautifully and the second color work adds a great deal to every page. Less is more in this case. Through clever layouts like the one above, Darwyn gets in plenty of story without the words ever seeming to crowd the pictures. This is graphic storytelling at its best! If you haven’t tried one of the Parker adaptations, they all stand alone, so this one is a fine place to start. Give it a try, you won’t be sorry.

Highly recommended.

Gaspar Confirms

Image © DC Comics, Inc.

I spoke to Gaspar Saladino today and he told me he enjoyed the articles about his first DC lettering. He confirmed that this story, the first one in ROMANCE TRAIL #5 was his earliest DC job, it seemed familiar to him, and he thought my research was correct and well done. Needless to say, I’m pleased and relieved. Now, if anyone out there could get Gaspar’s earliest credits updated on the Grand Comics Database and his Wikipedia entry, that would be swell.

Incoming: Three Hardcovers from DC

Images © DC Comics, Inc.

The four issue miniseries that began the BOOKS OF MAGIC series at Vertigo has been collected in one of their “Deluxe Editions,” meaning it’s slightly oversized and well produced and printed, with what I think is a handsome new cover by John Bolton. Is this the first hardcover for it? I’m not sure, but it’s a nice one, anyway. Great writing by Neil Gaiman, painted art by four stellar talents, what’s not to like? And remember, kids, this came BEFORE Harry Potter.

A new original Fables graphic novel that’s been in the works for at least four years, I think. I know lettered it over at least three. I enjoyed the story and the art, though it’s pretty violent at times. Bigby Wolf solo in a story with Nazis and lots of werewolves.

The second collection of BATWOMAN from DC’s New 52 written by J.H. Williams III and W. Haden Blackman, art by Amy Reeder and Trevor McCarthy, covers by J.H.  I thought this held up quite well even with J.H. not doing the art. His sensibilities are evident throughout, and the story is great, in my opinion.

Of course I lettered all these projects, so I may be prejudiced in their favor, but I think it’s a pretty nice set of books that I’m happy to add to my shelves.

And Then I Read: AQUAMAN 13, SWAMP THING ANNUAL 1

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Images © DC Comics, Inc.

“The Others” concludes in this 13th issue of Aquaman. I can’t say I’ve loved the storyline, but it did keep me coming back for more. Writer Geoff Johns tried his best to make villain Black Manta menacingly evil and dangerous, but for me it always comes back to that silly bulbous helmet, I have a hard time taking it seriously. The previously unknown super-team that Aquaman was involved with, as revealed in this storyline, had some nice moments here and there, but they don’t seem like A material to me, and I don’t expect them to be getting new storylines soon. The Atlantis connections are perhaps the most interesting thing going on in this book plotwise, but Johns is keeping us guessing as to where that will go, no real resolution here. The relationship of Aquaman and Mera, when they’re not fighting over who should be taking on the bad guys, has been appealing, and the art on this book, mainly pencilled by Ivan Reis with several inkers, has been stellar throughout. Despite my quibbles, this team has made Aquaman himself an A list character perhaps for the first time ever, and kudos to them for that.

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This is one of those Annuals that are just a longer section of story than the monthly book, but the extra length does allow us to enjoy a lengthy flashback of the first, previously unknown meet-cute of a young Alec Holland and Abigail Arcane when he visits a European town devastated by radiation where Anton Arcane and his family live. It’s a great interlude that allows plenty of character development and some romance along with thrills, terror, horror and all that usual swampy stuff. The story is self-contained, but makes more sense if you understand the history of the characters. It’s well written by Scott Snyder and a good read. There’s even what seems to be some real science involved before things get ugly. The best thing about this book is the wonderful art by Becky Cloonan. I’ve seen bits of her work, but never a story of this length, and I’m very impressed with her art. She has great skill and a sure ink line that reminds me of Mike Allred or Peter Snejbjerg, a little cartoony flavor overlaying very solid draftsmanship and storytelling. Excellent work. I’ve now put Cloonan on my “want to see more” list.

Both books are recommended.

And Then I Read: JUSTICE LEAGUE 13, GREEN LANTERN NEW GUARDIANS 13

Images © DC Comics, Inc.

When we last saw Superman and Wonder Woman they were kissing, and they still are on the first page of this issue, but things don’t go far after that. Switch to WW facing a new version of her foe The Cheetah. This one looks impressive, and seems powerful. In fact she takes Diana out, causing the Justice League to decide she needs their help with Cheetah. Diana is hard to convince on this matter, but goes along and they all head off to the jungle home of the woman who has taken on feline qualities. Meanwhile, a second plot involves Steve Trevor, once the JL liason, now out of that job, but wanting to get back in Diana’s good graces. Apparently he has a plan for that involving Green Arrow, not a League member so far.

The art on this title by pencillers Tony Daniel and Brad Walker with several inkers holds up well to the departure of Jim Lee. Writer Geoff Johns is splitting at least the writing of the Steve Trevor backup story with Jeff Lemire, I also found that read well. In all, the flagship title of the New 52 is running solid in my estimation.

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In this title, writer Tony Bedard has begun a series of hazing-like tests for Kyle Rayner apparently designed to meld all the different lantern powers into one person. This issue it’s the power of Red Lantern rage, always my least favorite, but Tony tells a good story and kept me turning the pages.

The art on the issue is another matter. I’m afraid I didn’t care much for the efforts of Andrei Bressan and Amilcar Pinna. The characters have a plastic quality and features that are uneven from panel to panel. I see potential here, but the art isn’t yet at the quality usually found on the Green Lantern titles.

JUSTICE LEAGUE is recommended, GLNG only mildly so this time.