Comic-Blogging Question
I want to write more about comics on here, but am very conscious that the only essays I’m planning (for expanding the Hyperpost book) are on comics by Alan Moore, Grant Morrison and Jack Kirby. There *are* comics by people who aren’t those three, and I’m sure I’ve got stuff to say about them, but I can’t think what.
What comics would people actually like to read my opinions on?
You’ve certainly written about Dave Sim before; maybe Los Bros Hernandez?
I really just think you should write about stuff you are interested in, you know; if you’re still buying 2nd/2rd tier DC books by Gail Simone or whoever, Len Wein…
Also, as I said on twitter, you are after all British so should by necessity have an opinion on some Hellblazer or other.
I’m assuming there’s some thematic linking with the hyperposts, so Warren Ellis kind of serves as the tether between Moore & Morrison in some respects, without being as good as either, maybe him?
These are my various suggestions.
While I know Los Bros’ work, I’m not familiar enough to add anything to the conversation there, I think…
I am still buying a few lower-tier DC Comics, but they’re not especially *interesting* – I buy them and read them in the same way other people read Heat magazine or watch EastEnders or something. They’re a pleasant enough way of passing a few minutes, but there’s nothing really to say about them.
I might well write something on Hellblazer, yeah… and Ellis could be interesting… I might write something about Fell…
I’d really like to read your thoughts on Rob Walton’s Ragmop. Sam Kieth’s The Maxx also seems like it might be up your alley.
Otherwise: Have you read Dave McKean’s Cages? Beanworld? Donjon/Dungeon?
And there’s always Peter Milligan.
Do you feel there are any lost/hidden/unknown/underappreciated 2000AD gems?
Have you given Matt Fraction’s Casanova a try?
Seconded. This is probably the most Grant Morrison-esque comic that isn’t actually written by Morrison.
Thirding the recommendation, because I love Casanova the most. And I’d definitely be interested in reading your thoughts (especially if you haven’t read it before, because it’s a ride).
That said… I feel like something like Mike Carey’s Unwritten would give you more to dig into for essay material. Which isn’t to say Casanova is shallow, but Fraction’s been pretty upfront about how underneath the whizz-bang pop fun, it’s a rather personal story for him. Whereas Carey’s in a more Moore/Morrison place of examining & playing with fiction’s tropes and making all kinds of meta-references, which is a little easier to talk about without feeling like you’re a psychoanalyst.
(If any of that makes sense, which it probably doesn’t.)
Bullet Proof Coffin
I also think you should write about what you find interesting, but if you’re looking for something else to potentially be interested in, you might try some webcomics, inasmuch as they’re easily accessible. Have you ever looked at Aaron Diaz’s or John Allison’s work? (Allison has just wrapped up the second storyline of his current comic, Bad Machinery, so it’s a good time to give it a try.)
Calvin and Hobbes.
I know it’s very different from the narrative comics that you’re primarily talking about here, but I’d love to know your thoughts nevertheless.
The Bulletproof Coffin – seconded, cos I’m sure you could write something good about that.
Eddie Campbell – I know you’ve read & rate a lot of his comics, there’s plenty to say about them and I get the feeling you’d have an interesting take, even if I’m fairly certain I’d end up disagreeing with you on on the comparative strength of his collaborative work vs. his solo material!
Onslaught happens and I get to write Thunderbolts; Onslaught ends and I get to write the Avengers and Iron Man. Onslaught is my friend.
– paraphrasing Kurt Busiek
Maybe much can be said about this thoroughly mainstream phase by the most agreeable and untransgressive of writers. But there’s something interesting in being in a brief period where you get to reestablish premises which had been confused and cast in doubt over years.
Knight & Squire
X’ed Out
Strange Tales II
Prison Pit 2
etc.
I’d sorta like your take on Jonathan Hickman’s “The Nightly News”, flawed as it is.
Maybe Phonogram as well? The Umbrella Academy? Scott McCloud’s non-fiction comics?
And while it seems like the opposite of your kind of thing, and you’ve alluded to it snarkily in the past, I really would like to know your opinion on Scott Pilgrim…
I find the lack of recommendations for BPC in this thread disheartening. I hope lot are all reading that book, because it’s by far one of the most interesting on the racks, and it looks fantastic.
Sez me
Zom, I’ll give you a second on BPC.
But holy shit, misreading Wesley I thought our own DAVID ALLISON had a webcomic out…! And it’s not an expression I’m accustomed to use, Jeeves, but FUCKING FUCK!
Ha.
I’m in the midst of writing a glowing review of Dan Goldman’s “Red Light Properties” at the moment, so I’d encourage anyone to read and write about that…but what do I want Andrew to write about?
COYOTE.
I mean for God’s sake, it’s got a back-up feature by Steve Englehart and Steve Ditko, that’s the back-up feature, I mean what on earth do you want from a comic, eh?
Hey, I think you’ll find that you’re thirding Zom’s BPC suggestion thank you very much!
Still, a webcomic? Fuck, I wish I had the basic art skillz required to do one, really I do…
John Allison’s good though, even if I do find myself consistently disappointed whenever I remember that he’s not actually my uncle Jake.
Some comics of the last few years I enjoyed:
- Jeff Smith’s RASL
- Eric Shanower’s Age of Bronze
- David Mazzucchelli’s Asterios Polyp
- James Sturm’s (et al) Fantastic Four – Unstable Molecules (an EXCELLENT series)
- Paul Cornell’s (et al) Fantastic Four – True Stories
- Jonathan Lethem’s (et al) Omega The Unkown
- Alec Longstreth’s “Transition” in PHASE 7 (this can be read online at http://www.alec-longstreth.com/comics/)
- Jeff Matt’s “Spent”
- Daniel Clowes’ “Wilson”
- Paul Chadwick’s “Concrete” (an older favorite, despite its, what I remember as, Malthusian leanings)
Maybe one or the other strike Andrew’s critical fancy :-)
Oh yeah, also second the Lethen/Dalrymple Omega series.
Ooh, thirded!
Though, that said, it now occurs to me that I’m suggesting that you write about a load of things that I want to write about. Let’s go for it Andrew – we can bounce ideas off each other, it’ll be fun!
LOVED that Sturm “Unstable Molecules”…
I seem to recall quite a while ago (but shortly after I started reading your blog), you started what was intended to be a long series of posts on Cerebus. But, Real Life being what it is, it fell to the bottom of the pile after maybe the first one or two?
I’d love to see that resurrected, assuming you still have those notes or thoughts!
Oof, Omega the Unknown is a bullet, yeah. I think you should write about that and The Winter Men, def-o-nitely, yes.
BPC & Pete Milligan are also very good suggestions.
But you should do what I say, yes.
Thanks for all these suggestions. I’ve been thinking hard about BPC, in particular, already. Will probably be waiting til it finishes to write about it. But I’ll be posting about some of these very soon…
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