As usual I review the new issue of Savage Dragon over at Image Addiction. Here’s what I had to say:
“The page layout matters in comics. The method of how the panels mesh along with the placement of borders and breaks determines the reading experience as well as the pacing.
Well, this issue of Dragon explores that as Larsen shows the effect of page design by repeating one particular layout for basically the entire issue…”
You can read the rest HERE.
Filed under Image Addiction Review
I have posted a new review over at Image Addiction on Butcher Baker, The Righteous Maker #1. Here’s what I had to say:
“The new series from Godland’s own Joe Casey (or should I say Joe Casey’s own Godland? – which I guess wouldn’t make any sense) is Butcher Baker, The Righteous Maker: a comic book centered on an ex-super-hero who is now pulled from retirement in order to deal with a few past villains…”
You can read the rest HERE.
Filed under Image Addiction Review
To anyone who followed me in my Teenage Wasteland era, you may remember my slight enthusiasm for a book called The Unwritten. A Vertigo/DC series helmed by writer Mike Carey and artist Peter Gross that explored the ideas of story and culture and their affect upon the world. Well, after months of being behind in my comic book reading and a week of open time due to spring break, I finally managed to catch up on a majority of the series I follow. The Unwritten did not impress as it once did.
Now, The Unwritten had already fallen off my radar prior to the spring break catch-up. I was no longer grasping for the next issue. I was no longer reading and re-reading the issues already in my possession. I was no longer playing along, digging into the comic looking for clues or themes. That reaction I had toward The Unwritten died months ago – probably around issue twelve if I were to guess. I did still enjoy the book on some level, though. I thought it was a good series, one that I would certainly gain a likable experience from once reading it in a stack of three or four issues. Not the case.
The Unwritten, the most recent issues, read like a story that had lost its steam. The giant questions and mystery of the series seemed to be gone or on their way to a halt. There was nothing propelling the book anymore. Tom Taylor’s father had been dealt with, Lizzie Hexam was no longer a question to us, Tom seemed to be comfortable with his role: where was the conflict?
I guess there is the question of the map and the world hopping as Tom Taylor, our protagonist, uses the wonderful, little map in his possession to travel across fictional worlds using a mystified door knob, but this new direction or focus feels very much like some video game – ified version of a comic book. Each setting feels like a new level in a larger scheme of some goal oriented quest, leaving the conflict in a very two-dimensional fashion. The series’ beginning had many subplots buzzing around, and Tom Taylor’s own existence was constantly bombarded with new questions and ideas. Now, it’s world hopping, in video game fashion, to discover this thing titled “the source.”
I don’t know. I am not thrilled or fascinated by it.
The subplots also feel lackluster. Savoy, Tom’s compadre, seems to be turning into a vampire after suffering a bite from the series’ villain, Count Ambrosio, Tom and Lizzie seem to be sexually attracted to each other, and the big, bad organization out to get Tom is applying new management, but none of this compares to the tension the first ten issues of The Unwritten supplied. Big things were happening in those early issues. Questions of perception, presentation of media and the intrusion it makes upon our lives, Tom Taylor being a scared, little man on the defensive, the Frankenstein monster, murder, prison, Nazis, a scary hit man with a bad ass mustache: these things do not compare to what the series focuses on now. Not even close.
Maybe the book has just hit a lull as most ongoing series do, and maybe the blame is all on me as my outlook on comics has changed in the past few months. I think the book has just lost its shine, though.
Or blown its wad.
Here is the thing. The comic book, The Unwritten, is built off a pretty cool high concept. The idea of a fictional character living in our world, fiction and stories crossing paths with our reality, and the idea of dictating truth with fiction are concepts that have been dealt with before, but the Unwritten fused all of this together in an exciting, explosive way that required you to dive full in. Carey applied a piece of the Lost method of storytelling, providing more questions than answers and building a sense of something major lurking in the backdrop. This, along with the high concept, was the hook. As described though, the Lost-like tension has left, and well, the high concept is not exactly as intriguing as it initially was.
Up front, the book’s premise was really attention grabbing. It gave the book some real balls in a sense, making the reader feel like it was possible to get some big answers, big ideas from this 22-page monthly. How does fiction affect us? What other magic is there to explore? Are we better or worse off with the amount of narrative in or daily lives? I was grinding on this stuff. Then the magic of the premise goes away. Then it just feels like something expected. Then is becomes standard.
The point here is: high concepts are wonderful tools to create initial excitement and interest in the story you wish to tell. High concepts can also provide great starting points or settings for your narrative. Honestly, high concepts are pretty essential to the art of story, as the concept usually is the origin point. I mean, where is Jaws without the giant shark? Where is Homer’s Odyssey without the long trip home? Where is The Pit and the Pendulum without the fucking pendulum? The high concept defines the narrative in a sense, but the narrative needs more than just the high concept. The narrative needs characters, needs conflict, needs suspense, needs subplots, needs dialogue, needs theme, and in the case of comics, needs art – good, or even better, GREAT art.
The Unwritten has a few of these things. The Lizzie Hexam character is still pretty interesting, easily the most compelling cast member. The book certainly has a theme or themes it is exploring. The conflict is there in a sense, just not as fascinating as originally shown. Peter Gross is a good artist, probably one of the better working at Vertigo.
With this selection of elements, though, the comic still dangles. The writing is not strong enough to match or carry on the enthusiasm instilled by the first contact of the premise. The sharp decline in quality is actually more noticeable because the premise grows standard. As a reader, loving this book, you finally look past the high concept and make judgment that the series does not really have a whole lot going on for it. It almost feels like a takeaway, making you question whether the book was really ever something special or just something average covered up by a catchy idea.
I am not completely sold on that idea, though. I do feel the early issues of The Unwritten were something worthwhile. The writing there was worth reading as the early issues had more to them narrative wise. The surprise and energy of the high concept did have a large effect on my enthusiasm, though. That’s what kept me reading. That’s what kept me talking and praising.
When it all died down, though, The Unwritten just did not have the backup quality to ensure my continued interest. The writing was not all there, and the investment it put into its high concept just did not pay off to keep me buying for the entire series run.
I feel that’s the threat of the high concept: they can easily get in the way of a writer actually writing a strong story. It seems like an author could easily forget to check for all the elements a strong narrative requires and instead piggy back on the premise.
In a world where “independent” comics continually strive for the next big high concept gold mine, trying harder and harder to appear more mainstream, you can see where this threat of the high concept could appear worrisome. Writers looking to take this approach need to realize that the premise alone will not keep your narrative strong. The other elements are need; the other elements make the story strong and memorable in the end.
The lack of the other elements is why I am dropping The Unwritten.
Filed under Uncategorized
What’s up? It is back to the grind of academia as spring break has come to a close, and I am now once again sitting in my dorm room, preparing for the onslaught of class. I, for one, can’t wait! (That’s fucking sarcasm.)
Anyway, I have this writing assignment due in my journalism class tomorrow, and I just wanted to post it to share. I kind of liked how it turned out. The assignment was to pick a location and simply observe it; then, I had to record my observation in some sort of romanticized prose piece. I, of course, picked U92FM (the college station I work for) as my location.
It’s short – meant to be – but I hope you will give it a look. I probably could have actually told you about a few of the posters if I took better notes, but yeah. I guess there is always next time. Peace!
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Voices raise in the other room. The station’s sports staff begins, what seems, a usual series of bickering and debate, shouting off the results of last night’s competitions and statistics in order to prove some sort of point. Underneath their speech, light music drifts and resonates from the open DJ booth. A mix of alternative rock, electronica and David Bowie sound to be the sound. It casts upward and travels to as many ear drums it can land upon.
This duo of sound is present, rocking to life the college radio station, but the back room of U92FM remains still. No one is there, and it appears to be a place to escape. Upon entering it though, you find you are still surrounded.
The room is small with box-like proportions, yet four office style chairs, ones with dark leather covering and bold, rolling wheels, pack the room as they wait for their inhabitants to return. Posters hang all along the walls in an onslaught of visual sex and pop culture identity.
Debris scatters about the music director’s desk, indicating an existence and an activity. Boxes and stacks of CDs pile in an adjacent corner, towering over the carpet below, casting a shadow that is sure to touch your feet as you cross the threshold of the door.
A magazine rack showcases old Rolling Stones and College Music Journals as if championing some message. Two Dell Desktops hum their electric notes as they lock up and wait for their next Facebook visits.
There is life in this room. Life in the objects. Life in the culture. Everything about the U92 DJ staff is expressed, and they are not even there.
Filed under Uncategorized
When thoughts cannot stand on their own, they are tossed here, into a blog post that can go anywhere. More random thoughts for your soul! Or your brain. Or something.
I travelled to Pittsburgh, Pa this past Thursday in order to take part in Norma Jean’s recent tour. For those on the outside, Norma Jean is a pretty sweet metal/hardcore group, and I enjoy them very much. Now, while this was not my first show, or “concert” as the old term goes, it was the first one where I was actually a big fan of the performer. Granted, KISS and Anamanaguchi (whom I have both seen) put on fun, exciting shows, but there is something extra when watching a live performance and you know the exact moment to nod your head or pluck your air guitar. I had that experience, and I totally lived it, pushing my way to the front of the crowd, taking part in the pushing and shoving as the music drilled on. The time was great, and Mr. Smalls Theater, the venue hosting the show, definitely holds a cool aesthetic quality as it still showcases a few stain glass windows from the times when it was a church.
Here are a few (blurry) pictures of the show:
Norma Jean at Mr. Smalls
Norma Jean at Mr. Smalls
A year ago, my opinion on Brian Michael Bendis was not very positive. Today, I cannot get enough of this guy. Why the sudden shift? I have learned to look past the “evil company man” reputation and see Bendis’ work for what it really is. Yes, the guy’s work does dictate the Marvel line of comics to some degree, and, yes, he does cheerlead for Marvel quite a bit, but I feel these acts now geniune rather than cycnical. His recent activity shows me that this guy is still very much an artist first and a sales man second. The Bendis Tapes, over on the Word Balloon Podcast, have been pretty straight forward the past few months, and the guy has been launching a whole slew of new creator-owned projects while also making his main line Marvel work shine.Bendis is the real deal, as he probably always has been.
Most may complain that his Avengers talk too much, but that is the take, and I for one find it very interesting. Not because they are talking necessarily but because Bendis is using the dialogue to explore the super-hero genre in a different light, showing these characters as the people they really are, wrapping their lives in a Mighty Marvel drama while backdropping against time travel, Civil Wars, and Norman Osborn.
So, I am on “Team Bendis” as you may call it. At least, that is what my buddy Joey Aulisio calls it. I am picking up a majority of his work right now, and I am excited about what this guy is doing in comics because I feel Bendis still have things to say. He is not a hack nor does he phone anything in.
With this recent positivity, I have even returned to titles such as Avengers and Ultimate Spider-man. Books I loved at one time and then dropped due to my “anti-corporate comics” phase, I am now back with, rapidly picking up any and all backissues I can find from the time I have missed. So far, my actions have been successful, nearly having all the books I need to read the entire sagas of Bendis’ Avengers and Spider-man work.
So, the point? I like Bendis again.
I know not much of Jim Shooter, the one time editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics, but I really enjoy his new blog.
It is basically Jim Shooter chronicled as he, by way of his handy computer assistant, relates to us his own history in the comics industry. And hey, he is detailing the events chronologically.
Jim Shooter can be a guy with a bad reputation, but if you are not already, read this guy’s blog. I am learning a lot.
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Daredevil by Marcos Martin
Filed under Uncategorized
Cover of Mice Templar Vol. 3 #3
I have posted a new review over at Image Addiction on Mice Templar Vol. 3 #3. Here’s what I had to say:
“Mice Templar may work really well if your taste leans toward the genre of fantasy, but if not the reading experience could come off slightly clunky and maybe even a bit boring…”
You can read the rest HERE.
Filed under Image Addiction Review
2 Panels from Atelier
Probably best known for their work on Casanova, Umbrella Academy and 2010’s Daytripper, Gabriel Ba and Fabio Moon do have a side to their work that is a tad more alternative. The books may not be more alternative in terms of content necessarily because, face it, Casanova is pretty unique and off the beaten path, but books from these gentlemen have been published outside the normal circles. The first thing in my mind is 2004’s Ursula from AiT/Planet LAR which was a nice example of a comic of a different format. Ursula was printed upon a smaller form factor, technically making it one of those “mini comics” all the kids rave about. The kids do, do that, right?
Anyway, Ursula had some very delightful artwork that certainly showed the skill of both brothers, but in terms of narrative Ursula felt a bit lacking. The book felt like it was trying to make some underlying statement, yet the contents of that statement were not presenting themselves correctly. The reading experience of Ursula felt like those moments where you can not find the right words to express yourself and the point you wish to make cannot completely escape. At least to me.
But, hey, Atelier! That is why I have brought you to this blog post, right?
This comic, which also displays a smaller form factor, made its North American deput at 2010’s New York Comic Con, but the book soon became available online to appease the masses. Going in, I was not totally sure what this comic would be as it was only described to me as a comic not hindered by any language barrier. A blurb like that sold me the concept of a purely visual narrative, but in terms of what that narrative would be I had no clue. I like both of these artists, though, so that was enough to make me spend the money.
Atelier is great for two reasons, both which involve the narrative. Now, before you yell out, cursing my ignorance of the artwork, please, I wish to include the artwork as a part of the narrative’s success. This is a comic with very minimal text; the only bits to tradionally read are the few sparce sentences injected at the chapter breaks, and these sentences only tend to translate one base thought. The rest is entirely on the art, and Ba and Moon show skill by how they decide to communicate their idea, using an array of public symbols.
The book begins with images of an apple and a lightbulb, both classic visual representations of the spawning idea. It is where the book begins, in the conception stage of the creative procress, and from there it wanders through the different levels of creating. Creating a comic book, specifically. It is an account of the process, that is what this comic book is, and it is an account done with a romantic styling, giving the piece a very poetic tone. Ba and Moon show aspects of the “magic” and limitlessness behind making comics. Their narrative evokes the feeling that comics can go in all directions and know no boundaries.
More importantly though, Atelier shows the audience what comics are all about: visual narrative. Again, pulling in symbolism and sequential workings, this comic stands up as a nice piece and nice physical example of what comic books are about. Nothing is said by text, yet so much is communicated by just the use of the puzzle imagery between chapters, let alone the more intricate pages.
And I do really like the puzzle imagery. It works very well in the chapter breaks as they transition the reader from one stage of the creative process to another, showing the creation coming together. The design of it shows how making comics is a process and not just an instant happening. There is a working to it, there is a formula, and all the elements of creation must fit together. The process also is mirrored in the expressions of the brothers themselves as they do depict their own forms in the comic. The appearances vary. Most of the time Ba and Moon are walking about the fictional worlds they create, providing a smiling expression, but what are more interesting are the brief glimpses of the actual process – the work element. Ba and Moon show themselves hunched over drawing tables wearing tired expressions and dropy eyes, and this is important because it shows the hard work and dedication that is necessary to create a comic book. Sure, the process is enjoyable and does house some sense of “magic”, but also it is not an easy goal to accomplish and, for Ba and Moon to show that, it is a nice touch to the detail of the comic.
Keeping the poetic tone though, the comic ends up at a point where the excitement and awesome of comics is at its best as the brothers place us in a scene involving jetpacks, strange looking characters, and an exotic location. It stands to seal away the point: comics can do anything and be anything – comics are awesome.
Atelier stands to be a great statement. It says what comics are, what they can be, and why they are so cool. The book really is a nice, little physical piece of art, and it packs a punch. If you do not own this, well, you better get on that. Follow this link and pick it up. It’s only $3.
Filed under Thoughts
The year was 1975, and Moon Knight’s future was not very clear. Created as a villain for the comic book series Werewolf by Night, Doug Moench and Don Perlin designed the character to simply supply conflict for an issue or two. Nothing more, nothing less. His stint on the printed page after that was relatively short, appearing in only a couple of other projects, most notably Marvel Spotlight numbers twenty-eight (28) and twenty-nine (29) where he battled the very conventional Conquer Lord. The character for the most part did not have a big game plan, and Moon Knight was simply expected to just fade away as a long-forgotten blip in the Marvel Publishing Pattern. Ralph Macchio saw something though.
At the time, 1978, Macchio was an assistant editor to Special Projects Editor Rick Marschall. The team was working on the forth coming HULK! magazine, and Macchio was put to task finding a back-up feature to go alongside the publication’s main showcase. Ideas of Namor the Sub-Mariner and Shanna the She-Devil mulled over in Macchio’s head until he came to the conclusion of Doug Moench’s second-tier man of mystery Moon Knight.
The rest is history as they say because HULK! led to 1980s ongoing Moon Knight series, which led to some excellent comics work from both Moench and Bill Sienkiewicz, which then led to future Moon Knight stories and the character’s existence in this very day.
Cover of MoonKnight: Countdown to Dark Collection
But the HULK! issues had to happen first. Without them, Moon Knight is still the throw-away villain with limited purpose and future. Those HULK! issues were Doug Moench’s chance to really tell the character’s story, and reading those comics with that thought in mind provides you with a solid understanding that this could have possibly been the last Moon Knight story. The character was then and still partially is a risky endeavor to pursue as his existence does not match that of Batman or Superman. No one (except for me) is clamoring for Moon Knight comics; it would be easy for the character to get lost in the shuffle due to his lack of popularity. The character is a C-lister, and Ralph Macchio wanted him to be the second-stringer in the back of HULK!. For all Doug Moench knew though, Moon Knight could have been at the front of the magazine, staring as the main feature because reading those stories certainly shows quality rather than a feeling of something mashed together to fill page space.
The stories carry a quality of literature in how they subtly suggest while presenting a plot that is actually pretty simple. If you look at an author like Hemingway, he writes short stories in a style where not a whole lot happens. The majority of the writing and purpose of the story is the setting or internal conflict or ambiguous lines of dialogue. Now, while I am not completely comparing Doug Moench to Ernest Hemingway, because I do not necessarily feel comfortable doing that, I do see a few similarities between these Moon Knight stories and say Hemingway’s Nick Adams stories when it comes to showing little while alluding to more.
Hemingway’s “Big Two-Hearted River,” which is the conclusion to his Nick Adams saga, basically provides an account of Nick hiking through some grasslands and ascending up a hill where he then camps and eventually finds a river and goes fishing. That is the plot, and it is not a whole lot, almost bare minimum in the events department. Moench does this in his own way, a way that is certainly only fit for comics. Stories like “The Big Blackmail” and “Countdown to Dark” do have eventful plots, but when these plots are held in a context of comic book plots they are not really that outgoing. The plot for both of these stories, as they are connected, is Moon Knight stopping a terrorist plot and then having a final battle with a big, bad villain. That is pretty standard for super-hero comics, and these comics, on the surface, read like they are just going through the motions of bronze age practice.
So, both of these plots are almost boring and certainly could appear as repetitive to selected audiences, but what is important is what is being said underneath as the authors provide subtle indication for larger themes. “Big Two-Hearted River,” even though a fishing story, goes a bit bigger as Hemingway describes the environment of the river, the way the fish live in it, how Nick reacts to it, and how the swamp appears dark and placid further along the way. These small indications are the clues to the theme and invite the reader to think, but they are not necessarily placed in the forefront of the text as instead they are briefly mentioned. The Moon Knight stories pull the same trick. At one instance Moon Knight is at battle with Lupinar, The Wolf, carrying on in true comic book style, yet suddenly the fight stops leaving Moon Knight in a moment of looking at what had just occurred, muttering the words, “I see. But I don’t want to.” This happening takes place over three panels, pretty brief, but the nature of how that moment stops you has an affect, bringing about feelings of what is really going on with this character. The moment though is completely surrounded by the traditional plot.
This design for a story packs such an impact I feel because it creates this feeling that the comic almost knows more than you do. The comic presents itself one way, but really underneath the dressing there is a whole other side to it. There is also this really cool aesthetic value to that idea. I like looking at these stories as pulp adventures because of how romantic and dated they can feel. And not dated in a bad way, saying that the comic does not work today, but more in terms of it feeling from a certain era. The swashbuckling and pattern they spotlight are so very bronze age, but underneath it all are themes and ideas that could work in almost anytime. The ideas of not knowing who you are and wanting yourself to be a certain way are timeless as they are very true to the human experience.
Page of “Night Born Ten Years Gone” by Bill Sienkiewicz
And that is the Moon Knight character. He is a costumed adventurer in some classical sense, but beautifully does Doug Moench show that the super-hero can face conflict from the inside and that these characters as concepts can really say much about us. He provides Moon Knight with the three identities of Jake Lockley, Steven Grant, and Marc Spector and pits them against each other to show the inability to choose an idea of a life. Marc Spector, assuming that is the real, base identity of the character, makes choices as to what role he is playing at different moments. Is he Lockley or Grant? That is up to Spector, or is it? The identities seems to almost dictate themselves as each role has its own abilities, and according to what needs done Spector has to assume the specific roles. It is like he does not even have the choice because for the character the job of Moon Knight needs done, and the job of Moon Knight needs done because the character is driven toward a sense of wanting better for himself.
Take a look at the character’s origin: a former mercenary hired by a committee of men to make a hit on a werewolf (man). The character was a villain, and Marc Spector knows this about himself. That is why he becomes Moon Knight; Moon Knight is Spector’s opportunity to be something better and not just a soldier working for pay. Being Moon Knight brings about a sense of mission and higher calling. He is still a soldier, but he is a soldier concerned about ideals rather than self. Except Marc Spector does not always go away. “Night Born Ten Years Gone” is a great example of this as Marc’s brother, Randall, basically goes on a killing spree because of the wrong done to him by Marc Spector. This is the past catching up with the character, and it is a past of violence and wrong that he cannot escape. Marc Spector, and the old life he used to live, is a part of him – it IS him – and it only brings problems as Randall’s free-for-all leads to the stabbing of Marlene, Moon Knight/Steven Grant’s lady.
Really that is only one of example of many to suggest Marc Spector’s restlessness with himself. Look back to “Countdown to Dark” once more as Moon Knight defeats Lupinar, The Wolf by killing him. Lupinar does aid in this as he does throw himself upon the sword, but the act of that occurrence even being written suggests the troubled past Spector cannot escape. The blood spill and reaction by Moon Knight, “I see. But I don’t want to,” says to me that the character knows who he is at heart, the mercenary, but he does not want to be that. Even the way “Night Born Ten Years Gone” ends continues this trend as Moon Knight cannot save his brother Randall who ends up impaled by a tree. The true, classic super-hero would have saved the villain, allowing him to be punished accordingly, but Moon Knight does not save Randall. He lets him die. It is sort of this weird takeaway for the character. He tries to be the good, blue-blooded American hero, and for the most part does an alright job, but at the very end of these missions his hopes of saving the day are ripped away from him as the blood is spilled and he is reminded of his questionable past.
It is this idea of not being able to escape from who you are, no matter how much you desire to be someone else. That to me is Moon Knight. The villain who wants to be the hero. I think there is certainly an element of a man who does not know what he wants, but the ultimate point of Moon Knight is facing the truth of who you are.
A very Marvel idea, if I may say.
Doug Moench lays this all out in six back-up stories, and he completely defines his character, taking him from two-dimensional villain to 3D bag of internal struggle. Moon Knight was no longer a throwaway.
Cover of HULK! Magazine #13
And how about Bill Sienkiewicz? I, with my ability as a writer, do not even have the vocabulary of words to express how I actually feel about his work here. For one, it is early Sienkiewicz where he is clearly channeling Neal Adams. I think anyone can say that; it is not hard. I can add though that I feel this stage of Sienkiewicz is actually perfect for these stories because they fit that idea of the traditional look and feel. Ok, maybe Neal Adams is not so traditional of a comic book artist. His work was a game changer, and it certainly carries its own identity. When compared to the Sienkiewicz we now know and love though, Adams is certainly more traditional. I just like how the styling of the artwork goes along with the styling of Moench’s writing: traditional yet subtly more. Because of HULK! magazine’s printing privileges, as it was in “SUPER COLOR” which was proudly stated on the covers, the artwork carries with it a bit more depth and life. The work has shadows, and as simple as that may sound, it adds a lot. It may look traditional at first, but the shadows bring out a bit more. They bring out the questions and the grayness – a point certainly mirrored by Marc Spector’s own character.
Moon Knight was not guaranteed a long running shot. The character was designed as a throwaway, not necessary destined to have his whole story told. But the chance was offered, and Doug Moench seized the moment and gave his character purpose. Looking on it now, The HULK! stories had to be right otherwise who knows where the character may have ended up? Who knows if Moench and Sienkiewicz would have gotten together? Who knows if anyone would care about this character?
Luckily, The HULK! stories are well-crafted. Some of my favorite comics, to be honest.
Filed under Moon Knight
Cover of The Li'l Depressed Boy #2
I have posted a new review over at Image Addiction on The Li’l Depressed Boy #2. Here’s what I had to say:
Filed under Image Addiction Review
Cover of Herculian #1
I have posted a new review over at Image Addiction on Herculian #1. Here’s what I had to say:
“This comic book is a great example of Erik Larsen’s ability. True, Savage Dragon usually conveys that point, but with this collection of strips and off-the-wall tales an excellent sense of Larsen’s creativity and artistic skill comes forth, smacking you upside the head. Herculian carries an identity of a classic independent comic book. The pages and the ideas are all the product of one man, all directly thrown down in strategic patterns without being filtered through the perspectives of other collaborators. The book is 100% Larsen. A point really enjoyable when it comes to the department of coloring…”
Read the rest HERE.
Filed under Image Addiction Review
alec reads comics 