Walking Concert

Walking Concert is the brainchild of Walter Schreifels from Quicksand, Rival Schools, and Gorilla Biscuits. If you are familiar with the first and last bands on this list, then you have an idea of how influential this guy is. If you are familiar with the Rival Schools, then you have an idea what his new band sounds like. They step a little bit more into melodic rock than the previous band, but continue the trend in singer/songwriter Walter's writing style. If you're looking for xxhardcorexx or pre-emo (preemo?) then this might not be the album you want. I personally can't stop listening.

There is one funny thing about the new record, Run To Be Born, that I didn't even notice the first several times I listened to it. Then, as the lyrics began to sink in, it hit me. There are multiple comics references on the album. The most tangential is in the song "Hands Up!" when the lyrics:

You're action figure collection
is fillin' up the kitchen.
But they're not helping,
no more plastic superhero dreaming.

To a comic geek like me this is enough of a connection, but then in two other songs I noticed more. In the song "The Animals" he sings, "fight the evil/Batman/caped crusaders/need directions." And then there is a song, "A Lot to Expect" which partly seems to be built around the theme of transparency and emotion, in which he uses Wonder Woman as a stand in for his ex(?)-lover:

...anyone can see through
it's as clear as the plane that you're flying.
The bracelets you wear might stop bullets
but they can't stop time.

Anyway, all this is just to make a connection to comics to entice you to listen to one of my favorite new records. Just go to iTunes (or your favorite download source) and check out the songs "Audrey" and "What's Your New Thing" for a taste of what the band sounds like.

New Comics - March 15th

I thought I would try a regular feature here. A weekly list of which comics got my hard earned money each week. They idea being that if I thought they were worth my money then they are worth an implicit recommendation for anyone else to buy them. In fact, because this implication occurs, I will make a note for anything I don't think you should spend your hard earned money on. This will be one of the few places I might break my unwritten rule of not slamming comics on the blog, since there is enough of that online, but I'll be gentle for the most part.

I am hoping that this will be posted every Thursday, or at the latest Friday. If there is no other benefit, I will at least emabarass myself by showing you what I've wasted money on, and in the process maybe make my comic buying habits a little more discriminating. There is a fine line between supporting comics and supporting crap.

In no particular order, here it goes for week one:

• Girls (Image)
• Truth, Justin, and the American Way (Image) - I'm not really a fan of PvP, but the art on this is very nice, so I'll give Kurtz a chance.
  
• Punisher/Bullseye (Marvel) - I have been greatly enjoying this action title, and it holds promise for me that the Way/Dillon team will provide an exciting run on Wolverine.
• Superman/Shazam: First Thunder (DC)
• Painkiller Jane (Dynamite Ent.) - I enjoyed this book in it's first run, and I have enjoyed the handful of books that I've read from Palmiotti the Writer.
• Fury Peacemaker (Marvel)
• Infinite Crisis Secret Files (DC) - Even I don't know why I spent $6 on this.
• Batman: Year 100 (DC) - I'm buying this and holding it to read in one giant blast. I can hardly wait.
• Ultimate Extinction (Marvel)
• Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man (Marvel) - I started this title for the team of David/Ringo, and this is already the second break in the team and it's only the sixth issue. I'm still holding on because I nerd out for Spidey more than any other institution in comics (Batman comes a close second).
• Spider-Woman Origin (Marvel) - One day the Luna Bros. will be huge, for now they still have a few artistic kinks to work out.
• Body Bags (Image)
• Green Arrow (DC) - The first OYL title to get me curious enough to try it. I've always been a fan of G.A.
• Concrete Vol. 4: Killer Smile (Dark Horse) - This is, for my money, the most eminently re-readable title of the last two decades.
• Treasure Chest Vol. 17 No. 19 (Cathetical Guild - pub. May 1962) - A great cover, and only three bucks, but I'll probably never read it.

There were also two titles that I grabbed out of the preview stack to read, but they aren't officially released until next Wednesday.

• Daredevil (Marvel) - The Brube is charging along with a great second issue in what I hope to be a very long run. He is making me not miss Bendis one bit, and I expected to.
• Daughters of the Dragon (Marvel) - Another good all-out action title, and a good example of Palmiotti the top-notch genre writer.

That was it this week. I'd recommend all of these titles if you think they're up your alley. Except the Infinite Crisis thing.

Crickets by Sammy Harkham

I first became aware of Sammy Harkham's art at the San Diego Comic Con about five years ago. He was in the small press section selling hand painted postcards for just a few dollars each. I was intrigued and interested and bought a few. I didn't see his work again until I came across issue 3 of Kramer's Ergot. I checked it out, but it seemed that the main interest for me in this anthology was Mr Harkham's story and art. I have seen his work, not just in the subsequent (and much better) issues of the Ergot, but also in other anthologies here and there - which I'm too lazy to look up right now, I'm sure Google will help you find them - but was very excited to flip through Previews and find a new ongoing title from Drawn and Quarterly (sidebar link).

The first issue came out a few weeks ago, and it is great. The only downside is that the beginning of this story has appeared already in Drawn and Quarterly Showcase 3. This is a small hindrance, as the story rolls right along and it's open and fluid storytelling style allow for illuminating re-readings. I am already looking forward to a collection, and I won't cut off buying the individual issues to spite them.

Mr Harkham has a cartooning style that is clean and expressive, and he has built up a cartoon language to suit his strengths. This is something that the best cartoonists pull off, but the average ones never get a hold on. The key is that Harkham is aware of his strengths and weaknesses, and plays off them to bring the story to the reader in the most clear-headed way possible. In addition, he is clearly continuing to grow as an artist. The artwork and storytelling in this book is more assured and he isn't afraid to let the story grow at its own pace. He has an open, leisurely style, but isn't afraid to use a panel transition that jolts you with a story turn. He lets the pace set you up for the moments of whiplash that are interspersed as needed.

If this style were used for a straight genre piece, it would be call "decompressed" or "cinematic." In the land of indie comics, it reminds one of the open storytelling of Jordan Crane or Renee French, rather than the dense style of Chris Ware or Gary Panter.

The first issue asks more questions than it answers, but the barest of plots sometimes build into the most powerful stories. I hope that this title fulfills its promise and that the story proves to be powerful indeed.

R.I.P.

Atlas by Dylan Horrocks

The new issue of Dylan Horrocks' Atlas came out this last week. I have been impatiently waiting for this new issue for quite a while now. Mr Horrocks has been one of my favorite comics artists for many years now, and if you've ever read Hicksville, you might have an idea why. I've seen Mr Horrocks post on the internet that he is interested in creative works that engage in "world building," and Hicksville and this new series certainly seem to do just that.

Atlas is an ongoing series with a main feature and a back-up in each issue. The main story, "Atlas," is subtitled "The Life of Emil Kópen" and this second issue continues to slowly build a world that includes its own language and its own form of comics. This series seems to be building on the themes Horrocks introduced in Hicksville. He even includes a technique from Hicksville that relates the comics and creators in Horrocks' world to creators with which the reader is already familiar, a quote at the beginning of each chapter. These quotes also refer to the story at hand like the Charles Schulz quote at the beginning of this chapter: "The brave man has the courage of the early morning."

Mr Horrock's art is masterful. He has a supple brush line, and a skill for page layout and spotting blacks. He has a few idiosyncracies, formidable noses, heavy eyebrows and heavy black eyes, but these just distinguish his art rather than detract from it. A Dylan Horrocks character looks like a Dylan Horrocks character, which helps to immerse you in the worlds he is creating.



Do yourself a favor and check out this title, or Hicksville if you prefer, but don't overlook a future master of the medium in a strong time of creative growth.

Paris by Andi Watson and Simon Gane

I haven't been very good about updating, but I'm trying to get back on track. In the interest of momentum, my next few posts will probably not be very in depth. Here's a book that I grabbed off the top of my to-blog-about pile. It is a mini-series from Slave Labor Graphics, and issue number two has just been released.

I have enjoyed all the Andi Watson works that I've read in the last several years, and when I saw that he was teaming up with the little known Simon Gane, I was really looking forward to this title. I'd originally run across Mr Gane's work in mini-comics about ten years ago, and hadn't seen much since. I found one book, All Flee, about a year ago, but it wasn't really story material that had much appeal for me. So learning that a story about two young girls, one an artist, in turn of the century Paris (my second favorite European city), I was excited, and quickly added it to my subscription list.

I am going to reserve any complete judgment on it at this point, other than to say that I'm enjoying it and that I recommended heartily for anyone who is looking for a book written by one of the best slice-of-life writers around and drawn by one of the truly unique artists working in comics. The sample panel above is indicative of the idiosyncratic style of the artwork, and is a breath of fresh air in the all-too-frequently stolid comic artwork found in your average indy title.

Check it out.

The $100 Laptop

So I read this news story...



...and thought:
"Thank God. Now all the underpriveleged kids will have access to online porn."

A Proud Papa

Here I introduce my excuse for not posting more frequently...

Clementine.

A Boy Named J.R.

I went and saw I Walk the Line last night. I thought the movie was well acted, and that Phoenix and Witherspoon did a great job in the singing parts. It was rare that the production used on their voices was noticeable in the film. The film did seem a little slow at times. I didn't get enough sense that the space given to the story was needed to delineate the characters and that it occasionally hindered the drive of the narrative. I think that the film could have lost fifteen or twenty minutes without dropping any of the vibe.

More than anything, the movie made me want to come home and put on some records by the Man In Black himself. Which I don't think is too far from what the director wanted, maybe just a little.

Slacking

Dammit, I went a whole calendar month without posting. There goes November.