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Mid-Ohio and Me
Mid-Ohio Con is not really my kind of show. The guest list is a mix of mainstream creators and tv has-beens (Joyce DeWitt? At a comics show? WTF?), with relatively little alt-comix presence. The dealers' tables are likewise heavy on mainstream back issues, plus toys and bootleg DVDs. But I always end up going anyway, because it's nearby and I do run into a lot of old buddies there.
THE PEOPLE:
Pam Bliss ( http://www.paradisevalleycomics.com ) is always fun to talk to, since she is so well-versed in so many different subjects. She was bemoaning the fact that a scene in one of her recent comics wasn't as clear as it might've been, and we had an interesting discussion on the gap between what the creator intends, and what the reader can reasonably be expected to figure out.
Rene Blansette was working a table, selling his excellent THIEF series. Among other things, we talked about the importance of names: He originally called his imprint "Camelopardis Productions", but decided it was too hard for people to remember (or pronounce!). So he switched it to "Rainbow Bridge Productions". Alas, instead of evoking images of Asgard and epic adventure, it seemed many people assumed that the "rainbow" was some kind of reference to gay rights activism. Not that there's anything wrong with that...
Mike Carroll ( http://www.webcomicsnation/carrolltoons/ ) is having a blast doing his online ACCIDENTALS strip, and also tracking where his hits come from. ("I've got a reader in Singapore!")
Kip Creel, a past FANTASY THEATER contributor ( http://members.aol.com/joekevinc/gloriann/timepast.jpg ) was walking around the show with his nephew and a friend. Alas, work and family don't leave him much time for comics these days, but we're going to try and do something together for an upcoming issue.
Steve Lieber ( http://www.stevelieber.com ) was working on a commissioned sketch of Owlman from the Crime Syndicate when I stopped at his table. It looked great, and we talked a little about the odd appeal of Mike Sekwosky's work. He mentioned that he and Greg Rucka are talking about the possibility of doing another WHITEOUT book, which would be awesome. Lieber said that the best part would be that he can now do all the zip-a-tone effects digitally, instead of having to cut it by hand. He also mentioned that his wife Sara Ryan was working on a second issue of the minicomic FLYTRAP; this time the artwork will be by a young artist who's been helping Lieber out in the studio (and who's name I've forgotten... sorry!).
Paul Sizer's ( http://www.paulsizer.com ) books might get a lukewarm reception in the direct market, but are selling like crazy to libraries. He's currently working on BPM, a graphic novel about a young woman trying to make it as a club DJ. I saw some sample artwork, which mixed hand-drawn and photographic elements and looked really cool.
THE BOOKS:
I did manage to pick up a few interesting items at the show.
JUNIOR LIBRARIANS #1
Matt Feazell & Jim Mackey
http://www.cynicalman.com
A cute little strip about the adventures of a group of young library assistants. I believe this was meant as a pitch to DISNEY ADVENTURES magazine. It's interesting to see Matt's un-inked pencils.
PUMPKIN HOWL
SNAPSHOTS
EVERYONE KNOWS ABOUT WOLVES AND CARS
Pam Bliss
http://www.paradisevalleycomics.com
Various anecdotes from Pam's "Kekinoga" universe. Lots of charming and eccentric characters here, including a werewolf, a wooly mammoth, and a would-be superhero. A new book by Pam is always a treat.
NO DEAD TIME
Brian McLaughlin & Thomas Williams
http://www.onipress.com
A record store clerk and a computer tech try to find love and purpose in a world that seems to be filled with shallow idiots. A fairly run-of-the-mill romance, made more interesting by bits of political commentary, and Williams' highly stylized artwork (many of the supporting characters are drawn as devils, serpents, and other strange creatures for no apparent reason, but in context it seems to work).
THE FATE OF THE ARTIST
Eddie Campbell
http://www.firstsecondbooks.com
A sort of autobiography/essay/confessional, done up as a murder mystery. A detective searches for the "missing" Campbell, and as he pieces together clues, we get a pretty unflattering portrait of the artist as seen by his family, friends, and colleagues. Through various proxies, Campbell wrestles with his own ambivalence about the creative life, as well as his difficulties in engaging with "normal" society. It's a very complex work, but also engaging and funny. Highly recommended.
THE INEFFABLES: POLITICAL SCIENCE
Craig Bogart
http://www.theineffables.com
Pure, goofy superhero fun, full of crazy characters (the team consists of a walking Easter Island statue, a living work of abstract art, an indestructable tabloid reporter, and Abe Lincoln) skewed logic and wild psuedoscience. There's also a bit of liberal commentary, with jabs at "intelligent design", the Swift Boat Veterans, et. al. Bogart's art is a bit sparse, but works well enough. Great fun.
BATMAN CHRONICLES VOL. 2
Bill Finger, Bob Kane & various
http://www.dccomics.com
I'm a little peeved at DC -- I finally bit the bullet and started buying some of the hardcover BATMAN ARCHIVES, and suddenly they come out with this more affordable softcover series. I also much prefer the way the stories are assembled -- material from BATMAN, DETECTIVE COMICS, and WORLD'S FAIR COMICS is combined here in chronological order, so you can follow the evolution of the character and style. The stories are tight and action-packed, full of clever gimmicks and memorable villains (including early appearances by the Joker and Catwoman). Kane's art is rough, but he has a good eye for staging action. These early tales aren't just "historically important", they're great reading.
MAKING COMICS
Scott McCloud
http://www.scottmccloud.com/makingcomics
McCloud's third textbook on the mechanics of sequential art. Happily, this has more of the nuts-and-bolts analysis of UNDERSTANDING COMICS, and less of the pie-in-the-sky speculation of REINVENTING COMICS. He covers everything from the mundane (What pen should you use? How many panels should you put on a page?) to the philosophical (How do you convey emtion? Why the hell do you want to make comics, anyway?). And as always, the book itself is an excellent example of the comics medium and what it's capable of. A must-read for aspiring creators, and even casual readers will come away with a deeper appreciation of the form.
THE OLD CRAP:
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schung1968 will be amused to learn that, with time to kill and not much else going on at the show, I actually delved into the "dollar boxes" for the first time in years. Although even at a buck apiece, a lot of these are overpriced...
BLACK GOLIATH #4
Chris Claremont, Rich Buckler, & Don Heck
Marvel Comics, 1976
I'd never read this series before, but it featured a Jack Kirby-drawn cover, and an appearance by the notorious Stilt-Man (an old Daredevil villain I have an inexplicable fondness for). It's a very typical book of the era: A small fight scene, a bit of soap opera, and then the big show-down, which ends in a cliffhanger. Goliath himself doesn't show much of a distinct personality, but at least he's educated and well-spoken, and not some ghetto cliche. There's nothing really *wrong* with this comic, except that Marvel was already publishing a dozen more established titles just like it, and there's nothing here to separate it from the pack.
KOBRA #2-3
Martin Pasko, Chic Stone, Keith Giffen, & various
DC Comics, 1976
Another series I never read when it was new. It's actually pretty good, with a neat premise: evil Kobra and good-guy Jason Burr are twins, separated at birth and unaware of each others' existence until adulthood. And like the Corsican Brothers (or those guys on G.I. Joe), when one of them is injured, the other one feels the pain. So while they're constantly at odds, the two can never really attack each other. And Jason has the additional concern that the CIA agents he's cooperating with might try to kill Kobra, even though they know that would kill Jason as well. Pasko pulls off an interesting trick: as we learn more about Kobra, he becomes somewhat sympathetic, while Burr is kind of an asshole, so the sides aren't completely clear-cut. Kobra still shows up as a villain in various titles, but at some point Burr was killed off, which takes away a lot of his uniqueness.
THE SECRET SOCIETY OF SUPER-VILLAINS #5
Bob Rozakis, Rich Buckler, & Vince Colletta
DC Comics, 1977
I followed this title regularly back in the day, but somehow managed to miss this issue. Rozakis has the thankless task of tying up the previous writer's convoluted storyline, and he doesn't seem to have much enthusiasm for it. The big showdown with Darkseid occurs halfway through the issue, and is pretty perfunctory (Manhunter announces that, by the way, he's packing enough explosives to kill a god... BOOM!). Other characters are similarly rushed off-stage, setting up a new status quo for future issues. It's not a great comic, or even a particularly good one, but it's an interesting illustration of the logistical problems that go along with work-for-hire franchises.
BEOWULF #4, 6
Michael Uslan & Ricardo Villamonte
DC Comics, 1975
CLAW THE UNCONQUERED #2, 7, 9
David Michelinie, Ernie Chua, Keith Giffen & Bob Layton
DC Comics, 1975
TARZAN FAMILY #63
(no credits on lead feature)
DC Comics, 1976
WULF THE BARBARIAN #2
Larry Hama & Klaus Janson
Atlas Comics, 1975
I'm throwing all of these together, because they really are almost interchangeable. You could replace any of these heroes with Conan, and not even have to re-write the dialogue. Which is not to say they're badly done -- the stories are clever enough, and much of the artwork is outstanding. But there's an overwhelming "sameness" to the style, which probably explains why none of them lasted long (The only survivor of this sword 'n sorcery glut was Mike Grell's WARLORD -- a barbarian book that *did* have a unique voice). To my surprise, the best of this batch was WULF, from the short-lived and much-maligned Atlas Comics Group. Not only is the artwork terrific (I didn't even know Larry Hama was an artist, much less such a good one!), but the story is fairly complex, incorporating political manuverings as well as the obligatory wizard-and-monster jazz. I'll have to track down the other issues.
THE PEOPLE:
Pam Bliss ( http://www.paradisevalleycomics.com ) is always fun to talk to, since she is so well-versed in so many different subjects. She was bemoaning the fact that a scene in one of her recent comics wasn't as clear as it might've been, and we had an interesting discussion on the gap between what the creator intends, and what the reader can reasonably be expected to figure out.
Rene Blansette was working a table, selling his excellent THIEF series. Among other things, we talked about the importance of names: He originally called his imprint "Camelopardis Productions", but decided it was too hard for people to remember (or pronounce!). So he switched it to "Rainbow Bridge Productions". Alas, instead of evoking images of Asgard and epic adventure, it seemed many people assumed that the "rainbow" was some kind of reference to gay rights activism. Not that there's anything wrong with that...
Mike Carroll ( http://www.webcomicsnation/carrolltoons/ ) is having a blast doing his online ACCIDENTALS strip, and also tracking where his hits come from. ("I've got a reader in Singapore!")
Kip Creel, a past FANTASY THEATER contributor ( http://members.aol.com/joekevinc/gloriann/timepast.jpg ) was walking around the show with his nephew and a friend. Alas, work and family don't leave him much time for comics these days, but we're going to try and do something together for an upcoming issue.
Steve Lieber ( http://www.stevelieber.com ) was working on a commissioned sketch of Owlman from the Crime Syndicate when I stopped at his table. It looked great, and we talked a little about the odd appeal of Mike Sekwosky's work. He mentioned that he and Greg Rucka are talking about the possibility of doing another WHITEOUT book, which would be awesome. Lieber said that the best part would be that he can now do all the zip-a-tone effects digitally, instead of having to cut it by hand. He also mentioned that his wife Sara Ryan was working on a second issue of the minicomic FLYTRAP; this time the artwork will be by a young artist who's been helping Lieber out in the studio (and who's name I've forgotten... sorry!).
Paul Sizer's ( http://www.paulsizer.com ) books might get a lukewarm reception in the direct market, but are selling like crazy to libraries. He's currently working on BPM, a graphic novel about a young woman trying to make it as a club DJ. I saw some sample artwork, which mixed hand-drawn and photographic elements and looked really cool.
THE BOOKS:
I did manage to pick up a few interesting items at the show.
JUNIOR LIBRARIANS #1
Matt Feazell & Jim Mackey
http://www.cynicalman.com
A cute little strip about the adventures of a group of young library assistants. I believe this was meant as a pitch to DISNEY ADVENTURES magazine. It's interesting to see Matt's un-inked pencils.
PUMPKIN HOWL
SNAPSHOTS
EVERYONE KNOWS ABOUT WOLVES AND CARS
Pam Bliss
http://www.paradisevalleycomics.com
Various anecdotes from Pam's "Kekinoga" universe. Lots of charming and eccentric characters here, including a werewolf, a wooly mammoth, and a would-be superhero. A new book by Pam is always a treat.
NO DEAD TIME
Brian McLaughlin & Thomas Williams
http://www.onipress.com
A record store clerk and a computer tech try to find love and purpose in a world that seems to be filled with shallow idiots. A fairly run-of-the-mill romance, made more interesting by bits of political commentary, and Williams' highly stylized artwork (many of the supporting characters are drawn as devils, serpents, and other strange creatures for no apparent reason, but in context it seems to work).
THE FATE OF THE ARTIST
Eddie Campbell
http://www.firstsecondbooks.com
A sort of autobiography/essay/confessional, done up as a murder mystery. A detective searches for the "missing" Campbell, and as he pieces together clues, we get a pretty unflattering portrait of the artist as seen by his family, friends, and colleagues. Through various proxies, Campbell wrestles with his own ambivalence about the creative life, as well as his difficulties in engaging with "normal" society. It's a very complex work, but also engaging and funny. Highly recommended.
THE INEFFABLES: POLITICAL SCIENCE
Craig Bogart
http://www.theineffables.com
Pure, goofy superhero fun, full of crazy characters (the team consists of a walking Easter Island statue, a living work of abstract art, an indestructable tabloid reporter, and Abe Lincoln) skewed logic and wild psuedoscience. There's also a bit of liberal commentary, with jabs at "intelligent design", the Swift Boat Veterans, et. al. Bogart's art is a bit sparse, but works well enough. Great fun.
BATMAN CHRONICLES VOL. 2
Bill Finger, Bob Kane & various
http://www.dccomics.com
I'm a little peeved at DC -- I finally bit the bullet and started buying some of the hardcover BATMAN ARCHIVES, and suddenly they come out with this more affordable softcover series. I also much prefer the way the stories are assembled -- material from BATMAN, DETECTIVE COMICS, and WORLD'S FAIR COMICS is combined here in chronological order, so you can follow the evolution of the character and style. The stories are tight and action-packed, full of clever gimmicks and memorable villains (including early appearances by the Joker and Catwoman). Kane's art is rough, but he has a good eye for staging action. These early tales aren't just "historically important", they're great reading.
MAKING COMICS
Scott McCloud
http://www.scottmccloud.com/makingcomics
McCloud's third textbook on the mechanics of sequential art. Happily, this has more of the nuts-and-bolts analysis of UNDERSTANDING COMICS, and less of the pie-in-the-sky speculation of REINVENTING COMICS. He covers everything from the mundane (What pen should you use? How many panels should you put on a page?) to the philosophical (How do you convey emtion? Why the hell do you want to make comics, anyway?). And as always, the book itself is an excellent example of the comics medium and what it's capable of. A must-read for aspiring creators, and even casual readers will come away with a deeper appreciation of the form.
THE OLD CRAP:
schung1968 will be amused to learn that, with time to kill and not much else going on at the show, I actually delved into the "dollar boxes" for the first time in years. Although even at a buck apiece, a lot of these are overpriced...BLACK GOLIATH #4
Chris Claremont, Rich Buckler, & Don Heck
Marvel Comics, 1976
I'd never read this series before, but it featured a Jack Kirby-drawn cover, and an appearance by the notorious Stilt-Man (an old Daredevil villain I have an inexplicable fondness for). It's a very typical book of the era: A small fight scene, a bit of soap opera, and then the big show-down, which ends in a cliffhanger. Goliath himself doesn't show much of a distinct personality, but at least he's educated and well-spoken, and not some ghetto cliche. There's nothing really *wrong* with this comic, except that Marvel was already publishing a dozen more established titles just like it, and there's nothing here to separate it from the pack.
KOBRA #2-3
Martin Pasko, Chic Stone, Keith Giffen, & various
DC Comics, 1976
Another series I never read when it was new. It's actually pretty good, with a neat premise: evil Kobra and good-guy Jason Burr are twins, separated at birth and unaware of each others' existence until adulthood. And like the Corsican Brothers (or those guys on G.I. Joe), when one of them is injured, the other one feels the pain. So while they're constantly at odds, the two can never really attack each other. And Jason has the additional concern that the CIA agents he's cooperating with might try to kill Kobra, even though they know that would kill Jason as well. Pasko pulls off an interesting trick: as we learn more about Kobra, he becomes somewhat sympathetic, while Burr is kind of an asshole, so the sides aren't completely clear-cut. Kobra still shows up as a villain in various titles, but at some point Burr was killed off, which takes away a lot of his uniqueness.
THE SECRET SOCIETY OF SUPER-VILLAINS #5
Bob Rozakis, Rich Buckler, & Vince Colletta
DC Comics, 1977
I followed this title regularly back in the day, but somehow managed to miss this issue. Rozakis has the thankless task of tying up the previous writer's convoluted storyline, and he doesn't seem to have much enthusiasm for it. The big showdown with Darkseid occurs halfway through the issue, and is pretty perfunctory (Manhunter announces that, by the way, he's packing enough explosives to kill a god... BOOM!). Other characters are similarly rushed off-stage, setting up a new status quo for future issues. It's not a great comic, or even a particularly good one, but it's an interesting illustration of the logistical problems that go along with work-for-hire franchises.
BEOWULF #4, 6
Michael Uslan & Ricardo Villamonte
DC Comics, 1975
CLAW THE UNCONQUERED #2, 7, 9
David Michelinie, Ernie Chua, Keith Giffen & Bob Layton
DC Comics, 1975
TARZAN FAMILY #63
(no credits on lead feature)
DC Comics, 1976
WULF THE BARBARIAN #2
Larry Hama & Klaus Janson
Atlas Comics, 1975
I'm throwing all of these together, because they really are almost interchangeable. You could replace any of these heroes with Conan, and not even have to re-write the dialogue. Which is not to say they're badly done -- the stories are clever enough, and much of the artwork is outstanding. But there's an overwhelming "sameness" to the style, which probably explains why none of them lasted long (The only survivor of this sword 'n sorcery glut was Mike Grell's WARLORD -- a barbarian book that *did* have a unique voice). To my surprise, the best of this batch was WULF, from the short-lived and much-maligned Atlas Comics Group. Not only is the artwork terrific (I didn't even know Larry Hama was an artist, much less such a good one!), but the story is fairly complex, incorporating political manuverings as well as the obligatory wizard-and-monster jazz. I'll have to track down the other issues.