BAG IT AND BOARD IT

Jon D. W. throws down a good bit of his hard-earned cash on comics. Here, he spills the beans on whether or not it was worth it. But to paraphrase LeVar Burton, don’t just take his word for it--you should read comics, too.



24-HOUR COMICS
Edited by Scott McCloud

This collection, assembled in 2004, features a story each by Steve Bissette, Alexander Grecian, Paul Winkler, Jakob Klemencic, Matt Madden, Neil Gaiman, David Lasky, K.Thor Jensen and Ald Davison, and was an incredibly inspiring read before my last go at the 24-hour challenge. (Of course, comparing my work to what’s collected here after I did my comic can be a bit depressing.) For anyone who wants to make comics in general--even if it does take more than 24 hours--seeing these pages, all of which burst with love for the medium, should make you want to put pen to paper straightaway. Also, in case you missed it in the list: Neil Gaiman.



AMERICAN SPLENDOR: ANOTHER DOLLAR
Written by Harvey Pekar
Art by Zachary Baldus, Hilary Barta, Greg Budgett, John Cebollero, Darwyn Cooke, Gary Dumm, Hunt Emerson, Rick Geary, Dean Haspiel, Mike Hawthorne, Lora Innes, David Lapham, John Lucas, José Marzán Jr., Sean Murphy, Josh Neufeld, Ed Piskor, Warren Pleece, Darick Robertson, Chris Samnee, Ty Templeton, Chris Weston
Lettering by Pat Brosseau, Darwyn Cooke, Hunt Emerson, Rick Geary, Sean Murphy, K.T. Smith

Collecting a four-issue Vertigo miniseries from 2008, this book partners Pekar with a terrific group of artists, including such American Splendor stalwarts as Gary Dumm and Greg Budgett. (Of the lineup, I was probably most thrilled to see Rick Geary’s take on Pekar--it’s a match made in comics heaven.) To borrow from the cover of Pekar’s self-published American Splendor #5 (1980), this book mostly contains “stories about sickness and old people,” but humor prevails even as Pekar faces the quotidian and banal with an increasing diplomacy. Granted I’m a good deal younger than Pekar, but American Splendor has long helped me make sense of everyday life, or at least reassured me that I wasn’t alone in the human condition; this chapter in the continuing saga fills me with hope for all the years to come, both for Pekar and for myself.



ASTERIOS POLYP
By David Mazzucchelli

A lot has already been written about this book, and rightly so--this work needs to be discussed, and I can’t imagine anyone reading it and not wanting to talk about this masterpiece of sequential art. To guide you through some of the early comics criticism surrounding this book, I’ll point you to Ng Suat Tong’s roadmap, put together for The Comics Reporter. Tong likens aspects of the book to Scott McCloud’s Understanding Comics, and I would agree that reading Mazzucchelli’s tome for the first time reminded me very much of the feeling I had after first finishing McCloud’s treatise: I was humbled, I was moved, I was awed and utterly inspired by the limitless possibilities of comics. This book is absolutely a must-read.



THE COMPLETE MAUS
By Art Spiegelman

I know I really should have read this long before now, but for anyone else who’s had that thought, I urge you not to let it stop you from picking up this book. Spiegelman’s work--at once universal and painfully personal--is an absolute triumph, even as it lays bare the very worst of humanity. This tale of survival is revelatory in its ability to present the human spirit in deceptively simple words and pictures. Maus is, without question, one of the finest works, in any medium, that I have ever encountered.



CRIMINAL: BAD NIGHT
By Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips
Colors by Val Staples

The end of this dark and twisted tale might be a bit too Tyler Durden/Fight Club-y for my usual tastes, but the nightmare atmosphere is so enveloping--inviting, I would even say--that the end makes a sick kind of sense and took me willingly as I read. The formal layouts, with three evenly sized rows to each page, play counterpoint to the story’s chaos, a whirling mashup of strippers, butchers, mobsters and Chester Gould. Yeah, it’s trippy. Yeah, you should read it. And everything else Brubaker, Phillips and Staples do together.



GOTHAM CENTRAL VOL. 1: IN THE LINE OF DUTY
Greg Rucka & Ed Brubaker: writers
Michael Lark: artist & original covers
Noelle Giddings: colorist
Willie Schubert: letterer

It’s the first half of Law & Order (before the cases go to trial and Sam Waterston strolls onscreen), but with Batman creeping in the shadows. And the dynamic between Batman and Gotham’s finest is utterly fascinating and too little explored outside of this title. It’s taken me awhile, I realize, to get around to this series, but it strikes me now as maybe the best Bat-book I’ve ever read, and its success lies in its focus on “real” people, sans powers, just trying their damnedest to do a job that can itself seem damned from the get-go.



GOTHAM CENTRAL VOL. 2: HALF A LIFE
Greg Rucka: writer
Michael Lark: artist, “Half a Life”
Jason Pearson & Cam Smith: artists, “Two Down”
William Rosado & Steve Mitchell: artists, “Happy Birthday Two You…”
Matt Hollingsworth, Digital Chameleon, Wildstorm FX: colorists
Willie Schubert, Rick Parker, Todd Klein: letterers

The actual Gotham Central story here is every bit as good as that in the previous volume, but the two opening stories are rather unattractive in this book. I appreciate having Renee Montoya and Two-Face’s backstory right here at my fingertips, but the art (originally from Batman Chronicles and Detective Comics) is so wildly far afield from the grit, soot and dank Eisnerspritz of Gotham Central that it’s actually jarring to flip to the first two stories. Anyhow, the real meat of this volume is an absolutely moving story all about the ties connecting heartbreakingly lonely people.



THE ESSENTIAL IRON MAN VOLUME #1
Written by: Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, Robert Bernstein, N. Korok
Penciled by: Don Heck, Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko
Inked by: Don Heck, Dick Ayers, Paul Reinman, Chic Stone, Mike Esposito, Vince Colletta, Wally Wood
Lettered by: Art Simek, John Duffi, Marty Epp, E. Thomas, Sam Rosen, Ray Holloway

It took me almost two years to make it all the way through this book. That said, I’m glad I did it, and I’m glad to have this on my shelf, ever ready to be referenced. But wow, these stories can be a real plod. It was awesome, though, when Iron Man fought The Uncanny Unicorn (the adjective having not yet been bogarted by the X-Men).



IRON MAN: THE MANY ARMORS OF IRON MAN
Writers: Roy Thomas, David Michelinie, Bob Layton, Denny O’Neil
Pencilers: Barry Windsor-Smith, John Romita Jr., Mark Bright, Bob Layton
Inkers: Jim Mooney, Bob Layton, Akin & Garvey
Colorists: Bob Sharen, Glynis Wein
Letterers: Art Simek, John Costanza, Joe Rosen, Rick Parker, Janice Chiang
Editors: Stan Lee, Jim Salicrup, Mark Gruenwald

Look, I know: This book is just another way for Marvel to eke a few more bucks out of their loyal readers’ pocketbooks. But I’ve got sort of a developing habit of writing about ol’ Shell Head for a certain publication, and so I picked this up for “research purposes.” As a showcase for some of the different, specialized armor the character has worn over the years, the book doesn’t offer much in the way of a cohesive reading experience. (The afterword with Bob Layton has some embarrassing typos, too, that I would hope Marvel will correct for any future printings.) The Denny O’Neil-scripted story in which Iron Man fights Iron Monger is interesting in being so dull and yet so important to the plot of the first film. If you really love Iron Man, it’s a fun book to read. Otherwise, probably not so much.


All images copyright their respective publishers. Text copyright Jon D. Witmer/The Danger Digest.

BAG IT AND BOARD IT: Graphic Novel, Trade Paperback and Other Classy Collections Edition

Every week, Jon blows his rent money on comics. Here, he spills the beans on whether or not it was worth it. But to paraphrase LeVar Burton, don’t take his word for it--you should buy comics too. And then bag ‘em and board ‘em.

Huzzah, good readers--I say huzzah! The Danger Digest blog is now officially two years old! I’ve already done my brief think piece on how the site has evolved in that time, so I’ll spare the redundancy and move instead to the celebration. In honor of hitting the two-year mark, I’m going to briefly set aside Anything is Everything Else in order to revisit the columns I’d conceived for this site at its inception: “Bag it and Board it,” “Memories from the Longbox” and “Page and Panel.”

Evidenced by the title above, I’m kicking things off with “Bag it and Board it.” And as the italicized blurb (left as written two years ago) suggests, the column was intended to be a weekly review of new books--not a bad idea, albeit a bit derivative, considering how many other folks already do the same thing. However, despite the egregious amount of money I was in fact dropping on comics on a weekly basis, I only ever managed to put this column together once, for the week of August 1, 2007. I still have the Word documents in which I began drafts for a handful of other weeks, but alas, they’ve never known the light of day.

Anymore, there aren’t many monthly books I regularly read, so instead I’ll highlight the collected editions and whatnot that have graced my nightstand over the past two-plus months, the time since this blog was essentially resuscitated. And so, without further ado, here we go!

(Please note, this list is presented in alphabetical order except where multiple volumes of one series are presented; in that case, the volumes are presented chronologically. Also, credits are presented as they appear in the book.)




32 STORIES
By Adrian Tomine

This is one classy way to collect a series of minicomics--in this case the first seven issues of Optic Nerve, which Tomine published himself during high school and college. That fact alone makes me wonder what I’ve been doing with the years, but the stories here collected remind me not to take myself too seriously. Tomine’s art goes through a marked evolution over the seven issues, but even the earliest, most raw pieces drip with enthusiasm for the medium, and their heartbeat should inspire anyone who’s ever considered telling a story in pictures.



1985
Writer: Mark Millar
Art: Tommy Lee Edwards
Letters: John Workman

This was actually the first comic I’d picked up in a while, and boy did it scratch the itch, proving to be exactly what I needed to push me headlong back into sequential art. A child of--and consequently a sucker for--the ‘80s, I was immediately tickled by the time period, but Millar’s story will ring true for anyone whose childhood was propelled by his or her imagination. Furthermore, Edwards’ art is utterly engrossing, and I give the man a lot of credit for finding a unique way to represent Toby’s side trip through the actual Marvel Universe.



BATMAN: HEART OF HUSH
Writer: Paul Dini
Penciller: Dustin Nguyen
Inker: Derek Fridolfs
Colorist: John Kalisz
Letterers: Travis Lanham, Steve Wands, John J. Hill, Jared K. Fletcher

This collection of the Detective Comics story, which originally spanned issues 846-850, proves a fun Batman romp in the ultra-capable hands of Paul Dini, and an interesting--although not a fascinating--look beneath the bandages of the relatively recently introduced villain Hush. The story has its highlights--my favorites are Alfred kicking ass in three consecutive panels and Rexy’s brief appearance--but the obligatory reestablishment of the status quo in the final chapter left me unsatisfied. The artwork holds a lot of treasures, though, in particular the subtle use of reflections and shadows, underlining the “mirror images” of Bruce Wayne and Tommy Elliot.



CRIMINAL: THE DEAD AND THE DYING
By Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips
Colors by Val Staples

I’d read the first two Criminal story arcs in individual issues, and it was nice to experience this story in one volume, although I missed the letters and essays that backed up the monthly book. Brubaker’s love of the crime genre shines yet again in this story, presented from a different point of view in each of the three chapters. It’s not exactly Rashomon, nor is it supposed to be; instead, each character’s story serves to fill in the overarching puzzle, and the final picture is everything you’d expect from a book called Criminal. Phillips’ art is as dark as ever, perfectly matching the story’s tone and bathing the characters in shadows to wash away the light. The book’s only serious offense is not listing Staples alongside Brubaker and Phillips--his colors are brilliant, the final nail in the characters’ coffins.



FABLES VOL. 7: ARABIAN NIGHTS (AND DAYS)
Writer: Bill Willingham
Pencillers: Mark Buckingham, Jim Fern
Inkers: Steve Leialoha, Jimmy Palmiotti, Andrew Pepoy
Colorist: Daniel Vozzo
Letterer: Todd Klein
Original series covers: James Jean

Every time I return to Fables after being away for a spell, I ask myself why I ever took a break from the book--a few pages in and I’m once again in love with the entire cast of characters. That said, “Arabian Nights (and Days)” isn’t my favorite collection to date, although King Cole’s return to form was wonderful to witness. “The Ballad of Rodney and June,” the last two chapters of the book, feels rather tacked-on here, although it makes for a fine short story, and the ending is especially poignant--not a word I commonly associate with wooden soldiers.



FABLES VOL. 8: WOLVES
Writer: Bill Willingham
Pencillers: Mark Buckingham, Shawn McManus
Inkers: Steve Leialoha, Andrew Pepoy, Shawn McManus
Colorists: Lee Loughridge, Daniel Vozzo
Letterer: Todd Klein
Original series covers: James Jean

Now, this volume just might be my favorite. It opens with Mowgli, in search of Bigby, sharing vodka with a Russian captain; then Bigby spends the middle wreaking havoc in the Homelands; and it all ends (more or less--there’s the final chapter with something of a throwaway story featuring Cinderella in the Cloud Kingdoms) with Bigby and Snow White getting married. That’s what I call a story.



FABLES VOL. 9: SONS OF EMPIRE
Writer: Bill Willingham
Artists: Mark Buckingham, Steve Leialoha, Michael Allred, Andrew Pepoy, D’Israeli, Gene Ha, Joelle Jones, Barry Kitson, David Lapham, Joshua Middleton, Inaki Miranda, M.K. Perker, Jim Rugg, Eric Shanower, John K. Snyder III, Jill Thompson
Colorists: Lee Loughridge, Laura Allred, Eva de la Cruz
Letterer: Todd Klein
Original series covers: James Jean

About two-thirds of the way into this volume, I finally caught up with where I began reading Fables in individual issues--it sure makes a lot more sense now. I actually began reading the series a few years back because of Mike Allred’s contributions--I’ll devour any book bearing his name--and then stuck around for a while because I was so impressed with everyone else’s work. As a book, this volume suffers from having too many short stories that never really unite satisfactorily; of course, Willingham and co. are working toward goals within the ongoing series, but this collection played better in individual issues.



IRON MAN: DEMON IN A BOTTLE
Writers: David Michelinie & Bob Layton
Artists: John Romita Jr. with Carmine Infantino
Inker: Bob Layton
Colorists: Ben Sean, Carl Gafford & Bob Sharen
Letterers: John Costanza, Irving Watanabe, Jim Novak & Joe Rosen

After years of reading and hearing about this story, I finally took the plunge and picked up this hardcover Premiere Edition. I was rather surprised to discover that Tony Stark’s renowned battle with the bottle was wrapped up in a mere nine issues, but I was impressed all the same with the storytelling--even with such off-spine story points as Iron Man fighting first against and then alongside Namor. In other words, there’s plenty of fat here, but the essential story satisfies nevertheless. Plus, Romita’s Iron Man simply cannot be beat.



IRON MAN: ARMOR WARS
Iron Man #225-231:
Plot/script: David Michelinie
Breakdowns: Mark D. Bright
Plot/finishes: Bob Layton
Letters: Janice Chiang
Colors: Bob Sharen & Nel Yomtov

Iron Man #232:
Script/plot assist: David Michelinie
Plot/Pencils/Colors: Barry Windsor-Smith
Inks: Bob Layton
Letters: Bill Oakley

Although this is a staple in the Iron Man canon, the premise is dubious, and the execution suffers from having Tony Stark dressed in perhaps the most ridiculous-looking armor Iron Man has ever worn. Fearing that his technology has and will again fall into the wrong hands, Stark sets out to shut down anyone wearing armor, be they good or bad--only he doesn’t explain himself to any of the good guys, and consequently comes across as a rogue and a jackass. There’s almost the stuff of a good cop drama in there, but it’s never fully realized. The final chapter, though, makes for a fascinating fever dream of a comic.



IRON MAN: WAR MACHINE
Writer: Len Kaminski
Pencilers: Kevin Hopgood, Barry Kitson & Tom Morgan
Inkers: Andrew Pepoy, Bob Wiacek, Mike DeCarlo, Chris Ivy, Brad Vancata & Steve Mitchell
Colorists: Mike Rockwitz & Ariane Lenshoek
Letterers: Michael Heisler, Chris Eliopoulos & John Costanza

This book has everything that was wrong with comics in the ‘90s: a weak plot dependent on often dicey artwork, ridiculous characters who all think they’re the cat’s meow, painful references to contemporary pop culture, steps in Rhodey’s haircut, and a prologue involving aliens from the future who worship Tony Stark. In short, it’s a pretty good time, in an opening-a-time-capsule-and-breathing-stale-air kind of way.



IRON MAN: EXTREMIS
Writer: Warren Ellis
Art: Adi Granov
Letters: Virtual Calligraphy’s Randy Gentile

This is a fun, fast read that nicely updates the Iron Man mythos. However, Tony Stark’s use (or, arguably, abuse) of nanotechnology to make his suit literally a part of himself either makes perfect sense or is even more ridiculous than having him carry the armor around in a briefcase--I just can’t tell which. Also, it disturbs me that Adi Granov draws Tony Stark to look like a goateed Tom Cruise.



TALES DESIGNED TO THRIZZLE VOLUME ONE
By Michael Kupperman

I picked this one up for 4-Playo, “the amazing foreplay robot,” and then just had to stick around for Snake’N’Bacon, Fireman Octopus and Porno Coloring Books. These are mind-bending absurdist comics at their absolute zany best. And what’s more, it’s all for Pagus! Ha ha ha ha ha!



ZOT! THE COMPLETE BLACK AND WHITE COLLECTION
Written and drawn by Scott McCloud
Lettering: Bob Lappan
Plot assist (issues 26-36): Ivy Ratafia

This book is everything a collected edition should be. Throughout, McCloud offers notes that place the Understanding Comics author’s early work in context; the story can stand on its own without the notes, but the peek inside McCloud’s continually evolving creative process is illuminating, to say the least. His page layouts reveal his insatiable urge to experiment with the comics form, but already he had the discipline to keep the flare in service of the story--at least for the most part. Also, the story “Autumn” nearly brought my heart to a stop.



There we have it, friends. If you’ve read any of the above and would care to share your own thoughts, please make use of the comments section--I’d love to hear either why you agree or disagree. And look out for more of this column at some point down the road. I doubt it will become the weekly forum I once imagined, but I’ll try to update you all on the “classy collections” I’m reading every couple of months or so.

And again I say huzzah!

All images copyright their respective publishers. Text copyright Jon D. Witmer/The Danger Digest.