Vertigo Shmertigo

I defy they nature, Gods, and speak unto thee: Has Vertigo ever published a great comic book? Not counting comics that were republished (or reprinted) under their banner, that is. For example, "Vertigo" republished Alan Moore's seminal run on Swamp Thing, both as individual issues and collections. Midway through Neil Gaiman's popularized Sandman series, the Vertigo label came into being. 

As a branch of DC, it quickly became known as a spotlight for various British creators, most of whom emphasized surreal, metaphysical, and symbolic elements in lieu of plot, characterization, and enjoyability. Later on, it became known as a spotlight for American creators who tried to mimic that exact formula, without ever understanding it (or, without understanding that there's nothing to understand about it). Now, who knows what the fuck they are publishing. I have to admit that I have not read the majority of Vertigo's output, but I defy anyone to provide an example of a "Great" Vertigo comic. Just as a forewarning: I am already convinced that Transmetropolitan (which technically isn't even a Vertigo title), Preacher, Starman, Y the Last Man, and just about any other 'major' work is anything from detestable to enjoyable, but never 'Great.'  I welcome your comments. Just send along an email. 

Bukowski: Ding of the Creeps

I recently obtained a large collection of audio recordings by Charles Bukowski. They're either "spoken word," "live poetry," or "really shitty a cappella" in nature; the exact categorization eludes me. I must say, going in, that I am a big fan of Charles Bukowski's prose. All of his novels were at least good, some were great, and they're all pretty much interchangeable. The man could say in ten words what took other writers twice as many chapters. 

Having said that, I am certainly no fan of Bukowski's poems. As no slight to him, I should point out that I'm not a fan of anyone's poems. I feel about poetry the way Schooly G feels about comic books, and that's putting it lightly. So on these collections, there's some good stuff, and some dull stuff. Half of them seem like he's just a rank old (or, rather, young) drunk, rambling into a recorder as he tries to recount a story. Then, there are selections where he's obviously reading something he'd previously written. Most likely, of course, on a bar napkin or used handkerchief. 

But, despite all of this, there's something great about these. They're charming, they have an underground class, and they are the blueprint for a future generation's consciousness. From that perspective, these things are great. You can find them on a torrent site somewhere. 

Looking at Watching the Watchmen

I recently picked up the WATCHMEN 'behind the scenes' compilation of Dave Gibbons' (and, to a lesser extent Alan Moore's) preliminary ideas, sketches, roughs, alternates, and promotional pieces. This isn't just a magazine; it's a $50, oversized hardcover. It contains just about every doodle Gibbons did for the series, and a lot of less-polished pieces, as well.

Throughout the novel, the phrase "Qui Epsidoes Epstedes?" is repeated. Well, that's probably not how it's spelled, but who really speaks Latin anymore, anyway? Regardless, another common Latin phrase pops to mind: Caveat Emptor. I'm pretty sure I got that one right, and I'm pretty sure it means "If you get screwed, it's your own damn fault." Take heed of those words before purchasing this compendium of redundancy, irrelevancy, and minutiae. Now, I certainly recognize the fact that Watchmen is a decent comic, and without a doubt it was an influential one as well. I'm on record several times, stating that it's not my favorite Moore work. Nonetheless, I can enjoy the comic on it's own merits. But what I can't enjoy, really, is this latest book. 

In addition to most of the material being thubnails, breakdowns and very rough sketches, there's a smattering of text pieces by Gibbons. To tell the truth, I haven't even read all of them yet, because they're scattered, packed between endless pages of dullutry. 

Don't let this book dissuade your enjoyment of Watchmen, the original graphic novel. It really is a good book, but this just seems to extraneous and unnecessary. From a historic viewpoint, and for graphic artists, it may hold more of an appeal. It's without a doubt a valid collection; just not one that really holds up well as a narrative read. Kind of like watching your date pluck her mole hairs that afternoon. 

Creepy as Fuck!

Dark Horse has recently begun reprinting the Warren horror mag, Creepy. Last night I began reading volume two, which contains issues 6 through 10. Many of these stories have been reprinted before, mostly in later issues of Creepy itself. At least, I think they have. They all tend to blend together after awhile.

Which, fortunately, is not meant to be taken as an insult. At least, not necessarily. I mean, they do blend together, but they're still all pretty cool. The same can pretty much be said for EC as well, from whom this publisher owed an inestimable debt. Not only from a torch-passing, traditionalist point of view, but from a literal one as well. Several of the artists who worked for Warren also drove the EC line to its infamous legacy. My favorite, Johnny Craig, was once again published alongside Reed Crandall, Wally Wood, and many other EC stalwarts. 

The stories are a little more "modern" than the EC stuff, though there is still an abundance of standard vampire, werewolf and ghost fare. Still and all, it's way better than anything being published today. The stories aren't all home runs, but the artwork is great throughout. 

All Hail Segar!

Man oh manaholic, this is a fucking awesome book. This, the third volume of Fantagraphics' re-reprinting of the complete E.C. Segar Popeye, is a tome to worship at the altar of. They've wisely decided to forego the dozen or so years of "Thimble Theater" which preceded these strips, instead jumping straight to the Popeye years. Hopefully, after the remaining three years are reprinted, they'll go back and revisit the earlier material. 

First and foremost, the craft itself is impeccable. Most of these 30's and 40's cartoonists (or cartoonist teams, when you count ghost creators) could seamlessly create entire worlds in which absolutely everything existed in their own flawless (and individual) style. Segar is no exception. Everything, from the throw rugs and lamp shades to the thugs' noses and beards, looks like it belongs in Popeye's world, and nowhere else. Throw on top of that a riveting storyline, and you've got funnybook (or funnystrip) gold. Gold! 

Please note, by "riveting storyline," I'm not exactly talking about a Vonnegut narrative, but it's thrilling nonetheless. As an artifact of its literary time period, it ranks among the best. The scope and epic themes of the book blend the expansiveness of a Russian novel with the slapstick timing of a Marx Brothers routine. All in all, it's probably not something that would be appreciated by the novice comic enthusiast, but sooner or later, the genius cannot be avoided. All hail Segar!

The End of the Secret Invasion

What is it about Brian Michael Bendis that is so compelling? Although I generally never trust anyone with three names, I am consistently suckered into buying his books. Usually it's about a fifty fifty shot at being halfway decent, but plenty of them have been true turds. It seems like the more he hypes his particular books (and believe me, he hypes the fuck out of his books) the more they suck. As if “House of M” wasn't blissfully stupid (and mundane) enough, along comes this stinky of a flusher.
Let's assume the basic jist of it all is familiar enough to everyone: the Skrulls have been secretly living amongst us, as several prominent individuals, unbenownst to all. You know; exactly like Battlestar Galactica. Except Battlestar Galactica took four seasons before it started suckimg; Secret Invasion claims that title in about three pages. And this, book eight of eight, was particularly abysmal. Nothing even happens; this is the aftermath. Bendis obviously worships at the altar of the 80's Marvel niche he's been mining for all these years, but he hasn't mastered this one simple concept: those comics were able to present an epilogue in one page. Sometimes, even, only one panel! Why should he offer up this final “chapter” for three or four bucks? What kind of bullshit is this, anyway? Write for the trade if you want to, but then just sell us the trade. Who's to expect an entire comic is just going to be people wiping the sweat off themselves and running around saying “Boy, glad that's over!” Total shit.

Daredevil 114

“Lady Bullseye: Part 4”
Though “Secret Invasion” may suck ass, credit has to go to Brian Michael Bendis for his staggering run on Daredevil a few years back. It really was a reinvigorating experience, and it comes close to rivalling the Miller/Janson run of the early 1980's. When Ed Brubaker announced he was taking it over, who could be upset? Brubaker's taken several other titles to pretty steep peaks, and Daredevil seems like the Marvel title he was destined to inherit.
Thankfully, he has taken the baton and kept the pace. Actually, there have been a few dull spots along Brubaker's run, but for the most part it's been one of the best superhero comics going. This current storyline is another high point, featuring some bitch who is inspired by Bullseye, and is fucking up Matt Murdock's life. It seems like everyone is always trying to not only defeat Daredevil, but also must crush the man's entire life. No wonder he's going crazy all the time.
Anyway, superhero comic fans that aren't currently reading this title should give it a looksee. Anyone else (i.e., non-superhero fans) wouldn't exactly be thrilled. After all, it's a Daredevil comic book. But a good one!