Stephen Holland runs Page 45, a comic shop in Nottingham, England, with Mark Simpson and Tom Rosin. He has a monthly column in Comics International, and appears perennially as a small Japanese Maple in West Bridgford.
Who is... Alan Donald?
In his dreams Alan Donald is a multi-award winning writer of comic books, animation, theme park shows and rides, children’s books, novels, television, internet animation and more.
In real life Alan writes this column, which has been described as more than a lifestyle than a weekly column. He used to write SBC's All The Rage.
The final issue, about Mexico's strange, low, low, low-brow comic was, as I mentioned earlier in the year, a thrill-packed ride that matched the sensational storylines of the subject for passion and intrigue. Naturally it sold like frozen sick and he's got a stack of boxes at home filled with this wonderful booklet. So much for the Imp. - Mark on The Imp whilst reviewing the new book on Chris Ware (see bottom of the book section)
B o o k s s c h e d u l e d f o r J u l y 2 0 0 4
Pupshaw & Pushpaw #1 (£11-99) by Jim Woodring - Little is known about this one except it's a children's book featuring Woodring's little box-like creatures (the sweetest lovers) Pupshaw and Pushpaw. I know that, at the time of writing, he's in Japan for some sort of signing so this must be out there already. It might be published by Fantagraphics at a later date but this is the first self-contained narrative that he's done in over three years so we'll have some. For those who haven't read any of Woodring's work I have to admit that his pages affect me like no other. The soft, rolling landscapes, always bathed in sunshine and the strange creatures vibrating with electric colours resonate on my brain at just the right frequency. He's moved away from comics recently, this book is quite a surprise, moving into paintings, toys and a beautiful set of prints that I can't afford. *sniff*.
Persepolis 2: The Story Of A Return (£12-99 Random House) by Marjane Satrapi. Oh, happy days! The book I've been looking forward to so much for so long. This is the sequel to my favourite graphic novel last year. That was Marjane's tender account of growing up with her marxist family in Iran, first under the original Shah's second reign, and then under an even more oppression regime following the Islamic Revolution. It was neither dull, didactic, nor heavy-handed; in fact it was full of the joys of family love, full of courage and compassion and fear - and full of curiosity, because we learned about her world as young Marjane learned about it. The book ends with her, aged 14, being sent to Europe for her own well-being, much to the heartbreak of her reluctant parents. I compared it to MAUS - and I wasn't alone - and ended the review with this: "It is a testament to this book that I left it full of love and admiration for Satrapi's stoical, passionate and beautiful parents, with a very real sense of all their personalities, and with a desperate thirst to know what happened next." Only a few months later did I learn there would be more. Rejoice!
Scrapbook: Uncollected Work 1992-2004 (£16-99, Drawn & Quarterly) by Adrian Tomine - Well put: 'Uncollected". This brings together the short stories that weren't printed in OPTIC NERVE and illustrations from magazines such as GIANT ROBOT, PULSE, DETAILS, THE NEW YORKER. I'm sure I've seen some of his stuff in Giant Robot and, along with David Choe, Kozyndan, John Pham and Martin Cendreda he's helped to sculpt a young, cool look for the mag. The recent, much-delayed, issue of Optic Nerve flew out so I know that I don't have to push this one too much. Just have to say '200 pages of Tomine that you probably haven't seen'.
McSweeney's 13: The Comics Issue (£16-99) by Dave Eggers & various - Under a Chris Ware cover, you get work by Daniel Clowes, Gary Panter, Charles Burns, Art Spiegelman, Ben Katchor, Kim Deitch, Adrian Tomine, Joe Sacco, Joe Matt, Chester Brown, Ware himself, Kaz and more. Dave Eggers came to prominence with A HEART BREAKING WORK OF STAGGERING GENIUS and from the off I was rooting for his just because of the title. McSweeney's is his literary anthology and there's been some Ware work in there before but now (NOW!) we get a dream anthology of comics from some of the greats. It seems like a RAW reunion with an added touch of Fantagraphics and a little Drawn & Quarterly. Highly recommended.
Sebastian O (£6-50 DC Vertigo) by Grant Morrison & Steve Yeowell. Never thought we'd see this again. Waaay back when DC came up with the Vertigo imprint, slapping it onto pre-existing titles like SWAMP THING, SANDMAN, HELLBLAZER and ANIMAL MAN, they launched a few more including this louche little steampunk number. "Telling the story of an iconoclastic, flamboyant assassin in a decadent, high-tech 1890s England, SEBASTIAN O accompanies its jaded hero on the hunt for the mastermind who condemned him to Bedlam [old London loonie bin] for his moral outrages against a computerised Victorian society. Dispatching his foes with bullets and well-turned phrases, Sebastian tracks down his nemesis through his old associates in the scandalous Club De Paradis Artificiel, whose surviving members have somehow managed to evade the harsh punishment he received." Think Oscar Wilde played by Adam Ant - the Dandy Bi-Way Man, in fact.
American Elf: The Collected Sketchbook Diaries Of James Kochalka (£19-99, Top Shelf) by James Kochalka - Kochalka started to draw a page a day on October 26th 1998. The page was to be something from the day. Maybe a friend visiting, a party, something he did, something his wife did, something his cat did. Without fail those (usually four) panels had to be drawn before he went to bed. Four, yearly chunks have been printed already and now they're being collected with an extra 32 full-colour pages. For those who have the four instalments already and are feeling a little pissed off that this book has extra stuff, don't worry, the publisher has informed us that these will see print on their own. Or in Sketchbook vol 5. "What's good for James Kochalka is good for comics." Free samples daily at his site.
B.P.R.D.: Soul Of Venice & Other Stories (£12-99 Dark Horse) by Mike Mignola & others (in one capacity or another) including Michael Avon Oeming, Geoff Johns, Guy Davis. On the other hand..... HELLBOY spin-off one-shots, with a brand new story by Mignola and Stewart, so if you supported the series earlier by paying for the issues as they appeared on the shelves, you have once more been rewarded not one jot. I'm all for trade paperbacks, as anyone who's read one of my columns will know, but the increasing trend of slipping in new, exclusive material is creating a delay factor publishers will live to regret. As it stands a viable number of readers prefer to snap up stories as they appear, so paying for the periodical releases, because a collection is just a collection of what they already have. This sort of stupidity, however, will give so many pause for thought - and consider holding off for a collection - that the many will eventually become too many, leaving the periodicals unprofitable. Plus, it's just fucking dishonourable. When was I last wrong about market trends in comics? I haven't been, not in 14 years. Publishers, consider yourselves warned.
Return Of The Elephant (£4-99, Adhouse Books) by Paul Hornschemeier - "An eerily quiet story of a solitary man and the ulterior motives involved in the visit from a long-time friend of the family. In a disturbing story of heredity and secrets, Paul delivers a beautifully designed book with luscious two-colour interiors." Hornschemeier is known for the FORLORN FUNNIES series which spawned the MOTHER COME HOME BOOK. For me, he's still finding his feet but is developing a good style even within his love of Chris Ware's tight panels.
The Walking Man (£9-99 Fanfare Ponent Mon) by Jiro Taniguchi. "Who recalls the simple pleasure of stopping to watch a bird fly by? Climbing a tree in bare feet? Or the cool of the shade on a really hot day? Join The Walking Man as he strolls through life in modern Japan - often silent, often alone - and share his vivid dreams that let time stand still." What a delightfully simple premise. I'm up for stroll. I came back home around six-thirty yesterday, and noticed for the first time this year the scent of lilac in the air. It hadn't been particularly sunny, but there was that gorgeous, Chardonnay gleam of early summer evening sunlight streaming across the grass and lighting up the trunks of the horse chestnuts. These are life's finer pleasures, and this book comes from the same people who brought you the wonderful YUKIKO'S SPINACH. They don't have to, you know. They just care. You'll perhaps recognise Jiro from the ICARO collaboration with Moebius. No, there won't be a fist fight with The X-Men. www.ponentmon.com
Finder vol 6: Mystery Date (£11-99, Lightspeed Press) by Carla Speed McNeil - "Ever had a crush on a teacher? Ever had a crush on two teachers at once? Remember what it was like to be young enough to think it's love and not just hormones? Got fond memories of college life after having been sold as a child to a pleasure garden? No? Vary does." And Vary dances, and Vary charms, and Vary is right in the centre of this book. While not strictly a Finder story (I don't think that Jaeger turns up at all) these are side stories from the Finder world and contain the two Mystery Date issues and various side stories including a whole bunch of new stuff.
Carnet De Voyage (£9-99, Top Shelf) by Craig Thompson - Being the only person who has read BLANKETS and not been seduced by Disney-deep characterisation and obvious, showy storytelling I'm hoping that this will be less like molasses. It's a travel diary so maybe Thompson drew this without any pressure to follow up (the admittedly wonderful) GOODBYE CHUNKY RICE and produce something overwrought. He spent three months travelling through Barcelona, the Alps, France and Morocco and here are sketches and strips from those places.
B. Krigstein: Comics hc (£32-99, Fantagraphics) ed by Greg Sadowski - "This big, 240-page full-color hardcover reprints 36 full stories from 1949-1956, 15 of them re-colored by Marie Severin. Included are classics from the EC era as well as lesser-known (but equally brilliant) stories from DC, Atlas, Hillman and elsewhere. This volume is a revelation even for those who thought they knew Krigstein's work."
Strangers In Paradise vol 1 pocket-sized edition (£11-99 Abstract Studio) by Terry Moore. "David loves Katchoo, but Katchoo loves Francine who loves Katchoo back... but not in that way, because Francine loves Freddie - who doesn't love anybody but himself." Yes, that sums it up nicely. Watch your back, though, girls, because someone's not who they seem. Actually, come to think of it, neither is Katchoo. Nope, we don't have room to stock three versions of the same material, so you'll have to order it if you want it from us. I can see what Terry's up to, and I hope it will do the trick of sneaking this warm-hearted epic into the bookstores alongside the slag pile of manga which is building up nicely there. The older readers are going to get so much more for their buck. Slight mistake, though, Terry, putting the first two volumes into a books with such a high price tag. If that's your goal. Couldn't you have split it down the middle?
24 Hour Comics Day - Highlights 2004 (£16-99, About Comics) by various - Following on from the first volume reprinting work by Gaiman, Bissette & others, this one has the cream of the crop from this year's 24 hour comic challenge. [Please see letters column for Donna Barr's take on the proceedings.]
Stray Bullets vol 8 (£9-99, El Capitan) by David Lapham. Eight books and over fifteen recommendations later, if you're not already buying this horrific series of Crime and Repercussion, nothing I say will change your mind now. But I'll try again in July when the book arrives.
100 Bullets: Samurai (£8-50 DC Vertigo) by Brian Azzarello & Eduardo Risso. Wasn't overly keen on the tiger episode, but the prison issues were the best so far. Very sharp dialogue, harsh internal politics. A worrying joy to read, in fact. This takes you right up to #49, with #50 due in the next month or so. If you're new to the mailshot I'll probably review #50 with a "story so far", but in the meantime I rate this (equal with STRAY BULLETS) as the finest crime in comics, with an enormous, underlying conspiracy and note-perfect dialect. Risso's gorgeous, high-noon shadows emanate heat, and there's a constant sense of menace whoever's on the page.
The Chosen (£6-50 Dark Horse) by Mark Millar & Peter Gross. Can't vouch for the third issue yet, but you read me raving about its second coming last mailshot. Or you didn't.
Scott Pilgrim vol 1: Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life (£7-99, Oni) by Bryan Lee O'Malley - O'Malley's follow up to the lovely LOST AT SEA features a 23 year-old, out of work guy in a band. He falls for a girl. But he's already got one. Which way to go? "Will Scott's awesome life get turned upside-down? Will he have to face Ramona's seven evil ex-boyfriends in battle?" Hmm, nice.
Follow Me Closely (£6-50 Oni) by Daniel Krall. What a lovely colour. Retro-clothed couple in Clugston-Major way, under an arch of swirling leaves, pink hearts and scarlet skulls, all on a tangerine stock. What on earth's going on? Julian, who has a trust fund on its way, runs away to Europe with his stepmother. At which point his father puts a couple of assassins on their case. Well, I had a pretty poor relationship my own father, but that's just crazy. So anyway, Julian ends up killing one of the mercenaries, after which he's forced to make a choice: adopt the killer's identity or be killed himself. Why? I don't know, they don't say.
My Destroyer vol 1 (£9-99 Oni) by Neelam Arora & Arthur Dela Cruz. Arthur some of you may know from KISSING CHAOS, but he's cleaned up his style somewhat to look more like Josh Middleton. In fact it's just a striking similarity I'll bet he's been reading NYX or SKY BENEATH BRANCHES (and no, sorry, there's still only the prologue available). I like this new look. I don't know Naleem, but it's all set on a sort of world "that's just around the corner from our own." "Skye is an artist in a society where free expression comes at a heavy price, and she can only survive through cybernetic enhancements amongst a populace where normalcy is valued above all. When she falls in love, her problems only multiply."
Powers: The Sellouts (£12-99 Marvel Icon) by Brian Michael Bendis & Michael Avon Oeming. Penultimate book in the previous series (see volume 2 #1 in the comics section for an overview), in which a seedy sex scandal involving a veteran superhero team, the very icons of moral integrity, is just the beginning for the most brutal storyline to date. Revelations occur, and someone goes nuclear. As in postal, yes, but as in nuclear also. * "The Pope burned alive today. Pretty much everybody went home to their loved ones. I imagine to pray. Idiots. It's the end of the world. We should be fucking." * "You're homicide -- you know the profile, the M.O.. He crossed the line. He lives in a different world now. He's become a different person. So now he decides to do what? Not hard to imagine, knowing how he feels about hypocrisy, and mankind, and injustice. Not hard to imagine, now that he up and decides to rid the planet of hypocrisy, once and for all. The greatest injustices finally taken care of. The scandal-laden Vatican, with its cover-up of the molestation of little boys -- while lobbying for a woman's right not to choose. And now the Middle East problem is solved. You think anyone's going to pick a fight there for a while? I think not." * "He's a Level Nine power. Short of a nuclear attack (...which we now see he has full capacity of walking right out of just fine...) Level Eight or higher, and Walker knows this -- Level Eight or higher, and we as a society are just praying to dear God they're good folks." "Iraq is gone." * "Level Nine? We -- we only said that because anything higher than that would have scared people into a -- a-- We only said that so people could handle him." "What is he?" "I don't know."
Daredevil vol 9: King Of Hell's Kitchen (£8-99 Marvel) by Brian Michael Bendis & Alex Maleev. In recent months Matt's seen his one true love murdered in front of him, been outed in the press, targeted by the Kingpin, assaulted by the media, and beaten on by another old flame and Bullseye. Now, unsurprisingly, he's having a nervous breakdown, declaring himself the new Kingpin of Hell's Kitchen in order to avoid a vacuum. Doesn't matter, the Yakuza are going to have a go anyway. I already know which scene I'm going to quote you on its release.
Ultimate Fantastic Four vol 1: The Fantastic (£8-50 Marvel) by Brian Michael Bendis, Mark Millar & Adam Kubert. If you like the other Ultimate titles, you're going to like this. Same writers, and one of its artists. Nifty new ideas, and by issue four the humour really kicks in. Collects #1-6, #7 will ship in a month or so.
Ultimate Spiderman vol 10: Hollywood (£8-50 Marvel) by Brian Michael Bendis & Mark Bagley. Peter learns that they're making a Spider-Man movie without his agreement. Dr. Octopus learns the same thing. They converge on the set, instantly saving Sam Raimi millions of dollars in special effects. Guest-starring Avi Arad and Tobey Maguire. Oh, and Aunt May goes on a break. Aunt May: "Now, I don't want an hanky-panky..." Peter: "Hanky-panky?" May: "You know what I mean, Peter." Peter: "If I was living in the nineteen thirtees I might know what you mean." May: "Nice lip. I'll be gone visiting my mom in Florida for a week, and while I'm gone..." Peter: "No hanky-panky." Gwen: "Are we allowed to have hanky without the panky?" Peter: "Or just panky?" Gwen: "(I think the panky gets us into the trouble area.)" Peter: "Well if I can't have the panky what's the point of the hanky?" Gwen: "What about shenanigans?" Peter: "Good point, Gwen. Are we allowed to be up to shenanigans?" May: "Oh, good news for me. Now I get smarty in stereo."
Spiderman: Son Of The Goblin (£10-50 Marvel) by many. Norman Osborn went bonkers and decided to give New Yorkers Halloween 356 days a year. Along the way he learned that Spider-Man was Peter Parker, and that standing astride a motorised glider with a very pointy front will only lead to accidents. Meanwhile Norman's son Harry, already mentally squiffy after years of parental neglect and a fondness for un-prescribed "medicine", witnesses his father's apparent death (he's much better now, but maintains an inordinate affection for large, orange vegetables) and assumes the mantle of The Green Goblin. This is what happens, snatched from the many years of on-off amnesia and sporadic hissy fits.
Avengers Assemble h/c (£19-99 Marvel) by Kurt Busiek & George Perez. First two books of the old relauch, in Marvel's new oversized range, just in time for the next one. Mind-boggling detail, as you'd expect from the man who's just polished off the JLA/AVENGERS/JLA mini-series, but this isn't Kurt firing on his ASTRO CITY or SECRET IDENTITY level, it's him being a fanboy. Please see the comics section for the relaunch, and "also scheduled" for more AVENGERS tpbs.
Captain America & The Falcon: Madbomb (£10-99 Marvel) by Jack Kirby. By 1975 Jack Kirby had decided he could write. He couldn't. He was also passé as an artist, though I concede I never liked his stuff anyway. I rate it - his earlier energy, design etc. - I just don't like it. No reason for him to have been so thoroughly shafted by Stan Lee and Marvel, but we've covered all that before.
Thor Visionaries: Mike Deodato jr. (£12-99 Marvel) by Warren Ellis, William Messner-Loebs & Mike Deodato jr.. Both Warren and Mike were merely revving up for later greatness. By all means help yourself, but there's a lot of exhaust smoke and not enough fire.
Shockrockets: We Have Ignition (£9-99, Dark Horse) by Kurt Busiek, Stuart Immonen & others. Sci-fi Top Gun wherein a bright young lad joins an elite squadron of aerial fighters built from alien technology, and finds he fuses far more comfortably with his ship's controls than anyone else before him. Just as well, as earth's previous saviour is about to embark on a massive coup de monde. Breezy, attractive art, and a reasonably fun ride originally published under the Gorilla imprint at Image.
Lone Wolf 2100 vol 3 (£8-50 Dark Horse) by Kennedy & Velasco. American re-imagining of Japanese monster hit, aspiring to get all Blade Runner on our asses.
Maxx book three (£11-99, Wildstorm/DC) by Sam Kieth & William Messner Loebs - Reprints issues 14-20 of the much-loved series
Wonder Woman: Down To Earth (£9-99 DC) by Greg Rucka & Drew Johnson, Ray Snyder. First book of Rucka's run, and indeed the first time the title's ever caught my attention. Concentrating on Diana's role as an Ambassador to America, Greg plays the social politics well. Not too heavy, but enough to make you go "hmmmm." Following the release of her new book, Diana's profile as a statesman and philosopher is on the rise, but not everyone is keen to see their children being taught a set of values which encourages independent thinking and compassion for all. Others are simply jealous. Sabotage is on the horizon, both here and back home, and if I could remember the Thomas Hardy quote about gods making mischief for their sport, I'd throw a couple of inverted commas your way. Now someone's going to tell me it wasn't even Thomas Hardy. It does sound Shakespearian, doesn't it?
Catwoman: Nine Lives Of A Feline (£9-99 DC) by many. Tales old and new. There's also an adaptation of that ridiculous-looking movie @ £3-50 written by Chuck Austen.
Batman: Hush vol 1 (£8-50 DC) by Jeph Loeb & Jim Lee. The hardcover is now out of print. Hey presto.
The Pro oversized h/c (£9-99 Image) by Garth Ennis & Amanda Conner. Reprint of the 72-page one-shot, which we previously reviewed as follows: "Amanda's a natural at this sort of bombastic comedy, like Jim Baikie on Alan Moore's First American strip in TOMORROW STORIES. Unfortunately she's not given half as much material to work with in this brief whizz down superhero lane in which a prostitute with a foul mouth reluctantly allows herself to be coerced into The League Of Honour and sullies their reputation whilst soiling their goods. S'okay, but we've been there and done that, and are merely left to giggle at how naughty Mr. Ennis is (which he is, and I did). The last page has a fine admonition, though Garth might do worse than to take in on board himself sometime, when he's next throwing stones."
Technopriests vol 1 (£9-99 DC Wildstorm) by Alexandro Jodorowsky & Zoran Janjetov, Fred Beltran, Townscapes (£11-99 DC Wildstorm) by Enki Bilal, The Horde (£11-99 DC Wildstorm) by Baranko. Having just bought up Humanoids Press, DC pop it in their other recent acquisition, the Wildstorm label. Maybe they've decided they've more than enough imprints now. Anyway, all these are Euro sci-fi, which I confess I don't really "do". And although I feel fairly guilty not finding words to suit all titles, I'm sure they're up on a website somewhere. Next?
The Drowned (£6-50 Image) by Laini Taylor-Di Bartolo & Jim Di Bartolo. "Paris, 1800. Theophile has been moldering in an asylum for five years with no clear memory of how he came to be there. He wavers in and out of madness until the day that forces compel him to escape and make his way back home to the haunted Breton coast. As he follows the tatters of memory back to the ungodly events of his childhood, striving to wring sense out of madness, he is pursued in turn by furious crows, drowned witches, a loved one long believed dead, a secret cabal of priests and a damaged orphan. Each carries pieces of a secret that emerges into two distinct but intertwining takes of supernatural vengeance." I don't see how you're going to fit all that into 80 pages and make it mean anything, but good luck to you, Laini. Oh, and find yourself an artist outside of your immediate family. Those stodgy, GCSE mixed-media messes may look okay sellotaped to the kitchen wall while you're eating your sausage butties, but they do scream "amateur" on the front of a comic.
Best Of Migraine Boy (£7-99, Amaze Ink) by Greg Fiering - He's been animated for MTV, stuck inside a REM cover and now a new, quarterly series from Amaze Ink.
Bone vol 9: Crown Of Horns (£12-50, Cartoon Books) by Jeff Smith - Oh, I read the penultimate chapter of this book last week. What started out as a sweet, light adventure series with excellent cute humour rapidly changed gear to be a Lord Of The Ring-type fantasy adventure with dark corners and heart-in-the-throat moments. We should have the final comic in next month.
Flight (£12-99, Image) by many - "... a collection of comic short stories created by some of the finest talents in the comics and animation industries. Inspired by storytellers such as Hayao Miyazaki and Moebius, these artists have come together to celebrate the graphic narrative medium." That's 'comics' to you, buddy. Full colour anthology.
Firebreather (£8-99 Image) by Phil Hester & Andy Kuhn. "Divorce is tough for any teenager, but when your mother is a typical suburban soccer mom and your dad is a 300-foot-tall, city trampling, battleship devouring monster, things get even tougher." I don't think marrying a dragon makes you a typical suburban soccer mom, but I don't know what State we're in here, so… "This is Duncan Rosenblatt's reality. His mom wants him to get into a good college, his dad wants him to go into the family business: namely, conquering the Earth and ascending to his rightful place as king of all monsters." Phil Hester is better known as a DC artist (Kevin Smith's GREEN ARROW, some old SWAMP THING - Mark Millar's?), Andy Kuhn drew MANTOOTH as well as a GRENDEL short. This collects the 4-issue mini-series which completely passed me by. There's another on the way, whose cover features Duncan doing battle with a giant, black knight outside the Houses Of Parliament. They're going to need to re-seed that lawn.
Ursula (£6-50 AIT/Planetlar) by Fábio Moon & Gabriel Bá. Since I know nothing about this nor them than that this is a "kid friendly" book, I wouldn't have necessarily paid much attention, but for the lilting description, and I pray it's written by the author rather than publisher. Here it is: "Once upon a time, there was a story... a "love story". Different listeners will hear different things from the love story; for some, it might be a tale of journeys and rites of passage and battles won and foes vanquished and happily-ever-after. For other listeners, it might be a story about dreams and desires, for all is simple, beautiful and magical when you're young and in love. But once upon a time... there was a story, and listen to me now: it was a love story." I'll let you know if I fall in love with it.
Goddess Of War (£7-99, Alternative Comics) by Lauren Weinstein - Creator of Inside Vineland brings her second book.
Yeah, It Is! (£4-50 Alternative Comics) by Leslie Stein. "Humorous picaresque featuring an adolescent misfit and the oddball characters she seeks to befriend after losing he best buddy to a distant suburb. Hipster wannabes, cheesy New-Agers, and co-dependent 13-year-old girls are meticulously illustrated with cut paper and ink." I don't know what that is. Mark...?
Junction 17 (£6-50 Antarctic Press) by David Hutchison. "In the near future, Black Wave is the ultimate in interactive gaming. Its champion players are admired and celebrated. Now they are under attack by "The Ghost", a mystery murderer who might be player or program. The only thing they know for sure is that people are playing - and people are dying." Rather good, white cover with a shattered blue skull at the top.
Clive Barker's Hellraiser: Collected Best vol 3 (£17-99, Checker Books) by various - Creepy uncle Clive's Cenobites come to the comics. This book reprints another chunk of flesh-ripping works by creators that include John Bolton and Larry Wachowski.
Errant Story vol 1 (£6-50 Keenspot Entertainment) by Michael Poe. Men In Hats vol 1: A Comic Collection For All Time (£6-50 Keenspot Entertainment) by Aaron Farber. Web comickery. Poe created EXPLOITATION NOW! which sold in bundles right next to MEGATOKYO, and this is RPG-esque fantasy. Aaron Farber didn't. Men in hats stand around in the desert talking. I imagine if you type in "keenspot" you'll soon stumble across them.
Sinfest vol 2 (£11-99, Muse Works) by Tatuya Ishida - Reprinting the online strips.
Scary Godmother: Spooktacular Stories (£6-50 Sirius Entertainment) by Jill Thompson. A collection of the seasonal one-shots. Completely run out of things to say about this.
War Haiku (£6-50 Waiver Publishing) by Geoff Edwards, Wilmer McLean & Jonathan Hughes. There are few words that piss me off more than "Haiku" - "Sun" followed by "Tzu" are the only examples that spring to mind. Then I want to start slapping people. "In February 2003 medical officer Geoff Edwards left Tennessse for the deserts of Kuwait. A few months later he was dodging mortars, braving sandstorms, and negotiating ethnic tensions as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He related his experiences to his friend David in letters, postcards, and poems. David got writer Wilmer McLean and artist Jonathan Hughes to adapt Geoff's letters, postcards, and poems into a graphic novel." How absolutely thrilling. Must do something myself with all those notes to the milkman. No, I'm sure this could be worthy, and I'm the one who bigged up TO AFGHANISTAN AND BACK, remember, so it's not that. It's the look of the book, the pretension of the project, the sheer horrible -- Plus I fucking hate poetry. (Apart from W.B. Yeats. And A.A. Milne.)
Twisted Toyfare Theatre vol 4 (£6-50 Wizard). Childish photostories using Marvel superhero toys. In-jokes (and they are mostly in-jokes) require an unhealthily in-depth knowledge of Marvel Comics history, and the mentality of a twelve-year-old. In this issue Aunt May tries on the Infinity Gauntlet. Of course I'm buying one.
The Forensic Files of Batman h/c (£15-50) by Batman. How he got a book deal is beyond me. Sharing the royalties - I hope - are a police commissioner and a butler. If you've a career ahead of you in forensic science, this may prove useful. Ghost-written by Doug Moench.
Suspended In Language: Niels Bohr's Live, Discoveries and the Century He Shaped (£16-99 G.T. Labs) by Jim Ottaviani & various. Biography of a boffin. The main feature is illustrated by VOX and PUBO's Leland Purvis, with "illustrated footnotes [all right, now I'm curious] by Roger Langridge (FRED THE CLOWN), Jay Hosler (CLAN APIS), Linda Medley (CASTLE WAITING), Steve Leialoha (FABLES) and Jeff Parker (THE INTERMAN). "Why haven't you heard of this guy before? After all, Einstein looked up to him; the Nazis and Russians wanted to kidnap him; his institute in Copenhagen hosted just about every Nobel prize winner you can name; and Winston Churchill considered him by far the most dangerous man on the Manhattan Project. His friends and enemies agreed: Niels Bohr was much more than the father of quantum mechanics - he was one of the most important figures of the twentieth century." Also promised: education on teleportation and the secret origin of the worldwide web. This is listed towards the bottom where we tend to put stuff that isn't strictly comics, because this may or may not be. 300 pages constitutes a lot of panels, so I have my doubts. They're right, though, I haven't heard of the man, but then nor can I name any Nobel prize winners for science. I'm such a stupid old Hector.
Tim Sale: Black & White h/c (£16-99 Active Images, £26-99 for ltd signed edition). Artist on BATMAN: LONG HALLOWEEN (etc.), DAREDEVIL: YELLOW (etc.) and BILLI '99 talks about his career as you gaze dreamily at this sketches and fully rendered paintings. Black and white, obviously.
Talk To Her (£9-99, Fantagraphics) by Kristine McKenna - A second book of interviews by McKenna. Subjects include Robert Altman, Exene Cervenka, Elvis Costello, Jaques Derrida (!), artists providing illustrations include Dan Clowes, Charles Burns and Tony Millionaire.
Simon Bisley's Illustrations From The Bible: A Work In Progress (£16-99 Heavy Metal, ltd ed. with signed, tipped-in plate @ £23-50) by Simon Bisley. Biblical Bisley? Surely shome mishtake? Comics' heavy metal, lager swigging, boob besotted, mean main man of maiming and massacre? But this really is a collection of paintings and illustrations of the key moments in the life of Christ... with emphasis on his death.
Manga: 60 Years Of Japanese Comics (£19-95) by Paul Gravett. Sorry, we don't know the publisher. If you really need to know, e-mail me, I'll phone Paul and find out for you. However, this is going to be the business, because what Gravett doesn't know about the history of comics, probably doesn't need knowing (ask him who the eleventh, twelfth and thirteenth people were to join The Avengers, and it'll probably flummox him; but who the hell would know something so anal?) and I'm not just saying this as a fellow columnist in Comics International. Anyone who's read one of his pieces either there on in the Comics Journal will already know that The Man At The Crossroads, as Eddie Campbell call him, is eloquent, erudite and fully informed about the social and cultural background from which his subjects spring. So, as well as being an authorative and lavishly illustrated account of the development of Japanese comics from the 1940s to the present, themes include: "the specific attributes of manga in relation to American and European comics; the life and career of Osamu Tezuka, creator of ASTRO BOY and originator of story manga; boys comics from the 1960s to the present; the genre of girls' and women's comics; the darker, more realistic themes of gekiga - violent samurai, disturbing horror, and apocalyptic science fiction; issues of censorship and protest; and manga's role as a major Japanese expert and global influence." Given how many students embark on dissertations on manga every year in Nottingham alone, this should prove an enormously popular - and lucrative - work.
True Brit (£14-50 Twomorrows) by George Khoury. A book on British comicbook artists, featuring interviews with Bolland, Gibbons, Barry Windsor-Smith, McKean, Hitch, Lloyd, O'Neil, Davis and more. I'm sorry, but I can't help think that this is just "British Artists Who've Been Published By Marvel Or DC". Maybe I'm wrong and we'll find Andi Watson, Roger Langridge, Nabiel Kanan and Woodrow Phoenix within. If not, what a fucking waste of space. "Intimate photographs" are promised. Crikey.
Chris Ware (£14-99, Monographics) by Daniel Raeburn - Dan Raeburn produced four excellent issues of THE IMP, a journal about whatever he wanted to cover. Two of the books, on Dan Clowes and Chris Ware, shot out and are impossible to find. The one of Jack Chick's religious tracts was fascinating but proved a little hard to shift, even though it was an excellently researched and mildly gonzo piece of journalism. The final issue, about Mexico's strange, low, low, low-brow comic was, as I mentioned earlier in the year, a thrill-packed ride that matched the sensational storylines of the subject for passion and intrigue. Naturally it sold like frozen sick and he's got a stack of boxes at home filled with this wonderful booklet. So much for the Imp.
The Ware issue of the Imp was a tabloid formatted magazine modelled (and beautifully so) after the design of the Acme Novelty Library. Along with one of the best Ware features that I've read were contributions from other cartoonists, Ivan Brunetti's being a particular stand-out. Wish I kept a copy for myself. Hmm. Anyway this should be an excellent book, written with full cooperation with the subject.
m a n g a r o u n d - u p :
@Large vol 2 (£6-50, Tokyopop) by Ahmed Hoke 3x3 Eyes vol 9 (£8-50, Dark Horse) by Yuzo Takada A.I. Love You vol 4 (£6-50, Tokyopop) by Ken Akamatsu Abenobashi vol 1 (£6-50, Tokyopop) by Satoru Akahori Angel Sanctuary vol 3 (£7-50, Viz LLC) by Kaori Yuki Apocalypse Meow vol 1 (£6-50, ADV Manga) by Motofumi Kobayashi Aria vol 2 (£6-50, ADV Manga) by Kozue Amano Basara vol 7 (£7-50, Viz LLC) by Yumi Tamura Battle Royale vol 8 (£6-50, Tokyopop) by Koushun Takami & Masayuki Taguchi Battle Vixens vol 3 (£6-50, Tokyopop) by Yuji Shiozaki Black Crow (£6-50, IronCat) by Shusay Blade Of The Immortal vol 13: Mirror Of The Soul (£11-99, Dark Horse) by Hiroaki Samura Bleach vol 2 (£6-50, Viz LLC) by Tite Kubo Boss vol 1 (£6-50, ADV Manga) by Jae Won Im Boys Over Flowers vol 7 (£7-50, Viz LLC) by Yoko Kamio Candidate For Goddess vol 3 (£6-50, Tokyopop) by Yukiro Sugisaki Ceres, Celestial Legend vol 8 (£7-50, Viz LLC) by Yû Watase Comic Party vol 2 (£6-50, CPM Manga) by various Comic Party vol 2 (£6-50, Tokyopop) by Sekihiko Inui D.N.Angel vol 3 (£6-50, Tokyopop) by Yukiru Sugisaki Demon Ororon vol 3 (£6-50, Tokyopop) by Mizuki Hakase Detective Conan vol 1: Case Closed (£7-50, Viz LLC) by Gosho Aoyama Deus Vitae vol 2 (£6-50, Tokyopop) by Takuya Fujima Digimon Trainers vol 3 (£6-50, Tokyopop) by Akiyoshi Hongo Doll vol 1 (£6-50, Tokyopop) by Mitsakuza Mihara Dragon Knights vol 15 (£6-50, Tokyopop) by Mineko Ohkami Dragonball vol 16 (£6-50, Viz LLC) by Akira Toriyama Dream Saga vol 1 (£6-50, Tokyopop) by Megumi Tachikawa Et Cetera vol 1 (£6-50, Tokyopop) by Tow Nakaziki Flame Of Recca vol 7 (£7-50, Viz LLC) by Nobuyuki Anzai Flowers & Bees vol 4 (£7-50, Viz LLC) by Moyoco Anno Fruits Basket vol 4 (£6-50, Tokyopop) by Natsuki Takaya Gadirok vol 1 (£6-50, ADV Manga) by Jung Ho Hwang Get Backers vol 4 (£6-50, Tokyopop) by Yuya Aoki Gravitation vol 7 (£6-50, Tokyopop) by Maki Murakami Gundam Seed Astray vol 2 (£6-50, Tokyopop) by Tomohiro Chiba & Koichi Tokita Hanayuko Maid Team vol 4: Competition (£8-50, Ironcat) by Morishige Happy Mania vol 9 (£6-50, Tokyopop) by Moyoco Anno Heaven Sword & Dragon Sabre vol 10 (£9-99, Comicsone) by Louis Cha & Wing Shing Ma Hino Horror vol 10: Death's Reflection (£6-50, DH Publishing) by Hideshi Hino Hino Horror vol 9: Ghost School (£6-50, DH Publishing) by Hideshi Hino Immortal Rain vol 2 (£6-50, Tokyopop) by Kaori Ozaki Initial D vol 13 (£6-50, Tokyopop) by Shiuchi Shiego Instant Teen vol 1 (£6-50, Tokyopop) by Haruka Fukishima Iron Wok Jan vol 9 (£6-50, Comicsone) by Shinji Saiyo Jinki: Extent vol 1 (£6-50, ADV Manga) by Sirou Tunasima Junk Force vol 3 (£6-50, Comicsone) by Hideki Kaninuma & Yusuke Ken Kiss Me Kill Me vol 3 (£6-50, Tokyopop) by Lee Young yuu Legend Of Chun Hyang vol 1 (£6-50, Tokyopop) by CLAMP Les Bijoux vol 4 (£6-50, Tokyopop) by Jo Eun-Ha & Park Sang-Sun Kindiachi Case Files vol 8: No Noose Is Good Noose (£6-50, Tokyopop) by Kanari Yozabura Mink vol 3 (£6-50, Tokyopop) by Megumi Tachikawa Model vol 2 (£6-50, Tokyopop) by Lee So-Young My Codename Is Charmer vols 3 & 4 (£8-50 each) by Narumi Kakinouchi My Sassy Girl vol 4 (£8-99, Comics One) by Ho Sik Kim & Dae Hong Min Nambul: War Stories vol 1 - Invasion (£6-50, CPM Manga) by Hyun se Lee Nanaka 6/17 vol 1 (£8-50, Ironcat) by Ken Yagami Naruto vol 4 (£6-50, Viz LLC) by Masami Kurumada One vol 3 (£6-50, Tokyopop) by Lee Vin Ranma 1/2 vol 27 (£7-50, Viz LLC) by Rumiko Takahashi Rave Master vol 10 (£6-50, Tokyopop) by Hiro Mashima Rebirth vol 9 (£6-50, Tokyopop) by WOO Rebound vol 9 (£6-50, Tokyopop) by Yuriko Nishyama Remote vol 2 (£6-50, Tokyopop) by Seimaru Amagi & Tetsuay Koshiba Ring vol 3 (£8-50, Dark Horse) by Koji Suzuki & Sakura Mizuki Ruler Of The Land vol 4 (£6-50, ADV Manga) by Kook Jin Jeon Rurouni Kenshin vol 6 (£6-50, Viz LLC) by Nobuhiro Watsuki Samura Deeper Kyo vol 8 (£6-50, Tokyopop) by Akimine Kamijyo Sensual Phrase vol 6 (£7-50, Viz LLC) by Mayu Shinjo Shadow Star vol 6: What Can I Do For You Now? (£10-50, Dark Horse) by Mohiro Kitoh Sikai Trilogy: Banner Of The Stars (£6-50, Tokyopop) by Aya Yoshinaga & Toshihiro Ono Sky Blade Sword Of The Heavens vol 2 (£6-50, ADV Manga) by Kang Suk Hyung SNK vs Capcom vol 2: SVC Chaos (£8-99, Comicsone) by Fat Ip & Wah Chen Steel Angel Kurumi vol 6 (£6-50, ADV Manga) by Hideyuki Kikuchi Storm Riders part II: Invading Sun vol 5 (£11-99, Comicsone) by Wing Shing Ma Those Who Hunt Elves vol 5 (£6-50, ADV Manga) by Yu Yugama To Heart vol 2 (£6-50, ADV Manga) by Ukyou Takao Tramps Like Us vol 1 (£6-50, Tokyopop) by Yayoi Ogawa Treasure Hunter vol 2 (£6-50, CPM Manga) by Hitoshi Tomizawa Trigun Maximum vol 2: Death Blue (£6-50, Dark Horse) by Yasuhiro Nightow Tuxedo Gin vol 7 (£7-50, Viz LLC) by Tokihiko Matsuura Ultimate Muscle vol 3 (£6-50, Viz LLC) by Yudetamago Vagabond vol 13 (£7-50, Viz LLC) by Takehino Inoue Vampire Princess Miyu vol 6 (£8-50, Ironcat) by Narumi Kakinouchi Warriors Of The Tao vol 1 (£6-50, Tokyopop) by Shinya Kuwahara Wedding Peach: Young Love (£7-50, Viz LLC) by Sukehiro Tomita & Nao Yazawa X/1999 vol 15 (£7-50, Viz LLC) by CLAMP
also scheduled:
All Star Archives vol 10 (£32-99, DC) by many Avengers: Living Legends (£12-99, Marvel) by Kurt Busiek & George Perez Battlestar Galactica: Saga Of A Star World (£12-99, Titan) by Roger McKenzie & Ernie Colan, Walt Simonson, others Blackshirt vol 1 (£7-50, Moonstone) by Adi Tantimedh & Diego Olmos Bloody Winter (£9-50, SAF Comics) by Sergio Bleda Chronicles Of Conan vol 5: The Shadow In The Tomb & Other Stories (£12-99, Titan) by Roy Thomas & John Buscema Cities Of The Fantastic: Invisible Frontier vol 2 (£11-99 NBM) by Peters & Schuiten Comic Culture vol 2 book 1 (£9-99, Mad Science Media) by various Comics Creators On Spiderman (£12-99, Titan) edited by Tom DeFalco Crisis On Multiple Earths vol 3 (£9-99, DC) by very many Crush (£8-50, Dark Horse) by Jason Hall & Sean Murphy Doctor Gorpon (£7-99, Now Comics) by Marc Hansen Donald Duck Adventures vol 6 (£5-50, Gemstone) by various Essential Avengers vol 4 (£10-99 Marvel) by Roy Thomas, John Buscema, Neal Adams Exiles vol 7: A Blink In Time (£12-99, Marvel) by Chuck Austin & Jim Calafiore Fantastic Four vol 4: Hereafter (£7-99, Marvel) by Mark Waid & Mike Wieringo Fish N Chips vol 1 (£6-50, Vigil Press) by Steve Hamaker Flash: Blitz (£12-99, DC) by Geoff Johns & others Futurama Adventures (£10-99, Titan) by Matt Groening & various G.I. Joe Reborn vol 1 (£6-50, Devil's Due Publishing) by Rieber, Jenkins, Saltares, Barrows & Bennett Green Lantern/Green Arrow vol 2 (£8-50, DC) by Dennis O'Neil & Neal Adams Hero Happy Hour Super Special vol 1 (£3-99, Geekpunk) by various Horns Of Hattin (£9-99 Terra Major) by Shane L. Amaya & Bruno D-Angelo James Bond: On Her Majesty's Secret Service (£10-99, Titan) by Ian Fleming, James Lawrence & John McClusky Marvel Age Digest Fantastic Four vol 1(£3-99 Marvel) by several others Marvel Age Digest Spider-Man vol 2 (£3-99 Marvel) by several Marvel Age Digest Spider-Man vol 3 (£3-99 Marvel) by several more Metamorphosis (£6-50, Random House) by Franz Kafka, adapted by Peter Kuper - Help! I'm a bug! Ninja High School vol 3 (£6-50, Antarctic Press) by Benn Dunn Possessed (£9-99, Wildstorm/DC) by Geoff Johns, Kris Grimminger & Liam Sharp Rose Black (£8-99, someone in the UIK - did the Russian superhero parody) by Murphy and co. Saga Of The Victims (£9-99, Chimera Arts) by Alan Hewetson & Jesus Manuel Rego Sleeping Dragons vol 1: Becca's Scarecrow (£9-99, Too Hip Gotta Go Graphics) by Kevin Mason & Alex Szewczuk Spooner vol 1 (£9-99, Astonish Factory) by Ted Dawson Strange Killings: Strong Medicine (£6-50, Avatar Press) by Warren Ellis & Mike Wolfer Suicide Blonde (£10-99, Airwave Comics) by Chris Yambar & George Broderick jr. The Lab vol 1: Hey... Test This! (£10-99, Astonish Factory) by Scott Christian Sava The Shield: Spotlight (£12-99, IDW Publishing) by Jeff Mariotte & Jean Diaz The Wizard (£8-99, Mad Yak Press) by Kereth Cowe-Spigai & Matthew Petz Transformers: Treason (£14-99, Titan) by Bob Budiansky & Don Perlin, Jose Delbo Transformers: War Within vol 1 pocket edition (£8-50, Dreamwave) by Simon Furman & Don Figueroa Underworld vol 1 (£12-99, IDW Publishing) by Kris Oprisko, Nick Postic & Nick Marinkovich X-Treme X-Men vol 8: Prisoner Of Fire (£11-99, Marvel) by Chris Claremont & Igor Kordey, Salvador Larroca
c o m i c s s c h e d u l e d f o r J u l y 2 0 0 4
BMW Films' The Hire #1 of 6 (£2-25 Dark Horse) by Matt Wagner. Oh my Lord in Leamington Spa - product placement in comics! Now, you could argue that this constitutes some form of successful mainstream recognition, of course, just like most BMW drivers could argue that their unique sense of road etiquette shouldn't invoke an immediate ban for life. You'd both be wrong, but feel free to argue/tailgate/behave like an utter knob. For your information, BMW have hired Hollywood names to film a series of shorts starring BMWs designed to... well, encourage reckless driving, I guess. Now Dark Horse have hired - or been hired to hire - six comicbook creators to whore themselves out to Tossers on Tarmac Inc.. All profoundly unfortunate.
Top Shelf Conversations #1 (£3-50, Top Shelf) by Craig Thompson & James Kochalka - "A dialogue between two cartoonists." Seems like a jam piece to me and what a jam piece! "Kochalka and Thompson draw together, trading the pages back and forth, adding to each others drawings as the conversation turns in unexpected directions." I wonder if they spoke while they were doing it? I hope they didn't as it would be great to see them just interacting on paper.
Blood Orange #2 (£4-50, Fantagraphics) ed by Chris Polkki - Let's have the line-up - Archer Prewitt, Rebecca Dart, Chris Wright, Ron Regé jr, Jeffrey Brown, Matti Hagelberg, Fabio Viscogliosi, Reneé French and Balint Zsako. Should be good.
Eightball #23 (£4-50, Fantagraphics) by Daniel G. Clowes - Oh, it's Daniel G Clowes, now? Okay, we'll go with that. This is an interesting turn of subject matter because now we get Clowes' superhero tale. Set in the 70s, this complete tale (a blockbuster in 44 pages!) is the first appearance of Death-Ray, a teen superhero. How this will all work out is beyond me. I'll happily trust him though. Eightball #22 was one of the most audacious pieces of storytelling that I've seen along with Supermonster #14. Both books fought against restrictions of storytelling, used every trick available and invented a few more. This comes with the highest possible recommendation.
Batman: The Ordeal Of The Beast (£4-50, DC) by Eddie Campbell, Darren White & Eddie Campbell. - Eddie's self-imposed exile ends now. Sort of a strange move to do a Batman story when you're, oh.. not so much 'better than that' (which he is) but more.. oh, I don't know, it's a strange move. Maybe once you've produced one on the most fêted books of the last decade (FROM HELL) and produced one of the must-reads of the same time (HOW TO BE AN ARTIST, still a beautiful book that showcases his meandering style and lovely leaps or narrative) but your last book (EGOMANIA) fell at the second issue, you need a booster. If this is his 'My Beauty', I hope that we're not going to be seeing him in a dress. Oh, we have already.
This is a tale of the early Batman, still honing his detective skills, trying to get inside a collective called the Order of Beasts. Looking at the preview it's unusual to see such a human depiction of Batman. This creature of the night looks like a man in a costume, not a barrel-chested action figure with spray painted costume. Don't know what to make of the preview but I trust Eddie to deliver the goods. He hasn't let me down yet.
The Books Of Magick: Life During Wartime #1 (£1-80 DC Vertigo) by Neil Gaiman, Si Spencer & Dean Ormston. Neil Gaiman created Timothy Hunter for the original BOOKS OF MAGIC mini-series over ten years ago. A slightly spoddy kid with a skateboard, he was predicted to have almost frightening potential to become a mage of the highest calibre, and was therefore taken in hand by the "Trenchcoat Brigade" (four guys in macks, including John Constantine) to verse him in matters arcane and prepare him for what was to come. As it transpired, what was to come came courtesy of DC Strip Mining Enterprises, who assigned other (more mean-spirited souls might add "lesser") writers to work an increasingly lacklustre seam with Tim being taught about... stuff, whilst talking to goblins and faeries. That is, until everyone stopped reading. Now Neil's popped back into the office for a cup of tea while Si Spencer takes a few notes and provides the script which either Neil or DC (I forget which) openly admit is an attempt to get the title "back on track". And Frank Quitely provides the covers. Ormston is presumably less expensive, because he's on interior art. A recently graduated Hunter is living in London with his mother (who's dead, by the way). He's back with his girlfriend Molly in a world without even the memory of magic. Elsewhere a sorcerous war is very much in progress, with Constantine and fishnet fetishist Zatanna under siege. Time for Tim to wake up.
Justice League Elite #1 of 12 (£1-80 DC) by Joe Kelly & Doug Mahnke. Spins out of JLA #100. Some of the JLA join forces with The Elite to get down and dirty.
Doom Patrol #1 (£1-80) by John Byrne. Giving the most reactionary man in comics a title on which Grant Morrison performed such mischievous, marvellous and irreversible alchemy is like handing over the ULTIMATES to Stan The Nan Lee (sic). The results are inevitably going to be backwards. Don't believe me? Have a dose of dialogue: "Omigosh!! RITA!" "What in...?" "We told you guys to stay with the flyer. Why..." "Never mind that! What the heck is happening?" Or how about: "My audio detectors are picking up moaning...?" "Oh no! Chief!!" "More of those damn vampires!!" "How did the get here? No one knows about this place except..." "That was my doing, smart guy." From the school of 1970. Perfect for 50-year-olds in nappies.
DC Comics Presents: (£1-80 each DC) by various including Grant Morrison so don't skip over this yet. Here's the Dilly-O (as Wizard are won't to say): Julius Schwartz is remembered with exceptional fondness over at DC, and here they seek to cash in on his death -- sorry, pay tribute to the man ("Are there no depths to your sickening cynicism, you flatulent wretch, Holland?" Err, nope. Corporations are as corporations do.) by having a little fun with his editorial trademark, "the cover-driven story." Think of it as a game of Consequences. Eight modern masters - and Garcia-López - have adapted eight classic covers from which the following have each spun an 11-page ditty. BATMAN: Geoff Johns & Joe Staton; Len Wein & Jerry Ordway. MYSTERY IN SPACE: Grant Morrison & Jerry Ordway; Elliot S. Maggin & J.H. Williams III. GREEN LANTERN: Brain Azzarello & Norm Breyfogle; Marty Pasko & Scott McDaniel. HAWKMAN: Kurt Busiek & Walt Simonson; Cary Bates & John Byrne. Next month, four more.
Kabuki #1 (£2-25 Marvel Icon) by David Mack. For its Marvel relaunch the title appears to have lost its habit of mini-series in favour of an on-going title, but rest assured this is this "The Alchemy" originally solicited in November. Soul searching in watercolours (think ELEKTRA ASSASSIN with more brooding and a prettier Asian protagonist) from the man who recently delivered the DAREDEVIL: ECHO, wrote DAREDEVIL: PARTS OF A HOLE and painted DAREDEVIL: WAKE UP. Kabuki was an operative for a covert Japanese agency. Her mother was a sex slave during the last world war (I think), whilst she herself recently spent several hundred pages in a high-security mental hospital. It certainly felt like several hundred. "One of the finest examples of storytelling as Fine Art," pronounces Alex Ross. "The most poetic book on the market," declares Jim Steranko. "I'm bored now," sighs Ossian the House Monkey.
Powers #1 (£2-20 Marvel Icon) by Brian Michael Bendis & Michael Avon Oeming. And here's Mack's buddy, Brian Effortlessly Funny Bendis. To him and Mark Millar Marvel owe 90% of their current reputation as "finally enjoyable". As a reward Marvel have created this Icon imprint, so that POWERS can retain its creator ownership whilst benefiting from Marvel's indisputable selling power. I don't know why you wouldn't want to pick up a book written by a writer you admire just because it's published by another company, but that's the way it goes for some people. Previously in POWERS: an awful lot of swearing. (I wonder if the letters column will still be allowed? It was rude as rude can be.) Homicide Detectives Christian Walker and Deena Pilgrim are assigned to investigate murders specifically involving superpowers. Deena learned that Christian was a "Cape" himself at one point. We learned he'd been one from the dawn of time. Following the catastrophic events of "The Sellouts" (see book section), all powers are declared illegal. Which is fucking useless, when you think about it, because the maniacs were already committing crimes, so it doesn't mean a damn to them, it just means that anyone thinking to stop them risks imprisonment.
Avengers #500 (£2-60 Marvel) by Brian Michael Bendis & David Finch. "The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes!" This has always been a fan's comic, and for many youthful years I was that fan. To anyone outside the rather musky world of superheroes, however, it's probably the most bemusing of the whole genre. It's patently preposterous. An elite and elitist group of self-appointed supermen and women, whose very change of line-up provokes an international media circus, regardless of the fact that it's now happened more times than the Wasp's changed costumes. They live in Avengers Mansion, right in the heart of Manhattan, which is set but a few feet behind a low brick wall, so it's no surprise that the phrase "Security Breach" is even more familiar to them than it is to Her Majesty The Queen. THE AVENGERS has a convoluted history of personal traumas which is part of its fan appeal ("Who were the eleventh, twelfth and thirteenth individuals to join The Avengers?" "Hercules, The Black Panther and The Vision; don't forget, Wonderman was made an official member before he --" You get my gist. Though actually I've no longer any means of verifying the Wonderman thing at home; it's just there in my head, taking up memory space I could more usefully dedicate to remembering my Thomas Hardy). Members marry, duff each other up, divorce, come down with amnesia, develop split personalities and get run out of the team - and that's just Hank Pym (who did an awful lot of pill-popping in this early days, leaving this impressionable six-year-old with a serious Tic Tac habit). Others turn to drink (Warbird), turn to the right (U.S. Agent) or even turn to stone (Black Knight). The problem is, it's never grown up. Unlike the JLA or X-MEN, THE AVENGERS has never had the benefit of a Morrison make-over, and looks left behind by comparison. Clearly it's also suffered from too many stupendously duff writers (or, as Marvel tellingly likes to call them, "Fan Favourites"); they're attracted to it because they're fans, and that's rarely a good starting point for a fresh perspective. So, in a wholly unanticipated move, along comes Brian Michael Bendis and seriously impressive artist David Finch, who promise six issues of complete destruction to be followed by a relauch. This is going to be interesting. For the fans.
Official Handbook of The Marvel Universe: Avengers 2004 (£2-99 Marvel). The X-MEN version of this only covered current members. Expect much the same thing here.
Rogue #1 (£2-25 Marvel) by Rob Rodi & Dante Bastianoni. Look, it's another X-MEN spin-off! Just what the market ordered.
Starjammers #1 (£2-25 Marvel) by Kevin J. Anderson & Ale Garza. Look, it's another X-MEN spin-off! Only set in space. Won't last the year.
Loki #1 of 4 (£2-60 Marvel) by Rob Rodi & Esad Ribic. Painted art, perfect for those who lust after high fantasy, and although it's not my own thing, it is mightily impressive. Loki's twisted, constantly snarling face comes with bloodshot eyes and a goblin-like, gap-toothed mouth. As the series opens he has bested his half-brother Thor and conquered Asgard, but encounters obedience without love, and demands for reward from dangerously wavering allies. The script ain't bad, so that ROGUE mini-series might be worth a look after all.
Man-Thing #1 of 3 (£2-25 Marvel) by Hans Rodionoff & Kyle Hotz. Motion picture prequel. Hans wrote the treatment, apparently. It was suffering from distemper.
Autumn #1 (£2-20 Amaze Ink) by Tommy Kovac. And now for a press release: "Autumn came turgid and sullen, The wind in her wake a lament, Nobody knew where she came from, And nobody knew where she went." Fate and dark magic come to an isolated village in the form of a mysterious and powerful girl named Autumn and a shape-shifting squirrel named Widdershinn in Autumn, a new SLG Publishing comic book series full of moody textures and mystical atmosphere. Autumn and Widdershinn befriend Splinter, a recluse who lives in a house set high in a tree. Meanwhile, a monstrous being watches from the demon-choked boughs of the Black Wood.... With his new series Autumn, Tommy Kovac, creator of Stitch and Skelebunnies, weaves a tale of betrayal and redemption, and the search to discover secrets buried deep inside. An exile who carries powerful magic in her right hand, Autumn arrives at the Nameless Village, where frightened people wear masks to hide their human faces and call each other by public names to hide their true selves. But Autumn is not one for hiding. She is determined to keep her true face and name, and to discover the reason she has come to this strange place. In the eight issues of Autumn, love will blossom, blood will flow and secrets will be revealed.
From the delicate, detailed artwork reminiscent of Gothic-revival architecture to the character Autumn herself, to the very inspiration for the story, Autumn reveals Kovac's fascination with the beauty and romance of decadence. "Autumn is a bottle rocket of angst-fuelled wild magic, leaving nothing unchanged behind her," Kovac said of his creation. "She is partially inspired by unintentionally destructive yet exciting friends in my past. The mood and tone of Autumn is informed by the sights and smells of the season itself -- the promise in the air of decay and impending storms."
Even in creating Autumn Kovac is giving a nod to the decadent. "Autumn is so self-indulgent for me," he said. "I built in all the quirks I love most -- squirrels, a prickly nonconformist girl, angst, tragedy, guys with cool hair, acorns and leaves." Issue one of Autumn is scheduled for release in July 2004 and will be published thrice-yearly. A preview of Autumn is available at the SLG Publishing website, www.slavelabor.com.
The Chase #1 (£2-60 APC) by Adriano Miranda & Inaki Miranda, Eva de la Cruz. A suitcase falls into the hands of a taxi driver, then all hell breaks loose. The artists have worked on 2000AD and there's some extraordinary rain effects splashed all over the cover. On the other hand it's from APC (DARKHAM VALE, ASSASSIN SCHOOL, MONSTER CLUB) and I've not rated their stuff so far. One the other, other hand some bloke from APC rang me up the other week, and persuaded me to buy in a DARKHAM VALE tpb (which I'll be reviewing for part B), even though his claim that some website or magazine had declared it the best thing they'd read last year just made me laugh. If I end up considering it somewhere in my top 200, I'll very much surprised, but I promised I'd read it, and I promise to let you know whether it does in fact knock the stuffing out of QUIMBY THE MOUSE.
Milkman Murders #1 (£2-25 Dark Horse) by Joe Casey & Steve Parkhouse. The artist responsible for the lost, lamented BOJEFFRIES SAGA with Alan Moore (see ATOMEKA A1 #0 below) returns for a rare appearance alongside the writer responsible for the deceptively clever (and therefore cancelled) WILDCATS VERSION 3.0 and AUTOMATIC KAFKA. And once more it's Parkhouse on suburban life, but this time American, with a darker vein. Dark Horse scheduling it under "horror". "A forlorn housewife faces facts about the American Dream."
Atomeka A1 Big Issue #0 (£3-50 Atomeka) by Alan Moore, Steve Parkhouse, Ted McKeever, Dave Gibbons, Ronald Shusett, Steve Pugh, Steve Dillon. "From Atomeka comes the triumphant return of A1, the multi-award-winning, pro-favourite comics anthology!" Featuring reprints largely, before the relauch proper. However, this is a fine spread of creators, I myself don't recognise all the descriptions, and although THE BOJEFFRIES SAGA is definitely a reprint, only reformatted, the Ron Shusset "Shark-Man" series, illustrated by Steve Pugh, is a "first glimpse". Ron, it says here, was co-writer and Executive Producer of Alien, with similar credits on The Minority Report.
Yuggoth Creatures #1 (£2-99 Avatar) by Antony Johnston & Ryp, Martin, others. From the horse's mouth: "I've hinted about it for a while, and now I can finally talk about it; I have a new, original miniseries coming from Avatar this summer. YUGGOTH CREATURES: The Incredible Memoirs Of Anders Ericsson is a rollercoaster ride through HP Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos, as seen through the eyes of one extraordinary man. Regular readers will know that I've been a big Lovecraft fan for years, so I'm very excited about this project. "YUGGOTH CREATURES is written in the style of a set of memoirs, which Ericsson - formerly Professor of Anthropology at Miskatonic University - is trying to get published, relating his own experiences with Lovecraft's creations. From the terrible Deep Ones, to forbidden Leng, and even Cthulhu himself, Ericsson has seen them all, barely surviving to tell the tale - and now he's trying to to warn the world of the terrible horrors that await mankind. To that end, the series stops off at every major point of Lovecraft's creation (enough to keep any HPL connoisseur happy...) and along the way Ericsson will make discoveries even he didn't at first realise regarding his experiences with the Old Ones... E"ach issue is extra-long, with at least thirty pages of story in each one, featuring half a dozen short comic stories drawn by a variety of superb horror artists; Jacen Burrows, Juan Jose Ryp, Mike Wolfer, Sebastian Fiumara, Matt Martin, Andres Guinaldo, and a framing sequence by Dheeraj Verma, a very talented newcomer to Western comics. (But apparently a bit of a superstar back in India.) "You can read more about it (and see a couple of Juan Jose Ryp's gorgeously creepy covers) at:http://www.yuggothcreatures.com/"
24: One Shot #1 (£4-50 IDW) by J.C. Vaugh & Mark L. Haynes. Easy target, this. The one innovation of this TV series, its defining feature and sole reason for anyone enduring the second two series, is that it's set during 24 hours of a single day, the clock is ticking throughout, and it takes 24 hours to watch it. I know, I watched the whole of the second season in two mind-shattered days. This may well be set during 24 hours of a single day, you may see the occasional clock, but if it takes you 24 hours to read it, you should on no account attempt a degree in English Literature.
Olympus Heights #1 (£2-99 IDW) by Kevin Munroe. "Oliver Dodds likes working for the local museum in Olympus Heights, Indiana. His run-ins with deity have been limited - so far - to statuary that turns up, without warning or explanation, at the museum's loading dock. Now that's about to change." They've slapped a "kid friendly" sticker on an IDW book (first home of Steve Niles). Can this be right? Munroe recently did EL ZOMBO.
Singularity Seven #1 (£2-99 IDW) by Ben Templesmith. Another artist (30 DAYS OF NIGHT, DARK DAYS) turns author. Sci-fi series of man versus machine or, more specifically, nanites.
Seven Block (£4-50 IDW) by Chuck Dixon & Jorge Zaffino. Reprint. Scientists experiment on convicts in maximum-security prison cells. Of such stuff are console games made.
Video #1 (£2-20 Lost In The Dark Press) by Stephen Buell. "The Second Coming arrives with big ratings and utter chaos. A group of friends are affected when they are abandoned as "non-believers", left behind in a world without a god or a fully staffed drive-thru fast food joint." And that's quite a good close-up of a girl in a gas mask. No idea yet.
Following Cerebus #1 (£2-95, Win-Mill Production) - One of Win-Mill's other publications is Wrapped In Plastic, a magazine about Twin Peaks and everybody that was involved with the program. This means you get articles not only on David Lynch and Twin Peaks but snippets about everybody who appeared on it and what they're doing now. It's kinda exhaustive but they've had some excellent stuff in there. This, of course, is about Cerebus and will have essays, interviews and rare artwork. It looks like Sim & Gerhard will be providing new covers for each issue. If there's one comic that allows for multiple interpretations, it's Cerebus. Although I started the Cerebus discussion group on Yahoo, I rarely get time to read the messages but from what I've seen in the last few months there's a lot of different opinions.
James Kochalka's Spirit Of 76 signed print (£17-99, CBLDF) Vampire Jailbait Digital Print by Jo Linsner (£22-99 Linsner.com). "A classic Linsner vampire girl dressed in the height of goth fashion. Her benign beauty seems to mask the true malignancy of this creature of the night and makes for a medley both chilling and oh so sexy!" I'd like a medley of benignity and malignancy, please, easy on the melon. And although someone doesn't spend much time on the goth scene - that's trash rock, not goth - prospective purchasers can rest assured she looks well over 18, so I'm not sure I understand the jailbait title. Crimson background. Rob Zombie: Demon Speeding Statue (£139-99 Simian Productions Inc). Do you have that Sinister Urge? This is goth - Goth Rawk. Email us if you want a jpeg sending. Grrrrr. Emily The Strange "Get Lost" door hanger (£2-99). This is so going to my second cousin, Amelie, a feisty little gothstress before long before hitting her teens. Perfect for kids with a strop on. Or just take it on holiday with you and hang it outside your hotel door.
UK Postage (overseas at cost): £1-00 for the first comic (unless there's a book included in the package in which case it's just 25 pence), and 25 pence thereafter. £1-00 each for Tokyopop or Lonewolf books, £1-50 each for other books or t-shirts. 'Behind The Panels', 'Cages', 'Comics, Comix & Graphic Novels', 'The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen Absolute Edition' and 'Love & Rockets: The Complete Palomar' will cost a flat £5-00 postage, but anything ordered on top of them will of course be postage free, because..... Maximum postage for all this lot is £5-00. Posters and prints are sent separately @ £1-50.
Standing Orders: To ensure that you never miss a single issue of a title you read, Page 45 provides a free standing order service either for personal collection or sending by post. All you have to do is tell us which titles you want, and we'll save them for you as they come out. You can visit or phone as often as you want, but we must hear from you at least once every three months, please. Single orders and reservations just as gratefully received as any others. More information can be found in Comics International (£1-50), the Previews catalogue (£3-25), at www.ninthart.com and www.sequentialtart.com or indeed by e-mailing us at page45@page45.com Want tips on producing your own comic? - Download the .pdf - http://www.reddingk.com/ Our web-site address is www.page45.com. Construction, design and management by Dominique Kidd. Removal instructions: there is no way out. Oh, okay, just type 'remove' in the subject heading, and feel our desolation. Page 45 is a comic shop. We are: Mark Simpson Stephen L. Holland with Tom Rosin Page 45 9 Market Street Nottingham NG1 6HY Tel: (0115) 9508045 Monday to Saturday 9am to 6pm. Page 45 mailshots spliced together from a frenzied volley of home-to-work e-mails by Stephen & Mark.
l e t t e r s
Before we begin can I just say how embarrassed I am about my Holed Up review?
No, I haven't been thoroughly savaged in Rich Johnston's Lying In The Gutters (though that may be coming soon and, as Morrissey once sang, "that's... fair enough") - instead I've spotted two awful typos and two complete blunders on top of that. And there's nothing new there, I know, but it takes some gall to criticise someone's writing and then type like a two-year-old. The worst sentence is corrected as follows: "....One should be aware that Rising Damp's Rigsby will always be more fondly remembered than Alf Garnett because Rigsby was constantly outwitted. At the moment the boyfriend is just a victim and it makes me uncomfortable."
We do try, you know, but obviously there's room for improvement.
So here's a prize competition: cut and paste as many typos as you can find in this e-shot - or just alert us to their presence - and the one who spots the most unintentional aberrations will receive a unique, signed copy of JULIUS, one of my two favourite graphic novels reviewed last month, sent to your doorstep free of charge. Trust me, this one will be unique. ;)
Just send one spilling mistook and you could take advantage of everyone else's lassitude. Smart arses returning this mailshot in its entirety will be awarded 20 bonus points for satire... and be forwarded every single spam we receive for the next four months.
Let's open with more ULTIMATES hairsplitting:
Regarding Bryan Hitch's hairdressing boo-boo - I have it on the authority of a former archery teacher that if Hawkeye held his arrow as he holds it on the cover of whichever issue it was where he's aiming at the camera, he'd have no control at all over where it went. (and just as the hairdressing informant's ex-military, my archery source is about to join the police. Hitch is making the wrong enemies...) - Alex [Sarll] Unbelievable. You're both treated to the most awesome art in superhero comics history, and you -- Hold on, are the police issuing bows and arrows now? On the grounds, perhaps, that if a gangsta got one up them and grabbed their weapon, they'd be unable to use it? That's quite clever. I'm finding it difficult to link to the next letter, but it's from John Porcellino (PERFECT EXAMPLE and KING KAT COMICS), so you don't care, you just want to hear what he's up to. Mark Thanks for writing--- I'd be happy to send you the latest My Word comic-- it's just a quickly made little thing though. I'm hoping to have the new King-Cat out in a month or so. Actually, I have the bulk of the following two issues drawn as well (A two issue continuing story that I'll most likely publish simultaneously) so if all goes well, there should be three new issues by summertime. I'm also working on new material for a complete Diary of a Mosquito Abatement Man collection that will be coming out on Zak Sally's La Mano Press this summer or fall. And a CD/Comix package I'm doing for the UK band Souvaris-- I believe they live in your town! So I've been really busy. But it feels great to be getting all this work done! So I suggest we wait a while till the next issue comes out (6-8 weeks?) and we can send it all then... I'll be in touch again soon! Thanks!
John P.
PS I'm waiting on an order of new buttons too, so remind me you want those as well when we make the next order for your store... online, bare-bones: www.king-cat.net Come on John, you're hardly Bryan Hitch. What's taking you so long? ;) (There, I knew I'd find a link.) (Before anyone even thinks about misconstruing that, the quickest way to provoke any of us into losing our tempers here is to diss artists like John who are stylish stylists, and perfectly able to do reproduce the works of Ingres if they choose. Well, okay, but you know...) Souvaris do live here, or at least one of them shops here and is almost certainly on this mailing list. Souvaris, send us gig details or website info, and we'll give you a plug. Porcellino readers, we'll be snagging all this stuff as soon as it's available. In the meantime if you haven't tried Jeffrey Brown in particular - but also Chester Brown, James Kochalka, Ed Brubaker's COMPLETE LOWLIFE or even Eddie Campbell - you're missing out on some heartfelt autobiography. Readers of the others, please mix and match. Ask at the counter, ask by e-mail, we're always more than happy to offer recommendations. That's Page 45: home to the creators that count. Like Donna Barr, who's recently departed girlamatic in a flurry of harsh words (very harsh words!). It's all here instead: www.moderntales.com Check out last week's Lying In The Gutters or Donna's own blogs for the Donna's delightful bons mots. www.wolffood.blogspot.com www.clallamatbay.blogspot.com Responding to last month's 24 HOUR COMICS, Donna wrote in with some (typically) insane suggestions of her own: Have you checked out my 24-hour comic at Moderntales? It's on LOOSE CHANGE (presently masquerading as BOSOM ENEMIES). IN which I say rude things about the whole idea. I did it in 18 hours (timed it). And took off to watch the gay pride parade while I was at it. I'm never getting roped into another one of these again. It's just a PR stunt, and anybody who does it knows it. Jesus, I'm never challenging other artists with lame-brain ideas like this. I know very well that everybody writes and thinks and works differently. Hm. Now if I assumed everybody was just like ME, I would say: "THE 2000-word comic! Sit down and place 2000 words on a full-color comics page, and include religion, politics, sex, sterilization and the worst death you can think of. Get the characters into at least two bad situations, and get them back out of it. The panel borders must be as important and decorative as the panels. Script must be antique or semi-fractur. Include acrostics in the initial words of the panels. Do not make yourself the hero. Do not make this a place you would WANT to live. All dialogue must be in a different actual language than the narrative -- no Klingon." And you have 8 hours to do it." I would never dare anybody to do this because they ain't me. What was Scott thinking? It just seems like another way to put all the arts into one box www.stinz.com Donna, there is no one like you! But quick, before the fanboys lose interest, there's more from Mike Kowalik: Astro City/Arrowsmith for me please. Powers moved to Marvel? Damn! I guess Bendis wants more coverage of his own stuff! I was really moved when Capt Stacey died, exposition or not! so There! Mind you I was very very young at the time! If not all of your discerning readers are not buying Love Fights, Powers & The Drowners, for shame! See how comics should be done. (I still like JSA so I am easily pleased!) Not going to argue with that last one. And in a missive of unprecedented coherence, Simon Robinson provides me with another opportunity for tawdry self-promotion... Stephen, Just a quick note to say that I thought your column in this month's Comics International was your best yet. You should reward yourself with a day off.... That's very kind. Kind of you to say so, and very kind to take the time to say so. In the current knee-jerk environment it's difficult to know how readers will react to anything pro-Sim, but in all the recent arguments about the man or the work (CEREBUS), I found it a dishonourable omission that no one had stood up to state, categorically, how much the industry owed the big man. If anyone is interested, you'll find the column in Comics International #171 @ £1-50. Its title, presumably for layout considerations, was changed from "Dave Sim: The Most Generous Man In Comics" to "Dave Sim: Comics' Most Generous Man." (If the headline is all your editor's editing in this industry, I think you're doing pretty well.) It explains why Dave was directly responsible for the creation of Page 45, as well as many of its business practices. It also has an overdue go at **** ******, infamous plane spotter and owner of our previous store, and exposes me as for the drooling fanboy I was. -- Am. It doesn't explain why Mark saw fit to employ me in the first place, introduce me to CEREBUS, or put up with me for some thirteen or fourteen years now. Nothing's going to do that, right? While we're talking of CEREBUS, please see the bottom of the comics section for more from Dave Sim and Gerhard. Finally, in the books section above you'll find a preview of THE WALKING MAN. Here's a recent exchange I had with its publisher and long-time professional associate of ours, Stephen Robson which touches on the CI same column: Steve, I was looking at the Small Press Expo site last night and noticed they have an "Indy Friendly Store" index which is international. You belong on there. So far from the UK there is only Abstract Sprocket of Norwich! Visit: www.spxpo.com/indyshops.htm If you know any other UK stores who deserve the highlight please feel free to pass it on (in a CI column?). While you're there have a look around. I was thinking of exhibiting to promote my graphic novel line. It looks like a good show. If you end up wanting to go please let me know. Talking of Graphic Novels, my third title "Mariko Parade" should be arriving with Diamond this week. Look out for it. It's kind of the follow up to "Yukiko's Spinach" by Frederic Boilet and Kan Takahama. It's a good read. Thanks as always for your support. Best, -- Stephen Robson Fanfare www.ponentmon.com Thanks for that, Stephen. I've dropped them a line. Abstract Sprocket!!!! They were on the Cerebus UK Tour '93. Gosh! deserve to be there, but I don't have their e-mail to hand. America isn't at the top of my destination wish list right now (nor has it ever been to tell you the truth) and my desire to do on holiday what I do at work is absolutely nil. Both your books have done beautifully here (I hope you caught my review of the second), and we're very much looking forward to the next (as you'll know if you read my preview). Thanks again for the info - very much appreciated! Cheers, Stephen partner/manager Page 45 Steve, I spoke to Knockabout this afternoon who will contact Gosh!. I don't sell to him directly but through Red Route. Thanks for thinking of them. Abstract are still plodding along. Great folk. They always came to the Titan Distributors "Open Days". Cerebus Tour! Wish I had done that one! Well done! I did the "Crisis", "Someplace Strange" and "Deadline" tours as the most notable and the Capital Radio "village" in (I think) '93. Only person I know to put Marvel, DC, Dark Horse and Fleetway (as was) logos on a T-shirt and have them pay for it!! Still got one somewhere!? BTW reading your piece in CI about a certain plane spotter it brought back some nightmares from my past. I first met **** when he just had a stall at the back of South Ken market. He should, perhaps, have stayed there. When I saw him on TV during the Greek trial I was..........(words just failed this long time editor!). And to think he lives so close to me here!!!! I have almost finished editing "Doing Time" by Hanawa. Boy was that a hard (but enjoyable) one. Wait 'til you see the menu! Hope to have it in the shops next month and then STAY ON SCHEDULE. (It's OK I'm shouting at myself!). We're a small community as you know, Steve, and we need to think of and for each other. You're one who does. Thanks. Best, Stephen **** ****** was last seen on television, heading for a Greek jail. Perhaps he should have stayed there. (I think we have to make it clear here that **** did actually win his appeal: his party of plane spotters were emphatically not guilty of spying on the Greek military.) We have other horror stories we've kept to ourselves, because neither of us are keen on getting sued. Wouldn't mind our National Insurance, though. (He wrote, on a completely unrelated note.)
