By Martijn Form  Focusing on Vertigo's current and upcoming monthly books Before I relate an autobiographical anecdote that really happened… here is some beautiful preview art from Jack of Fables #22 that DC Comics provided us. Jack of Fables #22 arrives in stores this Wednesday:    So let me tell you a story, based on true events. I think. Picture this: INT. FAVORITE COMIC SHOP - DUSK The store is filled with comic lovers picking out Skrull and Countdown titles. A more courageous man is gently handling his fresh Vertigo stack. FANBOY#1: Heehee, Martijn, still clinging to those Vertigo books you seem to love. They sure are cancelling a lot of their books lately. [MARTIJN grinds his teeth.] FANBOY#2 (laughs): Yes, you are reading the wrong comics, my friend! [MARTIJN grunts.] FANBOY#3: Why aren't you reading Superheroes like the rest of us? MARTIJN: Like the rest of you, huh? Because there is so much more this medium can do than spandex and big chested female heroes. Will Eisner showed us that back in the '70s, and Vertigo is still a publisher that is doing really well, even though it's not standard fare like what you read. They dare to experiment, and some things sell well and others less, but it's always worth the experiment, because their books are labors of love and talent. FANBOY#1: But I like boobs…ehm, I mean spandex. MARTIJN: Sure you do, that's why you can't talk to girls, because you look at other things than in their eyes. Listen, I like my Batman and Spider-Man and so forth, but I also like to be mentally stimulated. To fire up my old brain cells with stories that explore boundaries and rattle the cage, so to speak. There is more to comics than pages of slugfest and havoc between a man in leather and a man in tights. FANBOY#1 (drooling): Mmmm, leather. MARTIJN: Down, boy, down! FANBOY#2: Okay, mister I-want-to-read-something-different, let's say for argument's sake that I wanted to read some Vertigo books, what do you recommend? MARTIJN: You never read a single issue then? FANBOY#2: Ehhm, no. Is that a crime? MARTIJN: Well it should be! And you two, have you read a Vertigo book lately? [The fanboys shake their heads, almost with shame.] MARTIJN: And you call yourself comic fans! FANBOY#1: Okay, enough with the sniping. What is so special about your favourite publisher then? MARTIJN: You want the long version or just the Cliff notes? FANBOY#1: Short, please. I have to read the conclusion to Spider-Man #10,459. FANBOY#2: Yeah, short version. I can't wait any longer to read Countdown #1. FANBOY#3: Ehhm, I gotta be home by dark. [Martijn guides the boys to the Vertigo section. For a moment he is puzzled by what to show them, because the first time reading Vertigo can be overwhelming. You want to pop their cherry, not nuclear assault them.] MARTIJN: Vertigo publishes a lot of different genres with stories ranging from horror to Vikings and from Snow White to disgusting bugs, but they all share the same philosophy. The stories are edgy, sophisticated, rich with several thematic layers and most of all, done with a lot of love.  FANBOY#1 (picks up HellBlazer #243): Hmmm, this is a nice cover.MARTIJN: Notice that this is issue #243. It's the longest running Vertigo series. Open it up. FANBOY#2: Wow, that's some awesome art. MARTIJN: Yes, I think so too. Giuseppe Camuncoli isn't the regular artist, but he can show you a mean side of the human soul. Look at page seven or nine. Do you see what a well balanced panel he draws? FANBOY#2: It almost looks like a painting. MARTIJN: The artist did a lovely job on the Sistine chapel. Reading this story gets you a different view on religion in general and particularly the Catholic church and Vatican city. FANBOY#3: What else can you show us?  MARTIJN: Well, you are a Quentin Tarantino fan, right? Then 100 Bullets is just your thing. Writer Brian Azzarello weaves a crime story with so much complexity and plot twists that it's unlikely to be topped in the next ten years. It's The Wire meets The Godfather with a lot of Elmore Leonard style dialogues. So here, buy the first two trades and off you go. It's getting dark outside.[Fanboy#3 skips girlishly out of the store.] FANBOY#2: What are these. Young Liars #2? And Vinyl Underground #7? MARTIJN: This issue of Young Liars has even more music than the first issue. And by music I don't mean Andrea Bocelli but a ragged underground band that can't play for shit but gets your adrenaline pumping, big time! Writer David Lapham did a neat trick with the captions. When you flip through the comic and only read the captions first you can almost hear the lyrics to the song "Suicide Dreams," that Danny, the lead character, will someday play on a stage. He dreams of being a rock star, but the only thing happening in the band so far is the fact that the drummer is banging the bassist. FANBOY#2: Ehm…guy, guy action in a comicbook? MARTIJN: No, girls can play the bass too! FANBOY#1: Women with four strings rock! MARTIJN: Anyway, once you're done reading the captions, re-read the comic again and let the lyrics melt with the scenes and panels. You get a lovely picture of what human creativity can do.  FANBOY#1: What about Vinyl Underground?MARTIJN: If Young Liars is like a punk song, the Vinyl Underground is a hard trance DJ set, pumping in some obscure night club. The girls are wicked and naughty and don't see anything emotionally wrong with a threesome. Together with an ex-junkie named Morrison (what's in a name, right Grant?) and a puking visionary, they are a detective agency, trying to solve sinister and occult cases. Not everybody is happy with their presence, but you can do a lot with a baseball bat, hairspray and a lighter… and don’t forget to pack some tampons! FANBOY#1: Tampons? FANBOY#2: Tampons? FANBOY#3: Tampons? [The whole film crew looks at Fanboy #3 because he already left the scene on his way home. Martijn kicks him of the set Northlanders style. No more 15 minutes of fame for him!] MARTIJN: Yes, tampons. You have to see that scene with your own eyes to know that some cotton on a string can be a cruel weapon! FANBOY#2: All these titles sound so…strange yet at the same time very appealing. MARTIJN: Strange is good. Vertigo always adds a little more spice in their books than other mainstream comicbooks. FANBOY#1: I don’t like spicy food. MARTIJN: No, but your mom is still cutting your meat. I always say: A Vertigo book a day keeps the doctor away. [Martijn says goodbye to the fanboys, puts on his headphones which fills his ears with a great punk song, and dreams of walking with Morrison through urban London packed with some tampons.] REMEMBER: Reading is voluntarily, but writing me about this column is mandatory. |
