Mon Nov 30, 2009 — by Andrew Wheeler

Review: Three Will Eisner Reprints - 'A Family Matter', 'Minor Miracles', and 'Life on Another Planet'

Two soap operas and a stab at science fiction from the man who invented the graphic novel

Will Eisner has a towering place in the modern comics field – the premier awards in the field are named after him, and for good reason – due both to his pioneering Spirit newspaper insert from the ‘40s and ‘50s and to the graphic novels he started creating in the late ‘70s, after a long hiatus from the field. And that puts him in an enviable position, in that huge swaths of his work is in print much of the time. But perhaps that isn’t all that enviable, since it means that some, well, lesser work gets reprinted as well.

The three books below were brought back into print this year by W.W. Norton as part of their large and growing Will Eisner Library; they’re packaged handsomely and would fit well on the shelf along with other books in that series. But these three titles also show some of Eisner’s most glaring faults and problems, particularly the biggest issue: his unbreakable addiction to the most obvious strains of melodrama.

A Family Matter
By Will Eisner
W.W. Norton, July 2009, $15.95

Norton’s cover for A Family Matter­ – originally published in 1998 by Kitchen Sink – telegraphs the melodrama here, as a dumpy Eisner middle-aged woman bawls, her hands clenched in front of her dramatically underlit face. (The clichéd pose is to the negative, but, on the other hand, Eisner is one of the few major comics artists willing and able to draw realistic, unattractive people regularly and put them at the center of his stories. And since the majority of humanity is unattractive, it’s important to have artists who show them as they are.)

The story is set in familiar Eisner territory: a rich patriarch has been ailing for years, and is essentially unable to communicate now. But it’s his ninetieth birthday, so the entire squabbling clan – and no one squabbles like Eisner characters – must gather for the occasion and maneuver for position in the old man’s good graces. There’s the ne’er-do-well son, the daughter who married a successful man, another daughter whose husband isn’t quite as successful, the downtrodden lawyer son (lawyers are always harried and overworked in Eisner; always small storefront shysters rather than high-powered white-shoe types), the artistic younger daughter, and a sprinkling of kids from the next generation. Despite one cell phone, the story feels like it’s set in the usual Eisner time and milieu – vaguely mid-‘50s, relatively prosperous but with dark clouds, with domestic servants for middle-class people, and all the women wearing dowdy dresses and aprons all the time (and probably have whale-boned foundation garments underneath).

Eisner’s characters also talk a lot, explaining the plot, their motivations, and dreams to each other – it’s a bit like a musical on paper in that way, and has to be taken in a similar spirit, as a contrivance that makes thoughts manifest. (Eisner doesn’t use captions in this story, and was never much for thought balloons – his people say what they feel, no matter what.) But he’s also rehashing three generations of family history here, much of it only alluded to or mentioned once, so there’s a density in Family Matter which is uncommon in a graphic novel outside of the work of Gilbert Hernandez. But, again, that’s the soap-operatic aspect of Family Matter: there’s always another complication, another skeleton in the closet, another grievance.

Family Matter is soapy and sometimes obvious, a comics version of the mid-20^th century ethnic soap operas. (Though, thankfully, he’d toned down his most over-the-top Borscht Belt Jewish material and the bold and dotted E*M*P*H*A*S*I*S in dialogue that he used so heavily earlier.) It will feel very old-fashioned and unusual to readers used to the cool, deadpan modern independent comics scene. But Eisner is wonderful with body language and character types, and his people never lack for motivation, so books like this will continue to be of interest – particularly to aspiring creators, who want to see the broad, obvious ways of creating effects so that they can then work on making those ways more subtle and quiet.

Continue reading Review: Three Will Eisner Reprints - 'A Family Matter', 'Minor Miracles', and 'Life on Another Planet' ›

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Mon Nov 30, 2009 — by Ian Bonds

Review: "Guitar Hero 5"

To those who know me, my love for the Guitar Hero series is no secret.  Music rhythm games have come a long way since the series began on Playstation 2 five years ago.  And while this may be the fifth numerical title in as many years, the series has actually spawned 12 titles (with the 13th, Guitar Hero: Van Halen out this December), and because of this, has faltered in quality over the past few iterations. 

However, Guitar Hero 5 aims to change all that, with new modes, new features, and the richest and most diverse track list the series has seen yet.  Is this a bold new jump in the franchises direction, or is it too little too late?

Continue reading Review: "Guitar Hero 5" ›

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Mon Nov 30, 2009 — by Glenn Hauman

Is io9 censoring science fiction writers?

io9 likes to say they come from the future-- but it seems that the future in question is 1984 or Brave New World.

We've received a number of reports about io9's, shall we say, stringent commenter policies, many of which are discussed in their FAQ. Lately, they've been kicking more commenters off. This is not unheard of in comment management in general, and certainly they said they would-- but the people being kicked off are science fiction writers and editors who have been calling io9 to task on many obvious factual errors in their articles. Since their site does a lot with science fiction, we wonder why they're refusing comments from practitioners in the field. (The writers and editors have requested anonymity, as they don't particularly want to start a flame war, particularly with a media outlet the size of io9.)

Now, we understand the temptation to limit comments, particularly from the great unwashed who might not be Gawker-media level cool, and fans can just be soooo unhip </sarcasm> but we can at least understand the appeal of snobbery. But cutting off dissenting voices, particularly those who point out any number of minor factual errors, just strikes us as dumb.

Personally, we here at ComicMix think that the best kind of comments come from thoughtful, knowledgeable people who add  information about a topic or correct errors-- and the second best are from other commenters who correct the people who mistakenly think they're in the first category.

Maybe that plate sewn on the head of their logo avatar is designed to prevent new ideas from coming in?

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Sun Nov 29, 2009 — by Glenn Hauman

Weekend Window-Closing Wrapup, Thanksgiving 2009

We haven't done one of these in a while, and heaven knows I have enough open windows:

• Eight Films in Black and Red. Simple graphic storytelling at its best.
  
• Viggo Mortensen discussing his new movie, The Road, the feel-good picture of the season.
  
• Why vampire movies always break all the vampire rules.
  
  
• Joshua Jackson will star in UFO, the feature film version of the British TV series by Gerry Anderson.
  
• God help us, even Rainbow Brite is being revamped and relaunched.
  
• No, it's even worse than that-- John Carter and A Princess Of Mars starring Antonio Sabato Jr. and Traci Lords. Here's the trailer:

Oh dear.

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Sat Nov 28, 2009 — by Glenn Hauman

Watch Classic 'Doctor Who' for free on YouTube

The BBC has recently released four stories from the original run of the show on YouTube.

The stories are:

• The Edge of Destruction (William Hartnell)
  
• The Krotons (Patrick Troughton)
  
• Carnival of Monsters (Jon Pertwee)
  
• The Caves of Androzani (Peter Davison)

If you've never seen them before, now's your chance.

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Sat Nov 28, 2009 — by Glenn Hauman

Saturday morning cartoons: Batman vs. the Hulk

With apologies to Len Wein, Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez, and Marv Newland:

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Fri Nov 27, 2009 — by Mike Raub

The Point Radio: 'Big Bang' stars do it live, plus 2010 may be somewhat 'Glee' free

Taping a television comedy in front of a live audience isn't a new concept, but the cast of THE BIG BANG THEORY thrive on it plus DC tells comic stores to sit on BLACKEST NIGHT and we won't see GLEE until when?



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Fri Nov 27, 2009 — by Glenn Hauman

When Black Friday comes...

...you should just stay at home and read some of our comics, and if you need gifts, then order some wonderful books from ComicMix.

In fact, even if you don't want our books (blasphemy!) click through anyway and help support ComicMix-- a percentage of everything you order on Amazon will help keep the lights on here. Amazon has their own Black Friday sales, take a look.

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Fri Nov 27, 2009 — by Robert Greenberger

Review: 'The Year of Loving Dangerously'

The Year of Loving Dangerously
By Ted Rall and Pablo G. Callejo
ComicsLit, 128 pages, $18.95

Ted Rall is a talented, controversial opinion-maker through his columns and his cartoonists. His somewhat jaundiced look at life has been shaped by many factors, chief among them, 1984, the year referred to in the title of this courageous memoir recently released under NBM’s ComicsLit imprint.

A junior, Ted developed a medical condition that shoved his life off course and in rapid succession; he was failed by his family, Columbia University, his friends, and strangers in Manhattan. As a result, Ted found himself expelled, homeless, and practically penniless, struggling to survive.

He found an unusual solution, picking up or letting himself be picked up by women essentially exchanging sexual favors for a warm place to sleep. For the better part of a year, Ted, still smarting from the breakup with Philippa, the girl of his dreams, has a steady stream of sexual relationships and in frank terms, tells his reader that he didn’t necessary revel in the activity. It was survival mechanism, much as he broke into a Barnard dorm to crash or later stole supplies from the University that jerked him around in order to raise cash.

Rall is 21, handsome, and clearly desirable but despite the variety of sexual partners at a time when AIDS was just hitting the headlines, he hates his life and his self-esteem remains fairly low. Chris, his best pal, has his own issues, walking a fine line between recreational drug use and becoming a junkie, threatening to drag Ted with him.

The writing is clear-eyed and unsparing in his appraisal of his own behavior and that of those around him. When things finally begin to turn around and he finds a job but doesn’t yet have the cash to afford first and last month rent, Ted continues to indulge in questionable behavior. Still, he tried to follow a moral path, writing, “Unlike faceless corporate entities, built on institutionalized theft, individual people were strictly off-limits.”

He gets the job, settles into three stable relationships with women (keeping each ignorant of the others), and survives a fresh encounter with Philippa. You’re rooting for him along the way, wondering if you would have made the same choices in the name of basic survival.

Much of the strength in this remarkable account comes from Pablo G Callejo’s artwork. The Spanish artist keenly captures the look and feel of New York City during the go-go Reagan years. His people are wonderfully varied and his attention to detail is excellent, from clothing to color. His artwork is ideally suited for this cautionary tale and made reading it a lot easier.

This is an important work in that it lays bare a man’s life and shows how easily things can go awry and why society needs safety nets.

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Fri Nov 27, 2009 — by Robert Greenberger

'Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths' DVD details released, including the Spectre!

In case you missed the preview on Superman/Batman: Public Enemies, Warner Premiere has offered up complete details including the announcement of an exclusive Spectre short for the special edition. Here's the release:

BURBANK, CA (November 23, 2009) – To save our world and all those like it, SUPERMAN, BATMAN and their caped colleagues must go toe-to-toe with their evil mirror images in Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths, the seventh entry in the successful ongoing series of DC UNIVERSE Animated Original PG-13 Movies coming February 23, 2010 from Warner Premiere, DC Comics and Warner Bros. Animation. The full-length animated film will be distributed by Warner Home Video as a Special Edition 2-disc version on DVD and Blu-Ray™ Hi-Def for $24.98 (SRP) and $29.99 (SRP), respectively, as well as single disc DVD for $19.98 (SRP). The film will also be available On Demand and Download.

Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths is an original story from award-winning animation/comics writer Dwayne McDuffie (Justice League) rooted in DC Comics’ popular canon of “Crisis” stories depicting parallel worlds with uniquely similar heroes and villains. Bruce Timm (Superman Doomsday) is executive producer. Lauren Montgomery (Wonder Woman, Green Lantern: First Flight) and Sam Liu (Superman/Batman: Public Enemies) are co-directors.

In Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths, a “good” LEX LUTHOR arrives from an alternate universe to recruit the JUSTICE LEAGUE to help save his Earth from the Crime Syndicate, a gang of villainous characters with virtually identical super powers to the JUSTICE LEAGUE. What ensues is the ultimate battle of good versus evil in a war that threatens both planets and, through a diabolical plan launched by OWLMAN, puts the balance of all existence in peril.

The movie features an all-star voice cast led by Mark Harmon (NCIS) as SUPERMAN, James Woods (Ghosts of Mississippi) as OWLMAN, Chris Noth (Sex and the City, Law & Order) as LEX LUTHOR, William Baldwin (Dirty Sexy Money) as BATMAN, Gina Torres (Serenity, Firefly) as SUPERWOMAN and Bruce Davison (X-Men) as the President.

Continue reading 'Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths' DVD details released, including the Spectre! ›

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Thu Nov 26, 2009 — by Glenn Hauman

Alice's Restaurant

Well, what else should we play at noon on Thanksgiving?

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Wed Nov 25, 2009 — by Glenn Hauman

Bill O'Reilly meets Oscar The Grouch-- er, Spill O'Reilly

Strange-- he sounds more like Sean Hannity to me.

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Wed Nov 25, 2009 — by Glenn Hauman

Giving thanks

It's that time of year again.

A time when you need to remember just how got you've really got it-- because no matter how annoyed or inconvenienced or sad you may be, somebody else out there has got it as bad or worse.

Just consider that somewhere tomorrow:

Somebody will be missed at the table because they have to work.

Somebody was in that car accident that kept you stuck in traffic for an extra hour.

Somebody will be sharing dinner with someone who molested them-- maybe earlier that day.

Somebody will be wondering how they're going to pay for this dinner now that the job's gone.

Somebody will be able to smell the turkey, but for the first time not be able to see it. Others won't be able to hear the dinner conversation. A few won't remember the people that they're eating with.

Some will have to make do with hospital food. Many of those folks will have to have help in being fed. Some won't be able to keep their food down because of the chemo treatments.

Some families will have no kitchen to cook a dinner this year. Some have no homes to have a dinner in.

For many, this will be their last Thanksgiving ever. Some folks will know it and savor what they can. Others won't know it's the last one until it's too late.

And somebody-- too many somebodies-- just won't have any dinner at all.

For you and yours from all of us here at ComicMix, have a happy Thanksgiving. Be grateful for what you have, mindful of what you have taken, and share what you can.

And even though it may be hard to remember all this when you're stuck on the road, just remember-- the traffic behind you is worse. Be thankful.

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Tue Nov 24, 2009 — by Glenn Hauman

An early innoculation against all the upcoming Christmas music

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Tue Nov 24, 2009 — by Glenn Hauman

On this day in 1859...

...On the Origin of Species was published by the High Evolutionary, a book which is considered to be the foundation of evolutionary biology, and of course a wide swath of mutations and super powers.

<holds finger to imaginary earpiece>

No, wait a minute, I'm sorry-- the book wasn't written by the High Evolutionary at all, but was instead written by Darwin.

We apologize for any confusion.

(Sure, you laugh, but remember-- this is more about On The Origin Of Species than they teach in schools in Kansas and Texas.)

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