There were three phases the entertainment industry went through during the Cold War. The first was “The Russians are Coming!” when movies and comics and what have you spat out tales of woe like I Married a Communist, in which we were warned that the enemy wore no convenient uniform or had any distinct facial features that could tip us off that he was the most horrible man in existence. Then you had the “Man, what would it be like if the Russians were coming?” phase where we had movies like Red Dawn and books like Red Storm Rising, trying to give us an idea of what a real shooting war with the Soviets would be like.
Now we’re in the “Man, remember when the Russians were coming?” phase, where we all get nostalgic for M.A.D and make video games about what it would be like to weather a Russian invasion, like in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and the like, but in modern times. We’re suckers for traditional western wars, which probably has its roots in fetishizing World War II while forgetting that most combat veterans don’t like to remember what they did back then.
Beth nabbed issue 1 of this comic called Cold War: The Michael Swann Dossier by John Byrne since I professed my undying love for East vs. West in my Supergod review, and she thought this would be right up my alley. I like it a lot.Well, it’s kind of generic, but we’ll talk about that and whether or not it matters.
If you ever want to, you can take any history book, cross out the title and scribble “Why The British Are Dicks” on it and it would suffer no loss in its accuracy. Most history after 1600 can be attributed to explaining the meaning of that sentence; Britain and France were the biggest colonial powers in the last couple centuries, and when they started to realize that they couldn’t actually tell others what to do, they mashed a few cookie cutters on a globe and created a whole bunch of countries that quickly fell into ethnic civil war because their borders were based on the location of natural resources and not tribal boundaries. Ergo, the common governments that were set up by imperialism became mechanisms for conflict as different ethnic groups fought to control it for their own interests.
Oh don’t get me wrong, the British and French produce cool things like “That Mitchell and Webb Look” and Daft Punk, but as far as geopolitics go, don’t bother reading about them unless you want chronically high blood pressure.
Jordan didn’t really have this ethnic problem as badly as, say, Nigeria. The kingdom was made in the early 20th century, and its borders were and are fairly stable. Some extremist elements would say that Jordan deserves to be folded into Greater Israel, but this isn’t a widely discussed idea. The Golan Heights is about the only thing anyone is still arguing over for ownership, at least in the immediate vicinity of Jordan. Otherwise, the kingdom has enjoyed unity ever since its creation.
I only really know Jordan as “one of the countries that got pulverized by Israel in the 1967 war”, so Merik Tadros’ graphic novel “The River Jordan” is an interesting look into a country I have little current knowledge of. It only spends a little bit of time in the country, but it still plays an important role in the themes of the novel.
Illustrated by Greg Houston, this book is based on actual events, and is semi-autobiographical. It follows the story of two families of the Nasir brothers and the tragic events that tear the two families apart. The narrative specifically views the story through the eyes of Rami, the youngest son of one of the brothers. The plot follows the events of the story almost like a documentary, with a voiceover box stating things in plain, factual exposition, even when it lets us see what characters are thinking. (more…)
Britain’s favourite war comic, Commando, reached a major milestone in June 2011 when it celebrated the 50th anniversary of its first publication on 27th June 1961. Part of the Dundee-based DC Thomson & Co. Ltd stable of comics and magazines, Commando publishes 4 stories every fortnight — 2 new and 2 re-issued classic stories — and maintains its place as the home of comic action and adventure.Although it retains the classic illustrated cover and the iconic black and white comic artwork which has made it so beloved of the UK public, Commando has moved with the times over its 50 years and the stories contained within its pages now span a range of conflicts, right up to the first Gulf War in the early 1990s. Commando’s current editor, Calum Laird, who took over in 2007 said, “As someone who read Commando in the 60s and 70s, worked on the title as a junior member of staff in the 80s and 90s, and became editor in the 2000s, sitting in the hot seat for the 50th birthday is a great honour. Not everyone can have my career path but if Commando can entertain others as well as it did me, I’ll be very happy indeed!”
Visitors to the website (www.commandocomics.com) can also get their hands on some famous Commando cover posters (in A1 size format), exclusively, for the introductory price of £19.99. This September will also see a brand new collaboration for Commando, with the launch of the “Draw Your Weapons” exhibition – celebrating the iconic artwork from 50 years of the comic – at the National Army Museum in London. The exhibition will open on 1st September and Calum commented, “Everyone is delighted that this major exhibition of Commando artwork is to be hosted by the National Army Museum, as one of the key activities of our 50th anniversary celebrations. We’re sure that fans of Commando old and new, will revel in this display of comic art at its best, exhibited so dynamically by the National Army Museum.
Commando No 4447 Colours Of Courage
The proudest possessions of any regiment are its colours — the flags which it carries into battle. Its history is recorded on these colours, the victories it has won. A regiment guards its colours fiercely. To have them captured by the enemy is a terrible thing. But when a man hands over the colours to save his own skin it is a disgrace that brave soldiers can hardly bear think about.
Introduction by Calum Laird, Commando Editor
If there are two things difficult to get right in a Commando they are French Resistance stories and ghosts. Resistance stories could easily be 63 pages of skulking about avoiding searching German soldiers and ghosts could easily look like normal characters drawn without enough ink. Thanks to ace story-teller Cyril Walker, Colours Of Courage cracks along with plenty of action to break up the tension. And Arthur Fleming — an art teacher from Glasgow — manages to skilfully depict a glowing figure despite only having black ink and white paper to work with. Wrapped in one of Ian Kennedy’s superbly drawn and laid-out covers it’s got all it needs for a cracking Commando.
Colours Of Courage, originally Commando No 1182 (December 1977), re-issued as No 2412 (October 1990)
Story: Cyril Walker Art: Arthur Fleming Cover Art: Ian Kennedy
Commando No 4448 The Four Scars
Corporal Bill Kirk felt the tiny life-raft rock lazily as the Jap struggled aboard. Both turned to look at the sinking Jap prison-ship they’d been on — Bill a prisoner, the Jap a guard. Then they turned back, to look at each other; and what that Jap read in Bill Kirk’s eyes made him start back in fear. But there was no escape for him. With only the vast empty ocean and the sharks circling the raft for witnesses, they grappled in a fight to the finish.
Introduction by Calum Laird, Commando Editor
I’ve mentioned before that I my childhood Commando issues at the back of the garage a few years ago. Some I had to look at again to refresh my memory, but not this one. I don’t know how many times I read and re-read this in the 60s but it must have been a lot because I had almost total recall. Ken Barr’s cover with its ethereal hand hovering over the action, Victor de la Fuente’s action-packed, high-energy inside art and Eric Hebden’s crackerjack of a story with its startling twist were just what the doctor ordered in 1965…and are equally so today. I think so anyway and I hope you’ll agree. As an aside, Ken Barr used a sheet of transparent plastic sheet with the outline of the hand painted on it to get that ghostly effect. I certainly didn’t know that in 1965.
The Four Scars, originally Commando No 185 (October 1965), re-issued as No 831 (April 1974)
Story: Eric Hebden Art: Victor de la Fuente Cover Art: Ken Barr
Commando 4449 Days Of Danger
Simon Katz was a young German and a fervent anti-Nazi. A brilliant mathematician, he escaped Germany by the skin of his teeth and went to work as a code-breaker for the British. Not long after, Sergeant Barney Taft also made an escape – from the bullet-strafed beaches of Dunkirk. Though they were on the same side, when circumstances threw the pair together, they clashed bitterly. But could they manage to work together against a ruthless enemy? They would have to if they were to survive.
Story: Stephen Walsh Art: Vila Cover Art: Nicholas Forder
Commando No 4450 The Nightmare War
Private Franz Bauer, a German Army engineer wounded during the invasion of France, was haunted by the deaths of his comrades in the same battle — wiped out by a mine. When he recovered he threw himself into his new job developing the remote-controlled Borgward IV demolition vehicle, hoping it might save other German lives. His chance to save thousands of lives would come, but he would be working alongside an unlikely ally — someone who had nightmares every bit as bad as Franz’s.
Story: Mac MacDonald Art: Keith Page Cover Art: Keith Page
We already knew artist David Lloyd visited Occupy Wall Street when he was in town for the New York Comic Con and liked what he saw– now The Guardian has asked Alan Moore, the other half of the creative team of V for Vendetta how he feels about the image of V being used as the symbol of protest and revolution in the 21st century.
“I suppose when I was writing V for Vendetta I would in my secret heart of hearts have thought: wouldn’t it be great if these ideas actually made an impact? So when you start to see that idle fantasy intrude on the regular world… It’s peculiar. It feels like a character I created 30 years ago has somehow escaped the realm of fiction.”
V for Vendetta tells of a future Britain (actually 1997, nearly two decades into the future when Moore wrote it) under the heel of a dictatorship. The population are depressed and doing little to help themselves. Enter Evey, an orphan, and V, a costumed vigilante who takes an interest in her. Over 38 chapters, each titled with a word beginning with “V”, we follow the brutal, loquacious antihero and his apprentice as they torment the ruling powers with acts of violent resistance. Throughout, V wears a mask that he never removes: bleached skin and rosy cheeks, pencil beard, eyes half shut above an inscrutable grin. You’ve probably come to know it well.
“That smile is so haunting,” says Moore. “I tried to use the cryptic nature of it to dramatic effect. We could show a picture of the character just standing there, silently, with an expression that could have been pleasant, breezy or more sinister.” As well as the mask, Occupy protesters have taken up as a marrying slogan “We are the 99%”; a reference, originally, to American dissatisfaction with the richest 1% of the US population having such vast control over the country. “And when you’ve got a sea of V masks, I suppose it makes the protesters appear to be almost a single organism – this “99%” we hear so much about. That in itself is formidable. I can see why the protesters have taken to it.”
Moore first noticed the masks being worn by members of the Anonymous group, “bothering Scientologists halfway down Tottenham Court Road” in 2008. It was a demonstration by the online collective against alleged attempts to censor a YouTube video. “I could see the sense of wearing a mask when you were going up against a notoriously litigious outfit like the Church of Scientology.”
But with the mask’s growing popularity, Moore has come to see its appeal as about something more than identity-shielding. “It turns protests into performances. The mask is very operatic; it creates a sense of romance and drama. I mean, protesting, protest marches, they can be very demanding, very gruelling. They can be quite dismal. They’re things that have to be done, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re tremendously enjoyable – whereas actually, they should be.”
At one point in V for Vendetta, V lectures Evey about the importance of melodrama in a resistance effort. Says Moore: “I think it’s appropriate that this generation of protesters have made their rebellion into something the public at large can engage with more readily than with half-hearted chants, with that traditional, downtrodden sort of British protest. These people look like they’re having a good time. And that sends out a tremendous message.”
Airship 27 Productions & Cornerstone Book Publishers are happy to announce the release of I.A. Watson’s second book in his new retelling of the classic Robin Hood legend.
In book one of this series, “Robin Hood, King of Sherwood,” award winning author Ian Watson introduced the classic outlaw hero from British lore in a fresh and exciting new way. We learned of a carefree youth suddenly cast into the role of hero to save his people from the cruel and sadistic tyranny of Prince John, left to rule over the kingdom while his brother, Richard the Lionhearted traveled to the Holy Lands to fight in the Third Crusade.
Suffering under unbearable taxation, the people suffered daily until the brash young outlaw, Robin of Loxley, at the goading of a lovely young maid, stepped forth to challenge this illegal oppression and restore true justice to the land. In this second chapter his daring robberies of the jaded gentry have stirred the ire of the Sheriff of Nottingham and his allies. A devious plot is hatched in the guise of an archery contest to lure the daring Robin Hood within the city limits and there trap him. Once more Ian Watson spins a tale of action and adventure steeped in rich historical lore as he relates perhaps the most reckless of the Robin’s famed exploits. Can the King of Sherwood, aided by his loyal and of rogues, claim the prized Golden Arrow or will the walls of Nottingham become his tomb.
Robin Hood, Arrow of Justice is another rollicking grand adventure that continues this innovative and wonderful retelling of a truly classic legend loved by millions. This volume once again spotlights a gorgeous painted cover by Pulp Factory Award Winning recipient Mike Manley, with interior illustrations and designs by Art Director Rob Davis. Airship 27 Productions is thrilled to return to Sherwood Forest in;
Robin Hood; Arrow of Justice
This is the tenth release of 2011 for the popular pulp production outfit and their 43rd catalog title. “It’s been a remarkable year,” said Editor Ron Fortier, “and we’re thrilled to be ending in on such a high note.”
Airship 27 Productions; Pulps For a New Generation!
There are times we lose sight of Ricky Gervais’ comedic genius now that he has become a celebrity in his own right. The news that he will once again host the Golden Globe Awards brings with it nervous anticipation but the better news is that The Office Special Edition is coming out this week from Warner Home Video. The 2001 series is collected in its entirety with both Christmas specials included along with new featurettes plus the original bonus material.
Never before has there been a television series set in an office environment that felt so accurate even though there were some distinctly English touches. Coming two years after Mike Judge’s brilliant Office Space, Gervais and partner Stephen Merchant gave us the employees at Sough’s Wernham Hogg Paper Company and a mockumentary style that has been imitated by numerous shows ever since.
Gervais’ David Brent is everyone’s worst nightmare of a boss; a man who desperately wants to be liked and is willing to ignore the company’s smooth running so as not to ruffle anyone’s feathers. He’s surrounded by your basic office drudges, self-deluded ladder climbers, and the utterly clueless. With sharp writing and excellent casting, the series arrived on BBC 2 with a splash and it wasn’t long before American audiences embraced it. As happens all too often, NBC snapped it up for adaptation but in a rare feat, managed to do so successfully. With Steve Carrell and a wonderful ensemble, the show quickly exhausted the source material – a mere twelve thirty-minute episodes — and found its own voice. (more…)
Boom! Studios has announced that Steed and Mrs. Peel issue #1 will be in stores January 2012. Written by Grant Morrison with illustrations and a cover by Ian Gibson, this comic book mini series is based on characters created for the classic British TV series, “The Avengers”.
From writer Grant Morrison — “The Golden Game Part One: Crown and Anchor!” Your favorite Avengers finally return! When Tara King is kidnapped by a mysterious organization, John Steed and Emma Peel must reunite to solve this mystery. Featuring gorgeous art from Ian Gibson, best known for his work with Alan Moore on “The Ballad of Halo Jones.” A science fiction/spy fiction mash-up from Grant Morrison and two of TV’s most iconic heroes!
32 pages, $3.99.
Boom! Studios’, “Steed and Mrs. Peel” is a 6 issue mini series starting in January 2012.
Acclaimed comic book creator John Byrne releases his latest creation, former MI-6 agent Michael Swann on October 19, 2011 when IDW Publishing’s Cold War #1 hits stores. In Swann’s opening 4-part adventure, “The Damocles Contract,” the former secret agent is called on to stop a defecting British scientist from granting the Soviets complete nuclear dominion over the free world…
Cold War – The Michael Swann Dossier: “The Damocles Contract” #1 Written and drawn by John Byrne Colored by Ronda Pattison Lettered by Neil Uyetake 32 pages, $3.99 In Comic Book Stores October 19,2011.
Said IDW’s Chris Ryall on his blog of the book, “This is Byrne doing a British secret service (well, former secret service, as you’ll see) agent in a period setting, which has been a blast so far, seeing him handle new characters and a time period he’s not tackled before. The vehicles alone in issue 3 are worth the price of admission.”
In addition to the standard color cover there will be a black and white cover and a stylized, almost propoganda-style variant covers for each issue. The first issue is also being released as a full variant b&w version as well as the regular full-color issue, too.
In an interview with the Associated Press, Byrne explained, “He operates on a freelance basis, and occasionally his former bosses call upon him to handle something that is perhaps a bit too messy for Her Majesty’s Government to be involved with. So he knows that when he is called upon, things have reached some dire straits. His response to this is usually very straightforward and brutal.”
On his website’s forum, Byrne shared a few more details. “Altho set in the early days of the Cold War, this is NOT going to be a history book. I am playing quite freely with the order in which things happened in the real world. And I will not be tying Swann’s exploits to any specific year or sequence of years. Those with an awareness of the history of this period may spot a few landmarks — one in most particular plays an important part as a sub-thread to my overall tale — but no reason to start checking the History Channel in order to be able to follow what’s going on in this series!”
Cold War – The Michael Swann Dossier: “The Damocles Contract” issue #1 is in stores on October 19.
FLASH GORDON COMIC BOOK ARCHIVES VOLUME 5 HC John Warner (W), Bruce Jones (W), George Kashdan (W), Gene Fawcette (P/I), Al Williamson (P/I), Carlos Garzón (P), Al McWilliams (P/I), Frank Bolle (P), and Rick Veitch (C) On sale Dec 28 FC, 280 pages $49.99 HC, 6 5/8″ x 10 3/16″ Flash Gordon—hero of Mongo, gentleman scientist, two-fisted fighter, and now savior of the universe! Join Flash, the lovely Dale Arden, and Dr. Zarkov as they make a last desperate stand against alien monsters, corrupt kings, ravenous sharks, and the ultimate supervillain, Ming the Merciless! This volume collects Flash Gordon #28–#37, plus the three-issue adaptation of the cult favorite Flash Gordon movie! • Introduction by Michael T. Gilbert.
TARZAN: THE JESSE MARSH YEARS VOLUME 10 HC Gaylord DuBois (W) and Jesse Marsh (A) On sale Jan 4 FC, 224 pages $49.99 HC, 7″ x 10″ Tarzan faces his most harrowing adventure yet when his treehouse is targeted and destroyed by slavers, who kidnap Jane and Boy! This volume sees Tarzan battle lion-sized wasps, outwit ivory poachers, brave giant spiders to find desperately needed medicine, become stranded in the Valley of Monsters, and even track a murder cult for the British government. Reprinting Dell’s Tarzan #47–#51, from 1953, for the first time. • Introduction by PictureBox’s Dan Nadel.
ABE SAPIEN: THE DEVIL DOES NOT JEST #2 (of 2) From the pages of Hellboy! Mike Mignola (W), John Arcudi (W), James Harren (A), Dave Stewart (C), and Dave Johnson (Cover) On sale Oct 26 FC, 32 pages $3.50 Miniseries Abe Sapien’s investigation of a demonologist gets gory when, at the mercy of a malformed beast, he stumbles upon the secret of a rotten family tree—the roots of which, he may never escape. • Abe loses his mind in this early adventure!
B.P.R.D.: BEING HUMAN TP Liz’s origin revealed! Mike Mignola (W/Cover), John Arcudi (W), Scott Allie (W), Richard Corben (A), Ben Stenbeck (A), Karl Moline (P), Guy Davis (A), Andy Owens (I), and Dave Stewart (C) On sale Dec 14 FC, 152 pages $17.99 TP, 7″ x 10″ In these terrifying tales of witchcraft and the undead, Abe, Roger, Liz, and Johann learn the ropes as agents of the Bureau For Paranormal Research and Defense! Abe copes with survivor’s guilt, Roger goes on his first adventure with Hellboy, Liz tells the story of how she killed her family, and Johann Kraus dies! • A standalone collection that’s perfect introduction to these bizarre heroes.
B.P.R.D. HELL ON EARTH: RUSSIA #2 (of 5) The vault of horrors! Mike Mignola (W), John Arcudi (W), Tyler Crook (A), Dave Stewart (C), Dave Johnson (Cover) On sale Oct 19 32 pages $3.50 Miniseries In the vault of the Russian Occult Bureau’s headquarters is a man chained down and heavily monitored. When Kate and Johann are brought in for assistance, the zombie director of the Russian bureau pits them against the possessed prisoner!
BALTIMORE: THE CURSE BELLS #3 (of 5) Vampire nuns, giant snake gods, and the occult! Mike Mignola (W/Cover), Christopher Golden (W), Ben Stenbeck (A), and Dave Stewart (C) On sale Oct 12 FC, 32 pages $3.50 Miniseries A bloody ritual climaxes in a terrifying rebirth, as Lord Baltimore battles against the twisted “blessing” of vampiric nuns and an insane occultist. • A horrifying new take on vampires! • By Mike Mignola (Hellboy) and Christopher Golden (Buffy the Vampire Slayer).
BALTIMORE VOLUME 1: THE PLAGUE SHIPS TP Mike Mignola (W/Cover), Christopher Golden (W), Ben Stenbeck (A), and Dave Stewart (C) On sale Dec 21 FC, 144 pages $18.99 TP, 7″ x 10″ After a devastating plague ends, Europe is suddenly flooded with vampires. Lord Henry Baltimore, a soldier determined to wipe out the monsters, fights his way through bloody battlefields, ruined plague ships, exploding zeppelins, and submarine graveyards, on the hunt for the creature who’s become his obsession. • First time in paperback! • By Mike Mignola (Hellboy) and Christopher Golden (Buffy the Vampire Slayer).
BRAIN BOY ARCHIVES HC Herb Castle (W), Gil Kane (A), and Frank Springer (A) On sale Dec 14 FC, 216 pages $49.99 HC, 7″ x 10″ A freak accident with an electrical tower affected Matt Price’s brain while he was still in the womb. Ever since, he’s had mysterious powers—telepathy, levitation, and mind control. Naturally, the government recruited him straight out of high school, and now he battles mad dictators and thawed-out dinosaurs as Brain Boy! • Introduction by Batton Lash.
CONAN: ROAD OF KINGS #9 Roy Thomas (W), Dan Panosian (A), Dan Jackson (C), and Aleksi Briclot (Cover) On sale Oct 19 FC, 32 pages $3.50 Ongoing Beneath the city of Tarantia, Conan, his allies, and the child in his care are at the mercy of a horde of zombie Hyborians, while above their heads an even greater menace reveals itself! If they survive the catacombs, can Conan and his charges withstand a siege of the city?
FEAR AGENT #32: OUT OF STEP part 5 (of 5) Rick Remender (W), Mike Hawthorne (P), Tony Moore (P/Cover), and John Lucas (I) On sale Nov 2 FC, 32 pages $3.50 Miniseries THE END! The creative team that came together on Fear Agent reunite for the stunning conclusion! • From Uncanny X-Force and Venom scribe Rick Remender!
KULL: THE CAT AND THE SKULL #1 (of 4) David Lapham (W), Gabriel Guzman (P), Dan Jackson (C), Jo Chen (Cover), and Stephanie Hans (Variant cover) On sale Oct 12 FC, 32 pages $3.50 Miniseries Few women in all the Seven Kingdoms can equal the beauty of Delcardes, but Kull is more interested in her traveling companion—the cat, Saremes. It is rumored that Saremes is of the old race and Kull is anxious to hear her counsel. The Hate Witch is dead but the serpent cult are rallying under a powerful wizard. In order to protect the people of Valusia, Kull must unravel the mysteries of this wise and ancient creature. • Kull vs. his greatest foe: THULSA DOOM!
KULT #4 (of 4) Jeremy Barlow (W), Iwan Nazif (A), Michael Atiyeh (C), and Jake Murray (Cover) On sale Oct 5 FC, 32 pages $3.50 Miniseries The illusion is pierced! The hellish real world is revealed! The final battle for humanity has begun! But with the power to reshape the world and his allies helpless to stop him, has Tomas Zenk been the true danger all along? • Inspired by the legendary RPG! • For fans of The Matrix and Hellraiser!
MIGHTY SAMSON ARCHIVES VOLUME 4 HC Arnold Drake (W), Paul S. Newman (W), John Warner (W), Jose Delbo (A), and Jack Abel (A) On sale Dec 21 FC, 224 pages $49.99 HC, 7″ x 10″ In a world of monsters and scavengers, Samson continues fighting his way across a wasted future America, searching for hope and dishing out justice. With his beautiful companion, her brilliant father, and a rogue’s gallery of foes, Samson and his team are constantly bombarded with danger! This volume collects Mighty Samson issues #25-#31 and Gold Key Champion #2 and features an introduction by Samson artist Jose Delbo. • Collects material unavailable anywhere else!
ROBERT E. HOWARD’S SAVAGE SWORD #3 David Lapham (W), Paul Tobin (W), Jeremy Barlow (W), Wellinton Alves (A), Joshua Williamson (W), Patric Reynolds (A), Cobiaco (A), Tony Parker (A), Gerald Parel (Cover), and others On sale Oct 26 FC, 80 pages $7.99 Ongoing Paul Tobin and Wellinton Alves conclude their Conan adventure, David Lapham and Fabio Cobiaco tell a high-seas adventure featuring King Kull’s right-hand man Brule, Jeremy Barlow and Tony Parker adapt a cowboy adventure by Howard, Joshua Williamson and Patric Reynolds them up to revive Howard’s gritty detective Steve Harrison, and we bring you part one of the classic graphic novel Kull: The Vale of Shadow!
TUROK, SON OF STONE: AZTLÁN VOLUME 1 TP Jim Shooter (W), Eduardo Francisco (A), James Harren (C), and Raymond Swanland (Cover) On sale Jan 4 FC, 96 pages $15.99 TP, 7″ x 10″ The American Southwest, 1428. Turok, a wandering warrior, rescues young Andar from death at the hands of the ruthless Maxtla and his Aztec horde. Turok and Andar seek refuge in a vast cavern, where an otherworldly force sweeps them and their pursuers to a savage, timeless land of rampaging dinosaurs and unimagined wonders. Hunted in a world of danger and death, Turok and Andar fight to survive—and to find a way home. • Collects issues #1-#4 of the new Turok series.
Let Them Talk Hugh Laurie Produced by Joe Henry Warner Bros. Records
Let us stipulate up front that Hugh Laurie is an insanely talented individual. He’s a comedian, a comic actor, a dramatic actor, a comedy writer, a novelist, plays piano, guitar, and percussion, and, apparently, deep down in his soul, according to the liner notes of Let Them Talk, he’s also an 80-year old, gravelly-voiced Negro ex-sharecropper blues singer.
Sure. Why not?
Most of us think he’s a dyspeptic American medical miracle man (hearing his acceptance speech for his Emmy win as Dr. House, my ex-wife, who knew Hugh Laurie only from House and Stuart Little, asked, “Why is he putting on an English accent?”), so why couldn’t this British born, Oxford and Cambridge educated actor also be Jellyroll Morton?
In Let Them Talk, Hugh Laurie sings the blues, and if he ain’t Jellyroll Morton (and who could be?), he dives into these classic numbers as though he wished he could be. “These great and beautiful artists lived it as they played it,” Laurie writes in the liner notes. “But at the same time, I could never bear to see this music confined to a glass cabinet, under the heading Culture: Only To Be Handled By Elderly Black Men. That way lies the grave, for the blues and just about everything else: Shakespeare only performed at The Globe, Bach only played by Germans in tights. It’s formaldehyde, and I pray that Leadbelly will never be dead enough to warrant that.”
Laurie offers his credentials for playing the blues: a lifelong love for the music and its performers, “I love this music, as authentically as I know how.” The love is there, and combined with some of the abovementioned insane talent, Let Them Talk comes across with some new takes on the old blues worth listening to.
“St. James Infirmary Blues” opens with a quiet, almost symphonic rendition of this great, mournful song that eventually slides into a more traditional take that sets the tone for the rest of the album. The high points include “Swanee River,” the Stephen Foster classic that Laurie weaves with the swinging, piano pounding verve of a Jerry Lee Lewis and Craig Eastman’s haunting violin accompaniment; the energetic power of Robert Johnson’s “They’re Red Hot”; the lazy Ferdinand Joseph Morton composition, “Winin’ Boys Blues,” Cosimo Matassa’s “Tipitina,” and the simple, crisp pickings on Arthur Phelps’ “Police Dog Blues.”
Joining Laurie are such guest vocalists as Dr. John on the Harry Creamer and Turner Layton classic “After You’ve Gone,” which pays no uncertain homage to the 1928 Bessie Smith and later Mac Rebennack recordings; Irma Thomas on the soulful “John Henry,” and Sir Tom Jones (yes, that Tom Jones), plaintively begging “Baby Please Make A Change,” by Armenta Bo, Carter Chatmon/Alonzo Lonnie Chatmon.
For the most part, Laurie’s voice carries him through, but polish and sophistication were never a perquisite for singing the blues. We can forgive him if he has to reach and sometimes strain to hit that note; the blues are, after all, about struggle and pain. But like the first time you heard Hugh Laurie speak without an American accent or play the piano, you’ll be delighted and surprised by what this talented individual can do. Kind of makes you wonder what he has to sing the blues about.
Paul Kupperberg is, deep down in his soul, an 80-year old phlegmy-voiced Jewish comedy writer. He also writes the critically acclaimed Life With Archie Magazine for Archie Comics and is the author of the mystery novel, The Same Old Story (available as an eBook on Amazon.com).
There were three phases the entertainment industry went through during the Cold War. The first was “The Russians are Coming!” when movies and comics and what have you spat out tales of woe like I Married a Communist, in which we were warned that the enemy wore no convenient uniform or had any distinct facial features that could tip us off that he was the most horrible man in existence. Then you had the “Man, what would it be like if the Russians were coming?” phase where we had movies like Red Dawn and books like Red Storm Rising, trying to give us an idea of what a real shooting war with the Soviets would be like.
