Comic-Conned!

It's funny... I lived in San Diego for a short time, so I understand how appealing its climate and geography might be. What has surprised me is how popular its yearly Comic-Con has become, making the Southern California city a yearly destination for more than just its beautiful coastline. 

Yikes! I'm back in the "comics game?" With "friend" at
The Albany Comic Con, October 2012. Photo ©Jeremy Clowe.

The San Diego Comic-Con was founded in 1970 (same year I was born). When I lived in the city (early 90s), I don't remember as big a fuss being made about it as there is now. How times have changed... this past week the media has been bombarded with coverage about the Con, including a cover story in Entertainment Weekly which included details about the upcoming Spider-Man film (more on that in a bit). Over 125,000 fans were expected to descend on the convention this weekend--a number that apparently keeps growing each year. 

I remember a time when it was somewhat embarrassing to admit you liked comic books. Now it seems there is no end to the movies and media being influenced by them. The San Diego Comic-Con celebrates that... in all its geeky glory. Granted, SDCC is more than just comics, with equal attention being paid to science fiction movies and other fantasy-type genres... but as artist Alex Ross told me last fall during my video interview with him, there is something vindicating about the fact that this overall medium has finally gained mainstream respect.

I've come around as well. Can you blame me? I told a friend recently that I think comics were my first entry into art appreciation. The visual storytelling definitely had an influence (even more than film), and I sometimes think about revisiting my old comic book creating days (cheaper than film, no doubt).

The fact is that there is some really smart work being published right now. Here are some of the things that have been turning my head:

Hawkeye 

From the infamous "Pizza Dog" issue
of Hawkeye #11. Beautiful artwork
by the Eisner Award-winning David Aja.
© David Aja for Marvel and Subs.

Hot on the heels of last year's Avengers film, Marvel Comics kicked off a new series focusing on the off-duty events of the team's resident archer, Hawkeye. I don't think this character ever really got a lot of respect, but I always dug him (especially in the 1980s). With this book, writer Matt Fraction and artist David Aja have consistently produced a very different kind of superhero comic, both thematically and graphically... and it has been noticed by the public. I take pleasure in knowing that I have been along from the beginning of this series, and have first printings of each of the books. Really, they are that special... Aja's artwork is just so stunning. He worked as an illustrator and comes from a Spanish background--maybe that is the difference. I find myself so excited when I see his work, and the team has done some very creative stories, including a book where Hawkeye's dog is the main character. Great graphic design... a lot of humor... and refreshing that you don't need to follow the rest of the Marvel books to understand the plot. I hope they keep at it, because this book is a "bullseye" success.

Optic Nerve

For much the same reason I love Aja's art, I also dig cartoonist Adrian Tomine. I initially discovered his work through The New Yorker (his November 8, 2004 cover, "Missed Connections," has long been a favorite).

Photo of Adrian Tomine at WCMA. ©Jeremy Clowe.
The classic "Missed Connections" by Adrian Tomine.
©Adrian Tomine for The New Yorker. All rights reserved.

I have only recently started looking at his graphic novel work, including the long-running Optic Nerve, which contains very personal, off-beat, tales... no superheroes, mainly outsiders trying to find their way in the world. It's an introverted style, and the artwork has a sharp, design-like quality that fits perfectly. This past spring Tomine gave a talk at Williamstown College Museum of Art, and I had the chance to drive out and meet the artist. He produced a recent book called Tales of an Impending Marriage which I found amusing (his wife is also named Sarah).

FF / Batman '66

Cover of FF #5, artwork by Mike Allred.
©Mike Allred for Marvel and Subs. 

Another Marvel comic I have been getting into is FF. This is another book by writer Matt Fraction, and features a similar laid-back jokey kind of style. The book follows the exploits of a team of superheroes chosen to fill in for The Fantastic Four while they were on an intergalactic mission. Ant-Man, Ms. Thing, Medusa, and She-Hulk are called on to look after The Future Foundation, a group of kids with superpowers. Trust me, it's better than it sounds... and the artwork is by a comic book creator, whose work I have enjoyed for a long time. MIke Allred was the creator of a book called Mad Man, one of the few comics I enjoyed picking up in the 90s; he has a sort of retro style that is a lot of fun to look at... very graphic (sense a trend?). In the FF, there are many references to Jack Kirby, one of the most influential comic artists ever... and co-creator of The Fantastic Four. I think what I enjoy about these books is that bring back some of that good-spirited, colorful wonder that initially attracted me to comics in the first place... comics had gotten so grim and homogenized in recent years, that it is refreshing to take some inspiration from the old school.

Interior art from Batman 66 #1. Artwork by
Jonathan Case. ©Jonathan Case for DC Comics.

Speaking of which, there is a really fun DC Comic that was just released this past week called Batman '66 (with cover by Mike Allred!). The book is written and illustrated in the style of the old Batman TV show from the 1960s. I love the concept, and so far the art and story is a lot of fun... artist Jonathan Case draws the characters to look exactly like Adam West, Frank Gorshin, et al... and I love his very dynamic compositions. Writer Jeff Parker has written dialogue that you feel could have been plucked from that old series, yet it somehow manages to avoid some of the "campiness" of the TV show... not in a "nod and wink" sort of way, but in just presenting the material very straight-forward. You know the universe, and it just seems to exist in a natural way here. Fun so far...

Batwoman

Cover art for Batwoman #20 by
J.H. Williams. ©J.H. Williams
for DC Comics.

Holy Bat-a-rang! Another book I recently discovered is Batwoman by DC Comics. Ok, forget all I have said about my tastes up to this point... this comic book has a painterly, surreal quality to it, with story and art themes bordering on the mystery and horror genres. Credit must go to J.H. Williams, who writes and illustrates, telling the story of Katherine Kane, a wealthy heiress who was inspired by Batman to fight crime. The character has apparently been around for some time, but this book reads like a completely new creation. 

Rachel Rising

Sarah has really been getting into artist Terry Moore's work-- he has a new book called Rachel Rising, which I haven't read, but is apparently another horror-based book. The artwork looks great (detailed pen and ink, graphic), and I have been familiar with Moore's work in the past... accessible characters and art. He used to create a series called Strangers in Paradise, followed by Echo, and I actually interviewed him back in 2007 during the time of Norman Rockwell Museum's LitGraphic exhibition, which he was featured in. I need to post some of that interview, and finally read his new books...

Rachel Rising print by Terry Moore. ©Terry Moore Art.

Spidey?...

Interior art from Avenging Spider-Man #22.
Artwork by David Lopez.
©David Lopez for Marvel and Subs.

Eh, what have I gotten myself into with this blog... I need to pack it up for tonight. But I wanted to express a little of my newfound excitement about comic books lately. 

But what about Spider-Man? Yeah, he's always been my favorite. I'm not sure I have time to get into the movie that I alluded to at the beginning (interesting story there), but I'll do so in a future blog.

Regarding the comics, I'm not sure what they're doing with the character right now... Peter Parker is "dead," replaced in mind by his old foe Doctor Octopus who took over his body (long story). That feels sacrilege, but certainly offbeat. This past week I picked up one of the Spidey books (Avenging Spider-Man #22), because the artwork looked interesting. David Lopez has a nice, clean, dynamic style... similar to what I have been talking about before. Incidentally, like David Aja he is Spanish born... maybe there is something to this. The artists I find myself drawn to seem to be more international than I have previously experienced in the comic book world. Anyway, writer Christopher Yost kept an interesting story, that finds a more "aggressive" Spidey than we are used to. I'm not sure I have the patience to continue with the books and current story line, but there is another book due from Lopez, so I'll probably check that out. Would be interested to see his future work on the webslinger...

Ok, that's enough for tonight. But as you can see, my sense sense (or inspiration) is tingling... stay tuned.

It's Not Easy (Being Green)

DCComics.com

I had trouble sleeping last night, so I decided to read some more of an interesting collection of comics I picked up recently. DC recently published a paperback collection of classic tales of its characters Green Lantern and Green Arrow that were created by writer Dennis O'Neil and artist Neal Adams back in the early 1970s. I had heard great things about these stories, both in the art and the way they were written, so I thought it was high time I checked them out. 

The series does not disappoint--especially with the art. Adams was the king of dynamic compositions, with characters literally jumping from panel to panel in the comic book format. Alex Ross cites the artist as an influence, and I can see why--he makes great use of dramatic perspectives and details in his work.  There is an intensity alongside the clear graphic lines he uses, and I can see how he revitalized such books at Batman and The Uncanny X-Men around that time. 

The stories are unique in that they deal with many of social, political and cultural issues happening at the time. O'Neil's story arc really starts off in the fashion of the film, Easy Rider, with the two super heroes trekking across the country to learn more about America's conflicted state. This is right around the time of Vietnam, the civil rights era, and the Woodstock generation, so you have plenty of then-topical issues like drugs, racism and trust in authority being addressed in a unique way. Some of the material seems a little heavy-handed at times, but then again... these were comic books. So the approach was something new and daring, and quite possibly taking a cue from Marvel Comics' more timely approach.

Having said that, with all my current comic book research for the exhibition, I just learned of a new book that was to published today called Marvel Comics: The Untold Story.  Apparently it goes into great detail about the ups and downs of one of the biggest comic publishers around (and always my favorite). I read a little about the company's evolution in the 1970s, and way they picked up on everything from drug culture to blaxploitation to kung fu... and there was plenty of weirdness happening behind the scenes with the company's creators! 
I definitely look forward to reading the book at some point.

I am continually fascinated by the 1970s... I was just a toddler in the early part of the decade, but it sounds like so many crazy things were happening, and pop culture was not immune. I have seen plenty of films from that period, and there is a real darkness about them... from the story lines to the way they were produced. It really is interesting... reflections from a country that was doing a lot of soul-searching... and I guess comic books were not immune either... Alex Ross would be proud of me for noticing.  

P.S.- The character Green Arrow is being reintroduced with a new TV series this week on the CW. It's called Arrow... looks somewhat promising... at least the design of the costume... I have always kind of dug archery. Here's a link to the trailer.

Related Links:

www.nealadams.com

www.cwtv.com/shows/arrow

"First Serial: Marvel Comics, The Untold Story," Grantland, October 3, 2012

"Sean How on Stan Lee, Jack Kirby..." CapitalNewYork.com, October 9, 2012

Celluloid Heroes

Another day at work preparing for the arrival of the Alex Ross exhibition. I have to admit, it's good fun to be going over such things as costume rentals, comic book history, and super hero press images to represent the show. I also have some cool news I hope to be sharing next week.

There is work in the exhibit from both major comic book publishers (DC and Marvel), and it has me wondering about any tensions between the two companies over the years. How funny then to hear this story on NPR on the way home about how the competition between both companies has extended to the silver screen. Well, I have always been a Marvel fan, but there was a time when their attempts at movie-making were disastrous. When the best you can come out with is 1986's Howard The Duck, you know you're in trouble. There were plenty of Marvel films that didn't even make it that far, but went straight to video. DC on the other hand had Christopher Reeve's Superman, Tim Burton's Batman series, and so on. 



Well, somewhere down the line Marvel got straightened out, and now produces their own movies, free from the whims of other studios (well, if you don't count the Disney distribution). So now we have a growing Marvel universe on-screen... see Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, and the new Avengers movie (just released on video!). Much like independent film and music, they can control more of their output and existing franchise--these movies are as close to the spirit of the books as I have seen. Actually, I haven't seen a bad Marvel movie lately--I think Spider-Man 3 came before the switch-over... "ouch" on that one.

Anyway, it's good fun... one of the perks of working at an art museum devoted to illustration arts I guess. I think Alex Ross set the stage for this new renaissance of super heroes in movies... he engaged our imagination, or reminded us of what we used to dream this world could look like... 

Related Links:

"Pow, Crash, Boom! Marvel Thrashes DC On Screen," NPR, September 26, 2012 

"Why The Avengers Worked So Well," Christopher Orr, The Atlantic, September 25, 2012