Trust me, I get it.  Money’s tight for a lot of us, and when you plop down $3.99 for a twenty page comic, you expect it to at least be worth the cost of admission.  It’s easy to buy a monthly title just because you always have.  It unconsciously becomes more about the routine than the book itself, and inevitably gets to be frustrating when you keep buying the book in spite of your waning interesting in it.  Some readers understandably turn to the act of “trade waiting,” or foregoing the purchase of a monthly title in favor of the more affordable trade paperback.  Still, the monthly comic book holds potential that isn’t always appreciated in these jaded times.  Here’s a brief look at what I think is one of the most underappreciated, innovative monthly comics on the stands today: Matt Kindt’s Mind Mgmt. (more…)

Seth’s Pick :: Hawkeye #3: You’re a normal guy who happens to have a pretty high profile day job.  It just so happens it’s a high stress, high risk gig.  Your co-workers include a big guy who walks around like he’s a god, an old soldier who casts a shadow on everyone, and a rich man-child who can build or blow up whatever he wants.  After a long day, you go home to your modest little apartment, pet the dog, and maybe grab a bite to eat with some neighbors grilling on the roof.  You try to keep your head down, but you can’t help sticking your nose into other people’s business when you know they’re up to no good.  You’d like to kick back, have another beer, and ignore your conscience, but you can’t help yourself.  Sometimes you bring work home with you even when you’re out of the uniform.

Matt Fraction and David Aja’s Hawkeye is a fine comic, plain and simple.  It’s not too late to read one of the best monthly comics (superhero or otherwise) on the shelves.

Seth’s Pick :: Building Stories: I think it’s safe to say that this is probably the book of the week in terms of design and presentation.  Like him or not, cartoonist Chris Ware deserves respect for his painstakingly-produced comics, and this is easily the most elaborate of the projects he’s produced thus far in his career.  It’s a box full of comics of various sizes and shapes, each contributing to a larger narrative, but one that can be read in any order.  The biggest selling point for me is that this enormous set of books is only $50, a price which pales in comparison to many hardcover collections with far less material than this one.  I had a chance to purchase an advanced copy of this a few weeks ago, and you can link HERE to read my review of what will surely end up being one of the books of the year.

Though I was among those who read Neil Gaiman’s Sandman in my high school and college days, I came to Sandman Mystery Theatre a little later.  Vertigo knowingly produced the Mystery title in hopes of not only capitalizing on the fame of Sandman, but also telling new stories about a preexisting property.  The Golden Age Sandman was a very ordinary man named Wesley Dodds, who inherited a fortune from his father and was also plagued by nightmares the way his father and forebears were.  Dodds had no superpowers, and his only real offensive weapon came in the form of a gas he’d use to render opponents incapaciatated.  The gas also acted as a truth serum of sorts, prompting confessions and admittances from crooks.  But other than the gas mask and gas gun, there was never much that separated Dodds from, say, The Crimson Avenger, The Green Hornet, The Shadow, or any similarly-clad avengers of the night.

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We all have certain creators whose work we habitually return to that remind us why we love comics so much.  For me, Mike Mignola, Dave Stevens, Eddie Campbell and Jacques Tardi all fall into that category.  There is another name I need to add to that list – Chris Ware.  This one might surprise some of you, if for no other reason than the notoriously tedious nature of his storytelling.  It’s no secret that Ware’s books require some dedication from readers.  Still, it’s hard to deny the level of skill that Ware employs in his cartooning, and the equally astronomical level of respect he has for the craft and history of comics.  One of my personal highlights of attending last week’s Small Press Expo in Bethesda, Maryland was not only meet Ware and buy an advanced copy of his latest book, Building Stories, but to also attend a panel where he discussed his latest magnum opus at length.  Here are some initial thoughts following my first reading of Building Stories.

Walking through the halls of SPX with my new copy of Building Stories in tow, I felt not unlike I do whenever my wife wants to go to Ikea.  I usually end up carrying a box the size of a small table of something or other under my arm, and I know it’ll take some time to construct the piece, but it’ll end up being some form of functional furniture.  It’s really not until you crack Building Stories open that you really start to grasp the breadth of this project.  It’s a box full of various sized comics in numerous forms.  There are a few small folded strips, a larger hardcover (which reprints the original Building Stories found in Acme Novelty Library #18, a full newspaper full of comics, a folded game board complete with full diagrams of the building of the title, several large folded comics, and something that looks like a Golden Book that tells the building’s story in the building’s voice.  It’s even worth pointing out the beautiful design work on the box front and back.   I’m sure I left some items out, but needless to say it’s a lot of comics.  When we unpacked the box Sunday night, it took up the entirety of our king size bed.

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Seth’s Pick :: Everything Together GN: If  you’ve ever seen a copy of the excellent anthology Kramer’s Ergot in the store, you have editor Sammy Harkham to thank for it. Not only is he adept at bringing together some of today’s greatest cartoonists for that book, but he’s a fine cartoonist in his own right.  Everything Together collects all of Harkham’s short stories, including must-reads like Poor Sailor and Somersaulting.  There are also bits of satire and musings on Jewish mysticism alongside Harkham’s observations of his life as a cartoonist. I picked this one up when it debuted at the Small Press Expo a few weeks ago, and it definitely warrants a look from you this week.  It’s a fine example of strong storytelling all around.

Seth’s Pick :: Lobster Johnson: Caput Mortuum: This is one to read if you want a pure, simple pulp/adventure comic free from the bounds of extensive continuity and crossovers.  Yes, Lobster Johnson did initially appear in Mike Mignola’s Hellboy and B.P.R.D. stories, but you need not have read any of those to appreciate this entertaining character.  In particular, this issue from Mignola, writer John Arcudi (whose other new crime book The Creep also warrants a read), and artist Tonci Zonjic, who did a fantastic job on the Lobster Johnson: The Burning Hand mini series.  This one shot features Lobster battling thugs on a zeppelin.  Like I said, simple, fun comics.

Super hero comics are fine.  Lots of us started with them, and lots of us still enjoy the occasional cape-centric yarn.  Still, there’s a big chunk of readers who grow stagnant with recycled storylines and event gimmicks and want something different.  Sometimes I feel like there’s a social or psychological barrier that keeps super hero readers from dipping their toes in the Indie section (and vice versa).  I’m here to let you know it’s entirely okay to read a diversity of genres.  It’s healthy to like a little bit of everything, and that variety keeps you from getting burnt out on any single type of comic.  So with that said, here are a few examples from the plethora of well-crafted stories waiting for you in the Indie/Literature section in the back corner of our store.

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SETH’S PICK :: DAL TOKYO: If you’ve heard the name Gary Panter before, you’ve probably heard it mentioned in association with abstract comics.  He’s got a long track record of producing unique works that stretches all the way back to RAW magazine.  Panter’s punk aesthetic suggests a do-it-yourself mentality, but there’s also a poetic element to his writing.  His cartooning is on full display in Dal Tokyo, Fantagraphics’ 200 plus page collection of Panter’s strip originally published in America in the eighties, and later picked up for Japanese publication.  It is an abstract work, and one not easily digested as a straight ahead narrative.  That said, it’s an interesting piece of cartooning and will entertain and confound you in alternating waves.

Every few years Paul Chadwick puts out a new Concrete story or series through Dark Horse Comics.  It’s one of those books that seems to slip past readers’ periphery in spite of the copious amounts of critical praise it’s received over the years.  Bottom line, Concrete is a book that has maintained relevance over its 25 year history, and the new Three Uneasy Pieces one shot is a fine place to start if you’ve at all been curious about the character.

First things first, I should point out that this new one shot isn’t really brand new, but collects three short stories as they appeared in the recent relaunch of Dark Horse Presents.  That title has been consistently good since the relaunch, but if you’re among those who don’t like putting down $8 a month for a new anthology, this gives you a chance to read the latest Concrete stories for the low price of $2.99.

So what’s the appeal of Concrete?  Imagine if a more philosophical version of Ben Grimm went out to space and was transformed into The Thing, only to return to a completely normal Earth with nary a costumed hero or villain in sight.  How would he make sense of his new body and life?  How would he spend his time and energy?  One of the consistently pleasing aspects of Concrete is how Chadwick allows the character to experience the mundane in spite of his lumbering new physique.  It’s a book that relishes quiet moments and isn’t afraid to feature the lead character awash in reflection.

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