by Carlton Hargro

Last week, I professed my love for Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch — the current creative team behind the Fantastic Four.

This week, I’m gonna sing Millar’s praises again … but this time for his stint on Marvel’s monthly Wolverine series.

Now before I start gushing, I’ve got to admit that I don’t normally like Wolverine’s comic book. I like the character, but I’ve always thought that his series was flawed. (I’m referring to his main book, not the Origins comic or that Logan book slated to come out.)

The series started off bad a long time ago when Chris Claremont launched it featuring Logan in the country of Madripoor hiding in his “Patch” alias. The comic was short on action and packed with boring characters and scenarios. Years later, Larry Hama took over and didn’t fare much better.

All in all, I just thought the book — which starred a homicidal maniac — was always way too sedate.

And that brings us back to Millar.

As far as I’m concerned, Millar’s “Enemy of the State” storyline was the best tale ever told in the monthly Wolverine comic. (I’m not talking about the old Frank Miller-drawn limited series.) The story was action-packed, filled with cool guest stars, introduced one of Marvel’s most interesting villains and showed Wolvie being more deadly and hardcore than ever before.

When the 12-part story was done, Millar left and the book went to being sucky again. And I stopped reading it once more. That is, until a few months ago when Millar came back to Wolverine to tell his “Old Man Logan” mini-series within a series.

If you haven’t read it yet, the story chronicles the adventures of a pacifist Wolverine (and his partner Hawkeye) in a post-apocalyptic future where all the heroes have died. Like his previous run on the comic, this arc is wall-to-wall action, blood, gore and violence … and isn’t that what a Wolverine is supposed to be all about?

Looking for introspection? Pick up a Starman trade.

Carlton Hargro is the editor-in-chief of Creative Loafing Charlotte. For more comic reviews from Carlton, visit http://www.charlotte.creativeloafing.com/.

by Carlton Hargro

Am I the only one who’s digging the Fantastic Four these days?

If so, that’s a shame because, under the creative guidance of writer Mark Millar and artist Bryan Hitch, this is the best the book has been in quite years. In fact, I’d say Millar and Hitch’s run on the book to date is just as good as the classic stint by (gasp!) John Byrne.

What makes the work of current creative team so enjoyable? It’s just clear that these guys get what makes the Fantastic Four work.

From a writing perspective, Millar is able to blend the out-this-world cosmic stuff with the mundane family stuff; of course, a lot of FF writers try to do this. Millar, however, succeeds by presenting the cosmic stuff — like alternate dimensions and dating super-human burglars — as mundane and the mundane stuff — like finding a babysitter and the best way to celebrate your anniversary — as incredible. On top of that, while Millar does make use of classic FF supporting characters and villains, he finds a way to blaze a few new trails and tries out some things that have never been done in the pages of the comic before. And for a comic that’s been published for (at least) 562 months, that’s saying a mouthful.

When it comes to art, Hitch’s ultra-realistic style fits well in the FF; his drawings help to ground the reader and make all the extra-terrestrial/space-faring concepts, characters and landscapes more believable. Is this stuff as good as his work on The Ultimates? Yes … for the most part and on most panels. At the end of the day, Hitch at 85 percent is better than most artists at 100.

Now, all that good stuff taken into consideration, I must admit that I’m not happy with the apparent lateness of the book. But, when the comic does happen to hit the stands, the quality is top notch.

So, in conclusion: I like the FF, and you should, too.

Carlton Hargro is the editor-in-chief of Creative Loafing. For more comic reviews from Carlton, visit www.charlotte.creativeloafing.com.

Whoa seriously? Yes it’s true. I’ll say more tomorrow, because I gots to go print up some flyers to give out in the store. But I just wanted to let those of you out in the INTERNET know!

For now, feel free to leave your questions in the comments below if you have them.

by Carlton Hargro

OK, you’ve got to give it up to Robert Kirkman.

He said he’d get his trio of Image-brand comics (The Astounding Wolf-Man, Invincible and The Walking Dead) out on time, and for the last few months it appears that he’s been delivering on that promise.

And I’ve got to say, now that his books are coming out more frequently, I find myself reading everything he writes — which has given me a newfound appreciation for his talents.

Kirkman is not a blockbuster-level writer yet (like, you know, guys like Mark Millar, Grant Morrison or even Brian Michael Bendis) but he churns out some entertaining stuff.

Invincible is a consistently engrossing superhero comic that’s fun without being silly or devoid of substance; The Walking Dead is a dark, violent, gory, unpredictable and addictive horror comic; and The Astounding Wolf-Man is an action-packed, scary and blood-soaked superhero/horror series.

If you only read comics from the Big-Two, then you may have read Kirkman’s runs on Ultimate X-Men or Marvel Zombies. But honestly, those works weren’t a great representation of his writing abilities. Flip through the pages of his creator-owned stuff (like, you know, those three comics I previously mentioned), and his love of comics and command of the art form is evident.

On top of that, his books feature the best letter columns in comics (yes, even better than the letters pages in Powers).

All that to say, buy some Kirkman books. You’ll dig ’em.

For more comic reviews from Carlton, visit www.charlotte.creativeloafing.com.

On Saturday we held our annual Charlotte Minicon, one of the oldest one-day shows in the country! The turnout was great, with over 450 through the door, and there were smiles all around! People turned out not only to meet our guests–including (deep breath) Greg Adams, Duane Ballenger, Chris Brunner, J. Chris Campbell, Ian Flynn, Georges Jeanty, Jason Latour, Buddy Prince, Budd Root, and Andy Smith–but to enter our door prize drawings. We drew 5 different prizes, each consisting of a copy of the white-hot Amazing Spider-Man #583, with the last one being the SUPER hot Obama variant! Even better, the Obama variant was donated by our bud Paul from Dominion Comics in Lynchburg, Virginia! I think Paul earned himself a “Minicon MVP” award there. Thanks Paul!

But if it were up to me, I’d give MVP Honorable Mention to our own Seth, who (once again) made us all look bad by being the first one in with Shelton at 7 in the morning, and the last one out when we loaded back out that night! Seth makes the rest of us employees look bad, but we’re working up a smear campaign to take some of the wind out of his sails, don’t you worry!

Also earning a prize of some kind (Booby Prize? No-Prize?) is Shelton and his lady-love Linda’s dog Bodie, a puppy that they miss no opportunity to show off, carry around, or just accept generally accept and agree with compliments over. Linda brought Bodie by in the afternoon, and suddenly all the pictures Shelton was taking, which were previously of the guests, dealers, or crowds, became all about Bodie, Bodie, Bodie. I admit though–he IS a cute dog.

These are just a few of the pictures Shelton took, but you can see the whole set over at our Flickr page. Check it out, and while you’re there, feast on the bajillion other pictures! If we don’t see you in the store, we’ll see you one month from now for the George Romero signing in our store! More details to come!

by Jen Van Meter and Cully Hamner
reviewed by Carlton Hargro.

I hate Black Lightning.

And, honestly, I hate him mostly because I’m black.

You see, African-American comic readers — especially guys my age — have been subjected to a legion of lame black characters over the decades, and Black Lightning is one of the lamest.

I mean, here’s a guy who wore a 1970s-inspired costume with big, flyaway collars until the 1990s — and a mask that was attached to a huge afro wig.

On top of that, the guy had lame powers and lame villains (like the fat gangster Tobias Whale). Moreover, he was another brother (one of many and plenty) fighting crime in “the hood” while guys like Green Lantern were flying to other planets.

Taking my hate for the character into consideration, you shouldn’t be surprised to hear that I wasn’t excited about picking up Black Lightning: Year One #1. I figured that any re-telling of the character’s first year in action would be some lame storyline involving BL fighting gangs in the ghetto. After reading the comic, however, I’m happy to say that I was only partially right about the series.

In BL:Y1, the hero does fight gang members, but the story — by writer Jen Van Meter — is far from lame. The issue does wonders for showing BL as a complex person, instead of one-note B-lister. Read an old issue of The Outsiders, and BL comes off very Tabula Rasa-ish. But Meter presents him as someone who gets angry, has hopes and sometimes gets things wrong.

On the art side of things, I have to admit that Cully Hamner really put his foot in these pages (that’s a compliment). His line work, as usual, is clean and confident. You’ve got to love an artist like Hamner, who gets the storytelling right, fills the background with great details and still serves up everything with his own stylized personal style. I wish all these wannabes artists who swipe from manga art could learn lessons from Hamner.

Oh and, still focusing on the art, the colors — by Laura Hamilton — are very much on point: rich, moody and cinematic.

After reading this, do I still hate BL the superhero? Yep. But, I’ll be sticking with this series.

Carlton Hargro is the editor-in-chief of Creative Loafing. For more reviews from Carlton Hargro, visit the Arts section at http://www.charlotte.creativeloafing.com/.

Hello to 2009! Maybe it’s just my own infectious enthusiasm, but it seems like everyone I talk to is thinking that 2009 is going to be a really great year. We tend to agree; and how could so many of us be wrong?

Just in terms of our little corner of the world, here in your friendly neighborhood comics shop, we’ve got an enormous year planned. Check out this short list, just off the top of my head:

–Our first Discussion Group of the year will be January 12, and feature the most critically acclaimed book of 2008, BOTTOMLESS BELLY BUTTON.

–The Charlotte Minicon, now in its fourth decade, going on January 17.

–An in-store appearance by acclaimed director George A. Romero (Night of the Living Dead) on February 20.

—Free Comic Book Day going on the first Saturday in May (May 2).

–One of the biggest HeroesCon‘s ever, with a guest list that already includes names like Brian Michael Bendis, Ed Brubaker, and Jeff Smith: June 19-21.

And that’s just the FIRST HALF of the year! Good gravy!

Oh, but while I’m on the subject of the New Year, I thought I’d mention that 29 years ago today, on January 2, 1982, then 27-year old Shelton Drum opened up Heroes Aren’t Hard To Find in a tiny, closet-sized location on Central Avenue. Today the store is one of the most well-known in the country, not to mention my employer for give or take the last 12 years. Happy Birthday, Heroes Aren’t Hard To Find, and Happy New Year’s to all of you!

STOREYVILLE by Frank Santoro is published by PictureBox. They are known for their art comics. Some of you might be familiar with two of their most famous books Maggots and Ninja, both by Brian Chippendale. I will admit I don’t really “get” these two books, and most of the other books PictureBox publishes, for that matter. I like to think of myself as an educated reader. I have a degree in art so I like to think I have the proper education to be able to understand and appreciate these works. I want to enjoy these works, but I can’t get past my initial response of “this looks like a bunch of scratchy lines” or “my friends used to draw these flip books in 5th grade.”

But Storeyville has helped me to get past all my biases. It wasn’t something I had to “get,” it was something I could just enjoy. The art and the format are out of the norm for most of the comics I read. Storeyville isn’t like an issue of Spider-Man or Superman. Generally speaking I read standard sized floppies (or pamphlets, whatever you want to call them), comics that have 32 pages, are 10 inches by 6 3/4 inches, have bright colors and have staples in the middle.

Storeyville is a hardcover collection of issues originally published on newsprint; it is oversized at 11 x 16 inches; and it has a muted color palette mainly consisting of browns, grays and yellows. The one thing that Storeyville has that connects it to standard comics is a linear narrative. Some art comics lack a linear narrative and that can make them extremely difficult to connect to and decipher. Storeyville is an excellent introduction to art comics because you still have a footing in familiar territory.

Storeyville focuses on a grifter named Will and his journey to find his former partner, Reverend Rudy. Will leaves behind his friends in Pittsburgh and travels to Montreal hoping to find Rudy there. The story is delicately paced. It is slow and winding, like Will’s journey. Many of the panels are devoted to mountains, trees, lakes and cityscapes. The journey is as important as the destination.

Along the way we learn why Rudy is so important to Will and why Will is so determined to find Rudy. The rough art style and the color palette make the story feel like a memory or a dream. It feels ephemeral. It is like Will is remembering his journey. All of the events are playing out in his mind years later. The colors are dull and faded. People’s faces are blurry and just out of reach. The storytelling and the art blend perfectly to create a story about how the past stays in the past and can never be regained. It is a story about searching for something and finding yourself.

This wonderful graphic novel came out earlier this year and has made most of the Year’s Best lists published so far (including #2 on our own Dustin Harbin’s list).

The plot: The Loony family get together at their vacation house and an earth-shattering announcement is made. It is a work of serious fiction that is screaming to be discussed and dissected. It is a book that can be looked at differently by different members of different generations.In other words, I found myself relating more to the parents; but I anticipate most of the readers will respond more to the Loony children.

Issues to discuss will include:

–The title: what does it mean?
–Does this fictional family chronicle have the same tone as contemporary biographical comics?
–Does the cartoony presentation of our protagonist add to or detract from the reading experience?
–How do the shifts in panel and page layout affect the storytelling?
–And believe me–lots more!!!!

Don’t be put off by its length; it is a deceptively fast read.
And don’t be put off by the price– $29.99 (27.00 if you mention the Heroes Discussion Group 10% discount!!) It is a book you will re-read and grow old with!!

NOTE: The author recommends that you read this three part book in three separate sessions taking a break between each chapter; we at Heroes concur! There’s a lot of under-the-surface material that will percolate nicely in your brain during these breaks.

So come one, come all, lets start the New Year with a bang!!
You won’t be disappointed!

by Dustin Harbin

Holy Cow, where did 2008 go? No matter–leave us not mourn the passing of good ol’ 2008, when sexy young 2009 is right around the corner. Not to mention that we’re getting ready for our big Holiday Sale this weekend, and haven’t time for hindsight. Well, except these ten bits of hindsight.

Below is a list, in roughly ascending order, of my 10 favorite comics of 2008. Are all of these currently in stock in our store? Coincidentally, yes. Will they all be on sale this weekend (December 6-7)? Oh sure. Will you love each and every one of them? Of course! Let’s get it started in here:

10: WHAT IT IS by Lynda Barry
This is the first book by Lynda Barry I’ve ever read, not that she has many other books, if any. I never really had read her long running “Ernie Pook” comic, lumping it in with a bunch of other snarky alternative free-weekly comics. I know, I’m judgmental–ask anybody. But within seconds of cracking the cover of this book, I knew this was the only book of its kind on the planet. I don’t know how to explain it–the thing looks like a mess of collage and paint and post-it notes at first, but when you read it you IMMEDIATELY get the feeling of being connected directly to Lynda Barry’s SOUL somehow. I know that sounds hokey, but I can’t think of another way to put it. She spares no private corner of her persona, and the book–almost in a protective, motherly fashion–asks question after question with the idea of making you teach yourSELF how to think creatively, rather than merely showing you. This book belongs in every library of every person, comics reader or no.

09: KRAMER’S ERGOT VOLUME 7 edited by Sammy Harkham and Alvin Buenaventura
I would probably place this much higher on the list, and I suspect that 10 years from now this will be the book of the DECADE. But I’ve only leafed through it, and have not yet seen it, held it, read it. I have been enormously excited about this book since I first heard about it, and have been more vocal than usual about this fact. This would probably be #1 if I had the book in my hand already.

08: ORDINARY VICTORIES VOL 2 by Manu Larcenet
These freaking French guys are amazing. NBM has really been publishing some great books this year, possibly goosed into activity by the even-more-superior offerings from First Second, which also publishes a lot of translated European comics. Unfortunately, NBM books are terribly designed, so often you need to know a cartoonists’ work to buy the book–otherwise you would just pass the thing by on the rack. I think we would sell this book in double digits easily if Volume 1 were only available. Such a travesty. Oh, I didn’t say anything about the book, did I? Ooh, it’s good.

07: GANGES #2 by Kevin Huizenga
Man, I love this guy. Kevin Huizenga might be the cartoonist I’m most intimidated by in person, although he’s a nice guy, for sure. But he’s obviously super-smart, and doesn’t talk much. This is a great weakness for people like me who can’t stop talking in public: my great Achilles heel is conversational silence. Now you know. Kevin’s books look deceptively simple, but resonate long, long, LONG after being read, regardless of the topic. Which, in this case, in video games.

06: LITTLE NOTHINGS by Lewis Trondheim
Also published by NBM, but not so bad looking. This is a combination memoir/travelogue/rumination by one of the most prolific cartoonists in history, and is maybe the most pleasant book I’ve read all year. Trondheim seems to get off as much in screwing with people as anything else, and his mercurial nature–combined with his excessive complaining and chronic hypochondria–lend an air of real humanity to the book. It’s this humanity that elevates Little Nothings from standard autobio comics to something truly great; not to mention providing a picture of one of the world’s eminent cartoonists at a key point in his career and development as an artist.

05: CRICKETS #2 by Sammy Harkham
This book made me think for weeks and weeks after my initial and subsequent readings. Not just the main story (Crickets is a one-man anthology, although the main “golem” story takes up the majority of its pages), but especially the final couple of pages, where in a small space Harkham insults one of his publishers and CREAMS another cartoonist and educator. Why would someone do this? What does it mean? For another person, this would just be standard poo-slinging, but from someone of Sammy Harkham’s stature and influence, these questions take on different meaning. Speaking for myself, Sammy might be my favorite cartoonist working today–the “Napoleon” strip on the inside front cover might be the best one-page strip I’ve ever read. Amazing!

04: POPEYE VOLUME 3: LET’S YOU AND HIM FIGHT! by E.C. Segar
Oh man, I’ve made no secret of my almost child-like delight in discovering Popeye. I know I’m wasting all my superlatives in this “Best Of” list, but here’s one for Popeye: I get a juicy discount at work, but still paid FULL PRICE for this book at SPX just to have it early, and was reading it the very night I returned. From the strip itself to the design of the book, reading the new Popeye volume each year is the most pleasant reading experience of that year, period. I will be very sad when I finish the last volume (#6, I think).

03: SKYSCRAPERS OF THE MIDWEST by Josh Cotter
I have a lot of friends who are cartoonists, but I’m really bad about reading their work for some reason. I’ve known Josh Cotter for a couple of years, mainly through seeing him at conventions, but only finally made myself read Skyscrapers a few months ago, and mainly because I was going to be sharing a table with him at SPX, and would have been mortified to admit I hadn’t read it. While I’d heard the book was incredibly sad (and it was), it wasn’t the sadness of it that impressed me so much. This book was just plain well-CONCEIVED. Without beating you over the head with it, Josh draws a picture of what it feels like to be a sad, lonely kid, in a world that only barely makes sense, and only for brief intervals. This was definitely the most surprising book I read this year, although I do Josh a disservice to be so surprised at his obvious talent. I shan’t be surprised again.

02: BOTTOMLESS BELLYBUTTON by Dash Shaw
Wow. Seriously, wow. This really should probably be the #1 book on this list, and for most of the year, it would have been. I certainly pushed it on plenty of people that way. While I like and respect Dash Shaw, I had never really connected with one of his works before. Counter-intuitively, I bought this book because it was MASSIVE and looked great. I do dumb things like that. But from the moment I read the line on the title page suggesting that the reader take a break between each of the three parts of the book, I was hooked. Why I can’t say, but suddenly I was engaged, and it never went away. What looks like rough, hasty art in the first few pages becomes nuanced and perfect by its end, without ever changing. Another must-read, and another entry for “Best of the Decade”.

01: GUS AND HIS GANG by Christophe Blain
Holy crap, this book blew me away. I’ve been a fan of Blain’s, as well as his compatriots David B., Lewis Trondheim, Manu Larcenet, and pretty much all those L’Association guys, for awhile now. I have a tendency toward hyperbole, BUT try this on: this is a career-defining book by an already-great artist. What seems at first like a loose collection of humorous-but-not-hilarious cowboy stories quickly becomes a character study of a gang of three bandits. Blain’s cartooning seems at once effortless and extraordinary. He does more with gesture, color, and line in a page than most cartoonists do in an entire book. Oh, but those colors! I finished this book wanting to splash color on everything: deep colors; wild, bright, ugly colors; any colors, just as deep and as saturated as I could make them. While I think that Bottomless Bellybutton is a better work, and certainly a better novel, this book was such an incredible shock that when I think of my favorite book of 2008, it comes to mind immediately. What could be better than having TOO MANY good things to choose from? A good year for comics, for sure.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:
ACME NOVELTY LIBRARY VOL 19
BOURBON ISLAND 1730
SCORCHY SMITH
LITTLE ORPHAN ANNIE
These are all almost certainly incredible books, but I haven’t read them yet, and feel weird calling them “BEST” anything.

ALSO I can’t forget MOME #’s 11 and 12, both incredible, both featuring stories by Dash Shaw and Killoffer (I’m a serious Francophile for comics lately), as well as the hilarious “Truth Bear” stories by Ray Fenwick. Plus a bunch of other stuff I’m forgetting. If I could have taken the Dash Shaw story out of 11 and traded it with the one in 12, then 12 would have been one of the best books of the year, maybe in the top 3.