This comes via John Hodgeman, the author of The Areas of My Expertise, and the guy who plays “PC” in those Mac Vs. PC commercials. Makes you wish you lived in NYC, eh? Click here or on the image to view pictures from the interior of the store, as part of the photographer’s (“silvertje”, by whom we may presume these pictures are copyrighted) Flickr photostream. NOTE 1: Just click “next” in the slideshow until you’re done. NOTE 2: I don’t know this Silvertje personally, so who knows what sort of other pictures might be on her site. We, of course, assume no responsibility. That’s just how we roll. Enjoy!

According to Baron Von Egidy, 2007 is at an end, so now it’s time to take a look back at some of the groovy grooviness that was this year. In the interest of transparency, I’ll admit to being an adventure comics, super-hero reader. My picks are as follow:

Best Ongoing Series: Iron Fist
My theory on what makes a successful comic book comes down to two basic things:
1. Character
2. Plot
Go back and check your ninth grade English book for the literary theories behind the concepts, and you’ll see that Iron Fist has it in spades. Recent comics have tended to favor “superstar” creators who can’t wait to get to some great “moments”, or to explore interesting “themes and ideas”. At the end of the day they’re wrapping the “moments” in schlock, sturm und drang where the characters are shoe-horned in order to serve the story (this is ultimately what made Civil War so unfulfilling, and World War Hulk such a fun read), and the “ideas and themes” meander to nowhere. Ed Brubaker and Matt Fraction, like Claremont and Byrne before them, are able to produce a whole that is even more talented than their respective parts.

Best Mini-Series: 52
52 ended up being surprisingly good. At the end of the year I found it to be a fun read from start to finish.

Best Mature Series: Black Summer
I hesitate to call this book “mature”, but it is definitely for older readers. As with any of the great Warren Ellis comics, Black Summer is full of rapid-fire ideas, chain-smoking, raging substance abuse, political allegory, scientific techno-babble and hard-scrabble, world-weary cynicism. A well done paean to political dissatisfaction.

Best Collection: Jack Kirby’s Fourth World
After many failed attempts to represent the Fourth World family of titles, including The New Gods, Mr Miracle, The Forever People and Jimmy Olsen, DC’s latest attempt to collect Kirby’s storytelling experiment has also been its most successful. Previous attempts, including the Hunger Dogs graphic novel of 1984 and the early millennial reprints in black and white, were unsatisfying reads, at best. Finally, reprinted in the order of publication and (here I’m assuming) as the ideas and concepts evolved, this lush collection puts the whole saga in the correct context, not only with itself but with a greater DC universe. Further, the production values are spectacular, second only to that of Jeff Smith’s recent Shazam! collection. I can say, without reservation, that this is the best paper stock I’ve ever seen, with the stories printed on supple and creamy paper, allowing the old “four colors” to pop off the page with zest and zing!

Best Comic Book Movie: 300
Were there any other ones that were worthwhile? It was OK. I guess. Did Batman Begins come out last year?

Other Stuff:
Worst Trend 1: mega events. Remember when the new issue of Uncanny X-Men was the big event? Or the new issue of Amazing Spider-Man? I miss those days. Let’s put top notch talent on the flagship books, and make ‘em monthly.
Worst Trend 2: Inkers, and the lack thereof. Leinil Yu’s kinetic and frenetic pencils are what keep me reading New Avengers every month. The only thing that would make them more awesome would be a little polish. Can you imagine some Tim Townsend inks—woohoo!
Worst Trend 3: Computer painting. Just because you have access to 32,000 colors does not mean you have to use them every issue.
Best Licensed Book: The Star Wars relaunch. Good, solid comics.
Best Penciller: Jim Chueng. He draws the best Avengers I’ve seen in years. Classic, easily recognizable, beautifully drafted (Darwyn Cooke’s work on The Spirit is a close second, bumped only because he was my number one in ’04, ’05 and good ole ought-six)
Best Writer: He put Daredevil’s genie back in the bottle, killed Captain America out of his own book, made Iron Fist viable and made me buy Uncanny X-Men again. Good job Ed Brubaker!
Best Hero: Captain America
Best Villain: I couldn’t pick one. It was more about the event in ’07 than ever before. I can’t think of any story that put our heroes in genuine danger, that vicariously pulled me in. Better luck next year, bad guys.

Most importantly, what’s your best of?

Mm, the holidays…very stressful. If only you could just walk into a place and spend ALL of your holiday money at once–but wait! What about your local comic shop?! Presenting a holiday gift guide designed for the comics proselytizer. At $10-$15 for the cheaper items, buying comics for everybody will cut down on your stress and give you something to talk about at all the family get-togethers you’ll be attending this holiday season!

Okay, let’s do this quick: I think Shawn already broke her holiday suggestions up by demographic, which I think is a great idea. Isn’t Shawn just the ginchiest? So I’ll copy that, which will save some of my own brilliance for rejoinders in the office with Todd. Begin!

FOR THE CHILDREN OF FRIENDS OF YOURS, OR THOSE OF FAMILY-MEMBERS:
I have a lot of these–my siblings all went crazy in the baby-making department, so I have (seriously!) eleven nieces and nephews. And my friends are playing beat-the-biological clock, so it’s just getting worse. Here are some suggestions for kids, as they say, of all ages
DRAGONBALL by Akira Toriyama — Forget how sick you’ve gotten of hearing about Dragonball Z. Dragonball is the adventures of young Son Goku, and they’re hilarious, and the art is IN-CRED-I-BLE! Maybe not for young kids–there’s a lot of peeping-type humor, and people’s butts are always getting exposed.
BONE by Jeff Smith — What can I say? It’s amazing! If it’s for a kid, get the Scholastic color reprints, which are up to something like volume 5 or 6 now, I think. For adults, get the “one volume”, which is awesome.
TINTIN by Herge — Tintin is just the sort of book you’ll read and then immediately wish you’d read it when you were 9 or 10 first. Lots of history, great adventure stories, incredible art. Be warned of occasionally iffy racial depictions, mainly WWII-era Japanese.
CALVIN & HOBBES by Bill Watterson — I’ve been re-reading some of these lately. Future generations will put Bill Watterson up with Schulz and Caniff in the pantheon of newspaper strip legends.
MOOMIN by Tove Jannson— This is probably the weirdest thing on this list. Get it for that kid who is super-creative but maybe a little quiet. Moomin is an oddly engaging surrealist kids’ fantasy, but is packaged for an adult’s bookshelf. This is a gift that might perplex the giftee, but most kids like to be treated like adults.

FOR OLDER GUYS, GRANDFATHERS, AGING UNCLES, WIDOWERS, ETC.:
MARVEL MASTERWORKS — We hear this a lot: “I want to get my dad something nice; I know he read Spider-Man when he was a kid.” Boom! Marvel Masterworks! For $50, you get ten consecutive Spidey issues, in living color, and in a high-quality format that’ll look great on his bookshelf.
SHOWCASE PRESENTS: SUPERMAN VOL 1 by Curt Swan and various — These aren’t nearly as high end as the Masterworks or Archives, but you get over 500 pages of hilariously fun Superman comics from the fifties for ten bucks! Good for an old dude you don’t know that well–maybe a crotchety neighbor or soon-to-be-downsized gaffer at your work. NOTE–also works for ironic college students and Grant Morrison fans, who will laugh at how weird most of these plots are.
SPIDER-MAN: THE ICON by Steve Saffel — Okay, this is really a fine gift for any fan of Spider-Man, not just your uncle, but I wasn’t sure where else to put it. This is a high-end coffee-table book that’s chock full of pictures of Spider-Man from across his history, and across the world. If you read this blog, you probably heard us talk a lot about it when Steve appeared in our store to celebrate its release.

FOR YOUNG ADULTS, INCLUDING PRECOCIOUS PRE-TEENS AND DOWNRIGHT SNOTTY TEENAGERS:
SCOTT PILGRIM by Bryan Lee O’Malley — You get double points for this one because a) it’s kind of a manga, a little bit, and b) there are a ton of video game references. Plus it’s one of the most surprisingly great books I’ve read this year.
MADMAN VOLUME ONE by Mike Allred — I’m always surprised by how many people have NOT read this incredibly good book. I’m not a big fan of where the series went after this volume, but that’s okay because it begins and ends, and that’s all you need!
BATMAN YEAR 100 by Paul Pope — Think of this like a hip sci-fi Batman. You don’t need to know anything about all the different histories of Batman, just the basics–Bruce Wayne, Commissioner, Gotham City, etc. Fast paced and fun.
PLANETARY by Warren Ellis & John Cassaday — This is a really great sci-fi story that will out-sneer ANY teenager. Seriously, Warren Ellis has isolated the holier-than-thou teenager attitude and extended it into a pretty impressive career of writing.

FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE NEW TO COMICS, AND WHO YOU’RE WORRIED WILL READ THE WRONG THING AND QUIT FOREVER
This is a real danger–what if your boy or girlfriend bought their first comic, but it was Youngblood? Eww! Don’t let this destroy the possibility of your friends enjoying comics!
WATCHMEN by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons — What can you say about this classic that hasn’t been said a million times already? I’ll tell you what to say–warn them that the pirate sub-story can get a little boring. Otherwise, just say “this is like a superhero comic for smart people” and you’ll have them.
ALL-STAR SUPERMAN by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely — This is maybe the best mainstream superhero comic ever, right after Batman Year One. How Grant Morrison has made an eminently fun Superman comic–that is also somehow one of his most elegant and cerebral works–is beyond me, but I think it has a lot to do with how amazing Frank Quitely is.
BATMAN YEAR ONE by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli — My favorite comic book ever. Great for everybody. Enjoyable even those who’ve never EVER read a comic or even heard of Batman. For those who can’t even read, the art is incredible. Also buy one for yourself: you deserve it.
HELLBOY by Mike Mignola and various — Another movie tie-in. Hellboy is just a great adventure story, with a ton of folk tales and supernatural flavor thrown in. Anything that uses Baba Yaga as a villain is alright by me. And woo! the art! Occasionally humorous, but much less-so than that movie.
THE TRIAL OF COLONEL SWEETO by Nicholas Gurewitch — Whether your giftee has or hasn’t read the super-popular Perry Bible Fellowship webcomic this reprints, they’ll LOVE this book. Laugh-out-loud funny. Warning: Lots of tee-tee ca-ca language and situations. Not for kids or animals.

FOR DISCERNING READERS, OR NEWBIES WHO LOVE TO TALK A LOT ABOUT WHATEVER THEY’RE READING:
You know the type: yada yada yada. A lot of these were made into movies that are nowhere near as good as the books (surprise!), so appeal to their snobbier side by pointing out how Hollywood just can’t get anything right.
SIN CITY by Frank Miller — A lot of people liked this movie, but I didn’t. However, a lot of people have forgotten what a total stud Frank Miller is when he’s hitting on all cylinders. Give this to anybody who likes violence and interior monologues–it’s really, really good.
PALOMAR by Gilbert Hernandez — Great for college professors. This is arguably one of the most critically acclaimed works ever in the world of literate comics–I enjoyed it so much I would only read it in little chunks before bed each night, so I could think on it throughout the day. Great book, and worthy of all that praise.
EPILEPTIC by David B. — The fact that humans speak different languages is a great crime. If we didn’t, then all of David B.’s prolific body of work would be available in a language that I am able to read. But it isn’t. Epileptic is an INCREDIBLE memoir by an EXTRAORDINARY artist, and is one of the very few books to really employ the comics language to make something new and amazing, rather than just tell a story with some pictures. Also very sad. Give to people who prefer the really bitter Starbuck’s coffee–they’ll love it!
ICE HAVEN by Daniel Clowes — I’ve been reading Eightball for a long time, but it wasn’t until this issue that I really got excited about it. Ice Haven reprints Eightball #22 or #23 in a nifty little book–it’s a complete story that’s unrelated to anything else. If they saw Ghost World and liked it, then this is a shoo-in. Really work the “Hollywood-Sucks-But-This-Doesn’t” angle, if they didn’t like the movie.
LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN by Alan Moore & Kevin O’Neill — I don’t want to give the impression that I think all comics-based movied are terrible, but this one really makes it hard. So a reader of the book will be pleasantly shocked to find that it is incredibly literate, surprisingly subtle, and all-in-all one of the more enjoyable comics out there. Alan Moore, as always, is the master of his doman, and his doman is comics, whether he likes it or not.

EXCELLENT FOR RABBIS, OR ANYONE STUDYING THE TALMUD:
THE RABBI’S CAT by Joann Sfar — This is a great book, although as someone who was raised Baptist, a lot of the Talmudic humor and references goes over my head. But you have to love anything with this level of ambition. I also really loved all the France Vs Algeria stuff; which, again, is what makes this book so beloved of journalists writing “BIFF! BAM! POW! Comics Aren’t Just For Kids!” articles for the New York Times.

FOR ENTHUSIASTS OF NEWSPAPER STRIPS, OR JUST REALLY INCREDIBLE COMICS THAT CAME OUT A LONG TIME AGO–SEE “OLD PEOPLE” ABOVE:
PEANUTS by Charles Schulz — more than anything else, I think Peanuts is the comic most deserving of the incredible praise it receives. Never has someone seemed so obviously decanted to be a cartoonist. The hardover collections from Fantagraphics are INCREDIBLE!, both as an excellent way to spend a Sunday afternoon, and as a gorgeously well-made ornament for any bookshelf.
POPEYE by E.C. Segar — This one, of all the books on this list, is the most overlooked. I heard for years how incredible the old Popeye newspaper strips were, and poo-pooed the idea, thinking of the so-so animated cartoon. Wow! Volume 2 of the new Fantagraphics reprint series–which are HUGE!–is easily the book I’m most excited about for all of 2007. I mean easily, too–way out.
WALT & SKEEZIX by Frank King — While these strips lack the pure power of Peanuts, and the rollicking adventure of Popeye, they are singular in that they’re incremental: finishing a volume of Drawn & Quarterly’s beautiful reprints of the complete original Gasoline Alley strips is like saying goodbye to an old friend who’s been in town the last couple of days for Thanksgiving.

I’ve left out a ton of stuff, but I think this is plenty long–feel free to add or argue in the comments section. And Happy Holidays to everyone!

2007 is at an end, so now it’s time to take a look back at some of the groovy grooviness that was this year.

Best Ongoing Series: New Avengers
It’s really hard to pin down why this series is so enjoyable, especially post-Civil War. I know that it’s not the best series on the racks but…it’s just really really fun. It just revels in its tongue in cheek humor without undercutting its dramatic moments. Whenever I’m done reading it I have a big grin on my face and can’t wait for the next issue which is what one really wants from their comics.

Best Mini-Series: 52
52 was an amazing series both in terms of story and the fact that it all shipped on time. Even better was the fact that it had pretty much a perfect ending. When it was done I think the fans, the writers, and everybody in between felt proud to have been part of this series.

Best Mature Series: Scalped
This series is a combination of The Departed and The Sopranos set on an Indian reservation. It started out pretty average but by the third issue this series hit its stride big time and is becoming an epic tale of crime, redemption, and regret. Catch this one while it’s still in its early stages.

Best Collection: Amazing Spider-Man Omnibus
This was hard to pick, especially with the Fourth World Omnibus and Ed Brubaker’s Captain America Omnibus out as well. But it’s a massive book, with the entire Lee/Ditko run. Spidey at his best, man; Spidey at his best.

Best Comic Book Movie: 300
This movie was like getting punched in the face in a good way. Where you spit out a tooth and say “Yeah, I’ll have some more of that and some figgie pudding please.” That’s how you feel like 10 minutes in.

Other Stuff:
Best Crossover: Sinestro Corps War
Best Single Issue: Sinestro Corps Special
Best Comeback: All-Star Batman & Robin, the Boy Wonder (this series is twisted)
Best Licensed Book: Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 8
Best Hero: Iron Fist
Best Villain: Iron Man (The jerk store called, they said they were out of him!)

While my work at Heroes usually keeps me in the warehouse, I’ve been a loyal customer for over 17 years and have been turned on to great books by the staff over the years. So I thought I’d share some of my suggestions for not only the holidays, but also items worth checking out at our upcoming sale (December 1-2 for those who may have forgotten). Similarly to my Heroes colleagues, I thought I’d break down my suggestions into groups and focus on specific genres.

For fans of crime fiction, there’s definite worth in checking out any of the “100 Bullets” storylines or trade paperbacks. High on my list is volume 5, “The Counterfifth Detective,” my favorite storyline thus far. Also recommended is “Scene of the Crime: A Little Piece of Goodnight.” This one’s especially a good idea for fans of Ed Brubaker and Michael Lark‘s current run on Daredevil, as they both collaborate on this book from a few years ago.

For fans of cosmic superheroes, I’d recommend the recently completed “Silver Surfer: Requiem” series. Brought to life by J. Michael Straczynski and Esad Ribic, this mini series follows the pattern of “The End” books that Marvel Comics has released in recent years. Though never overtly called “The End,” the story follows the last days of the Silver Surfer and reminds us of the character’s greatness and nobility.

Good suggestions for those enjoying comic strips or archival reprints are Drawn and Quarterly’s “Walt and Skeezix” compilations. These reprints of the long-running “Gasoline Alley” comic strip feature great art from creator Frank King, and offer an accurate glimpse of day-to-day life in the 1920’s. It’s also important to point out that this series takes place in real time, so characters age and progress as anyone would over time, something rare for comics and comic strips.

Horror fans should consider looking at “Baltimore,” the recent illustrated novel from Hellboy creator Mike Mignola and co-writer Christopher Golden. Mignola has long been known for incorporating elements of folklore and classic horror into his work. This novel is no different, and effectively puts a new twist on vampire lore and vampire hunters, while still retaining the gothic tone tone of Bram Stoker’s “Dracula.”

Western fans are wise to find “Showcase Presents: Jonah Hex,” DC’s black and white reprints of the early appearances of their famous western hero. Featuring work from comic legends Gil Kane, Joe Kubert, Denny O’Neil and Neal Adams, among others, this affordable collection gets you over 500 pages of classic comics for under $20.00, a deal hard to pass up for any fan of westerns.

Those preferring their comics a little more psychological should seek out Grant Morrison’s run on “Doom Patrol.” Written before his runs on “JLA,” “New X-Men,” “Seven Soldiers” and “All Star Superman,” “Doom Patrol” follows bizarre characters with strange powers (or situations) as they face threats with names like Mr. Nobody and the Brotherhood of Dada, among other odd creations.

Fans of indy, or non-superhero books might enjoy Alex Robinson’s “Box Office Poison,” the recent reprints of “Love and Rockets,” or any of Chris Ware‘s excellent offerings from “Acme Novelty Library.” While each of these series are very different, they all deal with humans who are neither super nor powered, but all the more interesting because of that fact.

Those are just a few brief ideas for the holidays. Enjoy.

I love Christmas! It is by far my favorite time of the year. Not only do I get to gorge myself on pie and turkey, but I get to buy presents for all of my loved ones. Here are just a few suggestions for your loved ones. I have broken my list down into convenient, if not slightly random, categories:

Young Fans: There are tons of books for comic fans that are less than four feet tall. And I’m not talking about myself. Sonic, Star Wars Clone Wars Adventures, Naruto, Avatar, Sabrina The Teenage Witch and (my personal favorite) Owly. All of these books are $10 and under and with Sonic and Sabrina you can choose between single issues and collections.

Old Fans: Our selection of Marvel Masterworks and DC Archives always amazes me. These reprints wonderfully collected in hardcover form. And at $50 to $55 they are considerably more affordable then buying the single issues. And even if you do have the issues it is nice to have a copy you can read without worrying about damaging anything.

Fans of all ages: Shazam! And The Monster Society of Evil. This is my favorite book of the year. It has something for everyone. It is easy to follow for people who don’t read comics. You are given the back story and you don’t have to worry about 40 years of continuity while you are reading this. And it has the feel of an older comic which appeals to fans who’ve been reading for years. It is fun for both young and old. And if you look hard enough you might even find a Shazam! hardcover signed by Jeff Smith himself.

Spidey Fans: Spider-Man: The Icon. I’m sure you’ve heard us go on and on about it, but that’s just because it is awesome. Jason calls it a “massive tome of Spider-Man knowledge.” I think he read that some where on the internet.

Buffy Fans: Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Long Way Home TP. This trade collects the first 5 issues of the new series. I have been enjoying the heck out of this book. It picks up where the season left off. And this new story arc just keeps getting better and better.

Indy Fans: Exit Wounds, Pride of Baghdad, Mouse Guard, The Three Paradoxes and Apollo’s Song. It has been a great year for comics, especially independent books. I mean just look at that list.

Comic Strip Fans: Little Nemo in Slumberland, Peanuts, Modesty Blaise, Dennis The Menance, James Bond. If you haven’t checked out our strip section you should. There are some really cool things hiding out in the back of the store.

Robot Fans: Omega The Unknown. I have no idea what is going on in this comic, but I like it anyway. But what I do know is that there are robots. Lots of robots.

Your girlfriend who you want to get into comics: Kabuki, Y: The Last Man, Fables, and Runaways. Chicks dig these books. I speak from personal experience.

Your boyfriend who you want to get into comics: Preacher, Loveless, Criminal, Scalped, Immortal Iron Fist, Thor. The list goes on and on. There are plenty of books for guys who have never picked up a comic and guys who haven’t picked up a comic in years.

Stocking Stuffers: Jason already mentioned Minimates, but we also have the Classic Marvel Figurines. You can get most of your favorites. Spidey, Hawkeye, Captain Marvel, Shadow Cat, Doc Octopus, and many more. But be warned: they are made of lead. So don’t lick ‘em! (I never get tired of that joke, even if everyone else is.)

If anyone out there in the blog-o-sphere has any suggestions for books we should carry in the store let me know. I need all the help I can get keeping the store fully stocked.

by Matt Fraction and Barry Kitson
reviewed by Daniel Von Egidy

If you put together a stack of under looked books in mainstream comics, The Order would be near the top. Matt Fraction and Barry Kitson’s The Order breaks through post-Civil War Marvel with old-school super heroics and compelling new characters. But selling fans on all-new characters is a tough sell these days, it took a long time for Runaways to catch on and I’m hoping The Order gets that same chance.

The book works around a simple framing device. The various plots of the book unfurl while reflecting the feelings and past of that issue’s focus character which is revealed in flashback interviews conducted before that character joined the team. When the book was announced I–and probably a lot of people–thought it was a mix of Strikeforce: Morituri and X-Statix. It sets itself apart by not being nearly fatalistic as the former or as cynical as the latter. These people want to be superheroes to help people, not for fame and fortune (which several characters already have).

It’s the little things that really make this book shine though. Jet-powered Communist bears, Zombie Hobos (Zobos!), and The Man from S.H.A.D.O.W.: an amalgam of all your favorite government conspiracies. And Barry Kitson just draws the wholly living heck out of all of it. He’s a team book artist on par with George Perez and Alan Davis and should be reason enough to give the book a look. A book with many rewards and should definitely be on everyone’s radar.

Hey, quick–go here! Matt Brady of Newsarama has dedicated a space to discussion of Spider-Man in general, and Steve Saffel’s book Spider-Man: The Icon in particular! If you recently met Steve or picked up the book, join the discussion! Once again, that place for you to go is located right here!

Okay, from the top let me just say that I am a) thoroughly uninterested in reading reviews, and even less interested in writing them, except in instances when I really am bowled over by something; b) I have a similar lack of interest in critical deconstruction, plot synopsis, etc. This So, with that out of the way:

I met Sam Hiti a few years ago at the MoCCA festival in Manhattan. Like SPX, MoCCA is an indie show that is jam-packed with a gajillion creators, all hustling their mini-comics, t-shirts, whatever, and perpetually handing out printed bookmarks and postcards advertising their many websites. Sam had recently won a Xeric Grant to publish End Times, although I didn’t know any of that. I was just walking by and saw the book on his table–before I knew it, it was open in my hands, and was trying to slurp the drool back into my mouth before it pooled in the open spine.

I think it’s semi-important to say that there is a certain fatigue that sets in at a convention. I know for me it does–after a few hours, it’s hard to handle the inevitable necessity of disappointing people trying to sell you their books. I mean, that’s why they’re there, after all; but you can’t buy everything, even if it were all really great, which of course it isn’t. And so you start avoiding direct eye-contact, which always turns into a proffer of some sort. I can’t remember what got me to Sam’s table, but after I had the book in my hands, the war was over. I ended up buying not only the book itself, but one of all his minicomics.

End Times is a lot of different things, but maybe the easiest way to describe it is as a Sergio Leone-style spaghetti-western, except without any Italians. The story itself is about some sort of divinely-contracted exorcist, who is sent to a town to rid it of a demonic infestation. After an initial few pages dealing with this assignment, the book becomes a series of gorgeous landscapes, as the viewer is drawn incrementally closer to the town itself. As in the best Western’s, the scenery seems to breathe itself, taking on its own character, setting itself up as the ultimate influence on the rest of the story.

Besides the incredible skill on display in these early pages, this is one of the most interesting “formal” parts of the book. Typically, in terms of the “rhythm” of a story, less panels on a page tends to speed up the action, as the reader is absorbing information quickly and turning the page, rather than being immersed into parsing the movement from panel to panel. Manga does this a lot, especially action-oriented mangas like Lone Wolf & Cub–the speed of the action is very much dictated by the number of panels on a page. So if there’s a big fight going on, it happens with a panel or two per page, and you zip right through.

But in End Times, in these transition scenes where we as readers are approaching the village, the opposite seems to happen. Though there are a very few panels per page–often just one–for several pages, I find that it’s one of the slowest portions of the book for me. Something about these scenes is so well-realized that they becomes incredibly absorbing–it’s a testament to Sam Hiti’s skill as a cartoonist. It’s not that there’s so much cross-hatching and detail in the art; in fact, it’s the opposite. These panels are so well-composed and executed that you get an accurate picture of the scene that rewards close inspection. You can flit by if you like, but if you pause you’ll begin to notice that there are electrical wires strung across canyons, though the only bridge in some places is made of rope. You’ll realize that the town is near the coast, possibly on a river, and that the hero is entering late in the day. Most importantly, you’ll realize something that I think a lot of creators working in comics forget: that the artist has sufficient skill and acumen to warrant your trust. That here’s something done by a craftsman in full command of his craft, and therefore you should follow that craftsman, wherever they might lead. End Times is definitely not the normal kind of comic book, but he’s so obviously talented as a cartoonist, that you can’t help but read further.

Maybe that’s the point I really want to make: Sam Hiti is one tough cartoonist. He seems to be genetically hard-wired for cartooning or something. End Times was published in 2004, and it’s easy to see a Paul Pope influence in it. But Sam’s work since then has almost thoroughly shed this Pope-itude, and seems to owe more to sheer endless creativity than anything else. His website is a wondrous bewilderment of riches, and I can’t tell you how excited I am about his next book, called Death Day, and scheduled for sometime this winter, I think? But best of all is Sam’s other baby, the Fistacuffs website, which features cartoonists like Guy Davis, Paul Pope, Kagan MacLeod, and a jillion others competing gladiator-style through cartoons. A new 3-on-3 team tournament is about to start. I’ve discovered more sweet cartoonists through Fistacuffs in the last year than anywhere else–even if you’re just a little interested in indie comics, you’ll love Fistacuffs.

Okay, the wrap-up. The most important thing I haven’t mentioned is that End Times is TEN FREAKING DOLLARS, which is crazy cheap. When I met Sam at his table, I nearly dropped the book when I saw the price. You can buy them a lot of places, but I’m not sure it’s carried through Diamond. We have it in stock, but if you don’t live around here (and don’t want to just mail order it from us), you can get it straight from Sam. BUT if you do want to buy it from us, I’m including it in my special Project: Romantic deal–if you buy one from us, we’ll throw in FREE a copy of Chris Pitzer‘s awesome Project: Romantic anthology. No gimmick! So for ten bucks you get several hundred pages of greatness!

Sam Hiti’s website: http://www.samhiti.com
Sam Hiti’s blog: http://www.samhiti.blogspot.com/
Fist-A-Cuffs: http://www.fistacuffs.blogspot.com

by Kazimir Strzepek

reviewed by Dustin Harbin

Okay, so as I described in my post-SPX photo report, I picked up The Mourning Star almost completely by accident, and mostly due to a string of recommendations, one mistaken rhyming name, and a case of reluctant-buyer’s guilt. Let me preface this review by saying that this book had already been lauded half to death by the time I happened up on it: in most cases, anything I “discover” has been cool for months by that time, if not completely blase already. I was probably one of the few people in the room that had not read the thing. Anyway, I’m just saying I didn’t know anything about the book, and left the Bodega table kicking myself for having spent even more money.

So I shared one of those nutty Supershuttle things to the airport, which had the unfortunate result of me showing up at the terminal more than an hour before my flight was scheduled to board. Nightlife at SPX is the best, so I was ready to sleep, but I was too afraid I’d snooze right through my flight. What to do? When I opened my bag, which was stuffed to overflowing with all the mini’s and books I’d bought or was handed over the weekend, there on the top was The Mourning Star. Oh, alright Mourning Star. For thirteen bucks, you’d better keep me awake.

When you open the cover of the book, which is barely bigger than an average CD box, the first page is literally the first page. There’s no introduction, dedication, preface, foreword by a respected someone-else, copyright, et cetera: you’re just sort of unceremoniously dumped into the story.

The same rough hand-lettering is continued on the succeeding few pages, drawing in rough strokes the backstory of this world. It was very much like the intro to a serialized TV show–remember the A-Team? Each episode would start with the little story of how Hannibal and the boys were done wrong by the government, and thus forced to ply their trade as mercenary do-rights, and so on. Or David Lynch‘s awful Dune adaptation, which compresses several thousand years of backstory into a klunky intro piece that lasted something like 20 minutes or so. Ditto here, except that Kaz–as people call him, and which I want to call him, too–just throws out the bare bones of this dystopian future in a few pages, and then launches right into the story, which opens on a relatively bucolic little farm scene which immediately turns violent and sad.

Still no copyright, other-works-by-this-author-include, ISBN number, nothing. I think I actually stopped and flipped back through the pages to see if I’d missed something. There I was in the Baltimore airport, trying to figure out how to work this comic book. Don’t get me wrong: I was already hooked. I was sold. I was already thinking to myself, “How do you pronounce “S-T-R-Z-E-P-E-K”, anyway?”

Here’s the thing about The Mourning Star: it’s one of those things that rides the line between innocuous and terrible; between friendly and savage. These are usually my favorite things. Kaz’s art at first looks closer to the world of minicomics than to a long-form narrative–it’s easy to imagine these characters complaining to each other about something, or skipping rope or drinking beer in someone’s 16-page autobio comic. The expressions are funny, simplistic, even silly in places: which is what makes it shocking when characters start to experience real sadness, terror, even death. You’re left pretty quickly with the impression that any person you see on the page could die at any moment, without warning or preamble, and most likely without mourning.

This is what people call “drama”, and is something a lot of more trained and experienced writers strive in vain to achieve in their stories. Somehow twentysomething Kaz has made it seem effortless; the fact that the art and much of the dialogue seems light and carefree only increases the tension for me.

The other big tension-increaser is the complete lack of exposition in the story. Maybe not complete, but there’s almost zero explanation of ANYthing. There are only the most passing references to the larger pre-apocalypse social structure, economy, government, etc.; it becomes apparent that there are different races, one of which seems to be nomadic talking birds, but that’s about all the description you get. Instead of describing the “world”, giving backstory, historical tidbits, and so forth, the story is told like a car moving down a dark highway with its headlights on. You get a blurry idea of what’s passing as you move through the night, but never enough to really feel secure with ANY idea of what’s happening or where you are. Around every new curve is more road, with more mystery.

I have to say, I love it. In a medium that is so incredibly young, comics only rarely seem to be all that experimental, beyond the daring it takes to tell your story with a bunch of sequential images instead of just boring old words. Not that this book is all that experimental, I guess, but it’s a little more sophisticated than I’d expected from someone who I’d barely heard of, and most of whose work had appeared in mini-comics and anthologies. Even better that it’s a sophistication of storytelling, of writing, rather than a bunch of worrying about how sweet the cross-hatching is or how anatomically correct someone’s thigh muscles are. It’s quiet and it’s effective. The Mourning Star is a story that seems to drift pretty effortlessly between comical and incredibly violent.

Here’s something I noticed in re-reading the book for this review: the story bounces back and forth between groups of characters, Star Wars-style, as each group moves closer and closer to each other. Each time the focus of the story moves from one group of characters to another, the color of the paper changes from white to black or vice versa. It almost seems as if certain characters are always on black pages, but I haven’t been able to scientifically prove this yet. Is this an exciting innovation? Maybe. If so, it’s over my head; but it reminds me of the way that Paul Grist used different backgrounds in Kane to denote the difference between present-day action and flashbacks.

Last innovation: besides The Mourning Star itself, Mr Strzepek (who is not the other “Kaz”, who’s been around a lot longer) has done a number of related stories which have appeared in various places. What’s innovative is that of the four or five “side” stories that I’ve read now, all of them are part of the main story without being absolutely necessary. For instance, the one in the new Awesome! Indie Spinner Rack Anthology involves some of the bad guys on their way to a scene within the book itself, but delayed because of a roadside bandit. It could easily be included in the book itself, but instead it’s just a little gem you discover that deepens the character of the world of The Mourning Star. As a publishing model it’s pretty free-form–Kaz seems able to tell his story wherever he gets an opportunity.

I think I’m out of stuff to say about it, without getting specific about story elements–but I’d prefer that you read it yourself, rather than ruin any of those surprises for you. For instance, the incredible number of beheadings–oops! Shut my mouth! Go find the book yourself: also worth getting are Papercutter (#5 has a Mourning Star story in it, but all 6 issues are great–I’m working on getting some for the store) and the aforementioned Indie Spinner Rack anthology. You can find out more about Kazimir Strzepek at this website, or at his MySpace page. Enjoy!