CRAIG’S PICK :: MESSAGES IN A BOTTLE: COMIC BOOKS STORIES BY B. KRIGSTEIN: A confession: until 2002, Bernard Krigstein was one of my least favorite of the E.C. artists. I preferred Graham Ingles’ drippy corpses, Johnny Craig’s noir angularity and Jack Davis’ rubbery bigfootery over Krigstein’s minutely divided, precisely timed panel layouts. I had read essays by critics convinced of Krigstein’s genius—most notably in Squa Tront #4 (1975), featuring a classic page-by-page analysis of “Master Race” by John Benson, David Kasakove and some obscure fanboy named Art Spiegelman—but I didn’t really “get” Krigstein until I read Greg Sadowski’s spectacular B. Krigstein: Volume One (1919-1955) (Fantagraphics 2002).

Sadowski’s book is one of the best biographies of a cartoonist I’ve ever read, full of rare visuals (Krigstein was an impressive Expressionist painter), tart testimony (check out page 145, where Robert Kanigher calls Krigstein “a liar”), reprints of great stories (“Master Race,” E.C. adaptation of Ray Bradbury’s “The Flying Machine”) and sharp visual commentary. Thanks to Sadowski, I’m now crazy for Krigstein, and I’m eager to read the second part of Sadowski’s biography, which promises to cover the second half of Krigstein’s career, from 1955 to his death in 1990.

In 2004, Fantagraphics published B. Krigstein Comics, a collection of stories designed as a supplement to Sadowski’s biography. The quality of the scripts varies widely—E.C. tales like “Pipe-Dream” are the pick of the litter—but B. Krigstein Comics ably represented the oeuvre of one of comics’ early visionaries.

Available this week from Fantagraphics is Messages in a Bottle: Comic Book Stories by B. Krigstein. According to Fantagraphics’ website, Messages in a Bottle

reprints the out-of-print 2004 hardcover B. Krigstein Comics, with a number of stories re-tooled and improved in terms of reproduction, and several new stories added. Legendary EC colorist Marie Severin, in her last major assignment before her retirement, recolored 20 stories for this edition. The remainder has been taken from printed comics, digitally restored with subtlety and restraint. Original art pages, photostats from Krigstein’s personal archives, and an extensive set of historical and editorial notes by Sadowski round out this compelling volume.

Sounds lovely, especially for readers who don’t already have B. Krigstein Comics. Messages is also formatted in virtually the same dimensions as the volumes in Fantagraphics’ E.C. Comics Library set, and should fit neatly on the shelf with Corpse on the Imjin! and Came the Dawn. Find yourself a copy of Sadowski’s biography, read it alongside Messages in a Bottle, and feel comics history come alive.

And below is a portrait of Bernard Krigstein drawn by master caricaturist Drew Friedman, and purloined off Tumblr. Just because.

BRIDGIT’S PICK :: WINTER SOLDIER #16: So, I’ve never been a monthly Captain America reader or followed Winter Soldier much but, that being said, in the last few months I’ve been reserving both of these titles… the books are sooo good! Marvel has used their re-launch as a chance to pair us up some really awesome creative teams. Jason Latour and Nic Klein really surprised me with their first issue of Winter Soldier last month.

Not only was it a fun read, but the art was so right for this title. A lot of times in comics, when the story is more action-oriented, the art loses touch with the character, which bothers me because I like to feel connected and read, through the art, what the character is thinking or going through internally. Nic Klein totally owns both action and the quiet moments, and keeps us connected with the internal dilemmas Latour is writing through the characters and their interactions.

All of you Brubaker lovers need not fear either, Latour hasn’t exactly taken Bucky Barnes out on a limb. Though Latour has definitely branched off into his own creative storytelling, he’s rooting the story in the plot Brubaker has already constructed. So no re-launch for Winter Soldier, thank God. In fact, Latour is resolutely building upon the foundation of Barnes’ dark past and using this to really push the boundaries of the character. These panels also make up some of the most reflective and introspective comic pages I’ve ever read.

And of course, no comic written by Latour would be complete without a good bit of humor and wacky antics. A Bond-like character named Robards who Barnes encounters in the last issue proved to be a great source of comic relief.

Something else about this series that I’m SUPER excited about too, is the creation of Latour’s new female (super?!)villain, the “Electric Ghost”. What we’ve seen of her so far is awesome but she’s still – literally – veiled in a shroud of mystery. In the last issue, she exhibited this cool sense of intelligence through some pretty wicked dialogue. This might be the sweetest female villain – let alone character – I’ve seen introduced in Marvel Comics in a long time.

JUSTIN’S PICK :: SEX #1: Joe Casey is an author with a flair for both compelling high-concept and creative characterization. He also takes great care to pair his unique projects with artists that absolutely suit them, and his new Image title, Sex, is no exception. Newcomer Piotr Kowalski employs a bold, open style reminiscent of talents such as Tonci Zonjic or Ben Stenbeck, offset by a bright and punchy color palette. As the unfeasibility of the superhero lifestyle becomes more and more apparent in today’s staggering, event-driven market, Sex asks the question: what would a hero do without all that great responsibility?

SETH’S PICK :: ROCKETEER: CARGO OF DOOM HC: Didn’t I just write about Rocketeer last week?  Indeed I did, and while there are several other books I’m excited about this week (Winter Soldier #16, Hellboy in Hell #4, Lost Vegas #1), it’s inevitable that I’ll re-read the new Rocketeer collection first thing Wednesday night.  There’s an innocence to Mark Waid and Chris Samnee’s take on Dave Stevens’ classic character, but also a love for the traditions of pulp and adventure stories.  Anyone could wax poetic about the genius of the Rocketeer, but it still boils down to entertainment value, and this collection has plenty of that.  Oh, and there are dinosaurs.  A guy with a rocket pack fighting dinosaurs in 1930’s California.  That’s enough for me.

CRAIG’S PICK :: NEMO: HEART OF ICE: When the final volume of Alan Moore and Kevin O’Neill’s most recent League of Extraordinary Gentlemen story–Century: 2009–arrived in comic shops last June, it generated some heat. Sean Collins hand-wrung his way through a review on the Comics Journal website, arguing that the exhausted, dispirited tone of Moore and O’Neill’s story (which, incidentally, posits Harry Potter as the Antichrist and Mary Poppins as Yahweh) was a perfect expression of the Bearded Mage’s personal distaste for contemporary popular culture. Meanwhile, the critics at the Comic Books Are Burning in Hell podcast devoted an entire episode to Century: 2009; Matt Seneca claimed that the most significant British authors of our generation are Moore and J.K. Rowling (suck it, Martin Amis!), while Joe McCullough wondered aloud if Moore’s takedown of Rowling has less to do with jockeying for canonical position, and more to do with a persistent strain of sexism in Moore’s work.

Me? I liked Century: 2009 fine, though none of the Extraordinary Gentlemen tales has ever reached the lucid artistry of my favorite Moore pieces, such as “The Anatomy Lesson” (Steve Bissette and John Totleben!), “The Bowing Machine” (Mark Beyer!) and every single solitary panel of From Hell (Eddie Campbell!). Century: 2009 seemed to me a fine second-tier Moore comic, revved up by the taboo-busting that’s always been a hallmark of Gentlemen. After the way the Invisible Man is murdered at the end of LOEG volume 2, and after the irreverence with which James Bond is treated in LOEG: Black Dossier (not to mention Moore’s dredging-up of “The Galley-Wag” from the Empire’s racist Imaginary), did we really expect Moore and O’Neill to treat the Hogwarts-verse with respect? Why would we want them to?

The next LOEG book, a single 56-page comic titled Nemo: Heart of Ice, drops this week. The central character is Janni Dakkar, the daughter of Captain Nemo, who has inherited the super-submarine Nautilus and decides to explore the Antarctic in her vessel. The description of the book on the Top Shelf Comix website blatantly reveals Moore’s inspirations this go-round–we’ll be plunging into the frozen hell of Charles Dexter Ward/Mountains of Madness territory–though I hope Janni will also sing some Brecht/Weill show tunes like she did in the first volume of Century. (It might be tough to smuggle “Alabama Song” into a story that takes place at the South Pole.) And I bet Kevin O’Neill’s draws some mucousy, multi-orificed, calamari/Caligari Lovecraft creatures..!

SETH’S PICK :: ROCKETEER: HOLLYWOOD HORROR #1: Whenever I talk or write about IDW’s new Rocketeer stories, I like to mention my opinion that any artists who work on the character pale in comparison with its creator, Dave Stevens.  No one will ever make Rocketeer stories better than Stevens.  However, I usually follow up that statement with this one:  I love the way IDW has created new stories that both revere and uphold Stevens’ legacy.  Their two volumes of Rocketeer Adventures read like a love letter to Stevens’ creation, and the Mark Waid/Chris Samnee miniseries Cargo of Doom fell right in line with the tradition.  This week IDW offers up an all new miniseries by Roger Langridge and J. Bone, along with Walt Simonson on covers.  Langridge, while known for humor and all ages work, has always had a strong connection with comics’ adventure roots.  Look no further than his excellent John Carter of Mars adaptation for evidence.  J. Bone has done lots of work with Darwyn Cooke, and also provided the covers for DC’s Super Friends title.  If you take his previous comics into consideration, it’s easy to see how well he could bring the Rocketeer’s era to life.  Even though I’ll always love Dave Stevens’ work best, it would be a shame if we were denied new stories of his famous creation.  Thankfully, IDW knows how much people care about Rocketeer, and hires creators who equally value the man and his work.  Let’s hope they will continue to produce quality comics that not only pay homage to Stevens, but allow future generations to be exposed to his genius. 

JUSTIN’S PICK :: PROFESSOR FRINK FANTASTIC SCIENCE FICTIONS #1 : Bongo Comics’ Simpsons line of comics are always a treasure trove of talent, offering maximum entertainment value, with multiple stories in each issue. Choicest pickings are one shots like these, focusing on specific characters from the extensive supporting cast. Professor Frink is a perfect lead for this kind of treatment. I’ve immensely enjoyed this current run of one shots, and I’d recommend any of them to any fan of the show.

If you’re familiar with the work of Matt Kindt, you know he’s one of the hardest working creators in comics. Over the past several years he’s received critical acclaim for his graphic novels Super Spy, 3 Story: The Secret History of the Giant Man, Revolver, and Pistolwhip.  More recently, you’ve probably seen his work on Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E. and in Mind Mgmt, the monthly Dark Horse title he writes, illustrates and designs.  Kindt’s previous graphic novels suggest he possesses one of the more original voices in comics.  Now with Mind Mgmt, not only do you have further support for his originality, but you’re getting monthly examples of it.  For a deeper look at Mind Mgmt, check out my review of issues 1-5 HERE.  In the meantime, enjoy the interview.

Seth Peagler (SP): Mind Mgmt is your first big monthly book, but it’s also one where you’re writing, illustrating and directing the design of every aspect of it. What were some things that contributed to your decision to tackle something of this scale at this point in your career?

Matt Kindt (MK): Well, to be honest, I feel like graphic novels were getting too easy from a creative stand point. I was getting a little bored. And I was tired of disappearing for a year to finish a book and then launching a book and disappearing again. Now I get to launch a new issue every month and get a little more interaction with readers. I honestly don’t know if I’ll ever go back to a GN format. I’m having way too much fun doing a monthly series. (more…)