Everything’s back to normal now. You can saunter in on Wednesday safe in the knowledge that everything is going according to plan. That is unless we all get beamed up in the night, or the world ends, or stuff just goes properly wonky. It might, but then it always might.
Ten minutes after I posted last week’s blog, this thing went up on The Comics Journal: The Day I Almost Killed Kurt Busiek, or rather: What Happened During My Week Away When Andrew Had To Write The Gosh! Blog. It’s a report on the Barcelona comics convention I went to. Sort of.
Farm 54 (originally Ferme 54) by Galit and Gilad Selikt arrived a few days ago. It’s a hardcover collection of three semi-autobiographical stories from three key moments in one person’s life: Noga, a Jewish girl born in the early 1970s who grew up in rural Israel. The FPI Blog posts a very good review (preview pages here) from someone who originally wanted to do the translation. “It might be one of the most important graphic novels to hit the British stores this year,” he says. Go read his review to see why. He also reckons it’s good companion piece to Joe Sacco’s war reportage.
Riffing on a similar theme here: Yossel – April 19, 1943 is one of two classic reprints from Joe Kubert this week, a man famed for his war stories (Sgt. Rock, Enemy Ace). It’s about a 15-year-old aspiring artist in the Warsaw Ghetto, and also an alternative reality – this could have been Kubert himself had his family not emigrated to America back in the twenties. It’s part of Kubert’s paperback trio from DC Comics this May – the other being Jew Gangster, with Dong Xaoi to follow a little later. 
Jew Gangster is set in Depression-era New York and indulges in pretty much every gangster cliché you can think of (in a good way). Says the man himself: “Yossel, Jew Gangster and Dong Xoai should not be listed as ‘comic books,’ because that would be a misnomer. As a friend stated in a recent discussion we were having about today’s narrative art and graphic novels, “There are no boundaries anymore, only the horizon.”’ I don’t know, I rather like just calling them all “comics” because it annoys The Guardian.
Jason Shiga (Meanwhile) gives you Empire State: A Love Story (Or Not), about a stereotypical geek who follows a girl to New York City because he likes her, and arranges to meet her at the top of the Empire State Building because it’s a Sleepless in Seattle in-joke. In fact, according to this interview with Shiga, the book pretty much picks up where Sleepless in Seattle left off.
“It’s part coming-of-age story, part love story, part comedy, part geeky reflections on the world. What it isn’t is your traditional rom-com filled with hilarious hi-jinks that ends up with the guy and the girl overcoming outlandish obstacles to discover that they’ve been in love all this time after all,” says Wired.
Seduction of the Innocent HC is not the book you might think it is, if you’re thinking it’s the one written by Class-A killjoy Frederic Wertham, M.D. This is instead a collection of pin-ups by indie creators featuring pretty ladies reading comics. It’s a new edition of a previous one (obviously), boasting 20 more pages of girls on beds strewn with copies of Bone, Cerebus, or Dave Cooper’s Weasel.
Talent includes Jeffrey Brown, Ivan Brunetti, Dylan Horrocks, Danny Hellman, Sam Henderson, Peter Kuper, Johnny Ryan, and Richard Sala. If you like those dudes, girls, or comics, this might be up your alley. Scroll down this page for some preview pin-ups.
Garden is a newly translated manga from Yuichi Yokoyama through the illustrious PictureBox (that same publishing house we get all sorts of brilliantly strange things from). A group of friends break into a hidden garden to find that it’s not the Eden they had expected, but “a landscape of machines, geometric forms and nonorganic objects.” You can see some preview bits over at the publisher’s website. If you’ve never read anything by Yokoyama go get yourself a cup of tea and work your way through this piece over at The High Hat. Now imagine the fury if this guy misplaced his ruler.
Deadman TP Volume 1 finally collects the stories that introduced Boston Brand to readers in the late ‘60s. Created by Arnold Drake and Carmine Infantino, Brand was a circus trapeze artist shot dead on the high-wire by an unknown marksman in the first issue. He returns when (made up) Hindu goddess Rama Kushna tells him to go find his murderer. Sans a body of his own, the ghostly Deadman gets to commandeer whoever he likes, and I seem to remember the ballerina being a particularly good choice for sprightliness. Anyway, worth a read (I like it), especially if you’re following all the Blackest Night/ Brightest Day goings on. It collects Strange Adventures #205 - #213 so you’ll get some classic Neal Adams stuff too.
Also in trade paperback is Origins of Marvel Comics TP which gives you the Cliff’s Notes versions of everyone’s backstory, as written by the likes of Fred Van Lente, Jeff Parker, Jim McCann, Chris Yost, Mike Carey and Peter David, and illustrated by John Romita, Jr., Leinil Francis Yu, Alan Davis, Greg Land, Mark Brooks, Nick Bradshaw, Jill Thompson and more. Plus there’s over 200 pages of character files (heroes and villains alike) as compiled by Steve Rogers himself in the aftermath of Siege.
On the (imaginary) new comics spinner-rack you can find 30 Days of Night: Night, Again #1 (of 4), the beginnings of a new miniseries by horror writer Joe Lansdale (who has done more novels than I’ve done Percy Pigs) and Sam Keith (The Maxx, Lobo). “My approach was more akin to the old movies House of Frankenstein and House of Dracula. I brought different problems into the story beyond the vampires. We’ll see how it works. I think it’s going to be good. Sam Kieth’s art is awesome,” said Lansdale. No previews. Wait and see.
Jim Starlin dusts off Breed for another outing in Breed III #1 (of 7). The character’s the result of demonic rape, raised on Earth by regular humans. "We're leading up to him confronting his father. That's natural, that's what everybody's waiting for," Starlin said to Comicbook Resources. Preview there too.
Geoff Johns kicks off Flashpoint #1 this Wednesday, with Andy Kubert on drawing duties. Johns told Newsarama that it’s his most accessible series to date – there’s nothing you’ll need to have read as a primer beforehand, so just dive in. Mostly Johns has been saying "the first rule about Flashpoint is, don't talk about what happens after Flashpoint,” but he did let this slip: “There are a lot of new characters in here. This isn't just one of those stories were you take the DC Universe, shake it up, and say, "This is what happened to so-and-so." There are a lot of new characters in here as well. So you, as the reader, are in this universe with Flash, meeting all these characters for the very first time. Some of them are brand new. Some of them are characters that you maybe aren't familiar with, who are in a different place. But it's very much a journey where Barry's in the dark as much as the reader.”
Here’s your Flashpoint checklist to cut out and stick on your bedroom wall. For classic Flash stories be sure to pick up DC Comics Presents: The Flash #1, which reprints stuff by John Broome, Robert Kanigher, Infantino again, and Joe Giella. They’re all things that have so far managed to dodge trade paperback collections.
Richard Corben (Hellboy: The Crooked Man) teams up with Mike Mignola again for a new one-shot, Hellboy: Being Human. Hellboy teams up with Roger to crash a dinner party hosted by a witch and her zombie servant. Over at Comicbook Resources Mignola talks about everything in store for the big red guy.
And lastly, Moriarty #1 is a new one from Image by Daniel Corey and Anthony Diecidue, which is basically a Sherlock Holmes comic in a Sherlock Holmes-less world. “Would Moriarty revel in victory, spend the rest of his life smoking cigars and sleeping on stacks of money?” Corey wondered. “Probably not. I think he’d fall on hard times, and it would take one heck of an event – say, a World War – to jolt him back to life.” Bleeding Cool have a preview.
That’s it. That’s all I’ve got. See you Wednesday.
-- Hayley
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
The Gosh! Authority 10/05/11
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
The Gosh! Authority 19/04/11
Tavvauvutit folks!
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Job Vacancy at Gosh!
Gosh! has been around for nearly 25 years now, and in that time we’ve built up what we hope to be a reputation for excellent, knowledgeable service (not to blow our own trumpet too loudly), and a range of graphic novels that are second to none. We’re a small, busy store that needs staff who can juggle friendly, helpful service with a diverse range of administrative tasks, while also helping to maintain a well-presented shop floor. Needless to say, organisational skills and an attention to detail are a must. Experience within a busy retail environment is essential, and it’ll certainly be a bonus to have had experience within the book trade.
The position itself will be flexible within certain parameters, which are laid out in the job description. The fact is, though, that we like to let people’s strengths lead them to certain roles within the shop, and there are certainly opportunities for all our staff to place their own stamp upon Gosh’s identity.
So drop us a line if you’re interested! The position will be available immediately, though we’re happy to wait for the right person if you can’t start straight away.
Please send your CV and a brief cover letter for the attention of Andrew or Josh to info@goshlondon.com.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
The Gosh! Authority 17/11/10
Kia ora, Goshophiles!
Hayley is still in the US of A, this week perfecting her raccoon-wrasslin’ skills in the wild woods of Minnesota. She’ll be back next week, but for now you’ve got me. Buckle in, because I’m putting the pedal to the metal this week (as a young man might say on the mean streets of Paraparaumu)!
In case you missed it, we’re happy to say that there will be a Gosh Exclusive Bookplate Edition of Grandville Mon Amour, the latest in the adventures of Detective Inspector Archie LeBrock by Bryan Talbot. The book is out early next month, but we’re not expecting these to last too long, so get in quick and reserve yours now!
Every now and then a book it released that is so hefty, so colossal, so shelf-defyingly huge that we can’t actually supply you with a bag to carry it home in. 75 Years of DC Comics: The Art of Modern Mythmaking, by Paul Levitz, is one of those books. It’s not cheap, but it’s an absolute must for DC fans, the kind of book you’ll be forever kicking yourself for not having picked up when you had the chance. Shipping in it’s own handsomely decorated box, the book is a lovely piece in and of itself, with the design sense of Taschen’s top end art books applied to a year by year trawl through then history of DC Comics. It has to be seen and handled to be truly appreciated, and luckily enough we have a display copy out for your perusal. Taschen also have plenty of images, including the below dwarfed Paul Levitz, here.
You know, Christmas is just around the corner. It’s been a tough year, and winter stretches out before you like a long, grey night of the soul. Just imagine; an interminable Christmas afternoon sat in front of the fire, your belly full of turkey and pudding. You’re bored, listless. Then you notice it, sitting under your coffee table where you were forced to store it: 75 Years of DC Comics. You go over and pick it up (bending at the knees so as not to throw your back), settle yourself back with some mince pies and a nice cup of tea (or perhaps some mulled wine), and read. Immediately you’re transported back to your childhood, those hazy days of yesteryear, full of bubblegum cards and stolen kisses, tyrannical schoolmasters and weekly trawls around the newsagents to get all the titles you were after. The afternoon passes in a bliss of sweet nostalgia. Or you could read it this weekend and look at all the pretty pictures. Up to you really.
Whatever you choose, in celebration of the book’s release we very pleased to be able to offer a super deal on a number of DC’s deluxe Archive range of books. If you’ve long had your eye on those saucy slices of comic history, but not quite wanted to splash out the full-price cash, then good news! We’ve been given the opportunity to offer a selection of these titles at 50% off the regular retail price! If you email us expressing interest in this deal, we can send you through a spreadsheet lisiting the books that are available. Just mark in the books you would like in the sheet, and email it back to us before 3pm on Monday 22nd November. Please note that supply of the books is conditional upon stocks at the supplier end, so we can’t guarantee you’ll get them, but we’ll certainly try for you, and we’ll drop you a line when they arrive. Also, we would ask that any books ordered should be collected within a two week period of their arrival, as space to store such items is extremely limited. Joe Kubert’s Enemy Ace Archives Vol 1 for £19 anyone? For a full list, email us at info@goshlondon.com and include “Archive Sale” in the subject header.
Fans of Alan Moore’s dulcet tones would be well advised to check out the lovely Unearthing Deluxe Boxed Set this week. It’s a spoken word piece by Moore which takes us through the life of his mentor and friend Steve Moore (no relation), the man Alan credits with teaching him how to write comics. With a soundtrack by a troupe of talented musicians, including Adam Drucker & Andy Broder (aka Crook&Flail) Mike Patton, Stuart Braithwaite, Zach Hill & Justin Broadrick, and a packaging imagery by acclaimed photographer Mitch Jenkins, this 2-hour narrative is spellbinding. The box set brings together both CD and vinyl versions of the full performance, as well as an additional EP with highlights from the score, imagery from Jenkins and a copy of Moore’s original script. Well worth it.
Our friends at Blank Slate publishing, who are producing an ever-more impressive range of titles with each passing quarter, bring us two new books this week. First up, The Girl and the Gorilla, by Madeline Flores. What’s it about? Aurelie is having a rough day. But her foul mood is quickly forgotten when she crosses paths with a Gorilla. Her day only gets more interesting from there! A chat with historical characters, a hunter who takes her under his wing and a forest of unusual residents. What else will she encounter? And who will save the day? German-born, US-based and thoroughly European in her style, Flores’ art has a lovely fluid, accessible quality to it, and the book looks like a lot of fun. A quick review of it (and my next pick) can be found here. Note the positive notice for At the Mountains of Madness, by the way. Bookplate editions still available. (I’m such a shill)
Second out the gate from Blank Slate is Sleepyheads, by Randall.C, a beautiful, lush dreamscape of a comic. It has an hypnotic, flowing style to it which reminds me of Pederosa’s Three Shadows, though the story is markedly different. The Comics Journal says: Randall C.’s stories are a Chinese puzzle box of which Neil Gaiman even would lose track of the pieces. He exells at metaphoric storytelling jumps, literally letting the characters dive into their own stories and incorporating that story into the main storyline where borders between dreams, stories and reality blur into one whole beautiful cuddle. All of this is accentuated with meanderings on life and love, wrapped in allegory, metaphor and playful language. Pick one up for a flick-through and discover it for yourself.
A little late to the party here, but the new Best American Comics 2010 is now out, guest edited this year by none other than Neil Gaiman. If you’re unfamiliar with these books, they’re a great way to find out about comics and creators who made a splash this past year but you may have overlooked. It’s a mix of extracts from longer works and self-contained shorts from a line-up of talent including Bryan Lee O’Malley, Gabrielle Bell, Chris Ware, David Mazzucchelli, Gilbert & Mario Hernandez, and Robert Crumb, among others. A great gift for anyone you want to introduce to the idea of comics as more than they might think.
David B. is a creator who always gets us a bit excited, so we’re happy to see his adaptation of Pierre Mac Orlan’s classic haunted pirate tale The Littlest Pirate King. It’s the first time we’ve seen David B’s colour art in English, and it’s a lovely thing to behold. It’s lovely to see Fantagraphics produce these kinds of lovely all-ages books with such high production quality. Long may it continue. Check out a preview here , and one of those ginchy Fantagraphics flick-throughs over here.
Okay, time to point some bullets:
- Batman, Batman, Batman! Did you know that if you say his name five times fast while looking in a mirror, he’ll appear behind you and steal your belt? True fact. Or maybe I got confused. Anyway, this week is a bumper crop for Grant Morrison Bat-fans, with both Batman Inc #1 and (the slightly late) Batman The Return #1 shipping out. Bruce Wayne is back. Oh yeah, I totally spoiled it for you! Previews for the former here!
- Dan Brereton is a legend, and Nocturnals is still an old favourite of mine, with it’s lush, painted family of misfit monsters. This week he has an art book on the shelves called Dan Brereton: The Goddess and the Monster. Newsarama interview him over here.
- Mike Mignola and Richard Corben make a great team, producing a consistent series of one-shots that have been some of the most entertaining books coming out of the Hellboy camp (which is high praise, given the consistent level of quality in that stable). This week they’re at it again with Hellboy Double Feature of Evil, featuring two stories with your favourite paranormal investigator. Dark Horse have a preview.
- The Extremist is one of the great lost Vertigo mini-series, never before collected. The Peter Milligan / Ted McKeever thriller (conceived by Brendan McCarthy) is a story of murder and betrayal against the backdrop of the extreme S&M scene. Controversial on its release in 1993, Vertigo have at last released it as a part of their Vertigo Resurrected line.
- Osborn #1 by Kelly Sue DeConnick and Emma Rios follows Norman Osborne as he establishes his power base in the top-secret prison he now calls home. Also features a back-up story by Warren Ellis. Newsarama preview it here.
- Elmer GN, by Filipino artist Gerry Alanguilan, is the story of evolved, sentient chickens making a stand for their rights as the newest members of the human race. I think it might, just might, be some kind of allegory. It’s certainly getting a lot of praise, and looks very nice. There’s an amazing 30-page pdf preview here. But it has naughty bits, so no reading at work!
- Castle Waiting is a wonderful book, worthy of a good deal more attention than it gets. It’s a witty fantasy tale of women who work to build a refuge from an abandoned fairy tale castle, telling each other stories and doing their best to deal with the obstacles that life throws in their path. Creator Linda Medley has a clean, clear style and a knack for understated character. A contemporary of Bone, it’s certainly recommended to any fans of that series. The second hardcover volume is out this week, and you can find a video flickeroonie here.
- The third of Fantagraphics’ bumper Jason collections is out this week. What I Did HC collects together mystery adaptation The Iron Wagon, silent vignette collection Sshhhh!, and – my personal favourite of all Jason’s works – Hey, Wait.... If Hey, Wait... doesn’t break your heart just a little bit, I’m afraid to say that my diagnosis is that you’re dead inside.
- Eisner Shop SC is a collection of rare early Will Eisner stories from the pre-Spirit days, including Wags, the Black X, Uncle Sam, Mr. Mystic, Lady Luck, Baseball Comics and more.
- Last Days of American Crime by Rick Remender and Greg Tocchini is a great slice of near-future sci-fi noir, set at the eve of the activation of a mind control device which will make crime impossible in the USA. A career criminal looks to make one last heist before the switch gets flicked. A fun read, with absolutely gorgeous art
And now for the news:
- Thought Bubble, the universally well-regarded comics convention held in Leeds as a part of the Leeds International Film Festival, is this coming weekend. It’s a four day event running 18th-21st November, with its centrepiece being the one day show held on Saturday 20th in Saviles Hall. John Romita Jr is the guest of honour, with Becky Cloonan making a special appearance, as well as a bevy of great UK writers and artists. Bryan Talbot will also be officially launching his latest, Grandville Mon Amour. More details can be found here. I’ll be in attendance, so if you see me wandering about, feel free to buy me a drink. Or, y’know, just give me the money and I’ll get it myself later. Promise.
And that’s me done! Ka kite ano!
Andrew.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
The Gosh! Authority 10/11/10
Hey there, friends of Gosh!
I’m afraid Hayley has gone to New Orleans to learn the jazz trumpet, so you’re going to have a couple of weeks with me as your bit on the side. I don’t expect you to love me, or even stay the night, but you better keep me in the manner to which I am accustomed.
Anyway…comics!
The highlight of the week is something which will no doubt wind up as one of the highlights of the year: Acme Novelty Library Vol 20, the latest in Chris Ware’s continuing catalogue of bittersweet despair. Tangentially connected to Rusty Brown, this volume follows the life of its main character, Jordan W. Lint, from birth to death at the rate of around a page a year.
The always readable Robot 6 blog says: Acme Novelty Library #20 is about an a$$hole. The book’s main character, one Jordan W. Lint, is a bully, a coward, an adulterer, a drunkard, is frequently callous and cruel to friends and family, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. In some regards he is an outright monster. Full review here.
It’s easy to take a creator of Ware’s calibre for granted, but he really is one of the few true geniuses working in comics today.
Speaking of geniuses, not that I want to throw the word around too much, but my second pick of the week would have to be the Fantagraphics release of The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec Vol 1, by Jacques Tardi. It’s not his weightiest work (that would be the amazing It Was the War of the Trenches, released in English earlier this year), but it’s certainly his most fun.
Set in Paris, in 1910 (though later volumes shift to post-WWI), the series (nine so far, with the tenth pending) follows cynical heroine Adèle Blanc-Sec as she uncovers the occult secrets of the criminal underword. This first in a planned series of handsome hardcover volumes collects the first two albums, Pterror Over Paris and The Eiffel Tower Demon. Recommended for fans of Hellboy, Beasts of Burden and Good Stuff You Should Be Reading. You can get the patented Fantagraphics Flip-through vid here.
Our erstwhile sister company Knockabout have two new releases out this week. First up is one which is getting a lot of press right now: Depresso (or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Embrace Being Bonkers!), by Brick.
The book is an often harrowing, honest and engaging autobiographical (albeit told through the fictional character of Tom Freeman) account of the author’s battles with depression. Using deft humour and an accessible style to convey his story as one of hope and struggle against obstacles from within and without, editorial cartoonist Brick (aka John Stuart Clark) has made a book that doesn’t fall into the obvious traps often seen with this kind of story. It’s an excellent work from an assured craftsman. Richard at the FPI blog has an insightful review here.
Also shipping this week, available in softcover for the first time, is A Disease of Language, the collection of Eddie Campbell’s adaptations of Alan Moore’s spoken word pieces A Birth Caul, and Snakes and Ladders. The collections also features an extensive interview with Moore by Campbell taken from the second issue of his sadly defunct Egomania magazine. The book makes for a wonderful read for fans of either creator: a particularly personal work on the part of Moore, and an effortless mixed-media adaptation of a complex narrative by Campbell. If you missed the long out of print hardcover, now’s your chance.
John Hicklenton was one of the most distinctive, unsettling artists to come out of the pages of 2000AD, a spiritual successor to Kevin O’Neill in many ways. I remember as a young man feeling decidedly uneasy with his work on Nemesis the Warlock; the twisted figures and ugly faces oozed a kind of corrupt darkness that stood in marked contrast to anything else I was reading at the time. I was in equal parts repelled and fascinated by it, and always followed whatever projects he was working on. As you’re probably aware, Hicklenton passed away earlier this year after a long struggle with MS, but not before he completed a final piece of work intended to act as his epitaph. 100 Months is powerful stuff, a primal scream of visual poetry from an artist who will be remembered. Pat Mills remembers him here.
There is criminally little available in English of the works of Stéphane Blanquet. Apart from the the odd appearance in anthologies such as Zero Zero, or Blab, and a story in the recent Dungeon Monstres Vol 3, his distinctive style has attracted little English language attention. Fantagraphics are helping to remedy that this week with the publication of Toys in the Basement, a children’s book with a pleasingly dark side. Blanquet is a master of the grotesque, so this twisted tale of vengeful toys should be a lot of fun. Video preview here.
From the archives of Things We Nearly Didn’t Order And Boy Would I Have Felt An Ass comes Pang the Wandering Shaolin Monk.
Collecting the webcomic of (nearly) the same name by Ben Costa, Pang is an historical kung-fu fiction, based on the legend of a wandering Shaolin monk (duh) in 17th Century China. It’s a great read, and although you can get the whole thing online for free as a webcomic, the book looks like the kind of handsome artifact that will cause people to raise their eyebrows appreciatively when they visit your house and see it on your shelf. Or perhaps you could leave it lying about, as though by accident, and then say something like “Oh, what’s this historically accurate yet highly entertaining book about the Shaolin monks of 17th Century China doing out here?” Just a thought. Anyway, if you like the fantastical/historical stylings of Usagi Yojimbo (and why wouldn’t you?), then this is a pretty good bet.
Post-apocalyptic dinosaur survival stories (as the ever-popular genre is known) don’t get much better than Mark Schultz’s seminal work Xenozoic Tales (or Cadillacs & Dinosaurs, as it was known through part of its history). It’s strange to imagine now that this series was touted as the next Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in its day, with a cartoon series, video games, action figures, trading cards and more. It never quite hit the giddy heights of TMNT, but it did okay, and then largely disappeared from popular culture. As to the comics themselves, Schultz did a total of 14 issues of the series, and they are a beautifully illustrated homage to classic adventure stories, particularly to the works of Frank Frazetta & Al Williamson. Unavailable since the mid-2000’s, Flesk have released a complete collection of the series, a thumping great 352-page oversized softcover that arrives this week. Definitely worth the time and money. Previews can be found here.
Jonathan Hickman has quite rightly become one of the hottest new writers in Marvel’s thoroughbred stable. His work on SHIELD, Fantastic Four and Secret Warriors has felt fresh and exciting, full of big concepts grounded by solid character work. Before his Marvel debut, he built his reputation on a series of titles at Image, among which was superhuman sci-fi A Red Mass for Mars. Now available as a collection, the mini series – beautifully illustrated by Ryan Bodenheim – tells of an apocalyptic future where an Earth battered by climate change, super-viruses (natural and technological), nuclear terrorism and amoral superbeings suddenly finds itself under threat from alien invaders. It’s a lot more action-oriented than Hickman’s usual creator-owned work, but he certainly shows the chops necessary to make it work. A few feelgood preview pages from the first issue can be found here.
Gosh, is that the time? Okay, let’s take a little walk down bullet-point lane:
- Fans of boxing and avatars of all that is good in the human spirit can bliss out this week to DC’s reprinting of Superman Vs Muhammad Ali, the classic Denny O’Neil / Neal Adams team-up. It’s available in two formats: a facsimile hardcover edition, which reproduces the story in its original oversized form, and a normal comic-sized hardcover which, oh so teasingly, has a number of extra features including sketches and so on. Which to choose? Which to choose?
- Atomic Robo has a new mini starting, Atomic Robo: The Deadly Art of Science. Are you reading Atomic Robo? You really should be.
- Now, I’m not normally one to recommend video game tie-ins, simply for the reason that more often than not the effort put into them is, well, cursory at best. But when the creative team on that video game tie-in is Cameron Stewart & Karl Kerschel, well, I’m left with little choice. They could do a My Little Pony comic, and I’d probably still be able to recommend it. So it’s with great pleasure that I heartily give my advance approval to Assassin’s Creed: The Fall, a three-issue mini-series which transplants the (excellent, by the way) game series into Tsarist Russia. Preview.
- Nick Spencer, the upcoming and very friendly writer who recently popped through Gosh’s doors, has been given the reigns of a T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents (type that five times fast) relaunch at DC. With art by Cafu and covers by Frank Quitely, it looks like a nice start for the classic Wally Wood characters. Preview here.
- Ian Edginton (joint holder, along with Dan Abnett, of the Hardest Working Writer in UK Comics award) and artistic collaborator Davide Fabbri return to the world of the Victorian Undead this week. We’ve had Sherlock Holmes battling zombies and contending with Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde, but now Holmes and Watson find themselves pitting their wits against the vampiric menace of Dracula. It’s all in good fun, and a lot of fun it is.
And now for the news:
- Have you been salivating at the gigantic League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Century 1969 cover we have lurking at the top of our stairs? Well, you’ll be happy to know that Kevin O’Neill is now only a scant 12 pages away from finishing the book, putting us well on track for a release sometime around April 2011. Are you excited? I’ve seen a bunch of coloured pages and let me tell you, I’m excited!
- Our friend John Dunning (writer of Salem Brownstone, among other things) has alerted us to the onedotzero_adventures in motion festival at the BFI Southbank, running the 10th – 14th November. It’s an eclectic mix of visual arts featuring everything from an interactive installation by fashion designer/artist Cassette Playa, through to a screening of cut-scenes from the Call of Duty: Black Ops game. In between there somewhere is a showing of Steve Sale’s documentary Superhero Me, following his efforts to become a real-life costumed crusader in Epsom. Yes, Epsom. In Surrey. You can find out more about the man and the movie at his website here, and more about the onedotzero festival here.
- Big congratulations to Stephen Collins for winning this year’s Jonathan Cape/Observer/Comica Graphic Short Story competition! You may have seen Collins’ excellent work in the Solipsistic Pop anthologies. If not, do yourself a favour and check them out, and then jump on over to his blog, where you can also check out his winning entry. A real talent to watch. (Image below not from his winning submission. It’s just pretty great.)
And that’s me outta here until next week!
Andrew.