Now Read This!

Wondering, “WHAT SHALL I GET HIM FOR CHRISTMAS?”

 

By Bill Watterson
ISBN13: 978-0751512748 Paperback (Time Warner) ISBN: 0-8362-1809-4 Hardback (Andrews and McMeel)

Christmas is best experienced through the eyes of a child — and better yet if he’s a fictional child controlled by the whimsical sensibilities of a comic strip genius like Bill Watterson. Unlike most of his fellows, Watterson shunned the spotlight and the merchandising Babylon that follows a comic strip mega-hit and dedicated all his spirit and energies into producing one of the greatest treatments on childhood and the twin and inevitably converging worlds of fantasy and reality anywhere in fiction.

Calvin is a hyper-active little boy growing up in suburban middle-American Everytown. There’s a city nearby, with Museums and such, and a little bit of wooded wilderness at the bottom of the garden. The kid’s smart, academically uninspired and happy in his own world. He’s you and me. His best friend and companion is a stuffed tiger named Hobbes, who may or may not be alive…

And that’s all the help you’re getting. If you know the strip you already love it, and if you don’t you won’t appreciate my destroying the joys of discovery for you. This is beautiful, charming, clever, intoxicating and addictive tale-telling, blending wonder and laughter, socially responsible and wildly funny. After ten years, at the top of his game Watterson retired the strip and himself, and though I bitterly resent it, and miss it still, I suppose it’s best to go out on a peak rather than fade way by degrees.

This sumptuous volume is a compendium of the first two collections, Calvin and Hobbes and Something Under the Bed Is Drooling, and shows the magic of the strip in tales that will make you laugh and isn’t afraid to make you cry. Truly this is a masterpiece and landmark of American cartooning. This year why not get yourself a present that will keep on giving?

© 1988 Universal Press Syndicate. All Rights Reserved.

By Hunt Emerson (Knockabout)
ISBN: 0-86166-050-1

Calculus Cat is a bitter creature trapped in a loveless relationship with no way out. All day he goes out, slaving at his dire job of scooting about with a broad and painful smile whilst people throw stuff at him, and when he gets home instead of Tender Loving Care he gets more grief; relentless grief.

For in the Cat’s world the television set loves him, needs him and exploits him.

Cryptic, surreal, weirdly symbolic and brilliantly funny in a uniquely British way these collected strips detail the war of nerves and will between a TV set that is compelled and driven to bombard the cat with advertising, offering teasing little snippets of seductive entertainment like Supercar or westerns every time the hapless feline musters enough self-respect to attempt a break-up. As an allegory of marriage it is wonderful, as a description of our relationship with the Media it’s actually a little scary… but I did mention that it was very funny, right?

Produced occasionally, and with the unspecified help of the enigmatic “Pokkettz”, this is an art-lover’s delight – as always – but has hidden depths and echoes. Yet another prime candidate for the clarion battle-cry, “Back in Print, Now!” “Back in Print, Now!”

© 1987 Hunt Emerson. All Rights Reserved.

By James A. Owen (Coppervale Press)
No ISBN: ASIN: B0006QCPRO

This fantasy epic collects (although with such drastic reworking it might best be considered a “Director’s Cut”) the self-published tales by graphic artisan and novelist James A. Owen who began his opus with 13 issues from Taliesin Press. He eventually retrenched as Coppervale Press with the miniseries Crossroads, Mythopolis and Tales from the TwoPenny Inn.

Starchild is an expansive, if sometimes ponderous, generational saga that explores the nature of the creative act using a rustic and classical fairytale as the narrative engine. Rather than précis the collection, it’s in the interests of potential readers to take away a flavour and experience the tales (some of which might be considered rather slight and derivative) in context rather than with my blather creating too many preconceptions.

Ezekiel Higgins was once a momentary dalliance of Titania, the Queen of Faerie, and the text follows the lives of the children and grandchildren of that union. At first the tales are over-complex and uncomfortably familiar but as the author grows into his craft and exhibits some narrative discipline the development of his characters and world eventually consolidates into a strong and solid base to build myths on and in.

Dark, atmospheric artwork and a strong design flair add to the traditional fantasy flavour, and in a time when the core conceits are considered Big Box Office, this is a book that might find favour with a broader audience if revived.

© 1995 James A. Owen. All Rights Reserved.

Wondering, “WHAT SHALL I GET HIM FOR CHRISTMAS?”

By Jeff Smith, coloured by Steve Hamaker (DC Comics)
ISBN13: 978-1-84576-389-3

This is a wonderful book.

No soft-soap, no easing you in. Jeff Smith has come the closest yet to recapturing the naive yet knowing charm that made the World’s Mightiest Innocent far and away the most successful super-character of the Golden Age in this reworking of one of his greatest adventures.

Billy Batson is a little homeless kid with a murky past and a glorious destiny. One night he follows a mysterious figure into an abandoned subway station and meets the wizard Shazam, who gives him the ability to turn into a full-grown superhero called Captain Marvel. Gifted with the wisdom of Solomon, the strength of Hercules, the stamina of Atlas, the power of Zeus, the courage of Achilles and the speed of Mercury, the lad is sent into the world to do good.

Accompanied by the talking tiger-spirit Mr. Tawky Tawny, Billy sets out to find the little sister he didn’t know he had, fighting evils big and small, but impetuously causes a ripple in the world’s magical fabric that endangers the universe. He also encounters evil genius Dr. Sivanna, US Attorney General and would-be ruler of the universe, and the deadly and hideous minions of the mysterious Mr. Mind, whose Monster Society of Evil is dedicated to wiping out humanity! Can he make amends and save the day…?

The original saga ran in Captain Marvel Adventures #22-46, from 1943 to 1946, an ambitious and captivating chapter-play in the manner of the popular movie serials of the day, and is still regarded as one of the most memorable achievements of Golden-Age comic books. It’s fairly safe to say that this reworking is going to stay in people’s hearts and minds for a good long time, too.

Jeff Smith has accomplished the impossible here. He has created a superhero tale for all ages and hopefully returned some part of the genre to the children for whom it was originally intended. Monster Society of Evil is exciting, spectacular, moving and unselfconscious; revelling in the power of its own roots and the audience’s unbridled capacity for joy.

This volume is also stuffed with added features. The dust-jacket opens into a truly magical double-sided poster, there are sketch and script pages for the reader with industry aspirations, biographies and historical sections, a lavishly illustrated production journal, puzzles and even a modern version of the secret code used as a circulation builder in the 1940s. Most important though is the mesmerising quality of the story and artwork. This volume (originally published as a four issue prestige format miniseries) is a true gem.

Words are cheap and I’ve used enough: now go get this is a wonderful, marvellous book.

© 2007 DC Comics. All Rights Reserved.

By Craig Conlan (Slab-O-Concrete)
ISBN: 1-899866-22-1

The so-groovy chick with the abundant, animated coiffure returns for another collection of saucy, surreal and superbly stylish adventures which reference and glorify everything important to the modern Man or Miss in this second collection from Craig Conlan.

Within this slim tome you will find Hairy Mary pursuing a new career as a Spokes-Model, nearly marrying a vampire, spoofing Japanese Rubber Monster Movies and pursuing her latest One-True-Love to the Sushi-Bar and the Plastic Babylon Zoo.

In a dazzling variety of formats (including an illustrated prose novella and activity pages) the hirsute heroine and her fabulous cast of eccentrics enjoy the kind of sassy exploits that other comics characters can only dream of, and provide the reader with a breathless and captivating riot of graphic euphoria that is sadly missing from modern storytelling.

Fun, and proud of it!

© 1998-1999 Craig Conlan. All Rights Reserved.

By various (Archie Comics)
ISBN: 1-879794-01-2

Adapting seamlessly to every trend and fad of youth culture, the creators who’ve crafted Archie Comics over the decades have made the “everyteens” of Riverdale a touchstone of American childhood and a visual barometer of growing up.

After initially jumping on the superhero/mystery-man bandwagon in 1939, Maurice Coyne, Louis Silberkleit and John Goldwater (MLJ) were quick to spot a gap in their blossoming market. In December 1941 the costumed heroes and two-fisted adventure strips were supplemented by a wholesome ordinary hero, an “average teen” who would have ordinary adventures like the readers, but with the laughs and slapstick emphasised.

Pep Comics #22 introduced ‘Archie’ a gap-toothed, freckle-faced red-headed goof showing off to pretty blonde Betty next door. Taking his lead from the popular “Andy Hardy” movies starring Mickey Rooney, Goldwater developed the concept, tasking writer Vic Bloom and artist Bob Montana with the job of making it work.

The strip was an instant hit. By the winter of 1942 Archie had his own title, the company’s first non-anthology magazine and with it began the transformation of the entire company. When rich, black-haired Veronica Lodge arrived all the pieces were in play for the industry’s second Phenomenon (Superman being the first). By May 1946 the kids had taken over, so the company renamed itself ‘Archie Comics’, retiring its heroic characters years before the end of the Golden Age and becoming to all intents and purposes a publisher of family comedies. Its success, like the Man of Steel’s, changed the content of every other publisher’s titles, and led to a multi-media industry including TV, movies, pop-songs and even a chain of restaurants.

Archie is a well-meaning boy who lacks common sense. Betty is the pretty, sensible girl next door, with all that entails. She loves Archie. Veronica is rich, exotic and glamorous; she only settles for our boy if there’s nobody better around. She might actually love him though. Archie can’t decide who he wants…

Archie’s unconventional best friend Jughead Jones is Mercutio to Archie’s Romeo, providing rationality and a reader’s voice, as well as being a powerful catalyst of events in his own right. The wholesome eternal triangle (+ one) has been the basis of more than sixty-five years of charming, raucous, gentle, frenetic, chiding and even heart-rending comedy ranging from surreal wit to frantic slapstick, as the kids and an increasing cast of friends grew into an American institution. So pervasive is the imagery that it’s a part of Americana itself. When you watch Happy Days, that’s the 1950s Riverdale crowd you’re tuning in to, and that’s never more apparent than in this second volume containing some of the best stories of that iconic decade.

According to many fans and purists it’s also the absolute zenith of quality material. That mythical America of Drive-Ins, Bobbysocks, Big Cars with Fins, Men in Hats and Malt-Shops was the ideal environment to perfect the strip and blend innocence, innuendo and ingenuity (all fine teen-ager qualities) with raucous knockabout comedy that ranked with the best that Hollywood and the new medium of Television could offer.

In this volume the kids of Riverdale deal with everything from the threat of Atomic War, to Hula Hoops, fads and fashions and the timeless struggles of Boy Vs Girl, Boy Vs Rival Boy, Boy Vs Alarm-Clock, Boy Vs Girl’s Father and every permutation in between.

With such writers as Frank Doyle, George Gladir, Sy Reit, Tom Moore and artists like Bob Montana, Bob Bolling, Dan DeCarlo, Joe Edwards, Samm Schwartz, Bill Vigoda and the legendary Harry Lucey (who famously only drew clothes on the first page of his stories – leaving production assistant Terry Szenics to cover up those hormone-crazed teens) these tales are timeless masterpieces of their type, and still capable of splitting sides and charming the pants off most readers today.

© 1953-1959, 1992, 2007 Archie Publications Inc. All Rights Reserved.

By Bob Harras, Paul Neary, Kim DeMulder & Bernie Jaye (Marvel)
ISBN: 0-87135-554-X

Nick Fury the spy debuted at the height of the 1960s espionage fad, following on the heels of James Bond, Danger Man, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and so very many others. He was also already the star of Marvel’s only war comic Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos, an improbable and decidedly over-the-top WWII series similar to The Dirty Dozen. For a few brief years with Jim Steranko in charge the S.H.I.E.L.D. series was one of the best strips in America if not the world, but when the writer/artist left and the spy-fad ended the whole concept faded into the background architecture of the Marvel Universe.

In 1989 a six issue prestige format miniseries reinvigorated the concept. As a company targeting the youth-oriented markets Marvel had experienced problems with their in-house clandestine organisation. In most of their other titles US agents and “the Feds” were more often than not the bad guys, and here Bob Harras used this theme as well as the oddly quirky self-referential fact that nobody aged in comic continuity to play games with the readers.

When Fury discovers that everybody in the organisation has been “turned” and is now a threat to freedom and democracy he goes on the run, hunted with all the resources of the world’s most powerful covert agency. Can he turn the tables on the edifice he created with every friend against him and reclaim S.H.I.E.L.D. for the forces of Good? Can he even survive until morning?

Crafted to blend Invasion of the Body-Snatchers with The Spy Who Came in From the Cold this is a frantic all-out thriller that pays little attention to common-sense or the meticulous and stifling minutiae of continuity but concentrates on momentum to tell an entertaining tale. Daft, fast-paced and as paranoid as a bag of monkeys on goof-balls – as any decent spy-thriller should be – there’s lot’s of fun to be had here for readers not too tied in to pedantry or history.

© 1989 Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

By Chuck Dixon, Kevin West & Bob Almond (WildStorm)
ISBN13: 978-1-0-84576-634-4

Here’s a rare treat for readers other than dyed-in-the-wool teen-slasher fanatics as the two tales in this compilation (collecting issues #1-3 and #5-7 of the comic-book) offer at least the possibility that the victims can escape an inevitable fate in a far above average example of how to write a licensed horror property.

First is ‘Freddy’s War’, the tale of army brat Jade Arnstrum who moves into the accursed suburban backwater of Springwood with her brother Brad and retired Marine dad. Even before she’s unpacked she’s having weird dreams. A little girl nobody sees gives her vague warnings and there’s a sense of menace…

When her brother burns to death she finally finds a kid willing to tell her the story of Freddy Krueger, but unlike the beaten sheep of the town she decides to include her dad in the secret and together they take the fight into the dreamworld. This time Freddy’s got a battle on his hands. Drawn in a powerfully underplayed manner by Kevin West and inked by Bob Almond, Chuck Dixon’s taut script even provides an unexpected conclusion for we jaded know-it-alls.

‘The Demon of Sleep’ by the same creative team is another welcome variation on the theme. Every school has its outsiders and the smart nerdy outcasts of Springwood know that as well as the Jocks and the Popular cliques making their lives hell, eventually so will the spectral monster that kills in dreams. Unlike normal kids though, these bright sparks know how to cooperate, and they have a plan…

This dark, sardonic tale has plenty of shocks and twists in a nasty little adventure that mirrors supernatural trauma with the true horror of High School life and once again the story provides enough surprises to provide some genuine moments of tension.

In a genre that swims in predictability these gory yarns prove that a little thought can still work miracles. This book is a rare treat for all horror fans.

© & ™ MMVII New Line Productions, Inc. A Nightmare on Elm Street is ™ New Line Productions, Inc, (so7). © 2006, 2007 New Line Productions, Inc. All Rights Reserved.