Graffic Traffic
by Ryk McIntyre
Many years ago (1991 or so), the best and most profitable of Marvel Comics’ stable left, disgruntled at creating characters and being stiffed on licensing money, to form Image Comics. At first laughed at, they have since become easily the third largest comic company. To underscore their fortunes and Marvel’s trials, two of them, Rob Liefield and Jim Lee, were invited back to “re-launch” some of Marvel’s oldest core titles. Now they get the chance to do some stiffing themselves.
If you know anything about Rob “Can’t draw, don’t care, wait till you read my prose” Liefield, then I don’t need to tell you how bad Captain America and The Avengers are. I mean, I really don’t have to tell you. Let’s just move on, folks – nothing more to see here. At least Jim Lee’s crew makes Iron Man look “cool techno” even if everybody’s character is re-written with extra asshole or angst. Great haircuts, though. Bruce (Hulk) Banner makes it look like that early ’80s “New Romantic” thing could make a comeback. (Hairstylists rejoice!) Similarly, Fantastic Four, which, unlike the other three, up-dates their origin, benefits from the modern approach – the techno looks big, slick, and daunting, and the characters look, well, fantastic. In particular check out pages 40 and 41. That is one fine drawing of The Thing. Taking us up to their initial encounter with the Moleman, this comic at least accomplishes what this re-launch is supposed to be about: old favorites with a new look. Good if you like this sort of thing. (Sorry.)
Putting Marvel characters to much better use, long-time “writer of stuff” Peter David offers two worthwhile one-shots. The first is the TPB of The Last Avengers Story, in which older heroes we know, newer namesakes, and returning villains, all combine for a terse, grim bloodfest with a final uplifting moment I’ll not divulge to you. Rest assured that Ariel Olivetti’s art makes the book all the better with a grim tone that reminds me of Glen Fabry or Simon Bisley, where muscles are veiny and injuries are bloody, splintery things.
Similarly, Incredible Hulk – Hercules Unleashed, also by Peter David, finally uses these two characters, especially Hercules, in the way he ought to be presented, set against Greek mythology. Apparently there to tie up several loose plot threads, it still makes a great stands-by-itself single comic, something there just aren’t enough of these days.
But Marvel isn’t the only publisher to talk about this month. After a series of real flop team-up books, Dark Horse finally hit on a solid target with Ghost & the Shadow (Doug Moench – writer, H.M. Baker and Bernard Koller – art), which has a simple story line that makes sense for the characters in question and that treats them accordingly, with an ending open enough for a sequel and satisfying enough for a one-shot. Another comic you need not wait a month to continue or finish.
From Omaha Cat Dancer creator Reed Waller comes Thumbing Boxes, an erotic (I mean hot!) tale of voyeurism and fourth-wall storytelling. It starts off with two college students, who it turns out are a video watched by two women (who then have sex), which is in turn a video watched by two couples (more sex), which is yet another video watched by a single couple who then get up off the couch and go into their bedroom (I bet they have sex but we don’t get to see it, goddammit!). Done in an innovative computer art style (adroitly explained in the front inside cover – yeah all that print you tore past to get to the sex), this book is what erotica should be. Fantagraphic scores, so to speak.
Finally this month, I offer up a comics-medium triumph from the quiet pen and steamy brain of Peter Kuper. Titled Eye of the Beholder (Nantier, Beall & Minoust-chine), this collection of strips done on four small panels on one page with the follow-through, or punch-line, done in one large panel on the next page, depicts life in the city through the expressive black and white, almost wood-cut style of Mr. Kuper. This collection is great to thumb-through at random or read cover-to-cover for the cumulative effect that is modern urban living. It’s no wonder that even non-comic magazines such as Rolling Stone, The New Yorker and The Village Voice have taken notice of this rare individual’s talent. It ain’t superheroes but it doesn’t have to be. So there.
