Comics Now! Magazine

Local SF artist Matt Salidy has been nominated for an Eisner award.  For those who don’t know Eisner awards are the “Oscars” of the comic book world.  Being nominated is an honor and it is also an opportunity to get exposed to a larger audience.  I was exposed for a number of different reasons.  Matt works part-time at Isotope Comic Lounge in San Francisco so there have been many days when Matt grabbed my pull list and rang me up.  Once I read that he was nominated I picked up a copy of his book.  You can pick one up from Amazon here: http://www.amazon.com/Homeless-Channel-Matt-Silady/dp/193205149X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1209601510&sr=1-1.

The first thing that jumped out at me was the unique use of photo realism and real “actors”.  The second thing took a while to set in but I was finally able to put my finger on it after a recent conversation with Matt.  Matt explained that one of the things he tried to do with this book was to somehow articulate the range of emotions he had regarding the homeless.  I learned from our talk that he was working on the book back during a period of especially aggressive panhandling by the homeless in the San Francisco Bay area.  San Francisco and Berkeley are known for their somewhat acceptance of the homeless and support for municipal programs for the homeless.  Good weather and plenty of corners made that summer 2 years ago a hell for those of us that lived or worked in San Francisco.  I mean you hate to be cold and heartless but I also won’t react positively when some of the homeless yell and berate me as I walk into my building.  If I do give a few dollars will it help or just encourage more begging and badgering?  I asked Matt if he experienced some of the situations in the book.  In a case of reverse irony Matt explained that his real nexus with the book occurred well after he completed it.

Apparently Matt had exchanged one his books for the cash while on the street.  At that moment a homeless person noticed the transaction and approached Matt for a handout.  This situation is an example of the dilemma the homeless often present.  Matt had just published his first book and with $12 earned in hand for the sweat of his art he looked at the sad face with his hand out.  The amount of money wasn’t important it was how it was earned and Matt had to think hard about parting with it.  Matt’s book The Homeless Channel wrestles with everything from compassion to frustration, that and a cable channel.  How?  Well you’ll have to read it yourself to find out.  Besides being a fine comic creator Matt is also an all around nice guy who lives his art and passions in a way that makes me jealous.  He is a teacher, creator, participator, and to my knowledge never a manipulator.  Congratulations Matt!

Links: 

Eisner Info: http://www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_eisners_main.shtml
MATT SILADY dot COM: http://web.mac.com/msilady/Pro_2.1/Welcome.html
Isotope Comics: http://isotopecomics.com/

Sean Wheatley has been reading and collecting comics for over 35 years.  Send comments and suggestions to: Seanwheatley1@earthlink.net

I recently had the opportunity to visit Milan, Dublin, and Barcelona.  The trip was for business but I did have enough free time to explore the comic shops in each of these cities.  The experience is very different in each city but the shop owners and customers are very much the same.  Conversations centered on late shipping books and crossover events in US comics that have been translated into the local languages (when English is not the primary language).  Each country also had its own comics and these books were the treasures I sought out.  I did pick a few translated US editions but I spent time with locals and shop owners to understand the local favorites.

Milan - In Milan comic books are sold on the newsstands.  Fortunately for me one of my business counterparts in Italy is also a comic book collector.  Andrea took me to the newsstand and showed me the various Italian titles and the Marvel/DC titles that have been translated and repackaged.  The Spider-Man title I picked up was much thicker than its US counterpart.  Besides the featured story this books also contained an additional two full stories from other current Marvel titles.  In my case I also got a Thunderbolts and New Avengers issue included with the main Spider-Man feature.  The interiors are exactly the same as their US counterparts but the covers are new and created just for the Italian edition.My friend Andrea recommended Gea.  This is a comic book that is published in manga style volumes with black and white interiors.  I had to use Wikipedia to get the plot synopsis since I don’t read Italian.  But once I understand the basic story I was able to enjoy the interesting line work and I was also able to follow the story through this last volume of the series.

Dublin - This city provided the richest comic experience (and largest hangover) of all the cities I visited on this trip.  Dublin has four comic shops; one chain store and three shops that are closer to what we in the US consider local comic shops.The first store I visited was Forbidden Planet (the chain store) and while the staff was friendly and welcoming they weren’t interested in getting to know me or doing more than pointing the walls and walls of books they have stocked.  Forbidden Planet had the largest store and the most inventories of US comics but ranked last in my list.  Next up was Crow Corner owned and operated by Liam.  This shop is a back issue mecca with stacks and boxes of all sorts of US, UK, and Irish comics.  Liam spent a significant amount of time digging out some early Grant Morrison books for me and he also was the best at pointing me to Irish comics.  Liam even found some comics published in Gaelic, these were perhaps the most interesting of all the comics I purchased on this trip.  Next stop was The Third Place run by Bruno.  Bruno is a Portuguese transplant and he and his customers were perhaps the friendliest and most entertaining.  I spent at least an hour in this shop talking comics and pop culture. The last shop of my Dublin tour was Sub-City.  Sub-City had a great selection of both current and back issues.  I picked up Gene Colan penciled Daredevil #59 for a mere $10.  This shop is really small but not on inventory or customers, I had to wait in line to get in but it was well worth it.  The favorite local comic artist is Gerry Hunt and I managed to get two different books created by him.  His books take place in Dublin and feature scenes and people that actually exist.  His style is hard to describe but is closer to Derek Robertson than anyone else I could think of.  The stories and art are rich in detail and now his stuff is available in the US so if you get a chance pick one up and let the world of Dublin draw you in.

Barcelona - The last stop on this trip was Barcelona and I was able to find one comic shop.  This shop was located in an area I probably shouldn’t have been in by myself but I managed to navigate the tiny streets and find this gem.  The owner didn’t speak much English but he was able to point me to Blacksad.  From what I could I make out he explained that this book was created by a Spaniard but it was originally translated to French and published there first.  It became so popular and acclaimed that the fans demanded to see it in its intended language and format.  I snapped up one of the hardcover editions and again I had to rely on other sources to get the storyline but once I had that the art pulled me in and I really enjoyed this edition.

Comics and comic fans exist all over the world and I am grateful that my business allows me to travel and meet them.  The languages and styles may differ but the enthusiasm and passion of the fans and owners seems to be universal.  I learned a lot and made a few new friends that hopefully I will get to see again one day.

Sean Wheatley has been reading and collecting comics for over 35 years.  Send comments and suggestions to: Seanwheatley1@earthlink.net

If you want to see the future of comics then look no further than the local kindergarten class.  Forget the crossover events and hot artists and all the other industry noise.  It’s cliché but the kids are the future of our hobby.

At the recent Comic Geek Speak 300th episode I had the pleasure of watching Luke Satterlee busting out sketches while his dad Chuck signed books and chatted with friends.  I was amazed at how much Luke understood about the characters and how he was able to articulate it in two dimensions.  I asked Luke for a sketch of Mr. Fantastic and he was happy to oblige.  Most artists (yes I’m calling Luke an artist) would have sketched Mr. Fantastic in some funky pose on a flat page.  Not Luke, instead he started his sketch on the front of the page and continued it onto the back.  It was like Reed Richards was stretched around and over the sketch page.  Luke already understands that the characters live in a 3-D world that has to be rendered in 2-D.  Luke has also taken up inking and I point you to his YouTube video as proof.  His understanding of the medium and characters is scary great for such a young mind.  Now obviously he enjoys all this and I would bet that we are going to see more from this young artist in years to come.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cVd153LUfs

Another example of youth gone wild on comics is my nephew Justin.  I sent him the “Learn to Draw Comics the Marvel Way” book and although he can’t yet read or understand all the text he did pick up on the illustrations.  He is now using panel layout and splash pages as he creates his own comics.  He proudly sent me his hand drawn first issue and I was again floored by how much he was able do all on his own.  Justin shares my love of Spider-Man and he is also the son of a firefighter.  This might explain the combination of Spidey and flames in “SuperHero”.

These two boys have done more to restore my faith in the future of the hobby than any “crossover event” of the last year.  I think we lost a generation of fans in the 90’s but if Luke and Justin are examples of the next generation to pick up the joy of visual storytelling then we are in good hands.

Sean Wheatley has been reading and collecting comics for over 35 years.  Send comments and suggestions to: Seanwheatley1@earthlink.net

The trade paperback has been a boon and a bore for comic fans.  Collected story arcs in self contained volumes have made it easy to get stories you might have missed and to enjoy older stories that you can’t afford to buy as singles.  I get it, I buy them but I have also started to notice that some floppies have started to stretch out stories so that they will be a good fit for the trade paperback format.  The current term thrown around message boards and such is “writing for the trade”.  The comic companies have decided to try and broaden their distribution and lengthen the shelf life of current story arcs by publishing the stories again and again in different formats.  This strategy has worked for the record companies as they continue to find ways to get us to re-buy our music.  Special extended versions and collectable packaging are often the bait.

Then came 52 and Civil War; these series offered the comic publishers a new way to package and resell crossover events.  Now I don’t think they had an Omnibus/Absolute strategy in place when the books were being written and readied for distribution but it wasn’t hard to see that the format was working to move older story lines such as Watchmen or Infinite Crisis.  Then with the popularity of the recent Captain America run and the freshly released Omnibus I think Marvel will no doubt continue to use this format.  I can foresee a Countdown Absolute and then the format will become part of the comic lifecycle.  Prepare the event, write and produce the floppies, prestige hardbacks, trade paperbacks and then the big daddy super special.  At first I was bemoaning the attempt to get my money but after reflecting I’ve decided that it is a great idea.

More choices mean more people will have the opportunity to read and enjoy the comic format and provide additional revenue to the publishers.  I mean we all want healthy publishers so our favorite heroes have a home and a regular schedule.  The only downside I can see is if the comic companies continue to s-s-s-s-s-stretch out story lines so that they fit into the format.  So I think the new story arc format will hold at 5-6 issues (with exceptions of course) and collectors will have the option of collecting bookshelf style or single issue style.  In the long run I think we all will win and the world of heroes will have new places to call home.

Sean Wheatley has been reading and collecting comics for over 35 years.  Send comments and suggestions to: Seanwheatley1@earthlink.net

How do you get your comics?  Online subscription service, a pull list at a LCS, or old fashioned walk ups are all fine ways to keep your comic monkey fed.  I hate to admit I use all three methods.  Each has its benefits and I figured the best way to get the most is to keep all three going.  My hardcover purchases are always made online to get the best discount available and I don’t have to lug the tomes home from the store since delivery is part of the online experience.  My Amazing Spider-Man Omnibus was almost half off cover price at Discount Comic Book Service and all fifteen pounds of it were delivered to my doorstep.  When I want to talk comics with other comic geeks I make sure I have a few dollars to drop on Wednesday when I visit Gary’s Comics in Morgantown West Virginia.  The staff and customers are like a family with Gary at the head of the table.  I have gotten great recommendations and a few back issue runs to get me caught up with a current title.  I make sure to take a late lunch on Wednesday’s just so I can escape to Gary’s and geek out for 30 minutes.  Finally I have a pull list at my local comic shop in San Francisco.  Sure I could consolidate but then I might miss something.  I mean how many people get to buy their comics on both coasts each week?

If I were just concerned about the money I’d go online for everything but there are some experiences that can only happen in a comic shop.  Today my fiancee Stacey and I went to our local comic shop to pick up my pull list and the new Buffy issue.  The store owner James was in the process of planning for an upcoming artist appearance.  Later this month J.H Williams III (http://www.jhwilliams3.com/wp-content/plugins/falbum/wp/album.php?show=recent) will make an appearance at Isotope Comic Lounge.  There he will display and sell pages that include Batman issues 667-668.  I just read these books yesterday and while I am still trying to figure out the Grant Morrison story the art immediately blew me away.  I thought it was different and rich, that was until James asked if would like to see the original pages.  For the next 25 minutes Stacey, James and I carefully examined each page and panel.  My appreciation for the artist is twenty fold now.  The amount of effort and detail that went into these pages was breathtaking.  J.H. Williams inks himself and he also plays with white overspray, water colors, and red splatters on his pages.  I can only imagine how much these pages are worth.  We were having a deeper connection with the issues now that the actual pen strokes were at our fingertips.  Stacey rushed to read the finished comics once we got home and now she wants to follow Batman each month.

We must have looked at over $10,000 worth of original art today.  We discussed and studied it page by page.  This experience could only have happened in a local comic shop.  James and Gary each provide their comic community a place to meet and share.  Special events and local flair make these shops special.  None of this would have been possible via mail order so please be sure to support your local comic shop whenever possible.  It’s about more than the books; it’s about the community too.

Sean Wheatley has been reading and collecting comics for over 35 years.  Send comments and suggestions to: Seanwheatley1@earthlink.net

I have three nephews, all of them at ages where I can influence their reading habits.  I recently discovered that with a little effort and time I could find books at deep discounts that might ignite their interest in comic books.  This week I spotlight four books from Overstock.com.  At these prices my nephews can beat up these volumes without worry; in fact I hope they wear the covers off.  

Other dumpster diving resources include the discount book section of Barnes and Nobles website.  The selection there changes often so you have to check back regularly.  A little trick I use is to scan the discounted book section of the local store and make a list, and then I find the same books on their website at an even bigger discount. 

The selections below can be found at Overstock.com while supplies last. 

 Marvel Five Fabulous Decades of the World’s Greatest Comics $18.78 by Daniels, Les

http://www.overstock.com/Books-Movies-Music-Games/Marvel/793968/product.html 

 The Marvel Comics Encyclopedia $25.08 The Complete Guide to the Characters of the Marvel Universe by DK Publishing, Inc.

http://www.overstock.com/Books-Movies-Music-Games/The-Marvel-Comics-Encyclopedia/1970610/product.html  

 The DC Comics Encyclopedia $25.08 by Jimenez, Phil

http://www.overstock.com/Books-Movies-Music-Games/The-Dc-Comics-Encyclopedia/1007344/product.html  

 The Amazing Spider-Man Pop-Up: Marvel True Believers Retro Collection $15.67 by Marvel

http://www.overstock.com/Books-Movies-Music-Games/The-Amazing-Spider-Man-Pop-Up-Marvel-True-Believers-Retro-Collection/2141589/product.html  

Sean Wheatley has been reading and collecting comics for over 35 years.  Send comments and suggestions to: Seanwheatley1@earthlink.net

The Last Fantastic Four Story – Stan Lee & John Romita Jr. – One Shot $4.99

Colors by Civil War veteran Morry Hollowell

Mild Spoilers Follow

I didn’t expect much from this comic and I have to say it delivered exactly that.  The packaging, the art, and the included script for the story were excellent it is just too bad that the actual meat of the book couldn’t live up to the high production value of the total package.  I won’t give away the full story but suffice it to say that Stan Lee didn’t really stretch himself to weave this tale.  The characters seemed flat and the portrayal of the Thing was so far out of character I wondered if Stan remembered the heart he created in Ben Grimm.  On the upside the interior colors and art were fun and I especially enjoyed the cameo by the Inhumans.  This was the second time this summer I watched Blackbolt open his mouth in an effort to save a world.  The major disappointment for me was the resolution of the conflict.  It was pure 1970’s DC.  The battle unexpectedly turns to favor our heroes, we don’t know why until Reed explains what had happened off panel that turned the battle.  This device is neat and clean and oh so easy to write.  There is more to the story so if you are “True Believer” you may want to pick this issue up now; otherwise I suggest waiting for the dollar bin.

Bad Boy Trouble! Part 3 – Melanie J. Morgan & Steven Butler – Betty and Veronica Double Digest #153 $3.69

Inks by Marvel legend Al Milgrom

Mild Spoilers Follow

Grim and gritty has finally made it to Riverdale High.  This summer Archie Comics celebrated a birthday and radically updated characters that have remained largely unchanged for decades.  The four part Bad Boy Trouble has been billed as an experiment to see if there is fan support for reading Archie stories that include current themes and situations.  The story revolves around a school yard shakedowns that culminates in one of the wildest fight scenes this side of World War Hulk.  Page after page of big punches and a surprise finish that really satisfies this old man.  I grew accustomed to the new look within a few panels and the influence of Al Milgrom’s inks gave this updated Archie story an old Marvel feel.  The rest of the digest is in the traditional Archie style which should quiet the Betty and Veronica purists out there.  If we can support 52 universes at DC then I think we should also make room for the new class of Riverdale.

Amazing Spider-Man #1 / Fantastic Four #1 US Postal Service Limited Edition - Stan Lee & Steve Ditko / Stan Lee & Jack Kirby $19.99 includes sheet of 20 Marvel stamps and 1^st day issue envelope

The US Postal Service just released its second series of superhero themed postage stamps.  Along with the stamps the USPS also released a number of additional items to commemorate the occasion.  I purchased the limited edition reprint of Amazing Spider-Man 1 / Fantastic Four 1 package which included a sheet of the new stamps and a 1^st day issue envelope.  The best part of the package was the comic, of course.  We all know both of these stories but when was the last time you actually sat down and reread the pages in comic form?  Steve Ditko’s art is still crazy wonderful and it made me believe that Spidey could hold on to a space capsule re-entering earth’s atmosphere.  The Fantastic Four stories also hold up surprising well.  The Mole Man reveal and origin still choke me up and the sacrifice he makes at the end is the first of many tragic ends that flow through the Marvel universe to this day.

In addition to three classic reprints the comic also contains enlargements and credits for the covers used on the postage stamps.  It is great to see the artists and writers of the classic tales acknowledged this way.  This is an easy way to get the next generation interested in the heroes we love.

Sean Wheatley has been reading and collecting comics for over 35 years.  Send comments and suggestions to: Seanwheatley1@earthlink.net

The magazine is called Comics Now! so I’d like to launch my column here with a commentary on the current state of comics and how it is really not that different from the state of comics ten or even thirty years ago. When I started reading comics in the 70s the medium was in an interesting place.  Comic books were showing up in convenience stores on spinner racks and in supermarkets as part of three packs.  This was a change from the newsstand-centric distribution model of the previous decade.  Comic book companies were flush with great artistic talent (Romita, Kane, Buscema, Windsor-Smith, etc.).  Fans also had a great publication in the Comics Buyer Guide and it seemed like every new TV season brought comic characters into the schedule.  The times were ripe for a new age in comics.  

Fast forward twenty years and the situation remained the same except for the players.  Comics distribution had changed from the spinner racks to direct market outlets.  The companies were again flush with great talent (McFarlane, Lee, Keown, etc.).  Fans turned to Wizard to get the latest news and reviews.  Movies and television continued to mine comic books for stories and character to use in their new seasons. 

Another ten years forward and it seems the situations are still the same.  Comics are once again poised for a new age.  The outlets have continued to expand to now include traditional book stores and online outlets.  The trade paperback and the re-release of old material is helping prepare a new generation of caretakers for our hobby.  The talent pool is as deep and wide as ever with new artists and writers.  Comic fans have a great new magazine, Comics Now!.  Television and movies continue to use comic stories and characters.  It seems the beat goes on . . . and on . . . 

The real difference is me.  There was an innocence in the color, adventure, and characters of my youth.  I loved it when my heroes left NY because that meant I did too.  The cliff hangers at the end of each issue were suspensful since message boards and Previews hadn’t been thought of yet, you had to wait.  There was a real anticpation for the next issue.  Was Aunt May really going to marry Doc Ock?  Comic readers shared and traded comics with friends in the neighborhood.  Local comic communitites were sprouting up all over, but they were not connected.  I think the strongest memory of my 70s comics was the hero.  Comic books provided a sense of escape and they depicted a world where justice did prevail and the evil doers were punished. The adult comic world is very different in this age of Previews, message boards, news sites, and in the expanded coverage traditional media gives comics.  Artists and creators seem more important than the characters at times but we now have a truly global community.  As an adult I expect a certain return on my comic investment.  The story and art need to be worthy of my hard earned dollars.  My hobby has plenty of familiarity and comfort but my adult tastes and expectations have changed my view of comics.  I still love them, just in a different way. 

Sean Wheatley has been reading and collecting comics for over 35 years.  Send comments and suggestions to: Seanwheatley1@earthlink.net