Peter Bagge's Reset

In the tradition of one-word titles like Yeah! and Hate, Dark Horse Comics announced a new project from creator Peter Bagge, Reset.

The press release from Dark Horse describes the book as: “If you could relive major events in your life, would you take a stab at making things better—and would your best attempts only make things worse? Or would you use your second chance to put your most twisted, perverted fantasies in motion? These are questions washed-up actor and comedian Guy Krause asks himself after he signs up to be the main research subject for a virtual-reality experiment.”

The first issue of the four-issue series comes out in April and features a variant cover from Matt Kindt, which you can see after the jump.

*****

Matt Kindt variant cover

You know what would make a great Christmas present? A publisher announcing they’re going to collect this great, lamentably short-lived series.

In 2003, after Yeah!, his all-ages series with Gilbert Hernandez, was canceled and the one-shot Spider-Man comic for Marvel came and went, Peter Bagge attempted one more volley in the world of mainstream publishing with Sweatshop, a monthly series that covered the trials and travails of a hapless group of worn-down cartoonists who worked as “interns” for Mel Bowling, creator of the sub-par daily newspaper strip Freddy Ferrett.

A lot of familiar Bagge archetypes reside in this comic. Bowling is clearly created in the Brad Bradley/Murray Wilson category of reactionary, loudmouth father figures, someone more eager to share his opinion than listen to someone else’s. The cast is further rounded out by Mel’s long-suffering, pushover sister Millie; the constantly grousing, put-upon Nick; the nerdy Alfred, who dreams of superhero glory; and Carrie the sweet, ever-optimistic indie girl.

Setting his story within the confines of the comics industry may seem like navel gazing at first glance, but Bagge avoids easy jokes about comic conventions and smelly, socially awkward fans to offer a narrower, more sharply observed satire. He gets to mock various styles of comics by running one-page samples of the interns self-published work for example. It also allows him to poke some gentle fun at well-established figures like Neil Gaiman (who gets his pants set on fire) and Patrick McDonnell (who gets an award shoved down his throat).

Bagge’s writing is in fine form here; the charcters are broad enough to allow for a good bit of slapstick and bug-eyed reactions, but sharply drawn enough to seem more like individuals than types. Even better, Bagge brought in a bunch of his friends and compatriots from the alt-comics world to help him work on the comic,  including Johnny Ryan, Stephan DeStefano, Stephanie Gladden and Bill Wray.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, it didn’t last very long. Sweatshop failed to pick up much of an audience, DC didn’t market it well and the series was cancelled after the sixth issue. With Fantagraphics releasing the collected edition of Yeah! earlier this year, it doesn’t seem unreasonable to hope that Groth and company — or some other publisher, I’m not picky — will attempt to collect this series into a slim trade paperback. While back issues are easy enough to find, it would be nice to have the entire thing sitting in one volume on the bookshelf.

Fantagraphics mini-comics

Wouldn’t it be awesome if everywhere you shopped this holiday season offered a minicomic with a $50 purchase? Fantagraphics is doing just that, through their online store. They’ve created 21 mini-comics by a variety of their creators that are available free with the purchase of their “matching” book or books, or for simply purchasing $50 worth of stuff from their catalog.

“I always was very fond of the mini-comics format — take two to four 8 1/2 x 11 sheets, fold them once, staple, and voilà!” wrote Kim Thompson. “You have an adorable little 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 comic book for mere pennies. But I could never really figure out what to do with this old-school, low-tech format. Until now!”

The contents of the mini-comics are fairly unique, too; there’s a David B. one featuring a never-before-translated-into-English tale, and a Stan Sakai one that reprints a Nilson Groundthumper story that originally appeared in the Critters anthology back in the day. There’s one featuring out-of-print Peter Bagge strips, and one featuring a full-color 10-page summary of Tony Millionaire’s doomed attempt to get Billy Hazelnuts onto television. And more, by the Hernandez Bros., Jim Woodring, Johnny Ryan, Richard Sala, Bill Griffith, Ivan Brunetti and even Doc Winner, E.C. Segar’s assistant on Popeye.

The big chain stores might have cheap TVs this weekend, but how many of them come with a Tony Millionaire mini-comic? Not nearly enough, I tell ya.

Bully enjoys Astronaut Academy

Hello and welcome once again to What Are You Reading? This week it is our distinct pleasure to welcome our very  special guest Bully, the little stuffed bull, who blogs about all sorts of comics with the help of his friend, John DiBello.

To see what Bully and the rest of the Robot 6 crew have been reading lately, click on the link below.

Justice League Elite

Tom Bondurant: This week I finally got a chance to read Justice League Elite, the 12-issue 2004-05 miniseries from writer Joe Kelly, penciller Doug Mahnke, and inker Tom Nguyen. It was their follow-up to/continuation of their run on both Justice League of America and Action Comics. Specifically, it picked up after “What’s So Funny About Truth, Justice, and the American Way?” in Action #775, in which Superman (and Kelly) addressed concerns that he’d become irrelevant in a world which demanded different kinds of superheroes. Accordingly, Justice League Elite combined a handful of Leaguers with the do-what’s-necessary Elite, taking on missions too unsavory for the regular JLA. I read the first couple of issues back when they came out, but they never did anything for me, and I didn’t get the rest of the series. However, I’d always been a little curious about what I’d missed, and now I’m glad I got the two-volume collection. (Included in Volume 1 is Action #775 and JLA #100, which set up the team.)

In hindsight, JL Elite‘s mix of politics, black-ups, and superpowers reminded me of Greg Rucka’s work on Checkmate, except with the JLA’s reputation at stake instead of the UN’s. Basically there are two arcs, one dealing with a political assassination (which gets blamed on the Elite) and the other involving alien drug dealers who want an artifact from the Morrison/Porter run on JLA. I liked it well enough — I suppose a superhero-reader’s “reader-identification” character is Wally “Flash” West, who splits time between both teams and who becomes the JL Elite’s conscience. Wally’s often portrayed as idealistic, but going back to his New Teen Titans days he’s also kind of conservative, and I think both sides come out here. Contrasting with Wally is Green Arrow, whose liberalism gives way to pragmatic world-weariness. The new characters of the Elite don’t quite fare as well, although they each have distinct personalities. Basically they get lost in the larger plot. Overall, though, it’s engaging reading, and it makes me want to revisit Kelly and Mahnke’s contemporaneous DC work.

I’ve also started reading Tales of the Batman: Gene Colan Vol. 1, a handsome volume whose first story sucked me right in. “A Man Called Mole!” comes from October 1981′s Batman #340, and it brings back a villain from World’s Finest Comics #80 – but writers Gerry Conway and Roy Thomas also throw in some pretty obvious references to “Mole!,” a 1952 classic from Mad #2. (Two of the Mole’s victims are named Kurtzmann and Elder.) Still, apart from that, it’s a neat standalone Batman story, pitting the Darknight Detective against a grotesque (and somewhat tragic) foe. Colan tells it with customary style, whether he’s drawing a racing Batmobile, a driving rainstorm, or just our hero flowing smoothly into and out of scenes. Looking forward to the rest of the book.

Justice League #1

Tim O’Shea: Justice League 1: If I was a teenager (the target audience), I think I would have been bored by this issue. That being said, I am not a teenager. Artist Jim Lee? Please go to a high school football game, I think the last high school that used a scoreboard like that closed in the 1980s. And what was with the American flag in the background of Vic Stone’s football catch. Can the kid really leap 10 feet? This does not bode well for the new 52. It read like a weak Elseworlds issue to me. Granted I do not think a 40+ year old man is the target audience for this book, but a woman who may have picked up this issue hoping to see a woman, any woman in this issue, you are out of luck. Wonder Woman on the cover and nowhere else (unless you count the sketchbook, where Cyborg is oddly referred to as “Vic Stone, a Titan to be”. What? He starts with JL and then graduates to be a Titan? Color me confused.

The Incredible Hulks 635: And so writer Greg Pak says goodbye to a character (and a cast) he made worth reading with this issue. The ending was not rushed and it was nice to see Pak end the run in the fashion he wanted to. But the part of the issue that really affected me and gave me pause was Pak’s tribute to Bill Mantlo, the former comics writer (who suffered a traumatic brain injury in the 1990s) who influenced Pak’s approach to his own run with the character.

Fear Itself: The Deep 3 (of 4): Continuity faithfuls may wince at this issue, but I love the fact that writer Cullen Bunn had the Silver Surfer utter a sarcastic line in the heat of battle. With Namor and Doc Strange likely unable to maintain a solo book (sorry to my pal Stuart Moore on that former point) I will be curious to see if this lineup of characters and creators becomes an ongoing.

Secret Avengers 16: Whomever concocted the idea to get Warren Ellis to write a series of done-in-one Secret Avengers issues should get a bonus this year. This is is the comic everyone should be talking about this week. Sure Ellis writes Steve Rogers, Black Widow, Moon Knight and the Beast quite contrary to how they are typically portrayed (Hank McCoy is played as an intellectual snob, but fortunately there’s enough of his wisecracks to make it the Beast I love), but the way each character plays off each other is delightful. Ellis is strong in terms of injecting an equal dose of wit and team chemistry, the latter of which is key in a book of this type. While I normally respect Jamie McKelvie’s art, some of his layout falls short in this issue (in one scene, a tank fires on the vehicle that the heroes are in, and after looking at the panel for a good 10 minutes, I still cannot fathom what happen in the scene to make the vehicle not blow up…). One more quibble (in what is otherwise a great read), with John Cassady’s cover, why is Black Widow petting the Beast like he’s the Secret Avengers’ pet/mascot?

Best of Archie's Mad House

Brigid Alverson: There are certain books that just make me happy, and Craig Yoe’s The Best of Archie’s Madhouse is one of these. Dating back to the early 1960s, Archie’s Madhouse was the Archie gang’s attempt to make a wacky comic in the vein of Mad Magazine and its many imitators. This is, of course, impossible, because Mad is transgressive and Archie is not. Still, some of the gags, especially the self-referential ones, are quite funny, and it’s a good opportunity to enjoy the work of classic Archie artists like Dan DeCarlo and Bob White. This book mostly sticks with the earlier incarnations of Madhouse (which changed quite a bit over the years, and even altered its title several times). Some of the stories feature the familiar Riverdale cast, while others wander away from that a bit. Sabrina the Teenage Witch made her debut in this comic, and I enjoyed the Lester Cool/Chester Square comics because they are so of their time. Yoe starts off the book with a brief intro and a few good anecdotes about the creators, then turns the rest of the pages over to reprints of stories, organized, as in the original, into sections on teenagers, monsters, superheroes, etc. It’s good, clean, kid-friendly satire, and that is not easy to do.

I’ll admit I was initially put off by the cover image of Chimichanga — that little girl with the beard and mustache (at first I thought she was wearing a Guy Fawkes mask) grossed me out so much I didn’t even notice she was standing on a monster. I’m glad I picked it up, though. It’s actually a cute little story about a cheery bearded girl who works in a washed-up circus and happens to acquire a pet monster, to her co-workers’ delight. The setting gives writer and illustrator Eric Powell lots of scope to be creative with his characters and their look, and he takes full advantage of that‹-the side characters are great, and I laughed out loud in places. There is a real solidity to the illustrations, and Dave Stewart has colored it beautifully in a muted, earthy palette that sets the tone from the beginning. Dark Horse is marketing this as an all ages comic, and it is all-ages in the sense that a kid can read an adult’s comic and enjoy it (plus there are fart jokes). Think of it as Jellaby with attitude.

Astronaut Academy

Bully: What have I, Bully the Little Stuffed Bull, been reading? Why thank you…that’s a very good question. I of course picked up Justice League #1. And as it only took me five minutes to read it, there’s been plenty of time to read these:

In my book (and I have lots of them!), the All-Ages Graphic Novel of the Year award oughta go to Dave Roman for Astronaut Academy: Zero Gravity (First Second). It punches every fun button I’ve got (got a lot of those, too). You could sum it up as “Hogwarts … in … SPAAAAAAAAACE!” — but you’re not capturing the full delight of Astronaut Academy, outer space’s top educational facility (with courses in advanced heart studies, anti-gravity gymnastics, and run-on sentences). It’s chock-full with time-stopping watches, transforming giant mechabots, panda professors (of Spanish), dinosaur races, the big Fireball match, and best of all, a large cast of strong likable characters both male and female…plenty to choose your own favorite! I really love Dave Roman’s writing and art style: he has a great skill in movement, expression (even with black dots for eyes on his characters), and honest-to-goodness laugh-out-loud humor: great for kids, entertaining and delightful for adults. Happy, heartwarming and high-adventured, this first book of a new series leaves me giggling with delight and anxious for the sequel.

I’m not great at cartooning, but I have the ideas and urge to want to create my own strips. That’s why I’ve been working my way through Ivan Brunetti’s Cartooning: Philosophy and Practice (Yale University Press)—an incredibly valuable volume for any beginning cartoonist or anyone who wants to learn the theory, and more important, the practice of creating comics. It’s not an “art” book: Brunetti doesn’t teach you how to draw (the book’s examples are stylized stick figures). Tools, style, placement, form, design, movement and timing are on the syllabus here. In a fifteen-week paced lesson plan, he covers creating comics from a single panel gag to a four-page story in weekly lessons and exercises (and homework!). Lessons are brief but challenging, and cumulative: each chapter builds on your previous work to increase your range, creativity, and understanding of the medium. If you’ve been intrigued by the ideas and theories in books like in Scott McCloud’s Understanding Comics but want to put them into practice, here’s the book. Cartooning is a slim 88 pages, and yet it may become one of the most valuable books you ever pick up: a college course in cartooning, in book form, from a solid master of the field.

Bully reads Little Lulu

Dark Horse’s Little Lulu reprint series continually delights me. There’s nothing fancy about these reprints—no archival “remastering or recoloring” needed. The stories in their original four-color printing are just wonderful enough, thank you! John Stanley’s bright and energetic art shines in adventures of Lulu, Tubby, and their pals, and best of all: these stories are genuinely funny. I’d go so far as to say that Little Lulu stands right on the top of the pantheon of kids comics alongside Carl Barks’s duck comics. The newest volume is The Prize Winner and Other Stories, but pick up any volume, or one of the companion Tubby books by Dark Horse. Lulu’s chubby buddy is one of my favorite comic book characters of all time, so I’ve gotta highly recommend The Castaway and Other Stories , which reprints several solo Tub stories, including the wonderful Four Color #381, in which Tubby becomes the captain of a pirate ship using his personal weapon: a yo-yo.

Speaking of classic all-ages adventure comics, Boom!’s trade paperback series of Disney comics are well-produced and a great value, reprinting many stories that haven’t been collected in an affordable form before. I immediately snapped up the two collections of Don Rosa’s early Uncle Scrooge and Donald Duck tales. They’re as fantastic fun and great adventure as I remember them from the Gladstone floppies of the nineties, and in a heavy paper stock, brightly colored paperback edition. Say, Boom!, why do these books have a “Thirteen and Up” age label? If there’s any comics suitable for all ages, it’s Disney, and Rosa’s stories present nothing further than light fantasy violence. But come on, who doesn’t want to see the Beagle Boys trip on marbles or Donald Duck fall down a manhole? (Communists. That’s who.) I don’t know how much longer Boom! will be able to distribute Disney trade books, so pick these up, and pick ‘em up now. These are comics to cherish for a lifetime.

Yeah!

When I heard the news that Fantagraphics was collecting in trade paperback one of my fave DC Vertigo comics of all time, my immediate reaction was the same as the title: Yeah! The adventures of an intergalactic girl group (think “The Go-Go’s in Outer Space”) and their ever-scheming manager (think “Ari Gold in the Twenty-Fifth Century) is high enough concept…now consider the creators: it’s written by Peter Bagge (Hate) and drawn by Gilbert Hernandez (Love and Rockets). But with such an alt-comic pedigree, Yeah! is a surprisingly delightful fun fantasy of kicky pop music, weird alien fans, and evil twin competition bands. The “girl group in the future” idea has been done before and done well (Battle of the Bands, Apocalipstix); what Yeah! adds to the concept is an all-ages appeal. Witty, high-spirited, and thoroughly fun, it’s the greatest Saturday morning cartoon adventure that never was. Although originally in color, Fantagraphics has reprinted the series in black-and white. It’s a sound artistic (Gilbert’s art is bold and vibrant in its original inks) and economic (keeping the price under $20) decision, and while purists may argue otherwise, a black-and-white Yeah! will appeal to teens, young girls, and manga fans: a whole new market for this sadly under-lauded comic.

Finally, I’m absolutely loving Marvel’s very-very-big Thor Omnibus by Walt Simonson … but it keeps falling over and pinning me down, so I now have to squeeze myself out from underneath it yet again. You’ll find it captures you, too. But not physically, I hope.

Oh no! Someone help Bully!

Kirby: Genesis

Welcome to Food or Comics?, where every week we talk about what comics we’d buy on Wednesday based on certain spending limits — $15 and $30 — as well as what we’d get if we had extra money or a gift card to spend on a “Splurge” item.

Check out Diamond’s release list or ComicList, and tell us what you’re getting.

Chris Arrant

If I had $15 this week, I’d start it off by buying Kirby Genesis #0 (Dynamite, $1); I love the idea of world-building from older characters, and Jack Kirby left a treasure trove of ideas even he couldn’t get a handle on completely. I’m interested to see where Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross take this, and I hope with Busiek’s addition it can be more tantalizing than Project: Superpowers was. Second up, I would get the penultimate Secret Warriors #27 (Marvel, $2.99); when this series started I was an ardent reader, but it lost me along the way. For some work-related research I caught up with the series, and since the last Howling Commandos story it’s been going great; I hope Hickman can stick the landing. Third I would get Vertigo’s new anthology Strange Adventures #1 (DC/Vertigo, $7.99); a pricey experiment, but I’m in the mood to get blown away. Lastly would be FF #4 (Marvel, $2.99) – I’m really enjoying what Hickman and Epting have done in the new simply titled series.

If I had $30, I’d double back and get the floppy reprint of DC Comics Presents Green Lantern: Willworld (DC, $7.99); this is an awesome price for a underrated story, even if it’s Seth Fisher’s art carrying the weight. Second up would be Kieron Gillen and Terry Dodson’s Uncanny X-Men #537 (Marvel, $3.99); I still feel Gillen is trying to find himself in this story, but I love Dodson’s work and Gillen’s showing glimpses of the greatest I’ve known him for in other books. Lastly would be American Vampire #15 (DC/Vertigo, $2.99); like Secret Warriors I lost my way a couple issues into the series, but with the news Sean Murphy is doing a spin-off miniseries based on AmVamp I’m hurriedly catching up -– and I’ve not been disappointed.

For my splurge this week, I would pick up Anthology Project Vol. 2 ($29.95). I was impressed with the first volume, and this new tome looks to continue that.

Brigid Alverson

Kannagi: Crazy Shrine Maiden

If I had $15…

I’d shop around a bit, because the book I want most this week is Kaoru Mori’s A Bride’s Story, and the list price is $16.99. Mori is the creator of Emma, the atmospheric if somewhat slow-moving story of the love between a maid and a wealthy man in 19th century England. This is another period piece, but it’s set in 19th-century Asia. Mori’s art is beautiful, and the story looks like something really different, so I’ll find a way to get this manga.

If I had $30…

The second manga on my list would be a toss-up between vol. 2 of Arisa, a clever school mystery by Kitchen Princess creator Natsumi Ando, and the first volume of Kannagi, a boy-meets-god comedy that created a bit of a stir in Japan when it was hinted that the heroine wasn’t a virgin. Having already been hooked by the storyline of Arisa, I’ll take that one and put Kannagi on my splurge list.

Splurge…

My big splurge of the week, though, would be Al Capp’s Complete Shmoo vol. 2, from Dark Horse, because there’s nothing I love more than a thick book of classic newspaper strips, and Al Capp is a creator I’d like to read more of.

Michael May

Secret Avengers

If I had $15, I’d grab a mitt full of single issues as usual. What makes the cut this week are Xombi #3 ($2.99), Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters #3 ($3.99), Planet of the Apes #2 ($3.99), and Secret Avengers #13 ($3.99). Actually, “makes the cut” is insulting, so I don’t mean that. These are all awesome comics that I actively look forward to.

If I had $30, I’d put back Secret Avengers (trade-waiting) and add Tom Strong and the Robots of Doom ($17.99) because of Tom Strong. And robots. Of doom.

My splurge item for the week is a tougher pick. I’m very interested in Steve Niles and Berni Wrightson’s Doc Macabre hardcover ($17.99), but I’d also like to get Chaos War: Alpha Flight out of my comic boxes and onto my bookshelf. Chaos War: X-Men ($15.99) is the way to do that. And then there’s the Mystique by Brian K Vaughan Ultimate Collection ($24.99), which proves Vaughan’s awesomeness by turning Mystique into Xavier’s personal secret agent and making me give a damn about her (something that no one else has been able to do ever). All else being equal though, Doc Macabre is the only of those that I haven’t already read, so that’s where my money would go.

Graeme McMillan

GI Joe: Cobra #1

This is a really odd week – If I had $15, I’d end up spending a dollar on my most eagerly anticipated book (Dynamite’s Kirby: Genesis #0, which I admit I’ve already read), $3.99 on another debut I’ve managed to read early (GI Joe: Cobra #1 from IDW), and the rest on books I normally pick up quietly (Xombi #3 – DC, $2.99- and Dungeons and Dragons #7 – IDW, $3.99). It’s just one of those quiet weeks, I guess.

If I had $30, I just might put Cobra #1 back on the shelf – I’ve already read it, after all – and grab the Captain America: Man Out of Time Premiere HC (Marvel, $19.99), because I do like Mark Waid stuff, and have a soft spot for Steve Rogers, when he’s done well. What can I say? I love my adopted country.

Splurge-wise, I’m saving my money – Surprisingly, there’s nothing out there in the range of expensive books that I really find myself wanting this week. I’d worry that this means that I love comics just a little less than usual, but I fully expect next week to bankrupt me and then some, just to make up for things.

Chris Mautner

If I had $15:

I’d get one of two books out this week from NBM: either the latest Smurfs book, Vol. 6, the Smurfs and the Howlibird ($5.99) or Vol. 4 of the Dungeon Monstres series, Night of the Ladykiller. The Monstres series of the Dungeon saga focuses on various supporting members of the cast, in this case the vulture sorcerer Horus and the Grogro, the big, not too bright, hairy monster. The Monstres series is also notable for featuring art from little known (in the U.S. at any rate) cartoonists. This time out we get J-E. Vermot-Desroches and Yoann, about whom I know nothing, but I look forward to finding out more.

If I had $30:

Another tough decision. On the one hand there’s the new Yeah! book, collecting the short-lived all ages series that Peter Bagge and Gilbert Hernandez collaborated on, about an all-girl rock group that’s popular throughout the galaxy, but not at home ($18.99). On the other hand there’s Take a Joke!, the latest and arguable greatest (and also last) collection of material taken from Johnny Ryan’s finished-for-now series, Angry Youth Comix.

Splurge:

I’d get all of the above, and throw in Approximate Continuum Comics, a new English translation of Lewis Trondheim’s seminal autobiographical graphic novel, which finds the then-rising star at a bit of a crossroads as marriage, fatherhood and the chance to earn gobs of money selling out to the Japanese appears. It’s a great little book, sharp and witty, and a good place for Trondheim newbies to dive in.

Fear Itself #1

Publishing | Marvel’s Fear Itself #1 topped Diamond Comic Distributors’ April charts with an estimated 128,595 copies, the highest monthly sales for a comic since X-Men #1 surpassed 140,000 copies nine months ago. Retail news and analysis site ICv2 sees the strong debut of that crossover and the performance of DC’s Flashpoint prequels as signs “that this summer’s big events may be able to reverse the downward sales trend in the first quarter of 2011.”

DC’s Fables, Vol. 15: Rose Red led the graphic novel category with about 11,600 copies, followed distantly by Dynamite’s The Boys, Vol. 8: Highland Laddie. [ICv2.com]

Retailing | The bankrupt Borders Group reportedly has been unable to find a buyer for its entire business, which could signal the end of the second-largest book chain in the United States. The company filed for bankruptcy protection in February, and is closing about one-third of its locations. [Detroit Free Press]

Publishing | IDW Publishing Senior Editor Andy Schmidt, who oversaw such licensed titles as G.I. Joe and The Transformers, is leaving the company to work for Hasbro. Schmidt, who was previously an associate editor at Marvel, came to IDW in 2008. [Bleeding Cool]

Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark

Broadway | The three-week hiatus for Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark did little to affect the musical’s box-office appeal: The $70 million production grossed $809,941 last week in just five preview performances. [The New York Times]

Conventions | Stacey Whittle wraps up last weekend’s Bristol International Comic & Small Press Expo. [SFX]

Creators | Erik Larsen looks toward the double-sized 175th issue of Savage Dragon, which he hesitates to call a “milestone”: “You tend to look toward the big round numbers — 100, 200. Passing up Kirby’s run on Fantastic Four was kind of the milestone for me when I got to 103. It was like, ‘OK, now we’re going!’” [USA Today]

Creators | Brian Heater wraps up a four-part interview with Peter Bagge. [The Daily Cross Hatch]

Creators | Joe Casey discusses his six-issue Marvel miniseries Vengeance, which doesn’t tie in to the publisher’s big Fear Itself crossover: “I begged them to let us suck off the teat of the latest Marvel Monstrosity Event, but to no avail. I figured it’d help us sell at least two copies of this thing. … But since that ship has sailed, we’re just pressing onward with the usual, incredibly low expectations.” [MTV Geek]

Comics | Luke Plunkett looks back at DC’s Atari Force comics. [Kotaku]

Comics | “Why Aquaman is the best damn superhero in comic history.” [io9.com]

The Essential Doctor Strange Vol. 3

Welcome once again to What Are You Reading? Today our special guest is John Jackson Miller, writer of Star Wars: Knight Errant and Mass Effect comics for Dark Horse and various Star Wars prose novels. He’s also the curator of The Comics Chronicles research website. His next comics series, Star Wars: Knight Errant, Deluge, starts in August.

To see what John and the Robot 6 crew are reading, click below.

*****

Tim O’Shea

Marvel Adventures #14

Marvel Adventures #14: This story by writer Todd Dezago and the art team of Ron Lim and Scott Koblish reminds me why I love all ages books. A standalone story rarely occurs in monthly comics these days (unless a filler issue is required)–and the set-up needed for multiple issue arcs (and ultimately TPBs) prevents stories from being all-out action like this one. I mean, in Journey Into Mystery #623 (also released this week), I literally had to read one page 4/6 of a page devoted to a bird waiting for the next plot point to occur. I imagine there will be a great deal of padding like this as long as the Fear Itself event plays out. Anyways back to Lim’s art, it’s far simpler (for the younger audience), but I found it refreshing in this Spidey/Thor team-up (a quirky combo in and of itself). At the outset of the story, the creators credited Gerry Conway and Ross Andru for inspiring the story. I may be mistaken but Lim’s layout even seems to carry an extra level of kineticism (much in the vein of Andru’s style).

Free Comic Book Day: Captain America/Thor: It breaks my heart to read this Roger Langridge/Chris Samnee tale..,because it’s so straightforward and delightful. And I’m still wondering why the hell the Langridge/Samnee series underperformed so badly–because it was just as solid as this tale. Extra points to Langridge for working in a Fighting American joke (as well as avoiding the whole “heroes meet/heroes fight/heroes clear up the confusion” cliche. I’ve praised Samnee’s art enough in the past, but this issue it really struck me how great he is at distinctive facial reactions.

Flashpoint #1: This was more enjoyable when it was called Elseworlds. One highlight in this rather uninspired read: Barry Allen drives a car. Extra bonus, he has to borrow his mom’s car, because apparently he’s paid so poorly in this alternate universe he does not own one.

Cinderella: Fables Are Forever #4: How accurate is the 1985 flashback in this month’s issue? A character is wearing an unstructured jacket (thanks to Miami Vice, a 1985 mainstay), so my hat’s off to artist Shawn McManus. Later in the story, there’s a 1986 flashback in which writer Chris Roberson has a chance to work with Snow White and Cinderella’s character dynamics (and how frustrating Cinderella’s cover story could prove). In that same scene, Roberson makes Vertigo history (I am fairly certain) and works in a 1980s Cheers sitcom reference.

Superman #711: Such is the way of media trends: all the outlets that covered that odd “Superman considers renouncing his US citizenship” in Action 900 seem to have missed out on Superman’s speech in tribute to the American Way at the end of Superman #711. (Sidebar: DC and 7-Eleven missed out on some sort of Slurpee cross-promotion giveaway with this issue’s number). Roberson’s run (which he has confirmed on Twitter ends with 714) will only turn out to be seven issues, but it has benefited by being graced with the overall JMS isolated storyline mandate. What I mean is that the story has not had to work in Blackest Day, Doomsday or Flashpoint. It’s just Superman on this Grounded quest. Much was made of Nick Spencer’s recent writing of Jimmy Olsen, but Roberson in essence writes a damn fine Olsen/Superman team-up in this one. And while the overall tale is tied to the Grounded arc, this issue has a slight done-in-one vibe.

Chris Mautner

Flashpoint #1

Flashpoint #1 — I had promised myself I would never delve into another mega-superhero crossover again after going through the drudgery that was Secret Invasion, but having read the first issue of Flashpoint (provided to me by the good people at DC) I may have to rethink my vow. I’m a sucker for the alternate universe/”what if” type stories anyway, but I thought it was a pretty solid introduction. You can see where a good number of the pieces are going to fit in the narrative — The Flash is clearly going to have to make a choice between setting things right and living in a world where his mother is still alive — but I really liked the way Kubert and Johns set this up. I liked that I didn’t have to work too hard to remember who The Outsider was or Shade, just simple, broad introductions that let you know as briefly as possible where everyone stood. I thought Batman’s narration was a bit too purple, and the expository dialogue was stilted at times (especially among the Captain Thunder crew). Also, wouldn’t be this Batman be … really old? At least too old to do the things he’s doing? Those are relatively minor caveats though. I’ve been wooed by solid first issues before only to be swiftly let down, but for now I’m tentatively anticipating the second issue, albeit with crossed fingers.

The Heavy Hand by C. Cilla — A deeply off-kilter graphic novel about a middle-aged schlub who leaves his podunk town to try to get a job with an eccentric professor who is doing something unseemly in a cave. Surreal, nonsensical things happen in between and during his adventures. Then they all go to a party and things really get weird. The likely comparison would be Jim Woodring I suppose, but Cilla seems to be dealing with different demons. Not bad, but the pacing feels slack in parts and just a wee bit too random at times.

JK Parkin

Invincible #70

I recently got caught up on Invincible; I’ve always been a trade or two behind on it, but since it’s being released day-and-date on Image’s iPad app, I figured why not download everything I was missing. I’ve read through the two recent “wars” — the alternate reality Invincible attack, and the Viltrumite war. You can tell the creators are just having a ton of fun with this one, from the big world-altering plots to the character development between Mark, his dad, Eve and my favorite character, his little brother Oliver.

I mentioned earlier this week how much I liked Flashpoint #1. A little background: Barry Allen was never my Flash, not really. I was never a fan or reader of the comic until Wally West took up the mantle. I thought Barry’s death was handled well in Crisis, and he became, to me, one of those characters whose death brought out the best in another character — kind of like an Uncle Ben or a Bucky.

But looking at Flashpoint #1, the Barry Allen plot line was actually my favorite part of the book. I mean, yeah, it’s the main plot line, as we’re introduced to this alternate universe , from his initial discovery that everything is wonky to the parts with his mom and Iris, to the absolutely wonderful traffic jam scene to his confrontation with Batman at the end of the comic. That last page was obviously going for the Big! Shocking! Moment!, but I think it worked in the context of the story, as it really nailed down the “Everything is messed up and I gotta fix this” plot involving Barry. Like Chris, I’m hoping subsequent issues live up to this one.

Finally, I also recently finished the novel The Passage by Justin Cronin. It’s an epic, decade-spanning novel about the vampire apocalypse — with the vampires here being a far cry from what you’d find in Twilight or even American Vampire. They’re monstrous, barely human creatures created in a lab by the government, with mind control powers that lead to things going horribly wrong. The novel is basically broken into two halves, with the first taking place a few years in the future as we learn the back story of this world and the second taking place about 100 years later, as the last remnants of humanity struggles to survive in a vampire world. Excellent, excellent novel that really draws you into the lives of the characters in both time periods.

Tom Bondurant

Batman Inc. #6

Batman Incorporated #6 (written by Grant Morrison, drawn by Chris Burnham) was great fun from start to finish, showing off the “Incorporated” concept in all its versatile forms. I’m hoping Chris Burnham stays on the title for a good long time. His work has echoes of recent Morrison collaborators (and Bat-artists) Frank Quitely and
Cameron Stewart, plus a little Kevin Maguire and Linda Medley to boot; but with an energy all its own. As Justice League International revitalized DC’s signature super-team, so this book is transforming “Batman” from a singular avenging figure into something much more pernicious: an idea. “We’d have to invent him,” indeed.

Speaking of ideas, part of the reason I enjoy the Fantastic Four is their honored spot in the Marvel U’s hierarchy. As such, I always looked forward to their team-ups with other heroes — but especially with Spider-Man, since he has unique relationships with each of them. He’s Johnny’s contemporary (which makes Sue something of a big sister), he shares Reed’s intellectual curiosity, and he and Ben have both felt like outsiders, monstrous or not. Nevertheless, I haven’t really warmed to the Future Foundation’s role in these past couple of issues of Amazing Spider-Man. They’re not bad stories, but I found myself drawn more to the subplot with Carlie than to the FF’s switched-around powers or the secrets of the Sinister Six. Meanwhile, I don’t mind Spidey’s role in FF, because he’s supposed to be part of that book; and I liked when the Avengers showed up earlier in “Big Time.” I guess it’s similar to what Carla talked about a couple of weeks back — my idea of Spidey hasn’t quite expanded to include his being a regular part of Marvel’s first family.

Jesus Saiz picked a heck of a story for his debut as Birds Of Prey‘s regular artist (in this week’s #12, expertly written as always by Gail Simone). While Huntress and the Question team up, the rest of the team goes undercover in what seems like perfunctory caper style. By the end of the issue, however, things have gotten extremely bad, and the worst part is, the Birds have no clue. It reminded me of the end of The Blair Witch Project, in that same it’s-too-late-BANG!-it’s-over sense. (It helps that the setting’s almost the same.) Saiz is a good fit for the book — closer to Nicola Scott’s style than Ed Benes’, but more earthy, and with a good eye for storytelling. It’s more of a subdued feel, which suits this book better than something over-the-top like Secret Six. Ironically, though, this particular issue has a very Secret Six-ish vibe, and I suspect the next one will too….

Brigid Alverson

Bat Boy

I’m a Weekly World News fan from way back‹back when space aliens were endorsing Bill Clinton’s run for president, some guy was frying an egg on his bald head, and the talking carp was telling us to read our Bibles (there were actually two talking carps, and the second one only told us to read our Old Testaments, because he was Jewish … but I digress). So I was tickled pink by IDW’s collection of Peter Bagge’s Bat Boy comics. Based on an actual character that was regularly covered in the paper, Bat Boy was a four-panel strip that picked up on the paper’s obsessions and ran amok with them. In the first sequence, prophetically, Bat Boy kills Osama Bin Laden, but not quite the way it happened in real life. Columnist Ed Anger (“I’m madder than a canary in a blender!”) pops up in these strips, which makes me very happy. I can’t say I exactly miss the WWN — the quality deteriorated quite a bit toward the end‹but these strips bring back some good times.

Still following up on creators I met at Boston Comic Con two weeks ago, this week I checked out Gabriel Dunston’s A Funny Thing Happened Today. It’s a slice-of-life webcomic that follows Dunston’s personal life pretty closely, from big events like having a baby and putting his dog to sleep to little things like losing his toothpaste or the baby farting. The art is competent, and the format is all over the place–strips, pages, photo comics–but the writing makes it a lot of fun to read. By the time I had read all the strips I felt like I really knew Gabriel and his whole family, and that they were the kind of people I would enjoy knowing. One criticism, though: It seems like every blog entry is an apology for posting late or missing a post. While this adds a certain verisimilitude, given the events of his life in the past year and a half, it also gets tiresome, and it’s not very relevant if you are reading through the archives. Other than that, though, it’s a fun read, and I’m looking forward to seeing what happens next.

John Jackson Miller

Star Trek

My “new” comics reading stack is so tall it’s no longer able to defy gravity, so a lot of what read right when it comes in is limited to the other Dark Horse Star Wars comics that I need for my own writing. But consistent with my work on The Comics Chronicles website I do enjoy digging through older comics — reading some for the first time, and others with new eyes.

For example, I just finished the first several years of Marvel’s Doctor Strange title (the one that came after Strange Tales) as it appeared in The Essential Doctor Strange Vol. 3. I’d read some of this before but it was fascinating as a writer to watch four greats of the game, Steve Englehart, Marv Wolfman, Jim Starlin, and Roger Stern writing the same storyline in succession. Strange, by its nature, was a relatively title to make course-corrections to; it was amusing, for example, to watch Englehart send Clea into a love affair with Benjamin Franklin (!) and to see Wolfman make sure that it never happened. Also, reading it now and knowing it was one of Marvel’s few bimonthlies at the time, the back burner was truly the back burner, plotwise. Doctor Strange invites some house guests one issue, goes off on an interdimensional fandango, and we suddenly remember the guests are still in the Sanctum something like a year later in real time!

I also picked up at C2E2 the complete Marvel run of Star Trek — the first one, right after The Motion Picture. Having adapted a movie for comics myself, I did not envy Wolfman and Dave Cockrum their job of cramming the movie adapt into three issues, but it was interesting to see moments in the comics version that were cut from the script, such as Kirk saving Spock from being mummified in crystal by V’Ger.

In prose, I recently read Then Everything Changed, the new book by Jeff Greenfield, late of CBS — in-depth counterfactual histories of what would have happened if John F. Kennedy had been assassinated before taking office, if Robert F. Kennedy hadn’t been killed, and if Gerald Ford had won reelection. It differs from a lot of “What If” histories in that Greenfield was part of RFK’s campaign, so there’s a “you are there” feel to it. Greenfield wrote an interesting novel some years back, The People’s Choice, that used as its springboard some of the really crazy outcomes that are possible in presidential elections because of the rules embedded in the electoral college. I enjoy stories where strange-but-true minutiae like that can have an outsize bearing on events — I tried to insert some of those moments during my Iron Man as Secretary of Defense storyline a few years ago.

Hoping to get started on the to-read stack before it buries another piece of furniture!

Yeah!

Welcome to What Are You Reading? Our guest today is Leslie Stein, creator of Eye of the Majestic Creature, a collection of semi-autobiographical and fantasy-based comics published by Fantagraphics.

To see what Leslie and the Robot 6 crew have been reading, click below.

*****

Tim O’Shea

Amazing Spider-Man Spidey Sunday Spectacular: Stan Lee could have repurposed Nuff Said columns from the 1970s for the script and I still would raved about the amazing Marcos Martin art on this collection of two-pagers that ran in the back of the main Spidey title a few months back. Martin’s eye for layout is far and above superior to most of his contemporaries. The Green Goblin cameo in this story alone makes the whole collection worth buying.

Captain America: The First Avenger #1: This film adaptation by writer Fred Van Lente with a team of artists including Luke Ross, Richard Isanove and Neil Edwards (among others) is a weird read for me, considering the number of times I have read Cap’s origin over the years. This version (what with it being the Hollywood version adapted for comics) is odd in so many ways (mostly good). I don’t know if it was Van Lente’s intention but an exchange between child Steve Rogers and his ill mother got me thinking–has Marvel ever done any stories about Steve’s dad?

Sweet Tooth #21: This may be my pick of the week, due to Lemire’s exploration of communication/perception between animal and man, as shown and documented visually in this issue. Also his effort to juggle two stories in absolute parallel is stunning and results in a dual hell of an emotional payoff at the end.

Gladstone’s School for World Conquerors #1

Gladstone’s School for World Conquerors #1, Mark Andrew Smith’s new project with artist Armand Villavert, launched this week. And if I was a retailer with kids coming into my store for Free Comic Book Day, I would try to sell them on this story. It’s a quirky book that can also appeal to adults (one scene has a teacher quoting William Blake, albeit mostly to serve a visual punchline). But what really sold me on this being a great kids book (and a nice Image pairing with the FCBD edition of Robert Kirkman’s new Super Dinosaur) is a scene where one of the kid villains in training (with the power of fire) laughs and sputters out flames. It was a small moment, but it cracked me up. I look forward to seeing the next issue.

Herc #2: I really want to see Herc be a comic around for a long time because of what co-writers Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente have done to give the character depth in the past several years. But best I can tell, there is no permanent artist assigned, as it is not Neil Edwards next month. Plus, how exactly does a creative team establish a status quo (and a readership) if the next issue ties into the JFK-inspired (I kid) Fear Itself event. That being said, I like what I’ve seen so far, I just have concern about how the book can build an audience with special events muddying the water of a new series. I hope my fears are unfounded.

Heroes for Hire #6: The dynamics are shifting with Misty Knight no longer under Puppet Master’s control. I appreciate Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning’s effort to show Misty finding her “voice” as control. The writing team also utilize guest-star Spider-Man (will be curious to see if his presence in the story and on the cover will bolster sales, as clearly an intent on Marvel’s part) to play off the approach of Paladin. Abnett and Lanning explore some comedic elements (natural with Spidey of course), but also with Paladin as well.

Avengers Academy #13: It’s prom night, but damn you writer Christos Gage, I am far more interested in the Tigra/Giant Man/Jocasta triangle subplot. Not only is this book the best Avengers title currently in Marvel’s stable, but it’s just a delightful soap opera.

Brigid Alverson

not simple

I couldn’t make it to TCAF this weekend to see Natsume Ono, so I had a little Ono-fest of my own at home and reread two of her books, not simple and Ristorante Paradiso. I liked them both, but with reservations. not simple is, just as the title says, a complicated story, so complicated it’s almost impossible to summarize, but it’s a pretty twisted family drama. The main character, a boy (later a young man) named Ian, does seem to be fairly simple, because he only wants a few simple things, and he never seems to think too deeply about what is happening to him. The story moves quickly, but the characters are rather flat. Unfortunately, not simple relies in part on a very standard manga trope, the loathsome, irresponsible parents who abandon or exploit their children, and the quietly responsible children who take charge of their own lives and attempt to right all wrongs. Bad parents make for good stories, I guess, and Ono’s characters at least try to rationalize their wrongdoings a bit, but their badness seems to be their only characteristic.

That is less true of the mother in Ristorante Paradiso, who abandoned her daughter and covered up her previous marriage because she fell in love with a man who would never marry a divorcee. Complications arrive when the daughter shows up at the mother’s restaurant, but we do get to see some growth and change as the two work on their shattered relationship. Still, it’s hard to imagine that a denial so profound could be mended so easily. I wish I could remember who it was who said that in Ristorante Paradiso, Ono could have written about a complex web of family relationships or a trendy restaurant where all the waiters happen to be older gentlemen who wear glasses, and she chose the latter. There does seem to be a lot going on with the guys, and because they all look vaguely similar‹and Ono’s character designs tend to be inconsistent anyway‹it’s a bit hard to follow. Still, it’s a stylish book with some engaging characters and a happy ending, and Ono’s more mature, more restrained style is easier to take than her earlier, crazily linear work in not simple.

Chris Mautner

Action Comics #900

Action Comics #900 by various — I found just about every story in this issue pretty awful. I know a lot of folks whose opinions I respect have been saying good things about writer Paul Cornell’s work, but I’m just not feelin’ it here, though maybe that has something to do with me coming in at the tail end of the story.

More to the point, I tire of what seems to be this current trend in superhero comics where the writer feels the need to pontificate in as explicit and overt a fashion as possible about how awesome Character X is and how they’re part of modern mythology and a symbol for blah, blah, zzzzzzzzz. That’s especially true in the “Superman goes to Iran and doesn’t bring back a lousy t-shirt” story, but it’s also readily apparent in just about every tale in this rather tiresome, dull comic. I just want to see Superman leaping buildings, hitting villains and changing into stuff cause of red kryptonite. I don’t want a pop culture thesis.

Melvin Monster Vol. 3 by John Stanley — There’s something bittersweet about this final volume, a tinge of sadness mixed in with the levity that I can’t quite pin down. Was Stanley well aware by this point that this personal project wasn’t doing so well and that the plug would soon be pulled? Perhaps, it’s hard to say. There’s always been a tinge of darkness in MM, given how he’s an outcast not only in the community but in his own family as well. None of which is to say that this book isn’t funny or delightful, cause it totally is.

Vietnamerica: A Family’s Journey by GB Tran — Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home was clearly a pretty strong influence on this book, right down to the fact that they same the same spiral-like narrative structure, retelling the same story and revealing more information and detail each time. I’m not sure that was the best choice for this particular book. Tran’s story, about his parents’ escape from Vietnam at the close of the war, their parents struggles in the country, and his own struggles with identity, is certainly a compelling one, but the hiding, then revealing, then doubling back again structure frustrates more than it enlightens, and there’s such a large cast here it can be hard to remember who is who and what their relationship is to everyone else.

Leslie Stein

Joe DiMaggio with a Big Dick Visits from the Spirit World

Joe DiMaggio with a Big Dick Visits from the Spirit World by Liam Baranauskas

This is a limited edition hand-made book by my friend Liam, who I know from being one of the best bartenders on the planet as well as an amazing bass player/ guitarist/ sax man and singer who is currently in an amazing trio called Mcdonalds. Included in this volume are short stories, poems, collages and photography, all of which coalesce into a
uniquely visual and thought-provoking uniformed madness. I had been dying to read some of his work for quite some time, and when he was kind enough to bestow upon me one of these 50 perfect bound treasures I opened it up and smelled it. It smelled of the ink he used for the block prints in the book. Can’t get much better than that.

Butcher’s Crossing by John Williams

I read Williams’s Stoner a few years ago and it completely blew me away. His writing is sparse, direct, beautiful and emotionally jarring. I love westerns, so was happy to hear he had written one. The story follows a privileged young man who has moved from the east coast to Kansas in search of new experiences. He ends up naively joining a
buffalo hunt that almost kills all the men involved. Butcher’s Crossing employs the classic themes of many westerns, man versus nature, man versus man, and man versus his own nature. Lovely, intriguing and intense. New York Review Books published it, so it looks good in your hands and on your shelf, which is always a bonus.

Yeah! by Peter Bagge and Gilbert Hernandez

Peter Bagge was kind enough to share the venue of Desert Island with me for our respective signings the night before MoCCA this year. We had a great time, and I got to pick up a copy of this book. The book follows the story of a girl rock group called Yeah! who are popular in outer space, and ignored on planet earth. It was originally an all ages pamphlet published by DC that was decapitated after only a few issues. Gilbert’s illustrations are excellent and Bagge’s writing is funny, as per usual.

The Sociopath Next Door by Martha Stout

I listen to audiobooks while I’m doing my detail work. It helps me stay put. This was on sale through audible.com so I picked it up. I work as a server in a busy restaurant. Stout maintains that four percent of the population are conscienceless sociopaths. From my experience this is a understatement.

Mid-Life by Joe Ollmann

I was on a panel with Joe at this years MoCCA, so I picked up his book to get acquainted with it before we did the panel. At first I have to admit I was a little turned off my his scrappy drawing style, but after a few pages I was totally hooked by the narrative and realized that his drawing style is perfectly fit for the stories he tells. I can’t wait to see what he puts out next. His work is a great mix of autobiography and fiction that blends seamlessly. He draws himself really ugly, but actually he kind of resembles Viggo Mortensen!

Bakuman Vol. 4

Welcome to Food or Comics?, where every week we talk about what comics we’d buy on Wednesday based on certain spending limits — $15 and $30 — as well as what we’d get if we had extra money or a gift card to spend on a “Splurge” item.

Check out Diamond’s release list or ComicList if you’d like to play along in our comments section.

Chris Mautner

If I had $15:

I have a couple of options here. The new issue of The Boys is out ($3.99), as is Vol. 4 of Bakuman ($9.99) and both are currently on my “must-buy” list. But then there’s I Will Bite You ($14), a new collection of comics by Joseph Lambert, courtesy of Secret Acres. I’ve enjoyed the few mini-comics by Lambert that I’ve read, enough to at least consider putting my other purchases aside in order to get this book instead. There’s also what I believe to be the final issue of Alan Moore’s Dodgem Logic ($8), which I’d likely ask my retailer to put aside for me for a week when the pickings were slimmer.

If I had $30:

I’d mug the first old lady that crossed my path for another dollar and get Lychee Light Club by Usamaru Furuya ($16.95). I’ve been interested in Furuya’s work since I came across excerpts of his playfully formalist manga Palepoli way back in that Pulp volume of Secret Comics Japan. His work has been frustratingly out of reach for English readers, however, save for the two volumes of Short Cuts that Viz published back in the day. Now Vertical is trying to fix that with the release of this rather edgy horror/comedy tale about a group of male high school misfits that build a robot to help find beautiful women for them with disastrous results. This is probably the pick of the week for me.

Splurge

Lots of splurge-worthy stuff this week, including a new Alexandro Jodorwsky collection from Humanoids, Screaming Planet ($29.95), a collection of Bat-Boy strips (a la Weekly World News) by none other than Peter Bagge ($17.99) and yet another collection of Archie material, Archie Archives Vol. 1 ($49.99), (Say, how much Archie can this market hold anyway?)

Since I’m all on the Furuya bandwagon this week, however, I think my splurge item will be the fourth volume of his Genkaku Picasso from Viz ($9.99) and I’ll pick up the first three volumes in addition while I’m at it.

Graeme McMillan

Avengers Academy Giant-Sized

If I had $15, the first thing on my list this week would be the much-delayed, re-named and re-formatted Avengers Academy Giant-Size #1 (Marvel, $7.99). This was originally a three-annual crossover between Avengers Academy, Spider-Girl and Young Allies, and then a stand-alone mini-series, before settling on its current form, but throughout the whole thing it’s been a Paul Tobin story with Arcade as the villain, so I was always going to pick it up. I’ll also be trying Fear Itself #2 (Marvel, $3.99) if only to find out where the hell Odin was taking everyone when they left Earth in the first issue – I mean, Asgard is on Earth, right? So it’s not like they can go back to Asgard… Less confusing but potentially more entertaining, the debut of Gladstone’s School For World Conquerors #1 (Image, $2.99) would round out my first batch of purchases – a school for wannabe bad guys? Who could resist that high concept?

If I had $30, I admit that I wouldn’t be able to resist the siren song of Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev’s Moon Knight #1 (Marvel, $3.99) – I don’t actually expect that I’ll like it, but the idea of “He’s still got MPD – but this time, his personalities are OTHER AVENGERS!” is either genius or truly horrific, and I want to see how it works in the book itself. I’d also go for Adventure Comics #526 (DC, $2.99), because a recent re-read of the “Legion Academy” issues to date have reminded me just how much I really like Paul Levitz getting all nerdy about the by-laws and rules about the Legion minutea, and DC Comics Presents Son of Superman #1 (DC, $7.99), because the idea of a reprint OGN with JH Williams III art and a Howard Chaykin story for just eight bucks seems too good to pass up.

Splurgewise, it’s DMZ Vol. 10: Collective Punishment (DC/Vertigo, $14.99) for me. I skipped out on the early issues of Brian Wood’s dystopian love letter to New York (and American politics), but a chance read of a later trade pulled me back in and how; it went from entirely off my radar to one of my favorite series, and reading the collections is definitely my preferred method of wading in. Smart and rewarding stuff.

Michael May

Gladstone’s School for World Conquerors #1

I could get a lot of cool stuff for $15 this week. I’ve been looking forward to Gladstone’s School for World Conquerors #1 ($2.99) and it’s finally here. I’ve also been anxious to read Red 5′s take on a Golden Age Wonder Woman-ripoff in Moon Girl #1 ($3.50). Of the various publishers doing modern takes on Golden Age characters, Red 5 seems best poised to deliver the fun and lack of seriousness that I’m looking for in that kind of project.

Speaking of Red 5, Atomic Robo and the Deadly Art of Science #5 ($3.50) comes out this week and wraps up that storyline, so it goes in the pile. And finally I’d grab Mouse Guard: The Black Axe #2 ($3.50). Because c’mon.

If I had $30, I’d add Ape Entertainment’s Richie Rich #1 ($3.95). This is almost a splurge item for me because of the price, but as long as I’ve got the money to spend, curiosity overpowers skepticism and I want to see how Richie Rich works as a re-imagined, globe-trotting, boy adventurer. That leaves me almost enough money to grab Tiny Titans, Volume 5: Field Trippin‘ ($12.99) which I assume features guest-appearances by James Franco and Seth Rogen.

My splurge item for the week is Secret Six: The Reptile Brain ($14.99) because it features a story in which Bane takes a team to Skartaris to ride dinosaurs.

House of Mystery Halloween Annual #2

If it’s Tuesday, it must be time for Food or Comics?, where every week some of the Robot 6 crew talk about what comics we’d buy if we were subject to certain spending limits — $15 and $30, as well as if we had extra money to spend on what we call our “Splurge” item. Check out Diamond’s release list to see what arrives in comic shops this week,then play along in our comments section.

JK Parkin

If I had $15 to spend:

Strange Tales 2 #1 ($4.99)
House of Mystery Halloween Annual #2 ($4.99)

Two $5 anthologies that should be well worth the asking price. Strange Tales II, the sequel to Marvel’s indie cartoonist anthology from last year, features new stories by Rafael Grampa, Kate Beaton, Frank Santoro, Dash Shaw, Jeff Lemire, Kevin Huizenga, Jhonen Vasquez and many more. House of Mystery Halloween Annual #2, meanwhile, features stories by folks like Mike Kaluta, Jill Thompson, Chris Roberson, Mike Allred, Matthew Sturges and Peter Milligan. Most notably, it has a new “Lucifer” story by Mike Carey and Peter Gross, which is the big draw for me personally.

Update: I received an advanced copy of this in the mail tonight, and saw that the Madame Xanadu story isn’t actually by Mike Kaluta and Jill Thompson, as was noted in the above-linked CBR story. No, the Madame Xanadu story is actually by Matt Wagner and Brandon Graham. And it is pretty awesome.

Warlord of Mars #1 ($1)

Dynamite offers a cheap introductory issue to their new series about Edward Rice Burroughs’ character John Carter, the Confederate soldier who ended up on Mars. The book is by Arvid Nelson and Stephen Sadowski, and you can’t go wrong with the cover price.

Thor #616 ($3.99)

The second issue of Matt Fraction’s run; this is the comic a lot of people have been waiting for him to tackle for quite awhile, myself included, and his first issue didn’t disappoint.

If I had $30

I had a hard time deciding on my second round this week, as there were several new comics I’d want to check out — Superior, Knight & Squire — but I decided to go with the trade paperback of Guerrillas ($14.99). Originally published by Image, Oni collects the series by Brahm Revel about a group of simian soldiers fighting in the Vietnam War. It’s not the kind of concept I’d typically be drawn to or, honestly, expect to be any good, but the series is pretty excellent. I’m glad to see Oni pick it up and allow Revel to finish it up.

Splurge

I’m about halfway through Sickness in the Family ($19.99), the latest Vertigo Crime book, and so far I’m really enjoying it. So I’d make it my splurge item this week, with a tip of the hat to the Celadore trade paper back ($14.99), which collects the Zuda series.

Chris Mautner

Strange Tales, Volume 2

If I had $15:

There’s a number of good comics coming out this week, including the fourth issue of Casanova ($3.99), the fifth issue of Batman: Return of Bruce Wayne ($3.99) and the first issue of Strange Tales II ($4.99). I’m a bit tempted to wait until for the trade collection with Strange Tales, but I know in my heart I won’t be able to wait to see what folks like Kate Beaton, Frank Santoro, Dash Shaw and others do with Marvel’s classic cast of characters.

If I had $30:

I already own a copy, but if you’re looking for just one good book to buy, let me point you toward Make Me A Woman, a delightful collection of comics by the wonderful Vanessa Davis. She writes and draws with charm and good humor about her life and times, particularly as it pertains to her Jewish heritage and upbringing. If you need further persuasion, you can read an interview I did with Davis here.

Another recommendation is Peter Bagge’s Everybody is Stupid Except for Me & Other Astute Observations, which Fantagraphics is re-releasing. I reviewed the book when it first came out here.

Splurge:

IDW has been doing a bang-up job with their Bloom County collections, so I’ll be sure to add Vol. 3 ($39.99) to my Amazon wish list. I’m also eager to check out Dick Briefer’s Frankenstein ($21.99), also from IDW, but this time focusing on a lesser known artist, one beloved by serious Golden Age collectors, but few others. I haven’t read much Briefer and I’m curious to see what his work reads like in bulk.

Michael May

Knight & Squire #1

If I had $15:

I don’t know if it’s DC’s announcement about cheaper comics coming, but I’m suddenly interested in single issues again and I’d blow my $15 on those. Knight & Squire #1 ($2.99) sure looks like fun, as does Tiny Titans/Little Archie #1 ($2.99). I’m a Tiny Titans fan now and loved Little Archie in younger days, so this could be the coolest thing since Archie vs. The Punisher. Rounding out my bag would be Marvel’s Strange Tales 2 #1 ($4.99) and Dynamite’s Warlord of Mars #1 ($1.00). I’m a big John Carter fan.

If I had $30:

I’d add Dark Horse’s Turok: Son of Stone #1 ($3.50) to the pile. It would be the first Turok comic I’ve ever bought, because I was obviously stupid in younger days. Also, I’ve been wanting to try Campfire’s comics adaptations of classic lit and Invisible Man ($9.99) seems like a good place to start.

Splurge:

I don’t know if I’d keep it for myself or generously give it to my dad, but Bloom County Complete Library, Volume 3 ($39.99) would go home with me from the store. As would Dick Briefer’s Frankenstein ($21.99), but that one’s definitely staying at my house. I’ve been wanting to read those stories for a few years now.

Comic-Con International

Like clockwork, Comic-Con organizers have released the schedule for the third day of the convention, Saturday, July 24.

Below you’ll find highlights of the comics-related programming, ranging from movie panels for Warner Bros.’ Green Lantern and Marvel’s Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger to Joe Quesada’s traditional “Cup O’ Joe” and “Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 6: Scott Pilgrim’s Finest Hour vs. The Fans.”

The full programming schedule for Saturday can be found here.

10 to 11 a.m. Spotlight on Carla Speed McNeil — Comic-Con special guest Carla Speed McNeil is best known for her creator-owned title Finder. A few years back, Carla took new stories of Finder to the Internet, and the result was an Eisner Award  for best webcomic of 2008 and a new series of reprints from Dark Horse. Carla talks about her work and what’s next in this Spotlight panel. Room 3

10 to 11 a.m. The Black Panel 2010 — This year’s Black Panel will be one for the ages. The focus will be on empowerment, education, real-world networking, and finally but never last, fun. The panelists include entertainment attorney Darrel Miller, novelist Nnedi Okorafor, artist Denys Cowan and writer/producer/director Reggie Hudlin, with moderator Michael Davis. Once they answer life’s burning questions, they’ll chill with a salute and Q&A from the audience with actor/writer/director Bill Duke. As always, surprise guests who will rock your world. Room 5AB

10 to 11 a.m. Marvel Comics Writers Unite! — The third in Comic-Con’s series of “Year of the Writer/Comics Writers Unite!” panels focuses on Marvel Comics and includes Comic-Con special guests Brian Michael Bendis (Avengers, New Avengers, Ultimate Spider-Man), Matt Fraction (Invincible Iron Man, Thor) and Chris Claremont (X-Men Forever, X-Women) in a discussion with writer Mark Waid (Amazing Spider-Man, Irredeemable). Room 6DE

10 to 11 a.m. Mad about MAD! — MAD magazine has established itself as the original and most imitated and influential satirical publication across generations. This fall, MAD returns to TV screens with a new show for the next generation! MAD magazine editor John Ficarra, MAD art director Sam Viviano, legendary MAD artist Sergio Aragonés, current MAD artist Tom Richmond, MAD story editor/producer Kevin Shinick and your host, Warner Bros. Animation senior VP Peter Girardi offer a light-hearted look at the future of an American institution. Room 7AB

10:30 to 11:30 a.m. DC Talent Search 3 — DC’s editorial art director Mark Chiarello presents an informative orientation session that will explain how DC’s Talent Search works and discuss the different needs of DC Universe, Vertigo, WildStorm and MAD magazine publications. If you want to learn what DC Comics looks for in artists and how to improve your chances of becoming a working professional, this is the panel for you! To have your work reviewed, attendance at this orientation session is mandatory. (Please note: Not all attendees are guaranteed a one-on-one review.)  Room 4

Shonen Jump

10:30 to 11:30 a.m. VIZ Media’s Shonen Jump Panel — Shonen Jump is the source of the world’s most popular manga, including Naruto, Bleach and more. In this exclusive panel, fans will get the latest manga and anime news, insider information and on-the-spot surprises. Special guest: Stan Lee, comics legend and co-creator of Ultimo! Room 9

11 a.m. to noon Spotlight on Jillian Tamaki — Comic-Con special guest Jillian Tamaki has taken both the illustration and comics worlds by storm. Her graphic novel Skim was a New York Times Best Book of the Year, and also was nominated for a Governor General Award and for three Eisner Awards. Her drawings can be found in the New York Times, Oprah, New Yorker and Esquire. Tamaki will discuss the process of Skim, collaborating with a writer, and the difference between comics and illustration. Room 3

11 a.m. to noon Comics in the Library — How are comics used in libraries? This panel discusses the variety of ways that libraries around the countries have begun to integrate comics into their collections and programming. Special attention is paid to the following subjects: comics for early readers; nonfiction comics, comics for adult readers. Presented by Francisca Goldsmith (Infopeople), Merideth Jenson-Benjamin (Glendale Public Library), JoAnn Jonas (San Diego County Library), Tuan Nguyen (Texas Maverick Graphic Novel List), Jill Patterson (OC Public Libraries) and comics creator Raina Telgemeier (Smile). Moderated by John Hogan (The Graphic Novel Reporter). Room 8

11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Comic-Con How-To Session: Adam Hughes — Award-winning artist Adam Hughes will demonstrate sketching with grayscale Copic Markers. Adam is particularly known for his cover art, some of which has been recently published into a hardcover coffeetable book. Room 18

11 a.m. to noon Spirituality in Comics — How can comics help communicate timeless truths through new media to new audiences? Discuss the latest trends of spiritual themes in comics with moderator Scott Shuford of the Christian Comic Arts Society and panelists Holly Golightly (School Bites), K. J. Kolka (Cardinal Adventures) and Clint Johnson (Faithwalker). Santa Rosa Room, Marriott Hotel and Marina

Cup O' Joe

11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Marvel: Cup O’ Joe — This is it, Mighty Marvel fans — the no-holds-barred, anything-goes, full-of-surprises panel you’ve waited for all year! Marvel’s EEK (editor-in-chief) and CCO Joe Quesada takes on all questions, shocks the audience with jaw-dropping announcements, and keeps you guessing with surprise guests. You never know who will show up, but you better be here, because this is the panel that everyone will be talking about! Room 6BCF

11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Spotlight on Gerard Way — Comic-Con special guest Gerard Way, writer/creator of The Umbrella Academy, is joined by guests in a 60-minute deconstruction of the comic book industry, featuring helicopter rides and Jonesy the Human Ferret. Room 6DE

11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Will Eisner, The Dreamer — Will Eisner played a central role in the first seven decades of comics history. Many times during his career, he reinvented sequential art and himself to overcome new challenges. He was a true dreamer, and these panelists hope to show you that side of him: Denis Kitchen (artist, author, publisher, and Will Eisner’s agent and longtime friend), Scott McCloud (artist, author, and theoretician about comics and sequential art), Dennis O’Neil  (comic book writer and editor for Marvel Comics and DC Comics), Paul Levitz  (writer, former president/publisher, DC Comics) and Michael Schumacher (bestselling author and Biographer with a new biography of Will Eisner due out this fall). This is your chance to learn more about the “Father of the Graphic Novel.” Room 4

11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Shazam! The Golden Age of the World’s Mightiest Mortal — Author/designer Chip Kidd (Mythology, Bat-Manga, Rough Justice), author/producer Michael Uslan (Archie Marries…) and Charles Kochman (executive editor, Abrams ComicArts) celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Big Red Cheese in this panel and slideshow discussion celebrating Kidd’s upcoming fall release from Abrams ComicArts, Shazam! The Golden Age of the World’s Mightiest Mortal. Room 9

Green Lantern

11:45 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. Warner Bros.: Green Lantern, Sucker Punch, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Warner Bros. showcases three eagerly awaited upcoming new films in this Hall H presentation!

• Green Lantern — Get a first look at the upcoming sci-fi action adventure Green Lantern, directed by Martin Campbell. Green Lantern is an epic adventure that crosses galaxies to bring to life the legendary Silver Age superhero Hal Jordan, who is chosen by the ring itself to become the first human member of the Green Lantern Corps and take on the vast and powerful Parallax as it threatens to destroy the world. The film stars Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan, Blake Lively as Carol Ferris, Peter Sarsgaard as Dr. Hector Hammond and Mark Strong as Sinestro.

• Sucker Punch — Fasten your seatbelt for a sneak peek at the dark action fantasy Sucker Punch, from director Zack Snyder, who previewed his films 300 and Watchmen at past Comic-Cons. A group of young girls escape the dark reality of their lives through their vivid imagination, which takes them to various fantasy locations in different realms. The ensemble cast features Emily Browning, Abbie Cornish, Vanessa Hudgens, Carla Gugino, Jena Malone, Jamie Chung and Jon Hamm.

• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Every saga has a final chapter. Kick off the year of Harry Potter with a first look at the coming screen adaptation of J. K. Rowling’s final book in the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, with a program created just for Comic-Con fans. One way. One hero. One destiny. Don’t miss it! Hall H

noon to 1 p.m. Spotlight on Peter Bagge — Comic-Con special guest Peter Bagge talks to Fantagraphics’ Jason T. Miles about his work, including the legendary Buddy Bradley stories in Hate and his new graphic novels, Apocalypse Nerd and Other Lives. Room 3

noon to 1 p.m. IDW Publishing: Infestation 2011 — In 2011, IDW will infest the comics world in new and exciting — and potentially disturbing — ways. EIC/CCO Chris Ryall, editors Andy Schmidt and Scott Dunbier and creators offer a lively discussion of IDW’s upcoming titles, including at least two big and unexpected announcements, as well as the first hint of “Infestation,” IDW’s big 2011 event! Room 8

noon to 1 p.m. CBLDF Master Session: Terry Moore: Drawing Characters with Character — Learn what it takes to draw characters whose distinctive actions define them on the page. In Echo and Strangers in Paradise Terry Moore has established himself as a master for expressing a wide range of emotions through his characters. Bring your sketchbook and follow along as Moore shows you the secrets of how to make your characters “act” on the page in this CBLDF Master Session. The original art from this session will be auctioned off on Saturday night in the CBLDF’s Art Auction! Room 30CDE

12:30 to 1:45 p.m. DC Universe: Event Horizon — Ian Sattler, senior story editor, and your favorite writers and artists are here for the main event: The DC Universe! What lies ahead for your favorite heroes and series? Got a question for your favorite DCU creator? Come on by! There’s no greater gathering of top-tier creative talent! Room 6A

12:30 to 1:45 p.m. Quick Draw! — It’s just about the most fun you can have sitting down at Comic-Con! Host Mark Evanier keeps Sergio Aragonés, Scott Shaw! and this year’s guest artist and dinosaur expert William Stout on their toes as they draw — real quick! — whatever he tells them to draw! Room 6BCF

Brian Michael Bendis

12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Spotlight on Brian Michael Bendis — The controversial Marvel writer and Comic-Con special guest Brian Michael Bendis turns his spotlight panel into a live taping of the popular Word Balloon Bendis tapes. Word Balloon podcast host John Suitress will moderate the panel and take questions from the audience, with nothing off limits. Bendis will also be giving away limited-edition variant covers of his new creator-owned series Scarlet. Room 6DE

12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Stan Lee  @ BOOM! — Stan Lee and Mark Waid reveal the details behind Stan Lee’s new series at BOOM!, including two special mystery guests that will blow your mind. This is it, people. You wanted to know who is writing the other two books alongside Waid? Now you’ll know! Room 9

12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Comics Across all Media — Paul Feig (creator of Freaks & Geeks), Chip Kidd  (Shazam!: The Golden Age of the World’s Mightiest Mortal), Whitney Matheson (USA Today’s Pop Candy blog), Brad Meltzer (The Inner Circle) and Michael Uslan (The Dark Knight) are five superstars who make headlines in television, the graphic arts, journalism, novels and film. But they all have comics in common. As they reunite for another visit, join them for a discussion of all things nerd. It’ll be like a 21st century Breakfast Club — but with even better references. Moderated by audiobook star Scott Brick (The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant). Room 24ABC

1 to 2 p.m. Spotlight on Gabrielle Bell — Join Comic-Con special guest Gabrielle Bell  (Cecil and Jordan in New York, Lucky). Gabrielle Bell has been featured in McSweeneys, Vice and the Believer. The title story of her most recent book, Cecil and Jordan in New York has been adapted for the screen by Michel Gondry in the triptych Tokyo!  She is currently serializing her Ignatz award-winning autobiographcal comics Lucky online. Gabrielle Bell will present a slideshow and discuss her work with Tom Spurgeon (www.thecomicsreporter) Room 3

1 to 2 p.m. CBLDF Master Session: Darick Robertson: Body Language in Sequential Storytelling — Bring your sketchbook and learn how to express action, attitude, and meaning through your characters’ body language in this CBLDF Master Session. In his work on The Boys, Transmetropolitan and Conan, Darick Robertson has had to express story through his drawings of a wide variety of characters. Follow along as he demonstrates how body language can add dimension to your sequential storytelling. The original art from this session will be auctioned off on Saturday night in the CBLDF’s Art Auction. Room 30CDE

1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Comics Criticism — Comics are a staple of the arts and book review sections of everything from The New York Times and Publishers Weekly to a current golden age of published biography and history, such as Gerard Jones’s Men of Tomorrow, R. C. Harvey’s Meanwhile …, and David Michaelis’s Schulz and Peanuts. Some of the nation’s leading critics discuss the state of the art and the state of its journalism, 2010. Panelists include Gary Groth (The Comics Journal), Douglas Wolk (Reading Comics), Brian Doherty (Radicals for Capitalism), Ben Schwartz (editor, Best American Comics Criticism) and R. Fiore (Funnybook Roulette). Room 4

Top Cow

1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Top Cow: “We Create” Multimedia — Top Cow founder Marc Silvestri (Pilot Season, X-Men/Dark Avengers), president Matt Hawkins (Alibi) and publisher Filip Sablik offer an exciting and lively multimedia presentation about Top Cow’s plans for 2010 and 2011 in comics, film, television, and much more. Be the first to hear announcements and updates on film projects including Witchblade, Magdalena, Alibi, Wanted and A-Team, plus announcements on new comic projects with creators including Ron Marz (Artifacts), Jeff Katz (American Original) and Phil Hester (The Darkness), along with surprise guests including directors, screenwriters, producers and more! Room 9

2 to 3 p.m. Tokyopop Panel — Tokyopop editorial staff, including senior editor Lillian Diaz-Przybyl, will announce new book publishing acquisitions and digital products, followed by a prize giveaway and Q&A session. Get the latest news about ongoing Tokyopop series, including updates to Hetalia and Priest. Room 3

2 to 3 p.m. Green Lantern: Emerald Empire — No evil shall escape this panel’s sight as the top creative teams on the Green Lantern books drop hints on upcoming stories and take on your questions! Led by group editor Eddie Berganza with Geoff Johns  (Green Lantern, The Flash), Tony Bedard (Green Lantern Corps), Joe Prado (Brightest Day) and Ivan Reis  (Brightest Day). Room 6A

2 to 3 p.m. Spotlight on Dave Dorman — Eisner Award-winning illustrator and Comic-Con special guest Dave Dorman is best known for his stunning depictions from the Star Wars universe. Dave talks about his paintings and his comics work, including the eagerly awaited sequel to his Steampunk graphic novel Rail — continuing stories set in his creator-owned universe, The Wasted Lands. Room 8

2 to 3 p.m. Spotlight on Milo Manara — Known the world over for his elegant and erotic art and storytelling techniques, Milo Manara  is a Comic-Con special guest for the very first time! Manara will talk about his long and varied career, which now includes a Marvel Comics book, X-Women, written by fellow special guest Chris Claremont. Room 25ABC

2 to 3 p.m. Writing Seminar with Marv Wolfman — Marv Wolfman (God of War, Teen Titans, Crisis on Infinite Earths), in this annual writing seminar, returns to basics as he discusses the building blocks of putting together a story, creating tension, and what the “three act structure” really means. There will also be time for a Q&A session. Room 30CDE

2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Partners in Image Comics — Image Comics partners Robert Kirkman (The Walking Dead, Invincible), Erik Larsen (Savage Dragon), Todd McFarlane (Spawn), Marc Silvestri (Witchblade) and Jim Valentino (ShadowHawk) get together for a boisterous discussion of all things Image. Join the partners as they talk about ongoing and future projects, and become part of the discussion during a Q&A session. Room 9

Stan Lee

2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Archie: Stan Lee Comics Debuts — Stan Lee, Andy Heyward and Jon Goldwater introduce an exciting new line of comics from the mind of comics legend Stan Lee. Stan will talk about Stan Lee’s Super Seven and all the other new titles coming from Stan Lee comics over the next year. Be the first to get in on this exciting new project from the one and only Stan Lee! Moderated by Rik Offenberger. Room 24ABC

3 to 4 p.m. Spotlight on Ray Bradbury — He was at the very first Comic-Con and we kind of think he’ll be at the very last one, too, far off in the future. Science fiction author Ray Bradbury is literally a national treasure. Ray talks with biographer Sam Weller and moderator writer/producer Arnold Kunert in his yearly visit with his fans at Comic-Con. Room 6DE

3 to 4 p.m. DC Showcase Original Shorts Collection: Jonah Hex, Green Arrow, and Beyond! — Warner Home Video, Warner Premiere, DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation roll out the next wave of DC Showcase animated shorts with the world premiere of Jonah Hex, an advance look at Green Arrow, and details regarding the upcoming compilation Blu-ray/DVD release anchored by Superman/Shazam!: The Return of Black Adam. Executive producer Bruce Timm (DC Universe Animated Original Movies), Jonah Hex voice Thomas Jane (Hung), producer Alan Burnett (The Batman), acclaimed comics writer and fiction author Joe Lansdale, and writer/producer Greg Weisman (Young Justice) present a peek at three never-before-seen shorts. Room 7AB

3 to 4 p.m. Comics Reprint Revolution — For comics fans, the vintage reprint revolution keeps getting bigger and better! Comics Reporter’s Tom Spurgeon talks with Craig Yoe  (Krazy Kat, Popeye, Jetta), Dean Mullaney (editor of Library of American Comics for IDW: Dick Tracy, Little Orphan Annie, Secret Agent Corrigan), Daniel Herman (Hermes Press: Buck Rogers, The Phantom), Gary Groth (Fantagraphics: Peanuts, Prince Valiant, Captain Easy), Peggy Burns (Drawn and Quarterly: John Stanley Library, Walt & Skeezix), Steve Saffel (Titan Books, Beetle Bailey, Simon & Kirby Library) and Charles Pelto (Classic Comics Press: Mary Perkins, On Stage, The Heart of Juliet Jones, Big Ben Bolt) about their publications reprinting some of the very best of comic books and comic strips. Room 8

3:30 to 4:30 p.m. International Comics and Graphic Novels — Comics are popular the world over and Comic-Con always includes an impressive gathering of worldwide talent. Journalist Tom Spurgeon talks with special guests Moto Hagio (Japan: Drunken Dreams), Émile Bravo (France: My Mommy is in America and she Met Buffalo Bill),  Milo Manara (Italy: Click!), and Kathryn and Stuart Immonen (Canada: Moving Pictures, Russian Olive to Red King) about graphic novels with a more international flavor. Room 4

3:30 to 4:30 p.m. DC Universe Online: The Next Legend Is You! — Superstars Jim Lee (Batman: Hush) and Mark Hamill (voice of The Joker, Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: The Animated Series) join forces with the DC Universe Online development team to reveal the exciting backstory of this action MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online) game. Jim, Mark and key members of the development team from Sony Online Entertainment discuss how an earth-shattering chain of events will make you the key to the salvation or ruin of the DC Universe when the game launches this November. All attendees will receive a DCUO VIP Beta Key! Room 5AB

3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Robert E. Howard in Comics: Then. Now. Always. — Robert E. Howard is seen as the grandfather of the sword and sorcery fiction genre. He’s created such classic characters as Kull the Conqueror, Red Sonya and Conan the Barbarian that have lived in comics for more than 40 years! Explore worlds of magic, bravery, and savage revenge as this panel delves in to Robert E. Howard’s timeless fiction in comics of the past, present and future. Room 24ABC

4 to 5 p.m. Comics After Paper — Some forward-thinking cartoonists are designing their work to be experienced on computers, e-readers, mobile phones and touchscreens. R. Stevens (Diesel Sweeties), Dylan Meconis (Family Man), Joshua Hale Fialkov (Tumor) and Robert Berry (Ulysses Seen), join moderator Douglas Wolk (Techland) to discuss making comics for new media. Room 3

4 to 5:30 p.m. Oddball Comics — As seen in the pages of Geek Monthly magazine, cartoonist Scott Shaw! (Captain Carrot and the Final Ark, Bart Simpson Comics, Simpsons Summer Shindig) brings back his ever-popular digital slide show featuring “the craziest comic books ever published!” See why Stan Lee said, “Wow, True Believers, I thought I’d seen it all, but Scott Shaw’s hysterically hilarious Oddball Comics is the wildest, wackiest exposé of some of the craziest comic books I’ve ever seen! Or, to put it mildly, Scott’s outrageous opuses are a blast!” Room 7AB

4 to 5 p.m. Taking Back the Knight: Batman in the 1970s and Beyond — The 1960s Batman TV show — fun as it was — left the public thinking the Caped Crusader was more of a clown than a crimefighter. In the 1970s, editor Julius Schwartz, along with writer Dennis O’Neil and artist Neal Adams (mostly in collaboration with inker Dick Giordano), decided to take back the Knight to his darker origins. The resulting character became the template for the next three decades, a time span marked by Batman’s huge success in films and other media. Moderator Mark Evanier talks with Comic-Con special guests Dennis O’Neil  and Neal Adams about their rebirth of the Bat and with Paul Levitz  on how that re-creation took Batman to even greater heights. Room 8

Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 6

4 to 5 p.m. Scott Pilgrim Vol. 6: Scott Pilgrim’s Finest Hour vs. The Fans — It’s been six years and six volumes spanning over 1,000 pages, and you’ve been there since the beginning! But there’s always been one burning question itching at the back of your brain that you thought would never be answered. Think no more! Ready your Q’s, mind your P’s, and join Scott Pilgrim creator Bryan Lee O’Malley for a battle royale as he quibbles the quips of his worst enemies … his fans!  Room 25ABC

4 to 5 p.m. Writing for Comics — Top comics writers Brian Michael Bendis (New Avengers, Powers, Secret Invasion), Marc Guggenheim (Wolverine, Resurrection) and Peter David  (Incredible Hulk, X-Factor) offer a discussion and instructive tips on the art of writing for comics. Writers and editors speak about the process of writing and how the game is played. Want to know how stories come about and learn how to do it yourself. This is the place to start! Moderated by Comics Experience’s Andy Schmidt (X-Men, Annihilation). Room 30CDE

4:15 to 5:15 p.m. Marvel Animation: Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes — Enter the Avengers Mansion and become a part of the team! Celebrity voice talent introduce you to top-secret Avengers files, including never-before-seen footage and two full-length episodes from the all-new Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes animated series premiering on Disney XD this fall. The road to the Avengers starts here! Room 6DE

4:30 to 6 p.m. Remembering Shel Dorf — Shel Dorf, who passed away on November 9, 2009, took a group of young comics and science fiction fans and helped mold their ambitions and passions into Comic-Con back in 1970. Shel was a lover of all things pop culture, especially comics and movies, and he helped set the bar early on for Comic-Con to be an event that focuses on a variety of the popular arts. A panel of Shel’s friends — many of whom worked with him on the early Comic-Cons — gather to pay tribute to him, including moderator Mike Towry and Shel’s brother Michael Dorf, along with Richard Alf, William Clausen, George Clayton Johnson, Greg Koudoulian, Matt Lorentz, Clayton Moore, Mike Pasqua, David Scroggy and Phil Yeh. Room 5AB

4:30 to 5:30 p.m. Spotlight on J. Michael Straczynski — J. Michael Straczynski speaks (despite requests to the contrary) about his work on (and on and on) such comics as Superman (well, we guess it had to happen eventually) and Wonder Woman (at least they have the same fashion sense), his movies, including Shattered Union (shattered hopes that he wouldn’t show up), Forbidden Planet (is that still going on?), and more he will be announcing here for the first time. Get the inside skinny on the writer’s life from one of Hollywood’s most prolific and hardworking writers (because you always have to work twice as hard when you don’t know what you’re doing). (Bob, very funny, just remember to edit this back to normal before uploading it to the Comic-Con schedule.) Room 6A

4:30 to 5:30 p.m. Disney Epic Mickey — Warren Spector (creative director, Junction Point — Disney Interactive Studios) and Peter David (award-winning comics writer and author of upcoming Disney Epic Mickey comics) share their insights about bringing the world and characters of the Disney Epic Mickey video game to life in two media — video games and comic books. Warren and Peter explore “Wasteland,” a world of forgotten, retired and rejected creative efforts from the Disney archives, and discuss the joy and challenges associated with writing for Mickey Mouse and his “brother,” Walt Disney’s first cartoon star, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. The panel includes discussion, gameplay demo featuring never-before-seen areas, concept art, previews of comic pages and Q&A. Room 9

4:30 to 6 p.m. Comic-Con How-To Session: Jason Kruse and Rob Worley — Artist/animator Jason Kruse and writer Rob Worley will cover the collaborative creative process for making comic books for young readers. The two recently collaborated on the Ape Entertainment comic Scratch9. Room 18

Complete Paradise Too

4:30 to 5:30 p.m. Spotlight on Terry Moore — Terry Moore (Echo) has been a fan favorite since beginning his classic series Strangers in Paradise in 1993. His hit series Echo has won fan and critical acclaim and will wrap up in early 2011. Find out what’s next for Moore as he heads toward the Echo movie and the 20th anniversary of Strangers in Paradise. The Q&A is not to be missed! Room 26AB

4:45 to 5:45 p.m. Universal: Paul and Cowboys & Aliens — Universal presents two upcoming films in this exclusive Hall H presentation.

• Paul — Scheduled to appear for Universal Pictures’ sci-fi comedy-adventure Paul are a who’s who of film comedy. Director Greg Mottola (Superbad) will be joined by cast members Simon Pegg (Hot Fuzz), Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead), Kristen Wiig (Date Night), Bill Hader (Forgetting Sarah Marshall), Jeffrey Tambor (The Hangover), Joe Lo Truglio (Role Models), Seth Rogen (The Green Hornet) and Sigourney Weaver (Baby Mama) as they discuss the movie about two sci-fi geeks whose pilgrimage to Comic-Con ultimately takes them to America’s UFO heartland. While there, they accidentally meet an alien who takes them on an insane road trip that alters their universe forever. Q&A session to follow.

• Cowboys & Aliens — Director Jon Favreau (Iron Man series) discusses what’s happening behind the scenes of Universal Pictures and DreamWorks’ action-thriller Cowboys & Aliens, based on Platinum Studios’ graphic novel. Currently shooting in New Mexico, Cowboys & Aliens stars Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford and takes audiences into the Old West, where a lone cowboy leads an uprising against a terror from beyond our world. Q&A session to follow. Hall H

5 to 6 p.m. Dark Shadows: The Classic Series, the Comic Books, and the Upcoming Film — Hermes Press celebrates Dark Shadows with a panel discussing the past, present, and future of the series. Join series stars Jonathan Frid (Barnabas Collins, via special video appearance), Lara Parker (Angelique), Kathryn Leigh Scott (Maggie Evans/Josette), with Jim Pierson (Dark Shadows) and Daniel Herman (publisher, Hermes Press) for a discussion and Q&A session. Room 3

5 to 6 p.m. Webcomics Lightning Round — The forces behind Webcomics.com, Scott Kurtz (PvP), Robert Khoo (Penny Arcade) and Brad Guigar (Evil Inc), present a primer on webcomics from all aspects: creative, technical and business. Each panelist will answer in thirty seconds or less, without repeating previous points, so expect a fast-paced tour of the subject from start to finish. Room 8

Hellboy: The Storm #1

5 to 6 p.m. Hellboy, The BPRD, and Beyond — As Mike Mignola and Duncan Fegredo near the end of their epic Hellboy trilogy (Darkness Calls, The Wild Hunt and now The Storm), join them and long-suffering editor Scott Allie in a Q&A session covering the entire Hellboy universe, plus Mignola’s new series Baltimore: The Plague Ships. Room 25ABC

5 to 6 p.m. Building Your Art Portfolio — The most useful panel you’ll ever attend as an artist. Comics superstars Erik Larsen (Savage Dragon, Amazing Spider-Man), C. B. Cebulski (Marvel talent scout and manager), Scott Dunbier (special projects editor, IDW Publishing) and Ben Templesmith (30 Days of Night, Welcome to Hoxford, Choker) cut through everything else and get right to getting you work! They’ll cover what to include in tour portfolio, where to get good scripts to draw from, what not  to include, and how to handle a portfolio review in a professional manner (in other words, how to turn a negative into a positive!). Room 30CDE

5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Bill Everett: From Sub-Mariner to Daredevil — Bill Everett created the Sub-Mariner for Marvel Comics #1 back in 1939 and co-created Daredevil in 1964. Author Blake Bell and Bill’s daughter Wendy Everett celebrate the life of her late father, discussing the release of Bell’s latest book, Fire And Water: Bill Everett, The Sub-Mariner, and the Birth of Marvel Comics Room 9

5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Avatar Press and Max Brooks—  Max Brooks (World War Z) leads off the Avatar panel with one of his legendary Zombie Survival talks and a Q&A session. Then editor-in-chief William Christensen fills you in on all the upcoming Avatar projects with Mike Wolfer (Gravel, Wolfskin, Lady Death) and Jacen Burrows (Crossed, Neonomicon). Room 26AB

5:45 to 7:15 p.m. Gays in Comics: Year 23! — This all-star panel examines the rising diversity in the comics world today as the long-running “Gays in Comics” panel continues into its third decade at Comic-Con. As mainstream companies DC and Marvel continue to frontline gay characters such as Batwoman and Northstar and hire top-level gay or gay-friendly creators, independent publishers and creators are publishing unequivocal content spotlighting gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered characters, to the cheers of the thousands of fans who are out of the comic book closet. Welcome a top-level panel of GLBT and straight creators, who will give amazing insights and glimpses of surprises to come! Joining founding moderator Andy Mangels, the USA Today best-selling author of Star Trek novels and Iron Man: Beneath The Armor, are Howard Cruse, creator of Stuck Rubber Baby and Barefootz, founder of Gay Comix, and godfather of the gay comic movement; Geoff Johns, writer of Green Lantern, Flash, Brightest Day and DC Entertainment’s chief creative officer; Marjorie M. Liu, the New York Times bestselling author and writer of Black Widow, X-23 and co-author of Dark Wolverine; Daniel Way, writer of Wolverine  and Deadpool and co-writer of Dark Wolverine; Jim McCann, writer of Hawkeye & Mockingbird, Dazzler and Return of the Dapper Men; Charles “Zan” Christensen, co-creator of Mark of Aeacus, founding member of PRISM Comics and new publisher of gay-themed Northwest Press; Dan Parent, writer and artist for Archie and Betty & Veronica and creator of Archie’s new gay character, Kevin Keller; and Tim Fish, creator of Cavalcade of Boys and writer/artist for X-Men: Nation X and Iron Man: Designed Intelligence! Plus, there’s always  a surprise or two! Afterward, stick around for the hour-long gay comics fan mixer/social, hosted by PRISM Comics, with prizes and surprise special guests! Room 6A

6 to 7 p.m. Roddenberry Presents — Eugene “Rod” Roddenberry (CEO, Roddenberry Productions), Trevor Roth (head of development, Days Missing) and Tory Mell  (production supervisor, Trek Nation) are taking the name that created Star Trek and bringing it to levels not seen since the original days of the genre-changing television show. Join them for some awesome discussions and a chance to win a free iPad! Also on the panel: Phil Hester (Days Missing, Green Arrow), Dave Marquez (Days Missing, Syndrome), Stephen Christie (Archaia Publishing) and Paul Morrissey (editor, Days Missing). Room 25ABC

Captain America: The First Avenger

6 to 7 p.m. Marvel Studios: Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger—  Producer Kevin Feige and special guests give you an inside look at the ever-expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe. Hall H

6:15 to 7 p.m. Human Target Screening and Q&A — Based on the DC Comics title, Human Target is an action-packed thrill ride about a mysterious private contractor who will stop at nothing to keep his clients alive — even if it means literally becoming a “human target.” The series moves to a new night this fall — Fridays at 8pm ET/PT on FOX — and executive producer Matthew Miller (Chuck) joins series stars Mark Valley (Fringe), Chi McBride  (Pushing Daisies) and Jackie Earle Haley (A Nightmare on Elm Street) for a Q&A with fans and to screen a special video presentation. Human Target is from Bonanza Productions Inc. in association with Wonderland Sound and Vision, DC Comics and Warner Bros. Television. Human Target: The Complete First Season will be released on Blu-ray and DVD Sept. 21. Room 6BCF

6:30 to 7:30 p.m. WildStorm: Storm Front — What’s new in the WildStorm Universe? VP/general manager Hank Kanalz  and senior editor Ben Abernathy bring you up to speed with this inside look into DC’s wildest imprint. Joining Hank and Ben will be Adam Beechen (WildCats), Kurt Busiek  (Astro City), Darick Robertson (Fringe: Tales From the Fringe), Tom Taylor (The Authority), Tim Seeley  (WildCats), Adam Archer (Ratchet and Clank), Cruddie Torian (Gen13) and others. Room 4

6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Kickstart Your Comic! — Producing an independent comic requires not only a huge time commitment but also a sizable financial investment to cover the printing, promotion, and distribution costs incurred before your book even hits the shelves. Recently, some creators have discovered a new and effective way to raise start-up capital for their comics online. Since it’s founding in 2009, Kickstarter.com has been helping artists in all media find financial backing for their projects through user donations. Kickstarter advisor Andy Baio and comic creators Kody Chamberlain (Sweets), Steve Earnhart and Pat Loika (The Villain) and Steve Bryant (Athena Voltaire) discuss their highly successful Kickstarter campaigns and offer advice to help you fund your own comic through Kickstarter.com. Room 7AB

6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Ghetto Comics One-on-One: Eric Clement and Chris Miller — Eric Clement and Chris Miller present the new animated series The Adventures of Captain Save a Hood and Peter Proper, based on the independent graphic novel series about two superheroes who have no superpowers. Eric and Chris preview their animated series, along with a Q&A session. Room 9

6:45 to 7:45 p.m. Fables Forum 2010 — The Fables Forum returns to San Diego! The Fables creative team will be on hand to answer your most pressing Fables questions. Featuring the creators behind Fables, Jack of Fables and Cinderella, this panel is sure to have plenty of surprises. Moderated by group editor Shelly Bond, with Bill Willingham (Fables), Steve Leialoha (Fables), Chris Roberson (Cinderella), Matthew Sturges (Jack of Fables), Chrissie Zullo (Cinderella) and others. Room 6DE

7 to 8 p.m. Halo-8 Comics and Illustrated Films — Art and cinema collide at Halo-8, where stories are created simultaneously as comic books and “illustrated films,” merging motion comics with 3D-CGI, intense voice performances, and cinematic storytelling. Following the breakthrough success of Godkiller, Halo-8 president Matt Pizzolo (writer/director, Godkiller) presents the studio’s bold new slate of comics and illustrated films, unveiling never-before-seen art and announcing new projects with fellow panelists, creators Ben Templesmith (30 Days of Night) and Tim Seeley (Hack/Slash), producers Brian Giberson (Godkiller) and FJ DeSanto (The Spirit, upcoming The Shadow), Godkiller stars Danielle Harris (Halloween) and Justin Pierre (Motion City Soundtrack) and more special guests. A limited-edition mystery gift will be available exclusively to panel attendees. Room 8

7:15 to 8:15 p.m. Gays in Comics Mixer and Silent Auction — A reception hosted by PRISM Comics, the nonprofit organization that supports gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered comics, creators, and readers. Mingle with comics fans and creators. Plus stay for the special drawing of a “Comics Gift Basket” and the silent auction of hot comics items! Room 6A

7:30 to 9:30 p.m. CBLDF Benefit Auction — This is it, the CBLDF’s biggest auction of the year! Support free speech and walk away with incredible original art! Highlights include original art by Arthur Adams, Paul Pope, Tara McPherson, Ben Templesmith, Jim Rugg, David Hine, Shaky Kane and many more. This auction includes highlights from auction initiatives by TFAW.com, Image Comics and SeenAllOver.com, as well as original art created at the CBLDF Master Sessions. Stop by CBLDF booth (#1920) for a complete auction list. All proceeds from this auction will benefit the First Amendment legal work of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. Room 3

7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Remembering Dick Giordano — Penciller, inker, editor, mentor. Dick Giordano, who passed away on March 27, was a lot of things to a lot of people. A panel of comic luminaries and friends gather to pay tribute to the man who left a huge impact on the world of comics. Moderator Mark Evanier talks to Neal Adams, Paul Levitz, Pat Bastienne, Bob Layton and Joe Rubinstein about this comic book renaissance man. Room 4
7:30 to 8:30 p.m. 12-Gauge Comics: Boondock Saints: The Comic Series! — Troy Duffy, the writer/director of the cult-hit films The Boondock Saints and The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day, takes you behind the scenes of his comic trilogy, In Nomine Patris. Find out what’s next for the McManus Brothers and Il Duce, as Duffy and comic series co-writer J.B. Love fill you in on their plans for the next exciting storyline. But that’s not all … get a sneak peek at the new Boondock Saints iPhone game with developer Terrence Myers, and as an extra-special treat, David Della Rocco (the beloved “Rocco” from the films) will be taking your questions during the Q&A session! Moderated by comic series producer Eben Matthews and 12-Gauge publisher Keven Gardner (The Ride). Room 9

7:30 to 8:30 p.m. After Hours with the Christian Comic Arts Society — Creators and fans alike are invited to attend an open meeting of the Christian Comic Arts Society for an informal time of Christian fellowship, networking, laughter and prayer. (Think of it as the social hour after church … just with comic books instead of coffee, cookies and punch.) Room 24ABC

8:30 to 10:30 p.m. With Great Power: The Stan Lee Story — With Great Power: The Stan Lee Story is a feature-length documentary on Marvel Comics icon Stan Lee, the co-creator of Spider-Man, Iron Man, X-Men, Hulk and over 500 other comic book characters. Learn how Stan rose from his humble Brooklyn beginnings to co-creating many of the world’s most well known characters! Following the screening will be a brief panel with Stan “The Man” Lee himself, executive producers Michael Uslan (The Dark Knight) and Tom DeSanto (X-Men, Transformers), actor Lou Ferrigno (The Incredible Hulk TV show), illustrator Jim Lee (Marvel, DC), writer Paul Levitz  (former president and publisher of DC Comics), Jack Kirby biographer Mark Evanier, and the With Great Power producing team of Terry Dougas, Nikki Frakes and Will Hess. You won’t want to miss this one! Room 6BCF

Nevermind The Bollocks, Here’s a Comic! by Nomi Kane

“Sleezball” by Peter Bagge (NSFW)

Panda Force by Sean Causley

… by Kevin Huizenga

Insomnia by Dan White

True Swamp by Jon Lewis

Did someone tell me that the English producer/director Tupaq Felber is attempting to do a six-part adaptation of Peter Bagge’s Apocalypse Nerd for the BBC and I just conveniently forgot? Egad, I hope not. At any rate, above is the teaser trailer Felber put together. Hopefully the BBC will pick it up tout suite and BBC America (or some other Brit-loving American channel) will bring it stateside soon.  (via)

Adam Green (formerly of The Moldy Peaches) sings an ode to Peter Bagge’s surly hipster. I was wondering when someone would do that. (via)

Other Lives

It’s a good day for previews over at the official Vertigo blog, Graphic Content. Pamela Mullins has posted some pages from Peter Bagge’s Other Lives, which is due from the publisher next year. She also shares more preview pages from Gabriel Bá and Fábio Moon’s Daytripper, which comes out in December. And lastly, check out the cover to Joe the Barbarian #2.

Will Everyone Please Stop Freaking Out Over Ayn Rand by Peter Bagge

24 Hour Chalk Comic by JB Winter

Eddie and Medicine Man

‘GWC’ pt. 2 by Jesse Moynihan

Kate Beaton does Wonder Woman

Rain by Elijah Brubaker

A 400-foot graphic novel scroll

Clyde Crashcup Invents the Cow by John Stanley

Henry Aldrich by John Stanley

Terror of the Transvaal by Don Rosa

Move over, American Dad

Could Buddy Bradley be the next Bart Simpson? That’s the tantalizing possibility presented by Fantagraphics’ Eric Reynolds today, as he revealed that writer/artist Peter Bagge has signed a deal with the FOX network to produce a pilot for a potential prime-time animated series based on the Bradleys, the less-than-functional family at the heart of Bagge’s series Neat Stuff and Hate. The show would reportedly focus on Buddy’s teen years at home.

This caps off a rather high-profile few months for Bagge (ahem, Professor Bagge) , a period that has seen the release of his political-strip collection Everybody Is Stupid Except for Me from Fantagraphics and his long-suppressed Incorrigible Hulk story in Marvel’s Strange Tales anthology. No word yet on whether he plans to have Mrs. Bradley pose for Playboy.

Everybody Is Stupid Except Me

Everybody Is Stupid Except for Me and Other Astute Observations
by Peter Bagge
Fantagraphics Books, 120 pages, $16.99.

Peter Bagge’s seminal work in the 1980s and 90s (Hate, Neat Stuff) always featured characters going off on extended rants about one subject or another, so it’s no real surprise to find that the author has managed to transition himself into something of a reporter/editorial pundit.

Nor is it any real surprise that the pieces collected in awesomely-named Everyone Is Stupid Except for Me — all of which were done for Reason magazine over the past nine years or so — are wonderfully entertaining and often fall-on-the-floor funny, even when you find yourself at odds with Bagge’s viewpoint.

A self-proclaimed libertarian, Bagge general tone throughout the book is one of perplexed and sardonic annoyance. He savages both the left and the right for anything that smacks of greed, hypocrisy or some sanctimonious claptrap that involves people sticking their noses where they don’t belong. His venom those who pushed for the Iraq war is almost matched in invective by his irate feelings for those who would use his tax dollars to, say, build a new sports stadium, fund a conceptual art exhibit or keep Amtrak in business.

Yet Bagge is no Bill O’Reilly (thank goodness) so full of self-righteousness and pomposity that he’s unwilling to listen to anywone other than himself. On the contrary, he’s more than willing to admit when a social problem, like the war on drugs, has him stumped. He even elicits quite a bit of sympathy in a few pieces, like his one on the chronically homeless. More to the point, he portrays himself as such an average, family man that it’s hard not to like the guy, even when you think he’s off base.

Bagge is at his best here when he’s either focusing on issues from a personal perspective (like his essay in favor of mall culture, which is surprisingly persuasive) or plays cub reporter, going out and interviewing lawyers, victims or just those with a vested interest in the issue at hand (i.e. the Amtrak piece, a look at Christian rock, his coverage of the New Hampshire primaries). The shorter pieces tend to favor swinging at straw men, though I should note that this doesn’t keep the from frequently being hilarious (the bit on how nerd culture has consumed America is a hoot).

Less successful are those where you feel Bagge just generally has a chip on his shoulder. His piece on the horror that is modern art makes the occasional good point, but smacks of a reverse eltism all the same (some people actually do still like Shakespeare you know). Likewise his What We Believe, seems all over the place in its attempts to show how liberals believe in just as many nonsensical things as right-wingers. (am I a loon simply because I don’t want high-fructose corn syrup in my bread Peter?)

But so what? Regardless of whether I agree with him or not, or whether I feel like one of his targets or not, Bagge remains an extremly entertaining and gifted raconteur. It’s hard to get angry at him when faced with his rubbery, limbs akimbo and eyes agog art style — a style which continues to delight me and makes even the driest treatise palatable. While his focus may have changed, his work remains as delightful as it did in the alt-comix hey day. Stupid just confirms what many of us already knew: he’s still one of the funniest cartoonists in America today.

Bagge's Discover comic

Peter Bagge is apparently doing monthly strips for Discover Magazine about He’s posted a sample strip over at his MySpace page. (Which also, by the way features a page from his aborted Hulk project. Man, when will Marvel get hip and finally put that thing out?)

Bagge also designed some new T-shirts for Stussy, and in return they put together a great video interview with him. (all found via Flog)