The Tooth
Written by Cullen Bunn and Shawn Lee; Illustrated by Matt Kindt
Oni; $24.99

Equal parts Hellboy and Hulk, The Tooth is the story of a young man named Graham Stone who inherits a spooky old estate from his grandfather, Ezekiel. While looking over the place, Graham discovers a room full of “occult esoterica,” a collection of dangerous artifacts that Grandpa Zeke spent a lifetime accumulating. Unfortunately, Graham doesn’t understand how unsafe the stuff really is and grabs an amulet designed to control a mystical, yellow tooth.

Who does understand the significance of the collection is Caleb King, evil mage and one-time arch-nemesis to the late Ezekiel Stone. But when King gets rough with Graham, the supernatural tooth forms a humanoid body and grows to fightin’ size in order to protect his new… well, “master” doesn’t seem like the right word, but the relationship between Graham and the Tooth is hard to define.

Graham doesn’t command the Tooth, but it is attached to him, sometimes quite literally. In between battles with King’s monsters, the Tooth shrinks down and implants itself in Graham’s gums. Graham acts as a reluctant host for the creature who in turn defends the young man. The relationship between the mild-mannered protagonist and the uncontrollable monster brings classic Hulk comics to mind, while the Tooth’s occult origins and the evil wizard who seeks to exploit them are reminiscent of Hellboy.

There’s also a great supporting cast worthy of the comics that influenced The Tooth. Graham is engaged to a woman named Beatrice who’s trying to figure out what’s happened to her fiancé. She partners with Sheriff Turnbull, the only law in the small town where the story takes place, and as her relationship with Graham becomes unfamiliar and strained, her relationship with Turnbull begins to feel easy and comfortable.

Beatrice is no damsel-in-distress though. She’s not someone to be used as a pawn in the conflict between Graham and the man who’s hunting him. She’s her own woman and capable of defending herself to a certain point. The Tooth owes some of its tone to the Hulk, but it’s not simply an analog for those comics. Turnbull is neither General Ross nor Jack McGee. He’s only interested in solving crimes, not hunting monsters. It’s Beatrice who worriedly drives the investigation into Graham’s affairs. In many ways, she’s as much the hero as Graham.

That’s all for the good. The Tooth wouldn’t work if it simply mimicked the material it’s paying homage to. That would shatter the illusion that it’s a reboot of a real comic series, an illusion that everyone’s worked very hard at creating, from drawing fake covers and ads to writing fake letters pages and Bullpen Bulletins-style articles. It’s a successful trick that brought back the joy I felt as a kid when I’d discover a new comic.

The story in The Tooth is almost entirely self-contained. It certainly leaves room for more stories to be told about these characters, but no one’s going to come away from it feeling like they have to buy anything else to be satisfied. And yet, the letters and editorials create a history that begs to be explored. The introduction speaks of “die-hard Tooth historians” not needing to worry about the series’ new direction because it includes “connections aplenty to the past – including occult icons such as Ezekiel Stone.” Letters pages refer to past stories and characters in ways that make me want to dig through some back issue bins. I know next to nothing about them – they don’t appear in this story – but I’m hoping future volumes include the return of the Voodoo Queen or a fiendish plot of Dr. Torment. If they don’t though – if this volume is all there is – that’ll be okay too. It’s almost as fun to make up your own Voodoo Queen and imagine the kind of trouble she might have caused the Enameled Enigma.

Still, I really want to see Bunn, Lee, and Kindt take another turn at it.

Fear Itself #3

Welcome to Food or Comics?, where every week we talk about what comics we’d buy at our local comic shop 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 in our comments field.

Chris Arrant

If I had $15, I’d first do a two-fisted grab of this summer’s big event series Flashpoint #2 (DC, $3.99) and Fear Itself #3 (Marvel,$3.99). It’s required reading if you’re writing about comics like I am, and as a reader I’m intrigued by both. Two questions come out of this: 1. I wonder which one jiggered their release dates to come out the same week as the other event book, and 2. I guess DC will have to take off its “Holding The Line at $2.99” logo, or at least add some fine print. Next up would be Uncanny X-Force #11 (Marvel, $3.99); Rick Remender and the artists here have made this the best x-book on stands, hitting me right between the eyes by revisiting older storylines and characters and giving them a modern spin. Lastly, I would get Turf #5 (Image, $2.99), because I’m one of the biggest Tommy Lee Edwards fans out there.

If I had $30, I’d triple-down with three #1s– S.H.I.E.L.D. Vol. 2 #1 (Marvel, $3.99) Criminal: Last of the Innocent #1 (Marvel/Icon, $3.50) and Flashpoint: Batman: Knight of Vengeance #1 (DC, $2.99). After that I’d get Who Is Jake Ellis? #4 (Image, $2.99) and Astonishing X-Men #39 (Marvel, $3.99). On the latter, I was sad to see Jason Pearson go, but drafting Nick Bradshaw to fill in is an inspired choice.

For splurging, I’d go all out on the Dark Horse collection of Citizen Rex (Dark Horse, $19.99). Trying to amp up my Hernandez Bros. reading, and this is part of that.

Chris Mautner

Citizen Rex

If I had $15:

I’d probably just stick to The Boys #55 ($3.99), cause there’s little else in that price range that excites me this week.

If I had $30:

Now we’re talkin’. I’d actually have to choose between two books: the sixth volume of Moomin ($19.95), which features work by Lars Jansson, who took over from his sister Tove on the strip. Word is the transition is seamless. And Citizen Rex ($19.99), the new hardcover collection of a sci-fi mini-series by Gilbert and Mario Hernandez. I didn’t hear much about this when Dark Horse was initially releasing it, but it seems to harken back to the early days of Love and Rockets, when everything was spaceships and funky haircuts. It’s Beto, though, so I know I’ll be getting it at some point. It’s just a question of when.

Splurge:

I wasn’t too impressed with Paul Hornscheimer’s Life With Mr. Dangerous ($22) when it was originally serialized in Mome, but perhaps it reads better collected. I’ll at least give it a flip-through. I’m also curious to check out The Tooth ($24.99), a superhero homage/parody by Cullen Bunn, Shawn Lee and Matt Kindt. That’s an interesting line-up.

Graeme McMillan

Flashpoint #2

I’m in the mood for some full-scale superhero action this week, so my $15 would go toward the latest installments of Flashpoint (#2, DC, $3.99) and Fear Itself (#3, Marvel, $3.99), although the latter might end up being the final time I’ll pick it up after a flat second issue. I’ll also be grabbing the debut of Flashpoint: Secret Seven (DC, $2.99), because I’m curious to see what Peter Milligan will get up to with an alternate Shade The Changing Man — although seeing George Perez not even manage a full issue is going to be somewhat of a disappointment, I must admit — and the Static Shock Special (DC, $2.99), because not only am I eager to see a tribute to the late Dwayne McDuffie, but I’ve also been a fan of Static for years, and long to see him get the comic he’s deserved since Milestone ended.

If I had $30, I might feel curious enough to pick up a couple more Flashpoint spin-offs. Both Flashpoint: Abin Sur, The Green Lantern (DC, $2.99) and The World of Flashpoint (DC, $2.99) have potential for me, although I have little-to-no interest in Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso’s Batman: Knight of Vengeance — and, on Marvel’s side, Fear Itself: The Deep #1 ($2.99) might be worth a look based on Cullen Bunn’s involvement and it being a Defenders title in all but name. That same curiosity might be enough to get me to pick up the second issue of Brian Michael Bendis’ and Alex Maleev’s Moon Knight (Marvel, $3.99), as well… Mind you, that might just be me being a glutton for punishment after the disappointing opener last month.

Splurgewise, it’s entirely nostalgic for me, but if I had the money, Marvel’s Captain Britain: Birth of A Legend collection ($39.99) would definitely be mine. I remember those stories the, uh, second time around (I was given a reprint when I was a kid, and kind of hated it. But oddly enough, I really, really want to re-read it anyway).

Michael May

Reed Gunther #1

If I had $15, I’d check out some new series that are starting this week. Reed Gunther #1 ($2.99) is about a cowboy who rides a bear, 50 Girls 50 #1 ($2.99) is a space pulp by Frank Cho, and Foster Broussard: Demons of the Gold Rush #1 ($3.50) is a steampunk Weird Western from Red 5. In addition to those I’d also grab Betty #192 ($2.99) since it wraps up the groovy spy story from last month’s Veronica.

If I had $30, I’d add Fabien Vehlmann and Jason’s Isle of 100,000 Graves ($14.99). It’s not on Diamond’s website list, but it’s on my comic shop’s invoice, so I’m hopeful that I’ll finally get to read this pirate story and forget my disappointment about On Stranger Tides.

My splurge item this week is the same as Mautner’s. Tooth ($24.99) is expensive, but the chance to see Cullen Bunn and Matt Kindt collaborating on a monster-fighting molar is irresistible. Of course, there’s also Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse, Volume 1: Race to Death Valley ($29.99) featuring early stories of Mickey as a two-fisted adventurer. That sounds impossible to pass up as well, so I’m hoping for some super extra splurge money this week.

JK Parkin

Criminal:Last of the Innocent

If I had $15, I’d start with Flashpoint #2 and Fear Itself, for the reasons Chris outlines above. I’d also grab Criminal:Last of the Innocent #1 and the new SHIELD series, which would put me close to my limit.

With $30, I’d add Fear Itself: The Deep #1 ($2.99), because I can’t resist a Defenders tale by Cullen Bunn. Of the Flashpoint minis, I’m most tempted by Secret Seven, but I’d likely flip through all of them before heading to the counter to see which ones I was really interested in. So let’s round it out with a few ongoings I’ve been digging lately: Secret Six #34 ($2.99), Batman Beyond #6 ($2.99), Herc #4 ($2.99) and Irredeemable #26 ($3.99).

And for my splurging this week, I’ll take a page from Michael’s playbook and go “off Diamond” with Isle of 100,000 Graves ($14.99), the new Jason/Fabien Vehlmann collaboration, and Celluloid, the new erotic book from Dave McKean ($35). I’d also grab the Osborn: Evil Incarcerated trade ($16.99) from Marvel. And there’s not much chance I’d pass on Bunn and Kindt’s collaboration The Tooth ($24.99), so let’s hope that extra splurge money can cover all four.

3 Story: The Secret History of the Giant Man

I’m a great admirer of Matt Kindt‘s work. Honestly, I’m an even bigger admirer of Kindt’s ingenious nature. Case in point, for his latest book, 3 Story: The Secret History of the Giant Man (published by Dark Horse and released in late September), he has developed a Giant Man Mini Comic – Spy Capsule and Giant-Man 3-D Postcards. Before we get into our email interview about 3 Story, I have to reiterate what I said in last week’s What Are You Reading that (in addition to checking out Kindt’s latest work, of course) you should pick up Strange Tales 2 (featuring Kindt’s Black Widow tale).  Here’s a bit of Dark Horse’s background on the tale (before stepping into the interview): “Craig Pressgang’s life is well documented in his official CIA biography, Giant Man: Pillar of America, but the heroic picture it paints is only half the story. The continuous growth caused by Craig’s strange medical condition brings a variety of problems as he becomes more isolated and unknowable. Told in three eras by three women with unique relationships with Craig, 3 Story follows his sad life from his birth to the present.” Be sure to visit the Dark Horse site for a seven-page sample of the book. 

Tim O’Shea: A three-fold question of sorts (pun intended): Which came first, the idea to build your latest book as three stories in one, or the fact that the lead character was three stories tall in height or that you wanted to tell the story from the perspective of three women?

Matt Kindt: I wanted to tell the story from three different generations’ perspective — that was first. Then the idea for the title. I’m usually terrible with titles. It takes me forever to come up with something and then I usually go back to the working title anyway. Super Spy started out as my jokey working title and then it grew on me so I just left it. A friend accused me of naming it 3 Story so it would be filed on the bookshelf next to my other book 2 Sisters — completely unintentional. But I’m thinking my next book might be called “4 Shadows”. (kidding)

O’Shea: In a recent post right before SPX, you wrote: “sold out of 3 Story last weekend at Windy City Con but should have a whole new stack of books for SPX”–did you sell out there as well?

Kindt: No — came close — but I had a LOT more books for that show. But I think I sold even more at SPX which was a great show.

O’Shea: I love your penchant for diagrams in the midst of your storytelling, at one point in this book you diagram a bullet as it enters a man’s eye and exits out his neck. What motivated you to make that storytelling choice? Later in the story you utilize architectural plans. Did you do those yourself–and if you did, did it require a great deal of research to get it just right?

Kindt: Someone asked me about the bullet diagram thing and if it was a reference to the JFK “magic bullet” which might be kind of true. In my storytelling I really like to just break down a moment sometimes — and show every second of that key moment. So that was just one kind of way of doing it. Instead of showing him just slump over. Bullets do crazy things and bullets are terrifying to me — it’s such a careless and horrible thing to fire a bullet because they can bounce of and around and pass right through you and you don’t even feel it or paralyze you. So by breaking that all down and showing the path of the bullet, to me it helps focus on this really horrible thing instead of just glazing over it.

With the architecture — I did a little bit of research and then built some blueprints based on a bunch of reference I’d pulled — I had an idea of the shape and size of the thing. I liked the idea of his home being a sort of extended upside-down ship in the middle of this field. I think the blueprints came from this idea I had of wanting to do a scene between them that was really just talking about their sex life but do it in a way that sort of protected the characters’ privacy at the same time.

O’Shea: Can you explain your affinity for the Cold War era, given that it is seemingy the backbone of your story? I place the middle of this story around 1963 (feel free to correct me here) a full 10 years before you were born.

Kindt: Other than World War II, the Cold War was the other great time period for spies — great gadgets, great cars and clothes. And a lot of history happening then. Civil rights, JFK, Vietnam starting. Lots of material and themes there to tap into.

O’Shea: You were very selective of when you stepped away from full color storytelling into small 8-page b&w snippets every 20 pages or so (it seems). How did you decide what parts warranted that unique treatment?

Kindt: Most of that I had built into the story as the threads that tie the action and sections together. I had a LOT of back story and things I wanted to get in to the main narrative and a lot of things that I ended up just pulling out of the book completely. So those sections serve that purpose but I also like the idea of making the book feel a little like a scrapbook or a secret file that you’re picking up and trying to put together the pieces of this story.

O’Shea: In college, Craig’s room-mate is Ray Cool, an African-American student. As far as I can tell, Ray is the only African-American in the story. Is this a subtle (or maybe just subtle to me) effort on your part to emphasize that the two are kindred spirits as outcasts of sorts, given the 1960s and the Civil Rights era?

Kindt: I’d accept that interpretation. That character is actually a sort of amalgamation of a few real people — friends of my parents during the 60s so he can be that be he’s also just very kind of real in my mind.

O’Shea: I love the nuances of pop culture you use in the story. For example, one WWII era letter to Craig’s mom quotes the Andrew Sisters’ Shoo-shoo Baby? How did you come up using that song in particular?

Kindt: I listen to a lot of music — and jazz from that era is just really great. I had another 10 pages or so in the book that I took out that went into Craig’s shoes and a lot of symbolism with these empty shoes and the feelings that his mother got from seeing his shoes and then his wife and daughter. So kind of a silly pun almost by using that song.

O’Shea: Any chance you would consider creating a sequel Secret Files of Giant Man (along the lines of this separate story)?

Kindt: I would love to. Usually with my books there is so much work put into it that I use everything and everything I did ends up in the book. With 3 Story, it was a little different. The ending and the different little moments were really delicately balanced and I had a lot of extra story pages and ideas that I just pulled out of the book so the story beats would be a little more “poetic” and have a unique rhythm to them. So there are whole subplots and other aspects to Craig’s life that I would love to put together somehow.

O’Shea: Speaking of that short story, I loved the rare instance of him underappreciating the size of something in the Louvre, but what was the thinking in choosing that particular art piece?

Kindt: That was my reaction to that piece when I first saw it. Only in reverse. That had always been one of my favorite paintings but I’d only seen reproductions in textbooks, etc. and they were always 2 or 3 inches big. So when my wife and I tracked it down at the Louvre it was literally a shock — that painting is huge in person. Large than life size. Just crazy big. So I thought it would be funny for him when he got there to not be as impressed.

O’Shea: You used 1960s magazine style ads as storytelling elements in a few pages, How did you come to decide to attempt that (it really worked with the one on page 88) experiment?

Kindt: Initially as I was writing it I knew he would have to make money somehow and product endorsements and advertising seemed like a simple easy fit. Then my next thought is that it would be fun to put ads inside the book so when you flip through it, it looks like there are real ads in the book. I did a ton of fake ads (again, didn’t use even half of them) and as I was putting them into the story and writing the fake ad copy it seemed like a waste. If the ad copy is just cheesy 60s ad copy then it’s kind of a waste to read it let alone write it. So I thought I’d slip some more subtle character dialogue and scenes in there so they ads wouldn’t just be filler. They’d be integral.

O’Shea: Of the three women that tells Craig’s story, who do you find that you feel you executed the most effectively in the book?

Kindt: I think the mother and the wife are probably the most fleshed out and real to me — but only because the daughter is still trying to figure it all out. Trying to figure out who her father was and who she is. The narrative trick there I suppose is that her thoughts and dialogue at the end really end up becoming the Giant Man’s. Most effectively then? I don’t know — they all kind of serve their purpose I suppose.

O’Shea: What do you care to tell folks about your other upcoming projects–Revolver (Vertigo); The Tooth, a fun 70s style comic with Cullen Bunn (Oni); and the Super Spy sequel, Super Natural?

Kindt: Those are the next three books I’m working on. Revolver will be out Summer 2010 and The Tooth is going to be starting up on-line first for free (in November) and then packaged in book form in 2010 as well. Super Natural — still writing and re-writing it and whipping it into shape. It sort of sat on the shelf for a year or so as I finished up 3 Story so now I’m getting back into it and trying to make it a worthy follow up to Super Spy. We’ll see!