Wayne Markley

by Wayne Markley

As we push quickly into the New Year, I thought I would take a few moments to stop and look at a number of great new books that have come out recently. This is a mix of graphic novels, both original and reprints, and new monthly titles. In the coming months, both DC and Marvel are doing their own spring cleaning and cancelling, re-starting, switching around, and generally causing turmoil for retailers and fans, and I have no doubt all of these changes and re-boots will be the subject of many a blog to come. But before all of this upcoming mayhem I want to recommend a few books you may have overlooked in case you are, like me, turned off by all of these stunts and reboots.

The Sculptor

First off we have, The Sculptor, the first new graphic novel by Scott McCloud in almost twenty years. Scott might be best known for his classic science-fiction/super-hero book, Zot. I loved Zot when it was first published many years ago by Eclipse (then collected by Kitchen Sink, who went out business before collecting the whole series and then by Harper Collins, who also never finished collecting the series. Perhaps IDW can pick it up and finish it? It is certainly worth it). After Zot, he did The New Adventures of Abraham Lincoln, took a long break, then he finally returned to fiction with his newest work, The Sculptor. But, between old Abe and The Sculptor, he did a series of bestselling books on what makes a comic book in the classic Understanding Comics, and the sequels Making Comics and Reinventing Comics. With The Sculptor, a beautiful black and white hardcover, McCloud returns to the long form graphic novel, taking almost 500 pages to tell the tale of David Smith who is a sculptor (thus the title) who gives his life for his art even though it might cost him his one true love. I really liked this book. It was well paced and the art and storytelling were whimsical and powerful at the same time. The story takes a number of different twists but each one makes perfect sense in the context of the overall story. As I was reading along at times I was concerned that story had jumped the shark. McCloud masterfully brings it all together at the end with a very satisfying ending. The story (which I do not want to discuss specifically for fear of giving away any of the surprises) reminded me a lot of a Frank Capra movie. A powerful tale told in a simple way with a strong moral point to be made. This is not to say that this book has the traditional Capra ending mind you. I found this book a joy to read and I would recommend it to almost anyone. (Not for younger readers due to nudity and language, but I doubt the story would interest younger fans or the superhero crowd).

Super-Villains Unite: The Complete Super-Villain Team-Up

I have heard from readers of this blog that I am anti-superhero. Well, I can honestly say that is not true. I am anti-bad storytelling, no matter what the genre. So my next suggestion is another long book, over 450 pages, and it is a complete collection of one of my favorite comics from my younger years, it is called Super-Villains Unite: The Complete Super-Villain Team-Up. It is the complete collection of Super-Villain Team-Up, the two giant sized issues, all of the monthly issues, the issues of the Avengers where the story crossed-over, and the issue of the Champions which continued the story. The basic idea behind the book, at least in the beginning, was Doctor Doom trying to get the Sub-Mariner to be his partner in taking over the world. There are numerous twists and turns as Namor does not trust Doom, and this leads to all sorts of conflicts. This book was also a continuation of the Sub-Mariners book which had been cancelled by the time this book came out, so a lot of the storylines from the monthly Sub-Mariner book were carried over into the stories here. But don’t worry, all of it is explained and it easily understandable. In later issues it becomes Doctor Door and the Red Skull and even later in the run, Doom leaves the book and it is the Red Skull and the Hate Monger. All of these stories are just old fashioned fun with sub-plots that play out throughout the series, and there are guest stars galore, like the Avengers, Fantastic Four, and even the Shroud, who makes his first appearance here. One of the more interesting things about this book, and it was an issue at Marvel at the time this was coming out, was the creative teams were constantly changing, almost issue to issue. It is rare in these series to have the same creators last more than three issues. After Roy Thomas launched the series you had a variety of writers like Tony Isabella, Steve Englehart and Bill Mantlo, all who did great work. The artists were an even bigger mix, with such diverse artists as John Buscema, Sal Buscema, George Evens, and even Jim Shooter penciled an issue. Yes, that Jim Shooter. Who knew he could pencil as well as write? With this book you are not going to get Watchmen or Planetary, but you are going to get a fun read in the traditional Marvel style and a very enjoyable experience.

Red One

I want to briefly point out a few new releases from Image Comics I have really enjoyed. These are only based on the first issues, but I thought all three of these are well worth reading. First off is Red One by Xavier Dorlson and Terry Dodson. This is a tale of a female Russian spy who is sent to America. The art is just breathtaking and the story moves at a very quick pace and the end left me wanting more. (This is Dodson’s best art in many years). Chrononauts by Mark Millar and Sean Murphy is a tale of time travel gone wrong. I enjoy almost everything Millar writes, even though I know a number of people who do not. Based on the first issue this looks as intriguing and fascinating as all of his other work (Kick-Ass, Secret Service, Nemesis, Civil War, etc.). The third book is Invisible Republic by Corrinna Bechko and Gabriel Hardman. First off, I loved what they did with Planet of the Apes: Cataclysm (available in three trades and well worth reading) and in the original graphic novel Kinski. Invisible Republic is science fiction story that is so much more (politics and adventure for example). The first issue is rich and complex and the art is great, some of the best I have seen by Hardman. As with the prior two books, I am hooked after one issue and I cannot wait to read more. My final quick pick is Ei8ht by Rafael Albuquerque and Mike Johnson from Dark Horse Comics. This was originally a web comic Albuquerque did in his native Brazil, but Dark Horse is collecting it into a five issue miniseries. It tells the tale of a group of people trapped in the past, the present, the future and somewhere else completely. The art is great and the coloring really makes this book stand out, because the colors are such in integral part of the story. Having read only the first issue of all of these, except for Ei8ht, which I have read the first two issues, I would highly recommend all four of these books.

This is it for this time, a mix of original graphic novel, a collection of a classic Marvel comic, and four brand new series (all of which are creator owned!).

Everything I have written here is my opinion and in no way reflects the thoughts or opinions of Westfield Comics or their employees. If you have read any of these books, please let me know what you think. Did you enjoy them as much as I did? Why not? I would like to know. Comments, suggestions or general hate mail can be sent to MFBWAY@AOL.COM. As always,

Thank you.