Interview: James Stokoe

One of the more enigmatic creators of recent years is James Stokoe.  His comics are a psychedelic assault of bright, saturated colours and incredible detail which range in topic from alien cook-offs, through monster-fighter baseball players, to safe-cracking orcs who use chopped-up penises for currency.  When I ran into him in a rare public appearance at FanExpo Vancouver this year, I took the opportunity to sit down and talk with him about his work and fear of the outdoors.

-- Gavin Lees

Looking at your art, it doesn’t look remotely similar to anything else that’s coming out.  I was wondering what your early influences were — what were the books that inspired you, what the art that inspired you was?

Early on, I was really into Joe Madureira, which is kind of weird now, but that’s what I started out liking.  I liked the manga stuff that was in it, but I didn’t really realize that it was the manga stuff that I liked!  Then I found the good manga, and I was like, “Oh, this is where it comes from — this is the good stuff!” so I’m not into it anymore.  Then I got into Jamie Hewlett — he was good for a while — and I like Vaughan Bode and other really colourful, energetic stuff.

Yeah, I think that’s easy to see in your work.  You tend to avoid earthy colour-palettes.

There’ll be no brown in Orc Stain!

Right — it’s Skittles, not chocolate. [Laughter] This would be in your teens when you were beginning to get into the more mature stuff, then?

Yeah, probably like 13, 14…

Is that when you decided that comics was what you wanted to do?

I kinda always figured-out that I wanted to draw comics.  I was always drawing them before I was even that into reading them.  I remember drawing comics when I was kid, before I had any Spider-Man issues.  It was what I always wanted to do.

Did you go to art school — it seems like you haven’t had the creativity beaten out of you — or are you self-taught?

Yeah, I never went to school for it.

So, how did you go about developing your art, then?  You have a really detailed style that doesn’t seem like it should lend itself that well to comics.

Yeah, it was through obsessive practice, I guess.  I like British comics, the way they always pack so much stuff into one page and I think I got it from that.  I got into Geof Darrow — he does it right!  To me, it doesn’t even seem that detailed to me, when I’m drawing it.  It’s just how I do it, and I guess it just comes out that way.  I never do a thing where I’m like, “Oh, I have to draw six-billion little things going on here,” it just kinda happens.

The first work of yours that I was aware of was Wonton Soup — was that your first published work?

Yeah, that was my first book through a publisher.  I did smaller works — like, I did a thing for a convention, convention comics and things like that.  But that was my first big thing.

So, how did your relationship with Oni start?

I think I was supposed to — because I was living in Seattle with people like Brandon Graham and Corey Lewis — I was supposed to do a comic with Corey about… I can’t even remember what it was about now… something weird! [Laughter]  But he ended up not doing it, so I had a comic I did for an anthology, which was the first 20 pages of Wonton Soup.  So, I pitched it to Oni as a longer book.  In the original story, he dies at the end, so I had to change that.  It wasn’t even about space truckers or cooking or anything, it was just that he finds a fortune cookie and he eats it and he explodes.  The fortune said something like, “You’re going to die today!”  So, I turned that into a cooking thing… I don’t know why, I don’t cook or anything.

Well, that’s a very manga-like premise, to base a book on something mundane, yet creative, like cooking or baking.

Yeah, I think I was reading that Iron Wok Jan book and thought, “Yeah, that’s cool — I’m going to do that!”

Now, that series wrapped-up about four years ago.  Have you got any plans to return to it, or have other projects taken over now?

I have one spin-off with one character that I did 80 pages of, but I have no plans to finish it at this point.  I looked at it the other day and just thought, “Oh man, this is really old.”  If I pick it up again, there’ll be a huge disparity between my art then and my art now.

Now, your current project is Orc Stain.  To me, that seems like it would have been a bit of a hard sell — it’s basically a giant STD metaphor, meets Warhammer [Stokoe laughs].  Did you have to shop it around a lot before Image picked it up?

No, they just kind of took it. I think I was doing a book called Murder Bullets for them, or had pitched it anyway.  Then I had drawn a bit of Orc Stain, just pencils, and said that I’d rather draw that for a monthly if I was going to do a monthly, since it was more fun than Murder Bullets.  I don’t think they even looked very closely at the pages that I sent them [laughter] with all the dicks and stuff that was in it… and I never told them about that.  I just sent it to them, and never heard back, so I just figured they were fine with it.  I didn’t think they would go for it, but they did!

..and there’s never been any comeback from that?  You haven’t had complaints about the content?

No, I’ve never heard anything from them.  I did get a little letter a couple of month ago from an Episcopalian pastor. [Laughter]  He sent me a little telegram and said like, “No, man, I really like Orc Stain!”  So, if that guy’s saying it’s all right, then I guess it’s all right.

Maybe because that’s the only way for him to look at giant dicks without getting in trouble…

Maybe!

What are your plans for the series now, because after issue six, it just seemed like you were done and you disappeared.  But, now that issue seven is out, it seems like your back on a regular schedule.

Well, I wouldn’t say that!  I’m working on issue eight, but I don’t know that it’s going to be that regular until I’ve got the Godzilla books done, which is what I’ve got to concentrate on now.  But, no, I’m going to keep going until it’s done.  It’s definitely something I don’t want to leave half-done.

OK, because I had heard a rumour from a certain Seattle artist, who you know… he draws elephants —

Awww…

— that you had just ditched the series and Image were pissed-off at you.

Marley Zarcone: Don’t listen to anything that guy has to say ever!  He’s a liar!

JS: Oh, Justin… he’s a habitual liar.

MZ: He’s such a liar.  He’ll tell you that he was born in France in 1943. [Laughter]

JS: So, yeah — it might take a while, but it’s definitely something I want to finish.

What was causing the delays during your hiatus, then?  Was other work coming your way?  I know you have Godzilla coming up, and that your work is very detailed, so that must take time.

Yeah, it’s the money thing that’s the main thing.  I couldn’t work on it because I wasn’t getting anything out of it, money-wise. Godzilla is something that I’ve wanted to do since I was five — and it’s paying me money, so it’s a double-bonus!  But I keep working on Orc Stain... definitely once Godzilla is done, I’ll get back into it as much as I can.

Have you got any long-term plan for it, in terms of how long it will run — 40, 60…12 issues?

I’ve always said that if it’s more than six trade volumes’ worth, then I’ve done too much.  I want to do six books at the most, but I’m thinking of doing side spin-off things here and there.  I like the way that BPRD is set-up right now where they do little arcs which are their own thing.  I’d like to do that and I think that would work better for the schedule, just to do five and have those out.

Getting to Godzilla, then — if this was interfering with Orc Stain, I take it that it’s been in the works for some time?

Yeah, I started it about a year ago, I guess.  When IDW were doing the first series, which had Eric Powell on it, I think I tried out for that one.  My assistant editor, Bobby, just emailed me.  I had done that Godzilla fan-comic a couple of years ago and they liked that, and the editors liked Orc Stain, so they wanted me to do it.  I was supposed to do one of the other series, but I ended up just pitching my own and they went for it!

You’re writing and drawing?

Yeah, it’s going to be just like Orc Stain — I’ll be writing and drawing it all.  I’ve got an assistant for colours, who’s helping me out on it.  I’m even lettering it, too.

I think that something that’s lost a lot in American comics – when it’s a factory line — you lose the cohesiveness of the art, and the authorial aesthetic.  Is that something you’re trying to move against?

Well, sometimes it works — sometimes good comics have more than one person on them.  But sometimes, I don’t know if those guys even talk to one another when they’re on the same book sometimes.  It’s just such an assembly line, and that breaks the work down.  I just do it by myself because I like doing it all by myself.  I don’t trust other people! [Stokoe laughs]

Is this just a mini-series that you’re doing for Godzilla?

Yeah, it’s five issues.  22 pages in each.  It’s definitely hard to go down from 32 in Orc Stain, especially when it’s Godzilla — I just want to draw those big panels all the time.  So, it’s been hard to draw, but I’m enjoying it.

What plans do you have for the storyline?  Is it going to be like a classic monster movie on paper — is he going to fight other big monsters?

It’s going to be classic Godzilla.  A lot of the Godzilla books that have been out over the years have been really over the top, you know, Godzilla versus The Spanish Armada, Godzilla versus Charles Barkley and all this kinda stuff.  I just want to do a regular Godzilla, because that’s what I like — just a monster who goes around destroying Tokyo every issue.  My first issue takes place 10 years after the last issue, so it starts out in 1950 with the first Godzilla movie, and then every 10 years is a different issue, so it ends in 1997 or thereabouts.  I just wanted to draw Godzilla throughout all the different time periods, I thought that’d be pretty cool.

Are there any particular Godzilla movies that you’re drawing from on this series — or any of the movies that are particular favourites?

Oh, I like them all! [Laughter]  You can’t make me choose.  The Godzilla I’m using is from the newer millennium series.  I’ve always liked drawing that one — I like the way his big spines are spikier and more designed.

One thing that you’ve been teasing over the last year or so is Spider-‘Nam.  Is this just your own Spider-Man fanfic?

Yeah, pretty much.  I don’t think Marvel would ever, ever publish what I’m going to draw.  When Spider-Man was created, he would have been 18 when the drafts were going on, so why the hell didn’t they have Spider-Man in Vietnam?  Even the title — Spider-‘Nam — it’s right there!  I’m on a huge ‘Nam kick right now — I’m reading about it a lot.

Is Vietnam going to come into Godzilla?

Oh, yeah — that’s issue two!

Now, getting to you, personally — you seem to be very reclusive as a creator. [Stokoe laughs] I think this is the first convention that you’ve been to?

No, I was at TCAF last year… that’s about it.  I got kicked out of the States for five years, a couple of years ago, so that’s part of the reason.  But I still don’t go outside anyway, so I don’t think that helps anything.  I definitely stay inside and just draw all the time.

You don’t have any desire to network with other people?

No — other people scare me!  I get out once in a while, but with comics, you have to stay in the house and raw all the time, otherwise you’ll never get anything done.

So, you think that your work speaks for itself, you don’t need to be a personality?

No, I don’t want my picture on the back of the books.  I do like the work just speaking for itself, which is why I’m not doing this interview right now.

Well, I think I’ve only read one interview with you, which was for MTV Geek or something.

Yeah, that was for the Troll Hunter poster that I drew.  I’ve done a couple lately, but I guess I come out of my hole every once in a while.  But I usually dread it…but I’m enjoying this one.

Are you going to be doing any more illustration projects like Troll Hunter?

I guess that was just filling a gap — I can’t think of anything else that’s coming out.  I used to do it a lot more than I do, but Godzilla’s been paying the rent recently.

There’s a great mental image!  Has where you live had much influence on your work?  I know you’re friends with Brandon Graham, who also lives here in Vancouver.

If you look at the first Wonton Soup, I was just riding on Brandon’s work.  But, yeah, it’s a really good thing to have.  Just having friends who draw with you and you can bounce ideas off of each other, and you can help each other’s work get out there.  I wouldn’t be drawing anywhere near the level I’m at right now if I didn’t have good friends who drew better than me and who I can just rip-off.  [Laughter]

What sparked your move here — you were down in Seattle, and you got kicked-out?

Yeah, I moved here after getting kicked-out because Brandon was living here anyways.  I think he was going to move to Portland or something, but couldn’t get a visa, so we all ended up here.

Are you from Canada originally?

Yeah, I’m from Kelowna originally.

Oh, so was it visa issues that you had?

It was like four years ago.  I can go back next year.  They said I was working down there when I was crossing the border one time.  You know, those enormous Oni cheques that I got!  Taking all the American jobs drawing food comics.  But it all worked out in the end.

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Review: The Infinite Horizon by Gerry Duggan and Phil Noto

The Infinite Horizon – Gerry Duggan (w) Phil Noto (a)

Image Comics, $17.99, ISBN: 978-1582409726

Like Odysseus, this has been a long time in arriving.  Gerry Duggan and Phil Noto’s Infinite Horizon began serialization back in 2007, completing its six-issue run five years later, and now appearing in a trade collection.  It’s an appropriately epic genesis for a project that firmly roots itself in heroic storytelling, taking Homer’s Odyssey as its narrative model, updating it to fit the modern political landscape.

Like the Odyssey, The Infinite Horizon concerns a soldier’s return home from war. In this case, it’s from the USA’s current war on terror, a few years in the future, in some nameless middle-eastern country — “chasing shadows” as the unnamed protagonist would have it — after the war machine finally begins to collapse and the troops are removed.  For The Soldier With No Name, however, returning home becomes a challenge when the last plane out of Syria is destroyed by insurgents, and he and his men must find whatever means they can to get back to America.  Each chapter sees them face some recognisable threats in the form of a marauding Russian in cyclopic armour, the siren call of an oil-rich colony, or the complacency of remaining drugged-up in an African hospital.  All the while, his wife Penelope (naturally) tends their home, while surrounded by a local militia who keep her hostage.

It’s certainly not original to follow the structure of the Odyssey, and it has been reinvented several times by everyone from the Coen Brothers to James Joyce.  What makes Duggan and Noto’s version different is its projection into the future, rather than a reimagining of the past.  In the current geopolitical climate, with the USA engaged in several wars, the analogy to Homer and the Trojan War allows us to reflect on the futility of these conflicts, and the way in which pride and power play a more important role than the safety of America and its people.  The fact that five years later, the story still feels fresh and relevant speaks volumes about its commentary.

The other apt point of commonality is in the oral tradition from which the Odyssey arose.  These were tales which became more exaggerated and fantastical with every telling, and so it is with our current conflicts.  Even though we now have the benefits of round-the-clock news and the all-seeing-eye of the Internet, the bias of our media and the bifurcated political perspective of Americans still manages to spin facts into myth, with every sound bite becoming fodder for someone’s agenda.  So, it stands to reason that, while the events of The Infinite Horizon often seem outlandish or fantastical, they are no less credible than stories that we are currently fed from our own oral traditions.

If there’s any drawback to reading this title as a collection, as opposed to its individual issues (whose lengthy delays only seemed to compound the struggle of its protagonist) it’s that in those five years, Noto grew considerably as an artist.  While his work in the first few issues is good, by the end of the book, there is so much more grace and fluidity in his linework and a greater sense of kinetics. We can’t help but wish that the artist who finished the book could also have been the one to begin it.

-- Gavin Lees

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Weekly Reviews: Supercrooks #2, Rebel Blood #2

Supercrooks # 2 - Mark Millar (w) Leinil Yu (a)

Icon/Marvel Comics, $2.99

The first issue of Supercrooks had a great tagline: “There are too many superheroes. Let’s go somewhere else.” That issue was pretty entertaining, if a little obvious. Everyone who follows the comics world knows what Mark Millar is doing at this point. Nearly all of his comics work is simultaneously being developed as motion pictures. The one exception seems to be the forthcoming Jupiter’s Children with Frank Quitely on art.

Talk all the shit you want, (and people should be discouraging the practice as much as possible) but the books usually work if you think of them as movies. That first issue had a great theatrical opening, scene, and was actually kind of exciting. The second issue is slightly less entertaining.

Supercrooks is a caper story. In the alternate universe that the books takes place in Supervillians have gotten tired of being foiled by Superheroes, so they decide to go to Spain to commit a grand crime, at which point hijinks will supposedly ensue.

Therein lies the problem with the second issue. Not a lot happens. Yes, there’s plenty of violence, and a dick joke or two, but the second issue of four is still all set up. At this point we should be in the thick of the plot, but we’re not. Nearly the entirety of the issue is spent introducing us to characters. We’re not really told why we should care about these characters, though brief glimpses of backstory are given.  Still, all of this would be forgivable if the art were exciting, but, really, it’s not. It’s pretty by the numbers.

This will eventually be a movie, and possibly an enjoyable one. This is not a very good comic. If you’re into Millar you probably have this book already, but if you’re wondering what all the fuss is about you’re better off staying away.

Rebel Blood #2 - Alex Link (w) Riley Rossmo (w/a) 

Image Comics, $3.50

In artist/co-plotter Riley Rossmo's own words Rebel Blood is “a survival horror book which is about Chuck Rebel, who is trying to get home before the mutated flora and fauna get to his family. It’s about the possibilities, in any sort of what if situation when loved ones are at risk, trying to draft visually all the worst case scenarios and possible outcomes.” Soundbytes are great, and that’s an exciting premise, but is the book actually any good?

Well, yes, and no. Rossmo's art is fantastic. He came to prominence a few years ago by drawing the sadly missed Proof. Since then his art has just gotten better. At the same time the story of Rebel Blood isn’t very exciting, or original, and relatively hard to follow.

In issue 2 we watch Chuck Rebel as he drives an ax into rats and bizarre teethy monsters, and then generally runs like hell. The art is disorienting and fleshed out with dark reds and light blues and greens, and plenty of black. Rossmo is one of the best artists working in independent comics today, and this book is the perfect example as to why.

Still, this book is not a mandatory read, at least not in single issues. If your stack is light this week, and you need a violence fix, pick this up. Otherwise, you’re better off waiting for the trade.

-- Jeffrey Whitelaw

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Review: Popeye #1 by Roger Langridge and Bruce Ozella

Popeye #1 – Roger Langridge (w) Bruce Ozella (a)

IDW, $3.99

Editor Craig Yoe’s affection for classic comics is well-documented by the slew of reprints that he’s put his name to over the years.  Most of them, however, have been slapdash affairs, marred by low production values, poor research and a lack of quality control.  So, it was an air of trepidation that greeted his announcement that he would be bringing back Popeye as an ongoing comic series.  It was obvious that Yoe respected the character, but whether he would be able to recapture the magic of E.C. Segar or Bud Sagendorf was another matter.

It was with great relief, then, that Roger Langridge was announced as the series’ writer — whose pedigree in reviving The Muppet Show for comics made him perfect for the project — along with newcomer Bruce Ozella, whose mimicry of Segar’s classic style is uncanny.  Throw in a cover by acclaimed cartoonist (and writer of the Popeye movie) Jules Feiffer, and this has all the makings of a runaway success.

The first issue does not disappoint.  Langridge’s writing is almost unrecognizable, so perfectly does he capture the cadence and quirks of Segar’s dialogue, and the seafaring storyline could easily have been wrenched from the original strips.  He draws from the classic cast of characters, bringing in Popeye, Olive Oyl, her crackpot brother Castor, Wimpy, The Jeep and Haggy the Sea-Witch.  In the only concession to modern readers and the folk-memory of the character, the villain of the piece is Bluto who, despite his renown as Popeye’s nemesis, only appeared once in Segar’s comics.  A joke is even made at the expense of the ongoing Bluto/Brutus confusion with his name.

Structurally, it’s always strange when newspaper strips are turned into full comicbooks — the recent Peanuts series from Boom! is a prime example of the aesthetic dissonance of seeing the poetry of that strip turned into a 22-page story.  That’s somewhat avoided here, with Langridge and Ozella laying out and structuring each page like a Sunday strip.  Much like Tintin, each page has a beginning, a middle and ends on a cliffhanger or a punchline, and narratively it feels much like reading a collection of Sundays, rather than a “proper” comic.  As such, much of the relentlessness of Segar’s Popeye is retained, with every page containing a gag, some action and yet another problem for our heroes to escape from.

If there’s any flaw to this, it’s that it’s a little too beholden to Segar, and not enough room is given to Langridge and Ozella to place their own imprint on the character.  There are flashes of Langridge — particularly in Wimpy’s song that he sings to himself; the rhyming is unmistakable — but for the most part, it feels like the most faithful tribute act in comics.  It would seem that this is Yoe’s stewardship that has demanded this slavish level of accuracy — he reportedly turned-down Tom Neely for the art duties due to being too “off-model” (although it appears this has been redressed and Neely will provide art for upcoming issues) — and has turned the creators into janitors for the property.  It’s understandable that he wants to retain the purity of the strip, but Langridge is too strong a talent to be confined like this.

Yet, the writer’s affection for the character’s history is clear, so perhaps the dedication to Segar is intentional on his part.  There’s even a fitting tribute to Bill Blackbeard — the editor responsible for saving Popeye, and countless other newspaper cartoons, from obscurity through his obsessive collecting of tearsheets, and who tragically died last year — it would be nice to think that in some other reality, Blackbeard really is living up to his name and sailing boats with Popeye.

How the series progresses and develops will be interesting to see, especially with Neely’s upcoming involvement.  If the editorial reins are loosened enough, this could be a real renaissance for the character.

-- Gavin Lees 

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Comics: Iain Laurie's Horror Mountain

Coming soon: Iain Laurie's Horror Mountain

A 22-page comic anthology, filled with surreal horror and uncomfortable humour from Graphic Eye's resident mad cartoonist.  This will be available from the Graphic Eye table at some upcoming conventions and small-press shows, and from our online store.  Watch this space for further details.

ThI s is wHe r e hE taKe s us.. .

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Weekly Reviews: Crossed Badlands #3, D.B. Cooper #2

Crossed: Badlands # 3 - Garth Ennis (w) Jacen Burrows (a)

Avatar Press, $3.99

Crossed is a series set in a post-apocalyptic world overrun by what could best be described as zombies, known as the Crossed.  These aren’t your daddy’s zombies, however, or anything resembling that crap Kirkman churns out. These creatures are intelligent, almost human, but they’ve had their filters removed. They are pure evil, possessed by the worst that can exist in humanity.  Each story in the series focuses on a separate group of survivors, and follows them as they try to make their way through the new world.

The latest issue of Badlands, the Crossed ongoing series, was perhaps the most interesting to come out under the Crossed banner since the inception of the line. It was a quiet issue. No appearances from the Crossed, no horrific murders, just not so quiet character development. It was a breath of fresh air. The selling point of this series is, and always will be, the mindless violence. At the same time, it was nice to take a step back and look at the survivors. Crossed, when you get to the heart of it, is about human beings. It's about the idea of real people stumbling through a nightmare world, trying to do nothing but survive to the next day. It raises terrible questions on a regular basis, and its goal seems to be to make the reader question their own morality: what would you do in this situation? How far would you go to survive? Would you damn another human being for your own survival?

This is the concluding issue of the inaugural arc of Badlands. It returns the original creative team of Garth Ennis and Jacen Burrows to the world for the first time since the original nine issue arc ended. They tackle the job handily. The original series felt lacking, but David Lapham took the ball and ran with it. The return of Ennis and Burrows has been surprising in that they've actually managed to top Lapham's work on the books. It's as if they felt the need to remind readers that they created this world, and they will always do it best.

This issue opens with a shot of something horrible and the mayhem doesn't abate for the rest of the issue. The issue contains all the mindless violence a Crossed fan could hope for, and concludes the story in a manner that is both satisfying and horrifying.

Crossed: Badlands is actually exceeding expectations at this point. With a six issue arc by Jamie Delano coming up next, it will more than likely only continue to impress. Crossed isn't for everyone, but any fan of honest, violent, cerebral horror should be reading this book. There is more than enough room for stories to be told in the crossed world indefinitely. It's going to be a hell of a lot of fun reading what's coming up.

The Secret History of D.B. Cooper #2 - Brian Churilla (w/a)

Oni Press, $3.99

The first issue of The Secret History of D.B. Cooper was impossible to classify. It was eye candy for drug addled minds, but it was hard to find a plot. The second issue is much of the same, but at least it gives more of an idea where this book is headed. Near the end of it a plot device is thrown in that might actually be the least original thing about it.

This book is definitely original, though. Really, it's hard to think of anything like it.

The story is based around the real life story of D.B. Cooper, who hijacked an airplane in 1971, and then disappeared. To this day it is unknown exactly what happened to him. Writer/artist Brian Churilla introduces Cooper as a CIA agent who is possibly insane, but then again, maybe not. He sends Cooper tripping through a possibly imaginary world guided by a red teddy bear. Then things get weird.

Churilla's art pops and shatters the senses while at the same time avoiding the easy cliches of acid soaked cartoon shenanigans. That stuff is there, but the book never gets too cartoonish, and rarely could it be considered bright. It would be very easy for this book to be very bad, but luckily for us Churilla is good enough at what he does that the book is compulsively readable.

If you're into weird shit, or drugs, this is probably for you. Books like this (at least ones worth reading) don't come along often, but this may just be that long strange comics trip you've been looking for.

-- Jeffrey Whitelaw

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Weekly Reviews: Secret #1, Saga #2

Saga # 2 - Brian K. Vaughn (w) Fiona Staples (a)
Image Comics, $2.99

The second issue of Saga is here, but it’s still impossible to tell what the book is about. Brian K. Vaughn’s two previous creator owned works, Y the Last Man and Ex Machina had clearly defined premises from the start, but that is not the case here.

While the book tells a compelling story, and is introducing interesting characters, it’s impossible to tell what the book is going to be about at this juncture. It could be that this is simply the story of a family beings chased through the universe, but that rings false somehow. Vaughn has stated that Saga is going to be longer than both Y and Ex Machina. Unless you’re Robert Kirkman it’s impossible to make a story about being chased last a hundred plus issues.

So what is Saga, exactly? It’s beautiful for one thing. The book’s art is gorgeous, weird, and surprising enough that it demands a slow attention to details.  The colors... well, the colors could be the best thing about this book. They’re never static. The backgrounds dim and brighten, and most of the pages seem to have a strange light shining through them.

Saga is probably worth your three bucks, even if it’s just for the purty pictures. The story isn’t quite there yet, but it indeed has potential.

Secret # 1 - Jonathan Hickman (w) Ryan Bodenheim (a)
Image Comics, $3.50 Print, $2.99 Digital

 

Secret is the second ongoing from mad scientist of the moment Jonathan Hickman.  The first, The Manhattan Projects, came out about a month ago, but this is the better first issue of the two.

The Manhattan Projects seems to be a sort of done in one type book, each issue featuring a story that loosely relates to the overall plot. It works to a point, but that first issue, as good as it was, somehow felt a little lacking. Secret #1, on the other hand, is the best single issue Hickman has written since The Nightly News ended.

It’s impossible to say much about this book without giving anything away. You’ll want to go into Secret blind. The book shocks you immediately with its use of color, and a couple pages later the design will widen your eyes again. The way Ryan Bodenheim uses angles and detail is impressive as well.

Don’t wait for the trade on this. This is the kind of comics goodness that comes along so rarely that you’ should dive in immediately. It’s available digitally on Comixology. You should go there now.

-- Jeffrey Whitelaw

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Feature: Taste-testing the Apocalypse, part 3

Elysian Fallout


To celebrate the impending apocalypse (or just to have an excuse to make some special beers) Fantagraphics have made a strange alliance with fellow Seattleites, Elysian Brewery, to release a series of 12 speciality beers with label art by Charles Burns. The beers are being released at a rate of one per month, with this month's brew being “Fallout” (coincidentally the name of Russ Battaglia's legendary Seattle record/skate/comic store) which is a pale ale made with green cardamom - one of the most expensive, and powerful, spices in the world.


Straight out of the bottle, it's easy to tell that this is an entirely different beast to the previous two limited brews.  Niburu and Rapture were Elysian's take on traditional brews, but Fallout, while starting from a traditional pale ale base, is unlike any other domestic brew.  The secret is all in the balance.

When poured, the beer settles quickly in the glass with very little carbonation and a light head.  A sniff of the aroma reveals a medley of floral and herbal fragrances.  It's a scent that's evocative of the east, offering similar notes that you'd find in Indian and Thai cookery (really putting the world in "the end of the world").


The flavour is where Fallout really comes into its own.  The first taste to notice is the cardamom: a huge, but not overpowering hit, which is full of aromatic spiciness.  The spiciness never becomes hot, and is balanced by the undertones of vanilla, giving nuance to the flavour.  Of course, being a pale ale, the hops are rich and full, and compliment the spice nicely.  After such a powerful taste, Fallout resolves itself nicely and in the aftertaste reveals its yeast flavours: light and doughy to relax the tongue.


It's almost redundant to say that this is the perfect complement to a curry.  The beer itself even mimics an Indian meal, with its light, aromatic appetiser of a nose, its spicy entree and the cooling sensation of the bready aftertaste.  It's perhaps too full-on of a brew for casual sipping, but is great for savouring.  After the disappointment of last month's Rapture, this is a worthy return to form for one of the Northwest's most distinctive brewers.

-- Gavin Lees

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Review: Warren Ellis - Captured Ghosts

Captured Ghosts – Patrick Meany (dir.)Respect Films, Sequart 2011, $15.00

Captured Ghosts is a magnificent film. It’s beautifully shot, and brimming with ideas. It’s more of an excuse to listen to Warren Ellis talk for ninety minutes than anything else, but that’s not a bad thing. Ellis is known for his blunt honesty, and here he doesn’t disappoint.

It’s easy to see the pessimism in Ellis’ work, especially knowing he came out of Thatcher’s Britain. His work is often a reaction to growing up poor and oppressed. He was told that this was the world he got, but refused to accept that. He refused to accept a pessimistic view of the world.  His best work contains a vision of what the world should be, and what it can be.  It’s not so much a vision of a better future as it is of a better today. Be it the orgasm of ideas and weirdness that is Planetary, or the drug fueled ultraviolet nihilism that is Transmetropolitan. Hope is everywhere in his books, and you don’t even have to look very hard.                

Even through all the nastiness, and violence, the filth, and shit, and the bad noise; there is a sense that we will get through the horrible mess we’re in. Even if we don’t, fuck it, at least we’ll have a good laugh. That is what Ellis’ work is about at its core. Looking at something evil, laughing at it, and presenting it with a better idea.

Even if you’re not a fan of Ellis’ work, you should see this film, and it’ll probably convert you. At its core is the realization that the man is a revolutionary thinker, one we should grateful to have. Every single idea he has put forth in his creator-owned work is one that’s plausible. Of course, there’s plenty of shit we hope doesn’t come true, but if Ellis has thought of something there’s probably some crazy bastard out there trying to build it. He’s already spawned one cult and at least one movement.

Captured Ghosts uses interview footage of Ellis and his contemporaries, including Matt Fraction and Grant Morrison, to present the man as a sort of a prophet. We’ll call him Internet Jesus.  It would be nice to have a comprehensive analysis of his work, but it’s even better watching him smoke and drink and curse. Ellis as a person seems to be every bit as interesting as we would hope from readings his books and internet rantings. See this film. Buy this film. When you’re done, make a friend watch it, by gunpoint if you have to. Ellis would probably approve.

-- Jeffrey Whitelaw

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Interview: Ernie Colón

NBM have recently released Inner Sanctum, the latest work from comics legend Ernie Colón.  In it, he adapts several tales from an old radio show, bringing them into the ghastly realm of the visual with his grim black and white artwork.  It's a beautiful work and show that, even at age 80, Colón can still work his magic.

When the opportunity arose, I spoke to Colón briefly over email to find out a little more about the work.

-- Gavin Lees

What was your introduction to Inner Sanctum, the radio show? Had you listened to it as a young boy?

My mom and I lived in the South Bronx, one block from the “El” — a big improvement over our previous apartment, which was close enough to hit the passing train with a pebble. The rattle of the trains going by used to drown out my radio. I was constantly adjusting the volume.

There were several mystery shows from which to choose — Suspense, Mystery Theater, one or two others. But my favorite was Inner Sanctum. The stories were better, scarier and had tricky endings.

What motivated you to adapt the Inner Sanctum stories to a comics format?

Drawing everything that fascinated me — World War, short stories like “The Monkey’s Paw” —Inner Sanctum was a natural. But I had a lo-o-o-oong wait before I illustrated some of the stories.

Many of the radio plays had long, rambling plots that you edited down to less than 20 pages. Did you hope to make the stories more effective by doing this, or was it simply to allow you to adapt a larger range of stories?

Adapting was difficult. This was a genre that relied on your imagination, your suggestibility. Here, I was foisting my view of the writing on the reader.

A better way would have been if we’d been able to cover each panel, have the reader uncover them, one by one. That would have simulated the kind of suspense the radio show intended. Instead, the page is open to instant perusal, essentially killing any suspense intended.

You’ve worked in the horror genre quite regularly during your career — from the Warren publications like Creepy and Eerie, to The Grim Ghost and now Inner Sanctum — what is it you find so appealing about the genre?

Oh, it’s fun — like the creepy movies of that time. Unfortunately, now violence has become so graphic and there seems to be confusion as to what’s scary and what’s merely disgusting. I liked The Sixth Sense because it was scary, suggestive — really clever.

You have also worked on a lot of “horror” titles for younger readers, like Casper the Friendly Ghost, Beetlejuice and Scooby-Doo. Do you think it’s healthy to foster a love of the supernatural at a young age?

Come on — it comes natural to us all. What’s religion if not belief in the supernatural?

You’ve worked alongside many other comics legends over the years — names like Archie Goodwin, Gene Colan, Al Williamson, Steve Ditko and Neal Adams immediately spring to mind. Were there any who particularly inspired you, or shaped the way that you work?

They all inspired me, each in their own individual way. You forgot Wally Wood, who inspired us all.

It must have been quite an experience working for Warren Publishing. Do you have any particular memories that stand out?

Jim [Warren, the publisher] was an original. An invitation to his Manhattan penthouse was an event. He answered the door wearing a powder blue shirt with white collar, tan slacks and no shoes. When you entered the living room, there was a large portrait of him dressed in exactly those clothes — down to the bare feet.

He encouraged experimentation and respected his writers and artists — something not common enough in this field — as you’ll see with my next answer.

One of your most famous co-creations, Amethyst of Gemworld, is about to see an animated revival on Cartoon Network. Were you consulted at all about this show?

Having signed what turned out to be — for all the legal mumbo and jumbo — to be a simple contract, that is — we own everything, you own nothing and we can’t even spell consulting.

The two top companies have proven, repeatedly, over the years, that they have no conscience, no regard for creative rights or any common decency. Period.

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