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Ojo

klint

14:54 / 26.08.04

Anyone else get this yesterday? It's black and white, it's from Oni, and it's quite lovely. Usual Sam Kieth themes, but not stale in anyway.

When it comes to "pop comics" does anyone really do it better than Sam Kieth?

Also, has anyone been reading Scratch? I just got the first issue yesterday, I missed it when it first came out and it had to be re-ordered.

sleazenation

15:11 / 26.08.04

Ohhhhhhhhh I'll look out for this. I love Sam Kieth's stuff, neurotic little chipmunk that he is. The Maxx hast to be one of the best comics to come out Image and I have a feeling that it passed under the radar of many, though maybe not in its MTV cartoon version. But yes, The Maxx is currently being collected and is well worth picking up.

.... ummm - i'll get back on topic wheni've picked this up...

sleazenation

13:01 / 28.08.04

Right - I picked this up and the biggest change is seeing Kieth return to black and white... which is kind of a surprising since his work seems to demand it - having said which Oni don'r do colour interior pages - which is certainly a good way to keep costs down and itself viable as a publisher.

But yes - Kieth's recurring motif of an alienated young girl being brought up by a grandparent is all present and correct... as are the monsters from the subconscious... So far so good but there doesn't seem to be anything special here yet. Hope there are some twists and turns in store in the next few issues -

klint

17:54 / 28.08.04

I suppose the bad luck with animals is pretty old hat for Kieth, huh? Still, the grandfather and girl grew on me pretty quick.

Yeah, it is interesting to see him back in black and white, which I wasn't expecting either. I'm curious about what role the other artist plays in the book:

"I'm doing a book for Oni that I'm working on with another artist. I'm carefully shifting more and more work to him. So, he can do all the hard work and I just sit around and write it and not do any of the artwork. It's called 'Oh Joe.' I'm supposed to deliver the first issue to them in a week. I don't think they have it on schedule yet. I told them myself not to put it on until I get some art for it."
- http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=3455

And did you pick up Scratch, Sleaze? I've only read the first issue, where the story's nothing special, but the color art is gorgeous.

sleazenation

23:27 / 30.08.04

Didn't pick up Scratch - as a marvel universe book it didn't sound a very promising proposition - i also failed to pick up kieth's wolverine/hulk book - but was more than happy to stump up the cash for the re-released epicurus book.

Its all prompted me to re-read my old maxx comics though...

klint

01:43 / 31.08.04

Actually, Scratch is a DCU book that takes place far away from the rest of the DCU, though Batman's supposed to show-up in the last issue. The Hulk/Wolverene thing actually came out?

Lord Morgue

07:18 / 31.08.04

I flicked through an issue of Hulk/Wolverine, and it's easy to see why it hardly went noticed even by Kieth fans- he really was on autopilot the whole time. Even worse than his xeroxed Mr. Monster story. Compared to his work with Peter David on Hulk and the Blood Hungry serial for Marvel Comics Presents- blech.
Guess he needed the money, he was sleepwalking through it worse that even Simon Bisley does when you don't have his attention...

FinderWolf

20:25 / 31.08.04

Keith's stuff is just too distorted and bizarre for me visually, although I see that he does have talent. If I ever sit down and read the Zero Girl paperbacks I imagine I'd like them well enough.

sleazenation

21:10 / 31.08.04

Keith's stuff is just too distorted and bizarre for me visually,

This kind of reminds me of Cameron's exasperation about his style being described as being 'too cartoony'

But seriously, if you are going to try some of Kieth’s stuff I’d recommend The Maxx or Four Women over Zero Girl. Four Women especially since it’s probably the straightest story he’s ever told. It’s the story of four women on a road trip, and what happened to prevent them from reaching their destination…

The Timaximus, The!

23:18 / 31.08.04

I didn't buy Wolverine/Hulk, either, but I loved looking through binders of the art at Albert Moy's booth at San Diego this year. I wish the book have been reprinted oversize, without text, and the black-and-white parts in black-and-white and the painted parts in color. The art's nice, is what I'm sayin'.

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