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Step away from the word processor, Mr Davis.

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Mysterious Transfer Student

11:02 / 09.07.07

Janean Patience, pardon the callback to your earlier post, but can you recommend any books in particular Sienkiewicz inked? Because I really like the idea of Staton or Yeowell re-energised in the manner you describe.

Janean Patience

11:58 / 09.07.07

The Yeowell one is Xen, a Paradise X special which you won't even begin to understand unless you've read the whole Earth-Universe-Paradise sequence and probably not even then. Lovely art, though. The Staton one was an old Batman comic, I think about children being injured in wars or something. He inked a few Batman issues during No Man's Land as well, again doing something wonderful with ordinary art by Dan Jurgens IIRC. I see on Google he also inked Sean Phillips on a Black Widow story and that's a mouth-watering combination. He's inked over Greg Land on a Nightwing/Huntress mini, too.

It would seem, on further examination, that Sienkiewicz will only ink projects with no redeeming narrative value whatsoever. If the script ain't shit he won't commit. Worth downloading only for the frenetic intensity of the art.

Jack Denfeld

05:27 / 10.07.07

The only time I've ever stopped reading the Captain America comics was during Dan Jurgens run.

This Sunday

05:44 / 10.07.07

Similarly, my love of the FF and my love of intercompany cross-overs could do a thing to make me even like Jurgen's Fantastic Four/Superman book. I never even finished reading it, which, for FF-related stuff is pretty rare.

The Alex Ross cover didn't help. Which, of course, leads me to throw Ross on here. He doesn't 'write' I guess, in the classic sense, but he has horrible ideas he gets other people to narrativise and he can't come up with a backstory or fiat for an ethnic character that doesn't seem to be predicated on them being 'an ethnic character' and all that brings to the table.

Haus of Mystery

10:34 / 10.07.07

As much as i generally loathe Ross' work, his contribution to Astro City is very positive. His covers and character design are excellent for that, and only that, book.

Re: Sienkewicz.
I consider Stray Toasters to be a brave failure. It's such a barrage of techniques and styles that almost works as a kind of stream-of-consciousness comics, but ultimately it's just too much. Too dense, too impenetrable. But man does it look amazing. I still think the ultimate Sienkewicz experience is Elektra: Assassin, where Miller and him created a strange and beautiful thing.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

13:12 / 10.07.07

Really? I loved Stray Toasters. Reading the individual issues as they came out I'd be inclined to agree that it was basically stream-of-consciousness nonsense or whatever- reading it again as a whole work it was actually pretty tightly structured.

Haus of Mystery

14:03 / 10.07.07

It's definitely tightly structured, but it's also pretty unforgiving...if you put it down then pick it up again you're lost. Some of it's very, very good and it ranks as one of the most experimental comics ever released by a major publisher, but I still think 'noble failure' is how I'd some it up. But that's OK. I'd rather something try too hard and fail than coast along and be safe and dull.

Hallo, Paper Spaceboy

16:32 / 10.07.07

Nightfalling: [Alex Ross] can't come up with a backstory or fiat for an ethnic character that doesn't seem to be predicated on them being 'an ethnic character' and all that brings to the table.

I would assume this is the ultimate product of him learning about "ethnic characters" via the Super-Friends?

MattShepherd: I WEDDED KALI!

17:52 / 10.07.07

I have to echo the "Stray Toasters = Masterpiece" sentiment. Okay, maybe if you pick it up and put it down and come back to it it can be confusing, but so is the Seventh Seal, for Pete's sake. I actually have three sets of S.T.: the signed pristine copy, the my-readin' copy, and the lendin' copy.

This Sunday

18:32 / 10.07.07

Papers, that Ross:Super-Friends connection was oddly one I hadn't put at the fore of why I have so many problems with his ideas, but clearly, that's it. The way he treats heroism, the way he treats ethnicity, gender, and nationality.

I know Carlos Pacheco's writing was scene by many as a dancing bear/whistling dog case, but I actually kinda liked his Fantastic Four. Not a big fan of his art or writing, but they seemed about equal in strength. He had an interesting sense of pacing, but if anything it was Loeb's dialogue that messed up the run for me.

Does anybody know where Dave Stevens ended up?

Alex's Grandma

22:53 / 10.07.07

Matt Wagner is a very strong example of someone who can both write and draw extremely well.

Agreed. The wheels tend to come off the Grendel franchise (which is all I know of his work, really) when anyone else is responsible for the art. I can see why he'd have wanted to use a range of illustrators, in the interest of creating a different atmosphere for each take on the concept, but on the other hand, he does seem to have worked with some hacks over the years, to the possible detriment of his standing with posterity.

Janean Patience

05:36 / 11.07.07

But, but... the whole point of Grendel is that Matt writes it for other people to draw. Only Devil By The Deed, the Batman/Grendel crossovers (released in a trade soon, fact fans) and the new series Behold The Devil out later this year have been drawn by Matt. So I'd disagree.

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