A little late...

Sorry, I meant to post this earlier and just forgot. It's a little piece of fan art for Caanan Grall's Max Overacts. He posted it on his site as well but in case you missed it:


Hope everyone is having a great holiday season!

Some Christmas-y art (sorta)

For the annual Drunk Duck Secret Santa project (though I guess it's not annual since they started doing a summer one that I missed) I got Salsa (that would be his username) who had asked for Christmas themed "nose art". I had to double check what nose art was (artwork for the nose of an aircraft/shuttle) and still not really knowing too much about it here's what I came up with:


And with a little bit of red:

2010

I'm starting to see more and more "2010" stuff coming out. Such as the "Best Comics of 2010" or whatever else. So I considered doing something myself but to be honest, I'm not sure what I could come up with for "Best of" lists. For one thing, many of the books I'd put as the best books I read this year were ones that came out in 2009 (*cough*Asterios Polyp*cough*) and I found out about from other "Best of 2010" lists. So I guess I'm just behind the times and who wants a list by someone who's late to the party. So in the end, here's a breakdown of my 2010.

The most memorable would probably be Fan Expo Canada. There were parts that were horribly organized but getting to spend three days geeking out is just too much fun. The Stan Lee package was worth it (though I've heard from others who felt otherwise) and getting to meet him was a big moment for me. The brief pass by William Shatner's table as he signed my photo was a little disappointing. But hey, I'm one of those really weird guys who enjoys being able to say I saw these celebrities in person. And a few of them really made the experience better. Felicia Day was very nice and outgoing. Summer Glau was very friendly. And I heard experiences from other Convention goers that many of the celebrities made it well worth the hassles we went through (for the most part). And of course there was the comic creators for me. Getting artwork from Darwyn Cooke, Andy Belanger, Caanan Grall, Steve McNiven, and others was awesome. The panels (the sketching duels, Darwyn Cooke's panel, etc) were all very entertaining. It was just a great weekend and as soon as I got home I couldn't wait for next year's Fan Expo.

As for comics, after hating Jeph Loeb's Hulk run I was glad that Greg Pak got the Incredible Hulk series back with the big green guy front and centre (with a somewhat new supporting cast). But as I moved to TPBs this year I haven't read the book in a while (since World War Hulks ended). Despite being a lifelong Marvel fan, The Incredible Hulk and possibly the She-Hulks series will be my only two Marvel books.

My favourite "new to me" series would be Atomic Robo. It's still a fairly new series with just a few TPBs out but I definitely recommend checking it out. You can even grab the Free Comic Book Day issues off the web.

In terms of WebComics my favourite remains the Abominable Charles Christopher by Karl Kerschl. Absolutely beautiful artwork with a great mix of strips, from funny to heartbreaking. My favourite new strip would be Max Overacts by Caanan Grall. A fun storyline with unique characters and it keeps getting better and better.

And while we're on the subject of WebComics, we saw Zuda come to an end with several of their books going to ComiXology which obviously had a lot to do with the release of the iPad. You'd think I'd have a lot to say on that but I think I'm talked out about it. And the truth is that although I've read a few comics that were available for free on ComiXology I've never bothered to buy one there. There are a lot of factors that lead to this (not owning an iPad, the price, that I prefer to physically own books so I can feel confident that I'll be able to pull them out and read them 10 years from now, etc) but I don't really want to get into that either.

One thing I'm starting to get into is the online studios or whatever you call it. Where a group of artists share a location (a blog, a webpage, or whatever) to display their artwork. They'll often pick weekly themes or something to add some consistency. Some of the ones I really enjoy include the Comic Social Club, Comic Twart, and The Line it is Drawn on CBR (which is something a bit different but really cool). I think this is a great way for artists to get their work out there and for fans to see some really nice stuff. I just hope it works in helping the artists find a source of income for their work and not just a place where people steal artwork from for their own blogs or webpages. But that's a rant for another day.

Moving off comics to movies (and comic based movies) we had Iron Man 2, I'd agree it may not have been as good as the first but I still enjoyed it. Toy Story 3 may have been the best movie I saw this year but I don't see many movies. And as for Inception, I didn't care for it. It was pretty and had some cool scenes but I couldn't get into it. Though to be fair, by the time I saw it the ending was pretty much spoiled for me (nobody told me outright but I had it figured out).

And lastly, in terms of television I seem to be watching less this year. And the shows I am watching I don't even give my full attention (usually drawing while the TV is on so I can listen to it). I do still enjoy the Big Bang Theory, I know some "geeks" hate it for the stereotypes it pushes but I know so many people (myself included) who have little bits of each of the 4 guys in them. There was also the Walking Dead. I've been reading the book for a while now but I don't find it really thrilling me as much as it did early on. There's some intriguing stuff happening but it may be wearing a bit thin for me. Seeing it on TV was interesting but I wonder if the show will end up wearing thin for me as well, or maybe I'm just not giving a fair chance because of my feelings for the books. Either way, I'll be giving the second season a go.

I can't really think of anything else from this year which is rather sad. But I suspect that as I start seeing more of the "best of 2010" lists coming out I'll be finding new comics to check out. So feel free to let me know what you thought was the best of 2010, whether it's comics, TV, movies, or just important stuff that happened in your life.

And have a happy holiday whatever that holiday may (or may not) be for you and a great (and safe) New Year.

Cheers!

Branding

I know, I haven't been doing a very good job of blogging. I guess Twitter is winning out for me. But here's some rambling if you're looking for something to read.

I don't know if it's just me but I seem to be seeing a lot of blog posts, tweets, news articles, and whatever else focusing on market share, units sold comparisons, and other business type analysis. Of course these were always around but I normally felt they were the focus of guys in business suits who were financially invested in the companies or something like that. Now it seems like everyone's getting in on it. It makes me wonder why. And here's a few of the reasons I'm noticing.

Companies seem to be doing a really good job of getting people feeling like they're somehow connected to them and their success. Whether it's "I'm a Mac" or being a member of the Merry Marvel Marching Society (showing how comics have been doing this for a while, Stan Lee seemed to be one of the ambassadors in that area) they're connecting with their customers (somewhat) and making them feel like the companies success is somehow their success as well. And if someone says something bad about the company or their product, even if they may be right, they'll fight tooth and nail to prove them wrong.

I feel others seem to rely on these things to justify themselves and their spending. Almost like "I must have made the right choice buying that iPhone because the majority is doing it, right?" It's not even a question of which product may be right for you. So you want to point to these things and say to anyone who didn't buy the same as you that they are somehow in the wrong because they aren't part of the majority.

Some are looking to see trends so they can maybe predict the future, and not always for financial gain. Some just want to be able to throw stuff out there so in a few months they can look at the new stats and say "See, I was right! I'm so smart!" And some just want to appear smart by looking at this and just saying the exact same thing that every other blog and tweet says about the data.

And I think the media is playing its part as well. They are falling in line with companies spouting phrases like "game changer", "the future is here", "this will change everything", etc, etc (or if you go with comic solicits it's "universe changing", "nothing will ever be the same", "the new status quo", etc, etc). And they want to appear cutting edge so they bring out data in bar graphs, pie charts, and cute little cartoons.

Of course there are many reasons behind it all but here's where I'm at. I'm done with looking at that stuff. I don't care if a comic or a phone is the big seller, I want the one that's right for me. I'm not going to feel ashamed or "wrong" if it's not the one everyone else bought. So all this talk of market share and units sold doesn't mean much to me. And I'm sort of tired of people focusing on it and throwing it around like it's proof of something other than a company was successful in getting their product (whether it be good or bad) into the most hands (good for them).

So yeah, when Marvel puts out a crappy book I'll say that I thought it was crap. When Apple decides to do stupid censoring of apps and their content I'll say I don't want to support that. But yeah, feel free to tell me that I'm wrong because the Marvel book I think is bad outsells everyone else and Apple sells more iPhones than its competitors, I just won't care.

My Weird TPB Quirk

Here's a weird quirk I have that I felt like sharing. Whenever I meet comic creators (mostly from my two trips to Fan Expo Canada) I feel the need to apologize for reading the TPBs instead of going with the single issues. I guess it comes from the feeling that I'm not fully supporting them by buying continuously (after all, a series may get canceled based on these monthly sales before it ever reaches TPBs). Sometimes it just comes up like when I was talking with Jeff Lemire and I saw a Sweet Tooth picture I didn't recognize so I asked, turns out it was for a cover of an issue that is in the next TPB. So I felt the need to explain that I did read Sweet Tooth, I just hadn't read that particular issue yet because the TPB isn't out. And I felt the need to apologize for this. When talking to Andy Belanger about Kill Shakespeare I had to admit to having not ready any of it yet as I'm also waiting on the TPB there. And again, I felt the need to insert a "Sorry" there.

It's completely weird isn't it? I guess some of it goes back to the early days of TPBs. Some creators expressed disapproval of people waiting for TPBs of their books because they were worried the monthly sales wouldn't be good enough to keep the series going. And maybe I keep thinking back to that. But on the other hand, should I really feel bad about doing the TPBs? I am buying their books after all (and not pirating), I'm just doing it in a format that works better for me. And in the case of a lot of books, I don't really know if I want to buy the series until I hear enough good things about it and then I want at least a few issues to get an idea of how good it is. Should I go digging up the single issues on ebay (doing nothing to help the creator) or just pick up the TPB?

Or in the end, I should probably just not worry so much. I want to support creators/books I like and if I do so by picking up TPBs then I think that should be enough shouldn't it? And from there, it's up to the comic companies to figure things out.

I'm not helping am I?

I recently installed some ad blocking software. I was just tired of the annoyances ads were causing me from the slow load times to annoying popups/redirects to trying to install malicious software on my machine. And so far it seems to be working quite well for me. But here's the issue, I'm a webcomics reader and quite a few webcomic creators and sites hope to make money off their advertising. So by blocking their ads I know I'm accessing their content while closing a source of revenue for them. Same goes for other news/comic sites I visit. I browse their free content and they get some page views but no ad revenue. I could start letting ads through from these pages but as much as I trust them I don't trust the people running the advertising.

Now in some cases I can provide support in other ways. In the case of webcomic creators I could donate money or buying print versions or commissions but in most cases I don't. I don't buy the print versions, merchandise, or commissions because I really don't usually need them lying around my already cluttered condo (though I have bought commissions at conventions). Or sometimes it's other things (like paying $20 plus $40 shipping/handling to Canada for an 80 page book that I don't really need/want in print). Donation seems like the way I should go yet I always seem to find an excuse not to do that as well. I either say it's because I don't want to pay the overhead (or have the creator lose money paying for the overhead) because of the fees the banks and other companies put on the transaction.

And let's face it, I still feel a little weird just giving people money. I know I'm supporting their ability to make a comic but I've already read it so I still feel like I'm just giving away money and not getting anything in return. I know I've already got the enjoyment and if I give them money and they're able to continue (though there's no guarantee that they will) then I'll continue to enjoy it but it just doesn't feel substantial enough return for my money (I know people will want to argue that it is substantial and I would agree but for some reason it just doesn't feel it, I guess it's still just too new for me or something).

So yeah, I'm not really helping.

[NOTE: I can say there have been a few webcomic creators I have helped, but it's a small portion of the webcomics I read.]

I'm a glutton for punishment (ie. Why I do a webcomic)

There is a thread in the DrunkDuck forum asking why webcomic creators do the webcomic thing. But I figured I'd ramble about the topic here since I don't post nearly enough on this blog. I'm not even sure if I've already posted this but what the heck, might as well ramble.

History 101
Okay, here's the backstory. I'm one of those typical comic geeks who enjoyed doodling Hulk, Spider-Man, Batman, etc in class or whenever else I got the chance. I even had dreams (when I was young) of drawing comics professionally. And some friends would compliment my doodles and I started to get it into my head that I was pretty good. As I got older though those ideas disappeared pretty quickly. Some of it had to do with some people (teachers, school councilors, other elders of some authority) bringing me down to Earth, that my art wasn't really that good and that I was better off going in to something that I could actually make a decent living at. Not that it all had to do with others, I never really put the work into my artistic endeavors. Not that I put much into my other endeavors either. So I eventually went the computer science route.

The Seed is Planted
So after spending 5 years doing an undergraduate degree (the co-op placements added a year to the 4 year degree) I started getting the drawing itch again. Ideas for comics had been floating around in my head for a while but I never really put them down on paper. But I suddenly had the urge to start thinking about doing a comic myself. So I started doodling new characters, different scenes, and jotting down story ideas from time to time. But I still didn't really think about putting anything together. So it got put away again as I finished my Master's and entered the "real world" (ie. getting a job, a place to live, etc). It wasn't until a couple years later that two friends who worked at the comic shop I go to told me about their comics that they had on DrunkDuck. I have to admit, I had flashbacks of friends in highschool complimenting my doodles and I thought "Hey, if they liked it I must be good. I can put something together, no problem." I even had the audacity to think it would be easy to put out something that people would be blown away by (I can imagine how any creator reading this is cringing and/or wanting to kick me in the nards right now). And posting them on the web for all to see? That seemed somewhat scary but also pretty simple enough. So I started working on Divine Leap, but I didn't tell anyone just yet. It was a few months later that I told one of my comic shop friends and he encouraged me just enough that I started posting some pages.

It Begins... With a Whimper and a Shot of Reality
So there I was, with my own webcomic started. I actually figured I'd read enough comics to know how to put something good out. And I had a few compliments come my way, mostly from the two or so friends that I had informed of my adventure in webcomics (including the friend that had encouraged me). But it wasn't long until I fully realized what an ignorant ass I was. First off, I had severely underestimated the time that would be involved, even in getting something so simple out there. I also quickly discovered that not even friends would keep coming back to a comic that was so amateurish, something with no backgrounds, lazy art, horrible lettering, poor inking, etc, etc, which meant investing more time to improve on some of it. And it wasn't like readers were clamoring to read any crap that was out there. You had to put something good out and then shout/advertise/network/sell yourself like hell for people to notice your work. I decided to skip that last part though and concentrate on at least making my comic good enough that I wouldn't be ashamed of it.

Improving (though I guess that's debatable)
So I began looking to improve. Mostly through books though a few people on DrunkDuck were kind enough to critique my work as well. So I went with Scott McCloud's books, Will Eisner's graphic storytelling books, books on writing for comics by Alan Moore and Peter David, a book on perspective for comic artists, the Art of Inking, lettering tutorials, the Wizard How To books, and a bunch of other stuff thrown in. There were plenty of times where I felt like giving up on it, after Chapter 1 I took a hiatus because I still wasn't happy with the quality of the comic and if I wasn't happy, and nobody was reading it, then why was I doing it. I eventually decided though that 1) I really wanted to finish the story I had set out to do and 2) I did enjoy making comics and the only way I was going to improve is if I saw this through. If I gave up on Divine Leap I figured I'd just give up on making any comics and that didn't seem acceptable to me. I love comics. I love reading them and I love making them, even though I don't have the talent to do it professionally. And I do believe I have enough talent and knowledge to put out something that isn't so painful to read. Something that at least a few people may enjoy.

In Conclusion
So why did I start making comics? Because I love comics and enjoy reading them, always have and always will, and I had the crazy notion that I could put out something that someone else would enjoy. Why do I continue? Because I still have the crazy notion that I can put out something that someone else would enjoy. Maybe not now but one day. I have no plan to try to make a living (or any money) out of it and I have the utmost respect for anyone who does because I now have a much better idea of what that entails. I still haven't got around to the advertising/shouting/selling myself thing, not sure if I'll ever have that conquered but if I can at least get a few readers and make a few friends along the way I'll be happy.

And that's why I do the webcomic thing. Now I have to go and prepare tomorrow's page, my 400th by the way.

Fan Expo Canada 2010 is done!

So it's back to work after the whirlwind that was Fan Expo Canada 2010. Talk about a crazy weekend. I tweeted throughout but here's a bit more details about my weekend (and my brother's as well for some of the stuff). Both of us went with premier passes and the Stan Lee package.

We weren't 100% sure what was going on for the opening on Friday so we got there around 10:30 thinking they'd process tickets at 12 and line us up again to enter the building. Long story short, the next few hours were spent waiting and confused but we did get in a little after 2. Our first stop was Stan Lee's booth where the Stan Lee package tickets came in handy (jumping us to the start of the line). To further take advantage of the early entrance I decided to snag a couple autographs like Dean Stockwell's (I'm a Quantum Leap fan, I had to ask him if he got to keep any of his wardrobe from that show) and Felicia Day (thanked her for linking to this blog back when I did the Codex sketch, she was really nice about it) and Amy Okuda. I also snagged artwork from Darwyn Cooke (who wasn't doing commissions but fortunately for me had a Hulk piece in his portfolio) and signed up for commissions from Jeff Lemire (of Sweet Tooth fame) and Craig Yeung (getting Hulk drawings from each of course). Then it was time for the Jim Valentino versus Wilce Portacio sketching duel. They were great, the moderator wasn't. Then off to the Stan Lee photo where again, the Stan Lee package helped us out a lot! Somewhere in there I also found time to say a how-do-you-do to Andy Belanger and Caanan both of whom I met at last year's Fan Expo. At some point I signed up for another Andy Belanger Hulk pic and bought Caanan's Max Overacts book. The night was finished with the Stan Lee meet and greet. It was a crazy time and I know it was very disappointing to some who didn't get the quality time they wanted with him but my brother was fortunate enough to get a few pictures with him and I shot some video as he walked by me so it was great for us.

Saturday was a slightly different day. I attended the "Future of Comics" panel in the morning, the Stan Lee panel at 1pm (again, Stan Lee package came in handy and Stan had the crowd in the palm of his hand), then somehow managed to make the Olivier Coipel versus Gary Frank sketching duel (great duel with a much better moderator than the other one I attended) despite the unbelievable crowding on that floor, and Darwyn Cooke's "how to" panel. Other than that it was browsing the Artist Alley (picking up some of the art I'd ordered) and merchandise sections. It was a crazy day at the Expo crowd-wise and I'm glad we brought food so we didn't have to leave the building. I'm also glad I didn't go for any celebrities that day.

For Sunday we decided we wanted to focus on Shatner. We had talked about it on Saturday and my feeling was that if we could get in early enough we could go straight for an autograph if he was signing right away. I thought about the photo but I figured it would be too crazy and I'd be way too exhausted by that point (5pm). Unfortunately he wasn't signing right away but after buying our autograph tickets I decided to spend the next 3 hours waiting for him. Brent wandered for a bit but I didn't really feel like it all that much. While waiting (and after getting to know those around us) we got to watch the celebrities be taken from one location to the next (we were lined up in a back area of the con). I have to admit that I sort of like celebrity sighting so it was cool to sit there and say "Hey there goes Adam West/Summer Glau/James Marsters/Felicia Day/etc". After the Shatner autograph (which was a whole lot of confusion and madness) I was pretty much done. I snagged a couple more things in Artist Alley (a Steve McNiven headshot of Nemesis and sketchbooks from Dale Keown and Jill Thompson) and a couple toys for my nephews and that was it for me.

And with that, it was dinner and a 9pm flight to get me home at 11pm. My brother and I both had a great time (I know others didn't and I do feel for them) and now it's back to the somewhat less exciting normal life of work and other stuff.

Comic Reviews for August 20th, 2010

I know it's been way too long since I posted here. And it's going to get worse, I'm finally making the move to stop monthlies altogether and just pick up the TPBs. But here are a few quick reviews of books I read recently.

Incredible Hulk #611 -- Great writing, amazing art, really good story. And the nice thing for me, you didn't have to be reading the World War Hulks stuff (that I didn't like) to enjoy this issue. One of the best Hulk issues I've read in a good long while.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Riley one shot -- I haven't been enjoying the Buffy series as of late and I'm not a big Riley fan so I was reluctant to pick this one up. I did enjoy it more than I thought I would. I thought it was better executed than some of the issues of the ongoing. Not sure I feel it's worth it though, it's really just a long discussion between Riley and his wife. Good characterization but doesn't really feel necessary as a full one shot.

The Man with the Getaway Face by Darwyn Cooke -- I really enjoy Darwyn's work and I thought the first Parker book he did was really well done. It wasn't really a genre that I'm particularly keen on but it was an enjoyable book to read. And I'd say the same about this book, very well done, enjoyable to read, makes me wonder what the next book (coming out this fall I believe) will be (as I know nothing about the original stories).

Next week is Fan Expo Canada and I'm really looking forward to it. I really enjoyed myself last year. I'm looking forward to seeing a few of the people I met last year like Caanan Grall and Andy Belanger. I also bought the Stan Lee package so that should be fun.

Sorry

Wow! Have I ever been neglecting this blog. I guess I just haven't had much to say that couldn't be said in 140 characters on Twitter. But now for a few ramblings that won't fit in there.

I've seen the "Are Webcomics Dead?" debate is building steam yet again with the iPad out, Zuda closing up (more or less), and the whole webcomic thing seeming to hit a lull. I think a lot of good things have been said in the discussion, even if there are no real answers. Here are a few of the highlights in my opinion:

Webcomics aren't really taking full advantage of the platform where as apps for the iPad do. But here's the thing for me, the more you take advantage of the platform the more expertise you require, the more time it takes to put out a comic (and a slowly updating webcomic is usually dead before it starts), the more costly it can be, and the more restricted your audience can become (when a comic is created specifically to work with the iphone, and I mean gearing everything like panel structure, layouts, and your narrative to that device, the reading on other platforms can suffer just as writing for a print comic will have issues when taken to the iPhone or even the iPad). I don't think there is an easy answer here.

The iPhone and iPad currently don't appear to be equal playing fields (from what I'm hearing, the validity of this may be debatable). On the one hand, you have the large companies who can afford to create their own apps jumping in while independents are a little slower or require help. ComiXology seems to be the winner here but there are reports that there are independent publishers waiting for their comics to get processed and posted while the big name companies get priority. Also, some independent books have been blocked for issues Apple had with their content while the big companies don't seem to be hitting this issue. So for a small publisher it seems going the iPhone/iPad route has some hurdles that may not be worth it in the long run when they can more easily get their products into a larger audience by going web based.

Now I don't have the numbers but I'd guess the number of webcomics aren't necessarily going down. But is the quality going up or down? The great thing about webcomics is pretty much anyone can get one started (so long as they aren't going the iPad/iPhone route at least). The obvious downside is that anyone can get one started. How do you find good ones? Most of the attempts include evaluation based on voting or by traffic but there's usually so many ways to cheat the system. So anyone looking through webcomics gets hit with a lot of crap. Yeah, I'll say a lot of them are crap but I don't want you to take that as me thinking those people should stop, you have to try in order to get better. Though the ones who aren't even trying to get better should probably stop.

Money. Everyone brings this one up, "how do I make money off my webcomic?" The answer doesn't seem to have changed in a long time. It's mostly merchandise (t-shirts, print versions, commissions, etc), some advertising (if you have a lot of traffic), etc. But what if your book doesn't really lend itself to merchandise? Then it's a bit tougher. And if you aren't willing to put the effort into these other things and just want to make your comic then you're most likely screwed money-wise. So what happens with a lot of the successful webcomic makers? They stop to make money. Either they get in with a publisher and start getting paid for print comics or more often they realize the webcomic is taking up so much time and going nowhere that they have to stop to focus on their paying job and family. There's often the promise of getting back to the webcomic eventually but let's not fool ourselves. Now I think a lot of people were hoping for things like the iPad or Longbox Digital to change that, I don't see that happening any time soon.

I don't know any answers to any of the questions that the discussion is bringing up. I don't even know if my observations are valid in any way. But I do enjoy the discussion. In my opinion, are webcomics dead? No. The web will always the be the most accessible way for creators to get their ideas out there and I don't see that changing. Are webcomics the future? With iPad opening the door even further web or digital comics will be a big part of it. But will we see much innovation or ideas blowing us out of the water? Well probably just like print comics we'll probably see the standard quo being most successful while the odd example of something really incredible will come out and Marvel and DC will mimic the hell out of it until we never want to see anything like it again.

No Reviews Yet

Due to Canada Day (Happy Belated Canada Day!) I haven't been able to pick up my books for this week yet. I'm hoping to make it down there on Sunday. So they are coming.

In other news, I have purchased my ticket to Fan Expo Canada already. Should be a great time again this year. And the DrunkDuck Awards have entered the nomination phase.

Oops, forgot one

Sorry, forgot about one other book I read.

Sweet Tooth volume 1 -- In some ways this book feels a little slow moving but on the other hand, you're really getting in touch with the character(s). It's really well written but I thought the art could have been a bit stronger in some parts. It was some of the real close ups that seemed to miss for me the most. But definitely worth a look.

Weekly Comic Reviews for June 23rd, 2010

I didn't have any of my regular books this week but I did crack and buy Hulk #23 despite my dislike of this series. I couldn't help it after seeing the line up of artists they got. I also picked up Jack of Fables Volume 7 but I haven't finished it yet. I have read a few other books so I'll throw in some quick reviews of those.

Hulk #23 -- This book wasn't as bad as I thought it might be going in. You get some flashbacks going pretty far back, some of which are done by artists who were drawing the series during the times of the flashbacks so that's cool. I had the Red Hulk thing figured out so there weren't really any surprises to the story so it felt a little needless to go back over some of the details to explain them in such length. It also felt a little off to hear that Samson had been working with MODOK for that long. And the Grey Hulk's dialogue (or lack thereof) for the Tim Sale pages, that did sort of bug me a bit. Lee and Kirby's original Hulk wasn't really the "Ross bad!" sort of guy. But overall, it wasn't bad and finally outlined exactly who is the Red Hulk as well as "how" and "why". And the art is a great touch for the long time Hulk fan.

Pinocchio the Vampire Slayer volume 1 -- I decided to give this a look after hearing about the sequel coming out. It was okay but not really anything special in my opinion. I thought the story and writing started off decent but found it got rather predictable and dragged on a bit. It doesn't make my recommended reading list but I don't really regret trying it out.

The Pro -- I knew going in that this was an adult book and yep, it definitely was. It was pretty funny though and really well done. It does have some gross out humour and dirty jokes so if that's not your thing then you may want to avoid it. But it is a pretty original story with great art so it's a pretty enjoyable book (if you're into that sort of thing). I'd recommend this book but only to certain people.

Thinking About Garbage (a non-comic post for once)

So a new program at work is getting me thinking about garbage. The program involves taking away our garbage containers and giving us tiny ones that hook onto our recycle bins and I guess the idea is to encourage me to reduce the amount of garbage I toss out at work by limiting how much I can put in my garbage can. My first thought was what about throwing out the larger items that won't fit in there and aren't recyclable. I guess the idea is that I shouldn't be having anything like that but that seems a bit unrealistic at times. So I asked co-workers what they're plans for such items would be and the response was always the same (even with people who have gone through this before), that they would take it to a communal garbage can (the one near the kitchen) which tend to be large or if they get rid of those, take it home. And if they take it home then management can point to the numbers and say "Look, the program worked as we're generating less waste" but in the overall picture, the garbage is still going to the landfill. It's just taking a different/longer route.

This ties in to a complaint I've had, that it's sometimes a pain in the butt to recycle or do the right thing with waste. I'm not talking about the hassle of needing to separate paper and plastic. The thing is that I'm told I shouldn't throw out batteries, the new light bulbs, and other stuff, that I should take it back to some stores and other times I'm not told what I should do with it. The problem is I go to the stores and get the confused clerk who looks at me like I'm asking them to disable a nuclear device. They'll sometimes say they heard talk about a place I could take them on the other side of the city like it's some mystical place that nobody has actually seen. So they expect people to drive (or in my case take the bus) across the city to get rid of a couple light bulbs?

So what I'm thinking, companies probably shouldn't get caught up in the numbers and actually implement more helpful programs. Have spots at work where your employees can dump off batteries, electronics, or what not. It may be a little more costly and some people may look at the "waste" coming out of your building and see it higher than others but on the other hand, you'll be actually helping your employees to do the right thing but making it easier on them seeing as how work is someplace they go anyways instead of making them trek all over the place to throw stuff out.

But I guess that's just me wanting others to make my life easier (even if it also encourages me to do the right thing environmentally).

Weekly Comic Reviews for June 16th, 2010 -- POSSIBLE SPOILERS

I'll try to keep the spoilers to a minimum. I only had one book this week, the Incredible Hulk #610, but I also read volume 2 of Chew. I may have a few more TPB reviews after this weekend.

Incredible Hulk #610 -- Just to get it out of the way, I love Pelletier's pencils and this book is intense visually. The detail but into the work was amazing and the big two page spread at the end was everything you could have wanted it to be. I thought the writing was good but I really haven't been a fan of this World War Hulks storyline. There were a few times I found myself questioning the overall story and then just deciding not to worry about it. I did find it funny that in a room filled with the smartest people that it was Samson who saw a weakness in their machine beforehand (though I guess he was the one responsible for building that part, at least I think he was). Speaking of Samson, I may have to go back and look up how and why he got hooked up in all this to begin with. Anyway, it's a great book in what I found to be a lackluster story. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next. We saw that Skaar doesn't want the dumb Hulk so either he's changed his mind or he's thinking this isn't the dumb Hulk any more.

Chew volume 2 -- I decided to give this series another try. In my review of the first volume I thought it was well done but possibly not for me and I figured why not give it a bit more time. Unfortunately I felt the same way after this volume. Really well written and drawn really well but just not working for me. So I think that's it for me on this series. Definitely worth checking out but possibly reserved for those with a particular taste in comics (see, I made a funny... Okay, only those who read the books may get it and it's not that funny but I'm tired).

So that's it for now. And I know I haven't really been burning up this blog with posts, and I'm really trying to work on it.

Weekly Comic Reviews for June 9th, 2010

I had no "monthly" books this week but I did pick up Irredeemable volume 3 so I figure I'll give that a quick review.

Irredeemable volume 3 -- Volume 2 sort of disappointed me slightly but I was hoping volume 3 would turn it around. Unfortunately it didn't really work for me. My biggest issue with it was that there seemed to be so much build up about one character's big dark secret that seemed rather forced, like they were hitting me over the head repeatedly with this idea of a big dark secret that was going to tear everyone apart, and by the time it's revealed I was sort of like "meh". In some ways it's like the solicitations that say "this is the biggest event ever" and then you read it and think "well, it was okay I guess". And there just didn't seem to be enough advancement in the story or the characters (and the introduction of a new character that I didn't really feel anything for) that this volume just left me a little empty. I don't see myself buying volume 4. I have heard that this series is working for some though and I would say it might be worth checking out, I just don't find it working for me.

Weekly Comic Reviews for June 2nd, 2010

Only the one book this week.

Serenity: Float Out #1 (of 1) -- I don't want to spoil anything but I knew it! I absolutely knew it. I had an inkling after watching the series on DVD and was absolutely convinced after the movie. So having confirmation on the last page felt nice. But getting to the book, if this was a single issue of an ongoing series then I'd say it was a really good filler issue. As a stand alone that doesn't really tie into anything at the moment, it felt like just a little tease of what we could be seeing. The story was nice though I thought the execution in some parts could have been a bit better, like the story with three ships, I was a little lost through parts of that. Overall, an important read for Serenity/Firefly fans but it would be nice if it was part of something more.

Just a little depressing

So the other night I'm talking to one of my aunts on the phone and she starts telling me about how a friend of my cousin (her daughter) was found dead in his apartment from a heart attack. She tells me about how he was 49, always lived alone, never had a woman in his life, didn't have many friends, and always tagged along with my cousin's husband and their family. And then she says "So of course I thought of you" and began telling me to look after myself and such. Though to be honest, I couldn't really tell you what she said because I was so taken aback by that line.

Of course she only sees me every 5 years or so and doesn't really have any clue what's going on in my life but it makes me wonder what "reports" she's getting from the local family members that would make her think of me. That's how that side of the family works, someone stubs their toe and suddenly the phones light up with reports of possible loss of limbs and then the rumours about how you did it on purpose start circulating and growing.

I guess I should be happy she thinks about me at all. :) The joys of family, gotta love 'em.

"It's my style"

The recent discussion of the lettering in a certain vampire themed comic has brought this argument up to the forefront of my brain again. When is it an artistic style or choice and when is it just wrong? Unfortunately, I don't think there's an answer even though I've been told otherwise. I look at books that have horrible layouts, artwork that is filled with traced celebrities who do not reflect the emotion or action of the comic, no feet, and lettering that looks like it was randomly thrown on the page covering up a good chunk of the art and I think "No, this is all wrong." But then the creators come back and say it's their "style" and the 100,000 readers who are buying it up are quick to jump to their defense because they loved it. So can something that seems so wrong to me (and usually a handful of others) really be that bad if it's working for so many people?

Some might say that yes, that it and the people enjoying it are wrong. Just like how TV shows and movies are always wrong despite working for millions of people. But at some point, it's art and part of that is connecting with the viewer/reader. Even if they seem to be doing it wrong to some of us, they must be doing something right to reach that many people to the point where they will tune in week after week or shell out another $13 to see the movie again (and $30 for the extended director's cut DVD).

This is why I often leave disclaimers like "in my opinion" or "didn't work for me" in my reviews. I know I can sometimes have a pretty analytical approach when I read some comics, picking out times where and reasons why the art or writing failed to connect me with the story in some way. And I know a majority of readers aren't like me but I can only speak for myself.

So I guess the way I see this sort of thing is that I'll try not to say anything in the writing, drawing, colouring, lettering, etc of comics is really done "wrong" but maybe "wrong for me".

But here's where I flip it. I think any comic creator who comes out saying "no, that's my style" is missing an important point. When someone says their stuff was done wrong it means at the very least it was done wrong for them, it took them out of the art and story and ruined the experience to some degree. Now you can decide this was just one, two, or a handful of people and write it off but to simply dismiss it is doing yourself and your future work a big disservice. You're depriving yourself of learning what works and doesn't work for people. You're limiting yourself of never producing anything better than what you're doing now. At a computer conference I went to a while back they had "fly on the wall" sessions where people discussed your paper and you weren't allowed to respond to their feedback. The idea was that your paper had to be good enough to get the point across on its own without you there to defend it. It was a great experience. Sometimes artists need to take that approach to, you can't always be in every reader's ear telling them how they should be experiencing your work, your work should stand on its own. And if it's not working for someone then listen to why and decide for yourself what that means for your work, both current and future.

But this is all just my style and I'm probably doing things all wrong.

Weekly Comic Reviews for May 26th, 2010

Just a couple of quick reviews this week.

Fall of the Hulks: Savage She-Hulks #3 -- As you may or may not know, I haven't been a fan of the whole "Fall of the Hulks"/"World War Hulks" stuff but I did like this particular issue. Solid art and good story telling (though the time travelling nature of Lyra gets a little weird for me). The ending felt a little weird and reminded me that this is just a side story to the major battle. Overall, I enjoyed the series and I'm glad I decided to pick it up.

The Guild #3 -- Like the first two issues, I found this one to be well written. I sort of felt the art in the "in game" parts could have been a bit better in parts but it was still effective in its storytelling. I enjoyed this series as much if not more than the original web episodes. If you're a fan of the series or a gamer you may be interested in checking it out.