During our epic two year run as co-hosts of the annual Wizard Fan Awards, Rickey and I had a tradition of compiling a list of comic book characters who had died over the previous year and having whatever intern got roped into helping us run the show create a Power Point tongue-in-cheek tribute. Like everything we did at those shows, these were universally hailed as groundbreaking and awesome.
To wrap up our one year blogiversary (is there a universal spelling for that?) , I thought it would be nice and nostalgic to pay tribute to the fictional characters who fell in the line of duty this year. Fun easy way to slide into our second year, right?
I totally forgot that Ultimatum happened this year.
So here is a partial list of comic book character who died this year, celebrated via artwork I pulled off the Internet. Imagine "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" or "Hey There Delilah" playing in the background (or actually play them as you scroll!) for extra added effect.
Apologies for the interruption of CKT service this weekend, but Rickey and I were busy hanging ten at the wedding of our friends Ryan and Elizabeth (well, to be fair, groomsmen extraordinaire Rickey was hanging like fifteen, whereas I was more around seven tops, but we both had a blast). There were many highlights of the evening (such as the pic above), but perhaps none quite so metal as the huge crack of thunder that echoed outside when Ryan said "I do," signifying Thor was cool with this union.
Where was Kiel you might ask? Well, Michigan State beat Michigan in football, so I'm guessing unconscious. We'll get right on checking on him...
Anyways, hopefully back to the salt mines tomorrow. Thanks for your patience and congrats Ryan and Elizabeth!
“Chicago is not the ideal place to go when you’ve recently lost your mind and plan to curl up in the bottom of a bottle and wait for the feeling of having your insides ripped repeatedly from your body to subside. There are at least half a dozen North American cities better suited to such a pursuit.”
* That's from Ron Currie, Jr.'s new book Everything Matters! Well, new may not be the right word. It came out in the summer, but I've been way behind on all kinds of reading of late. Currie's God Is Dead was the best book I read all last year, so I'm pumped for the new one. I hope to catch up this weekend. Anyway, that quote (which came from this NY Times review) weirdly hit home for me this week for tons of reasons, so I thought I'd share.
Oh yeah, and Chicago lost the Olympics. I guess giant Jesus will always trump flying robots and Jedi presidents. I'm not too bummed really. I mean...is anyone honestly expecting me to live to 2016?
* Anywho, one of the books I'm most excited about finally getting to this week is Jasper Dash And The Flame-Pits of Deleware by my favorite children's/YA author M.T. Anderson. It's the third book in his series of satirical takes on series like the Hardy Boys. They're super fucking hilarious and oddly touching and I'm sure I'll post about them when I finish the new volume. For now, read this PW article about an event Anderson and Neil Gaiman spoke at.
* Speaking of great children's books, Tom linked to this post about some new stamps based on Nicolas – the main character of René Goscinny and Jean-Jacques Sempé's totally adorable series of novels. I used to read them in The Strand on rainy days in Manhattan. Sigh.
* This "Sesame Street" parody of "Mad Men" is pretty awesome for the closing line alone, but the rest is really good too. (Via here, though you should also check out what the producers had to say):
* I don't know about everyone else, but I think the Seth Rogan "Green Hornet" movie might end up being kind of dope. And I thought that before Michel Gondry was directing and before I saw these slick-looking photos of Seth Rogan in costume. But most of the time I see stories like this one about an on-set bomb scare where the reporter makes the "let's hope the film's not a bomb" joke, and fan message boards seem to be even more disparaging. Why all the hate, haters?
* I'm not 100% on what all the technical jargon Cory Doctorow throws out in this io9 interview means in terms of the future of print books, but hey...new Cory Doctorow novel coming. Rad. * It's not going to get funnier than the above picture, but overall this blog of '80s laser portraits was pretty damn great top to bottom.
* My friend Jill linked to this ridiculous web comic about how to prepare your pets for war. It looks like there's more on the site worth a laugh.
* Warmoth has a friend who's micro-blogging, and it seems like a hoot so far. Go ahead and click through. You can read the whole blog in like ten minutes.
* Finally, I'm not even sure what to make of this.
So, this past weekend, I packed up my girlfriend's car, kidnapped Sean T. Collins and David Paggi, and headed down to Bethesda, Maryland for my 3rd SPX show in a row. I can't emphasize how purple-nurple-ingly happy it makes me to be fortunate enough to live in the New York area and take advantage of shows like THIS. Just nice, open people stoked to make/talk about/sell/INHALE/swim in comics with each other. These people live and SCREAM the fucking things and if you've never been to a show like SPX or MoCCA or APE, then please take it upon yourself to go sometime.
And this year was great! PACKED on Saturday, nippy on Sunday, SPX also took us to the Pancake House where I had the best flapjacks I've ever eaten. I got tipsy at the Ignatz's after Sean gave an award and a cool speech, learned a little at the Critics Roundtable where Sean was a panelist (finally), talked Star Wars with Dave in the hotel room, and got home before dark on Sunday.
Aside from listening to the White Album for the first time ever while driving (THANKS, Sean) and getting a few new sketches in the Watchmen and ninja books (I'll post them later), I also picked up a buttload (boatload?) of new books. Smell my empty wallet below:
pictured above:
Super F*ckers #279 (#4) - This was the final issue of James Kochalka's colorful superhero book bursting with colorful language (and action!). One of the top 5 funniest fucking series I've ever read and it took me about 40 years to finally get it. Pathetic.
Pim and Francie - Al Columbia's mammoth art book filled with sketches and nightmarish images from Fantagraphics debuted at the show and it's probably the book I was most hyper to get my hands on. And with Columbia there, I snagged his signature and a smiley-face drawing. It's a beautifully produced volume and I broke my "don't buy books from publishers you can get online or at a comic shop" small press comic show rule to get it. But fuck the rules, I've been DYING for this thing!
Tales from Greenfuzz #3 - I'd never heard of creator Will Sweeney before the recent Treehouse of Horror #15, but after seeing his unique style in there, I randomly found this single issue at the PictureBox booth. And after a brief flip-thru, I found a colorful maze of action scenes, fruit people, and action figure-worthy designs. Serial, it's like a Saturday morning cartoon took acid and listened to the RZA. (So I bought it)
Drawing Between the Lines DVD - At San Diego this year, I ran into Jeffrey Brown and he told me he'd just been to a screening of a documentary about himself! Lo and behold, Jeffrey was selling copies at the Top Shelf table during SPX, so I grabbed one and I can't wait to watch and learn how one of my favorite creators creates.
Boot Legs - I'm a sucker for smartly inappropriate parodies of mainstream superhero comics and you don't get much more smart than a Ghost Rider vs. Aquaman story (Fire vs. Water!!!) or much more inappropriate than Daredevil getting to third base with the Punisher. Fun-good times from Pat Aulisio!
Dark Corners - The all-new 4-Square anthology from the I Know Joe Kimpel peoples has a theme I love: HORROR! Caitlin Plovinick, Jeff Lok, and Denis St. John deliver a creepy good time, but the standout has to be Mario Van Buren's The Marsh part 2. I had no idea there was a second chapter to that chilling story, so HIGH FIVE!
Only Skin #4 - Are you not reading this atmospheric creep-fest that appears to be a werewolf story wrapped in a character study of a small, dysfunctional town? Well then you're a jerk. I didn't mean that. Please borrow my copies. Then sleep with the lights on.
Anchorless - A new anthology from One Percent press! Joe Lambert! Alexis Frederick-Frost! James Hindle! JP Coovert! All in one book about life on the water. I almost always neglect grabbing these books when they come out, though, cause the covers forgo title logos in favor of gorgeous cover layouts, and I forget which ones I do or don't have. So I'm especially happy I caught it this time thanks to a head-up from a buddy at the show.
Untitled Ship Book - In this impossibly fun horizontal mini from Alexis Frederick-Frost, a ship leaves port and has an adventure on the ocean before your eyes. The ship remains stationary on each page, but the background changes, so it's almost like a flip-book adventure. And with each cover individually water-colored, the individuality deeper (as if it needed to!). This is another heads-up find.
Knives and Come Back - Two new mini-minis from James Hindle detailing adventures in adolescence.
Unsettled - An envelope packed with 3 other new minis from James Hindle! After flipping through Knives and Come Back, I didn't even bother flipping through these before buying them. And then I flipped through them in my hotel room and punched Dave in the side of the head, I was so excited.
Rematch - JP Coovert, the captain of colorful (despite usually being black and white) cool comics makes me so mad. A book about him skateboarding into space to beat a malevolent alien at space-ping-pong? How did I not think of this?! And lookit that fun cover! Comics needs about 12 more JP Cooverts.
pictured above:
Snake Oil #4 - The issue of Chuck McBuck's series dropped at the show with a cover style different from the construction paper screen-print covers of past issues. I love that new logo.
A Bad Wind - When I bought Snake Oil #4, McBuck, in a polite move meant to be helpful, reminded me that it was issue #4 and asked if I had the first 3. I told him that not only did I have the first 3, but that I'd mistakenly bought 2 copies of issue #3 cause that one has 2 similar covers available. It was my bad, but to make amends, he offered this screen-printed beauty for free. Farts!
Ten Thousand Things to Do #5 - There's a new issue?! I thought this diary comic from Jesse Reklaw was only running 4 issues! Out of all the comics I've read over the last 6 months, this one has had the most impact on me for a number of reasons, so I was floored when I found this at the Sparklplug booth.
Miranda Baby - I'd never heard of Sean Christiansen, but I flipped through this mini at Sparkplug's table and giggled at his story about a keyboard and an annoyed kitty and I was sold. His site is rad, too.
Head to Head - The very talented Matt Wiegle collected a handful of his neat-ass sketch gags into this dollar mini. I want to draw like him.
Piece Meal - I haven't read Nate Beaty's BFF book yet (or anything at all by him, really), but this mini has a cool-looking story about making out and another about climbing a tree, so I figured I'd give him a try.
33 Beasties - My girlfriend Sam couldn't make it to the show, so she asked me to get her "something cute." She has a monster sketchbook and Drew Weing is a monster talent, so I grabbed his new mini of monsters sketches for her. But, really, this is like a husband getting his wife a fishing pole or a lawnmower for her birthday...
pictured above:
Monsters - Ken Dahl went and collected his meticulously drawn epic about adventures with VD into one gigantic collection. I grabbed the first 3 issues he came out with (those screen-printed covers are NUTS!), but I win by owning this book, too, because it's got almost 3 whole additional issues worth of material! And the little Herpes temporary tattoo that came with the book is going right the hell on my lip.
Papercutter #11 - The new issue of Tugboat's anthology series looks like a doozy. And Dustin Harbin did a sequential story inside! SQEEEEEE!
Displacement #1-3 - Shawn Murphy and I were interns at Wizard together about 37 years ago, so I snagged the first three issues of his new series about a daydreamed doppleganger trying to murder and replace him. Pretty wild.
Noah Van Sciver special - The young creator had these issues made especially for the show.
SPX badge - With cute art by John Porcellino! It's bizarre how much the girl on that badge looks like me. Sean's VIP pass had a superhero on it.
pictured above:
The Princess of Time - I like newsprint on my fingers, so I was glad to find Jon Vermilyea's fantasy epic at the show after having read his C.H.U.D.-inspired story in Treehouse of Horror #15 last week.
Aviatrix #1 - I liked 2 of Eric Haven's 3 Tales to Demolish issues, so I was iffy on grabbing the first issue of this new book from Buneaventura. But then I read the two-page short in the front of the book about a zoo patron who calls an ant-eater "fat" and the ensuing carnage hypnotized me into buying this hilarious issue. I'm glad I did.
Dharbin #2 - Since last year, when Dustin Harbin drew me a banana and a plate of poop, I've been following his exciting work online at his blog and on his flickr account. The guy can draw like whoa. And luckily, he's collected a bunch of that online content into this new issue of his one-man anthology of fun. Remember how I said we need 12 more JP Cooverts? Well, between his cavalier courtesy, immense talent, and just plain cool dude-ness, EVERYBODY should be Dustin Harbin. There. I said it.
Redbird 1.5: VS - Dan Zettwoch did a mini told entirely from the perspective of an electric race track, but narrated by the two kids playing with the toy. FUNZZZ.
Amazing Facts and Beyond #2 - Kevin Huizenga, Dan Zettwoch and Ted May answer all kinds of puzzling questions in this second collection of the fun sketch-blog experiment of the same name. Lime green screen print!!!
pictured above:
Pope Hats #1 - Ethan Rilley won a Xeric for this book about a girl and her friend (and some ghosts and demons) searching for what they want out of life. The art has this terrific sketchy cartoony style.
The Nervous Party - Ethan Rilley was also selling this mini about a bar party filled with one-page vignettes of the different guests and why they're anxious to be there. Again, his art is the star here and I love his backgrounds.
SPX Program guide - Great! Another thing for me to start collecting: Program Guides for all the show's I've been to. And the stack is getting bigger than I expected...
Legends of Super Wrestle - One of the final things I bought at the show (my money's tighter then, too, so my last purchases have really gotta impress me), this mini was described to me as "an action comic where an island is ruled by wrestlers and they have to fight to live." FUCK YES. And then the pencils/inks inside were so wonderfully vibrant! Like in the irreverent family of Seth Fisher or Jeremy Scott. Can't wait for more from these guys.
Buzz #3 - It's not SPX without me buying a mini from Corinne Mucha and this one-lady anthology was this year's pick. And her book Shithole was listed as an Honorary Mention in this year's Best American Comics, so congrats to her!
This is What Concerns Me - Susie Cagle's mini features art that reminded me of Lisa Rosalie Elsenberg's so I grabbed this sucker quickly. I also, for some reason, kept making eye-contact with Susie every time I passed her booth, so I apologize if you felt creeped out, Susie. I'm just an accidental weirdo.
Things I didn't get:
Anything from the Microcosm booth - I just didn't find anything I wanted this year. So, instead, Dave and I would meet in the spacious, hidden area in front of their booth at the corner of the show floor to comfort each other when someone declined to do a Watchmen sketch for me or a Calvin and Hobbes sketch for him. We're sensitive nerds.
Ganges 3 - It debuted at the show, but I was short on money! Matter of fact, I didn't grab the new Steve Ditko book or You are There from Fantagraphics, either. OR the 2 new Comics Journals they had. Gah!
Driven by Lemons - Josh Cotter's abstract comic that I've been looking forward to.
The PictureBox backlist - Those guys have some nuts books for sale and I'd love to just sit and flip through it all when I have more money one day. I'm glad their physical store isn't near me or I'd have to eat grass and rocks for lack of funds.
And that's that! It was a marvelous time, I ran into some good friends (Heather! Adam! Darren! Jeffery!) and made a few new ones (Dustin!) and talked comics an awful lot. PURE HEAVEN. Can't wait till next year, but till then, look forward to my post about the new additions to my Watchmen and ninja sketchbooks within the next week...
There certainly were a lot of high quality comics published during the Cool Kids Table's first year of existence, which is an excellent thing for those of you who like to read about things other than Kiel's musings on giant Gundams and my man crush on Matt Damon.
I had the boys send me the stuff they truly loved from the past year and added it to my own to create this visual smorgasboard to what we consider the goods in comics over the last twelve months.
Want bonus points? Try to guess who picked what (a word of warning: some picks were selected by two or even all three of us).
THE WASP
HAWKMAN
ULTIMATE WOLVERINE
HAWKGIRL
ULTIMATE MAGNETO
TEMPEST
ULTIMATE PROFESSOR X
KID DEVIL
ULTIMATE DOCTOR DOOM
AGENT LIBERTY
ULTIMATE WASP & HANK PYM
LILANDRA
ULTIMATE CYCLOPS
KINETIX
ULTIMATE BEAST
JACKPOT
ULTIMATE NIGHTCRAWLER
AEGIS
ULTIMATE ANGEL
SWORDSMAN
