SCC's Comics Talk

Ratings out of 5 stars.   The Mighty Skullboy Army Vol 1 Story/Art: Jacob Chabot Dark Horse Books The great thing about visiting cons or festivals is that it gives you a chance to browse through new (or old) works that you have not encountered before. Jacob Chabot, an invited guest of this year’s STGCC, is someone I have not known about. Picked up the first volume of The Mighty Skullboy Army and was surprised to find out it’s been around since 2000. This volume one collects the self-published mini-comics from 2000 to 2006 and was originally published in 2007. This reformatted second edition came out in 2015, which boasts a new cover and over 30 revised story pages. The premise is hilarious. What if your villainous CEO of an evil MNC (Skullboy) needs to go to a primary school because he is, well, too young to be that evil and...

Ratings out of 5 stars.   The Magician’s Wife Story: Jerome Charyn Art: Francois Boucq Dover (2015) Some things you need time to appreciate. Like good wine and whiskey that aged well. Like Bob Dylan. The Magician’s Wife, one of the first magic realism graphic novels, is one of those works. I first read this in the 1980s and you don’t quite get it. But it left a deep impression. So when Dover re-released this book again last year, it was on my grab list. It is one of the most wonderful things I have read for a long time. A tale of love and betrayal, obsession and redemption. A magician wrongs his wife and both need to seek forgiveness for all that had gone before. Jerome Charyn’s story has stood the test of time while Francois Boucq’s art is simply stunning to behold. There is a certain purity to his...

Return after a hiatus. Monthly now. Ratings out of 5 stars.   The Vision Vol 1: Little Worse Than A Man Writer: Tom King Artist: Gabriel Hernandez Walta Marvel Tom King is one hell of a writer these days. He likes to pull the rug underneath your feet, sort of overturning conventions and expectations. Just read the first issue of Omega Men he wrote in 2015 – it opens with the execution of the White Lantern Kyle Rayner. The Omega Men is portrayed as jihadists, fighting against the Man and the System. A pushback and critique of neoliberalism? Perhaps. The Vision is no different. This is American Gothic dressed up as a Marvel superhero comic. Nothing is worse than a good man becoming the devil when he tries to do good. That is the tragedy of The Vision. He truly believes what he is doing is the right thing – to...

Ratings out of 5 stars. Mainstream comics available at Absolute Comics.    Mary Wept Over The Feet of Jesus Story/Art: Chester Brown Drawn & Quarterly The only comic you need to read this year. Chester Brown returns after Paying For It (about being a john and the pros of you know, paying for it) and you got to admire his one-track mind on prostitution. He makes a strong argument for it and now he brings out the big guns. It’s alright because the good book and the big man say so. Chester is a religious man in an unconventional way. These are old stories retold but he gets into the psychology of the situation, like why Cain is so unhappy. And Job is really pissed off. Art-wise, Chester is playing with the form without playing with it. Simply brilliant. Have fun reading the detailed notes which make up the last third...

Ratings out of 5 stars.   Providence Story: Alan Moore Art: Jacen Burrows Avatar Those who said Alan Moore is a spent force have no idea what they are talking about. The warlock has just started his sixth decade on this earth and the recent stuff is phenomenal. Many found Neonomicon disturbing and disgusting, but it’s some of the most fascinating stuff I’ve ever read. And scary to the balls. Providence is the sequel and prequel to that and there is more HP Lovecraft sh*t going down here – fishmen, incest, rape and murder. This hardcover collects issue 1 to 4 and is limited to 6,666 copies. (6.66 stars) Comic Book Apocalypse: The Graphic World of Jack Kirby Edited and with an Introduction by Charles Hatfield and Ben Saunders IDW/California State University, Northridge Art Galleries I have waiting to get my hands on this book since I read about the exhibition...