The Comics Before 1945 (hardcover)
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Each decade from 1900 through the forties gets a chapter, consisting of an introduction that sets the historical stage, both culturally and in terms of significant comic strip changes; a series of one-page biographical profiles of key artists from that period, followed by examples of their work; and samples of other key strips of the period, often grouped thematically. There are also short pieces on cultural issues, such as the use of racial caricature and changing roles for female characters (praised for being both “hardworking and attractive”; although there are no female artists profiled in the book, there is a short section mentioning some of the best-known names in the 40s chapter introduction).

The decade overviews are written as surveys, briefly mentioning as much as possible in a dry, reporter-like “just the facts” style. As the book progresses, strips change from goofy comedy drawn in ways that look incredibly immature to our eyes to cliffhanger-driven adventure tales with fine illustration and graphically developed styles.

The biggest problem with the book is the same that mars any such survey volume: the desire for more. One or two strips from classic runs are hardly enough to understand why they’re so revered, but the only way to solve that would be to make it a DVD instead of a book, and reading comic strips on a screen would be even further removed from the original experience. Many of the better-known later period adventure strips are becoming available in comprehensive reprint volumes from other publishers, though.

I still don’t understand why Krazy Kat is so beloved, but I got to see Blondie back when she was a flapper and Dagwood a millionaire’s son. I look forward to seeing the companion volume, The Comics Since 1945, where I’ll be more familiar with the strips it contains.

The Business of Comics
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They were written in the late 1990s, so the specifics about particular companies and publications are no longer valid, but the advice in general is still solid. These books aren’t about how to make comics — they’re about how to be a professional, how to have a career in comics. Business, not art. Hard work, not waiting for inspiration to strike. Since the first major piece of advice is “do your research”, the savvy reader will soon figure out how to bring the specifics up-to-date.

In the introduction, Haines points out the problem with any entertainment industry: “Much of what I’ll discuss will be basic common-sense information. You may find yourself thinking, ‘Hey! Everybody knows that!’ But trust me, they don’t.” Because so many people want to be in comics, they concentrate on the wrong things and let desperation overcome them. They don’t think of their dream as a job that they need to keep once they win their opportunity. And because you have to be young to go for the idea of “breaking in”, many don’t have the business experience they need to succeed at freelancing.

Chapters in The Business of Comics cover how to handle

• creating a portfolio
• attending a convention and meeting people
• submitting by mail
• interviewing
• receiving feedback
• doing the work

Also considered are legal and financial business concerns, as well as interpersonal advice like “don’t be egotistical” or “keep other people’s needs in mind” or “take criticism well” or very important, “don’t be a geek”. Record-keeping is emphasized to keep track of who you’re targeting, why, and when. Suggestions are punctuated with short “ProFiles”, where a working comics pro answers a question related to the topic under discussion, such as “how do you conduct a critique?” or “do you recommend attending conventions?” or “how do you get the second job?” Communications are covered, including how to interact with fans.

The Writer’s Guide to the Business of Comics
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Earlier edition

Haines’ followup, The Writer’s Guide to the Business of Comics, is as the title suggests, a similar volume geared more towards writers. They often have a harder go of it than artists do, because the quality of their work can’t be seen instantly (and because there are always people who think being a comic writer is just having the right ideas).

The sections are similar in this book, although it is perhaps a little more outdated when it comes to discussing online technology. At the time of writing, going online meant visiting one of a few areas on AOL or CompuServe, so such areas as discussed as though they were perpetual conventions. Now, an internet presence is essential and familiarity with such is widespread, but areas are more fragmented, and you’re less likely to interact directly with professionals.

Also, while it’s mentioned several times that your submissions will be more likely to be reviewed if you create your own comics, I think that’s even more true these days. If you say you want to be a comic writer and you don’t have anything published to show for it, most of the big companies won’t take you seriously. Still, much of the advice will be eye-opening and essential to the aspiring comic writer.

These books are out of print but easy to find at reasonable prices used. Seek them out if you want to be professional professional.

Going With the Flow

Ron Garney on Creating Art and Storytelling
by Bill Baker
BBP Press, $12
Note that all of Baker’s books are on sale until June 15 with free shipping in the U.S.

This book consists of two interviews with the artist Ron Garney; the first was greatly expanded from a 2002 piece in Sketch magazine #17. Frankly, I don’t get it. Baker has previously done similar books on Alan Moore, but there’s a big difference between interviewing an outspoken comic writer generally acclaimed to be a genius with an extensive career throughout the industry and talking to an artist who mostly draws Marvel superheroes.

The foreword says, “… it’s become a certainty that Ron’s art is Special. Yet despite that feeling, I’m not able to clearly articulate just what makes his work Special.” From that I conclude two things: 1) I’m not the target audience for a work that’s so precious as to capitalize “special”. 2) The interviewer is stating from the beginning his failure at conveying why we should read a whole book about Garney, so the ideal reader is one who already thinks he’s great. In other words, if you don’t already know, this book won’t tell you.

Also, there aren’t nearly enough pictures. 20-some illustrations in a book of 118 pages are far too few to give a portrait of an artist’s career and work.

Get Animated!

Get Animated!
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Creating Professional Cartoon Animation on Your Home Computer
by Tim Maloney
Watson-Guptill, $24.95

“This guide is for those who have personal computers and truly yearn to create top-notch animation,” says the Preface. I thought that last part would leave me out — I don’t even want to write comics, let alone make cartoons — but I learned a surprising amount from this book anyway.

Although the book comes with a tutorial DVD containing open-source software, resource links, and animation samples, it also aims to get past particular tools and concentrate on core concepts that will take the reader into the future. Here, the computer is as much a tool as a pencil, and the book aims to be platform-agnostic, a refreshing approach. It’s not a software manual but a process guidebook.

Early chapters start from the beginning, with sections on finding ideas, writing scripts, and storyboarding. Later, in addition to basic animation, the book also covers layout, character design, sound, timing, and finally, exhibition. The reader will also learn key terms and principles from the industry. The layout is welcoming, with large pages, plenty of white space, clearly marked headings, nice use of accent color, and cute little characters doodled in. (Many examples use Dingy Duck and Mangy Mouse.)

The idea-generating games in the first chapter, including dream imagery and free association, would be of use to any creative person (and their historical and artistic inspirations are fascinating!). I like Maloney’s opinionated voice — it’s got energy and will inspire the reader to feel there’s a lot she needs to learn but it’s all achievable with enough hard work. I particularly enjoyed the section on the differences between comics and storyboards and why you shouldn’t use a comic as a storyboard.

Mutant Cinema

Mutant Cinema
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The X-Men Trilogy From Comics to Screen
by Thomas J. McLean
Sequart Research & Literacy Organization, $23.95

This book annotates the three X-Men movies (scene by scene), discusses reaction and box office for each, and describes the tie-in comics. Most important to note up front is the disclaimer that “This book is not endorsed by either Marvel Comics or 20th Century Fox.” That gives them the academic freedom to say whatever they want, but as a result, there are almost no images. The only pictures are muddily reproduced black-and-white comic covers at the start of each chapter.

This is clearly not a book for those merely interested in the movie/comic connections. There’s much too much material here for them to wade through. Honestly, so much of it goes into so much detail (much of which I was already familiar with) that it’s wearying. I’d rather read it as a blog, so I could more easily (and cheaply) dip in and out (and maybe see more pictures). This reads more like a thesis, a work created to demonstrate the author’s deep knowledge of the subject, than a book, something written to communicate with a more casual reader.

The text is dry, with little personality, and reading other people’s descriptions of comics and movie scenes doesn’t particularly grab me. I’m finding myself puzzled by the audience for this book. Those so interested in the X-Men as to want a 300-page book on them will already know much of what’s presented here (some of which reads as though speaking to someone who’d never heard of the X-Men or Marvel Comics). Those who need the introductions will likely find the whole tiring.

Tigerheart

Tigerheart
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by Peter David
Del Rey, $12 US

A retelling of Peter Pan with an original spin. I haven’t had a chance to finish it, but the first few chapters are enough for me to recommend it. A boy whose father indulges his imagination has to cope with a lost baby sister and his father’s resulting depature. It’s narrated in an entertaining voice that reminded me, in being both fanciful and knowing, of The Princess Bride. David does an excellent job of casting events in such a way that an adult reader will know what’s going on in spite of the boy’s more innocent view; as a result, the book works on multiple levels.

Catalog

Catalog
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The Illustrated History of Mail-Order Shopping
by Robin Cherry
Princeton Architectural Press, $35

Before the internet, if you couldn’t find something locally, you shopped a catalog. (Sometimes, even if you could — I fondly remember using the Sears Wish Book to make Christmas lists so my parents knew what I wanted.) This handsome volume captures a whole range of that experience, creating a book full of memory and wonder. From the first days of Montgomery Ward and Sears (although Hammacher Schlemmer is now the longest-running catalog) to today, when upscale specialty catalogs such as Williams-Sonoma are popular, they’re all here.

After a short history of mail order and a comprehensive listing of the best-known companies (so many of which are gone or a shadow of themselves, sadly), sections are divided by types of products: fashion, toys, housewares, animals, food, hobbies, food. Images range from 1905 to just a few years ago. It’s a hoot to see which celebrities — including Isabella Rossellini — started as catalog models, often for J.C. Penney. The underwear is the most amusing, from 1958 panties with designs of 45 records for teenage girls to 1971 animal-print men’s briefs and vests in nylon. The thing I want most is the complete Monopoly set made entirely out of candy, mostly chocolate, for $600 in 1978.

These kinds of lavishly illustrated popular histories are wonderful for period reference. Especially in this case, since with few exceptions (Neiman Marcus), the market for these catalogs are the general public, so you get a great view of everyday needs and wants. Not only do they show fashion and products of a particular era, their design shows what the “look” of a time was in terms of colors and layout and fonts and text. Once you open its covers, you’ll spend a lot more time with it than you expected.

Certitude

Certitude
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A Profusely Illustrated Guide to Blockheads and Bullheads, Past and Present
by Adam Begley; illustrations by Edward Sorel
Harmony Books, $19.99, Excerpt available

This small hardcover attempts to provide entertainment by pointing out the hypocrisy of famous people. Now, here on the internet, that’s a popular daily parlor game, and I don’t always agree with it. Charlton Heston, for example, is portrayed in the book as a fool because he believed in gun control in the wake of Bobby Kennedy’s assassination in 1968 and then led the NRA two decades later. I don’t agree with his later position, but sometimes, people change their minds as they live and have different experiences. That’s a virtue to be applauded, not something to be avoided, and saying, “I was mistaken before” isn’t hypocrisy, it’s maturity.

As a result, I found this book and the way it reaches for subjects to laugh at mean-spirited and petty. Sorel’s scratchy caricatures make the subjects look crazy, as intended, but they’re entertaining in their exaggeration, much more so than the accompanying text. The short profiles give little knowledge of their subjects beyond the claim they made, whether the Pope who launched the Crusades or scientists who come to the wrong conclusion. I appreciate people who are willing to strike out, even if we now know they’re wrong, because the alternative would be people who never were willing to commit to anything, and that would mean stagnation.

Some are very much a matter of opinion. Carry Nation’s destruction of taverns, leading to Prohibition, is one example. How to evaluate the temperance movement is a subject for a thesis, not an undersized page of text. Part of the evidence for her wrongness is the line, “Never for a minute did she question the wisdom of her mission or wonder about the consequences of success.” Why would she? And since when is having a belief evidence itself that the belief is wrong? At this point, the book becomes a circular argument, gazing into its own navel. There’s also some unpleasant moralizing going on, as when Ayn Rand is shown as bad in part for sleeping with someone a lot younger than she was.

This is very much a big city-kind of book, celebrating those who doubt and disbelieve over those who have faith or certainty. You already know if constantly pointing out feet of clay and missing clothes suits your sense of humor. The flap copy tries to put a more noble perspective on the endeavor, talking about how “once a foolish notion sinks its teeh into the famous or the powerful … [it] can have profound consequences for the rest of us”, but it’s really a giant, self-satisfied raspberry, yelling “ha, ha, I knew better.” We’re supposed to believe what we’re given without enough detail to evaluate for ourselves, which means the book itself asks for our belief while decrying those who do. Hypocrite!

They’re broken out in the traditional division of labor on the corporate assembly line — Writing, Pencilling, Inking, Coloring and Lettering — and the talent behind them are accomplished in their respective fields.

The DC Comics Guide to Writing Comics

The DC Comics Guide to
Writing Comics
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The DC Comics Guide to Writing Comics is by writer/editor Dennis O’Neil, famous for his work on Batman, Green Arrow, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, and much more. He’s also an accomplished instructor, having taught at the School of Visual Arts and various colleges, which benefits him in explaining material to the reader.

He starts with terminology and common symbols (such as thought balloons), the building blocks of a writer’s script. I appreciate his emphasis on teaching the mechanics and knowing the basics. Relatively early, he brings up the need for exposition, making sure the reader knows the character names and the purpose of their conflict in “adventure and fantasy titles” (as he terms them).

Along the way, he shares several rules of thumb. The accomplished writer may not need such recommendations as “start by showing the status quo” or “don’t open on an inanimate object” (because “people are interested in people, not things”), but the aspiring learner will find such strictures useful in turning out acceptable work until they better understand and internalize their own style.

Other chapters cover story structure, creating drama, subplots, characterization (with emphasis on The Hero), and script preparation. Many of the rules relate to 22-page (or shorter!) stories, suited to the serial stapled comic format. When he refers to working with an editor, that’s a limitation/benefit self-publishers likely won’t have. Part Two of the book covers longer formats: the miniseries, maxiseries, ongoing series, story arcs, and megaseries (stories like Batman: No Man’s Land that sprawl through multiple titles).

Graphic novels get a page-and-a-half of coverage. The story arc section spends most of its time on what O’Neil terms “The Levitz Paradigm”, a way to rotate through lead and supporting stories on a continuing basis (as Paul Levitz used when writing The Legion of Super-Heroes). It’s useful, but it also for years prevented the series from being collected in trade paperbacks because it’s the antithesis of arcs with clean breakpoints. As such, I find it an outdated technology — but then, this volume was published in 2001, and the bookstore comic market wasn’t nearly the force it is today. The section on adaptations is also out of date, since few movies are redone in comics these days.

Mark Evanier contributes a three-page appendix on “Writing Humor Comics”. The volume concludes with a short recommended reading list of books about writing.

The DC Comics Guide to Pencilling Comics

The DC Comics Guide to
Pencilling Comics
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Both The DC Comics Guide to Pencilling Comics and The DC Comics Guide to Inking Comics are by Klaus Janson, also an SVA teacher.

I thought he was a difficult choice, since I’m not a fan of his scratchy, blocky style. (I prefer “pretty” artists like Stuart Immonen.) However, I soon found it a moot point, since his instruction on pencilling starts with the basics and his illustrations are primarily diagrams: the shapes that make up anatomy, shading to show a light source, etc.

In my opinion, the book spends too much time covering the basics, the kinds of things you find in any book on drawing. There are some comic-specific mentions here and there, but the chapters on faces, anatomy, and perspective are generic except for the illustrations chosen to accompany them. (And successful comic artists have demonstrated that, no matter how many times instructors say the basics are essential, it’s very possible to build a career on ignoring them if you have energy, flash, and luck. Later on, Janson leans towards acknowledging this in a section on the importance of personality to getting a job.)

It’s only halfway through the book, when the page layout discussion begins, that those seeking comic-specific help will be satisfied. Unfortunately, a couple of the examples he selects (including one of his own) to demonstrate alternatives to the usual page grid I found confusing. My eye didn’t follow the flow he suggested. If you don’t agree with the approach and readability of work by the book’s writer, it’s hard to take his advice on storytelling clarity.

The section on “Shots and Angles” is a useful reference, however. The book ends with a page-by-page commentary on an 8-page Batman story by Janson. Overall, this is the weakest of the series, but it’s followed by the strongest.

The DC Comics Guide to Inking Comics

The DC Comics Guide to
Inking Comics
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The DC Comics Guide to Inking Comics begins with equipment: ink, paper, brushes, pens. Then comes the explanation of the craft, exploring the unique nature of comic book inking in terms of the separation of duties and the question of “tracing”. This book has a very thorough explanation of some of the situations inkers will be asked to tackle and how they can handle issues of reproduction, depth, line weight, lighting, and texture and avoid common mistakes.

At the same time Janson acknowledges that mass-produced commodity comics are craft, not art, part of a business aiming only at profit, he also argues for inkers working to the best of their ability and providing value through skill. Inkers are artists, he says, and “the ability to draw is the single most important talent to become a successful inker.”

The illustrations are especially helpful in this volume, supporting Janson’s points and demonstrating different styles through comparisons with the same underlying penciller. One sequence shows how much work has been done on a single page after every hour — the whole thing takes five.

The DC Comics Guide to Coloring and Lettering Comics

The DC Comics Guide to
Coloring and Lettering Comics
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The DC Comics Guide to Coloring and Lettering Comics is a split volume. DC’s Art Director, Mark Chiarello, tackles coloring while the acclaimed Todd Klein handles lettering. Each half is again divided in two, one section for the craft and another about using a computer to perform it. As it has to be, this volume is printed in color, unlike the others.

Chiarello begins his section with a history of comic book coloring, followed by color principles and techniques, including making choices to best suit an artist’s style. He packs a lot of useful information into limited space, with plenty of examples.

The meat of his contribution then deals with the tool of the computer, including software, scanning, and file delivery. He focuses on Photoshop commands and menus, since it’s the industry standard. This section is very specific to someone who’s going to actually be doing the work; unlike the other pieces, a reader only interested in theory and general education will find most of this skippable.

Todd Klein begins his half with an astounding sampler, a piece he created by hand in 1993. It made me sad that that craft is a dying art, with most choosing the ease of computer lettering instead. He moves on to tools and then principles and practice for text, balloons, sound effects, titles, logos, and advanced techniques, including the essential art of balloon placement. The computer section focuses on font design and creation and using Adobe Illustrator.

The focus on how lettering and coloring should work, regardless of tools, makes this book valuable, even as the computer sections have aged.

The Series and Its Future

One of the benefits of the DC Comics imprimatur is the use of their characters and story pages in illustrating the books. It’s comforting to see examples featuring Superman, Batman, and the Flash, and the covers feature DC’s “big three” characters for audience familiarity. The books are copiously illustrated, too, with plenty of full-page black-and-white reproductions of comic pages. (Sometimes, as in the writing volume, I wondered if there were too many, since some of them had only a tangential connection to the material. Still, they were pretty and eye-catching, making it easy to move through the books.)

The flip side is that, as you’d expect, there’s an underlying assumption in the books that “comics” means superhero comics and the assembly line division of labor is in place. Someone interested in doing all the artistic work on their own graphic novel, for example, will only find some of the advice useful. They should read these volumes with their own filter in place. There’s still information to be gained, but they may not need to consider how to prepare work for handing off to someone else. If you’re interested in working in the realm of corporate comics, though, there are no better guidebooks than these from one of the two biggest superhero companies.

And the series isn’t done yet: The DC Comics Guide to Digitally Drawing Comics is due out later this year. The publisher says this month, but Amazon says September.

The columns collected here were originally published from late 2000 through March 2008. The first 17 finished up Hibbs’ run in Comics & Games Retailer, a professional limited-circulation magazine. The remaining 50 ran on Newsarama.com, where the audience included consumers as well as retailers. (Many of those columns are still available, but you have to change the links from www.newsarama.com/ whatever to classic.newsarama.com/ whatever. The not-listed 48, 49, and 50 can be accessed through tweaking the URL.)

Tilting at Windmills Volume 2
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As Hibbs points out in his introduction, this eight-year period is an incredible time of change for comics, both in terms of popular perception, as they gained respect, and in format. The direct market, he says, is becoming one “driven primarily by sales of trade paperback editions and graphic novels.”

Tracking changing perceptions of book-format comics is one of the most interesting threads through this volume. In the early days, he’s enthusiastic about TPBs at a time when many of his compatriots didn’t carry them. He says then that most have an infinite shelf life, most are kept in stock by the publishers, and many will keep selling “forever”. Obviously, he couldn’t have predicted how some publishers would take the wrong lessons from this format, treating books as periodicals instead of handling them as perennials. (Such as his own publisher for this volume, not having the first book available when this one was released.) Nor could he (or anyone) see the glut that resulted as publishers raced to put out collections of almost anything, whether it was worth reprinting or not. By the end of the book, Hibbs has moved from (paraphrasing) “you want to start carrying books with spines and here’s why” to “here’s why publishers should hold off soliciting TPBs so we can sell more periodicals”.

I was surprised one important subject wasn’t really covered: Hibbs’ class-action lawsuit against Marvel to force them to live up to their contractual Terms of Service with retailers. The first mention is in passing, in a piece about how badly Diamond’s backlist catalog (a publication no longer offered in print these days) is organized. Later this is explained as legal timidity on the part of C&GR magazine, which was trying to sell itself at the time. That’s a shame, since it would have been invaluable to see his thoughts at the time captured, as he worked through the process. This attitude eventually led to Hibbs’ departure in favor of online venues, which also allowed for a much shorter lead time before publication.

Also included are Hibbs’ notorious Bookscan sales figure analyses from 2003-2007. I say “notorious” because they always invoke discussion from all the various parties with dogs in the hunt. Since so little sales data is available, though, it’s what we’ve got to go on. I did get a giggle out of the early entry speculating on whether manga is a 2003 fad; I think that one’s been answered by now.

I had deja vu reading a piece from 2001 complaining about how bad DC crossovers are. Until he mentioned “Our Worlds at War”, it could have been any year of the past eight. The point that such big, line-spanning events ultimately result in lower sales unfortunately still haven’t been learned by the publishers. Other topics, such as how comics are too expensive (at a top price of $3 an issue) or how the San Diego Comic-Con was too big (in 2002), are always timely complaints, even if the details differ. There were also several memories raised of things gone from the industry but not missed, such as CrossGen or Bill Jemas or the temporary fad of 10-cent/9-cent/25-cent storyline starter issues.

While business specifics may be outdated in the earlier sections, the underlying messages are still relevant: choose what you want to do intelligently and do it well. Work with your retail partners to show them the results of their decisions and intelligently argue for change if necessary. And most of all, don’t let the bastards get you down. (Hibbs never says this explicitly, but it’s what I thought after reading his columns during Jemas’ reign at Marvel.) In the 400 pages, there’s lots of material about what publishers are doing wrong or could do better, but if you’re interested in the unique issues of comic retailing, the gems — such as the piece on how to stock your first store — are well worth it.

A few notes: Newsarama Column #6, covering cycle sheets from June 2004, is missing for unknown reasons. Since the text is still available online, maybe it was just an oversight, or maybe it was thought not to make much sense without the supporting examples. (Since there are notes for it in the back, I’m guessing it was an accidental omission.) Later numbering jumps around to cover the gap and match up to the point where he mentions this is his 150th column. (Each column entry has three numbers: the Newsarama sequence number, a sequence number for the entire series, and a sequential number based on its place in the book. Newsarama V2 #31 is series #147, then N V2 #32 becomes #149 to get back to where the numbers are supposed to be.)

Where links originally appeared in the online columns, endnotes have been substituted, but they’re of limited use. Since Newsarama changed its structure, all of the old links are given as just “classic.newsarama.com”, which won’t aid the reader in finding anything specifically. Other URLs have IP addresses instead of domain names, which means the reader can’t be sure what site is being referred to.

I missed the introductory notes that were included much more frequently in the previous volume, but since this content is newer, it needs less context given. Although by the time I got to 2006, many of the DC titles mentioned were completely unmemorable to me. I think that’s a comment on how superhero comics no longer speak to me, so I don’t follow or recall many of them. Still, Bloodhound? That one rang no bell at all, although it turns out I liked reading it at the time.

The book ends with praise and a pitch for ComicsPro, the new retailer trade group, an implicit way of informing the reader seeking guidance where to go for more. The series found a new home at comicbookresources.com in May 2008.

… or as I call it: Wolverine: The Bloody Red Book, as it appears that the entire book has been dipped in a giant vat of blood. Virtually everything about the outside of book is RED – including the edges of the pages! And it’s probably leftover KISS blood at that – those Marvel guys don’t like to waste anything! So subtle!

Wolverine: Inside the World of the Living Weapon
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Besides, doesn’t “Inside the World of the Living Weapon” sound like a boring science textbook or a guidebook to a long abandoned Disneyworld Tomorrowland ride? “Can you feel the tingle as your DNA is removed and injected directly into that intercontinental ballistic missile?” asks the Lee Majors Audio-Animatronic.

Wolverine: Inside the World of the Living Weapon (sigh) is the brand new guidebook to Marvel’s most popular mutant. And, hey! Isn’t there a new Wolverine movie out really soon? (Good thing too! I think everybody’s done talking about Watchmen.) It’s written by Matthew Manning, writer of many kids’ comics (yay!) for Marvel and DC, as well as contributing to several Marvel-oriented DK publications, the most recent of which is Marvel Chronicle. This new Wolverine tome “reveals, explores, and explains every fascinating twist and turn in the Wolverine story: his mysterious origin (a secret for decades), his incredible powers, significant adventures, personal struggles, and profiles of his lovers, allies, and enemies” according to DK spokestypist P. R. Release.

Although I think if this book could talk, it would say: “I’m the best there is at what I do. But what I do best isn’t always very organized.”

Carrying on the frustrating DK tradition of thinking being “in your face” (what hath Wizard wrought?) is more important than presenting complicated material in a logical, organized manner, the presentation of the book is all over the place. The first 40 pages or so of the book are filled with copycat Wizardesque filler material like “5 Things You Should Know About Wolverine,” “Wolverine Style,” “5 of Wolverine’s Unbelievable Battles”, “Wolverine In Love”, and “Friends and Allies”. A lot of this information is repeated later in the book, usually in more detail, in the meatier history sections, which are a lot more informative than the list-y introductory matter.

On the plus side, at least DK’s design team has calmed down a bit, as the puzzle factor of many of their books (as in “um… what paragraph do I read next?”) is much reduced here. I still have to quibble with the continued use of teeny, tiny, itty, bitty type (8 pt. or less) especially when it’s reversed out against black. It’s not a frikkin’ CD booklet! You’ve got plenty of room! Whatever happened to design helping to communicate ideas instead of getting in their way?

One you get past these annoyances, this is a great little reference book, quite handy for a character like Wolverine whose history has been presented in dribs and drabs for the last 35 years in an ever-increasing number of books. I especially found the Timeline section informative and invaluable. Plus, there is special emphasis on Wolverine’s adventures beyond his usual mutant books: his roles in the Avengers and in mega-stories like Civil War, House of M, and Secret Invasion are well-presented.

Manning’s research is well done. However, some of his writing tries a little too hard and relies a bit too much on current “comicspeak”. Like this groaner in the World War II section: “His life was already a battlefield. The war only made it official.” My advice: look for inspiration and new writing rhythms outside of comics.

I also like the more compact format of the book (9” x 10 3/4”) over the slightly unwieldy larger previous volumes in the Ultimate Guide series. More pages (200 total here) have been added to compensate for the slightly smaller size.

Wolverine: Inside the World of the Living Weapon is, with some minor misgivings, another great DK reference book, covering every aspect of Wolverine that you could ever think of. Except Hugh Jackman. Hmmmm.

(A complimentary copy for this review was provided by the publisher.)

This issue features a column I wrote about the Spire Archie Christian comics. There are also some web extras available, supplementary material to the print edition, including four of the Archie stories from the Spire line. Read them for yourself!

The thing I liked most about Comic Foundry was that it covered things no one else was talking about. The books they profiled were both good-looking and, in many cases, new to me (which is rare). Their coverage made me want to read works like Matt Kindt’s upcoming 3 Story or Gabrielle Bell’s Cecil and Jordan in New York. I found myself having to read the magazine with a notepad nearby to make note of titles to research further.

But it’s not just about the books. The magazine also includes clear-eyed handling of business topics, such as whether or not agents are necessary in comics, plus goofy short bits of fun. Also featured in this issue are interviews with Bryan Lee O’Malley (Scott Pilgrim) and Grant Morrison (Final Crisis).

I’ll really miss this publication. I wish someone would fill its gap, but print is a dying game, and I can’t blame those who are turning their attentions elsewhere.

With volume three, Mechademia has finally hit its stride. This is the first issue without articles plagued by problems either in English grammar or argument construction. Finally, I was able to completely focus on the ideas being presented instead of getting frustrated with the mechanics. Mechademia has achieved a new level of excellence, and I’m going to hold them to this standard from now on.

Mechademia 3
Limits of the Human
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This volume further supports my argument that Mechademia should stop trying to develop a theme for each issue. I know it’s easier to solicit for papers if there are defined guidelines for authors. However, I feel that half of the articles in this volume clearly fall outside the motif of “exploring the limits of what it means to be a human and how these limits of humanness are constantly being redefined”. It takes some very convoluted reasoning to make the articles on manga aesthetics, Lolita fashion, and Taiwanese toy collecting fit the stated theme. This issue demonstrates that, in practice, Mechademia is willing to accept and publish articles that meet their quality standards even if they don’t fit the announced focus. So I say give up the pretext of having an overall arcing theme.

The one essay that I didn’t like was the opening piece by Mark C. Taylor, “Refiguring the Human”. It’s a shame, since I read and enjoyed his book Erring: A Postmodern A/theology in seminary. This essay is filled with circular reasoning and academic jargon. It all sounds profound, but scratch the surface and you find it is all veneer and no substance. I’m sorry to see Taylor’s writing devolve to such a state.

Michael Dylan Foster’s essay, “The Otherworlds of Mizuki Shigeru”, only breaks my heart. It seems that in the last year, everywhere I turn I’m confronted with Shigeru’s manga and art. It all started with the seeing an exhibit of his work and later getting books of the exhibit at the Kinokuniya Bookstore in NYC. Shigeru is not simply one of the great fathers of manga, but he has become a respected cultural authority in Japan. We’re really missing out on a significant author by not having any of his works in English. I hope this grave oversight will be corrected shortly.

Of course, this issue was guaranteed to please me, since there were multiple articles dedicated to two of my favorite creators, Osamu Tezuka and Oshii Mamoru. There are three articles discussing the works of Tezuka. I didn’t always agree with Yomato Inuhiko’s analysis of Tezuka, but he did highlight some interesting connections and deepen my hunger to have all of Tezuka’s works available in English, especially the early works where he was refining his craft. Otsuka Eiji’s essay on the two versions of Tetsuwam Atomu (Astro Boy) is wonderful. Lawrence Bird does a great job with the various versions of Metropolis on film and in print.

Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence is one of the greatest movies of all time, let alone one of the greatest animated films of all time. It ranks up there with works like Fantasia and The Seventh Seal. Mamoru’s movies are the perfect blend of action and philosophical speculation. In fact, it would be easy to fill up a 500-page book with analysis of Innocence alone. There are two essays dedicated to Innocence in this volume, and it’s no surprise they’re my two favorite pieces. Both Sharalyn Orbaugh and Steven T. Brown write thick analytic pieces that were pure pleasures to read and think through. The philosophy wonk in me was in heaven. I look forward to further work by both authors. I hope at least one of them does a book length treatment of Innocence. I promise to buy the first copy.

Let me also mention the marvelous interview with Crispin Freeman at the end of the volume. Freeman is best know as a voice actor. His roles include Alucard in Hellsing, Hideki Motosuwa in Chobits, Togusa in Ghost in the Shell, and Ebisu in Naruto. He does a lecture called “Giant Robots and Superheroes: Maifestations of Divine Power, East and West” at conventions and universities. His theory is one I completely agree with, that a culture’s vision of a superhero is shaped by the dominant religion of that culture. The differences between the Japanese and American superhero traditions can be explained by the differences in the religious background of the two cultures. After reading this interview, I have to hear this lecture. I’m also hoping the Freeman will develop his thoughts into a book. His ideas are fascinating and I would love to see him explore them to their fullest possibilities.

Four articles were translated from Japanese scholastic writings on manga and anime. I hope that Mechademia will continue to fund translations. I love getting the insider’s perspective on Japanese culture. They’re able to bring to the discussion table a wealth of history and detail in their articles that American scholars haven’t acquired simply because they haven’t lived in Japan all their lives and naturally soaked up the culture.

I don’t want to make light of what Frenchy Lunning and the editors of Mechademia have accomplished in only three issues. They have started a new scholastic journal for an emerging field of academic study and by the third issue have achieve the quality found in other established scholastic journals. I’ve been, and will continue to be, a harsh critic because I care deeply about anime and manga and don’t want the university intelligentsia to think that this is an academic ghetto for people who couldn’t get degrees in ‘real’ subjects. Comics globally, not just in Japan and America, have shown themselves worthy of serious sustained study. I want Mechademia to be proof that comics are a literary form able to explore the deepest and most important aspects of
our humanity. So a heartfelt thank you to Lunning, the editors, and contributors of Mechademia for fighting the good fight. If I have been heated in my criticisms, it’s only in hopes of burning away the dross so the quality of the work can be above reproach.

If you love anime and manga and want to go beyond just the entertainment value of these art forms, then you must get a subscription to Mechademia. It will help you better understand the Japanese culture, history, religion, and philosophy behind these works. Thankfully, Mechademia is easily available through Amazon. You might even try to persuade your local library to subscribe to the magazine if they have a good manga collection. (A complimentary copy for this review was provided by the publisher.)

Shojo Beat’s Manga Artist Academy
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Take, for example, Scott McCloud’s Making Comics or The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Creating a Graphic Novel. These books emphasize having a story to tell, learning to draw well, and similar basics of creation and authorial integrity. Manga Artist Academy, on the other hand, jumps right into what tools you should use, with plenty of brand names mentioned.

The approach is breezy, with tips mentioned once and the reader moved on quickly. The opening sixteen color pages demonstrate techniques beyond the basics. Amu Sumoto covers “from idea to inking” in only four pages, so you can guess it’s pretty high-level. And the likely reader of this book already does know the basics, at least conceptually. It’s refreshing to start from a different, more accomplished place.

Shoko Akira (Monkey High!) shows some inking and tone tricks, and Yuu Watase (Imadoki!) gets six pages on creating color art. Mayu Shinjo (Sensual Phrase) concludes with a very brief section on digital tools, which I found memorable mostly for the high cost of the equipment she uses. (The topic is revisited later in the main part of the book.)

The main section follows Satomi, a panda who wants to draw manga. Her comic adventures (told in right-to-left manga form) instruct the reader as she learns what to do. The mean Mr. Manga Star is her guide and tormentor, introducing her to various artists (including Emiko Sugi, Chie Shinohara, and Rie Takada) and their lessons. For some reason, he knows all these female artists well. He’s also not afraid to be aggressive and violent towards his young student, which makes him seem to have wandered in from some boys’ comic. Satomi also contributes frequent poems that sum up what she’s learning. (This is a very odd book in some ways.)

In addition to advice on manga-specific items like screen tone use, here are some other points that struck me as the kind of advice you don’t hear in American artist-first guides:

• “A manga artist also needs to be open to other people’s opinions”, in reference to editorial guidance.
• “Even pros can get visibly rusty if they haven’t used a pen for a while.” The need to practice inking is reiterated (and rightfully so), but I was surprised to see a how-to book sold on the reputations of its contributing professionals point out that pros can look bad too.
• “The key to success is in the character’s eyes!” Artists are told to patiently layer and highlight for brightness and energy.
• “Copying professional drawings is the first step to becoming a pro.” New artists are encouraged to copy in order to learn the know-how packed into accomplished work. After you can accurately copy a favorite artist, you should try original work, but feel free to take what you like from other pros.
• “The longer the legs, the more handsome” when it comes to male characters. I like that better than the over-muscled steroid freaks we get in American genre work.
• The virtues of cuteness and attractiveness. No ugly characters here!
• The main character must be liked by the readers. Shy is better than normal to build empathy, because exaggeration is good. And she should probably be a girl. In other words, don’t be afraid to use formulas.
• Create your characters before your story. And make sure your main plot event is the same as the one-word theme you want to convey.
• “Don’t be a hermit.” You have to keep up with trends to avoid creating outdated work.

Of course, some instructions are necessary no matter the culture, like the need to practice drawing a variety of expressions or to give characters unique personalities or the virtue of showing something through action instead of using excess amounts of dialogue. The cover and title are important to draw reader attention, and the goal is to create something original, something only this individual artist could produce. And, of course, nothing replaces practice practice practice and hard work.

I found this book enlightening not just in its tips but in its whole attitude towards shojo manga as a successful business that can be taught, craft instead of art. That perspective — summed up by the list of what you need to do manga, which puts talent third after effort and practice — was eye-opening.

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to
Creating a Graphic Novel
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Major sections cover planning a graphic novel, writing it, layout and drawing, finishing (ink, colors, lettering, both hand and digital), and publication (submitting to publishers, choosing a printer, handling distribution). For a live example, the authors create a chapter of a graphic novel called The Big Con, set at a comic convention. The sidebars cover definitions, tips, and recommended further reading. They also allow the co-authors to add notes to each other’s chapters, for a different perspective. (This interview with Gertler includes the table of contents.)

The breezy, humorous tone is readable while not skimping on useful information. The opening chapter tackles the huge question of what a graphic novel is and adds in “why would you want to tell your story in that format instead of some other medium?” The answers provided are some of the best I’ve seen to that labyrinthine query. They do an excellent job of acknowledging various opinions fairly without getting bogged down in arguments.

That approach also assists in balancing the question of solo creation vs. collaboration. Note that although the workflow sequence is broken down into the traditional big-publisher assembly line buckets, the authors acknowledge that their readers might be working solo or in different combinations. The breakdown of tasks aids in organization, making the book suitable for all kinds of genres and creators. They even provide advice on how to evaluate and select contributors. Even though some creators may tackle the process in more integrated fashion, breaking it into specific tasks makes the whole thing easier to explain clearly.

The authors don’t play favorites, acknowledging the strengths of different approaches and seeing value in art comics, superheroes, and everything in between. I was surprised at how much I learned, especially in the art sections. I found out how to better put into words why one particular panel arrangement is better than another, based on clear principles. The art sections also cover tools, both traditional (pens, templates, erasers) and digital (computer programs), and recommend more reading on basic topics in much more depth. The chapter on art style, especially, covers a history of newspaper strips as reference points for different looks and made me want to seek out many classic reprints.

This is not the only book you’ll need to succeed at creating a graphic novel, because you’ll want to learn more about key areas of craft (such as theme development or drawing anatomy). This is an overview, not an encyclopedia, but as such, it’s an excellent first start.

Watching the Watchmen
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Watchmen became the classic it is because of the combination of story and art, and due to Alan Moore’s displeasure with how his work was treated, information regarding the plot or story development is omitted. This book isn’t about how Watchmen was written — look elsewhere for commentary or annotations — but how it was drawn. Which is refreshing; Gibbons is usually forgotten in discussions of the work, and this heavy volume helps remedy that oversight. Turns out that he was responsible for the now-immortal nine-panel grid as well as the inclusion of pirate comics, among many other things.

His memories and essays are what makes this book unique, starting from when he and Moore first met in 1980. This work was created in a very different era, before the widespread use of the internet or even overnight shipping, when the script was typewritten and paper pieces were mailed back and forth. It’s a fascinating glimpse into another age. My favorite pieces are when Gibbons talks about early reactions from the publisher, retailers, and convention-goers, before anyone knew what they were really creating and the medium-changing effect it would have. I wish more of his recollections would have been included.

The book design is by Chip Kidd and Mike Essl, which tells you what to expect: full-bleed pages and close-ups of artifact details. However, here, he mostly stays out of the way, letting Gibbons’ art and words speak for themselves. Also contributing is John Higgins, the colorist, with an essay on the process and how their work came at the cusp of changing times for the comics industry.

Some of the items reprinted here have also appeared in Absolute Watchmen. That deluxe reprint is, according to Higgins, the first time that the colors look the way they were intended, due to digital techniques finally getting past previous printing limitations. Gibbons goes into some of the process behind that book as well near the end of this volume. His final note, elliptically addressing some of the controversy around his co-creator, is a gentlemanly way to end this look back at the book that changed comics for all time. He seems like a very nice guy who just wants to give proper credit to all included, including himself.

If you’re unfamiliar with Watchmen, don’t start here. This is for delving into once you’ve read the source material several times already. This video shows some of the book’s content, and Gibbons was interviewed about it at Wired.

First, understand that this book is about collecting Japanese Batman merchandise. In particular, it celebrates Saul Ferris’ collection. It turns out that the creme-de-la-creme of Batman merchandise is Jiro Kuwata’s Batman manga that ran from 1966 to 1967 in Shonen King magazine. So this book should really have been called “Saul Ferris’ Collection of 1960’s Batman Merchandise With Special Emphasis on the Batman Manga.” But that title doesn’t have the same pizzazz and selling power as “Bat-Manga!”. (Heck, it doesn’t have the exclamation point to really drive the shopper into a purchasing frenzy.)

Bat-Manga!
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You can tell the manga isn’t intended to be the focus of the book by two aesthetic decisions by Chip Kidd. First, the manga is presented in its current state of preservation. There’s no attempt to clean up the art. Kidd specifically states he wants us to experience the pages the same way Ferris does. Second, we are only presented with the pages that Ferris owns. This means of the eight storylines included in the book, only three are complete. If the manga was the true focus of this book, then Kidd would have wanted to present the art and the storytelling in the best possible light, so we could fully appreciate Kuwata’s abilities as artist and author.

Bat-Manga! is another beautiful book of ephemera by Kidd. This is due in no small part to Geoff Spear’s genius as a photographer. He knows how to light and display an object so that all details are clearly visible. The colors are vibrant, yet natural-looking. It’s a wonderful book to just flip through and enjoy visually.

I love Kidd’s sense of design and organization. Since this is a superhero book, it begins with an origin story. Kidd tells us how he first met Ferris, how the idea for the book was first formed, and how that idea came to life. This is followed by a brief interview with Kuwata. We learn that the Batman manga came about because the Batman TV series was getting ready to be broadcast in Japan, and Kuwata’s publisher wanted to capitalize on the Batman fad.

As an aside, Kidd really missed asking an obvious follow-up question. Kuwata mentions that some time before being approached to do the Batman manga, he had been asked to do a Superman manga. However, he was too busy at the time to take on any new projects. Kidd doesn’t ask if the publisher did a Superman manga without Kuwata, or if the idea died, since he couldn’t be the artist. It would have been nice if Kidd had included a footnote to let readers know one way or the other about the Superman manga. This makes me further curious if any other DC characters might have had manga adaptations. If the Wonder Woman TV series aired in Japan, did some publisher try to capitalize on that show too?

Back to the book, the bulk of which is comprised of photographs of Kuwata’s manga. Kuwata said that he was given scripts by Bob Kane, which he freely modified to create his version of Batman. Kuwata does an incredible job of capturing the spirit of the Golden Age Batman. Part of the charm is the heavy sci-fi element in his stories. Many of the plots are reminiscent of old 50s B-grade sci-fi films. It’s also refreshing to read superhero stories where the superhero is an emotionally balanced, psychologically stable adult, who is motivated by a sense of justice and duty.

Bat-Manga!
Limited Edition Hardcover
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Kuwata understands the core of Batman’s appeal and makes those traits the focus of his stories. Batman is a detective in the traditional sense. There are no computers, and forensic science is still in its infancy. Batman has to examine crime scenes using only his own senses and wits. He spends days, sometimes weeks, tracking down leads and following clues. We see Batman work hard to solve crimes and capture villains. Each story is half brawn and half brain. Usually the story ends by Batman out-thinking his opponent.

I really like Kuwata’s version of Robin. He’s less a sidekick and more a junior, inexperienced partner. In one story, Robin tells Batman that he needs to take a night off from tracking down a villain or he will burn himself out. Batman takes Robin’s advice and leaves the investigation in Robin’s hands. Also, Robin gets to drive the Batmobile on several occasions! Kuwata’s Robin makes you understand why Batman chose to have a partner.

The one aspect of the manga that will disappoint Batman fans is the lack of familiar villains in these stories. The only regular from Batman’s rogue gallery to appear in this book is Clayface. Kuwata chose to create his own villains. Batman is faced with a new challenge and a new opponent in each story. I have to admit, I would have loved to seen Kuwata’s version of the Joker, the Penguin, and the Riddler. But I’m certainly not disappointed by the opponents he creates.

Kuwata is an accomplished artist. I know I’m tragically behind the times here, but I find his Golden Age style much more realistic-looking than the hyper-muscled current version of superheroes. His characters have natural athletic physiques. I also like the way he draws the Batman costume. He understands how fabric drapes and bunches up. The cape, cowl, and utility belt are especially well done. He does break with the Golden Age in two design elements, the costume emblem and the Batmobile. Since the TV series was the impetus behind the manga, he uses the costume and car from the TV show. His villain costumes are brilliant; they make me want to read his own mangas to see more of his original designs.

The one critique I have of the artwork is Kuwata’s rendering of the bat symbol on Batman’s chest. For some reason, Kuwata only pays attention to this detail in oversized panels and splash pages. The rest of the time, the bat changes from panel to panel. Sometimes, it’s barely more than a squiggle.

The standard edition of the book is paperback. There is a limited edition hardback also available. The hardback features 32 pages of additional material and a book plate signed by both Kidd and Kuwata. The extra pages consist of twenty-four pages of manga not in the paperback and eight pages of Chinese Batman comics. The Chinese comics are interesting, to say the least. The artwork is amateurish and the storylines are mad genius.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, but it suffers the same flaw as other Kidd books. I find that one reading is all I ever need. His books lack the substance and depth for a second look. I have both his Schultz and Cole books and they now sit forgotten on my bookshelf. The Batman manga is a historical curiosity. I’m glad to have sampled the series, but if there’s a follow-up book, I don’t see myself buying it. I do think that Kuwata did a better adaptation job than the Marvel mangas of the 80’s. It will be interesting to see how Del Rey’s forthcoming X-Men mangas will compare to both historical predecessors.

You’ll All Be Sorry
Cover by Scott Shaw!
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Now, About Comics is collecting many of these columns in print. The book was originally due in August, but it’s been rescheduled to January. I like the idea, but there are several problems with the execution:

The timeliness. As Gail indicates in her introduction, the comic industry was a very different place 10 years ago. The more you already know about what she’s referring to, the funnier the pieces are. Stand-alone classic humor for the ages this is not, but if you were part of the net around the year 2000, you’ll get a giggle out of the recognition and memories as she makes fun of fanfic wannabe writers, Alan Moore, Wizard magazine, Dave Sim, and the Batman and Robin movie.

The presentation. The columns are thrown in, one after another, with no indication of when they were originally published. Even better would have been notes by Gail putting the pieces in context and giving more insight into what motivated particular choices.

The format. It looks like a fanzine. It’s hard to tell where pieces start and end. When announcing the book’s delay, publisher Nat Gertler said

if you’ve seen other books of columns, you’ve seen that they tend to look like, well, flat piles of text, not necessarily the most appealing thing to the comics reader. To counter this, we gave each piece it’s own layout. We didn’t try to go hyper-slick, but the scripts look like scripts, the web pages look like web pages.

I would have rather have had the flat piles of text, especially if they had sufficient page margins. Many pages here run right off the page on the outside margin. The same thing happens internally, with text running into decorative page elements and text blocks crooked on the page. The idea of different layouts is good, but the execution is unprofessional. And all the various fonts and shaded boxes don’t make up for a near-complete lack of illustrations of any kind.

The best part of the book for me was the “Condensed Comic Classics”, many of which are new. Gail got her friends to write amusing summaries of the comics they work on. They’re funniest if you already know the titles, so you get the in-jokes.

In a case where most of the material is freely available online, a published edition should, in my opinion, add bonuses to entice the reader’s purchase. That might be an upscale, handsome binding (as when The Perry Bible Fellowship went to print); explanatory author notes (as Jen Sorensen did to freshen up her editorial cartoons); or new material you can’t get anywhere else. In this case, the book only aims for the latter, when the former two would have been much more appreciated by me. I can’t recommend the newsprint edition with sloppy layout we got.

Did you know that Adam Strange’s real name is Jean-Paul Valley? I didn’t — last time I checked that was actually the alter ego of Azrael, the would-be Batman. But it’s apparently now the real name of Adam Strange. Why? Because it says so on page 330 of the updated and expanded edition of The DC Comics Encyclopedia. (Oh, and to make this whole point just that much more ludicrous, Adam Strange’s real name is actually — Adam Strange!)

The DC Comics Encyclopedia
Updated and Expanded
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Of course, in a book this big, I’d expect a mistake or two, but sadly, there are many more. Here’s a few: The Key Storylines box for the Blue Beetle entry lists stories about Dr. Fate. Text in the Superman entry was slightly rewritten and duplicated within the entry. Commander Steel is misspelled as Steele. And a caption in the Elongated Man entry erroneously states that Sue Dibny was killed by Dr. Light (she wasn’t), in a mistake held over from the previous edition of the book. Plus, there are countless typos and text problems throughout.

I had really high hopes for this version of the Encyclopedia, being a big fan of the previous edition. My original intent, when reviewing this book, was to index, in detail, all of the changes and updates in this book from the previous edition, but as I got deeper and deeper into the book, the overwhelming number of text errors, missing text, proofreading errors, and the seemingly arbitrary decisions over what got updated or didn’t just simply overwhelmed — and ultimately — defeated me.

In general, it appears to me that great amounts of text for this volume were reset (whether needed or not), and following that, no one bothered to reformat the text with any level of consistency. It also appears that either no one proofread the new text in its final layout (lots of final lines of text have “dropped out”) or that the book was rushed to press without all of the changes. Also, I was working with a list of “errors” from the first edition of the Encyclopedia (admittedly mostly minor and/or having to do with inconsistencies in presenting information) and discovered that only a handful of the most egregious errors were fixed in this new edition.

This should have been a great book. There was a tremendous amount of effort put forward to update it. There are at least 50 new pages of material spread throughout the book, including at least 60 new entries. Most of the major characters have one or two pages added to their entries, and the Encyclopedia now includes new two-page entries for recent events like Infinite Crisis and 52. Well over a hundred individual entries were updated with a new sentence or two, albeit most of them to indicate character deaths in either Infinite Crisis or the Death of the New Gods event.

And, in something that I feel somewhat personally responsible for in the first place, a great effort was made to try to explain the various versions — at least three — of the Legion of Super-Heroes, but the attempt was doomed to failure without completely restructuring the book. As it is, some of the LSH members have multiple listings for different versions, some attempt to explain the different versions in a single entry, some there was no attempt to update at all, and in others, the text describes the latest “threeboot” version of the character, but uses artwork from one of the previous versions. At least they tried…

If I had to choose one word to describe the updated DC Encyclopedia, it would have to be inconsistent. Cat Man’s entry has updated artwork showing his new costume, but no mention of him being the leader of the new Secret Six (nor any mention of the SS at all). In Troia’s entry, her name has been changed to Troy, but the entry itself has not been updated to reflect changes to her in the last four years — most notably, her return from the dead!

There’s still a lot of good, solid information in the updated and expanded edition of The DC Comics Encyclopedia, but if you’re a major fan of DC Comics and know better, these inconsistencies will drive you nuts! And what good is an encyclopedia if you cannot trust its facts to be accurate? With a price tag of $40, I cannot wholeheartedly recommend it. (A complimentary copy for this review was provided by the publisher.)

Ever since I heard about the concept of Marvel Chronicle, I’ve been dying to see the book. I love books like this, packed with facts and trivia, and I think that every major comics company needs to have a publishing history/timeline like this. I’m not surprised Marvel got to it first.

Marvel Chronicle
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Obviously designed to be DK’s major comic-related book for the holiday season, Marvel Chronicle is a lavishly produced gift book, housed in its own illustrated box. The wraparound cover illustration by Jim Cheung has also been reproduced as two prints — one color and one B&W — that are slipcased inside the box. (Although I do have to nitpick a bit, as the prints greatly reduce the size — and the incredible detail — of the original.) The 352-page book is dynamically, but functionally, designed and the book itself features a clever die-cut cover — a giant “M”!

Unlike your typical coffee table book, Marvel Chronicle is densely packed with hours and hours of reading and hundreds of illustrations. Set up in a chronological month-by-month format, the book covers almost 70 years of Marvel history, from 1939’s Marvel Comics #1 and the first appearances of the Human Torch and the Sub-Mariner all the way up to this summer’s Secret Invasion #1.

Written by an all-star line-up of past and present Marvel editors and historians, the Chronicle takes each year of Marvel history and breaks it down in monthly bites, indicating the debuts of major Marvel heroes and villains, as well as the comings and goings of the major artist and writers handing the books. There’s also a handy little sidebar indicating each year’s “real world” events, including all the headlines in politics, sports, and pop culture trends in music and movies.

For me, the fun of these kinds of books is the ability to see the bigger picture of the ongoing history and visually put certain events in various books in their proper order. Or to discover interesting “key” months where some major unrelated elements of Marvel history were created at virtually the same time — as in January 1981, where both Elektra and “Days of Future Past” were introduced. Or that the return of both the X-Men and Howard the Duck occurred in May of 1975. Or that Gwen Stacy died in the very same month — June 1973 — that Mantis, the future Celestial Madonna appeared. (Hmmm…) May 1971 was a key month for the maturation of Marvel Comics as Savage Tales #1, the Comics Code-less Spider-Man drug storyline, and the Harlan Ellison plotted Avengers-Incredible Hulk crossover all began. The following month, the Kree-Skrull War began in Avengers, heralding comics’ first mega-event. Who knew?

Of special note is the chapter on Marvel in the 1950s, written by Tom Brevoort about a much-maligned but truly fascinating era of transition. Brevoort does a very creditable job finding many interesting facts of a period which has yet to be well documented by comics historians. This goes also for Peter Sanderson’s look at 1939-1949, a period slightly better known due to the incorporation of much of Marvel’s Golden Age Heroes and mythology into the current continuity, but Sanderson has dug deeper to explore Marvel’s entries into funny animals and comics for girls. Those of you who love the current Marvel U might be tempted to skip past these chapters. Don’t do it — there’s lots of fascinating stuff here!

The minor element of the book that I’m not so in love with are the many double-page spreads of artwork. There’s a montage of 50s splash pages and the occasional comparison of original art to the printed cover — both of which are great — but when it’s just a single cover or image, printed sideways, I feel that many of the art choices are not that inspiring. And I am so over the giant-blow-up of an actual comics page — especially when it’s badly out-of-register! I’m not exactly sure that She-Hulk is the best character to represent the artistic legacy of John Buscema (pg. 204-205), but I am loving the giant-size B&W wash artwork by Walter Simonson from The Rampaging Hulk (pg. 182-183)!

There are a couple of typos here and there — John Byrne did not team with Chris Claremont on X-Men #1 (in the introduction to 1979), it was actually #108 — but nothing too serious. And because it’s written by a bunch of Marvel guys, you’re not going to find a lot of critical discussion here. I found the earlier chapters a little more even-handed, while some of the later chapters are more “rah-rah” Marvel, but what do you expect from the house of Stan Lee?

There is much discussion about the creation of new titles or characters, but if you’re looking for solid information about when certain titles were canceled, you need to look elsewhere. There definitely aren’t any revelations about problems between Stan or Jack or Stan and Steve or why Kirby was treated so badly by Marvel in the 80s. It is, after all, a celebration of all things Marvel, and if you can accept that going in, you’ll have a fun ride!

By the way, if you can’t find Marvel Chronicle on the shelf in the graphic novel section of your local bookstore, snoop around the store a bit. DK has designed a special freestanding display stand for the book, with a sample copy that you can flip through in the store! (A complimentary copy for this review was provided by the publisher.)

Modern Masters Mike Ploog
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Please tell us a little about the book and your contributions.

Well, like the other Modern Masters volumes, it features a career-spanning interview with a comic artist. In this case, it’s Mike Ploog. The book was edited and designed by the creator of the series, Eric Nolen-Weathington. It’s got an introduction by J.M. DeMatteis, who worked with Mike on Abadazad and The Stardust Kid. And, of course, it’s published by TwoMorrows.

My main contribution was the interview itself. Before I even started writing questions, I did a ton of research. I read everything Mike had worked on that I could find. I had some of the comics myself, found some books at the local comic store or on eBay, and borrowed some from my pal, KC Carlson. I read a number of online interviews with Mike as well as magazine articles about his work. I also watched some of the movies he worked on.

The research stage took around three months. After that, I set up a first interview with Mike and we went from there. Since I’m a glutton for punishment, I transcribed the interview myself. I’ve been conducting interviews for around 14 years now, so you’d think I’d be pretty good at transcribing, but it still takes me a long time. The interview covers Mike’s early years in rural Minnesota to his move to L.A.; his time in the Marines to working with Will Eisner; his time at Marvel to his career in film to his recent return to comics with such books as Abadazad and The Spirit.

What was your goal with this volume of Modern Masters? Do you think you met it?

I never really thought about having a goal for the book, but when you put it that way, I did. I’ve been a fan of Mike’s work since I first saw it in an issue of Man-Thing I bought as a back issue when I was growing up. Later, seeing books like his Classic Illustrated version of Tom Sawyer and his adaptation of L. Frank Baum’s The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus only made me appreciate his work more.

Stardust Kid by Mike Ploog

However, there isn’t that much information out there about him. If you Google someone like John Byrne, Tim Sale, or Jeff Smith, almost any “name” artist, you’ll find a number of interviews with them. With Mike, that’s not the case. Don’t get me wrong, he does do interviews, it’s just that he hasn’t done as many as some creators. He also spent most of the 80s and 90s working in film, and aside from lists of films he’s been involved with, there’s very little information about his film work. He’s worked on films such as The Dark Crystal, John Carpenter’s The Thing, and Little Shop of Horrors. He even worked on a Michael Jackson video!

My goal with this volume was to bring what I felt was some much warranted, and long overdue, attention to Mike and his work. I think I accomplished that. Hopefully, people will like what they see and read and want to go out and read some of the books he’s done over the years. How successful I was with that, only time will tell.

How was the subject selected?

Eric Nolen-Weathington and I were discussing doing another Modern Masters book together after we finished the Walter Simonson volume. He asked me if there was anyone I’d like to interview. I sent him a list of four or five names, one of them being Mike Ploog. He said he had been thinking about doing a volume on Mike, so we decided to pursue that. Eric spoke with Mike at the San Diego convention in, I believe, 2007, and Mike agreed to the interview. It was that simple.

For those who aren’t familiar with the name, why would they want to read about Mike Ploog?

Mike is probably best known for being the original artist on Marvel’s Werewolf by Night and Ghost Rider. He was kind of their “go to” guy for monster comics and he did some memorable work on Man-Thing, Monster of Frankenstein, and Planet of the Apes. If you like Marvel comics from the 70s, he has some great stories about his time there.

Mike has spent a number of years working in TV and film. He’s been involved with such projects as Superman II and Shrek. He has some wonderful behind-the-scenes stories about this part of his career that I think movie fans will really enjoy. As a Muppet fan, I was fascinated listening to him talk about working with Frank Oz.

A lot of Mike’s comic work has been in the horror and fantasy genre. I think the closest he came to a superhero comic was Ghost Rider. If you’re interested in more than just superhero comics, I think you’ll find something of interest here.

Finally, there’s the art itself. There are some amazing examples of Mike’s work in the book. There’s a color 2-page spread that is jaw-droppingly gorgeous. If you’re a fan of comic art, or art in general, I think you’ll love looking through this book.

In the interview, what did you find out that you didn’t know before?

Upcoming Perhapanauts cover by Mike Ploog

A lot. I think almost everything he said when we were talking about his film work was new to me. Something that really sticks in my mind, though, was his time working at PS Magazine. I think many comic fans have heard of that, but they may not know much more about it than Will Eisner created it. That pretty much described me going in. It’s a magazine for the military that helps explain maintenance of machinery and weapons in a way that people can understand. A lot of that was done in comic form. Mike tells some absolutely fascinating stories about working with Eisner and his other co-workers on PS. For me, it was really interesting learning about this part of comics history.

I want to add that Mike is a great storyteller, in both the art and yarn-spinning sense of the word, but it’s the latter of these that I want to mention. Interviewing Mike felt a lot like sitting down with an old friend, opening a couple beers, and shooting the breeze. I quickly learned that what made things memorable for him was the people he worked with. And he has some great stories to tell about them.

How did you start writing for TwoMorrows?

One day, I was talking with a friend, Wayne Markley, and mentioned a book that I thought someone should write. His response was, “Why don’t you write it?” I’ve been conducting interviews for Westfield Comics since 1994, but I’d never thought seriously about writing a book. Sure, it had crossed my mind, but more as a fantasy than a reality. Once Wayne said that, it burrowed into my brain and I started thinking, “Yeah! Why don’t I write it? I have plenty of experience conducting interviews. I could do this.”

I contacted John Morrow and pitched him the idea, and he was all for it. Unfortunately, that project ended up falling through due to circumstances beyond our control, but it planted the seed. I asked about working on Modern Masters, and John put me in touch with Eric. I pitched an idea or two to him and that eventually lead to interviewing Walter Simonson. Since then, I’ve also contributed articles to Back Issue, including the most recent issue, number 31, which is a Steve Gerber tribute.

Who would you most like to cover for a future Modern Masters?

That’s a tricky question because there are so many people I’d like to interview for the series. How about a top five instead? My top five at the moment, and in no particular order, would be Jim Starlin, Matt Wagner, Bill Sienkiewicz, Colleen Doran, and Rick Veitch. I don’t know if any of these will happen, but they’re all people whose work I admire and has had an impact on me. If you ask me tomorrow, that list may change.

How to Draw Stupid and
Other Essentials of Cartooning
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Many how-to manuals inadvertently reveal more about the writer and their philosophy of life than intended. This one puts that material front and center. It’s not really a book about drawing, but about being a cartoonist, with all that entails. And the advice itself is simple, beginning with the very basic. If you want to be a cartoonist, “do a cartoon”.

Baker wants people to do the work without fear. He simplifies, almost to the point of belittling his craft, but his principles are universal. Let the art do the work. Keep it simple. Be funny. Use reference. Think about your audience. Be distinctive. Some of it is unusual — like don’t have a backup plan — but all of it makes sense. The simplicity is deceiving, because to truly follow this advice takes a great deal of work and willpower. Some of the same material can be found in the introduction to Undercover Genie: The Irreverent Conjurings of an Illustrative Aladdin, but there it seems angrier. Here it’s presented with more mature wisdom.

His chapter on drawing is so bare-bones as to be comical. (Paraphrased: Men are angular, women are curvy, kids have big heads.) That doesn’t matter — an artist has heard it all before. Baker encourages thought about what it all means. He goes on to point out that the key to cartooning is exaggeration, and he encourages development of a unique style. What’s important, what causes viewers to be entertained, is the personality of characters.

His advice is old-fashioned, and that makes it counter-cultural these days, when artists are used to hearing about how important it is to wallow in their own specialness. My favorite piece of advice in the whole book is as follows: “Be interesting. Nobody cares about you. I doubt a comic book about the recent breakup of your romantic relationship would be very entertaining. You know who’s going to read that? Lonely people! You know what’s wrong with lonely people? No word of mouth!”

By insisting anyone can do what he does, the reader sees how special Baker’s work really is. (For examples, check out Why I Hate Saturn and The Cowboy Wally Show.) After reading, I now understand why even Baker’s illustrations look like animation storyboards: it’s all about the movement. If for no other reasons, this book is worth reading just to see his cartoons. And to share his life lessons, like how and why he failed art.

The short chapters stick to the basics, but I found myself thinking more about the nature of art, entertainment, and humor after reading than I have more detailed manuals that make bigger promises. This is really a pep talk under book covers, with the plus of cool cartoons. Everyone should read it. There’s a promotional video with the man himself at his web page.

See that line about Archie: Man of the Cloth? I wrote that. It’s an overview of the Christian comics featuring the character. Here’s the description of the magazine’s contents:

Hogan’s Alley features a long interview with Stephan Pastis, creator of the caustic, irreverent and very funny Pearls Before Swine comic strip. The issue also examines the fascinating history and the never-before-told story of Disney’s Song of the South, a cartoon/live-action hybrid so fraught with period sensibilities that Disney won’t allow it on the market. Stephan DeStefano, artist on the cult favorite comic book ‘Mazing Man and now the merchandising artist behind Popeye, gives an interview. Before the Marvel Age, Stan Lee and Archie’s Dan DeCarlo collaborated on a comic strip in the 1950s, My Friend Irma, and the issue presents their little-seen strip. The issue looks at a series of comic books in which Archie, Jughead and the Riverdale gang take a break from their usual antics to evangelize. Finally, go behind-the-scenes with of Little Lulu’s creator Marge Buell, a trailblazing female cartoonist/entrepreneur, and delve into the business side of her comics empire!

It can be ordered with code NOV08 4403 from comic shops for $6.95, or there are subscription offers available at the link.

Looking for something to read while waiting for the election returns to come in? Check out Veeps: Profiles in Insignificance. It’s published by Top Shelf, even though it’s not a comic; instead, it’s a collection of historical profiles. Written by Bill Kelter with illustrations by Wayne Shellabarger, it covers the whole run so far of American Vice-Presidents, or as they have it,

… a platoon of rogues, cowards, drunks, featherweights, doddering geriatrics, bigots, and atrocious spellers [sitting] one bullet, cerebral hemorrhage, or case of pneumonia away from the highest office in the land.

In addition to the 46 who have served so far, four notable near misses are included, such as Geraldine Ferraro (the first woman nominated to the position) and James Stockdale (Ross Perot’s running mate).

Kelter doesn’t have an easy task. As his introduction points out, he’s trying to cover a range of personalities from colorful men to dull functionaries, and the office of VP (until recently) veered sharply to the latter. It’s a great book for playing, “hey, did you know…” with those around you, unless they’re the kind to get annoyed by frequent interruptions. So little is known by most about these characters that it’s certainly an education. The crimes and violent incidents start early and extend almost to present day. The tradition of enlisting old fogies who could never get elected on their own also is a long one.

You can read a 12-page preview online. Tim O’Shea has interviewed the two about the bathroom floor that started the whole thing and many other revelations. There’s even a companion film, Road to Insignificance, coming next year, about the creators in the time of the election of the newest VP.