Talking with Pekka I think we need this.
My first job as an adult was script writing for a commercial series. I had to drop out for several reason, but I am still morbidly obsessed by this medium and I am spending most of my money in sequential art related books.
So what are your favourite ones?
not very original list i guess ..
italian stuff from frigidaire era :
ranxerox - tamburini/liberatore
snake agent - tamburini
ramarro - palumbo
sturmtruppen - bonvi
necron - magnus
rest of the world :
suehiro maruo
jun hayami
preacher
lobo (bisley era)
from hell
Know practically nothing about comics, but always enjoyed Jodorowsky's comics a lot. Not only the sci-fi stuff but also Son of the Gun (http://www.fright.com/edge/son_of_the_gun.htm).
Marco, I'll be mailing you soon...........
Anyways:
Alan Moore - everything, he never fails
Grant Morrison - Invisibles is a must and Doom Patrol and Arkham Asylum are very good too. Animal Man and Filth are worth taking a look at as well, although the "meta-comic" stuff in them can be a bit hard to digest (at least for me it is)
Garth Ennis - I'll second Preacher that Tisbor mentioned and add The Boys and Punisher. Haven't checked out his war comics yet but will do.
Warren Ellis - first half of Transmetropolitan series is pure genius, but then it starts to repeat itself too much, I think. Also see City Of Silence and Desolation Jones
Ahh, there's so much good stuff... The Walking Dead, DMZ, Fables, The Goon, Hellblazer, Greek Street, Hellboy and its spinoffs.... and Fletcher Hanks!!!
I'll start quoting anything Pekka said.
More to follow later.
A friend of mine runs a webcomic that I follow. http://www.rockmanlyfist.com/
I used to read comics voraciously when I was a kid. Some of them still hold water too.
Masamune Shirow - Ghost in the Shell (get the collected "director's cut" edition. There are many side notes and little explanations squeezed between the frames by the author himself) Anything else by Shirow is generally excellent.
Boom! Studios put out a limited run comic version of "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep" by Phillip K Dick that is essential! All of the text from the book is intact. Sadly I don't even have the complete series. :(
Menton J. Matthews III - Ars Memoria - The Art of Memory. Another good independent comic.
The first couple years of Spawn by Todd McFarlane. Seriously grim and violent shit all about street violence, the poor, and corruption. This might appeal to you Marco.
and as mentioned in the Neil Gaiman topic, SANDMAN
I don't know what I can offer to the discussion really. Most of the titles mentioned so far are stuff that I don't care the least bit for. Granted, I liked comics more before I worked professionally in comic book stores...
I never cared for Sandman, or most of the other Vertigo titles, although Shade the Changing Man was really good -- I only read the first 20 issues or so, but they were really cool and tripped-out in a clever way. I see now that these issues are finally being collected in trade paperbacks (20 years after they were published, about time), so I need to pick them up and do some re-reading.
Spawn? Seriously? I fail to see any qualities whatsoever in that one. Didn't McFarlane say in some interview something to the effect that his goal was to make the reader go "woah!!!" every time he (yeah, definitely he) flipped the page.
Also, Frank Miller is a fucking hack, and Love & Rockets is overrated soap opera. Oh, and Masamune Shirow knows his T&A, but I found Ghost in the Shell wrist-slittingly boring.
@TommyC: then do you like anything?
Quote from: pestdemon on May 03, 2011, 11:27:16 PM
@TommyC: then do you like anything?
Let me think. I'll get back to you on that! ;)
Just to argue the point about Spawn, I'm not saying it's excellent literature, philosophically deep or even mature. It's classic US comic stuff with zero attempt at highbrow. Todd McFarlane's whole focus was on the art, the Image, hints the company Image Comics behind it. Even the art isn't amazing but what I like about it is that it's dedicated to being violent and trashy. I enjoyed it when I was a kid, I enjoy it now. It's like the stuff of '70s exploitation and slasher cinema but with glossier colours and heightened ridiculousness. Works for me!
Edit:
and I forgot to mention before, Lore by Ashley Wood and T.P. Louise.
oh yes , obviously :
Otomo's Akira
Shintaro Kago
i sincerely recommend Jun Hayami's "Hentai Shounen" to anybody here , as it's definitely of "special interest"
i don't think it was ever officially translated but you can download it pretty easily .
i'll read pretty much anything written by garth ennis, alan moore or grant morrison.
but, the best of the best... PREACHER
(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_T3lzrzH2fMo/SmdgGJjZWYI/AAAAAAAAFdE/-WHLahAZpi4/s400/preacher_gore.jpg)
a little tribute to Hanatarash i did for an italian zine last year :
(http://www.nicolavinciguerra.com/hanatarashpagina1.jpg)
(http://www.nicolavinciguerra.com/hanatarashpagina2.jpg)
(http://www.nicolavinciguerra.com/hanatarashpagina3.jpg)
(http://www.nicolavinciguerra.com/hanatarashpagina4.jpg)
(http://www.nicolavinciguerra.com/hanatarashpagina5.jpg)
(http://www.nicolavinciguerra.com/hanatarashpagina6.jpg)
that's fucking great!
Foreskin man
http://foreskinman.com/index.htm
Tisbor, is it you the responsible for the artwork on the Stalker / DDI split LP? The drawing style is really similar, and being DDI an italian band...
Great comix, by the way!
=======================
I have been a fan of the comics since an early age. Probably my first obsession. But I never gave a fuck for superheros. I even have some of the landmarks of the genre, but just don´t care about them.
Brazil have a strong tradition of underground / "alternative" comic authors. Unfortunately most of them are completely unknown overseas. I could mention:
- Marcatti, who was also responsible for some of the cover artworks for hardcore band Ratos de Porao.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_oGg-5rClQbo/RnY4PSvPwwI/AAAAAAAABqY/1adcSnv_LJ4/s1600-h/Marcatti+13.jpg
- Allan Sieber started publishing on zines and recently has done some major work, even for big newspapers, but still produces some great stories, specially when dealing with religion.
http://www2.uol.com.br/allansieber/bifaland_jesus.htm
- Fabio Zimbres is one of the most demented, "love-him-or-hate-him" comic artists in Brazil and also has a good production as a painter.
http://www.tonto.com.br/fzblog/cartum.jpg
- Law Tissot is a veteran on brazilian comic zines. His work has a lot of influences from the post-punk, German expressionism and movies like Liquid Sky.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_cXmkn38rIjc/TUSroZ99NfI/AAAAAAAAFIU/Ze9i56MiFjg/s1600/law4.jpg
- Lourenço Mutarelli is the most strange case within brazilian comic authors. He used to draw black and white comics full of details, with morbid, depressing and bizarre (but humorous, in a twisted way) plots. He did comix mainly to get distrated from various psychological problems he had. Due to the amount of details of his work, his production was very low and he used to have lot of financial problems. A couple years ago he wrote and released a book - not a comic book - and it received a lot of attention from people outside of the comic community. From that point on, he wrote a lot of books, some of his stories has been adapted to movies and theatre and he became somekind of "cult celebrity". It´s a shame that he´s not doing comics anymore, though. A rare coloured work of him:
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-i_XgwioI5Do/Tan0Jo8gP-I/AAAAAAAAAW0/3oB7i2_P0Y0/s1600/blue+1.jpg
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-y-boPSdFYmQ/Tan0srFwuyI/AAAAAAAAAW4/hhINmcAe6EM/s1600/blue+2.jpg
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yWyK6pAnoP4/Tan1HhqxmOI/AAAAAAAAAW8/v2YI3STq8cQ/s1600/blue+3.jpg
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-j5hLcEdzINs/Tan1bKMgLuI/AAAAAAAAAXA/Qv_yiR9D4qk/s1600/blue+4.jpg
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jhLPNH8avlo/Tan1xLpEKtI/AAAAAAAAAXE/5m5erYUarG8/s1600/blue+5.jpg
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Nl4E-80lF18/Tan2fVB-rqI/AAAAAAAAAXM/fVdxvAyehQ0/s1600/blue+7.jpg
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rmPH7rZ1nnc/Tan23-o9sWI/AAAAAAAAAXQ/SkiXm11Lj-Q/s1600/blue+8.jpg
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WK5klPK7MUk/Tan3PSpQK-I/AAAAAAAAAXU/pxp9cdCS1i4/s1600/blue+9.jpg
Quote
http://foreskinman.com/index.htm
!!! brilliant.
Ugra: no it's not me, glad you like my hanatarash comic though
There has been couple different topics. I think one with avantgarde/alternative comics, porn comics,.. and this at least?
Anyways, just finished CHANCE IN HELL by Gilbert Hernandez. Anyone who known something about comics since 80's, probably knows Hernandez brothers? 2007 release, obscure story in 120 b/w pages. Junkyard kids, pimps, s/m sessions, violence,... but after all, it's nothing to do with "shocks" or low-interest junk. Well made story, where all things have the purpose. One could think that this would make good movie, which would be most of all drama with crime twist.
The way he draws, probably doesn't interest so much those who seek for elegant "realistic" things or complex artistic look. But as story teller, mandatory guy. I regret I didn't buy the other book that looked to belong same "series".
Old School Underground Comix!
I would highly recommend checking out Zap, Slow Death, Fantagor, Death Rattle, Tales from the Leather Nun, and of course Weirdo if your at all into 60's and 70's counterculture weirdness. They go in and out of print periodically it seems, but it is fairly easy to find less than mint used copies on Ebay for a decent price.
For the last few months I've been especially preoccupied collecting works of Alejandro Jodorowsky (The Incal, Technopriests, Alef-Thau, Metabarons, The White Lama, Le Cœur Couronné, Borgia, ...).
Other stuff like The Invisibles from Grant Morrison through which I became obsessed by the idea of launching a hypersigil in comic-form, various Alan Moore works (Promethea, Watchmen, From Hell, V for Vendetta) also drove me completely mad. My passion for the technique has been escalating to the point when I decided to start writing a comic myself.
some previews:
(http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/196340_1867965188303_1516272409_31989338_8019908_n.jpg)
(http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/199676_1849757053111_1516272409_31965175_7769925_n.jpg)
(http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/189725_1843786983863_1516272409_31956661_2159380_n.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/NFGd5.jpg)
Just finished reading this one, and I can happily recommend it to you sleazebags. Canadian artist Chester Brown tells about his experiences with prostitutes who don't like being called prostitutes, i.e. escort girls, as a part of his everyday life. From the beginning, it's all very pragmatic -- Chester does not want to be in a relationship BUT Chester wants to have sex with girls. After doing the math, he comes to the conclusion that a $200 date every two weeks would be roughly what he spent just to be in a relationship (with no guarantee of sex).
Brown kept track of when he dated each girl, and they are all accounted for in this book. The monotony of the every-two-weeks-dating is reflected in the art, and since Brown decided to exclude most personal details about the girls, even to the point of not even showing faces, you don't get any of the more intimate side of the john experience. Sexually, Brown comes off as very basic -- blowjobs + fucking, and that's all there is. So, the various encounters with the girls are not what you remember most after reading the book.
(http://i.imgur.com/pgtgE.jpg)
* TERB = Toronto Escort Review Board
Throughout the book, Chester discusses various legal/moral aspects of prostitution. He is arguing against the concept of romantic love etc etc, and you do get a lot of talking heads and word balloons... Brown's style is stripped down but effective, I'd say. Brown is 100% clear that he wants prostitution (at least in Canada) to be decriminalized rather than legalized and regulated. In the book, he mainly discusses this with his artist pals Joe Matt and Seth, and his ex-girlfriend.
The last part of the book is a pretty hefty collection of writing on prostitution, as well as a ton of notes explaining minute details of the story. Some of the notes are great, like when explaining that yes, he really did say "I'd like to have vaginal intercourse with you" on his first pay-date, ha ha! Even Seth contributes with his notes after having read the comic. I found this comment of his to be pretty spot on, if you have followed the careers of Brown and Joe Matt (who has never made any secret of being a porn hound)...
(http://i.imgur.com/8jr7L.jpg)
All in all I found Paying for it to be courageous, flawed in some ways, but very much worth reading if you are at all interested in probing an analytical john's mind.
Ordered! Thanks for recommendation!
Joe Matt is sometimes great, sometimes extremely annoying. At the best he is in his porn obsessive compulsive masturbation confessions, heh... At worst he is in going through crybaby relationships with some ex-girlfriends.
Lately buying several good things of various styles of comics.
Got it today, and already went through first 50 pages, and its full of things one could quote. Of course, I had 2-3 albums of him before, and already the 1989 Ed Clown comic (I would guess is mentioned already in one of comic topics?) he proved to be absolute genius.
Normally, I don't give a fuck about any superhero comics. I have pretty much zero of them. I know there is the new wave of well written and grim superhero stuff, but my collection pretty much is just Watchmen and V like Vendetta? Perhaps very few occasional things. But god damn, this Hank Fletcher! It's not so much that it's "superhero comics", but it dates back couple years in turn of 30's/40's, and is filled with mindblowing ultra nonsense stories with wildest characters, drawn in clumsy and weird ways. And like the real artists he is, abusive character found dead, frozen, in NYC park bench.
QuoteHanks was active in comics from a period of 1939 to 1941 (though as early as 1911 he described himself as a cartoonist[2]), writing and drawing stories for Fiction House and Fox Features Syndicate. His creations include Stardust the Super Wizard, Tabu the Wizard of the Jungle, and Fantomah (one of the first female superheroes, predating Wonder Woman).
A cult following has developed around Hanks' work in recent years. His stories and art have been reprinted in the comics anthology Raw, on the dust jacket of Men of Tomorrow: Geeks, Gangsters, and the Birth of the Comic Book (2004 ISBN 978-0465036578) and in the books Art Out Of Time (2006 ISBN 0810958384) and Supermen!: The First Wave Of Comic Book Heroes 1939-1941 (2009 ISBN 1560979712), and is the subject of the book I Shall Destroy All The Civilized Planets: The Fantastic Comics Of Fletcher Hanks (2007, ISBN 1560978392) from Fantagraphics edited by Paul Karasik. A second volume You Shall Die by Your Own Evil Creation! (June 2009, ISBN 1606991604) reprints the rest of his works.[3]
[edit]Personal life
Hanks was the son of William Hanks, a minister, and Alice Fletcher Hanks, the daughter of English immigrants — his parents married c.1885[4]. Fletcher himself married Margaret c.1912[5]. Little is known of Hanks's life outside comics; the main source being an interview by Paul Karasik with Fletcher Hanks Junior c.2006[6]. According to his son, Hanks was an abusive father and spouse, as well as being an alcoholic. Hanks earned some income by drawing murals in the homes of the rich and allegedly abandoned his family around 1930 (the U.S. census return for that year shows him described as an artist, living with his wife, Margaret, widowed father, William, and his children Douglas, Alma, Fletcher Jr, and William[7]). He died in February 1976; his frozen body was found by police on a park bench in New York City.
Collection is titled "I Shall Destroy All the Civilized Planets", which alone, is great. Yet, check out one page with the type of material it is:
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/bd/FantasticComics14.jpg)
The plots of the evil men are always grand scale. The language used is pure gold. The punishments carried out by "super wizard stardust" is as morbid as man can think. Like delivering wrongdoers into prison that freezes them for eternity, but allows your brain to work and think about your punishment. It's mix of utterly childish and utterly surreal, not to mention the graphic works is totally beyond.
Quote from: FreakAnimalFinland on June 19, 2011, 05:32:48 PM
There has been couple different topics. I think one with avantgarde/alternative comics, porn comics,.. and this at least?
Anyways, just finished CHANCE IN HELL by Gilbert Hernandez. Anyone who known something about comics since 80's, probably knows Hernandez brothers? 2007 release, obscure story in 120 b/w pages. Junkyard kids, pimps, s/m sessions, violence,... but after all, it's nothing to do with "shocks" or low-interest junk. Well made story, where all things have the purpose. One could think that this would make good movie, which would be most of all drama with crime twist.
The way he draws, probably doesn't interest so much those who seek for elegant "realistic" things or complex artistic look. But as story teller, mandatory guy. I regret I didn't buy the other book that looked to belong same "series".
Same series,
LOVE FROM THE SHADOWS, brilliant! Fantagraphics 2011 release, hallucinatory, violent, and sexy crime thriller. Sex change, weird siblings, scam artists, big tits,... very very weird, very very good. I'm sure allows several readings, since first impression is more like: what?!?
Moebius and Jodorowsky ''The Incal Classic Collection''
I recall parts of that from when I used to read "Heavy Metal" years ago. I managed to get part two of a three part book release of the series. Imaginative, quite fast paced, although typical space opera in parts (that, in itself, is okay). I thought it also owed a lot to Dune.
Excellent in depth article about the Maus companion and several controversies related to the original books.
A must have for any comic fan.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/oct/23/art-spiegelman-maus-25th-anniversary?INTCMP=SRCH
Quote from: Peterson on November 15, 2011, 01:00:16 AM
Re-read Swamp Thing Vols. 1-6. Great shit! Has to be a runner-up for my favorite comic.
Any Lone Wolf and Cub fans? There just hasn't been a manga that holds up, at least in my opinion.
Lone Wolf And Cub is great! Classic samurai action.
Never EVER been too much of a manga reader, but I now find myself several books into the Akira series. FANTASTIC. Engrossing/fast paced sci-fi storyline, multiple characters to keep track of, graphic violence, drug abuse, gangs, paranormal powers, knife fights. In love with this series at the moment. Any other similar/worth while manga mentions?
Cliche, but Ghost in the Shell and anything else by Masamune Shirow
not a big fan of comics, but i think that the Breccia's works inspired by Lovecraft novels is great.
I like the mixed styles: "standard" comics, collages, pictures, abstract stuff...
(http://img255.imageshack.us/img255/7866/breccia3is.jpg)
here some pics + some download links:
http://www.taringa.net/comunidades/cthulhu/3536861/Los+Mitos+de+Cthulhu%253A+versi%25C3%25B3n+HD+-+Lovecraft+%252B+Breccia.html
After reading some Gaiman, Hellblazer & other Vertigo stuff ten years ago, I rediscovered the whole deal with graphic novels recently. Got some Jodorowsky stuff (Technopriests and the Incal) at the library - even though the manuscript is oversimplified and obvious, the whole visionary aspects behind the storylines are huge.
Also got a part of the DMZ series, about a near-future civil war in the US where New York has seceded, depicting terrorists and journalists and whatnot. Probably the most convincing graphic novel I've read in terms of script and characters - it actually felt real, rather than just "comics for grownups". Have to get hold of the other issues.
Speaking of Lovecraft, John Coulthart's "Haunter of the Dark" is pretty nice.
if you like Breaccia, check out Dino Battaglia... one of the best Italian graphic novelists/illustrators
this is really nice indeed:
http://pinktentacle.com/2009/10/anatomy-of-japanese-folk-monsters/
Quote from: Peterson on November 15, 2011, 01:00:16 AM
Re-read Swamp Thing Vols. 1-6. Great shit! Has to be a runner-up for my favorite comic.
I read the first trade and loved it. Moore's take on Swamp Thing was brilliant. So dead inside, lost everything, lives on only nostalgia. The new 52 Swamp Thing is surprisingly good. Violent, psychedelic, etc. They've done a good job thus far.
I've raved about it on the Stench forums, but the new ongoing Hellraiser is very good. And BOOM! has also been putting out Hellraiser: Masterpieces which collects all the old comics- very good stories. The Faustian puzzle stories never get old in my mind.
If I could go back to the Spawn topic, I recently indulged in Spawn and have been liking it a lot. BUT by far is the issue Dave Sim wrote, where Cerebus shows Spawn what NOT to be, which of course was Sim's message to McFarlane. The most interesting part of Spawn is having the individual issues and reading the letters McFarlane got and his responses. Makes for a great read.
Being a teenager in the 80's was great because we had magazines like Epix, Pox and Galago in Sweden. One of my most vivid memories from Epix was a character called Stan Caiman.
(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5113/6970234064_7620b1169b_b.jpg)
A rough translation:
Mongoloid bitch!! I'm fed up with your Chinese food!
You alcoholic Barbarian!
You worthless Chink! You've caved in my fontanelle!
Oh, forgive your slave, oh master!
My scrofulous forefathers submit at the feet of yours.
*Nice position*
Yes, yes, mount your simple woman!
But don't spill your seed, let it rise along my spine in accordance with the Tantric ritual.
COULD YOU SHUT THE FUCK UP!?!
Try oh my swine, concentrate!
Yet another reason to learn Swedish. Thanks for posting that!
I am a fan (since 9 years old when I first got it subscribed, don't ask me how!) of the classic dirt comic release called Myrkky. Still the finest of toilet library.
(http://www.kolumbus.fi/sillanpaa/humor/pics/palle.jpg)
I recommend "Where Demented Wented" by Rory Hayes for anyone interested in Undergound Comix of the 60's-70's.
Amazing raw and crazy drawings of sex and violence with an evil psychedelic twist....great stuff.
Quote from: bitewerksMTB on April 26, 2012, 09:51:00 PM
Quote from: NERVES on June 29, 2011, 09:17:34 AM
Old School Underground Comix!
I would highly recommend checking out Zap, Slow Death, Fantagor, Death Rattle, Tales from the Leather Nun, and of course Weirdo if your at all into 60's and 70's counterculture weirdness. They go in and out of print periodically it seems, but it is fairly easy to find less than mint used copies on Ebay for a decent price.
I still have a pile of underground comics I use to find in the adult room of a used bookstore when I was a teenager. Robert Crumb's WEIRDO was very cool; sold all of those years ago on ebay. S.Clay Wilson is one of my faves.
i just picked up a handful of issues of zap, slow death and weirdo from a bookstore in sf this weekend. they still had some copies of some of the more recent reprints for $3-$4 each. also got the madwoman of the sacred heart graphic novel by jodorwosky and moebius but havent gotten the chance to read any of it yet.
Best Italian satirical comic of the last year.
Excellent design, and totally demented un-pc short stories.
Originally featured on lLivorno left-wing satyirical magazine IL VERNACOLIERE, now available in elegant volumes.
Anybody who reads Italian must read it.
This one reads "even noise of Masami Akita cannot wake him up"
(http://i.imgur.com/kjKqY.jpg)
Garth Ennis' Crossed was a bit a disappointment for me, I don't know why. I have read the first tome and despitre the fantastic ultra-violent scenes I feel it like a gorier Walking Dead, minus the in depth psychology.
There is definitely something.
I would like to buy the other volumes, but I am not sure which order I am supposed to follow.
Check out David Lapham's CALIGULA
(http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tsDqd-4dOA4/TyFTcUMVw-I/AAAAAAAA0Kw/wrwDpJk0Fm4/s1600/c01a.jpg)
I loved it from start to end.
Although some scenes are a bit too dark and I needed light to properly see them, and some faces look alike.
Comics is the most appreciated form of culture for me, and it has been for as long as I can remember. The easy access to "adult comics" via second hand shops was an excellent way to experience transgressive culture at an early formative age. So I've grown up with a keen interest in both mainstream and alternbative comics. I have probably spent more money on graphic novels and comics than I have on any of my other major interests, including music and film. In fact i like it so much I only really dislike syndicated comedy stuff...
The access to good anthology magazines from the late eighties and early nineties gave quite a broad spectrum of styles.
I'd say my personal favorites are
The classic proto-Vertigo writers and titles like Grant Morrison (the Invisibles and the Filth being his finest, but also New X-men, 7 soldiers of Victory, Zenith and Doom Patrol being almost perfect), Alan Moore (V for Vendetta and Swamp Thing being my favs, of the late stuff I'd say Promethea. Not so keen on Watchmen though), Hellblazer in most incarnations (the original Delano run being the best, followed by Mike Carey and parts of Garth Ennis run, especially Dangerous Habits and the one where a demon possesses Prince Charles), Milligans "Shade the changing man" was also fantastic most of the way through, too bad most of it remains uncollected. Too bad his take on Hellblazer has been a real underachiever, just like his incredibly boring X-men stuff.
Warren Ellis - I think Transmetropolitan is quite fun, though I like his "Silent City" the best. Planetary was good (and the art was excellent). I also enjoyed his early work on the Authority, before he left and it slowly degenerated into shit.
On the other hand I can't stand Preacher. I never understood what people see in it. Silly, tedious bullshit where everything just pushes too far to be "badass" until it just becomes unbelievably ridiculous, and not in a fun satirical way but just... Perhaps I should give it another read, as I went through it all about ten years ago and never looked back. Maybe I could get into it this time (and I really don't like Dillons illustrations. I don't think he's bad, he's talented indeed but I just don't find it enjoyable. it's like manara, skilled but he only manages a couple of sets of faces, boring. Good at drawing jaws being blown away though).
European sci-fi and art comics(the genre of true masters); with Phillipe Druillet as my absolute no one, followed by other classics - Moebius, Caza and Bilal. Liberatore/Tamburini. Adamov/Cothias. Nazario.
American alternative comics have also influenced me a lot, especially S Clay Wilson (he's a god!), Julie Doucet and Jaime Hernandez Locas, a soapopera with just the right mix of surrealism, social realism, sex and slapstick to make it perfect. Always preferred him before his brother though I've understood many are more fond of Gilbert. Michael Manning is also an excellent artist, perhaps not storywise, but his artwork is fantastic.
My guilty pleasure no one is superhero comics, despite it being quite crappy most of the time. I got into comics reading Claremonts X-men in the eighties and his mix of soap and generally pessimistic stories (everything was going quite bad all the time) and the pseudofetishist details really made an impact at that young age. I never quite let go of it, though most of it IS horrible.
Quote from: ARKHE on December 11, 2011, 03:07:37 PM
After reading some Gaiman, Hellblazer & other Vertigo stuff ten years ago, I rediscovered the whole deal with graphic novels recently. Got some Jodorowsky stuff (Technopriests and the Incal) at the library - even though the manuscript is oversimplified and obvious, the whole visionary aspects behind the storylines are huge.
Yes, the INCAL is his masterpiece I suppose. New age space opera slapstick. Reading it makes one wonder how his Dune film would've come out if it hadn't been cancelled. The technopriests was entertaining but not anywhere near the qualities of INCAL. It didn't have Moebius on art to begin with. Have you read his BORGIA with Milo Manara as artist? Unfortunately a huge letdown. Probably due to the BORING qualities of manaras skilled but really unmoving work, which always seem to be standardized (with a few exceptions).
Quote from: GEWALTMONOPOL on April 26, 2012, 09:20:37 PM
Being a teenager in the 80's was great because we had magazines like Epix, Pox and Galago in Sweden.
Yes, Horst Schröder is one of the big cultural heroes in Sweden, his relentless attitude to publishing well outise his own comfort zone (and sometimes taste) put him in a lot of trouble as the unholy alliance of rightwing christan conservatives, leftwing radical feminists and media monopolist capitalists managed to destroy the best finest era in swedish comics publishing.
Quote from: bitewerksMTB on May 16, 2012, 11:21:12 PM
Has anyone read the CROSSED FAMILY VALUES or CROSSED PSYCHOPATH comics? F.V. is available as a book with all 6 issues. Kind of curious about checking these out based on the violent gory covers.
Drawings are not always the best, but both stories are very very good (and better in my opinion than Ennis' first episode, wich featured some impressive ultra violent scenes, but sounded like walking dead with less intelligent dialogues).
Don't know if it's been mentioned here before but I remember enjoying the Hard Boiled mini-series, by Frank Miller and Geof Darrow, in high school. Lots of super detailed city shots, cyber punk visuals, ultraviolence. That kind of thing. And a Blade Runner inspired story.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard_Boiled_%28comics%29
Quote from: ConcreteMascara on July 19, 2012, 04:26:54 PM
Don't know if it's been mentioned here before but I remember enjoying the Hard Boiled mini-series, by Frank Miller and Geof Darrow, in high school. Lots of super detailed city shots, cyber punk visuals, ultraviolence. That kind of thing. And a Blade Runner inspired story.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard_Boiled_%28comics%29
It's great, especially the street scenes.
dont think i saw this mentioned yet. when i was a kid, FAUST: love of the damned, was definitely one of my favorites. extreme violence, dealings with satan, graphic sex, what more could a pre-teen want!? i still have some original issues, but they are far away buried in boxes at my parents house. i have a few issues signed actually. met Vigil/Quinn at a comic-con when i was 13, walked the issues to the tables. the guys just looked at me dumbfounded, asked "how did you get these?! What awful parent bought this filth for you! dont you know this stuff will ruin your brain" then they laughed, signed them, and directed me to keep on reading!
i recently searched and came up with an RS link for issues #1-#13 which is pretty much the entire series (minus 2 issues). so if this cover art grabs you (how could it not!) by all means, search it out.
(http://media.comicvine.com/uploads/1/11307/450363-faust_04_00_large.jpg) (http://www.comicvine.com/faust_04_00/105-450363/)
The new Animal Man comics are surprisingly great; the artwork is unlike anything you might expect from a DC superhero series.
Quote from: secondplanet on May 19, 2013, 04:47:12 PM
The new Animal Man comics are surprisingly great; the artwork is unlike anything you might expect from a DC superhero series.
I read on Wikipedia the book was relaunched in 2011, is that the one you're referring to? Does it stand up to Grant Morrison's Animal Man? I am a huge fan of that whole series, including the meta-story stuff, but even before he really gets into that I think the character is very well written. Things like the archetypal field theory turning a pretty dumb concept for a superhero into something a lot more interesting. Is this angle maintained in the new book?
Quote from: hsv on May 20, 2013, 12:25:17 AM
Quote from: secondplanet on May 19, 2013, 04:47:12 PM
The new Animal Man comics are surprisingly great; the artwork is unlike anything you might expect from a DC superhero series.
I read on Wikipedia the book was relaunched in 2011, is that the one you're referring to? Does it stand up to Grant Morrison's Animal Man? I am a huge fan of that whole series, including the meta-story stuff, but even before he really gets into that I think the character is very well written. Things like the archetypal field theory turning a pretty dumb concept for a superhero into something a lot more interesting. Is this angle maintained in the new book?
I've read the beginning of the 2011 relaunch and that's it, so I can't tell you how it compares to the older ones (although I do plan on reading them). It is very well written, though, and does in my opinion manage to avoid much of the cheese associated with Animal Man's superhero. I think the standing out factor for me is the art however -- it adds a great sort of surreal aspect to the story.
Started reading Locke & Key by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez and it's really good, very addicting. I've read the first 3 books and each one is better than the last. To my understanding there are 5 collected in volumes out now, while the single issues of volume 6 are wrapping up and then there will be a volume/series seven, then it's over.
Anyway the whole thing is a nice mix Lovecraft themes and traditional horror, the artwork is very nice and the writing is good. Highly recommended.
(http://www2.gr.cl/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/locke-key-1-welcome-to-lovecraft-hc-w-logos.jpg)
That Locke & Key looks interesting, gotta check it out.
Anyone from Finland remember a comic called Liha kohtaa metallin? I think it appeared in Like-uutiset, but has it ever been compiled to a single volume?
"I have to take the point of view of the characters. I have to be Daddy and Clarissa to write this joke. There is a meanness to the strip, but I don't want it to be me being mean anymore. It's no longer about my mean humor. I've decided to let Clarissa have her say." - Jason Yungbluth, Deep Fried Comics.
All the Clarissa strips to date: http://zyguy.imgur.com/clarissa_comics#0
Joan Cornellá. True fucked up genius:
https://scontent-b-mad.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/t1/1069812_195228470644306_1321793210_n.jpg
https://scontent-a-mad.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/t1/166792_148162722017548_947993029_n.jpg
https://scontent-a-mad.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/t1/988225_182862155214271_2069080874_n.jpg
https://scontent-b-mad.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/t1/922743_163239793843174_228265156_n.jpg
https://scontent-a-mad.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/t1/604075_155937094573444_1520017863_n.jpg
https://scontent-a-mad.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash2/t1/208775_149555138544973_1369238192_n.jpg
Old comics I wrote scripts for are currently being reprinted in Spain.
http://www.aletaediciones.com/Galerias/bonelli/mystere/martin_mystere.htm#Maxi%20Martin%20Myst%C3%A8re%203
No one reads manga?
I love suehiro maruo, hideshi hino and shintaro kago (really twisted sense of humor and gore!also his "toys" are strange: i have a keychain wich is a newborn with two heads)
Quote from: krueleco on March 05, 2014, 12:17:06 PM
No one reads manga?
I love suehiro maruo, hideshi hino and shintaro kago (really twisted sense of humor and gore!also his "toys" are strange: i have a keychain wich is a newborn with two heads)
Damn. I was supposed to order a keychain which is a burned corpse from Timeless but they dont seem to have it anymore. Sad.
What grinds my shit that all shintaro kago & suehiro maruo mangas timeless carries are either in japanese or french. Why? Why cant they translate to english? I am somewhat sure that they would sell a bit better. Or not, based on the few people who read such things and prefer illegall downloading to actually owning the things.
I read many manga. Both extreme/experimental artists like those you mentioned (in love with all of them) and less extreme stuff.
My favourites:
Otomo, Shirow, Monkey Punch, Toryama, Myazaki, Urasawa (my current favourite... Monster and Pluto are absolutely in my top 10 mangas ever), Junji Ito (Tomie and, especially, Uzumaki), Usamaru Furuya (Lychee Light Club!!!), Kurosagi Shitai Takuhaibin (kurosagi), and many others
I also like childish/demented stuff and big robots... We were lucky to be fed with that stuff when we were child to the horror o good-doers and PC cunts who wrote many articles against them in the 70's/80's.
I could go on for hours.
(http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lsp44r8jkR1qhg2u2o1_500.jpg)
Yes Ito is great...his horror stories are great!really scary and very well draw. I love yamamoto hideo...ichi the killer is great, perhaps my favourite of all time. Story and charachters are great (in my opinion). Also homunculus is a great manga.
In italy we were very lucky (for someone born in the seventies) tons of stuff...robots a gogo! from nagai to gundam!
Quote from: F_c_O on March 05, 2014, 12:52:28 PMjapanese or french. Why? Why cant they translate to english? I am somewhat sure that they would sell a bit better. Or not, based on the few people who read such things and prefer illegall downloading to actually owning the things.
Why would they sell better? Japan and France are the only two countries in the world with a real industry/culture of comics and animation. Financially speaking, anything else falls somewhere between a little extra bonus and a massive not-breaking-even pain for publishers. But yeah it is a shame, fortunately nerds on the internet will translate things for free tho even then more obscure/good things are harder to find or sometimes get abandoned due to lack of interest:(
"Oyasumi Punpun" is a pretty bleak manga some here might appreciate. Great stylistic gimmick of the main character and family being near-abstract scrawled doodles in an otherwise realistic world, starts as dark comedy coming-of-age story and goes elsewhere
Yeah, I think there was story about quite large USA publishers who stopped putting out most of manga. Because it was no longer worth it. Translations and PDF's would emerge to internet before "official version" could be done and very few would care of it later on. Bigger japanese companies wouldn't bother about deals anymore, as financial gain of selling rights was so unprofitable compared to all sorts of work it causes.
And add few years after article, and when comic stores are closing just about everywhere. Most players in business complain about lack of possibilities, etc... even if theoretically situation is that publishing (printing etc) is cheaper that ever. Even I could be putting out big hardcover books anytime. But to sell where? And to whom?
My assumption is, that most Finnish comic publishers survive based on two things: 1) funding 2) comic festivals.
Beyond that, financial possibilities or even possibilities to sell stuff is quite thin.
Of course one would assume, that perhaps there was demand for like 200 copies hardcover editions in English, of works of Maruo or Kago for example, for fanatic collectors who are ready to pay even slightly bigger price. But who knows... Probably complexity of publishing deals prevents this kind of things to happen?
Quote from: F_c_O on March 05, 2014, 12:52:28 PM
Quote from: krueleco on March 05, 2014, 12:17:06 PM
No one reads manga?
I love suehiro maruo, hideshi hino and shintaro kago (really twisted sense of humor and gore!also his "toys" are strange: i have a keychain wich is a newborn with two heads)
Damn. I was supposed to order a keychain which is a burned corpse from Timeless but they dont seem to have it anymore. Sad.
What grinds my shit that all shintaro kago & suehiro maruo mangas timeless carries are either in japanese or french. Why? Why cant they translate to english? I am somewhat sure that they would sell a bit better. Or not, based on the few people who read such things and prefer illegall downloading to actually owning the things.
So, are there any works/books from Shintaro Kago which were translated to English?
Otherwise, just ordered this one:
(http://www.comic.de/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Providence_cover.jpg)
Not long ago i read a comic magazine from 80s, issue dedicated to noir / crime / detective stories. An artist named Jean-Claude Claeys impressed me. He had some books published back then. Unfortunatelly i think there are not english translated editions [Original french] , or at least i haven't seen them. That short story in the zine was very simple, someone was killing several for revenge. I found his artwork amazing. Very realistic. Anyone has read any of his books ? If yes, what he thinks about them ? He still does illustrations but not comics.
(http://images.tcj.com/2013/08/Claeys60001_zps7432b3a9.jpg)(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IvcgHE5W7VU/TvS3AAJU-FI/AAAAAAAAAt4/Eq5w_V1oCdA/s841/blog_magnum_song_ascenseur_08.jpg)
Edit: Also if someone can recommend artists / books with similar style, please do !
In response to the above. Check MATT COYLE's WORRY DOLL.
(http://mattcoyle.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Worrry-Doll-poster-795x1119.jpg)
http://mattcoyle.net/?page_id=14 (http://mattcoyle.net/?page_id=14)
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omLPnj16Kz4 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omLPnj16Kz4)
Quote from: online prowler on June 26, 2016, 02:33:21 PM
In response to the above. Check MATT COYLE's WORRY DOLL.
Thanks ! Yes, visually looks close. I see there is a republish in a month, for $11 on the Amazon. I ll probably pre-order it.
more of a classic 'hero comic' admission below...but yeah...
never been into Batman in any way, never have been... was more of a spider-man kid...
but fuck, other than primarily the women of the classical ballet... my life in the last few years has been also driven somewhat by the Terry Dodson pencilled aesthetics of classic Harley Quinn. I guess part of being in my 'fuck it 40s'... saw her around for years in comic stores, etc.. and then finally ..."fuck it"... took the plunge one day and bought some old Dodson issues, graphic novels, statues, etc. white face, red or black lips, blackened / masked eyes, multi-colored cat suit. amazing [just have to ignore all the batman, joker, etc. bullshit].
(http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/batman/images/3/3a/81021-9136-terry-dodson.jpg/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/339?cb=20111204040958)
BUT...
the above is just a written admission that acts as an introduction to my newest fascination... LADY BULLSEYE. pretty hard to beat the aesthetic, for me anyways.
again - don't even care about daredevil, etc.. but the fetish driven aesthetic of the female character; amazing.
(http://www.writeups.org/wp-content/uploads/Lady-Bullseye-Daredevil-Marvel-Comics-e.jpg)
Quote from: Theodore on June 27, 2016, 08:13:04 AM
Quote from: online prowler on June 26, 2016, 02:33:21 PM
In response to the above. Check MATT COYLE's WORRY DOLL.
Thanks ! Yes, visually looks close. I see there is a republish in a month, for $11 on the Amazon. I ll probably pre-order it.
Yea, I saew that as well. Fairly cheap, I don't think you will regret the purchase. Just ordered Tomine's Killing And Dying plus D Clowe's Patience. Should be in soon.
Quote from: online prowler on June 26, 2016, 02:33:21 PM
In response to the above. Check MATT COYLE's WORRY DOLL.
(http://mattcoyle.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Worrry-Doll-poster-795x1119.jpg)
http://mattcoyle.net/?page_id=14 (http://mattcoyle.net/?page_id=14)
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omLPnj16Kz4 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omLPnj16Kz4)
pre ordered!
As I'm a big fan of both The Walking Dead graphic novel and TV series, has anybody also read Outcast, the new one from Robert Kirkman (and Paul Azaceta), which already also made it to a TV series!?
Quote from: ConcreteMascara on May 04, 2011, 03:32:50 AM
Just to argue the point about Spawn, I'm not saying it's excellent literature, philosophically deep or even mature. It's classic US comic stuff with zero attempt at highbrow. Todd McFarlane's whole focus was on the art, the Image, hints the company Image Comics behind it. Even the art isn't amazing but what I like about it is that it's dedicated to being violent and trashy. I enjoyed it when I was a kid, I enjoy it now. It's like the stuff of '70s exploitation and slasher cinema but with glossier colours and heightened ridiculousness. Works for me!
Edit:
and I forgot to mention before, Lore by Ashley Wood and T.P. Louise.
used to read spawn and other image comics of the time. for me there was a clear parallel between comics and drum and bass where both were taking digital imagery to new areas parallel to sounds of the time along with the various cybernetic philosophies
I'm just through the first 3 collected editions of CROSSED. Well...as already said before in this thread, Garth Ennis' first volume isn't the best - but then edition 2 'Family Values' and 3 'Psychopath' are really great. Looking forward to the next ones, nr.4 is Garth Ennis again...
Totally agreed
first volume I said myself "wtf..." Ennis is one of my faves and he's been one of the reasons I started writing comics in the mid 90's.
But since the story evolved it became a total cult.
I like the fact they created a wide universe that could go on for years...
I must admit I was disappointed also by Ennis' latest volume regarding the patient Zero, while Alan Moore's contribution was amazing... the way they speak has been very badly translated into Italian...
Charles Burns
LOVE NEST
2016 comic book issued by Cornélius.
(http://www.actuabd.com/local/cache-vignettes/L566xH523/love_nest_2_c_charles_burns_-_cornelius_2016-64ff3.png?1478118823)
http://www.cornelius.fr/blog/index.php?post/2016/12/13/Love-nest (http://www.cornelius.fr/blog/index.php?post/2016/12/13/Love-nest)
Exhibition at Galerie Martel:
http://www.galeriemartel.com/index.php/charles-burns/359-charles-burns-2016-expo (http://www.galeriemartel.com/index.php/charles-burns/359-charles-burns-2016-expo)
Can anyone recommend some comics/graphic novels similar to Junji Ito? Twisted/existential/monochromatic/generally fucked/etc...
Hideshi Hino and Kazuo Umezu are classic horror manga. I read Nijigahara Holograph by Inio Asano a while back and enjoyed it very much, though it's less morbid and more space/time weirdness.
General suggestions of surreal and weird comics that might not be outright horror would be Charles Burns' "Black Hole", Chester Brown's "Ed the Happy Clown" (a bit goofy and non-sequitur but at the same time eerie and disturbing), Max's "The Extended Dream of Mr. D", Max Andersson's "Pixy" ("Bosnian Flat Dog" is good too), Lorenzo Mattotti's "Fires"... Tardi's WW1 comics, not surrealistic/existential in that sense but they are a very grim and haunting read.
You may also enjoy some Vertigo titles like "Shade the Changing Man", "Sandman" and Alan Moore's "Swamp Thing".
This is all off the top of my head, mostly well-known titles so apologies if you already know these.
Black Hole.
Mandatory work by Burns.
Quote from: Peterson on January 03, 2017, 06:03:15 PM
Quote from: hsv on January 03, 2017, 03:57:23 PM
Charles Burns' "Black Hole"
I forgot about that one! My ex made off with my copy, damn it. I need to re-purchase that.
serves you right for not searching her as she left
Howard Chaykin anyone?
He's definitely not what he used to be but American Flagg, Blackhawk and Twilight are all killers. Plus he's still pissing people off.
AX Volume 1 A Collection of alternative manga
Have had this for years and browsed through it again today. Impression was the same as last time. Some really good, some not so and some bad. But overall quite enjoyable with a lot of really fucked stories and pictures.
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61uCgGJKLHL._SX338_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg)
Related to the book mentioned in the What are you reading?-thread (The strange world of Wilie Seabrook), I also bought this one:
(https://www.drawnandquarterly.com/sites/default/files/styles/creation-gallery/public/images/creations/gallery/The%20Abominable%20Mr.%20Seabrook/seabrook-01.png?itok=c5yXAmPD)
I think it's really good, liked it a lot. The drawing style is not exactly my favourite, but there was also nothing annoying about it.
So it's highly recommended to those who could have an interest in the life and works of William Seabrook.
Quote from: david lloyd jones on January 26, 2017, 06:08:05 PM
Quote from: Peterson on January 03, 2017, 06:03:15 PM
Quote from: hsv on January 03, 2017, 03:57:23 PM
Charles Burns' "Black Hole"
I forgot about that one! My ex made off with my copy, damn it. I need to re-purchase that.
serves you right for not searching her as she left
I missed the anal cavity.
But seriously, anyone have obsessively detailed and proper narrated comics to recommend? Arty or photo realistic? Kent Williams and Dave Mckean did some fine work during the '90s. And let's not forget Thomas Ott's paranoid somber style. Previously mentioned Matt Coyle's Registery of death was a text book effort in obsessive fine detailed works. Check Bacon and Munch references in page shot below.
(http://www.deathwishindustries.com/home/What%20Is%20Best/Best%20Horror%20and%20Sci%20Fi%20Comic//pics/DR%205%201996%20Reg%20of%20Death%20pg3.gif)
M. Coyle / ROD.
Quote from: KMusselman on December 18, 2017, 12:12:30 AM
Quote from: online prowler on December 17, 2017, 05:24:49 PM
Dave Mckean did some fine work during the '90s.
most familiar with the CD covers. a family member knows him (business/working relationship.) me being a long time fan of Front Line Assembly, i gave a list of a few of my favorites. he specifically picked out the Artificial Soldier one. i now have a signed print.
really want to get a book of collected works.
Nice one. I suggest to do a swift web search and I'm positive you will find something. I recall there was a book of collected works being done by him. The book Mr. Punch is really good, so is Cages, Arkham Asylum and Violent Cases.
Right now I'm starting to read "My friend Dahmer" - a graphic novel by Derf Backderf
I find it quite interesting that there seems to exist quite a lot graphic novels about serial killers. I only know and read "Green River Killer" and "Haarman", and now this one, but I'm sure there's some more!?
I am a swamp thing fan, I actually enjoyed the recent New52 run. But otherwise DC is dead to me now.
A few Image comics are good.
The Trees, Monstress, Injection, Wytches. All worth a read
I am back in professionally working for the comics industry. Currently helping with documentation and cultural settings of a new science fiction series aimed at late teen early 20's named Odessa xurated bu Antonio Serra (Dylan dog, nathan never, etc). WE did work together on a few articles more than 20 years ago when I was writing Martin Mystere, Italian sci-fi comics.
https://www.sergiobonelli.it/news/2019/02/26/gallery/ecco-odessa-1004251/
This might open for me few possibilities to go back into writing, not full time, but enough to have fun.
I am currently preparing some scripts for a French artist I really love and fits more my ideas. Will share name if it goes through, but very excitied.
Excellent piece about underground comix:
https://reason.com/2019/04/29/cancel-culture-comes-for-count/
I remember finding comix by Crumb, etc. in the adult room of a used bookstore in my early teens. I'd sneak in to get them then claim to the clerk that they were in the regular comic book boxes & hope he wasn't the one that stocked them. Fun days, for sure! I still have a big stack of them. Wish I had kept all the issues of Weirdo I owned.
Just finished Daytripper (Vertigo). One of the best things i read lately. Great, original storytelling.
Underground trashy scumfuc comics from Brazil:
http://escoriacomix.iluria.com/quadrinhos-ct-150832 (http://escoriacomix.iluria.com/quadrinhos-ct-150832)
Just re-read Black Hole, all time favourite.
Black Hole is great. Remember buying the first issue and then waiting 10 years for the story to get finished..
Quote from: impulse manslaughter on May 04, 2019, 11:57:40 PM
Black Hole is great. Remember buying the first issue and then waiting 10 years for the story to get finished..
Yes me too, tbh I had the hots for the girl with the tail. Was happy for him that he got with her in the end.
any wolverine fans in here? I want to start reading the trades but I was wondering if anyone had any favorites
Quote from: Acne on May 09, 2019, 03:49:17 AM
any wolverine fans in here? I want to start reading the trades but I was wondering if anyone had any favorites
I used to read Uncanny X-men when younger, the epic issue was the one where he fights Lady Deathstrike, the artwork was by Barry Windsor Smith.
Weapon X and Not Dead Yet are classics
I love the X-Force comics were Cyclops hires Wolervine to get a black ops squad to execute threats to mutants. And then they went to do an uncanny x force with wolverine and whole new team it's really good both highly recommended
I know it may seem like it's trying too hard with Riot Grrrl attitude but I've really enjoyed Paper Girl so far. Reading it with my young daughter has helped open her up to other "weird" comics so for that I'm thankful.
Quote from: tiny_tove on March 31, 2019, 10:10:50 PM
I am back in professionally working for the comics industry. Currently helping with documentation and cultural settings of a new science fiction series aimed at late teen early 20's named Odessa xurated bu Antonio Serra (Dylan dog, nathan never, etc). WE did work together on a few articles more than 20 years ago when I was writing Martin Mystere, Italian sci-fi comics.
https://www.sergiobonelli.it/news/2019/02/26/gallery/ecco-odessa-1004251/
This might open for me few possibilities to go back into writing, not full time, but enough to have fun.
I am currently preparing some scripts for a French artist I really love and fits more my ideas. Will share name if it goes through, but very excitied.
Happy to learn you are leaning back into the game. Please do keep us updated here.
Just started with book one of Crossed today, but not convinced at all. Will see, bought the two first books. On the other hand i was really stunned by Providence. Anyone know if the books are getting reissued? I borrowed the first book and managed to buy the second and third, but the first seems to be impossible to get without paying stupid prices.
Also reread the definitive From Hell, such a great book.
Quote from: Foss on July 04, 2019, 12:22:31 AM
Just started with book one of Crossed today, but not convinced at all. Will see, bought the two first books. On the other hand i was really stunned by Providence. Anyone know if the books are getting reissued? I borrowed the first book and managed to buy the second and third, but the first seems to be impossible to get without paying stupid prices.
Also reread the definitive From Hell, such a great book.
first issue o crossed was bad, but it improves. still have to understand if i like alan moore's part, it was very badly translated
I wasn't too taken by Crossed. Just seemed like carnage and rape for the sake of it. Maybe I should have stuck with it but the story bored me after a while.
I enjoyed NAMELESS by Grant Morrison, pretty fucked up but just a 5 (6?) part short story and fairly grim with psychedelic visuals to go with it.
Quote from: tiny_tove on July 04, 2019, 02:31:59 AM
Quote from: Foss on July 04, 2019, 12:22:31 AM
Just started with book one of Crossed today, but not convinced at all. Will see, bought the two first books. On the other hand i was really stunned by Providence. Anyone know if the books are getting reissued? I borrowed the first book and managed to buy the second and third, but the first seems to be impossible to get without paying stupid prices.
Also reread the definitive From Hell, such a great book.
first issue o crossed was bad, but it improves. still have to understand if i like alan moore's part, it was very badly translated
Good to hear it improves. I usually like to try at least a few books before pulling the plug on a series. I guess translation of this can be tricky, it is very weird language through the book. This maybe also be a thing, when series/books do this "made up language/dialect" thing it is usually very annoying at first and take some time to get used to.
Quote from: Soloman Tump on July 04, 2019, 02:49:35 PM
I wasn't too taken by Crossed. Just seemed like carnage and rape for the sake of it. Maybe I should have stuck with it but the story bored me after a while.
I enjoyed NAMELESS by Grant Morrison, pretty fucked up but just a 5 (6?) part short story and fairly grim with psychedelic visuals to go with it.
Nameless sounds quite cool, will check that out for sure! Will restart the Invisibles this summer, so will be good to follow up om Morrison.
Just finished Bad Gateway by Simon Hanselmann. Funny/crude stories about drug abuse and related subject. Nice surprise. There are several earlier books about the same characters but you can read this as a stand alone book.
I'm a huge Hanselmann fan and was a little disappointed by Bad Gateway. His painting has developed incredibly since Megahex but the storytelling/narrative hasn't quite kept pace. He's said for years now that "Meg's Coven" is what he's working toward and I sense that his last couple books are setting it up. That said, I love his work and grab as many of the zines as I can. His museum show this summer near Seattle was incredible.
Will check out more of the earlier stuff for sure. Totally missed it..
Quote from: cr on March 29, 2019, 05:06:40 PM
Right now I'm starting to read "My friend Dahmer" - a graphic novel by Derf Backderf
I find it quite interesting that there seems to exist quite a lot graphic novels about serial killers. I only know and read "Green River Killer" and "Haarman", and now this one, but I'm sure there's some more!?
It took me long time to find the missing
PUNK ROCK AND TRAILER PARKS book by Derf!
My friend Dahmer is very good. Perhaps
Trashed is even better, but now after reading it once, I am convinced this is probably the best one! Needless to say, each book is good.
For long time, Punk Rock... - was out of print. At least over here. Now when I found it available as new, it is print-on-demand paperback. Not bad quality. Graphics are sharp and black is decent, very close to offset. In other words, the PDF's had been prepared in good quality. Yet paper is the basic thin stock, and the usual print-on-demand bar coders and unnecessary blank white pages in the end... It is not idea as "piece of art", but certainly good enough to be comic book that I wanted to own and read physically!
QuotePunk Rock & Trailer Parks conjures up the oppressive insanity of growing up in a small town, the day-to-day weirdness of the trailer parks tucked away therein, the magic allure of sex and the necessary comforts of friendship, the mystical power of the counter-culture to turn outcasts into heroes and, most of all, the transcendent power of music, specifically the punk rock of the late 1970's which redefined, transported, and ultimately, perhaps, disappointed a generation.
There are bunch of other really good comic books I got lately, have to report later on...
Need to track down that as well, european print on demand distro? The Dahmer netflix movie translated ok, but paperversion is still supreme. In regards to real serial killer comics, i find the Green river killer book to be really top notch in terms of storytelling, especially how it relates with the main investigator.
Somehow it is almost warm, an achievement when telling a story like this.
This had printed in USA texts. It is hard to say if publisher just used P-O-D company to make a small re-print or if that version is something you get while placing order via some of the big book dealers (amazon) and is being printed on demand.
Green River Killer was good.
It would be interesting to get story written from perspective of killer. Even if true mind of murderer could be mystery for artists, I'm sure there are plenty of people who naturally lean towards killer rather than victim or investigator. I don't know if there is really good graphic novel that would cover that. Get into state of mind of guy who talks with bath tube full of bodyparts, attempting to observe what he goes through during his life.
I think the best "insider" voice of a killer i found in a comic book perhaps is the issue of Hellblazer called the Family man. It is not written solely from inside his head, but some parts is written that way.
Just read Black Hole by Charles Burns. REALLY enjoyed every second of it. Definitely need to read everything this guys got going on. I picked up Last Look today.
Bought Trashed on suggestion from his thread. About halfway through, talk about great! I love going to the dump, everything about it is so cool. Seeing the stories plus the "history of garbage" is great. A+.
Quote from: holy ghost on October 10, 2019, 11:10:16 PM
Just read Black Hole by Charles Burns. REALLY enjoyed every second of it.
Got this shelves, but read it so long ago, barely remember anything, except like the style of drawing.
Some recent reading:
Beyond couple swedish translations published decade ago, probably pretty much unknown artists outside Finland ( I assume!) :
Tiitu Takalo . Got her latest graphic novel recently, which is also published in English, so worth to mention.
https://www.amazon.com/Me-Mikko-Annikki-Community-Finnish/dp/1623173604/
I read the Finnish version.
I have followed Tiitu's work since very early days when it was editing 'zines. As contemporary feminist comic artists, with punk & underground background, there is very strong ideological drive in most of things she does, but instead of that being the reason to success, I think it is actual merits that count in her case. First of all, excellent skills in drawing, especially human figures and facial expressions. She is also good in telling stories. Ideological motivations are pretty much always there, but like this new book, writing goes from ice age geological transformations, to history, and finally to level of author's autobiographical work. Involving artists life, human relationships, etc. Everything is tied together in nice way and also drawing style varies depending on chapter, it's theme etc. So anyone into feminism, punk, squatting, working class struggle, ecologo, localism, collective living, etc will probably relate to book easily. My only doubts is how the store opens to foreigners who know zero things about Tampere as city and Finnish history or culture in general.
Artists website offers some galleries : http://www.tiitutakalo.net/galleries.htm
From completely different, I was amazed to see
Shintaro Kago stuff has started to appear as English versions.
DEMENTIA 21 by Fantagraphics and
Super-Dimensional Love Gun by Denpa books. Latter one is better of these, but unfortunately neither of them are best of Kago's works! Of course one can't complain if you get at least some Kago in English, but comparing to many Japanese books I have from him, they have both vastly better illustrations and stories seem to be vastly more fierce. Grotesque, absurd, and often high level of scatology - something that almost defines Kago's career, and is pretty much absent in these translated works.
What's up western publishers? Can't handle scatological interests? I demand the most obscure Shintaro Kago in English so instead looking at pics, would know what stories are about!
I guess he is quite infamous globally:
Simon Hanselmann. New book "Bad Gateway" continues pretty much exactly what he is known for. Bizarre and odd stories involving heavy usage of various kinds of drugs. Colorful and naivistic drawing style and bizarre, stories and dialogue that probably either hits or misses depending on reader.
I just started The Black Monday Murders on the recommendation of a trusted friend. Truly impressive; noirish detective story basefd on the idea of the hyper wealthy as all being deeply entangled in the occult. Art is awesome-moody realism, but the use of supplementary materials gives the whole thing a cut and paste zine vibe. I think you guys would dig this one.
@bitewerks, that is good news re shintaro kago. I became familiar with his work after my sister commissioned a sketch of me by him, ha.
Also, tangential, but Mark Beyer (of Agony, Amy and Jordan, etc) will be releasing an LP of his noise recordings sometime soon-ish...there is a track floating out there on the ABQ=/=LAX comp from years ago, glad the rest will see the light of day. Picture Jeph Jerman working with a cramped studio apartment as source.
Just finished reading the first book in A walk through hell series. Curious what this will bring, a very promising start.
Read a few graphic novels by Michael Deforge. Esp. Leaving Richard's Valley and Familiar Faces were really good. Observations of everyday life and human struggles transformed into surreal stories. Not comparable to any other comic I've seen which is a good thing.
Bought that Neat Stuff collection last week and was enjoying it a lot. Now re-reading my old Hate comics. Obviously over the top but still so much is very recognizable. Great fun.
Was rereading my Sandman comics and noticed there's a Netflix series coming up.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBXqrBl6pEo
Quote from: impulse manslaughter on May 17, 2020, 12:37:57 AM
Bought that Neat Stuff collection last week and was enjoying it a lot. Now re-reading my old Hate comics. Obviously over the top but still so much is very recognizable. Great fun.
Hate keeps getting better and better. Probably just about the only comics series that has managed to do that over the years and decades. Most of Bagge's later stuff is good to,
Apocalypse Nerd is a standout imo. His biographical books about famous women in history not quite as much so, but still an interesting read.
Not sure if already posted but I'm a big fan of Oliver Ledroit. Crazy detailed and often downright brutal work.
Sha
(https://i.ibb.co/Ms3mhSZ/tumblr-n01d25wp-Y71rs6hqwo1-640.jpg)
Requiem Chevalier Vampire
(https://www.glenat.com/sites/default/files/images/livres/couv/9782344013557-001-T.jpeg)
(https://images.leslibraires.ca/books/9782344014042/front/9782344014042_large.jpg)
A few weeks ago I finished Junji Ito's adaptation of Osamu Dazai's "No Longer Human" and wow, that was one of the best things I've read in a while. I strongly considered just immediately reading the original book afterwards but I decided to save that for later this year. Unsurprisingly it's a brutal story, yet despite tragedy after tragedy Yozo Oba's journey is riveting. Dazai's portrayal of alcohol and drug addiction is spot on nailing both the insanity and the humor that sometimes comes from it. Junji Ito also brings his A game, modifying his illustration style to fit the material and doing it perfectly. I'd be willing to call this essential for those interested in pessimistic and misanthropic literature.
https://www.viz.com/read/manga/junji-ito/product/6126 (https://www.viz.com/read/manga/junji-ito/product/6126)
While reading "No Longer Human" I more than once thought of Teruo Ishii's adaptation of Yoshiharu Tsuge's "Screw-Style", a film I adore. Tsuge's work has been famously unlicensed for English readers but I was hoping maybe that had changed. To my happy surprise Drawn & Quarterly are publishing all of Tsuge's work, newly translated and with accompanying essays on Tsuge himself, in seven volumes over the next however many years. "Screw-Style" isn't out yet so I picked up "Red Flowers", not realizing it was the second collection and I'm about halfway through. While markedly different than "Screw-Style" and "No Longer Human", there is still a certain quiet and almost desolate feeling to a lot of the work. It's my understanding Tsuge's later works dig increasingly into the type of self-imposed isolation and social ostracism of "No Longer Human", but without the pallor of drug/alcohol addiction. We'll see. I'll definitely be picking up these volumes from Drawn & Quarterly as they're released from now on.
https://drawnandquarterly.com/books/red-flowers/ (https://drawnandquarterly.com/books/red-flowers/)
Quote from: ConcreteMascara on February 24, 2022, 04:41:26 PMYoshiharu Tsuge's "Screw-Style"
(https://i.imgur.com/SKoq9gW.jpg?1)
Quote from: ConcreteMascara on February 24, 2022, 04:41:26 PM
A few weeks ago I finished Junji Ito's adaptation of Osamu Dazai's "No Longer Human" and wow, that was one of the best things I've read in a while. I strongly considered just immediately reading the original book afterwards but I decided to save that for later this year. Unsurprisingly it's a brutal story, yet despite tragedy after tragedy Yozo Oba's journey is riveting. Dazai's portrayal of alcohol and drug addiction is spot on nailing both the insanity and the humor that sometimes comes from it. Junji Ito also brings his A game, modifying his illustration style to fit the material and doing it perfectly. I'd be willing to call this essential for those interested in pessimistic and misanthropic literature.
Read that one recently myself. Of course it deviated a great deal from the original plot, as it had to (I recall first looking at the length of it and thinking, "wonder what he's added?") considering Junji is more an outright "horror" cartoonist. But it also sticks to the plot very well and introduces some, I think worthy additions, including the change of the ending which I think was very well done (the final picture of the protagonist is excellent). As much as I love the original, I think this "horror-fied" version sits pretty well (a bit iffy about the "descent to Hell" bit, I suppose, but still...). It's been a while since I read the original anyway so for all I know Junji's just picked up on little parts of the story and extrapolated.
Only just recently been getting into Junji Ito's work anyway. "Uzumaki" is one of the best horror stories I've read in any format. "Self" obliterating stuff.
Just finished rereading my old Sin City comics. Great non-pc fun and some jaw dropping drawings.
Hanna Gustavsson "Iggy 4-ever" book. I just noticed couple days ago this had come out in Finnish. 2022. Originally Swedish edition in 2015. It is independent stand-alone sequel to life of character who was in Natt barn (Finnish translation Yölapsi). 14 year old Swedish girl going through all sorts of mundane nuisance what girls of that age tend to go through. I guess!
There is nothing really odd, nothing transgressive, nothing sweet, just... sort of daily life with very dull things happening, but I can't really pinpoint why exactly I liked Natt Barn, and but I did, and so I bought this one and liked it instantly. Neat drawing style and teen angst.
Nina Hemmingsson "Minä olen sinun tyttöystäväsi nyt" book.
Originally "Jag är din flickvän nu". Not sure if English versions exists? This was her 2nd book as far as I know, found 2nd hand copy from 2nd hand bookstore, and browsing a bit of 2011 Finn edition made of 2006 Swedish original, and when you got alternative comic artists, who focuses on mental health, obsessive sex and various dark moods, it can be either totally sucky, or totally rule. This one is more of the latter. Lots of one picture black humor jokes, but also plenty of actual graphic novel type of things. One of best being disappointing relationship with overly positive buddhist boyfriend, who is way too understanding for deranged and destructive girl to stick around with.
More feminist spiced Swedish alternative comics? There should be plenty and some of them make it to Finnish translations when I tend to pick them up..
Quote from: impulse manslaughter on February 27, 2022, 10:31:21 PM
Just finished rereading my old Sin City comics. Great non-pc fun and some jaw dropping drawings.
I do the same about once every 5-10 years. Some of the best stuff ever written.
Been reading Crossed for 3 days now and i think its fucking great,i can understand the reference to walking dead but the latter misses all the fucking rapes,necrophilia,animal fucking etc what Crossed has,Walking dead is bitchy crying bullshit,Crossed is fucking awesome.
Faust, by Tim Vigil and David Quinn, seems to be getting a collected edition soon. It's some really great stuff
Quote from: KillToForget on November 12, 2022, 08:29:43 PM
Faust, by Tim Vigil and David Quinn, seems to be getting a collected edition soon. It's some really great stuff
total 90's nostalgia!
Frank Thorne's Iron Devil is getting the same treatment
Quote from: PeteHarma on November 10, 2022, 10:14:32 AM
Been reading Crossed for 3 days now and i think its fucking great,i can understand the reference to walking dead but the latter misses all the fucking rapes,necrophilia,animal fucking etc what Crossed has,Walking dead is bitchy crying bullshit,Crossed is fucking awesome.
Have you seen the film Atroz? Watched it recently and it reminded me of Crossed with it's perverted violence. Especially one long scene towards the end.
I read the first five trades and Crossed+100 volume 1. For the gore, best was part three, The Psychopath. Amazing artwork and it felt darkest and vilest. Alan Moore's Crossed+100 was the best in this franchise for me though. The violence was put more to the background but it had some great writing. Probably need to check how the series continue from there.
Quote from: Manhog_84 on November 26, 2022, 01:41:35 AM
Quote from: PeteHarma on November 10, 2022, 10:14:32 AM
Been reading Crossed for 3 days now and i think its fucking great,i can understand the reference to walking dead but the latter misses all the fucking rapes,necrophilia,animal fucking etc what Crossed has,Walking dead is bitchy crying bullshit,Crossed is fucking awesome.
Have you seen the film Atroz? Watched it recently and it reminded me of Crossed with it's perverted violence. Especially one long scene towards the end.
I read the first five trades and Crossed+100 volume 1. For the gore, best was part three, The Psychopath. Amazing artwork and it felt darkest and vilest. Alan Moore's Crossed+100 was the best in this franchise for me though. The violence was put more to the background but it had some great writing. Probably need to check how the series continue from there.
Haven't seen Atroz,thanks will check it out.
I read them all now and Psychopath,Family values and Wish you were here was maybe the best comics i've ever read,brutal as fuck and amazing art.
All the issues are online too : https://readcomiconline.li/ (https://readcomiconline.li/)
Anyone read Dead World? Covers that I've seen online look like Cannibal Corpse album covers, pretty cool.
Kentaro Miura's Berserk is, arguably, one of the greatest works of art since its inception decades ago.
Other favorites:
Transmetropolitan (Warren Ellis)
Fritz the Cat (Robert Crumb)
The Man Without Talent (Yoshihuru Tsuge)
Vagabond (Takahiko Inoue)
Panorama of Hell (Hideshi Hino)
Chainsaw Man (Tatsuki Fugimito)
Orochi (Kazuo Umezz)
Pork (S. Clay Wilson)
Quote from: FallOfNature on January 19, 2023, 07:27:03 AM
Anyone read Dead World? Covers that I've seen online look like Cannibal Corpse album covers, pretty cool.
Same artist. CC where big fans of Dead World. Haven't read it since it first came out, but wasn't a fan at the time. Might be worth revisiting though, probably better if I had a big collection to dig through then a few odd issues.
Bought a tablet recently. So far the only good use of it is to play chess and read comics. I deleted my chess account -again- after a few days cause i still cant control the amount of time i spend on it. If i start, i ll stop 8 hours later. So comics ...
Enjoying Ranx (2021) , complete [?] Ranx stories collected. Sadly they are not too many. Reaching to the end, i want more. If anyone can suggest similar stuff, please do. Drugs, sperm and blood, decadence etc.
ZNORT!
Quote from: Theodore on January 12, 2024, 08:41:03 PMBought a tablet recently. So far the only good use of it is to play chess and read comics. I deleted my chess account -again- after a few days cause i still cant control the amount of time i spend on it. If i start, i ll stop 8 hours later. So comics ...
Enjoying Ranx (2021) , complete [?] Ranx stories collected. Sadly they are not too many. Reaching to the end, i want more. If anyone can suggest similar stuff, please do. Drugs, sperm and blood, decadence etc.
ZNORT!
legendary. here in Italy was a big scandal when it came out, inappropriate and genious at many level. Tamburini and Liberatore were part of an art crew of drug-fueled geniouses that included ther artists like Filippo Scozzari, Andrea Pazienza, etc. Their editor Sparagna was the director of Il Male and Frigidaire which could be compared to the Italian counterparts of "Hara kiri" and the likes.
Anything by Yoshitaka Amano.