Mike Sterling's Progressive Ruin
Quicker than quick, stronger than strong since 1969
Mikester 
Still absolutely fantastic, though.
(And now I have the image of the Grape Ape getting washed and waxed stuck in my head. Oh Lordy.)
Here are a few Amazon.com user reviews of some of Alan Moore’s selected works. Enjoy, won’t you?
“Moore’s original burst of inspiration was to take a form of children’s literature – the super-hero comic book – and fuse it with the Hemingway-derived melodrama of the hard-boiled school of crime and detective fiction. Teenagers, poorly-read and possessing malnourished tastes in prose, were predictably awestruck by the results. They thought it was ‘realistic’; they thought this was ‘great literature’.”
“I was quite disappointed with Watchmen. I had heard so many great things about it and was expecting a memorable read. Now that I have read it I’m left with a feeling of ‘What was the big deal?’. […] Three GREAT examples of graphic novels at their best are: Kingdom Come by Alex Ross, the Rising Stars series by J.Michael Straczynski, and The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller.”
“There are people around who insist on comparing this stuff to great works of literature. I wonder if they ever read any.”
“Over-praised and stolen for the most part, WATCHMEN was the first step downward for Moore following his great run on SWAMP THING…from here on out he took himself way too seriously, thought he was much more profound than he actually was, and rapidly became the comic book equivalent of Sting.”
“When I really lost interest however was with the whole Mars thing. I mean it was insipid beyond belief but attempting to be the ultimate in metaphysical insight. The art also stinks.”
“If you’re a comic fan, Watchmen is a harmless waste of a few hours. If you want a real introduction to the comic medium, though, stick to Maus or Hepcats.”
“I would not really call The Watchmen the ‘Citizen Kane of graphic novels.’ It is more like Tarentino’s movie, Pulp Fiction, multiple plot lines, hip references, and plenty of gory violence and power trip fantasies to satisfy a basically adolescent audience. But it is not as good as Pulp Fiction.”
League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Vol. 1:
“This was one of the worst books i have ever read and i am a big reader. […] I don’t know how people can say its better then the movie because their is no comparison, i mean the movie is not one of the most popular but its still a really good movie and compared to the book the movie show will as many oscars as possible.”
“Filled with racist tones and needless violence, this [expletive deleted] book is complete and total [expletive deleted] compared to The Watchmen. What the [expletive deleted] wass Alan Moore thinking when he wrote this?”
“It’s tiresome except for nerds who want to play ‘spot the hidden reference’.”
“The sex and graphic immorality level was barely tolerable in vol. 1 and rises painfully in vol. 2. Volume 2 meets the pornographic and offensive standards.”
“Unfortunately, Moore did a great damage to the Ripper case, becasue he chose to write about the less convincent theory of them all (but one with the greatest appeal..), that of the Royal COnspiracy, laucnhed in 1976 by writer Stephen Knight, in his book JACK THE RIPPER: THE FINAL SOLUTION. FOr a glimpse of the truth, read Philip Sugden’s THE COMPLETE HISTORY OF JACK THE RIPPER.”
“I got the sense that he pieced together a lot of his own philosphical essays, inserted them into the mouths of various individuals involved with the murders, and packaged it as a graphic novel.”
(headlined “It’s A Big Comic Book!”) “I did not realize when I ordered it that it was just pages of illustrations with TINY LITTLE WRITING coming out of the various character’s mouths. The writing was so small, I could hardly read it, and finally just gave up.”
“‘From Hell’ is boring. I can’t think of a worse sin for any story. At one point, one of the characters decides to go on a tour of London and recite the history of various landmarks to the cabbie. This monologue goes on for some thirty pages, and after forcing myself to read the first few pages, I skipped over the entire section.”
“Moore is a very readable prose writer, but then again so is Stephen King, and he does’t have anything to say either. […] …Any time he tries to write about even semi-serious subjects he comes off sounding like the B-grade sci-fi writer he is at heart. I guess that’s why he finally gave up and went back to writing superhero drivel illustrated by artists more technically competent but less visually interesting than guys like Eddie Campbell.”
“If I were less familiar with some of the books Moore had drawn from, perhaps I would have liked it better, but I think Moore is trying for the umpteenth time to be seen as some literary figure for a work that was lifted from what someone else wrote.”
“I picked this up because i was interested in the controversy surrounding the movie. I read 40 pages and returned it to the book store. all the book is, is Christian bashing. this book is disgusting, please stay away from it. do not buy this book, it is terrible and blatantly anti-Christian”
“What is Moore trying to say with this book? It sounds and looks like something a seven year old kid would write and draw. Only in Moore’s case, maybe it’s more like Norman Bates.”
“I found it to be very two-dimentional and introspective. It reaches for an epic scale, but comes across like an adolescent in-joke. This graphic novel might play better to youths than Moore’s other works- but clearly NOT to adults.”
“In the scene where he broadcasts a message via a TV station, he plainly states that we are just animals, fresh off the tree. And this was the exact view that Hitler, for one, used to justify his campaign of killing the unwanted: the old, the infirm, the mentally ill, gays, Jews.”
“I’ve been reading that the movie version […] is not all too faithful to the actual comic, and I can only hope that this is true. Hopefully the Wachowski brothers re-vamped and pumped some much-needed life into this story”
“Good story. A bit over the top. The ending is so-so. The art is poor at best. The movie will make up for that though.”
So I was inspired, in part by my usual missing-out on Tom Spurgeon’s Five for Friday question on the topic, in part by the regular feature in Comic Buyers’ Guide, and in part by not really having anything else planned, to come up with a list of some of my favorite comic book covers. This isn’t a final, comprehensive list of my Top Ten Favorites of All Time, by any means…simply a cobbled-together package of images that, when I come across them at home or at the shop, make me stop and think “man, do I like that cover.”
And before you say anything, yes, I know this list is Marvel/DC/superhero-heavy. I plan on doing this again, perhaps next Monday, so I may do an indie-only list next time. Watch this space for further details.
I should also note that the scans all come from the Grand Comic Book Database, though resized for bandwidth purposes. I suggest visiting that site if you want to see higher quality images of any of these covers…and lots more covers besides!
Swamp Thing #9 (March/April 1974) – art by Berni(e) Wrightson
And of course you knew I’d be starting off the list with a Swamp Thing cover, right? This, I think, is probably the quintessential image of the character, rising up out of the swamp, a look of menace on his face. Unusually for the title (and most comic titles in general at the time), the cover doesn’t really tell you anything about the contents, aside from the fact that there might be some kind of swamp creature involved. You couldn’t tell that the story for this issue involves an extraterrestrial encounter, could you? I think Marvel may have learned from this example, with its endless stream of indistinguishable “Spider-Man swinging through the city” covers it’s had over the last few years. But perhaps I digress.
The Thing #6 (December 1983) – art by Ron Wilson & Brent Anderson
This striking cover (har har) is unusually somber for a Thing comic, with the stark black background, though it matches the story within (as the Thing, trapped within the confines of his own mind, wanders through darkness). There is a slight element of humor to it as well, I think, as you’re given a villain’s eye-view of what it looks like to be on the receiving end of one of Mr. Grimm’s clobbering times.
And, apparently, I’m not the only one who liked this cover.
Daredevil Battles Hitler #1 (July 1941) – art by Charles Biro
You usually can’t go wrong with a wartime Hitler cover, but this one is the standard by which all other anti-Hitler comics are judged. The look of terror in the Fuhrer’s eyes is really what sells it.
The Atom #36 (April/May 1968) – art by Gil Kane
This cover contains three elements that I always enjoy on my superhero covers. 1. Two different versions of the same hero (in this case, the Silver Age and the Golden Age Atoms) fighting each other. 2. Design elements that play on the fact that this is a cover on a comic book (the G.A. Atom being punched “through” the cover). 3. A near-perfect example of one of Gil Kane’s patented “body thrown backwards by a haymaking punch” poses. Absolutely beautiful.
Green Lantern #85 (August/September 1971) – art by Neal Adams
If I may quote:
“You always have all the answers, Green Arrow! Well, what’s your answer to that–?”
“My ward is a JUNKIE!”
This cover is the very definition of the “relevance” fad that ran through comics in the ’70s. And also started off a lot of jokes about Green Arrow’s sidekick being named “Speedy,” but I won’t go into that here.
And I’ll quote that heart-stopping dialogue, from memory, at the shop given even the slightest provocation. It’s sad, really.
Fantastic Four #203 (February 1979) – art by Dave Cockrum & Joe Sinnott
Okay, some covers are my favorite because of some of the questions they raise. In this case, apparently the Fantastic Four “becoming monsters” involves, in at least in the case of the more human-formed members of the team, getting bad hair (or long, flaming eyebrows). Now the Thing, it could be argued, already has a monstrous form. But to make him even more monstrous, he gets…bigger eyebrows. Ooh, scary.
Man-Thing #1 (January 1974) – art by Frank Brunner
Like the Swamp Thing image above, this cover features the image I think of when I think of Man-Thing. (And there’s a sentence that could be taken out of context.) This image of the inhuman, misshapen Man-Thing, shambling out of the swamp, really instills in you the idea that this creature is not something you’d want to come across in the dark. Swamp Thing at least occasionally looked friendly and inviting and like everybody’s favorite special swamp-buddy. Man-Thing, with its vacant red orbs for eyes, its completely unrelatable facial features…it never looks anything less than menacing. Unless you think his nose looks like a green carrot, in which case, I don’t know what to tell you.
DC Comics Presents #29 (January 1981) – art by Jim Starlin
Here’s a case where the text cluttering up the cover darn near ruined the impact of the image. But, in this case, Starlin’s illustration of a suffering Superman, faced with the horrific images of his past conjured up by the Spectre, still manages to engage, despite the multiple logos and typefaces and the wholly-unnecessary cover copy.
Brave and the Bold #177 (August 1981) – art by Jim Aparo
Well, aside from being another excellent piece of work by the late Jim Aparo, I’m not sure what attracts me to this particular cover, exactly. Well, aside from the fact that it’s something you don’t exact see every day on a comic book cover…one hero being used as a noose to kill another. The whole concept is just completely preposterous, but still…it makes you want to pick up the comic and check it out: “How the heck did Batman and Elongated Man find themselves in this pickle?” You don’t see enough bizarre and compelling covers that practically force you to pick up the comic anymore…and that’s a shame.
Fury of Firestorm #9 (February 1983) – art by Pat Broderick & Dick Giordano
This cover has stuck in my brain since I first bought it off the newsstand nearly a quarter of a century ago. I think it’s the incongruous mix of the dramatic mood and setting (a hero stands defeated, as the uncaring elements pour down upon him) combined with the sheer goofiness of Firestorm (the World’s Loudest Costume, not to mention his flaming head), and, for additional emotional impact, “BABY THE RAIN MUST FALL” in GIANT LETTERING. This cover is superhero melodrama in a nutshell, and I love it for that.
And that’s it for now. I apologize for any odd formatting that may occur above…I was kind of winging it, and it looks okay in my browsers, but your mileage may vary, as they say.
And, like I said, I’ll probably do another list soon enough…but if you have any favorites of your own you’d like to point out, please feel free to mention them in the comments section. I’d love to hear about them.
Just so nobody gets the wrong idea about this post from a couple days ago:
And Russ Tamblyn’s in it, too.
A conversation I had with a customer yesterday:
Customer: “Hey, do you have that Serenity graphic novel in stock?”
Me: “No, I’m sorry, it’s been unavailable to us for a while now.”
Customer: “It just came out, didn’t it?”
Me: “Yeah, but this publisher has a history of not being able to supply books to comic shops while they’re in demand. Sin City, Hellboy…couldn’t get ’em while the movies were out and people were clamoring for them. We’ll probably be able to get Serenity again once Borders and Barnes & Noble don’t need them anymore.”
Customer: “This is some interesting industry.”
Me: “Man, you don’t know the half of it.”
Speaking of customers, apparently I missed a fellow who dropped by the store Friday morning (I was at the bar post office) while making the drive down to this weekend’s Wizard World convention. He had a want list all made out for the show…and he ended up finding nearly everything on that list at our store. And we didn’t even charge him admission.
Found on the eBay…how to sell your copy of the Atlas/Seaboard Scorpion #2:
Because I’m a jerk, I’m going to quote from that auction listing too:
“THIS COMIC IS HARD TO FIND, VERY RARE.
THESE ARE UNDERGROUND LIKE NO OTHER,
THIS IS FOR THE SERIOUS COLLECTER WHO WANTS COMICS NO-ONE ELSE HAS.
FROM A REALIABLE SELLER AS WELL…ME…:)”
Well said.
Boing Boing takes a stand against Marvel and DC’s ownership of the term “superhero” (or “super-hero”):
“Here’s a proposal: from now on, let’s never use the term ‘super-hero’ to describe a Marvel character. […] Let’s reserve the term ‘super-hero’ exclusively to describe the heros [sic] of comics published by companies that aren’t crooked word-thieves.”
Something about Jack Kirby’s unpublished ideas being released by Marvel makes me uneasy, particularly given what Kirby went through in his later years. I know it’s from Marvel’s “creator owned” imprint, but somehow that just adds insult to injury.
(Remember what I said about what the name of Marvel’s “Icon” imprint should be?)
Thoughts that cross my mind when dealing with the store’s backstock: is there some small element of irony to the fact that Tekworld was effectively a vehicle for William Shatner’s Mary Sue character, given that the concept of “Mary Sue” either comes from, or was at the very least popularized by, Star Trek fan fiction?
DOOM deigns to respond to a certain Mr. D. Wright (or at least an amazing simulacrum), and somehow manages to drag me into it as well.
Ooh, you just wait…Wildcat, Swamp Thing, Aquaman, and Vibe are going to team up and kick your metal butt, Doom! I’m working on the fan-fic right now!*
I know I’ve brought it up before, but suddenly Snakes on a Plane-fever is running rampant on the internet again, and I gotta be a part of it.
The trailer is here, at the bottom of the page…will automatically start playing, so make sure your volume is turned up really loud, especially if you’re at work. I mean, what’s the boss gonna do? It’s Snakes on a Freakin’ Plane, for God’s sake.
Totally stolen from Comics Worth Reading…a comic publisher does his best to make sure no one ever wants to help him with publicity ever again.
“And, Nat, I have news for you, buddy…You are the reason I’m independent…so I don’t have to listen to or put up with know-it-all’s like you! Actually, like most know-it-all’s, you only think you know it all…you don’t. I’m not ‘looking to work with any editors’…or publishers or any dimwitted know-it-all’s either, pal. Especially ones that can’t read. I’m an independent, underground artist.”
Okay, his, shall we say, unusual scientific theories aside, Neal Adams is clearly very important to the comics industry, particularly in relation to creator’s rights. Any opportunity to tell people who may not have already heard about Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster’s travails as the creators of Superman, as Mr. Adams did on Coast to Coast AM, is one that needs to be taken.
Listening for the first 45 minutes or so as Mr. Adams discussed comics history, and his own personal history, was actually fairly interesting. He’s got a good radio voice, and he’s a natural storyteller (Skateman notwithstanding)…but listening to his comic talk while knowing his “new world model” is coming is like waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Though, now that he’s talking about his theory (as I am currently typing this)…I still don’t buy it in the slightest, but he sure has a way of making it sound interesting.
However, I could have done without Neal and George (the show’s host) talking about how old comics are worth lots of money. I’m going to get an influx of fortune-seekers with coverless copies of Youngblood in store over the next few days because of this, I’m sure.
Today at work:
Employee Nathan: “Hey, who would win in a fight…Goku or Thanos with the Infinity Gauntlet?”
Me: “What if Thanos took the Infinity Gems on said Gauntlet and used them to power lightsabers?”
EN: “How many gems are there?”
Me: “Six, I believe.”
EN: “Okay, one gem can each go into one lightsaber, and, um, the six-armed Spider-Man can wield one in each hand!”
And then the discussion began of what each gem would do to each lightsaber, given the gems’ special abilities, and it was at that point that I decided we were too nerdy to live.