What Should Be On Your Shelf #50

I have decided to create a new segment here on Comic Makers called "What Should Be On Your Shelf!" Yeah I’m not happy with the title either but just go with me here. I know you, my fellow geeks and nothing gets you more rock hard than showing off your bookshelf to your jealous fan boy friends. Well that and William Shatner singing "Rocket Man!"



But hey who wouldn't?

Today I'm featuring the "Local" a hardcover from Oni Press first published in 2008.



Here's the skinny, written by Brian Wood and illustrated by Ryan Kelly, the series follows Megan a modern day hipster nomad from her teens to her late 20's as she travels around the country trying to find herself. What she is running from and what she is trying to find is slowly revealed as you read her adventures. When we think about indie comics there are no better examples than Local. What I find amazing about this book, is that not only is it beautifully drawn but you find yourself really connecting with a fictional character. Wood is an impressive writer because he finds a way to make us fall in love with a character, who when it comes down to it, is a very flawed human being. She tricks people, abandons her lovers, runs away from her family and even when the stories don’t revolved around her, her presence is felt. I'm sure I am not the first to bow to Woods abilities as a writer but I have to say "Local" is a feather in his cap and now on your shelf.



But wait lets take a minute to worship Ryan Kelly’s artistic abilities here for a minute. Because not only will you notice the staggering detail this man puts into every panel but, you may find yourself recognizing the settings Megan encounters. This is because Kelly and Wood partnered with artists from those cities to get sketches and/or photos of their neighborhood to be drawn in the book. Kelly is definitely an artist to keep an eye on, and hopefully we may see him work on more mainstream work, although you will see allot of his work being featured in DC’s Vertigo line.

Now your probably asking yourself, "Dave why should I put such a gigantic hardcover on my shelf, can’t I use this space for my Essential New Warriors trade?" My answer is first you are a sad, sad man and second think of how smart and hip you will look to have such a beautiful piece of art on your shelf. Not to mention chicks dig giant graphic novels, its like Spanish fly or so I hear, I myself have not seen a woman since 1989.

Local can appeal to a large market of comic fandom. If your strictly in the capes and tights section of comic store “Local” is definitely a nice way to explore the independent comic market. If your already into the Indie scene then Local will appeal to those sensibilities. And best of all if you or someone you know has never read comics then this is a great comic to get your feet wet. With a impressive page count of 376 and a retail price of 29.99 Local is a steal.

Is This Still On?

So I have been thinking of bringing back Comic Makers. I still haven't made a decision to be honest with you. I honestly don't know if there would be more interest, not to mention I don't know if I could keep up a regular schedule. The reason for this is because I have started to pursue a freelance writing career. I recently interviewed Devin Grayson and if all goes well It will be featured on a famous comic website.

But I still would like to post comic related interviews and stories on this site. Not all of the interviews I do, I would be able to sell on to other websites, so it would be nice to post them for an audience. Still its been 4 years since I have been out of the field and things have changed quite a bit. Allot of podcasts have grown quite a bit and others have faded.

I don't think many people in the community still hold a grudge from my fuck ups, although we are dealing with comic fans here.

As for Charlie, hes hard at work on his comic Society's Myth and doing amazing working coloring and lettering work for other indie books. I wouldn't be surprised guys if we see Charlie start working for some big companies soon.

As for myself I am working on a few things other than freelancing. I'm hoping to roll out some new comics this year. Not to mention attending some NYC cons (Not Mocca). I promise I will be posting more on this blog soon, that's a fact.

Watchmen Cartoon

Hey guys,

Once again Hollywood gets it wrong, I just got word that Warner Brothers is making a Watchmen Cartoon. They want to clean it up for kids so they put up this little promo as a test. luckily I have a contact at Warner who got me a copy and boy am I pissed. I have uploaded it for all to see.



I just hate the voices they use. Ill get working on the webpage dedicated to ban this cartoon.

Why Comic Makers is no more...

So I felt I should update the blog with the reasons why I no longer podcast the Comic Maker show. There are lots of reasons. When I first did Comic Makers with Charlie, I honestly did not have much of a life. Like allot of comic fans I had allot of time on my hands and being a creative person I chose to make something about comics. On x-mas (yes i write it that way, you got a problem with that?) I received my first ipod and soon began exploring its cool gadgets. I stumbled upon podcasts by accident. Comic Book Geek Speak was the first show I listened to but it wasn't until I heard the I Read Comics Podcast that I was inspired to create my own podcast. I remember being in the car with my mom and listening to Lene squealing "look! shes talking about comics I like! and she doesnt sound like a freak about it!"

So I did my research and created the podcast. I wrangled Charlie into it because I just wanted an excuse to shoot the shit with him. But unfortunately Charlie got a life and he just couldn't commit to recording the show on a regular basis if at all. Then I met Becky and I reformatted the show which granted yes wound up being another review show but turned out to be allot more fun. But then Becky wound up getting work playing music on cruise ships, traveling the world.

So I decided to try it solo or do a revolving guest host thing. But I encountered a new problem. I guess I should have seen it coming, after all I was making comics and worked conventions. I did post on message boards.

It was the comic book podcasters community.

Heres the problem, allot of comic fans, especially online comic fans tend not like differences of opinions. I think allot of them tend to view the internet and conventions as some kind of excuse to act like complete asses. I swear I'm surprised that there isn't physical violence at conventions. Its like they seriously believe that once they enter that convention floor or once they turn on their computer they can be racist, sexist, smug little assholes and they wont get their faces slapped.

I can understand allot of these online fans, they live in their own little worlds, but in "the real world" they cant say what they want, maybe they cant be themselves, maybe they just don't understand social customs or maybe they just feel a lack of control. Comics will always be the same, Spider-Man is a looser, Superman is a nice boy who can be cool, Batman can beat people up, Wonder Woman has a great rack. Its the same thing week after week. In their head these are their characters.

So when someone doesn't agree with the status quo then they start to throw tantrums. This is why Lene Taylor gets so much hate, because she has bigger balls than some of these morons. She says "No thats wrong, thats sexist, thats racist, thats stupid" and in the real world she would be commended for taking a stand. But allot of online fans dont live in the real world. They dont want to change, they don't want to admit that their wrong. So they snipe at Lene on the message boards under brilliant names like Lobo or Cocksmocker57. And the comic podcasters? Oh well they would never have the balls to disagree with Lene in person or even on their shows. See that would actually take real courage and maturity of an adult. But these are comic fans folks.

I always defended Lene and championed her show. I even dedicated an entire show on just interviewing her. And guess who suddenly was attacked? Yep me. I got so many complaints from other podcasters. "Oh shes crazy, you shouldn't associate with her, I dont get her show I hear she said (insert random lie) on her show". I was pretty much snubbed in the comics podcast community. I wouldn't be invited to their events, certain podcasters wouldn't want to do cross promotion with me, and I was blocked out of a deal to get a table at NY Comic Con.

I still had a few handful of friends like Charlito and Mr.Phil from indie spinner rack or Peter Rios from Geek Speak and a few others. But allot became nervous of associating themselves with me because I was a radical and controversial. I was the Howard Stern of podcasts (pretty cool dont ya think?)

Anyway i soon got involved with school and work but when I finally figured out a way to redo the show and start up again I was once again blocked from getting a table at NY Comic Con by the community. I sent out an e-mail to a friend pretty much venting to a friend but it accidentally got sent to a list server for all the podcasters.

oops

Man you would think I knocked up their sister with a latino kid the way these guys acted. Comic fans tend to be very melodramatic by nature but these guys were acting like the texans when Ozzie peed on the alamo. I apologize but typical fanboys they just ignored it and gave me the silent treatment.

So I thought about it and decided that you know I want a little more out of life than to be making Comic Makers. After 25 years the fever broke and I wasn't obsessed with comics anymore. I wanted to have a life. You know meet a girl, move out of the basement. I still read comics but its not a week to week thing. Im not interested in current comics. I think the Bendis Secret Invasion event was pretty fucking stupid and I could never follow the cluster fuck that is the (insert Crisis here) currently going. Even most indie comics have lost their appeal. Dear lord if I have to read another mini comic about some abstract metaphorical idea like "My head is a fish and Pirates are my legs" I will blow my fucking brains out.

I read old comics that dont involve a 20 comic crossover and actually have a beginning, middle and end IN THE SAME COMIC! Yeah I just dont care guys. I just dont fucking care. The only comic podcast I listen to is Lene and to be honest guys its the only one I can recommend. Why do you guys want to listen to a bunch of nerds sitting around a microphone saying shit like "You know in infite crisis #1 supermans cape was violet colored instead of burgundy, man what a dumbass and then in the next panel..." or listen to an interview about a creator who says shit like "Well yes even though 95% of all superheroes in our books are white, we have this one character who is a spic...er I mean mexican and so see were not racist".

Im tired. Im tired of listening to that shit. Seriously its like watching a beauty pageant, yeah they have a pretty smile but their anorexic and are legally retarded. I think I just might keep myself active blogging. Maybe if Lene is up for it, I will guest on her podcast. But as for podcasting it just too much work for little satisfaction.

Smallville Review I Had To Comment On

So I read this "review" on Side Reel about the Legion episode of Smallville, If you haven't seen it then please don't read because their are spoilers

Smallville 8.11: "Legion"
2 votesI Like It!

I know a lot of "Smallville" fans who were absolutely yearning for this episode since it was announced, especially when they discovered that the legendary Geoff Johns was writing the script. I wasn't quite so enthusiastic. After all, "Smallville" has a spotty history when it comes to incorporating characters from the comic books. The writers often lose sight of one basic requirement: the characterization should not depend on the audience's knowledge of the comic books.

I know next to nothing about the Legion, so I was waiting for the episode to give me enough information to understand who the three heroes were, what their relationships were to each other, and how they fit into the "Smallville" mythos. I'm not sure that was entirely accomplished. By the end, I didn't really know who the heroes were at all.

If anything, I questioned how these three annoying kids in the goofy outfits were supposed to be legendary heroes in their own right. The telepath's costume was a T-shirt with a Saturn symbol on it and a red jacket and leggings. I found it very hard to take them seriously. Apparently Lightning Lad (perhaps the worst name ever) is supposed to be whiny and annoying, and the leader has apparently been listening to too much emo music.

It was easy enough to understand why they were brought into the current plot arc; the characters have the right mix of abilities to save Chloe and take down Brainiac. All things being equal, the problem was how the Legion was characterized. Despite the fact that this was the Legion's first appearance on the series, it felt like I had missed an episode somewhere that explained all the things that weren't worth mentioning in this installment.

The Legion also seemed to be designed to toss in some foreshadowing for both Clark and Lana. It's certainly ominous that they had never heard of Chloe, but I suppose that makes sense in light of the fact that she never appeared in the comics. I'm still not entirely thrilled by Lana's return, but if it serves to establish some kind of importance for the character beyond her connection and relationship with Clark, I'm willing to be patient.

I was a bit worried that they would kill off Chloe, but those fears were thankfully unfounded. I think it would have been interesting for her to be under Brainiac's control a bit longer, though. Allison Mack was having a lot of fun playing up her bad side! I suppose it was all a means to an end, since it took Davis much further down the road to Doomsday, but it still felt a little too quick and easy.

Similarly, the slaughter at the barn is simply glossed over, Chloe's memory of Clark's true nature is restored without much fanfare, and Jimmy's fate is covered off-screen. I expect Clark's decision to alter Chloe's memory will come back to haunt him at some point in the near future, but the rest just feels sloppy. About as sloppy, unfortunately, as the introduction of the Legion. The end result is the first true disappointment of the eighth season.

My Response

~sigh~ Typical snarky internet reviewer as usual missing the entire point. I think allot of fans of the show seem to forget one important fact about Smallville. ITS THE STORY OF SUPERMAN. Yeah same guy who wears tights and can leap tall buildings in a single bound. The guy who winds up marrying LOIS LANE, not Lana or some made for tv character named Chloe (heres another fact, Jimmy winds up with Lucy Lane not Chloe).

So it always boggles my mind when I read reviews slamming episodes that are trying to be close to the comics. For example the reason why the Legion were introduced wasnt because their powers were the best to stop Braniac but because in the comics The Legion (which stands for Legion of Super Heroes) was introduced as meeting Clark before he became Superman (yeah back when he was called Superboy). And who of the Legion were the first to meet young Clark Kent? You got it Lightning Lad, Cosmic Boy and Saturn Girl (those are their code names).

What I find insane is when I hear something like "I couldnt take them seriously with those costumes"...Okay so in your head you can believe a guy is from another planet called Krypton, can run at super speed, can hear things that even dogs have to strain to hear and can shoot fire from his eyes! Yeah thats realistic to you? But someone in a costume isnt?! WHAT...THE...F$%#K?!

This episode was meant for the real fans of the comics and the character. You know we have to put up with 20 odd some episodes of episodes resembling Dawsons Creek with some lame kryptonite forgettable villain (seriously what can Kryptonite not be used for? it can be eaten as diet suppliment, used as fertilizer, used as jewelry, made into gas?!) Have the common decency to at least give us comic fans who actually watch the show for SUPERMAN to have one episode with out your freaking harping just one!

My thoughts on Mike Wieringo

I got a call today from Charlie and he broke the news to me that one of my favorite comic artists has passed away. Mike Wieringo died of a massive heart attack this past sunday. Its only starting to sink in right now that I will never see his art again on the shelves and I wont ever have the chance to meet him.

I didnt know Mr.Wieringo but my heart is very heavy. I remember whenever i spoke to Tom about what artist he should recomend to work with for his freelance marvel projects, Mike was always the first name out of my mouth. When Charlie and I would talk about what artist we always looked forward to seing more work it was always Mike Wieringo we would land on.

He was only 44 years old but he felt like the face of comics for us. He was our rookie of the year, like Mike Parobeck, Wieringo was one of the first comic artists both Charlie and I grew up on. I remember his run on the Flash was something both Charlie and I would drone on and on forever.

My heart goes out to his family, his friends like Scott Kurtz who are still trying to cope with their loss. You were the best Mike and I can take some solace with the fact that you will never be forgoten...

Check Out David's New Podcast!

I decided to start a second podcast called "Off The Subway".Its a music podcast and dont worry more episodes of Comic Makers are in the works!

The Lost Episode! Episode 25!!!

Episode 25!



Charlie is back! And in this long lost episode we talk about our plans for the M.O.C.C.A Art Festival!

Plus music from the worst band in the world Green Jelly!