Change of Plans--Wednesday Comics #1

I had every intention of posting my analysis of a Queen & Country page today, but it occurred to me that the longer I go without reporting on the C2E2 con, the less relevant what I have to say becomes. With that in mind, a brief report.

Overall, my experience was positive, but the con's main negative is the reason for my post, and it has to do with two of DC Comics' panels on Saturday.

The Brightest Day panel--the first DC panel of the day--was good fun. Even though there wasn't much in the way of news, the members of the panel did their jobs, in as much as they got us excited about what we are reading now and what we will be reading in the weeks and months ahead. The participants were lively and engaged, and I confess to being a fan of the comedy stylings of Ian Sattler.

But the second panel...that's where it went wrong. This was the DC Universe Editorial presentation, which was to be hosted by newly crowned Co-Publishers Dan Didio & Jim Lee and the new Chief Creative Officer, Geoff Jones.

And none of them showed up. There was neither acknowledgment of nor explanation for their absence. What's even stranger is that there was no mention of their absence in the press on the event.

Now, the guys I was with and I might have missed an announcement about this. Maybe there was a posting at the DC booth. If so, then you can all ignore this rant. If not, then can SOMEONE please explain to me why the new "Big Three" were no-shows? This is a brand new show in Chicago, and it behooves the publisher to have its heavy hitters running what should be the company's biggest panel on what is supposed to be the busiest day of the convention. Sattler and company did well enough (kudos to James Robinson and his surliness), but with the panel already being disappointing on the level of expectation, the seeming lack of concrete news combined with the fans' questions made for a less-than-enjoyable experience.

By the time my friends and I showed up for DC's third panel of the day, there were less people in the audience, and rightfully so, since there was a grand total of 3 people who showed up to present at the panel. (Note: Gail Simone did walk in after the panel started, and while she's one of those people who makes EVERYTHING better, we only had two hours left in the day. We wanted to get more out of our con than the same old fan questions.)

I was really pissed about the absence of the new heads of DC, and it's all but passed. I just want to know why it happened. If you've run across this entry and can put me in the wrong for being pissed, please do.

The rest of the con met or surpassed my expectations, and by all reports a successful launch for Chicago's newest show. There were plenty of guests, and, almost as important, there was plenty of room for everyone to move around. I got to meet Jonathan Hickman (who promises indie work in the not-too-distant that will surpass The Nightly News in design, which excites me no end), Mike Mignola (who seemed fine that no one was in line for him), and Ben Templesmith (who I've been waiting to meet for some time, and was impressed with how I held myself together). I also got the chance to see Carla "Speed" McNeil (who generously sketched Tara Chace for me) and Steve Bryant again, Steve in particular always being a great guy to chat with. Check out the "Support Athena Voltaire" and "Atomic Tiki Studio" links to the left to see some of his art and support his Kickstarter campaign.

More importantly, I did the two things I wanted to do that day. First, I kept my spending well in check. Second, Brian Hurtt did a fantastic sketch of Queen & Country's Paul Crocker (the young version) to add to my collection. Check it out here.

Most importantly, I went with my good friends Brad and Mark. And ultimately, they're the guys that made this whole thing fun.

Until next time, everybody. Next week: the analysis of the Q&C page, as advertised.

Read: The Engineer: Konstrukt, by Brian Churilla & Jeremy Shepherd

Watch: Going in Style (dir. Martin Brest, 1979)

Listen to: Big Fun, by Miles Davis

Eat at: Beefaroo

The Wrath of Con

Man, an entry title that is both a Star Trek and a Veronica Mars reference (or, rather, me referencing V. Mars referencing Star Trek). Doesn't get much better than that, kids.

Anyway, here are a few pics and stories from my 3-day, 4-night nerdoholics anonymous meeting in Chicago weekend before last.

First Things First

Ever the gentleman artist, I generally make a B line for David Mack upon arrival in Chicago. I know him predominantly from his work on Daredevil, for which he created my third favorite character in the Marvel Universe (next to Nick Fury and Wolverine): Echo, Daredevil's deaf counterpart who can perfectly replicate any physical movement she witnesses. In addition to being a helluva nice guy, Mack does brush sketches that are simply amazing for how quickly he finishes them. He did Daredevil for me in '06, Echo in '07, and--this year--a certain mutant who's the best there is at what he does.



Hooked on Speed
Speaking of sketches, after getting that sketch I posted in an earlier entry, I've decided that I'm going to get a collection of sketches of Paul Crocker from all of the artists who've drawn him inQueen & Country. This time, I added one by Carla Speed McNeil.

McNeil has more of a cartoonish style (and that's not a pejorative, kids), which I found worked exceptionally well on her story arc on Q&C (much like Steve Rolston's work on the book). She's captured Crocker here in a very...Crockery way.

Since last year, I've found a shiny new way to piss away my hard-earned, hardly-kept dollars: original art. Fortunately for me, I can't go bug-fuck mad with this pursuit, as I'd find starvation a might troublesome. Still, when I was talking with McNeil and paging through her art, I came across a piece that just called out to me, telling me I couldn't leave without it.

Finder, McNeil's creator-owned book about an Aboriginal detective named Jaeger, has always held an allure for me ever since I read about it in Warren Ellis's brilliant manifesto Come in Alone. I'd heard she was going to be in Chicago, and since I like buying books right from the creators (as many of us like to with CDs at concerts...when we can hold out that long), I wanted to wait to buy the first volume from her. I knew I'd love the book the minute I saw this piece, which is Page #19 of Issue #38.
I don't know what it is with me and embittered, nicotine-addicted Brits (although to be accurate, Jaeger is Australian).
Blowing My Praise Wad
And speaking of embittered, nicotine-addicted Brits, I wrote about meeting Warren Ellis in an earlier post. Folks, I can't stress enough how much he's one of my all-time heroes of comic storytelling (storytelling in any medium, for that matter). Like him or loathe him, it's impossible to deny that a) he's one of the hardest working guys in the business, b) he's got a ceaselessly innovative approach to his work, and c) he's always had a concrete vision for comics as a medium. All that being said, I got to meet another one of those storytelling heroes who's equally as important to me:

Greg Rucka: writer of several great Batman books (including No Man's Land, Death and the Maidens, and the superhero-light/street-crime-heavy Gotham Central), the single-best run on Wonder Woman in history, and my favorite comic series of all time...say it with me...Queen & Country.

As I told Rucka when we talked, Geoff Johns may have gotten me back in, but Rucka's responsible for keeping me in the world of comics. A once-and-future novelist, Rucka made a name for himself with his Atticus Kodiak mystery series (the first of which is entitled Keeper). I'm saving this series for a rainy day; it does me good to have a great mystery series waiting in the wings.

He made his comics debut with a little gem called Whiteout, a murder mystery set in Antarctica. It's soon to be a film, but trust me, the book will be more satisfying in just about every imaginable way.

With Q&C, he does everything right. His pacing is beyond compare. His plotting seems politically prescient (apologies for the alliteration). And his characters all speak with such different voices. My friend Brandon and I often talk about how well writers are able to accomplish this last skill.  I see writers like Geoff Johns, Gail Simone, and Grant Morrison as adepts in endowing their characters with distinctive voices.

They're adepts. Rucka's the master.

After all, read any issue of Q&C. (I've given it to several of you as gifts, so hopefully you have by now.) Sure you'll get your requisite amounts of gunfire, explosions, and all kinds of suspenseful tradecraft, but the best scenes are those when it's two or three characters in Crocker's office, just having a conversation.

Of course, it helps that such a spectacular writer is abetted by fantastic artists. And that I immediately fell in love with the main character, Tara Chace.
Imagine James Bond played by Katee Sackhoff.

Additionally, Rucka never dumbs his stuff down. I've only ever found one flaw in the book, which he corrected eventually. One of the characters is known as the MCO: the Mission Control Officer. Yet, there are some scenes where she answers the phone, "MCO Officer," which is like saying ATM machine.

I was tempted to call him on this error, but instead we talked about what self-indulgent crap Frank Miller's film of The Spirit looks like. They were playing the trailer on loop at the DC Booth, and Rucka and I both agreed that the only good thing about that pile of shit was the music it's set to: Ennio Morricone's score for The Untouchables.

Last thing on Rucka: I also wish he'd take a stab at writing Bond, as he himself has admitted he'd like to do. I'd need new pants by the end of that book.
Just Sketchy Enough

I snagged quite a few sketches, which gets increasingly difficult with each passing year (I don't like paying for them, you see). Rule for sketches: don't make it too hard for the artists. Best case scenario: ask them to draw someone they are able to, but may not draw often. It makes it fun for them, and usually you can get a more obscure character that you really like. Like Plastic Man (from Ethan Van Sciver), Robin (from Freddie Williams II), or Renee Montoya as the faceless crusader, The Question.

Lucky for me, Jim Calafiore was there to supply me with a sketch of her. He's starting out here, faux-cursing me for making him draw a fedora.

And this is what I ended up with:

There's something endearing I find about quick, unfinished sketches like this. I'm floored every time I watch an artist drawing one for me. It may not look like much, but stuff like this just grins me up. Incidentally, you comics fans out there should check out Calafiore's work. For my money, he's the best of the new artistic blood at DC (I'm not counting Van Sciver; he's been there for a little while).
100 Bullets...Less 90

Alright, I've spent about all the time on this I can. I'll finish up with quickies:

• Bendis vs. Johns: seeing grown men wrestle each other to the ground is always comedy gold.
• Wallet Evacuation: Four words I seldom utter...I stayed within budget.
• Batman: Gotham Knight premiere: a really uneven film, and reason for me to hate fan audiences (you don't need to verbally react to everything that happens, you dicks).
• Food: I actually ate healthy food all weekend. Usually I dine on substances that famished hogs would effeminately shoo away, so this was a fucking milestone for me.
• Gail Simone: one of those people who's every bit as cool as you think she's going to be.
• Brian Azzarello: Um, I don't quite know how to say this. I ran into Brian Azzarello (writer of 100 Bullets and a guy you wouldn't want to meet in a dark alley) in the men's room. Fucking weird to notice a writer that you really like walk in the privy, while you're taking a piss four urinals away.
• Costumes: Nothing like sweaty polyester to keep the sane at arms' length, though I have to give that one guy props for dressing as Granny Goodness. Takes balls, kids.
• Steve Bryant: Ran into my favorite indie artist (Athena Voltaire, anyone?) and had a good long chat with him; he told me that my Shadow sketch is going into the next sketchbook. Awe-some.
• Brian Michael Bendis: Even cooler than he is bald.
• Dan DiDio: You may think he's a schmuck, but I don't think kinder, more eloquent words were spoken about Michael Turner's untimely death than the ones DiDio uttered before the DC Nation panel that Saturday morning. Nice one, Dan. And Michael Turner...another one gone way too early, dammit.

I'm sure there's more I could put down, but I think that's enough for tonight. This one's been a long time coming, and I'm already exhausted from my week.
That being said, I'll try to make my next post comics-free. The only possible exception: a review of The Dark Knight. T-Minus 48 hours and counting.
Oh, and my one disappointment for this year's con? The fact that I didn't get to play pool on the showroom floor...

For the two of you to whom I've not told this story from the 2007 con, you can read about it here: http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=85074902&blogID=299179945&Mytoken=A410962C-453E-4D34-8E9EF62C9B8AF2375586147

Thanks for indulging me, the wordy and the nerdy. At least I'm not as self-indulgent as Frank Miller.

The Short Con

I'd planned to post a long report on the Chicago Comic Con today, but I'm mad as assholes and not really up to any extended reportage.

However, because I don't want to let more than a week go by without posting, I'll give you kids one brief story.

I met artist Gene Ha at the DC Booth, where he was both signing and sketching. Through a bit of good fortune, I was the first in line for him. When he got to the booth, he asked if anyone had only stuff to sign (i.e. wanted no sketches), and he let them go to the front of the line. A cool move, if you ask me. I don't mind waiting for people who just want to get their books signed.

Once that was done, I handed Mr. Ha my sketchbook. Then, in what seemed like a daze, I heard the following: "Here's the rule for sketches--I'll only sketch you as a superhero."

Now, I thought about asking him to do one of my favorites (i.e. Batman, Green Lantern, Daredevil), but they all wear masks. I figured that might come off as a bit smart-assy. So, I decided to go with a more...traditional approach.

What's really terrifying is how much that actually looks like me.

More to come, including my run-in with a famous comics writer in a bathroom. Which was also really terrifying.


Read: Fortune and Glory by Brian Michael Bendis
Watch: As Tears Go By (dir. Wong Kar-wai, 1988)
Listen to: The Hare's Corner (Cuinne an Ghiorria) by Colm Mac Con Iomaire

D. Ops Here...

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you Paul Crocker, Director of Operations for British Intelligence, and my favorite character from the series Queen & Country (created by the incomparable Greg Rucka for Oni Press).

If ya know me at all, you'll see why I love this. If you happen to know the character, then you understand even more.

Chris Samnee did this sketch for me this very day, and I love how it turned out. Generally, I enjoy asking artists to draw characters that they don't often get requests for but are still characters that I love. That way, the artists have fun doing something different, and because they're having a blast drawing the character, I end up enjoying the finished product so much more.

Like so...

Samnee told me it had been a long time since he'd drawn Crocker, and I get the impression that I'm the only guy (in the midwest, at least) who asks for him.

There's a lot to recommend this portrait of the toughest bastard in MI6. The resilient, frosty eyes. The obligatory hanging cig. The hatching on the vest. The obscured hand on the armrest.

Apologies for the unfortunate rhyme.

In the end, though, there are a couple of details that absolutely drive me nuts--in a good way--and they're easily the most boring things on the page. Look under Crocker's seat.

Samnee has put in the controls for raising and for reclining the chair. He didn't have to do that. I mean, it's a sketch, not a finished page. Even so, those two little details give the sketch depth it wouldn't have had otherwise. It also signals to me that he enjoyed being in that "artist's zone" for the time it took him to pencil and ink this.

In the future, I'll post some other sketches I've gotten over the past couple of years. Best to start off with a bang, though.

(TECHNICAL NOTE: Would someone please tell me if you can't enlarge the pic for some reason? I want to make sure you can see it, after all.)

In the meantime, a huge thanks to Chris Samnee...a wonderfully nice guy, and one of the best ops in the field.

A Ninja in the Mail. A Lantern in the Heart.

So, I've had kind of a crappy day today. Now I could blather on about the reasons why, but that would neither lend itself to interesting storytelling, nor would it be any fun at all.

Instead, let me tell you about how my day just got better.

For those of you who've read earlier entries, you'll remember I mentioned a comic called Athena Voltaire, drawn by Steve Bryant. You'll also recall that I commissioned Steve to do a piece for me of my favorite pulp hero, The Shadow.

Well, after some understandable delays (the guy's moving into a new house, for crying out loud!), I finally received the sketch today, and it's as lovely (and by lovely, I mean full of biff and stingo) as I thought it would be from the jpeg preview he sent.

But...he said since I was so patient, he threw in something extra. Namely, a piece of original artwork from the book that you should ALL be reading: Athena Voltaire. Even cooler is the fact that, since the book is now moving in a different direction creatively (Steve's taking more of the reins, which is fine by me), the piece he sent me won't ever be seeing print...at least in this form.

Here it is. My apologies for the quality of the photo, but my scanner won't take 11x17.

Heroine in simple, elegant black dress wielding pistol? Check.

Dead ninja? Check.

Guy in black suit and tie, with hint of bloody mouth, reaching for bo. Check.

More than the "playing to my sensibilities in a big ol' way" quotient, it was an exceptionally kind gesture. It's the kind of gesture that effortlessly lifts the corners of my mouth into an unexpected smile. Thanks again, Steve!

This was a surprise, to be sure, but it's not the biggest surprise I've ever received. That honor would go to the thing that, no matter how I'm feeling, always warms my heart.

My Green Lantern plush doll.

To explain: my good friends Brandon & Christina have two wonderful daughters, for whom I'm "Uncle Jake," which is, of course, ridiculously cool in and of itself. Last Christmas, after I gave the kids their presents, the oldest daughter, Karina (she's 5), walked up to me and said, "Uncle Jake? Daddy said Green Lantern's your faaaaavorite, right?" She accentuated the long "a" in that endearing way that only children can. To which I responded, "Yep, that's right."

(Brief note: for those of you who would have thought Batman, I'm happy to surprise you.)

Hiding my present behind her back--much like the way I do when I give a gift, instead of wrapping it--she then presented it like a magician and softly said, "Merry Christmas."

And there it was:

If this isn't the sweetest thing ever, I truly don't know what is. I just get deliriously happy every time I look at it.

I know I said it at Christmas-time, but thank you so much, kiddo! And Green Lantern seems to like it up here. After all, he's giving the thumbs-up!

Go out and enjoy the rest of your day, all. Thanks for reading.

Scattershot, redux

While I'm putting together stuff to write, I figure I'll port some of the stuff from my MySpace blog over to this one. With that in mind, here's a recent smattering of topics I was either too tired, too lazy, or too sick to expand into individual entries.

First off, I wonder who would have commissioned this: http://atomictiki.blogspot.com/2008/03/weed-of-crime-bears-bitter-fruit.html. If comics float your boat, I’d advise you to go out and find Steve Bryant's Athena Voltaire books from Ape Entertainment. They’re about a brunette tommy-gun-wielding aviatrix who fights Nazis and monsters over magic. I swear, it’s like he did those books JUST FOR ME. Thanks, Steve! You’re the best, man.

Think of all the money you’d save by switching to thievery.

New slogan for American Airlines: We know why you fly. We just don’t care.

Battlestar Galactica (that’s the new version, kids) is officially the greatest television show ever produced. If you haven’t watched it yet, I really don’t know what the hell you’re waiting for.

I really, really need to learn how to play the piano.

Other people’s memory never fails both to amaze and to disappoint.

I already have too much to read, so what do I do? Subscribe to a bunch of magazines. Clearly, it’s the only logical way to go.

Ever wonder how many people you’ve laid eyes on in your lifetime?

Incredibly grateful. That’s the phrase I would use to describe my feelings toward the people who put out those grindhouse trailer discs. 2+ hours of trailers, each of them so much longer than they should be, which works so well for me. Since they’re so long (some of them are 5 minutes, people!), I feel like I’ve seen the movies themselves. Thus, I don’t have to watch any of those shitty films, and I gotta tell you how, well, incredibly grateful that makes me.

Go out and read these: Exit Wounds by Rutu Modan, and The Question by Denny O’Neil & Denys Cowan. And thank me at your earliest convenience.

For my money, when he's pulling double duty on script and art, Matt Wagner is the modern-day master of comic storytelling.

I wonder how many people I know would be willing to give me an honest, forthright answer to the following question: what’s the most important lie you tell yourself?

Patton Oswalt is right. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is the best movie title ever. (And chainsaw is two words in the original title, kids. Check the film if you don’t believe me.)

On the subject of titles, I don’t care what anyone says…Quantum of Solace is a fantastic title for the next Bond film.

Alright, that’s about all I’ve got. The only other thing I wanted to mention is more serious, more solemn. Director Jules Dassin died this week. As I’ve said to others, his death wasn’t unexpected, but it’s still a damn shame. This was a guy I really admired, and anything I could write about him would seem paltry, save this:

He made my favorite film of all time, Rififi, which is my idea of perfect filmmaking. And he didn’t name names, which is my idea of perfect character.

Okay, time to get a few other things done before my WI Film Fest screenings this evening, not to mention it's t-minus 7 hours 44 minutes until I completely nerd out over BSG's season premiere.

Read: The Tenth Circle, by Jodi Picoult
Watch: Rififi (dir. Jules Dassin, 1955)
Listen to: Eveningland, by Hem