I look forward to San Diego Comic-Con every year, I prepare for it for a very long time, and then suddenly, it’s over in the blink of an eye. I want to thank all of you who stopped by to see me, asked me to sign your pieces, and those of you who bought pieces from me.

San Diego Comic-Con is also a great time to reconnect with my favorite people, whom I only get to see once a year at that show – people like Clydene Nee, the Marines who take such good care of us, Chris Moeller, Scott Hampton, Dave Elliott, Donato Giancola, Stephan Martiniere, Craig Elliott, Bill Reinhold, Tom Baxa, Joe Jusko, Conrad from Disney, Dan Campisi and Jeff Bond at GEEK Monthly magazine, Mike and Liz Kennedy, Clint Borucki of ACME Design, Dr. John Lake and Sumako of BossBid.com, Debbie Lindgren of BlueDominoes.com, Barb Kissel, Rozlyn and Tom, and a cast of hundreds more that I may forget to mention here, but you’re all important to me.

Thank you for supporting my career and my art – many of you for many years – and I look forward to making more great art that we can all enjoy together.

Cheers,
Dave

Et si en fait la Deuxième Guerre mondiale n’était que le champ de manoeuvre des anciens Dieux qui réglaient leur compte par nations interposées ? Et si les Dieux de la Mythologie scandinave avaient décidé de soutenir les nazis ? Et si 6 juin 44 n’avait été qu’une grande défaite obligeant, des années plus tard, quelques résistants alliés à tout tenter pour détruire l’antre d’Odin ?

Tel le point de départ de cet album aussi époustouflant de convainquant… pour ceux qui savent s’enfouir dans un monde complexe, dans un fiction touffue… La densité de l’album peut rebuter mais quelle récompense au-delà des espoirs pour ceux qui acceptent de se frayer un chemin dans cette « uchronie » sombre et inquiétante. Le sous-titre est explicite : « les mangeurs de vie ».

Les angles et les cadrages sont à la hauteur du propos avec des palettes aux ambiances sombres. 

Un grand classique du genre, un “indispensable” comme on dit !

 D-DAY, le jour du Désastre (S : David Brin ; D : Scott Hampton), Les Humanoïdes Associés, juin 2004, 144 pages

Earlier in the week, frequent Burning Leaves commenter and my eerie personality doppelgänger Andi over at Tripping Towards Lucidity posted an incomparable essay on why she reads comic books and graphic novels in her column “The Finicky Reader” at BiblioBuffet. For those of you who peer through opera glasses and swirl glasses of brandy while you read my reviews, oftentimes finding yourself stumped as to why a well-educated young woman who holds a master’s degree in English literature (pronounced lit-ra-chure amongst the opera-glasses-and-brandy crowd) and teaches writing for a living would waste her time reading those silly ol’ comic books of all things – Andi answers all your questions, and she answers them well. So now I don’t have to go through the trouble. Click on the link to her column to go read it.

—————–

Review

Neil Gaiman’s The Books of Magic is an unusual work. While it has a coherant narrative structure, it seems to serve more as a showcase of the various magical characters residing in the DC Universe than Gaiman’s usual ponderous fare. That’s not to say it’s entirely devoid of thought-provoking material – it just comes off as more of a Who’s Who List reminding fans that DC’s repetoire extends beyond superheroes than a labor of love for the fantasy genre.

In a plot echoing A Christmas Carol, four of the universe’s most adept and feared practitioners of magic – The Phantom Stranger, Doctor Occult, Mister E, and the always enjoyable John Constantine – guide mortal child Timothy Hunter through various fantastical realms. They intend to sway his latent powers towards the side of magic rather than science, and Gaiman characteristically incorporates elements from sources originating in all time periods and movements in order to piece together a rich, atmospheric story. To an extent he is successful, but as a whole The Books of Magic seems rushed and somewhat disjointed. Even though Zatanna and Jason Blood are always welcome and interesting characters, having to include so many figures from DC’s roster forces the story to move too quickly and leaves intriguing themes only lightly explored. It is not unreadable by any stretch of the imagination - Gaiman bequeaths John Constantine with brilliantly dry, sarcastic dialogue, and Mister E and Timothy’s excursion to the end of the universe includes some fantastic concepts – but as a whole it is not one of his essential works.

The painterly style of the artwork recalls delicate watercolors and could easily stand on its own separate from the dialogue. It is so beautiful, in fact, that oftentimes it distracted me from reading. Rather than working in tandem with the writing, the artwork diverted attention away from it, which only served to add to the overall sense of unevenness. However, I appreciated that, like the writing, the artists also draw their inspiration from a wide variety of eclectic materials. There were times when I felt like I was watching a fantasy interpretation of a Talking Heads video instead of reading a comic book.

Bibliographic Information

Gaiman, Neil, and John Bolton. The Books of Magic. New York: DC Comics, 1993.

Further Reading

Anyone interested in Gaiman’s ability to amalgamate history, philosophy, mythology, and other sources ought to read his masterful Sandman series. It is a quintessential example of postmodern fantasy, and some of his iconic Endless characters even have cameo appearances in The Books of Magic. Here, Gaiman is given enough space to introduce and flesh out a staggering cast of characters as well as delve deeply into weightier subject matter.

~Riot, who apologizes for the large spans of time between posts as of late. She’s been crazy busy and a touch sick.

David Kendall (ed.) – The Mammoth Book of Zombie Comics (Robinson, 2008)

Cover image: Carlos Kastro
Cover design: Pete Rozycki

Blurb:

The Undead are heading your way – 18 of the greatest zombie comics ever.

You can’t keep a good (or bad) corpse down, and they rise up in spectacular form in this new collection. These days zombies are the rock and roll of horror monsters.

Presenting a mix of voodoo victims, creepy somnambulists, and flesh eating deadheads, This collection brings you the best the graveyard can yield up, including:

Vince Locke’s first ever Deadworld comic, Black Sabbath, in which a little window-shopping turns out to be a big mistake.

Scott Hampton’s awesome adaptation of R. E. Howard’s slice of Southern Gothic, Pigeons From Hell.

Darko Macan’s short E.C.-style shocker The Immortals.

Askold Akishin’s The Haunted Ship, in which shipwreck survivors discover an apparently abandoned vessel.

Steve Niles’ modern twist on the traditional back-for-revenge story, Making Amends.

If it’s dead, moving and hungry, you’ll find it here!

“The mindless, shambling zombies of yesteryear are rapidly being replaced by sprinters and runners with an insatiable appetite for human flesh …. “

Unlike the other Mammoths mentioned in this section, … Zombies doesn’t delve back into pre-code days – presumably any pre-nineteen eighties zombies are now far too mouldy to resurrect! I’ve not had time to study everything at length, but as there’s been much response to the recent Robert E. Howard threads, Pigeons From Hell seemed as good a place as any to dip in, a very dark, claustrophobic strip with no dialogue whatsoever. Artist Scott Hampton remains faithful to REH’s original throughout, but perhaps it helps if you know the story or you might struggle to make sense of what’s going on. It’s early days yet, but so far I’ve been most taken with Buddy Scalara’s epic, Necrotic: Dead Flesh On A Living Body from 2001 which answers that big question i’m sure we’ve all put to ourselves at one time or another: can the walking dead still enjoy a love life and if so, what happens when they get …. carried away?

The Books of Magic
By Neil Gaiman (writer) and John Bolton, Scott Hampton, Charles Vess and Paul Johnson (artists)
Published by DC Comics/Vertigo
Originally released April 1993

Availability: Amazon.com
Cover price: $19.99
Format: Soft cover, color, standard-size
ISBN 1563890828

Synopsis from publisher:
A quartet of fallen mystics dubbed the “Trenchcoat Brigade” is introduced in this first collection of the adventures of Timothy Hunter. John Constanine, the Phantom Stranger, Dr. Occult and Mister E take Hunter on a tour of the magical realms. Along the way he’s introduced to Vertigo’s greatest practitioners of magic and must choose whether or not to join their ranks.

Notes:

This is the first publication reprinting The Books of Magic series of comic books. This publication reprints the original mini-series. All material in this publication was written by Neil Gaiman. Each of the four chapters (issues) is illustrated by a different artist: John Bolton, who also provided the cover for this publication, Scott Hampton, Charles Vess and Paul Johnson. There is also an introduction by Roger Zelazny.

Reprints:

1. The Books of Magic #1 (1990)
2. The Books of Magic #2 (1990)
3. The Books of Magic #3 (1991)
4. The Books of Magic #4 (1991)

Bonus Material:

1. Introduction by Roger Zelazny

Lucifer Vol. 1: Devil in the Gateway
By Mike Carey (writer), Scott Hampton, Chris Weston and Warren Pleece with James Hodgkins, Dean Ormston and Duncan Fegredo (artists)
Published by DC Comics/Vertigo
Originally released June 2001

Availability: Amazon.com
Cover price: $14.95
Format: Soft cover, color, standard-size
ISBN 1563897334

Synopsis from publisher:
From the pages of THE SANDMAN, Lucifer Morningstar, the former Lord of Hell, is unexpectedly called back into action when he receives a mission from Heaven. Given free reign to use any means necessary, Lucifer is promised a prize of his own choosing if he fulfills this holy request. But once he completes his mission, the Prince of Darkness’ demand shakes the foundation of Heaven and Hell. Now as his enemies unite to stop his reemergence, Lucifer gathers his forces as he prepares to launch his new revolution.

Notes:
This publication collects the comic book mini-series The Sandman Presents: Lucifer, and is also the first collection of the comic book series Lucifer. All reprinted material was written by Mike Carey. The Sandman Presents: Lucifer issues #1 to #3 were illustrated by Scott Hampton. Lucifer issues #1 to #3 were illustrated by Chris Weston with additional inking by James Hodgkins. Lucifer #4 was illustrated by Warren Pleece and Dean Ormston. The cover was created by Duncan Fegredo and is an altered version of the covers originally used for issues #2 and #4.

Reprints:

1. The Sandman Presents: Lucifer #1 (1999)
2. The Sandman Presents: Lucifer #2 (1999)
3. The Sandman Presents: Lucifer #3 (1999)
4. Lucifer #1 (2000)
5. Lucifer #2 (2000)
6. Lucifer #3 (2000)
7. Lucifer #4 (2000)

Bonus Material:

1. Foreword by Neil Gaiman

Destiny: A Chronicle of Deaths Foretold
By Alisa Kwitney (writer) and Kent Williams with Michael Zulli, Scott Hampton and Rebecca Guay (artists)
Published by DC Comics/Vertigo
Originally released March 2000

Availability: Amazon.com
Cover price: $14.95
Format: Soft cover, color, standard-size
ISBN 1563895056

Synopsis from publisher:
In this Eisner Award-nominated tale, the world has been decimated by the spread of an antibiotic-resistant strain of the Bubonic Plague. With entire cities deserted and civilization collapsing, an enigmatic stranger arrives at the door of Ruth Knight. Claiming to possess a page from the Book of Destiny that foretells the future, the charismatic nomad tells three centuries-spanning tales of love, betrayal, and horror that reveal Destiny’s and his own role in the Black Plague, the Plague of Justinian, and the Great Plague. Now offered knowledge about the path of this latest deadly epidemic, Ruth must choose between a possible death and a life in which she will know her own destiny.

Notes:
This publication collects the comic book mini-series Destiny: A Chronicle of Deaths Foretold. All reprinted material was written by Alisa Kwitney and painted by Kent Williams. Each issue featured additional artwork by a different artist: Michael Zulli for issue #1, Scott Hampton for issue #2 and Rebecca Guay for issue #3. The cover was created by Kent Williams and is an altered version of the cover originally used for issue #1.

Reprints:

1. Destiny: A Chronicle of Deaths Foretold #1 (1997)
2. Destiny: A Chronicle of Deaths Foretold #2 (1997)
3. Destiny: A Chronicle of Deaths Foretold #3 (1997)

El yelmo del destino

Guión: Steve Gerber, Steve Niles, Bill Willingham, Gail Simone, Tad Williams
Dibujo: Duncan Rouleau, Phil Winslade, Peter Snejbjerg, Shawn Mcmanus, Scott Hampton
Tinta: Peter Snejbjerg, Scott Hampton, Duncan Rouleau, Shawn McManus, Phil Winslade
Color: Chris Chuckry, Lee Loughridge, Mike Atiyeh

Formato: Libro rústica, 128 págs.

La décima era mágica está a punto de empezar… pero necesita a un nuevo campeón. Necesita un nuevo Dr. Destino. De las páginas de 52 llega este especial que se aventura en los rincones más oscuros del Universo DC mientras el talismán místico supremo, El yelmo de destino, busca un nuevo portador. ¿Quién será el sucesor del Dr. Destino? ¿Zauriel, Black Alice, Detective Chimpancé, Sargon, Ibis? Algunos de los mejores autores de hoy día como Steve Niles, Gail Simone, Bill Willingham, Duncan Rouleau, Peter Snejbjerg y muchos más se unen para llevarte por un viaje como ningún otro para encontrar al maestro de la décima era mágica… ¡el Dr. Destino!

Precio: 10,95 €

El yelmo del destino: este cómic es… una estafa. No, no hablo del precio, cinco números (128 páginas) por 10,95 euros no me parece excesivo… Hablo sobre todo de su contenido, porque lo venden como si en el tomo se fuese a descubrir al sucesor del Dr. Fate… Y no es así, vamos, es que ni siquiera se acercan a ello.
Cinco historias distintas en las que, por nombre que no por resultado, destacan mucho más los guionistas que los dibujantes. Como podéis suponer el resultado es muy irregular… tirandoa muy malo.
Empecemos:
- la del mono es divertida, sin más. Tiene un dibujo bastante feo y… mejor no insistir demasiado.
- la de Sargón es mala, sin más. No se salva ni el guión ni el dibujo.
- la de Black Alice es… imposible de clasificar de manera positiva (no entiendo al personaje para nada).
- la de Ibis… ¿ein? Ni idea, si querían presentar a un nuevo personaje (o actualizarlo, lo que queráis)… ¿no sería mejor hacerlo en cualquier otra serie?.
- la de Zauriel… igual que las tres anteriores. Horrible… ¿Un ángel tentado? Qué original…
Así que… horrible. Lo único que se salva es la portada de Bolland… porque el resto es bazofia pura. Así que si sumamos la estafa a la bazofia… ¿compra segura?