CR Sunday Magazine

A Mark Siegel Interview, Part One



A series of interviews with First Second creators during the initial weeks of the graphic novel line's six-book debut season begins with the line's driving force, Editorial Director Mark Siegel.

A Short List of Really Good Comics That Have Come Out This Year

Just in case you thought last year was an aberration, the flood continues. Drawing solely on what I can see from my desk:

1. Ganges, Kevin Huizenga
2. Luba: Book of Ofelia, Gilbert Hernandez
3. The Fate of The Artist, Eddie Campbell
4. Sunny Spells, Jean-Jacques Sempe
5. Everything is Complicated, Jean-Jacques Sempe
6. Nothing is Simple, Jean-Jacques Sempe
7. Mixed Messages, Jean-Jacques Sempe
8. Ghost of Hoppers, Jaime Hernandez
9. Billy Hazelnuts, Tony Millionaire
10. Japan As Viewed By 17 Creators, Various
11. Buddha Volume 8, Osamu Tezuka
12. Crickets #1, Sammy Harkham
13. Or Else #4, Kevin Huizenga
14. Frankenstein #2, Grant Morrison and Doug Mahnke
15. Tales Designed to Thrizzle #2, Michael Kupperman
16. Bugbear #1, Drew Weing and Eleanor Davis
17. Maybe Later, Philippe Dupuy and Charles Berberian
18. Showcase: Superman Family, Various

Granted I have one of the better offices to facilitate this kind of an experiment, and Phaidon printed four Sempe books at the same time. Still, that's a nice bunch of comics. And it's not even summer yet.

Happy 64th Birthday, Edmond Baudoin!



Excellence in Blogging

There's a ton of stuff on Pyrrhic Victories I've never even seen, let alone to which I've linked. Also happy second anniversary to Madinkbeard.

Go, Read: Jaime Hernandez in NYT



This should be interesting, as Jaime is one of the most confident and skilled storytellers working in the medium, but in a way that isn't as obviously technically impressive to some as Chris Ware might be. If for some reason you hate the Times, the way things are in the comics corner of the Internet these days makes me imagine there are other places to find this page on-line in its entirety.

You can also probably still find Chris Ware's inaugural run on the Times feature. A complete Chris Ware story is such a rarity, it's interesting that there has been little talk of this latest effort.

Go, Watch: Alison Bechdel Videoblogging

I haven't watched it yet, but I'm told it's process-oriented.

Superhero Covers I Like Episode #243



I like the yellow background. That's a color of yellow you only seem to see on 1950s comic books. I also enjoy the sense of motion you get with Marvel Boy crashing through the thugs, the motion from left to right mirrored by the logo. I like the way Sol Brodsky (that's what comics.org says) stages the thugs being knocked around, in a way that gives you a sense that Marvel Boy is a bit stronger than a normal dude but not overwhelmingly so. I like the way the spaceship, the action and the people down below are drawn at three different depths. In fact, the spaceship is great all by itself because with the lead's costume it adds a note of weirdness in what could otherwise be a pretty standard scene from an adventure comic like Captain Easy. The thing I enjoy most is how the boat and people and wave and caption box serve as a visual walls for the foreground scene on the lower-left half of the cover. Those elements change the eye's direction and provide a subliminal sense of impact, as if that last thug were about to be stuffed in a corner.

Go, Read: Jeff Smith Interviewed By CulturePulp



Jeff Smith drew his answers for the interview you'll find by clicking through the above image. This PR image isn't one of the drawn answers, but it made me laugh so I had to include it here.

Initial Thought of the Day

I've been on the comics Internet for roughly one third of my life.
 
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