How to get me interested in 'Twilight'

via Dave Campbell, from Josh Krach

Suddenly ... WEREWOLF!

Why isn't Chris Samnee's work in more comics? Seriously, somebody tell me.

The Monday Fly: You're going to the party, right?

THE HUMAN FLY

WILL PROBABLY BE
A MUMMY THIS YEAR.

Panel from The Human Fly #1
Bill Mantlo, writer; Lee Elias, artist

Smell my feet

Hoo-boy.

Let me tell you, it ain't easy to get back into the semi-regular posting after a vacation filled with cloudy weather, chowdah and almost no Internet access. And have I mentioned that I visited H.P. Lovecraft's grave? IN THE RAIN?! 'Cause I did.

Aaaaaaanyway, I haven't even really had a chance to catch up on my comic book reading yet ...

(Longish aside: OK, I did read Justice League of America #38 since it was the "jumping on point" with James Robinson taking over the writing and also since I'm a JLA fan from way back, and I was ... unimpressed. I still don't understand DC's insistence on forcing Vixen down reader's throats, and you obviously need to have read other titles to know what the hell's going on. Not exactly reader-friendly. But! I really, really enjoy what Robinson and Greg Rucka have been doing with Superman: World of New Krypton, so I'm going to give it a chance to pull its meandering head out of its stilted ass. That is all.)

... wait. What was I saying? Oh, yeah — I'm still getting caught up on recent comics. I'm also struggling with full-on Halloween fever, so with that in mind here are some tricks 'n' treats for you. I love you, no matter what your mother says.

First, the treat:


Katie Cook is a master of the phenomenally cute illustration, as well as incredibly inventive papercraft. A case in point is this awesome Batman mask (Adam West style, yo) that you can print out and make for yourself! It's pretty great, and you can download the full version — complete with instructions — at her Web site.

And the trick:

I'm not saying it's right, but let's acknowledge for a minute that, once you reach a certain age and temperament, a person might not worry so much about candy as much as wrecking someone else's shit in the name of All Hallow's Eve. I'm not condoning it — VANDALISM IS WRONG — but I won't say I never threw an egg or roll of toilet paper in my day. I may have even spray-painted something on a wall here or there, and I know if the conditions were right I might even be tempted to use this:


Behold the affirmation of all things Fury. Beautiful in its simplicity of image and message, the complete version of this stencil by Joe D! can be found and downloaded in all its flag-wavin', black-ops glory at his site.

Y'know, just in case you run out of candy or something.

And now, a random image of Godzilla with a parasol.

And knowing is half the battle

Just in case you ever find yourself in Providence, R.I., and you happen to find a place with "Comics" in the actual name of the business — IT'S A LIE. Seriously, it's like a Spenser's, a Hot Topic and an FYE had some sort of bizarre three-way and gave birth to this "comic book" store.

If you're looking for CDs, DVDs, posters, tchotchkes, T-shirts, toys, backpacks or magnets for this guy, you'll be in the right place — otherwise, nose around in a lonely corner of the store and you'll be lucky to find a teeny-tiny selection from the week's comics. But probably not the one you're looking for.

And now you know.


I prove things ... with maths!

Image ganked from here (which I'm sure was ripped from somewhere else).

Bending time and space

Beginning tomorrow, I'll be following the sweet siren call of cooler weather and infinite insanity as I take a trip to the wilds of Providence, R.I., home of Nibbles Woodaway and the grave of H.P. Lovecraft. As you might imagine, I can hardly wait!

The laptop will more than likely be making the trip, too, and I'm planning to update as regularly as I can — though that's always a dicey proposition. At the very least you might be treated to completely random photos from the road.

As always, thanks for your patience — see you in the dread airport bar of madness!


Panel from Cthulhu Tales #10
Jeff Lester, writer; Chee, artist

Friday Night Fights: Catching up

I've been absent from the Spacebooger sponsored mayhem known as Friday Night Fights lately, so I've just got one thing to say:



Panel from She-Hulk: Single Green Female, Vol. 1
Dan Slott, writer; Juan Bobillo, artist


Read more Great Caesar's Post here!

Adventures in Sound — Part 11

Panel from The Fury of Firestorm #9
Letterer: Adam Kubert

The Pull List (10-7-09): The house of Strange ideas

Here's the definition of "good times:" My telenovela ended with a wicked-crazy self-immolation, I recently acquired a collection of all four Christopher Reeve Superman movies, today is my 14th wedding anniversary AND it's new comics day!

If someone dressed as Princess Leia brings me pie, I'm gonna keel over with a big, stupid smile on my face.

But before that happens, let's talk comics!


Strange Tales #2 (of 3): I've been pretty picky lately where Marvel comics are concerned, mostly because the all-more-common price bump to $3.99 forces me to be choosier and because I'm not that big a fan of X-titles and crossover events written by Brian Michael Bendis. But while the cover price for Strange Tales is a full buck more, it is worth every penny (and not just because it's thankfully Bendis-free).

Pulling together some of the best writers and artists from indie comics, the Strange Tales anthology series is proving to be a wonderfully self-deprecating and lovingly delivered ode to the Mighty Marvel Manner. Most of the stories poke fun at the inherent silliness of superhero comics, but at the same time hit all the right notes to remind readers that these are the reasons we love the characters in the first place. This title is just fun, and it's nice to see the publisher apparently giving the creators the freedom to pull it off so well.

If you can take your superheroes with a grain of salt, and want to see some great work by writers and artists who aren't usually found in these spandexed circles, check this one out. You can also see a preview of Strange Tales #2 here.



What else is on the list

Batman and Robin #5: Philip Tan's artwork, while fine in other instances, just doesn't seem to fit on this title. It's not enough to take a lot away from Grant Morrison's note-perfect story about the adventures of the new Dynamic Duo, but it's enough to be distracting. I'm looking forward to past Morrison collaborator Cameron Stewart taking over on art with issue #7. Download the preview for issue #5 and see what you think.

Superman: World of New Krypton #8: I like Superman, OK?! And it doesn't hurt that writers James Robinson and Greg Rucka are putting together something that shines a new-but-familiar light on the qualities that make Superman interesting. Every issue advances the plot, gives the reader insight into the characters and ramps up the consequences for Clark by putting him into a steadily more complicated situation, all of which makes me happy. Punching an asteroid is easy, but what do you do when you're put in charge of a super-powered army? Check out a preview here.

Sweet Tooth #2: Weird, slightly menacing and undeniably melancholy, Jeff Lemire's Sweet Tooth is only two issues in and promises to be essential reading, so get to it.

X-Men vs Agents of Atlas: OK, remember what I said earlier about not being into X-Men books? Well, this is an exception. No doubt trying to get readers for the always excellent — but criminally ignored — Agents of Atlas, the regular series is being suspended for this mash-up with the ever-popular band of mutants. In a strange twist, this spray-cheeze and cracker combo is having the opposite affect (in my mind, at least) and making me buy an X-Men book because my beloved Agents are in it and because Jeff Parker's writing it. You win this round, mutants! You can also read a preview and root for the Agents here.


And maybe ...

Daredevil #501: Ed Brubaker's out, but Andy Diggle is in, making it hard to wait for the trade.

A Distant Neighborhood Vol. 1 and The Summit of the Gods Vol. 1: Both of these are by Jiro Taniguchi, and they both look beautiful. The plot of A Distant Neighborhood, while a familiar time-travel trope, still sounds interesting. Check out both at the link.

Doctor Voodoo: Avenger of the Supernatural #1: I'm not gonna lie — this looks kinda awesome. That, or it's going to be terrible. It could really go either way.

Haunt #1: OK, not really — I just wanted an excuse to post McFarlane's Spider-Spawn cover.


Woof!


Waiting for the trade

Criminal: The Sinners #1

Doom Patrol #3

Greek Street #4

Irredeemable #7

Jersey Gods #8

King City #2

The Muppets: Robin Hood (trade paperback)


Waiting for the library

Peter and Max: A Fables Novel (hard cover)

What are you getting this week? And where's my pie?!

The Monday Fly: I don't think la señorita is listening, amigo!

LA MOSCA HUMANA

¡AY, QUE RICO!

Cuadro de The Human Fly #9
Historia, Bill Mantlo; dibujo, Frank Robbins; tinta, Mike Esposito