Category: Comic books

Comic-Con founder Sheldon Dorf dies

Well, I'm very sad to hear that Comic-Con founder Sheldon Dorf has died. He was 76 and had been suffering from diabetes.

According to the Associated Press, he started the show in 1970 after moving there from Detroit.

He was also a freelance artist and letterer.

As the attendee of a few Comic-Cons, I can say he started a great thing, and I'm sure he'll be greatly missed in the comics community.

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Category: Comic books

Pick up 'Beasts of Burden'

"Beasts of Burden" by Evan Dorkin and Jill Thompson (Dark Horse Comics) -- Something evil is lurking around the seemingly idyllic town of Burden Hill, and it's up to the Society to stop it.

The Society isn't your typical group of wizard and witches, though they are the types that can move around unnoticed and sense things outside the realm of normal human experience. They aren't even human.

They're a pack of dogs and a orphaned cat who've taken it upon themselves to unburden Burden Hill from its rash of nefarious paranormal activity.

Issue No. 2 of the four-issue miniseries came out last week, just in time for Halloween, and this is definitely one horror comic that shouldn't be missed.

These aren't Disney dogs, by any means, so don't pick it up for your little ones. But if you're looking for something beyond your typical slasher/gore fest, "Beasts of Burden" will give you something to shiver about.

It starts with Dorkin's script. He's put together an odd pack of animals, making them relatably human but not forgetting they're dogs -- and mostly neighborhood pets, at that. The dichotomy is good for some levity throughout the series, and he strikes a good balance between humor and drama.

The original story started out with the summoning of the Wise Dog, a leader in the Society, called to Burden Hill to help exorcise a ghost haunting a dog house. From there, things get weirder, with a coven of witches (and their black cats), undead dogs and a giant, man-eating frog. Something's afoot, and the Wise Dog enlists the help of these hounds to make things right again -- for themselves and for their people.

Dokin ("Milk and Cheese") is a fine artist in his own right, but here he's assisted by the brilliant painted artwork of Jill Thompson, best known these days for "Scary Godmother" and "Magic Trixie," both wonderful Halloween treats for the family. The expressions she gives her dogs are priceless. And the last page of issue 2 is a real tearjerker. And while she doesn't shy away from the gorier side the supernatural, she doesn't get gratuitous with it.

"Beasts of Burden" started out as part of a few Dark Horse horror anthologies. The company has been kind enough to post those stories for free at its Web site. Take a peek and then pick up the new issues while you still have a ghost of a chance. GRADE: A-

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Category: Comic books

It's Disney mania at comic stores

Disney days continue over at Boom! Studios as the company has recently been rolling out stories featuring classic Disney characters, not just the Pixar stories.

"Walt Disney's Comics and Stories" No. 699, "Mickey Mouse and Friends" No. 296 and this week's "Uncle Scrooge" No. 384 continue a decades-long tradition of classic Disney comics.

In this case, the comics were originally produced in Italy and are being translated for Boom!, but there's no culture gap here. The characters are just like the should be, proving the universality of Walt Disney's great creations. All are fun reads with great art and are a nifty way to share a love of comics with kids. Let's take a quick look:

"Walt Disney's Comics and Stories" No. 699 tells the beginning of a superhero adventure. Mickey's hanging out with his futuristic friend Eega Beeva, who must summon together a band of superheroes to save Scrooge McDuck and prevent an evil genius from taking over the world using technology Eega has hidden around the world for safekeeping (oops).

Fans with long memories will remember characters like the Duck Avenger and Super Goof, but this comic adds more. Daisy, Gladstone Gander and others don uniforms and meet, not knowing each other's secret identities. In fact, Donald had to cancel his date with Daisy, only to become bitter rivals as unknowing superheroes.

The issue is all set-up, but the big companies could learn a thing or two about pacing and plotting from this book when introducing new superteams.

"Mickey Mouse and Friends" No. 296 makes the setting more magical. This time, Mickey's a sorcerer's apprentice, though to a different sorcerer this time around. His village is facing a drought, and there's a magical item, the Diamagic, that could help, but Master Nereus is holding off for the right time. He has to leave town for a bit and puts Mickey in charge of guarding the Diamagic.

But then Peg-Leg Pete comes to town and goads Mickey into using the Diamagic, which almost destroys the town, then steals it. Mickey heads after him to get it back and winds up teaming with magical versions of Goofy and Donald to enter a big wizarding contest with a prize of more Diamagics.

"Uncle Scrooge" No. 384 takes Scrooge, Donald and the nephews to Germany, where Scrooge has purchased a supposedly haunted castle in hopes of finding its hidden treasure. He's followed there by one of his old enemies, Magica de Spell, who wants Scrooge's No. 1 Dime.

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Category: Comic books

Meet 'The Good Neighbors'

"The Good Neighbors" by Holly Black and Ted Naifeh (Scholastic) -- Scholastic's Grafix imprint has lots of fun titles for the younger set (see my reviews of "Knights of the Lunch Table" and "Amulet"), but "The Good Neighbors," with its moody art and more mature themes, is definitely for older readers.

That's a good thing, because the leeway gives Black ("The Spiderwick Chronicles") the chance to weave a spookier tale.

The second book in the trilogy, "Kith," comes out this month, and the first book, "Kin," is out as a trade paperback.

It's the story of Rue Silver, a teen girl whose mother has disappeared. As she starts seeing strange-looking people wandering around town, her professor father is charged with murdering a student.

He didn't do it, of course, but in the process of clearing his name, Rue makes a startling discovery: Her mother's a faerie, which means she's not all human. And the people she's been seeing around town are faeries. And as she deals with the crossover between worlds, she learns her place in it. The faeries' leader, Aubrey, Rue's maternal grandfather, has nasty plans for the city.

While "TGN" is certainly an interesting story, it's obvious this is her first stab at graphic novel storytelling. The flow is choppy, and every so often it feels like a couple pages are missing because the characters make leaps of logic or circumstance that aren't backed up for the reader. At one point, for instance, Rue talks about the faerie Birch as if they're friends, but until that point, they'd only been shown meeting once, and they never exchanged names. It took a moment to know who Rue was talking about it. I wish artist Ted Naifeh (a personal favorite for his "Courtney Crumrin" and "Polly and the Pirates" series, which he wrote and drew) had offered a few pointers as he set down to illustrate the scripts.

For his part, Naifeh does a nice job, though it would have looked even better in color. The images are appropriately atmospheric as it appears nature is taking over the city. His human characters, drawn in a more realistic style than his more cartoony works, are rough and distinct. His faeries seem to have a Charles Vess influence, though more goth.

Rue hangs out with three good friends. Two of them, including her boyfriend, are in a band. This is no "Scooby-Doo" style mystery, though. They've got their own issues to deal with, and they're far from just being a group of meddling kids.

Despite the choppy narrative, author Black still knows how to grab you. Her characters aren't all stock portrayals, and she builds a real sense of foreboding as Rue pieces the details of her new life, and her grandfather's plans, together.

And "Kith" gets bonus points for not just reading like a bridge book. Important stuff happens, and it doesn't read like merely a set-up for the final battle coming up. GRADE: B-

Newsarama has good interviews with Holly Black and Ted Naifeh. It turns out Black considers this series to be taking place in the same world as her "Modern Fareie Tales" series.

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Category: Comic books

'Knights,' 'Amulet' make great end-of-summer reading

Scholastic has two new sequel books out that are just as fun or exciting as the first issues.

Frank Cammuso's "Knights of the Lunch Table" is on its way to becoming a series of stand-alone adventures of Artie King and his friends at Camelot Middle School. Yes, this is a new spin on the Arthurian legend. His best friends are Wayne, Percy and Gwen, and his science teacher is Mr. Merlyn. He has a magic locker that aids his quests, and he gets cryptic advice from the three lunch ladies.

In the second book, "The Dragon Players," it's Dragon Day at the school, and Artie and his friends must build a robot for the big Dragon Duel against the school bullies, aka the Horde.

It's all great fun, told with Cammuso's light touch in art and words. He has a colorful, cartoony style that's just begging to be animated. And the story is light and breezy, imparting a moral lesson without being too obvious about it. His characters are a great mix, from the young, heroic Artie, to the encouraging Mr. Merlyn to the frightening principal, Mrs. Dagger.

Kazu Kibuishi has created a stunning, imaginative world for his "Amulet" series. He's taken the fairly standard reluctant hero story and created something magical.

In book 2, "The Stonekeeper's Curse," young Emily and her brother, Navin, continue to search for a cure for their poisoned mother while evading some nasty elves. They meet up with a resistance movement, and the fox-like Leon helps her tap into the powers of the mysterious stone she inherited from her great-grandfather and teaches her about her destiny.

Like many kids in these kinds of stories, she resists the power and her fate but comes around when it really matters.

What makes "Amulet" special is the details. The visual style is beautifully fluid, with smooth lines for the characters and a lush, painted look for the backgrounds. And Emily is surrounded by an interesting mix of critters both natural and handmade by her great-grandfather. Among the latter is the tenacious rabbit Miskit. They travel through their magical world in a robot house.

Unlike the stand-alone "Knights of the Lunch Table," "Amulet" is a serial. Kibuishi has said he expects to write five books to complete the story.

Both are worthy additions to any young reader's library.

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Category: Comic books

Get the chills with 'Poe'

Fans of comics with a more literary bent may get a kick out of Boom! Studios' "Poe." With two issues out, it's turning into quite the little mystery.

This is a comic book, though, so don't expect your standard storytelling. In writer J. Barton Mitchell's world, famed author and madman Edgar Allan Poe not only writes about dead people. After the death of his wife, Virgini, he can see them.

William, his brother in the police force, has come to pick him up from a mental institution that wants him gone for disturbing the other patients. But he's called into a mystery as they head home, and Poe's insight as a detective and something of a mystic comes in very handy.

This isn't the first time Poe has starred in a comic. A friend once got me interested in a book several years ago also called, simply, "Poe." http://www.comics.org/details.lasso?id=94366 It was by James Asala and involved Edgar traveling around looking for Lenore. It was a little bit dark and a little bit funny.

There was also the recent "The Surreal Adventures of Edgar Allan Poo."

But this title takes things pretty seriously and is off to a good start. The art by Dean Kotz is appropriately moody and a bit rough. But it works.

Mitchell also knows his Poe, at least better than I do, and tosses in various references along the way. I'm sure I've missed a couple. Poe's work is known for his mystical qualities, and this follows well in its footsteps while taking it a bit more on a historical fantasy path.

I'm growing less enamored of the company's "Farscape" books. It's not the writing. Creator Rockne S. O'Bannon has been doing a pretty good job so far. And it's been great to see Zhaan back in the latest miniseries.

But the art has been atrocious. The first issues have been nice to suck us in, and then subsequent books generally look terrible. An ongoing "Farscape" is scheduled to begin in November. I hope they find a good, regular artist.

To end on a positive note, I really got a kick out of the first issues of "Monsters, Inc." and "The World of Cars: Radiator Springs." The art is sweet, and they catch the spirit of the films well. More hits from the Disney line.

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Category: Comic books

'TOON Treasury' shows Golden Age of kid comics

I love all-ages comics.

But "The TOON Treasury of Classic Children's Comics" isn't just full of all-ages comics -- it's for the ages.

Editors Art Spiegelman (the Pulitzer Prize-winning "Maus") and Francoise Mouly ("Raw") have dug back into the Golden Age of comics, as far as 1939, to bring together some of the best (and weirdest, they're first to admit), in comics for kids, including such recognizable characters as Scrooge McDuck, Sugar & Spike, Little Lulu, Archie and Dennis the Menace.

It's a huge, stunning volume, heavy with wit, humor, spunk and a bit of a dark side that's sometimes missing from today's more sanitized tales. Like the best of the original fairy tales, things may get a little grim (A cat goes into a bar! Funny animals smoke!), but kids often can handle more than what we give them credit for.

The book is divided into five sections: "Hey, Kids," stories about kids for kids; "Funny Animals," self-explanatory; "Fantasyland," fairy tales and other fantastical stories; "Storytime," simple fables; and "Weird and Wacky," another that's self-explanatory. Each has a dozen or so stories by creators who were at the top of their game: Carl Barks, Sheldon Mayer and Walt Kelly, to name a few more recognizable names.

This collection isn't about the names, though, it's all about the comics. Spiegelman and Mouly provide a thoughtful and thorough introduction that introduces those names and puts them in context. For many publishers back in the day, creating these stories was a matter of survival in a time when many comics were reviled for their sex and gore factors.

You won't find that here, though. This tome is a safe haven. Unca Scrooge takes Donald and Huey, Dewey and Louie to the mystical land of Tralla La to escape from his greed, Intellectual Amos goes on a tour of an ant hill with his goblin friend Wilbur, Little Lulu gets even with the neighborhood boys, Frankenstein takes a music lesson from the ghost of Beethoven, Captain Marvel visits a world of surrealism, and Burp the Twerp, well, acts weird.

The comics are definitely a product of their times -- not nearly as frenetic as today's work and lacking in the girl department. But at least the editors avoided stories that would have showcased the worst in ethnic and racial stereotypes of the day.

They're a true treasure for "kids of all ages."

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Category: Comic books

'Magic Trixie' is fun for all ages

I'm a big fan of all-ages comics. And I'm an even bigger fan of writer/artist Jill Thompson ("Scary Godmother," "The Little Endless Storybook"). So this has been a great year for me as I've discovered three books in her delightful all-ages series from HarperCollins: "Magic Trixie."

The latest book, "Magic Trixie and the Dragon," came out in July and it's got everything I've come to love in Thompson's work: spooky puns, pop culture riffs, good-natured humor, heart and bright, fantastic art.

For fans of Thompson's "Scary Godmother" series of comics, hardcovers and DVDs (I highly recommend them all), it's easy to imagine Magic Trixie as a younger version of the signature character, but that's probably not fair to our new heroine.

Magic Trixie is a little witch girl who lives with her extended family above the cafe they run. Her best friends at school are a pair of vampire twins, a mummy, a werewolf and a Frankenstein-type monster. She's also got a pet black cat, Scratches. They get into the usual mischief elementary-schoolers get into, but with a magical twist.

In "Magic Trixie and the Dragon," she visits a circus and decides she wants a pet dragon. Easier said than done, but Trixie manages when a spell goes awry and her baby sister suddenly has scales and a tail.

Jill Thompson also writes a blog from Magic Trixie's perspective, but it's infrequently updated. It is a good introduction to the characters, though.

It's great to see the major publishers getting into the graphic novel market. They've got the clout to really make a difference and highlight some terrific books. Scholastic, especially, has jumped whole-heartedly into the field, and they've got some terrific stuff coming up this fall that I'll be reviewing later.

For the moment, run out and grab "Magic Trixie." It's a great pre-Halloween treat for grownups and youngsters.

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Category: Comic books

Getting my 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' fix

There are few things in this world that inspire me to geekery as well as "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." I've always had a bit of a yen for vampire fiction (yes, I devoured the "Twilight" books like a box of Krispy Kreme doughnuts), and after having discovered Joss Whedon's creation, I suggest he be hailed as the unequivocal king of the genre.

He blessed the world with seven beautiful seasons of "BtVS" from 1997 to 2003. If you happen to be a nonbeliever, please be assured the television show was nothing like the movie. And along those lines, there is some buzz floating around about a new "Buffy" movie from the same producers who brought us Kristy Swanson and Luke Perry fighting vamps back in 1992. Sadly, neither Joss nor any of the TV cast seems to have anything to do with the production, therefore it surely cannot fill the void left for those of us who still pine for Buffy, Willow, Xander and Giles.

There is another solution to the "BtVS" blues, though it took me a while to find. I loved the show and lamented its finale for years before I found out about the glory that is Season 8. No, it's not another fan-fiction category, though post-Season 7 stories do comprise a good chunk of the online fanfic. This is from the brains of the people we trust, Joss and company, and comes to us in a format I've never before explored -- comic books.

Somehow I think this makes my geek status even more solid, but I am having a love affair with the "BtVS" Season 8 comic books. Each book is one piece of a five-part storyline; after each fifth book has had its turn on the racks, Dark Horse Comics binds them together to create a trade paperback. There are four already published, with the fifth due to hit bookstores Sept. 9. We're told to expect eight total trade paperbacks when all's said and done.

All the gang's back in two-dimensional form, even a few you wouldn't expect. We're thrown into the action with a worldwide army of about 500 slayers with General Xander (rocking the eyepatch) at the helm, Buffy as the figurehead and Andrew as a team leader -- yep, Andrew! (Sadly, his character is as of yet almost entirely absentee.) The new ubiquitous Big Bad is an organization called Twilight (ironic?), with some pretty cool tricks up its sleeve and a mysterious, powerful masked mage heading things up. Dawn is continuing to make humorous trouble in her annoying little sister way, as the victim of a spell caused by a sexual experience with some miscellaneous magical being. Her "big problem" comes in handy more than once, but for the most part she's out of the picture. Faith gets some face-time, but with her being the whole "army of one" kinda gal, she's not a soldier in the Scooby army. Giles manages to recruit her for a special assignment -- taking out a renegade slayer who's let the newfound power go to her head. Poor Faith always did have a knack for the dirty jobs.

In the fourth paperback, which was released in mid-May, there's a bit of crossover with another series. "Fray," which Joss produced from 2001-03, follows a slayer in the 23rd century who's the first to be called in hundreds of years. In "Time of Your Life," a dark witch pulls Buffy from her own time, when she meets Fray two centuries into the future and sees a pretty dismal picture. For all her efforts, the world still goes to pot. A couple big surprises in this fourth installment, and one reference to the "Band Candy" episode of the TV series that had me laughing raucously for five solid minutes.

Quick note: The cover art is always beautiful, but don't expect the same style to carry through the inside panels. Enjoy these comics for what they are -- an entertaining way to get your Buffy fix without having to watch old episodes (in my case, for the fourth or fifth time) or taking a gamble on the new film.

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Category: Comic books

Boom's great stuff for kids: 'Muppets' and 'Incredibles'

The comic book publishing company Boom! Studios has been making a name for itself with quirky original titles like "Mr. Stuffins" and "Zombie Tales," but now it's also becoming a dominant player in the field of adaptations.

And some of my favorite comics on my pull list are coming from Boom!: "The Muppet Show" and "The Incredibles."

"The Muppet Show": Roger Langridge's art style takes some getting used to, but there's no doubt he gets the Muppets. Each issue (three so far, with a fourth coming to round out an initial miniseries) has felt just like an episode of the classic show -- without the celebrity guest stars. It even includes musical numbers and encourages imaginative readers to make up the music in their heads while reading the wacky lyrics. And it even includes Statler and Waldorf heckling from their private balcony. As a long-time Muppets fan who's been a bit disappointed in recent attempts to revive the franchise on TV, this has been a pure delight to read. It's colorful, it's strange, it's everything you want the Muppets to be. The third issue was the best so far, but I'm biased. It focused on Gonzo, my favorite character, with an insurance adjuster trying to figure out exactly what he is so the theater's insurance can be updated.

The first issue of a second miniseries, "Muppet Robin Hood," recently hit shelves, but it doesn't have the same spark. Tim Beedle's dialogue, especially the puns, seem forced, and the characters don't quite ring true. Coming soon are "Muppet Peter Pan" and another "Muppet Show" arc from Langridge.

"The Incredibles": Comic near-legend Mark Waid, who also writes Boom's "Irredeemable," is clearly enjoying himself on this Disney/Pixar title. It's a four-part family drama (three issues out so far) in which Mr. Incredible is losing his powers. It's a perfect example of how an all-ages title can work for kids and adults. There's plenty of fun and action for the younger set, but you also feel the poingancy of Mr. Incredble's sense of loss and emmasculation. Marcio Takara's art is a great fit.

Boom! is making the most of its relationships with Disney and Jim Henson Studios. In addition to these titles, there's "Cars" and "Toy Story" on the Disney end (with "Finding Nemo" coming up shortly). And later this year, Boom! is taking over flagship Disney titles "Walt Disney's Comics and Stories" and "Mickey Mouse and Friends."

They've also been publishing "Farscape" titles, some co-written by series creator Rockne S. O'Bannon. I was a "Farscape" fan back in its days on Sci-Fi, and the comics are suffering from the same problem as later episodes of the series. When actress Virginia Hey had to leave the series because of health problems brought on by her character makeup, the loss of her Zhaan was a tremendous blow. She was the show's heart, and it never fully recovered. Hopefully, the comic can bring the character back.

Meanwhile, Newsarama has a story about Archaia's deal with Henson for "Fraggle Rock," "Dark Crystal," "Labyrinth" and "The Storyteller" books. Sweet!