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I Saw Ron Frenz Receive an Award...

Published

on June 11, 2009

. 1 Comment

... from Tom DeFalco last weekend. I was a volunteer at the Pittsburgh ToonSeum's annual fundraiser, KA-BLAM. Amazingly, when I agreed to help out, I had no idea this Nemo Award was going to be given out. From the looks of it, it caught Ron by surprise as well.

I was roped into helping via Wayne Wise, my friend and comics mentor from Phantom of the Attic Comics in Oakland (make sure to be at Phantom @ 12PM on June 14th for an awesome podcast experience!!!). By roped, I mean recommended. And by helping, I mean sitting behind a table and reading comics while occasionally selling a few art prints. It was a fun night, especially after I received some company in the form of the Comic Book Pitt.

The strangest thing about the fundraiser was the crowd. It was a bizarre mix of indie artist types (from Pittsburgh's Dr. Sketchy's, mainly), comic book creators and/or fans (like myself), and well-dressed (seemingly) rich people (who I assume are frequent patrons of the arts). Oh, and I almost forgot about the cougars. That's right. Hot, sexy, mature women in their 40s and 50s walking around in tiny tight dresses. It was surreal to see them mixed in with everyone else.

The arts patrons were an odd mix unto themselves. There were young couples that looked like they should be going out to the clubs in the Strip, and there were older couples that looked like they should be attending a lecture at the Carnegie Museum. The indie artists and the comic book people? I expected them. But the rest of the crowd caught me off guard.

Seeing Ron get the award was by far the highlight of the night. Of all working artists in comics today, he certainly deserves it. Apparently this was his first award, too. That's criminal.

The runner-up highlight? Sitting down to sell prints and noticing a stack of old Iron Man comics at the table to my left. I was wearing my War Machine t-shirt, and I coincidentally snagged Iron Man #269-272, where a drunk Tony Stark's behavior first forces Rhodey to put on the Iron Man armor. AWESOME!

Sadly, none of the other attendees noticed the confluence of shirt and reading material that I had going on. They were too busy clapping for Ron Frenz and Tom DeFalco... and, of course, ogling the cougars.

Iron Man #256 Is...

Published

nick marino

on June 4, 2009

in Comics

. 0 Comments

... an interesting collaboration between Bob Layton and John Romita, Jr.

This 1990 issue falls at the end of Bob Layton's second lengthy run on the title (David Michelinie is, sadly, not involved with this one). And, if I'm not mistaken, this issue marks JRjr's first work on the Iron Man series. So it's like a passing of the torch in a creative respect, since JRjr will go on to draw Armor Wars II as written by John Byrne.

And speaking of Romita, Jr., he's in top form here. The guy has had many different qualities to his style over the years, and I think that Iron Man #256 catches him at one of his peaks. In particular, his faces reach an artistic pinnacle here, finding a balance between his previous work on Uncanny X-Men and his later work on Spider-Man. Rhodey looks especially excellent. In fact, I think JRjr's Rhodey is my favorite visual depiction of the character (out of costume, of course).

As for story in this issue, Tony Stark ventures out to his nearly decimated orbiting space station to attempt a little bit of cleanup. Max Cauwfield of Cauwfield Chemical has designed a way for Tony to fix up the damage that AIM did to the space station earlier in the series, and Tony jumps at the chance to get his station functioning again.

And when I say earlier in the series, I mean 40 issues previous to this tale. That's one slow burn plot element! However long it took to cook to the surface, though, it's gratifying to see a character revisit an old plot element and make good on the dangling plot threads from years before.

Of course, things don't go to plan and Iron Man's journey out to the fringes of Earth's orbit make for a fascinating and introspective solo jaunt. I truly enjoyed the storytelling here, almost as much as I enjoyed Len Kaminski's run on the title.

Speaking of Kaminski, he too will revive the space station plot element at a later date, pitting Shellhead against the Technovore supervillain in Iron Man #294-295. The Technovore is mad science gone wrong, as Cauwfield's organization was performing dangerous experiments in Tony's oribital station and things got a bit out of hand and then there was an accident and... well, let's just say that Technovore is a classic Len Kaminski technology monster and leave it at that.

Point is, Iron Man #256 is sort of like the midway point in a trilogy of spread out tales, ranging from the fight with AIM in Iron Man #215 to this "clean up" in #256 to the eventual battle against Technovore in #294. This excellent story is allow to gestate and build in the background of Tony Stark's life over the course of no less than 80 issues. In my mind, that's an awesome achievement.

Batman and Robin #1...

Published

nick marino

on June 4, 2009

in Comics

. 1 Comment

... was pretty good.

It's always nice to see Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely working together. I've been reading Flex Mentallo slowly over the past few weeks, and it's great to contrast that collaboration with this new effort.

Interestingly, the art in this comic feels very contained in some places. Certain panels almost make me feel claustrophobic at times. Still, I think this compressed type of art induces the desired effect when Quitely shifts to a splash page or a spread, so in that sense, it's very successful.

I'd like to see a bit more of Dick Grayson's lighthearted attitude. It's genuinely fun to get a Caped Crusader that's not full of angst. I'd just like a little bit more of that fun. Granted, it was only 22 pages and we didn't even see one hand-to-hand fight yet, so I'm sure some more of Dick's acrobatics are yet to come. I look forward to those moments.

All in all, I'm glad I snagged this issue and I look forward to more like it.

There Should Be More Mini Marvels...

Published

nick marino

on May 28, 2009

in Comics

. 2 Comments

... in the back of Marvel Adventures comic books. I'm not just saying that because Chris Giarrusso is a friend of the AudioShocker (or because I have a weird infatuation with Elephant Steve). I want more Mini Marvels because they're fun, exciting, and they make my day better.

Problem is, there are significantly less Mini Marvels coming out these days. This concerns me. If you want to read more Mini Marvels comic strips in your monthly comics (or even in digest form), then you should email adventures@marvel.com and tell them. I did.

P.S. While we're on the topic of Mini Marvels, I should mention that Chris G has a new digest out from Image Comics called G-Man: Learning to Fly.

P.P.S. I love you, Elephant Steve.

There Should Be Less Zombies...

Published

nick marino

on May 28, 2009

in Comics

. 7 Comments

... in comic books nowadays. I mean, seriously, at what point does this zombie saturation become savage oversaturation? It's not like I'm preaching anything revolutionary here. It's just that I'm getting a little bored with zombies.

Frankly, I think it might be a good idea to retire them altogether. Not forever, mind you, but just for a couple years. A little zombie break might be healthy.

Or maybe I don't know what I'm talking about. Maybe zombies should be milked for all they're worth right now. Ring the goddamn undead dry until they don't sell comics anymore! Maybe that's really the way to go. Let them kill themselves like any other good capitalist trend.

P.S. What do I know? I'm guilty too.

There Should Be More Mermen...

Published

nick marino

on May 28, 2009

in Comics

. 2 Comments

... in comic books. That's one type of mythological creature / monster that never seems to get any comic book exposure.

I think I've only seen a merman in a comic once. An issue of Peter David's Aquaman, I think. Obviously it wasn't THAT memorable, a clear sign that we need more mermen in comics in general.

Now I'm not saying we shouldn't have more mermaids. I just don't think the need is as great as the need for mermen. Mermaids traditionally have a much higher profile than their male counterparts. We should still have more of them too. Just not at the expense of the mermen.

Where could the mermen show up? Obviously, in any superhero title dealing with the seas. But Aquaman and Namor don't have solo series right now, so that makes it a bit tougher. But anywhere really. I'm not picky.

Some merman fight scenes could fit nicely into any comic. Maybe New Avengers? Or possibly in JLA? Anywhere is fine with me.

P.S. What if Wolverine teamed up with a badass, cigar-smoking merman who carries a machine gun? That could be sweet.

Iron Man by Len Kaminski - Best Kept Secret in Superhero Comics?

Published

nick marino

on May 21, 2009

in Comics

. 2 Comments

In the 20 plus years I've actively been reading comic books, I never remember hearing anyone recommend Len Kaminski's giant-sized run on Iron Man. Granted, at the time of his work, I was still a kid. But I was a kid that read a lot of comic books! And since I've grown into a man (a quite sexy one, at that), I've still never heard a word-of-mouth peep about the work of Kaminski on the Armored Avenger.

So let me be the first person that I know of to go on record by saying that Len Kaminski's run on Iron Man is THE SHIT. No, it's not shit… it's THE SHIT. It's smart. It's fun. It's gripping. It's awesome.

And, of course, Kaminski didn't do it alone. Len had some excellent collaborators in the form of Kevin Hopgood and Tom Morgan. With Hopgood, Kaminski co-created the War Machine armor (and, in turn, the superhero War Machine). Not being a huge Shellhead history buff in my early years, I had no idea that Tony Stark originally piloted the War Machine himself (albeit for only a few issues) previous to Jim Rhodes. (Tony's War Machine was different, though, and by the time Rhodey stepped into the suit, it had upgraded.)

With Tom Morgan, Kaminski closed out his amazing run of Iron Man tales, attempting some rather ambitious storylines including an early adventure (literally) on the Internet and a "fantastic voyage" into Captain America's bloodstream (via the science of Hank Pym, naturally). Morgan also drew a few fill-in issues during Kev Hopgood's run, mixing well with Hopgood's unique artistic imprint.

So why has this run been overlooked by the fandom haunts I've frequented? Maybe it was the forums of discussion I visited. The message boards at Newsarama and Comic Book Resources tend to be full of high-turnover users who have more to say about the present than the past. At my local comic shop, none of the employees are Iron Man fanatics and none of the customers I know espouse their love for Stark Enterprises.

And then, of course, these comics came out during the 1990s. Before I proceed down this tangent of discussion, let me say that I have nothing against the comics produced during the 1990s. I love them as much as the books from any other decade. BUT many people out there – whether they've actually read comics from the last decade of the 20th century or not – bring a heap of preconceived notions to the table when discussing comics produced during the 1990s. It's generally accepted as a low period when savage success for the medium transitioned into savage decline.

While those assumptions of the 1990s hold some weight in the realm of comic book marketing and business practices, most preconceived notions about the superhero comic book content of that era are flat out wrong. True, books back then often tried to up the "gritty" quotient following Watchmen, Born Again, and The Dark Knight Returns. But many cosmic comics of that time had more colors and insane concepts than ever before (and anything since!), while attempts to explore the explosion of information technology yielded some interesting results.

The latter was where Len Kaminski shined on Iron Man. His explorations into the notions of technology in a recently information-rich business world are fascinating. Modern business vs. the demands of modern technology is a constant theme throughout Kaminski's work. And who in superhero comic books is equipped to better deal with that relationship than Tony Stark? None, of course.

I could go on for countless paragraphs about the interesting themes explored within the pages of Iron Man #278-280. I could probably write a fucking dissertation exploring the dialectical relationship between Tony Stark's human frailties and his adventures to the very boundaries of known technology only using examples from Kaminski's work. I could even accuse Google of ripping off Len Kaminski's restructuring of Stark Enterprises in Iron Man #306.

But instead of continuing endlessly in shameless praise, I'll settle for a HUGE "Thank You" to Len for his awesome work on Iron Man. Another GIANT "Thanks" goes to Kev Hopgood and Tom Morgan for the excellent imagery (along with the letters by Phil Felix and the colors by Ariane... and of course, Nel Yomtov, who edited the whole damn thing).

In closing, I'd like to extend a personal plea to all superhero comic book fans out there to go back and dig up Iron Man #278-318. Hell, you can even just start with #280 if you want (since #278-279 are Galactic Storm crossover issues). Most importantly, I challenge the tastemakers who evangelize about superhero comics on a regular basis to read Len Kaminski's run on Iron Man and see if you can restrain yourself from praising these comics up and down. I bet you can't do it.

P.S. With that said, I'd LOVE to see Marvel reunite Len Kaminski and Kevin Hopgood in time for the debut of Iron Man 2 in 2010. If we're going to see War Machine in action in that movie, I think it's only fair to bring his creators back to the Iron Man comic books, if only for a short miniseries akin to David Michelinie and Bob Layton's Legacy of Doom mini (which came out around the time of the first Iron Man flick).

How Do I Get My Letter Published in the Back of a Comic Book?

Published

nick marino

on May 14, 2009

in Comics

. 0 Comments

Letter pages were once found in the back of every comic book on the stands. Though lettercols have largely disappeared, publishing trends in comics are cyclical - what's out-of-fashion today could easily be the new retro trend tomorrow.

In anticipation of the impending return of the classic comic book letter column, I present to you a time-tested template that's sure to get your letter printed in the back of your favorite series.

Dear [SEMI-WITTY LETTERS PAGE TITLE],

I've been reading comics for over [OUTRAGEOUS NUMBER] of years, and this is the very first time I've ever written a letter. After I read [COMIC BOOK TITLE AND NUMBER], I couldn't believe it! How could you do that to [CHARACTER THAT RECENTLY DIED, LEFT THE BOOK, OR EXPERIENCED A MAJOR CHANGE]? He/she was my favorite and I just don't know if I'll be able to keep reading [COMIC BOOK TITLE] anymore.

Still, I have to commend [WRITER'S FULL NAME] on an incredible story. Even though I'll be fuming about what happened to [CHARACTER THAT RECENTLY DIED, LEFT THE BOOK, OR EXPERIENCED A MAJOR CHANGE] for the rest of my life, I have to admit that the story was amazing. This was [WRITER'S FIRST NAME OR NICKNAME]'s best issue yet!

[ARTIST'S FULL NAME] was wonderful, as always. I also have to take the time to add special praise for [INKER, COLORIST, LETTERER, OR OTHER ARTIST NOT TYPICALLY RECOGNIZED IN FAN LETTERS]. He/she has been turning out the best work of his/her career in [COMIC BOOK TITLE] and this series just wouldn't be the same without him/her.

Also, I noticed a mistake on page [ANY NUMBER FROM 1 TO 22], when [CHARACTER NAME] said, "[SHORT ARBITRARY PHRASE]." I think he/she really meant to say, "[ERRONEOUS REPLACEMENT FOR SHORT ARBITRARY PHRASE]." I hope you'll fix this mistake in the collected edition!

Well, I should wrap this up before I ramble on for too long. I'm still mad about what you did to [CHARACTER THAT RECENTLY DIED, LEFT THE BOOK, OR EXPERIENCED A MAJOR CHANGE], but I guess I'll have to be back next month to find out if [WRITER'S FULL NAME] can top his/her job in [NEXT ISSUE'S NUMBER]!

Sincerely,
[NAME]

P.S. Is it true that [MAIN CHARACTER] and [FORMER LOVE INTEREST] are really getting back together again? Say it ain't so! I always thought [CURRENT LOVE INTEREST] was a much better match for ol' [MAIN CHARACTER'S ENDEARING NICKNAME], and having [FORMER LOVE INTEREST] around could really mess things up between [MAIN CHARACTER] and [CURRENT LOVE INTEREST]!

For bonus points, make sure to withhold your address or use a fake international name and location.

My Comic Book Fanifesto

Published

nick marino

on May 7, 2009

in Comics

. 7 Comments

I'm no saint. I've done some really stupid fan-related things in my past, especially on the Internet. But I strive to be better.

That's why I've created My Comic Book Fanifesto (get it??? It's like a manifesto but I switched the "m" for an "f"!!!). These are rules to help me be the best comic book fan that I can be, on the interwebs and beyond.

I will stop whining. I will spend less time complaining about the business and marketing plans of comic book publishers, and I will spend more time sharing the comics I enjoy. I will not personally criticize any comic book professional unless the situation is a personal issue. In that case, I will keep my communications as polite and respectable as possible, avoiding undue or unrelated attacks in public.

I will vote with my wallet. I will no longer buy comics and then complain about them month after month. If I don't like something or I would like to see less of its kind, I will not buy it. I will not pay for books I do not like. First and foremost, I will let companies know what I want through my purchasing habits.

I will support comics I like. If I like a comic book and want to see more like it, then I will buy it. I will not download it illegally. I will not talk about how great it is yet fail to read it regularly, in single issues OR in collections. And I will make sure to tell other people how good the comic is whenever I get the chance.

I will not harp on comics I don't like. If there's a comic book I don't enjoy, I will simply say "it's not for me" and move on. I will not make it my life's mission to attack the comic. I will not actively seek to criticize its creators on a personal basis. I will simply not buy it and I will let it be at that.

I will not be ashamed to let people know that I read comic books. I will read them in public. I will give comics to friends and friends of friends. I will speak intelligently about comics and respect the intelligence of those who are just learning about comics. I will represent the culture of comic books the best that I can whenever and wherever possible.

There you have it. My Comic Book Fanifesto. If you like what you see, feel free to adopt and/or modify my fanifesto for yourself.

I Want to Read Digital Comics. But Do Digital Comics Want Me to Read Them?

Published

nick marino

on April 23, 2009

in Comics

. 4 Comments

Let's get this straight: I'm talking about comic books. The sort of stories I'm looking for should be at least the length of a single issue, if not the length of an entire graphic novel. In terms of strips, one-pagers, and archives of the previous two formats, the Internet's already got me covered. I want to read full length digital comic books.

So what am I to do for digital long-form comics? Let's do a quick run-thru of the existing formats:

Torrents. I can illegally download comic books to my heart's content. The organization of the content is weird though - things tend to be grouped in either massive decades-spanning archives, an entire year's worth of comics from one publisher, or a single week's worth of output from the entire industry.

DVD Archives. Marvel Comics pioneered this format back in the early 00s. They took about 40 years worth of scans from a single character's catalog, plopped them onto a DVD set, and sold them for an extremely modest price. I've never used these before, but the marketing concept alone sounds solid.

Marvel's Digital Comics Unlimited. Aside from the hilarious DCU name, there's not much that appeals to me about Marvel's current digital purchase option. The interface is essentially the same Flash reader they've been using for the past decade. It resizes the pages to a pixelated fit-to-screen window.

Blogs and Promotional Previews. Just about every comic book publisher has put up entire issues for free on the Internet. This is great to get the flavor of a series. But the purpose of putting an entire issue up on a blog is to drive sales of the printed product.

Now that we've outlined the primary ways to read long-form digital comics, let's take a closer look at each format. First up, we've got torrents. Frankly, I strictly reserve this option for out-of-print collections and other impossible-to-find comics. I feel strongly about buying a comic if I enjoy it. Simply put, torrents are a great option but a bad solution.

The DVD archives are closest thing to a solution, but they still have their flaws. While the format gives the reader ownership of the material, their product selection is highly limited and it's grouped by character. For example, if I wanted to pay $10 for the DVD equivalent of a recent 12-issue run, I simply don't have that option. It's either 40 years of classics or nothing at all.

Marvel's DCU program is inventive - I'll give it that. But it suffers from three problems: 1. Comics must be consumed over the Internet, 2. Their comics reader makes the art look bad and it's hard to navigate, and 3. Marvel's online catalog leaves much to be desired. I like their attempt to take digital comics to a direct consumer level. But their delivery method is far from perfect.

As for blogs and promos? Well, the answer is pretty easy: it's a great marketing tool but not good if you want more online content than a single issue. While this method of distribution may slowly become the online standard in a modified way, as it exists right now, it only works for advertising.

And all this goes without even mentioning the biggest obstacle to reading and enjoying digital comics: there's no satisfying portable product to read them on!

Yeah, you can carry around a regular laptop. But that comes with its own inherent hassles. There was a time when I flirted with the notion of buying a touch-screen tablet laptop for digital comics. The aspect ratio is perfect for the single-page size. But at the time, I was getting paid to review comic books on a weekly basis using the low-quality PDFs that Marvel, DC, and other publishers send out to online reviewers. When I stopped doing those weekly reviews, my need for the tablet computer ceased.

I've heard talk of reading comics on other portable digital devices. However, the one thing that seems to be lacking from all of these non-laptop solutions is size. They're just too damn small. They might be great for webcomics and similar strips that can be read one panel at a time. But that just won't cut it for a full-sized comic book page. Like I told Neal the other night, you can't expect digital comics to have a decent distribution method until there's a decent device to read them on.

It's not like we don't have the technology to make an awesome digital comics reader. We definitely do. And I know that selling images is difficult without massive piracy, but I'm sure it can be done effectively. I know it can. But, yet, here I am, desiring digital comic books but completely dissatisfied with all the available options.