Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Comics Out May 23, 2007

MATT FRACTION AND GABRIEL BA'S CASANOVA: LUXURIA, collecting issues 1-7. If you heard me freak out about the original issues, but missed the boat and could not find them, now is your chance to get them all in one of the best-looking collected hardcover editions I have ever seen. It is oversized, but not too oversized; it is a beautiful object in its own right, but it is slim and not so big or nice you feel like you are going to fuck it up just by turning the pages (I am thinking of my Absolute Authority here). Besides the fantastic content, the size and the cover design make you think if French graphic novels, if you have every seen any: The whole book was designed for this book, if you see what I mean -- it was not assembled according to some generic template, as it would have been at Marvel or DC (e.g. the gold-spined Marvel hardcovers such as Phoenix Endsong). It has some noteworthy dedicatory material, as well as three gems for epigraphs to the collection and some interesting back matter by Ba, thumbnails and such. The only thing that is missing is the back matter from the original issues, but that is a little gift I think for people who bought the originals -- Fraction was never, as he said, writing for the trade. Don't let that stop you from getting this book. You can wait for the softcover, which will be out soon, but I say jump in and get this thing if you can afford it. Here I go again: after years and years of reading comic books this is MY FAVORITE COMIC BOOK OF ALL TIME. Tonight I record the Comic Geek Speak appearance with Fraction talking about the book -- I want to talk about the dedication and the epigraphs especially -- and that will be out tomorrow or the next day.

Sean McKeever and Takeshi Miyazawa's Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane vol 3: My Secret Life. I have not gotten around to reading this yet but the earlier volumes are lovely. This is very much the anti-Casanova, all simplicity and heart. I need both in my life. Reading Spider-Man loves Mary Jane makes you a good person, probably, somehow.

Mike Carey and Chris Bachalo's X-Men 199. Bachalo art. Bachalo art is awesome. In particular I like the scritchy effects around Cable -- they look like they were done afterward, just with a marker or something. It is nice to see something that simple, like Graffiti. Plus the story is kinda fun, I guess. Next time this series is on issue 200. The second comic book I ever owned was X-Men 23. How did that happen?

Newsarama has Joss Whedon interviewing Bryan Hitch, which is quite fun (and long), and an interview up with Ed Brubaker. They also have some nonsense about a Mary Jane statue and a promo image of the Joker or Two Face or something from the upcoming Batman movie. I do not want to talk about those last two subjects -- it all looks perfectly horrible -- but you are welcome to.

12 comments:

Mitch said...

So, I guess you'll be taping the Lost season ender, then? Break a leg tonight, man.

Matt Jacobson said...

Somewhat related to Casanova - have you read any of Warren Ellis' Fell? If so, what are your thoughts? I picked up a couple of issues when my comic store was having a sale and thought it was one of the better things I've read from Ellis in quite some time.

brad said...

I'm more excited for this then I am for the eason finally of Lost.

Marc Caputo said...

What was the first comic you had?
Hope the taping went well - looking forward to listening.
And Lost was truly amazing - a perfect ending to a great season (maybe the best of the three) - at this point, it is the greatest show I have ever watched.

Geoff Klock said...

Mitch: oh, no I made sure the interview was set up so I could get off the phone in time for LOST. Turned out the thing wrapped up 20 minutes before LOST started.

UM: I have not read Fell. I am going to need to get it. I had enough Ellis for a while, but now I need to come back.

Brad: thanks man.

Marc: Uncanny X-Men 301. I was sick and my mom bought it at the drug store when she was getting my meds -- she recognized the title from a video game I had been playing on Sega, which I got into because of the Cartoon (which I liked because of some guy in a trenchcoat throwing exploding playing cards).

Lost season 3 was my favorite season, and the finale was my favorite finale. There are no signs anywhere that this is getting stale.

Matt Jacobson said...

Hard to imagine you as a big Gambit fan...

Geoff Klock said...

UM: hey, I was like 13. :)

neilshyminsky said...

Geoff: On the matter of LOST - like the big geek I am, I have spent nearly every waking moment since it finished working through what's happening and what it indicates for the next season. (Going over the episode myself and also in conversation with others.) I'll probably post some thoughts to my blog later tonight - the timing of this episode was bad, because I have a lot to prepare for class - but I thought I'd share my agreement that this is, astoundingly, the high-water mark for the series.

Stephen said...

Don't let that stop you from getting this book. You can wait for the softcover, which will be out soon, but I say jump in and get this thing if you can afford it. Here I go again: after years and years of reading comic books this is MY FAVORITE COMIC BOOK OF ALL TIME.

Okay! I'm convinced! I'm getting it!

...of course there's always the softcover temptation. For me the issue is not quite as black & white as afford/not afford: if I buy hardcovers, then I can ultimately buy fewer other comics. But of course I can make that trade-off. It's all a question of budgeting and priorities.

Ah, choices.

But soft or hard, I'll be getting it.

(I admit I couldn't get into the preview issue that was posted... but then again, I !@#$% hate reading comics onscreen, so I think that might be it. If a tree didn't die, I simply can't enjoy the experience.)

Geoff Klock said...

Neil: thanks, I look forward to reading what you have to say.

Stephen: "But soft or hard, I'll be getting it." Look at how mature I am not making a joke with that sentence.

If you did not like the preview the book may not be for you, and you should think about waiting for the trade. The first issue does the series justice.

neilshyminsky said...

Thanks, Geoff. It's now posted - most of my thoughts are with regard to Lost's ability to (mis)play to audience expectations, how they work with/against the genre, and what the structure of the finale implies about the next 3 years. And, because I couldn't totally resist, I also speculate very briefly about who was in the casket - but I didn't get into all the detective work that helped me arrive at my guess.

Also? I picked up the Casanova hardcover today, largely on your recommendation and on the online issue that you linked to some time ago. I'm traveling for a few hours by bus tomorrow, so I should find plenty of time to dive in.

Geoff Klock said...

Neil: glad to hear you are on the Casanova train.