UNTIL YOUR HEART STOPS v7.1
by Brian Domingos

This is the New Year/And I don’t feel any different…

January 5, 2005

I hope everyone out there escaped the holidays in one piece. My days were stress-free for the most part and I moved into The New Year with my head up, looking for what was next.

More specifically, I spent all day Saturday and a chunk of Sunday was spent at the wedding of my good friends Thomas and Kathleen. I love them like family and it’s nice to see them finally tie the proverbial knot. It’s been years in the making, people, and I’m sure it’s a relief. (Thanks to Brad Searles for the pic.)

The wedding was sweet and the reception was, well, a blur, really. God Bless the Cocktail Hour.

Anyways, it’s a new year and all that. I thought about doing a “Best of 2004” column, but I had reservations. It seems like everyone does one of those. Then, though, I realized that more people say, “Those are stupid. I’m not doing one” so, really, more people probably don’t than do. Dig?

I always find it interesting when people say that the year was a let down or that it didn’t live up to their expectations. I mean, who’s fault is that? The months that pass are only as good as you make them. I think people constantly raise the bar, year after year, and therefore, they’re never happy. I thought ’04 was a pretty good year. I got a sweet job that I actually don’t mind going to everyday. I did some work that I’m proud of and I’m motivated To Do More.

I thought ’04 was a good year for comics, too. HELLBOY was a killer flick, making its way into modern vernacular (as The Amazing Race has gone to show us.) SPIDER-MAN 2 was a blockbuster hit and the video game sold like gangbusters. People fell over themselves to go see THE INCREDIBLES, which is just about the perfect super-movie. That’s not half bad, when you think about it. There were a lot of bad movies this year and some of the best were comic related. That must mean something.

Comics, themselves, weren’t too bad, either. We got Mike Carey and Sonny Liew’s cute and charming MY FAITH IN FRANKIE, as well as Howard Chaykin, David Tischman and David Hahn’s excellent BITE CLUB from Vertigo.

We also saw two collections for each THE LOSERS and Peter Milligan’s new HUMAN TARGET series. These are a pair of Vertigo’s best ongoings, and they are getting a lot of support.

I have to also mention Morrison and Stewart’s SEA GUY which was one of my favorites.

Also, how many years in recent times have given us two collections (18 issues) of STARMAN or a pair of Morrison’s DOOM PATROL books? None that I can think of – that’s pretty damned cool.

Image Central branched out with a pair of collections for Robert Kirkman’s THE WALKING DEAD.

They also took chances with the graphic novella format, giving out monthly doses of self-contained, hard-hitting books.

While they all weren’t perfect, a couple books really stood out. Marc Bryant & Shep Hendrix’s rock ‘n’ roll SHANGRI-LA, Adam Pollina’s unique and gruesome ROMP, Jay Faerber’s neo-noir DODGE’S BULLETS, Dan Berman, Ethen Beavers & Michael Avon Oeming’s otherworldly SIX, and the over-the-top hilarity of Benito Cereno & Graeme MacDonald’s TALES FROM THE BULLY PULPIT, were the best of the bunch.

It was a nice change of pace from the same old, same old rut that most mainstream comics are in. It was nice to see a major publisher taking some risks.

A little further down the list, publishers like Ait/Planet Lar and Oni Press kept me entertained, with new and inventive books like 1000 STEPS TO WORLD DOMINATION, URSULA, HENCH as well as SCANDELOUS and SCOTT PILGRIM.

And of course, Fantegraphics’ Seth-produced COMPLETE PEANUTS books are so, so sweet. I had never read the early stuff and it’s a lot of fun.

New companies like Atomeka, IBOOKS and Mad Yak kept me guessing, giving me new and exciting things to read. Without IBOOKS I wouldn’t have my MISTER X to read, and Mad Yak Press keeps me stocked with the works of Patrick Neighly.

Put all that together and it’s not too bad of a year. I could go on and on, but I don’t really feel the need to justify it. I don’t need to have a slam-bang Wednesday every week; I just like to be entertained. I think 2004 did that pretty well. I’m happy and content and what else really matters?

Looking ahead a bit to 2005 there’s THE COURIERS III, SHARKNIFE, PROJECT: Superior, PROCESS RECESS: The Art of James Jean as well as more STARMAN, two more GOTHAM CENTRAL collections and a lot of Paul Pope.

That says it all for me.

Upcoming
Books of note shipping today, January 5, 2005…

SEP040059 KINGDOM OF THE WICKED HC
Dark Horse Books
$15.95

I’d forgotten all about KINGDOM OF THE WICKED. It’s the newest book from Ian Edginton & D’Israeli and Dark Horse. It looks a little weird and a little messed up and really friggin’ cool.

NOV040266 BREACH #1
DC Comics
$2.95

It’s nice to see Bob Harras after years of being the ‘bad guy’ at Marvel Comics. He's back on a new book, BREACH with artwork with Marcos Martin & Alvaro Lopez, the ultra-talented art team from BATGIRL: Year One. BREACH is bits and pieces of Capt. Atom and 40 pages for $2.95. That deserves a look.

NOV040242 CATWOMAN: RELENTLESS TPB
DC Comics
$19.95

Ed Brubaker’s CATWOMAN was one of my favorite mainstream super-books. At least it was before Cameron Stewart left. ”Relentless” covers issues 12-19 and some other little bits. It gives us lovely artwork from Stewart and Javier Pulido. I missed a chunk of the Pulido issues, so I’m extra excited about that.

NOV040328 CONSTANTINE MOVIE ADAPTATION (MR)
Vertigo/DC Comics
$6.95

NOV040329 CONSTANTINE: THE HELLBLAZER COLLECTION TPB (MR)
Vertigo/DC Comics
$14.95

NOV040331 VERTIGO SECRET FILES: HELLBLAZER NEW PTG #1
Vertigo/DC Comics
$4.95

On New Year’s Eve, I saw the trailer for CONSTANTINE for the first time on tv. I don’t have high hopes. But Vertigo/DC does, and they’re re-releasing the original “HELLBLAZER: Secret Files” book from a couple years ago, as well as the movie adaptation by Steve Seagle and Ron Randall and CONSTANTINE: The Hellblazer Collection, a brief crash course for anyone out there wanting to get into HELLBLAZER or the John Constantine character.

I can’t see anyone who reads HELLBLAZER already being interested in these books. The “secret files” is pretty good – I grabbed it in a quarter bin about a year ago, and part of it will be collected in HELLBLAZER: Rare Cuts later this month. The movie adaptation is also collected as part of the ”The Hellblazer Collection”.

It’s all so skipable.

NOV040265 DEADSHOT #2 (OF 5)
DC Comics
$2.95

I was surprised by the solid first issue of DEADSHOT. The opening scene wasn’t that interesting, but the personal stuff really worked. I’m curious to see part two.

NOV040236 DETECTIVE COMICS #802
DC Comics
$2.95

David Lapham has some very specific ideas for Batman and it’s going to be interesting to see it all unfold over the next year. The art is nice, too.

OCT040286 THE FLASH #217
DC Comics
$2.25

THE FLASH is late this week, missing its December shipping date. I’ve been waiting for this, as it serves as an “Identity Crisis Tie-In” as well as a prelude to the “Rogues War” in a couple months. This book has been really excellent for the last 10 months and I expect more of the same. Solid superhero stuff.

NOV040320 THE INTIMATES #3
Wildstorm/DC Comics
$2.95

So we’re two issues in to THE INTIMATES and it’s a whole lot of comics crammed into 24 pages (or whatever). The artwork is really slick and Joe Casey’s scripts are unique. They have the running scrolls across the bottom that is chock full of extra little nibbles of info. I have no idea how this is selling, and it probably won’t be around for long, but I’m enjoying it while it’s here.

NOV040286 THE QUESTION #3 (OF 6)
DC Comics
$2.95

The Question is such a cool character when he’s done well, and I think Rick Veitch has a good grip on him. The plot is rather inconsequential at this point, but the scripts are fun. The main attraction to this book is the stunning artwork by Tommy Lee Edwards. It’s perfect in every way. I’d probably still buy this if it were a ‘silent’ book.

NOV040254 SUPERMAN: UNCONVENTIONAL WARFARE TPB
DC Comics
$14.95

I’m really assuming that read all together, Greg Rucka’s first six issues will make a lot more sense. They didn’t always work for me, but the way he writes Superman/Clark and his passion for it clicks for me.

OCT041744 CAPTAIN AMERICA #2
Marvel Comics
$2.99

Brubaker’s first issue was more entertaining than Kirkman’s short run, so I’ve got hopes for it. I didn’t hate Steve Epting’s artwork, either, which really surprised me. Michael Lark is coming on board to do the flash backs – I think that’ll really work out.

OCT042429 DAVE JOHNSON SKETCHBOOK (O/A)
Atomeka Press
$6.99

Dave Johnson is one of my ‘all-time favorite’ artists. Everything he does is so perfect. I wish his work were sold in big, oversized, and heavy, hard bound books. This is probably as close as we’ll get. There’s not nearly as much in here as I’d like, but I really dig the work, so I was happy anyway.

OCT042321 PROOF OF CONCEPT OGN
AiT/Planet Lar
$12.95

This is that book of Larry Young’s short stories. Some were published years ago, and others were written specifically for artists to practice drawing scripts on a deadline. I liked what I saw over the summer, but I averted my eyes so I could see them fresh right here. I just read that it’s printed on glossy paper, which is Larry Young-awesome.

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I’d like to sign off today, passing my sadness to the friends and family of Will Eisner. We lost one of the Real and True Greats this week and the industry will never be the same. Now I really have to track down some SPIRIT ARCHIVES.

 

Brian Domingos is the Columns Editor at Popimage.com. Questions? Comments? Love Notes? Email him via brian@popimage.com.


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