Now That's Batman

Yep. This is almost like artist Declan Shalvey went into my mind and picked out a version of Batman. You can check out this picture and more over on Comic Twart.

Compiling Ideas

Compilation comics have never been interesting to me. It's an odd phenomenon, because I love reading books of short stories, and I don't at all mind watching short films. Something about reading comics only two to three pages long seemed counterintuitive to me. Like maybe I wasn't getting what I paid for.

Then...

Comic conventions are playgrounds for creativity, and I can say that without the least bit of ironic pretentiousness. Maybe it's just genuinely pretentious, but whatever, conventions cannot help but be whirlwinds of imagination due to the amount of creators walking around. That's what comics have always been about for me: imagination. Stories. Entertainment. There're other things to be enjoyed - drama, emotion, etc. - and although these might not always be about smiling, rest assured that reading comics is fun.

Comic conventions, depending on the venue, can usually be depended upon to have certain things. Booth babes, cosplayers, massive lines, overpriced food, publishers selling things for cover price, venders selling things for discounts, and really weird peripheral interests like swords, juggling, and power drinks.

Inside one of those venders selling discounted books, I accidentally came across something I'd had my eye on before, but could never come to a decision regarding. My friend is the one who actually found it, and when he held it up I went, "Oh yeah." That book was "Popgun: Volume 1." It's a compilation book released by Image comics, and it features somewhere around 60 creators.

All of the stories aren't winners, but that might be one of the reasons for the book's existence: eclectic content. The styles are as varied as the stories, and there should be something for everyone. Probably the most interesting aspect of the book for me is the possibility of finding new creators I'd never heard of before. I was surprised to find out there's been four volumes of "Popgun" published already, the fourth coming out earlier this year.

If you want to discover new creators, pick up "Popgun." If you just want to read some interesting stories that take up a small portion of your day, it's good for that too. So far I enjoy it more than the one volume of "Flight" - another compilation book - I read. I've already ordered "Popgun: Volume 2."

A Trip To C2E2 (Scroll For Pics)

This previous weekend was C2E2, or the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo. I had been to a con recently, a year ago maybe, but it wasn't a major convention like this one. The ride there had me thinking other con experiences, and that this one would be somewhat like the first visit to a convention I'd ever had. Mostly this idea was rooted in C2E2's history, more specifically that there is none. It was hard to tell this was only the first year for the con, but that isn't to say there weren't things they couldn't have improved, but I don't necessarily care about any of that.

What I care about are the books.

- • -

The comic shop I work at isn't huge, but it is great. We're limited by our location, but we make due with what we have; it's a cliché, but that statement is more about utilizing the resources you can than it is about compromising. One of the worst limitations we have to deal with is the location of new material. When the new books are announced/released the internet can sometimes tell us, but it doesn't always. There is still a certain amount of searching that has to take place, and even then there are no guarantees.

Going to C2E2 was always about fun. There is constant motion when you're there, you're going going going, and your eyes occasionally get overloaded with things to see. Riding to Chicago, I decided this trip would be a search. A search for books that aren't known to everyone, for writers and artists that don't have the benefit of a giant company and its public relations minions. There is always something to find, and this year my convention was a successful outing when regarded like this. Also, fun.

There are definitely going to be reviews of things I bought there (as well as interviews with creators, hopefully on here and on the Alter Ego Comic Cast), and other content as well.

- • -

I got the opportunity to meet Lucy Knisley, who did an interview right here at Hideous Energy, and also supplied the blog with its first title card. She was awesome, and did two amazing sketches for me. I was pretty nervous about meeting her, because I've followed her blog for a while now, and am a HUGE fan of her art. So yeah, when I went up to meet her my words sort of dried up, but that wasn't the worst part. My face got red, like an instant sunburn, and my forehead started sweating like I was using a blowtorch as a fan. Hopefully she wasn't too creeped out by me. Maybe if I ever meet her again I can be a little less awkward and weird. Here are the sketches she did for me.

Artist Katie Cook was one of my discoveries. I had heard of her, but never looked at too much of her art before. She was offering mini-water color sketches at her booth, and you could basically say almost anything to her and she would draw it. Reference photos helped though, and I happened to have a couple. She also had some already finished, such as the "Mouse Guard" picture I got. Here are the sketches.

Thanks to Lucy and Katie, and all the rest of the writers/artists I met and talked to over the weekend. More to come later.

It's Wednesday - 02

What books - yes, plural - should you be looking out for this Wednesday? The two I'm most excited for are:

That's "Doc Savage" number one, written by Paul Malmont and illustrated by Howard Porter. This is a sort of tie-in to the recently launched "First Wave" title, which features Doc Savage and a slew of other pulp heroes of yesteryear. I'm interested to see if the action is ratcheted up for this issue, or if it's filled with just as much setup as the first issue of "First Wave" was. I'm guessing it will read a little quicker, simply due to there being less characters to worry about. Not that Doc Savage doesn't have a huge cast; all those guys behind him are his sidekicks and/or supporting characters. Chalk this one up as interesting, but somewhat scary.

Next:

"The Unwritten" has continued to please me, despite riding the line of breaking the fourth wall and becoming meta. Although I am definitely not reading each issue with apprehension, waiting for the book to disappoint me, that possibility is always there. Maybe it's there for every book though, so the specifics become somewhat muddled. Anyway, this book is still great, and issue twelve looks to be no different.

Featuring art by newcomers Kurt Huggins and Zelda Devon, this issue is a standalone story, which gives it the potential to be somewhat bittersweet. It won't be too directly addressing the main storyline running through "The Unwritten," but it has the potential to be as entertaining as the standalone issue we received about Rudyard Kipling (issue five), which has been one of my favorite issues so far. Check out more of the art on the Vertigo Blog, and then go buy these!

Bá and Moon - They Love Comics, and I Love Them

Here is a video of Gabriel Bá and Fabio Moon doing some inking on the comic written by Matt Fraction, "Casanova." It's a strange book, that is almost incomprehensible, and I swear I'm going to try and read it and understand what's going on one day.