tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73275829495803005052012-02-12T17:39:20.275-06:00Insights about comics, prog rock, classic cartoons and films, higher education, sexuality and gender, writing, teaching, whatever else comes to mind, and comics. I know I said comics twice. I like comics!diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.comBlogger3021100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-75874829450468324782012-02-12T17:38:00.001-06:002012-02-12T17:39:20.283-06:00

Well, what's going on here? Original art Sundays on a Sunday? For a change, yes. Finally completed the backgrounds for the next page of A Private Myth. I posted roughs of this page here months ago! Oh, the shame, the perfidy! Here's the elusive next page: The story is heating up. While the pace has been lackadaisical, this is deliberate and is a setup for a major plot element, initially

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-16696783246548311662012-02-10T23:16:00.001-06:002012-02-10T23:16:21.959-06:00

Finally. To recap: 14. Sailor Twain 13. The Lions of Valletta 12. FF/ Fantastic Four no. 600 11. Rachel Rising/ Terry Moore's How to Draw series 10. Batwoman 9.  Star Trek 8. Scapled, Book 8 7. Ruse: The Victorian Guide to Murder 6. Sugar & Spike Archives 5. The Shade miniseries 4. Kevin Keller/ The Simpsons no. 183 3. Habibi 2. Pogo Vol. 1: Through the Wild Blue Yonder And the No. 1 comic of

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-50390971457390627392012-02-10T22:30:00.000-06:002012-02-10T22:30:10.929-06:00

two to go, both tonight! First up, a book decades overdue. I'm using this as one of my comic history textbooks this semester. We'll know in a couple weeks how it goes over, but I can't imagine it not being beloved by anyone! Like Habibi, this is a beautifully made book whose content warrants the care used. The blemishes are on the scanner bed, not on that lovely blind stamp cover! And beyond

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-40472959649106954532012-02-10T01:36:00.001-06:002012-02-10T01:36:32.785-06:00

Yes, yes, I know it's on everybody's lists, and Craig Thompson is the darling of comics circles this year. While I didn't much care for his previous magnum opus, Blankets, I did attend a lecture he gave at the school where I teach, Minneapolis College of Art & Design. I was sufficiently impressed to buy the book and get a spiffy signature and sketch. And yes, it's a richly layered text, with

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-49159845611512573852012-02-06T00:31:00.002-06:002012-02-06T00:31:20.602-06:00

Intending to quickly finish these, since circumstances have made me postpone them for more than two weeks. Next up is a doubleheader. First, an Archie treat: Veronica Presents Kevin Keller. I've been doing a lot of research and academic writing on Archie Comics lately. Coupled with current events in the company, this has renewed my interest in the formerly tame comics. What current events?

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-84545972628202312012012-01-29T15:21:00.003-06:002012-01-29T15:21:50.028-06:00

Just a quick note to let my faithful readers, if such there be, know I've not forgotten to blog. I'm just swamped with encyclopedia entries and teaching. As I am submitting the last of the current batch of entries and revision in the next couple days, and I'm done teaching for the week after Tuesday, Wednesday looks promising for catching up. Meanwhile, here's the cover of a book due out very

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-7050001159202611822012-01-21T23:19:00.001-06:002012-01-21T23:19:03.979-06:00

James Robinson's work on Starman remains a benchmark not just in superhero stories, but in family and extended family narratives. Is it any wonder, then, that I really like the new Shade mini-series? The Shade is a 1960s Flash villain, re-imagined as a bit more of a moral cipher in the previous Starman series. In the revisioned narrative, Shade had befriended Oscar Wilde and had film director

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-17068080296716665902012-01-21T00:08:00.001-06:002012-01-21T00:08:54.706-06:00

Winding down the 2011 countdown. When Nickelodeon was first starting up, it aired a series called Video Comics. Cheaply made, these were simple old-school animatics. The camera would pan and zoom around comic book frames while actors did voice-overs of the dialogue. One of the comics used by producers Klasy-Csupo was Sheldon Mayer's Sugar & Spike. K-C went on to "create" Rugrats, a series about

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-15064963570289272882012-01-18T23:46:00.002-06:002012-01-18T23:46:49.829-06:00

For those who don't recall, Crossgen was a comic publisher with lofty ambitions. They put out a quality product, paid their creators well and gave them benefits (!), and were quite professional in everything except their ambitions. Recently, Marvel began publishing new material with some of the Crossgen characters. I was delighted to see that Ruse was among those properties. The original story

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-53895858073639171832012-01-16T22:11:00.001-06:002012-01-16T22:11:18.182-06:00

Today's entry in the countdown reminds me of John Wayne, but not in the way you might think. Wayne had made iconic Westerns for decades, but his health was failing. In half-hearted recognition of his body of work, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences awarded him an Oscar for his role in the original True Grit- a serviceable performance, but hardly on a par with his contributions to The

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-6021570038652731942012-01-15T16:54:00.003-06:002012-01-15T16:54:54.888-06:00

As promised, back to back posts to catch up! Either you like Star Trek or you don't. I do. If you don't, lose the snarky attitude and let me have my fun. The comics have been uneven over the years. The early Gold Key books were exciting, but had little to do with the series. The DC run with Friedman and Gordon Purcell was quite well handled, as was the Malibu run of Deep Space 9. The current run

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-54542684278743146572012-01-15T16:19:00.001-06:002012-01-15T16:21:13.358-06:00

Net access remains problematic at home, so came in to work to get some stuff done. I'll post yesterday's entry and today's. Up first, part of The New 52. I've ignored most of the line for a while. I read the first Justice League, which struck me as a superhero hissy fit, and some of the early Superman stuff, which was well-done but didn't grab me. Wonder Woman is well-written with decent art, but

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-5010548272650737012012-01-13T17:57:00.001-06:002012-01-13T17:57:37.446-06:00

A day late, due to illness, both my own and that of the home Net connection. Now at work and trudging ahead. The next entry is in two parts. First up is Terry Moore's new book, Rachel Rising. Like his past works, ECHO and Strangers in Paradise, this work has a female lead. Unlike those works, this is a horror story. For a while it seemed like Moore's work, good as it's been, might all be

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-20446660845873543802012-01-11T18:34:00.001-06:002012-01-11T18:34:11.303-06:00

First, kudos to Marvel for respecting the original numbering on this series, which has been restarted twice in the last 12 years. Nice to see some respect for history! Ahem. Now, the story at hand. Good superhero writing is hard to come by, but it's worth it when you find it, and this year's list has a couple shining examples. This is the first of those. Jonathan Hickman has been writing complex,

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-24997057945110677652012-01-10T21:38:00.002-06:002012-01-10T21:38:42.501-06:00

It's risky to criticize the work of friends. Years ago, Katherine Collins reviewed my first comic. While she praised the writing, she called the art "alarmingly bad." After losing my ego, I took her criticisms to heart and improved my art. Luckily, I have no such criticism for the thoughtful, playful, strong yet sensitive work of Ursula Murray Husted. I've been following her work for several

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-24648164645075114942012-01-09T23:06:00.003-06:002012-01-09T23:06:34.787-06:00

I was seriously underemployed until June 2011, and so had no budget for comics at all. In order to keep reading them, I turned to two primary sources: the Public Library and the Internet. In so doing, I was able to fill in some gaps in my  mainstream comics reading and discover some online strips that had escaped my notice. The best of the latter is Sailor Twain, or the Mermaid on the Hudson,

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-80877396729092344342012-01-08T20:21:00.000-06:002012-01-08T20:21:18.658-06:00

Beginning my annual series of posts of the best of the previous year. Most folks do these all at once, but I like to take my time and spend a bit more time on each. We'll begin with the works that almost made it, and the reasons why. First, Daytripper. This book remains a fascination, and I wish I'd see something new from the creators. In fairness, I've not checked in with them for a while, but

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-5279127951171289492012-01-08T19:27:00.000-06:002012-01-08T19:27:00.530-06:00

First of two new posts for this second Sunday in 2012. Posting a Tranny Towers page! This was the penultimate page in this storyline.  As always, minimal cleanup in Photoshop. I was quite fond of the Bonsai logo, even if it did take up too much real estate on the page. I have the originals filed, and will rescan some of the pages before going to press with the final collection of these. The

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-17318550150745081112012-01-01T19:27:00.001-06:002012-01-01T19:27:19.500-06:00

Starting off the year with inventory, but strangely new. This is a photo I took in 1991 using 35MM B & W film and printed on Ilford matte paper. I was driving around with my pal Pauline Johnson, taking shots of folks just out and about. These guys just opened up to me. Very refreshing, considering they followed a woman whose expression indicated she'd maim me if I clicked the shutter. The title

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-34710751526524858242012-01-01T02:29:00.000-06:002012-01-01T02:29:10.444-06:00

Well, here we are, less than two hours into 2012. I'm about to turn in, but I wanted to get this up as early in the year as I could. I'll post art later today. The New Year is an occasion for celebrating recent accomplishments and looking forward. But for me it's always had a bittersweet overtone. My Father was a New Year's baby, so I'm reminded of him as each year starts. This was taken in

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-84695800087439403552011-12-28T12:13:00.000-06:002011-12-28T12:13:02.876-06:00

A few days late due to the holidays, but I did have a couple pieces scanned ahead to carry through the down time. Scanner access returns next week, so depending on work schedule, no further problems anticipated. In 2001, I attended my second GORGG. In preparation for the event, I offered a couple T-Shirt ideas. One was later used for a CD cover, and the other, which I actually preferred, remained

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-86143324586759784492011-12-18T16:08:00.001-06:002011-12-18T16:08:39.634-06:00

You find the strangest things in a move. As a case in point, these are pages of character notes for my attempt to expand Tranny Towers into a graphic novel. This attempt was still in the funny animal subgenre, which I let slide away when I created a dozen or so pages of the same story under the title TranScending, some of which I've published here in the past.Many of the notes are simply

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-66646377470100550602011-12-13T18:59:00.000-06:002011-12-13T18:59:39.054-06:00

Okay, here we go. The promised and overdue page! Since it's been a while since I posted the previous page, here's a recap of the story until now. The Surrealist Cowgirls, Renee Maggie Reet and Louise Bunnywell, are sleeping in on a quiet morning when their tent is pelted with an unseasonable armadillo storm. The famous witch who comes to the point, Kay Seurat-Seurat, comes running up and tells

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-47264203851216782152011-12-11T18:29:00.001-06:002011-12-11T18:38:25.835-06:00

The new page is completed. However, when I left for work to do my scans, I took everything BUT the new page with me. What a comedy of errors! I will scan and post the new page tomorrow. I'm still one or two posts behind on my arbitrary self-imposed schedule anyway. To make amends, here are a couple paintings, intended for a children's alphabet book on pirates. These are colored ink and

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-41585092490312445722011-12-04T12:11:00.001-06:002011-12-04T13:16:12.769-06:00

Well, the new page is on the drawing board, and I want to take my time with it. A couple things are giving me grief, and my time is divided between that, finishing the semester, meeting writing deadlines and other mundanities of life. To tide us over, I am offering another in my infrequent series of Comic Book Antiquities.This is sheet music dated 1915, MCMXV, for all you Roman Numeral fans out

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-33394996717533013932011-11-20T21:07:00.001-06:002011-11-20T21:40:43.533-06:00

I missed a few weeks of blogging my art, and am presented with a serendipitous, albeit somber, opportunity to remedy the situation in part. Tonight is the observance of the Transgender Day of Remembrance. As I am unable to attend, I am posting work on the topic. This page was created for a late issue of Transsexual News Telegraph (TNT), one of two independently published magazines dedicated to

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-52138394433332854282011-11-20T12:34:00.001-06:002011-11-20T12:43:35.700-06:00

I will make a second post later tonight, for reasons I will state at that time. For right now, here's the promised Surrealist Cowgirls supplemental story. I did this specifically for the show for my Aldrich Arts comics creation course. Here's the flier for the course, which used a painting I've posted here years ago. The whole motivation was to do a simple story that was family friendly. One

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-41126610601898739582011-11-14T00:15:00.001-06:002011-11-14T00:50:09.265-06:00

While there is a new story that's a half inch from being ready to post, something else came up this week that deserves our attention. While attending MIX(more about MIX later this week, I hope), I talked to some members of the Black Hat Comics Collective, and joined them in an adventure this past Thursday. We were invited to attend the dress rehearsal of the new production of the MN Opera Company

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-61193571617906240152011-11-06T23:29:00.001-06:002011-11-06T23:29:31.075-06:00

Back in the saddle again! So sorry for the delays, but we're getting there (wherever "there" is). One of the (few) advantages of moving is sorting through old stuff, rediscovering forgotten or neglected parts of your life, parts shoved aside by circumstance. When cleaning out an old file, I unearthed this piece from a series of three done as promotional devices for my old pal Darylee's standup

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-91373520947515637122011-10-09T11:18:00.000-05:002011-10-09T11:18:11.850-05:00

Feels good to have a more normal Sunday again, starting the day with an art post! This week, another chapter of Tranny Towers. The emotional energy in this page was really rough to face. My old friend Diana (whose last name I can't recall at the moment), one of the first transsexuals to get surgery in MN, commented on the problem of depression and suicide. "People don't accept us on our own

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-49958424730204776472011-10-02T21:55:00.001-05:002011-10-02T22:18:22.808-05:00

Back at it after three weeks! The move is done. I am about half unpacked. I have completed two job contracts, and still have four (counting writing jobs). I've begun to go through my art supplies and get rid of old unusable stuff. The space allocated for studio use in my new place is much smaller, but I think I will use it more efficiently than I did the old space. Now, the long overdue story,

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-39869950042611243452011-09-11T14:43:00.003-05:002011-09-11T14:43:43.796-05:00

Three more weeks of inventory (at most), and in early October I should have the studio setup done in my new place. At that point I will have completed two of my current three jobs, with a new one starting in mid-October. Back to the Surrealist Cowgirls and A Private Myth at that point. Money, time and quality. The three things we always juggle. This week's experiment, another blast from the

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-38521391657221606642011-09-04T16:58:00.000-05:002011-09-04T16:58:22.646-05:00

One of the advantages of moving is also one of its drawbacks. You have to go through all your stuff. Again and again. In so doing, I found some comic pages I'd forgotten about, like this one. This page has a few things to recommend it, and a few issues. I like the barbed wire borders. I've had a fascination with the look of barbed wire since it was used as a plot device in an episode of the

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-88497147989230426402011-08-28T12:47:00.000-05:002011-08-28T12:47:32.453-05:00

Skipping No. 100, as previously threatened. Work on the move continues apace. Had a big and fairly successful yard sale yesterday. Will post some photos and thoughts on the issue of Stuff. Lots of fun talking comics with people! As such, little time for the drawing board or the sketchbook this week. I've not forgotten about A Private Myth, or my sweeties, The Surrealist Cowgirls. Their day will

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-89203906451785138142011-08-25T19:23:00.000-05:002011-08-25T19:23:45.363-05:00

The move proceeds apace. I have a place located, a lease signed, a yard sale coming up, a new teaching job starting on Monday, my second job is picking up steam, and I have begun (by inches) to pack. And stuff to throw away. So much to throw away! Still no time to draw! Aargh! So to tide you over, another Tranny Towers chapter. I'll post something different next time, just for variety.   This

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-51259134489075185892011-08-17T19:51:00.000-05:002011-08-17T19:51:01.080-05:00

Before I present the work, a big mea culpa. I know this is way late, but a moment, if you will. Just under two weeks ago, my housemate informed me that she needed to move her ailing mother into the house, so I would need to find another place to live. She gave me a reasonable time, but what with turning cats over for adoption (sob), work picking up on my current job and with  new teaching jobs

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-60186805204386674482011-08-03T11:10:00.000-05:002011-08-03T11:10:50.399-05:00

Today is the birthday of Omaha the Cat Dancer creator Reed Waller. I've occasionally written here about working with Reed. To say Omaha was an inspiration for Tranny Towers is a bit of an understatement, though I like to think I put my own spin on the whole funny animal soap opera thing. I have no idea how Reed is doing these days. I've not talked to him or corresponded, aside from reading the

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-16884635406115614042011-08-03T10:31:00.000-05:002011-08-03T10:31:53.886-05:00

This post was delayed by a writing deadline that ate two days more than I expected, and the extra sleep required thereafter. Here is Chapter 18! As always, click on the image for a larger version. A couple things about this page: First, it's necessary for plot development. The lead up to the big event, as it were. Second, doing a dialogue heavy page and keeping it visually interesting is always

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-40724513662081450562011-07-24T12:52:00.000-05:002011-07-24T12:52:06.105-05:00

Another blast from the past. But not too blasted out, we hope! This photo was done using only window light.   I like the textures a lot. The subject's contemplative expression is in quizzical contrast to the brightness of the image, and the textures and folds of the fabric are fascinating. The scan is not completely faithful to the print, but holds most of the texture.I scanned this in RGB,

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-77405538603154562662011-07-17T21:05:00.001-05:002011-07-17T21:08:43.812-05:00

The next post in my sporadic series of comic book antiquities.  No. 1 was the first work of Jeffrey Catherine Jones. I've been meaning to post this piece for a while now. Here's the never reprinted Powermowerman by Vaughn Bode!! Folks, this thing was a bear to color correct. The cheap paper had yellowed substantially. It's not stapled, it's glued. That's why the spread for pages 9 and

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-23659795701037492762011-07-17T19:41:00.000-05:002011-07-17T19:41:05.342-05:00

Yeah, I know. Last week I was going on about working spontaneously, and here I am posting process. Well, I want to make Book 1 of A Private Myth as good as I can, and after reviewing the work to date, and noting that I have about 1/3 of the pages to date that I want to rework, I think maybe I can save myself some grief if I do a more consistent job up front. If that takes more time, that's what

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-78194404607608718182011-07-10T10:13:00.000-05:002011-07-10T10:13:27.157-05:00

Back in the saddle again (me or the Cowgirls?). Either way, here we go with the next page.   I'm a tad concerned that this page is too light, but other than that,  I'm pretty happy with it.I really like the transparency I got on the sneeze sound effect.The story is going some  dangerous places in the next few pages. But I have some basic rules for the Cowgirls: the story must always be at least a

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-71499202319028753782011-07-09T11:16:00.000-05:002011-07-09T11:16:40.281-05:00

I've added a few new blogs, including the great Stripper's Guide, to the blog list. I've also removed some great ones that are defunct: Gold Key Comics Kingdom Kane Comics Comics are now gone. I hope their creator is still active, as they were exceptional blogs. Just for fun, here's a classic image from one of my favorite Gold Key books!

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-57576177656621394022011-07-03T21:54:00.000-05:002011-07-03T21:54:04.929-05:00

Back in the saddle again! A recent teaching gig successfully completed, on deadline for four articles due at the end of this month, and a new Surrealist Cowgirls page is on the board! Let's celebrate with the next chapter of Tranny Towers. Happy with the layout and the plot advancement in this one. There's a plot thread starting here that resolves near the end of the run, in about 20 episodes or

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-12631467106316096412011-06-29T09:12:00.000-05:002011-06-29T09:12:54.339-05:00

I regularly and eagerly  read my friend Jaque Nodell's Sequential Crush blog, linked at left. Her knowledge of comics history is often masked by her enthusiasm for her subject! Yesterday, she posted some of the romance work of her grandfather, the late Mart Nodell, best known as the creator of the original Green Lantern. Her post included this charming photo of Jaque with her grandparents.   As

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-75885058839066907212011-06-28T16:03:00.000-05:002011-06-28T16:03:04.342-05:00

A backlog of stuff I want to post will come up this week and next. First on the agenda, here's the Vaughn Bode' piece on Jeffrey Jones' work that I promsied when i was writing on her life just after her passing.   Next, a surprise. I was going through a stack of Larry Ivie's great Monsters and Heroes magazine from 1967- 69 and found Jeffrey's first published work!It's from Issue no. 2, dated 1967

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-26994019905192703462011-06-26T17:12:00.000-05:002011-06-26T17:12:01.220-05:00

Back in the saddle with Original Art Sundays! Starting the rotation afresh rather than entering the quagmire of rescheduling. My apologies to the faithful. In raking my studio this week, I found a reproduction of a commission I did in the 1990s. The band Gnidrolog asked me to do a poster for a series of festival appearances they had planned as part of the tour for their comeback album, GNOSIS (

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-17390439645018026852011-06-19T10:46:00.001-05:002011-06-19T17:49:18.748-05:00

More than a bit behind on posting, due to an increased work load of late. My apologies to the faithful! The Comments contest will be extended accordingly. Today is Father's Day. My half-sister noted on Facebook that she has few photos of our Dad, so I will be scanning the ones I have. Like many people, my relationship with my Father is complicated. But I was lucky to get to know him. Children of

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-79835349667324370242011-06-10T23:35:00.000-05:002011-06-10T23:35:00.215-05:00

According to this article, the newest publisher of independent comics is everybody, through a central clearing house for funding. Kickstarter is a great idea. I've known a few people who have successfully run one- Greg Ruth, Ursula Murray Husted, Zak Sally, Neil Gaiman (a bit of a conceit on my part- we've met a half dozen times, had a few chats, so I can say I know Neil, but I'm skeptical he'd

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-21813458463648523932011-06-10T20:02:00.001-05:002011-06-10T20:06:40.429-05:00

Okay, I know I said next day. I've been waiting for some photos to be emailed by friends. Enough with the waiting. Here's the rest of SpringCon. Here's Terry Beatty, longtime comics pro, on-and-off MCAD teacher, rockabilly maven, Karaoke Ninja, and generally cool guy. The book he's holding, Batman and Robin, is a custom bind belonging to my friend James Friel. James sent me a batch for books for

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-67982389488988075382011-05-31T17:09:00.001-05:002011-06-10T16:40:47.174-05:00

Between illness and scheduling conflicts, I've neglected my posting for a while. Attempts to catch up begin, well, now. I attended Spring Con in St. Paul last weekend for both days and had a splendid, if exhausting, time! News: Johnny Recon, a book I picked as one of my Top Comics of 2010, has not had a new issue for quite a while. This is because its creators, Mitch Gerads and Scott Dillon, have

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-88385519118223052752011-05-19T19:32:00.000-05:002011-05-19T19:32:53.603-05:00

The comics world is full of people who call themselves artists, for better or for worse. The larger art world has a similar circumstance. Few cross the arbitrary boundaries of the two worlds. Jeffrey Catherine Jones was one of those few.   Beginning her comics career with some one-off stories for Charlton and some work in the undergrounds, notably on her stunning solo book Spasm!,  Jeffrey's

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-17106750685515555252011-05-17T20:50:00.001-05:002011-05-17T20:53:40.331-05:00

The contest is still going! Let's have your comments! After a day filled with minor irritations and a few positive notes, I decided to unwind. It's Photoshop time! Once again, inspired by Rob's blog, I'm posting a cover composite. This one features Marvel Team-up, the book that spotlighted Spider-Man in various teams. Here. I've matched him with one of my favorite zany populist heroes, 'mazing

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-84434604532274192242011-05-15T14:50:00.001-05:002011-05-15T14:51:45.364-05:00

Remember, the comments contest still has about a month to go! Post your comments! On schedule with the next page of Surrealist Cowgirls.   Overall, very happy with this one, and with the way the story is progressing.There are a couple niggling things that give me grief. The stipple pattern I really like is too light for reproduction, so i have to push it more than I'd care to, either on the

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-63908128520454765032011-05-15T10:25:00.001-05:002011-05-15T10:28:49.807-05:00

The comments contest is still going on, so comment away! This is NOT an Original Art Sunday, just a piece I've been playing with for a couple weeks. Inspired by my friend Ross over at the Brave and the Bold: the Lost Issues, I took a shot at a pastiche cover! Here's Batman and the Strangers in Paradise girls! Not completely satisfied with this, but reasonably so. The soft Nick Cardy "painterly"

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-82289082781605114572011-05-08T19:52:00.000-05:002011-05-08T19:52:02.387-05:00

Remember, the comments contest is still going! Comment on any current or back post to be considered! Back on schedule, and with a viable layout for the next pages of the other two storylines, we'll stay that way for the nonce. I really like this one. It was big fun playing with the blinds/ shadows. I might rescan from the original, since some of the nuances of the Coquille board are lost in the

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-68299936587040152012011-05-04T18:03:00.002-05:002011-05-04T18:17:24.546-05:00

Hi, folks. According to the counter on the side, I've had over 9600 readers of this blog to date. The cynics and naysayers try to persuade me that most of those are robot hits (which must really hurt, them being metal and all). But I say thee nay! I know at least some of you are out there in flesh and blood and all the icky bits contained therein! So here's what I'm agonna do. Fanfare please....

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-44260996610795285982011-05-03T10:08:00.000-05:002011-05-03T10:08:47.551-05:00

Got a very pleasant e-mail from a talented gent, Jordan O'Leary. He's starting a new blog to chronicle his new adventure, living in Japan. To that end, he's requested use of part of one of my Sumi-e images in his blog's masthead. Of course, I agreed. We had a brief but delightful email chat about Buddhism and Sumi-e and this and that, and then I saw, with great pleasure, his use of my piece.

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-51509325370035924122011-05-01T20:18:00.001-05:002011-05-01T20:19:25.220-05:00

Once again, resuming the rotation: An oddment (something outside the storylines, a fun piece), followed by A Tranny Towers page, followed by A Surrealist Cowgirls page, followed by A Private Myth page. This week's oddment: photos taken at the 2009 GORGG! We took a boat tour of the city, from whence comes this odd little panorama.   The distortion caused by the action used in Photoshop to merge

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-42393265173886559892011-04-24T18:38:00.010-05:002011-04-29T13:29:22.202-05:00

Well, the page is done, but due to Easter Sunday, I do not have scanner access for a day or two. Have faith. Here we go. First, I've corrected the numbering. Again! There are 9 pages left to the first chapter, which should leave it completed around the end of 2011, if all goes well. There are a couple visual devices here I really like. The "ice panel" is an old favorite, and I like it here

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-15265017976791646482011-04-17T12:58:00.000-05:002011-04-17T12:58:50.556-05:00

On schedule, and eager for the next round! Here's another page that gave me no end of fits with the details. The publisher, Lavender magazine, insisted on art to size. My production options were limited to Xerox at the time, so I was reduced to Kinko's. The result was that the Zipatone in the title bar, intended (obviously) to simulate a credit card, muddied in copying. I was finally able to

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-5467051610515916222011-04-16T20:04:00.000-05:002011-04-16T20:04:51.430-05:00

The day before the next Tranny Towers page is scheduled for posting, I'm getting around to catching up again. This oddment comes from coursework done in my Master's program on Haiku and suni-e. While I'm too guarded a writer to ever make a great poet, I do enjoy haiku and related forms, probably because the brevity serves to limit my options for self-editing. I enjoy the sumi-e technique a great

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-35664841277335164362011-04-11T19:33:00.000-05:002011-04-11T19:33:28.593-05:00

Now this page excites me. The first new page of this story in more than 12 years. It's interesting how much I learned in that time, and how much I've forgotten. Having done a whole Cowgirls story for 24 hour comic day really let me know a bit more about the characters. Let me correct that. I knew it, but that story helped me codify it. That story was originally intended as a Q. Gordyn Babcock

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-12469854489036063442011-04-10T21:46:00.000-05:002011-04-10T21:46:28.422-05:00

After some foot dragging, I am finally catching up on my Original Art Sundays! Here's page 21 of A Private Myth. Comments follow.  I love the idea of this page. I like the writing, I like the pencils, I like the layout. I love the pacing! The inks kill it. I tried to give an ethereal sense, like the feeling you get at the end of a quiet day in nature when you blend into your surroundings. I went

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-24136199172045480182011-03-27T19:37:00.000-05:002011-03-27T19:37:54.032-05:00

My inking sucks today. Therefore, although the next page of A Private Myth is bordered, penciled, lettered, and about half inked, I'm going to come back to it and post in a day or two. The next Surrealist Cowgirls page will still post next Sunday. To tide over the faithful, here's some Photoshop perversity featuring two of my favorite inspirations: Alan Moore and Gregory House.   I love this

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-86272964922540730682011-03-20T21:13:00.000-05:002011-03-20T21:13:55.052-05:00

The Lambda Literary Foundation has announced its 2011 award nominees. There is one graphic novel on the list Jon Macy's Teleny and Camille (which I've not read), and only one comic anthology. The anthology in question is Justin Hall's Glamazonia, the Uncanny Super Tranny. Now I like Justin just fine, and do enjoy the strip in a casual way. But the collection is nominated in the category of

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-41793300806670107132011-03-20T16:40:00.000-05:002011-03-20T16:40:33.987-05:00

Here we go with the next page of this fun, silly story. Enjoy! This is as far as I got with this back in 1989, or whatever lost year it was when i did this work. A new page is about half done, and will be ready for posting by the next time it's due in the rotation. I like the cleanliness and confidence in these pages. In particular, this page advances the story while playing with some fun visual

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-26364526425808717822011-03-13T13:51:00.000-05:002011-03-13T13:51:39.376-05:00

For your reading pleasure, the next chapter of Tranny Towers. There are 24 chapters in the first of the two main story arcs. This page gave me fits. First, I worked it slightly oversize, so I had to scan it in tiers for printing. It didn't work. For the life of me, I could NOT get the press tape borders to align in the scans! Then there was the attempted visual device in the banner. I was trying

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-15559852199263846712011-03-06T19:04:00.000-06:002011-03-06T19:04:08.164-06:00

I'm going to try a fresh rotation. An oddment (something outside the storylines, a fun piece), followed by A Tranny Towers page, followed by A Surrealist Cowgirls page, followed by A Private Myth page. This will serve to give me time to do the work. This is especially significant as regards A Private Myth. The emotional aspects of those pages really take their toll, and balancing them with

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-30170559647560536362011-03-06T09:57:00.000-06:002011-03-06T09:57:56.193-06:00

Just a very quick post. If you don't know who Will Eisner was, you're reading the wrong blog. Suffice to say that comics would not be what they are today without him. Instead of going into some long elaborate theoretical diatribe, as is my way, I'll let today's Google search logo do my talking for me!

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-18793078195702147922011-02-27T19:37:00.001-06:002011-03-01T10:15:01.498-06:00

Delighted to get this one out there! Thoughts: I need to fight the temptation to jump to my comfortable brush tip markers. A good rich black from pen and ink or crowquill would yield a richer result, without having to pump levels. This page owes a great debt to Dick Giordano's classic Batman story No Hope in Crime Alley. The visual device is also used on an inner page to advance the narrative.

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-39758149245913278252011-02-20T17:31:00.001-06:002011-02-23T14:18:58.936-06:00

The next page of A Private Myth sits awaiting a scan. I sit waiting for the blizzard to stop so's I can go do the scan. My friend Seamus told me a of cheap, reliable large-bed scanner. When I have the ready funds, it seems a worthwhile investment. Until then, I'll keep slogging away with remote access. It has its frustrations, but it's short term pragmatic. Meanwhile, here's another page of the

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-41520360225111887872011-02-14T21:58:00.000-06:002011-02-14T21:58:18.456-06:00

Ah, Valentine's Day. Another day of stresses and celebrations. Whether you're alone or coupled (or more, depending on your chosen life), the day has stresses, strictures, real and perceived obligations, all tied to a biological, societal and personal imperative to share our lives with one another at different levels of intimacy. As to St. Valentine, stories vary, but most hold him to be a martyr

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-61906900935192100162011-02-13T19:30:00.000-06:002011-02-13T19:30:03.033-06:00

Well, the next page of A Private Myth is done, but my scanner access is limited till tomorrow or Tuesday, so please enjoy another Tranny Towers page until then. A few notes on this page: First, I really liked the title banner device. Second, the whole drag show thing that Dan and Dena are dishing about... that's a world I was never much part of. I danced on the periphery of it for a while, but

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-18511630876893929012011-02-07T19:23:00.003-06:002011-02-08T10:30:07.752-06:00

It's been announced at The Beat and at Bleeding Cool (see links on left) that GA Representative John Lewis will be writing a graphic novel for Top Shelf. Top Shelf has done some innovative work, including a handsome edition of Moore and Campbell's FROM HELL, Jeff Lemire's pre-Sweet Tooth work Essex County, the continually fascinating and frustrating League of Extraordinary Gentlemen series from

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-9287371035440131872011-02-06T20:56:00.000-06:002011-02-06T20:56:35.278-06:00

I was hoping to spend a big chunk of yesterday finishing the next page of A Private Myth (which is a tricky page, and invokes one of the best Batman pages of all time). Much to my surprise, I was called in at the last minute for a weekend temp job (about which I will post more at my other blog in the next few days). So it's back to inventory. Luckily, I have something good at the ready, the next

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-6771600264742829622011-02-04T23:00:00.000-06:002011-02-04T23:00:51.456-06:00

As you may be aware from my other blog, money is a bit tight at the moment. As such, I'm not really buying comics now, much as I might like to. But that doesn't mean I'm not reading any! Here are my recent new reads and a few thoughts: Secret Invasion Finally got around to this. I figured I owed it to my students to read it so I could honestly discuss it. This thing is a mess. Mind, I love a

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-92007374058040431252011-01-30T20:36:00.000-06:002011-01-30T20:36:07.616-06:00

I've begun a new blog. Since it serves a different purpose, I'll continue this one as well, and try to spend more time on my third, which I've neglected far too long! I don't expect there will be a great deal of crossover in the readerships of these blogs, but I hope you'll give the new one a chance. It's devoted to job search issues and attempts to understand the nature and uses of wealth. It's

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-42262767027208277262011-01-30T19:00:00.000-06:002011-01-30T19:00:58.510-06:00

Wow, back on schedule! Let's keep it that way! This page worked fairly well. Still need to push the blacks farther, but that will come when the narrative resumes its intensity, probably in the next page or two. I'm also looking at reworking a couple pages with which I'm less than happy, but I want to get the first pass on book I completed before doing so. Ahem. A Private Myth, page 19. Again,

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-71279965324557306642011-01-30T18:36:00.001-06:002011-01-30T18:37:19.301-06:00

Ready to post this week's art, but let's catch up first! This is the first page of an uncompleted Surrealist Cowgirls story. Four pages are done to date. Some of the elements from this story showed up in the 24-hour book I posted about a year and a half ago, so the story will have to be re-tuned for its completion. Ideas for that are flying around my consciousness like transient modes of thought,

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-12829925837925307592011-01-25T18:32:00.000-06:002011-01-25T18:32:01.730-06:00

One original art post after this one and I'm current again, I know these deadlines are self-imposed and arbitrary. I also know that making them public in any way carries a measure of responsibility. In sorting some books for Ebay sales, I found a calendar I made for my Mother in 1994. It consists of sketchbook pieces and work completed during my two years of Commercial Art education (1989 - 1991)

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-27032004863963760962011-01-23T19:06:00.003-06:002011-01-25T13:59:33.816-06:00

I am three weeks behind on this, but will once again be caught up by the end of the week. I allowed myself to fall behind to complete by Best of posts. I have more than sufficient inventory to sustain two months of Sundays now, even if I don't complete new work, and I WILL complete new work. It's been a long time since I posted a page of A Private Myth. Here's the next page! The following page is

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-21624411261036509052011-01-22T12:44:00.000-06:002011-01-22T12:44:32.208-06:00

Best. Miniseries. Ever. This isn't just another Simpsons comic. Those can be fun, even if there's a sameness to them after a while and the art sometimes drifts off-model a bit (I should talk, right?), especially in some of the otherwise delightful Treehouse of Horror annuals. This Jamie Hernandez page is a case in point. Comic Book Guy, the Comic Book is a miniseries that reflects the love of

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-22613709253666898982011-01-20T21:19:00.001-06:002011-01-21T10:46:01.703-06:00

In 1990, I interned with Reed Waller on Omaha the Cat Dancer for six months. Or as I put it these days, it was for about 5 minutes a hundred years ago. It was one of the most catalytic (pun unintended) experiences of my life, both personally and professionally. This experience, in tandem with my childhood of reading Barks Duck stories, before I had a clue who Barks was, and my 80s and 90s love

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-11195489550166994762011-01-19T22:34:00.000-06:002011-01-19T22:34:25.656-06:00

These are the books I thought about including in my list, but demurred. These are all fine books equally deserving of your attention. If I would have turned left instead of right, or eaten a different breakfast or whatever, some of these would be on my Best list. First, second and third, books from last year's list. These books maintained their quality, but I wanted to give some newcomers more of

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-59858143143721180602011-01-17T20:37:00.000-06:002011-01-17T20:37:31.549-06:00

Whoda thunk it? There should be no way The Muppet Show would translate into a comic book. Gags are dependent on timing, and there's so much of this you just can't reproduce on a printed page. It's so delightful in such a cornball way. There should be no way that the old guys in the balcony or the backstage antics work in a comic book. But they do! The drawing is perfect. Much as I like The

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-69683650496704983872011-01-17T16:55:00.000-06:002011-01-17T16:55:17.413-06:00

This was a surprise. Daytripper is the life of a writer, one Bras de Oliva Domingos. Told in pivotal moments and the events leading up to them, he dies at the end of every issue. Each death is a death of a part of him, though all are presented as literal deaths.  This is eloquent, tender, raw and brutally honest. Daytripper avoids being saccharine or cynical.  The book's creative team, Fabio Moon

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-78831671616195851292011-01-16T17:00:00.002-06:002011-04-16T20:38:57.060-05:00

After a rough couple days of writing deadlines and wrestling with money, I can get back to posting for a brief time. The tie for the No. 3 spot is Marvel's Land of Oz. I've been enjoying Marvel's Oz adaptations a great deal, not just because the writing of Oz scholar Eric Shanower is faithful to the source texts, but because Scottie Young's art manages the neat trick of being fresh and feeling at

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-74019220828168001412011-01-13T23:04:00.000-06:002011-01-13T23:04:06.469-06:00

James Sturm is a national treasure. His work is tinged with emotion and possibility, yet mired in tragedy. All done so subtly that you're just sucked in before you know what happened to you. Sturm has given us such classics as The Golem's Mighty Swing. This year's offering is the deceptively slim volume Market Day. In this less than a hundred page story about a rug maker, Sturm has encapsulated

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-77031685145914005022011-01-12T19:22:00.001-06:002011-01-13T21:19:27.089-06:00

In 1973, an awful TV series came out. It was based on a great idea, and was ruined by unnecessary "creative" input from studio executives. The series was called The Starlost. Based on a treatment by Harlan Ellison, the beautiful idea was watered down to nothing. Watch if you're brave. The premise: a generational ship is taking representative micorocosms of human cultures to another star.

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-79506665962930457472011-01-11T21:29:00.001-06:002011-01-11T21:52:51.137-06:00

Another one that eluded me at first. Hence its presence on the 2010 list, not the 2009. CHEW is about a cibopath. For those not "in the know" that means that Detective Tony Chu gets psychic impressions from every food he eats. Except beets. As the series begins, he's working vice in Philly. His brother's an ex TV chef who had a psychotic episode on the air concerning the "chicken conspiracy" (

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-41001809773799360222011-01-10T19:05:00.002-06:002011-01-11T10:14:37.483-06:00

Another book that slipped by me for years. I have little use for most of the Spawn franchise. I enjoyed some of the guest creators' work in early issues, and the rest of the stuff Alan Moore did for Image, while far from his strongest work, was an engaging read. But in general, Spawn leaves me cold. These two detectives, Sam Burke and Maximillian "Twitch" Williams, were spawned (yeah, I know, I

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-91382530986341394312011-01-10T00:11:00.001-06:002011-01-10T18:46:34.802-06:00

There are spoilers in this post. The story's been kicking around for a while, but a caution seemed apropos. An elegy is "a poem of serious reflection, typically a lament for the dead." That's the dictionary definition. In Greg Rucka's stunning work, it's a lament for lost career, lost love and lost family, all lost to a gay woman's integrity. But like all deaths, each implies the possibility of

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-77060125155056936492011-01-08T20:10:00.004-06:002011-01-08T21:22:38.264-06:00

I'm from Judy Garland's home town. When I was very young, my Mother had a 19430s Ozma of Oz with Jon Neill plates. She also had the Wizard of Oz paperback with the Krenkel illustrations. I ended up with both books when Mother passed, and added them to my modest Oz library. Most of the Krenkel illustrations can be found at this Golden Age Comics blogpost.  Some great Jon Neill works follow it in

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-31286902530560148792011-01-07T20:13:00.000-06:002011-01-07T20:13:09.648-06:00

As I was reviewing this list, I realized that there were a few really important books I'd omitted. Since these things are arbitrary anyway, I decided that a couple of these spots would be a tie. So today's Best of 2010,  No. 8, Part One is Mr. Mendoza's Paintbrush! Written by award-winning author and poet Luis Alberto Urrea, this slim graphic novel does not take full advantage of the form, but

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-61554248830709896562011-01-06T22:54:00.001-06:002011-01-07T19:19:38.360-06:00

I don't much get zombies. Dawn of the Dead was great social satire in its day (the Romero version, that is). Walking Dead has its moments, and I enjoyed the couple episodes of the AMC series I've seen to date. If I Am Legend is a zombie story and not a vampire story (I see it as a bit of both), that one has merit on many levels. But most of the best zombie stories are about the people surviving

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-6568659145457007832011-01-05T10:37:00.000-06:002011-01-05T10:37:30.648-06:00

Avatar Press has done some impressive, but frustrating, books. Fevre Dream is no exception. Based on the George R.R. Martin novel from 1982, this riverboat vampire tale can be seen as a thematic successor of sorts to the Anne Rice stuff from 1976. Beautiful vampires,  a set of vampiric laws revealed to a hapless soul drawn into their sphere (in Martin's case, a steamboat captain; in Rice's, a

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-52523242915481736862011-01-04T14:50:00.000-06:002011-01-04T14:50:12.249-06:00

Wot, a local book making the year's best? Yes, when it's this much fun.  Johnny Recon No. 2 appeared in July 2010. Mitch Gerads' art is both graceful and choppy, alternately invoking Krigstein, Nino and Al Williamson. Scott Dillon's writing is deeply steeped in pulp/space opera traditions, dancing on the edge of being an old chestnut, but avoiding that through innovative plot elements and sheer

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-56404605767492646942011-01-03T22:09:00.004-06:002011-01-11T21:31:09.295-06:00

Ted McKeever is an odd duck. He;s been at it close to 30 years, on and off. His comics appear sporadically and appear at first blush to be abstract sketches, tone poems that function more as ciphers than narratives. Then you finish reading an issue and realize the scope of his accomplishment. He's sucked you into an impossible emotional whirlwind of story. How does he do that? His works Metropol,

diana greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140450794638464716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327582949580300505.post-75249150943341737572011-01-02T20:04:00.001-06:002011-01-03T13:57:54.824-06:00

Next up on our hit parade is Brian Wood's miniseries of his creation DV8. A teen superhero team like GEN 13, DV8's distinguishing factor is that they are inherently selfish. I enjoyed Wood's writing on the Oni Press series LOCAL (with art by former classmate Ryan Kelly) a great deal, and thought to give this a chance based solely on that. What intrigued me about the DV8 miniseries was not the

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