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This Week's Sermon - The Dozens

By Britt Schramm

August 1st, 2005

So, it’s Saturday and I’m sitting here at Big Planet Comics in downtown Vienna, VA jockeying the counter like a champ and all the while, I’m trying to come up with what my column should be about for Monday’s post. Now, it’s not as if I lack any form of an opinion to call upon or a voracious vocabulary to use. But every now and again, I find myself with a deadline looming over my head and nothing on which to pontificate. It’s doesn’t feel like writer’s block per se but it can be frustrating.

Ya see, I want this column to be fun to read for everyone, not just the people who know me (or related as the case may be). And sometimes, it’s hard to find some commonality that can bridge that gap between those who read comics and for those who don’t live and die over Superman’s latest confrontation with Doomsday or the reasons why Magneto has taken over the world.

That’s when I fall back some writing crutches. Currently, I only have three in my repertoire, which are:

- The “Comic Book Guy from the Simpsons” rant – This one is basically me going off about something inane that’s going on in the comic book world. For instance, like Wizard’s arrogance in their belief that they are the only source for comic book readers by trying (and failing) to schedule a WizardWorld convention in Atlanta at the same time as the much-respected and soon-to-be legendary Heroes Con in Charlotte, NC. But now that I have my own blog/website (okay, here’s my only blatant plug in this week’s column for http://www.brittschramm.com which not only proves that blogging has officially jumped the shark but it also has cleared the beer kegs in Arnold’s parking lot as well – really, you should check it out now), I can post those smallish rants there and they will become timely, topical and succinct (which is a miracle for me).

- The good old reliable “Top” list – Most recently used last year for the Comic Book Soundtracks. I’ll probably do one either in August or September. But for those types of lists, the time needed to prep them is too long as I have to do some actual thinking beforehand or it’s Rewrite City for the next couple of days. Let me tell you – the way my mind works, I begin to obsess about the smallest things within the column and make totally unnecessary changes. Then, when you factor in my natural procrastinating abilities, you can imagine that a rewrite for me could take a long time.

- The “find books that you like and write about them” crutch – this one is my personal favorite. It’s easy because a)I work at a comic book store; and b)I read more comics that really is humanly possible in a normal week. It’s also easy because I love comics so much, finding something to say about them is not hard at all. What’s hard is restricting myself from writing a 5,000 word column about the best digest sized trade that came out this year. This one has been a column-saver more than once here at the MPS.

I’ll give you three guesses which one I used this week.

You’re right; it’s Britt’s Writing Crutch # 3. As I expand this list, there may come a time where I’ll just reference the column by number so people can know that I was running dry on ideas that week. It’ll be fair to all of us.

So, this week, I’ve decided to dig deep and pull out a dozen (that’s twelve) small press trades that were released in the past couple of months that you may have missed or were afraid to try. All of these are stamped with the PftL’s Seal of Approval (which doesn’t mean a whole lot since I’m not forking over any cash to repay you if you don’t like it) which states that it’s A1 quality. So, here are…

The Dozens of Recent Small Press Trades (in alphabetical order):

The Amazing Joy Buzzards (Image, $11.95) – First things first, I’m an idiot. I totally slept on this series. Ya see, back in October of 2004, Mark Smith came on to the MPS board to pimp this book when it was coming out in serialized form. I told him to send me an email to hook up for some pub and to his credit, he did. But with (and this is really not an excuse) a pregnant wife, a rambunctious 18 month old boy, a full-time job, a part-timer at the store, and writing for two regular sites, I let the email fall through the cracks. And now the trade of the first four issues and man, I’m kicking myself. The art is just up my alley – a mix of Jamie Hewlett and Jim Mahfood. The story has a wrestler and a rock group trying to save the world at ever turn. But, I may come out ahead on this one as the trade has bonus stuff like pin-ups by the aforementioned Mahfood and Scott Morse and character sketches by artist Dan Hipp. So, don’t follow my bad example – go out and buy this book. For that price, it’ll rock more than your socks off.

Arcanum (Top Cow/Image, $16.99) – I read a ton of fantasy fiction book when I was growing up (The Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Prydain and The Chronicles of Narnia) but never really got into the genre in comic book form. Then when I got back into reading comics in the late 90’s, Arcanum was one of my first fantasy books that I read on a consistent basis. Series creator Brandon Peterson shaped his vision into a mythical and adventurous world of swords and sorcery and I was taken in. And when you think of the timeframe when the series was published, it was ahead of its time. Soon, after the series ended, other books like Tellos, Battle Chasers and Tales of the Realm started popping up all over the comics’ landscape. This collection also has sketches and full page character bios. Do yourself a favor and pick one up. It’s real good.

Bill & Ted’s Most Excellent Adventures Volumes 1 and 2 (Amaze Ink/SLG, $13.95) – Evan Dorkin is a very funny man and what would be a more appropriate comic for him to write and draw (outside of Milk and Cheese) than the totally excellent adventures of Bill S. Preston, Esquire, and Ted “Theodore” Logan. I’ve seen both movies (“Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure” and “Bill & Ted Are Dead”) numerous times (sometimes, I was only half-impaired) and laughed my ass off. Now imagine that times ten when Dorkin goes off on his own after taking care of the second movie adaptation. If you need any more convincing, the series was nominated for an Eisner. And as always, San Dimas High School football rules!

Bumperboy Loses His Marbles (AdHouse Books, $7.95) – This original graphic novel follows the adventures of Bumperboy as he tries to locate his missing marbles before his competition at the Big Marble Tournament. So, the title basically reveals the whole storyline; kinda like seeing a trailer for a movie and it encapsulates the entire movie in under two minutes. Although, this book was not a disappointment like those trailers are. Bumperboy is funny, sweet, and it avoids a pitfall that some all-ages books fall into – the characters don’t talk down to the reader. Plus, there’s a Bumperpup, who’s the cutest thing in the world.

The Dark Horse Book of the Dead (Dark Horse, $14.95) – Alright here’s the situation. Mike Mignola, Jill Thompson, Evan Dorkin, Eric Powell, Guy Davis, and a ton of other creators all got together and turned out an arcane tribute to the dead in this Dark Horse anthology series. And while all of the stories are great reads, the real gem in the book is a new Hellboy tale written and drawn by Mignola that combines Shakespeare and grave robbing. And even Kelley Jones, who I never really dug when he was on Batman turns out a fine vignette. And for $15 buck, you’d be a fool not to pick this one up. That or dead.

Deadwest (Gigantic, $14.95) – Okay, hold up. Wait a minute. Are you telling that the guys behind Teenagers from Mars (namely Rick Spears/Rob G.) made a western comic book and no one told me about it? Rob G goes a in a totally different direction with his art which is good since I don’t think that his more alternative look from TfM would’ve gone over as well in a Wild West setting. The inclusion of a maniacal bounty hunter as the main character dropped into a zombie-filled town is a mark of pure genius. You really can’t have enough killing in this one.

Lions, tigers and bears (Alias Comics, $9.99) – I was totally digging Jack Lawrence’s art for this series when it first was published by Image Comics in serialized form back at the end of last year. But lack of available funds in my comic book allowance and some guardedness about the development of the series’ storyline scared me off making the purchase, which was hard since the story of a kid who moved to a new place and receives some magical animals that will have his back as a gift from his grandmother. Luckily for me, Alias was looking out for my tired ass and has published the series as a collected trade. Plus, Alias is offering it up at a penny less than $10. Now, that’s a bargain. If you loved Mike Kunkel’s “Herobear And The Kid”, you should get this book.

Max Hamm, Fairy Tale Detective (Nite Owl Comics, $14.95) – Frank Cammuso really puts on a show with this tale noir about fairy tale characters on the skids. If you have read this column before, you might know that I have been raving about this series ever since it was out. And having met Mr. Cammuso at last year’s SPX and nabbing a sweet sketch of Capt. Franky Cook (of “Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow”) on one of his sketchbooks, I can honestly say that I’m totally biased toward his works. Who says columnists have to be objective? Maybe despicable but not objective. At least, I hope so.

Northwest Passage Vol 1 (Oni Press, $5.95) – This original graphic novel follows Charles Lord, a great explorer from the 1700s as he ventures out towards the Great Northwest in the last piece of undiscovered country. Filled with Native Americans and Wild West characters, creator Scott Chantler (artist on “Days Like These” and “Scandalous”) brings his Disney-style animation art to Oni in this two-fisted historical tale of adventure. Be careful, you may even learn something before you’re done with this book.

Road To Perdition 2 – On the Road (Paradox Press/Dc Comics, $14.95) – Before you say, “Oh, not another half-assed sequel”, this book is not so much of a sequel; just more of a fill in the blanks type book. With Max Allen Collin still writing this story (which was loosely based on the manga “Lone Wolf and Cub”) and Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez, Steve Leiber providing the pencils, this one is still a winner. During their quest for revenge, Michael O'Sullivan and his boy are getting after the Capone mob but they don’t realize that those lethal bounty hunters called the Two Jacks are after them. What’s best about this book is that there’s more revealing of Sullivan’s past and what tragic decisions he must make in order to keep himself and his kid alive from the Chicago mob. While you may need to read the first one, this volume could stand on its own. It’s that good.

Scott Pilgrim Vol 2 (Oni Press, $11.95) – This is just a flat-out great book. The main character, the aforementioned Scott Pilgrim, is trying one of the oldest tricks in the book – trying to balance two different girls (Knives Chau and Ramona Flowers) without either knowing about the other. Unfortunately, for Scott, to date Ramona, you have to go through seven of her ex-boyfriends in a showdown battle with only one survivor. All this is going on while Pilgrim’s band is trying to get gigs. Bryan Lee O’Malley’s combination of manga-infused art, snide jokes and slacker tone gives the book an indy groove but without feeling too derivative.

Street Angel (SLG Publishing, $14.95) – Now, if I told you that there’s a comic book that has a homeless teenage female as its hero and she fights her enemies with her kung fu and killer skateboarding skills, you’d probably ask to see if I had a Whizzinator. But, this book rocks hard. Jesse "Street Angel" Sanchez not only fights ninjas, mad scientists, ancient deities, but she has to finish her homework and find three meals a day. Plus, she has to find a new place to sleep at night. If you think that this is a depressing book, you’re way wrong. Jim Rugg changes artistic styles seamlessly and the story’s pace is as fluid as the blood she spills on a regular basis. If you love violence and ass kicking, this book is for you.

That’s all for now. See you in a couple of weeks where hopefully I’ll tackle something more challenging. Don’t forget to keep your bags and boards together and your continuity straight.

Send column-specific e-mail using the link below. You can also find me posting terribly witty musings on my life at brittschramm.com and reviewing anything and everything to do with Pop Culture at Kung Fu Rodeo.

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