Pull List

Pull List

            Anyone that is a regular at a comic shop has what is known as a “pull list.”  This is basically just a subscription to individual books that the store owner or employees “pull” for them and set aside each week.  Even if that individual does not have a set pull list with the comic shop itself, they probably have a mental one that they go to whenever a new comic Wednesday comes around to make sure that they are getting to read their favorite series or creator. 

I currently have a mental pull list that is divided between monthly comic books (affectionately referred to in the business as floppies) and trade paperbacks.  When I was younger, especially when I was going to school at the Kubert school, my pull list was dominated by superheroes.  I had quite a bit of disposable income and there was a good chance that I was going to spend a substantial amount of it on comic books and related paraphernalia.  The majority of those superheroes resided in the Marvel Universe, with the exception being a few Batman issues here and there.  I eventually started to scale back my comic book buying when the quality of the stories and art did not match the investment (around the time I graduated the Kubert school in 2005).  Slowly I have started to get back into it more and more.  My pull list that basically consisted of Invincible trades and anything that Richard Moore produced grew into a fairly substantial yet rewarding group that is dominated much more by different, non-superhero fare (after a brief dalliance in the “New 52” that ended with a confirmation of my feelings on DC Comics and superhero comics in general).

            For those that would like to check out what I am reading, here is a list and short explanation as to why I read what I read.

Comics:

Think Tank- A new addition to the list.  All you need to know about why this is now a mainstay on my list can be found here.

Punk Rock Jesus- Also a new addition.  You can check out the review and a good explanation as to why you should give it a shot as well here.

KISS- I have always been a fan of not only KISS music, but also their comics.  You can check out my review of the first issue here.  It is not for everyone, but the story is decent and the art is some of the best on a KISS series since Angel Medina.

Masters of the Universe- The only true DC book that I am reading (or probably will read for that matter).  This is more for nostalgia’s sake than anything but it is not too terrible of a read if you want to get away from the superhero books.  Find the review to issue one here.

Mega Man- I have been a Mega Man fan since I was young, and I have passed that love for the blue bomber on to my son.  This book is for him as much as me, but it is a good read nonetheless, even if I am not too keen on Manga-styled art.

Trades/Graphic Novels:

Atomic Robo- This may be one of the most well written comics I have seen in a long time.  Nik and I have gone back and forth recently as to how well the weird science mixes with real life because of how the characters (especially Robo) react to it.  The art is superb as well.  I love the simple, open illustrations.  Plus, two words: Doctor Dinosaur! 

Berona’s War- The writing is a little rough at times, but the art is beautiful.  If you mix Saving Private Ryan with a Disney cartoon, you would get Berona’s War.  Highly recommended as an art book if nothing else.  Plus, as a fairly inexpensive hardcover offering, you can’t go wrong.

Invincible- I’ve been on the Invincible bandwagon since I picked up the first trade on a whim.  This is the best superhero book on the market and one of the most consistently good books of the last decade.  Plus, the sketches and process stuff in the back of the trades with commentary by creators Kirkman and Ottley are a phenomenal addition.

The Goon- This is a new addition as well.  After reading issue 40 a few weeks ago (the review can be found here) I knew that I had to get caught up quickly.  I am not all the way through the trades, but The Goon is a superb comic created by one of the best in the business in Eric Powell.

Mass Effect- I’ve long been a fan of the games, and the comics do a great job of expanding on the story and adding to the mythology of the Mass Effect universe.  The art is great considering the amount of different alien species and technology that makes up the universe itself.

Wizard of Oz series- The only Marvel comic I have or will purchase now has nothing to do with superheroes at all.  To be honest, I pick this up for the gorgeous Skottie Young art.  Eric Shanower’s story sticks very close to the original Oz books and the stories themselves have just not aged well (the initial book The Wizard of Oz is decent but I think that is only because of familiarity).  This is no knock on Shanower as he does the best he can with what he is given, but what seemed cute or even groundbreaking upon its initial release seems a little stale now.  Another book that can be purchased as an art book and nothing else and would still be as valuable.

Ghostbusters- Another book picked up on a whim that I could not put down.  Reading this series feels like watching a third movie, it is written so well and so spot on in terms of the individual voices to each of the already well established characters.  Why they have not approached this creative team to write the third Ghostbusters movie I have no idea.  The art is super cartoony but it is a style that I love and that fits with the subject matter very well. 

Elephantmen- I was late to this party as well but this series is incredible.  There are little gripes here and there about the art (coloring is often too dark) and the story can be a tad confusing at times (especially in the collections as they don’t always completely follow the numerical order of the issues themselves), but the overall series is awesome (and I’m a sucker for anthropomorphic animal series done well).  The best thing is the hardcover collections are jam-packed full of additional content.  Seriously, 2/3 of the collection is sketches and cover illustrations.  A beautiful addition to any collection.

Chew- I also came late to Chew, but I think I should get a pass on that as I converted Nik and his wife to the fold.  The art is consistently great and the stories are always well done.  Even reading them as trades, the recaps of Tony Chu’s cibopath powers never get old which is a testament to Layman’s ability to keep everything fresh.  My favorite part of the series is the additional stuff that you can find hidden in the background, be it pictures hanging on walls or messages written on a note on the fridge.  It’s like a where’s Waldo of hilarious extras.  You can tell Layman and Guillory have a lot of fun with this title.  Plus: Poyo!

            So what’s on your pull lists?  Anything I should be reading that I’m not?  Anything that I am reading that you think is garbage?  Try and convince me either way, I am always open for a good comic discussion!

Comic Review - The Goon #40

            I’ll say this as succinctly as possible, The Goon by Eric Powell is great.  If you long for the days of well drawn art coupled with a complete story that is both parts engaging and wacky, this book is for you.  Let’s break it down:

Cover:

            This is how a cover should be done.  Even though it is a montage of images, it still has a lot to do with the story contained within.  If you couldn’t tell by looking at it, this comic deals with The Goon (naturally) fast cars and some unsavory characters that he meets as a prohibition-era rum-runner.  The art on the cover is indicative of the beautiful art contained within with a color palette that is perfect to cause it to pop out on the shelf.  It is subdued enough to set it apart from the super-hero drivel but vibrant enough to draw your eyes to it.  Powell even gets the logo right.  I love the idea of putting the logo anywhere but the very top of the page as is traditionally done (and I understand the reasoning behind the traditional logo placement but this looks so much better).  Powell colored the logo red, which some may say “but the cover is predominantly red in color, doesn’t that cause the logo to blend too much into the background?”   It would, my observant friends, if the logo did not have a black stroke around it and was not placed over a bright yellow lightning bolt design.  Not only that but there is a hot rod coming right at you as the central image on the cover that draws your eye right to the logo.  Powell knows exactly what he is doing here and it shows.

10/10 – I love the overall pulpy/old time movie poster feel to the cover and the technical execution is top notch.

Story:

              I am not familiar with The Goon, so I don’t really know if this is the era that The Goon is set in or if it is a character that Powell puts into any era and builds a story around (which he could as the characters themselves are very solid).  That being said, the prohibition-era story here is great.  It starts off with a dirty hillbilly with an acoustic guitar introducing himself as the narrator.

From the first few pages, before we are even introduced to The Goon himself I can tell that this is going to be a hilarious book.  The content reminds me a little of the Flaming Carrot without all of the random craziness, or The Tick with a more believable cast of characters, either way it is incredibly solid as a story.  Plus it is a stand-alone story with a beginning, middle and end (and it actually has three parts, each with their own story).  It reminds me a little of the old EC Comics such as Tales from the Crypt in its artistic style but also the pacing of the story. 

            Powell packs so much into the story that it hurts any character development that could have been had.  I guess it’s a sacrifice that he is willing to make, and one that I am reasonably ok with.  The Goon almost feels like a generic character that could be plugged into any situation (kind of like a Bugs Bunny) where you do not expect there to be much actual character development because they will just be in a completely new and unique situation the next episode/issue.  If that is the case then it works like a charm.  The characterization that is given to both The Goon and his partner Franky accomplishes the goal of getting the audience to root for them against the “bad guys” and cheering their inevitable victory. 

            The third story in the book “The Hooch Monkey” is by far the weakest of the bunch, but it is still better than 90% of the comics on the market today.  And I laughed out loud at the exposition by our hillbilly narrator to close the issue.  Well played Powell, well played.

9/10 – It’s pretty impressive when a done-in-one story can make me want to go out and pick up the next issue right away.  Hell, it makes me want to go out on a back issue search, and just absorb as much of this as possible.  The Goon is a shining example why independent, creator-owned comics are heads and shoulders above their mainstream counterparts.

Art-

            What can I say about the art aside from the fact that it is beautiful.  It fuses a Tick-like cartooniness with a sense of realism that works perfectly.  Very few inkers do work that makes me stand up and take notice (generally Tim Townsend and Scott Hanna just because of the difficulty inking Bachalo and Romita Jr. respectively) but the inking here reminds me a little of Toby Cypress which is great as Toby’s style is incredible.  I love how the inking is so fluid and organic, there are places where the ink is not solid black, it kind of washes out a little, which works so well with the painterly coloring (also done by Powell) that I could not imagine The Goon with anyone else on the creative team.  It may just be the era that the comic is set in, but the art has a very nostalgic feel to it that I can’t get enough of.  The storytelling and the pacing of the comic work incredibly well especially with the dialogue and narration (which there is a lot of).  The panels and pages could easily feel claustrophobic with so much text but Powell does a great job of balancing everything while also playing with, and often times eliminating, panel borders in order to open up the page a bit and give it breathing room.

10/10 – A work of art.  I have not enjoyed the coloring on a comic book this much since Blacksad.

10/10 – Welcome to my pull-list Goon, glad you could make it.