I owe Rod Kierkegaard Jr an apology. I have for a while now. Sorry sir.
Mr Kierkegaard is known to HM fans like myself as the creator of Rock Opera, a series that ran in HM from January 1980 through the last monthly issue of December 1985. What started as a half-page fantasy of a space traveler marooned on a foreign planet, grew into a multi-page juggernaut of invective and satire, targeting popular culture and societal perceptions, often funny, sometimes biting, sometimes poignant. The art grew and developed too, from rather detailed black and white, to extravagantly montaged spreads of copied images and original parodies, if there is such a thing. Not always precise, it was usually intriguing or amusing.
Though Rock Opera was often the target of scorn in the Chain Mail letters section, I found it greatly enjoyable. It was one of the features that kept me buying the mag as it devolved in the 80s after the first movie came out.
A number of years ago, when his blog appeared, and I then learned about it, I volunteered to be a beta reader of his writings. I was rather excited to be in contact with an actual HM creator, and be provided early versions of his works. I very much enjoyed reading it. Sometimes I even had the temerity to offer some feedback.
At the time, his blog ran a story he was working on, Death Dance. I really liked that one. About a trained killer trying to avoid being killed in a Middle Ages setting, it was sometimes fanciful enough to approach absurd, with some action and sex, and often vividly descriptive text. Much of his work has these characteristics, I really liked how this one put it together. It ran a long time, then disappeared. It could have gone on, I think he said he needed to do more research, but that was it. There was also a serial written as an autobiography, of his life as a vampire and of his growing up. I only believed bits and pieces of it, but it was fun to read. It's long gone too. Something else great about his blog that is still there, is some Rock Opera - and before - era art, with commentary.
When more of his stuff started appearing on Amazon, I promised to put up some reviews. I failed to do so, and for that I apologize.
For some measure of atonement, I bought all the paperback versions of his work I could then. I'm pretty happy I did, I like having them in paper, and now some are not available, and others are pricey. Obama Jones and the Logic bomb remains one of my favorites, it's a near-future thriller and love story. He's shown a fondness expressing how pleased he is for having made accurate technological or societal predictions in it. The Department of Magic is pretty good, so is The God Particle. All these are fanciful and/or futuristic to some extent, and I enjoy the vibrantly descriptive style that exists in much of his work.
Fortunately for him, he seems to be doing just fine without me. He has many more books out, some in collaboration with a JR Rain, some just on Kindle, and he seems to be enjoying some measure of success. I hope it's working out well.
His blogspot hasn't been updated in a couple years. He's been a bit more active on twitter, twitter.com/rodkierkegaard . Both are now on the links page on my blog here, so go look.
So once again, sorry Mr Kiekegaard for not following through on the reviews, but thanks for creating more cool stuff for mortals like me. And for the rest of you mortals out there, go to amazon and look up Rod Kierkegaard, and buy some of his stuff. He'll be glad you did.
Wednesday, July 22, 2015
Monday, July 13, 2015
New and Old at Heavy Metal
A number of breathless announcements on the HM website, timed to the SD Comic Con, inform us that Grant Morrison will be Heavy Metal's new Editor in Chief. Mr Morrison is apparently well known as a successful writer of successful movies and stuff. None of his success penetrated the rock I live under, so I had not heard of him before.
I was amused by an article headline indicating HM is getting a punk rock facelift, since punk was big in HM's early years, so long ago that punk can qualify as oldies. I can be more charitable by seeing some of the punk rock aesthetic living in today's DIY/maker/hacker attitudes. Punk was almost as much about taking charge of your own destiny, as about wailing about the hopelessness of it and the rage that feeling generates. But I disdained punk back in the day since it was co-opted into another disposable fashion trend, so my opinions can be worthless.
In any case, it's another sign of the new owners working to generate some energy into their new property. Other articles describe some of the creators Mr Morrison is trying to bring in, and also some of the new owners' projects for tv and movies, as well as the other HM branded comics.
Included in the hubbub, is an effort to elevate Mr Eastman into some kind of Publisher Emeritus/Village Elder. Articles are careful to credit Mr Eastman for keeping HM alive and kicking (I share in this gratitude) when it perhaps should have expired. There was often plenty to dislike in Mr Eastman's tenure, but there was often much to enjoy as well, and the fact that the mag still exists is a pleasant surprise to fans like me.
Mr Eastman is also provided space to credit Jack Kirby with his success with TMNT. I found this article to be pretty interesting, in the specific details of Mr Kirby's influence and support for Mr Eastman and Mr Laird. Of course this article is directly related to the "Lords of Light" promotion of Jack Kirby art with new "black light" coloring (for me the story of the art is more interesting than the art itself), but I enjoyed learning some about the personal connections that were there. I'm not a fan of TMNT either, but I can appreciate how their success allowed Mr Eastman the means to keep HM alive long past its expiration date.
I was amused by an article headline indicating HM is getting a punk rock facelift, since punk was big in HM's early years, so long ago that punk can qualify as oldies. I can be more charitable by seeing some of the punk rock aesthetic living in today's DIY/maker/hacker attitudes. Punk was almost as much about taking charge of your own destiny, as about wailing about the hopelessness of it and the rage that feeling generates. But I disdained punk back in the day since it was co-opted into another disposable fashion trend, so my opinions can be worthless.
In any case, it's another sign of the new owners working to generate some energy into their new property. Other articles describe some of the creators Mr Morrison is trying to bring in, and also some of the new owners' projects for tv and movies, as well as the other HM branded comics.
Included in the hubbub, is an effort to elevate Mr Eastman into some kind of Publisher Emeritus/Village Elder. Articles are careful to credit Mr Eastman for keeping HM alive and kicking (I share in this gratitude) when it perhaps should have expired. There was often plenty to dislike in Mr Eastman's tenure, but there was often much to enjoy as well, and the fact that the mag still exists is a pleasant surprise to fans like me.
Mr Eastman is also provided space to credit Jack Kirby with his success with TMNT. I found this article to be pretty interesting, in the specific details of Mr Kirby's influence and support for Mr Eastman and Mr Laird. Of course this article is directly related to the "Lords of Light" promotion of Jack Kirby art with new "black light" coloring (for me the story of the art is more interesting than the art itself), but I enjoyed learning some about the personal connections that were there. I'm not a fan of TMNT either, but I can appreciate how their success allowed Mr Eastman the means to keep HM alive long past its expiration date.
Sunday, June 21, 2015
Heavy Metal #274
My life of luxury allows me to be leisurely about my reviews. I got #274 a number of weeks ago, and read it soon enough, and I'm taking my sweet time reviewing it. It's taken weeks. Here goes nuthin'.
Cover by Michael Penn - 5 - Credited as "Steampunk Pirates". I'm not into steampunk. Some of it seems like it could be cool, but buckles and gizmos for style rather than purpose aren't interesting to me. Plus the pose is so contrived, it's an action shot, but of course the boot is right there as the skirt opens while she swings past. Still way better than I could do.
An ad for a Goblin Vinyl Figure Bank?
Julia and Roem by Enki Bilal - 7 - Some exposition and serious angst going on here. Pretty busy for a wasteland. I don't know Romeo and Juliet enough to get all the nuances I think the story is trying to tell me.
The 49th Key by Erika Lewis, J.K. Woodward, and Deron Bennett - 5 - There's a story that's trying to be told in there. Then suddenly, a bullet in its casing flies through the window. Who threw that?
Things in Real Life by Daniel Suarez Perez - 7 - I liked the art a lot, it looks like it's drawn from photos and that reminds me of Rock Opera. Nice story for two pages too.
Gallery with Diana Knight - 6 - totally fine babe into some seriousdressup cosplay. Not really my thing, but good for her. I did like how the Vampirella bodypaint and the metal corset with the long dress looked.
Homo Bonum Est? by Tessandro and R.J. Lages - 5 - In ancient Rome, a woman seeks to avenge her father. Consisting of little more than two fight scenes, it looks ok, but has miserable storytelling. It barely tells what's going on, let alone shows us.
the ad for Heavy Metal Dot Com is not snarky or ironic at all, dull maybe.
The Aftermath: The Big Clean Part Two by Matt and Kevin Molen - 7 - The thrill ride ends, new lives begin. More murky and perhaps a bit less engrossing than the last entry, it still makes good with the commentary and detail. It says continued in #276, I hope so.
Matryoshka S.A by Emilio Balcarce and Gonzalo Ruggieri - 7 - A new miniturization technology becomes a plaything for the rich, and a tool for the corrupt. An interesting idea turned into a nice little story. Mr Ruggieri's art suits the story and supports its telling well.
The Last Laugh by Hannu Kesola and Steven Bagatzky - 6 - and the moral of the story is that the tin foil hat people are right, and they (and the ones barricaded with lots of ammunition maybe) will be who survive to repopulate the world after the zombie apocalypse. (Not too inspiring). That part of the story is pretty funny. The rest of this entry is adequate if not too exciting.
Miss Necro by Damascus Mincemeyer - 6 - I'm not as interested in zombies as it seems others are, and flying body parts is the lowest form of zombie humor, but this one tells the joke well in two pages, and it looks like it was a lot of fun to do.
Artist's Studio by Kari Christensen - 6 - it's nice that the artist illustrates her lifelong impulse to draw with a drawing done when she was 6. She likes to draw monsters, and that's my favorite part of what is shared with us in this feature.
Oskar Ed by Branko Jelinek - 7 - I like how our noseless protagonist takes us through his richly detailed imagination, it's almost Moebius-ian. He finds his dad, but which one is it?
Initiation by Estevez, Rivero, and Sobreiro - 6 - Looks nice, and it does a good job of telling its story. I kind of get the part about the oppressive society stifling our true selves, but I'm not convinced by the premise this constructs. It's hard for me to imagine how a culture could survive by routinely maiming or killing its maturing youth, just to instill loyalty. Maybe it's not enough of a war metaphor for me to grasp it.
The Sadmen - Water Hell by Victor D. Cantu - 7 - With what looks like actually painted art (watercolor? or not, I could be wrong) with some great imagination, and a story that was incomprehensible but drew me nearer still. Some of my favorite HM stories feel like this. Yet I was more frustrated than moved, unsatisfied. I didn't get to where I thought I got it enough.
Mia by Fabio Ruotolo - 7 - A traveling merchant is observed abusing his pack animal, and an enormous-haired woodland spirit helps him see the error of his ways. This looks nice while it takes a few pages to tell its little story.
MI9: Secret Agents Daphne & Mildred by JD & JMB - 6 - Not one but two sexy secret agents this time. Dumb but funny.
Cover by Michael Penn - 5 - Credited as "Steampunk Pirates". I'm not into steampunk. Some of it seems like it could be cool, but buckles and gizmos for style rather than purpose aren't interesting to me. Plus the pose is so contrived, it's an action shot, but of course the boot is right there as the skirt opens while she swings past. Still way better than I could do.
An ad for a Goblin Vinyl Figure Bank?
Julia and Roem by Enki Bilal - 7 - Some exposition and serious angst going on here. Pretty busy for a wasteland. I don't know Romeo and Juliet enough to get all the nuances I think the story is trying to tell me.
The 49th Key by Erika Lewis, J.K. Woodward, and Deron Bennett - 5 - There's a story that's trying to be told in there. Then suddenly, a bullet in its casing flies through the window. Who threw that?
Things in Real Life by Daniel Suarez Perez - 7 - I liked the art a lot, it looks like it's drawn from photos and that reminds me of Rock Opera. Nice story for two pages too.
Gallery with Diana Knight - 6 - totally fine babe into some serious
Homo Bonum Est? by Tessandro and R.J. Lages - 5 - In ancient Rome, a woman seeks to avenge her father. Consisting of little more than two fight scenes, it looks ok, but has miserable storytelling. It barely tells what's going on, let alone shows us.
the ad for Heavy Metal Dot Com is not snarky or ironic at all, dull maybe.
The Aftermath: The Big Clean Part Two by Matt and Kevin Molen - 7 - The thrill ride ends, new lives begin. More murky and perhaps a bit less engrossing than the last entry, it still makes good with the commentary and detail. It says continued in #276, I hope so.
Matryoshka S.A by Emilio Balcarce and Gonzalo Ruggieri - 7 - A new miniturization technology becomes a plaything for the rich, and a tool for the corrupt. An interesting idea turned into a nice little story. Mr Ruggieri's art suits the story and supports its telling well.
The Last Laugh by Hannu Kesola and Steven Bagatzky - 6 - and the moral of the story is that the tin foil hat people are right, and they (and the ones barricaded with lots of ammunition maybe) will be who survive to repopulate the world after the zombie apocalypse. (Not too inspiring). That part of the story is pretty funny. The rest of this entry is adequate if not too exciting.
Miss Necro by Damascus Mincemeyer - 6 - I'm not as interested in zombies as it seems others are, and flying body parts is the lowest form of zombie humor, but this one tells the joke well in two pages, and it looks like it was a lot of fun to do.
Artist's Studio by Kari Christensen - 6 - it's nice that the artist illustrates her lifelong impulse to draw with a drawing done when she was 6. She likes to draw monsters, and that's my favorite part of what is shared with us in this feature.
Oskar Ed by Branko Jelinek - 7 - I like how our noseless protagonist takes us through his richly detailed imagination, it's almost Moebius-ian. He finds his dad, but which one is it?
Initiation by Estevez, Rivero, and Sobreiro - 6 - Looks nice, and it does a good job of telling its story. I kind of get the part about the oppressive society stifling our true selves, but I'm not convinced by the premise this constructs. It's hard for me to imagine how a culture could survive by routinely maiming or killing its maturing youth, just to instill loyalty. Maybe it's not enough of a war metaphor for me to grasp it.
The Sadmen - Water Hell by Victor D. Cantu - 7 - With what looks like actually painted art (watercolor? or not, I could be wrong) with some great imagination, and a story that was incomprehensible but drew me nearer still. Some of my favorite HM stories feel like this. Yet I was more frustrated than moved, unsatisfied. I didn't get to where I thought I got it enough.
Mia by Fabio Ruotolo - 7 - A traveling merchant is observed abusing his pack animal, and an enormous-haired woodland spirit helps him see the error of his ways. This looks nice while it takes a few pages to tell its little story.
MI9: Secret Agents Daphne & Mildred by JD & JMB - 6 - Not one but two sexy secret agents this time. Dumb but funny.
Friday, June 12, 2015
Tex Arcana
Some new Tex Arcana pages appeared a few days ago. A bit more than a year after the last new entries. This time I'll let you go to texarcana.com and find it yourself, it's easy. Enter the site, proceed to the book listings and go the the fourth one (click on the stars), the new pages start at 352, and there are eight of them. There are now over 80 pages to the fourth book.
It's terrific to see this new work from Mr Findley. It continues with the fine line work and hatch shading, and gruesome mortifaction and horrifying mystery, that I so enjoy. The story continues, near and far in time and space from Hangman's Corners. I don't know that there's anything comparable out there. I can't express enough gratitude to Mr Findley for continuing with this decades-long project and sharing it with us.
I still think HM should engage Mr Findley to serialize Tex Arcana in the magazine. It would be at least as cool as having new work from Bilal. I can only hope that I, and the paper mag, live long enough for it to happen.
thanks again Mr Findley.
It's terrific to see this new work from Mr Findley. It continues with the fine line work and hatch shading, and gruesome mortifaction and horrifying mystery, that I so enjoy. The story continues, near and far in time and space from Hangman's Corners. I don't know that there's anything comparable out there. I can't express enough gratitude to Mr Findley for continuing with this decades-long project and sharing it with us.
I still think HM should engage Mr Findley to serialize Tex Arcana in the magazine. It would be at least as cool as having new work from Bilal. I can only hope that I, and the paper mag, live long enough for it to happen.
thanks again Mr Findley.
Wednesday, April 22, 2015
Lostboy's fan page
The Heavy Metal Magazine Fan Page has been down for more than a week now. Lostboy was kind enough to respond to my pestering about it. Since the same hiccup often happens at renewal, he decided to change hosts, and it's taking even longer than usual to get back up, though he expects the new host will be an improvement. I hope so.
Even though he stopped updating the site years ago (except for updates til last year on the War of the Worlds - Goliath movie, which maybe I should review someday), and the search function broke when the provider expired, I still visit it frequently for research or to satisfy some curiosity. The 10+ years he put into building the site makes it the most comprehensive HM magazine resource out there.
Nothing lasts forever in this world, and I'm grateful for some things we have while we have them, and this fan page is one of them. Hope it's back soon, I'll often check via my Links page.
Even though he stopped updating the site years ago (except for updates til last year on the War of the Worlds - Goliath movie, which maybe I should review someday), and the search function broke when the provider expired, I still visit it frequently for research or to satisfy some curiosity. The 10+ years he put into building the site makes it the most comprehensive HM magazine resource out there.
Nothing lasts forever in this world, and I'm grateful for some things we have while we have them, and this fan page is one of them. Hope it's back soon, I'll often check via my Links page.
Sunday, April 12, 2015
Hoax Hunters sample
Your lazy reviewer just noticed there's a free .pdf Hoax Hunters sample over at the Heavy Metal website shop. It looks ... ok. Hard to tell with just 10 pages including the cover and a blank, and not knowing where this is in the story.
getting a lot of russian and ukrainian bot traffic these days, hope they don't wreck anything.
getting a lot of russian and ukrainian bot traffic these days, hope they don't wreck anything.
Friday, April 3, 2015
Heavy Metal #273
Cover by Marco Turini - 7 - Titled "Homage to Frazetta" in the credits. A change in direction from the chick in some getup. It's subdued and evocative and maybe ambiguous in its intentions.
An ad for a "Mechanism" comic. If it was going to be in the mag, I would be interested enough in seeing it, but it appears it will be a separate comic, so I'm not so sure.
Julia and Roem by Enki Bilal - 7 - I'm immediately thrown by the guy with no hair, but I recover enough to see some exposition and development. And coincidence. The art style with hazy greys and browns is perfect for the post-apocalyptic wasteland we are shown.
The 49th Key by Erika Lewis, J.K. Woodward, and Deron Bennett - 6 - The art style was less than precise, but the panel framing and composition briskly tell the story. I was put off by the look of the "letter" from 1556, but it set up the story nicely. People communicating by sound without words? How do you get nuanced sound with tuning forks? To be continued? I'll look forward to how it develops.
Gallery by Abrar Ajmal - 7 - You might think that once you've seen one demon warhorse festooned with skulls trampling the undead, you've seen them all, but this hardworking artist has more to offer. Some of the other work doesn't even have skulls. But many of them do.
Women's War by Fabio Celoni and Adriana Coppe and Marco Turini - 7 - A perfectly ridiculous premise is complemented by a nutty story with an exploration of a real depth of emotion, and Turini's terrific art. Separating men and women in a bid to save the human race in the face of alien invasion? Well, at least the womens' wasteland excursion outfits have bare midriffs. I still enjoyed reading and looking at this again and again. Turini produces scenes that always have something new to see.
Ymir by Joseph Kelly - 7 - It's just a joke, but it's a little funny, and it looks cool. The art simultaneously reminds me of the "Pyloon" stories from 1979, and "Rock Opera" from nearer the end of its run (from 1980 to 1985, it started as a half page black and white and grew dramatically to a multipage color extravaganza, spewing invective and satire, and was one of my favorites, can you tell?), drawings from photos with some fuzzy focus. Unrequited love, or something.
The Aftermath: The Big Clean by the Molen Brothers - 8 - Boy, this was fun. Murky but detailed art that rewards scrutiny? Scathing commentary on corporatism and consumer apathy? That's the stuff for me. Continued next issue? Sounds great.
Exile by Mislav Tomasinjak - 7 - It starts with an inventive approach to setting the story, ends in a more conventional manner, and has a circular path to its story. The art has some nice stylistic effects and the story is textured and almost subtle. And it has a seahorse starship.
The Lost Girl Preview by Michael Mongillo and Rob Ten Pas - 6 - Appears to be a handful of disconnected scenes from a new graphic novel. Nice enough art and hints of a story of a girl and monsters she encounters. Doesn't make me want to go buy it.
The Souvenir by Daniel Hugo and Jayson Geland - 8 - Nicely done art with terrific scenes, and an interesting, almost unique story, told with fancy fonts and not-too-pretentious dialog. Trailing a fugitive to retrieve a souvenir. It tells its story with subtle details as well as a bit of exposition.
Temptation by Made In Ona and Christian Krank -7 - I'm glad we're seeing more of Mr Krank's work, I like the art style and his ability to tell a story in a single page, here almost without words.
Artist's Studio by Myka Jelina - 5 - I'm pretty uninterested in Bratz-doll fashion pinups, but I will say the artist shows some pretty nice technique. Interesting that the artist's favorite medium is stated as acrylic on wood panel.
MI9: Secret Agent Susan Coby by JD and JMB - 6 - This entry shows a small bit of wit along with the unclothed secret agent. These are kind of fun though insubstantial.
An ad for a "Mechanism" comic. If it was going to be in the mag, I would be interested enough in seeing it, but it appears it will be a separate comic, so I'm not so sure.
Julia and Roem by Enki Bilal - 7 - I'm immediately thrown by the guy with no hair, but I recover enough to see some exposition and development. And coincidence. The art style with hazy greys and browns is perfect for the post-apocalyptic wasteland we are shown.
The 49th Key by Erika Lewis, J.K. Woodward, and Deron Bennett - 6 - The art style was less than precise, but the panel framing and composition briskly tell the story. I was put off by the look of the "letter" from 1556, but it set up the story nicely. People communicating by sound without words? How do you get nuanced sound with tuning forks? To be continued? I'll look forward to how it develops.
Gallery by Abrar Ajmal - 7 - You might think that once you've seen one demon warhorse festooned with skulls trampling the undead, you've seen them all, but this hardworking artist has more to offer. Some of the other work doesn't even have skulls. But many of them do.
Women's War by Fabio Celoni and Adriana Coppe and Marco Turini - 7 - A perfectly ridiculous premise is complemented by a nutty story with an exploration of a real depth of emotion, and Turini's terrific art. Separating men and women in a bid to save the human race in the face of alien invasion? Well, at least the womens' wasteland excursion outfits have bare midriffs. I still enjoyed reading and looking at this again and again. Turini produces scenes that always have something new to see.
Ymir by Joseph Kelly - 7 - It's just a joke, but it's a little funny, and it looks cool. The art simultaneously reminds me of the "Pyloon" stories from 1979, and "Rock Opera" from nearer the end of its run (from 1980 to 1985, it started as a half page black and white and grew dramatically to a multipage color extravaganza, spewing invective and satire, and was one of my favorites, can you tell?), drawings from photos with some fuzzy focus. Unrequited love, or something.
The Aftermath: The Big Clean by the Molen Brothers - 8 - Boy, this was fun. Murky but detailed art that rewards scrutiny? Scathing commentary on corporatism and consumer apathy? That's the stuff for me. Continued next issue? Sounds great.
Exile by Mislav Tomasinjak - 7 - It starts with an inventive approach to setting the story, ends in a more conventional manner, and has a circular path to its story. The art has some nice stylistic effects and the story is textured and almost subtle. And it has a seahorse starship.
The Lost Girl Preview by Michael Mongillo and Rob Ten Pas - 6 - Appears to be a handful of disconnected scenes from a new graphic novel. Nice enough art and hints of a story of a girl and monsters she encounters. Doesn't make me want to go buy it.
The Souvenir by Daniel Hugo and Jayson Geland - 8 - Nicely done art with terrific scenes, and an interesting, almost unique story, told with fancy fonts and not-too-pretentious dialog. Trailing a fugitive to retrieve a souvenir. It tells its story with subtle details as well as a bit of exposition.
Temptation by Made In Ona and Christian Krank -7 - I'm glad we're seeing more of Mr Krank's work, I like the art style and his ability to tell a story in a single page, here almost without words.
Artist's Studio by Myka Jelina - 5 - I'm pretty uninterested in Bratz-doll fashion pinups, but I will say the artist shows some pretty nice technique. Interesting that the artist's favorite medium is stated as acrylic on wood panel.
MI9: Secret Agent Susan Coby by JD and JMB - 6 - This entry shows a small bit of wit along with the unclothed secret agent. These are kind of fun though insubstantial.
Saturday, February 14, 2015
Heavy Metal # 272
Well, I sure dragged my ass putting this review together. The next issue will be out in days. Good thing no one but me gives a crap.
Cover by Ron Leary - 7 - Titled "ASTRUD: How to Slay a Snake" in the credits, apparently made just for this cover, judging by the empty space at the top. More than just a babe in some outfit, this is well composed and kinetic. The snake's fangs look more like a dog's, and its scales are a little wonky, but it's a nice axe and she's really working it. But what's up with the pig snout cape and belt ornaments?
Julia and Roem by Enki Bilal - 7 - With a look and feel very much like Animal'z, this starts right in with lost souls and their existential despair, and their hair. I'm not quite as much in awe of the return of one of HM's titans as the last time, but I'm very interested and looking forward to seeing how this one develops.
Khulan by Katie Houghton-Ward and Sacha Bryning - 7 - This one grew on me in re-reading. Gods berate their captive for information. Art and story evoke wonder and mystery, and it takes a dim view of man's, and gods', self importance. I can dig that.
The Age by Tayyar Ozkan - 5 - Modern man lets himself go, just like a cave man! While this may not be just a retread of one he's done before, and I think the techniques are well-refined, the story is barely one-dimensional.
Red Sails by Christian Krank - 7 - Saved from romeros in the nick of time. I like the comic-y but grim style, and for a single page there's a nice little story.
R.I.P. by Matthew Farrell and Mario O.M.G. Gully - 6 - I welcome the return of the text-with-illustration format, it was more common way back in the day. It's a nice change of pace and offers another means to tell an illustrated story. It's not easy to do well though, excess wordiness or disconnected illustrations are common pitfalls. In this case, Mr Gully's illustrations are on the mark, looking good and fitting the story, and the vagrant with the HM shirt is pandering but funny. Mr Farrell's writing is wordy but not to excess, and there's much about the method and energy I enjoy. Unfortunately, here and in a couple things by him featured on the HM website, I get the impression of a delight in some of the terrible things humans are capable of inflicting on each other, with little to make me think he sees that people are capable of more, much more.
This touches on a question I have asked myself: Why? Why do I like HM magazine despite all the horrible and gruesome and even obscene things that it's contained? Why do I like Ranxerox and accept the inhumanity it displays (along with its wit and vitality) but complain about things like Mr Farrell's story with a son killing his father and the otherworldly revenge he gets in return? Why do I enjoy some displays of some of humans' worst impulses? I've thought that I like to be reminded of man's capacity for hatred and violence, to be reminded of how far we have come, and how far we have yet to go, but I'm not satisfied that this is the whole answer. I don't know why, but maybe I'll explore these thoughts further another day.
Gallery by Dan Chudzinski - 7 - An accomplished sculptor who credits TMNT for discovering the Italian Renaissance masters? Well of course he gets a spread in HM! My snark aside, some neat and interesting stuff is displayed, and his growth and achievement is described. A bunch of images of some really detailed and imaginative work are provided, and anyone with more interest than me should probably go look him up.
Deviant Strain by Jim Webb - 7 - A zombie superhero? Why hasn't anyone thought of this before? On second thought, I expect it's been done and I just haven't seen it. Now that I've spoiled it for you, the art's pretty good, but the story is really quite good, telling an awful lot, and leaving some mystery, as it reaches its inevitable conclusion. Mr Webb's also had a Deviant Strain entry in HM's issue #267.
the Giver by Homero Rios, Jose Carcia, and Renato Guerra - 6 - A boy is helped by a mountain sage, at a cost. It's not bad at all, and a few bits of the illustration were really neat.
Robeo and Ruliette by Zelkjo Pahek - 6 - A robot love story, with some intricate and/or busy illustration, that really could have fit in the mag 30 years ago, or any time in its history. The story has an odd feature or two, that makes it more mysterious and/or confusing. Though I'll never know why the human arm appears, I still liked this one just fine.
Moth by Vitorrio Astone - 6 - Humankind falls to alien invaders, and a lone human sacrifices himself, to make a point .... and it works (?). Looks pretty cool with some non-traditional panel framing and some explosive sound effects.
Another Heavy Metal Dot Com ad, this time the trite slogan falls flat for me. Does this count as a continuing series?
Artist's Studio by Rebecca Yanovskaya - 7.5 - some lovely imagery with detail and depth, and lots of feathers, made more interesting by reading that the medium is ballpoint pen with gold leaf. This artist also does a nice back cover.
Heavy Bone by Enzo Rizzi and Nathan Ramirez - 7 - Pretty cool black and white art with a rock and roll story that could have been written 20 years ago, and could easily have fit into HM when rock music was more of a reference point. A fun imagination of the origin of a Black Babbath song. Besides, I like Zappa.
Ensign Haley by Wren - 7.5 - I really like how the art's watercolor look adds to the space travel and non-terrestrial characters. And how the pretty space girl manages to get nude and use sex as a weapon, and her intelligence, and escapes to a life of happy space wandering. I wish it was really all so simple. Wren also featured in HM #270 with something similar, and I seem to have liked this one a bit more.
MI9: Secret Agents Abroad in "Kiss Me Honey Honey"by JD & JMB - 6 - the return of the one page sexy secret agent story. "Are you sure you don't want any clothes Daphne?" Of course not ...
A pretty nice issue, I got some enjoyment from the stories and some interest in the art. A couple stories with color themes, and a couple Romeo and Juliet references. I think the mag's in a pretty good groove, for the most part, and I'd be fine if it kept on this way for a while. Which it might not. I'll see what the next issue brings, pretty soon here. Hope I'm a bit more timely in the next review.
Cover by Ron Leary - 7 - Titled "ASTRUD: How to Slay a Snake" in the credits, apparently made just for this cover, judging by the empty space at the top. More than just a babe in some outfit, this is well composed and kinetic. The snake's fangs look more like a dog's, and its scales are a little wonky, but it's a nice axe and she's really working it. But what's up with the pig snout cape and belt ornaments?
Julia and Roem by Enki Bilal - 7 - With a look and feel very much like Animal'z, this starts right in with lost souls and their existential despair, and their hair. I'm not quite as much in awe of the return of one of HM's titans as the last time, but I'm very interested and looking forward to seeing how this one develops.
Khulan by Katie Houghton-Ward and Sacha Bryning - 7 - This one grew on me in re-reading. Gods berate their captive for information. Art and story evoke wonder and mystery, and it takes a dim view of man's, and gods', self importance. I can dig that.
The Age by Tayyar Ozkan - 5 - Modern man lets himself go, just like a cave man! While this may not be just a retread of one he's done before, and I think the techniques are well-refined, the story is barely one-dimensional.
Red Sails by Christian Krank - 7 - Saved from romeros in the nick of time. I like the comic-y but grim style, and for a single page there's a nice little story.
R.I.P. by Matthew Farrell and Mario O.M.G. Gully - 6 - I welcome the return of the text-with-illustration format, it was more common way back in the day. It's a nice change of pace and offers another means to tell an illustrated story. It's not easy to do well though, excess wordiness or disconnected illustrations are common pitfalls. In this case, Mr Gully's illustrations are on the mark, looking good and fitting the story, and the vagrant with the HM shirt is pandering but funny. Mr Farrell's writing is wordy but not to excess, and there's much about the method and energy I enjoy. Unfortunately, here and in a couple things by him featured on the HM website, I get the impression of a delight in some of the terrible things humans are capable of inflicting on each other, with little to make me think he sees that people are capable of more, much more.
This touches on a question I have asked myself: Why? Why do I like HM magazine despite all the horrible and gruesome and even obscene things that it's contained? Why do I like Ranxerox and accept the inhumanity it displays (along with its wit and vitality) but complain about things like Mr Farrell's story with a son killing his father and the otherworldly revenge he gets in return? Why do I enjoy some displays of some of humans' worst impulses? I've thought that I like to be reminded of man's capacity for hatred and violence, to be reminded of how far we have come, and how far we have yet to go, but I'm not satisfied that this is the whole answer. I don't know why, but maybe I'll explore these thoughts further another day.
Gallery by Dan Chudzinski - 7 - An accomplished sculptor who credits TMNT for discovering the Italian Renaissance masters? Well of course he gets a spread in HM! My snark aside, some neat and interesting stuff is displayed, and his growth and achievement is described. A bunch of images of some really detailed and imaginative work are provided, and anyone with more interest than me should probably go look him up.
Deviant Strain by Jim Webb - 7 - A zombie superhero? Why hasn't anyone thought of this before? On second thought, I expect it's been done and I just haven't seen it. Now that I've spoiled it for you, the art's pretty good, but the story is really quite good, telling an awful lot, and leaving some mystery, as it reaches its inevitable conclusion. Mr Webb's also had a Deviant Strain entry in HM's issue #267.
the Giver by Homero Rios, Jose Carcia, and Renato Guerra - 6 - A boy is helped by a mountain sage, at a cost. It's not bad at all, and a few bits of the illustration were really neat.
Robeo and Ruliette by Zelkjo Pahek - 6 - A robot love story, with some intricate and/or busy illustration, that really could have fit in the mag 30 years ago, or any time in its history. The story has an odd feature or two, that makes it more mysterious and/or confusing. Though I'll never know why the human arm appears, I still liked this one just fine.
Moth by Vitorrio Astone - 6 - Humankind falls to alien invaders, and a lone human sacrifices himself, to make a point .... and it works (?). Looks pretty cool with some non-traditional panel framing and some explosive sound effects.
Another Heavy Metal Dot Com ad, this time the trite slogan falls flat for me. Does this count as a continuing series?
Artist's Studio by Rebecca Yanovskaya - 7.5 - some lovely imagery with detail and depth, and lots of feathers, made more interesting by reading that the medium is ballpoint pen with gold leaf. This artist also does a nice back cover.
Heavy Bone by Enzo Rizzi and Nathan Ramirez - 7 - Pretty cool black and white art with a rock and roll story that could have been written 20 years ago, and could easily have fit into HM when rock music was more of a reference point. A fun imagination of the origin of a Black Babbath song. Besides, I like Zappa.
Ensign Haley by Wren - 7.5 - I really like how the art's watercolor look adds to the space travel and non-terrestrial characters. And how the pretty space girl manages to get nude and use sex as a weapon, and her intelligence, and escapes to a life of happy space wandering. I wish it was really all so simple. Wren also featured in HM #270 with something similar, and I seem to have liked this one a bit more.
MI9: Secret Agents Abroad in "Kiss Me Honey Honey"by JD & JMB - 6 - the return of the one page sexy secret agent story. "Are you sure you don't want any clothes Daphne?" Of course not ...
A pretty nice issue, I got some enjoyment from the stories and some interest in the art. A couple stories with color themes, and a couple Romeo and Juliet references. I think the mag's in a pretty good groove, for the most part, and I'd be fine if it kept on this way for a while. Which it might not. I'll see what the next issue brings, pretty soon here. Hope I'm a bit more timely in the next review.
Monday, January 19, 2015
HM September 79 sample
There's a new HM September 1979 sample on the official HM website. If you like, use the Links page on this here blog, or consult the internet yourself to find it.
Since the previous December 1984 sample is nowhere to be found, if you want this one I'd suggest you get it soon.
As before it's not the complete issue, with no complete stories, but for "Soft Landing" by Dan O'Bannon and Thomas Warkentin, which was adapted as an opening in the first HM movie.
It's too bad they take such a haphazard approach to page selection, but it's better than nothing I suppose.
Enjoy, as best you can.
Since the previous December 1984 sample is nowhere to be found, if you want this one I'd suggest you get it soon.
As before it's not the complete issue, with no complete stories, but for "Soft Landing" by Dan O'Bannon and Thomas Warkentin, which was adapted as an opening in the first HM movie.
It's too bad they take such a haphazard approach to page selection, but it's better than nothing I suppose.
Enjoy, as best you can.
Thursday, December 18, 2014
HM Dec 84 preview
I don't care for the HM website in its present form. It seems to be a pile of slightly HM related stuff thrown up all over. It loads like crap on my dinosaur machine. There's little in news announcements or updates. It seems to grab some heavy metal music stuff too. It just doesn't seem to have any purpose. There was an "Issues" section when it was revamped, that could have put some focus on individual past issues, but it disappeared quickly.
There are sometimes some interesting bits. An occasional comic or short story is sometimes nice.
Something I did enjoy, is a preview of the December 1984 issue, billed as a holidaze gift from "30 years ago today", that is available as a .pdf of a scanned magazine. It's not at all perfect, a couple pages are misarranged or misaligned, and not all pages are included. It's not one of the mag's finest issues either, as it neared the end of its monthly run. However, it is a nice opportunity for anyone who doesn't have this issue to see some of it, and it does have a few good parts, including a Corben cover, an interview with Frederico Fellini, an installment of "An Author in Search of Six Characters" by Milo Manara, and some Tex Arcana and Rock Opera.
(it was funny that at first the link for the download went to some sort of web email launcher, instead of the download, but it seems to work now.)
So I'd recommend anyone interested to go to the HM website and grab this free preview, before it disappears in the disjointed mess the site is now. There's a link on my "Links" page, or you can use the awesome power of the internet to find it yourself. Enjoy.
There are sometimes some interesting bits. An occasional comic or short story is sometimes nice.
Something I did enjoy, is a preview of the December 1984 issue, billed as a holidaze gift from "30 years ago today", that is available as a .pdf of a scanned magazine. It's not at all perfect, a couple pages are misarranged or misaligned, and not all pages are included. It's not one of the mag's finest issues either, as it neared the end of its monthly run. However, it is a nice opportunity for anyone who doesn't have this issue to see some of it, and it does have a few good parts, including a Corben cover, an interview with Frederico Fellini, an installment of "An Author in Search of Six Characters" by Milo Manara, and some Tex Arcana and Rock Opera.
(it was funny that at first the link for the download went to some sort of web email launcher, instead of the download, but it seems to work now.)
So I'd recommend anyone interested to go to the HM website and grab this free preview, before it disappears in the disjointed mess the site is now. There's a link on my "Links" page, or you can use the awesome power of the internet to find it yourself. Enjoy.
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