Two reviews
In which I dip my toe back into the comic book market
I took a trip to one of the local comic stores (yes a local store, I’m blessed to have two in walking distance). A long time ago I quit buying new DC or Marvel books because I can read them online, but I wanted to do a little something to show some love for the local funny-book merchants. On the other hand, after another traumatizing move where I lost far too many hours boxing up comics and put far too much mileage on my back lugging those boxes around, I don’t need more crap around here.
I reached a compromise between those two irreconcilable imperatives. Here are the rules of the game: I can get two indie comics - no Marvel, and no DC. If the first issue doesn’t sell the book, that’s it - no buying the next one hoping that eventually it’ll get better or that one day I’ll understand what’s going on. Here’s what caught my eye this week.
Self Help #1 (Owen King, Jesse Kellerman, Marianna Ignazzi)
Cool cover, right? Yellow and purple really make it pop.
Jerry Hauser’s a down-on-his-luck rideshare driver who just happens to look exactly like Darren Hart, one of those “Nothing’s wrong with you, just choose to be happy” Tony Robbins-style self-help bros. The book is advertised as a “pulp crime story,” so I’m sure you can guess where this is going. Mariana Ignazzi’s art is competent and otherwise unremarkable. I really enjoyed Fabiana Mascolo’s colors that portray Southern California in pink, yellow, and turquoise, and an orange that makes it seem like the place exists in a perpetual golden hour. Also Owen King is Stephen King’s son.
Great colors!
Issue 1 reads like a television pilot - I won’t spoil it here, but it closes on a nice precipitating incident that grabs you and could propel the first season of a series. I think that’s probably the intent here; a 22-page comic makes for a much more digestible product to leave with an executive than a 42-page script. Will I buy the next issue? Might just wait to catch it on TV.
Precious Metal #1 (Darcy Van Poelgeest, Ian Bertram)
Precious Metal, I learned after I brought the comic home, is a prequel to the Eisner-winning limited series Little Bird. I quickly suspected as much, because I had no blessed clue what was going on, for the entirety of the book. That’s not a great sign for a #1. I’ll cut a little slack because it’s an indie book, and the point is to take risks that might not be the most commercially sensible. However, I wouldn’t recommend Precious Metal to somebody who hasn’t read Little Bird.
The story itself is sort of standard issue sci-fi/cyberpunk; jaded bounty-hunter type looking for a kid who’s actually a weapon, blah blah blah. Ian Bertram’s art is where Precious Metal shines (see what I did there?!?). The amount of detail in the panels far exceeds most of the big-two comics on the racks today, and reminds me of superstar Tradd Moore’s work on Doctor Strange: Fall Sunrise. According to Bertram’s art rep, he drew the book on 18x24-inch boards, which probably facilitates the intricate backgrounds (standard comic art is usually 11x17, or somewhere around there). Bertram’s style - lots of fine lines, lots of detail - resembles Nick Pitarra’s work, and ultimately owes a lot to the underground comix pillar R. Crumb. The art is spectacular; I’m tempted to break my self-imposed rule (no buying a second issue if the first one failed to grab) just because of Bertram’s work. If you’re interested, you can see every page at his rep’s website.
Precious Metal #1, p. 5 original art. In case you’re getting any ideas, the art for issue 1 sold complete, so it probably won’t hit the market for a while.
Same page, as published.
That’s all for this week! See ya next time, possibly for some Star Wars punditry, possibly for something else.