Theth

Theth is a title I picked out of my giant pile of Christmas comics.  The pick was totally random, but I happened to have read a long article on Josh Bayer in Study Group Magazine, Issue #2, an article which piqued my interest in the creator.  The pick was a fortunate one.  Seth is a 1980 misfit, wearing a spacesuit everywhere he goes and living with his stepmother, who insists that he call her "Mom."  The other students call him "Theth," and he spends his time at the general store, where he never buys  the comics, just reading them for free.  The day John Lennon is killed, a stranger tells Seth that he can just steal what he wants, just take it.

Bayer's style is unique, with powerful lines; it's so cartoony, for lack of a better word, primal, alive.  His work has been compared with punk rock, but to me, it's more like the free jazz from an unpronounceable Nordic city in the heart of winter.  All apologies to punk rockers aside, there's a lot more technique to free jazz than there is to punk rock, at least in punk rock's original form.  The story is as primal as the art, just a boy who can't fit in.

Theth is something akin to a painting, a long one.  At 80 pages, it took me almost an hour to read, although in typical fashion, I did have wrestling on in the background, multitasking.  What makes Theth great is all the unanswered questions.  Why does Seth wear a spacesuit?  Where is his dad?  How old is he exactly?  I could go on, but I would be revealing too much.  I'm not a mean person, but I felt the urge to call Seth "Theth," myself.  He's so... different.  We're told that we should love the different ones - the artists, the poets, the philosophers - but we also want to punch them, too.

Planetes Omnibus, Vol. 1

Planetes Omnibus, Volume 1 is a hard science-fiction epic I received as a present from my sister and her family for Christmas.  The book is 525 pages broken up into 12 chapters of about 45 pages each.  Most of the chapters are fairly self contained, with an overall story advancing.  Planetes is mostly the story of a crew of waste disposal experts aboard the DS-12.  Fee is their leader, although only one of the chapters really centers around her.  As the omnibus progresses, the story revolves more and more around Hachimaki, a driven astronaut who dreams of joining the Jupiter mission.

Some great manga was produced around the turn of the century: One Piece, Planetes, Hunter x Hunter, 20th Century Boys, and Old Boy are just a few examples.  Sure, there are a few dated examples.  The low-rent astronauts all smoke cigarettes, especially the Japanese ones.  By the year 2075 when the story takes place, smoking will have been replaced by vaping, and I can't imagine smoking taking place in space.  Even 50 years ago, Gene Roddenberry foretold of a future that didn't smoke.

I read the first third of this gigantic tomb last night, hoping that maybe I'd get through it in a week, but once I got into the heart of the story, I couldn't put it down.  I'll have to dig up $13 or $14 to buy Volume 2, which finishes the story, as soon as possible.  The art and characterization are really top notch, but it's the drama and the situations that make this manga for me.  Hachimaki going from literally being a space janitor to applying for the greatest space mission in the history of humankind - going to Jupiter to mine for Helium-3 - is the epitome of hubris, and I can't wait to find out if he actually makes it there.

Babybel Wax Bodysuit

Babybel Wax Bodysuit is my Retrofit Comic of the day, a surreal 20 pages with seven distinct stories, most lasting a few pages and the last one lasting eight pages. The imagery is unforgettable, such as a group of KKK members being led by the Grand Dragon riding a giant bug and a man climbing a ladder to jump into a TV set. I particularly like "The Literal World," a story presumably about the author and his friendship with a fellow comic book fan who happens to be on the right side of the political spectrum.

The nods to R. Crumb are obvious, in particular the bean-shaped body without a head. There is also a mention of Keith Haring, along with the figures that feature prominently in his work. The comic is an emotional roller coaster, including brutal honesty side-by-side with elements of fantasy. It took me a few pages to really get into; it isn't an "easy" comic. There is so much to see and read on each page that it's hard not to feel overwhelmed. But it's worth it.

The Punisher #7

The Punisher, Issue #7 is the final comic with art by Steve Dillon, who passed away recently. The comic opens up at Agent Henderson's grave, the significance of which is rather spooky. There are questions as to whether or not Frank Castle is still alive, But a few pages in, he emerges from warm, ready to kill. He comes across to thugs looking for him, they shoot up with EMC, and the three of them get into an all-out brawl. It's classic Punisher.

This is the bloodiest and most violent issue yet from this team, and I hope the comic does go on in some form as I've been big fan of Becky Cloonan's writing on this series. Steve Dillon, of course, has a long history in comics and The Punisher. Like most fan I became aware of his work when I read Preacher. Just remember, if something really hurt, then there might be something really wrong. Don't try to tough it out.

Study Group Magazine #2

Study Group Magazine, Issue #2 came in the mail today, and I couldn't be happier. I put on my favorite art-rock piece, "Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding" by Elton John, and started reading. I got through the entire album side before I got through even a fifth of the magazine. There is so much to see and read; it's a mix of comics and prose articles about comic makers, including several interviews.

I first became acquainted with Study Group Magazine when I started buying Titan, and the friendly comics book retailer told me about the magazine series. I went to the Study Group website powered by Storenvy and got a number of items, including Power Button #0, which I've already reviewed (the stuff I ordered came in two shipments) and Issue #2 through Issue #4 of the magazine, which came today.

My sister and a few friends live up in Portland, hanging around the local and national punk/folk/DIY scene.  The talent of those nomad punk rockers can be off the charts, just like the talent of the lesser-known comics who publish their work in Retrofit, Study Group, and all the others.  I don't know, but to some of us, those lesser-known comics are special (my favorite is still Cowboys and Insects).  I also got a couple of Retrofit comics in the mail today, so I'll be reviewing those when I get the energy.

Green Lanterns #13

Green Lanterns, Issue #13 begins with the story of Volthoom, the First Lantern. Starting 10 billion years ago, the Guardians of the Universe created the Green Lanterns to stand against him. Rami, the Guardian of the Universe from the last few issues, created the Green Lantern Rings. Fast forward to today, Simon Baz and Jessica Cruz are battling the Phantom Lantern, Frank Laminski. Using the two Green Lanterns' own fears against them he is in effect a Yellow Lantern.

I'm a big fan of the Phantom Lantern arc. I'm a Green Lantern fan in general because of a few things: I love the grandiose nature of the comic, I like the fact that the Green Lanterns draw on themselves for power, and I really became a fan of this series when Geoff Johns took the helm. This particular iteration has been consistently good and easy to read.

Street Dawgz

Street Dawgz is a 24-page black-and-white mini comic 4" x 6" with six panels per page. It stars for dogs that live in cardboard box, eat crack bones, and generally cause trouble. They are self-aware, and somewhat philosophical. One of the dogs eats too many crack bones, and his musings are so insightful that the other dogs grabbed a pen try to write them down. There is a joke about the immigrant crisis with a fox representing one of the immigrants.

Lizz Lunney is the author and artists; she is of British extraction, living in Berlin. There are 21 million refugees in the world, and many of them come to "first-world" countries as immigrants. The fox speaks a very British dialect despite being an immigrant. The use of different animals to represent different nationalities goes back hundreds of years in comics. This technique was most famously used in Maus by Art Spiegelman.