tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-171809352024-03-07T11:40:31.910+00:00Cyber Hellfire ClubNews and reviews for the discerning sci-fi, fantasy and comic book fan! Bringing you all the news and gossip from the UK's best conventions.IanDSharmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02094037011446607583noreply@blogger.comBlogger207125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17180935.post-68356437115929837232010-04-30T19:38:00.002+01:002010-04-30T19:48:27.194+01:00Marvel Chronology - Fantastic Four v1 #5<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiSgtG6eXPCufe3Je_tJUPOdo4vseX3k78PrKqFDJRzjF7oKN9sRFQ7xMfkDPOs1dJsp2aObvC2FdMUYy3M7tqEKjKHtt6GcxUpYOhCsHIowqjNCUumRduC0LXYqtBRGzby7TU/s1600/007_Fantastic_Four_v1_005.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 210px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiSgtG6eXPCufe3Je_tJUPOdo4vseX3k78PrKqFDJRzjF7oKN9sRFQ7xMfkDPOs1dJsp2aObvC2FdMUYy3M7tqEKjKHtt6GcxUpYOhCsHIowqjNCUumRduC0LXYqtBRGzby7TU/s320/007_Fantastic_Four_v1_005.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466004200473708914" /></a><div>I should have lots to say about this issue; after all it contains the first appearance of arguably the single most significant and enduring villain in the Marvel Universe – Dr Doom. However, I’m having trouble getting past the fact that Doom throws a large electrified net over the Fantastic Four’s skyscraper headquarters and so they just give up. Seriously, what? Rather than fight back or try to escape they just give him Sue Storm.</div><div><br /></div><div>Okay, once you get past that there’s actually a decent little time travel story here. Dr Doom sends the Fantastic Four (well, three of them, Sue’s busy being held hostage) back in time to retrieve Black Beard’s treasure for him…only it turns out that The Thing was actually Black Beard! So…if Dr Doom hadn’t sent them back in time, there would have been no Black Beard, so this had to happen and always happened. It’s the use of time travel which most makes sense, and I tend to like stories like this. Of course, Marvel have since had to establish an elaborate explanation for time travel in the Marvel Universe which includes the existence of multiple alternate timelines, but, hey, it’s early days yet.</div><div><br /></div><div>Sue saves the day in the end, but only because Dr Doom has forgotten about her, rather than, you know, through her actually being any good at anything.</div><div><br /></div><div>Doom’s origin is covered briefly, of course, and is infinitely more satisfying than the one in the recent Fantastic Four movie. Personally I hate when movie adaptations of comics feel the need to tie the hero and villains origins together (I’m looking at you, Batman). Instead Dr Doom’s origin introduces an occult dimension to what has been a firmly science fiction story until now. Yes, Reed and Von Doom are tied together in a way, they were at college together, but unlike Reed, Von Doom couldn’t find the answers he was looking for in science, and so combined his scientific genius with research into occult lore. The results, quite literally, blew up in his face. The question of what Von Doom was looking to achieve is left hanging here, which is a nice touch.</div><div><br /></div><div>Okay, the last thing I’m going to touch on here is another of those nice little in-jokes. At one point The Human Torch teases The Thing, telling him he looks like the monster in a comic he’s reading, that comic being The Incredible Hulk. The Fantastic Four are clearly unaware of the fact that the Hulk is real…and one is left wondering if they know that there’s a comic about them too?</div>IanDSharmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02094037011446607583noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17180935.post-79629617404885662010-04-29T17:49:00.002+01:002010-04-29T17:56:30.575+01:00Marvel Chronology - Journey Into Mystery #83<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ65mr-Y04OiqTA9X4-Tqh-8I89uXRM_zR_WoZZwWgLYpgxliN0sbw32sXpYjulNa_7E65NP30wBWTzV5Cnf8QpE45OGhI4NT0fmEyfJwHux9_5b86fs4ojW2SjyclT3r5fh8x/s1600/006_Journey_into_Mystery_083.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 208px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ65mr-Y04OiqTA9X4-Tqh-8I89uXRM_zR_WoZZwWgLYpgxliN0sbw32sXpYjulNa_7E65NP30wBWTzV5Cnf8QpE45OGhI4NT0fmEyfJwHux9_5b86fs4ojW2SjyclT3r5fh8x/s320/006_Journey_into_Mystery_083.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465604353881729922" /></a><div>And now, to Norway!</div><div><br /></div><div>When Marvel unleashed the Fantastic Four onto an unsuspecting world they had already been publishing several monster/sci-fi comics for some years. These included such titles as Journey Into Mystery, Strange Tales and Tales To Astonish. After the success of the Fantastic Four it simply made sense to publish more super-hero stories, and so the focus of the monster books gradually started to shift to include super heroes. The first title to get this treatment was Journey Into Mystery, which, with issue eighty-three, gave us the debut of Thor!</div><div><br /></div><div>Well, I have to confess that I’ve not read very many Thor comics, and as far as I was aware he’s actually supposed to be the genuine Norse god of thunder, Thor. Not here though, here he’s Doctor Donald Blake who discovers a gnarled stick while hiding from stone men from the planet Saturn when holidaying in Norway. When he strikes the stick against a rock the stick turns into the hammer of Thor and he gains the appearance and powers of the Norse thunder god. He’s still got the mind of Dr Blake though. He’s not talking in Shakespearean English, he doesn’t actually think he’s Thor…he just looks like him, and has his powers.</div><div><br /></div><div>I’m pretty sure that Stan Lee changes this over time, but I’m starting to get the feeling that Stan is just making stuff up as he goes along…to meet some kind of publishing schedule… Surely not?!</div><div>There’s not really much I have to say about this, it’s a fun little story, but most of its fourteen pages are taken up with Dr Blake figuring out what’s happened to him and what his powers are.</div>IanDSharmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02094037011446607583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17180935.post-41438000501439568452010-04-28T17:24:00.003+01:002010-04-29T03:30:14.477+01:00Marvel Chronology - Fantastic Four v1 #4<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqzg4CuklPgLdpPTLjWYua4gPY9kP4sBe0wu24iIjZydYmXcBSidAxOK9KkpTyebmRrqWzrRL9xMwXMyrbSN0K5fymyZts6Jn0Yn4F-iKNRapvu8StY0IqrW1WlwTZ8ou97Y57/s1600/005_Fantastic_Four_v1_004.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 207px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqzg4CuklPgLdpPTLjWYua4gPY9kP4sBe0wu24iIjZydYmXcBSidAxOK9KkpTyebmRrqWzrRL9xMwXMyrbSN0K5fymyZts6Jn0Yn4F-iKNRapvu8StY0IqrW1WlwTZ8ou97Y57/s320/005_Fantastic_Four_v1_004.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465225438888991394" /></a><div>Hey, the FF better listen to the Human Torch and not let the Sub-Mariner reach the water…oh, unless it’s actually the Human Torch who deliberately drops Subby in the ocean inside the comic. Oh…it is? Nevermind…</div><div><br /></div><div>I’ve already referenced that the Human Torch owes his name and his initial appearance to the character of the same name who first appeared in Marvel Comics #1 in 1939. That comic was, essentially, published by Marvel Comics, although at the time the publishing company run by Martin Goodman was known as Timely. I won’t get into a lengthy debate on the canonicity of stories published by Goodman’s Timely and Atlas Comics prior to Fantastic Four #1, but it’s clear from Fantastic Four #4 that those comics were not only published within the fictional Marvel Universe, but they were regarded as being based on actual events. Now, by including the Human Torch in the Fantastic Four, Stan and Jack hinted at a longer history for what was to become the Marvel Universe, it imbued this new and very different kind of super-hero comic with a connection to the Golden Age of super heroes. However, this was very subtle, Johnny Storm is a fundamentally different character to the android Human Torch of the thirties and forties. With the introduction of the Sub-Mariner we see a direct connection to the Golden Age, and in case we’re left in any doubt, we have the Human Torch essentially point to the comics from the forties and say “Look, it’s the same guy!” It’s no coincidence that it’s the Human Torch who finds the Sub-Mariner, either, nor is it a coincidence that at the end of the issue it comes down to a fight between the two of them. Stan and Jack are clearly referencing the many, many fights that the two characters had in the forties, fights which would often see New York consumed by tidal waves as the two titans clashed.</div><div><br /></div><div>Oh, wait, did I say New York? That’s right, with Fantastic Four #4 it’s finally revealed that we’re not in some vague “Central City,” but, instead, we are in the real world city of New York. This is one of the fundamental creative decisions that has, since Fantastic Four #4, set Marvel apart from DC. Where DC has always used fictional cities such as Metropolis and Gotham, Stan Lee chose to set his stories in real cities, in the real world. It’s hard to explain why this makes such a big difference, especially writing from a British perspective, as I am. I’m sure that for American readers it was thrilling to see their heroes battling against a back drop of real world landmarks that they could see every day. I guess from my point of view I’ve just always liked the idea that I <i>could</i> visit these places, whereas I could never go to Gotham City.</div><div><br /></div><div>The issue itself follows what is already becoming something of a formula in these early issues – the Fantastic Four bicker and fight amongst themselves before having to come together to fight an external foe who has commanded an enormous monster to attack them. That said, it’s hugely ramped up here, the bickering is taken to such a degree that Johnny has actually quit the team and the rest of the group split up to find him. It is, of course, The Thing who finds him, and the two inevitably end up in a full on fight. The monster, too, has been taken to the Nth degree, as he’s not just big, he dwarfs New York, and is only defeated when The Thing straps a nuclear bomb to his back and walks deep inside the beast to set it off. Not only that, but The Thing has to fight huge sea monsters that are living inside the main monster. This is storytelling on an epic scale, and as absurd as it may be, nearly fifty years on it’s still quite thrilling.</div>IanDSharmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02094037011446607583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17180935.post-38911704838078804932010-04-27T14:02:00.002+01:002010-04-29T03:30:03.621+01:00Marvel Chronology - Incredible Hulk v1 #1<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi23vYtnXSVa5-JQ7BZOM8qke7ZMSd3-JihdFUC-w5IAbYeTXozRmWwOcFTkbhfhLyG5ZLMl4tU9kH9pHVYXSfxTmJFl_kCW0lZPFcFeAAp31hMYVAiuQEzY_3hZ_zzODeiO5-C/s1600/004_Incredible_Hulk_v1_001.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi23vYtnXSVa5-JQ7BZOM8qke7ZMSd3-JihdFUC-w5IAbYeTXozRmWwOcFTkbhfhLyG5ZLMl4tU9kH9pHVYXSfxTmJFl_kCW0lZPFcFeAAp31hMYVAiuQEzY_3hZ_zzODeiO5-C/s320/004_Incredible_Hulk_v1_001.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464802181703079522" /></a><div>We all know this one, right? Dr Bruce Banner gets caught in the explosion when testing his Gamma Bomb, and subsequently transforms into a giant, unthinking, green beast whenever he becomes angry. Except, none of that is right, except the bit about the Gamma Bomb. Not only is the Hulk not green in his first appearance (which is fairly common knowledge amongst comic fans), but his transformation is not triggered by anger. Instead, Banner transforms into a hulking grey beast at sunset, returning to his human form at sunrise. Oh, and the Hulk isn’t really an unthinking beast, either, he’s actually quite articulate.</div><div><br /></div><div>Indeed, this is a far more interesting tale then the traditional “Hulk Smash!” narrative. Stan and Jack combine elements from a number of classic monster stories…the Werewolf, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, and Frankenstein’s Monster…to create a character that has proven to be just as enduring as them. I can also see an influence from classic 1956 science fiction movie Forbidden Planet here. The arrogant use of technology releases a monster from the scientist’s Id in both stories. For that is what the Hulk is here, not simply Banner’s inner rage unleashed, he is the personification of his Id, as Freud put it, “the dark inaccessible part of our personality.” Banner’s very repressed and subtle attraction to Betty is revealed, when his Id is unleashed in the form of the Hulk, who is irresistibly drawn to her.</div><div><br /></div><div>Less interesting is the “it’s all a dastardly Red Commie plot” aspect of the story. “The Reds” were, of course, a common villain in 1960’s Marvel Comics, but read from a 21st Century perspective, this stuff is a little painful. Would a man named “Igor” with a clearly Russian accent have been employed by the US Military to work on a Top Secret weapons project? I suspect not. He’s possibly the worst spy ever, and it’s interesting to note that we never learn his surname…I suspect his full name was Igor Iamaspyski. Later on it’s clear that Stan and Jack are trying to say something clever about Banner releasing the human inside the monstrous Gremlin, after he had released the monster within his human self, but it’s all very rushed. The entire confrontation with the Gremlin in Russia, turning him back into a human, and him then rebelling against his evil Communist overlords (including him ranting to a picture of Khrushchev, or Comrade K as he’s referred to in the comic) takes place in the last two pages! Can you imagine that much story being packed into two pages in a modern comic? Anyway, subtle this is not, and it really doesn’t seem to fit with the rest of the story.</div><div><br /></div><div>I guess I should mention that this comic also introduces eternal sidekick Rick Jones to the Marvel Universe. Rick is extremely irritating and, I’m sad to say, this is by no means the last we’ll be seeing of him. Indeed, he will later play a big part in the founding of The Avengers, will play a pivotal role in the Kree/Skrull War and has continued to be the Marvel Universe’s prime hanger on right up until the present day. It’s possible I may grow to love Rick Jones as I read more comics that feature him. It’s also possible that I won’t.</div><div><br /></div><div>Lastly, I have to mention the art, which is simply breathtaking in places. The three panels at the end of Chapter One, showing the Hulk walking off into the distance are incredibly atmospheric, and showcase Jack Kirby at his best.</div><div><br /></div>IanDSharmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02094037011446607583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17180935.post-39462080200991310002010-04-27T00:56:00.003+01:002010-04-29T03:29:48.232+01:00Marvel Chronology - Fantastic Four v1 #3<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEholo_gsNfuw059rckhFCwPCFbOi3HLwS4lOtwyGBha3N1rYqcC_jiWFFs63bj7TYAhgnUQDBp-eW_C_-5q-Vcj8fif6pTgF6q80Z6zmat69XrFDbvmxDBNrnaH4ISLalSo6zY9/s1600/003_Fantastic_Four_v1_003.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 210px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEholo_gsNfuw059rckhFCwPCFbOi3HLwS4lOtwyGBha3N1rYqcC_jiWFFs63bj7TYAhgnUQDBp-eW_C_-5q-Vcj8fif6pTgF6q80Z6zmat69XrFDbvmxDBNrnaH4ISLalSo6zY9/s320/003_Fantastic_Four_v1_003.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464599802005897138" /></a><div>Hey, wow, look at that cover! How exciting is that? We have the Fantastic Four in their distinctive costumes at last, we have the Human Torch looking like the Human Torch (and not his Golden Age equivalent), and we even have the Fantasti-Car. From a design perspective, this is great; the red and yellow Human Torch simply leaps out at us when compared with that striking, blue background.</div><div><br /></div><div>There’s something missing from this cover, though, and that the villain of the month. There’s a good reason for that, the villain in this story is the Miracle-Man and he is, quite simply, rubbish. Indeed, he’s little more than an excuse to get the Fantastic Four fighting a giant monster again!</div><div>Not only is the Miracle-Man rubbish, but this story really makes little or no sense. At the risk of spoiling this nearly fifty year old comic, it turns out that the Miracle-Man isn’t capable of performing miracles at all, but is just a very talented hypnotist…so talented that he can hypnotise television cameras into broadcasting images of events that aren’t really happening? Also, apparently, the police in this still unidentified city regularly carry bazookas in case of giant monster attack.</div><div><br /></div><div>I got excited at one point as Stan and Jack have the Invisible Girl go off to take on the Miracle Man by herself after the men on the team have resolutely failed to defeat him. She even thinks to herself, “One Invisible Girl can sometimes accomplish more than a battalion.” For a moment I thought we were going to see something really progressive, that we were going to see Sue Storm strike an early blow in the battle of the sexes and prove herself to me a feminist icon. But, alas, no, all she does is get easily captured and allows herself to be manipulated into luring the men of the team into a trap…who then have to save her. I’m not the first commentator to lament the obvious subtext of making the team’s female character the “invisible” one.</div><div><br /></div><div>It’s not all bad though. As I said, we see the debut of the team’s distinctive blue costumes, and Stan and Jack have some fun the absurd idea of putting The Thing in a costume. The Human Torch also gets his now familiar traditional look, setting him apart, visually speaking, from the Golden Age character of the same name who first appeared in <i>Marvel Comics #1</i> in 1939. Interestingly this new look is not explained within the comic. For example, it’s not suggested that this is the result of him gaining greater control of his powers. Indeed, in a flashback recounting the groups origins we see that the Human Torch has <i>always</i> looked like that. What we have here, people, is the Marvel Universe’s very first retcon. (Note: for those of you who maybe don’t know what a “retcon” is, the term is shorthand for “retroactive continuity.” Basically, a retcon is when you revise the established back story of a character).</div><div><br /></div><div>So, not a classic issue, but still a lot of interesting stuff going on here.</div><div><br /></div>IanDSharmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02094037011446607583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17180935.post-85844225108288776212010-04-26T02:41:00.001+01:002010-04-26T02:43:38.232+01:00Marvel Chronology - Fantastic Four v1 #2<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGyj_tgCa9YmrJqdF6tYle-XSHLMgLprHlTUVYsoDjqpuJTwKtokIxxUDeqLKtpq-pelQ1VdJee9lEV75Wuog6AcUkDYZaNxH6Oy5kyBNaZRCV8e2mprOEpPi4XNZlKYcLzJHl/s1600/002_Fantastic_Four_v1_002.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 210px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGyj_tgCa9YmrJqdF6tYle-XSHLMgLprHlTUVYsoDjqpuJTwKtokIxxUDeqLKtpq-pelQ1VdJee9lEV75Wuog6AcUkDYZaNxH6Oy5kyBNaZRCV8e2mprOEpPi4XNZlKYcLzJHl/s320/002_Fantastic_Four_v1_002.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464255768885634994" /></a><div>Wow, things really kick off in this issue, which has continued to have ramifications right up until the present day in the Marvel Universe, tying in to such epic Marvel moments as the Kree/Skrull War and, of course, Secret Invasion.</div><div><br /></div><div>Stan and Jack show a nice flash of genius by opening up the issue with the Fantastic Four on something of a criminal rampage. From the point of view of reading this in 2010 it’s obvious that something is up…doppelgangers or maybe mind control…but this was only the second issue, and for all the readers at the time knew, this was the direction the characters were going to go in. However, of course, it’s quickly revealed that this isn’t the FF at all; it’s a group of shape shifting aliens called Skrulls. The Skrulls have possibly been the most significant alien race in the Marvel Universe, with only the Kree and the Shi’ar coming close to matching their importance.</div><div><br /></div><div>This issue also reveals that the Fantastic Four have a flagrant disregard for the rule of law. When wrongly arrested for the crimes that the Skrulls have committed in their name, our four heroes think nothing of immediately breaking free, rather than trusting in the justice system to clear their name. Of course, it would make for a rubbish story if they were just content to remain in their cells, but it’s interesting that this moral quandary doesn’t trouble any of them for even a moment.</div><div><br /></div><div>So, you like Deadpool? You like all that quirky meta-textual stuff? Well, Stan and Jack were doing that right here in the second issue of Fantastic Four. Mr Fantastic uses panels clipped from contemporary Marvel monster titles, <i>Strange Tales</i> and <i>Journey Into Mystery</i> to trick the leader of the Skrull invasion force, establishing that Marvel Comics exists within its own fictional universe. This is an in-joke that we’ll see returned to again and again, and which was used to great effect by Peter David in the recent <i>She-Hulk</i> series.</div><div><br /></div><div>This issue also sees the bond between the four main characters begin to deepen. While The Thing continues to express anger and frustration at his transformation, which leads to conflict within the group, we do see both Reed and Johnny express a deeper level of understanding when it comes to the emotional pain that Ben is feeling. Jack Kirby’s art really shines in the issues most poignant moment – after a second trip through the cosmic rays that bombard the Earth, Ben reverts temporarily to his human form. Kirby’s portrayal of his transformation back into The Thing is incredibly touching, and there is a very tangible sense of sadness and pathos, particularly in the final panel of the sequence, where Ben looks utterly defeated.</div><div><br /></div><div>Still no costumes, and Johnny still looks like the golden age Human Torch, but this issue shows a big step towards that special formula that made Marvel such a revolutionary force in comics.</div><div><br /></div>IanDSharmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02094037011446607583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17180935.post-29254591661711645652010-04-25T18:42:00.004+01:002010-04-26T02:44:17.925+01:00Marvel Chronology- Fantastic Four v1 #1<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHfkPqe-duWi3NzS2qk22ptK_1ie1_dfdrM662G9of4I233Z4aKPoePbB3w44TuTfzGW7_zRACklEp-6oUprBp_12cUg7SjYd_riH83vw0URsHYX3fxJhgWBWylVAezH4Hgc-r/s1600/001_Fantastic_Four_v1_001.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 206px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHfkPqe-duWi3NzS2qk22ptK_1ie1_dfdrM662G9of4I233Z4aKPoePbB3w44TuTfzGW7_zRACklEp-6oUprBp_12cUg7SjYd_riH83vw0URsHYX3fxJhgWBWylVAezH4Hgc-r/s320/001_Fantastic_Four_v1_001.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464132643098686898" /></a><div>Well, I thought it would be interesting to read through every Marvel comic in chronological order and record my thoughts on each issue, starting with the comic that heralded the beginning of the Marvel Age of comics, Fantastic Four #1, by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.</div><div><br /></div><div>These won’t be reviews, this isn’t scholarly analysis, this is simply my musings as I read through Marvel history.</div><div><br /></div><div>Fantastic Four #1 is a fairly fascinating read, the view is generally that Stan and Jack completely reinvented comics with Fantastic Four #1, and the Marvel style of comics was fully born with this issue, but that’s simply not true. For example, one of the things that has always set Marvel apart from their Distinguished Competition is that Marvel’s comics are set in real world cities, unlike DC’s fictional cities, like Gotham and Metropolis. However, Fantastic Four #1 seems to take place not in New York but in “Central City.” It’ll be interesting to see how quickly in the run the setting changes to New York.</div><div><br /></div><div>It’s also fascinating to see how much everyone hates each other at first. Marvel’s “first family” are truly a dysfunctional family to begin with. Reed and Ben are quite literally at each other’s throats, and it’s clear that the animosity between them has been brewing for some time. Ben feels that Sue is in love with the wrong man, and the fact that he holds Reed responsible for his transformation into The Thing only fuels his hatred for him.</div><div><br /></div><div>It’s also interesting to note that our heroes at no point appear in costume throughout the entire issue. They are either in regular, civilian clothes, or in purple jump suits. The look and feel of the Fantastic Four is incredibly different to that which we’ve become accustomed to. The Thing looks very different to his classic orange, rocky form…he’s rounder, softer, almost as if he hasn’t quite set yet. The Human Torch, of course, is also very different, looking more like the original Human Torch from the thirties, then the later, more stylised version that we’re used to.</div><div>Another interesting point is that the scene that adorns the now legendary cover to Fantastic Four #1 simply doesn’t take place in the story at all. The fight with the Mole Man’s monster happens deep under the earth in the Mole Man’s lair, and not on a city street.</div><div><br /></div><div>The structure of the story itself is also worth noting. Lee and Kirby introduce each character and their powers before going back and telling us their origin in a flash back. Personally, I feel this is where most movie adaptations of super hero comics go wrong, including the Fantastic Four movie itself. We don’t usually get to see the characters in action until well into the movie, suffering through an interminably long explanation of their origins. Wow me first, show me the heroes in action, then go back and tell me how they gained their powers (if you must), don’t make me sit through an interminable origin story before showing me the hero in action (I’m looking at you, Batman Begins). Stan and Jack get it bang on here.</div><div><br /></div><div>Interestingly, rather than being a clean break from what had come before, Fantastic Four clearly shows itself to be a progression from the monster books that Stand and Jack has been working on before. We’re treated to a succession of giant monsters crawling out of holes to terrorise people. In many ways it is the monsters and not the drably dressed heroes who provide the visual entertainment here.</div><div><br /></div><div>Another thing worth noting is the battle with the Mole Man and his monsters itself, which, one has to concede, is incredibly unfulfilling. To summarize, the Fantastic Four track the Mole Man to his base of operations on Monster Island, fall down a hole, are then attacked my one of the Mole Man’s monsters, and then run away. The Mole Man then, for some reason, decides to blow up his island as they flee. The team don’t use their powers to cleverly defeat the Mole Man, they simply use them to flee.</div><div><br /></div><div>Overall there’s a real feeling that Stan and Jack are finding their feet her, they’re finding their voice. There’s a clear desire to do something new and different here, but they haven’t quite got the formula worked out yet. They’re playing it safe by including what they know works – the monsters – but they’re also trying to do super-heroes in a different way. It hasn’t quite clicked yet…but they’re on their way…</div><div><br /></div>IanDSharmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02094037011446607583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17180935.post-7025106419765919512010-04-09T21:57:00.002+01:002010-04-09T22:01:36.490+01:00The Eagle Awards<div>So, after their lamentable absence last year, it would seem that <b>The Eagle Awards</b> are back! For those of you who don't know, The Eagle Awards are the British comic book awards, which have been running (off and on) since 1976 (that's the year I was born, people!).</div><div><br /></div><div>They have, lately, been the subject of some controversy, but let's not get into that here, the important thing is that awards are shiny, and if there's one thing that people like, it's shiny things!</div><div><br /></div><div>Now, for the moment, they're just in the first round of nominations. This is the point where you, the comic loving public, can nominate anyone and anything in the 30+ different categories, those people/comics/whatever getting the most votes will then go through to the second round, gaining an official nomination. For the moment, in this first round, you can either write in your own nominations, or choose from a drop down list of people/comics/whatever that have already been nominated in that category. You are not limited to only nominating from the drop down list though.</div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway, awards, woohoo!</div><div><br /></div><div>I've already voted, as have lots of people it would seem...please, go vote, and vote for whoever you want to!</div><div><br /></div><div>It's nice to see that people have already voted for Orang Utan Comics personnel and publications in eight categories though... I've already had votes for <b>Favourite Newcomer Writer</b>, <b>Favourite Letterer</b> and <b>Favourite Editor</b>. Azim Akberali (OUC's longest serving artist) shows up in the <b>Favourite Artist: Fully Painted Artwork</b> category (an award he received a proper nomination for in 2008, the last time the awards were held). Peter Rogers pops up in the <b>Favourite Writer</b> category. FTL has received votes in two categories, <b>Favourite Cover Published During 2009</b> (for John Charles' fantastic cover to FTL #1) and <b>Favourite British Black and White Comicbook</b>. Alpha Gods shows up in the list for <b>Favourite Graphic Novel Published During 2009</b> and <b>Favourite British Colour Comicbook</b>; and Orang Utan Comics shows up in <b>Favourite Publisher</b>.</div><div><br /></div><div>I doubt we'll win anything, but it would be nice to see us get through to the second round in some of these categories.</div><div><br /></div><div>So, go vote, have fun, vote for who you want to vote for...but if you like what Orang Utan Comics did during 2009 then it would be awesome if you'd vote for us and our comics!</div><div><br /></div><div>To vote, visit The Eagle Awards site <a href="http://www.eagleawards.co.uk/nomination.aspx">here</a>.</div>IanDSharmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02094037011446607583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17180935.post-66693416894953051432010-02-22T20:13:00.003+00:002010-02-23T22:35:01.008+00:00Comics Aren't Just For Adults<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVyzfthKLEoayW3LZiYRXEYt_oY7HLiLEotqzgPpveOhx25Ad0SfyMsyqrHzvg4QrqzrSx2X0pTsW-S6V9x64l5bVWv92DtCcZd6mh22PEISYpPGkiNGlrBUHMqeU9Be_a5nwk/s1600-h/flashcomics.gif"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 336px; height: 364px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVyzfthKLEoayW3LZiYRXEYt_oY7HLiLEotqzgPpveOhx25Ad0SfyMsyqrHzvg4QrqzrSx2X0pTsW-S6V9x64l5bVWv92DtCcZd6mh22PEISYpPGkiNGlrBUHMqeU9Be_a5nwk/s400/flashcomics.gif" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441166664698843250" /></a><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:36.0pt;line-height:200%"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">The title of this piece seems almost absurd, doesn’t it? I mean, we shouldn’t need to say that “comics aren’t just for adults” because nobody thinks that, do they? After all, I remember in my youth the big debate being that comics aren’t just for kids, as scores of men approaching middle age tried to justify their four colour habit as the world looked on and merely assumed that they were trying to cling on to their childhood. The message was picked up and echoed by many comic creators too, who wanted the freedom to tell more mature stories in a medium that had been traditionally viewed as being just for kids. DC’s Vertigo line, and the slew of independent publishers and studios that spring up in the nineties made great strides in convincing a sceptical world that comics don’t have to be just for kids; and now, I believe, we’ve reached a point where most people are fairly accepting of the fact that adults read comics too. Indeed, when most people think of a stereotypical comic book reader, they don’t think of a kid, they think of someone like Comic Book Guy from The Simpsons.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:36.0pt;line-height:200%"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">There’s a problem with this though, a very big problem. We seem to have moved from the position that comics aren’t <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">just</i> for kids, to the position that comics aren’t for kids at all. Now, I’m going to kick off with a bit of personal, anecdotal evidence here, which I know is bad form, but it illustrates my point well, so bear with me. Yesterday I took my eight year old son into our local book store. They have a big display of graphic novels and trade paperbacks, which is mostly dominated by Marvel, and as we were looking at it I simply said to him, “If you could have just one thing from this section, what would you want?” He looked over the shelves, groaning with the latest volumes in Marvel’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Dark Reign</i> saga, the adventures of the new <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Red Hulk</i>, and the current exploits of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">X-Men</i>, and he simply replied, “I wouldn’t want anything.” He’s eight…he’s a boy…he loves sci-fi and fantasy…and he didn’t want anything that the leading comic book company has to offer. Am I wrong in thinking there’s something wrong with this?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:36.0pt;line-height:200%"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">How can it makes sense that comics which have Saturday morning cartoons, toy lines and blockbuster movies based on them are carrying a “T+” rating? I’m not suggesting that mainstream comics need to be dumbed down, kids are smart and we don’t need to dumb anything down for them. I’m not saying that mainstream comics shouldn’t be written in such a way that they can appeal to adults. I’m merely saying that they shouldn’t be written in such a way that they <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">only</i> appeal to adults. I can go back and read the comics I was reading at my son’s age…stuff like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">The Armor Wars</i> in Iron Man, or <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Fall of the Mutants</i> in the X-Men books, and still enjoy them just as much as I enjoyed them when I was a kid. They’re well written, they’re engaging, they’re certainly not patronising or “just for kids”…but they’re also written with an awareness that a younger readership was going to be reading them too, and so the adult themes were dealt with in a more subtle way.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:36.0pt;line-height:200%"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">The problem, as I see it, comes back to the Direct Market, once again. With the switch from the newsstand to the comic shops, comics moved from being a mass market product with mass appeal, attracting a readership from a wide and diverse range of ages, to being a niche product, aimed squarely at the single men in their thirties and forties who make up the bulk of comic shop customers. As an aside, I’d also say that this is part of the reason for the rising tide of misogyny in comics…the increasing tendency to present women in comics wearing next to nothing and standing in “porn poses.” Remember back to the comics of the eighties, back when they were appearing on newsstands and primarily trying to attract kids. The women were generally fully clothed (within the “skin-tight super-suit” conventions of the genre) and would generally be standing in regular poses, maybe in the midst of some kind of dynamic action. They would not be wearing little more than underwear and thrusting various parts of their anatomy at the reader. It disturbs me a little that we’ve come to see this as normal, and defend it as being “just comics.” We shake our heads at people who accuse us of sexism and misogyny and say that they “just don’t understand comics.” I’ve been guilty of that myself, and it’s generally not until you talk to people outside of the comics bubble that you realise just how bad it looks from the outside looking in. We fetishize each and every major female comic book character and then wonder why more women aren’t reading comics.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:36.0pt;line-height:200%"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">But I digress…the simple fact is that the comic book industry is haemorrhaging readers. The top selling comic book in 1991 sold 8 million copies, and I’m willing to bet that the vast majority of those 8 million copies were sold to people under the age of sixteen. Fast forward to the end of 2008, and the top selling comic for the month of December sold around 150,000 copies. If that’s not alarming enough, skip forward another year, to December 2009 and the top selling comic only sold around 100,000 copies…and I’d be willing to bet that the vast majority of those copies were sold to people over thirty. The readership has dropped by a third in just a year, comic shops are closing at an alarming rate…the Direct Market is dying because we’ve been aiming comics at an ever shrinking market of existing fans. This has got to stop.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:36.0pt;line-height:200%"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">The frustrating thing is that this can’t be done at a grass roots level. I know a lot of creators who feel that the key to the future survival of the comic book industry is in producing more all-ages comics. However, there’s no point in an indie comic book company producing a comic that will appeal to kids. Indie comics are only ever going to be available in speciality stores and at conventions. Kids don’t go to these. They go to their local stores, where mum and dad buy their newspapers and their magazines, and the only comic companies who can get their comics into those stores are the likes of Marvel and DC. This change in attitude has to come from the top or the readership will simply keep shrinking until it’s gone. God forbid we should get to December 2010 and see that the top selling comic only sold 50,000 comics, because by the end of 2011 it will be over for comics as we know them.<o:p></o:p></span></p>IanDSharmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02094037011446607583noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17180935.post-15558004526032719322009-10-12T16:48:00.002+01:002009-10-12T17:18:28.971+01:00Alpha Gods & BWS - A Public Statement<div><br /></div><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/JfQv_OZp8bQ&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/JfQv_OZp8bQ&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><div><br /></div><div>As some of you may be aware, my comic book, <a href="http://www.alphagods.co.uk">Alpha Gods</a>, was originally entitled Young Gods. The title was inspired by the 1991 album of the same name by British hard rock band the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Angels">Little Angels</a>. You may also be aware that not long before we went to print with the Alpha Gods graphic novel I received an email from one Alex Bialy, apparently "Windsor-Smith Studio Manager", informing me that Barry Windsor-Smith holds the trademark on the name "Young Gods" and asking me to cease using it.</div><div>Now, at the time I was a little surprised. I was aware that both Marvel and DC have for many years had groups called the Young Gods, although they've not appeared very often. Despite being a fan of Mr Smith's work on both Iron Man and Machine Man for Marvel Comics, I was not aware of his own comic of the same name. However, out of respect for Mr Smith and his claim of ownership of the name I was quite content to change the title of my comic. To be honest, I'm far happier with the name "Alpha Gods"...it makes more sense from an in story point of view...and my only disappointment is that it no longer serves quite so well as a tribute to what I firmly believe to be one of the greatest hard rock albums of all time.</div><div>So, that, I believed, was that...</div><div>...until someone directed me to the latest issue of <a href="http://www.rpgreview.net/">RPG Review</a>.</div><div>It would seem that one of RPG Review's writers had the audacity to use the term "Young Gods" in the title of one of their articles, and so drew the attention of Alex Bialy. RPG Review chose to point out that there was no possible case for trademark infringement here...which was when Mr Bialy, apparently, felt the need to bring my name, and the name of Orang Utan Comics into things...implying that my ideas are unoriginal and implying that, essentially, I had taken the title of my comic from that of Mr Smith's.</div><div>This is untrue. I want to make that abundantly clear, and the fact that Mr Bialy feels it necessary to imply such unsubstantiated accusations to an unrelated third party quite simply shocks me.</div><div>The actions of Mr Bialy here are deeply unprofessional, and I would hope that Mr Smith would consider disassociating himself from them. They show a deep and fundamental lack of respect for others in what is a very, very small industry. We're all in this together, we all love comics, and should be working together to build a better comics industry.</div><div><br /></div><div>That said, now I have your attention, I'd like to point out that the first issue of the new Alpha Gods series, Alpha Gods: Betrayal #1 is now available to order from <a href="http://www.indyplanet.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=2762">IndyPlanet</a> and as a digital download on <a href="http://comics.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?products_id=64516&src=FrontPage">DriveThru Comics</a>. Please check it out!</div><div><br /></div><div>Ian Sharman</div><div>Managing Editor</div><div>Orang Utan Comics</div>IanDSharmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02094037011446607583noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17180935.post-50721317044358316662009-08-31T19:16:00.007+01:002009-08-31T19:25:04.962+01:00The Mouse of Ideas<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9VVkw3j1r0l7dVBGZjuRfBn3RDi2VCmmZr6hECuAprQs89SQUkqLVgZstl11bA0zwWJdStWZ5jBYDB7HrfM2YJK6hATAngxiBjtOJKePLg16_qeYqC_gtYYGadFFf2VUIrMxq/s1600-h/wolviemickey.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 301px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9VVkw3j1r0l7dVBGZjuRfBn3RDi2VCmmZr6hECuAprQs89SQUkqLVgZstl11bA0zwWJdStWZ5jBYDB7HrfM2YJK6hATAngxiBjtOJKePLg16_qeYqC_gtYYGadFFf2VUIrMxq/s400/wolviemickey.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376193579821095794" /></a><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana;color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana;color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana;color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana;color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana;color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana;color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana;color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana;color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana;color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana;color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana;color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana;color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana;color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">So…Disney are apparently buying Marvel for $4 billion.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I doubt that there’s anyone reading this who hasn’t already heard the news, and who hasn’t already spent the day reading tweets and blog articles speculating as to </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">what this will mean</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">. The news coming from Marvel editorial seems to be that, in terms of the comics themselves, this will mean nothing. Disney will have no input into the editorial direction and publishing policies of Marvel Comics. The general consensus of opinion seems to be that this is a </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">good thing</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">, and I’d probably tend to agree with that.</span></span></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">That said, I would love it if Disney actively tried to make comics a mass market product again.</span></span></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Stop and think about it for a minute… Marvel publishes comics featuring some of the most recognizable characters in pop culture. Spider-Man, The Hulk, Iron Man…all three have starred in major blockbuster films in recent years, grossing millions, if not billions of dollars worldwide. You’d be hard pressed to find a young boy in the developed world who doesn’t own an item of clothing with one of these characters on it. And yet looking at the sales figures for July 2009 we see that Amazing Spider-Man sells around 72,000 copies an issue…Incredible Hulk sells 92,000 copies an issue…and Invincible Iron Man sells just 50,000 copies an issue. These figures are tiny! These are not the sales of a mass market publication…these are the sales of a niche market publication for a shrinking audience of obsessive collectors.</span></span></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I'd love to see Marvel's top books selling in the millions again, like they should be. At the very least I'd love to see the big main titles turning up in Disney stores in shopping malls across the world. Even if it was just one spinner rack in every store. I do think that would require a return to the more "all ages" approach of Jim Shooter's Marvel though...but I don’t think that's necessarily a bad thing. I'm just currently reading through New X-Men: Academy X (so that I can the read Young X-Men...and then read X-Infernus...and then read the new New Mutants series...so much catching up!) and I think the tone of that series would be perfect for the mass market. I think that comics can be literate and appealing to adults and...at the same time...appeal to a younger audience. Chris Claremont was a master at that. (And I think comparing Claremont's use of the Hellfire Club...where the sexual undertones were incredibly subtle and would have been missed by most younger readers...with Fraction and Land's over the top overtly fetishistic Red Queen illustrates perfectly the difference between making comics for kids that can be enjoyed by older readers...and making comics for an older audience which are completely inappropriate for kids).</span></span></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I think it would also need a streamlining of the core books...so you would just have a small number of core titles...one X-Men book...one Avengers book...one Spider-Man book...one Iron Man book...one Wolverine book...for the mass market...and then you could have a range of other books that could possibly be direct market only (or even digital only, with adds in the mass market core books for the online digital comics service…and maybe even discount codes in the print comics, or something), that could still tie-in to those core books, and reference what was going on in them...but you'd have to be careful that the core books didn't rely on events in the other books too much (although you'd work in subtle references to encourage your new mass market audience to seek out the other books...effectively drawing new customers to the comic shops…or to your digital comics).</span></span></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">But imagine if you had five core books, for example, and they were all $2 each...so you could pick up all the core Marvel books for $10 each month...suddenly comics are a pocket money purchase again! Not only that but you schedule them so that one book comes out a week...so that there's a new book or two each time the family visits the mall...</span></span></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Cost is a huge factor in this. When I was a kid an American import comic was 70p…and, yes, I know that the price of everything has gone up since the Dark Ages when I was young…but let’s be serious, at £3 and over per comic, comics are not an impulse buy for most kids. They really don’t have that kind of money just floating about in their pockets. I remember going to the newsagent and getting a stack of comic to read whenever we had a long car journey to go on…no kid can do that when they’re £3 each.</span></span></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I’m in the industry…not just the comic book industry, but I’ve worked in print and publications for over ten years…I know it’s possibly to print a 24 page comic book cheaply enough to get the cover price down below $2 a comic (and if you’re Disney and you’re using your own retail outlets and pre-existing distribution network then it should be even easier). And that’s without getting into economies of scale (basically that if you’re printing and selling in the millions rather than the thousands then your cost per unit inevitably goes down). And, hey, if you have to go back to lower quality paper, like newsprint, to do that, then do it! The world is not going to end if our comics aren’t printed on high gsm glossy stock! (I was tempted to go on a rant about the people who suggest that we need to cut out the “expensive photoshop colouring” to reduce the cost of comics…but let’s just all agree that those people don’t know what they’re talking about, eh?).</span></span></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">So…anyway…yes…in summary…in my little game of fantasy comic publisher…I’d love to see a small core of maybe five main books, produced cheaply and in large numbers, and distributed widely…to places kids already go. Those books would have the BEST writers and the BEST artists and would be a way of getting kids reading comics again. Rather than replacing the direct market, they would be a gateway to it, and also a gateway to the digital comics. The non-core books would still be viable…and, if anything, they’d end up being read by a LOT more people (and, if they went digital only, the cost of producing them would be drastically cut). For those of us who like our comics on high quality glossy paper, there would still be trade paperback collections. But the important thing is that comics would be available to millions of kids.</span></span></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Of course...none of this will happen...but it's fun to dream...</span></span></o:p></span></p>IanDSharmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02094037011446607583noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17180935.post-32913990131851215842009-07-07T00:59:00.012+01:002009-07-07T13:35:45.257+01:00FTL #2 REVIEW<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbYevoxF1v_DPr_fKQc4tIb4GeFWtVdAGdy-Yaj-W1jhDAJGF4qdl3C8K85IjTShD5dZGsdA7c_cvNRYuQSdHyb00PXaeuIEJXwlG03RtBe76jR5KH_Y0jl2sqCGC1SYWbF9fzbw/s1600-h/Cover+FTL+2+b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbYevoxF1v_DPr_fKQc4tIb4GeFWtVdAGdy-Yaj-W1jhDAJGF4qdl3C8K85IjTShD5dZGsdA7c_cvNRYuQSdHyb00PXaeuIEJXwlG03RtBe76jR5KH_Y0jl2sqCGC1SYWbF9fzbw/s320/Cover+FTL+2+b.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355553596007286018" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><br /><br /></span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Cover for FTL #2, art by John Charles </span></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></span><div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">I </span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">enjo</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">y anthologies immensely. Collections of short stories, poetry, or graphic fiction are exciting and satisfying. The reader's curve of expectation, of rising tension, is resolved by the end of each tale, and he or she can move on to the next experience.<br /><br />Of course, how good the anthology is depends on how rewarding the individual stories turn out to be. Was the reader hooked right away, did he or she want to read more, were there surprises, new ideas, interesting twists and turns? Was the conclusion, the finale of the story, emotionally and/or intellectually satisfying? Was the reader left with a hunger for more?<br /><br />I'm happy to say, that the second issue of Oran Utan Comics new anthology series FTL (Faster Than Light), contains five stories that answer the above questions with a resounding YES!<br /><br />From the opening introduction, featuring editor in chief Ian Sharman a la Stan Lee, or maybe the Crypt Keeper, welcoming us to his "strange new world," to the closing panel featuring "the Schoolgirl Squad" , FTL #2 delivers.<br /><br />The first piece is a nice variation on the mad scientist theme, called "Morgan McFee and the End of Tomorrow." Written by Ian Sharman, with art by Melissa Hudson, the story is deceptively simple, hiding some deep real-world truths behind stereotypical comic book action and adventure.<br /><br />The second tale is Part 1 of a serial called "The Secret Cross." It is written by Steven Saunders and Stephen Lindsey, with pencils by Dominic Vivona. The opening panel takes us back to World War I, to the trenches of Flanders in 1914. The art is historically accurate and evocative, capturing a mood and projecting a sense of threat that follows the action.<br /><br />The third story is a sharp little piece called "One Last Ballad" by Itai Rosenbaum, with pencils by Gary Heany, inks by Matt Santorelli and gray tones by Nick Dismas.<br /><br />The fourth entry is an unusual and unique short called "Karachun," by Trey Wickwire, with pencils by Olli Hihnala. This is based on Slavic folktales, ancient beliefs once practiced by the pagan Slavs and still secretly whispered about to this day. It is a welcome change to the usual Celtic and Druid lore found so readily in fantasy, science fiction, and horror these days. The panels look like wood-cuts, and the art is entirely appropriate for the subject.<br /><br />The fifth presentation is back to the more traditional super hero style, or more like, "Kill Bill" meets "The New Mutants." Written by Ian Sharman, with art by Donnie Punzalen, this is a simply fun. Replete with the usual cheesecake butt shots and crotch shots, even bodice-ripping, the art is Western realistic but the action is actually reminiscent of classic Japanese manga. While this reviewer could use less of the gratuitous sexual poses, I'm well aware that my assessment above is nothing less than a come-hither to potential male readers.<br /><br />FTL #2 is equal to and in some ways exceeds FTL #1. Both are great reads, and all creators involved should be very proud of their contributions. Moreover, in this era where the big two -- Marvel and DC -- seem to rule the graphic fiction world, it is highly inspirational and gratifying to see an Indy company like Oran Utan Comics producing such sophisticated and enjoyable comic books as ALPHA GODS and FTL.<br /><br />I highly recommend this anthology series, and this is coming from someone who is a hopeless fangirl of Marvel mutants and super heroes. Sometimes it takes an extra shake of the tree to make us look outside the little treehouse we've been living in!<br /><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">Reviewed by Rivka Jacobs</span></span></span></span></div>Rivkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08225517516629970722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17180935.post-41170152143159533492009-05-14T21:48:00.002+01:002009-05-14T21:52:30.390+01:00Me on the radio....<div>While in Bristol for the Bristol International Comic Expo, I had the pleasure of being invited into the BCfm studio to be interviewed by Mark Le-Leivre for his <a href="http://www.bcfm.org.uk/?page_id=452">Movies and Music Programme</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>In case you missed the show, broadcast live on 9th May, I've got the interview with me right here to download for your listening pleasure.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.orangutancomics.co.uk/audio/09-may-2009-14-00-00.mp3">http://www.orangutancomics.co.uk/audio/09-may-2009-14-00-00.mp3</a></div>IanDSharmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02094037011446607583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17180935.post-38309678691896175272009-05-11T13:37:00.000+01:002009-05-11T13:39:02.324+01:00Gratuitous Self Promotion<div>So, it's that Eagle Awards time of year again, with any comic book published in 2008 being eligible for nomination. Now, 2008 was quite a while ago now so I thought it might be usueful for me to...heh....remind you of certain comics that were published during 2008...</div><div><br /></div><div>Such as Contraband...the Eleventh Hour Collector's Edition...Eleventh Hour Vol 1...Marvel Heroes...</div><div><br /></div><div>You can nominated by visiting here - <a href="http://www.eagleawards.co.uk">http://www.eagleawards.co.uk</a></div><div><br /></div><div>So, obviously, go vote for whoever you want to vote for, but, um, here are some suggestions (to be honest, the only ones I'm REALLY bothered about are Favourite Inker, Favourite British Black and White Comicbook and Favourite Artist: Fully-Painted Artwork)...</div><div><br /></div><div>Favourite Newcomer Writer: Ian Sharman</div><div><br /></div><div>Favourite Newcomer Artist: Azim Alberali</div><div><br /></div><div>Favourite Artist: Azim Akberali</div><div><br /></div><div>Favourite Writer: Cy Dethan</div><div><br /></div><div>Favourite Writer/Artist: Ian Sharman</div><div><br /></div><div>Favourite Artist: Pencils: John Charles</div><div><br /></div><div>Favourite Artist: Inks: Ian Sharman</div><div><br /></div><div>Favourite Artist: Fully-Painted Artwork: Azim Akberali</div><div><br /></div><div>Favourite Colourist: John Charles</div><div><br /></div><div>Favourite Letterer: Ian Sharman</div><div><br /></div><div>Favourite Editor: Ian Sharman</div><div><br /></div><div>Favourite Publisher: Orang Utan Comics</div><div><br /></div><div>Favourite American Colour Comicbook: Dynamo 5</div><div><br /></div><div>Favourite British Colour Comicbook: Marvel Heroes</div><div><br /></div><div>Favourite American Black and White Comicbook: ??</div><div><br /></div><div>Favourite British Black and White Comicbook: Eleventh Hour</div><div><br /></div><div>Favourite New Comicbook: Eleventh Hour</div><div><br /></div><div>Favourite Manga: ??</div><div><br /></div><div>Favourite European Comicbook: ??</div><div><br /></div><div>Favourite Single Story Publisher During 2008: "Rise And Shine" from Eleventh Hour Vol 1</div><div><br /></div><div>Favourite Continued Story Published During 2008: Secret Invasion</div><div><br /></div><div>Favourite Cover Published During 2008: Eleventh Hour Collector's Edition</div><div><br /></div><div>Favourite Original Graphic Novel Published During 2008: Contraband (Slave Labor)</div><div><br /></div><div>Favourite Reprint Compilation: Eleventh Hour Collector's Edition</div><div><br /></div><div>Favourite Magazine about Comics: Comics International</div><div><br /></div><div>Favourite Comics-Related Book: ??</div><div><br /></div><div>Favourite Comics-Related Movie or TV Show: Iron Man</div><div><br /></div><div>Favourite Comics Related Website: Down The Tubes</div><div><br /></div><div>Favourite Web-Based Comic: Shortpacked</div><div><br /></div><div>Roll of Honour: Mike Collins</div><div><br /></div>IanDSharmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02094037011446607583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17180935.post-55849008381786041352009-05-02T22:06:00.005+01:002009-05-02T22:13:40.640+01:00Into The Light & The Once And Future King<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvSREGAPzoWL3-BpQudIV1a_BzHRbln275TaHMpjmJeYExiNiL58V9dSBtiX96TQiOEWuZiGueDofU5FWa5w7txMoFGKFQJxef_KSlaDV3DjVtR6ckQ0l7EazceS3lenqI-6PI/s1600-h/intothelight.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvSREGAPzoWL3-BpQudIV1a_BzHRbln275TaHMpjmJeYExiNiL58V9dSBtiX96TQiOEWuZiGueDofU5FWa5w7txMoFGKFQJxef_KSlaDV3DjVtR6ckQ0l7EazceS3lenqI-6PI/s320/intothelight.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331337065793994258" /></a><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">So I have two <a href="http://elephantwords.co.uk/">Elephant Words</a> stories to talk about in this post because I’m a terribly slack blogger…<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">First up is <a href="http://elephantwords.co.uk/2009/04/20/into-the-light/">Into The Light</a>, which is a short tale about the forbidden love between an angel and a demon who meet one day when <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Jerusalem</st1:place></st1:city> is changing hands during one of the crusad</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">es. They can’t be together, despite their love, and, indeed, the very touch of the angel burns the demon’s skin.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">Of course, it’s about a lot more than that, it’s about how one can endure the pain of separation for brief moments spent together when that’s all you have. Why? Because the love that you share makes the pain bearable, and the pain of being utterly without each other would be unbearable.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">The relationship that the angel and demon have in this story is the ultimate long distance relationship, a subject which is rather close to my heart.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">The picture of the dark corridor with the light pouring in at the end was very inspiring. It led me to think about this meeting place between light and dark, and that’s how I started thinking about an angel and a demon meeting there, with the demon watching the angel walk away, back into the light. That led me to the last line…and from there it was a matter of filling in the story in between.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4f7QRUTdXdu1-pfWPurlL2mPXMSoD27sIVSOVxR5HBW8vw-yQic3w22Wm_KYbIa0-TKbaANCtnCA5_f0SCPtv2lPRi5VLTjjPDyZp8pXtxojfL7RT6j0UdhQWD-dQyqrplOnd/s320/warrior_edit.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331337218886145090" /><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">Secondly, we have <a href="http://elephantwords.co.uk/2009/05/02/the-once-and-future-king/">The Once And Future King</a>. It was my turn to post the picture this week and, I’m afraid, I’ve been rather preoccupied with all sorts of stuff, and so I almost completely forgot to find a picture. So I headed over to one of my favourite stock photo sites from when I was working as a graphic designer (<a href="http://www.sxc.hu/">http://www.sxc.hu</a>) and, for some reason, entered “sword” into the search field, which led me to this rather interesting picture. Fast forward a week to today and, you guessed it, I almost completely forgot that I actually had to write a story about it!<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">Thankfully, for once, the idea came quickly to me. I’ve always been interested in Arthurian legend, and so the idea of the warrior king returning to <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Britain</st1:place></st1:country-region> to save us in our darkest hour sprang to mind. And then it hit me…what use would he be? If he turned up in the middle of a modern day battlefield, he’d be shot in an instant.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">It’s a simple twist, little more than a pun, really, but I had fun writing it and, hopefully, people will enjoy reading it.<o:p></o:p></span></p>IanDSharmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02094037011446607583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17180935.post-8860582487852773472009-04-25T15:03:00.000+01:002009-04-25T15:04:22.403+01:00ORANG UTAN EVOLVES IN 2009!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; "><div style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 3px; padding-right: 3px; padding-bottom: 3px; padding-left: 3px; width: auto; font: normal normal normal 100%/normal Georgia, serif; text-align: left; "><p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family:Arial;">British indie publisher releases two new titles!</span></i></p><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGTxJUz-X4FHpwtPShPt3VZFjNMQWmcoIqV9ZLET8BIfH_yZq42JQKdMwn57PKavtlQvJE9r5tEU0JHI5RntCv82WDtpE9S1n6LnYYUEFqUMXhYsAOh_mPvPeeCXbaqmOXH4yl/s320/FTL%231cover_lowres.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328627870725684802" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 206px; height: 320px; " /><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><o:p><a href="http://www.orangutancomics.co.uk/">Orang Utan Comics</a> are pleased to announce the release of two new comics which are available to order online right now.</o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><o:p>FTL#1 is the first issue of their brand new black and white anthology. Featuring thirty-two pages of beautifully greyscaled art, and new stories by Orang Utan Comics veterans Ian Sharman, Peter Rogers and Trey Wickwire, along with a brand new story from the exceptionally talented Dwight L. MacPherson (The Surreal Adventures of Edgar Allan Poo), FTL is sure to be a hit with comic fans everywhere.</o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial;"><a href="http://www.indyplanet.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=2078">Click here to order FTL #1.</a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><o:p>Also released today is the <a href="http://www.alphagods.co.uk/">Alpha Gods</a> graphic novel. Previously available to read online in ebook form, in excess of 8,000 views in the three months since its release have persuaded Orang Utan Comics to release the entire 48 page, full colour graphic novel in print.</o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial;"><a href="http://www.indyplanet.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=2070">Click here to order Alpha Gods.</a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><o:p>Both titles will be available at the Orang Utan Comics stand at next month’s Bristol International Comic Expo, and also at the London MCM Expo later in the month. You can also order both titles online via the print on demand service, IndyPlanet.</o:p></span></p><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgngS2dK5p8UMuuJ3BWDt8BYckojjXvVHE9zSK3X9REvkoHrsUqnx4TEUxvmpQxO9a4npHS_2N6Y8Ny5UloQwiTQRaZVfICwA1AudL2SZSwcq5Kv30K8KzWFr0W4o2-n_ZHGVPY/s320/front+coverOGN_lr.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328628040272488722" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 210px; height: 320px; " /><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><o:p>Orang Utan Comics Managing Editor, Ian Sharman, added, “May is going to be a big month for Orang Utan Comics, not only do we have two great new titles to promote, but we’re also looking forward to getting out and meeting our fans.” Indeed, fans will get a chance to put their questions to the Orang Utan Comics crew during their panel at the Bristol International Comic Expo next month. The panel will be held at 4pm in the Park Suite at the Ramada Plaza Hotel in Bristol and the OUC team will be celebrating their second anniversary of creating “comics for a strange new world.”</o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><o:p>To find out more about Alpha Gods, read character bios and creator profiles, please visit <a href="http://www.alphagods.co.uk/">www.alphagods.co.uk</a></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><o:p>For more information on Orang Utan Comics visit them online at<a href="http://www.orangutancomics.co.uk/">www.orangutancomics.co.uk</a></o:p></span></p></div></span>IanDSharmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02094037011446607583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17180935.post-71829031797976561512009-04-18T17:10:00.005+01:002009-04-18T17:54:19.912+01:00The Road Less Travelled - Video Blog!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHWhmTtkZtGkl-XFeIn2Y9duAE8-1_aNvYVtUvPo5cUQB0ENoS_nJjnzKwzQSjasRFIzsjq9A1bfHo1ypbreQ6gXkJTZUM_QvPqjQBFM6J4muRjiWYogxRCX3__h7n2pVgvEtj/s1600-h/pointout+path.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHWhmTtkZtGkl-XFeIn2Y9duAE8-1_aNvYVtUvPo5cUQB0ENoS_nJjnzKwzQSjasRFIzsjq9A1bfHo1ypbreQ6gXkJTZUM_QvPqjQBFM6J4muRjiWYogxRCX3__h7n2pVgvEtj/s320/pointout+path.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326065820185076882" /></a><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>So, rather than write about this week's <a href="http://elephantwords.co.uk">Elephant Words</a> story I thought it might be fun to try video blogging for a change. You should probably read the story first, you can read The Road Less Travelled <a href="http://elephantwords.co.uk/2009/04/14/the-road-less-travelled/">here</a>.</div><div><br /></div><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwcSfUiZe8w2bI8BBblDyVV82hpJP6nVnRAakTS7n4JwcBo_px9s2CNKz6358R_Q_Kp-TPJnvzBaw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>IanDSharmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02094037011446607583noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17180935.post-35381757573391491942009-04-10T14:52:00.003+01:002009-04-10T14:56:38.663+01:00Broken Wings<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWa74B8aSNcR6bNoogbspupXhukP3pIze-TagSLMKgB6NUbsh8IDK9NkM64nbBCsB_RsVZZThfpDl5Px2VKVJNv2zF17MTKud8HfyExM1wbCUR9R-svREqiHBSb69599qq-_ga/s1600-h/saturdaynight.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 238px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWa74B8aSNcR6bNoogbspupXhukP3pIze-TagSLMKgB6NUbsh8IDK9NkM64nbBCsB_RsVZZThfpDl5Px2VKVJNv2zF17MTKud8HfyExM1wbCUR9R-svREqiHBSb69599qq-_ga/s320/saturdaynight.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5323060566746719122" /></a><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">Take these broken wings<br />Learn to fly again<br />Learn to live so free<br />And when we hear the voices sing<br />The book of love will open up<br />And let us in</span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB"><o:p>This week’s <a href="http://elephantwords.co.uk/">Elephant Words</a> story, <a href="http://elephantwords.co.uk/2009/04/08/broken-wings/">Broken Wings</a>, was something a little new for me. It’s a first person story that moves from being quite stark and realistic at the start, into a very symbolic and internal piece. </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">I’ll admit, I was struggling for what to write. I pretty much knew where I wanted to start, a man alone, waking up, the effects of the vodka having worn off, and his attempts to smother his returning pain with more of the stuff. I think the Russian dolls in the picture sparked something too, as it encouraged me to peel back the layers of this character and examine what was going on underneath.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">Beyond that, I really had nothing, and so I decided to take a walk, and as I was walking the story pretty much played itself out in my mind. To be honest, it was partly a way for me to work some stuff out that was going on with me too. I was hurting at the time, but as I went on this strange journey with the character in my story it led me back to what was important, and helped me to realise that it’s where life leads us that’s what really matters, and not necessarily how we get there. At the end of the story we see two people making a fresh start, putting the pain of the past behind them, and understanding that they both have something that is incredibly precious and wonderful – each other’s hearts.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">I hope the story manages to be hopeful and uplifting without being overly sentimental.<o:p></o:p></span></p>IanDSharmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02094037011446607583noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17180935.post-34540857685968843862009-04-02T14:42:00.005+01:002009-04-10T14:56:14.674+01:00Little Girl<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNvKplNbSacuSaSzpl_FWb7NCO-A7mXHB7E1_VEQPKsZPxnZo4J2uxq9MIZCFEdvoLmx7fyh9gh_io8jlGvggB8TXhaOVMulsk8Cfq0aVeqvNZS_Uz-qSgWBxZYAWbryZ5nAmn/s1600-h/pioneers-on-the-oregon-trail.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 236px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNvKplNbSacuSaSzpl_FWb7NCO-A7mXHB7E1_VEQPKsZPxnZo4J2uxq9MIZCFEdvoLmx7fyh9gh_io8jlGvggB8TXhaOVMulsk8Cfq0aVeqvNZS_Uz-qSgWBxZYAWbryZ5nAmn/s320/pioneers-on-the-oregon-trail.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320089088676080562" /></a><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">Okay, I’ll admit it, I took one look at this week’s photo on <a href="http://elephantwords.co.uk/">Elephant Words</a> and thought “cannibals.” I know, I know, I should have looked at it and been inspired to write a story about good, hardy people forging a new life for themselves in a new world, with nothing but their wits and some plain old fashioned gumption to help them. But, instead, I just thought, “Oh my god, they’re going to eat that child!”</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">So, my story this week, <a href="http://elephantwords.co.uk/2009/04/02/littlegirl/">Little Girl</a>, is about a man who leaves Liverpool with his family to start a new life on <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">America</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s new frontier. However, he’s ill prepared, the family end up near starving to death, their initial hope for a new start turns to despair and they’re forced to eat the child to survive.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">Tragic.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">Of course…in my head it went a little differently… In my head, they came from <st1:place st="on">Liverpool</st1:place> and were scousers… For the Americans reading this, a scouser is like a red neck, only with a more annoying accent. I’m sure Liverpool has given the world many great things, like The Beatles…and…um…yeah…there was…no, that was rubbish…and so was Bread, The Liver Birds, Brookside, both Liverpool and Everton FC…and…well…everything else ever to come out of <st1:place st="on">Liverpool</st1:place>. I know, I’m being grossly unfair…but I ended up stuck at University with a scouser who thought I was “brilliant” and insisted on talking to me at length about…something….every time I saw him (who knows what he was actually saying with that accent…probably something about nicking the wheels off a car…).</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">I can so never go to <st1:place st="on">Liverpool</st1:place> after writing that…</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">So, originally, “Little Girl” was going to be called “They Do Do That Down There Though Don’t They” and was going to read something like this.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">“’Ere, Ken, we ain’t got no food, like!”</span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">“Calm down, ma, calm down, we can always nick us some of dat dere food like.”</span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">“Nick some? From where? Dere ain’t no shops or nothin’ like, where yous gonna nick some food from, like?”</span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">“Well, like, I know, we could always, like, eat the baybi.”</span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">“Eat the baybi? Eat the baybi?!”</span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">“Calm, down, calm down, it’s what dey do down in dat dere <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">London</st1:place></st1:city>, like.”</span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">“Dey do do dat down dere dough, don’t dey?”</span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">“Dey do do dat down dere. Now drink yer milk.”</span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">“Milk? Yuck.”</span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">“It’s what Ian Rush drinks…”</span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">I really wish it was yesterday and I could just claim this post was an April Fools Day prank…<o:p></o:p></span></p>IanDSharmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02094037011446607583noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17180935.post-7919537483610573812009-03-27T16:32:00.003+00:002009-03-27T16:35:39.630+00:00Between The Lines<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBuQDDBsVdciHstlayCq-I2PAqAuxicR8SM6fiUYQT07RvxMCcQU07RP2ufz147drjjH7gcYSnpqbEUXYLbZAYlpUcD4GVigTPEN9LIAdaAZTSXv4Ae3VUSz1Z3RljAZtMq4o4/s1600-h/lastweekofmarch.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 114px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBuQDDBsVdciHstlayCq-I2PAqAuxicR8SM6fiUYQT07RvxMCcQU07RP2ufz147drjjH7gcYSnpqbEUXYLbZAYlpUcD4GVigTPEN9LIAdaAZTSXv4Ae3VUSz1Z3RljAZtMq4o4/s320/lastweekofmarch.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5317906392270904722" /></a><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">For once, this week, I didn’t have any real struggle to come up with something, This week’s picture immediately reminded me of the Mr Big song “<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIreJ9Lz3hI">Alive and Kickin</a>’” and I knew I wanted to do something along the lines of a girl writing a goodbye letter to her mother as she ran away with her boyfriend.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">So, before I go on, pop over to <a href="http://elephantwords.co.uk">Elephant Words</a> and read <a href="http://elephantwords.co.uk/2009/03/27/betweenthelines/">Between The Lines</a>.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">It was as I started to think about what the girl would write that I realised that there was a lot more going on here. Reading between the lines there was a lot not being said, and this made me ponder how often what we write is very different to what we actually mean.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">So I struck upon the idea of writing two letters. One would be the actual letter that the girl was sending to her mother, and the other would be the letter that she’d write if she was truly being 100% honest and saying what was on her mind.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">Yes, I know, the actual situation is really a hideous cliché, but it served well enough for the experiment. I’m not sure that I really pulled it off though. I think, perhaps, I should have spent more time on it, made it more originally, and perhaps more subtle. I don’t know.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">I’m afraid I’ve found myself going back to one of my greatest frustrations in life with this story – why do girls date @$$holes? It’s something I doubt I’ll ever fully understand.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div>IanDSharmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02094037011446607583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17180935.post-25371041271234909902009-03-26T23:51:00.003+00:002009-03-27T12:12:43.791+00:00Dissecting Alpha Gods: Part Two: Prologue: Slash & Burn<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJs7p_I_08qF8EEooAVrvclHL7WASLNE4XJwmqMuow4et6jNBwrTQ1JqF8H2xEFGfox_ZFNN9sr_pzm5bByaDgISSaRAMzTio7q1NXlixlsjX9_XovjUfHNTD-qlcioOHaCDTG/s1600-h/agban1.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 66px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJs7p_I_08qF8EEooAVrvclHL7WASLNE4XJwmqMuow4et6jNBwrTQ1JqF8H2xEFGfox_ZFNN9sr_pzm5bByaDgISSaRAMzTio7q1NXlixlsjX9_XovjUfHNTD-qlcioOHaCDTG/s320/agban1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5317648860022370626" /></a><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">As we discussed in Part One, the Prologue was actually one of the last parts to be written. Well, actually, that’s not entirely accurate. The six issue series, now known as Alpha Gods: Betrayal was plotted first, and an early draft of issue one was written, then the main chapters of the graphic novel were plotted…and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">then</i> the prologue was written.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">The task before me was to write a six page introduction to the world of the Alpha Gods, so I decided to go back one step further to find out how they first learn that Grigori Industries might be experimenting on Extra Humans. At first it seems like a routine, very easy mission…and then they run into opposition.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">Let’s start at the very beginning, with the date that the prologue takes place on – 12<sup>th</sup> July, 2086. There are no random dates in Alpha Gods, and this is no exception. Those of you that know me well will know that 12<sup>th</sup> July is my birthday…but why 2086? This is a small homage to one of my favourite cartoons when I was a kid, Thunderbirds 2086. The show was awesome (in my memory…it was probably awful).</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">Originally the prologue didn’t start with a briefing scene. My first draft opened with a splash page of Paladin and Impact deflecting a hail of bullets during the fire fight from page 3. The narrative for the page essentially ended up with “How did we get ourselves into this mess?” and then we’d flash back to the briefing. At the time the book was with VCS and the editorial advice I had from there was that in a six page story I shouldn’t waste a page on a splash, and should instead start with the briefing scene, and Paladin’s duel with Agent Omega was extended by a page. I’ve written quite a few six page stories since then and, well, let’s just say that with hind sight I disagree with that advice. I feel the story would have felt a lot more dynamic if it had started in media res. At the time I was just starting out and so took the advice I was given and rewrite it. Maybe for the collected edition we’re planning to do once Alpha Gods: Betrayal is complete I’ll ask Ezequiel to redraw the prologue from my original script. (Which would actually be the third time that this story has been drawn, as it was originally illustrated by Randy Valiente in an early version that appeared in Eleventh Hour #1).</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">Anyway, as it worked out the Prologue proved to be a great way for me to establish Paladin and Impact’s characters, and the relationship between them. In the briefing scene we see that Paladin is alert and attentive, whereas Impact is clearly bored and disinterested. On page two we begin to get a sense of the friction between them…and that the friction isn’t necessarily caused by them disliking each other. I wanted to establish that these characters are teenagers first and foremost, and super heroes secondly. Impact is by far my favourite character in Alpha Gods to write, she’s probably the most like me.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">So, finally, on page three, we get to the action. Personally I think that Ezequiel’s done a great job here of cramming a fight between Impact and Paladin and an entire room full of guards into such a small space. Page three ends with a mysterious foot…and we start to get the sense that this mission is a lot less straightforward then it first seemed.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">There are obvious questions thrown up here. Why was Agent Omega waiting for them? Did he know they were coming? Was he there by chance? All I can say at this point is that there are answers to these questions, but you won’t find them out until well into Alpha Gods: Betrayal. Sorry.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">And so to the duel between Paladin and Agent Omega. Originally, as I said, this took place over a single page, but when the splash page at the start was removed it was extended to two. It was at that point that the little homage to my favourite screen duel wound its way into the script. There’s actually a deeper reason for using this quote than just “Hey, Star Wars is awesome! Let’s throw in a geeky quote for people!” Some people have complained that it takes them out of the story. This is actually quite deliberate. I’m not going to spoil future plot twists, and it’s almost certainly not what you’re thinking it is…but those lines are there for a very good reason.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">On the final page, we see that Paladin now has Agent Omega at his mercy, but he lets him live. Why? Um….sorry….but yet again…I can’t say… The point of this was to give you an insight into the writing process and some of the thinking behind the story…but with so many plot twists yet to come, it’s very hard to go into too much depth without spoiling everything.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">Of course, that was the point of this story, to tease, to sow seeds and provide pretty much no answers. It was designed to draw you in, intrigue you, make you want to find out more. For a long time this story was the only bit of Alpha Gods out there, originally in Eleventh Hour and later on via myebook. It did it’s job, it got people interested, it made people want to read more.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">Originally this story wasn’t going to be in the graphic novel at all. It was meant to just be a little teaser that stood on its own. It was only later that I realised that it was silly to not use it as a Prologue to the book. Personally, I think it works quite well…the book would have a very different feel if it started off with Chapter One. Instead the Prologue allowed me to establish certain core concepts of the Alpha Gods universe before going on to introduce the villains and take a closer look at the individual characters. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">Next time we’ll look at Chapter One and explore the influences behind the creation of one of the main villains, Lester Cravely and some of the mythology behind the series.<o:p></o:p></span></p>IanDSharmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02094037011446607583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17180935.post-83182971394132584182009-03-09T14:47:00.005+00:002009-03-09T15:12:03.184+00:00Rebel Without A Clue<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPV6fXUbXca0-A8cQCUAEg0iNcbToQrj8TpoGEgcaMOcPGAUFLxErYmVoW_I8RLg2ClOj1N6XCytlQmX2FVNvvQSrex3UQf__FKdkTqSvBfzNAjF0DA15GAu4sL-nio5vcHLDq/s1600-h/observatory.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPV6fXUbXca0-A8cQCUAEg0iNcbToQrj8TpoGEgcaMOcPGAUFLxErYmVoW_I8RLg2ClOj1N6XCytlQmX2FVNvvQSrex3UQf__FKdkTqSvBfzNAjF0DA15GAu4sL-nio5vcHLDq/s320/observatory.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311200766003634962" /></a>Typically, just as I decide to use this blog to explore the thinking behind what I'm writing, both in my comics and on <a href="http://elephantwords.co.uk/">Elephant Words</a>, I'm the Monday man at EW, and have almost no time to actually put any thought at all into what I'm writing there!<div><br /></div><div>This week's story was particulalry hard to write, partly because the pic' went up very late Sunday night due to some technical problems, and partly due to the fact that I haven't really been in the frame of mind to write as I was assaulted by my ex-wife's boyfriend last night. But, yeah, let's not go into that, eh?</div><div><br /></div><div>So, let's at least try and talk about my Elephant Words story this week - <a href="http://elephantwords.co.uk/2009/03/09/rebel-without-a-clue/">Rebel Without A Clue</a>. The pic' either is, or looks incredibly like, the observatory from the film Rebel Without A Cause. It's been a looooong time since I saw the film, so I could be completely wrong there, but that was the immediate association that sprung to mind. I remember thinking the film was excellent, but, I also seem to recall watching it with my grandparents, while my gran struggled to decide who were the goodies and who were the baddies. Bless her. I guess it's hard for someone who sees everything in black and white to appreciate a film which is all about shades of grey.</div><div><br /></div><div>I've always been amused by the subtle pun version of the film's title, Rebel Without A Clue, which, I think, might have been used in a song or something...I don't know...heh... But my mind immediately turned to those damn middle class emo kids who are depressed about having nothing to be depressed about. Who resent their parents for giving them a stable, loving home, because, you know, it's preventing them from being properly troubled and angst ridden like their ultimate idol, Kurt Cobain. I think for most of my generation, who were teenagers when Cobain was alive, and Nirvana were at their height...the idolisation of Kurt Cobain by today's youth is a complete mystery.</div><div><br /></div><div>And that's about it, really, that's as much thought as went into writing it. The ending was a bit tricky, I knew I wanted to riff off the classic line from the film "What are you rebelling against?" "What have you got?" but finding the right way to do that wasn't easy. Originally I just had the kid stare blankly at his mum, lost for words, but I didn't feel that was satisfying. So, instead I went for the vague, noncommital, "Just...stuff..." which, for me, kinds of sums up the vague, unfocused rebellion of a generation that seems to think that dressing the same as all of their friends is rebelling.</div><div><br /></div><div>Kids, stop watching Death Note and watch some James Dean movies, you might learn a thing or two about rebellion...</div>IanDSharmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02094037011446607583noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17180935.post-76716890194159804042009-03-07T16:18:00.005+00:002009-03-27T12:12:56.199+00:00Dissecting Alpha Gods: Part One: Origins & Influences<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl2JUUfEuBbJ2F5Bq4es6LAymPR6VDt-Xnq6a4ZYp91XZxH1jMmUxNGbNVOdqshfUNGNb_iGrH5BCwUfqrDstWKsqty9M8IKnxeKO9jF2L7M3pi3k3UtUAQCDMjXCNxFWc8O7n/s1600-h/agban1.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 66px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl2JUUfEuBbJ2F5Bq4es6LAymPR6VDt-Xnq6a4ZYp91XZxH1jMmUxNGbNVOdqshfUNGNb_iGrH5BCwUfqrDstWKsqty9M8IKnxeKO9jF2L7M3pi3k3UtUAQCDMjXCNxFWc8O7n/s320/agban1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5317634988399042706" /></a><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">[<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Note</span>: Part One was written before the name of the series was changed from Young Gods to Alpha Gods]</p><p class="MsoNormal">So, the plan is to start going in depth into some of the thinking behind my writing, so I struck upon the idea of doing a chapter by chapter discussion of the Young Gods OGN which you can now<a href="http://www.myebook.com/index.php?option=ebook&id=3953"> read for free online</a>. Oh, and check out this awesome review of the book <a href="http://www.hypergeek.ca/2009/03/comic-book-review-young-gods-1-2.html">here</a>.<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB"><o:p>But I digress…yes, the plan was to go chapter by chapter, but in thinking about writing about the thinking behind the Prologue, I realised that I really need to start a lot earlier than that, and if I’m really going to explain the thinking behind Young Gods, I need to talk about the very genesis of the idea. I need to go back to the start, and explain how the idea first came about, and how I got from “Hey, I’ve got an idea…” to actually sitting down and writing a comic. Basically, I need to talk about the influences on the creation of Young Gods, before I can talk about Young Gods itself.</o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">The Music</span></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB"><o:p>Back in 1991 my dad decided to join one of those mail order<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>music clubs, and he let me pick the four tapes (yes, tapes…it was 1991…I didn’t get a CD player for another few years) for the introductory discount offer. I was fourteen going on fifteen and knew I wanted to get into hard rock and metal, but my music collection was…well…a little thin, shall we say. All I had to go on in picking my four tapes were tiny little pictures of the covers, and so, knowing nothing about them, what their music sounded like, where they were from, or anything, I picked out a tape that, to my eyes, looked like it might be my kinda’ thing…it was an album by a band I’d never heard of, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Angels">Little Angels</a>, and the album was called “Young Gods”.</o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB"><o:p>It’s hard to explain just why the album conjured up images in my mind of a super hero team raiding an enemy facility to rescue one of their own, but nevertheless it did. The feel of the album as a whole has deeply influenced the creation of the comic, with the rousing anthem of “Young Gods” itself serving as a backdrop in my mind to the action scenes, and more intimate tracks such as “Feels Like The World Has Come Undone” naturally leading me to write more downbeat moments. The villain of the piece was ultimately hinted at by “Boneyard”, the idea that we should all just have fun while we’re alive because we’re all going to die eventually anyway, naturally led me to create a villain who embodied that kind of hedonistic approach to life.</o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB"><o:p>Those readers who are <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Angels">Little Angels</a> fans may have noticed that the title of each chapter of the OGN is also the title of a track from the album. Sometimes the links between the track titles and the actual content of the chapters are fairly tenuous, and sometimes the thematic links are much closer. Of course, the observant among you may have also noticed that the title of the Prologue is not a track from Young Gods, but is, rather, the title of a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manic_street_preachers">Manic Street Preachers</a> song. The fast paced feel of Slash n’ Burn just seemed to fit with the feel of the Prologue for me.</o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">The Comics</span></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB"><o:p>Well, as much as one recent review commended Young Gods for being “fresh and original”, like any work of fiction, it’s heavily influenced by what has come before it. Early influences came from the original <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gen_13">Gen 13</a> mini series from Image. I recently found some old notes I’d written about the characters when I first started playing around with ideas for the series in my teens, and one of the characters was a complete rip off of Grunge from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gen_13">Gen 13</a>. My original story ideas were, well, to be honest, pretty much a retelling of that mini series but with my own characters. I was young, and thankfully the ensuing decade and a half saw me move beyond such immature plagiarism. Young Gods has been far more heavily influenced by the many comics I’ve read since. Most notably the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louise_Simonson">Simonson</a>/<a href="http://www.optimisticstudios.com/">Blevins</a> run on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Mutants">New Mutants</a>, which I always felt was far more about the relationships between the characters than the action. Also, the early <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Lobdell">Lobdell</a>/<a href="http://www.chrisbachalo.net/">Bachalo</a> issues of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_X_(comics)">Generation X</a> were a big influence. I’ve always been drawn to those kinds of teen books, and in many ways you can see the Paladin/Impact dynamic as being similar to the Sam/Dani dynamic in New Mutants, or the Jono/Paige dynamic in Generation X. Also, every teenage team needs their mysterious dark outsider, in New Mutants that’s Ilyanna, in Generation X it was, to an extent, Penance. In Young Gods it’s Eclipse who, of course, owes more to Ilyanna than Penance, but they all fill the role of exploring those teenage feelings of alienation and the uncertainties surrounding one’s own morality that surface around that time. There are further parallels that can be drawn, of course, but I’ll leave them up to the reader to explore further.</o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB"><o:p>The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Claremont">Claremont</a>/<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Byrne">Byrne</a>/<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Cockrum">Cockrum</a> era of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncanny_X-men">Uncanny X-Men</a> has, of course, been a huge influence. Arguably, it’s been a huge influence on every team super-hero comic to follow it. The theme of a group of heroes protecting a world that fears and hates them is, of course, lifted wholesale from the X-Men. I don’t think I could possibly get away with claiming otherwise. One thing I have done away with is the artificial distinction between mutants and heroes whose powers come from other sources. It makes little sense that the general public in the Marvel Universe would see any difference between the mutant <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyro_(comics)">Pyro</a> and the altered human <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_Torch">The Human Torch</a>. Instead I imagined a world where mutants, cyborgs, aliens and supernatural beings were a fairly common occurrence, and the inevitable reaction to that by “ordinary” humans is one of fear, mistrust and hatred. The other big deviation from the X-Men model is, of course, that the Young Gods are not a privately funded group of vigilantes; they’re a government sanctioned strike force, set up specifically to police their own kind. In that sense, the team are as much reviled by the extra human community as they are by regular humans. Of course, even that’s not original; having been pretty much the theme of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X-Factor_(comics)">X-Factor</a> from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_David">Peter David</a>’s run onwards.</o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Books and Research</span></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB"><o:p>One thing that, I feel, harms the writing of a lot of aspiring comic book writers is that they read a lot of comics, and that’s it. Now, I read a lot of comics, I love comics, but I also read other things. Personally, I feel that if you want to write, and write well, the best thing you can do is start reading non-fiction. If all you read is fiction then all you’re ever going to do is recycle other people’s ideas. Start reading non-fiction and you’ll find yourself having ideas of your own.</o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB"><o:p>A number of books have had a big influence on Young Gods. Obviously, there’s a Biblical influence in there, although, of course, whether the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bible">Bible</a> falls into the category of Fiction or Non-Fiction is rather open to debate. In any case, it certainly fits the category of mythology…and that’s something that I’d recommend any aspiring writer (and I class myself as an aspiring writer myself…until someone actually pays me to write something I’m not going to claim otherwise) to explore. It’s very much worth exploring the archetypal stories that the human race has been telling for thousands of years. This is especially true if you’re writing super-heroes, which have, on many occasions, been likened to modern day gods. The Biblical influence on Young Gods is, really, fairly minimal though, obviously we have the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nephilim">Nephilim</a> and the Flood, but the use of the Nephilim led me on to researching the extra-Biblical legends surrounding them. This is where the internet is invaluable as a research tool. Whatever you’re writing, it’s worth doing a Google search for all of the key terms and ideas, research your subject, it will result in your writing being a lot richer, and it will also lead your stories in new directions you might not have otherwise considered. I could have made Malak just some random demonic entity, but making him a Nephilim, and actually researching the subject has, I feel, made him a much more interesting and rounded character. He has motivations beyond just “being evil” and that’s something that will lead to your readers being far more engaged in your story. I hope.</o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB"><o:p>The works of <a href="http://www.grahamhancock.com/">Graham Hancock</a> have also been a big influence on my writing, and that can be found in Young Gods too (although for a clearer example of this, check out my short story <a href="http://www.myebook.com/index.php?option=ebook&id=805">The Last Days of Cydonia</a>, from <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Eleventh-Hour-One-Geek-Syndicate/dp/1905692293/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1236445022&sr=1-2">Eleventh Hour Vol 1</a>). There are suggestions in Malak’s backstory of an ancient, advanced civilisation that was destroyed in a great catastrophe. It was also reading Hancock’s work that led me into reading about the <a href="http://www.conspiracyarchive.com/">Freemasons and the Illuminati</a>, and so another dimension to the Nephilim was added. That they are the secret masters of an underground conspiracy that clandestinely controls everything. We’re very early in the story at the moment, but as we go on you’ll discover that the Nephilim are working in the background, controlling everything that happens. The name of Malak’s base of operations, the Bohemian Club, is a nod to Bohemian Grove…Google it if you’ve never heard of it. Of course, to return to comics, the Bohemian Club also owes a lot to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hellfire_Club_(comics)">Hellfire Club</a> from the X-Men, and a quick glance at the title of this blog will indicate my fondness for that idea.</o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">The Structure</span></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB"><o:p>When I seriously started work on Young Gods back in 2005, it was originally conceived as a six issue series (with, hopefully, more series to follow). That original six issue series is essentially what will form Young Gods: Betrayal, the six issue series that follows on from the OGN. So…why write the OGN? In early 2006 I joined up with Visionary Comics Studio and took Young Gods there. At the time, their policy was that every series they were developing should begin with an oversized one-shot, a graphic novel. So, it was suggested that I condense the six issue series down into one volume. This was something I really wasn’t keen to do. I hope that once Young Gods: Betrayal is complete you’ll see what an impossible task that would have been. The whole point of Young Gods is that the focus is on the characters and their relationships with one another. Condense the story down too much and those characters have no room to breathe. So, the only option was to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">write something else</i>… But what? Ultimately I realised that I had all this backstory in my head about how the characters had got to the point that they’re at in the first issue. I decided to riff off of Giant-Size X-Men issue one, and have a series of vignettes introducing all of the major characters, so you’ll see that there’s a chapter focusing on each team member, and each of the major villains. The final piece of the puzzle fell into place when I had the idea of making each chapter title one of the tracks from “Young Gods”. So, while it wasn’t the story I wanted to tell, it was, I felt, an interesting way to introduce the characters and set the plot in motion. Then Visionary asked for a six page story that would work as a teaser for the series as a whole. So I decided to take one step back, and to show the events that led up to the events in the OGN, and that six page story was added to the front of the OGN as the Prologue. Ultimately I left Visionary and took Young Gods with me when we formed orang Utan Comics, but the OGn was already written by then. So, as proud of the OGN as I am…none of that story was ever meant to have been told. Some of it might have been used in flash backs, but it was mostly just in my head to inform the writing of the series. For example, the fact the Alpha had rescued Outrage from an angry mob was something that I’d planned to hint at, as a reason why Outrage stayed with the team despite having an obvious dislike for rigid authority, but I’d never planned to actually show that scene. In the end, it meant I could work in a nice little homage to Dave Cockrum, one of my heroes, so I’m not complaining.</o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB"><o:p>This is why I’m excited now I’m starting to see pages for Young Gods: Betrayal #1 come through from Ezequiel and Mauro, because this is the story I started imagining back in 1991 when I first listened to that Little Angels album.</o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB"><o:p>So, that’s the background stuff out of the way. In the next part I’ll look at the Prologue in more detail.</o:p></span></p>IanDSharmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02094037011446607583noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17180935.post-41850106973412815152009-03-03T14:18:00.002+00:002009-03-03T14:36:47.900+00:00Every Cloud<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUNpszi0ngBzAA-jKynjSV3gZtGskqYwS-_Ps9cOrP4lFWbJqkDUpcEMSM9lOMqq_r2fOwafqCPdnGKVELeWV5MZSUXEky1_2U2EdLqUcSDxQVy2V6x4d6li4XLEcBuh3R2cuv/s1600-h/atthepub.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUNpszi0ngBzAA-jKynjSV3gZtGskqYwS-_Ps9cOrP4lFWbJqkDUpcEMSM9lOMqq_r2fOwafqCPdnGKVELeWV5MZSUXEky1_2U2EdLqUcSDxQVy2V6x4d6li4XLEcBuh3R2cuv/s200/atthepub.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308970357730450514" /></a>I want to give this blog more of a purpose, and I think one of the ways I'm going to do that is to go a little more in depth with everything. Give you all a little more of an insight into the thought process behind what I'm writing, to give you an idea what goes on behind the scenes of my comic work, that sort of thing.<div><br /></div><div>So, that bring me to this week's <a href="http://elephantwords.co.uk/">Elephant Words</a> contribution. For those of you not familiar with Elephant Words, it's a burst fiction website, inpired by the old story of the blind men and the elephant. It explores how we all intepret and are inspired by the same image in different ways. At any one time there are six people contributing to the site, each week we take it in turns to post a new image on a Sunday, and then through the week we all post a short story, poem, or whatever, inspired by that image.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://elephantwords.co.uk/2009/03/01/image-01032008-at-the-pub/">This week's image</a> was photograph of a woman in a pub. Soemtimes I'll struggle to find inspiration in an image, or it will strongly suggest one story and one story only, but this week I found several ideas came to mind. For a while I considered doing a first person piece based on my experiences of being drunk, and the extreme mood swings that one experiences during inebration (from "I love you, you're all wonderful" to "my life's a piece of shit and I want to die" often in a matter of seconds...or maybe that's just me...heh...). I considered, and quickly rejected, some autobiographical tales of drinking experiences from various comic book conventions. Ultimately, though, once the first line "Yes...yes, officer, I have been drinking..." popped into my head, I was fairly locked in on what I was going to write...that kind of led me inevitably to the last line (I'm not going to spoil that for you though), and, although I feel the whole thing is a little predictable, I hope it's still effective.</div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway, let me link you to this week's story now, before I discuss it a little further - <a href="http://elephantwords.co.uk/2009/03/03/every-cloud/">Every Cloud</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>The story, really, sprung from a recent conversation about drinking and driving that I had with my girlfriend. It's something that I feel quite strongly about, and really don't undeerstand why people do it. I suppose the challenge for me in writing this story was to try and get into the head of someone who'd do it, and try to understand why. The only time I've ever got behind the wheel of a car with alcohol in my system was after I'd had one small bottle of beer. I was still well under the legal limit and was merely moving my car around the corner to make sure I didn't get a parking fine, but I would NEVER do it again. Despite having had so little to drink, I found that my judgement was already clearly impaired and that so many of the little things one does automatically while driving suddenly needed my full concentration to achieve.</div><div><br /></div><div>So, that's the story behind this week's story. Feel free to leave me feedback, either here or on the Elephant Words site.</div>IanDSharmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02094037011446607583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17180935.post-2099088286928579522009-03-02T14:07:00.000+00:002009-03-02T14:08:16.081+00:00Young Gods OGN: Part Two!Read it now!<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><a href="http://www.myebook.com/index.php?option=ebook&id=4812" target="blank"><img src="http://www.myebook.com/assets/frontend_file/embed_image/ebook_id/4812.png" border="0" alt="Myebook - Young Gods: Part Two - click here to open my ebook" /></a>IanDSharmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02094037011446607583noreply@blogger.com0