Freak Comics

Moments after posting an article about my switch from Marvel I read a similar article over at airbagindustries.com. Greg Storey comments on how DC has done this once before with Crisis on Infinite Earths series, and how this time around it’s different.

I would shrug this off as just another DC stunt to sell more books, which it still is of course, but the writing talent selected might make for an interesting ride and outcome.

That’s the key: talent. It’s something that DC has lacked until recently. Revamping their entire line can only serve to improve it.

When I was growing up and reading comics, Marvel had the upper hand in the industry. Jim Lee was in the ranks of Marvel’s army and they had great story lines. I was really in to the cartoon as well, even though the animation was pretty bad.

When I hit a critical age, I came to a crossroads. I abandoned comic books and started other hobbies, like playing guitar.
Years went by, I got married, decided to start reading comic books again and started this website. I had no clue what was going on in the comic book world… until I went in to a local comic book shop and picked up an issue of the X-Men. Marvel’s logo had changed, no more comic code authority stamp. Their paper had changed. They were in the middle of some odd series called the House of M, all their characters looked 10 - 20 years younger, the comics seemed shorter, there was less dialog, and the art looked more like paintings, which isn’t really a bad thing, but was just different.

I put the comic back on the shelf and figured it was just that particular title. I moved on to another and started paging through it, more of the same. I tried Thor, same. It was as if I had walked in to a comic book time warp. I was expecting to pick up an issue of the X-Men and jump right back in where I left off, with different story lines of course, but found something very different.
I looked around a little confused and left the store, assuming that I was just out of touch and needed to do a little research before making a purchase. “I’ll solve this problem on the internet. The good titles are just a click or two away.” I told myself.

I found nothing on the internet to convince me that Marvel was still worth reading, just a lot of comments on how Marvel has screwed everything up. Each time I went to the comic shop after that, I tried desperately to find a Marvel title worth reading. Tried and failed miserably. Meanwhile, the DC titles sat on their shelf looking rather inviting. Jim Lee did some of the covers, the art was more like the Marvel comics of old. Even the Superman titles looked interesting, and I usually hate Superman. But no! I couldn’t make the switch. I couldn’t abandon Marvel for the evil of DC… could I? I would toy with the idea, and then slunk off to the back to purchase old Marvel comics for a quarter each, or perhaps buy a graphic novel or two.

Then, just the other day, it happened. I went in to the comic book shop yet again and decided to find a new title or series to read whether I liked it or not. I was going to purchase a Marvel comic even if I thought it was total crap. I went directly to the most current astonishing X-Men issue, picked it up, paged through it… and set it down. I don’t know about you, but I like to read my comic books. I like actual words in them. Moments that have no dialog or narration is fine, but when a comic book costs $2.50 - $3.50 and you see one word balloon for every 5 panels, it feels cheap, like the writer was more concerned over the weekend and getting drunk, than writing an intense and interesting story. Every marvel title I looked through had this affect on me.

I was frustrated and mad. My quest was failing once again. I looked over at the owner of the store and said “I want to read something new. I can’t bring myself to purchase a Marvel book.”
“Don’t bother with Marvel,” came the nasally reply. “Have you read any DC lately?”.
So, I picked up the 80 page introduction to the Infinite Crisis, Omac #1 and Villains United #1. Reading these comics has given me a new perspective on DC. The writing is good, the dialog is good, and the art is great. And there are actual words in these comic books! The only problem is that I’m about 5 months or so behind on this story, so I have some expensive catching up to do.

For now I’m a DC fan. Hopefully one day Marvel will start caring about quality again, rather than worrying about their next film contract.

Why is it as soon as a human gets a super power, they throw on some skin tight clothes with a logo on their chest? One of the main struggles for a lot of characters is that of blending in with a crowd. For the most part they avoid standing out or making a display of themselves. Unfortunately costumes and blending in to average every-day society just don’t mix.

If you had a super power, would you wear spandex? I really doubt it.

Then again, what’s Spidey without his colorful costume, or Batman without the cape? They wouldn’t be as memorable no doubt.

Where did the idea of having a muscle bound savior with a costume come in to play though, and why did it become the norm? Superman was the definitive super hero of course. In recent times his costume is explained away as being somewhat traditional garb from his home planet. Batman’s costume was supposed to induce fear in to the heart of criminals. All the other characters out there most likely have excuses for their costumes, but I believe it all boils down to a psychological response, and an artful way of identifying a character. The grittier, more human characters usual wear street clothes, however if a giant freak comes flying at you it’s easy to identify him as a super hero or villain.

Should I just take this stuff with a grain of salt and write it off as a fun way of passing the time? Sure, and I usually do, but lately it has struck me as odd. I for one know that if a giant brute walked up to me dressed in spandex, I would automatically assume he was passing out advertisements for a fast food company or had just escaped from a mental institution.

Potato Chip Man (PCM) has finally went in to production, and I am very excited about this series. I’ve always loved government conspiracy stories and have wanted to do one for a long time, and now I’m getting my chance.

Anyone who is familiar with the MK-Ultra experiments conducted by the United States government will recognize similar threads in PCM. The main character, Potato Chip Man, is… a potato chip. But don’t let that turn you off from the series. This comic is more symbolic and surreal than anything else and that will become evident within the first issue.

Unfortunately I won’t be able to reveal any more of the story-line as it will ruin the first issue for you, but I can give you a sneak peak at the inked line art of the first page.

I am a big fan of drawing and inking by hand, thus this entire series will be done in this manner. India Ink and paper might make the production time longer, but I think the results are worth it.

Potato Chip Man is the working title of this series and may end up changing before the final release. Currently I have a projected release date of November 15th.

Read The Adventures of Stickman #39