The latest issue of The Believer includes a piece by Robert Ito on the new Fletcher Hanks book, a small sample of which can be found online:
Most traditional superhero comics follow a predictable format: The villain does something villainous. Hero and villain fight. The villain is captured, or beaten into submission, or is accidentally killed. Within this tripartite structure, the pre-conflict setup and post-conflict comeuppance serve largely as bookends to the fight scenes, which make up the narrative meat. In the tales of Fletcher Hanks, however, there are hardly any fights at all—few, certainly, of any consequence or duration. Instead, there are extended setups during which the villain commits a variety of horrific acts. After a speedy capture (often without a blow thrown) the reader is treated to panel after panel of the villain being tortured, humiliated, and tossed about.
Of special note is the cover, for which Charles Burns did a portrait of creepy Hanks protagonist Fantomah. According to Flog, Burns handed the drawing over to the book’s editor, Paul Karasik, at MoCCA, which was a nice gesture.
UPDATE: On a related note, ComicsDC has an interview with Karasik right here.
August 10th, 2007 at 12:42 pm
I have been stunned by the reception that my book has received! The 1st edition is completely sold out and we are awaiting the arrival of the 2nd edition.
If you are unfamiliar with Hanks’ work, I urge you to wander over to my website, go to the BONUS page and see the slideshow of a Fantomah story that does NOT appear in the book:
http://www.fletcherhanks.com
Thanks,
-Paul Karasik